From Aipac

Khamenei Praises Ahmadinejad's Nuclear Defiance
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday affirmed that he and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were in ideological accord, especially in regards to Tehran's illicit nuclear drive, The International Herald Tribune reported. "Some bullying and demanding countries wanted to impose their will on our country," Khamenei said, referring to international insistence that Iran halt its uranium enrichment activities. "But our people, and the president and his ministers, stood up to such demands." Khamenei praised the Iranian government's refusal to halt its nuclear work, as called for by the U.N. Security Council, calling it a symbol of the country's "national identity." Iran has rebuffed multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding that it abandon efforts to enrich uranium and faces more stringent sanctions as a result of its non-compliance. Click here to learn more about the need for sanctions against Iran.

Syria Seeks to Purchase Advanced Russian Weaponry
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last week that he would use his visit to Russia to significantly expand military ties with Moscow, Reuters reported. "Of course military and technical cooperation is the main issue," Assad said. "Weapons purchases are very important." A diplomatic source in Moscow said that Damascus was interested in Russian missile defense systems and military aircraft, and the two countries are preparing a number of deals involving anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems, of the sort Hizballah has used with great success against Israel. The State Department consistently lists Syria as one of the world's leading state sponsors of international terrorism.

Report: Hamas Can Launch 100 Qassams a Day
Israeli defense officials monitoring Hamas' arms buildup in Gaza have detected major advances in both the quality and quantity of the terrorist group's rocket arsenal, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Despite recent pledges by the terrorist group to halt its stockpiling of weapons, Hamas has managed to smuggle some 8,000 iron pipes, which serve as the base of the rocket, as well as toxic chemicals used to produce explosives with an extended "shelf life" and significantly longer range. Under its current operation, which resembles the massive arms buildup undertaken by Hizballah in Lebanon, Hamas will have the capability to fire upwards of 100 Qassam rockets per day at the Jewish state.

U.N.: Lebanon-Syria Border Open for Arms Transfers
According to a report submitted to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday, Lebanon's eastern border with Syria is wide open to weapons smugglers, enabling the terrorist army Hizballah to replenish its arsenal, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. The U.N. report harshly criticized both Lebanon and Syria for failing to seal their shared border despite the arms embargo imposed by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and repeated promises by both countries to address the issue. In the two years since the Second Lebanon War, Hizballah has tripled the size and scope of its rocket arsenal and constructed a sophisticated network of underground bunkers throughout southern Lebanon. Click here to learn about Hizballah's dangerous arms buildup.

Israel Warns of Hizballah Attacks Worldwide
Israel's counterterrorist unit warned Wednesday that the Lebanon-based terrorist army Hizballah intends to attack and abduct Israelis abroad, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. Officials say Hizballah is seeking revenge for the assassination of its military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, killed earlier this year by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria. Security experts said Hizballah is likely to attempt a terrorist attack in Third World countries, especially in South America and south Asia, but reports suggest the group has carried out surveillance of Jewish and Israeli institutions in North America and Europe as well. Hizballah has been responsible for attacks against Jews around the world, including a string of bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the mid-1990s that killed 115 people.


Red Cross in Kenya Adopts Israeli Cholera Prevention Program
The Red Cross in Kenya has adopted a unique cholera prevention program developed by students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Despite the fact that cholera is one of the most understood and preventable diseases, the World Health Organization estimates that there were about 180,000 cholera cases in 2007, and that it still accounts for 65 percent of deaths in cases of diarrheal diseases in children under five years old in developing countries. The Hebrew University program aims to take a comprehensive approach to preventing cholera by increasing safe drinking water sources, promoting awareness in the community about the disease, mobilizing rapid response teams to areas of suspected cholera cases and much more. Israel has long been at the forefront of efforts to fight disease worldwide.