HAMAS LEADER PAID GAZAN FAMILY TO LIE ABOUT BABY’S DEATH: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar paid a Gazan family to lie about eight-month-old Leila al-Ghandour dying from tear gas inhalation rather than from a pre-existing medical condition during the border riots last month, according to an indictment filed with the Beersheba District Court on Thurs. 21 June 2018. Ghandour's death sparked global criticism, but the Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza later crossed the baby's name off the official list of people killed during deadly border riots, pending further investigation. A 20-year-old Gaza resident Mahmoud Omar, who was arrested during the "March of Return" riots last month, said he had arrived at the border fence with other al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and tried to vandalize one of the border crossing's gates. At some point, he received a phone call from his mother, informing him that his niece had died. When Omar got home, the indictment says, he found out that the baby had died from a blood disease, which was similar to a disease that caused the death of her brother, Salim al-Ghandour, who had died in 2017 when he was only a few months old. He then discovered that the baby's parents had told the media that Leila had died after inhaling tear gas fired by the IDF during the border protests. Omar told his investigators that Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, had paid the family about $2,200 to lie and say that Leila had died of tear gas inhalation. (Ynet)

REPORT: RUSSIA DEMANDED WITHDRAWAL – HEZBOLLAH REFUSED: The Lebanese Shi’ite terror group Hezbollah has refused demands by Russia that it withdraw its forces from southwestern Syria as part of larger removal of foreign military assets from the vicinity of the Israeli border. According to a report on Thurs. 14 June 2018 by the London-based anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Russia has demanded that Hezbollah pull out from large parts of war-torn Syria, as part of an understanding with Israel regarding the withdrawal of non-Syrian forces from the vicinity of the Israel-Syria border. Last month, following talks with Israeli officials, Russia expressed support for the removal of non-Syrian forces from southwestern Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov endorsed the “withdrawal of all non-Syrian forces” – a long-standing Israeli demand, aimed primarily at Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and its allies, including Hezbollah. Russia has sought to avoid accidental “military incidents” with Israel, and prevent a massive escalation between Israel and Iranian forces in Syria. But according to the SOHR Thursday, Hezbollah has refused Moscow’s demands, and is in fact “renewing its ranks” in western Syria in defiance of Russia’s calls for a withdrawal. Last week, Iranian officials denied claims Tehran was preparing to pull out of Syria. (Arutz-7)

‘TERROR KITES’ SPARK 11 FIRES IN SOUTHERN ISRAEL’: Eleven separate fires have been sparked in the south by incendiary devices sent across the border by terrorists using kites in the Gaza Strips since the beginning of 1 June 2018. Over the last few weeks, terrorists in Gaza have attempted to set fires in Israeli territory through the flying of kites and balloons attached to incendiary devices such as firebombs. Over 4,000 dunams (approximately 1,000 acres) of Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) owned forests have been burned since the arson attacks began. Danny Ben David, director of the western Negev region at the JNF, explained to the amount of forest burned by the incendiary kites and balloons in recent weeks has exceeded the total which was burned during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when Hamas terrorists launched over 4,500 rockets and mortars at Israel. "During Protective Edge, 3,500 dunams of forest were burned and now with the kite terror we have crossed this huge number. It's simply a scandal. I've already passed the stage of grief, now I'm just terribly angry," Ben David said. Ben-David has spent the last few months putting out the fires in the Gaza vicinity. He and others run from fire to fire and try to minimize the irreversible damage. JNF personnel have also found animal carcasses in the area: burnt turtles, bird nests, as well as destroyed eucalyptus and pine trees. The damage to entire species remains unknown. Ben-David noted that there is no end to the kite terrorism in sight. "We run from fire to fire. We do not have time to think about anything else. On 8 Friday 2018 we were here until 8 pm, and it was the same yesterday. It was crazy." Seventeen fires were caused by kite terrorism on Saturday. 10 June, 2018. (Arutz-7)

REPORT: PUTIN GIVES OK TO ISRAELI STRIKES ON SYRIA: According to a report in a leading Arabic website, Moscow has given its consent to Israeli military strikes deep in Syrian territory. Al-Sharq al-Awsat reported Friday 1 June 2018 that Moscow and Jerusalem held talks the previous day concerning Syria and agreed to “limit” the Iranian presence in the south of the country. Israeli counterpart Avigdor Liberman met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, while Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu and President Vladimir Putin spoke about Syria over the phone. The two sides agreed to “limit” Iran, keep its forces away from the south, and to allow the IDF to target "menacing bases in the deep Syrian territories," according to the influential London-based website. The Kremlin confirmed that the conversation between Putin and Netanyahu focused on “some aspects of the Syrian settlement.” A Russian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow refuses to offer details about the understanding with Jerusalem "to respect the balance in its separate relationships with Israel and Iran" – as the report phrased it. “Russia is somehow embarrassed because talks with the Israelis mainly focus on a plan to remove Iran and its forces from southern Syria,” the source added. Liberman told Shoigu that “Israel greatly appreciates Russia's understanding of our security needs especially regarding the situation on our northern border." (Arutz-7)