NSO chief rejects criticism of spyware firm: ‘I sleep soundly at night’

UN report accuses Yemen’s Houthi rebels of continuing to violate arms embargo

UNITED NATIONS — The Houthi rebels are continuing to violate a UN-imposed arms embargo in Yemen and to recruit children to fight in the seven-year war, according to a report provided to the Security Council and published today.

In an annual report, a panel of UN experts says it has concluded that “all military and paramilitary forces loyal to the Sanaa-based authorities fall under this definition” of having violated the arms embargo. The rebels control the capital Sanaa.

The 300-page report says the Houthis have continued “to source critical components for their weapon systems from companies in Europe and Asia, using a complex network of intermediaries to obscure the chain of custody.”

It says that “most types of uncrewed aerial vehicles, waterborne improvised explosive devices and short-range rockets are assembled in Houthi-controlled areas.”

Components such as engines and electronics, the report says, “are sourced from abroad using a complex network of intermediaries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.”

The report doesn’t confirm frequent US and Saudi allegations that Iran is directly involved in the violations.

Tehran admits it supports the Houthis politically but denies it has helped them obtain arms.

The experts say evidence shows that weapons components and other military equipment “continue to be supplied overland to the Houthi forces by individuals and entities based in Oman.”

Oman, which shares a border with Yemen, is the only country in the region other than Iran to maintain official links with the Houthi.

The report also said waterborne improvised explosive devices were being launched from Houthi-controlled areas with increasing frequency over the past year.

Lebanese FM rejects Gulf nations’ demand that Hezbollah disarm

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s foreign minister headed to Kuwait today to deliver answers to a list of policy suggestions made to the country by Persian Gulf nations in an attempt to end an impasse between both sides.

Ahead of his departure, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib made it clear that Lebanon will not disarm the Iran-funded Hezbollah terror group, one of 10 confidence-building measures requested from Beirut.

Relations between impoverished Lebanon and the wealthy Gulf states are at their lowest levels in decades, a crisis triggered late last year when a Lebanese politician spoke critically of the Saudi-led war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

Following Information Minister George Kordahi’s comments, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Beirut and banned all Lebanese imports, affecting hundreds of businesses and cutting off hundreds of millions in foreign currency flows to Lebanon. Several Arab countries followed Saudi Arabia’s step.

Bouhabib will attend an Arab foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuwait tomorrow, during which he will hand his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah official responses to the Gulf nations’ suggestions. Al-Sabah had delivered them personally to Beirut earlier this month.

“I am not going to hand over Hezbollah’s weapons nor end Hezbollah’s existence. This is out of the question in Lebanon,” Bouhabib told satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera, calling the group a “Lebanese party par excellence” that is active in the government but does not dominate politics in Lebanon.

“We hope to have excellent relations as in the past” with Gulf nations, Bouhabib said, adding that Lebanon had suggestions for solving problems between the two sides, but without elaborating.

The list handed over by Kuwait’s foreign minister and circulated in Lebanese media included calls for implementing US Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon; major anti-corruption reforms; and the cessation of all verbal or real attacks on Gulf nations.

Football legend Tom Brady to retire after 22 seasons in NFL

TAMPA, Florida — Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL after an unprecedented career in which he won seven Super Bowls and set numerous passing records, his company’s Twitter account says today.

The 44-year-old Brady goes out after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title last season and NFC South championship this season.

Brady’s TB12sports Twitter account writes: “7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, @TomBrady”

ESPN first reported Brady’s retirement, citing unidentified sources.

Thousands of Canadians protest in Ottawa against COVID mandates, restrictions

OTTAWA, Ontario — Thousands of protesters gather in Canada’s capital to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.

The sounds of honking horns echoes around Ottawa’s downtown core. A convoy of trucks and cars parked around Parliament Hill with some parking on the grounds of the National War Memorial before police asked them to move.

“Parking on this sacred ground that includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sign of complete disrespect,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson tweets.

Some compare COVID restrictions to fascism and make use of Nazi symbols on upside-down Canadian flags. One truck carries a Confederate flag while many carry expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The statue of the late Terry Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, is draped with an upside-down Canadian flag with a sign that said “mandate freedom.”

David Santos says he came from Montreal because he believes the vaccine mandates are not health-related but what he calls a “control thing” by governments.

The convoy of truckers and others prompted police to prepare for the possibility of violence and warn residents to avoid downtown. A top Parliament security official advised lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted.

Trudeau has said Canadians are not represented by this “very troubling, small but very vocal minority of Canadians who are lashing out at science, at government, at society, at mandates and public health advice.″

The prime minister’s itinerary for the day usually says he is in Ottawa if he’s at home, but today it says “National Capital Region” amid a report he’s been moved to an undisclosed location.

Justice Minister Sa’ar says he won’t back further extension of Green Pass rules

Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar says he will oppose a further extension of rules requiring Israelis to show proof of immunization from COVID-19 to enter certain venues and events.

“The Green Pass needs to come and end, like in England and Denmark. The harm to liberties and livelihood was justified as long as there was a clear justifiable purpose. There is no longer,” he writes on Twitter.

The Health Ministry has yet to clarify if it will seek to extend the Green Pass, which is due to expire at the end of the month.

NSO chief rejects ‘hypocritical’ criticism of spyware firm: ‘I sleep soundly at night’

The CEO of NSO Group pushes back on criticism of his embattled cyber tech firm amid mounting allegations its Pegasus spyware program was misused in Israel and across the globe.

“I absolutely sleep soundly at night,” Shalev Hulio tells Channel 12 News in an interview aired this evening.

Hulio calls criticism of NSO Group’s sale of Pegasus to non-democratic countries “hypocritical,” comparing the surveillance technology to military weapons systems.

“There is not one country we’ve sold to, not one… that the US does not sell to, or that Israel doesn’t sell to. So it’s a bit hypocritical to say it’s okay to sell F-35s and tanks and drones, but it’s not okay to sell a tool that collects intelligence,” he says.

He sounds off on the recent US decision to blacklist NSO Group and another Israeli firm for allegedly engaging in malicious cyber activities.

“Our technology has over the years helped the interests and national security of the United States quite a bit,” he says. “I think the fact that a company like NSO is on [a US blacklist] is an outrage… I’m sure we’ll be taken off that list. I have no doubt.”

Hulio denies Pegasus was used to hack the phone of French President Emmanuel Macron.

“No one hacked the French president or French parliamentarians, it has been proven and checked. This issue of Macron and members of Parliament is incorrect,” he says.

He also denies any link between NSO Group’s products and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul.

“Our tools and our technology had nothing to do in any way with the murder, with Khashoggi, or with the people around him. I know this has been claimed, and I tell you, it’s a bald-faced lie,” he says.

He adds: “It’s become something of a national pastime to blame anything that happens on NSO. A large part of the reports are simply untrue, are prejudiced, and it certainly sometimes angers [me] and sometimes frustrates. But in the end… we know the truth.”

Asked if NSO Group has made mistakes since its establishment, he says, “Over a period of 12 years it’s impossible not to make mistakes, which you learn from.”

Hulio is also asked about a recent report that the Israel Police used Pegasus to spy on civilians, including anti-Netanyahu protesters and Israelis not suspected of any crimes.

“I, as a citizen, if the things that were written are true, it worries me personally. But as a citizen, I tell you I choose to believe the attorney general, the public security minister and the police chief who say time and again these things never happened,” he says.

Elderly women killed in fire at Jerusalem residential building

An elderly woman has perished in a fire near King David’s Tomb in Jerusalem, officials say.

Firefighters say they responded to a blaze at a two-story residential building and, while working to extinguish the fire, found a woman’s body.

According to the Ynet news site, she is a Jewish woman in her 90s.

Police say three officers were lightly hurt from inhaling smoke while searching the building.

An investigation has been opened.

Yad Vashem condemns ‘repugnant’ swastika graffiti at DC’s Union Station

Israel’s national Holocaust memorial denounces the vandalism of Union Station in Washington, DC with swastika graffiti.

“The use of swastikas, a symbol of evil, cruelty and death, as graffiti… is repugnant,” Yad Vashem says in a statement.

It adds: “Following the observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and juxtaposed to the fact that antisemitic materials can be easily purchased with the click of a button, these incidents highlight a very distressing situation not only in the US, but all over the world.”

Search committee for new AG to meet Sunday, will reportedly recommend 3 candidates

The search committee to find a new attorney general will convene tomorrow evening and present the names of three candidates to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, according to Channel 13 news.

The report says Sa’ar’s preferred choice is Gali Baharav-Miara, a former Tel Aviv district attorney for civil affairs. Her name was included on a shortlist of candidates released earlier this month.

The network notes that whoever is selected to replace outgoing Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit will have several high profile cases to deal with: The whereabouts of state gifts given to Benjamin Netanyahu that the former premier was ordered to return; a gift of $20,000 dollars that an Australian billionaire gave to ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen; and the alleged harassment of a state’s witness by two Netanyahu aides.

Likud’s Yoav Kisch tests positive for coronavirus

Likud MK Yoav Kisch has tested positive for COVID-19, the second lawmaker from the opposition party confirmed to have coronavirus this evening.

Gazan detained by troops after crossing into Israel

A Palestinian suspect who crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip was detained by troops, the military says.

The suspect entered through the northern section of the border fence and was not armed, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Soldiers have taken him for further questioning.

Number of serious COVID cases passes 1,000, though Omicron wave appears to be ebbing

New Health Ministry data show serious coronavirus cases jumping by nearly 70 to 1,010, the first time since last February that over 1,000 people have been hospitalized in serious condition with COVID-19.

Speaking with Channel 12 news, Prof. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute — a top government adviser on the pandemic — predicts serious cases may reach 1,150 before they begin to fall.

Despite the continued rise in serious cases, other statistics indicate the current Omicron-fueled wave of morbidity may be ebbing, with the R-number further declining to 1.01. The figure represents the number of people each COVID patient infects, with any reading below one meaning the spread of the virus is slowing.

The ministry reports 53,020 new coronavirus cases were confirmed yesterday and that another 22,550 people have tested positive since midnight. There are 444,886 active infections in the country.

The death toll stands at 8,657, with 58 fatalities recorded since yesterday afternoon.

IDF to hand out rapid test kits for schoolkids aged 3 and younger

The military announces it will distribute rapid antigen tests for kids up to 3-years-old, as part of new quarantine rules for schoolchildren that emphasize increased home testing.

A statement from the Israel Defense Forces says the test kits will also be given to preschool staff.

“The IDF will continue to undertake the national mission of cutting the chain of infection and helping all citizens and the state,” the statement says.

9 hurt from smoke inhalation after fire breaks out in Ma’ale Adumim apartment

Nine people are lightly hurt from smoke inhalation after a fire erupted in a residential building in the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, medics say.

Firefighting officials say the fire started on a basement floor and quickly spread into the building’s stairwell.

The fire was quickly extinguished and the heavy smoke was ventilated out, firefighters say.

Four of those hurt are taken to a hospital in Jerusalem.

Kyiv urges West to be ‘vigilant and firm’ in talks with Russia

KYIV, Ukraine — Kyiv urges the West to remain “vigilant and firm” in its talks with Russia, as US President Joe Biden announced a small troop deployment to eastern Europe amid fears Moscow could invade Ukraine.

Washington’s top defense officials warned yesterday the Kremlin had amassed enough troops and hardware at the border to threaten the whole of Ukraine, but called for further diplomatic efforts to avert a “horrific” conflict.

Western leaders are scrambling to defuse the crisis by reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also trying to keep the pressure up by vowing unprecedented sanctions should he send in his forces.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday urged his Western partners to avoid stirring “panic” over the massive Russian troop buildup, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron agree on the need for de-escalation.

According to a Macron aide, Putin told the French leader in a call lasting more than an hour that he had “no offensive plans.”

In Washington, Biden nevertheless said he would soon send a small number of US troops to bolster the NATO presence in eastern Europe as tensions remain heightened.

The US already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across mostly Western Europe.

France says today that it was planning to send hundreds of troops to eastern NATO ally Romania as part of a deployment first touted by Macron earlier this month.

Russia reports over 100,000 daily COVID cases for 1st time

MOSCOW — Russia reports more than 100,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time as the country weathers a surge of infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

A government COVID-19 portal registers 113,122 new cases over 24 hours, nearly double the number of daily infections just a week ago.

The number of cases across Russia continues to rise sharply, with Omicron accounting for the majority of cases.

Following a strict but brief national lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic, Russia has held back on curbs, hoping to protect its struggling economy.

But with four vaccines widely available for months, Russians remain reluctant to get jabbed, with just under half of the population fully vaccinated.

Russia’s government figures have reported 330,111 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic — the highest death toll in Europe.

However, those figures are contradicted by statistics agency Rosstat, which counts COVID deaths under a broader definition and says the overall death toll is close to double the official number.

Yesterday, Rosstat said that Russia’s population declined by more than a million people last year, a historic drop not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Likud MK David Bitan contracts COVID for 2nd time

Likud MK David Bitan has contracted COVID-19 for a second time, adding to the list of lawmakers that have tested positive for coronavirus during the Omicron wave.

Bitan says he tested positive upon returning from Germany, where he traveled this week as part of an Israeli parliamentary delegation for International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations.

“I feel fine and thank everyone for the many wishes for recovery,” he tweets.

Bitan was hospitalized in serious condition for two months during his first bout of COVID and after recovering said he had been close to dying.

A Knesset spokesperson says Bitan was last at the parliament building on Wednesday and that two guards also tested positive for COVID.

US charges Kansas women with leading all-female Islamic State battalion in Syria

FALLS CHURCH, Virginia — A woman who once lived in Kansas has been arrested after federal prosecutors charged her with joining the Islamic State jihadist group and leading an all-female battalion of AK-47 wielding militants.

The US Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, announces that Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization.

The criminal complaint was filed under seal back in 2019 but made public after Fluke-Ekren was brought back to the US yesterday to face charges. Her alleged participation in the Islamic State had not been publicly known before today’s announcement.

Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren wanted to recruit operatives to attack a college campus in the US and discussed a terrorist attack on a shopping mall. She told one witness that “she considered any attack that did not kill a large number of individuals to be a waste of resources,” according to an FBI affidavit.

That affidavit from FBI Special Agent David Robins also alleges that Fluke-Ekren became leader of an Islamic State unit called “Khatiba Nusaybah” in the Syrian city of Raqqa in late 2016. The all-female unit was trained in the use of AK-47 rifles, grenades and suicide belts.

In all, the affidavit cites observations from six different witnesses, including some who have been charged with terrorism offenses and some who were held at prison camps for former Islamic State members.

A detention memo filed yesterday by First Assistant US Attorney Raj Parekh states that Fluke-Ekren even trained children how to use assault rifles, and that at least one witness saw one of Fluke-Ekren’s children, approximately 5 or 6 years old, holding a machine gun in the family’s home in Syria.