Israeli Breakthrough May Lead to New Epilepsy Treatment

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Take Action | Support AIPAC | E-news Sign Up Dear Carl, Below is your weekly edition of E-News recapping key developments impacting the U.S.-Israel relationship.    Israel Air Force Opens Second F-35 Squadron The Israel Air Force opened a second squadron of F-35 stealth fighter jets. The squadron will be called “Defenders of the South.” According to industry sources, Israel will have 20 F-35I fighter jets by 2020. Built by Lockheed Martin, the jets have an extremely low radar signature, allowing them to operate undetected deep inside enemy territory, as well as evade advanced missile defense systems like the S-300 and S-400, which have been deployed in countries such as Syria. With close air support capabilities and a massive array of sensors, pilots of the stealth jet have an unparalleled access to information while in the air. Read more.   Hezbollah chief: IDF forces that enter Lebanon will be ‘destroyed on live TV’ Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed Thursday his Iran-backed terror group would “annihilate and destroy” the Israeli military if the latter entered Lebanon in a future war. “Israel wants a war? Let it go to war. The Israeli units and brigades that dare to enter southern Lebanon will be annihilated and destroyed on live television before the whole world,” he said, according to multiple media reports in Israel and Lebanon. Read more.   Rockets Fired at Southern Israel; IDF Strikes Hamas Targets in Gaza Two rockets were fired at southern Israel early Thursday, about two hours after the IDF conducted airstrikes against targets belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the launch of incendiary balloons from the enclave earlier in the day. Alarms sounded in Israeli communities along the Gaza border, including Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev Regional Councils, before the rocket fire. There were no reports of damage and no one was hurt. Read more.   Help us work with the new Congress to ensure the U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong. Join AIPAC Today Gaza Arson Balloon Suspected as Blaze Breaks Out in Eshkol Region A large brushfire broke out in the Eshkol region of southern Israel on Wednesday night, with suspicions that it was caused by a balloon-borne incendiary device from the nearby Gaza Strip, officials said. The blaze began in a field between the Eshkol National Park and Kibbutz Urim, spreading throughout the grasslands and into a wooded area, according to Fire and Rescue Department Eli Cohen. Read more.   Israel will Participate at Dubai Expo 2020 Israel has confirmed its participation at Expo 2020, the international mega-event to be held in the United Arab Emirates, the Muslim-majority Middle Eastern country with which Israel has no official diplomatic relations. On April 25, the Foreign Ministry announced that “the State of Israel will be taking part in the 2020 World Expo, being held in Dubai, UAE. This is the latest World Expo that Israel has participated in, and we look forward to sharing our innovative spirit and the advances our entrepreneurs and innovators are making in the various fields such as water, information and medical technologies.” Read more. Israeli Breakthrough May Lead to New Epilepsy Treatment A drug currently used to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis theoretically could be adapted to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders characterized by unstable brain activity, say researchers in the neuroscience laboratory of Prof. Inna Slutsky at Tel Aviv University. Among those who could potentially benefit are children with Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy often triggered by hot temperatures or fever. Read more. . www.aipac.org