The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, a US intelligence official on Wednesday, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow.
Negotiated in the 1990s, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states, among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States to come into force.
Russia ratified it in 2000.
However, the head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, “The United States believes that Russia probably is not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the ‘zero-yield’ standard.”

All are asked to daven for a refuah shleimah for Rav Simcha Scheinberg, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Ore in Yerushalayim, who was taken in for emergency surgery at Maimonides Medical Center this afternoon.
Rav Scheinberg, who is currently visiting the United States, was hospitalized last night after feeling unwell.
Rav Scheinberg is the only son of his father, Rav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg zt”l, rosh yeshiva and founder of Yeshiva Torah Ore, who he succeeded upon his passing seven years ago. Rav Scheinberg’s mother, Rebbetzin Basha, was a daughter of the renowned Torah pioneer, Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman.
All are asked to daven for Simcha ben Basha.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}

Prime Minister Netanyahu slammed Yisrael Beteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman for preventing the formation of a right-wing government.
“Lieberman brought down the national camp,” Netanyahu said in a press conference to address the new elections Thursday night. “He says that he brought down a right-wing government over the draft law. He says [the issue] burns him. But he joined my government in 2016 when the draft law was much more favorable to the haredim. Then he did not say one word.”
“Suddenly Lieberman is against the charedim. Which Lieberman, our Lieberman? For 20 years he has been making deals with the charedim,” the prime minister said.

The Gaza Strip-based Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad published a video on Thursday that it claimed showed a drone dropping an explosive device on an IDF tank.
The Israeli news site Mako reported that the video was shown on the Lebanese television channel Al Mayadeen, which is considered close to both Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.
It appeared to contain footage taken from a drone that took off from Gaza, flew to the border with Israel and hovered over a tank. An explosion is then seen on the side of the tank.
The video included a message in incorrect Hebrew saying, “Your fortresses don’t stand up to us.”
The IDF has not commented on the video.
 
The Algemeiner   (c) 2019 .       
{Matzav.com}

Yerushalayim will host top security officials from the United States, Israel and Russia in June to discuss “regional security issues,” according to a White House announcement on Wednesday.”
“In June, United States National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton, Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolay Patrushev will meet in Jerusalem, to discuss regional security issues,” the White House press secretary said in a statement.
The meeting is expected to center around the security threat to Israel of Iranian entrenchment in Syria close to Israel’s border and will also address the expected withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria.

President Donald Trump on Thursday lamented Prime Minister Netanyahu’s inability to form a coalition, and praised the premier as a “great guy.”
While speaking to reporters on the White House lawn before boarding Marine One to an Air Force Academy commencement in Colorado Springs, Trump was asked to comment on the political situation in Israel, which will see the Jewish state head to elections for the second time in less than six months.
“Well, it’s too bad what happened in Israel. It looked like a total win for Netanyahu, who’s a great guy, he’s a great guy,” said the president. “And now they’re back… in the election stage. That is too bad. Because they don’t need this. I mean they’ve got enough turmoil over there, it’s a tough place.”

According to a senior Palestinian Authority source, Israel’s new elections, currently set for Sept. 17, will postpone the presentation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast peace plan until after the 2020 elections in the United States and thus “relegate it to the dustbin of history.”
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, speaking from Saudi Arabia, said that the Palestinians were satisfied with the developments in Israel, and estimated that the so-called “the deal of the century will not be implemented.“ Erekat was in Saudi Arabia last weekend as part of the Palestinian delegation to the Arab League meeting in Mecca.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri expressed his disappointment on Wednesday night over the conduct of Yisrael Beytenu, which led to the dissolution of the 21st Knesset.
“The Prime Minister, with his great wisdom, understood from day one that Liberman does not intend to join the government and that he only wants to gain time and not allow the Prime Minister to form this government,” Deri told Arutz Sheva.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Israel with White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt on Thursday ahead of next month’s economic summit in Bahrain as part of the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Also in attendance were U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.

In Israel, U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, downplayed on Wednesday the apparent tension between the Democratic Party and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Yes, there are some things that I think we need to bring more up to date, convince some people of some things,” Engel told The Times of Israel while visiting the Jewish state.
The lawmaker remarked that there was “nothing wrong” with the close relationship between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, as they see “eye to eye” on most issues.