Training flight crash

A military plane crashed in southern Israel, killing a  pilot-in-training and his flight instructor. The double-engine plane, on a routine Israeli Air Force school practice flight, crashed  near the Tze’elim military base in the Negev Desert. The plane, a French-made Fuga Magister, called a “Zukit” in Israel, has been used by the Israeli Air Force since 1957, and is set to be replaced by the American-made T-6A. It is the second aircraft crash during a routine flight in two months. A Cobra helicopter crashed in early September while on a drill in the Jezreel Valley, killing the pilot and co-pilot.

Four die in small plane crash

Four people were killed in a plane crash near Moshav Batzra in the Sharon plain last Friday. Paramedics who arrived at the scene declared the pilot of the Cessna 172 model plane and her three passengers dead. After departing from Herzliya in the afternoon, communication with the plane was lost. The cause of the disaster was not known by press time. Transportation safety inspectors and police were investigating.

Qassam lands near Ashkelon

A Qassam rocket launched from Gaza by Palestinian terrorists landed near Ashkelon last Tuesday. In response to the attack, Defence Minister Ehud Barak ordered all crossings between Israel and Gaza closed the next day. The Hezbollah-Palestine organization claimed responsibility. More than 20 Qassam rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel since an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire went into effect four months ago.

Nasrallah poisoned?

Hezbollah denied a report that its leader was poisoned and by Israel. The state-affiliated Iraqi website Almalaf reported that Hassan Nasrallah was poisoned last week and Iranian doctors rushed to Lebanon to save him. Israel was responsible for the assassination attempt, the site said, citing its sources.The report said Nasrallah continues to feel ill after being in critical condition for several days.  

Knighthood for Peres?

Britain’s Buckingham Palace is considering awarding President Shimon Peres honorary knighthood during his expected visit next month. If knighted, Peres would join a long and distinguished list of international philanthropists and social figures given the title over the last few years, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, U2 singer Bono, former French president Francois Mitterrand, former German chancellor Helmut Kohl and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Peres would not be able to use the title “Sir,” however, as he is not a British national.

– JTA