As part of the implementation of the ‘Capital Shield’ program, outlined by Jerusalem District Commander Superintendent Avshalom Feled, to strengthen governance and combat crime in all its forms, an extensive and integrated enforcement operation was conducted this morning in the Shuafat refugee camp. 

Police officers from the Shuafat station and the Jerusalem District Forensic Science Division, in cooperation with Border Police fighters from the Jerusalem Envelope, and civilian enforcement officials including representatives of the Federation for Intellectual Property, the Veterinary Services Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Poultry Council, Arnona measurements, execution contractors, and the National Unit for Enforcement of Collection at the Tax Authority (Jerusalem Execution Office), raided several shops and businesses. There, they found tens of thousands of items suspected of being counterfeit, including large quantities of cigarettes and tobacco products, and food products that pose a real danger to public health, which were stored in poor sanitary conditions and without the required veterinary supervision. 

During the operation, 10 vehicles valued at over NIS 400,000 were impounded. 90,000 packs of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes were seized – the estimated value of the goods is approximately NIS 890,000. Business owners were also summoned for further investigation and will face criminal proceedings for the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods.

Business owners who distributed counterfeit and smuggled goods are expected to face fines of NIS 100,000 each for possessing, selling, and distributing counterfeit cigarettes. 2 reports and a summons for a hearing, including the impoundment and towing of a bus, were issued. 3 arrest warrants + court summonses were executed. 4 scooters and a vehicle suspected of being stolen were located, towed, and examined by a sapper. Furthermore, during the forces’ operation conducted at night, 13 suspects who were wanted for investigation by the police and security agencies were arrested.

One of the main objectives of the ‘Capital Shield’ program is to collaborate with civilian enforcement agencies, in order to ensure that the law is enforced everywhere within the Jerusalem Envelope and the adjacent villages. The sale of food without supervision and counterfeit goods is not only an economic offense, but a direct blow to the security and health of the residents. The ‘Capital Shield’ operation program will continue in various areas, in order to increase and strengthen sovereignty and governance.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Heavy rain caused Flooding at the Hatzor Air Base in central Israel, the Defense Forces said.

“Base teams are currently working to address the incident and contain the flooding, while maintaining the proper functioning of the base. There is no harm to operational capability,” the IDF said.

In 2020, eight aircraft at Hatzor were severely damaged when two nearby rivers overflowed.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli startup Converge Bio has secured $25 million in a Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, bringing its total funding to $30 million. Founded in 2024, Converge develops an AI platform that accelerates drug discovery for Biotech and Pharmaceutical Companies, offering tools for target identification, antibody design, and protein optimization.

The platform is already in use by over a dozen global companies, delivering measurable results in oncology, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative research. CEO Dov Gertz said the goal is to make “every Biotech and pharma company an AI company.”

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli defense technology firm Axon Vision said it has received a $350,000 order from U.S.-based Leonardo DRS for its new AI-driven counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), marking a further step in growing defense cooperation between Israel and the United States.

The Tel Aviv-based company said the initial delivery will provide end-to-end detection, classification, tracking, and interception of aerial threats, supporting U.S. defense and homeland security forces. The order follows a strategic partnership signed in late 2025 and will see the systems evaluated in live operational exercises on manned and unmanned platforms.

Axon Vision, whose AI solutions are used by the Israeli military, said the U.S. market is a key growth focus in 2026.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli police launched a security response on Tuesday after a wallet containing a note raising suspicions of a possible attempted attack on the President’s Residence was discovered in Jerusalem.

Officers, including bomb disposal experts, carried out searches and security procedures in coordination with presidential security officials.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s RevitalVision published positive clinical data showing its digital therapeutic can improve vision in patients with infantile nystagmus, a congenital eye disorder affecting eye movement.

The study, conducted at Shamir Medical Center and published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, demonstrated significant improvements in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and functional vision. Nearly half of treated patients achieved vision sufficient for driving.

RevitalVision’s neuroplasticity-based program offers a non-invasive approach to enhancing cortical visual processing, providing new hope for those with limited treatment options. The therapy is FDA-cleared and delivered digitally under clinician supervision.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Haifa-based biotech company MeMed has been awarded a $2 million grant from Israel’s Innovation Authority to establish the country’s first acute-care diagnostics and proteomics biobank. The initiative will accelerate development of AI-powered diagnostic tools for high-risk patients by combining biospecimens with clinical data and immune profiling.

MeMed’s biobank aims to address critical gaps in emergency medicine, where clinicians face high-stakes decisions without real-time biological insight. The company’s MeMed BV test is already FDA-cleared for distinguishing bacterial from viral infections in 15 minutes, while its MeMed Severity tool has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for predicting severe outcomes in acute infections.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Tel Aviv-based CytoReason unveiled LINA, an AI assistant designed to speed up pharmaceutical research, at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. LINA helps scientists analyze medical data and understand how diseases work at the molecular level.

Unlike standard AI chatbots that can produce incorrect information, LINA is built on specialized disease models that keep its answers accurate and grounded in real biology. The platform generates analysis code and explains how genes and cells behave in different patients. CytoReason is testing LINA with major pharmaceutical companies including Takeda.

Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released, for the first time, the recommendations of its inter-ministerial team on government innovation. The roadmap aims to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of public services by connecting initiatives, removing systemic barriers, and accelerating innovative solutions.

Presented at the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new Government Innovation Space, the recommendations emphasize portfolio management, grassroots support under a strategic umbrella, workforce skill development, and incentivizing risk-friendly management.

Israel recently joined the OECD’s Observatory of Public Sector Innovation, which guided the team with international best practices.