Israel-Hamas conflict prompts response from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read
An investigation has begun after the body of an unidentified man was found near where a fire had occurred at a business on Bear Valley Road in Victorville.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A public announcement regarding possible local threats stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East was issued by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials.

An Israeli airstrike that killed at least 45 people in a Gaza refugee camp on Thursday stoked threats of global “Day of Jihad” protests from a former Hamas leader.

Recordings by ex-Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, which were reviewed by Reuters, have reverberated on social media, prompting rumors that a “jihad” in the “squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world” could lead to violence Friday, USA Today reported.

“We want to assure our citizens that the sheriff's department is in communications with our local state, Tribal and Federal partners,” said sheriff’s officials in a written statement. “We have no specific information regarding public safety concerns or credible threats in San Bernardino County in relation to the conflict.”

The sheriff’s department added that the situation is constantly evolving and agency officials will deliver updates through social media.

“Please remember to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings, and always remember if you see something, say something,” sheriff’s officials stated.

The Israeli bombardment has killed more than 1,500 people in Gaza. A White House spokesman said Thursday the U.S. death toll from the Hamas attacks rose to 27 and 14 remain missing.

Israel's armed forces have been repeatedly bombarding Gaza for several days in retaliation for Saturday's Hamas attack in Israeli territory that killed at least 1,300 and left behind a trail of atrocities U.S., something Secretary of State Antony Blinken called "depravity in the worst imaginable way.''

Monitoring the threat

The New York Times reported that top American counterterrorism officials on Thursday said there was no credible or specific intelligence pointing to a current threat to the United States related to the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel or the ensuing war.

However, intelligence officials were still assessing the potential impact inside the U.S. of a Hamas call for protests in the next few days, the New York Times reported.

Southern California local law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, have issued statements confirming that they are aware of the potential threat and have added additional security at synagogues and other places of worship throughout the county.

To report suspicious activity, contact the Joint Regional Intelligence Center at jric.org. In an emergency, call 911, or contact sheriff’s dispatch at 760-956-5001 or a local law-enforcement agency.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Israel-Hamas conflict prompts response from San Bernardino County Sheriff