CAIRO, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of unemployed in Israel surpassed 657,000 and the unemployment rate rose to 15.9 percent on Monday as the ongoing national lockdown leaves deeper dents on the country's economy. Meanwhile, Iran added 5,806 new COVID-19 cases for the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 1,336,217.
The Israeli Employment Service said about 134,000 newly unemployed have been added since the ongoing lockdown was implemented on Dec. 27, 2020, bringing the total number of unemployed in the country to more than 657,000, at a rate of 15.9 percent.