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Project Inspire is proud to announce the release of “The Unlikely Village,” an original film by Mint Media premiering on Tisha B’av 5786, exclusively on ProjectInspire.com in the USA and Canada.

The film tells the story of how Boro Park, a neighborhood built on generations of tradition, became something far bigger than its own streets: a source of inspiration for Jews of every background, from every walk of life, looking for connection, meaning, and a way back in.

At its core, “The Unlikely Village” is a story of friendship and mentorship. It follows the relationships that form when people from vastly different worlds find themselves walking the same sidewalk, literally and spiritually, and discover that transformation often begins in the most unexpected places.

“This film captures something we’ve felt for a long time but never quite put into words,” said a Project Inspire representative. “Boro Park isn’t just a neighborhood. For so many people searching for their place in Yiddishkeit, it has become a village in the truest sense, a place where someone always has a hand out to help.”

The premiere comes at a poignant time. Tisha B’av, a day associated with mourning and loss, has long been reframed by Project Inspire as a day of meaning and connection. “The Unlikely Village” continues that mission, using the day to tell a story of unity built from the ground up.

The project was made possible with the support of corporate sponsors Haas & Zaltz LLP, Kosher Palace, Fasten Halberstam, Daily Giving, Relation, and Saul N. Friedman & Co.

“The Unlikely Village” streams Tisha B’av 5786 at ProjectInspire.com.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a pointed response after President Donald Trump declared that the United States would take control of the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that Iran has repeatedly failed to honor its international agreements.

Trump announced that “Iran systematically violates every agreement it reaches, and therefore the US is taking control of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Responding in a post on X, Araghchi wrote, “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.”

He added, “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.”

Araghchi ended his remarks with an apparent reference to compensation for securing the vital shipping route, writing, “20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”

{Matzav.com}

Meta announced Monday that it is massively expanding its artificial intelligence data center campus in rural Louisiana, a project the company says will become one of the largest AI facilities ever constructed anywhere in the world.

The expanded campus, located in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana’s Delta region, represents a major step in Meta’s effort to build the computing infrastructure needed to power the next generation of artificial intelligence technologies.

Once completed, the site will deliver 5 gigawatts of computing capacity and bring Meta’s total investment in Louisiana to more than $50 billion.

The expansion was unveiled Monday in Baton Rouge alongside Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. Company officials said the project is expected to generate more than 1,000 permanent jobs while dramatically reshaping the economy of Richland Parish, a rural area with about 20,000 residents.

The announcement highlights Meta’s aggressive push to build out AI infrastructure as competition intensifies across the technology industry.

Led by Meta President Dina Powell, who has directed the company’s AI expansion efforts, Meta has pledged tens of billions of dollars to rapidly increase the computing power required for advanced AI models, generative AI applications, and future artificial intelligence services across its platforms.

The Richland Parish campus has emerged as one of the company’s flagship AI developments, reflecting a broader trend of major technology investments moving beyond traditional innovation centers and into rural communities across America.

Meta said the project has already produced substantial economic gains since construction began in December 2024.

Businesses throughout Louisiana have already secured more than $1.6 billion in contracts related to the development. In addition, Meta plans to spend another $1 billion on roads, water infrastructure, wastewater systems, and other improvements that will benefit the surrounding community.

The project’s financial impact has been especially evident in the local school system. Increased tax revenue generated by the development allowed teachers in Richland Parish to receive annual bonuses of more than $50,000 this year—roughly four times the amount distributed the previous year.

“Last year, our teachers received a $10,000 bonus; this year, that check was over $50,000,” said Richland Parish Superintendent Sheldon Jones.

“It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it’s transforming our schools,” he added.

Beyond tax revenue, Meta has contributed funding to every public school in the parish through direct donations as well as its Data Center Community Action Grants program.

To help build a skilled local workforce, the company is donating $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College to create scholarships supporting data center workforce training programs.

Starting with the Class of 2026, every Richland Parish high school graduate will qualify for a full scholarship covering any technical course or trade certificate related to data center careers.

The project’s influence is also being felt among local business owners. Tim and Lindsey Allen said they opened their restaurant, Holy Tacos, after Meta revealed plans for the development. Meanwhile, coffee shop owners TJ and Kaycie Weed said their business has grown from a single location serving about 40 customers each day into a three-location operation, with a fourth store scheduled to open this fall.

Meta also announced a new energy agreement tied to the expansion that it says will save Entergy Louisiana customers more than $2 billion over the next 20 years. Those savings come in addition to approximately $650 million already expected under a previous agreement.

The company emphasized that it covers all costs associated with the facility’s electricity, water usage, and related infrastructure, ensuring those expenses are not passed on to utility customers.

As demand for AI computing power continues to soar, Meta’s enormous Louisiana investment illustrates the escalating race among major technology companies to build massive AI infrastructure while showing how projects of this scale can dramatically reshape local economies far from Silicon Valley.

{Matzav.com}

In a landmark decision, the Knesset on Monday night gave final approval to the Basic Law: Torah Study, formally establishing that “Torah study is a foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.” The legislation, introduced by Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, passed its second and third readings, making it one of Israel’s Basic Laws.

Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu did not participate in the final vote.

Celebrating the bill’s passage, Gafni described it as “a historic step in the State of Israel.”

“For thousands of years, Torah study has been the force that preserved the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora and across every generation,” Gafni said. “From this day forward, the State of Israel has also established, through a Basic Law, that Torah study is a foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.”

He continued: “The matter has now come to pass. The Jewish state is reconnecting with the eternal values upon which the Jewish people were built throughout the generations. This Basic Law will serve as the nation’s moral compass, expressing the recognition that Torah study is not merely a legacy of the past, but the very foundation upon which the present and future of the Jewish people in their land rests.”

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri also welcomed the legislation, declaring: “Moshe is truth and his Torah is truth! Today we have written a historic chapter in the State of Israel. For the first time, the Jewish state recognizes the supreme value of the holy Torah and the status of those who dedicate themselves to its study.”

Deri added that “the Torah is the foundation of the Jewish people’s identity. It sustained us throughout thousands of years of exile, inspired our longing to return to the Land of Israel and establish an independent Jewish state, and continues to give meaning to our existence here today.”

He went on to say: “This is a victory for the Torah world and a clear answer to the ousted attorney general and to everyone who sought to persecute and humiliate the bnei yeshivos. You will not break the Jewish spirit. The holy Torah will prevail.”

MK Yaakov Asher likewise praised the law’s passage, quoting Rav Saadia Gaon: “As Rav Saadia Gaon said, ‘Our nation is a nation only through its Torah.’ This is the path on which we were raised and which has accompanied the Jewish people for thousands of years—the Torah is the source of our existence, our identity, and our strength.”

Asher emphasized that for the chareidi community, Torah study is “a way of life,” adding that “the world of the yeshivos and batei medrash is the pure flask of oil of the Jewish people and the place where the chain of generations that sustained our nation through even its most difficult periods has been preserved.”

He concluded by citing the verse: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”

{Matzav.com}

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth sharply criticized IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Monday, questioning the timing of the chief’s letter opposing the temporary order that would freeze criminal proceedings against bnei Torah engaged in Torah study.

Bismuth argued that the chief of staff’s letter was sent to Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu only Sunday night—after the committee had already completed its deliberations and approved the proposed legislation. He noted that the IDF had possessed the draft of the temporary order for approximately three weeks and that military representatives had participated throughout the committee’s discussions on the measure.

Bismuth stressed that the final version of the legislation was formulated in full coordination with officials from the Defense Ministry and even incorporated revisions made at their request. He said the committee took the unusual step of allowing the Defense Ministry to submit two objections after the official deadline had passed, and both were accepted and incorporated into the final draft.

According to Bismuth, the timing of the chief of staff’s letter raises serious questions.

“It is fair to ask why the letter was sent only after the committee had completed its discussions and vote, and why it was published specifically on the very day the bill is expected to come before the Knesset plenum,” he said. “If the goal was to improve the wording of the legislation, the IDF had ample opportunity to do so over the past several weeks.”

Bismuth also maintained that throughout the committee’s hearings, IDF representatives were unable to present a single case in which the arrest of a Torah student ultimately resulted in that individual being drafted into military service. He argued that this reality only strengthens the case for the temporary order approved by the committee.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is set to introduce legislation Monday that would eliminate birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants and foreign nationals who enter the United States for so-called birth tourism, arguing that such individuals qualify as “invaders” under federal law.

The proposal comes after last month’s Supreme Court decision dealing a setback to President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship. Trump has since urged Senate Republicans to move more aggressively on his legislative priorities, including changes to birthright citizenship, saying they were “not fighting hard enough,” Banks recalled in an interview with Human Events on June 30.

Banks told Fox News Digital that he plans to introduce the Citizenship Act shortly after the Senate convenes Monday afternoon. He said the legislation was crafted in light of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion in last month’s Trump v. Barbara decision.

Although Kavanaugh agreed with the Court’s judgment in part, he wrote that while Trump’s executive order conflicted with existing federal birthright citizenship law, Congress has the authority to amend that statute and establish additional exceptions.

The Citizenship Act would classify children of individuals deemed statutory “invaders” as ineligible for automatic U.S. citizenship at birth. It would also codify portions of President Trump’s 2025 executive order that characterized illegal immigration as an invasion.

According to the bill’s summary, “any person who enters the United States without authorization or for the purpose of engaging in birth tourism is considered an invader…” It would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny birthright citizenship to the children of such “invaders.”

Banks bases that terminology on Trump’s executive order describing illegal immigration across the southern border as an “invasion.” He argues that the Supreme Court’s Barbara ruling left open the possibility for Congress to address the issue legislatively.

Rather than pursuing a constitutional amendment or attempting to overturn Supreme Court precedent, the legislation seeks to revise federal law by incorporating Trump’s declaration of an invasion while relying on exceptions recognized in existing birthright citizenship jurisprudence to deny citizenship to children of illegal immigrants and birth tourists.

In his opinion, Kavanaugh concluded that Trump’s executive order did not violate the 14th Amendment itself but conflicted with a federal statute governing birthright citizenship. He suggested that Congress could revise that statute, noting that the law was originally enacted in the spirit of the 14th Amendment, which many conservatives argue was intended primarily to protect formerly enslaved people and their descendants.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, relied heavily on the Supreme Court’s 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which he said “guarantee citizenship to all children born in the United States and subject to its power.” Banks’ legislation, however, seeks to rely on exceptions discussed in that same decision to argue against extending birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and birth tourists.

In the Wong Kim Ark ruling, Justice Horace Gray wrote that exceptions included the children of diplomats, “enemies within” and those engaged in hostile occupation of U.S. territory who are not “bound to render obedience to the sovereign [U.S. government] whose domains are being invaded.”

Banks contends that because the Court reaffirmed the Wong Kim Ark precedent while acknowledging those exceptions, Congress can use the same framework to redefine who qualifies for automatic citizenship.

“The Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision was an unprecedented assault on American sovereignty, and we must do whatever it takes to save our country,” Banks told Fox News Digital.

“I’m leading the Citizenship Act to reverse the effects of this consequential ruling and ensure the millions of illegal aliens that invaded our country can’t continue to exploit our immigration system.”

Banks also points to the Court’s decision in U.S. v. CASA, another 2025 case involving the Trump administration. In a separate opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “children born of alien enemies in hostile occupation” are not entitled to birthright citizenship, although she did not classify illegal immigrants as the type of “invaders” referenced in the earlier precedent.

The legislation further argues that the Constitution supports congressional authority in this area. Banks notes that Article IV obligates the federal government to “protect each [state] against invasion,” while Article I grants Congress the authority to “establish a uniform rule of naturalization.”

The bill also cites James Madison’s writings from 1788, in which he argued that the Constitution vested the power over naturalization in Congress through a single national standard rather than leaving the issue to individual states.

Banks additionally argues that some Mexican nationals have viewed migration into the United States as a means of reclaiming territory ceded to the U.S. under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War.

The legislation also cites Chinese birth tourism, alleging that the practice has been encouraged by the Chinese Communist Party. Banks argues these examples demonstrate that birthright citizenship has become intertwined with broader issues of national sovereignty, illegal immigration, and foreign influence.

{Matzav.com}

Former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette is offering a fresh account of the 2011 raid that killed al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden, disputing several long-standing claims about the operation and describing how the elite assault team methodically carried out one of the most famous military missions in American history, Fox News reports.

Bin Laden was killed in May 2011 during a high-risk nighttime raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, carried out by members of the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team 6, who were flown into the country aboard helicopters operated by the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

The operation brought justice to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and to the countless American servicemen and women who fought in the years of war that followed.

Although numerous books, documentaries, and media reports have attempted to reconstruct the mission, many aspects of the raid have remained classified or disputed, leaving room for competing accounts of what actually happened inside bin Laden’s compound.

Bissonnette, who participated in the operation, discussed the mission during a newly released interview with podcaster and former DEVGRU operator Andy Stumpf, sharing his perspective on several of the raid’s most controversial moments.

Among the issues he addressed was the widespread claim that bin Laden’s face was destroyed by gunfire. Bissonnette rejected that characterization, arguing that the available evidence would quickly settle the debate if the government ever released the photographs.

“The photos, if they ever got released, I don’t know, I think that would help clear some stuff up. I think you’d also see very quickly it’s high forehead shots. His face is not all [messed] up. You can very clearly see his bridge of his nose, whole face, mouth, mouth structure. Easily identifiable. The idea that there were extra shots or any of this that his face was distorted. Release the photos. High forehead shots,” Bissonnette said.

The former member of Red Squadron also revisited another hotly debated question surrounding the raid: exactly what happened when the lead operator reached the third floor of the compound and confronted bin Laden.

According to Bissonnette’s recollection, the point man—whose identity has never been publicly disclosed and is commonly referred to as “Red”—fired at bin Laden after seeing him appear in a doorway. Bissonnette said the operator then did what every SEAL is trained to do: advance toward the threat he had just engaged rather than abandon it.

Explaining why he rejects alternate versions of the story, Bissonnette told Stumpf:

“The shot that the pointman took, what SEAL out there is not going to follow his shots? Tactically, that is what we’re taught. Your threat matrix, what is your biggest threat out there? Unknown male…Everybody knew bin Laden most likely lived on the third floor. [The pointman] had just eliminated Khalid [bin Laden] on the second in the landing with a gun. You have to assume, right, the guy in the third floor is armed, right? So, he takes a shot. Enough within the rules of engagement to shoot that head, and he decides to stay in the hallway? He decides to come off the known threat that he just shot at and chase women and kids? What team guy is doing that? Why? Where? And then where are the women and kids? I’ve heard 38 different version from other people of where the women were. The women were in the room, right? That’s where the chick [Amal bin Laden] was wounded in the leg. Women were in the room. Not out of the room…You can pull up the sketches and layout of the third floor. Right up the set of stairs, open door on the right. Shots go, right? Point man follows his shots to the doorway. He doesn’t say in the hallway. He doesn’t come off of where he just shot at an adult male head in bin Laden’s compound in the third floor. Who is all of a sudden going to be like, ‘Okay, shoot. Okay, I’m going to go check this way.’ There’s nobody that does that. There’s not a team guy out there that does that. You follow your shots, and that’s exactly what he did. He entered the room.”

Bissonnette also spoke about the tactics employed throughout the operation, describing an approach that differed sharply from the fast-paced action sequences often portrayed in movies.

Rather than racing recklessly through the compound, he said the SEALs advanced deliberately while remaining alert for the possibility of suicide bombers, explosives, or other hidden dangers.

“The only sense of urgency was, okay, do they have [suicide vests]? Is the house rigged to blow? And are they prepping something? That’s still not dictating our tactics to just sprint upstairs. So, it was slow and methodical,” the former SEAL explained.

The interview comes as Bissonnette prepares to release his new book, No Easy Way, in which he further recounts his experiences in special operations and offers additional insight into the mission that ended the decade-long manhunt for the world’s most wanted terrorist.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind an unexpected candidate to temporarily fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, urging South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint the late senator’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve until a special election is held.

In a post Monday on Truth Social, Trump said he had personally recommended Graham’s sister for the appointment, calling it a fitting way to honor the longtime senator.

“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”

The recommendation carries added emotional weight because of the close relationship the siblings shared. After the deaths of their parents, Lindsey Graham legally adopted his younger sister and helped raise her.

Trump’s endorsement comes as South Carolina Republicans work behind the scenes to select an interim senator while also preparing for a special election to determine who will serve out the remainder of Graham’s term.

Gov. McMaster is expected to announce his appointment at 4 p.m. Monday but has so far declined to reveal his choice. His office has not publicly commented on the candidates under consideration.

Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina’s senior senator, also voiced support for appointing Graham’s sister to the vacant seat.

“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the Senate term,” Scott wrote on X. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”

Earlier in the day, Scott had mentioned former Rep. Trey Gowdy and former Sen. Jim DeMint as possible interim appointees, emphasizing that he favored selecting someone who would simply hold the seat until voters could make the final decision in the upcoming election.

“I think in the next several hours or next day or so we’ll figure out who that person is,” Scott said. “I love Trey Gowdy and Jim DeMint has been in the conversation.”

He added, “[Graham’s] sister would be a wonderful placeholder as well. So we’ve got lots of candidates who could hold the place so that the voters decide. And remember the election starts August the 11th in South Carolina, three weeks from now, we’ll have a primary process.”

Both Gowdy and DeMint have previously served in Congress—Gowdy as a member of the House of Representatives and DeMint as a U.S. senator before Scott succeeded him. Darline Graham Nordone, by contrast, has never held elected office.

According to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, Scott, who serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has been encouraging Gov. McMaster to appoint someone who would act solely as a caretaker and would not seek a full six-year Senate term.

While the contest to become the temporary senator appears to be nearing its conclusion, the Republican race for the seat itself remains unsettled. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman have both signaled interest in entering the special election, which is scheduled to begin with a primary on August 11. Rep. Joe Wilson has already announced that he intends to remain in the House, while the rest of South Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation has yet to disclose its plans.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge on Monday sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the disclosure of his tax returns, ruling that the case was brought for an improper reason, referring one of Trump’s attorneys for possible disciplinary action, and portraying the $10 billion lawsuit as an effort that improperly advanced the president’s own interests.

In a strongly worded opinion, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams concluded that Trump improperly used the judicial system by suing a federal agency that ultimately answered to his own administration. According to the ruling, the lawsuit sidestepped the basic legal requirement that opposing parties have genuinely adverse interests, ultimately leading to a proposed settlement last spring that would have shielded Trump from future tax audits while establishing a compensation fund for allies who claimed they had been unfairly targeted.

Although the practical consequences of the ruling may be limited because the administration has already announced that the proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is no longer being pursued, the decision nonetheless delivers a forceful rebuke of the Trump administration. It also revives scrutiny surrounding Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just days before his scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Explaining her decision, Williams wrote, “The nature of the suit itself and the conduct of the Parties and counsel from its filing make plain that this was an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law.”

She further stated, “The President may be the functional “dominus litus” of the Executive Branch, but as a party to a civil suit, he, as well as all the parties and lawyers before a court, are bound by the rules. Ensuring that our courts are used only for the express purpose created by the Constitution is the obligation of every judge and an obligation that this Court must discharge in light of the matter before it.”

Williams also pointed to testimony Blanche gave before Congress in early June, during which he disclosed that the proposed anti-weaponization fund was no longer moving forward following significant bipartisan criticism. Although no formal filing reflecting that change had been submitted to the court, the judge noted that Blanche nevertheless testified as though he possessed the authority to speak on behalf of both sides in the litigation.

Addressing that issue directly, Williams wrote, “Acting Attorney General Blanche’s apparent capacity to speak for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, sign a ‘settlement’ document on behalf of all Parties to this action, and then repudiate part of that agreement, demonstrates that there was only one party whose interests were being represented throughout this case.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Monday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s only real misstep during their long friendship came in the immediate aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, recalling that the South Carolina Republican quickly regretted publicly breaking with him.

Speaking during a phone interview on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said Graham’s criticism following the Capitol attack was an isolated incident in an otherwise strong relationship.

“He had one bad moment, and that was on the Jan. 6 thing when he stood up [and said], ‘All right, now I’ve had it. That’s it. I can’t do it anymore,’” Trump said.

According to the president, Graham reached out shortly afterward to express regret over what he had said.

“Then he called me like about 40 minutes later, and he said, ‘Did I really say that? I can’t believe it.’ And he took it back.”

Graham, 71, died suddenly from an apparent aortic dissection related to cardiovascular disease. In the hours following the January 6 riot, he appeared to distance himself from Trump after the violence temporarily halted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

Addressing the Senate after order had been restored, Graham said, “Trump and I, we’ve had a hell of a journey. I hate it to end this way. Oh my God, I hate it. From my point of view, he’s been a consequential president,” before adding, “All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough.”

That split proved to be short-lived. By May 2021, Graham had once again become one of Trump’s strongest Republican allies, telling reporters, “Can [Republicans] move forward without President Trump? The answer is no. I’ve determined we can’t grow without him.”

Trump also reflected on the evolution of their relationship, noting that Graham had once been one of his fiercest critics during the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

While campaigning for the GOP nomination, Graham warned that if Republicans chose Trump as their nominee, “we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it.”

Despite those early attacks, Trump said their relationship changed dramatically after Graham ended his presidential campaign.

“Once that ended, he’d left the race, and once that ended, I became really good friends with him,” Trump recalled, adding with a touch of humor that Graham’s post-January 6 comments meant “I give him a 99 instead of a 100.”

{Matzav.com}

A report published by The New York Times alleges that former Mossad director David Barnea secretly cultivated ties with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, viewing him as a possible successor to Iran’s ruling clerical regime.

According to the report, Barnea and Ahmadinejad held covert meetings in Hungary during 2024, using a climate conference at Ludovika University of Public Service as cover for the undisclosed discussions.

The report states that Ahmadinejad’s own security personnel became suspicious after he reportedly disappeared on at least two occasions during the conference for extended periods. When questioned about his whereabouts, he reportedly told them he had been meeting with university professors.

The New York Times, citing former U.S. officials, reported that Barnea personally traveled to Budapest for the meetings. According to the report, Mossad later informed the CIA that contact with Ahmadinejad had been established. The report further claims that Israeli intelligence helped finance portions of Ahmadinejad’s travel and housing expenses and continued meeting with him outside Iran in the years that followed.

The report also alleges that when the war with Iran began, Israel carried out an operation to extract Ahmadinejad and move him to a secure location inside Iran. According to the report, Ahmadinejad was deeply unsettled by the rescue mission and became disillusioned after learning of what was described as an Israeli plan to return him to power. It says he eventually departed the safe house under circumstances that remain unknown.

The report concludes by claiming that Ahmadinejad is now under house arrest by the intelligence arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Iranian authorities allegedly uncovered much of his reported contact with Israel.

{Matzav.com}

A newly disclosed handwritten document by slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reveals that he believed Israel might respond to a massive Hamas assault with a nuclear strike on Gaza—yet he nevertheless pressed ahead with planning the October 7, 2023, massacre.

The document, dated August 2022, was obtained by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, with portions published Sunday by Israel’s Channel 12. While another Sinwar document surfaced last year, the newly released material contains significant details that had not previously been made public.

According to the report, Sinwar meticulously outlined an ambitious battle plan that envisioned an invasion on a far greater scale than what ultimately took place. His blueprint called for 25 simultaneous breaches of the Israel-Gaza security fence, with each breach carried out by a “well-trained” force of 100 terrorists tasked with seizing 25 key junctions along the border.

The plan also assigned 2,210 terrorists to attack 221 smaller communities throughout southern Israel, while another 1,600 were designated to assault eight larger population centers. Sinwar further allocated 1,200 terrorists to strike Israeli cities and another 2,000 to attack military installations. Altogether, his envisioned invasion force totaled roughly 10,000 terrorists, though he wrote that no individual participant would know the operation’s full scope.

In reality, the October 7 invasion involved far fewer attackers. According to Israel Defense Forces estimates, approximately 5,600 terrorists crossed into Israel that day, including roughly 3,500 Hamas operatives, about 580 members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and another 1,400 armed Gazans.

Among Sinwar’s written instructions was a chilling directive targeting Israeli civilians. “The goal is to expel the settlers with their vehicles,” he wrote, referring to residents of southern Israel. He instructed that “priority” should be given to children and women, while ordering that “the men aged 17-50 are to be taken hostage” and that “all phones must be taken, along with any additional documents they are carrying on their person.”

Channel 12 reported that the documents demonstrate Sinwar fully understood the enormous risks associated with launching such an attack. According to the report, he acknowledged that there was no guarantee Iran—or its regional terror proxies, including Hezbollah—would join Hamas in the war, despite Hamas’s apparent expectation that they would.

The memo also shows that Sinwar anticipated an overwhelming Israeli response. He wrote that Israel would “not hesitate to use all means and weapons at its disposal” following the massacre, adding, “They may even use an atomic bomb, no less.”

Even so, Sinwar believed Hamas could exploit the initial shock of the assault. “But first, it will be surprised by the attack and enter into chaos,” he wrote, describing the invasion as “a campaign of life or death,” while calling for “a popular operation of returning to the villages and recapturing them symbolically.”

Although Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, it has never officially acknowledged having such an arsenal and remains outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The newly released excerpts follow another Hamas document made public by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in October 2025. That earlier document, also written by Sinwar, detailed plans to deliberately create “horrifying images” during the October 7 massacre and broadcast the atrocities live to maximize psychological impact.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States is reinstating its naval blockade of Iran while introducing a new policy requiring cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay a 20% fee for the protection provided by the U.S. military.

The move follows Iran’s attempt to impose its own tolls on commercial shipping using the strategic waterway, which had operated without transit fees before the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28.

Announcing the new policy, Trump declared, “The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.”

He added, “The process and formation will begin immediately.”

The latest developments come after U.S. forces carried out major strikes over the weekend against Iranian military assets in an effort to restore freedom of navigation through the vital oil shipping corridor.

Late Sunday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had struck dozens of Iranian targets, including missile launchers, drone capabilities, small naval vessels, coastal radar installations, and air-defense systems.

Earlier in the conflict, the United States had imposed a naval blockade on Iran but lifted it before signing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran in mid-June.

Under that agreement, commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz were guaranteed “safe passage” and exempted from transit fees for a 60-day period while American and Iranian negotiators worked toward a broader agreement to end the conflict.

The memorandum stated: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialog with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf or littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Despite the temporary agreement, negotiations eventually collapsed after the U.S. lifted its blockade.

Iran subsequently announced that ships “will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and will not benefit from insurance coverage or associated liabilities” unless they traveled through maritime routes specifically authorized by Tehran.

According to the report, Iran had initially hoped to generate as much as $40 billion annually through the toll system in cooperation with Oman, but Omani officials declined to support the proposal.

In recent weeks, U.S. Central Command has coordinated with the International Maritime Organization to escort commercial vessels through the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along Oman’s coastline.

Tensions escalated again after Iran reportedly opened fire on commercial vessels, disrupting maritime traffic and derailing the ongoing diplomatic negotiations.

A U.S. official said Friday, “What we’re demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open, and they’re not shooting at ships anymore.”

The official added, “They’re either going to give us that statement, or we’re not going to have a good outcome.”

{Matzav.com}

A critical Israeli parliamentary vote on recognizing the violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide has been suspended, an Israeli official said.

The move comes at a delicate diplomatic time with the region facing renewed turbulence following the breakdown of a ceasefire with Iran over its persistent attacks in the Gulf. It also follows a NATO summit in Turkey last week at which Ankara pushed U.S. President Donald Trump to acquire American F-35 fighter jets.

The Israeli Cabinet had unanimously approved a proposal last month to classify the violence as genocide amid fast-deteriorating ties with Turkey over Erdogan’s inflammatory language against Israel, and a vote had been planned in the Israeli parliament to give final approval to the move.

The Israeli official told JNS on Sunday that the vote had been suspended.

The Knesset is set to go to summer recess at the end of the week and will be out of session until the Oct. 27 national elections.

A spokesman for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who put forward the proposal in the Cabinet last month, did not return calls or messages for comment.

In the past, Israel has refrained from officially labelling the century-old violence as a genocide, but with relations with Turkey in free fall, it went ahead with the move in the Cabinet.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has described the violence against Armenians as a genocide, but until now no formal vote was ever taken on the issue.

Turkey, which has been one of the biggest critics in the world of Israel over the war in Gaza, called the Israeli cabinet move “politically motivated.”

A decision to freeze the parliamentary vote could be seen as part of an international effort to reduce tension between the two countries amid the regional turbulence.

Last month, Azerbaijan condemned the Israeli Cabinet’s recognition and urged the government to reverse the move.

The secular Shi’ite Muslim country has historic ties with both Turkey and Israel and has long worked to serve as an interlocutor between its two allies.

Azerbaijan’s position is both significant and sensitive for Israel as Israel and Bakuhave long forged a strategic relationship rooted in a centuries-long affinity between the two nations which has blossomed into a robust security- and energy-related focus.

Three years ago, Azerbaijan made history by becoming the first Shi’ite Muslim country to open an embassy in Israel, defying threats of violence from Iran, and has maintained its staunch alliance with Israel throughout this time of regional wars. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Israeli authorities on Sunday granted city status to the Yerushalayim suburb of Givat Ze’ev, officially making it the fifth Jewish city in Judea and Samaria.

The declaration, signed by Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command, came after initial approvals by the Defense Ministry’s Settlement Administration and the Interior Ministry, Arutz 7 reported.

Givat Ze’ev, located in Samaria some three miles northwest of Yerushalayim, has more than 35,000 residents, and the new municipal status is intended to allow for further growth.

Mayor Yossi Asraf called the move “a historic moment” for Givat Ze’ev, saying city status would help strengthen municipal services and manage the community’s expansion plans.

“Turning Givat Ze’ev into a city is first and foremost a major growth engine,” Asraf said in a statement cited by Arutz 7. He added that despite the new status, the municipality would seek to preserve the community’s “warm and rural atmosphere.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a second minister in the Defense Ministry tasked with civilian affairs in Judea and Samaria, welcomed the decision.

“The declaration of Givat Ze’ev as a city is part of a broader policy we have been leading in recent years to reinforce and strengthen settlement through the establishment of dozens of new communities, the legalization of farms, declarations of state land and now a new city—Givat Ze’ev,” Smotrich stated.

Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization representing Judea and Samaria residents, noted that Givat Ze’ev had become the fifth city in the region, after Modi’in Illit, Beitar Illit and Ma’ale Adumim in Judea, and Ariel in Samaria.

“Thousands of families have chosen to build their homes in Givat Ze’ev over the years, and it has grown into a thriving city of more than 35,000 residents,” Ganz said.

“We will continue to strengthen the settlement not through words but through actions, and ensure continued development and construction throughout Judea and Samaria,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s government has led an unprecedented drive to expand Israel’s control of Judea and Samaria, having approved tens of thousands of homes and dozens of new communities in the past three-and-a-half years. JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset is entering what could be its final days before dissolution, with the coalition launching an aggressive legislative blitz aimed at passing nine major bills in just 84 hours. Several of the measures carry major implications for the chareidi community and Israel’s political landscape, setting up a frantic race against the clock.

The Knesset plenum is scheduled to convene today at noon, with the Basic Law: Torah Study expected to be the first bill brought to the floor for its second and third readings. Because it is a Basic Law, the legislation will require the support of at least 61 members of the Knesset to become law.

Behind the scenes, coalition parties are locked in a battle over the legislative agenda, each pushing to ensure that its highest-priority bills are considered first. With limited time remaining before the Knesset is expected to dissolve, there is growing concern that not every measure will make it through the legislative process by week’s end.

Among the bills the coalition hopes to pass are the Basic Law: Torah Study, legislation freezing the arrests of bnei yeshiva and granting relief to draft evaders, the bill separating the role of the attorney general, the academic separation bill, kashrus reform, communications reform, the regional broadcasting bill, and several election-related measures dealing with campaign financing and election procedures.

For the chareidi parties, the two centerpiece bills are the Basic Law: Torah Study and the legislation suspending the arrests of bnei yeshiva. Their passage is viewed as the coalition’s final major test before the chareidi public following months of tension over the draft law and the enforcement measures directed at yeshiva students.

Meanwhile, the election timetable was finalized Sunday night. Political parties will submit their candidate lists on September 7, Israelis will head to the polls on October 27, and official election results are expected to be released on November 4.

The central question now is whether the coalition can muster the votes needed to complete its ambitious legislative agenda before the Knesset dissolves—or whether some of its most significant proposals will be left unfinished.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Securities Authority has launched a criminal investigation into businessman Mr. K. over allegations that he raised more than NIS 200 million from hundreds of investors—many of them from the chareidi community—for a gold mining venture in Ethiopia. Investigators suspect a range of serious financial offenses, though Mr. K. has not been charged and is presumed innocent.

The Israel Securities Authority announced that it has opened a public investigation into Mr. K. on suspicion of committing multiple economic crimes in connection with fundraising efforts for an Ethiopian gold mining project. According to investigators, Mr. K. raised more than NIS 200 million from 219 investors over an eight-year period.

Authorities say the investigation focuses on suspected violations that include offering and selling securities without a legally required prospectus, in violation of Israel’s Securities Law, as well as obtaining money by fraud under aggravated circumstances, theft by an authorized agent, and offenses under anti-money laundering legislation. The alleged conduct is said to have occurred between 2018 and 2026.

For several years, Mr. K. reportedly solicited investments in Ethiopia-based YMG Gold Mining, using companies under his control, including Lakach Investments Ltd. and Dakaria Investments Ltd. As owner and senior executive of those firms, he allegedly played a central role in raising capital and providing investors with updates regarding the progress of the mining operation.

According to investigators, Mr. K. primarily targeted members of the chareidi community, offering them investment opportunities while allegedly promising that their money would double within four years. Authorities further suspect that some funds received from newer investors were used to repay earlier investors.

Investigators also allege that investors were misled through false representations and that Mr. K. exceeded the authority granted to him regarding how invested funds were to be used.

The Securities Authority stated that on February 1, 2026, Mr. K. was instructed to cease raising additional investments after regulators suspected he was offering securities to the public without an approved prospectus. Despite that directive, authorities believe he continued soliciting additional funds.

The investigation remains in its early stages. The allegations against Mr. K. have not been proven in court, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

A sprawling homeless encampment stretching across 12 blocks on Manhattan’s West Side continues to grow, with residents and workers warning that theft, drug activity, and prostitution have become commonplace in the area as city officials appear unable—or unwilling—to stop its expansion, the New York Post reports.

The makeshift settlement now runs along 11th Avenue from West 34th Street to West 46th Street. Dozens of tents and improvised shelters line the sidewalks, creating an increasingly troubling scene for neighborhood residents, employees, and the many tourists visiting the nearby Intrepid Museum. Despite the encampment’s growth, critics say City Hall has failed to intervene, while police vehicles routinely pass through the area without taking action.

“We cant get rid of them,” one city parks enforcement officer said Sunday. “These ones here are stealing everything. They stole our key for the hose. They stole our ladder. They take what they can. And there are escorts in there too. Prostitutes. I see them, they’re right there.

“Definitely getting worse,” she said. “People stopped parking here. People are scared to park here.”

According to local workers, some of those living in the encampment have furnished their makeshift homes with stolen couches and expensive electronics. They also claim stolen property—including Broadway theater lighting equipment and high-end telescopes—is openly displayed, while narcotics are reportedly sold to sex workers operating within the camp or inside nearby public restrooms.

Neighbors said one particular tent has become a regular gathering place where prostitutes frequently stop throughout the day, either to meet customers, purchase drugs, or both.

“This is crazy,” said one supervisor at the nearby Jacob Javits Center. “The cops and the sanitation guys and the outreach guys, they clean up one spot and after that day, the next day they’re over here. Then they’re over there. They’re kind of just spreading around.

“The scariest parts are on 36th and 37th right now,” he said. “It’s just heroin addicts.”

“It stinks,” a Javits maintenance worker added. “They were setting up in the park at 3 this morning and it’s just too much. It’s getting bad again, very bad.

“We kicked them out, now they’re over here,” he said. “One thing is for sure though, there are more today than there were last month, that’s for sure.”

The New York Post first highlighted the growing encampment in a report published Friday, drawing renewed attention to conditions that residents say have steadily deteriorated.

One man living in the encampment even praised Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling him “awesome” for allowing the settlement to remain and for ending the police sweeps that had previously dismantled similar homeless camps.

On Sunday, NYPD patrol cars continued to drive through the neighborhood without stopping. City Hall did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment about the situation.

Public complaints, however, have continued to mount. City records show that calls to the city’s 311 hotline regarding homeless-related issues in the area have risen to 48 so far this year, compared to 40 during all of 2025.

Of the 48 complaints logged this year, 28 involved homeless individuals in need of assistance, while the remaining 20 specifically focused on the expanding encampment. Thirty of those calls were placed during the past month alone, with another eight already recorded this month.

By comparison, last year saw 40 total 311 calls from the neighborhood, including 36 requests for assistance involving homeless individuals and only four complaints directly related to the encampment itself.

Business and civic leaders also expressed concern that the growing settlement is damaging both the city’s image and public safety.

“Most people would agree that leaving people on the street indefinitely isn’t compassion, it’s neglect,” said Steve Fulp, CEO for the nonprofit Partnership for the City of New York. “We’ve seen in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco that letting encampments grow unchecked fails the homeless and erodes quality of life for everyone else.

“The right approach for the city pairs real services with the timely actual removal of encampments that pose safety risks,” Fulp said. “We aren’t seeing that here and these encampments can grow quickly if a balanced policy isn’t pursued which is the concern here.”

Cristyne Nicholas, chair of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council and a gubernatorial appointee of Gov. Kathy Hochul, said the deteriorating conditions near one of the city’s premier attractions are harming New York’s reputation with visitors.

“The Intrepid Museum is one of New York’s greatest tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors each year,” she said. “Tourists are forced to walk around squalor and stench. I hope the mayor focuses on this, as he’s promoted tourism during the World Cup. He understands tourism.

“Maybe there’s a disconnect here” added Nicholas, the former head of the city’s tourism agency. “We want visitors to feel safe and welcome.”

Photo by Luiz C. Ribeiro for the NY Post.

{Matzav.com}

One of Yerushalayim’s most iconic shuls is preparing for a major transformation. The historic Zichron Moshe shtieblach will soon undergo an extensive renovation and expansion project that will include the construction of a new network of shtieblach on the ground floor, modeled after the renowned Itzkowitz shul in Bnei Brak.

The shul recently completed an initial phase of renovations, including the installation of new cabinets and long-overdue repairs throughout the building. Following the petirah of the mara d’asra, Rav Aharon Fischer zt”l, a new committee was appointed under the leadership of the current mara d’asra, Rav Yisroel Fischer, to oversee the affairs of the shul and improve conditions for its many mispallelim and neighborhood residents.

The gabbaim have now unveiled the centerpiece of their vision to modernize and expand the bais medrash. Under the heading “U’leshachlel Heichaleha — Kol Omrim Hodu LaHashem,” the hanhalah issued a special announcement informing the public that, after months of intensive planning and tremendous effort carried out with extraordinary siyata d’Shmaya, the shul is entering a new era of renovation, restoration, and expansion.

The announcement states that substantial portions of both the main bais medrash and the adjoining shtieblach will be upgraded “for the honor of this mikdash me’at and to provide greater comfort for the thousands who frequent this holy place.”

Construction will begin in the lower level of the building, centered around the Pri Chadash shtiebel and the surrounding area. This first phase will include enlarging and modernizing the existing shtieblach, renovating and expanding the restroom facilities, and refurbishing the entrance area.

A key feature of the project will be the installation of an internal staircase connecting the lower level directly to the main bais medrash and the upper shtieblach, allowing mispallelim to move easily between the floors and utilize both areas more conveniently.

Once work on the lower level is completed, renovations will shift to significant portions of the main sanctuary and the upper shtieblach. During that phase, some minyanim and tefillos will temporarily relocate to the newly completed shtieblach downstairs.

As construction is set to begin in the coming days, the gabbaim have issued an urgent request to anyone storing personal belongings in the affected areas.

“With construction beginning b’ezras Hashem in the coming days, a complete evacuation will take place of all contents located in the Pri Chadash shtiebel, the Kahanovitch shtiebel, throughout the lower floor, the corridors near the restroom area, and all private storage cabinets. The entire area must remain completely empty throughout the construction period.”

Invoking the principle that “HaTorah chasah al mamonam shel Yisroel,” the gabbaim urged mispallelim to remove their belongings immediately.

“Accordingly, we respectfully request and strongly urge anyone with belongings in the above-mentioned areas to remove them immediately and take them home, and not relocate items to other areas of the shul.”

The hanhalah also announced that a special suggestion box will soon be installed, allowing mispallelim to submit ideas, recommendations, and comments regarding the renovation project for the gabbaim overseeing the work.

{Matzav.com}

A highly unusual moment unfolded on Channel 14’s popular program The Patriots when host Yinon Magal and members of the panel recited Kaddish in memory of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The tribute followed a halachic consultation with senior posek Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, who ruled that Kaddish could be recited for a non-Jew, provided that a Mishnah was studied beforehand. Before reciting Kaddish, the panel learned a passage from Pirkei Avos.

During the broadcast, Magal told viewers that he had personally consulted Rav Zilberstein regarding the issue.

“I consulted Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, the leading halachic authority, about whether it is permissible to say Kaddish for a non-Jew,” Magal said. “He said that we could first study Mishnah, Mishnah, Mishnah, and afterward we would recite Kaddish in memory of Lindsey.”

In accordance with that ruling, Magal read a Mishnah from Pirkei Avos (2:12): “Rav Yosi says: Let your fellow’s property be as precious to you as your own; prepare yourself to study Torah, for it is not an inheritance to you; and let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven.”

Afterward, the panel joined him in reciting Kaddish Shaleim for the elevation of the soul of “Lynn ben Florence, James Graham.”

The tribute included the full text of Kaddish, beginning with “Yisgadal v’Yiskadash Shemei Rabbah” and concluding with “Oseh Shalom Bimromav.”

At the conclusion, Magal thanked the panelists, saying, “Shkoyach,” before adding, “May his memory be blessed.”

{Matzav.com}