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War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that American forces were preparing to launch what he called the most powerful round of strikes so far in the ongoing military campaign targeting Iran.

Hegseth delivered the remarks during a Pentagon briefing alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

According to Hegseth, the upcoming phase of the operation will significantly increase both the scope and the tempo of the air assault that has been underway since the United States began leading attacks against Iranian military infrastructure.

He explained that Tuesday’s strikes are intended to further damage Iran’s missile capabilities, naval assets, and weapons manufacturing facilities.

“Today will be the most intense day of bombing so far,” Hegseth said, emphasizing that U.S. forces were prepared to carry out a large number of coordinated strikes across multiple targets inside Iran.

Hegseth told reporters that the campaign — which the Pentagon has described as a focused military effort — aims to dismantle Iran’s ability to launch missile and drone attacks and prevent the country from advancing toward nuclear weapons capabilities.

He insisted the United States is making significant progress in achieving those objectives.

Caine then outlined the military results of the operation to date, stating that Iran’s offensive capacity has been dramatically weakened since the campaign began.

According to Caine, Iranian ballistic missile launches have dropped by roughly 90% and drone attacks have declined by more than 80% as coalition forces have targeted key military infrastructure.

Caine said Iran’s military response so far has not exceeded what U.S. officials expected when the campaign began.

“They’re fighting, and I respect that,” he said. “I don’t think they’re more formidable than we thought.”

Caine said U.S. forces have also struck naval assets and weapons manufacturing sites, including missile and drone production facilities, as part of a broader effort to limit Iran’s ability to sustain attacks across the region.

He added that the campaign has already destroyed dozens of Iranian ships and significantly weakened Tehran’s naval operations.

Even as the air campaign intensifies, Hegseth stressed that the United States is not attempting to topple Iran’s leadership, describing the mission as a limited military operation rather than a war aimed at regime change.

The Pentagon briefing came amid a widening regional confrontation. Iran has fired missiles and launched drones toward Israel and several Gulf countries, heightening concerns that the conflict could spread further across the Middle East while also shaking global energy markets.

Hegseth said the United States intends to continue the offensive until Iran’s ability to threaten the region is substantially diminished, noting that the duration of the campaign will depend on when U.S. strategic goals are met.

{Matzav.com}

Several police officers were injured Tuesday after a gunman opened fire near a shul in Baltimore, Maryland.

Authorities rushed to the scene on a block along Park Heights Avenue in the city’s northwest section after receiving reports of a suspect shooting from a window in a building located near the Agudah of Baltimore.

Two officers were struck during the incident. One was transported to Shock Trauma in serious condition, while the second officer sustained injuries that authorities said were not life-threatening.

Police said the suspect was also shot during the confrontation, though officials did not release further details regarding the individual’s condition.

{Matzav.com}

Footage of attempted interceptions over central Israel now as air defenses try to intercept ballistic missiles from Iran.

The parents of a girl critically wounded in a school shooting in Canada alleged in a civil lawsuit Monday that ChatGPT-maker OpenAI knew the shooter was planning a mass attack. OpenAI has said it considered but didn’t alert police about the activities of the person who months later committed one of Canada’s worst school shootings […]

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to technicians at Tel Nof Airbase: “The Israeli Air Force’s operational machine cannot stop. We will know how to move forward with strength.”

Emes Travel says that it has assisted hundreds of passengers in leaving Israel through Egypt during the current crisis, and stated that all travelers using its arrangements have completed the trip safely.

In a letter dated today, the company wrote, “Since the beginning of this time of need, Emes Travel has helped hundreds of passengers arrange and complete travel packages via Egypt for those departing Israel — including coordinated ground transportation, guided border crossings, and onward international flights through Sharm el-Sheikh Airport.”

The company said the departures were handled with extensive support from staff and local teams. “Each departure was carefully managed in partnership with experienced local teams, with our staff available around the clock to answer questions and guide travelers through every step of the process,” the letter stated.

Emes Travel also addressed concerns that have reportedly been circulating about the route, saying that those claims have not been borne out by its own experience. “Baruch Hashem, all travelers have completed their trips safely, with no injuries and no substantiated security incidents reported,” the company wrote.

The letter continued, “We are aware that unsubstantiated claims regarding security concerns along this route have been circulating. To date, none of these claims have been verified, and they are not reflective of the experience of any of our travelers.”

According to the company, those who have used the service have responded positively. “The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, with travelers expressing appreciation for the attentiveness of our staff and the peace of mind that came from having a dedicated team in their corner,” the statement said.

Emes Travel said additional options remain available for those still seeking to leave Israel. “For anyone still in need of assistance, we encourage you to visit emestravel.com/marketplace to view our current offerings — including departures on Wednesday, March 11 and Sunday, March 15,” the company wrote.

The agency added that travelers whose needs are not met by the currently scheduled departures can join a waiting list. “If these don’t meet your needs, you can sign up for our waitlist to be notified as soon as new options become available,” the letter said.

Emes Travel closed by reaffirming its focus on passenger safety. “Emes Travel remains committed to providing responsible, well-supervised travel solutions, with the safety and well-being of every passenger as our highest priority,” the letter concluded.

{Matzav.com}

Fox News host Sean Hannity revealed in a new interview that he no longer has contact with Tucker Carlson and strongly disagrees with much of Carlson’s recent public commentary, marking a clear break between the two longtime conservative media figures.

Speaking on “The Katie Miller Podcast,” Hannity addressed the current state of his relationship with Carlson and indicated that the two have not communicated since Carlson’s departure from Fox News in 2023.

Carlson’s exit from the network two years ago marked a turning point in his media career, after which he began publishing content on alternative platforms such as X and YouTube.

Since leaving Fox News, Carlson has used those platforms to conduct a series of high-profile and often controversial interviews. Among them were discussions with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and Holocaust denier who has expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Those appearances drew significant criticism, particularly because Carlson was accused of giving a platform to figures widely described as Holocaust revisionists and white nationalists, including Fuentes.

The controversy intensified in 2024 when Carlson hosted podcaster Darryl Cooper, whom he called the “best and most honest popular historian” in the U.S.

During that interview, Cooper sparked outrage by portraying the Holocaust as an “unintended consequence” of logistical failures rather than a planned genocide. He also described Winston Churchill, Allied Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, as the “chief villain” of WWII.

Following Carlson’s comments and the broadcast of that interview, both the White House and several Jewish organizations publicly criticized him, accusing him of amplifying Nazi propaganda. The backlash added to the scrutiny Carlson has faced since leaving Fox News.

Against this backdrop, Hannity said the views Carlson has recently expressed are far removed from the colleague he once worked alongside during their years together at Fox.

“I don’t ever talk to him, ever,” Hannity said. “I wish him well. I’ve read a lot of what he says. I just completely disagree with it. And it’s not the person that I knew when he was at Fox.”

Carlson’s positions have also contributed to growing tensions within the broader MAGA movement, particularly over his strong criticism of President Donald Trump’s military strikes against Iran.

During the podcast interview, host Katie Miller asked Hannity whether he believed conservative media figures had been spending too much time attacking one another. Hannity said he shares that concern and explained that he deliberately avoids participating in such conflicts.

“I do . . . And I’ve stayed out of it, if you’ve noticed . . . That’s by design. To me, the big fight in this country is against the radical left. And [if] they all want to kill each other, have at it,” he continued.

Hannity, who has been with Fox News since 1996, also discussed personal changes in his life. He recently relocated his home and his broadcasting base from Long Island, New York, to Florida, where he now lives.

Reflecting on the controversies and disputes that have emerged in conservative media circles, Hannity said he no longer feels compelled to engage in public feuds.

“I’m way past the point in my career, Katie, that I care at all about what other people are doing or saying,” Hannity added. “I watch it ’cause I have to be aware — and I read so much news, I can’t miss it. However, my interest in involving myself in it is zero. I don’t believe my success is predicated on tearing somebody else down, or their failure.”

{Matzav.com}

Tehran staged a highly unusual show of loyalty, as supporters of the Iranian regime gathered for a public ceremony pledging allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei, the country’s newly appointed supreme leader. Instead of appearing in person, however, Mojtaba was represented by a life-size cardboard cutout placed prominently at the event.

State television aired footage from Revolution Square showing large crowds waving Iranian flags and chanting in support of the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The younger Khamenei was recently elevated to the position of supreme leader after his father was killed in Israeli airstrikes on February 28.

Despite the public display of loyalty, Mojtaba himself did not attend the ceremony. Reports circulating in recent days suggest that he was wounded in a separate Israeli strike last week and has remained out of public view since then. Some reports claim he may still be unconscious, leaving the regime to rely on a cardboard likeness during the ceremony rather than risk exposing his condition.

The unusual spectacle came as Iran’s leadership works to project stability during an intensifying conflict with Israel and the United States. Shortly after Ali Khamenei’s death, hardline clerics in Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts moved quickly to name Mojtaba as the next supreme leader, seeking to demonstrate continuity within the regime.

At the ceremony, commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and representatives of allied militias were seen publicly declaring their loyalty to Mojtaba, reinforcing the regime’s effort to rally supporters and maintain internal cohesion.

{Matzav.com}

Attorney General Gali Baharav‑Miara has come under sharp criticism after sources in the legal system say that she has delayed handling Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s pardon request for months. According to the sources, she is also preventing the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department from publishing its legal recommendation on the request, despite the fact that the […]

Ted Cruz: I believe Tucker Carlson is the single most dangerous demagogue in this country.

When COVID-19 wrought havoc on society in early 2020, today’s youngest schoolchildren were infants or yet to be born. Now in their early school years, researchers are beginning to see how the pandemic years have shaped their education, even though many had yet to set foot in a classroom when it began. First and second […]

Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon may continue even after the end of the war with Iran, the Financial Times reported. “The Israelis are preparing international players for the prospect that the war with Hezbollah could drag on and last longer than the war with Iran,” an Arab diplomat said. Another source said that Israel’s […]

Police in Toronto are investigating after gunfire struck the United States consulate early Tuesday morning. Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported, and investigators have not yet identified any suspects. Speaking at a news conference ahead of a meeting of the city council’s executive committee, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow noted the shooting occurred against a […]

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Tuesday that Iran intends to keep fighting for as long as necessary, pushing back against President Donald Trump’s prediction a day earlier that the conflict would end quickly.

At the same time, Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani dismissed what he called Trump’s threats, saying the Iranian public was not intimidated by them.

“Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation,” Larijani warned Trump on X. “Watch out for yourself — lest you be eliminated.”

Araghchi’s comments, which also included a rejection of renewed negotiations with Washington, came as Iran launched another wave of strikes targeting Gulf states aligned with the United States. The attacks occurred just hours after Trump expressed confidence that the escalating war would soon come to a close.

Trump’s remarks had helped calm financial markets that had been shaken the previous day by the growing conflict. Stocks in Tokyo and Seoul rebounded sharply, while oil prices dropped by as much as five percent after surging above $100 per barrel the day before.

“It’s going to be ended soon, and if it starts up again they’ll be hit even harder,” Trump told a news conference in Florida on Monday, after telling lawmakers that the campaign would be a “short-term excursion.”

“We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” Trump said.

Trump also warned that Iran would face a massive military response if it attempts to interfere with global oil shipments.

“We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world, if they do anything.”

In an interview with PBS News, Araghchi responded by saying Iran remains ready to continue its missile attacks.

“The firing continues, and we are prepared. We are well prepared to continue attacking them with our missiles as long as needed and as long as it takes.”

Araghchi also dismissed the possibility of further diplomatic talks with the United States, saying previous negotiations had left Tehran distrustful.

Iran’s last direct confrontation with Israel in June 2025 — when the United States briefly joined strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities — also followed a round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

“I don’t think talking with Americans anymore would be on our agenda,” Araghchi said, noting that the US had spoken of progress after three rounds of talks, before it launched the opening strikes of the campaign on February 28 along with Israel.

He further argued that the United States and Israel had failed in their early attempts to destabilize Iran’s leadership and were now operating without a clear objective.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued its own response to Trump, declaring that Iran itself would decide when the war ends and repeating warnings that oil shipments from the region could be halted if attacks continue.

Iran has already effectively prevented tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally travels through that route. According to the International Maritime Organization, recent attacks on commercial ships near the strait have killed at least seven sailors.

Trump later repeated his warning in a message posted on Truth Social.

“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Footage shows an interceptor being launched over Yerushalayim now to intercept an incoming Iranian missile.

CENTCOM released footage of U.S. air defenses operating in the Middle East.

The IDF identified Hezbollah launchers that were being prepared to fire toward Israeli territory and struck them shortly afterward, dismantling the launchers and targeting the terrorists who were arming them.

New York City is experiencing a sharp rise in pothole complaints after two major snowstorms battered the region this winter, with thousands of reports flooding the city’s 311 system and Queens accounting for the largest share of the problems, the NY Post reports.

“There’s potholes everywhere. My tires are literally crying hanging on by a thread,” an X user lamented of the city’s massive asphalt holes last week.

City records show that more than 11,300 pothole complaints have already been filed by residents in 2026. Nearly half of those reports have come from Queens alone, representing a dramatic 33 percent increase compared with the same point last year, according to a New York Post review of 311 data.

More than 5,000 warnings about potholes — described by drivers as both hazardous and aggravating — have been submitted from Queens so far this year.

Brooklyn ranks second with 2,107 reports, followed by Staten Island with 1,500 complaints. Manhattan has recorded 1,414 reports, while The Bronx has seen 1,259.

Some of the most commonly reported trouble spots include several busy Queens roadways. Northern Boulevard has generated more than 100 complaints since the start of the year, while Rockaway Boulevard has received 76 complaints and Union Turnpike has drawn 66.

Frustration from drivers has been widespread. One person said the potholes in Queens were “the size of craters,” while another called on city officials to address deteriorating sections of Queens Boulevard that are “not getting attention.”

Potholes typically develop when water seeps into cracks in pavement and repeatedly freezes and thaws, causing the asphalt to break apart. For drivers, hitting one can lead to expensive vehicle damage and repairs that can cost thousands of dollars. In addition, repairs can create traffic disruptions and longer commute times while crews work to fix the roads.

Auto repair shops are already feeling the impact. Mechanics in The Bronx told News12 last month that pothole damage is increasing, with roughly 20 repair jobs each week linked to vehicles hitting the road hazards.

“It’s going to be a peak year for potholes, not just a bad year,” said Tom Pratt, a part owner of a Long Island company that manufactures the asphalt used to repair potholes, to The New York Times.

He noted that the past few winters had been relatively mild, adding they had “almost seemed like a vacation from pothole season.”

The city’s Department of Transportation says its crews usually repair potholes within about two days of receiving a complaint.

However, a New York Post analysis of 311 records indicates that more than a quarter of the complaints filed so far this year remained unresolved as of Sunday afternoon, with cases listed as “open,” “pending” or “in progress.”

Among those still awaiting action are more than a dozen complaints involving major roads, including Union Turnpike as well as Roosevelt Avenue and Bruckner, Rockaway, Queens, Springfield and Northern boulevards.

Queens once again leads the city in unresolved cases, with 1,729 outstanding complaints — roughly one out of every three reports filed. Brooklyn follows with 453 unresolved cases, Manhattan with 414, The Bronx with 314 and Staten Island with 137.

The Department of Transportation says it fills about 170,000 potholes annually. Officials attribute much of the road damage to the harsh effects of winter weather and the equipment used to keep roads clear.

“high volumes of snowfall, salt, and use of tire chains all contribute to wear and tear on our roads.

“New York is one of the few cities in the country that runs its own asphalt plants, enabling us to pave more than 1,150 lane miles each year and fill potholes within two days of a complaint,” a DOT rep said.

“After this historic winter, we’re ramping up repairs citywide to make sure every borough’s streets are safe and smooth.”

{Matzav.com}

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Sen. Schumer on tensions with Iran: “How is it possible that Trump and his cronies can’t make it twelve hours without contradicting themselves about this war?”