In a moment that has left many shaken and reflective, fragments from the Iranian missile that fell Sunday in a shelter adjacent to a beis haknesses in Beit Shemesh struck one of the Sifrei Torah, landing precisely in Parshas Zachor, the very parsha that Klal Yisroel read just this past Shabbos.
The parsha, which reminds us of the eternal battle against Amalek and resonates so powerfully with the story of the Megillah, carries profound relevance in these days, as we face a modern-day Persia — Iran. That the shrapnel found its way specifically to those words seemed, to many, far beyond coincidence.
Misplallelim in the beis haknesses stood in stunned silence when they discovered where the fragments had pierced. The sight of the damaged Sefer Torah, struck in the very section commanding us to remember Amalek, was viewed by many as a stirring remez min haShamayim — a call to introspection, teshuvah, and strengthened emunah.
In days when missiles fly and sirens wail, this remarkable occurrence has left the community contemplating the clear and present message: that even amid the noise of war, the Ribbono Shel Olam speaks — sometimes in ways that pierce straight to the heart of the parsha.
{Matzav.com}
President Trump said Monday that he is not ruling out deploying American ground forces to Iran if circumstances require it, while asserting that the ongoing military campaign has progressed faster than anticipated, including the elimination of dozens of senior Iranian leaders.
In an interview with The New York Post, Trump addressed the possibility of sending troops, distancing himself from blanket pledges often made by other presidents. “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” Trump said after launching strikes Saturday to decapitate Iran’s military and political leadership. “I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”
The president had told the Daily Mail on Sunday that he expected the conflict to last “four weeks or so,” but on Monday he suggested the timeline could be shorter than initially projected.
“It’s going to go pretty quickly,” he said. “We’re right on schedule, way ahead of schedule in terms of leadership — 49 killed — and that was, you know, going to take, we figured, at least four weeks, and we did it in one day.”
Trump also dismissed concerns that Iran might respond to the US action through terrorist attacks.
“We’ll take it out. Whatever. It’s like everything else, we’ll take it out,” Trump said.
Explaining his decision-making process, the president said he authorized the strike following what he described as unsuccessful final negotiations held Thursday in Geneva, citing intelligence indicating that Iran had resumed covert nuclear activity.
“We had very serious negotiations, and they were there, and then they pulled back,” he said.
“They wanted to make a nuclear weapon, so we destroyed them completely, but we found they were in a totally different site — totally different — because the sites that we took out were permanent. They tried to use them, but they were totally, as I said correctly before, obliterated, right? So then we found them working on a totally different area, a totally different site, in order to make a nuclear weapon through enrichment — so it was just time.”
“I said, ‘Let’s go.’”
Trump maintained that he is confident he made the correct call and argued that most Americans ultimately back the action, even if early polling suggests otherwise. He contended that preventing what he called “crazy people” from acquiring nuclear weapons outweighed the risks of a broader regional conflict.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted over the weekend found that 27% of respondents supported the strikes, while 43% opposed them and 29% were undecided. Surveys taken before the operation indicated similarly limited backing for a potential war.
“I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago,” Trump said.
“I don’t think the polling is low,” he went on. “Look, whether polling is low or not, I think the polling is probably fine. But it’s not a question of polling. You cannot let Iran, who’s a nation that has been run by crazy people, have a nuclear weapon.
“I think people are very impressed with what is happening, actually,” Trump insisted. “I think it’s a silent — if you did a real poll, the silent poll — and it’s like a silent majority.”
{Matzav.com}
Three American F-15 fighter jets participating in operations linked to the campaign against Iran were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly fire incident, US Central Command confirmed early Monday.
According to a statement from CENTCOM, all six crew members aboard the aircraft successfully ejected and were recovered in stable condition.
“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Tampa, Fla.-based CENTCOM went on.
Video circulating online captured the dramatic crashes, which occurred shortly after what appeared to be an Iranian drone barrage struck the US Embassy compound in Kuwait City. Earlier, the embassy had issued a stark advisory to American citizens, instructing them to stay indoors, seek shelter, and “Do not come to the Embassy.”
Footage showed flames and heavy smoke billowing from within the diplomatic compound, though no immediate casualties were reported.
Kuwait, along with several other Gulf states neighboring Iran, has come under missile and drone fire from Tehran in recent days. The strikes appear aimed at pressuring the United States and Israel to halt a military campaign that has reportedly resulted in the deaths of dozens of senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Over the weekend, three US service members stationed in Kuwait with a logistics and supply unit were killed in an Iranian strike. They were the first American fatalities since the Pentagon launched the operation known as Operation Epic Fury.
CENTCOM said it would withhold the identities of service members who were killed until 24 hours after their families were notified.
Iranian retaliatory strikes have also targeted American military installations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. In addition to military targets, Tehran has directed attacks toward energy infrastructure across the region.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery was targeted by drones, according to a military spokesman quoted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Air defenses intercepted the aircraft before they reached their objective.
Videos posted online appeared to show dense black smoke rising near the refinery site following the incident. Even when drones are successfully shot down, falling debris can ignite fires and cause injuries on the ground.
Ras Tanura, located near Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia, is among the largest oil refineries in the world, with the capacity to process more than 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Saudi state television reported that operations at the facility were temporarily halted as a precaution.
Earlier the same day, falling debris from intercepted drones struck Kuwait’s Ahmadi oil refinery, injuring two workers, according to the state-run KUNA news agency.
{Matzav.com}
A sharp exchange erupted Sunday between Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Nancy Mace after the South Carolina Republican suggested that Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib were grieving the death of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The dispute began when Mace posted a sarcastic message online following news of Khamenei’s death. “My heart goes out to Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib tonight.
“Sending them thoughts and prayers,” she wrote in a post accompanied by a picture of Khamenei.
Omar and Tlaib, the first Muslim women elected to Congress, are members of the progressive bloc known as “The Squad.”
Omar responded forcefully on X, accusing Mace of intoxication. “I hope you aren’t drunk and took your staff’s advice, Rashida and I don’t know this man and feel confident he didn’t care about us,” she wrote.
She continued, “Please restrain [sic] from drinking too much as you have been warned from your staff and stay off social media when you are drunk. I pray in his holy month you find peace and respect for your self [sic].”
Omar’s remarks appeared to reference prior allegations made by former Mace staff members claiming she fostered a hostile work environment.
A New York Magazine article published last month alleged that Mace consumed alcohol “excessively” and required staff to make late-night liquor store runs on her behalf.
Mace has strongly denied those claims, even as several former aides have publicly supported them. She has said she suffers from hemochromatosis, describing it as a “lifelong genetic affliction that prevents me from consuming much alcohol.”
Hemochromatosis is a disorder in which excess iron accumulates in vital organs such as the heart, pancreas, and liver.
Mace fired back at Omar with a jab at her grammar, writing, “Honey, it’s ‘please refrain’ not ‘please restrain.’ This is what happens when your staff is from the Third World and can’t speak proper English,” Mace needled Omar in response.
Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, has praised the killing of Khamenei and supported efforts to weaken Iran’s ruling regime.
The two lawmakers have a history of public disputes on social media.
Earlier this year, Mace sought to have the House Oversight Committee issue a subpoena for records related to allegations that Omar married her brother.
On Shabbos, Omar criticized President Trump for authorizing the Operation Absolute Fury strikes against Iran, in which Khamenei was killed during joint U.S.-Israeli military action.
“The American people are sick and tired of endless wars built on false promises and paid for with innocent lives. Congress must immediately pass [the] Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution,” Omar wrote on X.
Before the strikes took place, Omar had also expressed frustration over the timing of U.S. military actions during Ramadan.
“The US apparently loves to strike Muslim countries during Ramadan and I am convinced it isn’t what these countries have done to violate international law but about who they worship,” she wrote.
Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, prayer, and reflection, runs this year from Feb. 17 through March 19.
{Matzav.com}
