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While visiting Armenia, Vice President JD Vance addressed the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

A major inauguration ceremony planned by the Skverer chassidus in Beit Shemesh has been postponed amid heightened security tensions and concerns over a possible escalation involving Iran.

An official announcement confirmed that the chanukas habayis celebration for the new Skverer Beis Medrash in the Ramat Daled neighborhood of Beit Shemesh will be delayed.

The decision followed consultations with the Skverer Rebbe, who instructed his eldest son, Rav Aharon Mendel, to cancel his planned trip to Israel in light of the current regional situation.

The development came at an advanced stage of preparations for the large-scale event, which had been expected to draw significant crowds. In a message circulated to chassidim, organizers explained that the question was presented to the Rebbe due to the unpredictable security climate. The Rebbe ruled that since the event can be held at a later date without loss, it would be preferable to wait for a calmer and safer time.

In further remarks, the mosdos’ leadership said the goal is to celebrate the inauguration of the new and impressive building with full peace of mind, allowing the many participants—traveling from across Israel and from abroad—to attend safely and joyfully, without concern or fear.

The Skverer chassidus emphasized that the decision constitutes a postponement, not a cancellation. Details regarding a new date will be released in the future. For now, the community will wait for an easing of the security situation so the event can take place as originally envisioned, with proper splendor and elevated simcha.

It was also reported that another planned gathering—a special chizuk assembly for all Skverer chassidim in Israel, marking one year since a historic hachnassas Sefer Torah during which communal commitments were undertaken—has likewise been called off at this time.

{Matzav.com}

Journalist Questioned in Case Involving Suspected Contact With Iranian Operatives •⁠ ⁠An independent Israeli journalist voluntarily contacted police after receiving unsolicited messages he found suspicious. •⁠ ⁠He was later questioned by the Shin Bet and police on suspicion of contact with Iranian operatives, a claim he denies. •⁠ ⁠The journalist said he was unaware the […]

VP Vance and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sign an agreement on peaceful nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and the Republic of Armenia.

VP Vance in Armenia: “This is a beautiful country, a country that the President of the United States s very proud to partner with… We’re not just making peace for Armenia, we’re also creating real prosperity for Armenia and the United States together.”

VP JD Vance arrived in Armenia on Monday, marking the first visit by a sitting U.S. vice president or president to the country. The visit comes as the Trump administration seeks to advance a U.S.-brokered agreement aimed at ending the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Thousands of Vizhnitzer chassidim took part in the joyous wedding celebration of the great-grandson of the Vizhnitz Rebbe, HaChosson Meshulam Zusia Hager, son of HaRav Yisroel Hager, grandson of the Vizhnitz–Kiryas Rebbe and son-in-law of the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, who married the granddaughter of the Spinka Yerushalayim Rebbe.

Novo Nordisk sues Hims & Hers over cheaper copycat versions of Wegovy pill, injections.

An armed robbery attempt targeting a BTV armored cash-in-transit van was thwarted this morning on the SS 613 highway in Italy’s Puglia region. Authorities say at least six attackers were involved. Some of the gunmen posed as police officers, using vehicles equipped with flashing lights to stop traffic. During the ambush, explosives were used in […]

The IDF captured a senior member of the al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya terror organization during an overnight operation in southern Lebanon. •⁠ ⁠According to the IDF, the terrorist was detained late Sunday during a raid on a building in the Mount Dov area near the border. •⁠ ⁠The operation was carried out by a special forces unit […]

Senior Israeli Security Figures Probed in Classified Security Case Israel’s security authorities are investigating an intelligence case involving individuals who hold senior positions within the defense establishment. According to the suspicion, classified information originating from the IDF and the defense system was improperly used, constituting suspected serious offenses related to the handling of classified security […]

Nurses and two major hospital systems in New York City have reached a deal to end a nearly monthlong strike over staffing levels, workplace safety, health insurance and other issues. The tentative agreement announced Monday by the union representing nurses involves the Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems. Nurses remain on strike at NewYork Presbyterian. […]

In an unprecedented ruling, the Jerusalem District Court ordered National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday to immediately stop blocking the promotion of Police Superintendent Rinat Saban to the rank of deputy commander. In an unusual move for a civil servant, Saban filed a petition to the court against Ben-Gvir through the controversial and left-wing […]

Israeli police have launched an investigation in recent days into suspected abuse at a daycare center, following a report received at the police station in Modiin Illit that raised concerns of harm to helpless minors.

According to police, the complaint pointed to serious suspicions of mistreatment of toddlers at the facility. As a result, officers opened a formal investigation to examine the allegations.

Shortly after the report was received, police arrested six caregivers employed at a daycare center in the community of Beit Aryeh, and the daycare’s director was detained for questioning.

The suspects, women in their 20s through 40s who are residents of Beit Aryeh, were taken in for interrogation. Police are expected to ask the court to extend their detention as the sensitive investigation continues.

Authorities emphasized that the probe is ongoing and that all actions are being taken to fully clarify the serious suspicions surrounding the alleged abuse of the children.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian security forces have launched a campaign to arrest figures within the country’s reformist movement, reports said Monday. That widens a crackdown on dissent after authorities earlier put down nationwide protests in violence that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more detained. Detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has received another prison sentence […]

The IDF announced that it is moving to trim excess reserve deployments after the government directed the military to limit how many reservists may be on active duty this year, while pledging that the benefits provided to those who do serve will remain intact, Times of Israel reports.

During the height of the war, roughly 300,000 reservists were mobilized. Prior to the latest budget decisions, the military had anticipated calling up about 60,000 reservists in 2026 for routine assignments. In December, however, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed as part of the state budget to restrict the daily number of active reservists in 2026 to 40,000, a step they say will save billions of shekels.

According to the IDF, the reductions will focus on positions it considers nonessential, including full-time reservists assigned to bolster civil defense teams in border communities, along with certain roles at headquarters.

The military also said it will shorten the length of routine reserve duty — excluding emergency call-ups — reducing the requirement from 72 days to 55. In addition, several practices adopted after the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, will be discontinued.

At the same time, the IDF emphasized that benefits for reservists who serve extended periods will not be cut. Under the revised framework, many benefits will now be provided after 45 days of reserve duty, which the military says is meant to discourage unnecessary extensions of service beyond that point and encourage reservists to return to their civilian employment.

Extended and repeated reserve mobilizations during the war drew sharp criticism from the Finance Ministry, which argued that the approach reflected inefficiency and significant waste of funds within the military.

As part of efforts to prevent the use of surplus reservists, the IDF said units will no longer be allowed to recruit reserve soldiers through social media advertisements, a method that became common during the war. In many cases, reservists would finish an assignment in one unit and then join another to continue serving.

Under new army rules, reservist recruitment will be permitted only through an official military website, a change intended to stop reservists from moving between units without proper oversight.

The military is also ending the practice known as “hybrid service,” in which reservists fulfill their military duties while simultaneously maintaining their civilian jobs, sometimes on a week-on, week-off schedule.

Beyond financial considerations, the IDF said the week-on, week-off model has undermined unit cohesion, as some soldiers never actually serve alongside those designated as their teammates.

The overall direct cost of the war has been estimated at approximately NIS 220 billion ($67 billion), with roughly NIS 50–70 billion of that total spent on mobilizing hundreds of thousands of reservists for lengthy periods.

{Matzav.com}

Family members of the newlywed avreich, Avraham Ben Dayan, who was prevented from putting on tefillin on Sunday after he was imprisoned on Motzei Shabbos for “draft dodging,” are furious at IDF officials for their violation of his most basic religious rights. The avreich’s wife of two months, Esty, spoke with Kol Barama Radio on […]

A mysterious intercepted phone call, a locked-down intelligence report, and months of behind-the-scenes maneuvering have ignited a political storm inside the U.S. intelligence community, placing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the center of a widening controversy. According to the attorney for a federal whistleblower, the National Security Agency last spring flagged an unusual […]

The Israel Prison Service has started moving forward with operational planning tied to proposed legislation that would allow the death penalty for terrorists, following the bill’s approval in its first Knesset reading.

A report by Channel 13 News said the preparations focus on building a structured logistical and administrative system, including the creation of a secure, secluded compound designated specifically for executions. Within the prison system, the planned site has reportedly been nicknamed the “Israeli Green Mile,” echoing the well-known American film centered on death row inmates.

According to the report, the facility would be designed for executions by hanging, with the process carried out at the same moment by three prison officers.

Only officers who volunteer would be eligible to take part, and those selected would receive dedicated training to prepare them for the emotional and professional complexities involved.

Channel 13 further reported that executions would take place within 90 days of a final court decision. At the outset, the measure would be applied to Hamas Nukhba force terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre, with the scope later expanded to include terrorists convicted of especially grave attacks in Judea and Samaria.

As part of the groundwork, the Israel Prison Service is also expected to send a delegation to an East Asian country to examine how the death penalty is administered there, focusing on the legal framework, operational procedures, and ethical considerations in systems where capital punishment is carried out under formal regulation.

{Matzav.com}

Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in the longest punishment given so far under a China-imposed national security law that has virtually silenced the city’s dissent. Lai, 78, was convicted in December of conspiring with others to collude […]