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Kushner and Witkoff: The War Is Over, Deal Will Not Be Violated

Matzav -

CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired a detailed interview on Sunday evening featuring Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the two U.S. envoys appointed by President Donald Trump who helped broker the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“The biggest message that we’ve tried to convey to the Israeli leadership now is that, now that the war is over. If you want to integrate Israel with the broader Middle East, you have to find a way to help the Palestinian people thrive and do better,” Kushner said, emphasizing the administration’s vision for long-term regional stability.

Addressing Hamas’s post-war actions, Kushner remarked, “Hamas right now is doing exactly what you would expect a terrorist organization to do, which is to try to reconstitute and take back their positions.”

He went on to explain, “The success or failure of this will be if Israel and this international mechanism is able to create a viable alternative. If they are successful, Hamas will fail, and Gaza will not be a threat to Israel in the future.”

When asked to clarify President Trump’s statement that “Hamas must disarm, or we will disarm them, perhaps violently,” and whether that suggested the U.S. would send troops into Gaza, Kushner responded, “That’s not the intent. [Trump’s] statement is that he wants to see this done, and he’s fully committed to seeing it done. And– and he’s gonna continue to work hard to make sure that it is completed.”

Pressed by interviewer Lesley Stahl on who would carry out Hamas’s disarmament, Kushner explained, “The agreement is that an International Stabilization Force will build a local Palestinian police force, and there will be an agreement reached between them on how to create a secure and viable Gaza. And by the way, none of the reconstruction money is gonna be going in until you have terror-free zones, because nobody wants to invest this money into a place where it’s just gonna get destroyed again by terrorism.”

Stahl then questioned whether Hamas was cooperating sincerely in the recovery of deceased hostages’ bodies. Kushner replied, “As far as we’ve seen from what’s being conveyed to us from the mediators, they are so far. That could break down at any minute, but right now– we have seen them looking to honor their agreement.”

Witkoff recounted a key moment during negotiations in Egypt where Hamas delegates, including Khalil al-Hayya, participated. Al-Hayya survived an Israeli strike in Doha, but his son was killed. “We expressed our condolences to him for the loss of his son. He mentioned it. And I told him that I had lost a son, and that we were both members of a really bad club, parents who have buried children,” said Witkoff.

Kushner reflected on that scene, saying, “What I saw at that moment was very interesting. You had– we go into a room and you have the Qataris, the Turks, and the Egyptians. And then we meet the four representatives of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization. And I’m looking at these guys and I’m thinking these are hardened guys who have been through two years of war. They’ve obviously, you know– they– they green-lit an assault that raped and murdered and did some of the most barbaric things. They’ve been holding hostages while Gaza’s been, you know, bombed. And they’ve withstood all the suffering. But when Steve and him spoke about their sons, it turned from a negotiation with a terrorist group to seeing two human beings kind of showing a vulnerability with each other.”

Explaining the mechanics of the talks, Witkoff noted, “The Qataris were the interlocutors directly talking to Hamas. But then we were on the phone with the Qataris, the Egyptians, and the Turks. And the notion was to convince everybody that those 20 Israeli hostages who were alive, were no longer assets for Hamas. They were a liability.”

“At the end of the day, it goes back to the issues were pretty simple,” Kushner added. “We wanted the hostages to come out. We wanted a real ceasefire that both sides would respect. We needed a way to bring humanitarian aid into the people. And then we had to write all these complex words to deal with the 50 years of stupid word games that everyone in that region is so used to playing. Both sides wanted the objective. And we just needed to find a way to help everyone get there.”

The pair underscored that President Trump remains fully committed to enforcing the deal, adding, “We will not allow the terms of this deal for any party to be violated. And both sides will be treated fairly.”

An excerpt of the interview had been released the night before, in which Kushner and Witkoff described their shock over Israel’s strike in Qatar. “I think both Jared and I felt, I just feel we felt a little bit betrayed,” said Witkoff.

Kushner described Trump’s reaction to the Israeli operation, noting, “I think he felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control in what they were doing, and that it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.”

In the full broadcast, both envoys commented on Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s apology to the Qataris, rejecting the notion that it was imposed by Trump. “I wouldn’t call it forced. I would say that apology was pivotal. It was the linchpin that got us to the next place. It was really, really important that it happened. And I think we spent– with the president, at his direction, we spent a lot of time discussing it with [Minister Ron] Dermer, discussing it with– Prime Minister Netanyahu. And then the president weighed in,” explained Witkoff.

Kushner added, “President Trump had a great line– at his speech in the Knesset where he said, ‘Bibi’s very tough, but that’s what makes him great.’ And ultimately, Prime Minister Netanyahu wasn’t gonna do anything, or say anything, or agree to anything that he didn’t feel comfortable with. But he knew what needed to be done at that moment to make peace. And I give him a lot of credit for meeting the moment and doing what needed to be done in order to get this deal done.”

“The goal of the phone call was to help things move forward,” Kushner continued. “And now there’s a trilateral mechanism between the countries which didn’t happen before. So this is the first time there’s a formal mechanism now between Israel and Qatar. And I believe over time Israel and Qatar could actually turn out to be incredible allies in the region to advance things forward.”

Witkoff concluded, “The apology needed to happen. It just did. We were not moving forward without that apology. And the president said to him, ‘People apologize.’ – I remember him saying, ‘I apologize sometimes.’”

{Matzav.com}

Trump: The Gaza Ceasefire Is Still In Effect

Matzav -

During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, President Donald Trump affirmed that the Gaza ceasefire was still active, saying, “Yes, it is.”

He elaborated, “We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas and, as you know, they’ve been quite rambunctious.”

“They’ve been doing some shooting, and we think maybe the leadership isn’t involved in that. You know, some rebels within. But either way, it’s going to be it’s going to be handled properly. It’s going to be handled toughly but properly,” Trump continued.

Trump’s remarks followed reports that Hamas had fired an antitank missile at an IDF engineering vehicle, killing two Israeli soldiers—an act that constituted a breach of the ceasefire.

In the wake of the attack, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu ordered the suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza in retaliation for the violation.

Shortly afterward, Israel announced that it would resume sending humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

Although Hamas has released the 20 surviving hostages it was holding as part of Trump’s Gaza plan, the group has failed to return the bodies of those who were killed, claiming it does not know the whereabouts of most of them.

{Matzav.com}

Rodrigo Paz Wins Presidential Runoff, Becoming Bolivia’s First Conservative Leader In Decades

Yeshiva World News -

Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, will be Bolivia’s next president, preliminary results showed on Monday, paving the way for a major political transformation after almost 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party and during the nation’s worst economic crisis in decades. “The trend is irreversible,” Óscar Hassenteufel, the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, said of Paz’s lead over his rival, former right-wing President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga. Paz won 54.5% of the votes, early results showed, versus Quiroga’s 45.5%. Paz and his popular running mate, ex-police Capt. Edman Lara, galvanized working-class and rural voters outraged over record inflation and an acute dollar shortage that has sapped food and fuel supplies. But for all their disillusionment with the Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, Bolivian voters seemed skeptical of Quiroga’s radical 180-degree turn away from the MAS-style social protections and toward an International Monetary Fund bailout. “A lot of people are wary of (Quiroga’s) shock measures. Paz’s appeal is strong in rural areas and among some older voters — the kinds of people who might have supported MAS if it had fielded a real candidate,” said Gustavo Flores-Macías, dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Riven by internal divisions and battered by public anger over the economic crisis, MAS suffered a historic defeat in the Aug. 17 elections that propelled Quiroga and Paz to the runoff. Paz’s victory sets this South American nation of 12 million on a sharply uncertain path as he seeks to enact major change for the first time since the 2005 election of Evo Morales, the founder of MAS and Bolivia’s first Indigenous president. Although Paz’s Christian Democratic Party has the cushion of a slight majority in Congress, he’ll still need to compromise to push through an ambitious overhaul. Paz plans to end Bolivia’s fixed exchange rate, phase out generous fuel subsidies and reduce hefty public investment, redrawing much of the MAS economic model that has dominated Bolivia for two decades. But he says he’ll take a gradual approach to free-market reforms, in hopes of avoiding a sharp recession or jump in inflation that would enrage the masses — as has happened before in Bolivia. Morales’ effort to lift fuel subsidies in 2011 lasted less than a week as protests engulfed the country. Paz basks in victory, for a moment Paz’s supporters erupted into raucous cheers and ran into the streets of La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, setting off fireworks and honking car horns. Crowds descended around the downtown hotel where Paz declared victory. Some shouted, “The people, united, will never be defeated!” “Today, Bolivia can be certain that this will be a government that will bring solutions,” Paz said, flanked by his wife and four adult children. “Bolivia breathes winds of change and renewal to move forward.” Shortly after the results came in, Quiroga conceded to Paz. “I’ve called Rodrigo Paz and wished him congratulations,” he said in a somber speech, prompting jeers and cries of fraud from the audience. But Quiroga urged calm, saying that a refusal to recognize the results would “leave the country hanging.” “We’d just exacerbate the problems of people suffering from the crisis,” he said. “We need a mature attitude right now.” For the first time in years, the U.S. State Department congratulated the Bolivian president-elect and said it was looking forward to working with […]

IDF Braces for Possible Return of Another Hostage’s Body from Gaza

Yeshiva World News -

The IDF is preparing for the possibility that Hamas may hand over the body of a fallen hostage later tonight. On Sunday, Hamas announced that it had located the body of one of the hostages and would transfer it to Israel “if the field conditions are suitable.” Sixteen bodies of Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza by Hamas.

Major Online Outage Hits Amazon, Robinhood, Snapchat, and Other Platforms

Yeshiva World News -

A widespread internet disruption on Monday morning affected several major online services, including Amazon’s AWS cloud platform, Robinhood, Snapchat, and the AI search platform Perplexity, according to the monitoring site Downdetector. Perplexity’s CEO said the outage stemmed from an issue with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which also impacted Amazon.com, Prime Video, and Alexa. In addition, users reported problems accessing PayPal’s Venmo service during the incident.

Foreign Ministry Warns Israeli Diplomats After Being Added to WhatsApp Groups Run by Iran

Yeshiva World News -

Israeli diplomats have been targeted in a new security incident, after being added to WhatsApp groups operated from Iran and other hostile countries, according to a report by Ynet. An internal security notice distributed to Foreign Ministry staff warned: “Recently, there have been reports of [diplomats] being added to WhatsApp groups, not through their contacts. These are groups that are opened and run by our adversaries from phone numbers from Iran, Pakistan, and more.” The message urged employees to tighten their privacy settings: “Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant about the groups you join and are added to, and even change the settings so that you can only be added to the groups by contacts who are registered with you.” Officials say the ministry is investigating whether the incidents were part of a broader cyber-espionage effort targeting Israeli diplomats abroad.

Canadian PM Carney Says He Would Arrest Netanyahu If He Entered Canada

Yeshiva World News -

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in an interview with Bloomberg that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to enter Canada. When asked whether he would uphold former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stated commitment to detain Netanyahu on alleged war crimes charges, Carney responded, “yes.” The comment comes just days after the International Criminal Court rejected Israel’s appeal against arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza. The ICC previously ruled that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel has firmly denied all such accusations.

Zelensky Says His Meeting With Trump Was ‘Positive’ Though He Didn’t Get Tomahawk Missiles

Yeshiva World News -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his reportedly tense meeting with U.S President Donald Trump last week was “positive” — even though he did not secure the Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine — and emphasized what he said is continued American interest in economic deals with Kyiv. Zelenskyy said Trump reneged on the possibility of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine, which would have been a major boost for Kyiv, following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin hours before the Ukrainian leader and American president were to meet on Friday. “In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday. His comments were embargoed until Monday morning. Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defense systems from American firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Zelenskyy said procuring all of these would require time because of long production queues. He said he spoke to Trump about help procuring these quicker, potentially from European partners. According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin’s maximalist demand — that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — was unchanged. Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Trump despite reports that he faced pressure to accept Putin’s demands — a tactic he has kept up since the disastrous Oval Office spat on Feb. 28 when the Ukrainian president was scolded on live television for not being grateful for continued American support. Zelenskyy said that because Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line his overall message “is positive” for Ukraine. He said Trump was looking to end the war and hopes his meeting in the coming weeks with Putin in Hungary — which does not support Ukraine — will pave the way for a peace deal after their first summit in Alaska in August failed to reach such an outcome. So far, Zelenskyy said he has not been invited to attend but would consider it if the format for talks were fair to Kyiv. “We share President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war. After many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team, his message, in my view, is positive — that we stand where we stand on the line of contact, provided all sides understand what is meant,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Hungary’s capital of Budapest being a suitable location for the next Trump-Putin meeting. “I do not consider Budapest to be the best venue for such a meeting. Obviously, if it can bring peace, it will not matter which country hosts the meeting,” he added. Zelenskyy took a stab at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying he doe not believe that a prime minister “who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.” Zelenskyy also expressed skepticism about Putin’s proposal to swap some territory it holds in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine surrenders all of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. “We wanted to understand exactly what the Russians meant. So far, there is no clear position,” he said. Zelenskyy said he thinks that all parties have “moved closer” to a possible end to the war. “That doesn’t mean […]

Dramatic Development: National Insurance Benefits for Yeshiva Students to End by January 2026

Matzav -

In a major policy shift, the Israeli government announced Sunday that bochurim enrolled in yeshivos who have not enlisted in the IDF will lose their National Insurance benefits starting January 1, 2026.

The decision, revealed in a state submission to the High Court of Justice, follows a previous Supreme Court order requiring the government to terminate these benefits and to clarify within 30 days the timeframe for implementation.

State representatives informed the court that, “after completing discussions between the relevant authorities regarding the necessary transition period, and reviewing the time required for both individual and institutional adjustment, the state will be prepared to implement the updated legal interpretation of the National Insurance Law at the beginning of 2026.”

The move comes as part of the government’s compliance with a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government, which had demanded an immediate halt to the stipends provided to yeshiva students who have not been formally exempted from military service. The petition argued that “in the absence of a legal framework permitting the non-drafting of students in religious institutions, the state cannot continue to transfer financial support to those not officially exempt.”

The organization welcomed the government’s response, calling it “a significant and faster-than-expected achievement.” Petitioners noted that the relatively short three-month transition period — ending as the new fiscal year begins — would simplify the practical and administrative aspects of the change.

The decision is expected to have far-reaching implications across the chareidi community, affecting thousands of bochurim who currently receive National Insurance benefits as students, as the long-running standoff over ben yeshiva status continues to intensify.

{Matzav.com}

Protest Erupts in Yerushalayim Over Arrest of Yeshiva Bochurim Avoiding the Army

Matzav -

Yerushalayim saw fresh unrest Sunday evening as demonstrators blocked traffic along Bar Ilan Street to protest the recent arrests of bochurim classified by the IDF as draft evaders due to unresolved ben yeshiva status.

According to police, hundreds of protesters gathered at the site, setting bonfires and garbage bins ablaze while hurling stones and other objects at officers. Two policemen sustained light injuries during the clashes.

A senior police officer at the scene issued a dispersal order after participants ignored repeated instructions to clear the roadway. Police said that when the crowd refused to comply, riot control units were forced to deploy measures to disperse the disturbance. Two suspects were arrested and transferred for questioning.

“Even at this hour, police officers together with Border Police forces in Yerushalayim are working to restore order to the area,” authorities stated.

The protest marked yet another outcry against the ongoing arrests of chareidi draft evaders amid the government’s unresolved efforts to formalize the ben yeshiva exemption framework.

Police emphasized that while lawful demonstrations are permitted, “any disorderly conduct, assault on officers, or violent rioting will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”

Footage from the scene shows fires burning along Rechov Bar Ilan as protesters chant and block buses and vehicles, forcing police to seal off surrounding intersections until calm was restored.

{Matzav.com}

Zelensky: Trump Must Apply ‘More Pressure’ on Putin than Hamas

Matzav -

During an appearance Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to President Donald Trump to take a tougher stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Host Kristen Welker asked, “Part of President Trump’s success with Israel and Hamas was that he applied pressure to all sides. Does President Trump need to get tougher with President Putin?”

Zelensky responded, “Yes. And even more, because Putin is something similar but more strong than Hamas. It’s more bigger war. And he is the second Army in the world and that’s why more pressure.”

Welker followed up by referencing pending U.S. legislation that would penalize nations buying Russian oil and gas. “There’s a bill in Congress that would impose sanctions and tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy. Is it time for Congress to pass that bill?” she asked.

Zelensky answered, “Yes. Yes. We ask as quick as possible. We ask from Congress sanctions, and we ask to also energy. And we ask him very much. Also support us in the question of children, which is also very sensitive and painful for our nation. Thousands of our children been abducted by Russia. And to recognize Russia’s state of terrorism. It’s the idea of U.S. Congress, not our idea. First of all, it was from Congress and these signals and we’ve been very supportive of this idea.”

{Matzav.com}

Trump Calls Petro ‘Illegal Drug Dealer,’ Ends All Payments, Subsidies to Colombia

Matzav -

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Colombia’s far-left leader Gustavo Petro on Sunday, labeling him an “illegal drug dealer” and announcing that the United States would immediately stop all payments and financial aid to the country.

Trump issued the rebuke in a post on Truth Social, accusing Petro of turning Colombia’s drug trade into its largest industry.

“President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia,” Trump wrote.

“It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America,” he added.

“AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,” Trump declared. “The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc.”

Trump then issued a stern warning to Petro, saying that if Colombia’s leadership fails to act, the U.S. will.

“Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely,” he concluded.

The comments came just a day after Trump revealed that his administration carried out a targeted strike on “narcoterrorists,” two of whom were nationals of Colombia and Ecuador. The operation reportedly intercepted a vessel carrying a deadly shipment of drugs.

“U.S. Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics. There were four known narcoterrorists on board the vessel,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that included footage of the strike.

“Two of the terrorists were killed. At least 25,000 Americans would die if I allowed this submarine to come ashore,” he added. “The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.”

Trump emphasized that his administration “will not tolerate narcoterrorists trafficking illegal drugs, by land or by sea.”

In response, Petro said that one of the men returned to Colombia would face justice there. “We are glad he is alive and he will be prosecuted according to the law,” Petro told AFP.

{Matzav.com}

FBI Probes Hunting Stand Found Overlooking Trump’s Air Force One Landing Zone

Yeshiva World News -

The FBI has launched an investigation after the U.S. Secret Service discovered a suspicious hunting stand positioned within direct view of the Air Force One landing zone used by President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, officials confirmed Sunday. FBI Director Kash Patel said the structure was found prior to Trump’s return to West Palm Beach. “Before the president’s arrival, the U.S. Secret Service discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “No individuals were located at the scene,” Patel said, adding that the FBI has “flown in resources to collect all evidence from the scene” and is using “cell phone analytics capabilities” to identify possible links to the installation. The stand has not yet been tied to any individual. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the agency is “working closely” with the FBI and local law enforcement in Palm Beach County. “There was no impact to any movements and no individuals were present or involved at the location,” Guglielmi said. He added that while officials could not disclose details about the items recovered, the incident “underscores the importance of our layered security measures.” A law enforcement source told reporters the stand appeared to have been placed “months ago.” The potential oversight comes less than a month after Ryan Routh was convicted on all counts for attempting to assassinate Trump during a round of golf in September 2024 at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Routh, who was caught with a rifle near the property’s fence, stabbed himself in the neck with a pen in court after the guilty verdict was read. That incident followed a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s ear before being shot by police. Both cases raised concerns about resource allocation and security preparedness surrounding the president’s movements. The FBI and Secret Service have not said whether the newly discovered structure is believed to pose a threat or to be connected to any previous incidents. Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago this weekend, where he is expected to remain through Monday. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

China Accuses U.S. NSA of Hacking National Time Service Center

Yeshiva World News -

China accused the U.S. National Security Agency on Sunday of hacking its National Time Service Center — the facility responsible for setting and distributing the country’s official standard time used by communications, finance, power, and defense networks. The Ministry of State Security said the NSA used “special cyberattack weapons” and phone software vulnerabilities to steal data from staff between 2022 and 2024 and attempted to breach the center’s internal systems. The U.S. Embassy has not commented.

Suspects Arrested After Shots Are Fired at Jewish Home on E. 5th Street in Lakewood

Yeshiva World News -

Police in Lakewood are investigating after a Jewish home was struck by gunfire late Sunday afternoon, Lakewood Alerts reported. The incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. on East 5th Street, when surveillance footage captured a red vehicle driving past the home. An occupant of the vehicle appeared to lean out of a window and fire multiple rounds, according to police. One bullet struck a parked car, shattering a window, while another round entered the home. No injuries were reported. The vehicle involved in the shooting was subsequently located by Lakewood Shomrim, with multiple suspects subsequently arrested by police. There has been no word of a motive yet. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Kash Patel Confirms Secret Service Found Hunting Stand with View of Trump at Palm Beach Airport

Matzav -

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Sunday that the Secret Service discovered a hunting stand overlooking the area where President Donald Trump exited Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.

“USSS spotted a suspicious stand near the AF1 zone in Palm Beach,” Patel wrote in a post on X, sharing a screenshot of a Fox News report. “The FBI is investigating.”

In comments to Fox News, Patel explained that the Secret Service “discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand” with a clear view of the President’s arrival. He added that “no individuals were located at the scene.”

“Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” Patel said, noting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation “has since taken the investigatory lead” into the discovery.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News that agents came upon the structure while performing “advance security preparations” ahead of Trump’s arrival in Palm Beach.

“While we are not able to provide details about the specific items or their intent, this incident underscores the importance of our layered security measures,” Guglielmi said.

The finding comes amid heightened concern for Trump’s safety following two assassination attempts in recent months.

On July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from a nearby rooftop with a direct view of the stage. Trump later said he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced” his upper right ear.

Then, on September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh — who was convicted last month of attempting to assassinate Trump — was caught after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of his AK-style rifle “sticking out of the bushes” near Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.

{Matzav.com}

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