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Dozens of American students studying in Tzefas returned to the United States on Sunday after an extended and complicated trip that took them through Jordan, following the shutdown of Israeli airspace at the start of the war with Iran.

The group included Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva bochurim and seminary students from the Tze’irei Hashluchim–Mesivta yeshiva and Beis Rivka Seminary in Tzefas. Before the conflict erupted, the students had intended to travel to Georgia after completing an intensive learning program.

When the war broke out and Ben Gurion Airport was closed, those travel plans were abruptly canceled, leaving the students stranded in Israel.

According to a report published by the COLlive website, approximately thirty students reached out to a U.S.-based rescue organization, which arranged for them to cross into Jordan and then continue onward with flights to Europe and eventually back to the United States. On Purim, the yeshiva students departed for Jordan and were placed in a hotel there, where security concerns prevented them from leaving the premises.

Several days later, on Wednesday, roughly 35 seminary students joined the group. They too had been planning to travel to the United States for their Pesach break but were unable to leave once the war began. Until their departure, they had been staying with a local family in Tzefas.

Both groups eventually met in Jordan while waiting for a connecting flight to Athens. However, their departure was delayed by unexpected developments, including the temporary closure of Jordanian airspace due to missile activity and the tense security environment. The flight they had expected to take on Thursday was canceled, forcing them to return to their hotel and continue waiting.

Food presented another difficulty. With only a limited supply available, the students relied on small portions of food along with fruits and vegetables to sustain themselves. Rabbi Shalom Duchman of Colel Chabad attempted to send kosher food for Shabbos, but Jordanian border officials confiscated the shipment and discarded it. In the end, the group prepared their Shabbos meals themselves using basic ingredients they managed to purchase locally.

Despite the challenging conditions, the students observed Shabbos together, holding tefillah and meals while carefully maintaining halachic observance throughout the ordeal.

According to the report, senior American officials also intervened in the effort to help the students leave Jordan. Among those involved were Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, a close associate of President Donald Trump, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Their involvement and the pressure applied helped facilitate the group’s departure.

On Motzoei Shabbos, the students finally boarded a Royal Jordanian flight. They arrived Sunday morning at Washington airport and from there traveled by bus to the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

{Matzav.com}

ABC News reports that U.S. intelligence intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as an “operational trigger” for sleeper cells outside the country, according to a federal alert sent to law enforcement agencies.

Within minutes of Hezbollah firing rockets toward Israel, the IDF struck the rocket launchers used in the attack.

Footage from the scene in central Israel shows the site of a reported impact in an open area.

The U.S. military said it killed six men Sunday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged traffickers. Sunday’s attack brought the death toll to at least 157 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small […]

The Israeli Air Force carried out additional waves of strikes in Lebanon over the past few days in response to Hezbollah rocket fire, dismantling dozens of rocket and missile launchers south of the Litani River that were used to attack Israel, while also intercepting dozens of UAVs launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organization toward Israeli […]

Most real estate projects talk about square footage. Givat Hashalvah is telling a different story. It begins with a simple premise: the quality of life in Eretz Yisroel should carry dignity, pride, and a standard that reflects what frum families value, not only in the home, but in the life that surrounds it. You can see that shift […]

The sefer Pesach Bais David, Part II, Shu” t on the laws of Even Ha’ezer and Choshen Mishpat by Rabbi Yosef David, Av Beis Din in Saloniki. The Chida in Shem HaGedolim describes him as “a man of holiness, and we have heard of his holiness and seclusion.”   The Chida learned in depth using […]

New York City police are investigating whether men who brought improvised explosive devices to a protest near the mayor’s residence were motivated by ISIS ideology, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.

The explosive devices, which failed to detonate, were thrown during a heated confrontation outside Gracie Mansion. The disturbance took place during a rally called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City,” organized by far-right activist Jake Lang. Tisch said the devices had the potential to cause severe injuries or fatalities.

Authorities have taken two individuals into custody in connection with the incident, though neither has yet been formally charged. Tisch said police are coordinating the investigation with federal prosecutors and the FBI. Agents from the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have also joined the inquiry.

“I can confirm this morning that this is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism,” Tisch said.

Despite the arrests, charges have not yet been filed against the suspects. Tisch reiterated that city investigators are working closely with federal officials and the FBI as they examine the case. She added that authorities have found no indication so far that the incident is linked to Iran or the ongoing war overseas.

“At this time, we do not have any information that connects this investigation to what’s going on overseas in Iran,” Tisch said.

The rally itself drew relatively few participants, but it attracted a much larger group of counterprotesters. During the confrontation, police say one individual threw a smoking object into the crowd. The device contained nuts, bolts, screws, and what Tisch described as a “hobby fuse.”

According to the commissioner, the device extinguished itself only a short distance from police officers stationed nearby. The same individual then dropped a second device that did not appear to ignite.

Police also reported that officers located a suspicious device inside a vehicle parked on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street. The discovery prompted authorities to shut down surrounding streets and evacuate nearby buildings as a precaution.

At approximately 7 p.m., a flatbed truck removed a Honda Civic from the scene, after which police reopened the area to the public.

Lang, the organizer of the rally, previously faced charges including assaulting a police officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder, and other offenses connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol unrest. He was later released from prison following President Donald Trump’s broad clemency order. Lang has since announced a campaign for the U.S. Senate in Florida.

Earlier this year, Lang also staged a rally in Minneapolis supporting Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. That event quickly drew large numbers of counterprotesters, and he ultimately left the scene after being confronted by the crowd.

{Matzav.com}

Saudi Arabia is warning that Tehran could face severe consequences if strikes targeting Gulf states persist. In a statement reported by Arab News, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said Iran would bear the “heaviest diplomatic, economic, and strategic consequences” if it continues its campaign against the Kingdom and neighboring Gulf states. “The targeting of civilian airports […]

Three U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers have arrived at RAF Fairford in the UK.

The U.S. military is warning that Iran’s government is launching ballistic missiles and attack drones from densely populated neighborhoods, a tactic officials say is placing civilians at risk and complicating efforts to avoid collateral damage during the escalating conflict. In a statement issued Sunday, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iranian forces have been operating […]

Footage shows a possible impact in an open area in central Israel following the latest rocket barrage from Lebanon. No injuries have been reported.

Destruction in Beirut following nonstop Israeli airstrikes.

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Interceptions are currently underway over central Israel following rockets launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah.

Hundreds of sailors and officers from the Iranian IRIS Bushehr naval vessel, an auxiliary ship that accompanied the IRIS Dena warship that was sunk by the US last week, abandoned the ship and fled to Sri Lanka, a former Sri Lankan navy official told Iran International. The ship, carrying 208 naval personnel, including 53 officers […]

A 22-year-old motorcyclist who suffered critical injuries in a traffic accident in Kiryat Motzkin has died, Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa announced Monday morning.

Witnesses who were present at the scene said the crash occurred Sunday while a siren was sounding in the area, during which the rider reportedly lost control of his motorcycle.

The young man was transported to the hospital in extremely serious condition. Doctors rushed him into emergency surgery and placed him on an ECMO life-support system in an effort to stabilize him and save his life.

Emergency personnel from Magen David Adom treated the victim at the scene before transporting him to the hospital. He was described as semi-conscious and suffering from severe injuries affecting multiple systems in his body.

MDA motorcycle unit medics Gal Stavsky, Yoed Amar, and Natan Shachar said: “The injured man was lying in the middle of the road next to his motorcycle, semi-conscious after being involved in a traffic accident that occurred during a siren. We provided life-saving medical treatment and evacuated him to the hospital in unstable condition.”

{Matzav.com}

A major fire in the heart of Glasgow crippled Scottish train services Monday as firefighters worked to douse the blaze that destroyed a four-story building near Scotland’s busiest railway station. Glasgow Central Station was closed and all travel to, from and through the station was expected to be disrupted, according to rail operators. There was […]

The Israeli military announced that Staff Sergeant Or Demry, 20, of Liman, a combat engineering soldier serving with the 91st Division, was killed in southern Lebanon after anti-tank fire struck during an operational mission near the northern border.

Demry was killed in the same attack that claimed the life of Staff Sergeant Maher Khatar, who also fell during the incident.

Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement honoring Demry and expressing condolences to his family.

“I send my deepest condolences to the family of Sergeant Or Demry, a combat engineer in the 91st Division of the Combat Engineering Corps, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon. Or fought bravely together with the late Staff Sergeant Maher Khatar, who also fell in the same incident, to protect the communities and residents of the north from the cruel terrorist organization Hezbollah. The State of Israel salutes our heroic soldiers who are standing on the front lines to protect the citizens of Israel.”

According to details released about the event, the fatal incident occurred at a defensive position near the community of Margaliot along the Ramim Ridge. A combat engineering team had been dispatched to assist a tank from the 601st Battalion that had become immobilized in the area.

The engineering unit, which included two D9 armored bulldozers, was in the process of freeing the stranded tank when one of the bulldozers belonging to the 91st Division was struck. Initial assessments indicate that the vehicle was hit either by a mortar round that ignited its fuel tank or by a missile, resulting in the deaths of the two soldiers.

Following the deadly attack, Israeli forces responded with extensive firepower. Heavy barrages were launched toward the area, and Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out strikes against multiple targets nearby.

{Matzav.com}