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Iran fired a new wave of missiles at three key American partners in the Middle East early Thursday, escalating regional tensions after US forces carried out another round of military strikes against Iranian targets.

The Islamic Republic launched attacks toward Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, marking the second consecutive day that those countries have come under fire following American military action against Tehran.

All three nations host US military personnel and facilities. While Iranian missiles were aimed at areas connected to American operations, no US service members were reported injured.

According to a military source who spoke with The Post, US Central Command successfully intercepted the incoming threats and prevented any strikes from reaching American installations.

Jordanian authorities said their air defenses shot down 20 Iranian missiles headed toward a region where US troops are stationed. No casualties were reported.

Kuwait temporarily shut down its airspace as a precautionary measure for several hours, though officials did not provide details regarding any possible damage.

In Bahrain, officials reported limited civilian impacts from the attack. The Interior Ministry said debris from interception efforts damaged homes and vehicles and injured an 11-year-old girl.

The missile barrage followed a major overnight US military operation. According to US Central Command, American forces conducted roughly four hours of strikes that concluded shortly before sunrise in Iran.

CENTCOM said the operation focused on degrading the regime’s “military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.”

A source familiar with the campaign said the strikes concentrated on radar installations and missile facilities located along Iran’s coastline.

Residents reported hearing blasts in several locations, including Tehran, Bandar Abbas, and other areas near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard later acknowledged damage to multiple sites, saying a manufacturing facility, a military installation, and a Guard base outside Tehran had been struck.

During the operation, President Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that the US military launched 49 Tomahawk missiles against targets inside Iran. He also said American aircraft struck radar networks and air-defense positions around the Persian Gulf.

Trump further asserted that Iranian officials had privately appealed for the bombing campaign to stop while he monitored developments from the White House Situation Room. He warned that the attacks would intensify if Tehran failed to accept a US-backed peace framework, pledging to “bomb the s— out of them tomorrow night.”

Although Trump has repeatedly indicated that a diplomatic breakthrough may be within reach, the latest exchange of attacks has underscored how far apart the two sides remain on several key issues.

One of Washington’s primary demands is that Iran surrender its stockpile of nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium. US officials believe much of the material remains hidden in underground facilities following last year’s strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran has refused to relinquish the uranium reserve and is simultaneously seeking sanctions relief. Tehran is also demanding access to frozen financial assets before any final agreement is completed, a proposal Trump has rejected.

Another major sticking point involves Hezbollah. Iranian officials insist that any settlement ending the conflict must also halt fighting between the Lebanese terror group and Israel, a condition Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has refused to accept.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continued behind the scenes. A Qatari delegation that had been conducting mediation talks in coordination with the United States departed Tehran on Thursday morning, according to an official familiar with the negotiations who spoke anonymously.

Pakistan also weighed in on the growing crisis, expressing alarm over the escalation and urging both Washington and Tehran to honor the cease-fire that officially took effect on April 8.

That cease-fire has been repeatedly tested in recent weeks. Speaking to Yingst on Wednesday night, Trump described it as “the most violated cease-fire in the history of the world.”

{Matzav.com}

The Pentagon was placed under lockdown Thursday after building safety systems detected a potential air-quality threat, prompting officials to order workers in the affected area to shelter in place while emergency crews investigated the situation.

Emergency responders from Arlington County Fire and EMS were dispatched to the military headquarters after what authorities described as a hazardous materials incident. The agency announced the response in a message posted on X.

“ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident,” it said.

According to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the alert was triggered after internal monitoring systems identified an issue involving the building’s air quality, leading officials to take precautionary action.

“The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants,” Parnell said. “Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance.”

He emphasized that established emergency procedures were immediately activated while authorities worked to determine the source and severity of the concern.

“The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants,” he added.

The Pentagon, regarded as one of the most heavily protected government facilities in the United States, is equipped with extensive safeguards designed to identify airborne threats and prevent contaminants from spreading throughout the structure.

Its distinctive five-sided layout, consisting of multiple concentric rings connected by hallways, enables officials to isolate specific sections of the building while allowing the remainder of the facility to continue operating. This design helps protect the approximately 26,000 people who work there without requiring a full evacuation.

As investigators seek to determine what caused Thursday’s alert, attention has turned to the Pentagon’s advanced detection and containment infrastructure, known as Pentagon Shield, which was developed over many years.

The Pentagon Shield initiative was created in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks as part of a broader effort to defend the nation’s largest government office complex against chemical, biological, and radiological dangers.

According to publicly available technical documents, the system relies on an extensive network of sensors combined with computer-based modeling technology to identify potentially dangerous airborne substances and monitor their movement throughout the building.

“Building ventilation systems can be adjusted in real time to minimize air infiltration,” researchers wrote in a 2007 overview of the program.

Should a hazardous material be detected, officials can rapidly modify airflow patterns, seal off specific areas, and restrict the movement of air between corridors, reducing the likelihood that contaminants spread beyond the affected zone while emergency personnel assess the threat.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Three kedoshei elyon had one common concept when it came to learning Torah – they were the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh (Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar 1696-1743) when he came to Eretz Yisroel; the Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto 1707-1746) when he lived in Padua, Italy;  and Hagaon, Harav Chaim Volozhiner, (1749-1821) the famous talmid of the Gaon of Vilna.

They each had a yeshiva with ‘around-the-clock’ Torah learning, 24-hours a day, so that there would be no minute when the sound of Torah learning would not be heard in this world. The 24-hour period would be divided into shifts, and as one ended the next would begin.

Torah-24

A “Torah-24” Center has been opened in Yerushalayim and the Nasi is Maran Sar Hatorah, Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l.

Under ONE ROOF, from 6:00 am – 6:00 am, 10 kollelim fill successive learning shifts. Each kollel focuses on a specific area of in-depth Torah study. The “Torah-24” Kollelim include: Boker (Gemora), Yerushalmi, Bavli, Zeraim-Taharot, Dalet Chelkei Shulchan Aruch, Erev (Gemora), Chatzos- Zohar/Kabbolah, Erev Shabbos (Chumash / Medrash b’iyun). 

Already there are 52 avreichim metzuyonim, and a large number of candidates are vying for the remaining slots in the kollelim. All the avreichim are required to take rigorous monthly tests.

Endorsements & Letters

Endorsements include Maranan Hagaonim shlit”a: Harav Gershon Edelstein, Harav Berel Povarsky, Harav Shimon Badani, Harav Dovid Cohen, Harav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Harav Chaim Feinstein, Harav Shimon Galai, Harav Shraga Shteinman.

Letters of support-encouragement have been received from Maranan Hagaonim, shlit”a: Hamekubal Harav David Bazri, Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Elimelech Biderman, Hamekubal Harav Yaakov Meir Schechter, Harav Moishe Sternbuch, Harav Yitzchak Tuvia Weiss.

For more “Torah-24” information click on: www.torah-24.com or call 718-766-5022

As protests continue over the detention of bnei yeshivah and demonstrators arrested at recent anti-draft rallies, two personal stories have emerged that supporters say highlight the human toll of the ongoing arrests.

One of the detainees, R’ Nosson Start, a Breslover avreich, was informed while in custody that his first child had been born. Start was arrested during a protest held outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg in Alon Shevut and has remained behind bars since his arrest.

According to information obtained by the news outlet Emes, the new father received the news of his son’s birth while still in detention.

Family members and supporters say that despite the joyous occasion, authorities did not approve his release. They claim that either the court or the Israel Prison Service refused to allow him temporary freedom, leaving him to celebrate the birth of his firstborn while incarcerated.

A second case involves another detainee from the same protest who was scheduled to celebrate his vort Tuesday evening at the old Beis Yaakov Hall. Because he remained in custody, he was unable to attend the event, and family members were forced to postpone the celebration.

Meanwhile, legal proceedings related to the protests continue.

Earlier in the day, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of three suspects accused of involvement in a break-in at the Beit Shemesh police station, ordering that they remain in custody until Thursday.

Two of the suspects acknowledged participating in the protest but denied taking part in any break-in. A third suspect, Meir Rabinovitz, son of mekubal Rav Gamliel Rabinovitz, denied any involvement whatsoever and reportedly requested that investigators examine his cellphone location data in an effort to prove he was at home when the incident occurred.

Attention is now turning to today’s court hearings, when 51 of the 65 individuals arrested that night are expected to appear once again before a judge after spending a full week in detention.

The court is expected to decide whether to extend their incarceration further or release them under various conditions.

{Matzav.com}