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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer describes yesterday’s synagogue attack as antisemitism: “It was hate, plain and simple. We will fight this ancient and rampant evil.”

CENTCOM: The Iranian regime has been the number one threat to peace and stability in the Middle East for years. U.S. forces continue to take decisive steps to neutralize Iran’s power projection capabilities.

Footage shows the IDF striking a building in southern Lebanon a short time ago.

Brian Kilmeade: You think Putin is helping them (Iran)? Trump: I think he might be helping them a little bit, yeah, i guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?

President Trump on yesterday’s Islamic terrorist attack on Temple Israel in Michigan and Old Dominion University in Virginia: It’s a disgrace. They’re sick, they’re really demented people, and it has been going on for a long time. They come into the country, they sneak in.

CENTCOM announced that four of the six crew members aboard the KC-135 tanker that went down over Western Iraq Thursday have died.

Four American service members were confirmed dead after a U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday while participating in operations connected to the war with Iran, according to the U.S. military.

U.S. Central Command announced early Friday in a post on X that the KC-135 aircraft went down at around 2 p.m. Eastern Time in western Iraq. Officials confirmed that four crew members were killed in the crash. The command did not specify the condition of the remaining two crew members, noting only that “rescue efforts continue.”

“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” CENTCOM said.

Earlier updates from the military indicated that two aircraft had been involved in the incident, with the second plane managing to land safely.

In keeping with standard military procedure, the names of those who died have not yet been released. Officials said their identities will be made public only after their families have been notified and at least 24 hours have passed.

The crash raises the number of U.S. service members killed since the conflict began on Feb. 28 to ten. That was the date when American forces joined Israel in striking Iranian military targets and leadership figures. In addition, one more service member died during the same period from a medical condition.

In a separate incident last week, Kuwaiti forces accidentally shot down three American fighter jets. None of the personnel aboard those aircraft were killed.

The KC-135 Stratotanker involved in Thursday’s crash is a long-serving aerial refueling aircraft used extensively by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for more than six decades. Each plane carries a price tag of nearly $40 million.

According to information published on the Air Force website, the KC-135 can also be configured for medical evacuation missions. While the aircraft typically operates with a crew of three, that number can increase to a standard crew of five when it is outfitted for medical transport duties.

{Matzav.com}

Cuba held recent talks with the U.S. government, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday, marking the first time that the Caribbean country confirmed such speculation as it grapples with a severe energy crisis. Díaz-Canel said in a speech that the talks “were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. […]

The IDF says the 146th Division is continuing operations in southern Lebanon as part of a forward defense posture to protect the western Galilee, striking about 400 Hezbollah targets including missile launchers, surveillance equipment, weapons storage sites, and additional infrastructure. According to the military, several Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated, including the commander of the anti-tank […]

The IDF carried out dozens of waves of strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, targeting assets of the Al-Quard Al-Hassan financial network and roughly 10 weapons storage facilities, including sites used for launches toward Israeli territory earlier this week.

The IDF carried out waves of strikes on Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran, Shiraz, and Ahvaz, targeting a missile production and storage facility, air defense bases, weapons production sites, and command centers linked to the IRGC Ground Corps and Iran’s Internal Security Forces.

The IDF says that over the past day, Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out around 20 large-scale strikes across western and central Iran, hitting more than 200 targets including ballistic missile launchers, air defense systems, and weapons production sites.

Authorities announced new restrictions on access to the Kosel ahead of the upcoming Shabbos, with several key routes leading to the plaza expected to be temporarily closed beginning Friday afternoon.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation informed the public that, due to the current security situation and directives from the Home Front Command, new limitations have been imposed on entry to the Kosel plaza in Yerushalayim. The measures are intended to ensure that the number of people present does not exceed the available protected areas in case of an emergency.

Under the updated guidelines, the number of people allowed to remain in the Kosel plaza at any given time will be limited to no more than 50 individuals. Officials said the decision was made in accordance with Home Front Command safety instructions aimed at minimizing potential risks.

At the same time, Israel Police announced that on Friday the pedestrian routes leading to the Kosel plaza will be closed between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The closure is expected to affect visitors and mispallelim planning to arrive ahead of Shabbos.

{Matzav.com}