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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have agreed to allow tugboats and rescue ships to assist a Greek-flagged oil tanker that remains ablaze in the Red Sea “in consideration of humanitarian and environmental concerns,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations claimed late Wednesday. However, the Houthis did not offer specific details and are believed to have blocked an earlier attempt to salvage the vessel and continue to attack shipping across the Red Sea. Last week’s attack on the Sounion marked the most serious assault in weeks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who continue to target shipping through the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The attacks have disrupted the $1 trillion in trade that typically passes through the region, as well as halted some aid shipments to conflict-ravaged Sudan and Yemen. Iran’s U.N. mission said Wednesday that following the fire on the Sounion “and the subsequent environmental hazards,” several countries it didn’t identify reached out to the Houthis “requesting a temporary truce for the entry of tugboats and rescue ships into the incident area.” “Ansar Allah has consented to this,” the Iranian mission said, using another name for the Houthis. It offered no further details, nor did the Houthis, who have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea, detained aid workers, deployed child soldiers and cracked down on dissent since holding Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam, in comments carried by the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency, said late Wednesday that the attack showed how serious the rebels took their campaign against shipping. “After several international parties contacted us, especially the European ones, they were allowed to tow the burning oil ship Sounion,” Abdul-Salam said, without giving further details. The Pentagon said Tuesday that attempts by an unidentified “third party” to send two tugboats to the stricken Sounion were blocked by the Houthis. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that the Houthis’ actions demonstrate “their blatant disregard for not only human life, but also for the potential environmental catastrophe that this presents.” Ryder said the Sounion appears to be leaking oil into the Red Sea, home to coral reefs and other natural habitats and wildlife. However, the European Union’s Operation Aspides, whose mission is to protect shipping in the area, said as recently as Wednesday the ship was not leaking oil. The Houthis in their campaign have seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. In the case of the Sounion, the Houthis have claimed the Greek company operating the vessel had other ships serving Israel. The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational organization overseen by the U.S. Navy, assessed that the Sounion “has no direct association with Israel, U.S. or U.K. within the company business structure” though other ships had “visited Israel in the recent past.” (AP)

[COMMUNICATED]https://youtu.be/oL5jPutnRWs?si=OX471iZhYz8YO1lS 

Atica, known for its non-iron luxury dress shirts, has opened a new showroom in Lakewood, expanding its offerings to include high-end canvassed suits, coats, ties, shoes, and accessories. To celebrate, the store is offering a 20% discount on all items during its grand opening from August 25th to September 3rd.

Atica began as an online retailer before opening its first physical store in Crown Heights, where it quickly became a favorite for its quality, durability, and affordability. The new 4,000 square foot showroom in Lakewood, located at Brewers Bridge Plaza, features state-of-the-art design and offers a top-tier made-to-measure service.

“We’re proud to bring a new level of luxury shopping to Lakewood,” said store manager Yosef Kassover. “We offer an elevated selection of luxury products, which will look and feel great for a long time.”

Shoppers can visit in-store or use the code GRAND20 at aticaman.com to enjoy the discount.

Visit Atica at: 2080 County Line Rd, Jackson, NJ (Adjacent to Borsalino)

Phone: (814) 962-6354

According to the Jewish Chronicle, only about 20 of the 108 hostages thought to be in Gaza are alive, with Hamas controlling these remaining captives. These hostages are reportedly being used as a human shield for Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, who is hiding underground.

Intelligence sources informed the Jewish Chronicle that Israel has identified Sinwar’s tunnels on several occasions and could have targeted him, but these operations were halted due to the risk posed to the hostages.

The rest of the hostages, whether alive or deceased, are believed to be held by smaller terror factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Mujahideen Brigades, the al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. These groups have allegedly severed ties with Sinwar and are defying his directives.

Security sources quoted by the Jewish Chronicle indicate that these smaller factions have been plotting a takeover for months, primarily due to disputes with Sinwar regarding which Palestinian prisoners should be released in a hostage exchange. Sinwar focuses on Hamas prisoners, while these groups want their own members prioritized. Additionally, these factions are demanding the release of all terrorists held in Israeli prisons, including 1,236 convicted murderers serving life sentences, and they reject Israel’s proposal to deport freed prisoners from Gaza and the West Bank.

These internal conflicts among the Palestinian groups have reportedly complicated efforts to negotiate a hostage deal. The situation is further muddled by Sinwar’s dependence on the hostages for his safety. Sinwar, who has been in hiding since October 7, has reportedly surrounded himself with 22 handcuffed, living hostages to shield himself from potential Israeli strikes.

Sinwar’s key demands include an end to the war, the complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, and American guarantees that Israel will not resume the war after a hostage deal is finalized. He also seeks assurances that he will not be targeted once the hostages he holds are released.

Another major sticking point in recent negotiations is control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow passage between Gaza and Egypt used for smuggling. Hamas aims to control this area to rebuild its military strength, but Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is against this, even if it jeopardizes a potential deal. Talks in Cairo have resumed, but progress has been slow. Israeli officials suspect that Sinwar may be delaying in hopes of a broader regional conflict that could divert the IDF’s focus from Gaza.

Meanwhile, Hamas is reportedly escalating terrorist activities in the West Bank to stretch the Israeli military’s resources. Zaher Jabarin, who was freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner swap, has been put in charge of activating terrorists in the area, according to intelligence sources cited by the JC. Jabarin, who is now based in Turkey, is considered Hamas’s chief financier and is believed to be channeling substantial funds from Iran to support terror operations in the West Bank.

{Matzav.com}

All are requested to continue davening for Rav Avrohom Nesanel Zucker, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah Ohr Yisroel of Marine Park, Brooklyn, who is in critical need of rachamei Shomayim.

Rav Zucker’s family related that they are deeply grateful for the countless heartfelt tefillos and zechusim being generated for his recovery. Unfortunately, his medical condition remains critical and he is still in a coma.

Rav Zucker sustained a severe head injury on Sunday and underwent a lengthy surgery.

Please daven for Refoel Avrohom Nesanel ben Masha Liba b’soch sha’ar cholei Yisroel.

{Matzav.com}

Two men from Europe are charged in a plot to call in bogus reports of police emergencies to harass and threaten members of Congress, senior U.S. government officials and dozens of other people, according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday. Thomasz Szabo, 26, of Romania, and Nemanja Radovanovic, 21, of Serbia, targeted at least 100 people with “swatting” calls to instigate an aggressive response by police officers at the victims’ homes, the federal indictment alleges. The calls also included threats to carry out mass shootings at New York City synagogues and to set off explosives at the U.S. Capitol and a university, the indictment said. A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., handed up the indictment last Thursday. Online court records in Washington didn’t say if Szabo or Radovanovic have been arrested or if they are represented by attorneys. A court filing accompanying their indictment said investigators believed they were in separate foreign countries last week. A spokesperson for Graves’ office declined to elaborate. Szabo and Radovanovic are both charged with conspiracy and more than two dozen counts of making threats. The plot spanned more than three years, from December 2020 through January 2024, according to prosecutors. “Swatting is not a victimless prank — it endangers real people, wastes precious police resources, and inflicts significant emotional trauma,” Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement. Szabo organized and moderated chat groups to coordinate swatting attacks against 40 private citizens and 61 officials, including cabinet-level members of the federal government’s executive branch, the head of a federal law enforcement agency, a federal judge, current and former governors and other state officials, the indictment said. In December 2023 and January 2024, Radovanovic allegedly called government agencies to falsely report killings and imminent suicides or kidnappings at the homes of U.S. senators, House members and elected state officials, according to the indictment. One of the calls led to a car crash involving injuries, the indictment alleges. (AP)

ABC News has opted not to comply with Vice President Kamala Harris’ request for fully unmuted microphones during her upcoming debate with former President Donald Trump on September 10, the New York Post reports. This decision follows several days of back-and-forth negotiations, with Republicans accusing Democrats of attempting to set a trap for the GOP candidate.

An internal email from the network outlines the debate rules, which are similar to those used in Trump’s June 27 CNN debate against President Biden. These rules include no audience presence, no pre-prepared notes or props, and muting the microphones when a candidate is not speaking.

During the debate, set to take place at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, Trump and Harris will be allowed only a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water on stage.

The Trump campaign had pushed for the debate to adhere to the same guidelines as the June debate with Biden.

On Monday, however, Harris’ team expressed a desire for both candidates’ microphones to remain on for the entire 90-minute event.

A source from the Trump campaign told The Post on Wednesday that they believed the Harris campaign had abandoned the request, although the exact sequence of events was not entirely clear.

“The Harris folks are completely full of it,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told Newsmax on Wednesday.

“Everything was agreed to and set last week,” he continued. “The Harris people are trying to distract and come up with something shiny to move away from the fact that she’s not doing interviews.”

It was widely speculated that Harris wanted the microphones unmuted to potentially deliver a sharp, attention-grabbing remark that could go viral.

{Matzav.com}

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been granted another opportunity to try a defamation case against The New York Times. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday gave Palin a second chance to prove the Times was liable for incorrectly connecting her, in a 2017 editorial, to the mass shooting that seriously injured Democratic Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others.

Palin’s original case was dismissed for not proving malice. However, Reuters reported that Circuit Judge John Walker, who was appointed the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 and is a first cousin to former President George H.W. Bush, said the original verdict excluded evidence that illustrated “actual malice.”

Walker wrote that jurors exposed to media coverage also tainted the verdict. “The jury is sacrosanct in our legal system, and we have a duty to protect its constitutional role, both by ensuring that the jury’s role is not usurped by judges and by making certain that juries are provided with relevant proffered evidence and properly instructed on the law,” Walker wrote. If ultimately ruled in her favor, Palin’s case could overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, which set a high bar for public figures to prove defamation. Read more. 

It was back in 1965 when the great Rabbi of Tosh ZT”L founded the town and Yeshiva of Tosh outside of the city of Montreal, Canada. The Rebbe, a descended of the dynasty of Tosh, dreamed of establishing a place dedicated to pure Torah and Chasiddus, and that is what he did. It would be be beyond this short article to describe all the mesiras nefesh the Rabbi had for his town and Yeshiva, but there is one small point that I would like to address here and that is the Rebbe’s mesiras nefesh for the  precious children with the establishment of THE TALMUD TORAH – BAIS YIDA  From the outset the Rebbe dedicated himself to building the Talmud Torah. They started with less than 15 students who were divided in 2 groups, those under the age of ten formed one group and all the older students learned in the second group.  In the beginning the Talmud Torah was stationed in the main Yeshiva building , but as it steadily grew the Talmud Torah was moved into few trailers on the grass to accommodate the need of a Cheder.  The Melamdim recall the challenges of teaching at that time. Since there was such a range in the ages of the boys it was difficult to address each student’s individual needs. While one boy needed to learn Alef Beis and kriah, another boy needed help with Chumash, and yet another boy needed to be taught Gemara, and so on.The Rabbi was fully involved in the Cheder and in setting up the standards for the Cheder. The rabbi would regularly observe the Cheder from the main window and so he would know everything going on there. It is no wonder that former students recall how the Rabbi treated each of them with so much love. The Rebbe would make each of them feel valued as if he was the Rabbi’s own child.One time the Rebbe learned that one teacher had in his classroom more students than the limit allowed. The Rabbi didn’t hesitate, he walked into the class and pulled out a few students to a separate room and started teaching them himself. There were guests who had just arrived at the Rabbi’s house but they could not find him. A search was started until they discovered that the Rebbe was in cheder teaching a class of students. Today Baruch Hashem, the holy town of Tosh has gained renown and has flourished with a community of over 500 families. The Talmud Torah is now attended by close to 700 students with grades divided by ages and with 2 classes per grade.  As the community grew there became a need for a separate building for the Cheder. On Purim Katan 1980 the Rabbi put down the Even Hapinah and the foundations of the building. The Rabbi spoke fiery words declaring that by supporting the Talmud Torah we are bringing us closer to MoshiachThe construction took many years until it was finally completed. There are countless stories of miracles and Yeshuos Yidden were having by giving the rabbi their donations for the cheder. We will just quote one story from the Menahel R’ Moshe Mayrovits who went around to solicit funds for the building. Once he found a Yingerman who was already few years after his wedding […]

Rav Gershon Ribner, rosh kollel of Kollel Nesivos Hatorah and son-in-law of Rav Shneur Kotler, has succeeded in applying classical Talmudical analysis and methodology to understanding all areas of Yiddishkeit, bringing out its profundity and sense.

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Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York has blasted three major U.S. airlines—American, Delta, and United—for their continued suspension of flights to Israel, arguing that the decision is tantamount to an “effective boycott” of the country. In a letter addressed to the CEOs of the airlines and obtained by YWN, Torres expressed concern that the ongoing suspension has made air travel to Israel increasingly difficult and expensive. “The lack of competition has made air travel to Israel less available and less affordable, putting customers at the mercy of a de facto monopoly that can easily gouge prices with impunity,” Torres wrote to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, and United CEO Scott Kirby. The airlines initially halted their flights to Israel following the Hamas attack on October 7, which ignited the current conflict in Gaza. While Delta announced an extension of its suspension through October 31, American Airlines has extended its halt until March 29, 2025. United Airlines has suspended flights indefinitely. Torres pointed out that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not imposed a travel ban on Israel since the October 7 attacks, contrasting this with a 36-hour ban imposed in 2014 during a previous conflict. He argued that the airlines’ unilateral decision to suspend flights for an extended period is effectively a boycott. “It is one thing to temporarily suspend air travel to Israel on security grounds as defined by the FAA. But to unilaterally suspend air travel indefinitely until mid-2025, as American Airlines has done, has the practical effect of a boycott,” Torres stated. The congressman further criticized the suspension, noting that Israeli airline El Al continues to operate direct flights from the U.S. to Israel without issue. He also pointed out that several airlines from the United Arab Emirates, including Etihad, FlyDubai, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, continue to fly to Israel safely. “By what logic and in what universe is it safe for El Al to travel to Israel but too dangerous for American Airlines, Delta, and United to do so?” Torres questioned. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The U.S. economy grew last quarter at a healthy 3% annual pace, fueled by strong consumer spending and business investment, the government said Thursday in an upgrade of its initial assessment. The Commerce Department had previously estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — expanded at a 2.8% rate from April through June. The second-quarter growth marked a sharp acceleration from a sluggish 1.4% growth rate in the first three months of 2024. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, rose at a 2.9% annual rate last quarter. That was up from 2.3% in the government’s initial estimate. Business investment expanded at a 7.5% rate, led by a 10.8% jump in investment in equipment. Thursday’s report reflected an economy that remains resilient despite the pressure of continued high interest rates. The state of the economy is weighing heavily on voters ahead of the November presidential election. Many Americans remain exasperated by high prices even though inflation has plummeted since peaking at a four-decade high in mid-2022. But measures of consumers’ spirits by the Conference Board and the University of Michigan have shown a recent uptick in confidence in the economy. “The GDP revisions show the U.S. economy was in good shape in mid-2024,’’ said Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. “Solid growth of consumer spending propelled the economy forward in the second quarter, and the increase of consumer confidence in July suggests it will propel growth in the second half of the year as well.’’ The latest GDP estimate for the April-June quarter included figures that showed that inflation continues to ease while remaining just above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The central bank’s favored inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — rose at a 2.5% annual rate last quarter, down from 3.4% in the first quarter of the year. And excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation grew at a 2.7% pace, down from 3.2% from January through March. Both the PCE inflation numbers issued Thursday marked a slight improvement on the government’s first estimate. A GDP category that measures the economy’s underlying strength rose at a healthy 2.9% annual rate, up from 2.6% in the first quarter. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items such as exports, inventories and government spending. To fight spiking prices, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, lifting it to a 23-year high and helping shrink annual inflation from a peak of 9.1% to 2.9% as of last month. The much higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses that resulted had been widely expected to cause a recession. Yet the economy has kept growing and employers have kept hiring. Now, with inflation hovering only slightly above the Fed’s 2% target level and likely slowing further, Chair Jerome Powell has essentially declared victory over inflation. As a result, the Fed is poised to start cutting its benchmark interest rate when it next meets in mid-September. A sustained period of lower Fed rates would be intended to achieve a “soft landing,” whereby the central bank manages to curb inflation, maintain a healthy job market and avoid triggering a recession. Lower rates for auto loans, […]

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday that the major flare-up with Hezbollah earlier this week wasn’t “the end of the story.”

During a tour of the country’s northern border, Netanyahu said, “[On Sunday], we foiled a surprise attack by Hezbollah against the State of Israel. We destroyed thousands of intermediate-range rockets that were aimed at the Galilee and the Golan Heights. We thwarted all of the drones that were directed against the State of Israel, at the Galilee and the center of the country, and they were destroyed.”

On the contrary,” he continued. When he had said following the strike that it “is not the end of the story,” he added, “I spoke the simple truth.”

The story will only end “when we are able to restore security and the residents safely to their homes,” he said. “This is neither mere words nor a slogan—this is a national goal of the highest order. We are committed to achieving it and we will achieve it, with your help and with God’s,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu toured the northern border with Lebanon, Aug. 28, 2024. Photo by Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO.

Early on Sunday morning, approximately 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in Southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah subsequently fired more than 200 projectiles into Israel. Out of the 230 rockets and 20 UAVs that crossed into Israeli territory, 90% “were from the heart of civilian areas,” according to the military. Nearly all of the launchers were positioned near mosques, schools, gas stations and U.N. sites.

During Wednesday’s tour, Netanyahu also visited the Israel Defense Forces Northern Command headquarters, where he received an operational briefing from Northern Command head Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin.

The prime minister then visited a kibbutz in the Upper Galilee, where he spoke with Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion and representatives from the community’s civilian defense squad.

In parallel, Israel confirmed on Wednesday that it had killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist in an airstrike near the Syria-Lebanon border.

The IDF described Faris Qasim as a “significant terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization’s Operations Division,” who was responsible for developing the terror group’s operational plans in Syria and Lebanon.

Additional Islamic Jihad terrorists traveling from Syria to Lebanon to carry out terrorist activities for Hezbollah were killed in the strike, according to the IDF.

Israel has for years targeted Tehran’s terror proxies in Syria and combated Iranian entrenchment there, including weapons shipments and military infrastructure.

Islamic Jihad has dispatched its Syrian-based terrorists to Lebanon to join Hezbollah, which has been waging war against Israel since Oct. 8, a day after the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in the northwestern Negev. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli forces killed five Palestinian terrorists who hid in a mosque following exchanges of fire during counterterrorism activities in Tulkarem in northern Samaria overnight Wednesday.

Muhhamad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, the head of the Nur Shams terrorist network, was among those killed, according to a joint statement from Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency and Israel Border Police.

The local terror leader participated in many terror attacks, according to the statement, including the shooting in Qalqilya in June that killed Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar.

Jabber was also involved in planning additional terror attacks, the IDF said.

Members of the Israeli Border Police’s elite Yamam counterterrorism unit engaged the terrorists based on ISA intelligence.

A Yamam officer was lightly wounded during the clashes and was evacuated to a hospital for further medical treatment.

In addition, a terrorist operative was apprehended by security forces during the operation. Arab media identified the arrested individual as Mohammed Qassas, a member of Islamic Jihad’s Tulkarem wing.

According to Palestinian reports, the suspect was arrested by undercover Israeli forces on the outskirts of Tulkarem. Military reinforcements later arrived at the scene.

Israel launched the large-scale operation in the Jenin and Tulkarem areas overnight Tuesday, involving hundreds of troops and air support. Troops were also active in the Far’a camp in Tubas.

According to Channel 12, the goal of the operation is to hit as much terrorist infrastructure as possible in northern Samaria and the Jordan Valley, with an emphasis on neutralizing explosives and locating terror operatives.

“The security system feared the presence of additional explosives in the area, similar to the bomb that exploded in Tel Aviv last week,” Channel 12 reported.

“It is estimated that additional explosives were indeed smuggled into the refugee camps. According to estimates, this is an infrastructure that … includes, among other things, explosives laboratories and a complete chain for transporting explosives to the engineers in those laboratories. The mission is to locate these labs and destroy them, but the operation may take some time.”

Danon to Guterres: ‘We will not wait for … exploding buses’

Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon on Thursday morning responded to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a halt to IDF activity in Judea and Samaria.

“Since Oct. 7, Iran has been working vigorously to introduce into Judea and Samaria sophisticated explosive devices that are intended to detonate in the centers of Israeli cities,” Danon tweeted.

“The State of Israel cannot sit idly by and wait for the spectacle of buses and cafes exploding in city centers. The activity of the IDF forces in Judea and Samaria is intended for the clear purpose of thwarting terrorist attacks and acts before they are carried out under Iranian direction.”

Hours earlier, Guterres had tweeted:

“Latest developments in the occupied West Bank, including Israel’s launch of large-scale military operations, are deeply concerning. I strongly condemn the loss of lives, including of children, and I call for an immediate cessation of these operations.” JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli security forces launched an extensive counterterrorism operation in northern Shomron and Jordan on Tuesday, with forces on a scale not seen since Operation Protective Shield in 2002.  As of Thursday morning, at least 17 terrorists have been eliminated by Israeli security forces, including the chief of the Tulkarm branch of the Islamic Jihad. Ynet military commentator Yosi Yehoshua wrote on Thursday morning: “Two comments about the operation: 1. If the border with Jordan is not closed, explosives will continue to flow to Jenin, Tulkarm and the other terror hubs. We need to close the ‘East Philadelphi Corridor’ and not just chase the terror in Jenin.” Channel 14 military commentator Hallel Biton Rosen wrote: “This is a long-term operation and has no deadline. It will continue until all the goals are achieved. 2. Reminder: such an operation in Israel could not have been carried out before the war because the security establishment and government were afraid of rocket fire from Gaza.” On Wednesday, Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh wrote: “New details from the IDF’s broad operation in the refugee camps in northern Shomron and the Jordan Valley: 1. The security establishment admits this morning: The targeted divisional operations have not brought the desired results so far. Terrorist threats in Israel only increased, and we realized that something had to be done to change the reality. We don’t want Israel to become an arena that prevents us from fighting in Gaza or Lebanon. 2. ⁠ The threat of bombings in central Israel: this is the main reason for launching the operation. The attempted bomb attack in the heart of Tel Aviv last week contributed to the decision to launch the operation at this time, even though it was an operation that had been prepared for even earlier. This is an important message from the IDF which is also one of the important lessons of October 7: don’t wait for a deadly attack with dire results – but examine what’s happening according to the terrorists’ intentions and not their results. The event in Tel Aviv, in this respect, was a significant catalyst for the decision to launch the operation. Tulkarm is the most disturbing in terms of the volume of explosives – just yesterday the Palestinians reported three bombs that exploded a few hundred meters from Bat Hefer. 3. ⁠ In preparing for the operation, some lessons were learned from the last broad operation – Operation Bayit Vegan in Jenin in July 2023. Immediately upon the launch of the operation, the first target of the Israeli forces was a complete encirclement of the four central hospitals in the area – two in Jenin and two in Tulkarm. From the beginning of the operation, the hospitals were sealed to prevent terrorists from escaping to them as they did during Bayit Vegan. Patients and ambulances are allowed to enter the hospitals only after being inspected by our forces. 4. ⁠ Unlike the Gaza Strip, the IDF does not intend to proactively evacuate the population from the areas where the operation is underway. In Yehudah and Shomron they behave differently with the civilian population – there are not expected to be any announcements or evacuation leaflets here. And yet, if there are Palestinian residents who are interested in evacuating – they will be permitted to […]

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will sit down Thursday for their first major television interview of their presidential campaign as the duo travels in southeast Georgia on a bus tour. The interview with CNN’s Dana Bash will give Harris a chance to quell criticism that she has eschewed uncontrolled environments, while also giving her a fresh platform to define her campaign and test her political mettle ahead of an upcoming debate with former President Donald Trump set for Sept. 10. But it also carries risk as her team tries to build on momentum from the ticket shakeup following Joe Biden’s exit and last week’s Democratic National Convention. Joint interviews during an election year are a fixture in politics; Biden and Harris, Trump and Mike Pence, Barack Obama and Biden — all did them at a similar point in the race. The difference is those other candidates had all done solo interviews, too. Harris hasn’t yet done an in-depth interview since she became her party’s standard bearer five weeks ago, though she did sit for several while she was still Biden’s running mate. Harris and Walz are still introducing themselves to voters, unlike Trump and Biden of whom people had near-universal awareness and opinion. The CNN interview is set to air at 9 p.m. EDT. It is scheduled to be taped at 1:45 p.m. EDT during her two-day bus tour through southeast Georgia that culminates with an evening rally in Savannah. Harris campaign officials believe that in order to win the state over Trump in November, she must make inroads in GOP strongholds across the state. Harris, during her time as vice president, has done on-camera and print interviews with The Associated Press and many other outlets, a much more frequent pace than the president — except for Biden’s late-stage media blitz following his disastrous debate performance that touched off the end of his campaign. Harris’ lack of media access over the past month has become one of Republicans’ key attack lines. The Trump campaign has kept a tally of the days she has gone by as a candidate without giving an interview. On Wednesday, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former press secretary, suggested Harris needed a “babysitter” and that was why Walz would be there. “They know Kamala Harris can’t get through an interview all by herself. There is not a lot of confidence in somebody to become the leader of the free world and ask people to make her president of the United States when she can’t even sit down (for) an interview,” she said on “Fox & Friends.” Trump, meanwhile, has largely steered toward conservative media outlets when granting interviews, though he has held more open press conferences in recent weeks as he sought to reclaim the spotlight that Harris’ elevation had claimed. After the CNN interview, Walz will peel off and Harris will continue the bus tour alone, heading to a rally before going back to Washington. On Wednesday, they sent time with a high school marching band to the delight of students, and stopped by a Savannah barbecue restaurant. Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler said bus tours offer an “opportunity to get to places we don’t usually go (and) make sure we’re competing in all communities.” The […]

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Machon Smicha’s next semester begins on September 4th ( Rosh Chodesh Elul)

To learn more, or to apply, visit onlinemachon.com.

What is it that unifies thousands of bachurim in over 20 Mesivta camps?  What is it that gives so many boys a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, teaching them to maximize their time and increase their Torah knowledge in such a delightful way?  It is none other than the Daf HaYomi B’Halachah L’Bachurim program. Each summer since 2014, the program aims to cover a section of halachah that come up regularly throughout a bachur’s life, yet he may not otherwise take the time to learn. This year, the program focused on Hilchos Kiddush. The Dirshu team makes the limud easier to understand and apply to daily life by printing a sefer so beautifully divided into daily sections with a summary.  Dirshu also arranges for most camps to have a maggid shiur teaching the halachos each day, giving the bachurim the opportunity to learn it properly from an adam chashuv.   For most bachurim, the limud is an investment of no more than 25-30 minutes daily.  However, the ramifications are immense. Against the backdrop of the scenic mountains, the bachurim acquire new yedios hatorah. They learn how they can accomplish something big by simply putting in just a bit of time each day. They feel good about themselves, and this propels them to even greater heights. Many voluntarily invest extra time to chazer and take a test. Last week, the bachurim at some participating camps had the zchus to receive a personal visit from Rav Hofstetder. In his derashah to the bachurim, Rav Hofstetder told them how impressed he was with their enthusiasm for extra learning, and their derech eretz. He also shared that growing up as a young boy many years ago, the landscape was far different. Frum camps were few and far between, and the level of learning was generally nothing like in the numerous learning camps we have today. “Without doubt, Hashem derives tremendous nachas from you precious bachurim.” This beautiful Bachurim’s Daf HaYomi B’Halachah summer program is a microcosm of the many yearlong Dirshu programs. Rav Dovid explains, “The overarching goal of Dirshu is based on one common denominator, and that is to help each person maximize his potential. Hashem gifts each human with so much ability, unique brain power, time, and resources. Our goal is to encourage each one of us to use these presents from Hashem for His service, in the very best way possible. We understand it is a challenge, so we offer incentives. However, if you ask any veteran Dirshu member, he will readily tell you that the incentives are not the drive. The true drive is the huge sipuk, the sense of accomplishment, that one feels about himself; about his yedias and havanas haTorah previously thought unattainable. There is also accountability through graded bechinos, which help each participant know where he is holding.  The huge hatzlachah of this year’s program surpassed that of previous years, and will b’ezras Hashem be surpassed next year, when even more camps sign on. 

Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), the Republican vice presidential candidate, responded sharply to Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, telling her she “can go to h—” if she intended to criticize former President Donald Trump for attending a ceremony commemorating the 13 servicemembers who perished during the Afghanistan withdrawal.

This remark followed reports of a confrontation between the Trump campaign and a cemetery official at Arlington National Cemetery, who attempted to prevent them from taking photos and videos in Section 60, the area designated for military personnel who died in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In a CNN interview, Harris’s spokesperson, Michael Tyler, described the incident as “pretty sad” and “not surprising.”

At a campaign event in Erie, Pa., Vance expressed his frustration over the incident when asked for his opinion. He retorted that if the Democratic presidential nominee wished to use the event to attack Trump, she “can go to hell.”

Vance then criticized Harris for her failure to hold anyone accountable for the withdrawal operation that occurred during her tenure.

“What veterans are really concerned about is that three years ago, 13 courageous American lives were lost. These lives were lost because Kamala Harris failed to do her job, and there has not been a single investigation or firing since then,” Vance said.

“Kamala Harris is disgraceful. If we want to discuss the story of those 13 brave Americans who lost their lives, it’s that Kamala Harris is so negligent that she won’t even initiate an investigation into the circumstances. And now she wants to criticize Donald Trump for attending?”

He repeated his assertion that Harris “can go to h—.”

Vance also argued that the media had blown the incident out of proportion.

“The altercation at Arlington cemetery is the media fabricating a story where I don’t think one truly exists,” Vance stated, adding that the Gold Star families had wanted Trump to attend and that the incident should not be considered an “insult” to the fallen servicemembers.

According to Vance, a disagreement with an Arlington National Cemetery staff member was misrepresented by the media as a “national news story.”

NPR reported on Tuesday that two Trump campaign staffers had “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing during Trump’s wreath-laying ceremony.

An Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson told The Post that there had been an “incident,” a “report has been filed,” and that “federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, including photographers, content creators, or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”

The Trump team has claimed that the staff member who confronted them about photography was “suffering from a mental health episode” and that there was “no physical altercation as described,” according to communications director Steven Cheung.

A Gold Star family member present at the cemetery with Trump supported the campaign’s account of the events and accused the cemetery staff of “lying.”

“We are the ones who invited Trump. He didn’t invite himself,” Darin Hoover, father of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, told The Post in a phone interview on Wednesday.

“We invited him because we knew he was on our side, he supports us. He cares about us.

“During my time there, I didn’t see any physical altercation or anything of the sort. And frankly, the Arlington staff is lying. It’s just, it’s a flat-out lie,” Hoover asserted.

Hoover further explained that they wanted the photos to document “what President Trump had said and done and … that moment where he’s paying his respects to our children.”

The Gold Star family member also contrasted Trump’s support with the current administration’s approach, describing it as “a far cry more than what the current administration has done” — which he criticized as “absolutely nothing.”

“The current administration wants to sweep it under the rug and ensure it stays buried,” Hoover added.

At the Erie rally, attendees remarked on Vance’s military background and Marine veteran status as beneficial for the Republican ticket.

Gene Seip, 69, a business owner from Erie, noted that Vance was attracting “military people” among his supporters.

Chris Knight, 68, head cook at a school in Corry, Pa., brought a hard copy of Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” and expressed her admiration for the senator, not just Trump.

Vance is “adding to the veterans,” she said, emphasizing the importance of keeping military personnel at home unless absolutely necessary.

{Matzav.com}

Senior Hamas official Khaled Mashal, once considered a leading contender to replace the assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, has called for a resumption of suicide bombings in the West Bank and urged Palestinians and their supporters to engage in “actual resistance” against Israel. His remarks, reported by Arabic media, were made during a conference in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Sky News Arabia, Mashal expressed the desire of the Hamas terror group to “return to [suicide] operations.” He framed the ongoing conflict with Israel, including the war in Gaza and frequent IDF raids in the West Bank, as a situation that necessitates open conflict. “They are fighting us with open conflict, and we are confronting them with open conflict,” Mashal said. Mashal’s comments also referenced the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, an event for which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. “The enemy has opened the conflict on all fronts, seeking us all, whether we fight or not,” he said. “I repeat my call to everyone to participate on multiple fronts in the actual resistance against the Zionist entity,” he added. Mashal’s statements come amid a period of heightened tension and violence. Earlier in August, Hamas claimed responsibility for an explosion in Tel Aviv, which it described as a suicide bombing carried out in collaboration with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The August 18 attack injured one person moderately and killed the bomber instantly when the bomb detonated prematurely inside his backpack. While suicide bombings in Israel have been rare since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, Israeli security forces have recently identified attempts by Hamas and other terror groups in the West Bank to revive such tactics. In March of this year, a would-be suicide bomber was killed while attempting to infiltrate Israel from the West Bank, and other planned attacks have been foiled in their early stages. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Khaled Mashal, who leads Hamas abroad, is urging Arabs in Judea and Samaria to resume suicide bombings.

“The residents of the West Bank must return to self-sacrifice for Allah, starting within their own cities. It is essential to open all fronts against the occupation,” he declared.

During a speech in Istanbul on Wednesday, Mashal stressed that “everyone must take concrete action in response to the events in the Gaza Strip, to be part of al-Aqsa Flood (the October 7th attack), and the (Arab and Islamic nation) must return to the correct path by taking responsibility (for Gaza).”

“The Hamas movement is participating in al-Aqsa Flood,” Mashal said. “People continue to witness the resistance’s (Hamas’) new strategies, and the resistance has set an unprecedented example in history by manufacturing its own weapons, recruiting additional fighters during the battle, and positioning them in the conflict zones.”

He also stated that “Hamas assumes responsibility for the Palestinian people, striving to halt the aggression against Gaza and provide emergency aid to its residents. We are working to end the Zionist crimes and are engaged in political and diplomatic efforts to stop the aggression against Gaza.”

Mashal underlined that the Hamas leadership abroad “has confidence in leader Yahya Sinwar, whom the Zionist intelligence is actively pursuing to harm and kill.”

{Matzav.com Israel}