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In a sharp escalation of rhetoric following the U.S. military action that targeted Venezuelan state infrastructure, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez accused Israel of playing a role in the operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Celia Flores.

Speaking during an address in which she convened the National Defense Council, Rodríguez charged that the strike bore ideological fingerprints she described as foreign and hostile. “The governments of the world are shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim and target of an attack of this nature, which undoubtedly has Zionist undertones,” she said. “It’s truly shameful.”

Rodríguez rejected statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that she had been sworn in as Venezuela’s president or had expressed readiness to cooperate with Washington. She insisted that Maduro remains the nation’s sole legitimate leader and said security forces had already secured key government installations.

She also demanded the immediate release of both Maduro and Flores, arguing that their detention was carried out under false pretenses as part of a broader effort to impose regime change and gain control over Venezuela’s natural resources.

The vice president’s comments have raised concerns among members of Venezuela’s small Jewish community, both inside the country and among Venezuelans living abroad, amid fears that such rhetoric could inflame tensions or invite reprisals.

The latest accusations echo earlier remarks by Maduro himself during a period of heightened friction between Caracas and Washington late last year. At a November 15 Bolivarian Integral Base Committee event, he blamed Zionists for seeking Venezuela’s destruction. “There are those who want to hand this country over to the devils – you know who, right? The far Right Zionists want to hand this country over to the devils,” Maduro said. “Who will prevail? The people of [King] David, the people of God, the people of [Simón] Bolívar, or the imperialist demons?”

During that same period, Maduro repeatedly stressed that Venezuela is a Christian nation, questioning why the United States would seek to harm Christians as U.S. forces increased their presence in the Caribbean and carried out strikes on vessels accused of drug trafficking.

{Matzav.com}

Anti-Israel protest groups and far-left activist organizations that have dominated street demonstrations since the October 7 Hamas massacre have erupted in fury over the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, rapidly folding the episode into their broader anti-Israel, anti-U.S. protest ecosystem. Groups including Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice in Palestine, […]

During the two years he was held captive in Gaza, Segev Kalfon had a recurring dream: slowly walking through a supermarket, browsing each aisle for his favorite foods, taking in the brightly colored packages and smells. Since being released on Oct. 13, his dreams have flipped: Most nights when he closes his eyes, he is […]

Rudy Giuliani said the federal case against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro could result in sweeping financial consequences, including the confiscation of enormous sums of money and property tied to criminal activity.

In an interview on Newsmax’s “Saturday Report,” the former New York City mayor and longtime federal prosecutor said the use of racketeering statutes is central to the government’s strategy. “The real value of a racketeering charge is that you can seize the business and take it away from them,” Giuliani said.

According to Giuliani, a conviction would allow U.S. authorities to target not only individuals but entire criminal enterprises, including drug routes, infrastructure, and cash flows both inside Venezuela and abroad. “So, assuming a conviction on some, if not all of the charges, we would stand to seize billions and billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains, which then could be used for our benefit, for the benefit of the people of Venezuela, and to destroy this animal.”

He said the scope of potential punishment is still unclear at this stage, but emphasized the severity of the charges. Alongside racketeering counts, Maduro faces terrorism-related allegations that could carry the most serious penalties available under federal law, including life imprisonment or even capital punishment.

Giuliani noted that prosecutors are now adjusting their approach following Maduro’s detention by U.S. authorities. “The criminal penalties are significant,” he said, adding that the government’s legal teams will sharpen their focus as the case moves closer to trial. “I suspect it will now be refined for trial and focus in on the defendants that are going to be the focus of the trial.”

He also argued that Maduro’s alleged criminal network has had far-reaching consequences well beyond Venezuela. “He’s been enormously damaging to the United States. Drugs, massive numbers, Tren de Aragua, helping Iran constantly, and giving aid and assistance to China and Russia,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani sharply criticized the administration of Joe Biden, saying it failed to confront the expansion of Maduro’s alleged criminal operations and allowed them to grow unchecked.

By contrast, Giuliani said the current administration marks a dramatic shift. With President Donald Trump back in the White House, he said the moment represents a turning point. “So, this is an unbelievably great day for the people of Venezuela and for the people of America.”

Trump announced overnight that U.S. special operations forces had carried out a surprise operation to extract Maduro from his compound in Venezuela, also detaining his wife during the mission.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said the operation should serve as a warning to other criminally active leaders around the world, signaling that Trump’s administration intends to upend the status quo.

{Matzav.com}

Israel quietly pressed Qatar to expand financial support to Gaza just weeks before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre, according to a new report that adds a new layer to questions about the policies that preceded the deadliest attack in the country’s history. Yediot Acharonot reported Friday that in September 2023, senior Israeli officials met […]

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Sunday, its neighbors said, just hours before South Korea’s president left for China for talks expected to cover North Korea’s nuclear program. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s capital region around 7:50 a.m. It said […]

A 7-year-old boy was rescued after entering a 14-meter pit in the community of Achiya in the Shiloh Hills. Firefighters and a special rescue unit used a rope system to reach him and lift him out.

Sec. Rubio: “The most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interests of the United States… We are not going to be able to allow in our hemisphere a country that becomes a crossroads for the activities of all of our adversaries around the world.”

Footage shows a Palestinian suspect lifting a small girl over the separation barrier near Jerusalem, tying her to a rope, and lowering her down to the other side. Border Police officers from the Jerusalem unit arrested the suspect, a 29-year-old man from the village of A-Ram.

Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Meir Ber, has been appointed to serve as the rov of the Raananim Shul in Yerushalayim. He will be filling the position previously held by Rav Avigdor Berstein zt”l, who passed away during Chanukah.

It has emerged that in recent weeks, the Ahavas Chaim kehillah—comprised primarily of young families from the neighborhood—officially joined the Raananim Shul. The unification was orchestrated by Rav Berstein in the final period of his life.

With Rav Bar now assuming the role of shul rov, the move is seen as a continuation and strengthening of that vision.

The Ahavas Chaim kehillah was founded approximately four and a half years ago, during the aftermath of the COVID period, by young families from the Talbiya–Rechavia area and nearby neighborhoods. Their goal was to establish a vibrant, meaningful Torah community in the heart of Yerushalayim.

The community brings together families from diverse backgrounds—French- and English-speaking olim alongside native Israelis; chareidi and dati-leumi families; Ashkenazim and Sephardim—creating a warm, inclusive, and close-knit environment. Its activities focus on providing Torah and educational programming tailored specifically to young families choosing to settle once again in central Yerushalayim, with a strong emphasis on shared learning, tefillah, and communal life.

During the week, the kehillah operates an evening kollel, where members gather for regular Torah learning.

It is noteworthy that the site houses an ancient and striking aron kodesh and bimah dating back to the 18th century, brought from Italy. At the dedication of the aron kodesh in Padua, a special tefillah was composed by the Ramchal, adding a layer of historical and spiritual significance to the shul now led by the Chief Rabbi.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian security forces, claim that over the past several days, authorities have begun carrying out targeted arrests of protest leaders across the country. With some of those detained allegedly admitting to having received cash to protest.

Sec. Kristi Noem: “We have to bring [Maduro] to justice… thousands and thousands of Tren de Aragua members have come into this country… we have lost millions of American lives because of the drug trafficking that they have perpetuated on our people.”

Sec. Rubio: “There’s not a war. We are at war against drug trafficking organizations — not a war against Venezuela.”

Sec. Kristi Noem: “Americans are extremely grateful, and Venezuelans are grateful for the leadership of President Trump . He took action to keep them safe. We have been building a case against Maduro for years… and to see him brought to justice is incredibly satisfying for those families that have to live without their loved […]

Somaliland voiced support for the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.

On the eighth day of unrest in Iran, protests have expanded to more than 80 cities, largely in the west, as at least 16 people have been killed by regime forces; the video shows demonstrators in Kermanshah chasing security forces and Basij members.

Saudi-backed Yemeni Homeland Shield forces launched airstrikes on STC-aligned units in Yemen’s eastern Al-Mahrah governorate, following the government forces’ entry into Mukalla, the Hadramout governorate capital, al-Rayyan airport, and other coastal areas after the withdrawal of UAE-backed forces.

The IDF says it recently destroyed a two-kilometer-long Hamas tunnel on the Israeli side of the Gaza ceasefire line in northern Gaza.

President Donald Trump said that bringing an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine has proven far more difficult than he anticipated, even as he reiterated his desire to halt the bloodshed and criticized multiple actors involved in the conflict.

Speaking at a press conference, Trump stressed that the war predates his return to office and again placed the responsibility for its outbreak on his predecessor. “And look, that’s former President Joe Biden’s war. That’s not my war,” he said. “But I want to stop the lives.”

Trump described the scale of the fighting in stark terms, citing what he said were devastating monthly casualty figures. “Did you see where last month 30,000. This last it was 27, 27,000 the month before; 30,000 mostly soldiers were killed. This last month. 30,000. I want to stop that,” he said.

He emphasized that the toll of the conflict extends beyond the battlefield and into Ukrainian cities, where civilians are also being killed. “Life is a big deal,” Trump said. “But if I can stop that war and stop 30,000 young people, in addition to the fact that people are being killed in Kyiv, people are being killed in other cities throughout, you know, a much smaller number, but they’re being killed, viciously killed.”

While acknowledging the complexity of the situation, Trump said he initially believed resolving the Russia-Ukraine war would be among the easier diplomatic challenges. “I thought the easiest one would be, one of the easier ones would be Russia, Ukraine. It’s not,” he said. “And they both have done some pretty bad things.”

Trump also addressed his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the topic of Venezuela did not come up. At the same time, he voiced sharp criticism of Putin’s conduct in the war. He said he is “not thrilled” with the Russian leader, accusing him of “killing too many people,” and described the conflict overall as a “bloodbath” that he wants to see end.

Turning to NATO, Trump highlighted his efforts to push alliance members to increase defense spending and outlined ongoing American military assistance to Ukraine. “You know, I got NATO to pay 5% instead of the 2% that they weren’t paying. They weren’t paying two. Now they pay five, and we send them a lot of munitions,” he said. “We send them a lot of things, missiles and various other things a lot. And they pay.”

Trump said his administration is actively engaged in efforts to bring the war to a close, pointing to the involvement of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and suggesting that some progress is being made. “We have Mr. Witkoff here. I think that we’re making progress,” he said. “But that’s a war that should have never happened. If I were president, it would have never happened. Putin says it. Everybody says it.”

Summing up his view of the situation he inherited, Trump said the conflict was already entrenched by the time he took office. “I inherited that war,” he said. “That was Joe Biden, [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, and Putin. I came into the situation, and it’s a mess.”

{Matzav.com}

The economy in 2025 was filled with contradictions, as growth was healthy while hiring slowed, inflation stayed elevated and unemployment rose. Last year’s odd outcomes raise a host of questions for the upcoming year: Will a growing economy eventually boost the sluggish job market? Or are last year’s weak job gains a sign of a stumbling economy that could get […]