Feed aggregator

President Trump blasted a new report claiming the FBI had hundreds of undercover agents present during the January 6, 2021 events — insisting that then-Director Christopher Wray “has some major explaining to do.”

According to a report from The Blaze, the FBI privately admitted to deploying 274 plainclothes personnel in connection with the day’s protests, despite a Justice Department Inspector General review that previously rejected such claims.

“It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“This is different from what Director Christopher Wray stated, over and over again!” he continued. “I want to know who each and every one of these so-called ‘Agents’ are, and what they were up to on that now ‘Historic’ Day.

“Christopher Wray, the then Director of the FBI, has some major explaining to do. That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray.”

It remains unclear whether all 274 agents were positioned among the mob that stormed the Capitol itself or if some were embedded in other protest groups elsewhere in Washington that day.

The Inspector General’s office, in its official report last year, stated, “we found no evidence in the materials we reviewed or the testimony we received showing or suggesting that the FBI had undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol, on January 6.”

That same report, however, did acknowledge that 26 confidential informants working with the FBI were present in the January 6 crowd. Four of them even entered the Capitol building, despite not having approval to do so.

Earlier this month, Republicans in the House voted to create a new subcommittee to further examine the events of January 6.

“With that many paid informants being in the crowd, we want to know how many were in the crowd, how many were in the building, but I also want to know, were they paid to inform or instigate?” Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who chairs the subcommittee, told “Just the News” on Sept. 23.

Wray has previously denied allegations of FBI involvement in sparking the riot, telling Congress that while informants were present, the bureau did not direct the violence.

“If you’re asking if the violence at the Capitol was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources or agents, the answer is no!” outgoing FBI director Christopher Wray testified in July of last year.

Adding to the controversy, on Thursday Wray’s predecessor, James Comey, was indicted for allegedly lying to Congress. Prosecutors charged him over testimony in which he denied authorizing leaks about FBI investigations into Trump and Hillary Clinton.

The indictment came just before the statute of limitations was set to expire on the case.

Trump earlier this year granted pardons to numerous January 6 defendants convicted of offenses related to the Capitol breach.

“Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country. I owe this investigation of ‘Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians to them!” Trump declared.

{Matzav.com}

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez delivered a stark warning to New Yorkers, cautioning them of grim consequences if they elect socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani as their next mayor.

Suarez, whose parents fled Cuba as children in the early 1960s after Fidel Castro rose to power, drew a sharp comparison between Mamdani and a young Castro during an interview with The New York Post on Friday.

The mayor said he is “genuinely worried” about the direction New York City could take under Mamdani’s leadership, noting that the Democratic nominee is currently favored to win the November 4 election.

“[New York City] is going down a very dark path, and it’s sad,” said Suarez, son of Xavier Suarez, Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor.

“There’s some people that say — and I am not one of them — that maybe [electing a socialist mayor in NYC] is best for America in a backwards way because, once you see the abject failure that it will be, there will be a correction and a reset. But I don’t want people to suffer for that to happen.”

The Republican mayor stressed that socialism and communism are systems New Yorkers should fear, not welcome.

“My parents fled [Cuba] . . . because a young charismatic leader said ‘Give us all your property, give us all your businesses, and don’t worry, we’ll make everybody equal.’ And he did,” Suarez recalled.

“He made everybody equally poor, equally miserable, and equally repressed. And that’s all that communism has delivered throughout the history of humanity.”

Suarez has previously taken aim at Mamdani, mocking him last month on Instagram with a side-by-side video. The post showed Suarez easily bench-pressing 225 pounds 13 times next to a clip of Mamdani struggling to lift 135 pounds at a Brooklyn “Men’s Day” event. Suarez captioned it: “Socialism VS Capitalism.”

The mayor also touted Miami’s upcoming America Business Forum, scheduled for November 5-6, which he said highlights how the “Capital of Latin America” is positioning itself in stark contrast to what he called New York’s “socialist-loving” trajectory. He argued the event will underscore Miami’s bid to become a “truly great global city.”

Suarez, who has been mayor since 2017, is barred from seeking another term due to term limits. His father, Xavier Suarez, who led the city from 1985 to 1993 and briefly again in the late 1990s, is now making a political comeback and running for the office once more.

Although his father is in the race, Francis Suarez said he has not endorsed anyone in Miami’s mayoral contest. “I wish him very well,” he told The Post. He added that he does not intend to make an endorsement in the New York City race either, but noted that he maintains a “good relationship” with Mayor Eric Adams, who is seeking re-election as an independent.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his deployments to more American cities. Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek responded by saying Trump is abusing his authority by ordering troops into a city that she said is doing “just fine” on its own. She was joined by other government, police and business leaders who all said soldiers are not needed and Trump is presenting a patently false picture of the city. Trump made his announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.” Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he alleged are “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on Trump’s announcement, such as a timeline for the deployment or what troops would be involved. Governor says troops not needed In an afternoon news conference, Kotek said she directly told Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier in the day that troops are not needed and she believes he does not have the authority to deploy the military there. “We can manage our own local public safety needs. There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security,” Kotek told reporters. The governor said she “tried to understand his reasoning” during their conversation and his response was just, “Let’s keep talking.” “This is an American city. We do not need any intervention,” Mayor Keith Wilson said at the news conference. “This is not a military target.” Kotek said the president did not give a timetable for troops arriving. She said she told him the Oregon National Guard is not needed and she does not plan to call it up. Trump, however, previously deployed guard soldiers and active duty Marines in Los Angeles even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed it. The federal government is appealing a judge’s ruling that Trump’s use of the guard was illegal. Kotek urged the public to stay calm, saying any kind of property damage or violence will not be tolerated. “Let’s not take the bait,” she said. “Let’s not respond to what the president is trying to do.” Residents ask, ‘Where’s the emergency?’ Earlier Saturday there was no sign of any federal presence downtown, where people jogged along the Willamette River, relaxed by a riverside fountain or rode bikes on a sunny fall day. “Where’s the emergency?” asked resident Allen Schmertzler, 72, who said he was “disgusted” by the president’s decision. Another, John McNeur, 74, called Trump’s statement “ridiculous.” He pointed out that he was taking “a leisurely stroll” along the river on a peaceful, sunny day. “This place is not a city that’s out of control,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful place.” Trump has also named Chicago and Memphis Trump previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago but has yet to follow through. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected soon and will include only about 150 troops, far less than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown on crime or to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests that turned violent with the troops’ arrival. In Memphis, about 80 to […]

Court records obtained by The NY Post reveal that Mikie Sherrill’s husband was also linked to the Naval Academy cheating scandal now complicating the Democratic candidate’s bid for governor in New Jersey.

Jason Hedberg was among nearly fifty midshipmen who, back in 1994, filed suit against senior Naval Academy leaders, the Navy, and the Pentagon. Their legal challenge sought to stop an Honor Board from determining whether they should be expelled over allegations of cheating.

“In compliance with the orders of their superior military officers, each named plaintiff was compelled to make inculpatory statements to Navy Inspector General investigators,” the complaint read, accusing officials of violating the students’ due process rights.

While it remains unclear what “inculpatory statements” Hedberg may have given, his name later appeared in the academy’s 1994 commencement program, indicating that unlike Sherrill, he was allowed to participate in graduation exercises three months after the lawsuit was submitted.

Sherrill told the New Jersey Globe, which first broke the story of her being barred from commencement, that her penalty was the result of her refusal to “turn in some of my classmates.”

But a source aligned with a rival campaign disputed her explanation. “Nobody, including Mikie Sherrill, was barred from graduation ceremonies for covering for their friends,” the source argued. “That’s a bunch of bulls—. Midshipmen were, however, punished for lying to Naval investigators.”

Although no proof has surfaced that Sherrill was penalized for misleading investigators, critics suggest her public account has not been fully transparent.

Her campaign has also resisted calls to release her academy disciplinary files, which could clarify her role in the affair.

Asked about the matter by The Post on Friday, campaign spokesman Sean Higgins defended both Sherrill and her husband, saying: “The fact [GOP candidate] Jack Ciattarelli and MAGA Republicans are going after Mikie’s family is sick and desperate — Jason graduated [and] served honorably as a Naval Officer.

“The illegal disclosure of Mikie’s unredacted personal military records, including her Social Security Number, and the unlawful dissemination of those records by the Ciattarelli campaign is a disgrace and must be investigated.”

The scandal itself revolved around the December 14, 1992, Electrical Engineering 311 exam, a required course for non-engineering students. According to court filings, dozens of students shared the test in advance among the 663 enrolled.

In a later CBS News “48 Hours” report, one participant estimated that “probably 80% of the people who took that test had knowledge and had seen it the night before.”

Once academy officials discovered what happened, they launched multiple probes — involving NCIS, the Office of the Naval Inspector General, and several Honor Boards.

Ultimately, 88 midshipmen were found guilty of spreading or using the test. The Washington Post reported at the time that 24 were expelled while 64 others received lesser punishments such as delayed graduations.

The Naval Academy’s honor code lays out its expectations bluntly: “Midshipmen are persons of integrity: They stand for that which is right. They tell the truth and ensure that the truth is known. They do not lie.

“They embrace fairness in all actions. They ensure that work submitted as their own is their own, and that assistance received from any source is authorized and properly documented. They do not cheat.”

Hedberg went on to serve as a Navy intelligence officer, while Sherrill became a Navy pilot. The couple later married and are now raising four children.

Attorneys representing Hedberg and the other students argued in February 1994 that the inspector general’s inquiry had trampled their Fifth Amendment protections. They sought to halt the “Allen Board,” a disciplinary panel formed in January 1994 to address the scandal.

Among the government lawyers defending the Navy and Pentagon in court was Eric Holder, who would later become U.S. Attorney General.

The government’s position was that the case should be dismissed because the students were not facing criminal prosecution.

A judge ultimately agreed, ruling that the cadets’ claims of Fifth Amendment violations were irrelevant since “no proceeding of a ‘criminal’ nature is either pending or contemplated.”

The resurfacing of these details comes just as a new Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey shows Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli locked in a statistical tie, with the election less than six weeks away.

No Republican has managed to win New Jersey’s governorship since Chris Christie captured reelection in 2013.

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on roughly 120 sites across the Gaza Strip today, hitting structures, tunnels, and a surveillance facility it said were being used by terror organizations, as Israel continued its military campaign in the enclave.

According to the Times of Israel, several armed men were killed during the operations, and stockpiles of weaponry—including rockets and grenades—were uncovered.

The IDF also distributed video showing a drone attack on two individuals digging in the ground, identifying them as Hamas members who were attempting to place explosive devices in Gaza City.

Gaza health officials reported that at least 44 people were killed in the overnight attacks. Their tally does not differentiate between civilian casualties and militants.

The wave of bombings comes amid growing calls from the international community for a ceasefire and a resolution to the conflict, now entering its second year.

At the same time, Israeli authorities are examining complaints from hundreds of citizens who said they received suspicious phone calls in Hebrew promising payment in exchange for becoming agents of Iranian intelligence.

Officials described the pre-recorded calls as both a recruitment attempt and an intimidation tactic.

“Iranian intelligence is looking for official agents — competitive salary, comprehensive security,” one of the automated messages declared on this morning, according to Ynet, which also released a recording of the call.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah marked one year since the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah by publicizing what it claimed was the final image of him inside its “command operations room.”

The Times of Israel noted that Nasrallah was assassinated only days later in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut. Today, thousands gathered at his gravesite in the Lebanese capital for a memorial ceremony.

{Matzav.com}

Fast-moving floodwaters tore through Globe, Arizona, Friday night, sweeping away cars and killing at least three people.

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to uphold his order restricting birthright citizenship, which declares that children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not citizens. The appeal, shared with The Associated Press, could lead to a high court ruling by early summer, though lower courts have blocked the restrictions from taking effect and the administration is not seeking to enforce them before a decision.

The US said it would revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he joined a pro-Palestinian rally in New York.

A number of Palestinian families are pressing the British government for both an apology and financial compensation, claiming that war crimes were committed under British colonial rule in the region.

Their demand came shortly after Britain formally recognized a Palestinian state earlier this week. Representatives of 12 families went to the Foreign Office in London to insist that the UK acknowledge its alleged misconduct during the Mandate period in Palestine.

The families submitted a 400-page legal document asserting that they and their relatives experienced forced exile, repression, and acts of violence under British rule prior to 1948. Victor Kattan, a public international law professor at the University of Nottingham and spokesperson for the petitioners, told the BBC after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement of recognition that Britain must admit to the war crimes committed during the Mandate period “in order to promote understanding and knowledge of its past.”

Kattan continued, “Britain denied self-government to the Palestinian community… It empowered a high commissioner to behave like a dictator [and] Palestinian people bore the brunt. Recognition alone does not deal with all these historic problems which for Palestinians are not history but the living reality to this day.”

In their petition, the families outlined what they described as three decades of systematic abuses, ranging from killings and torture to expulsions and collective punishment. They accuse British forces of suppressing the Arab population in ways that amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Alongside acknowledgment of these claims, the petition calls for reparations and an official apology from the UK government.

{Matzav.com}

Hundreds of Israelis have reported receiving strange phone calls that authorities say were likely made by Iranian intelligence operatives trying to enlist collaborators.

Both the Israel Police and the National Cyber Directorate confirmed that citizens had complained of calls from unfamiliar numbers. The recordings on the line, delivered in heavily accented Hebrew, carried the message: “Iranian intelligence is looking for qualified agents.”

Cyber officials described the wave of calls as a deliberate campaign meant to spread fear while simultaneously probing for potential recruits. They added that the phone numbers used in the calls were traced back to prefixes beginning with 03-6817 and 03-3067.

To counter the attempt, the Directorate released guidelines to the public, warning people not to respond to such calls. If someone does answer, they advised hanging up without delay and not pressing any keys.

The Directorate stressed in its statement: “Simply answering the call does not harm your phone. The matter is under investigation and is being handled by the Directorate in coordination with the relevant security authorities.”

Police also confirmed the scale of the incident, noting: “Hundreds of citizens reported to the 100 hotline about phone calls they received from a number unknown to them and with which a person spoke, who offered to enlist to an Iranian organization”. The update continued, “These are calls intended to cause public alarm during wartime and attempts by Iranian intelligence elements to recruit Israeli citizens at home and abroad to advance intelligence collection and terrorist activity in Israel”.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Four people died after heavy rain caused flooding in Arizona, including three in a rural 19th-century mining town where floodwaters forced people to seek safety on their rooftops and washed out a propane distributorship, scattering about 1,000 tanks downtown. About 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) of rain fell in Globe, a city of about 7,250 people about 88 miles (142 kilometers) east of Phoenix, on Friday, and another storm moved in Saturday, temporarily halting the search for people possibly missing in the flood. The bodies of two people were earlier found in a vehicle and another person was found in the floodwaters in Globe, Carl Melford, emergency manager in Gila County, said. They were not immediately identified by authorities. Another person was found dead Saturday morning near a vehicle caught in floodwaters in suburban Phoenix the night before. The vehicle appeared to be empty after it was spotted partially submerged in about 8 feet (2.4 meters) of fast-moving water on Friday evening in a greenbelt park area, the Scottsdale Fire Department said. After the water dropped a bit overnight, crews found the body of a person pinned underneath a walkway bridge, the department said. In the rural community of Globe, one of Arizona’s oldest mining towns, sheriffs’ officials were looking into reports of people who may be missing, Melford said, but could not specify a number. “We now have a massive search and rescue underway,” he said. Rain poured down and quickly flooded the downtown area Friday, Melford said. One of the first areas hit was a propane tank distributor, sending about 1,000 residential-sized tanks throughout the community, he said. “There’s propane tanks everywhere through downtown Globe,” he said, adding that hazmat workers have been sent to the scene. “Luckily none of them ignited or exploded.” The area previously experienced flooding in 2021 after a wildfire, but it didn’t happen like this, Melford said. The city is near canyons that can funnel water from the mountains into the community very quickly. “This was an extremely heavy amount of rain in an extremely short period of time,” he said. Videos shared on social media show vehicles in Globe being swept away by rushing, muddy water, with some smashed up against poles and large propane tanks scattered around. Authorities are asking residents to not go out searching in the floodwaters because search and rescue officials are accompanied by dogs who might pick up the scent of aspiring volunteers instead of possible flood victims. If people want to help, they should start by assisting friends and neighbors in need, Melford said. Globe city council members declared an emergency, saying they have never seen anything like the flooding. Scores of people have stepped up to volunteer, said Mayor Al Gamero, adding that many buildings in the community’s downtown have been damaged. Officials asked people to stay away from the area until they could ensure it is safe to go in there. “Our primary, again, is search and rescue,” Gamero said Saturday. (AP)

The United Nations announced early Sunday that it has reinstated broad sanctions on Iran, aimed at crippling both its nuclear program and military power, according to a report from The Associated Press.

The decision was enacted through the “snapback” clause of the 2015 nuclear agreement, initiated by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom after diplomatic negotiations collapsed at the UN. On Friday, a final effort by Russia and China to stall the process was rejected by the Security Council, clearing the way for the sanctions to take effect before the deadline.

The measures, which went into force at 0000 GMT (8:00 p.m. Eastern), include freezing Iran’s overseas assets, blocking arms transactions with Tehran, and restricting further work on its ballistic missile program. Iranian leaders had argued that the United Nations had no authority to restore the sanctions, but the regime is now facing renewed global isolation while struggling with worsening domestic conditions.

The economic fallout has already deepened, as the Iranian rial collapsed to all-time lows, sending the cost of food soaring. Many ordinary citizens are now unable to buy essentials like rice and meat. The sanctions also follow June’s 12-day conflict, during which Israel struck Iranian positions and the United States targeted nuclear facilities.

Reacting to the European move, Tehran recalled its ambassadors from Paris, Berlin, and London for consultations, state media outlet IRNA reported.

Iran continues to reject the validity of the snapback procedure, pointing to the fact that the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump during his first term.

With the sanctions now restored, tensions between Tehran and Western powers are set to rise further. Iran’s leadership has yet to reveal its next step, but has previously warned it could abandon the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty — the same course North Korea followed in 2003 before advancing its nuclear weapons program.

{Matzav.com}

IDF troops together with Border Police entered the village of Al-Qubeiba, located north of Har Adar, late last night to carry out the demolition of the house belonging to terrorist Mutna U’mar. U’mar was killed on the spot after carrying out the deadly shooting rampage at the Ramot Junction in Yerushalayim.

U’mar committed the Ramot Junction massacre alongside terrorist Mohammed Taha. In that attack, six Israelis lost their lives and many more sustained injuries.

The victims of the atrocity included Levi Yitzchak Pash, who worked at Yeshiva Kol Torah; 25-year-old Yaakov Pinto, a recent immigrant from Spain who had married only months earlier and was an instructor at Yeshiva Chedvas HaTorah in the Ramat neighborhood; 43-year-old Yosef David from Ramot; 31-year-old Yisrael Matsner of Yerushalayim; 79-year-old Dr. Mordechai Steintzag, owner of the well-known “Dr. Mark” bakery; and 60-year-old Yerushalayim resident Sarah Mendelson.

Following the attack, and beyond the demolition of the terrorists’ homes, Defense Minister Yisroel Katz announced additional punitive measures targeting the attackers’ relatives and the communities they came from.

Among the sanctions ordered were the destruction of unauthorized buildings in the villages and the cancellation of 750 work and entry permits into Israel. The move was implemented based on guidance from the security establishment and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Major General Ghassan Alian.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Tonight, the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate disclosed new details about the final days of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, noting that he chose to stay hidden inside a fortified bunker designed with Iranian assistance.

“Nasrallah remained in place and tried to plan counterattacks,” the Directorate stated.

Officials explained that after the beeper operation and the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil, Nasrallah continued to stay in his underground shelter, not realizing that Israeli forces were already preparing to eliminate him next.

In those final days, Nasrallah sought to rebuild Hezbollah’s military strength and prepare retaliatory strikes, but each attempt was swiftly disrupted by Israeli forces.

Following the successful strike, IAF Commander Tomer Bar declared, “We will reach them all, continue with the same professionalism, maintain the same composure, we are on the right path.”

During Hezbollah’s efforts to restore its operational capacity, Israeli intelligence teams relied on years of careful collection to pinpoint the precise location of Nasrallah’s hidden bunker. The shelter, built with Iranian technology, was so secretive that even senior figures inside Hezbollah had limited knowledge of its existence.

Exactly one year ago, on September 27, 2024, at 18:21, the IDF launched Operation “New Order.” With the support of high-quality intelligence, the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike on the bunker, dropping 83 bombs simultaneously.

That operation ended with the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, along with Ali Karkhi, Hezbollah’s Southern Front commander, and several other senior officials who were in the underground command center in Beirut at the time.

For over three decades as Secretary-General, Nasrallah orchestrated countless terrorist attacks, leading to the deaths of both Israeli civilians and soldiers. He directed operations worldwide in which civilians of multiple nationalities were murdered, and he served as Hezbollah’s ultimate authority and strategic planner.

Hezbollah, under Nasrallah’s command, aligned itself with Hamas in its war against Israel on October 8. From that time, Hezbollah has continued launching relentless, unprovoked assaults on Israeli communities, dragging Lebanon and the broader region into escalating conflict.

{Matzav.com Israel}

President Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at the FBI and its former director Christopher Wray following a report alleging that the bureau deployed 274 plainclothes agents in the crowd during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Christopher Wray, the then Director of the FBI, has some major explaining to do. That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray.” The claim, first reported by The Blaze on Thursday, contradicts findings from the Justice Department’s inspector general, which concluded last year there was “no evidence” that undercover FBI employees were embedded in protest crowds or inside the Capitol. That same report, however, acknowledged that 26 confidential human sources were present on Jan. 6, including four who entered the building without authorization. Trump demanded the identities of the alleged agents and accused Wray of misleading Congress. “I want to know who each and every one of these so-called ‘Agents’ are, and what they were up to on that now ‘Historic’ Day,” he wrote. The FBI has not commented on the new report. Wray previously testified that the bureau did not instigate the riot, telling lawmakers last year: “If you’re asking if the violence at the Capitol was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources or agents, the answer is no.” The report comes as House Republicans intensify scrutiny of federal law enforcement’s role in the events of Jan. 6. Earlier this month, the GOP-led House approved a new subcommittee to investigate the Capitol attack. Chairman Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said last week the latest revelations raise new questions. “With that many paid informants being in the crowd, we want to know how many were in the crowd, how many were in the building, but I also want to know, were they paid to inform or instigate?” Loudermilk said. The timing of the controversy is notable. Just days earlier, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on charges of making false statements to Congress over whether he authorized leaks regarding investigations into Trump and Hillary Clinton. Trump has leaned heavily on Jan. 6 in his campaign messaging, casting convicted rioters as “Great American Patriots.” On Saturday, he tied his attack on Wray and the FBI to those cases. “Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country,” he wrote. “I owe this investigation of ‘Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians’ to them!” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF, working in coordination with the Shin Bet, carried out a strike that killed the Hamas gunman responsible for the death of Yamam officer Arnon Zamora during a daring rescue mission last year.

The terrorist, identified as Mohammad Ahmad Youssef Aljamal, shot and killed Zamora during “Operation Arnon,” the mission in which hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were freed from captivity in Nuseirat.

The rescue was initially referred to as “Seeds of Summer,” but after Zamora, who commanded the unit, was killed in the fighting, it was renamed “Operation Arnon” in his honor.

According to the Shin Bet, Aljamal was the individual who fired the shots that killed Arnon Zamora as the team broke into one of the buildings where the hostages were being kept. He was also among the guards overseeing the captives before their release.

Also killed in the strike was Sari Adris Mohammad Alaqrab, a Hamas operative who had infiltrated Israel on October 7 and was known to be a close associate of Aljamal. Acting on detailed intelligence from the Shin Bet, Israeli forces eliminated both men in an airstrike in Gaza today.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Two Israeli soldiers sustained moderate wounds today in separate operational mishaps amid ongoing combat in Gaza.

The first case involved a member of the Kfir Brigade, who was struck by shrapnel after an IDF grenade detonated nearby during fighting.

Medics provided urgent care on the ground before he was airlifted by helicopter to a medical center in central Israel.

In a second, unrelated episode, a soldier from Brigade 188 was hurt when he was accidentally shot during a maneuver, the result of a miscommunication between units.

That soldier was transported by helicopter to Wolfson Hospital in Holon for further treatment.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Mossad issued an internal assessment just two weeks before the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault that downplayed the risk of an imminent attack, according to a Channel 12 report. The position paper, cited by the network, stated that Hamas leadership in Gaza “is not interested in military conflict with Israel at the present time, but will not be deterred if it is forced upon them.” The document also noted that Hamas was maintaining “a high degree of readiness out of concern for Israeli countermeasures,” but assessed that the group’s overall interest was to avoid escalation. The attack on October 7 left roughly 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage, making it the deadliest assault in Israel’s history. In response to Channel 12’s reporting, Mossad said it was not responsible for intelligence collection or operational activity in Gaza. “According to the distribution of responsibilities between the intelligence services… the Mossad has no responsibility for strategic alerts about the use of force in the Palestinian arena,” the agency said in a statement. It added that the paper was given “low significance” and clarified that it did not deal “operationally in the Gaza Strip — neither in intelligence gathering, nor in running agents, nor in conducting special operations.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said it is investigating a wave of suspicious phone calls targeting Israeli citizens with prerecorded Hebrew messages that appeared to come from Iranian intelligence operatives. According to Ynet, one recording introduced itself as a direct pitch from Tehran: “Iranian intelligence is looking for official agents — competitive salary, comprehensive security. Find us on Telegram and the internet.” One man told the outlet that both he and his wife received a call offering financial compensation if they agreed to enlist as agents for Iran. The cyber directorate urged the public not to answer calls from numbers beginning with 03-6817 or 03-3067, and to hang up immediately if connected. Officials stressed that simply answering the call would not compromise a device. Police instructed recipients to block the numbers and file reports with law enforcement. The calls add to a string of documented Iranian recruitment efforts in recent years, many of them run through the encrypted messaging app Telegram. Investigations have shown that Israelis drawn in online are often asked to perform simple, seemingly harmless tasks before being directed to gather intelligence or, in some cases, participate in assassination plots. The surge in arrests has been significant enough that Israel has opened a new wing in Haifa’s Damon prison to house suspected Iranian agents. Most operatives are ordinary Israeli civilians targeted by Iranian officers online. Israeli officials say the campaign is designed to build a grassroots spy network capable of collecting intelligence on nuclear and military facilities and tracking senior figures in the defense establishment and scientific community. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad declared that the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel — one of the bloodiest days in the nation’s history — was a “benefit” to the Palestinian cause, even as the devastating war it triggered continues to grind on nearly two years later. In an interview aired Thursday on CNN, Hamad said the cross-border rampage, which left some 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage, created a “golden moment” for Palestinians by putting what he described as Israel’s “brutality” on display before the international community. “You know what is the benefit of October 7 now?” Hamad asked. “If you look to the [UN] General Assembly yesterday, when about 194 people opened their eyes and looked to the atrocity, to the brutality of Israel, and all of them, they condemned Israel.” Hamad went further, claiming: “We waited for this moment for 77 years. I think this is a golden moment for the world to change history.” The remarks come as Gaza reels from unprecedented destruction and loss of life. According to figures released by Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in response to the October 7 attack. Pressed by CNN on whether Hamas bears responsibility for the staggering death toll — given that the group instigated the war with its assault — Hamad rejected the premise outright. “I know the price [is] so high,” he said, “but I’m asking again, what is the option?” Hamad also dismissed the insistence by the U.S. and other Western powers that Hamas must play no role in any future Palestinian state. He argued that the world cannot “exclude” the terror group, asserting it is “playing a positive role” in advancing Palestinian aspirations. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)