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Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz warned Thursday that Israel will respond forcefully to any further balloons or kites launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel, declaring that the deadline previously given over the attacks has now expired.

Katz issued the warning during a security assessment attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the head of the IDF Operations Directorate, the commander of the Home Front Command, and additional senior defense officials.

“The ultimatum we issued following the launching of balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip toward communities in the Negev has expired,” Katz said. He said that from this point forward, Israel will classify every such launch as “an act of terrorism in every respect.”

The defense minister said Israel’s response will extend beyond those directly carrying out the launches and will target the people and infrastructure involved in facilitating the attacks.

“From now on, every launch will be met with a powerful response against those responsible, the organizers and the perpetrators, as well as against the launch sites and the infrastructure they use,” he said.

Katz said that under directives from Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and instructions he has issued to the military, the IDF has been authorized to employ whatever measures are required to eliminate locations being used to launch the balloons and kites.

Those measures, he said, could include ordering civilians to leave a neighborhood or other area being used as a base for the launches before Israeli forces take action there.

“The IDF will use all necessary means, including evacuating the population from an area or neighborhood from which launches are carried out, in order to deal with the centers of terrorism,” the Defense Minister said.

Katz stressed that Israel has no intention of returning to the security reality that existed along the Gaza border before the October 7 attacks, when incendiary balloons, kites and other forms of harassment were repeatedly directed at southern Israeli communities.

“We will not allow Hamas or any other element to return to the methods of harassment and threats against the communities of the south as occurred before October 7, and anyone who does so will pay a heavy price.”

{Matzav.com}

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Agudath Israel of America is pleased to welcome the Orthodox Union’s appointment of Rabbi Shmuel Silber as its new Executive Vice President.

The OU has played, and continues to play, a major role in the development of Orthodox Jewish life in the United States and abroad. Jews from all backgrounds have a stake in a strong OU, and in a strong OU leadership. The tragic passing of Rabbi Moshe Hauer of blessed memory nearly a year ago was a painful blow felt not only by the organization he led, but by the entirety of Klal Yisroel.

And, by the same token, the appointment of Rabbi Shmuel Silber as the OU’s new Executive Vice President is wonderful news not only for the organization he will lead, but for the entirety of Klal Yisroel.

Rabbi Silber enjoys a sterling reputation as the longstanding Rav of the Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim in Baltimore. He is respected as a talmid chacham, an accomplished scholar with strong inter-personal skills and an innovative intellect.

We at Agudath Israel are confident that these attributes will serve Rabbi Silber well in his new position, and we look forward to working with him and the OU on matters of common concern.

Congratulations, as well, to Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, upon his assumption of an expanded role within the OU as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer.

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

We Americans have a funny way of looking at ourselves. We like to think that we are a little more sophisticated, a little more open-minded, a little more “with it.” Israel is wonderful, of course, but somehow, in the back of our minds, we sometimes imagine that we Americans have figured out certain things that they haven’t. We know how to bridge communities. We know how to be inclusive. We know how to look beyond labels and backgrounds.

And then you see a scene like the one that took place in Belz.

The Belzer Rebbe hosted Sefardic Selichos, with Rav Yitzchok Yosef and Rav Yitzchok Dovid Grossman present.

Think about that for a moment. The Belzer Rebbe. In Belz. Hosting Sefardic Selichos. There was something so beautiful about it, and something that, at least to me, was also a little uncomfortable. Because I found myself wondering: Could I picture this happening here?

Could I picture one of the great American Chassidishe courts or yeshivos hosting a full-blown Sefardic Selichos, with leading Sefardic rabbonim participating? Could I picture everyone simply appreciating the beauty of another community’s mesorah, without worrying whether it was “ours” or “theirs”?

Maybe it could happen. I hope it could. But I have trouble picturing it. And that should make us think.

We talk endlessly in America about achdus. We have dinners about achdus, speeches about achdus, panels about achdus and organizations devoted to achdus. We know all the terminology. We know how important it is.

But sometimes achdus is much simpler than that.

Sometimes it is a Belzer Rebbe opening his doors to Sefardic Selichos.

Sometimes it is recognizing that another mesorah does not threaten yours. You can be completely Belz and still make room for something that comes from a different part of Klal Yisroel. You can be fiercely loyal to your own minhagim and still celebrate somebody else’s.

In fact, perhaps that is what real confidence in your own mesorah looks like.

There is a tendency in America to confuse being “advanced” with being modern. But maybe being advanced has nothing to do with how modern you are. Maybe it means being secure enough in who you are that you can embrace another Yid who looks different, davens differently, pronounces the words differently and comes from a completely different mesorah.

The Belzer Rebbe did not deliver a lecture about unity.

He showed us what it looks like.

So the next time we American Jews congratulate ourselves on how progressive, sophisticated and broad-minded we are, perhaps we should remember that scene in Belz.

Who, exactly, is more advanced?

I say we Americans could learn a few things from the Belzer Rebbe.

C. B.

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Canada’s public broadcaster has ignited a firestorm after an internal directive instructed journalists not to independently characterize the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as acts of terrorism, instead directing them to use language describing the hijackings and subsequent plane crashes.

According to an internal CBC memo signed by Bassam Boushra, a senior official responsible for journalistic standards, reporters and editors were instructed to describe the events by stating that hijackings resulted in passenger planes crashing in Washington, Pennsylvania and Manhattan, and that the World Trade Center was destroyed.

The internal guidance was disclosed by political consultant Warren Kinsella in a Toronto Sun column and subsequently reported by the National Post.

The directive quickly drew sharp criticism from Canadian politicians and Jewish organizations, who accused the CBC of sanitizing the nature of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history.

Conservative Member of Parliament Rachael Thomas called the guidance completely disgraceful, arguing that it dishonors the victims, their families, survivors and emergency personnel who responded to the attacks.

Thomas stressed that the Sept. 11 attacks were an act of terrorism, period.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada also condemned the broadcaster’s policy, describing it as a complete collapse of journalistic standards.

CBC pushed back against the criticism, saying reports that its journalists were instructed to declare that 9/11 was not terrorism are inaccurate.

CBC spokeswoman Kerry Kelly said the guidance reflects a longstanding editorial policy under which terms such as “terrorist” and “terrorism” should generally be attributed to governments, experts or other authoritative sources rather than presented as the broadcaster’s own characterization.

The controversy echoes criticism CBC faced following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, when employees were similarly instructed not to refer to Hamas terrorists as “terrorists” in the network’s own editorial voice.

The Sept. 11 attacks, carried out by Al-Qaeda terrorists in 2001, killed 2,977 people, including 24 Canadians.

Adding to the controversy, the Canadian government itself officially describes the events of Sept. 11 as terrorist attacks on its government website.

{Matzav.com}

Sen. Ted Cruz is openly acknowledging his desire to become president, raising the prospect of a high-profile battle with Vice President JD Vance for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.

“It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said Wednesday during an appearance on a podcast hosted by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Pressed on whether that means he will actually enter the 2028 race, the Texas Republican stopped short of committing, responding, “Time will tell.”

Cruz was similarly cautious when questioned by Newsmax about his presidential plans, insisting that his immediate political priority is helping Republicans retain control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

“My focus politically right now is Election Day in November,” Cruz told host Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday. “We are at real risk of losing both the House and Senate. So I am devoting every waking hour to raising money, to campaigning, to fighting to keep the Senate Republican, to keep the House Republican.”

Cruz, who competed for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, made light of his continued interest in the White House, describing presidential ambition as a “permanent and often fatal bug.”

His remarks followed comments earlier in the week in which Cruz rejected the idea that the Republican Party is ready to simply hand its next presidential nomination to Vance as President Donald Trump’s presumed political heir.

“Oh, no — there is going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” Cruz told MS NOW host Ali Vitali on Monday. “I’ll certainly be part of the discussion.”

According to Cruz, the 2028 Republican primary should serve as a broader argument over the party’s future, with major disagreements likely to center on America’s role abroad and the GOP’s approach to economic policy.

On foreign affairs, Cruz said Republicans will have to determine whether the party intends to become “an isolationist party that withdraws from the world” or remains committed to “American leadership.”

He said a similar ideological choice awaits Republicans on domestic economic policy, contrasting a “small-government, free-market conservative party” with a “big-government, nanny-state party.”

Those arguments could place Cruz squarely against Vance in a future Republican primary. The vice president has frequently expressed reservations about American military involvement overseas and is already regarded as one of the leading potential contenders for the party’s 2028 nomination.

Vance, however, has yet to announce his intentions and has said he plans to wait until the midterm elections are over before deciding whether to launch a presidential campaign.

The potential Republican field could extend well beyond Cruz and Vance. Trump has mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a possible figure on the party’s 2028 ticket, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024, is also believed to be weighing another campaign for the White House.

{Matzav.com}

The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to fire two air traffic controllers who allegedly left their posts about an hour before their shifts ended on the night of the deadly March collision between an Air Canada Express jet and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to reports Thursday.

The early departures allegedly left just two controllers in the LaGuardia tower without backup as they dealt with an unusually heavy workload. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development, said air traffic at the airport was running at roughly twice its normal volume that night.

The March 22 disaster occurred after Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 arriving from Montreal, landed on Runway 4 and collided with an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle that was crossing the runway. The plane’s captain and first officer were killed.

According to the NTSB’s preliminary findings, two controllers were working in the tower at the time of the collision. One was simultaneously handling ground-control and controller-in-charge responsibilities while dealing with a separate aircraft emergency, while the other took over communications on both the ground and local-control frequencies. The NTSB has not yet determined the probable cause of the crash, and its investigation remains ongoing.

The newly disclosed FAA findings raise questions about why only two controllers were available at the time. According to the Journal, federal officials determined that two additional controllers had departed approximately an hour before their scheduled shifts were over, leaving the remaining controllers without additional personnel to assist during the heavy traffic period.

The practice of controllers leaving before the scheduled end of their shifts is reportedly known within the industry as an “early shove.” Federal aviation officials are now conducting a broader examination of alleged timecard abuses involving air traffic controllers.

The FAA confirmed that it is taking the allegations seriously but did not publicly identify the two controllers.

The agency said it “is committed to holding employees accountable, and we will not compromise the safety or efficiency of the National Airspace System.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing controllers, said it is discussing the allegations directly with FAA officials.

“NATCA is actively discussing these allegations with F.A.A. leadership. We believe those discussions are the appropriate forum for addressing the matter,” the union said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also condemned alleged abuse of work schedules, saying most controllers faithfully perform an extraordinarily demanding job but that the government would act against employees who violate the rules.

“We will not tolerate fraud, and we are taking appropriate action to hold folks accountable and prevent unlawful practices from disrupting the traveling public,” Duffy said, adding that such practices “take advantage of the American taxpayer, unfairly add additional work to their fellow controllers and impact the airspace.”

The NTSB’s preliminary investigation has provided a harrowing picture of the moments immediately preceding the collision. The fire truck had requested and received clearance to cross Runway 4 as the Air Canada aircraft approached. The runway’s warning lights were functioning, and the controller subsequently repeatedly ordered the truck to stop as the danger became apparent.

Investigators found that the controller first instructed the truck to stop about 12 seconds before impact and again issued a warning four seconds before the collision. Both the fire truck and aircraft apparently attempted evasive maneuvers immediately before they struck one another.

The FAA has since accelerated efforts to improve the tracking of airport vehicles, announcing a $16.5 million initiative to equip its airport vehicles with transponders that allow controllers to identify and follow them on runway and taxiway surveillance systems. The agency specifically cited the LaGuardia crash in announcing the safety initiative.

For now, however, investigators have not concluded that staffing levels or the alleged early departures caused or contributed to the fatal collision. The NTSB investigation remains open, with a final determination of the accident’s cause still pending.

The FAA’s effort to terminate the two controllers nevertheless adds a significant new dimension to the investigation, focusing scrutiny not only on what happened in the seconds before the crash, but also on staffing decisions inside the LaGuardia control tower in the hours leading up to it.

{Matzav.com}

Former South African-Israeli hostage  Aviva Siegel recounted in an interview published on Sunday how Hamas terrorists beat, tortured and abused women held hostage in Gaza during her 51 days of captivity in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion into the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.

“I’m a witness of all of the girls who were beaten up into pieces,” she told The Daily Mail from her home in northern Israel.

Seeing one girl return after she was abused, Seigel continued, “she was purple; I wanted to die. That was one of the hardest moments: knowing what was happening to the young girls.”

Siegel, 65, and her husband, Keith, 67, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7 massacre. She was released on Nov. 26, 2023, as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement. Her husband was redeemed after 484 days in captivity.

The pair elaborated further about their harrowing experiences.

“After a couple of days, Keith looked at me and said he couldn’t breathe, because there was a lack of oxygen. I couldn’t breathe myself, and I remember trying to figure out what was happening, or if we were just going to die,” Siegel said.

“I said to him, ‘Just lie down and try and breathe.’. And while he lay down, I was scared to look at Keith, dead. I remember saying to myself, ‘Just don’t look at him, because you don’t want to see him dead.’ And just trying to say, ‘Please, let me die first, because I don’t want to see Keith dead,’” the former hostage was quoted as saying.

Keith Siegel recounted the time his captors became even crueler, after a ceasefire collapsed on Dec. 1, 2023.

“I’m lying on my back, on the floor. He came up to me, standing above me, and he starts screaming at me and cursing me. And he spat on me, he kicked me. He kicked me in my legs, and he kicked me in my ribs,” he said.

While he was held in total isolation for six months, Siegel asked the guards to teach him Arabic, in an attempt to keep himself sane.

One guard agreed, but asked Siegel to repeat words of the Shahada, a Muslim declaration of faith recital that converts non-Muslims to Islam. The guard said, “Okay, now you’re a Muslim,” to which Siegel said he replied, “No, I’m not a Muslim; I’m a Jew.”

Siegel was released on Feb. 1, 2025, and was reunited with his wife and their four children.

Aviva Siegel released a memoir in March, titled The Main Thing Is to Wake up to a New Morning.

“Everybody who reads the book will feel what it’s like to be a hostage in Gaza, underneath the ground, feeling like it’s the end of the world,” she told The Daily Mail. JNS

{Matzav.com}

CIA Director John Ratcliffe used a highly secretive visit to Moscow this week to deliver a direct warning to Russian officials against launching attacks or provocative operations targeting NATO countries, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.

The message comes amid U.S. intelligence assessments suggesting that Moscow may be considering actions designed to probe the strength and unity of the NATO alliance and determine how President Trump would respond to aggression against a member state.

Iran was also reportedly on Ratcliffe’s agenda. The CIA director warned Russian officials that additional sanctions could be imposed if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial shipping, according to people briefed on the talks.

Ratcliffe’s previously undisclosed trip became public Tuesday after observers spotted a U.S. Air Force aircraft arriving at a Moscow airport and subsequently noticed a diplomatic motorcade traveling through the Russian capital.

The trip marked Ratcliffe’s first publicly known visit to Russia since becoming CIA director.

Ukrainian officials were informed in advance that an American delegation would be traveling to Moscow, according to a senior Ukrainian official. Kyiv was also asked to refrain from carrying out strikes during the period in which the U.S. delegation was visiting Russia.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Ratcliffe’s mission included delivering the warning concerning potential Russian actions against NATO.

The CIA has declined to publicly explain the purpose of the director’s trip.

President Trump confirmed Wednesday that Ratcliffe had traveled to Moscow, telling radio host Glenn Beck that the visit was “semi-routine.” Trump disputed reports tying the mission specifically to Iran or concerns about Russia testing NATO.

Trump nevertheless suggested that the talks could ultimately produce developments connected to his efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end, saying “something may come out of” Ratcliffe’s visit.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ratcliffe held discussions with Russian intelligence officials during his stay in Moscow but did not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, Peskov rejected media accounts describing Ratcliffe’s visit as an effort to warn Russia against provocative action involving NATO.

“A lot of such scare stories are being published right now. Of course, they have nothing to do with reality,” Peskov said, while asserting that Russia “is facing a very aggressive policy towards itself from European countries.”

The reported warning comes against the backdrop of recent U.S. intelligence assessments indicating that Putin may be prepared to authorize provocative operations on NATO territory.

Those actions could include cyberattacks, hybrid operations and other forms of interference deliberately kept below the threshold of a conventional military assault, according to U.S. officials.

American officials believe the objective of such operations might be less about triggering an outright military confrontation and more about testing whether NATO members remain unified — and whether the Trump administration would follow through on American commitments to defend an ally under pressure.

A series of incidents involving Russia has heightened those concerns. Officials have pointed to Russian drone incursions into Romania, a Russian missile that entered Polish territory last month, and an increase in suspected sabotage operations and cyberattacks across Europe.

Article 5 of the NATO treaty provides for collective defense among alliance members, meaning an attack against one member can be treated as an attack against all. The United States invoked Article 5 following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Trump, however, has repeatedly criticized NATO countries that he believes fail to spend enough on their own defense and has publicly questioned whether alliance members are carrying their fair share of the security burden.

At the same time, Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to reach an agreement ending their four-year war, though efforts to secure a diplomatic breakthrough have recently shown signs of stalling.

Russia’s relationship with Iran has added another layer of tension to Washington’s dealings with Moscow during the U.S. war with Iran.

Russia has continued cooperating with Tehran and has provided Iran with intelligence regarding U.S. positions in the region, according to previous reports. Moscow and Tehran have also maintained years of cooperation involving the production of military drones.

{Matzav.com}

The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) killed a Hamas Nukhba terrorist identified by the military as a bodyguard of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in a strike in the Khan Yunis area on Monday, the agencies announced on Thursday.

Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, infiltration of the IDF’s Re’im base, according to the statement.

In a separate strike in Khan Yunis on Sunday, the IDF killed Hazem Mousa, another Hamas Nukhba terrorist who the military said also infiltrated the base during the massacre. The IDF and Shin Bet said both men had been planning attacks on Israeli troops and civilians and working to rebuild Hamas’s “military” capabilities, in violation of the ceasefire.

On Monday, the IDF also targeted two Hamas terrorists in central Gaza who it said participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, confirming that Nukhba Force member Mohammad Abu Asaad was killed in Deir al-Balah. The military said they too had been planning attacks and rebuilding Hamas’s capabilities.

Also on Monday, the IDF and Shin Bet struck five Hamas weapons-storage facilities and a launch site across the Gaza Strip, including sites inside mosques and near humanitarian infrastructure. After the IDF said it had uncovered dozens of Kalashnikov rifles hidden inside Gaza mosques, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter accused Hamas of failing to disarm: “This is not disarmament.”

Israel has also responded to renewed kite launches from Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the IDF to adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy toward kites and balloons launched from Gaza into communities in the Negev. Netanyahu and Katz warned Hamas that continued launches would lead to intensified strikes against those responsible and evacuations from areas used as launch sites.

The developments came as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed during a visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that Israel would prevent Hamas from rebuilding and continue pursuing those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre. “The IDF will not return to the doctrines that prevailed on Oct. 6,” he said.

“The pursuit of the terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre continues—everyone who took part in the massacre will live on the run until they are eliminated,” Zamir added.

He described the effort as a long-term mission and said the IDF remained committed to demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and disarming Hamas. JNS