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The UAE Ministry of Defence released footage showing Emirati Air Force jets shooting down Iranian Shahed drones that were heading toward the country.

During his weekly shiur, the former Rishon Letzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef addressed the ongoing war with Iran, speaking about the great nissim that have taken place while also urging the public to strictly follow safety instructions.

At the opening of the shiur, Rav Yosef spoke about the many miracles that have occurred in recent days.

“We must thank Hakadosh Boruch Hu for the nissim and niflaos that we experienced this past week,” he said. “In other places many were harmed, and here as well there were some injuries, but relatively speaking there were nissim and niflaos. We must thank Hakadosh Boruch Hu that He should continue to perform nissim and niflaos for us.”

At the same time, Rav Yosef emphasized that recognizing the miracles does not lessen the obligation to follow safety guidelines.

He stressed the importance of carefully observing the directives of Pikud HaOref.

“One must pay attention to all the instructions,” he said. “V’nishmartem me’od lenafshoseichem — if a person hears a siren, he should not take it lightly. He must do what needs to be done, as the halacha requires.”

{Matzav.com}

Police in Norway were investigating an explosion early Sunday outside the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, the capital of the Scandinavian country, officials said. No injuries were reported. Police received reports of a “loud bang” or explosion around 1 a.m., Oslo police said in a news release. The explosion was caused by some sort of incendiary […]

WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: President Trump and his energy team are on the ball. They’ve announced political risk insurance for cargo vessels and oil ships…President Trump is also tapping into our newfound market in Venezuela.

The Israeli Air Force carried out an additional wave of strikes in Tehran, targeting the IRGC Space Force headquarters along with dozens of Iranian military sites, including about 50 ammunition bunkers, a Basij base, an internal security command center, and a compound belonging to the IRGC’s Ground Forces.

Emergency responders rushed to multiple impact sites in central Israel after a new wave of Iranian missile fire struck the region, leaving several people wounded, including one man in serious condition in Tel Aviv.

Magen David Adom paramedics began providing emergency care to a man who sustained severe injuries in Tel Aviv following the latest barrage. At the same time, medical personnel were also assisting two additional victims in Petach Tikva, where one person was reported to be in moderate condition and another suffered minor injuries.

The seriously wounded victim from Tel Aviv was transported to the emergency department at Ichilov Medical Center after the strike. According to medical officials, the man sustained a neck injury and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital’s trauma unit.

Israel Fire and Rescue Services said one of the strike locations appears to involve the collapse of a building, likely caused by a cluster-type missile. Emergency crews from Magen David Adom remain active at the affected areas, searching for additional victims and assisting the wounded.

Senior MDA medic Yechezkel Goldreich, who was among the first responders at the site, described the chaotic moments following the strike. He said: “I was in a park near the crash site when suddenly alarms sounded, and shortly afterwards a loud explosion was heard. I noticed a lot of smoke rising from the impact area, and I rushed to scan the area. There, I found terrified people lying on the grass, and a man about 40 years old who suffered a serious injury from shrapnel. I gave him initial medical treatment on the spot, and later, together with other MDA teams that arrived at the scene, we evacuated him to the hospital, where his condition is described as serious.”

Police said officers and emergency personnel are working to secure the impact zones and prevent civilians from approaching the damaged areas.

The IDF stated: “Home Front Command search and rescue forces, together with emergency teams, are currently operating at the impact sites in central Israel. The circumstances of the impact are under review.”

{Matzav.com}

As U.S. and Israeli missiles and bombs rain on Iran, Russia has responded with words of indignation but no visible action to support its Middle Eastern ally. That cautious stance is driven by President Vladimir Putin’s focus on Ukraine and his apparent hope that the Iran war will play into Moscow’s hands by boosting its oil revenues and eroding […]

Two lsrael Defense Forces troops have been killed battling Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the IDF said on Sunday afternoon.

One of the fallen soldiers was named as Sgt. 1st Class Maher Khatar, from the Golan Heights Druze village of Majdal Shams. He served as a combat engineering heavy equipment operator, the military stated.

According to Israel’s Ynet outlet, the two soldiers were killed by mortar fire or an anti-tank missile during defensive operations at a military position in Southern Lebanon, when a combat engineering force that included two D9 bulldozers went to extract a Puma armored personnel carrier that had become stuck.

During the rescue operation, one of the D9 bulldozers was reportedly hit, possibly by a mortar that struck a fuel tank or by a missile, resulting in the deaths of the two soldiers.

“In the incident in which Sgt. 1st Class Maher Khatar, of blessed memory, fell, another soldier also fell,” the army said. “His name has not yet been cleared for publication and will be published at a later time.”

In addition, a combat officer who sustained light wounds was evacuated for medical treatment in Israel. His family was informed, the IDF added.

The death toll among Israeli troops since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border terrorist massacre now stands at 926, according to IDF figures.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz told Beirut on Shabbos to act swiftly against Hezbollah or else “Lebanon as a whole will pay the full price.”

Addressing Lebanese President Joseph Aoun directly during a situational assessment at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Katz said, “Lebanon is not the United Nations. You [and Lebanon] committed to implementing the [ceasefire] agreement and disarming Hezbollah, and that is not happening.”

He continued, “We will not allow harm to our communities, we will not allow harm to our soldiers, and if the two stand against one another, the Lebanese government and Lebanon as a whole will pay the full price.”

Katz warned that as things stand, Beirut is forcing Israel to ensure the safety of its own citizens and soldiers at the expense of the Lebanese Republic.

“We have no territorial claims against Lebanon, but we will not be prepared for Lebanese territory to once again become what it was for many years—a base for firing at the State of Israel. We will not allow a return to that situation. Therefore we are addressing and warning: Act, and take action before we do even more,” the defense minister said.

If slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah “destroyed Lebanon, then [his successor], Naim Qassem, will also ruin it by continuing down this path,” Katz added.

Katz’s message was delivered in a recording from a meeting in the command bunker at the Kirya together with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, alongside other senior IDF commanders.

The IDF in an overnight strike on Shabbos attacked “key commanders” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force in Beirut, the military announced.

The Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps “operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” it stated.

The Lebanon Corps served as a liaison axis between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group and the Iranian regime and operated as a body supporting its force buildup, the Israeli military statement added.

“The IDF will not allow the Iranian terror regime elements to establish themselves in Lebanon and will continue to precisely eliminate the commanders of the Iranian terror regime wherever they operate,” concluded the statement.

Meanwhile, two soldiers of the army’s Givati Brigade were moderately wounded by terrorist anti-tank fire during a “defensive activity in Southern Lebanon on Friday, the IDF said over the weekend.

The troops of the brigade’s Rotem Battalion (435th), identified only as “M.” and N.” by the military, were evacuated to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s Ichilov Hospital for treatment, it added.

Earlier on Friday, eight soldiers sustained injuries, including five who were seriously wounded, in a Hezbollah rocket attack targeting an IDF military position near the northern border. Among the lightly injured soldiers was the son of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Since Hezbollah joined the war against the Jewish state on March 2, the IDF struck over 600 terror targets across Lebanon “from the air, sea and ground,” the military announced in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

Israel’s strikes, which comprised some 820 munitions, eliminated more than 190 terrorists, including Abu Hamza Rami, the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, two commanders at the equivalent rank of colonel and three battalion commanders.

The IDF carried out 27 waves of strikes in the Beirut area, including five in the capital’s southern suburbs of Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold, it said.

The IDF’s Northern Command has provided “extensive fire support to the forces operating in forward defensive postures in the security zone and has been eliminating threats in real time,” the military added.

Throughout the day on Sunday, the IDF attacked several Hezbollah rocket launchers that had been used to fire rockets towards civilian communities the Jewish state’s north, the army announced.

“In recent days, the IDF has begun an operation for forward defense to create an additional layer of protection in order to distance threats from the residents of the north,” according to the military statement.

The IDF is operating powerfully against the Hezbollah terror group, which decided to join the campaign and operate under the auspices of the Iranian terrorist regime, and will not allow harm to the civilians of the State of Israel,” it concluded. JNS

In a dramatic directive issued last night, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe instructed that the chassidus’s Talmudei Torah reopen beginning tomorrow, declaring that the children should return to learning Torah despite the tense security situation.

According to the directive, the educational institutions of Vizhnitz will resume studies near protected areas and in accordance with strict safety precautions. The instruction applies to all the chassidus’s schools in every city without exception.

The Rebbe emphasized the importance of the children’s learning, since the world continues to exist only in the merit of the pure breath of talmidei tashbar.

At the same time, the Rebbe ordered that the school schedule be modified for the time being. Under the new arrangement, all limudei chol will be completely suspended.

The Rebbe explained that there is currently no need for limudei chol, and therefore the school day will end immediately after the completion of the limudei kodesh. Students will then be dismissed earlier than usual.

Regarding safety procedures, the Rebbe instructed melamdim and school staff to make every effort to bring the students immediately into a protected space whenever a siren sounds.

He also directed that the children be strongly warned not to wander in the streets unnecessarily during this period.

When associates and educators expressed concern that the Ministry of Education might impose sanctions for opening the schools contrary to official guidelines, the Rebbe dismissed the concern and responded clearly that “one must fear only the Ribbono Shel Olam.”

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Most real estate projects talk about square footage. Givat Hashalvah is telling a different story. It begins with a simple premise: the quality of life in Eretz Yisroel should carry dignity, pride, and a standard that reflects what frum families value, not only in the home, but in the life that surrounds it.   

You can see that shift in what the plan chooses to prioritize. Givat Hashalvah keeps coming back to togetherness, clarity, and the everyday rhythm of Torah life. And it isn’t only the design that makes that possible. It’s the people who have already joined, families arriving with shared purpose and shaping the tone from the start. As one buyer, Aryeh Simon, put it: ‘The standard of the project is truly above the cut, and what impressed me most is that it’s being built with a real kehilla atmosphere in mind.’ 

One of the campaign lines captures it plainly: “A home is where you live. A kehilla is how you live together.” The real question is simple: can a neighborhood be planned in a way that helps community form naturally, not by chance, but because the layout and shared spaces make it easier for people to connect? 

The master plan answers with a decisive yes. Parking is planned underground, keeping cars off the surface level. In its place, the plan creates pedestrian pathways, gardens, seating areas, and fountains, so the space between the buildings becomes a place for walking, meeting, and breathing. Instead of isolated buildings, the project is arranged as 18 residential buildings in three clusters, connected by a promenade that runs through parks and gardens, end to end. This is where the “spaces between” become the point, because those are the places where friendships form, where kids bump into each other, where the neighborhood starts to feel familiar. 

Then there are the communal anchors. Between the clusters sit seven dedicated multi-story residential lounges, totaling 26,000 square feet of community amenities planned for real daily use. These shared spaces include Torah libraries, shared workspaces, children’s gymborees, and event halls. Along the promenade, fountains and seating areas are woven into the walkways, with a bike path looping around the project. This is less about “amenities” as a marketing word, and more about community as an operating system, built into the plan. 

For many families, credibility matters as much as vision, especially in a market where people want to know that what is promised is what will be delivered. Givat Hashalvah points to the team behind the construction as part of that confidence: Solel Boneh is described as Israel’s most recognized construction name, with more than a century of experience and a track record tied to major national projects. In plain terms, the message is execution you can trust, quality that lasts, and delivery you can rely on.   

And the vision is broad enough to speak to different life stages. The plan includes a multilevel shopping mall, protected living, a 54,000 square foot fitness center, a pool, and ten shuls, rounding out a neighborhood designed to support a fuller way of living, both inside the home and together beyond it.   

Explore Givat Hashalvah → https://go.lyo.group/3LxM3tz

An 11-year-old boy who was critically injured after being struck by a bus in Beitar Illit has died of his wounds, in a heartbreaking tragedy that has shaken the city.

The accident occurred late Thursday night on Rechov Abba Shaul in Beitar Illit. The boy was hit by a passing bus while crossing the street and was found lying on the roadway with severe injuries to his abdomen and limbs.

Emergency volunteers who arrived first at the scene described the incident as extremely serious. Shmuel Feit and Binyomin Blau of Hatzalah said, “When we arrived at the scene we saw a pedestrian, an 11-year-old boy, suffering from injuries to his abdomen and limbs after being struck by a bus.”

Avremi Zeibald and Aviel Itach of Hatzalah and Magen David Adom added that they immediately began providing medical treatment. “We provided the child with initial medical treatment including bandaging and stabilization, and he was transported by intensive care ambulance to the trauma unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.”

At first, the boy’s condition was described as moderate to serious. However, his condition deteriorated rapidly after the accident and he was soon listed in critical condition. Doctors fought to save his life, but tragically he passed away during Shabbos.

The victim was identified as Michoel Shabtai, an 11-year-old talmid at Talmud Torah Nitei Meir in Beitar Illit. He was the oldest child of his parents, Reb Yisroel Shabtai and Mrs. Sarah Malka Shabtai. He was born after seven years of anticipation and heartfelt tefillos.

Immediately after the accident, the family asked the public to daven for the recovery of Michoel ben Sarah Malka. Thousands of Jews in Eretz Yisroel and around the world joined in tefillah and undertook Torah learning and good deeds in his merit, but despite those efforts he was ultimately niftar.

Following the news of his passing, several protesters gathered at the location of the accident and hung signs claiming the incident was a terror attack, noting that the bus driver involved in the accident was Arab.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu said Saturday night that “the moment of truth is approaching” in the war against Iran, calling on members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to lay down their weapons and urging the Iranian people to seize what he described as an opportunity for change.

Netanyahu delivered the remarks during a public statement to the media as Israel’s military campaign against Iran continues to develop. During the address, he appealed directly to both the Iranian population and members of the regime’s security forces.

At the start of his statement, Netanyahu reviewed Israel’s military actions over the past two and a half years, beginning with the Hamas massacre on Simchas Torah. He outlined the series of blows delivered to what he described as the Iranian-led terror axis across the region.

The prime minister said the war will continue “until the end.” He told the public that many Israelis have encouraged the government to continue fighting until victory is achieved.

“Citizens tell me — continue until the end and until victory. I say to you: We are continuing with full force!” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu added that Israel’s actions have dramatically shifted the balance of power in the region.

“We are changing the face of the Middle East. We have turned Israel into a regional power that deters and defeats our enemies,” he said.

He explained that Operation Roaring Lion began after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who was killed in the opening strike — ordered that nuclear weapons be hidden deep underground in order to protect them from attack.

During the address, Netanyahu again turned to the Iranian public, saying the war is creating conditions that could allow Iran’s citizens to determine their own future.

The prime minister also issued a direct appeal to members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, urging them to lay down their weapons.

“If you do so, no harm will come to you,” Netanyahu said, warning that those who refuse to surrender their arms would bear responsibility for the consequences. He added that Israel has a detailed plan that includes additional steps and “many surprises” designed to destabilize the Iranian regime.

Netanyahu concluded by addressing the Iranian people themselves, saying that “the moment of truth is approaching.”

“Your liberation from the yoke of tyranny will depend on you,” he said. “If you rise up, the day is not far off when Israel and Iran will once again be strong friends.”

At the end of his remarks, Netanyahu revealed that many countries are now approaching Israel seeking cooperation.

“Many countries are turning to us now for cooperation, and they are doing it because we are strong, we are just, and we are fighting,” he said.

According to Netanyahu, success in Iran would lead to “a dramatic expansion of the circle of peace around us.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

This past Shabbos, the olam haTorah and the olam hayeshivos marked ten years since the histalkus of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Chaim Shlomo Leibowitz zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Ponovezh and Kaminetz. In connection with the yahrtzeit, the Bamah magazine published an extensive interview with his son, Rav Uziel Leibowitz, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Birchas Shmuel, reflecting on the personality, legacy, and enduring influence of his father.

“The loss in the olam haTorah and in the yeshivos is deeply felt,” Rav Uziel said. “At the same time, divreihem heim zichronam. He merited that his Torah spread throughout the entire world in a remarkable way.” Rav Uziel noted that both during his father’s lifetime and after his petirah, they were privileged to establish the mamleches haTorah Birchas Shmuel in Eretz Yisroel in his memory. Asked what it was like to grow up in the shadow of such a towering father, Rav Uziel spoke with great emotion.

He began by explaining that although they grew up in their father’s home, their father himself lived every moment with the image of his own father and grandfather before him. Everything he did followed the path that had been charted by his grandfather, the great rosh yeshiva Rav Boruch Ber. “We grew up in Yerushalayim,” Rav Uziel explained, “but in truth the spirit in our home was that of Rav Boruch Ber.” Their mother would often remark that their father did not merely remember Rav Boruch Ber, nor did he only study his approach. He lived Rav Boruch Ber. The entire course of his life was shaped by that towering figure, constantly seeking to learn from him the proper approach to Torah study and to life itself.

Rav Uziel described how his father’s entire lifestyle reflected the grandeur of an earlier era of great gaonim. In their home one could observe concepts and standards that were rarely seen elsewhere. When a person grows up with the living example of someone like Rav Boruch Ber guiding every step of life, he explained, one reaches levels that belong to earlier generations of greatness which we can hardly comprehend today.

He recalled the famous statement of his father’s rebbe, Maran HaGriz Soloveitchik zt”l, who once said about Rav Chaim Shlomo when he was only eighteen years old that just as Rav Boruch Ber had been the Rav Boruch Ber of the previous generation, Rav Chaim Shlomo would be the Rav Boruch Ber of the current generation. The Griz then cited the pasuk “עטרת זקנים בני בנים,” applying it to Rav Boruch Ber and Rav Chaim Shlomo.

After Rav Chaim Shlomo’s petirah, many remarked that with his histalkus the final living edition—the mahadura basra—of the Birchas Shmuel had departed from the world.

Rav Uziel continued by explaining that his father constantly stressed the importance of aspiration. The foundation of greatness in Torah and yiras Shamayim, he would say, lies in one’s ambitions. He would quote his grandfather, Rav Boruch Dov Leibowitz, who explained that Rav Boruch Ber merited to become Rav Boruch Ber because his lifelong aspiration had been to reach the level of Rav Akiva Eiger. If his ambitions had been more modest, he would never have reached such heights.

His father would also repeat the teaching of the Levush Mordechai, Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein zt”l, who said in his talks that the very foundation—the aleph-beis—of a ben yeshiva is the aspiration to become a gadol hador. A true ben yeshiva never settles for mediocrity but constantly strives to grow in Torah to the greatest extent possible.

This, Rav Uziel said, was the way his father lived. In matters of olam hazeh his life was marked by extraordinary simplicity. Anyone who entered his home could immediately see that this world was merely a corridor leading to Torah study and the fulfillment of mitzvos. But when it came to Torah itself there was no concept of limitation or contentment with less. There were no fixed hours for eating or sleeping; his entire day and night revolved around Torah. His life was completely immersed in Torah, in amalus baTorah, in striving in Torah, and in total dedication to Torah.

Today, Rav Uziel added, they have merited to establish institutions where hundreds of talmidim learn, and the spirit in those yeshivos reflects the same ideal — the aspiration for greatness in Torah, yiras Shamayim, and refined middos.

He also recalled hearing from one of the sons of the Griz that when the Griz wanted to teach his own children how to grow in Torah, he would tell them to look at Rav Chaim Shlomo and learn from his example.

When asked what it meant to be both the son and the foremost talmid of such a figure, Rav Uziel replied that to have a father who is also one’s rebbe muvhak — or conversely, a rebbe muvhak who is also one’s father — is an extraordinary gift from Shamayim. Throughout one’s life one has before him a living example who is both a fatherly figure and a spiritual mentor. In the presence of such a personality, he said, it becomes impossible to deviate even slightly.

In that context, the teaching aseh lecha rav takes on its fullest meaning. A genuine talmid connects to his rebbe with the same closeness that a son has to his father.

Rav Uziel noted that his father once told him in the name of the Griz that the pasuk “v’shinantam l’vanecha” refers to students because the phrase implies that the words of Torah must be sharp and precise in one’s mouth — something that only a true rebbe can instill in his talmidim.

The entire concept of what a rebbe and a talmid truly are, Rav Uziel said, had already been deeply ingrained in their family by their grandfather, Rav Boruch Ber.

He described how they witnessed the complete bitul their father showed toward his own father and teacher. Every aspect of his life — his limud, his thinking, even the exact wording he used when discussing a sugya — was shaped by how his father and grandfather had understood it. Before making any decision he would ask himself what his father and grandfather would have said or done.

Rav Uziel recalled the visible joy his father would experience after delivering a shiur klali in which he felt he had succeeded in accurately explaining the teachings of his father and grandfather.

He also described a conversation he once had with Maran Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. Rav Elyashiv told him with great emotion that he still vividly remembered seeing Rav Chaim Shlomo learning with his father in the beis medrash Ohel Sarah. Rav Elyashiv said he could never forget the extraordinary bitul Rav Chaim Shlomo displayed toward his father.

Rav Uziel emphasized that his father’s talmidim felt a deep closeness and love from him, like sons. That relationship between rebbe and talmid, he said, was something his father had learned from Rav Boruch Ber, for whom the concept that talmidim are like children was not merely an idea but a living reality.

Rav Uziel also recalled a conversation he had with Maran Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l. Rav Shteinman told him that when he was young he had spent time in Kaminetz and had been instructed by his father to carefully observe the conduct of Rav Boruch Ber. Rav Shteinman said that even people who had not learned in the yeshiva could sense Rav Boruch Ber’s holiness and righteousness.

At the end of their conversation, Rav Shteinman asked Rav Uziel whether he knew why Rav Boruch Ber merited that his Torah is studied everywhere. Rav Uziel replied that this was precisely the type of question one asks in order to hear the daas Torah of the rosh yeshiva. Rav Shteinman then explained that it was because of Rav Boruch Ber’s extraordinary dedication to his talmidim. Because of that devotion, the talmidim in turn devoted themselves completely to continuing and spreading his Torah.

Rav Uziel added that his father himself displayed tremendous respect for every ben yeshiva and every talmid. He would speak to them with great honor and would never dismiss a student’s question as incorrect. Instead, he would strengthen the question and suggest what the student might have intended to ask. Often he would present the answer as emerging from the student’s own question so that the talmid would leave feeling he had discovered a genuine chiddush.

Rav Uziel also shared that his father would frequently spend Shabbos and Yom Tov recounting stories about the great gedolim of earlier generations. He would describe the events with remarkable detail, explaining what happened and why. Through these stories, Rav Uziel said, listeners could almost relive the experiences and absorb the ideals, yiras Shamayim, and values of those earlier generations.

This practice, he noted, also came from Rav Boruch Ber, who saw telling stories about the gedolei Yisroel as a powerful way to acquire yiras Shamayim and refined middos.

In conclusion, Rav Uziel spoke about the founding of the mamleches haTorah Birchas Shmuel in Eretz Yisroel. He said that his father had long cherished the aspiration that such a place of Torah be established in the spirit of Rav Boruch Ber, where future generations of bnei yeshiva could grow according to that tradition.

Indeed, with great siyata d’Shmaya they have merited to establish several institutions of Torah bearing the name Birchas Shmuel. The remarkable success they have seen, he said, is surely in the merit of their great grandfather Rav Boruch Ber and of his father Rav Chaim Shlomo Leibowitz zt”l, whose influence they continue to feel guiding the mekomos haTorah where new generations are growing and flourishing in Torah.

{Matzav.com}

Six people were seriously injured in an Iranian missile barrage on central Israel early Sunday afternoon. According to rescue services, the barrage resulted in over a dozen impact sites, making it likely that the missile was a cluster bomb. A man was seriously injured by interceptor shrapnel in Tel Aviv, and five people were injured […]

Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu is continuing efforts to secure support for passing the state budget amid the ongoing war, holding discussions with senior leaders of the chareidi parties as the government seeks to move the budget forward even before advancing the draft law.

According to sources, Netanyahu spoke on Thursday with Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni regarding the matter. The following day, MK Meir Porush met with the prime minister in his office as part of the ongoing attempts to reach an understanding with the chareidi factions.

During his conversation with Netanyahu, Gafni clarified that the rabbinic leadership has not yet reached a decision on the issue. He explained that the matter still requires discussion within the Degel HaTorah faction, including consultations with faction chairman MK Uri Maklev and other members of the party, and that no final position has yet been determined.

As reported in recent days, Netanyahu is seeking to pass the state budget before moving ahead with legislation regarding the draft law. The request comes in light of the continuing war and the assessment that the legislation cannot realistically be completed in the current circumstances.

At the same time, Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri, who also discussed the matter with Netanyahu, is said to be leaning toward supporting the move because of the war and the desire to avoid bringing down the government during such a critical period.

Officials in Shas, however, emphasized that their support is also dependent on the position taken by the Ashkenazi chareidi parties.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future. In his State of the Union address less than two weeks ago, the Republican president confidently told the country: “The roaring economy is roaring like never before.” The latest […]

After days of Iranian missile and drone attacks on its territory, the United Arab Emirates carried out a strike on Iran on Sunday. According to reports, the Emiratis targeted an Iranian desalination facility. Israeli officials believe the strike is meant primarily as a warning to the Iranian regime, signaling resolve without yet fully entering the […]

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the recently eliminated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a senior IRGC official who is likely to be chosen as the next supreme leader, owns two luxury apartments directly overlooking the Israeli Embassy in London, raising serious security concerns, the UK’s Daily Mail reported on Motzei Shabbos. The report comes shortly after […]

President Isaac Herzog said in an interview that any decision regarding a possible pardon for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu must follow the legal process outlined under Israeli law.

Speaking to Fox News, Herzog emphasized that the issue is not currently under consideration while the country is engaged in war.

“Let’s put things on record and in perspective. First of all, during the war, there are no proceedings at all. So it’s off the charts and off the table. And the Prime Minister is solely focused on the war,” said Herzog.

He went on to explain the limits of his authority as Israel’s president and how the country’s system differs from governments where the head of state holds executive power.

“Number two, just to explain to your viewers, I’m the head of state. I don’t have executive powers. It’s similar to what you see in Europe and other countries. And I have the pardoning power. I’m, of course, obliged and sworn into Israeli law, just like you have American constitution for the President of the United States, we have the Israeli constitution for the President of Israel.”

Herzog added that any potential decision on a pardon would require input from the relevant legal authorities before he could act.

“I said that I will consider everything seriously, but I’m obliged under the process and under Israeli law to await opinions that must be given to me by the relevant authorities. And that is why, of course, everything is on the table, but it has to be done according to Israeli law,” Herzog stressed.

He also addressed recent calls from President Donald Trump urging him to pardon Netanyahu, responding with praise for Trump while maintaining that the matter remains an internal Israeli issue.

“I respect President Trump tremendously, honestly. And I take the brunt with a lot of affection and respect to him because he’s the leader of the free world who’s changing history. But on the merits of a case, which is an internal case in Israel, I am obliged, I’m sworn in, and I’m the President of the state of Israel.”

Herzog’s comments came several days after Trump sharply criticized him in an interview with Axios reporter Barak Ravid, accusing the Israeli president of delaying a pardon for Netanyahu.

“The president … should give Bibi the pardon today. I don’t want anything on Bibi’s mind other than fighting against Iran,” Trump said, claiming that Herzog had previously suggested he would grant the pardon but had not done so.

“He told me he would give it to him. But he has held it over Bibi’s head for a year,” Trump said. “Tell him I am exposing him. That president better …. give him the pardon right now – and stop using it as leverage for his own political career.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s administration has approved the rapid sale of more than 20,000 bombs to Israel valued at roughly $650 million by invoking emergency powers to bypass the usual congressional review process, according to a Reuters report citing two U.S. officials familiar with the transaction.

In a statement released late Friday, the U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an emergency situation required immediate approval of the weapons transfer. Because of that determination, the administration waived the standard congressional review that typically accompanies arms sales of this scale.

According to Reuters, the weapons package includes 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb bodies weighing 1,000 pounds each, which Israel had previously requested.

The decision follows the launch of a joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran that began a week earlier.

“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States,” the State Department said in its statement, noting that Repkon USA, a Texas-based company, will serve as the primary contractor.

A State Department official provided additional information on Saturday, explaining that the package also includes BLU-111 500-pound general-purpose bombs as part of an amendment to a previously approved sale.

The official also said Israel is expected to acquire an additional $298 million in essential munitions through direct commercial purchases.

The move drew criticism from some lawmakers. Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks objected to the decision to bypass Congress, arguing that the emergency declaration suggested the administration had not adequately prepared for the conflict.

“The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war. Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story. This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation,” Meeks said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

{Matzav.com}