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A 33-year-old man from Kitchener, Ontario, has been arrested and charged with a hate-motivated offense after authorities investigated an online livestream that allegedly included antisemitic comments and threats directed at members of the Jewish community.

Waterloo Regional Police said they became aware of the video on Saturday after it was posted online. Following an investigation, officers obtained a warrant, searched a residence in Kitchener and took the suspect into custody.

“As a result of the investigation, officers completed a warrant at a residence in Kitchener and arrested the suspect,” police said in a media release. The man was charged with uttering threats to cause death – hate motivated.

The arrest comes against the backdrop of mounting concern over antisemitic incidents in Canada and just days after a shooting outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario. Members of the Jewish community had assembled there for Kol Nidrei on the eve of Yom Kippur when the attack occurred.

Belleville Police described that shooting as a “premeditated and targeted” attack against the Jewish community.

Authorities subsequently released video from the incident showing 29-year-old Sean Ward, who previously served in the Canadian Forces, opening fire outside the synagogue. During the confrontation, Ward could be heard asking Const. Jeff Smith, the officer who intervened in what police said might otherwise have become an even greater tragedy, “You are going to die for the Jews?”

Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd said Ward possessed the weapons and capability to carry out a mass-casualty attack and potentially destroy the synagogue. “The suspect had the means, the motive, and the mechanisms to cause a mass casualty and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue. The loss of life and irreversible damage that could have rippled through our community for generations cannot be overstated,” he said.

Ward, who departed the Canadian military in 2022, was carrying a shotgun when he encountered Smith, who had arrived in a police vehicle and was stationed outside the synagogue. Smith was struck by gunfire while inside his cruiser, suffering multiple wounds to his head and body as well as fractures and injuries from shrapnel. He is expected to require several operations as part of an extended recovery.

Ward was critically wounded during the confrontation and was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects the United States to win its war against Iran in the near future, saying Washington has already prevailed militarily while stressing that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains at the heart of the conflict.

During an interview with Fox News, Trump said the United States has been making significant headway against Iran on both the military and economic fronts.

“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to win this war very soon,” he said, adding that stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was “key to the whole thing.”

“We’ve already won it really from a military standpoint,” the President added, though he indicated that the campaign itself was not necessarily finished.

Trump also left open the possibility that the United States could launch additional strikes against Iran before the midterm elections. Asked specifically about that prospect, he responded: “I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to say that. I mean, it’s possible, but I just don’t want to say that.”

The President’s comments came as diplomatic efforts continued behind the scenes to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table despite major differences between the two sides.

Earlier Sunday, Trump told Axios that he anticipates another round of discussions with Iran this week, even after rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal for bringing the conflict to an end.

“I expect more talks with Iran [this week]. They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand,” Trump said.

Asked whether he was considering further U.S. military action against Iran, Trump replied: “I am always thinking about it.”

Qatar and other regional mediators are working to arrange another round of indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran, potentially as soon as Monday. The two sides, however, remain far apart on several key issues.

Iran is seeking an agreement that addresses maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as well as the U.S. naval blockade. Washington, meanwhile, is demanding Iranian concessions concerning Tehran’s nuclear program.

The latest effort to restart negotiations follows discussions held last Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi through Qatari intermediaries.

During those talks, Iran presented a proposal under which it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations within one week. In exchange, Tehran sought an end to the American naval blockade, the lifting of restrictions on Iranian oil exports and the restoration of a regional ceasefire.

Trump rejected the Iranian proposal on Saturday, but efforts to arrange further negotiations have continued as mediators seek to bridge the substantial differences separating Washington and Tehran.

Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel personally contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre to warn of signs that an attack from Gaza could be imminent, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The reported phone call was said to have come after Egypt had already delivered two other warnings to Israel about troubling developments in Gaza.

The Journal, citing officials from an Arab government, reported that Kamel’s call represented a third Egyptian warning ahead of the Hamas assault. The existence of that specific phone conversation had not previously been publicly reported.

According to the report, Egyptian officials had twice previously alerted Israel to indications that an attack could be approaching, but those warnings did not result in action that prevented the October 7 assault. Kamel then reportedly took the extraordinary step of personally calling Netanyahu in the final days before the attack.

The Journal also reported that Netanyahu received a warning from United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed during September 2023. That message reportedly concerned indications that Hamas was preparing an attack. Neither the Egyptian nor Emirati warnings, however, was said to have included a specific date for an assault or information establishing the enormous scope of what Hamas was planning.

Netanyahu’s office did not respond to questions from the Journal regarding the latest report. The Prime Minister’s Office has previously strongly disputed claims that Netanyahu had communicated with Kamel during the months preceding October 7. Egyptian and Emirati officials also did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.

The new report comes just days after The New York Times reported that bin Zayed had privately warned Netanyahu shortly before October 7 that Hamas might be preparing a major attack. According to that account, five former senior Israeli officials said the Emirati warning never reached Israel’s security leadership. Netanyahu’s office and the UAE Foreign Ministry did not respond to the Times regarding that report.

The claims surrounding Egypt have also taken on added significance following a separate investigation by The Atlantic, which reported that Kamel himself made a brief and highly unusual trip to Israel on September 26, 2023 — just 11 days before the massacre.

According to Israeli Airports Authority records and independent flight-tracking information cited in the investigation, a private aircraft connected to Egyptian intelligence landed at Ben Gurion Airport that day and remained in Israel for only 67 minutes before departing.

The Atlantic reported, based on interviews with Israeli, Egyptian, Arab, American and European officials, that Kamel’s purpose in making the trip was to convey an urgent warning about developments in Gaza and indications that Hamas appeared to be preparing for a significant attack.

Officials cited in the report said Kamel conveyed that the situation in Gaza was becoming increasingly dangerous and that Israel had little time left to take steps that might prevent a major escalation. One former Israeli official summarized the Egyptian message as: “If you don’t change course, Gaza is going to explode in your face.”

The warning, however, reportedly did not provide a date for an attack, identify potential targets or lay out details of Hamas’ operational plans. Rather, Kamel reportedly urged Israel to pursue economic measures involving Hamas and Gaza in an effort to lower tensions and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Netanyahu’s office has rejected The Atlantic’s account, saying the allegation “was denied at the time and is being recycled to manipulate the Israeli public.” The Prime Minister’s Office has also said that Netanyahu neither met nor spoke with Kamel during the months before October 7 and that no Israeli intelligence official conveyed such an Egyptian warning to him.

Matzav.com regrets to inform you of the petirah of Rav Raphael Yitzchak Isaac Shain zt”l, a longtime and beloved rebbe at Adelphia Yeshiva and a member of a distinguished Torah family whose roots are intertwined with the development of Torah life in America.

Rav Shain was a son of Rav Moshe Shain zt”l and the renowned Rebbetzin Ruchoma Shain a”h, celebrated author of the classic All for the Boss and other widely read works. Rebbetzin Shain was a daughter of Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman zt”l, the legendary Torah pioneer whose extraordinary efforts to preserve and strengthen Yiddishkeit in America became known to generations through his daughter’s writings.

Rav Raphael Yitzchak was thus a grandson of Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman, growing up in a family in which dedication to Torah and chinuch was a defining feature.

His parents themselves represented an important link to the great Torah world of prewar Europe. Shortly after their marriage, Rav Moshe and Rebbetzin Ruchoma Shain traveled to Mir, where Rav Moshe learned for nearly six years in the Mirrer Yeshiva under Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, Rav Yeruchom Levovitz and Rav Yechezkel Levenstein. The couple later returned to the United States, and after their children were grown, they moved to Yerushalayim.

Rav Moshe Shain was a gifted Torah educator whose influence on his talmidim remained with them for decades. Rebbetzin Shain, in her writings, described her husband as a “Torah educator par excellence,” and quoted a friend who said that he “commanded respect without demanding respect.”

That legacy of chinuch was continued by their son, Rav Raphael Yitzchak, who devoted himself to teaching and guiding talmidim. For many years, he served as a rebbe at Adelphia Yeshiva, where he became a beloved figure to generations of students.

Rav Shain carried with him the values of a home steeped in Torah and built upon an extraordinary family history. His maternal grandfather, Rav Yaakov Yosef Herman, became famous for his fierce commitment to Shabbos, kashrus, Torah learning and every aspect of Yiddishkeit at a time when religious observance in America often came at an enormous personal cost.

Rebbetzin Ruchoma Shain brought that world to life for generations of readers through All for the Boss, first published in 1984. The book chronicled her father’s remarkable life and his determination to build Torah in America without compromise. It went on to become a classic of Jewish literature and introduced countless readers to the Herman family and the sacrifices made by an earlier generation of American Yidden.

She later authored additional books, including Reaching the Stars, Dearest Children, All for the Best and Shining Lights, continuing to transmit the lessons and personalities that had shaped her life.

Rav Raphael Yitzchak grew up surrounded by those values and devoted his own life to their transmission through chinuch. His passing is a loss particularly to the many talmidim who knew him as their rebbe and to the Adelphia Yeshiva community in which he served.

Rav Shain was one of three children of Rav Moshe and Rebbetzin Ruchoma Shain. His siblings are Rav Yisrael Meir Shain and Mrs. Mashi Wilner.

The levayah will take place today, the first day of Chol Hamoed Sukkos, at 2:15 p.m. at the Yoshon (Bendheim) Bais Medrash of Bais Medrash Govoha, located at 617 Seventh Street in Lakewood.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

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THIS THURSDAY!

Chol Hamoed Sukkos

At the Ritz Theater

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British counterterrorism authorities are investigating an apparent plot near RAF Fairford, a British air base used by the United States, after five men were arrested early Sunday and three suspicious trucks were found near the facility.

London’s Metropolitan Police, which leads investigations involving suspected terrorism, said authorities were alerted at approximately 12:45 a.m. to three vehicles that appeared to be heading toward RAF Fairford. The British-owned installation has been operated by the United States under an arrangement dating back to the Cold War.

The arrests come amid heightened concern in Britain over operations conducted by hostile foreign states and their proxies. British authorities have repeatedly identified Russia and Iran among the countries accused of using proxies to carry out criminal activity inside the United Kingdom.

Officials said in March that national security investigations involving hostile-state activity, including cases connected to Iran, had risen by 50% during the six-month period ending in December 2025.

RAF Fairford has been used by American bombers conducting narrowly defined strikes against Iranian missile sites. Those operations were carried out under an agreement reached with then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who subsequently expressed opposition to the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

Investigators are reportedly examining a possible Iranian connection to the incident, although no determination has been announced. Tehran has previously maintained that military installations used to launch attacks against Iranian territory can be considered legitimate targets.

President Trump praised the law enforcement and security personnel involved in intercepting the suspects, saying they had been under surveillance before their arrests.

“It was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort. And working with the British worked out great,” he told reporters in Chicago on Sunday. “We had them under view for a long time and we got them.”

The five suspects were first taken into custody on suspicion of violations of Britain’s Explosives Act in the Whelford area, which borders RAF Fairford. The installation houses the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing as well as the 420th Air Base Squadron.

Aerial video broadcast by Sky News showed what appeared to be a bomb-disposal robot operating among three white trucks. The rear doors of two vehicles were open, with large black objects visible nearby, while the robot appeared to be attempting to gain access to the third vehicle.

Authorities have not released the nationalities of the five suspects. Under Britain’s Terrorism Act 2000, individuals arrested on terrorism suspicions may be held for as long as 14 days without being charged, significantly longer than the ordinary 24-hour detention period unless authorities obtain an extension.

“We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody,” said Vicki Evans, the Met’s counterterrorism policing senior national coordinator.

Evans said authorities established a 400-yard security perimeter around the three suspicious vehicles while British military personnel carried out examinations. Approximately 85 households were evacuated as a precaution, with some displaced residents being brought to a nearby recreation center.

The U.S. Embassy in London also issued a warning to Americans, urging them to exercise caution and remain attentive to their personal security.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham acknowledged that news of the incident would be “deeply concerning” to many people. In a social media post, Burnham expressed appreciation to police and military personnel responding to the scene and thanked residents forced to leave their homes “while precautionary checks are carried out.”

Burnham also appealed to the public “not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth and British defense chief Wes Streeting have also discussed the developing situation.

British security authorities have previously accused proxies connected to Iran of involvement in attempted arson and sabotage operations in Britain and elsewhere, including incidents directed against Jewish targets. Officials have warned that Tehran could broaden the range of potential targets inside Britain if Middle East hostilities continue.

Gloucestershire Police said the immediate situation appeared to be “contained” while urging residents in the area to continue following instructions from authorities as the investigation proceeds.

Julian Tudsbery, a Whelford resident for three decades, said another person in the community had spotted three “suspicious vans” in the village during the early hours of Sunday. Tudsbery said police subsequently arrived and ordered residents to leave.

“There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate,” he said.

Hezbollah is shifting its deployment across southern Lebanon and moving missiles, ammunition and other weapons to new locations, as the IDF closely monitors the terror group for signs that it may be preparing to escalate the confrontation in the coming days.

Lebanese military sources told the Eram News website that Hezbollah has recently transferred precision missiles, defensive systems, weapons and ammunition to villages west of the Yellow Line and south of the Litani River.

According to the sources, some of the weapons were removed from tunnels and strategic positions that Hezbollah has lost, including sites in the vicinity of the Ali Taher Ridge. The weapons have reportedly been dispersed among new locations inside towns and villages, including areas near residential homes and destroyed buildings. Hezbollah terrorists have also been stationed at the sites to guard the newly established weapons caches.

The redeployment follows IDF operations that seized tunnels and other positions used by Hezbollah to store weapons and ammunition. The underground infrastructure had also allowed Hezbollah terrorists to move between locations while avoiding Israeli aerial surveillance.

A senior Lebanese military source told Eram News that Hezbollah is now facing a “strategic problem” after mountain roads and passages previously used to move terrorists between positions were exposed. At the same time, tunnels that enabled Hezbollah members to travel underground and reach forward positions without being detected above ground have been destroyed.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued carrying out strikes against Hezbollah. A series of operations over recent days has eliminated a number of terrorists belonging to the organization.

The IDF Northern Command is simultaneously preparing to complete the deployment of Israeli forces along the Yellow Line. According to the IDF, Hezbollah infrastructure throughout the area has been destroyed, and Israel is now constructing an extensive new line of military positions across the sector, inside Lebanese territory.

The IDF chief of staff recently visited Northern Command and approved plans for establishing and strengthening the new defensive line. Those plans also include preparations for offensive operations should Hezbollah attempt to escalate the situation.

Israeli defense officials are continuing to closely follow Hezbollah’s movements and assess what the terror group may be planning in the coming days. At the same time, the IDF is preparing to preserve its freedom of action against Hezbollah while contending with growing international scrutiny of Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

Bnei Brak municipal officials have launched an internal investigation amid suspicions that listening devices were secretly placed inside the office of Mayor Chanoch Zeibert and then removed before experts arrived to conduct a professional security sweep.

The investigation began after officials at the municipality received information and discovered indications that raised concerns that someone may have been conducting surveillance inside the municipal building. A professional firm specializing in detecting hidden listening equipment was subsequently called in to inspect the offices, including Mayor Zeibert’s office. According to Kikar HaShabbat, evidence uncovered during the examination suggested that surveillance devices may previously have been installed in the mayor’s office but were apparently removed before the experts conducted their search.

In the wake of those findings, municipal officials began examining footage from security cameras throughout the building. Investigators are attempting to establish who entered Mayor Zeibert’s office during the period in question and identify individuals who could have gained access to the room.

The municipality’s internal probe has also focused on an electronic access chip that had previously been connected to a senior municipal official. Investigators suspect that the chip may have been used to gain entry to the mayor’s office in order to install the alleged surveillance equipment. At this stage, however, officials have not established who actually used the chip, who may have ordered or carried out the suspected surveillance, or what information they were allegedly seeking to obtain.

The matter has not yet been formally reported to police. Municipal sources said the city intends to complete its own investigation and collect the relevant evidence before filing a police complaint following Yom Tov.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has ordered Israeli officials to begin assembling a legal case against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, focusing on allegations concerning Ankara’s treatment of the Kurdish population and its financial links to Hamas, according to a report by i24NEWS legal analyst Avishai Grinzaig.

Netanyahu reportedly instructed an interministerial team, together with the director of the Justice Ministry’s International Law Department, to compile the material for a possible international legal proceeding against the Turkish leader.

The move follows a continuing deterioration in relations between Israel and Turkey and comes after Erdogan announced last month that Ankara had turned to Interpol in an effort to pursue Netanyahu’s arrest. According to the report, that step was among a series of Turkish actions that prompted Netanyahu to order preparation of the legal case.

The Israeli effort is expected to concentrate heavily on allegations involving Erdogan’s actions against Turkey’s Kurdish population. Officials are also reportedly gathering material concerning Turkey’s connections to Hamas and allegations that Erdogan’s government has helped finance the terrorist organization.

One possibility under consideration would involve bringing the material before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Israel could potentially pursue the matter itself, though officials reportedly view submitting it through a third party as the more likely course. Neither Israel nor Turkey is a party to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC.

Israeli officials, however, reportedly do not necessarily expect — or even want — the case to reach the filing stage. According to i24NEWS, the preparation of a detailed legal dossier, combined with the possibility that it could ultimately be submitted, is intended in part to give Israel leverage against Erdogan and deter additional steps by Ankara.

The development comes just days after Netanyahu launched a blistering attack on Erdogan during his address to the United Nations General Assembly, accusing the Turkish leader and his government of spreading antisemitism and directing a series of accusations at Erdogan’s record.

“The latest country to become a super-spreader of antisemitic lies is Turkey,” Netanyahu declared.

“Erdogan is a tyrant who also hosts the Hamas terror chiefs,” he continued, accusing the Turkish President of murdering thousands of Kurdish civilians, denying the Armenian genocide, and imprisoning journalists and opposition figures.

Netanyahu also used the UN address to accuse Erdogan of illegally occupying Northern Cyprus, violating Greek sovereignty, attempting to extend Turkish control over Syria and repeatedly calling for Israel’s destruction.

Turning directly to Erdogan’s statements regarding Yerushalayim, Netanyahu delivered an unequivocal response from the UN podium.

“No, Sir. You won’t. This is our country, our city, our eternal capital.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir came face-to-face in prison with senior Hamas terrorist Hassan Salameh, the mastermind convicted of directing a string of devastating suicide bombings that murdered dozens of Israelis during the 1990s, and told him that he intends to work toward having him executed.

The encounter carried particular significance for Ben-Gvir, who recalled that in the aftermath of Salameh’s attacks decades ago, he took part in protests demanding that authorities deal harshly with the Hamas terrorist. Ben-Gvir told Salameh that returning to confront him years later as Israel’s national security minister brought matters full circle, and he pledged to pursue his execution.

Salameh played a central role in Hamas’ murderous suicide-bombing campaign during the mid-1990s. A senior operative in the terror group’s military wing, he helped plan the two bombings of Jerusalem’s Route 18 buses that were carried out just one week apart in February and March 1996. Dozens of Israelis were murdered and scores more were wounded in the attacks.

A court ruling in the case of Mahmoud Abu-Warda, who recruited the suicide bombers used in the attacks, found that the recruitment was conducted as part of preparations made in advance by Salameh together with Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.

On February 25, 1996, a suicide terrorist blew himself up aboard a Route 18 bus in Yerushalayim, murdering 24 people. Later that same day, another terrorist struck at the Ashkelon Junction, killing IDF soldier Hofit Ayesh. One week later, on March 3, a second Route 18 bus in Yerushalayim was targeted by a suicide bomber, leaving another 20 people dead.

Salameh was serving as an operative in Hamas’ military wing during that period. After Hamas bombmaker Yahya Ayyash was assassinated in January 1996, Deif assigned Salameh to help carry out a campaign of revenge attacks against Israel. Salameh had earlier been expelled to Lebanon, where he received military instruction that included training in the preparation and construction of explosive devices.

Israeli forces eventually tracked Salameh down in May 1996. An IDF unit located him in the Chevron area, where he was shot and wounded before being taken into custody. He was subsequently prosecuted in Israel for his role in the deadly terror attacks.

Salameh was convicted by a military court and handed 46 consecutive life sentences, as well as an additional 20-year prison term. A United Nations document detailing the sentence records his conviction for responsibility in three suicide bombings that murdered 46 people and wounded approximately 90 others. One of the judges who heard the case maintained at the time that Salameh deserved the death penalty.

Salameh has continued to hold a significant position within Hamas despite spending decades in an Israeli prison. In 2023, a book he authored behind bars, titled “Buses Catch Fire,” was published in the Gaza Strip. The book dealt with the terror attacks carried out following Ayyash’s assassination and was unveiled at an event organized by Hamas’ military wing that was attended by senior members of the terrorist organization.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Sunday that Tehran is prepared to wage a “doomsday war” against the United States if necessary, even as he insisted that Iran remains interested in diplomacy and continues to seek a cease-fire agreement rejected by President Trump.

“We stand firm in the face of any aggression against us, even when it comes to a doomsday war,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “At the same time, we are ready for diplomacy.”

Araghchi defended Tehran’s proposed seven-day cease-fire, describing it as a “very reasonable plan on the table,” despite Trump’s rejection of the proposal.

Under the reported terms of the Iranian offer, Washington would unfreeze approximately $12 billion in Iranian assets, ease sanctions and bring an end to the blockade. In return, Iran would agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump rejected those terms, while senior administration officials maintained that Tehran’s proposal required the United States to provide too many concessions at the outset.

“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump told reporters on Saturday.

Other administration officials, including U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, have questioned whether Tehran could be trusted to honor another cease-fire. They have pointed to Iranian attacks on vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz while an earlier Memorandum of Understanding was still in effect.

Araghchi, however, indicated that Tehran does not consider the matter completely settled and is awaiting a formal response through diplomatic channels.

“I have to say that although we heard from President Trump that he is rejecting this deal, but we are still waiting for an official response through the mediators,” Araghchi noted.

Iran has targeted vessels traveling through portions of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coastline. The Trump administration, meanwhile, says ships have continued moving through the strategically critical waterway by traveling along routes closer to Oman.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have climbed to nearly the levels seen before the war. The waterway historically handled nearly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies. According to Wright, elevated petroleum prices are now being driven largely by refining problems rather than an inability to move crude through the strait.

Diplomatic efforts continued on the sidelines of last week’s United Nations General Assembly, where special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian negotiators for roughly three hours. The talks, however, produced little public evidence of a significant breakthrough.

Trump has also left open the prospect of dramatically intensifying military action against Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that the president is weighing a major escalation following the midterm elections. For now, the administration has continued applying economic pressure through the blockade and the Treasury Department’s Operation Economic Outcast.

Araghchi warned that if the United States launches another round of strikes, Tehran believes it is now better positioned to respond than it was during previous fighting.

“We are fully prepared for that,” the foreing minister said. “We have learned our lesson from the two previous wars, and we have corrected our tactics. We have changed our tactics, and we are fully prepared to do that.”

Despite his threats of a massive confrontation, Araghchi maintained that Iran has not closed the door on negotiations. At the same time, he accused Washington of undermining Tehran’s confidence in the diplomatic process, citing U.S. military operations that took place while negotiations were underway.

“There is always hope for diplomacy,” Araghchi said. “But to be honest with you, we have no reason to come back to diplomacy and engage with this administration once again, because of how they’ve behaved in the past two years.”

Araghchi was also questioned about the condition and whereabouts of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view since Israeli strikes killed his father and reportedly left him seriously wounded.

“Well, there are security concerns, and you’re well aware of that. You know, our Supreme Leader was illegally assassinated during the last war. And I think it is very logical that we protect our leader in any way,” Araghchi said.

“We are all in one front, facing all challenges imposed on us by the US, by the sanctions or military operations.”

Araghchi insisted that Khamenei continues to exercise authority over Iran and said security considerations explain why Tehran has not released even a video showing the supreme leader publicly.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu made a secret trip to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, flying aboard a private aircraft for an unannounced meeting with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Israeli media reports.

The trip was first reported by Channel 12, which cited two sources familiar with the visit. The Jerusalem Post subsequently reported that a diplomatic source independently confirmed that Netanyahu traveled to the UAE and met with the Emirati leader.

According to additional details reported Sunday night, Netanyahu departed Israel shortly after noon and arrived in Abu Dhabi at approximately 3:10 p.m. He reportedly remained in the UAE for about four hours before departing for Israel.

The purpose and substance of Netanyahu’s talks with bin Zayed were not immediately disclosed. The Prime Minister’s Office did not provide details about the meeting or publicly comment on what the two leaders discussed.

The highly unusual, closely guarded visit comes at a sensitive moment, amid renewed controversy in Israel over reports concerning communications between the UAE and Netanyahu ahead of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.

Recent reports have alleged that bin Zayed contacted Netanyahu in September 2023 and raised concerns about the possibility of a major Hamas attack. Netanyahu’s office has disputed claims that the Emirati president provided him with an advance warning of the October 7 assault.

Sunday’s meeting therefore drew particular attention because of its timing, although there was no confirmation that the controversy over the alleged pre-October 7 communications was discussed during Netanyahu’s talks with bin Zayed.

Neither the Israeli government nor the UAE initially released an official account of the meeting, leaving the agenda of the secret Abu Dhabi talks undisclosed.