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Iran’s intelligence establishment is escalating its rhetoric, alleging that outside powers are working to undermine the regime and even eliminate its top leader. According to an AFP dispatch, officials in Tehran say the United States and Israel are at the center of what they describe as an intensified campaign against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In remarks carried by the ISNA news agency, intelligence minister Esmail Khatib warned, “The enemy seeks to target the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks.” His comments represent one of the few times in recent years that Iranian leadership has publicly suggested a direct threat against Khamenei’s life.

Tehran frequently accuses foreign nations of covert operations, but such explicit claims about attempts on the supreme leader had rarely surfaced before the 12-day Israel–Iran conflict that erupted in June. Against that backdrop, Khatib cast a wide net of blame, insisting, “Those who act in this direction, knowingly or unknowingly, are the infiltrating agents of the enemy,” a pointed reference to both Washington and Jerusalem.

Iran’s accusations come months after the June confrontation, during which Israel carried out strikes on high-ranking Iranian military figures, nuclear scientists, infrastructure targets, and residential areas. The United States later entered the fray with attacks on several strategic nuclear sites.

In the midst of that conflict, ABC News questioned Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu about whether Israel would attempt to kill Khamenei. He replied that the assumption that eliminating Iran’s supreme leader would necessarily intensify the regional crisis was unfounded, declining to rule the possibility out.

Amid the fallout from the war, President Donald Trump later declared that he had saved Khamenei “from a very ugly death” during the hostilities — an assertion that added another layer of friction to an already volatile situation.

Khamenei, now 86, has served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, maintaining ultimate control over the political, military, and religious hierarchy of the Islamic Republic.

{Matzav.com}

CNN: Your costs are up versus a year ago. Groceries 85%, utilities 78%, healthcare 67%, housing 66%, gasoline 54% – the Treasury Secretary can try and tell the people something, but they can feel it in their pocketbooks. They simply don’t buy what he and the administration is selling when it comes to tariffs.

CNBC: My understanding is the White House said that China was gonna buy 12 million tons of soybeans from the US by January. That’s approaching and they’ve only purchased 332,000. China has not confirmed that pledge. BROOKE ROLLINS: Your point is salient. We’ve got a significant way to go.

JOE KERNEN: Do you see the administration getting down to 2% with inflation? SEC. ROLLINS: The structure of what’s happening is incredibly positive. We’re already down to 2.9% JOE KERNEN: That was about where it was when Biden left though SEC. ROLLINS: That’s right. It’s continuing to come down though. JOE KERNEN: It’s ticked up […]

IDF troops from the Nahal and Golani Brigades, together with Yahalom, have been operating in Rafah to dismantle remaining terror tunnels and strike underground infrastructure. Over the past week, hundreds of meters of tunnels were destroyed and more than 60 targets hit, including about 15 shafts and roughly 40 terror structures. Troops also uncovered a […]

Sec. Marco Rubio just called the Geneva peace talks for Russia-Ukraine potentially the best they’ve ever had.

BANK OF ISRAEL CUTS RATES FOR FIRST TIME IN NEARLY TWO YEARS: The Bank of Israel lowered interest rates today for the first time in nearly two years, citing strong third-quarter recovery but ongoing inflation risks from the war and fiscal pressure. The committee led by Governor Amir Yaron approved the move as inflation stayed […]

Colombian authorities detained members of a remnant Lev Tahor radical group this week and removed 17 minors from their custody, according to local reports. Officials say the families involved were attempting to re-form the cult after its collapse in recent months — but were discovered and stopped by law enforcement.

The operation took place in Yarumal, Antioquia, and was led by Colombia’s immigration authority. Local media said the raid included military support after officials received reports of foreign minors present in the area under “possible risk conditions.”

In total, authorities located 26 foreign nationals connected to Lev Tahor — nine adults and seventeen children. Five of the minors had active Interpol yellow notices, meaning they were flagged as being at risk for human trafficking, kidnapping, or exploitation. Immigration officials said those five children held Canadian, American, and Guatemalan citizenship.

The group had reportedly traveled into Colombia on October 22 and 23 from New York. Their attempt to establish a new communal enclave followed the recent dismantling of Lev Tahor operations in Guatemala, where most families had dispersed to the United States, Canada, and Israel.

Officials say about seven families were involved in the new effort to rebuild the cult. Representatives from the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) participated in the intervention, and the group has since been transferred to an immigration services center. Authorities have not yet determined whether they will be deported to the United States or Guatemala.

Despite being incarcerated in New York on a long prison term for multiple crimes, cult leader Nachman Helbrans — son of the group’s late founder — is believed to still be directing its remaining members from behind bars, attempting to revive the organization.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick: The president wants the American people to understand how great tariffs are for them.

A severe and deeply troubling security breach occurred at Ben Gurion Airport over the weekend, when a man wanted for police questioning managed to flee the country by impersonating his twin brother — all while officers from the Population and Immigration Authority were actively pursuing him.

According to an i24NEWS report by Lee Ayash, the suspect, in his 40s, successfully passed through border control and even the biometric verification system using his brother’s passport. Despite using a document that was not his, he was not flagged at any checkpoint and boarded a flight to Bulgaria, where he is currently located.

The suspect is wanted on allegations that he assaulted his wife.

Meanwhile, the twin brother who remained in Israel was detained. He initially told police he had no knowledge of the escape plan, but investigators say evidence they uncovered indicates otherwise. His arrest has been extended. The Population and Immigration Authority stated that the incident will undergo a thorough internal review.

This alarming breach is not the only major security failure at Ben Gurion Airport in recent months. Approximately two months ago, a 13-year-old boy managed to infiltrate an El Al aircraft without passing security screening, passport control, or supervised boarding procedures. The boy was only discovered by flight attendants moments before takeoff, preventing what officials described as a potentially catastrophic situation.

Initial questioning in that case revealed that the teenager entered the airport’s secure area by tailgating another passenger. His infiltration triggered serious concern among airport authorities and the airline. He was immediately transferred to security forces and police for further investigation, while El Al and the Israel Airports Authority launched an urgent inquiry into the incident.

{Matzav.com}

One day before Hamas unleashed its devastating assault on October 7, a highly unusual intelligence alert quietly arrived at the Yarkon base of Unit 8200, according to a new report. Channel 12 News reports that the message referenced the activation of a significant weapons-related system in the northern Gaza region—an activity that, under normal conditions, should have set off loud alarms across the broader operational arena.

Security personnel had tracked Hamas members clearing out storage structures and maneuvering in a way that did not match their standard patterns. Such behavior typically demands immediate dissemination of warnings through direct communication. Instead, the information was sent solely through email, bypassing the urgent channels routinely used for time-sensitive threats.

Because this message landed just hours before the onset of Simchas Torah, no one in the Gaza Division logged into the system to read it. As a result, the warning effectively vanished into an unopened inbox, leaving the field unaware of the potentially explosive shift taking place on the other side of the border.

The alert had come in late Friday afternoon into the night. As Shabbos progressed, more unusual movements appeared in the region, but without that initial warning, the emerging pattern failed to register as an imminent danger. The dots were never connected.

Earlier in the week—from Tuesday through Thursday—intelligence officers had collected other pieces of information related to Hamas’ weapons deployments. These findings were assessed as routine at the time, insufficient to push the sector into a higher level of readiness, yet in hindsight, they formed part of a chain pointing toward escalation.

Lt. Col. A., the intelligence officer for the Gaza Division who was later relieved of his post by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, did receive the alert but judged the developments as nothing more than a Hamas “show of force.” The evaluation was never brought to the situational briefing, leaving senior commanders unaware that anything had changed on the ground.

Responding to the revelations, the IDF stated: “The IDF has conducted and presented a wide range of in-depth investigations into the events of the morning of October 7 and the night preceding it. The findings were presented to the families, the injured, relevant decision-makers, the media, and the public. The investigations included lessons and insights, and the IDF in general – and Unit 8200 in particular – are working to implement them.”

{Matzav.com}

Myanmar’s military government has begun broadcasting extensive video on state television of its crackdown on online scam centers, showing buildings being bulldozed and over 1,000 foreigners detained. Myanmar is notorious for hosting cyberscam operations that target people all over the world. They usually involve gaining a person’s confidence with romantic ploys and luring them into […]

Lebanese media report Israeli drones flying over Beirut’s southern suburbs during the funeral of Hezbollah military leader Haytham Ali Tabatabai.

A short time ago, a bus lost control and crashed into a wall on Bialik Street in Holon. MDA EMTs and paramedics treated roughly 10 people who were lightly injured.

A volcano in Ethiopia’s northeastern region erupted, sending thick plumes of smoke up to 14 kilometres (nine miles) into the sky.

Al Jazeera reported on Monday that the remains of an Israeli hostage were recovered in the northern area of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the body had been held by the Islamic Jihad terror group. The Hamas or Islamic Jihad terror groups have not issued any official announcements […]

Two men who missed their Wizz Air flight to Bucharest on Friday smashed an emergency switch, broke through a secure door, and ran onto the tarmac at Cologne/Bonn Airport, prompting police to file trespassing charges and investigate a possible Air Security Act violation.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced on Monday morning that he has ordered a new review of the conclusion of the external Turgeman Committee on the IDF’s failures on October 7. His statement followed the disciplinary steps against IDF commanders found responsible for the October 7 failures announced by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on […]

it is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yisroel Eliezer Hager zt”l, Av Beis Din of Seret Vizhnitz in Yerushalayim, who was niftar at the age of 74.

Rav Hager was born in Haifa to his father, Rav Moshe Hager, Rosh Yeshivas Seret Vizhnitz and mechaber of Birchas Moshe, and his mother, Rebbetzin Alte Perl, daughter of Rav Chaim Menachem Dovid Horowitz, the last Rebbe of the Dzhikov dynasty.

As a child he was raised under the illuminating presence of his saintly grandfather, the Mekor Baruch, who showered him with love and warmth and formed the foundation of his avodas Hashem. At his bar mitzvah, his uncle, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz, placed tefillin on him for the first time while in Tzfas.

Rav Yisroel Eliezer later married his rebbetzin, shetichyeh, the daughter of Rav Shmuel Shmelke Rubin, the Solitza Rebbe in the United States.

After living for a time in Haifa, he eventually settled in Yerushalayim, where he established the Seret Vizhnitz beis medrash on Grossberg Street. There he delivered shiurim, uplifted mispalleli, and published sefarim drawn from the Torah of his holy forebears.

Despite his illustrious yichus—his brother and cousins all serving as Rebbes—Rav Yisroel Eliezer consistently declined any form of leadership or public position. Even as prominent Rebbes became his mechutanim, he continued to avoid the spotlight, choosing instead to live with sincerity, tznius, and quietness.

In recent years, despite enduring harsh yissurim, he accepted everything with love and unwavering emunah. On Rosh Hashanah, as in previous years, he stayed by the Vizhnitz Rebbe, his mechutan and shvogger, where he was accorded great kavod and honored with aliyos and other kibbudim.

Only two weeks ago, on Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Vayeira, he was still zocheh to participate in the tenaim of his grandson, the son of Rav Menachem Mendel Hager.

In the last days, his condition suddenly deteriorated. After being hospitalized in critical condition, surrounded by his family, he was niftar as they stood at his side.

Rav Yisroel Eliezer leaves behind a distinguished dor of bnei Torah. His rebbetzin survives him, as does his only brother, the Shatz Vizhnitz Rebbe. His sons are Rav Menachem Mendel, a son-in-law of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe; Rav Baruch, a son-in-law of the Kretchnifer Rebbe; Rav Yaakov, a son-in-law of the Pittsburgh Rebbe zt”l and the mashgiach ruchani of Yeshivas Vizhnitz in Ashdod; and Rav Meir Emanuel, Rav of the Ratzfert kehillah in Beit Shemesh. His sons-in-law include Rav Yehuda Aryeh Halberstam, son of the Gorlitzer Rebbe; Rav Yisroel Tzvi Lemberger, son of the Makover Rav of Ashdod; and Rav Yechiel Yehoshua Rabinowitz, son of the Biala-Yashri Lev Rebbe. He is also survived by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The levayah will take place today at 4 PM from the Seret Vizhnitz Beis Medrash in Yerushalayim, proceed to the main Seret Vizhnitz beis medrash in Ramat Vizhnitz, Haifa, and from there continue to the ancient beis hachaim in Tzefas for kevurah.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}