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Three judges currently serving on the International Criminal Court (ICC) filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, arguing that the penalties are unlawful and exceed the administration’s legal authority, according to Reuters.

The case, filed in federal court in Manhattan, was brought by ICC judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin.

In their complaint, the judges contend that the sanctions were not a legitimate exercise of executive power but rather an effort to intimidate members of the court and pressure them into changing their judicial conduct through measures imposed outside the normal legal process.

The White House, the Treasury Department, and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the filing of the lawsuit.

The legal dispute stems from sanctions the Trump administration imposed last year after the Hague-based court approved an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The sanctions also related to the ICC’s separate investigation into allegations of war crimes involving US military personnel in Afghanistan.

According to the lawsuit, the sanctions have far-reaching financial consequences because major international banks must comply with US sanctions rules if they conduct business in US dollars or maintain operations in the United States. As a result, those targeted face severe restrictions on access to routine banking and financial services.

The judges also argue that the administration improperly relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), asserting that the ICC’s judicial decisions do not constitute the type of extraordinary national security threat required under the law to justify such sanctions.

In addition, the plaintiffs maintain that the sanctions have directly interfered with their judicial responsibilities by preventing them from receiving legal submissions and reviewing evidence in both current and future cases before the court.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons has been permanently halted, praising recent US military operations and predicting that the region is on the verge of a historic era of peace.

Addressing supporters at a rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Trump pointed to the recently announced agreement with Iran as a landmark achievement of his presidency.

“Last week we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that’s done.”

The president also credited the US military with dismantling Iran’s military capabilities, describing the campaign as overwhelmingly successful.

“And thanks to the power and skill of the United States Armed Forces,” he continued, “today Iran has no Navy, no Air Force, no anti-aircraft capacity, no missile launchers, no manufacturing, and their leadership has been obliterated.”

Trump said he believes the developments have fundamentally changed the future of the Middle East and predicted that a long-sought peace is finally within reach.

“And for the first time in 3,000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East. We’re going to have peace in the Middle East.”

.@POTUS: Last week, we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz, and accomplish what no President has ever been able to accomplish before — Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon! pic.twitter.com/4jEEqp16CD

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 25, 2026

He also argued that the agreement has already benefited American consumers, pointing to falling energy prices and forecasting further declines at the gas pump.

“Today it hit a new low, and the world is a much safer place. We had to make that little journey to Iran to do what we did. Very soon you’ll be at $2.50 a gallon for gasoline, and even lower than that, just like it was before we took the nuclear weapon away from Iran.”

Trump’s remarks followed comments he made a day earlier in Pennsylvania, where he warned that military action could quickly resume if Tehran failed to honor its commitments or abandoned what he described as a reasonable path forward.

“Iran has been great – IF Iran is reasonable, IF they’re smart. Otherwise, we’ll have to finish the job,” Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania.

He continued by emphasizing that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained the central objective of the agreement.

“As you know, we just achieved a historic peace agreement with Iran to end the conflict… and most importantly, we are ensuring one thing very importantly- because this is why I did it… Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon, and they’ve agreed to that.”

Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced the administration’s position, saying the United States expects Iran to carry out every commitment it made during negotiations in Switzerland.

“We expect them to live up to the commitments they made in Switzerland,” he told reporters. “If they don’t live up to those commitments, the President has a lot of options at his disposal, including, I’m not saying he’s going to do it, I’m saying including reversing these sanctions.”

Rubio stressed that the administration would closely monitor Tehran’s compliance and noted that President Trump has made his expectations unmistakably clear.

“They’ve made very straight-up commitments in Switzerland, and the President has been very clear they need to keep those commitments.”

The secretary of state concluded by saying the United States remains willing to pursue diplomacy, but only if Iran agrees to an agreement that is both meaningful and fully enforceable.

“If we’re going to get a deal, it has to be a real deal, and it has to be a good deal,” he said. “If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that. If they’re not, then, of course, the President has options.”

{Matzav.com}

Two decades after Hamas terrorists kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in an attack that stunned Israel, the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense on Thursday released the Southern Brigade’s official command post operations log from the day of the abduction. Published for the first time, the records provide a detailed, minute-by-minute reconstruction of the military’s response as commanders gradually realized an Israeli soldier had been taken into Gaza.

The newly declassified documents chronicle the progression of events from the earliest reports of explosions and heavy gunfire near the Gaza border through the activation of the “Hannibal Directive”—an IDF protocol intended to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers—and finally to the moment officials confirmed that one member of the armored unit had disappeared and had been abducted by Hamas terrorists.

The attack took place on the morning of June 25, 2006, when a Hamas terrorist squad emerged from a tunnel dug beneath the border near Kerem Shalom and launched a surprise assault on an IDF tank crew. Lieutenant Hanan Barak and Staff Sergeant Pavel Slutsker were killed during the fierce fighting, while several additional soldiers sustained injuries. Amid the confusion created by the attack, the terrorists seized Gilad Shalit from the tank and rapidly transported him across the border into the Gaza Strip.

According to the operations log, the first warning reached the command center at 5:13 a.m., when multiple explosions were reported near Kerem Shalom. Commanders initially believed the blasts were caused by incoming mortar shells or rockets. One minute later, the gravity of the situation escalated when the log recorded the words, “Casualties reported.” Soon afterward, reports flooded in describing attack helicopters being dispatched, special forces mobilizing, and terrorists observed inside Israeli military positions and trenches.

More than an hour after the attack began, at 6:40 a.m., the breakthrough realization appeared in the command log: “A soldier is missing from the tank.” Four minutes later, commanders officially activated the “Hannibal” protocol in response to the suspected kidnapping.

By 7:12 a.m., troops searching the area discovered a protective vest and helmet lying near the security fence. Despite the alarming find, soldiers noted there were no visible signs that anyone had been dragged from the scene.

The military’s fears were confirmed at exactly 8:00 a.m., when the operations log identified the captive: “Name of the abducted soldier: Gilad Shalit.” Nearly two hours later, another entry reported that “inside the area, tracks belonging to both the terrorists and the abducted soldier have been identified.” Around midday, investigators added another troubling discovery: “the abducted soldier’s vest is with the chief tracker and shows bloodstains and shrapnel damage.”

Beyond documenting the sequence of events, the records also capture the uncertainty that gripped military commanders as they struggled to assess the rapidly developing crisis. A situation assessment prepared later that afternoon reflected the growing understanding that Israel was facing a major strategic challenge: “The soldier is likely alive, location unknown, possibly outside our sector, the attack was carried out by Hamas. They have been planning this attack for about three weeks and it is unrelated to current operations or recent events in the Strip… This could escalate into a major confrontation due to the hostage… There is a possibility the hostage is no longer in our sector and has been moved further north.”

Later in the day, at 4:34 p.m., the field commander reported that Shalit’s footprints had been positively identified near what troops believed was the entrance to the Hamas tunnel used in the attack. About an hour afterward, another disturbing report was entered into the log: “A rumor is circulating that the captured soldier was moved through a tunnel into Egypt to better secure him and negotiate his return. The reliability of this information is unclear.”

Colombia’s incoming president, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced Wednesday that one of his administration’s top foreign policy priorities will be rebuilding and dramatically expanding ties with Israel, signaling a sharp departure from the approach taken by the country’s outgoing government.

The conservative leader made the pledge after speaking by telephone with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, promising that relations between the two nations would reach unprecedented levels once he takes office.

“Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” he wrote on social media following the call.

Sa’ar described the conversation warmly, emphasizing his optimism about the new administration in Bogotá.

“A short time ago, I held a phone conversation with my friend Abelardo de la Espriella, the President-elect of Colombia, who is also a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

Reflecting on the election outcome, Sa’ar praised the president-elect and expressed hope for the country’s future.

“I congratulated him on his important victory in the elections, a victory that creates hope and possibility for a better future for Colombia and its citizens, and I wished him great success,” added Sa’ar.

The Israeli foreign minister said both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to forging much closer cooperation between their countries in the years ahead.

“The President-elect reiterated in our conversation his commitment, which he also expressed during his election campaign, to the alliance between Israel and Colombia that will be stronger than ever. I too emphasized our strong desire to strengthen this alliance for the benefit of both our peoples. We will do this together – Colombia and Israel – and in a big way!” concluded the Foreign Minister.

De la Espriella won Sunday’s closely contested presidential runoff, narrowly defeating left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda by less than one percentage point. Throughout his campaign, he repeatedly pledged to restore close strategic ties with both Israel and the United States.

His election represents a dramatic reversal from the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose administration repeatedly clashed with Israel. In May 2024, Petro cut diplomatic relations with the Jewish state over the war in Gaza and later instructed his government to open a Colombian embassy in Ramallah.

Petro also drew criticism after endorsing remarks by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who likened Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to the actions of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler against the Jewish people during World War II.

More recently, Petro ignited another international firestorm by posting “Heil Hitler” on X. The controversy intensified days later when, during remarks before the UN Security Council, he again compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

De la Espriella, a prominent attorney and businessman who has never before held elected office, is set to be sworn in this August. He has vowed to dismantle many of Petro’s foreign policy decisions, including pursuing a significantly closer partnership with both Jerusalem and Washington. Among his signature proposals is the creation of a joint military alliance involving Colombia, Israel, and the United States.

{Matzav.com}