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President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a nationally televised address Thursday night announcing that newly declassified intelligence documents reveal plans by a foreign government to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, according to a CNBC report citing MS NOW and two unnamed White House officials.

The report states that Trump will be joined during the address by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Earlier Monday, Trump revealed on Truth Social that he would deliver a prime-time address but did not disclose the topic.

“I will be making a Speech to the Nation on Thursday evening, at 9 P.M. Eastern,” Trump wrote.

The announcement followed another report from MS NOW, which cited two U.S. officials familiar with the matter as saying that a White House task force reviewing thousands of pages of classified intelligence and law enforcement records related to U.S. elections is preparing to begin releasing documents within the coming weeks.

Trump has consistently maintained that the 2020 presidential election, which he officially lost to Joe Biden, was marred by widespread fraud. He has repeatedly argued that the contest, along with other elections, was “rigged.”

Those claims have been a driving force behind Trump’s support for the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require prospective voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering, present photo identification before casting a ballot, and impose additional limits on mail-in voting.

A U.S. intelligence assessment released in 2021 concluded that there was no evidence any foreign government attempted to alter “any technical aspect” of the 2020 election, including voter registration systems, ballots, vote tabulation, or the certified election results.

That assessment found that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized elements of the Russian government to carry out influence operations intended to help Trump’s candidacy while also seeking to weaken public confidence in the American electoral system.

According to the same report, China considered launching influence activities aimed at affecting the outcome of the election but ultimately decided against doing so. It also concluded that Iran conducted a “multi-pronged” covert influence campaign intended to damage Trump’s reelection bid.

The intelligence assessment was produced by the National Intelligence Council in coordination with the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, National Security Agency, and the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s proposal to levy a 20% fee on commercial cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz could generate as much as $194 billion annually for the United States, according to a New York Post analysis based on global shipping traffic before the outbreak of the Iran war.

Citing data provided by Exiger CEO Brandon Daniels, the Post reported that between $880 billion and $970 billion in international trade passed through the strategic waterway each year before the conflict with Iran. Based on those figures, a 20% transit charge could yield between $176 billion and $194 billion in yearly revenue.

Trump unveiled the proposal Monday while announcing that the United States would assume the role of “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and restore the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.

“The U.S.A. will be … known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,'” Trump wrote, adding that the U.S. should be “reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped,” for providing security in the vital shipping lane.

According to the Post’s analysis, revenue from such a program would be sufficient to cover the salaries of approximately one million federal civilian employees. However, administration officials have yet to explain how the proposed toll would be assessed, collected, or enforced.

Daniels told the newspaper that numerous legal and practical questions would have to be resolved before such a system could be implemented, including whether international maritime law would permit the United States to impose the fee and which government agency would be responsible for collecting it.

The proposal has already prompted criticism from abroad.

A group of independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council argued that requiring commercial ships to pay for passage through an international strait would violate international law and could erode the longstanding principle guaranteeing freedom of navigation.

The plan also marks a sharp departure from the U.S. position in previous years regarding transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz.

When Iran previously suggested imposing its own tolls on vessels using the strategic passage, Washington rejected the idea, maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway through which ships are entitled to pass freely under international law.

Tehran likewise dismissed Trump’s proposal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi argued that Iran—not the United States—has historically served as the guardian of the strait and criticized the proposed 20% fee as excessive.

The Strait of Hormuz is widely regarded as one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, with hundreds of billions of dollars in crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and other goods passing through it each year. Any disruption to shipping through the narrow corridor has the potential to send shockwaves through global energy markets and international trade.

{Matzav.com}

A Colombian national was fatally shot Monday morning after authorities say he attempted to drive his vehicle into Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine. Dramatic video circulating online shows the wounded driver being pulled from his vehicle before collapsing onto the pavement, where agents handcuffed him as emergency responders were summoned.

The incident unfolded shortly after 7 a.m. as ICE agents were conducting surveillance at the last known residence of an illegal immigrant who was subject to a deportation order, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

During the operation, DHS said an illegal immigrant fled the residence in a vehicle, prompting federal agents to pursue him and attempt a traffic stop.

According to authorities, the driver refused to stop and instead accelerated in an apparent effort to escape, leading an ICE officer to open fire.

“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” DHS said in a statement.

“The driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries.”

Neighbors identified the deceased as 26-year-old Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero, who reportedly lived nearby with his wife and infant daughter, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Federal officials had not officially confirmed the driver’s identity as of Monday evening.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) initially said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had informed him that the man was the subject of an arrest warrant, according to CNN.

King later clarified that Mullin corrected the information, telling him there had been no warrant issued for the driver, the network reported.

Graphic video posted to social media reportedly showed the wounded man lying beside his vehicle after the shooting, with what appeared to be a bullet hole visible through the driver’s side of the windshield, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Lucas Scott, an 18-year-old witness, said ICE agents wearing green tactical vests surrounded the vehicle with their weapons drawn as the driver appeared to steer directly toward them.

“The car was put into drive and was trying to hit the ICE officer,” Scott said, adding that an agent fired roughly four shots in response.

“I just heard the popping, but I did see him draw his gun,” Scott said.

A Ring doorbell camera at a nearby home reportedly captured the sound of five or six gunshots during the confrontation.

Another resident, Daniel Boucher, said he saw the driver emerge from the vehicle bleeding heavily from the head.

“He said, ‘I tried to stop,’ ” nearby resident Daniel Boucher said.

According to Presente! Maine, an immigrant advocacy organization based in Portland, the driver had authorization to work in the United States and had been issued a Social Security number.

“He was a member of our community, a neighbor, and a human being whose life was cut tragically short,” the organization said in a joint statement with the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and everyone now grieving this unimaginable loss.”

Residents told the Portland Press Herald they had noticed a sharp increase in ICE enforcement activity in Biddeford over the past several weeks.

“They chased down a bunch of guys working on a roof down the street a week or two ago. They all ran. I saw one guy jump off the roof to get away. They left all their equipment on top of the roof,” Biddeford resident Larry Humiston told the Portland Press Herald.

The Biddeford Police Department confirmed that ICE personnel were involved in the shooting and said local officers responded to secure the area but were not otherwise participating in the federal operation.

Following the shooting, demonstrators gathered near the scene carrying signs critical of ICE.

Several Democratic officials sharply criticized federal immigration authorities in the aftermath of the incident. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows vowed she would “remain tough” on ICE as questions surrounding the shooting continued.

“This man was their neighbor, and their kids play on that street and in the park where we gathered,” Bellows told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“I think everyone who let ICE and Trump deploy these men on the streets needs to be held accountable.”

Maine Gov. Janet Mills also condemned what she described as a deeply troubling encounter.

“[I]t underscores the reckless and haphazard manner in which immigration enforcement operations are being conducted in Maine and across the country,” Mills said in a post to her X account. “This has to end.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani likewise denounced the agency in a social media post.

“ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE,” Hizzoner said in an X post.

The Department of Homeland Security said its Office of Inspector General will conduct an investigation into the fatal shooting.

{Matzav.com}

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United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush delivered an emotional and highly unusual address in the Knesset on Monday during debate over the Basic Law on Torah Study, speaking directly to the tens of thousands of yeshiva students and kollel yungeleit across Israel. Opening his remarks in a deeply personal tone, he said, “Dear yeshiva student, dear kollel scholar, the next few minutes are dedicated to you.”

Addressing those immersed in full-time Torah study, Porush declared, “I am speaking to you, the yeshiva student who begins his day at six-thirty in the morning, and after prayer and breakfast bends over the Talmud and lectern almost continuously until eleven at night. To you, who ignores the background noise, casts aside the vanities of this world, and plunges into the sea of the Talmud. Your melody, the sound of Torah echoing through the halls of the yeshivas—they are the heartbeat of the Jewish people.”

He then turned to the thousands of kollel scholars who devote themselves to Torah despite financial hardship. “I am speaking to you, the kollel scholar who survives on just a few shekels, living far below the poverty line. To you and your family—to your devoted wife, who carries the burden of the home and earning a livelihood so that you can continue occupying your place in the study hall. You who sacrifice yourselves to learn Torah despite deprivation, living on bread with salt and measured amounts of water, seeking neither fame nor applause nor honor from anyone—except the honor of the Torah.”

Reflecting on the challenges facing Torah scholars, Porush said they have endured years of relentless attacks. “For the past three years you have been trampled. They have turned you into a punching bag. Cruel campaigns of incitement, hostility, and hatred have been directed at you, as though you, God forbid, are the problem facing the country rather than the secret to its existence.” He continued, “They are trying to break your spirit. They pursue you and arrest you in the streets, impose economic decrees upon you, and label those who uphold the world as ‘draft dodgers.’”

Porush stressed, however, that the value of Torah study does not depend on government recognition. “The truth is that you do not need the recognition of the Knesset. The holy Torah survived empires, kingdoms, and decrees long before this building was established, and it will endure forever. It is not the Knesset that gives validity to the Torah. Rather, it is the Torah that grants this nation its right to exist and its right to the Land of Israel.”

Nevertheless, he described the legislation as an important public declaration. “Still, something unusual is happening today. A majority of Knesset members are standing up and declaring clearly that Torah study is a foundational value of the heritage of the Jewish people,” he said. “Today the Knesset is doing itself a favor by acknowledging that it is the Torah that has safeguarded the Jewish nation throughout the generations.”

Porush explained that while the importance of Torah should be self-evident, today’s political climate has made such legislation necessary. “Unfortunately, even what should be obvious sometimes requires reinforcement. In a generation of confusion, when there are those trying to disconnect a person from the source of his spiritual life, this law tells every kollel scholar and every yeshiva student: You, who sit and learn, are performing the greatest and most important act for the eternity of the Jewish people.”

In the closing moments of his address, Porush sharply rebuked opposition lawmakers preparing to vote against the bill. “Shame on you. Hatred has blinded your eyes. Even the military’s professional Shakedi Committee, which was established after the horrific October 7 massacre, acknowledges the obvious.”

Quoting from the committee’s findings, he said, “Protecting the core values of the haredi world means protecting Torah scholars whose full-time occupation is Torah study (those who study three daily sessions).”

He concluded with a forceful condemnation of the opposition: “What the army understands out of genuine and existential necessity, you refuse to understand because of cheap populism. Today you are not voting against the coalition—you are voting against the holy Torah. Shame on you.”

Monday marked the opening of a five-day legislative marathon in the Knesset, with the Basic Law on Torah Study becoming the first major bill to come before the full chamber. At the same time, the coalition is advancing legislation that would freeze the arrest orders issued against yeshiva students.

{Matzav.com}

Shas MK Yoav Ben Tzur delivered an emotional address in the Knesset on Monday during debate over the Basic Law on Torah Study, calling on lawmakers from across the political spectrum to recognize the central role of Torah in the life and survival of the Jewish people.

Opening his remarks, Ben Tzur said, “I stand before you today not only as a public official, but as a son of the Jewish people, whose greatest day in history was at Har Sinai, when the Torah was given. This is not a political or sectoral law, nor is it a matter of coalition versus opposition. This is the foundational law of the Jewish nation’s soul.”

Ben Tzur emphasized that Torah study has been the force that sustained the Jewish people throughout centuries of exile and persecution. “Throughout two thousand years of exile, in the face of persecution, pogroms, and attempts at annihilation, we had neither military might nor political power. The Book protected us—the eternal Book of Books.”

He continued by pointing to the endurance of the Jewish people despite the collapse of mighty civilizations. “Nations and empires disappeared, yet we remained steadfast and strong,” he said. “The holy Torah is our identity, our moral compass, and the eternal flame that warms the heart of every Jew.”

Explaining the purpose of the legislation, Ben Tzur said the bill simply enshrines an obvious truth: “That Torah study is a supreme foundational value in the State of Israel. Torah scholars—those kollel scholars and yeshiva students—are not a burden. They are the spiritual defensive wall protecting us all. They are the ones who continue the unbroken chain of generations, from Moses receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai until our own day.”

Ben Tzur also appealed for unity, urging lawmakers to rise above the country’s political divisions. “I appeal from here to every member of this House, from every part of the political spectrum. In recent years we have experienced many storms, divisions, and disputes that have torn us apart. Precisely at moments like these, we must return to the roots we all share.”

He stressed that the Torah belongs to every Jew, not to any single political party. “The Torah does not belong to the haredi parties—it belongs to the entire Jewish people,” Ben Tzur declared. “As I have said from this podium time and again, as a reserve captain in the Nahal Brigade and as someone who recognizes the value of Torah study, our unity is our strength, and the Torah is the deepest common denominator that unites us all as one people—haredim and secular Jews alike, from every segment of society.”

Ben Tzur described passage of the bill as a historic affirmation of Israel’s Jewish identity. “Alongside our unwavering support for our soldiers—the finest of our sons—who are courageously fighting our enemies, the State of Israel is a Jewish state, and it recognizes the value of Torah study in protecting our nation and our soldiers. The State of Israel acknowledges that alongside military and economic strength, it is our spiritual strength that guarantees our existence forever.”

Concluding his speech, Ben Tzur urged lawmakers to support the legislation. “This is the time to rise above the considerations of the moment, to look toward the future while remembering our glorious past, and to support this important Basic Law. Together we will send a clear message to future generations that the flame of Torah in the Land of Israel did not go out during the darkest periods of history—and it will never be extinguished.”

The Knesset on Monday began a five-day legislative marathon, with the Basic Law on Torah Study becoming the first bill to come before the plenum. Later this week, lawmakers are also expected to vote on legislation approved by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that would temporarily suspend the arrest of yeshiva students for the coming months.

{Matzav.com}

After a tense nine-hour meeting that stretched past midnight, the rabbinic leadership of Ponovezh Yeshiva finalized admissions for the coming academic year, accepting 477 bochurim into the yeshiva’s highly sought-after first-year shiur from a field of nearly 650 outstanding applicants.

The annual admissions meeting, known within the yeshiva simply as the zitzen, concluded shortly after 1:00 a.m. Tuesday at the home of yeshiva president Rav Eliezer Kahaneman. Throughout the evening, crowds gathered along Rechov Wasserman in Bnei Brak, anxiously awaiting the outcome of one of the most anticipated events in the yeshiva world.

Following hours of deliberation, the roshei yeshiva determined that exactly 477 bochurim would be admitted to the incoming shiur. No additional students were accepted.

The zitzen, a tradition that has continued for decades, is held each year on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Av after an intensive month of entrance examinations. During the meeting, the roshei yeshiva review the results candidate by candidate, weighing examination scores and evaluations before deciding which applicants will merit admission to Ponovezh, widely regarded as one of the premier yeshivos in the Torah world.

This year’s admissions process was considered one of the most competitive in the yeshiva’s history. Throughout the summer, hundreds of roshei yeshiva from across Eretz Yisroel visited the home of Rav Eliezer Kahaneman, who has overseen the yeshiva’s admissions process for nearly three decades, to discuss and advocate for their finest talmidim before they were invited to take the entrance examinations.

Unlike many other yeshivos, Ponovezh conducts its admissions process only after virtually every other yeshiva has completed its own enrollment. As a result, only exceptional bochurim who are confident in their ability to succeed in the rigorous examinations are willing to wait and take the risk of applying.

Every applicant undergoes no fewer than four oral examinations conducted by members of the yeshiva faculty: Rav Chaim Peretz Berman, Rav Dovid Levy, Rav Dovid Miller, Rav Yehuda Shmuel Meller, Rav Yosef Kahaneman, Rav Rafael Shmuelevitz, and Rav Yaakov Epstein. In addition, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman personally reviews every candidate, while the yeshiva’s mashgichim, Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Kellerman and Rav Ezra Rothschild, conduct separate interviews to assess each applicant’s overall suitability.

This year, nearly 650 elite bochurim from across the country sat for the examinations, with leading yeshivos in Bnei Brak, Yerushalayim, and Kiryat Sefer sending groups of their strongest students to compete for admission. Because of the unusually large number of applicants, Rav Kahaneman ordered that the testing begin at the start of the month of Tammuz. Throughout the month, long lines of bochurim could be seen making their way from one rosh yeshiva’s home to another across the Ponovezh campus, reviewing their learning until the final moments before each examination.

The testing concluded on Sunday, the 27th of Tammuz, the yahrtzeit of the yeshiva’s legendary first rosh yeshiva, Rav Shmuel Rozovsky, zt”l. On Monday afternoon, the roshei yeshiva assembled at Rav Kahaneman’s home for the decisive admissions meeting, which began at 4:00 p.m. and was led by Rosh Yeshiva Rav Berel Povarsky.

Addressing the gathering, Rav Povarsky spoke about the enormous responsibility resting upon the shoulders of the yeshiva’s leadership as they determined which young men would merit studying in Ponovezh during the coming year. He noted that despite the many decrees and pressures facing the Torah world, the sound of Torah continues to grow stronger, with hundreds of outstanding bochurim eager to dedicate themselves completely to intensive Torah study in the unique atmosphere for which Ponovezh is renowned.

As soon as the meeting concluded, Rav Kahaneman’s team of longtime assistants—Rav Menachem Aschayek, Rav Zelig Diskin, and Rav Yom Tov Zlotnik, all devoted talmidim of Rav Gershon Edelstein, zt”l—began contacting each yeshiva individually to relay the admission decisions for every applicant.

Even those who were not accepted rarely remain without a yeshiva for long. Known throughout the yeshiva world as the “nefilim,” these bochurim are quickly recruited by many of the country’s finest yeshivos, which recognize that anyone who reached the final stages of the Ponovezh admissions process is an exceptional talmid. As a result, once Ponovezh completes its admissions, the broader picture of first-year enrollment throughout the yeshiva world quickly falls into place.

The continuing growth of the Torah world is evident each year, both in the increasing number of students and in the opening of new yeshivos across Eretz Yisroel. In recent years, many newly established yeshivos have built their inaugural first-year classes around Ponovezh’s “nefilim,” helping establish additional centers of Torah learning throughout the country and carrying forward the vision of the Ponovezher Rav, zt”l, that the Torah of Europe’s great yeshivos would once again flourish in Eretz Yisroel after the devastation of the Holocaust.

With enrollment expected to approach 3,000 talmidim in the near future, there is growing expectation within the yeshiva that additional ramim will soon be appointed to the faculty. In keeping with Ponovezh tradition, however, no one outside the yeshiva’s leadership knows when those appointments will be announced or who will be chosen until the official announcement is made. The most recent appointment came at the beginning of the summer zman of 5784, when Rav Rafael Shmuelevitz, a distinguished member of the Mir family of Torah scholars, grandson of Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, zt”l, and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Daas Aharon (Kaplan), joined the Ponovezh faculty as a ram and maggid shiur. Anticipation is now building over who will next join the ranks of the yeshiva’s esteemed roshei yeshiva and ramim.

{Matzav.com}

A sharp increase in the number of arrests of yeshiva students and yungeleit in Israel was reported over the past 24 hours, despite the recent passage of legislation aimed at freezing such arrests. On Monday, a chassidic yungerman and father of a young child was arrested and transferred to Military Prison 10 after reporting to the military draft office.

The arrest comes one day after the Knesset approved the bill to suspend the arrest of yeshiva students and amid a strongly worded letter from the IDF Chief of Staff opposing the legislation.

According to the report, the yungerman received a military summons last week and went to the enlistment office in an effort to regularize his legal status, not expecting that he would be taken into custody. Upon his arrival, he was arrested by Military Police, sentenced to 20 days in military prison, and transferred to Prison 10.

In a separate incident, a student of Yeshivas Or HaChaim, identified only by the initial M., was arrested overnight at his home in Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood by Military Police. The student and his family are reportedly receiving legal representation and assistance from attorney Izakson through the Nosenim Gav organization.

Meanwhile, the Ger chassidic yungerman who was arrested Sunday was released on Monday. As previously reported, he had been detained after appearing at the enlistment office in an attempt to regularize his status and was originally sentenced to 20 days in military prison.

The latest arrest follows another recently reported case involving a young Erlauer chassid and student at the Chayei Torah Chassidic Yeshiva. He was arrested after reporting to the draft office in Be’er Sheva in an effort to regularize his status and was also transferred to Military Prison 10.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] A Russian military training exercise ended in a dramatic and potentially deadly mishap after a machine gun operator lost control of his weapon and was hurled from the back of a moving truck, nearly striking his instructor during the incident.

The accident reportedly occurred during an air defense training drill designed to prepare Russian forces to counter the increasing threat posed by Ukrainian drones. Video circulating online shows the gunner operating a mounted heavy machine gun from the rear of a military truck when the weapon’s powerful recoil appears to overwhelm him.

Unable to maintain control, the soldier is violently thrown backward out of the vehicle while still gripping the machine gun. As he falls, the weapon swings wildly, narrowly missing another serviceman who had been standing nearby supervising the exercise.

The instructor quickly scrambles out of the gun’s path as the uncontrolled weapon continues to point in unpredictable directions for a brief moment before the situation is brought under control.

Russia has significantly expanded its air defense training in recent months as Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drone attacks to strike military facilities, ammunition depots, oil infrastructure, and other strategic targets deep inside Russian territory.

The growing effectiveness of Ukraine’s drone campaign has forced Russian forces to devote greater attention to defending critical infrastructure and improving the readiness of air defense units. Mobile anti-aircraft teams equipped with heavy machine guns have become an increasingly common component of Russia’s defensive strategy against low-flying drones.

It was not immediately clear whether the gunner or any other personnel involved in the training accident suffered injuries. Russian authorities have not publicly commented on the incident.

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{Matzav.com}

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s office has forcefully denied a report alleging that Israel’s Mossad attempted to recruit him as part of a plot to topple Iran’s regime, dismissing the claims as fabricated and accusing The New York Times of publishing falsehoods for money.

The report, published by The New York Times, claimed that Mossad enlisted Ahmadinejad in a regime-change effort and that then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally met with the former Iranian president in Budapest during the alleged recruitment operation.

In a statement carried by Iran International on Monday, Ahmadinejad’s office ridiculed the allegations, saying The New York Times’ “Hollywood-style claims” did not merit a denial and describing the newspaper as “known for publishing fake news and fabricating lies.”

The statement went further, accusing the newspaper of being willing to print invented stories and fabricated reports in exchange for financial compensation.

Ahmadinejad’s office also dismissed reports that he had been placed under house arrest, insisting that he remains free, continues to be publicly active, and is carrying on with his normal daily activities.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 until 2013, a period during which he became known for his hardline Islamist policies. His administration rapidly expanded Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts, brutally cracked down on anti-government demonstrations, repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map, and became internationally notorious for denying the Holocaust.

Shortly before leaving office in 2013, Ahmadinejad declared that denying the Holocaust had been his “proudest moment” as President.

Several years later, in 2019, Ahmadinejad sought to distinguish between opposition to Israel and hostility toward Jews, insisting that he is not an antisemite and is merely opposed to the “Zionist government”.

The former president resurfaced publicly last week when he was seen participating in the funeral procession for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, marking his first public appearance in recent days.

Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni sharply condemned the removal of Torah institutions from the list of organizations eligible for tax-deductible donations under Section 46 during a Knesset Finance Committee meeting on Monday, directing his strongest criticism at senior officials from the Religious Zionist community.

Speaking forcefully during the session, Gafni questioned how such a decision could have been made. “Have they removed all the Torah institutions? Who gave them the authority? There is a law in this country,” Gafni said angrily.

He went on to accuse Religious Zionist officials of being responsible for some of the greatest challenges facing the Olam HaTorah, declaring, “The greatest problems we have in the Torah world come from those wearing knitted kippahs – the Finance Minister and the head of the Israel Tax Authority.”

Expressing disbelief over the decision, Gafni continued, “People who have no authority are removing the yeshivas. How did this happen? How did their hands not tremble [when they did it]?”

Gafni has spoken out on this issue before, strongly opposing proposals to strip yeshivos attended by bnei Torah affected by the military draft dispute from the list of institutions whose contributors qualify for tax benefits under Section 46 of Israel’s Tax Ordinance.

At the time, he denounced the proposal as “an open declaration of war” and urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from office after she directed that the measure move forward.

The government subsequently voted to dismiss Baharav-Miara. However, Israel’s Supreme Court intervened, ruling that the dismissal was unlawful and ordering that it be reversed, despite criticism from government officials who argued that the Court has no legal authority over the appointment or removal of the Attorney General.

{Matzav.com}

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is facing accusations of dramatically exaggerating an encounter with Israeli security forces after newly released video appeared to contradict his claim that he and his delegation had been detained by Israeli settlers.

Khanna made the allegations while standing in front of an upscale Arab neighborhood, with a large mansion visible behind him, describing what he portrayed as an intimidating confrontation during his visit.

The California congressman declined to coordinate his trip with the Israeli Embassy and also chose not to meet with survivors of the October 7 Hamas massacre. Instead, he organized the visit alongside the anti-Israel advocacy group J Street and other activists critical of Israel.

“I saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers, 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us,” he complained. “The arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding, having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect that there was an American congressperson in that bus, and laughing when our translator told them that there are Americans there, and the American embassy is concerned.”

“It is the arrogance of power, of a power that has had no accountability, total impunity, and has created a toxic culture of oppression,” he sniffed.

However, footage released Monday by activists accompanying Khanna reportedly showed a far less dramatic scene. Rather than depicting anyone being detained, the video appeared to show a verbal dispute between a Breaking the Silence activist traveling with the delegation and local security personnel, who insisted that everyone remain in place until police officers arrived to address the situation.

Khanna also faced pointed questioning during a Fox News interview, where an anchor expressed surprise that the congressman seemed shocked by the encounter after entering a restricted military area without first coordinating with the Israel Defense Forces.

The video quickly drew attention on social media, with critics arguing that it undermined Khanna’s version of events.

“What a glorious self-own,” Eitan Fischberger, an OSINT investigator and former IDF sergeant, posted on X.

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{Matzav.com}

Within minutes of the Knesset’s overwhelming approval of the Basic Law on Torah Study, the first petition challenging the legislation was filed Monday evening with Israel’s Supreme Court sitting as the High Court of Justice (Bagatz).

The petition was submitted by the Movement for Quality Government, which is seeking to have the newly passed law struck down. The organization argues that the legislation grants constitutional status to legal arrangements concerning Torah study in a manner that could directly affect the issues of military conscription and what it calls equality in sharing the national burden.

In a statement announcing the petition, the organization claimed, “Behind this innocent-sounding name lies an attempt to enshrine draft evasion and exemption from military service within the Basic Laws of the State of Israel, in order to circumvent High Court rulings on equality in sharing the burden.”

The group further asserted, “The purpose of the law is to give the Court a ‘counterweight’ to the principle of equality and, in the future, to legitimize exemptions and benefits for draft evaders—at a time when soldiers and reservists are collapsing under the burden.”

Concluding its statement, the Movement for Quality Government declared, “This Basic Law was born out of a political deal, enacted in haste and without genuine public debate, and above all seeks to institutionalize permanent discrimination between one person’s blood and another’s—this will not withstand the test of the High Court.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared Monday that U.S. forces have devastated Iran’s military capabilities and are moving to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as American warplanes launched another wave of attacks against Iranian targets. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the campaign has progressed rapidly, insisted Iran’s armed forces have been severely weakened, and maintained that Tehran will never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Asked how long the operation could continue and whether it risked becoming another prolonged U.S. conflict, Trump dismissed such comparisons and said the military campaign has produced swift results.

.@POTUS on Iran: "We're not going to put up with it. We are just going forward — we're attacking them tonight. We're taking out all their capability for anything having to do with the Strait… What they're doing is being very foolish, very stupid." pic.twitter.com/wkspzB3kcH

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 13, 2026

“Well, I think it’s going very fast. We’ve demolished their military. We’re hitting them very hard. We had a deal yesterday, or the day before yesterday, it was all done. And then they broke up that deal immediately because they found out there was something in the deal they didn’t like. And they’re wired differently, and we’re not going to put up with it. But we are just going forward,” said Trump.

He added, “We’re attacking them tonight. We’re taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the Strait, with the Hormuz Strait. And I think, in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing. And what they’re doing is being very foolish, very stupid. And they’ve treated people horribly. They’ve killed 52,000 protesters so far that we can determine. It might be more than that, but 52,000 protesters have been killed. And it’s a really terrible situation. But we’ll have it under control very quickly.”

When asked whether diplomacy remained an option despite the ongoing bombing campaign, Trump said negotiations were still possible even as military operations and a renewed maritime blockade continued.

“No, I never reached that conclusion [that a deal is not possible], but we’re hitting them very heavy tonight, as you know. We’re hitting them. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have numbers that we haven’t had in years. And we’re hitting them very hard, and it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Trump also outlined the administration’s strategy in the Strait of Hormuz.

“But we’re knocking out all of their offensive capability, and we’re controlling the straits. We’re putting the blockade back. And it’s a blockade not for anybody but Iran. In other words, anybody doing business with Iran can’t go through. Everyone else will be able to go through. So, it’s a blockade. It’s a very strong blockade. The blockade was probably more effective even than hitting them, but I think the combination is the thing that really does it.”

Asked directly whether a negotiated agreement with Tehran remained within reach, Trump replied, “Yeah, I think a deal is possible, sure. I do.”

Rejecting suggestions that the United States was becoming bogged down in another endless war, Trump contrasted the current campaign with America’s lengthy involvement in Vietnam, arguing that the military had already inflicted overwhelming damage on Iran’s armed forces.

“Well, you know, we’re in Vietnam for 19 years. We’re here for four months. So, I think we’ve done a lot. We’ve knocked out their Navy in a period of one month. We knocked out their Air Force. Their Air Force is non-existent. We knocked out most of their missiles, most of their drones. We knocked out their drone manufacturing capability, about 92 percent. Their missile capability for manufacturing, we knocked out 89 percent. And they have a little capability, but they don’t have any capability for us. This is almost a military skirmish.”

Trump said Iran had repeatedly backed away from agreements after negotiations appeared complete, while criticizing previous administrations for failing to resolve the conflict.

“Now, with all of that being said, you have to get people that want to make something. We had a deal with them two days ago, and then they said, ‘oh, we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.’ And this is what they’ve done for 47 years. The difference is nobody negotiated like I do. And this should have been done by Bush and Obama and Biden and people before them, frankly. It’s 47 years. They’ve been ripping off everybody. And really hurting and killing thousands of people. So, they killed 52,000 protesters, but they killed many, many people with Soleimani, who I killed in the first term. Soleimani killed many people, many, many people. And not only killed, when you see a young former soldier walking around with no legs, no arms, a face that’s been horribly, horribly hurt, that was done by Iran. That was done by Soleimani. He was a person that was very evil. He was an evil genius. He was looking to take out a lot of our military installations in Iraq and Iran. And I got him before he got us.”

Trump reiterated that the United States would continue its operations until Iran could no longer threaten the region, while again insisting Tehran would never possess nuclear weapons.

“So, we have to do what we’re doing. And the strait is open. It will be open. We’ve cut down their capability very substantially. But they, you know, they’re going to fight for a while. Our military has done a fantastic job. And, you know, the bottom line, though, and I say it to everybody, and I say it as much as they want to listen, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. If we didn’t bomb them with the B-2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon long ago. One month. Within one month from the day we bombed them, they would have had it. If we didn’t do it, they would have had a nuclear weapon. If they had a nuclear weapon, Israel would no longer be with us. And the Middle East probably would no longer be with us.”

Describing Iran’s leadership, Trump said they are “stone cold crazy. They are crazy. And we’re not going to put it up.”

His remarks came shortly after the U.S. military confirmed that it had begun a third consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command announced, “At 4:45 p.m. ET today, US Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”

“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement stressed.

Iranian news outlets reported explosions in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, followed by additional blasts on the nearby islands of Qeshm and Kish.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced that Washington would restore its naval blockade targeting Iran after the previous blockade had been lifted following a recently signed memorandum of understanding.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving,” he wrote on social media.

He added, “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded online by acknowledging Trump’s remarks regarding compensation for securing the strategic waterway.

“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.”

He concluded by asserting Iran’s longstanding role in the region while objecting to the proposed fee.

“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. military announced Monday that American forces have carried out the first-ever combat mission using unmanned surface vessels, striking a major Iranian naval installation that officials say played a role in supporting attacks on commercial shipping.

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation was conducted on Saturday and targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base. The announcement was made in a post on X.

Military officials said the attack combined one-way strike drones with three Corsair unmanned surface vessels, which successfully hit the naval port after the aerial drones were launched.

“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” the command said.

CENTCOM emphasized that the mission represented a historic milestone for the U.S. military, marking the first operational use of autonomous surface vessels in combat.

“Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” the statement said.

The military said the operation significantly reduced Iran’s ability to threaten commercial maritime traffic in the region.

“Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said.

The Pentagon did not disclose the full extent of the damage inflicted during the strike and did not say whether any Iranian naval vessels were destroyed, rendered inoperable, or whether casualties were sustained.

As of Monday, Iranian authorities had not publicly responded to the U.S. announcement.

Bandar Abbas, situated on the Strait of Hormuz, serves as Iran’s primary naval headquarters and is one of the country’s most strategically important military installations, housing assets belonging to both the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, carrying a substantial portion of global oil exports and frequently serving as the flashpoint for confrontations involving Iran, the United States, and international commercial shipping.

The strike comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain elevated following earlier U.S. military operations against Iranian targets and continuing concerns over Iranian-linked attacks on merchant vessels operating in the region.

The Corsair is an autonomous unmanned surface vessel capable of carrying out reconnaissance missions and precision strikes without a crew on board. The Pentagon has devoted increasing resources to developing unmanned air, sea, and undersea platforms as part of its strategy to confront adversaries while minimizing the risk to American service members.

CENTCOM did not indicate whether similar unmanned maritime attacks are planned in the future or whether Saturday’s operation was part of a larger campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure.

Although Defense Department officials have repeatedly pointed to autonomous weapons systems as a key component of future warfare, CENTCOM said Saturday’s operation marked the first publicly acknowledged combat deployment of U.S. sea drones.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Mrs. Miriam Stern a”h, the wife of Rav Dovid Asher HaKohen Stern. She was 62.

The levayah proceeded Monday afternoon from her home in Bnei Brak to the Ponovezh Cemetery, where she was brought to kevurah.

In light of her petirah, the daily shiur delivered by her brother, Rav Asher Arielli, at Yeshivas Mir was not given.

Mrs. Stern was born during Sukkos 5724 (1963) to Rav Chaim Yaakov Arielli, zt”l, one of the outstanding gedolei Torah of the previous generation and the author of the sefer Be’er Yaakov. She was a granddaughter of Rav Yitzchak Arielli, zt”l, author of Einayim LaMishpat, and of Rebbetzin Shulamis, daughter of Rav Asher Sternbuch, zt”l, of London.

She was raised in a home permeated with Torah, yiras Shamayim, and noble middos, and was privileged to descend from some of the most illustrious Torah families in the Lithuanian and Brisker world.

On her mother’s side, she was a niece of the senior posek, Rav Moshe Sternbuch; Rav Eliyahu Sternbuch, zt”l, Av Beis Din of Machzikei Hadas in Antwerp; and Rav Chanoch Ehrentreu, zt”l, Av Beis Din of London; and the wife of Rav Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik, zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Brisk.

Throughout her life, she stood devotedly at the side of her husband, Rav Dovid Asher HaKohen Stern, and together they established a distinguished bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel, built upon Torah and yiras Shamayim, with exceptional tznius, in their home on Rechov Rambam in Bnei Brak. She was known for her many acts of chesed, her quiet humility, and the gracious manner in which she received every person.

Her brothers are counted among the leading marbitzei Torah of the generation: Rav Asher Arielli, , who delivers the largest daily shiur in the world at Yeshivas Mir; Rav Shmuel Arielli, rosh yeshiva of Chevron HaChadashah; and Rav Shlomo Arielli, a marbitz Torah at Yeshivas Tchebin and editor of the writings of Rav Akiva Eiger.

Tehei nishmasah tzerurah bitzror hachaim.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly signaled to senior U.S. officials that it is prepared to reopen discussions about joining the Abraham Accords, but only if Israel agrees to a series of significant political and policy changes that are widely viewed as unacceptable to the current government.

According to a report in Yisroel Hayom, Riyadh has conveyed messages in recent weeks to officials in the Trump administration indicating a renewed willingness to pursue normalization with Israel. However, sources familiar with the discussions said the Saudis have attached conditions that Israel’s present coalition is unlikely to accept.

Three individuals with knowledge of the diplomatic contacts said Saudi Arabia has been actively engaging with senior figures in Washington, including officials at the White House, the State Department, and members of Congress. One source said representatives of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman outlined two primary conditions: that Binyamin Netanyahu no longer serve as prime minister following Israel’s next elections, and that policies advanced by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich in Yehuda and Shomron over the past several years be reversed.

According to American officials cited in the report, Saudi Arabia views those two conditions as closely connected. Riyadh believes that as long as Netanyahu remains in office, he will continue backing Smotrich’s policies in Yehuda and Shomron, making it impossible to reach a normalization agreement under the current circumstances.

During the war, Saudi Arabia reportedly explored the possibility of formally recognizing Israel on several occasions in exchange for major Israeli concessions on the Palestinian issue. Among the demands discussed was a public declaration by Netanyahu expressing a willingness, in principle, to support the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu rejected those conditions, and negotiations did not advance.

The report also noted that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham had been actively involved in recent years in efforts to strengthen ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia and to help pave the way toward normalization.

Sources familiar with the diplomatic efforts said many of Saudi Arabia’s demands are intended to move the political process forward rather than necessarily secure immediate results. They also claimed that Riyadh frustrated President Donald Trump during the war with Iran by blocking, according to those sources, a U.S.-backed initiative to open the Strait of Hormuz to safe commercial shipping for vessels not connected to Iran.

The same sources further alleged that Saudi Arabia’s refusal to allow American forces to use U.S. military bases on Saudi soil for operations against Iran also angered President Trump.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia’s latest diplomatic initiative is intended in part to demonstrate to Trump that the kingdom remains a critical strategic partner for the United States while also advancing a political arrangement aimed at preventing another military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.

{Matzav.com}

Acting on instructions from the city’s leading rabbanim, the Bnei Brak Municipality is preparing to implement gender-separated sidewalks along Shlomo HaMelech and Ezra Streets, home to several popular wedding and event halls. The stated goal of the initiative is to “prevent encounters between men and women.” City officials said, “The rabbis’ letter speaks for itself.”

According to the report, the municipality is moving forward with plans to carry out a directive issued by prominent rabbanim calling for complete gender separation along the sidewalks of the two streets. The proposal includes physical changes to the public space, including signs and designated sidewalks for men and women, with the aim of ensuring that the two do not walk along the same side.

The official directive, which was released to the public, instructs that all residents—adults and children alike—be informed of the policy and educated to observe it carefully. The need for the separation, according to the directive, stems from the heavy pedestrian traffic created by guests attending events at the nearby wedding halls.

Municipal officials said the plan has been under discussion for several years. They added that the proposal is not necessarily limited to these two streets and could eventually be expanded to other crowded thoroughfares in the city, similar to arrangements found in other chareidi population centers.

The initiative appears to conflict with previous rulings by Israel’s Supreme Court, which has barred the installation of gender-separation signs in public neighborhoods. One such ruling followed a widely publicized dispute in Beit Shemesh that sparked fierce controversy. In this case, however, the initiative is being advanced by the mainstream chareidi leadership in Bnei Brak.

Responding to the report, city officials said, “The rabbis’ letter is very clear and speaks for itself. The city’s residents, who faithfully follow the guidance of the gedolei Yisroel and heed their instructions, will comply with their request.”

Yael Yechieli, director of the 5050 Initiative, sharply criticized the proposal. “Throughout all the years of our struggle against gender segregation, we warned that there would be no end to the demands for separation, and that it would eventually reach the streets. It will never stop. It started with buses, continued with events, then academia, and now sidewalks. The community’s rabbis want to exclude women from every place, and if we don’t stop them, it will only continue. The monster of segregation is never satisfied. It is important to emphasize that only men were sitting around the Bnei Brak Municipality’s decision-making table. Is it possible that if 50% of those present had been women, a different decision would have been made? The disaster of segregation must end, and the public must fight against it.”