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The Trump administration is moving forward with a major new border security initiative in West Texas, preparing to install 30-foot-tall border barriers, access roads, vehicle obstacles, and sophisticated surveillance systems near Big Bend National Park as part of its continuing effort to strengthen security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to the Washington Examiner, construction is scheduled to begin this month in sections of the Big Bend Sector. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the project will feature what it describes as a “Smart Wall,” integrating steel fencing with cameras, sensors, and upgraded road infrastructure in strategically selected locations.

CBP said new border barriers are expected to be built in the Marfa and Van Horn areas, while other parts of the sector will rely largely on surveillance technology and the region’s rugged natural landscape to discourage illegal crossings.

The initiative builds upon approximately 450 miles of border wall constructed during President Trump’s first administration, a central component of his immigration policy designed to combat illegal immigration and the smuggling of narcotics across the southern border.

Agency officials said the project has been designed to improve border security while limiting its impact on the region’s environmentally sensitive terrain.

“CBP is not planning to construct a 30-foot-high barrier in Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area,” the agency said, adding that it will coordinate with park officials and use existing roads whenever possible.

The latest plans follow months of discussion over the most effective way to secure one of the most isolated and difficult-to-patrol sections of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Washington Examiner reported that large quantities of steel wall panels have already been delivered to staging areas near the park in anticipation of the upcoming construction.

Not everyone supports the project. Some area landowners, environmental organizations, and even Republican leaders have questioned whether additional fencing is necessary, arguing that the area’s harsh terrain already serves as a natural barrier and that surveillance technology alone should be enough.

Charlie Angell, a Redford, Texas, property owner and river guide, told the Examiner that the planned route could divide his land and interfere with access to the Rio Grande.

“My home, it’s my retirement, it’s my backyard,” Angell said, expressing concern about losing river access and the impact on his business.

CBP officials, however, insist that technology by itself cannot fully secure the border.

The agency said its strategy combines cameras, sensors, vehicle barriers, and targeted infrastructure upgrades to improve enforcement capabilities while reducing environmental impacts wherever feasible.

Federal officials are continuing to accept public comments on portions of the proposal through July 13.

Backers of the project say blending physical barriers with advanced monitoring technology will better deter illegal immigration and give Border Patrol agents greater visibility across one of the nation’s most remote border regions, despite continued objections from some local residents over the placement of the new infrastructure.

{Matzav.com}

The Midtown Manhattan high-rise that suddenly buckled during construction on Tuesday will likely require a partial demolition before it can be rebuilt, according to structural engineering experts, who say the first priority is preventing a potentially catastrophic collapse, the NY Post reports.

Before any demolition work can begin, crews must stabilize the 37-story former Pfizer headquarters at 235 East 42nd Street near Second Avenue. Engineers say immediate efforts are needed to reinforce the compromised structure and reduce the risk of a localized collapse.

Without prompt action, the damaged building presents a “significant danger” and “could collapse,” said Ronald Hamburger, a veteran structural engineer with more than 50 years of experience who also served on the federal investigative team following the World Trade Center disaster.

Hamburger explained that several columns that buckled during construction are now supporting only about one-third of the weight they were originally designed to carry, placing enormous strain on the surrounding beams and columns that remain intact.

To stabilize the tower, engineers will need to install temporary brackets beneath the damaged sections to redistribute the building’s weight and restore balance to the structure, Hamburger said.

He added that the failed columns themselves will ultimately have to be replaced, but that work cannot begin until engineers complete a thorough evaluation of the damage and finalize plans for replacement supports.

“It should be done rapidly, it can’t be done immediately,” he said. “Engineers are going to need to go in and assess just how far the damage has progressed.

“It should be possible to do the repair within a week, stabilizing it, then going about the structural repair,’’ he said.

Emily Guglielmo, a structural engineer and principal at Martin/Martin, cautioned that even entering the building to install temporary supports could be extremely dangerous.

“If it’s possible, in order to limit further evacuation life safety concerns, the quickest fix is to try to get that temporary bracing and shoring in there,” she said, adding it will be a “balancing act” of whether personnel can safely get inside to put supports in “or it’s just too risky of a situation.”

Before anyone enters the structure, engineers will compare the building’s current condition with its original design plans to determine whether it is safe to access and to identify what may have caused the structural failure.

Both experts agreed that portions of the building have suffered irreversible damage and will have to be torn down before reconstruction can begin.

“The images we have seen show … a buckled column, you can see cracking, you can see floors that are sagging, those generally are damage that is not reversible,” Guglielmo explained.

“It’s not like we can just push a cracked floor up and it can maintain its capacity, so there will absolutely be removal and replacement of some of these elements.”

The building, which is being converted from office space into what is expected to become New York City’s largest office-to-residential redevelopment with approximately 1,600 apartments, was evacuated Tuesday after construction workers noticed support columns on the 21st and 22nd floors bending and beginning to fail, according to the NYPD and FDNY.

Authorities quickly established a massive safety perimeter, shutting down nine city blocks as officials monitored the unstable structure.

Only construction workers were inside the building when the emergency unfolded. Everyone evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.

The incident also renewed scrutiny of the project’s safety history. A review of Department of Buildings records, 311 complaints, and lawsuits filed by former workers shows the site had previously faced multiple safety-related concerns.

City records indicate the construction project was cited for seven violations between July and December 2025, resulting in fines totaling more than $32,000.

“This raises some flags,” Hamburger said when asked about the violations.

Sources told The Post that investigators believe Tuesday’s structural failure may be connected to the ongoing project to add 11 additional stories to the existing tower.

Hamburger said investigators are considering several possible causes, including the possibility that columns were subjected to loads far beyond what they had been designed to support because of unexpected weight added above the 21st floor.

Another possibility, he said, is that construction crews may have inadvertently damaged or removed structural components that had been helping support the columns that ultimately buckled.

“It’s hard to diagnose at this point in time, but it’s very likely that there were heavier loads placed on this column than it was anticipated to support,” Guglielmo said. “It’s likely that potentially the incorrect member size is there, whether by design or construction.

“Oftentimes when something as catastrophic as this happens, it’s a combination of a variety of factors,” she continued.

“Sometimes it doesn’t show itself immediately. It’s only when enough of the building has gone up, or enough loads have been added.”

{Matzav.com}

The funeral procession for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, entered a new phase overnight when his coffin was flown from Iran to the Iraqi city of Najaf, where it was received during an official ceremony attended by senior Iraqi government officials and Shiite religious leaders.

Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike after serving as leader of the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades, arrived at Najaf International Airport, where Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and other senior officials formally welcomed the coffin.

Najaf was deliberately chosen as a stop on the funeral route because it is considered one of the holiest cities in Shiite Islam. Iranian officials included the city in the itinerary because of its deep religious significance.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also traveled to Iraq to lead Iran’s official delegation of mourners and participate in the ceremonies alongside political leaders and senior clerics. However, after the United States launched overnight strikes inside Iran, he abruptly cut short his visit and returned to Tehran to oversee the country’s response to the developing security situation.

Meanwhile, Iraqi authorities deployed large numbers of security personnel throughout Najaf as tens of thousands of mourners were expected to arrive. Thousands of pilgrims from Iraq and neighboring countries gathered to participate in funeral processions and memorial ceremonies taking place across the city.

According to the official schedule, Khamenei’s coffin will next be transported to the city of Karbala, another of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites. Once the ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala are completed, the coffin will be flown back to Iran, where Khamenei is expected to be buried in the city of Mashhad within the next several days.

{Matzav.com}

A heartbreaking tragedy struck the Monsey, New York, community this morning when 7-year-old Baila Weber was killed after being struck by a school bus on Blauvelt Road.

The accident occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. Hatzalah of Rockland County paramedics and EMTs, officers from the Ramapo Police Department, Rockland Chaverim volunteers, and additional emergency personnel rushed to the scene.

First responders performed extensive life-saving measures and fought to save the young girl’s life. Despite their efforts, she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Baila was a daughter of Reb Yisroel Efraim and Esti Weber.

Following the tragedy, volunteers from Chesed Shel Emes, Misaskim, and Rockland Chaverim also responded to the scene to ensure proper kavod hameis and to assist the grieving family during their time of immense loss.

Levayah details have not yet been announced.

President Trump declared Wednesday that he considers the memorandum of understanding with Iran effectively finished after authorizing overnight U.S. airstrikes against 80 targets in Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking publicly for the first time since ordering the military operation, Trump dismissed any interest in continuing negotiations with the Iranian regime. “I don’t like them at all. And frankly, I think we wasted a lot of time with them, I think we should just do our business,” Trump said.

Asked whether the preliminary peace agreement he signed with Iran at the Palace of Versailles in France on June 17 was now defunct, the president left little doubt about his position. “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum.”

Trump continued his criticism of the Iranian leadership, saying, “They’re vicious, violent people… so far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”

He went on to argue that further diplomacy would accomplish nothing. “So far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars… They’re liars, they’re cheats, they’re sick people.”

The president added that while negotiations could technically continue, he had little confidence they would produce results. “Frankly, I don’t want to waste my time with them,” the president went on. “Now I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it.”

Financial markets reacted swiftly to Trump’s remarks. Brent crude oil surged by nearly $2 a barrel during early Wednesday trading before leveling off at roughly $76.50. U.S. stock futures also fell sharply ahead of the opening bell, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping nearly 600 points and the S&P 500 declining by almost 1%.

Iran responded defiantly, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf insisting that Tehran would not be intimidated. In a statement released Wednesday morning, he declared, “the era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”

The 14-point memorandum of understanding had established a 60-day period to restore normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while both sides worked toward a permanent agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program—whose dismantling was President Trump’s principal objective—as well as possible sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

That framework unraveled after Iran launched attacks on three commercial ships in the strategic waterway on Monday and Tuesday, following its demand that international vessels travel only along a sea lane approved by Tehran instead of the route favored by the United States and its allies near Oman.

While tensions over the Strait of Hormuz had flared repeatedly since the agreement was signed, Wednesday’s U.S. response marked a significant escalation. Trump also made the dispute personal by pointing to alleged Iranian plots targeting his life.

“They want to take out the US leader, me. I’m on every list,” he said.

Trump continued, “I saw a thing this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky. But that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

Concluding his remarks, the president said, “These are evil, sick people and we have to rid their cancer.”

Iran has increasingly sought to tighten its control over the Strait of Hormuz, including by attempting to impose transit fees on commercial shipping through the vital waterway, which carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil exports each year.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday that it had carried out a sweeping missile and drone assault against 85 U.S. military bases and installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, saying the operation was in direct retaliation for American airstrikes conducted overnight inside Iran.

According to a statement published by Iranian state media, the IRGC said its naval and aerospace units launched the coordinated attack after accusing the United States of breaching a ceasefire. The announcement came after U.S. forces reportedly struck 80 targets across Iranian territory overnight, an action Tehran characterized as a “decisive response.”

The IRGC also asserted that its air defense systems successfully downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Iran, calling the incident part of its response to what it described as ongoing U.S. military activity over the Gulf. In a separate report, Iranian state media said one member of the IRGC Navy was killed in an attack allegedly carried out by “enemy drones.”

Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, claimed that President Trump is preparing for additional military action against Iran. “We believe the United States intends to resume its military operations, but we are prepared for all scenarios,” Rezaei said in remarks carried by Iranian media.

The latest escalation has fueled growing anxiety throughout the Gulf region. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, said Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, along with repeated strikes directed at Bahrain and Kuwait, showed that Tehran was not genuinely seeking to reduce tensions.

Writing on X, Gargash said countries across the region “cannot remain targets of Iran’s wavering between the logic of escalation and the path of reason, stability and peace,” adding that Iran’s recent actions had severely damaged prospects for ending the conflict.

At the same time, Iran’s Foreign Ministry argued that alleged violations of agreements regulating maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, combined with ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, had effectively rendered the interim agreement meaningless.

{Matzav.com}

A wave of outrage has erupted in Austria after authorities approved plans to build a massive logistics center and a Lidl supermarket on the site of the former Hirtenberg women’s concentration camp, one of the country’s largest Nazi camps for female prisoners during World War II.

The controversial project received approval from Austria’s Federal Monuments Office, which ruled that the remaining walls of the former camp do not qualify for designation as a protected historic site. The decision has sparked widespread public criticism and has been described by Austrian media as a “major scandal.”

At the center of the controversy is Andreas Ramharter, the mayor of Leobersdorf, a town located about 40 minutes south of Vienna, who is reportedly set to profit substantially from the project.

According to reports, a company owned by Ramharter sold the property to an investor for more than €15 million.

After the municipal council, which he leads, approved rezoning the land for commercial use, Ramharter reportedly received an additional €1.34 million.

He also secured exclusive rights to install solar panels on the roof of the future complex, a move expected to generate ongoing income for years to come.

The planned development includes a sprawling industrial facility designed to serve as a refrigerated warehouse and logistics center, complete with loading docks, freezer facilities, and shipping infrastructure for food distribution companies. A branch of the German discount supermarket chain Lidl is also slated to be built on the site.

Beyond concerns over preserving Holocaust history, the project has also drawn opposition from local political leaders. Current plans call for traffic changes that would route approximately 1,200 trucks each day through the former concentration camp grounds, raising fears of severe congestion and transportation problems throughout the surrounding area.

Jewish leaders and Holocaust memorial officials have sharply condemned the decision.

Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community of Vienna, said, “To profit from the memory of tortured women who were murdered is a disgrace. This dark chapter of our history cannot simply be covered over with a shopping center.”

Barbara Glück, director of the Mauthausen Memorial, also denounced the plan, saying, “It is a shame and a disgrace to destroy the remains of a concentration camp in this way.”

For months, local activists campaigned to preserve the site and establish even a modest memorial honoring the victims who suffered there. Their appeals, however, were ultimately rejected.

The Hirtenberg concentration camp operated during the final years of World War II as a satellite camp of the Mauthausen concentration camp. Approximately 400 women, many of them deported from Auschwitz, were imprisoned there.

The prisoners were forced to work 12-hour shifts in a nearby weapons factory under brutal and inhumane conditions. The youngest inmate held at the camp was just 16 years old.

Lidl declined to confirm its involvement in the project but stopped short of denying the reports.

“We are always looking for new and attractive locations to further improve our local offering, and that includes the Leobersdorf area. However, at this stage we cannot provide details about a potential project,” the company said.

[Video below.] Prosecutors unveiled new surveillance footage Tuesday that they say meticulously tracks the movements of Tyler Robinson across the Utah Valley University campus in the hours before and after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as the accused gunman faces a hearing to determine whether he will stand trial.

The evidence was presented during a preliminary hearing in Provo, Utah, where prosecutors laid out what they described as a detailed timeline of Robinson’s actions on the day of the killing.

Investigators testified that Robinson approached members of Turning Point USA—the organization founded by Kirk—hours before the shooting. They also revealed that, shortly after the attack, Robinson had a brief encounter with a police officer who had been assigned to provide extra security on campus.

Robinson, 23, has been charged with aggravated murder, a charge that carries the possibility of the death penalty. He has not yet entered a plea.

Among the most significant evidence presented Tuesday was surveillance footage showing a gray Dodge Challenger approaching an intersection less than a half-mile from the crime scene while police were searching for the gunman on the evening of Sept. 10.

According to Sgt. David Hull of the Utah Department of Public Safety, who led the investigation while serving with the State Bureau of Investigation, the driver of the vehicle was Robinson. The footage showed the car attempting to turn onto campus before pulling away after the driver briefly spoke with a police officer directing traffic.

Hull testified that the officer recorded the vehicle’s license plate after the encounter, apparently relying on what he described as his “cop intuition.”

Although investigators do not know exactly what was said during the conversation, the officer later identified the driver as Robinson, and records confirmed the vehicle was registered in his name.

Roughly 22 hours later, Robinson surrendered to police after being persuaded to do so by his parents and a family friend.

Prosecutors also reconstructed Robinson’s movements throughout the day, arguing that surveillance footage demonstrates careful planning leading up to the shooting.

Video shown in court depicted a man wearing gray shorts, a red T-shirt, and a backpack arriving at a campus parking garage at approximately 8:30 a.m. He was later seen walking throughout the campus and stopping for lunch at a Chick-fil-A.

Prosecutors identified the man as Robinson, arguing that his seemingly ordinary appearance concealed a plan to assassinate Kirk.

Hull testified that Robinson visited the amphitheater where Kirk had been scheduled to speak and also interacted with representatives of Turning Point USA before leaving the campus.

According to investigators, Robinson later returned on foot wearing jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. Hull testified that Robinson walked with a noticeable limp, suggesting he may have been concealing a firearm beneath his clothing.

Additional surveillance footage introduced in court showed a person investigators identified as Robinson moving across the gravel-covered roof of a campus building before lying down in what prosecutors described as a sniper position moments before the fatal shooting.

The footage then showed the individual moving to the opposite side of the roof while apparently carrying a long object before jumping to the ground and fleeing into a wooded area bordering a nearby neighborhood.

Prosecutors also presented forensic evidence they say further ties Robinson to the crime.

An FBI laboratory report concluded that Robinson’s DNA was found on a towel wrapped around a rifle recovered in the wooded area near the university.

The report also stated that Robinson’s DNA was discovered on a screwdriver left on the rooftop from which prosecutors allege the shots were fired. Investigators have not yet explained how the screwdriver was used.

Defense attorneys vigorously challenged the DNA evidence, calling FBI forensic analyst Amanda Bakker to testify and questioning her extensively about the laboratory’s testing methods and conclusions.

Bakker was the fourth witness to testify during the hearing, which is scheduled to continue this afternoon.

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It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Tuvia Blau zt”l, one of Chabad’s senior rabbinic figures in Eretz Yisroel and longtime rav of the Chabad community in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Yerushalayim. Rav Blau was 90 years old.

His petirah comes just a few weeks after the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chana Frumit Blau a”h, who was niftar on 2 Tammuz after both had been hospitalized in serious condition.

Rav Blau was born in Yerushalayim in 1936 to Reb Boruch Yehudah Blau z”l, a prominent leader of the Yerushalayim branch of Poalei Agudas Yisroel (PAGI). His grandfather was the legendary Agudas Yisroel leader Rav Moshe Blau zt”l, with whom the young Tuvia shared a particularly close relationship. As a youth, he learned with his grandfather regularly and often accompanied him on his public activities.

He received his Torah education in the renowned Eitz Chaim Talmud Torah and Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, where he was considered one of the yeshiva’s outstanding talmidim. During those years he developed a deep attachment to the teachings of Chassidus and became devoted to Chabad and to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, remaining a deeply connected chossid throughout his life.

In 1966, Rav Yisrael Leibov z”l, then chairman of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in Eretz Yisroel, appointed Rav Blau as director-general of the organization’s activities division. He served in that role for more than two decades, until 1987, overseeing numerous nationwide educational and outreach initiatives and playing a major role in spreading Chassidus throughout Israel.

Rav Blau enjoyed an especially close relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In 1972, during celebrations marking the Rebbe’s 70th birthday, he was personally selected by the Rebbe to serve on the prestigious “Committee of Seventy Institutions,” which was established to help create dozens of new Torah and educational institutions around the world.

Perhaps his greatest contribution came in the field of education. In 1975, Rav Blau was appointed director of the renowned Beis Chana Seminary for Girls in Yerushalayim, a position he held for more than 40 years. Under his leadership, thousands of students passed through the institution, many of whom went on to become mothers, educators, and community leaders. Former talmidos regarded him as both a spiritual mentor and a steadfast guide in Torah, emunah, and Chassidus.

Alongside his educational work, Rav Blau earned a reputation as one of Chabad’s foremost writers and thinkers. Known for his sharp intellect and powerful pen, he became a leading defender of Chabad philosophy and Torah values. When the official Chabad weekly Kfar Chabad was founded in 1980, he joined its original editorial board and spent the following decade writing hundreds of essays and opinion pieces that helped shape the movement’s public voice.

For many decades, Rav Blau also served as the spiritual leader of the Chabad community in Neve Yaakov, where he established Torah classes, provided halachic guidance, strengthened community life, and became a trusted address for countless people seeking advice and encouragement.

In recent months, his health deteriorated and he was hospitalized as Chassidim around the world davened fervently for his recovery. This morning, he was niftar, leaving behind a tremendous void in both the broader Torah world and the Chabad community.

Rav Blau is survived by a distinguished family dedicated to Torah, chinuch, and Chabad shlichus. Among them are his son, Rav Peretz Uriel Blau, a member of the administration of Beis Chana Seminary in Yerushalayim; his son-in-law Rav Mordechai Menashe Laufer, an author and one of the shluchim in Ashdod; and another son-in-law, veteran educator Rav Aharon Halperin of Kfar Chabad.

The levayah will take place at 2:00 p.m., departing from the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim and proceeding to the Chabad section of Har HaZeisim, where Rav Blau will be laid to rest beside his wife.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu strongly criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday after the mayor said he could not support Israel because he believes the country gives preferential treatment to Jews over followers of other religions.

Appearing on CNN’s Inside Politics with Dana Bash, Netanyahu rejected Mamdani’s characterization of Israel and defended the country’s democratic system.

“He conveniently forgets that the only democracy in the Middle East is Israel. Twenty percent of our citizens are in fact Muslims. … but they sit on the Supreme Court. They’re in the Knesset, our parliament. They share every walk of life,” Netanyahu said.

The exchange follows remarks Mamdani made last month, when he said he supports Israel’s existence only if it guarantees equal rights to all citizens regardless of religion.

“I think any state that privileges one religion over the other is one that I can’t tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else,” Mamdani, who is Muslim, said during an interview on ABC News’ This Week.

According to the Pew Research Center, Jews comprised approximately 77% of Israel’s population as of 2020, while Muslims accounted for 14.7% and Christians represented 1.9%.

Although Israeli law provides equal legal rights to all citizens, several international human rights organizations have argued that disparities continue to exist between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis.

A 2025 report by Freedom House stated that, “long-term discrimination against Arab and other ethnic and religious minorities has resulted in systemic disparities in areas including criminal justice, local government budgets, education, and economic opportunity.”

The report also said, “Although the law protects the religious sites of non-Jewish groups, they face discrimination in the allocation of state resources as well as persistent cases of vandalism or harassment by Jewish extremists.”

Mamdani has repeatedly criticized Israel’s military operations in Judea and Samaria and Gaza. During last year’s mayoral campaign, he also said that if Netanyahu were to visit New York City, he would instruct the NYPD to arrest the Israeli prime minister under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court alleging war crimes.

According to an October report by Brown University’s Cost of War project, more than 10% of Gaza’s population was either killed or seriously wounded during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas between October 7, 2023, and October 3, 2025.

Netanyahu dismissed Mamdani’s criticism, insisting that Israel remains the only nation in the Middle East that provides the equal rights the mayor claims to support.

“His supporters have supported Hamas, these people who murder people, who beheaded our men, who raped our women, and then murdered them, burned babies alive and so on,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister also acknowledged that no democratic system is flawless but argued that Israel should not be singled out.

“This is not mere cynicism,” the prime minister later added. “I mean, it’s ridiculous. It’s absurd. There are always imperfect democracies. Israel is an imperfect democracy. The United States is an imperfect democracy.”

Earlier this year, Mamdani publicly condemned pro-Hamas demonstrators who gathered outside a synagogue in Queens, New York.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel’s military campaign against Iran was launched because the Islamic Republic was dangerously close to obtaining nuclear weapons, while also warning that providing advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey would threaten regional stability.

Speaking during an appearance on Newsmax’s The Record With Greta Van Susteren, Netanyahu said Iran’s nuclear program had reached a critical stage that left Israel with little choice but to act.

“We pushed that immediate threat away. We destroyed a lot of their infrastructure, a lot of their centrifuges, a lot of the associated factories and facilities that they use for manufacturing nuclear weapons,” the prime minister said.

Netanyahu also highlighted Israel’s efforts to cripple Iran’s nuclear program by targeting the scientists leading it.

“We knocked out 20 of their top nuclear scientists – 20 of their top nuclear scientists. So we pushed it back considerably.”

Even so, he cautioned that while Iran’s immediate capabilities have been significantly degraded, the regime’s determination to acquire nuclear weapons has not disappeared.

“It’s like when you excise a lump of cancer from your body, you know it may come back. But you know one thing: If you wouldn’t do it, you could die,” he remarked. “And Israel was obviously placed with an existential threat. And America was threatened with a very great danger.”

Netanyahu warned that a regime whose supporters openly chant “death to America” cannot be allowed to possess intercontinental ballistic missiles, especially if those missiles could eventually carry nuclear warheads, saying such a development would endanger “every single American.”

The prime minister also expressed strong opposition to reports that the United States is considering supplying Turkey with F-35 stealth fighter jets.

“I think it’s a mistake,” Netanyahu stated to Newsmax.

He pointed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policies toward Greece, Turkey’s continued control of northern Cyprus, and repeated hostile rhetoric directed at Israel.

“His number two a few days ago said the Jewish state has no place among the nations,” Netanyahu added. “If this regime that often condemns America and often attacks America verbally should have the weapons like the F-35, I think it will greatly destabilize the region.”

Despite disagreeing with President Donald Trump on that issue, Netanyahu emphasized that the relationship between the two leaders remains exceptionally close.

He noted that Trump has “said it couldn’t be better.”

“But as you say, friends can have agreements and disagreements,” he acknowledged. “We agree on just about everything, but there are areas of disagreement. I just mentioned one of them, which is providing F-35s to Turkey.”

Netanyahu said the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance allows both leaders to speak candidly with one another.

“I feel confident enough in our friendship, in our alliance, that I can tell him what I think is important for the interests of protecting Israel,” he explained. “And he tells me what he thinks is important for the interests of the United States. This is a real friendship, a real alliance.”

Turning to the war in Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel and the United States remain united in rejecting any arrangement that would leave Hamas in power.

“They don’t want to disarm, and they certainly don’t want Gaza to be demilitarized. They just want to continue tyrannizing the Gaza population there and launching terrorist raids into Israel,” he observed. “They can’t do that right now because we’re enveloping them with our brave soldiers.”

Netanyahu concluded the interview by praising the United States for what he described as its historic role in defending freedom around the world.

“The United States of America has been the sentinel of security and peace and freedom,” he declared. “And if it weren’t for the United States, Nazism could have won. Stalinism could have won,” he said, adding, “And we would have entered into a dark age for God knows how many hundreds of years.”

He closed by expressing Israel’s appreciation for America’s longstanding support.

“The United States has been the guardian of freedom, and we in Israel, a free democratic country, we salute the United States.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is expected to make his first official visit to Israel on Wednesday, according to multiple sources familiar with his travel plans. The trip comes at a sensitive moment, although it remains unclear whether overnight U.S. military strikes inside Iran will affect the schedule.

During his visit, Hegseth is expected to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz for high-level discussions, one source told CNN.

One of the central issues expected to dominate the meetings is Israel’s concern over reports that the United States may move forward with a deal to provide Turkey with advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets. President Donald Trump raised the possibility during the NATO summit currently taking place in Ankara, prompting unease in Yerushalayim.

Hegseth had previously planned to travel to Israel in May 2025 but canceled that visit. He last visited the country in 2018, before entering government service, while working as a journalist.

News of the planned trip comes just hours after Netanyahu sharply criticized Turkey’s leadership during an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

The prime minister said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is “not exactly a model ally of the United States.”

Netanyahu also warned that Erdoğan “threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state.”

Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East operating the F-35, widely regarded as America’s most advanced fighter aircraft.

According to a U.S. official familiar with the travel plans, Hegseth—who accompanied President Trump to the NATO summit in Turkey—is expected to break away from the president’s delegation on Wednesday to continue on to Israel.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon publicly confirmed the visit. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the Pentagon declined to discuss the reported itinerary.

{Matzav.com}

Ireland’s parliament has taken another step toward adopting one of Europe’s toughest trade measures targeting Israel, approving legislation that would prohibit the import of goods produced in Israeli communities in eastern Yerushalayim and Judea and Samaria.

The proposed measure, known as the Israeli Settlements (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill, would ban agricultural products, commercial merchandise, and other goods originating from what the legislation describes as “certain Israeli settlements.”

Although Ireland was among the first European Union countries to champion such restrictions, Spain became the first EU member state to implement similar import limitations last October.

Ireland’s center-right coalition government drafted the legislation following a 2024 advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which claimed that Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria, eastern Yerushalayim, and Gaza is contrary to international law.

The measure first advanced through Ireland’s parliament in November 2025, prompting criticism from the U.S. State Department, which cautioned that the legislation could “adversely affect American businesses operating in Ireland.”

Ireland has emerged as one of Israel’s most outspoken critics in Europe since the outbreak of the Gaza war, which began after Hamas launched its October 2023 terrorist attack against Israel.

In April 2024, then-Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris came under criticism from Israel after omitting any mention of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas during his first address as the country’s new leader.

Harris later condemned Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing the Jewish state of a “pattern of flouting international law and disregard for rules of engagement.”

The following month, Ireland joined Spain and Norway—and later Slovenia—in formally recognizing a Palestinian state. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar ordered the closure of Israel’s embassy in Dublin, citing Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.”

Relations deteriorated further last month when the Irish government barred National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country.

Even if the legislation ultimately becomes law, its economic impact is expected to be minimal. Irish imports from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria—primarily timber, fruits, and vegetables—totaled less than €1 million between 2020 and 2024.

The bill now moves to Ireland’s upper house of parliament, where it must receive final approval before becoming law.

{Matzav.com}

New York City officials said Tuesday night they are confident that emergency stabilization work has secured a Midtown Manhattan high-rise that prompted a massive evacuation earlier in the day after structural columns buckled, raising fears of a partial collapse.

Following hours of emergency work, Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said crews successfully installed temporary shoring and other reinforcements to stabilize the building.

“We were able to visit and get to the 21st floor this evening ourselves to inspect and look at the work that’s been done, and we are feeling confident that many of the emergency shoring measures that have been put in place as a result of extensive discussions with the building owner, the contractor, their licensed professional is stabilizing the situation,” Tigani said during a late-night press briefing.

He said additional steel supports were being installed as another layer of protection.

The commissioner explained that the new steel is “another emergency intervention,” adding that it is “creating stability and allowing workers and materials to move into place and keep the building in a stable situation.” He also noted that officials had not detected any additional movement in the compromised structure for several hours.

Earlier Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani had warned that the building remained unstable and urged New Yorkers to avoid the surrounding area. By Tuesday evening, however, city officials said the immediate danger had been significantly reduced, although they cautioned that emergency operations would likely continue for several more days.

“I can say right now the building is stable,” Tigani said. “We feel confident in the emergency plan we have now.”

The emergency began shortly before 8 a.m., when firefighters responded to reports of falling bricks at 235 East 42nd Street, where the former Pfizer headquarters is being converted into a 37-story residential tower with more than 1,600 apartments. The development, expected to be completed in 2027, has been described by its architects as the largest office-to-residential conversion project in New York City history.

According to the Department of Buildings, a safety manager reported that a steel beam on the building’s 21st floor had become compromised. Fire officials later determined that two structural support columns had buckled, causing several upper floors to sag and prompting authorities to establish a large safety perimeter stretching from East 40th Street to East 45th Street between First and Third Avenues.

By late afternoon, engineers completed their initial assessment and authorized contractors to begin installing temporary shoring to reinforce the damaged portion of the structure. Officials said the affected columns had shown no additional movement after midday, allowing stabilization work to continue throughout the evening.

New York Fire Department Chief of Department John Esposito said all construction workers were safely evacuated, no injuries were reported, and every worker was accounted for.

The emergency response also required the evacuation of nine neighboring buildings along East 42nd Street, East 43rd Street, and Second Avenue. In addition, a nearby private school with approximately 400 students was evacuated as a precaution.

MetroLoft, the developer overseeing the conversion project, said it is working closely with the city’s Department of Buildings to determine exactly what caused the structural failure.

Nathan Berman, MetroLoft’s founder and managing principal, characterized the incident as “nothing more than a typical construction mishap” during an interview with The New York Times.

“It happens unfortunately far too often on construction sites: falling cranes, people — God forbid — falling off buildings, windows falling out,” Berman said.

Berman also suggested that additional weight placed on the upper floors during construction likely caused the structural problems.

“This additional load that we put on those floors caused those two particular columns to collapse,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “Why those particular two columns and nothing else? We don’t know…we’re investigating that.”

While acknowledging the damage, Berman maintained that the problem was confined to a small section of the tower.

“I don’t know that a four-inch sag is a collapse,” he told The New York Times.

He also defended the overall engineering of the project, describing the design as “perfect,” and emphasized that the vast majority of the building remains structurally sound.

“It’s too big of a building. Ninety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact…There is no way that this corner of a small extension all of a sudden topples this building,” Berman said.

Although city officials have not yet determined the precise cause of the incident, labor representatives at the site suggested the added floors may not have been supported by sufficient structural steel. Authorities have not confirmed that assessment and say the investigation remains ongoing.

The conversion project is part of New York City’s broader initiative to transform vacant Midtown office towers into residential housing as officials work to address the city’s housing shortage and reshape the neighborhood into a mixed-use community.

{Matzav.com}

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Speaking during a moving bein hametzarim shiur, member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein urged listeners to reflect on the tzaar haShechinah and shared remarkable personal memories from his youth in Yerushalayim during Israel’s War of Independence, describing open miracles that he says continue to strengthen his emunah to this day.

Addressing the challenge of mourning the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash nearly 2,000 years later, Rav Zilberstein asked, “People ask me, how is it possible to mourn something that happened 2,000 years ago? How can a person mourn today? Certainly one must cry, but how can a young bochur today cry over events that took place so long ago?”

He then recalled the well-known story of Napoleon passing a shul on Tishah B’Av and finding Jews sitting on the floor in mourning.

“As is well known, it is told that Emperor Napoleon passed by a shul on Tishah B’Av and saw people sitting on the floor crying. He asked what was happening, and they told him they were mourning the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. He was amazed and said, ‘A nation that remembers for so long what it has lost is guaranteed to receive it back.'”

Rav Zilberstein explained that the tears shed during bein hametzarim are not only for the destruction itself, but for the pain of the Divine Presence.

“Everywhere you look during bein hametzarim, and on Tishah B’Av, you see talmidei chachamim sitting and crying with all their hearts. Why are they crying? They are crying over the tzaar haShechinah.”

He continued by describing the anguish caused when Jews act contrary to the will of Hashem despite the countless miracles bestowed upon them.

“Look, the Ribono Shel Olam has so much pain. He performs miracles for us that are completely beyond nature, and there are Jews who anger Him מאוד. What does that mean? They do exactly the opposite of what He wants—the opposite.”

“They imprison bnei Torah, and they do things that are the opposite of Hashem’s will. The Kadosh Baruch Hu cries very much. He says, ‘I perform such miracles for them, beyond the natural order, and this is how they behave’… It is truly terrible.”

Rav Zilberstein then reflected on his own childhood during the War of Independence, describing the extraordinary miracles he witnessed firsthand.

“I was a young boy when the State was declared. We lived in Yerushalayim. It was impossible to travel. Seven nations wanted to destroy us, and they were throwing bombs and shells. I was staying with my uncle—my parents were overseas because my mother was ill—and simply walking from my home to my uncle’s house was life-threatening. There was constant gunfire, yet all the children walked. Everyone went to daven.”

“We all stood there crying, ‘B’zochreinu es Tzion.’ We were young. How could we possibly travel back and forth? All of my friends from Yeshivas Etz Chaim went to yeshivah. How did they get there? They told us, ‘Nothing will happen.’ I don’t know whether it was permitted, but nobody asked questions.”

The senior posek also recalled asking his grandfather, the famed tzaddik Rav Aryeh Levin, about his regular visits to patients suffering from leprosy, and later discussing the matter with his father-in-law, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.

“Our grandfather, the great tzaddik Rav Aryeh Levin, as is well known, regularly visited people suffering from leprosy. I asked my father-in-law, the great posek hador, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, how that could have been permitted. Rav Elyashiv answered that generally the public is forbidden from doing so, but Rav Aryeh Levin was permitted… because everything he did was solely for Hashem, without any personal interest whatsoever, with only the honor of Heaven before his eyes.”

Returning to the war years, Rav Zilberstein marveled at the open miracles that protected the city’s residents.

“I don’t understand how we had the strength to walk to yeshivah and back. Seven nations were against us, all armed with tremendous military power. I don’t know how it happened, but one thing I do know—Baruch Hashem, nobody was killed. Everyone kept going. The bullets flew over our heads. Seven nations were against us, seven great and wealthy nations. It instilled tremendous emunah. The children kept walking without hesitation.”

“No one dreamed we would remain alive after everything that happened here. Seven nations were against us, and the Gedolei Yisroel greatly strengthened the people. Today, Baruch Hashem, we are here. These were miraculous miracles. I have never seen miracles like these.”

Concluding his remarks, Rav Zilberstein urged his listeners to recognize that the Jewish people continue to live under extraordinary Divine protection.

“So we must know, my dear friends, that we are living in a reality that is beyond the laws of nature by every measure. If someone had told us back then that one day we would all be sitting here together learning Torah, we would not have believed him… We would have felt like dreamers. We constantly witness the wonders of the Creator. It is beyond belief. Our responsibility now is to serve the Creator, blessed be His Name, with love, unity, and emunah.”

Despite mounting pressure on the Torah world and the ongoing challenges facing bnei Torah, this year’s enrollment season for Israel’s leading yeshivos is breaking records, with unprecedented demand driving historic growth. Ponovezh Yeshiva is expected to welcome approximately 450 new talmidim—the largest incoming class in its history—while Chevron Yeshiva is preparing to admit around 320. At the same time, Sephardic yeshivos continue to expand, even as roshei yeshiva struggle with severe shortages of dormitory space and classroom capacity.

Speaking on Kol Chai’s News of the Torah World program with Nati Kalish, journalist Efi Lerner said the remarkable growth comes at a time when many outsiders assume the Torah world is under strain.

“At a time like this, when people from the outside might think the Torah world is weakening, the exact opposite is happening,” Lerner said. “The Torah world is growing stronger than ever before.”

According to Lerner, one of the most difficult decisions facing roshei yeshiva each year is determining how many talmidim to accept. While a large applicant pool reflects a yeshiva’s reputation and prestige, physical limitations—including dormitory space, dining facilities, and the ability to provide personal attention to each bochur—force administrators to set limits.

Ponovezh, for example, is expected to accept roughly 450 new talmidim this year, a historic record. However, the yeshiva is simultaneously grappling with a severe housing shortage and is moving forward with plans to construct an additional dormitory. Other institutions have chosen a different approach. Yad Aharon, for instance, plans to admit only about 40 talmidim, allowing the roshei yeshiva to devote greater individual attention to each bochur.

Lerner noted that many yeshivos also consider the social makeup of their talmidim in addition to academic excellence. This year, Nesiv HaDaas (Kaplan) is seeking applicants with more energetic and outgoing personalities, while Mir Brachfeld is looking for talmidim with a more conservative temperament.

Chevron Yeshiva is expected to enroll approximately 320 new talmidim this year, representing a substantial increase over recent years. To accommodate the expansion, the yeshiva has added dormitory space, classrooms, and modifications to its bais medrash. Yeshivas Wolfson is projected to admit about 200 talmidim, while Shaarei Shmuos will welcome 112 new bochurim, bringing its total enrollment to roughly 650.

Lerner emphasized that the rapid growth is not limited to the Lithuanian yeshiva world. Sephardic yeshivos are also experiencing significant expansion and attracting increasing numbers of applicants each year.

Yeshivas Rechasim, which currently has approximately 800 talmidim, is expected to admit around 180 new talmidim. Other growing institutions include Me’or HaTorah, Yesodos, Be’er Yehudah, Beis Shmaya, and several additional yeshivos that continue to expand their enrollment.

“The bochurim who choose Sephardic yeshivos feel they are attending outstanding yeshivos,” Lerner said. “They do not feel like they are second-class.” He added that the growing variety of yeshivos and educational styles enables each talmid to find the environment best suited to his needs.

Addressing the admissions process itself, Lerner explained that entrance exams and acceptance notifications vary from one yeshiva to another. However, once the admissions decisions from Ponovezh and Chevron are finalized, “the entire market opens up again,” as talmidim who were not accepted into their first-choice yeshivos find places at other highly respected institutions.

He encouraged applicants not to become discouraged by a rejection.

“Even a bochur who happened to struggle on an entrance exam is not a less capable bochur,” Lerner said. “Many outstanding talmidim go on to other excellent yeshivos, where they continue to thrive and grow.”

According to Lerner, this year’s enrollment figures underscore a clear trend: despite the many challenges confronting the Torah world, the yeshiva system continues to expand at an extraordinary pace.