The Washington Post reports that the United States has amassed an unprecedented concentration of military power in the Middle East, including roughly one-third of its active naval fleet, a deployment that would allow Washington to carry out anything from limited, targeted strikes to a wide-ranging bombing campaign against Iran.
The report comes amid recent claims that elements within the U.S. military establishment oppose a potential strike on Iran being considered by President Donald Trump. According to the Post’s counter-report, however, the scale and scope of the current buildup signal that the administration now has a full spectrum of operational options at its disposal.
According to the report, the U.S. military has assembled forces sufficient to sustain either a prolonged military campaign or a series of focused, limited strikes. Contrary to earlier reports suggesting a short, five-day intensive assault, the Post indicated that the American forces currently positioned in the region could support a broader and more significant operation.
Dana Stroul, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, told the newspaper that the massive concentration of forces gives President Trump the ability to implement virtually any operational decision, ranging from limited missions to an extensive kinetic campaign.
Defense analysts cited in the report assessed that the military assets now in place point to preparations for a multi-day air operation, though not one that would include a ground invasion.
The scale of the U.S. military presence in the region is considered one of the largest in more than two decades, rivaling levels seen in the lead-up to the Iraq War in 2003.
The buildup follows the conclusion of a second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran on February 17 that ended without a breakthrough, as well as President Trump’s warnings that Iran could face military action if no agreement is reached to curb its nuclear ambitions.
While Tehran has maintained that an agreement remains achievable but requires additional time, Washington has accelerated its force deployments beyond the reinforcements observed prior to American strikes last June.
Flight tracking data and satellite imagery cited in the report show that more than 150 aircraft have been transferred to bases in the Middle East and Europe since the collapse of negotiations.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived Monday off the coast of Crete carrying dozens of aircraft, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is currently stationed off the coast of Oman.
The arrival of the Ford underscores that approximately one-third of the United States’ active naval vessels are now concentrated in the Middle East region.
Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base has become a central hub for U.S. forces. Satellite images from Friday reportedly showed more than 60 aircraft stationed there, including F-35 fighter jets used to neutralize air defense systems.
At the same time, more than half of the recently deployed aircraft have landed at bases in Europe. Experts cited in the report explained that positioning aircraft in Europe places them outside the range of Iranian missile systems, reducing their vulnerability while preserving the ability to rapidly move personnel and equipment as needed.
The reinforcements also include the deployment of one-third of the U.S. fleet of E-3G Sentry airborne early warning aircraft, as well as F-22 fighter jets stationed in the United Kingdom and F-16 aircraft positioned in Portugal.
U.S. defense officials confirmed the large-scale deployment but declined to provide specific operational details for security reasons. Military analysts noted that the emerging strategy appears designed to enable swift, high-intensity action while minimizing the risks of severe retaliatory strikes.
{Matzav.com}
At the conclusion of Monday’s shiur kloli at Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Rosh Yeshiva Rav Dovid Levy addressed thousands of talmidim, calling on them to reinforce the well-established Purim learning sedarim observed in the yeshiva each year.
The shiur klali focused on a sugya in the second perek of Maseches Bava Basra, a weighty discussion involving the laws of tumah and taharah. During the shiur, Rav Levy cited a foundational teaching from his rebbi, Harav Shmuel Rozovsky zt”l, regarding the parameters of tumah in cases involving less than the minimum shiur.
Following the shiur, the Rosh Yeshiva delivered special remarks in anticipation of Purim. Continuing the longstanding tradition instituted at Ponovezh by Rosh Yeshiva Harav Gershon Edelstein zt”l, the yeshiva prepares unique learning frameworks for both the night of Purim—immediately after the reading of the Megillah—and for Purim day itself.
As part of these sedarim, thousands of bochurim sit and learn Torah for extended, uninterrupted hours, filling every available seat throughout the batei medrash and the various wings of the yeshiva. The sight, observers say, is awe-inspiring, with no empty spaces in the botei medrash, reminiscent of the atmosphere on the night of Shavuos. The sedarim are organized by Rav Shimon Margulies, a close associate of the Rosh Yeshiva, and conclude with a large public tefillah led by the yeshiva’s nosi, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman, together with the entire student body.
In his remarks, Rav Levy referenced the Rambam’s teaching that although all the moadim will be nullified in the future era of Moshiach, the days of Purim and Megillas Esther will never be annulled. From this, he said, it is evident that Purim is an exceptionally elevated time, and it would be a loss to squander it on trivial matters such as excessive drinking and the like. Instead, he urged the bochurim to devote the day to vigorous and enthusiastic Torah study, as is customary in the yeshiva, where extended sedarim known as “Kimu V’Kiblu” are held. Through these sessions, he explained, the talmidim symbolically accept the Torah anew each year with love and willingness.
The Rosh Yeshiva further emphasized that especially in these times—when “our enemies have raised their heads” and seek to uproot Torah from Klal Yisrael and restrict the yeshiva world—it is incumbent upon the bochurim to publicly demonstrate their unbreakable bond with Torah. That connection, he said, must remain firm without interruption—even on Purim itself.
Concluding his address, Rav Levy expressed hope that from Ponovezh, the light of Torah on Purim would radiate throughout the entire yeshiva world, and that in turn the influence would return to Ponovezh. Just as waves travel from place to place, he said, so too should the voice of Torah spread from one makom Torah to another, strengthening dedication and diligence in Torah study during these especially auspicious days of Purim.
{Matzav.com}
Feb. 24 marks four years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine — an assault widely expected at the outset to conclude within days but which has instead evolved into one of Europe’s bloodiest wars since World War II.
Putin’s move to attack a sovereign neighboring state upended long-standing international norms and has resulted in immense human and physical devastation. The war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, left millions wounded, and reduced large swaths of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure to ruins.
Because both Moscow and Kyiv tightly control the release of battlefield data, establishing precise casualty figures remains impossible.
Still, independent assessments paint a grim picture of the scale of the conflict:
• Combined military casualties — including those killed, injured, or missing — are estimated to reach as many as 1.8 million. Of that total, Russia is believed to have suffered about 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 fatalities, while Ukraine’s losses are estimated at roughly 500,000 to 600,000, with as many as 140,000 dead.
• Ukrainian government data indicates that approximately 55,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed, with many others either wounded or unaccounted for.
• Civilian suffering has also been severe. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission reports at least 14,999 civilian deaths and more than 40,600 injuries in Ukraine since 2022, though the actual numbers are widely believed to be higher.
• At least 763 children are among the civilian dead, and 2025 has proven to be the most lethal year yet for non-combatants since the war began.
Altogether, even conservative tallies suggest that the total number of dead and wounded on both sides approaches or surpasses two million — underscoring the enormous human cost of the war.
Numerous diplomatic initiatives and international summits have failed to produce a durable ceasefire.
In August 2025, President Donald Trump welcomed Putin to Alaska for a much-anticipated summit focused on ending the fighting.
Those discussions concluded without an agreement to halt hostilities. Reports afterward indicated that Russia’s demands — including territorial concessions and formal recognition of annexed areas — were deemed unacceptable by Ukraine and its Western allies.
Moscow also continued to insist that Ukraine be denied meaningful security guarantees from the United States, NATO, or leading European powers.
Following the summit, Russian forces intensified their campaign, carrying out ongoing drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, power systems, and other civilian infrastructure.
Just in the past week, Russia unleashed a large-scale wave of drones and missiles aimed at energy facilities and residential districts in several Ukrainian regions, killing and injuring civilians and highlighting the ongoing instability.
Ukraine, increasingly exasperated by stalled negotiations, has answered with expanded strikes inside Russian territory, targeting military and industrial assets in an effort to undermine Moscow’s war-making capabilities.
Human rights groups, U.N. observers, and independent investigators have documented numerous alleged breaches of international humanitarian law during the conflict:
• Russian forces have been accused of deliberately striking civilian sites, including hospitals, schools, electrical grids, and housing complexes — actions that run afoul of the Geneva Conventions.
• Episodes such as the April 2025 airstrike in Sumy, which killed 35 civilians, including children, and wounded 129 others, have been cited as evidence of indiscriminate attacks.
• The International Criminal Court has issued war crimes charges and arrest warrants for Putin and senior Russian officials, including allegations related to the unlawful deportation of children and other offenses, emphasizing the seriousness of the accusations tied to the war.
Many analysts describe repeated attacks on civilian and non-military targets as clear violations of accepted rules of armed conflict and, in some cases, as war crimes.
Policy experts caution that without stronger backing from the United States and its allies, the conflict could settle into a prolonged and destructive stalemate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with numerous Western security specialists, argues that Russia will press forward militarily unless it faces sustained pressure on the battlefield and through diplomacy, calling on Washington to maintain defensive assistance and leadership.
Recent analysis suggests that the war’s consequences extend well beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Zelenskyy has portrayed Putin’s campaign not merely as a regional war but as a trigger for broader global instability comparable to the early stages of a Third World War, urging more robust guarantees from the United States and NATO to deter further escalation.
As the war enters its fourth year, Putin’s original calculation — built on expectations of a rapid triumph and divided Western resolve — has not materialized.
Instead, the conflict has settled into a grinding deadlock that continues to take lives, destroy communities, and alter the security landscape of Europe.
The international community looks on, with hopes that renewed unity and determination from the United States and its partners might yet help Ukraine achieve a just resolution — one that ends the violence and ensures accountability for those responsible.
{Matzav.com}
A judge in Utah is set to determine Tuesday whether the local prosecuting team should be barred from handling the case against the man accused of killing conservative figure Charlie Kirk, after it emerged that the daughter of a senior prosecutor witnessed the shooting.
Earlier this month, Utah County District Court Judge Tony Graf convened a hearing to consider a motion filed by attorneys for Tyler Robinson, who argue that lawyers from the Utah County Attorney’s Office should be taken off the case due to a potential conflict of interest.
According to the defense, the 18-year-old daughter of a high-ranking prosecutor was present when the fatal shooting occurred on September 10.
They contend that the office’s move to pursue capital punishment less than a week after the killing reflected a “strong emotional reaction” by Chad Grunander, a deputy county attorney whose daughter notified him of the shooting through a series of text messages.
Grunander took the stand and rejected the claim that his daughter’s involvement influenced the office’s decision. He testified that prosecutors sought the death penalty only after concluding that the evidence against Robinson was strong enough to support it.
“We felt there’s simply no conflict here,” Grunander told the Provo, Utah, court during a Feb. 3 hearing.
Court proceedings and filings have not addressed who would assume responsibility for prosecuting the case if Judge Graf rules that Grunander and his colleagues must step aside. Defense attorneys have previously asked that the Utah Attorney General’s Office respond to their allegations of a conflict, rather than the Utah County Attorney’s Office.
Robinson, 22, had been training to work as an electrician. Authorities allege that he fired a single shot from a rooftop, killing Kirk while the conservative activist was engaged in a debate with students at Utah Valley University in Orem as part of a nationwide campus tour.
Kirk was widely recognized for energizing young voters who contributed to President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. His killing, carried out before a large crowd, underscored what many have described as a disturbing rise in political violence across the country.
Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, tampering with a witness, and obstruction of justice. He is not expected to enter a plea until after a preliminary hearing that is currently anticipated to take place in mid-May.
{Matzav.com}
The family of Nancy Guthrie, the missing 84-year-old mother of “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, announced Tuesday that they will offer a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her recovery or an arrest.
In a tearful video message 24 days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, Savannah Guthrie said the family realized their mother may no longer be alive but still hoped to bring her home. Guthrie pleaded for anyone with morsels of information to come forward so the family “can either celebrate a glorious miraculous homecoming or celebrate the beautiful, brave and courageous and noble life that she has lived.”
“We need to know where she is,” she said in the video. “We need her to come home.”
The high-profile case has drawn intense interest from people across the world who have followed closely as investigators sought to uncover evidence, news reports surfaced about purported ransom notes, and Savannah Guthrie and her siblings pleaded for help. It took nearly two weeks for federal officials to describe a suspect they were pursuing. Even then, after expansive searches through the remote Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson where Nancy Guthrie resided, there were no signs of her.
Savannah Guthrie said Tuesday that her family would also donate $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which helps families put in the same position as them. On Instagram, Guthrie wrote that the reward would be subject to the same criteria as the FBI’s $100,000 reward, paid for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery or an arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
“We’re hoping that the attention that has been given to our mom and our family will extend to all the families like ours who are in need,” Savannah Guthrie said.
Guthrie, 84, spent the evening before she disappeared at the home of her daughter, Annie, for a game night. She returned home around 9:45 p.m., Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a news conference.
The next day – Feb. 1 – her family realized she was missing and called 911 around noon. A sprawling search ensued.
By nightfall, word had spread that the mother of the “Today” show host had disappeared, kicking off a storm of media coverage. In several Instagram videos, Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings pleaded with their mother’s captor and said they would pay for her return. They also asked the public to pray and to report any useful information to law enforcement. They told their mother they loved her.
The White House and President Donald Trump pledged support for the investigation. Thousands of calls flooded the FBI’s tip line. But the case remained at a standstill.
Then, on Feb. 10, the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office revealed they had recovered footage from Guthrie’s doorbell camera. They released photos and video showing an “armed individual” wearing a ski mask and backpack walking up to the front door. That night, the sheriff’s office said they had detained and questioned someone in the case but released the man soon after. The office later told reporters in an emailed update that it had executed two search warrants and was processing evidence from those searches but did not specify where they happened.
Two days later, officials described the person seen in the doorbell camera footage as a suspect – a man around 5 feet 9 inches tall with an average build. He wore a black 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack in the video from the doorbell camera, according to the FBI.
After that description went public, tips kept pouring in. Authorities again searched the area around Guthrie’s home and recovered additional evidence, including multiple gloves that were sent for lab analysis. On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said that there were no DNA matches found in federal records for a sample from the gloves found closest to Guthrie’s house, about two miles away.
Investigators are also attempting to locate Guthrie’s pacemaker, according to the sheriff’s department, and are working with Walmart, which sells the same model of backpack the suspect was seen wearing. Detectives canvassed local businesses to show owners the doorbell camera footage in case someone recognized the suspect.
Over the weekend, as the investigation neared its third week, Savannah Guthrie made another plea.
“It is never too late to do the right thing, and we are here,” she said in the video, directly addressing a possible captor. “We believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being, and it’s never too late.”
Days earlier, Savannah Guthrie published another post on Instagram. But instead of an address to her mother’s potential abductors or a request for help, this one was a home video.
In the footage, Nancy Guthrie and her then-young children could be seen picking flowers and giggling.
“Our lovely mom,” Savannah Guthrie wrote in the caption. “We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope.”
(c) The Washington Post
