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Yankee Stadium holds a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk ahead of tonight’s baseball game.

Just a day after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu publicly urged Qatar to “expel the terrorists,” Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani responded sharply, accusing Netanyahu of driving the region toward instability and threatening to reconsider Qatar’s role as mediator.

Speaking to CNN following Israel’s strike in Doha under “Operation Summit of Fire,” Al-Thani charged: “Netanyahu is leading the Middle East into chaos.” He added that Qatar is now “reassessing everything regarding our role as mediators – and the future of Hamas in Qatar.” According to him, several Qatari officers were wounded in the Israeli strike and are currently in critical condition.

The Qatari leader also addressed ongoing negotiations for a potential hostage deal. “I think what Netanyahu did yesterday killed any hope for the hostages,” he said. “The opportunities are gone.” He noted that he had met with families of the captives just hours before the strike. “They are relying on this mediation and they have no other hope.”

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu released a video statement framing the attack in Qatar as a continuation of Israel’s pursuit of justice for the atrocities of October 7. Drawing a parallel to America’s response after September 11, he said: “On that day, Islamist terrorists carried out the worst act of barbarism on American soil since the founding of the United States. We too have our September 11. We remember October 7, when Islamist terrorists carried out the worst act of barbarism against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

Netanyahu continued: “What did America do after September 11? It committed itself to hunting down the terrorists who carried out that heinous act, wherever they were. And it passed a U.N. Security Council resolution stating that governments cannot give sanctuary to terrorists. Yesterday we acted in the same spirit. We went after the terrorist masterminds of October 7. And we did so in Qatar – which shelters terrorists, hosts them, funds Hamas, and provides its leaders with lavish villas and every comfort.”

He compared Israel’s strike in Doha to the U.S. campaign against al-Qaeda: “We did exactly what America did when it pursued the al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan and when it eliminated Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.”

Netanyahu dismissed international criticism of the strike, insisting the same nations had applauded America’s operations against al-Qaeda. “Now some countries condemn Israel. They should be ashamed of themselves. What did they say when America killed Osama bin Laden? Did they cry out for Afghanistan or Pakistan? No, they applauded. They should applaud Israel too, for standing on those same principles.”

He ended with a direct warning: “And I say to Qatar and to all nations that harbor terrorists – either expel them or put them on trial. Because if you don’t, we will.”

{Matzav.com}

Video shows man with weapons being detained near scene of Utah University shooting, where Charlie Kirk was killed.

REPORTER: “The FBI director is posting on social media that a suspect is in custody…” Utah Governor: “We have a person of interest in custody…That is not George Zinn.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Charlie Kirk: “I want to be very clear. This is a political assassination.”

Local leaders in Croton-on-Hudson, a small town in Westchester County, have dropped a zoning case against a resident who has long displayed a “Trump Is My President” flag. The reversal came after weeks of mounting criticism, warnings of possible federal action, and concerns about safety following threats directed at village staff.

The controversy quickly drew nationwide attention, amplified by Newsmax and local media outlets, turning what began as a zoning matter into a broader debate over free expression and the scope of local authority.

On Tuesday evening, officials confirmed they were withdrawing both the violation notice and the court summons issued over the flag, which had been cited under the village’s rules against certain banners. The village attorney explained that enforcement would remain on hold until the zoning code itself could be reassessed.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the village explained that the enforcement was “part of routine, village-wide code enforcement that identified 17 non-compliant locations,” and stressed that “voluntary compliance” had resolved nearly all of the other cases. Officials insisted there was no political motive, declaring: “Village staff have been falsely accused of engaging in a politically motivated enforcement action… categorically false.”

Senior administrators acknowledged that what began as a local zoning matter had “become a national spectacle” and had triggered “abusive messages and threats of violence” directed toward village employees. Those threats are now being investigated by authorities.

The issue escalated further when the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter reminding the village that it had the power to pursue civil enforcement if constitutional rights were at stake, and urged officials to “review its ordinance and enforcement practices promptly” to ensure they complied with federal law.

After considering the situation, local leaders concluded they could not manage both the harassment of staff and the possibility of federal involvement. They stated: “Our village government is not in a position to contend with continuous anonymous abuse… and a federal intervention regarding a minor civil citation.”

The dispute centered around Leonard “Lenny” Amicola, a disabled Vietnam veteran who has lived in the village for nearly seven decades. Amicola, who began flying pro-Trump banners in 2021, said the current flag, strung between two trees, had not only drawn neighbors’ support but also prompted hostility, including “rocks being thrown at the flag” and personal threats.

Mayor Brian Pugh maintained that the action had nothing to do with politics, describing it as “a straightforward code enforcement matter, not a free speech issue.” He explained that the village discourages banners unless they are on flagpoles.

Amicola and his attorney, Roseann Schuyler, rejected the mayor’s explanation and said they were prepared to challenge the case in federal court if necessary.

Newsmax played a central role in pushing the story to a national audience, highlighting Schuyler’s position that the village wrongly classified Amicola’s display as though it were a commercial advertisement. She told the outlet: “Mr. Amicola is not advertising anything. He’s making a political statement on his own private property.” She further argued that the village was trying “to shoehorn their enforcement action” into an ordinance that did not apply to her client’s flag.

Schuyler added: “I think that if Lenny had a Joe Biden flag or a Black Lives Matter flag, or a pride flag, that he would be allowed to fly his flag and would not be harassed by the village administration at all.”

{Matzav.com}

A resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House to formally condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

FMR. PRES. OBAMA: “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy…

BREAKING: The FBI says that Charlie Kirk’s assassin has been taken into custody. The shooter’s identity and motive have not yet been revealed

FBI/SWAT seen searching for Charlie Kirk assassin at a home near Utah Valley University, where the deadly shooting occurred.

The UK government has concluded that Israel’s war in Gaza, while “utterly appalling” in its civilian toll, does not amount to genocide — nor has the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found any credible basis to claim otherwise. In a letter to Parliament’s International Development Committee, Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that London does not believe Israel has breached the Genocide Convention or that there is even “plausibility” to the charge of genocide. “The Government has carefully considered the risk of genocide,” Lammy wrote, noting the high civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza. “The Government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.” The statement comes as South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ proceeds, with the court ordering provisional measures to improve humanitarian access. But Lammy stressed that these interim steps “should not be regarded as creating an awareness of a serious risk of genocide,” underscoring that the ICJ has yet to make any ruling on the merits of the claim. While firmly rejecting the genocide allegation, Lammy’s letter was sharply critical of Israeli policy. He denounced the expansion of military operations in Gaza, condemned settlement approvals in East Jerusalem’s E1 area, and warned that the war has inflicted a “catastrophic humanitarian situation.” Israel’s ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office last month in protest. Still, the UK stopped short of applying the genocide label — a critical legal and diplomatic marker that would carry far-reaching consequences for Britain’s foreign and defense policy. The letter also reiterated that Britain suspended defense export licenses that could be used in Gaza in September 2024. The sole exception remains participation in the global F-35 fighter jet program, which Lammy argued is vital for NATO security and European defense. Direct exports of F-35 parts for Israeli use have been halted, he said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In light of the ever-intensifying gezeirah of giyus in Eretz Yisroel, Gedolei Torah in America have announced the formation of a special new Vaad Hatzalah to stand at the side of bochurim and yungeleit facing unprecedented pressure and danger. The letter, signed by leading roshei yeshiva and rabbonim, describes the draft as a direct attack on Bnei Torah — an existential threat not only to lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel but to the very kiyum of Torah throughout Klal Yisroel. Already, tragically, some choshuve bnei Torah have been incarcerated under dire physical and spiritual conditions, while others are living under fear of harsh penalties. The newly established Vaad Hatzalah will focus on providing both spiritual and practical support. This includes arranging legal assistance, ensuring families of the imprisoned are supported, and giving bochurim the chizuk and hadrachah to withstand these nisyonos. As the Gedolim write, experience has shown that when lomdei Torah feel that Klal Yisroel is behind them, they are able to persevere with gevurah and mesiras nefesh. Gedolei Torah emphasized that the burden upon those working in Eretz Yisroel has become overwhelming, and the askanim who have been carrying this responsibility are collapsing under its weight. The creation of the Vaad Hatzalah in America is intended to shoulder part of this load and to provide urgently needed support. “All who cherish Torah and Yiddishkeit are called upon to join in this effort,” the Gedolim urged, “to strengthen the hands of those battling for the future of Torah, and to be zocheh to the bracha of ‘Baruch asher yakim es divrei haTorah hazos.’” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Qatar has become the main home for senior Hamas officials in recent years, especially since the October 7 massacre, the BBC reported. According to the report, many Hamas terrorists also recently moved their operations from Tehran to Doha. Today, about a thousand Hamas terrorists and their families reside in Doha in homes provided to them by the Qatari government. Senior leaders received private villas and released prisoners, and security teams received spacious apartments. Until now, senior Hamas members moved about freely in the safe haven provided them by US ally Qatar, also traveling frequently to Egypt and Turkey. The Israeli attack in the heart of Doha caused a major earthquake, shattering Hamas’s sense of immunity in the Qatari capital. The fate of the terrorists targeted in the strike is still unclear. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

An unusual scene unfolded last night at the home of the senior posek, Rav Moshe Shternbuch, when a siren suddenly pierced the air in the middle of a visit. The Rebbe of Strikov was paying a call to receive brachos ahead of the Yomim Noraim when the alarm was triggered, following the launch of a single missile from Yemen by the Houthis.

In recent days, a steady stream of rabbonim have been arriving at Rav Shternbuch’s home to seek his brocha in advance of Rosh Hashanah. Within the past 24 hours alone, the visitors included the Rebbes of Sanz, Toldos Aharon Yitzchak, Strikov, and Parysov, as well as Rav Mordechai Shmuel Edelstein.

It was during the Strikover Rebbe’s visit that the air raid siren sounded. Seizing the moment with a touch of wit, the Rebbe remarked to the posek that there is significance in hearing the sound of a shofar at night. He referenced the words of the Rema, who records that in certain communities the custom was to blow shofar throughout Elul not only by day but also after nightfall. “Therefore,” the Rebbe said, “in our times, when we no longer have the practice of blowing shofar in Elul at night, the Ribbono Shel Olam has arranged that we should hear a ‘shofar’ in the form of a siren on one of the nights of Elul.”

Rav Shternbuch responded by delving into the halachic discussion surrounding the Rema’s words, engaging the Rebbe in learning. He then blessed him warmly, saying: “Brachah v’hatzlachah v’si’yata d’Shmaya that you should have great influence, that all should follow the path of Torah. And Hashem will help you have the strength to wage the battle of Hashem with force against the breach of the internet, regarding which the Torah says ‘v’lo savi to’eivah el beisecha’—do not bring abomination into your home.”

הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ הרבי מסטריקוב בביקור אצל הגר”מ שטרנבוךצילום: רפאל שוורץ

For the first time in 15 years, nuclear experts say Iran has no identifiable path to producing weapons-grade uranium at any of its known centrifuge plants — the result of a U.S. bombing campaign ordered by President Donald Trump this summer. In a new assessment, David Albright, a former International Atomic Energy Agency inspector and founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, concluded that “Operation Midnight Hammer” — Trump’s June air campaign targeting Iran’s enrichment facilities — destroyed or disabled nearly 22,000 centrifuges across three sites, including the deeply buried Fordow plant. “In essence, the attacks destroyed Iran’s gas centrifuge enrichment program,” Albright’s report states. “Iran has no identifiable route to produce weapon-grade uranium in its centrifuge plants.” The strikes marked a turning point in a shadow war that has stretched across decades. For years, Israel lobbied Washington to hit Iran’s hardened facilities. Trump, fresh off his confrontation with Tehran following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, finally authorized the use of 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — the Pentagon’s largest bunker-buster bombs — to take out sites U.S. intelligence judged were out of Israel’s reach. Trump wasted no time in declaring victory, telling supporters Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated.” Tuesday’s analysis gives his boast backing. But it also comes with a caveat: uncertainty. Because Iran cut off cooperation with the IAEA in the wake of the bombings, outside experts have little visibility into the country’s stockpiles of enriched uranium or whether undisclosed centrifuges remain operable. “Calculating a breakout time would require unsubstantiated speculation,” Albright’s team cautioned, noting the possibility of centrifuges built but not yet deployed. Administration officials seized on the report as validation nonetheless. “Your friendly reminder that Iran’s nuclear capabilities are OBLITERATED!” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly posted shortly after the findings were released. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Ever heard of Sharona? It’s one of central Israel’s most sought-after communities today, in the city of Kfar Yona, where 30,000+ residents currently live. Sleek high-rises, bustling schools, well-kept parks, everything a thriving Jewish community needs. Except the one thing no Jewish community can survive without. A mikvah taharah. Over the next decade. Sharona’s population is expected to reach 90,0000. But, with no mikvah, who will still call themselves Jewish by then? Each day that passes without taharah is an immeasurable loss for Klal Yisroel. “We can’t go into Yom Hadin without worrying about them!” —HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zilberstein shlit”a As we stand in the Yomim Noraim, help build Mikvah Sharona, a beautiful, welcoming space that will bring thousands of Jewish families to taharah for the first time, and for a lifetime. “They will be zocheh to children who go  b’derech kedusha v’taharah.” —Rachmastrivka Rebbe shlit”a Give $219 and the Gedolei Hador will daven for you when they bentch their children Erev Yom Kippur. Could there be a greater zechus as you enter Yom Hadin? Build taharah in Eretz Yisroel. Build immeasurable zechuyos.  Merkaz L’Taharas HaMishpacha www.taharas.org | 855-824-2727 For dedication opportunities: 732-333-1299 Since 1942, Merkaz L’Taharas HaMishpacha has built and restored 1,158 mikvaos across Eretz Yisroel, under the guidance of Gedolei Hador. In community after community, we work to ensure every Jewish family, observant or not-yet, has access to a kosher, dignified mikvah experience. Right now, we’re building 30 mikvaos that with your help, can be completed this year.  

Charlie Kirk’s killer remains at large, as police and federal investigators launched an intense search following the shocking assassination at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday afternoon.

Initial reports had suggested that a suspect was already apprehended, but authorities later walked back that statement, clarifying that the gunman is still on the run.

Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by a bullet just after 12:20 p.m. local time on Wednesday while addressing students at the campus, located south of Salt Lake City.

Investigators recovered a long gun believed to have been used in the attack. According to law enforcement sources who spoke to The Post, the shooter fired a single round from an elevated position roughly 200 yards away.

The circumstances of the shooting point to a carefully prepared and intentional act.

Authorities also addressed a video that spread online showing an older man being taken into custody by officers on the Utah Valley campus.

Although the man claimed to have shot Kirk, police later confirmed he was not involved and is not a suspect in the case.

After the shooting, Kirk was rushed to a nearby hospital where he underwent emergency surgery in critical condition. Despite those efforts, he later died from his wounds.

President Trump personally announced Kirk’s death on TruthSocial.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote shortly after 4 p.m.

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” he added, noting Kirk was a devoted husband and father of two young daughters.

Terrifying video footage captured at the scene showed the moment the gunshot rang out during an exchange with attendees who opposed Kirk’s conservative message.

The fatal shot was fired just after Kirk had been asked a question about transgender mass shooters.

Kirk earned national recognition for rallying young Republican voters through his organization Turning Point USA, which traveled to college campuses nationwide to spread its conservative principles.

Utah Valley University went into lockdown as police methodically searched every building, according to a spokesperson who confirmed the details to the New York Times.

“There is no suspect in custody, it is an active investigation,” the university said in a statement.

The manhunt now involves multiple agencies, including the FBI, Orem Police, the Utah Department of Public Safety, and the Utah Valley University Police Department.

{Matzav.com}

Alleged footage appears to show a person on the Losee Center roof at UVU just before Charlie Kirk was shot.

The White House has lowered its flags to half mast for Charlie Kirk.