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WATCH: The moment of an Israeli airstrike in Damascus a short while ago, captured live on Arab media.

The IDF has released footage of recent airstrikes on Syrian military targets, saying its attacks on the regime continue. It reports striking tanks, rocket launchers, and armed vehicles heading toward the Druze-majority city of Sweida.

WATCH: A short time ago, dozens of suspects from Syria attempted to infiltrate Israel near the Syrian Druze town of Hader, prompting troops and Border Police to intervene and disperse them; simultaneously, Israeli Druze civilians breached the border barrier and entered Syria near the Druze city of Majdal Shams, with the IDF working to return them to Israel.

The IDF is reinforcing troops near the Syrian border fence, deploying four Border Police companies following a fresh assessment. The move comes amid deadly clashes in the Druze-majority city of Sweida and after Israeli Druze briefly crossed into Syria in protest.

The military says the Israeli Air Force struck over 120 terror targets in Gaza over the past day—including cells of operatives, buildings used by terror groups, weapon caches, tunnels, and other infrastructure—while five divisions continue ground operations across the Strip.

The military has announced that the IDF has established a new corridor dubbed Magen Oz in the southern Gaza Strip, bisecting east and west Khan Younis, with the route having been set up in recent weeks by the 36th Division amid ongoing efforts to clear the area of terror infrastructure and operatives.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Wednesday slammed the silence of the international community on the atrocities perpetrated against the Druze in Syria in recent days by Syrian regime forces. “We see a recurring phenomenon of persecution of minorities in Syria, to the point of massacres and pogroms in Syria,” he said. “Sometimes it’s the regime’s forces, sometimes the jihadist militias, and usually it’s both.” “There are very difficult images from southern Syria today of the humiliation and murder of civilians. What else needs to happen for the international community to speak out? What more are they waiting for?” Earlier on Wednesday, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, who on Tuesday called for the elimination of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, published harrowing videos of atrocities on Wednesday and commented, “The Islamo-Nazis of Al-Sharaa are forcing their victims to bark like dogs before murdering them. This is the October 7th of the Druze minority in Syria, and it’s simply astonishing to witness the total silence of Western leadership.” “Where is Emmanuel Macron? Where are the TV anchors who spend 24/7 obsessing over the Palestinians? Where are António Guterres and Francesca Albanese, those tireless champions of human rights—suddenly nowhere to be found?” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A dispute over New York City’s pension fund investments has escalated into a political standoff centered on Israel, with Mayor Eric Adams accusing Comptroller Brad Lander of quietly eliminating the city’s holdings in Israel bonds—suggesting the move mirrors the objectives of the anti-Israel BDS movement.

In a letter sent Sunday by First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, Adams charged that Lander had effectively pulled city pension money out of Israel bonds and demanded full disclosure. The mayor gave Lander a one-week deadline to produce all internal records and communications related to the divestment decision.

Lander, who is Jewish and calls himself a progressive Zionist, fired back in a statement released Monday through The Forward. He acknowledged that the city allowed its Israel bonds to mature without reinvesting, but insisted the move followed standard financial protocols and was not politically motivated.

“The BDS Movement asks investors to treat Israel worse than other countries; I oppose this effort,” Lander wrote. “You appear to be asking that the city’s pension funds treat Israel better than all other countries. That would also be politically motivated, and inconsistent with fiduciary duty.”

The disagreement adds another layer to the already rocky relationship between Adams and Lander, who have repeatedly locked horns over fiscal matters. It also comes as Israel becomes a defining issue in the city’s upcoming mayoral contest.

Lander aligned himself with Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and staunch opponent of Israel, during the recent ranked-choice Democratic primary. Mamdani, who has long endorsed the BDS campaign, emerged victorious in the nomination race. Adams, a strong pro-Israel voice, is now running as an independent in the general election.

For years, the city’s pension funds maintained tens of millions of dollars in Israel bonds. When Lander assumed office in January 2022, the portfolio included approximately $39 million in such bonds. Since then, he allowed them to expire without purchasing new ones, effectively reducing the investment to nothing.

“This policy appears to target only Israel bonds,” Mastro’s letter stated. “This divestment, occurring amid a global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel, appears to be in furtherance of that BDS campaign.”

The letter argued that Israel bonds have historically offered solid financial returns and that exiting those investments meant forfeiting valuable gains for the pension system.

Lander responded by saying the funds still maintain over $315 million in other Israeli-linked assets, mostly common stocks. He added that the original decision to buy Israel bonds lacked proper financial scrutiny and had been driven more by politics than by fiduciary responsibility. He called it “a political decision, not a fiduciary one.”

While New York City is scaling back its involvement in Israel bonds, other governments nationwide are heading in the opposite direction. Several states and municipalities have dramatically increased their investments in Israeli sovereign debt, often citing both strong performance and acceptable risk levels—even when led by officials with clear pro-Israel leanings.

Speculation about Lander’s intent first surfaced in March, when The New York Post ran a story raising concerns about whether his actions were a quiet boycott of Israel, well before this year’s political landscape took shape.

Now, with November’s election drawing closer, the issue is back in the spotlight. Lander’s support for Mamdani is particularly controversial due to the latter’s inflammatory remarks about Israel, including his refusal to denounce the slogan “globalize the intifada,” and his public vow to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York.

Adams has used those statements to paint Mamdani as far outside the mainstream. “I don’t know his fixation with Israel,” Adams said during a recent appearance on the Mo News podcast. “He said, ‘I don’t dislike Jewish people, I just dislike Israel.’ Duh, Jewish people live in Israel.”

As part of his own campaign strategy, Adams has taken multiple steps to reinforce his ties with the city’s Jewish community. These include launching a citywide antisemitism task force and signing an executive order adopting a widely supported definition of antisemitism.

The general election field is growing increasingly crowded. Alongside Adams and Mamdani, candidates include former Governor Andrew Cuomo running as an independent, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and another independent, Jim Walden. With moderates splitting the vote, Mamdani now appears to be the frontrunner in the heavily Democratic electorate.

{Matzav.com}

Two members of the British Army have been discharged after they shared disturbing videos showing acts of violence committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. According to a court transcript from a July 4 hearing at the Bulford Military Court Martial, obtained by the Jerusalem Post, the soldiers were found guilty of violating section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

Signaller Zakariya Munir, 22, and Signaller Mohammed Salah, 34—both from the 10th Signal Regiment—were sentenced for distributing graphic and violent content. While mitigating factors were considered, the court ultimately concluded that their actions warranted dismissal.

The judge noted that the offenses occurred either on or in the weeks following October 8, 2023. While their online messages on October 7—the day of the Hamas assault—did not raise red flags, the nature of their interactions shifted dramatically the following day.

On October 8, Signaller Munir contacted Signaller Salah and said he had footage from the attack that “they won’t show in the news.”

He then sent a video recorded with a head-mounted camera, showing the faces and bodies of dead soldiers being searched for weapons and their corpses being kicked.

According to the court transcript, Salah forwarded that footage later in the month to others, including fellow military personnel, via WhatsApp.

That same night, Munir messaged Salah again, asking if he wanted to see another clip, which he described as “a bit graphic.” Salah responded, “Yes.”

The second video showed what appeared to be a large number of civilians or unarmed individuals, recently killed, lying in pools of blood.

Sometime later that month, Salah once again forwarded this content to others.

Then, on October 16, Munir sent Salah a third video. This one depicted a group of young men urinating on, stomping on, and kicking the bodies of what appeared to be elderly men whose heads were covered and hands bound. Salah proceeded to share this video as well.

Finally, on October 31, Munir sent Salah another video showing men kneeling in front of armed individuals, who then executed them by shooting them in the back of the head.

The judge described this particular clip as a “deeply shocking video.”

Unlike the previous cases, Salah chose not to circulate this last video. Instead, he reported it.

Reviewing the full sequence of events, the judge emphasized that the videos Munir sent were, in the court’s view, “grossly offensive.”

“They showed offences where people had been killed and their bodies were being violated. It is highly likely that those who were responsible for the killings had committed the offence of murder or related war crimes. The last video sent by Signaller Munir to Signaller Salah, but not forwarded, showed people being murdered and people committing the offence of murder.”

The judge reminded both soldiers that their military oath included a commitment to uphold “the set of values and standards which service personnel adhere to.”

“Although you were private soldiers, there was every opportunity for you to seek advice from your chain of command about what to do with this material once you had received it,” the judge said. “Yet you, Signaller Munir, chose to distribute it further to Signaller Salah, and he distributed it further within the British Army community and outside the Army.”

Drawing a parallel to similar cases of servicemen sharing child abuse content, the judge stated that offenses of this level of severity result in immediate dismissal.

While this particular incident was different, the judge added that it would be “inconceivable to conclude that the distribution of material in this case is not serious enough to warrant dismissal.”

Both soldiers pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The judge noted that had Munir admitted guilt, the outcome might have been different. “If you had pled guilty, Signaller Munir may ‘have a productive military career ahead of you, as suggested by your CO [commanding officer], we have to punish you for what you did.’”

As for Salah, the court acknowledged that the ruling would significantly impact his household. But ultimately, the judge concluded, “the mitigation which your personal circumstances provide, in the absence of any credit for a guilty plea, I am afraid, does not prevent us from dismissing you.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Russian weapons pounded four Ukrainian cities overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, injuring at least 15 people in an attack that mostly targeted energy infrastructure, officials said. The latest bombardment in Russia’s escalating aerial campaign against civilian areas came ahead of a Sept. 2 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for the Kremlin to reach a peace deal in the three-year war, under the threat of possible severe Washington sanctions if it doesn’t. No date has yet been publicly set for a possible third round of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. Two previous rounds delivered no progress apart from prisoner swaps. Russia launched 400 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as one ballistic missile, during the night, the Ukrainian air force said. The strikes targeted northeastern Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, Vinnytsia in the west and Odesa in the south. “Russia does not change its strategy,” Zelenskyy said. “To effectively counter this terror, we need a systemic strengthening of defense: more air defense, more interceptors, and more resolve so that Russia feels our response.” Trump on Monday pledged to deliver more weapons to Ukraine, including vital Patriot air defense systems, and threatened to slap additional sanctions on Russia. It was Trump’s toughest stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin since he returned to the White House nearly six months ago. But some U.S. lawmakers and European government officials expressed misgivings that the 50-day deadline handed Putin the opportunity to capture more Ukrainian territory before any settlement to end the fighting. Other U.S. ultimatums to Putin in recent months have failed to persuade the Russian leader to stop his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed in the war, many of them along the more than 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, and Russian barrages of cities have killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, the United Nations says. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said Tuesday that “Putin holds a theory of victory that posits that Russia can achieve its war aims by continuing to make creeping gains on the battlefield indefinitely and outlasting Western support for Ukraine and Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.” Trump said the U.S. is providing additional weapons for Ukraine but European countries are paying for them. While Ukraine and European officials were relieved at the U.S. commitment after months of hesitation, some hoped Washington might shoulder some of the cost. “We welcome President Trump’s announcement to send more weapons to Ukraine, although we would like to see the U.S share the burden,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday. “If we pay for these weapons, it’s our support.” (AP)

President Trump’s recent public appearances have sparked renewed attention to his health, as observers noted both a bruised right hand—appearing to be concealed with makeup—and swollen ankles, adding to growing questions over his physical condition.

The bruise, most recently visible as the president departed the White House en route to an engagement, was captured clearly by photographers. It marks at least the third time in recent months that discoloration has been seen on Trump’s right hand. Close-up images show a thick layer of cosmetic makeup covering the area.

In response, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns, stating: “It’s from shaking hands with thousands of people.” She emphasized that the president, known for high-energy personal interaction, engages in non-stop handshaking during rallies, meetings, and events. “From rallies to meetings to official events, the president greets countless individuals each day. It’s nothing more than the wear and tear of being a hands-on leader,” she said.

President Trump echoed the same explanation in an interview, saying simply, “It’s from shaking hands with thousands of people.”

However, public attention has now shifted to another detail. Photos taken during a recent appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey show Trump’s ankles appearing visibly swollen, with his shoelaces seemingly loosened to accommodate the puffiness. The images quickly circulated online, prompting widespread speculation.

Social media erupted with reactions, with one user posting, “Trump’s ankles are definitely the craziest thing I’ve seen today.” Another commenter wrote, “That can be a sign of cardiac or BP… sometimes chemo treatments, some medication too.”

Medical experts note that peripheral edema—swelling in the lower extremities—can be caused by numerous factors, especially in older people. These include vascular insufficiency, extended periods of standing, side effects from medications, or more serious conditions like congestive heart failure or kidney issues. The appearance of swelling in combination with the hand bruising has led some commentators to suggest there may be more to the story than the White House is sharing.

Unlike the hand bruise, which was addressed directly by the administration, no official comment has been issued regarding the president’s swollen ankles.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he’s not feeling pressured to initiate talks with Iran, even as the regime signals its interest in renewed discussions with Washington.

“They would like to talk. I’m in no rush to talk because we obliterated their site,” Trump said in Washington, referencing U.S. airstrikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities last month.

Trump’s remarks followed a statement from Iran’s foreign ministry the previous day, which clarified that no meeting with the U.S. has been scheduled concerning its nuclear program.

Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, stated that “no specific date, time, or location” had been arranged for a potential encounter between American and Iranian representatives.

Baqaei also accused Israel and the United States of collaborating in what he termed “military aggression against Iran.” He claimed that Iran has acted “serious in diplomacy and the negotiation process” and had “entered with good faith.”

The possibility of talks between the two countries had been facilitated through Oman, but those efforts stalled following Israel’s June 13 strike on Iranian nuclear sites, which caught Iran by surprise.

Just a week earlier, Trump had appeared alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and suggested that diplomacy with Tehran might be on the horizon.

“We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to talk,” Trump said. “They’ve requested a meeting and I’m going to go to a meeting, and if we can put something down on paper, that would be fine.”

Baqaei quickly disputed that account, firmly denying that Iran had reached out to request a sit-down with the American government.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also played down any immediate prospects for diplomacy, suggesting that there were still significant concerns to be resolved before any meeting could take place.

“In order for us to decide to reengage, we will have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations. And I think with all these considerations, we still need more time,” Araghchi said. Still, he emphasized, “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”

{Matzav.com}

The United States has sent five men to the small African nation of Eswatini in an expansion of the Trump administration’s largely secretive third-country deportation program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The U.S. has already deported eight men to another African nation, South Sudan, after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties. The South Sudanese government has declined to say where those men are after they arrived nearly two weeks ago. In a late-night post on X, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the men sent to Eswatini, who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos, had arrived on a plane, but didn’t say when or where. She said they were all convicted criminals and “individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.” The men “have been terrorizing American communities” but were now “off of American soil,” McLaughlin added. McLaughlin said they had been convicted of crimes including murder and child rape and one was a “confirmed” gang member. Like in South Sudan, there was no immediate comment from Eswatini authorities over any deal to accept third-country deportees or what would happen to them in that country. Civic groups there raised concerns over the secrecy from a government long accused of clamping down on human rights. “There has been a notable lack of official communication from the Eswatini government regarding any agreement or understanding with the U.S. to accept these deportees,” Ingiphile Dlamini, a spokesperson for the pro-democracy group SWALIMO, said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “This opacity makes it difficult for civic society to understand the implications.” It wasn’t clear if they were being held in a detention center, what their legal status was or what Eswatini’s plans were for the deported men, he said. An absolute monarchy Eswatini, previously called Swaziland, is a country of about 1.2 million people between South Africa and Mozambique. It is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies and the last in Africa. King Mswati III has ruled by decree since 1986. Political parties are effectively banned and pro-democracy groups have said for years that Mswati III has crushed political dissent, sometimes violently. Groups like SWALIMO have called for democratic reforms. Pro-democracy protests erupted in Eswatini in 2021, when dozens were killed, allegedly by security forces. Eswatini authorities have been accused of conducting political assassinations of pro-democracy activists and imprisoning others. Because Eswatini is a poor country with a relative lack of resources, it “may face significant strain in accommodating and managing individuals with complex backgrounds, particularly those with serious criminal convictions,” Dlamini said. While the U.S. administration has hailed deportations as a victory for the safety and security of the American people, Dlamini said his organization wanted to know the plans for the five men sent to Eswatini and “any potential risks to the local population.” US is seeking more deals The Trump administration has said it is seeking more deals with African nations to take deportees from the U.S. Leaders from some of the five West African nations who met last week with President Donald Trump at the White House said the issue of migration and their countries possibly taking deportees from the U.S. was discussed. Some nations have pushed back. Nigeria, which wasn’t part of that White House summit, said it has rejected […]

House Republicans on Tuesday grilled the leaders of Georgetown University, the City University of New York and the University of California, Berkeley in the latest hearing on antisemitism in higher education, accusing the schools of failing to respond adequately to allegations of bias or discrimination. In their appearance before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the three university leaders said that they had taken disciplinary action where appropriate and stressed the importance of protecting free speech. UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons pushed back on the suggestion that antisemitism was more present on college campuses than anywhere else. “If somebody is expressing pro-Palestinian beliefs, that’s not necessarily antisemitic,” he said. The hearing was the ninth in a series Republicans have held to scrutinize university leadership over allegations of antisemitism on campuses after a wave of protests following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Widely criticized testimony before the committee by the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University in 2023 contributed to their resignations. At Tuesday’s hearing, Democrats blasted Republican committee members for their focus on antisemitism while not speaking out on the dismantling of the Education Department, which is tasked with investigating antisemitism and other civil rights violations in schools. “They have turned this hearing room into a kangaroo court, where they spend our time litigating a predetermined outcome to do nothing, actually, to help Jewish students, just make public theater out of legitimate pain,” Rep. Mark Takano, D-CA. Republicans said the university leaders have allowed campus antisemitism to run unchecked. “Universities can choose to hire antisemitic faculty, welcome students with a history of antisemitism, accept certain foreign funding, and let the behavior of antisemitic unions go unchecked,” Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg, committee chair, said in his opening statements. “But we will see today they do so at their own risk.” The hearing was periodically interrupted by protesters, who shouted pro-Palestinian slogans before being removed by Capitol police. Rep. Randy Fine, R-FL, berated the college presidents and said they were responsible because of the attitudes they had permitted on their campuses. Republicans pressed the three college leaders on whether they had disciplined or fired faculty and employees for behavior they said was antisemitic. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., pressed CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez on the employment of a law professor who worked on the legal defense of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist the Trump administration attempted to deport over his role in protests at Columbia University. Stefanik pushed Matos Rodríguez to answer whether the professor should be fired. Without responding directly, Matos Rodríguez defended CUNY and said antisemitism had no place at the school. He said any student or employee who broke CUNY rules would be investigated. University leaders also emphasized the importance of free speech on campuses for students and faculty. Interim Georgetown President Richard Groves said that as a Jesuit university, fostering interfaith dialogue and understanding was a key part of the school’s mission. He said the university has not experienced any encampments or physical violence since the Hamas attack in October 2023. “Given our Jesuit values, we expose students to different viewpoints on the Middle East,” Groves said. “In addition to speakers on Gaza, we’ve hosted IDF soldiers, families of Israeli and Palestinians who’ve lost their lives. U.S. families of U.S. hostages […]

Rabbi Elchanan Danino, father of hostage Ori Danino Hy”d—who was kidnapped and murdered while in Hamas captivity—has become the target of a storm of online abuse following public remarks he made criticizing the Israeli government’s handling of the hostage crisis.

In a series of harsh posts on social media, Danino was called a “leftist with a yarmulka,” accused of “drawing a salary from Kaplan,” and was even ridiculed as “a rude friend of that lapdog Guetta.” The comments erupted shortly after Rabbi Danino spoke out about his frustration with what he described as cold indifference from senior government figures.

In response, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a strong statement defending Rabbi Danino and condemning the attacks. “In recent hours, we have witnessed a disgraceful and revolting barrage of verbal abuse against Rabbi Elchanan Danino, the father of Ori Danino z”l, who was kidnapped on October 7 and murdered in captivity,” the statement read.

The forum continued: “The families of the hostages stand firmly with Rabbi Danino, who—despite his deep pain and loss—continues to exemplify mutual responsibility and the spirit of the Jewish people. He remains committed to the most just of causes: the return of every single hostage. We will not be deterred by orchestrated attempts to incite and spread toxicity. Am Yisrael stands with Rabbi Danino. Am Yisrael stands with the hostages.”

Rabbi Danino’s comments came during a recent interview in which he revealed a chilling exchange that took place in the Prime Minister’s Office, known informally as “the Aquarium.” According to Danino, a senior government official told him, “We can handle another 200 bereaved families.” Rabbi Danino called the comment “bone-chilling” and said that while security agency officials were doing everything they could to bring the hostages home, the attitude inside the cabinet was different: “Once the matter reaches the cabinet and then the Aquarium, it begins to fade.”

He also addressed the recent decision by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to indict advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office for allegedly leaking classified materials, which prosecutors claim was intended to manipulate public discourse following the announcement of his son’s murder along with five other hostages.

“That’s one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever heard,” Rabbi Danino said.

{Matzav.com Israel}

British budget airline EasyJet announced Tuesday that it will not be resuming flights to Israel before March 29, 2026, extending its service halt for what will be more than a year and a half.

According to a report in Globes, this represents the lengthiest suspension period by a foreign airline since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran.

easyJet had previously aimed to restart flights in June, but repeated flare-ups in the region forced the airline to delay its plans. The decision to stay grounded throughout the winter follows its earlier suspension in the wake of a Houthi missile attack on May 4. The situation further deteriorated with the start of Operation Rising Lion on June 13, a 12-day confrontation with Iran, ultimately eliminating any chance of a summer resumption.

As reported by JNS, customers impacted by the extended suspension are entitled to either a full refund or can rebook on an alternate flight at no additional charge. In the absence of easyJet’s services, Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia, and Israir have taken over popular routes previously served by the airline, including London Luton, Amsterdam, Berlin, Basel, Geneva, and Milan.

Unlike easyJet, several other European carriers have chosen to return to the Israeli market. Air Europa of Spain, Aegean Airlines from Greece, and Poland’s LOT resumed flights to Tel Aviv on Monday. They joined Air France, which had already restarted its route last week.

At the same time, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines opted to prolong its own suspension of service to Israel, citing what it described as the “ongoing security situation.” KLM had briefly resumed operations earlier this year before pausing again.

United Airlines, meanwhile, plans to resume flights from Newark to Tel Aviv next week, a move expected to bring down ticket prices on the popular route. Delta Air Lines is eyeing a September return, while American Airlines remains absent from the Israeli market, having not flown to Tel Aviv since October 2023.

Just last week, the European Aviation Agency officially removed all flight restrictions to Israel. And on Monday, nearly 60,000 travelers passed through Ben-Gurion Airport on 370 international flights—a passenger volume that matches levels seen before the war, according to the Israel Airports Authority.

{Matzav.com}

Fighters allied to Yemen’s exiled government claimed Wednesday they had seized 750 tons of Iranian-supplied missiles and weaponry bound for the country’s Houthi rebels, the latest interdiction of arms in the country’s decade-long war allegedly tied to Tehran. For years, the U.S. Navy and other Western naval forces have seized Iranian arms being sent to the Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital since 2014 and have been attacking ships in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war. The seizure announced Wednesday, however, marked the first major interdiction conducted by the National Resistance Force, a group of fighters allied to Tariq Saleh, a nephew of Yemen’s late strongman leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Houthis and Iran did not immediately acknowledge the seizure, which the National Resistance Force said happened in late June. A short video package released by the force appeared to show anti-ship missiles, the same kinds used in the Houthis’ recent attacks that sank two ships in the Red Sea, killing at least four people as others remain missing. The footage also appeared to show Iranian-made Type 358 anti-aircraft missiles. The Houthis claim they downed 26 U.S. MQ-9 drones over the past decade of the Yemen war, likely with those missiles. The majority of those losses having been acknowledged by the U.S. military. The footage also appeared to show drone components, warheads and other weapons. The force said it would release a detailed statement in the coming hours. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo. The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen’s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting has pushed the Arab world’s poorest nation to the brink of famine. The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more. (AP)

Clashes raged in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed and as Israel threatened to escalate its involvement, saying it’s in support of the Druze religious minority. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus. Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted and has beefed up forces on the border. Syria’s Defense Ministry had earlier blamed militias in Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire and continue military operations in the Druze-majority province. “Military forces continue to respond to the source of fire inside the city of Sweida, while adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes,” the statement said. A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria’s longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country’s new rulers have struggled to consolidate control over the territory. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities. The fears of minorities increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks in which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. Reports of killings and looting in Druze areas The latest escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province, a center of the Druze community. Government forces that intervened to restore order have also clashed with the Druze, while reports have surfaced of members of the security forces carrying out extrajudicial killings, looting and burning civilian homes. No official casualty figures have been released since Monday, when the Syrian Interior Ministry said 30 people had been killed. The U.K.-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 250 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, five women and 138 soldiers and security forces. The observatory said at least 21 people were killed in “field executions.” The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Israel threatens to scale up its intervention In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military. In Syria, the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country’s new leaders, with some advocating for integrating into the new system while others have remained suspicious of the authorities in Damascus and pushed for an autonomous Druze region. On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli army “will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.” Prime […]

The United Kingdom, France and Germany have agreed to restore tough U.N. sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal, two European diplomats said Tuesday. The three countries’ ambassadors to the United Nations met Tuesday at Germany’s U.N. Mission to discuss a possible Iranian deal and reimposing the sanctions. The matter also came up in a phone call Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the three countries, according to two U.S. officials. The State Department said after the call that the four had spoken about “ensuring Iran does not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon.” The officials and diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The U.K., France and Germany are part of an agreement reached with Iran in 2015 to rein in its nuclear program, from which President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. during his first term, insisting it wasn’t tough enough. Under the accord that lifted economic penalties on Iran in exchange for restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear program, a so-called “snapback” provision allows one of the Western parties to reimpose U.N. sanctions if Tehran does not comply with its requirements. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that the three European countries would be justified in reapplying sanctions. “With regard to Iran, the minister reiterated the priority of resuming negotiations to establish a long-term framework for Iran’s nuclear program,’’ the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. ‘’Without a verifiable commitment from Iran by the end of August at the latest, France, Germany and the U.K. will be justified in reapplying the UN sanctions (snapbacks) that were lifted 10 years ago.’’ The diplomats did not provide details of the deal being sought. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in recent days that Tehran would accept a resumption of nuclear talks with the U.S. if there were assurances of no more attacks, following Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. He said there should be “a firm guarantee that such actions will not be repeated, stressing that “the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution.” The United States and Iran held several rounds of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program before the Israeli strikes began in June. Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said last week that talks would happen soon, but nothing has yet been scheduled. Araghchi, whose country insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, said in a July 2 CBS interview that “the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.” Iran’s U.N. Mission had no comment Tuesday on the threat of renewed sanctions if there is no deal. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said last week that the U.S. airstrikes so badly damaged his country’s nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction. Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA. (AP)

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