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Ban Sought For Chinese, Russian Software And Hardware In Self-Driving Vehicles On US Roads

Yeshiva World News -

The Commerce Department said Monday it’s seeking a ban on the sale of connected and autonomous vehicles in the U.S. that are equipped with Chinese and Russian software and hardware with the stated goal of protecting national security and U.S. drivers. While there is minimal Chinese and Russian software deployed in the U.S, the issue is more complicated for hardware. That’s why Commerce officials said the prohibitions on the software would take effect for the 2027 model year and the prohibitions on hardware would take effect for the model year of 2030, or Jan. 1, 2029, for units without a model year. The measure announced Monday is proactive but critical, the agency said, given that all the bells and whistles in cars like microphones, cameras, GPS tracking and Bluetooth technology could make Americans more vulnerable to bad actors and potentially expose personal information, from the home address of drivers, to where their children go to school. In extreme situations, a foreign adversary could shut down or take simultaneous control of multiple vehicles operating in the United States, causing crashes and blocking roads, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told reporters on a call Sunday. “This is not about trade or economic advantage,” Raimondo said. “This is a strictly national security action. The good news is right now, we don’t have many Chinese or Russian cars on our road.” But Raimondo said Europe and other regions in the world where Chinese vehicles have become commonplace very quickly should serve as “a cautionary tale” for the U.S. Security concerns around the extensive software-driven functions in Chinese vehicles have arisen in Europe, where Chinese electric cars have rapidly gained market share. “Who controls these data flows and software updates is a far from trivial question, the answers to which encroach on matters of national security, cybersecurity, and individual privacy,” Janka Oertel, director of the Asia program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on the council’s website. Vehicles are now “mobility platforms” that monitor driver and passenger behavior and track their surroundings. A senior administration official said that it is clear from terms of service contracts included with the technology that data from vehicles ends up in China. Raimondo said that the U.S. won’t wait until its roads are populated with Chinese or Russian cars. “We’re issuing a proposed rule to address these new national security threats before suppliers, automakers and car components linked to China or Russia become commonplace and widespread in the U.S. automotive sector,” Raimondo said. It is difficult to know when China could reach that level of saturation, a senior adminstration official said, but the Commerce Department says China hopes to enter the U.S. market and several Chinese companies have already announced plans to enter the automotive software space. The Commerce Department added Russia to the regulations since the country is trying to “breathe new life into its auto industry,” senior administration officials said on the call. The proposed rule would prohibit the import and sale of vehicles with Russia and China-manufactured software and hardware that would allow the vehicle to communicate externally through Bluetooth, cellular, satellite or Wi-Fi modules. It would also prohibit the sale or import of software components made in Russia or the People’s Republic of China that collectively allow a highly autonomous vehicle to […]

Reports: IAF Eliminates Hezbollah No. 3 Leader Karaki in Beirut

Matzav -

Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a targeted airstrike in Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, the military announced.

The attack reportedly targeted Ali Karaki, Hezbollah’s No. 3 man. Karaki is the terrorist organization’s highest-ranking remaining “military” commander following Friday’s assassination of Ibrahim Aqil.

Karaki heads Hezbollah’s southern command, which is responsible for the Iranian-backed terrorist army’s cross-border attacks on Israel.

Karaki is also a member of Hezbollah’s top “military” organization, the Jihad Council, which is subordinate to the Shura Council and under the direct control of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

According to Sky News Arabic, Karaki was killed in the strike, which consisted of 6 missiles fired at the building he was located in.

Monday night’s aerial attack marked the fourth time that IAF jets struck the Lebanese capital since Hezbollah joined the war against the Jewish state in support of Palestinian Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre.

(JNS)

NETANYAHU TO LEBANESE CIVILIANS: Evacuate Now, War Is With Hezbollah, Not People Of Lebanon [VIDEO]

Yeshiva World News -

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens. To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons. Starting this morning, the IDF has warned you to get out of harm’s way. I urge you – take this warning seriously. Don’t let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Don’t let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon. Please, get out of harm’s way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”

UPDATE: IDF Strikes Over 800 Hezbollah Targets, 275 Killed – Rockets Fired at the Shomron

Matzav -

On Monday, operating under the direction of the Northern Command, dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck over 800 targets inside Lebanon.

The strikes, targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa valley, killed 275 and injured over 1,000, according to the Lebanese Al Mayadeen channel.

The IDF stated: “Since this morning (Monday), the IDF has conducted proactive and extensive aerial strikes against Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon. Thus far, the IAF has carried out strikes based on precise intelligence on approximately 800 Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon and in the area of Beqaa deep inside Lebanese territory. Among the targets struck were buildings where Hezbollah hid rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs and additional terrorist infrastructure.”

“The IDF is striking to remove threats to Israeli civilians and degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure and capabilities.”

Hezbollah has fired about 150 rockets at Israel today, including targeting communities which had not received rocket fire until now, including in the Shomron.

About 10 rockets were fired at the Shomron, as part of a barrage of 80 rockets fired at northern Israel. Sirens sounded in Ariel, and other communities in the Shomron.

{Matzav.com}

TOP TERRORIST TARGETED: Ali Karaki, Hezbollah’s No. 3, Targeted In IDF Strike On Beirut Building

Yeshiva World News -

Israeli airstrikes in Beirut this evening targeted senior Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki, according to security sources cited by Israeli media. Karaki, head of Hezbollah’s southern command, is responsible for the terror group’s military operations in southern Lebanon and is a key member of Hezbollah’s Jihad Council, its top military body. The IDF confirmed the “targeted strike” and stated that more details would be provided soon. This marks only the fourth Israeli airstrike on Beirut since the war began. If Karaki’s death is confirmed, it would leave just one surviving member of Hezbollah’s top chain of command under Hassan Nasrallah – Abu Ali Rida, commander of the terrorist organization’s “Bader” unit. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Trump Allies Make Another Push To Change Nebraska’s Electoral College Law

Yeshiva World News -

A top Donald Trump ally is pressuring Nebraska Republicans to award all of their state’s Electoral College votes to the statewide winner, a late-stage rule change that could potentially help return Trump to the White House. Nebraska and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district, and both have done so in recent presidential elections. In Nebraska, which is solidly Republican, that means one of the state’s five votes is competitive for Democrats. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met recently with GOP lawmakers in the state to encourage them to make a change supported by the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation and Republican Gov. Jim Pillen. The change was discussed earlier this year but lacked the votes to pass. Now, with Trump in an extremely close race against Democrat Kamala Harris where every electoral vote matters, his allies are making another push. “To my friends in Nebraska, that one electoral vote could be the difference between Harris being president and not, and she’s a disaster for Nebraska and the world,” Graham said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Trump’s allies have been calling on Nebraska Republicans for months to make a switch despite a lack of necessary support in the state legislature. But there’s new urgency to their push with fewer than 50 days until the election and Trump and Harris locked in a tight race across several battlegrounds. There is a plausible scenario where the election ends up being decided by the voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a swing district in the Omaha area. This year, if Harris wins the three so-called blue wall battlegrounds of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania while Trump wins the four Sun Belt battlegrounds of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, the result would be a 269-268 split in the Electoral College in favor of Harris. Nebraska’s 2nd District, which went for President Joe Biden four years ago, could give Harris the decisive 270th electoral vote. Or, if Trump were to win, the election would end in a 269-269 tie. In that scenario, the president would be chosen by the House of Representatives, with each state’s delegation getting a single vote — a scenario that favors the former president. The five Republicans who represent Nebraska in Congress urged their colleagues in the state to change the law in a letter dated Wednesday, saying “the state should speak with a united voice in presidential elections.” Any legislative change would require Pillen, the governor, to call lawmakers into a special session. He said in a statement he would “enthusiastically” do so if he gets a “clear and public indication” that there are 33 votes in favor, the minimum necessary to pass in Nebraska’s single legislative chamber. Nebraska Democrats have started showing support for the state’s electoral vote split with yard signs showing a blue dot on a white background, symbolizing their potential role of the metro Omaha district as an island of blue surrounded by Republican red in the rest of Nebraska. “Nebraskans don’t need out-of-state interests to come in and tell us to change the way we’ve been doing things for decades — especially when ballots have already been sent out,” the Nebraska Democratic Party said in a statement Sunday. “We are proud of the state senators who have been consistent and […]

Toronto Protesters: ‘From Palestine to Lebanon, Israel Will Soon Be Gone’

Matzav -

Demonstrators in Toronto called for the imminent demise of the Jewish state during a march in the city last week.

Multimedia journalist Beth Baisch uploaded video documentation to social media of the genocidal chant “From Palestine to Lebanon, Israel will soon be gone.”

Toronto middle-schoolers on a field trip last Wednesday were forced to participate in an anti-Israel protest after parents were told that their children would be observing a demonstration at Grange Park against mercury contamination in an Ontario First Nation tribe.

During the event, teachers allegedly instructed the seventh- and eighth-grade students to wear blue shirts identifying them as “settlers” and “colonizers,” and they were encouraged to take an active role in the anti-Israel chants.

One Jewish student was allegedly told by a teacher to “get over it” after expressing discomfort with the anti-Israel chants, the Toronto Sun reported.

“It is very frustrating that elements of the anti-Israel mob are using their positions as educators to drive this agenda on impressionable children who know nothing about this conflict in the Middle East,” Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak told the Sun. “Our education system must nurture young minds in a positive way and not teach them to demonize those they don’t agree with.”

Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop wrote that she was “deeply disappointed” by the events. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) apologized and said that it was investigating the incident and reviewing its policies.

“Compromising the security and safety of students is unacceptable. I expect TDSB to conduct a thorough review of the situation and ensure accountability with parents and students to prevent future incidents,” Dunlop wrote.

“They lied about the purpose of the field trip. They lied about what students would do. The @TDSB teachers who lied to #Toronto parents must be held accountable,” Kevin Vuong, an independent member of Parliament for Spadina—Fort York, tweeted.

“Sorry@TDSB but this apology is not enough. The board must keep a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, and you failed. Any rational calculation would have prevented this school trip from happening. Parents expressed their legitimate concerns and you ignored them. Let’s work together to ensure schools remain a space where students can learn together and not be divided,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs wrote.

JNS

STAGGERING NUMBERS: IDF Says Air Force Bombed EIGHT HUNDRED Hezbollah Terror Targets Since This Morning

Yeshiva World News -

IDF forces have struck approximately 800 Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon since Monday morning, the IDF spokesperson said on Monday evening. The strikes were carried out in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa area, deep inside the country. An Israeli official said on Monday: “What Hezbollah hasn’t understood through force, it will understand through more force.” Hezbollah responded by firing 165 rockets into Israel, including areas that haven’t been targeted before such as the Shomron and the Sharon area. One missile fell in the Palestinian town of Deir Istiya, known as a terror stronghold, and caused extensive damage. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Guterres Stands By UNGA Resolution Calling for Jews to Be Removed From Old City of Yerushalayim

Matzav -

Prior to the United Nations General Assembly’s vote on Wednesday calling for Yerushalayim’s Old City, Judea and Samaria to be Jew-free António Guterres, the global body’s secretary-general, told reporters that he would back implementation of the resolution should it pass.

The Palestinian-drafted resolution, which passed by a 124 to 14 margin with 43 abstentions, is meant to give force to the International Court of Justice’s July advisory opinion, in which the U.N. high court in The Hague declared Israeli presence to be illegal in any area over the 1949 armistice line.

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JNS asked Guterres’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric during a press briefing on Thursday whether the secretary-general now backs the resolution, calling for the Old City in Jerusalem to be Judenrein, which he said he would report.

“He’s the secretary-general of the U.N. If there’s a resolution that passes and that asks him—clearly requests him to do something, he will do so, because those are the instructions he receives from member states,” Dujarric told JNS. “That’s what happened, and he encourages member states to respect the resolutions that are passed.”

JNS noted that the resolution mandates “evacuating all settlers” within a year, and that the United Nations defines settlers as Jews living beyond the 1949 armistice line, including those in Oslo Accords-defined Area C of Judea and Samaria and in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Dujarric denied that is the case. “The language supports an end to the occupation, which is what the secretary general and previous secretary generals have always called for,” he said.

“Those Jews living in the Old City are defined as ‘settlers’ by the United Nations,” JNS said.

“He has called for an end to the occupation, and he has called for the end of settlements, and he’s not,” Dujarric said, before taking another reporter’s question.

The resolution lost support from some countries, which said that it went well beyond the contours of the U.N. court’s advisory opinion. It also bans arms sales to the Israel Defense Forces of any equipment that would be expected reasonably to be used in the territory over the 1949 lines and calls for a boycott of all products produced by Jews in those areas.

Guterres offered no public indication that he disagrees with any part of the resolution.

The eight-page resolution lacks any mention of Israeli security concerns, historic ties to the lands or Hamas’s terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

General Assembly resolutions lack legal force, but the resolution’s passage on Wednesday is expected to be used in international courts and other fora to seek additional action against the Jewish state.

It is widely expected that the Palestinians will request that the U.N. Security Council take up the issue. Security Council resolutions are binding, but the United States would be expected to thwart such an effort, including with its veto power. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Harris Raises $27 Million In New York Fundraiser, Promises Economic Speech This Week

Yeshiva World News -

Vice President Kamala Harris raised $27 million at a packed New York City fundraiser on Sunday, her largest fundraising haul since she took over at the top of the ticket from President Joe Biden, according to a Harris campaign aide. Though Harris has far more money than former President Donald Trump, the money will be needed to compete with pricey advertising by deep-pocketed outside groups that support Trump, said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private fundraising details. The blockbuster fundraiser was held at Cipriani Wall Street in a massive Greek Revival ballroom with over a dozen columns. Much of the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder as Harris needled Trump for refusing to debate her again. “My opponent seems to be looking for an excuse,” Harris told the crowd. “I feel very strongly that we owe it to the American people, to the voters, to meet once more before Election Day.” She reiterated that later, telling reporters after landing outside Washington, “We have more to discuss.” Trump has rejected more debates, saying Saturday that “it’s just too late.” “Voting is already started,” he said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina. Voters cast the first in-person ballots last week in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early in-person voting opportunities. About a dozen more states will follow by mid-October. Harris also said she would deliver a speech Wednesday outlining her economic vision, saying there is “more we can do to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people while addressing the challenges they face.” She cited the high cost of home ownership and stubbornly high grocery bills as examples. “I grew up a middle-class kid and I will never forget where I came from,” she said. By fleshing out her economic agenda in more detail, Harris can address an issue that’s front of mind for voters after prices soared during Biden’s presidency and distance herself from the president’s economic track record. Trump has criticized her for being slow to release detailed policy proposals of her own since she rose to the top of the ticket. Harris has said she’d push for middle-class tax cuts and tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations, and she adopted Trump’s proposal to end taxes on tipped wages, though she’d limit her plan to low- and middle-income taxpayers. She’s also criticized Trump’s plan to impose large tariffs on most imported goods, which she says would severely raise the cost of goods. Neither Harris nor Trump has a decisive edge with the public on the economy, according to the latest poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey suggests Harris is gaining ground on an issue that was once a clear strength for Trump. About 4 in 10 registered voters say Republican Trump would do a better job handling the economy, while a similar number say that about the Democratic vice president, according to the poll. About 1 in 10 voters don’t trust either candidate, and a similar share has equal faith in them. The new poll found that the economy is one of the most important issues for about 8 in 10 voters as they consider which candidate to support, dwarfing other top issues like health care and crime. Harris has […]

IAF Hits 400 Sites in Lebanon as Hezbollah Pummels Northern Israel

Matzav -

Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted massive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Monday morning to prevent the Iranian-backed terror army from firing rockets across the border.

As of Monday afternoon, the IAF had attacked more than 400 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Alongside the update, the army published a video of Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi approving the attacks from the military’s underground command room at the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned that the IAF strikes would continue in the immediate time frame and criticized Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, accusing the terror leader of “dragging Lebanon and the entire region into escalation.”

Addressing the possibility of ground maneuvers in Lebanon, he said that “we will do whatever is necessary to return residents [of northern Israel] to their homes. We have detailed plans, which we have presented to the political leadership.”

Hagari on Monday morning warned Lebanese civilians living along the border that Hezbollah was using their homes to store weapons and that for their safety they should evacuate immediately.

He also revealed during the press briefing that terrorists had recently attempted to launch a cruise missile from a civilian residence, which was thwarted, providing documentation of the preventive strike.

 

The cruise missile was a DR-3 model with a flight range of 124 miles (200 km.) carrying a warhead of up to 661 pounds (300 kg.), according to the IDF.

“I have recorded a clear message for all residents of Southern Lebanon—in the past few hours, we identified an intention to attack Israel, and soon we will strike,” said Hagari.

“For more than 20 years, Hezbollah has placed weapons inside homes and armed them, turning Southern Lebanon into a combat zone. We are monitoring this activity, locating the weapons and destroying them in precise strikes. We urge you to move away from them immediately, for your safety. Hezbollah is endangering you,” said Hagari.

The IDF sent text messages to residents of Southern Lebanon to stay away from Hezbollah buildings, and Hagari’s video message was subtitled in Arabic: “Anyone who is near or inside houses where Hezbollah is hiding weapons is requested to move away from them immediately.”

An illustration of Hezbollah using civilian homes in Southern Lebanon to store and fire rockets at Israel. Credit: IDF.

Jerusalem has ramped up its rhetoric and escalated attacks on Hezbollah since recently adding the return of residents to the north as an official war goal. More than 60,000 Israelis remain internally displaced after nearly a year of near-daily rocket, missile and drone attacks by Hezbollah in support of Hamas in Gaza.

Hezbollah-affiliated media in Lebanon reported on injuries from the widespread Israeli attacks, which reached deep into Lebanese territory in the Bekaa Valley.

Meanwhile, rocket alarms were heard in the Safed area of Israel’s Upper Galilee, with many explosions heard and dozens of interceptions reported. A major barrage was also reported deep into the Lower Galilee.

The Magen David Adom medical emergency response group said two Israelis sustained light wounds when a rocket hit in the area of the Golani intersection, located in the Lower Galilee between Tiberias and Nazareth. The men, 25 and 59, were evacuated to Poria Medical Center (Baruch Padeh Medical Center) near Tiberias for treatment.

In Giv’at Avni, located adjacent to the Sea of Galilee, a fire broke out after a Hezbollah rocket scored a direct hit on a house, local media reported. The residents had barricaded themselves in their bomb shelter and emerged unharmed following the attacks, according to the reports.

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid welcomed the IAF strikes in Lebanon in a statement.

“Supporting the Air Force, the IDF, and the security forces in their operation in Lebanon. The time has come. Be strong and courageous, and act—do not fear or be dismayed until all the residents of the north return to their homes safely,” the Yesh Atid Party leader tweeted. JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Long-Range Rockets Fired from Lebanon Toward Israel for First Time in Conflict, Sirens Sound in West Bank Communities

Yeshiva World News -

For the first time in the ongoing conflict, long-range rockets have been fired from Lebanon toward Israel. Sirens sounding in several central West Bank communities, including Karnei Shomron and Ariel. The IDF has stated that further details regarding the rocket fire will be released shortly. Magen David Adom says: “Following the recent Red Alert sirens in Samaria, no reports of casualties have been received at this time.”

Netanyahu Says Weighing Plan for Siege On Hamas In North Gaza; Believes Half of Hostages Alive

Matzav -

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu informed lawmakers on Monday that he is considering the generals’ proposal for a blockade of northern Gaza, a strategy put forth by senior IDF reservists.

During a meeting with members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the prime minister shared that “according to the information we have, half of the [97 remaining] hostages in Gaza are alive,” as noted by a committee member.

This suggests that approximately 50 of the hostages may have died. The IDF has only verified the deaths of 33 individuals still in Gaza.

In the confidential session, Netanyahu revealed that the strategy for besieging the remaining Hamas forces is among several options being reviewed and will be presented to the cabinet for further examination in the upcoming days.

Retired Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, who introduced the proposal to the committee last week, contended that this approach, which lacks U.S. support, would “change the reality” on the ground in Gaza.

“We have to tell the residents of north Gaza that they have one week to evacuate the territory, which then becomes a military zone, [a zone] in which every figure is a target and, most importantly, no supplies enter this territory.”

Eiland maintained that a siege not only serves as an effective military strategy but is also aligned with international law. “What matters to [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar is land and dignity, and with this maneuver, you take away both land and dignity,” he asserted.

Eiland has criticized Israel’s approach to the war in Gaza, stating in an interview with The Times of Israel last week that as long as Hamas controls food and fuel distribution, it can continue to fund itself and recruit new fighters.

“You can’t win a war while this is the situation in Gaza,” he stated. “The slogan that ‘only military pressure will bring victory’ has no basis whatsoever. The wars of the 21st century are based on something else. The most important parameter is the population, and those who can control the population win the war.”

Netanyahu informed the committee that managing the flow of humanitarian aid is crucial for success in Gaza, adding that attempts to engage local tribes have not succeeded. Therefore, he suggested that implementing a military administration in the region might be necessary for the time being, even if it isn’t his ultimate goal.

Likud MK Amit Halevi, part of the committee, praised Eiland’s plan, stating it indicated “the right direction” for Israeli policy in Gaza.

“In order to defeat Hamas we must control the land and the population. There is no other way to victory,” he told The Times of Israel, arguing that as long as Hamas maintains civil control, it will continue to recruit fighters.

This strategy is also “the only chance for a hostage deal” because it will increase pressure on Sinwar to negotiate and make concessions, he argued.

“If he has food for years and the international pressure is on Israel, why does he need to make a deal?” Halevi questioned.

Sources familiar with Sunday’s discussions revealed that Netanyahu did not respond to New Hope MK Gideon Sa’ar’s announcement on Shabbos, when he stated that he declined the prime minister’s offer to assume the defense minister position, succeeding Yoav Gallant.

In a statement, the leader of the hawkish opposition party said he could not accept the role due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, although he maintained he was qualified for the position.

Netanyahu anticipated that the International Criminal Court (ICC) would likely soon issue arrest warrants for both Gallant and himself.

Earlier this month, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan urged the court to issue arrest warrants that he had requested in May for Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leaders “with utmost urgency.”

Khan is a “political guided missile,” Netanyahu remarked to lawmakers.

He also refuted claims that he is obstructing a Gaza hostage deal, asserting that Hamas is the intransigent party, having requested 29 modifications to a proposed ceasefire agreement, while claiming that Israel accepted all conditions set by American negotiators.

Reports indicate that Netanyahu has introduced new conditions beyond those proposed by the Americans, including Israel maintaining a presence on the Gaza-Egypt border in the initial phase of a ceasefire and hostage arrangement. However, U.S. officials have also pointed out that Hamas’s demands remain a significant barrier to an agreement.

Hebrew media reports mentioned that the prime minister denounced “fake reports” suggesting he is hindering an agreement and stated that Hamas currently does not seek a ceasefire deal.

He also proposed a new idea for a deal that arose during internal discussions, which would involve Israel agreeing to a series of brief ceasefires in Gaza, with a small number of hostages released in each instance, as reported by Channel 12 news.

He reportedly also argued that increasing pressure on Hezbollah in the north could compel Sinwar to negotiate.

Regarding the recent surge in hostilities against Hezbollah, he stated, “We are talking about distancing Hezbollah from the border and degrading its capabilities. This is not a one-off event. We will continue, but would prefer not to get to all-out war.”

Netanyahu’s comments in the Knesset occurred just hours after he released a video statement declaring that Hezbollah would “get the message” following a series of significant operations against the Iran-backed group in recent days.

Hezbollah broadened its rocket attack range early Sunday to strike the greater Haifa area and the Jezreel Valley, endangering around two million Israelis with its assaults.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that approximately 150 rockets, cruise missiles, and drones have been launched toward Israel since Motzoei Shabbos.

Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz indicated he asked Netanyahu during the hearing to clarify the connection between operations in Israel’s north and Gaza — and sought information on when the hostages would be returned and when residents of the north could return home.

“The prime minister did not answer this question,” he reported.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Iran Condemns ‘Insane’ Israeli Air Strikes In Lebanon

Yeshiva World News -

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has warned Israel of the “dangerous consequences” following deadly air strikes in various parts of Lebanon today. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the Israeli strikes “insane”, and warned of “the dangerous consequences of the Zionists’ new adventure”. Iran condemns ‘insane’ Israeli air strikes in Lebanon

US Not Responsible For Surge Of Violence In Sinaloa, American Ambassador Tells Mexico

Yeshiva World News -

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar rejected accusations by Mexico’s president that the U.S. was partly responsible for a surge in cartel warfare in northern Sinaloa over the weekend. Sinaloa has been eclipsed by violence as two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the state capital of Culiacan in what appears to be a fight for power since two of its leaders were arrested in the U.S. in late July. “It is incomprehensible how the United States can be responsible for the massacres we see in different places,” Salazar said in a news conference in Chihuahua on Saturday. “What is being seen in Sinaloa is not the fault of the United States.” The arrests startled many because it appeared that the son of notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán abducted an elder cartel figure, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, and flew them both to the U.S. to be detained. Such a violent outburst was expected in the wake of the arrests. As the warring cartel factions and authorities have clashed in firefights, helicopters regularly circle overhead and military rove the streets of the capital. Families have said they are scared to send their children to school. Meanwhile, bodies have appeared across the city, often left slung out on the streets or in cars with either sombreros on their heads or pizza slices or boxes pegged onto them with knives. The pizzas and sombreros have become informal symbols for the warring cartel factions, underscoring the brutality of their warfare. Local authorities said that as of Friday at least 53 people had been killed and 51 others have gone missing in Sinaloa state since the fighting started. On Thursday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed American authorities in part for the bloodshed. Asked at his morning briefing if the U.S. government was “jointly responsible” for this violence in Sinaloa, the president said, “Yes, of course … for having carried out this operation.” “If we are now facing instability and clashes in Sinaloa, it is because (the American government) made that decision,” López Obrador said. López Obrador claimed American authorities “carried out that operation” to capture Zambada and that “it was totally illegal, and agents from the Department of Justice were waiting for Mr. Mayo.” Salazar had previously denied that American officials were involved in the alleged kidnapping. It was the latest blow to bilateral relations between the two regional allies. Last month, López Obrador — a populist prone to lashing out at critics — said he was putting relations with the U.S. and Canadian embassies “on pause” after ambassadors criticized his controversial plan to overhaul Mexico’s judiciary by requiring all judges to stand for election. Still, the Zambada capture has fueled criticisms of López Obrador, who has throughout his administration refused to confront the cartels and has falsely stated that cartels respect Mexican citizens and largely fight amongst themselves. Under López Obrador, who leaves office at the end of this month, cartels have employed an increasing array of weapons and tactics, including roadside bombs, trenches, home-made armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones. The criminal organizations have also seeped into new industries such as migrant smuggling and the lucrative avocado business. While Mexican authorities said Saturday they had sent an additional 600 soldiers to Sinaloa as reinforcements, Salazar cast blame for the […]

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