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Members of the Yamas counterterror unit said they were compelled to shoot two suspects who appeared to be surrendering, insisting that the pair’s actions created a clear danger and violated the instructions given to them. The officers have maintained that the scene unfolded under rapidly changing circumstances that left little room for hesitation.

Military reporter Doron Kadosh of Galei Tzahal revealed details from the officers’ initial account, quoting them as saying: “When the terrorists came out, we began carrying out security clearance procedures on them (to ensure they did not pose a threat). We did not know if they were armed with a weapon or an explosive device. We began to give them orders to perform the clearance, and the terrorists acted contrary to what they were told. At a certain point, one of the terrorists decided to reenter the building, contrary to orders, and the other terrorist followed, and therefore they were both shot.”

The officers’ helmet-camera footage, which captured the event from multiple angles, is currently being reviewed. For now, the inquiry remains an internal operational investigation, led by unit commanders. Oversight of the case is expected to fall under the newly appointed Military Advocate General, Itai Ofir, once the preliminary review concludes.

Meanwhile, video recorded in Jenin spread quickly online, showing the two men stepping out of a building surrounded by Israeli forces, raising their arms, kneeling on the ground, and then being fired upon. The clip has fueled public debate about the sequence of events and the claims made by the soldiers.

The IDF issued a statement explaining the background of the operation: “Earlier this evening (Thursday), during an Israel Border Police and IDF operation in the area of Jenin, the forces operated to apprehend wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces. The wanted individuals were affiliated with a terror network in the area of Jenin.”

According to the military’s description of the raid, “The forces entered the area, enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited. Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects.”

The army added that “the incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”

{Matzav.com}

The NYPD has announced the well-deserved promotion of Community Affairs Officer Nick Skomina to the rank of Detective, recognizing his years of dedicated service and exceptional commitment to strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Detective Skomina has long been a familiar and respected figure across New York City, known for […]

A fleet of planes that UPS grounded after a deadly crash isn’t expected to be back in service during the peak holiday season due to inspections and possible repairs, the company said Wednesday in an internal memo. The airline expects it will be several months before its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet returns to service as […]

BREAKING VIDEO: The moment of the accident that sent two vehicles careening onto the sidewalk in front of Town Appliance – including one on its side.

BREAKING IN LAKEWOOD: A vehicle has overturned in an MVA directly in front of Town Appliance on Clifton Avenue. Police have shut down the area.

A request filed by activists from Pelegh Yerushalmi was dismissed this week by the Bnei Brak Bais Din after the group sought to block elected officials from filing police complaints over recent incitement and threats.

The bais din’s senior dayanim made it clear in a written response that issues involving violence fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of state authorities—not a bais din.

The petition had been submitted to the Badatz of Bnei Brak, headed by Raavad Rav Yehuda Silman and Gaavad Rav Sariel Rosenberg. Activists demanded that the court prevent chareidi public representatives from going to civil courts and police over what they described as “incitement” against Members of Knesset in the lead-up to the draft law’s advancement.

In a formal letter released by the dayanim, the court firmly rejected the appeal.

“In regard to the recent rise in incidents of violence—both physical and verbal—directed at public representatives, and in response to questions as to why the bais din is not intervening, we clarify that the bais din does not deal with matters of violence, for which the proper avenue of response is through the authorities,” the letter stated.

A brief review of past rulings shows that the court based its response on a precedent issued by the bais din once led by Rav Nissim Karelitz zt”l. In that ruling, Rav Karelitz wrote unequivocally that when individuals engage in ongoing degradation of Gedolei Yisroel and the chareidi community, their conduct places them in the halachic category described in Choshen Mishpat 388:12—those who “cause distress to the public.” In such cases, Rav Karelitz ruled, it is permissible “to hand them over, imprison them, or fine them,” and therefore permitted bringing claims against them in civil courts.

Among the signatories to that earlier ruling are Rav Nissim Karelitz zt”l and Rav Dovid Zvi Ordentlich zt”l. A third signature stands out sharply in today’s context: that of Rav Zvi Friedman, a prominent figure within the Peleg Yerushalmi. He signed the ruling permitting recourse to civil courts—contradicting the faction’s present claim that the bais din must intervene to block such complaints.

Just yesterday, Shas and United Torah Judaism filed a police complaint against a senior Peleg Yerushalmi activist, Tzvi Roth, accusing him of grave incitement to violence and even hints of murder against chareidi Members of Knesset.

According to the complaint, harsh statements were broadcast on faction-affiliated phone hotlines, including comparisons to Nazis and references to physical harm and arson. Rot allegedly urged listeners “to view elected officials as enemies from within,” while discussing scenarios of attacks against them.

Chareidi parties say these statements reflect a dangerous escalation. “Recently we saw attempted lynching incidents and break-ins at the homes of MKs,” they said. “The line between protest and violence has been dangerously blurred.”

{Matzav.com}

Al JAZEERA–QATAR CONFERENCE DISMISSES OCT. 7 ATROCITIES AS “FALSE ISRAELI REPORTS”: Qatar’s Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, together with Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, is hosting a two-day conference titled “International Media and the War on Gaza” on Nov. 29–30. According to the official Al Jazeera write-up, organizers claim that Western media and some […]

SHOCK: The Jewish community of Chernivtsi, Ukraine, was shaken Thursday evening after the famed Sadigua beis medrash, known as the “Kloiz Kadisha,” was set ablaze by a mentally unstable individual. The historic building — one of the most significant structures in the chasidic world — suffered heavy damage. According to officials, the arsonist entered the […]

Australia has formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a state sponsor of terrorism, after intelligence agencies concluded the Tehran-backed force orchestrated antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish institutions in Sydney and Melbourne. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the move followed an Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) assessment tying the IRGC to two attacks: the […]

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that prosecutors will aggressively seek capital punishment for the accused gunman who carried out the brazen Thanksgiving-eve ambush on two West Virginia National Guard members in downtown Washington.
“I will tell you early, we will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster who should not have been in our country,” Bondi told Fox News’ Fox & Friends.

The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal — whose past work with a CIA-backed counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan was confirmed by the agency — is already charged with multiple counts of assault with intent to kill as well as criminal possession of a weapon. Those alleged offenses carry a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors stressed that the case could escalate dramatically if either victim dies. US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro made the stakes clear:
“If one of them is to pass, and God forbid that happens, this is a murder-one. Period, end of the story,” Pirro explained.

Bondi, visibly furious, accused liberal politicians and commentators of fostering animosity toward National Guard personnel and called for an inquiry into whether their rhetoric played any role in inspiring the attack. She condemned what she characterized as a torrent of hostility aimed at the troops deployed to protect the capital following President Trump’s decision.
“It’s actually sad what our country has come to with these progressive left idiots who are doing this and saying this about our heroes who are keeping them safe,” Bondi contended.

She pointed out that several of those most vocal in denouncing Trump’s security measures have armed protection of their own, yet continue to malign the Guard’s mission.
“What these lawmakers are doing, what some of these news anchors on other networks are doing, what their guests are saying is disgusting, it’s despicable,” she said.
“They should be praising our men and women in law enforcement. We’re looking at everything they have said and why they said it and if they encouraged acts of violence.”

Authorities say Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021 under the “Operation Allies Welcome” initiative after being born in Afghanistan. On Wednesday afternoon, around 2:15 p.m. ET, he allegedly drove into Washington, stepped out just blocks from the White House, and opened fire on uniformed Guard troops.

The victims, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, sustained devastating injuries. Beckstrom’s father told the New York Times that she has a “mortal wound,” adding:
“It’s not going to be a recovery.”

Officials said both soldiers have undergone surgery, but remain in critical condition. Investigators have labeled the shooting a “targeted attack” and believe Lakanwal traveled from Washington state specifically to carry it out.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday that there “is an ongoing investigation of terrorism, make no mistake about it.” President Trump also called the shooting “an act of terror.” During a press briefing, Pirro emphasized the severity of the assault:
“This was not just an attack; it was a direct challenge to law and order in our nation’s capital.”

Lakanwal had applied for asylum in December 2024 and received approval in April. CIA Director John Ratcliffe has acknowledged Lakanwal’s work with the agency but declined to share additional details. Veterans with #AfghanEvac say he served in the elite NDS-03 unit in Afghanistan, a group closely supported by US intelligence.

Ratcliffe has placed responsibility on the Biden administration for allowing Lakanwal into the country in the first place.
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden Withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government,” Ratcliffe said.
“This individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here,” the CIA boss added. “Our citizens and servicemembers deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden Administration’s catastrophic failures. God bless our brave troops.”

Following the attack, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Afghan immigration processing will be paused “indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”

{Matzav.com}

A group of Chariedi Israelis associated with the organization “Chalutzei HaBashan” crossed the Syrian border on Thursday in an effort to stake out land in the Golan Heights, prompting a swift IDF response and brief confrontations with soldiers.

According to reports, the group breached the border fence and entered Syrian territory, leading forces from the IDF’s 210th Division to launch a pursuit. Kan News reported that two separate incidents unfolded simultaneously—one in the central Golan and another near the Hermon region.

Initial information indicates that approximately eight Israeli civilians broke through the barrier and clashed with soldiers who attempted to stop them and detain them.

The IDF confirmed the events in an official statement: “IDF forces responded to both locations, and after a short time, the civilians were located. After some of them confronted the forces, they were safely returned to Israeli territory under IDF escort. The suspects who were apprehended were transferred to the Israel Police for further handling. The IDF strongly condemns the incident and emphasizes that this is a serious event constituting a criminal offense that endangers both the civilians involved and IDF forces.”

The individuals were taken into custody for questioning as security officials warn that such actions pose significant operational risks on a highly sensitive border.

{Matzav.com}

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Tzachi Brim submitted a petition to the Supreme Court on Wednesday on behalf of dozens of Chareidi residents demanding that Israel Police immediately stop its use of skunk spray in residential neighborhoods. The petition states that over the past year, skunk spray has been used frequently and aggressively in crowded Chareidi neighborhoods, […]

Shas MK Yaakov Margi, a resident of the Negev, delivered a scathing speech about the collapse of governance in the Negev from the Knesset plenum on Tuesday. Margi, who lives on a yishuv near the Bedouin city of Rahat, described a daily reality of gunfire and a constant flow of weapons into criminal hands. “Every […]

The Shas movement has filed a defamation lawsuit against Yisroel Tropper, an activist associated with the Perel Yerushalmi faction, following comments he made during an interview on Channel 12 with journalist Rafi Reshef.

According to the party, Tropper falsely claimed that Rishon LeTzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef had “given in to severe criminal threats,” an allegation Shas says is baseless, inflammatory, and damaging to the standing of a senior member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah.

Shas announced that before moving forward, the party sought halachic guidance from its rabbinic leadership. Party officials said they consulted with rabbanim, dayanim, and poskim, who ruled that due to the frequent incidents of violence surrounding these issues, “the authorities will rule in this matter,” thereby granting Shas the space to pursue the matter through civil courts.

The lawsuit, submitted through attorney Yisroel Bach, accuses Tropper of presenting a “false and deceptive narrative” intended to undermine the legitimacy of the party’s spiritual leadership. The complaint notes that the comments were made only hours after the attempted lynching of MK Yoav Ben-Tzur, thereby giving Tropper’s statements “additional inciting force.”

In the interview, Tropper said, among other remarks: “I recommend that the chareidi Knesset members not walk near yeshiva bochurim these days — they are very angry.”

Shas argues that Tropper’s claims go beyond a personal attack on the Rishon LeTzion and amount to an effort to fabricate a narrative of internal chareidi violence. “The defendant knows full well that this is an absolute fabrication,” the lawsuit states.

In a statement, the party declared, “We will not remain silent in the face of disgrace to our rabbanim. Anyone who incites, spreads lies, and encourages violence will be held accountable and will pay the price.”

{Matzav.com}

A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of a grand and graceful cosmic butterfly. The National Science Foundation’s NoirLab released the picture Wednesday. Snapped last month by the Gemini South telescope, the aptly named Butterfly Nebula is 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. A single light-year is 6 trillion […]

CIA Director John Ratcliffe delivered a blistering assessment of the federal government’s handling of Afghan admissions after an Afghan national allegedly opened fire on two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., an attack he said “should never have been allowed to come here.”

Authorities say the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era program that resettled Afghans who had worked with American forces. He later filed an asylum request in December 2024, which was granted four months later.

While Ratcliffe acknowledged that Lakanwal had previously worked alongside the CIA, his office declined to offer clarity on how he was screened before entering the U.S. Veterans affiliated with #AfghanEvac, a coalition that helped evacuate Afghan partners during the withdrawal, noted that Lakanwal had once been part of NDS-03 — a highly trained Afghan counterterrorism unit created and funded in partnership with the CIA and American special forces.

In a harsh denunciation of the administration’s actions, Ratcliffe argued that the collapse in Afghanistan and subsequent rushed admission process created dangerous openings. “In the wake of the disastrous Biden Withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” he said.

Ratcliffe went further, insisting that the attack was part of a broader pattern resulting from poor oversight. “This individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here,” he said. “Our citizens and servicemembers deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden Administration’s catastrophic failures. God bless our brave troops.”

The fallout prompted swift action from the Department of Homeland Security, which announced that it was freezing all Afghan-related immigration processing while security reviews are conducted. “This Afghan national was paroled in by the Biden Administration,” DHS said. “Regardless if his asylum was granted or not, this monster would not have been removed because of his parole.”

The agency said it is initiating a sweeping pause and reassessment. “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the statement read. “The Trump Administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration, which failed to vet these applicants on a massive scale.”

{Matzav.com}

The Jewish community of Chernivtsi, Ukraine, was shaken Thursday evening after the famed Sadigua beis medrash, known as the “Kloiz Kadisha,” was set ablaze by a mentally unstable individual. The historic building — considered one of the most significant structures in the entire chassidic world — suffered heavy damage. According to community officials, the arsonist […]

All year long, I find myself being asked the same question again and again: “What’s the halachah— and what’s the kashrus status— of vaping?” And all the time – particularly before Pesach – I run into the same wall: silence, confusion, and a sudden rush to talk about hashkafah instead of halachah. Let me be […]

A political firestorm broke out Thursday after Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth unveiled the latest version of his proposal to overhaul the military draft system for chareidim. Opposition parties immediately announced that they would fight the bill at every stage and prevent it from advancing.

Yoaz Hendel, head of the Reservists Party, blasted the proposal for its lax timetables and flexible recruitment targets. “The ‘new’ draft law that Bismuth is promoting is extremely lenient regarding the timing of enlistment and the quotas,” Hendel charged. “The text is yet another example of how governments that rely on non-Zionist parties are pressured into approving non-Zionist decisions.”

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued an unequivocal rejection of the legislation. “We will not let this go through,” he declared. Calling the moment “the ultimate test,” Bennett accused the government of deciding to push through what he labeled “the draft-dodging law” in its final readings. “This is the most anti-Zionist law ever legislated in our country’s history,” he said.

Bennett intensified his criticism, saying the plan amounted to “a declaration of war by the government on every reservist, every IDF soldier, and the entire serving public.” He vowed that Israelis “from every background—religious, secular, right, left—will unite and say no to the draft-dodging law.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid voiced similar outrage, warning that the legislation was an affront to those who serve. “We will not allow this anti-Zionist disgrace to pass,” he said. “We will not let them dishonor the fighters, the wounded, and the fallen like this. This is not a law—it’s pathetic politics by the corrupt and the shirkers at the expense of our children. Not happening, not possible, not passing.”

Criticism came not only from the opposition. Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, a former chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said the bill fails the most basic test of addressing national security needs. “As someone who has led the effort over the past two years to expand the IDF’s recruitment base, I say with deep regret: this is not a draft law,” he stated.

Referencing the trauma of October 7, Edelstein warned that the government had promised systemic change—and this bill delivers none of it. “Unlike the draft I proposed, the current version does not meet the IDF’s needs in any way,” he said. “It is yet another political band-aid instead of a historic law. We will not give up. We will fight to the end for a real draft law.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel also announced she would oppose the bill, saying her commitment to national security requires independent judgment. “Blindly adopting legislation that harms security during wartime and undermines social cohesion will inflict grave long-term damage,” she said. “I will continue to fight for a draft framework that is fair, just, and real. In its current form, I will vote against it.”

United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf stated that the position of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah remains unchanged: any arrangement must fully protect Torah study and avoid imposing sanctions on those learning full-time. He said the draft text released Thursday will be presented to the senior Torah leadership for review, and the party will act solely based on their ruling.

The Religious Zionism party said it is still analyzing the proposal. “Our guiding principle remains the same,” the party stated. “We will only support a law that ensures real and rapid enlistment of chareidim into the IDF to meet security needs and ease the burden on soldiers, reservists, and their families.”

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Thursday distributed to committee members the updated draft of the Chareidi conscription law, which includes a series of stricter measures added at the request of the legal advisers. Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth said, “This is it—we are moving forward with a balanced, responsible conscription law that […]