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Hezbollah fired several explosive drones at Israel early Thursday afternoon, injuring several Israelis near the moshav of Ya’ara in the western Gail. It is the second Hezbollah attack on Thursday which left casualties. Eight Israelis were injured, two seriously, in an anti-tank missile attack on Thursday morning. The victims are being treated at the scene. A drone also scored a direct hit on the moshav of Beit Hillel. Baruch Hashem, no one was injured but the impact sparked fires. Another drone hit a house in Kiryat Shmona, which is largely empty of its residents. No one was injured in the incident. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

With Israel’s defense minister announcing a “new phase” of the war and an apparent Israeli attack setting off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon, the specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before. Hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict appear to be fading quickly as Israel signals a desire to change the status quo in the country’s north, where it has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese terrorist group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war’s opening salvo by Hamas. In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country’s security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal. Here’s a look at how Israel is preparing for a war with Lebanon: Troops drawn from Gaza to the northern border While the daily fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated on several occasions, the bitter enemies have been careful to avoid an all-out war. That appears to be changing — especially after pagers, walkie-talkies, solar equipment and other devices exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 20 and wounding thousands in a sophisticated attack Hezbollah blamed on Israel. “You don’t do something like that, hit thousands of people, and think war is not coming,” said retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi, who leads Israel Defense and Security Forum, a group of hawkish former military commanders. “Why didn’t we do it for 11 months? Because we were not willing to go to war yet. What’s happening now? Israel is ready for war.” As fighting in Gaza has slowed, Israel has fortified forces along the border with Lebanon, including the arrival this week of a powerful army division that took part in some of the heaviest fighting in Gaza. The 98th Division is believed to include thousands of troops, including paratrooper infantry units and artillery and elite commando forces specially trained for operations behind enemy lines. Their deployment was confirmed by an official with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements. The division played a key role in Gaza, spearheading the army’s operations in the southern city of Khan Younis, a Hamas stronghold. The offensive inflicted heavy losses on Hamas fighters and tunnels, but also wreaked massive damage and sent thousands of Palestinians fleeing. Israel says Hamas endangers civilians by hiding in residential areas. The military also said it staged a series of drills this week along the border. “The mission is clear,” said Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, who heads Israel’s Northern Command. “We are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible.” A ‘new phase’ of war The military movements have been accompanied by heightened rhetoric from Israel’s leaders, who say their patience is running thin. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday night declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward Hezbollah. “The center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces,” he said. He spoke a day after Israel’s Cabinet made the return of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel a formal goal of the war. The move was […]

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The Shin Bet on Thursday revealed that a Jewish-Israeli citizen was arrested in August 2024 for allegedly committing severe security offenses after being recruited by Iran to assassinate senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar. The suspect was twice smuggled into Iran and met with Iranian intelligence and security officials and received payments for carrying out missions. The operation, carried out by the Shin Bet and the Lahav 443 unit of the Israel Police, revealed that the suspect, a businessman who had lived for an extended period in Turkey, maintained business and social ties with individuals of Turkish and Iranian descent. As part of these connections, in April 2024, the suspect agreed, mediated by Turkish operatives Andrei Farouk Aslan and Gunaid Aslan, to meet with a wealthy businessman living in Iran named Eddy for the purpose of promoting business activities. To facilitate the business dealings, he traveled to the city of Samandag in Turkey, where he met with two representatives sent by Eddy who conducted a phone call with him as Eddy was unable to leave Iran. The investigation further indicated that in May 2024, the suspect traveled to Turkey, where he met with Andrei, Gunaid, and Eddy’s two representatives. After it became clear that Eddy could not leave Iran for Turkey, the Israeli suspect was smuggled by car through a land border crossing near the eastern Turkish city of Van into Iran, where he met Eddy and another person named Hajah, who was introduced as an operative on behalf of Iranian security agencies. The Israeli and others traveled to Eddy’s home in Iran, where he was introduced as an Israeli citizen. During this meeting, Eddy outlined to the suspect various security missions within Israel for the Iranian regime, including: transferring money or a gun to predetermined locations, photographing crowded places in the country and sending them to Iranian agents, and threatening other Israeli citizens operating in the country on behalf of the Iranian regime who had not completed their tasks. The Israeli citizen requested to look into the matter. It further emerged during the investigation that in August 2024, the Israeli suspect entered Iran for the second time, having been smuggled through the border crossing while hidden inside a truck cabin. During his stay at Eddy’s house in Iran, he met with additional Iranian intelligence operatives, who asked him to carry out terrorist activities for Iran on Israeli soil, including promoting assassination attempts against Netanyahu, Gallant, and Bar. Iranian intelligence officials also requested to explore the possibility of targeting other high-profile individuals, such as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other public figures as a form of revenge for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil in July 2024. The Israeli suspect, in turn, demanded an advance payment of one million dollars before carrying out any action. The next day, the Israeli suspect held another meeting with Iranian intelligence officials during which they reiterated their proposal to assassinate senior figures, discussed the possibility of him hiding funds in safe locations in Israel for others, and spoke about locating Russian and American figures to eliminate opponents of the Iranian regime in Europe and the United States while recruiting a Mossad operative to become a “double agent.” […]

Hezbollah fired two anti-tank missiles from Lebanon at the Upper Galil on Thursday morning, injuring five people. The victims were treated at the scene and evacuated to nearby hospitals. IDF forces responded with artillery fire at the source of the launches. Overnight Wednesday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked Hezbollah terror sites in southern Lebanon. On Wednesday, Hezbollah fired over 60 rockets at Tel Chai and the Chermon area. Baruch Hashem there were no injuries. Some rockets were intercepted but others fell, causing fires. Following two consecutive days of Israeli-attributed explosions of Hezbollah walkie-talkies and beepers in Lebanon, Israel is preparing for a major escalation in the north. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The Biden administration still is not convinced that it should give Ukraine the authority to launch long-range missiles deeper into Russia, and U.S. officials say they are seeking more detailed information about how Kyiv would use the weapons and how they fit into the broader strategy for the war. U.S. officials said they have asked Ukraine to spell out more clearly its combat objectives, as President Joe Biden prepares to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week. Administration officials are concerned that loosening restrictions on the use of the weapons would have limited impact and come with great risk. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week warned that Russia would be “at war” with the United States and its NATO allies if they allow Ukraine to use the long-range weapons. U.S. defense officials have repeatedly argued that the long-range missiles are limited in number and that Ukraine already is using its own long-range drones to hit targets farther into Russia. That capability was evidenced by a Ukrainian drone strike overnight that hit a large military depot, causing a huge blaze, in a town 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the border. Ukrainian leaders, however, say they need permission to strike weapons depots, airfields and military bases far from the border to motivate Russia to seek peace. The U.S. allows Ukraine to use American-provided weapons in more limited, cross-border strikes to counter attacks by Russian forces. The U.S. is coming under mounting pressure from NATO allies who believe Ukraine should be the one to decide how and where it uses the weapons and how it fights its own war. A senior U.S. official said the subject came up during meetings of NATO defense chiefs in Europe over the weekend — attended by Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff — and that most advocated in favor of the change. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Ukraine is pressing to use U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to hit deeper into Russia. Biden discussed the issue during a meeting last week with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. U.S. officials familiar with discussions said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use the Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes in Russia. Biden’s approval may be needed because Storm Shadow components are made in the U.S. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to share the status of private conversations. Starmer said talks would continue when global leaders convene for the U.N. General Assembly gathering next week. Biden’s meeting with Zelenskyy is expected to happen late next week after the U.S. president returns from the U.N. A senior U.S. official said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine shape its combat objectives for the war and the use of long-range weapons. On Saturday, the head of NATO’s military committee said Ukraine has the solid legal and military right to strike deep inside Russia to gain combat advantage. Speaking in Prague at the close of the meeting of the alliance’s military chiefs, Adm. Rob Bauer of the Netherlands said, “Every nation that is attacked has the right to defend itself. And that right doesn’t stop at the border of your own nation.” Lt. Gen. Karel Řehka, chief […]

Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and cousin of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, issued a warning of retribution following a second day of explosions targeting Hezbollah communications devices. Blaming the attacks on Israel, which has maintained official silence, Safieddine vowed that Hezbollah would exact a “bloodily unique revenge.” “These attacks will certainly be uniquely punished; there will be a bloodily unique revenge,” Safieddine declared in a public statement, signaling the group’s intent to retaliate in response to the recent explosions. Though Safieddine refrained from elaborating on Hezbollah’s plans, he hinted at further developments to come. “I won’t talk about this at length,” he said, adding, “tomorrow, the leader of Hezbollah will speak and all will be revealed. And we will be in a new situation and a new confrontation with this enemy.” Safieddine said Hezbollah is resilient, asserting that the terrorist organization remains unshaken. “The enemy should know that we are not beaten, that we will not break, that will not withdraw, and will not be influenced by what this enemy is doing.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

For the first time in nearly three decades, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters won’t endorse a candidate in the presidential race – a blow to the Democratic Party, which has reliably received the union’s approval for years.

The Teamsters confirmed the decision not to endorse Wednesday, as the union’s executive board met in Washington to consider an endorsement.

The non-endorsement comes two days after union leaders and members met privately with Vice President Kamala Harris and she laid out her case for an endorsement, underscoring the current administration’s many achievements for unions.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” said Teamsters president Sean O’Brien in a statement. The union had “sought commitments from both Trump and Harris” specifically about their union campaigns, core industries and right to strike, but “were unable to secure those pledges,” he added.

Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said in a statement that the “Vice President’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her – alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.”

Hitt also referenced a recent comment Trump made about firing striking workers in a conversation with Elon Musk, adding that Harris “will look out for the Teamsters rank-and-file no matter what – because they always have been and always will be the people she fights for.”

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The decision arrives as the powerful transportation workers union, with its 1.3 million members, has forged inroads with the GOP. O’Brien addressed the Republican National Convention in July, becoming the first labor leader to do so and sending shock waves through Democratic circles.

The Teamsters have a strong presence in battleground states and could play an outsize role in the election.

The non-endorsement underscores a major division within the Teamsters, as well as other American unions with diverse membership. The results of two surveys of Teamsters membership released Wednesday by the Teamsters showed rank-and-file members strongly favoring a Trump endorsement over Harris – while several powerful Teamsters local chapters have broken with his leadership to urge members to vote for Harris.

“This election is likely to come down to a handful of votes in the ‘blue wall’ states,” said Steve Rosenthal, a Democratic political strategist in the labor movement for decades. “The Teamsters have a significant number of members in each of those states. … Their endorsement coupled with a program aimed at mobilizing their members could be a deciding factor.”

No endorsement “likely means the difference between their members voting 50 percent for Harris versus close to 60 percent,” he said, adding that “in a close race, that could be significant.”

Yet, the absence of an endorsement is unlikely to have a noticeable impact on Harris’s campaign financing given the substantial amount of donations her campaign has received, Democratic strategists say. The Harris campaign is flush with cash, raising $615 million in the first six weeks after she joined the race. The Teamsters have donated more than $800,000 so far this election cycle, with more than 92 percent going to Democratic PACs, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign finance.

This election cycle, many unions endorsed President Joe Biden much earlier than is typical, reflecting his administration’s efforts to champion labor. When Biden dropped out of the race in July, those unions swiftly rallied behind Harris, citing her role in the administration’s accomplishments for labor.

The Teamsters union typically waits to endorse until after both political conventions have taken place, and this year, O’Brien said the union would not stray from that tradition.

That decision has sparked an internal rift within the union.

“We’ve made a huge mistake,” John Palmer, a Teamsters executive board member and vice president at large who has been openly critical of the union’s burgeoning relationship with Republican nominee Donald Trump, said this week. “We’ve lost out on an opportunity to try to get our members to understand why they shouldn’t be voting for [Trump].”

After Monday’s meeting with Harris, O’Brien praised “her willingness to meet with rank-and-file Teamsters face-to-face,” and said the union was weighing its endorsement.

The Teamsters have endorsed the Democratic ticket in every presidential election since 1996, when they did not endorse a candidate. The union had closer ties to the GOP decades ago, endorsing Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Teamsters leadership had taken a different approach to this presidential election, meeting with several candidates, including Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and academic and activist Cornel West. O’Brien met privately with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in January and held a roundtable with the former president at the union’s headquarters. The union also donated $45,000 to both the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention, the latter marking the first major contribution to the GOP in years.

The budding relationship between the Teamsters and the GOP drew an uproar from progressive Teamsters, highlighting political divisions within the union’s membership, as well as Democrats in Washington. But O’Brien had explained the union’s strategy as an effort to carefully assess its options, saying that his members’ votes “will not be taken for granted.”

The indignation culminated with O’Brien’s prime-time address at the RNC, where he both praised Trump days after an assassination attempt – calling him “one tough SOB” – and railed against corporate greed, pledging to work with anyone who would support union priorities. Critics of O’Brien said his RNC address gave conservative members tacit approval to vote for Trump. Supporters say O’Brien’s efforts could move the GOP, which has been flirting with right-wing populist ideas, to the left on labor issues.

O’Brien had also requested to speak at the DNC but did not receive an invitation, according to the union. Democrats invited rank-and-file Teamsters whose pensions were saved by the Biden-Harris administration to speak on the convention stage.

Since then, the Teamsters National Black Caucus, as well as six union locals, went ahead and endorsed Harris anyway, urging their members to vote for her.

Local Teamsters union leaders have sent scathing letters to O’Brien, demanding a Harris endorsement: “I am completely disappointed and appalled at your decision to court one of the most anti-union, anti-worker politicians in history, Donald Trump,” Josh Zivalich, president of Teamsters Local 769 in Miami, wrote to O’Brien on Aug. 14.

Some labor experts say O’Brien has adopted a more bipartisan approach under pressure to consider the membership’s diverse political leanings. He won the union’s top office in 2021 after running as a reform candidate who promised more member involvement in union decision-making. O’Brien is also aware that many rank-and-file Teamsters are Trump supporters, experts say.

The Biden-Harris administration is widely viewed by historians as one of the most pro-union in modern U.S. history. The administration appointed a pro-labor leader to the National Labor Relations Board and has enacted three major spending bills with pro-union provisions. Plus, in a major victory for the Teamsters, the White House secured a pension bailout that restored retirement accounts for about 600,000 union members.

Trump has called himself “pro-worker.” And his selection of Sen. JD Vance as running mate reflects mounting pressure within the Republican Party to embrace populist right-wing politics intended to capture working-class votes. Still, as president, Trump supported a labor agenda that severely restricted union power, including installing NLRB appointees whose policies and rulings made it harder for workers to join unions.

The Teamsters released the results of an electronic poll of Teamsters members, which showed 59.6 percent supporting a Trump endorsement compared to 34 percent supporting a Harris endorsement.

The Teamsters also conducted a separate poll of Teamsters members, by phone, which they reported also gave Trump a similar lead.

Both polls were conducted by a third-party union polling service, according to the Teamsters, which did not provide information on the polling size or methodology.

(c) Washington Post

Sen. Bernie Sanders is preparing several resolutions that would stop more than $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, a longshot effort ahead of the first year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war. In a letter to Senate colleagues on Wednesday, Sanders said the U.S. cannot be “complicit in this humanitarian disaster.” The action would force an eventual vote to block the arms sales to Israel, though majority passage is highly unlikely. “Much of this carnage in Gaza has been carried out with U.S.-provided military equipment,” Sanders wrote. While it’s doubtful the politically split Senate would pass the measures, the move is designed to send a message to Netanyahu that its war effort is eroding the U.S.’s longtime bipartisan support for Israel. Sanders said he is working with other colleagues on the measures. Sanders’ resolutions would halt sales of missile systems, tank rounds and other weaponry, some that has been singled out for causing some of the most severe destruction in Gaza, and new fighter jets. Congress had temporarily stalled some arms sales to Israel earlier this year, as lawmakers have tried to warn against the rising death toll. Netanyahu was invited earlier this year to speak before the U.S. Congress, and he delivered a address that put the growing divide in the U.S. over his war effort on public display. House Speaker Mike Johnson initiated the invitation to Netanyahu, but several Democrats boycotted the speech. Many top Democratic leaders spoke critically of the tone and content of Israeli prime minister’s address to Congress. Under the Senate rules, once Sanders introduces the resolutions next week, he can force a vote almost instantly for consideration. The measures are being proposed as a joint resolution of disapproval of the arms sales, which is a mechanism that allows congressional oversight of foreign affairs. Sanders said he would have some backing for his proposal. But it is not expected to have support from a majority, 51 votes, in the Senate to pass. In the House, blocking the Israeli arms sales would face even tougher odds, where Republicans hold the majority, and have largely sided with Netanyahu’s approach to the war with Hamas. (AP)

The Biden administration is moving to clarify how homeowners and businesses can receive lucrative tax credits for installing electric vehicle chargers. A rule proposed Wednesday by the Treasury Department would make credits worth up to $1,000 for individuals and $100,000 for businesses available for each EV charger that is installed. If finalized, the new rule would be especially valuable to businesses that plan to install multiple chargers and would be eligible for significant credits to offset the expense. “In order to help more Americans go electric, we need to make sure they can charge their EVs where they live, work and shop – from inner-city neighborhoods to rural areas,” said John Podesta, White House senior advisor for international climate policy. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is expanding charging access by saving families and businesses up to 30% off the cost of installing EV chargers, he said. The proposal announced Wednesday follows guidance issued in January that made tax credits for installing EV chargers available in about two-thirds of the country. The guidance responded to a directive from Congress in the climate law to ensure that the credits for EV chargers are limited to low-income or non-urban areas. Treasury chose an expansive definition for census tracts covered by those terms to include about two-thirds of the country. The guidance issued in January did not address exactly which parts of an EV charging installation are eligible for the credit. The plan announced Wednesday again opts for an expansive definition — targeting individual charging ports rather than a single credit for a multi-port installation. Advocates have said the tax credits could play a significant role in expanding use of EVs and reducing pollution from the transportation sector, which accounts for the single-largest source of U.S. climate-warming emissions. “We appreciate the Treasury’s movement on this important incentive, which will help ensure that Americans can benefit from the electric vehicle” provisions of the 2022 climate law, said Katherine García, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All program. Together with other EV provisions in the climate law and the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, “this charging incentive will accelerate the transition to clean vehicles, create good-paying jobs and help our nation meet our climate and clean-air goals,” Garcia said. Congress approved $7.5 billion in the 2021 infrastructure law to meet President Joe Biden’s goal to build a national network of 500,000 publicly available chargers by 2030. The public charging ports, along with a network of private ports, are crucial to the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to encourage drivers to move away from gasoline-powered cars and trucks that contribute to global warming. There are over 192,000 publicly available charging ports nationwide as of late last month, the Transportation Department said — more than double the amount in January 2021 when Biden took office. The new tax credit will be particularly valuable to communities living near warehouses, who are often exposed to toxic vehicle pollution from gas-powered delivery trucks that pass through their neighborhoods every day, Garcia said, adding that the tax incentives should be particularly attractive for warehouse owners to install EV chargers for thousands of commercial delivery trucks across the U.S. Albert Gore, executive director of the advocacy group Zero Emission Transportation Association, said the new tax plan would boost the use of chargers where people […]

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined Wednesday to endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying neither candidate had sufficient support from the 1.3 million-member union. “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries — and to honor our members’ right to strike — but were unable to secure those pledges.” The Teamsters’ rebuff reflected a labor union torn over issues of political identity and policy, one that mirrors a broader national divide. Vice President Harris has unmistakably backed organized labor, while former President Trump has appealed to many white blue-collar workers even as he has openly scorned unions at times. By not endorsing anyone, the Teamsters are essentially ceding some of their influence in November’s election as both candidates claimed to have support from its members. Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt noted in an emailed statement that more than three dozen retired Teamsters spoke last month in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, having endorsed Harris. Their pensions were saved through the 2021 passage of the Butch Lewis Act that President Joe Biden and Harris championed. “While Donald Trump says striking workers should be fired, Vice President Harris has literally walked the picket line and stood strong with organized labor for her entire career,” Hitt said. “The Vice President’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her — alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.” The Teamsters said Wednesday that internal polling of its members showed Trump with an advantage over Harris, a fact that the Republican’s campaign immediately seized upon by sending out an email that said the “rank-and-file of the Teamsters Union supports Donald Trump for President.” Harris met Monday with a panel of Teamsters, having long courted organized labor and made support for the middle class her central policy goal. Trump also met with a panel of Teamsters in January and even invited O’Brien to speak at the Republican National Convention, where the union leader railed against corporate greed. The Teamsters’ choice to not endorse came just weeks ahead of the Nov. 5 election, far later than endorsements by other large unions such as the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and the United Auto Workers that have chosen to devote resources to getting out the vote for Harris. With O’Brien facing a backlash from some Teamsters’ members after speaking at the Republican National Convention, it’s no surprise that the union decided not to make an endorsement, said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University. Trump’s praise of Tesla CEO Elon Musk for firing workers who supposedly went on strike really made a Trump endorsement very unlikely, Wheaton said. “The members were not in total agreement,” he said. Marick Masters, a business professor emeritus at Wayne State University in Detroit who follows labor issues, said the Teamsters lack of an endorsement suggests a realignment within the union’s membership. For many workers, issues such as gun control, abortion and border security override Trump’s expressions of hostility to unions, Masters said. The Teamsters […]

Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida, joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth to discuss the exploding Hezbollah pagers.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has come under fire for her criticism of Israel’s covert actions in Lebanon. In a post on X, Ocasio-Cortez condemned the explosion of devices allegedly detonated by the Mossad, which, according to her, caused significant civilian casualties. She asserted that the devices were detonated “across a slew of public spaces, seriously injuring and killing innocent civilians.” AOC went further in her critique, claiming the attack “clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines US efforts to prevent a wider conflict.” She called for accountability, requesting “a full account of the attack, including an answer from the State Department as to whether any US assistance went into the development or deployment of this technology.” The congresswoman also shared a post from fellow progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, in which he announced the filing of “Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to stop the sale of U.S. arms to Israel and end our complicity in this disaster.” AOC has conveniently ignored Hezbollah’s indiscriminate firing of thousands of missiles and drones at northern Israeli communities, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents who are still displaced and living out of hotels. She has also completely ignored one specific missile attack which landed in the town of Majdal Shams, killing 12 Bedouin children. But when Israel blows up the devices of Hezbollah terrorists, she runs to condemn it as a “war crime.” Just in case you were wondering where her allegiances lie… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana inaugurated Israel’s newly reopened embassy in Paraguay on Wednesday, ahead of the Latin American country’s planned relocation of its embassy to Yerushalayim later this year.

The sequence of events was an unflinching boost of support for Israel in Latin America at a time when the Jewish state has been facing international opprobrium over the nearly year-old war in the Gaza Strip triggered by the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7.

Ohana, who is also traveling to neighboring Argentina, addressed the Paraguayan parliament on Tuesday in the presence of bereaved families, becoming the second only Israeli parliamentary speaker to be afforded such an honor in Latin America since the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948.

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano told JNS last week that the Latin American country will open its embassy in Yerushalayim by the end of 2024. He added that preparations were underway for a state visit by Paraguayan President Santiago Peña to Israel this fall for the embassy inauguration.

Holding a picture of murdered hostage Ori Danino, 25, as his father, Elhanan, sat in the room, Ohana told the Paraguayan parliament: “Ori is not just Elhanan’s son. These are our children.”

He urged the international community to pressure Hamas to release the approximately 100 hostages still being held in Gaza.

“Mr. Speaker, when you return to your country with your delegation, give a message from us to the parents of the victims and the hostages: You are not alone,” says Ohana’s Paraguayan counterpart, Raúl Luís Latorre Martinez.

“We support you. Even if we are the only ones to support you, we will support you and stand by our brother—Israel.”

The two parliaments also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation, and Martinez gave Ohana Paraguay’s top congressional award.

Paraguay first moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim in 2018, following then-President Donald Trump’s lead and becoming the third country to do so after the United States and Guatemala.

Months later, the embassy was returned to Tel Aviv, setting off a diplomatic crisis with Israel. The surprise decision led Israel to shutter its embassy in Asunción, which is now being reopened.

During his election campaign last year, Peña pledged that he would return the embassy to Yerushalayim.

“The State of Israel recognizes Jerusalem as its capital,” he said. “The seat of the parliament is in Yerushalayim, the president is in Jerusalem. So who are we to question where they establish their own capital?”

Landlocked Paraguay has a long history of friendship with Israel, dating back to its vote for the establishment of the Jewish state at the United Nations in 1947.

Five countries currently have their embassies in Israel’s capital: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and Papua New Guinea. All of the other countries that have ties with Israel maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv or in Tel Aviv suburbs due to the political sensitivities over the holy city.

Trump’s landmark decision to move the U.S. embassy to Yerushalayim in 2018 set the stage for other countries to follow suit in the following years, with additional nations expected to make similar announcements after a delay caused by the war against Hamas.

On Friday, the Knesset speaker will visit Argentina and meet with Javier Milei, who has also pledged to move his embassy to Yerushalayim.

(JNS)

The National Toy Hall of Fame is floating the idea of inducting balloons. Praised for their versatility and universal appeal, balloons made the list Wednesday of 12 finalists being considered for the honor later this year, alongside other first-time contenders including the trampoline and the party game Apples to Apples. A panel of expert judges and the public will vote on which of the finalists will be inducted in November. This year’s nominees also include the bestselling “Choose Your Own Adventure” gamebooks, which encourage readers to plot stories; Hess Toy Trucks, which have signaled the holiday season since 1964; remote-controlled vehicles and the stick horse. Rounding out the list are the games Phase 10, Sequence and the Pokemon Trading Card Game, along with two perennial nominees, My Little Pony figures — a seven-time finalist — and Transformers action figures, both of which debuted in the 1980s. “These 12 toys represent the wide range of play — from strategic to whimsical to physical — and present many playful matchups. The selection judges and public will have some tough decisions this year,” predicted Christopher Bensch, vice president for collections and chief curator. Anyone can nominate a toy for the Hall of Fame. The museum received 2,400 nominations for 382 different toys over the past year, Bensch said, and then boiled down the list to 12 finalists that best meet the criteria for induction. Toys have to have longevity, be recognizable and have great “play value,” he said, meaning they encourage things like creativity and socialization. “Not the ones that you roll your eyes at your grandparents and shove it under your bed at your birthday,” he said. Fans can vote for their favorites from Sept. 18 to 25 at toyhalloffame.org. The three toys that receive the most public votes will make up a “Player’s Choice” ballot that will be tallied along with ballots from 22 historians and other experts. Since 1998, the National Toy Hall of Fame has recognized more than 80 toys for inspiring creative play across generations. They range from humble playthings like the stick, paper airplane and cardboard box to those that have influenced pop culture, like the Barbie doll and Dungeons & Dragons. Bensch can’t help but wonder whether this year’s seventh trip to the finals will prove lucky for My Little Pony. “That’s a lot of the times to be sort of a bridesmaid and never a bride,” he said. Last year’s inductees were baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids, Fisher-Price Corn Popper and Nerf foam toys. The National Toy Hall of Fame is inside The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. (AP)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) reaffirmed on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not recognize Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. In one of his strongest condemnation of Israel since the Oct. 7 massacre, MBS denounced what he described as the “crimes of the Israeli occupation” against Palestinians. “The kingdom will not stop its tireless work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” MBS said during his annual address to the Shura Council. He added, “We affirm that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that.” These remarks come after Saudi Arabia paused US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October. According to sources familiar with the kingdom’s diplomatic priorities, the conflict prompted Riyadh to delay normalization efforts as it reassessed its approach to regional relations. Just weeks before the fighting erupted, MBS had indicated that Saudi Arabia was making progress toward an agreement with Israel. However, following the violence, sources noted that the US-backed talks aimed at normalization would likely face delays. Despite the potential setbacks, the kingdom remains focused on securing a US defense pact, which it sees as a key prize in exchange for any future diplomatic ties with Israel. MBS delivered his remarks on behalf of his father, King Salman, during the annual Shura Council session, where council members also swore an oath of office before the crown prince. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The source of the Hezbollah electronic pagers that exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 12 people and injuring as many as 2,800 others, remained a mystery on Wednesday, after a Taiwanese company and the government of Hungary denied links to the devices.

Two photos published to social media after the Tuesday explosions show the burned and damaged back panels of pagers with “GOLD” written in text above a model number, “AR-9.” The design of the text matches that emblazoned on the back of the “AR-924” pager model produced by Taiwanese pager manufacturer Gold Apollo Co.

Gold Apollo, however, said it did not design or manufacture the devices in question. It said those pagers were “entirely handled” by a Hungarian company called BAC Consulting KFT, which was authorized to use Gold Apollo’s brand trademark in some regions.

The Washington Post could not reach BAC for comment. But Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs contested Gold Apollo’s account, posting on social media that BAC is a “trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary. It has one manager registered at its declared address, and the referenced devices have never been in Hungary.”

Kovacs added that Hungarian national security services were “cooperating with all relevant international partner agencies and organizations.”

Experts have said that the electronic pagers – used by the Hezbollah militant group because they were considered more secure than cellphones – were probably rigged with explosives at some point before they were delivered to Lebanon.

Hezbollah blamed Israel and threatened to retaliate. The Israel Defense Forces, which does not typically announce operations abroad, declined to comment on whether it was responsible.

Hsu Ching-kuang, Gold Apollo’s founder, told reporters at the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City on Wednesday that he had no idea how a pager could be turned into an explosive. “I’m just doing my business, why am I getting involved in a terrorist attack?” Hsu said.

The electronic pagers only have a receiving function, and the battery inside is approximately the size of a AA battery, with no possibility of causing an explosion that could lead to casualties, according to Gold Apollo.

Hsu said that BAC had been selling the pagers using Gold Apollo’s brand for less than two years.

BAC Consulting KFT was established in 2022, according to documents filed at the Justice Ministry. Its main job was listed as consulting, but it also was registered to do other things, including produce electric devices and parts of electric devices and work with telecommunications.

BAC’s website, which was accessed by The Post before it was taken down Wednesday, said its mission was to work “internationally as agents of change with a network of consultants.” The site listed BAC’s founder and CEO as Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono. The site said she studied in Britain at the London School of Economics, SOAS and University College London, where she earned a PhD in physics. A LinkedIn profile associated with a Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono says she speaks seven languages and also worked as an independent expert at the European Commission.

The Post was unable to reach her via emails, phone calls or WhatsApp messages. NBC News said that when it reached a woman by that name on the phone, she said, “I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong.”

The Post also visited two Budapest addresses listed in the BAC company filings.

At the first, identified as the company’s headquarters, an A4 sheet of paper in a window pane on the front door read “BAC Consulting.” But when a reporter for The Post knocked on the door – on Wednesday afternoon during working hours – no one answered. The place appeared empty.

The building is in an area known for its sports club and its swimmers and water polo team.

The second address in the company filings was a block of apartment buildings, about 40 minutes away on public transportation. A neighbor on the listed floor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said that she knew the family that lived there “very well” but that the apartment, which had a security door with three locks, was usually empty. She hadn’t seen Bársony-Arcidiacono in three or four years, she said.

The neighbor said Bársony-Arcidiacono had been educated in physics and at one point was trying to get a job in Italy, where her mother was based.

Questions about where the digital pagers originated, and whether they had been tampered with at some point in the supply chain, began to swirl immediately after Tuesday’s explosions. Those questions multiplied after a second wave of explosions on Wednesday that included handheld radios, according to Lebanese health officials and the state news agency.

Taiwan’s Economy Ministry said in a statement earlier Wednesday that it had contacted Gold Apollo about the pagers, which “questioned whether the product was indeed theirs after reviewing the media reports and images, and they judged that the pager may have been tampered with after being exported.”

Founded in 1995, Gold Apollo is one of the primary producers of pagers in the world. New Taipei City’s Economic Development Department said the company has no record of violations of laws or regulations.

Gold Apollo exported 260,000 pagers from 2022 through last month, including almost 41,000 sets this year alone, according to data from the ministry. Most were exported to Europe and the United States, and there were no records of direct exports to Lebanon, the ministry said. This did not, however, rule out shipments through a third-party company.

The incident has alarmed many on the island about the implications of being involved in a global conflict with the backdrop of having to deal with its own problem of growing threats from China.

While Taiwan has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine during Russia’s invasion, the government has remained relatively silent on the war in Gaza. Hsiao Hsu-tsen, director of the foundation of former president Ma Ying-jeou, called on the Taiwanese government to release the details of its investigation to prevent potential “retaliation” from Hezbollah. Ma belongs to the Taiwanese opposition Kuomintang and has been a vocal critic of President Lai Ching-te’s administration.

Security experts pointed out the difficulties in strengthening the security level of the pagers.

“Preventing such attacks is very difficult,” said Yang Ming-hour, a computer engineering professor at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan. He noted that pagers have very limited functions and few users, making it impractical to implement complex security monitoring on these simple and cheap devices.

“If more security measures were required, it would heavily burden manufacturers as meeting security standards would raise device costs,” Yang said.

“Pagers are not high-tech equipment, nor are they subject to export controls. Therefore, the regulatory intensity for them is naturally lower,” said Tzeng Yisuo, an associate research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a state-funded think tank in Taipei.

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(c) Washington Post

In her first solo and unscripted interview since succeeding Joe Biden atop the Democratic Party, Vice President Kamala Harris touted the Biden administration’s decision to pause the delivery of certain munitions to Israel as the country continues its 11-month war with Hamas in Gaza. Speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Harris pointed to the suspension of 2,000-pound bombs as a key move by the White House to push Israel toward a ceasefire. “One of the things that we’ve done that I’m entirely supportive of is the pause that we put on the 2000-pound bombs,” Harris stated, emphasizing that the administration had used its leverage to encourage a peaceful resolution. “So, there is some leverage that we have had and used,” she added. “I absolutely believe that this war has to end, and it has to end as soon as possible,” she said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly criticized the U.S. decision to delay munitions in a social media post from mid-June. He likened the situation to World War II, invoking Winston Churchill’s plea to the U.S. for weapons to defeat the Axis powers. “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster,” Netanyahu said, calling the Biden administration’s actions “inconceivable.” The White House defended its stance, with national security communications adviser John Kirby saying, “It was perplexing to say the least, certainly disappointing.” Kirby noted that no other country has done more to support Israel in its fight against Hamas. He reiterated that while the administration paused delivery of the 2,000-pound bombs, other weapon systems were not withheld. However, shortly after Netanyahu’s comments, Republican Senators Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) echoed the prime minister’s concerns, accusing the Biden administration of delaying a broader range of arms sales to Israel, including F-15 fighter jets and smart bomb kits. They argued that the administration had withheld formal notifications required to finalize these sales, thus delaying their delivery. Cotton further criticized the administration’s handling of the situation, accusing it of engaging in “sleight-of-hand” tactics. “Your administration has manipulated this requirement by withholding formal notification to Congress of approved weapons sales,” Cotton said, claiming that the administration was playing politics with the nation’s honor and Israel’s security. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The battle with bureaucracy continues for a project to construct an education complex to teach as many as 2,500 Frum children.

The Jackson Township Planning Board in New Jersey rejected a proposal by 394 Chandler Holdings to build four private Jewish schools. As such, the company’s attorney, Donna Jennings, announced plans to sue.

The Aug. 19 decision resulted from a disagreement over whether the government should classify a road to the property as public or private. The latter designation would require future approval from the township council for exemptions on local zoning laws.

The board requested time to confer with the township council on resolving the road dispute, an extension Jennings opposed. In response, the board voted to reject the proposal without prejudice, which enables a resubmission of the application for another chance to get approval.

Jennings called the board’s decision “absolutely ridiculous.”

“I’ve never had a town tell me to go to another governmental entity first and then come back,” she said.

The construction project has taken time to secure approval; the developer applied in November 2022.

(JNS)