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A 49-year-old Breslover chassid from Beitar Illit was detained while attempting to leave Ukraine following Rosh Hashanah in Uman and was reportedly taken for compulsory service in the Ukrainian military after authorities determined that he was subject to the country’s wartime mobilization requirements.

The man, an Israeli citizen who was originally born in Ukraine and has lived in Israel for many years, was stopped at the Romanian border while making his way back to Israel. According to sources, his family has since lost all contact with him and does not know where he is being held.

The man, who became religious later in life and subsequently settled in Israel, had traveled to Uman for Rosh Hashanah together with the thousands of Breslover chassidim who spend the Yom Tov near the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov.

The trouble reportedly began when Ukrainian authorities examined his documents as he attempted to cross the border into Romania.

A source familiar with the incident described what happened at the crossing.

“He spoke to them in Ukrainian, and then they took him aside and checked him and discovered that he was required to enlist, and they simply arrested him. The family has no communication whatsoever with the father, and they are extremely worried.”

The incident has left the man’s family and members of the Breslover community scrambling for assistance, with efforts underway to determine both his whereabouts and whether there is any legal avenue through which he can be released and permitted to return to Israel.

A Breslover community activist involved in efforts to help the family said that numerous rabbis and communal figures in Ukraine had already been contacted, but thus far no solution had been found.

“We are at a loss. We have reached out to all the rabbis and community activists in Ukraine, and no one has a solution for how to get him released.”

Friends and acquaintances of the detained man are now urgently reaching out to individuals with connections and influence in Ukraine in the hope of securing his release and returning him to his family in Israel.

Compounding the family’s distress is the fact that they reportedly have limited financial resources and have not been able to retain an attorney to represent him.

A community activist familiar with the case said that the situation appears particularly difficult because neither the detained man nor his family has the connections or resources that might help them navigate the Ukrainian system.

“The story is tragic because the man has no connections and the family does not have the money to hire a lawyer, and it looks like the man may simply remain there for a long time. No one has any idea where he is.”

According to the sources, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has been contacted and is attempting to assist the family. At this stage, however, officials reportedly have not even been able to establish precisely where the man was taken after his detention.

The Foreign Ministry told the family that its immediate effort is to determine his whereabouts, since his current location remains unknown.

The case comes against the backdrop of Ukraine’s wartime mobilization rules, under which Ukrainian men who fall within designated categories can face restrictions on leaving the country and may be subject to military service.

For the man’s family in Israel, the immediate concern is establishing contact with him and determining where he has been taken.

As of Friday, his relatives and members of the Breslover community were continuing urgent efforts to locate him and find a way to secure his release, with the family anxiously awaiting any word about his condition or whereabouts.

After nearly six decades at the helm of one of France’s longstanding Torah communities, Rav Shmuel Akiva Yaffe-Schlesinger, the longtime rav and av bais din of Strasbourg’s Eitz Chaim kehillah and one of France’s senior rabbonim, has announced that he intends to step down from his position.

Rav Schlesinger made the announcement during the regular shiur he delivers each Thursday via Zoom to members of his kehillah, bringing toward a close an extraordinary period in which he has been virtually synonymous with the Torah community of Strasbourg.

During his remarks, Rav Schlesinger also addressed his absence from Strasbourg for Rosh Hashanah, the first time in decades that he had not spent the Yom Tov together with his kehillah. He apologized to community members for not being present and explained his circumstances before turning to the question of the kehillah’s rabbinic leadership going forward.

Rav Schlesinger stressed that the selection of his successor is not his decision to make and that he cannot determine for the members of the kehillah who should serve as their next permanent rav.

For the interim period, however, Rav Schlesinger recommended Rav Yosef Chaim Waknin as a rabbinic address for the community until a permanent decision is reached.

Rav Waknin, a native of Aix-les-Bains, France, currently serves as a maggid shiur in a kollel in Strasbourg. Rav Schlesinger spoke warmly of him during the shiur, describing him as a yerei Shomayim and also noting his experience as a mohel and the excellent manner in which he performs brissim.

His comments were widely understood as a clear recommendation that members of Eitz Chaim turn to Rav Waknin during the transitional period, even as Rav Schlesinger carefully reiterated that the ultimate choice of the kehillah’s next permanent rav belongs to the community.

The announcement marks the end of a remarkable chapter in the history of Strasbourg’s Orthodox Jewish community.

Rav Schlesinger was born in 1939 into a distinguished rabbinic family. His father, Rav Mordechai Yaffe-Schlesinger, served as the final rav of Eisenstadt, Austria, before World War II. The family fled Europe during the year of Rav Shmuel Akiva’s birth and settled in Eretz Yisroel.

Rav Schlesinger subsequently learned at Yeshivas Slabodka and later continued his learning in the United States, where he was privileged to study, among others, under Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l.

Over the course of his many decades in Strasbourg, Rav Schlesinger became one of the central figures of Torah life in the city. As the leader of the Eitz Chaim kehillah, he delivered shiurim, rendered halachic rulings and provided guidance to generations of families.

His responsibilities extended far beyond the walls of the shul. Rav Schlesinger was deeply involved in matters of kashrus, the local kollel and bais medrash, and other aspects of communal Torah life. Over the years, he became one of the most prominent rabbinic figures not only in Strasbourg and the Alsace region, but in French Jewry as a whole.

The extraordinary length of Rav Schlesinger’s tenure had already been formally celebrated nearly a decade ago. In 2017, Eitz Chaim held a special kiddush commemorating 50 years since he had assumed leadership of the kehillah.

Nearly another decade has passed since that milestone, meaning that Rav Schlesinger’s retirement comes after close to 60 years during which his name and that of the Eitz Chaim community have been closely intertwined.

Eitz Chaim itself is one of Strasbourg’s veteran Orthodox kehillos. Its shul is located on Rue Turenne, where the community established itself after moving from its previous location in the late 1990s.

Over the years, a broad Torah infrastructure developed around the shul, including a bais medrash, kollel and regular shiurim, with Rav Schlesinger serving as the central rabbinic figure of the kehillah throughout those decades.

The past several years also brought Rav Schlesinger a profound personal loss. In Tammuz 5784, his wife, Rebbetzin Sarah Schlesinger a”h, passed away following more than 60 years of marriage.

Rebbetzin Schlesinger, a daughter of Rav Chaim Tzvi Kruger zt”l, av bais din of Brussels, stood alongside her husband for decades as he carried the responsibilities of the rabbonus and built the Strasbourg kehillah. Following her petirah, she was brought to kevurah in Yerushalayim.

The Schlesinger family has long been prominent in the rabbinic world of Europe and the United States. Two of Rav Schlesinger’s sons, Rav Yisroel Dovid Schlesinger and Rav Yehoshua Eliezer Schlesinger, serve as rabbonim in Monsey, New York.

Rav Schlesinger’s brother, Rav Avrohom Yaffe-Schlesinger, author of Be’er Sarim, served for decades as the rav of the Machzikei Hadas kehillah in Geneva, Switzerland.

Toward the conclusion of his remarks, Rav Schlesinger made a special request of Strasbourg residents, urging them to attend the Shabbos Shuvah drashah that will be delivered by Rav Waknin.

The members of Eitz Chaim will now face the consequential task of determining the future rabbinic leadership of their kehillah following an era spanning nearly 60 years.

Rav Schlesinger made clear that the final decision rests with the community. At the same time, for the immediate transition, he left his longtime mispallelim with a clear recommendation: Rav Yosef Chaim Waknin should serve as a rabbinic address as Eitz Chaim prepares for a new chapter in its storied history.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration is preparing to announce that Medicaid programs in all 50 states will have access to international benchmark pricing for certain prescription drugs, expanding President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce the amount the United States pays for medications compared with other developed countries.

President Trump is expected to promote the initiative at the White House on Friday alongside the governors of South Dakota, Mississippi and Arkansas. The announcement comes as the administration has placed prescription drug costs among its major domestic policy priorities ahead of the November midterm elections. Semafor first reported details of Friday’s planned announcement.

According to estimates from the White House Council of Economic Advisers cited by Semafor, the initiative is projected to produce $27.6 billion in net savings for state governments over the next decade, in addition to $36.6 billion in savings for the federal government. Those figures are administration estimates and have not yet been independently demonstrated through the program’s results.

The administration’s approach is based on the idea that Medicaid should be able to obtain prices for certain medicines that more closely resemble the lower prices paid in selected foreign countries.

“This is a clear cut example of how you can save money in the Medicaid program in a way that strengthens the program as a whole,” a White House official told Semafor. “By getting lower drug prices, more people will have access.”

Reuters reported that the administration was preparing to make the announcement, although the news organization said it had not independently confirmed Semafor’s reporting.

At the time of that report, neither the White House nor the Department of Health and Human Services had immediately responded to Reuters requests seeking comment.

At the center of the initiative is the administration’s GENEROUS Model — short for GENErating cost Reductions fOr U.S. Medicaid — which was launched in January 2026. Under the program, participating drug manufacturers provide supplemental rebates intended to bring Medicaid’s net cost for selected medicines in line with prices paid in certain other countries.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says the five-year model is voluntary for both states and pharmaceutical manufacturers. States choose whether to participate and which eligible medicines they want covered through the program.

The initiative is part of President Trump’s broader push for what the administration calls “most-favored-nation” drug pricing, an approach intended to narrow the gap between prescription drug prices in the United States and those paid abroad.

The administration has also been reaching agreements directly with pharmaceutical companies. On Aug. 31, it announced another group of agreements involving nine midsize pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Teva Pharmaceuticals, Astellas Pharma and UCB. Those arrangements followed earlier agreements reached with other major drugmakers.

The ultimate size of the savings produced by the Medicaid initiative, however, remains uncertain.

One reason is that Medicaid already obtains significant discounts on prescription medications through federally required manufacturer rebates. States are also permitted to negotiate supplemental rebates of their own, raising questions among health-policy analysts about how much additional savings international benchmarking can generate. Semafor noted that experts have questioned whether the GENEROUS model will produce savings on the scale projected by the administration.

CMS has reported that gross Medicaid prescription drug spending exceeded $100 billion in 2024. After manufacturer rebates were collected, net spending was approximately $60 billion.

The administration nevertheless believes the international-pricing mechanism can drive those costs down further.

Under the GENEROUS system, CMS negotiates with participating pharmaceutical manufacturers, which report applicable international net prices. Participating states can then obtain supplemental rebates intended to reduce the net Medicaid price of eligible drugs toward the agreed international benchmark.

Friday’s announcement represents a nationwide expansion of access to that approach, giving state Medicaid programs across the country the option of participating as the Trump administration seeks to make lower prescription drug prices a prominent part of its domestic agenda.

{Matzav.com}

David Friedman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel during President Donald Trump’s first administration, came to the defense of current Ambassador Mike Huckabee on Friday, suggesting that Huckabee may not have been provided with all the relevant information before his controversial visit to Turmus Ayya earlier this month.

The controversy centered in part on Amishav Melet, a Jewish resident whom Huckabee filmed as Melet drove a security vehicle near the gathering in Turmus Ayya. Melet subsequently maintained that he was carrying out a routine security check and had not come to interfere with the ambassador’s visit. Friedman pointed to a recent interview with Melet and suggested that Huckabee’s Palestinian Affairs Unit may have failed to provide the ambassador with important background before arranging the trip.

“Gov. Mike Huckabee is an incredible US Ambassador to Israel – maybe the best ever,” Friedman wrote on X. “As occasionally occurred when I was Ambassador, I think his Palestinian Affairs Unit withheld some key facts in arranging his trip to Turmus Aya. Here’s an interview with the guy who the Palestinian residents of that town claimed was a terrorist – Amishav Melet – whose brother was murdered by residents of this community just 7 weeks ago. Take a look at this interview and decide for yourselves.”

Friedman had already publicly backed Melet earlier this month following the dispute over Huckabee’s visit.

“Enjoyed a cup of coffee this morning with Amishav Melet. He’s the guy who the residents of Turmus Ayya tried to portray as a terrorist when all he was doing was driving a security patrol and bothering no one.”

Two weeks ago, @GovMikeHuckabee filmed a security Ranger near Turmus Aya and called it “dangerous settlers.”

After Shabbat, the driver identified himself. Amishav Melet (@amishav_ ) — a 35-year-old farmer and father of six from the Shiloh Valley. Amishav explains why he was in… pic.twitter.com/jnZRTY7cQB

— Channel 18 Israel (@channel18israel) September 18, 2026

Friedman described Melet as “a vegan, a pacifist and a farmer,” adding, “He wants nothing more than to work the land promised to the Jewish people by God.”

“He says he harbors no hatred for the Palestinians, even though a Palestinian murdered his brother just six weeks ago,” Friedman continued.

“The Jew-haters will need to get another poster child for their ‘settler violence’ campaign. This one won’t work (neither will any other),” he concluded.

The dispute began after Huckabee traveled to Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, on September 5 to meet Palestinian Americans living in the town and listen to their accounts of violence, property damage and intimidation. During the visit, Huckabee publicly condemned violence and said those who commit attacks should face consequences.

At one point during the visit, Jewish residents drove near the area where Huckabee and the delegation were assembled. Video from the scene showed Huckabee taking out his cellphone and recording the vehicle as it passed.

According to Channel 12, people present at the gathering said Huckabee indicated that he planned to personally send the footage to President Donald Trump to show what was described to him as an effort by Jewish residents to “disrupt” the visit.

Following the visit, Huckabee wrote on X that he had traveled to Turmus Ayya “to hear disturbing stories of criminal & terrorist actions by a band of trespassers who brazenly roam through property of lawful property owners.”

At the same time, Huckabee made clear that his criticism was directed at those engaging in violence and illegal conduct, rather than Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria generally. He said he supports “Israelis living in Judea/Samaria where they have right to be,” while emphasizing his opposition to violence and lawlessness. During the visit, Huckabee also explained his preference for the biblical terminology Judea and Samaria.

After Shabbos, Melet publicly revealed that he had been behind the wheel of the security vehicle Huckabee recorded.

“Dear Mike Huckabee,” Melet wrote. “Well, that was me. I was the driver of the Ranger you filmed.”

Melet offered a sharply different account of what had brought him to the scene. He said a shepherd had alerted local residents after noticing dozens of vehicles gathering near Turmus Ayya, in an area where, according to Melet, Jewish residents had previously encountered attacks and arson.

Melet said he got into the local security Ranger to investigate what was taking place and simultaneously notified the IDF, as required under the security procedures followed by residents in the area.

“When we arrived and saw respectable people and media crews, we said hello and continued on our way,” he wrote. “Shortly afterward, the army informed us that this was a proper, coordinated visit.”

Melet insisted that neither he nor the others with him had gone there to confront Huckabee’s delegation.

“That is the entire story,” Melet added. “And yet, within minutes, we were portrayed in the media as ‘dangerous settlers.'”

Melet has also said that his brother, Bnayahu Melet, had been killed weeks earlier during a violent confrontation in Samaria, and that he himself had received threats. Those statements are Melet’s account of the events and circumstances surrounding his presence near Turmus Ayya.

Friedman’s latest comments appeared aimed not at criticizing Huckabee personally, but at questioning the information presented to the ambassador before and during the visit. By highlighting Melet’s account, Friedman argued that Huckabee may have been given an incomplete picture of why the security vehicle approached the area.

Huckabee, for his part, has continued to distinguish between Israelis living in Judea and Samaria and individuals who engage in violence or property crimes. During his Turmus Ayya appearance, he said that people who burn cars or mosques, vandalize homes or seize property should be treated as criminals and, in certain circumstances, terrorists, while reiterating his longstanding support for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

{Matzav.com}

A former Palestinian Authority cabinet minister has publicly identified himself as the mysterious intermediary who says he carried an extraordinary warning from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to Israel just weeks before the October 7 massacre — a warning that reportedly included the word “earthquake” and a threat that Sinwar was preparing a major surprise.

Dr. Sufian Abu Zaida, a former senior Fatah official and PA minister for prisoner affairs, revealed in a video posted to Facebook that he was the man previously identified only by the pseudonym “Coal Eyes” in investigative reporting about intelligence and warnings that preceded the Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

“I am ‘Coal Eyes,’” Abu Zaida said, according to Israeli media reports, confirming for the first time his role in the secret contacts that took place in the weeks before the attack. Abu Zaida said he intends to disclose additional details in the coming days about the contacts and the message Sinwar asked him to transmit.

His disclosure adds a new, named source to reporting published earlier this month by Israeli journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval concerning warnings that allegedly reached senior Israeli officials before October 7.

According to that reporting, Sinwar met privately with Abu Zaida in Gaza in September 2023, at a time when Hamas and Israel were engaged in indirect discussions over a broader arrangement concerning Gaza.

The contacts reportedly involved efforts to secure the return of four Israelis then held in Gaza — the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, along with civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed. In return, Hamas sought the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as well as steps involving the blockade of Gaza and the territory’s electricity and water infrastructure.

Those discussions apparently stalled in the weeks before October 7. Sinwar subsequently disappeared from the regular channels through which Israeli officials had been following the negotiations.

A senior Shin Bet official told Haaretz that Sinwar had “vanished from our radar, evaporated.”

But Sinwar had not disappeared entirely.

According to the investigation, he met privately with Abu Zaida and instructed him to transmit an ominous message to the Israelis.

“Tell the Israelis if they don’t advance, I’m preparing a huge surprise for them,” Sinwar was quoted as saying.

Sinwar also reportedly used the Arabic word “zilzal” — meaning “earthquake” — to characterize what was coming.

Abu Zaida, a longtime Fatah figure who speaks fluent Hebrew and had extensive contacts with Israelis, reportedly understood the message as an unusually serious threat.

But he faced a dilemma over how to pass it along.

According to the account provided by Eldar, Abu Zaida feared contacting the Shin Bet directly. He was concerned both for his personal safety and that direct contact with Israeli intelligence could expose him to accusations of collaborating with Israel.

Instead, the warning was relayed through a Palestinian contact close to the leadership of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Zaida is politically associated with the camp of Mohammed Dahlan, the former senior Fatah official who has lived in the UAE and developed close ties to its leadership.

The warning reportedly made its way to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

According to the earlier investigation, Mohammed bin Zayed subsequently spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu roughly a week and a half before October 7 and warned him that Sinwar was planning a major operation that could destabilize the region.

The UAE has not publicly confirmed the details of the alleged conversation. Asked about the reporting, the Emirates said it “does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders.”

Netanyahu’s office, meanwhile, has strongly denied that the prime minister received such a warning from the UAE, making the question of what precisely reached Israel’s political leadership a matter of dispute. Abu Zaida’s newly released video identified him as the intermediary who received Sinwar’s message but, according to the Times of Israel, did not address the separate allegation concerning what Mohammed bin Zayed subsequently told Netanyahu.

There was reportedly another route by which the intelligence reached Israel.

Israeli reporting has said that information originating with the intermediary reached the Shin Bet in mid-September 2023. According to an N12 account of the investigation, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar recommended examining the possibility of preventive strikes in Gaza or substantially strengthening defenses along the Gaza border, but no operational decision followed from the discussions.

The information was also reportedly kept within a tightly restricted circle. As a result, senior IDF and Military Intelligence officials who were not privy to the intelligence could not combine Sinwar’s message with other warning signs that emerged ahead of October 7, N12 reported.

The precise meaning attributed to Sinwar’s “earthquake” warning at the time is also significant. Reporting by N12 said Israeli officials apparently misinterpreted some of the intelligence, believing it could relate to a possible transfer to Gaza of Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli-Russian researcher who had been kidnapped in Iraq, rather than an imminent large-scale Hamas assault.

Weeks later, on the morning of October 7, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel from Gaza, murdering approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages in the deadliest terrorist attack in Israeli history.

Abu Zaida, 66, was born in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza and spent years as a prominent Fatah figure. He previously served as the Palestinian Authority’s minister for prisoner affairs and became well known in Israel because of his fluent Hebrew and frequent appearances in Israeli media. He is associated with Dahlan’s faction of Fatah and left Gaza for Egypt after the outbreak of the war.

His decision to reveal himself now puts a name and face to one of the more consequential claims to emerge from the continuing examination of the intelligence failures preceding October 7.

It also sharpens unresolved questions about how Sinwar’s warning was understood, who ultimately received it, and why the threat did not result in preparations sufficient to prevent the attack. Abu Zaida has said that additional details about his role in the secret contacts — including the message Sinwar personally asked him to convey to Israel — will be released in the coming days.

{Matzav.com}

Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked New York City’s 200,000th pothole repair of the year Thursday, using the milestone to promote his administration’s focus on delivering basic city services. But the celebration quickly drew criticism from political figures who accused the mayor of turning routine municipal work into a publicity event — while comparisons cited by the New York Post showed that the current pace of repairs trails a benchmark reached during Bill de Blasio’s tenure.

Mamdani joined Department of Transportation workers on Troutman Street in Bushwick, where he helped patch the pothole that City Hall designated as the 200,000th repaired in 2026. The mayor’s office said DOT crews are currently repairing roughly 3,000 potholes each week while simultaneously carrying out a major street-repaving effort.

The event gave Mamdani another opportunity to promote what his administration calls “pothole politics” — an emphasis on highly visible, everyday government services as evidence that City Hall is responding to residents’ concerns.

“Fixing the broken water fountain at the playground our kids love, upgrading the catch basin on the corner that always floods and, of course, making a bumpy road smooth again,” he said in a statement.

“That is what public service should look like.”

According to City Hall, Mamdani had previously participated in repairing the city’s 100,000th pothole in early April on Staten Island. The administration said that milestone represented the largest number of potholes repaired during the first 100 days of a year in more than a decade.

The latest appearance, however, was met with criticism from some veteran New York political figures.

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, who earned the nickname “Senator Pothole” during his political career, had already dismissed the earlier April event when speaking to the New York Post.

Scott Stringer, the former New York City comptroller who competed against Mamdani in the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, was similarly dismissive of Thursday’s event.

“Mamdani wouldn’t know how to fill a pothole if he fell in one,” he said.

Stringer argued that the mayor should devote greater attention to broader problems facing New Yorkers rather than staging events around individual repairs.

“Everywhere I go in this city people are bemoaning the dirty streets, the tragedy of homelessness. He’s got to figure out to do the work and not do this performative stuff. They didn’t believe under de Blasio, they won’t under Mamdani.”

The comparison with de Blasio also complicated Mamdani’s effort to highlight the 200,000-repair milestone.

De Blasio, whom Mamdani has identified as his favorite living New York City mayor, celebrated the repair of one million potholes during his first two years at City Hall. Based on the figures cited by the New York Post from contemporaneous Daily News reporting, that worked out to approximately 1,268 potholes for every day he had been in office.

By comparison, the Post calculated Mamdani’s 2026 pace at approximately 769 potholes per day. The periods are not directly identical, however: the de Blasio figure covered his first two full years in office, while Mamdani’s 200,000 figure represents repairs from January 1 through September 17 of this year.

City Hall has emphasized that pothole repairs are only one part of its street-maintenance work. The administration said DOT has paved 757 lane miles across the five boroughs so far this year, while describing repaving as the more effective long-term method of preventing potholes from developing.

Still, Thursday’s milestone offered Mamdani another chance to put his governing philosophy on display — and his critics another opportunity to argue that City Hall’s highly publicized pothole events amount to more show than substance.

{Matzav.com}

[Video and photos below.] Approximately 100,000 people gathered at the Kosel overnight for a massive and deeply moving Selichos gathering, joined by freed hostages and families of those who were murdered in Hamas captivity. The extraordinary event also connected the Kosel plaza with Hostages Square in Tel Aviv through a live broadcast, as thousands at both locations joined together in tefillah.

Rabbonim, government ministers, public officials and tens of thousands of mispallelim filled the Kosel plaza, while thousands more participated from Hostages Square. The connection between the two locations was especially poignant following the return home of the hostages after their ordeal in Gaza.

Among the freed hostages who attended were Bar Kupershtein, Matan Angrest, Rom Braslavski, Moran Stella Yanai, Agam Berger, Omer Wenkert, Nimrod Cohen and Eliya Cohen.

Also present were members of the families of Yonatan Samerano, Guy Iluz, Tamir Adar, Omer Neutra and Eliya Toledano, who were abducted on October 7 and murdered while being held by Hamas in Gaza.

The gathering opened with remarks from Mordechai “Soli” Eliav, director-general of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, who spoke about the special bond that developed between the Kosel and Hostages Square during the long period in which the hostages were being held in Gaza.

Eliav recalled that throughout the period of captivity, and particularly during last year’s Selichos gatherings, approximately 1.5 million mispallelim joined in tefillah for the hostages to return home. Now, with the hostages back, the two locations were linked live for an emotional tefillah of gratitude.

During the gathering, Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel and the holy sites, offered a special tefillah of thanksgiving for the return of the hostages.

“Tonight, from the Kosel and Hostages Square, I want to say to You, Ribono Shel Olam: Look down from Shomayim and see how, during the most difficult time, we stood together,” Rav Rabinowitz told the enormous crowd.

Rav Rabinowitz continued by reflecting on the achdus that emerged during the long and painful period of captivity.

“We did not always agree on the path, but we all shared the worry, the tefillah and the hope,” he said. “For such a long period, the heart of all of us was held captive — until the last of the hostages returned. In the merit of this Kiddush Hashem, the brotherhood and the courage of the hostages, who sanctified Shem Shomayim in the darkest places and continue to sanctify Shem Shomayim even now — open for us the gates of Shomayim and send us a good and blessed year.”

Throughout the Selichos, the rabbonim led heartfelt tefillos for the safety of IDF soldiers and members of Israel’s security forces, for a refuah sheleimah for the wounded, and for peace, security and achdus throughout Klal Yisroel.

The massive turnout extended far beyond the Kosel plaza. With the area filled to capacity, thousands of additional mispallelim who could not enter gathered along the approaches to the Old City.

To allow the overflow crowds to participate, the Selichos were broadcast live on enormous screens erected along the walls of the Old City and at Shaar Yaffo. Thousands standing outside the Kosel area were thus able to join the tefillos together with the crowd inside the plaza.

The broadcast was arranged at the initiative of Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Lion, together with the Yerushalayim Municipality, the Yerushalayim Development Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

Meanwhile, preparations have already been completed for the final major Selichos gathering of the year at the Kosel, which will take place this Motzoei Shabbos.

The gathering will begin at midnight with Hataras Nedarim and Hataras Klalos, followed by the recitation of Selichos.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation is urging the tens of thousands expected to attend to arrive early due to the enormous crowds anticipated and to follow the instructions of Israel Police and event personnel throughout the night.

VIDEO AND PHOTOS:

A 23-year-old Israeli tourist was killed Thursday in a paragliding accident in Colombia after the tandem paraglider he was riding in crashed into a wooded ravine. The local flight instructor accompanying him was critically injured and rushed to a hospital.

The fatal accident occurred at approximately noon in the San Félix area of Colombia’s Antioquia Department, along the Medellín-San Pedro de los Milagros road. The two-person paraglider reportedly lost control before plunging into a heavily wooded area.

According to local officials and witnesses, strong winds and difficult weather conditions were reported in the area at the time and may have contributed to the crash.

Emergency personnel, including firefighters, ambulances and rescue vehicles, were dispatched to the scene. Rescuers recovered the body of the Israeli victim and evacuated the badly injured instructor, who was reported to be in critical condition.

Colombian prosecutors opened an investigation and began collecting evidence at the crash site in an effort to determine precisely what caused the paraglider to go down.

Local authorities also inspected the paragliding company involved in the flight and reportedly found its operations to be in order. The investigation nevertheless remained ongoing as officials sought to establish the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Following news of the accident, Rabbi Levi Vanunu, the Chabad shliach in the area, began working closely with the Israeli Embassy and Colombian authorities to assist with arrangements.

Rabbi Vanunu and Israeli diplomatic officials were working around the clock to expedite the necessary bureaucratic procedures and arrange for the victim’s aron to be returned to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah as soon as possible.

{Matzav.com}

A former senior official in Bashar Assad’s Syrian regime was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in federal prison for his role in the brutal torture of political prisoners, a punishment that will almost certainly keep the 74-year-old behind bars for the remainder of his life.

Samir Othman al-Sheikh, a retired Syrian brigadier general and former head of Damascus’ Adra Central Prison, is the highest-ranking Assad regime official to have been prosecuted and convicted outside Syria. A federal jury found him guilty on all six charges against him, including conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, immigration-document fraud and attempting to obtain U.S. citizenship through fraud.

The federal judge in Los Angeles who imposed the sentence described al-Sheikh’s conduct as “despicable, cruel to a degree that is difficult to imagine, and so violent that there are almost no words to describe it.” Prosecutors had sought a sentence of at least 80 years, while al-Sheikh’s attorneys said they planned to appeal the conviction.

Al-Sheikh served as director of Adra Central Prison in Damascus from 2005 until 2008. The facility contained an underground punishment section known as “Wing 13,” where political prisoners and other inmates were subjected to severe abuse.

Evidence presented at trial, including testimony from former prisoners, showed that al-Sheikh ordered inmates sent to the underground section, monitored torture sessions through surveillance cameras and, on some occasions, personally participated in the abuse.

Former prisoners described being confined in filthy, freezing cells and shackled to pipes suspended from the ceiling. They testified that inmates were beaten with electrical cables and subjected to a notorious torture device known as the “flying carpet,” which folded victims’ bodies in ways that caused extreme pain and, in some cases, spinal fractures. In one incident described during the proceedings, al-Sheikh himself stepped on the device while a prisoner was restrained inside it.

Years after leaving Syria, al-Sheikh sought permission to immigrate to the United States. He applied for an immigrant visa in 2018, entered the country in March 2020 and subsequently obtained permanent-resident status.

Prosecutors said he secured that status by concealing significant portions of his past, including his position at Adra prison and his connections to Syria’s ruling Ba’ath Party.

His presence in the United States was uncovered in 2022 after a Syrian woman recognized al-Sheikh in a photograph posted on social media. She contacted Syrian human-rights activist Omar Alshogre, setting in motion the events that eventually led authorities to investigate him.

Federal agents arrested al-Sheikh in July 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Beirut.

Four days after the Assad regime collapsed in December 2024, federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment adding the torture charges to the immigration-fraud case already pending against him.

The prosecution placed al-Sheikh among a very small group of defendants charged under a U.S. federal statute permitting American authorities to prosecute certain acts of torture committed outside the United States. He became only the fifth person to be prosecuted under the law.

Following the sentencing, the U.S. Justice Department said the case was intended to send a broader message to individuals accused of serious human-rights abuses around the world: perpetrators who conceal their pasts should not expect to find a safe haven in the United States.

{Matzav.com}

Former CIA Director John Brennan leveled a sweeping accusation against President Donald Trump and his administration on Thursday, claiming that what he described as corruption involving the President and his family had reached a level comparable to that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Brennan made the comments during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Deadline,” amid renewed scrutiny of Donald Trump Jr.’s relationship with Russian businessman Umar Kremlev.

The discussion centered on recent reporting about Kremlev, the president of the International Boxing Association, who helped finance post-wedding celebrations for Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump in the Bahamas. Trump Jr. and his wife have confirmed that Kremlev hosted two nights of festivities for them, describing him as a friend and rejecting suggestions that the arrangement had improper political implications. Kremlev has ties to Putin and was awarded Russia’s Order of Friendship in April.

Host Nicolle Wallace said, “If they’re not hiding a deep and intimate relationship with someone who is right now, this isn’t like an old-school Russian oligarch before the war with Ukraine started, this is someone who left Putin’s entourage to fly to Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding, what does that mean?”

Brennan responded by pointing to Kremlev’s connections with the Russian president and arguing that such a relationship would ordinarily attract scrutiny from American counterintelligence agencies.

“He clearly is very close to Putin. He was given the order of friendship, which is a very high order, two months ago and a month ago. And he traveled with Putin to China as part of his delegation. And he has publicly announced that he owes his wealth and his professional success to Vladimir Putin. So it would raise all sorts of counterintelligence flags for everybody, whether it be at the CIA or the FBI, and also at the White House. But clearly, Don Jr. didn’t really care about that. But I know that the Russians use individuals like this, again, to try to develop relationships and then to extract over time, either information or favors or whatever else. So yes, it raises so many questions.”

Reporting about the wedding festivities has said that Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for expenses associated with the Bahamas celebrations, including private-island accommodations and fireworks. Trump Jr. and his wife subsequently acknowledged Kremlev’s role, saying that he “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us after our wedding, for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”

Kremlev’s connections to the Russian government have become a focal point of the controversy. Putin awarded him the Order of Friendship earlier this year, and Kremlev was reported to have been in China as part of a delegation accompanying Putin shortly before the wedding celebrations. Ukraine has sanctioned Kremlev, citing his ties to Putin and Russian security officials.

Trump Jr. and his wife have rejected suggestions that Kremlev’s involvement represented anything improper, characterizing the festivities as a personal gesture from a friend. Kremlev has likewise denied improper motives or political discussions in connection with his relationship with Trump Jr. President Trump has said he does not know Kremlev and did not attend the Bahamas festivities.

Brennan went considerably further during his television appearance, expanding his criticism beyond the questions surrounding Trump Jr. and Kremlev to make a broader accusation about the Trump administration and the President’s family.

“I think the extent of the corruption now that we see in this Trump administration, it’s on the scale of Vladimir Putin, it really is. I mean, it has reached such a level in terms of the wealth of the president himself as well as his family members.”

Brennan did not present evidence during the quoted portion of the interview establishing that the Trump administration’s corruption was equivalent to Putin’s government; the comparison was his characterization. His remarks came as Democratic lawmakers have called for investigations into Kremlev’s financing of the wedding-related festivities, while Trump Jr. and his wife have defended the relationship and denied that the arrangement carried the political significance their critics have attributed to it.

{Matzav.com}

Warren Buffett has stepped down as executive chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, bringing another chapter of his six-decade leadership of the investment powerhouse to a close and handing the chairman’s role to his son, Howard Buffett.

The 96-year-old billionaire, who relinquished the CEO position at the beginning of this year, indicated in a letter to Berkshire shareholders that his advancing age was a major factor behind his latest decision.

“Father Time always wins. He has, however, been generous with me,” Buffett wrote Friday.

“He has given me the opportunity to see Berkshire reach a point where I am more confident than ever about what lies ahead. The company is in excellent hands, and I look forward to remaining a shareholder alongside you.”

Buffett was immediately given the title of chairman emeritus. Howard Buffett, who has served as a Berkshire director since 1993, will succeed his father as chairman. The younger Buffett has also held board positions at several other major corporations over the years, including The Coca-Cola Company.

Warren Buffett, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at approximately $144.7 billion, spent roughly 60 years building Berkshire into one of the world’s most formidable corporate empires. When he took control in 1965, Berkshire was a struggling textile manufacturer. Today, the company is valued at approximately $1.16 trillion.

Buffett became one of the most celebrated investors in modern history through an investment philosophy centered on purchasing strong businesses at attractive prices and holding them for the long term.

Although he is surrendering the chairman’s position, Buffett will not be severing his formal ties with Berkshire.

“As Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Buffett will remain a member of the Board of Directors and will continue to offer his valued judgment and perspective,” Berkshire said in a statement.

The chairman transition follows another historic leadership change at Berkshire earlier this year, when Buffett stepped aside as chief executive and turned the CEO position over to his longtime deputy, Greg Abel.

“Warren’s impact on Berkshire and its owners is without parallel in the history of American business,” Abel said in a statement Friday.

“The culture Warren built and the values he championed will remain at the heart of Berkshire, and Howard will be their guardian.”

Buffett had already spoken openly about the effects of aging when he announced in 2025 that Abel would eventually succeed him as CEO. Although Buffett said at the time that his overall health remained good, he acknowledged that age was beginning to affect his ability to operate at the pace he once had.

He said his balance had occasionally become unsteady, his eyesight was deteriorating, and remembering people’s names had become more difficult. Buffett also acknowledged that Abel was able to accomplish more during a working day than he could.

Buffett publicly revealed Abel as his successor during Berkshire Hathaway’s 2025 annual shareholder meeting, the enormous Omaha gathering that has long been nicknamed the “Woodstock for Capitalists.”

Abel, a Canadian who previously served as Berkshire’s vice chairman, had been widely viewed as Buffett’s eventual successor since 2021. Before taking over as CEO, he played a major role in developing Berkshire’s sprawling energy operations.

Berkshire today owns more than 60 businesses across a broad range of industries. Its companies include Geico, Duracell and Dairy Queen, among many others.

The conglomerate also maintains enormous investments in some of America’s best-known corporations, with major holdings that include American Express, Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola and Chevron.

Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1930 and has maintained unusually deep ties to his hometown throughout his extraordinary business career. Berkshire’s headquarters remain in Omaha, and its annual shareholder gathering brings enormous crowds of investors and business executives to the city each year.

Despite becoming one of the wealthiest people in the world, Buffett has famously continued living in the comparatively modest Omaha house he purchased in 1958 for $31,500. The property has become such a recognizable part of Buffett lore that it is regularly pointed out on guided tours through the city.

Buffett has also spent years steadily giving away much of the fortune he accumulated through Berkshire. Through annual charitable contributions, he has laid out plans aimed at ultimately donating 99% of his wealth, with much of the remaining fortune slated to be distributed through four family-run foundations by 2034.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

As Lakewood prepares for Yom Tov, dozens of local Kollel families are facing a very different kind of Tishrei — wondering how they will cover even the basic expenses for their families.

For Keren Zichron Tzipora (KZT), the calls have been coming nonstop. The organization exists with one mission: to financially support and uplift Lakewood’s devoted Yungeleit and their families, with a simple message: “We are honored to support your Torah.”

For some families, the clothing gift cards provided by KZT will mean the only new clothing their children receive all year. Baruch Hashem, 20 families were assisted this past week alone — but dozens more are still waiting.

With Erev Yom Kippur quickly approaching, KZT is turning to the Lakewood community to help close the gap.

$500 can sponsor a Kollel family’s Yom Tov, but every amount can make a meaningful difference.

As the Yom HaDin approaches, it is an opportunity to bring tremendous relief to a local family — and enter the new year with the zechus of supporting Torah right here at home.

Who will tip the scales this Tishrei? 

Please Donate Here

Other ways to partner:
Call 24/7: 732-702-8100

Zelle / Venmo / Paypal: kerenzichrontzipora@gmail.com

Mail a check to:
Keren Zichron Tzipora
1511 Newport Drive
Lakewood, NJ 08701

All donations are tax-deductible. Tax ID 87-3452793

Thank you for standing with our Yungeleit. Wishing you a Gmar Chasima Tova.

The Department of Homeland Security is intensifying enforcement against immigration attorneys accused of filing fraudulent or legally baseless asylum applications, warning that lawyers could face substantial financial penalties and other sanctions as the government seeks to reduce a massive backlog in the immigration court system.

DHS General Counsel James Percival issued the warning this week in a letter to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. According to figures cited by DHS, nearly 3.5 million cases were pending in immigration courts as of July, including approximately 2.3 million asylum claims. The department contends that a significant portion of those applications lack a sufficient legal basis.

Percival said that many of the applications DHS considers meritless are contributing to the enormous caseload and slowing the adjudication of claims from migrants who may qualify for asylum. The department says claims based on circumstances including generalized gang violence, domestic violence, economic hardship and broad conditions within an applicant’s home country frequently fail to satisfy the legal requirements for asylum.

DHS further alleged that some applications are being submitted for reasons unrelated to obtaining protection from persecution. According to Percival, “meritless asylum applications are filed to obtain work permits, to delay deportation, and to force a release from custody,” and applications without a reasonable factual or legal foundation “will be dealt with accordingly.”

The warning comes as the Trump administration has moved aggressively to reduce the immigration-case backlog and tighten enforcement against fraud within the asylum system. DHS has said its efforts are intended both to deter fraudulent filings and to allow legitimate asylum applications to be processed more efficiently.

The administration has also increasingly focused on the attorneys who prepare and submit immigration filings. DHS maintains that lawyers who knowingly participate in fraudulent applications can themselves face penalties rather than enforcement being limited to their clients.

That policy was demonstrated in July, when Homeland Security Investigations sought a fine of more than $470,000 against immigration attorney Suraj Raj Singh. The government alleged that Singh filed 118 fraudulent documents across 54 immigration cases, including asylum declarations that authorities said contained nearly identical language and substance. Those allegations remain government claims associated with the enforcement action.

At the time, Percival made clear that DHS intended to pursue attorneys it believes are knowingly participating in immigration fraud.

“Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of the American people, undermine our immigration system, and delay the removal of dangerous criminal illegal aliens.”

“ICE is seeking a fine of more than $470,000 from attorney Suraj Raj Singh. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we will hold attorneys like this accountable and put an end to the practice of defrauding and abusing our immigration system,” Percival said.

The Singh case was not the first such action. DHS previously announced that Homeland Security Investigations was seeking more than $255,000 in fines against immigration attorney Vinod Doddamani. The government alleged that Doddamani prepared and filed 64 fraudulent documents in 32 immigration cases.

Following that enforcement action, Percival issued another warning to immigration attorneys.

“Fraudulent asylum claims threaten the safety of Americans by overwhelming our burdened immigration system and delaying the removal of dangerous criminal aliens.”

Percival added: “Your days of abusing and defrauding our immigration system are over.”

Federal immigration law already contains potentially severe consequences for knowingly filing frivolous asylum applications. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1158(d)(6), an applicant who has received the required notice and is determined to have knowingly filed a frivolous asylum application can become permanently ineligible for most immigration benefits. Federal regulations also provide mechanisms for disciplining attorneys for frivolous filings and other forms of professional misconduct.

The latest DHS letter signals that the department intends to make greater use of those enforcement tools against attorneys as well as applicants. Percival warned that lawyers responsible for false or frivolous filings could face penalties and said DHS will “vigorously pursue all available remedies” in cases involving immigration fraud.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, declaring that if anyone should face arrest ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, it should be Mamdani rather than Netanyahu.

The comments came days before Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in New York, reviving controversy over Mamdani’s past pledge to have the Israeli prime minister arrested on the basis of an International Criminal Court warrant accusing Netanyahu of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The United States is not a member of the ICC, and Mamdani’s own administration subsequently concluded that New York City lacked independent legal authority to carry out the warrant.

Mamdani said in July that he had directed the city’s Law Department to examine the legal questions surrounding the warrant. After that review, he acknowledged that City Hall could not independently order Netanyahu’s arrest, while continuing to argue that the warrant should be honored and calling on the federal government to act.

Speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday, Danon assailed Mamdani over his rhetoric concerning Netanyahu and Israel.

“I think he already incited by putting the ridiculous claim that he can or he should arrest the prime minister,” Danon told reporters.

“If someone should be arrested, it’s Mayor Mamdani for inciting, for actually collaborating with the enemy of the United States. He sends these officials to meet with the Iranian ambassador here at the U.N.”

Danon was referring to controversy surrounding a proposed July meeting between a member of Mamdani’s administration and an Iranian representative in New York. Mamdani has disputed the characterization that his administration initiated such contact, saying that the request came from the Iranian side and that, once he learned about it, he made clear that the meeting would not take place.

“I hope that he realizes he has a responsibility,” Danon said of Mamdani, “not to call for people to demonstrate but to take care of the city and to make sure that next week will be a quiet, functioning week for the thousands of people that will come from all around the world to participate in the U.N. high-level week.”

Security preparations are already intensifying around the United Nations, with thousands of visitors and foreign dignitaries expected in Manhattan and numerous demonstrations planned in connection with the General Assembly. City officials have announced a broad security operation involving the NYPD and federal agencies.

Netanyahu is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Sept. 24, two days after President Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance.

Mamdani pushed back Wednesday against suggestions that he had encouraged New Yorkers to protest Netanyahu. His position, he said, has been that New Yorkers have a constitutional right to demonstrate, while the decision whether to do so belongs to them.

“To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in this city,” he said.

“We respect that right, and this is a city that is proud of the Constitution, proud of the First Amendment, and will continue to do so.”

Mamdani has continued to be a vocal critic of the Israeli government since becoming mayor in January. His critics have accused him of contributing to an increasingly hostile climate for Jewish New Yorkers, an accusation Mamdani and his allies have disputed. NYPD figures nevertheless show a continued high level of anti-Jewish hate crimes: during the first seven months of 2026, police confirmed 205 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared with 189 during the same period in 2025, an increase of 8.5%. Anti-Jewish incidents represented 56.9% of all confirmed hate crimes during that period.

At a security briefing Thursday, Mamdani was also asked whether NYPD officials had urged him to tone down his rhetoric concerning Israel or Netanyahu as police prepare for protests surrounding the General Assembly.

“The conversations that I’ve had with the police department have been purely on standard preparations for this event, as well as standard preparations for keeping New Yorkers safe,” he said. “And I’m fully confident in our police department’s ability to do so, and I’m fully confident in their ability to do so each and every day, even outside of the General Assembly.”

The mayor also said his administration was arranging meetings with foreign officials visiting New York for the annual gathering, though he would not say whether he planned to meet President Trump.

“I will have a few meetings that we’re in the process of setting up at this time, that we’ll share more details about soon,” Mamdani said.

“When it comes to the president, we continue to have a conversation about how best to deliver for this city, and that is a conversation that has been done in person, has been done over the phone, and it will continue so long as either of us have the ability to deliver for the city.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Americans should view sharply higher gasoline prices as a relatively small cost of the U.S. war with Iran, arguing that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon justified the financial burden motorists are facing at the pump.

Trump made the remarks Wednesday during a rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, as the national average price for regular gasoline continued climbing above $4.40 per gallon. By Thursday, AAA put the nationwide average at $4.43 — 16 cents higher than a week earlier and more than $1 above the level one year ago.

“You have a little higher, you have a higher. It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done. Remember that it’s a little more. It’s even if it was, frankly, even if it was a lot more, but that’s gonna come tumbling down. That’s gonna be like a rocket ship in reverse,” Trump said.

The President has repeatedly argued that the economic consequences of the conflict must be weighed against what he describes as the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear program. The war has now stretched beyond six months, despite Trump’s earlier expectations that the fighting would end considerably sooner. On Wednesday, he said, “hopefully we are towards the end,” while indicating that Washington remained open to renewed diplomacy with Tehran.

The rise in gasoline prices has become one of the most visible domestic consequences of the conflict. AAA said Thursday that regular gasoline was averaging $4.43 nationally, approaching the 2026 high of $4.56 recorded on May 21. The organization attributed the latest increase to elevated crude prices and continued volatility surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Diesel prices have risen even more dramatically. The national diesel average reached nearly $6.40 per gallon Thursday, according to AAA data cited by CNN, increasing transportation costs for trucking and other industries that rely heavily on diesel fuel.

Oil markets have been shaken repeatedly by developments across the Middle East. Brent crude was trading at approximately $104 per barrel early Friday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude stood near $101.20. Prices eased somewhat after reports that Saudi Arabia was moving to restore part of the capacity of its damaged East-West pipeline, but concerns remain over regional shipping and oil supplies.

The Strait of Hormuz has been particularly important to the surge. Disruptions and threats to shipping through the waterway, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes, have tightened supplies and added a substantial geopolitical premium to crude prices. Iran has also continued military operations in the area; Iranian state media reported Friday that the Revolutionary Guards struck a tanker attempting to pass through the strait.

The conflict has also expanded beyond direct U.S.-Iran fighting. Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have intensified operations near another critical shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has further increased concerns about the security of regional energy infrastructure.

Trump has maintained that the higher prices will eventually reverse sharply. At Wednesday’s rally, he compared the expected decline to “rocket ships in reverse,” continuing a series of assurances from the White House that the current energy-price spike will not be permanent.

The President’s comments come as Americans are paying considerably more for fuel than they were before the war. AAA reported that Thursday’s $4.43 average was up from $4.27 just one week earlier and from $4.14 at the beginning of September. The organization said crude oil was averaging around $100 per barrel, compared with prices in the $90 range earlier in the month.

The higher energy costs have also become a political issue heading toward November’s midterm elections. A Marquette Law School poll released this week found that 20% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of gasoline prices and 19% approved of his handling of inflation and the cost of living.

The White House, however, continues to defend the military campaign. Administration officials say the conflict has inflicted substantial damage on Iran and its economy and argue that military and economic pressure is necessary to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has long denied that it seeks such a weapon. Outside experts have disputed some of the administration’s assessments of the Iranian nuclear threat and say Iran continues to possess a stockpile of highly enriched uranium despite U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities.

Trump has nevertheless continued to suggest that an end to the fighting could be approaching. “Hopefully we are towards the end,” he told reporters Wednesday.

For American motorists, however, the immediate reality remains substantially higher prices at the pump. With regular gasoline approaching this year’s national peak and diesel at record levels, Trump is asking Americans to accept those costs as part of the broader campaign against Iran — describing them as “a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran on Thursday accused the United States of inventing key elements of the dramatic account of an Air Force colonel who survived the downing of his F-15E over Iran and was rescued after nearly two days behind enemy lines, dismissing Washington’s version of the operation as “fictional and unacceptable.” The U.S. military and the airman have presented a detailed account of the April incident, and CBS has aired newly declassified footage related to the rescue.

The officer, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons and who is known publicly by his mission call sign “Bravo,” described his ordeal for the first time during a “60 Minutes” report broadcast Sunday. Bravo was the weapons-systems officer aboard the two-seat F-15E, designated Dude 44, when the aircraft was hit by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile south of Isfahan.

According to Bravo, damage sustained during the attack affected his parachute, leaving him falling toward the ground at an estimated 70 to 100 mph following his ejection. He survived the impact but suffered serious injuries, including a broken back, arm and shoulder.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected that account. IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told Iranian state media that “no sound mind would accept [the U.S.] narrative because it is fictional and unacceptable,” characterizing the story as American wartime propaganda.

“The American pilot claimed that he fell at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour and survived, while his parachute did not even open and he crashed into the heart of a mountain,” Mohebbi said, accusing the United States of having fabricated accounts of its military accomplishments in previous conflicts as well.

Mohebbi argued that Washington was publicizing the account of the crash and rescue as the war with Iran continued beyond the six-month mark.

“The U.S. is embarrassing itself with these actions. These films (pilot interview) will definitely not only fail to bring any achievement … but will also become a source of ridicule,” Mohebbi said.

The American account, meanwhile, was considerably more detailed. U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper told CBS that Dude 44 had been conducting a strike against industrial facilities connected to Iran’s drone and missile programs when the aircraft was hit. The mission took place in mountainous terrain south of Isfahan on April 2.

Bravo said he and the aircraft’s pilot, known by the call sign “Alpha,” initially attempted to save the damaged fighter before determining that they had no choice but to eject. The two men came down approximately five miles apart. Alpha’s parachute functioned normally, while Bravo experienced the high-speed descent that he later described to CBS.

Alpha was recovered several hours later during a dangerous daylight operation in which American rescue helicopters came under fire. Bravo, however, remained stranded in Iranian territory as U.S. forces and intelligence agencies worked to locate him while Iranian forces were also searching the region.

Despite his injuries, Bravo said he moved away from his landing site and eventually climbed toward a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline in an effort to avoid capture. At one point, he was able to communicate with American forces and inform them that he was injured but still mobile.

The effort to retrieve him ultimately became a massive military operation. According to the U.S. account, more than 90 American service members went onto Iranian soil during the rescue, with hundreds more participating in the air and thousands supporting the mission. The CIA also participated, using intelligence capabilities and a deception operation intended to hinder Iranian forces searching for the airman.

Two large search-and-rescue aircraft landed on a makeshift desert strip, after which smaller helicopters were dispatched to reach Bravo’s position in the mountains. The operation encountered another complication when the larger aircraft became stuck in the desert terrain and could not take off. The United States subsequently destroyed those aircraft, along with the smaller helicopters, to prevent sensitive technology from falling into Iranian hands.

Bravo was ultimately recovered approximately 50 hours after his F-15E was shot down, according to the U.S. account. Newly declassified military footage aired by CBS showed portions of the separate operations that retrieved Alpha and Bravo.

The Pentagon and White House have highlighted the operation as an example of the U.S. military’s commitment to recovering personnel behind enemy lines. The White House promoted Bravo’s account this week as an example of what it called the military’s “warrior ethos.”

The “60 Minutes” broadcast, however, has also generated controversy inside the United States. Media reports have alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon officials encouraged the airmen to participate in the television report after they expressed reservations about appearing publicly. The Pentagon has disputed claims that the men were forced to participate. Alpha ultimately declined an on-camera interview and instead provided CBS with a written statement.

In that statement, Alpha praised those who carried out the rescue.

“I am still in awe of the professionalism and tactical prowess of the Combat Search and Rescue specialists and the Joint Force who executed the rescue missions of me and DUDE 44 Bravo, both those in theater and behind the scenes,” Alpha said in a statement. “Words cannot capture how thankful my family and I are and how proud I am to serve alongside each and every one of them.”

Bravo, for his part, described his survival after the high-speed fall and nearly two days in hostile territory as a “modern-day miracle.” He said he wanted the episode to be understood as a story about the broader rescue effort rather than simply his own survival.

“It’s a story of the teamwork, the training, of the faith, of the decisions and the leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America’s willing to do, in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has authorized visas for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior members of Iran’s delegation to travel to New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly, even as the United States and Iran remain at war.

The State Department confirmed Thursday that members of Iran’s “core delegation,” along with personnel deemed necessary to accompany them, had received visas. American officials said Pezeshkian and Araghchi are among those cleared to enter the United States.

“Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend the UN General Assembly High Level week. The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year,” the State Department said.

The approval comes more than six months into the war between Washington and Tehran, with little sign of an imminent breakthrough over either reopening the Strait of Hormuz or restarting negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program.

Elsewhere in the region, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have stepped up attacks targeting Saudi infrastructure and vessels traveling through the Red Sea. The continuing disruptions along the major international shipping route have contributed to increases in global oil prices.

Iran, meanwhile, remains subject to extensive American sanctions and is designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Trump administration has also intensified its economic pressure campaign against Tehran, targeting financial networks that Washington says provide critical sources of revenue to the Iranian government.

The decision to permit the Iranian officials to enter the country comes in the context of the United States’ responsibilities as host nation of the United Nations headquarters in New York. Washington can impose substantial limitations on visiting foreign delegations, and U.S. policy provides exceptions for certain diplomatic and official travel even amid broader restrictions on visas for Iranian nationals.

Iran’s representatives were subjected to similar limits during last year’s General Assembly. Only a restricted delegation was permitted to attend, and the officials faced strict boundaries on where they could travel while in New York. They were also prohibited from making purchases at wholesale membership stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club.

Those rules will remain in force during this year’s gathering. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Thursday that Iranian UN mission personnel, visiting government officials and their dependents will continue to be prohibited from purchasing luxury merchandise or obtaining memberships at American wholesale clubs.

Pigott, writing on social media, said the restrictions are designed to prevent Iranian officials from turning their trip to the United Nations into an opportunity to purchase expensive goods in the United States.

“While ordinary Iranians endure brutal repression, water and electricity shortages, and soaring inflation, the regime’s officials want to go on shopping sprees in New York. Not on our watch,” he wrote.

“We will not let the Iranian regime’s elites exploit UNGA for a luxury retail splurge paid for by the Iranian people’s suffering, all while the regime funnels Iran’s wealth to support its terrorist proxies. The US will continue to ban Iranian UN Mission officials, visiting officials, and their dependents from buying wholesale club memberships or luxury goods here. New York-area retailers: be on guard, don’t become complicit in these violations,” added Pigott.

Iranian forces have shot down at least two American MQ-1 military drones in recent days, adding to mounting U.S. aircraft losses during the ongoing war with Iran, according to American officials familiar with the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, confirmed that at least two MQ-1 unmanned aircraft had been brought down by Iranian forces. The circumstances surrounding the shootdowns, including precisely where they occurred, remain unclear.

Officials also did not specify which version of the MQ-1 was lost. The U.S. military has operated two principal variants of the aircraft: the MQ-1 Predator, which was extensively deployed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before the Air Force retired it in 2018, and the larger MQ-1C Gray Eagle, which continues to be operated by the U.S. Army, including by special operations units.

Both aircraft were developed primarily for intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, though they are also capable of carrying Hellfire missiles. Such drones can play an important role around the Strait of Hormuz, providing persistent surveillance of the strategically vital waterway while tracking Iranian military activity and identifying potential threats to American forces and commercial shipping.

The financial cost of the latest losses depends heavily on which aircraft were destroyed. If they were older MQ-1 Predators, the two drones would have a combined value of roughly $8 million. Gray Eagles, depending on their configuration, are considerably more expensive and can cost tens of millions of dollars apiece.

The latest shootdowns come amid significant American drone losses during the war with Iran. A Congressional Budget Office report released this week said at least 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost since the conflict began, with those aircraft valued at approximately $720 million in total. The report also cited the destruction of an MQ-4C Triton, valued at roughly another $150 million.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the region, declined to comment to CBS News about the reported MQ-1 losses.

The new reports emerged as fighting between the United States and Iran continued despite several rounds of negotiations aimed at bringing the conflict to an end. Military operations have persisted across multiple fronts in the region.

Last week, American forces targeted several Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran subsequently responded by firing missiles at American military bases in Jordan.

President Donald Trump said the following day that he believed the war would conclude immediately following the U.S. midterm elections in November, saying Iran “can’t hold out any longer.”

The President on Thursday also signaled that he was weighing a consequential decision regarding the next phase of the U.S. campaign against Tehran.

“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios.

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