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Iran has significantly increased its efforts to assassinate senior Israeli officials, both current and former, as part of a broader campaign aimed at delivering a psychological and strategic blow to Israel, according to a new report.

Channel 12 News reported that several top Israeli officials, including cabinet ministers, have recently been briefed by the country’s security establishment about what officials describe as a heightened Iranian campaign targeting prominent Israeli figures.

According to the report, Israeli intelligence believes Tehran has long sought to attack senior Israeli officials, but recent weeks have seen a marked increase in both the scale of those efforts and the number of suspected assassination attempts.

In response to the growing threat, the Shin Bet has reportedly tightened security around a number of high-ranking Israeli officials.

The report also revealed that, acting on the advice of security officials, authorities took extraordinary precautions surrounding the recent departure of the Wing of Zion government aircraft to the United States. The aircraft’s departure time was kept confidential, and the flight was moved to Nevatim Airbase for security reasons.

The latest assessment comes just days after the Mossad announced that it had foiled an alleged Iranian intelligence plot to infiltrate a terrorist cell into Israel to assassinate senior Israeli officials.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the operation was thwarted through close cooperation between the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and intelligence and security agencies from several allied countries.

The Mossad said Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have spent years directing a worldwide terrorist campaign against Israeli and Jewish targets and have recently stepped up efforts to conduct attacks inside Israel itself.

The agency added that security services have dismantled dozens of Iranian-linked terrorist networks in recent years and have also uncovered multiple attempts over the past two years to recruit Israeli citizens to carry out missions on behalf of the Iranian regime.

According to the Mossad, the disrupted operation relied on criminal proxy organizations that recruited operatives capable of entering Israel to collect intelligence before carrying out terrorist attacks. International intelligence cooperation ultimately exposed both the network and the Iranian intelligence officers allegedly directing it.

The Mossad identified the alleged leader of the operation as Thérot Ozkor, also known by the alias “Philip,” a man who had been living in France before being recruited to establish an operational cell composed of foreign nationals that would infiltrate Israel. According to the agency, he was recruited by two criminal intermediaries—Baba Mahu-Zadeh Haji Jafan, known as “Babak,” and Mahmat Nadim Yiğit, known as “Nadim”—both of whom are based in Iran and allegedly operate under the direction of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.

Investigators said “Philip” traveled to Iran on multiple occasions, where he allegedly met with his handlers and received payment for advancing the operation. The investigation also linked Babak and Nadim to four Iranian intelligence officers identified by the Mossad as Asadollah Behzad Oskhari, Vahid Matzoumi, Mohammad-Hossein Zoghi, and Hamid Ghasemi.

According to the Mossad, Behzad Oskhari played a leading role in orchestrating terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and was killed during Operation Rising Lion.

The agency further stated that “Philip” was expelled from France because of his alleged role in planning the operation, while Babak and Nadim remain in Iran and continue to be sought by intelligence agencies.

The Mossad and Shin Bet said they will continue working alongside international partners to identify and disrupt terrorist and espionage operations targeting Israeli and Jewish interests around the world and to pursue those responsible.

{Matzav.com}

The public war of words between Together Party chairman Naftali Bennett and Qatar intensified Tuesday after the Gulf state sharply rebuked Bennett for accusing it of helping enable the October 7 massacre. Bennett fired back by renewing his pledge to declare Qatar an enemy state if he returns to office.

The latest exchange began after Bennett accused Doha of supporting terrorism and bearing responsibility for the Hamas-led October 7 attack. In response, the Qatari Embassy in Washington issued a strongly worded statement condemning his remarks.

The embassy dismissed Bennett’s accusations as false and politically motivated.

“We condemn Bennett’s statements, which deliberately spread false information about Qatar in an attempt to advance his political ambitions,” the embassy said.

Qatari officials also defended their country’s regional role, saying its efforts have been recognized by international and regional partners. The embassy stressed that Qatar’s activities in the Gaza Strip were carried out in coordination with Israeli authorities and international organizations. It added that Qatar had helped broker several ceasefires and played a key role in securing the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The statement then turned its criticism directly toward Bennett personally.

“This is not the first time Bennett has attacked Qatar in order to score political points on the domestic stage. Israeli politicians who criticize Qatar would do better to focus on addressing their country’s internal challenges,” the embassy said. It further asserted that “Israel’s disinformation campaigns will not deter Qatar from continuing to fulfill its role in promoting peace and security.”

Bennett responded by releasing a video in which he intensified his accusations against the Gulf nation.

“Qatar bears responsibility for the October 7 massacre. It financed the attack and hosts the terrorist leaders in Doha. To this day, it has not condemned the massacre; it celebrated it. I cannot be bought with money. Qatar is an enemy, and if I am elected prime minister, we will declare it an enemy state,” Bennett said.

The latest confrontation follows Bennett’s recent claim that, while serving as prime minister, he was exposed to intelligence indicating that Qatar also transferred funding to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Bennett has said that if he returns to the premiership, he will move to officially designate Qatar as an enemy state.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu is considering holding the Likud party’s next primary election through a secure digital voting system, driven largely by concerns that a deteriorating security situation could disrupt traditional in-person voting.

According to a report Tuesday evening by Kan News, Netanyahu was impressed by the Democratic Party’s recent digital primary process, which reportedly featured robust security measures and exceptionally high voter participation.

While the possibility of a security escalation is the primary factor behind the proposal, those close to Netanyahu believe digital voting offers additional long-term advantages that could make it attractive even under normal circumstances.

Among the most significant benefits cited are the potential to save the party millions of shekels and to reduce the influence of organized pressure groups that traditionally wield considerable power at physical polling stations.

The leading advocate for the initiative is Likud Acting Director-General David Sharan, who discussed the concept during a radio interview earlier Tuesday.

At this stage, Netanyahu has reportedly presented the idea only as a contingency plan in the event of a serious security emergency. However, people close to him believe the proposal could eventually become a realistic option even if the security situation remains stable.

Earlier this week, the Likud Party Tribunal rejected efforts to create a mechanism that would allow the primaries to be canceled in the event of an emergency.

The tribunal ruled that the primary election must proceed as scheduled, declaring, “Likud is not a party of one man, and it will lose its vitality if it becomes one. There is no room to open even the smallest door in advance to canceling the primaries.”

[Video below.] A Canadian lawmaker has become an online sensation after unintentionally reading artificial intelligence editing instructions aloud during a speech before his province’s legislature, turning what was meant to be a routine address into an embarrassing viral moment.

Bill Oliver, a Progressive Conservative member of New Brunswick’s Legislative Assembly, delivered the speech on June 9, but the incident has only recently begun attracting widespread attention after viewers noticed that portions of his prepared remarks included unrevised AI-generated prompts.

Rather than skipping over the editing instructions, Oliver read them verbatim, telling the assembly, “Here’s a more natural flowing version of that section that reads like a legislative speech rather than a series of short points.”

The mistake did not end there. As he continued speaking, Oliver twice more read internal AI instructions that apparently had been left in his speech draft.

During the address, he also said, “This version should … here’s a more developed and flowing version of the section” before later reading another unfinished prompt: “This section ends roughly …”

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{Matzav.com}

Former Rishon LeTzion Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar delivered an in-depth shiur on the halachos of the Beis Hamikdash, arguing that the halachic prohibition against ascending Har HaBayis remains firmly in place because the precise boundaries of the sacred areas cannot be determined with certainty today.

Rav Amar visited Yeshivas Shuvei Nafshi in Yerushalayim, headed by the mekubal Rav Azriel Mansour, where he delivered an extensive shiur on the laws of the Beis Habechirah.

During the shiur, Rav Amar examined the question of whether korbanos could theoretically be offered in the absence of the Beis Hamikdash, before turning to what he described as the grave prohibition against ascending Har HaBayis in contemporary times.

The Rishon LeTzion challenged those who claim that the exact measurements and permitted areas of Har HaBayis are known well enough to allow visitors to enter without violating halachah.

Among the proofs he cited was the Rambam’s ruling in perek 2 of Hilchos Beis Habechirah, which states that during the construction of the Second Beis Hamikdash, the testimony of Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah was needed to establish the precise location and dimensions of the mizbeiach. Rav Amar noted that this was so even though many elders who had lived through the destruction of the First Beis Hamikdash were still alive and could seemingly have identified the location themselves.

According to Rav Amar, this demonstrates the extraordinary precision required in determining the sanctified areas of Har HaBayis and underscores why contemporary claims of certainty regarding its exact boundaries cannot be relied upon.

The shiur was attended by the roshei yeshiva and rabbanim of Yeshivas Shuvei Nafshi, including Rav Azriel Mansour; Rav Shlomo Tam; Rav Nesanel Mansour; Rav Yehuda Maaravi, head of the Kollel Hora’ah; and Rav Boaz Yochanan, head of the Kollel Dayanus.

[Video below.] Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, delivered a blistering rebuke to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, condemning demands that Israel permit additional dual-use materials into Gaza and declaring that Israel will not enable Hamas to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure.

Addressing a tense Security Council meeting, Danon accused the international community of failing to confront Hamas and said Israel has concluded that it must eliminate the terror group’s military capabilities on its own.

Danon argued that Israel has met every obligation placed upon it, while Hamas has repeatedly rejected opportunities to lay down its weapons and has remained committed to terrorism.

“Israel will not wait forever,” Danon said. “We understand that if we do not disarm Hamas, no one else will.”

Expanding on his remarks, Danon said the international community had spent months hoping Hamas would change course, but those expectations had proven futile. He emphasized that Israel alone bears the responsibility of defending its citizens from the terrorist organization.

“For months, the world waited for Hamas to change. It did not change. It refused to disarm, rejected every proposal, and continued to choose terrorism,” he said. “Israel understands what others still refuse to acknowledge: no one will disarm Hamas on our behalf. The responsibility rests with us, and we will fulfill it. Hamas will be disarmed so that it can no longer threaten the citizens of Israel or the future of the region.”

Much of the Security Council debate centered on calls by several member states for Israel to ease restrictions on the entry of dual-use goods into the Gaza Strip—materials that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

Danon forcefully rejected those demands, arguing that Hamas has a long history of diverting civilian supplies to build rockets, tunnels, and other terrorist infrastructure.

“The hypocrisy of some members of this Council is beyond comprehension,” he said. “You demand that Israel allow materials into Gaza that Hamas turns into rockets and tunnels, and then express surprise that it continues to rearm itself. Hamas itself has boasted about turning water pipes into missiles. Israel will not serve as a supplier of raw materials to a terrorist organization. As long as Hamas controls Gaza, we will not allow it to rearm, nor will we provide it with the tools for the next massacre.”

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{Matzav.com}