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Lakewood, NJ – Beth Medrash Govoha has released a powerful statement in response to the arrest and imprisonment of R’ Binyomin Kubani, a devoted ben Torah, husband, and father of eight, who was taken into custody following what many have called a baseless and unjustified accusation.

The official letter, signed by Rabbi Yosef Heinemann, CEO of Beth Medrash Govoha, describes the situation as a “travesty and miscarriage of justice” and denounces the circumstances surrounding R’ Binyomin’s detention as evidence of a “disturbing failure of the system.”

“It is with deep sorrow and grave concern that we address the recent events surrounding the unjust detention and incarceration of one of Beth Medrash Govoha’s respected students,” the letter states.

BMG makes it clear that the yeshiva is fully behind R’ Binyomin, declaring: “Beth Medrash Govoha stands firmly and unequivocally behind our student. We are actively engaged in using every resource and tool at our disposal to clear his name and secure his immediate release.”

The letter further urges the community to unite in tefillah and activism, asserting that “we will not rest until justice is fully served, and this terrible wrong is righted.”

The release of the letter comes as protest efforts continue to intensify. A short while ago, hundreds gathered at BMG’s Bais Yitzchok for an atzeres tefillah, to be followed, at 2 p.m., by a mass protest and tefillah rally outside the Lakewood Police Department headquarters. Footage of the incident that led to R’ Binyomin’s arrest has since emerged, clearly contradicting the police report and reinforcing the community’s assertion that the arrest was entirely unfounded.

As of now, R’ Binyomin remains in custody, but the pressure on authorities to reverse course and correct what many are calling a blatant injustice is growing by the hour.

{Matzav.com}

An article published in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend drew parallels from Operation Rising Lion to Iran’s eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s. “That war really looms large in terms of the entire way in which they see themselves under siege, permanently under threat,” said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University and author of Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History. “The mindset of the country now is that it dodged a bullet and that it still has to contend with a long-term danger.” “They know that they can survive a total war that lasts a long time,” said Afshon Ostovar, an Iran military expert and associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. “They know they can tolerate a lot more than maybe the Israelis can tolerate.” The Iran-Iraq War erupted in 1980, just a year after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein launched an invasion to exploit Iran’s political upheaval and seize oil-rich border territories. Over the next eight years, the conflict became one of the bloodiest wars of the 20th century, killing hundreds of thousands on both sides. Saddam’s forces used chemical weapons and targeted Iranian oil infrastructure but failed to capture major oil fields. Iran’s then-President, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, oversaw the war effort. In 1982, Iran suffered a devastating blow during a failed operation to seize the southern Iraqi city of Basra, incurring tens of thousands of casualties and revealing its military weakness. Early in the war, Iran tried to reconstitute its air force by releasing jailed U.S.-trained pilots who had served under the Shah. However, they soon ran out of spare parts for American-made jets like the F-14, and the US, now their enemy, refused to resupply them. Much of its air fleet was grounded, giving Iraq a significant advantage. Though the war ended inconclusively in 1988, Iran declared victory and drew lasting strategic lessons. Determined never again to depend on foreign arms, Tehran began developing its own ballistic missiles and drones, expanded its nuclear program, and built a network of regional militias to deter threats, especially from Israel. “The Islamic Revolution gave the ideology, but the national security establishment, the national security mindset, came out of the Iran-Iraq war,” Nasr, of Johns Hopkins, said. The embrace of missiles and other asymmetric weaponry was designed to head off the sort of war of attrition Iran faced against Iraq, which quickly sapped Iran’s military resources and manpower, analysts said. “Iran became very sensitive to losses after the Iran-Iraq war,” said Ostovar from the Naval Postgraduate School. “Politically, it was a huge deal. So they built up this deterrence matrix.” However, as Iran built its missile arsenal, the cruel regime failed to acquire sufficient air defenses to protect its citizens. During the Israeli attacks, there were no warning sirens or shelters to run to. “They’ve come away with an overinflated view of what the achievement in the Iran-Iraq war means for the future,” Ansari said. “They haven’t really understood what the impact of a proper air war would be.” And of course, Iran’s proxies, except for the Houthis, have long been decimated. “Iran is left with no deterrence and with a military that was not designed to really fight a conventional war,” Ostovar said. “The only thing that […]

The IDF has ordered an immediate evacuation of residents in western Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, following rocket attacks launched from the area targeting Israel.

BMG CEO Rabbi Yosef Heinemann releases a statement expressing the yeshiva’s “deep sorrow and grave concern” over the arrest of yungerman R’ Binyomin Kubani.

[Video below.] Lakewood, NJ – Footage in the case of R’ Binyomin Kubani has sent shockwaves through the Lakewood community, as surveillance video from the incident in question has emerged — and it clearly tells a story at odds with the one presented by law enforcement.

The video, seen below, documents the moments surrounding the interaction that led to R’ Binyomin’s arrest. The footage exonerates R’ Binyomin and paints a damning picture of a system that jumped to conclusions without due process.

The incident began when R’ Binyomin, a respected ben Torah, father of eight, and kollel yungerman learning in Bais Medrash Govoha, stopped at a Route 88 car wash with his young child in the car. Days earlier, meat had leaked in the vehicle, leaving behind a strong odor. As he had done before, he approached a Hispanic teenager working at the location and asked whether he’d be willing to come clean the carpets at his home — a routine and innocent request.

But what happened next defied logic. The teen stepped away, snapped a photo of R’ Binyomin, and flagged down a passing Lakewood police car. R’ Binyomin left the premises, unaware that this brief and seemingly unremarkable exchange would result in his arrest, booking, and imprisonment.

According to the police report, the teen claimed to have fled after being “solicited.” However, the video clearly shows that R’ Binyomin departed before the teen did, directly contradicting the allegation. The footage exposes the inconsistency at the heart of the prosecution’s case and raises serious questions about why R’ Binyomin’s account was never heard, and why he was denied the opportunity to defend himself.

Community members are furious.

“This isn’t just a mistake,” said one askan who reviewed the clip. “It’s a travesty. The video proves what we’ve said all along — that R’ Binyomin did absolutely nothing wrong. He was well within his rights.”

R’ Binyomin remains behind bars at Ocean County jail. Calls are mounting for immediate action, not only to secure his release but also to hold accountable those who rushed to judgment without investigation.

This turn of events adds new urgency to today’s community response. At 1:15 PM, an Atzeres Tefillah will take place at Bais Yitzchok of Bais Medrash Govoha. Following that, at 2:00 PM, a mass protest and tefillah rally will be held outside the Lakewood Police Department headquarters, located at 231 3rd Street.

WATCH THE FOOTAGE:

{Matzav.com}

Lakewood, NJ – Outrage continues to mount across the Lakewood community following the arrest and incarceration of R’ Binyomin Kubani, a respected ben Torah and father of eight, who was jailed after a routine trip to a local car wash spiraled into a baseless and deeply troubling accusation.

In response to what many are calling a modern-day alilas dam, two major events are scheduled for today, July 6, to rally support for R’ Binyomin and call for justice.

At 1:15 PM, an Atzeres Tefillah will take place at Bais Medrash Govoha’s Bais Yitzchok, as yungeleit and bochurim gather in heartfelt tefillah on behalf of their fellow yeshivaman.

Following that, at 2:00 PM, a mass protest and tefillah rally will be held outside the Lakewood Police Department headquarters, located at 231 3rd Street. Thousands are expected to participate in this show of solidarity, demanding answers and accountability from local authorities.

See Matzav‘s original reports on this story HERE and HERE.

{Matzav.com}

In the coming days, the Israel Defense Forces will start dispatching military summonses to members of the chareidi public who are no longer officially registered as bnei yeshiva due to the expiration of the legal exemption they had previously relied upon.

The call-up orders will be distributed in stages throughout the month of July. By the end of the month, the IDF expects to have sent all 54,000 notices.

The conscription interviews and medical evaluations will be spread across the entirety of the 2025 enlistment cycle, as the military works to manage the expected influx.

According to the IDF, the screening and drafting process will concentrate especially on identifying candidates who are best suited for combat duty and roles that directly support combat operations. This push is part of a broader effort to quickly bolster the military’s manpower in light of the current security situation.

Authorities also plan to increase pressure on those who avoid military service without legal exemptions, as well as those who desert after being drafted, and this will apply to all sectors of Israeli society.

“The IDF will continue working to expand the enlistment of members of the chareidi community, while ensuring conditions that respect their unique way of life and developing additional programs to support their integration into the military,” the IDF claimed in a statement.

{Matzav.com Israel}

In a rare move, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is flying to the US on “Wing of Zion,” the “Israeli Air Force One… “I don’t want to make any predictions, but I expect it will be a good visit,” he told the press.

President Isaac Herzog met this morning, with PM Bibi Netanyahu ahead of the his diplomatic visit to Washington. The President emphasized the importance of the trip as a significant step toward advancing a deal to bring the hostages home. He also expressed hope that the diplomatic effort could open the door to broader regional developments. The two discussed opportunities to deepen ties with additional countries, in the spirit of President Trump’s Abraham Accords initiative.

Just hours before Prime Minister Netanyahu was set to depart for Washington, the scheduled flight was delayed amid mounting pressure from chareidi parties demanding concrete progress on resolving the legal status of yeshiva students regarding army service. In this context, the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Yuli Edelstein, unveiled a draft version of the controversial new draft law Sunday afternoon.

The draft was presented to Shas representative Ariel Atias, who is leading negotiations on behalf of the chareidi parties.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s departure for Washington—where he is expected to meet with President Trump—was pushed off by several hours. While the Prime Minister’s Office cited a security discussion as the official reason, the delay comes as chareidi factions issued an ultimatum demanding movement on the draft law before the trip.

According to a report by N12 citing sources close to the Prime Minister, the document shown today does not represent the finalized version of the law, but rather outlines the main points of the current agreement-in-progress.

In response to the chareidi demands, the coalition now intends—under the coordination of MK Edelstein and the chareidi representatives—to expedite deliberations in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and finalize the law’s language within the next two weeks. The goal is to pass the bill in its second and third Knesset readings before the current summer session concludes in under a month.

However, even once a final version is agreed upon, it will still require the approval of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah. The proposed law includes a controversial clause requiring 50% of each draft-eligible cohort to enlist within four years, along with both institutional and personal financial penalties for noncompliance—provisions which have drawn significant criticism from senior rabbinic figures.

On Motzaei Shabbos, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef announced that Shas’s Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah would convene to evaluate the principles of the proposed law. During his weekly shiur at the Yazdim Shul, alongside Rav Reuven Elbaz—Moetzet member and Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Hachaim—Rav Yosef lauded Rav Elbaz as “a devoted and faithful disciple of Maran for decades.”

Rav Yitzchak Yosef added forcefully: “Now the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah must discuss the entire draft law. If the heads of government and the Knesset truly understood how much bnei Torah protect the army and the entire world, they would give them double and triple support—not sanctions and the like.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s planned departure for Washington, DC, has been postponed until later this evening, as reports in the Hebrew media point to growing unrest within his governing coalition. The delay comes as the chareidi parties intensify pressure on the government, demanding to review a revised version of a contentious bill concerning the IDF draft exemption for yeshiva students.

The chareidi factions—Shas and United Torah Judaism—have issued a stark warning: if the proposed legislation does not meet their expectations, they will begin boycotting all votes in the Knesset starting tomorrow.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister’s Office informed the press that the scheduled 4 p.m. flight would be delayed by at least an hour. Channel 12 later updated that the plane would likely not take off before 6 p.m.

Despite growing speculation, the Prime Minister’s Office denied that the delay in Netanyahu’s flight is connected to the draft law. Officials said the change in schedule was due to a security briefing the Prime Minister is currently involved in.

While in Washington, Netanyahu is slated to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday, ahead of a planned evening meeting with President Donald Trump.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Elon Musk say he’s carrying out his threat to form a new political party after his fissure with President Donald Trump, announcing on X that he is forming the America Party in response to the president’s sweeping tax cuts law. Musk, once a ever-present ally to Trump as he headed up the slashing agency known as the Department of Government Efficiency, broke with the Republican president over his signature legislation, which was signed into law Friday. As the bill made its way through Congress, Musk threatened to form the “America Party” if “this insane spending bill passes.” “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk said Saturday on X, the social media company he owns. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” The formation of new political parties is not uncommon, but they typically struggle to pull any significant support away from the Republican and Democratic parties. But Musk, the world’s richest man who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the 2024 election, could impact the 2026 elections determining control of Congress if he is willing to spend significant amounts of Monday. His reignited feud with the president could also be costly for Musk, whose businesses rely on billions of dollars in government contracts and publicly traded company Tesla has taken a hit in the market. It wasn’t clear whether Musk had taken steps to formally create the new political party. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, didn’t immediately comment Sunday. As of Sunday morning, there were multiple political parties listed in the Federal Election Commission database that had been formed in the the hours since Musk’s Saturday X post with versions of “America Party” of “DOGE” or “X” in the name, or Musk listed among people affiliated with the entity. But none appeared to be authentic, listing contacts for the organization as email addresses such as “wentsnowboarding@yahoo.com” or untraceable Protonmail addresses. Musk on Sunday spent the morning on X taking feedback from users about the party and indicated he’d use the party to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections. Last month, he threatened to try to oust every member of Congress that voted for Trump’s bill. Musk had called the tax breaks and spending cuts package a “disgusting abomination,” warning it would increase the federal deficit, among other critiques. “The Republican Party has a clean sweep of the executive, legislative and judicial branches and STILL had the nerve to massively increase the size of government, expanding the national debt by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS,” Musk said Sunday on X. His critiques of the bill and move to form a political party mark a reversal from May, when his time in the White House was winding down and the head of rocket company SpaceX and electric vehicle maker Tesla said he would spend “a lot less” on politics in the future. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who clashed with Musk while he ran DOGE, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that DOGE’s “principles” were popular but “if you look at the polling, Elon was not.” “I imagine that those board of directors did not like this announcement yesterday and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, […]

Israel has decided that a second international airport will be constructed near the city of Rahat, with the Tze’elim region emerging as the leading candidate. This decision was reached during a high-level meeting held on Sunday, attended by the Prime Minister and senior officials from the defense establishment, the Civil Aviation Authority, Israel National Roads Company, the Ministries of Transport, Finance, and Environmental Protection, along with Deputy Minister Almog Cohen.

Almog Cohen had previously stepped down from his role in the Prime Minister’s Office after efforts to push forward the Negev site were unsuccessful. However, after a private discussion with the Prime Minister, he reversed his resignation and returned to his position.

During the meeting, security officials voiced strong opposition to the Negev option, which would have utilized the existing Negev Airbase. Instead, they recommended moving forward with the Tze’elim location near Rahat as the future site for the supplementary airport.

This choice carries long-term implications, as the Tze’elim site lacks the necessary infrastructure to begin construction immediately. Unlike the Negev base, which already has military facilities that could have been adapted, the Rahat-area location will require significant development, making it unlikely that the airport will be operational before the decade’s end.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israel’s charedi Shas and United Torah Judaism parties are refusing to set foot in the Knesset chamber to vote with their coalition partners until they receive a new draft of the hotly contested conscription bill, Channel 12 reported. The standoff marks a sharp escalation in tensions over the government’s efforts to draft thousands of charedi men into the IDF. United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Roth confirmed to Radio Kol Barama that his party is already boycotting private member bills sponsored by coalition MKs to protest delays in moving the legislation forward. The controversial bill — shelved temporarily during the 12-day war with Iran — is now back in the spotlight. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein is expected to unveil a new version in the coming days. Kan reported that the draft legislation envisions conscripting more than 4,800 charedim in the first year alone. An earlier, unreleased version included a battery of severe penalties for draft dodgers: stripping property tax discounts, canceling public transport subsidies, removing housing lottery eligibility, slashing daycare and academic support, and revoking tax breaks for working women married to men who avoid military service. Facing charedi threats to support a bill to dissolve the Knesset, Edelstein — a veteran Likud heavyweight — appeared to soften some of these punitive measures last month in a last-ditch bid to keep the coalition intact. Those efforts were quickly overtaken by Israel’s dramatic airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which triggered nearly two weeks of fighting and put any draft reform talks on hold. Both Edelstein and Shas leader Aryeh Deri were briefed on the pending strikes before they occurred — knowledge that reportedly made them more willing to compromise on the divisive enlistment plan. With the war now over, the fragile coalition faces renewed pressure as the charedi parties dig in their heels, vowing to block the Knesset’s legislative agenda until their demands on the draft are addressed. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Trump has signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas.

China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets after they saw combat in India and Pakistan’s clashes in May, French military and intelligence officials have concluded, implicating Beijing in an effort to hammer the reputation and sales of France’s flagship fighter. Findings from a French intelligence service seen by The Associated Press say defense attaches in China’s foreign embassies led a charge to undermine Rafale sales, seeking to persuade countries that have already ordered the French-made fighter — notably Indonesia — not to buy more and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-made planes. The findings were shared with AP by a French military official on condition that the official and the intelligence service not be named. Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan’s Chinese-made military hardware — particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles — fared against weaponry that India used in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters. Sales of Rafales and other armaments are big business for France’s defense industry and help efforts by the government in Paris to strengthen ties with other nations, including in Asia where China is becoming the dominant regional power. France is fighting what it calls a disinformation campaign against the Rafale Pakistan claimed its air force downed five Indian planes during the fighting, including three Rafales. French officials say that prompted questions about their performance from countries that have bought the fighter from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation. India acknowledged aircraft losses but didn’t say how many. French air force chief Gen. Jérôme Bellanger said that he’s seen evidence pointing to just 3 Indian losses — a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier generation French-made jet. It was the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries. “Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,” Bellanger said. French officials have been battling to protect the plane from reputational damage, pushing back against what they allege was a concerted campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally China. They say the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat. More than 1,000 social media accounts newly created as the India-Pakistan clashes erupted also spread a narrative of Chinese technological superiority, according to French researchers who specialize in online disinformation. French military officials say they haven’t been able to link the online Rafale-bashing directly to the Chinese government. Intelligence assessment says Chinese officials lobbied potential clients to ditch French planes But the French intelligence service said Chinese embassy defense attaches echoed the same narrative in meetings they held with security and defense officials from other countries, arguing that Indian Air Force Rafales performed poorly and promoting Chinese-made weaponry. The defense attaches focused their lobbying on countries that have ordered Rafales and other potential customer-nations that are considering purchases, the intelligence service said. It said French officials learned of the meetings from nations that were approached. Asked by AP to comment on the alleged effort to […]

U.S. Ambassador to NATO: “Iran should come to the table and should… make a peace deal with the United States, with Israel and just say, ‘No more. We want to be in the world where people seek prosperity and a bright future for their citizens.'”

Palestinians report that IDF leaflets distributed over Nuseirat provide Gazans an opportunity to retaliate against members of Hamas’ Saham Unit, by informing on them via a phone number.

Scott Jennings tells Elon Musk his party could divide conservatives. “You may be dividing the forces of people who want to save Western civilization to the benefit of the people who don’t.”

SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: “What we did in this bill is we made permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and that was geared for lower and middle class Americans … the bottom 20% of earners saw their lowest federal tax rate in forty years, now we’re building upon that.”