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Gazan journalists report a major movement of evacuees yesterday from northern Gaza to the south along the coastal road, ahead of Israel’s latest operation.

Lebanese media report that Israel has dropped leaflets over southern Lebanon, warning residents against assisting Hezbollah in rebuilding its border terror infrastructure.

A train derailed in Egypt’s Matrouh Governorate while heading to Cairo, leaving passengers outraged as help failed to arrive for hours; the accident killed three people and injured 54 others.

Organizers of the “Freedom Flotilla to Gaza” announced that a fleet will depart from Barcelona on August 31 and another from Tunisia on September 4, with around 70 ships expected to join in an attempt to “break the siege,” and Greta Thunberg is reportedly set to sail to Gaza again.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared that it had detained eight people accused of trying to provide Israel’s Mossad intelligence service with details about senior Iranian commanders and sensitive military coordinates, according to Reuters.

The arrests are tied to Israel’s aerial offensive in June, which struck Iranian nuclear facilities and left both senior officers and civilians dead.

Officials in the Revolutionary Guard claimed the suspects had undergone virtual training sessions led by Mossad. The group was reportedly caught in Iran’s northeast before they could carry out their mission, and authorities say they confiscated equipment designed for building bombs, launch devices, and booby traps.

Tehran has long alleged that Israel is behind sabotage and covert actions inside Iran, and frequently announces arrests or executions of people it says spied for Mossad.

Last year, Iran announced the execution of a man it called a “terrorist” who had been accused of working with Mossad in connection with a drone strike against a defense ministry facility in central Iran the previous year.

One month earlier, Iranian officials claimed they had executed four individuals for spying for Mossad, asserting that the group had been in contact with Mossad director David Barnea, received training in Africa, and slipped into Iran through Iraq’s Kurdish region.

In December 2023, Tehran further reported that it had executed what it described as an “Israeli Mossad spy” in the country’s southeast.

Over the last several months, Iran has carried out executions of at least eight people on espionage charges. Among them was nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, who was put to death on August 9, accused of passing intelligence to Israel concerning another scientist killed in Israeli strikes.

Just days after Vadi’s death, Iranian authorities revealed they had taken 20 more people into custody, claiming they too were tied to Mossad. Officials have warned that those found guilty will receive the harshest penalties.

{Matzav.com}

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning referred to the attempted assassination of Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida at the weekly cabinet meeting, which was held in a secret location. “The IDF attacked the evil spokesman Abu Obeida,” Netanyahu said. “We are waiting for the results. I notice that Hamas’s announcement is a bit delayed; apparently there’s no one to speak for it.” A Palestinian source confirmed to Al Arabiya on Sunday morning that Abu Obeida was killed in the strike. According to the report, Abu Obeida’s family and Hamas officials confirmed his death. There has been no official confirmation from the terror group, which sometimes waits months before confirming the deaths of senior figures. New details about the targeted strike were revealed on Sunday. A Palestinian source told Sky News Arabia that Abu Obeida and his family had rented the apartment targeted in the strike only a few days ago. According to the same source, Abu Obeida’s wife and children were at home at the time of the attack. He noted that “large amounts of banknotes were scattered during the bombing.” IAF fighter jets fired a precision missile at the second and third floors of the building. The operation was overseen by the Shin Bet’s special operations command center in central Israel. The Palestinian source further told Sky News Arabia that after the attack, Hamas terrorists closed off the area around the building and prevented civilians from approaching the area so they could first retrieve the bodies. Abu Obeida, whose real name is Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, has served as the spokesman for the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, since at least 2007. He concealed his face behind a red keffiyeh at all public appearances, gradually becoming a symbolic figure of the terror organization. Abu Obeida has been the driving force behind Hamas’ psychological terror warfare, and his elimination could undermine the group’s ability to shape public perception. His loss is expected to have a significant impact on the terror group due to his close ties to senior Hamas officials and his influence on the group’s decisions. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Dovid HaMelech was always praising, composing and singing beautiful songs to Hashem. He encouraged us to do the same “שירו לה’ שיר חדש” – SING TO HASHEM A NEW SONG. Truth be said, we have so many reasons to be thankful and sing to Hashem.  So here we are with a new meaningful song “בקשו פני” for the start of חודש אלול. What better time is there then now, to release this hartzedeke melody, as we begin reciting twice daily these holy words in the prayer of “לדוד ה’ אורי וישעי”. It is Hashem’s timeless message to Dovid HaMelech and to all of us. “Seek and be aware of My Presence, everywhere, all the time”. This must be our number one priority and lifes mission. Hashem says, make sure I am involved in your life and take Me into consideration in all your decisions. To that end I thank Hashem for once again conveying His holy message through me in this beautiful melody and simultaneously through the release of the new holy Sefer לפניך. Living Lefonecho Lives is Hashem’s foremost will for all of us. כתיבה וחתימה טובה Check out the all new https://www.lefonecho.com/ website To listen or download Rabbi Yaakov Singer’s entire music album visit https://rabbiyaakovsinger.com/music/ To order the לפניך Sefer in Hebrew or English visit https://www.lefonecho.com/order-sefer Listen to some great Podcasts from Rabbi Yaakov Singer:https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/illuminating-parsha-insightshttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/timelyilluminationshiurimhttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/spiritualinspirationrabbiyaakovsingerhttps://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/pirkei-avos-with-rabbi-yaakov-singer Visit the inspiring https://rabbiyaakovsinger.com/ website

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman shows how Galus Bavel foreshadowed the good and bad times in the Jewish diaspora.

Chapter Thirty-five: The Babylonian Exile

Unlike the Assyrians, the Babylonians were astute victors, and the ten thousand captives carried off from Yehudah eleven years before the destruction of Yerushalayim had been treated well. Nevuchadnezzar recognized the nobility of the Jewish core element that had maintained its high moral standards in the face of adversity, and he sought to integrate this elite group into the multiethnic Babylonian tapestry, along with the elites of other communities in the far-flung empire.

As part of this program, the king invited the best and brightest young men from the various communities to live in the royal palace where they would be educated and trained for service. Among these apprentices were four young Jewish prodigies named Daniel, Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and in order to integrate them better, Nevuchadnezzar gave them the Babylonian names Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel’s rise in the imperial government was meteoric, and he became governor of Babylon. The others also rose to high positions.

At this point, there was a religious crisis. Nevuchadnezzar erected an enormous golden idol on the plain of Dura near Babylon, and he decreed  that at specific times everyone had to bow down to it. All who refused would be thrown into a fiery furnace. This was not a religion decree. Those who bowed down were free to practice their own religion any way they saw fit. Rather, it was a political decree. Honoring the king included honoring his god. Failure to do so disrespected the king. Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah refused to comply and were thrown into the furnace. When they emerged safely, Nevuchadnezzar declared, “Praise be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants … for no other god can save in this way.”

Protected by royal sanction, the Jewish exiles began to lay the foundations of the great Babylonian Jewish community that would endure for a thousand years.

The immediate concern of this first group of exiles was the preservation of the Torah, especially the Oral Law without which the Torah cannot be understood. From the beginning, the Oral Law had been passed down by a system of transmission supervised by the leading Torah sage of each generation. After Yehoshua, this task had been shouldered by the Judges, the Torah sages who were also the unofficial political leaders. With the rise of the monarchy, the stewardship of the Oral Law had been assumed by the unbroken succession of Prophets, which ran parallel to the royal succession. But now the kingdom was on the verge of collapse, and the dispersion had already begun. Yirmiyahu had prophesied that the exile would end after seventy years, but what form would the restoration assume? Would there always be prophets to teach the people? And if not, how would the special bond between the Jewish people and God and His Torah be sustained?

Paradoxically, exile and captivity had brought the core element of the Jewish people more freedom than it had enjoyed in a century. In Babylon, there were no corrupt monarchs and pagan enthusiasts to battle for the Jewish soul. Confined to this distant land but breathing the heady air of spiritual freedom, these elite exiles, among whom there were a thousand sages, understood that the future of the Jewish people rested on their shoulders. They knew that it was their mission to form the nucleus of a rejuvenated Jewish nation, and they poured all their energies into creating a solid bedrock of Torah for the future. They established numerous yeshivahs in all the cities and towns where they settled, and the intense study of the Torah flourished …

Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s military police attempted to arrest an avreich for “draft dodging” in the Chareidi city of Beitar Illit on Motzei Shabbos. Police officers arrived at the home of a family on Elazar Hamoda’i Street in Beitar Illit in an attempt to arrest their son but were unsuccessful since the son is married and no longer lives at home. The “Tzeva Shachor” emergency alert system to activate bnei yeshivos to protest at the scene led to a crowd of Chareidi protesters flocking to the area, and the police officers retreated. The alert system informed the public residing in the area to remain on high alert in anticipation of another arrest attempt, but no additional attempts were made. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Government ministers received a message on Sunday morning that the government meeting later in the day will take place at a confidential, secured site amid threats by the Houthis to avenge the assassinations of senior Houthi leaders in an IDF strike last week. The security cabinet meeting scheduled for the afternoon has also been moved to a secure site. The IDF on Mozei Shabbos confirmed that the Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi was eliminated in the Israeli attack along with “a number of ministers.” Israeli media channels, including Kan News, reported that only four Houthi ministers are believed to be still alive. Among those eliminated in the operation were the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Labor, the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Deputy Minister of Interior, the Minister of Local Administration in the Houthi government, and the director of the Prime Minister’s office. Some reports said that it is believed that Houthi Chief of Staff Abd al-Karim Al-Ghamari and Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Al-Atifi were also killed. Others say that they were seriously injured but survived the strike. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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Jewish Agency chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog was forced to cancel a trip to South Africa due to the possibility that he would be arrested for “war crimes,” Kan News reported on Sunday morning. It is believed that pro-Hamas activists in South Africa, which is pursuing legal action against Israel on charges of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, may seek the retired IDF general’s arrest. Almog is a relative of the Goldstein-Almog family, two of whom were brutally murdered by Hamas at Kfar Aza during the October 7 massacre: H’yd, 48, and his daughter, Yam Goldstein-Almog, H’yd, 20. Chen Goldstein-Amog and her three children, 17, 11, and 9, were abducted to Gaza after witnessing the murders of Nadav and Yam. They were released in the first-phase deal in November 2023. This is not the first time that Almog was targeted in a foreign country for his IDF service. In 2005, he and his wife flew to London to fundraise for Aleh Negev, a facility for the disabled he founded. Minutes after landing at Heathrow Airport in the UK, an Israeli embassy official boarded the plane and warned Almog to remain on the plane, explaining that counterterrorism police officers were waiting in the airport to arrest him due to a warrant issued against him for “war crimes’ in Gaza. Almog remained on the plane for two hours before returning to Israel. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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The Hamas terror organization early Sunday morning acknowledged the death of Mohammed Sinwar, nearly three and a half months after the IDF eliminated him in a targeted strike. The announcement was made via the publication of photos of Hamas’s senior “martyrs,” in which Mohammed Sinwar appeared for the first time alongside other slain Hamas leaders, including his brother Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Marwan Issa. The captions to the photos confirm their status as “shahids.” Sinwar was killed in mid-May during a joint IDF–Shin Bet operation that targeted an underground Hamas command center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. His brother Yahya was eliminated seven months earlier. Although the IDF announced Mohammed Sinwar’s elimination at the end of May, the publication of his photo with the caption “shahid” is the first time that Hamas formally acknowledged his death. Hamas also published footage of Mohammed Deif, the former commander of Hamas’s military wing, who was eliminated by the IDF in July 2024. The elusive Deif is seen in the previously unseen footage alongside other Hamas leaders. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Hamas has finally confirmed the death of Mohammed Sinwar, the group’s top commander in Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli strike last May after taking over from his brother Yahya.

Putin stepped onto the Tianjin red carpet to greet the delegation, marking his second visit to China since his state visit in May 2024.

NBC News reports that DNI Tulsi Gabbard shocked CIA leadership, including Director John Ratcliffe, by publicly naming an undercover officer among 37 agents she plans to strip of security clearances for allegedly mishandling classified intelligence.

The U.S. State Department has authorized a major military sale to Denmark, including the Integrated Battle Command System–enabled PATRIOT missiles and associated equipment, with a total value of around $8.5 billion.

The Torah world has been stirred by an extraordinary discovery: The handwritten signature of Rav Avrohom Dov of Avritch zt”l, author of the Bas Ayin, has been uncovered on a rare document.

Last week, the rare treasure was presented to Rav Elimelech Biderman: the original signed document of the Bas Ayin.

Rav Avrohom Dov, who lived in the holy city of Tzefas, was famed already in his lifetime as a source of salvation, with countless stories told about his deeds, especially his heroism during the great earthquake that struck Tzefas in 1837, when he saved many Jewish lives from destruction.

For over a decade, Rav Biderman has been closely attached to the teachings and path of the Bas Ayin, organizing the annual hilula gatherings at his resting place and encouraging young people to learn his holy works, which are regarded as a segulah.

The newly revealed handwritten note is of immense rarity, as very few documents survive from the Bas Ayin.

This particular manuscript confirms the sale of a designated place of tefillah in the Arizal’s ancient shul, verified and signed by him.

At the bottom of the document, beneath the signatures of the gabbaim, it is written: “And for greater strength and confirmation, it is further signed by the holy rov.” Indeed, on the reverse side of the page appears the Bas Ayin’s sacred signature: “The transaction detailed above is valid and binding. Signed, Avrohom Dov of Avritch, residing in the holy city of Tzefas, may it be rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our days, Amen.”

Reacting emotionally to the document, Rav Biderman declared: “If in his lifetime he brought about yeshuos, then surely, as Chazal say, tzaddikim are greater in death than in life. To hold a sacred object connected to him is a most elevated and wondrous segulah.”

He was particularly moved by the date inscribed on the contract: “Twelve days into the month of Elul, in the year 5600 (1840)”—exactly 185 years ago, in the very days leading into the Yamim Nora’im.

Rav Biderman concluded with deep emotion: “Even just to gaze upon the handwriting of the Bas Ayin inspires the heart and serves as a wondrous segulah for teshuvah and good deeds.”

{Matzav.com}