The Israeli Defense Forces announced on Thursday that both the Air Force and the Navy have successfully brought down a large number of drones that had been directed at Israel.
According to the military, more than 95% of the aerial threats that came close to breaching Israeli airspace were eliminated before they could cause harm.
Personnel from the Air Force and Navy have been working in close coordination with Israel’s aerial defense systems, fighter jets, missile-equipped ships, and other defense teams to ensure the protection of the country’s skies at all times.
While simultaneously carrying out strikes meant to weaken the Iranian regime’s offensive capabilities, Israeli forces have been actively intercepting the recent waves of surface-to-surface missiles and drones, many of which were launched with the clear intent of striking residential areas and endangering civilian lives.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Brot personally contacted Nachum’s daughters to let them know the tefillin had been recovered. “The bag is partially torn,” he wrote, “but the tefillin itself is intact, and it will serve to strengthen the daughters during this incredibly difficult time.”
He offered heartfelt thanks to the Home Front Command personnel working tirelessly at the site. “Thank you to the men and women of the Home Front Command’s National Rescue Unit, who are doing everything possible to recover what they can from the rubble and to honor the memory of those killed.”
Miki, 61 years old, was a father of four and a beloved longtime resident of Bat Yam. He was among the nine city residents who tragically lost their lives in the deadly missile strike.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, made clear on Thursday that the group will not be dictated to, vowing that Hezbollah will “act as we see fit,” in a strong show of alignment with Iran, the AFP reports.
His comments were a direct retort to remarks made by Tom Barrack, the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, who had issued a warning urging Hezbollah not to get involved in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
In a defiant message, Qassem declared, “Tyrannical America and criminal Israel will not be able to subjugate the Iranian people and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” He went on to reaffirm Hezbollah’s loyalty to Tehran, saying the group remains bound by “the responsibility to stand by Iran and provide it with all forms of support that contribute to putting an end to this tyranny and oppression.”
Barrack, who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Turkey, visited Beirut for the first time in his current role on Thursday. During the trip, he met with leading Lebanese officials, including Nabih Berri, the Parliament Speaker and a political ally of Hezbollah.
After his discussion with Berri, Barrack relayed a pointed warning from the Trump administration. Responding to questions about Hezbollah possibly entering the fray, he remarked, “I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump… that would be a very, very, very bad decision.”
Last year, Hezbollah suffered notable casualties during its confrontation with Israel, which ended in a ceasefire in November. After Israel carried out an airstrike in Iran last week, Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it was “continuing its contacts” to ensure Lebanon does not become entangled in the broader regional war.
Earlier in the week, leaders from Hezbollah and the Shiite movement Amal met to assess the unfolding regional crisis, focusing on the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict and its potential impact on Lebanon.
According to Al Akhbar, both groups issued a joint denunciation of Israeli actions in Lebanon, characterizing them as “desperate attempts to attack the Axis of Resistance and harm the will of free states.”
In a statement released after their meeting, the two organizations asserted that Iran remains the central pillar in confronting what they described as a strategy of domination and colonialism.
On the domestic front, the groups highlighted the urgency of reconstructing Lebanese regions damaged by “Israeli aggression,” and labeled this effort as a matter of national significance.
{Matzav.com Israel}
In a dramatic halachic decision prompted by the ongoing war, former Rishon Letzion and nosi of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, has ruled that weddings may be held during the Bein HaMetzarim period this year due to the extenuating circumstances facing many couples across the country.
The ruling comes in light of widespread cancellations of weddings following Home Front Command guidelines. In response to questions from rabbanim across both Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities, Rav Yosef issued a detailed halachic letter permitting — and in some cases encouraging — couples not to postpone their wedding plans during the traditionally mournful period between the 17th of Tammuz and Rosh Chodesh Av.
The letter, titled “Holding Weddings During Bein HaMetzarim, 5785,” offers critical guidance to numerous young couples whose weddings were either canceled or delayed and who now face severe difficulty finding alternative dates or venues.
Rav Yosef makes clear that for Sephardic Jews who follow the rulings of the Mechaberin Shulchan Aruch, it is fully permitted — and even a mitzvah — to marry during this time. He emphasizes that this has been the long-standing custom in Yerushalayim for generations and applies regardless of whether the chosson has already fulfilled the mitzvah of pru u’rvu.
Although the ruling is rooted in Sephardic custom, Rav Yosef addresses Ashkenazic practice as well, noting that those who typically follow the more stringent opinion of the Rama, which prohibits weddings from the 17th of Tammuz onward, should still consider being lenient this year. He writes that the logistical challenges and emotional toll of postponements could lead to serious michsholim (spiritual pitfalls) and hardship. “HaMachmir bazeh, yotzei sechoro behefsedo,” he writes — “one who is stringent in this matter will ultimately lose more than he gains.”
He supports his lenient ruling by citing several Acharonim, including the Aruch HaShulchan, who permitted weddings during this period when necessary (excluding the week of Tishah B’Av), and Rav Aryeh Leib Grossnas in Shu”t Lev Aryeh, who ruled that “in a time of need, one should permit it.” Rav Yosef adds, “There is no greater time of need than the current moment.”
The letter concludes with a heartfelt call for Klal Yisrael to strengthen their commitment to Torah and tefillah. “Eis tzarah hi l’Yaakov, u’mimenah yevashea.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
In a moving recollection, Ponovezh Rosh Yeshiva Rav Beel Povarsky shared memories of the tumultuous days of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, describing how the safest place he could think of during air raid sirens was the home of the Chazon Ish zt”l.
Rav Povarsky recounted: “The war had just begun, in 1948, when Ben Gurion declared the establishment of the state. Immediately the Arabs, including Egypt, planned to attack. Egypt sent a plane. There were sirens, and a bomb landed here on the K’vish HaShachor.”
He described how people reacted to the sirens at the time: “When the alarm sounded, there was a shelter at the yeshiva. Everyone went there. Some stood close to the pillars of the building.”
But Rav Povarsky’s instinct was different.
“The first thing I did when the siren went off,” he said, “was run to the Chazon Ish. That was the best shelter there was. I came in, and he was sitting and learning. He was so happy I had come. The windows were open—nothing was closed. We spoke in learning. That’s how it was.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
The Department of Homeland Security has refuted the Los Angeles Dodgers’ assertion that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to carry out a raid at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
The Dodgers, the current World Series titleholders, posted on their official X (formerly Twitter) account that ICE agents had tried to gain entry to the stadium’s parking area early Thursday. The team claimed it blocked the agents from entering — framing the incident as part of Los Angeles’ broader defiance of Trump administration immigration crackdowns.
But according to DHS representatives, the incident was being exaggerated and mischaracterized. Officials stated that there was never an active enforcement plan targeting the stadium.
“This had nothing to do with the Dodgers,” the agency wrote on X. “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”
An ICE spokesperson confirmed to The Post that there was no immigration action planned at the venue. According to the agency, the parking lot was simply used temporarily for logistical purposes.
Though several DHS vehicles were seen near Dodger Stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood, including agents wearing masks, no arrests were reported in the area throughout the day.
Sources within the Los Angeles Police Department noted that the team did not request LAPD assistance to remove the federal agents. However, according to the LA Times, the Dodgers did contact authorities when a group of demonstrators opposing ICE showed up at the site.
The organization has faced increasing calls from activists and community members urging it to speak out more forcefully against immigration enforcement actions in the city.
Tensions could rise even further following remarks by President Trump’s immigration policy leader, Tom Homan, who announced on Thursday that ICE would resume worksite enforcement targeting locations like farms, hotels, and other businesses employing undocumented workers.
“We will concentrate on worksites on a prioritized basis just like we do at large operations,” he told reporters at the White House Thursday.
This announcement comes shortly after the Trump administration had indicated that it would hold off on conducting raids at places such as restaurants, farms, and hospitality venues.
{Matzav.com}
President Trump is reportedly holding off on greenlighting a military strike on Iran due to fears that such an action could spiral into a destabilizing repeat of the Libyan crisis, sources close to his administration told The NY Post. Trump is said to be pausing his decision for as long as two weeks.
According to three individuals familiar with internal White House discussions, Trump has specifically cited the 2011 downfall of Muammar Gaddafi — and the chaos that followed — as a cautionary tale. Gaddafi’s removal after a NATO-led campaign resulted in prolonged civil unrest and power vacuums across Libya.
One source involved in the administration’s talks said, “Trump doesn’t want it to turn into Libya,” in reference to the deliberations over whether the U.S. should join Israel’s current bombing campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
During a Thursday press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump was taking time to weigh his options carefully, explaining that his hesitation was due in part to “the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.”
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet with his European counterparts — representing the UK, France, Germany, and the EU — in Geneva on Friday to discuss the ongoing crisis. Leavitt clarified that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff would not be attending the summit but emphasized that he remains in active contact with the Iranians.
One individual with direct access to Trump said they personally heard the president mention concerns about Iran descending into a Libya-style collapse even before Israel launched its opening salvo against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Other administration-linked sources said they were briefed by people who had heard Trump draw parallels not only to Libya but also to Afghanistan and Iraq — two other U.S.-involved conflicts that resulted in prolonged instability.
A fifth person, who did not hear Trump’s comments firsthand, but was debriefed on his internal considerations, said the president was leaning toward authorizing precise bombing raids focused on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure — particularly at the deeply buried sites of Fordow and Natanz — using 30,000-pound “bunker buster” ordnance that Israeli aircraft are not equipped to carry.
“Libya was a much more extended kind of bombing commitment, and it ended up being regime change,” that source said.
“If the regime falls [in Iran], then it’s not on Trump, because that’s not the goal of his very limited strike.”
That person added that one of the main worries is whether a post-Khamenei Iran could end up in even worse hands, stating, “we get somebody worse than Khamenei.”
“As far as President Trump goes, he’s not going to get in the business of who runs Iran, that’s very salable to his base,” the source said.
A separate insider close to the White House noted that even if a successful U.S. strike were to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities, it would still raise the challenge of dealing with Tehran’s retaliation — which could include terrorism or environmental fallout.
“He’d rather have a deal,” the source told The NY Post.
“There are two reasons Trump talks about Libya: the first is the chaos after what we did to Gaddafi. The second is the Libya intervention made it more difficult to negotiate deals with countries like North Korea and Iran,” said the source who heard the president directly mention the comparison.
In sharp contrast to Trump’s hesitations, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz was explicit in his call for Khamenei’s removal, branding the Iranian leader “the modern Hitler” on Thursday.
“The IDF has been instructed and knows that to achieve all the objectives, without question this man should no longer continue to exist,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
That same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that Trump’s involvement in the conflict was entirely optional, while also asserting that Israel’s military was capable of finishing the job without relying on American “bunker buster” munitions.
“We will achieve all our objectives and hit all of their nuclear facilities. We have the capability to do that,” Netanyahu said when asked by a reporter about the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant hidden half a mile under a mountain.
After Israel’s preemptive assault on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure last week, several military analysts expressed skepticism that Israel could successfully destroy the Fordow site, given its fortified underground location.
Even with American-supplied 2,000-pound bombs, Israeli airpower had been considered insufficient to breach that level of protection.
The Middle East has seen numerous civil wars in recent decades — in places like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan — many of which involved U.S. military intervention. But Trump has consistently pointed to Libya when discussing the dangers of regime change.
Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya for over four decades before he was deposed by insurgents supported by the Obama administration. He had previously agreed to abandon a nuclear weapons program in 2003.
Khamenei, similarly, has been at the helm of Iran for decades — serving 35 years as supreme leader, following nearly a decade as president during the reign of his predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini.
Libya’s collapse shattered hopes of democracy and instead ushered in a brutal era of chaos. Warlords battled for power, extremist groups like ISIS spread terror, and public executions were filmed on beaches. The absence of central authority decimated oil production and turned Libya into a gateway for desperate migrants risking their lives to reach Europe.
At Thursday’s White House briefing, Leavitt emphasized that the president was hearing from a broad array of voices — both at home and abroad — before making any military decisions.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” she said, relaying Trump’s official message.
When asked about regime change, Leavitt responded, “the president’s top priority right now is to ensure that Iran can not attain a nuclear weapon and providing peace and stability to the Middle East.”
{Matzav.com}
Iran’s long-standing alliance with its so-called “Axis of Resistance” appears to be unraveling, as the Islamic Republic faces growing isolation in the region. Analysts say Iran is increasingly being left to fend for itself as its regional partners retreat in the face of mounting military and political pressure, the NY Post.
For years, Tehran has poured resources into arming and organizing militias across Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. But now, most of these groups are in disarray — battered by losses, weakened operationally, and unwilling to escalate further on Iran’s behalf.
Rather than aiding Iran, the proxies once considered devoted allies — including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and various Shiite factions — are now preoccupied with their own survival and regional positioning.
In some cases, those factions have grown disillusioned with Iran’s ability to shield them from the fallout of the broader conflict.
“For all of these networks right now, it’s about survival. They all understand the wrath of these types of military campaigns,” Renad Mansour, a senior fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, told the Wall Street Journal.
“Many of them question if this is the time for resistance or whether it’s the time to keep your head down and try to stay out of this conflict,” he added.
Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza has, by its own count, eliminated roughly 20,000 Hamas fighters and dismantled most of the terror group’s military capabilities. Since then, Hamas has fired only sporadic rockets in retaliation, even after Israel clashed directly with Iran.
Hezbollah, once viewed as Iran’s crown jewel of proxy power, has also been seriously weakened. A campaign by the Israeli military in Lebanon last year reportedly took out much of the group’s leadership, including its founder Hassan Nasrallah.
The surprise Israeli “pager” operation in September resulted in dozens of Hezbollah fighters killed and thousands more injured. That strike, Arab officials say, left the group in disarray, prompting a shift from confrontation to rebuilding.
Some Hezbollah insiders are said to harbor resentment over Iran’s failure to shield them from that deadly strike. According to Arab diplomats, internal voices have even partially blamed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for intelligence shortcomings that led to the losses.
In the immediate aftermath of the Gaza war, Hezbollah had been launching near-daily rocket fire at Israeli targets. But since Iran was attacked last week, not a single projectile has been fired — a stark change from past behavior.
Lebanon’s leadership has also played a role in holding the group back. Both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam publicly declared on Monday that Lebanon would not be drawn into a new war, and other officials have worked to enforce the cease-fire with Israel.
Another major setback for Tehran came when longtime ally Bashar al-Assad was deposed in Syria during a rapid popular uprising late last year.
Assad’s fall was a major loss for Iran’s strategic foothold in the region. Making matters worse for Tehran, reports surfaced that it did not mobilize its affiliated militias to defend Assad — instead directing them to withdraw.
In Iraq, Iran-aligned Shiite groups that once regularly targeted American forces have gone quiet. They have avoided confrontation even as regional tensions escalate.
According to Arab sources familiar with internal discussions, these militias are wary of engaging in conflict, as many of their senior members now hold government positions and are enjoying economic gains from Iraq’s petroleum-based prosperity.
“They’ve been sort of benefiting from Iraq’s stability, in a way, and the high oil prices to develop economic empires,” said Mansour of the dozens of Iran-backed groups.
To date, only Kataeb Hezbollah has publicly commented on the conflict — and even then, the group made clear that it would only respond if American forces entered the battle directly.
In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis have taken a more vocal stance, issuing threats to target Israeli and U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in response to strikes on Tehran.
The Houthis have launched missiles at Israel since the outbreak of hostilities, claiming that their attacks are being coordinated closely with Iran as part of a joint effort.
But according to analysts, these declarations may be more about optics than actual alignment.
“It’s a Houthi-first policy,” Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert and head of the University of Cambridge’s Girton College, told the WSJ.
“They’re not going to put their own necks on the line for the supreme leader. They’re going to figure out what’s actually best for them,” she added.
Over the past year, the Houthis have suffered heavy damage from repeated U.S. and British air raids targeting their military infrastructure.
American airstrikes in March and April — which were later linked to the so-called SignalGate scandal — reportedly crippled the Houthis’ ability to launch missiles and drones, according to U.S. officials.
{Matzav.com}
