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The Iranian-backed Houthi militia has warned that it will relaunch drone and missile assaults on Israel should the fragile ceasefire in Gaza fall apart, according to a report from the Xinhua news agency. The warning was delivered through a letter addressed to Hamas and broadcast on the Houthi-controlled al-Masirah TV network.

In the message, written by the Houthis’ newly appointed chief of staff, Yousif al-Madani, the group reiterated its loyalty to Hamas, declaring, “We remain steadfast in our pledge and promise to stand with you, no matter the sacrifices.” The communication underscored the Houthis’ continuing alliance with the Gaza-based terrorist organization.

Al-Madani’s appointment followed the death of his predecessor, Mohammed Abdulkarim Al-Ghamari, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes on a building in Sanaa in August, alongside several top-ranking Houthi officials. Al-Ghamari had initially survived the strike but later died from his injuries, prompting a reshuffle within the group’s military leadership.

The Houthis have been one of the most active Iran-aligned factions involved in the broader regional escalation since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. They have fired hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel, nearly all of which were intercepted, while also attacking Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea — successfully sinking four.

In recent days, the group has intensified its military preparations. It declared a general mobilization, enlisting hundreds of tribal fighters, increasing internal checkpoints, and arresting more United Nations employees on allegations of espionage for Israel. Additional Houthi reinforcements were reportedly dispatched to frontlines near Marib, a vital oil-producing region contested by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announced last week that his movement is anticipating another round of hostilities. Speaking during “Shaheed Day,” he proclaimed that his forces are strengthening their arsenal and readiness “in order to be ready for the next round of confrontation with the enemy and those connected to it.”

He added that renewed military action against Israel was “certain,” signaling that the group is preparing for escalation if the current truce in Gaza disintegrates.

{Matzav.com}

A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track Monday after a handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to break the impasse in what has become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services, the longest in history. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal drew sharp criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation provides funding […]

HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau on Sunday evening instructed the Degel HaTorah members to vote against the death penalty bill for terrorists, which will be brought on Monday for a vote in the Knesset plenum. The bill is being advanced by the Otzma Yehudit party, with the support of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. HaRav Landau stated, […]

WATCH:

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A glimpse of the secret operations Israel carried out to retrieve Hadar Goldin’s body over the past year and a half was revealed following the return of his remains to Israel on Sunday after 11 years in Gaza. Over the course of a year and a half, since the IDF entered Rafah in May 2024, […]

Typhoon Fung-wong blew out of the northwestern Philippines on Monday after setting off floods and landslides, knocking out power to entire provinces, killing at least eight people and displacing more than 1.4 million others. The typhoon was forecast to head northwest toward Taiwan. Fung-wong lashed the northern Philippines while the country was still dealing with […]

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After more than a month of paralysis, the Senate finally cleared the main procedural obstacle that had kept the federal government shuttered for 40 days, voting late Sunday night to advance a bipartisan compromise to restore operations.

By a 60-40 margin, lawmakers agreed to break the filibuster and move forward on a temporary spending measure funding the government through January 30, 2026, along with a “minibus” package that reinstates full food stamp benefits. Eight Democrats and one Independent who caucuses with them joined Republicans to push it past the procedural hurdle.

Those Democrats were Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Independent Angus King of Maine. On the GOP side, every senator supported the measure except Rand Paul of Kentucky, who voted no.

While the procedural victory was hailed as a turning point, the end of the nation’s longest-ever shutdown isn’t immediate. Lawmakers still must navigate several potential stumbling blocks before the final vote, and the House of Representatives will have to sign off on the same legislation before federal agencies can reopen.

Paul’s objection centers on the bill’s ban on hemp sales, while some Democrats angered by the compromise have signaled they may slow things down with additional procedural motions. Still, few expect those hurdles to stop the bill altogether.

Progressives erupted in frustration over the weekend, blasting the agreement for failing to secure concrete promises on their health care priorities. “It now appears that Senate Republicans will send the House of Representatives a spending bill that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), condemning the plan while carefully avoiding direct criticism of the Senate Democrats who crossed the aisle.

“We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives, where Mike Johnson will be compelled to end the seven-week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation,” he added.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) was even more direct, declaring, “If this is the so-called ‘deal,’ then I will be a no. That’s not a deal. It’s an unconditional surrender that abandons the 24 million Americans whose health care premiums are about to double.”

Other Democrats were equally incensed. Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta warned, “Any ‘deal’ that ends with Dems just getting a pinky promise in return is a mistake.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) added, “It would be a policy and political disaster for Democrats to cave!”

The months-long deadlock began in September, when Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed stopgap measure, demanding that any new funding bill include extensions of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies and a rollback of Republican-backed Medicaid reforms. Neither of those items made it into the new package advanced Sunday.

Instead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota offered Democrats a symbolic concession: a vote next month on extending the enhanced Obamacare tax credits. Thune had originally floated that idea more than three weeks earlier. He made clear, however, that he was not guaranteeing the measure’s passage, and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has not pledged to consider it in the House.

As part of the deal, Republicans also agreed to reinstate all federal employees who lost their jobs during the shutdown and provide them with full back pay — a provision meant to calm labor tensions after weeks of furloughs.

The bipartisan package consists of two major pieces: a short-term funding bill to keep the government open until the end of January 2026, and a minibus that finances programs for the military, veterans, and the Department of Agriculture.

The Agriculture funding section is especially significant, as it replenishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves 42 million Americans and had exhausted its funds on November 1. The Trump administration had been using a contingency fund to sustain SNAP temporarily until Congress acted.

Each year, Congress is required to pass 12 separate appropriations bills to finance federal agencies, beginning October 1. When lawmakers fail to agree on time, they rely on temporary measures — known as continuing resolutions — to keep operations running while they negotiate.

Sunday’s deal includes three of those 12 appropriations bills. The temporary extension through January 30 is intended to buy Congress time to complete the rest, ending the historic shutdown — at least for now.

{Matzav.com}

Iran and Israel appear to be heading toward another confrontation, with Middle East intelligence sources telling The New York Times that the brief but intense 12-day war earlier this year failed to eliminate the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capabilities. Instead, they say Tehran has been rapidly rebuilding its military strength and is preparing for a much larger conflict.

“Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, enough to make 11 nuclear weapons, is either buried under rubble, as Iran claims, or has been spirited away to a safe place, as Israeli officials believe,” the report said.

Officials cited by the Times warned that both nations are actively planning for renewed hostilities, despite the heavy losses suffered in June. American and Israeli intelligence now suspect the bombing campaign may have caused far less harm to Iran’s underground facilities than initially believed.

Another flashpoint comes from the diplomatic deadlock between Washington and Tehran. Multiple attempts to revive dialogue collapsed earlier this year, and the expiration of the 2015 nuclear deal has now reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. Combined with Tehran’s refusal to allow inspectors into its latest uranium enrichment site, many in the region fear that another Israeli strike is “almost inevitable,” according to the report.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said Tehran is racing to expand its military capacity. “Fire 2,000 at once to overwhelm Israeli defenses, not 500 over 12 days,” he told the Times, describing Iran’s plan to dramatically increase its missile launch capability.

“Israel feels the job is unfinished and sees no reason not to resume the conflict, so Iran is doubling down preparedness for the next round,” Vaez added, while noting that no immediate action appears to be planned.

Efforts to rekindle nuclear talks have made little headway, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently dismissed any prospect of meaningful cooperation with Washington. “The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the US continues to support the accursed Zionist regime, maintains military bases, and interferes in the region,” Khamenei said, according to Iranian state media.

“The arrogant nature of the United States accepts nothing other than submission.”

Vaez noted that Iran’s leadership remains deeply split on how to move forward. Some senior figures still favor pursuing a new nuclear deal to ease the country’s crushing economic hardships and widespread water shortages. But others argue that diplomacy is pointless after Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement during his first term.

Despite these internal disagreements, Vaez told the Times that there is one consensus among Tehran’s decision-makers: another confrontation with Israel is unavoidable.

Israel, for its part, insists that its June offensive targeting Iranian nuclear scientists, missile engineers, and senior military figures was a necessary preemptive strike to stop what it calls Tehran’s ongoing drive toward nuclear weaponization.

While Iran continues to deny that it seeks nuclear arms, its enrichment levels, obstruction of international oversight, and acceleration of ballistic missile programs have only fueled suspicions. Israeli intelligence officials say those steps left them with no choice but to act — and warn that the next phase of the conflict may only be a matter of time.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz lashed out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday after Ankara announced arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials, accusing them of genocide tied to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The sweeping warrants reportedly name Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Katz himself, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Navy Commander David Saar Salama among those wanted.

In a fiery response, Katz posted an AI-generated image on X depicting Erdogan peering through binoculars toward Gaza — the lenses reflecting an Israeli flag. “Erdogan, take your ridiculous arrest warrants and get out of here. They’re more fitting for the massacre you carried out against the Kurds. Israel is strong and unafraid,” Katz declared, adding, “You’ll only see Gaza through binoculars.” The message appeared in both Hebrew and Turkish.

The announcement from Turkey marks a sharp escalation in already frayed relations. Erdogan’s rhetoric toward Israel has grown increasingly belligerent since the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault that ignited the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Before the war, Israel and Turkey had been on a path toward repairing long-damaged diplomatic ties, with ambassadorial exchanges and trade cooperation signaling cautious normalization. That trajectory quickly collapsed after Hamas’s brutal attack and Israel’s subsequent counteroffensive.

In March, Erdogan denounced Israel as a “terror state” after airstrikes targeted Hamas positions. Three months later, in June, he claimed that Netanyahu’s government posed “the most significant threat to Middle East security.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery rebuke against the BBC on Sunday after the network’s Director-General, Tim Davie, and its News and Current Affairs chief, Deborah Turness, stepped down amid mounting outrage over the broadcaster’s handling of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech.

“The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th. Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt ‘Journalists,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!” he added.

The resignations followed weeks of backlash over revelations that the BBC had broadcast a manipulated version of Trump’s remarks from January 6. The edited footage reportedly removed his call for supporters to “act peacefully” and combined distant sections of the speech to appear as a single sequence.

Outrage over the omissions led to accusations that the BBC had intentionally distorted the footage, violating its charter-mandated commitment to impartial journalism.

The controversy escalated further after internal documents surfaced from a review led by Michael Prescott, a consultant brought in by the BBC to evaluate its editorial integrity. Prescott’s findings criticized the network’s bias not only in political coverage but also in its handling of transgender-related topics and its Arabic-language reports, which the review said exhibited anti-Israel slant.

The fallout prompted reactions abroad. Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement Sunday night, saying, “The resignation of the BBC Director-General underscores the deep-seated bias that has long characterized the BBC’s coverage of Israel. For far too long, the BBC has spread disinformation that fuels antisemitism and radicalization.”

“But the problem extends beyond the BBC – far too many news outlets are promoting politics disguised as facts, amplifying Hamas’s fake campaigns,” the statement continued.

“The time has come for real accountability to restore integrity, fair and factual journalism,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.

{Matzav.com}

After 40 days of gridlock, the Senate took its first formal steps Sunday toward ending the government shutdown, moving forward on a bipartisan plan that lacks a guaranteed extension of healthcare subsidies — a sticking point that has split Democrats and fueled frustration across Washington.

The compromise emerged from a group of moderates — Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine — who agreed to reopen the government if three full-year spending bills were passed and all remaining programs were funded through late January. Senate Majority Leader John Thune backed the plan Sunday night, calling for an immediate vote. “The time to act is now,” Thune said.

Under the proposal, the Senate would vote later on the fate of the health subsidies while restoring thousands of federal workers who were dismissed since the shutdown began October 1. Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, who has led efforts to bridge the divide, said she was “relieved” to see movement at last. “We must not delay any longer,” she told colleagues from the Senate floor.

Republicans need five Democrats to reach the threshold to reopen the government. Along with Shaheen, King, and Hassan, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he would support the agreement, explaining, “I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans’ healthcare mess and to protect the federal workforce.”

But Democratic leaders expressed deep dissatisfaction. Following a two-hour caucus meeting, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters he could not “in good faith” back the deal. “America is in the midst of a Republican-made healthcare crisis,” Schumer said, warning that Americans would “suffer immensely” without renewed subsidies. “Democrats have sounded the alarm,” he added, vowing they “will not give up the fight.”

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont denounced the compromise as a “horrific mistake,” saying it surrendered leverage on healthcare reform. His comments echoed concerns voiced by progressives in both chambers that the emerging deal concedes too much without extracting concrete promises.

House Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar blasted the agreement as “a betrayal,” writing on X, “Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn’t a compromise — it’s capitulation. Millions of families would pay the price.” Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota dismissed the plan even more sharply, posting, “If people believe this is a ‘deal,’ I have a bridge to sell you.”

Despite Democratic objections, Republicans have praised the moderates’ efforts. The agreement would fund key areas including veterans’ programs, food aid, and the legislative branch while extending all other federal spending until January’s end. It also guarantees back pay for government workers and halts additional layoffs. The text of the deal, however, has not yet been made public.

Returning from a football game Sunday night, President Trump sounded optimistic but noncommittal. “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending,” he told reporters, without confirming whether he supported the plan.

Republican leaders also released the final versions of three long-delayed spending bills, which maintain the ban on congressional pay raises but increase security spending by $203.5 million in response to growing threats. One measure, championed by Senator Mitch McConnell, would also restrict sales of certain hemp-based products.

Still, even if the Senate advances the measure, final passage could take several days if opponents slow the process with procedural objections. The first vote could occur as early as Sunday evening, though the future of healthcare subsidies remains uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson has already said he will not commit to bringing a health vote to the floor.

Meanwhile, the effects of the shutdown continue to ripple nationwide. Flight cancellations surpassed 2,000 on Sunday — the highest yet — and more than 7,000 delays were reported, according to FlightAware. Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air travel could be “reduced to a trickle” ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday if the government remains closed.

Food assistance programs are also being strained. Tens of millions of Americans have seen SNAP benefits delayed amid legal disputes, while two dozen states warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions.” In Washington, the Capital Area Food Bank reported distributing eight million more meals than budgeted — nearly a 20% surge — to support unpaid federal employees and struggling families.

As pressure mounts, both sides face a narrowing window to end the standoff before further economic damage takes hold. Whether the compromise will finally bring an end to the shutdown — or merely delay another showdown — remains to be seen.

{Matzav.com}

Legal commentator Avishai Grinzaig has floated an intriguing hypothesis regarding the mysterious disappearance—and later discovery—of the phone belonging to former Military Advocate General, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

Grinzaig questioned why Tomer-Yerushalmi has not been accused of destroying evidence in connection with the missing phone. He then proposed a scenario that, while speculative, could explain several puzzling elements of the case.

“I have a theory,” Grinzaig wrote. “It’s only a theory, but it makes sense.”

According to his idea, police had already found the phone “a while ago,” but chose not to announce it. Instead, they allegedly planted a duplicate phone in its place to see whether Tomer-Yerushalmi or anyone close to her would act suspiciously—such as attempting to interfere with the investigation after learning about the phone’s supposed disappearance.

This, Grinzaig suggested, could explain several inconsistencies: how the phone was retrieved intact after six days in the sea without signs of corrosion, why divers failed to locate it earlier, and why police confirmed it was her phone almost simultaneously with her release from custody.

Grinzaig emphasized again that his remarks were purely speculative and not based on any concrete information. Still, he couldn’t resist a jab at law enforcement: “The problem with this theory,” he quipped, “is that it would require a level of sophistication on the part of the police.”

Police correspondent Moshe Steinmetz later added context, noting that during the first remand hearing, when the defense attorney claimed there had been no obstruction of justice, the police representative “objected” but was notably cautious about making any clear statement on the matter.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has been pushed to the margins at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat — the nerve center of the international effort to oversee Gaza’s fragile ceasefire — as the United States assumes near-total control of the operation, senior Israeli officials told Times of Israel. Once expected to be the main architect of […]

Israel’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that a 7-year-old boy from Jerusalem passed away on Shabbos after contracting measles. He passed away after arriving at the emergency room due to complications from the disease. According to the statement, the child, who had an underlying medical condition, had received one dose of the measles vaccine. This […]

PRES. TRUMP: “It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending, you’ll know very soon.”

Over the past thousand years of Jewish history, we’ve rarely remained in one country for more than 80 to 120 years before the social or political climate turned against us. From England to Spain, from Poland to Germany, each thriving Jewish community eventually reached a point where life became unsustainable and was forced to move […]

A startling incident shook Yerushalayim’s chareidi neighborhoods this past Shabbos night when a group of teenage boys from fringe circles were caught on security cameras scattering pashkevillin and flyers attacking Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri right in the middle of Shabbos.

Residents of Meah Shearim, Geulah, and Beis Yisroel awoke to find their streets littered with political posters bearing sharp messages against Deri and the Shas leadership. “This wasn’t done before Shabbos,” said one local shopkeeper whose cameras captured the scene. “They were out there on Shabbos itself, throwing papers through the streets late at night.”

The footage, circulated among residents, shows several young men dumping piles of flyers along alleyways and sidewalks. According to local rabbonim, such actions constitute a serious issur Shabbos, not only because carrying the flyers involves muktzah but also because it appears the youths were being paid for their work, making it outright melachah. “Simply holding and distributing these political handouts on Shabbos is forbidden,” explained one rov. “If they were doing so for payment, it’s a severe violation in every respect.”

Community members described the act as part of a disturbing new pattern. “We’ve seen flyers put up close to Shabbos before, but never something like this—open, deliberate desecration of Shabbos for political purposes,” said a longtime resident. “This isn’t internal debate anymore; this is an attack on a symbol of Sephardic Torah leadership.”

A local Sephardic rov echoed that sentiment: “These are small groups of bored, disconnected youth from the margins, but what they did crosses a sacred line—against Kedushas HaShabbos and Kavod HaTorah.”

While the Shas party declined to issue an official statement, senior officials privately condemned the event as “wild incitement disguised as social protest.” One Shas activist said, “This is not only public chilul Shabbos—it’s an attempt to ignite conflict within the chareidi camp itself. This has gone beyond ideological disagreement; it’s an act of defiance against rabbinic authority.”

Observers of the chareidi world note that the incident highlights a worrying shift: some disaffected young people are now using the language of political protest even at the expense of religious principles. “In the past, even the most extreme kana’im would never take to the streets on Shabbos,” said a veteran askan from the Eidah HaChareidis. “What we’re seeing now is the erosion of internal boundaries—a generation that feels detached from traditional rabbinic leadership.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that a 7-year-old boy from Jerusalem passed away on Shabbos after contracting measles. He passed away after arriving at the emergency room due to complications from the disease. According to the statement, the child, who had an underlying medical condition, had received one dose of the measles vaccine. This […]