US President Trump asserted that it was Hamas that tried to commit genocide in Israel on October 7, 2023, when asked by a reporter about a UN report published last week claiming Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. “That was genocide at the highest level. That was murder, genocide; you can call it whatever you want. But little babies were chopped in half. Arms were cut off, people; heads were cut off people. That’s genocide also, I guess.”
Israel’s COGAT said that over the weekend Hamas gunmen opened fire on UN teams working to establish a new humanitarian aid corridor in southern Gaza, reporting that armed terrorists threatened the UN workers, deliberately fired at them, and forced them to leave while they were helping open a route for aid trucks from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the designated humanitarian zone in the south of the Strip.
The Israeli military said that over the past day its Air Force struck around 100 targets in the Gaza Strip, including tunnels, weapons depots, operative cells, and other infrastructure used by terror groups.
The mayor of Khan Younis, a senior Hamas official, called on the terrorist organization he is part of to halt the war. Alaa El-Din Al-Batta published a post calling “to “remove Israel’s arguments for continuing the war in Gaza,” citing the heavy daily toll on the Strip. Al-Batta wrote, “Today is better than tomorrow, and tomorrow is better than the day after. Israel’s arguments for the war on Gaza are the hostages and Hamas’s weapons.” Popular Israeli blogger Abu Ali Express noted that “his words are striking and surprising given his status as a senior Hamas official and in light of the fact that for months he has remained silent on the matter. Khan Younis has long been considered a Hamas stronghold, and the mayor is certainly part of Hamas’s senior leadership in the Gaza Strip.” “His remarks are resonating among Hamas’s opponents both in Gaza and abroad.” Last week, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), revealed the hypocritical attempts of senior Hamas officials who submitted requests to Israel to transfer their family members to a third country. One of them was Alaa El-Din Al-Batta. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
The Olam HaTorah suffered a painful loss with the petirah of HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Zechariah, z’tl, the Rosh Yeshivah of Lev Eliyahu yeshivah in Jerusalem, who was niftar on Shabbos at the age of 70. The Rosh Yeshivah suffered a severe stroke last month. In recent days, his condition deterioated and he was niftar on Friday night at Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem. The Rosh Yeshivah was born in Jerusalem. As a bochur he learned in the famed Porat Yosef yeshivah, where he developed a close relationship with the Rosh Yeshivah, Chacham Ben-Tzion Abba Shaul, z’tl. In 2002, HaRav Zechariah established the Lev Eliyahu yeshivah for younger bochurim, and in 2010, he established the Lev Eliyahu yeshivah gedola in the Ramot Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem. Right before his stroke, HaRav Zechariah established another yeshivah, Derech HaTorah, for young bochurim who struggled to cope with a rigorous yeshivah schedule, with the goal of keeping them off the streets. HaRav Zechariah, z’tl, was marbitz Torah and Yiras Shamyaim to hundreds of talmidim, who are shocked and devastated by his petirah. The levaya took place on Motzei Shabbos at Yeshivas Lev Eliyahu in Ramat Shlomo. The kevurah took place at the beis kevaros in Sanhedria, where the niftar was buried next to his Rabbanim, HaChacham Ben Tzion Abba Shaul, z’tl, and HaChacham Yehudah Tzadka, z’tl. וכל בית ישראל יבכו את השריפה אשר שרף ה. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
Qatar, which suspended its mediation in hostage deal negotiations after Israel’s failed strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, is willing to resume its role on one condition: a public Israeli apology for the attack, Channel 12 News reported on Motzei Shabbos. A source quoted by the report said that Qatar recognizes Israel’s political complexities and is open to flexibility regarding the wording of the apology. Two sources added that the demand comes directly from Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim al-Thani and was raised in meetings held by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Doha and Jerusalem last week. Another source noted that Doha may agree to an Israeli apology focusing on the death of the Qatari security officer killed in the strike, coupled with compensation for his family and an assurance that Israel will refrain from violating Qatar’s sovereignty in the future. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
US President Donald Trump asserted that it was Hamas that tried to commit genocide in Israel on October 7, 2023, when asked by a reporter about a UN report published last week claiming Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. “I haven’t seen it,” Trump replied. “But did anybody commit genocide on October 7? What do you think about that?” “That was genocide at the highest level. That was murder, genocide; you can call it whatever you want. But little babies were chopped in half. Arms were cut off, people; heads were cut off people. That’s genocide also, I guess.” It should be noted that the UN Commission that published the report about Israel’s so-called “genocide” was chaired by Navi Pillay, a vicious antisemite with a decades-long background of rabid anti-Israel rhetoric. The report made no mention of the October 7 massacre or the Israeli hostages, nor of Hamas’s decades of belligerence against Israel, its buildup of military infrastructure in Gaza, and its brutal reign of terror over Gazan citizens. UN Watch described the report as “nothing more than pro-Hamas propaganda cloaked in legal language.” The report also relied on Hamas data and, most importantly, failed to provide evidence of Israel’s “so-called” war crimes and “genocide” in Gaza. The full UN Watch rebuttal of the report can be read here. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
A new Maariv survey released Friday shows Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s coalition would secure only 49 Knesset seats if elections were held now, giving the opposition an automatic majority.
The findings come amid the ongoing IDF campaign to capture Gaza City and in the wake of Netanyahu’s “Sparta speech,” where he urged the nation to focus on greater independence.
Pollsters asked voters how they would cast their ballots if two new factions were added to the race — “Bennett 2026” led by Naftali Bennett and “Yashar!” led by Gadi Eisenkot — while leaving all other parties as they are.
According to the results, Likud would take 25 seats, five more than Bennett’s party, which would place second with 20.
Behind them, the “Democrats” would capture 11 seats, with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu at 10.
Eisenkot’s Yashar! would claim nine, while Shas, Otzma Yehudit, and United Torah Judaism are each projected to win eight seats apiece.
Yesh Atid would end up with seven, Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am would each collect five, and Blue and White would scrape by with just four seats, making it the smallest faction in parliament.
Both Balad and Religious Zionism are projected to fall short of the minimum threshold required for representation.
When grouped by political camps, Netanyahu’s coalition would reach 49 seats, the center-left parties together would secure 61, and the Arab factions would hold the remaining 10, consistent with their long-standing stance of not aligning with either bloc.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be welcomed at the White House on September 25.
Sharing the news on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We are working on many Trade and Military Deals with the President, including the large scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 Deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks, which we expect to conclude positively.”
He continued, “President Erdogan and I have always had a very good relationship. I look forward to seeing him on the 25th!”
Bloomberg reported earlier in the day that Turkey is preparing to sign new energy agreements with the United States as soon as next week, aiming to deepen its partnership with Washington.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the arrangements may include commitments to increase purchases of U.S. liquefied natural gas.
The same sources also indicated that Erdogan is pursuing an additional meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Bloomberg emphasized that Turkey’s renewed diplomatic and trade activity comes as part of an effort to mend ties with Washington after years of friction over Russian arms purchases and diverging policies regarding Syria’s war.
The alliance between Washington and Ankara was badly strained during Trump’s earlier years in office following Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, which the U.S. argued could be used to gather intelligence on NATO defenses.
In retaliation, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey’s military procurement body and removed the country from the F-35 fighter jet program, which provided allied nations access to production roles and early orders of the aircraft.
Despite repeated warnings from Washington, Turkey insisted that it would deploy the Russian missile system regardless of the sanctions threat.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said he would meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a regional summit taking place at the end of October in South Korea and will visit China in the “early part of next year,” following a phone call between the two on Friday. In a Truth Social post, Trump also said Xi would come to the United States “at an appropriate time” and that they had made progress on “the approval of the TikTok Deal” to allow the popular social media app to keep operating in the United States. “The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!” Trump wrote, referring to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group of 21 economies on the Pacific Rim. Trump gave no further details about the TikTok deal, and a statement from the Chinese government did not mention the visits and offered no clarity on what Xi had agreed to regarding a sale of a controlling stake by TikTok’s Chinese parent company to avoid a U.S. ban. Beijing ”would be happy to see productive commercial negotiations in keeping with market rules lead to a solution that complies with China’s laws and regulations and takes into account the interests of both sides,” the statement said. “The U.S. side needs to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese investors,” it said. This was the second call with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and imposed sky-high tariffs on China, triggering back-and-forth trade restrictions that strained ties between the two largest economies. But Trump, a Republican, has expressed willingness to negotiate trade deals with Beijing, notably for TikTok. Efforts to finalize the TikTok deal TikTok did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for more details on the call or the framework deal for the app’s ownership that the Trump administration said was reached with Chinese officials early this week during trade talks in Madrid. Trump, who has credited the app with helping him win another term, several times has extended a deadline for it to be spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. It is a requirement under a law passed last year seeking to address data privacy and national security concerns. Trump said Thursday that TikTok “has tremendous value” and the U.S. “has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it.” U.S. officials have been concerned about ByteDance’s roots and ownership, pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government. Another concern is the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on TikTok. Chinese officials said Monday that a consensus was reached on authorization of the “use of intellectual property rights,” including the algorithm, and that the two sides agreed on entrusting a partner with handling U.S. user data and content security. Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, warned that “important details surrounding such matters as who would own and control the algorithm remain unclear.” Trump and Xi speak on wider trade tensions Trump said Friday the two also made progress on “many very important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end,” besides the TikTok deal. The Chinese statement said Xi stressed the importance of ties between the […]
The House overwhelmingly passed a resolution honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Friday, but a significant number of Democrats voted against it, highlighting the deepening political divide in the wake of his assassination. The resolution, which praised “the life and legacy” of Kirk, passed the Republican-controlled House with 310 votes in favor. While 95 Democrats supported the resolution, 58 voted against it and 38 voted “present,” effectively abstaining. Republicans had warned ahead of the vote that no one should oppose the measure, but many Democrats said they felt Kirk’s death had been politicized and that the resolution elevated views they disagreed with. “Today’s resolution underscores the majority’s recklessness by choosing to author this condemnation and honoring on a purely partisan basis,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a high-profile Democrat who voted against the resolution. “We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was.” Speaker Mike Johnson said that there was “no partisan language” in the resolution and that there was “no excuse” for anyone not to vote in favor of it. “We are honoring someone who contributed greatly to the free marketplace of ideas and public discourse and who died in a disgraceful, horrific manner,” Johnson told reporters. The vote capped a week of heightened tensions in Congress and across a nation grappling with Kirk’s assassination and the legacy he left behind. Many on the right have blamed the left for fostering a political climate that led to his death, pushing for more than condemnation and allowing little room for criticism of his views. In the days since, backlash to such criticism has led to firings — ranging from teachers to journalists — as conservative activists have launched aggressive pressure campaigns. “No single member of the House Democratic caucus, not a single member, condones political violence in America,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Friday. Earlier this week, the House narrowly declined to punish one of its own over commentary in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The Republican effort to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar came after she criticized Kirk’s views of gun ownership and race relations in the aftermath of George Floyd’s 2020 death in Minneapolis. After the vote fell short, President Donald Trump responded by calling Omar “terrible.” While Friday’s resolution aimed to honor Kirk and denounce political violence, many Democrats took issue with its language. The text described Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, as someone who was “seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the Republic,” and that he stood “as a model for young Americans.” The resolution sparked intense internal debate among Democrats. While party leadership ultimately backed it, they did not push members to vote a certain way. Some lawmakers saw it as a political trap designed to force them into endorsing Kirk’s views. “This Republican resolution was designed as a political ‘gotcha’ — trying to force every member of Congress to lift up the views of Charlie Kirk rather than simply condemning his assassination,” said Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal in a statement. “I cannot do that.” Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, who was among a few in the party to attend a vigil honoring Kirk at the Capitol earlier this week, said she supported the resolution “because his horrific killing, and this volatile time require all of us […]
The Trump administration has told Congress it plans to sell nearly $6 billion in weapons to Israel, a fresh surge of support for the U.S. ally as it faces increasing isolation over its war in Gaza. It includes one $3.8 billion sale for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters, nearly doubling Israel’s current stocks, and a second $1.9 billion sale for 3,200 infantry assault vehicles for Israeli army, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been made public. The packages would not be delivered for two to three years or longer. The huge sales come as U.S. plans to broker an end to the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas have stalled and after Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, drew widespread condemnation among U.S. allies in the Middle East. The U.S. has kept up its support despite growing international pressure on Israel and attempts from a growing number of U.S. Senate Democrats to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel. The State Department declined to comment on the sales, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Israel has launched a new offensive, pressing forward with plans to take over Gaza City. The U.K, which last year said it was suspending exports of some weapons to Israel out of concerns they could be used to violate international humanitarian laws, recently barred Israeli government officials from attending the country’s biggest arms fair. Turkey also said it was closing its airspace to Israeli government planes and any cargo of arms for the Israeli military, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a speech condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza as disproportionate. Trump said Friday that he plans to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington next week, with plans to discuss the purchases of Boeing aircraft and a deal for F-16 fighter jets. The Biden administration paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns about civilian casualties, but Trump lifted that hold when he took office in January. The Trump administration has already approved about $12 billion in major military assistance to Israel this year. Most recently, the U.S. in June approved a half-billion-dollar arms sale to Israel to resupply its military with bomb guidance kits for precision. (AP)
The Trump administration is moving forward with a massive arms package for Israel valued at close to $6 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
According to the report, the deal would be financed using U.S. foreign military assistance and includes $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters, nearly doubling the number Israel already has in its fleet.
The documents reviewed by the Journal also show an additional $1.9 billion request for 3,250 infantry fighting vehicles for the IDF.
Deliveries of the equipment are not anticipated for at least another two to three years.
As part of the process, the State Department has asked the four senior lawmakers who chair and rank on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to sign off. Their approval is usually required before a larger notification is sent to Congress on such major arms deals.
The Journal noted that these sales were originally transmitted to congressional leaders nearly a month ago, before Israel’s September 9 strike targeting Hamas officials in Qatar. Despite the blowback that strike generated and President Trump’s anger over the action in a Gulf ally, the administration has pressed ahead with its request.
Neither the White House, Israel’s defense ministry, nor the State Department offered any comment when asked.
Since Trump entered office, Washington has significantly stepped up arms transfers to Israel. This follows the Biden administration’s rush of weapons shipments to Israel after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, in which about 1,200 people were murdered in southern Israel and 251 were taken hostage.
In 2024, Joe Biden temporarily blocked deliveries of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs amid friction with Yerushalayim over a planned Rafah operation.
That decision was later reversed—Biden allowed the 500-pound bombs to go through, and once in office, President Trump lifted the suspension on the 2,000-pound bombs.
{Matzav.com}
The Senate on Friday confirmed Mike Waltz to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, filling the last vacancy in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet after eight months of delays and the withdrawal of a previous nominee. The bipartisan vote for Waltz came after a recent procedural hurdle sent his nomination back to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it had to be voted on again on Wednesday. The Senate did not vote on a separate matter that would formally designate Waltz as a representative at the General Assembly, due to objections from Democrats, according to a person familiar with the Senate deliberations. It is unclear how or whether Waltz would be able to participate in the annual U.N. gathering in New York next week. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification. His confirmation quiets swirling questions about what kind of political capital the White House was asserting to get him seated as ambassador. It is unclear why Waltz wasn’t advanced before Democrats employed the procedural move last week, given that his nomination moved out of committee last month with bipartisan support. A State Department spokesperson said they had worked closely with the White House “to advance every one of our nominees as quickly as possible,” including Waltz. But a Democratic congressional aide said this week that the administration officials had shown “no urgency” in getting Waltz confirmed before the U.N. General Assembly, which kicks off Tuesday with Trump as one of the first few speakers. Waltz served for mere weeks as Trump’s national security adviser before he was ousted in May after mistakenly adding a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. He has denied being removed from the post and insisted the chat met the administration’s cybersecurity standards. The Pentagon inspector general is investigating. Trump tapped Waltz in May to represent the U.S. at the United Nations after the withdrawal of the previous nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, over concerns about the Republicans’ House majority. During his Senate confirmation hearing months later, Waltz echoed the priorities of his bosses — Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — of pursuing major reforms to the 80-year-old international organization. “We should have one place in the world where everyone can talk — where China, Russia, Europe and the developing world can come together and resolve conflicts,” Waltz told senators. “But after 80 years, it’s drifted from its core mission of peacemaking.” Waltz’s arrival will coincide with a time of great change for the U.N., as it is still reeling from Trump’s decision this year to slash foreign assistance funding, which has hugely affected its humanitarian aid agencies and foreshadowed additional U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget. (AP)
Days after Meagan Brazil-Sheehan’s 6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, they were walking down the halls of UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center when they ran into Robin the Robot. “Luca, how are you?” it asked in a high-pitched voice programmed to sound like a 7-year-old girl. “It’s been awhile.” Brazil-Sheehan said they had only met the 4-foot-tall (1.2-meter-tall) robot with a large screen displaying cartoonlike features once before after they were admitted several days earlier. “His face lit up,” she said about the interaction in June in Worcester, Massachusetts. “It was so special because she remembered him.” Robin is an artificial intelligence -powered therapeutic robot programed to act like a little girl as it provides emotional support at nursing homes and hospital pediatric units while helping combat staffing shortages. Five years after launching in the U.S., it has become a familiar face in 30 health care facilities in California, Massachusetts, New York and Indiana. “Nurses and medical staff are really overworked, under a lot of pressure, and unfortunately, a lot of times they don’t have capacity to provide engagement and connection to patients,” said Karen Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, which developed the robot. “Robin helps to alleviate that part from them.” As AI increasingly becomes a part of daily life, it’s found a foothold in medical care — providing everything from note-taking during exams to electronic nurses. While heralded by some for the efficiency it brings, others worry about its impact on patient care. Robin is about 30% autonomous, while a team of operators working remotely controls the rest under the watchful eyes of clinical staff. Khachikyan said that with each interaction, they’re able to collect more data — while still complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA — and get closer to it being able to function independently. “Imagine a pure emotional intelligence like WALL-E. We’re trying to create that,” he said, referencing the 2008 animated film. Making its rounds On a recent Friday, a staff member at HealthBridge Children’s Hospital in Orange County, California, read off a list of patients she needed Robin to visit, along with the amount of time to spend with each one. The robot with a sleek white triangle-shaped frame that Khachikyan said was designed for hugging, rolled into a room with a teenager injured in a car accident. The robot played what it described as his favorite song — “No Fear” by DeJ Loaf — and he danced along. In the hallway, Robin cracked up a young child held by her mother when it put on a series of silly glasses and a big red nose. In another room, the robot played a simplified version of tic-tac-toe with a patient. Samantha da Silva, speech language pathologist at the hospital, said patients light up when Robin comes into their room and not only remembers their names but their favorite music. “She brings joy to everyone,” da Silva said. “She walks down the halls, everyone loves to chat with her, say hello.” Robin mirrors the emotions of the person it is talking with, explained Khachikyan. If the patient is laughing then the robot laughs along, but if they’re sharing something difficult, its face reflects sadness and empathy. In nursing homes, Robin plays memory games with people suffering from dementia, takes them through breathing exercises on […]
A federal court in Florida tossed out President Trump’s massive $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times on Friday, ruling that the filing was far too long and not in line with proper procedure.
In a sharply worded order spanning four pages, U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday of Tampa instructed Trump to submit a revised version of the lawsuit within 28 days, with a maximum length of 40 pages.
“Alleging only two simple counts of defamation, the complaint consumes eighty-five pages,” the judge, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, wrote in his decision.
“Even assuming that each allegation in the complaint is true … — a complaint remains an improper and impermissible place for the tedious and burdensome aggregation of prospective evidence, for the rehearsal of tendentious arguments, or for the protracted recitation and explanation of legal authority putatively supporting the pleader’s claim for relief,” Merryday continued.
He went further, adding: “A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner.”
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz delivered a stern message to Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on Friday, declaring, “Your time will come.”
Katz continued, “You will be sent to meet your government plenum and all of those thwarted on the axis of evil, who are waiting in the depths of hell.”
He further vowed, “The slogan, ‘Death to Israel, curse upon the Jews’ which is written upon the Houthi flag will be replaced with the blue-and-white Israeli flag, which will fly over the capital of a united Yemen.”
His remarks came after a series of Houthi assaults on Israel on Thursday, one of which involved a drone that landed near the entrance of a hotel in Eilat. Thankfully, there were no casualties.
Just two hours later, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that triggered air raid alarms across central Israel and Yerushalayim. The projectile was shot down, and there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Earlier in the week, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on Houthi targets in the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen.
Following the attack, the IDF stated, “The Hodeidah Port is used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies.”
{Matzav.com}
Pakistan’s defense minister says his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defense pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella. Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif’s comments underline the importance of the pact struck this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which have had military ties for decades. The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation. It comes after Israel’s attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar last week killed six people and sparked new concerns among Gulf Arab nations about their safety as the Israel-Hamas war devastated the Gaza Strip and set the region on edge. Minister’s remarks touch on the nuclear program Speaking to Geo TV in an interview late Thursday night, Asif made the comments while answering a question on whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” will be made available to Saudi Arabia. “Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield,” Asif said. “What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he added. The two countries signed a defense deal Wednesday declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both. The International Atomic Energy Agency, with which both nations have monitoring agreements, did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the Pakistani defense minister’s remarks. Asif criticized Israel in the interview for not fully disclosing its suspected nuclear weapons program to the IAEA. The pact comes after Israel’s attack on Qatar Israel has not commented on the two nations’ defense pact. Pakistan long has criticized Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, but has not been directly involved in any war against it. And while neither nation has diplomatic ties to Israel, American officials had sought to mediate a diplomatic recognition deal involving Saudi Arabia before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war. “We have not named any country whose attack would automatically trigger a retaliatory response. Neither has Saudi Arabia named any country, nor have we,” Asif said in the interview. “This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party — from any side — it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response.” The deal came a week after the attack in Doha as Gulf Arab countries weigh how to defend themselves. Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, have stretched across Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria and Yemen. Asked if others could join the pact, the minister added: “I can say the door is not closed to others.” That idea was repeated by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. “It is premature to say anything, but after this development, other countries have also expressed a desire for similar arrangements,” Dar told reporters in London in televised remarks. “Such things follow due process. Even with Saudi Arabia, it took several months to finalize.” Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have longstanding ties Saudi Arabia has long been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear program. Retired Pakistani Brig. […]
The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to designate October 14, 2025, the birthday of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, as the National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk, according to Fox News.
The resolution states that the day will be a time for “Americans to reflect on Kirk’s contributions to public debate and civic engagement.”
Lawmakers emphasized Kirk’s lasting role in promoting civic education and national service. The measure encourages schools, civic groups, and individuals throughout the country to observe the day with “appropriate programs, activities, prayers, and ceremonies” that uphold the values of faith, liberty, and democracy, which Kirk strongly supported.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida first introduced the resolution on September 16. Speaking about Kirk, Scott said, “Charlie loved our nation and its founding principles and believed deeply in his faith, in his family, and in the beauty of ideas and discussion.”
Meanwhile, Tyler Robinson, charged with killing Kirk, appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday. Judge Tony F. Graf ruled that Robinson would remain behind bars without bail.
Robinson’s next court appearance has been scheduled for September 29 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
In an earlier development, prosecutors filed seven charges against Robinson, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing violence in front of a child.
If convicted of aggravated murder, Robinson could face the death penalty. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray confirmed his office would pursue capital punishment.
{Matzav.com}
A Florida federal judge on Friday tossed out a 15 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s lawsuit was overly long and was full of “tedious and burdensome” language that had no bearing on the legal case. “A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally,” Merryday wrote in a four-page order. “This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.” The judge ruled that Trump has 28 days to file an amended complaint that should not exceed 40 pages in length. The lawsuit named a book and an article written by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig that focuses on Trump’s finances and his pre-presidency starring role in television’s “The Apprentice.” Trump said in the lawsuit that they “maliciously peddled the fact-free narrative” that television producer Mark Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity — “even though at and prior to the time of publications defendants knew that President Trump was already a mega-celebrity and an enormous success in business.” The lawsuit also attacked claims the reporters made about Trump’s early business dealings and his father, Fred. Trump also cited an article by Peter Baker last Oct. 20 headlined “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment.” (AP)
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