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Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir seen attending slichos at the Kosel late Wednesday night.

The IDF issues evacuation warnings for two more buildings in southern Lebanon, ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure.

During an appearance on CNN’s “OutFront” Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claimed that Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension was the result of political interference, saying, “I’m sure there will be lawsuits about this and there ought to be, right away.”

Schumer criticized the move, stating, “Trump and his allies seem to want to shut down speech that they don’t like to hear. That is not what democracies do. That is what autocracies do. And it doesn’t matter whether you agree with Kimmel or not, he has the right to free speech. And so, it is just outrageous, it is indicative of autocracy. And I am just outraged by it. Again, this is what dictators do, this is what Xi would do, this is what Putin would do. We are not that country.”

He continued by stressing that freedom of expression applies across all platforms. “They have a right to say it on ABC, they have a right to say it in newspapers, they have a right to say it to their friends and families. And this puts this country [on] a road that could go to autocracy if this keeps going.”

Schumer concluded by noting the role of the courts in protecting speech, remarking, “the courts have always defended free speech. Let’s see if they step up to the plate, because I’m sure there will be lawsuits about this and there ought to be, right away.”

{Matzav.com}

WATCH: Lebanese media captured footage of one of the Israeli strikes in Dibbin this afternoon.

Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk were not only offensive and misleading, but also came at a particularly sensitive time, according to telecom insiders speaking to On The Money, the NY Post reports. The fallout, they say, could jeopardize Nexstar’s $6.2 billion purchase of rival broadcaster Tegna.

The merger — which would bring together two of the country’s largest local TV station owners — is already under scrutiny for antitrust issues and requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission, now led by its outspoken conservative chairman, Brendan Carr.

Kimmel’s comments added new uncertainty to that process. Nexstar moved quickly, announcing Thursday that it would drop “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its lineup, insiders told On The Money. ABC, which makes and distributes the show, followed suit, mindful that it too has business matters pending before the FCC.

Sinclair Broadcasting, another heavyweight in local TV with a right-leaning reputation, raised the pressure further on Thursday. The company said ABC’s suspension of Kimmel wasn’t enough and declared it would pull the late-night program from its stations until Kimmel apologized personally to Kirk’s family and made a donation to his organization.

At the center of all this is Carr, a seasoned telecom attorney now shaping broadcast regulation with an unusually aggressive approach. He has repeatedly warned networks that he intends to use the FCC’s mandate to enforce the “public interest” in programming, even if it means brushing aside First Amendment objections.

His influence is already evident. Paramount agreed to settle a legal fight with President Trump over CBS’s controversial interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign, worried that Carr’s FCC would block its $8 billion sale to Skydance.

The FCC under Carr also oversaw the cancellation of Steven Colbert’s late-night program, which had been bleeding money while leaning heavily into partisan politics.

Other networks have opted to settle lawsuits with Trump rather than take chances. ABC, for example, paid $16 million to resolve a case involving comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. These moves reflect the reality that the FCC controls licenses for broadcasters using the public airwaves — including stations run by ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox, as well as affiliates like Nexstar.

Traditionally, the FCC allowed networks wide freedom to air controversial opinions so long as they steered clear of obscenity. That leeway is what let Colbert, Kimmel, and even programs like “60 Minutes” air sharp political commentary despite large portions of the public objecting.

Kimmel’s monologue on Monday particularly angered Carr because he ridiculed conservatives mourning Kirk’s death and suggested a misleading story that the killer was aligned with Trump supporters: “we hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

In previous years, such speech would have been shielded by the First Amendment. Carr, however, has made clear that while comedians like Kimmel are free to speak, the Constitution doesn’t obligate the FCC to hand them broadcast licenses.

“Cleary Nexstar is sucking up to Carr,” one telecom lawyer remarked Wednesday after Nexstar dropped the show. “Kimmel’s comments are noxious but from a First Amendment standpoint they would have been protected in the past. He’s a comedian, so how is he distorting the news unless you have a deal to be approved by the FCC?”

The reality, however, is that the FCC can decline to renew or grant licenses if it concludes that overtly partisan programming fails the public interest standard — precisely the argument Carr is advancing now.

Carr made his stance explicit during a Wednesday interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity: “running a narrow partisan circus, whatever the public interest means, it’s not that.”

Nexstar, which already owns more than 30 ABC affiliates that carried Kimmel’s program, is especially exposed as it seeks to grow larger.

Its proposed purchase of Tegna, unveiled in August, would give the company control of 265 stations across 44 states, reaching 80% of U.S. households. In some markets, the combined company would dominate with three or four stations.

All of this awaits FCC approval.

{Matzav.com}

POTUS: “Just last week, a great American, Charlie Kirk, was heinously assassinated for speaking his mind… I appreciate the many British citizens who have offered their condolences.”

Humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza has been suspended indefinitely while Jordan conducts a full investigation into the Allenby Crossing attack at Israel’s request.

Cementing its role as the leading purveyor of anti-semitism in New York. Columbia University “scholar” Michael Rebell filed a hateful and ignorant lawsuit last night about yeshiva education. YWN gives you the professor’s own words: “The average yeshiva graduate speaks little or no English, has few or no marketable skills, earns a household income well below the average income in New York State, marries young and has many children, and relies upon public assistance to support his large family.” Really? Has he never encountered the tens of thousands of professionals in literally every field in New York? Or the thousands of businesses all across New York built and run by yeshiva graduates that employ tens if not hundreds of thousands of workers? Sure, yeshiva graduates marry young and have children. Building stable and healthy families is a virtue — unless you are at Columbia University! Even more offensive is his complaint that: “Despite their total lack of knowledge of American history, civics, and public policy issues, large percentages of the members of these ultra-Orthodox communities vote.” Yup, we do, and we will continue to do so. I guess the Columbia mindset is that only Mamdani supporting trust-fund babies can vote. Incredibly, the professor’s ignorance is exceeded by his arrogance. While he represents only three unnamed kids, he claims to speak for more than 100,000 current yeshiva students. YWN wonders how all these supposedly non-English speaking, ignorant kids appointed him. YWN contacted PEARLS, which has lead the legal fight to protect our chinuch from the enemies of yeshiva education for over a decade, along with Torah Umesorah. They promised that “we will make sure to not only defeat the lawsuit’s baseless legal claims but also to set the record straight about its many distortions of yeshiva education and Torah families.” May they and all of Klal Yisroel continue to have siyata dishmaya as we enter the yimei hadin. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

TRUMP: Israel and Gaza is complex, but we are going to get it done.

POTUS: “Prime Minister Starmer, Melania and I are tremendously thankful for the wonderful hospitality that you and Lady Starmer have extended today… the bond between our countries is like no other anywhere in the world… We will always be friends.”

Residents of Kafr Tibnit are seen evacuating after the IDF issued an early warning ahead of a strike on a Hezbollah site in the town.

The Samaria Regional Council announced Thursday that 22-year-old Eitan Avner Ben-Yitzchak of Har Bracha was killed while fighting in Gaza.

Eitan, who served in the elite Egoz Unit and was in the middle of officers’ training, lost his life when an improvised explosive device went off.

Just three months ago, he had married his wife, Atara.

Samaria Governor Yossi Dagan, who was also related to Eitan, delivered a moving tribute: “Eitan grew up in a value-driven, Zionist family, a Torah scholar, a strong believer in settling the land, a frontline fighter, dedicated. Naturally, they established their home in Har Bracha. At their wedding, they held a special memorial for their fallen friends. Our hearts break for the youth, for the family that should have flourished here in Samaria, but now will not.

“Dear Atara, daughter of a longstanding Har Bracha family, who grew up here and brought him to Samaria, now we must accompany him on his final journey. All of us—the council and the settlement—will support the Ben-Yitzchak and Steinbach families in every way possible during this difficult hour. We will strengthen each other and never break; we are here to build the land and prevail.”

The Har Bracha community also released a statement expressing their pain: “We share in the grief of Atara, a resident who got married only about two months ago. We stand with Atara and the Steinbach family, a longstanding and rooted family in the community, who raise their eight children with dedication in the heart of Samaria.”

{Matzav.com}

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Wednesday that negotiations with Israel may produce a formal security agreement “in the coming days,” marking the most significant progress between the longtime adversaries in years. Speaking ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, al-Sharaa described the pact as a “necessity” for regional stability and said any deal must guarantee Syrian airspace, respect territorial integrity and be monitored by the United Nations, according to Reuters. A Syrian Foreign Ministry official confirmed progress, telling AFP that several security and military agreements could be signed by year’s end. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met Wednesday in London with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, the American ambassador to Turkey, for a third round of U.S.-mediated talks, Axios reported. The five-hour session included Syria’s formal response to an Israeli proposal for a security arrangement, according to a source familiar with the discussions. Washington has pressed for an agreement ahead of the U.N. gathering, Reuters reported, though al-Sharaa rejected claims of U.S. pressure, saying Washington was acting only as a mediator. The negotiations come amid Israel’s continued military presence at strategic Syrian sites, including Mount Hermon, seized after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Al-Sharaa compared Syria’s demands to the 1974 disengagement deal following the Yom Kippur War, while noting that Israel has indicated it wants to remain at the posts. On the Golan Heights — recognized by President Donald Trump in his first term as Israeli territory — al-Sharaa said it was “too early” to discuss. The Syrian leader also disclosed that an agreement was close earlier this summer, but violence in Sweida Province, involving Druze militias, Sunni Bedouin tribes and regime-allied forces, derailed the talks. Israel intervened to protect the Druze minority and is planning additional assistance. Barrack, the U.S. envoy, referenced those events on X, endorsing a Jordanian statement on a joint roadmap for Sweida. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reposted the message, praising Trump’s “peace through strength” approach and highlighting efforts to advance accountability, reconciliation and minority rights in Syria. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two Israelis, one in his twenties and another in his sixties, were killed on Thursday afternoon in a terror shooting at the Allenby Border Crossing linking Israel and Jordan.

The assailant was shot dead at the scene by security personnel.

Preliminary findings indicate the attacker entered the crossing from Jordan while driving a truck that was supposed to be delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. When his firearm malfunctioned, he reportedly resorted to stabbing the two Israelis.

Security sources later clarified that the attacker was a Jordanian civilian employed by the Jordanian army to handle the transport of aid shipments moving from Jordan into Gaza.

An Israeli official told reporters that under the current arrangements with Jordan, trucks carrying such aid are not subjected to inspection.

In response to the incident, IDF forces launched searches in the vicinity and placed Jericho under closure.

Paramedic Bosmat Lubiner and MDA EMT Amit Weiss described what they encountered: “We arrived at the scene with significant forces and joined security personnel at the checkpoint. They led us to two men who were unconscious with gunshot wounds as we administered initial medical treatment. We continued medical care, including resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately had to pronounce their deaths. The terrorist was neutralized by security forces.”

Magen David Adom initially reported that two men were found at the site in critical condition and were being treated. Their deaths were later confirmed.

The IDF released a short statement: “A report was received regarding a shooting near the Allenby Crossing. The details are under review.”

This deadly attack comes roughly a year after another shooting at the same location, when Yochanan Shchori, 61, Yuri Birnbaum, 65, and Adrian Marcelo Podsmesser, 57, were killed. In that incident, the gunman opened fire at close range with a pistol before being shot by guards on site.

According to investigators at the time, the assailant had also crossed in from Jordan in a truck, concealing a weapon inside the vehicle. Once he reached the Israeli staff at the terminal, he drew the firearm and began shooting.

{Matzav.com}