The operation to rescue Israelis from the Netherlands in the wake of the pogrom against Jews on Thursday evening in Amsterdam has been completed, with over 2,000 Israelis returned to Israel on 10 rescue flights. The Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with the Transportation Ministry, the National Security Council, Israeli airlines El Al and Israir, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Airports Authority, the IDF, the police, and other security bodies worked together in coordinating the rescue operation. During the operation, the Israeli embassy in the Netherlands opened a special command center in Amsterdam and a special command center was also established at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Jerusalem. Teams from the Israeli embassy in the Netherlands, led by Ambassador Modi Ephraim, and the Foreign Ministry’s staff in Jerusalem worked around the clock to ensure that every Israeli in the Netherlands was safe and no one who wished to return to Israel was left behind. Five Israelis were hospitalized in Amsterdam after the attacks and were released after emergency medical treatment. Another 20 Israelis were lightly injured, and eight were treated at Sheba Medical Center upon their return to Israel. Chabad shlichim in Amsterdam also assisted the Israeli victims of the attacks along with Israeli and Jewish organizations, including the Maccabi World Union, which opened an emergency assistance center in Amsterdam and helped hundreds of victims, including providing or locating food, hotels, transportation, and security. The Jewish Agency is also assisting the victims and sent an agency representative to Amsterdam. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof met with representatives of the Jewish community in Amsterdam following the shocking pogrom perpetrated by local Arabs against Israelis on Thursday evening and assured them that he will do everything he can to ensure the community’s safety. Schoof also met with newly appointed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Motzei Shabbos. Sa’ar and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana flew to Amsterdam on Friday morning for urgent diplomatic meetings in a visit that was coordinated with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Sa’ar and Ohana met with Schoof at his residence. During the meeting, Schoof called the attacks on Israelis a “turning point” and said he is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring that the local Jewish community is safe. He also noted that he canceled his plans to participate in the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan [which begins on Monday, Nov. 11] due to the serious incidents in Amsterdam, instead scheduling meetings regarding the attacks in Dutch parliament and other forums. During the meeting, Sa’ar stated that the brutal attacks on Jews and Israelis and the demand by their attackers that they present their passports to prove their identity were reminiscent of dark periods of history. He stressed that Israel cannot accept the persecution of Jews and Israelis on European soil. Sa’ar emphasized that “this new antisemitism that denies Israel’s right to exist is manifested in the political assault on Israel in the institutions of the UN and international legal forums. The goals are identical – the delegitimization of Israel and the undermining of its right to self-defense. This is not carried out against any other democracy.” Sa’ar also thanked Schoof for his friendship and support for Israel and invited him for an official visit to Israel. Sa’ar also met with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp, who stated after the meeting: “Met with my new Israeli colleague Gideon Sa’ar to discuss the appalling attacks on Israeli citizens in Amsterdam. I expressed my horror and stressed that the Netherlands will do all it can to identify these thugs. We will hold perpetrators accountable and combat antisemitism.” “After an in-depth conversation yesterday evening with representatives of Amsterdam’s Jewish community, I met today with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar,” Prime Minister Schoof wrote on X on Motzei Shabbos. “We spoke about his impressions and experiences during his brief visit to the Netherlands. The events in Amsterdam affected him deeply, and he expressed his serious concern about and revulsion at the rise in antisemitism. I told him the Dutch government was doing everything to ensure that the Jewish community in this country feels safe.” Schoof wrote on Friday: “Have been following the news from Amsterdam and am horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens. This is completely unacceptable. I am in close contact with all parties involved and have just spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone to stress that the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted. The situation in Amsterdam is now calm once more.” (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
Newly appointed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana flew to Amsterdam on Friday morning following the shocking pogrom carried out by Dutch Arabs on Thursday evening. Sa’ar met with Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel who told him: “I am deeply ashamed of what happened in Amsterdam.” Sa’ar demanded that Dutch authorities fully prosecute the perpetrators of the attacks. He suggested during the meeting that the Israeli police assist in gathering testimonies and documenting evidence from the Israeli citizens who were brutally attacked to ensure justice is served. Van Weel agreed to Sa’ar’s request and the two agreed that the security officials of both countries will cooperate during the investigation. Following the meeting, the two ministers held a press conference, during which Sa’ar stated that a new antisemitism is raging in Europe, based on denying Israel’s right to exist and its right to self-defense. He stressed that this antisemitism is what led to the barbaric attack against Israelis in Amsterdam. Sa’ar stated: “I held my first meeting here as part of my visit to the Netherlands, a meeting with the Minister of Justice and Public Security, which primarily addressed the criminal proceedings we expect to take place against those who perpetrated crimes against Israeli citizens on the streets of Amsterdam. We expect arrests, we expect severe punishments, and we expect to see a full disclosure from the Netherlands on this matter.” Sa’ar added: “I also offered the Dutch minister Israel’s assistance, the assistance of the Israel Police, in collecting evidence and testimonies from Israeli citizens who returned to Israel. The Dutch minister accepted this proposal, and I hope and am confident there will be cooperation between the judicial authorities in both countries to truly punish and bring the perpetrators to justice.” Righ-wing Dutch leader Geert Wilders met Sa’ar and Ohana at the airport in Amsterdam upon their arrival to the Netherlands on Friday. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
Qatar is withdrawing from its role of mediating a hostage release deal between the Hamas terror group and Israel, an official familiar with the matter told Reuters on Saturday. The report claimed that Qatar’s decision is “the biggest setback to efforts to reach a truce since the war began.” According to the source, Qatar is no longer willing to mediate “until Hamas and Israel show a ‘sincere willingness’ to return to the negotiating table.” “The Qataris have said since the start of the conflict that they can only mediate when both parties demonstrate a genuine interest in finding a resolution,” the official said. He added that Qatar has also concluded that Hamas’ political office in Doha “no longer serves its purpose.” Qatar reached its conclusions about its role as a mediator and its ouster of Hamas officials from its territory only days after Donald Trump won the US Presidential election. Economy Minister Nir Barkat responded to the report by stating: “Qatar has never been a mediator; it is the advocate of Hamas, the financer and protector of the terror organization. Qatar is an ally of Iran, inciting against the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in spreading terror and hatred towards Israel. Finally, we see the wolf that disguised itself as a lamb. Now, after Trump won the election, this is the opportunity to act forcefully against Qatar.” (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman We are a blessed generation that we have a remarkable gadol in our midst in Rav Yeruchem Olshin shlita. What follows is a restatement of the Vaad he has given on this week’s Parsha in a simpler English with guided headings to facilitate greater readability and comprehension. I mostly used the ENglish names of things so as to help those not-so-familiar with the language of Divrei Torah. If there is any public interest in this please email me at yairhoffman2@gmail.com. Have a great Shabbos, yh INTRODUCTION: ABRAHAM’S FIRST DIVINE REVELATION AND THE PROMISE OF LAND At the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, the text tells us: “And Hashem appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your children I will give this land.’ And he built an altar there to Hashem who had appeared to him.” RASHI’S INTERPRETATION OF ABRAHAM’S ALTAR Rashi explains that at that moment, the Creator was giving Abraham two incredible pieces of news: That he would finally have children That his children would be given the Land of Israel According to Rashi, it was in recognition and gratitude for these two pieces of news that Abraham built an altar. OR HACHAIM’S ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATION However, the Or HaChaim gives an entirely different explanation for the altar that Abraham built. According to the Or HaChaim, this verse reveals the incredible love that Abraham had for the Creator. Here, Hashem had appeared to him and given him the amazing news that he would finally have children, and those children would be given the Land of Israel. Yet, that wasn’t his reason for building the altar. The altar was built as a show of gratitude and joy that he had merited to experience divine revelation. ABRAHAM’S PRIORITIZATION OF DIVINE REVELATION The Or HaChaim explains that in Abraham’s eyes, compared to the merit of experiencing divine revelation, those two incredible pieces of news were worth nothing at all. Consider this: For decades upon decades, Abraham had waited for and begged for a child. Pleading with the Creator, he had said, “What will You give me, as I go childless?” The pain was unbearable. And now, finally, Hashem appears to him and tells him that he will have children and a land of his own. Yet, that isn’t what causes him to build an altar. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIVINE REVELATION While he was, of course, thankful and joyful about those two pieces of news, in comparison to the merit of experiencing divine revelation, they were insignificant. So, he builds an altar for one reason only – “to Hashem who had appeared to him” – in recognition of and gratitude for the fact that he had merited to experience divine revelation. In his eyes, there could have been no greater reason for joy. THE PSALMS CONNECTION This altar demonstrated the verse in Psalms 16: “The fullness of joy is in Your presence.” The altar was Abraham’s expression that no joy could possibly be greater than the merit of experiencing divine revelation. BAAL HATURIM’S INTERPRETATION AND JOSEPH’S CONCERN However, the Baal HaTurim gives an entirely different, incredible explanation. “Tivaresh,” says the Baal HaTurim, means “lest you become impoverished in your learning.” Joseph was therefore telling Jacob, “It is better for you to come here, even though it means leaving the Holy […]
The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Friday in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump before this week’s presidential election. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that an unnamed official in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed a contact this past September to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump. If the man, identified as Farjad Shakeri, was unable to create a plan by then, the complaint said, the official told him Iran would pause its plan until after the presidential election because the official believed Trump would lose and it would be easier to assassinate him then, the complaint said. Shakeri told the FBI he didn’t plan to propose a plan to murder Trump within the seven days the official had requested, according to the complaint. The unsealed charges also reveal that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) gave an operative the order to carry out a mass terror attack against Israelis in Sri Lanka, and offered him $1,000,000 to murder two American Jewish businessmen in New York City. The identities of the businessmen have not been revealed. The plot, with the charges unsealed just days after Trump’s defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, reflects what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by Iran to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on U.S. soil. (YWN/AP)
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars broadcasts could end next week as he faces a court-ordered auction of his company’s assets to help pay the more than $1 billion defamation judgment he owes families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Or maybe not. Both opponents and supporters of the bombastic internet show and radio host have expressed interest in bidding on the Infowars properties he has built over the past 25 years. They include Roger Stone, an ally of Jones and Donald Trump, and anti-Jones progressive media groups. If Jones supporters buy the assets, he could end up staying on Infowars. Up for sale are everything from Jones’ studio desk to Infowars’ name, video archive, social media accounts and product trademarks. Buyers can even purchase an armored truck and video cameras. For now, Jones’ personal social media, including his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, with 3 million followers, are not up for sale, but court proceedings on whether they should be auctioned are pending. The auctions resulted from Jones’ personal bankruptcy case, which he filed in late 2022 after the Sandy Hook families were awarded nearly $1.5 billion in damages in lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas over his claims that the school shooting was a hoax. Many of Jones’ personal assets also are being liquidated to help pay the judgment. The deadline to submit bids and nondisclosure agreements on the Infowars assets is Friday afternoon. After the bids are reviewed, prospective buyers deemed qualified will be invited to a live auction that could see multiple bidding rounds next Wednesday. Any items not sold will be put up at another auction on Dec. 10. Jones has expressed confidence that supporters — whom he did not name — will buy the assets of Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, allowing him to continue using its platforms. He also appears to be preparing for losing the brand because he has set up new websites and social media accounts and has been directing his audience to them. “There’s a lot of buyers, people that are patriots that want it and will come in,” Jones said on his show in August. “If not … we’ll work with somebody else, fire something up. And it’ll be a little bit of a hiccup for the crew, and things. But that will just make us bigger.” Email messages to Infowars and Jones’ bankruptcy lawyer were not returned. It’s not clear how much money the auctions might bring in. In court documents, Free Speech Systems listed the total value of its properties and holdings at $18 million. Proceeds from the sales will go to creditors including the Sandy Hook families, who have not yet received any money from Jones and his company. Confidentiality agreements and sealed bids generally are used in auctions to maximize bid amounts while preventing bidders from talking to each other and driving down the offers. The trustee in Jones’ bankruptcy case said in court documents that the procedures for the Infowars auction were designed to attract the highest possible bids. Christopher Mattei, a Connecticut lawyer representing the Sandy Hook families, called the auctions an important milestone in their yearslong fight to hold Jones accountable. He also said the families will be seeking a portion of all Jones’ future income. […]
Qatar has reportedly informed Hamas leaders they are “not welcome” in the country, according to sources cited by Israeli broadcaster KAN on Friday. The move follows recent pressure from the United States, KAN reported, and comes just days after Donald Trump became the president-elect, ushering a new era of foreign policy into the White House. For years, Qatar hosted members of Hamas leadership, ostensibly to support dialogue during negotiations, including those around hostage situations. However, three sources familiar with the recent discussions revealed that Qatar’s stance has shifted, telling Hamas leaders to leave the country. Egyptian sources also told Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that direct talks with senior Hamas officials have continued, including a recent round of discussions on November 5, coinciding with the U.S. elections. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Biden administration policy that aimed to ease a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The program, lauded as one of the biggest presidential actions to help immigrant families in years, allowed undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without first having to leave the country. The temporary relief from deportation brought a brief sense of security to some 500,000 immigrants estimated to benefit from the program before Texas-based U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker put it on hold in August, days after applicants filed their paperwork. Barker ruled Thursday that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority by implementing the program and had stretched the legal interpretation of relevant immigration law “past its breaking point.” The short-lived Biden administration initiative known as “Keeping Families Together” would have been unlikely to remain in place after Donald Trump took office in January. But its early termination creates greater uncertainty for immigrant families as many are bracing for Trump’s return to the White House. Trump’s election victory this week sets the stage for a swift crackdown on undocumented individuals after the Republican ran on promises of “mass deportation.” The president-elect energized his supporters on the campaign trail with a litany of anti-immigrant statements, including that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the nation. During his first term, Trump appointed Barker as a judge in Tyler, Texas, which lies in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a favored venue for advocates pushing conservative arguments. Barker had placed the immigration initiative on hold after Texas and 15 other states, led by their Republican attorneys general, filed a legal challenge accusing the executive branch of bypassing Congress to help immigrant families for “blatant political purposes.” Republicans argued the initiative created costs for their states and could draw more migrants to the U.S. The policy would have applied to people who have been living continuously in the U.S. for at least 10 years, do not pose a security threat and have utilized the existing legal authority known as “parole in place” that offers deportation protections. Those married to a citizen by June 17, the day before the program was announced, could pay a $580 application fee and fill out a lengthy application explaining why they deserve humanitarian parole. If approved, applicants would have three years to seek permanent residency and obtain work authorization. It was not immediately clear Thursday whether anyone had received approval under the program, which only accepted applications for about a week before the judge placed it on hold. Noncitizen spouses are already eligible for legal status but often have to apply from their home countries. The process typically includes a years-long wait outside of the U.S., which can separate family members with different immigration statuses. (AP)
Yeshiva World News (YWN) is calling for a global boycott of Uber in response to the horrific, organized attack against Israeli soccer fans in the Netherlands. On Thursday evening, hundreds of Israelis had gathered in Amsterdam to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv play against Ajax when, in a brutal, pre-planned pogrom, Muslim jihadists attacked Jewish fans at train stations, hotels, and other venues. This orchestrated assault left dozens injured and has shaken Jewish communities worldwide. Shockingly, reports indicate that a significant number of the attackers were Uber drivers who used their positions to locate and target Jews. These claims have circulated widely on social media, yet Uber has remained silent, ignoring the calls for accountability and transparency. YWN, for the first time in its history, is urging Jews around the world to boycott Uber and choose other ride-share options, such as Lyft, until Uber addresses these disturbing allegations and takes meaningful action. The incident is particularly disturbing given its timing: today marks 86 years since Kristallnacht, when Jews across Germany and Austria faced a coordinated onslaught of violence. Kristallnacht remains a dark reminder of the dangers of unchecked antisemitism in Europe, and now, decades later, the echoes of that night resonate as Jews once again suffer attacks for simply being Jewish. Approximately 3,000 Israelis traveled to Amsterdam for the game, with Israeli security officials warning Dutch authorities about potential threats. Despite this, the Dutch government reportedly ignored these warnings, failing to provide adequate protection for Jewish fans. This has raised serious questions about the commitment of European governments to safeguard their Jewish communities. The attack comes amid a disturbing trend of growing antisemitism, with radical voices worldwide calling to “globalize the intifada.” These calls have now manifested in physical violence against Jews abroad, reminding Jewish communities everywhere of the importance of vigilance and self-protection. Jews worldwide must remain cautious in light of this heightened threat and take precautions to protect themselves and their families. The silence from Uber has fueled a sense of outrage within the Jewish community, who see this as a test of accountability for global companies. Until Uber acknowledges and responds to the serious allegations surrounding the attack, YWN strongly recommends that Jews cease using the service. As we remember Kristallnacht and the suffering it inflicted on Jews, let us not remain silent as history threatens to repeat itself. We stand united in our resolve to protect one another and hold those accountable who fail to stand against hate. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Republicans landed historic victories in Pennsylvania this week, winning the battleground state’s valuable presidential electoral votes, posting a two-seat gain in its U.S. House delegation and sweeping all four statewide offices on the ballot, including a U.S. Senate seat. The strong performance means Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania in two out of three tries, after Republicans had lost six straight presidential elections there. Something similar happened in the other “blue wall” states of Michigan and Wisconsin, Rust Belt states where Trump prevailed again after losing in 2020. Still, Democrats held on in key Senate races in Wisconsin and Michigan, if just barely, and the results played out differently in each state. Republican victories were most pronounced in Pennsylvania, a state flagged early on as this year’s preeminent swing state, where deep dissatisfaction surfaced with the status quo, more often than not to Republicans’ benefit. Voters had the economy on their minds. Voters were in a bad mood About a third of voters nationwide, including in the blue wall states, said they felt their families were “falling behind” financially, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. That was an increase from 2020, when about 2 in 10 felt that way. In 2020, a majority of those financially strapped voters voted for President Joe Biden, but this year, about two-thirds supported Trump. Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, said Democrats had a lot working against them among swing voters: their deteriorating personal finances, fueled by inflation, and the sense that many blamed Biden. Yost said Vice President Kamala Harris ran a strong campaign but was unable to overcome those headwinds. “The mood of the electorate was so negative, they took it out on the incumbent party,” Yost said. Some voters’ memories of Trump’s presidency improved with the passage of time. VoteCast shows just 40% of Pennsylvania voters said they approve of Biden’s job performance, while 54% said they approved of Trump when he was president. Four years ago, Trump approval in Pennsylvania was 49%. In his victory over Harris, Trump won Pennsylvania by about 2%, with votes still being counted. That was about three times the margin of his 2016 victory. He lost Pennsylvania by just over 1% in 2020 to Biden. Trump carried Wisconsin by less than a point, as he did in 2016, after losing it by about a half percentage point in 2020. In Michigan, Trump won by about 80,000 — many times his nearly 11,000-vote win in 2016 and about half the margin of his loss to Biden in 2020. In Pennsylvania, Trump gained ground in Democratic-friendly counties statewide, including the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia and heavily populated suburbs that swung hard against Trump in 2016 and 2020. In Trump-friendly exurbs and rural areas, his margins grew across the board. His strength also helped David McCormick beat three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, Republicans say, allowing them to reclaim the Senate seat the GOP lost in 2022 when Democrat John Fetterman replaced retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. In addition, a two-seat pickup shifted the state’s congressional delegation from 9-8 in favor of Democrats to a 10-7 Republicans majority, giving the GOP a valuable boost in its fight to keep House control. And for the first time since the state attorney general’s office became an elected […]
As he bid farewell to Washington in January 2021, deeply unpopular and diminished, Donald Trump was already hinting at a comeback. “Goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form,” Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews, where he’d arranged a 21-gun salute as part of a military send-off before boarding Air Force One. “We will see you soon.” Four years later, he’s fulfilled his prophecy. With his commanding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump achieved a comeback that seemed unimaginable after the 2020 election ended with his supporters violently storming the Capitol after he refused to accept his defeat. In the years that followed, Trump was widely blamed for Republican losses, indicted four times, convicted on 34 felony counts, ruled to have inflated his assets in a civil fraud trial and found liable for abuse. He still faces fines that top more than half a billion dollars and the prospect of jail time. But Trump managed to turn his legal woes into fuel that channeled voters’ anger. He seized on widespread discontent over the direction of a country battered by years of high inflation. And he spoke to a new generation — using podcasts and social media — to tell those who felt forgotten that he shared their disdain for the status quo. And he did so while surviving two attempted assassinations and a late-stage candidate replacement by Democrats. “This was a campaign of October surprises,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said hours after clinching victory. “When you think about it, whether it was indictments, convictions, assassination attempts, the switching out of the candidate — I mean it was a campaign of firsts on so many different levels.” ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ Trump had entered the general election after sweeping the GOP primaries and routing a crowded field of candidates. The indictments against him dominated news coverage and forced even his rivals to rally around him as he cast himself as the victim of a politically motivated effort to hobble his candidacy. A late June debate against President Joe Biden — which the Biden campaign had pushed for — ended disastrously for the president, who struggled to put words together and repeatedly lost his train of thought. When Trump arrived at the Republican National Convention to formally accept his party’s nomination for the second time weeks later, he seemed unstoppable. Just two days earlier, a gunman had opened fire at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, unleashing a hail of bullets that grazed his ear and left one supporter dead. After the gunman had been killed, Trump stood, surrounded by Secret Service agents, his face streaked by blood, and raised his fist in the air — shouting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” — as the crow erupted into cheers. The moment became a rallying cry for his campaign. “If you want to make somebody iconic, try to throw them in jail. Try to bankrupt them. … If you want to make somebody iconic, try to kill him,” said Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative who has known Trump for 45 years and was pardoned by the former president. ”All of those things failed. They just made him bigger and more powerful as a political force. Every one of those things turbocharged his candidacy.” A sudden reversal Trump had appeared to be on a glide path to victory. But just days later, Democrats, […]
Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down what they described as an American drone early Friday, potentially the latest downing of a U.S. spy drone as the militants continue their attacks on the Red Sea corridor. The U.S. military acknowledged the videos circulating online showing what appeared to be a flaming aircraft dropping out of the sky and a field of burning debris in what those off-camera described as an area of Yemen’s al-Jawf province. The military said it was investigating the incident, declining to elaborate further. It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down in the low-quality night video. The Houthis, in a later statement, claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo. The Houthis have been a key component of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” during the Mideast wars that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups. Since Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the rebels have shot down MQ-9 Reaper drones in Yemen in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The U.S. military has declined to offer a total figure for the number of drones it has lost during that time. Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years. The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. The tempo of the Houthi sea attacks also has waxed and waned over the months. In October, the U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the Houthis. (AP)
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has confirmed that all Israelis visiting Amsterdam have now been reached following an attack on fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The ministry’s situation room, in coordination with the Israeli embassy in Amsterdam, worked to ensure the safety of all citizens known to be in the city. The incident, which Amsterdam police are treating as a targeted antisemitic assault, has left many shocked and on edge. Police report that ten individuals remain in custody in connection with the attack, which took place as Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans gathered in the Dutch capital. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, addressing the public in a news conference, condemned the violence, describing those responsible as “antisemitic hit-and-run squads.” She expressed profound regret for the city, saying, “This is a very dark moment for the city, for which I am deeply ashamed.” “Antisemitic criminals attacked and assaulted visitors to our city, in hit-and-run actions,” Halsema stated, explaining that the attackers had managed to evade authorities despite a heightened police presence. The attack has sparked outrage within Amsterdam and beyond, as both local officials and international leaders call for swift justice and heightened security for Jewish visitors and residents in the wake of the incident. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Southern California firefighters working to contain a wildfire that has destroyed 132 structures in two days could be assisted by a forecast of fierce wind gusts easing early Friday, officials said. The Mountain Fire started Wednesday morning in Ventura County and had grown to 32 square miles (about 83 square kilometers). It was 7% contained Friday morning. Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Friday morning as the fire continued to threaten about 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County. At least 88 additional structures were damaged in addition to the 132 destroyed, which were mostly homes. Officials did not specify whether they had been burned or affected by water or smoke damage. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Joey Parish returned to the site of his former home of more than 20 years in Camarillo Heights. All that was left was part of the burned-out steel frame. “It’s tough, it’s really tough to know how to process the emotions,” he told KNBC-TV on Thursday. He had evacuated with his wife and their cat. “Neither one of us has been able to cry yet,” he said. “What I have on my back is what I came out with,” he said. “My cellphone, and not even a charger, and no toothbrush — nothing.” Ten people suffered smoke inhalation or other non-life-threatening injuries, Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said. Crews working in steep terrain with support from water-dropping helicopters were focusing on protecting homes on hillsides along the fire’s northeast edge near the city of Santa Paula, home to more than 30,000 people, county fire officials said. Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees during the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds. Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction of the normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific. They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring. Ariel Cohen, a National Weather Service’s meteorologist in Oxnard, said Santa Ana winds were subsiding in the lower elevations but remained gusty across the higher elevations Thursday evening. The red flag warnings, indicating conditions for high fire danger, expired in the area except in the Santa Susana Mountains, where the warnings will expire by 11 a.m. Friday in the mountains. The Santa Anas are expected to return early-to-midweek next week, Cohen said. An air quality alert for harmful fine particle pollution was in effect from Friday morning until Saturday afternoon due to smoke from the wildfires. More than a dozen school districts and campuses in Ventura County were closed Friday due to impacts from the fires, according to the county’s Office of Education. The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. The fire swiftly grew from less than half a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in little more than five hours on Wednesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in Ventura County. California utilities began powering down […]
Israel’s newly appointed Chief Rabbanim, HaRav Dovid Yosef and HaRav Kalman Bar paskened that El Al can fly to Amsterdam on Shabbos to rescue the Israelis following the pogrom in the Netherlands. The heter will be re-evaluated based on hourly situational assessments. Israel’s Transportation Ministry instructed El Al and Israir to add three flights to Amsterdam to rescue Israelis in addition to the three regularly scheduled flights. Israelis whose passports were stolen or lost will be allowed to board the flights without passports. The flights will be free of charge for all passengers who had booked a return ticket from Amsterdam to Israel with El Al and all other airlines, the flag carrier says. The first flight will depart from Amsterdam at 2 p.m. local time and arrive back in Israel on Friday evening, El Al says. It adds that two regularly scheduled flights will also depart Amsterdam for Tel Aviv later today, each carrying around 350 passengers. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry revealed on Friday morning that Dutch security officials had received three separate warnings about the possibility of attacks against Israelis, including a warning about violent protests, harming an individual fan who is an Israeli Border Police officer, and a warning that Arabs were planning to raid the Leonardo Hotel where Israelis were staying. The ministry said that the warnings were sent to Dutch security forces who were responsible for the security of the fans by the Shin Bet and the Prime Minister’s Office. The Border Police officer was also informed of the threat by Israeli security officials. “Unfortunately, the local forces failed in their mission of protecting Israeli soccer fans,” the Diaspora Affairs Ministry stated: “As of 3:30 a.m., we have transferred additional information from the networks which are assisting the security forces.” (YWN World headquarters – NYC)
The IDF has announced that Master Sgt. (res.) Guy Shabtay, 39, from Jerusalem, has died from injuries sustained during combat in southern Lebanon two weeks ago. Shabtay, a member of the Alon Brigade’s 8207th Battalion, was severely injured on October 26 during a firefight with Hezbollah terrorists in a village in southern Lebanon. The incident left five other reservists dead and more than a dozen wounded. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has appointed Yechiel Leiter, a US-born academic and longtime ally, as Israel’s next ambassador to the United States. Leiter previously served as Netanyahu’s chief of staff during his tenure as finance minister under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Leiter’s appointment comes just one year after he suffered a personal tragedy: the loss of his son, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, 39, who was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip on November 10. A father of six, he had been training to become a doctor, and was involved in a program to train Charedim in computer science, preparing them to serve in the IDF’s prestigious Unit 8200, which is dedicated to intelligence. In an interview with Yisrael Hayom, Leiter shared details of a recent conversation with Netanyahu. Following his son’s death, the prime minister reached out to console him. “When the prime minister called me this evening to console me, I told him only one thing: ‘Bibi, my son’s blood was not shed in vain. Finish this job. Don’t let any pressure in the world stop you. Because the only consolation of this loss is banishing evil,’” Leiter recounted. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A man accused of firing at occupied cars on a busy North Carolina highway, injuring one person, has been charged with assault and other counts, police said Friday. The 23-year-old suspect was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and 11 counts of firing a weapon into an occupied vehicle or dwelling, Raleigh police said in a news release. A second person who was detained at the time of the man’s arrest has been released without any charges. Police had said Thursday that the second person was at the home where the suspect was taken into custody. The string of shootings at cars on a busy highway and nearby homes raised concerns in the area around North Carolina’s capital. No information on a motive has been disclosed. The case began to get attention after several people reported gunfire on a stretch of Interstate 40 in Raleigh and suburban Cary around the Wednesday morning rush hour, police have said. Reports of other similar shootings then emerged. Authorities said eight vehicles were struck — two on Monday, four on Wednesday and two on Thursday. A police news release also said the four other shootings struck homes Wednesday. Raleigh’s police chief said Thursday that the shootings were connected. One of the shootings struck a woman in the leg early Monday while she was traveling on I-40, police said. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening. (AP)
