Before tomorrow’s meeting on dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons, Beirut displayed banners for PM Salam and President Aoun: “We are all with you, one army, one weapon, one country…”
In Paris, the Coalition of the Willing—led by France and the UK with over 30 countries—met to coordinate security guarantees and aid for Ukraine, with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in attendance and a joint call with Trump planned after the talks.
Syrian Druze leader Sheikh Fadi Badriya warned that the community may push for separation from Syria if the regime is not held accountable before an international court.
Security footage from Lebanon shows the IDF carrying out a strike last night on a covert Hezbollah engineering equipment site in Ansariya, southern Lebanon.
The Turgeman Committee, which was appointed to investigate the quality of the IDF’s internal probes into the October 7th massacre during the tenure of former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, presented its findings and recommendations to IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Deputy Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai, Walla reported on Thursday. According to the report, the conclusions could shake the very foundations of the army’s leadership. Senior officers exposed to the details described the findings as “particularly problematic,” warning that they cast leading generals and other high-ranking officers in a negative light. “These are not just technical lessons but questions of personal responsibility at the very highest levels of command,” one officer said. Zamir has not yet published the recommendations, fearing a severe upheaval within the system. There are concerns that the findings and recommendations will spark internal clashes between IDF generals and between generals and members of the Turgeman Committee—including harsh accusations that will be leaked to the public. Senior officers have already pointed to the first problem: for reasons that Zamir has not yet addressed, he decided to appoint dozens of senior officers, including brigadier generals, without thoroughly discussing the committee’s recommendations—a move that raises questions about the credibility of the entire process. Walla further reported that, according to assessments, Zamir will need to clear four sensitive hurdles before the report can be released: presenting the findings to the General Staff Forum, the Defense Minister, bereaved families, and the general public. The IDF estimates that he will continue to delay the publication of the report, since some recommendations will likely prevent him from appointing specific officers or, more likely, showing them the door. In any case, Zamir postponed the publication of the committee’s findings until after Operation Gideon’s Chariots B, or in other words, is taking advantage of any opportunity to gain more time until the findings are published. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is pressing the Trump intelligence community’s new leadership to investigate whether Iranian-linked operatives infiltrated the U.S. government, warning that sensitive national security information may have been compromised. In a letter sent Wednesday to FBI Director Kash Patel and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and obtained by The New York Post, Cotton urged a “thorough” counterintelligence review into “potential criminality” surrounding Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Pentagon policy adviser accused of being tied to Tehran’s influence operations. “I write to reiterate my concern that Iranian government-linked affiliates have influenced and may be still influencing U.S. government operations,” Cotton wrote, adding that “specifically, Ariane Tabatabai, a founding member of the so-called ‘Iranian Experts Initiatives’ (IEI), is still working with the U.S. intelligence community.” Tabatabai, 40, an Iranian-born U.S. official who served as a top aide to former President Biden’s special envoy to Iran Robert Malley, has long faced scrutiny from Republicans. A 2023 leak of Iranian government documents described her as a willing participant in an initiative launched by Tehran’s Foreign Ministry in 2014 to promote the regime’s views in the West. Though the Pentagon has maintained she was not tied to subsequent leaks, Israeli intelligence last October reportedly raised suspicions that Tabatabai was connected to the exposure of classified U.S. documents about a planned strike against Iran. She has retained her Pentagon post — earning $153,434 annually — and continues to hold a security clearance. “She has been suspected of collaborating with the Islamic regime before,” a U.S.-based Iran expert told The Post in 2024. “There were some calls for her to be stripped of her security clearance.” Cotton, who now chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, blasted the Biden administration for leaving such officials in place. “Iran’s mission is ‘death to America,’ so it’s particularly concerning that Joe Biden allowed someone so deeply connected to Iranian leadership access to our national security,” Cotton said in an interview. Tabatabai’s tenure has been tied to the fallout from Malley, who was suspended in June 2023 for mishandling “protected material.” Malley, who encouraged a “permissive” stance toward Tehran, became a flashpoint for GOP criticism as Iran stepped up support for Hamas and Hezbollah in attacks against Israel. Cotton’s letter accused “several Obama and Biden appointees” of “unreported recurring contact for years with Iranian officials such as then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif” and of seeking “guidance from Tehran.” He added that affiliates of IEI “gained prominent positions both in and outside government during the Biden administration, posing significant danger to national security.” Tabatabai grew up in Tehran, the daughter of Seyyed Javad Tabatabai, a prominent political thinker with close ties to former Iranian presidents Muhammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani. She has not publicly addressed her role in IEI. For years, Republicans have labeled her a spy, a claim intelligence officials under Biden denied. But suspicions persisted after leaks damaged Israel’s war effort in 2023–24 and as Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Cotton closed his letter with a pointed call for action: “While the Biden administration ignored repeated calls from Republicans to remove officials affiliated with IEI and the Iranian government, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Defense (DoD) should now correct this mistake.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after yet another drawing passed without a big winner Wednesday. The numbers selected were: 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69, with the Powerball number being 22. Since May 31, there have been 41 straight drawings without a big winner. The next drawing will be Saturday night, with the prize expected to be the third-largest in U.S. lottery history. Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes. There are three drawings each week. The estimated $1.4 billion jackpot from Wednesday night’s drawing would have been for a winner who had opted to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game’s cash option, which would have been an estimated $634.3 million. Powerball tickets cost $2 and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (AP)
BREAKING IN FLATBUSH: A person was shot in the head at Webster Avenue and Coney Island Avenue. Flatbush Hatzolah is on the scene. The victim is reported to be in serious condition. The suspect fled in a Honda Accord with temporary plates. The NYPD is investigating. A name for Tehillim is not needed in this incident.
YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Habocher Yosef Shea Friedman, A”H, just 17 years old. Yosef Shea A”H was the beloved son of R’ Eli Friedman, well known for arranging some of Klal Yisroel’s largest gatherings, including Adirei HaTorah. Two weeks ago, YWN reported on the tragic electrical accident at a camp in Kerhonkson, NY, where Yosef Shea A”H was critically injured. Catskills Hatzolah Paramedics found him in cardiac arrest but succeeded in restoring a pulse. He was stabilized in Poughkeepsie before being transferred to Westchester Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition until his Petira. This tragedy comes just days after the family celebrated the wedding of the Niftar’s sister and completed the week of Sheva Brachos. The Monsey community is devastated by this heartbreaking loss. Levaya details will be published once available. Boruch Dayan HaEmes…
President Donald Trump is considering offering New York City Mayor Eric Adams a role in his administration in an effort to consolidate opposition to Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, according to a report published Wednesday by The New York Times. The discussions, which sources said have been ongoing for weeks, are part of a broader strategy by Trump’s advisers to “clear the field” and improve the chances of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the crowded mayoral race. Trump’s team has also looked at giving Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa a position in the White House, with the aim of leaving Cuomo as the strongest single challenger to Mamdani. The Times report, citing three people familiar with the talks, said advisers believe removing Adams and Sliwa from the race could “damage the chances” that Mamdani secures control of City Hall. “The discussions within Mr. Trump’s orbit about making a potentially audacious intervention date back weeks — and it is unclear if they will ultimately amount to anything,” the report noted. “But the topic has taken on added urgency in New York in recent days as an already chaotic race steams into the last stretch of the campaign season.” Mamdani, a self-identified Democratic Socialist, stunned many in June when he defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary, propelling him to frontrunner status. Cuomo has since mounted an independent campaign, while Adams and Sliwa remain in the race, raising concerns among anti-Mamdani operatives that a split vote could secure Mamdani’s victory. Trump officials have for months floated the possibility of enticing candidates out of the race with administration positions. Adams, whose political future has been clouded by scandal and sagging poll numbers, has been mentioned as a potential ambassador. Sliwa, meanwhile, was previously offered but declined a role in the Trump administration. The reports of White House maneuvering come just days after The Times faced backlash for a story suggesting Mamdani — despite his self-identification as a Democratic Socialist — should not be described as an actual socialist. Conservative commentators widely mocked and criticized the report. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
At the Chanukas Habayis for Zichron Binyamin in Lakewood, HaGaon HaRav Malkiel Kotler, shlita, warmly greeted and was seen kissing philanthropist Shimi J of Censible Marketing. The event featured the unveiling of the cornerstone for Kollel Zichron Binyamin.
The top ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says a classified meeting planned with a key U.S. spy agency was called off after it was criticized by Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist. The cancellation of Sen. Mark Warner’s visit with career intelligence staffers at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency represents an escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to block Congress from exercising oversight over the nation’s intelligence agencies. “Is congressional oversight dead?” Warner, of Virginia, said Wednesday, questioning Loomer’s authority over the intelligence community. “Is she now the secretary of defense and the director of national intelligence?” Loomer has taken credit for the State Department suspending visas for wounded Palestinian children seeking medical treatment in the U.S. and several staff changes in the administration, accusing some officials of not being not sufficiently loyal to Trump. Loomer has a history of making racist and anti-Islamic attacks on social media, and once shared a video on X that said “9/11 was an Inside Job!” While not as well known as the CIA or NSA, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency handles the collection and analysis of imaging information, including satellite imagery, used for military and intelligence operations. Its director reports to both the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense. Warner said he has had more than a dozen similar meetings with the NGA and other spy agencies under Republican and Democratic presidencies, including during Trump’s first term. He said he was hoping to ask the NGA about its use of artificial intelligence and other matters. In a social media post Sunday, Loomer detailed plans for the meeting and criticized Warner and Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, the NGA’s director, who was tapped to lead the agency by former President Joe Biden. “I’m told NGA is infested with Trump haters,” Loomer wrote. In a post Tuesday, Loomer took credit for exposing the meeting and called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to fire Whitworth. Warner said he believes the meeting was canceled by Hegseth’s office. The Pentagon said the visit was not canceled but rescheduled “to accommodate bipartisan participation in the town hall event.” Spokespeople for the NGA and for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declined to comment. Loomer did not respond to a message seeking comment. Trump has downplayed Loomer’s influence, but a growing list of administration officials have resigned or been dismissed following her criticism. They include former Food and Drug Administration vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad, who announced his departure in August; Jen Easterly, former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, who was dismissed from a post at the U.S. Military Academy; as well as Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh, former director of the NSA and the Pentagon’s Cyber Command. The State Department also announced last month that it would suspend all visitor visas for people from Gaza, pending a review, a day after Loomer posted videos on social media of children from Gaza arriving in the U.S. for medical treatment and questioned how they got visas. The administration announced a new, restrictive visa policy for Gaza this week. (AP)
A federal appeals court has approved Illinois’ ban on carrying firearms on public transit, reversing a lower court decision that found the prohibition violated the Second Amendment. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals delivered its opinion on Tuesday. Judge Joshua Kolar wrote in the majority opinion for a three-judge panel that the Illinois restriction “is comfortably situated in a centuries-old practice of limiting firearms in sensitive and crowded, confined places.” In August 2024, the Rockford-based U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled in favor of four plaintiffs who argued that prohibiting guns on public buses and trains was unconstitutional. It relied on a pivotal 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Bruen that decreed that restrictions on carrying guns in public must be “relevantly similar,” or consistent, with conditions that existed in the late 18th century when the Bill of Rights was composed. It said there were no analogous conditions that justified the transit ban. The appeals court found the ban appropriate. “We are asked whether the state may temporarily disarm its citizens as they travel in crowded and confined metal tubes unlike anything the founders envisioned,” Kolar wrote. “We draw from the lessons of our nation’s historical regulatory traditions and find no Second Amendment violation in such a regulation.” The public transit ban was imposed in 2013 when Illinois became the last state in the nation to OK carrying concealed weapons in public. In addition to buses and trains, it nixed gun possession in places such as public arenas and hospitals. Joining in the majority opinion with Kolar, who was named to the court by President Joe Biden in 2024, was Judge Kenneth Ripple, appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan. Writing a separate concurring opinion was Judge Amy St. Eve, tabbed for the court in 2018 by President Donald Trump. (AP)
Canadian Police Chief after man murdered during home invasion: “If you ever find yourself the victim of a home invasion, we are urging citizens not to take matters into your own hands…Don’t engage…The best defense is to comply.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Secretary of Defense has directed the deployment of the USS Lake Erie guided-missile cruiser, along with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, to SOUTHCOM as part of efforts to combat narcoterrorism.
A memo reveals that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security formally requested military assistance in Chicago last week, saying ICE requires significant backup to carry out deportations “efficiently and securely.”
