Yeshiva World News

Iran has released a new AI-generated video implicitly threatening a nuclear attack on Israel. There is no evidence to suggest the genocidal regime has any such capabilities.

New explosions seen in Tehran amid a new wave of Israeli bombing runs, as confirmed by the IDF.

Amid waves of ballistic missile attacks and a US attack on its nuclear facilities likely pending, Iran’s supreme leader ym”s vows to “show the Zionists no mercy.”

The White House has called a full lid for the evening, meaning President Donald Trump is not expected to make any public appearances, issue statements, or be seen on camera for the remainder of the day.

The U.S. is shifting military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East to protect Israel from Iranian attacks as President Donald Trump warns Tehran to step back from the conflict. Trump’s social media posts saying his patience with Iran was “wearing thin” have raised the possibility of deepening U.S. involvement, perhaps by using its bunker-busting bomb to strike a key Iranian nuclear site built deep underground in the mountains. Israel doesn’t have the massive munition it would take to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, or the aircraft needed to deliver it. Only the U.S. does. As America’s national security leaders discuss the next steps, the Pentagon has moved to ensure that its troops and bases in the region are protected. Here’s a look at the U.S. military presence in the Middle East: US aircraft moving to the Middle East In a social media post, Trump warned that “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.” U.S. officials insisted as of Tuesday that the American military has not taken any offensive actions against Iran, only defensive strikes to take out incoming Iranian missiles to protect Israel. Additional U.S. fighter jets and refueling tankers have been deployed to the region, but officials have declined to provide specific numbers. Fighter jets have joined in launching strikes to defend Israel, but officials said Tuesday that no American aircraft were over Iran. Aurora Intel, a group that reviews open source information in real time in the Middle East, said the U.S. Air Force had put additional refueling aircraft and fighter jets in strategic locations across Europe, including England, Spain, Germany and Greece. The information was obtained from public aviation tracking websites. U.S. fighter jets have been patrolling the skies around the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and bases in the region are on heightened alert and are taking additional security precautions, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not provided any details, but said on Fox News Channel late Monday that the military movements were to “ensure that our people are safe.” Warships taking out Iranian missiles and ready to protect US bases American warships also are shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel, with the USS The Sullivans and the USS Arleigh Burke launching strikes over the weekend. The Sullivans has been joined in the Eastern Mediterranean by the USS Thomas Hudner this week to continue those defense strikes, while the Arleigh Burke has moved away from the area, according to a U.S. official. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is in the Arabian Sea with the four warships in its strike group. They are not participating in the defense of Israel. But they are positioned to provide security for U.S. troops and bases along the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The USS Nimitz has been long scheduled to take over for the Carl Vinson and is heading west from the Indo-Pacific region toward the Middle East. The official said it is slated to arrive in the region by the end of the month, and the two carriers would likely overlap at least for a short time before the Vinson heads home to San Diego. There also are destroyers in the Red Sea, […]

The past few days in Israel have been nothing short of devastating. A barrage of hypersonic missiles, explosive-laden drones, and relentless rocket fire launched by Iran and its proxies has rained down on cities across the country, leaving destruction, trauma, and heartbreak in its wake. From the northern border to the heart of Tel Aviv, no community has been spared. In one of the most heartbreaking incidents, an entire Arab Israeli family — including young children — was killed in the north. In central Israel, direct hits on residential buildings and public spaces left over 100 injured and at least 9 civilians dead, among them three children aged just 10, 13, and 18. More than 300 homes and buildings have been reported damaged or destroyed. Sirens have sounded in dozens of municipalities, and millions of Israelis have spent nights in bomb shelters, many without electricity or access to proper care. And yet, amid the chaos and fear, there is light — the unmistakable light of courage, compassion, and unity. At every site of impact, United Hatzalah’s volunteers have been among the first to respond. With zero hesitation, these brave medics — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze — leave their own families, often sheltering in safe rooms, and race directly toward danger. On ambucycles, in ambulances, or on foot, they weave through debris and sirens to reach those in need. They have pulled children from under rubble, stabilized the elderly suffering from cardiac arrest, treated burns, trauma, and shock, and responded to over 6,000 emergency calls unrelated to the conflict — showing up for every life, every need, regardless of background or location. Many of these volunteers are working on little or no sleep, and yet their devotion does not waver. This is more than just a time of crisis — it is a time of national and human urgency. United Hatzalah is not funded by the government. Every piece of equipment, every life-saving device, every emergency response is made possible through your donations. As Israel faces one of its darkest and most dangerous hours in recent memory, we ask you: stand with us. Support the work. Stand with the volunteers. Help us save lives. We do not have the luxury to wait. We must act now — together. 👉 Donate now 

The IDF has issued an urgent evacuation warning for District 18 in Tehran, ahead of an expected strike on Iranian military infrastructure. Civilians are urged to leave immediately for their safety.

Lebanon’s president and prime minister said Monday that their country must stay out of the conflict between Israel and Iran because any engagement would be detrimental to the small nation engulfed in an economic crisis and struggling to recover from the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. Their remarks amounted to a message to the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group — an ally of both Iran and the Palestinian terror Hamas group in Gaza — to stay out of the fray. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke during a Cabinet meeting Monday that also discussed the Iran-Israel conflict and the spike in regional tensions over the past four days. Information Minister Paul Morkos later told reporters that Aoun urged all sides in Lebanon to maintain calm and preserve the country’s stability. For his part, Salam said Lebanon should not be involved in “any form in the war,” Morkos added. Hezbollah, funded and armed by Iran, has long been considered Tehran’s most powerful ally in the region but its latest war with Israel also saw much of Hezbollah’s political and military leadership killed in Israeli airstrikes. Since Israel on Friday launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program and top military leaders, drawing Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missiles at Israel, the back-and-forth has raised concerns that the region, already on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, would be plunged into even greater upheaval. (AP)

HY’D: A third victim of the Iranian missile attack that struck a high-rise building in Petach Tikvah in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning was identified as Daisy Yitzchaki, 85. Two more victims of the missile strike on the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa were also identified: Uri Levy, 58, and Igor Fradkin, 50. The two men, along with the previously identified victim, Dani Avraham, worked at the refinery. Levy, z’l, a resident of Haifa, left behind his wife, three children, and a granddaughter. Fradkin, z’l, a resident of Kiryat Ata, left behind three children.

A hurricane warning was issued Tuesday for a portion of southern Mexico as Tropical Storm Erick gained strength in the Pacific Ocean, forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center said Erick was expected to rapidly intensify and become a hurricane by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The cyclone was centered about 285 miles (460 kilometers) southeast of Puerto Ángel, Mexico, on Tuesday morning. The tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the Miami-based center said. It was moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) and forecast to approach the coast by late Wednesday. A hurricane warning was in effect from Puerto Ángel to Punta Maldonado in coastal southern Mexico. The hurricane watch stretches west of Punta Maldonado to Acapulco and east of Puerto Ángel to Bahías de Huatulco. A tropical storm watch was posted east of Puerto Ángel to Salina Cruz. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the area, and preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, according to the NHC advisory. Heavy rainfall up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) was forecast for parts of Oaxaca and Guerrero with lighter amounts in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states as well as parts of El Salvador and Guatemala. The rainfall may produce flooding and mudslides, the center said, and storm surge could produce coastal flooding. (AP)

GARDEN STATE PARKWAY: A bus traveling from Monsey to Boro Park via the Garden State Parkway was forced to stop near the i80 when its fire suppression system suddenly activated. The bus company has sent a second bus to transport the stranded travelers to their destination.

On Monday, June 16th the Senate Finance Committee released its text of the Big, Beautiful Bill. It includes a game-changing, $4 billion annual tax credit that will enable students to receive K-12 scholarships which can be used for private school tuition and other educational expenses. Most importantly, the Senate version makes the proposed scholarship tax credit permanent! “School Choice is here to stay,” said Rabbi Avi Schnall, Agudath Israel of America’s Director of Federal Education Affairs. “The proposed Educational Choice for Children Act will soon allow students in all 50 states to benefit from choosing the educational setting that best meets their needs.” “The Senate proposal provides the necessary stability so that parents and others are willing to invest in the long term education of our children,” added Rabbi A. D. Motzen, Agudath Israel of America’s National Director of Government Affairs. This expansion builds upon the House-passed bill that included a tax credit cap of $5 billion a year for four years. The Senate draft also made several other important improvements advocated by Agudath Israel and its coalition partners. “We are blessed with many school choice champions in Congress,” said Rabbi Yossie Charner Agudath Israel’s Director of Congressional Affairs. “Agudath Israel thanks Senators Bill Cassidy, Ted Cruz, and Tim Scott, who, along with Chairman Crapo and Senate leadership ensured that the Big, Beautiful Bill will leave a lasting legacy for many years to come.” Agudath Israel urges the House to adopt these Senate changes and make additional positive enhancements to the measure so that the final version is the biggest, and best bill possible to help our students and families.

NY TIMES: Iran has prepared missiles and military equipment for strikes on US bases in the Middle East if the US joins Israel’s war against the country, according to US officials.

DISGRACEFUL: Roaring antisemite United States Representative Ilhan Omar says America is “one of the worst countries” on earth. She should go back to her home county (before she entered the USA illegally). Somalia, where it’s just blissful and great place to live.

When an Iranian missile slammed into this central Israeli city, Miryam was huddled inside the concrete safe room in her family’s apartment. Miryam was unscathed by the blast. But four people in the building next door were killed, and the explosion blew off the doors to the apartment and destroyed the kitchen and bathroom. “This was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced,” said Miryam, who spoke to AP on condition that her last name not be used because she serves in the military. “But the right thing is to attack Iran; I don’t want them to have this power over us.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long identified Iran as Israel’s greatest enemy, citing its hostile rhetoric and support for terror groups and its pursuit of nuclear weapons. After years of threats, Israel launched a surprise attack on Friday, killing Iranian military leaders and striking nuclear facilities in a blistering aerial assault. While no opinion polls have been released yet, the Israeli public — and even Netanyahu’s rivals in the opposition – appears to be lining up behind the military operation in these early days. Such sentiment was evident in Petah Tikva, a middle-class city outside Tel Aviv where many residents said they support the operation, even after the deadly blast. The Iranian missiles appear to be the strongest assault on Israel’s heartland since then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s Scud missile attacks during the first Gulf War in 1991. Residents in the area had packed suitcases, with some headed to stay with relatives and others to hotels paid for by the city. Idle teenagers sat among the wreckage staring at their ruined apartments. “I still don’t understand it,” said Eitan Tevel, 14, who spent an hour in the safe room of his sixth-floor apartment before emerging to see it damaged. Still, he said, he wants Israel to keep striking Iran. “If we don’t do it, many people will be killed,” he said. By mid-day, first responders in Petah Tikva were still assessing the damage and clearing buildings. Four complexes housing hundreds of families were impacted by the missile, which struck the side of one of the buildings and tore off the exterior. Windows and doors were blown off, with few cars in the vicinity unscathed. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, visited the neighborhood, calling the attack “pure evil.” Shmuel Rosner, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, said that as bad as the missile attacks have been, people had expected even worse. “For many years we were told that when the day comes, we might have to spend days and weeks in bomb shelters and see thousands of buildings crash. That’s not the case,” he said. But he warned that if there is a sense that Israel is failing to achieve its objectives, support could quickly dwindle. Older residents in this hard-hit neighborhood said the strikes reminded them of the first Gulf War over 30 years ago. Israel had limited air defenses, and people feared a chemical attack by the Iraqi leader. Many remember carrying gas masks and sealing windows with tape and plastic. People now feel protected by Israel’s robust air defenses, but they also believe there’s more at stake in this conflict. “This is more scary,” said Nadav Shomron, 44, who remembers that war as a boy. […]

Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch has issued an urgent call to American Jews, requesting their tefillos for the safety and wellbeing of their brethren in Eretz Yisroel and to be nosei ol during this challenging and pivotal moment in history

The IDF issues a new evacuation warning in the southern Gaza Strip, slightly expanding a large no-go zone.