Spain has rejected a NATO proposal to spend 5% of GDP on defense needs that’s due to be announced next week, calling it “unreasonable.” In a letter sent Thursday to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that Spain “cannot commit to a specific spending target in terms of GDP” at next week’s NATO summit in The Hague. Most U.S. allies at NATO are on track to endorse U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that they invest 5% of gross domestic product on their defense and military needs. In early June, Sweden and the Netherlands said that they aim to meet the new target. Spain is the lowest spender in the 32-nation military alliance, directing less than 2% of its GDP on defense expenditure. In April, Sánchez said the government will raise defense spending by 10.5 billion euros ($12 billion) to reach NATO’s previous target of 2% of GDP. (AP)
BREAKING VIDEO: An Iranian missile made impact at or near the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva. Damage is seen. There are other reports of missile impacts in other locations as well.
The COVID-19 variant that may be driving a recent rise in cases in some parts of the world has earned a new nickname: “razor blade throat” COVID. That’s because the variant — NB.1.8.1. or “Nimbus” — may cause painful sore throats. The symptom has been identified by doctors in the United Kingdom, India and elsewhere, according to media outlets in those countries. Other COVID-19 symptoms of any variant include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell. Experts say there isn’t major cause for concern with the Nimbus variant, but here ‘s what else you need to know about it. Here’s where the variant causing ‘razor blade throat’ is spreading The rise in cases late last month is primarily in eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions, the World Health Organization said May 28. The new variant had reached nearly 11% of sequenced samples reported globally in mid-May. Airport screening in the United States detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York. You aren’t likely to get sicker from this variant than others Not so far, anyway. The WHO said some western Pacific countries have reported increases in COVID cases and hospitalizations, but there’s nothing so far to suggest that the disease associated with the new variant is more severe compared to other variants. COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the Nimbus variant Yes. The WHO has designated Nimbus as a “variant under monitoring” and considers the public health risk low at the global level. Current vaccines are expected to remain effective. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced last month that COVID-19 shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by public health experts. (AP)
The White House is enveloped in a cloud of suspense and conflicting signals as President Donald Trump weighs a momentous decision: whether to deploy U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordo nuclear facility. The intrigue has sparked a frenzy of contradictory reports, leaving allies, adversaries, and observers on edge. According to CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC News, Trump has greenlit a military strike plan targeting the Fordo installation, buried deep within a mountain near Qom. Yet, sources say that the president has not issued a final order, keeping the world guessing about his next move. The plan, if executed, would see the U.S. unleash its Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bomb designed to obliterate deeply entrenched targets. Such a strike would mark a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Iran relations and could reshape the geopolitical landscape. Complicating the picture, The New York Times reports that Iranian officials are slated to meet with U.S. representatives “soon,” hinting at a possible diplomatic off-ramp. The prospect of talks has fueled speculation that Trump, known for his deal-making instincts, may be holding the military option as leverage to extract concessions from Tehran. Yet, with no concrete timeline for these discussions, the diplomatic path remains shrouded in uncertainty. Meanwhile, Axios paints a different portrait, suggesting Trump harbors doubts about the potential strike’s efficacy. Sources close to the president indicate he questions whether even the MOP can fully neutralize Fordo’s nuclear capabilities, given its subterranean defenses. This hesitation, Axios notes, stems from intelligence assessments that cast doubt on the operation’s ability to deliver a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Adding another layer of intrigue, Semafor reports that a strike may be increasingly unlikely due to a limited U.S. stockpile of bunker-busting munitions. The Pentagon, according to defense officials cited by Semafor, faces logistical constraints that could hamper its ability to sustain a prolonged campaign against Fordo and other fortified Iranian sites. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the U.S. is gearing up for a strike on Iran, with the attack expected to come with the next few days – possibly over the weekend. Curiously, Israel, which has long viewed Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat, has not formally requested U.S. assistance in bombing Fordo, according to multiple reports. While a U.S. strike would undoubtedly aid Israel’s strategic objectives, the IDF appear confident in their own audacious – and still secret – plan to neutralize the facility. Lacking the U.S.’s heavy bunker-busting bombs, Israeli military planners are reportedly banking on a high-risk operation involving elite special forces to infiltrate and destroy Fordo from within. This approach draws inspiration from a recent Israeli commando raid in Syria, where operatives successfully dismantled an Assad-era weapons facility. The IDF’s plan for Fordo would involve penetrating the heavily guarded site, sabotaging critical infrastructure, and escaping before Iranian forces could mount a counterattack. Such an operation would be a staggering display of military prowess but carries immense risks, including the potential for significant casualties and regional retaliation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Amid the increasingly precarious security situation in Eretz Yisroel, Mir Yerushalayim has launched an initiative for its talmidim to take shifts in order to learn for three consecutive days without a single break in limud torah.
US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles. In a notice made public Wednesday, the department said it had rescinded its May suspension of student visa processing but said new applicants who refuse to set their social media accounts to “public” and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected.
Trump meets with national security team on Iran as U.S. prepares to evacuate citizens from Israel President Donald Trump is meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room for the second time in two days, as he considers whether to order a military strike against Iran amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. The meeting began shortly before 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, a White House official told NBC News. Meanwhile, his administration has begun preparing for large-scale evacuations of Americans who want to leave Israel.
Honda is recalling more than 259,000 of its cars across the U.S. due to a problem that can cause the brake pedal to shift out of position, potentially interfering with a driver’s ability to stop or slow down. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall covers certain Honda Pilots between model years 2023 and 2025 — as well cars under the auto maker’s luxury Acura brand: 2021-2025 Acura TLX and 2023-2025 Acura MDX vehicles. The NHTSA’s recall report notes that the brake pedal pivot pin in some of these vehicles was not secured properly during production. That can lead the pedal to shift out of place and “may lead to unintended application,” the report notes, increasing crash risks. “The issue could also cause an abnormal brake pedal feeling during operation, illuminate the brake malfunction light in the instrument cluster, or cause the vehicle’s brake lights to remain lit even when the brake pedal is not applied,” America Honda said in a statement Wednesday. As a remedy, Honda says authorized dealers will inspect the vehicles covered by this recall and replace the brake pedal assembly if necessary, free of charge. Per the NHTSA’s report, the company estimates 1% of these vehicles have this issue. Dealer notifications began on June 13. And mailed owner notification letters are set to follow on July 28. In the meantime, drivers can also confirm if their specific vehicle is included in this recall and find more information using the NHTSA site or Honda’s recall lookup. Between February 2024 and June 5, the NHSTA notes, Honda received three warranty claims related to this issue — but no reports of injuries. Honda began investigating the faulty brake pedal in April 2024, after receiving a report of a vehicle experiencing this issue. The company later determined that improper assembly of the brake pedal pivot pin occurred at a supplier’s U.S. plant, which has since been closed. Production was transferred to a plant in Mexico — where the supplier now uses a camera sensor “to verify whether the pivot pin is staked,” the recall report notes. (AP)
Sirens are sounding, schools and jobs are shut, and families’ expenses are soaring while income has vanished. Our Rabbinic board has ordered a large crisis fund to keep food on tables and hope in hearts.
A senior defense official confirmed to Fox News that Army Colonel Nathan McCormack, who advises the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Middle East and Israel affairs, has been re-assigned back to the Army following a review of his social media activity. The official stated that McCormack’s social media posts, which included calling Israel the “worst ally” and criticizing “Netanyahu and his Judeo‑supremacist cronies,” led to his removal from the joint staff. Many of these posts appeared on an anonymous X account, and several have since been deleted. “While the matter is under review, McCormack will no longer serve on the joint staff,” the Pentagon official said, adding that an investigation is ongoing to assess the content and its potential implications. The official emphasized that the views expressed on the social media account do not represent the positions of the Joint Staff or the Department of Defense. Critics, including a Pentagon contractor quoted by Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), called McCormack’s posts “mind-boggling” and “dangerous,” noting that such rhetoric from a senior military planner could be exploited by bad actors. The contractor also questioned what McCormack may be saying behind closed doors. JNS was the first to report on the story, prompting official Pentagon statements and McCormack’s removal from his role. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
As Israel increases its strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets, a new Fox News poll shows that most Americans see Iran as a significant threat to U.S. security, though opinions remain split on Israel’s military response. The poll, conducted from June 13 to 16, 2025, reveals that 73% of registered voters believe Iran poses a genuine national security risk. Support for this view crosses party lines, with 82% of Republicans, 69% of Democrats, and 62% of independents recognizing Iran’s threat—each group registering more concern than in previous years. While there’s broad agreement on Iran’s threat, public opinion is divided over Israel’s recent preemptive strikes. Overall, 47% of voters approve of Israel’s actions against Iran’s nuclear sites, while 45% disapprove—falling within the poll’s 3-point margin of error. Republicans show strong support, with 70% approving of Israel’s military efforts. Democrats largely oppose, with 60% disapproving, and independents are nearly evenly split—44% approve, 46% disapprove. This Fox News poll was conducted by Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), surveying 1,001 registered voters nationwide to gauge American sentiment amid this escalating conflict. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The State Department has begun evacuating nonessential diplomats and their families from the U.S. embassy in Israel as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify and President Donald Trump warns of the possibility of getting directly involved in the conflict. A government plane evacuated a number of diplomats and family members who had asked to leave the country Wednesday, two U.S. officials said. That came shortly before U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on X that the embassy was making plans for evacuation flights and ships for private American citizens. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomatic movements. “Given the ongoing situation and as part of the embassy’s authorized departure status, mission personnel have begun departing Israel through a variety of means,” the State Department said. “Authorized departure” means that nonessential staff and the families of all personnel are eligible to leave at government expense. There was no indication of how many diplomats and family members departed on the flight or how many may have left by land routes to Jordan or Egypt. The evacuations, comments from the White House and shifting of American military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East have heightened the possibility of deepening U.S. involvement in a conflict that threatens to spill into a wider regional war. Trump has issued increasingly pointed warnings about the U.S. joining Israel in striking at Iran’s nuclear program, saying Wednesday that he doesn’t want to carry out a U.S. strike on the Islamic Republic but suggesting he is ready to act if it’s necessary. The State Department also has steadily ramped up its warnings to American citizens in Israel and throughout the region, including in Iraq. Last week, ahead of Israel’s first strikes on Iran, the department and the Pentagon put out notices announcing that the U.S. embassy in Baghdad had ordered all nonessential personnel to leave and that the Defense Department had “authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the Middle East. Those warnings have increased as the conflict has intensified, with the embassy in Jerusalem authorizing the departure of nonessential staff and families over the weekend and ordering remaining personnel to shelter in place until further notice. The embassy has been closed since Monday and will remain shut through Friday. (AP)
Prime Minister Netanyahu took to X on Wednesday, to reaffirm Israel’s unwavering resolve to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, as the IDF continue their bombardment of Iranian military and nuclear facilities near Tehran. “We will not let the world’s most dangerous regime get the world’s most dangerous weapon,” Netanyahu declared in a post, underscoring the stakes of Israel’s ongoing military operation aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities. Netanyahu’s statement sparked a wave of reactions on X, with some users, including individuals identifying as Iranian, expressing support for Israel’s actions. One user wrote, “As an Iranian I want to thank you for the incredible hard and important task you’ve took on. From Cyrus the Great to Benjamin Netanyahu. What times to be alive.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will sail from the East Coast for Europe on a regularly scheduled deployment — but its presence also gives President Trump a third aircraft carrier option as he weighs what sort of military response the US should provide amid escalating strikes between Israel and Iran. The Ford was previously deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean as a show of strength and to provide options to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. The US Navy already has the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, and is sending the USS Nimitz to sail toward U.S. Central Command from the Indo-Pacific.
President Trump informed top advisers late Tuesday that he authorized plans for an attack on Iran, but was hesitant to proceed, preferring to wait and see if Tehran would give up its nuclear ambitions. One potential target for the U.S. is Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow enrichment site, which remains unscathed so far. Located deep beneath a mountain, the facility is widely regarded by military experts as virtually impossible to destroy with anything but the most advanced and powerful weaponry.
