This evening, U.S. airstrikes targeted several Houthi-controlled locations in Sana’a, striking ammunition storage at Iman University as well as military installations in Saraf and Al-Nahdin.
GOOD NEWS: Bechasdei Hashem, the 17-year-old bochur who was involved in the tragic accident on Route 17 in the Catskills—an accident that sadly claimed his father’s life—has been discharged from the hospital this afternoon. However, he still has a long road to recovery ahead. Please continue to daven for Klonimus Kalman Yehoshua ben Esther Malka Bracha for a refuah sheleimah.
A man claiming to be a retired colonel in the Iranian Air Force is urging Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to strike the residence of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying that such an attack could pave the way for a military-led coup against the regime. The former officer, speaking under the pseudonym “Arash”, gave an exclusive interview to Israel’s Channel 12 while inside Iran, a remarkable breach of the Islamic Republic’s strict censorship and surveillance apparatus. “Netanyahu needs to order an attack on Khamenei’s home,” Arash stated bluntly. “And we, the military, can take over sensitive political centers and officially announce Iran’s freedom and friendship with Israel,” he added. The interview is an extraordinary sign of growing dissent within Iran’s armed forces, which have long been viewed as reluctant enforcers of the regime’s hardline policies. Unlike the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is fiercely loyal to Khamenei, Iran’s conventional military—the Artesh—has historically been sidelined and underfunded. According to Arash, discontent among Iran’s military personnel is at an all-time high, and an Israeli strike on key regime targets could provide the final push needed for an uprising. In a claim that directly contradicts Tehran’s anti-Israel propaganda, Arash insisted that an overwhelming majority of Iranians secretly supported Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iranian military targets in April and October. “The regime has taken us, the people, hostage,” he said. “We have this wish that Israel will go further, so that the nation will be emboldened and take to the streets,” he continued. “The people will tear the roots of the regime out of the country themselves.” This sentiment was echoed by another Iranian defector, “Javad”, a former IRGC cleric, who also called on Israel to strike the regime and aid the Iranian people in toppling their oppressors. Arash revealed that he had been forced to resign from Iran’s military after he refused to train Hamas operatives in guerrilla warfare. His remarks suggest deep fractures within Iran’s armed forces over the regime’s aggressive foreign policies. “All the soldiers in the military feel estranged from the IRGC,” Arash asserted. “I can even say that 60% of IRGC soldiers hate the organization,” he added, a shocking claim given that the IRGC has long been viewed as Khamenei’s most loyal force. Javad, the former IRGC mullah, reinforced these claims, saying that Iran’s regular military is largely made up of lower-class recruits, many of whom resent the corruption and privileges enjoyed by IRGC elites. “Compared to the IRGC, the regular military despises the regime even more,” he said. Arash praised Israel’s recent operations against Iran’s terror proxies, including assassinations of top Hamas leaders and the precision strike that eliminated Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah. “Israel has hurt the leaders of the resistance movements,” he said. He claimed that Iran’s air defenses are in complete disarray, especially following Israel’s devastating late-October strike on Iran’s S-300 anti-aircraft missile silos and drone sites. “The computer systems that launch missiles at enemy planes? They’re completely offline.” He described Iran’s current air defense capabilities as “primitive”, saying, “They have nothing but the same old weapons we used in the Iran-Iraq War.” Javad revealed that Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran had shocked the IRGC leadership, which was unable to respond effectively. “You can see the IRGC didn’t put out a statement,” […]
Homeland Security officials on Monday said that a doctor from Lebanon who was deported over the weekend despite having a U.S. visa “openly admitted” to attending the funeral of a Hezbollah leader, as well as supporting him. The department’s statement, posted on social media, provides a possible explanation for the deportation of the 34-year-old Dr. Rasha Alawieh, whose removal from the U.S. has sparked widespread alarm, especially after a federal judge ordered that she not be sent back until there was a hearing. Government lawyers have said customs officials did not get word in time before Alawieh was sent back to Lebanon. “A visa is a privilege not a right—glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is commonsense security,” Homeland Security said in their statement. It’s the latest deportation of a foreign-born person with a U.S. visa in the past week, after a student at Columbia who led protests of the Gaza war was arrested, and another student’s visa was revoked. The Trump administration also transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations. Stephanie Marzouk, Alawieh’s lawyer, said they were working to ensure the U.S. government follows the rule of law. She said they would not stop fighting to get her back in the U.S., “to see her patients where she should be.” Marzouk did not immediately return a request for comment surrounding Homeland Security’s allegations that Alawieh supported a Hezbollah leader. The Department of Justice has also detailed their reasons for deporting Alawieh in court filings, but those documents have been sealed from the public by a federal judge. News outlets that were able to obtain those records before they were sealed report that Alawieh had photos of Hassan Nasrallah — the leader of the Lebanese militant group for the past three decades — on her phone. Alawieh had been granted the visa on March 11 and arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday, according to a complaint filed on her behalf by a cousin in federal court. Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist who had worked and lived in Rhode Island previously, was detained at least 36 hours, through Friday, the complaint said. She was to start work at Brown University as an assistant professor of medicine. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin issued an order on Friday that an in-person hearing be scheduled Monday, with Alawieh brought to court. But by Saturday, the cousin filed a motion that customs officials “willfully” disobeyed the order by sending Alawieh back to Lebanon. Lawyers for the government said in a court filing Monday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Boston airport did not receive notice of the order until she “had already departed the United States,” the judge noted. They asked that the petition be dismissed. The judge put a hearing on the case on hold on Monday, to give Alawieh’s lawyers time to prepare. Alawieh worked at Brown prior to the issuance of her H1B visa, the complaint said. It said she has held fellowships and residencies at three universities in the United States. A spokesperson for Brown said Alawieh is an employee of Brown Medicine with a clinical appointment to Brown. Brown Medicine is a not-for-profit […]
Tens of thousands of Jews in Paris celebrated Purim with Megillah readings and the distribution of 70,000 Mishloach Manot packages, organized by Chabad under Rabbi M.M. Azimov’s leadership. Events spanned Beis Chaya Mushka, local Chabad houses, and a grand reading in Neuilly-sur-Marne, documented by photographer Mordechai Lubetsky, for YWN:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will investigate Columbia University after two janitors accused the school of retaliating against them after they accused protestors of antisemitism, the New York Post reported. Lester Wilson and Mario Torres accused the school of retaliatory harassment for “reporting antisemitic and racist conduct” during the pro-Palestinian protests by students last year. “We welcome the EEOC’s decision to open an investigation into Mario’s and Lester’s charges of discrimination,” former Attorney General Bill Barr, whose law firm is representing Wilson and Torres, told the Post in a statement. “Columbia has a legal and moral obligation to protect the civil rights of its students and employees. It must be held accountable when it fails to do so,” he added. The complaint claims that shortly after the protests, Wilson saw swastikas drawn on Hamilton Hall, where the protests took place, and “found the images deeply distressing. He reported them to his supervisors, who instructed him to erase the graffiti.” Wilson and Torres claim that they were made to erase dozens of swastikas but were told by campus security that “the trespassers and vandals were exercising their First Amendment rights” and that “nothing could be done.” “They were so offensive, and Columbia’s inaction was so frustrating, that he eventually began throwing away chalk that had been left in the classrooms so vandals would not have anything to write with,” the complaint states, adding that “Torres was reprimanded by his supervisor for doing so.” Columbia University declined to comment on the complaint or the probe by the EEOC, a federal agency that enforces civil rights laws in the workplace. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
There has been a lot of talk about how hard it is for so many of us and our families to afford the therapy we so badly need. I’d like to share two ideas with you – one that could help right away to make therapy more affordable, and one that’s more of a long-term dream. Many of us find therapists through a referral source – maybe a referral agency, a rav, or an askan. This is wonderful because it helps make sure the therapist is right for what we need help with. But here’s something important to know – many referral sources won’t automatically tell you about therapists who take insurance. When speaking with any referral source, be sure to ask these two critical questions: Question #1: “Do you know any good therapists who take insurance who could help with this?” They often do know qualified therapists in clinics who take insurance, but won’t mention them unless you specifically ask. This simple question can save you thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Question #2: “If only a private-pay therapist will work for me, can you refer me to a service that helps with single case agreements?” These services can help prove to your insurance company that there aren’t suitable in-network therapists, which can get the insurance company to pay most of a private therapist’s bill. Just asking these two questions and making a phone call could save you so much money. A few more things that might help: Many clinics that take insurance now have excellent, well-trained therapists who can really help you. This has gotten much better in recent years. If you’re worried about privacy at a clinic, know that most clinics are set up to give you complete privacy. And if you’re still concerned, telehealth might be a good option. If you do need to see a private-pay therapist and have out-of-network benefits, you can get money back by submitting a “superbill.” You can easily do this yourself, but if you want someone to do this for you, services like Thrizer, Reimbursify, and Mentaya can help with this. They can help verify your benefits and even front the money for a fee. If you can’t afford a therapist’s fees, there’s nothing wrong with simply telling them and asking if they have a sliding scale. They might say no, but it’s worth asking. With the economy weak, many therapists have open slots and would rather help someone at a lower rate than have a empty slot. Remember that a therapist who charges a lot isn’t necessarily better qualified to help you. Higher rates often just mean they’re better at marketing themselves. Many more reasonably priced therapists can help you just as much. Some therapists mainly focus on helping people while supporting their families, while others try to make as much money as possible – which isn’t wrong, but we need to realize the difference. We have several excellent referral agencies in our community, and I want to say that we owe them so much Hakaras Hatov for the amazing work they do. They need and deserve all the support – financial and otherwise – that we can give them. That said, I believe we need a new kind of referral agency that focuses specifically on therapists who […]
The Middle East stands on a knife’s edge as a cascade of developments suggests the United States may be poised to imminently join Israel in a dramatic military strike against Iran’s nuclear program. From fiery rhetoric out of Washington to Houthi aggression in the Red Sea and an unprecedented American military buildup in the region, the pieces of a volatile puzzle are falling into place with breathtaking speed. The question reverberating through diplomatic corridors and military command centers alike: Is this the moment the long-simmering standoff with Tehran erupts into all-out war? The spark came early Monday morning when President Trump, in a characteristically blunt statement, declared that “further attacks or retaliation by the Houthis would be considered an attack by Iran” and promised “dire consequences” for Tehran. Delivered via his Truth Social platform, Trump’s words were a clear escalation, tying the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen directly to the Islamic Republic’s leadership. His administration has long viewed Iran’s nuclear ambitions as an existential threat, and this latest pronouncement appeared to set a tripwire: any move by Iran’s proxies could unleash a disproportionate American response. Hours later, that tripwire seemed to snap. The Houthis, undeterred by Trump’s warning, launched a brazen assault on the USS Harry S. Truman, a U.S. aircraft carrier stationed in the Red Sea. According to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, the attack involved 11 drones and a ballistic missile—an audacious bid to challenge American naval supremacy. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that none of the projectiles struck their targets, with U.S. fighter jets and ship defenses neutralizing the threat. Yet the symbolism was unmistakable: a direct strike on a U.S. vessel, mere hours after Trump’s ultimatum, has thrust the region into uncharted territory. The Pentagon’s response was swift and ominous. By midday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that three American aircraft carriers—the USS Harry S. Truman, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and USS Abraham Lincoln—are now en route to the Middle East. This represents an extraordinary concentration of naval power, unmatched in recent years, and a clear signal of intent. Carriers don’t reposition on a whim; their deployment suggests the U.S. is preparing for a major operation, one that could extend far beyond Yemen’s shores to Iran itself. Adding fuel to the fire, reports emerged today of an American MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone circling for hours near Bushehr, Iran—a coastal city home to one of Iran’s key nuclear installations. The Bushehr facility, a cornerstone of Tehran’s nuclear energy program, has long been suspected by Western intelligence of serving as a cover for weapons development. The Triton, a high-altitude UAV designed for long-endurance reconnaissance, was tracked by aviation monitors hovering perilously close to Iranian airspace—a provocative move that Tehran is unlikely to ignore. Is this a final intelligence sweep before a strike? These developments come against a backdrop of growing U.S.-Israel coordination. Israeli officials have repeatedly vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, and recent intelligence suggests Jerusalem is gearing up for action. U.S. military support has been pivotal in defending Israel against Iranian attacks during the Gaza war, and whispers in Washington indicate that Israel has sought American backing for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear sites. With Trump’s administration re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization and imposing fresh sanctions on Iran, the […]
Lawyers for convicted baby killer Lucy Letby and former executives at the hospital where she worked have asked to halt an inquiry into the deaths after a panel of medical experts found no evidence of a crime, a judge said Monday. Justice Kathryn Thirlwall announced the requests before hearing closing statements in the inquiry that began in September seeking accountability for staff and management for the harm to babies at Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England. The inquiry was predicated on Letby’s guilt, and Thirlwall had said she would not review the convictions after an appeals court upheld them. But lawyers for Letby said that if the convictions are overturned, the inquiry might reach the wrong conclusions, and 10 million pounds ($13 million) spent so far will have been a waste of taxpayer funds. “In short, it will defeat the purpose of a public inquiry, to fully and fearlessly understand the circumstances in which the babies died or became unwell,” attorney Louise Mortimer wrote in a letter to Thirlwall. Thirlwall is expected to publish a final report in the fall. Letby, 35, is serving multiple life sentences with no chance of release after being convicted of seven counts of murder and attempting to murder seven other infants while working as a neonatal nurse at the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Prosecutors said Letby left little or no trace when she harmed babies: injecting air into their bloodstreams, administering air or milk into their stomachs via nasogastric tubes, interfering with breathing tubes or poisoning them with insulin. They said she was the only employee on duty in the neonatal unit when the children collapsed or died. But a group of 16 international medical experts in pediatrics and neonatology who reviewed the medical evidence concluded that natural causes or bad medical care led to the death or collapse of each newborn, Dr. Shoo Lee, a retired neonatologist from Canada, said last month. The panel also questioned the premise that there was an unexplained spike in deaths at the hospital. It said evidence of schedules that showed Letby was present during all the deaths was “incomplete, selective and, therefore, meaningless.” Letby’s convictions are being examined by the Criminal Case Review Commission, which looks at potential miscarriages of justice. It could refer its findings to the Court of Appeal. Former executives at the hospital — chief executive Tony Chambers, medical director Ian Harvey, director of nursing Alison Kelly and human resources director Sue Hodkinson — asked for the public inquiry to be halted after the medical panel released its findings. The Crown Prosecution Service has said two juries convicted Letby and three appellate judges had rejected her arguments that the prosecution expert evidence was flawed. Several related investigations remain active. Cheshire police announced last week that its investigation into corporate manslaughter at the hospital had been expanded and was now looking at individual suspects for gross negligence manslaughter. Letby’s lawyer criticized that decision, based on the medical panel’s findings. “We now have substantial and significant expert evidence which completely demolishes the prosecution case against Lucy Letby and points the finger in a very different direction to that which the police are currently looking,” Mark McDonald said. “It is time they take a step back and ask themselves whether have they made […]
