Defense Minister Yisrael Katz delivered an extended security briefing on Tuesday to the members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the Kiryah in Tel Aviv, which mainly focused on the IDF’s activities during the war against Iran. At the meeting, Katz revealed that one of the reasons for the launch of the war was that Iran had planned a surprise attack on Israel. “The Iranians planned to act first and launch between 400 and 500 missiles in the opening strike,” he said. “If we hadn’t acted first, it would have been far worse for us.” He added that the main challenge in the operation was opening the skies and thwarting Iran’s air defense systems: “We controlled the skies and could have continued, but we decided in advance to achieve the objectives and end strongly.” He added, “We made a distinction during the war and harmed more Revolutionary Guard operatives than soldiers in the Iranian army. While we wanted to eliminate Khamenei, he hid.” “We met 100% of the operation’s objectives in Iran,” he said, noting that most of the operation was carried out by Israel alone, while the US joined only in the final stage. “The Americans faced three options—to join, to prevent, or to approve. They chose the third option: they gave a green light and later also joined.” Regarding the phone call between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump over Israel’s strike on Iran following its violation of the ceasefire, Katz joked, “If Trump had woken up 15 minutes later, the attack this morning would have been stronger.” Katz also mentioned that Netanyahu is expected to travel to the US to influence the formulation of a nuclear agreement. “Netanyahu will fly to the United States to formulate the agreements with the Americans on Iran. Right now, it’s just a ceasefire. We must remember that Trump canceled the central sanction on Iran to sell oil to the Chinese, and Iran may become stronger again as a result.” He emphasized that there was no goal to overthrow the Ayatollah regime: “Harming elements of the regime was not part of the goals—it happened incidentally.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The IDF has released the names of six soldiers who were killed during combat operations in the southern Gaza Strip. Their families have been notified, and their names have now been cleared for publication. The fallen are: * Lieutenant Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21, from Kfar Yona, a platoon commander in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Staff Sergeant Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20, from Rehovot, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Staff Sergeant Niv Radia, 20, from Elyakhin, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Sergeant Ronen Shapiro, 19, from Mazkeret Batya, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Sergeant Shahar Manoav, 21, from Ashkelon, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Sergeant Maayan Baruch Pearlstein, 20, from Eshhar, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. The IDF noted that in the same incident where these six soldiers fell, a seventh soldier was also killed. His name has not yet been cleared for publication and will be released once permitted. In a separate incident on Tuesday, a soldier from the same battalion — the 605th of the 188th Brigade — was severely wounded during combat in southern Gaza. He was evacuated to a hospital for treatment, and his family has been notified. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Mamdani’s early-vote edge is powered by the East River corridor in western Queens and Brooklyn, but he’s also scoring key wins in Hispanic pockets like Washington Heights and Corona and Asian enclaves such as Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst.
A powerful maamad took place at the home of noted philanthropist Mr. Jimmy Khezrie in Deal on Monday, featuring leading Gedolei Yisroel including Rishon L’Tzion Harav Yitzchak Yosef shlit”a, Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a, Harav Don Segal shlit”a, Harav Dovid Cohen shlit”a, Harav Shlomo Kanievsky shlit”a, and Harav Malkiel Kotler shlit”a. The cause: Keren Olam HaTorah, a lifeline for thousands of yeshivos and kollelim facing financial devastation due to crippling budget cuts in Eretz Yisroel. The emcee, Rabbi David Haber, said it best: “This is a war — not with weapons, but to defend Torah. Gedolei Torah have been on the road for over a week, utterly spent, not to save their own yeshivos, but for the kollelim in Ashdod, the avreichim in Beit Shemesh, and the Torah world across Eretz Yisroel. And we, baruch Hashem, have the chance to stand with them.” Mr. Khezrie – who co-hosted the event along with Mr. Ezra Erani, another world-renowned baal tzedakah – moved the room with his remarks: “I used to wonder why Torah is called keneged kulam, more valuable than all other mitzvos. And now I understand — because without Torah, we don’t hold on to anything else. Torah is what has preserved our people through 3,000 years of war and exile. We’re not just supporting Torah — we’re preserving our survival.” Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a followed with a sobering message. “When Hashem is distant, klal Yisroel suffers,” Rav Moshe Hillel said. “And what determines if He is close to us? Torah. Supporting Torah in Eretz Yisroel isn’t tzedaka — it’s how we bring Hashem closer to our lives, to our kehillos, and to the world.” And then, a remarkable thing began to happen. One by one, tomchei Torah rose before the gedolim, each one pledging their financial support for the monumental, historic mission to save Torah in Eretz Yisroel. Deal’s Kehilla Rises Up with Historic Support for Keren Olam Hatorah
Some 444 firefighters, assisted by 14 helicopters and four planes, have been deployed to contain wildfires at different locations on the Greek island of Chios after the island declared a state of emergency
STEVE WITKOFF: Leaking that type of information, whatever the information, whatever side it comes out on, is outrageous. It’s treasonous. So it ought to be investigated, and whoever did it, whoever is responsible for it should be held accountable.
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog issued a stark warning Tuesday following a deeper analysis of U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program: the destruction is more severe than initially reported — and may include chemical contamination. This comes as other reports from CNN and Times of Israel say that the airstrikes either delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months (according to CNN), or a few years (according to Times of Israel). This latest report, first published by the NY Post, creates a new layer of speculation and confusion. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said new satellite imagery of Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites revealed previously unseen damage, including evidence of potential toxic hazards at Natanz and critical infrastructure hits at Fordow. At Fordow — a fortified underground facility carved into the mountains south of Tehran — analysts found that access roads and at least one entrance had been struck. The U.S. is believed to have dropped 14 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on the site, which houses uranium enrichment equipment buried as deep as 300 feet underground. The findings at Natanz were no better. IAEA analysts identified two direct missile penetrations above the facility’s underground enrichment halls — areas used for both uranium processing and sensitive storage. Grossi warned that based on the known contents of those chambers, “this strike may have caused localized contamination and chemical hazards.” The U.S. reportedly used cruise missiles launched from a nuclear-powered submarine to hit Natanz and two other sites in the coordinated Saturday strike. While Grossi assured that “no radiological impact” has been detected in surrounding populations so far, the full extent of the damage remains unclear. IAEA teams have not been permitted on the ground to inspect the facilities firsthand, limiting the agency’s ability to assess potential contamination or nuclear material leakage. Grossi has formally called on Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to grant immediate access to the damaged sites, warning that continued non-cooperation could permanently derail diplomatic efforts. “Resuming cooperation with the IAEA is key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities,” Grossi wrote. Compounding international concern is the revelation that nearly 900 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% has gone missing since the Israeli airstrikes began on June 13. Grossi confirmed that the IAEA has no current knowledge of the uranium’s location — a deeply troubling development given how close that level of enrichment is to weapons-grade material. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance suggested the missing uranium may have been buried beneath the rubble during the bombings. But other experts point to satellite footage that captured trucks entering and exiting Fordow and other nuclear sites in the days leading up to the strikes — raising the possibility that Iran deliberately moved or concealed the material in anticipation of the assault. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israeli intelligence now assesses that the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure have significantly delayed — but not eliminated — Tehran’s atomic ambitions. A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the coordinated operation has pushed Iran’s nuclear program back by “several years.” However, the official emphasized that the program was not fully dismantled, contradicting the White House narrative. A separate CNN report on Tuesday said that the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure failed to cripple the country’s atomic ambitions, undercutting public claims by President Donald Trump and his defense officials that the mission delivered total destruction. “The damage is real and strategic,” the Israeli official said, “but not absolute.” He noted that Israeli intelligence is continuing to refine its assessment as new data comes in from surveillance and covert sources, with a clearer picture expected in the coming weeks. The official defended the necessity of the strikes, arguing that the results far surpassed anything that could have been achieved at the negotiating table. “No amount of diplomacy would have produced this level of disruption,” he said, adding that the operation sends a clear message to Tehran about the costs of pursuing uranium enrichment. Alongside the nuclear targets, Israeli and American forces also struck dozens of missile and military installations throughout Iran, including suspected IRGC command centers and air defense systems. Echoing the assessment, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Tuesday night, “We have set Iran’s nuclear project back by years — and the same goes for its missile program.” Zamir did not provide exact estimates but described the campaign as “a strategic success across multiple fronts.” Still, the comments from Israeli leadership mark a subtle but significant departure from the tone in Washington, where Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have repeatedly claimed the strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
HaGaon HaRav Naftali Kaplan, the Mashgiach of Yeshivas Netiv HaDaas, held a special va’ad on Thursday, during which he spoke about the war between Israel and Iran and the historical events happening in our time. HaRav Kaplan began by speaking about the time when Moshe Rabbeinu questioned Hashem, ‘Why did You send me?”—after Pharaoh intensified the conditions of slavery for Am Yisrael after Hashem sent Moshe to speak with him. HaRav Kaplan quoted the Ramban, who said that Moshe didn’t realize that geulah doesn’t happen suddenly but is implemented stage by stage, explaining that the final geulah will also not happen like many people think, that Moshiach will suddenly appear on a horse and rebuild Yerushalayim. But just like the geulah happened in Mitzrayim, there will be stages and more difficult times and hidden and open nissim during the final geulah. The Mashgiach also spoke about Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s public statements of emunah, which he said are also a neis. An open neis is “water turning into blood,” and hiddin nissim are “200 fighter jets who went to bomb Iran and returned safely to Israel” or “Binyamin Netanyahu saying that there was Siyata Dishmaya.” HaRav Naftali concluded the va’ad by saying that “these are the days of Moshiach and we should be mechazeik in using our time wisely.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
A new poll taken in the aftermath of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran shows Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gaining ground politically — but not enough to reclaim a governing majority. The survey, conducted by Channel 12 following a ceasefire widely seen as a military and strategic success for Israel, gives Netanyahu’s Likud party 26 seats in the 120-seat Knesset — a modest four-seat gain from pre-war polling. Yet despite the bump, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition remains short of the 61-seat majority needed to govern. According to the poll, the current coalition would muster only 49 seats, down from the 64 it held prior to the war. Opposition parties collectively would control 61 seats, while Arab parties, traditionally reluctant to join any government, would hold the remaining 10. Sources close to the prime minister reportedly expressed disappointment, saying Netanyahu had anticipated a much stronger surge in support following the war, which saw Iran’s missile and drone capabilities severely degraded and Iran’s nuclear program in shambles, in what many viewed as a defining moment for Israeli deterrence. The standout political shift comes from former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose newly re-launched party is projected to win a striking 24 seats — positioning him as the second-largest political force and a viable challenger to Netanyahu. The poll marks the first time this year that Netanyahu leads Bennett in a head-to-head popularity question. When asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, 38% of respondents chose Netanyahu, compared to 35% for Bennett. Another 21% said neither were fit for the role, and 6% were undecided. Still, Netanyahu maintains a clear edge over other opposition leaders, including Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid. The rest of the political map remains deeply fractured. The left-wing “Democrats” would secure 12 seats, while Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid, Shas, and Avigdor Lieberman’s nationalist Yisrael Beytenu each pull in nine seats. United Torah Judaism polls at eight seats, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s National Unity collapses to seven. Far-right Otzma Yehudit registers just six seats — a sharp fall from its previous electoral performance. Arab parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am each receive five seats, continuing to hold sway as kingmakers unlikely to align with either major bloc. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel HaRav Kalman Bar published a halachic letter on Monday, in which he explains why, despite the war, getting married during the three weeks is forbidden. Last week, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef called on couples from the Sephardi and even Ashkenazi sectors to get married during the three weeks rather than postpone their weddings. He explained that “there is no greater time of need than this,” and emphasized that even those who are generally machmir should be lenient this year, emphasizing, “המחמיר בזה יוצא שכרו בהפסדו.” Although as of Tuesday morning, the war is officially over, the dilemma for couples who postponed their weddings due to the war still exists due to the difficulty in finding available chasunah halls after Tisha B’Av. In a lengthy response to questions by engaged couples who asked whether they can marry during the three weeks, HaRav Bar paskened that there is no heter to get married during these days, despite the circumstances. The Rav explained the reasons for the minhag not to marry during the three weeks, saying that mourning and joy are contradictory. In addition, the Rav noted that “it is not a good siman” to marry during these days, and חמירא סכנתא מאיסורא (danger is stricter than prohibition), and therefore we have not found any posek who permitted this, and certainly not with a fancy seudah. HaRav Bar emphasized that the poskim did not allow marriage even on the night of the 17th of Tammuz [before the fast begins], even at a sha’as hadchak (time of need). HaRav Bar noted that the Sephardim who are noheig to hold chasunos until Rosh Chodesh Av are of course, permitted to wed during those days and ended with “כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Israel’s main international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, is returning to full operations after the Home Front Command lifted all wartime travel restrictions, the Israel Airports Authority announced Tuesday. Effective immediately, limitations on the number of incoming and outgoing flights, as well as passenger capacity per flight, have been removed. In addition, entry restrictions for travelers and accompanying individuals at airport terminals have been fully lifted. “The restrictions on the number of incoming and outgoing flights, as well as the number of passengers on each flight, have been lifted,” the Airports Authority said in a statement. “In addition, restrictions on the arrival of passengers and accompanying persons at the airports have been lifted.” Duty-free shops at Ben Gurion and other airports are set to reopen beginning Wednesday morning, operating under updated security and regulatory protocols. The Airports Authority urged travelers to stay informed by checking with their airlines for the latest flight schedule updates. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
In a test case for the artificial intelligence industry, a federal judge has ruled that AI company Anthropic didn’t break the law by training its chatbot Claude on millions of copyrighted books. But the company is still on the hook and must now go to trial over how it acquired those books by downloading them from online “shadow libraries” of pirated copies. U.S. District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco said in a ruling filed late Monday that the AI system’s distilling from thousands of written works to be able to produce its own passages of text qualified as “fair use” under U.S. copyright law because it was “quintessentially transformative.” “Like any reader aspiring to be a writer, Anthropic’s (AI large language models) trained upon works not to race ahead and replicate or supplant them — but to turn a hard corner and create something different,” Alsup wrote. But while dismissing a key claim made by the group of authors who sued the company for copyright infringement last year, Alsup also said Anthropic must still go to trial in December over its alleged theft of their works. “Anthropic had no entitlement to use pirated copies for its central library,” Alsup wrote. A trio of writers — Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson — alleged in their lawsuit last summer that Anthropic’s practices amounted to “large-scale theft,” and that the company “seeks to profit from strip-mining the human expression and ingenuity behind each one of those works.” As the case proceeded over the past year in San Francisco’s federal court, documents disclosed in court showed Anthropic’s internal concerns about the legality of their use of online repositories of pirated works. So the company later shifted its approach and attempted to purchase copies of digitized books. “That Anthropic later bought a copy of a book it earlier stole off the internet will not absolve it of liability for the theft but it may affect the extent of statutory damages,” Alsup wrote. The ruling could set a precedent for similar lawsuits that have piled up against Anthropic competitor OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, as well as against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Anthropic — founded by ex-OpenAI leaders in 2021 — has marketed itself as the more responsible and safety-focused developer of generative AI models that can compose emails, summarize documents and interact with people in a natural way. But the lawsuit filed last year alleged that Anthropic’s actions “have made a mockery of its lofty goals” by tapping into repositories of pirated writings to build its AI product. Anthropic said Tuesday it was pleased that the judge recognized that AI training was transformative and consistent with “copyright’s purpose in enabling creativity and fostering scientific progress.” Its statement didn’t address the piracy claims. The authors’ attorneys declined comment. (AP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Tuesday, 24 June 2025) [translated from Hebrew]: “Dear citizens of Israel, In the 12 days of Operation Rising Lion, we achieved a historic victory, which will stand for generations. We removed two existential threats: The threat of annihilation by nuclear weapons and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles. Had we not acted now, the State of Israel would have soon faced the danger of annihilation. But this did not happen because at the decisive moment, we rose up and stood like lions, and our roar shook Tehran and echoed around the world. In the scriptures, it is said: ‘By stratagems shall you make war.’ The surprise opening blow of Rising Lion will go down in the annals of Israel’s wars and will be studied by every military in the world. In one strike, in one blow, we eliminated Iran’s senior command, including three chiefs-of-staff and many other senior officers. And in those same moments, we eliminated Iran’s leading nuclear scientists – those who held the knowledge, led the nuclear program and sought to bring upon us destruction and death. We destroyed the main enrichment facility in Natanz, the uranium conversion plant in Isfahan and the heavy water installation in Arak. Our friend, President Trump, stood alongside us in an unprecedented manner. On his order, the US military destroyed the enrichment facility deep underground at Fordo. We attacked dozens of installations of the Iranian nuclear program, including laboratories and factories for producing centrifuges. You certainly remember seven years ago, how in a brilliant Mossad operation, we brought to Israel the heart of Iran’s secret nuclear archive. We revealed Iran’s secret nuclear program for the annihilation of the State of Israel to President Trump, to the entire world and to you, citizens of Israel. Indeed, today, now, in this operation, we completed the work and struck the entire archive. This archive concentrated within it Iran’s overall knowledge for producing atomic bombs. We also did this. For decades, I have promised you that Iran would not have nuclear weapons. And indeed, in all of the swift actions that our soldiers carried out, we sent Iran’s nuclear project to oblivion. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild this project – we will act with the same determination and the same force to cut off any such attempt. I reiterate: Iran will not have nuclear weapons. With the same force and determination, we destroyed Iran’s industry for producing ballistic missiles. We destroyed dozens of missile production factories. We struck hard at their stock of missiles. We destroyed most of their launchers. In many cases, we destroyed them minutes before they could launch their missiles of death at Israel. Iran’s malicious intention, to threaten – within a few years – the existence of Israel with tens of thousands of ballistic missiles – this threat has also been removed. Regarding the Iranian regime, we struck crushing blows at this wicked regime. We eliminated many senior commanders. We destroyed command centers. We attacked Revolutionary Guards bases. We attacked Basij bases. We struck the symbols of the regime. Today, this morning, a few hours before the ceasefire, we struck the ayatollahs’ regime with the hardest blow of all since the start of the war, with the hardest blow in its history. […]
The IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir conducted a situational assessment with members of the General Staff Forum, following the beginning of the ceasefire with Iran, and made the following remarks: “We have concluded a significant phase, but the campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase based on the achievements of the current one. We’ve set Iran’s nuclear project back by years, and the same applies to its missile program. The IDF performed at its best — the Intelligence Directorate delivered unprecedented intelligence achievements. IAF pilots operated with courage, while putting their lives at risk, thousands of kilometers from Israeli territory and struck and destroyed military targets. The Aerial Defense Array and communication units operated with their unique operational capabilities to protect the home front. Home Front Command personnel acted with ingenuity to save lives — all coordinated under the Operations Directorate. Every command, directorate, and branch contributed to the success of the operation — whether through direct participation in the Iran operation or through robust defense in their respective arenas. Despite the phenomenal achievement — we must keep our feet on the ground. Many challenges still lie ahead. We must stay focused, there’s no time to rest on our laurels. Now the focus shifts back to Gaza — to bring the hostages home and to dismantle the Hamas regime. I am proud to have the privilege to command the organization through this period. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Donald Trump was formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday in recognition of his role in brokering the ceasefire between Israel and Iran. The nomination was submitted by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who praised Trump’s “extraordinary and historic” efforts in ending what he described as a rapidly escalating armed conflict. “President Trump’s influence was instrumental in forging a swift agreement that many believed to be impossible,” Carter wrote in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. He also cited Trump’s actions to halt Iran’s nuclear program, saying the president worked to ensure that “the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism remains incapable of acquiring a nuclear weapon.” The ceasefire, announced by Trump earlier this week, followed nearly two weeks of intense military exchanges between Israel and Iran, including U.S.-supported strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. If awarded – though unlikely, considering the leftist tilt of the Nobel Committee – it would mark Trump’s first Nobel Peace Prize win following multiple past nominations during his first term as president. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
