Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance were given a rare, high-tech window into the Gaza Strip during a visit Wednesday to IDF headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, where they used a virtual reality system to “observe” the territory and receive a classified intelligence briefing, according to Israeli officials. The briefing focused on three key issues at the center of President Donald Trump’s Gaza cease-fire framework: recovering the bodies of slain hostages, disarming Hamas, and demilitarizing Gaza. Vance was joined by top U.S. officials, including Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper. The session underscored the pivot Trump’s new administration is attempting to achieve in its second term — balancing visible U.S. solidarity with Israel while overseeing the delicate implementation of the Gaza peace plan. On the Israeli side, the high-level meeting brought together some of the country’s most senior defense and intelligence officials: Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, and Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder. According to Israeli defense officials, Vance was briefed on the early operational phases of the International Security Force being assembled to stabilize postwar Gaza and oversee the phased disarmament of Hamas terrorists — a key condition of Trump’s peace framework. The vice president’s visit to the Kirya followed two days of meetings across Israel, including discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu and members of Israel’s war cabinet. It marked one of the most detailed U.S.-Israeli defense exchanges since the cease-fire took hold earlier this month, signaling Washington’s effort to keep Israel closely aligned with its plan even as internal political tensions rise over settlement policy and annexation efforts in the West Bank. Vance’s use of virtual reality technology — a first for a sitting U.S. vice president in an Israeli military facility — was described by one Israeli official as “a new kind of battlefield diplomacy.” The system, developed by the IDF’s Technological Division, allows users to experience live-mapped terrain and operational environments in real time. “The goal was to give the vice president a clear sense of the geography, the security challenges, and the ongoing operations in Gaza without having to set foot there,” said an Israeli official familiar with the visit. The session at the Kirya capped a trip that has seen Vance emphasize the U.S. commitment to ensuring that “the peace is not just holding, but lasting.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF says it foiled a weapons-smuggling attempt from Syria into Lebanon near Mount Hermon last night. Surveillance by the 595th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit spotted suspicious activity, prompting troops from the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade and Unit 504 field interrogators to detain several suspects near the peak. The suspects, caught trying to move multiple firearms into Lebanon, were taken for questioning. This is the second such smuggling attempt prevented by the IDF in the area in the past week.
Experts say the $100 million jewels stolen from the Louvre may already be lost forever. Investigators fear the thieves will melt down or break apart the historic royal gems — including crowns, necklaces, and brooches — to sell the pieces discreetly on the open market. “It could be sold down the street from the Louvre,” said art crime expert Erin Thompson, noting that cutting or recasting the gems would erase their traceability and historic value.
The soldiers and airmen stood at the back of the black minivan, arming themselves — with black garbage bags and red-handled trash pickers — and headed for the park around the recreation center. For the Washington, D.C., contingent of the National Guard deployed to the nation’s capital, it marked their 119th beautification project since the unit was called up in August as part of President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement intervention. Their work has included cleaning graffiti in parks, picking up trash and refurbishing a recreation center. There are plans to help a school reading program in an often overlooked area of the city. The hundreds of National Guard troops still deployed to the city — at times armed — have unnerved some residents, who see in them the manifestation of presidential overreach on law enforcement. And while there is deep mistrust over the motives of the overall deployment, others view the Guard in Washington, especially its local contingent’s focus on community improvement efforts, with a measure of approval. “I’m glad for the help,” said Sabir Abdul, 68, a resident who regularly cleans the trash and debris in the park around the Fort Stevens Recreation Center in Northwest D.C. “They have lives, but now they are here, helping us.” The mixed feelings over the Guard deployment have forced local officials to strike a balance between opposing what they see as a flagrant violation of the city’s already limited autonomy and the acknowledgment that the district could use the help that at least the D.C. National Guard contingent has been providing. A lawsuit filed by D.C.’s attorney general challenging the deployment — part of a wave of legal action in multiple cities facing their own federal law enforcement interventions — will be heard on Friday. The Guard deployment in DC is among several around the country Hundreds of National Guard troops have been in Washington, D.C., since Trump issued an emergency order in August, which launched what he said was a crime-fighting mission that also included the federal takeover of the local police department. The order expired last month, but the roughly 2,000 National Guard troops from D.C. and eight states remain in the city, with most contingents saying they plan to withdraw by the end of November. The troops have become a fixture of the city, patrolling metro stations and neighborhoods and supporting other federal law enforcement agencies in operations that have led to hundreds of arrests and sparked fear in many communities, especially among immigrants. Trump, a Republican, has praised the campaign as having reduced crime rates, which were already falling. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat whose city budget and laws are determined by Congress, has walked a fine line between appeasing Trump and pushing back on the deployment. She has acknowledged that the campaign has helped push down crime, while arguing that the out-of-state National Guard deployment has not been “an efficient use of those resources.” In a recent brief filed in the D.C. legal case, Attorney General Brian Schwalb argued that the Guard units are operating “as a federal military police force.” The document also indicated that there were plans for the D.C. Guard to potentially remain in the city at least through next summer. For some, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Grappling with mixed feelings about the Guard In Ward 8, which is […]
NYC Mayor Eric Adams will reportedly endorse Andrew Cuomo for mayor today. This comes after they sat together at a NY Knicks basketball game last night – and marks a stunning turnaround for Adams, who previously called Cuomo a “snake.”
The Prime Minister’s Office published a sharply worded statement in English on Thursday regarding the vote in the Knesset to apply sovereignty over Yehudah and Shomron. President Trump and Vice President Vance both harshly condemned the vote. “The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel,” the statement said. “The two bills were sponsored by opposition members of the Knesset.” “The Likud party and the religious parties (the principal coalition members) did not vote for these bills, except for one disgruntled Likud member who was recently fired from the chairmanship of a Knesset committee. Without Likud support, these bills are unlikely to go anywhere.” The disgruntled Likud member was Yuli Edelstein, who was removed from his position as the head of the prestigious Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee after he refused to cooperate with the Chareidi MKs on a Chareidi draft bill. Following Edelstein’s vote for the annexation bill [which was boycotted by the Likud party], the party decided to strip him of his membership from the Foreign Affairs committee. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Klal Yisroel was struck this week with an unimaginable tragedy on Sunday when four precious Yeshiva bochurim were tragically killed in a horrific car accident in New Jersey. Three of the bochurim were from Lakewood, and one from South Fallsburg. The pain and grief that swept through the Torah world was indescribable as they mourned the loss of Yaakov Kilberg z”l, 19, Aharon Nosson Lebovits z”l, 18, and Shlomo Abba Cohen z”l, 18 — all from Lakewood — and Chaim Simcha Grossman z”l, 18, of Fallsburg, New York. In times like these, when words fail and hearts ache, Klal Yisroel does what it has always done — we come together. We daven. We say Tehillim. We learn Mishnayos. We share in the pain of acheinu bnei Yisroel. And even in the darkest moments, sparks of light — of chesed, of achdus, of greatness — emerge. YWN has learned of two remarkable incidents that took place in the wake of this tragedy — acts of quiet, selfless kindness that have moved us, and we feel should be shared with our hundreds of thousands of readers. Shortly after the devastating news broke, an anonymous individual contacted the Lakewood Chevra Kadisha and wired funds to cover all the levaya and kevura expenses for the four bochurim. Without seeking recognition, this tzadik performed an extraordinary chesed shel emes, stepping forward on his own to ensure that these precious neshamos were cared for with dignity, and to leave one less thing for these heartbroken families to think about. Soon after the levaya, another anonymous benefactor reached out to Adirei HaTorah in BMG, asking to sponsor four yungerleit for an entire year l’zecher nishmas the four bochurim. Then, on Thursday, a sign appeared in BMG announcing yet another anonymous donation — the full sponsorship of the entire BMG kollel for that day, also in their memory. These powerful gestures remind us that even amid deep sorrow, chesed can lift and inspire. May these acts of kindness serve as a zechus for the neshamos of the four bochurim, and may their memory be a source of blessing for all of Klal Yisroel. May we never again know such pain, and may Hashem comfort the families and the entire nation that mourns with them. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Four family members of a Republican running for governor in Illinois were killed in a Montana helicopter crash on Wednesday, his campaign said. Killed in crash were the son and daughter-in-law of former state Sen. Darren Bailey, a Republican who lost the 2022 gubernatorial election in Illinois and is seeking his party’s nomination again in next year’s race. Two of Bailey’s grandchildren also were killed, Bailey’s campaign said in a statement Thursday. “Darren and Cindy are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. They are finding comfort in their faith, their family, and the prayers of so many who love and care for them,” the statement said. (AP)
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU STATEMENT: The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel. The two bills were sponsored by opposition members of the Knesset. The Likud party and the religious parties (the principal coalition members) did not vote for these bills, except for one disgruntled Likud member who was recently fired from the chairmanship of a Knesset committee. Without Likud support these bills are unlikely to go anywhere.
Elon Musk said that in about two years, phones will connect directly to Starlink satellites, allowing users to watch videos anywhere without relying on regional carriers or worrying about dead zones.
During his visit to the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife used a specialized VR system to observe events in the Gaza Strip. He then received a comprehensive intelligence briefing from the IDF, covering missing and fallen soldiers, the demilitarization of Gaza, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the decades-long deepening of economic ties with the United States is over, turning many of Canada’s former strengths—especially those linked to the U.S.—into vulnerabilities, and stressed that the country must now look after itself and one another, as “we are stronger together.”
WATCH: Newly released footage shows the Louvre thieves calmly escaping with the stolen Crown Jewels, estimated to be worth $102 million, as they slowly wheeled the treasures out of the museum before vanishing into the streets of Paris.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to arrive in Israel tonight for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by a broader meeting with senior cabinet members, including the foreign minister.
A group of pro terrorist individuals stormed into the lecture hall of Jewish economics professor Michael Ben-Gad at the University of London, on Tuesday, interrupting his class in what appeared to be a targeted act of intimidation — shouting that he was not someone students should learn from and that he should be locked up.
IDF troops carried out an operation at the offices of the “Islamic Charity Association” in Hebron to disrupt terror financing and confiscate incitement materials. During the raid, soldiers discovered copies of Hitler’s Mein Kampf along with other propaganda equipment.
