Yeshiva World News

People in Lebanon celebrate ahead of a likely ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.  

Video captures an Israeli airstrike earlier today targeting a Hezbollah-linked site within a high-rise building in southern Beirut.

Municipal crews in Haifa are demolishing a residential building heavily damaged by a direct rocket hit during a Hezbollah attack on northern Israel yesterday. The Haifa municipality stated that experts recommended the demolition to prevent the structure from collapsing onto a nearby apartment complex.

This was the scene in the Hezbollah stronghold neighborhood of Dahiyeh in Southern Beirut, earlier on Monday, after the IDF pounded dozens of targets.

Google, already facing a possible breakup of the company over its ubiquitous search engine, is fighting to beat back another attack by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging monopolistic conduct, this time over technology that puts online advertising in front of consumers. The Justice Department and Google are scheduled to make closing arguments Monday in a trial alleging Google’s advertising technology constitutes an illegal monopoly. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, will decide the case and is expected to issue a written ruling by the end of the year. If Brinkema finds Google has engaged in illegal, monopolistic conduct, she will then hold further hearings to explore what remedies should be imposed. The Justice Department, along with a coalition of states, has already said it believes Google should be forced to sell off its ad tech business, which generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the Mountain View, California-based company. After roughly a month of trial testimony earlier this year, the arguments in the case remain the same. The Justice Department contends Google built and maintained a monopoly in “open-web display advertising,” essentially the rectangular ads that appear on the top and right-hand side of the page when one browses websites. Google dominates all facets of the market: A technology called “DoubleClick” is used pervasively by news sites and other online publishers, while “Google Ads” maintains a cache of advertisers large and small looking to place their ads on the right webpage in front of the right consumer. In between is another Google product, AdExchange, that conducts nearly instantaneous auctions matching advertisers to publishers. In court papers, Justice Department lawyers say Google “is more concerned with acquiring and preserving its trifecta of monopolies than serving its own publisher and advertiser customers or winning on the merits.” As a result, content providers and news organizations have never been able to generate the online revenue they should due to Google’s excessive fees for brokering transactions between advertisers and publishers, the government says. Google argues the government’s case improperly focuses on a narrow niche of online advertising. If one looks more broadly at online advertising to include social media, streaming TV services, and app-based advertising, Google says it controls only 25% of the market, a share that is dwindling as it faces increased and evolving competition. Google alleges in court papers that the government’s lawsuit “boil(s) down to the persistent complaints of a handful of Google’s rivals and several mammoth publishers.” Google also says it has invested billions in technology that facilitates the efficient match of advertisers to interested consumers and it should not be forced to share its technology and success with competitors. “Requiring a company to do further engineering work to make its technology and customers accessible by all of its competitors on their preferred terms has never been compelled by U.S. antitrust law,” the company wrote. The Virginia case is separate from an ongoing lawsuit brought against Google in the District of Columbia over its namesake search engine. In that case, the judge determined the search engine constitutes an illegal monopoly but has not decided what remedy to impose. The Justice Department said last week it will seek to force Google to sell its Chrome Web browser, among a host of other penalties. Google has said the […]

This morning (Monday) at 8:35 a.m., Hezbollah launched approximately 20 projectiles from southern Lebanon toward the Nahariya region in northern Israel. In response, the Israel Air Force (IAF) struck the launcher used in the attack, located near Bazouriye in southern Lebanon. In a series of additional operations, the IAF carried out intelligence-driven strikes targeting critical Hezbollah infrastructure. These included command centers of the group’s coast-to-sea missile unit, communication facilities, and two military command centers in Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut.

Massive destruction to residential buildings and Hezbollah infrastructure in the city of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, as a result of the recent Israeli airstrikes.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the terms of the ceasefire agreement to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a senior US official told Axios on Monday. The parties have yet to announce the agreement, but the security cabinet is expected to approve the deal on Tuesday, an Israeli source reported. “We think we have a deal. We are at the goal line but haven’t crossed it yet. The Israeli cabinet needs to approve the deal on Tuesday, and something can always go wrong by then,” said the US official. The report adds that the draft ceasefire agreement includes a 60-day transition period during which the Israeli military will withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army will deploy in areas close to the border, and Hezbollah will move its weapons from north of the Litani River. Lebanese sources told the Al-Hadath newspaper that a decision to end the war definitively has been made, awaiting an announcement to that effect. The Americans have informed Lebanese officials that the announcement on ending the war is expected within hours. Channel 12 reported on Monday that IDF leaders told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the time is ripe for a ceasefire. Channel 14 News reported earlier on Monday that Netanyahu has revealed his strategy regarding a ceasefire in recent closed discussions. Netanyahu said: “There’s a risk that the Biden administration will carry out unilateral actions against Israel similar to the end of the Obama period. Therefore, the right thing to do now is to go for a deal with Lebanon subject to a US guarantee that we can respond to any violation.” Netanyahu clarified: “The basic condition is that we will decide what constitutes a ‘violation.’ In the meantime, the reservists will rest, and we will replenish the missing arms.” He also referred to another important aspect of a possible ceasefire: “In addition, there is a need to disconnect the arenas. The moment we sign a ‘ceasefire’ with Hezbollah, despite the fact that they constantly link it to a similar ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza – we defeated them and unraveled the ties between them. This way, Gaza will remain isolated and the pressure to reach a hostage deal will increase.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A devastating tragedy struck the community of Rechasim on Monday, after word spread of the tragic Petira of Rav Eliyahu Cohen, 40, who sustained critical injuries while heroically attempting to save the life of an infant during a fire on Wednesday, November 6, on Alonim Street. The deadly fire had engulfed a residential apartment, claiming the life of six-month-old Uriah David Moshe Z”L and destroying a Shul and a Sefer Torah. Rav Cohen, who ran out of the nearby Kollel “Mishkan Amram” where he was sitting and learning, and attempted to rescue the baby. He was gravely injured in the process. Thousands Davened fervently for his recovery, but sadly, he succumbed to his injuries. Last week, thousands of Rechasim residents participated in the funeral for the burnt Sifrei Torah. During the Levaya, Tehillim was recited for Rabbi Eliyahu’s recovery. Sadly, the community now mourns his untimely passing. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Russia’s military captured a British national fighting with Ukrainian troops who have occupied part of Russia’s Kursk region, according to reports Monday, as Moscow began daylight drone attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine and its ground forces accelerated gains along parts of the front line. The Briton was identified by state news agency Tass and other media as James Scott Rhys Anderson. Tass quoted him as saying that he had served as a signalman in the British army for four years and then joined the International Legion of Ukraine, formed early on in Russia’s nearly 3-year-old war against its neighbor. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are straining to hold at bay a push by Russia’s bigger army at places in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian forces recently have gained ground at “a significantly quicker rate” than they did in the whole of last year, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank. The Russians have detected and are exploiting weaknesses in the Ukrainian defenses, it said in an analysis late Sunday. The war surpassed 1,000 days last week, and the milestone coincided with a significant escalation in hostilities. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said Russia is adapting its drone tactics, as it fired 145 Shahed drones at Ukraine. Russia has started launching drones during the day, whereas in the past most drone attacks occurred during the night, the air force said. Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the National Security Council’s Counter-disinformation Center, said earlier this month that the Russians were looking to conserve their stocks of more destructive but more expensive missiles and also terrorize civilians. The air force said it stopped almost all the drones before they struck. But a morning missile attack on downtown Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, injured at least 23 people, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. He said the attack on a densely populated residential area was carried out by a modified surface-to-air S-400 missile. The father of the British man says he was told by a Ukrainian commander of his capture The captured Briton reportedly served as an instructor for Ukrainian troops and was deployed to the Kursk region against his will. Tass published a video of the man saying in English that he doesn’t want to be “here.” The report couldn’t be independently verified, but if confirmed it could be one of the first publicly known case of a Western national captured on Russian soil while fighting for Ukraine. The U.K. Embassy in Moscow said officials were “supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention” but provided no further details. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The soldier’s father, Scott Anderson, told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper that his son’s Ukrainian commander had informed him that the young man had been captured. Scott Anderson said his son had served in the British military for four years, then briefly worked as a police custody officer before going to Ukraine to fight. He said he tried to convince his son not to join the Ukrainian military, and now he fears for his safety. “I’m hoping he’ll be used as a bargaining chip, but my son told me they torture their prisoners and I’m so frightened he’ll be tortured,” he told […]

Over the past hour, the IAF conducted intelligence-based strikes on approximately 25 terror targets belonging to Hezbollah’s Executive Council in Lebanon, including in Nabatieh, Baalbek, Beqaa Valley, Dahieh, and the outskirts of Beirut. Among the targets struck were the Executive Council’s command centers, and intelligence control and collection centers, where Hezbollah commanders and operatives were located.

Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building used by Hezbollah in the Tayouneh district of central Beirut.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman Today the 24th of Cheshvan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Dovid Kviat zatzal, one of my Rebbeim.  In honor of the yahrtzeit is some Torah that he said.  May his neshama be a meilitz yosher for us all. What happens when the doctor says that a sick person must eat something forbidden?  Does he recite a bracha or not? Many of us are familiar with the verse in Tehillin (10:3) “Botzea beireich ni’aitz Hashem — A thief who blesses blasphemes Hashem.” The Gemorah uses this verse to describe someone who blesses on stolen food. The Mishna Brurah (196:3), based on the Rambam and Poskim, rules that it is not only stolen food to which this verse can be applied — but also to someone who purposefully eats non-kosher food. THE RAMBAM’S VIEW The Rambam (1138-1204) in Hilchos Brachos 1:19 rules that one who eats any forbidden item , whether purposefully or in error, makes neither a beginning bracha nor an after-bracha. THE RAAVAD’S VIEW Interestingly enough, the Raavad (1125-1198) argues on this principle of the Rambam! He writes that the Rambam made a great error here, and that the Gemorah in Brachos 45a only states that it is Zimun that is forbidden.   But a beginning Bracha or an after-bracha – why shouldn’t they recite it?  They are deriving hanaah – benefit! EXPLAINING THE MACHLOKES My Rebbe, Rav Dovid Kviat zatzal, a Rosh Yeshiva in Mirrer Brooklyn, one of the last of the Alter Mirrers – those who were in the Mirrer Yeshiva and travelled to China to remain throughout the war, provides the following explanation (see Sukas Dovid on Kesuvos 81a-82b): It appears that they are arguing on the essential nature of what Chazal enacted a blessing upon.  The Rambam holds that they enacted the blessing upon the hanaah – the benefit one receives from the [food]  item.   Therefore, since the food item is forbidden, and the benefit one receives from the food item is likewise forbidden – we do not recite a bracha.  This is true even if it was beshogaig – by accident – because, at the end of the day, the benefit he received from the food item is forbidden to him. The Raavad holds that the blessing was ordained upon the benefit he receives in being satiated, no longer hungry.  That is the intestinal benefit, so to speak.  Therefore, the fact that he is now full and no longer hungry is not, in its essence, forbidden.  He would, therefore, recite a blessing.  This is the Raavad’s intention when he writes, “But a beginning bracha or an after-bracha why shouldn’t they bless – since they benefitted?” According to this explanation, even the Rambam would hold that a blessing would be recited regarding: A dangerously ill sick person who is required to eat something forbidden A dangerously ill person who is required to eat on Yom Kippur The reason is that since in these cases it is permitted for him to eat in these circumstances, it is a permitted benefit, and the [food] item is considered like a chaifetz shel heter – a permitted item.  The reason is that he is performing a Mitzvah – as the Torah states (Vayikra 18:5), “And you shall live by them” and he is obligated to eat.  We […]

Just as there are good odds the turkey will taste dry, airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end in another record day for air travel in the United States. The people responsible for keeping security lines, boarding areas and jetliners moving — from the U.S. transportation secretary and airline chiefs on down the line — swear they are prepared for the crowds. But a strike by service workers in Charlotte Douglas International Airport threatens a hub in the Carolinas. Airline passengers might get lucky like they did last year, when relatively few flights were canceled during the holiday week. A repeat will require the weather’s cooperation. And even if skies are blue, a shortage of air traffic controllers could create delays. Thanksgiving, by the numbers Auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel by car. Drivers should get a slight break on gas prices. The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Sunday, down from $3.27 at this time last year. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day stretch. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year but fit a pattern set throughout 2024. The TSA predicts that 3 million people will pass through airport security checkpoints on Sunday; more than that could break the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the July Fourth holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the next-busiest air travel days of Thanksgiving week. TSA says it’s ready “This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Fortunately, our staffing is also at the highest levels that they have ever been. We are ready.” Pekoske said TSA will have enough screeners to keep general security lines under 30 minutes and lines for people who pay extra for PreCheck under 10 minutes. “Strikesgiving” Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport walked off the job to protest what they call unlivable wages. Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials have said this holiday travel season is expected to be the busiest on record, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers departing the airport between last Thursday and the Monday after Thanksgiving. Several hundred workers were expected to walk off the job and continue the work stoppage throughout Monday. FAA staffing shortage could create delays However, an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers could cause flight delays. Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures to deal with shortages at some facilities. In the past, that has included airports in New York City and Florida. “If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said. The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency’s lofty hiring goals. Timing of holiday shapes travel patterns Thanksgiving Day takes place late this year, with the fourth Thursday of November falling on Nov. 28. That shortens the traditional shopping season and changes the rhythm of holiday travel. With more time before the holiday, people tend to spread out their outbound travel over more days, but everyone […]

The IDF bombard several homes in the Manshiya area of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, that were being used by Hamas to attack the IDF.

A heartbreaking accident occurred on Monday afternoon in Jerusalem when a 8-year-old girl was fatally struck by a bus on Rechov Shimon HaTzadik. Emergency teams from Magen David Adom (MDA) rushed to the scene, where they found the girl trapped beneath the bus, unconscious. Despite rescue efforts, MDA paramedics were forced to pronounce her dead at the scene due to the severity of her injuries. The police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident. Shimon Zaltz, an emergency medic from MDA, described the tragic scene: “The girl was trapped under the bus, unconscious, without a pulse, and not breathing, suffering from multi-system trauma. While rescue efforts were underway, we conducted medical evaluations, but her injuries were critical, and sadly, we had to pronounce her death at the scene.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)  

Foreign ministers from the world’s leading industrialized nations met Monday, with the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine entering decisive phases and a certain pressure to advance diplomatic efforts ahead of the new U.S. administration taking over. Hopes for brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon were foremost on the agenda of the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome that gathered ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Blinken administration. As the G7 ministers arrived in Italy, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Mike Herzog, told Israeli Army Radio on Monday a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached “within days.” Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League, were joining the G7 in the afternoon. Several intervened at a related event in Rome to call for an urgent end to Israel’s strikes in Gaza and Lebanon, following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. “We need a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire. That will stop the killings and stop the destruction and restore a sense of normalcy,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the “Mediterranean Dialogues” conference organized by the Italian foreign ministry and ISPI think tank. The so-called “Quintet” grouping of the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the UAE will formally meet with the G7 ministers later in the day, and has been working to finalize a “day after” plan for Gaza. There is some urgency to make progress before the Trump administration takes over in January. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pursue a policy that strongly favors Israel over the aspirations of the Palestinians. Host Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani added another item to the G7 agenda last week after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief. Italy is a founding member of the court and hosted the 1998 Rome conference that gave birth to it. But Italy’s right-wing government has been a strong supporter of Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, while also providing humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. The Italian government has taken a cautious line, reaffirming its support and respect for the court but expressing concern that the warrants were politically motivated. “There can be no equivalence between the responsibilities of the state of Israel and the terrorist organization of Hamas,” Premier Giorgia Meloni said, echoing the statement from U.S. President Joe Biden. Nathalie Tocci, director of the Rome-based Institute for International Affairs think tank, said Italy would be seeking to forge a united front on the ICC warrants, at least among the six G7 countries that are signatories of the court: everyone but the U.S. But in an essay this weekend in La Stampa newspaper, Tocci warned it was a risky move, since the U.S. tends to dictate the G7 line and has blasted the ICC warrants against Netanyahu as “outrageous.” “If Italy and the other (five G7) signatories of the ICC are unable to maintain the line on international law, they will not only erode it anyway but will be acting against our interests,” Tocci wrote, recalling Italy’s recourse to international law […]

The body of HaKadosh Rabbi Tzvi Kogan, H’yd, has been released for burial, Emirati authorities announced early Monday afternoon. The aron was placed on an El Al plane and is now on the way to Israel for kevurah in a joint effort of the representatives of the local Jewish kehilla, Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and the international division of ZAKA. The time and date of the levaya have not yet been announced but it will possibly take place on Monday evening. The release of the body came after the UAE’s announcement earlier on Monday revealing the identities of the three suspects in the murder arrested in the country on Sunday. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Ezra Levant, a right-wing Canadian political commentator and founder of Rebel News, was arrested during a pro-Hamas rally in Toronto after allegedly refusing police orders to move away from the demonstration. Levant claimed the police action was discriminatory and motivated by antisemitism. A video posted to Rebel News shows Levant arguing with police officers, who said his presence at the rally was “inciting the crowd.” During the exchange, Levant responded, “It’s because I’m a Jew. I’m refusing to leave because I’m a Jew, and I’m a citizen, and I’m your boss. And I don’t leave because you say Jews aren’t allowed on this side of the street.” The officer then informed Levant he was under arrest for “breaching the peace,” prompting cheers from demonstrators, some of whom shouted “Zionist” and “loser.” Photos from the rally show protesters engaging in hateful displays, including one dressed as slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Another protester held a sign reading, “Free flights to Amsterdam,” referencing recent violent attacks on Israeli tourists in the Dutch capital. BREAKING VIDEO: While reporting on the ongoing pro-terrorist demonstrations in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Toronto, @EzraLevant was arrested. If you want to contribute to help us pay for Ezra’s legal defence and assurance, please donate here.… pic.twitter.com/W9Nh2XXcrG — Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 24, 2024 (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Syrian opposition media report that an Iranian Mahan Air flight en route from Tehran to Damascus on Thursday was forced to turn around following an Israeli warning. The plane reportedly returned to Iran after pilots, under orders from higher authorities, decided against landing in Syria. According to the reports, the aircraft was carrying ammunition and planned to land at a Russian-controlled airport in Syria. However, Russian officials allegedly blocked its landing, fearing a potential Israeli airstrike. On the same day, another flight reportedly returned to Tehran under similar circumstances. Syrian opposition sources claim such incidents have become increasingly frequent in recent weeks, highlighting heightened tensions over Iranian supply routes in the region. Mahan Air has long been a focus of international scrutiny. The U.S. Treasury Department designated the airline as a terror supporter in 2011, citing its ties to Iran’s Quds Force and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The airline is accused of facilitating the transport of weapons and personnel for Iranian military operations across the Middle East. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)