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According to Iranian reports, IRGC Brigadier General Alireza Lotfi, Deputy Head of Iran’s Intelligence Organization, has been eliminated in a targeted airstrike last night.

President Trump makes an early morning departure for the Netherlands, where he’ll attend the NATO summit.

POTUS: “These guys gotta calm down. It’s ridiculous. I didn’t like plenty of things that I saw yesterday. I didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal … and I didn’t like the fact that the retaliation was very strong… All I do is play both sides.”

While traveling to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, President Trump clarified on Tuesday that he has no interest in toppling the Iranian government, citing the destabilizing consequences such a move could bring.

“No. If there was, there was, but no, I don’t want it. I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Regime change takes chaos and ideally we don’t want to see so much chaos. So we’ll see how it goes.”

The president made these remarks just days after he authorized a U.S. military strike targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, a move that led him to call for an immediate end to fighting between Iran and Israel on Monday.

Over the weekend, following the initial Israeli air raids on Iranian territory, Trump took to Truth Social suggesting the possibility of eliminating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and referenced “regime change” in a provocative post on Sunday.

“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

However, sources previously said that behind closed doors, Trump had voiced concerns that ousting Iran’s leadership could backfire and result in a disastrous situation similar to what unfolded in Libya.

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President Trump unloads on Fake News CNN and MSDNC for intentionally stoking doubt about the obliteration of the Iranian regime’s nuclear facilities: “They’re really hurting great pilots that put their lives on the line…Iran will never rebuild its nuclear program… from there absolutely not.”

Trump slammed Israel for planning strikes on Tehran just hours after a ceasefire was confirmed, saying both sides had violated the deal. “I’m not happy with Israel,” he told reporters. “You don’t drop bombs in the first hours after I say you have 12.” On Truth Social, he warned: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS… BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!”

More than 15 drones launched from Iran at Israel overnight were intercepted, the IDF says.

President Trump on Tuesday issued a stern warning that Iran would not succeed in rebuilding its nuclear infrastructure, even as Iranian officials claimed they were already working on repairs following the recent airstrikes.

“IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!” Trump wrote emphatically on Truth Social.

Over the weekend, the United States carried out a powerful aerial operation targeting three key Iranian nuclear installations, utilizing bunker-busting bombs in an assault Trump later praised as a direct hit.

Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency, said on Tuesday that while authorities were still evaluating the extent of the destruction, they had anticipated such an attack and were ready with a response.

“The plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services,” Eslami said, according to Iranian government outlets.

He also noted that Iran had already taken steps to resume operations and restore its nuclear efforts.

Trump’s comments came as he criticized both Israel and Iran for allegedly breaching the cease-fire he had brokered earlier, expressing frustration with both nations.

“I think they both violated it,” Trump said, referring to Israel’s renewed threats of military action in response to what it labeled a “blatant violation” of the agreement by Iran.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f–k they’re doing, do you understand?”

Shortly after making those remarks, Trump returned to Truth Social to affirm that the truce was once again in effect.

“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” he posted.

The Iranian nuclear program experienced significant setbacks following a surprise air assault by Israel on June 13.

In the aftermath, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu announced that Israel had fulfilled its mission, stating that its military had effectively neutralized both Iran’s nuclear development and its missile arsenal.

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Israel’s tally of the war damage it wrought on Iran includes the targeted killings of at least 14 scientists, an unprecedented attack on the brains behind Iran’s nuclear program that outside experts say can only set it back, not stop it. In an interview with The Associated Press, Israel’s ambassador to France said the killings will make it “almost” impossible for Iran to build weapons from whatever nuclear infrastructure and material may have survived nearly two weeks of Israeli airstrikes and massive bunker-busting bombs dropped by U.S. stealth bombers. “The fact that the whole group disappeared is basically throwing back the program by a number of years, by quite a number of years,” Ambassador Joshua Zarka said. But nuclear analysts say Iran has other scientists who can take their place. European governments say that military force alone cannot eradicate Iran’s nuclear know-how, which is why they want a negotiated solution to put concerns about the Iranian program to rest. “Strikes cannot destroy the knowledge Iran has acquired over several decades, nor any regime ambition to deploy that knowledge to build a nuclear weapon,” U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told lawmakers in the House of Commons. Here’s a closer look at the killings: Chemists, physicists, engineers among those killed Zarka told AP that Israeli strikes killed at least 14 physicists and nuclear engineers, top Iranian scientific leaders who “basically had everything in their mind.” They were killed “not because of the fact that they knew physics, but because of the fight that they were personally involved in, the creation and the fabrication and the production of (a) nuclear weapon,” he said. Nine of them were killed in Israel’s opening wave of attacks on June 13, the Israeli military said. It said they “possessed decades of accumulated experience in the development of nuclear weapons” and included specialists in chemistry, materials and explosives as well as physicists. Zarka spoke Monday to AP. On Tuesday, Iran state TV reported the death of another Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber, in an Israeli strike, after he’d survived an earlier attack that killed his 17-year-old son on June 13. Targeted killings meant to discourage would-be successors Experts say that decades of Iranian work on nuclear energy — and, Western powers allege, nuclear weapons — has given the country reserves of know-how and scientists who could continue any work toward building warheads to fit on Iran’s ballistic missiles. “Blueprints will be around and, you know, the next generation of Ph.D. students will be able to figure it out,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, who specialized in nuclear non-proliferation as a former U.S. diplomat. Bombing nuclear facilities “or killing the people will set it back some period of time. Doing both will set it back further, but it will be reconstituted.” “They have substitutes in maybe the next league down, and they’re not as highly qualified, but they will get the job done eventually,” said Fitzpatrick, now an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London think tank. How quickly nuclear work could resume will in part depend on whether Israeli and U.S. strikes destroyed Iran’s stock of enriched uranium and equipment needed to make it sufficiently potent for possible weapons use. “The key element is the material. So once you have the material, then the rest is reasonably well-known,” said Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based analyst […]

President Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning to declare that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran was back in place—just minutes after publicly condemning both nations for reigniting hostilities and accusing them of acting without control or clarity.

“ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran,” he posted shortly before 7:30 a.m. “Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!” he added, ending with his usual signoff: “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

This statement came directly after Trump had criticized both countries while speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he departed for a NATO summit.

“I think they both violated it,” Trump said, referring to the ceasefire agreement. He singled out Israel’s decision to resume airstrikes following what it claimed was a direct Iranian provocation, and blasted both parties for behaving irrationally.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what … they’re doing, do you understand?” Trump said. He expressed frustration with Israel in particular, stating that he had to rein them in.

“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a boatload of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load that we’ve seen, I’m not happy with Israel,” he stated.

He continued by saying, “Ok, when I say now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So, I’m not happy with him. I’m not happy with Iran either.”

Trump added that he was displeased with reports that Israel responded with military force after what he implied may have been a misfired rocket that caused no damage. “I’m unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t land, that was shot perhaps by mistake, but didn’t land,” he said, referencing Israel’s assertion that Iran had launched missiles in violation of the ceasefire—a claim Iran rejected.

He also directed sharp criticism toward major U.S. media networks, accusing them of downplaying the success of recent American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and undermining the bravery of the pilots involved.

“I think the reason we’re here is because those pilots, those B-2 pilots, did an unbelievable job, and you know, the fake news, like CNN in particular, they’re trying to say, ‘Well, I agree that it was destroyed but maybe not that destroyed,’” Trump said.

“You know what they’re doing? They’re really hurting great pilots that put their lives on the line. CNN is scum and some is MSNBC. And frankly, the networks aren’t much better, it’s all fake news,” he said.

According to Trump, the B-2 bombers had “obliterated” their assigned targets during Saturday night’s covert mission.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced that Gulf Arab foreign ministers would hold an emergency meeting in Doha to address Iran’s missile attack on a U.S. military installation in Qatar.

“We urge the U.S. and Iranians to return immediately to the negotiating table for nuclear negotiations to reach a diplomatic solution,” he said during a press briefing. He added that the Emir of Qatar had spoken with both President Trump and the Iranian president following the incident.

The Iranian leader, Sheikh Mohammed noted, “expressed his regret that the incident was in Qatar,” and he voiced hope that “this issue [will] be contained as soon as possible and for this chapter to be behind us.”

In a separate overnight development, a barrage of drones struck military compounds in Iraq, damaging two separate bases. Iraqi government spokesman Sabah al-Numan confirmed that “significant damage” had been inflicted on the radar systems at both sites.

While no group claimed immediate responsibility for the drone attacks, officials in Baghdad condemned them as “cowardly and treacherous.” One of the impacted locations was the Taji base, north of the capital, which had been a frequent target of Iranian-backed militia attacks prior to the U.S. withdrawal in 2020.

Iranian state media reported that the country’s military denied launching any missiles after the ceasefire had officially taken effect.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed strong approval for President Donald Trump Monday night following Trump’s announcement of a temporary truce between Israel and Iran.

“This is a really remarkable achievement. President Trump deserves all the credit. This is what peace through strength looks like. We haven’t seen this in a while, and it’s really a big sigh of relief here on Capitol Hill,” Johnson told reporters, according to CNN.

He described the development as “a really, really big day,” calling it “historic,” and brushed off recent efforts by lawmakers to push a War Powers resolution that could constrain the president’s authority to take further military action against Iran. “Kind of a moot point now, isn’t it?” he remarked.

Johnson noted that Congress had already scheduled a briefing on the situation for Tuesday, though he said the tone of the discussion would likely shift. “It’ll be a little different in its tone, I suspect now,” he said.

His remarks came shortly after President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Israel and Iran had come to terms on a 12-hour ceasefire set to begin at 7:00 a.m. Israel time Tuesday.

Trump wrote that under the terms of the agreement, Iran would halt all offensive operations six hours before the official start time, followed by Israel ceasing its military activity six hours later.

While the Israeli government has not yet issued a formal statement on the agreement, an Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that Tehran had accepted the ceasefire deal, which was mediated by Qatar.

In an interview with NBC News following his announcement, Trump called the development “a wonderful day for the world, in my opinion.”

“It’s a great day for America. It’s a great day for the Middle East. I’m very happy to have been able to get the job done,” Trump said. “A lot of people were dying, and it was only going to get worse. It would have brought the whole Middle East down.”

When asked how long he expected the truce to hold, Trump responded, “I think the ceasefire is unlimited. It’s going to go forever.”

{Matzav.com}

A person was viciously assaulted Monday afternoon near 16th Avenue and 51st Street in Boro Park, sparking a swift and coordinated response by the NYPD and Boro Park Shomrim. The suspect attempted to flee the scene following the brutal attack, but Boro Park Shomrim volunteers quickly sprang into action. Utilizing real-time information and coordinated efforts, they tracked the suspect as he moved through the neighborhood. The NYPD, working closely with Shomrim, successfully intercepted and arrested the suspect just a few blocks away at 13th Avenue and 53rd Street.   (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In a culmination of his impactful trip across North America, Rav Yitzchak Yosef delivered a landmark shiur Sunday night at Bais Medrash Lutzk in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The event served as the grand finale of the Rishon L’Tzion’s powerful chizuk trip, a journey that saw him engage with diverse segments of the Torah world—Sefardic, Litvish, and Chassidic alike—leaving behind a trail of inspiration and chizuk.

Throughout the trip, Rav Yosef delivered shiurim and spoke at major Torah institutions across the continent. Among the stops were Yeshivat Ateres Torah, led by Chacham Yosef Harari-Raful; the Sephardic Kollel in Deal under Rav Shlomo Diamond; Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore; the Belzer Kollel in Boro Park; and the Skverer Yeshiva and Kollel.

In each location, massive crowds gathered to hear words of Torah and chizuk from the rav, who addressed the spiritual challenges of the day and offered uplifting guidance tailored to each community’s unique needs.

During the course of the trip, Rav Yosef also took part in a major campaign on behalf of Keren Olam HaTorah, joining forces with gedolim such as Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Don Segal, Rav Dovid Cohen, and Rav Malkiel Kotler.

Photos from the shiur at Lutzk in Lakewood:

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Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) stated during an interview with Kan Reshet Bet radio on Monday that Israel’s recent military action against Iran likely wouldn’t have occurred if the initial vote to dissolve the Knesset had succeeded.

“In such a situation, we would not have received the support of the United States,” Edelstein explained. He mentioned that when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the plan to the Cabinet, there was uncertainty about whether US President Donald Trump would endorse it.

When asked whether Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been neutralized, Edelstein said, “It’s not yet possible to say definitively that the nuclear threat has been removed, but the success of the operation is certainly phenomenal. I believe we’ve set the Iranian program back by many years—especially with the American strike two days ago. The Iranians are now significantly behind, but there are still more targets and more work ahead.”

Edelstein was also questioned about whether regime change in Iran was part of the broader military strategy. He responded, “Toppling the regime is not our goal—but no one will cry if it happens.”

As for Israel’s long-term strategy, Edelstein emphasized that the mission’s initial focus remains on dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. “Our starting point is the continued dismantling of their nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. After that, the goal is to reach an agreement—no uranium enrichment on Iranian soil and limitations on their conventional weapons. We’re not stopping tomorrow; there are still targets. We know how many missiles they have, and their arsenal remains.”

Commenting on how Iran might respond to the recent American airstrikes, Edelstein said, “Khamenei has yet to decide whether to pursue a strong response against the United States or to move toward negotiations. What’s certain is they won’t come out waving a white flag.”

He concluded with a warning about Iran’s strategic calculations: “We need to remember—they don’t want to be dragged into a prolonged war. They have a lot to lose.”

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In a stunning rebuke of America’s closest ally, President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Israel to “not bomb Iran,” just hours after Israeli warplanes launched retaliatory strikes on Tehran in response to a deadly Iranian missile attack. Speaking to reporters before departing for a NATO summit in The Hague, Trump accused both Iran and Israel of violating the fragile ceasefire he brokered a day earlier. But he reserved his fiercest criticism for Jerusalem. “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before,” Trump said. “I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t even land.” The president then posted in all caps on Truth Social: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” Shortly later, he wrote, “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Minutes later he wrote: “IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES!” The ceasefire — announced Monday night from Palm Beach — was designed to pause hostilities after U.S. B-2 stealth bombers devastated Iran’s nuclear program with bunker-buster strikes. But within hours, a missile launched from Iranian territory struck Beersheva, killing four Israeli civilians. Though Iran denied involvement, Israel responded with what officials called a “forceful counteroffensive.” Trump expressed frustration with both sides. “You’ve got two countries who’ve been fighting so long, they don’t know what… they’re doing,” he said bluntly. The president also lashed out at U.S. media outlets, accusing CNN and MSNBC of downplaying the effectiveness of the airstrikes. “They’re hurting great pilots that put their lives on the line,” Trump said. “CNN is SCUM. And so is MSDNC.” Despite claiming Iran’s nuclear program was “completely demolished,” Trump’s own military advisors urged caution. Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said it was “too early” to assess the full extent of the damage. Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal quoted an Israeli official as saying, “The Trump administration conveyed a message that Israel has the right to respond after Iran attacked. We’re trying to understand the meaning of his latest comments.” Ynet reported that Israeli officials were shocked by Trump’s statements, as the government had stated that Israel had coordinated with the US regarding responses to Iranian ceasefire violations. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone following the outburst and agreed that the IAF would carry out a small “symbolic” strike on an Iranian radar. Shortly later, Israeli officials confirmed that a strike against an Iranian radar in northern Tehran was carried out. The Israeli government released an official statement on Tuesday morning announcing that all goals of Operation “Am K’Lavi” have been achieved and that Israel has agreed to Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire with Iran. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance responded Monday to the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, brokered by President Donald Trump and revealed on his Truth Social platform, describing the resolution of the 12-day conflict as a major strategic shift in the region.

Speaking during an appearance on Fox News, Vance offered a blunt assessment of Iran’s military capabilities and the broader impact of the short but intense war.

“Iranians have shown through their terror networks, through their failed effort to build a nuclear weapon, that they are just not very good at war,” Vance said.

The vice president, a prominent figure in the Trump administration’s foreign policy team, characterized the outcome of the conflict as a decisive blow to Iran’s regional ambitions.

“I think when we look back, we will say the 12-Day War was an important reset moment for the region,” he noted.

Vance went on to highlight what he described as severe damage inflicted on Iran’s military infrastructure during the campaign, particularly targeting the regime’s air defense systems, missile capabilities, and nuclear sites.

“Their air defenSes have been totally destroyed, their conventional missile program has been largely destroyed, and of course their nuclear program has been obliterated,” he stated.

WATCH:

The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) on Tuesday began preparing to gradually resume full operations at Ben Gurion Airport following Israel’s confirmation of a ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday morning. Despite the fact that Iran violated the ceasefire several hours after it was announced, Israeli airspace remained open, and planes near the airport were ordered to circle in the air until the incident was over. The IAA held a situational assessment on the resumption of operations on Tuesday with senior defense officials and the Israel Civil Aviation Authority. There are still tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad, although according to data released by the Population and Immigration Authority on Tuesday morning, 95,441 Israelis have returned to Israel since the beginning of the war: 52,554 via land crossings, 8,386 via sea, and 34,501 by air. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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Several hours after Israel confirmed a ceasefire with Iran, sirens blared in northern Israel, indicating an incoming missile attack. Iran launched two ballistic missiles, which, b’chasdei Hashem, were successfully intercepted. Shrapnel from an interceptor missile fell on the moshav of Yodfat in the Lower Galil, injuring several cows. Following the launch, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated that he ordered the IDF “to respond forcefully to Iran’s violation of the ceasefire by launching intense attacks against regime targets in the heart of Tehran.” “In light of Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire announced by the US President, and in accordance with the policy set by the Israeli government to respond forcefully to any violation, I have instructed the IDF, in coordination with the Prime Minister, to continue the powerful attacks on regime targets and terror infrastructure in Tehran, in continuation of yesterday’s actions,” Katz stated. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment following Iran’s violation of the ceasefire and stated, “In light of the serious violation of the ceasefire carried out by the Iranian regime, we will attack with force.” An Israeli diplomatic official said that “Iran violated the ceasefire, and it will pay.” Tehran denied that Israel fired missiles after the ceasefire began and threatened that Israel bear responsiblity for any attack. Shortly later, the Revolutionary Guards claimed that “Israel attacked targets in Iran until 9:00 a.m. in three stages. The forces previously announced that they would not leave any attack unanswered and that Israel will pay a heavy price.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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