Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime ally of Israel, issued strong remarks in response to the Israeli strike in Doha, Qatar, that targeted Hamas leadership.
“To those who planned and cheered on the October 7 attack against Israel, the United States’ greatest ally in the region: This is your fate,” Graham wrote in a message posted on X.
He then addressed the Palestinian people directly: “Your future depends on the political and military demise of Hamas. If Hamas lays down their weapons tomorrow, one of the most promising chapters in the history of the Palestinian people can begin.”
In his comments, Graham stressed that those seeking an end to the conflict should demand that Hamas disarm. “To those who want this war to end: Insist that Hamas surrender now,” he stated.
Turning to Israel, Graham expressed unwavering support for its right to defend itself. “To my Israeli friends: I understand your determination to ensure there are no more ‘October 7’ attacks and that those who want to destroy the Jewish state are denied that capability. I will always be your partner in this endeavor,” he emphasized.
Concluding his statement, Graham issued a pointed warning to Israel’s northern neighbors. “To Lebanon: Hezbollah is on my mind. To Syria: Choose wisely,” he wrote.
{Matzav.com}
France and Germany both issued harsh criticism of Israel’s strike in Doha, Qatar, even though the target was Hamas leadership.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack in a statement posted to X, writing, “Today’s Israeli strikes on Qatar are unacceptable, whatever the reason. I express my solidarity with Qatar and its Emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani. Under no circumstances should the war spread throughout the region.”
Macron made sure his message reached a wide audience, publishing his comments in French, English, Arabic, and Hebrew.
In Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also voiced disapproval, calling the operation “unacceptable.”
“Israel’s strike in Doha not only violates Qatar’s territorial sovereignty, but also jeopardizes all our efforts to secure the hostages’ release,” Wadephul declared, pointing out that Qatar remains an essential mediator in ceasefire talks and negotiations for freeing the captives.
According to Reuters, a government spokesperson confirmed that Merz held a phone conversation with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. During that exchange, Merz emphasized that Israel’s breach of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity could not be tolerated.
Merz further told the Emir, “The war must not spread to the entire region.”
Speaking in Washington, President Donald Trump admitted on Tuesday that he was “not thrilled” by Israel’s decision to strike Hamas officials in Doha.
“I’m not thrilled about it. I’m not thrilled about the whole situation. It’s not… not a good situation,” Trump told reporters when pressed about the matter.
He continued by saying, “But I will say this: We want the hostages back. But we are not thrilled about the way that went down today.”
When asked whether the Israeli operation had caught him off guard, Trump responded, “I’m never surprised by anything. Especially when it comes to the Middle East. I’ll be giving a full statement tomorrow, but… I would tell you this: I was very unhappy about it. Very unhappy about every aspect. We gotta get the hostages back. But I was very unhappy about the way that went down.”
In a separate message earlier in the day, Trump had addressed the incident on Truth Social, attributing the decision to order the strike in Qatar directly to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that the United States had informed Qatar in advance of the Israeli operation. However, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani countered that account, insisting his country was notified only ten minutes after the strike had already taken place.
{Matzav.com}
A second ship involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), an international campaign aimed at breaking through Israel’s maritime blockade on Gaza, was reportedly targeted in what organizers say was a drone strike early Wednesday morning. No casualties were reported.
“Another boat has been hit,” read a post from the GSF on social media, which claimed a second incident in as many nights. “Second night, second drone attack,” flotilla coordinator Melanie Schweizer told AFP.
This latest episode follows a similar allegation the previous night, with flotilla leaders asserting that one of their vessels had also been struck by a drone.
Footage released by GSF on Tuesday showed a buzzing sound just before a burst of light, while a second video depicted crew members responding in alarm to an apparent blast.
Tunisian officials dismissed the accusations, insisting no drone activity was detected in the area. They suggested instead that the blaze originated from life jackets on board, possibly triggered by a cigarette.
GSF representative Saif Abukeshek squarely accused Israel, saying in a video uploaded to Instagram: “There is no other authority that would do such an attack, such a crime, except the Israeli authorities.”
The flotilla, consisting of 20 vessels, departed Barcelona last Monday and docked in Tunisia on Sunday. There, they were met by local supporters and stocked up with more aid supplies before setting out toward Gaza.
While they had originally planned to leave Tunis on Sunday, the organizers announced a delay the day before, explaining the pushback to Wednesday was due to “technical and logistical reasons beyond management’s control.”
Passengers on board include well-known activists such as Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, who during her tenure severed her city’s relations with Israel. The effort has also received endorsements from Hollywood actors including Susan Sarandon and Liam Cunningham, best known for his role in “Game of Thrones.”
Thunberg had previously been deported by Israel in June after she joined another flotilla, the Madleen, which was stopped by the IDF before it could reach Gaza.
Following that interception, participants were provided food and water, even though several of them had prerecorded statements alleging they had been “kidnapped” by the IDF.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry later noted that the cargo aboard the Madleen amounted to less than one truck of supplies, and confirmed that the goods would be delivered to Gaza through established humanitarian routes.
{Matzav.com}
Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Trump, is now living at the White House while taking courses at New York University’s Washington, D.C. campus.
The 19-year-old, who spent his first year as a well-noticed figure at NYU’s main campus in Greenwich Village, has decided to continue his academic path much nearer to his parents, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
The NYU program in the capital accommodates up to 120 undergraduates per semester, offering classes geared toward students preparing for careers in government, policy, economics, history, and journalism.
During his freshman year, Barron resided at Trump Tower in Manhattan and commuted daily to classes at Washington Square, occasionally also flying to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach to spend time with his father.
Trump had hinted at his son’s plans for higher education in an August 2024 interview with The NY Post, after which Barron was spotted enrolled in courses at NYU.
“He’s a little on the tall side. I will tell you, he’s a tall one, but he is a good-looking guy. And he’s really been a great student. And he does like politics. It’s sort of funny,” Trump said in remarks to “Kayal and Company” on Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT at the time.
{Matzav.com}
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Poland moved quickly before dawn on Wednesday to strengthen its air and land defenses after Russian drones crossed into its skies while Moscow was carrying out strikes on Ukraine’s border areas.
Poland’s Armed Forces operational command reported that “airspace was repeatedly violated by drone-type objects” during the overnight assault on Ukrainian territory.
“An operation is underway aimed at identifying and neutralizing the objects,” the command wrote on X. “On the orders of the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces, weapons have been deployed, and services are actively working to locate the downed objects.”
Officials confirmed that “Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness.”
Authorities explained that the heightened posture is intended to shield Polish civilians living near the Ukrainian frontier after Russia struck targets in western Ukraine, close to NATO’s borders.
Residents in Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, and Lubelskie provinces were instructed to stay indoors while the military response remains in progress.
Earlier in the night, Ukraine’s armed forces cautioned on Telegram that drones were flying west and might endanger the Polish city of Zamosc. That alert has since been removed.
Reports in Ukrainian outlets suggested one drone was headed toward Rzeszow in Poland, but neither Kyiv nor Warsaw has officially confirmed that any strikes landed there.
Meanwhile, American lawmakers reacted online, directly accusing Russia of an attack on Poland.
“Russia is attacking NATO ally Poland with Iranian shahid drones less than a week after President Trump hosted President Nawrocki at the White House,” posted South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson on X.
“This is an act of war, and we are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin’s continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations. I urge President Trump to respond with mandatory sanctions that will bankrupt the Russian war machine and arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russia.”
Senator Dick Durban also faulted Vladimir Putin for persistently testing NATO airspace and “testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations.”
“After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,” the senator wrote on X.
The Pentagon, NATO, and the White House did not issue an immediate statement when contacted by The Post.
Russia only days earlier mounted its most extensive aerial barrage of the war so far, launching over 800 drones and decoys along with 13 missiles across Ukraine.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko of Ukraine said four civilians, including a mother and her infant, were killed in that assault.
Another major strike followed on Monday, which President Volodymyr Zelensky reported left at least 24 people dead as they waited in line to collect pensions in the country’s east.
Ukraine now faces the possibility of running dangerously low on defense systems, since American military support slowed during the summer even as Russia’s daily attacks intensified.
Kyiv has been struggling to intercept the relentless waves of missiles and drones. Western experts caution that if Moscow sustains the scale of these operations, Ukraine’s air defenses could eventually collapse.
“It’s a question of time for when munitions run out,” one individual familiar with U.S. weapons shipments told the Financial Times.
{Matzav.com}
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On Tuesday’s “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Sen. John Fetterman spoke about Israel’s strike against Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar.
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A talmid of Yeshivas Shalheves HaTorah was arrested today by police after it was discovered that he had not reported to the draft office.
The arrest comes just one day after he completed the week of sheva brachos following his wedding last week.
According to available information, the bochur, Yisrael Meir Taharani, was taken into custody by Cholon police for desertion after failing to appear at the enlistment office. He was transferred to Tel Hashomer, where he is expected to face a disciplinary hearing before a military officer.
Organizations that assist yeshiva students in such cases, including Ezram U’Maginam and Nosnim Gav, denounced the arrest. They said, “This represents a serious escalation in the persecution of the Torah world, especially since the yeshiva student appeared at a police station to provide testimony at the request of the police.”
Their statement added: “If Israel Police is setting traps for yeshiva bochurim, then it is in fact encouraging criminality within the chareidi community, and the consequences for the police could be disastrous.”
This arrest comes on the heels of another similar case reported earlier this week. In that incident, military police arrived at 2:30 a.m. at the home of Nesanel Maor Yitzchak, a talmid at Yeshivas Hamayshar in Bat Yam, led by Rav Benayahu Shmueli, and took him into custody.
Yitzchak had submitted deferment requests properly until the expiration of the draft law. After the law was canceled, he was summoned for January but did not report.
Following his arrest, he was taken to the Tel Hashomer detention facility, where a disciplinary officer sentenced him to 20 days in military prison. He was then transferred to Prison 10 in Kfar Yona.
It later emerged—over a day after his arrest—that he had already been tried without any legal representation. Attempts were made to establish contact with him to clarify details, but under current regulations, detainees may only consult with attorneys after their arrest and before trial. Once transferred to Prison 10, communication is only possible if initiated by the prisoner himself.
{Matzav.com Israel}
In response to government sanctions and harassment directed at those dedicated to Torah study, plans for a massive national demonstration have shifted. What was originally intended as one large protest under the leadership of Gedolei Yisroel will now take place as multiple local rallies across the country.
For months, yeshiva leaders and activists had been preparing for a large-scale demonstration against government actions—both the sanctions targeting Torah learners and the push to impose military enlistment. The event was originally set for bein hazmanim and scheduled to be held this Thursday. However, Matzav.com has obtained, ahead of publication, the letter from the Gedolei Yisroel directing that instead of a central gathering, rallies should be held in every city and community.
The logistics for these events are being coordinated by the organization Ezram U’Maginam, whose chairman, Rav Menachem Shapira, has been working closely with chassidishe and Sephardic representatives to finalize arrangements.
The letter, expected to be officially released Wednesday, was obtained in advance and is being made public here for the first time.
In the letter, Gedolei Yisroel write: “Am Yisroel is facing a difficult time, both from within and from without. Jewish blood is being spilled like water by our enemies who seek to wipe us out, and we must awaken ourselves, strengthening our connection with even greater intensity to our holy Torah, which alone has sustained our people throughout the long years of exile.
“Instead, the authorities have risen against us, with rulings from their courts striking at the heart of the Torah world, with decrees to remove bnei Torah from the sacred yeshivos into the army—threatening, chalilah, the very future of the yeshiva world and all who dwell in Eretz Hakodesh.
“As we now stand in the days of mercy and selichos, we therefore designate Thursday, the 18th of Elul, as a day for all who carry Yiras Shamayim in their hearts to gather in the public squares, in every city and town wherever possible, to stand in tefillah and plead with the Master of the Universe to save us from our troubles, to send a complete recovery to all the wounded, and to nullify the designs of our enemies and accusers.
“May we, the bnei Torah, be able to continue sustaining the Torah world without disturbance, and may we all merit to be inscribed and sealed for a good and peaceful year, together with all of Klal Yisroel, and speedily be redeemed with everlasting salvation.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
