Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, appeared on Iranian state television to speak publicly about a failed Israeli assassination attempt that left him with serious injuries.
Throughout the broadcast, Shamkhani could be seen using a medical breathing device, which he explained was necessary due to lingering lung issues caused by the attack.
Recalling the incident, Shamkhani described being trapped beneath the wreckage of his home for several hours. “I was mainly injured internally; my ribs were broken,” he said.
“I woke up the moment the projectile hit me. At first, I thought I was trapped under rubble and debris had fallen. I started digging with my legs as much as I could. I did that because of the damage to my lungs, because my rib cage was broken. I saw other internal injuries. I prayed and heard the sound of a car. I took steady breaths.”
Despite the close call, Shamkhani said he harbors no fear of Israel. “I’ve never been afraid, not even for a moment, of the Zionist attack. The Zionists know why they tried to eliminate me — and so do I. I can’t say the reason, but I made their lives purgatory,” he said during the interview.
He also took the opportunity to voice frustration over Iran’s diplomatic efforts with Western powers, alleging that their true goal was never to find common ground. “The negotiations weren’t meant to reach an agreement, but to deceive us. We knew they wanted to create internal conditions to spark protests,” he asserted.
{Matzav.com}The Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center released an update on Saturday night regarding the teenage boy who was wounded during a confrontation with Israeli soldiers in the Binyamin area. The hospital stated that the youth is conscious and in stable condition, though he remains in the intensive care unit. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday. After conducting examinations, doctors determined that the boy was struck by a live round, contradicting earlier reports which claimed he had been hit by a rubber bullet.
In the wake of the incident, the IDF battalion commander who says he was assaulted during the confrontation has offered his account of what transpired. “I have been operating in this area for two decades – and the reality we face is that 90% of our efforts here are spent stopping Hilltop Youth from committing acts of arson,” he stated.
He went on to describe the escalation of tensions with the same group of individuals previously seen setting fires in the Arab village of Al Mughayir, allegedly carrying weapons. “We witnessed them choking a soldier. I was physically attacked, rocks were thrown at one of our vehicles, another vehicle was rammed, and tires were slashed,” he recounted during an interview with Galei Tzahal.
“They told us outright that we wouldn’t leave there alive. Just a day earlier, I was verbally assaulted – they called me a Nazi, cursed at me, and spat in my direction. The Binyamin region means more to me than anything – we show up again and again for reserve duty because we believe in what we’re doing, and now we find ourselves forced to confront these kinds of situations,” he added.
The civilians who were present during the altercation have rejected the commander’s account, insisting that it was actually he who issued a threat to kill them.
{Matzav.com Israel}
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At a press briefing held at the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump made it clear that he would be open to launching additional airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities if intelligence pointed to a growing threat.
“Sure, without question, absolutely – it has to be unbelievable,” Trump said in response to a reporter who asked whether he might consider ordering strikes on Iran again if new intelligence raised red flags regarding uranium enrichment activities.
Trump also expressed confidence that Iran was currently incapable of quickly reviving its nuclear ambitions following the damage inflicted by U.S. attacks on its nuclear infrastructure.
When pressed on whether he was concerned about undisclosed nuclear sites possibly still operating within Iran, Trump shrugged off the idea, indicating he believed Iran was in no position to prioritize nuclear ambitions at this stage.
“Can I tell you – they’re exhausted. And Israel’s exhausted too. And I dealt with both of them, and they both wanted it settled – both of them – and we did a great job. But they’re exhausted. The last thing they’re thinking about right now is nuclear. You know what they’re thinking of? They’re thinking about tomorrow, trying to live,” stated Trump.
Trump also claimed that Tehran was eager to enter negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program. His remarks echoed those of Steve Witkoff, the administration’s Middle East envoy, who recently stated that preliminary steps toward dialogue with Iran were already underway.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have publicly denied any plans to engage in renewed nuclear talks. On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected reports suggesting otherwise.
“Some speculations about the resumption of negotiations should not be taken seriously,” Araghchi declared, adding, “I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations. No plan has been set yet to start negotiations.”
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}Donald Trump launched a fierce attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, reacting to Khamenei’s declaration that Iran had triumphed in its conflict with Israel. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Khamenei of fabricating a narrative of victory and disclosed that he had been exploring lifting sanctions on Iran—an effort he abandoned in light of the Ayatollah’s remarks.
“Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so,” Trump wrote.
Trump didn’t hold back, expressing outrage over what he saw as a complete distortion of the facts. He reminded followers that Iran had suffered massive devastation and suggested he personally intervened to stop Israel or the U.S. from killing Khamenei. “As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie. His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life. I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'”
He went on to reveal that he had instructed Israel to abort what he described as a massive military operation targeting the Iranian capital. “In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout! Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the War, by far.”
Trump then turned to his diplomatic efforts in the conflict’s aftermath. He noted that he had been making headway toward easing sanctions to help Iran recover—but the Ayatollah’s inflammatory rhetoric caused him to reverse course. “During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery – The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more.”
In closing, Trump painted a bleak picture of Iran’s condition and warned of further deterioration unless its leaders embraced a different approach. “Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them. They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them – A burned out, blown up Country, with no future, a decimated Military, a horrible Economy, and DEATH all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR. PEACE!!!”
{Matzav.com}
President Trump delivered an unexpected blow to trade relations with Canada on Friday, declaring that he would be halting all negotiations in response to Canada’s decision to implement a tax targeting American tech giants.
“We have just been informed that Canada … has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He accused Canada of mimicking policies from across the Atlantic: “They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately.”
Trump also warned that economic repercussions were on the way. “We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The Canadian government has committed to instituting a 3% tax on digital revenues earned by large-scale platforms such as Facebook and Google. The proposed levy would be retroactively applied to earnings going back to 2022 and would only affect companies that generate over $14.6 million annually.
It remains unclear how Trump’s order will immediately impact existing trade structures, since the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continues to govern the overall commercial relationship between the two nations.
Still, the announcement rippled through financial markets, prompting a decline in tech-related stocks on Wall Street. However, despite the dip, broader indices remained on track for a positive weekly close.
Trump has previously warned the European Union of facing a steep 50% tariff in retaliation for its own digital tax plans, though he postponed enforcement until July 9 to allow room for dialogue.
{Matzav.com}
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered a striking and sharply worded dismissal of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent in a major case on birthright citizenship, surprising many who closely follow the court’s inner dynamics. In the ruling, which curtailed the ability of lower courts to issue sweeping injunctions, Barrett offered a blunt critique of Jackson’s reasoning.
“We will not dwell on Justice Jackson’s argument, which is at odds with more than two centuries’ worth of precedent, not to mention the Constitution itself,” Barrett wrote, forcefully rejecting the basis of Jackson’s stance. “We observe only this: Justice Jackson decries an imperial Executive while embracing an imperial Judiciary.”
Barrett, who wrote the majority opinion in the decision seen as a significant win for President Trump, limited the authority of federal district courts to halt presidential actions with universal injunctions—a judicial practice that has become increasingly common in recent years.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor authored the primary dissenting opinion on behalf of the liberal justices, joined by Jackson. However, Jackson also issued her own dissent, expanding on the concerns she felt were being overlooked by the court’s conservative majority.
Jackson’s separate opinion focused less on statutory interpretation and more on what she described as dangerous consequences of the ruling. “It is not difficult to predict how this all ends. Eventually, executive power will become completely uncontainable, and our beloved constitutional Republic will be no more,” she warned in stark language.
Elsewhere, Jackson argued that the case wasn’t just about technicalities but raised core questions about checks and balances: “Quite unlike a rule-of-kings governing system, in a rule of law regime, nearly ‘[e]very act of government may be challenged by an appeal to law,’” she wrote. “At the very least, I lament that the majority is so caught up in minutiae of the Government’s self-serving, finger-pointing arguments that it misses the plot.”
She further dismissed legal debates surrounding the Judiciary Act of 1789 as obfuscating the essential issue. “Legalese” is how she referred to it, adding that it “obscures a far more basic question of enormous legal and practical significance: May a federal court in the United States of America order the Executive to follow the law?”
Barrett responded with a tone that verged on sarcastic: “Because analyzing the governing statute involves boring ‘legalese,’ [Jackson] seeks to answer ‘a far more basic question of enormous practical significance: May a federal court in the United States of America order the Executive to follow the law?’”
She continued: “In other words, it is unnecessary to consider whether Congress has constrained the Judiciary; what matters is how the Judiciary may constrain the Executive. Justice Jackson would do well to heed her own admonition: ‘[E]veryone, from the President on down, is bound by law.’ That goes for judges too.”
Though Barrett acknowledged that Sotomayor stayed within the boundaries of traditional legal reasoning, she had far less patience for Jackson’s approach. “While Justice Sotomayor focuses her dissent on conventional legal terrain, like the Judiciary Act of 1789 and our cases on equity,” Barrett noted, Jackson veered off in a completely different direction. Barrett described her colleague’s argument as “a startling line of attack that is tethered neither to these sources nor, frankly, to any doctrine whatsoever.”
Barrett was especially critical of Jackson’s dismissal of legal limitations on judicial power. “Waving away attention to the limits on judicial power as a ‘mind-numbingly technical query’ … she offers a vision of the judicial role that would make even the most ardent defender of judicial supremacy blush,” she wrote.
Adding to the tension, Jackson did not close her opinion with the customary “I dissent” or “Respectfully, I dissent,” an omission that court observers interpreted as a sign of deep discontent.
“It’s not something that we see every day,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in an interview with The Post, referring to Barrett’s unusually direct criticism. Bird noted, however, that Barrett’s comments remained focused on legal arguments rather than descending into personal attacks.
Reactions on social media were swift and intense. “Holy …, this is about as brutal as I’ve ever seen SCOTUS be on one of their own,” attorney Kostas Moros posted on X, quoting Barrett’s “imperial Judiciary” line. “Translated: ‘you are so stupid that you aren’t even worth responding to.’”
Others suggested Barrett’s harsh tone might reflect growing frustration within the court. “The FACT that six Justices were OK with signing onto an opinion where Justice Barrett took a personal shot at Justice Jackson is a VERY STRONG indication that Jackson has alienated her colleagues and there is a growing lack of respect for her work,” wrote X user Shipwreckedcrew, who identifies as a former federal prosecutor.
He added that Jackson’s dissent likely followed heated exchanges behind the scenes. “Justices circulate Memos among with their legal views on certain cases in order to bring others around to their thinking. Given what she has written in her dissent, imagine the memos that Jackson must have sent around in this case.”
The legal backdrop to the dispute involved three lower courts that had blocked President Trump’s January 20 executive order, which aimed to redefine birthright citizenship. Those courts determined the order likely violated constitutional protections under the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil.
The Supreme Court’s decision did not take a position on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order itself. Instead, it focused solely on the scope of judicial authority to issue nationwide injunctions.
{Matzav.com}
President Trump on Friday urged Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to be honest about his country’s defeat, stating that he was thoroughly overpowered by both the United States and Israel. He also issued a stern warning that if Iran resumes uranium enrichment at troubling levels, American forces would respond with further military action.
“I said, ‘Look, you’re a man of great faith, a man who is highly respected in his country, you have to tell the truth. You got beat to h—,’” Trump told reporters, ridiculing the supreme leader’s assertion of victory in the recent confrontation.
Trump, speaking during an unusual visit to the White House press briefing room, emphasized that Iran’s leadership had far more pressing concerns at the moment than nuclear ambitions.
“The last thing they’re thinking about is nuclear weapons right now,” the president added.
When asked whether he would authorize another strike against Iran if the nuclear threat escalated again, Trump responded with complete certainty, leaving no room for ambiguity.
He said he would “without question, absolutely” consider bombing Iran again if it enriches uranium to an extent that concerns him.
Khamenei, however, had insisted in a Thursday statement that Iran had emerged “victorious” from the twelve-day conflict, even though Israeli forces had seized aerial dominance and American bombers had devastated three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America’s face,” Khamenei claimed on X, referring to a symbolic launch of 14 rockets at a US base in Qatar Monday.
All of the missiles were intercepted, thanks in part to early warning from Tehran. A cease-fire deal was reached just a few hours after the launch.
{Matzav.com}