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Newly revealed transcripts from closed-door meetings of Israel’s security cabinet offer a rare window into the country’s calculus ahead of its June strikes on Iran, exposing deliberations that ranged from appeals for U.S. military support to attempts to destabilize Tehran’s regime and even kill Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Channel 13 reported Sunday that it had obtained extensive quotes from Israeli leaders and defense officials before and during the 12-day war, which began with surprise overnight strikes on June 13. The network will broadcast a full feature Tuesday, including an interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It did not say how it acquired the classified material. In a June 12 bunker meeting near Jerusalem, Netanyahu told ministers Israel faced an existential threat. “If we don’t act, we simply won’t be here,” he said, warning that Iran had already enriched uranium sufficient for up to nine bombs. He urged striking nuclear scientists and command centers, adding, “May God help us.” Senior military officials laid out objectives: destroy the Natanz nuclear facility, target figures tied to weaponization, and disrupt Tehran with mass strikes. But they acknowledged Israel lacked the capacity to penetrate the fortified Fordo site without U.S. bunker-buster munitions. “Fordo will be destroyed only if the U.S. attacks it,” one official said. Transcripts show Israeli leaders worked aggressively to secure American assistance. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer described Netanyahu pressing President Donald Trump to provide aerial refueling planes and to consider a direct strike on Fordo. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured him support was being arranged. By June 13, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reported “extraordinary achievements” from the opening wave, but added that American cooperation could accelerate the campaign: “If the U.S. cooperates with us, we can make the hit within 48 hours.” While publicly Israel framed the operation around nuclear facilities, the transcripts indicate broader ambitions. Ministers debated striking Iran’s oil refineries and infrastructure to force civilian evacuations. Katz argued relocation would “destabilize the leader.” Netanyahu pushed to eliminate senior replacements after initial assassinations and to “keep searching for the leader” — meaning Khamenei. “We’ll destroy dozens of buildings after evacuating civilians if Iran continues to target our civilians,” Katz said. Smotrich was blunter: Israel needed to “work on eliminating Khamenei.” Officials anticipated massive retaliation. The Shin Bet warned of potential unrest in Israel’s mixed Jewish-Arab cities. Military assessments projected hundreds of rockets landing on Israeli targets, with dozens of accurate strikes on civilian areas. Iran eventually launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and 1,100 drones at Israel, killing 31 people and wounding over 3,000. More than 13,000 were displaced. By mid-June, defense officials began floating exit strategies. Netanyahu rejected the notion outright. “Stop talking about ending the war,” he told ministers. “We’re on the brink of victory. The public here is very strong.” Channel 13 said its full report will detail further exchanges, including Israeli appeals to Trump to authorize a Fordo strike and Iran’s direct hit on Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

CRIME CRACKDOWN: President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities. “We’re going to be doing Chicago probably next.”

Pres. Trump on Ilhan Omar: “I think she’s a disgraceful person, loser. It’s amazing the way people vote…I think she’s a disgusting person.”

It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the petirah of Reb Aharon Blum zt”l, one of the prominent members of the Toldos Aharon community, who was niftar at the age of 76.

Reb Aharon was well known as the founder of the renowned publishing house A. Blum, the longtime proprietor of the famed Seforim Gesheft bookstore, and the mechaber of Mishnas Eliezer on Mishnayos.

The levayah is being held this evening beginning from his home at 4 Rechov Yoel, continuing to the main beis medrash of Toldos Aharon in Meah Shearim, and proceeding to Har Hazeisim for kevurah.

Reb Aharon was born on Lag BaOmer 5709 (1949) to his father, Reb Mordechai Dovid Blum zt”l, and his mother, Mrs. Breina a”h.

From his youth, he was deeply connected to the Admorim of Toldos Aharon and served faithfully for many years as a devoted gabbai in the chassidus’ central beis medrash in Meah Shearim. With selfless dedication, he tended to every need of the beis Hashem, always first to respond to matters of kedushah. He became a pillar of the kehillah and a model of yiras Shomayim and avodas Hashem.

He established the A. Blum publishing house, which gained recognition throughout the Torah world, and for decades ran the beloved Seforim Gesheft on Rechov Yoel.

Reb Aharon was among the pioneers in publishing classic seforim in large, clear type and with vowels, beginning with the Ohr HaChaim and later many works of chassidus. Long before modern publishing houses became common, his editions set the standard and were found in virtually every cheder and beis medrash.

A highlight of his life’s work was authoring Mishnas Eliezer, a comprehensive commentary on all six sedarim of Mishnayos, explaining every word with clarity.

He was a walking treasury of knowledge about tzaddikim of past generations. Each Motzaei Shabbos, he would host a seudas Melaveh Malka in the beis medrash, recounting stories of tzaddikim whose yahrtzeits would occur in the coming week.

Reb Aharon was also a distinguished talmid chochom who immersed himself in Torah day and night. His avodas Hashem was marked by deep sincerity and simplicity. Alongside his Torah endeavors, he operated the unique Mokir Shabbos gemach, discreetly providing small loans of 100–200 shekels every Erev Shabbos to avreichim in need.

He leaves behind a legacy of Torah, chessed, and yiras Shomayim that will remain etched in the hearts of all who knew him.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

As the shiva for Rabbi Yosef David Hy”d, who was killed in the recent terror attack at the Ramot Junction in Yerushalayim, came to a close, the Rishon Letzion, Rav Dovid Yosef, delivered strong words directed at the conduct of the Palestinian Arabs.

Rav Yosef stated that they “only engage in robbery, murder, and that is the main source of their livelihood.”

He continued by saying: “Each of us must check how many cars they steal, how many houses they break into, how many people they have murdered out of a religious commandment. This is terrible, simply, terrible.”

Rav Yosef mentioned that he has personally met with Palestinian religious leaders who “justify themselves and say, ‘No, we want peace.'”

He then remarked: “I know that everything is just lip service, everything is a lie. This is not a nation, this is a mob, and we say it openly and frankly.”

These comments came in the wake of the Ramot Junction terror attack, where six Jews were brutally murdered: Yosef David, Yisrael Matsner, Yaakov Pinto, Levi Yitzchok Pash, Sarah (Sarita) Mendelsohn, and Mark Steintzag.

{Matzav.com Israel}

MK Simcha Rothman, head of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, delivered strong words against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, urging the chareidi parties to back a proposal to divide her position into separate roles.

“I am submitting, in the first week of the winter session, a bill to split the Attorney General’s position,” he told Kol Chai Radio. “If the chareidim do not support it, they are giving power to persecution. This must pass — the Attorney General blocks policy and disrespects ministers. The Supreme Court will examine the chareidi representatives — they do not represent their voters if they do not support this.”

Turning to Israel’s actions in Qatar and Egypt, Rothman remarked: “Qatar is a kingdom of terror, funding incitement on campuses and in mosques. Al Jazeera has blackened our name for years. The operation in Qatar — the elimination of senior Hamas leaders — is an important message: Hamas is not safe anywhere. Whether or not the specific target was eliminated, the message is victory.”

On the spread of antisemitism worldwide, Rothman commented: “Israel speaks the truth loudly, but the machine of lies is being amplified — antisemitism, money, media. The Haaretz newspaper is quoted by antisemites. [Former Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert laments harm to Hamas — this is what we are creating. There are some Jews who are fueling the lie.”

He also cautioned about the danger of political violence in Eretz Yisroel, stating: “Yes [it happens], and Gali Baharav-Miara enables incitement. She assists incitement against the Right, comparing it to so-called ‘effective’ protest. This is crossing a red line — the Supreme Court is releasing Yolanda Yavor from incitement to murder. I have seen threats, but the complaints are closed.”

Reflecting on recent clashes, Rothman added: “This is violence meant to silence opinions. At Tel Aviv [University] campus I was attacked, and professors supported it — there must be enforcement. This could lead to internal destruction.”

When it came to the widespread animosity against chareidim, Rothman was unequivocal: “This hatred unites communists, anti-religious, Islamists, and soft Right. They agree on nothing except hating the chareidim. It is a sin — the chareidim are the punching bag of society.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

President Trump revealed on Monday that the United States military had conducted a second strike against what were described as Venezuelan drug traffickers operating in international waters.

The president shared that three “male terrorists” had been eliminated, making the announcement on his Truth Social platform.

“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S,” Trump wrote.

“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests,” he continued.

The president clarified that no American forces were injured during the operation.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has increased its campaign against Venezuela, announcing a $50 million reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and authorizing an earlier airstrike on September 2 that left 11 suspected traffickers dead.

“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!” Trump declared.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump on striking Venezuelan narcoterrorists: “We have noticed that there are no ships in the ocean anymore… I wonder why.”

POTUS: “I didn’t say it’s on one side, but I did say the Radical Left causes tremendous violence — and they seem to do it in a bigger way… I really think they hate our country.”

Stephen Miller: “There are these nonprofit entities that organize attacks on ICE officers, attacks on Border Patrol agents, organized doxxing campaigns… under the Presidents direction, the attorney General is going to find out WHO is paying for it — and they will now be criminally liable for paying for violence.”

Palestinian sources report that Israeli helicopters and armored vehicles are firing at targets in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northwestern Gaza City.

PHOTOS: NYC Mayor Eric Adams visited Boro Park today, meeting with various kehilos, organizations, and community members. His visit began at the new Bobov45 shul on 14th Avenue and 49th Street, where he met with the Bobov45 Rebbe.

Rav Kolodetsky shlit”a and his Rebbetzin reveal that a Gadol b’Yisrael is in urgent need of rachamei Shamayim. In response, the Rebbetzin — blessed by her father Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l with the power of bracha — has declared that all who give $375, the gematria of “Shanah Tovah”, will merit a year filled with health, parnassah, shalom bayis, nachas, and Torah growth. She will personally mention each donor by name at candle lighting on Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur, and Rav Kolodetsky will keep their names at his machzor, storming the heavens for their yeshuos. ADD YOUR NAME HERE – CLICK HERE!

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to once again federalize Washington, D.C.’s police force, in what he suggested could come in response to the city’s mayor’s stated refusal to cooperate with immigration enforcement. Trump’s emergency order, which took over the local police force, expired last week. Hours before it elapsed, Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the city would not cooperate with Immigration, Customs and Enforcement in their continued operations in the nation’s capital. Earlier, she had said the city would work with other federal agencies even after the emergency order expired. In an early-morning social media post on Monday, Trump said his intervention into the D.C.’s law enforcement had improved crime in the city, a claim Bowser has backed up, though, data shows crime was already falling in Washington before the law enforcement surge began. Trump said crime could increase if cooperation on immigration enforcement ceases, in which case he would “call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!” The mayor’s office declined to comment. The White House did not say if Trump would follow through on his threat. It also did not say whether the president had considered trying to extend his previous order that placed the city’s police force under federal control. The order was not renewed by Congress and lapsed September 11. Bowser issued an order September 2, setting up how the local police will continue working with the federal law enforcement agencies that continue working in the city. The order listed a number of federal agencies she anticipated working cooperatively with the MPD, the local police, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Secret Service, among other agencies. Absent was ICE. Speaking September 10 at a ribbon cutting ceremony, the mayor said “immigration enforcement is not what MPD does,” referring to the local police department. She added that when the emergency order ends, “it won’t be what MPD does in the future.” Data analyzed by the Associated Press during the emergency period showed that more than 40% of arrests were immigration related, highlighting that the Trump administration continued to advance its hardline immigration policies as it sought to fight crime in the nation’s capital. Federal law enforcement agencies and National Guard units from D.C. and seven states are continuing operations in the city. Trump’s threat comes the same day that the House Committee on Rules is taking up several D.C.-related bills, including a proposal to lower the age at which juveniles can be tried to 14 from 16 for certain serious crimes, as well as restricting the district’s authority over its sentencing laws and its role in selecting judges. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a similar hearing last week. The district is granted autonomy through a limited home rule agreement passed in 1973, but federal political leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C council. (AP)

PRES. TRUMP: “In 2024, Memphis had the highest violent crime rate, the highest property crime rate, & the third highest murder rate of any city in the nation… Other than that, they’re doing quite well.”

PRES. TRUMP: “I’m signing a Presidential Memorandum to establish the Memphis Safe Task Force, & it’s very important because of the crime that’s going on…We’re sending in the BIG FORCE now.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has blocked the release of a highly sensitive report detailing military failures during Hamas’ October 7 massacre, fearing its conclusions could destabilize senior ranks on the eve of a major offensive in Gaza City. The document, compiled by a panel led by retired Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman, was meant to review the IDF’s internal probes into the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. According to senior military officials, the Turgeman panel found that the IDF’s Operations Division—responsible for overseeing force deployment in war and peace—was the most glaring weak spot. The report concluded that the division’s internal self-investigation was “flawed and incomplete,” and recommended reopening the probe. Particular scrutiny fell on Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, who led the division at the time. Binder’s staff, previous IDF reviews found, failed to deliver clear assessments to the General Staff during the crucial early hours of the assault. Binder was nonetheless promoted earlier this year to head of Military Intelligence by then-Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who insisted there was no evidence of personal negligence that should derail his advancement. The Turgeman report, sources say, “marked red” the division’s performance, signaling the urgent need for further inquiry. Still, Zamir has stood by Binder—for now—delaying any reckoning until after the anticipated Gaza City campaign. The report is now locked inside IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, described by insiders as a “ticking time bomb.” Since Zamir succeeded Halevi in March, unease has grown within the military’s top brass, fueled by suspicions that political considerations are shaping how the findings are handled. Critics charge that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have sought to pin blame squarely on the military, while resisting calls for a state commission of inquiry that could also implicate civilian leaders. Netanyahu’s government has faced mounting accusations of emboldening Hamas in the years prior to the attack by allowing millions in Qatari funds to flow into Gaza. The fallout has already spilled into senior officer appointments. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz recently blocked two promotions authorized by Zamir, citing the officers’ indirect roles in the October 7 disaster—even as others with more direct involvement advanced. In a statement, the IDF said Zamir has not yet reviewed the Turgeman report, stressing that the committee was established to identify systemic lessons rather than assign personal blame. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Sen. Ted Cruz wants you to know how he spent his weekend. The GOP lawmaker shared photos and videos of himself Sunday painting over freeway graffiti in Houston that read “[Curse] Charlie Kirk.” Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot and killed during a campus event in Utah on Wednesday.

“Erasing evil,” Cruz captioned a video showing himself armed with a roller and white paint.

In another post on X, Cruz said the Texas Department of Transportation had been notified and would also assist in removing the graffiti. “Some deranged [mamzer] put this graffiti on the 59 freeway in Houston,” he wrote. “TXDOT has been notified & I’m sure sure they will remove it expeditiously. But, in the meantime, Texans don’t have to look at this hateful garbage anymore.“

The videos, which have racked up over 3 million views on X, were mocked by some liberal, leftist social media users. “The form of a man who’s never had a hard job in his life,” independent journalist Talia Jane quipped in a post that drew thousands of likes.

Read more at CBS News Texas.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel. “The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.,” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the strike. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests.” Trump said the strike was carried out Monday, nearly two weeks after another military strike on what the Trump administration says was a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela that killed 11. The Trump administration justified the earlier strike as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, have indicated their dissatisfaction with the administration’s rationale and questioned the legality of the action. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military was used for law enforcement purposes. The Trump administration has claimed self-defense as a legal justification for the first strike, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing the drug cartels “pose an immediate threat” to the nation. U.S. officials said the strike early this month targeted Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. And they indicated more military strikes on drug targets would be coming as the U.S. looks to “wage war” on cartels. Trump did not specify whether Tren de Aragua was also the target of Monday’s strike. The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported strike. The Trump administration has railed specifically against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for the scourge of illegal drugs in U.S. communities. Maduro during a press conference earlier on Monday lashed out at the U.S. government, accusing the Trump administration of using drug trafficking accusations as an excuse for a military operation whose intentions are “to intimidate and seek regime change” in the South American country. Maduro also repudiated what he described as a weekend operation in which 18 Marines raided a Venezuelan fishing boat in the Caribbean. “What were they looking for? Tuna? What were they looking for? A kilo of snapper? Who gave the order in Washington for a missile destroyer to send 18 armed Marines to raid a tuna fishing vessel?” he said. “They were looking for a military incident. If the tuna fishing boys had any kind of weapons and used weapons while in Venezuelan jurisdiction, it would have been the military incident that the warmongers, extremists who want a war in the Caribbean, are seeking.” Speaking to Fox News earlier Monday, Rubio reiterated that the U.S. doesn’t see Maduro as the rightful leader of Venezuela but as head of a drug cartel. Rubio has consistently depicted Venezuela as a vestige of communist ideology in the Western Hemisphere. “We’re not going to have a cartel, operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere,” Rubio said. Following the first military strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, America’s chief diplomat said Trump was “going to use the U.S. military and all the elements of American power to target cartels who are targeting America.” AP and others have reported that […]