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BREAKING VIDEO: An Iranian missile made impact at or near the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva. Damage is seen. There are other reports of missile impacts in other locations as well.

A new poll has revealed that a majority of President Donald Trump’s supporters oppose U.S. involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Among voters who backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election, 53 percent do not want the U.S. to join Israel’s strikes on Iran, with just 19 percent in favor, according to an Economist/YouGov survey conducted over the weekend.

Another 28 percent said they were unsure.

A deep rift has emerged within MAGA ranks over whether the U.S. should be drawn into the overseas conflict, with pro-Israel war hawks such as Laura Loomer and Ted Cruz facing off against isolationist die-hards such as Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk. Carlson, usually a Trump ally, has accused the president of abandoning the “America First” movement and betraying voters who supported him in part for his promise to end U.S. involvement in wars abroad.

Trump this week appeared to edge closer to direct involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, which began after Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites despite ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran on a nuclear deal. The Economist/YouGov poll found bipartisan support for talks with Iran, with 61 percent of Republicans and 58 percent of Democrats in favor. Read more at The Guardian.

{Matzav.com}

This op-ed by David Horovitz first appeared at the Times of Israel: 

How close was Iran to the bomb, and how far has Israel now pushed it off?

Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear weapons watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned a few weeks ago that “they’re not far off,” and also cautioned that Tehran’s obstruction of his agency’s inspectors has meant that the IAEA has not been able to keep track of recent progress by the regime on the various aspects of its program.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still more dramatic, characterizing Israel’s resort to force on Friday as preemptive action against an imminent “existential” threat. In a video address at the start of the campaign, Netanyahu said Iran had stockpiled enough uranium to build nine bombs, had taken unprecedented steps in recent months to weaponize that enriched uranium, and could get to the bomb “in a very short time — it could be a year, or it could be a few months.” (The IDF at the launch of the attacks said Iran could enrich enough uranium to weapons-grade level for 15 bombs “within days,” and did not specify how long it would take the regime to complete its nuclear weapons project.)

By contrast, CNN on Tuesday cited a host of American sources assessing that Iran was “up to three years away” from being able to build, deliver and detonate a bomb and asserting that it was not even “actively pursuing” one — an implausible claim, not least in light of the regime’s documented production of increased quantities of near-weapons-grade uranium with no civilian application.

As far as I have been able to determine from interactions with several sources familiar with the matter, Israel’s intelligence assessments are that Iran was very close indeed to attaining nuclear weapons — as in, building and delivering a working bomb. Closer, that is, even than Netanyahu’s public estimate.

The Iranians have the enriched uranium, produced at their now largely destroyed main enrichment facility at Natanz. It has likely been stockpiled at the Isfahan site, also targeted by the IAF. In 2023, the IAEA reported evidence of uranium enriched further, to 83.7 percent purity, just short of weapons-grade, by the advanced centrifuges at the relatively invulnerable Fordo facility.

Critically, too, they have developed the highly complex nuclear detonator — the engineering device that causes the nuclear explosion of the bomb’s uranium core. And they have long had the missile capacity to deliver such a device.

Putting all the required components together, should Iran have chosen to do so, I was given to understand, was a matter of no more than two months, and possibly as little as a week.

Or, rather, it would have been — before Israel launched its attacks.

Why is that no longer the case, given that the 60%-enriched uranium would be headed to the thus-far impregnable Fordo, and given that Iran has the knowledge — which cannot be destroyed in aerial attacks — to complete its program?

Well, for one thing, Israel believes that its raids are relentlessly destroying the knowledge.

At a press conference on Monday evening, Netanyahu said Israel had killed 10 of Iran’s senior nuclear scientists and would soon reach several more. (Indeed, that number is now understood to have risen to 14.) These scientists, I was told, are the elite of the nuclear weapons program, the small group of experts with the knowledge and experience to bring Iran’s nuclear weapons drive to fruition. They can be replaced, of course, but their successors are less adept.

Additionally, having raided Iran’s nuclear weapons program archive in Tehran in 2018, in one of the most daring operations in Mossad history, and brought home vast quantities of material in a convoy of trucks, Israel in a barely reported air assault this week blew up all manner of documentation and other materials relating to the project, including the archive’s computer backups.

What Israel believes it is managing to do, in other words, is set back the program by eliminating its key personnel, and depriving their successors of the institutional memory to efficiently and rapidly revive the program.

Physically tackling the centerpiece Fordo facility would plainly be more straightforward were President Donald Trump to bring the United States into the conflict and order B-2 bombers to drop a series of the ultimate bunker-busting “Massive Ordnance Penetrators,” the GBU-57,” consecutively through a hole into the site, built into a mountain, until it was destroyed — a potential scenario sketched out by the New York Times on Tuesday.

Trump “will decide on what is good for America,” said Netanyahu on Monday. “We will accept any assistance.”

But Israel does not believe Fordo is impenetrable. “We are continuing to destroy nuclear targets systematically,” said Netanyahu. Others in the know suggest cryptically that there is more than one way to breach even the most inaccessible and fortified targets.

A central characteristic of Israel’s attacks on Iran since Friday is the intelligence material that has enabled them. Israel achieved air control through western Iran to Tehran, took out all air defenses en route, destroyed vast numbers of missile factories and launchers, is battering nuclear sites, and has eliminated those nuclear scientists and the regime’s key military chiefs, and their deputies and their successors, in pinpoint strikes.

I wrote on Friday that “The assessment in the security establishment is that this was the right and necessary moment to strike — before Iran has rebuilt defenses destroyed in Israel’s far less dramatic attack last October, and at a time when intel on the Iranian [nuclear] program is regarded as particularly strong.”

The concern in the security establishment is that its intelligence on the regime’s nuclear program would not have been “particularly strong” for very much longer — another indication that the ayatollahs’ push for the bomb was entering its final phase.

All the signs are that Israel is responding just in time, and moving to separate an ideologically and territorially rapacious regime from the weaponry with which it intended to pursue the destruction of Israel and hegemony in this region and beyond.

Regime change: ‘We’ll be very happy’

Regime change is not a formal Israeli government goal of the war itself, but there can be no doubt that it is a desired result.

From the start of the attacks, Netanyahu has declared to the Iranian people that their “liberation from tyranny is closer than ever,” and IAF strikes on symbols of the regime, notably including its state media facilities, are overtly intended to weaken its hold on the public. In an interview on Tuesday with his favorite Hebrew TV outlet, Channel 14, Netanyahu asserted that 80 percent of Iranians “hate” their rulers.

As is frequently the case, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi has been among the most revelatory government officials on this issue.

Bringing down the regime is “certainly not a defined goal of the operation,” he said in a Channel 12 interview on Tuesday night, “because we know that the only people who can bring down the Iranian regime are the Iranians.”

“But we’ll be very happy if, as the very important, consequential result” of Israel’s attacks on this “extremist leadership,” it suffers the same fate as other such regimes, Hanegbi went on, referring in particular to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.

“Not only would we not be sorry, it would be the best thing that could happen for the world, for the region and certainly for Israel,” he said. “Do we have the means to carry this out ourselves? Absolutely not. Will what we are doing today lead to this kind of result? There are those who believe so.”

Asymmetry
A wise man pointed this out to me, and I am happy to share it: “In the coverage of the conflict between Israel and Iran, we need to really emphasize the asymmetry between the interests of the two states: Iran would like to destroy Israel and Israel… would like not to be destroyed by Iran. This is not a situation where evenhandedness is appropriate.”

How many Arrows?

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday morning that the IDF is “running low” on Arrow missile interceptors. The IDF responded to the report with a bland statement that it was “ready to handle any scenario” but does not comment on “matters related to munitions.”

It seems highly improbable that the IDF, having directly planned this operation for many months and worked on it more broadly for years, would have gone to war with insufficient supplies of its prime missile defense interceptors.

The IDF had anticipated that Iran would fire 600 ballistic missiles in its initial response to Israel’s strikes early on Friday. In fact, Iran fired none at all in those opening hours. To date, it has fired some 400, and is believed to have some 1,800 left.

‘The Destruction of Israel Plan’

The stunning early success of Israel’s assault on Iran’s nuclear and military capacities and personnel has refocused Israeli anguish on the failures of October 7, 2023. As was the case when Israel detonated thousands of explosive-laced pagers on their Hezbollah owners in September, we agonize anew at the unfathomable, willful blindness of the political, military and intelligence echelons that left Israel wide open to the monstrous mass-murdering Hamas and that still sees 53 hostages held in Gaza, 20 of them believed to be alive.

By the same token, however, it is worth pausing to internalize what might have become of Israel had Hamas fully coordinated its invasion with its then-far more potent fellow proxy Hezbollah, and with their Iranian sponsor.

A scenario in which not only was Hamas leading thousands of terrorists through the useless border fence under cover of heavy rocket fire, but Hezbollah was also attacking full force in the north, and Iran was firing hundreds of ballistic missiles all across Israel, is too terrible for words.

Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, in Gaza City, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)
The likelihood of any such coordinated attack taking Israel by complete surprise would have receded the more widely it was discussed and planned, with Israeli intel presumably far more likely to have realized what was about to unfold and the political and military leadership able to prepare in time.

But it is important to highlight that the four designated goals of this attack on Iran, as approved by the security cabinet and revealed by Hanegbi on Friday, include attacking Iran’s capacity to destroy Israel via a multifront ground invasion.

Hanegbi stressed that while some may deride this ambition, the Iranian leadership continues to believe it is absolutely feasible.

Similarly, the IDF on Friday issued a statement specifying that its Intelligence Directorate “has collected and analyzed vast quantities of intelligence materials that reveal the regime has a concrete plan to destroy the State of Israel, which they call ‘The Destruction of Israel Plan.’”

And it put out video material to underline the point.

“In parallel to the efforts of the Iranian regime to obtain nuclear weapons, the regime has focused on manufacturing tens of thousands of missiles and UAVs, and is advancing plans for a combined ground offensive against Israel on multiple fronts simultaneously,” the IDF said, in a bombshell statement that was barely reported in the fast-moving early hours of the Israeli operation.

“Materials collected during the war show the coordination between the Iranian regime and the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, including after the October 7th Massacre, which demonstrates how the regime plans to re-arm the terrorist organizations,” it added.

Military sources have elaborated that Iran’s ground invasion plan involves undermining the regimes in Egypt and Jordan, to enable a coordinated attack across every frontier. In recent days, again barely noticed, the IDF has announced that it is bolstering deployments on the Jordan border and in the north.

Via its nuclear program, with its ballistic missile development, and with an intended multifront ground offensive, Iran’s ayatollahs were confident they were on the way to wiping Israel out. In initiating a preemptive campaign to stop them, the IDF Spokesman said on Friday, “the State of Israel was left with no choice.”

{Matzav.com}

The COVID-19 variant that may be driving a recent rise in cases in some parts of the world has earned a new nickname: “razor blade throat” COVID. That’s because the variant — NB.1.8.1. or “Nimbus” — may cause painful sore throats. The symptom has been identified by doctors in the United Kingdom, India and elsewhere, according to media outlets in those countries. Other COVID-19 symptoms of any variant include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell. Experts say there isn’t major cause for concern with the Nimbus variant, but here ‘s what else you need to know about it. Here’s where the variant causing ‘razor blade throat’ is spreading The rise in cases late last month is primarily in eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions, the World Health Organization said May 28. The new variant had reached nearly 11% of sequenced samples reported globally in mid-May. Airport screening in the United States detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York. You aren’t likely to get sicker from this variant than others Not so far, anyway. The WHO said some western Pacific countries have reported increases in COVID cases and hospitalizations, but there’s nothing so far to suggest that the disease associated with the new variant is more severe compared to other variants. COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the Nimbus variant Yes. The WHO has designated Nimbus as a “variant under monitoring” and considers the public health risk low at the global level. Current vaccines are expected to remain effective. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced last month that COVID-19 shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by public health experts. (AP)

The White House is enveloped in a cloud of suspense and conflicting signals as President Donald Trump weighs a momentous decision: whether to deploy U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordo nuclear facility. The intrigue has sparked a frenzy of contradictory reports, leaving allies, adversaries, and observers on edge. According to CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC News, Trump has greenlit a military strike plan targeting the Fordo installation, buried deep within a mountain near Qom. Yet, sources say that the president has not issued a final order, keeping the world guessing about his next move. The plan, if executed, would see the U.S. unleash its Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bomb designed to obliterate deeply entrenched targets. Such a strike would mark a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Iran relations and could reshape the geopolitical landscape. Complicating the picture, The New York Times reports that Iranian officials are slated to meet with U.S. representatives “soon,” hinting at a possible diplomatic off-ramp. The prospect of talks has fueled speculation that Trump, known for his deal-making instincts, may be holding the military option as leverage to extract concessions from Tehran. Yet, with no concrete timeline for these discussions, the diplomatic path remains shrouded in uncertainty. Meanwhile, Axios paints a different portrait, suggesting Trump harbors doubts about the potential strike’s efficacy. Sources close to the president indicate he questions whether even the MOP can fully neutralize Fordo’s nuclear capabilities, given its subterranean defenses. This hesitation, Axios notes, stems from intelligence assessments that cast doubt on the operation’s ability to deliver a decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Adding another layer of intrigue, Semafor reports that a strike may be increasingly unlikely due to a limited U.S. stockpile of bunker-busting munitions. The Pentagon, according to defense officials cited by Semafor, faces logistical constraints that could hamper its ability to sustain a prolonged campaign against Fordo and other fortified Iranian sites. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the U.S. is gearing up for a strike on Iran, with the attack expected to come with the next few days – possibly over the weekend. Curiously, Israel, which has long viewed Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat, has not formally requested U.S. assistance in bombing Fordo, according to multiple reports. While a U.S. strike would undoubtedly aid Israel’s strategic objectives, the IDF appear confident in their own audacious – and still secret – plan to neutralize the facility. Lacking the U.S.’s heavy bunker-busting bombs, Israeli military planners are reportedly banking on a high-risk operation involving elite special forces to infiltrate and destroy Fordo from within. This approach draws inspiration from a recent Israeli commando raid in Syria, where operatives successfully dismantled an Assad-era weapons facility. The IDF’s plan for Fordo would involve penetrating the heavily guarded site, sabotaging critical infrastructure, and escaping before Iranian forces could mount a counterattack. Such an operation would be a staggering display of military prowess but carries immense risks, including the potential for significant casualties and regional retaliation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped forward as a potential mediator in the mounting crisis between Israel and Iran, offering Moscow’s involvement in seeking a peaceful solution. His vision: an agreement that would permit Iran to pursue a non-military nuclear program while simultaneously ensuring Israeli security.

Addressing a group of senior editors from global news organizations at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin acknowledged the complexity of the standoff. “It’s a delicate issue,” he said, but added optimistically, “in my view, a solution could be found.”

Putin revealed that Russia had presented its proposals to the relevant parties, including Iran, Israel, and the United States. “We are not imposing anything on anyone; we are simply talking about how we see a possible way out of the situation. But the decision, of course, is up to the political leadership of all these countries, primarily Iran and Israel,” he said.

Despite Putin’s interest in de-escalation, he drew a firm line when asked about a potential Israeli assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “I don’t even want to discuss such a possibility,” he stated.

Khamenei himself has dismissed Washington’s calls for surrender in the face of increasing Israeli military action and has issued a stark warning to the U.S. that any intervention would bring “irreparable damage to them.”

Russia has long balanced ties with both Israel and Iran, walking a diplomatic tightrope. The Kremlin maintains strong defense and energy ties with Tehran, while also nurturing a historically cordial relationship with Israel. Putin’s offer comes as an extension of this balancing act and follows a recent phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to Trump, he urged Putin to shift his attention to the ongoing war in Eastern Europe. “I said, ‘Do me a favor, mediate your own,’” Trump recalled. “I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.’”

This marked a change in tone from Trump, who had previously expressed openness to Putin’s mediation proposal in the Middle East.

Russia’s presence in Iran’s nuclear landscape runs deep. At the forum, Putin mentioned that more than 200 Russian engineers are currently working on new reactors in Bushehr, a project continuing a legacy that began with Moscow’s involvement in Iran’s first nuclear power plant.

“We agreed with the Israeli leadership that their security will be ensured,” he said, noting that Iran had not requested any military help from Russia. He further pointed out that while Russia had previously offered a complete air defense system to Tehran, “the Iranian side showed little interest.”

“Our proposal was to create a system, not isolated deliveries, but a system,” Putin said. Israel later claimed to have destroyed some of the S-300 air defense systems that Russia had supplied to Iran during strikes last year.

Turning to Ukraine, Putin took the opportunity to commend Trump’s peace stance, echoing Trump’s assertion that the war might have been avoided had he been in power. “If Trump had been the president, the conflict indeed might not have erupted,” Putin said.

Although Trump recently floated the idea of a 30-day ceasefire, Putin rejected the proposal unless Ukraine halts mobilization and the West stops supplying arms. He reiterated his readiness for dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though he claimed that Zelenskyy had lost legitimacy after his term ended — a claim rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.

“We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement,” Putin said, noting that previous negotiations had successfully led to prisoner exchanges and repatriation of fallen soldiers.

Putin was asked by the Associated Press about Russia condemning Israeli strikes on Iran while continuing to bombard Ukrainian cities. He defended Russia’s actions. “The strikes were carried out against military industries, not residential quarters,” he said.

However, AP journalists recently documented civilian casualties in Ukraine. Rescue workers in Kyiv have pulled more bodies from the wreckage of a nine-story building destroyed earlier in the week by a Russian missile, raising the death toll to 28.

Putin stood firm, insisting Russia would pursue its goal to “demilitarize” Ukraine. “We will not allow Ukraine to have armed forces that would threaten the Russian Federation and its people,” he declared. “And if we fail to reach a settlement, we will achieve our goals by military means.”

He issued a stern warning to Germany not to provide long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, cautioning that doing so could pull Berlin into direct conflict with Moscow. Yet, he added, such weapons wouldn’t stop Russia’s momentum. “Our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact,” he said, adding, “If they fail to agree, the situation could change for the worse.”

Putin also pushed back against Western concerns that Russia might attack NATO nations, brushing them off as baseless. He called such fears “ravings” and pointed out that NATO’s military expenditures dwarf Russia’s defense budget.

Despite the ongoing conflict, Putin used the St. Petersburg forum to tout Russia’s economic strength and attract investment. Western leaders have largely boycotted the event since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, leaving the stage to representatives from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and BRICS nations.

Putin met with Dilma Rousseff, the current head of the New Development Bank and former Brazilian president, and is expected to hold discussions with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, as well as senior officials from China, South Africa, Bahrain, and OPEC.

{Matzav.com}

At a Cabinet meeting convened Wednesday evening—the first since the launch of Operation Am KeLavi—ministers received a comprehensive security briefing on the ongoing military operations deep inside Tehran.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Uri Maklev raised his voice in protest, accusing the Home Front Command of neglecting the chareidi public when it comes to emergency alerts. Maklev said that users of kosher phones are not receiving real-time alerts from the Home Front Command. He noted that the Reshut Ha’chareidit (Chareidi Affairs Division) in the Prime Minister’s Office had already reached out with practical solutions, but the Home Front Command has been ignoring the matter.

“Why is the chareidi public not receiving emergency alerts like other citizens?” Maklev asked Defense Minister Yisroel Katz. “Chareidi municipal leaders and residents are turning to us. The chareidi public is not connected to conventional media outlets and is unaware of incoming alerts. The Reshut Ha’chareidit in the Prime Minister’s Office presented viable solutions, yet the Home Front Command continues to disregard them.”

In response, the Defense Minister assured the Cabinet that he would personally address the issue.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi also joined the discussion, raising a related concern: the need to implement the “silent wave” alert system on national radio stations throughout the country—including in areas outside the north and south. He, too, said this issue is being overlooked.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Mincha in מצרים as hundreds make their way out of Israel via the Taba crossing to Sharm el-Sheikh Airport around 2 hours south.

Amid the increasingly precarious security situation in Eretz Yisroel, Mir Yerushalayim has launched an initiative for its talmidim to take shifts in order to learn for three consecutive days without a single break in limud torah.

US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles. In a notice made public Wednesday, the department said it had rescinded its May suspension of student visa processing but said new applicants who refuse to set their social media accounts to “public” and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected.

Trump meets with national security team on Iran as U.S. prepares to evacuate citizens from Israel President Donald Trump is meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room for the second time in two days, as he considers whether to order a military strike against Iran amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. The meeting began shortly before 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, a White House official told NBC News. Meanwhile, his administration has begun preparing for large-scale evacuations of Americans who want to leave Israel.

Honda is recalling more than 259,000 of its cars across the U.S. due to a problem that can cause the brake pedal to shift out of position, potentially interfering with a driver’s ability to stop or slow down. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall covers certain Honda Pilots between model years 2023 and 2025 — as well cars under the auto maker’s luxury Acura brand: 2021-2025 Acura TLX and 2023-2025 Acura MDX vehicles. The NHTSA’s recall report notes that the brake pedal pivot pin in some of these vehicles was not secured properly during production. That can lead the pedal to shift out of place and “may lead to unintended application,” the report notes, increasing crash risks. “The issue could also cause an abnormal brake pedal feeling during operation, illuminate the brake malfunction light in the instrument cluster, or cause the vehicle’s brake lights to remain lit even when the brake pedal is not applied,” America Honda said in a statement Wednesday. As a remedy, Honda says authorized dealers will inspect the vehicles covered by this recall and replace the brake pedal assembly if necessary, free of charge. Per the NHTSA’s report, the company estimates 1% of these vehicles have this issue. Dealer notifications began on June 13. And mailed owner notification letters are set to follow on July 28. In the meantime, drivers can also confirm if their specific vehicle is included in this recall and find more information using the NHTSA site or Honda’s recall lookup. Between February 2024 and June 5, the NHSTA notes, Honda received three warranty claims related to this issue — but no reports of injuries. Honda began investigating the faulty brake pedal in April 2024, after receiving a report of a vehicle experiencing this issue. The company later determined that improper assembly of the brake pedal pivot pin occurred at a supplier’s U.S. plant, which has since been closed. Production was transferred to a plant in Mexico — where the supplier now uses a camera sensor “to verify whether the pivot pin is staked,” the recall report notes. (AP)

Sirens are sounding, schools and jobs are shut, and families’ expenses are soaring while income has vanished. Our Rabbinic board has ordered a large crisis fund to keep food on tables and hope in hearts.

A senior defense official confirmed to Fox News that Army Colonel Nathan McCormack, who advises the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Middle East and Israel affairs, has been re-assigned back to the Army following a review of his social media activity. The official stated that McCormack’s social media posts, which included calling Israel the “worst ally” and criticizing “Netanyahu and his Judeo‑supremacist cronies,” led to his removal from the joint staff. Many of these posts appeared on an anonymous X account, and several have since been deleted. “While the matter is under review, McCormack will no longer serve on the joint staff,” the Pentagon official said, adding that an investigation is ongoing to assess the content and its potential implications. The official emphasized that the views expressed on the social media account do not represent the positions of the Joint Staff or the Department of Defense. Critics, including a Pentagon contractor quoted by Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), called McCormack’s posts “mind-boggling” and “dangerous,” noting that such rhetoric from a senior military planner could be exploited by bad actors. The contractor also questioned what McCormack may be saying behind closed doors. JNS was the first to report on the story, prompting official Pentagon statements and McCormack’s removal from his role. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

As Israel increases its strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets, a new Fox News poll shows that most Americans see Iran as a significant threat to U.S. security, though opinions remain split on Israel’s military response. The poll, conducted from June 13 to 16, 2025, reveals that 73% of registered voters believe Iran poses a genuine national security risk. Support for this view crosses party lines, with 82% of Republicans, 69% of Democrats, and 62% of independents recognizing Iran’s threat—each group registering more concern than in previous years. While there’s broad agreement on Iran’s threat, public opinion is divided over Israel’s recent preemptive strikes. Overall, 47% of voters approve of Israel’s actions against Iran’s nuclear sites, while 45% disapprove—falling within the poll’s 3-point margin of error. Republicans show strong support, with 70% approving of Israel’s military efforts. Democrats largely oppose, with 60% disapproving, and independents are nearly evenly split—44% approve, 46% disapprove. This Fox News poll was conducted by Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), surveying 1,001 registered voters nationwide to gauge American sentiment amid this escalating conflict. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Donald Trump informed top advisers late Tuesday that he had given the green light for potential military action against Iran but was holding off on executing the plan to see whether Tehran would reconsider its nuclear ambitions, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing three individuals familiar with the talks.

At the same time, the already tense standoff escalated further when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made it clear that his country would not yield to external demands.

He also declared that any intervention by American forces would result in “irreparable consequences.”

Over the past several days, the U.S. has steadily expanded its military presence in the region.

A third U.S. Navy destroyer has now entered the eastern Mediterranean, while a second aircraft carrier strike group is en route to the Arabian Sea, the Journal noted.

Although the Pentagon has publicly described the increased deployment as a defensive measure, the report pointed out that it also gives the United States more operational flexibility should Trump ultimately choose to align with Israel in striking Iranian targets.

The troop movements could also be a calculated show of force, with the goal of coercing Iran into softening its position or agreeing to negotiations.

Iran continues to face global scrutiny for its advancement of nuclear technology, raising alarm that the regime could weaponize its nuclear capabilities.

Trump and other international leaders have urged Iran to agree to dismantle its uranium enrichment efforts, though no such agreement has been reached. Many of the Israeli strikes have reportedly been aimed at facilities tied to those nuclear activities.

An Iranian nuclear breakthrough is seen as a major threat to regional stability, a danger to Israel, and a serious concern for the international community as a whole.

{Matzav.com}

When Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered his defiant and inflammatory speech on Wednesday, many around the world were left bewildered by his tone — one that suggested Iran stood on equal footing with Israel, and perhaps even with the United States. His posture made it seem as if nothing had changed, despite the devastating blows his military apparatus had suffered at Israel’s hands since Friday.

Perhaps, prior to Israel dismantling major elements of Iran’s nuclear, missile, and drone capabilities; before the deaths of nine out of thirteen of his senior commanders; before dozens of mid-tier officials were eliminated; and before an air defense network of over 70 batteries was obliterated — perhaps then, such a speech might have struck fear into global capitals like Jerusalem and Washington.

But after the decimation his military has faced, the tone of Khamenei’s address seemed almost surreal.

For many observers, the natural conclusion was that he must be playing a calculated public relations game — aware of Iran’s grim situation but projecting strength to boost morale, deter further U.S. involvement, and negotiate better terms in a post-conflict settlement.

However, The Jerusalem Post is now reporting that a more shocking and sinister possibility exists: some of Khamenei’s inner circle — those few who have survived — may be feeding him false information. He may genuinely believe that Iran is faring far better in the conflict than it actually is.

If true, this wouldn’t mark the first time that Khamenei had been misled by advisers on pivotal matters of war and diplomacy.

On April 1, the Israeli Air Force killed Mohammed Reza Zahedi, the Quds Force’s most senior commander for Lebanon and Syria, in a strike that also took the lives of over a dozen IRGC and Iranian officials.

At that point, Zahedi was the highest-ranking Iranian figure to be eliminated since the outbreak of hostilities, even surpassing the seniority of Sayyed Reza Mousavi, who had been killed in December 2023.

Zahedi was not only responsible for overseeing terrorism against Israel from its northern borders, but he also served as Iran’s top liaison with Hezbollah.

Although Israel initially refrained from publicly claiming the strike, Iran and Hezbollah wasted no time blaming Jerusalem, seeing Zahedi’s death as a critical hit to Hezbollah’s strategic capabilities.

According to Iranian media, Zahedi was in a meeting with leaders from Palestinian Islamic Jihad when he was killed.

He also led Unit 18,000 of the Quds Force, which managed arms smuggling and the transfer of precision-guided munitions into Lebanon. His previous roles included commanding the IRGC’s Air Force and the Imam Hussein Division.

Later, Israeli sources clarified that the airstrike had targeted a building next to the Iranian embassy in Syria — not the embassy itself.

But that’s not how the event was portrayed to the outside world.

Outraged, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon declared: “This barbaric Israeli aggression is a flagrant violation of international laws, diplomatic norms, and the requirements of the Vienna Convention.”

Reports at the time claimed that the building struck was used as the ambassador’s residence and was situated near the Canadian Embassy in Damascus.

The Jerusalem Post has since uncovered that, due to staffing overflow, Iranian embassy personnel occasionally used that adjacent structure for work-related purposes, though it was not officially an embassy.

Sources told The Post that the IRGC frequently used the same building for covert intelligence and terror planning.

Most significantly, the newspaper learned that Khamenei himself was told the strike had hit an official Iranian embassy.

Khamenei rarely leaves his secured locations and relies heavily on a tight circle of advisers to brief him on global developments.

According to The Post, some of these advisers may have intentionally misled him, causing him to believe the Israeli strike constituted a direct assault on sovereign Iranian soil.

Consequently, Khamenei’s decision-making may have been based not just on Zahedi’s death but on what he believed was an unprecedented diplomatic violation.

Iran embraced this narrative with such force that, even now, many senior American officials privately acknowledge to The Post that they still believe Israel bombed an official embassy compound — despite Israeli insistence to the contrary.

Israeli leaders stress that the building lacked any diplomatic markings and that even Lebanon’s records didn’t classify it as a diplomatic site.

This manipulation of information is critical, because it likely spurred Khamenei to authorize Iran’s first-ever direct strike on Israeli territory during April 13–14 — launching over 100 ballistic missiles, around 170 drones, and several cruise missiles.

That moment marked a historic rupture. After decades of indirect warfare through proxies and covert operations, Israel and Iran were now openly engaged in head-on conflict.

In Israeli security circles, this direct attack was considered the intelligence community’s second greatest blunder of the war, second only to the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught.

While Israeli analysts did anticipate an Iranian response, they believed it would still come via intermediaries like Hezbollah, and not involve the massive use of long-range weaponry.

Then-IDF Intelligence Chief Aharon Haliva was ultimately forced to resign in April 2024 — not because of the October 7 failure, but due to his underestimation of Khamenei’s escalation following Zahedi’s killing.

Though he stayed on for a short period due to the wartime crisis, the intelligence failure to predict Iran’s direct assault was seen as a major lapse.

In hindsight, a contributing factor to the miscalculation appears to be that IDF analysts didn’t grasp the full extent to which Khamenei had been misled by his own advisers, some of whom seemingly encouraged an extreme response.

Several of those figures are believed to have died in recent Israeli operations. Yet others remain — including individuals who may favor a prolonged war, disregard the suffering of Iranian civilians, or simply fear telling Khamenei the brutal truth.

This mirrors past episodes in Middle Eastern history, such as when Egyptian generals fed President Nasser false reports of victory during the Six Day War, even as Israel’s forces decimated them.

It’s possible that Khamenei’s Wednesday speech reflected not propaganda — but sincere belief in a warped version of reality.

If that’s the case, Israel’s leadership must recognize that ending this war could be far more complex. Dealing with an adversary who is genuinely misinformed about his own situation is far more dangerous than facing a rational actor with an accurate understanding of his losses.

{Matzav.com Israel}

[COMMUNICATED]

Sirens are sounding, schools and jobs are shut, and families’ expenses are soaring while income has vanished. Our Rabbinic board has ordered a large crisis fund to keep food on tables and hope in hearts.

After a trip to strengthen Jewish communities abroad, Rav Azriel Auerbach returned to Erets Yisroel today via an unusual route, crossing the Jordanian border under tight security after landing in Aqaba on a private aircraft.

The journey concluded a trip that began two weeks ago, when Rav Auerbach responded to the request of American gedolim to travel to the United States and serve as the keynote speaker at the Adirei HaTorah gathering. Throughout his visit, he participated in numerous kabalos panim held in yeshivos and Torah centers across the country, delivering powerful divrei chizuk and shiurim to thousands of bnei Torah.

The rav boarded a flight back to Israel last Thursday. However, about 30 minutes before the scheduled landing, Israeli airspace was closed due to the onset of the military operation in Iran. The pilot was instructed to divert, and the aircraft was rerouted to Cyprus.

The plane landed in Larnaca on Friday, and Rav Auerbach, together with his entourage, spent Shabbos at a boutique hotel on the island. A prominent philanthropist and confidant of the rav, who had been on the same flight, quickly arranged all the necessary logistics — including meals, accommodations, and a minyan of travelers. Special arrangements were made to designate part of the hotel for Shabbos tefillos, and during the course of Shabbos, the rav addressed the stranded travelers, offering words of encouragement and invoking the verse from Parshas Beha’aloscha, “Al pi Hashem yachanu v’al pi Hashem yisa’u” — emphasizing that everything happens according to Hashem’s will, and there is no room for complaints or second-guessing.

Following Shabbos, Rav Auerbach accepted an invitation from community leaders in London to spend a few days in the city while waiting for conditions in Israel to stabilize. He continued his mission of chizuk among European Jewry, attending kabalos panim in local yeshivos and Torah institutions.

Today, the rav boarded a private jet that flew to the Jordanian city of Aqaba, adjacent to the Israeli border. Accompanied by his entourage and under police protection, he crossed into Israel and traveled to his home in the Beit Vagan neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where crowds of talmidim and admirers were waiting to greet him.

{Matzav.com Israel}