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In a nationally broadcast statement on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu addressed Israelis just hours after the IDF confirmed the killing of Hezbollah senior commander Haytham Ali Tabataba’i. Netanyahu opened by citing the gravity of the moment, reminding the public that “a few hours ago, the IDF eliminated Haytham Ali Tabataba’i, the chief of staff of the Hezbollah terror organization.” He described Tabataba’i in searing terms, noting that “Tabataba’i was a mass murderer. His hands were full of the blood of many Israelis and Americans; it is not for no reason that the United States offered a five-million-dollar prize for his head.”

The Prime Minister explained that Tabataba’i had long been a key figure in Hezbollah’s offensive ambitions, serving as a high-ranking Radwan Force commander, a unit Netanyahu said “planned to conquer the Galilee and slaughter many of our citizens.” He emphasized that the terror figure had recently attempted to rebuild Hezbollah’s arsenal after the sizable setbacks it suffered during the Pager Operation, pointing out his efforts came despite “the heavy blows that Hezbollah was dealt… the damage to its missile supply, and, of course, the elimination of Nasrallah.” Netanyahu credited the IDF and security forces for what he called a “professional, precise, and successful operation” that removed Tabataba’i from the battlefield.

Reiterating Israel’s red lines, Netanyahu declared that “the policy I am leading is absolutely clear: Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to pose a threat to the State of Israel again.” He pressed the Lebanese government to uphold its obligations and disarm Hezbollah, asserting that “only in this way can a better future be made possible for every citizen in Lebanon, and only in this way can good and secure neighborly relations be established between Israel and Lebanon.”

Before concluding, the Prime Minister turned briefly to regional policy developments, voicing appreciation for President Trump’s move to categorize the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror organization. “On this occasion, I also want to commend President Trump on his decision to outlaw and designate the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ organization as a terrorist organization,” he said, warning that the group threatens stability both in the Middle East and beyond. He underscored that Israel has already banned parts of the organization and is advancing steps to extend that designation further.

{Matzav.com}

In the most consequential disciplinary action since Hamas’s devastating surprise attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday dismissed and censured senior military officials for their roles in the failures of October 7, 2023. The move follows months of investigations led by former chief of staff Herzi Halevi and an external professional panel […]

Air traffic controllers, technicians with perfect attendance in shutdown to get $10,000 bonuses, FAA says • Close to 800 air traffic controllers and technicians with perfect attendance during the more than 40-day shutdown will get $10,000 cash bonuses, the FAA and DOT said. • An increase in absences among air traffic controllers during the shutdown, […]

The Satmar community in Williamsburg has launched the construction of two additional state-of-the-art wedding halls, dramatically expanding its ambitious low-cost wedding initiative aimed at easing the financial burden on young families.

The new project, announced in a large community notice this week, is part of the chassidus’ rapidly developing “Express Wedding Project,” a program designed to provide high-quality yet affordable wedding venues for families who adhere to the takanos, the wedding regulations instituted by the Satmar Rebbe to curb excessive spending.

The two halls are being built with elegant décor and a luxurious atmosphere, matching or surpassing the standards of New York’s premier event spaces, but at a fraction of the cost. The chassidus emphasized that the halls will be reserved exclusively for those following the Rebbe’s guidelines, ensuring that families can make a simchah with dignity while avoiding the crushing expenses that have become standard in the wider community.

The halls will bear the names of the Satmar Rebbe, the Vayoel Moshe, and his rebbetzin, who left no descendants.

These two new venues join the existing pair of halls previously opened under the same initiative, together forming a large, multi-hall wedding complex intended to completely transform the wedding landscape for the Satmar community.

The entire project is being financed by a prominent Satmar philanthropist whose identity has not been made public. Construction is moving at an accelerated pace to meet rising demand.

An announcement in Der Yid highlighted the goal of the project clearly: to ensure that every family making a wedding can do so “b’simchah u’b’nachas” without being weighed down by financial strain.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has sued California for providing in-state college tuition, scholarships, and state-funded financial aid to students who aren’t legally in the United States. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges the practice harms U.S. citizens and encourages illegal immigration. Among the defendants are the […]

Days after a decisive arbitration ruling handed control of Ponovezh Yeshiva to its nosi, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman, the attorneys who represented the yeshiva arrived at his home on Sunday — cake in hand — to celebrate what has been described as a landmark legal triumph.

The visit came after retired judge David Cheshin issued his long-awaited decision last week in the decades-long dispute between Rav Kahaneman and Rav Shmuel Markowitz over leadership of the storied Ponovezh Yeshiva. The ruling overwhelmingly favored Rav Kahaneman.

In the arbitration decision, the court ordered the faction led by Rav Markowitz to vacate all Ponovezh properties, to cease using the Ponovezh name, and to stop issuing official documents on the yeshiva’s letterhead. In addition, Rav Markowitz was directed to pay Ponovezh a financial penalty of ten million shekels within sixty days of the ruling.

Judge Cheshin accepted the vast majority of the arguments presented by Ponovezh’s legal team — attorneys Udi Artzi and Ran Feldman — and rejected most of the claims made by Rav Markowitz and his organization, Masores HaTorah. The arbitrator also ruled that this decision constitutes a continuation of the well-known 2000 arbitration by Rav Zimbalist, determining that those who violated the earlier arbitration agreement were Rav Markowitz and the Masores HaTorah faction.

On Sunday, attorneys Artzi and Feldman visited Rav Kahaneman at his residence to celebrate the victory. They brought a cake decorated with an image of the yeshiva’s building and thousands of talmidim dancing in its courtyard — a photograph taken recently at the yahrtzeit of the late rosh yeshiva, Rav Gershon Edelstein zt”l, during a Sefer Torah dedication held in his memory.

During their meeting, participants recalled Rav Edelstein’s unwavering insistence that the yeshiva could not be jointly run by both factions. From the very beginning, he maintained that peaceful functioning required separation — to the point that he voluntarily relinquished the main heichal and moved to the Ohel Kedoshim building for the sake of harmony.

Rav Kahaneman expressed deep gratitude to the attorneys and blessed them that their efforts in securing the yeshiva’s stability and its ability to continue its Torah mission in peace and serenity should bring them continued success in the years ahead.

{Matzav.com}

Amid intensifying tensions over the national draft, the IDF chief of staff has circulated the finalized draft of new military service regulations for chareidi soldiers to three retired major generals for their review — a move insiders say signals that official approval of the long-awaited orders is only days away.

According to information obtained by sources, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi received the final version of the Pekudot Matkal several weeks ago. The document was drafted in recent months through negotiations between representatives of Rav Dovid Leibel and senior IDF officials, headed by Brig.-Gen. Shay Taib.

After reviewing the text, the chief of staff opted not to sign immediately and instead forwarded the draft to three reserve major generals for further examination.

Sources familiar with the process say this internal review is the main reason for the delay in Halevi’s signature. The reserve officers, however, reportedly offered no significant objections to the content. As a result, officials expect the orders to be signed in the coming weeks — possibly even within days.

The new regulations represent a major shift for the IDF. For the first time, the army will formally allow external rabbinic supervision over commanders, codify restrictions on women entering bases where chareidi soldiers serve, and solidify additional guarantees aimed at preserving chareidi religious standards.

In the background of the delayed approval is ongoing friction between the IDF and Rav Dovid Leibel, who has refused to permit students who do not qualify for the status of torasam umnasam to enlist. His position, associates say, stems from a lack of confidence in the army’s commitment to safeguarding chareidi needs.

In recent weeks, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Nissim Vaturi Bismut met with Rav Leibel to discuss the hold-up and the broader implications. With coalition negotiations over a mutually acceptable draft law hinging partly on the completion of these new regulations, officials hope that the signing of the orders will clear the path for renewed progress.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. senators critical of President Donald Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said Saturday they spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians and not the actual U.S. plan. A State Department spokesperson denied […]

Nukhba terrorists succeeded in disabling Merkava Mark 4 tanks in the Gaza border area during the October 7 massacre using a secret button thought to be known only to tank crews. IDF officials were puzzled for months after the massacre—how did Hamas discover such a classified mechanism and gain such detailed knowledge of the Merkava […]

Kristen Welker: How long do Americans need to be patient? How long do they have to wait for the cost of living to come down? Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: I talked about the three I’s that were killing Americans – immigration, interest rates and inflation.

Hostages at JFK last night as they returned to Israel following a visit to the Whitehouse with President Trump and other major visits. Photo via “Four Seven”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don’t cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published Friday. His comments provide clarity into who directed the CDC’s website change, after many current […]

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‘We’re making some changes to the peace plan after talks with Ukraine’ US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Ukrainian presidential adviser Andrii Yermak provide an update on peace deal talks in Geneva.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made it official on Sunday night: the IDF has killed Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of staff and one of the most senior terrorist figures remaining in the organization after the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah. Calling him a “mass murderer” with “blood of Israelis and Americans on his hands,” Netanyahu said […]

A sweeping new survey released Sunday paints a picture of a population increasingly contemplating life elsewhere. According to the findings, 27 percent of Israelis are now thinking about leaving the country, despite most respondents warning that a large-scale wave of departures would put Israel’s future at risk.

The research, compiled by the Israel Democracy Institute, surveyed 720 Jews and 187 Arabs in April. The results showed notable contrasts between communities, with 30% of Arab citizens considering emigration compared to 26% of Jewish citizens. Among Jews, respondents who described themselves as less religious — and those aligned with the political left — expressed far greater interest in leaving than religious or right-leaning counterparts.

A striking detail emerged among those contemplating relocation: 69% of Jews and 62.5% of Arabs said they were not drawn to any particular country at all, explaining that the appeal was simply “getting out of the country.”

The questionnaire was taken after a year and a half of conflict on several fronts, predating both June’s 12-day confrontation with Iran and the more recent Gaza ceasefire that facilitated the release of most hostages. Researchers acknowledged that these later developments may have shifted public attitudes, but the data does not yet reflect that.

When examining Jewish respondents by religious identity, the group least connected to religious observance showed the strongest inclination to leave. Non-religious Jews made up 39% of those considering emigration, followed by traditional but non-religious (24%), traditional religious (19%), Orthodox (14%), and just 4% among the ultra-Orthodox.

Younger, secular Jewish Israelis stood out even more. Among that demographic, 60% said they would think about moving away, and among high earners who also hold a foreign passport, the share rose to 80%.

The trend cut across both Jewish and Arab communities when education levels and income rose. Respondents in high-mobility professions — including high-tech, finance, and medicine — were the most open to relocating abroad.

Those holding a second passport unsurprisingly appeared more ready to consider leaving, but the report highlighted a more unexpected finding: 33% of Israelis born in the country were considering emigration, compared with 22% of those who had moved to Israel from abroad. The authors suggested that individuals who made the deliberate choice to immigrate are generally less inclined to reverse that decision.

Among Israeli-born Jews with dual citizenship, the likelihood of contemplating departure increased if they had previously lived abroad. The more time they had spent outside Israel, the higher the possibility they would consider doing so again.

Views on Israel’s current condition were mixed but leaned pessimistic. Forty-two percent of Jews and 33% of Arabs labeled the nation’s situation as “bad,” while 8% of Jews and 15% of Arabs described it as “good.”

Participants cited a familiar cluster of worries when explaining why they might leave: the soaring cost of living, fears over security, frustration with politics, and concerns about “the lack of a good future for my children.”

Europe emerged as the leading destination of interest among potential emigrants. Forty-three percent pointed to the European Union as their preferred option, noticeably above the 27% who chose North America or Canada.

Broader frustrations also appeared frequently, including dissatisfaction with public services, worries about global perceptions of Israel, alarm over the trajectory of democracy and free expression, and unease about the country’s identity as the Jewish state.

Yet despite the growing interest in living elsewhere, the most powerful anchor keeping both Jewish and Arab Israelis rooted remained the same: family. Many respondents said they would be far more likely to consider leaving if their relatives had already moved away.

{Matzav.com}

On GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation from Congress, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he’s “sad to see her voice go away,” adding that “independent voices are important in the Republican Party.”

The IDF Chief of Staff after the series of dismissals in the IDF – ‘I am guided by the obligation to draw a clear line of command responsibility.’

Netanyahu, in a statement, said that “the hands of the Hezbollah Chief of Staff are stained with blood,” adding that it is no coincidence the United States placed a large reward on his head. He also congratulated President Trump on his decision to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood.

[Video below.] Zohran Mamdani refused to walk back his harshest descriptions of President Trump on Sunday, reaffirming his view of the president as a “fascist” and “despot” even as he praised their unexpectedly constructive first meeting. Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the incoming New York City mayor made clear that his opinion of Trump hasn’t budged. “That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today,” Mamdani said when pressed on whether he still sees the president as a fascist.

Despite the charged language, Mamdani emphasized that he believes he can work productively with Trump. He said the two found real areas of agreement during their Oval Office conversation on Friday, particularly around the shared goal of making New York City more livable and financially accessible. “What I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement,” Mamdani said. “We also wanted to focus on what it could look like to deliver on a shared analysis of an affordable crisis for New Yorkers.”

That dynamic was on full display during their post-meeting press conference, when a reporter asked Mamdani point-blank whether he still considers Trump a fascist — a label he has applied repeatedly in the past. As Mamdani hesitated, Trump jumped in: “That’s OK. You can just say yes. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.” The moment underscored the odd blend of candor and cooperation between the two men.

Mamdani said he explained to Trump that both of them benefited electorally from the same underlying anxiety: New Yorkers’ fears about soaring living costs. He recounted conversations with voters on Fordham Road in The Bronx and Hillside Avenue in Queens, strong Democratic neighborhoods where many nonetheless cast ballots for Trump. “I shared with the president that when I asked those New Yorkers why did they vote for the president, they told me again and again it was cost of living, cost of living, cost of living,” Mamdani said.

He also welcomed Trump’s willingness to engage in a detailed discussion about the city’s immense barriers to building new housing — something Trump knows firsthand from his years developing properties in New York. Mamdani said they reviewed everything from the city’s restrictive zoning codes to the protracted ULURP approval process. “We spoke about the need to change so many of those situations such that a developer doesn’t tell you the thing more expensive than labor or materials is waiting,” he noted.

On the policy front, Mamdani reiterated his ambition to raise taxes on high earners and corporations to help finance his sweeping agenda, which includes free child care, fareless buses, and expanded affordable housing. Those changes would require signoff from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature, but Mamdani signaled flexibility on how to pay for his proposals. “And what I’ve also said is more important than how we fund something is that we fund something,” he said. “And if there are additional or alternate revenue streams to do so, I will accept them, and I will celebrate them because the most important thing is to actually deliver for the New Yorkers who, right now, can’t even conceive of having a family in New York City because of how expensive we’ve made childcare across the five bureaus.”

The incoming mayor also doubled down on his position that NYC’s police force does not need more officers, maintaining that the existing 35,000 uniformed members are sufficient. That stance contrasts with the priorities of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch — who has agreed to stay on under Mamdani — and who has publicly advocated for expanding the NYPD’s ranks.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}