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Residents of the Pardes Katz neighborhood in Bnei Brak are sharing a powerful story of Hashgocha and a narrowly averted tragedy after an Iranian missile struck a local school building in the early hours of Monday morning, Matzav.com has learned.

The missile made a direct hit on the Beis Yaakov Otzar HaChaim school, a mosad for Sephardic girls in the area, reducing it to rubble. Just days ago, the building had been bustling with hundreds of students. Recently renovated, the school had been fully operational until the missile strike.

According to accounts from locals, the shelter in the school had been meticulously prepared for emergency use only hours earlier by devoted staff members who came in the evening to clean and arrange it. Once they finished, they locked the shelter and handed the key to a neighbor who lives adjacent to the building.

At 4:15 a.m., an air raid siren blared across the city, waking residents and sending them scrambling for cover, as instructed by Home Front Command. Many residents who live near the school ran to the designated shelter—only to find it locked.

With no time to spare, they quickly turned back and rushed to alternate nearby shelters. Moments later, the missile struck the school with a massive explosion, destroying the entire structure and damaging nearby buildings. Windows shattered, and debris was scattered in all directions.

In a chilling twist, it was revealed that the neighbor who had the shelter key had not woken up during the siren. Had the shelter been unlocked and used, it could have ended in unspeakable tragedy. Although the shelter itself remained structurally intact, the surrounding area was strewn with wreckage and hazardous debris that would have made any rescue operation extremely difficult.

“The missile landed in the front section of the building,” one resident explained. “Had it hit the rear, where the shelter is located, we might have faced a devastating loss of life.”

Now standing in the shadow of the destroyed school, residents are overwhelmed by the clear string of miracles that unfolded. “Chasdei Hashem ki lo samnu ki lo chalu rachamav. It is only by Hashem’s mercy that we were not harmed,” one neighbor said emotionally. “We hope the day comes soon when we can return to this building that our daughters loved so dearly.”

While the building lies in ruins, the story of its locked shelter—an obstacle that turned out to be a brocha—continues to serve as a moving reminder of Hashem’s protection in the face of danger.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Steve Bannon sounded the alarm, cautioning that if the United States enters the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, it could not only destroy President Donald Trump’s political alliance but also lead to disastrous consequences for Israel itself.

During an appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, Bannon reacted to the weekend’s dramatic surge in violence, which saw Israeli strikes hit sensitive nuclear and military targets. In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks that killed dozens of people in Israel and wounded over 500.

WATCH:

Bannon expressed deep unease—not just over the geopolitical risks but also the internal political fallout. He said this war could unravel the carefully built MAGA coalition that has powered Trump’s comeback and jeopardize the policies that defined his presidency.

According to Bannon, that political alliance is unified around three central goals: pulling the U.S. out of endless foreign wars, taking control of immigration and removing illegal entrants, and renegotiating trade to bring manufacturing back to American soil.

“They’re trying to shut all three down,” he said. “But the one that they’re obsessed with the most… is the forever wars.”

Bannon argued that efforts pushing the U.S. toward deeper involvement in the Middle East are coming from within Trump’s own circles, with the intent to fracture his political base. He and Carlson have publicly criticized Trump-aligned figures like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin in recent days, accusing them of advocating for war. Carlson slammed them as “warmongers,” while Bannon charged that their positions play directly into the hands of the entrenched Washington elite that Trump vowed to fight.

Looking back on Trump’s accomplishments, Bannon said the administration had already achieved major victories on border security and trade. “Now we’re really going down and actually having the deportation, see the fight [in Los Angeles]. And then out of nowhere comes a war with Persia. It’s like a shooting war with Persian, a massive shooting war of Persia, and it’s like, how did this happen?”

Bannon warned that if Trump’s team becomes consumed by foreign conflict, the movement’s focus on America-first policies could evaporate—and with it, key support for Israel might collapse.

He added: “And that’s why I’ve been up as a defender of Israel, and someone that’s very pro-Israel. I’ve been saying, ‘Hey, this is going to be the end of Israel because of the way these decisions have been made.’ And you have, I think, shockingly, today early when we had you on the show, you bring up a point that we have to address, which I think it’s the thing itself. What is it about this apparatus?”

Bannon drew parallels to the lead-up to the Iraq war, describing the current drive toward conflict as being manufactured by insiders in Washington, D.C.

Bannon said: “It’s like what’s happened over the last 72 hours? How do we even get to this point? How did this actually happen? Who made these decisions when we had the intel out there that this was not like a thing?”

He pressed the issue further, saying: “The question before us is not simply the Israel-Persia situation, it’s what the fuck is going on in this city that just drives this city, whether you’re Barack Obama or Donald Trump. And if we don’t sort it out now, and I mean right now, that’s what we have to have a throwdown,” he continued,”… We’re prepping for a major shooting war.”

He argued that unless the so-called deep state is purged more aggressively, the movement will continue to face sabotage. He warned that even under Trump, MAGA-friendly leadership had only a shaky hold on the bureaucracy.

“Now’s the time we got to lance the boil,” he said.

Watch above via YouTube. {Matzav.com}

YERUSHALYIM: Children in the Arzei Habira park recite Tehillim together for the safety of Klal Yisroel. All schools are still closed in Israel. Video via Gemul Shelter.

BREAKING: Putin offered to be a mediator with the Iran and Israel conflict. Trump’s response: “He actually offered to help mediate. I said do me a favor, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? Let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, Democrats’ push to block U.S. military force against Iran, ‘No Kings Day’ protests and deportation efforts in America’s largest cities.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s televised statement this morning rejecting President Trump’s demand that Iran immediately surrender without any preconditions.

The israeli Air Force has carried out heavy airstrikes on the Nabi Akram military base in Kermanshah.

BREAKING: U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee has announced on X, that the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is working on organizing evacuation flights and cruise ship departures for thousands of American citizens currently stuck in Israel.

According to CNN polling, a staggering 83% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats oppose Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Nearly 7 in 10 Americans support U.S. airstrikes to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Sec. of Defense Pete Hegseth on Iran: “They had an opportunity to make a deal, they should have made a deal. President Trump’s word means something. The world understands that and at the Defense Department our job is to stand ready and prepared with options and that’s precisely what we’re doing.”

Trump: “We are not looking for a long-term war. I only want one thing. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon – that’s it. I’m not looking long-term, short-term. I’ve been saying it for 20 years.”

The Israeli Air Force bombed another three Iranian AH-1 helicopters at a military base in Kermanshah a short while ago, the IDF says.

Israel would need access to the U.S.’s most formidable non-nuclear weapon—a 15-ton “bunker buster” bomb—in order to destroy Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, the last major nuclear site believed to be untouched.

The Fordow facility, buried nearly 300 feet beneath a mountain near the city of Qom, poses a challenge that requires more than conventional weaponry. Its hardened location means that only the U.S.-made GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the largest conventional bomb in America’s arsenal, would be capable of reaching it.

Manufactured by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force, the GBU-57A/B is so massive that it can only be deployed using a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber—an aircraft not in Israel’s inventory.

“The United States controls the bomber and the bomb,” John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point military academy, told The Post. “It would be an American plane and an American munition.”

Developing the Massive Ordnance Penetrator cost the U.S. military more than $500 million. A 2013 Wall Street Journal report noted that it was engineered to breach the kind of fortifications found at Fordow, with 20 such bombs reportedly built at the time for the Pentagon.

Should the U.S. choose to provide the weapon to Israel, the bomb’s capabilities would likely allow it to crush the Fordow facility, which is shielded by layers of steel and granite.

“By weight and kinetic force, the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator is designed to penetrate a certain amount of distance into the ground before it blows,” said Spencer.

“That’s why these bunker busters are called Penetrators. They penetrate the ground before they explode. The explosion is strategically delayed.”

Although Israel has received smaller bunker buster munitions from the U.S. in the past, Washington has never transferred the Massive Ordnance Penetrator to any other nation, reportedly to maintain strategic superiority.

Describing the potential impact, Spencer noted, “I’ve seen 500 pounders, and they’ll shake your teeth when they go off. It’s like an earthquake. This will be much more than that.”

Still, Spencer emphasized that a strike from this weapon would likely avoid triggering a nuclear event. “This [explosion] is pretty contained,” he said. Since the detonation occurs deep underground, surrounded by dense materials, it’s unlikely to set off a nuclear chain reaction. Rather than an outward blast, the surrounding area would collapse inward. “The risk is for leakage, not an explosion.”

American intelligence agencies have consistently identified Fordow as a crucial component of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

“If you don’t get Fordow, you haven’t eliminated their ability to produce weapons-grade material,” Brett McGurk, who served as Middle East coordinator for several American presidents of both parties, recently told the New York Times.

While deploying the GBU-57A/B is arguably the cleanest solution, there are improvised alternatives.

Spencer explained that Israel might try a multi-step approach if it cannot obtain the bomb. “Israel has cornered the market on what they call drilling,” said Spencer. “They drop one bomb that reaches a certain depth, then another and another, at different angles, within seconds, to get to where they want to go. But you put multiple people and multiple aircraft at risk. The GBU is one and done.”

Reflecting on the best path forward, Spencer said, “There are many ways to destroy the nuclear program in Iran. But this is the effective and efficient one. It gets to the objective quicker and is the perfect solution.”

{Matzav.com}

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Iran’s Mission to the UN rejects US President Donald Trump’s assertion that Tehran has offered to come to the White House for negotiations to resolve the ongoing conflict with Israel. An official statement reads: “No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader. Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance. Iran shall respond to any threat with a counter-threat, and to any action with reciprocal measures.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., discusses how President Donald Trump is handling conflicts in the Middle East on ‘Hannity.’

WATCH:

A short while ago, YWN reported on our live blog that three Iranian government aircraft were being tracked heading from Iran to Oman. One had already landed in Oman, and the other two were a short while from landing. YWN notes that previous negotiations between U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff  and Iranian officials took place in Oman. Trump said on Monday that he might send U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet Iranian officials. This morning President Trump was asked by a reporter “if it’s too late” for negotiations, to which he responded “nothing is too late”. Are Iran’s genocidal leaders fleeing the country, or are they rushing there in a last-ditch attempt to revive negotiations with the US? Time will tell. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Trump announced Wednesday that Iranian representatives have approached the U.S. about holding a peace summit, claiming they are now desperate due to the punishing blows they’ve suffered—but that he rebuffed the idea, warning them it might be too late and that “there’s a big difference between now and a week ago.”

While he has alternated between pushing for negotiations and supporting Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear assets, Trump signaled a clear pivot away from diplomacy for the time being, pointing out that after nearly a week of intense fighting with Israel, the window for talks had nearly closed.

“I said, it’s really late. You know? I said it’s very late to be talking. … There’s a big difference between now and a week ago,” the president told reporters as he oversaw the installation of a new flagpole on the White House lawn.

Though he appeared skeptical of Iran’s timing, Trump threw in a jab at Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, suggesting the only thing that’s truly beyond saving is Powell’s economic policy. “Nothing’s too late. The only thing too late is [Federal Reserve chairman Jerome] Powell,” he quipped.

According to Trump, Iranian envoys floated the idea of visiting the White House, and even Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to step in to facilitate the process.

“I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later’,” Trump said.

He acknowledged the challenges Iran faces in making such overtures, remarking that it took bravery on their part despite their severe vulnerability.

“That’s, you know, courageous but it’s not easy for them to do,” he added.

“They’re totally defenseless. They have no air defense whatsoever.”

Trump went on to compliment the Iranian population, saying he had encountered many in New York and admired their intellect, even as he noted their current suffering.

“They can be difficult, but so can you… they’re smart people, and those people are getting the h— beaten out of them,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued a scathing statement in response to Israel’s military strikeS on Iran, denouncing the operation as “illegal” and warning the United States against becoming entangled in what he described as “another of Netanyahu’s wars.”

“Netanyahu started this war with a surprise unilateral attack against Iran, which has already killed hundreds of people and wounded many more,” Sanders stated. “This attack was specifically designed to sabotage American diplomatic efforts: Israel assassinated the man overseeing Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, despite the fact that further talks with the United States were scheduled for Sunday.”

The Vermont senator sharply criticized the legality of the operation, calling it a blatant breach of international norms. “Whatever you think of the corrupt and authoritarian Iranian regime, this attack clearly violates international law and the United Nations Charter,” he said.

Sanders also emphasized that the U.S. must refrain from engaging militarily or financially in the conflict without proper Congressional authorization. “The United States must not be dragged into another of Netanyahu’s wars — not militarily or financially,” he said. “The U.S. Constitution is crystal clear: there can be no offensive use of military force — against Iran or any other country — without an explicit authorization from Congress. No such authorization exists, and any such involvement would be illegal. Congress must not yield on this issue of enormous consequence.”

In one of the most pointed sections of his remarks, Sanders launched a personal broadside against Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. “Let’s remember who Benjamin Netanyahu is: He is a war criminal under indictment by the International Criminal Court for the use of starvation as a method of warfare and directing attacks against the civilian population in Gaza.”

Sanders continued, “At this very moment, in Gaza, Israel continues to prevent the U.N. and other aid groups from delivering desperately needed humanitarian aid to starving civilians. In just the last two weeks, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of civilians trying to reach the few militarized aid distribution sites the Israeli government has permitted to operate.”

He concluded by portraying Israel’s government as increasingly isolated and dangerous under Netanyahu’s leadership. “Netanyahu’s illegal, unilateral attack on Iran is just his latest violation of international law. Under his extremist government, Israel is increasingly becoming a rogue state and a pariah among nations. The United States must not be a part of this war.”

{Matzav.com}

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, struck a defiant tone on Wednesday, insisting that Tehran will not yield to President Trump’s demands or be intimidated by his threats regarding Iran’s role in the war with Israel.

“The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats,” Khamenei wrote in a post on X.

He went on to issue a stern warning that Iran would not retreat under pressure and cautioned that any military move by the United States would bring about catastrophic repercussions.

“The US entering in this matter is 100% to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter,” he raged.

Khamenei also suggested that Washington may have played a direct role in the Israeli offensive, stating that the connection between the United States and Israel’s latest actions appears increasingly evident.

“It was already suspected that the US was involved in the malicious move carried out by the Zionist regime, but considering their recent remarks, this suspicion is growing stronger day by day.”

His comments mirrored sentiments expressed earlier in a prerecorded address broadcast on Iranian state TV, shortly after President Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and issued a sharp personal warning to Khamenei.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

{Matzav.com}