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A kosher grocery store in Brookline, Massachusetts, was the target of an antisemitic attack early Sunday morning, after a brick scrawled with the words “Free Palestine” was thrown through its front window. The incident occurred shortly after midnight at The Butcherie, a long-established Jewish-owned business located at 428 Harvard Street. According to Brookline police, at least two masked individuals approached the store from nearby Coolidge Street before launching the brick into the storefront and fleeing the scene. Surveillance footage captured the suspects in motion—one clearly holding a brick—both as they approached the building and as they fled. Investigators say no other businesses in the area were targeted, and the motive appears to be focused specifically on The Butcherie. “This was not random,” Gil Zilberberg, the store’s owner, told local media. “It’s a hate crime. Pure and simple. I’ve been here over twenty years, and this is heartbreaking—not just for me, but for the whole community.” In the wake of the attack, more than 150 people gathered outside the store on Sunday afternoon in a spontaneous show of support. Local residents, Jewish community members, and allies condemned the incident and expressed alarm over rising antisemitic rhetoric and violence. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also issued a statement decrying the act. Samantha Joseph, the ADL’s New England Regional Director, called the vandalism “yet another example of antisemitism masquerading as political protest.” “Targeting a Jewish business over the conflict in the Middle East is not activism—it’s bigotry,” Joseph said. “This kind of hate has no place in our communities, and it must be confronted head-on. Silence is complicity.” Brookline police are treating the case as a potential hate crime and have appealed to the public for assistance. Anyone with information, security footage, or tips related to the incident is urged to contact the department at 617-730-2711. As investigators work to identify the perpetrators, Zilberberg says he’s heartened by the community’s response—but remains deeply troubled. “This wasn’t just about breaking a window,” he said. “It was about sending a message. But the message we’re sending back is louder: Hate has no home here.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was evacuated to an underground bunker in northeastern Tehran just hours after Israeli airstrikes began Friday, according to a report by Iran International citing two sources inside the country. Khamenei, along with his family, reportedly took shelter in the heavily fortified Lavizan complex — the same location he retreated to during previous escalations in April and October 2024, when Iran launched missile attacks on Israel. The revelation comes amid explosive claims that Israeli forces had an opportunity to assassinate the Supreme Leader during the opening phase of the current operation but refrained — reportedly due to pressure from the United States. Axios, citing U.S. officials, reported that President Donald Trump made it clear he was firmly against targeting Iran’s top political figure. “We communicated to the Israelis that President Trump is opposed to that,” one senior U.S. official told the outlet. “The Iranians haven’t killed an American, and discussion of killing political leaders should not be on the table.” According to a diplomatic source cited by Iran International, Israel intentionally withheld a strike on Khamenei to offer him one final chance to abandon the country’s uranium enrichment program. The White House has so far distanced itself from Israel’s sweeping military campaign, which is now entering its fourth day. Officials say Trump is seeking to avoid further escalation and preserve a potential path to nuclear negotiations with Tehran. At the same time, the administration has argued that any Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces would be met with a crushing response. Reports of a U.S.-Israeli rift over the assassination claims have been met with public denials in Jerusalem. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi dismissed the Axios report in an interview with Channel 12, calling it “fake news.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also waved off the allegation in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. “There are a lot of false reports about conversations that didn’t take place,” Netanyahu said. “I don’t want to get into that.” Still, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter did not rule out future action against Khamenei. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Leiter said, “I think it’s fair to say that nobody who’s threatening the destruction of Israel should be off the target list.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday that Israel’s recent air assault on Iran, carried out under Operation Rising Lion, was launched to prevent what he described as a looming nuclear catastrophe.

According to Netanyahu, Israel’s decision to act was based on intelligence indicating that Iran was only a few months away from building its first nuclear weapon.

“We had to act,” Netanyahu declared. “It was the 12th hour, and we did act. To save ourselves but also … to protect the world from this incendiary regime.”

He explained that Israeli intelligence, which was also shared with the United States, revealed a covert Iranian program focused on weaponizing uranium. “The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear: That they were working in a secret plan to weaponize the uranium, they were marching very quickly, they would achieve a test device and possibly an initial device within months, and certainly less than a year,” he said.

“That is something that we couldn’t possibly accept,” Netanyahu continued. “We will not have a second Holocaust, a nuclear Holocaust. We already had one, in the previous century – the Jewish state is not going to have the Holocaust committed on the Jewish people. It’s not going to happen.”

Netanyahu further stated that intelligence assessments indicated Iran had already accumulated enough enriched uranium to produce nine nuclear bombs. “All they had to do was weaponize them. We stopped that,” he told Fox News.

When Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked whether Israel’s operation aimed to bring about regime change in Iran, Netanyahu responded, “It could certainly be the result, because the Iran regime is very weak.”

He elaborated by condemning the ruling clerics in Tehran, saying, “80% of the people would throw these theological thugs out. They shoot women because their hair is uncovered. They shoot students. They just suck the oxygen out from these brave and gifted people, the Iranian people. The decision to act, to rise up this time, is the decision of the Iranian people.”

The Israeli leader expressed confidence that the military strikes had dealt a serious blow to Iran’s capabilities. “I think we’ve set them back quite a bit. They were very surprised,” Netanyahu told Fox News.

{Matzav.com}

Against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Iran and escalating tensions across the Middle East, the Jewish community in Moldova has reported a series of troubling events over the weekend in the capital, Chisinau. Over Shabbos, members of the community discovered that dozens of kivrei Yisroel in the Chisinau Jewish cemetery had been vandalized in what appears to be a deliberate and malicious act. This incident is part of a broader uptick in antisemitic incidents across the country in recent days. Among the deeply troubling occurrences: verbal harassment and threats directed at Yidden in public, antisemitic graffiti defacing the outer wall of a shul, and the inclusion of distorted and revisionist Holocaust content in a newly published state-sanctioned history textbook. Rabbi Pinchas Zaltzman, Chief Rabbi of Moldova and a talmid chacham who has faithfully served the local community for decades, said the events are part of a troubling trend sweeping across Europe. “As the conflict in the Middle East intensifies, we’re unfortunately witnessing an alarming surge in antisemitism,” said Rabbi Zaltzman. “This hatred is spilling over far beyond the region, and Moldova, too, is feeling its effects.” “The recent acts of grave desecration, coupled with attempts to rewrite the truth of the Holocaust rachmana litzlan, are not just attacks on the Jewish people—they are attacks on the very dignity of human society.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In an unexpected development, the mashgiach, Rav Don Segal, has departed for the United States to join a critical fundraising mission on behalf of Keren Olam HaTorah.

The mashgiach will be joining forces with Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and Rav Dovid Cohen, to raise vital support for the Torah world during this time of unprecedented need.

The Mashgiach’s arrival is all the more remarkable given his recent stay in Switzerland, where he has been recuperating. His decision to embark on this journey underscores the urgency of the cause and his unwavering dedication to the needs of the Olam HaTorah.

With flights from Eretz Yisroel disrupted due to the ongoing conflict, the mashgiach has gone to great lengths to travel to the United States, determined to stand alongside his fellow gedolim in this critical campaign.

{Matzav.com}

Iranian media has published videos showing a kamikaze drone manufacturing building used by the Mossad in Tehran.

According to Iran International, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was moved to a secure underground facility in northeastern Tehran just hours after Israel launched airstrikes on Friday.

The report, which cites two well-placed sources within Iran, states that Khamenei is currently accompanied by his entire family in a shelter located in the Lavizan district.

The same bunker had reportedly been used by Khamenei during earlier crises, including Iran’s missile attacks on Israel in April and October of 2024.

The news outlet also quotes a diplomatic source from the region who said that Israel deliberately chose not to target Khamenei on the first night of its military operation. According to the source, the decision was made in hopes of giving Iran’s leader one last opportunity to fully abandon his nuclear enrichment efforts.

{Matzav.com}

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WATCH: Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said Israel is targeting Iran’s nuclear program. “We’re not going to allow these ballistic missiles to continue to hit Israel. And we’re going to do what we have to do to defend our country.”

Manhunt for suspect in shootings of Minnesota lawmakers continues for second day The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, is alleged to have killed Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Boelter is still at-large Sunday morning, more than 24 hours after the attacks. The suspect also allegedly shot Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. “We believe he’s somewhere in the vicinity, and they are going to find him,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said of the gunman.

VIDEO: The IDF says they’re intercepted over 100 UAVs launched by Iran.

Iranians swarm gas stations, hoping to secure a few gallons to be able to escape to…. nowhere.

Iranians are continuing to flee the capital of Tehran tonight, as Israel intensifies its strike campaign against government, military, and infrastructure targets throughout the city, with footage showing major traffic jams on the Babayi Expressway to the northeast of Tehran.

The Israeli Air Force completed a major wave of strikes today, targeting weapons production sites across Iran, including factories for missile engines, fuel, guidance systems, and air defenses.

Iran’s Police Chief, Sardar Radan, was reportedly assassinated in an Israeli operation.

WATCH: The moment an Israeli airstrike targeted the IRGC’s Intelligence Directorate headquarters in Tehran, killing the intel chief and his deputy.

In a stirring drasha, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Slabodka, delivered powerful divrei chizuk last night to a packed audience in Chicago as part of his ongoing visit to the United States.

Speaking with his trademark clarity, Rav Hirsch stressed that everyone must remember that everything that occurs always, and now during the current war, is orchestrated by Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

Rav Hirsch spoke about the current tzarah facing Klal Yisroel, referencing the threats in Eretz Yisroel and beyond.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO BELOW:

{Matzav.com}

In a rare national address on Sunday evening, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir spoke directly to the people of Israel as the nation pushes deeper into a high-stakes confrontation with Iran.

“Fellow Israelis, we are now entering the third day of Operation Rising Lion—an operation of historic scale and consequence,” he began. “This campaign is our response to a threat that has been maturing for years—an existential danger deliberately cultivated by Iran with one clear goal: our destruction. We are executing a carefully structured and adaptive plan.”

Zamir described the most recent phase of the operation as a significant milestone. “Over the last day, we successfully carved out an aerial corridor leading into Tehran and launched targeted strikes. Our pilots are operating far beyond Israeli airspace, reaching hundreds of kilometers into enemy territory to dismantle a wide range of Iranian military assets with surgical precision. At the same time, we are identifying and eliminating the launch sites targeting our cities.”

He went on to recount the operation’s opening moves. “We struck first, with surprise and strategy. Our initial attack disrupted Iran’s senior military leadership. This was not just symbolic—it was a calculated blow meant to alter the balance. Our operations are growing in force, and the goal is simple: long-term security for the people of Israel.”

Acknowledging the hardships, Zamir was clear-eyed. “We knew this path would come at a cost. But delaying action would have meant even greater peril. We are doing everything possible—using our most advanced systems and tactics—to protect lives, though we must be honest: there is no such thing as total safety.”

He urged the public to adhere strictly to official safety protocols. “There have been casualties from missile attacks early in the campaign. My heart is with those who lost loved ones and those who are injured. Please, follow the Home Front Command’s instructions exactly. These directives save lives. We all share this responsibility.”

Zamir extended his gratitude to those serving the home front and in uniform. “I want to commend the Home Front Command and our entire security apparatus for their tireless work under pressure. And let me be clear: anyone who dares to strike at Israel will face consequences—no matter where they are.”

Turning to the broader regional landscape, Zamir noted that Israel is contending with threats on multiple fronts. “Even as we target Iran’s regime, we are maintaining defensive operations in Gaza and elsewhere. Across every battlefield, our soldiers are showing remarkable courage and commitment.”

He paused to remember a fallen soldier. “Yesterday, we lost a brave warrior—Reservist Staff Sergeant Noam Shemesh from the Kfir Brigade, who died in action in Gaza. To his family, I extend our deepest condolences. His sacrifice will not be forgotten. We press forward, focused and resolute.”

Concluding with a message of hope and fortitude, Zamir invoked Israel’s national spirit. “In times of crisis, the Israeli people have always stood strong and united. That moment is now. We are a people that values life, and in defense of that life, we are willing to face hard choices. This campaign continues—with purpose, solidarity, resolve, and belief in the righteousness of our mission. Our actions define us. As the pasuk says: ‘Like a lion, the people rise.’”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu discusses why Israel carried out their strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, intel shared with the United States and more on ‘Special Report.’

WATCH: