In the early morning hours of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the body of a Frum man was found in the forests of Uman, bearing signs of severe violence. 



According to details provided to Belaaz from sources who were in Uman for Rosh Hashanah, several chassidim who had gone out for Hisbodedus discovered the body.



The victim had relocated to Uman roughly two months ago and was residing at the Ohros Hotel.



He worked in computers and was known to be a sports enthusiast.



A person who knows him said the man went out for a walk around Uman every day, and it appears he was killed during one of these walks. Local police are investigating the circumstances of his death.



Efforts are currently underway to secure the release of his body from local police custody so it can be brought to proper kever Yisrael.

Tragedy in Uman: Frum Yid Found Murdered During Rosh Hashanah

Six Israeli municipalities have announced that they will not allow live chickens to be used for kapparot ahead of Yom Kippur, following pressure from animal rights organization Let the Animals Live to local government leaders across the country.



Tel Mond, Yeruham, Mevaseret Zion, and Yavne joined the initiative this year. Kiryat Bialik and Rishon Lezion, which responded to the organization’s appeal last year, have renewed their commitments.



The six municipalities are joining Kfar Saba, Ra&#8217;anana, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ramle, and Petah Tikva, which Let the Animals Live says have prohibited the practice within their jurisdictions for several years.



This is the second consecutive year that Let the Animals Live has contacted municipal leaders nationwide to seek restrictions on the use of live chickens during kapparot.



According to the organization, Veterinary Services regulations governing kapparot allow local authorities to prohibit ceremonies involving live chickens within their jurisdictions. Regardless of whether slaughter occurs at the location, organizers are required to obtain approval from the municipality’s veterinary department.



The use of live chickens in kapparot has been criticized by animal welfare advocates for years. In 2019, the Environmental Protection Ministry also encouraged the public to consider alternatives, including donating money to charity instead of conducting the ritual with a chicken.



Let the Animals Live said chickens involved in the ceremony may experience distress from the time they are transported to the event. The organization said the birds may be confined in cramped cages, sometimes without adequate food or water, and exposed to noise, movement, and crowded conditions.



The organization said kapparot can be performed without using live animals. One alternative is to donate money to charity or contribute to charitable institutions.



&#8220;Yom Kippur represents introspection, compassion, and mercy, and there is no justification for marking it through a custom that involves fear and severe suffering for animals,&#8221; Let the Animals Live CEO Yael Arkin said.



&#8220;The kapparot custom can be observed in a way that respects tradition while at the same time helping people in need, through a donation to charity. We welcome the authorities that have already made a clear decision and call on additional heads of local authorities to join them: Do not grant permits for the chicken kapparot custom, and ensure that the public space under their responsibility is not used to harm animals,&#8221; she added.



Religious and Community Response



Traditional and ultra-Orthodox communities defend the use of live chickens in kapparot as a deeply rooted custom intended to symbolize spiritual atonement before Yom Kippur. Some religious leaders view outright bans as an infringement on religious freedom or as an attempt to deepen tensions between secular and observant populations.



In areas where the practice is not completely banned, authorities often seek to regulate it through strict veterinary oversight, permits, and confinement of the ritual to designated locations, such as courtyards or butcher stalls. Supporters of this approach say it preserves the custom while reducing public nuisance, sanitation concerns, and potential health risks.

Six Israeli Cities Prohibit Live-Chicken Kapparot Ahead of Yom Kippur as Animal Rights Group Calls for Wider Ban

A man was taken into custody Monday evening after a 14-year-old bocher was reportedly slashed inside a shul in Brooklyn, according to police.



Authorities said they received a 911 call at approximately 7:20 p.m. reporting an emotionally disturbed person inside the shul at 1675 54th St. in Borough Park.



Police said a 22-year-old man used some type of cutting instrument to slash the 14-year-old boy’s hand.



The suspect was taken into custody, while the teenager declined medical treatment.



According to police, both the suspect and the victim were congregants at the shul. Police said the suspect is mentally ill.



The circumstances that led to the incident remain unclear, and authorities have not released additional details.

14-Year-Old Bocher Slashed Inside Brooklyn Shul; Suspect in Custody

A Russian drone struck a Ukrainian passenger train near the Poland border, damaging its engine in an attack that occurred shortly after former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior European security officials had traveled through the same railway area.



No casualties were reported at Yahodyn, where all passengers on the targeted train had been evacuated before the strike, according to Ukrainian authorities.



Ukraine’s state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said the train’s evacuation order had been issued &#8220;just 15 minutes&#8221; before it was hit by a Russian jet-propelled drone.



The railway operator also said the train &#8220;had left the station earlier than expected because of the timetable change&#8230; due to constant threats of Russian strikes&#8221;.



Russia said it had targeted &#8220;railway infrastructure&#8221; in western Ukraine. However, Ukrzaliznytsia stated that &#8220;quite possibly, the target of this drone could have been the diplomatic train&#8221;.



The attack took place approximately 2 kilometers from the Polish border, according to Ukrainian and Polish authorities.



Johnson and other European national security advisers, including the UK’s Jonathan Powell, had traveled along the same railway line on a different train while returning from a conference in Kyiv.



Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, who had also attended the conference, described the security measures taken aboard his train.



&#8220;On the train I was on we received order to prepare evacuation after it had stopped. But after a number of minutes we were informed that it was clear and we could proceed,&#8221; he told the BBC.



Bildt’s train later arrived safely at Poland’s border station in Dorohusk. Some reports have suggested that he was traveling on the same train as Johnson, although the former British prime minister has not confirmed his travel details.



Johnson wrote on X: &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what warped logic drove Putin to blow up a stationary Ukrainian locomotive on the Polish border this morning.



He described the incident as &#8220;the kind of random and senseless attack Ukrainians are enduring every day &#8211; even on civilian railways&#8221; and urged allies to provide Ukraine with &#8220;the air defences they need&#8221;.



The railway strike occurred amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s transportation infrastructure, which remains essential for civilian travel and the movement of goods throughout the country.

Russian Drone Strikes Ukrainian Train Near Polish Border After Boris Johnson And European Officials Pass Through

Rabbi Mordechai Gottlieb, one of the organizers of the Rosh Hashanah gatherings in Uman, spoke with Belaaz&#8217;s correspondent on the ground about this year&#8217;s atmosphere at the Kever of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine, and about what&#8217;s coming next.



 Despite the ongoing war, Gottlieb said the number of Yidden making the journey to Uman has continued to climb, forcing organizers into increasingly complex logistical planning to accommodate the crowds.



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video height="720" style="aspect-ratio: 1280 / 720;" width="1280" controls src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2798635.mp4"></video></figure>



 This year, roughly 50,000 people were expected to daven at the Tzion for Rosh Hashanah. But Gottlieb told Belaaz that once the war ends, organizers are preparing for a dramatically larger crowd, as many as a quarter-million people are expected to descend on Uman for Rosh Hashanah.



 &#8220;Uman isn&#8217;t ready,&#8221; Gottlieb said, pointing to the scale of preparation. Housing, security, infrastructure — that a crowd five times the current size would demand.



 Organizers say planning for that scenario is already underway, even as this year&#8217;s smaller-scale gathering proceeds under wartime conditions.

Uman Organizer: “A Quarter-Million Are Expected for Rosh Hashanah After the War — Uman Isn’t Ready”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., faced criticism Friday after video from the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan appeared to show the two smiling and laughing during the solemn reading of victims’ names.



Mamdani had already drawn opposition from some 9/11 victims’ families over his decision to attend the ceremony. During a television broadcast of the names being read, the footage shifted from a young man crying at the memorial to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez appearing to smile and laugh while speaking to one another. Their conversation could not be heard.



&#8220;Disgraceful,&#8221; said Steve Guest, a former top staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. &#8220;AOC and Mamdani look happy.&#8221;



The footage quickly circulated online, prompting additional criticism from commentators who questioned the appearance of the interaction.



&#8220;They always show us who they really are,&#8221; another critic on X said.



Some commentators expressed their objections more bluntly.



&#8220;Why the f&#8212; are these two laughing?&#8221; asked Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.



The criticism came as Mamdani was attending the annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony despite a petition from relatives of victims that had gathered approximately 110,000 signatures urging him not to attend.



However, Michael Ragusa, who was described as a former member of ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani&#8217;s security detail, disputed the interpretation of the footage and said the clip did not accurately portray what was happening.



&#8220;The videos of [them] laughing are not true. I was standing next to them the whole time,&#8221; tweeted Michael Ragusa, reportedly head of Giuliani&#8217;s security as of 2025, according to WPIX-11.



&#8220;The camera just caught her greeting him hello. Multiple other politicians were laughing and joking behind me. Republicans and Democrats.&#8221;



The Pittsburgh Republican Committee referenced the incident while discussing criticism from 9/11 victims’ families regarding Mamdani’s attendance. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt also commented on the footage.



&#8220;While normal Americans cry, commie Mamdani and AOC laugh it up at the 9/11 memorial in New York,&#8221; Pratt said.



&#8220;They hate you. They hate your country. They enjoy your misery. We cannot allow these people to have power.&#8221;



New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, R-Brighton Beach, also criticized the appearance of the interaction, saying she was angered by what she saw.



&#8220;After thousands of families of victims of terror beg Mamdani not to show up, he stands there and laughs while families weep,&#8221; said Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, R-Brighton Beach. &#8220;This is NYC’s Mayor.&#8221;



Richard Sementa, known as &#8220;Mr. Producer&#8221; from Mark Levin’s national radio program, reacted to the footage by tweeting, &#8220;Un-freaking believable.&#8221;



Juanita Broaddrick referred to Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez as &#8220;two disgusting degenerates&#8221; in a post on X.



Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., who has continued to criticize democratic socialists and opponents of Israel, referred to the mayor as &#8220;Jihad Mamdani&#8221; and argued that neither Mamdani nor Ocasio-Cortez should have been at Ground Zero.



&#8220;They do not mourn this country, they mock it,&#8221; he tweeted. &#8220;Have some damn respect.&#8221;



Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, also criticized the apparent interaction, emphasizing the solemn nature of the ceremony.



&#8220;As the names of Americans murdered on September 11th are read aloud at Ground Zero, AOC and Mamdani are laughing and smiling together,&#8221; said Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas.



&#8220;There is a time and a place for politics. This isn’t it. Ground Zero is sacred ground.&#8221;



&#8220;September 11 is not a photo op, it is not a networking event,&#8221; said Hunt.



Mamdani was also seen at other points during the ceremony standing solemnly between New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York First Gentleman William Hochul Jr.



Critics nevertheless continued to focus on what one described as a &#8220;jarring split-screen&#8221; showing Mamdani appearing to joke with Ocasio-Cortez shortly after the broadcast showed a mourner crying near the reflecting pool marking the former Twin Towers.



&#8220;What exactly is funny?&#8221; asked former Trump White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.



Former NYPD officer and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro offered his own imagined version of what the two politicians might have been discussing.



&#8220;Zo[hran]: You’re not buying into this ‘never again’ are you? AOC: ‘No, not me,’ Hilarity ensues.&#8221;



It remained unclear what Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez were actually discussing at the moment captured on camera. The available footage did not establish what prompted their expressions or conversation.

AOC and Mamdani Face Backlash Over Apparent Laughter During 9/11 Memorial Ceremony

New polls released Sunday evening show Israel&#8217;s political system trending toward a deadlock that could force the country into another round of elections without a clear governing majority emerging.



A Channel 11 (Kan) poll shows the Netanyahu bloc and the Eisenkot bloc tied at 52 seats each. Between the two blocs sits Yoaz Hendel&#8217;s party, whose leader has said he will attempt to form a unity government without the Arab parties. The Arab parties are projected to win 12 seats.



A new Channel 12 poll shows the Netanyahu bloc is at a low of 50 seats, against 54 for the Eisenkot bloc. Hendel&#8217;s party is projected at four seats, with the Arab parties again at 12.



Belaaz Analysis: If these numbers hold on election day, political observers say Israel could be headed for another inconclusive round — echoing 2019–2020, when three consecutive election cycles were needed before a government was finally formed.

New Polls Show Israeli Political System Deadlocked; Another Election Round Possible

(Reuters) The United Arab Emirates is quietly reconsidering plans for a 5-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center project one of the largest such developments outside the United States as the war involving Iran has prompted officials to reassess how and where critical infrastructure should be constructed, according to six people familiar with the matter.



The project was initially planned as a 10-square-mile (26-square-kilometer) campus in Abu Dhabi. It is now likely to be redesigned as a network of data centers distributed across several locations in the UAE, four sources said. All spoke on condition of anonymity.



Authorities are also examining additional measures to protect the facilities against potential drone and missile attacks, including air-defense systems and underground construction, according to the sources. The possible changes to the project&#8217;s design have not previously been reported.



DATA CENTER PROJECT IS CENTRAL TO UAE’S GLOBAL AI AMBITIONS



Plans for the UAE-US AI Campus, being developed with American technology companies, were announced during President Donald Trump&#8217;s visit to the Gulf state last year.



The project is a key part of the UAE&#8217;s effort to establish itself as a global AI hub while reducing its economic dependence on oil. It is being led by G42, an artificial intelligence company controlled by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE national security adviser and brother of the country&#8217;s president.



As part of an agreement giving the UAE access to Nvidia AI chips and other advanced American technology, the country agreed to reduce its AI-related ties with China and invest in the Stargate initiative&#8217;s U.S. data centers. Stargate is a joint venture involving OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank that is focused on developing AI infrastructure.



The sources who spoke with Reuters included a U.S. official, a Western diplomat and industry executives who had been briefed on the discussions. Reuters could not establish how close Emirati authorities are to approving a revised master plan or determine how significantly the proposed changes could affect construction costs and schedules.



Construction of the project&#8217;s first phase, a $30 billion, 1-gigawatt computing cluster called Stargate UAE, began last year. The initial 200 megawatts of capacity are expected to become operational this year. Once fully completed, the facility is expected to have enough capacity to connect every UAE government agency and commercial institution with the world&#8217;s most advanced AI models, according to Larry Ellison, Oracle&#8217;s chairman and chief technology officer, whose company is working with G42 on the project.



Asked about possible changes to the development, G42 said construction of the AI campus was continuing according to plan.



“The project&#8217;s specifics are subject to continuous review in line with the security, resilience and operational standards expected of critical infrastructure at this scale,” the company said, without providing further details.



OpenAI said it was collaborating with the UAE on its AI objectives and making “good progress on the infrastructure and adoption priorities needed to deliver it.&#8221;



The UAE&#8217;s advanced technology ministry and the project&#8217;s other American partners, including Nvidia, Oracle and Cisco, did not respond to requests for comment. Japan&#8217;s SoftBank declined to comment.



IRAN TARGETS U.S.-LINKED TECH INFRASTRUCTURE



According to the sources, Emirati officials began reassessing their AI infrastructure strategy shortly after Tehran launched missile and drone attacks against Gulf states hosting American forces. The attacks came in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.



Two Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE were damaged during attacks in March, as was another facility in Bahrain. Amazon&#8217;s cloud services in the region remain disrupted, according to the company&#8217;s latest website updates.



In April, Iran&#8217;s armed forces released a video warning that Stargate UAE could also be targeted. The video displayed a map that purportedly identified the location where the complex was being constructed and carried the caption: “Nothing stays ​hidden from our sight.”



Two people familiar with the situation confirmed that the project is located near Al Dhafra Air Base, a location that had not previously been publicly disclosed. The base, situated outside Abu Dhabi, hosts U.S. troops and has come under attack during the war, which began in February.



Daniel Benaim, who served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Peninsula affairs under President Joe Biden, described the conflict as an &#8220;economic earthquake&#8221; for Gulf states that had spent years presenting themselves as secure destinations.



“Changes to harden critical infrastructure are vitally necessary,” said Benaim, a fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank. “Every ​country in the region is going ⁠to look at what they can do to reduce the risk” and reassure international partners and investors.



The first stage of construction at the UAE&#8217;s AI campus is expected to proceed, although officials are considering modifications designed to shield the site from aerial attacks, according to an industry executive and another person briefed on the matter. The sources said the remaining portions of the project are likely to be distributed among several locations.



Officials are also considering placing facilities containing the most sensitive information, including military data, underground or inside mountains, according to the two sources. Data centers in the United States, China and Europe have previously been constructed in abandoned mines, Cold War-era bunkers and caves.



Most of the UAE consists of flat desert terrain because of its location on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula. However, mountain ranges extend through portions of the country&#8217;s north and northeast, particularly in the emirates of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.



Three sources said the redesigned project is expected to incorporate air-defense capabilities, including systems designed to intercept drones and missiles as well as electronic-jamming equipment. Another source said additional measures could include blast-resistant concrete along with redundant power and cooling systems.

UAE Reworks Massive AI Data Center Project After Iranian Attacks Raise Security Concerns

Western security officials tell the Financial Times that Tehran has requested sophisticated Russian Geran drones, including jet-powered models capable of reaching speeds of up to 600 km/h, after Moscow transformed Iran’s original Shahed design into a faster, more difficult-to-intercept weapon.



Iran has reportedly sought to obtain advanced Russian drones derived from the same technology Tehran initially supplied to Moscow, with the weapons intended for use in its ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States, according to the Financial Times.



Western security officials and a person familiar with the Kremlin told the newspaper that Iran requested advanced Geran drones from Russia this year. The Geran series is based on Iran’s Shahed platform, which Russia began manufacturing domestically in 2023 before developing increasingly sophisticated variants.



Russia’s newest models, the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5, have attacked Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. Their performance has reportedly shown a significant improvement in evading air defenses compared with earlier propeller-driven versions, creating a more challenging threat for Ukraine.



One of the drones recently struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service in what was described as the first direct drone attack on a government building in Kyiv. Another reportedly came close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s aircraft as it prepared to depart Moldova. Hundreds of additional drones have hit warehouses and disrupted activity at Ukrainian ports.



On Thursday, a drone crashed into a gas station in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district. The following day, two people were killed when two more gas stations were struck in attacks that Zelensky characterized as being “terrorist in nature.”



Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched a record 2,800 drones in August. The extensive campaign took place alongside Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian oil refineries and commercial storage sites.



Russia’s progress in advancing the drone technology represents a notable development for a military that has suffered immense human and material losses since invading Ukraine in 2022. Those losses include an estimated 1.5 million troops killed or wounded, along with extensive destruction of Soviet-era military equipment.



Although Ukraine has gained recognition for rapidly developing its own defense technologies, experts say Russia’s newest drones illustrate Moscow’s ability to create, improve and deploy sophisticated weapons on a large scale.



The first-generation Geran-1 carries a warhead weighing up to 20 kilograms, reaches a top speed of approximately 185 km/h and relies on relatively basic guidance technology.



The Geran-5, in contrast, is powered by a jet engine and was reportedly first deployed by Russia in January. It can reach speeds of up to 600 km/h and carry a 90-kilogram warhead across a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers.



The drone’s design resembles that of a cruise missile. It also reportedly features thermal cameras and artificial intelligence-powered systems for recognizing targets.



The reported Iranian request would represent a reversal of the original direction of drone technology between the two nations. Iran initially supplied the Shahed platform to Russia, which subsequently adapted and mass-produced it. Tehran is now reportedly seeking access to the more advanced variants produced through Russia’s wartime development efforts.

Report: Iran Seeks Russia’s Advanced Jet-Powered Shahed Drones for War Against Israel and US

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party announced Sunday that it plans to petition Israel’s Central Elections Committee (CEC) to prevent the Arab-majority Ra’am and Joint List parties from participating in the October 27 election.



Even if the CEC approves the request, the proposed disqualifications would likely face significant legal challenges.



“There is no room in the Knesset for those who harm IDF soldiers and are unable to say that Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations,” Likud said in a statement. The party also repeated its campaign allegation that centrist political rival Gadi Eisenkot intends to form an alliance with the Arab-majority parties.



Recent polling suggests that neither Netanyahu’s political bloc nor the Zionist opposition, led by Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party, is on course to win a clear parliamentary majority.



If Netanyahu’s opponents cannot attract lawmakers from his coalition, they may require backing from at least one Arab-majority party to assemble a governing coalition.



Ra’am, which is considered more traditionalist and more receptive to cooperation with Zionist parties than the Joint List, participated in the coalition that governed Israel from 2021 to 2022. However, several of Eisenkot’s political allies have since ruled out forming a government with an Arab party.



The previous government followed an effort by Likud to establish Ra’am as a coalition partner. During that period, the party publicly promoted the possibility of cooperation.



Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas later said Netanyahu had invited him to the prime minister’s official residence and read him a speech he supposedly intended to deliver if the two parties entered a partnership.



That proposed alliance was ultimately blocked by Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partner Bezalel Smotrich, despite pressure to permit the arrangement.



Smotrich has previously accused Netanyahu of “lying through his teeth” when denying that he had sought an alliance with Ra’am. He also claimed Netanyahu “desperately” wanted such a partnership.



Last week, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party submitted its own petition to the CEC seeking Ra’am’s disqualification. The party alleged that Ra’am had supported armed struggle against Israel.



The CEC is expected to put the petitions to a vote. Its members are allocated among the political parties according to their representation in the Knesset.



However, Israel’s High Court of Justice has overturned previous CEC decisions seeking to disqualify Ra’am, the Joint List, and the three factions that make up the Joint List.



Those rulings include the court’s 2022 decision to overturn an election ban against the nationalist Balad faction ahead of the previous election.

Likud to Seek Election Ban on Arab-Majority Parties Ahead of October Vote

The IDF has renewed its criticism of the Lebanese army over its implementation of the memorandum of understanding reached between Beirut and Jerusalem in Rome, claiming that Lebanon has not done enough to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.



“They are going around in circles,” a senior Israeli official familiar with the details of the understandings said on Sunday. “The Lebanese army is very afraid to move against Hezbollah, collect weapons, destroy infrastructure, which is what is actually expected of it,” the official added.



The Israeli official also accused the Lebanese military of taking superficial measures against Hezbollah rather than addressing the organization’s underlying presence in southern Lebanon. “They are dealing with cosmetics when it comes to Hezbollah. They are not addressing its roots in southern Lebanon and are leaving the work to the IDF or to time, hoping that the fall of the regime in Tehran will lead to a domino effect.”



According to Israeli defense officials, the Lebanese government and military remain concerned that a major confrontation with Hezbollah could trigger a return to the violence and instability of the Lebanese civil war. They believe those fears, coupled with threats from the organization, have discouraged Beirut from pursuing more extensive action.



At the same time, Israeli defense officials maintain that Hezbollah’s political and military position has changed, and that it no longer enjoys the same standing among Lebanese civilians that it once did. “This is not the same Hezbollah from the era of Nasrallah. It is not the same organization that controlled every sphere in Lebanon, and therefore the situation must be taken advantage of,” one official said.



Reports received by the IDF indicate that certain Lebanese army checkpoints are allowing Hezbollah operatives to travel between villages in vehicles. In response, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has designated specific areas as “kill zones.” The military says that Hezbollah operatives detected in those locations will be targeted to prevent the establishment of terrorist activity.



Concerning Ali Taher Ridge, Israeli defense officials say the IDF plans to conduct a tactical withdrawal to positions that offer improved protection for its forces while retaining the operational gains already achieved. The military has also instructed troops to attack any hostile forces that approach them.



IDF Continues Operations to Locate and Destroy Hezbollah Infrastructure in Southern Lebanon



The IDF is continuing its operations in southern Lebanon between the Yellow Line and the Israeli border, searching for terrorist infrastructure, documenting its locations and destroying identified sites.



Defense officials said the military’s resolve to eliminate Hezbollah infrastructure on Ali Taher Ridge has enhanced deterrence. However, they acknowledged that the operation is not expected to stop Hezbollah from attempting to rebuild its infrastructure or confront Israeli forces in the region. The IDF has also identified Hezbollah operatives in the Nabatieh area and conducted airstrikes against them.



In recent days, US-mediated communications between Beirut and Jerusalem have sought to reduce tensions and clarify the purpose of the IDF’s operations on Ali Taher Ridge. Israeli officials say the activity is directed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure that had been used against Israel’s civilian population and had interfered with the daily lives of Lebanese residents in the area.



Southern Lebanese Leaders Press Hezbollah to Remove Weapons



According to Walla, mayors and heads of local councils in southern Lebanon have recently approached Hezbollah, calling on the organization to remove weapons stored within their jurisdictions. The local officials have also prevented Hezbollah from carrying out certain activities, citing fears that Israeli strikes could hit buildings and endanger civilians.



Lebanese sources told Walla in recent days that, despite Israel’s criticism, the Lebanese army is taking action against Hezbollah infrastructure and operatives in the area under the terms of the agreement between the two sides. However, the sources said the military is expected to step up its efforts.

Israel Accuses Lebanese Army of Failing to Dismantle Hezbollah’s Military Infrastructure

Police and the Shin Bet announced Tuesday that they had recently arrested a 19-year-old resident of the central Arab town of Kafr Qasim on suspicion of plotting a terror attack.



The suspect, Mustafa Issa, was “greatly influenced” by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre and the violence that erupted in mixed Jewish-Arab cities during May 2021, according to a joint statement from the security agencies.



Investigators said Issa had searched the internet for information about warfare and explosives and made multiple attempts to manufacture an explosive device.



Hebrew media reported that Issa is suspected of planning to target a server farm operated by software company Amdocs. He allegedly intended to use his position as a volunteer firefighter to gain access to the facility.



At the time of his arrest, Issa was found carrying “a lot of training equipment” along with Airsoft guns, according to the security agencies.



Police and the Shin Bet said prosecutors had issued a statement ahead of an expected indictment against Issa.



“The Shin Bet and Israel Police view with great severity any involvement of Israeli citizens in activity that puts state security at risk,” the agencies said.



The arrest follows other recent terrorism-related cases involving Israeli Arab citizens.



In July, four Israeli citizens from the Bedouin town of Segev Shalom were arrested and indicted over alleged plans to carry out several terror-related activities, including a mass shooting at Beersheba’s central bus station.



In June, an Arab Israeli terrorist opened fire on people at a gas station near Kochav Ya’ir and outside the communities of Tzur Yitzhak and Tzur Natan in central Israel. The attack killed a member of a civilian defense squad and injured five others.

Arab Israeli Teen Arrested Over Alleged Hamas-Inspired Plot to Attack Amdocs Server Farm

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid met in Jerusalem on Monday for a security briefing, with Netanyahu seeking opposition backing for transferring additional funds to Israel’s defense establishment.



Opposition leaders are traditionally briefed by the prime minister each month on sensitive national security matters. However, Netanyahu and Lapid have not consistently maintained that schedule, amid their strained political relationship.



According to an opposition source, Netanyahu initially delivered a routine security update. The meeting was then joined by IDF Planning Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman and National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben Ezra. Accountant General Michal Abadi-Boiangiu participated by telephone.



Netanyahu subsequently asked Lapid’s opposition to support bringing Israel’s budget back before the Knesset, according to Lapid’s office, so additional funding could be allocated to the country’s defense establishment.



Lapid said he supports increasing funding for the IDF but opposed raising taxes on Israel’s middle class or reservists to finance the increase, his office reported. He instead urged Netanyahu to redirect funds currently allocated to his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners.



“Instead, include in the proposal the cancellation of the corrupt coalition funds and the tens of billions of shekels you are currently transferring to fund Haredi draft evasion,” Lapid tells Netanyahu, “and we will support the proposal in the Knesset as well.”

Lapid Challenges Netanyahu Over Defense Funding, Demands End to Haredi Coalition Payments

US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed a report alleging that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of a Jordanian military base before an attack that killed three American troops in July.



The report, published by the Wall Street Journal, cited unidentified US officials familiar with the attack. When asked whether he planned to raise the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their anticipated meeting, Trump did not directly address the question. Instead, he compared Chinese and American intelligence-gathering activities.



&#8220;They basically do what we do,&#8221; he told reporters aboard Air Force One. &#8220;When they say China spies on us, I say you&#8217;re right, and we spy on them too.&#8221;



Trump and Xi are expected to meet in the United States on September 24, though Beijing has not officially confirmed the planned summit.



Trump Reaffirms Relationship With Xi



Trump also repeated his assessment that he maintains a positive relationship with Xi, saying he believes the Chinese leader has acted reasonably toward the United States.



&#8220;I think he&#8217;s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,&#8221; Trump said while returning to the United States following his weekend visit to Ireland.



The Wall Street Journal report, which Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify, identified no specific Chinese entities allegedly involved in supplying the imagery. According to the report, US officials also did not accuse the Chinese government of directly participating in the attack.



Trump&#8217;s remarks appeared to align with the administration&#8217;s recent efforts to reduce the emphasis on tensions between Washington and Beijing, despite continuing American concerns about China&#8217;s close relationship with Tehran.

Trump Dismisses Report of Chinese Assistance to Iran Before Deadly Attack on US Troops

Iranian officials said they had planned to attend a Monday meeting in Oman with Gulf Arab states to present an agreement they claimed to have reached with Oman concerning future shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.



The proposed gathering was postponed late Sunday after Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi announced that the decision had been made &#8220;in the interests of consensus.&#8221;



&#8220;We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,&#8221; he wrote in a post on X.



Iran’s Fars news agency reported that an Iranian Foreign Ministry official attributed the postponement to a request from several regional countries. According to the official, Tehran and Muscat had jointly agreed to delay the meeting and would coordinate on a new date.



Iraq had previously announced plans to send a delegation. A Gulf official also told Reuters that Saudi Arabia and Qatar would participate through their foreign ministers.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Meeting unlikely to reopen Strait of Hormuz</h3>



A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Saturday that the discussions were expected to cover the Strait of Hormuz and other matters, but said the meeting would probably not result in a signed agreement to reopen the strategic waterway. Bahrain stated that it would not participate in talks with Iranian representatives.



Speaking to the London-based pan-Arab news outlet Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that even if Tehran reached an understanding with Oman, Iran would not reopen the strait until the United States met its demands.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">US blockade redirects 101 commercial vessels</h3>



US Central Command said Sunday that American forces had redirected approximately 101 commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz as the US blockade against Iran continued.

Iran-Oman Gulf Meeting Postponed as Hormuz Dispute Deepens

Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar on Sunday called for the citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor to be revoked after their Gaza war documentary, NAZA, received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.



Zohar condemned the film as “vile” and accused its creators of damaging Israel’s reputation in pursuit of international recognition. He described their work as treasonous, though no such allegation has been established through judicial proceedings.



“The Venice Film Festival win for the vile film NAZA is shocking,” Zohar said in a statement issued by his office. He further declared that he would immediately begin efforts to have the filmmakers’ citizenship revoked.



However, the culture minister does not have the unilateral power to cancel Israeli citizenship. Israeli law requires a formal legal procedure for citizenship revocation based on disloyalty, involving the interior minister and judicial oversight.



Zohar also connected the dispute to his proposed reforms of Israel’s public cinema funding system. He argued that taxpayers should not be obligated to support films he regards as attacks on the Israel Defense Forces or the state.



Directed by Abraham and Szor, the documentary draws on three years of interviews with 24 individuals identified as Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel. The film conceals the interviewees’ identities.



Those interviewed discuss Israel’s surveillance and target-selection mechanisms in Gaza, along with the authorization of military strikes anticipated to result in civilian casualties. NAZA alleges that military operations were deliberately approved despite forecasts of substantial harm to civilians.



The IDF has rejected the documentary’s claims and challenged its reliability, maintaining that anonymous or junior personnel may not have possessed access to the strategic information featured in the film.



During the award ceremony in Venice, Abraham criticized Israeli politicians and journalists who denounced the documentary without having watched it. He argued that attempts were underway to avoid addressing the reality depicted in the production.



Shot at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv, NAZA derives its title from a Hebrew military abbreviation associated with collateral damage. The film received an extended standing ovation after its premiere at the festival.



Abraham and Szor previously served as directors of No Other Land, collaborating with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. The documentary, which chronicles Palestinian communities in Judea and Samaria, won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Israeli Culture Minister Demands Citizenship Revocation for NAZA Filmmakers After Venice Film Festival Award

US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said Friday that Washington used Israel’s “global isolation” following its “terrible” strike on Hamas leadership in Doha to help secure the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.



The comments have drawn criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which maintains that the military operation against Hamas in Gaza City and the strike on the group’s leadership in Qatar, combined with pressure from President Trump, were instrumental in securing the hostages’ release.



Kushner Describes the Diplomatic Strategy



Kushner, who has participated in American negotiations involving Gaza, Iran, and Ukraine despite not holding an official government position, made the remarks Friday during a remote appearance at the Yalta European Security Conference. His comments were publicized Sunday.



While discussing negotiations with Russia, Kushner cited the Gaza ceasefire as an example of how unexpected developments can create opportunities for diplomatic agreements, provided that substantial groundwork has already been completed.



“Look at the deal we got done… in Gaza,” Kushner said. “We worked on that for nine months, and we’d created what happens after the war… what would be the security guarantees, what would be the humanitarian efforts.



“Then, actually, we used the errant strike,” Kushner said. “Israel did the strike in Doha, which was a terrible thing… it was unsuccessful as a military operation, and that led to Israel being globally isolated, and we used that dynamic in order to push them into a deal that now, today, they are quite happy with, but at the time, they were a little uncomfortable with… but ultimately it turned out to be great for them and great for the people of Gaza.



“Had we not done all the prework… when the opening came, nothing would have occurred,” Kushner said.



Likud Rejects Kushner’s Characterization



In a statement issued Sunday night, Netanyahu’s Likud party responded to the remarks without directly naming Kushner. The party argued that Israel’s military actions and Trump’s diplomatic pressure, rather than the isolation described by Kushner, were central to Hamas agreeing to release the remaining hostages.



“The prime minister’s decision to send the IDF into Gaza City and to strike the Hamas leadership in Qatar, together with the intense pressure exerted by President Trump, are what led Hamas to drop its demands and agree to release all the hostages remaining in Gaza,” the party said.



Likud is facing a difficult campaign to retain power ahead of the October 27 election.



Earlier Comments on the Doha Strike



Kushner previously told “60 Minutes” in October, following the implementation of the Gaza agreement, that the strike in Doha influenced Trump’s approach to Israel. According to Kushner, the attack prompted the president to conclude “that it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests.”



Trump had publicly expressed his displeasure with Israel over the operation against Hamas leaders in Qatar, a close US ally. He described himself as “very unhappy” with the strike and pledged that the United States would defend Qatar against a future attack.



From the Strike to the Hostage Agreement



The Israeli strike on September 9, 2025, targeted Hamas leadership in Doha. It killed a Qatari security officer and five lower-ranking Hamas members, while the organization’s senior leaders largely survived.



The operation prompted pressure from Washington for Netanyahu to issue a public apology to Qatar. During Netanyahu’s visit to the White House in late September 2025, Trump arranged for the Israeli prime minister to apologize to the Qatari leadership.



A ceasefire and hostage-release agreement between Israel and Hamas was finalized days later. Under the arrangement, all 20 remaining living hostages were released on October 13. The bodies of hostages still held by Hamas were also returned within a relatively short period.



Gaza Ceasefire Remains Fragile



Although the agreement ended large-scale fighting, Israeli strikes in Gaza have continued intermittently. Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire, while Israel has alleged that Hamas repeatedly breached the terms and continued rebuilding its military capabilities, which it says justified further strikes.



Gaza remains divided between areas controlled by Israel and those controlled by Hamas. Negotiations over Hamas’s disarmament and the reconstruction of the territory have made limited progress.

Kushner Says US Leveraged Israel’s Diplomatic Isolation to Advance Gaza Hostage Deal

Saudi Arabia has suspended operations on its strategically important East-West oil pipeline after it came under attack Thursday, putting another major route for Gulf crude exports at risk and adding to the upward pressure already gripping oil markets.



The Saudi Press Agency cited a source within the energy ministry who said pipeline operations had been stopped as a “precautionary measure” following attacks in the Riyadh and Madinah regions that resulted in a “number of injuries”.



The ministry did not provide a timetable for restarting the pipeline, saying additional information would be released as developments occur.



Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said drones launched from Iraq struck the pipeline. The kingdom said it would not retaliate “at this stage”, following a request from Iraq’s prime minister.



Iran-supported armed groups in Iraq have previously launched drone and missile attacks against Saudi Arabia during the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.



The pipeline strike occurred as Iran-backed Houthi forces intensified missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes aimed at energy infrastructure in the southern part of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has long ranked as the world’s largest crude oil exporter.



Stretching roughly 1,200km, the East-West pipeline transports crude from Saudi Arabia’s major oil-producing fields in the east to Yanbu, a Red Sea port. Its strategic importance has increased because it provides an alternative export route that can reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian restrictions on tanker traffic.



“Emergency and specialised technical teams responded immediately following the attacks, taking the necessary measures to secure the pipeline and assess its safety,” the ministry said.



Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, finished Friday at $104.56 a barrel, marking a gain of more than 8 per cent for the week. Oil prices surged after news of the pipeline attack emerged Thursday, followed by the circulation of satellite imagery.



US diesel prices reached a record $6 per gallon earlier in the week, increasing pressure on the Trump administration as the country approaches midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.



Oil markets have faced heightened volatility as Houthi forces have continued attacks against Saudi Arabia while expanding their position in Yemen. Their growing control around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has increased concerns about threats to commercial shipping through the strategic passage between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.



“The Houthi blitzkrieg near Bab al-Mandeb is threatening to close the main oil relief valve for the seven-month war,” said Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.



“The real question is whether the US will step in to try to avert the worst-case outcome for this critical waterway or if Washington will remain reticent about wading into this metastasising second front,” she added.



A Saudi official would not comment on whether Washington had chosen against providing additional assistance in the campaign against the Houthis. The official said the kingdom was “working closely with its partners, including the US, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea”.



The East-West pipeline was also targeted in April, although Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company, was able to restore operations relatively quickly.



Following the outbreak of the conflict with Iran, Saudi Arabia substantially increased the amount of crude transported through the pipeline. That helped the kingdom’s exports recover to almost 8mn barrels per day in June, according to International Energy Agency estimates.



Pipeline utilization has subsequently been limited, however, as Houthi forces began targeting Saudi tankers operating in the Red Sea. Yanbu shipped only about 2.5mn barrels per day in August, the IEA reported, the weakest monthly level recorded since 2013.



Although tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz appears to be recovering, volumes remain substantially below the approximately 20mn barrels per day of oil and fuel that moved through the strategic chokepoint before the war.



TankerTrackers.com analysts estimated that combined oil exports from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman were averaging more than 10mn barrels per day. Iranian exports, they said, had fallen to zero.

Saudi Arabia Suspends Key East-West Oil Pipeline After Drone Attacks, Adding Pressure to Global Crude Markets

The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Friday with a solemn ceremony in New York, while President Donald Trump attended a separate commemoration at the Pentagon. The anniversary was also marked by pointed criticism from relatives of those killed in the attacks.



Trump chose to commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon rather than attend the ceremony in New York, where hijacked aircraft destroyed the World Trade Center and where most of the 2,977 people killed on 9/11 died.



The president connected the US-led “war on terror” that followed the attacks, and the years of American military involvement in the Middle East, to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.



“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today,” Trump said.



“We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win.”



Vice President JD Vance joined all four of Trump’s living predecessors. Republican George W. Bush, who was president during the 9/11 attacks, and Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — at the Ground Zero commemoration in lower Manhattan.



A large crowd assembled for the annual remembrance, which began shortly after 8:40 a.m. local time and followed the sequence of events from September 11, 2001, minute by minute.



As in previous years, relatives and others read aloud the names of those who died, while bells marked key moments during the attacks.



The Ground Zero ceremony traditionally remains largely nonpolitical and does not feature speeches.



However, several family members who participated in reading the names used the occasion to criticize Saudi Arabia and past US administrations for their relationships with the kingdom.



‘We have no justice’



Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the World Trade Center, strongly criticized Saudi Arabia, accusing the country of involvement in the attacks and directing criticism at former presidents attending the ceremony.



“You are missed more with each year that passes, but how can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder?” she said in remarks broadcast live worldwide.



The September 11 attacks were carried out by 19 hijackers, most of whom were Saudi nationals, under the direction of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was himself a Saudi national.



“For 25 years, administration after administration including leaders in front of us here today chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with a 9/11 family,” Strada said, calling for action from the absent Trump.



Meanwhile, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the Ground Zero ceremony despite an effort urging him not to participate.



The campaign was backed by the New York Post and former mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump ally who was mayor when the attacks occurred and who also attended Friday’s commemoration.



A petition that has collected more than 100,000 signatures accused Mamdani of associating with unspecified people who are “dismissive of American institutions or insufficiently critical of extremist ideologies.”



Mamdani recently received recognition for releasing thousands of documents concerning what New York City officials knew about air pollution and toxic exposure in Lower Manhattan following the attacks.



The collapse of the World Trade Center produced an enormous dust cloud, followed by months of pollution and lingering contamination. Thousands of New Yorkers have since developed cancers and other illnesses associated with the exposure.



‘It’s up to us’



The September 11 attacks began when 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airplanes on a clear September morning in 2001.



Two aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, eventually causing both skyscrapers to collapse.



A third plane struck the Pentagon. The fourth aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to regain control. Investigators believe it was headed toward either the US Capitol or the White House.



An estimated 100 million Americans have been born since the attacks or were too young at the time to retain memories of that day.



Retired New York firefighter John Fila recalled that his firehouse lost 15 firefighters in the attacks.



“In our firehouse there’s the picture of the 15 that we lost. (New firefighters) see that but it’s up to us… to explain those firefighters’ lives and what they were doing that day,” he said.



Al-Qaeda also marked the anniversary by releasing a video featuring images of Osama bin Laden and his son Hamza. Trump said in 2019 that Hamza bin Laden had also been killed.

Trump Marks 9/11 Anniversary at Pentagon as Victims’ Families Call for Accountability

Israel’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Yossi Shelley, said Tuesday that another country, potentially Kuwait, could join the Abraham Accords within four to six months. He made the remarks during an interview with KAN Reshet Bet.



Several months earlier, US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that negotiations with Iran were “moving along nicely,” while emphasizing that the options, in his view, were “a big deal for everyone, or no deal at all.”



Trump warned that failure to reach an agreement would mean returning “to the battlefield and to shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before,” adding that “nobody wants that.”



Trump urges countries to expand Abraham Accords



Trump also discussed talks he held Saturday with Middle Eastern and Muslim leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Pakistan’s military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.



He stated that “after the great work the United States has invested in formulating the agreement, the countries involved should sign the Abraham Accords simultaneously.”



According to Trump, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain should participate in the agreements.



Trump acknowledged that the UAE and Bahrain are already signatories to the accords and said one or two countries might ultimately decide against joining. Nevertheless, he maintained that most should be “ready, willing and able” to transform the agreement with Iran into a broader historic development.



Shelley rejects reports of Emirati warnings before October 7



Shelley also responded to reports claiming that MBZ had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the October 7 massacre, rejecting those allegations.



“I was there during those days. I do not remember any warning or any discussion about it,” Shelley told KAN Reshet Bet.



When questioned about the significance of the reports, he reiterated his position: “In my opinion, it passed as if it never happened. I can say something: I was also there during those days. I do not remember any warning or discussion about it. But who am I, the small person who sat in several cabinets? I never heard of this thing, not in March, not in April, not in May, and not in June,” he said.



“I think any statement by the Emiratis in this area would have disrupted the issue for both sides. They said what they said, and I think that whoever reads between the lines understands what happened. So it is hard to interpret what isn&#8217;t explicit. The most important thing is that we are on the rise. I see it in our relations, I see it in the visits, some of which are reported and some of which are not, because naturally our region is quite sensitive,” he added.



Marking six years since the UAE joined the Abraham Accords, Shelley reflected on the changing relationship between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, saying bilateral ties continue to strengthen.



“We are experiencing dramatic growth, and the bottom line is that we are true partners at the moment of truth. In the end, in the money time, who do you say will be the person you pick up the phone to and they will give you help?” he said.

Israeli Envoy Predicts Possible New Abraham Accords Member Within Six Months

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to New York from September 23 to 25 to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Monday.



Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday, September 24. His trip will take place after Yom Kippur and before the Sukkot holiday.



The prime minister last attended the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2025, before Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor. During that visit, Netanyahu delivered a speech criticizing Western nations for supporting Palestinian statehood.



&#8220;You know what message the leaders who recognize the Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians? It’s a very clear message: murdering Jews pays off,” Netanyahu told the 80th UNGA.



Netanyahu’s Visit Follows Mamdani’s Reversal on Arrest Threat



The announcement comes after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged on July 22 that he lacked the authority to enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Netanyahu.



During his 2025 campaign for New York City mayor, Mamdani repeatedly pledged to direct the New York Police Department (NYPD) to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister entered the city.



In a September 2025 interview with the New York Times, Mamdani described Netanyahu as &#8220;a war criminal who was committing a genocide in Gaza,&#8221; and said he would have the prime minister arrested upon his arrival in New York. He also stated that he &#8220;intended to fulfill&#8221; that commitment.



Mamdani continued making similar claims after taking office, maintaining that the NYPD would arrest Netanyahu if he visited the city. In July, during an interview with New York Times podcast host Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Mamdani declared, &#8220;Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague.&#8221;



&#8220;He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the ICC,” Mamdani added. “And what you will find is that it is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years.” During the same interview, however, he conceded that he might not possess the legal authority to order such an arrest.

Netanyahu Confirms New York Visit for UN Speech as Mamdani Walks Back Arrest Threat

An Israeli Air Force strike carried out overnight Thursday in Khan Yunis killed Muhammad Yazouri, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, the IDF announced Friday.



According to the IDF, Yazouri previously served as deputy commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, led its Combat Support Battalion, and headed the brigade’s Intelligence Department before becoming its commander.



The strike hit a vehicle in the Hamad neighborhood, north of Khan Yunis. Arab media reported that a residential apartment on the first floor of Tower M subsequently caught fire.



The IDF said the same strike also killed Hudheifa Muammar, a company commander, as well as another Hamas terrorist, Muhammad Bahjat Rashi.



IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police Eliminate Hamas Terrorist Linked to 2002 Shooting



On Thursday, the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Israel Police announced that Israeli security forces had eliminated Hamas terrorist Farah Hamed. The security agencies said Hamed had been responsible for a series of deadly attacks targeting Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers and later played a role in directing terrorist activity in the West Bank.



According to the security agencies, Hamed was killed Wednesday during a joint operation by the Shin Bet, IDF, and Israel Police that involved a strike in the central Gaza Strip.



One of the attacks attributed to Hamed was a November 2002 shooting near Rimonim Junction, in which Israeli civilian Esther Galia Atiya was killed.

IDF Strike Kills Hamas Khan Yunis Brigade Commander in Gaza

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is proceeding with plans to reorganize its legislative body, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), ahead of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections scheduled for November 28, according to Palestinian reports.



Approved in June following an announcement by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last year, the reforms will expand the use of elections to choose PNC members, partially replacing the previous system of factional quotas, designated allocations, and special appointments.



The revised structure will reduce the council’s membership by more than half, from 747 to 350. The new composition will include 132 PLC members representing the Palestinian territories, 150 representatives of the Palestinian diaspora, and 67 members chosen by consensus to represent PLO factions.



Last week, Palestinians in Kuwait elected Hisham Ibrahim and Saleh Qannam as the first two PNC representatives selected from outside the Palestinian territories. Soon afterward, Dr. Tamer Kadash was elected to represent the Palestinian community in Bahrain, while Muhannad Al-Shorbaji Al-Agha and Imad Al-Bal‘awi were chosen to represent Palestinians in Qatar.



Arab reports indicate that similar elections are being organized in Lebanon and Syria through an electoral college system. According to Independent Arabia, Palestinian communities in Europe, the United States, and South America have established preparatory committees to reach consensus on selecting future PNC representatives. The report states that one seat will be allocated for every 35,000 Palestinians.



Palestinians living in Jordan are not currently scheduled to participate in direct PNC elections.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Abbas Presents Reform as Democratic Progress Amid Opposition</h3>



Although Abbas has promoted the restructuring as a step forward for Palestinian democracy, officials from other political factions have criticized the creation of a council that excludes Hamas.



Ramzi Rabah, a member of the PLO Executive Committee representing the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), told Independent Arabia that the council “can be formed through consensus among everyone following a national dialogue that opens the door to everyone joining, including Hamas, which does not require postponing [the elections] for two years. It can happen within a month.”



Rabah urged Abbas to bring the factions’ secretaries-general together for “an expanded meeting to establish mechanisms for forming the National Council and mechanisms for holding elections in an atmosphere of understanding.”



The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) also issued a statement last week expressing concern that the new process permits different electoral arrangements, “including the use of electoral colleges or selection mechanisms that do not necessarily allow all Palestinians within those communities to participate.”



The organization further condemned the exclusion of “Palestinian political forces and figures.”



Despite these objections, Hamas has indicated that it wants to participate in the PLC and PNC elections as part of a broader national coalition rather than contesting the vote under its own name.



However, candidates must recognize the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and endorse its political and national program, along with relevant international legitimacy resolutions. This requirement has also drawn criticism of the restructured electoral system.



Information published by the Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute indicates that Hamas officials have already been actively exploring potential political alliances.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hamas Seeks Wider Participation in Palestinian Elections</h3>



Earlier this month, Husam Badran, a member of the Hamas political bureau and head of its national relations office, held a telephone conversation with Salem Atallah, secretary-general of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, concerning the elections. Badran also spoke with Hassan Mahmoud Abu Halima, secretary-general of the Palestinian al-Ahrar Movement, about expanding the participation of Palestinian “organizations, forces and figures” and opposing the appointment of representatives.



In comments to Independent Arabia, Badran criticized the continuation of “the same approach of exclusivity and disregarding the right of the Palestinian people to choose their representatives is a national crime and a confiscation of the right of the Palestinian communities present in every country.”



Amid the absence of an agreement among the factions, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have reportedly called on Abbas to delay the PLC elections. Some experts and Palestinian officials believe Abbas may consider postponement over concerns that the vote could strengthen Hamas’s influence in the West Bank.



Last Monday, the PFLP submitted a proposal titled the “National Rescue Plan.” The initiative calls for postponing the November 28 elections, initiating comprehensive national dialogue, establishing a consensus government, rebuilding the PLO, and subsequently holding presidential, legislative, and National Council elections simultaneously.

PLO Advances Palestinian National Council Overhaul as November Elections Near

ISLAMABAD/DUBAI, Sept. 11, 2026 — For much of the past year, Pakistan has sought to maintain two sensitive relationships at the same time: serving as a defense partner to Saudi Arabia while also acting as a channel between Washington and Tehran. But the latest fighting between Yemen&#8217;s Iran-backed Houthi movement and Saudi forces is increasingly challenging Islamabad&#8217;s ability to maintain that balance.



The conflict is the first significant test of the mutual-defense alliance signed last month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The new agreement supplements an existing defense arrangement between Islamabad and Riyadh and stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three.



Pakistani officials are increasingly concerned that the Houthi threat could pull Islamabad directly into a broader war, potentially posing a greater challenge than Iranian attacks on Saudi energy facilities earlier this year. Two Pakistani officials told Reuters in July that Pakistani troops are stationed near Saudi Arabia&#8217;s border with Yemen, placing them closer to the potential conflict.



Defense agreements with Gulf countries have become an important element of Pakistan&#8217;s efforts to strengthen its fragile economy after years of crisis. Such military arrangements have also frequently been accompanied by discussions over Gulf investment in Pakistan.



At the same time, Pakistan depends on oil and gas supplies that move through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Both Iran and the Houthis have demonstrated the ability to disrupt those routes, giving Islamabad an incentive to avoid a serious deterioration in relations with Tehran even as it expands its security ties with Gulf states.



WARNING TO IRAN



Relations between Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have previously deteriorated into deadly confrontations. Two years ago, Iranian missile and drone attacks on what Tehran described as militant targets in Pakistan&#8217;s Balochistan province triggered retaliatory strikes by Islamabad. The episode briefly raised concerns about a wider conflict before tensions subsided.



This time, Pakistan is attempting to intervene before the situation escalates further.



According to Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian sources, Pakistan this week issued a warning to Iran urging Tehran to restrain its Houthi allies in Yemen. Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir also spoke by telephone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Thursday evening about &#8220;ways to restore diplomatic efforts to de-escalate on all fronts&#8221;, according to a Pakistani source.



&#8220;Pakistan is trying to keep a low profile in the Saudi-Houthi conflict because Pakistan’s own stakes are high,&#8221; a second Pakistani government official told Reuters. &#8220;It does not want to spoil relations with Iran.&#8221;



At a Thursday briefing, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said Islamabad was not currently considering a military response to the Houthi attacks.



&#8220;Iran’s leadership has consistently appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts,&#8221; Khan told Reuters in response to a request for comment. &#8220;Pakistan has consistently opposed escalation and advocated restraint, dialogue and diplomacy.&#8221;



BALANCING ACT



Iranian officials have publicly welcomed Pakistan&#8217;s mediation efforts and said they do not regard the defense agreement as a threat. Privately, however, the situation appears more complicated, according to three Iranian sources familiar with the discussions. They said Pakistan may have genuine intentions but lacks the resources and negotiating experience of countries such as Qatar.



Iran&#8217;s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.



There are indications that Islamabad is reassessing its position as it confronts the demands created by its expanding regional role.



Four people familiar with the discussions said that after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia concluded their initial defense pact last year, Kuwait sought a similar agreement. Pakistani officials, concerned about establishing deeper military commitments with another Gulf country vulnerable to Iranian attacks, reduced the scope of the negotiations, according to the sources.



Instead, Pakistan and Kuwait signed a more limited protocol in Islamabad last month focused on training, border security and capacity-building. The agreement did not provide the broader security guarantees Kuwait had initially sought.



Khan said Thursday that there were currently no plans to add additional countries to the wider Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey defense alliance.



MEDIATOR OR COMBATANT?



Farzana Shaikh, an associate fellow at Chatham House, questioned whether Iran&#8217;s confidence in Pakistan as a mediator had ever been as strong as some observers believed.



She said Pakistan &#8220;does not have the kind of wherewithal or indeed experience that Qatar and Oman would have brought to the table,&#8221; while arguing that Islamabad&#8217;s increased diplomatic role was driven less by its own diplomatic influence than by &#8220;the personal bonhomie&#8221; between President Donald Trump and Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir.



Trump has repeatedly described Munir as his &#8220;favorite field marshal,&#8221; following a Pakistani diplomatic campaign involving cryptocurrency agreements, U.S. access to rare minerals and counterterrorism cooperation.



Other analysts say those factors do not necessarily eliminate Pakistan&#8217;s potential usefulness as an intermediary.



Kamran Bokhari, a Washington-based analyst specializing in Pakistan-Iran relations, said Tehran communicates with Islamabad in part because Pakistan maintains close relationships with both Riyadh and Washington.



That alignment can allow Islamabad to carry messages that a genuinely neutral intermediary might not be able to deliver. Bokhari said this is precisely why Riyadh and Washington have relied on Islamabad to convey communications.



However, a significant escalation between Saudi forces and the Houthis could alter that calculation.



&#8220;Relaying and shaping ⁠messages is one ​thing,&#8221; said Bokhari, but &#8220;active air-defense or intelligence support is another, tipping Pakistan from stakeholder into combatant.&#8221;



Pakistan has the world&#8217;s seventh-largest military by active personnel and had already sent thousands of troops and a squadron of fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia under its previous defense arrangement. With additional forces being deployed along Pakistan&#8217;s tense border with India and the country simultaneously fighting several insurgencies in its western provinces, Islamabad is now attempting to manage requests from other Gulf countries seeking comparable security commitments.



&#8220;Pakistani forces are stretched,&#8221; Bokhari said, making additional commitments &#8220;daunting.&#8221;

Pakistan Under Pressure as Saudi-Houthi Fighting Tests Its Balancing Act

Germany’s federal prosecutor said Friday that seven men in Berlin have been charged over alleged membership in Hamas and accusations that they prepared a serious violent act that could threaten the state. The case centers on an alleged effort to obtain weapons inside Germany.



According to the prosecutor, the suspects were allegedly acting under instructions from senior Hamas figures. Investigators say they obtained a fully automatic rifle, 13 pistols, and more than 700 rounds of ammunition in preparation for a potential attack in Germany or Austria around October 2025.



The alleged targets included Israeli representatives, Jewish people, and individuals viewed as supporters of Israel, according to prosecutors.



The charges relate to alleged Hamas membership as well as preparations for a serious violent crime that could endanger Germany’s security.



The case remains under investigation, and the allegations against the seven men have not been proven in court.

Germany Charges Seven Men in Alleged Hamas Weapons Plot

The New York City Health Department has ordered 10 cooling towers in the South Bronx to undergo cleaning and disinfection following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, city health officials announced Sunday.



The remediation order covers building cooling systems in ZIP codes 10451 and 10456, which include the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">9 People Diagnosed So Far</h3>



According to officials, nine people had been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease connected to the cluster as of Saturday. Three remain hospitalized, four have been discharged, one did not require hospitalization, and one person has died.



One fatality has been reported in connection with the Bronx cluster, which initially involved five diagnosed cases.



Preliminary polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing detected Legionella bacteria DNA in 10 of the 24 cooling towers sampled by health inspectors, officials said Sunday. Since PCR testing cannot distinguish between living and dead bacteria, the city is conducting culture tests to determine whether active bacteria are present. Those results may take up to two weeks, leading officials to require complete cleaning, draining and disinfection by Monday to reduce the risk of exposure.



The 10 cooling towers covered by the remediation order are located at:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>820 Concourse Village West</li>



<li>234 E. 149th St.</li>



<li>1 E. 161st St.</li>



<li>470 E. 161st St.</li>



<li>1265 Franklin Ave.</li>



<li>567 Melrose Ave.</li>



<li>3339 Park Ave.</li>



<li>1160 Teller Ave.</li>



<li>890 Washington Ave.</li>



<li>1085 Washington Ave.</li>
</ul>



Health officials said eight of the affected sites had complied with the city’s 31-day testing requirement, introduced in May. However, 820 Concourse Village West and 1265 Franklin Ave. had not submitted the required testing information.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What Is Legionnaires’ Disease?</h3>



Legionnaires’ disease is a serious form of pneumonia caused by inhaling mist containing live Legionella bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The illness is not transmitted from person to person.



Officials said tap water, showers, air conditioners and the interiors of the affected buildings remain safe to use.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Health Advice for Residents and Visitors</h3>



People who have lived in, worked in or visited the affected area since late August and subsequently developed flu-like symptoms are being advised to seek immediate medical attention, officials said Sunday.



Source: Information from the New York City Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Bronx Legionnaires’ Outbreak Prompts NYC Order to Clean and Disinfect 10 Cooling Towers

The National Library of Israel has announced a new initiative to collect and preserve memorial books and booklets honoring those killed in combat and those murdered in terrorist attacks, ensuring their stories remain accessible to future generations.



The initiative comes ahead of the third anniversary of October 7, as Israeli society continues to document the profound losses suffered since the Hamas-led attacks and the war that followed.



The library said the extensive collection of memorial publications reflects the personal and communal efforts of families, friends, communities, and organizations. It also includes works written by individuals who were killed and later published in their memory.



Beginning October 7, 2026, the National Library will host the exhibition &#8220;7.10 | Bound in Memory&#8221; for three months. The exhibition will showcase memorial books and booklets produced following the attacks and their aftermath. The library is also asking the public to help identify and submit additional publications for preservation.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Preserving the Stories Behind the Names</h3>



The initiative forms part of the National Library&#8217;s broader effort to document the events of October 7 and the war that followed. Through its October 7 Archive, the institution is gathering, preserving, and cataloging testimonies, personal collections, and other materials that chronicle the period, with the goal of making them available to future generations.



The exhibition will present memorial books and booklets collected by the library so far. A dedicated website will also be launched, enabling visitors to explore the personal stories, individuals, and memories associated with the names commemorated in the publications.



To help expand the collection, the National Library is inviting families who possess memorial books or booklets that have not yet been submitted to provide physical copies, digital versions, or both. The effort aims to safeguard publications that have become an important part of Israel&#8217;s personal and national memory.



Members of the public can determine whether a specific memorial book has already been deposited by searching the catalog on the National Library&#8217;s website.



The submission initiative is open to bereaved families of individuals killed in Israel&#8217;s wars and military campaigns, as well as families of people murdered in terrorist attacks throughout the state&#8217;s history.

National Library of Israel Launches Memorial Book Initiative Ahead of October 7 Anniversary

The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to gather in Cardiff on Monday to sign a declaration supporting their right to pursue independence from the United Kingdom, according to a report by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper. The planned meeting follows US President Donald Trump’s recent expression of support for Irish reunification during his visit to Dublin.



According to The Telegraph, the declaration will emphasize the right of the three nations to hold independence referendums. If voters approve separation, the countries could pursue independence from England, which, together with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, forms the United Kingdom.



The agreement, expected to be signed by Scottish First Minister John Swinney, Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Northern Irish First Minister Michelle O’Neill, will reportedly focus on four areas: the economy, energy, relations with Europe, and international cooperation and self-determination.



Under the proposed declaration, Scotland and Wales would seek membership in the European Union as independent countries. Northern Ireland would potentially join the EU through reunification with the Republic of Ireland, which is already a member.



The Telegraph reported that Wales also intends to use the agreement to press Prime Minister Andy Burnham for greater authority for the devolved Welsh government, particularly over taxation and public spending.



The initiative follows Wales’s 2026 parliamentary election, in which the pro-independence Plaid Cymru displaced the Welsh Labour Party, marking the first time since the Welsh government was established in 1999 that Labour no longer held that position.



As a result, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are now simultaneously governed, either fully or partly, by parties advocating greater national self-determination. Scotland is led by the Scottish National Party, while Northern Ireland has a power-sharing administration involving the loyalist Democratic Unionist Party and the Irish republican party Sinn Féin.



The Cardiff gathering is scheduled for two days after Trump publicly endorsed Irish unity during his Saturday visit to Dublin. His remarks surprised some officials and drew criticism from pro-British politicians in Northern Ireland and London. Trump said he would “love” to see reunification take place sooner rather than later.



“You have Northern Ireland and you have Ireland and it would seem to me that one of the ‘naturals’ of all time is to put them together,” Trump told reporters while visiting a golf tournament at one of his resorts, reiterating his earlier position.



“You asked about Scotland. That one I won’t talk about yet. I’ll save that for another day,” he added.



Scotland previously rejected independence in a 2014 referendum. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out holding another Scottish independence vote, as well as a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the United Kingdom.



Trump made his comments following a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Addressing the reaction from some unionist politicians, Martin said it was “an overreaction.”



“It shouldn’t be a surprise. He takes a different sort of perspective on things,” Martin told reporters Sunday after meeting Trump again for lunch at the golf course.



Martin said the two discussed Northern Ireland and its ties to the Republic of Ireland. He also explained how the British-administered region moved toward peace following decades of conflict known as The Troubles.



Ireland, which had long been politically dominated by Britain, became a self-governing Catholic-majority state roughly a century ago. Northern Ireland remained divided between nationalists, predominantly Catholic supporters of Irish unity, and largely Protestant unionists who favored continued British rule. The divisions contributed to the outbreak of the Troubles, involving paramilitary organizations on both sides and British security forces.



The 1998 peace agreement, reached with significant US involvement, brought most of the violence to an end but did not settle Northern Ireland’s constitutional future. Under the accord, a referendum on reunification can be held if it appears likely that a majority would support it.



Burnham said Wednesday that the UK would consider authorizing such a vote only “when public opinion has changed to the point where the call has to be considered.”



His office referred to those remarks when asked to respond to Trump’s comments.



Martin also indicated in a separate BBC interview that the conditions for a referendum had probably not yet been met.



“I support unity. I don’t see it happening now. I’ve been very clear about that,” Martin told BBC News in a separate interview.



“The chances are if [a vote] was held next week, it would find great difficulty in getting through.”

Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Leaders Set to Sign Declaration on Self-Determination

GENEVA, September 15, 2026 — United Nations officials said Tuesday that efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo were beginning to produce results, but cautioned that the epidemic remained &#8220;massive&#8221; and would require months to bring under control.



&#8220;It remains a deadly and a massive epidemic. There are some areas of progress, but nonetheless, in other ​areas, we continue to see growth in cases,&#8221; the U.N. special Ebola coordinator, Julien Harneis, told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.



The outbreak is the second-deadliest on record, surpassed only by the West African epidemic that continued from 2014 to 2016.



Olivier le Polain of the World Health Organization was asked about reports that the outbreak might have reached a turning point. He responded: &#8220;It&#8217;s too early to confidently say we have passed a ​peak.&#8221;



On Saturday, Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba reported what he described as &#8220;encouraging ​signs&#8221; in the response to Ebola. He said the situation had improved since &#8220;the peak reached in mid-August&#8221; and that transmission &#8220;has ⁠been gradually slowing down&#8221;.



Kamba said the number of new daily cases had declined from roughly 120 &#8220;at the peak of the epidemic&#8221; to approximately 80. He added that 10 of the 62 affected health zones had gone more than 22 days without recording new cases.



&#8220;To me, these figures are a positive sign. They demonstrate that the efforts deployed on the ground ​are yielding results and that our response strategy ​is beginning ⁠to bend the transmission curve,&#8221; he said.



&#8220;However, we must remain fully mobilised. While these results are encouraging, they must not lead us to ⁠lower ​our guard.&#8221;



Government figures released Tuesday show that the outbreak has resulted in 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths across seven provinces.

Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Congo Remains Massive as U.N. Warns Cases Continue to Rise

Ofer Winter, head of the &#8216;Amcha Yisrael&#8217; party, accused the Likud party on Tuesday night of deploying private investigators to gather information against him and his party, sparking a sharp public exchange just weeks ahead of the election.



Speaking at a campaign event, Winter said: &#8220;They tried to connect and weld us together, they tried and are trying to go after our heads, they tried to break us apart,&#8221; Winter charged, adding, &#8220;They tried to threaten us, they sent private investigators, they sent hateful messages to my phone and to the phones of every member of the party — we&#8217;re here.&#8221;



Winter Added: &#8220;All of us. Strong as one fist, and above all not afraid, not of threats, not of intimidation. Yes, there are people here who cannot be bought, and that&#8217;s how it will be in the next government too.&#8221;



Likud responded forcefully, calling the accusation &#8220;an absolute lie&#8221; and demanding Winter retract it:



The Likud party said in a statement: &#8220;It&#8217;s an absolute lie. We demand Winter retract the false and baseless accusations. If he does not, Likud will act to file a defamation lawsuit against him. It&#8217;s a shame that instead of attacking the left and preventing the formation of a government led by Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Liberman and the Arab parties, Winter is choosing to harm the right&#8217;s victory in the election.&#8221;



Following Likud&#8217;s response, Winter&#8217;s party moved quickly to issue a clarification: &#8220;Ofer Winter did not say at any point in the speech that it was Likud that sent private investigators to his home.&#8221;

Winter Accuses Likud of Spying on Him — Party Walks It Back After Likud Threatens Defamation Suit

IMG-20260724-WA0089

Several Bochrim were arrested on Thursday afternoon while protesting the IDF draft on Highway 4 in Israel.



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Protesters blocked the highway not allowing any vehicles to pass.</li>
</ul>







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IMG_8305

MORE FROM BELAAZ

Several Arrested at IDF Draft Protest Blocking Highway 4 in Israel

Four officials involved in shaping Gaza’s future appeared together at the MEAD conference in Washington on Tuesday, discussing plans for the territory’s reconstruction and future governance.



Figures presented at the conference indicated that approximately 1.2 million Palestinians had been displaced from their homes, while about 370,000 homes had suffered damage or destruction. Of those, roughly 70,000 were described as partially damaged.



Officials emphasized that rebuilding Gaza should extend beyond restoring homes and infrastructure. They said reconstruction should also include educational initiatives aimed at confronting anger, hatred, radicalism and extremist ideology that have become entrenched within parts of Gaza’s population.



The United States, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar have reached an agreement on a framework for rebuilding the Gaza Strip that includes the disarmament of Hamas. However, the initiative remains stalled, with significant suspicion and distrust continuing among the parties involved.



Conference participants openly expressed concerns about Hamas&#8217;s credibility, saying its members are liars and difficult to trust. According to participants, this has complicated efforts to depend on private commitments when statements made publicly appear to differ from what is communicated behind closed doors.



Despite these concerns, participants noted that the parties understand who initiated the war and who abducted and killed Israeli civilians during the October 7 massacre. Nevertheless, they said the international community continues to place responsibility on Israel.



Trump’s plan described as “not progressing”



The conference also disclosed additional details about the Board of Peace’s proposed arrangements, including plans to deploy 10,000 Palestinian police officers throughout the Gaza Strip. The officers would first be subjected to a vetting process overseen through a US-mediated framework.



At present, however, the ambitious initiative is described as “not progressing.”



Participants urged additional countries to back the reconstruction initiative while also changing their rhetoric and narratives surrounding the conflict. The objective is for Palestinians, through the Board of Peace, to move away from their current trajectory.



They warned that if the Board of Peace-led process fails to advance, both Palestinians and Israelis could face damaging alternatives, including the possibility that fighting will resume.



With more than one million Palestinians displaced and hundreds of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, officials gathered in Washington to discuss an extensive proposal for rebuilding the Gaza Strip. Yet the plan, which includes disarming Hamas, remains at a standstill because of deep mistrust between the parties.



The MEAD conference highlighted the scale of the reconstruction challenge while underscoring the political obstacles facing the initiative. Participants warned that without an agreement capable of moving the process forward, the absence of progress could ultimately leave both sides facing renewed conflict.

Gaza Reconstruction Plan Faces Stalemate Amid Deep Mistrust at MEAD Conference

The nationwide average price of diesel reached $6 per gallon Friday for the first time, setting a troubling record for a fuel that is essential to large portions of the U.S. economy.



AAA reported that diesel stood at $6.05 per gallon Friday morning. Meanwhile, the national average for regular gasoline was $4.29 per gallon, an increase of 15 cents from the previous week.



Since the war with Iran began in late February, the national average price of diesel has surged 60%.



“The cost of diesel gets into just about everything,” KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk said in a recent interview.



“From running a farm &#8230; [to the] cost of food, but also everything across the economy that’s shipped,” she said. When diesel prices rise, everything “gets that extra fee tacked onto it.”



Swonk said the elevated price of diesel could become an “inflationary problem” that persists for months.



Since late July, diesel prices have increased more rapidly and by a greater amount than regular gasoline prices.



One reason is that important refineries responsible for producing diesel have been taken offline or destroyed in both Eastern Europe, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and the Middle East.



Although fossil-fuel markets have been affected this year by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, diesel has its own supply pressures. Unlike crude oil and regular gasoline, the diesel market is particularly affected by the major role Russian refineries play in worldwide supplies.



Russia generally exports more diesel than any other country except the United States. However, damage to Russian refineries caused by Ukrainian drone attacks led the Kremlin to impose a broad diesel export ban in July. The restrictions are expected to remain in place at least through the end of September.



“Consumers should be prepared to pay higher inflation for anything that requires being shipped,” Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at the RSM management consulting firm, told NBC News.



‘Economic carnage’



Higher diesel costs are expected to put particular pressure on grocery prices, Brusuelas said. Supermarkets are already dealing with extremely narrow profit margins, partly because beef prices have risen sharply.



But the effect on food prices extends well beyond supermarkets. Higher diesel costs can increase expenses throughout the entire food-supply chain, beginning with farmers and continuing through transportation and distribution.



For some U.S. farmers, the $6-per-gallon diesel price could make an already difficult financial situation even worse. Many are also dealing with pressure from a fertilizer shortage this year.



“It’ll push me right to the edge,” said Mark Mueller, a fourth-generation Iowa farmer. “If I don’t get pushed over the edge by diesel fuel prices, higher fertilizer prices will push me over the edge because a lot of petroleum goes into fertilizer prices, as well.”



Mueller said the combination of higher diesel and fertilizer expenses could significantly reduce or eliminate farmers’ profits.



As long as the war in Iran keeps sending prices higher for necessities like diesel and fertilizer, he said, “we are endangering one of the strongest economic pillars that we have in this country through economic uncertainty, higher prices.”



“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot, and we don’t have to,” said Mueller, who chairs the Iowa Corn Growers Association.



No relief in sight



Mueller is not the only person expressing concern about the domestic economic consequences of the war in Iran and its effect on prices.



As Republicans met in Dallas this week for what President Donald Trump called a midterm election convention, a new NBC News poll found that roughly 70% of voters disapproved of his handling of the Iran war.



“I just see economic carnage the longer this war goes on,” Mueller said.



For more than six months, Trump has maintained that the war with Iran would be brief. This week, however, he acknowledged that gasoline prices may remain elevated for some time.



“I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterms” for the cost of gas to fall again, he told reporters en route to Dallas. “Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward.”



U.S. crude oil prices have increased by more than 25% over the past month.



Diesel, meanwhile, has been following a longer-term upward trend dating back to 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. In June of that year, the U.S. average diesel price reached a then-record $5.82 per gallon.



Although diesel prices subsequently declined, they have not returned to their pre-2022 levels.



Diesel prices surged again this spring after the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disrupted energy supplies worldwide.



The latest increase in diesel prices is again being linked to the Russia-Ukraine war, more than four years after the conflict first helped set diesel prices on a higher trajectory.

Diesel Prices Reach Record $6 a Gallon as Higher Fuel Costs Threaten to Drive Up Prices

HaGaon Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, Rosh Yeshiva of the mosdos, has landed in Uman on Thursday and checked into the Hotel Zakopna ahead of Rosh Hashanah, making him, according the first Litvish Rosh Yeshiva to spend Rosh Hashanah at the tzion of RebNachman of Breslov.



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video height="1080" style="aspect-ratio: 1080 / 1080;" width="1080" controls src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2761462.mp4"></video></figure>



 The move breaks sharply with Rav Sorotzkin&#8217;s own longstanding practice. In previous years, he spent the Yamim Noraim period in the United States, meeting with philanthropists and Tomchei Torah to raise funds for his sprawling network of institutions. 



This year marked a turn: a senior donor made a different kind of demand.



 According to the report, the donor, a close supporter of the Rosh Yeshiva, committed to a massive gift, in the range of millions of dollars and tens of millions of shekels, toward sustaining the Torah and chesed institutions under Rav Sorotzkin&#8217;s leadership. But he attached a clear condition: the Rosh Yeshiva would have to join him in Uman for the Yom Tov itself.



 Facing that condition, and with thousands of Ateres Shlomo avreichim owed three months of stipends, Rav Sorotzkin chose to accept the arrangement, securing his institutions&#8217; financial footing for the year ahead.



 After a phone consultation last night with a Gadol B&#8217;Yisrael, Rav Sorotzkin gave the go-ahead: &#8220;Transfer the money, and I&#8217;ll come.&#8221; By this morning, thousands of Kolell families were notified that three months of stipends had been deposited into their accounts ahead of Rosh Hashanah.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="799" height="1024" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2760986-799x1024.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-30295" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2760986-799x1024.webp 799w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2760986-234x300.webp 234w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2760986-767x983.webp 767w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2760986.webp 900w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px" /></figure>



 Photos from the private Jet show Rav Sorotzkin deep in discussion with his traveling companions en route to Uman, among them Tzali Chap, Sol Heller, Tuli Saffrin, and Zevi Fried.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="450" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2761026.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-30296" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2761026.webp 800w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2761026-300x169.webp 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2761026-768x432.webp 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



 The exact donation figure and donor identity have not been independently confirmed by Belaaz.

First Litvish Rosh Yeshivah Ever to Spend Rosh Hashanah in Uman: Rav Sorotzkin Breaks With Years of US Fundraising Trips After $10M Offer

The Tzedek Organization announced on Thursday, Erev Rosh Hashanah, that ir has organized a historic first: a full minyan for Rosh Hashanah inside a New York State prison, made possible by dedicated volunteers and their families who gave up their own Yom Tov so that Yidden behind bars would not be left alone.



In a statement provided to Belaaz, the organization said a &#8220;special thank you goes to Askanim Moshe Yosef Taub and Ari Weinberger, who invested weeks into making this happen, together with Tzedek&#8217;s NY State Prisons Advocate Ms. Taxman.&#8221;



Tzedek said every detail had to be planned in advance, down to printing the volunteers&#8217; walking route on their shirts, since they cannot carry maps on Shabbes.



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The work doesn&#8217;t stop here: Yom Kippur and Sukkos programming is already underway too, per Tzedek.

Tzedek Organizes First-Ever Full Minyan for Rosh Hashanah Inside a New York State Prison

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a special Rosh Hashanah greeting to Russian Jewry, with the letter provided to Belaaz News by the office of Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="675" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746465.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30274" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746465.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746465-300x225.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746465-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Russian President Putin&#8217;s Letter to the Russian Jewish community.</figcaption></figure>



“Rosh Hashanah symbolizes the aspiration for moral and spiritual elevation, and brings believers the joy of connecting with their historical heritage,” Putin wrote.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746918.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30282" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746918.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746918-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746918-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></figure>



The message comes as Jewish communities across Moscow are in the midst of extensive preparations for Yom Tov, with shuls being readied for thousands of mispallelim, shluchim distributing Rosh Hashanah packages, visiting Jewish inmates so they can hear the shofar, and assisting the elderly, lonely and hospitalized. 



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The community is also distributing food packages to families in need through its “Kimcha D’Tishrei” campaign.



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In his letter, Putin also praised the Jewish community’s educational and charitable work and its efforts to strengthen families and educate the younger generation.



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746905.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30281" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746905.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746905-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2746905-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></figure>

Putin Sends Rosh Hashanah Greeting to Russian Jewry

Israeli security forces have located a man who was reported missing after voluntarily entering a Palestinian village in northern Judea and Samaria, according to a joint statement issued by police, the military, the Shin Bet and the Israel Prison Service.



The man, a 53-year-old resident of the northern settlement of Ariel, was found safe, security officials said.



Authorities did not disclose which Palestinian village the man had entered or where he was ultimately located.



Security forces from the various agencies began searching for the man overnight, according to an earlier statement. Police said the operation included a police helicopter as well as Metzada, the Israel Prison Service’s elite unit.



Meanwhile, WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, reported that Israeli forces entered the towns of Kifl Haris and Qira on Thursday morning. Both towns are located near Salfit, a larger Palestinian city situated adjacent to Ariel.



According to WAFA, Israeli forces deployed across several areas of the two towns while surveillance drones operated overhead.



The circumstances surrounding the man’s disappearance and his subsequent discovery were not immediately detailed by the security services.

Israeli Man Reported Missing After Entering Palestinian Village Found Safe

Iran-aligned Houthi forces have seized the strategic Yemeni port city of Mocha, moving the group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and potentially strengthening its ability to threaten one of the world&#8217;s most important maritime trade routes. The takeover came as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces reported advances in other parts of the country.



Houthi forces entered Mocha, a Red Sea port located less than 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after government troops withdrew from the area overnight. The development followed claims by Saudi-backed Yemeni forces on Wednesday that they had achieved major battlefield successes across northern and central desert regions and had breached Houthi defensive positions.



However, the apparent government advances in the desert may have masked a broader strategic shift. Rather than attempting to hold exposed desert territory, the Houthis appear to have repositioned their forces toward the more strategically important western coastline. By Thursday morning, Houthi fighters had taken control of Mocha after government forces withdrew in large numbers, effectively trading desert territory for a coastal position that could give the group greater leverage over shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb and additional means of pressuring Saudi Arabia.



A former Yemeni military official told i24NEWS that government claims of progress in the desert were &#8220;actually a cover for their losses on the coastline.&#8221; &#8220;It&#8217;s really bad,&#8221; he said, arguing that reversing the situation would require greater Saudi involvement and the activation of the Mecca Accord, potentially bringing Turkey and Pakistan into the conflict.



The latest escalation comes as the prospect of a renewed full-scale confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces grows, raising fresh concerns that Yemen&#8217;s fragile UN-brokered truce, which has largely held since 2022, could collapse.



Known as the &#8220;Gate of Tears,&#8221; the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial maritime corridor connecting the Gulf region with the Mediterranean and Asian markets and carries significant volumes of crude oil and fuel. Houthi control or influence along the coast could threaten the shipping routes used by Gulf energy producers such as Saudi Arabia, potentially adding to disruptions caused by Iran&#8217;s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis claimed Wednesday that Saudi airstrikes targeted Jawaf, Marib, Saada, Taiz and al-Hodeidah provinces, although Saudi authorities did not confirm the reported strikes.



Saudi civil defense authorities announced an all-clear Thursday following a fourth emergency alert within 24 hours in Khamis Mushait. The Saudi-led coalition said Houthi attacks on Tuesday wounded at least 73 people across four southern Saudi cities, marking one of the most significant Houthi attacks since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February.

Houthis Seize Mocha, Tightening Grip Near Bab el-Mandeb as Yemeni Official Warns: ‘It’s really bad’

The Trump administration is preparing to issue $500 rebate payments to as many as 1 million Americans who officials say were charged too much for their Obamacare coverage, according to Axios.



The payments are expected to be delivered by direct deposit to eligible recipients across 30 states before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The administration intends to highlight the rebates alongside savings it says are coming from Trump&#8217;s tax-cut legislation and prescription drug plan.



The initiative also reflects a broader element of Trump&#8217;s approach to reshaping the health care system: providing financial assistance directly to Americans to help cover insurance costs rather than directing those dollars to health insurers. Trump is also expected to discuss the rebates during a Wednesday night speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.



According to administration officials, the rebate program would draw on approximately $500 million in excess fees that were paid by Affordable Care Act recipients who were allegedly overcharged by insurers during the Biden administration. Officials say the excess money was subsequently returned to the government.



&#8220;That money was over-collected and just sitting there&#8221; a U.S. official told Axios.



Administration officials say the refunds would be available to Obamacare enrollees who do not receive premium assistance through the program.



Officials specifically identified Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Delaware, New Hampshire, Texas, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri as states with relatively large populations of people expected to qualify for refunds.



The planned payments represent a new use of Obamacare by Trump, who unsuccessfully sought to repeal the law during his first presidential term. The administration now intends to use the program as part of its broader health care agenda while seeking to navigate a difficult midterm election environment shaped by voter concerns about high prices and the war in Iran.



The money has a longer policy history. In 2023, the Biden administration proposed directing fees from the same fund toward providing no-cost contraception for people with ACA insurance plans that did not include contraceptive coverage.



Republicans in Congress opposed that proposal, arguing that the fees were intended to maintain the Obamacare exchanges and that the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services did not have the authority to redirect the funds to another purpose. The Biden administration eventually withdrew the proposal.



Following the 2024 election, some Republican congressional policy staffers who had opposed the Biden administration&#8217;s contraception proposal joined the Trump administration.



The Trump administration subsequently lowered some of the fees in an effort to reduce premiums. Officials said the administration then determined that a substantial amount of money remained available for a rebate program as Trump began advancing a new health care proposal.



&#8220;It&#8217;s time for Congress to pass President Trump&#8217;s Great Healthcare Plan, which will finally begin prioritizing people instead of insurance company profits by sending billions in taxpayer-funded health care dollars directly to Americans to help them better afford health coverage and care,&#8221; a U.S. official said.

Trump Administration Plans $500 Obamacare Rebates for Up to 1 Million Americans Before Midterms

Belaaz has learned that more than 100 yeshiva bochurim subject to the draft and classified as &#8216;IDF deserters&#8217; were arrested while attempting to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah. Most were arrested at Ben Gurion Airport.



This week alone, the peak travel period for Uman, 60 yeshiva-bochurim have been arrested and transferred to Prison 10, the official military prison.



Breslov rabbanim had instructed yeshiva students at risk of arrest not to travel to Uman this year, but a significant number went anyway.



According to IDF estimates, hundreds succeeded in leaving Israel via indirect routes. The army plans to arrest them upon their return after Rosh Hashanah.

EXCLUSIVE: Over 100 Yeshiva Students Wanted for IDF Service Arrested Trying to Leave for Uman

Jewish leaders describe heightened anxiety over antisemitism and security threats while urging Jewish communities to remain united during the Yamim Noraim



As Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur approach, Jewish congregations throughout the United States are prepare amid a backdrop of heightened concern about antisemitism and growing disagreements within the Jewish community. Rabbis say many worshippers are uneasy about their safety and increasingly divided over Israel, but they are also seeking to preserve the spiritual significance and traditions of the season.



“Jews feel extremely precarious right now,” said David Ingber, founder and spiritual leader of Romemu in New York City.



Ingber said a significant portion of his congregation is politically liberal and critical of Israeli policies, including its conduct in Gaza. At the same time, he said, many are deeply troubled by increasingly forceful claims that Israel should not exist as a Jewish state.



“Most of us see Israel as an ancestral homeland,” he said. “What’s disconcerting, we’re being told our own sense of history is illegitimate.”



Ingber said the anxiety is being compounded by antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric emerging from the political right, alongside longstanding anti-Zionist positions among portions of the political left. Taken together, he described the current environment as exceptionally troubling.



“it is the worst uptick of antisemitism we’ve seen in my lifetime.”



“There’s a sense of absolute vulnerability,” he added. “We’re not sure where we belong.”



Preparing for threats during the Yom Tovim



Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown Friday and continues through nightfall Sunday. Yom Kippur follows a week later and is regarded as the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. This year, Yom Kippur begins at sunset on September 20 and ends after nightfall on September 21.



With large numbers of Jews expected to gather in synagogues, the Secure Community Network has expanded its efforts to help Jewish institutions prepare for possible attacks. The organization, which advises Jewish communities across North America on security, has conducted webinars and in-person training focused on responding to active threats.



“Hope is not a strategy,” said Michael Masters, the SCN’s national director and CEO. “It’s about preparation, training individual members of the community, getting everyone engaged.”



Masters said protecting Jewish institutions has become increasingly complicated because threats are coming from a broader range of domestic and international actors. Those identified by security officials include Iranian proxies as well as white supremacists operating in the United States.



“People are looking for who is the enemy, and it’s not an easy answer who’s behind the increase of anti-religion hate crime,” he said.



Several violent incidents targeting Jewish institutions or communities have occurred in the United States this year. They include an August attack at a Manhattan synagogue, a March vehicle-ramming incident at a temple in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and a January synagogue arson attack in Jackson, Mississippi.



Israel debate adds another layer of tension



While Jewish leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned attacks against Jews, disagreements over Israel and the wars in the Middle East continue to divide American Jewish communities. A recent survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that roughly three in 10 US Jews believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians.



Israel has rejected allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza. Israeli officials maintain that the military seeks to reduce civilian casualties and argue that Hamas places civilians at risk by operating in populated locations and using sites such as homes, hospitals, mosques and schools.



Intra-Jewish divisions are a major concern



Masters said developments in the Middle East can influence the security situation facing Jewish communities in the United States.



“But more broadly, the community understands this threat is the continuation of well over 3,500 years of threat,” he added. “It’s fundamentally about hatred of the Jewish community.”



Masters also pointed to attacks against Christian churches as evidence that religious institutions beyond the Jewish community are facing security concerns. He said that shared vulnerability could create opportunities for different faith communities to cooperate.



He likewise suggested that security efforts could help bridge some of the divisions among American Jewish denominations.



“Our adversaries do not distinguish between Orthodox, Reform, Conservative,” he said. “We would be very wise to understand that as a community we are strongest when we stand as one.”



Ingber said the Jewish community must find ways to remain connected despite major disagreements over Israel and other issues.



“We should create a space to hold differences, to be together with all of our differences,” he said. “There is a grave danger of schism around the Jewish people and its relation to the State of Israel. It’s being weaponized.



“Rabbis will have to try to speak into this space,” he added. “You don’t want to get up in the High Holy Days and speak of division.”



Jewish groups seek $1 billion for security



With the High Holy Days approaching, major Jewish organizations are urging Congress to substantially increase federal security assistance for religious institutions and other nonprofit organizations. They are calling for $1 billion in funding three times the current level to help organizations strengthen their physical security.



Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, is among those supporting the increase. The center represents the country&#8217;s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization.



Writing for Jewish News Service, Diament noted that annual funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program has risen from $10 million in 2004 to $300 million in 2026. Despite that increase, however, he argued that available funding remains far below demand. Last year, only about 20% of more than 8,000 nonprofit applicants received grants.



“With the High Holy Days around the corner, millions of American Jews will attend synagogue with a sense of trepidation… because sitting in synagogues for hours at a time makes us think about the attacks that have occurred.”



For Jewish communities preparing to observe some of the year&#8217;s most important religious days, the challenge is therefore twofold: maintaining the openness and spiritual character of synagogue life while confronting an increasingly complicated security environment and profound disagreements over Israel.



Despite those pressures, rabbis and Jewish security officials say preparation, community cooperation and a willingness to remain connected across political and denominational differences will be essential as congregations gather for the High Holy Days.

Entering the Yamim Noraim Amid Fear and Division, American Jews Seek Strength, Unity and Emunah

Military says Palestinian Authority officers exceeded their jurisdiction after establishing a roadblock in Area C and detaining an armed Israeli reservist



The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had detained three Palestinian Authority police officers accused of unlawfully establishing a roadblock in Area C of Judea and Samaria, where they allegedly detained and assaulted an Israeli reservist who was off duty.



The incident occurred on August 23, when the Israeli man, a resident of a Judea and Samaria settlement who was carrying a weapon, was stopped by Palestinian Authority officers on a road near the Palestinian town of Beitunia. The officers allegedly assaulted him during the encounter.



“They broke my glasses and phone and took the car key. They also took my weapon, forced me out of the car, and beat me,” the reservist told the Ynet news site after the incident.



According to the reservist, the Palestinian officers placed him in their patrol vehicle and drove in the direction of Ramallah. During the journey, they permitted him to speak by phone with an Israeli Civil Administration officer. He was subsequently transferred to Israeli forces.



The military said the roadblock had been established in Area C, a portion of Judea and Samaria that is designated under full Israeli civil and security control.



The Israel Defense Forces said the Palestinian Authority officers had “overstepped their authority to operate in these areas,” while Israeli security officials “described the incident as a serious overreach by the [PA] security forces, endangering the life of the Israeli civilian and using aggressive and severe force against him.”



The IDF said the three Palestinian officers were detained this week because of their alleged involvement in both the roadblock and the assault. The officers were being questioned by the Shin Bet, according to the military.



“The IDF maintains security coordination in accordance with the directive of the political leadership. At the same time, the IDF will not tolerate any deviation from procedures,” the military added.



The arrests come amid a broader escalation of violence in Judea and Samaria in recent months. Much of the violence has involved attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, while Palestinian attackers have also carried out several assaults against Israelis, including a stabbing on Monday.

IDF Detains Three Palestinian Officers Accused of Assaulting Off-Duty Israeli Reservist

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Mount Hermon in Syria alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai. Netanyahu was briefed by Northern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo and 210th Division commander Brig.-Gen. Yair Palai on IDF operations in the area.



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Speaking from the mountain ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Netanyahu said Israel currently has “absolute control” over the area and will not allow “any terrorist army to establish itself on our border.” He added that Israel’s main remaining task is to defeat the “terrorist regime in Iran,” saying, “We are very close to it,” before wishing Israelis and IDF soldiers a happy new year.



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Netanyahu Visits Har Chermon in Syria

Satellite imagery indicates a sharp increase in construction activity during 2026 at Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, according to a CNN report. The development comes as the United States is reportedly working on capabilities to strike the facility, which experts believe could withstand some of the most powerful bunker-busting weapons.



U.S. President Donald Trump has again threatened to attack Iran’s “Pickaxe Mountain.” Israeli intelligence reportedly believes that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has moved thousands of centrifuges to the site. CNN reported Wednesday afternoon that construction activity there has accelerated significantly during 2026, based on satellite imagery from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) obtained by the network.



The CNN report said the construction surge has taken place amid the war. A team of experts examined satellite imagery covering a six-year period. “Pickaxe Mountain” is a nuclear facility that has remained untouched during the two most recent wars involving Iran. The site is located in the Zagros Mountains, near Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, and Iran has spent the past six years excavating an underground complex deep beneath the mountain. Experts estimate that the facility could be capable of withstanding even the most powerful bunker-busting bombs.



According to CSIS experts, the underground facility was “likely designed to be a safe haven for Iran&#8217;s nuclear program.” The report also said there are indications that the United States is developing ways to attack the site, even though U.S. military forces concentrated on other categories of targets during the war that began February 28 and has now continued for six months.



CNN further reported that, only four days before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the director of the Pentagon’s program for evaluating weapons for weapons of mass destruction signed a $1.2 million “emergency contract” to “repair a unique subterranean test facility at White Sands Missile Range” in New Mexico. The objective was to conduct a “live-fire test designed to validate classified capabilities against rapidly emerging threats.”



Three sources told CNN that the planned test was connected to the war in Iran. The sources specifically cited the need to develop a capability for attacking the deeply underground facilities that Iran has excavated at its greatest depths.

Report: Iran Accelerates Deep-Buried Nuclear Construction as U.S. Explores Ways to Strike Site

Egypt is preparing to establish its first major artificial intelligence data center, with plans for an eventual 200-megawatt facility valued at approximately $1 billion and powered by technology from Nvidia.



The initiative, announced Wednesday by Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi, comes as the United States and China compete to expand their influence over artificial intelligence infrastructure and technology markets across the Middle East and Africa.



The project is expected to begin with a 20-megawatt data center costing about $200 million during its first three years. The initial phase will be developed through a partnership involving Vodafone Business, Elsewedy Electric, and Cassava Technologies, Nvidia’s primary partner on the African continent.



Nvidia, the US-based technology giant and the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, has emerged as a central player in the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.



Its graphics processing units, or GPUs, are installed in specialized data centers around the globe and provide much of the computing power required to train advanced AI systems.



Cassava Technologies said the Egyptian facility will “leverage Nvidia accelerated computing technologies.”



The announcement follows growing competition between Washington and Beijing over Egypt’s AI infrastructure. Before Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to Egypt in a decade last week, Bloomberg reported that China’s Huawei had proposed building a data center in the country. The proposal reportedly led the United States to encourage a competing initiative involving American technology companies Nvidia, AMD, and Microsoft.



During Xi’s visit, he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi agreed to “expand cooperation” in artificial intelligence and technology. However, the two countries did not announce any specific agreements resulting from the discussions.



One week ago, on the day after Xi departed Cairo, Egyptian Communications Minister Hindi met with an unidentified “US consortium of data center developers,” according to Egyptian state media. The report said Egypt was seeking international partnerships with the goal of becoming a “regional data center hub.”



The expansion of AI infrastructure has progressed more slowly across Africa than in many other parts of the world. One significant obstacle has been the unreliable or underdeveloped electricity infrastructure in several African countries.



AI-focused data centers require enormous quantities of electricity, with their power consumption potentially reaching five times that of conventional data centers.



Egypt, which has the largest population among Arab countries and ranks as Africa’s second-largest economy, has itself faced persistent challenges in meeting its energy needs, including a longstanding electricity shortfall.

Egypt’s $1 Billion AI Data Center Signals Growing US-China Tech Rivalry

New York officials, farmers and businesses are assessing the potential economic effects of new Canadian tariffs as the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and its northern neighbor enters another phase.



The Canadian government put retaliatory tariffs into effect Tuesday following the Trump administration&#8217;s decision in July to impose 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods. The Canadian measures cover a range of products, including steel, aluminum, lumber and other materials, with the Canadian government describing the response as “dollar for dollar” against U.S. tariffs.



The Trump administration has said its tariffs are intended to address what it considers longstanding trade-policy concerns involving Canada.



The economic implications are unfolding as the tariff dispute also becomes part of the political discussion ahead of the November midterm elections.



Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized the latest developments Tuesday and argued that the tariffs could add pressure to consumers and businesses.



“Remember how he promised to lower costs on day one? It’s not exactly happening,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday, hitting at President Donald Trump over the latest developments in the trade war.



Hochul also said the measures could affect farmers, businesses and families across the state.



“Once again New York’s small farmers and businesses and working families are caught in the crossfire and it’s insane,” Hochul said.



Alex Jacquez, of the left-leaning economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative, told Spectrum News 1 that the effects of the Trump administration’s 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods imposed last month are beginning to emerge.



Canada&#8217;s response expands the number of products potentially affected, with possible consequences for several industries in New York and elsewhere.



“Up to a thousand products worth $27.6 billion, including steel and aluminum, furniture, clothing, dairy and cheese, appliances and seafood,” Jacquez said.



Jacquez said Canada&#8217;s measures could have particular implications for the dairy sector.



“That is going to hit New York hard and dairy farmers who are already being hit hard with increased cost, you look at diesel, you look at fertilizer, you look at the input cost for machinery it is only going to make it harder to keep things above board,” Jacquez said.



New York&#8217;s construction industry is also evaluating the potential effects. The sector was already dealing with tariffs on Canadian cement imposed last month, while the latest Canadian measures include additional construction-related materials such as lumber, steel and aluminum.



Mike Elmendorf, president and CEO of the Associated General Contractors of New York, said uncertainty can present challenges for contractors because projects are often priced and contracted before material costs are known with certainty.



“When you get into these tit-for-tat trade wars at the end of the day, one thing you can be sure of is everyone is going to lose,” he said. “In many cases contractors may not have an ability to recover when all of a sudden they’re facing significantly higher material costs because tariffs land after they have bid or started a project.”



The potential effects could be particularly relevant to rural parts of upstate New York, where agriculture and other industries maintain significant economic activity. Assemblyman Michael S. Cashman, chair of the Assembly’s U.S.-Canada Relations Taskforce, called on Congress Tuesday to address the dispute.



“This is not abstract. These tariffs and retaliatory tariffs are going to be felt by New York families, farmers, workers and businesses and ultimately by Americans across the country. I continue to call on Congress to intervene, protect New York and protect America, and get us back to normal trade relations with our closest ally before this trade war causes even more damage.”



Republican state Sen. George Borrello of Western New York offered a different assessment of the potential effects of the tariffs.



While Democrats have raised concerns about the consequences for rural communities, Borrello argued that tariffs can help address what he views as unequal access to the Canadian market for New York dairy farmers.



“They want to have access to the American market, the largest market in the world for things like steel, dairy products, wood, lumber, and they don’t want us to have the same access to their market,” Borrello said.



The tariff dispute is also emerging as an issue in New York&#8217;s gubernatorial campaign. Republican Bruce Blakeman, Hochul&#8217;s opponent, has repeatedly declined to provide a detailed position when asked about the potential effects of tariffs on New York.



With the economic effects still developing and the trade dispute continuing, tariffs are expected to remain part of the policy debate in New York and in campaigns across the state.

New York Assesses Potential Impact as U.S.-Canada Tariff Dispute Escalates

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would continue targeting Iranian oil tankers if Iranian forces make further attempts to attack US Navy vessels, according to remarks made during a visit to Colombia.



The comments came as several developments were reported across the region, including an Iranian missile attack targeting Jordan, US strikes on Iranian oil tankers, and discussions involving South Korea and France over security and navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.



Trump Comments on German State Election



US President Donald Trump described the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party&#8217;s performance in a German state election as a major victory for the country&#8217;s populist movement.



“Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.



Trump also criticized Germany&#8217;s “absolutely horrible Immigration rules.” The AfD, which has expressed opposition to Germany&#8217;s immigration policies, won the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.



Jordan Reports Iranian Missile Attack



Jordanian air defenses intercepted 18 of 20 ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory, according to Jordan&#8217;s state news agency, citing the country&#8217;s armed forces.



The remaining two missiles landed in unpopulated areas, and authorities reported no casualties.



Jordanian authorities said monitoring and assessment efforts were continuing following the attack.



Rubio Says US Will Continue Targeting Iranian Tankers



Rubio said the United States would respond to further Iranian attempts to strike American naval vessels by targeting additional Iranian oil tankers.



“Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships, and for every time they do that or try to do that, they’re going to lose tankers,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Colombia.



His remarks followed a US announcement that American forces had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.



US Military Says Five Iranian Tankers Were Destroyed



US Central Command said American forces struck five Iranian oil tankers after Iran targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles on two occasions in recent days.



CENTCOM said the American vessel “successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed.”



The US military described the tanker strikes as a response to the attempted attacks on the American warship.



Iran Warns Tanker Crews



Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warned crews aboard oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their vessels, saying the ships could be targeted in response to US strikes on Iranian tankers.



The warning was broadcast by Iranian state television. Iranian authorities accused Kuwait and Bahrain of hosting US forces and assisting in the American attacks.



The IRGC told tanker crews to leave their vessels whether they were anchored or docked, warning that the ships “will be targeted.”



Iranian Missiles Intercepted Over Jordan



Video footage filmed from Israel showed Iranian missiles being intercepted over Jordan following the Iranian attack.



The missile launches came after the reported US strikes on Iranian oil tankers. At the time of the report, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage resulting from the missile barrage.



South Korea Clarifies Talks on Strait of Hormuz



South Korean President Lee Jae Myung discussed the Strait of Hormuz with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.



South Korea&#8217;s presidential office said the discussions concerned possible contributions to international efforts to maintain security and freedom of navigation in the waterway, rather than a potential deployment of South Korean troops.



National security adviser Wi Sung-lac said South Korea&#8217;s review of a possible role in those efforts was not connected to US investment discussions.



He also said Iran had requested clarification regarding reports about a possible South Korean role.



Continued Military Exchanges



The latest developments follow a series of military actions involving the United States and Iran, including attacks involving naval vessels, oil tankers and ballistic missiles.



US officials have described the strikes on Iranian tankers as responses to attempted attacks on American naval forces. Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary Guard has warned of possible retaliation against vessels in the region.



The developments come as regional governments continue monitoring the situation and assessing potential risks to shipping and security around the Strait of Hormuz.

US and Iran Exchange Strikes as Rubio Warns of Further Tanker Attacks

A statement from the home of the Belzer Rebbe, Rav Yissochar Dov Rokeach shlit&#8221;a, announced that the Rebbe&#8217;s condition has improved significantly, and according to the current plan, he is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow, Wednesday.



The statement urged the public to continue increasing their tefillos for the Rebbe&#8217;s complete recovery, Yissochar Dov ben Miriam.

Belzer Rebbe’s Condition Improving Significantly, Expected to Be Released From Hospital Wednesday

Moshe Feiglin of the Zehut party — set to return to the Knesset after forging a political alliance with Bezalel Smotrich&#8217;s Religious Zionism party 



Belaaz spoke with him at the Knesset for an exclusive interview ahead of the elections.



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 In the interview, Feiglin addresses the changes he&#8217;s demanding as part of the alliance, lays out his solution on the draft law (chok hagiyus), and weighs in on whether he&#8217;d join a Netanyahu-led coalition as a former Likud member.

EXCLUSIVE: Moshe Feiglin Speaks to Belaaz From the Knesset Ahead of the Elections

A New York-area nonprofit that has served as a financial intermediary for several prominent anti-Israel activist organizations has suffered a dramatic decline in revenue amid lawsuits, congressional scrutiny and increased attention to its activities, according to recently filed tax records.



The Westchester People’s Action Coalition Foundation, commonly known as Wespac, is a progressive nonprofit based in Westchester County, north of New York City. Founded in 1974, the organization says its mission is to support “work toward peace, justice, and a sustainable environment.”



In recent years, Wespac became a fiscal sponsor for organizations including National Students for Justice in Palestine, Within Our Lifetime and the Palestinian Youth Movement. Under fiscal sponsorship arrangements, a nonprofit receives and administers donations for organizations that do not themselves have nonprofit status.



Wespac’s revenue grew substantially in recent years, climbing from $139,901 in 2019-2020 to almost $4 million in 2023-2024. Tax records indicate that contributions increased sharply following the outbreak of the Gaza war.



Much of Wespac’s spending has apparently involved funds directed toward other organizations. In its previous filing, the nonprofit reported its own expenses at $142,539 while listing more than $1.7 million in grants, including money described as involving “custodial responsibility for funds granted to various organizations.”



The organization has one paid employee, whose reported salary is $62,500.



Scrutiny Intensifies After October 7



The activities of organizations connected with Wespac drew increased attention following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.



According to reporting cited in the original article, Wespac-affiliated groups praised the Hamas attack, organized events involving support for terrorist organizations, and staged demonstrations targeting medical institutions, museums, memorials, transportation centers and holiday events.



After protests involving organizations it had sponsored, Wespac became the target of lawsuits filed in at least five US courts.



Republican lawmakers also called for investigations by the Internal Revenue Service and New York attorney general, alleging that the organization supported terrorism. Federal law prohibits tax-exempt organizations from providing support to terrorism.



The Justice Department filed a statement of interest last year in litigation involving Wespac.



At the same time, the article notes that authorities have not made findings that Wespac itself engaged in illegal activity.



In January 2025, Wespac appealed to supporters for financial help, warning, “The threat to Wespac’s survival is real.”



The organization also wrote: “WESPAC’s work has taken on enormous significance since October 7, 2023, as the injustice of apartheid has turned to genocide in Gaza,” the email said. “The well-funded forces of darkness are now waging legal warfare against us.”



Revenue Falls From Nearly $4 Million to $1.26 Million



Wespac’s latest IRS filing, covering September 2024 through August 2025, provides a picture of the nonprofit’s worsening finances.



Revenue fell from approximately $3.98 million to $1.26 million — a 68% decline — with the largest reductions coming from contributions and grants.



The organization recorded a $202,598 deficit for the period, compared with a $279,210 surplus the year before.



At the same time, legal costs rose dramatically. Expenses for legal services increased from only $1,400 in 2022-2023 to nearly $200,000 in the latest reporting year.



Wespac’s staff and board also became considerably smaller, falling from eight members in 2022-2023 to three.



Changes to Fiscal Sponsorships



The financial pressure appears to have coincided with changes involving several organizations previously sponsored by Wespac.



National Students for Justice in Palestine had directed donations through Wespac at least through 2024, according to archived versions of its website. A court filing from 2025 said Wespac had begun to “disassociate itself” from the group after a demonstration that blocked traffic near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and subsequently led to litigation.



National Students for Justice in Palestine later stopped using its previous donation page and began accepting contributions through Zeffy. It was unclear whether the organization had established another fiscal sponsorship arrangement.



Within Our Lifetime also stopped accepting donations through its website.



The Palestinian Youth Movement, meanwhile, said it was receiving donations through Honor the Earth, a Montana-based nonprofit. Wespac’s previous tax filing reported a $1 million contribution to the Palestinian Youth Movement through Honor the Earth — the largest contribution listed in that filing.



Wespac Still Reported Millions in Transfers



The newest filing nevertheless showed that Wespac continued to handle funds connected with anti-Israel organizations.



The filing listed $14,158 to Amplify Palestine and $124,663 to United Palestine Appeal. It also reported $120,684 in fiscal sponsorship funds directed to a Chicago law firm that has represented anti-Israel organizations.



Amplify Palestine says it originated with Adalah-NY, which had previously operated as one of Wespac’s fiscally sponsored organizations.



The Anti-Defamation League has reported that Wespac at one point sponsored at least 15 anti-Israel activist organizations, substantially more than the number associated with any other cause.



Its donors have included progressive philanthropic organizations such as the Sparkplug Foundation, Tides Foundation and Solidaire Network.



How Fiscal Sponsorship Can Obscure Funding



Fiscal sponsorship allows groups that lack their own nonprofit status to receive tax-deductible donations and grants through an established nonprofit. As a result, those groups do not necessarily have to submit the same public financial disclosures required of independent tax-exempt organizations.



The arrangement can make it difficult to determine exactly how money moves through the organizations involved. Fiscal sponsors are not necessarily required to publicly identify every project for which they collect funds, and best practices recommend greater disclosure of fiscal sponsorship relationships.



Another potential layer of complexity comes from donor-advised funds. These charitable accounts allow donors to contribute assets, receive an immediate tax deduction and later recommend grants to nonprofit organizations.



In transactions involving such funds, money can move from an individual donor to a donor-advised fund, then to a fiscal sponsor such as Wespac, and ultimately to the sponsored project.



Because donor-advised funds generally do not publicly identify individual donors in their filings, public records may reveal only the transfer between the donor-advised fund and fiscal sponsor without identifying the original contributor or ultimate sponsored project.



Philanthropic Adviser Says Wespac Is “In Trouble”



Doug White, a philanthropic adviser and author of five books on nonprofits, said Wespac’s latest filing suggested that the organization was “in trouble.”



He pointed to declining programming and grants, rising legal costs, the reported deficit and falling donations as evidence of financial strain.



White also suggested that the shrinking board could indicate that members were “deserting the ship as it sinks.”



He had previously criticized Wespac over what he described as insufficient transparency surrounding its fiscal sponsorship arrangements.



White said he is sympathetic both to Israel and to the Palestinian cause and supports peace efforts in the Middle East.



“I would like to see Wespac succeed based on what they say their mission is,” he said. “But if they’re straying from it, they’re starting to fund organizations that are really, in a sense, terrorist organizations, that is something I feel very strongly against.”



The article cites National Students for Justice in Palestine as an example. Shortly after Hamas’s October 2023 attack, while the organization was still sponsored by Wespac, it issued a “toolkit” that described the Hamas assault as a “historic win,” praised “the resistance,” and encouraged demonstrations supporting the attack while presenting it as a “struggle for national liberation.”



White summarized his assessment of Wespac’s situation bluntly:



“They’re in trouble. That’s kind of my bottom line assessment,” White said.

Wespac Funding Plunges 68% as Lawsuits and Government Scrutiny Mount

Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old Jewish Iranian-American businessman and public official from Great Neck, New York, has been released on bail from Tehran&#8217;s Evin Prison, but remains in Iran under a travel ban that prevents him from returning home to his family on Long Island.



 A source familiar with the matter tells Belaaz exclusively that Hekmati&#8217;s release came at the request of Qatar. 



Belaaz has learned that in the lead-up to the release, there was quiet engagement involving Jewish communal figures and Qatari officials, part of a broader diplomatic effort that ultimately helped secure Hekmati&#8217;s bail.



 Hekmati immigrated to the United States as a teenager more than 55 years ago and has been a U.S. citizen for decades. He traveled to Iran in May 2025 to visit aging family members, was arrested in Tehran that July, and was later sentenced by an Islamic Revolutionary Court to four years in prison.



 Among the charges cited against him was a 2012 trip to Israel to attend his son&#8217;s Bar Mitzvah; Iranian prosecutors later added allegations that he had met with Mossad agents abroad.



 Hekmati operates a jewelry business in Manhattan&#8217;s Diamond District and serves on the Village of Great Neck Estates Zoning Board of Appeals. He is also battling aggressive bladder cancer, making his continued confinement and his lack of access to his doctors in the United States, a pressing humanitarian concern.



 In March 2026, the U.S. State Department designated Hekmati as &#8220;wrongfully detained&#8221; under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. Members of Congress, including Rep. Tom Suozzi and Rep. Claudia Tenney, have pressed the administration to secure his release on humanitarian grounds.



 While Hekmati is now out of Evin Prison, he remains under an Iranian exit ban and cannot yet return to the United States. Diplomatic efforts are continuing to lift the travel restrictions and allow him to return home for medical treatment.

Qatar Behind Release of Jewish Iranian-American From Evin Prison — Still Barred From Leaving Iran

After 23 years, Belzer Member of Knsesset Harav Yisrael Eichler has also been ousted from the Yahadut HaTorah (UTJ) party list and will not run in the upcoming elections, set to take place in 50 days.



The decision was made in recent days, joining the ousters of veteran MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev.



In Eichler&#8217;s place, Elyakim Stark is expected to enter as the Belz representative. Stark is close with the son of the Belzer Rebbe and has managed Belz&#8217;s affairs behind the scenes.

Another Ouster in Yahadut HaTorah Party: Eichler Will Not Run for Knesset

Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, in keeping with tradition, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation has removed the prayer notes placed between the stones of the Kosel over the past six months, transferring them for dedicated genizah in accordance with Halacha



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="457" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-121534.png" alt="" class="wp-image-30185" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-121534.png 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-121534-300x152.png 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-121534-768x390.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo credit: Western Wall Heritage Foundation</figcaption></figure>



Over the past year, tens of thousands of notes arrived from 140 countries around the world, among them are also moving requests for peace sent from nations hostile to Israel, alongside notes placed by world leaders, IDF soldiers, Israeli citizens, and tourists.



Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, accompanied the removal and offered a special Tefila for the unity of the Jewish people and for the acceptance of the prayers contained within the thousands of notes.



The notes were removed using gloves and disposable wooden implements, preserving both the sanctity of the site and the personal contents of each note. They were collected in specially designated sacks and will be buried together with worn sacred texts as part of the genizah.



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video height="480" style="aspect-ratio: 854 / 480;" width="854" controls src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-2026-09-07T133138.915.mp4"></video><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo credit: Western Wall Heritage Foundation</figcaption></figure>



The Foundation notes that hundreds of prayer notes are submitted daily through its website, in addition to the hundreds of thousands placed in person by daily visitors year-round. Particularly striking are the notes sent through the website by citizens of countries hostile to Israel, including Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, and Kazakhstan &#8211; carrying heartfelt requests and prayers for peace, reconciliation, and ties between peoples.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="456" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-123016.png" alt="" class="wp-image-30187" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-123016.png 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-123016-300x152.png 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-123016-768x389.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo credit: Western Wall Heritage Foundation</figcaption></figure>



Beyond the US, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Ukraine, and Canada, notes arrived from far more unexpected places too — India, South Africa, Indonesia, Taiwan, Jamaica, Kenya, and Nigeria — a testament to just how far the magnetic pull of the Kosel reaches, and how many hearts and souls, from every corner of the world, turn toward that one Wall.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="449" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122948.png" alt="" class="wp-image-30188" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122948.png 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122948-300x150.png 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122948-768x383.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo credit: Western Wall Heritage Foundation</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="459" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122928.png" alt="" class="wp-image-30189" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122928.png 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122928-300x153.png 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-07-122928-767x391.png 767w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo credit: Western Wall Heritage Foundation</figcaption></figure>

Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Kosel’s Notes From 140 Countries Removed for Genizah

Adidas has apologized following criticism over a promotional campaign in Israel that featured Shalev Biton, a former Israel Defense Forces soldier who lost a leg in 2021. The campaign promoted the company’s Single Shoe service, which allows amputee athletes to purchase only one running shoe. Calls for a boycott emerged after Biton was included in the local advertising effort.



“We recognize that an image used in a recent local activation by the local team has raised concerns and strong reactions. It was never our intent to cause offense and we apologize for anyone affected,” the company said in a statement from its global headquarters, apparently distancing itself from the campaign by Adidas in Israel.



“We acknowledge the concerns that have been raised and are taking the feedback seriously,” it said.



Biton was among 10 disabled athletes featured on posters displayed at Adidas stores throughout Israel. He lost his leg while serving with the IDF’s Nahal infantry brigade.



The injury occurred on May 12, 2021, during the conflict with Hamas known as Operation Guardian of the Walls. An anti-tank missile launched from Gaza struck the military vehicle Biton was traveling in on the Israeli side of the border, leaving him seriously wounded. Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, another soldier in the vehicle, was killed in the attack.



The campaign featuring Biton was limited to Israel and was not part of an international Adidas advertising campaign. The Hebrew-language video that drew criticism also did not reference Biton’s military background or explain the circumstances in which he lost his leg.



Pro-Palestinian activists nevertheless criticized Adidas for featuring Biton, pointing to the large number of amputees in Gaza including children resulting from the current war.



Some of the criticism also contained inaccurate claims, including allegations that Biton had taken part in the current fighting in Gaza, participated in “genocide,” or lost his leg while serving in Gaza in 2021.



In its statement addressing the controversy, Adidas emphasized its broader regional efforts, saying: “Across the Middle East, Adidas has a long-standing commitment to the communities we serve, working alongside athletes, teams and sporting communities throughout the region as well as supporting people and communities in need through product donations.”



The company added: “We will continue to listen, learn and work to ensure that our actions reflect the inclusive values we stand for,”



Adidas also said it is expanding its Single Shoe service beyond Israel, with plans to make it available “across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the UAE, Palestine, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt.”



The promotional video posted by Biton had disappeared from his Instagram account by Sunday. Before its removal, the footage had circulated widely across social media, drawing both criticism of Adidas and expressions of support for Biton.



The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led forces attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and kidnapping 251.



Israel maintains that it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and has accused Hamas of operating from within civilian areas, thereby putting civilians at risk.

Adidas Apologizes After Israeli Amputee Athlete’s Campaign Sparks Backlash

Volkswagen plans to repurpose one of its German factories for defense manufacturing, with the Osnabrueck facility set to produce equipment for Israeli defense company Rafael after vehicle production ends next year.



The German automaker said Monday that it intends to sell the Osnabrueck plant to Tel Aviv-based Aurelius Capital, together with the German state of Lower Saxony, a major Volkswagen shareholder. The initial agreement calls for the facility to manufacture components for an air defense project involving Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.



“These plans involve the potential manufacture of systems and components for air defense systems for Germany and Europe,” Volkswagen said, adding the cooperation could pave the way for further such deals.



“With today’s agreement, we are taking an important step towards opening up a new industrial future for the site,” Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said. “Volkswagen stands by its responsibility for Osnabrueck.”



Volkswagen, which has been dealing with weak demand and mounting competitive pressures, announced in 2024 that it would end vehicle production at the northwestern German facility by 2027.



The agreement is expected to safeguard at least 1,200 jobs at the plant, according to Volkswagen’s works council.



The future of four additional Volkswagen factories in Germany remains uncertain as the automaker confronts intense competition from Chinese manufacturers and the costly transition toward electric vehicles.



Volkswagen operates 10 brands, including Audi, Porsche and Seat. Management and labor representatives reached an agreement last week to eliminate another 50,000 positions across the group, bringing the number of jobs expected to disappear in the coming years to approximately 100,000.



Under the proposed arrangement, Aurelius would acquire a majority stake in the Osnabrueck facility in partnership with Lower Saxony.



“Osnabrueck brings with it something that cannot be built from scratch: many years of experience with demanding products, precise manufacturing processes and high-quality, well-coordinated teams and a strong tradition,” Aurelius Capital’s Tomer Jacob said.



Aurelius identifies cybersecurity, drone technology and satellite systems among the areas in which it invests.



The Osnabrueck deal could provide a model for other Volkswagen facilities facing an uncertain future as the company undertakes its largest restructuring to date. Volkswagen has warned that as many as four German plants could ultimately be closed or converted to other uses if alternative operations cannot be established amid weak demand, elevated production costs and increasing competition from China.



Repurposing automotive facilities for defense manufacturing is gaining momentum across Europe. Other companies, including Rheinmetall and Continental, are also pursuing plans to adapt industrial capacity for defense-related production.

Volkswagen to Transform German Car Plant for Israeli Defense Production

On Monday morning, a terrorist infiltrated the Ma&#8217;oz Yehuda outpost in Samaria, located in Area B, and stabbed an Israeli civilian who was near a Ranger-type vehicle.



The victim, around 20 years old, managed to move himself from the scene before receiving treatment. Security forces launched an immediate manhunt for the attacker.



 MDA paramedic Aviel Mamalia, who treated the victim at the scene, described the response: &#8220;When we arrived at the scene we saw a young man about 20 years old, fully conscious, with multiple stab wounds on his body. We provided him with initial medical treatment together with an IDF medical team, and he was evacuated to the hospital in moderate-to-serious condition.&#8221;



 Forces subsequently located the terrorist&#8217;s vehicle. During the pursuit, the terrorist attempted to stab IDF fighters as well, at which point the company commander shot and neutralized him.



 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded following the terrorist&#8217;s neutralization: &#8220;No terrorist has a hiding place. I commend our heroic fighters who pursued contact and neutralized the terrorist who carried out the attack in Samaria. I wish a complete and speedy recovery to the farm owner who was wounded in the attack. We will continue to eliminate terrorists, pursue those who send them, and destroy terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. Anyone who tries to threaten the State of Israel and its citizens will pay a heavy price.&#8221; 



Defense Minister Israel Katz laid out a broader response plan: &#8220;Our policy in Judea and Samaria is clear — to pursue Palestinian terror with force, to develop and strengthen Jewish settlement, and to maintain security stability. Terror in Judea and Samaria is currently at its lowest level in decades, and we will take all necessary steps to prevent terror from rising again.&#8221; Katz added that Israel &#8220;will not allow a return to the reality of a prolonged intifada as in the past,&#8221; and instead will open &#8220;a comprehensive campaign against the Palestinian Authority and all terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria&#8221; — including targeting senior operatives, evacuating residents of towns and villages from which terror attacks are carried out, eliminating terrorists, destroying terror infrastructure, and maintaining an IDF presence in evacuated areas. &#8220;Exactly as we did in the security zones in Gaza and Lebanon,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7, and we will ensure the security of Israel&#8217;s residents and communities everywhere.&#8221;



 Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said: &#8220;A very serious attack. I expect a full encirclement of the area, a broad military operation, going house to house to collect weapons, and dismantling the infrastructure of terror supporters. I stand behind our IDF soldiers and command, and we are praying for the wounded man&#8217;s recovery.&#8221;



 This article will be updated as more details become available.

Terrorist Neutralized After Stabbing Attack in Samari, Victim in Moderate-to-Serious Condition

Avigdor Liberman, one of the veterans of the political scene after years in junior roles, is this time aiming to capture the role of Prime Minister of Israel — and he is laying the groundwork for it.



Sunday evening, Liberman held a campaign rally, at which he was introduced to the hall as &#8220;the next Prime Minister of the State of Israel,&#8221; and all the speeches presented him as the next Prime Minister of Israel.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="684" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_20260907_002743_Instagram.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30141" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_20260907_002743_Instagram.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_20260907_002743_Instagram-300x228.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_20260907_002743_Instagram-768x584.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></figure>



Liberman has said in closed conversations that he has all the experience necessary to serve as Prime Minister — and that after Bennett and Lapid, who each held the role, this time it&#8217;s his turn. 



On paper, Liberman refuses to declare that he supports Eisenkot for the role of Prime Minister after the elections, but says that after the elections he will deal with the matter.



In practice, Liberman plans to demand the premiership under any circumstance, positioning his party as the one that will be the deciding factor. If Eisenkot is chosen, he will demand a rotation on the premiership, on the grounds that Eisenkot does not yet have experience. And if Netanyahu comes close to a majority, Liberman will agree to complete a government for him — on condition that he goes first in the rotation for Prime Minister.

Liberman Sets a Goal for Himself: The Role of Prime Minister

The removal of Members of Knesset R&#8217; Moshe Gafni and R&#8217; Uri Maklev from the Yahadut HaTorah party list brings the party, after years, to finally bring in new and younger forces. 



Belaaz presents the new names: According to the finalized arrangements: heading the party will be MK Yaakov Asher, in second place Yitzchak Pindrus, and in third place Moshe Rosenthal, who currently serves as a driver for Hagaon Reb Landau and works for the Bnei Brak municipality.



In fourth place is Yehuda Weisfish of Ichud Bnei HaYeshivos, close with Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. Today, Weisfish&#8217;s father sadly passed away. 



Belaaz has learned that Harav Hirsch called him after the levaya and asked him to take the position, which he agreed to.



In fifth place is Dudi Zelts, currently deputy mayor of Beitar Illit, who previously served as an assistant to MK Yaakov Asher.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="250" height="250" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2653613.png" alt="" class="wp-image-30137" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2653613.png 250w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2653613-150x150.png 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dudi Zeltz</figcaption></figure>

New Faces, New Era: UTJ Unveils Its Knesset Candidate List

Israeli police and military forces say they discovered a rocket during an overnight operation targeting a Hamas network in the West Bank village of Aqqaba.



The raid was carried out by officers from the police’s elite Yamam counterterrorism unit alongside IDF troops, following intelligence from the Shin Bet concerning Hamas activity in the area.



According to the police and military, the operation resulted in the detention of 10 suspected Hamas operatives. During a search of one site, Yamam personnel reportedly found a rocket that did not have a launcher.



Authorities say one of those detained subsequently directed the forces to additional weapons, including an assault rifle and a substantial quantity of explosive material.



The suspects were transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning, while police sappers destroyed the seized weapons, including the rocket at the location, according to the statement.



Israeli authorities say Palestinian terror groups have made multiple efforts in recent years to develop and fire improvised rockets from the West Bank toward Israeli communities and other targets inside Israel, although those efforts have achieved little or no reported success.

Rocket Discovered During Raid Targeting Hamas Cell in West Bank Village

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan have jointly condemned remarks by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir concerning proposals to facilitate the departure of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.



In an Arabic-language statement, the ministers “strongly condemn” remarks by Ben Gvir and Katz “regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, and what they contained in terms of proposing plans and mechanisms aimed at forcibly expelling Palestinians from their land,” according to the statement.



“These statements and provocative proposals represent a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, and a direct threat to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,” the statement adds.



The joint condemnation follows a proposal unveiled by Ben Gvir on Thursday that seeks to remove the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s Palestinian population from the territory through what he described as “voluntary emigration.” His proposal includes the creation of a dedicated government ministry and comes as he says he hopes to pursue the initiative if the governing coalition remains in power following elections scheduled for late October.



Ben Gvir’s proposal was announced one day after Katz said Israeli plans intended to facilitate large-scale emigration from Gaza were still being considered, despite having been “frozen” by US President Donald Trump. Trump had initially proposed relocating Gaza’s approximately 2.3 million residents in February 2025. Katz said Israel was prepared to facilitate departures by land, sea and air, while acknowledging that no countries had so far agreed to accept Gazans in the numbers envisioned by the proposal.



With political parties intensifying their campaigns ahead of the elections, any attempt to implement such plans would likely encounter significant international opposition.

Eight Muslim-Majority Nations Condemn Israeli Ministers’ Gaza Emigration Proposals

More than 1,300 doctors left Israel for periods of at least a year between 2023 and 2025, according to new research from Tel Aviv University based on data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.



The study found that approximately 1,370 physicians departed the country during those three years, nearly twice the number recorded during the preceding decade.



Researchers analyzed information from population registries alongside medical licensing records, according to reports in Hebrew-language media.



The data shows that 416 doctors left Israel in 2023, followed by another 530 in 2024. Preliminary figures for 2025 suggest that roughly 419 physicians departed the country during that year.



The trend was reported across every major medical specialty, including pediatrics, ophthalmology and dermatology, as well as among physicians from different regions throughout Israel.



According to Ynet, the number of doctors who left the country is comparable to the entire medical workforce of a large hospital.



The researchers cautioned that spending at least a year overseas does not necessarily mean that a doctor has permanently emigrated. However, they noted that temporary periods abroad can often develop into long-term relocation. The study was conducted by Prof. Itai Ater, Prof. Nitzan Bergman and Doron Zamir.



“Israel is losing its best people,” Ater says. “The departure of nearly 1,400 doctors translates directly into longer wait times, less effective medical care, and ultimately severe harm to our quality of life.”

Israel Loses More Than 1,300 Doctors in Three Years, Raising Fresh Concerns Over Medical Workforce

Undercover Shin Bet operatives reportedly entered Gaza disguised as humanitarian workers, distributing food and beverages to unsuspecting market vendors, according to a KAN News report. The operation was part of the intelligence-gathering effort that preceded the recent capture of Mu’in al-Arabid, Hamas’s head of internal security in the Gaza Strip.



According to KAN, the Israeli operatives created several small-scale humanitarian aid initiatives and began selling products to local residents. The Gazans then resold those goods in markets throughout the area. After developing relationships with shopkeepers and other vendors, the Shin Bet personnel persuaded some of them to help track the movements of individuals, including al-Arabid.



KAN sources said the Gazans did not discover that they had unknowingly assisted the Shin Bet until after al-Arabid was captured.



The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed Tuesday night that their forces had captured Hamas’s head of internal security in Gaza. The operation represented one of the deepest and most significant high-level captures inside the Strip in an extended period.



The official announcement did not explicitly state that Gaza-based anti-Hamas gangs were instrumental in the mission. However, it appeared to allude to their involvement by referring to Shin Bet “special forces.”



Shin Bet built local relationships to gather intelligence



According to sources cited by KAN, Shin Bet personnel took the place of their Gazan customers in a local market one day before the capture operation. They concealed their weapons inside the vendors’ stalls and retrieved them when the operation got underway before leaving the area.



The sources said the Shin Bet operatives themselves spent only one or two days physically operating in the market. Much of the intelligence used in the mission was reportedly obtained through relationships the agents had established with local residents.



The Gazans questioned following the operation said they had no knowledge of the planned capture, according to the KAN report.



Netanyahu and Katz emphasize al-Arabid’s Hamas role



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz both highlighted the significance of al-Arabid within Hamas. Netanyahu said al-Arabid had played an important role in overseeing the concealment of more than 250 Israeli hostages following the October 7, 2023, attack.



A Palestinian source in Gaza, however, told the Post that the captured man was responsible for Hamas’s internal security apparatus only in the Gaza City area. If accurate, that would place him closer to a mid-level Hamas official rather than one of the organization’s top national security figures.



The source also said an anti-Hamas faction participated in the operation and claimed that Hamas was attempting to “downplay the incident” while “its internal security forces are actively pursuing militias supported by Israel.”



The wording of the final IDF and Shin Bet statement appeared to place al-Arabid somewhere between the competing descriptions: portraying him as a significant Hamas figure, but apparently not as senior as Netanyahu and Katz had suggested.

Report: Inside a Covert Gaza Operation: Shin Bet Agents Posed as Aid Workers to Hunt Hamas Security Chief

The Prime Minister&#8217;s Office released PM Netanyahu&#8217;s full schedule from October 7, 2023, offering the most detailed public accounting yet of his movements during the critical early hours of the war, and reigniting political criticism over how long it took him to convene with military leadership.



 According to the released timeline, Netanyahu was first woken at 6:29 a.m. by his Military Secretary with news of an attack from Gaza. A second call came 15 minutes later, at 6:44 a.m., during which Netanyahu reportedly pressed for answers on why intelligence had failed to flag the massive assault, asked whether a broad reserve call-up would be necessary, and floated the possibility of targeting Hamas&#8217;s senior leadership immediately.



 It wasn&#8217;t until 7:30 a.m. — over an hour after first being alerted — that PM Netanyahu left for the Kirya, the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, once his security convoy was ready. En route, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed him by phone, telling him the IDF still lacked a clear picture of what was unfolding. Netanyahu responded by ordering a situational assessment in the underground command bunker, to be run under his own leadership.



 The Prime Minister arrived at the Kirya around 8:00 a.m. Forty minutes later, Gallant huddled with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to piece together a clearer intelligence picture ahead of briefing Netanyahu directly.



 Between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., Netanyahu received a stream of intelligence updates and field reports from his Military Secretariat. But it wasn&#8217;t until 9:55 a.m. — nearly three and a half hours after he was first alerted — that he convened his first full situational assessment in the bunker, joined by Gallant, Halevi, Bar, the deputy IDF chief, the head of the National Security Council, and the head of Military Intelligence.



 At that meeting, Netanyahu ordered a full sealing of the border to block hostages from being taken into Gaza and prevent further infiltration, overruled the IDF&#8217;s recommendation for a partial reserve mobilization in favor of a full call-up, and directed the formal declaration of war along with preparations for a possible northern front. 



The session closed with a smaller security huddle between Netanyahu, Gallant, and Halevi.

Netanyahu’s October 7 Timeline Revealed: How Long Before He Met With Military Brass?

Chareidi Member of Knesset Moshe Gafni has been accompanied in recent months by a tight security detail from Shin Bet Unit 730, due to a credible threat on his life originating from Iran, Belaaz News can reveal.



 MK Moshe Gafni serves as chairman of Degel HaTorah and as deputy chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee. He resides in Bnei Brak.



 Notably, the Knesset has its own security unit, known as Unit &#8220;Oz,&#8221; tasked with protecting MKs under threat. In this case, however, Gafni is being guarded by Shin Bet&#8217;s Unit 730. The unit normally responsible for protecting the Prime Minister and the President.



 This choice of security detail reflects the severity of the threat against Gafni, who has reportedly been asked to alter his daily routine, Belaas is told.



 Sources reveal to Belaaz that security personnel now sweep any venue in advance of his arrival, and Gafni has been asked to change the location where he regularly withdraws cash from an ATM, among other adjustments.

SCOOP: Fears of Attack on Chareidi MK, Security Detail Assigned

Iranian forces reportedly struck three oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz along with three vessels linked to the United States, according to a claim by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tehran said the attacks were carried out in response to US strikes against three Iranian oil tankers earlier Saturday.



US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not publicly confirmed the reported Iranian attacks.



The IRGC also issued a warning to vessels operating in the strategic waterway, saying ships should avoid routes that Iran has not authorized.



&#8220;Do not be deceived by the &#8216;terrorist&#8217; US military and refrain from any suspicious movement aimed at passing through unauthorized waterways,&#8221; the IRGC Navy said in a statement carried on Iranian state TV. &#8220;Otherwise, you will be targeted.&#8221;



Later, the IRGC said it had launched ballistic missiles at a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer, Reuters reported. Washington has not confirmed that claim.



Iran responds after US strikes on three tankers



The reported Iranian retaliation followed US attacks on three Iranian oil tankers earlier Saturday, according to CENTCOM.



One of the tankers was reportedly hit near Kharg Island, an important center for Iran&#8217;s oil exports. Iran&#8217;s semi-official Tasnim news agency said four US missiles struck a tanker in the area.



According to CENTCOM, the American strikes came after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles toward two US Navy vessels.



“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost &#8211; taking out three of yours,&#8221; said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM.



Iran subsequently warned that its military response against American naval forces could escalate following the US attacks.



&#8220;If the evil, insecurity and harassment of Iranian ships and the naval blockade of Iran continue, the strikes of the Islamic Republic of Iran&#8217;s armed forces against US military vessels in the region will be more severe than before, and there is a possibility of their expansion,&#8221; Iran&#8217;s military command said in a post on state media.

Iran Strikes Back in Hormuz: IRGC Claims Attacks on US-Linked Ships and Oil Tankers

A shakeup has struck the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party. After more than thirty years, MK Moshe Gafni has been removed from the Knesset list and will not run in the upcoming elections. 



 MK Uri Maklev has also been removed alongside him.



 Taking Gafni&#8217;s place at the head of the party will be Yaakov Asher, while Yitzchak Pindrus will remain in the Knesset. Additional new names are expected to join the list shortly. On Motzei Shabbos, Rav Dov Landau reached out personally, sending letters to MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev, thanking them warmly for their years of activity carried out in complete deference to the Gedolei Yisrael, particularly their leadership in the struggle for the status of bnei yeshivos, which they conducted with outstanding dedication and to the credit of the Torah leadership. 



However, due to the need for a refresh among the Knesset members, the two veteran MKs will be stepping down to make way for new representatives.In addition, Rav Landau asked Gafni, as chairman of Degel HaTorah, to continue serving as chairman of the national movement.



Belaaz was first to report last week that such a letter was being drafted by the Gedolim — a report that has now been confirmed with tonight&#8217;s official announcement.



Gafni has served in the Knesset since the days of Rav Shach and was the longest-serving member among the current MKs.

Shakeup in Yahadut HaTorah — Gafni and Maklev Removed from the Party

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has sharply criticized British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband after Miliband alleged that Israel was preventing medicine from reaching Gaza and described children as dying while awaiting essential medical care.



Huckabee accused the British government of having “lost it” and claimed that its position reflected what he characterized as antisemitism. His comments came after Miliband released a video describing concerns raised during a meeting about Gaza’s healthcare situation.



In the video, Miliband said he had been briefed about “medicines being blocked” from entering Gaza and about “children dying while waiting for vital life-saving treatment.”



Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected those allegations, saying there are no restrictions on the entry of medicines into Gaza. The ministry argued that Miliband was aware of Israel’s position and accused him of relying on what it described as inaccurate accounts rather than verified facts.



“If the Foreign Secretary were interested in facts rather than stories, he would know that there are no restrictions whatsoever on the entry of medicines into the Gaza Strip, and that no medicines are being blocked,” the Foreign Ministry wrote on X.



The ministry also said that 22,500 tons of medical supplies had entered Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire. According to the ministry, approximately 200 Palestinians had also left Gaza for medical treatment during the two weeks preceding its statement.



Israel further pointed to Britain’s participation in the International Gaza Support Center, a US-led coordination mechanism based in Kiryat Gat that is involved in facilitating humanitarian assistance to Gaza.



“The UK is a member of the International Gaza Support Center, which facilitates the delivery of medical aid to the Gaza Strip,” the Foreign Ministry said.



The dispute is unfolding amid an increasingly strained relationship between London and Jerusalem. Miliband, who became foreign secretary in July, has called for a “comprehensive reset” in Britain’s approach to Israel, while the two governments have clashed over Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank.



Tensions have particularly intensified over Israel’s controversial E1 settlement project. The proposed development would connect Jerusalem with the Ma’ale Adumim area and, according to critics, could significantly complicate the possibility of territorial continuity between major Palestinian population centers.



Israel has reportedly considered removing British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center as tensions with London increase. British officials have warned that such a move could interfere with international efforts to improve conditions in Gaza.



Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has also warned that Israel “will act against” Britain if London proceeds with measures targeting Israeli settlements, saying Israel has “tools” available to respond.



British media have reported that Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government is considering restrictions on trade involving goods produced in Israeli West Bank settlements. Such measures would form part of Britain’s response to the E1 development.



Britain has already imposed sanctions and entry restrictions on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.



The Kiryat Gat coordination center has consequently become another point of contention. Britain maintains that its representatives are working there at the request of the United States and alongside Israel, international partners and UN agencies to support implementation of the US-backed postwar framework for Gaza.



The British delegation’s position has come under increasing pressure. An Israeli source familiar with the matter said Jerusalem was considering expelling British officials from the center along with additional measures against London.



Israel previously announced a similar move involving Dutch representatives, with Sa’ar saying in August that the Netherlands would lose its participation at the center following what he described as a series of “anti-Israel measures.”



The E1 project itself remains at the heart of the broader diplomatic dispute. Supporters of the expansion have openly argued that it would help prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, while opponents contend that construction in the area could make a contiguous Palestinian state considerably more difficult to achieve.



The Israeli government recently opened bids for seven residential compounds containing 1,234 housing units in E1, following approval the previous year for approximately 3,400 additional units.



Miliband previously described the project as “unacceptable and destructive” and said Britain was preparing a “comprehensive set of measures” in response, including possible sanctions against individuals involved in what Britain considers illegal settlement expansion.



Sa’ar responded by accusing the British government of taking a “patronizing” approach and argued that its policies were contributing “to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred and attacks against the British Jewish community” while damaging relations between Britain and Israel.



The latest dispute over Gaza’s medical supplies therefore comes against a much wider deterioration in UK-Israel relations, with humanitarian policy, settlement construction and possible economic measures increasingly becoming intertwined in the diplomatic confrontation.

Huckabee, UK Clash Over Gaza Medical Aid Claims as Israel-Britain Tensions Intensify

Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal came under fire Friday after referring to US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as an “AIPAC monkey,” prompting accusations that her language was racist.



Appearing on New York Times columnist Wajahat Ali’s left-wing podcast “The Left Hook,” Jebreal discussed the meaning of Jeffries’ first name before criticizing his political positions.



“He is a bought and paid by AIPAC monkey,” she said, before adding, “with all due respect and I don’t mean it in a racist way.”



Jebreal continued her criticism by portraying Jeffries as someone who simply carries out the wishes of others.



“He is just basically an errand boy, and we’re done and tired,” Jebreal continued.



Jeffries, a Democrat, has received substantial political contributions associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the prominent pro-Israel lobbying organization, over the course of his political career.



After Jebreal made the remark, Ali sought to address the racial implications of the language, saying that “using ‘monkey’ to anyone black… has terrible racial connotations, but I think you caught yourself and said that you didn’t mean it with any racial animosity.”



Jebreal subsequently explained that her use of the word “monkey” was intended as a reference to Japan’s traditional “three wise monkeys,” associated with the phrases see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The term, however, has a long history as a racist insult directed at Black people.



Her explanation did not prevent criticism from Black members of Congress, who condemned the wording.



“To be clear, there isn’t a non-racist way to call Leader Jeffries, a Black man, a ‘monkey’ or ‘errand boy,&#8217;” the Congressional Black Caucus posted on X. “We have to stop platforming and trafficking in anti-Black racism, whether it’s on the political right or the left.”



New York Representative Ritchie Torres, a prominent congressional supporter of Israel, likewise criticized Jebreal’s comments in a post on X.



“Calling a Black man a ‘monkey’ is racist. Full stop,” he wrote. “If Wajahat Ali and Rula Jebreal were on the far right, no one on the far left would have any trouble condemning them for dehumanizing a Black man in racist terms.”



Jeffries has not publicly commented on Jebreal’s remarks.



Jebreal, who was born in Haifa and holds both Israeli and Italian citizenship, is a longtime critic of Israel and its policies toward Palestinians.



Following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, which Jebreal has described as a war crime, she has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid.

Rula Jebreal Faces Backlash After Calling Hakeem Jeffries an ‘AIPAC Monkey’

Israel Defense Forces commandos detained five Palestinians during an operation in the West Bank town of Qabatiya on Friday. The military said the suspects were allegedly preparing to carry out a terrorist attack.



According to the IDF, Duvdevan Commando Unit troops entered Qabatiya before dawn after receiving intelligence from the Shin Bet about a five-member Palestinian cell. The military said the suspects “who planned to carry out an attack against Israeli civilians and security forces.”



The commandos apprehended the five suspects “less than 10 minutes” after entering the locations where they were believed to be hiding, according to the IDF. The detainees were subsequently transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning.



No injuries were reported in the operation.



The IDF said troops also conducted searches of the suspects’ residences and discovered an assault rifle, ammunition and military equipment that had allegedly been concealed by the men.



In a separate operation, the military said it completed a 48-hour counterterrorism campaign in and around Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The operation resulted in the arrest of 10 Palestinian suspects and the seizure of equipment allegedly used to manufacture weapons.



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the military’s Nablus operation, saying, “I congratulate our forces on a successful operation in Samaria [the biblical name for the northern West Bank], in which they destroyed dozens of workshops for the production of weapons, seized dozens of weapons, and arrested wanted individuals involved in terrorism.”



The IDF said troops operating under Shin Bet direction “searched hundreds of locations, questioned dozens of suspects and arrested more than 10 wanted individuals.”



Military forces reportedly destroyed more than 30 lathes believed to have been used in weapons production. Troops also confiscated rifles, handguns and ammunition during the operation.



Tensions and violence in the West Bank have risen significantly in recent months. Much of the violence has involved attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, although Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis have also occurred. Critics have accused the IDF and the government led by Netanyahu of tolerating or encouraging violence carried out by Israelis against Palestinians.

IDF Arrests Five Palestinians in West Bank Raid Over Alleged Attack Plot

Iran Fires Missiles Toward Jordan as Israel Expands Strikes in Lebanon



Ballistic missiles reportedly targeted a U.S. base in Jordan, with interceptions visible from northern Israel, as Israeli forces carried out another round of strikes in southern Lebanon



Lebanese media reported Friday evening that two people were killed during a new series of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, while Iran separately launched ballistic missiles toward Jordan in an escalation that led to interceptions being observed from northern Israel.



According to Lebanese reports, two people traveling on a motorcycle were killed when a strike hit the village of Roumine. Additional strikes were reportedly carried out in the Nabatieh area and Al-Fawqa. Soon afterward, people near the Sea of Galilee recorded footage of interceptions taking place in the sky.



Interceptions Seen Over the Sea of Galilee



The Israeli military said the interceptions occurred over Jordan, although their trajectory made them appear to observers in northern Israel as though they were directly overhead.



Iranian media initially reported a “powerful explosion in Jordan.” Iran’s Fars News Agency and Saudi outlet Al Hadath subsequently reported that missiles had been launched toward a U.S. base in the kingdom.



The Israeli strikes in Lebanon took place as diplomatic contacts with the Lebanese government continued.



Only one day earlier, five prisoners had been released and returned to Lebanon.



Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities were searching for the remains of former leaders of the country’s Jewish community who were abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations during the 1980s.



Operation on Ali Taher Ridge



The latest Israeli strikes in Lebanon also came amid the IDF’s ongoing operation on the Ali Taher Ridge, a strategically important Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.



On Thursday, following a Reuters report that Iran had threatened to “respond forcefully” to Israeli activity on the ridge, the IDF disclosed details about the operation and its objectives. Israeli security officials said that while IDF forces had trapped dozens of Hezbollah terrorists inside the underground complex, there was no evidence supporting Iran’s assertion that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had also been trapped there.



Israeli troops located openings that Hezbollah terrorists could potentially use to escape the underground complex. The forces monitored those exits and blocked Hezbollah attempts to provide assistance to those remaining inside from outside the facility.



Hezbollah initially attempted to move equipment to its personnel inside the complex. However, security officials said conditions became increasingly difficult as the operation progressed, putting additional pressure on the organization.



During the fighting, Israeli forces positioned around the exits exchanged fire with Hezbollah terrorists attempting to flee the complex. According to the IDF, dozens were killed. The military said its forces gained operational control through ambushes, attacks on tunnel shafts, grenades, drones and other strikes.



Iranian officials have continued to claim that dozens of Iranians and Lebanese remain trapped at the site. The IDF, however, said Thursday that its clearing operation against Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure on Ali Taher Ridge had been completed and that every terrorist inside had either been killed or escaped.



“The operation to neutralize the underground infrastructure that was cleared of terrorists is continuing, and once it is completed, the IDF will redeploy in a renewed defensive posture,” the military said.



According to the IDF, the underground complex included command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen. The facilities enabled Hezbollah forces to carry out combat operations while remaining underground for prolonged periods.



The military described the site as “strategic infrastructure built over two decades, financed and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”



Ballistic missiles reportedly targeted a U.S. base in Jordan, with interceptions visible from northern Israel, as Israeli forces carried out another round of strikes in southern Lebanon



Lebanese media reported Friday evening that two people were killed during a new series of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, while Iran separately launched ballistic missiles toward Jordan in an escalation that led to interceptions being observed from northern Israel.



According to Lebanese reports, two people traveling on a motorcycle were killed when a strike hit the village of Roumine. Additional strikes were reportedly carried out in the Nabatieh area and Al-Fawqa. Soon afterward, people near the Sea of Galilee recorded footage of interceptions taking place in the sky.



Interceptions Seen Over the Sea of Galilee



The Israeli military said the interceptions occurred over Jordan, although their trajectory made them appear to observers in northern Israel as though they were directly overhead.



Iranian media initially reported a “powerful explosion in Jordan.” Iran’s Fars News Agency and Saudi outlet Al Hadath subsequently reported that missiles had been launched toward a U.S. base in the kingdom.



The Israeli strikes in Lebanon took place as diplomatic contacts with the Lebanese government continued.



Only one day earlier, five prisoners had been released and returned to Lebanon.



Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities were searching for the remains of former leaders of the country’s Jewish community who were abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations during the 1980s.



Operation on Ali Taher Ridge



The latest Israeli strikes in Lebanon also came amid the IDF’s ongoing operation on the Ali Taher Ridge, a strategically important Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.



On Thursday, following a Reuters report that Iran had threatened to “respond forcefully” to Israeli activity on the ridge, the IDF disclosed details about the operation and its objectives. Israeli security officials said that while IDF forces had trapped dozens of Hezbollah terrorists inside the underground complex, there was no evidence supporting Iran’s assertion that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had also been trapped there.



Israeli troops located openings that Hezbollah terrorists could potentially use to escape the underground complex. The forces monitored those exits and blocked Hezbollah attempts to provide assistance to those remaining inside from outside the facility.



Hezbollah initially attempted to move equipment to its personnel inside the complex. However, security officials said conditions became increasingly difficult as the operation progressed, putting additional pressure on the organization.



During the fighting, Israeli forces positioned around the exits exchanged fire with Hezbollah terrorists attempting to flee the complex. According to the IDF, dozens were killed. The military said its forces gained operational control through ambushes, attacks on tunnel shafts, grenades, drones and other strikes.



Iranian officials have continued to claim that dozens of Iranians and Lebanese remain trapped at the site. The IDF, however, said Thursday that its clearing operation against Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure on Ali Taher Ridge had been completed and that every terrorist inside had either been killed or escaped.



“The operation to neutralize the underground infrastructure that was cleared of terrorists is continuing, and once it is completed, the IDF will redeploy in a renewed defensive posture,” the military said.



According to the IDF, the underground complex included command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators, living quarters, showers and a kitchen. The facilities enabled Hezbollah forces to carry out combat operations while remaining underground for prolonged periods.



The military described the site as “strategic infrastructure built over two decades, financed and planned by the Iranian terror regime.”

Iran Fires Missiles Toward Jordan as Israel Expands Strikes in Lebanon

PHOTO GALLERY: Trump Oval Office Meeting with the Delegation of Rebbes

A man armed with a knife was shot and killed by NYPD officers on the Brooklyn Bridge early Friday after he allegedly charged toward them, according to sources. The deadly encounter disrupted the morning commute.



The shooting comes just three days after NYPD officers were forced to shoot and kill a knife-wielding woman in Times Square who allegedly charged at police after attacking two people, one of whom was fatally wounded.



Police were responding to a report involving a person in distress when they encountered the armed man, who sources said had climbed onto the bridge’s cables.



According to sources, the man suddenly moved toward the officers with the knife, prompting police to open fire. He was fatally struck in the shooting. The NYPD had not immediately released an official account confirming the circumstances.



The incident led authorities to shut down the Brooklyn Bridge’s pedestrian walkway Friday morning as police investigated the shooting.



All lanes carrying traffic toward Brooklyn were closed at approximately 4:15 a.m. and were still blocked around 7:30 a.m., according to 511NY.



The NYPD urged the public to stay away from the area and cautioned commuters to anticipate delays “due to ongoing police activity.”



Few additional details were immediately available as the investigation continued.

Brooklyn Bridge Horror: NYPD Shoots Knife-Wielding Man After He Charges at Officers

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says fear of the Democratic Party’s growing progressive wing is making bipartisan cooperation increasingly difficult, particularly on permitting reform.



Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argued that the Democratic Party’s growing progressive movement is making it harder for lawmakers from both parties to work together on permitting reform and other issues where bipartisan agreement might otherwise be possible.



&#8220;That dynamic is dangerous right now because they are terrified of the extreme left. Finding a middle ground on ideological issues right now is … the prospects for success, particularly between now and election day, are not high,&#8221; Cruz said at an energy summit hosted Thursday by the Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures.



&#8220;Schumer is truly terrified right now,&#8221; he added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.



Cruz’s comments highlight the potential impact of the progressive surge ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, particularly on Democratic leaders in Congress who may be trying to balance traditional party priorities with pressure from an increasingly influential left-wing faction.



&#8220;They’re in the middle of a revolution,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;Their problem is that they’re very driven by their interest groups. They’re captured by their activists.&#8221;



Cruz made the remarks while speaking at an energy affordability summit hosted by the Club for Growth, a free-market organization that promotes limited government. Permitting reform was a major focus of the gathering, an issue where Republicans and Democrats have identified areas of potential common ground.



Although lawmakers continue to disagree over the scope of regulatory changes and how aggressively permitting rules should be revised, participants emphasized that bipartisan efforts to reduce bureaucratic obstacles could make it easier to develop energy projects across the United States.



Energy Secretary Chris Wright pointed to nuclear power as one area where Republicans and Democrats could potentially find common ground. He argued that regulatory barriers have slowed the development of nuclear energy, despite its growing importance as an alternative to fossil fuels.



&#8220;We have built three new nuclear reactors in like the last 40 years. It went quickly from: we didn’t even know about the technology, to 20% of U.S. electric generation from nuclear reactors,&#8221; Wright said.



&#8220;We created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission… in the name of safety, no malintent. But since that creation, we’ve built almost no reactors in the United States since. If it’s so uncertain and so long to permit something, it’s just not worth investing in. That’s awful! Nuclear is just an awesome energy technology.&#8221;



Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said much of the permitting debate has focused less on partisan disputes and more on the practical question of how reforms could actually be implemented.



&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of conversations going on not about who&#8217;s going to fight with whom or who is going to take credit for it, but rather what is the mechanics of getting it done,&#8221; Moreno said at the Club for Growth event.



Moreno also argued that successful permitting reform could deliver benefits that appeal to lawmakers across the political spectrum.



&#8220;When it comes to permitting reform, if we can actually pull this off, Scott, what does it mean? It means lower energy prices for all Americans, us taking better care of our environment, being good stewards for the next generation. Those are worthy goals that should unite all of us, and I&#8217;m hopeful that we can get that done,&#8221; Moreno said, speaking to conservative commentator Scott Jennings, who moderated the event.



Despite the optimism expressed by several participants, including Cruz, the Texas senator cautioned that the influence of progressive lawmakers and activists within the Democratic Party could make bipartisan negotiations more difficult.



&#8220;It is not the case that every Senate Democrat is a Marxist or Islamist. What is the case is that every Senate Democrat is terrified of the Marxists and Islamists. Because that’s where the energy is in their party, that’s where the power is, that’s where the money is; it&#8217;s where the young people are. I think Mamdani is the single most powerful Democrat in the country,&#8221; Cruz said, referring to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.



Mamdani, a self-described socialist, has become a prominent figure on the Democratic Party’s left. Since his rise to power earlier this year, several candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America have won significant primary contests, including races in which longtime Democratic incumbents were defeated.



Among the notable contests was the New York race involving socialist candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., a longtime member of Congress and former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.



In Colorado, another socialist candidate, Melat Kiros, defeated Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who had represented her district for three decades.



Cruz argued that the growing strength of progressive candidates is creating additional pressure on Democratic lawmakers who might otherwise be inclined to cooperate with Republicans.



He said that political pressure makes it increasingly difficult for Democrats to distance themselves from the party’s progressive activists and candidates.



Cruz also questioned whether Democratic leaders are prepared to challenge the momentum of the party’s left flank.



&#8220;Look, Schumer is known for a lot of things but acts of principle and courage are not among them,&#8221; Cruz said.

Ted Cruz Warns Democratic Party’s Leftward Shift Is Blocking Bipartisan Action, Names ‘Most Powerful Democrat’

Authorities spent Thursday and Friday trying to ease concerns over chemicals released into the Mediterranean roughly a kilometer (0.6 miles) from Israel’s southern coastline. The substances were used in an effort to combat an algae outbreak that had previously brought five of the country’s six desalination facilities to a standstill.



According to Channel 13, the Water Authority initially carried out the operation without publicly announcing it, dispersing a mixture of substances, including substantial amounts of copper sulfate from the air over a roughly nine-kilometer (5.6-mile) section of coastline.



Following the disclosure, the Health Ministry ordered a temporary suspension of fishing in the affected area. Officials stressed, however, that no confirmed danger had been identified and said the restriction was being imposed strictly as a precaution while additional information was gathered. Authorities did not prohibit people from eating fish.



The Energy and Water Ministry said in a statement that “the targeted dispersion of authorized substances in the sea was carried out with the approval of the interministerial Committee [for granting permits to dump substances] led by the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Health Ministry. The substances do not endanger bathers; environmental monitoring is currently underway in the area, and results are expected soon.” The ministry also said that drinking water remained “completely safe for drinking and household use without any concern.”



The Environmental Protection Ministry said the Health Ministry had examined the substances both before and during deliberations by the interministerial committee. According to the ministry, the committee authorized “targeted activity, within a defined time and space, and subject to special and stringent conditions.”



It added: “The approval included restrictions on the location and method of substance dispersion, environmental monitoring and documentation, continuous tracking of current directions, and immediate cessation in the event of flow toward the shore or a risk of harm to wildlife.”



Officials said the substances had been released in carefully controlled amounts and were selected because they would rapidly disperse and break down in seawater. Any additional treatment, the ministry said, would be “professionally evaluated based on findings” and could only proceed after receiving a new permit.



But Prof. Nadav Davidovitch, who heads the School of Public Health at Ben-Gurion University, criticized the response, saying that “the revelation regarding the dispersion of toxic substances near Israel’s coasts as a response to the algae crisis is further testimony to ongoing helplessness and crisis management in a firefighting mode, rather than a broad, in-depth vision that must focus on prevention and preparedness. Our growing reliance on desalinated drinking water brings numerous challenges, both in routine times and emergencies, certainly in light of climate change and the need to account for various environmental impacts.”



Davidovitch also warned that “neglect of the marine environment and the failure to address the root causes of pollution come back to bite us like a boomerang.”



Desalination has become a central component of Israel’s water system, supplying approximately 80 percent of the country’s potable water.



The recent algae outbreak had forced five desalination facilities to close in an unprecedented shutdown. The algae was carried northward by ocean currents and waves originating near Egypt’s Nile Delta.



All of the affected facilities had returned to full operation by Thursday.



The shutdown had previously led local authorities to suspend irrigation and other nonessential public-space water uses across the country. Water supplies to agricultural communities in southern Israel were also temporarily curtailed as officials worked to manage the disruption.

Desalination Crisis Triggers Emergency Sea Treatment as Officials Move to Reassure Public

Today, Thursday&#8217;s, meeting at the White House was, on the record, purely symbolic and Hostoric — but the Rebbes who met with the President, including the anti-Tzioni Satmar Rebbes, presented the American president with a letter demanding his intervention on the issue of the IDF draft crisis and requested help with the fact that U.S. citizens holding dual citizenship are unable to leave Israel.



The letter delivered to the President was initiated by Chotzvei Chomas — the Aid Organization for IDF draft refusers, a resource and counseling center headed by Eida Hacharedis Askan R&#8217; Shimon Shisha.



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0598-5.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30108" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0598-5.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0598-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0598-5-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Donald J. Trump meets with Rabbis for Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, in the Oval Office at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)</figcaption></figure>



The letter, dated September 3, 2026, was signed by all the Rebbes before being submitted to the President. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="711" height="1024" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2627575-711x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-30113" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2627575-711x1024.png 711w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2627575-208x300.png 208w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2627575-768x1105.png 768w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2627575.png 900w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px" /></figure>



It reads: &#8220;In the name of tens of thousands of Jews living in Israel today, we write to ask for your help in a matter of the greatest importance to us.&#8221;



The letter continues, thanking the President for the kindness he has shown the Jewish people even before taking office, and states: &#8220;It is in light of this longstanding relationship that we plead for your intervention on behalf of 100,000 students attending yeshivos and rabbinical seminaries in Israel. There is no need for us to explain to you the unique way of life of charedi Jewry, commonly known here in the United States as the ultra-Orthodox community.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-1112-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30112" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-1112-1.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-1112-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-1112-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Donald J. Trump meets with Rabbis for Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, in the Oval Office at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)</figcaption></figure>



&#8220;For close to two centuries, students attending recognized religious schools and training to become ordained ministers have been exempt from conscription into the U.S. Army. For more than seventy-five years, a similar exemption existed in Israel. It was recently revoked—a step that has had a devastating effect on the charedi community,&#8221; the letter states.



They add: &#8220;It seems inconceivable that, in the Land of Israel, the religious liberties of Jews are being denied. Tragically, however, this is the case. Tens of thousands of G-d-fearing students, whose only desire is to continue living according to the traditions of their forefathers—going all the way back to the Patriarchs—are living in genuine fear.&#8221;



The letter states: &#8220;As we write these words, dozens of students are incarcerated in military prisons for refusing to enlist. Every charedi Jew of draft age walks the streets with trepidation and goes to sleep at night knowing that he may be arrested at any time—solely because of his religious beliefs.&#8221;



On the issue of dual citizens, the Rebbes write: &#8220;They are unable to leave the country for any reason, including to seek shelter elsewhere. It is our understanding that thousands of American citizens who hold dual citizenship are unable to return home.&#8221;



The letter closes with a direct appeal: &#8220;Mr. President: Not since the days of the Founding Fathers has the world seen a leader so determined to defend religious freedom. You will go down in history alongside Thomas Jefferson and George Washington for your courageous efforts to help Jews throughout the world practice their faith in tranquility.



We respectfully ask you to direct your administration to take up this matter with the highest echelons of the Israeli government and urge its leaders to follow your example by protecting, rather than persecuting, the religious liberties of ultra-Orthodox Jews.&#8221;



 The letter was signed, &#8220;With profound gratitude and our warmest blessings.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0557-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-30114" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0557-2.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0557-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/P20260903MR-0557-2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Donald J. Trump meets with Rabbis for Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, in the Oval Office at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)</figcaption></figure>

The Document the Rebbes Submitted to Trump

South Korea is preparing to send troops to the Strait of Hormuz as part of an international effort to safeguard the crucial waterway and maintain the flow of maritime traffic, according to reports from South Korean media.



The government is expected to present a motion to the National Assembly seeking parliamentary approval to deploy South Korean forces outside the country.



South Korean officials told JTBC News that they were &#8220;reviewing deployment plans&#8221; aimed at helping stabilize the Strait of Hormuz and safeguard South Korean commercial shipping. The government also indicated that it expects lawmakers to approve the motion without significant delay.



Even if the legislation advances quickly through parliament, the final vote is expected to coincide with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung&#8217;s anticipated trip to the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for September 18-28, according to the Korean East Asia Daily (Dong-A Ilbo).



Despite preparations for a potential deployment, Seoul has yet to determine the precise scope of the mission, including which military assets would be sent and how many personnel would participate.



South Korea already maintains an anti-piracy naval presence in the Gulf of Aden, where its forces have operated since 2009 as part of efforts to counter threats from Somali pirates.



US President Donald Trump called on South Korea as early as March to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. Before the strait was closed, South Korea sourced roughly 70% of its oil imports from the Middle East, underscoring the strategic importance of the waterway to the country&#8217;s energy security.



The potential deployment comes amid worsening relations between Israel and South Korea. Tensions increased after President Lee criticized the detention of activists from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, including prominent South Korean activist Kim Ah-hyun.



Relations also came under further strain in April, when Israel&#8217;s Foreign Ministry strongly criticized President Lee after he shared a video that purported to depict Israeli troops torturing and killing a Palestinian child. Lee said the actions of the IDF were &#8220;no different from the Jewish massacre&#8221; carried out by the Nazis. His comments were made on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

South Korea Moves Toward Hormuz Deployment as Tensions Threaten Vital Shipping Route

Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Trump&#8217;s Special Envoy on Combating Antisemitism, was seen Thursday leaving the home of Emirati ruler Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) in the UAE, Belaaz has learned.



 A source tells Belaaz that Kaploun met with several ministers during the visit and toured the Abrahamic House synagogue.



 The visit comes on the heels of his ongoing efforts with the Saudi government to change its curriculum and remove antisemitic rhetoric.



 When asked for a comment, Kaploun&#8217;s office told Belaaz they do not discuss the ambassador&#8217;s travel itinerary with the press.

Trump’s Antisemitism Envoy Kaploun Seen Leaving Home of UAE Ruler MBZ, Toured Abrahamic House Synagogue

A delegation of Rabbanim met with President Trump at the White House Wednesday in what attendees are calling a historic meeting.



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Before the Oval Office sit-down, the group met in the Roosevelt Room with Jewish White House council Will Scharf and White House Jewish liason Martin Marks.



Belaaz is told Vice President Vance made a surprise stop-by during that time, where he praised raising large families. Vance&#8217;s visit came shortly after Vance held his first White House press briefing in over 40 days, where he addressed recent criticism on his friendship with Tucker Carlson and refused to call out the antisemite.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="507" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2573959.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29731" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2573959.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2573959-300x169.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2573959-767x432.jpg 767w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></figure>



During the Oval Office meeting, the Rebbes thanked President Trump for the First Step Act and for administration efforts on expanding access to IVF treatment.



Belaaz is told Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both attended the meeting between President Trump and the Rebbes. 



Sources describe the atmosphere as warm, with President Trump laughing with the delegation at points. The Satmar Rebbe Reb Zalman Leib asked the president to keep &#8220;our brothers in Israel&#8221; in mind, Belaaz was told.



<div> </div>



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Belaaz is further told that the Bobover Rebbe&#8217;s gabbai was initially not permitted into the Oval Office. After Kushner received a call or message from billionaire Bobov donor Izzy Englander, Kushner stepped out himself and brought the gabbai in.



Belaaz had the honor to speak with BMG Rosh Yeshivah HaGaon Reb Malkiel Kotler Shlita following his meeting with President Trump. Reb Malkiel shared that the conversation with the President was light and calm, with laughing throughout, and that the Rabbanim presented President Trump with thank-you letters.

Delegation of Rebbes Holds Historic White House Meeting With President Trump

Israel released five Lebanese detainees on Thursday in a move aimed at advancing efforts to bring back the remains of leaders of Lebanon’s former Jewish communities, according to an announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office.



The five detainees were arrested in recent months. The move follows a similar step taken a year ago, when Israel released five Lebanese detainees captured during fighting in Lebanon as part of negotiations with the Lebanese government.



The Prime Minister’s Office said the five individuals released Thursday are civilians and have no affiliation with Hezbollah. They were detained during fighting, but were not identified as members of the Iran-backed organization.



Israel-Lebanon talks reportedly include return of Jewish remains



The reported prisoner release comes amid negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over a possible exchange involving Lebanese detainees and the remains of Jews buried in Lebanese cemeteries.



On August 10, the Hezbollah-linked Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Israel and Lebanon were discussing a &#8220;civilian prisoner exchange deal.&#8221; According to the report, Israeli officials had raised the possibility of transferring the remains of Jews buried in Lebanese cemeteries to Israel.



The issue reportedly emerged during talks concerning Lebanese prisoners and detainees held by Israel. The discussions focused in particular on individuals Israel considers civilians whose ties to Hezbollah were unclear, but who were nevertheless detained because they were viewed as posing a danger to IDF forces.



Israeli representatives reportedly highlighted what Al-Akhbar characterized as a substantial number of Jewish remains located in cemeteries in Beirut and Sidon.



Sources familiar with the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post that the latest round of discussions between Israel and Lebanon was &#8220;positive.&#8221; Israeli and Lebanese military representatives participated in the talks, which were held in Rome.



Idan Kweller and Shir Perets contributed to this report.

Israel Releases Five Lebanese Detainees in Bid to Secure Return of Jewish Remains

Clalit, which provides healthcare services to more than half of Israel’s population, has secured an order of more than one million injectable influenza vaccines for the coming season, along with 25,000 nasal-spray doses. The nasal vaccine is designated for children and young adults between the ages of two and 49. Supplies are scheduled to arrive in Israel in several shipments during September and October, and Clalit plans to begin administering vaccines as soon as the first shipment is received.



The vaccination campaign will initially operate through designated vaccination centers and larger clinics. As more doses become available, vaccinations will be expanded to Clalit clinics throughout the country. The gradual rollout is intended to prioritize early protection for people considered most vulnerable to serious complications from influenza.



Ronen Nudelman, Clalit’s deputy director general and head of the community division, said the healthcare provider is prepared to carry out another extensive vaccination campaign. He noted that close to one million Clalit members received flu vaccinations during the previous winter, including approximately 55% of members aged 65 and above.



Nudelman explained that the speed of this year’s campaign will be determined by the arrival of vaccine shipments. Once each delivery reaches Israel, the doses will be rapidly allocated among vaccination centers and Clalit clinics across the country.



Sefy Sobel Roitblat, Clalit’s head of community nursing and director of its influenza vaccination campaign, warned that influenza can result in serious health complications, including pneumonia and hospitalization. She described vaccination as a well-established and effective way to lower the risk of illness and severe complications. Roitblat added that early vaccination gives the immune system sufficient time to develop protection before influenza activity generally increases during the winter, while reducing the likelihood of infection by approximately 40% to 60%.



Dr. Bat-Sheva Gotsman, an infectious disease specialist and Clalit community consultant, cautioned against treating influenza as a minor illness. She pointed to research indicating that the risk of suffering a heart attack may increase sixfold during the first week following an influenza infection, while the risk of stroke can also rise. Gotsman said influenza can occasionally trigger inflammation of the heart muscle and noted that vaccination may provide cardiovascular benefits in addition to protecting against respiratory disease.



Clalit recommends influenza vaccination for the general population beginning at six months of age. The recommendation applies broadly across age groups, with vaccination intended to provide protection ahead of the winter flu season.



Members of Clalit Mushlam who have a prescription from a physician can also obtain the antiviral drug Tamiflu at Clalit pharmacies with a 50% subsidy.

Clalit Launches Early Nationwide Flu Vaccination Drive Ahead of 2026–27 Winter Season

Hezbollah is believed to have established an underground command facility and stockpiled weapons inside the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategically important position overlooking large parts of southeastern Lebanon.



Iran has warned the United States that it would respond with a large-scale attack if Israel launches a full-scale assault on the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, according to Reuters. Three officials familiar with the warning said Iranian military personnel are believed to be deployed alongside Hezbollah fighters in the area.



The warning, reportedly issued in August, highlights Iran&#8217;s ongoing and direct role in ground operations in southern Lebanon.



The Ali al-Taher ridge is considered a key Hezbollah position, with the group believed to have constructed an underground command center and weapons storage facilities there. Its elevated position provides a strategic view across southeastern Lebanon, making it a major flashpoint in the continuing Israel-Hezbollah conflict.



Hezbollah has publicly maintained that it controls the ridge and would resist any Israeli attempt to advance on the position. The group has referred to a &#8220;facility&#8221; at the site but has not disclosed additional information. Israel&#8217;s military, meanwhile, has taken control of territory south of the ridge and has designated the area as one of its &#8220;primary operational focuses.&#8221;



Two regional officials who were briefed by Iranian authorities told Reuters that the warning was transmitted through Oman, which has previously played a mediating role. The officials also said that more than a dozen members of Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including at least two senior officers, were deployed alongside Hezbollah fighters at the ridge.



A third official said the warning was conveyed around the middle of August and claimed that pressure from Washington had contributed to Israel postponing an assault on the ridge. A White House official rejected the claim, stating, &#8220;this is not accurate.&#8221;



Israel&#8217;s Maariv newspaper, citing a military source, reported that Israeli authorities assess that no IRGC personnel remain at the ridge. The report also said some Hezbollah fighters may have died after running short of supplies. Israel has reportedly sought to isolate the position, intercepting drone deliveries carrying food and water in an attempt to make the site &#8220;uninhabitable.&#8221;



Even with Iran&#8217;s warning, a Lebanese source and a senior Lebanese security official said Israel could still launch an operation to seize the ridge in the coming weeks. Hezbollah has warned that a major assault on Ali al-Taher would constitute a return to full-scale war and could trigger missile attacks against communities in northern Israel.

Report: Iran Warns US of Major Attack if Israel Launches Offensive on Hezbollah Stronghold in Southern Lebanon

The delegation of Rebbes and Rosh Yeshiva is set to meet with President Trump at the White House on Thursday, in what would be the first meeting of its kind for this administration.



Thursday&#8217;s official White House daily guidance lists a 12:30 PM closed-press meeting in the Oval Office — the same time slot the delegation is expected there.



Belaaz has learned the delegation will travel in Thursday itself, rather than arriving the night before and staying over.



The Rabbanim will first sit down in the Roosevelt Room with senior White House officials, including Jewish liaison Martin Marks and Staff Secretary Will Scharf. They will then join together for a brief meeting with the President in the Oval Office 



Several sources — both inside the White House and within the Jewish community — described the meeting to Belaaz as largely ceremonial, framed as an opportunity to thank the President for his support of the Jewish people and to underscore Jewish community backing ahead of the midterms.



Belaaz has learned that the invite list drew some frustration from pro-Israel and Zionist organizations over which Rebbes were included. Sources say the delegation was told in advance not to raise the ongoing IDF draft-arrest crisis with the President during the meeting. Some attendees may still raise personal requests — including a pardon for a jailed individual.



Belaaz has also learned the meeting was pushed for by New York Congressman Mike Lawler, who has been working to help secure Jewish community support ahead of the midterms.



The Skverer Rebbe of New Square is not expected to attend due to his age; his eldest son will attend in his place.



This is a developing story.

Rebbes, Rosh Yeshiva Set for Rare Oval Office Meeting with Trump Ahead of Rosh Hashanah

Shin Bet chief David Zini made a special visit Tuesday night to Chabad World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights during his trip to the United States, where he toured the facility and spoke with Bochurim and others at the headquarters.



One source told Belaaz that Zini asked why Jews living in the United States choose to remain there rather than make aliyah to Israel. The conversations also touched on people who work or learn, as well as Moshiach and shlichus.



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Zini’s visit came during a U.S. trip that included high-level security meetings, including a meeting with FBI Director Kash Patel.



Despite visiting 770, sources told us that Zini did not meet with any official Chabad representative.







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Shin Bet Chief David Zini Visits 770 During US Trip – Presses on Jews to Make Aliya

A dramatic shakeup is underway in the United Torah Judaism party, as party rabbis Rav Landau and Rav Hirsch signed a letter in recent hours thanking MK Moshe Gafni for his service and asking him to end his term in the Knesset. Multiple sources confirmed the development to Belaaz.



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 Gafni, one of the longest-serving members of Knesset, was first appointed to his role in the days of Rav Shach and has served for over 30 years. MK Uri Maklev is also expected to retire alongside him.



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 Yaakov Asher, who previously served as mayor of Bnei Brak, is expected to be appointed party chairman in Gafni&#8217;s place. Younger representation is set to take their place in the Knesset.

SCOOP: After 30 Years in the Knesset, Degel HaTorah Rabbis Set to Ask Gafni to Step Down

Israeli defense technology company AITAN has emerged from stealth with $41 million in fresh funding, aiming to expand its combat-tested robotic warfare technology internationally. The latest investment brings the company&#8217;s total capital raised to $54 million.



Modern robotic weapons must be manufactured at scale, delivered even when supply chains are disrupted, and continuously modified as battlefield conditions evolve. Beyond individual machines, militaries are increasingly seeking interconnected autonomous systems capable of communicating, coordinating and operating together as a unified force.



AITAN is positioning itself at the center of that transformation, betting that the future of warfare will increasingly depend on robotic forces and that nations developing those capabilities will want greater control over the underlying technology.



The company unveiled its strategy Wednesday under the banner of &#8220;Robotic Sovereignty-as-a-Service,&#8221; alongside a $41 million funding round intended to support international expansion and additional development of its autonomous weapons technology. Deep33 and Dell Technologies Capital co-led the financing, which also included participation from Coinbase, Pinterest board member Gokul Rajaram, Bling Capital founder Benjamin Ling and Scribble Ventures&#8217; Kevin Weil.



The new funding raises AITAN&#8217;s total financing to $54 million.



From Unit 8200 to the Battlefield



AITAN says the technology behind its pitch has already undergone extensive use by the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli national security organizations. According to the company, its robotic platforms have logged more than 500,000 combat hours since 2023 across missions involving unmanned systems, command and control, swarming, edge AI and autonomous operations.



That operational exposure has provided AITAN with a rare real-world testing environment: a conflict in which robotic systems have progressed from experimental tools to increasingly important components of battlefield operations.



&#8220;Three years later, with our technology already having a significant operational impact on the ground, the time is right to expand our reach and bring these capabilities to Israel&#8217;s allies around the world,&#8221; said Udi Oster, AITAN&#8217;s co-CEO.



AITAN was founded by Oster and Daniel Almog, Israeli and American entrepreneurs who first met while serving as officers in the IDF&#8217;s elite Unit 8200. The two subsequently moved into the technology sector and founded Tapingo, an online food-ordering marketplace that was later acquired by Grubhub.



The events of Oct. 7, 2023, ultimately drew both founders back into the defense sector.



Their longtime friend and former colleague, Or Levy, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, where his wife was killed. Oster&#8217;s younger brother, Eitan, was subsequently killed while serving as a captain in the Egoz commando unit during Israel&#8217;s ground operation in Lebanon.



AITAN was named in his memory. The name also references the Hebrew word &#8220;eitan,&#8221; which means resilience.



&#8220;When the Swords of Iron War broke out, it was clear to us that our sole objective was to help our friends and family members win and return home safely, whether from captivity or from the battlefield,&#8221; Oster said.



AITAN&#8217;s founders contend that the conflicts of the past three years have highlighted a major weakness in conventional approaches to military robotics. Unlike traditional weapons, robotic platforms cannot simply be bought, stored and expected to remain effective for years without modification.



Their hardware, software and artificial-intelligence systems must evolve alongside the battlefield.



Supply-chain disruptions can make an otherwise capable platform difficult to sustain, while new enemy tactics can rapidly render existing software ineffective. Operating hundreds or thousands of individual robots also introduces another challenge: coordinating them so that they function as a cohesive force rather than as isolated machines.



AITAN says its technology is built around those challenges, emphasizing mass production, resilience in contested environments and the ability of military customers to develop and maintain their own robotic and AI capabilities.



The company calls this approach &#8220;robotic sovereignty,&#8221; describing a model in which allied nations can build and operate autonomous combat systems without relying on an overseas supplier for every technological update or battlefield adjustment.



Building a Role in Israel&#8217;s Defense Industry



AITAN says it has already established itself within several significant Israeli defense programs.



The company recently secured a joint contract to develop the command-and-control platform for the IDF&#8217;s next-generation attack-drone fleet. It has also received critical design contracts involving major robotic weapons systems.



According to AITAN, its technology is being developed by military veterans and reservists with operational backgrounds, enabling battlefield experience and feedback to be incorporated directly into subsequent generations of its systems.



That practical experience is a central part of AITAN&#8217;s argument that Israel holds a distinctive advantage in military robotics.



&#8220;Israel is one of the only places in the world with the combat experience and flight hours to develop robotic weapon systems at scale,&#8221; said Lior Prosor, a general partner at Deep33. &#8220;That gives AITAN a difficult-to-replicate advantage and a significant opportunity to bring that capability to allied nations.&#8221;



For investors, however, AITAN&#8217;s opportunity extends beyond individual drones, ground robots or other autonomous platforms.



The broader investment thesis centers on a future military environment built around networks of autonomous machines. Under that model, different robotic systems could operate through shared command-and-control infrastructure while increasingly making decisions at the edge, close to active combat zones.



&#8220;We believe Physical AI will be one of the most important technology shifts of the coming decade,&#8221; said Yair Snir, managing director at Dell Technologies Capital. &#8220;But first, we need to solve the challenge of coordinating highly complex autonomous systems in challenging real-world environments.&#8221;



Snir said AITAN had recognized early that the future of defense would involve &#8220;intelligent networks of disparate systems operating together.&#8221;



AITAN plans to use the $41 million financing to advance its technology, enter additional international markets and expand its workforce worldwide.



Although the company is only now publicly emerging from stealth, AITAN is portraying itself as a company shaped by a battlefield where autonomous systems have already become increasingly significant and as a potential supplier of the technology and infrastructure allied militaries will need for the next phase of warfare.

Israeli Defense Startup AITAN Emerges With $41 Million to Scale Autonomous Warfare Worldwide

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two civilians were killed and six others injured after Russian aerial attacks struck a city in central Ukraine overnight and into Wednesday, according to local officials. The Kyiv and Odesa regions were also heavily targeted in the latest wave of Russian strikes.



The aerial campaign has grown increasingly intense as Russia’s war against Ukraine moves deeper into its fifth year. Despite the escalating attacks, the battlefield across eastern and southern Ukraine has remained largely stalemated, while U.S.-backed diplomatic efforts to secure a settlement have so far failed to establish a clear route toward peace.



The confrontation took another turn Tuesday night when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued sharply contrasting warnings about what could come next.



Zelenskyy cautioned international airlines against assuming Russian airspace was safe, pointing to Ukraine’s expanding campaign of long-range drone strikes inside Russia. He said the pressure was designed to force Moscow toward negotiations and warned that “Russian airspace will effectively be closing.”



Putin responded by accusing Zelenskyy of “state terrorism” and declared: “We don’t negotiate with terrorists.”



Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, a government agency, rejected Putin’s accusation, arguing that the Russian president was attempting to redirect responsibility for the conflict away from Moscow.



“A state that itself unleashed this war, that daily commits terror against Ukrainian civilians and destroys cities, is again trying to portray itself as a ‘victim,’” the center said.



The dispute comes as both sides continue to signal that they are prepared to intensify their military pressure rather than ease it. Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drones to strike targets inside Russia, while Moscow continues its extensive missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.



Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin sought to downplay concerns about the effect of Ukrainian drone operations on aviation, saying Russian authorities are continuously taking steps to strengthen flight safety.

Ukraine Under Intensifying Fire as Putin and Zelenskyy Trade Threats Over Escalating Drone War

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched attacks against U.S.-aligned countries in the Gulf early Wednesday, following overnight American military strikes that Iranian authorities said killed people attending a wedding celebration.



The renewed hostilities brought an end to roughly a month of relative calm between Washington and Tehran and intensified concerns over how the conflict can be brought to an end. The war has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted markets around the world and created growing political difficulties for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party as the November midterm elections approach.



Tensions have been building since the weekend, when U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. The American military said the launchers were intended to be used to deploy mines into the strategically important waterway. Iran responded with missile attacks against U.S. military installations in Jordan, but those missiles were intercepted.



The prolonged confrontation is placing additional strain on American military capabilities while pressure on the Trump administration grows in Washington. Iran, meanwhile, is confronting severe economic difficulties, including a weakening currency. Hamidreza Azizi, a senior Iran analyst at the Crisis Group, said neither government can sustain the current situation indefinitely while remaining caught between open warfare and a ceasefire.



“At some point, one of the sides may see a need to escalate in order to break this cycle,” he cautioned. “So that could bring the two sides to a point that they have been trying to avoid until now, which is a full-scale war.”



Gulf nations intercept Iranian attacks



Iranian drones were also launched toward Kuwait late Tuesday, with Kuwaiti defenses intercepting them. A day earlier, the United Arab Emirates reported that it had stopped an Iranian drone over its territorial waters.



Bahrain, home to a major U.S. naval installation, said its air-defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian fire early Wednesday. Bahrain’s military accused Tehran of carrying out “attacks targeting civilians” in a statement.



Kuwait’s government communications center separately reported that an Iranian drone struck a residential complex in the capital shortly after dawn, triggering a fire. Authorities said firefighters brought the blaze under control and reported no deaths or injuries.



Mohsen Rezaei, the recently appointed head of Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council, issued a defiant warning on X, promising that Tehran’s evolving approach to warfare, diplomacy and economic resistance would undermine its opponents.



“You will soon see that Iran’s new strategy on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in confronting the economic blockade will shatter your foundations,” Rezaei said.



The latest exchanges underscore the growing danger that the conflict could expand beyond direct U.S.-Iranian hostilities and increasingly draw neighboring Gulf states into the fighting. With military resources under pressure, Iran facing worsening economic conditions and tensions rising across the region, the possibility of a broader confrontation remains a central concern.

Iran Strikes Gulf Allies After U.S. Bombardment, Raising Fears of Wider Regional War

Leaked records reportedly reveal a covert Moscow-Tehran effort to develop ramjet technology for hypersonic cruise missiles capable of threatening U.S. warships



Russia has secretly assisted Iran in developing hypersonic cruise-missile technology in what the Financial Times described as “one of the most dramatic transfers of strategic military technology from Moscow to Tehran.” An extensive investigation by the newspaper, based on leaked correspondence, travel documents and an examination of military patents, reportedly uncovered details of the program. The initiative began in 2023 and continued even as the United States and Israel conducted military campaigns against Iran.



According to the investigation, the classified effort, known as Project C430L, brought together specialists to help Iran develop a new weapons capability intended to threaten U.S. aircraft carriers, which have been deployed intermittently in the region as well as other naval vessels operating in the Middle East.



“This is the transfer of highly sensitive strategic military technology the kind the Iranians have been trying to obtain for decades,” said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iranian missiles and a senior analyst at Conflict Armament Research. “A program like this requires political approval from the highest levels in Russia.”



At the heart of the project is the development of a ramjet propulsion system. Such engines allow cruise missiles to travel at several times the speed of sound. By combining extreme speed with low-altitude flight, hypersonic cruise missiles can potentially shorten the window available for air-defense systems to detect, track and intercept them.



Hypersonic missiles generally travel at speeds of at least five times the speed of sound. They can also be highly maneuverable and precise, and some are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Roughly seven years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly announced the development of the Kinzhal, or “Dagger,” saying the weapon could strike targets almost anywhere in the world while penetrating U.S. air defenses. Russia has subsequently used the Kinzhal during its war in Ukraine.



The Financial Times reported that Iran has succeeded in developing the propulsion technology involved in the project, although there is currently no evidence that an Iranian hypersonic cruise missile has been deployed operationally. Jim Larson, a former CIA analyst specializing in Iran, said: “This technology would give Iran a strategic weapons system that could threaten U.S. Navy vessels.”



Russian experts reportedly helped Iran overcome technical hurdles



Leaked correspondence reviewed by the newspaper reportedly shows that discussions surrounding the project continued through the summer. While military cooperation between Russia and Iran has been widely documented, C430L is described as evidence of what the report calls a “deeper interaction” because Moscow was not simply providing finished equipment. Instead, Russian assistance reportedly gave Iranian engineers the practical expertise needed to develop the weapons system themselves.



The effort was reportedly coordinated by Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state-owned arms exporter, together with NPO Mash. The United States sanctioned NPO Mash in 2014.



According to the investigation, senior Russian officials and engineers traveled to Iran even before the project’s formal contract was signed in November 2023. Correspondence reportedly shows Russian specialists examining the performance of a system Iran had already developed and providing technical assistance to improve it. In April 2025, a proposal was reportedly made to send a 24-member Russian delegation to Iran for technical consultations connected to the project.



Hinz emphasized the importance of transferring expertise rather than simply providing hardware. “Russia has focused on this technology for a long time. People tend to think cooperation like this means sending blueprints, complete missiles or parts of them, but bringing in a 60-year-old engineer who can fly over and solve problems on the ground is an enormous asset.”



The newspaper reported that cooperation under Project C430L continued into 2026. Neither Iran nor Russia responded to requests for comment regarding the allegations.



Putin and Iran maintain close ties despite U.S. pressure



The revelations come amid continued high-level engagement between Moscow and Tehran. Earlier Tuesday, Putin met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who thanked the Russian leader for his support and told him: “We appreciate your supportive position. The powers do not have the right to attack other countries and violate international frameworks and laws.” Putin, meanwhile, said Russia would continue its trade relationship with Tehran despite the “military-political situation.”



The developments also follow an unusual visit to Russia by CIA Director John Ratcliffe last week. U.S. media organizations, including The Wall Street Journal and Politico, reported that Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow to warn Russian officials against attacking NATO and against providing further assistance to Iran. Officials cited by Politico said the trip was aimed at persuading Moscow to scale back its economic and military support for Tehran.



Washington presses Moscow as military cooperation deepens



A British official who spoke to the outlet said Ratcliffe raised the issue after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened tougher sanctions against countries that continue maintaining economic ties with Iran. According to the official, Ratcliffe made clear that Washington expects Russia to halt the transfer of weapons and defense technology to Iran and urged Moscow not to “overreact” if U.S. sanctions affect Russia.



U.S. reports did not establish whether Ratcliffe held a personal meeting with Putin. President Donald Trump characterized the CIA director’s trip as “semi-routine.” The previous known visit by a CIA director to Russia occurred in November 2021, shortly before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.



NBC reported last month that Russia was continuing to send shipments of ammunition to Iran through a protected and relatively isolated maritime route across the Caspian Sea. The reported cargo included TNT and components used in drones. Although transfers along the route had previously been documented, the U.S. network reported that the volume of material moving between the two countries was larger than previously understood. The Caspian Sea has long served as an important strategic transportation corridor linking Russia and Iran, in part because the United States has no military presence there.



The latest revelations add to a growing body of reporting about the deepening military and strategic relationship between Moscow and Tehran. Russia has also reportedly provided Iran with satellite imagery and drone technology since the beginning of the war with Israel, along with information about the locations of military targets. The reported assistance was intended to help Tehran target U.S. forces, including warships and aircraft. One official who spoke with The Washington Post at the time described the effort as “a fairly comprehensive effort.”If you want, I can also turn this into a more dramatic geopolitical-news style, a professional Reuters/AP-style version, or a more SEO-focused version with a punchier headline and subheadline.

Russia’s Secret Hypersonic Project With Iran: A New Threat to U.S. Aircraft Carriers

In one week from today, party lists must be submitted ahead of the Knesset elections. On the right-wing bloc, a large number of parties are running that won&#8217;t manage to pass the electoral threshold. The fear is that they&#8217;ll burn right-wing votes, bringing down the right&#8217;s rule and Netanyahu&#8217;s government along with it.



 Just last week, former Brigade General Ofer Winter presented his own Knesset list, one that eats into right-wing votes and creates a scenario where Bezalel Smotrich&#8217;s party fails to pass the threshold — costing the Netanyahu bloc 4 seats in a possible coalition.



 In response, the prime minister called on Smotrich over the weekend to unite with Itamar Ben Gvir to prevent votes from being thrown away — but Ben Gvir refused.



 Today, Smotrich announced a merger between his party and for Likud member Moshe Feiglin&#8217;s Zehut party. The merger is meant to guarantee that Religious Zionism passes the threshold, boosting the right-wing bloc&#8217;s chances of winning the election.



 In the week remaining before the list-submission deadline closes, more mergers within the right-wing bloc are expected, aimed at securing Netanyahu&#8217;s victory in the election.

A Dramatic Week in Israeli Politics: The Merger That Could Save Netanyahu’s Government

Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, ignited a political firestorm Monday night after suggesting in a Channel 14 interview that Democrats party chairman Yair Golan may have known in advance about the October 7th massacre.



 Netanyahu said Golan was &#8220;dressed and ready&#8221; in southern Israel in the early morning hours of Oct. 7 — before her husband, the prime minister, was informed of the attack. Pressed directly on whether she believed there was a &#8220;betrayal from within,&#8221; she demurred: &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to talk. I don&#8217;t know. Let there be a real commission of inquiry.&#8221;



 Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff, has said he rushed to the Gaza border area that morning after learning of the attack, arriving armed and alone to help evacuate wounded from the Nova festival massacre site.



 Golan&#8217;s attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter Tuesday demanding Sara Netanyahu issue a public apology within 24 hours and agree to a financial settlement to be donated to Nova survivors. Absent that, the letter warns, Golan will file a defamation suit seeking no less than NIS 2.5 million. The letter argues the interview comments were not legitimate political criticism but &#8220;defamatory and false remarks&#8221; casting Golan as &#8220;a partner to an act of betrayal,&#8221; timed ahead of the upcoming election.



 Sara Netanyahu responded with her own warning letter, rejecting Golan&#8217;s demands and instead demanding he apologize to her within 24 hours — threatening a NIS 1 million suit of her own over his public statements and a separate incident at a hair salon.



 Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the controversy Tuesday evening in a video posted to social media: &#8220;There was no betrayal on October 7th — and my wife didn&#8217;t say that either.&#8221;

Sara Netanyahu Hints at Oct. 7 “Betrayal” by Yair Golan — He Threatens ₪2.5M Libel Suit

Somaliland’s President, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, is expected to travel to Washington in the coming days for his first official visit to the United States since assuming office. The trip comes several months after Israel became the first United Nations member state to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent country.



The planned visit is being viewed as a significant development in Somaliland’s long-running campaign to secure wider international recognition. The territory broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has operated independently for decades, maintaining its own government and institutions despite lacking broad diplomatic recognition.



Israel formally recognized Somaliland in December 2025, opening the door to rapidly expanding relations between the two sides. In June, President Abdullahi traveled to Israel in a landmark visit, where he met with President Isaac Herzog and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.



Somaliland has also opened an embassy in Jerusalem, further underscoring its growing diplomatic ties with Israel.



Despite Israel’s recognition, the possibility of Washington following suit remains uncertain. Following the Israeli announcement, Donald Trump said he was not prepared to recognize Somaliland immediately and wanted to examine the issue before making a decision. President Abdullahi’s upcoming Washington visit could give Hargeisa an opportunity to make its case directly to U.S. officials and advocate for American recognition.



Somaliland’s geographic position makes it particularly important from a strategic perspective. Located in the Horn of Africa near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and major Red Sea shipping routes, the territory occupies a position of potential significance for U.S. and regional security interests.



Somaliland and Israel have already signaled plans to deepen cooperation across a range of sectors, including security, agriculture, water management, healthcare and economic development. A successful diplomatic outreach to Washington could further elevate Somaliland’s international profile and strengthen its campaign for formal recognition.

Somaliland President Heads to Washington in Historic Bid for U.S. Recognition

Defense Minister Israel Katz says a senior Hamas operative was captured in Gaza shortly before his remarks, following a reported raid by an Israeli-supported Palestinian militia in Gaza City that was conducted with Israeli aerial assistance.



Katz did not disclose the identity of the detainee or provide additional operational details. However, an Israeli security source said the individual captured was allegedly the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus.



Speaking from the Gaza border community of Netiv Haasara, Katz said that “even as we stand here, the activity of our forces in Gaza City continues at all times.”



Katz described the capture as part of Israel’s broader effort to actively pursue Hamas operatives rather than wait for potential threats to emerge.



“A short while ago, a senior Hamas terrorist was arrested. This is our policy: We do not wait for threats, we pursue Hamas terrorists, thwart them, and destroy their terror infrastructure,” Katz says.



The reported capture comes amid continuing Israeli military activity in and around Gaza City, as operations against Hamas figures and infrastructure remain ongoing.

Senior Hamas Figure Captured in Gaza as Israeli-Backed Operation Targets Hamas Leadership

President Donald Trump announced a new set of agreements Monday with international pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotechnology firms, expanding his administration’s campaign to reduce healthcare costs for Americans.



The latest agreements involve nine companies, including Astellas, BeOne Medicines, CSL, BridgeBIO, Sun Pharmaceutical, Teva and UCB.



According to Trump, the companies have agreed to provide medications to state Medicaid programs at most-favored-nation prices. During an Oval Office event attended by executives from the companies, Trump characterized the arrangements as “a tremendous discount, which should bring down the cost of your medical care by tremendous amounts.”



Americans continue to pay substantially more for prescription drugs than patients in other developed countries, in many cases nearly three times as much. Trump has been pushing pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring U.S. prices closer to the amounts paid for the same medicines abroad.



The newly announced agreements expand on deals the administration reached beginning last year with 17 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Amgen. Under those arrangements, drugmakers agreed to reduce prices toward levels paid in other developed nations under the administration’s “most-favored-nation” pricing approach.



Those earlier agreements also included reductions for certain federal healthcare programs and provisions allowing some medicines to be sold directly to consumers through a Trump-branded website. In exchange, participating pharmaceutical companies received tariff relief.



Smaller drugmakers have been slower to join



Small and midsize pharmaceutical companies have been more reluctant to participate in the administration’s drug-pricing initiative, according to previous Reuters reporting.



A Reuters report published in June found that Astellas was the only company among that group to have publicly confirmed that it had applied for the Medicaid pricing program at the time. Executives at companies including Ionis Pharmaceuticals had indicated that they saw limited financial incentives for participating.



The financial impact of the new agreements remains uncertain. It is not yet known how much the arrangements will ultimately save either the government or patients. Medicaid already receives substantial discounts from drug manufacturers under existing federal law, while most Medicaid beneficiaries have relatively low out-of-pocket prescription costs.



The White House has staged several prominent events with pharmaceutical executives this year to showcase its efforts to lower healthcare expenses. The campaign comes as the administration seeks to emphasize affordability ahead of the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.



The administration has estimated that its broader drug-pricing initiative including the earlier agreements with major pharmaceutical manufacturers could reduce federal and state spending by $64.3 billion over the next decade. That projection, however, remains speculative.

Trump Unveils Drug-Price Deals With Nine More Pharma Companies as Administration Pushes Affordability

Most major facilities halted as authorities prioritize drinking water; only Hadera remains operational among six large plants



Most of Israel’s privately operated desalination facilities have been temporarily taken offline after unusually high seawater turbidity caused by recent weather conditions disrupted the filtration process, according to the Water Authority.



The shutdowns began Saturday, but officials did not publicly disclose the disruption until Monday. The resulting reduction in available freshwater has affected agricultural supplies across southern Israel, with water deliveries to farms in the Ramat Negev Regional Council suspended entirely.



The desalination plants in Hadera and Eilat remain operational, along with 20 smaller facilities operated by national water company Mekorot.



The Water Authority said the country’s national water system remains stable and that Mekorot has increased production from every available source.



“According to current estimates, some of the desalination facilities will resume operations soon,” the authority said. “Professional teams are closely monitoring water quality and are prepared for every scenario, with the goal of returning all facilities to operation as soon as the seawater becomes clearer.”



High turbidity makes desalination difficult because suspended particles in seawater can clog filtration membranes and interfere with the plants’ ability to process water.



By Monday afternoon, Hadera was the only one of Israel’s six major desalination plants still producing water.



The Ashkelon and Ashdod facilities were shut down Saturday, followed by the Sorek and Palmachim plants, which stopped operating Sunday afternoon or during the overnight hours.



“There is hope that Sorek B will begin operating soon because the samples from there look good,” Water Authority Director-General Yehezkel Lifshitz said.



The Hadera desalination facility produces approximately 120 million to 130 million cubic meters of water each year.



Despite the widespread shutdowns, the facilities are expected to resume production once seawater turbidity returns to acceptable levels.



Together, the major facilities currently offline have an annual production capacity of roughly 750 million cubic meters, not including Sorek B at full capacity. As a result, only an estimated 15% to 17% of normal annual desalination production is currently operating.



The timing of each plant’s restart could vary even among facilities located relatively close to one another because their seawater intake points differ in both depth and location.



Southern Israel faces the greatest impact



Southern Israel is experiencing the most significant effects because its water network has less capacity to move supplies from other regions of the country.



With available supplies constrained, authorities are giving priority to household drinking water rather than agricultural and landscaping needs.



Officials are also working to increase water production from the Sea of Galilee and from groundwater wells to help offset the reduced desalination capacity.



Northern Israel has experienced considerably less disruption because the region depends more heavily on the Sea of Galilee and groundwater rather than desalinated water.



Farmers who primarily use treated wastewater have also been largely spared from the restrictions. The measures are focused mainly on southern agricultural operations that depend on freshwater, including water produced through desalination.



The Eshkol Regional Council issued an urgent notice to farmers, asking them to immediately cut back on freshwater use for irrigation and landscaping.



“Following disruptions at national desalination facilities caused by the rains, there is interference with the national water supply,” the council said.



“Farmers and those responsible for landscaping are asked to immediately reduce all use of fresh water for agriculture and gardening. Treated wastewater may still be used.”



The council cautioned that continued agricultural consumption of freshwater could place additional pressure on supplies needed for household use and drinking.



In the Ramat Negev Regional Council, authorities have gone further, suspending freshwater deliveries for agricultural purposes entirely.

Severe Seawater Turbidity Forces Israel’s Desalination Plants Offline, Cutting Water to Southern Farms

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Monday that Russia and Israel had spread and amplified disinformation surrounding last month’s mass influx of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta.



Sánchez pointed to research conducted by the European External Action Service, the European Union’s diplomatic arm, and said it was “evident” that both countries had seized on the crisis as an opportunity to attack his government.



He said the alleged disinformation campaign was connected to Spain’s wider disputes with Moscow over the war in Ukraine and with Jerusalem over the wars in Gaza and the broader Middle East.



The remarks follow the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta in late July, in what became one of Spain’s most serious migration crises in years. Spanish authorities estimated that roughly 49,000 migrants entered the enclave within a 24-hour period. Madrid subsequently characterized the incident as a violation of Spanish territorial sovereignty.



The episode also produced broader political repercussions across Europe. Italy threatened to suspend parts of its Schengen arrangements with Spain, while accounts from migrants alleging that Moroccan police had encouraged people to cross into Ceuta intensified political anger in Madrid and raised concerns in other European capitals.



Sánchez’s allegations against Israel come as relations between Madrid and Jerusalem have deteriorated sharply.



Spain recognized a Palestinian state in 2024 and has since become one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israel’s conduct of the Gaza war. Sánchez has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, advocated restrictions on weapons and fuel shipments to Israel, and urged other European Union countries to suspend the bloc’s free-trade agreement with Israel. Israel has firmly rejected the genocide allegation and has repeatedly accused Sánchez’s government of adopting an anti-Israel agenda.



The dispute intensified after Sánchez said Spain did not possess the military capabilities including nuclear weapons and aircraft carriers needed to compel Israel to stop its operations in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded by accusing Sánchez of making a “genocidal threat.” Spain subsequently summoned Israel’s top diplomat in Madrid and dismissed the accusation as false and defamatory.



More recently, Israel removed Spain from a U.S.-backed civilian-military coordination center in Kiryat Gat. The Israeli Foreign Ministry cited what it described as the Sánchez government’s “anti-Israel obsession” and said Madrid could no longer make a constructive contribution to the initiative.



Sánchez’s latest comments add another layer to the increasingly bitter dispute between Spain and Israel. By placing Israel alongside Russia, the Spanish prime minister is alleging that both governments sought to capitalize on the Ceuta migration crisis to advance their political interests and undermine Madrid.

Sánchez Accuses Russia and Israel of Exploiting Ceuta Migrant Crisis With Disinformation

Israel and Greece have signed a €3 billion ($3.48 billion) defense agreement that will see Israel develop a multilayered air-defense network for Greece, according to Israel’s Defense Ministry.



Under a separate €26 million agreement, Israel will also provide Greece with Drone Dome systems designed to detect, track and neutralize unmanned aerial threats.



The agreements represent one of the most significant defense initiatives ever undertaken jointly by the two countries and officially launch the implementation of Greece’s planned “Achilles’ Shield” air and missile defense network.



The project is expected to be completed in approximately 35 months.



The agreement was formally signed by procurement officials from Greece’s Defense Ministry and SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate within Israel’s Defense Ministry.



Greece is seeking to establish a comprehensive defense network capable of addressing a broad range of threats, from small drones and unmanned aircraft to cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.



Under the agreement, Athens plans to connect systems already in its arsenal with advanced Israeli platforms, including Spyder, Barak MX and David’s Sling, as well as Patriot batteries and other defensive capabilities.



At the center of the initiative will be a unified network allowing radars, sensors, command-and-control infrastructure and interceptors to exchange information and coordinate responses. The system will enable military operators to determine which defensive capability is best suited to each incoming threat.



An advanced command-and-control platform featuring artificial intelligence capabilities is expected to serve as the network’s central component.



The system will gather data from multiple radars and sensors, assess potential threats and help determine which layer of the defense network should respond.



That capability has become increasingly important as militaries confront increasingly crowded airspace filled with relatively inexpensive drones and other unmanned systems. Deploying an expensive interceptor against every low-cost drone can be both financially burdensome and operationally inefficient.



The integrated network is therefore designed to assign the most appropriate defensive measure to each threat, while preserving more advanced and costly interceptors for targets that demand them.



The agreement also includes a major industrial component for Greece, with approximately 12 Greek companies expected to participate in the project. Their combined involvement is valued at more than €700 million, representing roughly 25% of the overall project.



For Athens, the objective is to make the initiative more than simply a purchase of foreign defense technology. Greece also wants the project to promote technology transfers, strengthen domestic expertise and expand the capabilities of its own defense industry.



A major issue during negotiations involved Greece’s access to the source code for software running the network.



Such access could provide Athens with greater autonomy in maintaining, modifying and upgrading the system over the long term. The issue has become increasingly significant as countries negotiate major acquisitions involving sophisticated weapons and defense technologies.



Monday’s agreement represents another milestone in the rapidly expanding defense relationship between Israel and Greece.



For Greece, the project is intended to create a modern and integrated defensive architecture capable of responding to an evolving threat landscape in which missiles and drones are playing an increasingly prominent role.



For Israel, the deal represents another major international defense export and further deepens strategic cooperation with Greece, one of its key partners in the eastern Mediterranean.

Israel and Greece Seal Landmark €3 Billion Defense Deal to Build Integrated Shield Against Drones and Missiles

U.S. President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on social media that he claimed depicted Iran’s major oil hub of Kharg Island being destroyed, but an Iranian energy official dismissed the claim as &#8220;laughable&#8221; as fighting between the two countries resumed after a pause that began in July.



Hours after Trump’s post appeared, there was no independent evidence indicating that Kharg Island had actually been attacked.



&#8220;Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate,&#8221; said Hamid Bovard, chief executive of Iran’s state-run National Iranian Oil Co.



Bovard said oil production and related operations on Kharg had continued without interruption. He added that workers were repairing damage from earlier attacks while also carrying out modernization projects, according to Nournews, a semi-official Iranian outlet associated with the country’s top security body.



&#8220;Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,&#8221; Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Sunday, offering no additional explanation or details.



Reuters analyzed the video accompanying Trump’s post and determined that the footage was most likely synthetically generated. Software designed to identify AI-manipulated imagery indicated that the dramatic explosion sequences had probably been created digitally.



Kharg Island is a critical component of Iran’s energy infrastructure. Before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, the island handled roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports. A successful attack on the facility could therefore severely disrupt international energy flows while placing additional strain on Iran’s economy.



Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran did not want war but would respond forcefully to any attack.



&#8220;We will never remain silent in the face of any aggression and will respond decisively to the aggressors,&#8221; state media quoted him as saying on Monday before his planned trip to Kyrgyzstan.



It remained unclear whether Pezeshkian made those remarks before or after Trump published his claim about Kharg Island.



Iran also launched retaliatory attacks following an earlier U.S. strike on rocket launchers located on Larak Island, roughly 660 km (410 miles) east of Kharg. Iranian media reported that Tehran attacked two U.S. bases in Jordan, while Iran’s army said it struck the UAE’s Al Minhad air base early Monday.



The United Arab Emirates, however, rejected reports that its air base had been attacked, with its defense ministry describing the claims as false.



Iran’s foreign ministry said the attacks in Jordan were directed at U.S. facilities that had been used to support and launch the operation against Larak.



Iran’s army separately said its drone strike against the UAE air base targeted locations housing U.S. military personnel and helicopters. It described the operation as retaliation for casualties suffered during the Larak attack.



Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also used air-defense missiles to bring down a U.S. drone that crashed into waters in the Gulf, according to the Mehr news agency, which cited a statement from the elite military force.



Iranian state television reported that a supertanker caught fire and was forced to stop completely after striking two naval mines in the southern portion of the Strait of Hormuz. The report cited a statement from the Revolutionary Guards.



The renewed fighting on Sunday came after several weeks during which the Trump administration had increasingly relied on economic pressure against Tehran and companies doing business with Iran, while placing less emphasis on direct military action.



U.S. Prepares More Sanctions Against Iran



U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that Washington was likely to announce additional secondary sanctions every week as part of an effort to intensify pressure on Tehran, with banks expected to be among the first targets.



&#8220;We&#8217;re starting with the banks, and we&#8217;re telling the banks it&#8217;s not okay to have Iranian money and to aid the regime,&#8221; Bessent said in an interview.



After the United States on Friday sanctioned branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr in the United Arab Emirates over alleged financial connections to Iran, Bessent said Washington could next move toward completely excluding a financial institution from the dollar-denominated global financial system.



&#8220;You&#8217;re going to see a lot more of these every week,&#8221; Bessent told Reuters ahead of a meeting involving finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20.



A U.S. official said the strikes against Larak represented the first known U.S. military action against Iran since late July. The official said U.S. forces targeted launchers on the small island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz near the strategically important port of Bandar Abbas and overlooks major shipping routes entering and leaving the Gulf.



&#8220;Islamic ⁠Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; the official said.



U.S. Central Command said in a statement that American forces had carried out &#8220;limited, precise&#8221; strikes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel involved in laying mines. CENTCOM said those forces represented an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; in the strait but did not provide further operational details.



Jordanian state television reported that the country’s armed forces intercepted eight missiles that entered Jordanian airspace. A Fox News reporter separately said on X that nearly all of the incoming missiles had been intercepted.



The latest threats to maritime traffic have already affected commercial shipping. Data showed that the number of clearly visible commodity-carrying vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz fell to about five per day over the weekend.



The actual number of ships using the waterway may have been greater because some vessels have turned off their automatic identification systems in an effort to avoid becoming targets.



The Revolutionary Guards said the supertanker that caught fire after striking mines had attempted to navigate the waterway illegally. According to a statement carried by Iranian state television, the Guards did not identify the vessel or its crew.



Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that other ships violating its mandatory transit rules could face the same consequences.



Trump said last week that all mines in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz had either been removed or detonated. He also warned Iran that any vessel attempting to deploy additional mines would be destroyed.



Although Trump has repeatedly maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy rejected that assertion as &#8220;an obvious lie&#8221; and reiterated that ships cannot pass through the waterway without Iranian authorization.



Before the current blockade, the Strait of Hormuz carried almost one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Iran, meanwhile, remains the third-largest producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Trump Posts AI Video Claiming Kharg Island Was Destroyed as Iran Calls It “Laughable”

Niger&#8217;s military forces said they had retaken a strategically important airbase in the capital on Sunday, one day after mutinous troops launched an attack. The incident represents the latest challenge to military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani as his government struggles to confront a persistent jihadist insurgency.



The assault highlighted growing strains within Niger&#8217;s armed forces, which have endured repeated battlefield setbacks while fighting al-Qaeda-linked groups and Islamic State affiliates operating across the region.



Explosions and gunfire were reported throughout Niamey early Saturday, including in areas surrounding the military airbase and the presidential complex. Three security sources told Reuters on Sunday that government forces had regained control of the airbase following several hours of fighting.



By Sunday, residents described the capital as largely peaceful. Aircraft continued to fly overhead, while authorities removed roadblocks that had been put in place during the unrest.



The airbase forms part of the same complex as Niamey&#8217;s civilian airport. It houses military aircraft and drones, along with a counterterrorism unit belonging to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), the regional alliance comprising Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.



Russian and Italian military personnel are also based at the facility.



Viktor Voropaev, Russia&#8217;s ambassador to Niger, said Saturday that Africa Corps, the Kremlin-controlled paramilitary organization, had been asked to assist in efforts to neutralize the mutineers in Niamey.



Niger&#8217;s presidential office said Algeria also provided assistance, sending four fighter jets, a transport aircraft, and a refueling tanker that arrived on Sunday.



Airbase had already faced two jihadist attacks in 2026



Saturday&#8217;s assault was not the first attack against the airbase this year. The facility had previously been targeted in January by a regional Islamic State affiliate and again in June by a regional al-Qaeda affiliate.



Niger&#8217;s state media reported late Saturday that &#8220;hundreds of disaffected soldiers&#8221; had participated in the assault. According to the report, fighting continued for several hours as forces loyal to military leader Tiani attempted to restore government control.



State media also broadcast footage that purported to show mutineers surrendering, although Reuters said it had not independently verified the report.



Three security sources said the Presidential Guard mobilized to defend Tiani. The military ruler himself had made no public appearance as of Sunday morning.



Niger, a major West African producer with significant uranium, oil, and gold resources, has been under military rule since July 2023, when a coup removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power.



Sahel military governments face mounting jihadist threat



Tiani, along with the military leaders governing neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, has struggled to demonstrate significant progress in the fight against jihadist groups.



An Islamic State affiliate has carried out repeated deadly attacks against Niger&#8217;s military in the country&#8217;s southwest. One assault earlier this month left 18 soldiers dead.



The mutiny reportedly involved troops stationed in Niamey as well as soldiers from Ouallam, Tera, and Dosso. Those areas have suffered significant military losses during the country&#8217;s ongoing fight against insurgents.



Security officials and analysts say dissatisfaction among frontline troops is increasing, potentially creating an additional threat to Tiani&#8217;s government beyond the jihadist insurgency itself.



Since taking power, Tiani&#8217;s government has reduced its reliance on Western partners, strengthened its relationship with Russia, and withdrawn from the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc.



The latest unrest comes as Niger&#8217;s authorities expand their control over the country&#8217;s uranium industry. The government has seized assets belonging to French nuclear company Orano. Niger had previously been an important source of nuclear fuel for Europe, supplying approximately 15% of Orano&#8217;s uranium at full production capacity.



The combination of persistent jihadist violence, military casualties, internal discontent, and shifting international alliances now presents Tiani&#8217;s government with multiple security and political challenges.

Niger Reclaims Key Airbase After Mutiny as Military Regime Faces Growing Internal Pressure

A passenger ferry overturned shortly after departing from Northern Cyprus, prompting an emergency rescue operation. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether anyone was killed or injured in the incident.



“Around 100 passengers have been evacuated and taken to shore,” the transport minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Erhan Arikli, tells local television.



Arikli says the ferry was “taking on water” as rescue teams worked to assist those aboard.



Officials have not yet determined the ferry’s total passenger count. The vessel had departed from the Northern Cyprus port of Kyrenia and was traveling toward the Turkish port of Tasucu when it capsized.



Television footage from Turkey showed the ferry overturned in the sea, with passengers wearing life jackets gathered on top of its orange hull. The weather appeared calm and sunny, while several other vessels could be seen nearby helping with the rescue effort.



The TRNC is recognized as a state only by Turkey and administers the northern third of Cyprus. The island has remained divided since 1974.

Ferry Capsizes Off Northern Cyprus, Rescue Operation Underway as Passengers Evacuated

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released footage Sunday morning showing a recent visit to Damon Prison, where he toured a security wing and spoke with female prisoners.



According to a statement from Ben-Gvir’s office, the prisoners were female Islamic Jihad terrorists.



During his visit, Ben-Gvir entered the cells and heard prisoners complain about what they described as harsh conditions and the removal of benefits that had previously been available to them, according to associates of the minister.



Ben-Gvir responded to them, “Our hostages did not have shampoo and did not have these conditions. I am proud that we succeeded in reducing the conditions for terrorists to the barest of bare minimums. The prison kindergartens are over.”



The minister said the purpose of his visit was to personally observe how the government&#8217;s policy was being implemented inside the prison. &#8220;I heard the prison officers and also the complaints of the terrorists. We are not apologizing; anyone who harms Israeli civilians will not receive a kindergarten in prison. Terrorists, both male and female, will receive the minimum required by law, and nothing beyond that,” he said.



In a post on X/Twitter accompanying the video of his exchange with the prisoners, Ben-Gvir reiterated his position, writing that &#8220;The &#8216;whining&#8217; of the terrorists about the conditions in the prisons doesn&#8217;t work on me &#8211; our hostages had no conditions at all.&#8221;



Ben-Gvir has repeatedly used prison conditions to underscore his policy



The Damon Prison footage follows earlier remarks by Ben-Gvir that generated controversy over his approach to detainees and prisoners.



In May, Ben-Gvir visited the Port of Ashdod alongside prison officials, police, and IDF forces while flotilla activists were being detained. During the visit, he declared, “The kindergarten is over,&#8221; and continued, &#8220;Anyone who acts against the State of Israel will find a determined country. The people of Israel live.”



Additional footage from that visit showed the national security minister waving an Israeli flag while addressing the detained activists. “They came with a lot of pride, as great heroes. Look how they look now,” Ben-Gvir said, while gesturing toward activists who were handcuffed on the ground. He then called out, “Not heroes and nothing else, supporters of terror.”



Ben-Gvir also addressed the activists directly, shouting, “Welcome to Israel, we are the ones in charge,” before adding, “I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for a long time. Give them to us for the terrorists’ prisons.”



At another point, a flotilla activist shouted “Free Palestine” and resisted as security forces moved against her. After the forces pushed her to the ground, Ben-Gvir responded, “Good job.” He later called to police officers, “Do not be affected by their shouting.”

Several Arrested at IDF Draft Protest Blocking Highway 4 in Israel

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