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LONDON (AP) — Damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the Middle East from Iranian drone strikes highlights the rapid growth of data centers in the region, as well as the industry’s vulnerability to conflict.

The company’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, said late Monday that two data centers in the United Arab Emirates were “directly struck” and another facility in Bahrain was also damaged after a drone landed nearby.

“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage,” AWS said in an update on its online dashboard.

It said by late Tuesday that recovery efforts at the UAE data centers were making progress.

Unlike previous AWS disruptions involving software that resulted in widespread global outages, these attacks involving physical damage appear to have resulted only in localized and limited disruption.

Amazon Web Services hosts many of the world’s most-used online services, providing behind-the-scenes cloud computing infrastructure to many government departments, universities and businesses.

The company advised customers using servers in the Middle East to migrate to other regions, and direct online traffic away from the UAE and Bahrain.

“Amazon has generally configured its services so that the loss of a single data center would be relatively unimportant to its operations,” said Mike Chapple, an IT professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

Other data centers in the same zone can take over, and most of the time this happens seamlessly every day to balance workloads, he said.

“That said, the loss of multiple data centers within an availability zone could cause serious issues, as things could reach a point where there simply isn’t enough remaining capacity to handle all the work.”

Amazon doesn’t typically disclose the exact number of data centers it operates around the world.

It says only that its data centers are clustered in 39 geographic regions, with three such regions in the Middle East, covering the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel.

Each AWS region is split up into at least three data center availability zones, with each zone isolated and physically separated “by a meaningful distance,” although they are all within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of each other and connected by “ultra-low-latency networks” that reduce the time lag for data transmission.

AWS says its data centers have redundant water, power, telecom, and internet connections “so we can maintain continuous operations in an emergency.”

They also have physical security, but those measures, including security guards, fences, video surveillance and alarm systems, are designed to keep out intruders rather than defend against missile attacks.

Chapple said the attacks are a reminder that cloud computing isn’t “magical” and “still requires physical facilities on the ground, which are vulnerable to all sorts of disaster scenarios.”

Data centers run by AWS and other operators are massive facilities that are hard to hide, he added.

“Organizations using services from any cloud provider in the Middle East should immediately take steps to shift their computing to other regions,” Chapple said.

🇮🇷‼️ BREAKING: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the dead Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been elected Iran’s next supreme leader, per Iran International.

Let’s see how long he lasts… ⏰

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The Israeli Air Force carried out a strike earlier today on what the military describes as a covert Iranian nuclear facility located on the outskirts of Tehran.

Speaking at a press briefing, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the partially underground site housed a team of nuclear scientists allegedly operating in secrecy to advance components necessary for a nuclear weapons program.

According to the IDF, despite damage inflicted during the 12-day conflict in June 2025—when multiple Iranian nuclear facilities were hit—Tehran continued pursuing military nuclear capabilities. The military claims Iran relocated key infrastructure to a fortified underground compound designed to withstand aerial bombardment.

The IDF said it had been tracking the scientists’ movements and activities, eventually identifying the new operational site and carrying out what it described as a precise strike against the concealed complex.

The full El Al update can be found at this link:

https://www.elal.com/eng/about-elal/news/recent-updates

Screenshot

(AP) – Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travelers are getting out — by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks.

Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to 200,000 euros ($232,000) as major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, Qatar, were closed after the start of the conflict last weekend.

Travelers from Dubai, usually known as a safe and luxurious destination, are seeking to evacuate by traveling overland either to Muscat, Oman, about a four-hour drive, or to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, more than 10 hours away. Then they board one of the few available commercial flights or take a charter flight, whose costs have soared since the start of the war.

“The demand is huge, and we can’t deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand,” said Altay Kula, CEO of the France-based private jet broker JET-VIP.

Whereas normally a charter flight on a private jet that can accommodate up to 16 passengers from Riyadh to Porto in Portugal may cost around 100,000 euros ($115,800) these days, the cost has doubled, Kula said.

“This increase in cost reflects the aircraft’s scarcity, the repositioning costs as well, and the operator risk assessments. So this is not speculative pricing,” he added.

Prices can vary depending on the departure point, the type of aircraft and the route constraints, said Ameerh Naran, CEO of Vimana Private Jets. For flights from the Gulf region to Europe, prices are ranging from 150,000 euros ($173,800) to 200,000 euros, he added.

In order to reach functional airports such as those in Riyadh and Muscat, some travelers hire private security companies that coordinate transportation in vehicles ranging from ordinary passenger cars to coach buses.

Due to the heavy traffic, wait times at border points with Oman can be up to four hours, while costs range in the thousands of dollars, said Ian McCaul, operations and planning director with Alma Risk, a U.K.-based risk management and security firm.

Those seeking to leave are predominantly stranded travelers, as opposed to residents, McCaul added.

He estimates his company has made transfer arrangements for more than 200 people and advised several others in recent days.

Vimana’s clients include business executives, families and entrepreneurs, as well as remote workers who had been based in the region, Naran said.

Experts from the International SOS security and health services company expect the fighting to continue to affect transportation and energy infrastructure for weeks.

President Donald Trump on Truth Social moments ago: He says the U.S. Navy will begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary, signaling a move to directly protect Gulf energy shipments and ensure global supply routes remain open.

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Air-raid sirens were activated Tuesday morning across central Israel and parts of Samaria after Iran launched a ballistic missile carrying a cluster warhead. One of the explosive fragments struck a residential building in Petah Tikva. No injuries were reported in that incident.

A cluster bomb disperses approximately 20 smaller munitions at an altitude of roughly seven kilometers above the intended target. Those submunitions then scatter across an area spanning about eight kilometers.

Iran is believed to possess three models of ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads, including the Qader and the Khorramshahr, both of which have the range to reach Israel. While such missiles are not capable of breaching a reinforced safe room, they can still inflict damage and cause injuries in exposed areas.

Earlier Tuesday morning, a separate attack occurred in the north when a rocket fired from Lebanon struck a private residence in Kfar Yuval in the Galilee Panhandle.

Fire and rescue personnel who arrived at the scene confirmed that the house sustained a direct hit.

The four residents inside the home were conscious when first responders reached them. They suffered blast-related injuries and were treated initially at the scene. Emergency crews remained in the area to evaluate structural damage and ensure there were no additional hazards.

Magen David Adom paramedics administered care on site and transported two individuals to Ziv Medical Center: a 64-year-old man with light injuries caused by shattered glass, and a 24-year-old woman suffering from shock. Two other residents treated for shock were not taken to the hospital.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump dismissed claims that Israel compelled the United States to enter the conflict with Iran, suggesting instead that he may have been the one urging action.

Speaking to reporters, Trump was asked whether Israel had “forced” his decision to confront Tehran militarily. He rejected the premise and indicated the opposite dynamic may have been at play.

“I might have forced their hand.”

Trump said his administration had been engaged in talks with Iranian officials prior to the outbreak of hostilities, but he concluded that diplomacy was unlikely to prevent aggression from Tehran.

“We were having negotiations with these lunatics,” Trump stated in reference to the Ayatollah’s regime in Iran. “It was my opinion that they were going to attack first. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack.”

He said his assessment was shaped by the tone and direction of the discussions, which led him to believe an attack was imminent. According to Trump, he was convinced that Iran was preparing strikes not only against Israel but also against other countries in the region.

He reiterated that if any country had been influenced to act, it may have been Israel responding to American resolve.

“If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand, but Israel was ready and we were ready” Trump said.

Trump characterized the military campaign as successful, asserting that Iran’s capabilities were being systematically degraded.

The President stated that the war is going well, as “virtually everything they have is being knocked out now.” He accused Iran of “hitting countries that were neutral … and now those countries are all fighting against them.”

He said Iran’s actions demonstrate the nature of the threat posed by its leadership.

Trump asserted that this “shows the level of evil that we’re dealing with. They’ll hit people that were at least somewhat friendly, also hitting only civilian places, hotels and apartment buildings.”

When asked to outline the most troubling potential outcome of the conflict, Trump said the gravest possibility would be a leadership change in Iran that fails to alter the regime’s direction.

When asked what the “worst-case scenario” his administration envisions for Iran, he answered that the worst-case scenario would be for the next leader of Iran to be just as bad as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: Explosions and fire reported in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, moments ago. Smoke can be seen rising from the US Consulate in the city.

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Israel carried out a strike on a council building in Qom where members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts were in the process of voting on the country’s next Supreme Leader, according to a security source.

The facility, located south of Tehran, was reportedly targeted while the 88-member clerical body was engaged in the leadership selection process. However, Channel 12 reported that the full Assembly was not inside the building at the time of the strike, noting that members had cast their ballots individually. Only a small team assigned to tally the votes was present when the attack occurred.

Earlier in the afternoon, shortly before 4:00 p.m., the IDF announced it had initiated a ninth wave of airstrikes in Tehran. Iranian reports soon followed describing blasts in the capital. State-affiliated media outlets in Iran also cited explosions in the cities of Raj, Shiraz, and Fawah.

תיעוד: בניין מועצת המומחים בעיר קום הותקף. מדובר במועצה שתפקידה היחיד הוא בחירת המנהיג העליון של איראן@OmerShahar123 pic.twitter.com/ZkTsoU4asL

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 3, 2026

Concurrently, the IDF’s Persian-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Pinhasi, released a public evacuation warning directed at residents in Tehran’s “Hakimiyeh” industrial zone. “In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in the area,” the notice stated.

In a separate message posted in Persian on social media, the Mossad addressed the unfolding leadership developments in Iran, writing: “It doesn’t matter who is chosen today; his fate has been decreed. Only the Iranian nation will choose their next leader.”

مهم نیست  امروز چه کسی انتخاب میشود سرنوشت  او قلم زده شده، تنها ملت ایران راهبر آتی خود را انتخاب خواهند کرد pic.twitter.com/dwyRW6ZB4U

— Mossad Farsi (@MossadSpokesman) March 3, 2026

The clarification regarding the limited presence inside the Assembly of Experts building followed claims in Iranian media that the “American-Zionist criminals” had struck the site during the leadership vote. Video broadcast by local outlets showed extensive structural damage to the building.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that Iran’s efforts to reopen negotiations come too late, as fighting between the Islamic Republic and the combined forces of the United States and Israel moved into its fourth day.

In a post published on his Truth Social platform, Trump dismissed Tehran’s reported interest in talks and pointed to what he described as the destruction of key elements of Iran’s military leadership and capabilities.

“Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said ‘Too Late!'”

Earlier in the day, Trump also highlighted the strength of America’s weapons reserves, asserting that U.S. stockpiles are at unprecedented levels and capable of sustaining a prolonged conflict if necessary.

“The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better – As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added that existing supplies alone would be sufficient to maintain military operations for as long as required.

“Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!).”

{Matzav.com}

IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee has issued a direct ultimatum to Iranian regime representatives currently in Lebanon, warning them to leave the country within 24 hours or face attack.

In a statement, Adraee said the Israeli military “will not tolerate” the presence of Iranian regime officials in Lebanon and is granting those still in the country a one-day window to depart immediately. He warned that once that deadline passes, there will be “no safe place” for them, and that the IDF will act against them wherever they are located.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel’s flag carrier EL AL welcomed the decision to gradually reopen Ben-Gurion Airport and announced Tuesday that it has completed extensive preparations to resume operations and repatriate customers stranded abroad amid the recent conflict with Iran.

The airline stated it is fully ready to launch recovery flights to bring Israelis back home, prioritizing those affected by earlier cancellations.

Starting Tuesday evening, EL AL will proactively assign seats on return flights to customers currently overseas based on their original ticket dates, at no extra cost. The process will proceed in an organized, phased manner from more than 20 international gateways, with priority given to exceptional humanitarian and medical cases.

EL AL emphasized that it will contact affected customers directly for assignments. The airline’s customer service center will not handle flight placements.

Operations will follow guidelines from relevant authorities and adhere to published landing limitations at Ben-Gurion Airport.

The airline plans to provide ongoing updates as developments unfold and in line with official directives. Real-time information is available on EL AL’s website and social media channels.

The announcement comes as Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel’s primary international gateway, prepares for a limited resumption of inbound flights, potentially starting as early as Thursday in phases, according to recent reports from transportation officials. The airspace closure followed the escalation of hostilities, stranding tens of thousands of Israelis abroad.

EL AL and other Israeli carriers have coordinated with the government to facilitate the repatriation effort, with flights initially focused on arrivals to minimize risks during the gradual reopening.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Federal health officials have opened a review of New York’s $124 billion Medicaid program, citing concerns about high spending and possible weaknesses in fraud prevention, according to a report Tuesday in the New York Post.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has asked state officials detailed questions about how the program screens providers, controls costs and safeguards against improper billing, the Post reported. In a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and senior health officials, he said the review is aimed at protecting beneficiaries and strengthening public confidence in the system.

New York’s Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to low-income residents, enrolls more than 6.8 million people — about one-third of the state’s population.

Oz reportedly noted that New York’s Medicaid spending per resident and per enrollee is well above the national average. He pointed to rapid growth in services such as home care and non-emergency medical transportation as major cost drivers. The inquiry also highlights federal cases in which individuals were charged or convicted in schemes involving false Medicaid billing.

The federal review follows similar examinations of Medicaid programs in other states.

A spokesperson for Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said at a press briefing that the language used by WABC host Sid Rosenberg, who called him a “radical Islam cockroach,” was “painfully familiar” and “difficult to hear.”

“I am not ashamed of who I am and I am not ashamed of my faith,” Mamdani added.

So some reporter brought me up at the Mayor’s briefing today & Zohran got all emotional.Give me a break! How about demonizing the Intifada? How about recognizing Israel as a Jewish state? How about not placing blame on the Shuls but rather the Pro Hamas animals? I have more! pic.twitter.com/zT2rNungDv

— Sid Rosenberg (@sidrosenberg19) March 3, 2026

It’s more painful to watch a man who refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, doesn’t demonize the Intifada, wants to arrest Bibi! Blames shuls rather than Pro Hamas rioters, elevates Mahmoud Khalil, loves America hater Hasan Piker….should I keep going Craig? He can save… https://t.co/8D4FWQ0stF

— Sid Rosenberg (@sidrosenberg19) March 3, 2026

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel’s Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, visited troops from the 947th Battalion of the Air Defense Array on Tuesday, commending their efforts in defending the home front during the ongoing Operation “Roaring Lion” against Iran and its proxies.

Zamir was accompanied by the Commander of Air Defense, Brig. Gen. K., and other senior officers during the visit.

In remarks to commanders and soldiers, Zamir highlighted the multi-front nature of the current campaign, which includes strikes in Iran and intensified operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“We are operating in parallel on two fronts,” Zamir said. “We are operating in Iran and against Hezbollah in Lebanon. These are two major adversaries of ours and they share many characteristics. This is one axis—the Shiite Axis, the Iranian axis and its proxies—and at this very moment we are working to neutralize threats to the residents of the State of Israel.”

He noted that Israeli fighter jets are conducting strikes over Tehran, targeting launchers and other assets to reduce incoming threats. “Some of the launchers that you are tasked with countering are now being engaged by UAVs and fighter jets to reduce the threats to our homefront,” he added.

Zamir accused Hezbollah of making a “very serious mistake” by joining the offensive. “We were prepared for this and we now are striking it with significant force,” he said. “We are determined to eliminate the threat Hezbollah poses and will not stop until the terror organization is disarmed.”

Praising the resilience of Israel’s civilian population, Zamir emphasized its role in enabling military operations. “Our civilian homefront is very strong. It is resilient, giving us support and breathing room,” he said. “The people of the country understand what we are fighting for, and in this sense, the resilience of the homefront is a central component of this operation.”

He tied that resilience directly to public confidence in the air defense forces. “Part of that resilience is confidence in you, knowing that we are doing everything—and that you are doing everything—to protect them,” Zamir told the troops.

The chief of staff expressed full trust in the unit and the broader IDF. “I have full trust in you, I am confident in the IDF’s ability to complete this mission, and I want to thank you for all your efforts and the exceptional work you are doing. Keep it up.”

Operation “Roaring Lion,” launched in late February 2026 as a joint effort with U.S. forces, targets the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure, including ballistic missile capabilities and command centers. The campaign has expanded to include significant strikes against Hezbollah following its involvement, with Israeli forces conducting operations in southern Lebanon and ongoing aerial campaigns.

Washington – U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Iran’s leadership, saying they are “sick people” and warning that without current U.S. actions, a nuclear war could have erupted.

“They are mentally ill, angry, crazy, and sick,” Trump said at the White House. “If we weren’t doing what we’re doing now, a nuclear war would have broken out. They would have wiped out many countries.”

His comments come amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and regional influence.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — New York City is rolling out free child care for 2-year-olds in 19 neighborhoods across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday.

The initial program will offer 2,000 seats this year for children turning 2 in 2026, with applications expected to open in early summer. By fall 2027, the city aims to serve 12,000 children, a step toward universal child care for all toddlers in New York.

The first areas to receive 2-K seats include Washington Heights, Inwood, Hamilton Heights, Fordham, Belmont, Van Cortlandt Village, Morris Heights, Norwood, Kingsbridge, Canarsie, Remsen Village, Brownsville, Ocean Hill, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, and the Rockaways.

Mamdani credited Gov. Kathy Hochul for supporting the program’s first two years of funding and said the initiative addresses economic need, demand, and gaps in access.

“This is just the beginning,” Mamdani said. “Universal child care is within reach — and we’re making it happen.”

Mayor Mamdani Makes a Child Care Announcement with Governor Hochul and Schools Chancellor Samuels https://t.co/ddADSB8djd

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 3, 2026

LONDON (AP) — Keir Starmer has never had a bad word to say in public about Donald Trump.

That is not being reciprocated now as the American president lambasts the British prime minister over his reluctance to join the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The dispute is roiling a relationship that Starmer worked hard to forge, and further straining trans-Atlantic ties frayed by Trump’s “America first” foreign policy and transactional approach to international relations.

“This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe,” Trump told British tabloid The Sun in an interview published Tuesday.

“I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great,” Trump said. “The U.K. has been much different from others.”

“It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was,” he said.

Starmer initially blocked American planes from using British bases for the attacks on Iran that started on Saturday. He later agreed to let the United States use bases in England and on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to strike Iran’s ballistic missiles and their storage sites, but not to hit other targets.

Even after the British base at Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by an Iran-made drone over the weekend, Starmer said that the United Kingdom “will not join offensive action.”

The British leader also offered a rare, though implicit, rebuke of the U.S. president, saying the U.K. government doesn’t believe in “regime change from the skies.”

“Any U.K. actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan,” Starmer told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday.

“President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” Starmer added.

The Financial Times called it Starmer’s “Love Actually moment” — a reference to the 2003 movie scene in which a British prime minister played by Hugh Grant stands up to a bullying U.S. president played by Billy Bob Thornton.

Friction between the two leaders has been building for months. Trump’s threat to take over Greenland was denounced by Starmer and other European leaders earlier this year. Recently, Trump has condemned Britain’s agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia base, to Mauritius, despite his administration earlier backing the deal.

Peter Ricketts, a former head of the U.K. Foreign Office, told The Observer newspaper that under Trump, “the Americans have effectively given up on any effort to be consistent with international law.”

That is a red line for the law-abiding Starmer, a barrister and former chief prosecutor for England and Wales.

The spat is a setback for Starmer’s efforts to woo Trump since the president’s return to office in 2025. The British government rolled out the red carpet to the president for a state visit as the guest of King Charles III, and Starmer consistently has praised Trump’s efforts — so far unsuccessful — to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Iran war has also divided European leaders, who fall along a spectrum from condemnation to support.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that he unreservedly approves of Trump’s decision to attack Iran and kill its supreme leader, and called the war crucial for Europe’s security.

The U.K., France and Germany jointly said that they weren’t involved in the strikes, but were prepared to enable “necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the strikes as “unjustifiable” and “dangerous.”

Polling suggests many Britons are skeptical of the U.S. justification for war. But politicians to the right of Starmer’s Labour Party slammed the prime minister for not joining the offensive. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that her party “stands behind America taking this necessary action against state-sponsored terror.”

Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty denied the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” was on the ropes.

“Our relationship with the United States is strong,” he said Tuesday in the House of Commons. “It has endured, it continues to endure, and it will endure into the future on both the economic and the security fronts.”

[Video below.] Iranian representatives informed American officials during high-level negotiations last month that the Islamic Republic had accumulated enough enriched uranium to produce 11 nuclear weapons, according to President Donald Trump’s special envoy.

In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, envoy Steve Witkoff disclosed that Iranian negotiators openly acknowledged the size and potency of their stockpile at the outset of discussions.

“Both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly with, you know, no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% [enriched uranium],” Steve Witkoff told Fox News host Sean Hannity, “and they’re aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of their negotiating stance.”

Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, participated in three separate rounds of indirect negotiations with Iranian officials. The talks began in Oman on Feb. 6 and concluded in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 26. The meetings were viewed as a final diplomatic attempt to head off American military action against Iran.

According to Witkoff, the Iranians began the discussions by asserting what they described as a fundamental right to continue enriching uranium.

“Jared and I opened up with the Iranian negotiators telling us they had the inalienable right to enrich all their nuclear fuel that they possessed. That’s how they opened up,” Witkoff recounted.

He said the U.S. delegation immediately pushed back, conveying President Trump’s position.

“We, of course, responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks,” he continued.

Witkoff described the tone of the exchange as tense from the start, saying the Iranian team insisted enrichment would remain the baseline for any agreement.

“They then went on to say that beyond the inalienable right to enrich, that that was going to be their starting point. And Jared and I just sort of looked at ourselves flummoxed and said, ‘Well, we’re really in for it now.’”

Before the Geneva session, Witkoff had drawn global attention by warning that Iran was close to producing weapons-ready nuclear material, saying it was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.”

Speaking further on Monday, he elaborated on those concerns and detailed the scale of Iran’s nuclear inventory.

“I know this: They have 10,000, roughly, kilograms of fissionable material. That’s broken up into roughly 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, another 1,000 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium …They manufacture their own centrifuges to enrich this material. So, there’s almost no stopping them. They have an endless supply of it.

“The 60% material, Sean, can be brought to 90%, that’s weapons-grade, in roughly one week, maybe 10 days at the outside. The 20% can be brought to weapons-grade inside of three to four weeks.”

Witkoff said the Iranian officials appeared confident about the progress of their program and the manner in which they advanced it.

“They were proud of it,” Witkoff went on. “They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”

He added that the U.S. side presented an alternative proposal intended to eliminate the need for Iran to enrich uranium domestically. Under that offer, the United States would supply nuclear fuel for civilian purposes over the next decade, provided it was not diverted to weapons development.

“They rejected that, which told us at that very moment that they had no — no notion of doing anything other than retaining enrichment for the purpose of weaponizing.”

As joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran moved into their fourth day, Witkoff characterized Tehran’s approach at the negotiating table as unrealistic and confrontational.

With the US-Israeli war against Iran entering a fourth day, Witkoff described Tehran’s negotiating position as “silly,” but added: “They thought they could strong-arm us.”

He said President Trump had tasked him and Kushner with determining whether Iran was prepared to meet Washington’s core demands, which went far beyond the nuclear issue alone.

“President Trump sent me and Jared there to really determine on his behalf whether they were serious about doing a deal that addressed his objectives, which are elimination of their missile program; elimination of their advocacy and support for proxies, which is destabilizing the entire Middle East; elimination of their navy, so we can have freedom of the seas and not be threatened with the shutdown of the Gulf [Strait] of Hormuz; and finally, no nuclear enrichment that can get them to weapons-grade, which means no nuclear bomb.

“And we went in there and tried to make a fair deal with them, and it was very, very clear that it was — that it was going to be impossible, probably by the end of the second meeting. But we then went back for the third meeting [in Geneva] just to give it the last college try,” Witkoff went on.

“It was not positive, that meeting.”

DEARBORN, Mich. (VINnews) — A Shiite mosque in Dearborn held on Sunday a memorial service for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in which speakers praised the longtime cleric and delivered sharply critical remarks about the United States, according to video published by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

The Washington-based monitoring group, which translates and analyzes Arabic and Farsi media, posted footage of the event on its website. In the video, speakers at the mosque describe Khamenei as a revered religious leader and characterize his death as a significant loss to the Muslim world.

Dearborn Shiite Mosque Memorial for Khamenei: This Country Was Built by Devil-Worshipers; Statue of Liberty Is Lucifer; Khamenei Was the Great Leader of Our Time, Received Martyrdom After 86 Years of Jihad – We Want Our Children to Grow Up with This Culture pic.twitter.com/PDYfHMi9A4

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 3, 2026

One speaker, according to MEMRI’s translation, referred to the United States in religious terms associated with evil and said the congregation would continue to promote Khamenei’s teachings. The video shows attendees gathered inside the mosque during the memorial program.

It was not immediately clear when the event took place. Mosque officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the United States. The memorial comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and increased scrutiny of political speech related to Iran.

MEMRI said it translated and disseminated the footage from the mosque’s event.

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday that Britain is sending a warship and helicopters to Cyprus after a drone hit a U.K. base there.

Starmer said he had told the island’s president that the U.K. is deploying helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and the air-defense destroyer HMS Dragon to the region.

It comes after an Iran-made drone hit RAF Akrotiri base over the weekend, causing minor damage and no injuries.

A Minnesota prosecutor announced an investigation Monday that may lead to charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, for misconduct during an immigration enforcement crackdown.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news conference that her office is already looking into 17 cases, including one where Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Another on Jan. 7 involved federal officers making an arrest outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants while students and staff were in the area.

“Make no mistake, we are not afraid of the legal fight, and we are committed to doing this correctly,” Moriarty said. “Operation Metro Surge caused immeasurable harm to our community.”

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, responded in a statement Monday night that such enforcement is a federal responsibility and states cannot prosecute federal officers.

“What these States are trying to do is unlawful, and they know it,” the statement said. “Federal officials acting in the course of their duties are immune from liability under state law.”

The statement added that local officials should instead consider how their actions have endangered federal law enforcement officers.

A message to Bovino seeking his response was not immediately returned.

Bovino, who emerged as a key figure in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is known for bringing aggressive tactics to crackdowns in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Los Angeles. In Chicago, federal officers frequently deployed chemical irritants as crowd control measures in residential neighborhoods, and a judge ordered Bovino to wear a body camera and appear in court daily to answer questions about the crackdown. That order was overturned before his first mandated appearance.

Officers at times took a forceful approach to corralling protesters in Minneapolis-St. Paul and detained numerous people blowing whistles and recording arrests.

Bovino was eventually removed from his leading role in the Minnesota effort after federal officers fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on different days in January, leading to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of DHS use-of-force policies.

Moriarty’s office has set up an online portal where photos, videos and eyewitness accounts from any point during Operation Metro Surge can be uploaded.

The Trump administration has defended federal officers, but Moriarty is making clear that her office is “collecting evidence about all sorts of possible crimes,” said Rachel Moran, a professor of criminal law and policing at University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.

In cases where officers unjustifiably used chemical weapons, threw people to the ground or smashed car windows, Moran said as examples, prosecutors may be investigating assault or property damage.

“These would be situations where the state has to determine: Is there evidence that agents acted unlawfully and outside the scope of their authorized duties?” Moran said. “I think agents did illegal things here. I watched it.”

Though federal officers conducted immigration enforcement throughout the Twin Cities, Moriarty’s investigation will only focus on incidents in Hennepin county, which includes Minneapolis and many of its suburbs.

Her office is also investigating the deaths of Good and Pretti, and she is “confident” they will be able to pursue charges. She said Monday that her office is prepared to sue the federal government to get the evidence she has requested for the investigations if she does not hear from them by Tuesday.

“The question is, should we charge in federal court? Do we expect the federal government to obstruct us? I would say they’re already doing that,” Moriarty said.

The Department of Justice opened a civil rights inquiry into Pretti’s death, but said it saw no reason for a civil rights investigation of Good’s death. The Federal Bureau of Investigations barred state investigators from accessing evidence in her case.

The DOJ and FBI did not immediately return requests for comment.

While Moriarty addressed the challenges her office would face in bringing charges against federal agents, she said they are committed to transparency and accountability.

Mark Osler, who served as director of the criminal division for a year under Moriarty in 2023 and 2024, said regardless of whether there are charges, he thinks the public can look forward to more clarity.

“One of the most important roles that prosecution has … is truth-telling, is to bring to the surface what actually happened at a given time,” said Osler, who is currently a law professor at University of St. Thomas. “We’ll all know more than just what we saw in those initial videos by the time she’s done. I’m confident of that.”

President Donald Trump dismissed criticism from prominent voices within the MAGA movement after authorizing a large-scale military offensive against Iran, insisting the operation is essential to protect the United States and its allies.

The joint U.S.-Israel strikes began on Shabbos, even as diplomatic discussions were underway. The attacks reportedly eliminated dozens of senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Six American servicemembers have also been killed in the fighting.

Some well-known conservative commentators have publicly opposed the military action. Megyn Kelly argued that “no one should have to die for a foreign country,” while Tucker Carlson described the attacks on Iran as “absolutely disgusting and evil.”

In comments to journalist Rachael Bade of The Inner Circle on Monday, Trump forcefully rejected the criticism, directly addressing Kelly and Carlson, both former Fox News hosts.

“I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,” Trump said of Kelly and Carlson. “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing — every aspect of it… This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly.”

Trump also took aim at Kelly specifically, suggesting she revisit historical precedent.

The president added that Kelly should “study her history book a little bit.”

“Megan was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time and nothing stopped me,” Trump stated. “And so, you know, some people are against — and they always come back. She came all the way back. But now I guess she maybe doesn’t like the idea of this war, but I do because I have to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the Iranians.”

Turning to Carlson, who reportedly visited the White House three times in recent weeks in an effort to argue against striking Iran, Trump said the criticism does not concern him.

Regarding Carlson, Trump said the criticism does not bother him, explaining that Carlson “can say whatever he wants; it has no impact on me.”

{Matzav.com}

BEIT SHEMESH, Israel — Rabbi Yitzhak Biton, who lost three of his children in a ballistic missile attack on Beit Shemesh, said Israelis must respond to the tragedy with unity and goodness, in an emotional interview with Israeli news site Ynet.

Biton’s children — Yaakov, 16; Avigail, 15; and Sarah, 13 — were among nine civilians killed when an Iranian missile struck a residential area and synagogue Sunday afternoon. The family had been heading toward an underground shelter beneath the synagogue when the missile hit, causing the shelter and surrounding structures to collapse. Biton’s wife, Tamar, and their youngest daughter, Racheli, 4, survived. The three siblings were buried Monday at Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives cemetery.

“We heard a tremendous blast,” Biton told Ynet. “Our home was severely damaged, the ceiling collapsed, and smoke was rising. God could have taken one of them, maybe two, but He chose to take all of them. I know they are in a very high place.”

האב השכול יצחק ביטון ספד בבכי
בהלווית שלושת ילדיו שנרצחו מפגיעת טיל איראני בבית שמש, "אברהם אבינו אתה עקדת את בנך יחידך, אני עקדתי את בני יעקב, את בתי אביגיל ואת בתי שרה". pic.twitter.com/lmpoN3Dpsj

— חזקי ברוך (@HezkeiB) March 2, 2026

The strike was the deadliest since the broader conflict with Iran began and left more than 50 people wounded. Rescue efforts were complicated by damaged roads and infrastructure as emergency crews worked through rubble to reach survivors. Among other victims identified were Yosef and Bruria Cohen and 16‑year‑old Gavriel Baruch Revach.

Biton and his family are sitting shiva at a Jerusalem hotel while they grieve. He said the loss reinforced his belief that the nation must draw closer together. “Sadness brings very difficult thoughts. We must increase good and unity in the people,” he said.

Israeli military investigators noted that warning systems were activated and that shelters were being used, but a direct hit on a protected space can still result in devastating consequences. Authorities have evacuated residents from the strike zone as they assess safety and housing needs.

The missile impact and deaths of civilians have deepened debate over defense capabilities and shelter standards, even as the conflict with Iran continues to escalate with strikes and counterstrikes across the region.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran add yet more question marks around a U.S. economy already buffeted by on-and-off tariffs, weak hiring, and lingering inflationary pressures.

The war has already raised oil prices and could lift prices at the pump as early as this week, but the ultimate impact on the economy and inflation will depend on the length and severity of the conflict, economists say. Should it wind down in a week or two, its economic effects would be minor and short-lived.

Yet a longer war that pushed oil past $100 a barrel for an extended period would worsen inflation, at least temporarily, while slowing growth and intensifying Americans’ unhappiness with the cost of essentials. After nearly five years of rising prices, concerns around affordability have undercut President Donald Trump’s support in polls and bolstered Democrats in recent elections.

For now, the price of a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 6.3% Monday to settle at $71.23. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 6.7% to $77.74 per barrel. An increase at that level, even if sustained, would barely lift inflation, economists said.

“While cost-conscious Americans who are dealing with an affordability crisis will not take this increase lightly, such an increase will not materially affect economic growth,” Joe Brusuelas, an economist at RSM, a consulting firm, said.

Stock prices rebounded to show a small gain Monday after initially falling sharply, a sign of optimism that the war will be short-lived.

But a longer-lasting conflict, particularly one that closed down the Strait of Hormuz at the edge of the Persian Gulf, through which roughly 25% of the world’s oil passes, could push oil past that $100 a barrel mark. Gas prices in the U.S. could then reach $3.50 a gallon, up from just under $3 on average nationwide on Monday.

Such price jumps would accelerate inflation in the U.S. and slow growth, economists said.

“Markets are right now really under-pricing the tail risk of a sustained engagement and an operation that does not wrap up quickly, restore travel through the Strait of Hormuz and get everything back to de-escalation and normal in a timely manner,” said Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative and an economic adviser to the Biden White House.

Here are some ways the war could affect the economy.

Inflation has lingered even as gas prices have fallen
While some measures of inflation have cooled in recent months, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure has been stuck at about 3% for roughly a year. That is above the central bank’s 2% target, and has occurred even as gas prices fell steadily in 2025.

Should gas prices rise significantly, air fares could also rise as airlines face bigger fuel costs. Shipping would also become more expensive, which could add to grocery prices.

Natural gas prices also jumped Monday, as roughly 20% of the world’s gas travels through the Strait of Hormuz and a liquid natural gas plant was shut down in Qatar. That could raise heating prices in the U.S. Natural gas has already gotten 10% more expensive in the past year, thanks in part to spiking energy usage by data centers powering AI.

Still, economists noted that the U.S. economy is not as oil-dependent as it has been in the past, with most Americans now working in services, rather than manufacturing.

And other factors may help keep oil price increases relatively limited. Rory Johnston, founder of Commodity Context, an oil analytics firm, pointed out that oil inventories were quite high before the conflict, which helped keep prices in check. That’s in sharp contrast to the winter of 2022, he said, when post-COVID supply chain problems had already pushed up oil costs even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a much bigger spike.

Monday’s increase “is a very minor spike relative to” what happened after Russia’s invasion, Johnston said.

Businesses may pull back amid uncertainty
If the Iran war drags on for months, it could also torpedo business confidence, which could lead companies to invest and hire less, said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide Financial.

“When there is an injection of new uncertainty into the business environment … that’s a hit to confidence,” she said.

The result could be similar to the impact of Trump’s tariffs, which did not raise prices as much as many economists feared, but did appear to weigh on job gains. Hiring in 2025 was the weakest, outside of a recession, since 2002.

Consumers sour further on economy
Even without a big inflation spike, a major risk for Trump is that Americans sour on his economic leadership.

According to surveys, Americans already have a gloomy outlook on the economy, largely because of the lingering effects of the price spikes of the past five years. Trump’s attempts to portray the U.S. as in a “golden age” have had little impact on those attitudes.

A protracted conflict in Iran that raised gas prices would likely make it worse, Jacquez said.

“People generally don’t think that President Trump is focused on the things that they are focused on,” Jacquez added, “and what they want him to be focused on is the price of groceries. What they think he’s focused on are things like tariffs and foreign policy.”

A sweeping investigative report published in the British newspaper The Financial Times outlines what it describes as the extensive intelligence effort that culminated in the elimination of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. According to the report, the operation was years in the making and relied on a sophisticated blend of advanced technological surveillance and precise human intelligence, with close monitoring of the daily routines of senior regime figures in Tehran.

The investigation claims that over an extended period, nearly all traffic cameras across the Iranian capital were hacked. The footage gathered was reportedly transmitted to servers in Tel Aviv and southern Israel, where analysts tracked the movements of security personnel, drivers, and other key individuals connected to the leadership. One particular camera angle is said to have provided a crucial vantage point, revealing where members of Khamenei’s security detail routinely parked and how activity inside the secured compound typically unfolded.

At the same time, Israel allegedly penetrated Iranian cellular networks, gaining access to communications data and movement patterns of high-ranking officials. Sources cited in the report said that the CIA also maintained a human source who confirmed that a meeting attended by Khamenei was scheduled for Saturday morning — a detail that helped complete the intelligence picture and finalize operational planning.

To prevent any last-minute alerts within the security perimeter, cellular antennas near the meeting location were reportedly disrupted, causing phones to appear “busy” in real time. A senior figure in Israel’s intelligence community told the newspaper: “הכרנו את טהראן כמו שאנחנו מכירים את ירושלים – We knew Tehran the way we know Yerushalayim.” According to the account, the combined intelligence gathered by Unit 8200 and Mossad operatives enabled the launch of up to 30 precision-guided munitions at the meeting site.

The report further asserts that the timing of the strike was driven by assessments that in the event of open war, top regime officials would quickly disappear into fortified underground bunkers. By integrating advanced algorithms, analysis of behavioral patterns — including residential addresses, work schedules, and travel routes — and the focused activation of intelligence assets, planners created the framework for what was described as a successful mission.

{Matzav.com}

TORONTO, Canada — Police are investigating after shots were fired at Temple Emanu-El in North York, Canada, late Monday, damaging the building but causing no injuries.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire around 10:50 p.m. near Bayview Avenue and Highway 401. Investigators found multiple bullet holes in the synagogue’s front windows and evidence of gunfire on the driveway. No suspects have been identified.

Mayor Olivia Chow called the attack “an unacceptable act of antisemitism” and said law enforcement would increase patrols to ensure the safety of the community.

Toronto’s hate crime unit is leading the investigation. Police are asking anyone with information or video footage to come forward.

A nearby synagogue, Kehillat Shaarei Torah, was confirmed to be unaffected by the incident, though it has been vandalized in previous years.

The overnight shooting at Temple Emanu-El Synagogue in North York is an unacceptable act of antisemitism and intimidation.

We will not tolerate antisemitic hate in our city. Toronto Police are investigating and will increase their presence in the area to keep the community and…

— Mayor Olivia Chow 🇨🇦 (@MayorOliviaChow) March 3, 2026

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In an exclusive interview aired Monday night on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Iran’s leadership as “unreformable” and “totally fanatical about destroying America,” defending the ongoing U.S.-Israel military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu said the strikes were “necessary” to prevent Iran from rebuilding nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities after previous operations severely damaged its facilities.

“The Iranian terror regime is at the weakest point it’s ever been at,” Netanyahu said, adding that he expects military actions to be “quick and decisive” and to create conditions for the Iranian people to potentially change their government.
**
watch below the full interview:**

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-US Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Monday for opposing President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iran, declaring that national security must take precedence over party loyalty.

“I cannot understand,” Fetterman said in remarks reported across multiple outlets. “For me, it is country over party. I am proud to stand with our military.”

The comments came amid widespread Democratic criticism of “Operation Epic Fury,” the U.S.-Israeli joint operation launched over the weekend that targeted Iran’s leadership and military assets. Trump announced the strikes, which he said were ahead of schedule, resulted in the elimination of 49 high-ranking Iranian officials in a single day, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and included actions to sink Iranian naval vessels.

Fetterman highlighted the strikes’ impact, calling them a “significant development” for regional peace.

“[The Trump administration] killed 49 members of their leadership in one day,” he said. “And now they are sinking all of their ships too. This is a significant development of regional peace.”

The Pennsylvania senator, who has consistently supported strong measures against Iran, emphasized bipartisan agreement on preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“Every single member of the Senate has agreed that we can never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb, and clearly they were intending to do that,” Fetterman said. “So are you really committed then? Are you willing to put out tweets and have some harsh language, or are you going to support something that produces that?”

Fetterman has defended the operation in interviews on Fox News and CNN, describing it as “entirely appropriate” and necessary to counter the “poisonous regime.” He has rebuked critics within his party, questioning why some Democrats hesitate to back actions that align with long-standing U.S. policy against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The strikes have divided Congress, with most Democrats pushing for a war powers resolution to limit further U.S. involvement, while Fetterman has indicated he will oppose such measures, calling them “empty sloganeering.”

Fetterman’s stance marks a continued departure from many in his party on foreign policy issues involving Israel and Iran, as he praised Trump for being “willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.” He has also expressed support for Israel’s role in the operation.

The operation has drawn praise from Republicans and some moderates, while sparking concerns about escalation and American casualties among others. Trump has described the mission as a display of “peace through strength” aimed at ending Iran’s nuclear threat and degrading its terror networks.

NEW YORK (AP) — A worldwide sell-off for stocks is slamming onto Wall Street Tuesday, and oil prices are leaping even higher as worries rise that the war with Iran is widening and may do more sustained damage to the global economy than feared.

The S&P 500 dropped 2% in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,048 points, or 2.1%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.1% lower.

It was just a day ago that U.S. stocks opened with sharp losses, only to recover all of them and end the day with slight gains. But that was with the caveat that oil prices did not jump too high, like to more than $100 per barrel.

On Tuesday, oil prices got closer to that mark and raised more alarms. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, leaped another 7.5% to $83.58. It was sitting near $70 less than a week ago. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude, meanwhile, rose 7.6% to $76.64.

Oil prices made the leap as Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, part of a widening of targets that also includes areas critical to the world’s oil and natural gas production. Worries are particularly high about what will happen to the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, a narrow passageway where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Making things uncertain for markets are rising questions about how long this war may continue.

Strikes by the United States and Israel have already killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Donald Trump has suggested that fighting may continue for weeks.

Late Monday night, Trump said on his social media network, “Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully” with the supply of munitions that the United States possesses.

The jump for oil prices will worsen inflation, which is already too high for nearly everyone, and put more pressure on U.S. households and businesses by raising bills for gasoline and to ship products. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. jumped 11 cents overnight to about $3.11, according to data from motor club AAA.

That has the damage in stock markets so far centering on countries and companies that use a lot of oil, natural gas and other petroleum-based fuels.

In South Korea, a big energy importer, the Kospi stock index plunged 7.2% for its worst day since two summers ago as markets reopened after a holiday on Monday. It had been setting records recently.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 3.1%, even as analysts say Japan has a sizable stockpile of energy lasting more than 200 days. In Europe, where prices for natural gas have soared, Germany’s DAX lost 3.8%.

On Wall Street, airlines continued to sink on worries about rising fuel bills. The war has also led to canceled flights and stranded passengers.

United Airlines fell 5%, American Airlines sank 4.4% and Delta Air Lines dropped 4%.

Among the few winners on Wall Street was Target, which rose 3.3% after reporting a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also gave a forecasted range for profit this upcoming fiscal year whose midpoint was above analysts’ expectations.

In the bond market, Treasury yields climbed as worries rose about inflation worsening. The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 4.09% from 4.05% late Monday and from just 3.97% on Friday.

Higher yields can mean more expensive loans for U.S. households and businesses, for everything from mortgages to bond issuances. They also put downward pressure on prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. Bitcoin dropped back below $67,000.

When Treasurys are paying more in interest, they can also undercut the price of gold, which pays its investors nothing. Gold fell 4.9% Tuesday to $5,053.30, halting a strong run that had taken it above $5,300 as investors looked for safer places to park their money amid the war.

High inflation could also tie the Federal Reserve’s hands and keep it from cutting interest rates. The Fed had lowered rates several times last year and indicated more cuts were to come in 2026. That would help boost the economy and inflation, but lower rates can also worsen inflation.

Traders are now pushing back their expectations further into the summer for when the Fed could resume cutting rates, according to data from CME Group. That’s even though Trump has been calling for Fed officials in very angry and personal terms to cut rates now.

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The development came after Hezbollah fired rockets and launched drones early Monday toward northern Israel. Israel retaliated with a wave of airstrikes that killed 40 people in Lebanon, including a Palestinian militant and a Hezbollah intelligence official in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

That death toll is a revised figure from an earlier one reported by the Health Ministry, which said Monday that 52 people died in the strikes. Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine told reporters on Tuesday that 40 died.

Lebanon also said 246 people were wounded and tens of thousands displaced.

Hezbollah said on Tuesday morning it fired two salvos of rockets toward northern Israel while Israeli airstrikes overnight damaged a building housing Hezbollah’s TV and radio stations. Beirut’s southern suburbs saw a series of strikes early on Tuesday afternoon that came without warning, and the Israeli military later said it targeted Hezbollah officials.

The Israeli military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, warned residents of more than 80 villages and towns in southern Lebanon to leave, adding that people should not return to these areas until further notice.

A senior Hezbollah official said that after more than a year of abiding by a ceasefire as Israel’s strikes continued on Lebanon, the group’s patience has ended, leaving it with no option but to fight Israel. “The Zionist enemy wanted an open war, which it has not stopped since the ceasefire agreement,” Mohamoud Komati said.

“So let it be an open war,” added the Hezbollah official.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, France and Egypt on Tuesday that Hezbollah has been firing rockets from areas north of the Litani River.

The Lebanese government said in January that Hezbollah weapons and military facilities have been removed from the area south of the river and along the border with Israel, and that Lebanese troops are in full control of the area between the river and the border.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it has sent additional troops into southern Lebanon and took new positions on several strategic points close to the border. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army was evacuating some of its positions along the border.

Adraee, the Israeli spokesman, posted on X that the troops’ movements inside Lebanon is part of efforts to bolster Israel’s forward defense system and create an addition layer of security.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army was evacuating some of its border positions.

A Lebanese military official confirmed to The Associated Press that Israeli troops had moved into several areas in southern Lebanon on Tuesday and that the Lebanese army was “repositioning” in the area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, later Tuesday said its peacekeepers saw Israeli troops making forays across the border and then returning to Israel. It wasn’t immediately clear how many soldiers remained inside Lebanon.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza. After months of low-level fighting, that conflict escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024 and Israel later launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.

Israeli forces withdrew from most of southern Lebanon after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting in November 2024 but continued to occupy five points on the Lebanese side of the border. Israel also continued with near-daily strikes, primarily in southern Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah has been trying to rebuild its forces in the area.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry also said Tuesday that 397 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon after the ceasefire took effect and before Hezbollah launched its latest attacks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Democrats demoralized at being shut out of power in Washington, the past several months have offered reason for optimism.

A party often beset by ideological division has largely been unified in opposition to President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration tactics, particularly after two U.S. citizens were killed in Minneapolis. Heading into a midterm election year in which they are just a few seats shy of reclaiming the U.S. House majority, Democrats have also kept the White House on defense with criticism of Trump’s economic policies and ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.

But the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran could test the durability of that cohesion. Initially, Democrats balanced condemnation of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed over the weekend, with calls for Congress to quickly pass a war powers resolution that would restrain Trump’s attack options.

“As soon as our resolution comes to the floor, senators need to pick a side,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday. “Stand with Americans who don’t want war, or stand with Donald Trump as he singlehandedly starts another war.”

Democratic divisions going into war powers vote
But some divisions are surfacing as a handful of Democrats, especially those who are strongly aligned with Israel, express reservations about the war powers measure. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, won’t back an Iran resolution. Before the strike, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., also said he would vote no.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who backed a war powers vote tied to Venezuela in January, also has broken with Democrats over the Iranian measure and rejected arguments that the attack was illegal, spurring frustration among some party leaders.

“John Fetterman knows better,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday on CNN.

Republicans are also facing internal dissent. Trump, who did little to prepare Americans for the prospect of such a dramatic conflict, said Monday the operation could last four to five weeks. He hasn’t articulated a clear exit strategy and warns that American casualties could mount, which will pose a severe test of voter patience for the conflict.

The war could also lead to rising gas prices and economic volatility that may bolster Democratic arguments that the president is out of touch with the financial realities facing many Americans.

Still, Republicans see an opportunity to portray Democrats as reflexively opposed to Trump.

“For my Democratic colleagues, this is not about what’s best for our national security or what’s best for protecting the American people,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “This is about how to defeat Donald Trump.”

A searing debate among Democrats over Israel
Democrats have undergone a searing internal debate over the party’s relationship with Israel in the wake of the war in Gaza. Then-President Joe Biden’s loyalty to Israel during the heat of the 2024 campaign was starkly at odds with younger generations outraged by the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. By the time Kamala Harris rose to the top of the ticket that year, she struggled to win over some younger voters who are critical to Democratic success.

Paco Fabian, the political director for the progressive advocacy group Our Revolution, acknowledged that Democrats “aren’t monolithic.” But he also suggested a shift was underway, noting the results of a New Jersey special election last month.

During that campaign, the affiliated super PAC of the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs committee sought to thwart the moderate candidate, Tom Malinowski, after he questioned unconditional aid to the Israeli government. Those efforts appeared to backfire with the more progressive contender, Analilia Mejia, winning the primary.

“Given what’s going on right now, I don’t think the moment is doing AIPAC and Israel any favors,” Fabian said.

Sympathy toward Israel appears to be shifting. Three years ago, 54% of Americans sympathized more with the Israelis, compared with 31% for the Palestinians, according to Gallup polling released last month. Now, their support is about evenly balanced, with 41% saying their sympathies lie more with the Palestinians, and only 36% saying the same about the Israelis.

Americans’ initial reactions to airstrikes also appeared more negative than positive, early polling suggested. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults disapproved of the U.S. decision to take military action in Iran, according to a CNN poll conducted via text message over the weekend. A separate snap poll from The Washington Post conducted via text message on Sunday suggested that about half of those polled opposed the strikes, while 39% were in support. Roughly 1 in 10 were unsure.

Democrats and independents drove much of the disapproval in those early polls, while Republicans were much more supportive.

Elections this week could show impact of attacks
The initial political impact of the attacks in Iran could emerge as soon as Tuesday during the first primary elections of this year’s midterm campaign.

In North Carolina, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam was already going into her bid to unseat two-term Rep. Valerie Foushee with backing from Our Revolution and other top progressives. After receiving support from groups tied to AIPAC during her 2022 campaign, Foushee’s campaign rejected such contributions this cycle. Over the weekend, she said she doesn’t support “Trump’s illegal war with Iran” and would back the war powers resolution.

Still, Allam, who would be the first Muslim elected to Congress from North Carolina, was quick to release a video ahead of Tuesday’s vote criticizing Trump for “starting another endless war” and promising to never accept support from “the pro-Israel lobby.”

In Texas, home to high-profile Senate primaries on Tuesday, Democratic voters expressed alarm at the attacks.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” said Charles Padmore, 45, an independent contractor in Houston. “Affordability should be the top priority on Trump’s list.”

Alex Diaz, 31, a biology high school teacher in Houston, called the bombing of Iran “uncalled for.”

“You’re trying to start World War III, and we don’t need that right now,” he said.

The fallout could spread to other contests this month. Ahead of the March 17 primary in Illinois, AIPAC-aligned groups have also criticized Daniel Biss, the Evanston mayor who is aiming to become the Democratic candidate to succeed the retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky. In an interview, Biss spoke of the “backlash I’m hearing people have against AIPAC, their MAGA-aligned money and their Trump-aligned policy agenda.”

Asked about such predictions, Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, said “the key distinction will be between those who recognize that Iran is a murderous regime that tortures women for leaving their hair uncovered, hangs gay people, and executes peaceful democratic protestors, and those who will turn a blind eye to the regime’s atrocities.”

Calls for a ‘united opposition party’
As Congress moves toward a potential war powers vote this week, Biss said there was a need for Democrats to act as a “strong, clear, vocal, united opposition party.”

“I also would like to see the Democratic Party united not just on the procedural argument but on the basic acknowledgment that this war is wrong,” he added.

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said he was less concerned about party unity than the prospect of achieving a bipartisan vote on the war powers resolution. Three Republicans ultimately backed the Venezuela resolution in January.

“What I want to see happen is the war powers resolution pass,” he said. “I’m not focused on what Democrats as a whole do. We’re going to have differing opinions among Democrats and among Republicans.”

In an awe-inspiring maamad tefillah utzeakah held in the beis medrash of Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein in the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak, hundreds of tinokos shel beis rabban gathered at the height of Taanis Esther to recite Tehillim and cry out for the yeshuah of Klal Yisroel during these difficult days of war.

The gathering was led by Rav Zilberstein, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the mara d’asra of the neighborhood, who addressed the assembled children with words of chizuk that electrified the packed hall.

Turning to the children with visible emotion, Rav Zilberstein drew a powerful parallel to the events of Purim.

“To the dear and beloved children of Israel, we are now in a time of great distress. There is a Haman — that is Iran — who wants to destroy us. I want to tell the dear children, when Mordechai HaTzaddik heard of the terrible decree, he gathered all the children to learn Torah. Do you know what Haman said then? Haman said like this — I am now lost…,” Rav Zilberstein declared.

“If I see the children of Israel who have no sin, under bar mitzvah age, who have now gathered to learn Torah, I am lost… About nothing else did he say that. He was at the height of his power and greatness, the king had advanced him, but the moment he saw the children of Israel gathering to learn Torah, he said ‘I am lost,’ because the children of Israel have no sin, and they are being brought to be killed, to be destroyed, and they sit and learn the laws of kemitzah — he understood he was lost, and so it indeed was.”

The Rav emphasized that the koach of tinokos shel beis rabban is beyond measure. Their Torah and tefillos, said with purity and temimus, have the ability to overturn gezeiros.

“The children of Israel have power. You are children without sin, and you learn Torah, and you all perform mitzvos, and you have homes of Torah scholars. They want to kill us, and the only ones who can stop this — it is you!”

Rav Zilberstein then outlined three specific areas of hischazkus for the children.

“In what should you strengthen yourselves? First of all, in honoring your father and mother, about which it is said ‘so that your days will be lengthened,’ a promise from the Holy One, blessed be He, that one who honors his father and mother will have long days, he and his family.

“The second thing is Shabbos, to keep Shabbos, and not to do melachah, and not to speak any forbidden things, nothing at all.

“And above all, to pray with seriousness. Know this — the Jewish people now need you! And with Hashem’s help, if you strengthen yourselves, not to speak lashon hara, and to pray with clear intention that you can save, we will have salvation, and to Hashem is the salvation, upon Your people is Your blessing forever,” Rav Zilberstein concluded.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll attend this year’s White House Correspondent Association dinner on April 25, marking the first time he’s done so as commander-in-chief.

“The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,” Trump posted on his social media site on Monday evening.

He noted that the latest installment comes amid celebrations marking America’s 250th birthday, adding that it “will be my Honor to accept their invitation.”

Trump was invited annually, but never attended the dinner during his first term and also skipped last year’s gathering.

“For more than 100 years, the journalists of the White House Correspondents’ Association have enjoyed an evening with the president,” the association’s president, Weijia Jiang, said in a statement. “We’re happy the president has accepted our invitation and look forward to hosting him.”

The event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but President Joe Biden attended each of the dinners during his term’s final three years. Every president since Coolidge had attended except Trump — until now. In his post Trump wrote that, “Because the Press was extraordinarily bad to me” he had “boycotted the event, and never went.”

“However, I look forward to being with everyone this year. Hopefully, it will be something very Special.”

The correspondents’ dinner debuted in 1921. Three years later, Coolidge became the first president to attend.

While all presidents but Trump went, not all did every year of their terms. Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon opted not to, and Ronald Reagan — then recovering from an assassination attempt — missed the 1981 installment, but called in from Camp David.

Trump attended the correspondents dinner before he was president, and was the subject of mocking by then-President Barack Obama in 2011. Obama joked: “Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House. Let’s see what we’ve got up there.”

The screens then flashed to a White House featuring a massive neon sign reading “Trump White House Hotel Casino Golf Course” featuring golden columns and a massive chandelier blocking the front entrance.

Made years before Trump became a politician, that joke has proved prophetic. Trump has leaned on his construction background to make over the White House in unprecedented ways during his second term.

Those remodeling efforts include paving over the lawn near the Rose Garden to install a patio reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and affixing partisan plaques to portraits of all the presidents on a Walk of Fame along the Colonnade. He’s also adorned the Oval Office in copious amounts of gold decorations and demolished the East Wing to begin work on a massive ballroom.

Arriving back from a weekend at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Trump stopped to admire two new additions to the area around the Rose Garden, statues of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin that were erected there while he was away.

“Unbelievable statues. Come and look at them,” Trump told a pack of reporters nearby.

The Saudi network Al-Arabiya reported that last night, Israel carried out a ground operation in Iran using Mossad operatives and special forces.

The report cited unnamed “sources,” without providing further details. Israel has not commented on the report, and no official response has been issued.

Earlier, the IDF released additional dramatic footage from Operation “Roaring Lion”, showing a strike on a squad of Iranian air defense soldiers.

תיעוד: חיל האוויר חיסל חיילים ממערך ההגנה של משטר הטרור האיראני שמטרתם לפגוע בכוחותינו

כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקפו וסיכלו חוליית חיילים ממערך ההגנה של משטר הטרור האיראני שמטרתם לפגוע בכוחותינו באמצעות מערכות הגנה אוויריות.

בנוסף, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר ממשיכים לתקוף באופן שוטף… pic.twitter.com/OAT9wKf2XH

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 3, 2026

The squad had been deployed in an attempt to target Israeli Air Force aircraft operating over Iranian territory using advanced anti-aircraft systems.

The squad was eliminated before it managed to carry out a launch. The strike was conducted as part of ongoing operational activity against threats to Israeli Air Force aircraft.

In addition, Israeli Air Force aircraft continue to regularly strike air defense systems intended to target aircraft, including launchers, missiles, and radar systems. The IDF clarified that the activity is aimed at removing threats to aerial freedom of operation.

At the same time, the Air Force continues to strike Iranian fire-array sites and ballistic missile launchers.

The IDF emphasized that it “will not allow the Iranian terror regime to operate defense systems to harm Air Force aircraft and will continue to strike attempts to arm missile launchers.”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Iran had concealed large quantities of highly enriched uranium and was potentially only weeks away from converting it into a nuclear weapon prior to recent American military action, warning that Tehran was nearing full weapons capability.

Waltz made the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where he outlined what he described as the urgency of the threat posed by Iran before the U.S. strikes.

“They kept their highly enriched uranium and were hiding it,” Waltz said. “And it is within weeks, a month at the most, that you can take 60% to 90% to have a bomb.”

He further asserted that Iran was not only advancing its nuclear program but also significantly accelerating its missile production efforts.

“We also know that they are developing a long range ICBM essentially, in addition to quadrupling the amount of missiles shorter range and medium range missiles that they can build per month to overwhelm our air defenses.”

Asked directly whether he believed Iran was just weeks away from achieving nuclear weapons capability, Waltz referenced the administration’s recent operation targeting Iranian facilities.

“What I’m saying is Operation Midnight Hammer… obliterated their enrichment capability,” he said. “But we also knew they hid a lot of their highly enriched uranium.”

{Matzav.com}

The Yerushalayim Light Rail will resume operations beginning Tuesday under a limited emergency schedule, providing transportation primarily for essential workers as the security situation continues to affect public life.

In accordance with Home Front Command directives and instructions from security officials, public transportation across the country is continuing to operate in an emergency format.

The Transportation Ministry announced that bus service is currently running at approximately 45% of its regular capacity, based on ongoing security assessments and Home Front Command guidance.

Under instructions from the Transportation Ministry and the National Public Transportation Authority, the Yerushalayim Light Rail will begin operating Tuesday in an emergency framework aligned with security directives.

As part of the revised schedule, the light rail will run daily from 5:15 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. The move is intended to maintain essential transportation continuity and ensure that critical workers can reach their destinations.

The Transportation Ministry stressed that light rail operations are being carried out in accordance with the current security assessment and Home Front Command guidelines. Any changes to the schedule will be announced separately if necessary.

Passengers are advised to check for updates before traveling. The most current information regarding routes and service is available through public transportation apps, official information websites, and customer service centers operated by transportation providers.

Authorities also outlined procedures for riders in the event of a security alert during travel:

Upon receiving an alert, the train will stop at the nearest station.

The driver will announce the alert and open the train doors.

All passengers must exit the train and follow Home Front Command safety instructions.

The train will remain at the station and closed until clearance is given to resume service.

If a siren sounds without prior warning, the train will stop at the nearest station or another safe location, and the driver will open the doors.

In exceptional cases, the train may not stop at the nearest station, depending on instructions from the control center.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Four people were lightly injured on Tuesday afternoon in an Iranian missile strike on the city of Bnei Brak. A car was set on fire in Bnei Brak from debris falling from interceptors of the missiles.

Magen David Adom (MDA) reported that teams went out to search Givat Shmuel, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, and Rosh HaAyin due to concerns about the fall of interception debris.

ריקודים ליד הבניין שנפגע בבני ברק.
לדעתי מסוכן מאוד במצב של המשך שיגורים. pic.twitter.com/gj0gIHd5Aj

— Doron Paz (@Doron_paz1) March 3, 2026

Bnei Brak residents give praise to Hashem after missile caused only light injuries

עיריית בני ברק: 2 דיווחים על נפילת רסיסים ברחבי העיר. בזירה אחת רכב עולה באש ללא נפגעים ב”ה, בזירה שניה פגיעה בדירה ושני נפגעים שמטופלים ע”י כוחות ההצלה. נא להקפיד לשמור על הנחיות פיקוד העורף. pic.twitter.com/3i0ZGhpHVb

— שילה פריד🇮🇱 (@shilofreid) March 3, 2026

The IDF stated: “Home Front Command search and rescue forces, together with numerous emergency teams, are currently operating at the impact sites in central Israel. The circumstances of the impact are under review.”

There’s an idea circulating this Purim about a hidden pattern in Esther 1:18.

While Persia and Media are mentioned earlier in the Megillah as well, this specific verse is being highlighted because of the way the first letters of each word line up.

Here’s how the code works:

Take the first letter of every word in the verse.

When those letters are written in order, people point out that they form:

היום — Hayom (“today”)

תשפ״ו — the Hebrew year 5786

אש — fire

אדה — vaporization

The idea being shared is simple:

“Hayom” hints to the day of Purim — when the Megillah is read.

This year is תשפ״ו (5786).

And the themes of fire and conflict are reflected in current events connected to modern-day Persia (Iran).

Some compare it to other well-known Megillah patterns people have discussed over the years, such as letter patterns connected to תש״ז during the fall of the Nazis.

Whether one sees it as a deep code or a striking pattern, many feel that once again, the Megillah feels surprisingly current. This was discovered by the Brazilian kabbalist Misha’Ël Ha’Levi three years ago.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A “limited fire” broke out at the United States Embassy in the Saudi capital of Riyadh after it was hit by two drones, while a fuel tank at Oman’s Duqm commercial port was hit in a drone attack, increasing regional pressure on Gulf Arab states housing US assets.

The strike on the US Embassy early on Tuesday caused “minor material damage” to the compound, the Saudi Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Later reports said more drones were targeting the site amid Iran’s retaliation across the Gulf to US-Israeli attacks.

🚨BREAKING: MASSIVE EXPLOSION AT US EMBASSY RIYADH pic.twitter.com/RNzHLhkAqr

— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) March 3, 2026

President ⁠Donald Trump ⁠told the NewsNation media outlet that the US response to the embassy attack and the killing of several American service members in Kuwait would soon be made clear. “You’ll find out soon,” he said.

Black smoke was ⁠seen rising over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which houses foreign missions, after the attack, the Reuters news agency reported.

Three people told Reuters that a loud blast was heard and flames were seen at the embassy, though the Saudi Defence Ministry and one of the sources told the news agency that the fire in the aftermath of the drone attack was small in scale. The embassy building was empty at the time of the attack and there were no reports of casualties.

A source close to the Saudi military, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that air defences had intercepted four other drones targeting the Diplomatic Quarter in the attack.

Meanwhile, the state-run Oman News Agency reported that a fuel tank at the country’s Duqm commercial port was hit in a drone attack, causing limited material damage and no casualties.

Separately on Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a US airbase in Bahrain, it said in a statement carried by the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

“The IRGC announced that … its naval forces carried out a large-scale drone and missile attack at dawn on the US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain,” IRNA posted on the Telegram messaging app.

It said 20 drones and three missiles were launched, “destroying the base’s main command headquarters”, without providing evidence.

Tehran’s latest claimed attack came after its military launched salvoes across the Gulf region in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks on Iran that began on Saturday.

The US Department of State on Tuesday ordered nonemergency personnel to leave Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Iraq as a precaution.

It comes a day after US assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, Mora Namdar, posted on X that Americans in a dozen countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel, should “DEPART NOW” using any available commercial transport.

In Kuwait, the US Embassy said it had closed indefinitely over “regional tensions”. The US Embassy in Jerusalem said it was unable to evacuate or directly assist Americans intending to depart Israel.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued ⁠a “shelter in place” notice to its citizens in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran amid the attacks.

“We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom shelter in place immediately and avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility. The US Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to monitor the regional situation,” the embassy said.

International soccer star Christiano Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr, elected to take his family away from the Middle East after the local soccer league was suspended in the wake of the war,  and flew in a private jet back to Portugal.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday that the United States risks being drawn into a prolonged and unsuccessful conflict following the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing that the military action could spiral into another costly war in the Middle East.

In an interview with CNN’s Kate Bolduan, Jeffries criticized the administration’s decision after President Donald Trump announced Saturday that American forces, alongside Israel, had launched attacks against Iranian targets.

“The American people want us to focus on making their life better and making their life more affordable; not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure. This administration somehow found the resources, has found billions of dollars for bombs but can’t find any money to actually bring down the high cost of living here in the United States of America,” Jeffries said.

During the interview, Bolduan raised the position of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who has indicated that he does not view the operation as an illegal war.

Jeffries dismissed that view, replying, “John Fetterman knows better.”

He went on to argue that the Constitution clearly assigns war-making authority to Congress.

“Article 1 of the Constitution explicitly provides Congress with the authority to declare war, period, full-stop. And the framers of the Constitution made that decision because they were concerned about kings throughout time getting their people into unnecessary wars, impoverishing them or imperiling their very well-being by sending them off to a foreign conflict,” the lawmaker added.

He continued, “And that’s why the power was given explicitly to the House and to the Senate. And Donald Trump chose intentionally not to come before Congress, which is why we’re going to force this vote on a War Powers Resolution and make sure that we do everything we can to constrain him at this point in time.”

Bolduan also asked Jeffries whether he believed Trump could achieve regime change in Iran without deploying American ground troops.

Jeffries rejected that possibility.

“No, that’s impossible for him to do. Now, he’s claiming that he’s not going to put U.S. boots on the ground, but he’s claimed a lot of things only to do the exact opposite. This is the same person who said he is coming back to the presidency to get America out of endless wars, and now he has just gotten us into a potential endless war in the Middle East of all places, where we know, based on what happened in Afghanistan, based on what happened in Iraq, based on what happened in Libya, it’s not going to end well for American interests,” he responded.

Jeffries’ remarks reflect a broader divide among Democrats over the strikes. Several members of the party have strongly opposed Trump’s decision to target Iran, while others, including Fetterman, have publicly defended the action.

{Matzav.com}

After declaring war on Hezbollah for joining the war overnight Sunday and following additional rocket and drone launches from Lebanon into Israel overnight Monday, the IDF announced Tuesday morning that a limited number of ground forces were deployed to southern Lebanon.

Forces from the 91st Division entered southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts it maintained during the ceasefire and captured key points to bolster forward defenses. In practice, IDF forces have launched a ground invasion into Lebanon.

The IDF spokesperson stated, “91st Division forces have entered southern Lebanon on the ground and captured several positions to strengthen forward defenses to create an additional security layer for northern residents through extensive strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure to neutralize threats and prevent attempts to infiltrate Israel.”

The IDF added, “The Hezbollah terror organization chose to fight on Iran’s behalf and will face the consequences. We won’t tolerate attacks on Israeli civilians, and we will continue to protect them by any means necessary.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said, “The IDF continues to operate forcefully against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The terrorist organization is paying and will pay a steep price for firing on Israel.”

“To prevent the possibility of direct fire on Israeli communities, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and I authorized the IDF to advance and seize additional dominant positions in Lebanon and defend border yishuvim from there. We promised security for the residents of the Galil, and we’ll deliver it.”

Also on Tuesday morning, the Israeli Air Force carried out a wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The State Department on Monday urged U.S. citizens in 14 countries in the Middle East to leave due to “serious safety risks.”

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on X: “The State Department urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation due to serious safety risks.”

The countries listed are Israel, Iran, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tuesday posted a video message on X, telling US citizens in Israel who want to leave to do so via Egypt, saying that Israel’s tourism ministry is providing buses from major Israeli cities to Taba, where some flights are available. However, most people would have to travel to the airport in Cairo, where all flights are available apart from Middle East destinations.

Israeli airspace is closed, and Huckabee said he does not currently recommend traveling through Jordan.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The following article, published in The Sunday Telegraph by Charles Moore, the official biographer of Margaret Thatcher, is a candid appreciation of the extraordinary role played by Prime Minister Netanyahu in shaping Israel’s destiny in the last 30 years. Despite the sharp anti-Israel backlash in Britain over the Gaza war, Moore does not hesitate to hail Netanyahu as the “Most remarkable leader Israel has ever produced”.

Such is the media and cultural atmosphere in Britain about the Middle East that one obvious thing remains all but unsayable. As the Ayatollah lies dead and the Islamic Republic of Iran totters, it seems a good moment to say it.

It is that Benjamin Netanyahu is perhaps the most remarkable leader the state of Israel has ever produced. He may not be very nice: he is undeniably ruthless. He is accused of corruption; his wife even more so. He may be the sort of man whose cabinet you will not want to join if you seek a political career of your own.

But he is undeniably up to the job, the most demanding one in the democratic world. The electoral system, the fractious nature of Israeli politics (even within Netanyahu’s own Likud, let alone his much wider coalitions) and the hold of what, in Britain, we call “the Blob” on Israeli media, judiciary, universities and even, to some extent, the intelligence agencies, require continuous infighting. Yet he has surfed these hostile waves repeatedly.

“Bibi” was born a year after Israel itself and, controversial though he is, embodies it. Critics rephrase that as a criticism: he inclines to think, like Louis XIV, that “L’État, c’est moi.”

Netanyahu first became prime minister in 1996 and has held the office almost continuously since 2009. He has now been in charge long enough to see his efforts crowned.

His successes in this long story include his time as finance minister when he led Israel’s transformation from socialist state to “start-up nation”. This not only made Israelis much more prosperous. It also made Israel internationally indispensable. Its tech innovation and medical innovation have power in world markets.

This entrepreneurialism combines with and benefits from Israel’s expertise in security. A country fighting every single day for its survival has a huge amount to teach others. A great many countries need Israel’s help. Nowadays, for example, Israel has a real presence in Africa and in India. Indeed, the only continent where it encounters more difficulties today than in the past is in declining Europe. Britain’s debt to Israeli intelligence is great, but unacknowledged.

In the Arab world, rhetoric and reality clash. Millions of Muslims are taught to hate Israel, but in the Abraham Accords, Netanyahu and Donald Trump managed to achieve an agreement between nations of different faiths as never before. The accords united countries as disparate as the UAE and Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan. On Monday, even the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen pointed out that Iran’s weekend attacks on several Arab countries created unified anger against Tehran, not Washington.

If you had to take one issue on which Netanyahu has always led, it would be the threat of Iran. The first time I met him, which I think was in the 20th century, he was already expounding it with his arresting clarity.

In 2015, at the height of Barack Obama’s prestige, Netanyahu showed true moral courage in explaining to both Houses of Congress why what later that year would become the JCPOA – the diplomatic process with Iran which was the pride and joy of Obama and the Western world (including Britain) – would not work. He was trying to block “the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons”; he knew the deal would not achieve this.

Netanyahu’s nadir came on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas slaughtered more than 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250. The famous tough guy stood accused of lack of vigilance. We still do not know enough accurately to apportion the blame for Israeli security failings that day. But what is clear is that, after the attacks, Netanyahu feared he might fail in his overriding, lifelong duty to protect his people from a second Shoah. So protect them he did, with all his energy and cunning.

Under the ambiguous and hesitant Biden administration, that proved difficult. But once Donald Trump was back in the White House, Bibi could make progress.

This was not because of personal rapport between the two men: they have often clashed. It was because Trump was more determined than Biden and because Netanyahu understands America. In a strange way, he benefited from the power of the Left in Israel, because his father, a most distinguished historian of the Spanish Inquisition, but a Likud supporter, was denied advancement in Israeli universities. The young Bibi was therefore educated chiefly in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. He learnt how best to talk to Americans.

From the moment he appeared on CNN as an Israeli spokesman in the successful First Gulf War of 1991, his mastery of English-speaking global communication was evident.

After Israel’s initially not very effective retaliation to the October 7 attacks, victory after victory was won. Trump could see the sense in tucking in behind this. First came the decapitation of the Hamas leadership; then the astonishing exploding pagers that disabled the Hezbollah high command; then the attacks on nuclear installations and personnel within Iran itself.

And now, as soon as the assault began, US/Israeli intelligence and technological accuracy have killed the tyrant. The radioactive theocrats are threatened as never before, with Israel as the sharp tip of the American spear and Netanyahu as the man who knew what to do when he needed to do it.

The most powerful promoter of international terrorism over the last half-century is on its knees. The most powerful nation on earth is now working harmoniously with a Mediterranean democracy of only 10 million citizens to defeat a 47-year reign of tyranny, globalised racist and Islamist propaganda, international subversion (including in British universities) and assassination.

In a photograph released after the attacks, Netanyahu was shown sitting in his office with a copy of Tim Bouverie’s recent book, Allies at War, by his side. Its subtitle is “The Politics of Defeating Hitler”. Thanks chiefly to Netanyahu, who fancies the Churchill role, America’s truly special relationship is now with Israel. Meanwhile, back in Britain, our Government sounds like a prissy, second-rank lawyer gabbling ill-digested passages from an out-of-date rule book.

The US/Israel attack could still go wrong, chiefly because the US is under-prepared to support revolt within Iran. And yes, in an extremely open democracy such as Israel, nothing is the achievement of a single leader. Credit should be widely shared. Nevertheless, Netanyahu’s story is epic.

Israeli security forces temporarily detained two Turkish journalists in Tel Aviv after they were found broadcasting live near a sensitive security location during an active missile threat, according to reports from Israeli and Turkish media outlets.

The journalists, identified as a correspondent and cameraman for CNN Türk, were filming in proximity to Israel’s Defense Ministry complex during a siren warning of an upcoming missile attack from Iran. Security personnel approached the crew, halted the live transmission, and took them in for questioning.

Israeli officials have not released detailed public statements regarding the operational specifics, but security sources indicated the move was part of standard protective procedures enforced during wartime conditions, particularly around strategic military and government sites.

Israel has been operating under elevated alert, and under such circumstances, filming near sensitive infrastructure poses risks related to intelligence gathering, targeting, or operational compromise.

Turkish officials criticized the detention, calling it an infringement on press freedom. However, Israeli security policy during conflict grants authorities the power to restrict access around military facilities and active defense zones in order to safeguard civilians and prevent espionage and other malicious activity. In addition, the permits held by the journalists had long expired, further prompting suspicion and good reason to remove them from the scene.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has relied on the encrypted messaging platform Signal to correspond with fellow elected officials and political advisers, including conversations involving government matters, a practice that may conflict with public records and freedom of information requirements, according to a report by Politico.

Signal previously drew national attention after reports last year that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used the application on his personal phone to discuss U.S. military operations in Yemen.

Politico reported Monday that it independently verified that Mamdani maintains an active Signal account tied to his personal cellphone number.

Three individuals familiar with the situation told the outlet that Mamdani used the app to exchange messages with other officeholders and political advisers and that some of those communications involved official government business. The sources were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, members of the public are entitled to request access to the mayor’s official communications. However, Signal’s end-to-end encryption and its feature allowing messages to disappear after a designated period could complicate efforts to obtain those records if they are stored within the app or deleted.

Mamdani campaigned on a pledge to bring greater transparency and accountability to city government. Critics argue that using encrypted messaging applications for official communications appears at odds with that promise.

Norman Siegel, a First Amendment attorney and former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, told Politico that city mayors should avoid using Signal for discussions with other government officials.

“I would urge him to not engage in Signal or similar kinds of applications that basically are meant to hide information and prevent the public from knowing the inner workings of government,” Siegel said.

Politico also reported that after his election victory in November, Mamdani exited several Signal group chats, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity. That step suggested an awareness of the potential legal and transparency issues associated with the app’s use by public officials.

Questions surrounding digital communications are not new for New York City mayors.

Shortly after taking office, Eric Adams faced inquiries about his own use of Signal. At the time, he told City & State that the app was used strictly for “private” matters and that “government business is conducted on my government phone.”

Less than three years later, federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed a corruption indictment that included claims Adams used encrypted messaging platforms to communicate with aides regarding alleged campaign finance misconduct.

Before Adams, former Mayor Bill de Blasio and members of his staff also faced scrutiny in 2019 when it became public that they had used Signal to coordinate government scheduling.

Advocates for government transparency say Mamdani should halt the practice. John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, a watchdog organization focused on accountability in government, told Politico, “He’s got to stop doing that.”

Grace Rauh, executive director of Citizens Union, a nonprofit organization dedicated to government reform in New York, likewise cautioned that conversations with other officials can easily cross into official territory.

“City leaders must be deliberate about how they communicate,” Rauh told Politico. “Any discussion of official government business must occur in a manner that ensures records are preserved and accessible under the Freedom of Information Law. The rules exist to protect the public.”

{Matzav.com}

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – A Cessna 172 carrying two people crashed into the Hudson River east of Stewart International Airport shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, officials said.

Authorities described the incident as a “mini Miracle on the Hudson” after the plane performed an emergency ice landing near Newburgh. First responders from Middle Hope, Newburgh, and Storm King fire departments quickly located the aircraft. The pilot and passenger were able to escape and swim to shore.

Both occupants were evaluated at the scene before being transported to a local hospital. Gov. Kathy Hochul said they sustained only minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.

The aircraft, owned by American Airman, Inc., had departed McArthur Airport on Long Island and was practicing landings at Stewart Airport. No other people were on board.

The Federal Aviation Administration and State Police are investigating the crash.

Another miracle on the Hudson.

Thank God both the pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that performed an ice landing near Newburgh have been located with only minor injuries.

Grateful to our first responders for their quick actions.

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) March 3, 2026

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A United Airlines flight returned to the Los Angeles airport Monday about 40 minutes after taking off for an emergency evacuation after a reported fire, authorities said.

All flights at the LAX International Airport were ordered to remain on the ground for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation, according to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.

A United Airlines flight was forced to evacuate at LAX after reports of an engine fire.

Passengers deplaned via slides and airstairs, ran from the plane and boarded a bus to get to the terminal.

Read more at https://t.co/qeyNMQ6wIO pic.twitter.com/M05zLKASIQ

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) March 2, 2026

The flight, which was en route to Newark, New Jersey, returned to LA to address a possible engine fire, the airline said in a statement. The LA Fire Department said it responded and the fire was contained as of an hour after the plane’s landing.

The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m. and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The LA Fire Department said they assisted with the evacuation of more than 250 passengers and crew. Passengers exited the plane on the taxiway using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.

The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.

Footage from the cabin of a United Boeing 787 shows passengers carrying their luggage during the emergency evacuation of Flight 2127 at LAX — a procedure that is supposed to be completed in 90 seconds or less.

We never learn, do we?pic.twitter.com/91LdZq5C8D https://t.co/VzUneZAJzU

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 3, 2026

A United Airlines Boeing 787-9 flight 2127 bound for Newark with 256 passengers and 12 crew made an emergency return to LAX shortly after departure due to a left engine issue.
Emergency slides deployed and Fire crews hosed down visible smoke on arrival. pic.twitter.com/gBf39Ly8RH

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) March 3, 2026

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Purim holiday is usually marked with boisterous street parades and costume parties to celebrate the Jewish victory over an ancient Persian ruler. This year, the celebrations moved into fortified bomb shelters as the country wages war against Iran’s modern-day leaders.

In Tel Aviv on Monday, people of all ages wearing sequined suits, bunny ears, pirate costumes and peacock feathers streamed into a mall’s underground parking lot that also functions as a bomb shelter for the traditional reading of the Purim story followed by a live band with dancing.

“It’s all about choosing happiness, choosing to be joyful, no matter what else is going on,” said Mariel Margulis, a Tel Aviv resident who had set up a tent in the parking garage and lived there for the past few days with her husband and 6-month old son. They dressed up as people having a bath, complete with bath robes, and their son, Amichai, as a rubber ducky, and created a bathtub play area for him next to their tent.

The story of Purim, told in the Book of Esther, follows Haman, an adviser to King Ahashverosh, as he plans to exterminate the Jews of the kingdom. The plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai. The story takes place in Shushan, Persia, in what is modern-day Iran.

“It feels biblical in proportions, what’s happening right now, and we’re doing the little bit we can, staying calm, staying joyful,” said Mariel. Nearby, Amichai slept through the loud “boos” from the crowd to drown out the name of Haman, the villain of the story, during a reading from the Book of Esther.

People, some wearing costumes, celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in an underground metro station used as a shelter against possible Iranian missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

“It’s like the same plot of Purim with a different cast,” said Daniel Margulis, Mariel’s husband.

Purim, a holiday beloved by both religious and secular Jews, takes place in most of the Jewish world starting on Monday night. The holiday starts a day later in ancient walled cities, including Jerusalem.

In quiet times, families in colorful costumes throng downtown stretches, children eat copious amounts of traditional triangle cookies. It’s customary to dress up in costumes and drink large amounts of alcohol.

In Jerusalem, musicians set up on balconies overlooking the main drag and street parties in the stone alleys stretch into the evening.

Massive parties were planned this year after a two-year break. Many cities had canceled or scaled down their Purim celebrations for the past two years due to the Israel-Hamas war.

But celebrations were once again disrupted by war, after Israel and the U.S. launched an attack against Iran on Saturday

“We came because the kids didn’t want to miss out on Purim, they were really excited to get dressed up,” said Elysa Rapoport, a Tel Aviv resident who works in investments. Her daughters dressed up as Barbie Cowgirl and Rumi from K-pop Demon Hunters.

People, some wearing costumes, celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in an underground metro station used as a shelter against possible Iranian missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

With most Purim celebrations canceled, the family planned their walk to the Purim event to hopscotch between easy access to shelters. Iranian missiles have sent Israelis scurrying for shelters multiple times a day and night.

“This just feels surreal,” Rapoport said, looking over the celebrations, as hundreds of people gathered and danced under the parking lot’s fluorescent lights. Nearby, people and their dogs who had moved into the shelter for the duration of the war lounged on air mattresses, scrolling through their phones.

“It’s not the most optimal conditions, we’re used to our synagogue, but we’re here together with all of the nation of Israel,” said Gabi Grinshtain, a 39-year-old environmental consultant. “These are important days, and the setting is less important.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration and its allies in Congress presented a shifting new justification Monday for the U.S. attack on Iran, with House Speaker Mike Johnson suggesting that the White House believed Israel was determined to act on its own, leaving the president with a “very difficult decision.”

The Republican was speaking late Monday after a classified briefing at the Capitol, the first for congressional leaders since the start of the war, a joint U.S.-Israel military campaign that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has quickly spiraled into a widening Middle East conflict. Hundreds have died, including at least six U.S. military service personnel.

Johnson said the attack on Iran was a “defensive operation” because Israel was ready to act against Iran, “with or without American support.” He said President Donald Trump and his team determined that Iran would immediately retaliate against U.S. personnel and assets.

“The commander in chief has said this is going to be an operation that is short in duration,” Johnson said. “We certainly hope that’s true.”

Operation Epic Fury was a defensive and decisive action taken to counter the imminent threat posed by Iran’s aggression toward American troops, citizens, installations, and assets.

Our intelligence confirmed that inaction would have resulted in dire consequences.

We… pic.twitter.com/ihRai0ycF1

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) March 3, 2026

The remarkable shift in the Trump administration’s stated rationale comes as the hostilities deepen and widen across the region. The president himself estimated the war could drag on for weeks. The administration plans to seek supplemental funds from Congress to support the military effort, lawmakers said, in stark contrast to the president’s America First campaign not to entangle the U.S. in actions abroad.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the “hardest hits are yet to come” as the U.S. is determined to continue attacking Iran for as long as it takes with an “even more punishing” next phase in the war.

Rubio described what was essentially a potentially ripple effect that he said posed an “imminent threat” to the U.S.

“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” he said. “And we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”

Rubio said that while the U.S. would like to see the Iranian people rise up and be rid of the regime, “that’s not the objective,” he said. “The objective of this mission is to make sure they don’t have these weapons that can threaten us and our allies in the region.”

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan’s ground forces attacked Pakistan’s military positions at 16 locations along the southwestern border early Tuesday and fired on multiple points in the northwest, triggering intense clashes in which 67 Afghan security force members and one Pakistani soldier were killed, as fighting between the two neighbors entered its fifth consecutive day, officials said.

Pakistan “successfully repelled these multiple attacks” along the Afghan border, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.

Afghan forces carried out ground assaults in 16 locations in the southwestern districts of Qilla Saifullah, Nushki and Chaman in Balochistan province, Tarar said on X. In retaliatory attacks, Pakistan killed 27 members of Afghan forces, he said.

Tarar said that Afghan forces also launched attacks at 25 locations in the border regions of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Pakistani troops killed 40 Afghan security force members.

There was no immediate comment from Kabul on the Pakistani figures.

However, Pakistan and Afghanistan have both repeatedly claimed to inflicted heavy losses on the other side since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Tarar on Monday, saying that 435 Afghan security force members were killed and that 31 positions have been captured in the fighting.

In recent days, Kabul has also said that its forces inflicted significant losses on Pakistan’s military.

The latest announcement about the killing of Afghan forces came a day after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari defended the ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, saying Islamabad had tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory. He asked Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan has described its operations as an “open war ” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in violence in recent months, which it attributes to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which operates inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.

The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October. Talks in Istanbul failed to produce a permanent agreement, and Pakistani authorities have said that operations will continue until Afghanistan’s Taliban government takes practical, verifiable steps to rein in the TTP and other militants behind violence in Pakistan.

(AP) – A senior Hezbollah official says that after more than a year of abiding by the ceasefire as Israel’s strikes continued on Lebanon, the group’s patience has ended, leaving it with no option “but to return to resistance” and fight an open war with Israel.

Mohamoud Komati said Tuesday that Hezbollah exercised patience since a ceasefire ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November 2024, hoping the government’s diplomatic efforts would yield positive results in ending Israeli strikes.

In the comments released by Hezbollah’s media office, Komati blasted the Lebanese government for calling Hezbollah’s actions illegal and demanded it hand over its weapons, saying it did not act to stop Israel’s airstrikes that continued on almost daily basis for nearly 15 months.

“The Zionist enemy wanted an open war, which it has not stopped since the ceasefire agreement,” Komati said. “So let it be an open war.”

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Is the Geulah around the corner? The fact is that never in world history has there been a leader as good to Klal Yisroel as the current president. Is there anything we can do to precipitate it?

There is a segulah — a special spiritual merit — that the greatest Torah leaders have spoken about for centuries. It is not complicated. It does not require a trip to a holy site. It is something anyone can do, no matter their level. And according to the Chida, one of the most brilliant of Sefardic sages, this one act has the power to bring the Geulah Sheleimah — the complete and final Redemption.

The segulah is learning Torah on Purim.

The Gemara’s Revelation: What “Light” Really Means

Chazal teach us something stunning in Megillah 16b. The Megillah tells us, “The Jews had light.” What is this “light”? The Gemara reveals: “Light” refers to Torah.

Rashi explains the deeper context: Haman did not just want to kill the Jewish people physically. He wanted to destroy them spiritually first. He decreed that they must stop learning Torah. He understood that a Jew without Torah is like a soldier without a weapon. So when the pasuk says that the Jews had “light,” it means they got their Torah back. That was the real victory.

The Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah: A Call to Action

The Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah (Sha’ar 12, Chapter 6) takes this idea and turns it into a direct obligation. He writes that from the Gemara we can see “the enormous obligation on this day of Purim on every person to study Torah and to rejoice in its study.”

But he does not stop there. He says we must also give immense thanks — both in speech and in thought — to Hashem, who “thwarted the counsel of the nations and frustrated the schemes of the cunning” — meaning Haman, the oppressor who tried to rip Torah away from us. Hashem saved us from that spiritual destruction, and Purim is the day we celebrate that rescue.

He then cites the Shulchan Aruch (695:2, in the Hagah of the Rema), which gives us a practical piece of advice: “The counsel of faithfulness and propriety for a person is that he should not move from the Beis HaMidrash in the morning until he has studied Torah, for in his home he may come to neglect Torah study because of the great distractions of the day.” In other words, start your Purim morning with learning — before the seudah, before the visiting, before the noise begins. Once the day gets going, it is easy to forget.

Why Purim Desperately Needs Torah: The World Depends on It

In the sefer Chaim Shenayim Yeshalem (p. 122), written by the holy Gaon Rav Shmuel Vital zt”l, he writes something that should shake every one of us. He explains that the pasuk in Yirmiyahu (33:25) says: “If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth.” And another pasuk in Tehillim (75:4) states: “The earth and all its inhabitants were dissolving — it is I who established its pillars.”

What does this mean for Purim? Rav Shmuel Vital explains: On Purim, the majority of the Jewish world is busy with tzedakah, food, and drink — all wonderful mitzvos. But there is almost no one sitting and learning. And since the entire world is sustained only through Torah study, Purim is a day when the world is in spiritual danger!

That is why, Rav Shmuel Vital concludes, “fortunate — and fortunate is his portion — is the one who establishes a fixed time of one or two hours to engage in Torah, thereby directing and sustaining the world through his Torah study.”

One or two hours of Torah learning on Purim does not just benefit you — it literally holds up the entire world.

The Chasam Sofer’s Brilliant Insight: Why Purim Has Two Days

The Chasam Sofer (Derashos, Vol. 1, p. 205) reveals a fascinating reason behind one of the most well-known features of Purim — the fact that unwalled cities celebrate on the 14th of Adar and walled cities celebrate on the 15th.

Why did Mordechai and Esther set it up this way? The Chasam Sofer says the answer is stunning: they did not want there to be even a single day when all of the Jewish people would be eating, rejoicing, and neglecting Torah and mitzvos. By splitting Purim into two different days, they made sure that on any given day, while some Jews are celebrating, others are sitting and learning.

This teaches us something profound. Torah study on Purim was not an afterthought or a nice idea. It was an inseparable part of the original takkanah — the very enactment — of Mordechai and Esther. They built it into the DNA of the holiday.

And this supports a practical point as well: the residents of unwalled cities on the 15th (Shushan Purim), and the residents of walled cities on the 14th, should be sitting and learning Torah — not spending the entire day on outings and visits. This was Mordechai and Esther’s intention from the very beginning.

The Chida’s Earth-Shaking Promise: Purim Can Bring Mashiach

Now we arrive at the most powerful statement of all.

The Chida, in his sefer Lev David (Chapter 29), writes words that should set every Jewish heart on fire:

“If all of Klal Yisroel on this day… were to conduct themselves in kedusha, and the joy was sanctified for the sake of Heaven, and on this day were engaged in Torah study, each person according to his level, then as a reward for this we would be redeemed with the Redemption, and the memory of Amalek would be erased.

For this is the day on which he [Haman/Amalek] began to fall, and he fell greatly. Indeed, if the Jewish people were to exert themselves in Torah and mitzvos on this day, evil would come upon the seed of Amalek until their complete annihilation, and a redeemer would come to Zion.”

The Chida is telling us that Purim is not just a day of celebration. It is a gateway. If the entire Jewish people would learn Torah on Purim — each person on their own level — with joy and holiness, we could trigger the final Redemption. Amalek would be wiped out. Mashiach would come.

Purim is the one day in the year when Amalek is already weakened – the anniversary of his downfall. If we push at that moment with the power of Torah, the Chida says we can finish the job.

Rav Steinman’s Personal Mission: Spreading the Word

The great Gadol HaDor, Rav Aharon Leib Steinman zt”l, made it his personal mission to bring this message to the Jewish world. He would go to every yeshiva and every kollel and make this very point: that learning Torah on Purim is of paramount importance. (See Kuntres Kiymu V’Kiblu.)

When a leader of Rav Steinman’s stature dedicates himself to a cause like this, it tells us something. This is not optional.

The message is clear. This Purim, before the seudah and the festivities, set aside one or two hours to sit and learn. It does not matter what level you are on. The Chida said “each person according to his level.” Learn Gemara, learn Mishnayos, learn Chumash, learn Halachah — whatever speaks to your soul. Just learn.

Because according to the greatest sages of our tradition — the Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah, Rav Shmuel Vital, the Chasam Sofer, the Chida, and Rav Steinman zt”l — your Torah learning on Purim does not just sustain the world. It has the power to bring the Geulah.

This Purim, let us be the generation that makes it happen.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Yes, the fictional picture above, is an eight dollar bill.  You will see why, as you read further down.

Of all the mitzvos of Purim, one stands out for its extraordinary power to transform lives. The Mishnah Berurah (694:3) tells us that we should spend more on matanos l’evyonim than on mishloach manos. That is a remarkable statement. It tells us that the heart of Purim lies not in the festive packages we exchange with friends, but in the gifts we press into the hands of those who have the least.

The mitzvah is discussed in the Gemara at the bottom of Megillah 7a. The requirement: give at least one gift to each of two different poor people on the day of Purim. The plural form of the word “l’evyonim” in the pasuk teaches us that the minimum is two recipients.

A related Gemara in Bava Metziah 78b discusses the charity plate of Purim. The Rishonim debate whether this Gemara addresses the mitzvah of matanos l’evyonim itself, or whether it deals with a separate obligation to provide for the Purim needs of the poor.

What Kind of Mitzvah Is This?

There is a fascinating debate among the Rishonim that goes to the very essence of this obligation. Is matanos l’evyonim fundamentally a mitzvah of tzedakah—charity in its classic sense—or is it something altogether different: a special Purim mitzvah whose purpose is to create simcha, joy and happiness?

This question is far from academic. Depending on how we answer it, several practical halachos change dramatically:

Ma’aser funds. If matanos l’evyonim is tzedakah, then one may use ma’aser money to fulfill it. If it is a simcha obligation, then ma’aser funds may not be used.

Obligation of the poor. If it is tzedakah, a poor person is generally exempt—his obligation to give tzedakah is only once a year. But if the mitzvah is rooted in simcha, then even a poor person must give matanos l’evyonim. Indeed, even someone who has reached the point of needing to ask others for charity must still give.

Rav Alexander Ziskind of Grodno was one of only two individuals who ever received a haskamah on a sefer from the Vilna Gaon himself. In his classic work, Yesod V’Shoresh HaAvodah (12:6), he recommends reciting a specific preamble before fulfilling this mitzvah. From the text, it is clear that Rav Ziskind understood matanos l’evyonim as an act of tzedakah.

The Ramban (Bava Metziah 78b), on the other hand, explains that the primary purpose of this mitzvah is to spread simcha—joy and delight—among those who need it most.  If anyone did not give yet, this author has slightly less than two dozen real bone fide evyonim coming between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM today, Just zelle to [email protected]

How the Mitzvah May Be Fulfilled

This obligation may be fulfilled through any type of gift—money, food, drink, or clothing. One should, however, try to give a substantial monetary gift. Ideally, the amount should be enough to buy bread weighing at least three eggs’ volume—roughly five slices. At the bare minimum, one must give a perutah (1/1,244th of an ounce of silver) or its equivalent value to each of two poor people. If silver was $93.77 an ounce – that would come to about 8 cents.

Many poskim, however, are concerned that giving such a minimal amount no longer generates any real feeling of simcha for the recipient. When these minimum amounts were originally calculated, the value of silver was significantly higher.

Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, shlita, rules that the minimum should be $1. The Shaarei Teshuvah holds that it should equal the cost of a meal for a poor person—in modern times, approximately five dollars (according to Rav Shmuel Fuerst). In the post-COVID era, where all prices have sky-rocketed, it seems that the amount should be closer to eight dollars. hence the picture above.

Spend More on Matanos L’Evyonim

The gedolei haposkim (see Mishnah Berurah 694:3) tell us that it is preferable to spend more on matanos l’evyonim than on mishloach manos. Consider: the calculation for mishloach manos includes not just the food items, but the packaging, the time, and the effort invested in preparing them. For many families, all of this adds up to several hundred dollars. We should be giving at least that much—and ideally more—for matanos l’evyonim.

When to Give

These gifts should be given during the daytime, after the Megillah reading. Matanos l’evyonim should be above and beyond ma’aser; therefore, ma’aser money should not be used, although it may be added to supplement one’s gifts.

Some poskim hold that, technically, matanos l’evyonim may be given before Purim. However, because of the concern that recipients may spend the money earlier, it is preferable to give on Purim itself. Others write that when an intermediary is used, the funds should be held as a package for the poor person—not received on the poor person’s behalf beforehand.

If one intended to give to a specific poor person but was unable to do so, one may redirect the gift to someone else—as long as one did not verbalize the original intention. If one did verbalize it, one should follow up and fulfill that commitment (BaLeilah Hahu p. 16).

The Money Itself

Money set aside for matanos l’evyonim should not be redirected to another tzedakah without consulting a posek. This is based on the Gemara in Bava Metziah (78b), according to those Rishonim who understand that passage as dealing with matanos l’evyonim. Other Rishonim learn that the Gemara is not discussing matanos l’evyonim at all, which gives a posek room for leniency.

A guiding principle: On Purim, we are not overly strict in determining whether someone is truly poor. Whoever puts out his hand—we give to him. Leading poskim note, however, that this leniency does not extend to organizations. The reason may be that the simcha of Purim is generated by making actual poor people happy—not organizations.

Women and Children

Women are fully obligated to give matanos l’evyonim. A married woman may fulfill the mitzvah through her husband, though ideally the husband should inform his wife that he has given on her behalf as well.

Children who are dependent on their parents should still give matanos l’evyonim on their own (Aruch HaShulchan 694:2). Even if they may be technically exempt from tzedakah, the dimension of simcha still applies.

To Whom Does One Give?

Originally, the mitzvah was to give to a true evyon—someone who did not have enough money for a Purim meal. Nowadays, such extreme poverty is thankfully rare. The poskim have ruled that the gift may be given to any poor person eligible to receive ma’aser funds. The Chazon Ish (Terumos U’Ma’asros, cited in Ba’Leilah Hahu p. 12) writes that it may be given to anyone who is not “mesudar b’parnasaso”—settled in his livelihood—to the extent that he can sustain himself and his family.

One may fulfill the mitzvah by giving even to a young child who qualifies as poor.

Matanos l’evyonim may—and ideally should—be given anonymously. This is, in fact, the highest form of fulfilling the mitzvah.

Giving by Check

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, ruled that one may fulfill matanos l’evyonim with a check—even a post-dated one. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l (Halichos Shlomo 19:23), and Rav Elyashiv, zt”l (Yismach Moshe p. 140), concur.

Rav Nissim Karelitz, shlita, however, holds that the check must be negotiable on Purim itself. This can present a difficulty when Purim falls on a Sunday. In areas where check-cashing facilities are open on Sundays, it would not be a problem.

Some have questioned whether these rulings from Israel apply in America, where “stop payment” orders are readily available. In truth, stop-payment capability exists in Israel and England as well, so this distinction does not hold.

Mourners

Although one generally does not give gifts to a mourner, matanos l’evyonim is an exception—because it is considered tzedakah.

A mourner within the twelve months of bereavement is obligated to give matanos l’evyonim. This applies even during the seven days of shivah.

An onein—someone who has lost a close relative whose burial has not yet taken place—may give matanos l’evyonim in the merit of the neshamah of the deceased, according to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l.

A Little to Many, or Much to Few?

Should one spread matanos l’evyonim among as many poor people as possible, giving each the minimum? Or is it better to concentrate one’s giving on fewer people with more substantial gifts?

The Bach (Siman 695) writes that it is preferable to give more people the lesser amount. Rav Elyashiv, zt”l (Shvus Yitzchak 8:2, as cited in Kovetz Halachos p. 92), holds that it is preferable to give fewer people a more significant sum. Rav Elyashiv appears to be emphasizing the simcha dimension of the mitzvah—a small token does not generate real joy.

Since either approach fulfills the mitzvah, one should perform it in whichever manner inspires the greatest sense of dveikus b’Hashem—closeness to the Al-Mighty.

So What is the Preamble?

L’shaim ichud kudsha brich hu, hareini muchan l’kayem mitzvas assei shekasuv besorasainu hakedosha shetzivani yotzri ubori “Nason titian” u “pasoach tiftach” vegam mitzvas assei shel kaballah “umatanos l’evyonim.”

The author can be reached at [email protected]

New details were revealed overnight about the deaths of six U.S. service members since Operation Epic Fury began, with CNN reporting that the soldiers were killed when an Iranian missile scored a direct hit on a makeshift operations center at Kuwait’s Shu’aiba port.

A source familiar with the incident told CNN that the missile directly hit the structure, describing it as a “triple-wide trailer with office space inside.” The strike occurred just after 9 a.m. local time, hitting the center of the facility—without any prior sirens or warnings to alert soldiers to run to a protected space.

The force of the explosion blew the walls of the trailer outward. Parts of the structure were still burning hours later

U.S. Central Command initially announced Sunday that three soldiers were killed, later announcing that a fourth soldier died from his wounds. Due to the fire at the site, it took time to recover the remains of all the soldiers. On Monday, it issued a statement saying that the total number of U.S. fatalities since the war began had risen to six. The names of the soldiers have not yet been identified, as families are still being notified.

The source told CNN that dozens of people were at the site at the time of the attack.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine called the service members killed in action “the best that our nation has to offer” and “true examples of what selfless service means.”

“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences are with their families, their friends, and their units,” he said. “We grieve with you, and we will never forget you.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

So what will Purim be like AFTER  Moshiach comes?

There is a famous Yalkut Shimoni (#944) referring to the time of Moshiach that states, “All the holidays are destined to be negated but the days of Purim will never be negated forever.  Rav Elazar says that Yom Kippur will also not be negated.”  The idea is also found in Midrash Mishlei.

Regarding this Midrash, Rav Moshe Feinstein zatzal, whose Yahrtzeit was yesterday (see article about him) is quoted in the second volume of Mesoras Moshe (p. 160) that his grandson, ylc”t Reb Mordechai Tendler explained to Rav Moshe that his wife’s shul had purchased him a silver Chanukah menorah as a wedding gift, but he hoped never to use it.

Rav Moshe zatzal expressed confusion.

His grandson explained that he hopes that Moshiach will come before Chanukah and the above Midrash will apply.

Rav Moshe explained that when the Midrash refers to Purim, it also includes Chanukah – because they are both of the same type of Yom Tov.  In other words, Chanukah will always be around as well – just like Purim.

I wanted to add two thoughts to this idea:

The first is that there is another source to this idea.  Rav Yoseph Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch had kept a diary in which he included the learning sessions he had had with a Malach.  The Sefer is called “Maggid Mesharim.”  Rav Karo also mentions the idea that both Purim and Chanukah will not be abolished (See Maggid Mesharim Parshas Vayakhel).  So we see that Rav Moshe was mechaven to what the Bais Yoseph wrote in his diary.

The second thought is that the Bnei Yissaschar writes (Maamar Chodesh Adar 4:8) that this Midrash does not actually mean that the other holidays will be abolished – because nothing of the Torah will be erased.  Rather, the intent is that the new Geulah will be so remarkable that it will cause all of the other Moadim to pale in comparison.  Nonetheless, we will still be observing them.  The Satmar Rebbe zt”l in Divrei Yoel Motzei Yom Kippur (page 418) writes the same thing.  

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Global oil markets experienced sharp gains this week as escalating conflict involving the Gulf states, the United States, and Israel rattled trading floors and raised the prospect of sustained supply disruptions. Brent crude futures, which serve as the international benchmark, jumped as much as 10–13%, briefly trading above $80 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude saw significant increases in response to geopolitical risks and disruptions to shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

At the center of the market upheaval is the Strait of Hormuz crisis, triggered by aggressive Iranian retaliatory warnings effectively halting tanker traffic through the narrow waterway. The strait normally handles around 20 % of the world’s oil trade, making its dysfunction a major concern.

Some analysts now predict the possibility of prices reaching $100 per barrel or higher if the strait remains closed or if further attacks target regional energy infrastructure. Related markets have also been affected. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices in Europe and Asia spiked as Qatar temporarily shut down part of its output following attacks on facilities, leading to benchmark gas prices jumping more than 40 % in some markets.

This evening, the Rosh Yeshivah of Ponevezh, Rav Berel Povarsky, wrote a letter to the thousands of talmidim of Yeshivas Ponevezh. This year, in light of the current situation, the Rosh Yeshivah calls upon them to intensify their avodah for Purim while exercising heightened caution, particularly by refraining from drinking and intoxication, as these days require exceptional vigilance.

He opens his letter: “To the precious bnei hayeshivah — The days of Purim are sacred days of accepting the Torah with love and willingness, and the bnei hayeshivah merit a special privilege to establish a seder of Torah study for several consecutive hours on the night of Purim in the holy yeshivah. Indeed, it is a breathtaking sight to behold the heichal hayeshivah on the night of Purim filled to capacity, with the bnei hayeshivah engaged in Torah in close friendship — fortunate is the eye that sees this. It is a lofty kiddush Hashem, and it brings awakening and strengthening in the love of Torah, with toil and diligence.”

The Rosh Yeshivah continues: “The unique quality of the day of Purim is that it is the day on which the Torah was accepted with love and willingness, and the mitzvos of the day encompass the three pillars upon which the world stands. Since the acceptance of the Torah was renewed with love — which is a superior acceptance — it is fitting to understand that at that moment the entire world was elevated, and a renewed creation of the world comes through Torah accepted out of love. Therefore, in the mitzvos of Purim as well, it is appropriate to enhance and beautify all three pillars. The words of the fast and its outcry represent the concept of avodah — service of the heart, which is tefillah, corresponding to the korbanos. Mishloach manos and matanos la’evyonim stem from the realm of chessed. Thus it is well understood that all the mitzvos of Purim form one unified whole upon which the world stands — and of course the study of Torah with love and joy. And Chazal already said in Tanna D’vei Eliyahu (Chapter 18): ‘What joy does a person truly have other than in words of Torah alone?’”

Addressing the present reality, Rav Povarsky writes with pain: “Unfortunately, we find ourselves within a fog and fear, and none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Therefore, this year it is incumbent upon us to strengthen ourselves with greater intensity and greater resolve — and especially to be cautious regarding matters that impair sound judgment, and to refrain from intoxication, for caution is particularly necessary in these days.

“Beyond this, we must utilize these days to strengthen ourselves in tefillah and supplication before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, especially on Taanis Esther and the days of Purim, whose purpose is to demonstrate the truth of what the Torah promised us — ‘Who is a great nation that has God so close to it as Hashem our God whenever we call to Him,’ as the Rambam writes.”

He concludes: “In this merit we shall be granted eternal salvation, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu will perform miracles for us as He did for our forefathers.”

{Matzav.com}

FIRST $50,000 ON PURIM WILL BE MATCHED!!!

Click Here To Donate

Make sure not to miss the deadline.
All donations until 3 PM on Purim will be 
delivered by hand to the aniyim in Zichron Moshe

Kupas Zichron Moshe Face a New Reality this Pesach Season

In past years, many of the needy in the Zichron Moshe neighborhood in Yerushalayim travel abroad and raise the necessary funds to be able to make Yom Tov in addition to many that visit Yershshalyim for Purim and Pesach.

However, in the past 24 hours, everything has changed.

The fresh war has basically shut down all borders, leaving many families in complete desperation in how to proceed.

Kupas Zichron Moshe was established by Rav Aaron Nimersovsky to assist the needy families in Shchunas Zichron Moshe in Yerushalaym, including almanos, yesomim, and those that are in crisis.

Unfortunately, the numbers have been growing over the last few years, with over 800 families on the list for this year.

Kupas Zichron Moshe will have Gabaim on standby all day on Purim distributing Matanos Levyonim to the poor and needy in Zichron Moshe/Geula. 

Make sure not to miss the deadline. 
All donations until 11:30 AM on Purim will be delivered by hand to the aniyim in Zichron Moshe

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Started twelve years ago, Kupas Zichron Moshe has become a respected
organization that has grown past natural bounds. Run under the asupices of
Rav Gamliel Rabinovich, Rav Moshe Elyashiv and Rav Yitzchok Soloveitchik,
Kupas Zichron Moshe has continued to provide for the Yom tov needs for over
700 choshuve families in Zichron Moshe/Geula Yerushalayim who cannot live on
their own means

These are not families that are looking to buy luxuries. These are families
that would literally not have fish and chicken on Shabbos and Yom Tov without y(our)
help.

This year we are having a much harder time than usual . 700 families are relying on us and we cannot do it without your help!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Dear Readers,

If you’re reading this between one l’chaim and the next, we salute your dedication to staying informed — even while dressed as Mordechai, Achashveirosh, Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, or that mysterious “guy in a black hat” costume that looks suspiciously like your weekday wardrobe.

Purim reminds us that even when the headlines look dark, confusing, or downright upside down, Hashem is running the story from behind the scenes. The Megillah has twists, turns, last-minute reversals — honestly, if it were submitted as a news article, we’d send it back for being too dramatic.

And yet, in the end: v’nahafoch hu. Everything flipped.

A few thoughts from our newsroom:

• If Haman had a PR team today, he’d issue a “clarification” that he was “misunderstood” and that the gallows were taken “out of context.”

• Somewhere in Shushan, there was definitely a guy with a big WhatsApp following saying, “I heard from a reliable source” — and he was wrong.

• Developing: Senior Persian official declines interview request, calls coverage “very unfair.”

• Exclusive: Palace sources say the king “could not sleep.” Analysts describe it as the most consequential insomnia event on record.

• Anonymous palace aide: “We did not anticipate the gallows being repurposed.”

• BREAKING: President Achashveirosh says the kingdom has “never been stronger,” one day after signing decree calling for total destruction.

• Palace statement: “This was the greatest banquet in Persian history. Nobody does banquets like we do banquets.”

• Senior royal adviser describes gallows as “tremendous infrastructure. Beautiful. Really tremendous.”

• LIVE: King says he doesn’t recall authorizing genocide. “If it happened, it was handled perfectly.”

• Palace insider: “The king likes Mordechai. Always liked him. Many people are saying he always liked him.”

• BREAKING: King announces he has “absolute authority” to reverse his own irreversible decrees.

• Opinion: Was the signet ring properly secured?

• Late-night briefing: “The enemies of the Jews are very bad people. Very bad. We’re hearing terrible things.”

• BREAKING: President Achashveirosh calls emergency press conference at 2:17 a.m. to clarify he “technically didn’t read the decree.”

• Palace statement: “This was the most successful near-annihilation in Persian history. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.”

• DEVELOPING: Haman claims the decree is being “mischaracterized by hostile palace media.”

• FACT CHECK: Did the king really say, “Who is he, and where is he?” Experts confirm: yes. Tone described as “not great for Haman.”

• BREAKING: King says he has “absolute authority” to issue decrees, reverse decrees, and then honor the people targeted by decrees.

• LIVE FROM THE GATE: Mordechai refuses to bow. Markets react.

• DEVELOPING: Esther’s approval ratings surge after second banquet performance.

• Legal experts stunned as decree loophole allows targeted population to defend itself. “We did not see that clause coming.”

• FINAL UPDATE: Haman unavailable for follow-up interview. Sources describe current status as “permanently suspended.”

On Purim, we laugh a little louder, give a little more, forgive a little easier, and maybe — just maybe — refresh Matzav.com a little less often. (Just for today, of course.)

May your children’s costumes survive at least until Maariv and your ad d’lo yada stay within the boundaries of good taste and better judgment.

Most of all, may this Purim bring revealed yeshuos, hidden brachos uncovered, and true simcha that carries us far beyond this glorious day.

From our Matzav family to yours, a joyous, safe, and meaningful Purim!

Ah Freilichen Purim!

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

The correlation of Haman’s sons to the Nuremberg Nazis, y’s, is eerie. It is also what can be called an “emunah builder.” One could perhaps suggest that it is coincidence, but the combination of all of these coincidences in one area, particularly when they are otherwise unexplained, is perhaps too much of a coincidence.

Why The Extra Words?

Let’s look at the listing of the ten sons of Haman as they are being hanged at the end of the Megillah. There are two columns—the names are to the right side. On the left side is a series of ten of the same words—“v’es.”

Why not just have the connecting vav appear before each of the ten names? Why the ten extra words?

To answer this question, we go to one of the Tannaim, either Shimon HaAmasuni or Nechemiah HaAmasuni (a debate in the Talmud). He was a second-generation Tanna and perhaps even the person known as Nachum Ish Gamzu according to some sources. The Gemara in Pesachim (22b) and in Kiddushin (57a) discuss him and his method of exegesis. He looked at every “es” in the Torah and stated that it comes to include something else. But what? Or who?

The Four Strangely-Sized Letters

Now let’s take a deeper look at the letters of the hand-written Megillah itself. There are four unexplained irregularities in the orthography of the letters. Three letters are written in a significantly smaller size. One letter is written in a much larger size.

The Smaller Letters. In the listing of the ten sons of Haman (Megillah 9:7–9), there are three letters that are written smaller: the taf of Parshandasa, the shin of Parmashta, and the zayin of Vayzasa. The gematria value of these smaller letters is 707.

The Larger Letter. In that last son of Haman, Vayzasa, the vav is written much larger. Rav Michel Dov Ber Weissmandel, zt’l, a tzaddik who saved thousands of people during the Holocaust and who tried to save hundreds of thousands of others, made the following discovery:

If this vav represents the sixth millennium of creation, and the other three smaller letters represent the years, the total is 5707; 5707 corresponds to the year 1946—the year that ten Nazis were hanged at the Nuremberg trials.

The Hanging Date

Although the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivered its verdicts sentencing the leaders of the Nazi party to death by hanging on October 1, 1946, they were hanged on October 16, the 21st of Tishrei. That date corresponds to the final judgement day of the Hebrew year—the point of no return, Hoshana Rabbah.

The Bizarre Declaration

Kingsbury Smith of the International News Service, who was chosen by random lot [“pur” in Hebrew] to represent the American press at the execution of the ten Nazis wrote as follows:

“…Julius Streicher made his melodramatic appearance at 2:12 a.m. While his manacles were being removed and his bare hands bound, this ugly, dwarfish little man, wearing a threadbare suit and a well-worn bluish shirt buttoned to the neck but without a tie (he was notorious during his days of power for his flashy dress), glanced at the three wooden scaffolds rising menacingly in front of him. Then he glanced around the room, his eyes resting momentarily upon the small group of witnesses. By this time, his hands were tied securely behind his back. Two guards, one on each arm, directed him to Number One gallows on the left of the entrance. He walked steadily the six feet to the first wooden step but his face was twitching … He was pushed the last two steps to the mortal spot beneath the hangman’s rope. The rope was being held back against a wooden rail by the hangman.

Streicher was swung suddenly to face the witnesses and glared at them. Suddenly he screamed, ‘Purim Feast 1946.’”

This is very strange. Why would he scream that?

The Request

“And the king said to Esther the queen, ‘The Jews have slain and destroyed 500 men in Shushan the capital, and the ten sons of Haman … Now whatever your petition, it shall be granted; whatever your request further, it shall be done.’

Esther responded, ‘If it is pleasing to the King, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do tomorrow also as this day, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows’” (Megillas Esther 9:12–14).

Our sages tell us that every place in the Megillah that it mentions the king, it also refers to Hashem, the King. Esther’s request, or prayer, was also directed to Hashem Himself, the Ultimate King.

A Correlation Between The Nazis And The Ten Sons of Haman?

The great Kabbalist Sason ben Mordechai Shanduch (1747–1830), who lived in Iraq, in his sefer Davar B’Ito, provides a Hebrew root that indicates the specific evil quality inherent in each of the original ten sons of Haman. Based on Rabbi Shanduch’s writings, we can perhaps conjecture which each of the sons of Haman comes to include:

1. Parshandasa is one who is mafrish a person from the religion (dasa). This possibly refers to Alfred Rosenberg, y’s, chief Nazi theoretician and ideologist. In his 1920 book, Immorality in the Talmud, Rosenberg identified Jews and Judaism as evil incarnate. Publicly, Rosenberg attributed what was wrong with Christianity to the influence of Judaism. He initiated many of the anti-Jewish laws. He was also the head of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, where he oversaw the establishment and administration of the extermination camps.

2. Dalphon is a person who is a deles, a door to pnios ra’os, bad directions or steps. Possibly this refers to Alfred Jodl, y’s, chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command, who signed the Commissar Order of 6 June 1941 (in which Soviet political commissars were to be shot) and the Commando Order of 28 October 1942 (in which Allied commandos, including properly uniformed soldiers as well as combatants wearing civilian clothes were to be executed immediately without trial if captured behind German lines). He also signed the surrender documents of Nazi Germany.

3. Asafta is a gatherer. Ernst Kaltenbrunner, y’s, obergruppenführer (general) in the SS was the chief of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich Main Security Office). According to former SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Georg Mayer, Kaltenbrunner was present at a December 1940 meeting among Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, and Heydrich where it was decided to gas all Jews incapable of heavy physical work. Under Kaltenbrunner’s command, the genocide of Jews picked up pace as “the process of extermination was to be expedited and the concentration of the Jews in the Reich itself and the occupied countries were to be liquidated as soon as possible.” He oversaw the rapid gathering of Jews in order to exterminate them.

4. Porasa alludes to untoward and unchaste behavior. While overseeing the Dutch, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, y’s, an Austrian Nazi politician, worked with Hitler to create the Anschluss. After Germany invaded Poland, he served in the General Government of Poland. He was also reichskommissar in Holland. He behaved in a manner that compromised many Dutch women.

5. Adalia refers to one who lifts himself up with arrogance and haughtiness—likely Joachim Von Ribbentrop, y’s, Nazi Germany’s foreign minister. In his arrogance, he added the fake title “Von” to his name. When he was an ambassador to England, virtually everyone commented about his complete arrogance.

6. Aridasa is one who scares others like a lion. Possibly this refers to Wilhelm Frick, y’s, Reich minister of the Interior of Nazi Germany and then the last governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He used ruthless methods to counter any dissent.

7. Parmashta is one who rips apart (porem) the inner fabric, the shasi (the crisscross of the garment), of the Jewish nation. This could possibly reference Wilhelm Keitel, y’s, field marshal and chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces. He issued a series of criminal orders from April 1941. The orders went beyond established codes of conduct for the military and broadly allowed the execution of Jews, civilians, and non-combatants, for any reason. Those carrying out the murders were exempted from court-martial or later being tried for war crimes. The orders were signed by Keitel.

8. Arisai is one who possesses the venom (aras) of a snake. Perhaps this refers to the venomous nature of Julius Streicher, y’s, early member of the Nazi Party and founder and publisher of Der Stürmer, which encouraged the hate toward Jews.

9. Aridai is one who subjugates people (rodeh). This best references Fritz Sauckel, y’s, Gauleiter of Thuringia and the General Plenipotentiary for Labour Deployment from 1942 until the end of the war. He worked directly under Göring through the Four Year Plan Office, directing and controlling labor. In response to increased demands, he met the requirement for manpower with people from the occupied territories. Voluntary numbers were insufficient, and forced recruitment was introduced within a few months. Of the five million foreign workers brought to Germany, around 200,000 came voluntarily, according to Sauckel’s own testimony at Nuremberg.

10. Vayzasa is one who symbolizes the bitter and warped judgment of an olive (zayis). It is likely that this references Hans Frank, y’s, Hitler’s personal lawyer and Nazi Germany’s chief jurist in German-occupied Poland. He served as the warped judge that allowed many Nazi goals to become law.

Perhaps the correlation of the original ten sons of Haman to the modern sons of Haman—the Nazis—could be tweaked  bit better, but the ten prominent “V’es” additions in the left column do indicate that it comes to include specific people.

The author can be reached at [email protected].

In light of the ongoing war and widespread flight cancellations, the prominent Yerushalayim posek, Rav Moshe Brandsdorfer, Gaavad of Heichal Hora’ah, has issued an urgent and far-reaching psak regarding residents of Yerushalayim stranded abroad, as well as visitors from chutz la’aretz who remain in Yerushalayim against their will.

Rav Brandsdorfer writes that he was asked about a pressing matter affecting many individuals: due to the wartime situation, numerous residents of Yerushalayim have found themselves stuck in chutz la’aretz and unable to return home for Purim because of canceled flights. Similarly, many visitors from chutz la’aretz who had traveled to Yerushalayim with plans to return home for Purim are now unable to leave and remain in the Ir HaKodesh involuntarily.

In his written ruling, Rav Brandsdorfer explains that according to the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 688:5) and the Mishnah Berurah (ibid. 12), when one is delayed due to circumstances beyond his control and is currently outside his place of residence against his will, he must observe Purim according to his home location — not according to where he presently finds himself.

Accordingly, a resident of Yerushalayim who left before Purim with the intention of returning home for the Yom Tov, but was delayed due to the war and remains in a city in chutz la’aretz, must, according to the strict letter of the law, observe Purim on the 15th of Adar as a ben Yerushalayim. Conversely, a resident of chutz la’aretz who traveled to Yerushalayim with the intent to return home for Purim, but is now stranded in Yerushalayim, must read the Megillah and observe the other mitzvos hayom on the 14th of Adar, despite physically being in Yerushalayim.

Rav Brandsdorfer explains that the fundamental principle in this matter hinges upon a person’s intent at the time he left his home. One’s original mindset and plan at departure determine his halachic status. Therefore, if at the time he left his city — even well before Purim — he intended to be back home for the time of the Megillah reading, and only due to oneis related to the war was he prevented from returning, his status follows his original intent.

He notes, however, that there is significant discussion among the Rishonim and Acharonim on this topic. The Chazon Ish disagrees with the ruling of the Mishnah Berurah, maintaining that the determining factor is one’s intent at the onset of the night of the 14th of Adar. Nonetheless, Rav Brandsdorfer writes that the prevailing ruling of the poskim follows the Mishnah Berurah, that the determining moment is one’s intent at the time of departure from home.

In conclusion, Rav Brandsdorfer rules: “Therefore, in my humble opinion, as far as halachah l’maaseh, all those who were delayed and remain against their will outside their place of residence must observe and conduct Purim according to the place from which they departed. That is, a resident of Yerushalayim must observe on the 15th even if he is presently in chutz la’aretz, and a resident of chutz la’aretz must observe on the 14th even if he is presently in Yerushalayim.”

At the same time, in order to take into account the views of other poskim, he advises that such individuals should observe both days — the 14th and the 15th — with respect to Krias HaMegillah and the other mitzvos hayom. Regarding which day the berachah should be recited, he notes that the matter depends on various detailed halachic considerations and one should consult a competent rav or hear the Megillah from someone else, as elaborated in the Biur Halachah there.

{Matzav.com}

In light of the ongoing security situation in Eretz Yisroel, the leadership of Karlin-Stolin has released a series of stringent directives altering the traditional Purim schedule in Givat Ze’ev and Yerushalayim. The new measures significantly limit gatherings and introduce major changes to the usual format of the Yom Tov in the chassidus.

The detailed instructions, distributed to chassidim on Tuesday, reflect what the leadership described as the heightened caution that has long characterized the kehilla’s emphasis on safeguarding life. The changes apply both to Purim d’Prazim, observed in Givat Ze’ev, and Purim d’Mukafim, observed in Yerushalayim.

Central to the new guidelines is a complete separation between residents of walled cities and those from unwalled areas. Yerushalayim residents were explicitly instructed not to travel to Givat Ze’ev for tefillos or celebrations on the 14th of Adar, in order to prevent overcrowding and large public gatherings.

The central lechaim gathering for residents celebrating on Purim d’Prazim will take place in the main beis medrash in Givat Ze’ev, but it will be sharply limited in duration. The event will run only between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

According to the announcement, the format will resemble the swift and tightly structured gathering traditionally held on Zos Chanukah” with no advance registration required and an emphasis on minimizing time spent on site.

Chassidim were instructed to leave immediately upon the conclusion of the maamad and return home, in order to avoid unnecessary loitering or public congregation.

Regarding Purim d’Mukafim in Yerushalayim, the hanhala stated that further guidance will be issued about the lechaim gathering, the customary Purim dancing on the 15th of Adar, and any events planned for Motzoei Yom Tov.

The chassidus added that should additional security developments arise, updated instructions will be conveyed to the tzibbur “through several channels,” in keeping with standard practice.

{Matzav.com}

Note: While our reporters and their families enjoy Purim, only urgent and Yom Tov-related articles will be published throughout the Yom Tov.

We will also not be responding to any non-Purim-related ad-requests over Purim.

Wishing you a Freilichin Purim!

Israel’s Health Ministry said Monday that nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated to hospitals since fighting with Iran erupted over the weekend.

According to ministry data, 960 individuals have been transported to medical centers nationwide since hostilities began last Shabbos. Of those, 150 remain hospitalized, including 12 patients receiving treatment in intensive care units.

Four people are listed in serious condition, though officials noted that two of them were not directly wounded by missile strikes. Another 24 patients are classified in moderate condition, while 119 are reported to be in good condition.

In addition to those physically injured, the ministry said one individual is being treated for acute anxiety and three others are undergoing medical evaluations.

The figures come as Israel continues to contend with waves of missile and drone fire amid its expanding confrontation with Tehran, straining emergency response systems and hospital networks across the country.

Health officials also announced extended hours for the ministry’s public hotline, *5400, as call volumes surge. The hotline will now operate from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays. On Fridays, hours will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The ministry said the expanded availability is intended to provide updated guidance, mental health support and medical information to residents navigating the rapidly evolving security situation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A high-stakes diplomatic meeting in Geneva meant to head off military confrontation instead devolved into a heated exchange between senior U.S. and Iranian officials, just days before American and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran, according to a new report.

NBC News reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised his voice during Thursday’s closed-door session, directing his anger at President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The confrontation reportedly erupted after Araghchi asserted that Iran holds an “inalienable right” to enrich uranium — a long-standing position of Tehran amid international disputes over its nuclear program. Witkoff pushed back, responding that the United States has an “inalienable right” to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear capabilities, according to the report.

Witkoff is quoted as telling Araghchi, “If you prefer, I can leave,” signaling the breakdown in diplomatic tone during talks that were intended to defuse mounting hostilities.

The senior U.S. official told NBC that Witkoff and Kushner briefed President Trump shortly afterward. The president was described as “nonplussed” by the exchange.

Less than 48 hours later, U.S. forces began striking Iranian targets.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

When a new venture begins, it often does so on a smaller scale —through a “soft opening” before a broader public debut. Just over a year ago, a small group of like-minded men embarked on such a beginning, launching an initiative to address a long-standing and deeply felt gap within our community.

Baruch Hashem, we are blessed with a vast network of chesedorganizations — Hatzoloh, Chaveirim, Bikur Cholim, Tomchei Shabbos, and many others — that compassionately meet the diverse needs of Klal Yisroel. More recently, organizations such as Samchainu and Links have been established to support widows and their children. Yet, until now, there had been no organized, communal effort devoted specifically to addressing the unique needs of widowers.

That has now changed.

On Shabbos Parshas Vayechi —Shabbos Chazak, a newly formed organization, BivLev, convened for a Shabbos Hisachdus in Chester, New York. Widowers gathered to offer and receive chizuk from one another in an atmosphere of understanding, dignity, and mutual support. The men were privileged to be joined for the entire Shabbos by the Liminover Rav, shlita, who, with his own distinctive warmth and sensitivity, shared heartfelt words of inspiration and encouragement.

What the men experienced above all was a sense of validation, and with it, the knowledge that while each man carries his own story and personal burden, in this challenge he is not alone.

Previous Shabbosos were held in Chester, New York, as well as during a weekend retreat in Florida. These gatherings were enriched by the participation of distinguished rabbanimand professionals, including Rabbi Afin and Rabbi Chanoch Krohn, MSW. Each, in his own way, helped attendees better understand their personal struggles and guided them toward practical paths forward. A highlight of these Shabbosos is the open and thoughtful discussion where men share how they navigate their challenges, allowing others in similar situations to gain insight, perspective, and practical tools for personal growth and parenting.

Beyond the Shabbos gatherings, BivLev also facilitates curated support groups that meet monthly in Lakewood and Monsey. These sessions are guided by licensed therapists who foster meaningful dialogue and address the evolving challenges as they arise from month to month, all within a safe and structured environment.

Recently, the group had the zechus to participate in a private meeting in Lakewood with the son of the Gerer Rebbe, shlita, who oversees a program in Eretz Yisroel supporting families who have experienced loss. After hearing from an Israeli Gerer chossid, himself a participant in the BivLev Shabbos, about this American initiative bringing widowers together for chizuk, the Rav made a special effort to meet with the group, together with his menahelim, to offer encouragement and support. The Rav has since expressed his desire to maintain an ongoing kesher with the organization.

We are living in ikvesa d’Meshicha. Until the day when Moshiach arrives and reunites us with our loved ones, we daven, “Samcheinu ki’ymos inisanu.” May Hashem grant these widowers, and all who have experienced loss, simcha, strength, and the ability to continue building meaningful and fulfilling lives.

For more information or to become part of this new initiative, please contact [email protected] 732-642-9142.

[Press Release]

Believe it or not, there are families that do not have money to pay for their own Seudas Purim! These people are your neighbors and you don’t even know! Many of these families struggle with their daily bills, and can’t make ends meet. They have all had their share of electric and gas shut-offs, owing money to their grocery, tuition’s, medical bills and other pressing issues.

There is no greater Mitzvah then making poor people happy on Purim.

While many of us continuously donate to causes in Eretz Yisroel, many times the poor are suffering in our own backyards. The Halacha is clear: “Aniyei Ircha come first”.

PLEASE open your hearts and donate generously.

Money will be distributed by HaRav Elya Brudny and other Rabbonim