Jooish News

Israel is using Iraqi airspace to carry out strikes on Iran, but it is still not taking action against the Shiite militias inside Iraq, Kan News reported on Tuesday morning.

According to a source familiar with the details, Israel is currently “not in the Iraqi arena,” and the only party striking the Shiite militias in recent days—whether targeting facilities or individuals—is the United States.

Kan 11 correspondent Roi Kais reported that the reason is that, at the moment, the pro‑Iranian militias in Iraq are focusing on American targets, not Israeli ones. Although militia officials threaten that attacks on Israeli targets could come later, as seen in the previous war, this is not their current priority.

Two Iraqi sources familiar with the militias’ internal thinking told Kan 11 that the groups prefer not to provoke a situation in which Israel also begins striking them. In other words, they fear that Israel’s response would be powerful—especially since Israel still has an “open account” with these militias from the previous conflict.

In an attempt to reduce the burden on their patron in Tehran, there is a division of labor within the Iranian axis: the pro‑Shiite militias in Iraq attack American targets, while Hezbollah attacks Israeli targets.

This was expressed clearly by the military spokesman of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, who wrote over the weekend that “our first mission is to humiliate the Americans and harm their security until they are removed from Iraq.” At the same time, he praised Hezbollah in Lebanon for its steadfastness against Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

WATCH:

Following reports on Monday that the Lebanese government proposed direct negotiations with Israel to end the war in Lebanon and potentially reach a peace agreement between the two countries, Lebanese President Joseph Anoun on Tuesday published his initiative for a ceasefire with Israel.

The ceasefire proposal includes four clauses.

1. A full ceasefire, with Israel immediately halting all strikes on Lebanon via land, air, and sea.
2. The acceleration of the provision of the necessary international logistical support to the Lebanese Army.
3. The immediate deployment of the Lebanese army to take control of areas of tension and confiscate Hezbollah’s weapons and supplies.
4. The simultaneous launch of direct negotiations under international auspices to implement the terms of the proposal.

The unprecedented offer comes after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on the second day of Operation Roaring Lion, prompting Israel to send ground forces into southern Lebanon and attack Beirut. Over 600,000 Lebanese civilians have fled their homes.

According to an Axios report, the Lebanese government approached the Trump administration via US envoy Tom Barrack last week, requesting mediation with Israel and even proposing direct ministerial‑level talks in Cyprus, an unprecedented step. An Israeli source said that the Lebanese government even claimed that some Hezbollah members were open to a ceasefire deal.

The US and Israel responded with great skepticism to the proposal, with Barrack rebuking Lebanon to stop with the empty offers. “If it’s not real action about Hezbollah’s weapons, there’s no point,” he said.

Israel rejected the offer as “too late,” saying that it is now focusing on eliminating Hezbollah.

It should be noted that Lebanese Army chief Rodolphe Haykal has refused to deploy forces against Hezbollah amid the war, prompting the US to pressure Aoun to fire him.

Lebanon now finds itself without military capabilities and without US support. “There is no interest from the Trump administration to deal with Lebanon,” one source told Axios.

“Nobody in Washington is taking their calls,” a U.S. source said. “The Lebanese government was warned and warned and warned this would happen if they didn’t take action against Hezbollah,” a third source said.

“The Lebanese military remains unwilling — some say unable — to enforce the government’s decision outlawing Hezbollah’s military and security activities,” said Firas Maksad, managing director for Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group.

Maksad added that Lebanon’s goal is to create a diplomatic exit path for the day after the war, with the hope that Hezbollah will no longer dominate the country.

“The Lebanese state will not, perhaps cannot, create the military conditions to get there,” he said. “But it will meet Israel and the U.S. at the table once the guns go silent.”

Kan News reported that Lebanon, through intermediaries, asked Israel to reduce its attacks. Israel responded that Lebanon must stop Hezbollah’s rocket fire. Lebanon replied that it cannot.

Channel 13 reported that Israel believes Hezbollah intends to expand its attacks and increase its rocket fire. Israel is considering several responses to the escalation, including striking dual‑use targets in Lebanon.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Chazal tell us (Pirkei Avos 2:9) that we must always anticipate possibilities of what might happen and look for solutions. 

Iran — with a GDP smaller than the state of Texas — has pressed pause on the global economy. The Strait of Hormuz, barely 21 miles wide, carries 20 percent of the world’s oil supply every single day. And right now, it is closed.

Crude oil has surged past $100 a barrel. Kuwait, Iraq, and the UAE are shutting down their oil wells — not for lack of buyers, but because storage tanks are overflowing with oil that cannot move.

My father, zichrono livracha, Dr. Nate Hoffman z”l, whose yartzeit is coming up shortly, earned some of his degrees from the Colorado School of Mines. There are two basic and essential pieces of information that need to be known in order to understand both the underlying problem and it’s potential solution.  Firstly, there is a basic essential of oil knowledge. Once an oil well goes dark, It cannot simply be switched back on. The laws of geology do not permit it. Each day the strait remains closed does not add to the damage. It multiplies it.

Secondly, there is something called LNG – which stands for Liquefied Natural Gas — it is simply natural gas that has been super-cooled to around -260°F (-162°C), which shrinks it to about 1/600th of its original volume, making it practical to transport by ship in massive insulated tankers.

This, of course, would be Iran’s preferred first target. LNG tankers are essentially floating bombs. Unlike crude oil tankers, which burn, a breached LNG tanker can cause a massive vapor cloud explosion. The Beirut port blast was caused by ammonium nitrate. It killed over 200 people and was felt hundreds of miles away.

An LNG tanker explosion in the crowded strait of Hormuz would be a catastrophe — both in human terms and in the psychological shock it would send through global energy markets.

The Mullahs of Iran have not left this to chance. The Revolutionary Guard has seeded the strait with mines, suicide boats, and shore-based missile batteries. Intelligence analysts believe Iran will target LNG tankers first — vessels that could, as one source grimly noted, “explode like the Beirut bomb” — followed by oil tankers to maximize global chaos. This is a trap, deliberately constructed. Iran wants America to send in the Navy. It wants the footage of a burning ship.

The conventional response — to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, broker a ceasefire, rush the tankers through — is available.

It is also a missed opportunity of historic proportions. There is another path in which Sefer Bereishis can illuminate the path.

The Medrash Tanchuma (Mikeitz 4) explains that Yoseph HaTzaddik did not merely interpret Pharaoh’s dream — he presented an actionable plan, because wisdom without application is incomplete. Yoseph HaTzaddik used the seven years of plenty — while others were eating — to build the architecture that made Egypt the indispensable provider when crisis struck. “And all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Yosef, because the famine was severe in all the earth” (Bereishis 41:57). He did not eliminate the famine. He restructured who held the leverage when it arrived.

President Trump and the government of Israel can employ the same logic.

Instead of scrambling to reopen the strait as fast as possible, the United States can use this crisis — while the world is maximally motivated — to permanently restructure global energy architecture so that the Strait of Hormuz can never again hold civilization hostage.

Step One:   The Announcement

The President can address the nation — not to manage expectations but to announce a transformation. Every pending domestic LNG permit can be fast-tracked. Every stalled offshore drilling license can be approved.

The message to global markets can be immediate and credible: a supply surge will be coming. Energy futures are driven by expectations. A believable announcement begins suppressing speculative crude prices before a single additional barrel flows.

Step Two: A Western Hemisphere Energy Compact

Canada holds the third-largest proven oil reserves on earth. Venezuela holds the largest. Together with surging American output, a Western Hemisphere energy compact — formalized now, while the world is watching — can create a parallel global oil architecture that flows entirely through the Atlantic. None of this oil passes near Iran.

The Gemorah (Brachos 60b) states that everything happens for a reason – and a good one. The Venezuela chapter is bashert. It should be implemented now.

This would not merely be a short-term fix. It would be a permanent construction of a second circulatory system for the global economy, one that bypasses the Iranian chokepoint forever.

Step Three: Split Russia From Iran

Treasury Secretary Bessent has already floated un-sanctioning stranded Russian oil. The instinct is sound, but the execution must be surgical. The United States could offer Moscow a targeted, time-limited swap: relief on specific stranded cargoes in exchange for routing that oil through non-Hormuz channels. The implicit message is stark: Iran’s closure is costing Russia money too. Every day the strait stays closed, Moscow bleeds revenue. The question is whether they prefer solidarity with Tehran or dollars in their accounts. Drive a wedge between them now, at the moment of maximum Iranian vulnerability.

Step Four: The Coalition of the Paying

Japan imports 90 percent of its energy. South Korea imports 80 percent. Europe is very exposed right now.

These nations have every incentive to become co-investors. Convene an emergency summit and offer them a proposition: jointly fund the naval escort operation in exchange for guaranteed priority access lanes and long-term American LNG supply agreements. Transform an American military burden into a multilateral investment with commercial returns.

Step Five: Let Time Work Against Iran

Iran closed the strait to inflict pain on America. What it failed to calculate is that its own economy runs on oil revenue — and the same closure is strangling Iranian exports too. Every week the Shock Doctrine operates — American production ramping, the Western Hemisphere compact solidifying, Russian oil finding alternative routes — is a week in which Hormuz becomes slightly less relevant and slightly more costly to Iran. The leverage Tehran thought it held depreciates daily. The military option remains ready. But the most powerful threat is one that has not yet been used.

The Political Transformation

Every prior administration caught in an energy shock has found itself on defense — managing, reassuring, pleading for patience.

This idea inverts this entirely. If we are given lemons – let’s turn it into lemonade. Every crisis carries within it the potential for new creation. The question is only whether the leadership has the wisdom to recognize what is being born, and the courage to midwife it into existence.

Conclusion: Two Doors

There are two doors. The first leads back to the status quo — strait reopened, prices fall, crisis forgotten. A tactical win. But in six months, the same chokepoint, the same Iranian leverage, the same crisis waiting to happen again.

The second door is harder. It requires absorbing short-term pain, communicating a vision under fire, and executing a multi-front transformation simultaneously. Let us create a world where the Strait of Hormuz has been structurally demoted — where American energy, Western Hemisphere solidarity, and allied burden-sharing have built something genuinely new.

Yosef HaTzaddik was not remembered because he survived the famine. He was remembered because he used it. Last week we read about Betzalel. Hashem endowed him with particular wisdom. History does not remember crisis managers. It remembers leaders who looked at the same thing everyone else was seeing — and created a remarkable work-around.  The pasuk states, “And Yosef — he was the ruler over the land; he it was who provided grain to all the people of the earth.”  We can do the same.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

A teenage boy has been arrested and charged with bias intimidation and assault after confronting a Jewish pedestrian near a shul in Teaneck, New Jersey, demanding to know whether he supports Israel or Palestine before firing a gel-pellet gun at him, police said.

The suspect, a 17-year-old Teaneck resident, was taken into custody Sunday night and is currently being held at the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center while the case is being processed.

According to the Teaneck Police Department, the victim is a 19-year-old local resident who was visibly identifiable as a frum Jew. The incident took place around 6 p.m. Sunday on Ogden Avenue near Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. Police say the victim was walking along the street when a black sedan carrying three males pulled up beside him. One of the occupants reportedly asked whether he supported Israel or Palestine. The young man ignored the question and continued walking.

Moments later, someone inside the vehicle allegedly fired an Orbeez-style gel pellet gun at him before the car drove away.

Later that evening, while still in the same neighborhood, the victim noticed what appeared to be the same vehicle again. Someone inside the car motioned for him to approach. Instead, the victim began recording with his phone. As the vehicle drove eastbound on Ogden Avenue, a passenger leaned out of the window and fired the pellet gun again, striking the victim multiple times.

The victim told police he was hit roughly ten times but did not suffer injuries.

Responding officers later found numerous orange gel pellets scattered on the ground near the shul. Authorities noted that similar pellet guns, often marketed as toys, have recently been involved in several disturbances across New Jersey.

Investigators were able to identify the suspect vehicle using automated license plate reader cameras in the area. Police later stopped the sedan and arrested the teenage driver. Officers found a gel pellet gun, a container filled with pellets, and a water gun inside the car.

The teen now faces several charges, including second- and fourth-degree bias intimidation, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, conspiracy, and simple assault, authorities said.

LISTEN:

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New York City officials are now considering eliminating free street parking across the five boroughs as the city is dealing with a $5.4 billion budget shortfall, a move that directly contradicts campaign promises made by Mamdani to make NYC more affordable.

During his campaign, Mayor Zohran Mamdani promoted expanding benefits and lowering costs for residents. But months into the administration, New Yorkers are instead seeing the possibility of yet another new charge and this time for parking spaces that have long been free.

The proposal would require drivers to pay for millions of curbside spaces currently available without charge. Supporters within city government argue the plan could generate over $1 billion annually while improving parking turnover by discouraging drivers from leaving cars parked for long stretches.

Critics, however, say the idea highlights the growing tension between the administration’s promises and fiscal reality. With congestion pricing already in place and living costs continuing to rise, charging for street parking would simply become another financial burden on city residents.

If implemented, the change could impact roughly three million free street parking spaces, or 75 percent of the parking spaces in the city, representing one of the most sweeping changes to New York City’s parking system in decades.

Iran will face much stronger U.S. military strikes if it closes the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, President Donald Trump said Monday.

In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump also said he prayed that it would never happen.

“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” Trump said.

“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” he said.

“This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait,” he said before adding that hopefully, it is a “gesture that will be greatly appreciated.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An Israeli military commander urged citizens to strictly follow emergency shelter instructions after Iranian cluster munitions struck several locations in central Israel, killing one person and seriously injuring two others.

Speaking from the site of one of the impacts, Maj. Gen. Shai Klapper, head of the IDF Home Front Command, said the attacks demonstrated both the destructive power of the weapons and the lifesaving importance of Israel’s civil defense system.

Cluster munitions from Iranian ballistic missiles reportedly struck six separate locations across central Israel, according to officials. First responders said all of the casualties occurred outside bomb shelters, underscoring the danger posed to civilians caught in the open during missile strikes.

Standing inside an apartment that had been hit by one of the missile’s submunitions, Klapper praised Israelis for their resilience but warned that the threat remains serious.

“I want to express appreciation to the citizens of the State of Israel for the steadfastness and resilience you are demonstrating,” he said.

“This apartment was hit by a cluster bomb. I know the scope of the launches is somewhat lower, and it may be that the amount of sirens are a bit higher, but this apartment illustrates that a cluster bomb also causes enormous damage.”

Despite the significant destruction inside the residence, no one in the family was injured. Klapper said that was because the occupants followed official guidance and moved immediately to shelter when warning sirens sounded.

“Therefore, from here I call on the citizens of Israel to continue to stand with resilience and courage, to follow the Home Front Command’s instructions — they save lives,” he said.

The homeowner, Amir Shahar, echoed the message, crediting the military’s emergency guidelines with protecting his family during the attack.

“My son and my granddaughters ran to the neighborhood shelter,” Shahar said. “The apartment will be rebuilt, the home will recover, but no one was hurt, and I am full of appreciation for the response of the authorities.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Lebanon’s president issued one of his strongest warnings yet against Hezbollah, accusing the Iran-backed terrorist group of endangering the country and risking a devastating new war with Israel that could transform Lebanon into “a second Gaza.”

Speaking during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticized the recent rocket fire launched from Lebanese territory toward Israel.

Although he did not mention the group by name, Aoun’s comments were widely understood as a rebuke of Hezbollah.

“The launch of a few rockets from Lebanon toward Israel was a trap and an almost overt ambush for Lebanon and the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people,” Aoun said, according to a statement released by his office.

The warning comes amid escalating tensions across the region following the assassination of Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike on February 28. In response to the killing, Hezbollah resumed rocket and drone attacks against Israel last week after a prolonged lull.

Aoun dismissed the attacks as both reckless and strategically meaningless. He argued that the rocket fire neither deterred Israel nor served as meaningful retaliation for Khamenei’s death. Instead, he suggested the strikes may have been designed to provoke a wider Israeli military response inside Lebanon.

“There are those who wanted these rockets to lure the Israeli army to infiltrate inside Lebanon, and to invade some of its regions, and perhaps even to occupy them,” Aoun said.

Such a scenario, he warned, could leave Lebanon trapped between two disastrous choices: either confronting Israel directly in a full-scale war or allowing Israeli forces to expand their operations inside the country.

“That would lead to turning Lebanon into a second Gaza,” Aoun cautioned.

His remarks come as the IDF pushes deeper into southern Lebanon amid ongoing clashes along the border.

The Lebanese president said his government intends to enforce a renewed ban on Hezbollah military activity “in a clear and decisive manner,” signaling a potential confrontation between the state and the powerful militia, which has long operated as an independent armed force inside the country.

Aoun also appealed to the international community for help stabilizing the situation. He called for diplomatic efforts to secure a full ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, increased support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, and assistance in disarming Hezbollah.

He further urged a return to direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in hopes of preventing the conflict from spiraling into a wider regional war.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Zohran Mamdani hosted pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family for a Ramadan meal at Gracie Mansion during the Muslim holy month.

For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage.

A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE… pic.twitter.com/6dBtLh0GeT

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 10, 2026

Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian activist who gained prominence during pro-Palestinian demonstrations connected to protests at Columbia University, attended the dinner with members of his family.

Khalil previously drew national attention after the administration of Donald Trump sought to deport him, arguing his activities and immigration status raised concerns for U.S. authorities. The effort followed allegations by federal officials that Khalil had provided inaccurate information during the process of obtaining a green card.

He was detained for a period by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while the case was reviewed.

Khalil has been a visible figure in demonstrations related to the war between Israel and Hamas.

The dinner comes as tensions remain high in New York following a frightening weekend incident in which two pro-Muslim terrorists who authorities say pledged allegiance to ISIS allegedly threw an improvised explosive device toward police. Authorities said the incident remains under investigation.

LANGHORNE, PENNSYLVANIA  (VINnews) – Federal agents searched a storage facility in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, on Monday as part of their investigation into an alleged ISIS-inspired attempt to detonate improvised explosive devices during a protest outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, working with the NYPD, executed a court-authorized search at the facility in the borough where one of the suspects, Emir Balat, 18, resided with his parents. The search was announced in a Monday night post on X by the FBI’s New York office.

” The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with our partners at the NYPD, will continue pursuing all leads and tips,” the post stated.

Langhorne is located just south of Newtown, Pennsylvania, where authorities searched a home belonging to the parents of the other suspect, Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, on Sunday night.

Balat and Kayumi, both from upscale suburbs in Bucks County near Philadelphia, face federal charges including attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and use of a weapon of mass destruction. They were arrested Saturday by NYPD officers shortly after the incident.

Authorities allege the pair plotted to carry out a deadly attack during an anti-Muslim protest outside Mamdani’s Upper East Side residence. Balat allegedly hurled one improvised explosive device toward a crowd and dropped another near police officers. The devices ignited but failed to fully explode, emitting smoke instead of causing injuries or widespread damage.

A federal complaint unsealed Monday revealed the suspects aimed to surpass the death toll of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people. According to investigators, Balat remarked that the Boston attack resulted in “only three deaths” and expressed intent for something “even bigger.”

After their arrests, both suspects allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS. Balat reportedly requested pen and paper at an NYPD stationhouse and wrote: “All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds. I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described “Now die in your rage” as a known ISIS slogan and noted that “kuffar” is Arabic for infidel or non-believer.

“These statements, as set forth in the complaint, made clear that this was not random violence,” Tisch said. “This was a planned attack motivated by extremist ideology and inspired by a violent foreign terrorist organization.”

The Department of Justice described the suspects as ISIS supporters who sought to inflict mass casualties. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities urging anyone with information to contact tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Balat and Kayumi appeared in federal court Monday and were ordered held without bail.

The Knesset on Monday approved in its first reading a government bill designed to regulate the annual Lag BaOmer gathering at the kever of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai on Har Meron for the year 2026, marking the fourth consecutive year that special legislation has been advanced to organize the event.

The proposal, prepared by the Ministry of Yerushalayim and Jewish Tradition, aims to ensure that the gathering will take place in safety, while incorporating lessons learned from previous years and the recommendations of the state commission of inquiry established after the Meron disaster.

Communications Minister Dr. Shlomo Karhi presented the legislation to the Knesset plenum after the government assigned him responsibility for overseeing this year’s event.

In his address, Karhi said he views the task as far more than a logistical responsibility. “This is about safeguarding one of the greatest spiritual moments of the Jewish people. We approach this sacred work with the memory of the 45 victims of the terrible disaster engraved in our hearts. That wound obligates us to maintain the highest level of vigilance so that every person who ascends the mountain will return home safely.”

The legislation largely mirrors similar laws passed in previous years and formally anchors the framework that has been implemented at the gathering in recent years under the leadership of the Ministry of Yerushalayim and Jewish Tradition.

Karhi also praised former minister MK Meir Porush for the foundations he established while overseeing the event in earlier years, noting that the goal is to continue creating an atmosphere in which all segments of the Jewish people feel welcome at the site of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai.

The bill also advances continued development of permanent infrastructure at the Meron complex, including improvements to the grounds and the construction of large hospitality tents, as well as expanded areas for food service and davening to better accommodate the thousands of pilgrims who travel to the site.

Under the proposed framework, dozens of traditional bonfire lightings are expected to take place throughout the Meron complex during the celebration. This will include the central lighting conducted by the Boyaner Rebbe, following longstanding tradition, along with additional lighting areas prepared within the expanded Meron complex and at the Bnei Akiva compound, allowing communities from across the Jewish world to participate.

Despite the complicated security situation and ongoing tensions in northern Israel, officials at the Ministry of Yerushalayim and Jewish Tradition said preparations for the gathering are continuing at full speed. Planning efforts are moving forward with flexibility to adjust to different possible security developments.

Officials stressed that the extensive investment in improving infrastructure and safety measures is accompanied by hope and prayer that the security situation will calm before Lag BaOmer arrives.

The intention, they said, is to enable tens of thousands of Jews to travel safely to Meron and observe the long-standing tradition in an atmosphere of calm and spiritual elevation.

The bill has now been transferred to the Knesset’s National Security Committee, chaired by MK Tzvika Fogel, where it will be prepared for its second and third readings. Lawmakers hope to complete the legislative process before the Knesset recess begins. Karhi concluded his remarks with a message to the public: “Meron is waiting for you. Come with joy, pray with devotion, and return home safely.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of support to Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, signaling Moscow’s continued alignment with Tehran even as the region faces escalating military conflict.

The message was delivered as Iran grapples with ongoing airstrikes targeting key facilities in Tehran and elsewhere, underscoring the growing tensions across the Middle East.

Putin was among the first world leaders to congratulate Khamenei after Iran’s Assembly of Experts selected him to assume the role of supreme leader following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei.

The timing of the letter drew attention as it came while Iran was attempting to recover from recent Israeli airstrikes that reportedly targeted oil depots and refining infrastructure in Tehran.

In his message, Putin expressed strong solidarity with Iran and reaffirmed Russia’s support for the country during what he described as a challenging period.

“At a time when Iran is facing armed aggression, your tenure in this high office will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication. I am confident that you will honorably continue the work of your father and unite the Iranian people in the face of severe trials. For my part, I would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for Tehran and our solidarity with our Iranian friends. Russia was and will remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.”

Putin also wrote that he believes Mojtaba Khamenei will continue his father’s legacy and successfully lead Iran during a period of regional instability and war.

China has also signaled support for the leadership transition in Tehran, noting that the process was carried out in accordance with Iran’s constitution and effectively granting international recognition to the change in leadership.

Putin’s message, which described Russia as a “reliable partner” and pledged “unwavering support,” was widely viewed as a signal to Western governments that the alliance between Moscow and Tehran remains strong despite the ongoing conflict.

{Matzav.com}

The Israeli Justice Ministry has completed its legal review regarding the pardon request submitted on behalf of Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, according to a statement released by the office of the justice minister.

Officials said Justice Minister Yariv Levin decided not to handle the matter personally because of his longstanding personal and political relationship with Netanyahu, as well as the fact that he served as a witness in the prime minister’s trial. Levin is also widely viewed as the second-most senior figure in the Likud party, a circumstance that, according to sources within the legal system, could have prompted allegations of a conflict of interest and potentially delayed the process for months.

To avoid such claims and ensure the review proceeds without interruption, Levin instructed the pardons department to transfer the completed legal opinion to Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu. Eliyahu regularly oversees cases in which the justice minister is unable to participate and is a member of the Otzma Yehudit party.

Officials in the legal system said the move was intended to eliminate any possible future arguments that a recommendation might be invalid due to a conflict of interest, while allowing the process to continue in an orderly and timely manner.

The request will now proceed through the standard review process. Once that stage is completed, a recommendation will be submitted to the president of Israel, who holds the authority to make the final decision on the pardon application.

{Matzav.com}

I am writing this as a Lakewood mother whose daughter is currently stuck in Israel. And I know I am far from the only one.

Like many heimishe families, we sent our daughters to seminary in Eretz Yisroel this year. It is not easy to send a child across the world, but we do it because we believe in the year of growth and what it gives our daughters.

Then the war broke out. Every mother knows the feeling since then. You go to sleep with the phone next to you. Every alert from Israel makes your heart race. You count the days until your daughter can come home safely.

We booked tickets with El Al when we sent our daughter. And let’s be honest, those seminary tickets are extremely expensive. Parents paid top dollar when booking originally through the seminary specifically because it was El Al. El Al knows very well that seminary families are strong customers, and every year they charge an arm and a leg. The assumption is simple: when things get complicated, El Al will take care of its passengers.

Instead, the tickets were canceled.

Girls who were supposed to come home have suddenly found themselves stranded. There was no proper warning, no organized plan, and no clear communication about what happens next.

These are seminary girls. They packed their bags thinking they were finally coming home to their parents, and instead they are sitting in Israel with no idea when they will be able to leave.

The frustration from parents is indescribable. We are calling, emailing, trying travel agents, trying anything we can. And the response is chaos.  Flights appear and disappear. El Al adds flights and then removes them. Seats show up and vanish within minutes. Parents are left refreshing screens and making frantic calls while the airline seems completely disorganized.

Even more painful is what we are hearing around us. While my daughter who paid full price through her seminary group ticket is stuck in Israel, my neighbor, who originally had a United ticket, somehow managed to get a new ticket home through Europe.
Other people are getting seats while these girls who already had confirmed tickets are being left behind.

How does that make sense? Where is the priority for the passengers who already paid top dollar and were already ticketed?

Heimishe families are among the highest-paying customers El Al has. Seminary flights alone bring the airline enormous revenue every year. Parents choose El Al because we believe that when things go wrong, we will be taken care of. Right now it feels like the opposite.

We are not blaming El Al for the war. No one expects an airline to control a war. But we absolutely expect them to manage their passengers responsibly. There should be a clear system. There should be organized rebooking. There should be communication.
And the passengers who already paid should be treated as a priority.

But instead, it feels like people are being shuffled around randomly while families who did everything right are being ignored.
Parents are hearing that Egypt is an option. But for many families that is simply not realistic. We are hearing frightening stories of girls being harassed along the way and mothers are understandably terrified to send seminary girls through that route.
So the girls remain stuck, and their parents remain helpless.

The airline that took our money has yet to show that it is actually taking responsibility for the passengers it already committed to bring home.

At this point many parents are asking the same question: What exactly are we gaining from paying the high prices of El Al if, when things go wrong, we are treated like we don’t matter? If paying top dollar does not secure our daughters a seat home, if confirmed tickets can simply disappear, and if there is no system to make sure stranded passengers are taken care of first, then what exactly are we paying for?

Maybe the painful lesson many families are learning right now is that paying more for El Al does not actually give us security.
And when a mother is sitting in Lakewood worrying about her daughter stuck in Israel while others manage to find their way home, that realization hurts more than words can describe.

Signed,

A Very Concerned Mother

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.

Car thefts in Israel have increased significantly since the start of Operation Lion’s Roar, with new data indicating a sharp rise in incidents while much of the public remains indoors due to security alerts.

According to figures released by the vehicle tracking company Pointer, car thefts have climbed by approximately 20 percent since the war began.

The company attributes the increase to several factors that have created favorable conditions for thieves. With police forces focused on security-related duties, there is reduced police presence in some areas. At the same time, streets often become empty during air raid sirens as residents take shelter in protected rooms, leaving vehicles unattended.

Lighter traffic on the roads has also contributed to the problem. With fewer cars on the streets, thieves are able to move more quickly and reach major escape routes outside urban areas with less risk of being stopped.

In some cases, there have even been reports of repeated attempts to steal the same vehicle within a short period of time, highlighting how the current situation has created opportunities for organized theft rings.

However, it is important to note that the figures come from a private vehicle tracking company and do not yet represent official police statistics. It remains unclear whether the increase reflects a longer-term trend or a temporary spike connected to the early days of the fighting.

Even so, the situation serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining basic security measures for vehicles during this period.

{Matzav.com}

How long the war with Iran will last—and whether Israelis may end up spending Pesach in bomb shelters—has become a central topic of public discussion since the war began. Former National Security Council chief Amidror offered a sober assessment of the possible duration of the war and its objectives in an interview on 103FM Radio on Monday.

According to Amidror, there is definitely a possibility that war could continue into Pesach. “I don’t see the problem with having the Seder in a shelter,” he said. “If destroying Iran requires sitting in shelters on Pesach, I think that’s a price worth paying.”

He added that US assessments indicate that an effective military campaign against Iran requires about six to eight weeks. “I believe the Americans calculated a target schedule of six to eight weeks so that the blow against Iran would be very severe,” he noted.

Amidror emphasized that the goal of the war is not necessarily the overthrow of the regime in Tehran. “It would be better if the regime were replaced, but I’m not sure that can be achieved from the air,” he explained. “If we can’t replace the regime, then we need to ensure only one thing—that the regime will no longer pose a threat. We can’t change a worldview.”

He explained that the Iranian regime is relatively weak, but there is currently no organized opposition capable of taking power. Therefore, the main goal should be to weaken the regime to the point that Israel and the US could act against it again if necessary.

“The Iranian regime is weak, but there is no opposition ready to take power. What we want is a regime weak enough so that we can return and destroy what we need to if necessary,” he said.

One of the key issues of the war is the question of the enriched uranium that remains in Iran. Amidror believes that seizing the material is not out of the question, although it would be a complex operation.

“We can make sure there are no Iranians in the area and take it if we know where it is,” he explained. “You can create a protected bubble from the air, send in a force with proper air support, and remove the material.”

He added that the material itself is not particularly dangerous in its current state. “It’s stored in containers that are not very large. Based on rough calculations I made from unofficial papers I read, we’re talking about roughly twenty to thirty containers.”

Also on Monday, Sagiv Asulin, a former senior Mossad official, hinted that dramatic developments are taking place behind the scenes during the war.

Speaking in an interview with Galey Yisrael, Asulin said that some of the operations carried out in Iran have not yet been revealed to the public.

“I can say that major things have happened in Iran, on the scale of the pager operation and perhaps even bigger,” he said. “They may not look dramatic on camera, but with time, we will hear about them, and they are no less remarkable.”

He added that further significant actions remain under wraps but may be revealed as the war progresses.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Family members, talmidim, and many who knew and respected Rav Yisroel Meir Feuchtwanger zt”l escorted him on his final journey today after he passed away at the age of 87 following a lifetime devoted to Torah, chesed, and ahavas Yisroel.

Rav Feuchtwanger was widely known as a yerei Shomayim and a man of refined middos who dedicated his time and energy to helping others.

He maintained a deep connection to Yerushalayim and the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, where he lived and remained active for many years. Family members recalled that he possessed the rare ability to see the good in every individual and radiated warmth, faith, and love to those around him.

Rav Feuchtwanger is survived by a large family of children amd grandchildren. Among his sons are Rav Alon Feuchtwanger, one of the prominent dayanim in Yerushalayim, and Rav Amitai Feuchtwanger, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Tel Tzion.

The levayah took place Monday at Kikar HaChurvah in the Jewish Quarter of Yerushalayim, with kevurah on Har Hamenuchos.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

More than half of the Israelis who found themselves stranded overseas when war erupted with Iran have now made their way back home as the country gradually restores its air travel network.

Israel’s airspace was abruptly closed on February 28 following the joint U.S.–Israeli strike on Iran that triggered a rapidly escalating regional conflict. The shutdown left an estimated 100,000 Israelis stuck abroad, forcing the government to launch a large-scale repatriation effort by air and land.

The effort began to gain momentum this week when Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport partially reopened Wednesday night, allowing inbound flights to resume under tightly controlled conditions.

Since the reopening, approximately 24,000 Israelis have returned on 133 repatriation flights operated by Israeli airlines, the Israel Airports Authority said. Authorities expected the number to rise further on Monday, with 44 additional flights scheduled to land carrying roughly 8,000 more passengers.

Between February 28 and March 8, another 22,800 Israelis crossed back into the country via land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, providing an alternative route for travelers unable to secure flights.

During that same period, the crossings also saw significant outbound traffic. More than 29,000 people left Israel via the same land crossings, underscoring the fluid movement in and out of the country during the early days of the conflict.

Despite the progress, tens of thousands of Israelis remain abroad as authorities continue working to expand repatriation flights while maintaining strict security controls amid the ongoing war.

Officials say the gradual reopening of Ben Gurion Airport is expected to accelerate the process in the coming days, bringing thousands more Israelis back home even as the conflict with Iran continues to unfold.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett sat down with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, D.C. They spoke about the state of the war with Iran, potential American casualties, what an Iranian surrender could look like, and more. The video below is an extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday.

WATCH:

U.S. Central Command pushed back Monday against claims circulating in Russian and Iranian media alleging that an American missile accidentally struck a residential neighborhood in Bahrain.

In a statement described as a “fact check,” CENTCOM said reports that a U.S. Patriot missile missed its intended target and hit a Bahraini neighborhood were false.

Russian and Iranian outlets had claimed that a Patriot interceptor launched by U.S. forces failed to intercept an incoming Iranian drone or missile and instead struck a populated area.

CENTCOM rejected the claim outright.

“The claim is a lie,” the command said in its statement.

According to CENTCOM, the incident occurred when an Iranian drone struck a residential neighborhood in Bahrain.

“What really happened: An Iranian drone struck a residential neighborhood, injuring 32 civilians in Bahrain, including children who required medical treatment, according to Bahrain’s government,” the statement said.

The command emphasized that the strike caused injuries to dozens of civilians and blamed Iran for the attack.

Bahraini authorities confirmed that the incident left 32 people wounded, including several children who required medical treatment.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New details indicate that the injuries sustained by the son of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during military activity in Lebanon over the weekend were more severe than initially reported.

Smotrich’s son, whose father serves as both finance minister and a member of Israel’s security cabinet, was wounded while taking part in an IDF operation in Lebanon.

Initial reports from the minister’s office described the injury as minor. However, according to a report by Channel 14 News, the situation was more serious than previously disclosed. A missile fired toward the IDF unit reportedly exploded near him, and shrapnel penetrated his abdomen and back, causing internal injuries.

Smotrich’s son was evacuated to a hospital, where his condition was initially classified as serious.

During Shabbos, his condition stabilized, and he is now expected to undergo a period of recovery and rehabilitation.

{Matzav.com}

Potholes are a common problem during late winter and early spring, when water seeps into pavement cracks, freezes, and expands, causing the asphalt to break apart. As temperatures fluctuate, the damage can worsen quickly and form large holes in the roadway.

But take note, not all roads in Lakewood are maintained by the same agency. Depending on the road, responsibility for repairs may fall under the township, Ocean County, or the State of New Jersey.

How to Report a Pothole

Officials say reporting potholes is one of the fastest ways to get them repaired.

Lakewood Township Roads
Lakewood Department of Public Works: 732-905-3405
Lakewood Township Municipal Offices: 732-364-2500

Ocean County Roads
Ocean County Highway Department: 732-929-2101

New Jersey State Highways
NJ Department of Transportation Pothole Hotline: 1-800-POTHOLE (1-800-768-4653)

Motorists whose vehicles were damaged by a pothole are advised to document the damage and may file a report or claim with the agency responsible for maintaining that road.

Officials encourage residents to report potholes as soon as they are noticed so crews can repair them quickly and prevent additional damage to vehicles.

You can also list the potholes in the comments section below – which is monitored by local, county and state officials.

President Trump holds a news conference at the Doral Ballroom in Miami on Monday.

WATCH:

A group of roughly 25 Republican donors reportedly indicated that they favor Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Vice President JD Vance as the party’s presidential nominee in the 2028 race during a late-February gathering at Mar-a-Lago, according to a new report by NBC News.

NBC described the setting surrounding the discussion, noting that it took place the same night the United States and Israel launched major strikes on Iran. “In the early hours of Feb. 28, President Donald Trump and his administration joined Israel in launching a wave of strikes on Iran that would reverberate across the Middle East. That night, he was schmoozing at Mar-a-Lago with some of his top administration officials and political donors, with a pressing question: Marco or JD?” reported NBC.

According to two individuals present at the event, Trump asked those gathered whom they preferred as the Republican candidate in 2028. The response from the room strongly favored Rubio. Those in attendance “overwhelmingly indicated Secretary of State Marco Rubio through their cheering, according to two people who were at the event.”

“It was almost unanimous for Marco,” said one attendee.

“Yeah, that’s right. It was clear, at least that night,” said another.

A third person present challenged that account, saying the response was not quite as one-sided and describing the reaction as more “evenly split.”

Axios reporter Marc Caputo said Monday during an appearance on CNN that Trump has been informally sounding out opinions about the 2028 race and asking people which candidate they prefer.

“We wrote about this at Axios a little while ago, which is Donald Trump likes to poll people about, ‘Hey, what do you think about 2028? Who do you the candidate should be?’ And he asks, ‘Marco Rubio or JD Vance?’ He doesn’t want them to run against each other, he wants them to to run with each other,” said Caputo. “But he’s getting a lot of more positive feedback, Trump is, about Rubio at the top of the ticket than Vance. A lot that is just sort of recency bias, and the fact that Marco Rubio has a portfolio: secretary of state, it puts him in the front and center of global affairs, and national security advisor, it puts him directly in the White House. The vice president doesn’t quite have that.”

Despite the feedback described by some donors, Vance currently holds a significant lead in early polling for the 2028 Republican presidential primary, while Rubio trails behind in second place.

Observers say Trump’s endorsement—if he chooses to offer one—could have a major impact once the Republican nomination contest begins to take shape.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Monday that a deal with Cuba is imminent. Either Cuba would make a deal, he said, or “we’re going to do it just as easy.”

“They trust Marco Rubio and so do the American people,” Trump added. “He speaks the language, which is always nice and helpful. It might be a friendly takeover. It may not be. But they’re down to, as they say, fumes.”

Tensions with Cuba increased on Feb. 25 when Cuban forces killed four people aboard a Florida-registered speedboat and injured the remaining six crew members, one of whom succumbed to his wounds in early March. Cuban authorities claimed the crew members shot first and that the boat had entered Cuban waters with the intent to infiltrate Cuba and smuggle in weapons. They further claimed to have found assault rifles, handguns and IEDs on the boat.

From a post on X.

The United States said it would investigate.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has tightened oil sanctions on Cuba, leading to an economic crisis that has triggered a mass exodus of Cubans fleeing worsening conditions, including hunger.

Trump said Monday that he aims to wrap up operations in Iran before turning his attention back to Cuba, which he said is in its “final moments” amid a massive pressure campaign by the U.S., whose fuel sanctions, for example, plunged the western part of the country into a blackout. Key services such as trash collection and transportation are operating on a limited basis.

“They have no energy,” Trump said. “They have no money. They are in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis.”

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (VINnews) – Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced Tuesday that five members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team have been granted humanitarian visas and asylum, allowing them to remain in the country after expressing fears for their safety upon return to Iran.

The players — identified in reports as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi — defected from their team during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Queensland. They evaded team handlers at a Gold Coast hotel, sought protection from Australian Federal Police and applied for asylum.

Burke, speaking at a press conference in Brisbane, said he met with the women overnight and informed them they were welcome to stay.

“Last night, I was able to tell five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here,” Burke said. He added that the government had finalized processing of their humanitarian visas.

The announcement follows intensified discussions after the players’ actions, which included refusing to sing Iran’s national anthem before a match — a gesture that drew accusations of treason from Iranian state media amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. The team was eliminated from the tournament after a loss to the Philippines.

Burke noted that other team members would have the option to seek similar protection if they wished, though some may feel compelled to return due to concerns for family members in Iran.

The development came after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant asylum to the players, warning that forcing their return could be a “terrible humanitarian mistake” and suggesting they faced likely persecution or death in Iran. Trump later posted that Australia had “taken care of” five players and was handling the “delicate situation” well following talks with Albanese.

The players reportedly signaled their intent through gestures and actions during the tournament, heightening international attention on their plight.

Iranian opposition figures, including exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, have supported the players, stating they have joined broader calls for change in Iran.

Australian authorities placed the five in a safe location with police assistance before granting their visas.

Tucker Carlson is facing backlash again after claiming that prominent Christian supporters of Israel may be acting under what he described as a supernatural “Jewish spell.”

Carlson made the remarks during the latest discussion with Megyn Kelly on her podcast. Kelly, who in recent months has sharply criticized Israel after previously expressing more supportive views, hosted the conversation in which Carlson argued that supporters of Israel appear to be acting under a powerful metaphysical influence.

During the discussion, Carlson suggested that figures such as former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could not rationally explain their strong support for Israel. He also accused conservative talk radio host Mark Levin of what he described as “witchcraft like” influence.

Carlson acknowledged that the comments would likely be mocked but insisted he meant them seriously, claiming there is “no rational explanation” for the level of support some Christian conservatives show toward Israel.

The remarks are the latest in a series of increasingly controversial claims and blood libels on Carlson’s podcast. In previous episodes, Carlson platformed a nun who said that many Jews spit on Christians in Israel, a man who lied about seeing IDF shoot a little boy in the head, suggested the Chabad Lubavitch movement was responsible for pushing the United States toward war with Iran. In another segment he described Israel as “the ugliest country” he has ever seen.

Critics say the latest comments go even further by framing support for Israel as the result of supernatural manipulation rather than political or religious conviction.

Huckabee, a longtime Baptist pastor, has repeatedly said his support for Israel stems from decades of Biblical belief and Christian theology. He has advocated for the U.S Israel alliance for more than forty years.

The exchange between Carlson and Kelly quickly ignited debate online, with critics accusing Carlson of echoing historic conspiracies about Jewish influence.

🚨 YWN has been inundated with complaints from travelers describing experiences strikingly similar to that of this boy. Bochurim and married couples alike say their El Al flights were abruptly canceled without being offered alternative arrangements, leaving them with little choice but to purchase new tickets at dramatically inflated prices amid the ongoing war.

El Al has claimed that passengers were offered rebooking options through WhatsApp messages. However, YWN has been shown screenshots indicating that in many cases such messages were never received.

Moreover, many of those affected — potentially hundreds or even thousands — do not use WhatsApp at all, raising further questions about how these notifications were allegedly delivered.

VIDEO VIA @JEWISHVLOGS ON INSTAGRAM

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A potentially heartbreaking situation recently turned into a story of dignity and chesed after volunteers from Misaskim of Central Jersey stepped in to ensure that a Yid received a proper Kevuras Yisroel.

Misaskim of Central Jersey several days ago was contacted by a frum landlord who discovered that one of his tenants had passed away. The situation was particularly difficult, as the niftar had very little family support or financial means.

According to Misaskim, the niftar’s brother was overwhelmed by the circumstances and unable to afford the costs associated with burial. In his distress, he had begun making arrangements for cremation.

The landlord, troubled by the thought that a Yid might not receive a proper Jewish burial, immediately reached out to Misaskim of Central Jersey for assistance.

Volunteers quickly became involved and began working closely with the brother. “With patience and sensitivity, our volunteers explained the importance of a proper Jewish burial and assured him that the financial burden would not fall on his shoulders,” the organization said.

After many conversations and considerable effort, the brother ultimately agreed to proceed with a traditional burial – which was held this morning.

“At his request, Misaskim arranged and purchased a burial plot in a cemetery close to his home so that he would be able to visit his brother’s kever,” the organization noted.

Members of the Misaskim of Central Jersey team also traveled to perform the taharah, ensuring that the niftar would receive the dignity and respect that every Yid deserves. The organization described the effort as “a continuation of the mission and legacy that R’ Yanky Meyer Z”L championed throughout his life.”

Thanks to the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of supporters who make this work possible, the niftar was brought to Kevuras Yisroel with dignity and respect.

“Another Yid was saved from cremation and given the eternal honor of a proper Jewish burial,” Misaskim said. “Baruch Hashem, together we were able to bring him to Kevuras Yisroel.”

Thousands of underground shelters and bunkers built in Greece before and during World War II have recently drawn renewed attention, as rising regional tensions prompt citizens to search for potential places of refuge.

Most of the structures were constructed between 1936 and 1941, during the years leading up to the war and throughout the period of Nazi occupation.

According to a report citing figures presented to the Greek parliament, there are 2,892 bunkers from that era scattered across the country, capable of sheltering between two and three million people. In the Attica region alone — home to Athens and Piraeus — more than 900 bunkers are believed to exist, some concealed beneath city streets.

Despite their numbers, the precise locations of many of these shelters remain undisclosed. The Greek government has refused to release details about where they are situated, saying the information would only be made public if the country were to face a missile attack.

The secrecy has not stopped residents from attempting to locate the bunkers on their own. Interest in the underground shelters has intensified amid growing security concerns in the region and fears that American-related sites in Greece could become targets for Iran or Hezbollah.

Some individuals have already managed to enter a few of the bunkers. Panagiotis Doterios, a civil engineer and cave researcher, said he has visited two shelters in Piraeus. According to him, most of the facilities have not been maintained for years and suffer from severe dampness. “When you go inside them, you feel that these are places that have been abandoned for years,” he said.

One of the most notable bunkers is located on the island of Aegina, near Athens. The facility was built in 1937 deep underground at a cost considered enormous at the time — about two billion drachmas. The complex stretches across roughly 83 dunams beneath the surface and spans several levels, containing rooms, storage areas and communications stations. Large artillery pieces once stood above ground at the site. Today, most of the structure remains closed and under the control of the Greek military.

In another part of the country, calls for greater preparedness have emerged on the island of Crete, where a major American base operates at Souda Bay. The deputy mayor of Heraklion, Giorgos Karantinos, suggested that the island’s bunkers be opened and equipped for emergencies with basic supplies such as blankets, water and dry food.

However, the locations of the bunkers there have also not been made public, and the government in Athens has so far shown little interest in adopting the proposal.

For now, blocked entrances and old “No Entry” signs can still be seen on streets in Piraeus, marking sealed bunker entrances that have remained closed for decades. For millions of Greeks, this underground network lies directly beneath their feet — yet most have no idea exactly where it is.

{Matzav.com}

It’s too late now for President Donald Trump to beat his record 12-day war with Iran during this round, but he has expressed confidence that he can come close. In an interview with CBS News Monday, the president said that Iran is depleting its military assets and that the end of combat operations is nearing. He also said the campaign was running ahead of schedule.

Trump had previously said that while the war was expected to last four to five weeks, “we have the capability to go far longer than that.”

“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump said in Monday’s interview. The authoritarian regime has “no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”

“If you look, they have nothing left,” he said. “There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil is shipped, remained closed, but Trump said he is “thinking about taking it over.”

Strikes on the Mehrabad International Airport in western Tehran. (From a post on X)

The market and oil prices responded positively to Trump’s statements, with the former rising and the latter dropping.

Trump said Friday in a Truth Social post that the time for negotiation had passed and he would accept nothing less than Iran’s complete surrender.

“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” he wrote. “After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).'”

“Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he concluded in his usual manner.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday evening that Home Front Command restrictions will remain in place following a fresh assessment of the security situation, leaving current nationwide guidelines unchanged.

In a statement, the IDF said the existing directives will continue through Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. Military officials explained that the decision was based on the latest evaluation of security conditions and noted that the policy could be revised if developments on the ground require it.

Following the announcement, Education Minister Yoav Kisch said that schools throughout Israel will remain closed and will not resume classes before Sunday.

The government had previously planned to introduce the “Yellow Framework,” a program designed to begin reopening schools gradually in municipalities considered to be at lower risk. That plan has now been delayed.

The Ministry of Education said the framework was developed together with local authorities and is expected to begin early next week, pending approval from the Home Front Command and depending on the evolving security assessment.

Officials in the ministry added that coordination with the Home Front Command is ongoing as they prepare for a range of possible scenarios, with the goal of enabling students to return to classrooms safely and in stages once conditions allow.

{Matzav.com}

A motorcyclist was injured in an accident this afternoon in Jackson.

The accident happened shortly after 5:00 PM at the intersection of S. Cooksbridge Road and Bennett Mills Road, and left the motorcycle overturned.

Jackson EMS and Hatzolah responded to the scene.

Information on the extent of injuries was not immediately available.

📰 Headline News

• President Trump told CBS the war with Iran is “almost over,” triggering an immediate drop in global oil prices.

🕍 Jewish News

• The Satmar Rebbe urged chassidim to move to Kiryas Joel, saying families could pay roughly half the housing costs compared to Williamsburg.
• Thousands are expected to travel to Lizhensk for the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk.
• Around 5,000 yeshiva bochurim gathered at a major asifa to discuss the spiritual and practical dangers associated with artificial intelligence.
• A shul in Liège suffered damage after a nearby explosion, authorities say an investigation is ongoing.

Israeli News

• Two foreign construction workers were killed in Tel Aviv after a missile carrying a cluster warhead struck the city.
• Angry scenes erupted at Ben Gurion Airport after the government reduced the passenger quota per flight from 200 to 50, leaving many travelers unable to rebook.
• Danny Danon said Israel considers Iran’s new supreme leader a top target amid the ongoing war.
• The planned visit to Israel by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner was canceled.

🌍 International News

• The United States ordered embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia amid concerns over potential Iranian strikes.
• NATO intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran toward Turkish airspace.
• Hezbollah reportedly fired precision missiles at a property belonging to the European satellite company SES.
• A Pesach program in Guatemala was forced to shut down at the last minute after problems with the hotel, leaving many families scrambling for alternatives.

🏛 Political News

• Lindsey Graham issued rare criticism of Israel’s strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure.
• President Donald Trump told aides he would support the assassination of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
• Sen. Lindsey Graham also declared that “the liberation of Cuba is coming” as the U.S. continues confronting hostile regimes.

National News

• New York City Police Department officials said Saturday’s attempted terror attack was carried out by two Muslim suspects inspired by ISIS.
• The Los Angeles Marathon was won by a record 0.01 seconds, the closest finishes in marathon history.

💼 Business News

• Oil prices dropped immediately after President Trump suggested the Iran war may soon end.

🗽 New York

• New York City recorded its first 60°F reading since November 9, 2025, ending a 118-day stretch without reaching 60 degrees.

WASHINGTON (VINnews) – — Donald Trump said Monday that a U.S. strike on Iran prevented the destruction of Israel, arguing the attack changed the course of the conflict.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Congressional Institute, Trump said a U.S. operation involving Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers targeted Iranian capabilities. “If we didn’t do that B-2 attack, Israel would have been wiped out,” he said.

Trump also said the United States would continue military operations until Iran is “totally and decisively defeated,” while suggesting the war could end soon.

In a separate interview with CBS News, Trump said the conflict was progressing faster than initially expected and claimed Iran’s military infrastructure had been significantly weakened.

Trump on Iran:

If we didn’t do that B-2 attack, Israel would have been wiped out. pic.twitter.com/2oSbf4pDKR

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 9, 2026

A senior Iranian official said Monday that Tehran is prepared for an extended confrontation with the United States, warning that Iran is willing to keep striking targets in Gulf countries in an effort to push regional governments to pressure President Donald Trump to halt the conflict.

The remarks were made by Kamal Kharazi, a foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, during an interview with CNN in Tehran. His comments reflected a defiant posture from the Iranian leadership as the war entered its tenth day, while also dismissing the possibility of diplomatic talks in the near term.

“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore. Because Donald Trump had been deceiving others and not keeping with his promises, and we experienced this in two times of negotiations — that while we were engaged in negotiation, they struck us,” Kharazi told the outlet on Monday.

“There’s no room unless the economic pressure would be built up to the extent that other countries would intervene to guarantee termination of aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran,” Kharazi said.

Kharazi suggested that economic fallout from the conflict could eventually force Gulf Arab states and other nations to push Washington toward ending the war.

“This war has been producing a lot of pressure — economic pressure — on others, in terms of inflation, in terms of lack of energy, and so if it will be continued, this pressure will be built up more, and therefore others have no choice to intervene,” he said.

Since the United States and Israel began their military campaign against Iran, Tehran has carried out attacks in several countries across the Middle East. Iranian officials claim the strikes are directed at American interests in Gulf states, though some of the missiles and drones have also struck residential areas and airports.

The fighting has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, threatening major oil infrastructure and shipping routes throughout the region. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has sharply declined, while crude oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel on Monday, unsettling international markets and fueling concerns over rising energy costs.

Data compiled by Rapidan Energy Group indicates that roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply has been affected by the conflict — about twice the level of disruption recorded during the 1956–57 Suez crisis.

The war has also eliminated much of the oil market’s so-called spare capacity, the emergency production reserves that can typically be brought online quickly to stabilize supply during disruptions.

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday that Iranian forces are currently using about 60% of their military firepower to strike U.S. bases and what he described as “strategic interests” throughout the region.

{Matzav.com}

A Kentucky man who joined the Army shortly after graduating from high school is the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the Iran war, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.

Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he’d known Pennington since he was a toddler and got a call from Pennington’s father when the soldier was hurt.

“I talked to Tim Saturday morning, and he was doing a little better, and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said. Bell said Tim Pennington called again that evening to ask for prayers as his son’s condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.

“He was just a quiet person,” said Bell, noting that Pennington attended the church’s after-school program. “I mean, he never attracted attention because he was just steady doing what he needed to do to do it. Does that make sense?”

Pennington was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command based at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications,” according to their website.

“This just breaks my heart,” Keith Taul, judge-executive of Hardin County, where Pennington was from, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. “I have known the family for at least 30 years. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering they are experiencing. To lose a single service member is just a devastating blow. But when it is one of our own, we grieve as a community.”

Glendale is an unincorporated town of about 300 residents south of the Hardin County seat of Elizabethtown.

In a statement posted on social media, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Pennington “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”

The other six service members killed since the conflict began on Feb. 28 were Army reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port.

President Donald Trump on Saturday joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base at the dignified transfer for those six U.S. soldiers.

The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said bearing witness to the transfer was “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.

Pennington graduated in 2017 from Central Hardin High School, where he was enrolled in the automotive technology pathway, district spokesman John Wright told the AP. Former automotive tech instructor Tom Pitt, who taught Pennington in 2017 at Hardin County Early College and Career Center, called him “an American hero.”

“A lot of times as a teacher, you have students who are smart, you have students who are charismatic, who are likable, dare I say, enchanting,” said Pitt, who called Pennington Nate. “Rarely do you have students who are all of those. And Ben Pennington was all of those. He was basically the quintessential all-American.”

Photos on his and family members’ Facebook pages show that Pennington achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in August 2017. His Eagle project was the demolition of some old baseball dugouts in Glendale, said Darin Life, former committee chairman for Troop 221.

“If you look up Eagle Scout, his picture’s probably there,” said Life, who knew Pennington throughout his scouting career. “He loved his country. I would have expected nothing less of him than to lose his life protecting his country.”

A month after his Eagle ceremony, Pennington posted a photo of himself taking the oath of enlistment. He entered the service as a unit supply specialist and was assigned to the Space and Missile Command on June 10, 2025, the Army said in a release.

Among his awards and decorations were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

“The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Pennington,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved. That makes him nothing less than a hero, and he will always be remembered that way. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Col. Michael F. Dyer, 1st Space Brigade commander, described Pennington as “a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer who led with strength, professionalism and sense of duty.”

Pennington will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Pentagon said.

(AP)

Scenes of confusion and anger erupted at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday after travelers who had purchased tickets discovered they could not board their flights despite the airport reopening for outbound travel.

Passengers arriving for departures were stunned to learn that the number of travelers allowed on each flight had been abruptly reduced overnight, leaving hundreds of ticket holders without seats.

The turmoil stemmed from a sudden reversal of wartime aviation guidelines issued amid the ongoing conflict. Just a day earlier, authorities had approved a policy allowing airlines to increase passenger capacity from 100 travelers per flight to 200, a move intended to help clear the backlog of people trying to leave the country.

Airlines quickly acted on the new policy, selling additional tickets to hundreds of customers who had been waiting on standby or reservation lists.

But overnight, the policy was quietly reversed.

By the time passengers began arriving at the airport Monday morning, the cap had been reinstated at 100 passengers per flight, leaving airlines scrambling to determine which travelers would be allowed to board and which would be turned away.

With far more passengers holding tickets than there were available seats, airline staff were forced to make decisions on the spot at check-in counters.

The result was widespread frustration that quickly spilled over into confrontations.

Videos filmed inside the terminal showed shouting matches and pushing between frustrated travelers and airport personnel. In some cases, police were called in to restore order as tempers flared.

“There are elderly people here. Why are you doing this? Take responsibility,” one passenger could be heard shouting at an airline employee.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

France and several international partners are planning a naval operation aimed at reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, as the conflict with Iran moved into its second week and continued to disrupt regional stability.

Macron arrived by helicopter aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which had been deployed to the Mediterranean after the U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 ignited a broader conflict that has rattled the Middle East and raised fears of a wider regional escalation.

Earlier in the day, during a visit to Cyprus, Macron explained that the planned mission would focus on escorting cargo vessels and oil tankers so that maritime traffic through the strait could gradually resume “after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict.”

“This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again,” Macron said during a visit to the island to discuss regional security.

Standing alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron emphasized that the planned effort would involve a coalition of countries and would serve strictly protective purposes, describing it as a “purely defensive, purely support mission.”

The Netherlands also announced that it plans to deploy a naval frigate to the Mediterranean at France’s request.

The European Union indicated Monday that it is prepared to expand its maritime security operations in the Middle East.

EU officials have been considering strengthening their naval presence in the Red Sea after the American-Israeli strikes on Iran sparked a wider regional confrontation.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to global markets and carrying roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil — has largely come to a standstill since the war erupted on February 28.

Macron’s trip to Cyprus followed a recent incident in which Iranian-made drones targeted the EU member island nation earlier this month.

The French president warned that any strike against Cyprus must be viewed as an attack against Europe itself.

“When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked,” he said.

“We will not accept that the slightest piece of European territory, like Cyprus, be exposed to danger,” added Mitsotakis.

Following the drone attack, France moved the Charles de Gaulle carrier to the Mediterranean and also dispatched a frigate and air-defense units to Cyprus.

French officials have repeatedly stressed that the country’s actions in the region are intended solely for defensive purposes.

While aboard the Charles de Gaulle, Macron was expected to meet with sailors serving in the carrier’s strike group, according to the Elysee Palace.

The aircraft carrier is the centerpiece of a broader French naval deployment that will include eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers operating across a wide zone stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

One French frigate is already participating in the European Union’s Operation Aspides, a mission launched in the Red Sea in 2024 to protect commercial shipping from attacks carried out by Iran-backed Houthi forces.

Macron said France plans to maintain a long-term contribution to Operation Aspides by assigning two frigates to the mission.

“What we want to do is to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security,” he said.

Separately, Macron also spoke Monday morning with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to discuss developments in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon, the Elysee Palace said.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK — After two terrorists who authorities say pledged allegiance to ISIS were arrested in connection with a bombing at a weekend protest in New York City, business leader Steve Forbes criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani and questioned the city’s leadership.

Appearing Monday on Varney & Co., Forbes said he was surprised Mamdani had been elected and argued the mayor’s political views had been widely known before the election. “How in the world he got elected — well, he did,” Forbes said. He added that Mamdani’s “radicalism was out there” and said the events of the weekend show “how ill-fitted he is for the times we are in.”

Steve Forbes criticizes New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the protests over the weekend. pic.twitter.com/qiSBIyuxhh

— Varney & Co. (@Varneyco) March 9, 2026

Jewish teachers determined to clean for Pesach clashed with the Department of Education, which denied them one day off before Passover to deep clean their homes and get rid of all of their chametz, breaking with a longstanding tradition since 1999 to grant them that day as a religious exemption. The group of 20 Orthodox teachers, led by United Jewish Teachers president Moshe Spern, lodged a formal complaint against the Department of Education last year, only to find out in February that they lost their case.

The only way to get the time to clean their homes will be to use their personal days or vacation days.

Spern cried foul, slamming the decision, which he called “wrong” and which he said “borders on religious discrimination.” The group is now considering requesting an arbitration hearing.

Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers. (From his Instagram account)

“The DOE and new Chancellor Samuels reaffirming an awful decision from last year is not only wrong but definitely borders on religious discrimination,” Spern said, referring to Kamar Samuels, the New York City schools chancellor.

The Department of Education said in a statement, “We respect the religious observances of all employees and provide reasonable accommodations consistent with applicable regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and operational needs.”

This past Thursday, more than 400 people gathered at Tomahawk Steakhouse in support of a tzedakah organization dedicated to assisting families in need.

The event brought together members of the community for an evening of socializing and shared purpose all in support of a tzedakah organization that changes lives.

Originally founded by Dr. Reuven and Mrs. Rochel Shanik, Ahavas Tzedakah is today Lakewood’s foremost tzedakah organization, distributing over $7M to more than 1100 local families annually, enabling parents to provide their children with much-needed basics without compromising their dignity.

In recognition of the escalated need for help before Pesach, many hosts worked tirelessly to make Ahavas Tzedakah’s Tomahawk event a success. At their helm were Pinny Bak, longtime supporter and advocate, and executive director Ephraim Schur.

For the second year in a row, the entire event was generously sponsored by Worldwide Land Transfer, a national title insurance company with strong ties to the local community.

“Our company’s growth wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of the local community,” said Ike Marvet, one of Worldwide Land Transfer’s partners. “Helping and giving back to such a critical cause that supports families in almost every neighborhood is a tremendous zchus for us.”

There are still many struggling families desperately awaiting help for this Pesach and spring season, Ahavas Tzedakah is working around the clock to rally community support.

Their pre-Pesach fundraising drive is currently live at www.dryveup.com/at.

Please give generously to transform the Yom Tov of families who are privately facing financial crisis.

BROOKLYN (VINnews) – The CEO of Lalechet, a Jewish travel organization that helped evacuate many travelers from Israel through various channels, said reports alleging assaults on women during the trips were not substantiated.

“On Motzei Shabbos, a document circulated from certain seminaries alleging that women were assaulted by Egyptian security personnel. While we are not suggesting these messages were circulated with malicious intent, despite our efforts to obtain verification through multiple channels, no substantiated evidence has been provided. We wish to state clearly and without reservation: B”H, no passenger who traveled with Lalechet experienced harm, and the safety of every individual in our care remained our highest priority throughout,” CEO David Landau said in an official Press release Monday to VINnews.

Lalechet said its operations over the past week included coordinated bus transport, guided border crossings, and oversight through flights from Sharm el-Sheikh to the United States via European hubs. Passengers were accompanied at every stage to ensure safety, organization, and clear communication.

Clients reportedly praised the organization for its professionalism and dedication, and Lalechet said it remains committed to providing safe and organized travel assistance.

Chaim V’Chessed continues to be inundated with calls relating to the ongoing Iran crisis. Below is a roundup of the latest developments regarding travel to and from Israel, evacuation options, and government services.

Inbound Travel to Israel

Israeli airlines – primarily El Al,  but also Israir, Arkia, and Air Haifa – have begun operating flights back to Israel.

At this stage, the overwhelming majority of seats are being allocated to passengers who previously held tickets on these airlines. These passengers are being proactively contacted and offered new reservations.

Those wishing to travel to Israel who did not previously hold tickets – or who held tickets on foreign airlines that are currently not flying – have extremely limited options. While some seats are being sold, available dates are often far off.

Passengers unable to secure flights in the coming days and who have the flexibility to travel may consider entry via Egypt – see below.

Outbound Flights from Israel

The Israeli airlines listed above have also begun operating outbound flights. However, flights are officially limited to approximately 70 passengers per flight.

Passengers who previously held tickets on these airlines are being contacted and offered alternative departure dates. Passengers are being assigned to flights in a fashion that those whose original departure dates were earlier are generally being prioritized for the earliest available flights.

Those without existing tickets – or who had tickets on airlines that remain suspended – face very limited availability. Although tickets are being sold, departure dates are often weeks away.

Chaim V’Chessed has been flooded with inquiries from passengers facing genuine emergency situations who urgently need to travel to or from Israel. Due to the extremely limited number of seats and the overwhelming volume of requests, we are unable to assist with placement on flights. It is somewhat possible, however, that after the initial bottleneck of delayed passengers clears this week, it may become easier to obtain seats.

U.S. Embassy Evacuation Flights

The United States Department of State is arranging no-cost departure options for American citizens seeking to leave Israel. Flights may be to the United States or to third countries outside the region.

Flights are being offered in a somewhat unpredictable manner to those who have registered through the Department of State’s Crisis Intake Form, as well as to those who have registered via Chaim V’Chessed’s evacuation interest list (which has been shared with the Department of State). Individuals are welcome to complete both forms.

It is important to note that these are not standalone charter evacuations. Rather, American citizens are being placed on flights that are already scheduled to depart Israel.

Those who have indicated that they wish to depart Israel immediately may receive very short notice – at times being instructed to report to Ben Gurion Airport on short notice. Passengers report significant confusion and a lack of organization at the airport for the State Department flights.

The “30-Day Rule”

Due to the severe flight limitations, the Israeli government has sought to condition departure on an agreement not to return in the near future.

El Al has indicated that passengers may not return for 30 days, while other airlines have referenced a 21-day restriction.

There is little doubt that should hostilities cease, such commitments would not be enforced. Additionally, numerous passengers have reported that despite public discussion of this policy, they were not asked to sign any such document prior to departure.

Travel Through Egypt

For those unable to obtain outbound flights, travel through Egypt remains an option.

While there is an official travel warning regarding entry into Sinai, thousands have successfully utilized this route in recent days.

For those traveling via Egypt, Chaim V’Chessed strongly recommends only traveling with organized groups, such as Lelechet, Emes Travel or Plan It Rite. (Please note: Chaim V’Chessed does not endorse any group or travel package.)

Government Offices

The majority of government offices across Israel remain closed, creating significant challenges for citizens requiring services.

The Israel Population and Immigration Authority (Interior Ministry) has opened limited branches, including the Mevaseret  and Har Homa Branches.

United States Embassy

The United States Embassy in Israel remains closed for routine services.

However, embassy officials have informed Chaim V’Chessed that emergency passport services will be available this week from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at both the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv locations, for those requiring passports in order to depart Israel. No appointments are needed; applicants are strongly encouraged to arrive early.

The Embassy will implement an important leniency for parents with recently born newborns. Due to government offices being closed, many have been unable to obtain birth certificates from the Interior Ministry. Parents will be permitted to present the Hodaa al Leida from the hospital, in lieu of an official birth certificate.

Chaim V’Chessed continues to monitor developments closely and remains available during regular business hours to assist the English-speaking community in navigating this rapidly evolving situation.

{Matzav.com}

Four Jewish shepherds were injured over the past 24 hours in attacks carried out by Arab rioters in Gush Etzion and the Binyamin region, Arutz Sheva reported.

At the same time, an explosive device was discovered in grazing areas near Route 465 in Binyamin.

The incidents began in the morning when about ten Arab rioters from the village of Sa’ir attacked a Jewish shepherd from the Ma’aleh Tedehar outpost in Gush Etzion.

According to the report, the rioters approached him while he was davening Shacharis, threw a stone at his head, and beat him with clubs.

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The shepherd called for help, and IDF forces and additional residents arrived at the scene but were also attacked. Three people suffered head injuries and received initial treatment from Hatzalah Without Borders medics, and one of them was later evacuated to a hospital by Magen David Adom.

IDF forces detained several suspects who attempted to flee toward the village of Sa’ir for questioning, but it has not yet been reported whether any arrests were made.

At the same time, a shepherd from the village of Turmus Aya in the Binyamin region discovered an explosive device in grazing areas near Route 465. IDF forces and bomb disposal experts were called to the scene.

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These incidents follow another attack that occurred yesterday in eastern Gush Etzion, when a shepherd from Magen Avraham Farm near the community of Ibei HaNachal was attacked by six masked Arab rioters from the village of Kisan who attempted to carry out a lynching.

The shepherd was injured in several areas of his body, and one of his fingernails was torn out. Police were called to the scene, and the shepherd was evacuated to a hospital by MDA paramedics. Police later reported that one suspect involved in the attack was arrested.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — Jewish military chaplaincy groups are asking the Pentagon to prevent chaplains from Messianic Judaism, a Christian movement blending Jewish practices with belief in Jesus, from wearing traditional Jewish insignia.

According to a report by JTA, the Aleph Institute and other Jewish organizations say the use of tablets with a Star of David by Messianic chaplains could mislead Jewish service members about who officially represents Judaism in the armed forces. The groups have asked the Pentagon to investigate the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, which endorses the chaplains, and to consider revoking its endorsement authority if it continues allowing the practice.

Messianic leaders argue their chaplains identify as Jewish and are following existing military policy. But Jewish chaplaincy authorities counter that insignia should be reserved for recognized Jewish clergy to ensure clarity, especially in combat zones and remote postings.

The Pentagon confirmed receipt of the correspondence but declined to comment further.

Even after destroying roughly three-quarters of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, the threat of continued missile fire against Israel is far from over.

According to the IDF, recent operations have eliminated about 75% of Iran’s ballistic missile launch infrastructure, a significant escalation from the 65% figure reported just two days earlier. Yet despite the dramatic degradation of Iran’s missile capabilities, military officials say Tehran still retains enough firepower to keep Israel under threat for an extended period.

At the start of the war, Iran was launching roughly 100 ballistic missiles per day. In recent days, that number had fallen to around 20–25 missiles daily, and in more days, the total dipped to fewer than 20 launches.

For several days, the reduced pace of attacks also coincided with a lull in major damage inside Israel. In contrast to the opening days of the conflict — when multiple missiles struck populated areas — there had been no major impacts reported for several days.

That relative calm, however, proved short-lived.

A significant strike hit Israel on Sunday, followed by another on Monday, underscoring the lingering threat despite the military’s success in dismantling much of Iran’s launch network. Air-raid sirens have continued to sound across large parts of the country as Iranian missiles and fragments reach Israeli territory.

Military officials say the reality of the battlefield is more complicated than the headline numbers might suggest.

While the destruction of major missile bases has dealt a severe blow to Iran’s arsenal, the remaining launchers — estimated at 100 to 150 — may now be scattered across the vast territory of the Islamic Republic, which is several times the size of France. That dispersal makes them far harder to locate and destroy.

Iran is also believed to still possess more than 1,000 ballistic missiles, many of which could be deployed by small, mobile launch teams operating from concealed locations.

That dynamic means the war’s early success in crippling Iran’s missile infrastructure may not translate into an immediate end to the threat.

Israeli officials have drawn comparisons to the war with Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attacks, when Israeli forces quickly reduced the scale of rocket fire from Gaza but were unable to eliminate it entirely for months. Hamas continued launching sporadic rockets into Israel until early January 2024.

A similar pattern could emerge in the current conflict.

Rather than completely eliminating missile launches, Israeli officials say a more realistic near-term goal may be reducing Iran’s attacks to a level that disrupts daily life but rarely causes casualties, similar to the intermittent missile and drone attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in recent years.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that the campaign against Iran has thus far claimed the lives of around 1,900 soldiers, including higher-ranking officials such as commanders.

The Israeli Air Force attacked sites linked to Iran’s Quds Force, such as military airfields and aircraft, as well as other military targets across Tehran, Isfahan and southern Iran, he said. He added that overnight strikes on six military airports destroyed 16 aircraft, including transport planes used by forces linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The strikes also obliterated detection systems, air defense systems and runways at the airports, the general said.

The IDF particularly targeted these transport sites to disrupt Iran’s ability to transport weapons and other military aid to its proxy groups: Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. This presents just one part of a multifaceted approach to diminishing Iran’s military capabilities across the board and establishing complete air dominance over Iran.

This video shows a strike on an oil facility in Iran. (From a post on X)

“Air force aircraft are striking in Iran even at this moment,” Defrin said.

Separately, the IDF said it struck about 700 targets in Lebanon, including about 100 belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force and buildings used for military purposes. To protect northern communities, the IDF said it had carried out operations in southern Lebanon overnight, destroying terrorist infrastructure and killing terrorists.

Nevertheless, the threat to civilians remains.

“Our air defense system is the best in the world, but the defense is not hermetic,” Defrin said.

He added that the IDF is investigating the failure of a siren to go off before a rocket attack earlier in the day, saying the warning systems appear to be working as they should, but the IDF, together with cellular service providers, is trying to uncover what caused the malfunction.

Israeli fighter jets fly to Iran. (From a post on X)

Meanwhile, guidelines issued by the Home Front Command remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 14:

• Daycare centers, schools and universities remain closed for in-person learning.
• Reopening, which will take place in stages, is expected for next week in some areas.
• Groups of children limited to 30 may gather near a protected spot, accompanied by at least two adults. But near the border or in areas where the conflict is more intense, these gatherings may take place only in protected spaces.
• Outdoor funerals can be attended by no more than 20 people.
• Public gatherings are limited to 50 people and must be held in a place where people can get to a shelter in time.
• Workplaces can only open if employees have quick access to shelter.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a modest gain as oil prices whipped from their highest price since 2022 back below $100 per barrel.

The S&P 500 fell as much as 1.5% before flipping to a gain of 0.8% near the end of the day’s trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average clawed back its early plunge of nearly 900 points to rise 261 points, or 0.6%. The Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher, as of 3:34 p.m. Eastern time.

They’re the latest hour-to-hour swings to pummel financial markets because of the uncertainty about just how high oil prices will go because of the war with Iran and how long they will stay there.

Early Monday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, briefly touched $119.50. It hadn’t been that expensive since the summer of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

If oil prices stay very high for very long, households’ budgets already stretched by high inflation could break under the pressure. Companies, meanwhile, would see their own bills jump for fuel and to stock items on their store shelves or in their data warehouses. It all raises the possibility of a worst-case scenario for the global economy, “stagflation,” where growth stagnates and inflation remains high.

But oil prices quickly pared their huge gains Monday, initially on talk that seven of the world’s largest economies could coordinate moves to push back on the spikes. A barrel of Brent crude pulled back to settle at $98.96 and then kept falling afterward toward $95.

A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude touched $119.48 during the morning, then pulled back to settle at $94.77 and then sank below $85 late Monday.

All the while, U.S. stock prices moved in the opposite direction as oil prices, like they did through the huge swings that rocked Wall Street last week.

The U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly from past military conflicts, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Some professional investors continue to suggest that drops in prices for stocks could ultimately offer opportunities to buy them at cheaper levels before they rise again.

Even with all the recent swings in the market, the S&P 500 index that sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still within 3% of its record set in January.

“We continue to believe that the current acute shortage of oil will be reversed in the coming months as new supply comes online and oil should drop significantly,” according to Sameer Samana, head of global equities and real assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

All that, though, hinges on the flow of oil returning toward normal. At the moment, it’s far from that.

Consider the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast that a fifth of the world’s oil sails through on a typical day. Now, tanker traffic has all but stopped because of worries about a possible attack by Iran.

If the strait remains closed for only a few weeks, the price of oil could push to $150 per barrel of higher, according to oil and gas strategists at Macquarie Research.

In stock markets abroad, where economies are more dependent on the import of oil and natural gas, stocks fell more sharply. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 5.2% and France’s CAC 40 dropped 1%.

A Chinese special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, called for an end to the attacks and said strikes on non-military targets and civilians should be condemned. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned against hoarding, panic buying and collusion between refiners and gas stations.

Both sides in the war struck new targets over the weekend, including civilian ones. Bahrain accused Iran of hitting one of the desalination plants that are crucial for drinking water in Gulf countries. Its national oil company declared force majeure after the country’s sole oil refinery was attacked. Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, sending up thick smoke and causing environmental alerts.

President Donald Trump said late Sunday that high oil prices at the moment are worth the cost.

“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” he said in a posting on his social media network.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.10% from 4.15% late Friday.

Worries about high inflation and oil prices are pushing upward on Treasury yields, and the 10-year yield briefly rose above 4.20% early Monday. But worries about a potentially slowing economy are pulling downward at the same time.

On Friday, a discouragingly weak report on the U.S. job market showed that employers cut more jobs last month than they added.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.

His death was confirmed to The Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and went on to, along with Butterfield, help expose the wrongdoing.

“He had the heavy responsibility of revealing something he was sworn to secrecy on, which is the installation of the Nixon taping system,” Dean said. “He stood up and told the truth.”

As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield oversaw the taping system connected to voice-activated listening devices that had been secretly placed in four locations, including Nixon’s office in the Executive Office Building and the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Butterfield later said that, besides himself and the president, he believed that only White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, a Haldeman assistant and a handful of Secret Service agents knew about the taping system.

“Everything was taped … as long as the president was in attendance,” Butterfield told Watergate investigators when testifying under oath during a preliminary interview.

The tapes would expose Nixon’s role in the cover-up that followed the burglary in 1972 at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate building. To avoid impeachment by the House, Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Butterfield believed he’d had a hand in the president’s fate. “I didn’t like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was, in a lot of ways,” he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Butterfield, a college friend of Haldeman’s at UCLA who had contacted his friend to ask about opportunities in the new Nixon administration, served as a deputy assistant to Nixon from 1969 to 1973. In that capacity, he worked under Haldeman and, among other duties, was secretary to the Cabinet and helped oversee White House operations.

The Air Force veteran had left the White House to become administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration when Senate committee staffers privately questioned him on July 13, 1973, during their investigation of the Watergate break-in. A routine question about the possibility of a taping system had been prompted by former White House counsel John Dean’s testimony that he believed a conversation he had had with Nixon may have been recorded.

When Butterfield acknowledged that a taping system indeed existed, he was brought before a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The public revelation on July 16, 1973, of a taping system designed to record all the president’s conversations stunned Nixon friends and foes alike. The tapes promised Watergate investigators a rich vein of evidence in their quest to determine what Nixon and others knew about the break-in — a great deal, as it turned out.

Efforts by investigators to gain access to the tapes sparked a yearlong legal battle that was resolved in July 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nixon had to give them up.

The thousands of hours of tapes made public over the years — they are now controlled by the National Archives — provide a unique, if often unflattering, view of Nixon. His words exposed a bad temper, vulgar language, bigoted racial and religious views, and unvarnished opinions about national and international figures.

“I just thought, ‘When they hear those tapes …’ I mean, I knew what was on these tapes … they’re dynamite,” Butterfield told the Nixon Library. “I guess I didn’t foresee that the president might be put out of office or impeached, but I thought it would be a perilous few years for him. I guess I couldn’t conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of office. It had never happened before.”

Butterfield later said he believed that Nixon’s successor, President Gerald Ford, fired him as FAA administrator in 1975 as part of an agreement worked out between the Nixon and Ford staff members. He said he had heard from White House friends that he had been targeted shortly after his testimony to the Senate committee.

After leaving the FAA, Butterfield worked as a business executive in California. He earned a master’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 1994.

Alexander Porter Butterfield was born on April 6, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida.

He left UCLA to join the Navy and later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master’s degree from George Washington University in 1967.

In 1948, he joined the Air Force and served as an instructor at a base near Las Vegas during the Korean War and later served in Germany. In Washington, he was a military assistant to the special assistant of the defense secretary in 1965 and 1966 and later served as senior military representative of the U.S. and representative for the commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces, Australia. He retired at the rank of colonel after 20 years in the Air Force.

Butterfield was unsparing in his criticism of the former president in later years. While he commended Nixon’s achievements in foreign affairs, he considered his former boss “not an honest man” and “a crook” and believed that Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in before it occurred and was the architect of the ensuing cover-up.

Butterfield found himself “cheering … just cheering” the day Nixon resigned, he told the Nixon Library, because “justice had prevailed.”

“I didn’t think that it would for a while,” he said. “This guy was the ringleader.”

The LPD and other area police departments are searching for a suspect who robbed a TD Bank in Ocean County moments ago, TLS has learned.

An area school secured all its students.

The suspect – said to be armed with a handgun – fled northbound on Rt. 9.

Anyone with information should call police immediately.

Developing.

The incident was first reported by TLS Communities.

Air raid sirens blared across central Israel and the Shephelah region on Monday evening after rockets were fired from Lebanon without advance warning, sending residents rushing to protected areas. Security officials reported multiple sites where fragments from interceptions and shrapnel fell. The Israel Defense Forces later said that one missile hit in central Israel while several others landed in open areas.

Magen David Adom said four people sustained light injuries in the attack on central Israel. The wounded included a 32-year-old man who was struck by a flying object and a 38-year-old woman who suffered an injury to her leg. All four casualties were transported to Kaplan Medical Center and Shamir Medical Center, where they were treated for blast-related trauma and injuries from shattered glass.

The IDF reported that Israeli Air Force aircraft quickly responded to the attack, destroying the launcher in Lebanon from which the rockets had been fired.

In a statement, the Hezbollah terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the strike, saying: “We attacked the satellite communications station belonging to the communications and cyber defense corps of the Israeli enemy army, in the Elah Valley in central occupied Palestine.”

Earlier Monday, a separate Iranian missile strike hit a construction site in Yehud, killing one person and critically wounding another. The injured victim was transported by intensive care ambulance to Sheba Medical Center.

Another incident occurred in Or Yehuda, where a missile strike left one individual seriously injured. That victim was also taken to Sheba Medical Center for treatment. The municipality reported that another woman suffered anxiety and received care at the scene, while three additional locations were identified where cluster munitions had struck, causing damage to property.

Or Yehuda Mayor Liat Shohat addressed the attacks, stating, “These events remind us once again how life-saving it is to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and ask residents to remain vigilant and avoid approaching the impact sites so security forces can complete their work safely.”

Meanwhile, reports indicated that roughly 650,000 residents have fled the Dahiya district of Beirut, along with approximately half a million people who have left areas in southern Lebanon.

Defense Minister Yisroel Katz emphasized Israel’s determination to defend its communities, saying, “The decision to move forward immediately and defend the communities is morally and operationally correct, and it enables what comes next while giving residents the confidence that what happened will not return. There will be no evacuation, no abandonment-everyone remains on their land, in their home, wherever they are. The number one mission is to defend the communities and provide them security against raids and anti-tank fire.”

He continued, “From this point we should not only avoid retreating in the face of Hezbollah, but seize the opportunity to strike it. We are striking it and will continue to strike it. Prepare operational plans to hit it, impose costs, and neutralize its capabilities. The fact that a million Lebanese have evacuated their homes in southern Lebanon and in Dahiya demonstrates the strength of the IDF and its deterrence capability.”

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that the Israeli Air Force carried out a major wave of airstrikes targeting command centers and military manufacturing sites belonging to the Iranian regime across several provinces in Iran.

According to the IDF, dozens of Israeli fighter jets conducted coordinated strikes using more than 170 munitions against military infrastructure in the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. The operation was based on intelligence gathered by Israeli military agencies.

In Tehran, Israeli aircraft struck a command center belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, the unit responsible for overseeing Iran’s network of proxy groups and covert operations throughout the Middle East. Israeli officials said the Quds Force plays a central role in planning and supporting attacks against Israel and its allies.

The IDF said additional strikes in Isfahan targeted a facility used for the manufacturing and storage of missiles designed to threaten Israeli aircraft. Several Iranian air defense systems in the area were also struck, according to the military.

In the Shiraz region, Israeli forces targeted additional military infrastructure tied to the Iranian regime.

The IDF said the strikes were part of a broader campaign aimed at damaging key military capabilities of the Iranian regime.

Iranian authorities have not immediately released official details regarding casualties or the extent of the damage.

In today’s yeshivish culture, young men need permission to live. Meet Yanky. Yanky always followed the rules. He respects his parents, his rebbeim, and his mesorah. He took his learning seriously through high school and beis medrash. Yanky is a “good guy.” Now, at age 23, he finds himself unmotivated to learn, to daven, to follow the path that was laid out for him. He doesn’t know what’s wrong. Ignoring the inner tension building inside of him, he pushes past his feelings and keeps learning. Soon after, Yanky finds himself in despair. He can’t keep it up. Learning has become a chore. He doesn’t feel connected like he used to. “Is it me? Is it the system? Is it the learning itself?” he asks. His subconscious has begun to plague him; he feels paralyzed. Getting a job isn’t really an option. It’s not a financial calculation — it’s a social death sentence. What would my parents think? My rebbeim? My friends? Who would even marry a working guy?

This is the experience of too many good-hearted, well-intentioned young men in our community. Personal development has been arrested by new and rigid standards that could only have been positively applied to an exceptional population of young men. Before the Holocaust, yeshiva learning in Europe was reserved for the elite lomdonim. Volozhin — the mother of all yeshivos, the most prestigious Torah institution in the world — had approximately 400 talmidim at its peak. Today, Lakewood alone has over 7,000. The discrepancy is easily explained: unprecedented economic support has made full-time learning accessible to the masses in a way that was simply impossible in Europe. But accessible and working are two very different things. It is not my intention to downplay the importance of learning. I strongly believe that learning is the core of a fulfilling Jewish life, and more broadly, the survival of our nation. For those who are learning full-time with passion, ashreichem — we need you. Nonetheless, the expectation that every young man must learn full-time has had devastating implications.

It is simply reality that everyone is different. Hashem created everyone with different abilities, talents, and levels of aptitude. Everyone is charged with living a life of service to Hashem — with one caveat: that service must be done with joy, not out of fear, shame, or resentment. It would be easy for me to tell you (and I am!), “you hereby have permission to pursue a career, to build something, to cultivate your interests” — but what good is permission from one voice when your entire world is shouting the opposite? The only solution I can offer is courage. Courage that Hashem understands you, loves you, and wants you to maximize your potential. Courage to do what you must and trust that you will find acceptance. Nothing stands in the way of someone who earnestly tries to do what is right for them. The marriage will come; there is an abundance of girls who just want a genuine guy. Your loved ones will come around. Your learning — now no longer a performed tradition, but a living one — will likely improve. You will have a true sense of identity.

Making this adjustment, even in theory, can feel identity-shattering. It is a profoundly painful experience. The reality, however, is that this experience cannot be avoided — it can only be postponed. There will come a day when living someone else’s life becomes too burdensome. The longer that realization is delayed, the harder its effects will be. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can live a life of meaning today. It’s your obligation.

Full disclosure: I recently helped bring a book to the community called “The Million Dollar Part Time Job.” I took it on because I believe in what it’s saying. It’s a practical guide, written by someone who understands this world, for the Yankys who are ready to take the first step. If anything in this essay resonated with you, it’s worth your time.

All the best,

Zev Levin

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.

American intelligence agencies have intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated from Iran that could potentially serve as a signal for sleeper cells operating outside the country, according to a federal alert circulated to law enforcement authorities.

The warning, which was reviewed by ABC News, cites “preliminary signals analysis” of a transmission described as “likely of Iranian origin.” The message was reportedly broadcast to several countries shortly after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed.

Khamenei died on Feb. 28 during a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military strike.

Officials say the intercepted message was encrypted and appeared to be intended for “clandestine recipients” who already possess the necessary encryption key to decode it.

Communications of this type are commonly used to deliver instructions to “covert operatives or sleeper assets” without using internet networks or cellular systems that could be more easily traced.

According to the alert, analysts believe the signals may have been designed to “be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country.”

“While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness,” the alert said.

Officials stressed that the warning does not point to any particular location or imminent attack. The alert notes there is “no operational threat tied to a specific location,” though it advises law enforcement agencies to closely watch for unusual radio-frequency activity.

If the communication is confirmed to be authentic, it could intensify concerns among Western security officials that sleeper cells positioned abroad might be activated in retaliation following the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

{Matzav.com}

photos: Hillel Las"h, Avrumi Berger, Shloimy Schwartz

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) expanded its travel warnings on Sunday evening, advising Israelis not to travel to Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

The announcement followed earlier warnings advising Israelis to avoid travel to the United Arab Emirates. Regarding travel via Egypt and Jordan, the council said that Israelis returning to Israel should only take flights landing in Taba, Aqaba, or Amman, and not through other airports, and should avoid remaining in either country.

A senior NSC official told Channel 12 News on Monday that Iran has significantly increased its efforts to harm Jews and Israelis worldwide.

“The Iranians have removed all restraints, and in practice, without even trying to conceal their actions or take precautions, and in every place they have the ability to operate—including through criminal groups and mercenaries—they are trying to harm Israelis and Jews, as well as energy infrastructure connected to Israel,” he said.

“The Israeli intelligence community and security establishment are working together, even in countries that are less friendly toward us, to advance efforts to thwart these plans. Many of these efforts are not made public. There are constant Iranian efforts to carry out attacks. Some of the efforts to disrupt and prevent these plans include strikes against Revolutionary Guards and intelligence operatives, whose work involves advancing attacks around the world.”

“Prevention efforts include intelligence capabilities and operations on the ground. We’ve warned the entire world, but ultimately we communicate through concrete messages and travel warnings. It is advisable and important to follow them, because this is literally a matter of life and death. Visiting places with a Jewish or Israeli character (such as Chabad centers and shuls) poses a significant risk at this time,” he warned.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Retired four-star Army Gen. David Petraeus is urging Washington to impose new sanctions on Russia following reports that Moscow may be providing intelligence assistance to Iran during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking to Fox News, Petraeus said President Donald Trump should press Congress to move forward with a sanctions bill already gaining broad support in the Senate.

“[President Trump] should ask Congress to pass the sanctions bill that is in the Senate,” Petraeus said, noting that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has secured backing from more than 90 senators. “It would be a very powerful signal to Russia.”

Petraeus, a former CIA director and commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, said reports that Russia may be sharing intelligence with Tehran could help explain the improved accuracy of recent Iranian missile and drone strikes.

“Iran does not possess the type of intelligence required to target U.S. assets with precision on its own,” Petraeus said, suggesting Russian assistance may be enabling the attacks.

His comments followed remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on NBC’s Meet the Press, where he acknowledged that Iran’s military partnership with Russia “has been no secret” and said the cooperation would continue.

The White House downplayed the impact of the alleged intelligence sharing. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Russian support was not affecting U.S. operations.

“It clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran,” Leavitt told reporters. “We are completely decimating them.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. intelligence assessment completed shortly before the United States and Israel launched a war in Iran had determined that American military intervention was not likely to lead to regime change in the Islamic Republic, according to two people familiar with the finding.

The National Intelligence Council’s assessment in February concluded that neither limited airstrikes nor a larger, prolonged military campaign would be likely to result in a new government taking over in Iran, even if the current leadership was killed, according to the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the classified report.

The determination undercuts the administration’s assertion that it can complete its objectives in Iran relatively quickly, perhaps in a matter of weeks. The administration has asserted that it was not seeking regime change in Iran, even as President Donald Trump considers whom he would like to see lead the country.

The intelligence assessment concluded that no one powerful or unified opposition coalition was poised to take over in Iran if the leadership was killed, according to the people familiar with the report. It determined that Iran’s establishment would attempt to preserve continuity of power if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, the people said.

In line with the assessment’s findings, Iran’s leading clerics on Sunday chose a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to succeed his father, who was killed in the war’s opening salvo. The son is believed to hold views that are even more hardline than his father, and his selection is a strong sign of resistance from Iran’s leadership and an indication the government won’t step aside quickly.

The details of the assessment were reported earlier by The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Trump and other top administration leaders have given different justifications for the strikes that began on Feb. 28, saying they were necessary to set back Iran’s nuclear weapons program or to preempt an Iranian ballistic missile attack. While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the war is not aimed at regime change, Trump has said it’s something he wants to see.

A message seeking comment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was not immediately returned Monday. Director Tulsi Gabbard fired the council’s acting chairperson last year after the release of a declassified NIC memo that contradicted statements the Trump administration has used to justify deporting Venezuelan immigrants.

Trump, dating back to his first term, has been deeply skeptical of the U.S. intelligence community and has frequently dismissed its findings as politically motivated or part of a “deep state” effort to undermine his presidency.

The Toms River Township Planning Board is scheduled to vote Tuesday night, March 10, at 6:00 PM on a proposal to change the zoning designation on several parcels of land within the township.

Among the locations being considered for the zoning change are the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Route 70, as well as property located near Route 9 and Riverwood Drive.

If approved, the zoning changes could allow for multi-family residential development on these sites, potentially paving the way for large-scale housing projects in areas that are currently zoned differently.

TLS reached out to the Toms River Jewish Community Council (TRJCC) for comment regarding the proposed zoning changes. In response, the organization released a statement (see below) expressing strong opposition to the proposal. 

The statement outlines the community’s concerns about the potential impact of high-density, multi-family development in Toms River, particularly regarding increased congestion and the effect such projects could have on the character of surrounding neighborhoods. The TRJCC also emphasized that the community does not support multifamily development in these areas and is urging township leadership to engage broadly with residents before moving forward with any approvals.

Knesset member Zvi Succot, who chairs the Knesset Education Committee, traveled to Kiryat Shmona during the ongoing Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel and spent the night in a public shelter alongside local residents.

While in the city, Succot met with Kiryat Shmona’s mayor at the newly established municipal emergency operations center for a security briefing. During the meeting, he was updated on the situation facing the community and the difficulties confronting the local education system as the fighting continues.

Following the briefing, Succot visited several shelters throughout the city and spoke with residents about the challenges of living under constant rocket threats and frequent sirens. Later that evening, he decided to remain in the city and sleep in one of the public shelters together with residents.

Succot said, “I came here to experience firsthand what residents on the confrontation line are going through. The State of Israel must remain committed to the security and daily life of northern residents.”

He added, “We must not get used to a reality in which civilians live between sirens and shelters – our responsibility is to restore a full sense of security to the region’s residents.”

Addressing Israel’s security approach, Succot said, “The era of restraint is over; we have moved to initiating and striking our enemies until they are destroyed. Residents here are living in an unimaginable reality – there are people over the age of 60 who sat in shelters here as children.”

In closing, he declared: “All territory south of the Litani should be annexed. Woe to anyone who thinks about stopping before the threat from the north is completely eliminated.”

{Matzav.com}

Yisroel R.

New York City has seen a sharp increase in complaints about malfunctioning traffic signals following two major winter storms and a prolonged deep freeze that gripped the region for weeks.

According to the city’s Department of Transportation, 15,543 complaints about broken or malfunctioning signals have been filed so far this year, a 42 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. Officials say much of the problem stems from last month’s powerful blizzard, which dropped up to 24 inches of snow in parts of the city.

Transportation officials explained that many of the complaints involved traffic lights flashing yellow due to voltage fluctuations. Melting snow and ice can seep into underground wiring, causing disruptions to signal systems. Fallen trees and power outages linked to the storm also contributed to the outages.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation said crews worked quickly to restore affected signals, responding to issues in an average of one hour and 40 minutes.

The city operates roughly 13,500 signalized intersections, though only some are equipped with battery backups that allow traffic lights to continue functioning during power disruptions.

In addition to traffic signal problems, the Department of Transportation said pothole complaints have also increased following the severe winter conditions. So far this year, the city has received 13,649 reports about street conditions. Officials say the spike is typical after heavy storms and snowplowing, noting that crews fill around 170,000 potholes each year.

New Jersey is the least dependent state in the nation on federal funding, according to a new analysis that examined how much states receive from Washington compared with how much they contribute in federal taxes.

The study by the personal finance website WalletHub ranked New Jersey 50th out of the 50 states, based on three key measures: the return residents receive on taxes paid to the federal government, the share of federal jobs in each state, and how much of a state’s revenue comes from federal funding.

New Jersey’s low ranking indicates the state receives comparatively less federal funding relative to what its residents and businesses send to Washington.

According to the analysis, states such as Alaska, Kentucky and West Virginia are the most dependent on federal support, while California, Delaware and Massachusetts join New Jersey among the least dependent states.

The study assigns each state a score measuring federal dependency on a 100-point scale. New Jersey recorded a score of 13.94, the lowest in the country.

Policy advocates note that the ranking could also underscore opportunities for the state to draw additional federal dollars back to New Jersey. One example is the federal tax credit scholarship program, which would allow states to opt in and allow taxpayers to receive a tax credits for contributions to scholarship organizations that help families pay for private school tuition or other educational expenses.

If Governor Sherrill chooses to opt the state into the program, it could allow New Jersey residents to redirect millions of dollars in federal tax credits toward scholarships spent within the state, potentially boosting the state economy while expanding educational options for families.

Under the law, which was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Trump in July, taxpayers can receive a maximum $1,700 tax credit per year for contributions made to state-recognized scholarship granting organizations. The SGO’s who would be required to grant scholarships to students – both in public and nonpublic schools – for elementary and secondary education expenses, including tuition, books, supplies, uniforms, transportation, computers, and other eligible expenses.

However, the law also required that each individual state opt in to the program.

WalletHub researchers said the findings reflect differences in state economies and government structures. States with lower incomes or smaller tax bases often receive more federal assistance, while wealthier states tend to contribute more in federal taxes than they receive back.

Residents in states that do not opt in would still be allowed to donate to scholarship organizations in other states that did opt in, potentially setting up a scenario where tens of millions of dollars can flow out of state, benefiting another state’s economy.

Overall, the study suggests that New Jersey stands out nationally for its relative fiscal independence from federal support, reflecting the state’s high incomes, large tax contributions and diversified economy.

WalletHub compiled the rankings using data from the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and USAspending.gov.

As might have been expected, President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan has been put on hold amid the war with Iran, an exclusive report by Reuters revealed Monday.

The peace plan represented a major policy goal of the Trump administration, and the freeze may present a setback to the plan. Countries in the Middle East who had pledged billions just a few weeks ago to rebuild Gaza are now reeling from attacks Iran has launched at them after the United States and Israel embarked on a joint military operation against Iran last week, triggering a wider regional conflict.

Trump has made it clear that the peace plan can only proceed if Hamas disarms, and talks about disarmament had been ongoing until the war with Iran broke out. Sources with knowledge of the talks, who remained anonymous due to the sensitivity of the negotiations and because the disruption had not been previously reported, said that talks have now been paused.

Nevertheless, a White House official denied that the peace plan and discussions about Hamas’ disarmament have been frozen.

A tent encampment in Gaza. (From a post on X)

“Discussions on disarmament are ongoing and positive,” he said. “All of the mediators agree that this is a critical step to enable rebuilding for the people of Gaza.”

One source familiar with the peace plan dismissed concerns that the delay would negatively impact the plan. He said that travel disruptions had affected the ability to conduct talks — which had taken place in Cairo, Egypt — but would resume once travel was restored. He also said that the severe degradation of Iran’s military capabilities would have a positive impact, since Iran had provided much of Hamas’ weaponry.

An unnamed Palestinian official confirmed that talks had been frozen, and Israel’s government declined to comment. However, a U.S. official whose name has been withheld said, “The situation in the region has impacted some travel, but discussions and progress continue.”

Israel has slowed down its strikes on Gaza, saying it still needs to respond to threats. But Gaza residents expect the strikes to step up again after the war with Iran ends, according to reports.

Trump’s peace plan, beginning with the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, quickly expanded into an initiative joined by multiple countries in Europe and the Middle East. The U.S. has been running the internationally coordinated effort out of headquarters in southern Israel, but movement toward implementation has slowed since the war started. Several diplomats said the Civil Military Coordination Center is operating at minimal levels, partly to protect against Iranian attacks.

While high-level discussions on Gaza have ceased, countries have engaged in low-level discussions to keep the plan in place and ensure forward momentum when the war is over.

Israel’s Defense Ministry says it is rapidly expanding military logistics and weapons production as the campaign against Iran intensifies.

In a statement Monday, the ministry said roughly 50 cargo aircraft carrying more than 1,000 tons of weapons, military equipment and munitions have landed in Israel over the past 10 days and were transferred to the IDF.

“This is a large-scale shipping operation conducted under fire and in parallel with the advancement of Operation Roaring Lion,” the ministry said, adding that the airlift is expected to expand in the coming weeks.

The operation is being coordinated by the Defense Ministry’s procurement directorate together with Israeli missions in the United States and Germany, the IDF Planning Directorate and Israeli aviation authorities.

At the same time, defense officials are emphasizing the role of Israel’s space capabilities in the campaign.

Defense Ministry Director General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram recently visited a satellite operations facility run jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries, the ministry’s research directorate and the IDF. During the visit, officials reviewed real-time satellite imagery from the fighting in Iran and discussed new space-based intelligence capabilities supporting Israeli strikes.

Baram said Israel’s satellite network is helping generate targets and accelerate operational decision-making.

Behind those capabilities, he said, is a collaboration between defense engineers and military units including the air force, cyber command and intelligence specialists.

“Space is a first-order strategic national priority,” Baram said.

Israeli officials have long argued that space-based intelligence would play a decisive role in any future confrontation with Iran.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry has instructed Israel’s major defense contractors to increase production of key weapons systems, including aerial munitions and missile defense interceptors.

According to Israeli media reports, the weapons under discussion include air-to-ground bombs, glide bombs, advanced strike missiles and interceptors for systems such as Arrow 3, Barak MX and David’s Sling.

Baram also visited Elbit Systems’ production lines this week, where officials reviewed expanded manufacturing capacity developed after lessons from more than two years of regional conflict.

Defense officials said those earlier preparations are now allowing Israel to sustain intensive operations while replenishing depleted stockpiles for what could become a prolonged multi-front war.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

(AP) – Anthropic is suing the Trump administration for what it calls an “unlawful campaign of retaliation” against the artificial intelligence company over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology.

Anthropic asked federal courts on Monday to reverse the Pentagon’s decision last week to designate the artificial intelligence company a “ supply chain risk.” The company also seeks to undo President Donald Trump’s order directing federal employees to stop using its AI chatbot Claude.

The legal challenge intensifies an unusually public dispute over how AI can be used in warfare and mass surveillance — one that has also dragged in Anthropic’s tech industry rivals, particularly OpenAI, which made its own deal to work with the Pentagon just hours after the government punished Anthropic for its stance.

Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits Monday, one in California federal court and another in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., each challenging different aspects of the government’s actions against the company.

“These actions are unprecedented and unlawful,” Anthropic’s lawsuit says. “The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech. No federal statute authorizes the actions taken here. Anthropic turns to the judiciary as a last resort to vindicate its rights and halt the Executive’s unlawful campaign of retaliation.”

The Defense Department declined to comment Monday, citing a policy of not commenting on matters in litigation.

Anthropic said it sought to restrict its technology from being used for two high-level usages: mass surveillance of Americans and fully autonomous weapons. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials publicly insisted the company must accept “all lawful” uses of Claude and threatened punishment if Anthropic did not comply.

Designating the company a supply chain risk cuts off Anthropic’s defense work using an authority that was designed to prevent foreign adversaries from harming national security systems. It was the first time the federal government is known to have used the designation against a U.S. company.

President Donald Trump also said he would order federal agencies to stop using Claude, though he gave the Pentagon six months to phase out a product that’s deeply embedded in classified military systems, including those used in the Iran war.

Anthropic’s lawsuit also names other federal agencies, including the departments of Treasury and State, after officials ordered employees to stop using Anthropic’s services.

Even as it fights the Pentagon’s actions, Anthropic has sought to convince businesses and other government agencies that the Trump administration’s penalty is a narrow one that only affects military contractors when they are using Claude in work for the Department of Defense.

Making that distinction clear is crucial for the privately held Anthropic because most of its projected $14 billion in revenue this year comes from businesses and government agencies that are using Claude for computer coding and other tasks. More than 500 customers are paying Anthropic at least $1 million annually for Claude, according to a recent investment announcement valued the company at $380 billion.

Anthropic said in a statement Monday that “seeking judicial review does not change our longstanding commitment to harnessing AI to protect our national security, but this is a necessary step to protect our business, our customers, and our partners.”

photos: Achim Lanchevsky, Avrumi Blum, Issac Y.

Global oil prices jumped sharply Monday as the ongoing war with Iran raised fears about energy production and shipping routes in the Middle East, sending shockwaves through financial markets before prices later eased.

Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, climbed to nearly $119.50 per barrel earlier in the day before retreating and trading closer to $105 per barrel.

West Texas Intermediate, the main U.S. oil benchmark, also surged, briefly reaching $119.48 per barrel before slipping back to around $102.

Meanwhile, the conflict continued to impact civilian infrastructure. Bahrain accused Iran of targeting a desalination facility that provides essential drinking water supplies.

Following an Iranian strike that ignited a major fire at one of its refineries, Bahrain’s national oil company declared force majeure on its shipments, invoking a legal clause that frees it from contractual obligations due to extraordinary circumstances.

In Tehran, oil storage sites were left burning after overnight Israeli strikes hit the area.

Energy markets have been increasingly rattled as the war, now entering its second week, spreads to regions and infrastructure central to the production and transport of oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf.

Prices later eased somewhat after The Financial Times reported that several members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations were considering releasing oil from their strategic reserves to calm the markets. The report, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, has not been officially confirmed.

President Donald Trump addressed the issue Saturday and appeared to dismiss the need to tap into the United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve, saying domestic supplies remain sufficient and predicting that prices will decline soon.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, normally sees about 15 million barrels of crude pass through daily — roughly 20 percent of global supply — according to research firm Rystad Energy.

However, the growing threat of Iranian missile and drone strikes has effectively halted tanker traffic carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran through the narrow passage, which lies along Iran’s northern coastline.

With exports slowed dramatically, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE have begun cutting production as storage facilities fill up. At the same time, oil and gas infrastructure has been struck in attacks carried out by Iran, Israel and the United States since the war began, further tightening supply.

The sharp rise in oil and natural gas costs is already pushing fuel prices upward worldwide, with ripple effects spreading through industries and hitting Asian economies particularly hard because of their dependence on Middle Eastern energy imports.

Iran itself exports about 1.6 million barrels of oil each day, much of it destined for China. Beijing has urged an immediate halt to the fighting, and disruptions to Iranian exports could force China to secure alternative supplies, which could push energy prices even higher.

“All parties have their responsibility to ensure stable and smooth energy supplies,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in a briefing Monday. “China will take necessary measures to safeguard its own energy security.”

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also addressed the crisis Monday, warning that authorities would strictly punish oil refiners and gas station operators found hoarding supplies or manipulating prices. He also urged the country to explore alternative sources of energy that do not rely on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Across Southeast Asia, motorists have already begun feeling the effects of the price spike, with long lines forming at fuel stations.

“Higher oil and gas prices will affect everyone and our economy,” said Le Van Tu, who was waiting outside a gas station in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. “All activities, including those using petrol based transportation will be affected.”

The last time oil prices reached similar levels was in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when Brent crude and U.S. oil futures climbed sharply.

Rising energy prices tend to push inflation higher, increasing costs for households and reducing consumer spending — a key driver of economic growth in many countries. These concerns have already spilled into financial markets, sending stock prices sharply lower.

In the United States, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline climbed to $3.48 early Monday, nearly 50 cents higher than a week earlier, according to data from AAA. Diesel prices also jumped, rising more than 80 cents over the past week to about $4.66 per gallon.

Some analysts warn that if oil prices remain above $100 per barrel for an extended period, the global economy may struggle to absorb the impact.

Natural gas prices in the United States have also risen during the conflict, though not as dramatically as oil. Early Monday, natural gas was trading at about $3.34 per 1,000 cubic feet, compared with $3.19 at Friday’s close.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-EL AL Israel Airlines announced the cancellation of all regular scheduled flights, including those operated by its subsidiary Sundor, departing up to and including March 14, 2026, due to Israel’s state of emergency declared in connection with Operation Roaring Lion.

The cancellations also apply to the corresponding return flights. Operation Roaring Lion, a joint Israel-U.S. military campaign launched Feb. 28 against Iranian military targets and infrastructure, has prompted airspace restrictions, airport limitations at Ben Gurion and heightened security measures across the country.

The airline said it has contacted affected passengers via WhatsApp, offering rebooking options on alternative flights. Those who responded affirmatively are being assisted with reassignments.

Passengers who have not confirmed their interest in rebooking will not be automatically placed on other flights. Instead, they are eligible for a credit voucher for future travel or a full refund, in line with Israeli law and company policy. Details are available at elalisrael.info/3Oyeyci.

Information on passenger rights under Israel’s Aviation Services Law can be found at elalisrael.info/4rExu7F.

EL AL emphasized that all flight operations remain contingent on approvals from regulatory bodies and guidance from Israeli security and aviation authorities, which may change. For departures from Israel, the airline noted it cannot guarantee the operation of return flights under current conditions.

The announcement reflects broader disruptions in Israeli aviation stemming from the conflict, including earlier preparations for rescue flights to repatriate stranded Israelis abroad and limited outbound capacity from Ben Gurion Airport.

Israeli police say they have arrested a suspect in last month’s riot in the city of Bnei Brak, where a police motorcycle was set ablaze during violent clashes that erupted after a mob confronted two female soldiers in the area.

Authorities identified the suspect as a 16-year-old from Ashdod, who was taken into custody Monday morning. A court ordered that the teenager remain detained until at least Wednesday as investigators continue to probe the incident.

The arrest comes weeks after the unrest, during which a police motorcycle was completely destroyed. According to police, tefillin and a siddur that had been stored in the vehicle’s luggage compartment were also burned when the bike was set on fire.

During the chaos, members of the crowd also overturned a police patrol car, torched the motorcycle, and clashed with officers attempting to restore order. Five police officers were lightly injured in the disturbances, authorities said at the time.

Police initially detained 26 suspects in the aftermath of the riot, but all were released the following day. The new arrest appears to be part of a continuing investigation into the violence.

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Dozens of American students studying in Tzefas returned to the United States on Sunday after an extended and complicated trip that took them through Jordan, following the shutdown of Israeli airspace at the start of the war with Iran.

The group included Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva bochurim and seminary students from the Tze’irei Hashluchim–Mesivta yeshiva and Beis Rivka Seminary in Tzefas. Before the conflict erupted, the students had intended to travel to Georgia after completing an intensive learning program.

When the war broke out and Ben Gurion Airport was closed, those travel plans were abruptly canceled, leaving the students stranded in Israel.

According to a report published by the COLlive website, approximately thirty students reached out to a U.S.-based rescue organization, which arranged for them to cross into Jordan and then continue onward with flights to Europe and eventually back to the United States. On Purim, the yeshiva students departed for Jordan and were placed in a hotel there, where security concerns prevented them from leaving the premises.

Several days later, on Wednesday, roughly 35 seminary students joined the group. They too had been planning to travel to the United States for their Pesach break but were unable to leave once the war began. Until their departure, they had been staying with a local family in Tzefas.

Both groups eventually met in Jordan while waiting for a connecting flight to Athens. However, their departure was delayed by unexpected developments, including the temporary closure of Jordanian airspace due to missile activity and the tense security environment. The flight they had expected to take on Thursday was canceled, forcing them to return to their hotel and continue waiting.

Food presented another difficulty. With only a limited supply available, the students relied on small portions of food along with fruits and vegetables to sustain themselves. Rabbi Shalom Duchman of Colel Chabad attempted to send kosher food for Shabbos, but Jordanian border officials confiscated the shipment and discarded it. In the end, the group prepared their Shabbos meals themselves using basic ingredients they managed to purchase locally.

Despite the challenging conditions, the students observed Shabbos together, holding tefillah and meals while carefully maintaining halachic observance throughout the ordeal.

According to the report, senior American officials also intervened in the effort to help the students leave Jordan. Among those involved were Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, a close associate of President Donald Trump, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Their involvement and the pressure applied helped facilitate the group’s departure.

On Motzoei Shabbos, the students finally boarded a Royal Jordanian flight. They arrived Sunday morning at Washington airport and from there traveled by bus to the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

{Matzav.com}

Ocean County authorities will participate in a statewide high-visibility traffic enforcement initiative aimed at addressing the rise in roadway fatalities across New Jersey.

Bradley D. Billhimer announced that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office will join local law enforcement agencies throughout the county in the “Goal: Zero” campaign, a coordinated enforcement effort designed to target dangerous driving behaviors and improve roadway safety.

As of March 6, 2026, a total of 73 people have lost their lives on New Jersey roadways this year, including eight fatalities in Ocean County.

The county-wide enforcement detail is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Officials say the initiative will involve increased patrols and focused enforcement to deter impaired driving, reckless driving, and other hazardous behaviors.

This month’s detail—originally scheduled for February but postponed due to weather—marks the 10-year remembrance of Tim O’Donnell and his five-year-old daughter, Bridget, who were tragically killed on February 22, 2016, by an impaired driver on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Following their deaths, Tim’s wife, Pam O’Donnell, established the Catch You Later Foundation to raise awareness about dangerous driving and promote roadway safety.

“The Goal: Zero campaign is about one simple idea—no family should have to get the call that a loved one isn’t coming home because of a preventable crash,” Prosecutor Billhimer said. “Through enforcement, education, and community partnership, we are working every day to make our roads safer for everyone in Ocean County.”

The Goal: Zero campaign was first launched in 2024 after being spearheaded by Matt Menosky, bringing together 36 municipalities in a coordinated effort to address dangerous driving.

Officials noted that the bright green color of the Goal: Zero logo represents high visibility and pedestrian and school safety, while the black bar within the logo serves as a mourning band in remembrance of lives lost in traffic crashes.

Saudi Arabia is warning that Tehran could face severe consequences if strikes targeting Gulf states persist.

In a statement reported by Arab News, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said Iran would bear the “heaviest diplomatic, economic, and strategic consequences” if it continues its campaign against the Kingdom and neighboring Gulf states.

“The targeting of civilian airports and oil facilities is nothing but a demonstration of determination to threaten security and stability,” the ministry said, calling the strikes a violation of international law and an attempt to destabilize the region.

Saudi officials also rejected Iranian claims that Riyadh has allowed foreign military aircraft to use its airspace for attacks against Iran. Instead, the ministry said the flights were conducting defensive patrols to protect Saudi and Gulf airspace from incoming missiles and drones.

The warning came as Saudi air defenses intercepted several Iranian projectiles on Monday, including three ballistic missiles and multiple drones believed to be targeting Prince Sultan Air Base near Al-Kharj. Additional drones aimed at Riyadh and the Shaybah oil field were also shot down, according to regional reports.

Iranian strikes over the weekend killed two people in Saudi Arabia, heightening pressure on Gulf governments to consider whether to respond more directly.

The growing tension has triggered urgent discussions among Gulf Cooperation Council members and the Arab League, which condemned Iran’s attacks as a “massive strategic error.”

Analysts say Riyadh appears to be weighing its options, calculating whether direct intervention would benefit Saudi interests or whether Iran’s weakening position in the broader war could make restraint the more advantageous path.

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The U.S. military is warning that Iran’s government is launching ballistic missiles and attack drones from densely populated neighborhoods, a tactic officials say is placing civilians at risk and complicating efforts to avoid collateral damage during the escalating conflict.

In a statement issued Sunday, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iranian forces have been operating from heavily populated areas while conducting missile and drone launches.

“The Iranian regime is using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles,” CENTCOM said in the statement. “This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law.”

According to CENTCOM, Iranian launches have recently occurred in the cities of Dezful, Isfahan, and Shiraz.
In what it described as a “safety warning,” the command urged civilians in those areas to remain indoors.

“U.S. forces strongly urge civilians in Iran to stay at home,” the statement said.

The military emphasized that it attempts to minimize harm to civilians during operations but warned that it cannot guarantee safety around facilities used for military purposes.

“The U.S. military takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes,” the statement added.

U.S. officials also accused Tehran of broadening its attacks across the region, alleging that Iranian forces have targeted civilian infrastructure beyond Iran’s borders.

“The Iranian regime is knowingly endangering innocent lives,” CENTCOM said. “Additionally, Iranian forces are jeopardizing the safety of innocent people throughout the Middle East by deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilian airports, hotels, and residential neighborhoods.”

Brad Cooper, who leads the command, sharply criticized Tehran’s conduct.

“Iran’s terrorist regime is blatantly disregarding civilian lives by attacking Gulf partners while compromising the safety of their own people,” Cooper said.

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