Jooish News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will forbid members of the military from attending Columbia, Yale, Brown and other universities starting next school year amid a campaign to cut ties with institutions that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called “factories of anti-American resentment.”

Hegseth announced the policy in a video posted to social media on Friday, three weeks after he said the military was cutting ties with Harvard University. Without citing evidence, Hegseth said the universities have become “breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination” that undermine military values.

For too long, the Ivy League and similar institutions have been subjecting our warriors to woke indoctrination—those days are over. pic.twitter.com/0xMC6BArDd

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) February 27, 2026

“For decades, the Ivy League and similar institutions have gorged themselves on a trust fund of American taxpayer dollars, only to become factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain,” he said. “They’ve replaced the study of victory and pragmatic realism with the promotion of wokeness and weakness.”

Hegseth said the ban applies to Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Yale, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and “many others” without elaborating. He called for “complete and immediate cancellation of all Department of War attendance,” though it was not clear how broadly it would be applied.

A message seeking further details was not immediately answered by the Pentagon.

As of Friday, Columbia, Brown, MIT and Harvard were still listed as eligible institutions in a Pentagon database for its Tuition Assistance program, which covers the full cost of tuition for active-duty personnel. Harvard had 39 participants in 2023, according to the most recent data, while Columbia had nine and MIT had two.

The earlier action against Harvard aims to block members of the military from attending graduate-level professional military education, fellowships and certificate programs, according to a statement released at the time. There are still questions about whether it applies to programs such as Harvard’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

Harvard has offered a series of professional development programs and a small number of degree programs tailored to the Pentagon. Last year, it created a new master’s degree in public administration for active-duty military members and veterans. Hegseth earned a master’s degree from Harvard but symbolically returned his diploma in a 2022 Fox News segment.

The military offers its officers a variety of opportunities to get graduate-level education, both at war colleges run by the military as well as civilian institutions like Harvard.

Campuses across the Ivy League have been a favorite target of President Donald Trump, who accuses them of becoming overrun by “woke” ideology. His administration has cut billions of dollars in research funding and attempted a number of other sanctions against the universities, often as part of investigations into allegations that officials tolerated antisemitism on campus.

Hegseth’s announcement is a rebuke to universities that had appeared to have reached a truce with the administration in recent months. Columbia and Brown were among the earliest universities to sign deals with the White House, agreeing to a range of demands in order to have their federal funding restored.

Harvard is fighting back against such demands, alleging in lawsuits that the government is illegally retaliating against the university for rebuffing its ideological views. Last summer, Trump said he was days away from reaching a deal with Harvard, but negotiations appear to have fallen apart. Earlier this month, Trump said Harvard must pay $1 billion to the government as part of any deal, twice what he had previously demanded.

One day after the historic strike that launched Operation “Roar of the Lion,” the IDF Spokesperson delivered a live statement addressing the latest developments in the war. In his remarks, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin detailed the scope of the ongoing operations.

Earlier this evening, the IDF announced that a broad wave of strikes has continued in recent hours. Since the Israeli Air Force achieved aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies, the military has attacked dozens of regime combat headquarters, including command centers belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, intelligence headquarters, air force command facilities of the Revolutionary Guards, and internal security headquarters.

According to the IDF, the strikes were directed at facilities where Military Intelligence had identified operational activity by forces of the Iranian terror regime responsible for managing the campaign and planning terror frameworks against the State of Israel and countries throughout the region.

One of the emergency compounds that was struck served the Operations Directorate and the Intelligence Directorate of the Iranian terror regime. From that site, officials coordinated the fighting and compiled operational and intelligence situational assessments.

The completed wave of strikes has dealt a significant blow to the command-and-control capabilities of the terror regime, including the elimination of personnel inside some of its most central headquarters.

“The IDF will strike the systems and personnel of the Iranian terror regime wherever they operate.”

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held an extensive online briefing a short while ago with Israel’s ambassadors stationed around the world. During the briefing, the minister addressed the diplomatic and security situation and provided the ambassadors with working guidelines in the fields of policy and Israeli public diplomacy on the international stage.

At the beginning of his remarks, Minister Sa’ar defined the objectives of the current campaign: “The goal of the war is to remove the existential threats facing the State of Israel in the long term. As long as the current regime exists in Iran, this objective cannot be achieved.”

According to him, the regime in Tehran has not changed its plans despite the blows it has sustained: “The murderous regime in Iran is still committed to the destruction of the State of Israel and has not changed anything in its strategy, not in its intentions to obtain nuclear weapons, not in its plans to produce large quantities of long-range ballistic missiles, and not in its strategy of using terrorist proxies around the State of Israel.”

Sa’ar revealed data regarding continued Iranian funding of terror proxies in the region:
“Hezbollah, just since the ceasefire, has received over one billion dollars. Hamas received more money over the past year than it did before the war. The regime’s overarching objective remains the destruction of the State of Israel.”

The foreign minister explained that Iran has been working to move its nuclear and missile production projects deep underground: “They tried to reach a zone of immunity where neither we nor the Americans could strike from the air. Together with the protest movement that was brutally suppressed, this led us to the conclusion that action must be taken, and that the time to act is now.”

In conclusion, the foreign minister emphasized that the decision regarding the recent moves was made in full and complete coordination among all relevant levels:
“This is a decision that was unanimously adopted by the security cabinet, on the recommendation of all of Israel’s security agencies — the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the National Security Council, and the IDF — without exception.”

A gunman who opened fire outside a packed Austin bar, killing two people and injuring 14 others, is being investigated for possible terror motives linked to recent U.S. strikes on Iran.

The suspect, 53 year old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal, was shot and killed by police moments after the rampage. Authorities say he had lived in New York for years before relocating to Texas.

According to investigators, Diagne had a Quran inside his vehicle and was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word Allah when he began shooting patrons outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden near the University of Texas at Austin campus. Sources say he may also have been wearing clothing featuring the Iranian flag or similar symbols and allegedly shouted Allahu Akbar as he fired into the crowd.

Moments before the shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden

The attack unfolded around 2 a.m. as hundreds of people were leaving the popular nightlife district. Police say the suspect drove his SUV around the block multiple times before stopping in front of the bar and opening fire from inside the vehicle. He then exited the SUV and continued shooting at people on the street.

Officers confronted him within less than a minute and fatally shot him during an exchange of gunfire. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Fourteen others were rushed to local hospitals, with several listed in critical condition.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the rapid police response likely prevented an even greater tragedy. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson offered condolences to the victims and praised first responders for their swift action.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis

The FBI’s San Antonio field office confirmed there were indicators suggesting a potential nexus to terrorism, though officials stressed it remains early in the investigation.

Authorities continue to examine whether the suspect’s actions were directly connected to escalating tensions involving Iran.

Kamala Harris said Saturday that she does not support efforts aimed at toppling Iran’s regime, breaking with the administration’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury and criticizing President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict.

The former vice president issued her statement shortly after the coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes began, characterizing the military action as “a war American people do not want.”

Her remarks came even as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed inside his fortified compound along with approximately 40 senior Iranian security and regime officials.

“Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm’s way for the sake of Trump’s war of choice,” Harris wrote in a statement posted to X on Saturday.

“This is a dangerous and unnecessary gamble with American lives that also jeopardizes stability in the region and our standing in the world. What we are witnessing is not strength. It is recklessness dressed up as resolve.”

Harris acknowledged what she described as the seriousness of the Iranian threat, saying she understands the “threat that Iran poses” and agrees the regime “must never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” but added that “this is not the way to dismantle that threat.”

She also accused the president of contradicting his past statements, referencing his prior pledge to “end wars rather than start them” and his claim that the United States had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program” in 2025.

“And let us all be clear-eyed about what comes next. The President has already said this conflict may produce American casualties…Our troops deserve a Commander-in-Chief who approaches decisions on matters of war and peace with the same steadiness and discipline our troops show every day. Under the Constitution of the United States, the President must receive authorization from Congress to enter a war,” she said.

Harris concluded by calling the weekend’s military action “unwise, unjustified, and not supported by the American people.”

“There can be no equivocation in our opposition to Donald Trump’s war of choice, and Congress must use all available power to prevent him from further committing us to this conflict. Our troops, our allies, and the American people deserve nothing less.”

Her comments quickly drew backlash online, with critics questioning her leadership and judgment.

“Thank You Kamala! We Love You! Sincerely, The Mullahs,” wrote longtime Israeli supporter and advocate John Ondrasik of the music group Five for Fighting.

Another commenter wrote: “When you can put a sentence together, we’ll consider listening.”

A third added: “What the ‘American people want’ has always seemed to have eluded you. Try to stop confusing it with ‘what we want the American people to want.’ When the polls come out next week, you will again be totally surprised by how unpopular your positions are.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in, labeling the airstrikes “illegal” while criticizing the president. His remarks prompted swift pushback as well.

“The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons. The leadership of Iran must go,” Newsom wrote on X Saturday, after the US and Israel launched the coordinated strikes early that morning.

“But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends without justification to the American people.

His post triggered immediate responses challenging what critics described as mixed messaging.

“Which one is Gavin? They can’t have nuclear weapons and need to be removed? Or is the operation not justified?” one X user responded. “Pick one stance please. If you want to run for President, you should get comfortable making bold statements on where you stand.”

Another defended the president’s authority, writing: “Not illegal — but you’d have to be able to read the Constitution to know that,” the user wrote.

The military campaign followed weeks of stalled negotiations centered on Iran’s refusal to dismantle its nuclear program.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s newly elevated cleric Alireza Arafi announced on X that he is now taking charge of Iran’s politics and quickly followed with a series of ominous messages targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Screenshot

In one post he shared an image of Netanyahu stamped with the word eliminated and wrote, You will hear some good news soon.

🚨 Tonight, the world will witness the end of the Zionest's arrogance.
…See more pic.twitter.com/jWabx0diLR

— Ayatollah Alireza Arafi (@AlirezaArafei) March 1, 2026

He then escalated further by posting a video of Iranian missiles with the caption, Tonight, the world will witness the end of the Zionist’s arrogance.

Screenshot

In another message he shared a separate image of Netanyahu with the words, Target locked for tonight.

Screenshot

The posts are being widely circulated online and are being viewed as direct threats as tensions in the region continue to rise. The language used strongly suggests an imminent escalation and has heightened concern over what the coming hours may bring.

A rare high-level gathering in Tehran provided the opening the United States and Israel had been waiting for: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with roughly 40 top security officials, assembled inside his heavily fortified compound. Within hours, Israeli warplanes carried out a sweeping daytime assault that reduced parts of the complex to rubble, killing Khamenei, dozens of senior officials, and three of his family members.

According to a report published Sunday by The New York Times, U.S. intelligence agencies had spent months tracking the 86-year-old ruler’s movements and routines. The CIA closely studied his patterns before receiving fresh intelligence indicating that he would attend the pivotal meeting in central Tehran. Officials described the intelligence as “high fidelity,” confirming that Khamenei himself would be present at the leadership compound.

Once the unusual concentration of Iran’s political and military leadership was confirmed, American and Israeli defense officials accelerated plans for the strike, known as “Operation Epic Fury.” Originally intended to take place under cover of darkness, the attack was shifted to Saturday morning to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the meeting, sources familiar with the operation told the Times. The daylight assault eliminated Khamenei and approximately 40 senior Iranian figures, including the Minister of Defense, the Head of Intelligence, and the Supreme Leader’s Advisor for Security Affairs and Secretary of the Defense Council.

U.S. intelligence capabilities reportedly improved following last year’s 12-day war, during which officials gained deeper insight into how Khamenei operated and communicated under pressure.

Among those killed were Rear Adm. Shamkhani and Maj. Gen. Pakpour, according to Iranian state media outlet IRNA. State television also reported that Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff and the country’s highest-ranking military officer, was killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.

Israeli officials had spent months preparing what was later characterized as a “tactical surprise.” Intelligence services from both countries were monitoring multiple senior-level meetings planned for that morning — an unusually large gathering of Iran’s leadership in a single location.

Israeli fighter jets reportedly departed around 6 a.m. local time, with long-range precision munitions striking the compound at approximately 9:40 a.m. in Tehran. Published accounts indicate that about 30 bombs were dropped on the site, leaving it “scorched and shattered,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Khamenei and other top officials were said to have been inside two separate buildings within the compound that were destroyed in the attack.

President Trump publicly confirmed Khamenei’s death, describing him as “one of the most evil people in history.”

“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social Saturday.

The commander in chief urged remaining Iranian officials to pursue diplomacy, saying it would be “much easier now than it was a day ago, obviously, because they are getting beat up badly,” he told CBS News’ Robert Costa.

Trump also offered what he called “immunity” to members of the regime’s security apparatus who choose not to continue fighting, warning of severe consequences otherwise.

“We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us,” Trump said in a social media post. “As I said last night, ‘Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!’”

{Matzav.com}

🤯 INSANE – Exclusive: Shrapnel from an Iranian missile was found inside the Torah scrolls at the synagogue that was hit today in Beit Shemesh. One of the fragments landed exactly in the section of Parshat Zachor.

Parshat Zachor, “Remember”, is the special reading from Deuteronomy that commands the Jewish people to remember what Amalek did: attacking from behind, targeting the weak and vulnerable. It’s read once a year, the Shabbat before Purim, and carries a very direct message about confronting those who seek to destroy you.

The significance is difficult to ignore. A missile fired from Iran strikes a synagogue, and the shrapnel ends up in the very passage that speaks about remembering an enemy who preyed on the defenseless.

President Trump announced Sunday that American forces have sunk nine Iranian naval vessels and inflicted heavy damage on Tehran’s naval command infrastructure.

“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!”

The president added that a separate strike targeted Iranian naval leadership facilities.

“In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters,” the president added. “Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!”

{Matzav.com}

Search and rescue crews are continuing to work through the rubble in Beit Shemesh, racing against time to locate United Hatzalah EMT Ronit Elimelech and her mother after an Iranian missile strike devastated the area.

Ronit’s orange United Hatzalah medical bag and volunteer vest were recovered from the debris — a haunting sign that she had reached the shelter before the blast. But as of Sunday evening, her whereabouts remain unknown.

Elimelech had been visiting her parents’ home in Beit Shemesh with her three children when the red alert siren sounded. Like countless Israelis in recent days, they ran for safety, entering a nearby public bomb shelter. Moments later, a missile struck in close proximity, unleashing a powerful explosion that tore through the area.

Two of Ronit’s children were injured in the blast. Both were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where medical officials described their condition as stable-to-moderate. Ronit’s father was not injured and is currently staying with relatives.

But the fate of Ronit and her mother remains uncertain.

Emergency personnel have been combing the site, working carefully through layers of shattered concrete and twisted metal.

United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit has been deployed to the scene and to the hospital, providing ongoing emotional and psychological support to the family and to responders shaken by the strike.

Eli Beer, President and Founder of United Hatzalah, said the organization is deeply shaken by the ordeal.

“Our hearts are with the family in Beit Shemesh and at the hospital,” Beer said. “Ronit joined United Hatzalah as a volunteer at the request of her young son, Itamar, who asked her to volunteer as a gift for his 11th birthday. I have met them personally, and our connection is very special.”

Beer added that the search will not stop.

“Our volunteers will not rest until we know their whereabouts,” he said. “I call upon everyone to join us in prayer for their safety and await good news.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Since the outbreak of fighting with Iran, Israeli Air Force jets have released more than 2,000 munitions in hundreds of strikes targeting Iranian regime infrastructure and military assets, the IDF reports.

That figure represents roughly half the total expended during the entire 12-day war in June 2025 — compressed into just 30 hours.

Within that timeframe, the IAF conducted over 700 sorties. According to the military, aerial superiority was secured within the first 24 hours after extensive strikes dismantled multiple Iranian air defense systems in western Iran.

Israeli aircraft are now deploying “stand-in” munitions over Tehran — bombs delivered directly above their targets rather than launched from long range.

The IDF says it intends to preserve air dominance while continuing operations against regime-linked sites in the capital.

“In recent hours, Air Force aircraft have operated with full air superiority over Tehran, striking and destroying numerous objectives,” the military states.

Targets reportedly included ballistic missile launchers, air defense batteries, and command headquarters.

Concurrently, Israeli fighter jets, helicopters, and air defense units have intercepted more than 50 drones launched from Iran toward Israel, the IDF adds.

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared that Israel had “cut off the head of the snake” in its ongoing military campaign against Iran, crediting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other security leaders for the operation that resulted in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a statement posted on X and delivered at the site of an Iranian missile impact in central Israel on Sunday, March 1, Ben-Gvir hailed what he described as a historic achievement in “Operation Roaring Lion,” a joint Israel-U.S. effort involving extensive airstrikes on Iranian targets.

“The era is over. We have cut off the head of the snake,” Ben-Gvir said, according to his message. He praised Netanyahu as a “determined prime minister who knows where he is leading” and extended credit to Defense Minister Israel Katz, members of the narrow and broader security cabinets, the Israel Defense Forces, pilots, fighters, commanders, Chief of Staff, Mossad chief, and Shin Bet chief.

Ben-Gvir also commended the police, led by the commissioner, for their resolve against those who “raise their head to try to incite against the State of Israel” or harm it, vowing that authorities would “smash them” and “cut off their head.” He urged citizens with weapons to carry them and called on the public to follow Home Front Command instructions.

Addressing critics who had urged restraint or doubted success — including those who “shouted at us before Iran to go home” — Ben-Gvir said, “In the end, you talk and we act, and we made history — the head of the snake was cut off.” He added, “We are winning in Iran, and we will continue until the end.”

Ben-Gvir framed the conflict in stark terms, accusing Iran’s leadership of seeking to “destroy all of us — right, left, secular, religious — they don’t care, they want to eliminate all of us,” and declared, “We are eliminating them one by one.” He expressed pride in Israel’s actions and vowed to “continue to do and lead the State of Israel to victories.”

The comments come amid escalating exchanges, with Iranian missiles striking Israeli civilian areas — including reports of fatalities in locations such as Beit Shemesh — following Israel’s strikes that killed top Iranian Terrorists, including Khamenei.

Reuters reports that debris from an intercepted drone struck the facade of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Towers complex, which houses the Israeli embassy alongside other foreign missions, after loud sounds were heard across the emirate.

Abu Dhabi’s official media office said the incident caused minor injuries to a woman and her child; Israeli sources are reporting two Israelis were lightly injured in the impact.

The strike underscores Iran’s widening retaliation beyond Israel and U.S. military targets—using drones and missiles to rattle Gulf hubs and pressure allies through disruption of commerce, aviation, and daily life.

“Exposing New Jersey’s Jewish Invasion” seems to be the latest trend. So-called investigative journalists are working hard to portray Orthodox Jews, who have lived in Lakewood since the late 1800’s, as foreign born invaders draining millions from American taxpayers. They frame families who have lived in this country for generations — my own great-great-grandfather arrived in 1903 — as though they are first generation intruders.

These content creators roam neighborhoods hoping to provoke on-camera confrontations, then selectively edit the footage to cast interviewees in the worst possible light. Through carefully clipped sound bites and misleading framing, they shape a narrative designed more to inflame than to inform.

But thanks to easily searchable data online, it is easy to debunk the hateful nonsense. In fact, we can go claim for claim and see what the facts are…

Claim: Orthodox Jews have many children which they support on the taxpayer dime.
Fact: When analyzing what a child costs the taxpayer, one has to look at the entire picture. So one can’t just look at whether the child receives government subsidized healthcare, you need to also look into other factors, such as schooling costs, crime, etc. You also have to look at other factors and benefits of having a young population, such as avoiding government sponsored healthcare for seniors (Medicare).

A quick search indicates that each child sent to public school costs taxpayers around $30,000. This includes the direct educational cost, costs for buildings, upkeep, etc. Since there are approximately 52,000 private school children in Lakewood, total taxpayer savings for the fact that not one of them attends public school is $1.56 BILLION. Even if we add back in the cost of state mandated private school busing of $33 million, Lakewood Jews still save taxpayers over $1.5 BILLION.

Now, the cost of government funded medicaid is $4000 per child and while there are a higher number of children on medicaid in Lakewood than in other towns, the overall benefit to taxpayers when considering the fact that we pay for our own education and buildings for 52,000 children is tremendous.

So why do a higher than average amount of Lakewood children receive NJ family Care? Because state law allows income for a family of 8 (and a typical Lakewood family has 6 children) to make up to $197,000 and receive NJ Family healthcare. Why? Perhaps the state knows that we are among the highest taxed states in the country, with insanely high property taxes and it is almost impossible for the typical middle income family to afford healthcare. The question Youtubers might want to ask is why are families expected to cough up a third or more of their income in various state, federal and local taxes on top of property and sales tax?

While Youtubers are aghast at Lakewood Jewish family sizes, a quick search will note that it was quite typical in 1960 for Catholic families (of which all three youtubers “exposing” Lakewood belong) to have 6 children. In fact, in 1960, it was more common for Catholics to have 6 children in a family than 1. 1 out of every 7 American households of two generations ago had 6 children. Are Jews the people who have deviated from the past? Or maybe the rest of society stopped making family a priority in pursuit of base pleasures?

Furthermore, as anyone who has followed Elon Musk knows, the greatest threat to mankind today is population collapse, not explosion. Because economies with a large percentage of old people without a younger population to sustain them cannot survive. So maybe, Youtubers should ask themselves what they can be doing to be more like the Orthodox and have more kids? Not ripping them for it.

But there is more. The average percentage of seniors in a NJ town is 18%. Each of these seniors cost taxpayers $15,000/year for Medicare. However, Lakewood has only 9% of seniors per the overall population. And the majority of these seniors are non Jews in local senior developments. The savings for not having to pay the standard cost of Medicare is likely over $200,000,000. Once again, this represents massive taxpayer savings.

Claim: The Jewish population explosion hurts the taxpayer. Fact: Lakewood is ranked as the 5th safest big city in America A simple gemini search demonstrates that this saves taxpayers almost $200,000,000 in average city crime costs that would otherwise go to law enforcement, jails, courts, etc. Interestingly, one of the other safest cities in that report was Ramapo, NY next to Monsey, where the youtubers are also “exposing” the Jews.
Claim: Jews recently “Invaded” Lakewood. Fact: A simple search shows that Jews have been living in Lakewood since the 19th century. By 1904, the first Congregation, Sons of Israel, was established. It’s still on 4th St. By the 1930’s and 40’s there were 60 – 80 hotels, the vast majority of them kosher (owned by and catering to Jewish clientele). So Lakewood was a Jewish town in the 1940’s already. But we’re the invaders….

Claim: Hatzoloh volunteer ems services and other Jewish volunteer services in Lakewood are bad and part of the Jewish “Takeover”.

Fact: I asked Gemini how much Hatzoloh volunteer EMS, funded exclusively by the local Jewish community, saves taxpayers. Gemini responded: “Hatzalah is the largest volunteer EMS organization in the United States. In most NJ cities, EMS is either a paid municipal department or a third-party contract billed to the town and patients. Direct Budget Savings: A municipal EMS department for a city of 140,000 would typically cost taxpayers $10M–$15M annually in salaries, benefits, and equipment. Call Volume: Lakewood Hatzalah responds to roughly 25,000+ calls per year. In other cities, a single ambulance transport can cost a patient (or their insurance) between $800 and $2,500. Because Hatzalah is funded almost entirely by private community donations (with a 2024–2025 revenue of over $7.5M), the township does not have to carry the massive overhead of a 24/7 paid paramedic and ambulance fleet. Beyond the dollar amounts, these organizations often have faster response times because volunteers live in the neighborhoods they serve. In Lakewood, a Hatzalah medic is often on the scene in under 2 minutes, which is significantly faster than the national average for municipal EMS. This speed saves lives and reduces long-term medical costs for the community.”

I can go on and on, but the point is, it is easy to debunk the nonsense. Simple searches show that Lakewood is a net positive to the taxpayer by a margin of millions. We should be proud and not be ashamed from the click-bait grifters who need to prey on innocent bystanders in order to make a buck. They are the leeches, not us.

Rabbi Meir Goldberg is the Director of JX campus network. He can be reached at [email protected]

JERUSALEM – Tzedek Association is closely monitoring the escalating conflict and actively exploring secure evacuation routes for Jews urgently seeking to leave Eretz Yisroel.

A Tzedek representative tells Belaaz that the group is considering chartered flights via Egypt, similar their successful June 2025 operation during the 12-day war, when evacuations proceeded through Sharm El Sheikh with private security, Egyptian authorities, the Egyptian army, and U.S. diplomatic backing.

“Any charter would only proceed if demand is high and it is deemed necessary due to worsening tensions and security risks,” the source told Belaaz.

Meanwhile, Tzedek is reporting a surge in inquiries and is preparing all viable options.

Oil tanker Sky Light was attacked by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state TV claimed the vessel “did not heed Iranian warnings.”

Reuters reports the Palau-flagged Skylight was struck off Oman’s coast near the Musandam area, injuring four crew members and prompting an evacuation.

The incident is sharpening fears that Tehran is widening its retaliation playbook from missile fire to economic choke points—trying to intimidate commercial shipping and pressure the international coalition backing Israel and the U.S.

Skylight is linked to a ship manager previously sanctioned by the U.S. over Iranian oil transport, underscoring how Iran’s regime blends military escalation with gray-zone maritime coercion.

HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and HaGaon Rav Dov Landau released a special letter of chizuk in response to the current matzav in Eretz Yisroel during Operation “Roaring Lion.”

The letter opens with an address to “our brethren, Bnei Yisroel dwelling in the Holy Land and in every place,” and speaks of the gravity of the hour.

“At a time such as this,” they write, “when the nation dwelling in Tzion is in a matzav of war and great danger, רח”ל, and additionally when the burden of governmental decrees weighs heavily upon the בני הישיבות and kollelim, it is our obligation to increase Torah and tefillah before the Creator of the world, that He pour upon us mercy from Heaven, save us from all who rise against us, and show us wonders as in the days of Mordechai and Esther.”

They add the plea: “Avinu Malkeinu, annul the counsel of our enemies and remove from upon us all harsh decrees.”

In the continuation of the letter, the gedolim call upon the ציבור to gather in the batei midrash and botei knesses on Ta’anis Esther prior to Mincha to recite specific perakim of Tehillim — chapters 22, 83, and 85 — verse by verse, followed by the recitation of Keil Melech and the Yud-Gimmel Middos HaRachamim.

They further note in the name of the Chazon Ish that the kappitel of “Yosheiv B’Seiser” is a segulah against shells and bombs.

The letter concludes with a heartfelt tefillah: “May it be the will of our Father in Heaven that He hasten the geulah, speed the yeshuah, and take us from distress to relief; may joy and gladness overtake us, and may sorrow and sighing flee away.”

{Matzav.com}

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PARIS (AP) — They lurk in the oceans, a last resort to pulverize attackers with nuclear fire should France’s commander in chief ever make that terrible call.

French President Emmanuel Macron, the person with the power to unleash France’s nuclear arsenal, will on Monday update French thinking on the potential use of warheads carried on submarines and planes, if it ever came to that. This in the context of concerns in Europe that Russian war-making could spread beyond Ukraine, and uncertainty about U.S. President Donald Trump ’s steadfastness as an ally.

For decades, Europe has lived under a protective umbrella of U.S. nuclear weapons, stationed on the continent since the mid-1950s to deter the former Soviet Union and now Russia. Lately, however, some European politicians and defense analysts are questioning whether Washington can still be relied upon to use such force if needed.

As the only nuclear-armed member of the 27-nation European Union, the questions are particularly pertinent for France.

Possible revisions to France’s nuclear deterrence policy, sure to be carefully calibrated and scrutinized by allies and potential enemies alike, could be among the most consequential decisions that Macron makes in his remaining 14 months as president, before elections to choose his successor in 2027.

That Macron feels a need to bare France’s nuclear teeth, in what will be the commander in chief’s second keynote speech laying out the country’s deterrence posture since his election in 2017, speaks to his concerns, voiced multiple times, about geopolitical and defense-technology shifts that threaten the security of France and its allies.

Those voicing doubts about Washington’s reliability include Rasmus Jarlov, chair of the Danish parliament’s Defense Committee.

“If things got really serious, I very much doubt that Trump would risk American cities to protect European cities,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We don’t know but it seems very risky to rely on the American protection.”

He and others are turning to France for reassurance. In the longer term, Jarlov argues that other European nations also need to arm themselves with nuclear weapons — an almost unfathomable prospect when U.S. protection seemed absolute in European minds.

“The Nordic countries have the capacity. We have uranium, we have nuclear scientists. We can develop nuclear weapons,” he said. “Realistically, it will take a lot of time. So in the short term, we are looking to France.”

Adjusting to geopolitical risks
The world has changed dramatically since Macron’s first policy-making nuclear speech in 2020, with new uncertainties shoving old certainties aside.

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, now entering its fifth year, brought war to the EU’s door and repeated threats of possible nuclear use from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China is expanding its nuclear arsenal. So, too, is North Korea’s nuclear-armed military. In October, Trump spoke about U.S. intentions to resume nuclear tests for the first time since 1992, although U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later said that such tests would not include nuclear explosions.

Russia revised its deterrence policy in 2024, lowering its bar for possible retaliation with nuclear weapons. The United Kingdom has announced plans to buy nuclear-capable U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets, restoring a capacity to deliver nuclear airstrikes that it phased out in the 1990s, leaving it with just submarine-based nuclear missiles.

The chosen site for Macron’s speech on Monday — the Île Longue base for France’s four nuclear-armed submarines — will drive home that French presidents also have nuclear muscle at their disposal in an increasingly unstable world. They each can carry 16 M51 intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with multiple warheads.

“There are high expectations from the allies and partners, and maybe also the adversaries, about how the French nuclear doctrine could evolve,” said Héloïse Fayet, a nuclear deterrence specialist at the French Institute of International Relations, a Paris think tank.

Speaking in an AP interview, Fayet said she’s hoping for “real changes.”

“Maybe something about a greater and a clearer French commitment to the protection of allies, thanks to the French nuclear weapons,” she said.

France’s nuclear force
Macron said in 2020 that France has fewer than 300 warheads — a number that has remained stable since former President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a modest reduction to that level in 2008.

Macron said the force is sufficient to inflict “absolutely unacceptable damage” on the “political, economic, military nerve centers” of any country that threatens the “vital interests” of France, “whatever they may be.”

Nuclear specialists will be watching for any hint from Macron that he no longer considers the French stockpile to be sufficient and that it might need to grow.

The language of deterrence is generally shrouded by deliberate ambiguity, to keep potential enemies guessing about the red lines that could trigger a nuclear response. Officials from Macron’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the nuclear policy changes that Macron might make, were extremely guarded in their wording, not least because deterrence is a strictly presidential prerogative.

“There will no doubt be some shifts, fairly substantial developments,” one of the officials said.

Protecting Europe
Again with careful wording, Macron in 2020 said the “vital interests” that France could defend with nuclear force don’t end at its borders but also have “a European dimension.”

Some European nations have taken up an offer Macron made then to discuss France’s nuclear deterrence and even associate European partners in French nuclear exercises.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he’s had “initial talks” with Macron about nuclear deterrence and has publicly theorized about German Air Force planes possibly being used to carry French nuclear bombs.

European nations engaging with France are seeking “a second life insurance” against any possibility of U.S. nuclear protection being withdrawn, says Etienne Marcuz, a French nuclear defense specialist at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research think tank.

“The United States are unpredictable — have become unpredictable — because of the Trump 2 administration,” he said. “That has legitimately raised the question of whether the United States would truly be prepared to protect Europe, and above all, whether they would be willing to deploy their nuclear forces in defense of Europe.”

Israel was rocked Sunday by one of the deadliest attacks on its soil since the October 7 Hamas massacre.

An Iranian ballistic missile slammed into an older neighborhood in Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, killing nine people and injuring dozens more. According to Magen David Adom, at least 28 people were confirmed injured, with some reports putting the number closer to 50, including several children.

According to Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg, approximately 20 individuals remain unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continue into the night.

In a chilling detail, officials said the missile struck the roof of a shelter where residents had gathered after red alert sirens sounded. JBN’s Josh Broide, reporting live from the scene, said the victims had taken proper precautions and were inside what they believed was a protected space. The direct impact underscores the immense force and destructive power of the Iranian ballistic missile used in the attack.

Broide described entire apartment buildings reduced to rubble and spoke directly with medics working frantically to treat the wounded. Emergency personnel told JBN that victims were pulled from collapsed structures as crews continued combing through debris for anyone still trapped.

Israeli media reported that at least four apartment buildings were destroyed in the blast. Approximately 30 ambulances were dispatched as emergency teams raced against time. Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command Search and Rescue units, along with numerous medical forces and a helicopter evacuation team, operated at the site. The IDF said the early warning system functioned as designed and was activated in the impact area. The incident remains under investigation.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the scene Sunday evening as Israel continues to assess the toll from the latest Iranian missile barrage.

The strike marks one of the most severe direct hits in central Israel in the current escalation, with rescue teams still searching and families anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.

TEL AVIV (VINnews) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that attacks on Iran are expected to intensify in the coming days after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials.

In a video message recorded at the defense ministry in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said Israeli forces are striking Tehran “with growing intensity” and that the operations will continue to escalate.

Netanyahu said he had completed a security briefing with senior military leaders and issued directives for the next phase of the campaign.

Acknowledging recent attacks on Israel, he described the past 24 hours as “painful,” referring to Iranian strikes in Tel Aviv and Beit Shemesh that left at least 10 people dead. He extended condolences to the families of those killed.

The prime minister also praised the cooperation with U.S. military forces, saying the joint operations allow Israel to deliver a “decisive blow” to what he described as a terrorist regime.

סיימתי עכשיו פגישה עם שר הביטחון, הרמטכ"ל וראש המוסד. נתתי הנחיות להמשך המערכה.

אתמול חיסלנו את הרודן חמינאי. יחד איתו חיסלנו עשרות מבכירי משטר הדיכוי.

כוחותינו הולמים עכשיו בלב טהרן בעוצמות הולכות וגוברות, וזה רק ילך ויתגבר עוד יותר במהלך הימים הקרובים.

עם זאת, אלה ימים… pic.twitter.com/cap0Atxlhl

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 1, 2026

The accident happened on Prospect Street.

No injuries were reported.

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israeli Air Force is now conducting direct “stand-in” strikes over Tehran, with aircraft releasing munitions directly above designated targets rather than firing from afar.

He said that, for the first time since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, Israeli jets are flying over the Iranian capital to carry out what he described as a significant assault on regime and internal security infrastructure.

Until now, strikes in Tehran had relied primarily on stand-off weapons launched from a distance, typically equipped with smaller payloads.

The shift to stand-in operations follows what the military says was the achievement of air superiority and the clearing of an aerial corridor to the city.

Katz added that sustained and intensified strikes are expected to continue over Tehran.

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JERUSALEM — The Israel Defense Forces are preparing to call up about 100,000 reservists and increase readiness across multiple fronts in Operation “Roaring Lion” targeting Iran, a military spokesperson said.

Northern Command has reinforced both defensive and offensive units, Central Command is focusing on counterterrorism efforts, and Southern Command continues to defend the “Yellow Line” along the Gaza Strip. Israel is also strengthening its borders with Egypt and Jordan.

Just one day before the outbreak of Operation “Roaring Lion,” Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein, the revered posek, delivered powerful words of chizuk and reassurance during his renowned shiur for doctors and rabbanim at Maayanei HaYeshua Medical Center. In the midst of mounting tension, his message was one of calm, bitachon, and deep emunah.

Concluding his Thursday night shiur on Parshas Tetzaveh, Rav Zilberstein addressed the matzav with clarity and serenity, speaking directly to the concerns that were already in the air — concerns that, within 24 hours, would erupt into open war.

He said: “What can I say? First of all, residents of Bnei Brak — there is nothing to fear! My sister-in-law, Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky, of blessed memory, once woke up in the middle of the night and told my brother-in-law, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, that a bomb had fallen in Bnei Brak. But he told her, ‘That is a mistake, it is not Bnei Brak,’ and indeed it turned out that it fell a few meters beyond Bnei Brak.”

With palpable warmth, Rav Zilberstein continued: “Look, my dear ones, today in the yeshivos they are learning very well, very, very well. It seems to me that here in Bnei Brak nothing will happen, and I very much want to ask that all of us together fulfill the mitzvah of loving our fellow Jews, and that we also pray for all our brothers. Residents of Bnei Brak — there is nothing to speak about. I only want to ask that everyone think about our brothers who are not residents of Bnei Brak.”

He then added words that resonated deeply with those present: “It seems to me that they have no chance — that is how it appears to me! Look, people are sitting here and speaking words of Torah, they are not handing out chocolate…, not blankets…, they are simply sitting and learning, truly Torah for its own sake!

“I think that regarding Bnei Brak there is nothing at all to fear, and I also think that in the other cities there is nothing to fear. Why? Because the yeshiva students today also have good character traits. The mussar studied in the yeshivos — if that is so, I believe they protect the entire nation. That is how it seems to me.”

In a striking moment of confidence, Rav Zilberstein declared: “It seems to me that only salvations await us. That is what I think.”

One of the Rav’s close associates later related that he personally heard Rav Chaim Kanievsky say regarding the city of Modiin Illit that Kiryat Sefer has the same din as Bnei Brak, since it is a makom entirely filled with lomdei Torah.

Rav Zilberstein concluded with heartfelt divrei chizuk: “Therefore, I think that right now we simply need to increase love among fellow Jews, and it does not appear to me that anything will happen here. It seems to me that nothing at all will happen here.”

Following his remarks, Rav Zilberstein recited a kapitel Tehillim together with the participants, with deep kavana, and concluded with the tefillah of “Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael.”

{Matzav.com}

The IDF announced it has called up approximately 100,000 reservists as fighting with Iran continues.

According to the military, additional ground forces have been deployed along Israel’s frontiers with Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and in Judea and Samaria.

The Home Front Command has activated around 20,000 reservists, largely assigned to search-and-rescue and civilian emergency response missions.

Further reinforcements have been added across the Air Force, Navy, and Military Intelligence branches.

The IDF stated it will ensure reservists receive the full logistical support required to carry out their duties under optimal operational conditions.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session overnight following the joint Israeli-American strike on Iran, where Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said Israel is acting to eliminate an existential threat before it becomes reality and will firmly exercise its right to self-defense.

Addressing the council, Danon said that during a week when Jews around the world mark the holiday of Purim, many Israelis are sitting in bomb shelters. He drew a historical parallel to ancient Persia and warned against ignoring open threats of destruction.

He stated: “In the week when we mark the holiday of Purim, many Israelis are sitting in shelters. More than 2,500 years ago in Persia, they tried to destroy the Jewish people. It began with words, continued with a decree, and nearly ended in massacre. Queen Esther understood what the world did not understand — when someone rises to destroy your people, you act. You do not wait.”

Danon also referenced a recent visit to Auschwitz, where he stood alongside dozens of ambassadors, and warned against appeasing extremism.

He said: “At Auschwitz we saw where hesitation in the face of extremism leads. There were leaders who believed aggression could be calmed through concessions. They were wrong. Concessions did not stop evil — they strengthened it. We will take no risks and we will defend ourselves.”

Emphasizing coordination between Israel and the United States, Danon said both countries are acting because they refuse to ignore explicit threats of annihilation.

He concluded: “Israel and the United States are acting together because we do not ignore declarations of destruction. We will stop the radical regime before it becomes nuclear. Our responsibility is to act, now.”

{Matzav.com}

Expect very heavy delays around town today as Lakewood prepares for Purim. Give yourself extra time on the roads, and be patient in parking lots as thousands of cars attempt to navigate through the traffic.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Hebrew date of Israel’s surprise attack on Israel, the eleventh of Adar, has historic overtones in the history of Zionism, as noted by Prime Minister Netanyahu in his speech on Saturday night.

Ever the son of a historian and sensitive to dates with profound significance, Netanyahu explained that he had called the current campaign against Iran Sha’agat H’ari, or Roaring Lion, because it coincided with Tel Hai day, the day on which Joseph Trumpeldor and seven other Jewish settlers died a heroic death while defending the Tel Hai compound in northern Israel (Kiryat Shmona is named for these eight heroes).

Trumpeldor and his comrades are immortalized in the “Roaring Lion” statue located in nearby Kfar Giladi. Since Netanyahu hails from a family that revered Jabotinsky and Betar (an acronym for Brit Yosef Trumpeldor), it is only natural that he should see his Iranian operation as a continuation of the Zionist enterprise of Trumpeldor, a soldier and farmer who never hesitated in his efforts to create both viable Jewish communities in Israel and provide the necessary protection for those communities.

However the date of the attack also coincided with Shabbat Zachor, and the timing of the initial strike was at the very moments that the Torah portion requiring us to remember the acts of Amalek and never forget them was being read in Israel in thousands of shuls. In our generation there was one regime which had both relentlessly called for the physical destruction of Israel and has done more than any other country to threaten and to fund its proxies who have ceaselessly attacked Israel in the past two decades. Eliminating Khamenei, the leader of the evil regime for nearly four decades, felt like a deja vu reenactment of the Haftorah in which Shmuel decapitates Agag the Amalekite king.

The operation in Iran is far from over, and as the painful tragedy in Beit Shemesh on Sunday proves, it already has a bitter price for Israel, but the timing is fortuitous, for as the Gemara says, if a Jew has to spar with a gentile in court, he should aim to set the case for Adar, which is a time of fortune for the Jewish nation.

Israel’s public transportation system has shifted to a limited emergency schedule due to Operation “Roaring Lion,” with major service reductions and temporary shutdowns across the country, the Transportation Ministry announced Sunday morning.

The Ministry of Transportation and the National Public Transportation Authority said that, in accordance with directives from the Home Front Command and security officials, many bus and rail lines have either been reduced or suspended entirely.

Under the new framework, Israel Railways will operate only from centralized emergency hubs. The light rail systems in Yerushalayim and the Gush Dan region, as well as the Haifa cable car, have been suspended until further notice. In addition, “Al HaKav” service centers will remain closed nationwide.

Officials emphasized that travel information displayed on transportation apps and public transit websites does not accurately reflect the current operating lines. Passengers are therefore advised to verify service directly through the telephone hotlines of the respective public transportation operators.

Israel Railways will run Sunday through Thursday from approximately 5:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., and on Fridays until approximately 1:00 p.m.

To maintain essential continuity for passengers, trains will operate only on key and vital routes, with one local train per hour on each of the following lines:

Nahariya–Haifa–Tel Aviv–Beersheva, with stops at all intermediate stations listed below.

Herzliya–Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion Airport–Yerushalayim.

Herzliya–Tel Aviv–Ashkelon–Ofakim (the Sharon and Western Negev loop line).

Binyamina–Rehovot/Ashkelon.

Karmiel–Haifa.

Due to the emergency situation on the home front and the mobilization of railway employees and security personnel for the war effort, train service will operate only at the following stations:

Karmiel, Nahariya, Acre, Kiryat Motzkin, Haifa Center HaShmona, Haifa Bat Galim, Haifa Hof HaCarmel (eastern entrance only), Binyamina (western entrance only), Caesarea–Pardes Hanna (western entrance only), Chadera West, Netanya, Beit Yehoshua (western entrance only), Herzliya, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv Savidor Center, Tel Aviv HaShalom (southern entrance only), Lod, Kiryat Gat, Beersheva Center, Ra’anana West, Kfar Saba Nordau, Rosh HaAyin North, Petah Tikva Kiryat Aryeh, Ben Gurion Airport, Yerushalayim Yitzchak Navon, Bat Yam Yoseftal, Rishon Lezion Moshe Dayan (northern entrance only), Cholon Wolfson, Yavne West, Rehovot, Ashdod Ad Halom, Ashkelon, Sderot, Ofakim, and Netivot.

{Matzav.com}

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president and one of Israel’s most outspoken adversaries, was reportedly eliminated Saturday morning during Israel’s opening strike on Iran at the outset of the war dubbed “Roar of the Lion.” Iranian media outlets reported the development Sunday.

According to the reports, Ahmadinejad was killed together with his bodyguards.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s sixth president for approximately eight years and was widely regarded as one of the regime’s most vocal and extreme figures in his rhetoric against Israel. In later years, tensions reportedly developed between him and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and his attempts to run again for the presidency were blocked.

Journalist Amit Segal reported Sunday that Ahmadinejad had been under house arrest in recent weeks after allegedly attempting to carry out a coup aimed at steering Iran in an even more extreme direction than the current regime under Khamenei.

Veteran Arab affairs analyst Zvi Yehezkeli said following the reports of the assassination that Ahmadinejad would be remembered as the Iranian president who advanced a hardline conservative agenda focused on pursuing nuclear capabilities and strengthening Hezbollah.

According to Yehezkeli, Ahmadinejad also revived Holocaust denial and intensified antisemitic rhetoric, fostering a generation within the Revolutionary Guards that pursued nuclear ambitions and expanded military capabilities in pursuit of what he described as the Shiite regime’s broader ideological goals.

Yehezkeli recounted on his social media platforms: “I personally saw him through our television cameras about 15 years ago when we stood on Mount Adir to watch his victory visit to Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon. He arrived there with Nasrallah, threw a stone within the compound toward the Israeli border, and promised to destroy Israel.”

{Matzav.com}

Several people were injured and one person was killed overnight when an Iranian drone struck near Dubai International Airport, as dozens of Israelis vacationing in the United Arab Emirates found themselves caught in the middle of a large-scale missile and drone assault.

The UAE announced that during the first 24 hours of Operation “Roaring Lion” against Iran, its forces intercepted 137 missiles and 209 drones. Unlike in Israel, however, those currently in Dubai do not receive advance warning alerts and do not have access to designated protected spaces, leaving many anxious and awaiting assistance to return home.

Footage circulating on social media showed damage at Dubai’s international airport following the reported Iranian strike.

Tzvika Yitzchaki, 67, who traveled to Dubai with his wife Shoshi for a vacation, said they are now confined to their hotel. Speaking to Ynet, he described the fear they are experiencing: “We’re in a hotel room on the 63rd floor and my wife said that if we don’t change rooms, she’s sleeping in the lobby. She’s sitting and crying. We canceled all the shows and performances, our entire trip is ruined. We saw the interceptions while we were touring in the desert and we’re very worried.”

Yitzxhaki said he expects the Israeli government to take steps to bring them home. “I expect them to work to bring us back home. I flew with Fly Dubai and the moment the skies reopen, I’m sure Fly Dubai won’t bring us back. I’m after a stroke, and in terms of medication I’m set for three weeks. I take 24 pills a day. I have enough for now and I hope this ends before then because I have nowhere here to arrange that.”

Tzlil Tal, 31, who arrived in Dubai with her mother for a five-day trip, also described the chaos. She told Ynet: “We arrived on Friday in Dubai on a flight from Israel. When we landed, there was already talk of a possible strike, and in the morning we woke up to chaos, and suddenly in the past few hours everything is above us. We see all the missiles here. There are massive interceptions here, and missiles fell two kilometers from us.”

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – Barely an hour after the first U.S. and Israeli missiles struck Iran, President Donald Trump made clear he hoped for regime change. “Now is the time to seize control of your destiny,” he told the Iranian people in a video. “This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”

Doesn’t sound complicated. After all, with Iran’s fundamentally unpopular government weakened by fierce airstrikes, some of its top leaders dead or missing and Washington signaling support, how hard could it be to overthrow a repressive regime?

Possibly very hard. So says history.

Washington has a long, complicated past when it comes to regime change. There was Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s, and Panama in 1989. There was Nicaragua in the 1980s, Iraq and Afghanistan in the years after 9/11, and Venezuela just weeks ago.

There was also Iran. In 1953, the CIA helped engineer a coup that toppled Iran’s democratically elected leader and gave near-absolute power to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But as with the shah, who was overthrown in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution after decades of increasingly unpopular rule, regime change rarely goes as planned.

Attempts to usher in U.S.-friendly governments often start with clear intentions, whether hope for democracy in Iraq or backing an anti-Communist leader in Congo at the Cold War’s height. But often those intentions stumble into a political quagmire where democratic dreams turn into civil war, once-compliant dictators become embarrassments and American soldiers return home in body bags.

That history has long been a Trump talking point. “We must abandon the failed policy of nation building and regime change,” he said in 2016.

“In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built,” he said in a 2025 speech in Saudi Arabia, deriding U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The “interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand.”

Now, after Saturday’s actions, a key question emerges: Does today’s U.S. government understand what it’s getting into?

It’s unclear what regime change would even mean
Iran’s economy is in shambles and dissent remains strong even after a brutal January crackdown on protests left thousands of people dead and tens of thousands under arrest. Many of the nation’s key military proxies and allies — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad government in Syria — have been weakened or eliminated. And early Sunday, Iranian state media confirmed Israel and the United States had killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The United States hasn’t laid out a postwar vision and doesn’t necessarily even want a complete overthrow of the Iranian leadership. As in Venezuela, it may already have potential allies in the government willing to step into a power vacuum.

“But there’s a lot that needs to happen between now and a possible scenario along these lines,” said Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that is deeply critical of the Iranian government. “There needs to be a sense that there is no salvation for the regime as such, and that they will need to work with the United States.”

In a country where the core leaders are deeply united by ideology and religion, that may be extremely difficult.

“The question to my mind right now is have we been able to penetrate the ranks of the regime that are not true believers that are more pragmatic,” Schanzer said. “Because I don’t believe that the true believers will flip.”

It’s simply too early to know if — or how much — the political winds are shifting in Tehran. The leaders who come next could turn out to be equally repressive or seen domestically as an illegitimate U.S. stooge.

“We’ll see whether elements of the regime start moving against each other,” said Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “Air power can damage a leadership,” he said. “But it can’t guarantee that you’ll bring in something new.”

US intervention in Latin America has a long history
In Latin America, Washington’s history of intervention in goes back a long way — to when President James Monroe claimed the hemisphere as part of the U.S. sphere of influence more than 200 years ago.

If the Monroe Doctrine began as a way to keep European countries out of the region, by the 20th century it was justifying everything from coups in Central America to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. Very often, historians say, that intervention led to violence, bloodshed and mass human rights violations. Therein, they say, lies a lesson.

Direct U.S. involvement has rarely “resulted in long-term democratic stability,” said Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the London think tank Chatham House. He points to Guatemala, where U.S. intervention in the 1950s led to a civil war that didn’t end for 40 years and left more than 200,000 people dead.

Or there’s Nicaragua, where backing of the Contra rebels against the Sandinista government in the 1980s contributed to a prolonged civil conflict that devastated the economy, caused tens of thousands of deaths and deepened political polarization.

While large-scale, overt U.S. involvement in the region mostly petered out after the Cold War, Trump has rekindled the legacy.

Since assuming office last year, Trump launched boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, ordered a naval blockade on Venezuelan oil exports and got involved in electoral politics in Honduras and Argentina. Then, on Jan. 3, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan strongman leader Nicolás Maduro, flying him to the U.S. to face drug and weapons charges.

What followed in Caracas may signal what the White House hopes will happen in Tehran. Many observers thought the U.S. would back María Corina Machado, who has long been the face of political resistance in Venezuela. Instead, Washington effectively sidelined her and has repeatedly shown a willingness to work with President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s second-in-command.

“There are those who could claim that what we did in Venezuela is not regime change,” said Schanzer, at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The regime is still in place. There’s just one person that’s missing.”

Ivanka Trump, the Jewish daughter of United States President Donald Trump, was documented on Saturday walking with her two sons to a synagogue in Miami, Florida to attend the reading of Zachor. The footage was published in U.S. media just hours after the start of the Israeli-American attack on Iran.

In the footage, Trump is seen walking alongside her children, while the two boys ride scooters on their way to the synagogue to hear the reading of “Zachor,” as is the custom on the Shabbat prior to Purim. One of the boys can be seen wearing a kippah.

Trump is married to the American Jewish businessman Jared Kushner, who serves as a senior adviser to her father at the White House. Over the weekend, as part of the contacts with Iran, Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before the Israel-US attack.

Motti Leitner, Head of Security for the Beit Shemesh Municipality and Deputy Mayor, spoke Sunday afternoon from the scene of the devastating missile strike in the city that left several people dead — Hashem yikom damam — and dozens wounded in varying degrees.

Leitner emphasized that strict adherence to Home Front Command instructions saved numerous lives that otherwise could have been lost, given the wide radius of the blast. He also urged residents to keep access roads clear to allow emergency forces to move freely in and out of the area.

“The incident is severe and still ongoing,” Leitner said at the outset. “The municipality’s careful and precise preparedness once again proved itself. From the moment the impact was heard, all municipal teams and emergency centers arrived on site and surrounded the command posts. The event is being managed in a very effective manner.”

Leitner concluded with a direct appeal to the public: “First and foremost, it is critical to follow instructions — enter shelters. Security protocols save lives. The outcome is severe and painful, but many others could have been injured or harmed had people not adhered to the guidelines. Follow the instructions. We have no one but our Father in Heaven. We must do our hishtadlus, and with Hashem’s help, may as few people as possible be harmed in this important war.”

{Matzav.com}

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in the Pakistani port city of Karachi left at least nine people killed and more than 50 others wounded on Sunday, after hundreds of demonstrators attempted to storm the U.S. Consulate, authorities said.

The violence came hours after the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Police and officials at a hospital in Karachi said that at least 25 people were also wounded in the clashes and some of them were in critical condition.

Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city’s main government hospital, confirmed that initially six bodies and multiple injured people were brought to the facility. However, she said the death toll rose to nine after three critically wounded people died.

US monitoring protests
The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan wrote on X that it was monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Peshawar. It advised U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news, stay aware of their surroundings, avoid large crowds and keep their travel registration with the U.S. government up to date.

Pakistani Shiite Muslims sit on a road during a demonstration to condemn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a major attack by Israel and the United States, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, and Pakistan’s largest city.

Senior police official Irfan Baloch said that protesters briefly attacked the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate, but were later dispersed. He dismissed as baseless reports that any part of the consulate building was set on fire. However, he said that protesters torched a nearby police post and smashed windows of the consulate before security forces arrived and regained control.

Witnesses said that dozens of Shiite protesters remained gathered about a kilometer (half-mile) from the consulate, urging others to join them. They said one of the protesters had tried to burn a window of the consulate, before security forces arrived there and dispersed the demonstrators.

Appeal for calm
The clashes prompted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to issue an appeal for calm.

“Following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, every citizen of Pakistan shares in the grief of the people of Iran,” Naqvi said in a statement.

He described it as “a day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah and for the people of both Iran and Pakistan,” but urged people not to take the law into their own hands and to express their protests peacefully.

The provincial government of Sindh in a statement also urged citizens to express their views peacefully and warned against engaging in violence.

Protests in the area surrounding the U.S. Consulate in Karachi went on for hours, with dozens of Shiite youth, some covering their faces, throwing stones at law enforcement officials and vowing to reach the consulate, where hundreds of police and paramilitary Rangers have been deployed.

Unrest expands
In Islamabad, police fired tear gas and swung batons as hundreds of Shiite protesters, angered by the killing of Khamenei, tried to march toward the U.S. Embassy. The clashes took place outside the Diplomatic Enclave, where the embassy is located and additional police had been deployed.

Paramilitary soldiers take positions at the U.S. Consulate after protesters stormed the building in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Meanwhile, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, authorities also used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of demonstrators attempting to approach the U.S. Consulate to hold a rally to denounce the killing of the Iranian leader, police said.

Shiites also held a peaceful rally in Multan, a city in Punjab province, chanting slogans against Israel and the United States. Mamoona Sherazi, who attended the rally, said that she was protesting Khamenei’s killing. She described him as a fatherly figure and a strong voice for Shiites, adding that he also supported Sunni Muslims facing oppression. “God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel,” she said.

Shiites also held a rally and clashes with police repeatedly near the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, police said. Rallies against Israel and the United States were also planned in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Authorities said that the government has stepped up security around the U.S. Embassy in the capital, and consulates across the country to avoid any further violence.

Shiites make up roughly 15% of Pakistan’s population of about 250 million and represent one of the largest Shiite communities in the world. They have frequently staged anti-Israel and anti-U.S. rallies in the past, though clashes of this scale are rare.

Baruch Hashem, the weather this week has been absolutely gorgeous. The snow on the ground is soft, light, and easy to move. There really is no excuse not to shovel.

Over a week has passed since the storm, and unfortunately many sidewalks remain completely blocked. I personally know of an elderly man who was unable to walk to shul this past Shabbos because there was no clear path along his route. Another father shared that he has had to drive his children to the bus stop every morning because the sidewalks are still not passable.

This is not just about convenience. It is about safety, responsibility, and basic consideration for others in our community.

If shoveling is physically difficult for you, there are plenty of local kids who would gladly do the job for a few dollars. It takes just a short amount of time, especially with how light the snow is right now. A small effort can make a huge difference for seniors, children, and parents pushing strollers.

A special reminder to homeowners whose properties are currently unoccupied: it is still your responsibility to ensure the sidewalks are cleared. Leaving them covered is unfair to your neighbors and simply not mentchlich.

Please take a few minutes this Sunday to shovel the sidewalk along your property. Let’s make sure everyone can walk safely and comfortably in our beautiful community.

Thank you so much in advance for doing your part.

TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to us via  Whatsapp  or via email  [email protected]

TEHRAN (VINnews) – Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that a new leadership council “has begun its work” after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Pezeshkian made the comment in a prerecorded message aired on Iranian state television.

Pezeshkian is one of three officials on the council. The other two are head of judiciary cleric Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei and Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

داغ شهادت رهبر فرزانه انقلاب اسلامی تا مدت‌های مدید با ملت ایران باقی خواهد ماند. جنایت جنایتکاران و شهادت عزیزان ایران خللی در عزم دولت جمهوری اسلامی ایران برای عمل به وظایف و مسئولیت‌های خود ایجاد نمی‌کند.
ما در پیمودن مسیر سرافرازی، استقلال و سربلندی ایران عزیز استوار هستیم.

— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) March 1, 2026

Mort d'Ali Khamenei: "Les forces armées de la République islamique continueront à combattre les bases militaires de nos ennemies", dit Masoud Pezeshkian, président du pays pic.twitter.com/AThviiDFgf

— BFM (@BFMTV) March 1, 2026

JERUSALEM (VINnews) —  There have been two fatalities as a result of Iranian missiles targeting Israel in the past 24 hours.

During the course of a nighttime barrage on Tel Aviv, a foreign caregiver in her 40s did not succeed in reaching a sheltered area with her elderly patient, and was killed by the direct hit on a residential building. Her patient survived and was evacuated from the rubble.

In another fatal incident, Marina Blaiv, a 68-year-old resident of Tel Aviv, suffocated to death on her way to a shelter.

Her daughter, Aya, said in a conversation with Ynet: “I started walking, I went outside. She told me, ‘Go, I’ll come.’ I turned around and saw that she had stopped, and she shouted, ‘Go, don’t wait for me.’ It’s possible she was already having an episode. I kept walking, and then the neighbor called me and said that Mom was sitting on the bench and choking.” Blaiv did not survive her choking attack.

In another unusual incident which occurred on Saturday, bomb disposal experts dismantled an Iranian warhead which landed in Old Jerusalem, just hundreds of meters from the holy sites. The warhead hit an open area and did not cause any casualties, but police warned the public to be careful and maintain Homeland Security regulations.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (VINnews) — New York City Councilmember Simcha Felder said he is drafting legislation that would prevent the city from issuing snow-related fines to homeowners until municipal properties are cleared following major storms.

The proposal comes after a blizzard dropped nearly two feet of snow on the city, with freezing temperatures and strong winds lingering into the evening hours.

On Monday at 4:51 p.m., the city’s Sanitation Department posted on X that an “end of storm” had been declared at 4:30 p.m., triggering a four-hour deadline for property owners to shovel sidewalks. The notice instructed residents to clear a four-foot-wide path for wheelchairs and strollers and to shovel around curb ramps, fire hydrants and bus stops adjacent to their properties.

Felder argued that many city-owned streets, crosswalks and public buildings remained snow-covered hours after the announcement.

“That’s not fairness. That’s hypocrisy,” Felder said in a statement. “You cannot tell a homeowner, or a senior citizen, they have two hours before nightfall to move mountains of snow — or risk fines up to $250 — while the city’s own properties remain buried.”

Under Felder’s proposal, the city would be barred from issuing snow-related summonses until all city-owned properties are cleared and deemed safe.

“We all want safe sidewalks,” Felder said. “But if the city has additional manpower available, they should be helping clear snow, not writing tickets.”

Residents in several neighborhoods reported hazardous conditions near public buildings and pedestrian crossings after the storm, though city officials have said sanitation crews were working extended shifts to address major roadways and emergency routes first.

Felder said he directed staff to begin drafting the bill following January’s storm and plans to introduce it in the coming weeks.

In the aftermath of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s elimination, Iran’s political system has been thrust into upheaval, and one figure has quickly emerged at the center of power: Ali Ardeshir Amoli Larijani. A longtime insider with deep roots in the Islamic Republic’s leadership, Larijani now stands as the most influential official in Tehran, serving as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and effectively holding the reins of decision-making during a moment of historic uncertainty.

Born on June 3, 1958, in Najaf, Iraq, to a family originally from Amol in Iran’s Mazandaran province, Larijani was raised in a prominent religious household. His father, Ayatollah Mirza Hashemi Amoli, had been exiled to Najaf by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and served there as a senior cleric. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the family returned to Iran, where they became deeply embedded in the new regime’s leadership structure.

According to reports, the Larijani family has occupied some of the most powerful posts in the Islamic Republic. His brother Sadeq Larijani previously headed the judiciary and now chairs the Expediency Discernment Council. Another brother, Mohammad Javad Larijani, has been associated with human rights affairs. Bagher Larijani served as president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and Fazel Larijani worked as a cultural attaché in Canada. The family is widely regarded as one of the most influential dynasties in Iran, though it has also faced public criticism.

Larijani belongs to the first generation of post-revolutionary officials and was among the early members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He initially worked in propaganda roles before being appointed head of Iran’s state broadcasting authority in July 1994, a position he held for a decade until July 2004.

Academically, he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from Sharif University, followed by a master’s degree and doctorate in Western philosophy from the University of Tehran. In the early 1980s, he served as deputy minister of labor and social affairs under Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi. In October 1992, he was appointed acting minister of culture and Islamic guidance.

In August 2004, Larijani became Khamenei’s adviser on security matters, and in 2005 he was named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. In that role, he also served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator in talks with Western powers. His first term ended in 2007 after disagreements with then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Larijani returned to electoral politics in March 2008, winning a seat in the Majles representing the city of Qom. He was subsequently elected speaker of parliament for three consecutive terms, leading the eighth, ninth, and tenth Knessets of the Islamic Republic until 2020. He chose not to seek reelection in February of that year.

Over the years, he sought the presidency as well. In 2005, he finished sixth with 5.94 percent of the vote. His candidacies in 2021 and 2024 were disqualified. Even after being dismissed by Ahmadinejad, he remained firmly within Iran’s inner circle of power.

In August 2025, President Masoud Pezeshkian reappointed him as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a move reportedly made at the recommendation of higher authorities. The position is widely viewed as second only to the Supreme Leader and, in practice, even more powerful than the presidency, as the secretary acts as the leader’s chief executor of strategic policy.

Larijani narrowly escaped death in November 2024 during a visit to Damascus, where he had met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Israeli airstrikes targeted the area where he was staying, and contact with him was lost for several hours. Several advisers traveling with him were reportedly killed in the attack, though Larijani himself survived. He later continued regional diplomacy, including visits to Lebanon, where he was received coolly by President Joseph Aoun, who made clear he opposed Iranian interference in his country’s affairs.

His public image inside Iran is complex. In October 2022, during nationwide protests over mandatory hijab laws, Larijani was among the first senior officials to voice measured criticism of the harsh crackdown, urging patience toward young people seeking greater religious freedom. Nevertheless, he and his family have faced scrutiny from segments of the Iranian public, particularly over the fact that some of his children and siblings studied in the West. One of his daughters completed a doctorate in the United States and resides there. His birthplace in Najaf, Iraq—listed in official documents—has also drawn criticism from Iranian nationalists.

Now, with Khamenei gone, Larijani occupies a pivotal position. The Supreme National Security Council is one of the Islamic Republic’s primary decision-making bodies, especially on critical issues such as the nuclear program and Iran’s regional military involvement. Although its decisions formally require approval from the Supreme Leader, the absence of such a figure significantly enhances the secretary’s political and practical authority.

As Iran struggles to stabilize itself amid sustained military pressure from Israel and the United States, Ali Larijani—a veteran of the regime, scion of a powerful clerical family, seasoned negotiator, and survivor of political upheaval and military strikes—has emerged as one of the central figures likely to shape Tehran’s direction in the days ahead.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Mosab Hassan Yousef, the Palestinian-born author and former Israeli intelligence informant known for his staunch opposition to Islamist militant groups, intensified his criticism of U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran’s leadership, warning that the killing of the country’s supreme leader could trigger civil war rather than freedom.

In a series of posts on X Sunday, Yousef argued that assassinating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would risk turning him into a martyr and strengthening hard-line factions. “He will become the ultimate mystic shahid,” Yousef wrote. “Jihadists don’t surrender when the Imam is killed, they multiply.”

Oh, bravo, Your Highness.

You sold them the ultimate fairy tale: ‘One airstrike, one dead Ayatollah, the bloodthirsty tyrant who murdered thousands, and poof, Tehran rolls out the red carpet for the Shah 2.0.’ Like it’s a Netflix reboot.

But look, hundreds of thousands in… pic.twitter.com/8lT1gJM8RB

— Mosab Hassan Yousef (@MosabHasanYOSEF) March 1, 2026

Yousef, the son of a Hamas co-founder who later worked covertly for Israel’s Shin Bet security service and authored the memoir Son of Hamas, said he once supported targeting Iran’s top leader but changed his position after reflecting on the potential fallout. He warned that abruptly toppling the Islamic Republic could create a power vacuum in a country of roughly 90 million people marked by deep political, ethnic and sectarian divisions.

“Topple the regime? You create a vacuum,” he wrote. “And when that beast’s out of the bottle, it’s civil war — most certainly.”

He will become the ultimate mystic Shahid. Every disciple he has ever taught, and they are millions, will become a potential martyr. Killing him as part of a war against the Islamic Republic rather than a war against the nuclear program is pouring gasoline on jihad, handing the… pic.twitter.com/zOEQEQfAeG

— Mosab Hassan Yousef (@MosabHasanYOSEF) March 1, 2026

He also directly criticized supporters of exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, who has declared that the Islamic Republic has effectively reached its end and urged security forces to abandon the government. In one post, Yousef dismissed claims that most Iranians want a restoration of the monarchy, calling it a “fairy tale” promoted to Western audiences.

Pahlavists keep peddling this fairy tale to the West: “Most Iranians want the Shah back!” Total lie.

Reality? You’ve got the IRGC, Basij—one million armed fanatics—regime loyalists, families of protesters craving revenge, Khamenei diehards ready to settle scores. Add Kurds,… https://t.co/XucMjVMghR

— Mosab Hassan Yousef (@MosabHasanYOSEF) March 1, 2026

He pointed to the presence of armed regime loyalists, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij militia, as well as ethnic and regional tensions involving Kurds, Baloch, Azeris and Arabs, arguing that the country is too fragmented for a swift, unified uprising.

Instead of advocating regime change, Yousef called for dismantling Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities while avoiding broader efforts to reshape its political system by force. “History’s clear: no one wins when you bomb a country into ‘freedom,’” he wrote, citing past conflicts in Iraq and Libya as cautionary examples.

Yousef’s remarks have drawn widespread reaction online, particularly from followers accustomed to his strong pro-Israel positions. His latest statements underscore divisions among critics of Tehran’s leadership over how far military action should go and what the long-term consequences for Iran and the region could be.

Khamenei was a tyrant, sure. But let’s not pretend your dad was a saint. Mohammad Reza Shah? He jailed, tortured, exiled, and killed thousands too—SAVAK wasn’t exactly a charity.

You never once condemned him firmly. Never owned up to the family’s stolen billions while Iranians… https://t.co/6RYr8YNQ6M

— Mosab Hassan Yousef (@MosabHasanYOSEF) March 1, 2026

A struggling family is a terrible situation financially, without money to make Shabbos, let alone Yom Tov through no fault of their own. They need a roof over their heads, but they simply cannot afford it.

Harav Elya brudny, the Gadol who is always there for everyone, is now reaching out to help him help this Mishpacha, and others in desperate need.

We must not turn away from their pain.

Please help save this family.

This is pikuach nefesh—act now. Donate now.

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El Al has announced that it is organizing a rescue effort aimed at returning Israelis who are currently stuck overseas, pending the reopening of Israel’s airspace.

In a statement, the airline said, “When air traffic resumes and approval is received to operate rescue flights to Israel, customers holding an El Al ticket will be the first to be assigned to the rescue flights.”

The carrier added that ticket sales have been suspended through March 21, or until every El Al passenger with an existing reservation has been accommodated on a flight.

“The closure of the sale is intended to allow priority to the company’s customers whose tickets were issued before the escalation,” El Al said.

According to the airline, passengers with valid El Al tickets will be automatically placed on rescue flights and will receive direct notification once updated flight arrangements are finalized. The company also urged travelers who are currently stranded not to reroute themselves through other destinations.

At present, all El Al flights remain grounded at least through tomorrow due to the ongoing shutdown of Israeli airspace. Travelers whose flights were canceled because of the security developments are eligible to receive either a monetary refund or a travel voucher.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) The Iranian opposition newspaper Iran International reported on Sunday that the Revolutionary Guards are attempting to determine the identity of the next leader of the Islamic Republic as quickly as possible. According to the report, the decision will be finalized in the coming hours, and an announcement is expected to be made during the morning.

According to the newspaper, due to the inability to convene the “Assembly of Experts” (the body responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader) while the airstrikes continue, the Revolutionary Guards are interested in having the appointment of the next leader carried out outside the procedures established by law. Additional reports also indicate that following the assassination of Ali Khamenei, confusion within the security and military structure of the Islamic Republic has intensified.

In addition, there is serious concern within the Revolutionary Guards that once the weather clears on Sunday, citizens in various parts of the country will take to the streets, leading to a wave of rallies and protests.

Early on Sunday, Iran appointed Ahmad Vahidi, a former defense and interior minister, as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a state media report.

Vahidi is under US sanctions for his role in Iran’s suppression of protests, including the use of lethal force by security services during the 2022 nationwide protests.

The announcement followed the Saturday killing of several senior Iranian military commanders, including Mohammad Pakpour, the previous head of the Guards.

A day after Israel closed its airspace following strikes on Iran, Arkia announced it will operate special round-trip flights between Athens and Taba, Egypt, in cooperation with Electra Airways.

Fares start at $359 one way, not including baggage. A carry-on trolley costs $20, and a checked suitcase is $45.

Flights will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft and are designed to allow passengers to cross overland from the Taba border crossing into Israel, or depart Israel via Taba for onward flights to Athens.

Tickets are available for purchase on Arkia’s website and through travel agents only.

WATCH:

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman discusses the rise of Rome as the dominant power in the Imperial Quadrant.

WATCH:

Chapter Forty-two: The Fourth Kingdom

While the Greek kingdoms were battling each other, Rome was looming larger and larger in the west. Rome first appeared on the stage of world history in the sixth century before the common era. It began as a small city-state spread across seven hills on the banks of the Tiber River on the Mediterranean coast of central Italy. The powerful and sophisticated Etruscan kingdom stood to the north in modern-day Tuscany. The Greek colonies of Magna Graecia (Greater Greece) straddled southern Italy and the island of Sicily.

In its early history, Rome was governed by a dynasty of Etruscan kings, but the people were not Etruscan. At the end of the sixth century, the Romans expelled their Etruscan king and established a republic ruled by the aristocratic Senate and the democratic Assemblies. Fifteen years later, feeling newly invigorated and powerful, they went to war with the Latin tribes and defeated them. Rome emerged as the dominant power of the Latin League.

 In 390 b.c.e., the Latins revolted. Rome spent the next half century crushing one Latin tribe after the other. In 338 b.c.e., they completed their suppression of the rebellion. The Romans now turned their attention to the Greek colonies in the south of the peninsula. In 272 b.c.e., they captured Tarentum, and the entire peninsula was in their hands. Except for the island of Sicily. Eastern Sicily was essentially the Greek colony of Syracuse. Western Sicily belonged to Carthage, a city in North Africa that had a vast maritime empire in the western Mediterranean basin, with outposts in present-day France, Spain and the African coast.

Carthage had a powerful navy. Rome had a powerful army. Both sought to dominate the western Mediterranean. War was inevitable. In 264 b.c.e., the First Punic (Phoenician) War broke out. Rome built a navy to defend against the Carthaginian fleet and invaded Sicily. After years of fighting, Carthage was defeated. Sicily became part of Rome, and Carthage paid heavy reparations.

In 218 b.c.e., the Second Punic War broke out. Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general, took an army with war elephants through Spain. He crossed the Alps, invaded Italy from the north and rampaged through the country for fourteen years. Meanwhile, in 204 b.c.e., the Romans invaded Carthage, and Hannibal was recalled to defend the homeland. In 202 b.c.e., the Romans general Scipio Africanus Major defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. In the ensuing peace treaty, Rome stripped away all Carthage’s colonial territories and limited its military.

Rome emerged from the Punic Wars as the fastest rising power in the Imperial Quadrant. Even as Antiochus and Ptolemy fought over Judea, Rome turned its eyes eastward to the vast world of the Greeks. In 200 b.c.e., Rome invaded Macedonia. Four years later, the war was over. Rome forced the Macedonian king to give up his fleet and pay huge reparations. The Romans also declared the Greek states free of Macedonian rule and established a protectorate over them. Rome had arrived on the world stage.

Antiochus III finally realized that the Romans posed a grave threat to the Seleucid empire. In 192 b.c.e., he led a large Seleucid army into Greece to liberate the Greek states from Roman rule. His army, however, was no match for the Roman legions. In 188 b.c.e., the Romans overwhelmed the Seleucids at the Battle of Magnesia. Antiochus was forced to give up almost all his territory in Asia Minor and pay a staggering war indemnity.

In 168 b.c.e., the Romans crushed a Macedonian revolt. They broke up Macedonia into four republics that eventually became Roman provinces.

In that same year, Antiochus IV, the son of Antiochus III, invaded Egypt and defeated Ptolemy. His army stood at the gates of Alexandria. If he could capture the city, he would merge the Seleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms and have the wealth and the power to face Rome. The fall of the city seemed inevitable. In desperation, Ptolemy appealed to the Roman Senate to come to his aid and prevent the unification of Egypt and Syria.

The Senate sent a delegation to Alexandria headed by Gaius Popillius Laenas, a Roman general. They met Antiochus in a suburb of the city. Antiochus extended his hand in greeting, but Popillius just thrust a letter from the Senate into it. It was a decree ordering Antiochus to leave Egypt immediately. The king said he would discuss it with his advisors before responding.

Popillius took a stick and drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus. “Before you step out of this circle,” he said, “you must give me an answer to deliver to the Senate.” This was the famous “line in the sand.”

Antiochus was stunned. Rome had just won a major battle with Macedonia. If he stepped out of the circle without giving an answer, it meant war with Rome. The prospect was frightening. Antiochus capitulated. He took his armies and returned to Syria …

Read full chapter and earlier chapters at www.rabbireinman.com.

Israel’s Home Front Command on Sunday morning confirmed that Iran fired several hundred surface-to-surface and ballistic missiles toward Israel and other countries in the region since the launch of Operation Roaring Lion on Shabbos morning. Dozens were directed at Israel, but b’Chasdei Hashem, there were relatively few impacts.

Unlike the coordinated barrages during Operation Rising Lion— which typically involved 20–30 missiles followed by long pauses of about eight hours — the current attacks have been continuous and irregular. Officials described Iran’s approach as “firing based on capability” rather than executing synchronized waves.

The most intense barrage on Shabbos consisted of roughly 20–30 missiles, but in many cases, missiles arrived sporadically, in a “drip” pattern.

“We saw three missiles, and ten minutes later another three,” a Home Front Command official said, noting that the pattern confused civilians.

Authorities also identified Iran’s launch of cluster munitions similar to those seen in previous attacks. Interceptor debris, described by one official as “like minibuses falling from the sky,” was reported across several locations.

As of Sunday morning, Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and is not expected to reopen in the coming day.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

LISTEN:

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​​For more info, email [email protected].

In retaliation for strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets, Iranian forces fired missiles toward British military bases in Cyprus, according to the UK Defense Secretary. British authorities have stressed that the United Kingdom had no direct role in the assault on Iran.

Defence officials reported that at least two missiles were launched in the direction of Cyprus, where key Royal Air Force assets and thousands of British troops are stationed at bases such as RAF Akrotiri, although it is not yet clear whether these were intended as direct strikes or were part of the broader Iranian barrage. The move comes amid a series of Iranian retaliatory attacks on U.S. and allied positions across the Middle East that have included missile and drone salvos toward military installations and strategic infrastructure. British military leadership maintains a heightened alert level in Cyprus and throughout the region, with fighter jets and defensive assets on standby to intercept potential threats and protect personnel.

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Stories4Life-Shiur-545-Space-R-Dovid-Soloveichik.mp3

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump were reportedly shown a photograph of the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader recovered from a compound following a recent military operation, according to Israeli officials.

The image was presented during separate high-level security briefings, sources said, though additional operational details have not been publicly disclosed. Officials described the development as part of ongoing national security assessments amid heightened regional tensions.

AI detectors show this picture is fake

In the hours following the reports, several social media influencers circulated images claiming to show Khamenei buried under rubble. Multiple digital analysis tools flagged those widely shared photos as AI generated or digitally manipulated.

AI picture showing the face which doesn’t even look like the former supreme leader. Rather it looks like Iran’s former president who died in a helicopter crash.

JBN has received an image from what it describes as a highly reliable source in Israel.The picture was reportedly taking by a construction worker helping to search for Khamenei’s body and as shared with a friend who leaked it. According to AI detection software reviewed by JBN, that image is assessed as 99.99 percent likely to be authentic. Independent verification by additional third party forensic analysts has not yet been publicly confirmed.

Khamenei’s last picture?

Some observers noted that the reported image is reminiscent of the final widely circulated image of Yahya Sinwar following his elimination during Israel’s war against Hamas — a moment that became symbolic of a dramatic turning point in that conflict.

Sinwar’s final image

Despite originally denying it, Iranian authorities have now confirmed the reported death, and state media has issued a formal acknowledgment regarding the leader’s elimination.

New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing blowback from conservatives on social media over his post condemning the U.S. attack on Iran that led to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Saturday, as a joint strike on Iran by the United States and Israel was developing, Mamdani blasted the Trump administration’s decision in a post on X that has been viewed roughly 20 million times.

“Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” Mamdani wrote.

“Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change.”

Mamdani said Americans prefer “relief from the affordability crisis” before speaking directly to Iranians in New York City.

“You are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders,” Mamdani said. “You will be safe here.

“The post was quickly slammed by conservatives on social media making the case that Mamdani’s response appeared sympathetic to Iran’s brutal regime and pointing to his lack of public reaction to the Iranian protesters killed in recent years.

“Comrade Mayor is rooting for the Ayatollah,” GOP Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X. “They can chant together.”

“Do u say anything pro American ?” Fox News host Brian Kilmeade posted on X. “do u know any Iranians – ? they hate @fr_Khamenei they celebrate his death, you should be celebrating his death ! hes killed thousands of American’s and just killed 30k Iranians, did u even say a word about that? You are an embarrassment !! Please quit.”

“I don’t feel safe in New York listening to someone like you, Mamdani, who sympathizes with the regime that killed more than 30,000 unarmed Iranians in less than 24 hours,” Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad posted on X.

“We Iranians do not allow you to lecture us about war while you had nothing to say when the Islamic Republic shot schoolgirls and blinded more than 10,000 innocent people in the streets. You were busy celebrating the hijab while women of my beloved country Iran were jailed and raped by Islamic Security forces for removing it. And NOW you find your voice to defend the regime? No. I will not let you claim the moral high ground. The people of Iran want to be free. Where were you when they needed solidarity?”

“How is it that you can’t differentiate between good and evil?” Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman posted on X.

“Why is this so hard for you?”

“It takes a particular kind of audacity, or ignorance, for a city mayor to appoint himself the conscience of American foreign policy while his constituents step over garbage on their way to work,” GOP Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X.

“History will not remember his bravery. It will not remember him at all.”

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) — Conservative commentator Scott Jennings sharply rebuked Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), accusing them of consistently opposing President Donald Trump on key issues, including recent U.S. military strikes on Iran.

Jennings, a CNN political analyst and Trump supporter, described the pair as political adversaries to the president regardless of the policy at hand.

“I don’t consider them to be actual Republicans or part of America First or MAGA movement, to be honest with you,” Jennings said.

He added, “They’ve just become political enemies of the president of the United States no matter what he does and that’s unfortunate.”

Jennings highlighted their recent criticisms of Trump’s decision to authorize strikes on Iranian targets, which Massie and Greene condemned as unauthorized acts of war and a betrayal of campaign promises to avoid foreign entanglements.

“She quit, and he’s about to lose a primary in Kentucky! That’ll be the end of THAT,” Jennings remarked, referring to Greene’s departure from Congress and Massie’s anticipated reelection challenge.

The comments came amid growing tensions within the Republican Party over Trump’s foreign policy decisions, particularly the Iran strikes, which some America First advocates have decried as contradicting pledges to prioritize domestic issues and avoid “forever wars.”

Massie has vowed to push for a congressional war powers vote, while Greene has publicly lamented the actions as a departure from MAGA principles.

The IDF confirmed early Sunday morning that Iran fired missiles toward Israel, triggering air defense responses and widespread sirens across multiple regions of the country.

In a statement issued shortly after 6:00 a.m., the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said missiles had been launched from Iran in the direction of Israeli territory and that aerial defense systems were engaged to intercept them.

Warning sirens were heard in central Israel, Jerusalem, and Samaria. Alerts were later extended to the Sharon region.

The military called on civilians to strictly adhere to directives issued by the Home Front Command.

Following nearly an hour marked by repeated sirens and sustained interception activity, the Home Front Command informed residents nationwide that they could exit protected spaces. However, the public was advised to stay near shelters as a precaution.

Magen David Adom said 14 people were treated for injuries sustained while rushing to protected areas.

Authorities reported no direct impacts or property damage.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON — In a striking display of alignment with progressive Democrats, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has joined forces with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to demand Congress immediately reconvene and vote on a War Powers Resolution that would undermine President Donald Trump’s bold and necessary military operation against the Iranian regime.

President Trump launched Operation Epic Fury — a targeted, high-precision campaign involving joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian military installations, command centers, nuclear-related sites, and missile facilities — after exhaustive diplomatic efforts failed and intelligence confirmed Iran’s accelerating path toward nuclear breakout and heightened threats to American forces and allies. Trump described the action as essential to neutralize Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons, cripple its ballistic missile arsenal, and dismantle terror proxy networks across the region.

Despite the operation’s clear strategic rationale and rapid success in degrading Tehran’s capabilities, a small but vocal group of anti-interventionist lawmakers — including Massie — has rushed to side with far-left critics in an attempt to handcuff the commander-in-chief.

Omar, a consistent opponent of U.S. military action abroad, issued a sharply worded statement and series of posts on X denouncing the strikes.

“President Trump is unilaterally dragging this nation into an illegal and unjustified war with Iran without congressional authorization, without a clear objective, and without any imminent threat to the United States,” Omar wrote. “This is a reckless abuse of power that puts both innocent civilians and American lives on the line for a conflict the American people do not want.”

She continued: “The American people are exhausted by endless wars built on false promises and paid for with American and foreign lives. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority. We must vote immediately on the War Powers resolution authored by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie. This unlawful operation must end immediately.”

Massie, who has frequently broken with mainstream Republican foreign policy positions, echoed Omar’s language almost verbatim in his own X posts.

“I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First,’” Massie declared. “When Congress reconvenes, I will work with Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran. The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”

The Khanna-Massie resolution — a measure long championed by progressive Democrats and now actively promoted by Massie — seeks to compel the president to halt all unauthorized military action against Iran under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Critics of the push argue it would embolden the Iranian regime at a moment when decisive American leadership has finally begun to restore deterrence in the Middle East.

While the overwhelming majority of Republicans have rallied behind President Trump’s forceful response to Iran’s provocations, the unusual alliance between Massie and prominent left-wing figures like Omar and Khanna has drawn attention — and criticism — from within GOP ranks. Supporters of the president maintain that swift, authorized action was required to protect American interests and prevent a far more dangerous conflict down the road.