In an interview with Belaaz, MK Yitzchok Pindrus of Degel HaTorah, who is third on the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) slate, said the party will not join any government without a solution for yeshiva bochurim and the Army.

Pindrus spoke in Bnei Brak on the eve of Tuesday’s Knesset elections. UTJ is headed by Yaakov Asher, with Agudas Yisrael chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf in the second spot and Pindrus third.

“We’re not joining any government without a solution for the issues,” Pindrus said. “I don’t believe that the leftists are going to make any kind of solution.” He added: “We’re going to only support a government that’s going to bring a solution.”

Asked whether he would trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he signed a paper again promising a solution in a few months, Pindrus answered: “No, I trust the solution. I don’t trust any papers.”

Asked what would make him happy with the result, Pindrus said: “We have to get the 320,000 Chareidim to vote.” On the number of seats, he said: “It could be eight seats, it could be nine seats, and it could be seven seats.” On what comes after the vote, he said a unity government or another round of elections are both possible.

Asked about the new Charedi parties, Pindrus said: “We believe the Chazon Ish set the pathway, Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Shach, Rav Elyashiv, Rav Steinman, Rav Chaim, and we’re following in the same footsteps.”

Asked about a suggestion that the new parties “look like Reform,” he said: “I don’t give names. Names are what a father gives a boy at the bris. I could tell you what it is, okay? Chareidim go by Daas Torah. That’s what we do, and that’s what we’ll do.”

U.S. forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch potentially major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from President Donald Trump, CNN reported Monday, citing two U.S. officials. Trump has not made a final decision on whether to authorize new major attacks.

According to CNN’s report, sufficient American forces are already deployed in the region to carry out the potential operation. The 96-hour timeframe describes military readiness after a presidential order, not a countdown to an approved attack.

The officials said a new campaign would likely go beyond limited strikes on Iranian radars, launchers and other assets that can be quickly rebuilt. U.S. Central Command and Pentagon leaders have been developing a broad target list that includes energy infrastructure, military sites and nuclear facilities, CNN reported.

Current and former U.S. officials familiar with the planning believe an order could come before the end of the year, most likely after the U.S. midterm elections. That remains their assessment, not an announced timetable. Officials cautioned that Trump has previously appeared to favor military action before backing away.

CNN also reported that Israel had been preparing for possible additional strikes and seeking American support. Senior U.S. officials, including Trump, told Israel to hold off, while signaling possible joint operations. Sources told the network that Israel was building up for potential joint action, likely after the American midterms.

Netanyahu’s office called CNN’s account that he had sought a joint attack before the elections and failed to secure Trump’s approval “fake news.”

The White House declined to comment. A senior Pentagon official told CNN: “The Department is a planning organization, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President.”

Israel and Cyprus have signed a defense agreement under which Israel will provide Cyprus with a new offshore patrol vessel, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced Monday.

The vessel will be constructed by Israel Shipyards and equipped with naval systems developed by Israeli defense company Rafael. The agreement also includes upgrades to the systems aboard Cyprus’s existing patrol vessel, the Commodore Andreas Ioannides, which was also built by Israel Shipyards.

The agreement was signed by Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram and his Cypriot counterpart, Stelios Kountouris.

According to Israel’s Defense Ministry, the agreement “marks another important step in strengthening the operational capabilities of the Cyprus Naval Command and enhancing its capacity to respond to maritime security challenges.”

The ministry said the new patrol vessel, together with the upgraded Commodore Andreas Ioannides, “will support expanded patrol, surveillance, and search-and-rescue missions,” improving Cyprus’s ability to monitor and protect its surrounding waters.

The ministry added that “by strengthening their capabilities and deepening their partnership, the two countries reaffirm their commitment to regional stability.”

The agreement comes just days after Libya and Turkey ratified a maritime-boundaries agreement in the Mediterranean. Israel, Cyprus, Greece and several other countries have opposed the deal, which has raised concerns over maritime claims and regional interests.

An Israeli attorney has been indicted on charges of maintaining unlawful contact with a foreign agent and obstructing justice following an investigation by Israel’s Shin Bet security service and police. The case, details of which were authorized for publication Monday, emerged after the lawyer was arrested approximately two and a half weeks ago.

The indictment was submitted by the Central District Prosecutor’s Office to the Central District Court in Lod. The investigation began with the attorney’s arrest on suspicion of involvement in security-related offenses.

Authorities received court approval to release information about the case following a request from security officials. According to the details made public, investigators gathered evidence indicating that the lawyer allegedly maintained contact with a foreign agent in violation of Israeli law and interfered with the investigation.

After completing their investigation, prosecutors formally charged the attorney with contact with a foreign agent and obstruction of justice.

The prosecution has also asked the court to order that the defendant remain in custody for the duration of the legal proceedings.

Officials have not released the lawyer’s name, the identity of the alleged foreign agent or additional information about the suspected contact.

Growing concerns about antisemitism and France’s political future are renewing interest in aliyah, but financial uncertainty, housing affordability and employment remain major obstacles.

With France’s 2027 presidential election approaching, some Jewish families are reconsidering their long-term future in the country. Ariel Kendel, head of Qualita, an organization assisting French immigrants in Israel, believes as many as 50,000 French Jews could relocate to Israel over the coming years.

Kendel views the recent political tensions in France as an indication of what may lie ahead during the election campaign.

“What we saw over the past week was just a dress rehearsal for the elections in France in May,” he said.

He is particularly concerned about the prospect of an increasingly bitter contest between left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon and National Rally leader Marine Le Pen. A contentious election outcome, he fears, could lead to extensive demonstrations and further political instability.

May 2, the scheduled date of the presidential runoff, is one potential flashpoint. Kendel said the atmosphere is already causing anxiety within the French Jewish community.

“Already, the situation is causing panic among many Jews,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anyone who isn’t considering immigrating to Israel.”

France has approximately 470,000 Jewish residents, around 200,000 of whom participate actively in organized Jewish communal life. According to Kendel, the possibility of moving to Israel is no longer a subject discussed only within communal organizations; it has increasingly become a consideration for ordinary families.

The potential scale of immigration is not without precedent. Research conducted by Qualita about ten years ago suggested that approximately 50,000 French Jews wanted to make aliyah, and a comparable number eventually moved to Israel. Kendel believes a similar wave could develop again.

He said the challenge is not simply responding to circumstances that encourage people to leave France, but ensuring Israel is prepared to receive them.

“The question is whether we’re preparing for it and doing what we can to make it happen,” he said. “There are factors pushing people out, including antisemitism, economic conditions and political extremism. But it’s up to us to create reasons for them to choose Israel, including better absorption conditions and making the decision easier.”

Kendel said inquiries from prospective immigrants arrive regularly, including from people who are already seriously considering a move.

Robert Ejnes, who leads CRIF, the umbrella body representing French Jewish institutions, previously told ynet that he was unaware of any Jewish family in France that was not discussing the possibility of aliyah.

The Financial Reality of Starting Over

Despite the growing interest, leaving France can mean giving up substantial social benefits and familiar support systems. Establishing a comparable standard of living in Israel can be difficult, particularly because of housing prices and everyday expenses.

Kendel said the assumption that French immigrants are generally wealthy enough to purchase homes in central Tel Aviv is increasingly inaccurate. Many newcomers are middle-income households that must carefully manage their budgets.

As a result, some are considering communities outside Israel’s most expensive and popular cities. Netivot, Sderot, Afula, Hadera and Nahariya are among the alternatives attracting interest. Families arriving from disadvantaged areas around Paris may also turn to immigrant absorption facilities, including a renovated center in Kiryat Gat, as they begin rebuilding their lives.

“Most immigrants are not wealthy people buying apartments in Tel Aviv,” Kendel said. “They’re middle-class families adapting to economic conditions and prices in Israel.”

He argued that practical assistance could make a significant difference. Faster recognition of overseas professional credentials, simpler licensing procedures, job-placement support and help integrating children into Israeli schools could reduce the financial and administrative burdens facing new immigrants.

Although Israel is unlikely to reproduce France’s extensive welfare provisions, Kendel believes focused government programs could make aliyah more manageable.

Anxiety Over Savings and Property

Another issue is adding to prospective immigrants’ concerns: whether political changes in France could eventually complicate their ability to move personal wealth to Israel.

Kendel said some families are worried about the possible consequences of policies associated with Le Pen’s National Rally. The party has promoted a principle known as “national preference,” which would give French citizens priority in areas such as employment, housing and social assistance.

However, the party has not yet published its complete platform for the 2027 election. No confirmed proposal establishing a general ban on lawful transfers of money abroad has been identified. European Union rules generally protect the movement of capital, including transfers involving countries outside the EU.

Even so, Kendel said the uncertainty is prompting people to examine their financial options before making a decision about immigration.

“Many Jews are afraid that history could repeat itself,” he said, drawing a comparison with Jewish communities that left Morocco and other Arab countries after losing property or access to their savings.

One concern involves the proceeds from selling a home in France. Kendel described the possibility that a seller could encounter substantial costs or restrictive procedures when transferring the money to Israel. He said families are also thinking about pensions and other assets accumulated over many years.

Kendel further claimed to have heard reports of French Jewish customers whose bank accounts were blocked after lawful transfers or donations to Israeli organizations. Those accounts have not been independently confirmed.

“That’s exactly what’s happening now,” he said when asked whether people were already seeking ways to move their money. “I’m receiving many calls about it. People are searching for solutions.”

For families with businesses, property or other complicated holdings, relocating funds can involve lengthy procedures even without additional restrictions. Kendel said efforts to prevent illegal financial activity are important, but he is concerned that legitimate transactions could also face excessive scrutiny or administrative delays.

Businesses Could Help Newcomers Establish Themselves

Kendel also sees potential benefits for Israel’s economy if more French Jews immigrate. He cited research suggesting that helping newcomers settle and enter the workforce can produce long-term returns through economic activity, employment and tax contributions.

He estimates that roughly half of French immigrants hold academic degrees. Many also arrive with useful Hebrew and English skills, which can help them find work, enter established companies or develop their own businesses.

Michael Cassar, a partner in the French bakery and café chain Moulin Doré, illustrates one possible route to economic integration. The business has six locations in Israel, supported by a production facility and catering operation.

Cassar said he progressed from managing a branch to becoming a partner. He believes the company’s growth reflects its appeal to Israelis generally, rather than depending solely on customers from France.

“One mistake many new immigrants make is opening businesses that serve only the French community,” he said. “It severely limits their growth and keeps them outside broader Israeli society. You remain trapped in a French bubble.”

The company’s customer base has expanded beyond French-speaking immigrants. Cassar cited a recent bat mitzvah celebration for an Israeli family without French connections that selected catering inspired by Jewish celebrations in Paris.

He now hopes to help other French immigrants enter the business by opening and managing additional branches. His goal, he said, is to find entrepreneurs who can bring French culinary traditions to a broader Israeli audience, rather than relying on outside investors.

“I want to give them the support they need to open and manage new branches,” he said. “There’s enormous potential here, and I want to show people coming from France that they can succeed in Israel.”

Whether the anticipated immigration materializes will depend on developments in France, as well as Israel’s ability to offer newcomers realistic opportunities. For families weighing their options, security and political stability are only part of the calculation; housing, employment, access to savings and the prospects of their children will also shape the decision.

(JPost) – Lebanese officials on Sunday dismissed reports claiming that two Israeli Mossad agents had been arrested in Lebanon, calling the allegations “fake news.” The rumors spread after authorities detained two Palestinians whose phone numbers carried Israeli country codes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced what he called “moral bankruptcy” surrounding the detention of the two men from Ramallah, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Prime Minister’s office.

Salam’s office accused hostile parties of spreading the allegations in a “cheap attempt to tarnish the reputation of the President of the Council of Ministers and mislead public opinion.”

Authorities said security services investigated the two Palestinians and determined that they had entered Lebanon legally and had visited the country on previous occasions.

The independent Lebanese news outlet Beirut Time reported Sunday that allegations had circulated claiming two Mossad operatives were staying at Beirut’s Lancaster Eden Bay hotel while traveling on Turkish passports.

Israeli Phone Numbers Prompt Investigation at Beirut Hotel

According to reports, suspicion arose when the two Palestinian men used Israeli phone numbers to book hotel accommodations. An Uber driver and hotel employees reportedly alerted authorities, leading to an investigation.

Rumors spread the following day that Salam had ordered the men deported rather than detained, triggering anger among anti-Israel voices in Lebanon.

Fears surrounding Mossad operations in Lebanon have intensified since the September 2024 pager explosions, when thousands of remotely triggered devices detonated across Lebanon and Syria, killing and injuring thousands of Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah acknowledged that most of those killed or wounded in the explosions belonged to the Iran-backed organization. However, reports also indicated that civilians suffered serious injuries, some with lasting consequences.

Attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have severely disrupted air travel in Saudi Arabia, with aviation data showing that nearly nine out of every 10 scheduled flights at Riyadh’s airport were canceled between October 8 and October 25.

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, 4,071 of the 4,736 scheduled flights at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were canceled, representing approximately 86% of all planned services during that period.

The Houthis have intensified their campaign against Saudi Arabia this month, launching ballistic missiles and drones at airports, ports, and oil infrastructure. Riyadh’s airport, the country’s second-busiest after Jeddah, has been hit repeatedly. An October 10 attack killed 13 people, marking the kingdom’s deadliest such incident in more than a decade.

Saudi officials partially reopened the airport on Sunday following a shutdown that began October 10. Domestic services resumed at Terminal 1, while Saudi airlines were permitted to restart international flights from Terminal 2.

However, the Houthis claimed another attack on Riyadh’s airport on Monday, describing it as a “military target.” The continuing threat has led international airlines to suspend flights to the Saudi capital into November. Delta Air Lines has also delayed the planned launch of its Riyadh service until next year.

Riyadh Events Canceled as Disruptions Spread Nationwide

The aviation crisis has forced organizers to cancel or postpone several events in Riyadh, including Saudi Arabia’s flagship investment conference. Widespread flight disruptions have made travel to and within the kingdom increasingly difficult.

The impact extends well beyond the capital. Cirium data indicate that more than 7,800 flights, accounting for 45% of scheduled departures across Saudi Arabia, were canceled between October 8 and October 25. The worst day was October 12, when cancellations exceeded 60% of scheduled flights nationwide.

Other airports have also experienced major disruptions. Cancellations affected 42% of scheduled flights in Dammam and 46.7% in Abha, where the Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacks. Several smaller airports experienced even more extensive shutdowns. At Najran, near the Yemeni border, all scheduled flights were canceled.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a record fourth term on Sunday, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a tight presidential runoff, according to Brazil’s electoral court. With nearly all votes counted, Lula led with about 51.7 percent of valid votes to Bolsonaro’s 48.3 percent.

The result completes a comeback. Bolsonaro finished ahead of Lula in the first round of voting on October 4, and no candidate who placed second in the opening round had ever gone on to win the runoff since Brazil’s return to democracy.

Lula, who turns 81 on Tuesday, is already the longest serving president in Brazil’s modern history. He first led the country from 2003 to 2010 and returned to office in 2023.

The Brazilian leader is one of Israel’s fiercest critics on the world stage. In 2024, he compared Israel’s war in Gaza to the Holocaust, prompting Israel to declare him persona non grata.

Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, is the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, an outspoken supporter of Israel who is serving a 27 year prison sentence for plotting a coup after his 2022 loss to Lula. The younger Bolsonaro had promised to fight for his father’s release and spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his first round win.

Election day was marked by confusion after a Supreme Court justice extended voting by two hours in some areas, citing transportation problems and heavy rain, and the electoral court paused its count until the polls closed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pressing President Donald Trump for another public show of support ahead of Israel’s election on Tuesday, October 27, Axios reported Sunday, citing a U.S. source with knowledge of the matter and an Israeli source briefed on the effort.

According to the report by Barak Ravid, Netanyahu spoke with Trump twice in the past three days and asked him to build on his endorsement from last Sunday. The U.S. source said Netanyahu suggested wording for additional statements of support.

An Israeli source briefed on the effort told Axios that Netanyahu also proposed that Trump speak with Israeli reporters to express further backing for his campaign.

The U.S. source described the White House’s view of the lobbying as a “sign of desperation.” Neither the White House nor Netanyahu’s office immediately responded to Axios’s requests for comment.

The reported push follows Trump’s public endorsement of Netanyahu on October 18. In a letter posted on Truth Social, the president offered his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and urged Israelis to re-elect Netanyahu, as Belaaz reported.

Axios reported that final polls released Friday by three major Israeli television networks each projected 50 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc in the 120-member Knesset, short of a majority. Channel 14 was an outlier, projecting 60 seats for the bloc in a poll earlier in the week.

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, the French Jewish physicist who won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light, passed away in Paris on Thursday. He was 93.

His family announced his death to the AFP news agency on Friday. The Kastler Brossel Laboratory at the Ecole normale superieure in Paris, where he spent his entire career, confirmed the news and paid tribute to his exceptional contributions to atomic physics.

Cohen-Tannoudji was born on April 1, 1933, in Constantine, Algeria, to a Sephardic Jewish family whose roots traced back to Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition. “Our name, Cohen-Tannoudji, means simply the Cohen family from Tangiers,” he once said.

After moving to Paris at age 20, he studied at the Ecole normale superieure and went on to become a professor at the College de France, where he taught for three decades. He was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 1981.

In 1997, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with American scientists Steven Chu and William D. Phillips for developing methods to cool and trap atoms using laser light. Their research enabled dramatic progress in the field of cold atoms, including atomic clocks precise enough to power modern navigation and telecommunications systems.

He was the first Nobel physics laureate born in an Arab country.

Beyond his research, Cohen-Tannoudji was a gifted teacher who trained generations of physicists, including future French Nobel laureates Serge Haroche and Alain Aspect. He also worked to bring Israeli and Palestinian scientists together, believing science could help bridge conflicts.

He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and their children.

Iraq is stepping up security measures amid fears of renewed conflict with Iran, following reported Iranian strikes on the Kurdistan Region and hundreds of attacks by Iran-backed militias inside Iraq, many targeting US diplomatic facilities.

Baghdad has closed several crossings with Iran, while Kurdish officials have denied allegations that Ukrainian troops or drones are operating from their territory. Both moves reflect Iraq’s efforts to avoid becoming embroiled in another regional conflict.

One of the closed crossings is Al-Sheeb in southern Maysan province. Iraqi authorities cited planned security and technical upgrades, while Iran criticized Baghdad for failing to provide advance notice. Tehran also rejected allegations of drug and counterfeit currency smuggling, according to Rudaw.

The crossing has drawn attention amid wider regional tensions. Rudaw reported that Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani called for restrictions on Iraqi oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz following a reported drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline attributed to an Iran-backed Iraqi militia.

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Interior Ministry separately dismissed reports of a Ukrainian military presence in the region. According to the Iraqi News Agency, the ministry said Thursday that the allegations were baseless and stressed that Kurdistan would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against other countries.

The statement comes as Iran continues to pressure Baghdad over Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq.

Iraq, Jordan Strengthen Security Coordination

Iraq and Jordan are seeking closer security cooperation as Baghdad works to protect its borders. Iraqi Interior Minister Yasser al-Maliki spoke with Jordanian counterpart Mazen al-Faraya on Wednesday about expanding coordination between their ministries, the Iraqi News Agency reported.

Western Iraq remains a security concern because its vast, sparsely populated desert areas near Jordan and Syria could provide opportunities for armed groups to operate.

Baghdad is also reviewing security along its Syrian border. Defense Minister Nayef Mukayif al-Shammari inspected military positions in Nineveh province from the air on Saturday to assess troop deployments and operational readiness, according to Iraq’s Defense Ministry.

The measures underscore Iraq’s efforts to strengthen border defenses and limit the risk of being drawn into escalating regional hostilities.

The future of rural healthcare is emerging as a significant issue in New York’s gubernatorial campaign, as financial pressures threaten services at smaller hospitals. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman disagree over how the state should respond to funding shortfalls, rising expenses and concerns about healthcare access.

The dispute has intensified in Hudson, where Albany Med Health System has asked state officials to approve a restructuring of Columbia Memorial Health. Opponents fear the changes could force residents of Columbia and Greene counties to travel much farther for treatment.

The controversy highlights a broader challenge facing rural communities: how to maintain local medical services as hospitals struggle with expenses, staffing demands and changes in government funding.

Candidates Clash Over Healthcare Priorities

Hochul has called for greater state assistance to compensate for anticipated reductions in federal healthcare funding. Blakeman favors investments in underserved communities but argues that eliminating waste and fraud should be a priority.

Healthcare is also registering with voters. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 11% of Upstate New York respondents identified it as their leading concern, behind economic conditions and the cost of living.

Hudson Hospital Faces Potential Restructuring

The proposed changes at Columbia Memorial have galvanized local opposition. The Save CMH Coalition, made up of residents and healthcare professionals, argues that reducing the hospital’s capacity could leave vulnerable patients without convenient access to treatment.

Sarah Rebekah Garber, a local nurse practitioner, warned that elderly patients and others without reliable transportation could struggle to reach alternative facilities.

“I utilize this hospital daily. … All my patients go here,” she said. “Many of them are elderly, cannot make the drive up to Albany, cannot make the drive down to Kingston, and they’re just going to forgo care.”

Albany Med says Columbia Memorial is not fully utilizing its 70 staffed beds. Its proposal would convert the facility to a federally designated critical access hospital, a classification intended to support rural medical facilities financially.

The designation would cap inpatient capacity at 25 beds and generally limit average patient stays to four days. Albany Med also intends to expand an existing clinic in Greene County.

A system spokesperson said the proposed changes would preserve current services while creating opportunities to invest in additional and improved care.

However, the coalition fears that reducing inpatient capacity could make it harder to accommodate patients during periods of heavy demand. The group held demonstrations in July and September, and the proposal remains under review by the state Department of Health.

Federal Policy Compounds Hospital Challenges

Hospital leaders say recent federal policy changes have added to their financial difficulties.

The Iroquois Healthcare Association, which represents hospitals and healthcare systems across Upstate New York, points to President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted last year. The legislation allowed certain insurance subsidies to expire and tightened Medicaid rules, raising concerns about coverage losses and reduced hospital revenue.

At the same time, providers face higher labor and supply costs.

“Our members by and large are fighting to get to a 0% margin, and … we’re in a fragile state when it comes to hospital finances,” said Kevin Kerwin, the association’s CEO. “Costs continue to escalate, whether we’re talking about supply chain issues … labor costs continue to increase.”

Estimates suggest New York could lose as much as $10 billion in federal funding annually under the law. The potential reductions pose a substantial challenge for a state whose operating budget already devotes more than one-quarter of its spending to healthcare.

Hochul Pushes Aid as Blakeman Calls for Oversight

Hochul has made additional hospital funding a central part of her response. During an August visit to Chautauqua County, she promoted state assistance for a hospital project in Fredonia and criticized Washington’s approach.

“We’re finding that Washington has been basically defunding our hospitals,” Hochul said. “Why do I know this? Because about a year ago, we found out that New York state would receive about $10 billion less in healthcare dollars, and have to figure it out on our own.”

A $500 million fund for financially distressed hospitals was included in this year’s state budget.

Blakeman, meanwhile, argues that New York must address alleged Medicaid fraud while ensuring that patients receive quality care.

“Look, I want to enhance the care of people who need it, whether it be in Medicaid or any of the other programs that the state has, and I want the services to be first-class and quality services,” Blakeman told reporters in August. “But people are complaining that it’s too expensive and the services are terrible, so obviously there’s a fundamental problem there.”

Bill Van Slyke, a former Columbia Memorial board member and healthcare communications consultant, said the system faces a difficult balancing act between financial sustainability and affordable treatment for local communities.

He argued that the current funding structure cannot indefinitely satisfy the financial interests involved while meeting patients’ needs.

“As we fund it today, and all of the pressure on both state and federal taxpayers who are funding this, it’s impossible for us to sustain a healthcare system that generates all those profits for all of those interests, and at the same time meets the community’s need,” Van Slyke said. “Something has to give.”

Nurses Fear Overcrowding Will Worsen

Columbia Memorial employees say the proposed reduction in beds could compound existing capacity problems.

Sara Dragula, a nurse at the hospital, said patients already sometimes remain in the emergency department because inpatient beds are unavailable. Hospital records indicate that the facility typically has between 30 and 50 admitted patients at any given time, compared with the 25-bed limit under the proposed designation.

“They’re kind of saying that like, ‘Oh, we’re trying to invest for the future by ‘right-sizing’ it,’ but we’re challenging that. You know, as an ER nurse, I have periods of time where we have patients that are staying in the ED and not even getting upstairs because the beds are so full upstairs,” she said.

The effects could extend beyond Hudson. Albany Med has been expanding the emergency department at its main hospital as patient transfers from other regional facilities have grown.

Columbia Memorial alone transferred nearly 2,900 patients to Albany Med between 2020 and the summer of 2025.

Republicans Highlight Federal Rural Health Funding

Assemblymember Josh Jensen, a Monroe County Republican who serves as the GOP’s leading member on the Assembly health committee, acknowledged the challenges hospitals face under the new federal law. He also noted that the legislation provides additional money for rural healthcare.

New York is expected to receive more than $200 million through the Rural Health Transformation Program. That amount, however, is relatively small compared with the operating costs of major facilities: Columbia Memorial’s budget alone exceeds $150 million.

Jensen argued that consolidation does not automatically mean worse care. He said larger healthcare systems can provide financial and operational support when smaller practices face difficulties, potentially helping communities maintain continuity of treatment.

“I look at that as a really good thing because it means there’s enhanced capacity,” he said. “So, if for some reason that you’re not able to keep a practice open or something, that there is a backstop so that an entire community doesn’t go and have to travel an hour-and-a-half. There is something within the health system to allow for that continuity of care.”

That reassurance has not resolved the concerns surrounding Columbia Memorial’s future.

For Garber and other opponents, the central question remains whether rural residents will continue to have practical access to the medical services they need.

“Our country needs to make an investment in rural healthcare,” Garber said. “These people matter. These communities matter.”

Today, Brazilian voters are choosing between two sharply opposed political visions in a runoff that could move Latin America’s largest country further to the right and strengthen its ties with the United States. The election comes amid a wider regional trend favoring conservative leaders.

The contest pits left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup. Flávio surprised observers earlier this month by finishing first in the initial round, outperforming polling expectations.

A Bolsonaro victory at age 45 would add to the electoral gains of Latin American conservatives aligned with US President Donald Trump. Lula securing another term would likely disappoint Washington, where relations with his administration have been strained by disagreements over trade and security.

Corruption allegations, economic pressures and claims of American interference have dominated the campaign. Another major issue is the 2025 conviction of Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 election. Flávio has promised to secure his father’s release if he wins the presidency.

Trump has described the prosecution as a “witch hunt” and imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports in 2025, explicitly connecting the measures to Jair Bolsonaro’s legal case. Although some tariffs were subsequently reduced, Trump introduced additional duties against Brazil this year, pointing to what he called unfair trade practices.

Lula has accused the Trump administration of favoring the Bolsonaro family in an effort to influence Brazil’s election. He has also condemned tariffs and other pressure tactics as bullying.

Despite declines in inequality and unemployment during Lula’s tenure, the president has struggled to persuade voters facing rising living expenses and substantial household debt. Persistent gang violence is another major concern shaping public opinion.

Bolsonaro has made economic frustration a central campaign issue and promised a tougher response to crime. His proposals include maximum-security prisons and chemical castration for people convicted of serious sexual offenses.

Israeli police arrested three Hebron residents suspected of publishing social media content praising Friday’s deadly West Bank shooting, which killed two Israeli soldiers, Ron Yonatan Roytman and Yuval Shai Svilem. Authorities also allege the suspects expressed support for Hamas.

Investigators say the suspects circulated images of the attackers and shared messages and music celebrating their actions. One reportedly referred to the shooting as “Operation Hebron.” Security personnel tracked the online activity before conducting overnight raids.

Police said the posts included language portraying the attackers as heroes and defending their actions. Investigators also identified material allegedly encouraging armed resistance against Israel, including messages attributed to religious figures calling for Arab and Muslim forces to take up arms.

One suspect allegedly posted a religious message expressing hope for an imminent victory. Other content included lyrics praising combat against Israel’s supporters, according to police.

Following the investigation, officers from Israel Police’s Special Patrol Unit and the Judea and Samaria District searched the suspects’ homes. Mobile phones and computers were seized for examination.

The three suspects, including individuals aged 17 and 50, were taken to a police station in Hebron. They are being investigated on suspicion of incitement and supporting terrorism.

The arrests were part of a wider security operation launched by police and IDF troops after Friday’s shooting. Authorities are examining online activity to identify individuals suspected of encouraging violence, glorifying attacks, or supporting terrorist organizations.

Police said enforcement efforts against suspected incitement would continue, particularly when social media posts praise attacks against Israeli security personnel.

Separately, the shooting is being investigated by the Judea and Samaria District’s Central Investigations Unit counterterrorism team. Investigators are also looking into whether others helped plan or carry out the attack.

(AP) – SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that his company restricted Starlink connectivity in Ukraine last week, prompting concerns about the impact on Ukrainian military operations. The satellite network is an important communications tool for Ukraine as it continues fighting Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday that Starlink and the military-focused Starshield system had returned to their previous operating levels. The disruption had reportedly affected frontline activities for more than a week.

Musk said the restrictions were intended to address Ukrainian military use of the commercial service for offensive drone attacks. He defended the decision by pointing to the service’s terms of use, while maintaining that the U.S. government oversees changes to Starshield, the military version of the technology.

Zelenskyy said the restored connection was helping Ukrainian forces maintain communications, coordinate supplies and defend against Russian attack drones.

The dispute created fresh friction between Kyiv and Washington amid broader disagreements over U.S. policy toward Moscow. Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara credited diplomatic engagement with Washington for resolving the issue, emphasizing the importance of reliable communications and drone operations for troops at the front.

President Donald Trump denied ordering the restrictions and said Musk should not be held responsible. Administration officials have offered differing accounts of possible coordination, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denying White House involvement.

The developments coincided with renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war. Russia agreed to another round of negotiations with Ukraine and the United States next month. Separately, Kyiv and Moscow reached a limited ceasefire arrangement near the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, reportedly brokered by first lady Melania Trump.

Fighting continued elsewhere. Ukrainian officials reported a deadly missile strike in Lozova, in the Kharkiv region, while Russian-installed authorities in Crimea reported electricity disruptions following overnight Ukrainian attacks.

Ukraine’s military also reported strikes against industrial facilities in the Russian cities of Tolyatti and Oryol. The facilities were described as producing materials or components used in Russian weapons systems. Local authorities reported damage in Tolyatti and three deaths following an attack in Oryol.

Ukrainian drones were also reported in Russia’s Omsk region, deep in western Siberia. Regional Governor Vitaly Khotsenko acknowledged that drones had “reached a northern industrial hub.” Online retailer Ozon separately reported a drone attack on its Omsk logistics center, saying no one was injured.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned home by road on Sunday after visiting a Korean War memorial in Dandong, a Chinese city near the North Korean border, according to North Korean state media.

Kim visited Dandong on Saturday and crossed a newly opened bridge linking North Korea with China, its largest trading partner. The crossing was viewed as a symbolic step toward strengthening economic cooperation between Beijing and Pyongyang.

North Korean state media focused heavily on the historical significance of the visit, portraying the two countries’ relationship as an “unbreakable” bond forged during the 1950-1953 Korean War.

During the visit, Kim said the North Korean people would “forever remember the glorious years of fighting alongside the Chinese people” and maintain “generational gratitude to the Chinese people who helped our revolution with blood,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The visit comes as China and North Korea seek to expand economic cooperation ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned trip to the region next month. It also underscores Pyongyang’s effort to balance its relationships with major powers while strengthening military cooperation with Russia over the past two years.

Kim last traveled to Beijing in September 2025 to attend a military parade, while Chinese President Xi Jinping visited North Korea in June.

According to KCNA, Kim viewed the newly inaugurated bridge from above and expressed confidence that it would fulfill its historical purpose of connecting the two countries and bringing their peoples closer together.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.

Central bank warns crypto cannot shield Israel from sanctions as former officials and economists predict investor flight, financial instability and deeper economic isolation.

The Bank of Israel on Saturday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to use cryptocurrency to circumvent potential international sanctions, urging the government to focus on preventing restrictions and preserving trade ties.

“Cryptocurrencies cannot serve as a means of circumventing sanctions,” the central bank said in a rare public rebuke.

“The right course for Israel’s economy is to maintain its economic relationships with our main trading partners and focus on preventing sanctions and their negative impact on the economy,” the bank said. “This issue falls within the responsibility of the political leadership, and it should take action to advance that goal.”

Netanyahu proposed developing an alternative financial system in an interview with Israel’s Economy Channel, suggesting cryptocurrency and blockchain could help Israel operate under potential banking sanctions. He said he had ordered a plan to be prepared, but officials at the Finance Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office said they knew of no such initiative.

Speaking to Channel 14, Netanyahu stood by his position: “I hear the objections and take them into account. I thank the Bank of Israel for its advice. I listen, but I do what I think is right.”

Yair Avidan, a former Bank of Israel banking supervisor, said the proposal misunderstood how sanctions operate.

“Blockchain is not a solution for circumventing sanctions,” Avidan said. “Moving a transaction onto a blockchain network or using a digital token does not make sanctions disappear, does not create an alternative economy, does not override legal prohibitions and does not change the obligations of the parties involved.”

Banks, payment providers and trading partners must still comply with financial regulations, he explained. While blockchain may help maintain payment systems during emergencies, it cannot replace international financial networks.

“The threat of sanctions is real,” Avidan said, warning that restrictions could disrupt banking, trade, credit and investment, raising costs for Israelis. He urged the government to protect international trust and commercial relationships.

Former Finance Ministry director-general Yarom Ariav warned that Netanyahu’s remarks could unsettle markets, threaten Israel’s credit rating and accelerate capital flight.

“Sanctions are not an inevitable force of nature. They are the direct result of failed policies,” Ariav said.

He cautioned that pursuing financial workarounds could associate Israel with isolated regimes such as Iran, while prompting foreign investors and skilled workers to look elsewhere.

Professor Yair Zimon warned that a crypto-based alternative could threaten Israel’s access to international banking, foreign investment and trade. He said replacing established networks such as SWIFT with volatile, insufficiently regulated digital currencies could weaken the shekel, fuel inflation, drive technology companies abroad and disrupt imports of essential goods, energy and medicine.

“Turning Israel’s stable financial system into one based on volatile, unregulated currencies would be tantamount to gambling with the fate of the entire economy,” he said.

Even cryptocurrency industry representatives rejected the idea that digital assets could bypass restrictions. Tomer Sharoni, CEO of Adresable, a cryptocurrency intelligence company, said transactions remain traceable.

“Changing the means of payment does not turn a prohibited transaction into a permitted one,” Sharoni said.

He added that digital payments cannot guarantee foreign businesses will continue trading with Israel or investing in its economy. Cryptocurrency, he argued, should strengthen international integration rather than provide an escape from global financial rules.

Professor Manuel Trajtenberg, former chairman of Israel’s National Economic Council, said international isolation was not inevitable and linked Netanyahu’s crypto proposal to his earlier vision of a self-reliant “Sparta.” Neither, Trajtenberg warned, offered a genuine solution to Israel’s economic challenges.

The Israeli High-Tech Headquarters warned that isolation could devastate an industry dependent on foreign investment and open markets, forcing companies to close or relocate overseas. Former minister Professor Shimon Shetreet cautioned that sanctions against Israeli banks could spread across industries, while Tel Aviv University economist Professor Eran Yashiv warned that Netanyahu’s comments could intensify market concerns and potentially increase the risk of sanctions.

The central bank’s message was clear: cryptocurrency has legitimate uses, but it cannot replace Israel’s international financial relationships. The government, officials and economists argue, should focus on preventing sanctions and preserving the trade and investment ties that underpin the economy.

Israeli security forces carried out an extensive operation near Hebron following a deadly attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. The response included searches, arrests, evacuations and the demolition of structures that the military said could interfere with its operations.

The soldiers killed were identified as Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon. The three wounded soldiers reportedly sustained light injuries.

According to the initial account, two Palestinian assailants opened fire near the Judea Junction. Security forces killed both attackers. Investigators believe the assailants may have intended to continue toward Route 35.

Following the attack, Israeli forces expanded their activity throughout nearby Palestinian communities. Approximately 2,000 residents were evacuated from the affected area as troops searched buildings and other locations. The military also reported demolishing structures it considered obstacles to its operations.

The IDF said the demolitions involved illegal construction that could hinder security activity. The operation also included searches at roughly 200 locations and the detention of 10 suspects, according to the report.

Residents leaving the area were directed through designated exit points, where security personnel conducted screenings. The measures significantly disrupted daily life for people living in the affected communities.

The Hebron-area operation came amid other Israeli security activities in Judea and Samaria, including operations in Jenin, Nablus, Kafr Aqab and Tamun. These efforts form part of a broader campaign targeting suspected militants and security threats.

The evacuations and demolitions are likely to draw scrutiny over their impact on civilians and the legal grounds cited for the measures. The military maintains that its actions are intended to protect troops and prevent further attacks.

Demonstrations are planned across the continent as authorities increase security following violent clashes in Italy.

Italy has sent additional troops to Milan ahead of expected demonstrations on Saturday, following a weekend of looting and confrontations between protesters and police in the city.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced several security measures, including deploying another 500 soldiers to Milan and introducing tougher penalties for minors. Police said young people accounted for a substantial portion of those involved in the previous weekend’s violence.

Although demonstrations in France have attracted much of the international spotlight, Milan is one of numerous European cities preparing for protests on Saturday, with rallies planned from Portugal to Albania.

Milan Steps Up Security After Last Weekend’s Violence

The additional 500 soldiers will reinforce hundreds of military personnel already stationed in Milan. They will support approximately 5,000 police officers and other law enforcement personnel. Security preparations include drone surveillance, railway station inspections, specialized rapid-response teams and online monitoring for threats of violence.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has voiced concern that the unrest could erupt again this weekend and backed the decision to bring in additional troops.

During last weekend’s disturbances, rioters broke into shops and stole merchandise, including sneakers, sportswear and sporting equipment, along streets branching off the city’s central Duomo square.

Authorities plan to extend security operations beyond Milan’s downtown area, fearing demonstrators could move into other neighborhoods to avoid heavily guarded locations.

Valter Mazzetti, secretary-general of the Italian police union FSP, told The Associated Press that soldiers could provide immediate assistance during emergencies but would not solve the broader shortage of police personnel. He emphasized that controlling demonstrations requires specialized training.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in a social media post that military personnel do not have access to several tools commonly used by police during public-order operations. Soldiers were only recently permitted to use plastic restraint ties, and that authorization applies around railway stations rather than throughout the city. They are also prohibited from carrying pepper spray or tasers, he said.

Milan police estimate that approximately 2,000 very young people participated in last weekend’s looting and violence. Officers said many were “naturalized, second-generation Italians,” while foreign nationals also took part. During two days of unrest, authorities arrested 45 people, including 34 minors.

Lamberto Bertolé, Milan’s welfare councilor, told the AP that additional investigation is necessary to determine the backgrounds of the young people involved and understand what motivated them to participate in the looting.

“Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging and prospects for the future. Part of our society feels excluded, amid social and economic inequalities,” said Bertolé, a member of the center-left Democratic Party.

Rome Tightens Security Ahead of Demonstrations

Authorities in Rome have also strengthened security, restricting access to upscale shopping streets and increasing patrols around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo. Demonstrations are planned throughout the capital, including a rally organized by right-wing student groups.

An anti-war march is scheduled to begin in the early afternoon at Piazza della Repubblica, one of central Rome’s main squares. Officials are concerned that violent groups could attempt to infiltrate the demonstration and trigger confrontations.

Organizers have urged participants to avoid giving authorities grounds to intervene, asking demonstrators to keep their faces uncovered and their hands visible.

Beyond Milan and Rome, demonstrations have been announced in at least seven additional Italian cities. The newly established “October 17 Movement” is helping lead the protests alongside student organizations, grassroots trade unions and anti-war coalitions.

Albanian Students Continue Anti-Government Protests

Demonstrations are also expected to continue in Albania’s capital, where unrest has persisted for more than a week.

Protesters have thrown rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police, who have responded with batons, water cannons and tear gas during confrontations in the city center.

High school and university students are demanding reduced tuition fees, increased government funding for education and action against corruption in the education system. Their demonstrations have also become part of a broader opposition movement calling for Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.

Thousands Rally in Madrid to Defend Pensions

Thousands of retirees and other demonstrators gathered in Madrid on Saturday to oppose changes they fear could undermine Spain’s public pension system.

The march proceeded peacefully along a tree-lined avenue in the Spanish capital. Participants carried colorful flags and banners bearing messages such as “protect pensions” and “decent pensions for today and the future.”

The demonstration comes ahead of a snap election scheduled for next month. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party has criticized the conservative Popular Party for suggesting that public pensions could be privatized.

Housing affordability has also fueled widespread demonstrations across Spain this autumn, as rents and property prices have climbed beyond the reach of many residents.

A shortage of available housing in Spanish cities has been exacerbated by population growth linked to tourism and immigration, as well as the expansion of short-term rental properties.

In September, the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her rented Madrid apartment sparked large protests in the capital and other locations.

The housing movement has centered partly on a protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, where demonstrators have maintained a tent encampment for nearly a month.

Lisbon Protesters Demand More Affordable Housing

Inspired in part by demonstrations in Spain, housing activists in Lisbon are expected to march across the Portuguese capital on Saturday to demand more affordable accommodation.

Protesters have criticized recent proposals by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s government that would loosen restrictions on annual rent increases and make it easier to evict tenants who fail to pay their rent.

Montenegro has defended the proposals, arguing that they are intended to strengthen trust between landlords and tenants while encouraging growth in the rental market.

Opponents argue that the changes would leave renters more exposed and fail to strike a fair balance between landlords’ interests and tenants’ need for secure, affordable housing.

Saudi airstrikes on Yemen’s capital reportedly killed 11 people on Saturday, according to Houthi-controlled media, as Saudi Arabia announced that its forces had intercepted two ballistic missiles fired toward the kingdom.

The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television network reported several “Saudi enemy airstrikes” across Sanaa. One strike reportedly hit a house, killing at least four people and injuring several others.

Another attack struck a residential building housing cement factory workers in Sanaa province, killing six women and one child and wounding three additional people, the broadcaster reported.

Yemen’s civil war, which pits the Iran-backed Houthis against the internationally recognized government supported by Saudi Arabia, had largely remained dormant following a 2022 ceasefire. However, fighting resumed in July as the broader Middle East conflict intensified.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced Saturday that the group had launched attacks against several Saudi targets, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Rabigh oil refinery, crude oil pumping stations and the East-West Pipeline.

Saree also claimed the Houthis had targeted King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, an airport in Najran and an airbase in Khamis Mushait.

The Saudi-led coalition said earlier that it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Yanbu and Taif.

Saudi Civil Defense reported that fragments from the intercepted missiles landed in the Mecca and Medina regions, where Islam’s holiest sites attract millions of pilgrims annually.

According to Saudi authorities, debris fell in Wadi al-Mughammas in the Mecca region, as well as in parts of Jeddah, Taif and Rabigh. It remained unclear whether the reported debris was connected to the Houthis’ claim that they had targeted the Rabigh oil refinery.

The Houthis subsequently denied attacking Mecca or Medina, insisting that their operations “target Saudi oil facilities and military bases.”

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Interior Ministry, which operates under the internationally recognized government, reported that two Houthi missiles struck a coast guard headquarters, while a third hit a coast guard building in the Tawahi district.

Houthi spokesman Saree also said the group had attacked Saudi-backed military gatherings at what he described as Al-Nasr camp and a naval base in Aden. He claimed Saudi officers were supervising the military mobilization at those locations.

The Saudi-led coalition had not immediately responded to that allegation.

Diplomats Evacuated as Houthi Attacks Intensify

Saudi Arabia has faced a growing number of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in recent weeks, with the group striking targets connected to the kingdom’s oil industry and aviation infrastructure.

Yanbu, located along the Red Sea coast, serves as a major oil export center. Its strategic importance has increased because it allows Saudi Arabia to transport much of its crude oil without relying on the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded.

An attack on Riyadh’s airport earlier this month killed 13 people and wounded dozens more. This week, the United States ordered nonessential embassy personnel and their family members to depart Saudi Arabia, citing the threat posed by the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia has led the military coalition involved in Yemen’s conflict since its intervention began in 2015. The prolonged war has devastated the country and contributed to one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

The conflict has escalated sharply in recent weeks, with the Houthis reportedly seizing control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline during a rapid offensive last month. The developments have heightened regional instability and disrupted oil markets.

Egypt has floated the possibility of deploying troops to assist in Saudi Arabia’s defense, while Britain and France have offered military support to help protect the Gulf kingdom.

More than 400,000 people demonstrated across France over education funding and rising living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Clashes erupted in Paris and other cities, with nearly 1,000 people arrested nationwide.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police faced “an extremely elevated level of violence” from black-clad “ultra-left” extremists. Officers used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds.

The Interior Ministry estimated 410,000 demonstrators nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris. The capital’s march was confined to the southeastern outskirts to avoid areas damaged during the previous weekend’s unrest.

The Paris protest began peacefully but turned violent near Porte de Vincennes, where some demonstrators threw objects at police. Similar confrontations occurred in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes.

Nuñez reported two people seriously injured, including a man in Toulouse who reportedly lost fingers in an explosion. Paris prosecutors said 64 people were arrested, including six minors, and 40 were placed in police custody.

Macron Faces Growing Pressure

With Macron’s presidency nearing its end ahead of May’s succession election, the unrest threatens his authority. The far-right National Rally has accused his government of failing to protect the public.

Authorities deployed up to 70,000 officers nationwide, supported by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons.

Camille Chesnier, 27, who holds engineering and master’s degrees, said she could not find work.

“There are enormous numbers of people in the same situation as me but who aren’t privileged and who find themselves living on the streets and in squats and, frankly, it’s very tough,” she said.

The movement began last month over staffing shortages at a high school southeast of Paris before spreading nationwide.

Students Demand Education Reforms

Public middle and high schools lost 15.4 million teaching hours in 2024–2025 because absent teachers were not replaced, according to Education Ministry figures. That represented 7.5% of scheduled instruction.

After meeting high school representatives Friday, Macron reportedly promised changes to university admissions. Students say they will continue protesting until concrete measures are announced.

Their demands include 250,000 additional higher-education places, ending selection through Parcoursup, hiring more teachers, repairing schools and universities, increasing student grants by €200 monthly and freezing public student-housing rents.

Teacher Bénédicte Pittion, 46, marched in Paris with her 16-year-old daughter, Garance.

“The young people who have been demonstrating have not been heard, and as a parent and as a teacher, I stand with them,” Pittion said.

Garance said she was “really scared” after seeing footage of the previous weekend’s violence but argued that staying home would hand the government a victory.

Soumaya Abed, a 58-year-old nurse, accused authorities of exploiting the earlier unrest to suppress dissent.

“They are using what happened last week as an excuse to quiet protesters,” she said. “But it won’t stop the movement. It won’t stop students from demanding better conditions in schools.”

Protests Spread Across France and Italy

Authorities estimated 17,000 demonstrators in Marseille, while the CGT union claimed 100,000. Officials counted 26,500 protesters in Toulouse. Authorities banned rallies in cities including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, prompting unions to accuse the government of restricting constitutionally protected free expression.

Thousands also demonstrated peacefully against the far right in Orléans while Marine Le Pen’s National Rally held a two-day congress there.

The protests follow last weekend’s violence, when more than 500,000 people took to the streets and approximately 3,000 shops were damaged or looted. Nuñez acknowledged that police had lost control in some cities. He offered to resign, but Macron refused.

The Yellow Vest movement has called for another day of demonstrations on October 31.

In Italy, protests over living costs, war and military rearmament drew crowds across the country. Clashes occurred in Turin, Rome and Bologna, while demonstrations in Milan remained largely peaceful. Reuters witnesses reported no looting or vandalism Saturday.

Police in Milan detained a person for questioning over suspected involvement in organizing the previous weekend’s demonstrations, known as the “October 17 Movement.”

Inflation Adds to Public Frustration

France’s statistics agency, INSEE, reported that energy prices rose 21.3% year over year in September, contributing to inflation of 3.1%.

Paris demonstrator Louis Ledoux-Xatard warned that inequality was becoming increasingly troubling.

“Looking at countries like the United States, we don’t want to end up like them, where part of the population has everything and the others have nothing,” he said.

“I never imagined that I’d be taking to the streets so much before my thirties.”

President Donald Trump reacted sharply when asked how close the United States might be to launching another military attack against Iran.

Trump recently stated on social media that he would refrain from striking Iran again before the November 3 US midterm elections. However, when questioned about whether that position still stood, he replied, “Do you really think I’m going to tell you if I’m going to do it?” Trump added, “And there’s a possibility I will. There’s also a possibility we’ll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement.”

The president again maintained that Tehran is interested in reaching an agreement with Washington, while raising doubts about whether Iran would honor its commitments. “but the problem is, will they hold the deal?” he said.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of undermining diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war. Despite his criticism, he indicated that he still believes negotiations should be brought to a conclusion, saying “we have to go and finish it.”

Speaking in remarks broadcast on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian said Iran’s supreme leader had directed officials to “go and finish [the deal],” but “these scoundrels broke the rules of the game. We were holding talks, and they disrupted them.”

Across the region, concerns are mounting that the United States or Israel could launch fresh attacks against Iran either before or shortly after Israel’s Tuesday election or the November 3 US midterm elections.

Israel is raising its alert level to the highest degree ahead of Tuesday’s elections, with the security establishment concerned about a possible attack on Israel during Election Day or about terror incidents.

Police sources told Belaaz that officers are preparing for the possibility of missile fire toward Israel on Election Day, as well as for attempts to carry out terror attacks inside the country.

In addition, the IDF has decided that on Sunday and Monday, Palestinians will be barred from entering communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley for work, with the exception of industrial zones.

On Tuesday, Election Day, the entry of workers into Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley will be prohibited across the board — effectively a full closure of Judea and Samaria.

Additionally, following Friday’s terror attack, the encirclement of the cities of Hebron and Halhul will remain in place tonight as well.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will conduct a military exercise next week to rehearse responses to a coordinated attack on multiple fronts, shortly before Israel’s national election.

The drill is scheduled for Sunday and Monday across northern and central Israel. The Israeli Air Force, Northern Command and Central Command will participate. The military warned that residents in the affected areas should expect a heightened presence of security personnel and aircraft during the exercise.

According to the IDF, the exercise “aims to practice and improve the IDF’s readiness for multi-front defense along the borders and preparedness to transition to an escalation.”

Military personnel will rehearse “a variety of scenarios, including a surprise attack and infiltration into Israeli territory by air and land,” the IDF said. The training will also incorporate lessons learned from the October 7 attack.

The military emphasized that the exercise was planned in advance and is not being conducted in response to an imminent threat. It added that there is no concern about a security incident.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued a security advisory urging Israeli citizens in France to “exercise heightened caution” as demonstrations continue and additional protests are anticipated tomorrow.

The ministry outlined several precautionary measures, advising Israelis to stay away from protest locations “even when demonstrations appear peaceful, due to the risk of sudden escalation and violent clashes.”

Israeli citizens planning to visit France in the coming days were also urged to “check the security situation in the areas they intend to visit in advance.”

Elimelech (Eli) Lowen, the 21-year-old American Mir Yeshiva bochur held on suspicion of contact with an Iranian agent, was released to house arrest on Friday after more than four months in Gilboa Prison, about two hours before Shabbos.

Lowen, a chosson, was set to celebrate his Oifruf this Shabbos.

He will serve his house arrest at the Yerushalayim home of Toldos Ahron askan Rav Chaim Meir Hirsh.

His release followed intensive efforts by Tzedek, with attorneys Uri Korb and Menachem Stauber, in coordination with askan Rav Shimon Shisha.

The bail includes NIS 750,000 arranged by Tzedek and a home worth about NIS 3 million, put up as a guarantee by a Rachmastrivka Chossid from Yerushalayim.

The release came after the Jerusalem District Court on Thursday approved implementing last week’s Supreme Court decision ordering his release to house arrest, with the final court steps completed on Friday.

The Charges

Lowen, a US citizen who learned at the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, was arrested on June 9. On July 3, prosecutors filed an indictment in the Jerusalem District Court charging him with contact with a foreign agent and passing along information that could aid an enemy, and asked that he remain in custody until the case concludes.

Prosecutors allege that Lowen carried out small tasks, including photographing locations around Jerusalem and leaving packages at drop spots, for Telegram accounts the State says were fronts for Iranian intelligence, in exchange for about $1,379 in cryptocurrency. Lowen has not been convicted, and the charges remain allegations.

Last week, Supreme Court President Justice Yitzchak Amit signed off on Lowen’s release to house arrest. Belaaz covered the Supreme Court’s decision and the effort to secure Lowen’s release in an earlier report.

(REUTERS) – Artificial intelligence is changing the cybersecurity landscape by helping researchers identify software weaknesses that may have remained hidden for years. The discoveries are giving technology companies more opportunities to strengthen their systems, but they are also creating urgent challenges for organizations trying to prevent hackers from exploiting newly revealed flaws.

VulnCheck, a Massachusetts-based cybersecurity intelligence firm, is preparing research showing that reported software vulnerabilities have doubled year over year, with AI playing a significant role in the increase.

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince warned that additional serious security problems have already been identified in widely used software. He expects organizations to face sustained pressure as AI tools expose weaknesses throughout the internet’s underlying infrastructure.

“I think we’re going to have a couple years where every single week it’s going to feel like the sky is falling,” Prince said.

The consequences were visible this week when security concerns involving PHP, a programming language used by numerous websites, prompted operators to take protective measures. Some organizations temporarily shut down websites rather than risk leaving vulnerable systems accessible while patches were being prepared.

The PHP issue emerged alongside several other cybersecurity incidents. Researchers reported flaws involving Node.js and Plex, while security breaches affected LiteLLM, an AI-related service, and Railway, a software development platform. Separately, concerns surrounding the strength of a cryptographic key used by Indian digital certificate provider eMudhra raised questions about potential risks to online security.

Patrick Garrity of VulnCheck said the concentration of incidents suggested that organizations should prepare for additional urgent security responses.

“If we just saw four or five things like this, this week, I would expect we’re going to see a lot more,” Garrity said. “I think there’s going to be a lot more fire drills for anything that’s internet exposed.”

Hackers and Defenders Face a Faster Race

Software vulnerabilities can emerge in almost any part of a complex computer system. Finding them and developing a reliable way to exploit them traditionally required substantial expertise and time, sometimes giving security teams weeks or months to install fixes.

AI is reducing that advantage. Automated analysis can examine large software projects continuously, helping researchers uncover flaws more quickly. The same technology may also allow attackers to develop exploitation methods at a much faster pace.

Shane Fry, chief technology officer at RunSafe Security, said recent advances have demonstrated how dramatically AI could change the timing of cyberattacks and defensive responses.

“What’s fundamentally, and unquestionably, changing is the timescale for not only finding vulnerabilities, but how quickly adversaries can weaponize them,” Fry said.

For companies responsible for critical online services, the challenge is no longer simply identifying weaknesses. They must also determine which flaws pose immediate danger and deploy effective fixes before malicious actors can take advantage of them.

More Vulnerabilities Do Not Guarantee More Attacks

Cybersecurity specialists agree that AI is compressing the time available to respond to emerging threats, but they remain divided over whether the technology will inevitably produce a major increase in successful hacking incidents.

Daniel Stenberg, who leads development of the curl file-transfer software, has argued that some AI-discovered flaws are technically complicated and difficult to exploit. Ramy Rahman of cybersecurity company ArmorCode has also emphasized that identifying more weaknesses does not necessarily translate into more successful intrusions.

“more disclosed vulnerabilities do not automatically mean more successful attacks.”

The PHP vulnerability offered an example of that distinction. Hunt.io, a threat intelligence firm, observed attempts to exploit the weakness, while Amazon and Cloudflare also reported aggressive activity surrounding the issue.

However, Hunt.io research chief Esteban Borges said that, as of Thursday afternoon, the cybercriminals he was tracking did not appear to have developed a functioning exploitation tool for the vulnerability.

Cloudflare’s Prince, meanwhile, said he had encountered anecdotal indications that some systems had been compromised in connection with the PHP flaw.

A Painful but Necessary Security Overhaul

The growing number of AI-assisted discoveries could lead to more emergency patches, temporary outages and increased pressure on technology teams. Nevertheless, Prince believes the long-term result could be a more secure internet, provided organizations address the weaknesses being exposed.

He likened the process to confronting hidden dangers inside a haunted house: discovering them may be frightening, but allowing them to remain concealed could be considerably worse.

“The reality is, we’re going to get a lot of this stuff cleaned up,” he said.

The central challenge for the cybersecurity industry will be ensuring that defenders can use AI to identify and repair vulnerabilities at least as effectively as attackers can use it to exploit them.

Austria announced on Friday that it was expelling four Russian diplomats stationed in Vienna over alleged conduct described as “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status,” a phrase commonly associated with suspected espionage.

In a statement, Austria’s Foreign Ministry said security authorities had uncovered findings that prompted action against the four officials. All were designated personae non gratae and instructed to leave the country.

Three of the diplomats were assigned to the Russian Embassy in Austria, while the fourth served at Russia’s delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), where military security and arms control are among the areas of responsibility.

Moscow intends to retaliate against the expulsions, Russian news agencies reported Friday, citing a Russian Foreign Ministry official. The official provided no further details about the planned response.

The latest decision raises the number of Russian diplomats expelled by Austria since 2020 to 18. Although Austria maintains a policy of military neutrality, its government has politically supported Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Austria generally refrains from publicly detailing the evidence behind diplomatic expulsions. However, following a previous round of removals in May, when three Russian diplomats were ordered out, officials cited an “antenna forest” on the rooftops of Russian diplomatic properties that could potentially be used for intelligence-gathering activities.

Vienna Remains a Major International Intelligence Hub

Vienna hosts numerous international institutions, including the OSCE and United Nations bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, making the Austrian capital an important center for diplomacy.

Major powers, including Russia and the United States, frequently maintain separate diplomatic representatives in Austria, at the OSCE and at UN organizations. These officials operate through distinct embassies or missions.

The city has also carried a long-standing reputation as a center of espionage. Divided into Allied-controlled sectors following World War II, Vienna developed into a strategic location for intelligence operations. Its concentration of foreign diplomats provides opportunities for intelligence personnel to work under diplomatic cover and benefit from diplomatic immunity.

France is preparing a major security operation ahead of demonstrations scheduled for tomorrow, with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announcing that 70,000 security personnel will be mobilized across the country. The deployment is intended to maintain public order and respond to potential incidents during the protests.

Nunez said authorities are concerned about calls circulating on social media that encourage looting, violence and attacks against public buildings. He specifically pointed to activity attributed to far-left groups, warning that officials are taking the threats seriously as they prepare for the demonstrations.

“Look at social media: There have been calls from the far-left to target public buildings. We are not talking about a nice protest,” Nunez tells reporters. “We are ready tomorrow to be extremely firm and not tolerate anything.”

The planned mobilization reflects the government’s determination to prevent demonstrations from escalating into widespread disorder. Security personnel will be deployed throughout France as authorities seek to protect public property, maintain order and respond to any violence that may occur.

Nunez’s remarks signal a firm approach by the Interior Ministry, particularly in response to threats directed at public buildings. Officials are preparing for the possibility that some participants could engage in unlawful activity, although the minister’s warnings do not establish that violence will necessarily occur.

The demonstrations come amid continuing public tensions in France, where previous protests over the high cost of living have been accompanied by property damage. The authorities now face the challenge of allowing demonstrations to take place while preventing violence, looting and attacks on public infrastructure.

With 70,000 security personnel set to be mobilized, the government is preparing for a substantial nationwide security operation. Nunez has made clear that authorities intend to respond decisively to any unrest during tomorrow’s protests.

Lawyers representing Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, say they may need until 2029 to prepare for trial. The defense is asking for an extended timeline, arguing that the case requires extensive preparation.

Attorneys representing Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, sharply criticized the proposed schedule on Thursday, calling it “absurd” and accusing Robinson of attempting to delay the proceedings.

Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf has scheduled a hearing for Friday afternoon to determine when the trial should begin.

Robinson has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in connection with Kirk’s killing last year. Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, was addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University when he was fatally shot. Robinson, who was 23 at the time, surrendered to authorities the following day. His defense team has not presented an alternative explanation for Kirk’s death. If found guilty, Robinson could face capital punishment.

Prosecutors in Utah County told the court they expect the trial to last approximately 17 weeks and anticipate being prepared by October 2027. To avoid holding proceedings over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, however, they recommended starting the trial on January 31, 2028.

Jeffrey Neiman, an attorney for Erika Kirk, argued that the proceedings should begin as early as October 2027, the earliest date prosecutors have proposed.

“Under the Defendants’ proposed schedule, Mr. Kirk’s two children, who were one and three at the time he was murdered, will be six and eight years old by the time the trial concludes,” Neiman wrote. “They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives.”

Robinson’s attorneys countered in court documents filed this week that prosecutors have provided tens of thousands of files that must be reviewed before the defense can adequately prepare.

The lawyers also said they need to investigate Robinson’s background extensively to identify potential mitigating circumstances that could affect sentencing if he is convicted. They cited jury selection and other complex legal matters as issues requiring “substantial time.”

The defense team said it appreciated the judge’s effort to establish a “realistic trial date.” However, the attorneys argued that determining a reliable timeline for a complicated capital murder case remains difficult. Predicting when the case will be ready for trial, they wrote in a filing Wednesday, “is an exercise that, at this time, will necessarily be infected with false precision.”

PARIS, October 23, 2026 — France is bracing for a potentially damaging credit assessment from Moody’s as political instability, public demonstrations and mounting government debt complicate efforts to restore financial stability.

The ratings agency is expected to announce its decision after U.S. markets close on Friday. Financial analysts widely anticipate that France could lose one level from its current Aa3 rating, which has been under a negative outlook since October 2025.

Such a move would put Moody’s in agreement with S&P Global Ratings and Fitch, which have already downgraded France. The country’s financial troubles have been compounded by the political stalemate that followed the 2024 snap election, leaving the government struggling to assemble parliamentary support for its fiscal plans.

Although a single downgrade would not threaten France’s investment-grade status, additional reductions could have wider consequences. Some institutional investors face restrictions on holding lower-rated debt, potentially reducing demand for French government bonds and their acceptance as financial collateral.

France’s borrowing costs have already risen above those of certain countries with weaker credit ratings, including Italy. Investors are weighing the country’s substantial budget shortfall against the uncertainty surrounding next year’s presidential election, scheduled for April 18 and May 2. Polling suggests that a far-right victory is a possibility.

The political climate has further complicated efforts to reduce public spending. Demonstrations over living costs and school funding escalated into disorder and looting last weekend, illustrating the potential public backlash against austerity measures.

Financial markets have reacted to the growing uncertainty. On Thursday, the premium investors demand to hold French debt rather than German government bonds reached its highest point in 15 years. France’s 10-year government bond yield rose to 5.14%, a level not seen since July 2002.

Investors Focus on Moody’s Longer-Term Assessment

Because a downgrade is already widely expected, market participants are likely to pay particular attention to the agency’s guidance on future rating decisions, according to Rushabh Amin, a portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments.

Moody’s indicated earlier in October that the government’s ability to manage a deeply divided parliament would be an important consideration in determining France’s future credit standing. The latest wave of protests has raised further doubts about whether political agreement can be reached.

Demonstrations initially centered on concerns about inadequate school funding before expanding into broader cost-of-living unrest. The government has declined to increase school spending or raise the minimum wage, while additional protests are planned for Saturday.

Budget negotiations have also exposed the government’s limited room for maneuver. Lawmakers in the National Assembly’s lower house have stripped out several proposed savings measures from the 2027 spending plan. Officials are seeking to reduce the deficit to 5% of gross domestic product, compared with an estimated 5.4% this year.

Opposition parties have shown little willingness to support compromises before the presidential contest. Several have resisted spending reductions while advocating additional government outlays, making the proposed fiscal adjustment more difficult to achieve.

Amin said investors would be watching how political developments unfold in the months leading up to the election, adding that the evolving outlook could have a greater effect on the gap between French and German borrowing costs than an anticipated ratings decision.

The risks could become more serious if all three major agencies eventually lower France’s rating to BBB following the presidential election. That level remains investment grade but sits just above speculative, or junk, territory. A move into that category could trigger mandatory bond sales by funds whose investment rules prohibit holdings below specified credit thresholds.

Mike Bell of RBC BlueBay Asset Management warned that such a scenario could create a more severe period of market pressure.

“That’s where it could really start to get more ugly,” he added.

Degel Hatorah leader, Slabodka Rosh Yeshivah, Hagaon Reb Dov Lando Shlita, launched a sharp attack Thursday evening on the Chareidi Public Party (HaTzibur HaChareidi), the new list running against United Torah Judaism in the upcoming Knesset elections, declaring that its members are not truly Chareidi.

Speaking on Thursday night, Reb Dov stressed that voters have a major obligation to cast their ballots for UTJ, which runs under the letter Gimmel.

He then turned his attention to the competing lists. “There are those who say there are other Chareidi lists — they only cause harm. Woe to them, woe to them.”

“I am saying it. Because they only cause harm, they won’t receive anything, they will only do damage, and they are certainly hired hands of the left,” Reb Dov continued. “A Chareidi Jew cannot do this. Even if they put on tefillin, they are not Chareidim.”

He added: “I am saying harsh words. Perhaps I should have said it even more harshly.”

Turkey is awaiting a sales agreement and a proposed training plan from Qatar as Ankara pursues the acquisition of additional Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, according to a statement issued by Turkey’s Defense Ministry on Thursday.

Turkey and Britain, both NATO members, finalized an agreement last year for 20 Typhoon fighters. The deal was intended to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries and improve Turkey’s air defense capabilities. Ankara is also seeking another 24 aircraft from Qatar and Oman, although negotiations over those additional jets have moved forward slowly.

Under arrangements linked to Britain’s agreement with Turkey, Qatar and Oman are permitted to transfer some of their existing Typhoon aircraft to Ankara. However, any such transfer would require a separate sales contract.

During its weekly briefing, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said negotiations with Qatar were ongoing. Turkish and Qatari officials held discussions in August and September to address technical requirements and logistical arrangements associated with the proposed acquisition.

The discussions covered the number of fighter jets and ammunition Turkey intends to obtain, alongside training requirements for pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel.

The ministry said: “It is expected for Qatar to prepare the draft training program and the sales contract to be sent to our country,” it said.

Turkey Expands Defense Cooperation With Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia

Turkey signed a defense cooperation agreement with Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia on Wednesday, seeking to strengthen military capabilities through closer collaboration, including joint development and production initiatives.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry also announced an increase in the country’s defense budget for 2027. The additional funding is intended to support ongoing domestic defense industry programs, including air defense systems, military platforms, development of Turkey’s homegrown KAAN fighter jet, drone projects and naval shipbuilding.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has received the European Union’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced, as the court faces continued pressure from the United States.

“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognises the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,” Metsola told lawmakers in Strasbourg.

President Donald Trump’s administration has maintained a confrontational stance toward the ICC, previously imposing sanctions on several of its prosecutors and judges.

Washington’s opposition stems partly from arrest warrants the court issued for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US has also objected to an earlier ICC investigation into alleged actions by American troops in Afghanistan, a probe the court has since closed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied claims that US President Donald Trump prevented Israel from launching another attack on Iran earlier this month, disputing a report that Washington opposed renewed hostilities ahead of the American midterm elections.

“That report is incorrect,” Netanyahu told Channel 7 when asked about the Financial Times report. He declined to disclose the details of his recent discussions with Trump concerning Iran.

According to three people familiar with the situation who spoke to the British newspaper on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces had been prepared to launch attacks during the weekend of October 10. The reported targets included Iranian nuclear facilities, sites associated with the regime, and civilian infrastructure such as power and energy installations.

The sources, who were not identified, claimed Trump decided against restarting the conflict before the November 3 US midterm elections. Netanyahu is also approaching a crucial political test, with Israel scheduled to hold its Knesset election on Tuesday as he faces a difficult campaign for reelection.

Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran have largely stagnated in recent months, with Iran’s nuclear program remaining the central point of contention. Tehran insists its nuclear activities are intended for peaceful purposes. However, Iran has enriched uranium to levels well beyond typical civilian requirements, restricted access for international inspectors, and continued developing its ballistic missile capabilities.

Senior European and Middle Eastern diplomats are scheduled to meet in Istanbul on Friday for discussions initiated by Turkey, according to a source within the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Participants will include representatives from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, alongside leading European officials.

Foreign ministers from the E3 grouping: Britain, France and Germany will meet their counterparts from the recently established R4 group. According to the Turkish source, the agenda includes the Palestinian issue, the latest developments in Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as diplomatic efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end.

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s Finance Ministry says it is enforcing existing sanctions related to Iran and supports measures aimed at strengthening efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

The announcement follows a statement from the US Treasury Department a day earlier that it had sanctioned Karnakis & Karnakis, a law firm operating in Greece and Panama. US officials allege that the firm has provided legal services to Iranian shipping networks for several years.

The US Treasury also announced that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network had issued an administrative subpoena as part of an investigation involving an unnamed Greek bank.

Greece’s Finance Ministry said it had reviewed the US Treasury’s announcement and confirmed that “all available information is being evaluated, and appropriate measures are being taken in accordance with established procedures and applicable national, EU, and international law.”

El Al on Monday unveiled a sweeping upgrade of its in-flight experience, from new bedding in every cabin to luxury amenity kits and a personalized entertainment system, with the changes set to roll out gradually beginning in November.

El Al’s new travel experience on display.

In a partnership with Israeli textile brand TAKEANAP, the airline will replace the blankets and pillows in economy, premium and business class with products developed specifically for El Al passengers, including blankets tailored to each cabin and soft, down-like pillows. Business class passengers will also receive memory foam pillows with cooling technology, and on flights to North America El Al says it will become the first Israeli airline to offer a mattress topper, a soft layer fitted over the seat. Pajamas, slippers and a calming fragrance spray complete the new business class sleep kit.

The new sleep kit developed with TAKEANAP.

The pajamas in the new TAKEANAP sleep set for business class. Photo: El Al Spokesperson

Premium cabin passengers will receive new amenity kits in what the airline says is the first collaboration of its kind with British fragrance brand Jo Malone London. The kits come in some ten colors and include socks, an eye mask and hygiene products, alongside a velvet pouch with the brand’s skincare and fragrance items. On long-haul business class flights, the kit will also include perfume and hand and body cream, and Jo Malone scents will be introduced into the aircraft cabin itself.

The new Jo Malone London amenity kit for premium classes. Photo: El Al Spokesperson

The food is changing too. Under chef Assaf Granit, economy passengers on short-haul flights to Europe will be able to choose between a sandwich and a poke bowl, while premium cabins get new protein-rich menus developed with a nutritionist, nutritional information displayed next to each dish, and a dessert cart. On long-haul flights, passengers will be served chocolates developed for El Al by De Karina, a boutique chocolatier from Ein Zivan in northern Israel.

The De Karina chocolate display.

The new poke bowl that will be served in economy on short-haul flights. Photo: El Al Spokesperson

A new in-flight entertainment system will offer personal recommendations based on viewing preferences and let passengers resume a movie from where they stopped on a previous flight. Passengers will also be able to log into their Matmid frequent flyer account directly from the seatback screen, and the system will include a dedicated category for religious passengers and a new children’s interface.

The new entertainment system connects to the passenger’s frequent flyer account. Photo: El Al Spokesperson

The airline’s app will add a “travel mode” that activates 48 hours before departure with live updates on the phone screen, and a new AI-based service representative named Ella will answer passenger questions and help retrieve booking information. Free Starlink satellite internet is planned to begin rolling out on equipped aircraft in 2027.

“The expansion of the premium products we are launching today is intended to provide additional value to customers, strengthen their loyalty, and maintain the company’s standards over time,” said Nadav Hanin, El Al’s vice president of marketing and digital.

Iran’s state broadcaster claimed on Wednesday that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to discuss the conflict with the United States and Israel, but released no photos or video of the purported meeting.

According to state broadcaster IRIB, Ghalibaf and Khamenei reviewed developments in the “military, economic and cognitive warfare” waged by the US and Israel against Iran. The two also discussed cooperation between the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament on addressing Iran’s economic difficulties and advancing ties with the country’s strategic partners. State TV did not say when or where the meeting took place, and the report could not be independently verified.

Khamenei has not made a single public appearance since becoming supreme leader on March 8, following the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes on February 28. Senior sources have said he suffered facial disfigurement and other injuries in the strike.

Since taking office, Khamenei has communicated primarily through written statements read out on state media. Iranian outlets have released short video clips of him, but without dates or locations. Pezeshkian has said he met Khamenei twice since March, including an August meeting that lasted more than seven hours.

Washington is getting ready to send some of its diplomats and their families home from American embassies across the Gulf, according to three US officials who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.

The State Department is preparing what is known as an “ordered departure” — a mandatory drawdown of personnel and dependents. Two of the officials said the decision is driven by concern that fighting could flare up again, with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen named as the primary worry.

Saudi Arabia may see the most sweeping step. According to two of the officials, the order could extend to every staff member and family at the US Mission there.

Earlier Wednesday, the US Embassy in Riyadh put out a security alert cautioning that the Houthis may launch more attacks on the kingdom. The warning follows a string of recent deadly strikes, some of which hit the area around Riyadh’s airport.

The State Department has not yet formally announced the order.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday offered Amcha Yisrael leader Ofer Winter a ministerial post in the Defense Ministry from his Religious Zionism party’s share, on condition that Winter withdraw from next Tuesday’s election.

“I will give up a ministerial position allocated to my party for you if you withdraw and do not endanger the right,” Smotrich said.

The offer comes amid mounting pressure from right-wing parties on Winter to exit the race over concerns that his run will waste right-wing votes if his party falls short of the electoral threshold. As Belaaz first reported, Netanyahu is seeking the help of Rav Dovid Abuhatzeira, the mekubal of Nahariya, to press Winter to quit the race.

Winter has said he has no intention of dropping out. His party has polled below the 3.25% electoral threshold in recent surveys.

With less than a week to go before the election, pressure from right-wing parties on Ofer Winter to drop out of the race is mounting. Belaaz has learned that in the past few hours, the Prime Minister’s Office has also been working to recruit Rav Dovid Abuhatzeira, the mekubal of Nahariya and one of the rabbonim Winter follows, to instruct him to withdraw.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Bezalel Smotrich met with Rabbi Eli Sadan, Winter’s rabbi, in an effort to get him to direct Winter to pull out of the race, or, at the very least, to publicly call on voters not to support him. Sources who were present at the meeting told Belaaz that Netanyahu presented the rabbi with a number of “dramatic events on the agenda in the near future.”

Last week, Belaaz reported that Netanyahu had also tried to meet with Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, whose shiurim Winter attends, but the rabbi refused to meet with him.

Today, Smotrich issued a statement saying he is prepared to give up a ministerial post in the Defense Ministry from his Religious Zionism party’s share in favor of Winter. “I will give up a ministerial position allocated to my party for you if you withdraw and do not endanger the right,” Smotrich said.

Winter, a retired IDF brigadier general, launched his right-wing party, Amcha Yisrael, in August. He has said the party is part of the right-wing camp and will recommend only Netanyahu for prime minister, but Likud fears his run will waste right-wing votes if it falls short of the electoral threshold. His party has polled below the 3.25% electoral threshold in recent surveys, and he has said he has no intention of dropping out.

Police have arrested a suspect after a man left a fetus with no signs of life at the entrance to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and fled on Wednesday.

Jerusalem District police were called to the hospital after a report of the incident. The investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel’s military to prepare a major attack on Iran for the weekend of October 10, but President Donald Trump opposed restarting the war before the U.S. midterm elections, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

According to the FT, the planned multi-day campaign would have targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and regime sites, as well as civilian infrastructure including power plants, and would have been more intense than the U.S.-Israeli strikes in February. The report said it was unclear whether the U.S. would have joined or Israel would have acted alone.

The sources said Trump decided not to resume the fighting before the November 3 midterms. One source told the FT it was “not an unreasonable scenario” for strikes to restart in the coming weeks, after both the U.S. and Israeli elections. Another source said, “There will either be a deal or an attack.”

One source suggested the planned strikes could have been part of a negotiating tactic and said any decision to restart the fighting rested with Trump. The Pentagon did not comment, according to the FT.

The Jerusalem Post, citing sources, reported Wednesday that the IDF was not planning a strike on Iran on October 10 and that no government official had told the military to prepare an attack of the kind ordered before previous rounds with Iran. The Post’s sources said the IDF has been on a war footing several times in recent months, including around October 7.

The report comes two days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel and met with Netanyahu. On October 9, Trump said the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterms. Israel holds its own election next Tuesday.

The report follows Belaaz’s earlier coverage. On October 8, Belaaz first reported that Israel had raised its alert level and stepped up security preparations for a possible Iranian attack. On October 16, Belaaz reported that Israeli Air Force jets had been airborne for a fifth straight night, armed and ready for a possible Iranian strike.

Europe’s ability to manufacture its own essential antibiotics is under growing pressure as inexpensive Chinese products challenge the continent’s last major facility capable of producing penicillin through the entire manufacturing process. The Sandoz plant in Kundl, Austria, has become a focal point in the debate over pharmaceutical independence, industrial competitiveness and the risks of relying on foreign suppliers for critical medicines.

Chinese manufacturers can produce penicillin and its ingredients at significantly lower costs, benefiting European healthcare systems seeking to control spending. But the price competition threatens the long-term viability of the Austrian factory, which also produces key active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Following the closure or relocation of other European facilities, Kundl has assumed greater strategic importance. Sandoz is now seeking European Union action over what it considers unfair Chinese pricing practices. The company argues that the plant cannot remain commercially viable without stronger support from governments and policymakers.

Site manager Stephanie Jedner warned that shutting down the facility would leave Europe “would be fully dependent” on China for this essential production capability.

China’s growing influence over antibiotic supplies

Penicillin, discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, remains a crucial treatment for serious bacterial infections. Yet Europe increasingly relies on overseas manufacturing for the ingredients used in its antibiotic supply.

Eurostat figures show that China’s share of European Union imports of penicillins and related products climbed from 44% in 2019 to 86% in 2025. Over the same broader period, European exports of these products fell substantially from their early-2000s highs.

The shift reflects China’s broader expansion into advanced manufacturing, including industries once strongly associated with European producers. Growing trade imbalances between China and the EU have intensified pressure on European leaders to protect domestic companies and preserve strategically important industrial capacity.

In evidence submitted to British lawmakers, Sandoz argued that maintaining European production would be difficult without higher prices for penicillin. The company also warned that concentrated control over antibiotic ingredients could create strategic vulnerabilities comparable to Europe’s dependence on China for critical minerals.

Sandoz cautioned that “Antibiotic supply could feasibly become a tool of economic ​coercion or hybrid warfare, particularly during periods of diplomatic tension,” highlighting concerns that pharmaceutical supplies could become entangled in geopolitical disputes.

Could medicines become a bargaining chip?

China’s position as a leading supplier of pharmaceutical ingredients has raised concerns among European security and trade specialists. Sandoz estimates that as much as 90% of global antibiotic active ingredients are produced outside Europe, primarily in China or in India using Chinese chemicals.

Tim Rühlig, a China analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, said China’s influence over these supplies deserves serious attention because its economic strength could provide leverage in disputes with other countries.

Any attempt to restrict pharmaceutical exports could damage China’s reputation as a dependable supplier. However, concerns have persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic, when Chinese economist Daokui Li suggested that access to active pharmaceutical ingredients could become part of trade negotiations.

A US official based in China also told Reuters, speaking anonymously, that Chinese representatives had raised the possibility of suspending exports of certain pharmaceutical ingredients in retaliation for trade-related actions.

China’s foreign ministry said disagreements with the European Union should be addressed through negotiations and consultation. Responding to questions from Reuters, it stated, “China consistently opposes all forms of trade protectionism,” while defending the country’s approach to international commerce.

European pharmaceutical experts warn that losing domestic production capacity could leave the region exposed during another pandemic, an international conflict or a major disruption to global supply chains.

“It would seriously compromise Europe’s ability to cope with a health crisis,” said Bostjan Ceh, a business development executive at Slovenia-based pharmaceutical research and development company Labena.

The vulnerability became particularly apparent after the pandemic, when European governments began reconsidering their dependence on Asian medical suppliers. In 2022, shortages of amoxicillin emerged across Europe amid a surge in respiratory infections.

The European Commission subsequently approved €28.3 million in support for the Kundl facility’s expansion in 2023. The project increased production capacity by 20%, following an earlier investment of €200 million that included €50 million in public funding.

High European production costs undermine competitiveness

At the Kundl factory, employees use fermentation processes to manufacture penicillin from cultivated mould. The complex industrial operation requires substantial energy and a skilled workforce.

Sandoz manufacturing executive Cecile Stolz demonstrated the biological process used to produce the antibiotic, tracing its origins to Fleming’s discovery. Although Europe once played a leading role in penicillin production, China’s industrial development has dramatically changed the competitive landscape.

Rühlig attributed China’s advantage to a combination of lower labour costs, government subsidies, less restrictive environmental requirements and investment by international pharmaceutical companies seeking cheaper production.

The Austrian facility employs more than 2,000 people, but its energy requirements create a substantial cost disadvantage. International Energy Agency data indicate that electricity prices for energy-intensive industries in the EU averaged nearly 50% above Chinese levels in 2025.

Jedner said the factory consumes an amount of energy comparable to the nearby city of Innsbruck, which has more than 130,000 residents. The site operates alongside businesses associated with former Sandoz parent company Novartis and chemical producer BASF.

Despite rising energy expenses, European penicillin prices have remained stagnant or declined, making it increasingly difficult for the Austrian operation to compete with lower-cost imports.

Sandoz seeks EU action against alleged dumping

Sandoz says European purchasing policies compound the problem by prioritizing the lowest-priced medicines rather than considering the importance of maintaining multiple reliable sources of supply.

The company argues that Chinese manufacturers are selling active pharmaceutical ingredients below their production costs, supported by government subsidies. In March, Sandoz submitted a complaint to the European Commission requesting an investigation into China’s position in the antibiotic market.

EU trade officials, European policymakers and China specialists told Reuters that an anti-dumping investigation could begin soon, although the timing remained uncertain because of a backlog of cases.

European duties on Chinese products are considered a possible outcome as Brussels takes a tougher position on trade practices. Of 23 ongoing EU investigations involving anti-dumping or subsidies, only three did not identify China as a sole or joint target, according to the reporting.

The European Commission declined to comment on the case.

Tariffs are not the only option available to European policymakers. Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic recently announced an arrangement with Beijing intended to limit exports of Chinese hybrid vehicles without imposing additional tariffs, illustrating the EU’s willingness to pursue negotiated solutions.

China maintains that its industrial subsidies comply with World Trade Organization rules and argues that protectionist policies can damage international supply chains.

Sandoz warns that cheap medicines carry hidden risks

Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor argues that the economic value of essential medicines should be reflected more adequately in their prices. He says manufacturers operating in Europe face an unsustainable situation when production costs rise but selling prices remain under pressure.

“I find it upsetting that we sell a pack of antibiotics more cheaply than a packet of Ricola in Switzerland or a Mars Bar in the UK,” he told Reuters. “We take a lot of these things for granted – ​and we take them for granted until they’re no longer around.”

The dispute highlights a difficult policy choice for Europe: inexpensive imports can help governments manage healthcare budgets, but excessive dependence on a limited number of foreign suppliers could create serious problems during a supply crisis.

For Kundl, the outcome could determine whether Europe retains an important part of its pharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure or becomes even more dependent on Asian production.

The wider debate is about more than the price of antibiotics. It concerns whether Europe is willing to pay enough to maintain domestic manufacturing capacity for medicines that could become indispensable during a future emergency.

Iran reportedly targeted a Kurdistan Freedom Party position in northern Iraq, marking another attack on Iranian Kurdish opposition groups as Tehran presses Baghdad to expel them.

Iran launched another attack against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups on Wednesday, reportedly striking a position linked to the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in the Balisan Valley, northeast of Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

Rebaz Sharifi, a PAK spokesperson, told Rudaw that “between two and four projectiles targeted the group’s positions at around 9:30 am near the village of Hasanawa, in the Balisan mountains.” He confirmed that no casualties were reported.

A security source also confirmed the attack and said Iran may have used two Hadid-110 drones, although that assessment remains unverified.

“At least one strike hit the western side of Bani Harir mountain 70km northeast of Erbil, according to a resident of a nearby village,” Rudaw reported.

The strike follows recent Iranian attacks on other Kurdish opposition organizations, including the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), Komala, and Khabat. Tehran has also intensified pressure on Baghdad to remove these groups from Iraqi territory.

Iran presses Baghdad to expel opposition groups

Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammed Kazem Al-e Sadegh, said Wednesday that Tehran and Baghdad had reached an understanding under which Iraq would expel Kurdish Iranian opposition groups.

The groups have rejected the reported arrangement, while Iraq’s National Security Council did not mention such an agreement in its recent meetings. An Iraqi source also denied that an expulsion deal had been reached.

The latest developments come amid a broader campaign of Iranian drone and missile attacks against opposition groups based in northern Iraq. Since February 2026, Iran has carried out more than 1,000 attacks in the Kurdistan Region, according to the article.

On October 17, two drones launched from Iran struck a Komala base in the Balisan area of Erbil province, Rudaw reported. One hit the base and another struck a guard post, damaging buildings without causing casualties.

On October 12, the PDKI reported that an Iranian drone had targeted its Azadi Camp near Koya, where relatives of party members live. The group said it was the third attack on the camp in two weeks. On October 8, a drone also struck a residential compound in the Khabat district north of Erbil, with no casualties reported.

Kurdish opposition groups maintain resistance

PAK has operated from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region for decades and advocates Kurdish self-determination. Its fighters joined Kurdish Peshmerga forces in battles against ISIS in Iraq.

In February 2026, PAK joined the PDKI, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, and a Komala faction to announce a new coalition. A second Komala branch joined later.

Iran has also stepped up operations against PJAK inside Iran, targeting the Shaho mountains and areas near the border in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) told Rudaw that “the party would not lay down its weapons or abandon its struggle for Kurdish rights, rejecting Tehran’s demands the same day after Iran claimed Baghdad had agreed to expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups or hand them over to the Islamic Republic.”

The continued strikes and conflicting statements over a possible expulsion agreement underscore the growing tensions between Tehran, Baghdad, and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operating in northern Iraq.

A commercial tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile off Oman’s coast on Wednesday, triggering a fire near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, according to a British maritime security agency.

The vessel was approximately 11 nautical miles (about 20 kilometers) from the coastal town of Bukha when the incident occurred. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported that the tanker had subsequently anchored.

“All crew are reported as safe. There is no reported environmental impact at this time,” the agency said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized comments from international leaders about the unrest in France, calling their remarks “unacceptable and stupid” as protests and riots continue to draw international attention.

Speaking to reporters in Doha, Macron said he had seen no clear evidence of foreign governments directly intervening in the events unfolding in France. However, he accused outside actors of spreading manipulated information that had prompted inappropriate reactions from several figures, including foreign heads of state.

Macron said France did not need foreign politicians “using our problems for their election campaigns,” arguing that domestic unrest should not be exploited for political advantage abroad.

The French president did not identify any foreign leaders specifically.

His comments followed an interview with i24News on Tuesday in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described France as facing an “invasion of extremist Islam.” The remarks came after large demonstrations over economic hardship reportedly escalated into violent confrontations over the weekend.

Netanyahu argued that French authorities had failed to adequately prepare for the unrest and attributed the violence to radicalized Muslims. His assessment came amid demonstrations involving people from a broad cross-section of French society in several major cities, including Paris.

US President Donald Trump has also weighed in, linking the unrest to immigration from Muslim-majority countries and criticizing European border policies.

“If Europe doesn’t close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished,” Trump said. “When I look at France, when you look at Italy, when you look at all the turmoil and the hatred that’s not about school. That’s about people coming into the countries that hate the country.”

The release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old US citizen detained in Russia for more than four years, marks a new development in Washington’s efforts to secure the freedom of Americans held by Moscow. US envoy Steve Witkoff announced Hubbard’s release during diplomatic discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.

Hubbard, a retired educator from Michigan, had been designated by the US government as wrongfully detained. President Donald Trump had reportedly brought the case to Putin’s attention earlier in the week.

During their meeting, Witkoff conveyed the American administration’s appreciation for the decision, emphasizing that Hubbard would be able to reunite with his relatives. Putin indicated that the American was at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, where arrangements for his departure were underway.

US officials had signaled before Witkoff’s trip that securing Hubbard’s release was among the issues they intended to raise. The State Department had not yet provided a further public response at the time of the original report.

Hubbard spent years living overseas while working as an English teacher. He settled in Izyum, eastern Ukraine, in 2014. The city later came under Russian control following the expansion of the war in 2022.

Russian authorities accused Hubbard of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in exchange for monthly payment. Russian media reports put the alleged amount at roughly $1,000. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, strongly disputed the accusation.

Americans Still Detained in Russia

Hubbard’s departure comes amid continuing concerns about other US citizens held in Russian prisons. Robert Gilman, a former Marine, was released in August on humanitarian grounds after concerns arose about his deteriorating health. He returned to America aboard a medical transport aircraft. Advocates working on his case alleged that he had suffered torture during his imprisonment.

Other cases remain unresolved:

• Andre Khachatoorian: The American, who has Armenian heritage, was arrested in Moscow in 2021 while traveling toward Armenia. He received an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence in a case involving alleged arms trafficking, accusations he denies.
• David Barnes: Arrested in 2022, Barnes became involved in a case stemming from allegations made by his former wife after she took their children from Texas to Russia. The Foley Foundation says the abuse claims had previously been rejected by Texas authorities on two occasions.
• Aleksander Antonov: Born in the Soviet Union and later granted US citizenship, Antonov was detained in 2025 while attempting to enter Estonia from Russia. The Foley Foundation reports that authorities accused him of anti-Russian views and that he was sentenced to six years for offenses related to terrorism and extremism.
• Olga Jezler: A permanent US resident, Jezler was sentenced to a decade in prison in 2022 in a Russian drug case. Her advocates maintain that the substance involved was legal CBD oil she was bringing for her sister, who had breast cancer. They allege Russian authorities improperly identified it as hashish oil.
• Chuck Zimmerman: Supporters identify Zimmerman as a Navy veteran whose vessel was intercepted by Russian naval forces in international waters. Russian authorities charged him with arms trafficking after a firearm was reportedly found aboard.

After Gilman’s return, a US State Department representative expressed hope that his case would help advance the release of additional Americans detained in Russia.

Diplomatic Tensions Surround the Release

Hubbard’s release comes as international efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine continue amid disagreements between Washington and Kyiv. Relations between the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government have faced recent challenges involving intelligence cooperation, access to Starlink communications and the timing of military assistance.

Before arriving in Russia, Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also participated in efforts aimed at improving communication between the parties.

Although Hubbard’s release provides relief to his family, other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia. Their cases continue to pose a challenge for US diplomatic efforts as officials pursue negotiations with Moscow while addressing the broader conflict in Ukraine.

A Chabad rabbi who serves the Jewish community steps from Place de la République walked out of shul after Havdalah to find his car windows smashed and the vehicle burned out from the inside, after a Shabbos of fire and looting in the heart of Paris.

Rabbi Moshe Cohen, who has directed Beth Loubavitch Paris 11–République with his wife Tzipora since 2010, said security footage showed his car was torched during Shabbos, together with every other car parked on the street.

“You’ve never seen anything like this,” Rabbi Meir Shlomo Lubecki, who directs Chabad of the 3rd Arrondissement, a short walk from Place de la République, said. “Everything on the ground was torched: cars, shops, bicycles.”

The destruction came as nationwide anti-government demonstrations turned into some of France’s most destructive riots in decades. More than half a million people joined some 110 marches across the country on Shabbos, according to the Interior Ministry. Rioters vandalized roughly 1,500 shops, at least 3,000 businesses were pillaged, nearly 2,400 people were arrested, and localized curfews were extended.

Much of the Paris violence converged on Place de la République, near which several Chabad emissaries live, daven and serve the local community. Cohen said that when he returned to shul at 6 p.m., new groups from outside the area had taken over the streets. “They organized themselves in groups of 10, with Molotov cocktails,” he said. “Baruch Hashem, they were busy with the police and nothing happened to us.”

Lubecki said that during Kiddush on Shabbos morning, members of the Jewish community’s volunteer security service told everyone to go straight home immediately. Driving his family home after Shabbos, he said, “We ran every single red light. Everyone was running red lights because stopping the car was too dangerous.”

A synagogue in Paris’s 19th arrondissement was also vandalized during the riots, with rioters breaking in overnight and throwing Torah scrolls and furniture to the floor, Israel Hayom reported. No one was injured in that incident, and no arrests have been made.

Cohen was careful not to overstate the danger to Jews specifically. “It wasn’t about the Jews,” he said. “They were chasing what they wanted: shoes, phones, glasses. Jewish and non-Jewish businesses alike were hit.”

Both rabbis spent Sunday visiting Jewish shop owners whose businesses were burned or looted, and Cohen is organizing help to cover losses that insurance will not. He has also been distributing mezuzahs and encouraging community members to have theirs checked.

As France braces for possible further demonstrations this coming weekend, the Chabad emissaries of central Paris say they are not going anywhere. “Whatever our people need, we are here,” Cohen said. “It’s hashgachah pratit that we’re here, and we will continue to proudly do the Rebbe’s work.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must “complete the elimination of the Iranian regime,” and that he has discussed the issue with President Donald Trump “more than once, including the day before yesterday.”

Speaking at the opening of the academic year at the new Kiryat Shmona-Tel Hai University, near the Lebanon border, Netanyahu said Israel has “changed the picture from one end to the other” in the north – pushing back Hezbollah’s Radwan force, opening a new security zone, and destroying the terror group’s infrastructure above and below ground. “I am committed to finishing the job,” he stressed.

“Finishing the job means bringing down the terrorist regime in Iran. It is the head of this poisonous octopus. You cut it off, and it will fall. We will also have peace with Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime – that is the primary objective. I have spoken about this with President Trump more than once, including the day before yesterday.”

Netanyahu addressing students at the opening of the academic year at Kiryat Shmona-Tel Hai University (Video: GPO)

Netanyahu warned that as long as the Iranian regime remains in power, “even if it is battered, wounded and beaten, it is so fanatical that it will try again to do what it did a year ago, and which we stopped them from doing: producing nuclear bombs and rebuilding the ‘axis.'” “Therefore, the only way to prevent this is to bring down this regime, and then the elimination of Hezbollah will follow,” he said.

The ceremony marked the start of the first academic year at Kiryat Shmona-Tel Hai as Israel’s 11th research university, 21 years after the government decided to establish a university in the Galilee city. Nearly 5,000 students are beginning the year across its four faculties – up about 7% from last year – and roughly 20% of them served in the reserves during the war.

Netanyahu called the opening “a historic thing” and “a day of good tidings” for Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee, recalling his grandfather’s vision of Jewish settlement and steadfast endurance in the region, and urged the university to invest heavily in artificial intelligence. “This is our direction: security, transportation, higher education – it is everything,” he said.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) says it has carried out the largest cleanup of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in its 91-year history, correcting about 50 million records, according to the agency. SSA said the work covers nearly 15 percent of all active SSNs across approximately 330 million U.S. citizens, and the figure was also confirmed to Fox News.

As part of the effort, SSA said it added 17 million dates of death to records that previously lacked them, using internal SSA systems and Department of State data. Using data from the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) service, SSA updated approximately 25 million records that were missing citizenship information.

SSA said it is currently correcting an additional 8.5 million records with inaccurate citizenship status. It also said it has put stronger internal controls in place to prevent errors caused by manual data entry.

“The Social Security Number database is our country’s books and records,” SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said. “Accurate SSN records prevent fraud across federal programs and support the proper administration of benefits.”

SSA said the corrections have been made since the beginning of the Trump Administration, and that this is the first time the agency has undertaken a record-integrity initiative of this scale.

The IDF and Shin Bet carried out a strike on Monday in the Jabaliya area of the Gaza Strip, eliminating Tamer Mohammed Ibrahim al-Sabaa, a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas’s military wing.

According to the IDF and Shin Bet, al-Sabaa infiltrated Israeli territory and took part in the abduction of the late Shani Louk during the October 7 massacre.

In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet said his elimination “marks an important closing of the circle” for both organizations, adding that they “will continue to act forcefully against the terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre.”

According to the statement, “throughout the war, and particularly in recent times, the terrorist advanced terror plots against IDF forces and Israeli civilians and worked to rebuild the capabilities of the Hamas terror organization, while systematically violating the ceasefire. The terrorist was eliminated from the air in order to remove the threat he posed.”

According to the IDF, al-Sabaa was the last member of the cell that abducted Louk still at large. Five terrorists took part in the abduction: four have now been eliminated, and one was arrested and is imprisoned in Israel.

File photos: White House (Trump, Situation Room, June 2025); U.S. Department of Defense (Hegseth).

The Trump administration came “very close” to signing off on a strike against Iran at least once in recent weeks, according to a report citing several sources familiar with the matter.

The sources did not indicate that a strike was ultimately authorized, and the White House has not publicly commented on the report.

The report comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday, October 19, meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, according to Axios. Hegseth also met with U.S. troops at the base. Axios reported that the visit came amid U.S.-Israeli discussions about potentially resuming major combat operations against Iran.

REDDING, Calif. — Congressman James Gallagher is urging the FBI to launch a coordinated investigation into large-scale illegal marijuana cultivation operations in Siskiyou and Shasta counties, citing concerns about suspected transnational criminal networks. In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Gallagher requested a joint federal effort involving local sheriffs, Homeland Security Investigations and EPA Region 9 to investigate and dismantle the operations.

Illegal marijuana farms have spread throughout rural Northern California, with properties increasingly covered by rows of makeshift plastic greenhouses known as “hoop houses.” Communities have reported dwindling water resources, safety concerns and possible contamination affecting agricultural land.

A Siskiyou County Civil Grand Jury report from 2022 estimated that approximately 5,000 large-scale illegal cultivation sites existed in the county. Subsequent reports have suggested that the Mount Shasta Vista subdivision alone could contain as many as 7,000 illegal growers, with potential annual production valued at up to $2 billion.

“We can’t stand idly by as these criminals poison our water, destroy our land, and threaten the safety of rural families,” Gallagher said. “These illegal marijuana grows are run by transnational criminal organizations, some with suspected foreign financing, and they have no place in Northern California. The FBI must act now to support our sheriffs and bring these networks to justice.”

Authorities have also discovered illegal marijuana cultivation on federal property, including within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement eliminated more than 332,000 illegal marijuana plants and confiscated over 54,000 pounds of processed marijuana during 2025.

In his letter, Gallagher expressed concern that Chinese organized-crime groups could be financing or directing some of the cultivation operations. Investigators have reportedly found properties owned by individuals who live outside the county, while people managing the sites locally do not necessarily own them. Gallagher also cited a 2018 federal investigation in the Sacramento area that uncovered an organized marijuana trafficking operation financed through wire transfers originating in China’s Fujian Province. The case involved straw purchasers and led to civil forfeiture proceedings involving more than 100 properties.

Officials are also concerned about pesticides reportedly used at illegal cultivation sites. Investigators have identified highly toxic chemicals, including products banned in the United States and pesticides with Chinese-language labeling that may have entered the country unlawfully. Siskiyou County investigators have documented more than 27 different pesticides at these locations. Some can produce dangerous fumes when burned inside enclosed spaces.

The county’s concerns led the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors to declare a local state of emergency on July 1, 2025. EPA Region 9 subsequently issued a directive calling for investigations into the illegal importation and distribution of pesticides.

Gallagher is asking the FBI to have its Sacramento Field Office and Redding Resident Agency coordinate with the Siskiyou and Shasta County sheriff’s offices and Homeland Security Investigations. He also wants the bureau to work with EPA Region 9 on investigations involving illegal pesticides and provide Congress with information about federal efforts to address the problem in Northern California.

“The State of California has repeatedly turned a blind eye to the billion-dollar black market marijuana industry that has wreaked havoc on both Siskiyou County and across California,” Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said. “From weak legislation that all but greenlights illegal cultivation, to ignoring the environmental devastation and labor trafficking caused by these illicit industrial-scale operations, it is clear the State is unwilling to adequately combat this criminal enterprise.”

LaRue said his department has made more than 800 arrests and destroyed over 2 million contaminated marijuana plants during the past five years. He warned that without additional assistance from state and federal authorities, illegal cultivation networks could continue expanding with little interference.

“This is why the involvement of federal agencies, including the FBI and EPA is urgently needed to disrupt the transnational criminal networks supporting these illicit operations across the United States,” LaRue said. “I commend Congressman Gallagher for elevating the issue of illegal marijuana cultivation and advocating for a stronger response to a crisis that continues to threaten California’s communities, natural resources, and public safety.”

Shasta County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson said his county supports Siskiyou County’s efforts to oppose illegal marijuana cultivation and the criminal organizations allegedly financing it. Johnson also expressed interest in working with the FBI to uphold private property rights and protect Northern California’s natural resources.

A group of 42 Chabad Yeshiva Bochrim classified as draft deserters were arrested at Ben Gurion Airport as they stepped off a flight from New York, returning to Israel after a year of learning in Crown Heights.

The bochrim had arranged to fly in together on the same flight in an attempt to challenge the Military Police. But the Military Police had prepared in advance, with officers waiting for the group with minibuses to transfer them to a military trial.

When the proceedings ended, 27 of the bochrim, who announced they would agree to enlist, were released. The remaining 15 were sent to military prison to serve their sentences.

Apple has agreed to purchase as much as $100 million worth of titanium over three years from Pennsylvania-based Perryman Company, strengthening the technology giant’s efforts to increase manufacturing within the United States. The commitment was announced on October 20, 2026.

The agreement falls under Apple’s American Manufacturing Program and includes titanium intended for several products, among them the company’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo.

Perryman Company plans to process titanium at its Houston, Pennsylvania, facility through melting, forging and rolling. The material will contain at least 80% recycled content.

Apple is also broadening its collaboration with Qnity Electronics, a Delaware-based company. The expanded arrangement will include manufacturing films for the variable-aperture camera system planned for the iPhone 18 Pro.

According to Apple, nearly 100 components used in the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro will come from American manufacturers. The suppliers are located across more than a dozen states.

Other domestic manufacturing partnerships are also contributing to Apple’s production plans. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s Arizona facility is expected to manufacture more than 100 million chips for Apple during 2026. Meanwhile, Corning’s Kentucky plant is set to supply all the cover glass for iPhones and Apple Watches sold globally by the end of the year.

Apple introduced its American Manufacturing Program last year as part of a broader four-year commitment totaling $600 billion for U.S. manufacturing investments.

In August, the company opened an Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, Texas. The facility also produces Apple’s artificial intelligence servers, and Mac mini manufacturing is scheduled to begin there this year.

Defense minister calls initiative “Star Wars, made in Israel” as military appoints first space division chief, creates robotics command and revives armored brigade

The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that it had appointed its first commander for a newly created Space Division, a move intended to strengthen Israel’s military capabilities and operations in space.

According to the military, the new division will operate under the Planning Directorate. Its responsibilities will include developing military capabilities, overseeing operations, coordinating expertise and training, and establishing space warfare as a specialized military field.

The IDF said the decision followed its assessment that “the space domain has become an active combat domain and will become an increasingly expanding military arena in the coming years, with national significance.”

Brig. Gen. “Shin,” whose identity was disclosed only through his Hebrew initial, was appointed to lead the division Monday evening. His selection was part of a broader series of senior military personnel appointments announced by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

During the past year, the military also approved several space-related initiatives, including projects involving the use of space-based sensors to observe activity on Earth and the development of capabilities for combat in space.

Until now, space-related military responsibilities had largely fallen under the Israeli Air Force, officially known as the Air and Space Branch. Its duties have included satellite launches and ballistic missile defense.

Following launch, Israel’s reconnaissance satellites are operated by Unit 9900, a visual intelligence unit within the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The military announcement did not specify which existing responsibilities would be reassigned to the newly established Space Division.

Katz outlines Israel’s ambitions in space security

Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the creation of the division Tuesday morning, describing it as part of his broader effort to strengthen Israel’s position in space-related defense technology. He called the vision “Israel into a security space power: Star Wars, made in Israel.”

“The goal set for the IDF and the defense establishment is to make Israel one of the world’s leading countries in the field of space security,” Katz said.

Katz argued that the ability to monitor, protect and strike targets from space could strengthen Israel’s strategic standing and improve its ability to deter threats from nearby and distant adversaries.

He said the “ability to monitor, defend and attack from space any target across vast areas will cement Israel’s status as a regional and global power, deter near and distant enemies, and ensure our security for generations to come.”

The defense minister also pointed to potential economic benefits, saying that investment in military space technology could support domestic research, entrepreneurship and manufacturing while strengthening Israel’s civilian technology sector.

“Developing military capabilities in space will also inspire and provide a major boost to Israel’s industry and economy in the fields of development, entrepreneurship and manufacturing in leading global sectors, and will make Israel a technological and space nation in the civilian sphere as well,” Katz added.

Major powers pursue military capabilities in orbit

Military competition in space dates back to the earliest years of the space race. Following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957, the United States and the Soviet Union began investigating ways to protect their satellites and potentially disable those belonging to their rivals.

One early concern involved placing nuclear weapons in space. However, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by the major space powers and other countries, prohibited the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

Military competition has continued through other means. Russia, the United States, China and India have explored capabilities that could be used against satellites, which play important roles in military communications, surveillance and navigation.

According to the Israeli military, Iran has also been developing technology that could threaten satellites.

During the war earlier this year, the IDF said it had attacked and destroyed a space facility in Tehran involved in Iranian military space programs. The military said the site was connected to projects including the Chamran-1 satellite and the development of “capabilities to strike satellites, posing a threat to the State of Israel’s satellites and to space assets of other countries around the world.”

New robotics division and revived armored brigade

Zamir’s latest round of appointments also included the selection of a commander for a newly established Robotics Division.

Brig. Gen. “Yud” was named to lead the unit, which will operate under the Depth Corps. The corps is a specialized military formation associated with operations beyond Israel’s borders and has undergone a recent reorganization to focus on missions in what the military calls the “second circle,” including areas involving Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq.

Last month, Zamir announced that plans had been completed for a new military branch focused on unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. Monday’s announcement suggested that the initiative could initially take shape as a division within an existing senior military organization rather than immediately becoming a separate branch.

The IDF also announced that Lt. Col. “Resh” would be promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 500th Armored Brigade. The tank formation, which was disbanded in 2003, is now being reactivated.

The military said last year that preparations would begin in 2026 to establish the brigade’s new tank battalions.

The wider personnel reshuffle announced Monday included the appointment of one new brigadier general and 36 new colonels. In addition, two brigadier generals and 24 colonels were assigned to different positions at their current ranks.

Five other senior officers were scheduled to undertake academic studies between military assignments.

The appointments still required approval from Defense Minister Katz. The announcement did not indicate that he intended to oppose the selections.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that increasingly divisive political rhetoric could contribute to violence, following an attack that left independent lawmaker Helen Haines with life-changing injuries. A 43-year-old man has been charged, while investigators continue examining the circumstances and possible motive.

Independent politician, Helen Haines lost a leg after she was struck by a vehicle that allegedly reversed and hit her again, according to Australian media reports and officials on Tuesday. The incident is being examined by counterterrorism investigators.

Haines, 65, was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV on Monday outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, a city in the Australian state of Victoria.

Brendan Nugent, 43, who lives in nearby Tarrawingee, was charged Tuesday with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, Australian media reported.

Police suspect the incident was deliberate, but authorities have not publicly established a motive. Albanese has connected the attack to concerns about the increasingly hostile and divided nature of political discourse in Australia.

“It’s clear that there was a deliberate act here. This wasn’t an accident, someone just skidding off the road,” Albanese told ABC News.

The prime minister said initial inquiries indicated that Haines was near the trunk of her vehicle, possibly loading or unloading items, when she was struck.

Severe Injuries Reported

Australian media outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported that Haines lost one leg and that medical staff were attempting to save her other leg.

According to ABC News, Nugent has long supported environmental causes and has frequently commented on political matters online, including Australian government policy toward Israel. He and Haines follow one another on X. In 2019, Nugent responded to one of her posts by calling her a “politician who takes climate change seriously.”

Nugent’s father, Rodney Nugent, and his stepmother, Christine Cunningham, issued a statement expressing support for Haines. They described her as a friend “for more than 20 years” and said they would cooperate with investigators.

“Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community,” the statement said. “What happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable.”

Witnesses Describe Second Impact

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC Radio that witnesses reported the driver reversing after the initial collision and striking Haines again. A bystander subsequently intervened.

Australian media reported that Ricky Jefferies, who operates a nearby barber shop, rushed outside and restrained the suspect, taking a knife away from him. Jefferies initially believed he was witnessing a traffic accident.

“I heard a loud bang with no brakes. It was crazy, I just ran out to the front to see what’s happening,” Jefferies told reporters outside his business.

“I didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation initially, and once it became relevant I just did what I could and what others were already trying to do.”

Attacks of this kind against politicians are uncommon in Australia. Federal and state representatives, including prime ministers, frequently appear in public places, attend community gatherings and meet voters without extensive visible security.

Before entering parliament, Haines worked in nursing and midwifery and pursued an academic career. She won the seat of Indi as an independent candidate in 2019 and retained it in the 2022 and 2025 elections.

Shawn Hill, a Melbourne resident who spoke outside the hospital treating Haines, said the incident reflected growing divisions in public life.

“The political climate is becoming more and more polarizing today,” Hill told Reuters.

“No one deserves to be put at risk of anything, especially someone who is serving the people and trying to do what is best for the Australian community,” he added.

Albanese called on Australians to treat one another with greater respect and voiced concern about increasing political hostility. He also pointed to a “significant increase” in threats directed at politicians in recent years.

“We all have a responsibility to turn the temperature down,” Albanese said. “I really don’t want to see the character of Australia change.”

Politicians Question Whether Gender-Based Violence Played a Role

With investigators yet to establish the suspect’s motive, some Australian politicians have raised the possibility that Haines was targeted in an act of gender-based violence, noting the apparent personal connection between the two.

Australian Labor MP Ed Husic cited the broader toll of violence against women while discussing the attack.

“Fifty-six women in this country have been killed as a result of gender-based violence” in 2026, Husic said, according to local media. “We cannot have women targeted for violence as well, as much as this is a conversation about politics and the nature of politics in this country.”

Ged Kearney, Australia’s deputy minister responsible for preventing family violence, suggested that being a woman in public office can bring additional vulnerabilities.

“There is an added aspect being a woman I think that really heightens your vulnerability in some ways and the ways you go about your business,” she said.

These comments came as authorities continued investigating the attack without publicly confirming a motive.

Suspect’s Online Posts Criticized Government Policy on Israel

Nugent’s apparent social media accounts showed extensive criticism of the Australian government on subjects including environmental policy, disability assistance and its response to Israel’s war in Gaza. The posts reviewed in media reports did not establish a clear personal hostility toward Haines.

A recent post attributed to Nugent discussed reports that Italian authorities were investigating Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and other officials over the handling of activists detained after participating in a Gaza-bound flotilla.

“This investigation also involves sexual abuse, including rape, during processing and detention by Israeli forces,” Nugent wrote.

The investigation cited in the post concerns allegations including torture, kidnapping, personal injury, robbery and property damage. Israel has denied the allegations.

Nugent also shared a video from an account called “Voice of Gaza” discussing food production “in a genocide” and repeatedly circulated fundraising appeals for people in Gaza.

In May 2024, an account attributed to Nugent responded to a statement from Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong with the following criticism: “You have not been clear on anything other than giving israel impunity to kill thousands of children.”

Authorities and media reports have not established a connection between Nugent’s views on Gaza and the attack on Haines.

In an undated statement published on her official website, Haines said she was “appalled by the ongoing loss of life in Gaza.” She called for an immediate ceasefire and greater international pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while also condemning Hamas.

The investigation into the attack remains ongoing, with the suspect’s motive not yet formally established.

Israel and Lebanon are scheduled to hold US-mediated discussions in Tampa, Florida, on October 20, with neither country’s ambassador to Washington expected to attend, according to a US official who spoke to The Times of Israel.

The October 20–21 meetings are expected to address implementation of the Trilateral Framework Agreement, which seeks to disarm Hezbollah and facilitate a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s presidency said last week that its military representatives would press for an end to Israeli strikes inside Lebanon during the trilateral discussions.

During a briefing on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told The Times of Israel that Israel would expect the Lebanese Armed Forces to prove they could eliminate Hezbollah’s presence in two designated trial areas under the agreement. He warned that Israel would intervene if Lebanon’s military could not carry out the task.

“We gave you two ‘pilot zones’ – go in, clear them out. Can you do it? Good. You can’t do it? We’ll take care of it,” he said.

Netanyahu also indicated that removing Hezbollah’s threat could create an opportunity for peace between Israel and Lebanon. However, he did not set a deadline for the Lebanese military to disarm the Iran-backed group.

The planned talks come as political tensions rise in Lebanon over contacts with Israel. A legal complaint has been filed against Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, following allegations that she contacted Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter to express condolences after a West Bank car-ramming attack left Leiter’s son critically injured. The alleged communication could violate Lebanese laws prohibiting direct contact with Israel. The US State Department publicly criticized the complaint, while a US official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel last week that Washington was considering sanctions against Lebanese judges involved in the case.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth paid an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and sat down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Axios, citing two sources with knowledge of the meeting.

The meeting reportedly took place at the Ovda airbase in southern Israel, where U.S. fighter jets and refueling aircraft are stationed. Hegseth also met with American troops serving at the base during his stay.

The report was later backed up by additional sources. CBS News said a senior U.S. official confirmed the visit, and a second source in Israel confirmed on Tuesday morning that the two men had met. Walla also reported that two sources familiar with the matter confirmed the meeting overnight.

A source briefed on the talks told Israel’s Channel 13 that several issues were discussed, including Iran. The channel also reported that other senior officials attended, along with figures from the United Arab Emirates whose visit was kept under wraps.

According to Channel 12 reporter Moti Castel, Netanyahu took the unusual step of flying to the base from Ben Gurion Airport — which is why he canceled a planned appearance at a game at Teddy Stadium.

Hegseth did not name Israel publicly. Several hours after the report surfaced, he confirmed a trip to the Middle East without giving a location, writing: “It was an honor to visit our warfighters in @CENTCOM today.”

The Pentagon declined to comment on the visit. The Israeli Embassy also declined comment, and the Prime Minister’s Office had not responded at the time of the Axios report.

The trip came eight days before Israel heads to the polls on October 27, and a day after President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu in the race. It also comes as Jerusalem and Washington are discussing the possibility of renewing large-scale military operations against Iran.

Three television election polls broadcast in Israel on Monday evening, eight days before the October 27 election for the 26th Knesset, painted sharply different pictures of the race, with former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party opening a gap over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud in two of them, while a third put Likud at 30 seats and its right-wing bloc at a majority.

The surveys, aired by Channels 12, 13 and 14 ahead of the October 27 vote, are the first published since President Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday. The Channel 12 and 13 polls were conducted before Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz announced his withdrawal from the race on Monday.

A Channel 12 News poll gives Yashar 24 Knesset seats to Likud’s 21, with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s B’yachad party third at 14. The Joint List and the Democrats take 9 seats each; Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu and Otzma Yehudit win 8 each; Religious Zionism-Zehut and United Torah Judaism take 7 each; and Ra’am finishes above the electoral threshold with 5. Below the threshold sit former IDF Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael, at 2.8 percent for a third consecutive poll, and the Reservists-Economic party of Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, at 2.1 percent, its first time below the threshold since mid-September. Gantz’s Blue and White registers 1.4 percent and Moti Leitner’s HaTzibur HaCharedi party 0.2 percent. The poll projects 55 seats for the Zionist parties opposed to Netanyahu, 69 with the Arab parties, against 51 for the coalition, leaving his opponents ahead but short of a majority without the Arab parties. Eisenkot widens his lead over Netanyahu on suitability for prime minister to 45 percent against 33, while Bennett leads Netanyahu 39 to 34 on the same question. The poll, conducted Monday by the Midgam Institute headed by Mano Geva together with iPanel among 507 respondents, has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.

A Channel 13 News poll shows a tighter race: Yashar 20, Likud 18 and B’yachad 14, a two-seat jump for Bennett, with the Joint List and the Democrats again at 9 each. Yisrael Beiteinu takes 8; Shas, UTJ, Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism 7 each; and Ra’am 6. Amcha Yisrael and the Reservists-Economic party each cross the threshold with 4 seats, while Blue and White and HaTzibur HaCharedi fall short. The Arab parties reach a record 15 seats combined. The channel’s bloc map puts the opposition at 51 seats against the coalition’s 50, with the Arab parties and the Hendel-Zelekha list between them; counted together, Netanyahu’s opponents hold 70 seats. Eisenkot leads Netanyahu 46 to 38 percent on suitability for prime minister. The poll, conducted Sunday among 1,016 respondents by The Index with Stat-Net, Project Midgam and Askaria, has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

A third survey, by Channel 14, points in the opposite direction: Likud jumps to 30 seats against Yashar’s 19. B’yachad, Shas and the Democrats take 10 each; UTJ and the Joint List 8 each; Religious Zionism-Zehut and Otzma Yehudit 7 each; Yisrael Beiteinu 6; and Ra’am 5. The poll puts the right-wing bloc at 62 seats, a governing majority, against 45 for the left and 13 for the Arab parties. Below the threshold are the Reservists-Economic party at 2.6 percent, Amcha Yisrael at 2.2 percent, Noam L’Yisrael at 1.5 percent, Achi at 0.5 percent and HaTzibur HaCharedi at 0.3 percent. The same poll gives Netanyahu 56 percent on suitability for prime minister against Eisenkot’s 30, and a 54 to 46 lead in a head-to-head matchup. It was conducted Monday by NEXT DATA among 454 respondents, with data analysis by Shlomo Filber.

United Torah Judaism polls at 7 to 8 seats across all three surveys, while the new HaTzibur HaCharedi party remains below the electoral threshold in each, registering 0.2 percent in Channel 12’s poll and 0.3 percent in Channel 14’s.

The three networks use different pollsters and count the blocs differently; Channel 14’s surveys have consistently shown a stronger Likud than those of Channels 12 and 13.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for endorsing him ahead of Israel’s upcoming election, in a phone call video released on Oct. 19.

Video: Netanyahu’s X account

“I’m so grateful for this incredible endorsement,” Netanyahu told Trump. “You’ve been an incredible leader of the free world, of America. By far, the greatest friend Israel has ever had or will have in the White House.”

“Donald, we have a job to finish. You said it, and we’ll finish it together,” Netanyahu said.

Trump said he wrote the endorsement himself. “That wasn’t one that was put out by some guy writing something. That was crafted by me,” he said.

“You’re a warrior. You’ve been treated unfairly by your country and probably some others also, but you’re a great warrior, and we will prove that very soon,” Trump told Netanyahu. “I think you’re terrific, Bibi, so I was always going to do it. I think you’re going to have a tremendous victory actually.” Trump added: “You’re the man I want by my side, Bibi.”

Netanyahu said the alliance between the two countries “has proven that we can do amazing things together,” and spoke of broadening peace by expanding the Abraham Accords. He declined to name countries, saying they were on an open line.

Netanyahu also said Trump “stood up against the greatest danger that faces” America, “an Iran with nuclear weapons. We won’t let it happen.”

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said past U.S. presidents worked against him in Israeli elections, in an interview with C14 English, the English-language channel of Israel’s Channel 14, released Oct. 19.

Video: C14 English

Asked about receiving the “complete and total endorsement of a sitting U.S. president,” Netanyahu said, “That’s a good historical precedent, except you’ve got it a bit off,” because “the other presidents didn’t declare it. They just did it.”

“Clinton called me in 1996 when I was first elected, and he said, ‘Congratulations, Bibi. You beat us. We tried everything to bring you down, and you beat us,'” Netanyahu said. “Other presidents, they didn’t say it, but they had their whole campaign staff come here to try to unseat me or to try to defeat me.”

Two Jewish women were punched in the face in suspected hate attacks on Clapton Common in Stamford Hill, London, on Monday, and a man has been arrested, according to Shomrim.

A visibly Jewish woman called Shomrim after being punched in the face by a middle-aged man. Shomrim volunteers arrived 30 seconds later and saw him assault a second Jewish woman, punching her twice in the face and “leaving significant bruising,” the group said.

CCTV footage released by Shomrim

Hackney police arrested the man on suspicion of racially and religiously aggravated GBH, as well as for outstanding warrants, Shomrim said.

The victims told Shomrim they believe they were assaulted because they are Jewish, “as the offender only targeted Jewish ladies.”

Shomrim said further assaults have been reported and that additional victims have yet to come forward. The group is appealing for witnesses and any other victims to come forward.

Two suspects allegedly involved in planning a terror attack against Israeli civilians were arrested Monday evening near Jerusalem, in a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the Yamam, Israel Police’s national counter-terrorism unit.

Acting on precise intelligence from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the forces tracked the two to Route 1, the main Jerusalem–Tel Aviv highway, close to the Latrun Interchange, where they were taken into custody.

According to the official statement, the operation was carried out “under precise intelligence guidance of the Israel Security Agency.” No forces were hurt in the arrest.

Both suspects were handed over to the Shin Bet for further questioning. Authorities have not released their identities or details of the alleged plot.

The IDF said Monday evening that a suspected terrorist infiltration alert in Evyatar in the Shomron involved an Israeli civilian, and that there was no concern of a security incident.

The clarification was issued at 8:35 p.m. Israel time (1:35 p.m. ET), following an alert that sounded at about 7:38 p.m. Israel time (12:38 p.m. ET). Residents had been told to enter their safe rooms immediately.

In its initial statement, the IDF said the details were under review and that it was in close contact with local residents and security forces.

Evyatar is located in the Shomron, south of Shechem.

With eight days to go until the elections, concern over a possible security incident is mounting.

The Knesset’s defense committee held a special session on Monday, at the end of which committee chairman Boaz Bismuth declared: “Israel’s enemies will try to strike on Election Day. The defense establishment is at peak readiness.”

In addition, the IDF announced a freeze on soldier leave beginning this Thursday and lasting until after the elections, in line with the ongoing situational assessment. The directive is one of a series of operational measures decided on as the army prepares for the election period and moves to the highest level of alert across all sectors.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an Israeli Air Force base on Monday and said: “I say to our enemies: Don’t test us. You will take harder blows than you have taken until now. We all know what tremendous achievements we have had. We are determined to defend ourselves. Don’t test us.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled warning French President Emmanuel Macron on October 7, 2023, that failing to stop Hamas in Israel would bring the threat to France.

In a clip from C14 English’s Israel Debrief, Netanyahu recounted telling Macron: “If we don’t stop Hamas here, you’ll see them on the streets of Paris.”

According to Netanyahu’s account, Macron called him on the day of the Hamas-led attack and urged an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution. Netanyahu said he rejected that approach.

“No, Emmanuel. It’s not going to be solved by diplomacy,” Netanyahu recalled responding. He described Hamas as “monsters” and “neo-Nazis,” saying the group had to be destroyed.

The remarks describe Netanyahu’s recollection of the conversation, rather than a recording of the call itself.

Video: C14 English

The Trump administration is increasing pressure on California ahead of the November midterm elections, warning election officials that counting ballots associated with suspected noncitizens could expose them to federal criminal investigations and prosecution.

In a letter dated Friday, acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter cautioned that knowingly helping facilitate illegal voting could itself violate federal law. The warning follows a Justice Department lawsuit filed Thursday seeking to stop California from counting mail-in ballots cast by individuals federal authorities have identified as “likely” noncitizens until their eligibility is verified.

“The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant. Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime — and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful,” the letter states.

It further warns: “If persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime.”

The correspondence was sent to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office, with copies to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan, extending the warning to key state and county election authorities.

Logan said his office remains committed to administering an election that is both fair and secure, emphasizing that Election Day is only 18 days away. He disputed the federal government’s approach, saying, “The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to litigate their unverified assertions of voting eligibility. At this point, it is best for this to be addressed in court,” he said.

Other state officials and the California attorney general had not immediately commented on the letter.

The number of people federal authorities might investigate or charge remains unclear. Any federal criminal cases arising in the Los Angeles region would fall under the jurisdiction of Bill Essayli, the area’s chief federal prosecutor, who also participated in filing Thursday’s lawsuit.

President Donald Trump addressed the controversy on Truth Social late Friday, sharing a news report about the Justice Department’s warning and declaring: “They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!”

October 19, 2026

Several European countries are cautioning their citizens about potential safety risks in France following a weekend of unrest linked to public frustration over living expenses and declining public services.

The disturbances included confrontations with police, looting and damage to public property. Authorities arrested thousands of people, while a town hall was reportedly set ablaze. With further unrest considered possible, governments across Europe have reminded travelers to remain vigilant and monitor local instructions.

Italy: Citizen Registration Encouraged

Italy is advising its nationals in France to record their presence through government-provided digital services. The measure would help authorities locate citizens if circumstances require it. Italians have also been told to avoid crowded areas and exercise additional caution.

Germany: Further Clashes Remain Possible

German officials say additional disturbances cannot be ruled out. Citizens are being urged to obey police directions, particularly during demonstrations. Authorities have also highlighted potential legal and financial consequences for people who disregard orders to leave unauthorized gatherings.

Czech Republic: Avoid Public Demonstrations

Czech officials are advising their citizens to keep clear of marches, protests and other large public gatherings. The country’s foreign affairs ministry has expressed concern about the deteriorating security environment.

Poland: General Travel Assessment Unchanged

Polish authorities recommend that visitors stay away from locations affected by demonstrations. Despite the precautionary advice, the government has not revised its broader assessment of France as a travel destination.

Netherlands: Existing Advice Remains in Place

Dutch authorities continue to advise travelers to avoid protest sites. The relevant travel guidance was last updated on October 7.

Nordic Nations: Follow Local Instructions

Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway have also cautioned their citizens against attending or approaching demonstrations in France. Their advice emphasizes following directions from local authorities as the situation develops.

Travelers planning to visit France should check their own government’s latest advisory before departure and remain alert to changes in local conditions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Israel’s adversaries during a visit to an Israeli Air Force base whose location was not disclosed, cautioning them against challenging the country’s determination to defend itself.

“I say to our enemies: Do not test us,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “You will suffer harder blows than you have suffered until now.”

Netanyahu praised the air force’s “readiness, determination and capability to strike our enemies whenever required,” highlighting its preparedness to respond to potential threats.

With national elections scheduled for next week, Netanyahu has repeatedly cautioned that hostile forces could attempt to attack Israel during the period surrounding the vote.

“We are determined to defend ourselves,” he said, reiterating his warning to adversaries: “Do not test us.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered heightened military readiness ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, including a suspension of planned leave for soldiers.

Zamir held a security assessment with senior military officers on Monday morning. During the meeting, he “stressed that the IDF’s mission is to enable the democratic elections to take place on schedule and safely,” according to an official statement.

Israel’s election is scheduled for October 27.

Zamir said the military is “on the highest state of alert and will continue to maintain a high level of vigilance and readiness across all fronts” in the days ahead.

Beginning Thursday, soldiers across IDF units will be subject to a freeze on leave, requiring them to remain at their bases rather than take scheduled time off. The order will remain in effect “subject to ongoing situational assessments.”

The chief of staff also directed the military to increase the number of senior officers present in command centers “to ensure operational readiness and capability.”

Additional forces will be sent to Central Command, which oversees the West Bank. Reinforcements will include personnel from the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters and other units “to strengthen the deployment in the area and increase the presence on the ground,” Zamir said. According to the military, the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters will establish a dedicated task force headquarters in the area between the Samaria and Binyamin regional brigades.

Zamir further ordered additional forces to be assigned to other operational sectors “according to operational needs, in the air, at sea and on land.”

Meanwhile, the IDF plans to begin setting up at least 850 polling stations at military bases and outposts on Tuesday. The stations will operate through October 27, allowing military personnel stationed throughout Israel and at locations abroad to cast their ballots.

Fire and rescue teams were sent to Intel’s factory in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, after workers detected hazardous materials at the facility. The site was the location of an explosion last week that resulted in multiple casualties, including a second worker who later died from his injuries.

Authorities said emergency personnel were at the factory to handle the incident. Officials described the situation as confined to the site and said it posed no threat to residents in the surrounding area.

With just over a week to go until the Israeli elections, Degel HaTorah leader Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch delivered a fiery address warning of the danger if the left comes to power.

“If, chas v’shalom, these leftists get power, they would change the whole face of Eretz Yisrael, the complete opposite of the Torah,” the Rosh Yeshiva warned.

“It’s not only the issue of the army. It’s also Chinuch Atzmai, the chadarim, Bais Yaakov,” the Rosh Yeshiva said. “Every single place where they can interfere with us, to pull us away from our way of life, they do it.”

The only answer, he said, is numbers at the ballot box: “And the only way we have to stand against them and defeat them, in the natural way, is only with large numbers on our side.”

Rav Hirsch, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Slabodka in Bnei Brak and a co-chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, is one of the senior leaders of the Litvish Charedi world.

His remarks come as the Charedi parties make the military draft the centerpiece of their campaigns ahead of the October 27 elections. United Torah Judaism, which brings together Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael, has pledged not to serve in the next coalition unless a law regulating the status of yeshiva bochurim is passed, and Shas has taken the same position.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir claimed Sunday that the Prime Minister’s Office promised several European Union countries that his Otzma Yehudit party would not be included in the next government, an accusation the Likud party swiftly denied just nine days before the October 27 elections.

“According to verified and confirmed information that has reached me in recent days, the Prime Minister’s Office has officially pledged to a number of countries in the European Union that Ben Gvir will not be part of the next government,” Ben Gvir said in a special statement to the media in Jerusalem.

“A clear message was conveyed to those countries, whether to their foreign ministers or to officials at an even higher level, that the prime minister does not intend to include me in the next government,” he said. “I say the following with deep sorrow, after hearing such reports for a long time, but praying that they were not true.”

Ben Gvir did not name the countries or officials allegedly involved, and he presented no evidence for the claim, which has not been independently confirmed.

Ben Gvir tied his accusation to recent Likud talk of a broad coalition with Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, and to Netanyahu’s statement Thursday that the Defense Ministry and National Security Ministry would remain under Likud control if he wins reelection. He accused Likud of trying to shrink his party at the ballot box.

“Unfortunately, what Likud is trying to do now is reduce Otzma Yehudit to five seats, and this, unfortunately, directly endangers right-wing rule,” Ben Gvir said, warning that harming his party could keep right-wing voters home. “Bibi needs a strong Ben Gvir, not a strong Eisenkot.”

Still, Ben Gvir stressed he continues to back Netanyahu for prime minister. “Every vote for Otzma Yehudit is automatically a vote for Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister,” he said.

Likud flatly rejected the accusation. “Ben Gvir continues with false political spin and friendly fire. The opposite is true,” the party said in a statement. “The prime minister has made clear that any government will include the base of partners from the current coalition, and every Zionist party will be invited to join based on our platform and the current composition.”

Likud urged right-wing voters to vote for it to prevent a left-wing government led by Eisenkot with the Arab parties, Yair Golan, Avigdor Liberman and Naftali Bennett.

Asked hours earlier during a meeting with journalists whether the broad government he hopes to form would include Ben Gvir’s party, Netanyahu replied, “Absolutely.”

The public clash between the coalition partners comes with recent polls projecting Otzma Yehudit at roughly eight seats, and with both parties vying for right-wing voters ahead of the October 27 vote.

A 61-year-old Israeli man known as “El Banquero” (The Banker) was arrested at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport in a joint operation by Colombian police and Interpol, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Mikhael Mezrahi, was detained Thursday after an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of the United Arab Emirates flagged him in migration systems. According to Colombian police, Mezrahi is wanted by the UAE to serve a prison sentence for fraud, money laundering, forgery and the use of falsified private documents.

Investigators allege that Mezrahi was tied to an international network that defrauded the Bank of Khartoum in Dubai of 61.44 million dirhams, approximately $16.7 million. According to Interpol, the network posed as high-profile investors and representatives of legitimate commercial projects, using forged bank guarantees, contracts and financial documents, and even staged meetings and simulations to give its operations an appearance of legality.

Part of the defrauded funds was allegedly transferred to accounts of companies linked to Mezrahi, including WYB AG General Trading, a firm police say he owns. The group then used delaying tactics, such as sending fake transfer orders, to buy time and divert the money abroad, Colombian police said.

Colombian media reported that Mezrahi arrived in Bogotá on a flight from Madrid and was preparing to board a connecting flight to Venezuela. He was reportedly carrying four passports issued by different countries.

El Tiempo and Extra reported that Mezrahi was sentenced to five years in prison in the UAE in November 2022 and later fled to Spain, where the country’s National Court rejected an extradition request against him, citing what it described as a lack of defense guarantees in the Emirati proceedings.

“Mezrahi’s arrest is a significant result of the international police cooperation mechanisms led by Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Colombia,” said Col. Elver Vicente Alfonso Sanabria, director of criminal investigation and Interpol at Colombia’s National Police. “It demonstrates the country’s commitment to combating transnational organized crime.”

Mezrahi was handed over to Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office through its international affairs directorate, as diplomatic and judicial proceedings for his possible extradition to the UAE advance.

Violent riots swept France this weekend, leaving at least 2,400 people under arrest and a Paris synagogue ransacked, as antisemitic conspiracy theories blaming Jews and Israel for the unrest spread widely on X.

The unrest erupted Saturday on the sidelines of nationwide demonstrations over the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services. The Interior Ministry said 550,000 people took part, while the CGT union put turnout at 800,000. While hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, masked rioters torched buildings and vehicles, looted hundreds of shops and clashed with police in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lille and other cities.

Nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously, the Interior Ministry said Sunday. One protester died of cardiac arrest during the Paris march in what officials said was a health-related death not linked to the violence. In Limoges, the historic city hall was set on fire; in Marseille, a police station was ransacked; in Bordeaux, a masked mob invaded the prefect’s residence.

Photo: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

On Sunday morning, congregants of a synagogue in Paris’s 19th arrondissement found that it had been broken into and ransacked overnight, with prayer books, tefillin and other items scattered across the floor and the Torah ark opened. Footage of the damage was released Sunday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement. The Torah scrolls appeared unharmed, and a member of the congregation said the scene pointed to an attempted theft, with nothing believed missing. Robert Ejnes, executive director of CRIF, the umbrella council of French Jewish institutions, told JNS that so far “nothing indicates that this was an antisemitic attack. It may have been a robbery,” adding: “We remain in high alert, working with police and the authorities.”

Bruno Benjamin, president of the Marseille-Provence branch of CRIF, told JNS the rioting was being organized by the far left and called on the government to declare a state of emergency. “I believe we need to declare a state of emergency in France, send in the army, massively increase law enforcement personnel and arrest these rioters and vandals by every means,” he said.

Many protesters carried Palestinian flags, Benjamin said, though there has been no indication of Jewish institutions being targeted in Marseille, home to France’s second-largest Jewish community. Synagogues in the city remained open for prayers under the vigilance of the SPCJ, the Jewish community’s security service. “No synagogue was attacked. No Jews were assaulted,” he said of Saturday’s violence there.

Several Jewish-owned shops in Marseille were among the businesses set ablaze or vandalized in the riots, according to the SPCJ, which stressed that there is no evidence at this stage that Jewish sites or businesses were deliberately targeted and urged the public not to share unverified claims.

As the riots raged, antisemitic conspiracy theories flooded X. A report published Sunday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement identified 1,384 posts between Oct. 16 and 18 linking the riots to Jews or Israel, including claims that “Mossad is burning France right now” and descriptions of the unrest as a “civil war orchestrated by Jewish elites.” Other posts tied President Emmanuel Macron to the Rothschild family. According to CAM, the posts – some spread by verified premium accounts and viewed millions of times – included calls for violence, expulsion and extermination of Jews. It was the fourth time in under three months that CAM’s research center identified such a pattern following a major news event.

“Once again, we are witnessing the same distorted pattern in which hatred of Jews and Israel becomes the automatic explanation for every national crisis,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said. “Worse still, social media platforms are incentivizing those who spread hatred instead of stopping them.” He called on French authorities and social media platforms to act: “French law enforcement authorities must take firm action against the rioters, and platform executives must put an end to this lawlessness before lives are lost.”

On the synagogue desecration, Roytman added: “When chaos and violence take over the streets, synagogues are the first to suffer. The desecration of the synagogue in Paris is a clear warning sign: What begins against Jews never stops there.”

The riots cap a month of student-led protests over conditions in France’s public schools that converged Saturday with broader anger over high prices, six months before elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron, who addressed the nation Sunday and said a distinction must be drawn between protesters with legitimate demands and looters. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned what he called violence “of extreme intensity,” and the Interior Ministry blamed “hard-left” groups for hijacking the demonstrations.

Eight days before the elections, Shas leader Hagaon Rav Yitzchak Yosef has issued a severe halachic ruling against voting for Itamar Ben Gvir and Moshe Feiglin over their ascents to Har Habayis.

Screenshot

In a letter obtained first by Belaaz News, Rav Yosef writes: “Public figures have arisen who define themselves as nationalists, from various parties, who raise a hand against Hashem and His Torah and sanctify ascending the Temple Mount, causing the public to stumble in a prohibition punishable by kareis, under the pretext of nationalism.”

“Besides provoking the nations of the world by doing so, there is no permission whatsoever to cause the public to stumble in prohibitions of kareis for the sake of sovereignty and the like, and it is simple and clear that one must protest against them with full force,” Rav Yosef adds.

With the elections approaching and a wave of chareidi voters drifting toward the two, Rav Yosef rules:

“There is a complete and absolute prohibition to assist their party and their representative, and it is forbidden to give them power in the upcoming elections. Whoever votes for this party shall bear his sin, and the burden of the kareis prohibition hangs on his neck.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to President Donald Trump’s endorsement of his re-election bid in a video released by Likud, urging undecided Israeli voters to “listen carefully” to what Trump said.

Netanyahu’s video message, released by Likud

“I want to address the citizens of Israel who are still undecided about who to vote for. Please listen carefully to what President Trump said this evening,” Netanyahu says in the video.

Netanyahu said Trump “gave me his unreserved support, and he also explained why.” According to Netanyahu, Trump told him, “we did wonderful things together. We crushed Iran, we crushed the Iranian axis.”

“We removed the immediate threat of nuclear bombs against us. But there is still a mission to complete,” Netanyahu said. He said Trump will complete it together with him, and quoted Trump as saying, “I can’t do it with anyone else.”

“The partnership between us, which achieved so much, will complete in the next two years, maybe sooner, the elimination of the Iranian threat,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu told voters that the Iranian issue is “the biggest consideration.” “Everything else is important, but this is our very existence, the eternity of Israel. That is what’s at stake in this election,” he said.

“President Trump says, ‘I will do it,’” Netanyahu said, adding that Trump will do it “only with the two of us.” He closed by asking voters to listen to Trump, weigh things and vote Likud.

Trump endorsed Netanyahu in a Truth Social post on Sunday. Read Belaaz’s report on the endorsement.

President Donald Trump on Sunday issued what he called his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s re-election, posting a letter addressed “To the Great People of Israel” on Truth Social in which he declared: “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

President Trump’s full statement, posted on Truth Social.

“Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel,” Trump wrote.

Trump tied the endorsement to the confrontation with Iran, warning that “if Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.”

The president described Netanyahu as “a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” which he said had been “systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially.” Unless Tehran changes its ways “rapidly,” he warned, “we will soon finish the job.”

Trump praised Netanyahu as “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” adding: “Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today.”

“This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much,” Trump wrote.

The letter was signed “Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America.”

As the debate over the draft of Charedi youth, general education and government funding dominates Israeli politics ahead of the October 27 election, a new political movement called HaTzibur HaCharedi (“The Charedi Public”) is attempting to rewrite the relationship between the Charedi community and the state – under the slogan “This Time, We Take Responsibility,” splashed across building banners and bus ads.

In an interview with Belaaz recorded about a month ago, Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer – chairman of the movement’s Vaad Rabbanim (rabbinical committee), an English-speaking community rabbi and head of the Iyun Institute – laid out a platform that rejects what he calls the “stipend politics” of the traditional Charedi parties in favor of civic responsibility, employment opportunities and structured military service.

Moving Beyond “Stipend Politics”

For decades, the traditional Charedi parties have operated under a transactional framework: entering government coalitions primarily to secure budgets, yeshiva stipends and blanket draft deferrals. According to Rabbi Pfeffer, that approach has created deep alienation between the Charedi community and the rest of Israeli society.

“How do the parties currently speak? They say, ‘We are in government in order to get money for ourselves,'” Rabbi Pfeffer said. “What this party is saying is that we’re in government because there’s a partnership going on. We’re a part of Israel. We want Israel to flourish.”

“What we’re saying is, we don’t want handouts – we want opportunities,” he stressed. “We want to be able to go to work.” The Charedi community, he argued, has grown too big to live in its own enclave, and self-reliance is a value in its own right: “Self-reliant, for us, is living a dignified life. To have an entire society that’s dependent on handouts – it’s undignified.”

Education: Bridging Limudei Kodesh and General Studies

A central pillar of the platform is schooling. Many Charedi parents – particularly of boys – want a framework that offers a serious general education, like English and math, alongside limudei kodesh, as is common in the Diaspora. In Israel, such schools depend on government support, and Rabbi Pfeffer says the system is stacked against them.

“There are many who are trying to open such schools, but it’s difficult when you’re doing that against a government that’s actively blocking them,” he said. “It’s both the Education Ministry and it’s the municipal branches of government… The current politics is actively blocking the establishment of these schools.”

A HaTzibur HaCharedi building banner takes aim at sitting Charedi MKs: “Where were you during the last term?!”

The Draft: “You Cannot Hide Behind Full-Time Torah Students”

On the most explosive issue in the campaign – the draft – Rabbi Pfeffer called for a clear, principled distinction between those learning full-time and those who are not, which he said was the explicit position of the Gedolei Yisrael of previous generations.

“I’m talking about Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, I’m talking about the Steipler, Rav Shach, Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman,” he said. “All of them said unequivocally that there’s no space to give deferrals or exemptions from army service for Charedim who are not learning full-time.”

He recalled Rav Shach’s response to someone who had left yeshiva before Seder Shlishi – the third seder of the day – and asked to remain on the exemption list: “If you have to go to the army, then so be it. You cannot hide behind the full-time Torah students and be exempt from the army at their expense – and it’s entirely at their expense.”

It was the Steipler, he added, who said that Charedim on the exemption list while not learning full-time are undermining the very exemption meant for real Torah students. “It makes no sense. It’s not moral,” Rabbi Pfeffer said. “The exemption from the army is reserved for those who are true full-time Torah students. Everybody else needs to be in the IDF, sharing the burden and sharing the privilege of defending Israel.”

Asked directly whether someone who is not learning full-time should face arrest, he was unequivocal: “He shouldn’t be arrested. He should be in the army.”

On existing Charedi units in the IDF, such as Netzach Yehuda and Tomer, Rabbi Pfeffer acknowledged that trust between the Charedi public and the army remains insufficient “because it’s hard for the army to keep their own regulations.” The answer, he argued, is Charedi representatives in the Knesset exercising oversight from within: “They’ll do a much better job when we’ll have representatives in government that are pushing them to do the job properly.”

Yitzchak Edelstein

Rabbi Pfeffer Slams Comparison of Charedi Draft Evasion to Arab Citizens: “We Are Not Arabs, We Are Jews”

Rabbi Pfeffer rejected the argument, raised by some Charedi politicians, that equates Charedi non-service with that of Israel’s Arab citizens. “I think that’s a disgraceful argument, because we are not Arabs. We are Jews. This is our nation-state,” he said. “Every time I hear this I cringe.”

He urged the Charedi community to identify with soldiers, reservists and their families after the war. “It’s our joint army. We all need the protection of the IDF. We’re all in this together,” Rabbi Pfeffer said.

The Threshold: “We Are Not Going to Waste Votes”

Asked whether running a new party risks throwing away right-wing votes if it fails to clear the 3.25% electoral threshold, Rabbi Pfeffer – stressing he was speaking “from a rabbinical side” – was firm.

“We are not going to waste votes,” he said. “We are part of the Israeli right. We’re responsible for the Israeli right. We’re not going to waste votes… I think it would be morally wrong to waste votes.”

Pressed on what the party would do if polls showed it below the threshold days before the election, he said the decision would be made when the time comes: “God willing, we’ll make it through.” His own projection: “Our strong hope is to get four or five seats. If we’re able to get four or five seats, that would be a wonderful achievement.”

Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

The Campaign: Q&A With Yitzchak Edelstein, No. 6 on the Slate

For the political side of the movement, Belaaz sat down – also about a month ago – with Yitzchak Edelstein – a Los Angeles native who moved to Israel nine years ago, No. 6 on the party’s Knesset slate and the manager of its campaign – for the projections, red lines and funding questions Rabbi Pfeffer left to the politicians.

Q: Realistically, how many seats do you project?
Edelstein: “If we win 120, we’ll give up one of those seats as a gesture of goodwill,” he joked. “Realistically – between four and six.” The rabbinical projection, he said, is four or five seats: a base of roughly two seats from working Charedi Jews, with the rest coming from beyond the community – including Anglo voters and, the campaign believes, part of the secular right.

Q: If polls show you below the threshold right before the election, will you drop out to avoid burning votes?
Edelstein: “You can’t run a campaign that way,” he said. “The party position so far has been that we’re running a campaign – we’re going to go for broke. And what can happen on the night before the elections? You have a lot of people who make personal choices.”

Q: What are your coalition red lines?
Edelstein: “We care about the state. We are right-wing – right-wing is very important for us.” His conditions:
– No Arab parties: “We’re not going to sit with the Arabs.”
– No left: “We’re not going to sit with the left” – defined as anyone holding the pre-October 7 security mindset. “Anything that’s going to risk anything remotely connected to Eretz Yisrael is left.” Yair Golan and the Democrats are out; Avigdor Lieberman, he noted, “is not left.”
– A right-wing core: “A government that’s right-wing – that’s non-negotiable.”

Q: Would you join a government with Netanyahu – or figures like Eisenkot?
Edelstein: “We won’t join any coalition without a solid right-wing posture. Right now the Likud is led by Netanyahu, so in all probability it’s a government led by Netanyahu.” But the post-election math, he noted, can move fast: if Netanyahu fails to reach 61 and a broad unity government forms that excludes the traditional Charedi parties, “we may very well be the only ones in the Knesset” representing Charedi, right-leaning values – “the only viable partner” for either side.

Q: Which portfolios and policies are the top priority?
Edelstein: Housing and education – “Housing is a very, very big issue” – alongside representation for working Charedi Jews, employment opportunities and dedicated Charedi army tracks for those not learning full-time. He also singled out Anglo aliyah: “I feel so much in my gut that the Western world is winding down for Jews, and that we need to make Israel more of a viable option for Anglos and for Western immigrants,” he said, describing yeshiva-trained families who want to move but cannot find communities where a working father’s children are accepted in schools.

Q: Who is funding this campaign?
Edelstein: “The funding is 100% from within the Charedi community. We have not gotten a dime from George Soros,” he said, dismissing claims of outside progressive funding as “fake news.” Pressed on the “100%,” he conceded he could not vouch for every dollar arriving through the campaign website, but said the campaign took a firm internal position “to ensure that every single dollar came from the right place.”

A HaTzibur HaCharedi bus ad: “Defending those who learn Torah – whoever does not learn, serves.”

The interviews in this article were recorded about a month ago. Statements and projections reflect the campaign’s positions at that time.

The Israeli government has approved NIS 2.6 billion (approximately $840 million) in budget reductions across government ministries to fund urgent defense purchases. The decision comes nine days before the October 27 election, with coalition funding allocations excluded from the cuts.

The reductions represent 4.9% of ministry budgets and will affect areas including education, healthcare, social welfare and transportation. Legal advisers have warned of potential effects on public services.

Oded Forer, chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu faction, criticized the decision, arguing that the government should have considered reducing coalition allocations instead of applying cuts across government ministries.

“Instead of cutting the coalition funds allocated to Aryeh Deri, Shas, United Torah Judaism and [Religious Zionism MK] Orit Strock, they prefer to slash NIS 2.6 billion from government ministries across the board,” he says.

Forer also raised concerns about the potential impact on northern Israel’s recovery efforts and on healthcare and welfare services in outlying communities. He argued that funding for religious institutions and groups whose members do not serve in the military had been protected.

“They are cutting funding for the rehabilitation of northern Israel, healthcare and welfare services in the periphery. But there is always money for draft dodgers and yeshivas. Netanyahu and Smotrich won’t touch those funds,” Forer charges.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv also criticized the government’s decision, describing the coalition as “a government of thieves.”

Iran’s parliament has approved Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi as the country’s new defense minister, placing an experienced figure from the nation’s military-industrial sector in charge as tensions with the United States and Israel remain high. Tehran is seeking to strengthen its domestic defense capabilities and prepare for the possibility of another regional confrontation.

Ketabchi succeeds Majid Ebn al-Reza, who had served on an interim basis after former Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February. His appointment received broad parliamentary backing. He has pledged to restore and strengthen Iran’s defense industry following damage to its military infrastructure.

Decades of experience in Iran’s defense sector

Born in 1958, Ketabchi reportedly studied chemical engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology before completing a master’s degree in strategic management at Malek Ashtar University of Technology, an institution associated with Iran’s Defense Ministry.

His career in the defense sector began in the early 1980s, according to Iranian state-linked reporting. Over more than four decades, he held technical, management and industrial leadership positions, including senior roles at major organizations involved in Iran’s missile and aerospace industries.

Iranian state media has identified his previous positions as including leadership of the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group and the Aerospace Industries Organization. He subsequently headed the Defense Industries Organization, further expanding his involvement in the country’s military manufacturing network.

Reports also connect Ketabchi to Iran’s solid-fuel missile development and its Fateh-110 program. His reported association with Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a prominent figure in the development of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ missile capabilities, underscores his longstanding ties to the program.

UN and US sanctions linked to missile activities

Ketabchi has previously faced international sanctions over his alleged involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile program. In 2007, the United Nations identified him in connection with nuclear or ballistic missile-related activities, listing him as a senior figure at the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.

The United States Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on him in 2008. His reported role in obtaining equipment for Iran’s missile program has added to his profile as a longtime participant in the country’s weapons-development efforts.

His appointment could give Tehran a defense minister with substantial experience in the industrial infrastructure needed to restore missile production. The extent to which Iran can rebuild those capabilities, however, remains uncertain.

Iran’s missile rebuilding efforts raise regional concerns

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in March that Iran had lost its ability to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles. Subsequent reporting has pointed to Iranian efforts to restore parts of its missile program and repair launch equipment.

Ketabchi’s elevation comes as regional governments monitor Iran’s ability to recover from military strikes and reconstitute its defense manufacturing capacity. His background in missile production and defense management could prove significant as Tehran works to rebuild its military infrastructure and prepare for potential future hostilities.

The appointment therefore represents more than a change in personnel: it places a veteran of Iran’s defense industry at the center of the country’s efforts to restore its military capabilities during a period of heightened regional uncertainty.

Canada’s proposed pipeline could increase oil production and exports, but experts say it is unlikely to revive the employment boom that transformed Alberta’s oil sands region more than a decade ago.

Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to expand exports to Asia and reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States, particularly as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten the economy. But in Fort McMurray, Alberta, where the last oil boom created thousands of high-paying jobs, another hiring surge appears unlikely.

Automation and efficiency improvements are expected to drive much of the industry’s growth, according to industry forecasts and interviews with company officials, workers, politicians and academics.

The proposed pipeline would transport one million barrels of crude oil daily to a Pacific Coast port, opening greater access to Asian markets.

During a recent visit to Fort McMurray, Carney cautioned against expecting another oil boom.

“I wouldn’t use the term ‘boom’,” Carney said during a visit to Fort McMurray this month. “I would use ‘sustained growth’.”

MORE OIL, FEWER JOBS

Limited job creation could leave Carney facing criticism from both sides. Environmental advocates say fast-tracking the pipeline risks weakening environmental protections, while conservatives argue that deregulation should deliver stronger growth, higher wages and more jobs.

Weak employment growth could also intensify Alberta’s separatist movement, although a referendum on whether to proceed toward a vote on leaving Canada is expected to fail on Monday.

An August forecast from industry group Energy Safety Canada projects oil sands employment will fall by 920 jobs, or 4%, by 2035, even as production rises 6%.

The group said a new West Coast pipeline could reverse the expected job decline but may generate few permanent positions because companies are increasingly producing more oil with fewer workers.

“Nobody should expect that something that happened 15 years ago will happen the same way today,” said Dianna De Sousa, CEO of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce.

Carney’s office declined to comment on the employment outlook, referring Reuters to the Department of Natural Resources, which did not respond.

FROM BOOM TO BUST

From 2000 to 2014, energy companies poured billions of dollars into Alberta’s oil sands, building massive mines and facilities to extract bitumen, a thick form of petroleum.

Fort McMurray became a magnet for workers who could earn six-figure salaries soon after high school. New trucks, expensive boats and crowded work camps became hallmarks of the boom, as workers arrived from across Canada and beyond.

Then oil prices crashed in 2015, followed by a devastating wildfire in 2016. International companies pulled back as investor concerns about environmental, social and governance standards and the climate policies of former prime minister Justin Trudeau added pressure.

Statistics Canada data show annual oil sands capital investment fell from C$35 billion in 2014 to C$14.2 billion in 2024. Suncor’s Fort Hills project, which began operating in 2018, was the last major new oil sands development in the region.

Alberta’s oil and gas sector now employs about 435,000 people, including temporary and part-time workers—85,000 fewer than in 2014, according to Servus Credit Union data. Real disposable income remains 10% below its 2014 level, and housing values have dropped sharply.

Higher oil prices and rising output have brought some recovery, including population growth after a decade of stagnation. Yet empty commercial properties and sparsely occupied flights into the region point to an economy still struggling.

“Things are not getting better,” said Jenny Parsons, a truck driver and contractor who moved from Newfoundland to work in the oil sands 15 years ago.

Parsons said her hourly pay has barely increased since 2011. She plans to vote in favor of holding a referendum on Alberta’s separation from Canada.

WHAT THE PIPELINE COULD DELIVER

Oil sands companies have yet to commit the estimated C$100 billion in private investment needed to supply the proposed pipeline and build the carbon capture and storage facilities required for federal approval.

Kendall Dilling, head of the Oil Sands Alliance, which represents five major producers, said the developments could generate thousands of jobs across Canada by the mid-2030s. These would include positions in oil production, supply chains and pipeline construction.

But many would be temporary construction jobs, including in British Columbia, rather than permanent oil industry positions.

Automation is already reducing labor needs. More efficient maintenance has cut the time companies spend on routine work, lowering demand for employees and contractors.

Dilling said future employment gains “may be less than the absolute peaks that we’ve seen in the past.”

Jason Kenney, Alberta’s conservative premier from 2019 to 2022, said he cut corporate taxes to encourage oil sands investment. Yet even after oil prices recovered, companies favored shareholder returns over job creation, he told Reuters.

“I was certainly frustrated with them,” he told Reuters. He said he urged companies to direct some tax savings toward capital investment.

“The people need to see a benefit, not just the shareholder in New York.”

The industry group representing oil producers did not directly address Kenney’s criticism but said the pipeline could increase production, create jobs and boost government revenue.

CARNEY FACES POLITICAL RISKS

Carney’s pipeline support has eased tensions between Ottawa and Alberta’s conservative leadership but angered some members of his own Liberal Party. His government is embracing oil expansion to help shield Canada from Trump’s tariffs.

Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, has reversed several environmental policies introduced by Trudeau, cut taxes on new capital investment and promoted Canadian oil to overseas investors.

An Angus Reid poll put Carney’s approval rating at 62% in September. But public support for energy development can shift as environmental concerns and economic priorities change.

Lori Williams, a political science professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, said Trudeau’s environmental policies had once enjoyed widespread backing.

“It’s important to remember that the environmental policies of Justin Trudeau were widely popular at the time,” said Lori Williams, a political science professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. “If we see more environmentally friendly options starting to come on in the future then I think additional pipelines in Canada will be much harder to sell.”

Fort McMurray’s previous boom also strained infrastructure and fueled tensions between residents and temporary workers living in camps. Some companies now recruit more local employees, reducing their reliance on fly-in, fly-out labor.

Still, longtime residents hope Carney’s plans will bring renewed prosperity, even if the past is unlikely to return.

Colin Hartigan, owner of the city’s Coldwell Banker United office, believes another boom will eventually come, though he acknowledges the earlier expansion had its excesses.

“At some point, there’s going to be another boom,” Hartigan said. “Do I think families here want to see that? Not like in the past, that was a little bit crazy. But do we all pray for it? Absolutely.”

The pipeline could strengthen Canada’s position in global energy markets. But without major new investment—and with automation reducing labor demand—higher oil production may not translate into the jobs and prosperity Fort McMurray once enjoyed.

PARIS, October 18, 2026 (Reuter) — France is facing a major public order crisis after demonstrations over cost of living and strained public services erupted into violence across the country. The unrest reportedly resulted in one death, hundreds of injured police officers and approximately 1,800 arrests.

Saturday’s demonstrations spread through numerous French cities, with incidents of arson, vandalism and widespread theft reported. Government facilities and private businesses were among the targets, leaving authorities facing a substantial recovery and cleanup effort.

Organizers and participants joined marches in dozens of locations, with reported attendance exceeding half a million people. What began as protests connected to educational conditions and staffing shortages grew into a broader expression of dissatisfaction with household expenses, inequality and reductions in public spending.

Paris experienced particularly serious disturbances. Authorities reported 855 arrests in the capital, while one participant died after experiencing a cardiac emergency during the demonstrations. France’s interior minister also reported that more than 500 police officers had been injured nationwide.

Although many demonstrators took part without violence, separate groups engaged in confrontations with law enforcement, damaged public property and targeted commercial establishments. Luxury retailers, supermarkets and police vehicles were among the reported targets.

President Emmanuel Macron condemned the destruction and indicated that those responsible would face legal consequences. The government has emphasized restoring order as officials work to assess the damage and support affected communities.

The aftermath was visible across the country. Municipal crews began clearing debris in cities including Lille, Marseille, Strasbourg and Bordeaux. In the southwestern city of Bordeaux, a group of masked individuals reportedly entered the local prefect’s residence.

Paris also faced extensive cleanup work, with damaged shopfronts, burned bicycles and graffiti marking areas affected by the clashes. In Limoges, officials examined severe fire damage to the city’s historic municipal headquarters, a building that had stood for 143 years.

The crisis presents another challenge for Macron’s administration as France approaches its 2027 presidential election. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has rejected the prospect of the government yielding to violent pressure, attributing responsibility to far-left groups and criminal offenders.

Economy Minister Roland Lescure said businesses damaged during the disturbances would receive support and stressed that those responsible should bear the consequences of their actions.

In Bordeaux, Mayor Thomas Cazenave estimated that as many as 100 businesses had been looted. Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan separately announced emergency financial assistance for companies affected by the unrest.

The demonstrations originated last month amid complaints about school conditions and a lack of teachers in working-class suburbs. They have since developed into a wider protest movement reflecting dissatisfaction with living costs, economic inequality and government budget policies.

The scale of the destruction and the breadth of the demonstrations underscore the political challenge facing French leaders as they attempt to restore public order while addressing the grievances fueling the protests.

Another drone attack on Komala raises fears that Tehran will intensify cross-border strikes following the US withdrawal from Iraq.

The Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala said one of its bases in northern Iraq was targeted by drones overnight on October 17, marking another attack in a campaign against Kurdish opposition organizations since February 2026.

Kurdish groups fear Iran could escalate its operations following the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq on September 30. Since then, attacks have also targeted the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in Koya and Khabat, near Erbil.

An official and a security source told Rudaw English that “two drones launched from Iran struck a base belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala in Balisan, Erbil province.”

No casualties were reported, but Komala official Ali Ranjbari confirmed that buildings were damaged. Rudaw reported that “He said one drone struck the base, while the other hit a guard post. Separately, a security source in the Kurdistan Region confirmed the attack to Rudaw English, while Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency also reported the drone strikes,” Rudaw reported.

More than 1,000 attacks have targeted the Kurdistan Region since February 28, according to regional government figures. The total includes strikes against opposition camps, diplomatic facilities and infrastructure.

Rudaw connected the latest attack to rising tensions between Tehran and Washington in the Strait of Hormuz, reporting that “the latest strike comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces have stepped up pressure on commercial shipping, targeting more than a dozen vessels over the past two weeks.”

The strikes also reflect Iran’s continuing efforts to suppress Kurdish opposition activity in its northwestern provinces, which border Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.

No Kurdish uprising despite reports of US support

Reports in March 2026 suggested that the United States was supporting Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. However, no uprising followed. The PDKI has since said it will not send its Peshmerga fighters into Iran.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Nechirvan Barzani has also criticized Kurdish opposition groups, suggesting their conduct has contributed to attacks on the region.

Inside Iran, clashes between Iranian forces and Kurdish militants have intensified. Rudaw reported that “in western Iran, clashes between the IRGC and fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) have escalated in the Shaho mountain range in the Hawraman region over the past few days, with Iranian forces deploying heavy weaponry and drones to bombard areas where Kurdish militants maintain positions.”

The outlet added that “the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported that Iranian forces had continued shelling and drone attacks in the Shaho mountains, including areas around Daleh Marz village in Sarvabad county. Witnesses told the rights group that several explosions caused by suicide drones were heard in the Daleh Marz and Bareza Lang areas, while Iranian reconnaissance drones flew over the mountains.”

Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq include the PDKI, Komala, the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), PJAK and the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle, known as Khabat. Many fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and subsequent clashes with the Islamic Republic.

The groups strengthened coordination in late 2025 and formed an alliance in early 2026, but have stopped short of launching an uprising. Iran’s recent operations have nevertheless raised concerns that Tehran could expand its activities inside Iraq following the US withdrawal.

Iran’s expanding missile and drone campaign

Iran has increasingly used missiles and drones against Kurdish opposition groups over the past decade. In September 2018, Iranian missiles struck PDKI headquarters near Koya, killing senior party members and others. Tehran launched another major wave of attacks in 2022 following protests triggered by Mahsa Amini’s death in Iranian custody.

In 2023, Baghdad and Tehran signed a security agreement aimed at disarming Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and relocating them away from the border.

Attacks escalated sharply after the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, 2026. The reported total of more than 1,000 attacks across the Kurdistan Region highlights the scale of the security challenge, although not all strikes targeted Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

The continuing attacks leave Kurdish organizations vulnerable and place the KRG in a difficult position as it seeks to maintain relations with Tehran while protecting refugees and opposition groups on its territory.

Further clashes involving groups such as PJAK could deepen instability. Statements from Erbil and the PDKI suggest that Kurdish leaders are increasingly concerned about the risk of wider escalation.

Mexico has arrested former Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui on suspicion of treason, following allegations that he permitted foreign agents to participate in a security operation without the required legal approval, Mexican Attorney General Ernestina Godoy announced Saturday.

Investigators suspect Jauregui authorized U.S. personnel to join an April operation targeting a suspected drug laboratory in Chihuahua, a northern Mexican state bordering the United States. Prosecutors say the participation was unauthorized under Mexican law.

The case has drawn attention to the sensitive question of U.S. involvement in Mexico’s fight against drug trafficking, particularly after two American intelligence officers reportedly died in a vehicle crash earlier this year.

In April, Washington confirmed the deaths of two employees assigned to its embassy in Mexico City but did not publicly identify their agencies. Sources familiar with the incident said both were CIA officers engaged in counter-narcotics work.

The deaths intensified scrutiny of cooperation between the two countries. President Claudia Sheinbaum subsequently emphasized that Mexico supports intelligence exchanges and joint efforts against organized crime but does not allow American agents or military personnel to take part directly in operations on Mexican soil.

Godoy said investigators believe the former prosecutor may have violated national security laws by allowing foreign personnel to participate in activities reserved for Mexican security forces.

“The investigation determined that Cesar N may have engaged in conduct that could possibly ​constitute the crime of ​treason in matters ⁠of national security because he allegedly allowed foreign individuals to intervene without authorization on Mexican territory and take part in ​actions that correspond exclusively to national security forces,” Godoy said ​in a ⁠video message on Saturday.

Authorities referred to the suspect as “Cesar N,” following Mexico’s customary practice of withholding a suspect’s complete surname during criminal proceedings.

Godoy confirmed that a federal judge had approved an arrest warrant after investigators spent several months examining the allegations.

Jauregui was not immediately available for comment. The U.S. embassy declined to comment on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says restrictions on SpaceX satellite services remain in place inside Ukraine, hampering military drone operations and efforts to supply frontline troops.

Conflicting explanations: Ukrainian officials say they have received contradictory accounts about whether the restrictions stem from a technical fault or a political decision involving the Trump administration or Elon Musk.

“SpaceX as a company tells us it is a technical problem. But our contacts in the company say it is coming from the White House. When we ask the White House, they say it is Elon,” a Ukrainian official told Axios.

Musk said Starshield usage limits are controlled by the U.S. government and military. Trump has denied that his administration restricted Ukraine’s Starlink access.

Questions over a possible plan: The Telegraph reported that Musk proposed limiting Starlink and Starshield services used by Ukrainian forces. A source familiar with the discussion told Axios that Trump did not object. The White House rejected the report.

“This is totally false. As President Trump said, we didn’t slow down Starlink at all, and the service is currently operational,” a White House official said.

Tests point to Ukraine-specific limits: Zelenskyy said tests showed satellite connections remained active at 180 kilometers per hour in EU countries but disconnected at 161 kilometers per hour after vehicles entered Ukraine. Previously, the network reportedly worked with drones traveling up to 400 kilometers per hour.

“The conclusion is that the restrictions apply inside Ukraine but do not apply in European Union countries. In other words, this is a planned operation,” Zelensky said.

Military impact: Ukraine relies on Starlink for communications, logistics and defensive drones, while U.S.-controlled Starshield supports offensive operations. Kyiv says restrictions on both systems could weaken intelligence gathering, drone interception and long-range strikes against Russia.

Diplomatic efforts: Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, discussed the issue with Trump adviser Jared Kushner on Friday. They also discussed holding further U.S.-Ukraine talks next week on the Trump administration’s latest proposal to end the war with Russia.

A Russian satellite’s recent movements near an American-owned imaging spacecraft are drawing scrutiny from space-security specialists, amid broader concerns about Moscow’s ability to threaten Western assets in orbit.

The spacecraft involved is ICEYE-X36, part of a commercial satellite network whose capabilities have been used by Ukraine. Tracking data reviewed by space-monitoring company LeoLabs showed that Russia’s Cosmos 2612 moved to within roughly three miles of the American-owned satellite on Friday. The two had been more than 200 miles apart the previous day.

LeoLabs said the maneuver “appears to be a deliberate approach toward” ICEYE-X36. The company noted that such close encounters are unusual in low Earth orbit, where satellites can travel at approximately 17,000 miles per hour. It cautioned that the purpose of the Russian satellite’s movement remains unknown.

Neither the U.S. Defense Department nor representatives of Finnish-founded ICEYE provided comment when contacted by Axios.

Ukraine connection remains unclear

Ukraine’s military has a working relationship with ICEYE, a Ukrainian official told Axios, although the official could not establish whether this particular satellite directly supports Ukrainian operations.

In January, ICEYE announced an agreement with “a customer within the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine” intended to “expand their cooperation in space-based intelligence” through its satellite constellation.

The Ukrainian official said the military had not been aware of the latest movements but had been briefed on similar activity during the spring and summer.

Commercial tracking data also recorded Russian satellites operating near ICEYE-X36 in May. The U.S. Space Force has previously identified Cosmos satellites as having approached a “Western commercial radar satellite used by Ukraine for imagery intelligence.”

Washington has repeatedly expressed concern about Russia’s development of anti-satellite capabilities, which could threaten spacecraft relied upon for intelligence and other strategic purposes.

Orbital maneuvers raise safety concerns

Experts say the apparent adjustments to Cosmos 2612’s trajectory deserve attention because changing altitude, speed and orbital positioning requires fuel and deliberate maneuvering.

Clayton Swope, a senior space fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described the Friday separation between the spacecraft as essentially “bumper-to-bumper.”

Greg Gillinger, a space analyst with Integrity ISR, told Axios: “This is all unusual, and it just points to a purposeful engagement between Russia and a Western-run satellite that’s supporting Ukraine,”

The proximity also raises questions about collision risks. Aaron Brynildson, a space law professor at the University of Mississippi, said there is no firm international rule specifying a minimum separation between satellites, although operators generally avoid approaches closer than about six miles.

Brynildson warned that simultaneous movements by two spacecraft at such close range could substantially increase the possibility of a collision.

A wider space-security concern

The episode comes amid continuing concerns about the vulnerability of satellite infrastructure used in modern warfare. The specific purpose of Cosmos 2612’s approach has not been established, and the available information does not confirm that Russia attempted to damage or disable ICEYE-X36.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is also dealing with restrictions affecting a separate satellite communications system owned by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, according to a related Axios report.

Reporting by Axios included contributions from Barak Ravid.

President Donald Trump’s decision to delay new penalties against Russia has exposed a growing divide between the White House and lawmakers who want Washington to maintain economic pressure on Moscow.

An executive order issued Friday allows the administration to hold off on sanctions authorized by the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Trump signed the legislation in September, but now says suspending certain provisions serves American interests.

The decision comes as the administration pursues diplomatic initiatives involving Russia and Ukraine, while criticism of Trump’s handling of relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin is intensifying ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Ukraine Calls for Stronger Enforcement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded Saturday by emphasizing the importance of putting the sanctions legislation into effect. His comments came as Russian forces continued striking Ukrainian energy facilities.

“This Act could have helped enormously – and still can! But it needs to actually work, and every voice in support of it matters,” he wrote on X.

Oil Trade and International Pressure at the Center of Dispute

The legislation provides for penalties against Russia and certain foreign parties doing business with it, including companies and countries purchasing Russian oil. Its secondary sanctions could affect major trading partners such as China and India.

Trump’s waiver avoids immediately applying those additional measures. It also follows his recent decision to permit Russian diesel sales to overseas markets, which has already provoked opposition across party lines.

Other developments have added to concerns about the administration’s approach, including questions surrounding Ukraine’s access to Starlink communications technology and Trump’s public dismissal of claims that Russia was assisting Iran in its war.

Congressional Critics Challenge Trump

Several prominent Democrats accused the president of undermining Ukraine and giving Moscow economic breathing room.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote: “By giving the Russian economy life support, Trump’s deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier,”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) argued that the waiver conflicts with Congress’s objective in approving penalties over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He wrote: “Trump’s latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression,”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questioned the administration’s stated justification, saying: “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, & everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin. I hope my Republican colleagues will join me in condemning this craven, cowardly action,”

The objections were not limited to Democrats. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) pointed to the legislation’s 86-11 Senate vote as evidence of strong congressional support for enforcement.

“Beyond irresponsible. What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” he posted on X.

Tillis added: “It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”

Republican Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) also criticized the move, writing: “Lindsey would be appalled.”

White House Defends Diplomatic Strategy

The administration says applying the sanctions now could interfere with negotiations intended to end the war.

“Enforcing the sanctions provisions now would impede ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate a durable and comprehensive peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.

Trump’s order relies on a provision allowing the president to waive certain sanctions requirements. In the document, he formally justified the suspension on national-interest grounds.

A Political and Diplomatic Test

The dispute highlights competing approaches to dealing with Moscow. Critics argue that relaxing economic restrictions risks strengthening Russia’s position while its war against Ukraine continues. The White House, meanwhile, maintains that flexibility over sanctions is necessary to pursue a lasting settlement.

The controversy also places Republican candidates in a difficult position as they campaign for the midterms, particularly as lawmakers from their own party question the president’s recent decisions.

The central question now is whether Washington’s softer approach will create opportunities for a peace agreement or weaken the leverage that Congress intended the sanctions to provide.

France was rocked by widespread unrest Saturday as demonstrations over the rising cost of living escalated into violent confrontations, extensive looting and fires across the country. Authorities described the clashes as being of “extreme intensity.”

The turmoil adds to mounting political instability ahead of presidential elections expected in roughly six months, as President Emmanuel Macron enters the final months of his tenure.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said entire streets “have been devastated” after masked groups set vehicles alight and ransacked businesses. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu reported late Saturday that 1,200 people had been arrested and 150 police officers injured.

The demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of participants. France’s Interior Ministry estimated attendance at 550,000 nationwide, while the CGT labor union put the figure at 800,000. Police deployed tear gas and water cannon as demonstrators threw objects and launched fireworks. In Saint-Etienne, a 17-year-old boy reportedly lost his right hand after a crowd-control grenade exploded near him.

Violence continued after the marches, with groups moving through urban neighborhoods, confronting officers, setting fires and breaking into closed businesses. Stores ranging from supermarkets and pharmacies to luxury retailers, clothing shops, opticians and electronics outlets were targeted in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg.

Journalists in Paris observed groups of masked individuals apparently working together to loot shops. In some cases, they wore gloves, disabled security cameras and then smashed windows to enter the premises.

Public buildings also came under attack. Limoges’ historic town hall, which is more than 140 years old, suffered extensive fire damage after masked individuals reportedly forced their way inside. Officials also reported break-ins and vandalism at municipal buildings in Marseille and Lille. In Bordeaux, a police facility was vandalized, while protesters set fire to a tourist office in Lyon.

Macron responded with a warning on X, saying that “those who carried out vandalism, attacked administrative offices or businesses, or carried out looting — even in our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished”.

The unrest quickly became a political flashpoint, with candidates seeking to succeed Macron using the disorder to criticize their rivals.

Right wing presidential contender Marine Le Pen denounced “the rioters” and accused the movement led by her left-wing rival, Jean-Luc Melenchon, of having “legitimised the violence”. She pledged on X that, if elected, she would defend the French public “from the violence of the extreme left”.

Melenchon, who had backed both the nationwide marches and the student demonstrations that preceded them, called on participants to reject looting, saying it was “contrary to our methods”.

Saturday’s protests were promoted by France’s Yellow Vest movement, which became prominent eight years ago through demonstrations against Macron’s proposed fuel-tax increases. This time, the soaring cost of living was a central concern, with inflation in Europe exacerbated in part by conflict in the Middle East.

Protesters also expressed broader anger toward political leaders, wealth inequality and the country’s direction. In Paris, tens of thousands marched through eastern and northern districts, chanting slogans including “Everyone hates the police” and “Macron, resign”.

Some demonstrators invoked the French Revolution of 1789. In Marseille, protesters shouted “It’s the Revolution — we’re taking the Bastille!” as they forced their way into the mayor’s offices. In La Rochelle, marchers carried a sign declaring “Revolution or death”, while a large banner reading “The people will win” appeared over a central square in Montpellier.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russian forces on Saturday of creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, where residents are reportedly facing severe hunger and a shortage of medical supplies. He called on international organizations to help civilians escape.

Sybiha’s statement on X came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pope Leo that Moscow would cooperate in getting essential supplies into Oleshky, located in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.

“Russians are trying to turn the Ukrainian town of ​Oleshky into a death trap. The hospital has run out ⁠of medicine. Dozens of bodies lie in the streets or in homes, ​as Russians forbid residents from burying them,” Sybiha wrote.

“Families are starving, surviving on ​leftover garden vegetables, preserves and even snails … Ukraine has repeatedly called for safe evacuation and international humanitarian access. These appeals cannot remain unanswered.”

In September, the Kremlin acknowledged that Oleshky was experiencing serious shortages of food and medicine but said Russian military personnel were working to address the crisis. Ukrainian forces have since used drones on two occasions to transport food and medical supplies into the town.

Sybiha appealed to the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations to “secure safe evacuation corridors and immediate humanitarian access.”

Oleshky is situated on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, most of which fell under Russian control shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian forces later retook substantial territory in a counteroffensive, including the regional capital, Kherson.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy characterized conditions in Oleshky earlier this week as “genocide.”

Before the war, Oleshky had approximately 24,000 residents. Danielle Bell, who heads the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said the population has since dwindled to roughly 1,700 people, including 47 children.

Separately, local prosecutors reported on Saturday that Russian forces had struck the city of Kherson with aerial bombs. The city sits across the Dnipro River from Oleshky. The attack killed an ambulance driver and left 40 people wounded.

A Lebanese military delegation will present Beirut’s demand for a halt to Israeli attacks during a three-way meeting scheduled for October 20 in Tampa, Florida, according to a statement posted by the Lebanese presidency on X.

Lebanon and Israel have engaged in several rounds of direct discussions in recent months as both sides seek to end fighting that reignited on March 2. The latest conflict began when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel in support of Iran.

Under an agreement negotiated with US mediation, Lebanon committed to disarming Hezbollah, with the understanding that Israel would gradually withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory. However, Hezbollah has rejected disarmament while Israeli forces remain on Lebanese soil. Israel has continued carrying out strikes against what it describes as terrorist targets in southern Lebanon, arguing that they violate the terms of the agreement.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Saturday that he intends to leave office when his current presidential term expires in 2030, insisting that the matter is settled and that Egypt’s constitution will not be changed to extend his rule.

“I said that the Egyptian constitution would not be touched,” he said. “This is an entirely settled matter and will not be discussed,” he added, referring to the conclusion of his presidency.

Sisi, 71, is currently serving a six-year term after winning reelection in December 2023. Constitutional changes approved in a 2019 referendum lengthened presidential terms from four years to six and permitted him to pursue a third term, allowing him to remain in power through 2030.

Sisi’s Path to Power

A former military general, Sisi came to power in 2013 after removing Mohamed Mursi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, following widespread demonstrations against Mursi’s government.

Sisi made the comments on Saturday while attending a graduation ceremony for new cadets at Egypt’s Military Academy.

Iran’s worsening financial situation is putting pressure on its regional allies, with groups linked to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi militias reportedly diverting funds to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper outlined the development in a video statement released Friday, following nine months of war and growing economic strain on Tehran.

Cooper estimated that the US naval blockade has cost Iran approximately $25 billion in lost oil revenue. In a separate financial operation, CENTCOM and the US Treasury Department froze $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency assets in recent weeks.

Iran-aligned groups reportedly redirecting funds to support the IRGC

Cooper said the financial difficulties have reportedly become so serious that some Iran-backed militias are holding back pay from their own fighters to send money to the IRGC, which is also struggling to meet its payroll obligations.

“The financial strain on Iran’s military has become so significant that there are reports about Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding payments for their soldiers in order to funnel money back to the IRGC, which also isn’t paying its troops,” Cooper asserted.

The CENTCOM commander also linked increased Iranian threats against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to mounting desperation within the IRGC. Despite the tensions, he said the strategic waterway remained open, with approximately 400 vessels and 100 million barrels of oil moving through the strait during the preceding week.

Washington maintains economic pressure as diplomatic efforts continue

CENTCOM has largely suspended strikes in recent weeks against Iranian military positions considered threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to use economic pressure in an effort to bring Tehran to an agreement.

According to an Axios report published Friday, the White House and Qatari mediators were waiting for Iran to respond to a US counterproposal intended to bring the war to an end.

An American official cited by Axios said the administration ordered the pause in strikes to avoid intensifying the conflict before the US midterm elections. The report came as President Donald Trump’s approval rating had fallen to 38%, according to NBC News polling.

The Axios report also said US officials believe Iran is stepping up attacks on vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz to drive up global oil prices and put additional political pressure on Trump ahead of the elections.

An Amazon delivery driver and a second person were caught on a doorbell camera taking bags of donated clothing from outside a home in Toms River, New Jersey.

The incident took place around 5:00 AM on Wednesday. Residents of the development had left the bags outside overnight ahead of a pickup by Serendipity, a Jewish organization that provides valuable, brand-name clothing to those who cannot afford it. The homeowner says five bags were taken.

Doorbell camera footage provided to Belaaz

Doorbell camera footage provided to Belaaz

Doorbell camera footage provided to Belaaz

The bags left out for the Serendipity pickup. Photo provided to Belaaz

The homeowner reached out to Amazon’s delivery contractor. In an email response reviewed by Belaaz, the contractor apologized for the actions of the driver and said it had notified Amazon.

The contractor said it is unable to return the items that were taken, and offered to send a payment of $250 to donate to the charity. The homeowner says the offer falls far short of the value of the clothing that was taken.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that recent strikes in the Gaza Strip killed four Hamas operatives, including a militant accused of entering Israel during the October 7, 2023, attack.

According to the military, a Thursday strike killed Mahmoud Khaled Mohammed Madhoun, a member of Hamas’s Nukhba Force who allegedly participated in anti-tank missile attacks against Israeli troops during the war.

Two additional Hamas operatives were killed in separate strikes on Friday, the IDF said. They were identified as Ubaida Suhail Hamad Murtaja, described as a Hamas sniper, and Adham Khalil Mohammed Marouf, whom the military accused of infiltrating Israel during the October 7 assault.

A separate Israeli strike in southern Gaza on Saturday killed another Hamas operative, Abd al-Jawad Juda, according to the army.

The military said all four men had recently been involved in activities directed against Israeli soldiers and civilians, as well as efforts to rebuild Hamas’s operational capabilities. The IDF described these activities as taking place in “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”

The announcement followed a military statement a day earlier reporting the deaths of two additional Hamas operatives in Gaza strikes.

Those killed were Maher Walid Omar al-Husseini, described by the IDF as a commander of a Nukhba Force unit who entered Israel during the October 7 attack, and Mohammed Mohammed Abd al-Khalek Hala, identified as an official involved in Hamas weapons production.

The latest operations are part of an Israeli campaign that has intensified in recent months against Hamas members operating in Gaza, including individuals accused of participating in the October 7 assault. The military maintains that these operatives continue to threaten Israeli forces.

The IDF has also said its recent targeting efforts have focused on Hamas personnel working to rebuild the group’s military infrastructure, alongside clandestine command facilities and the organization’s mechanisms for maintaining civilian control in Gaza.

Moti Leitner is a Knesset candidate for the “Chareidi Public” party, a party that seeks to replace United Torah Judaism and Shas and is trying to bring about a change in chareidi thinking. The party encourages the enlistment of chareidim into the IDF and the introduction of vocational studies into Talmud Torahs, and has even placed a woman on its slate for the first time.

Belaaz has learned from well-informed sources that the Shin Bet fears Leitner may be harmed and is monitoring his daily schedule. According to the details, every morning a Shin Bet representative receives Leitner’s schedule for the day and makes sure there is no location where friction could arise that would endanger his life.

Photo provided to Belaaz.

Belaaz has further learned that a week and a half ago, Leitner had already summoned journalists for a statement he was set to deliver near a protest held by the Peleg Yerushalmi over arrests. The statement, however, was unexpectedly canceled. A source tells Belaaz that the Shin Bet was behind the cancellation, having recommended that Leitner call off the event out of concern for his safety.

The Chareidi Public party is not passing the electoral threshold and will likely not enter the Knesset. But the party’s very existence poses a challenge to the chareidi parties, as quite a few chareidim are expected to vote for it.

Following a first report on Belaaz, Chassidus Gur has published a call from the Gerrer Rebbe Shlita to vote for United Torah Judaism, bringing the disagreements to an end.

Gur officials stressed that the declaration is a call to vote only, not to actively work to bring out additional voters, a distinction that carries significance.

Belzer Chassidus also announced this evening, at the Shalosh Seudos tish, that chassidim are to vote for United Torah Judaism. The announcement was made by the gabbai, Reb Shimon Wolf Klein, in the presence of the Belzer Rebbe Shlita. Standing behind him were the community’s representatives, Deputy Minister Yisroel Eichler and Knesset candidate Elyakim Stark.