Israeli special forces capture senior Hezbollah officer

 Lebanese reports on Saturday said that an Israeli military force raided an area near the coastal city of Batroun, and took a senior Hezbollah official captive.

An Israeli security source confirmed to Sky News Arabic that "a special operation was carried out, in which a person was taken captive in northern Lebanon."

Arab news outlets reported that a large naval force, suspected to be Israeli, arrived at the Batroun coast in northern Lebanon and captured a Hezbollah operative staying in a hut in the area, around 140 kilometers from the Israeli border. According to the reports, the operation included over 25 fighters, and was coordinated with the UNIFIL forces stationed in Lebanon.

Al Hadath has named the individual as Imad Amhaz, an officer in the Lebanese Navy.

However, Lebanon's Transportation Minister, Ali Hamie, told Al Jadeed that Amhaz is a captain who commands civilian and commercial ships. He studied in a civilian institution.

Candice Ardil, deputy director of UNIFIL's information office, denied any connection to "the trapping or a violation of Lebanese sovereignty."

Zera Shimshon Parshas Noach

 

Rabbi Kalman Ber elected Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel

 Rabbi Kalman Ber, the Chief Rabbi of Netanya, was elected on Thursday to serve as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. The newly elected Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi is an alumnus of Kerem Beyavne hesder yeshiva, taught there for many years after his hesder army service in the Nachal Brigade and was elected Netanya Chief Rabbi in 2014. He is related to the Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz Harav, Rabbi Yaakov Shapira.

The elections were held between 12:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the Chief Rabbinate headquarters in Jerusalem. 136 out of the 140 members of the electoral body participated in the voting.

The four members of the body who did not cast their votes were Emek Hefer Regional Council head Galit Shaul, the Rabbi of Rechasim Yaakov Sonnenfeld, MK Yitzhak Kroizer (Otzma Yehudit), and Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot.

Rabbi Ber received 77 votes while his opponent, Petah Tikva Chief Rabbi Micha Halevi received only 58 votes.

The election on Thursday was a runoff after the two candidates tied during the first round last month, both receiving 40 votes.

During the initial round of voting, Rabbi David Yosef, the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef z”l, and the brother of the former Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, was elected as Sephardic Chief Rabbi, having received 72 votes.

Zionists Discover Mechanism to Eliminate Tumors

 

 Israeli researchers have stumbled on a way to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer cells, including in types of the disease considered resistant to prevailing forms of immunotherapy, Tel Aviv University announced on Wednesday.

The “chance technological breakthrough” by the university’s Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences essentially reverses a mechanism in cancer patients that prevents the immune system from attacking tumors, the university said.

The academic lab that made the discovery studies both cancer and the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun on the skin and body, both of which are known to suppress the immune system.

“While in most cases, we cancer researchers worldwide focus on the tumor and look for mechanisms by which cancer inhibits the immune system, here we proposed a different approach: investigating how UV exposure suppresses the immune system and applying our findings to cancer,” said TAU Prof. Carmit Levy, one of the leaders in the study.

“The discovery of a mechanism that inhibits the immune system opens new paths for innovative therapies,” she said.

The researchers found that after exposure to UV radiation, the immune system’s T cells—that play a critical role in fighting cancer—begin to express high levels of the protein Ly6a, said PhD student Avishai Maliah.

“We suspected that Ly6a serves as a brake through which UV inhibits the immune system, and that by releasing this brake, optimal activation of the immune system might be resumed,” he added.

He treated cancer in the lab with Ly6a antibodies, and the tumors were significantly reduced. Moreover, cancers resistant to known treatments reacted substantially to Ly6a antibodies.

“Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer,” noted TAU Prof. Yaron Carmi, a global expert on the immune system and co-author of the study. “However, about 50% of the patients do not respond to the currently prevailing treatment.”

The Israeli team is now working to translate their findings into a drug for cancer patients, hoping to offer an effective new treatment.

The research has been published in the peer-reviewed Nature Communications journal.

Chief Kapo .. "Shmuck" Schumer A damning report reveals he quietly advised Columbia leaders to ignore criticism of campus antisemitism

 

 The House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s report sheds light on Senator Chuck Schumer’s controversial role in Columbia University’s response to campus anti-Semitism.

According to the report, first published Thursday by the Washington Beacon’s Adam Kredo, Schumer advised former Columbia President Minouche Shafik to downplay and ignore congressional criticism, reassuring her that “the university’s political problems are really only among Republicans.” He suggested that university leadership “keep heads down” rather than confront anti-Semitic incidents openly. This guidance was perceived as politically motivated rather than genuinely protective of students.

Furthermore, as anti-Israel protests escalated on campuses—including incidents of intimidation and harassment of Jewish students—Schumer’s private stance diverged sharply from his public position. When protests turned violent at Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus, Schumer publicly condemned the “lawlessness,” yet privately encouraged Columbia’s leaders to avoid inquiries from Republicans, reinforcing a partisan divide over a significant campus safety issue.

The report argues that this approach contributed to a culture in which universities, including Columbia and Harvard, treated anti-Semitism as a public relations issue rather than enforcing protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This stance arguably allowed anti-Semitic demonstrations to escalate unchecked into open hostility on campuses across the country. The committee asserts that Schumer’s guidance to avoid accountability and regard anti-Semitism as merely a political inconvenience ultimately compromised the safety and rights of Jewish students.

Former NYS Assemblyman Dov Hikind slammed Schumer calling him A “Kapo in Our time”, a fraud, and a traitor.

IDF Reserve Commander of 20,000 Troops Has Message to Jewish People

 

More on Asher Binyomin Weiss the Frum Bnei-Brak Iranian Spy

 Permitted for Publication: Bnei Brak Resident Followed a Nuclear Scientist on Behalf of Iran

The State Prosecutor’s Office has indicted Asher Binyamin Weiss of Bnei Brak for allegedly tracking an Israeli nuclear scientist under the guidance of Iranian agents, possibly intending to assassinate him. Weiss faces charges of contact with a foreign agent, aiding an enemy, and obstructing justice.

The indictment, led by Attorney Yonatan Eliyahu Tal, details how Weiss, following the agent’s instructions, committed acts to destabilize state security: setting cars on fire, blocking roads with pipes, spraying inflammatory graffiti, and posting seditious leaflets across Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. Weiss documented these actions for the agent, who reportedly paid him thousands in cryptocurrency.

Investigators found that Weiss was instructed to retrieve a mysterious bag from a park in Petah Tikva, pinpointed by a foreign contact suspected of working for a hostile state. Despite failing to locate the bag, Weiss confirmed the mission to his handler. Phone records placed him in Petah Tikva on August 28, aligning with the mission’s timing.

Weiss also admitted to hanging and later removing seditious posters across Tel Aviv. Evidence shows he ordered these posters through a printing shop, tracked by his email, and searched for “central streets in Tel Aviv.” Additionally, he photographed locations with phrases like “Hello Tel Aviv,” against various backdrops around Israel.

To maintain secrecy, Weiss used a special SIM card in an old phone. He confessed to graffitiing inflammatory messages, though he claimed he erased them soon after. However, his inability to recall locations hindered verification.

A key piece of evidence involved Weiss photographing a house in Rehovot and sending the footage, including details of a nearby black car, to his handler. He gave contradictory explanations regarding the residents and the documentation.

Authorities discovered transfers totaling $25,271 to Weiss’s digital wallets, allegedly from an Iranian-linked external contact. Weiss systematically attempted to cover up his connection, discarding his phone and misleading investigators when police searched his home.

Initially, Weiss claimed ignorance of his handlers’ identities, believing them criminal or political figures. But, as evidence mounted, he admitted he “highly suspected” an Iranian link.

The investigation has demonstrated Weiss’s awareness of his collaborators and the security implications of his actions. Prosecutors are seeking his detention until the legal proceedings conclude.

Germany orders shutdown of all Iranian consulates

 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday announced that three Iranian consulates are to be closed in Germany in response to the execution of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd.

The consulates are in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.

Baerbock also said Germany would seek EU-wide sanctions against those involved in Sharmahd's execution.

The German Foreign Office on Wednesday announced that its ambassador to Iran, Markus Potzel, had left the country for consultations in Berlin and to protest "in the strongest terms" against Iran's actions.

A spokesman at the time said the "murder" of a German citizen was "extremely straining" on relations with Iran, already reduced to a minimum.

The Iranian judiciary announced Sharmahd's execution on Monday. He was sentenced to death in 2023 after a controversial trial on terrorism charges.

The German government, relatives and human rights activists strongly rejected the accusations against him.

Rosh Yeshiva Chastises Charedie Draft Dodgers "No one is Exempt" "This War is a Milchamas Mitzva"

Rabbi Tamir Granot

 In March of this year, I posted an article about this Rosh Yeshiva who is the RY of Yeshivat Orot Shaul! His son Captain Amital Tzvi z"l lost his life for the Jewish people on October 15. 

He is a huge Talmud Chachim and is speaking to the Chareidie World on the Yurzeit of his son!

He is speaking in Hebrew with Hebrew subtitles, you don't have to be fluent in Hebrew to understand every single word he is saying! He is speaking from his heart and is quoting from the Rambaצ, Chazon Ish etc. and addresses all the Charedide "talking points" 

Listen again and again to what he has to say! 

The Dati Leumi Oilim is now getting fed up with their fellow Chareidim and want them to share in the burden!

He explains that this argument that the IDF has enough manpower and don't need Charediem is no longer true, they are fed up with having to leave their jobs, leave their wives and children and continue to serve in the reserves while Charedim are not helping share in this burden! I believe if this isn't rectified very soon there will be a tremendous breach in Achdus! Rabbi Granot explains all the Charedie arguments could have been true before October 7, but October 7 changed everything!  

Harav Granot with his Son Amital Tzvi z"l and his Rebbitzin 

Donald Trump opens three-point lead over Kamala Harris in final Daily Mail poll before Election Day

 

Donald Trump has overtaken Kamala Harris in the final DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners national poll before Election Day, with the former president holding a three-point lead over the vice president.

Both candidates have shored up their bases, but Trump has done better at picking up support from independents and undecided voters in the final push, according to the data.

The poll of 1,000 likely voters, which has  margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent, shows that Trump is trending up, with the support of 49 percent to Harris' 46 percent.

The race is still close. Yet, with five days to go, the numbers mean Trump is currently on course to become the first Republican candidate since George W. Bush in 2004 to win the popular vote.

The vice president held a one-point lead when the poll was last conducted in September.

She enjoyed a two-month honeymoon after President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign. Her poll numbers and fundraising surged amid a wave of enthusiasm.

But since then the race has tightened to become one of the closest in history.  

James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners said the poll was good news for Trump's chances of winning the White House. 

'The movement under the surface suggests Trump is having a better closing moment in driving up enthusiasm than Harris is, and undecideds and third-party candidate supporters have also broken for Trump in the last month,' he said. 

'He has also seen improvement among voters of every race, and leads in all age groups apart from 18–29-year-olds.'

The full results show third-party candidates making little headway.

Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and Libertarian Chase Oliver are all on just one percent.

Independent Cornel West's share is rounded to zero percent.   

Perhaps the starkest finding is the gender mismatch in the contest. 

'One thing makes this election stand out from others: When voters go to the polls next week, they will be sharply divided on their gender, with women being more likely to vote for Harris and men more likely to vote for Trump,' said Johnson.

Harris can count on the support of 54 percent of women, while Trump has the backing of 40 percent.

Men break 59 to 37 for Trump.

After wobbles on both sides, the two candidates can now rely on their own party support. Harris is backed by 94 percent of Democrats; Trump is backed by 93 percent of Republicans.

And there is more good news for Trump as his campaign works to turn out the vote. Enthusiasm for the former president is higher (74 percent say they are very enthusiastic for him) than Harris (67).

A month ago, Harris led Trump by five points. 

But all is not lost for Harris. Trump's lead is powered by a 43-point advantage among rural voters. Harris remains on course to win the suburbs, where our poll shows she has a two-point lead. 

Johnson said that was a 'ray of light' for Harris.

'That could mean Trump’s vote is now looking more inefficiently spread,' he said. 'Things could look much closer in the swing states if Harris can drive home her votes in suburban areas.'

Trump's danger, he explained, was that he could be racking up high vote counts in red states, while the distribution of Harris supporters might help her win swing states. 

The two candidates are now crisscrossing the states that will decide the outcome in the electoral college.

Both had struggled with negative headlines in the final week. 

Trump launched his closing message on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, an event that was overshadowed by a comedian making disparaging remarks about Puerto Rico.

And Harris made her final pitch near the White House, but was upstaged by President Joe Biden apparently calling Trump supporters 'garbage' although his words were unclear.