Mother of fallen hostage: It was not the soldiers' fault, I am glad Hamas didn't kill him

 

Iris Haim, mother of the hostage Yotam who was killed by IDF fire while trying to escape from Hamas, spoke with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about a ceremony held today by President Herzog to honor the parents of the three hostages killed in that incident.

“It's a very emotional day for my family, exactly four months from the day that, as I call it, Yotam went free. I know that he and his friends were heroes, but getting this recognition from the President is emotional and exciting. We're happy and sad together.”

She referred to a comment she made in the aftermath of the incident, exonerating the soldier who fired at the escaping hostages. “I know that this was not their fault. They were really afraid of Hamas. This was all because of Hamas.”

“I'm glad Hamas didn't kill him" she added, "He went out of this world as a free man.”

Since the incident, she has traveled to many Jewish communities and received enormous support. “I'm going everywhere in the world and meeting the Jewish people in the diaspora. They're always telling us to continue. It's so important for them that Israel be strong.”

El Al’s Price Hike Sparks Backlash, Calls For End To Subsidies From Israeli Government

 An uproar ensued online Monday when journalist Dov Eichler of Kan Moreshet criticized El Al Airlines for fare increases following a spate of flight cancellations by other carriers due to the current security situation.

“I have no complaints against El Al, who are now charging an arm and a leg for every flight following the wave of cancellations,” he said. “My complaint is against Israel that does not immediately stop all subsidies to El Al and is even compensating it for all extras that the airline has received for years from the Israeli taxpayer’s money.”

The debate intensified with comments from another journalist, Kobi Bornstein. “But you must applaud El Al because they brought reserve soldiers from around the world at the beginning of the war. And now we are all paying for it. Do you want to go abroad while most airlines have canceled their flights? Isn’t it great that we have a national airline, that will not take advantage of the situation at all and will take you anywhere for a measly price of only a trillion dollars per ticket?” he remarked sarcastically.

Adding personal accounts to the discussion, journalists Merav Sever and Simcha Tauman shared their experiences with El Al’s pricing. Sever noted she paid $1,000 for a flight to Paris, while Tauman humorously likened the cost to buying tickets for 30 flights at once: “It’s not an arm and a leg, it’s ‘only’ one thousand dollars. It’s as if they’re telling us, or we fly with El Al for the rest of our lives, or for one flight out of 30 that we are traveling with them, we will pay for all 30 together.”

In response to the outcry, El Al stated that it is actively working to stabilize its flight operations and has adjusted its schedule to better accommodate passengers amid the return to routine at Ben Gurion International Airport.

“With the return of the Ben Gurion International Airport to routine operations, El Al is operating its flight schedule after making certain adjustments. We are working to stabilize the flight schedule as soon as possible and recommend that all passengers verify their updated departure time before leaving for the airport,” El Al said in a statement.

El Al also highlighted its efforts to provide reasonable pricing options for those affected by cancellations, citing specific fares: from Athens at $217, Paris at $361, and from New York at $795, among others. These prices are part of a special offer valid until April 20.

Moreover, the airline announced a flexible change and cancellation policy for its customers, allowing them to alter or cancel their flights without additional fees under certain conditions until the specified date.

Iran’s Jewish Community “Praises” Drone And Missile Strikes On Israel

 

In a move that was obviously coerced, Iran’s Jewish community has publicly praised the country’s recent attack on Israel. The message expressed gratitude towards Iran’s armed forces for their role in the aerial bombardment of Israel, but experts say this support comes under duress.

Alireza Nader, an expert on Iran, told the Jerusalem Post that the regime exploits the Jewish minority for propaganda purposes, noting that such expressions of support often come under pressure. “Whenever Iran seeks retribution against Israel, it tends to turn to its Jewish citizens, effectively holding them hostage to its political agenda,” Nader explained.

The statement referenced Iran’s retaliation against Israel following the reported strike that killed Iranian General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and six other regime officials in Damascus on April 1. It commended the Iranian armed forces for their efforts in “punishing the Zionist enemy.”

Despite the outward expressions of support, Iran’s Jewish population faces significant challenges. With only around 9,000 Jews remaining in the country, they are a stark minority in a population of nearly 90 million. Experts classify Iran’s Jews as second-class citizens, subjected to various forms of discrimination.

In 2023, the Iranian government pressured the Jewish community not to celebrate the end of Pesach but instead participate in the annual anti-Israel demonstration known as al-Quds Day.

Judge in Trump Doesn't Want Frum Jews as Jurors

 

Trump Attorney Gedalye Stern 

Orthodox Jews are being excluded from the Trump jury pool in New York City.

Disgraceful and overtly racist.

The left will stoop to new lows daily. And they have zero regard for any future ramifications for their actions.

It’s now or never for this hateful, destructive party.

— Mike Crispi (@MikeCrispiNJ) April 15, 2024

 The Trump-hating judge in the hush-money trial in New York City has reportedly disqualified all Orthodox Jews from being jurors. Although the official reason given is because it will create a scheduling conflict on Shabbos, the real reason is clearly because the judge is aware that Orthodox Jews generally support President Trump.

Here is a report from Newsweek:

“The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s falsifying business records case has been accused by some conservative and MAGA figures of a “sleazy” move to prevent Orthodox Jews from sitting on the New York jury by holding proceedings on Fridays.

“Ahead of proceedings starting in the Manhattan courtroom, Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, is accused of taking steps to stop Orthodox Jewish people from being selected for the jury. Proceedings in the case will take place on Fridays, when Jewish people observe a period of rest known as the Shabbat that prevents them from undergoing work or other activities such as driving or cooking.

“However, as others have pointed out, Shabbat occurs between sunset on Friday and Saturday, meaning that observant Jews could hypothetically still take part in jury duty during the day as the sun will be setting around 7:30 p.m. in New York. The sun will set later in the day as the trial continues into the summer, by which point court proceedings would have ended for the day.”

If accurate, this would mean that most DIN News readers, who tend to be religious Jews, would be disqualified from being jurors.

In addition, according to reports about jury selection, jurors are being given a list of 42 questions, including which podcasts they listen to.

It is very likely that listeners to Ben Shapiro or The Yaakov M Show will be disqualified by DA Alvin Bragg, because they tend to be Trump supporters.

The "segula" to get rid of annoying neighbors!”

 

by Menucha Chana Levin

This is a true story.

We had been living peacefully in our apartment for several years until the Gruskin family above us decided to move out. They were a quiet family except for their eight-year-old daughter Aviva who had an annoying habit of screeching whenever she could not get her way. Our fifteen-year-old daughter Malkie, whose bedroom was just below Aviva’s, was only too happy to see them leave.

Little did we realize that our new neighbors, the Steinharts, would be infinitely more problematic. Things got off to a dampening start when our ceiling suddenly flooded. Apparently, Mrs. Steinhart’s method of cleaning her living room floor was to drench it with several inches of water which soon dripped down through our ceiling. When informed of this unfortunate occurrence, she offered only a mild apology. This was only the first of many problems we had to endure with them. With her penchant for watery ventures, Mrs. Steinhart put a little swimming pool for her kids on their porch. It didn’t take long for the pool to overflow and cascade down upon ours. On another occasion when my husband Yehuda was sitting on our porch a huge, heavy log of wood fell down barely missing his feet. Why they kept a tree-sized log on their porch was beyond our comprehension, but Mrs. Steinhart, claiming it was ‘just an accident,’ sent us a homemade cupcake with a note stating she wanted to be a good neighbor.

Shortly afterwards, they announced they were commencing renovations, and asked politely if they could measure our kitchen to obtain some ideas for their own. To reciprocate their neighborly gesture, we agreed to it.

The epic fail of Biden’s doctrine vs. Iran — no consequences

President Biden needs to face reality: His policies of appeasing Iran while waging political warfare against Israel led Tehran to conclude it could launch a massive attack on Israel and face no consequences.

As Biden again tries to hold Israel back from defending itself while maintaining both United States and United Nations sanctions relief for Iran, he risks confirming the ayatollah’s calculation — and guaranteeing a more dangerous future for America and our democratic allies.

Iran’s weekend attack against Israel was not symbolic or performative — it was an unprecedented and unacceptable act of war.

There’s no other way to characterize the launch of 120 ballistic missiles, alongside 30 cruise missiles and 170 suicide drones, against a country the size of New Jersey — especially when the attack was committed by the state sponsor of terrorism already waging a multifront proxy war against that country.

Two questions now loom largest: Why did this happen and what is to be done?

A serial perjurer will try to prove an old misdemeanor against Trump in an embarrassment for the New York legal system

 

The famous Roman philosopher and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, “The more laws, the less justice.”

This week, New York judges and lawyers appear eager to prove that the same is true for cases against Donald Trump. 

After an absurd $450 million decision courtesy of Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will bring his equally controversial criminal prosecution over hush money paid to a former porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

Lawyers have been scouring the civil and criminal codes for any basis to sue or prosecute Trump before the upcoming 2024 election. This week will highlight the damage done to New York’s legal system because of this unhinged crusade. They’ve charged him with everything short of ripping a label off a mattress.

Just a few weeks ago, another judge imposed a roughly half billion dollar penalty in a case without a single victim who lost a single cent on loans with Trump. (Indeed, bank officials testified they wanted more business with the Trump organization).

Now Bragg is bringing a case that has taken years to develop and millions of dollars in litigation cost for all parties. That is all over a crime from before the 2016 election that is a misdemeanor under state law that had already expired under the statute of limitations.

Biden ‘sleepwalking’ US into ‘catastrophic war,’ expert says, as IDF mulls retaliatory strike against Iran

 President Biden is “sleepwalking” the US into another “catastrophic” war in the Middle East, an expert says, as the IDF prepares a retaliatory strike after Iran’s historic missile bombardment over the weekend.

Biden, 81, is facing mounting pressure to silence critics who claim he’s allowed tensions in the region to escalate, as the threat of an Israeli counterstrike on Iran looms.

“The strategy of the Biden administration has failed miserably. Biden is sleepwalking the US into another catastrophic war in the Middle East,” Fawaz Gerges, professor of International Relations and Middle Eastern Politics at the London School of Economics told NBC News.

“His overarching goal of preventing the war in Gaza from escalating into neighboring countries has failed..”

Elsewhere, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Peter Lerner confirmed on Monday that Israel’s retaliation could mean “strike or no strike.”

Lerner said that they are considering a “wide range of options” as there are “a lot of different scenarios” to consider.

He told reporters that the Israeli government will “decide on the steps forward” in the coming days.

“Just because we were successful in intercepting, we shouldn’t underestimate what Iran did,” Lerner added.

Ezra "kapo" Friedlander's Quatar Closed its Airspace During Iran Onslaught So That Israel or its Allies Shouldn't Respond Using their Airspace

 Below is a report from The Telegraph, Read and weep!

"Death was nowhere last night despite Tehran’s best intentions and much of that is also due to bravery from Israel’s allies. The Jordanians stood up to enormous internal pressure to take down many of the Iranian drones and missiles heading toward Israel – while core US allies like Kuwait and Qatar shamed themselves by closing their air space and air force bases to the coalition effort against Iran. "

Hey Ezra! Do you even care that your brothers and sisters are under attack? Did you denounce your client Qatar?

We remember when you wrote Op-Eds in all the Jewish media that we should support Obama's Iran Deal! 

We don't forget! 

Why Israel Must Destroy Iran and tell Biden "Go to Hell"

 

The article I posted before this one titled " A Resounding Strategic Failure for Iran" 

is a very optimistic point of view and I pray that it be correct, but the following may

 be a more practical and realistic approach 

Anyone who thinks Saturday’s Iranian drone-missile barrage against Israel was 

“the big attack” is mistaken and obviously not paying attention.

It was merely a test.

What did Iran learn? A few very useful facts.

Iran can, without any immediate consequence, shut down the airspace of nearly 

the entire Middle East.

Iran can paralyze Israel as the entire country is forced to wait in/near shelters and 

brace themselves for an unknown onslaught.

And Iran knows that with only some 200 drones and missiles, with Israel on high 

alert, and the attack telegraphed to the world days in advance, it managed to do

 the above but not

 really penetrate Israel’s defensive umbrella.

Yet, this was NOT a military failure.

It was a military operation to both save face and back up their belligerent tone in

 the aftermath of Israel’s elimination of a top IRGC general, and to test how many

 drones and missiles it’ll take to overwhelm Israel’s and its allies’ defenses.

200 drones and missiles fired. How many came from Lebanon during the

 Iranian onslaught? 50 or so. Yet Hezbollah posses more than 10,000 rockets!

Anyone still convinced that this was “the great attack” Iran has been promising

 rather than a prelude to something far more devastating?!

What this means is that those folks like @JoeBiden parading the idea that 

Israel ought to “pocket the win” for having successfully defended itself against 

a major (but relatively minor) onslaught are simply telling Israel to set the stage 

for the next round which will be inevitably worse and exact a significant human toll.

 Because if Iran was brazen enough to attack Israel with pathetic slow-flying 

drones waiting to be shot out of the sky although they possess a massive arsenal 

of far more sophisticated missiles, why the hell would anyone assume, let alone

 promote the notion that this is as far as Iran will go and therefore Iran should be 

let off the hook with no consequence?!

Israel knows this. America does too. But politics is politics so electoral decisions 

will determine how far Israel’s retaliatory hand can officially extend.

That said, considering Israel is in a Catch-22 — no response emboldens Iran, 

too harsh a response weakens the anti-Iran coalition — we can expect to see

 sabotage at Iran’s nuclear facilities on a level we have never seen before, ie 

nearly total destruction to the point of being unusable (or maybe that’s just 

wishful thinking).

Either way, none of that will change the simple fact that what we saw on Saturday

 is a drop in the bucket compared to what Iran is actually capable of, which isn’t to 

boost Iran’s Napoleon-sized ego but to reinforce why the corrupt and genocidal

 Iranian regime under @khamenei_ir must be dismantled and disabled!

Remember, children: Any regime that mercilessly beats and abuses their own

 wives and daughters in the name of bettering their society is one guaranteed to

fall and the world is always better off when they do.

The days of reckoning approach…

A Resounding Strategic Failure for Iran

 

 Iran and its jihadist Middle Eastern axis sustained a resounding strategic defeat in recent hours.

The combined Iranian attack on Israel in the early hours of April 14, comprising 170 UAVs, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles—more than 300 aerial threats in total—was successfully intercepted by Israel and partner militaries.

The fact that 99% of the threats were intercepted means that a central pillar of Iranian force projection—its missile and UAV arsenals—has been proven to be no match for Israel’s Air Force, its multi-layered air defense system, or for regional cooperation with allies.

For decades, Iranian military industries have been developing and producing missiles and UAV capabilities. These capabilities were used to arm Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Iran’s proxies.

While Iran often activates its proxies to attack its enemies, it has, until now, kept its own powder dry, based on the idea that the firepower Iran amassed on its own soil would keep Israel, Sunni Arab countries, and the United States deterred, and would stop Israel from acting too fiercely to disrupt Iran’s hegemonic plans.

Biden the "shmuck" tells Israel not to "retaliate" Imagine if Iran Launched 100 Missiles at New York

 

*Biden told Netanyahu, U.S. Won’t Join Attack on Iran:*

U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly told Netanyahu that Israel should see Iran’s failure to cause major damage to Israel as a “win,” and that the U.S. won’t join attack on Iran.

“By leaking Biden’s conversation with Netanyahu in this way, the leaker has increased both the likelihood and importance of an Israeli response—given the dynamics that led Tehran to calculate it could launch this attack without consequence in the first place,” wrote Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“Can you imagine 100 ballistic missiles being fired on the United States and your closest ally calling to say, no need to retaliate, you should feel really secure right now?” he added. “Now imagine our country was the size of New Jersey. And we were fighting a seven-front war of survival.”

“No, Joe Biden. The Iranian regime’s failure to do major damage with 350 missiles is not a ‘win’—9 million Israelis spent the night being terrorized,” wrote NGO Monitor founder Gerald Steinberg. “The regime must pay a major price so that this will not be repeated. And better—showing them the door.”

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote that Biden’s response, “spinning an unprecedented attack by Iran on Israel,” is “akin to telling the victim of a bully—he didn’t make impact, so deescalate.”

“With this message  that the US won’t support an Israeli counterattack on Iran, Biden is signaling that his ‘don’t’ to Tehran didn’t mean anything,” Brodsky added.

Iran literally attacked the Al Aqsa Mosque but Israel Intercepted it! Why????

 

This was a great opportunity to allow Iran to bomb the Har Habayis once and for all. I would like to know who made the decision to intercept this "holy" missile! 

Former US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman presented his "takeaways" to the massive Iranian attack and the response of Israel and its allies to the attack.

Friedman noted on social media that the attack against Israel, with more than 200 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles was "more aggressive and pervasive than expected".

"Israel’s response so far has been magnificent", he emphasized, "intercepting 99% of the incoming".

Friedman added that lots of help was provided by USA, UK, France and Jordan. "We are grateful", he wrote.

"Iran literally attacked the Al Aqsa Mosque", Friedman stressed, "Had Israel not intercepted the missile, 3rd holiest site in Islam was destroyed".

The former Ambassador stated: "This is the time for Israel, the West and the moderate Sunni nations to unite against this evil, terrorist nation".

Friedman then later added: "The fact that Israel and its Allies obliterated Iran’s onslaught of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles doesn’t give Iran a free pass on its attempted murder on a mass scale. Iran needs to get a clear message that it cannot do this again".

Too Funny for Words: Peleg Decides To keep Open the Yeshiva because The Army Ordered the Closing of All Educational Activity Due To Iran Bombordman

 This is the craziest story in a very long time! The Army canceled all educational activities for today until the Iranian onslaught eases. All Yeshivois Ketanois closed. This is for their own safety as its almost impossible to get their students to a miklat in time, in case of a missile attack. And we did have a very difficult night! Practically all Kollim and the Yesivois for the older Bochrim are closed anyway because of "Bein Hazmanim" 

So what do you think happened? The Yeshiva of the Peleg Gangsters run by the Charedie Terrorist, Deutsch (Last Name Means "German," ironically) ordered his Yeshiva to be open. 

The funny part is that this Yeshiva with their R"Y Deutsch/German are the biggest "mevatlei Torah" in the entire world. Every single day, and I mean every day, they close their gemmaras and go out to protest and block traffic causing untold chaos and bedlam. To them "Bein Hazmanim" is all year long! 

Peleg announced  "Studies in the educational institutions will be held as usual " 

LOL 

"As Usual?" How sick is that? 

Despite the announcement from the Home Front Command canceling all educational activity due to the security situation in Israel, the "Jerusalem Faction" (Hapeleg Hayerushalmi) announced Saturday evening that studies in their educational institutions would proceed as usual.

"To the administrators of the institutions: By the order of our teacher, the head of the yeshiva, the great Rabbi Asher Deutsch, studies in the educational institutions will be held as usual - across the country," a statement on their behalf read.

The Lithuanian community leader Rabbi Lando, on the other hand, announced the closing of educational institutions, and a statement on his behalf read: “For now, do not open the Torah study halls tomorrow morning. Towards the coming days, a formal announcement will be issued tomorrow morning accordingly to the situation."

The hasidic sects of Vizhnitz and Gur also announced that there would be no studies in the educational institutions of the community.

Due to the tense security situation, the rebbe of Gur even canceled his vacation in the city of Arad near Dimona, and returned to his residence in Jerusalem.

COMMUNIST UC BERKELEY LAW DEAN, SHOCKED WHEN MUSLIM STUDENT DISRUPTS HIS PARTY

This Commie Dean doesn't like it when it happens to him, and he happens to be an Irael-Hater! 

 Shocking video footage captured the moment an anti-Israel student protester interrupted a dinner party honoring Berkeley Law School graduates to rail against the Jewish state — at the home of the Jewish dean.

What should have been a celebratory occasion for upcoming graduates quickly turned into an unsettling confrontation over the Israel-Hamas war after the student disrupted the event, hosted by Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of Berkeley Law School, and his wife, Professor Catherine Fisk, in their backyard.

Law student Malak Afaneh can be seen in the footage, shared widely on social media, standing up and offering the traditional Islamic greeting in Arabic, which translates to “Peace and blessings upon you all,” before demanding the university divest from corporations funding Israel’s role in the war.

This longer video of the confrontation at Dean Chemerinsky and Professor Fisk’s home shows in more detail just how insufferable these students are.

And Chemerinsky has confirmed it’s a private residence (see below), which, as you can see, they were asked to leave repeatedly. pic.twitter.com/ojbaK1fnuM

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) April 11, 2024

Screaming and blindfolded: New footage shows moment Noa Argamani is taken hostage

 

New footage just released of the abduction of Noa Argamani
She is being held on a motorcycle between two civilian dressed Gazans
They are surrounded by a dozen men (Hamas and civilians)
You can hear her crying 💔 pic.twitter.com/t0cx88afo8

— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) April 12, 2024

Hamas Rejects Israel’s Most Flexible Hostage And Ceasefire Deal Yet They Want to Continue Killing

 

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Mossad intelligence agency, Hamas has rejected the ceasefire and hostage offer put forward by Israel last week in Cairo. The proposal, which included “significantly greater room for flexibility” on Israel’s part, was aimed at securing the release of 133 hostages held in Gaza.

“The rejection of the proposal from the three mediators proves that [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar is not interested in a humanitarian deal and in the return of the hostages,” the statement read. “He continues to take advantage of tensions with Iran to try to unite the theaters and to achieve a general escalation in the region.”

Despite the rejection, Israel has vowed to continue working towards achieving its goals. “We will turn over every stone to bring back the 133 hostages from Gaza as soon as possible,” the statement assured.

99% Of 300 Drones And Missiles Fired At Israel Successfully Intercepted

 IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed in a press conference that Israel’s air defenses successfully intercepted 99% of the approximately 300 projectiles fired by Iran overnight. The attack included 170 drones, all of which were downed outside of Israel’s borders by Israeli and allied forces. Additionally, 30 cruise missiles were launched, with none entering Israeli airspace, and 25 being downed by the Israeli Air Force.

Hagari also reported that Iran fired 120 ballistic missiles at Israel, with some managing to bypass defenses and hitting the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. However, the damage was minimal, and the airbase is operating normally.

The IDF spokesman also mentioned that a few drones and missiles were launched from Iraq and Yemen during the attack, but none entered Israeli airspace.

The IDF also released images of fighter jets returning from their missions after downing Iranian drones and cruise missiles.

Israel Under Attack "Hashem Yeracheim"

 

ISRAEL UNDER ATTACK - BREAKING

Time of arrival of the attack to Israeli territory

2-4 AM

IDF confirms that dozens of drones have been launched from Iran and are heading toward Israel.

Israeli Air Force is tracking the drones, while noting that they will take several hours to reach the country.

There will be GPS disruptions as the military works to counter the attack.

Sirens will only sound if the drones enter Israeli airspace, at the relevant locations.

The IDF will work to intercept the targets as early as possible.

Initial reports of drone launches from Yemen as well.

• Protest leaders in Tel Aviv have announced an immediate end to the ongoing demonstration due to the new guidelines set out by the IDF Home Front Command, with protesters being told to _”Go Home and Prepare.”_

• Israel's health minister will conduct a situational assessment in the next few minutes.

• ⁠Netanyahu is headed to the defense ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv and may address the public this evening.

• ⁠Israel's Foreign Minister is postponing his diplomatic visit to Hungary and Austria tomorrow due to the “security situation”.

• ⁠The US has observed Iran moving military assets around internally, including drones and as many as 100 cruise missiles, signaling it could be preparing for an attack from inside its own territory.

 Israeli Authorities are  suspending all flights over Israeli airspace beginning at 1AM local time.

- Israeli version of Air Force One, Wing of Zion, the plan tasked with transporting the Prime Minister, has taken off and is circling over southern Israeli airspace.

- Israel's war cabinet will meet at half past midnight—the ministers have been informed that it will be held in the 'bunker' and not in the usual above ground discussion room.

- Jordan has temporarily closed its airspace to all arriving, departing, and transit flights.

Iran vs Israel: How potential conflict could look according to experts: 'Already at war'

 

War between Iran and Israel would be to no one’s benefit in the region as it would likely end up in a pitched battle that regional forces would keep away from, experts told Fox News Digital. 

"Frankly, none of the Arab states would want to take either side in this conflict," Matt McInnis, senior fellow for the Institute for the Study of War, explained. "They may inevitably be drawn into it, and I think that's one of the things that Iran is very worried about."

"[Iran is] not quite sure if Israel’s efforts over the last few years to increase diplomatic and security relationships with states like Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and others are sufficient to keep these states out of a larger conflict," McInnis added. 

CNN Says OJ Simpson ‘represented something’ for black community because ‘two white people were killed’

A CNN contributor sparked outrage Thursday by saying that OJ Simpson “represented something for the black community … particularly because there were two white people who had been killed.”

Ashley Allison made the comment during the network’s coverage of the death of the 76-year-old Simpson, the disgraced NFL legend who was acquitted in 1995 of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.

Allison — a former Obama administration official who also worked on Joe Biden’s presidential campaign as well as his transition team — was weighing in on the racial tensions that pervaded the country during the Simpson trial and its aftermath.

She said the Simpson case brought to the fore “just how black Americans feel about policing.”

Iran seizes Israeli-linked ship with her 25 crew near Strait of Hormuz

 

Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps seized an Israeli-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz in the latest escalation of the simmering standoff between the two countries.

An unverified video of the incident first obtained by the Associated Press showed IRGC commandos rappelling onto the MSC Aries vessel, the Times of Israel reported.

“Don’t come out,” a crew member on the ship can be heard saying in the footage, which was also posted on X by Times of Israel reporter Mannie Fabian.

The crew member can then be heard telling another to head to the ship’s bridge, as more IRGC commanders were rappelling onto the desk.

One commando is seen kneeling over the others to protect them from potential cover fire, the Times of Israel reported.