The IDF on Monday revealed the secrets behind Hezbollah’s finance network, including slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s former emergency bunker located under Al-Sahel Hospital in Dahieh in southern Beirut which holds hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold. The IDF on Sunday and Monday struck about 20 out of 34 branches of Hezbollah’s financial arm, the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH), in southern Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley. AQAH, officially a “charity” organization, is often referred to as Hezbollah’s bank. A senior Israeli intelligence official described AQAH as “one of the largest centers of economic power for the Iranian proxy” in remarks to The Press Service of Israel.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to deepen, Jewish life continues in both countries. The Jewish kehilla in Iran, headed by HaRav Yehudah Gerami, held a party for children in a sukkah on Chol Hamoed, and various Sukkos events were held in several cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. Israeli media reports on Monday said that seven Israelis were arrested last month for alleged espionage for Iran – the most severe espionage case ever seen in Israeli history. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Seven Israeli citizens have been arrested on suspicion of espionage for Iran, according to an announcement from state prosecutors. The accused, all Jewish residents of Haifa and northern Israel, reportedly completed hundreds of tasks on behalf of Tehran, gathering intelligence on key military sites. Among the suspects is a soldier who deserted from the IDF and two minors. The adult suspects have been named as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe, and Yigal Nissan. They stand accused of collecting and photographing sensitive information on IDF bases, including the Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv, the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, and Iron Dome missile defense sites.

Yigal Calek, the visionary composer, choir director, and founder of the London School of Jewish Song, was niftar today. Yigal z”l, whose contributions to Jewish music revolutionized the genre beginning in the early 1970s, had been seriously ill in recent months. Yigal began his career as a sixth-grade rebbi, but his deep passion for music led him to create the London Pirchim Choir, later known as the London School of Jewish Song. His debut album, Ma Navu (1970), featured iconic songs such as “Sali Umetzudasi” and “Al Zeh Hayah Daveh Libeinu,” and marked the beginning of a groundbreaking era in Jewish music.

Flatbush Shomrim has been contacted by the NYPD and asked to convey this very important message. Last night during the simchas Beis Hashoeva celebration in Crown Heights, several boys were arrested from the Flatbush Community. These are not Crown Heights boys, rather boys who decided to attend and cause havoc. This included fist fights with other boys and incredibly assaulting police officers. This is a huge Chilul Hashem! These boys who are going from Flatbush to Crown Heights to cause trouble, WILL be arrested, and will have records that will follow them moving forward. It’s not worth it!!

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, former President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, discussing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. During the rally, Trump ripped President Joe Biden for reportedly advising Netanyahu on military decisions. Trump said that Biden told Netanyahu, “don’t do this, don’t do that,” in reference to the war against Hamas and Hezbollah, but that Netanyahu ignored the advice. “Bibi didn’t listen to him and I’ll tell you what, they’re in a much stronger position now than they were three months ago,” Trump said. Trump highlighted recent Israeli military operations, including the assassinations of key terror figures, as evidence of Israel’s stronger stance.

Security was noticeably extra tight as over 50,000 people flocked to the Kosel on Sunday morning, the third day of Chol Hamoed in Eretz Yisrael, for Birchas Kohanim. Thousands of Israel Police and Border Police officers were deployed to the area to ensure visitors’ safety. Although tens of thousands of Jews participated in the tefillah, photos of the Kosel from afar show a noticeably smaller crowd than past years.

The U.S. government is investigating a leak of highly classified intelligence concerning Israel’s plans for a potential military strike against Iran. A U.S. official described the leak to CNN as “deeply concerning,” adding that it involves highly sensitive information about Israel’s military movements and preparations. The leaked documents, dated October 15 and 16, began circulating online on Friday after being posted on Telegram by an account called “Middle East Spectator.” The documents, marked top secret, are intended to be seen only by the U.S. and its “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The IDF has intensified their military operations in both the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, targeting terrorist infrastructure and combatants linked to Hezbollah and Hamas. In southern Lebanon, IDF ground forces have been actively dismantling Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure, eliminating combatants, and confiscating weapons. The Israel Air Force (IAF) has played a significant role, eliminating over 65 Hezbollah fighters and striking multiple terrorist sites, including launchers aimed at Israeli civilians and various infrastructure targets. In the Gaza Strip, the IDF continues operations across northern, southern, and central regions.

Israeli forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war, the IDF said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel’s most-wanted man. Israeli leaders celebrated his killing as a settling of scores just over a year after Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. They also presented it as a turning point in the campaign to destroy Hamas, urging the group to surrender and release some 100 hostages still in Gaza. “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. This is the start of the day after Hamas,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.