Any retaliatory action to Iran’s barrage of 180+ ballistic missiles at the Jewish State will be driven solely by Israel’s national security needs, according to a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office overnight Monday. “We listen to the American government’s thoughts, but will make our final decisions based on Israel’s national security needs,” the statement read, addressing reports of U.S. involvement in discussions about Israel’s response. The statement came following a report by The Washington Post, which suggested that Netanyahu had informed U.S. President Joe Biden that Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran would focus on military sites rather than oil or nuclear installations.

The United States fined German airline Lufthansa $4 million for its treatment of a group of Jewish passengers who were denied boarding a 2022 flight in Frankfurt after they had flown to Germany from New York. The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday that the fine is the largest the agency has issued against an airline for civil-rights violations, although Lufthansa was given credit for $2 million for compensation it gave the passengers, cutting the fine in half.

Israel is confronting a potential shortage of rocket and missile interceptors within its air defense system as it grapples with ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon and prepares for a possible escalation with Iran, according to a report by the Financial Times. Experts and former military officials cited by the newspaper indicate that while the United States is assisting Israel in addressing the issue, the strain on Israel’s air defense capabilities could force difficult decisions about which targets to prioritize for protection. Dana Stroul, a former U.S. defense official, emphasized the seriousness of the situation: “Israel’s munitions issue is serious.

Sergeant Major Adir Kadosh, 30, was identified as the police officer killed in a shooting attack on the southbound Highway 4 on Tuesday. Kadosh’s death comes just one month before he was set to be married. Kadosh joined the Israel Police in 2013 after completing his military service with the Border Police. The Israel Police released a statement, saying, “Adir was engaged in police activity when he fell in the line of duty.” According to eyewitness reports, the assailant approached the scene on foot and opened fire on passing vehicles before being shot by a civilian. Magen David Adom (MDA) Director General Eli Bin confirmed that five people were injured in the attack, with varying degrees of severity.

A man in his 30s was murdered in a shooting terror attack on Highway 4 near the Yavne Interchange, with four others injured in the attack. The incident unfolded when a terrorist  opened fire on vehicles, injuring one person moderately and three others lightly, including a doctor who was hit by a car while stopping to help. MDA medics responded swiftly, providing life-saving treatment and evacuating the injured to nearby hospitals. An MDA EMT on-site quickly neutralized the gunman after spotting him with a weapon. The medic, who shot the attacker, stated, “I saw a man with a gun and initially thought he was a police officer.

In the shadow of the heavy rocket fire by the Hezbollah terror group at Israel, especially northern Israel, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak publicized a p’sak regarding eating and sleeping in the sukkah during wartime. At the start of his letter, HaRav Yosef wrote: “Ahead of Chag HaSukkos, we received many shailos regarding the din of המצטער פטור מן הסוכה [one who is in tza’ar is exempt from the mitzvah of sukkah]. Residents are under fire and hearing sirens and the public pressure is high. Should one build a sukkah in the first place? Is it mandatory to sleep in the sukkah during these days?

Israeli soldiers from the 8th Brigade combat team, under the command of the 91st Division, have uncovered a vast underground Hezbollah compound in southern Lebanon, stocked with weapons, ammunition, and motorcycles intended for use in an invasion of Israel. The compound, spanning 800 meters, served as a command center for Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces. The discovery was made during a series of limited, targeted raids based on precise intelligence, in coordination with the IDF’s elite Yahalom Unit. Inside the underground facility, IDF troops found a large cache of military equipment, including helicopter-fired missiles, mortar shells, and motorcycles.

A small plane crash in Savannah, Georgia, on Sunday night tragically claimed the life of Boris Yusupov z”l, a Jewish pilot from Glen Rock, New Jersey. A passenger flying with Boris z”l in the aircraft only sustained minor injuries. The Savannah Police Department reported that the crash occurred at approximately 9:45 p.m. near the intersection of Habersham and East 66th streets. Crews from the IAFF Savannah Firefighters responded quickly, working to free the two occupants trapped inside the wreckage. Sadly, Boris was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash. No additional injuries were reported in the surrounding area. Chesed Shel Emes is working with local authorities to ensure kavod hameis.

Rebbetzin Leah Kolodetsky, the daughter of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, z’tl, moved the relatives of hostages to tears who visited her at her home in Bnei Brak on Sunday evening. The hostages’ relatives were in Bnei Brak as a part of a Sukkos tour. The Rebbetzin told them that for months after October 7, her husband, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Kolodetsky, 70, slept on the floor in solidarity with the suffering of the hostages. However, at the end of the winter, her husband caught a cold from sleeping on the floor so he placed a thin piece of plywood on a bed and slept on that. Chareidi journalist Yisrael Cohen, who accompanied the families, said: “We arrived at the home of Rebbetzin Kolodetsky to get a bracha.

The father of one of the Golani soldiers who survived the Hezbollah drone strike at the training base in Binyamina on Sunday evening shared the neis his son had experienced in the zechus of Mayim Achronim. The father told Kol B’Ramah Radio on Monday afternoon:  “Last week, they decided to have the soldiers eat in shifts due to concerns about attacks. Last night, they entered the dining room for supper and one of the soldiers asked my son and his friends to join him for zimun. They got up to to wash their hands with Mayim Achronim at the water fountain outside the dining room.” “On their way out, they heard the drone and saw it crash into the dining room.