State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, should not be labeled antisemitic, said former Mayor Bill de Blasio during an appearance on Newsmax. De Blasio defended Mamdani, stating that the assemblyman had clearly spoken out against the atrocities committed on October 7.
“He disagrees with the government of Israel, and you can debate that all you want, but we’ve got to be clear about the facts,” de Blasio emphasized on the program American Agenda.
“Don’t say someone supported Hamas when they didn’t support Hamas. He has condemned those attacks very, very clearly,” he continued, pushing back on claims made against Mamdani in the political discourse.

El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. has announced that it is reopening ticket sales for both inbound and outbound flights to Israel. Over the past few days, the airline has been primarily focused on rescheduling trips for passengers whose flights were canceled during the course of the military campaign against Iran. Full flight operations to all regular destinations are set to restart this Sunday, June 29. Sun D’or, El Al’s low-cost subsidiary, will resume flying again on Tuesday, July 1.
El Al is offering a special fixed pricing structure for travelers booking flights that depart before the end of June. These prices will remain in effect until next Tuesday, providing some certainty for passengers planning immediate travel.

Amid Israel’s ongoing transition back to routine following its recent war with Iran, the legal and political standoff over the chareidi draft issue remains at the forefront of national debate.
Late Thursday night, the Attorney General’s office submitted a formal request to Israel’s Supreme Court for a 16-day extension to respond to a petition demanding clarity on the government’s position regarding the enlistment of yeshiva students.
The request was submitted in light of an earlier Supreme Court directive requiring the state to explain why the IDF is not currently conscripting chareidi youth, despite the absence of a binding legal framework regulating draft deferments for full-time Torah students.

Early Friday, the IDF published its formal assessment of Operation Rising Lion, the military campaign launched on June 13 to counter Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear and missile initiatives. The strike was described as a proactive measure taken to eliminate what Israeli officials considered an imminent and existential danger.
The report details how, in the months before the operation, Israeli Military Intelligence compiled compelling evidence showing that Iran had begun enriching uranium to 60% purity—enough to quickly assemble multiple nuclear weapons. Intelligence services also uncovered clandestine activity involving sophisticated weapons development across several sensitive domains.

In a conversation published Thursday by Makor Rishon, retired Supreme Court President Judge Aharon Barak expressed his approval of a negotiated resolution that would put an end to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s ongoing trial.
“I am in favor of an agreement with Netanyahu. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pardon or a plea bargain, the important thing is that we reach an agreement. This could lead to calm. I don’t know why this isn’t happening. If it were up to me, I would make an effort to reach an agreement,” Barak stated, emphasizing that his priority is national stability rather than the specific legal mechanism.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei renewed his threats toward Israel on Thursday, just hours after declaring that Iran had emerged victorious from the recent conflict.
“The Zionist regime must know that attacking the Islamic Republic of Iran will result in a heavy cost for them,” Khamenei warned in a statement posted to his X (formerly Twitter) account.
His comments came after breaking a prolonged public silence during which Israel, backed by the United States, launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“I find it appropriate to congratulate the great Iranian nation, first and foremost, on the victory over the fake Zionist regime,” Khamenei proclaimed in his first public address since the conflict escalated.

CNN’s Erin Burnett sits down with Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York.
WATCH:

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz shared in a conversation with Channel 13 that Israel was prepared to carry out an assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but circumstances never allowed it.
“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said, continuing, “We wanted to eliminate Khamenei, but there was no operational opportunity.”
When pressed on whether Israel had coordinated with the United States in seeking approval for such a strike, Katz made it clear: “We don’t need permission for these things.”
{Matzav.com Israel}

During a speech delivered Thursday at the White House, President Donald Trump unleashed pointed criticism at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, accusing him of turning his back on the Jewish community.
Trump’s comments were made at an event promoting the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping Republican-backed tax and spending measure that GOP lawmakers are aiming to pass and send to Trump’s desk by Independence Day.
While discussing his broader grievances with the Democratic Party, Trump singled out Schumer—who is himself Jewish—as an example of what he sees as the party’s abandonment of traditional values, especially in its embrace of transgender rights.

The victory of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday sparked an immediate and intense reaction from conservative figures across the country.
Outside of the five boroughs, many on the political right reacted with fury, with some commentators zeroing in on Mamdani’s Muslim faith as a central theme in their criticism.
“New York City has fallen,” wrote Donald Trump Jr., quoting another post that said, “I’m old enough to remember when New Yorkers endured 9/11 instead of voting for it.”
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared an AI-generated image that portrayed the Statue of Liberty cloaked in a black burka, adding the caption: “This hits hard.”