Twitter defended its decision to flag President Trump’s tweet about violent demonstrations but not Iran’s calls for violence against Israel, suggesting to Israeli’s legislature on Wednesday that the latter fell under its protections for “commentary on political issues of the day.” Human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky asked Twitter’s Ylwa Pettersson: “You have recently started flagging the tweets of President Trump.

Three suspects were arrested after one of them stabbed a Boro Park Shomrim volunteer on Wednesday night. Sources tell YWN that Shomrim had received a hotline call reporting an assault, and while following the suspects, the stabbing occurred. The incident happened at New Utrecht Avenue and 46th Street The Shomrim volunteer was taken to Maimonides Hospital where he was treated for a stab wound to the foot. He is Bichasdei Hashem in stable condition. The knife was recovered at the crime scene, and NYPD Detectives were investigating. NOTE FROM YWN: CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO YWN WHATSAPP STATUS TO RECEIVE ALERTS IN LIVE TIME!  PHOTOS VIA BP24: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched underground ballistic missiles as part of an exercise involving a mock-up aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz, state television reported Wednesday. It was the latest barrage in a drill that the previous day saw two American bases temporarily go on alert over the launches. Drone footage captured by the Guard showed two missiles blasting out from covered positions in what appeared to be a desert plateau in central Iran, with debris flying up in the air in their wake. The launches took place on Wednesday, said Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s aerospace division.

A freight train traveling on a bridge that spans a lake in a Phoenix suburb derailed Wednesday, setting the bridge ablaze and partially collapsing the structure, officials said. Video images showed huge flames and thick black smoke rising into the air and train cars on the ground near Tempe Town Lake. None of the train’s crew members were hurt but there was a report of someone suffering from smoke inhalation, said Tim McMahan, a spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad. Fire officials in the suburb of Tempe said the derailment happened at about 6 a.m. and that about 90 firefighters were at the scene.

The New York Police Department’s use of plainclothes officers and an unmarked minivan to haul away a vandalism suspect during a protest Tuesday created confusion and drew outrage from people who compared it to covert tactics used recently by federal agents in Portland, Oregon. Bystander video of 18-year-old Nikki Stone’s arrest spread quickly on social media, along with comments such as “nypd is out here KIDNAPPING protesters off of the street.” Another tweet compared the police to an African terrorist group, saying: “When Boko Haram does this there is international outrage.

Attorney General William Barr defended the aggressive federal law enforcement response to civil unrest in America as he testified for the first time before the House Judiciary Committee, pushing back against angry, skeptical Democrats who said President Donald Trump’s administration is unconstitutionally suppressing dissent. The hearing, held Tuesday as the late civil rights icon John Lewis lay in state steps away outside the Capitol, highlighted the wide election-year gulf between the two parties on police brutality and systemic racism in law enforcement. Massive protests have sparked unrest across the nation following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, and calls for police reform are growing louder.

The Venetian Cafe on Route 42 in South Fallsburg was destroyed by a fire overnight. The fire started at around 3:00AM, and numerous fire departments from around Sullivan County were called to assist in extinguishing the blaze. At 4:30AM, firefighters were still trying to bring the fire under control. The restaurant is a dairy establishment, and is frequented by many people. Fire investigators were requested to the scene to determine what caused the blaze. Catskills Hatzolah was on the scene assisting, but thankfully, there were no injuries reported. The well-known Bordeaux Steakhouse in Flatbush is the same owner as the Venetian Cafe. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump on Monday welcomed a Marine veteran to the White House as he completed his 300-mile walk to the nation’s capital to raise awareness about the problem of veteran suicide. Terry Sharpe, 69, was met at the Washington Monument by Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, for the final leg of his journey from Summerfield, North Carolina, to the White House grounds where he was greeted by Trump, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and the U.S. Marine Band. Sharpe makes the annual walk to Washington to spotlight the high rate of suicide among the nation’s military veterans.

Amid a devastating second wave of the coronavirus in Iran with daily fatalities surging to record numbers, a bris milah was held on Sunday, with Chief Rabbi of Tehran Rav Yehudah Grami serving as the mohel, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. The capital city of Tehran has been especially hard-hit by the crisis and the government reimposed restrictions in the city on July 18. The bris was held outdoors and in adherence to social distancing regulations. As the second wave has grown in intensity, Rav Grami recently instructed the Jews of Iran to re-close all shuls as he instructed during the first wave of the coronavirus, when a number of Jews passed away as a result of the coronavirus.

As if the escalation on Israel’s northern border isn’t enough, an explosive balloon was spotted in Israel’s south on Monday. “A balloon with a suspected object attached to it was found in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council,” Israel Police reported. “A police sapper was called to the scene and an investigation showed that it was an explosive device. The device was neutralized.” There were no injuries reported in the incident. בשטח פתוח בתחום המועצה האזורית אשכול אותר בלון אליו חובר חפץ חשוד. חבלן משטרה הוזעק למקום ובדיקה העלתה כי מדובר במטען חבלה.