Russia carried out its most extensive air assault on Ukraine in nearly three months on Sunday, deploying 120 missiles and 90 drones. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least seven people and inflicted significant damage on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, according to officials.
For weeks, Ukrainians had been anticipating another Russian offensive targeting their already fragile energy grid. The population has been preparing for prolonged winter blackouts, adding to the psychological toll as the war nears its 1,000th day since Russia launched its large-scale invasion.

Pope Francis has called for an international investigation into the possibility that Israel has committed genocide in its war against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, a charge that Jerusalem vehemently denies.
In excerpts from a new book published by Italian daily La Stampa on Sunday, the pontiff is quoted as saying that according to some experts, “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.”
The head of the Catholic Church continued, “We should investigate carefully to assess whether this fits into the technical definition [of genocide] formulated by international jurists and organizations.”

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Ivri Dickshtein, an IDF soldier who lost his life in southern Lebanon, had arranged a special surprise for his wife, Miriam, before he was tragically killed. He sent her a delivery of chocolates and flowers, but the heartfelt gesture did not reach her until after his petirah.
With the gifts, Ivri included a handwritten note filled with love and encouragement. It read:
“My beloved wife,
I am writing to you from the far north, hopefully for the last time. I am here, happy, and doing something significant for my nation. I ask that you smile and keep your head high. I am fine. Don’t worry about me.
I love you the most in the world. Pamper yourself with the chocolate and enjoy the beauty of the bouquet.

Rupert Nathan, 63, was arrested by British police and held in a cell for 12 hours after describing a rabbi in a private Facebook post as a “creep,” a “fake rabbi” and a “kapo boy.”
“Kapo” refers to Jews in German concentration camps during World War II who cooperated with the Nazis in overseeing other prisoners in return for preferential treatment. A 2019 article in the London-based Jewish Chronicle called it the “worst insult a Jew can give another Jew.”
Nathan admitted his remarks may have caused offense, but disputes that it was illegal or antisemitic. “I admit that calling someone a ‘kapo‘ is not a nice thing to do but it is not a crime,” he told the Daily Mail on Saturday.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu yesterday during a visit to Israel. Following their discussion, Graham’s office released a statement emphasizing the Senator’s unwavering support for Israel and his deep concern about the growing threat of an Iranian nuclear program.
During the meeting, Graham urged Netanyahu: “Do what you have to do to prevent the Iranian ayatollah from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.”
According to the statement, Graham views the possibility of Iran achieving nuclear capability as a dire threat. “In Senator Graham’s estimation, a nuclear-armed Iranian ayatollah is an existential threat to Israel and a nightmare for the world,” the release noted.

The Israeli Air Force on Sunday killed Hezbollah propaganda chief Mohammad Afif in a targeted strike on a bunker in Beirut, according to Reuters.
The bunker was located in the Ras al-Naba’a neighborhood in central Beirut, not in Hezbollah’s stronghold of Dahiyeh to the south of the capital, Lebanese security sources told the news agency.
On Oct. 22, Afif was forced to interrupt a press conference in Dahiyeh after the IDF issued an evacuation order for the area ahead of conducting air strikes. The Hezbollah spokesman was rushed away on a bicycle, shortly after declaring that Israeli bombings didn’t scare him, according to an eyewitness report by “PBS NewsHour.”

JNS

In recent months, Minister Meir Porush has consistently called for halting the promotion of a draft law and has openly opposed the intention to tie the passage of the state budget to the approval of such a law. However, this morning, HaMevaser, the newspaper affiliated with Shlomei Emunim, has shifted its stance and launched a scathing attack on the newly appointed Defense Minister, Yisroel Katz.
According to the publication, “With the approval of the incoming Defense Minister, Yisroel Katz, who is continuing the policy initiated by his predecessor, Yoav Gallant, the army will begin issuing 7,000 additional draft notices to yeshiva students starting today.”

President-elect Donald Trump made a high-energy return to Madison Square Garden last night, stepping into the arena like a heavyweight champion to attend the UFC 309 fight. His arrival was met with deafening cheers from the packed audience.
The future and former president electrified the sell-out crowd accompanied by an impressive group of celebrity supporters.
Trump’s entourage included billionaire Elon Musk, UFC CEO Dana White, Donald Trump Jr., Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, recently nominated HHS head Robert Kennedy Jr., conservative personality Dan Bongino, intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, and government efficiency head Vivek Ramaswamy.

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Dovid Yehuda Wertheimer zt”l at Maayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak. He was 54.
Rav Wertheimer, one of the prominent talmidei chachomim and maggidei shiur in Modiin Illit, was a son-in-law of Rav Shimon Galei zt”l. He succumbed to a severe illness that he battled over the past year.
Rav Wertheimer was born on the 28th of Av in 1970 to his father, Rav Shlomo Wertheimer, and his mother, Leah Glick. In his youth, he learned at Yeshivas Kol Yaakov in Yerushalayim.