Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was spotted alive in Tehran, dispelling rumors that he was eliminated by Israel during the war. The New York Times reported at the beginning of the war that Qaani had been assassinated in Israel’s opening strikes targeting key military and nuclear sites along with targeted eliminations of Iran’s leading political figures and top nuclear scientists. However, the IDF did not name Qaani as a target and said that they have no information about reports of his elimination. As it turns out, Qaani, who succeeded Qassem Soleimani after the latter’s elimination in a US drone strike in 2020, was apparently in hiding. He emerged from his hideout following the ceasefire to take part in “victory” celebrations in Tehran.

Just hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect, the Iranian judiciary system in Tehran announced a series of new legal measures, centered on a dramatic tightening of espionage laws—a move designed to facilitate authorities in penalizing citizens suspected of ties with Israel or of expressing criticism against the regime. According to the spokesman’s announcement, the “redefinition of the crime of espionage” grants the authorities almost unlimited powers to arrest and convict citizens based on mere suspicions and without the legal process restrictions that were previously in place. The announcement reflects the regime’s goal to regain control—at any cost. As of Wednesday, 700 people had been arrested since the beginning of the war for ties to Israel.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz delivered an extended security briefing on Tuesday to the members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee at the Kiryah in Tel Aviv, which mainly focused on the IDF’s activities during the war against Iran. At the meeting, Katz revealed that one of the reasons for the launch of the war was that Iran had planned a surprise attack on Israel. “The Iranians planned to act first and launch between 400 and 500 missiles in the opening strike,” he said.

The IDF has released the names of six soldiers who were killed during combat operations in the southern Gaza Strip. Their families have been notified, and their names have now been cleared for publication. The fallen are: * Lieutenant Matan Shai Yashinovski, 21, from Kfar Yona, a platoon commander in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Staff Sergeant Ronel Ben-Moshe, 20, from Rehovot, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Staff Sergeant Niv Radia, 20, from Elyakhin, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade. * Sergeant Ronen Shapiro, 19, from Mazkeret Batya, a soldier in the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion of the 188th Brigade.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary to Zohran Mamdani as the 33-year old member of the state Assembly had a significant lead in the race Tuesday night. Cuomo’s concession came as the race’s outcome will be decided by a ranked choice count after neither Democrat got a clear majority in the vote. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist member of the state Assembly, started to pull ahead with more than an estimated 80% of ballots counted. Cuomo, in a speech to supporters, said Mamdani “won” and that “we are going to take a look and make some decisions.” “Tonight is his night,” Cuomo said. Mamdani would be the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor if elected. Cuomo is trying to make a comeback from a harassment scandal.

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog issued a stark warning Tuesday following a deeper analysis of U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program: the destruction is more severe than initially reported — and may include chemical contamination. This comes as other reports from CNN and Times of Israel say that the airstrikes either delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months (according to CNN), or a few years (according to Times of Israel). This latest report, first published by the NY Post, creates a new layer of speculation and confusion.

HaGaon HaRav Naftali Kaplan, the Mashgiach of Yeshivas Netiv HaDaas, held a special va’ad on Thursday, during which he spoke about the war between Israel and Iran and the historical events happening in our time. HaRav Kaplan began by speaking about the time when Moshe Rabbeinu questioned Hashem, ‘Why did You send me?”—after Pharaoh intensified the conditions of slavery for Am Yisrael after Hashem sent Moshe to speak with him. HaRav Kaplan quoted the Ramban, who said that Moshe didn’t realize that geulah doesn’t happen suddenly but is implemented stage by stage, explaining that the final geulah will also not happen like many people think, that Moshiach will suddenly appear on a horse and rebuild Yerushalayim.

Israeli intelligence now assesses that the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure have significantly delayed — but not eliminated — Tehran’s atomic ambitions. A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the coordinated operation has pushed Iran’s nuclear program back by “several years.” However, the official emphasized that the program was not fully dismantled, contradicting the White House narrative. A separate CNN report on Tuesday said that the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure failed to cripple the country’s atomic ambitions, undercutting public claims by President Donald Trump and his defense officials that the mission delivered total destruction.

A new poll taken in the aftermath of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran shows Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gaining ground politically — but not enough to reclaim a governing majority. The survey, conducted by Channel 12 following a ceasefire widely seen as a military and strategic success for Israel, gives Netanyahu’s Likud party 26 seats in the 120-seat Knesset — a modest four-seat gain from pre-war polling. Yet despite the bump, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition remains short of the 61-seat majority needed to govern. According to the poll, the current coalition would muster only 49 seats, down from the 64 it held prior to the war. Opposition parties collectively would control 61 seats, while Arab parties, traditionally reluctant to join any government, would hold the remaining 10.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel HaRav Kalman Bar published a halachic letter on Monday, in which he explains why, despite the war, getting married during the three weeks is forbidden. Last week, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef called on couples from the Sephardi and even Ashkenazi sectors to get married during the three weeks rather than postpone their weddings. He explained that “there is no greater time of need than this,” and emphasized that even those who are generally machmir should be lenient this year, emphasizing, “המחמיר בזה יוצא שכרו בהפסדו.” Although as of Tuesday morning, the war is officially over, the dilemma for couples who postponed their weddings due to the war still exists due to the difficulty in finding available chasunah halls after Tisha B’Av.