Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli on Tuesday called for the elimination of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the wake of the atrocities perpetrated by Syrian regime forces in recent days against Syrian Druze in the southern Syrian village of Sweida. Chikli attached two videos of Syrian forces humiliating Druze by forcibly shaving them. Syrian regime forces also executed civilians in the village and carried out out abductions. They also publicly humiliated Druze by forcing them to bark like dogs in the street. “We must not stand idly by in the face of the Islamist-Nazi terror regime of Al-Qaeda in a suit and tie,” Chikli wrote.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the Chashmonai Brigade base in the Jordan Valley on Tuesday, accompanied by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The brigade, stationed at the Tevetz base, is the IDF’s first unit tailored specifically for Chareidi soldiers. During the visit, Netanyahu met with soldiers and commanders and received a detailed briefing on the unit’s operations and training program. He praised the troops, noting their recent deployment to Gaza and their combat performance. “These young men arrive here as Chareidim and leave as Chareidim,” Netanyahu said. “They come not by force but willingly.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is rejecting accusations that his government bears responsibility for Hamas’s October 7 attack, instead blaming the country’s security services for what he described as a catastrophic intelligence failure. In an English-language video posted Monday to his social media accounts, Netanyahu defended his wartime decisions while leveling some of his strongest public criticism yet at Israel’s military and intelligence leadership. The eight-minute interview — conducted by his newly appointed international affairs adviser, former journalist Caroline Glick — comes amid accusations that political considerations have shaped his strategy.

The IDF and Shin Bet reported on Monday that Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, a terrorist in Hamas’s military intelligence unit in the Al-Furqan Battalion, was eliminated in a joint operation in the Gaza City area about a month ago. Quneita invaded Israel during the October 7 massacre and held Emily Damari in his home at the beginning of the war. According to the Shin Bet and IDF statement, he took a central part in Hamas’s terrorist activities. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he will campaign for mayor of New York City as an independent candidate, staying in a crowded field running against surging left-wing Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani. In a video, Cuomo, who last month suffered a bruising loss to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, announced he was making another run to combat the progressive Mamdani, who he said “offers slick slogans but no real solutions.” “The fight to save our city isn’t over,” Cuomo said. “Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary.

President Donald Trump said Monday he would punish Russia with tariffs if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, the latest example of his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump made the announcement during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” the Republican president said. He said they would be “secondary tariffs,” meaning they would target Russia’s trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy. “I use trade for a lot of things,” Trump added. “But it’s great for settling wars.” Besides the tariff threat, Trump and Rutte discussed a rejuvenated pipeline for U.S. weapons.

Armed with nothing but a baseball bat and street smarts, Rochester, NY, resident Curtis Jones is ready to go toe-to-toe with what he swears is a mountain lion on the loose in his neighborhood. “It went right over there, and it said ‘Rawr!’” Jones told reporters, gesturing with the seriousness of a man who’s seen things. “I seen it, see me, see it.” Translation: mutual eye contact was made, and it was primal. Jones isn’t alone in his claim. Several Rochester residents say they saw the sleek, shadowy feline slink through their streets last Wednesday, prompting a brief shelter-in-place order while police and drones scoured the area. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and even Seneca Park Zoo confirmed all their lions were still properly enclosed, but Jones remains unconvinced.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the Iranian regime is “in deep trouble” and pushed for an “exceptional deal” to curb its nuclear and military ambitions, during an hour-long interview with Mark Levin aired on Fox News. The interview, filmed during Netanyahu’s visit to Washington last week, was one of three he granted to American media outlets. Notably, he did not sit for any interviews with the Israeli press traveling with him. Netanyahu laid out the conditions he believes should form the foundation of any future agreement with Tehran: “No uranium enrichment, as President Trump and I have always insisted. No ballistic missiles beyond 300 miles, as stipulated by international treaties.

A group of six masked pro-Palestinian activists stormed the newly opened “King David Burger” kosher restaurant in Athens over the weekend, leaving a trail of hate and intimidation in their wake. The attackers, clad in black and armed with spray paint, scrawled messages such as “Smash Zionism” and “No Zionist is safe here” across the restaurant’s counters, walls, and tables. Red and black paint stained the interior as terrified Greek employees looked on, unable to intervene. “This was a coordinated hate crime,” said owner Tzvi Levinson, an Israeli businessman. “They finished the attack in seconds.

A delegation from the New York State Police Police Benevolent Association (PBA), accompanied by Law Enforcement Chaplain Rabbi Abe Friedman, visited Chaverim of Rockland’s headquarters on Thursday afternoon to learn more about the organization’s operations and explore ways to strengthen cooperation. The tour was led by Chaverim of Rockland Coordinator Yossi Margaretten, who was joined by other dedicated Chaverim volunteers. The delegation included top PBA officials and heads of various State Police Troops, among them 1st Vice President Andrew Davis, 2nd Vice President Jason Sheridan, Troop T Head Anthony Nigro, Troop F Head Paul Catrona, and Troop G & H Head Thomas Kuchark.