In a historic event, US President Donald Trump met on Wednesday morning with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first meeting between a US and Syrian president in 25 years. The meeting took place in Saudi Arabia, where Trump is finishing his visit before heading to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as part of his trip to the Middle East. Trump agreed to meet with Shaara after being pressured “to say hello” to him by the Saudi Crown Prince and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sharaa is in Riyadh for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The minutes, which lasted for about 33 minutes, took place a day after Trump made a surprise announcement on Tuesday evening that he was lifting all sanctions on Syria.

The Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Israel on Wednesday morning, triggering sirens in central Israel,  the Jerusalem area, and the Dead Sea area. The missile was intercepted outside Israel by air defense systems. The attack was the third Houthi missile launch at Israel in 24 hours. Following the attack, the IDF spokesperson in Arabic Avichay Adraee repeated a warning he previously issued on Sunday for Yemenis to evacuate three seaports. “An important second warning to all those present in the seaports controlled by the terrorist Houthi regime, the Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Al-Salif ports,” he wrote.

A federal judge issued a ruling Tuesday affirming that President Donald Trump and his administration acted within the scope of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act when they used it to swiftly deport individuals believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang.
Judge Stephanie Haines determined that the administration’s interpretation of TdA’s entry into the U.S. aligned with the 18th-century statute’s meaning of “predatory incursions.” However, she also concluded that proper legal notice was not given to each person facing deportation.

On Tuesday, the parents of Edan Alexander, who was recently freed after being held hostage, publicly voiced their appreciation to President Donald Trump, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and hostage negotiator Adam Boehler, praising their tireless efforts that led to their son’s safe return.
The United States successfully mediated an agreement with Hamas that led to Edan’s release. After 584 days in captivity, he was freed on Monday and is currently recovering at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. It was from there that his parents addressed reporters.

NEW YORK CITY, NY (VINnews)-Rachel Griffin Accurso, known as “Ms.

POTUS: “Iran was broke because I placed secondary sanctions… They didn’t have money for Hamas, they didn’t have money for Hezbollah… When Biden came in, he took off the sanctions and he let them get very rich… Biden freed them up from what I did.”

POTUS: “You see Saudi Arabia and you see UAE and you see Qatar and they have these brand new Boeing 747s — and you see ours next to it…We’re the United States of America. I believe we should have the most impressive plane.”

Sean Hannity: This is an amazing week so far. You get a deal with China. India and Pakistan. You slashed prescription drug prices. The last American hostage has been released. POTUS: “I’ve been busy but I’ve enjoyed it because we’re getting things accomplished.”

While the conflict in Gaza raged on, Israeli forces apprehended a man believed to be working with the Shin Bet, only to discover he had been betraying them from within. Under questioning, the man admitted that he was, in fact, a double agent.
During his interrogation, the operative confessed that his primary task had been to mislead Israel’s security officials and lull them into complacency ahead of the devastating October 7, 2023, Hamas assault.
Channel 12 News aired a report Tuesday evening disclosing that this agent deliberately misinformed his handlers just hours before the attack commenced.

In an effort to allow the public to arrive calmly and safely to the highly anticipated bonfire lighting led by the renowned mashpia, Rav Meilech Biderman, organizers have announced that the event will begin at 1:30 a.m. The lighting will take place at the expanded hilula site in Meron on the night of Lag Ba’omer.
This massive hadlakah, often described as the largest in the world, draws tens of thousands of participants each year, as Rav Meilech ignites hearts and souls through his fiery devotion and stirring presence.

Florida Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds visited Lubavitch Educational Center on Monday and met with fifty rabbis, community activists, and representatives of the South Florida Jewish community and its local Jewish schools. The congressman was joined by his wife, Erika Donalds, who works for the US Secretary of Education, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, and community activist Barbara Feingold. “As the largest Jewish school in the US outside New York, Congressman Donalds’s visit here is a powerful affirmation of the shared values that bind our community to his vision for Florida’s future,” said Rabbi Benjy Korf, LEC’s head of school.

The decades-long search for a fabled Nazi gold train, rumored to be laden with looted treasures and hidden in a secret tunnel during the final days of World War II, has been thrust back into the spotlight. A mysterious letter, delivered anonymously to a local treasure-hunting foundation, claims to pinpoint the location of three camouflaged train carriages buried near the city of Walbrzych, reviving hopes of uncovering one of history’s greatest lost fortunes.

We are a community that cares. When a child is sick, we seek the best doctors. When someone needs help, we show up. And Baruch Hashem, when it comes to mental health, we’ve come a long way. People are going to therapy. We’re talking more openly. The stigma is breaking. But something isn’t adding up. People are spending years in therapy — and still suffering. The anxiety is still there. The depression hasn’t lifted. The trauma still haunts. Relationships remain broken. And families feel like they’re drowning. Too many people go to therapy hoping for healing — and walk away with little more than “processing,” “insight,” or “support.” While that can be meaningful, it’s often not enough. Not when someone is truly struggling. Not when they need to get better.

A groundbreaking Israeli study has found that GLP-1 medications — the popular class of weight-loss drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy — can dramatically reduce the risk of developing obesity-related cancers, surpassing even the benefits of bariatric surgery. The findings, published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, analyzed thousands of patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes who were prescribed GLP-1 drugs such as liraglutide (Saxenda), exenatide (Byetta), and dulaglutide (Trulicity). The study excluded newer drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound), but still showed striking results: patients on GLP-1s were 41% less likely to develop obesity-linked cancers than those who underwent surgical weight loss procedures.

Edan Alexander, who was freed from Hamas captivity on Monday, endured extreme physical and psychological hardship during his time in Gaza. According to his own account, the early days of his abduction were “hell,” with much of that period spent restrained and blindfolded. His mother, Yael, said Tuesday evening that the constant bombings he experienced left him paralyzed with fear. At one point, a tunnel in which he was being held caved in, but he narrowly escaped without injury.

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