Organizers of the Gaza “freedom flotilla”, who intended to “break the Israeli siege” on the Gaza Strip, claimed that it was attacked by drones off the coast of Malta in international waters, CNN reported on Friday. “There is a hole in the vessel right now and the ship is sinking,” Yasemin Acar, the spokesperson for the terror flotilla, told CNN. Vidoes posted on the X by the “coalition” show a fire burning on a ship, which, according to marine websites, is the Palau-flagged “Conscience” ship that departed from Tunisia. The organizers of the flotilla, who accuse Israel of “genocide” on their social media pages, wrote about the incident on social media: “At 00:23 Maltese time, the Freedom Flotilla vessel was subjected to a drone attack.

by Shira Miller In a significant recognition

The IDF successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at northern Israel early Friday morning, triggering sirens in the Upper and Lower Galil, Haifa and its suburbs, Binyamina, and the Jezreel Valley. The missile was successfully intercepted before it entered Israel. However, shrapnel from an interceptor missile hit a kindergarten in Mishmar HaEmek, penetrating the roof of the building and falling into the kindergarten. B’Chasdei Hashem, no one was injured as the kindergarten has not yet opened for the day. Shai Regev, the head of education at Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, was quoted by Ynet as saying. “It’s a huge neis. The children could have been injured if this had happened while the kindergarten was open.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman A Towering Yet Hidden Influence Perhaps no other Torah personality embodies such a stark contrast between profound impact and relative obscurity.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz declared early Friday that Israel had carried out an airstrike near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus.
“This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not permit Syrian troops to move south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said together in a statement released to the public.
Shortly after, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed the operation, stating, “A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus.”

In the newest installment of her podcast, Michelle Obama reflected on her childhood, saying she was raised with a deep sense of appreciation — something she believes is missing in many of today’s youth.
Discussing the topic alongside her brother Craig Robinson on their podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson, she noted, “When I think about what our parents did or didn’t do, and maybe it’s a little bit different because we’re brother-sister, because that same gender dynamic may make it a little bit hard.”

Talk about some serious coin. Millions of coins spilled onto a Texas highway this week after a tractor-trailer hauling $800,000 in dimes rolled over in an accident, authorities said. The spillage led to the closure of a portion of the southbound lanes of U.S. 287 in Alvord for about half a day as workers got on their hands and knees to pick up the coins in addition to using brooms and shovels and large industrial vacuums. The tractor-trailer rolled onto its side at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday after veering off the road and overcorrecting, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The highway reopened at about 7 p.m. that day, DPS said. The driver and a passenger were transported to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, DPS said.

U.S. intelligence efforts into the roots of the COVID-19 pandemic are moving forward through a special unit known as the Directors Initiative Group, which has been tasked with digging into a number of President Donald Trump’s high-priority national security concerns, according to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
During an appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on SiriusXM Wednesday, Gabbard revealed that this task force is working closely with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Their investigation includes scrutiny of gain-of-function experiments, particularly those tied to China and other nations. She noted that findings from the inquiry may be disclosed shortly.

Demonstrators associated with the organization “Free Jerusalem” staged a provocative protest outside the Knesset on Thursday, lining the area near the iconic menorah with lifeless-looking effigies splattered in red to mimic blood. The action was meant to signal their opposition to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, the group said in a post on X.
“Independence celebrated on the blood of tens of thousands of people in is not independence,” the group stated.
The protest installation was accompanied by provocative placards bearing inflammatory messages, including “Celebrating 77 years of Jewish supremacy and ethnic cleansing” and “Isolate Israel! Stop the genocide.”

Iran’s once-grand plan to transform post-war Syria into a loyal regional satellite has collapsed in dramatic fashion, according to a trove of confidential documents obtained by Reuters from the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The blueprint, drawn up in 2022, envisioned Tehran embedding itself deep into Syria’s economy, politics, and security apparatus. But the sudden fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 has left those ambitions in ruins. The newly installed Syrian government, composed largely of rebel factions hostile to Tehran, has moved to dismantle Iran’s presence. Iranian military officers, diplomats, and economic envoys have withdrawn from Damascus. Cultural centers funded by Tehran have shuttered.

The Republican-controlled U.S. House voted Thursday to block California from enforcing first-in-the-nation rules phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The move comes a day after the chamber voted to halt California standards to cut tailpipe emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as curb smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. “The passage of these resolutions is a victory for Americans who will not be forced into purchasing costly EVs because of California’s unworkable mandates,” House Republicans Brett Guthrie of Kentucky and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, said in a statement.

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman A young kollel wife in Yerushalayim, the daughter of a close talmid chacham friend, recently experienced a harrowing medical ordeal that nearly cost her life rachmana litzlan.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making history by taking on an unprecedented dual role at the highest levels of American foreign policy. He will be the first individual since Henry Kissinger to simultaneously serve as both secretary of State and national security adviser.
While several notable figures, such as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, have filled both positions at different points in their careers, none have held both posts at once—until now.
President Trump revealed on Thursday that Rubio would step in as national security adviser on a temporary basis. This announcement followed the dismissal of Mike Waltz from the position and his subsequent nomination by Trump to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Various Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremonies were held across Israel on Thursday as Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service continued to battle the fires that began in the Jerusalem hills on Wednesday. Photos taken of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the President’s Medal of Excellence ceremony in Jerusalem aroused curiosity due to a sight not seen since COVID days—the prime minister’s bodyguards with masks on their faces. The masks were not worn to protect against a new COVID variant but against the ancient and deadly antisemitism variant. The bodyguards, who are part of the Shin Bet’s personal security unit, were instructed to wear masks at public events to protect themselves from possible arrest warrants issued abroad, Walla reports.

The chavrusah tumult took place at BMG this week, as the summer Zman kicks off. The tumult generally last for two days, with talmidim of the yeshiva seeking out chavrusos and which chaburah they will be in. Enjoy the videos and phots below of this spectacular site!

Pages