WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 62 APR 30,26 - REALITY SETS IN

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 62 APR 30,26 - REALITY SETS IN

THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.

JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39    
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN) will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)

WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The 500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February, the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April. 
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel) are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species: Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors, and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April. 

The 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and November. 
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia. 

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

Knesset panel advances measure lowering bar to compensate workers furloughed by Iran war-Following pressure from business groups, government set to agree to shorten qualifying period for entitlement to unpaid leave compensation from 10 days to 5 By Sharon Wrobel-Today, 12:21 am-APR 30,26

Bowing to pressure from business organizations, the government is set to agree to shorten the minimum qualifying period for employees to receive benefits for unpaid leave during the war with Iran.According to the revised compensation framework, the government will agree to reduce the minimum leave period that entitles furloughed private sector workers to receive 75% of their full salary. The period will now be five consecutive days, down from 10 days.The amendment will cost the government about NIS 500 million ($168 million), the source of which has yet to be determined, according to the Finance Ministry.The government backed down after the Finance Ministry came under fierce criticism from employees and employer associations, lamenting that the previous unpaid leave framework did not go far enough. It left out earners who did not work during the first five days of the Iran war and were furloughed due to security restrictions that shut down the economy, but returned after the Home Front guidelines were eased.The amendment to the unpaid leave outline and a framework to compensate businesses whose revenues were hurt during the war with Iran were approved by the Knesset Finance Committee late on Wednesday and are expected to be submitted for final passage in the Knesset plenum early next week.“There is an agreement that the first five days of the war, in which workers could not work because the economy was closed, will be recognized for unpaid leave benefits,” said Knesset Finance Committee chairman MK Hanoch Milwidsky (Likud). “This is a dramatic development, which was a result of the prime minister and the finance minister’s understanding of the situation, and was done with their encouragement and agreement and in cooperation with us.”For the first five days after Israel and the US jointly launched the war against Iran on February 28, most of the economy, except for essential businesses, was shut down. While Home Front Command restrictions for workplaces were eased on March 5 to allow the economy to get back on its feet, some businesses remained shut, particularly in the retail sector, and many workers were unable to fully return to the workforce because schools in most places remained closed under continuing missile fire.As in previous rounds of war, the government has formulated a plan to compensate employees put on unpaid leave, as well as a compensation framework to provide partial financial relief to businesses whose revenues have been hurt by the recent war with Iran.The current framework will compensate businesses with an annual turnover of up to NIS 400 million ($134.5 million), which suffered a decline of at least 25 percent, similar to the model applied during previous wars. Those businesses can apply for reimbursement of between 22% to 44% of fixed expenses, depending on their revenue decline, and for up to 75% of salary costs of employees.Business owners located in northern front communities, including the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee, Safed, Karmiel and Rosh Pina, will be entitled to claim full compensation depending on revenue decline.While the government agreed to the demand to shorten the qualifying period for entitlement to unpaid leave payments, the Finance Ministry decided to tighten conditions for businesses’ eligibility for reimbursement for salary expenses.Employers who furloughed employees will only be entitled to claim compensation for salary costs if an employee was put on unpaid leave for a maximum of 10 days during the month of March.In practice, that means that an employer who put an employee on unpaid leave for 11 days or more during the Iran war will not be entitled to receive compensation for salary expenses after the employee returns to work, even though business revenue was impacted.

US president appears to confuse Iran with Ukraine-After rejecting Iran’s proposal to open Hormuz, Trump says talks ongoing over the phone-US president: Iran ‘choking like a stuffed pig’; Iranian parliament speaker says Trump imposing blockade to make Iran ‘collapse from within’; Hegseth: War has cost $25 billion-By Lazar Berman,Jacob Magid,Agencies and ToI Staff 29 April 2026, 11:44 pm

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that talks with Iran have been taking place over the phone in recent days, after he canceled a trip over the weekend for US negotiators to travel to Pakistan to speak with Iranian officials.He made the comments hours after rejecting an Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz and lift Washington’s blockade on Iran while pushing off nuclear talks to a later date. He had insisted that Tehran would have to agree to give up its nuclear ambitions if it wished to bring the war to an end.Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appeared before the US Congress to defend the war and dismiss accusations that the Trump administration had led the US into a “quagmire.” He said the war has so far cost the US $25 billion.Trump, speaking to Axios on Wednesday, stressed that the US would not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a nuclear deal is reached.“They want to settle,” he said. “They don’t want me to keep the blockade. I don’t want to [end the blockade] because I don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.”“The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing,” Trump assessed. “They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.”Iran’s energy infrastructure is going to “explode soon” if it isn’t able to export oil, the president predicted.Later, while taking questions in the Oval Office, Trump claimed that Iran had moved closer to Washington’s positions in recent conversations, but said the question was “whether they will go far enough.”At this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons,” Trump said.The president declined to clarify whether the talks that he said were being held remotely were being conducted through mediators, as is assumed to be the case.He argued, as he has previously done, that it is not necessary for his negotiators to fly all the way to Pakistan, which hosted previous talks, in order to hold discussions that can be conducted over the phone.Yet despite his assessment that the blockade was doing more to pressure Iran than the roughly six-week bombing campaign launched by Israel and the US on February 28, Axios reported that the president had not entirely ruled out the possibility of returning to fighting.Three sources with knowledge of the matter told the outlet that US Central Command had prepared a “short and powerful” bombing campaign in order to push Iran to accept US demands.The strikes would include infrastructure targets, said the officials.Despite Trump’s remarks and his earlier comments warning Iran that it “better get smart soon,” posted alongside an AI image of himself carrying a weapon in a war zone, saying “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY,” Tehran showed no signs of giving in on Wednesday.Instead, Iran has pledged to continue disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key pathway for oil and gas shipments, as long as it is threatened, which may mean more Middle East oil supply disruptions from the conflict, which has killed thousands and caused global economic upheaval.In remarks carried by state media, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as a key point of contact for Washington, accused the US of trying to create division with its naval blockade and “make us collapse from within.”Trump, he said, “divides the country into two groups: hardliners and moderates, and then immediately talks about a naval blockade to force Iran into submission through economic pressure and internal discord.”With the killing of numerous Iranian leaders by US-Israeli strikes, including former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, there has been widespread speculation over the balance of power within the Islamic Republic. The current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, hasn’t been publicly seen or heard since he was appointed in March.Trump said earlier this month that the government of Iran was “seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so.”Ghalibaf, a powerful figure, has grown in prominence since the start of the war and was the lead negotiator in the so far only round of direct US-Iranian talks.“The enemy has entered a new phase and wants to activate economic pressure and internal division through naval blockade and media hype to weaken or even make us collapse from within,” he said.He called for “maintaining unity” as the only solution.Nuclear watchdog floats Russia taking Iran’s uranium-As progress toward an agreement between Washington and Tehran appeared to reach a standstill, the head of the UN nuclear agency urged both sides to come back to the table, stressing that it would take “political will” to make a deal.Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Associated Press that his agency has been in discussions separately with the US and informally with Iran.He suggested that Iran’s proposal to lift the blockade but postpone discussions on its nuclear program was an indication that Tehran wants to sequence how it confronts the objectives mandated by the US, including curbing its ballistic missile program and dealing with its proxy terror groups Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.Anticipating future nuclear talks, Grossi said that the IAEA has discussed with Russia and others the possibility of sending Iran’s highly enriched uranium out of the country — a complex operation that would require either a political agreement or a major US military operation in hostile territory.“What’s going to be important is that that material leaves Iran,” or is blended to reduce its enrichment, he said.The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely still at its Isfahan nuclear complex, which was bombarded by US airstrikes last year and faced less intense attacks in this year’s US-Israeli war, Grossi said, adding that the IAEA has satellite images showing the effects of the latest airstrikes against Iran and that “we continue to get information.”Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, which has no peaceful applications and is a short, technical step from nuclear weapons-grade levels of 90%. Grossi has said the IAEA believes roughly 200 kilograms (about 440 pounds) is stored in tunnels at the Isfahan site.Trump appears to confuse Russia and Ukraine-Addressing the possibility of Moscow taking Iran’s uranium, Trump confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his help on the issue in a phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday.But Trump said he told Putin that he’d “much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine.”“I said, before you help me, I want to end your war,” said Trump.While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump appeared to mix up Iran and Ukraine when answering a question from CNN about the timelines of the two wars.“I think Ukraine militarily they’re defeated,” he said. “Their navy — they had 159 ships, every ship right now is underwater, typically that’s pretty good.”The US targeted Iran’s navy repeatedly during the fighting, destroying much of its fleet. The US has largely supported Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.Wait, what? Say that again? pic.twitter.com/RYFEITNKdz — Shaun Pinner (@ShaunPinnerUA) April 29, 2026-Pentagon says war has cost $25 billion and counting-In Washington, Hegseth claimed that congressional Democrats were “the biggest adversary we face,” as he parried questioning from lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee for the first time since the US and Israel launched the war with Iran on February 28.And the Pentagon’s chief financial officer released a figure Democrats have been demanding, saying the war has cost an estimated $25 billion and counting.Jules Hurst, who is performing the duties of the comptroller, told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee that most of that money was for munitions.Hurst did not detail what that cost estimate included and whether it took into account the projected costs of rebuilding and repairing base infrastructure in the Middle East that was damaged in the conflict.Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, responded to Hurst: “I’m glad you answered that question. Because we’ve been asking for a hell of a long time, and no one’s given us the number.”But it is unclear how the Pentagon arrived at the $25 billion amount given that a source had told Reuters last month that President Donald Trump’s administration estimated that the first six days of the war had cost the United States at least $11.3 billion.Hegseth told lawmakers that the cost was justified given the US goal of ensuring Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.“What would you pay to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear bomb? What would you pay?” Hegseth asked.Hegseth sought to defend the Iran war more broadly in fiery remarks, saying it was not a quagmire and attacking Democratic lawmakers as “feckless” for criticizing the unpopular conflict.“You call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement,” Hegseth said in response to one lawmaker, and slammed “reckless, feckless, and defeatist” congressional Democrats.Thirteen US troops have been killed in the conflict and hundreds wounded.Despite Hegseth’s defense of the war, Trump is under domestic pressure to end it, after giving shifting rationales to a US public struggling with surging gasoline prices. His approval rating fell to the lowest level of his current term, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which showed 34% of Americans approve of his performance, down from 36% in the prior survey.On Wednesday, oil prices spiked sharply again after a report that the US president had told national security officials to prepare for a long blockade of Iran’s ports and the Strait of Hormuz.At around 1:35 p.m. GMT, a barrel of Brent crude for June delivery was up 5.16 percent at $117, its highest level since the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran came into effect.

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH) (DO NOT EVER LISTEN TO ANYBODY THAT SAYS THE WORLD IS ENDING.ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN-4 BILLION WILL BE LEFT ON EARTH TO GO INTO JESUS" 1000 YEAR RULE)(THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD TO ANY ONE, DOES IT-NOT ME.THE EARTH IS JUST RENOVATED.NEVER ENDED.

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.(CAN YOU SAY TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH WITH.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF -  HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

New maps provided to aid groups show expanded zone of IDF control in Gaza-Maps include orange line with a restricted area comprising some 11% of Strip’s territory, bringing two-thirds of Gazan land under Israeli charge By Reuters Today, 5:53 am-APR 30,26

New maps of the Gaza Strip quietly issued by Israel a little more than a month ago have put thousands of displaced Palestinians inside an expanded restricted area, within boundaries the military says it can continue to change.The restricted area, marked on the maps with an orange line, makes up an estimated 11% of Gaza’s territory beyond the “Yellow Line” demarcating the part of Gaza occupied by Israeli troops since an October ceasefire. The areas cordon off nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s territory in total.Israel’s military sent the maps to aid groups in Gaza in mid-March, two aid sources said, but has not released them publicly.Israel says the area between the orange line and the yellow truce line to which its troops withdrew under an October deal is a restricted zone to enable aid delivery, and that aid groups must coordinate their movements with the military. It says civilians are not affected.The expanded zone has stirred fears from displaced Palestinians living there that they could be deemed targets by Israel, and shot. It has also stoked concerns that Israel may plan to hold the area permanently.Israeli officials describe the territory they’ve seized in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon as “buffer zones” that can stave off potential terrorist attacks following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel that set off the Gaza war.“In Gaza, more than half of the Strip’s territory” is under Israeli control, Netanyahu said in a March 31 video statement. “We are the ones who attack and initiate, and we are the ones who surprise our enemies.”The "yellow line" is closing in on Gaza from all directions, with orange marking its updated location. It's creating a shrinking prison where tanks and daily gunfire make life deadly even behind this boundary pic.twitter.com/MLZKR6vmkx Advertisement — Free Palestine ???????? (@FreePalestineHQ) April 5, 2026‘People don’t know what is what’Israel’s expanding control beyond the line agreed in the US-brokered October ceasefire casts further doubt on President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, held up for months due to the Iran war and disagreements over disarming Hamas.It also widens the zone in which Israel’s military says it could operate and strike hostile targets, without marking it on the ground. The October ceasefire line was marked with concrete blocks painted yellow. Israel has previously moved those blocks deeper into Hamas-controlled territory, Reuters has reported.Issuing its first public comments on the expanded zone, COGAT, the Defense Ministry body that controls access to Gaza, said it had defined areas adjacent to the Yellow Line in which international organizations including humanitarian groups were required to coordinate their movements with the military.“The boundaries of these areas (the Orange Line), in which coordination is required, are determined and updated in accordance with the operational situational assessment, with the aim of enabling humanitarian activity while safeguarding personnel in a complex operational environment,” COGAT said.COGAT declined to comment when asked how frequently it updates and distributes maps to aid groups showing the location of the orange line, and whether it has communicated its location to Palestinian civilians.At least three Palestinians working with foreign aid groups — two with UNICEF, and one with the World Health Organization — have been killed by Israeli attacks in the area between the two lines since mid-March.In both cases, Israel’s military said it had identified threats near the Yellow Line and had opened fire as a result. UNICEF and the WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they coordinated their workers’ movements with Israel.Rani Ashour, who lives in a camp for displaced people near Gaza City that sits between the two lines, said residents lacked water and other aid because humanitarian groups feared sending staff there.“People don’t know what is what, (the orange) line is here today, you sleep, and you wake up, and you find it has passed you.”Since the ceasefire, local medics say Israeli fire has killed more than 800 Palestinians in Gaza, many of them in the area near the Yellow Line, which is dotted with displaced persons camps and people living in bombed-out buildings. The unverified Palestinian figures don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.New map appears to show shifting lines-The two aid sources, both working in Gaza, said the military originally sent aid groups a map showing an expanded zone beyond the Yellow Line after the October ceasefire. That map was published by groups including UNICEF, but never by the military.The military sent the groups an updated version of the map in mid-March, said the sources, who shared images of the map with Reuters but declined for them to be published directly. The new map shows the Yellow Line and marks the expanded zone with an orange line.Reuters shared the images with Palestinian researchers who superimposed the two lines onto a map. The two aid sources said that the Yellow Line had moved forward to encompass the original expanded zone, with the orange line marking the boundaries of an even bigger restricted area.The military declined to comment when asked whether the Yellow Line had been moved forward, but said that the “area adjacent to the Yellow Line is a sensitive and dangerous operational environment,” and that “(signs) are posted in the area indicating that it is forbidden to approach.”That in effect leaves Israel in control of at least 64% of Gaza, said Jad Isaac, director general of the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem, an independent Palestinian think tank in the West Bank, with the nearly 2 million population almost entirely confined to a sliver of Hamas-controlled territory along the coast.“They want to put as many Palestinians as possible in the smallest area in order to drive them out because of the absence of any viability or any sustainability in what’s left of Gaza,” Isaac said.Israeli officials including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, have called for Palestinians to leave Gaza, reinforcing Arab fears that Israel wants to drive Palestinians from land where they seek a future state.Behind its Yellow Line, Israel has forced civilians out and bulldozed most remaining buildings, while the US and UAE have drafted development plans for the territory.Amjad ​al-Shawa, the head of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, said the additional line of control had caused confusion and concern.“Residents do not know where the lines begin or end. One day, the boundary is in one location, and the next day it shifts without warning,” Shawa said.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Reporter's notebook Home prices in Kiryat Shmona are down 5-15% since 2023-‘The city is dead’: Israel’s north struggles to recover as war leaves uneven economic scars-In Kiryat Shmona and across the Galilee, shuttered businesses, slow returns and shifting demand for homes indicate a patchy recovery after more than two years of conflict By Zev Stub-Today, 9:29 am-APR 30,26

KIRYAT SHMONA — Driving along Tel-Hai Street, the main commercial strip of this northern city, storefronts were open on a recent weekday afternoon, and cafes and shawarma stands were busy.But just beyond the front line of shops, a different picture emerged, showing the pain that the “capital of the north” has endured through more than two years of war.Some commercial areas were almost completely shuttered due to a lack of customers. Temporary missile shelters, known in Hebrew as miguniot, have been erected on virtually every street corner, providing emergency respite when sirens give residents just 15 seconds to run for cover from Hezbollah rockets. A high-tech incubator near the top of the strip, once bustling with innovation, is now nearly empty.There aren’t many damaged homes around anymore, since most of those hit during the 2024 war have already been repaired, residents say. The latest round of fighting in March and April, currently halted by a fragile ceasefire as of this writing, has caused some new damage, farther off the strip. But the holes in residents’ lives, and in the local economy, will take much longer to fix.“Before the war, this area was full of people, and businesses were making good money,” said Eldar, a barber, sitting outside his salon waiting for customers. “Now, almost all of the stores in this area are closed, the city is dead, and no one goes out at night.”More than 900 days after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war — and after repeated rounds of fighting along the northern border — recovery in Israel’s north remains uneven. While some areas are rebounding, others, particularly communities near the Lebanon border like Kiryat Shmona, continue to face deep economic and demographic challenges.“When you talk about the housing market in the north, you really have to divide it into two categories,” said Nimrod Bousso, chief editor at the Israeli Real Estate Center website. “In the places on the front lines of fighting, where people were evacuated during the war, real estate activity is very low, and most construction projects are on hold. But for areas that aren’t being directly targeted, like many towns in the Golan Heights, agents say that sales volume has returned to normal.”In those places, Bousso said, “there is a sense that we are getting back to some sort of routine.”Slow recovery in the Galilee-Kiryat Shmona, just over a mile from the border, is in the first category of very slow recovery. Shortly after Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel evacuated the city’s 24,000 residents in anticipation of military conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.Government stipends paid for them to relocate to homes in other parts of the country during that time, and government grants covered damages to people’s homes from the constant barrages of rockets, missiles and drones. But economic activity in the region all but ceased.Of 104 tech startups operating in the Galilee before the war, only three survived the war, as human resources were scattered around the country and lost focus, noted Noam Josef, head of the Margalit Startup City Galil innovation center, which seeks to represent technology interests in the region.The local housing market also suffered greatly during that time, noted Tzahi Hafzadi, who manages the Kiryat Shmona office of Remax Realty.“Things were pretty slow then,” said Hafzadi, who grew up in the city. “It wasn’t exactly zero, but it was close to that.”But when permission was finally given to return in March 2025, many residents said they didn’t plan to come back. Only about 60% of Kiryat Shmona’s residents have returned to the city, and about half of local businesses have reopened, official data shows.“A lot of people decided to stay where they were instead of coming back,” Hafzadi said. “There is cautious growth in the real estate market now, but prices have come down since before the war.”Homes in new buildings cost about 5% less than before the war, while those in older buildings, without any shelters or elevators, are down about 15%, Hafzadi said.Family apartments of 70-90 square meters (750-970 square feet) start as low as NIS 600,000 (about $200,000), while large private houses on 500 square-meter (1,640 square-foot) lots can go for as much as NIS 3.5 million ($1.17 million), he noted.Things are starting to improve, Hafzadi said. Young families are showing new interest in the city, especially those who can work remotely, and the government offers significant economic incentives for people moving there.Residents can pay no income tax on income of up to NIS 20,000 per month, and a recent government decision will provide new families with grants of NIS 2,500 a month for two years, Hafzadi said. Childcare is also subsidized, and the cost of living is lower than in the center of the country, he added.Meanwhile, tech is slowly making a comeback in the Galilee, with 20 new companies formed in the past year, Josef noted. Margalit Startup City Galil is planning a major “business revival” conference in late May to galvanize political support and spread the organization’s optimism for the region, he said.The government has also pledged to invest billions of shekels in rehabilitating the region, although locals say they haven’t seen much benefit from that yet. There are plans to extend the country’s main railroad line to Kiryat Shmona in the coming years, a move that will ease transportation to the center and open a new world of employment options.There have been initial talks to develop housing specifically for English-speaking immigrants, although that plan is moving slowly, representatives from Nefesh B’Nefesh have said. And the city’s Tel Hai College is set to be expanded into a full-fledged university in the coming years.“People who move here can benefit from living in a beautiful place with no traffic, and they get a higher salary because the income tax is lower,” Hafzadi said. “I would definitely invest here. I think it’s going to get better and better.”Stronger demand in the Golan-The situation is a bit different in the Golan Heights, where price changes since the October 7 attack have been more in line with the rest of the country, said Avigail Fink, who heads Remax’s offices there.The housing market there saw a significant boom post-COVID, driven by remote work and positive immigration, with prices rising from 2021 to 2023, Fink said. A 2021 government decision allocated about a billion shekels to double the area’s population from about 50,000 by increasing infrastructure investments, attracting a new cadre of investors and developers.But when the war broke out, everything froze, and since then, prices have remained stable or fallen slightly. Structural challenges to the Israeli market, including high prices, high interest rates, and a record-breaking supply of new housing, have tempered growth, leading to an average price decline of about 1% over the past year.Since Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas in October, prices have been gradually climbing, Fink said, and homes take a bit longer to sell now than they did before the war. The numbers are small — there are typically only about 300 homes on the market in all of the Golan at any given time, Fink said — but there is a prevailing sense that the worst is behind them.Unlike in the Galilee, Golan towns weren’t evacuated after the October 7 attacks, a decision that Fink credits for their current comparative strength. Tourism, one of the Golan’s main economic engines, suffered greatly during the war, but the housing market is much better off due to residents’ decision to stay, Fink said.“We expect that 2,000 homes are going to be sold in Katzrin during the next 1-3 years, and this will lead to major changes in market demand and places of work,” Fink said. “I think the market here is going to change tremendously for the best in the next few years.”Moving forward, some areas are going to develop faster than others, said Michal Korland, a Remax realtor specializing in the Galilee. Cities along the coast like Nahariya, Akko and Shlomi lie farther from the Lebanese border than Kiryat Shmona, and fared comparatively better during the war.Nahariya already has hospital facilities and train access, and the expected completion of Route 6 — Israel’s main north-south highway — to the area within one to two years could accelerate a rebound, Korland noted.“When things are quiet, this area will be a great opportunity for investors,” she said. “The north is the nicest place to live in Israel, with amazing people and a great quality of life. We’ll need a lot of help from the government over the next few years, but we hope that we’ll start seeing big things happen soon.”

Inside story Mideast official: PA has a few months to 'clear up holes'US says PA continuing to pay security prisoners despite reformed welfare criteria-Citing information from Israeli government and groups critical of the Palestinian Authority, State Department informs Congress that Ramallah not meeting benchmarks for lifting sanctions By Jacob Magid-Today, 5:02 am-APR 30,26

The US State Department informed Congress this month that the Palestinian Authority has not ceased making payments to the families of security prisoners and slain attackers, despite reforming, and ostensibly ending, its system of cash transfers awarded in accordance with the amount of time served behind Israeli bars.“The PA continues to provide a system of compensation in support of terrorism through new mechanisms and under a different name,” the State Department said in a report submitted to Congress earlier this month.US President Donald Trump’s administration made the unusual decision to publicize the report on Wednesday, which exclusively relied on open-source information from the Israeli government and several organizations that have long been critical of the PA.Under a 2018 US law, the secretary of state is required to report to Congress every 180 days if the PA is ending payments to the families of prisoners and slain attackers, which are based on the length of one’s sentence. Critics have dubbed the policy “pay-for-slay,” saying it incentivizes terrorism against Israelis.While Ramallah long sought to defend the payments as a form of social welfare and necessary compensation for victims of what it says is a callous Israeli military justice system in the West Bank, PA President Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree last year scrapping the legislation conditioning payments on one’s prison sentence.Abbas also revived an agency called the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment (PNEEI) and tasked it with responsibility over a new welfare system that offered stipends strictly based on economic need.“Despite changing the mechanisms, the PA continued payments and benefits to Palestinian terrorists and their families,” the State Department wrote in its report to Congress.Accordingly, the Trump administration concluded the PA is not in compliance with a 2018 US law known as the Taylor Force Act, which barred American economic aid to Ramallah as long as the controversial payments continued.Israeli figures-To prove its assessment, the State Department cited figures publicized by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, according to which the PA provided $156 million in payments to the families of security prisoners and slain attackers.The State Department appeared to be referring to a November 2025 tweet from Sa’ar, though that post said the PA “committed” to paying $214 in 2025, as opposed to money actually spent.The Foreign Ministry has not revealed how Sa’ar arrived at the figure, but Jerusalem has been quick to dismiss the PA’s prisoner payment reform as a guise aimed at fooling the international community.Israel has maintained this stance as it continues to withhold several billion dollars in funds that belong to the PA, which have brought Ramallah to the brink of collapse-Jerusalem, under the Oslo Accords, is supposed to carry out monthly transfers of clearance revenues collected on Ramallah’s behalf. For several years, it unilaterally withheld the portion of those funds that it said Ramallah was allocating for terrorists and their families. But for the past year, Israel has refused to send any of the clearance revenues. As those funds make up the majority of the PA’s budget, the Palestinian Authority has been able to pay a fraction of public sector salaries, which this month were uniformly cut to NIS 2,000 ($675) for over 150,000 Palestinians.A senior European diplomat told The Times of Israel that Israel’s rejection of the prisoner payment reform is part of a broader effort to collapse the PA, a policy openly supported by several key ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.Who is eligible for welfare? The reform allows the families of Palestinian security prisoners and slain attackers to receive stipends from the government. However, they must apply through PNEEI like all other potential welfare recipients, who are only eligible if they meet the necessary socioeconomic criteria, as is the standard for most Western welfare systems.A former US official told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem privately welcomed the reform when presented with it during US president Joe Biden’s administration.But after Abbas announced the reform in February 2025 — weeks after Trump entered office — Israel was quick to reject the framework, arguing that the families of prisoners and slain attackers should not receive benefits from the PA, regardless of their financial status.Moreover, Israel went on to report that PA payments to the families of security prisoners and slain attackers continued, not just through PNEEI, but other mechanisms as well, the State Department report released Wednesday noted.“A shift to a welfare system like the PNEEI that fails to end specific payments and benefits for Palestinian terrorists and their families is not compliant with the provisions of the Taylor Force Act,” the report added.The State Department did acknowledge internal PA documents — revealed by The Times of Israel last year — which stated that 3,000 families who previously received stipends would no longer receive assistance under PNEEI, while 2,000 new families were deemed eligible for the first time.It was not clear from the report if the Trump administration has adopted Israel’s position rejecting any payments to security prisoners’ families, regardless of whether they qualify for welfare assistance.The State Department did not respond to this and several other questions regarding its report, including why it only relied on open-source information from entities seen as hostile to Ramallah and whether it verified the information cited in the report.A second former US official said that previous reports to Congress on this issue relied on some open source reporting but also used classified information to ensure accuracy.The official also noted that Israel’s hardened stance regarding PA welfare payments would appear to go further than the Taylor Force Act itself, which stipulates that compliance with its terms requires the PA to revoke any system that compensates prisoners based on the length of their sentence for an act of terrorism.The case against Ramallah-The State Department report also pointed to public comments made by PA Finance Minister Estephan Salameh, who said in February that despite the financial constraints, the authority has continued to provide for its people.“We have not abandoned any Palestinian resident, whether they are prisoners or families of martyrs and wounded. This is a clear fundamental issue,” he is quoted to have said in remarks that in and of themselves did  not appear to violate the Taylor Force Act.The Times of Israel revealed in November 2025 that Salameh was appointed finance minister after his predecessor, Omar Bitar, was deemed responsible for illicit payments to the families of security prisoners that had continued after Abbas announced the reform.The State Department also cited reporting from the Israel-based research institute Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) to argue the PA has recently taken steps to ensure security prisoners can receive stipends following their release.Those prisoners included several convicted of murdering Israeli civilians, according to documents obtained by PMW, a pro-Israel watchdog that focuses on incitement in Palestinian society.The State Department noted a statement from the European Commission in November that also acknowledged illicit payments made to security prisoners under the old mechanism, which led to Bitar’s ouster.“The EU Commission requested clarity from the PA, and a subsequent Euronews investigation alleged that applicants for PNEEI are also receiving supplementary payments in addition to payments issued to welfare recipients,” the State Department report said.The State Department also highlighted a statement from the Foreign Ministry referencing footage of Palestinians waiting in line at the post office for stipends as further proof that the illicit payments were still in place, given that recipients picked up their checks from the post office during the old scheme.The State Department did acknowledge a series of protests against the PA that have broken out across the West Bank in recent months, with participants lamenting the cuts. Analysts previously speculated that such protests would prove that the reform was in place, though the Trump administration seemed to argue otherwise.Incitement allegations-The Taylor Force Law also conditions US aid to Ramallah on PA officials publicly condemning acts of violence and taking steps to crack down on such activity.The State Department report maintains that Ramallah has not lived up to that standard, pointing to comments from Abbas’s top adviser Mahmoud Habbash who called the terror attack targeting Jews in Bondi Beach Australia a “crime,” while arguing that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians was also to blame.The report cited November 2025 findings from IMPACT-se, a pro-Israel organization that analyzes schoolbooks, “which found that PA school textbooks for grades 1-12 continue to glorify jihad and incitement to violence.”Lastly, the State Department cited a PMW report on Abbas dispatching aides to Egypt to honor the security prisoners released in last year’s hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.‘Clear up any holes’A Middle Eastern intelligence official told The Times of Israel that, contrary to the report’s suggestions, independent reviews of PNEEI from recent months have found it to be in compliance with the Taylor Force Act.However, the official acknowledged that a small number of payments to some families of prisoners and slain attackers by Palestinian bodies other than PNEEI may have continued.The Middle Eastern intelligence official said it would be up to Ramallah “clear up any holes” in the coming months, or risk losing critical international support.The official admitted that it would be an uphill battle for the PA, given how unpopular it is among Palestinians to be seen as working against the families of prisoners.He pointed to the thousands of Palestinians currently held under administrative detention, a legal mechanism that allows Israeli authorities to indefinitely keep a suspect in custody without charge, based on covert intelligence information.The practice is controversial due to due process concerns, with Defense Minister Israel Katz barring its use against Jewish suspects, and it is only used against Palestinians and a small number of Arab Israelis.“The PA is seen as turning its back on all prisoners, whether they’re convicted of a crime or not,” the Middle Eastern intelligence official said.A spokesperson for Abbas did not respond to a request for comment.

Navy begins intercepting Gaza flotilla hundreds of miles from the Strip-Tracking data shows vessels near Crete as they are confronted by Israeli forces; 175 activists detained, 21 of 58 vessels intercepted overnight By Emanuel FabianToday, 3:15 amUpdated at 9:51 am-APR 30,26

The Israeli Navy late Wednesday began intercepting an activist flotilla sailing to the Gaza Strip in a bid to breach Israel’s naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled enclave, according to the activists and Israeli officials.According to tracking data, the Global Sumud Flotilla — which includes 58 vessels — was located near the Greek Island of Crete, hundreds of nautical miles (over 1,000 kilometers) from Israel, when confronted by Israeli forces.By the morning hours of Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the Navy had detained some 175 activists. In total, the Navy intercepted 21 of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s 58 vessels, security sources said.During past attempts to challenge the naval blockade, the Navy has intercepted the boats much closer to Gaza’s shores, which the flotilla was expected to reach over the weekend.In footage published by flotilla organizers, an Israeli Navy officer could be heard calling on the activists to change course.“If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, you may do so through established and recognized channels. Please change course and return to the port of origin. If you are carrying humanitarian aid, you are invited to proceed to the port of Ashdod,” the officer said.The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, released a video it said showed “condoms and drugs” were found aboard one of the intercepted vessels.Same script, different year. The israeli navy thinks a radio warning can drown out the cries for justice. You call it a "maritime security blockade" — the rest of the world calls it a crime scene. We aren't "invited" to Ashdod; we aren't your guests. We are the witnesses you… pic.twitter.com/dElolWN59Y Advertisement — Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) April 29, 2026-In a later post on X, the Foreign Ministry published a video showing some of the activists “enjoying themselves aboard Israeli vessels,” while adding that “approximately 175 activists from more than 20 boats of the condom flotilla are now making their way peacefully to Israel.”The activists claimed that they faced a “violent raid in international waters,” during which the Israeli forces “systematically disabled various boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla.”Approximately 175 activists from more than 20 boats of the condom flotilla are now making their way peacefully to Israel. In the video: the activists enjoying themselves aboard Israeli vessels pic.twitter.com/0sz8kDpKLX — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) April 30, 2026-Global Sumud Flotilla claimed that “after smashing engines and destroying navigation arrays, the military retreated — intentionally leaving hundreds of civilians stranded on powerless, broken vessels directly in the path of a massive approaching storm.”“Furthermore, communications with multiple vessels have been jammed, severing their ability to coordinate or signal for help,” they added.The activists aboard the flotilla departed from Spain earlier this month, after organizing a similar operation last year with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and hundreds more participants that was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.Israeli officials repeatedly denounced that flotilla and previous smaller-scale attempts to reach Gaza by sea as publicity stunts, saying they brought insignificant amounts of aid, which Israel insists sufficient amounts of are entering the Strip, though humanitarian organizations have said it is not enough.Earlier Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced he was imposing sanctions on a crowdfunding campaign launched by Global Sumud Flotilla, which he said was “organized by the Hamas terror organization, in cooperation with additional international organizations and under the guise of a humanitarian aid flotilla.”“The imposition of sanctions on the crowdfunding campaign constitutes a significant step in the effort to disrupt the flotilla’s sources of funding,” said a statement from Katz, adding that the move was “intended to deter donors from contributing to a terror organization.”It was unclear what practical effect the sanctions would have. The statement noted that according to Israeli law, the defense minister can order the seizure of property of a designated terror organization or property intended to be used for terrorism.Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since the Hamas terror group seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007 in a violent coup.Israel said it was necessary to limit Hamas’s ability to smuggle in arms, a stance it has reiterated since the October 7, 2023, attack that started the Gaza war. Critics of the blockade said it amounts to collective punishment of the Strip’s roughly 2 million Palestinians.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Ukraine: Israeli actions will determine our help with drones-Senior diplomat meets Russian envoy, spurns EU rep amid stolen Ukraine grain fight-Jerusalem says ‘tweets’ from Kyiv not sufficient to prove grain seized by Russia is reaching Israel; Ukraine working with EU to sanction those involved in ‘this theft and illegal trade’By Lazar Berman-Today, 2:24 am-APR 30,26

As the diplomatic war of words between Jerusalem and Kyiv over stolen Ukrainian grain escalated this week, a senior Israeli diplomat met with Russia’s ambassador while declining to make time to meet with the European Union envoy, two foreign diplomatic officials told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.EU envoy Michael Mann has been trying for over a week to meet with Simona Halperin, the Foreign Ministry deputy director general in charge of  ties with Europe, said the officials.Halperin met with Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov on Tuesday, according to the Russian embassy.“An exchange of views took place on current topics of international cooperation, with particular attention paid to European issues,” said the Russian readout. “A mutual commitment to maintaining a constructive Russian-Israeli dialogue was reaffirmed. It was agreed to continue maintaining contacts.”However, Halperin pushed off a potential meeting with Mann to next week at the earliest, according to the two foreign officials, who said the European diplomat is seeking to discuss allegations that grain poached by Russia from Ukraine is being sold in Israel.The EU mission to Israel declined to comment, as did Mann. The Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.On April 28, in Jerusalem Ambassador of Russia Anatoly Viktorov held a working meeting with Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Simona Halperin. An exchange of views took place on current topics of international cooperation, with particular… pic.twitter.com/Z335fQyLDP Advertisement — Russia in Israel (@israel_mid_ru) April 28, 2026-Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian official told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem’s handling of the stolen grain would affect how willing Kyiv is to offer expertise on countering Hezbollah drones.Israel has asked for assistance, said the official, as Hezbollah steps up its use of attack drones against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.On Sunday, Sgt. Idan Fooks, 19, was killed and six other soldiers were wounded in a Hezbollah explosive drone strike in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, a soldier was seriously wounded and another lightly hurt by a Hezbollah UAV, after which a Defense Ministry contractor Amer Hujirat was killed and his 19-year-old son was lightly injured.We will consider this request in contingency with their behavior with the stolen grain.“We will consider this request in contingency with their behavior with the stolen grain,” said the Ukrainian official.While providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Jerusalem has pursued a relatively restrained response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine due to Russia’s military presence in Syria, Israel’s northern bellicose neighbor, and has sought to balance security interests at home and policy abroad while maintaining relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.Following the fall of the Russia-allied Bashar Assad regime in Syria over a year ago, a moderate warming of ties between Kyiv and Jerusalem had taken place.However, last month Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to maintain a neutral stance between Moscow and Kyiv, even though Russia has been providing critical intelligence to Iran in the US-Israel war against Iran.The two leaders have not spoken in over a year.No evidence, claims Israel-Israel repeated on Wednesday its stance that it has yet to receive evidence a shipment of Russian grain was “stolen” from occupied Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv continued to threaten sanctions.Kyiv considers all grain produced in the four regions that Russia claims as its own since invading Ukraine in 2022 — as well as Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 — to be stolen and has protested over its export to other countries.Russia calls the regions its “new territories,” but they are still internationally recognized as Ukrainian. Moscow has not commented on the legal status of grain collected in them.“We will go after Russia’s shadow grain fleet and its enablers across all geographies,” wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.Ukraine, said Sybiha, will initiate “new sanctions in the EU, G7, and other jurisdictions on everyone involved in this theft and illegal trade.”“We warn all entities and nations that we will react strongly to any theft of our grain,” he said.Sybiha said on Monday that Israel’s Ambassador Michael Brodsky had been summoned to his ministry over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.“The Europeans are ready to support us” on sanctions, said the senior Ukrainian official. “I’m sure that Israeli importers wouldn’t care about Ukrainian sanctions, but they would care about European sanctions, because Europe is the biggest trade partner of Israel. And we already have permission from all the Europeans for that.”Earlier Wednesday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed that Israel received Ukraine’s request for legal assistance regarding a vessel waiting to dock in Haifa,  while taking a swipe at Kyiv’s handling of the issue.In a post on X, Sa’ar said the request was submitted “late last night” after earlier public statements by Ukrainian officials, adding, “One would expect the submission of a legal request before Tweeting. You chose differently, for your own reasons.”“With all due respect, Your Excellency,” responded Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi, “we expect action, namely for the State of Israel to stop accepting grain stolen from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. When such action is taken, we will be most happy to receive relevant messages via X (former Twitter), WhatsApp, Signal, email, paper post, or any other channel of Your Excellency’s convenience.”To that post, Israel’s own Foreign Ministry spokesman responded on X that Ukraine hasn’t provided evidence to back its claims.“‘If the law is against you, pound the facts,” wrote Oren Marmorstein on X, citing an adage among trial lawyers. “‘If the facts are against you, pound the law. If both are against you, pound the table and yell.’”“With all due respect, if action is being requested, we expect evidence,” Marmostein continued. “Not tweets. So far evidence hasn’t been provided.”“If the law is against you, pound the facts. If the facts are against you, pound the law. If both are against you, pound the table and yell.” With all due respect, if action is being requested, we expect evidence.Not tweets.So far evidence hasn’t been provided. https://t.co/wdlGWYs4ZW — Oren Marmorstein (@OrenMarmorstein) April 29, 2026-However, according to the Ukrainian official, the deputy chief of mission at the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel provided the Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry with evidence on Wednesday morning.“Of course they are lying,” says the senior Ukrainian official.Not legitimate business-Wednesday’s back-and-forth continued a fight that raged on Tuesday.Zelensky, in a post to X, wrote: “In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability. This applies, in particular, to grain stolen by Russia. Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload.”“This is not – and cannot be – legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying,” he said.Sa’ar pushed back against the allegation, reiterating an accusation that Kyiv was conducting “Twitter diplomacy” and failing to provide evidence for the Russian cargo’s purportedly illicit origin.“Up until this point, the Ukrainian government has not submitted a request for legal assistance. They submitted tweets,” he said at a press conference, alongside visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric. “Nor has the Ukrainian government provided evidence for its claims.”Sa’ar said he spoke with the Israel Tax Authority on the matter, but stressed that, at this stage, “the vessel has not entered the port and has yet to submit its documents,” and that it is impossible to verify claims that shipping records were forged.Israel, he added, “is a state that abides by the rule of law,” and any legal action must be based on substantiated evidence submitted through proper channels.“We say again to our Ukrainian friends: If you have any evidence of theft, submit it through the appropriate channels,” Sa’ar said, adding that Israel “will not be influenced” by public pressure.Sa’ar also expressed surprise at the criticism, noting Israel’s past support for Ukraine in international forums and through humanitarian assistance during its ongoing war with Russia.According to a report by the Haaretz daily, the vessel Panormitis – allegedly carrying grain from occupied areas – was awaiting permission to dock in Haifa, with four similar shipments already unloaded in Israel this year.Traders have told Reuters that it is impossible to track the origin of wheat once it is mixed.In his post to X on Tuesday, Zelensky wrote that “Ukraine has taken all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents. However, we see that yet another such vessel has not been stopped. I have instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to inform all partners of our state about the situation.”“Based on information from our intelligence services, Ukraine is preparing a relevant sanctions package that will cover both those directly transporting this grain and the individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from this criminal scheme,” he warned, adding Kyiv would “also coordinate with European partners to ensure that the relevant individuals are included in European sanctions regimes.”Tykhyi, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, told reporters that Kyiv provided “extensive information and proof” that the cargo was illegal before going public. The ministry published a timeline of its actions and contacts with Israeli authorities.“We will not allow any country in any geography to facilitate illegal trade with a stolen grain that finances our enemy,” Tykhyi said.Earlier this month, Israel reportedly allowed a Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain to dock at a Haifa port, claiming it was too late to turn the ship around.Sa’ar, at the time, sent a message to his Ukrainian counterpart claiming that the vessel could not be detained due to the late notice, even though Israel had reportedly been aware of it two weeks before it arrived.Senior Ukrainian officials had been demanding the confiscation of the wheat cargo.Stav Levaton contributed to this report. 

Palestine Action ban is risk to free speech, watchdog says, as UK gov’t appeals to bar group-Lawyers for anti-Israel group tell court that government should have taken criminal measures against it rather than ban it, as state argues such steps would have been insufficient By Agencies and ToI Staff 29 April 2026, 11:59 pm

LONDON, United Kingdom — Britain’s terrorism watchdog on Wednesday said the government risked stretching counterterrorism laws beyond their original purpose, as the government appealed in court to uphold its ban on the anti-Israel group Palestine Action.The watchdog said using such powers against activist groups could blur the line between protests and national security threats.In his annual report examining the use of Britain’s terrorism legislation in 2024, independent reviewer Jonathan Hall said the subsequent banning of Palestine Action had exposed “real uncertainty” over whether serious damage to property alone should qualify as terrorism.The law’s broad wording could, without clearer limits, risk pulling protest activity into terrorism policing, even where there is no intent to harm people, Hall said.“There is no legal authority on what ‘serious damage to property’ means,” Hall wrote, saying the definition could extend beyond violent attacks to acts such as criminal damage, depending on how courts interpret the threshold.While he said it was unthinkable to remove property damage entirely from the legal definition of terrorism, he suggested lawmakers could narrow the test, for example, by requiring a risk to life, a national security dimension or exclusion for non-violent protest.The ban on Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000, which began on July 5, made membership of or support for the direct action group a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.His report comes as the government appeals a High Court ruling that found the banning of Palestine Action unlawful on the grounds of free speech. The ban, imposed in July 2025, remains in force pending the outcome of the appeal.On the second day of the appeal hearing on Wednesday, Raza Husain, the rights lawyer representing Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori, told the court that the ban had had a “colossal impact on individuals, a colossal impact on rights.”The ban “has very serious consequences for free speech on a matter of the most acute public interest,” and as a result, there is a “risk of over-broad police action,” Husain added.Ammori herself suffered a “severe” impact and had been dropped as a speaker at public events “because organizers are scared of committing offenses,” he said.The vast majority of protests were “low-level civil disobedience” such as sit-ins and lock-ons, the lawyer claimed, while “a smaller cohort engaged in more serious damage to property.”In 2025, two activists broke into the Royal Air Force Brize Norton base in southern England and sprayed two planes with red paint.The previous year, six Palestine Action members raided Israeli defense firm Elbit’s UK factory. During that attack, one member of the group hit a police officer with a sledgehammer. The officer suffered a fractured spine from the attack and remains on restricted duty.Criminal damage caused by activists at military facilities “has historically not been regarded as terroristic,” Husain said.“Criminal, yes, terroristic no.”Another lawyer for the group, Owen Greenhall, argued “there were plenty of alternative measures that could be used,” including charges for criminal damage and trespass and civil injunctions.In a written submission to the court, however, James Eadie, who was representing the government, said that the High Court’s previous ruling had “ignored” the Home Office’s explanation of why criminal charges would be insufficient.He said that counterterrorism police had “specifically advised” that existing criminal options against Palestine Action would be “insufficient,” prompting the government to pursue proscribing it instead.One final hearing in the appeal is expected to be held behind closed doors on Thursday, according to Scottish newspaper The National.UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk warned when the ban was imposed that using counterterrorism legislation to implement the ban on Palestine Action risked “hindering the legitimate exercise of fundamental freedoms across the UK.”Hall’s report also highlighted growing reliance on counterterrorism laws to police online propaganda and political expression.The independent reviewer also looked at the 2024 banning of Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir and the extreme right-wing online Terrorgram network, describing both as cases where organizations were banned primarily for online rhetoric rather than operational violence.Terrorism offenses linked to proscribed organizations rose in 2024, driven in part by arrests following Britain’s ban on Hamas after its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, with Hall saying that prosecution numbers would rise further after Palestine Action’s ban in 2025.Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said in a statement that she would review Hall’s recommendations before responding.

Syria arrests former Assad-era general accused of 2013 chemical attack involvement-Interior Ministry says it detained Adnan Abboud Hilweh, who it says was responsible for sarin nerve gas ‘massacre’ on Damascus-area suburb Ghouta, which killed over 1,000 By AFP Today, 12:11 am-APR 30,26

DAMASCUS — Syria’s interior minister on Wednesday said the country detained an Assad-era general accused of involvement in the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack.In a post on X, Anas Khattab said that “Adnan Abboud Hilweh, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Eastern Ghouta in 2013, is now in the custody of the Counter-Terrorism Department.”US intelligence says more than 1,000 people were killed with sarin nerve gas in the suburb of Damascus in 2013 during Syria’s civil war.The attack was attributed to the Syrian government under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in late 2024.At the time of the attack, the government denied involvement and blamed rebels.Hilweh was one of three Syrian generals accused by the US State Department in 2022 of involvement in “gross violations of human rights, namely the flagrant denial of the right to life of at least 1,400 people in Ghouta,” banning them along with their immediate family from entering the country.Hilweh was also sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries.Syria’s 13-year civil war killed more than half a million people and displaced millions of others. Tens of thousands of people disappeared, many into the country’s brutal prison system.Syria’s new authorities have repeatedly vowed to provide justice and accountability for Assad-era atrocities, while activists and the international community have emphasized the importance of transitional justice in the war-ravaged country.On Monday, a Syrian court conducted the first hearing in the trial of Assad, in absentia, and of senior figures from his government, one of whom appeared in person.Former security official Atif Najib, a relative of Assad’s, was in the dock in handcuffs.Assad fled to Moscow with only a handful of confidants as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus in December 2024, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom reportedly went abroad or took refuge in the coastal heartland of Assad’s Alawite minority.

IDF chief says there’s ‘no ceasefire’ in south Lebanon amid continued fighting with Hezbollah-Trump reportedly pushing back on Israeli efforts to limit talks with Beirut, return to large-scale war; 1 million Lebanese will face food insecurity in coming months, monitor warns By Emanuel Fabian,Lazar Berman,ToI Staff and Agencies 29 April 2026, 11:13 pm

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said during a visit to troops posted in southern Lebanon on Wednesday that there “is no ceasefire,” as Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire despite a truce that’s been in place for almost two weeks.Zamir’s comments came amid a reported push from Jerusalem to get the US to limit its historic direct talks with the Lebanese government to a two-week timeframe, and to sign off on a large-scale IDF campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group, if the talks fail.The US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which started on April 17, was extended on April 24 for an additional three weeks, US President Donald Trump announced at the time. His announcement came as Israeli and Lebanese diplomats met for US-brokered talks.But cross-border fighting has continued. Speaking in the southern Lebanese town of Taybeh, one of the border villages where Israeli troops are deployed, Zamir said that the IDF “will not tolerate” Hezbollah’s attacks, while adding that Israel will not leave the security buffer zone it holds in south Lebanon until the threat to Israel’s northern communities is removed.“In Lebanon, the mission assigned to us by the political echelon is to position ourselves along the line to prevent direct fire on the communities. We have achieved this; this is the line we are on. We may be required to remain on it,” Zamir said.“We will not tolerate attacks and fire on our communities, and we will not leave until long-term security for the northern communities is ensured,” he said, according to remarks published by the IDF.The IDF is continuing to fight, the chief of staff added, saying that the military is “working to deepen the operational achievements and to protect our forces.”“On the combat front, there is no ceasefire; you continue to fight, to remove direct and indirect threats from the northern communities, to thwart terror infrastructure, to locate and kill terrorists,” he continued.“Any threat, anywhere, to our communities or our forces, including beyond the Yellow Line and north of the Litani [River], will be removed. Your mission and duty are to act with freedom of action and remove any threat,” Zamir said.“At this stage we are not advancing beyond the line, but we will continue to act and remove threats freely,” he added, saying there “is no restriction on [destroying] infrastructure and killing terrorists.”During Zamir’s visit, the IDF continued its operations in southern Lebanon, saying that it struck some 20 Hezbollah sites with airstrikes and artillery shelling in the southern Lebanon towns of Baraashit and Shaqra on Wednesday morning.The sites hit by the Israeli Air Force and the artillery regiment of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division included weapon depots and other buildings used by Hezbollah for “military purposes,” the IDF said.“The Hezbollah terror organization used these infrastructures to advance and carry out terror attack plans against IDF troops and Israeli civilians,” the military added.The IDF said it also struck and destroyed a Hezbollah rocket launcher, and shot down two explosive drones that the terror group launched at Israel.Hezbollah launched several more explosive-laden first-person view (FPV) drones at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, in two separate incidents Wednesday, the army said. The drones exploded near the forces, but did not cause any injuries.Trump said to rebuff Israeli efforts to renew fight-According to a Wednesday report on Channel 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with Trump, during which the Israeli premier asked for further freedom of action in Lebanon and for a two-week time limit on the peace talks with Beirut.Israel has argued that Hezbollah attacks on Israeli soldiers and communities in Israel’s north are making an agreement extremely unlikely, while Israel’s deterrence in the area is eroding as it holds off from a major response to the rocket fire.If no deal is reached by mid-May, according to the report, Israel wants Trump’s blessing to launch the expanded campaign in Lebanon that it had been planning.However, Trump insisted that Israel “restrain itself,” the outlet added, citing an unnamed Israeli source. The president reportedly urged Netanyahu not to “take actions that could jeopardize the ceasefire.”The report said that Israel is also pushing for the Lebanese military to take more concrete action against the Iran-backed terror group, but the source cautioned:  “The situation is very complex and it is difficult to see Hezbollah being restrained by the weak Lebanese army.”Netanyahu updated his limited security cabinet during a meeting on Wednesday, at which he said that Trump still views the ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon as linked, and he does not want Israel to restart the war before he feels that talks with Tehran have been exhausted, the source told Channel 12.According to the report, Israel estimates that, even if the negotiations with Lebanon progress, the continued Hezbollah fire in the north could still continue for a while longer.Sa’ar: Hezbollah continuing to ‘drag Lebanon into this war’Regarding the talks with Beirut, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that he is waiting for the White House to set a date for the next round of direct negotiations with Israel.The only path for Israel to achieve security is through negotiations, Aoun said, but it must abide by the ceasefire.“If Israel believes that through its violations and the destruction of border villages, it can achieve security,” he said, “then it is mistaken, because it has tried that before and it did not lead to any result.”Speaking to Saudi Arabian state-owned Al Arabiya English, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Hezbollah of continuing to “drag Lebanon into this war,” warning that Israel will keep responding to attacks from across the border.Israel supports the ceasefire, Sa’ar said, but will not hesitate to act when its northern communities or IDF troops in southern Lebanon are targeted, saying: “When they attack… we need to respond.”He stressed that Israel has “no territorial ambitions in Lebanon,” describing Hezbollah as “a mutual problem for us and for the Lebanese.”Israel will have “no problem to withdraw” once the group is dismantled alongside other armed factions, Sa’ar said.“We must do today what the army of Lebanon should have done a long time ago,” he added.1 million Lebanese said to soon face food insecurity-Amid the fighting, a global hunger monitor on Wednesday warned that more than 1 million people in Lebanon are expected to face a food insecurity crisis in the months ahead as a result of renewed conflict and mass displacement.A new analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has found that 1.24 million people will be unable to consistently meet basic food needs and will be forced to reduce the quality and quantity of foods consumed, or resort to harmful coping strategies to survive.“These results underscore the severity of the current situation in Lebanon, where conflict intersects with economic pressures putting national food security under critical risk and juncture,” said Nora Ourabah Haddad, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ representative in Lebanon.The nearly two-month war has displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon, with many heads of households out of work and relying on donations to survive as the regional conflict drives up food prices.The IPC said Lebanon’s agricultural sector, once a critical source of food and income, has suffered from damage to farmland, displacement of farmers and rising input costs.More than 76 percent of south Lebanon’s farmers have been displaced and 22% of all agricultural land damaged in the latest bout of fighting, according to Lebanon’s agriculture ministry.It remains unclear how many will be able to return.“[After] a war like this war, the agriculture sector would need years and years of rehabilitation,” Lebanese Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani told Reuters.He said the sector had not yet fully recovered from the 2023-2024 war sparked by Hezbollah in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. He said that conflict hiked the costs of diesel on which most farmers rely for their equipment.The previous war cost the country’s agricultural sector $586 million in losses and destroyed nearly 5,000 hectares of forest cover, according to Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research.

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION-HEAVENLY OBJECTS) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

At least 2 injured as storms tear through Texas and damage homes-Multiple homes and businesses were damaged and families were displaced in Mineral Wells, a small city about 45 miles west of Fort Worth.April 29, 2026, 7:44 AM EDT / Source: The Associated Press

MINERAL WELLS, Texas — Thunderstorms tore through parts of Texas on Tuesday, sending at least two people to the hospital as powerful winds ripped roofs off homes, flattened buildings and tossed debris through the air.Multiple homes and businesses were damaged and families were displaced in Mineral Wells, a small city about 45 miles west of Fort Worth. Two people were taken to the hospital and others with minor injuries were treated at the scene, according to Ryan Dunn, the city’s fire chief. There were no immediate reports of fatalities or people missing.Dunn warned people to stay out of an industrial area where there’s “major damage and major hazards that are all across the roads.”The wild weather came just days after a tornado-producing thunderstorm left at least two people dead in northern Texas and displaced at least 20 families.Tuesday’s thunderstorms, including at least one unconfirmed tornado, were caused by large storm cells that were drifting southeast from north-central Texas, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with National Weather Service.The storms continued Tuesday night as they moved across Texas and into Arkansas and Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service. The storms could produce hail larger than 2 inches damaging winds and some tornadoes, according to the agency.At least 1 dead amid severe weather across Midwest, with millions more under warnings-In Mineral Wells, where the streets were left littered with fallen trees and other debris, the mayor declared a local state of disaster. The city also instituted a 10 p.m. curfew that will be lifted around daylight as authorities continue to assess the damage, said Tim Denison, the city’s police chief.He said the curfew was to “make sure that we keep people out of the areas and also try to help these victims out, and keep their personal belongings safe.”Officials directed anyone who needed help to the local high school, where the Red Cross was setting up.Ventamatic, a fans and ventilation manufacturer in Mineral Wells, said its facilities would be closed Wednesday “due to severe damage and ongoing safety hazards — including downed power lines.” The company announced on its website that all of its employees had been evacuated before the storms and everyone was safe.

Georgia officials warn wildfires are still a threat as firefighters report progress-A fire that has burned roughly 35 square miles and destroyed more than 80 homes in rural Brantley County was 32% contained, authorities said.April 29, 2026, 4:38 AM EDT / Source: The Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Officials battling two large wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in southern Georgia warned Tuesday that firefighters are bracing for a prolonged battle even after weekend rains gave a big boost to containment efforts.“A little bit of rain is going to help us, but it’s not going to get us out of this situation,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told a news conference after touring the fire areas Tuesday. “We’re going to be in this for a while.”A fire that has burned roughly 35 square miles and destroyed more than 80 homes in rural Brantley County was 32% contained, the command team overseeing the fire response said Tuesday. That’s up from just 6% containment reported Monday.Rains on Sunday slowed the fire enough to give crews an opening to widen containment lines along the perimeter and to snuff out some smoldering pockets, said Johnny Sabo, director of the Georgia Forestry Commission.“As that number increases, our confidence at holding it in that footprint increases,” Sabo told reporters. He added: “We have a long way to go. I just want to stress that.”A larger wildfire in sparsely populated Clinch and Echols counties has charred more than 50 square miles at the Georgia-Florida line. Sabo said crews have held that fire to roughly the same footprint for four days. It was considered 23% contained Tuesday.One home and several dozen sheds and other smaller structures were destroyed, said Don Thomas, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson.An unusually large number of wildfires are burning this spring across the Southeast. Scientists say the threat of fire has been amplified by a combination of extreme drought, gusty winds, climate change and dead trees and other vegetation.No fire injuries or deaths have been reported in Georgia. A volunteer firefighter in Nassau County, Florida, died last week after suffering an unspecified medical emergency while suppressing a brush fire.Wildfires Burn In Drought-Stricken Georgia-A sign reads "Pray for our emergency responders and Brantley County" near an auto lot scarred by the Brantley Highway 82 Fire in Atkinson on Thursday.Progress made against the Brantley County blaze prompted local officials to lift evacuation orders Monday for roughly 1,500 people who had fled their homes. About 2,500 remained displaced, said Susan Heisey, a spokesperson for the fire command team.Local officials have warned people returning home to be prepared to evacuate again if necessary.Both Georgia fires ignited as the state’s worst drought in two decades has rendered vast pine forests and swampy lowlands tinder dry and highly combustible.Investigators concluded the Brantley County fire began April 20 when a foil balloon touched a power line, creating an electrical arc that set the ground ablaze. The fire in Clinch and Echols counties started April 18 by a falling spark as a man was welding a gate, according to state officials.Forecasts showed a high chance of more rain over the fires this weekend. There’s also a possibility of thunderstorms, which can produce lightning that causes new fires.Officials haven’t said how long the Georgia fires might burn, only that it will take significant rainfall to extinguish them.Sabo noted that a vast fire sparked by lightning in the nearby Okefenokee Swamp in 2011 burned for just shy of a year.

WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 60 APR 28,26 - MOSSAD CHIEF SAYS AGENCY'S OPERATIONS PENETRATED CORE OF IRAN, LEBANON SECRETS.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

 WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 60 APR 28,26 - MOSSAD CHIEF SAYS AGENCY'S OPERATIONS PENETRATED CORE OF IRAN, LEBANON SECRETS.

THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.

JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39    
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN) will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)

WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The 500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February, the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April. 
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel) are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species: Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors, and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April. 

The 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and November. 
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia. 

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

White House said likely to make counterproposal-Trump reportedly unhappy with Iran’s proposal to reopen Hormuz but shelve nuclear issue-Vance said to express concern war depleting US arms stockpiles; Iran reportedly resorting to ‘junk storage’ for oil amid US blockade on exports, will soon run out of space for crude By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 11:47 am-APR 28,26

US President Donald Trump is unhappy with Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal because it doesn’t address the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, said a US official briefed on Trump’s Monday meeting with advisers.According to unnamed US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, Trump did not reject Iran’s proposal outright during the meeting, but suggested Tehran was negotiating in bad faith and was unable to commit to halting its uranium enrichment and never seeking a nuclear arms.The officials said the White House would likely make a counterproposal in the coming days.White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in response to the reports that the US “will not negotiate through the press” and has “been clear about our red lines,” while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Monday interview that Iran’s proposal was unacceptable.Rubio’s statement came after Axios reported that Iran had proposed an agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while delaying negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program for a later stage.In a separate report, the Wall Street Journal said Iran was seeking to avoid a costly oil production shutdown, and has resorted to delivering barrels of crude by rail or holding them in “junk storage” sites because its oil shipping has cratered since the US imposed a blockade on it on April 13.At least six tankers loaded with Iranian oil have been forced back to Iran by the US blockade in recent days, ship-tracking data showed, underscoring the war’s impact on traffic.Meanwhile, Iran’s oil inventories have grown more than tenfold, from 4.6 million barrels before the war to some 49 million, out of a maximum capacity of 95 million, the Wall Street Journal said, citing the Kpler energy data firm.Analysts cited by the Journal said Iran could run out of space to store crude in less than two weeks.The US imposed its blockade five days into a truce that had been conditioned on Tehran lifting its own blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian blockade effectively choked off the waterway, which normally carries some 20 percent of the world’s energy shipments.Iran’s blockade began soon after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28 in a bid to destabilize Iran’s regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.The war has caused a sharp rise in energy prices worldwide and intensified the rift among Trump’s supporters, many of whom are leery of US intervention abroad.US Vice President JD Vance, an erstwhile critic of American adventurism overseas, has in private expressed concern that the war was depleting US weapons stockpiles as well as skepticism of the rosy picture that the Pentagon has given Trump of the war in Iran, The Atlantic reported Monday, citing unnamed administration officials and advisers to Vance.Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since Trump on Saturday scrapped a visit by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to mediator Pakistan, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shuttled in and out twice during the weekend.Senior Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Araghchi presented a proposal in Islamabad that envisioned talks in stages, with the nuclear issue to be set aside at the start.A first step would require ending the war and providing guarantees that the fighting could not start up again. Then negotiators would resolve the US naval blockade and the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran aims to reopen under its control. Only then would talks look at other issues, including Iran’s uranium enrichment, which Iran demands to continue and the US seeks to end.Though Iran, whose leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, denies seeking nuclear arms, it has enriched uranium to levels with no peaceful application and obstructed international oversight of nuclear facilities. Washington has said nuclear issues must be dealt with from the outset.The path forward for negotiations remains unclear. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled on Monday that Iran was not desperate for talks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Iran was “humiliating” the US in the drama surrounding the talks.

'Sometimes we think it’s safe, then suddenly it’s not'20,000 seafarers stranded in Persian Gulf as Strait of Hormuz stays shut despite ceasefire-Mariners, mostly from India, endure fear and insolation amid missile blasts and food shortages as they remain trapped at sea since the Iran war began two months ago By AP Today, 8:23 am-APR 28,26

For about eight weeks, Indian Capt. Rahul Dhar and his crew have been stranded on their tanker in the Persian Gulf, sometimes watching drones and missiles explode as the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively shut while the Iran war dragged on.The crew’s morale, he said, is holding as they carry on with their routines, but the strain is beginning to show.A shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran on April 7 has brought “a careful sense of hope” for the crew, but there is still no clear end to the war. “Day to day, we try to keep things normal with open conversations and small team activities that help lift everyone’s spirits.”The crew sighted drones and missile interceptions several times, both near the ship and along the horizon during their watches. “Those moments were difficult and created real tension for the crew,” Dhar told The Associated Press.“None of us expected the warlike situation,” he said, noting that reliable internet has helped them stay in touch with families. “Those calls and messages really keep us grounded and give us strength.”Unable to cross-Around 20,000 seafarers on hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Gulf, unable to cross the Strait of Hormuz.Normally about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transits the waterway.Roughly 80 vessels passed through the strait in the week of April 13-19, according to the maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence, compared to approximately 130 or more transits per day before the war.Dozens of ships have come under attack since the war started, and the UN says at least 10 seafarers were killed.Even as US President Donald Trump last week extended the ceasefire indefinitely, the US kept the blockade of Iranian ports. In response, Iran fired on ships in the strait and seized two.“Seafarers are the backbone of global trade, yet we are often the most affected by regional geopolitical conflicts,” said Capt. ArunKumar Rajendran, who also has been stranded with his tanker crew for around eight weeks.Some ‘watched blasts from decks’Manoj Kumar Yadav of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India said thousands of Indian sailors were aboard the stranded vessels, enduring days of fear and isolation as ships lay anchored near Iranian ports such as Bandar Abbas and Khorramshahr. Explosions sometimes occurred just a few hundred meters (yards) away.“They were watching blasts from their decks,” he said, adding that his union has been fielding daily distress calls from crews and their families. “Many of them were on board a ship for the first time, and you can imagine what mental state they have gone through.”India, one of the world’s largest suppliers of maritime labor, has more than 20,000 nationals working on foreign-flagged ships in the region, many of them beyond the reach of coordinated evacuation efforts. India’s shipping ministry said last week that at least 2,680 sailors had been evacuated since the conflict began.Yadav said many sailors reported acute shortages of food and drinking water, with some vessels were forced to ration supplies. Communication with families in India was sporadic due to internet disruptions and signal jamming. When contact was possible, sailors often paid high roaming charges for just a few minutes of conversation, he said.Sailors’ families are growing increasingly anxious, demanding the safe return of their loved ones.Mohamed Arrachedi, the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s network coordinator for the Middle East, said earlier this month it had received hundreds of requests for assistance, including for food, from seafarers.Facing drones and uncertainty-Stranded off Oman for more than a month, Reza Muhammad Saleh, an Indonesian chief officer aboard a Greek-owned cargo ship, said a drone exploded near the port shortly after they arrived March 3. At least two more incidents followed, forcing repeated evacuations of the crew to bunkers, he said. No one was harmed.“The biggest problem is the uncertainty. We don’t know when Hormuz will be open again,” Saleh told the AP.The vessel with 24 crew members from Indonesia, Arab countries, India and Ethiopia typically transports iron ore across Gulf states, transiting Hormuz once or twice a month. It now requires written clearance from Iran. “No company wants to take the risk without it,” he said.Though experienced in conflict zones, the crew has been rattled by missile strikes and GPS disruptions that forced it to use manual navigation, he said.“Sometimes we think it’s safe, then suddenly it’s not. Today we’re safe. Tomorrow, nobody knows,” he said.Fleet Management Limited usually communicates multiple times a day with dozens of stranded ships that are staffed by more than 400 seafarers, its CEO Capt. Rajalingam Subramaniam said.Stock checks are regularly maintained for food supply, and pickups have been arranged to ensure availability by moving vessels to the nearest points where they can pick up fresh and dry provisions, he said.Some crew changes were still happening, but in limited numbers. “Who wants to go on the ship?” Subramaniam said. “The inbound crew has the right to refuse and we respect (that).”Most of the stranded mariners have been in the Gulf since the war began. “(For) mariners who did not sign up to be in warlike area, they also (need) to be respected so that they do not become the unintended collateral,” he said.Among the vessels attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, several were fired upon and others turned back. Vessels managed by Fleet Management did not attempt to cross, Subramaniam said.Germany’s largest shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd, has had around 150 sailors stranded near the strait, on six vessels. “These are difficult days and weeks,” Hapag Lloyd spokesman Nils Haupt told the AP earlier this month. He said Hapag-Lloyd was in contact with the captains and crews at least once a day.“We’ve been able to rotate some of them (crew) in the meantime, but you can easily imagine that after such a long time, monotony naturally sets in on board,” he said.Shortages of global seafarers to worsen-The International Maritime Organization, the UN’s shipping agency, and others have called for a safe corridor for commercial vessels in the strait. Most ships are still unable to pass through, even though Iran had said the strait was open to vessels it perceived as non-hostile and demanded to collect tolls for passage.Iran was said to have placed mines in the waterway, and Trump said last week that the US was clearing Iranian mines and would “shoot and kill” boats laying mines in the area. Under heightened risks of mines and attacks on ships, “there is no safe transit anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.Multiple crises in recent years have left many seafarers stranded at sea. That includes the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea.Subramaniam said he worries that even after the Iran war ends, fewer people will be willing to sign up at a time when there is already a shortage of skilled seafarers.

Iran envoy hits back: US is only country to ever use nukes-Iran among dozens selected for vice presidency posts at UN non-proliferation confab-US envoy tells conference that Tehran’s selection an ‘affront’ to the NPT given that the Islamic Republic has ‘long demonstrated its contempt for non-proliferation commitments’By David Brunnstrom Today, 5:12 am-APR 28,26

REUTERS — The United States and Iran clashed at the United Nations on Monday over Tehran’s nuclear program and the latter’s selection to be one of dozens of vice presidents at a month-long conference to review the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.The 11th conference to review implementation of the NPT, which came into force in 1970, began on Monday at the United Nations in New York. Different groups nominated 34 conference vice presidents, and the conference chair, Vietnam’s UN ambassador Do Hung Viet, said Iran was picked by “the group of non-aligned and other states.”Christopher Yeaw, assistant secretary for the US Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, told the conference that Iran’s selection was an “affront” to the NPT.He said it was “indisputable that Iran has long demonstrated its contempt for the non-proliferation commitments of the NPT,” and had refused to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve questions about its program.He called Iran’s selection “beyond shameful and an embarrassment to the credibility of this conference.”Reza Najafi, who serves as Tehran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, rejected the US statement as “baseless and politically motivated.”“It is indefensible that the United States, as the only state ever to have used nuclear weapons, and the one that continues to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal… seeks to position itself as an arbitrator of compliance,” he told the meeting.The nuclear issue has been at the heart of the two-month war between Iran and the United States and Israel, with US President Donald Trump reiterating on Sunday that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.Iran has long demanded Washington acknowledge its right to enrich uranium, which Tehran says it only seeks for peaceful purposes, but which Western powers say could be used to make nuclear weapons.Iran has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons. But the IAEA and the US intelligence community separately assessed that Tehran had a nuclear weapons development program that it shuttered in 2003.On Monday, Iranian sources disclosed Tehran’s latest proposal to end the conflict, which would set aside discussion of Tehran’s nuclear program until the war is ended and disputes over shipping from the Gulf are resolved.Trump and his top national security aides met to discuss the conflict on Monday and White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters “the president’s red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well.”

White House: Trump has discussed new Iran proposal with aides-Rubio rejects new Iranian proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz, with future of talks in limbo-Iran’s plan is ‘We’ll blow you up and you pay us,’ says top US diplomat; tanker traffic muted in strait, which Iran says it controls; Germany’s Merz: Iran ‘humiliating’ US in talks By Agencies, ToI Staff and Jacob Magid-27 April 2026, 8:36 pm

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that a reported recent offer from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under strict conditions is not acceptable to the United States or other countries.Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Rubio said Iran has a different view of the strategic waterway than most of the rest of the world does: “What they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open, as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we’ll blow you up, and you pay us.”“That’s not opening the straits,” the top US diplomat said. “Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use them.”Rubio’s statement came after Axios reported that Iran had proposed an agreement on reopening the strait and ending the war, while delaying negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program for a later stage.Later Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump had discussed a new proposal from Iran with top national security aides, while also indicating that Washington was not fully satisfied with what Tehran was offering.“I wouldn’t say they were considering it,” Leavitt adds, regarding an Iranian suggestion to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for ending the US blockade. “I would say there’s a discussion.”Separately, Iran insisted it was still in control of the strait, a key pathway for the global oil supply.Negotiations between the sides were meant to take place in Pakistan last week, during an ongoing ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran, but the talks did not come together. According to Axios, Iran’s attempt to kickstart negotiations again by solving the issues centered on the Strait of Hormuz was conveyed to the US by Pakistani mediators.US President Donald Trump was expected to discuss the Iranian proposal and other issues held up in the stalled negotiations during a Situation Room meeting with national security and foreign policy teams on Monday, the report added.The path forward for negotiations remains unclear. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled on Monday that Iran was not desperate for talks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Iran was “humiliating” the US in the drama surrounding the talks.Araghchi says Trump pushing for talks, Iran ‘stable’Hopes of reviving peace efforts have receded since Saturday, when Trump scrapped a visit by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.Araghchi traveled to Russia on Monday. In Saint Petersburg, he said that Tehran is looking into Trump’s request for negotiations, according to a post on his Telegram account.He told reporters that Trump requested negotiations because the US has not achieved any of its objectives in the war, and said that the Islamic Republic is “stable, solid” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian state TV.Due to the war with the United States and Israel, “the world has now realized Iran’s true power,” he claimed, and “it has become clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a stable, solid, and powerful system.”“For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests and the interests of all the peoples of the region to ensure that peace is achieved as quickly as possible,” Putin told Araghchi, according to Russian state media.“Last week, I received a message from Iran’s supreme leader. I would like to ask you to convey my most sincere thanks for this and to confirm that Russia, like Iran, intends to continue our strategic relationship,” Putin added in a reference to Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard publicly since being appointed last month.Germany’s Merz says Iran ‘humiliating’ US in talks-Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Iran’s leadership was humiliating the US during the negotiations by getting American officials to travel to Pakistan and then leave without results, in an unusually abrupt rebuke over the conflict.Merz also said he did not see what exit strategy the US was pursuing in the Iran war, comments that underlined deep divisions between Washington and its European NATO allies, which had already been festering over the Ukraine war and other issues.“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he said during a talk to students in the town of Marsberg.“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible,” he added at the venue in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.Trump has harshly criticized NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.Merz said it was evident the Strait of Hormuz had been at least partially mined. “We have offered, also as Europeans, to send German minesweepers to clear the strait, which has obviously been mined in part,” he said.He said the conflict was costing Germany “a lot of money, a lot of taxpayers’ money and a lot of economic strength.”Merz reiterated that Germans and Europeans were not consulted before the US and Israel started attacking Iran in late February, and that he had conveyed his skepticism directly to Trump afterwards.“If I had known that it would continue like this for five or six weeks and get progressively worse, I would have told him even more emphatically,” Merz said, comparing the conflict to previous US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Iran’s military insists it is still in control of Hormuz-Maritime traffic in the strait remained muted Monday, as Iran’s military asserted that it still controls the waterway, and would remain in control under a new law proposed in Tehran’s parliament.Despite the ongoing US blockade, top Iranian security official Ebrahim Azizi asserted Monday that the country’s armed forces are in control of the strait and are seeking to prohibit the passage of “hostile vessels.”Azizi, the head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, said that a new law awaiting approval in parliament would ensure that the military remains the authority responsible for the key waterway after the war ends.He also said that the proposed law states that financial gains from the strait would be paid in the local rial currency. Azizi did not offer more details on the proposed law or when it is expected to be voted on in parliament.Meanwhile, shipping data on Monday showed that only some seven ships crossed the strait over the previous day.The ships, mainly dry bulk vessels, included several leaving from Iraqi ports and one from an Iranian port, according to ship tracking data from Kpler and separate satellite analysis from data analytics specialists SynMax.Shipping traffic passing through the crucial ‌waterway represents a fraction of the average 140 daily passages before the Iran war began on February 28. US Central Command has redirected 37 vessels since a US blockade of Iranian ports was imposed, the military said on Saturday.Six Iranian tankers returned to Iranian ports and sailed back through Hormuz in recent days with some 10.5 million barrels of oil, according to satellite analysis from TankerTrackers.com. Around four million barrels of Iranian oil onboard tankers sailed through the US blockade on Friday, according to separate satellite analysis from the tracking site.Oil prices stay high-Amid the stalled talks, oil prices again rose on Monday, with international oil benchmarks up around two percent, to a two-week high, and staying above $100 a barrel, though European stock markets advanced.“It may be that hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough were pretty faint to start with, and markets are now in wait-and-see territory ahead of a heavy week of earnings and economic touchpoints,” said Derren Nathan, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown.As European governments and financial markets look to get a handle on the energy crisis, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that he will host representatives from the Bank of England on Tuesday at a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee focused on the impact of the war in Iran.“Tomorrow, I’m chairing a meeting of Cobra on the impact [of the war], bringing in people from the Bank of England, so that you can be sure we will stand by working people in this crisis,” Starmer said in a speech to trade union members.“I have to level with you about Iran, because the truth is, the economic consequences could still be with us for some time,” he added, citing fuel as one example of where prices have risen already.

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH) (DO NOT EVER LISTEN TO ANYBODY THAT SAYS THE WORLD IS ENDING.ITS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN-4 BILLION WILL BE LEFT ON EARTH TO GO INTO JESUS" 1000 YEAR RULE)(THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD TO ANY ONE, DOES IT-NOT ME.THE EARTH IS JUST RENOVATED.NEVER ENDED.

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

WORLD TERRORISM

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.(CAN YOU SAY TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH WITH.

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)

ISAIAH 14:12-14
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)

JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

Joel 3:2-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF -  HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

THIS JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH THESE DEMON LIBERAL DEMOCRAPS HATE ISRAEL.

Wendy Sherman: Israeli PM destabilized the Middle East-Biden’s deputy secretary of state: Netanyahu helped ‘create a genocide in Gaza’Veteran Jewish diplomat Wendy Sherman says US also responsible for what unfolded in the Strip, then clarifies that she can’t make legal analysis whether genocide ‘literally’ occurred By Jacob Magid Today, 6:23 am-APR 28,26

Wendy Sherman, who served as deputy secretary of state for much of former US president Joe Biden’s administration, has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible for the perpetration of a genocide in Gaza.Speaking to Bloomberg’s “The Mishal Husain Show” last week, Sherman said, “I think that it is critical that Israel remain an ally of the United States, and that we protect the right of a Jewish state.”“But I also believe that the prime minister has led us down a road — and we have been part of it that has, in essence — created a genocide in Gaza that has destabilized the Middle East,” Sherman added.Sherman appeared to walk back the allegation when pushed.“I can’t make the legal analysis about whether it is literally a genocide. But there is no doubt that Gaza was demolished.”“Palestinians deserve a home, dignity and peace. Israel absolutely deserves security and peace. I’m a strong supporter of Israel and the right of a Jewish state, but I am not a supporter of destroying any civilization, or any people. That goes for the Palestinians or the Iranian people, as much as I might find the regime odious,” said the former deputy secretary of state, who helped negotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during Barack Obama’s presidency.Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State under Joe Biden, Wendy Sherman:I believe that Netanyahu has led us down a road, and we have been part of it.That has, in essence, created a genocide in Gaza, that has destabilized the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/GSeOTwXGwV— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 27, 2026-Israel insists that it fights in accordance with international law, and has rejected allegations of genocide or other war crimes in its campaign against Hamas. It has noted evacuation warnings sent in advance of airstrikes; efforts, throughout most of the war, to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid; and Hamas’s systematic use of human shields.While most Biden officials have expressed significant frustration with Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, they have refrained from lodging accusations of genocide.The remarks by Sherman pointed to an ongoing shift within the Democratic Party, where such rhetoric of Israel is becoming increasingly mainstream.Sherman, who is Jewish, retired from the State Department in the summer of 2023, several months before Hamas’s October 7 onslaught that sparked the Gaza war.Asked in the Bloomberg interview whether the US could have done more to restrain Israel, Sherman said presidents from both parties “have not dealt with the Middle East in a way that’s helped create stability and peace.”“Obviously, the Iraq war was a disaster. Then, Obama tried to deal with Iran — that was undone by Trump. Could the Biden administration have done more? I’m sure we could have. Every administration, in hindsight, could have done more,” she said.“The politics in our country have been very tied up with our relationship with Israel, in many ways. It’s a tough call and something we all have to unpack.”Biden’s vice president Kamala Harris came similarly close to definitively accusing Israel of genocide last year.She was asked during an October interview whether she would use the term to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza — a question that has increasingly become a litmus test in Democratic circles.“Listen, it is a term of law that a court will decide,” Harris responded. “But I will tell you that when you look at the number of children that have been killed, the number of innocent civilians that have been killed, the refusal to give aid and support, we should all step back and ask this question and be honest about it.”Several US lawmakers, including Vermont’s Jewish Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent progressive, and former far-right Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have described Israel’s conduct in Gaza over the past two years in Gaza as a genocide, but the allegation has not gotten mainstream support in Congress.

Sa'ar accused of hypocrisy after panning Sybiha for X diplomacy-Kyiv summons Israeli envoy, EU warns of sanctions after 2nd ‘stolen’ grain ship incident-Ukraine says it ‘reserves right to deploy full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses’ if if Israel does not reject latest cargo from Russian-occupied lands-By Reuters and Nava Freiberg Today, 4:46 am-APR 28,26

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Israel’s ambassador had been summoned to his ministry over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Sybiha that Ukraine had provided no evidence to support allegations that the grain was “stolen.” He accused him of conducting diplomacy through the media.The Haaretz daily reported earlier that the vessel Panormitis, which it said was carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territory, was waiting for permission to berth in Haifa.The newspaper said four shipments of grain from occupied Ukraine had already been unloaded in Israel this year.A European Union spokesperson later told The Times of Israel that Brussels has “taken note” of reports on the Russian vessels and warned that those involved could face EU sanctions.“We condemn all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions, and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary,” the EU spokesperson told The Times of Israel in a statement.“In a joint démarche with Ukraine, we are requesting additional information from the Israeli authorities on this subject,” the spokesperson added.Sybiha, writing in English on the X social media platform, said it was “difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response to Ukraine’s legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa.”“Now that another such vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” he wrote.Israel’s ambassador, Sybiha said, had been asked to appear at the foreign ministry on Tuesday so that Kyiv could “present our protest note and request appropriate action.”In his response, also on X, Sa’ar said the issue would be examined, but that allegations were not evidence and no evidence had been provided.“You did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks,” Sa’ar said.A second Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain is approaching Haifa, Israel.Israel previously accepted grain cargo from another Russian ship despite prior warnings about its origin. Ukraine formally requested the vessel’s arrest as soon as it entered port, but Israeli… https://t.co/1BTl7RuyNs pic.twitter.com/hHUzLMgkPe — Special Kherson Cat ???????????? (@bayraktar_1love) April 26, 2026-Diplomatic relations “are not conducted on Twitter or in the media,” he added.Sa’ar quickly faced allegations of hypocrisy, as he regularly hits out at Israel’s critics using his social media accounts.Later, a community note was added to Sa’ar’s post on X responding to his Ukrainian counterpart.“Ukraine provided evidence and formal requests for legal assistance to Israel regarding previous shipments of alleged stolen grain since March, including ambassadorial meetings and a judicial cooperation request, despite claims to the contrary,” the note said.A Ukrainian diplomatic source, speaking earlier on condition of anonymity, said that if Israel did not reject the latest cargo, Kyiv would “reserve the right to deploy a full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses.”The source said Kyiv was tracking the latest vessel and Israel had “essentially shrugged off” Kyiv’s previous demands.Earlier this month, Israel reportedly allowed a Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain to dock at a Haifa port, claiming it was too late to turn the ship around.Sa’ar, at the time, sent a message to his Ukrainian counterpart claiming that the vessel could not be detained due to the late notice, even though Israel had reportedly been aware of it two weeks before it arrived.Senior Ukrainian officials had been demanding the confiscation of the wheat cargo.Ties between Israel and Ukraine have been delicate since the Russian invasion began in 2022.Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to maintain a neutral stance between Moscow and Kyiv, even though Russia has been providing critical intelligence to Iran in the US-Israel war against Iran.Ukraine has sought to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, but Netanyahu ruled that out to avoid antagonizing Russia.Israeli officials routinely defended this stance when Russia controlled the skies over Syria before the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in 2024. Since then, some Israeli officials have been willing to break more publicly with Moscow, but Netanyahu has avoided doing so.

Targeting of synagogue, Judaica shop window ratchet up Toronto Jews’ concerns-Unlike other recent attacks on Toronto synagogues and Jewish businesses, which were carried out late at night, these two weekend incidents took place in broad daylight By Joseph Strauss Today, 2:44 am-APR 28,26

TORONTO (JTA) — A pair of incidents took place outside of Jewish sites in the Toronto area over the weekend, adding to a series of attacks that have left the city’s Jewish community unnerved.During Shabbat services on Saturday, a man tried to force his way into the Sephardic Kehilah Centre in the suburb of Vaughan. After the man was turned away by security, he reportedly encountered a father and son on their way to the synagogue and punched the father in the face. The father was left with no serious injuries.The following day, photos circulated after a rock was hurled and broke the window of Aleph Bet Judaica, a shop on the heavily Jewish Bathurst Street corridor. Police did not confirm which business was hit, but confirmed that a rock was thrown at a business near Bathurst Street and Regina Avenue, and that the Hate Crime Unit “was consulted and is aware.”No suspects have been identified in either incident.Unlike other recent attacks on Toronto synagogues and Jewish businesses, which were carried out late at night, these two incidents took place in broad daylight, both around 9:30 a.m.The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto wrote in a statement that the Sephardic Kehilah Centre incident, which is being investigated by the police’s Hate Crime Unit, reflected “a continued pattern of antisemitic violence targeting our community.”???????? Vaughan, Ontario, April 26, 2026: A male suspect attempted to force his way into the Sephardic Kehila Centre synagogue on Bathurst Street and assaulted a victim before fleeing the scene.Source: @YRP pic.twitter.com/tLsbP5Dgzl— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) April 26, 2026-In March, three synagogues across the Toronto area were hit with gunfire. In the last couple of months, a restaurant owned by a Jewish pro-Israel advocate was shot at twice, at two of its locations. And in 2024, a Jewish girls’ elementary school was hit by gunfire on three separate occasions.“As these incidents become more normalized, they erode public safety and our way of life as Canadians,” the UJA’s statement read. “This cannot be tolerated.”The Canadian Jewish News reported that the suspect was turned away by synagogue security on Saturday for “suspicious behavior,” according to an email from the rabbi, and told security that he was Middle Eastern and not there for prayer services. After the man left the building, according to the email, he threw away torn pieces of paper that looked to contain verses of Psalms.B’nai Brith Canada blasted “people in positions of authority” who it says have “responded with hesitation, weak enforcement, and political platitudes while Jewish communities continue to pay the price.” It also thanked Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca, who wrote that “we must be vigilant and do everything possible to support and protect our Jewish residents.”The group called for the federal government to take eight specific actions to combat antisemitism, including establishing a national antisemitism task force, providing emergency funding for the protection of Jewish institutions, and prosecuting the repeated gunfire attacks as acts of domestic terrorism.On Monday, B’nai Brith also released its annual audit of antisemitic incidents, which found that there were 18.6 antisemitic incidents reported per day across Canada in 2025, a 9% increase from 2024.

Inside story-As Hamas prepares to choose 1st leader since Sinwar, postwar Gaza’s fate hangs in the balance-Two leading contenders would pull terror group in different directions: prioritizing fighting to keep a grip on the Strip or conceding the battlefield in exchange for survival By Nurit Yohanan-27 April 2026, 4:25 pm

Battered but still breathing, Hamas is set to hold a long-delayed internal election to choose a new chief and political bureau in the coming weeks.The vote, coming after a years-long military campaign aimed at dismantling the terror group’s rule over the Gaza Strip, will likely offer an indication of Hamas’s future direction while broadcasting its continued existence as an organized entity and its ability to project power.Coming amid slow-moving negotiations aimed at disarming the group and installing a transitional leadership in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal, the vote will serve to telegraph whether Hamas plans on continuing to fight Israel over Gaza or whether it will shift to a less aggressive stance aimed at buying the time needed to rehabilitate its strength in the Strip and beyond, according to expert Michael Milshtein.“These elections are about which arena will lead Hamas,” said Milshtein, who heads the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center.Hamas generally holds leadership elections every four years, but the latest vote, initially scheduled for 2025, was delayed by the war sparked by the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre. During the war, Israel assassinated most of the group’s senior political and military commanders.According to reports in Arab media, the vote is now expected to take place in the coming weeks, roughly a year behind schedule, though the exact timing remains unclear.Fighting in Gaza broke out following the October 7 onslaught into southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were kidnapped, most of them civilians. Israel vowed in the wake of the worst massacre in its history to wipe out the group, launching a war that left much of Gaza in ruins and killed much of Hamas’s command structure.However, many vestiges of Hamas rule and military strength remain intact since the October 2025 ceasefire took effect, particularly in the approximately 47 percent of Gaza outside of Israeli military control, where nearly all of the enclave’s Palestinians live.Based largely outside of Gaza, Hamas’s politburo manages the group’s strategic priorities, including on the diplomatic front, and also directs the Hamas military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which primarily operates in Gaza and the West Bank. According to Milshtein, a hierarchy remains intact whereby strategic decisions are made by the leadership abroad, while the military wing carries them out.The elections have historically been conducted in secrecy, with only a few hundred to a few thousand senior members quietly casting ballots and Hamas keeping results under wraps to shield its operatives from exposure to Israeli assassination attempts. In 2021, however, the group’s confidence in its firm entrenchment in Gaza, with even Israel recognizing its de facto rule over the Strip, led the group to hold the vote in the open and officially announce who had won roles in the political bureau.This time, Milshtein assessed, the process will likely be more limited and far more covert, given the heavy blows Hamas has sustained across multiple fronts.“In 2021, Hamas held elections among some 20,000 people in Gaza — almost public elections. You can’t do that in Gaza in 2026,” he said, citing the devastation in the Strip and the extensive targeting of Hamas operatives. The only place where he believes organized voting can realistically take place is abroad.Voting in other areas will also be challenging, at least in part due to Israeli actions against Hamas leadership since the October 7 attack.“The entire Hamas leadership in the West Bank has been arrested and imprisoned since October 7, and the leadership structure inside prisons itself has been dismantled,” Milshtein said, referring to steps taken by the Israel Prison Service that ended the previous system of internal organization and autonomy for Palestinian security prisoners, including Hamas.Despite these constraints, Milshtein stressed that coordination between Hamas leadership abroad and its military wing inside Gaza remains strong — and is expected to continue even after the selection of a new leader, who will likely remain outside the Strip for the foreseeable future.“The ability of those outside Gaza to control what happens inside remains very high,” he said. “In Israel people often say there’s a disconnect, that they’re not communicating – that’s nonsense. There is ongoing consultation with those inside Gaza — Mohammed Oudeh, Ali Amoudi, Izz al-Din Haddad — but the hierarchy is clear: the strategic decisions are made outside the Strip, and they implement them.”Party of five-Hamas has not had an elected leader since July 2024, when a bomb planted by Israel in Tehran killed Ismail Haniyeh, who was elected to a second term as terror chief in 2021. Following the assassination, Hamas announced that Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, would take over as leader, without holding internal elections.Sinwar, a former al-Qassam chief who is credited as the mastermind of the October 7 assault, assumed the role while in hiding from Israeli airstrikes on the Strip, and his tenure lasted just three months before he was killed in the Rafah area.Since his death, Hamas has not formally named a successor or interim leader. However, various reports indicate that the group has since been led by a quintet of senior officials based outside Gaza, primarily in Qatar and Turkey.The crew is reportedly made up of Khalil al-Hayya, Sinwar’s deputy and the group’s chief negotiator; Khaled Mashaal, who heads Hamas’s external leadership and had headed the group before Haniyeh; Mohammad Darwish, head of the advisory Shura Council; Zaher Jabarin; and Nizar Awadallah. Most had been in Gaza but left the Strip shortly before the October 7, 2023, attack.These officials have been seen over the past two years in numerous meetings with representatives from Qatar and Turkey, and in Cairo during ceasefire negotiations over Gaza.Hamas’s accession to the Trump ceasefire deal has underscored its ability to make strategic decisions even without a single leader at the helm, a feature built into Hamas’s structure. Though organized hierarchically, Hamas also maintains the ability to operate in a decentralized way, with factions in the West Bank, Gaza, Israeli prisons and abroad able to act independently of each other.Even after many senior figures in Gaza were killed, the external leadership was able to fill the vacuum, continue decision-making, and maintain contact with those still inside the Strip.Hamas also operates under the principle of “shura,” or consultation, requiring decisions to be made collectively rather than by a single individual.Still, Milshtein noted that the five-headed leadership represents an unusual moment in Hamas’s history, with the group likely seeking a return to a single figure at the top guiding its direction.The identity of that person, and where he hails from, will likely be a major factor in shaping the organization’s trajectory in the coming years, particularly regarding the centrality of Gaza in its priorities.Gaza or survival-The upcoming elections amount to “a battle for the survival of the concept that has dominated Hamas over the past 20 years  — since the group seized control of the Gaza Strip by force — according to which Gaza is Hamas’s crown jewel,” Milshtein said.Prioritizing the Strip as its main area of investment, Hamas built up its military wing in Gaza and entrenched its civilian rule there. The October 7 attack put Hamas’s consolidation of its power there to the test, risking its rule over the enclave, the lives of millions of Palestinians, tens of thousands of whom were ultimately killed, and the enclave’s entire future.Gaza’s place in the group’s priorities is now particularly critical as Hamas engages in efforts to negotiate the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, which could strip it of civilian control over the enclave.While the first phase of the ceasefire required little more than halting hostilities, Hamas is now facing more immediate and consequential decisions about its future in Gaza — including how much power it will retain, whether it will relinquish its weapons, and whether it will maintain a long-term ceasefire with Israel.Hamas has not publicly named the leading candidates in the upcoming elections, but the two figures most frequently mentioned in recent months — Al-Hayya and Mashaal — represent sharply divergent visions regarding Gaza’s importance in Hamas’s broader agenda, and whether the Strip should remain the central arena or give way to building the organization’s strength on other fronts against Israel.Al-Hayya is closely tied to the Gaza Strip. Born and raised there, he spent his entire life in the territory until the October 7 massacre. Just days before the attack, he left the Strip along with other senior figures in Hamas’s Gaza-based political bureau and relocated to Qatar, where he has remained since.Despite his current residence, Milshtein said, “he is not from abroad — he is a Gazan in every sense,” in terms of his priorities and the emphasis he places on investment in the Strip.For al-Hayya, Milshtein explained, “it is far more important to continue developing the issue of control in Gaza and the matter of [military] rebuilding.”That preference is also reflected in his role. Until Sinwar’s killing, al-Hayya served as his deputy — effectively making him deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza. After Sinwar’s death, Hamas referred to al-Hayya as the group’s leader in Gaza, even though al-Hayya is not in Gaza and no formal internal elections were held for the position.Shielded from Israel by a reported US guarantee protecting his safety, al-Hayya has become one of Hamas’s more recognizable public faces, appearing before cameras to deliver key speeches on behalf of the organization at major moments.He also led negotiations for a ceasefire, building something of a rapport with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, reflecting his senior standing and international cachet.Despite agreeing to a deal that ostensibly includes Hamas’s ouster from Gaza and disarmament, he has also broadcast stances that place the group’s control of Gaza as a central priority and one worth continuing to fight Israel over.Mashaal, on the other hand, has pursued a different strategy, one that sees Hamas surviving by maintaining quiet in Gaza and improving relations with the Palestinian Authority, according to Milshtein.“For Gaza, it is far more important to continue developing governance and the struggle [against Israel],” he said. “But Mashaal, in his discourse, talks about reconciliation with Fatah and about [Palestinian-wide] elections.”Unlike al-Hayya, Mashaal was born in the West Bank and spent most of his life abroad. Since 2011, he has been based in Qatar.During his tenure as Hamas leader between 2011 and 2017, Mashaal promoted reconciliation efforts with Fatah, and he has continued to call for such reconciliation since leaving the post.That message has persisted during the war in Gaza. In June 2024, speaking at a conference in Beirut, Mashaal said that reorganizing “the Palestinian house” — referring to reconciliation between the rival Palestinian factions — had become essential.“We cannot wait until the end of the [military] campaign; we must address it in the midst of the campaign,” he said.Milshtein framed the divide as “a battle over emphasis,” and stressed that Mashaal’s position should not be seen as “moderate,” noting that it does not reflect a fundamental ideological departure from Hamas’s broader stance of continued confrontation with Israel.“It is pragmatic,” he said. “What matters to him is preserving Hamas, and that is currently more important than when the next round with Israel [in Gaza] takes place.”According to Milshtein, this approach could entail a willingness to curb Hamas’s power, including by pursuing a compromise with Fatah, committing to long-term calm, or relinquishing some degree of control of Gaza, in exchange for ensuring the organization’s survival.The Iran factor-Hovering over the vote will likely be Iran, which has provided Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars annually, weapons expertise and military training, and which may be seeking to torpedo a Mashaal leadership bid.Ties between Tehran and Hamas ramped up following Mashaal’s ouster in 2017, largely cultivated by Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, who relied on Iranian support in planning and executing the October 7 assault.Al-Hayya, Sinwar’s deputy, is seen as continuing that line within Hamas and maintaining ties with Tehran.Mashaal fell out with Iran as early as 2011, when he and other Hamas leaders based in Damascus were expelled after criticizing the Assad regime, a key Iranian ally.Correspondence between Hamas and Iran uncovered by the IDF during the Gaza war suggests that years later, relations between Mashaal and Tehran remained strained, with Iranian officials seeking to sideline him from decision-making within Hamas.In one such letter, Mahmoud Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine branch in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, wrote to Sinwar in 2021 that Mashaal’s “misguided policy bears responsibility for many of the failures and problems that have emerged in the axis of resistance, because he did not fulfill his role and did not make use of his leadership and influential position.”In the same letter, Izadi made clear that Iran opposed placing a Hamas military force established with its support in Lebanon under Mashaal’s command, despite his formal role as head of Hamas’s external wing.The issue also surfaced within Hamas itself. According to documents reportedly seized during the Gaza war, Sinwar wrote to Haniyeh on March 6, 2023, recommending that Mashaal not be included in a Hamas delegation to Iran and stressing the need to assure Tehran that its financial support would not be directed to Hamas’s external branch, led by Mashaal.Milshtein said the trove of material captured during the war “illustrates just how much the Iranians resented Mashaal — how much they disliked him,” Milshtein said.Should the more Gulf-centered Mashaal emerge as Hamas leader, ties between the group and Tehran may be strained once again. However, Milshtein noted that what Iran thinks likely matters less at this point, with its ability to exert influence weakened by strains on its resources due to weeks of US and Israeli attacks.Iran viewed Mashaal as someone seeking to curb its influence over Hamas and favor ties with Gulf states such as Qatar instead, meaning his election could significantly strain relations between Tehran and Hamas.“Its standing has declined” within Hamas regardless, he said.In the absence of strong Iranian backing, Hamas is expected to continue relying on the countries hosting its leadership — chiefly Turkey and Qatar. On this front, Milshtein said there is little meaningful difference between the candidates, with both Mashaal and al-Hayya currently based in Qatar and maintaining stable ties with Doha.There is also the possibility that neither candidate will be chosen and that Hamas will opt instead for a compromise figure — a relatively low-profile individual without a clear ideological stance on the movement’s future, such as Shura Council leader Mohammad Darwish or Mohammad Nasr, a relatively obscure senior figure who has been part of the team negotiating in Egypt over the Gaza ceasefire.

Again pleads for more troops amid growing burden of missions-IDF chief slams ‘unethical’ conduct by soldiers; cites smashing of Jesus statue, inciteful insignia-Zamir says discipline eroded in recent wars, warns ‘IDF must not compromise our values’; also raises alleged looting, social media misdeeds; promises ‘no exclusion of women’By Emanuel Fabian-27 April 2026, 11:16 pm

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told senior officers on Monday that the military has seen discipline erode in Israel’s multi-front war over recent years, listing a number of incidents in which Israeli soldiers have behaved in ways that he described as “rebellion” against the army’s values.Among other issues, he denounced reports of looting, the destruction of a statue of Jesus in Lebanon that prompted international outcry, and the trend of soldiers wearing unauthorized badges and patches bearing religious, messianic, political and inciteful messages.“The unethical incidents we have seen are the product of a long and complex period, but that does not justify them. We must not compromise on our values. The erosion of norms could be no less dangerous than operational threats,” he said, while speaking at a conference of the IDF’s senior command staff.During the conference, Zamir displayed a picture of a soldier wearing a patch that read “Stop the hatred. It is time for violence,” and asked the participants, “Is this the army you want? If there is even one person who thinks this reflects IDF values, stand up now.”“This is not a minor incident. This is a rebellion against IDF values,” he said.Zamir said that the “phenomenon of looting, if it exists, is disgraceful and could stain the entire IDF,” after Haaretz reported last week that there has been widespread looting by Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, where many residents have fled the fighting.“If such incidents occurred, we will investigate them,” he said, adding that “I am not willing for us to become an army of looters.”The IDF recently punished soldiers who took part in the smashing of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon, and said it was investigating a video of soldiers damaging solar panels. During his address, Zamir showed a widely circulated picture of the crucifix being smashed.The statue incident caused international outrage, and the IDF dismissed from combat service the soldier who destroyed the figure, as well as the serviceman who filmed him, also jailing both of them. The military replaced the damaged statue in the Christian village of Debel with a new one.Zamir also said that soldiers, both in the standing army and reserves, “must not use social media as a tool to spread controversial messages or for self-promotion.”“This is a red line that must not be crossed, and those who do so will be dealt with disciplinarily,” he said. Soldiers are rarely punished for posting content online, though videos posted by IDF soldiers have at times circulated widely and led to efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to prosecute them abroad.In a press release issued by the IDF on Zamir’s speech, there was no mention of any remarks from the chief of staff regarding the military’s failure to tackle spiraling Jewish terrorism in the West Bank. Zamir last month issued a sharp condemnation of settler violence, calling attacks against Palestinian civilians and soldiers in the West Bank “morally and ethically unacceptable” and a major strategic impediment.Zamir also addressed the status of women in the IDF in light of renewed criticism of alleged religious coercion in the armed forces. This month, female soldiers were court-martialed for wearing purportedly revealing clothes to a base when they arrived to be discharged, sparking criticism.Zamir said women are “an inseparable part of the IDF and its operational strength.”“There will be no exclusion of women in the IDF,” he stressed. He also referred to concerns that women will face additional restrictions in the military, as it seeks to increase draft numbers among the ultra-Orthodox, who adhere to strict rules of gender separation.“We will continue to enable service for diverse populations, without harming others or at their expense. We will do this while preserving the identity and values of the IDF,” Zamir said.Still, Zamir said he backed the officer, Col. Mazzie Swissa, who court-martialed the female soldiers for their clothing.‘I back you. I know you’ve taken hits in recent days, but I tell all of you, enforce the law and the orders in the army. We need to clear ourselves of background noise and do the right thing,” he said.Zamir said Swissa “did not act out of religious coercion, and she is not the modesty police.”“Soldiers who do not comply with orders, their commander is authorized to discipline them,” he added.Zamir: IDF ready for ‘a return to intense fighting in all sectors’On operational matters, Zamir said that the IDF will likely remain fighting on multiple fronts throughout 2026, an assessment he has also made previously. The IDF has fought on several fronts since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza. Ceasefires are currently in effect in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, though the latter two are considered fragile.“Since October 7, the IDF has been engaged in combat, in an ongoing multi-front campaign. We continue to be prepared and on alert for a return to intense fighting in all sectors. 2026 may continue to be a year of combat on each of the fronts,” he said.He also said that the IDF urgently needs more troops: “In light of the growing burden of missions on the IDF in the coming years, the urgent need facing the State of Israel is to increase the number of those serving and fighting, and we will insist on this.”A bill under consideration in the Knesset would preserve blanket exemptions from conscription for most Haredi men. While its supporters say it will draw more Haredim to the IDF, the bill has drawn criticism for not significantly increasing draft numbers and for preserving a disparity in who is obligated to enlist in the army.

Suspect ordered to remain jailed pending additional hearings-Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump for correspondents’ dinner shooting-Authorities say Cole Thomas Allen reserved room weeks in advance at hotel where event would be held; 31-year-old faces up to life in jail if convicted of assassination count alone By Eric Tucker, Michael Kunzelman and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Today, 2:26 am-APR 28,26

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump as federal authorities suggested an attack that disrupted one of Washington’s glitziest events had been planned for at least several weeks.Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court to face federal charges after the chaotic encounter Saturday that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was ordered to remain jailed pending additional court hearings, and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.An FBI affidavit filed in the case revealed additional details about the planning behind the assault, with authorities alleging that Allen, on April 6, reserved a room for himself at the Washington hotel where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California last week, checking himself into the Washington Hilton one day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend. With him, authorities said, were a 12-gauge pump action shotgun he bought last year and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol he purchased in 2023.The event had barely begun when officials say the 31-year-old Torrance, California, man tried to race past a security barricade near the cavernous ballroom holding hundreds of journalists and their guests, prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents tasked with safeguarding the event.“Violence has no place in civic life,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference, It cannot and will not be used to disrupt democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States.”He added: “We are investigating this matter fully, we will apply the law fairly and we will ensure accountability is swift and certain.Allen was injured during the attack but was not shot. A Secret Service officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived, officials say.Questions remain about how many shots Allen fired and how many officers discharged their weapons.Blanche said investigators believe that a Secret Service agent fired five shots and that Allen discharged his shotgun at least once. But Blanche didn’t say whether authorities have confirmed it was Allen’s bullet that struck the agent in the vest, or whether any other officers used their weapons. Blanche said ballistics experts are still examining evidence to provide more clarity on those questions.The Justice Department charged Allen with two additional firearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence, but the affidavit does not allege that Allen was responsible for shooting the agent.Suspect’s email sheds light on motive-The shooting resulted in the cancellation of the dinner, the first Trump had attended as president.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the night was supposed to be one of joy but instead was “hijacked by a crazed anti-Trump individual who traveled across the country to assassinate the president and as many administration officials as possible.”Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)Allen invoked his constitutional right to remain silent after his arrest, but authorities say an email he sent to family members and a former employer helps shed light on a motive.In the message, a copy of which was included in the affidavit, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions. The rambling text moves between confession, grievance and farewell, with Allen apologizing to family members, co-workers and even strangers he feared could be caught in the violence, while at the same time seeking to explain the attack.A magistrate judge granted a prosecutor’s request to keep Allen locked up pending additional hearings, including a detention hearing set for Thursday.Allen did not speak at length during the quick appearance, as is customary, though one of his lawyers, Tezira Abe, noted that he has no criminal record.Members of law enforcement control shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ADDITION: Adds name of shooting suspect after name shared by law enforcement officials“He also is presumed innocent at this time,” she said.Records reveal that Allen is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer. A social media profile for a man with the same name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.Voter registration records from California lists Allen’s home address as his parent’s house on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods in Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metro area. No one answered the door Sunday when an Associated Press reporter knocked. By the afternoon, several people who appeared to be law enforcement agents were canvassing the neighborhood, with one wearing an FBI sweatshirt.A yard sign displayed at the family home supported a local candidate for judge who was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Federal campaign finance records show Cole Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024 and listed his employer as C2 Education, which said in a statement Monday that it was shocked to learn of the shooting and was cooperating with law enforcement.Allen is registered to vote without a party affiliation in California and voted in the last three general elections, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.He earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, according to his profile on the social networking site LinkedIn. The small university is academically prestigious with a very low acceptance rate. He also listed his involvement there in a campus group that battled with Nerf guns and a Christian student fellowship.Allen’s profile photo on LinkedIn shows him wearing a cap and gown when graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills. The photo appears to have been taken May 2025.

Northern officials, residents slam Lebanon truce: ‘Stop using our kids as sitting ducks’Council head says decision-makers should move north with their families to see the reality; security cabinet member Regev concedes situation is more of a ‘porous ceasefire’By ToI Staff Today, 2:52 pm-APR 28,26

Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern on Tuesday accused the government of selling out the north’s security after he and heads of neighboring towns announced protested moves against the US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon.“What’s determining our security at the moment is an agreement between the US, Lebanon and Iran,” Stern told the Kan public broadcaster, as Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah kept up attacks on Israel’s north and on the IDF in southern Lebanon, despite the truce that was declared on April 16.Likud member Stern said the government had failed to live up to its word to northerners who were evacuated en masse in the previous war with Hezbollah and told it was safe to return to following a November 2024 ceasefire deal.“We elected our government… full-on right wing for full-on security,” Stern said. “In practice, we see that our security is up for a negotiation that isn’t even ours.”“Our security is nonnegotiable. We’ve had this threat [from Hezbollah in Lebanon] over our heads for decades,” said Stern.Northern municipality leaders had said in a press conference on Monday that they would independently impose security restrictions and suspend educational activities, despite an update in IDF Home Front Command orders that had reclassified the area as safe.Beni Ben-Muvhar, head of the Mevo’ot HaHermon Regional Council, told Army Radio on Tuesday that the municipalities could not “send kids to schools in buses that we know to be a target for Hezbollah.”Israel’s decision-makers should “to come and live here for a day or two or three” with their families to see what was life was liked under Hezbollah’s daily attacks, said Ben-Muvhar.Danielle Eliyahu, a resident of the northern community of Ein Yaakov, also assailed the IDF instruction to reopen schools.“There isn’t really a ceasefire,” she told Army Radio. “Stop using our kids as sitting ducks.”Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is permitted to strike in Lebanon in self-defense. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet on Sunday that Hezbollah was “dismantling” and Israel would “vigorously” target the terror group, despite reported pressure from US President Donald Trump to end the fighting in Lebanon so it doesn’t upend negotiations with Iran.Amid northerners’ criticism of the Lebanon agreement, Transportation Minister Miri Regev claimed the ceasefire in Lebanon was not quite that.“You can’t say it’s a ceasefire,” said Regev, who is a member of the security cabinet, in an interview with the 103FM radio station. “We’re calling it a porous ceasefire.”The Lebanon ceasefire talks have seen Israel and its northern neighbor conduct their highest-level direct talks in decades even though they have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948.Israel carried out massive airstrikes and pushed its troops farther into Lebanon after Hezbollah, on March 2, launched its first rocket attack on Israel since the November 2024 ceasefire deal, under which the Lebanese state was required to disarm Hezbollah.That agreement ended over a year of conflict initiated by Hezbollah, a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.During the fighting in Lebanon, Hezbollah fired some 5,500 rockets at IDF troops operating in the south of the country, as well as around 2,500 at Israel, according to the military. There were at least 75 rocket impact sites in Israel.In addition, Hezbollah launched around 300 drones, of which 25 struck Israel, according to the IDF.Thirteen IDF soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon amid fighting against Hezbollah, and three during a ceasefire with the terror group. Two civilians were also killed by Hezbollah rockets, and an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.In Lebanon, authorities report over 2,000 people have been killed and a million displaced by Israel’s strikes. The IDF claims it killed over 1,900 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, in the renewed fighting.

Mossad chief says agency’s operations penetrated ‘core’ of Iran, Lebanon secrets-Barnea commends 10 operations and projects for outstanding achievements in 2025, notes that cooperation with the military had ‘changed Israel’s strategic posture’By Stav Levaton and ToI Staff Today, 2:15 pm-APR 28,26

Mossad chief David Barnea said Monday the agency had penetrated “the core of the enemy’s secrets” and carried out “groundbreaking” operations in Iran and beyond, speaking at a ceremony honoring agents and outstanding missions from 2025.At the Mossad headquarters, Barnea highlighted what he described as a shift in the agency’s wartime role, saying it had become a more offensive and effective organization alongside the Israel Defense Forces in campaigns against Iran and its proxy terror group Hezbollah.“We obtained strategic and tactical intelligence at the core of the enemy’s secrets,” Barnea said. “We demonstrated new and groundbreaking operational capabilities in target countries.”“Thanks to these operations, numerous activities in the campaign against Iran and in the northern arena were made possible, and Israel’s intelligence superiority was preserved,” he added.The agency also said in a statement that the shift was reflected in the Mossad’s “operational activity” against Iran and Lebanon. It added that the changes stemmed in part from the creation of new units and specialized capabilities in recent years, as well as the adoption of advanced technologies and innovation throughout the organization.Barnea stressed the operations had helped enable strikes “in the heart of Tehran,” the “thwarting of senior operatives,” and efforts to secure Israel’s air superiority and defend the home front.“The operations recognized this year enabled us to break boundaries in Lebanon and Iran,” he said, adding that the agency had also “carried out the covert diplomatic campaign, whose importance is critical for forging regional alliances and expanding Israel’s strategic depth.”He added that cooperation with the military had “changed Israel’s strategic posture,” but warned that threats remain.At the ceremony, 10 operations and projects received commendations for having “made an exceptional contribution to Israel’s security and reflected groundbreaking achievements.”Additionally, a commendation for bravery and fortitude was awarded to a veteran operative for leading a “bold, first-of-its-kind operation.”Barnea also noted in his speech that “the campaign against Iran will only be complete with a change of regime. It was planned in advance to continue for a long time even after the fighting subsides and a ceasefire takes hold. The mission is still ahead of us and could take many months.”Meanwhile, the Iranian opposition outlet Iran International reported Tuesday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council convened amid concerns that the mass protests that plunged the country into chaos back in January could return due to rising prices, high unemployment rates, and damage to key industries as a result of the US-Israeli war.In March, The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was frustrated with the Mossad after the intelligence service promised that an uprising against the regime could be fomented during the war but had not materialized.The report stressed that the Mossad chief provided disclaimers and qualifications, and noted both that the situation was developing and that achieving the desired ends could take a long time.In 2025, the Mossad played a crucial role in Operation Rising Lion, and reportedly enlisted its agents to smuggle attack drones into Iran via trucks, shipping containers and even suitcases.Mossad agents inside Iran then gathered the equipment and handed it out to teams who prepared the drones for use within the country. Once airstrikes began, the drones took out air defense systems and hit hitting surface-to-surface missile launchers aimed at Israel.