Uncategorized
US House passes resolution calling on Russia to free Evan Gershkovich
(JTA) — The United States House of Representatives voted unanimously to approve a resolution demanding that Russia release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
The congressional resolution, which does not have the binding force of law, calls for Gershkovich to be released from prison immediately, and also demands that he be given full access to U.S. consular staff until he is released.
Gershkovich, 31, has been held in a Russian prison since March 29 on allegations of espionage, which he, the U.S. government, and the Wall Street Journal say are spurious. His pretrial detention was recently extended until at least August 30. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in a Russian penal colony.
Gershkovich is the son of Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union, and is the first American journalist arrested on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War. His case has attracted interest and support from Jews and Jewish organizations around the world, who have pushed for his release.
The resolution, passed Tuesday, was introduced by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The resolution also calls for the immediate release of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who was arrested in Russia in 2018 on espionage charges and is currently serving a 16-year sentence.
“No evidence has been presented to back up this accusation, because there is no evidence,” McCaul said on the House floor on Tuesday.
“He was simply doing his job reporting on the news in Russia,” McCaul said. “But we know that the war criminal Putin doesn’t like that. He doesn’t want his own people to know about atrocities that he is committing in Ukraine. He doesn’t want them to know about the corruption within his own government, or how he has turned their country into an international pariah.”
—
The post US House passes resolution calling on Russia to free Evan Gershkovich appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
‘Dirty looks?’ VP Vance Criticizes Mamdani’s 9/11 Remarks About Muslim Aunt
US Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 20, 2025. Phone: REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
i24 News – Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani after Mamdani shared a personal story about his Muslim aunt during a speech at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx.
Mamdani recounted how his aunt, who wears a hijab, felt threatened on the subway in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, describing her as a “true victim” of the discrimination American Muslims faced during that period.
Vance took to X (formerly Twitter) to mock Mamdani’s remarks, writing: “According to Zphran, the ‘true’ victim of September 11 is his aunt, who was subjected to (alleged) dirty looks.”
Mamdani defended his comments, stating that his aunt’s experience reflects broader challenges faced by the American Muslim community after 9/11.
He reiterated his commitment to representing that community and to being open about his identity and faith.
The exchange comes amid a heated New York mayoral race, in which Mamdani faces scrutiny from rivals including former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Critics have accused him of extremism and antisemitism over his pro-Palestinian positions, as well as for his past associations with Islamist figures and his hardline stances on Israel.
Despite the controversy, early voting has begun, and Mamdani is considered a frontrunner in the mayoral race.
Uncategorized
Mossad Reveals Foiled Iranian Terror Plots in Australia, Greece, and Germany
Iranians carry a model of a missile during a celebration following an IRGC attack on Israel, in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – The Mossad announced on Sunday that it had uncovered the mechanisms behind several Iranian-led terrorist plots thwarted in Australia, Greece, and Germany between 2024 and 2025. Israeli intelligence said multiple terror cells linked to these operations have been dismantled and their members arrested.
According to the agency, the Iranian regime has intensified efforts to target Israelis and Jewish communities worldwide in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
Mossad said close cooperation with international security services helped prevent multiple attacks, saving lives and enabling prosecutions.
One of the key figures named in the revelations is Sardar Amar, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and head of the 11th Brigade under Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani. Mossad claims Amar led a network tasked with striking Israeli and Jewish targets abroad and was directly connected to the foiled operations in Greece, Australia, and Germany.
The repeated failures of this network, according to the agency, led to the exposure of its operatives and infrastructure.
In response to the discovery of Iranian cells operating on their soil, Australia and Germany have taken diplomatic action. Canberra expelled the Iranian ambassador, declaring him persona non grata, while Berlin has called for similar measures. Both moves were described as signals of “zero tolerance” for state-sponsored terrorism.
Mossad said Iran continues to use terrorism as a strategic tool to attack Israel and Jewish civilians abroad while avoiding direct military or political confrontation. The exposure of Amar’s network, it added, highlights the growing challenges faced by Tehran’s covert apparatus.
The Israeli intelligence service emphasized that international efforts are increasingly constraining Iran’s ability to operate abroad, imposing diplomatic costs on the regime. “Mossad, together with its global partners, will continue to thwart terrorist threats emanating from Iran and its proxies to protect Israeli citizens and Jewish communities around the world,” the agency said.
Uncategorized
Israeli Military Says It Conducted ‘Targeted Strike’ in Central Gaza
A Palestinian man points a weapon in the air after it was announced that Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire, in the central Gaza Strip, October 9. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Israeli forces carried out a “targeted strike” on an individual in central Gaza who was planning to attack Israeli troops, Israel’s military said on Saturday.
A US-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas just over two years since the war in the Gaza Strip began, but each side has accused the other of violations.
Israel said it had targeted a member of Islamic Jihad. On Sunday, the Palestinian terrorist group said in a statement that the Israeli military’s claim of a planned attack by the group was a “mere fallacious allegation.”
It did not say whether one of its members was killed in the Israeli strike.
Witnesses told Reuters they had seen a drone strike a car and set it ablaze. Local medics said four people had been wounded, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.
Witnesses said separately that Israeli tanks had shelled eastern areas of Gaza City, the Gaza Strip’s biggest urban area. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several Israeli media sites said Israel, in a reversal of a policy of barring entry to foreign forces, had allowed Egyptian officials into the Gaza Strip to help locate the bodies of hostages taken captive in the Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, that triggered the war.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has said it will return all the hostages it abducted, but the remains of 13 are still in the enclave.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.