Hundreds in Tehran pray for rain as historic drought empties Iran’s reservoirs

TEHRAN, Iran — Hundreds of people gathered on Friday at a mosque in northern Tehran to pray for rain, with Iran gripped by one of its worst droughts in decades. Rainfall in... Read more »

Druze and Syrian government forces accuse each other of violating Sweida ceasefire

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A new round of clashes between Druze armed groups and government forces in the province of Sweida in southern Syria had subsided Friday but left fears of another... Read more »

Israel earthquake preparedness 2025 – expert warns

The powerful tremors felt on Wednesday in Israel, which originated near Cyprus, refocused public attention on how such events impact the country, particularly through potential tsunami waves that could affect Mediterranean coastlines... Read more »

Report: Trump pressing Saudi crown prince to ink deal with Israel following Gaza truce

US President Donald Trump urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in a phone call last month to normalize relations with Israel following the October 9 Gaza ceasefire deal, Axios reported Thursday,... Read more »

Israel confronts a defining test as regional pressures shift

Suddenly, a reversal: Instead of Israel begging for information, offering concessions, and shouting “everyone now!” about the hostages in Gaza, Hamas is the one demanding proof of life and the immediate release... Read more »

Study: 4,300-year-old cup with oldest depiction of Creation features a ‘celestial ark’

A 4,300-year-old silver goblet featuring the earliest depiction of the Creation narrative from the Near East tradition echoes the struggle between chaos and order from the book of Genesis, a new study... Read more »

ISIS, al-Qaeda have evolved in last decade, still pose global threat, say analysts

PARIS, France (AFP) — A decade on from deadly attacks in Paris, the world’s two most notorious jihadist groups, Islamic State and al-Qaeda, have significantly evolved, and their branches still pose a... Read more »

Netanyahu decries ‘slander’ of his wife and son by leading right-wing commentators

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a lengthy statement Wednesday evening pushing back on a wave of recent criticism of his wife, Sara, and son, Yair, by leading right-wing media commentators. The criticism... Read more »

As hostages return, Israelis demand probe of October 7 failures

Israelis wrestled with how to examine national failures as IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin was finally brought home to Israel after 11 years in Hamas captivity. At the same time, the IDF released... Read more »

Why do thousands of Jews flock to Hebron for Shabbat Chayei Sarah?

If you’ve been following along with the weekly Torah portions, you know that in recent weeks we’ve been reacquainted with Abraham — the man who left his homeland and his family, to... Read more »