News Digest — 6/23/25
Netanyahu Prays For Trump At The Western Wall: ‘A Nation Has Risen Like A Lion’
Following Saturday night’s (21st) historic American strike on Iran’s three nuclear sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara arrived at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday (22nd) for a special thanksgiving prayer to the Almighty for the miracles and a prayer for the wellbeing of the President of the United States in gratitude for his support of Israel at this time.
The prayer took place in the presence of the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation Mr. Mordechai Eliav. Psalms of praise and thanksgiving were recited in gratitude for the manifest miracles continuously occurring during the “Rising Lion” war.
As previously reported, just hours before the start of the “Rising Lion,” the prime minister came to the Western Wall to pray for success, and during his visit, placed a note between the stones of the wall with the words, “Am Kelavi Yakum – a nation shall rise like a lion.”
During Sunday’s prayer, the rabbi of the Western Wall, together with the prime minister, offered a special prayer for the President of the United States, Donald Trump, as a token of appreciation for his steadfast support of the State of Israel during this time, and for his contribution to regional security.
At the conclusion of the prayer, the prime minister placed another note between the stones of the wall with the words: “Am Yisrael kam – Am Yisrael chai!!”
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated : “Ten days ago, on the eve of Israel’s historic action, I stood here and placed a note that read: ‘Behold, a nation shall rise like a lion.’ Now ten days later, I return to the same place and leave a note that reads: ‘Behold, a nation has risen like a lion – the nation of Israel lives!””
Netanyahu: Iran War Will End Only When Israel Achieves Its Goals
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday (22nd) that Israel will not end its military campaign against Iran and Hamas until all of its strategic objectives are fully achieved, rejecting the notion of a premature ceasefire.
“We will not be dragged into a war of attrition – but we also will not end this historic operation until we have met all our goals,” Netanyahu said at a televised press conference in Jerusalem.
His remarks came hours after releasing two pre-recorded statements in Hebrew and English responding to the US strike on three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Netanyahu thanked president Donald Trump and hailed the strike as an “historic shift.” “Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,” he said.
Opening the press conference , Netanyahu expressed condolences to those killed and wounded in Iranian missile attacks on Israeli cities. “Our hearts are with the victims of Iran’s heinous assault,” he said, referencing the heavy toll paid in Operation Rising Lion, the name for Israel’s military response. We embrace the families of the fallen and pray for the full recovery of the wounded.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed his government’s commitment to neutralizing Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, defeating Hamas and returning Israeli hostages. “This regime seeks our destruction. That is why we launched this operation – to remove the two concrete threats to our existence,” he said. “We are advancing step by step toward achieving our objectives, and we are very close to completing them.”
Asked whether the operation included plans to target Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu declined to elaborate. “This is not the forum to detail our goals. I believe in fewer words and more action,” he said.
Netanyahu praised the damage inflicted on the Fordow facility by US airstrikes. “We must salute our great friend, my close friend President Trump, for the excellent work done by the US Air Force,” he said. “They caused major damage to Fordow. We will ensure that there is no threat from these nuclear sites. We will do what is necessary to meet all of our objectives.”
He also said that Israel’s offensive in Iran supports its goals in Gaza. “Iran built the axis of evil to place us in a chokehold and bring the war to Israeli territory – and the whole structure is now collapsing and we are bringing the war to Iran,” he said, referencing the broader regional alliance Tehran has forged with Hamas and other groups. He reiterated Israel’s pledge to return all hostages held by Hamas. “This is not an empty promise. We are committed to this mission and are operating across multiple dimensions and arenas.”
Responding to a question about expanding the Abraham Accords – a set of normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations – Netanyahu said the current military momentum could open new diplomatic opportunities. “We believe in peace through strength,” he said. “That same strength brought about the Abraham Accords,even when Iran was at the height of its power. I believe extraordinary opportunities lie ahead,”
In his Hebrew statement earlier in the day, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel had fulfilled its early pledge to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “From the beginning of this operation, I promised that Iran’s nuclear sites would be destroyed, one way or another. That promise has been kept,” he said.
Chief Of Staff: ‘US Attacks, A Turning Point In The War’
Sunday (22nd), the Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment with members of the General Staff Forum.
“We are on day 10 of Operation ‘Rising Lion.’ So far, we have achieved many objectives, including significantly damaging Iran’s nuclear program. We’ve reached a turning point in this campaign, following last night’s very precise and impressive strike by the US military on key nuclear sites,” he began.
“The strike was made possible thanks to the courageous leadership of our American partners and due to a combined diplomatic and military effort,” Zamir noted.
He emphasized cooperation with the USA: “Throughout the months of planning, and especially in the past week, I have maintained close contact with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine. I just now finished another conversation with him and the Commander of CENTCOM, General Michael Kurilla. We view the coordination between our militaries as a major strategic asset for the State of Israel.”
Zamir warned that the war was not over. “We must not forget; the campaign is ongoing and we still have targets to strike and objectives to complete. We continue to increase the rate of our strikes in accordance with the operational plan, and we are prepared to continue for as long as necessary.”
He turned to a different region: “In parallel to last night’s strikes, IDF and ISA forces carried out a complex operation and recovered the bodies of hostages: Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano and Staff Sergeant Shay Levinson, may their memory be a blessing. We continue to do everything possible to bring back all the hostages – this is a core mission to which the IDF remains fully committed at all times.”
“These are challenging days for all of Israeli society. Just this morning, once again rockets were fired at communities in Israel. Thanks to the responsible conduct of our civilians, casualties have been significantly reduced. The resilience of the home front gives us the strength to keep going on the front line”
Zamit pledged the IDF would continue fighting. “We remain alert and prepared on all fronts. The IDF has demonstrated its determination and capabilities – anyone who tries to challenge us will pay a heavy price. We will not compromise on the security of the civilians of the State of Israel.”
Knesset Flies US Flag For Operation Midnight Hammer
The Knesset building was illuminated in the colors of the American flag as a tribute to president Donald Trump “for his historic decision to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
The Knesset said that “At the initiative of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, the facade of the Knesset was illuminated with the colors of the American flag and the official ceremonial plaza was filled with Israeli flags alongside American flags.”
“In the name of the Knesset, which represents all the citizens of Israel, I wish to thank President Trump for his historic courageous and moral move of the highest order, which will be remembered in the annals of history as the day when the United States saved the world from the enormous danger of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the ayatollah regime,” said Ohana.
“President Trump has proven that he is not only the leader of the free world, but also the most important president that the United States has ever had in modern history, the best friend that the Jewish people have ever had in the White House, and the closest partner that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ever had, without whom this would not have happened,” concluded Ohana.
The US Bombs Three Nuclear Sites To Spare The World From An Intolerable Risk – Editorial
President Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s three most significant nuclear sites on Saturday (21st) helped rid the world of a grave nuclear threat and was a large step toward restoring US deterrence. Trump gave Iran every chance to resolve this peacefully. The regime flouted his 60-day deadline to make a deal.
Then Israel attacked, destroying much of the nuclear program and achieving air supremacy, and still the president gave Iran another chance to come to terms. But the regime wouldn’t abandon domestic uranium enrichment. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wanted a bomb more than peace.
Iran and its Iraqi proxies have threatened US regional bases with missile fire, but if the regime values self-preservation, it will give up its nuclear ambitions and stand down. Much of the press has fixated on the idea that Trump has now joined or even started a conflict. But Iran has been waging regional and terrorist war for decades. It’s likely that he has helped end the conflict.
US presidents have been known to kick the can down the road. To his credit, Trump didn’t, hitting the Fordow enrichment site as well as Natanz and Isfahan. The president wanted to leave no doubt about Iran’s nuclear program and take it all down. He had to act to stop the threat in front of him to protect America.
The Israelis, who proved their strategic value as an ally, would like to complete the mission by destroying what remains of Iran’s missile infrastructure. They deserve a green light, especially as those missiles are threatening US bases. Critics had counseled that the world had to bow to Iranian intimidation. The best we could hope for was a flimsy deal that bribed Iran with billions and left open its path to a bomb. They were wrong. (Wall Street Journal)
(wsj.com)
New Gaza Aid System “Brilliantly Conceived And Extremely Well Executed” – Yonah Jeremy Bob
Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, visited the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site at El-Bureij in central Gaza last week. He told the Jerusalem Post: “I have never seen anything like this. It is brilliantly conceived and extremely well executed. They are feeding the people of Gaza until such time as it becomes unnecessary.”
“When I arrived…there were already twenty truckloads of aid loaded into the site. The citizens were allowed in and collected their aid. Most of the interactions between the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and people getting aid is through local employees, Palestinians working for the GHF. There is pretty limited interaction between the mainly American staff and the Palestinian civilians, as the Americans are focused mainly on “security and the logistics of running the place.”
“Aid is stacked up row by row in a compound, with 20,000 people, around 1,000 coming in at a time.” “The vast majority were extremely happy.” Despite numerous incidents reported in the media about mass shootings of Palestinians or on their way to GHF sites – reports that GHF says are invented – the Palestinians Kemp spoke to had “no apprehension whatsoever” of being shot by IDF or GHF security guards.
Local Palestinian employees working with GHF “were saying Hamas really hates the GHF sites, and they threaten people not to use them. They hate them because they want to get their hands on the aid themselves.” These Palestinian employees “feared for their own lives if they were identified as cooperating with GHF. Their faces were covered when in proximity to people coming to collect the aid.”
Kemp met with GHF managers, who “are pretty frustrated that the UN has refused to cooperate with them, and also that there is so much bad press, which they think is unwarranted.” They thought “the UN ought to be cooperating with them, combing efforts, and then aid could be much more efficiently delivered. I agree with that. It is a really big mistake that the UN and other aid agencies won’t cooperate with GHF.”
