The Trump administration, facing rising tensions with Iran, plans to reinforce its military presence in the Middle East by sending another few thousand forces to the region to step up missile defense and surveillance, according to U.S. officials.
The decision to send the additional forces to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations across the Middle East, was made late Thursday during a meeting at the White House between President Donald Trump and top Pentagon leaders, the officials said.
Ahead of the meeting, acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan said the purpose of any additional troops would be to ensure the protection of U.S. forces and avoid the risk of Iranian miscalculation that could lead to a broader conflict.

Williamstown, KY – In the Bible, the ark survived an epic flood. Yet the owners of Kentucky’s Noah’s ark attraction are demanding their insurance company bail them out after flooding caused nearly $1 million in property damage. The Ark Encounter says in a federal lawsuit that heavy rains in 2017 and 2018 caused a landslide [...]

Kansas City, MO – Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ request to return to active duty with the Navy has been approved, but he will not serve again as an elite Navy SEAL. Greitens will be assigned to the Navy Operation Support Center in St. Louis as a general unrestricted line officer, which usually involves performing [...]

Section of Jordan Valley highway shuttered as firefighters work to put out blaze; 3 suspected East Jerusalem arsonists arrested

Israeli TV quotes justices saying they 'won't hesitate' to block Netanyahu's reported legislative efforts to avoid prosecution, as 'history will judge us'

A get refuser who was jailed for 18 years was sentenced to another 15 months by a Yerushalayim court for persisting in his refusal.
The decision to send him back behind bars was based on a 2016 decision of the attorney general that defying a bais din’s order to divorce one’s wife is a criminal offense.
The state bais din rejects a private bais din’s spurious decision that the marriage was void. Paradoxically, feminist organizations helping the wife do accept the private bais din’s opinion and are against the husband returning to jail.
 {Matzav.com Israel}

Over a dozen Tory party members are jostling to succeed Theresa May, who announced her resignation Friday, with mixed prospects for the Jewish community and the Jewish state

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg on Thursday hammered President Trump for saying he had bone spurs to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War, saying he faked the disability.
“Well, I have a pretty dim view of his decision to use his privileged status to fake a disability in order to avoid serving in Vietnam,” Buttigieg, an Afghanistan War veteran, said during a livestreamed interview with The Washington Post.
“Yeah, at least not that one,” he doubled down when asked if he thought the condition was faked. “This is actually really important because I don’t mean to trivialize disability, but I think that’s exactly what he did.”

President Donald Trump was walking across the sun-splashed airport tarmac in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017 when the Israeli leader playfully warned his political ally about the confusing protocol he was about to encounter on his first visit to Israel as president.
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