Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with Israel, while urging an immediate halt to Israeli airstrikes in Syrian territory. In a rare interview published Wednesday by the Jewish Journal, al-Sharaa struck a markedly different tone from his predecessors, suggesting the two nations share common enemies and hinting at the potential for future cooperation. “The era of endless tit-for-tat bombings must end,” al-Sharaa said. “No nation prospers when its skies are filled with fear.” While stopping short of endorsing normalization with Israel, al-Sharaa acknowledged the possibility of regional alignment.

United Airlines will restart flights from New York’s Newark Airport to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on June 5, making it the second U.S. airline to resume service since a Houthi ballistic missile struck near the airport on May 4. The missile hit a grove near Terminal 3, prompting United and most foreign carriers to suspend flights. Many airlines, including Ryanair (until July 31), British Airways, and the Lufthansa group (until at least June 15), have extended cancellations, stranding travelers and disrupting summer plans. Other carriers like AirBaltic, easyJet, Iberia, and Transavia also prolonged suspensions. Meanwhile, Delta, Air France, Wizz Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, and Aegean Airlines have recently resumed flights to Israel.

Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Bamidbar – 47th day of the Omer
Dear Parents of Yeshiva ——–   ——–    שליט”א,
A Gutten Erev Shabbos and Yom Tov to you and all of Klal Yisroel. As we prepare for the upcoming Yom Tov, please take a moment to read this message. As your child’s Sgan Menahel I am zoche to know the wonderful talmidim and watch them Shteig every single day of the year. As you can imagine, some days are easier and some are harder. For example, Sundays in general are a drop more challenging, especially in the summer when Havdala is very late and the talmidim go to sleep very late. Sunday is also harder for many talmidim who have sisters who stay home.

The death toll from devastating flooding in a market town in Nigeria’s north-central state of Niger rose to at least 151 on Saturday, the local emergency service said, amid efforts to find more victims. Torrents of predawn rainfall early Thursday unleashed the devastating flood on Mokwa, nearly 380 kilometers (236 miles) west of Abuja and a major trading and transportation hub where northern Nigerian farmers sell beans, onions and other food to traders from the south. The spokesperson for the Niger State emergency service, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, confirmed the updated fatality count to The Associated Press on Saturday. In addition to the rising death toll, 11 people were injured and more than 3,000 people were displaced, the official added.

Syria and Saudi Arabia said Saturday they aim to boost economic cooperation to for their mutual benefit and create jobs for Syrians after Western sanctions imposed on the war-torn country were eased earlier this month. The announcement was made during a visit to Damascus by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials. The easing of Western sanctions is likely to open the way for foreign investors into the country, where a civil war has been ongoing since March 2011. In early December, 54 years of Assad family rule came to an end, when gunmen opposed to then-president Bashar Assad captured his seat of power in Damascus.

Hundreds of foreign companies left Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including major U.S. firms like Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks, ExxonMobil and Ford Motor Co. But after more than three years of war, President Donald Trump has held out the prospect of restoring U.S.-Russia trade if there’s ever a peace settlement. And Russian President Vladimir Putin has said foreign companies could come back under some circumstances. “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree,” Trump said in a statement after a phone call with Putin. “There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth.

The U.S. approved a new COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company’s existing shot, but a second option. The new vaccine, mNexspike, is a step toward next-generation coronavirus vaccines. It’s made in a way that allows for a lower dose — a fifth of the dose of its current COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax — by refining its immune target. The approval “adds an important new tool to help protect people at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19,” Stephane Bancel, Moderna’s CEO, said in a statement Saturday. The Food and Drug Administration approved the new vaccine for use in all adults 65 and older, and for people age 12 to 64 who have a least one health condition that puts them at increased risk from the coronavirus.

Iran has expanded its reserves of enriched uranium and continues to block access to its nuclear facilities for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the agency’s latest quarterly assessment.
The report notes that Iran’s supply of uranium enriched to 60% has climbed to 133.8 kilograms, bringing the total amount of material at that level of enrichment to 408.6 kilograms. Meanwhile, the stockpile of uranium enriched to 20% has declined, dropping from 332.3 kilograms to 274.5 kilograms.
In a rare move, the Prime Minister’s Office of Israel issued an English-language statement on Shabbos, urging swift action from the global community to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

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