New York City police are investigating whether men who brought improvised explosive devices to a protest near the mayor’s residence were motivated by ISIS ideology, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday.
The explosive devices, which failed to detonate, were thrown during a heated confrontation outside Gracie Mansion. The disturbance took place during a rally called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City,” organized by far-right activist Jake Lang. Tisch said the devices had the potential to cause severe injuries or fatalities.
Authorities have taken two individuals into custody in connection with the incident, though neither has yet been formally charged. Tisch said police are coordinating the investigation with federal prosecutors and the FBI. Agents from the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have also joined the inquiry.
“I can confirm this morning that this is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism,” Tisch said.
Despite the arrests, charges have not yet been filed against the suspects. Tisch reiterated that city investigators are working closely with federal officials and the FBI as they examine the case. She added that authorities have found no indication so far that the incident is linked to Iran or the ongoing war overseas.
“At this time, we do not have any information that connects this investigation to what’s going on overseas in Iran,” Tisch said.
The rally itself drew relatively few participants, but it attracted a much larger group of counterprotesters. During the confrontation, police say one individual threw a smoking object into the crowd. The device contained nuts, bolts, screws, and what Tisch described as a “hobby fuse.”
According to the commissioner, the device extinguished itself only a short distance from police officers stationed nearby. The same individual then dropped a second device that did not appear to ignite.
Police also reported that officers located a suspicious device inside a vehicle parked on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street. The discovery prompted authorities to shut down surrounding streets and evacuate nearby buildings as a precaution.
At approximately 7 p.m., a flatbed truck removed a Honda Civic from the scene, after which police reopened the area to the public.
Lang, the organizer of the rally, previously faced charges including assaulting a police officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder, and other offenses connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol unrest. He was later released from prison following President Donald Trump’s broad clemency order. Lang has since announced a campaign for the U.S. Senate in Florida.
Earlier this year, Lang also staged a rally in Minneapolis supporting Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. That event quickly drew large numbers of counterprotesters, and he ultimately left the scene after being confronted by the crowd.
{Matzav.com}
A 22-year-old motorcyclist who suffered critical injuries in a traffic accident in Kiryat Motzkin has died, Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa announced Monday morning.
Witnesses who were present at the scene said the crash occurred Sunday while a siren was sounding in the area, during which the rider reportedly lost control of his motorcycle.
The young man was transported to the hospital in extremely serious condition. Doctors rushed him into emergency surgery and placed him on an ECMO life-support system in an effort to stabilize him and save his life.
Emergency personnel from Magen David Adom treated the victim at the scene before transporting him to the hospital. He was described as semi-conscious and suffering from severe injuries affecting multiple systems in his body.
MDA motorcycle unit medics Gal Stavsky, Yoed Amar, and Natan Shachar said: “The injured man was lying in the middle of the road next to his motorcycle, semi-conscious after being involved in a traffic accident that occurred during a siren. We provided life-saving medical treatment and evacuated him to the hospital in unstable condition.”
{Matzav.com}
The Israeli military announced that Staff Sergeant Or Demry, 20, of Liman, a combat engineering soldier serving with the 91st Division, was killed in southern Lebanon after anti-tank fire struck during an operational mission near the northern border.
Demry was killed in the same attack that claimed the life of Staff Sergeant Maher Khatar, who also fell during the incident.
Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement honoring Demry and expressing condolences to his family.
“I send my deepest condolences to the family of Sergeant Or Demry, a combat engineer in the 91st Division of the Combat Engineering Corps, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon. Or fought bravely together with the late Staff Sergeant Maher Khatar, who also fell in the same incident, to protect the communities and residents of the north from the cruel terrorist organization Hezbollah. The State of Israel salutes our heroic soldiers who are standing on the front lines to protect the citizens of Israel.”
According to details released about the event, the fatal incident occurred at a defensive position near the community of Margaliot along the Ramim Ridge. A combat engineering team had been dispatched to assist a tank from the 601st Battalion that had become immobilized in the area.
The engineering unit, which included two D9 armored bulldozers, was in the process of freeing the stranded tank when one of the bulldozers belonging to the 91st Division was struck. Initial assessments indicate that the vehicle was hit either by a mortar round that ignited its fuel tank or by a missile, resulting in the deaths of the two soldiers.
Following the deadly attack, Israeli forces responded with extensive firepower. Heavy barrages were launched toward the area, and Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out strikes against multiple targets nearby.
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War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States is prepared to escalate its military campaign against Iran as Operation Epic Fury continues, including the possibility of deploying American ground forces into Tehran if necessary. In a televised interview Sunday night, Hegseth made clear that the Trump administration is willing to take whatever steps are required to remove the Iranian regime.
“We’re willing to go as far as we need in order to be successful,” Hegseth told CBS News’ Major Garrett during a “60 Minutes” sit-down interview that aired Sunday night.
He emphasized that the United States is deliberately keeping all military options open as the war unfolds.
“We reserve the right. We would be completely unwise if we did not reserve the right to take any particular option, whether it included boots on the ground or not boots on the ground.”
President Trump had previously indicated that such a move remains under consideration. Speaking to The New York Post last week, Trump said that American forces could be sent into Iran if military leaders determine it is required.
Hegseth also explained that any decision to deploy U.S. troops — whether openly or through covert operations — would not be publicly disclosed in advance.
“People ask, ‘Boots on the ground, no boots on the ground, four weeks, two weeks, six weeks? Go in, go in,’” he added.
“President Trump knows — I know — you don’t tell the enemy, you don’t tell the press, you don’t tell anybody what your limits would be on an operation.”
As the conflict intensifies, Hegseth acknowledged that additional casualties are expected. Iranian retaliatory drone strikes have already killed seven American service members.
Six Army Reservists were killed in Kuwait, while another service member later succumbed to wounds sustained in an attack in Saudi Arabia.
“The president’s been right to say there will be casualties,” the secretary said in his interview.
“Things like this don’t happen without casualties. There will be more casualties … especially our generation knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in caskets. But that doesn’t weaken us one bit. It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish.”
The six reservists killed in the attack — Nicole Amor, 39; Cody Khork, 35; Declan Coady, 20; Robert Marzan, 54; Jeffrey O’Brien, 45; and Noah Tietjens, 42 — were returned to the United States in a solemn transfer ceremony.
The identity of the seventh service member, whose death was confirmed Sunday, has not yet been released publicly.
The developments followed another tragedy involving an American service member. NYPD Officer and decorated Army veteran Sorffly Davius died after suffering a medical emergency while deployed in Kuwait with the National Guard.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the timing of when the war with Iran will conclude will be determined in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, emphasizing that the two leaders remain in close contact as the conflict continues.
Speaking to The Times of Israel, Trump explained that both leaders are communicating regularly and that the decision will be made with input from both sides.
“I think it’s mutual… a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” Trump said when asked whether he alone would determine when the war ends or if Netanyahu would also have a say.
Although Trump indicated that Netanyahu would be involved in discussions, he also suggested that the ultimate decision would be his to make.
When asked whether Israel might choose to continue fighting even if the United States stops its military operations, Trump dismissed the scenario.
“I don’t think it’s going to be necessary.”
Trump’s comments came shortly after Iranian state media reported that the country’s Assembly of Experts had selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to become Iran’s next Supreme Leader.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump told ABC News that whoever succeeds Iran’s current leadership would not remain in power long without approval from Washington. When The Times of Israel asked him to respond to reports about Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection, Trump offered a brief response.
“We’ll see what happens.”
During the conversation, Trump also spoke positively about Netanyahu and the way the two leaders have worked together during the ongoing conflict.
“We’ve done a great job together, like what we’ve done with Iran,” Trump said when asked whether his view of Netanyahu had changed since his previous term.
Trump also argued that Iran represented a direct danger to Israel before the war began eight days earlier.
“Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it… and now look what we have – we have them being destroyed,” Trump said, while praising Netanyahu’s leadership during the conflict.
“Bibi’s done a great job. He’s been a wartime prime minister. We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel. Would have destroyed Israel if I wasn’t around. And [if] Bibi wasn’t around, Israel would not exist today.”
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump said he continues to support granting a pardon to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, repeating his call for Israeli President Isaac Herzog to take action on the matter.
In an interview Sunday with Libby Alon of Channel 14 News, Trump addressed the controversy surrounding Netanyahu’s legal situation and the possibility of a presidential pardon in Israel.
When asked whether he is troubled by the conduct of Israel’s judicial system and whether he might consider sanctions against the country’s Attorney General or the President of the Supreme Court, Trump signaled his strong backing for Netanyahu.
“I don’t want to say it, but I’m all for Bibi.”
Trump was also questioned about regional diplomacy, including whether a deal might be possible between Israel and Qatar and whether Qatar could shift its position regarding support for Hamas.
“Anything is possible, who knows, they have been very helpful, the Qataris are very supportive and that’s great,” the President replied.
The remarks follow sharp criticism Trump directed last week at Herzog during an interview with Axios reporter Barak Ravid, in which he expressed frustration that the Israeli president had not yet granted Netanyahu a pardon.
“The president … should give Bibi the pardon today. I don’t want anything on Bibi’s mind other than fighting against Iran,” Trump said, arguing that Herzog had previously suggested he might issue a pardon but had not acted on it.
“He told me he would give it to him. But he has held it over Bibi’s head for a year,” Trump said. “Tell him I am exposing him. That president better damn well give him the pardon right now – and stop using it as leverage for his own political career.”
Herzog responded to Trump’s criticism in an interview with Fox News on Saturday, emphasizing that any decision regarding a pardon must follow Israel’s legal procedures.
“I said that I will consider everything seriously, but I’m obliged under the process and under Israeli law to await opinions that must be given to me by the relevant authorities. And that is why, of course, everything is on the table, but it has to be done according to Israeli law,” Herzog stressed.
He also expressed respect for Trump while noting that the issue involves Israel’s internal legal system.
“I respect President Trump tremendously, honestly. And I take the brunt with a lot of affection and respect to him because he’s the leader of the free world who’s changing history. But on the merits of a case, which is an internal case in Israel, I am obliged, I’m sworn in, and I’m the President of the state of Israel,” he added.
{Matzav.com}
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared its allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei following his selection as the country’s new supreme leader, a move that also drew praise from several Iranian-backed groups across the Middle East.
Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen as successor to his father by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, placing him at the helm of the Islamic Republic during a period of intense conflict involving the United States and Israel.
In a statement released after the appointment, the Revolutionary Guard Corps said it stands fully prepared to serve under the authority of the new leader.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… is ready for complete obedience and self-sacrifice in carrying out the divine commands of the Guardian Jurist of the time, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei,” the Guards said.
Organizations aligned with Iran throughout the region also issued statements welcoming the development.
Yemen’s Houthi movement offered congratulations to Iran’s leadership and citizens after the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, describing the appointment as a major milestone during the ongoing regional conflict.
“We congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership and people, on the selection of Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at this important and pivotal juncture,” the Houthis said in a statement on Telegram.
The group characterized the decision as a significant achievement for the Iranian regime and its allies.
The Houthis said the appointment represented “a new victory for the Islamic Revolution and a resounding blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the enemies of the nation.”
In Iraq, the pro-Iran militia Kataib Hezbollah also voiced strong support for the leadership transition, praising Mojtaba Khamenei’s qualifications.
The group said in a statement that he is “a figure possessing the leadership qualifications and competence necessary to shoulder the responsibilities of this great trust in these critical times.”
It further argued that the decision by Iran’s Assembly of Experts demonstrated careful judgment about the challenges facing the country.
According to the statement, the appointment “is further proof of the vigilance of the Assembly of Experts and their deep foresight regarding the existential challenges facing the nation in confronting global arrogance,” describing him as “the best successor for the best predecessor.”
For many years, Mojtaba Khamenei has been viewed as one of the most influential figures within Iran’s security establishment and widely seen as a preferred choice of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Despite that backing, his path to leadership faced significant hurdles.
Reports over the weekend indicated that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded during the initial stage of Operation Roaring Lion last Saturday morning but survived the assassination attempt. His father, mother, wife, and son were killed in the same strike.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has publicly opposed Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation to supreme leader.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me, we want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran. I have to be involved in the appointment,” he told Axios last Thursday.
Trump later reiterated his position in remarks to ABC News, suggesting that the next Iranian supreme leader would need American approval to maintain power.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump told the American news outlet. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.”
Trump said the objective is to prevent future confrontations tied to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again, or worse, let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
{Matzav.com}
