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President Donald Trump said he does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu received advance warnings from Egypt or the United Arab Emirates about the October 7 Hamas massacre, weighing in on reports that have become an issue in Israel ahead of the country’s elections.

In an extensive interview with TIME conducted at the White House on Sept. 28 and published Thursday, Trump was asked about reports alleging that Arab leaders had warned Netanyahu about a possible Hamas attack before October 7, 2023.

“I heard that today for the first time,” Trump said when asked about the claims.

The reports have received renewed attention following allegations that senior Egyptian and Emirati officials conveyed concerns to Netanyahu or other Israeli officials in the months and days preceding the massacre.

When the interviewer specifically told Trump that Egypt and the UAE had reportedly warned Netanyahu, the president rejected the idea that Netanyahu knew an attack was coming and failed to act.

“I don’t think so. I think, you know, I think if he would have known, he would have done something about it. Certainly, he would have had people at least alert. You know, he’s not going to forget about it. That was a terrible day. Oh, you have people on the radical left that denied it ever happened, which is pretty bad.”

Trump’s comments come amid a continuing controversy in Israel over what Netanyahu and senior security officials knew before the Hamas invasion, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and saw roughly 250 people abducted into Gaza.

Recent reports have alleged that then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel issued several warnings about deteriorating conditions in Gaza before the attack. One report said Kamel personally traveled to Israel in late September 2023, less than two weeks before the massacre, to communicate Egyptian concerns.

Another report alleged that Kamel telephoned Netanyahu just days before October 7 after earlier Egyptian warnings had failed to prompt a significant Israeli response.

Those reports have generally characterized the alleged Egyptian warnings as concerns that Hamas or Gaza was moving toward a major escalation, rather than intelligence specifying the date, precise scope or operational details of the October 7 assault.

Separate reports have alleged that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan contacted Netanyahu in September 2023 and warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation.

Netanyahu has forcefully denied receiving such an advance warning from the UAE, with his office declaring, “No warning was given to the Prime Minister from the United Arab Emirates before October 7.”

Netanyahu has also threatened legal action over the allegations and has accused those promoting the claims of attempting to influence Israel’s election.

The issue has taken on particular significance because of longstanding questions surrounding the catastrophic intelligence and security failures that allowed thousands of Hamas-led terrorists to breach Israel’s border on October 7 and overrun communities and military positions across southern Israel.

While multiple Israeli military and intelligence investigations have documented serious failures before the attack, the specific claims that Netanyahu personally received warnings from Egypt and the UAE remain disputed.

Trump was also questioned extensively by TIME about Netanyahu’s political future as Israelis prepare to vote.

Asked whether he believes Israelis should give Netanyahu another term as prime minister, Trump declined to directly endorse him.

“Well, I can only say that I’m not involved in politics anymore,” Trump responded.

Trump then turned to his own record on Israel, discussing the support his administrations have provided to the Jewish state and his popularity among Israelis.

When the interviewer again pressed him on whether Netanyahu should receive another term, Trump again avoided directly answering the electoral question and instead emphasized his commitment to protecting Israel and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“No, my primary thing-I do want to help them defend Israel. My thing that I mention all the time is Iran cannot have a nuclear power because they are crazy and you can’t let crazy people have nuclear weapons,” he said.

The interview took place amid continuing regional tensions involving Iran, which Trump has repeatedly identified as one of the most serious threats facing Israel and the broader Middle East.

Trump was also asked about Gadi Eisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff and current chairman of the Yashar party, who is challenging Netanyahu in Israel’s election.

The interviewer asked whether the United States might be able to work more effectively with Eisenkot if he were to defeat Netanyahu.

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t hear bad things about him,” Trump replied.

After the interviewer characterized Eisenkot as the leading opposition candidate, Trump pointed to Netanyahu’s history of surviving political challenges.

“Well, people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times. I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”

Trump’s remarks stopped short of an endorsement of either candidate. While expressing confidence that Netanyahu would have acted had he possessed advance knowledge of the October 7 attack, Trump repeatedly declined to say whether Israelis should return Netanyahu to office for another term.

The controversy over the alleged pre-October 7 warnings has become an increasingly prominent issue in the Israeli election campaign. Netanyahu’s opponents have cited the reports while renewing demands for an independent state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the massacre, while Netanyahu and his allies have challenged the allegations and accused political opponents of attempting to assign responsibility to the prime minister.

Netanyahu has maintained that he was not given actionable intelligence indicating that Hamas was preparing the massive invasion that unfolded on October 7.

Trump, for his part, said he does not believe Netanyahu knowingly disregarded an advance warning of the impending massacre.

On Netanyahu’s political future, Trump declined to tell Israelis how they should vote, while observing that Netanyahu has survived repeated political challenges in the past.

[Full video below.] Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu said Israel will take part in the investigation of the Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain and trying to bring down an Israel-bound passenger jet, while cautioning that it remains too early to determine whether Iran played any role in the attack.

In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil following Wednesday’s extraordinary incident, Netanyahu offered new details about what Israeli officials believe happened aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 and praised the passengers and crew members whose actions helped save the 174 people aboard.

“I don’t think it was a hijacking,” Netanyahu said.

Rather, Netanyahu said the evidence available thus far suggests that the attacker was attempting to destroy the aircraft rather than seize control of it and take it somewhere else.

“I think it looks like a suicide attempt simply because of what this hero Yaniv described when he went in,” Netanyahu said, referring to Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun, who entered the cockpit and helped overpower the attacking co-pilot.

Netanyahu said Hayun’s account of what he encountered inside the cockpit was particularly significant.

“This guy was trying to jam the equipment between the two flight seats, the pilot seats,” Netanyahu said. “He wasn’t sitting in the pilot seat trying to stabilize the plane, he was trying to jam the equipment.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu announced Thursday that four Israelis who helped avert catastrophe aboard the Flydubai flight from Dubai will light a torch honoring civilian heroism at Israel’s upcoming Independence Day ceremony.

Netanyahu met at the Prime Minister’s Office with Yaniv Hayun, Or Fradilov, Dr. Shota Musayev and Musayev’s wife, Sigalit, hearing firsthand accounts of the terrifying moments aboard the aircraft and the actions taken by passengers after the captain was attacked.
The four described the struggle to gain control of the situation after the co-pilot allegedly attacked and repeatedly stabbed the plane’s captain as the aircraft carrying scores of passengers rapidly lost altitude.

“The entire world sees Israeli heroism,” Netanyahu told them.

He then informed the four that their actions would receive one of Israel’s most prominent public honors.

“You will light a torch of civilian heroism on Independence Day,” Netanyahu said.

During the meeting, the passengers recounted how the attacker was eventually restrained after they gained access to the cockpit.

“We tied up the stabbing pilot with the headphone cord. He said, ‘Kill me’ — that means he failed in his mission and preferred to die,” they recalled.

Hayun has emerged as one of the central figures in accounts of the extraordinary incident. After passengers gained access to the cockpit, he helped overpower the attacker and pull him away from the controls.

Hayun then returned to the cockpit and attempted to stabilize the aircraft by pulling back on the controls as the plane was rapidly losing altitude.

When Netanyahu asked Hayun how he knew what to do, Hayun gave an unexpected answer: “I watch ‘Air Crash Investigation,’ Mr. Prime Minister.”

Dr. Musayev, a dentist, meanwhile turned his attention to the badly wounded captain, working to stop the bleeding from the stabbing injuries he had sustained during the cockpit struggle.

The captain himself has been widely credited with playing a crucial role in saving the aircraft. Despite suffering serious injuries during his struggle with the co-pilot, he managed to activate the mechanism opening the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and intervene.

Two additional Flydubai pilots who happened to be traveling aboard the flight subsequently entered the cockpit, took control of the aircraft and brought it to a safe emergency landing at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The captain was subsequently hospitalized and underwent treatment for his wounds.
Netanyahu praised the four Israelis for the courage, resourcefulness and faith they displayed during the crisis, saying their actions prevented what could have been an enormous disaster and saved many lives.

The prime minister also used the meeting to issue a broader warning to Israelis following the incident.

“I tell the citizens of Israel to learn from you, to keep their eyes open and remain alert. We are in a very sensitive period. Our enemies intend to harm us,” Netanyahu said.

The flight had departed Dubai for Israel when the violent confrontation erupted inside the cockpit. During the crisis, the aircraft descended rapidly by thousands of feet and transmitted emergency signals before control was restored.

The plane ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia, and the passengers were later brought back to Israel.

Netanyahu had already praised Hayun upon his return to Israel, calling him a “lion” after hearing how he had rushed into the cockpit and helped overpower the attacker.

President Isaac Herzog has also moved to formally recognize Israelis involved in saving the flight, announcing that he intends to recommend four of those who participated in the rescue effort for the President’s Medal for Civilian Heroism.

The investigation into precisely what occurred aboard the flight remains underway, and Flydubai has cautioned against reaching conclusions about the attacker’s motive before the investigation is completed.

For Netanyahu, however, the bravery displayed by the passengers was already beyond question. Their actions, he told them Thursday, will now be recognized before the country when they light a torch honoring civilian heroism on Independence Day.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump drew cheers at a White House Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Wednesday after joking that “only a Hispanic” could survive a fall from the construction site of the massive new White House ballroom.

The remark came as Trump addressed guests in the East Room during the first White House Hispanic Heritage Month celebration of his second administration. During nearly an hour of remarks, the president invited attendees to get a first look at the floor of the ballroom now under construction.

“There’s a tunnel going to what I think will be the greatest ballroom ever built. It’s also a tremendous military complex with a drone port on top,” Trump said.

Trump then cautioned the crowd about venturing onto the unfinished construction site, noting the potentially dangerous drop surrounding portions of the project.

“You literally will be the first group ever to enter the premises. So be very careful. Don’t fall over the edge, because it’s a long way down,” he continued.

Trump then delivered the line that quickly attracted attention following the event.

“And only a Hispanic could survive that fall,” the president added, receiving cheers from attendees. “So, I’m not overly worried.”

The celebration was held in the East Room and featured Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the highest-ranking Hispanic official in the federal government. Rubio joined Trump during the event and addressed those in attendance.

The White House did not hold a comparable Hispanic Heritage Month gathering in 2025, although Trump issued an official proclamation marking the observance. In that proclamation, Trump praised Hispanic Americans for their contributions to the country and highlighted their commitment to faith, family and freedom.

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs annually from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

Trump’s remarks came at a politically significant moment for Republicans, who are seeking to retain the substantial gains Trump made among Hispanic voters in the 2024 presidential election as the Nov. 3 midterms approach.

Recent polling has indicated that some of those gains have eroded. Surveys of Hispanic voters have shown increased dissatisfaction over economic issues and other concerns, adding importance to Republican efforts to maintain the support Trump received from Hispanic voters in 2024.

Trump used Wednesday’s event to appeal directly to Hispanic voters ahead of the midterms while arguing that his administration’s economic accomplishments have not been communicated effectively enough to the public.

The ballroom itself has become one of the most visible construction projects undertaken at the White House during Trump’s second term. The sprawling project is intended to provide the White House with a permanent venue capable of accommodating large state dinners, receptions and other major events that previously required temporary structures.

The White House is again preventing CNN from carrying out its scheduled role in the television press pool covering President Donald Trump, despite a federal judge’s temporary order restoring access to CNN and two other news organizations barred by the administration earlier this month.

CNN had been scheduled to provide television pool coverage Thursday as Trump travels to Texas and Oklahoma, but the network was omitted from the pool guidance distributed by the White House on Wednesday evening. No substitute television pool camera is expected to accompany the president on the trip.

The latest move comes less than a week after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, issued a 14-day temporary restraining order requiring the administration to restore White House credentials to CNN, MS NOW and Politico while their legal challenge proceeds. That order is currently scheduled to remain in effect through Oct. 8.

The White House did not immediately comment on the decision to exclude CNN from Thursday’s pool assignment.

The dispute began Sept. 18, when Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the three organizations of publishing “fake news” and arguing that their reporting posed national security concerns. Reporters from the organizations were denied entry to White House grounds beginning the following day.

Trump defended the action at the time, writing, “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.”

The ban prompted a sharp response from news organizations and the White House Correspondents’ Association. It also led to an unusual show of solidarity among the five television networks that traditionally rotate responsibility for providing pooled video coverage of the president: CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC and CBS.

The networks temporarily suspended their presidential television pool operation rather than replace CNN when it was CNN’s scheduled turn. Other forms of pooled coverage continued.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico then filed suit against the administration, arguing that they had been targeted because of their reporting and that the White House had violated both their First Amendment rights and their Fifth Amendment right to due process.

During a hearing on the case, Kelly pointed to longstanding federal court precedent requiring the government to provide due process before revoking a journalist’s White House access.

Two days later, Kelly granted temporary relief to the three organizations and ordered their credentials restored. The judge concluded that the outlets were likely to prevail on their due-process claim, finding that their journalists had not received adequate notice or an opportunity to respond before their credentials were taken away.

The ruling did not finally resolve the broader First Amendment dispute over whether the administration’s actions amounted to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. That question remains part of the ongoing litigation.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico subsequently returned to the White House grounds, but the restoration of their credentials did not end the battle over CNN’s role in the television pool.

Tensions erupted again over the weekend when Trump traveled to Tennessee for a college football game. CNN was scheduled to serve as the television pool outlet that day, but the network was not permitted to send its journalists aboard Air Force One.

That incident helped prompt the three news organizations to return to court this week seeking a preliminary injunction that would keep the administration from reinstating its ban while the lawsuit is litigated.

In their latest court filing, attorneys for CNN, MS NOW and Politico accused the White House of applying its restrictions selectively even after Kelly’s order.

“The White House’s words and actions leave little doubt that it will immediately reinstitute a complete ban of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO if allowed the opportunity.”

The organizations are asking Kelly to preserve the access they had before Trump announced the ban, rather than allow the temporary restraining order to expire Oct. 8 while the larger case remains unresolved.

CNN also argued that the administration has been granting access to Trump and his daily activities “unpredictably and inconsistently,” causing continuing harm to its ability to cover the president.

The original lawsuit alleges that Trump’s decision constituted viewpoint discrimination, arguing that the administration punished the organizations because it objected to the substance and tone of their reporting.

The White House has taken a different position, maintaining that access to the president and White House grounds is a privilege rather than an unrestricted right and that the administration retains authority over who is permitted into sensitive areas.

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended that position over the weekend, saying, “When it comes to the White House, it is the people’s house. It is a privilege, and not a right, to be there.”

The legal fight also comes against the backdrop of a significant change Trump made to White House media operations during his second administration. In 2025, the White House took control of selecting members of the presidential press pool away from the White House Correspondents’ Association, giving the administration greater authority over which organizations receive coveted access to smaller presidential events.

The traditional five-network television rotation initially continued despite that change, making the dispute over CNN particularly significant for the television pool system.

The administration is now required to respond to the news organizations’ latest court filing by Friday, setting up another round in the rapidly escalating legal battle over who gets to cover the president — and under what conditions.

The IDF has eliminated two terrorists who invaded Israel during the October 7 massacre, including a Hamas commander who participated in kidnapping six Israelis from Kibbutz Be’eri and taking them into Gaza.

The military announced Thursday that Muhammad Jamal Mahmoud Abu Al-Shaar, a cell commander in Hamas’ military wing, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza City area on Tuesday.

According to the IDF, Abu Al-Shaar was among the terrorists who infiltrated Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, where more than 100 residents were murdered and dozens were abducted during the Hamas assault.

The military said Abu Al-Shaar personally participated in the abduction of six Israelis: Sharon Hertzman-Avigdori, her daughter Noam Avigdori, Adi Shoham, her children Nave Shoham and Yahel Shoham, and Shoshan Haran.

The six were members of the same extended family. All six survived their captivity and were released in November 2023 as part of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, after approximately 50 days in Gaza.

In a separate Israeli strike carried out Tuesday in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, the IDF eliminated Musab Abd al-Jalil Saqib Balbisi, whom the military identified as a commander in the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

According to the IDF, Balbisi also crossed into Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre.

The military said both Abu Al-Shaar and Balbisi had remained actively involved in terrorism long after the October 7 attack and had recently been advancing attacks targeting IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.

The IDF said those activities constituted systematic violations of the ceasefire and that the two terrorists were targeted in order to remove the continuing threat they posed.

Before carrying out the strikes, the IDF said it took steps intended to reduce the danger to civilians in the surrounding areas, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

The two eliminations are part of Israel’s continuing effort to track down terrorists who participated in the October 7 invasion and massacre, even as IDF forces operate under the terms of the current ceasefire arrangement in Gaza.

The IDF has repeatedly targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives whom it says have continued planning attacks, rebuilding terrorist infrastructure or threatening Israeli forces despite the ceasefire.

Israeli forces under the IDF Southern Command remain deployed in Gaza in accordance with the agreement and continue to operate against what the military defines as immediate threats to Israeli troops and civilians.

The latest eliminations follow an intensive month of targeted operations against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza.

According to figures released by the IDF, approximately 70 terrorists were eliminated during September alone, including a number of senior Hamas commanders.

Among those killed during the month were three brigade commanders, two battalion commanders and nine company commanders, dealing a series of blows to Hamas’ remaining command structure.

Seventeen of the approximately 70 terrorists eliminated during September had participated in the October 7 massacre, according to the IDF.

Those 17 included terrorists involved in the invasion of Israeli communities, the kidnapping of civilians and the subsequent imprisonment of hostages inside Gaza.

Among the senior Hamas figures eliminated during September was Muhammad Yazouri, commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade. The IDF and Shin Bet said Yazouri had been directing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and was working to rebuild the brigade’s capabilities after the heavy damage it sustained during the war.

The latest announcement puts Abu Al-Shaar among the growing number of October 7 participants subsequently located and eliminated by Israeli forces, nearly three years after the massacre in which he helped abduct six members of one family from Be’eri.

Yehonatan Ovadia, a 35-year-old Israeli citizen and father of five associated with Satmar, remains in federal immigration custody in New York and could be deported to Israel after U.S. authorities declined to extend his legal status, citing his involvement in a 2023 protest during which an Israeli flag was torn down from the Ramapo Town Hall.

Ovadia, who came to the United States in 2022 on a religious-worker visa, was taken into custody by immigration agents in August after appearing at immigration court in Manhattan.

At a hearing Wednesday, an immigration judge declined to release him on bond. Dozens of chassidim came to the courthouse to show support for Ovadia as his attorneys continued their effort to secure his release and challenge the government’s handling of the case.

The immigration proceedings stem from a protest held in Ramapo, New York, in November 2023, approximately a month after an Israeli flag had been placed outside the town hall following the October 7 massacre.

Ovadia and several other anti-Zionist chassidim attended the demonstration to protest the municipality’s display of the Israeli flag. Surveillance footage showed members of the group removing the flag and cutting it with scissors.

Ovadia has maintained that he did not personally remove or damage the flag. He has said that another man was responsible and that he objected to what was being done and attempted to leave the scene.

Ramapo police arrested Ovadia and another man following the incident. Ovadia was initially charged with criminal mischief, petit larceny and conspiracy, with the charges classified as hate crimes.

The hate-crime charges were subsequently dropped. In February 2024, Ovadia pleaded guilty to the much lesser violation of disorderly conduct and paid a $200 fine along with an additional $125 charge.

Ovadia has said that his decision to accept the disorderly-conduct disposition was largely practical rather than an admission that he had torn down the flag.

“I said, ‘You know, I don’t have power, I’m out of money, I have no time, I am a teacher, I need to teach students every day,’” he recalled. “‘Let’s end this with disorderly conduct.’”

Ovadia’s immigration difficulties emerged later. His religious-worker status was due to expire in November 2025, and Congregation Bnai Yoel in Orange County sponsored an application seeking to allow him to continue his religious work in the United States.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ultimately reached an unusual split determination. The agency found that Ovadia remained qualified to perform the religious work for which the application had been submitted and did not find him inadmissible because of a “conviction or commission of a crime involving moral turpitude.”

However, immigration officials refused, as a matter of discretion, to grant him an extension allowing him to remain in the United States.

Government documents cited the circumstances of the Ramapo incident, including the charges that had ultimately been dropped, his disorderly-conduct violation and police records indicating that he declined to identify other individuals involved in the protest.

Once his existing status expired without an approved extension of stay, Ovadia was left without lawful immigration status and became subject to removal proceedings.

His attorneys have filed a lengthy federal lawsuit seeking his release, arguing that the government’s actions improperly punish Ovadia for his political and religious beliefs and conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism.

Attorney Eric Lee has stressed that Ovadia’s opposition to the State of Israel is rooted in his religious worldview, saying that labeling his client antisemitic because of those beliefs is absurd.

Ovadia has participated in a number of anti-Israel demonstrations in New York and New Jersey together with other anti-Zionist chassidim. His attorneys maintain that such demonstrations constitute protected political and religious expression and do not establish that he engaged in violence.

The Department of Homeland Security has rejected the suggestion that Ovadia is being detained merely because of his views.

“In violation of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his welcome and refused to depart,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. “He will receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his immigration proceedings.”

DHS has also said that permission for a foreign citizen to remain in the United States is a privilege and maintained that the administration has legal authority to act against noncitizens it believes advocate violence, support terrorist activity, harass Jews or steal property.

Ovadia and his attorneys dispute that description of his conduct.

Speaking by telephone from immigration detention, Ovadia explained his participation in the original Ramapo demonstration by saying, “We demonstrated for Gaza and for Palestinian rights, to show the world that true Judaism wants peace. We wanted to express our opinion legally and peacefully.”

One of Ovadia’s attorneys said at Wednesday’s hearing that the government has designated Israel as the country to which it would seek to deport him if a final removal order is issued.

The timing of any possible deportation remains unclear, however, as Ovadia’s lawyers continue challenging his detention and immigration case through the courts.

{Matzav.com}

A seemingly small request by Rav Dov Landau before Sukkos revealed the extraordinary care with which the Rosh Yeshiva approaches even the finest details of halacha.

Ahead of Yom Tov, R’ Shaya Dickstein visited the homes of leading Gedolei Yisroel to present them with exceptionally beautiful esrogim grown in orchards he owns in Morocco.

When he arrived at the home of Rav Dov Landau, the Rosh Yeshiva carefully examined the esrog and asked his son to inspect its quality as well.

After looking it over, Rav Landau made an unusual request: he asked R’ Shaya to formally transfer ownership of the esrog to him through a proper kinyan.

Those present were puzzled.

This year, the first day of Sukkos fell on Shabbos. As a result, the mitzvah of taking the arba minim was not performed that day, and the Torah requirement of “lachem” — that the daled minim belong to the person taking them — would seemingly not apply in the usual way.

Why, then, was Rav Landau particular that the esrog become his personal property?

The Rosh Yeshiva immediately explained the reason.

A number of distinguished American bochurim learn in Slabodka Yeshiva and observe a second day of Yom Tov in accordance with the practice of those who live outside Eretz Yisroel.

For those bochurim, Sunday was their first day on which they would actually perform the mitzvah of arba minim, and the requirement of “lachem” therefore applied fully to them.

The American bochurim traditionally come to the Rosh Yeshiva’s sukkah to use his arba minim. Rav Landau therefore wanted to ensure that the esrog was legally and halachically his, so that he would be able to properly transfer ownership to each of them for the mitzvah.

R’ Shaya immediately carried out the kinyan, formally transferring the esrog to Rav Landau.

Rav Landau then performed a hagbahah on the esrog, completing the acquisition.

That was the esrog subsequently used by the American bochurim of Slabodka Yeshiva when they performed the mitzvah of arba minim on their second day of Yom Tov.

What initially appeared to be an unnecessary technicality was, in fact, a carefully considered effort by the Rosh Yeshiva to ensure that the bochurim could fulfill the mitzvah in the most proper manner possible.

{Matzav.com}

A major fire tore through a nursing facility in Bnei Brak shortly after midnight, forcing the evacuation of approximately 40 elderly residents and leaving dozens injured, including two men who were hospitalized in serious and unstable condition with significant burns.

The blaze broke out in a first-floor room at the Mishkenot Vatikim Nursing Center on Rav Amram Gaon Street, an eight-story facility housing elderly and nursing-care residents.

Firefighters from Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan rushed to the scene and began battling the flames while conducting extensive searches throughout the building for residents who may have been trapped.

Several residents were located inside the burning area itself and were carried to safety by firefighters.

In all, 24 people were transported to hospitals. Two men, ages 65 and approximately 80, suffered second-degree burns and were listed in serious and unstable condition. They were sedated and placed on ventilators before being evacuated to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer.

Four additional residents were hospitalized in moderate condition, while 18 others were listed in light condition, most of them suffering from smoke inhalation.

The wounded were distributed among Sheba Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Ichilov Hospital and Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center.

Magen David Adom received the initial report shortly after midnight, prompting a large-scale emergency response that included ambulances, intensive-care units and rapid-response vehicles.

MDA paramedics Yissachar Weiss and Tal Sagi described the scene as extremely difficult, with large numbers of emergency personnel treating residents as they were brought out of the building.

“This was a very difficult scene. We arrived with large forces that included rapid-response vehicles, ambulances and MDA intensive-care units. We provided medical treatment to a large number of injured people, including two men in serious and unstable condition who were sedated and ventilated and had burns to their upper bodies, four people in moderate condition and 18 in light condition, and we evacuated them to hospitals.”

Hatzalah volunteers Chizki Bloch and Shlomo Wolf said they encountered an active fire upon arriving and immediately began assisting residents caught near the burning room, including providing respiratory support to those affected by smoke.

United Hatzalah volunteers Akiva Kaufman, Meilech Honig and Daniel Yefune said the rescue operation was particularly difficult because many of the residents were unable to leave the building without assistance due to their age and physical condition.

“This was a fire in a nursing home housing dozens of elderly nursing-care residents. We assisted in evacuating residents who had difficulty escaping on their own because of their age and physical condition, and we provided initial treatment to victims suffering from smoke inhalation and burns of varying severity. Large firefighting forces operated at the scene to rescue those trapped and bring the fire under control.”

United Hatzalah ambulance drivers Elchanan Marciano, Yosef Baruchim, Adiel Pinchas, Yosef Chaim Tubul and Yehuda Vidavsky positioned stretchers near the building and received residents as they were brought out by firefighters.

“We spread out with stretchers near the scene and received the residents who were evacuated from the burning building. We provided them with initial treatment and transported some of them to hospitals for further care, with their conditions listed as light.”

Efi Feldman, head of United Hatzalah’s Bnei Brak branch, said dozens of volunteers left their homes during Yom Tov and in the middle of the night to assist with the emergency.

“As the largest medical organization in the city, with dozens of volunteers spread throughout Bnei Brak who know the area well, we were dispatched with reinforced forces as soon as the report was received. The nursing home’s location in a densely populated residential area and the concern that many people could be trapped required a rapid and extensive response. Dozens of volunteers left their homes during the holiday and in the middle of the night to assist with the rescue, treatment and evacuation. I thank all the volunteers and ambulance crews who left their families and mobilized to save lives.”

After firefighters brought the main blaze under control, crews continued searching the building to ensure that no additional residents remained trapped.

A fire investigator was called to the scene to determine what caused the blaze.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has begun sending $500 refund checks to more than 950,000 Americans enrolled in Obamacare plans, returning roughly half a billion dollars that the White House says was collected through excessive fees imposed during the Biden administration.

The payments are being distributed by the Treasury Department to eligible residents of 30 states that rely on HealthCare.gov, the federally operated Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace. The recipients have already been identified by the federal government, meaning Americans do not need to file an application or submit a claim to receive the money.

The refunds are being issued on a per-person basis, meaning households with more than one eligible enrollee can receive multiple $500 checks. The program primarily covers consumers who purchased insurance through the federal marketplace without receiving federal premium assistance and therefore bore the full cost of their premiums.

The White House says the money comes from a surplus accumulated through HealthCare.gov “user fees,” which are charged to insurance companies participating in the federal exchange and ultimately incorporated into premium costs. The administration maintains that the fees collected during the Biden years substantially exceeded what was necessary to operate the federal marketplace.

“For years, the Biden administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov,” President Trump wrote in a letter being mailed with the payments. “That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now I’m returning it to you!”

According to the White House, more than $500 million accumulated from the fees without being used for the benefit of the consumers who ultimately paid them. The administration announced the refund initiative earlier in September, saying it would return the excess collections directly to Americans rather than retain the money within the federal government.

The user fees ordinarily finance the operation of the federal insurance marketplace, including its technological infrastructure, customer-service operations and enrollment-related activities. The administration has argued that previous fee levels generated more revenue than was required for those purposes.

For 2026, the federal marketplace user fee had been set at 2.5% of monthly premiums. The Trump administration has since finalized a lower rate of 1.9% for 2027, saying the reduction is part of a broader effort to lower costs associated with plans sold through the federal exchange.

The $500 refunds are available only in states that use the federally facilitated exchange. Those states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Residents of states operating their own independent ACA marketplaces are not included in the federal refund program.

The checks are arriving just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as healthcare expenses and the broader cost of living remain major issues in congressional races around the country.

“You have paid into this flawed System, and now you are finally getting something back,” Trump wrote in the letter.

The payments are separate from another proposal Trump has discussed: $5,000 “Trump dividend” payments that he has described as a “reward for people” for enduring Biden-era economic policies. Unlike that proposal, the $500 Obamacare refunds are already being distributed to a predetermined group of eligible recipients.

The refund rollout comes as the administration is also pursuing a wider crackdown on what it describes as fraud and improper enrollment in the federal Obamacare marketplace.

Vice President JD Vance announced last week that the administration expects to recover approximately $2.2 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies connected to unauthorized enrollments.

CMS said its effort has resulted in the cancellation of approximately 315,000 unauthorized enrollments covering more than 760,000 people. The agency has also created a federal exchange anti-fraud coordination group bringing together officials from CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services to pursue suspected improper enrollment and questionable activity by insurance agents and brokers.

Vance said the Biden administration had loosened eligibility procedures without putting sufficient verification safeguards in place, while brokers simultaneously had financial incentives to bring additional customers into ACA plans.

“You have a system where, on the one hand, brokers are paid money to feed patients into the system, while on the other hand, the government isn’t even checking whether the people enrolled are actually eligible for the program. What do you have? Of course — rampant, rampant fraud,” he said.

The administration says its response includes removing people it believes were improperly enrolled while subjecting hundreds of thousands of additional cases to further eligibility reviews.

“The second thing that we’re going to do is we’re going to do some additional verification. We expect that most of these people are fraudulently enrolled, but we’re going to do some additional verification on about 419,000 people,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that they’re, first of all, legal residents of the United States of America, and second of all, we’re going to make sure that they actually meet the income threshold requirements in order to receive these Obamacare benefits.”

CMS has said its broader strategy is aimed at preventing questionable enrollments before they occur, canceling confirmed unauthorized coverage already on the books, and stepping up enforcement against agents and brokers who violate federal marketplace rules.

“To put into context the amount of money that we’re stopping from going to fraudsters today — $2.2 billion — the average American child receives about $4,000 in healthcare benefits every single year,” Vance added. “That means that we are saving 550,000 American children’s worth of healthcare that was going to fraudsters and now will go to the essential services for which it was meant to go.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spent Sukkos making a series of high-profile appearances in Orthodox Jewish communities across Brooklyn, visiting sukkahs in Crown Heights and Williamsburg and meeting with prominent Chabad and Satmar figures as his administration continued its outreach to Jewish New Yorkers.

Mamdani’s Sukkos rounds began Tuesday night in Crown Heights, where he visited the sukkah of Devorah Halberstam, the longtime Jewish communal activist whose son Ari Halberstam was murdered in the 1994 Brooklyn Bridge terror attack.

Halberstam has for years hosted elected officials, law-enforcement leaders and community figures during Sukkos, and Mamdani’s appearance placed him alongside a number of other prominent New York officials and Jewish communal personalities.

Among those present were Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and City Council Speaker Julie Menin.

The visit came shortly after Mamdani’s administration unveiled a citywide strategy aimed at combating antisemitism, adding particular significance to his appearance in one of New York’s most prominent Jewish neighborhoods.

Mamdani then visited the sukkah of R’ Yaacov Behrman, a Crown Heights community activist and Chabad media liaison.

Behrman later emphasized that he had hosted Mamdani in a personal capacity and not on behalf of Chabad as an institution.

“He was in the neighborhood for an event, and my family and I hosted him afterward in our sukkah to share some of the beauty and meaning of the holiday,” Behrman said.

According to Behrman, the conversation focused on Sukkos, family and the meaning of the sukkah. His children also explained the concept of the ushpizin to the mayor.

“We blessed the mayor that he should be a uniter and bring New Yorkers together,” Behrman said.

Mamdani also visited the sukkah of Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller and one of Mamdani’s most visible Jewish political allies.

The mayor’s Crown Heights appearances drew mixed reactions. Some people welcomed him, while others heckled him and accused him of antisemitism, reflecting the deep divisions that remain within the Jewish community over his positions and rhetoric concerning Israel.

A day later, on Wednesday, Mamdani traveled to Williamsburg, where he visited the sukkah of R’ Saul Perelstein and met with leaders associated with the Satmar community’s Reb Zalman Leib faction.

Mamdani was greeted there by United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn President R’ David Niederman.

Also participating were longtime community figure R’ Abe Friedman, Williamsburg Shomrim coordinator Yanky Itzkowitz, and representatives of local mosdos and communal organizations.

The Williamsburg meeting focused on issues affecting local residents and the broader Orthodox Jewish community, continuing a relationship Mamdani has cultivated with several Satmar leaders over the course of his rise in city politics.

Earlier in the week, he also participated in a Sukkos food-distribution event with R’ Shlomo Nisanov, a leader in Queens’ Bukharian Jewish community.

{Matzav.com}

Hagaon Rav Dov Landau, Slabodka rosh yeshiva, came out sharply against efforts to persuade members of the chareidi tzibbur to boycott the upcoming Knesset elections, warning that those encouraging Yidden not to vote are acting out of “either wickedness or foolishness.”

The Rosh Yeshiva addressed the issue during a closed meeting in Bnei Brak with representatives of Degel HaTorah, amid attempts by some elements on the fringes of the chareidi community to convince voters to stay home on Election Day, whether as a protest or because of ideological opposition to participation in Israeli elections.

Rav Landau made clear that he firmly rejects such a course and believes the chareidi public must participate in the election in order to protect the interests of the olam haTorah and the broader frum community.

“Woe to anyone who incites people not to go to the elections, woe to him – and I do not want to continue,” Rav Landau told those present emphatically, adding that anyone promoting such a position is acting out of “either wickedness or foolishness.”

The comments highlight the position of the gedolim, who have long regarded participation in elections as an essential means of maintaining political representation and protecting the needs of yeshivos, kollelim, bnei Torah, mosdos and chareidi families.

The controversy comes as Degel HaTorah prepares for the upcoming election amid significant internal changes within the party and a broader debate over how the chareidi tzibbur should respond to the ongoing battles over the draft, funding for yeshivos and the status of the olam haTorah.

Rav Landau has repeatedly taken a firm line against efforts to draft bnei yeshivos, making clear that opposition to the draft does not mean withdrawing from the political arena altogether.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu said Wednesday night that it remains too early to determine whether Iran was involved in the attempted attack aboard a Flydubai flight bound for Israel, as investigators continue probing the co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain and trying to crash the plane.

Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Netanyahu praised Yaniv Hayoun, the Israeli passenger who rushed toward the cockpit during the terrifying midair emergency and helped overpower the attacker.

“I met with this Israeli, this unbelievable Israeli, his name is Yaniv, who did this thing. And I asked him, you know, how did you do it? And he said, well, I just had to do it,” Netanyahu told Hannity. “I had to act to save his family was there.”

The incident unfolded aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which was carrying 174 passengers when the co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain with a knife. The aircraft then entered a rapid descent before passengers and crew managed to intervene.

Netanyahu said Hayoun’s actions helped avert a catastrophe.

“He acted with coolness of judgment and heroism that is just tremendous courage that prevented another 9/11,” he said.

Despite suffering stab wounds, the captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter. Hayoun, who had been seated in row 16, rushed forward and helped wrestle the attacker away from the controls.

Other passengers and crew members assisted in restraining the suspected attacker, while additional pilots aboard the aircraft helped regain control of the plane.

The aircraft was ultimately diverted and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The passengers were later able to continue their journey to Israel.

“I spoke earlier today with President Trump, who really was appreciative of this,” Netanyahu said.

Asked directly whether Israel had any indication at this stage that Iran was connected to the cockpit attack, Netanyahu said investigators had not yet reached that conclusion.

“Well, it’s too early to say,” Netanyahu responded. “The attacking pilot is now being investigated in Saudi Arabia. I think he’ll be taken to the Emirates, where he comes from, or at least where he left, where he flew off from.”

The suspect remained in Saudi custody as investigators worked to establish his motive, background and whether he acted alone or had any connection to an outside organization or state.

Israeli officials have continued following the investigation closely, while Flydubai has urged against speculation before the probe is completed.

Netanyahu also used the Hannity interview to discuss a separate suspected Iranian-linked security incident in Britain involving RAF Fairford.

He said Israeli intelligence had warned British authorities about a planned attack and sharply criticized London over subsequent sanctions imposed on Israel.

“You want to hear how absurd things are there and how far the anti-Israel propaganda has gone,” Netanyahu said. “We gave the Brits the intel that there was going to be an attack and it’s an Iranian-sponsored attack and pretty much the next day they slapped sanctions on us.”

“The caving in, the collapse before the Islamist-Marxist alliance is very dangerous for the future of the West,” he added.

As for the Flydubai attack, Netanyahu stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and that it is still too early to determine whether Tehran or any other outside actor played a role.

{Matzav.com}

Michigan’s U.S. Senate race is virtually deadlocked, with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed holding a one-point advantage over Republican Mike Rogers among likely voters in a new Fox News poll, 50% to 49%. The gap is within the survey’s margin of error.

Among registered voters, El-Sayed leads Rogers 51% to 48%, reversing an August Fox News result in which Rogers held a 51% to 47% advantage.

El-Sayed’s supporters also appear somewhat firmer in their choice. Eighty-seven percent say they are certain they will support him, compared with 80% of Rogers’ backers. Overall, 15% of voters say they could still change their minds before Election Day.

The poll found significant concerns surrounding both candidates. Thirty-nine percent of voters said they are extremely concerned that Rogers is too closely aligned with President Donald Trump, while 36% said they are extremely concerned that El-Sayed is too liberal.

The candidates also post similar favorability numbers, with 47% viewing El-Sayed favorably and 44% saying the same of Rogers.

El-Sayed performs especially well among women, Black voters, college graduates and voters under 45, while Rogers is stronger among men, rural voters, White evangelical Christians, married voters and White voters without college degrees.

Both candidates have consolidated most of their respective party bases. Rogers receives the support of 95% of Republicans, including 99% of MAGA Republicans and 88% of non-MAGA Republicans. El-Sayed has the backing of 93% of Democrats, including 98% of DSA Democrats and 90% of other Democrats.

Independents narrowly favor El-Sayed.

When voters were asked which party they would prefer to control the Senate, Democrats held a 52% to 47% advantage.

Still, some voters who backed El-Sayed’s Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, have not moved behind him. Eleven percent of likely voters who supported Stevens in the primary now say they intend to vote for Rogers.

Economic issues remain a major factor in the contest. The cost of living ranks among the most important concerns for Michigan voters, while immigration is another issue producing a sharp divide between supporters of the two candidates.

El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary after a contentious campaign in which Israel emerged as one of the clearest areas of disagreement.

El-Sayed has repeatedly attacked Israel’s conduct in Gaza and has opposed unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel.

In a recent television interview, he described Israel’s military actions as “bloodthirsty” and accused Israeli leaders of genocide.

In another interview, El-Sayed acknowledged that Hamas had committed war crimes while continuing to accuse the Israeli government of grave wrongdoing.

He has also repeatedly declined to directly say whether Israel has a right to exist when pressed on the issue, instead arguing that Israel already exists and redirecting the discussion toward U.S. policy and Palestinian rights.

In another interview, El-Sayed described Israel’s leadership as “as evil as Hamas.”

El-Sayed has also faced criticism over remarks he made following the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit.

Authorities said the attacker rammed a vehicle into the synagogue complex in an assault that investigators later said was inspired by Hezbollah. The attacker died at the scene.

El-Sayed condemned the attack and antisemitism, but while discussing the circumstances surrounding it, he also said that “violence is a cycle” and that “hurt people hurt people.”

Critics argued that those remarks could be interpreted as offering an explanation or justification for the attack.

El-Sayed later apologized to members of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, acknowledging that his comments had been inappropriate in the immediate aftermath of the assault and stressing that there was no justification for terrorism.

The Fox News survey was conducted in late September among more than 1,200 registered Michigan voters, including more than 1,000 likely voters. The margin of error among likely voters is approximately three percentage points, leaving the El-Sayed-Rogers contest statistically tied.

Residents of the Jerusalem Estates at the Schneller complex in Yerushalayim were issued a sharp warning on Wednesday after a late-night party with loud outdoor music triggered numerous complaints and repeated attempts to summon police.

In a notice addressed to homeowners and renters, the building management and Vaad Habayit said the disturbance continued late into the night and affected a large number of residents throughout the complex.

According to the notice, police were contacted repeatedly over the noise, but officers were unable to respond because of the unusually high volume of complaints being handled over Sukkos.

The complex’s security guards also approached the party on multiple occasions and asked that the music be shut off, the notice said, but those requests were not honored.

Management appealed to residents, tenants and guests to show greater consideration for their neighbors, noting that many residents are elderly and that numerous families have young children who need to sleep.

The issue was especially acute because of Sukkos, the notice said, when many residents are sleeping outdoors in their sukkahs and are therefore even more exposed to late-night noise.

“Loud music continuing into the early hours makes it extremely difficult for others to rest in their own homes and sukkahs,” the notice stated.

The management subsequently imposed a clear cutoff, asking that there be no music after midnight, especially in outdoor areas, including balconies, sukkahs, gardens and other spaces where sound could disturb neighboring residents.

“We all share this community, and a little consideration goes a long way,” the notice said, urging residents to make sure that family members, tenants and guests are also aware of the quiet-hour rules.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] A 66-year-old woman was rescued Wednesday afternoon after her vehicle plunged approximately five meters — about 16 feet — into the yard of a private home in Yerushalayim’s Gilo neighborhood, overturning on its side and trapping her inside.

The unusual accident occurred on De la Pergola Street, where the vehicle went over a steep drop and landed in a private garden below.

Fire and rescue crews from the Yerushalayim District were dispatched to the scene and found the driver trapped inside the overturned vehicle.

Firefighters immediately began working to extricate her, carrying out the rescue carefully because of the vehicle’s position following the fall.

The woman was successfully removed from the car while conscious and was transferred to medical personnel at the scene in light-to-moderate condition.

Incident commander Omri Avraham said, “When we arrived at the scene, we saw a private vehicle that had overturned after plunging from a considerable height of about five meters into a yard.”

“We acted quickly and carefully to free the driver who was trapped inside the vehicle. Fortunately, we were able to extricate her while she was conscious and hand her over for further medical treatment,” he said.

Police traffic investigators in the Yerushalayim District opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Israeli investigators are examining whether the flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of Flight FZ1073 deliberately waited until the aircraft was near Jordan before attempting to seize control — potentially as part of a plan to crash the passenger jet inside Israel.

The disturbing possibility emerged alongside a new report that Shin Bet Director David Zini had spent weeks warning that security arrangements at airports in the United Arab Emirates were inadequate, and had insisted that Israeli airlines not resume service to the UAE until the deficiencies were addressed.

According to a report by Amit Segal on Channel 12, the Shin Bet had conducted its own assessment of the security perimeter surrounding Israeli airline operations in the Emirates and concluded that the existing arrangements did not provide sufficient protection.

That assessment reportedly triggered a significant dispute in recent weeks between Zini and Israeli airlines eager to resume service to the UAE. Zini resisted pressure to lift the restrictions, maintaining that Israeli carriers should remain grounded on the route until the security concerns were resolved.

The warnings have taken on new significance following Wednesday’s extraordinary events aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport, when the co-pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar before apparently attempting to send the Boeing 737 MAX into a catastrophic descent.

Flight-tracking data shows that the aircraft was cruising at approximately 34,000 feet before suddenly plunging. Publicly available data indicates that the jet lost roughly half of its altitude in less than two minutes during the most violent portion of the emergency.

The aircraft initially transmitted the emergency squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, and subsequently transmitted 7500 — the international transponder code indicating unlawful interference with an aircraft.

The plane briefly entered Jordanian airspace before turning back toward Saudi Arabia, where it ultimately landed safely in Tabuk after passengers and other crew members managed to overpower the alleged attacker.

Israel is now examining whether the location of the aircraft when the alleged takeover began was coincidental or whether it was itself part of the plan.

One scenario under investigation is that the co-pilot intended to gain control of the aircraft while it was over or near Jordan and then rapidly turn toward Israel, leaving Israeli authorities only a very short period to react before the aircraft could reach Israeli territory.

Officials have stressed that this remains an investigative theory and has not been established as the attacker’s actual plan. The motive for the cockpit attack has also not yet been officially determined, and investigators are examining whether the co-pilot acted alone or had assistance or direction from others.

The exact weapon used in the attack also remains unclear. Israeli reports have variously described it as a knife or a small ax, and investigators are expected to focus heavily on how any weapon capable of inflicting the captain’s injuries could have reached the cockpit.

That question is where Zini’s earlier concerns about airport security in the UAE could become particularly significant.

Although the incident occurred aboard a foreign airline and the alleged attacker was himself a member of the flight crew, Segal reported that Israeli aviation security procedures might have provided another layer of protection capable of detecting or preventing such an attack, particularly if investigators determine that the weapon was brought aboard before departure from Dubai.

Israel’s aviation-security system subjects flights and personnel to measures that go beyond the standard screening procedures used at many international airports. The flydubai incident is now expected to trigger a broader examination of the threat posed by insiders with authorized access to aircraft.

The security concerns raised before Wednesday’s attack reportedly did not center specifically on a rogue pilot attempting to seize his own aircraft. Instead, Israeli intelligence had been dealing with a sharp increase in general warnings about possible attacks, including concerns about an assault at an airport or missile fire targeting aviation.

According to Segal, a scenario in which a member of a flight crew would attack another pilot and attempt to use the aircraft itself as a weapon had not previously emerged in the discussions or threat scenarios known to him.

Wednesday’s incident has now placed that possibility squarely on the table.

Israeli fighter jets were scrambled during the emergency as authorities initially confronted the possibility that the Israel-bound aircraft had been hijacked. The plane ultimately turned toward Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely and the alleged attacker was taken into Saudi custody.

Nearly all of the roughly 170 passengers aboard were Israeli. Passengers and crew members who gained access to the cockpit subdued the co-pilot, while additional flydubai pilots who happened to be traveling aboard the aircraft subsequently helped bring the situation under control.

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has officially described what occurred aboard FZ1073 as a “security incident” and confirmed that crew members were injured and taken to a Saudi hospital. Emirati authorities said an investigation is underway into both the operational and security circumstances surrounding the incident.

Flydubai has likewise said that the motive and underlying circumstances remain under formal investigation and has cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigators establish the facts.

The incident is also highlighting the unusual division of responsibilities surrounding flights between Israel and foreign countries. Israel’s Transportation Ministry oversees regulatory aspects involving foreign airlines operating to and from Israel, while the Shin Bet is responsible for security surrounding Israeli airlines and their flights. The Mossad handles the broader effort to prevent international terrorist threats outside Israel.

That division helps explain why Zini’s warnings did not result in flydubai being barred from operating the Dubai-Israel route: his concerns had directly affected Israeli carriers whose security falls under the Shin Bet’s responsibility, while flydubai is a foreign airline operating under a different security framework.

The attack is now expected to force Israeli authorities to reassess that framework as well, including the screening of foreign flight crews, the security arrangements at airports serving Israel-bound flights and the possibility that someone with legitimate cockpit access could himself pose the threat.

The most ominous question remains what the alleged attacker intended to do had the passengers and crew not stopped him. Israeli investigators are now trying to determine whether the terrifying plunge aboard FZ1073 was simply an attempt to bring down the aircraft wherever it happened to be — or whether the jet’s proximity to Jordan and Israel was part of a far more calculated plan.

{Matzav.com}

Saudi Arabia provided food, medical assistance and reportedly warm treatment to the Israeli passengers stranded in Tabuk following the dramatic flydubai cockpit attack, but drew a firm line at allowing Israeli military aircraft to land on Saudi soil to bring them home.

Behind the scenes, the Mossad maintained continuous contact with Saudi authorities as Israel worked to evacuate the passengers of flydubai Flight FZ1073, which made an emergency landing in Tabuk after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to bring down the aircraft.

Nearly 180 passengers, most of them Israelis, suddenly found themselves inside a country that has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Despite the unusual circumstances, the Saudis received the passengers, provided them with food and arranged medical treatment for those who required it.

Israel initially sought permission to dispatch Israeli Air Force Hercules transport planes to Tabuk to retrieve the passengers. Riyadh, however, refused to permit the military aircraft to land, reportedly concerned that photographs of Israeli Air Force planes sitting openly at a Saudi airport would be viewed as a highly public demonstration of normalization between the two countries.

Israeli officials then explored another possibility: sending an unmarked Israeli civilian aircraft instead of a military plane.

According to Ynet, the Mossad came close to securing Saudi approval for a so-called “white plane” — an Israeli civilian aircraft without conspicuous identifying markings — that could have flown into Tabuk and brought the stranded Israelis home without the political symbolism of an Israeli military aircraft landing in the kingdom.

That plan ultimately became unnecessary after the passengers agreed to board a replacement aircraft dispatched by flydubai. Some passengers had initially resisted getting back onto another plane belonging to the same airline after the terrifying ordeal they had just survived and hoped that an Israeli aircraft would instead come for them.

After discussions at the airport, the passengers eventually boarded the flydubai rescue flight, which departed Tabuk and landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport later Wednesday.

An Israeli official said the Saudi reluctance to allow an identifiable Israeli aircraft onto its soil reflected the delicate reality of the relationship between Yerushalayim and Riyadh. The two countries cooperate on a range of regional security matters but still lack formal diplomatic relations, and Saudi leaders remain highly sensitive to domestic and regional reaction to visible signs of cooperation with Israel.

“The kingdom is now benefiting from a security connection, thereby paying no price and only gaining,” the senior official said, adding that Israel should find ways to translate the growing behind-the-scenes relationship into diplomatic gains as well.

The circumstances surrounding the emergency landing are themselves being viewed by Israeli officials as another unusual chapter in the steadily developing, though still unofficial, relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The alleged attack aboard FZ1073 was not directed at Saudi Arabia. The flight was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv and was near the Saudi-Jordanian border when the cockpit crisis erupted. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft transmitting a general emergency code and later the 7500 transponder code signaling unlawful interference before turning toward Tabuk.

Saudi air traffic authorities cleared the aircraft for an emergency landing, and Saudi security and medical personnel were waiting when it arrived. The wounded captain, Smit Machchhar, was taken for medical treatment, while the co-pilot accused of attacking him was detained by Saudi authorities for questioning.

Israeli officials have expressed appreciation for the way Saudi Arabia handled both the aircraft and its Israeli passengers, particularly given the absence of diplomatic relations between the countries.

The episode follows other instances of quiet Saudi assistance to Israeli aviation. Since the October 7 massacre and the upheaval that followed across the region, Saudi Arabia has permitted flydubai aircraft traveling to and from Israel to use Saudi airspace, providing an important corridor for the Emirati carrier.

At the same time, security cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia against common regional threats has reportedly continued to deepen away from public view.

That cooperation has recently included the threat posed by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, whose missiles and drones have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.

Despite recent complications in the regional diplomatic picture following Saudi Arabia’s defense arrangements with Turkey and Pakistan, Riyadh reportedly approached Israel through the United States Central Command seeking Israeli intelligence assistance against the Houthis.

Israeli assessments indicate that Yerushalayim responded positively to the Saudi request, reflecting the overlapping security interests of the two countries despite their lack of formal relations.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have also recently moved to deepen their own military coordination under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, with senior military officials discussing greater intelligence sharing and joint efforts to confront regional threats, including Houthi attacks.

The extraordinary events in Tabuk therefore exposed both sides of the complicated Israeli-Saudi relationship: Saudi authorities were willing to accept an Israel-bound aircraft in distress, care for nearly 180 mostly Israeli passengers, detain and investigate the suspected attacker and cooperate with Israeli officials behind the scenes — while still refusing to allow the highly visible sight of Israeli military aircraft landing on Saudi soil.

{Matzav.com}

Aviation and security experts examining the extraordinary ordeal aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073 say the safe outcome bordered on miraculous, as a commercial jet carrying 174 people survived a violent cockpit attack, an extraordinarily rapid loss of altitude and a desperate struggle for control before ultimately landing safely in Saudi Arabia.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv Wednesday when the crisis erupted at cruising altitude. Israeli officials say the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit, stabbing him and apparently attempting to bring down the aircraft. Flydubai has confirmed that an “altercation” occurred on the flight deck but says the motive remains under formal investigation.

What followed was an almost unimaginable convergence of circumstances that aviation specialists say prevented the episode from ending catastrophically: the wounded captain was apparently able to release the cockpit door, passengers and crew managed to reach the flight deck, an Israeli passenger physically subdued the alleged attacker, and additional flydubai pilots happened to be aboard the aircraft and were able to assume control.

Flight-tracking data underscored just how close the aircraft came to disaster. The jet was cruising at approximately 34,000 feet when it suddenly plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds, according to Reuters. Other tracking measurements covering a somewhat longer interval showed the aircraft falling from approximately 34,000 feet to around 17,000 feet.

The aircraft transmitted emergency transponder signals during the crisis, including the 7500 code associated with unlawful interference or hijacking. Israel scrambled fighter aircraft as authorities attempted to determine what was unfolding aboard the Tel Aviv-bound jet.

Passengers described being thrown around as the aircraft descended violently, with some convinced that they were experiencing their final moments. Chaim Nazarovitz said that for a moment he felt as though he was “not among the living,” while passenger Naama Bershadski recalled closing her eyes, praying and thinking, “We’re going to die.”

Yet even as the aircraft was dropping, a series of extraordinary developments was unfolding at the front of the cabin.

Yaniv Hayoun, an Israeli plumber seated near the front of the aircraft, rushed toward the cockpit with others after passengers became aware that a pilot had been stabbed. According to Hayoun, the wounded captain was on the other side of the cockpit door and had apparently managed to activate the release that allowed the passengers to get inside.

Hayoun and others then fought with the alleged attacker and dragged him away from the aircraft’s controls. With the jet still descending, Hayoun grabbed the controls himself and pulled back on them, relying on what he remembered from watching the aviation-disaster television program “Mayday,” also known as “Air Crash Investigation.”

When Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu later asked Hayoun whether he knew what he was doing, the blood-covered passenger gave an extraordinary answer: “I watch Air Crash Investigation, Mr Prime Minister.”

That intervention bought critical time until qualified pilots could take over.

In another remarkable circumstance, two additional flydubai pilots were traveling aboard FZ1073. Airlines routinely transport flight crews as passengers when they need to reposition personnel, but their presence on this particular flight meant that trained pilots were immediately available after the cockpit attack. Flydubai said on-duty crew traveling aboard the aircraft ultimately secured the jet, diverted it and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Aviation experts say the episode also illustrates an unusual vulnerability created by the very security measures designed to protect modern commercial aircraft. Since the September 11 attacks, cockpit doors have been heavily reinforced to prevent hijackers from gaining access to pilots. In this case, however, the alleged threat originated inside the protected cockpit itself.

Stanislav Bukhman, head of risk at aviation-security firm Osprey Flight Solutions, said investigators will likely scrutinize several areas, including pilot vetting, crew screening and exactly how access to the cockpit was obtained during the emergency.

Cabin crews have emergency procedures that can permit access when pilots are incapacitated, although pilots who remain conscious normally retain the ability to deny such an entry request.

“This exists for situations where the pilots are incapacitated. There is a safeguard built in, though. If the pilots are conscious and operating normally, they can deny that request and keep the door locked. This is designed to protect the flight deck in a hijacking or hostage situation,” Bukhman explained.

“At this stage there isn’t enough information to say how the flight deck on FZ 1073 was accessed. The door may have been opened by the captain, who reportedly resisted the co-pilot’s attempt to take control, or by cabin crew using the emergency procedure.”

Investigators are also expected to focus intensely on one of the most troubling unanswered questions: how a knife or other bladed weapon apparently reached the cockpit of an Israel-bound commercial aircraft in the first place. Pilots and other crew members normally undergo airport security screening, and airlines also conduct employment, medical and background vetting of flight crews.

The incident is particularly striking because aviation security systems have spent decades concentrating on preventing outsiders from taking control of an aircraft. The FZ1073 episode appears to present the much more difficult scenario of a person authorized to sit at the controls allegedly becoming the threat himself.

There have been rare but devastating precedents involving pilots deliberately bringing down commercial aircraft. In 2015, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 locked the captain outside the cockpit and deliberately flew the Airbus A320 into the French Alps, killing all 150 people aboard. The circumstances of the flydubai incident remain under investigation and should not be assumed to be the same, but the Germanwings disaster illustrates why an internal cockpit threat is especially difficult to stop.

In the case of FZ1073, the outcome was dramatically different because people outside the cockpit were able to intervene and trained replacement pilots were available aboard the aircraft.

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the flight suffered a security incident requiring an emergency diversion to Tabuk and that crew members were injured and taken to a Saudi hospital. Emirati authorities said investigators are examining both operational and security aspects of the incident and cautioned against reaching conclusions before the investigation is complete.

The alleged attacker was taken into Saudi custody. Authorities have not publicly established his motive, and flydubai has specifically cautioned that the reasons behind the cockpit incident remain unknown pending the investigation.

President Isaac Herzog described the survival of those aboard as a “great miracle,” while Netanyahu praised the passengers who intervened as heroes who prevented what he said could have been a major disaster.

For the passengers themselves, the description was even simpler.

After finally reaching Israel, passenger Lital Shachaf summed up the ordeal: “I just can say that it was a miracle.”

“It was awful, crazy, and we thank God that we survived it. We didn’t think we will make it but thank God we are in Israel.”

{Matzav.com}