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A senior Iranian security official lashed out at President Donald Trump on Friday, mocking his repeated declarations that the United States is winning its war against Iran as Washington weighs whether to resume major strikes against Tehran amid stalled negotiations.

Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime senior figure in the Islamic Republic’s security establishment, launched the broadside in a social-media post responding to Trump’s increasingly forceful predictions that Iran is nearing defeat.

Rezaei described Trump as “the worst president in American history” and said his rhetoric had “outrun his own fantasies.”

“You can win every day in your own imagination. But reality is shaped by Iran – by its people, its soldiers, and its missiles,” he wrote.

The attack came just days after Rezaei accused Trump of being trapped between continuing the war and reaching a negotiated settlement. Earlier in the week, the Iranian official claimed that Trump could neither negotiate nor fight his way out of the conflict, as Tehran sought to portray Washington as increasingly desperate for an exit.

Trump, however, has been delivering a very different message. Speaking Thursday in Denton, Texas, the president said Iran is “ready to fold up” and predicted that the United States could bring the conflict to a successful conclusion around the November midterm elections.

“We have a war going on with a country that will never have a nuclear weapon and is ready to fold up. We’ll win very easily right now. I believe right after the election we’ll win, but maybe before the election.”

Trump again pointed to Iran’s nuclear program as a central justification for the military campaign, saying Tehran had been “three to four weeks away, maybe sooner” from obtaining a nuclear weapon when the war erupted at the end of February.

“And if they have a nuclear weapon, the whole game is over..”

The president has also made clear that he considers renewed military action an option if Tehran does not accept an agreement Washington considers satisfactory. The administration is simultaneously pursuing negotiations through intermediaries while preparing military options should those efforts fail.

Trump said the confrontation would end “one way or the other…either they’ll do something very proper and smart or they won’t be around very long, which is, you know, frankly, I hate to see that, but they won’t be around very long.”

His warnings have coincided with preparations for a substantial reinforcement of American military power in the Middle East. Thousands of additional U.S. troops and naval assets are being moved toward the region as the administration considers its next steps against Iran.

The increasingly sharp rhetoric comes as diplomatic efforts remain deadlocked. Iran submitted a proposal last week under which the United States would lift its blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. Qatar has been serving as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.

Trump publicly said he had rejected the Iranian proposal, although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi initially maintained that Tehran had not received a formal rejection. Iranian officials subsequently announced that an official American response had been delivered through the Qatari channel.

An official briefed on the negotiations said the two sides largely agree on some of the steps that would be required for an agreement but remain at odds over the order in which those steps would occur. The dispute includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of American restrictions and the broader terms of a renewed ceasefire.

Trump said Wednesday that Washington was nearing the point at which it would have to choose between reaching an agreement and using additional military force against Iran.

Asked in the Oval Office how an agreement could be reached with Iranian leaders whom he has repeatedly called “crazy,” Trump said, “Maybe you blow them up. Maybe you blow them up. We have to make that decision. We blow them up, make a deal. But the time is coming. It’s going to end very soon, one way or the other. ”

Trump sharpened the warning again Thursday, saying Iran faced an increasingly stark choice over whether to accept American terms. “They’ll either sign a very fair deal, or they won’t exist any longer.”

Rezaei’s attack on Trump reflects Tehran’s effort to counter the president’s assertions that Iran has been weakened to the point of capitulation. Iranian officials have instead insisted that their military remains capable of striking American and allied targets and disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The confrontation has now entered its eighth month, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining one of the central points of contention. Shipping through the strategically vital waterway has increased in recent weeks but remains substantially disrupted, while the continuing danger to vessels has driven up costs and complicated global energy supplies.

Against that backdrop, the latest exchange between Trump and Rezaei underscored how far apart Washington and Tehran remain: Trump says Iran is approaching the point of surrender, while one of Tehran’s most senior security officials insists that any American victory exists only in the president’s imagination.

{Matzav.com}

The IDF and British broadcaster Piers Morgan became embroiled in a fiery public confrontation on X after the Israeli military released findings claiming that 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza and widely described as journalists or media workers were also members of terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The online battle erupted as the IDF began publicizing what it described as the results of an extensive investigation into Gazans whose deaths have been included in international counts of journalists killed during the war. The military says its newly released material demonstrates that a substantial number simultaneously served in terrorist organizations.

Ahead of releasing the findings Thursday, the IDF posted a video highlighting prominent commentators who have accused Israel of killing journalists in Gaza. Among those featured was Morgan, who is shown saying: “The IDF has killed over 200 Palestinian journalists and tries to pretend they’re all Hamas.”

The video also featured clips of Hasan Piker, Mehdi Hasan and Owen Jones making allegations about Israel’s treatment of journalists during the Gaza war.

The IDF’s video then teased the release of its evidence with the message: “For almost 3 years you’ve heard the accusations and fake news. Soon we will expose the truth.”

The military accompanied the video with another message challenging the narrative that has dominated much international coverage of journalist casualties in Gaza.

“The headlines told you one story, the evidence tells another. Stay tuned, soon we’ll reveal it all…”

The IDF tagged Morgan, Piker, Hasan and Jones directly before adding a pointed question: “This you?”

Morgan quickly fired back, saying he was unwilling to accept the Israeli military’s findings at face value and pointing to Israel’s restrictions on independent foreign journalists entering Gaza during the war.

“Forgive me, I don’t trust you guys to be entirely truthful given your ongoing ban on international journalists reporting freely in Gaza. Let them in, and then we can discover the real facts about what you have done there.”

The IDF responded with an unusually combative message from its official account, accusing Morgan of avoiding the evidence after having made sweeping accusations against Israel.

“Spread lies, get called out, and then try to change the topic. Quite the journalist you are. How about you take a look at the evidence, then get back to us?”

The exchange rapidly spread across X, drawing widespread attention as supporters and critics of Israel weighed in on both the IDF’s findings and Morgan’s response.

Behind the social-media fireworks was a much larger IDF disclosure. The military said that after a lengthy intelligence review, it identified 170 Gazans who had been presented internationally as journalists or media personnel but who, according to Israeli intelligence, were also members of terrorist organizations.

The IDF said its evidence includes internal documents produced by the terrorist organizations themselves, records recovered by Israeli troops inside Gaza, photographs and other intelligence material. The military has created a dedicated database displaying names, photographs, organizational affiliations, positions and evidence it says can be publicly disclosed.

Additional details released with the findings indicate that 118 of the 170 individuals were identified by the IDF as members of Hamas’s military wing, while 49 were identified as members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The remaining cases involved other terrorist affiliations.

Perhaps the most striking finding is the IDF’s assertion that 17 of the individuals on its list participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

Some of the individuals identified by the IDF had also done work for major international media organizations. Among the cases highlighted in the newly released database are Gazans who worked as photographers, freelancers, radio personnel or other media employees while allegedly maintaining parallel roles in Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

The IDF says the evidence directly challenges accusations that Israel has pursued a policy of intentionally targeting journalists. It maintains that membership in a media organization does not erase a person’s separate role in an armed terrorist organization and says its newly released documentation demonstrates that some of those counted internationally as journalists were simultaneously terrorist operatives.

At the same time, the IDF’s list does not establish that every Palestinian journalist killed during the war belonged to a terrorist organization, nor does it resolve the broader dispute over journalist deaths in Gaza. International press-freedom organizations have continued to accuse Israel of causing unprecedented losses among media workers and have demanded greater independent access to Gaza.

That broader dispute was precisely the point Morgan raised in his response. Rather than directly addressing the individual cases contained in the IDF database, he argued that international journalists should be permitted to enter Gaza freely so that outside media organizations can independently investigate events there.

The IDF, for its part, made clear that it viewed Morgan’s response as an attempt to shift away from his original assertion. Its message challenged him to examine the individual evidence the military had released before repeating claims about those killed.

The newly released IDF material is expected to intensify the international argument over how journalist casualty figures from Gaza are compiled, particularly in cases where individuals performed recognizable media work while allegedly also serving Hamas, Islamic Jihad or other armed groups.

For the moment, however, it was the unusually personal clash between one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters and the official account of the Israeli military that drew much of the attention — with Morgan saying he does not trust the IDF’s version of events and the IDF answering him with its blunt challenge: “Spread lies, get called out, and then try to change the topic. Quite the journalist you are. How about you take a look at the evidence, then get back to us?”

{Matzav.com}

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 reportedly faced another terrifying obstacle even after passengers had subdued the co-pilot accused of trying to crash the Israel-bound jet: the crippled aircraft’s initial requests for permission to make an emergency landing were rejected by both Saudi Arabia and Jordan despite a mayday call reporting an attempted hijacking and requesting ambulances on the ground.

The extraordinary account adds a new dimension to the ordeal aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, which plunged more than 16,000 feet after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit. With Machchhar badly wounded and passengers screaming in the cabin, reserve pilots aboard the aircraft took control and desperately searched for somewhere to land.

According to a person familiar with the air traffic control communications, a trembling voice from aboard FZ1073 contacted Saudi controllers and declared “Mayday,” reporting the attempted hijacking and advising authorities that ambulances would be needed when the aircraft landed.

The emergency transmission came after passengers had rushed the cockpit and helped overpower the co-pilot, who Israeli officials say deliberately tried to bring down the Boeing 737 MAX 8 as it traveled toward Tel Aviv.

Machchhar, an Indian national and veteran Flydubai captain, had suffered serious wounds to his head, arm and torso during the attack. Videos and photographs from aboard the aircraft showed blood throughout the cockpit area as passengers attempted to help the injured captain.

At the same time, the aircraft had undergone a horrifying series of altitude changes. Flight-tracking data shows that FZ1073 had been cruising at approximately 34,000 feet when it suddenly plunged to around 16,600 feet in little more than 30 seconds, followed by additional violent climbs and descents.

The aircraft also transmitted two internationally recognized emergency transponder codes during the crisis: 7700, indicating a general emergency, followed by 7500, the code used to signal unlawful interference or a hijacking.

The person who heard the communications said screams from passengers could be heard in the background of the mayday transmission while those aboard struggled to stabilize the aircraft.

Despite the reported plea for an immediate landing, Saudi controllers initially did not allow the aircraft to land and instead directed it toward Jordanian airspace, according to the account.

The reserve pilots who had taken control of the aircraft then sought authorization to land in Jordan. They were reportedly told that clearance from the Jordanian military would be required.

After waiting several minutes, however, the aircraft was reportedly denied permission to land there as well.

That left the pilots with no choice but to turn back toward Saudi Arabia and make another request for emergency landing clearance as the wounded captain required urgent medical treatment and the alleged attacker remained restrained aboard the aircraft.

On the second approach, Saudi authorities granted permission for FZ1073 to land at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk.

The aircraft touched down safely in Tabuk at approximately 9:45 a.m. local time, bringing an end to the airborne portion of an ordeal that had begun with what investigators now believe was a deliberate attack inside the cockpit.

Saudi Arabia has since issued its own official account of the emergency response. The Saudi Interior Ministry said authorities took the necessary measures after an emergency was declared aboard FZ1073 and granted the aircraft clearance to make an emergency landing in Tabuk.

The Saudi statement did not address the separate report that an earlier request to land had initially been denied, and no official explanation has been publicly provided for the reported first refusal or for the reported denial of landing clearance in Jordan.

Saudi authorities said 174 passengers and eight crew members were aboard the aircraft when it landed. Of the passengers, 166 were Israelis.

Once the plane was safely on the ground, Machchhar and the accused co-pilot were taken to a hospital for medical treatment. Saudi authorities subsequently said their preliminary investigation, conducted together with an Emirati security team, determined that the co-pilot had assaulted the captain and that both men suffered injuries.

Machchhar’s actions during the attack have since drawn widespread praise. Despite being seriously wounded, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and overpower the attacker.

Passengers then restrained the co-pilot while additional qualified pilots traveling aboard FZ1073 assumed control and worked to stabilize the aircraft.

The UAE has since characterized the incident as an act of terror, while investigators are examining whether the co-pilot acted alone, planned the attack in advance or was acting under the direction of another party.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Friday that investigators believe the co-pilot had undergone Islamist radicalization and intended to crash the aircraft with everyone aboard.

“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer. Yaniv and his brave friends averted another 9/11,” Netanyahu said. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization; he came to crash the plane with everyone inside. We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”

The co-pilot, an Omani national whose identity has not been publicly released, was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi, where UAE authorities are leading the investigation into his motive and any possible outside connections.

Machchhar was also transferred to Abu Dhabi after being medically cleared to travel and is continuing his recovery there. Indian officials have said he is in stable condition and recovering well from his injuries.

Saudi authorities said all passengers and crew received assistance following the emergency landing. At approximately 5:40 p.m., the passengers continued their journey aboard a replacement Flydubai aircraft, while the original crew returned separately to Dubai.

Some passengers were initially reluctant to board another Flydubai aircraft after what they had just endured, but they eventually continued their journey and arrived safely at Ben Gurion Airport hours after the attempted attack.

The latest disclosures mean the passengers of FZ1073 apparently faced two distinct crises in succession: first surviving an alleged attempt by a member of the flight crew to bring down their aircraft, and then, according to the reported air traffic control account, confronting uncertainty over where the damaged plane would be permitted to make its emergency landing.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Friday that investigators are increasingly convinced that the Flydubai co-pilot intended to deliberately crash Flight FZ1073 with everyone aboard, while authorities are now trying to determine whether the alleged terrorist acted on instructions from someone else.

Netanyahu’s latest remarks represent his strongest statement yet regarding the suspected motive behind Wednesday’s terrifying attack aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight. He said the investigation has found evidence of Islamist radicalization and warned that if another party dispatched the attacker, those responsible would face severe consequences.

“As time passes, the picture becomes clearer. Yaniv and his brave friends averted another 9/11,” Netanyahu said. “The attacker underwent Islamist radicalization; he came to crash the plane with everyone inside. We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”

Netanyahu was referring to Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayun and the other passengers and crew members who rushed into the cockpit after the wounded captain, Smit Machchhar, managed to open the cockpit door. Hayun helped wrest the attacker away from the controls as the Boeing 737 was rapidly losing altitude, while other passengers subdued him and additional pilots aboard the flight ultimately took control of the aircraft.

The prime minister’s emphasis on whether the attacker “was sent” comes as investigators in the United Arab Emirates examine whether the incident involved advance planning, terrorist motives or outside direction. The accused co-pilot, an Omani national whose name has not been publicly released, has been transferred from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi and is now in UAE custody.

No evidence has yet been publicly released establishing that a government, terrorist organization or other outside party directed the attack. Netanyahu has previously said that investigators were examining the possibility of Iranian involvement but had not established such a connection.

The investigation took another significant turn Friday when senior UAE official Anwar Gargash publicly characterized the incident as terrorism, marking one of the clearest descriptions of the attack to date from an Emirati official.

Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, referred to the attempted downing of the aircraft as “an act of terror” while praising Machchhar for his actions during the crisis.

“The FlyDubai pilot deserves full credit,” Gargash wrote. “In the face of a dangerous act of terror and a potential disaster, he embodied the true meaning of courage and responsibility. The professionalism and moral integrity he demonstrated in the most challenging circumstances make him a real hero.”

Gargash nevertheless cautioned against jumping from the emerging evidence to conclusions about who may have been behind the attack.

He added a note of caution, writing: “Without endorsing interpretations or promoting conspiracy theories, alertness and caution remain essential in dealing with the dangers of extremism and terror.”

Machchhar, meanwhile, spoke publicly Friday for the first time about the extraordinary battle inside the cockpit, recounting the ordeal during an emotional video conversation from his Abu Dhabi hospital bed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The veteran Indian pilot, who has approximately 17 years of aviation experience and has served as a captain for roughly 11 years, described realizing from the movement of the aircraft that it was plunging while he lay badly wounded on the cockpit floor.

Machchhar said that despite his injuries, he understood that reaching and opening the cockpit door represented his last opportunity to save the aircraft. Once he succeeded, passengers were able to enter the cockpit and confront the attacker.

He explained that he was fighting for his own survival while simultaneously realizing that the lives of everyone aboard depended on him getting the door open.

The captain suffered multiple wounds to his head and hands during the attack. Images from his conversation with Modi showed him in a hospital bed with visible bandaging as he described the ordeal.

Machchhar also revealed that he drew strength from his religious faith during the attack, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn, as he fought to remain conscious and respond to the unfolding emergency.

Modi praised the captain’s courage, composure and presence of mind, telling him that India was praying for his recovery and expressing pride in the actions that helped save the aircraft and its passengers.

Flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai for Tel Aviv Wednesday with 174 people aboard when the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar and attempted to force the aircraft downward. Flight-tracking data showed the plane losing roughly 14,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute during the most dramatic portion of the emergency.

The aircraft transmitted emergency signals, including a code associated with unlawful interference, as the crisis unfolded in the cockpit.

After Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, Hayun and others rushed forward. The attacker was pulled away from the controls and eventually restrained, while qualified pilots who happened to be traveling aboard the flight helped stabilize the aircraft and divert it to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu subsequently met Hayun after his return to Israel and praised his actions, telling him that without his intervention the incident could have ended in a catastrophe resembling the September 11 attacks.

Saudi authorities conducted the initial investigation after the emergency landing and later transferred both Machchhar and the accused co-pilot to Abu Dhabi. Machchhar is continuing to recover in a UAE hospital, while the suspect is being held as Emirati authorities investigate his background and motive.

The UAE Attorney General has established a specialized prosecutorial team to investigate the case, including whether the attack was connected to terrorism and whether it involved prior planning or direction by others.

Investigators are expected to scrutinize the co-pilot’s communications, contacts and activities before the flight as they seek to determine how and when he was allegedly radicalized and whether anyone else knew of or participated in the plan.

For Netanyahu, that unanswered question has now moved to the center of the investigation: authorities believe they increasingly understand what the attacker intended to do aboard FZ1073, but they are still trying to establish whether the plan began and ended with the man inside the cockpit — or whether someone else sent him.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, issued an emotional Simchas Torah message Friday from the hospital bedside of his son Neriyah, who remains on life support after suffering a severe brain injury in a terrorist ramming attack last week, thanking Jews around the world for their tefillos while delivering a broader message about terrorism, Jewish survival and the enduring light of Klal Yisroel.

Neriyah, an IDF reservist, was critically wounded on September 23 when a Palestinian terrorist rammed him with a vehicle near the Maccabim checkpoint on Route 443. He was rushed unconscious to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim, where he underwent hours of emergency brain surgery. Doctors succeeded in stabilizing him, but his condition remained extremely serious and his life remained in danger.

More than a week later, Neriyah remains on life support. From beside his son ahead of Simchas Torah, Leiter described the gratitude he and his family feel for the extraordinary outpouring of tefillos and support they have received.

“As I sit here at my son Neriyah’s bedside, I am thinking about what the most appropriate message would be as we enter the Simchat Torah holiday. Neriyah is still on life support and my first thought is one of immense gratitude for the support and all the prayers on his behalf. Your prayers have given my family and me tremendous strength in the knowledge that prayers matter. Prime Minister Netanyahu visited us in the hospital today to share a much-needed sense of comfort and support.”

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu visited the Leiter family at Shaare Zedek on Friday, continuing his personal contact with the family since the attack. Netanyahu had also visited the hospital shortly after Neriyah was wounded, before departing for the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Leiter then turned from his son’s personal battle for survival to what he described as the ideology behind a series of deadly and attempted terrorist attacks against Israelis, connecting the October 7 massacre with the recent murder of Netanel Shakron, the attack on Neriyah and the attempted downing of a Flydubai passenger jet bound for Tel Aviv.

“My second thought is of the importance of reminding ourselves, and anyone still willing to listen, that the October 7 attack on Simchat Torah three years ago was cultivated in an ideology that believes killing Jews is admirable and that there is no place for an Israel, any Israel. It is the same ideology that murdered Nathaniel Shukrun just before Yom Kippur, tried to murder my second son right after Yom Kippur, and tried to crash a passenger jet on its way to Tel Aviv two days before the anniversary of Israel’s own September 11. Until we defeat this ideology, we are all like Neriyah, on life support.”

Shakron, a father of six from Alei Zahav, was murdered on Erev Yom Kippur when a terrorist opened fire near the Ein Raya spring in the Binyamin region, where Shakron had gone with his teenage son to immerse before Yom Kippur. His son survived the attack.

Leiter’s reference to the passenger jet concerned the attempted attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073, the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight on which the co-pilot allegedly attacked and wounded the captain inside the cockpit. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are investigating whether the incident involved terrorism, advance planning or outside direction.

The ambassador’s third reflection focused on what he described as the often-misunderstood resilience of the Jewish people. He explained that Neriyah’s very name embodies the concept of carrying light forward, tying his son’s name to the Torah’s description of Aharon Hakohen kindling the Menorah.

“And thought #3: People don’t understand Israeli resilience. Neriyah is Hebrew for “G-d’s candle.” We gave him that name because he was born just before the Sabbath when the Biblical portion that begins with Numbers 8:2 is read in synagogues. In the verse, G-d instructs Moses to tell Aharon to set up seven lamps in a way that they face forward and give light in front of the Temple’s golden lamp stand. Aaron’s merit in this task was greater than all the other leaders who participated in the consecration of the holy Temple. Greater why? Because the consecration was a one-time occurrence, while illuminating the Temple, Jerusalem, was a permanent and ongoing duty.”

The imagery of a permanent flame carries particular meaning for the Leiter family, which has already endured the loss of another son in the war that followed October 7.

Neriyah’s older brother, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, was killed in battle in northern Gaza on November 10, 2023. Moshe, 39, was a company commander in Battalion 697 of the IDF’s 551st Brigade and had previously served in the elite Shaldag unit. A father of six, he had completed medical studies and was preparing to begin hospital training when the war erupted.

After Moshe’s death, Neriyah continued serving extensively in the reserves. Leiter has previously said that his son performed hundreds of days of reserve duty on various fronts following October 7. Family members have described Neriyah as the son who worked to hold everyone together after Moshe was killed.

From his son’s hospital bedside, Leiter invoked Mark Twain’s famous reflections on the extraordinary endurance of the Jewish people through thousands of years of persecution, exile and the rise and fall of civilizations.

“History has proven the light’s eternity. Mark Twain perhaps put it best: “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

With Neriyah still fighting for his life as Yom Tov approached, Leiter concluded with a direct plea that the tefillos on his son’s behalf continue — and with the hope that by next Simchas Torah, Neriyah will once again be able to celebrate together with his family.

“Please continue to pray for Neriyah’s recovery, perhaps next Simchas Torah he will be able to rejoice together with his darling wife and children.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli airlines have received approval to begin repatriation flights from Dubai following intensive overnight negotiations with the United Arab Emirates, clearing the way for Israelis stranded by the suspension of Flydubai service to begin returning home. The breakthrough came after hours of uncertainty over Emirati landing permits, although security arrangements continued to cause delays Friday and forced El Al to cancel its first two planned rescue flights.

The emergency airlift was organized after Flydubai suspended its Israel service in the wake of Wednesday’s dramatic incident aboard Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, when an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to bring down the aircraft. The suspension disrupted travel for Israelis in the UAE as well as passengers returning from destinations across Asia and elsewhere through Dubai.

The effort to restore flights ran into a last-minute crisis when the UAE reconsidered authorization for Israeli carriers to operate the special flights. Overnight negotiations involving the Shin Bet, Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, the Transportation Ministry and Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Yossi Shelley were held in an effort to resolve the dispute.

By Friday morning, the Transportation Ministry announced that an understanding had been reached.

“it was agreed that flights operated by Israeli airlines from Dubai to Israel would begin on Friday.”

Even with the diplomatic hurdle cleared, however, the ministry warned that the flights could not immediately begin operating on their original schedules because security arrangements still had to be finalized.

“Due to the need to complete the necessary preparations and coordination with security authorities for the operation of the flights, a delay is expected in the departure of repatriation flights from Dubai.”

The confusion was immediately evident in El Al’s schedule. The airline canceled two rescue flights that had been planned for Friday after its landing authorization was withdrawn. The aircraft had been scheduled to fly empty from Tel Aviv to Dubai and return with stranded passengers, with departures from Dubai originally planned for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time.

El Al said it remained prepared to operate the flights once the required authorization was in place. With Shabbos approaching, however, the window for operating the originally planned Friday flights had effectively closed.

The airline is currently scheduled to operate additional Dubai flights on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week, with the available seats already booked.

Demand was overwhelming as soon as El Al opened reservations. The airline said the tickets it placed on its website Thursday night sold out within five minutes. El Al priced its one-way Lite fare from Dubai to Tel Aviv at $249.

Arkia, meanwhile, said it had secured the necessary authorization and was moving ahead with its own rescue operation. The airline has been preparing to send empty aircraft to Dubai and return them to Israel carrying stranded passengers.

“Following extensive discussions and intensive efforts by all parties involved, Arkia has received the necessary approvals to operate flights from Dubai and will operate one flight today and another tomorrow,” the airline stated.

Arkia, which operates on Shabbos, opened ticket sales for the special flights, with fares beginning at $279 per passenger. The airline said it was also working to add more flights during the weekend.

It added: “At the same time, at the request of Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the company is working to operate three additional flights over the weekend, beyond those already scheduled, and is doing everything possible to make them happen.”

Under Arkia’s original schedule, its first rescue flight was due to leave Dubai at 7:10 p.m. local time Friday, while its final scheduled flight was set for Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. The airline cautioned that those times could still change depending on instructions from security and aviation authorities.

Israir is also joining the effort. The carrier has received Dubai airport approval for a rescue flight, although it held off selling tickets until all necessary authorizations were secured. A second rescue flight was also being prepared for later in the operation.

Israir initially planned two Friday flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, with one-way fares of $299. Unlike Arkia and El Al, however, the airline decided not to immediately place the tickets on sale because of uncertainty surrounding the allocation of airport slots.

“Israir preferred to wait because the slot allocation process [the assignment of specific time windows for aircraft takeoffs and landings at airports] raised concerns, and the company’s management decided to hold off rather than open the flights for sale,” the airline stated.

Earlier, the company clarified: “Once there is certainty, the flights will go on sale.”

The latest plans call for Arkia and Israir to operate a combined five repatriation flights from the UAE on Shabbos, while El Al is expected to resume its own rescue operation afterward.

Israir is simultaneously preparing for the eventual restoration of regular service between Tel Aviv and Dubai in both directions. Its plans envision eight to ten weekly flights once all security and regulatory approvals are obtained.

The number of Israelis affected extends well beyond those physically stranded in Dubai. Finance Ministry estimates have put the number of Israelis seeking routes home at approximately 10,000 when travelers stranded farther east, including in Thailand and India, are included. Many had been relying on Dubai as their connecting point to Israel.

Other estimates place the number immediately stranded in the UAE itself at roughly 1,700 to 1,800, with the figure capable of growing rapidly for every day that Flydubai’s Israel service remains suspended.

Dubai had become one of the most important international gateways for Israeli travelers following the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE in 2020. Flydubai had been operating as many as eight to ten daily flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai, while its partnership with Emirates allowed Israeli passengers to connect through Dubai to destinations throughout Asia, Africa and elsewhere.

Israeli officials have also asked Etihad Airways to increase service between Abu Dhabi and Ben Gurion Airport in an effort to provide another route home while Flydubai’s Tel Aviv operation remains suspended.

The government has moved to help finance the extraordinary rescue operation as well. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich instructed ministry officials to provide the Transportation Ministry with the funding necessary for the flights, while the government agreed to compensate Israeli carriers for flying aircraft from Israel to Dubai without passengers before returning with stranded Israelis.

Passengers who secure seats on the rescue flights will face unusually strict baggage restrictions. Travelers will be allowed to board with only a small personal bag. Carry-on suitcases will not be permitted in the cabin, while regular checked luggage is to be transported separately to Israel aboard cargo flights and delivered to passengers afterward. The restrictions also apply to Arkia’s rescue operation.

The Transportation Ministry has urged Israelis remaining in Dubai to stay in direct contact with their airlines because schedules remain subject to rapid changes as security officials and aviation authorities finalize the arrangements.

{Matzav.com}

The investigation into the attempted downing of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 has entered a major new phase, with Saudi Arabia transferring the accused co-pilot to the United Arab Emirates and Emirati prosecutors formally examining whether the attack was connected to terrorism, planned in advance or carried out at the direction of others.

The development marks a significant expansion of the investigation into Wednesday’s extraordinary incident aboard the Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight, in which the co-pilot allegedly attacked and seriously wounded Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit as the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged thousands of feet before passengers and crew members intervened.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has ordered the formation of a specialized team of public prosecutors to investigate the incident. The team has begun working with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies to collect evidence, establish exactly what happened aboard the aircraft and determine the attacker’s motive.

Crucially, investigators have been instructed to determine whether the incident was connected to any terrorist activity or intent and whether it involved prior planning or direction.

That opens several major lines of inquiry, including whether the co-pilot acted spontaneously, planned the attack himself before boarding the aircraft, or was encouraged, assisted or directed by another person or organization.

No outside organization or government has been publicly tied to the attack by investigators, and Emirati authorities have cautioned against drawing conclusions before the investigation is completed.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has now released its preliminary findings from the investigation conducted immediately after the aircraft made its emergency landing in Tabuk.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said its initial investigation, conducted with the participation of a UAE security team, determined that the co-pilot assaulted the captain, leaving both men injured. Saudi authorities did not announce a motive or conclude that the assault was an act of terrorism.

After both men received treatment in Saudi Arabia and were medically cleared to travel, the captain and accused co-pilot were transferred Thursday morning to Abu Dhabi accompanied by the Emirati security team.

The transfer places the suspected attacker directly in the hands of UAE authorities as they pursue the criminal investigation into the incident.

Israel is also seeking a role in determining what motivated the attack, with Israeli officials saying they intend to obtain as much information as possible about the co-pilot’s background and conduct before the flight.

Israeli officials have gone considerably further than Saudi and Emirati authorities in describing what they believe happened.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Thursday that information obtained about the co-pilot indicated that he had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination.” Netanyahu also said the suspect appeared to have been suicidal and that the available evidence pointed toward an attempt to bring down the aircraft.

At the same time, Netanyahu acknowledged that investigators had not yet established whether the co-pilot was connected to Iran or another outside actor.

The co-pilot’s name has still not been publicly released. Israeli officials have identified him as an Omani national, while Flydubai and UAE authorities have not publicly released his identity.

According to passenger accounts and Israeli officials, the crisis began while FZ1073 was traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning. The co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar inside the cockpit, seriously injuring him.

Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft suddenly losing a massive amount of altitude during the incident before eventually stabilizing. The aircraft also transmitted emergency signals while the confrontation was unfolding.

Despite his injuries, Machchhar managed to help create an opportunity for others aboard the aircraft to intervene. Passengers rushed forward and subdued the co-pilot while additional qualified pilots traveling aboard the flight helped regain control of the aircraft.

Passenger Shota Musaev, a dentist who helped treat Machchhar after the attack, described encountering a horrifying scene when he reached the front of the aircraft.

“When I reached the area of the cockpit I saw a very, very seriously wounded pilot and the cockpit was full of blood,” Musaev said.

Footage subsequently released from inside the aircraft showed the accused co-pilot restrained on the cabin floor with his hands tied behind him as passengers and crew attempted to stabilize the situation.

The aircraft ultimately diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Saudi authorities said 174 passengers and eight crew members were aboard.

The passengers were provided assistance in Saudi Arabia and later continued their journey aboard a replacement Flydubai aircraft. The remaining crew members returned separately to Dubai, while Machchhar and the accused co-pilot remained behind for treatment and investigation before Thursday’s transfer to Abu Dhabi.

There was encouraging news regarding Machchhar’s condition following the transfer. India’s ambassador to the UAE visited the captain and his family at the hospital in Abu Dhabi and said the wounded pilot was recovering well.

“He was speaking openly, smiling and laughing, which was a great relief for us and, above all, for his family,” the ambassador said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Machchhar’s actions aboard the aircraft, crediting his courage despite suffering serious injuries with helping prevent a catastrophic loss of life.

Investigators are now confronting two closely connected questions: precisely what motivated the co-pilot to attack the captain and whether the incident exposed a broader breakdown in airline security or crew vetting.

Netanyahu’s claim that the suspect underwent Islamist radicalization has intensified scrutiny of how he was permitted to serve in the cockpit of an Israel-bound aircraft. Investigators are expected to examine his personal history, communications and activities leading up to the flight as they attempt to determine whether warning signs existed beforehand.

The possibility of Iranian involvement has also been raised publicly. President Donald Trump has suggested that Iran may have played a role, while Israeli officials have said the possibility is being examined.

As of now, however, no government involved in the investigation has publicly produced evidence establishing that Iran or any other outside actor directed the attack.

That distinction remains central as the investigation moves forward. Authorities are examining terrorism, advance planning and outside direction as possibilities, but none of those questions has yet been conclusively answered.

With the accused co-pilot now in Abu Dhabi, investigators have direct access to the man at the center of the case. The focus is increasingly shifting from what happened aboard FZ1073 — much of which is now documented through flight data, passenger accounts and video — to the far more consequential question of why it happened and whether anyone else knew about, encouraged or directed the attack.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s top election official has ruled that anyone who received money or another material benefit in exchange for promising not to vote is legally free to disregard that promise and cast a ballot, following allegations that money was distributed to avreichim in Israel who agreed not to participate in the upcoming Knesset election.

Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, issued the ruling Thursday in response to a petition alleging that a Satmar-affiliated organization distributed funds to individuals who committed themselves to staying away from the polls.

According to the Central Elections Committee, the organization responsible for distributing the money informed officials that the distribution had already concluded on the same day the petition was filed. The organization did not clarify, however, whether the payments were actually conditioned on recipients promising not to vote.

That timing became central to Sohlberg’s decision. Because the distribution had already taken place, he determined that the matter involved a completed act and that he no longer had authority within the proceeding before him to issue an order preventing it.

The Central Elections Committee operates a special judicial mechanism for disputes involving elections, campaign activity and election integrity, but its chairman’s authority in such proceedings is focused on stopping or preventing prohibited conduct rather than investigating completed acts after the fact.

Sohlberg therefore did not rule on whether the alleged distribution of money constituted an election offense.

At the same time, however, Sohlberg used the case to issue an unequivocal legal clarification regarding anyone who may have accepted money in exchange for agreeing not to vote.

“לאור חשיבותה הרבה של זכות היסוד לבחור, כל התחייבות להימנע מהצבעה, בעד כסף או תמורה חומרית אחרת – מבחינה משפטית הריהי בטלה ומבוטלת, לא שרירה ולא קיימת”, Sohlberg wrote.

“In light of the great importance of the fundamental right to vote, any commitment to refrain from voting in exchange for money or other material consideration is, from a legal standpoint, null and void, invalid and nonexistent.”

In other words, even someone who accepted money and explicitly agreed not to participate in the election is not legally bound by that promise.

Sohlberg made that point even more explicitly in his decision.

“It is not a commitment and it is not a promise. The person who ‘committed’ is permitted to vote in the election.”

The ruling means that anyone who allegedly received funds under such an arrangement remains fully entitled to appear at a polling station and exercise his right to vote, regardless of any pledge he may have made when receiving the money.

Sohlberg’s decision did not, however, end the broader question of whether the distribution itself may have violated the law.

The judge instructed the legal adviser of the Central Elections Committee to transfer the details of the case to the Israel Police for examination.

The matter could therefore move from the election committee to law-enforcement authorities, who can examine what actually occurred, whether payments were conditioned on recipients agreeing not to vote, and whether any criminal or election-law violations were committed.

The controversy comes during the campaign for Israel’s 26th Knesset, as election officials deal with a range of questions involving election integrity, voting rights and attempts to improperly influence participation in the democratic process.

Satmar has long maintained a stringent ideological opposition to participation in Israeli elections, and members of the community have traditionally been urged not to vote. The current controversy, however, centers on the separate legal question of whether money or other material benefits may be connected to an individual’s commitment to abstain from voting.

While Sohlberg left the legality of the alleged payments for law-enforcement authorities to examine, he was unequivocal about the voters themselves: accepting money and promising not to vote does not legally surrender a person’s right to cast a ballot.

{Matzav.com}

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Some of Israel’s largest WhatsApp-based “driver” groups have begun facing suspensions, accelerating a move by operators of the popular ride-coordination networks to transfer their automated bot systems to Telegram amid fears that additional groups and accounts could soon be blocked.

The development came just one day after a report that operators of the so-called “driver” systems were preparing to migrate portions of their operations away from WhatsApp. Over the past 24 hours, one of the largest groups in the sector was suspended by WhatsApp, heightening concerns throughout the industry.

Users attempting to access the affected group were informed that it had been suspended. According to the notice, participants could no longer send messages, add members, download media or forward material from the group.

The phenomenon is not entirely new. Operators of large driver groups and others involved in the system say WhatsApp has recently suspended a number of groups and accounts after its automated enforcement systems detected activity that appeared potentially suspicious or fraudulent.

The consequences can be particularly disruptive for the driver networks because WhatsApp groups have become the central marketplace through which available rides are distributed to drivers.

Automated bots play a major role in managing the enormous volume of postings. Drivers use the systems to filter available rides, receive alerts, update their availability, check pricing information, manage subscriptions and perform other functions connected to the networks.

Now, however, operators are beginning to respond to the threat of additional WhatsApp suspensions by moving those automated functions elsewhere.

One of the major bot systems has already notified its users that it is transferring its bot operation to Telegram.

Under the new arrangement, the actual ride opportunities will continue to be posted in WhatsApp groups as before. What is changing is the driver’s interaction with the automated system: filtering and receiving rides from the groups, updating availability, viewing price lists, managing subscriptions and performing other bot-related functions will take place through Telegram.

Users were also told that their existing subscriptions and account balances would automatically transfer to the new system, eliminating the need to begin again when switching platforms.

A manager at one of the large driver stations told Kikar HaShabbat that the transition is gathering momentum because operators increasingly fear that WhatsApp could suspend additional groups.

“One of the largest stations in the industry moved to Telegram and is trying to bring the rest of the stations along with it,” he said.

According to the manager, concern over WhatsApp’s enforcement activity is already beginning to affect the day-to-day economics of the driver groups.

“Prices in the WhatsApp groups are going up because there are rides that have gone up by several percent because of the fear of being blocked,” he claimed.

The source explained that the structure of the driver networks makes them particularly vulnerable to WhatsApp enforcement because their operations depend heavily on large groups in which rides are continuously posted and then processed by automated bots.

“WhatsApp is blocking the groups because the way drivers find rides is through WhatsApp groups where the rides are posted through bots,” he explained.

The latest suspensions add a new dimension to what had initially appeared to be primarily a technological migration. The move toward Telegram was already being considered as a way of reducing the strain created by heavy automated activity on drivers’ devices. Now, operators are increasingly viewing it as protection against the possibility that WhatsApp could disrupt their operations altogether.

For the moment, the industry is not abandoning WhatsApp. Ride listings are continuing to appear in the familiar groups, and those groups remain a central part of the system used by drivers and dispatchers.

Instead, a hybrid model is beginning to emerge: WhatsApp remains the location where rides are posted, while Telegram increasingly becomes the platform through which bots collect, filter and manage those listings for individual drivers.

The major question now is whether the latest wave of suspensions will accelerate that transition. If WhatsApp continues restricting large driver groups or accounts connected to automated activity, additional stations may have little choice but to move their bot infrastructure to Telegram as well.

{Matzav.com}

A late-night attempt to arrest a yeshiva bochur classified as a military draft evader ended with police releasing him after large numbers of protesters converged on the scene in Tel Aviv, surrounded the police vehicle and blocked it from leaving.

The dramatic confrontation unfolded near a Paz gas station in the area of Namir Road, where police had arrived to take the young man into custody. Word of the arrest quickly spread, drawing large numbers of bochurim and other protesters to the area.

Within a short period, demonstrators packed the roadway and physically surrounded the police vehicle carrying the detainee, preventing officers from driving away. The protest caused significant traffic disruptions along one of Tel Aviv’s major arteries.

According to reports from the scene, a “Black Code” alert was declared — a term used among anti-draft activists to rapidly mobilize protesters when a yeshiva bochur faces arrest over his military status.

Videos from the confrontation showed protesters crowding tightly around the police vehicle and refusing to allow it to proceed as they demanded that the detained bochur be released.

The standoff continued as additional protesters arrived, effectively immobilizing the police vehicle and bringing traffic in the immediate area to a halt.

Eventually, officers abandoned the attempt to take the young man away and released him at the scene.

His release immediately set off celebrations among the protesters, who broke into dancing in the roadway and sang songs expressing opposition to the military draft.

Throughout the demonstration, participants repeatedly chanted, “נמות ולא נתגייס” — “We will die rather than enlist.”

Even after the young man was released, protesters initially remained in the roadway rather than immediately dispersing. According to the report, they wanted to verify that he had in fact been allowed to leave freely and would not be rearrested moments later.

Only after confirming that the bochur had been released without conditions did the demonstrators begin leaving the area, bringing the overnight confrontation to an end.

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally ordered Iran’s high-level delegation to leave the United States after diplomatic efforts on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly failed to produce a breakthrough, delivering an unusually sharp rebuke to Tehran as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.

The delegation, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, was told Monday evening that it had to leave New York immediately. The order came after U.S. officials concluded that indirect negotiations with Tehran had reached an impasse despite mediation efforts by Qatar.

Two sources familiar with the episode confirmed the directive, with a U.S. official saying the Iranian officials had “overstayed their welcome.”

According to the U.S. account, the White House began Monday believing that additional discussions might produce progress. By later in the day, however, officials concluded that the negotiations had stalled and neither side was prepared to make the concessions necessary for an agreement.

Rubio then instructed the U.S. Mission to the United Nations to inform the Iranian mission that Araghchi and the rest of his delegation were to leave New York immediately.

The Iranians departed several hours later, traveling from New York to Doha shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday. Qatar has been playing a central role as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran and has continued communicating with both sides despite the failure to reach an agreement in New York.

The Iranian government strongly disputed the American characterization of what happened, insisting that Araghchi and his delegation had always intended to leave Monday and had informed Washington of their itinerary weeks earlier.

“The Iranian delegation left New York on Monday evening, in accordance with the schedule that had also been communicated to the US Department of State in advance on September 17,” an Iranian mission statement read. “Having achieved nothing, the State Department has resorted to promoting baseless reports.”

One source familiar with the discussions similarly acknowledged that Araghchi had already been expected to depart Monday night, although U.S. officials maintained that Rubio nevertheless issued a direct instruction requiring the delegation to leave.

The diplomatic clash followed days of indirect contacts aimed at finding a way out of the prolonged conflict between the United States and Iran, with the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program among the central issues under discussion.

Araghchi used his visit to New York to promote what Tehran described as a “seven-day initiative” that could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and renewed negotiations with Washington.

The Iranian proposal called for the United States to end its maritime blockade, ease sanctions affecting Iran’s oil sector and address frozen Iranian assets. Tehran, in return, offered steps toward restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait and reopening negotiations over its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Ministry official Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran continued to seek a diplomatic solution despite the latest breakdown in negotiations, maintaining that Iran wanted “to resolve issues diplomatically.”

“We presented this plan to the American side via Qatar, and we recently received the other party’s views through the Qatari mediator and during the Foreign Minister’s brief stopover while returning from New York,” Khatibzadeh reportedly shared.

Araghchi had publicly unveiled the seven-day proposal late last week, arguing that the framework could rapidly restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz if Washington accepted Tehran’s conditions.

President Donald Trump rejected the proposal in its current form, arguing that Iran’s economic difficulties and the impact of the American blockade had placed Tehran under enormous pressure and that Washington had little reason to accept an agreement on Iranian terms.

“They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump told reporters on Shabbos. “They don’t have any money now, because they wanted to close the Strait. And I said, that’s fine. We’re going to close it on you, but everybody else is able to use it.”

“They want to make a deal, and I think that’s fine,” he added. “I like making a deal too, but that deal would not be acceptable.”

The confrontation is the latest development in the war that erupted on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched major military operations against Iran. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks throughout the region, while fighting and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz sent shock waves through global energy markets.

The United States and Iran reached an agreement in June outlining steps intended to restore navigation through the Strait and create a path toward broader negotiations. That arrangement subsequently broke down, however, leaving the two countries once again locked in confrontation while intermediaries attempted to revive diplomacy.

The latest talks in New York included indirect contacts involving U.S. officials and Araghchi, with Qatar shuttling messages between the two sides. Despite expectations early Monday that movement might still be possible, the discussions ended without an agreement.

The confrontation comes as Iran faces mounting economic pressure at home. The rial has fallen sharply during the conflict, while inflation, shortages and the disruption of energy revenues have intensified economic hardship for ordinary Iranians.

Iran has also faced significant domestic unrest, following major anti-government protests in late 2025 and early 2026 and a violent government crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead or detained.

Against that backdrop, Tehran has continued publicly calling for negotiations while insisting that Washington must make significant concessions before a broader settlement can be reached.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has shown little willingness to ease the pressure without substantially different terms from Iran. The abrupt order for Araghchi and his delegation to leave New York underscored just how little progress was made during their stay in the United States.

Qatari mediators are continuing contacts with Washington and Tehran in an effort to salvage a compromise, but Rubio’s decision to send the Iranian delegation packing provided a stark conclusion to a week of diplomacy that had begun with hopes of progress and ended with the two sides still far apart.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump says he regrets appointing all three of his Supreme Court justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — declaring that the trio he placed on the nation’s highest court has ruled against him too frequently in a series of major cases involving his second-term agenda.

Trump made the striking admission during a wide-ranging interview with TIME conducted at the White House on Monday and published Thursday. Asked directly whether he regretted selecting the three conservative justices, Trump answered in the affirmative.

“Yeah. Yeah. What can I do? I put them in,” Trump said. “They voted against me too often. I was very—I gave them the position of a lifetime, and they vote against me often. They vote for me too.”

Gorsuch was Trump’s first Supreme Court appointment, taking his seat in 2017. Kavanaugh joined the Court in 2018, followed by Barrett in 2020. Those appointments helped establish the Court’s current 6-3 conservative majority, one of the most consequential legacies of Trump’s first term.

Trump’s frustration has intensified during his second term as the Court has handed his administration several significant defeats, including rulings involving birthright citizenship, his emergency tariff program and restrictions affecting mail-in voting.

One of the biggest clashes came in June, when the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present in the country. The Court concluded that the policy violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Trump told TIME that he regarded the decision as damaging to the country rather than merely a personal political setback.

“It’s unfortunate what they did—not to me, to our country,” Trump said of the citizenship ruling. “And it’s become a corrupt business, all because of the Supreme Court decision.”

The June decision was 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson concluding that Trump’s order violated the 14th Amendment. Kavanaugh agreed that the administration’s policy could not stand but wrote separately on the statutory issue, while Gorsuch dissented.

Trump has also been sharply critical of the Court over its February decision invalidating the global tariffs he imposed under emergency powers. The ruling created a major dispute over tariffs that had already been collected and whether importers would be entitled to refunds.

The president argued that the justices could have substantially reduced the financial consequences simply by adding language preventing previously collected tariff revenue from having to be returned.

“All they had to do was a little clause saying any money paid does not have to be paid back…would have saved $400 billion,” Trump said. “They chose not to save that.”

Trump’s displeasure with his appointees became especially public in September after the Supreme Court blocked his administration’s attempt to impose new restrictions involving mail ballots ahead of the November midterm elections.

Following that ruling, Trump called the outcome “another bad decision” and accused the Court of having been “bullied and cajoled by the Radical Left.”

“These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

Trump has repeatedly contrasted the conduct of his three appointees with the Court’s Democratic-appointed justices, arguing that the latter tend to remain more unified in politically consequential cases.

During the TIME interview, Trump praised what he described as the loyalty displayed by Democratic appointees, prompting the interviewer to ask whether he wanted similar loyalty from the justices he selected.

“I do like loyalty, yeah,” Trump said. Pressed on the point, he added: “No, I don’t want loyalty. I want good decisions.”

The comments underscore the increasingly public rupture between Trump and three justices whose confirmations were once celebrated as among his most significant achievements. Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett have all joined major conservative rulings during their years on the Court, but they have also broken with positions advanced by Trump and his administration in several high-profile disputes.

The president’s latest remarks come as the Supreme Court prepares to begin a new term containing additional cases involving his administration. On Thursday, the Court agreed to hear a major dispute over the administration’s policy of subjecting certain illegal immigrants to mandatory detention without bond hearings while their deportation proceedings are underway.

Despite Trump’s increasingly pointed criticism of Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett, the three justices hold lifetime appointments under the Constitution and do not answer to the president who nominated them. Their votes in the cases now reaching the Court could therefore continue to place Trump’s second-term agenda — and his relationship with the Supreme Court he helped reshape — under intense scrutiny.

{Matzav.com}

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A SECOND מעמד השבה by Neki Kapayim will be held this הושענה רבה. TODAY!! 

TODAY!! Missed The First One? Hoshana Raba MAAMAD HASHAVA!!!

CLCIK HERE!!

A SECOND מעמד השבה by Neki Kapayim will be held this הושענה רבה. TODAY!! 

TODAY!! Missed The First One? Hoshana Raba MAAMAD HASHAVA!!!

CLCIK HERE!!

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a major challenge to the Trump administration’s policy requiring certain illegal immigrants arrested inside the United States to remain in custody without the opportunity for a bond hearing while their deportation proceedings are pending.

The case, Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, could resolve a sharp disagreement among federal appeals courts over how broadly federal immigration law permits mandatory detention. The justices accepted the administration’s appeal just days before the Supreme Court begins its new term on Monday.

At the center of the dispute is a policy adopted by the Department of Homeland Security in July 2025 that dramatically expanded the category of immigrants considered subject to mandatory detention. For decades, many immigrants arrested in the interior of the country while facing removal proceedings were permitted to ask an immigration judge for release on bond.

The Trump administration adopted a different interpretation of federal law, maintaining that immigrants who entered the United States illegally without being inspected or formally admitted can be treated as applicants for admission even if they have lived inside the country for years. Under that interpretation, they can be detained throughout their removal proceedings without receiving a bond hearing.

The administration has relied on a provision of federal immigration law providing that certain applicants for admission “shall be detained.” Opponents argue that immigrants who have long been living in the United States instead fall under a different section of immigration law that generally allows the government to detain them but also permits an immigration judge to consider releasing them on bond.

The case reaching the Supreme Court involves Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha, a Brazilian national who entered the United States without inspection around 2005 and remained in the country for approximately two decades. He applied for asylum in 2016, received authorization to work in the United States, purchased a home and operated a small business.

Barbosa da Cunha was arrested by ICE in 2025 and placed in removal proceedings. When he sought a bond hearing, an immigration judge determined that the administration’s new interpretation of the law made him ineligible for one.

He subsequently turned to federal court, challenging his detention and arguing that he was entitled to have an immigration judge consider whether he could be released on bond.

A federal district court ruled in his favor, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit subsequently sided with him, concluding that his detention was governed by the section of immigration law allowing consideration of bond rather than the mandatory-detention provision invoked by the administration.

The Second Circuit reasoned that although someone who entered without inspection may technically qualify as an applicant for admission under immigration law, a person who has been living inside the United States for years is not necessarily seeking admission in the sense required by the mandatory-detention provision.

The policy has triggered extensive litigation around the country since it took effect, with thousands of challenges reaching federal courts as detainees sought the opportunity to request release on bond.

The federal appeals courts have divided sharply over the issue. The Fifth and Eighth Circuits have backed the administration’s interpretation, while the Second, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits have reached the opposite conclusion.

The conflicting decisions have created dramatically different rules depending on where an immigrant is detained, one of the principal reasons the Justice Department urged the Supreme Court to intervene.

Justice Department lawyers argued that the division among the appeals courts has produced an unworkable system in which an immigrant can be subject to mandatory detention in one part of the country while someone in essentially the same circumstances may be eligible for a bond hearing elsewhere.

The dispute could have far-reaching consequences because the administration’s interpretation potentially applies to a large population of immigrants who entered the United States illegally and remained in the country for years before eventually being arrested by ICE.

The administration argues that federal immigration law requires those individuals to remain detained during removal proceedings and that courts rejecting the policy have improperly narrowed the statute enacted by Congress.

Opponents contend that the administration has overturned decades of immigration practice by treating immigrants arrested deep inside the United States — including people who have lived in the country for many years — in essentially the same manner as individuals apprehended while seeking entry at the border.

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the dispute comes amid President Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign during his second term, with detention and deportation policies generating a series of significant legal battles across the country.

ICE has reported more than 356,000 removals during fiscal year 2026 as the administration continues its broad effort to increase immigration arrests, detention and deportations.

The case also comes at an unusual moment in Trump’s relationship with the Supreme Court. Three current justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — were appointed by Trump during his first term.

Trump said this week that he regrets appointing all three following several high-profile rulings that went against his administration. Asked whether he regretted selecting them, Trump replied, “Yeah. Yeah,”

The justices have given no indication of how they will ultimately decide the detention case. The Court’s decision to accept the administration’s appeal means only that it will review the dispute and does not indicate how any member of the Court will vote.

The case is formally titled Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, with Philip L. Rhoney, acting director of ICE’s Buffalo Field Office, challenging the lower-court ruling in favor of Barbosa da Cunha.

Briefing will now continue ahead of oral arguments, which are expected early next year. The eventual ruling could determine nationwide whether immigrants who entered the country illegally years earlier may automatically be detained throughout their deportation proceedings or must be given an opportunity to seek release on bond.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has renewed his call for Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to face arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant, saying in a newly released interview that the United States should join the ICC and enforce all of its warrants — including the one targeting Netanyahu.

Mamdani made the comments during an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s popular “This Past Weekend” podcast, where the conversation turned to Netanyahu’s recent visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly and Mamdani’s longstanding support for enforcing the ICC warrant against him.

Mamdani had repeatedly said before taking office that Netanyahu should be arrested if he came to New York. He has since acknowledged that New York City itself does not possess the legal authority to carry out the ICC warrant and that such an action would require the federal government.

During the podcast, Mamdani explained that conclusion while making clear that his underlying position has not changed.

“If I had my say, the US government would have joined the ICC, honored every single warrant that they’ve issued.”

Earlier in the discussion, Mamdani said he believes the United States should become a member of the International Criminal Court and argued that Washington should enforce warrants issued by the tribunal. The United States is not currently a party to the ICC’s Rome Statute, and Israel also disputes the court’s jurisdiction in the case.

Mamdani presented his support for the ICC as part of a broader argument about the rule of law, saying that when governments fail to enforce international rules, the public begins questioning whether those rules have any meaning.

He pointed to international institutions established in the aftermath of World War II and argued that a lack of enforcement undermines the concept of accountability and multilateralism.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024. The court alleged that there were reasonable grounds to believe they bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the Gaza war. Netanyahu and Israel have rejected the allegations and challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction.

The warrant does not accuse Netanyahu of genocide. Mamdani, however, separately repeated his own accusation during the Theo Von interview that Netanyahu is responsible for genocide in Gaza — a characterization Netanyahu and the Israeli government emphatically reject.

Mamdani described Netanyahu as “the architect of a horrific genocide.”

The mayor also addressed the distinction between his attacks on the Israeli government and his responsibility toward New York’s enormous Jewish population. He said Jewish New Yorkers should never be held responsible for decisions made by Israel’s government.

“No Jewish person in New York City is responsible for the actions of the state of Israel,” Mamdani said.

He argued that responsibility should instead be directed toward Israeli decision-makers and toward what he described as American complicity through U.S. military assistance to Israel.

Mamdani also reiterated his position that “critique of the state of Israel, the policy actions, the genocide, that in and of itself is not antisemitic.”

His comments came shortly after his administration unveiled a citywide strategy for combating antisemitism. The plan includes measures involving security for Jewish institutions, education about Jewish history and efforts to prevent antisemitic incidents. Mamdani has sought to draw a distinction between combating hatred directed at Jews and allowing fierce criticism of Israel.

The podcast appearance also gave Mamdani an opportunity to respond at length to Netanyahu’s extraordinary attack on him from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly.

During his UN address last week, Netanyahu directly accused Mamdani of spreading falsehoods about Israel and contributing to an atmosphere in which Jewish New Yorkers feel increasingly unsafe. He called Mamdani “the antisemitic mayor of New York” and accused him of inverting the roles of aggressor and victim in describing the Gaza war.

Netanyahu had previewed the confrontation before arriving in New York, declaring, “Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,” while sharply criticizing the mayor’s positions on Israel and Hamas. Mamdani has rejected allegations that he supports Hamas.

Mamdani said he learned about Netanyahu’s remarks after returning from a meeting and described the episode as strange.

Asked whether Netanyahu’s criticism felt personal, Mamdani dismissed the idea that the dispute should be viewed as a personal feud between the two men.

“It’s not about me and him.”

Mamdani argued that Netanyahu was attempting to redirect attention away from his own conduct and Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“It’s about the fact that he’s the architect of a genocide.”

He then added: “And it’s like, yeah, if I was the architect of a genocide, I would probably talk about anything but that.”

Netanyahu, for his part, used his UN address to categorically reject the genocide accusation, calling it “the biggest lie of the century.” Israel maintains that its military campaign has targeted Hamas and other terrorist organizations following the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and rejects accusations that its actions constitute genocide.

The escalating war of words between the Israeli prime minister and New York’s mayor has taken on particular significance because New York is home to the largest Jewish population of any American city and hosts the United Nations, making visits by Israeli leaders a recurring issue for City Hall.

Before Netanyahu’s latest visit, Mamdani acknowledged publicly that his earlier rhetoric about arresting the prime minister ran into a fundamental legal obstacle: New York City cannot independently execute an ICC arrest warrant. During preparations for the General Assembly, his administration instead worked with federal and local law-enforcement agencies to provide security for visiting foreign leaders.

Mamdani nevertheless made clear during his conversation with Von that his inability to order Netanyahu’s arrest as mayor has not changed what he believes Washington should do.

His position amounts to a call for a major change in American foreign policy: joining the International Criminal Court and committing the federal government to enforcing its warrants, including the outstanding warrant against the Israeli prime minister.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of Israelis trying to return home remained stranded Friday after planned El Al evacuation flights from Dubai were canceled when the United Arab Emirates failed to provide Israeli airlines with the necessary permission to land in the country.

The setback came only hours after Israel’s Transportation Ministry announced that Israeli carriers were preparing to begin operating special repatriation flights from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport on Friday, Oct. 2, as authorities scrambled to bring home Israelis caught up in the disruption caused by Flydubai’s suspension of service to Israel.

The plan depended on Israeli aircraft being permitted to fly into Dubai, collect the stranded passengers and return them to Israel. But the UAE did not provide the required landing permits, forcing El Al to cancel its planned flights and leaving the rescue operation in limbo.

The Transportation Ministry had earlier cautioned that even if the flights went ahead, passengers should expect delays while officials completed complicated operational and security arrangements.

“Following coordination with all relevant parties, it was agreed that flights operated by Israeli airlines from Dubai to Israel will begin on Friday, October 2,” the Ministry stated. “However, due to necessary preparations and required security coordination, delays are expected in the departure of repatriation flights from Dubai.”

The Ministry subsequently said Israeli officials were continuing efforts to resolve the situation and get the evacuation flights into the air.

The Transportation Ministry added that it is “continuing to work with all relevant parties, both in Israel and abroad, to enable the flights to operate as soon as possible. Israeli citizens currently in Dubai should remain in contact with their respective airlines and follow their instructions and updates.”

The latest cancellation followed a sudden reversal by Emirati authorities regarding landing authorization for the Israeli rescue aircraft. The decision left airlines unable to carry out the evacuation schedule that Israeli officials had been preparing.

The disruption is affecting far more travelers than those currently vacationing or staying in Dubai. Finance Ministry estimates indicate that approximately 10,000 Israeli citizens are seeking to return home, including travelers stranded in destinations farther east who ordinarily use Dubai as an important connection point on their journey to Israel.

Among them are Israelis in Thailand, India and other Asian countries whose return itineraries have been disrupted by the suspension of flights between Dubai and Israel.

The crisis began following Wednesday’s attempted hijacking of Flydubai Flight FZ1073, which had been traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when authorities say its Omani co-pilot attacked Indian captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft.

The captain was wounded during the struggle but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other pilots aboard the aircraft to intervene. The alleged attacker was eventually overpowered, and the aircraft was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

In the aftermath of the extraordinary incident, Flydubai suspended its service to Israel for six days, immediately creating a major transportation problem for Israelis who had traveled through the UAE or were depending on Dubai connections to return from Asia.

With regular Flydubai service unavailable, Israeli authorities began working on an emergency airlift using Israeli carriers, including El Al.

But sending Israeli aircraft into the UAE requires approval from Emirati authorities, and the absence of that authorization Friday morning prevented the planned flights from proceeding.

The situation has prompted intensive contacts involving Israeli transportation officials, the airlines and officials abroad as Israel seeks a solution that will allow the repatriation operation to begin.

The financial side of the operation had already been addressed before the latest diplomatic and logistical obstacle emerged.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday evening directed senior Finance Ministry officials to make available the entire amount requested by the Transportation Ministry to pay for the rescue flights.

The Finance Ministry began completing the arrangements needed to transfer the money, with officials seeking to ensure that funding would not become an obstacle to bringing the stranded travelers back to Israel.

That left landing authorization from the UAE as the immediate hurdle Friday morning.

The flight disruption comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Israeli-Emirati aviation ties following the Flydubai incident. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are conducting investigations into the attempted attack, while Israel has asked to remain informed about the probes and sought permission to send observers to follow the investigations.

The UAE is investigating because Flydubai is an Emirati carrier and the flight originated in Dubai, while Saudi authorities are questioning the suspected attacker after the aircraft made its emergency landing in Saudi territory.

Israeli security officials have said that no confirmed connection between the Omani co-pilot and Iran has yet emerged from the investigation, although that possibility has not been ruled out. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, told reporters Thursday that information he was receiving indicated that the suspect appeared to have an Iranian connection, while stressing that the matter was still being investigated.

For the roughly 10,000 Israelis attempting to make their way home, however, the immediate issue is considerably more practical: until Israeli airlines receive authorization to land in Dubai, the evacuation flights that were supposed to begin Friday cannot operate.

Israeli officials are continuing negotiations in an effort to secure the necessary approvals, while travelers in Dubai have been instructed to remain in contact with their airlines rather than heading to the airport until they receive updated flight information.

{Matzav.com}

Chinese artificial intelligence company Moonshot AI has launched an internal investigation after security researchers managed to bypass safeguards in its Kimi AI system, prompting the models to provide detailed information involving biological weapons, assassination planning, terrorism, malware and other potentially deadly activities.

The findings emerged from testing conducted by AI security firm Mindgard, which said researchers were able to “jailbreak” Kimi — manipulating the system into ignoring restrictions intended to prevent it from providing dangerous information. The vulnerabilities were discovered during testing in July and were subsequently reported to Moonshot.

Researcher Peter Garrigan told Fox News that Kimi could be manipulated into providing information about developing biological weapons and carrying out assassinations. Researchers also obtained material involving terrorist attacks using real-time information, the creation of sarin gas, malware development and methods for bringing down aircraft.

“What we found is quite damaging and worrying,” Garrigan said.

Mindgard said its testing found that once Kimi’s safety controls were bypassed, the system produced detailed material across numerous dangerous categories, including biological weapons, explosives, terrorism, targeted violence, assassination planning and malicious computer code.

The security firm said the vulnerability was initially discovered on July 20 and disclosed to Moonshot AI on July 27. Mindgard publicly released its findings in September.

The testing involved two Kimi models, K2.6 and K3 Swarm. Researchers used what is known as jailbreaking — specially constructed instructions designed to determine whether an AI model can be induced to disregard the safety rules imposed by its developer.

Mindgard said the significance of the discovery was not simply that Kimi was willing to discuss dangerous subjects. Researchers said the model could turn relatively brief requests into considerably more detailed information, potentially reducing the amount of expertise needed by someone seeking harmful material.

The researchers did not attempt to carry out any of the attacks described by the models, and the investigation has not established that the instructions generated by Kimi would actually work in practice. Mindgard also withheld key technical details needed to reproduce the jailbreak.

Moonshot AI is now conducting an internal review of the findings and has been communicating with Mindgard about the vulnerabilities. The Chinese company has said it welcomes outside scrutiny of its systems as part of its effort to develop safer AI technology.

The case is raising broader concerns about whether safety protections can keep pace with increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems, particularly as newer models gain access to the internet, computer code and other external tools.

Researchers have warned that a vulnerability that merely causes a chatbot to produce dangerous text is troubling on its own, but the potential risk becomes considerably greater when an AI system is capable of performing tasks, accessing outside information or interacting with computer systems.

The findings are also fueling concern about advanced AI models behaving in ways that their developers did not anticipate or successfully prevent.

Garrigan stressed that the vulnerability is not exclusively a Chinese AI problem, saying researchers have uncovered similar weaknesses while testing American-developed systems.

“We’ve also seen these problems within the U.S. models as well. It’s a fundamental flaw in the technology,” Garrigan said.

The issue has become an increasingly important focus for AI companies as models become more sophisticated. Developers generally install restrictions intended to prevent their systems from assisting users with weapons development, terrorism, serious cyberattacks and other dangerous activities, but security researchers routinely test whether those protections can be circumvented.

Mindgard has previously tested major Western AI systems as well and says jailbreaking remains a widespread challenge across the industry. The central problem is that developers must anticipate numerous ways users might attempt to defeat safeguards, while an attacker needs to discover only one method that succeeds.

The Kimi findings are particularly significant because of the rapid growth of Moonshot AI and the increasing prominence of its models. The Beijing-based company has emerged as one of China’s major AI developers as Chinese firms race American companies for leadership in increasingly powerful generative AI technology.

The episode also highlights a fundamental difficulty facing the industry: the same increasingly sophisticated reasoning and technical abilities that make advanced AI models useful for legitimate research, programming and scientific work can potentially be exploited for malicious purposes if their safeguards fail.

Moonshot’s investigation is expected to focus on how researchers were able to circumvent Kimi’s restrictions and what additional protections may be necessary to prevent similar jailbreaks as the company continues developing more powerful models.

The Trump administration is pressing European governments to immediately release diesel from their strategic reserves as soaring fuel prices threaten economies on both sides of the Atlantic, with European Union countries set to meet Friday to consider a coordinated response to the worsening energy crunch.

Washington has stepped up its demands as the war with Iran continues to disrupt global energy markets and drive up the cost of diesel and other refined fuels. U.S. officials are particularly seeking action from major European economies, including France and Germany, in hopes that additional supplies entering the market will help bring prices down.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly called on America’s European allies Thursday to move quickly rather than wait for the fuel crisis to worsen.

“Our European partners should accelerate delivery on their existing commitments and make additional supplies immediately available to address ongoing disruptions,” Bessent said in a post on social media.

EU member states are expected to meet with the European Commission on Friday to discuss possible joint measures aimed at addressing the surge in fuel prices, according to a Commission spokesman.

The pressure from Washington comes as President Donald Trump considers an even more dramatic step: restricting or banning American diesel exports in an effort to increase supplies available to U.S. consumers and bring down prices at the pump.

“It is in Europe’s best interest to work with the United States as we pursue multiple pathways to boost the supply of refined products and lower costs for consumers,” a U.S. official told AFP.

Diesel has become one of the most acute economic consequences of the Iran war. The fuel is essential to trucking, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and shipping, meaning sustained increases can spread rapidly throughout the economy as businesses pass higher transportation and production expenses on to consumers.

In the United States, the national average price of diesel has soared more than 70% since the Iran war began, reaching approximately $6.39 per gallon, according to AAA data cited Thursday.

The extraordinary increase has intensified pressure on the administration to find additional supplies ahead of November’s midterm elections, with Republicans increasingly concerned about the political effects of higher fuel prices and the resulting increase in household expenses.

The administration has been exploring several ways to increase supplies of refined petroleum products. One option under consideration would restrict U.S. diesel exports, keeping more American-produced fuel inside the country rather than allowing it to be shipped overseas.

Trump confirmed Wednesday that the proposal remains under active consideration.

“I’m thinking about it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

But an export ban would carry significant risks. While keeping additional diesel in the United States could increase domestic supply and potentially ease prices in some regions, refiners produce gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products together. Disrupting the market for one product could alter refinery economics and potentially contribute to higher gasoline prices.

Trump himself acknowledged that possibility while discussing the proposal Wednesday.

An American export restriction could also deepen the fuel shortage overseas. Europe and other markets depend heavily on U.S. refined petroleum exports, and removing American diesel from the international market could drive global prices still higher unless producers elsewhere could quickly replace the lost supply.

That prospect has alarmed European officials, who are simultaneously being asked by Washington to release their own emergency stocks.

At the G20 trade talks in Milwaukee, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer nevertheless sought to emphasize cooperation between Washington and Brussels, saying there was an “eagerness on both sides to work together” on the diesel issue.

European officials made clear, however, that the possibility of an American export ban has caused concern.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said Thursday that such a decision by Washington would be “unexpected for Europeans.”

Sefcovic spoke after meeting with Greer on the sidelines of the two-day gathering of G20 trade ministers in Milwaukee. He said the two did not engage in detailed discussions about energy exports, but agreed that communication would continue as governments search for a response to the crisis.

The transatlantic partners “decided to stay in close touch to avoid any surprises here,” he said.

Sefcovic warned that cutting Europe off from U.S. diesel supplies could inflict serious economic damage.

“It would have very dramatic consequences for our economic performance,” Sefcovic said of any potential diesel export ban.

France also expressed skepticism that Washington would ultimately take such a drastic step.

France’s minister delegate for international trade, Nicolas Forissier, told AFP in Milwaukee: “I can’t imagine that there will be a ban.”

Forissier emphasized that a reliable supply of diesel is critical to the economies of both Europe and the United States, saying governments on both sides of the Atlantic should instead work together to increase supply.

He said both sides will “try to find solutions.”

“In France, we’ll try to find balanced solutions all over the world,” Forissier added. “If not with the Americans, it will be with other countries.”

The administration, meanwhile, has strongly suggested that announcements from European governments could be imminent.

Speaking alongside Trump on Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the world would “hear announcements from our friends in Europe” concerning efforts to bring diesel prices down.

One of the central questions is whether European countries will draw down strategic petroleum or diesel reserves, injecting emergency supplies into the market in an attempt to relieve the shortage.

France said Thursday that Trump had not specifically asked President Emmanuel Macron to release French strategic reserves when the two leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week.

Macron, however, is preparing to convene G7 leaders by video to discuss the fuel crisis and possible coordinated measures.

According to the French presidency, the meeting is intended “to make progress on the various levers that can be used to address the rising fuel prices… including coordination on releasing reserves.”

Macron first announced plans for the meeting on Sept. 18. His office has said the G7 discussion is expected to take place in mid-October.

The pressure on global diesel supplies comes amid severe disruptions to energy markets resulting from the Iran war, which has pushed crude oil and refined-product prices sharply higher and raised concerns about the reliability of major shipping and production routes.

Because diesel inventories were already relatively constrained before the latest disruptions, the loss or interruption of additional supplies has had an outsized impact on prices. Refining capacity is also an important factor: additional crude oil alone cannot immediately solve a shortage of diesel if refineries lack sufficient capacity to turn that crude into the refined products consumers need.

For the Trump administration, the challenge is particularly urgent because diesel prices feed into far more than the cost paid directly by motorists driving diesel-powered vehicles. Nearly every product transported by truck can become more expensive when diesel costs surge, while farmers, construction companies and manufacturers also rely heavily on the fuel.

With average U.S. diesel prices now reported at $6.39 per gallon — more than 70% higher than when the Iran war began — the issue has become an increasingly significant economic and political concern just weeks before Americans vote in the midterm elections.

The administration is therefore pursuing several approaches simultaneously: pressing Europe to release strategic stocks, seeking additional supplies of refined fuel and keeping open the possibility of restricting American diesel exports.

For now, attention is turning to Friday’s European meeting, where EU governments will discuss whether they are prepared to respond to Washington’s demand and put emergency diesel supplies onto a global market struggling with some of the sharpest fuel-price increases in years.

{Matzav.com}

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has authorized the release of $320 million in U.S. military assistance to Egypt that had been held back because of human rights concerns, with the Trump administration citing Cairo’s growing security cooperation with Washington and its role in diplomatic efforts surrounding the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The State Department confirmed Thursday that Rubio exercised his authority to waive the human rights conditions attached to the funding “in the interest of US national security.”

In explaining the move, the department pointed to “the importance of Egypt to US national security interests, and the concrete security cooperation Egypt provides to the United States.”

The decision frees up hundreds of millions of dollars in Foreign Military Financing, the U.S. program that allows allied and partner governments to purchase American-made weapons, equipment and other defense-related material.

The most notable element of the administration’s justification, however, was Egypt’s involvement in efforts surrounding Iran.

In a notification sent to Congress, Rubio specifically cited Egypt’s “helpful role” in the conflict with Iran, according to The Associated Press. Cairo has emerged as an intermediary in U.S.-Iranian contacts aimed at bringing an end to the war, which has now continued for more than seven months.

Egypt’s position has given Cairo unusual diplomatic importance. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s government maintains relationships and channels of communication across competing blocs in the Middle East, while Egypt’s control of the Suez Canal and its longstanding military relationship with Washington give it substantial strategic importance to the United States.

The administration’s decision does not mean Washington is dropping its concerns about Egypt’s human rights record. The State Department said those issues will continue to be raised with Egyptian officials as part of discussions encompassing “the full range of issues in our bilateral relationship.”

But U.S. officials said the current security environment and the importance of maintaining close military cooperation with Egypt ultimately outweighed the concerns that had caused the money to be restricted.

The $320 million is part of the roughly $1.3 billion in military assistance that the United States has traditionally provided Egypt each year, a relationship dating back decades to the American-brokered peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Egypt has remained one of the largest recipients of American military assistance in the world. Much of the aid is provided through Foreign Military Financing rather than as cash that Cairo can freely spend, meaning the funding is generally used to purchase U.S. defense equipment and services.

Congress has nevertheless attached conditions to portions of the assistance in an effort to pressure Cairo over human rights. American government reports over the years have documented allegations of torture, arbitrary detention, severe restrictions on political opposition and freedom of expression, and other abuses.

Those conditions have repeatedly produced tension between Washington’s human rights policies and the strategic importance successive administrations have placed on maintaining the American-Egyptian security relationship.

Presidents of both parties have frequently resolved that conflict by invoking national-security waivers permitting aid to move forward despite Egypt’s failure to satisfy all of the human rights benchmarks established by Congress.

The Biden administration took that approach in September 2024, approving the full amount of military assistance available to Egypt and invoking a waiver for funding subject to human rights conditions. At the time, Washington emphasized Cairo’s role in negotiations aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, securing the release of hostages and facilitating humanitarian assistance.

That represented a change from earlier decisions under President Joe Biden. In 2022, his administration withheld $130 million in military assistance after determining that Egypt had failed to meet human rights requirements attached to the money.

The administration subsequently withheld another $130 million the following year over similar concerns, even as most American military assistance to Egypt continued.

The longstanding debate over the aid has repeatedly forced U.S. administrations to weigh concerns about Al-Sisi’s domestic policies against Egypt’s strategic value.

Cairo is a key American defense partner, controls the Suez Canal — one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes — maintains a peace treaty with Israel and has frequently served as a mediator during regional conflicts.

The relationship has also experienced periods of significant strain.

Following the Egyptian military’s 2013 removal of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, the Obama administration suspended delivery of some military equipment and assistance to Cairo. The restrictions were later eased, and military aid was restored as Washington sought to rebuild security ties with the Egyptian government.

Relations became considerably warmer during President Trump’s first term. Al-Sisi publicly welcomed Trump’s election in 2016 and expressed optimism that the incoming administration would deepen American involvement and cooperation in the Middle East.

Trump and Al-Sisi subsequently developed a close working relationship, with the two governments cooperating on counterterrorism, regional security and diplomatic issues even as human rights organizations continued criticizing Egypt’s treatment of political opponents and detainees.

Egypt’s importance to Washington has increased further amid the current regional turmoil, particularly because of its involvement in diplomatic contacts related to Iran.

Rubio’s decision makes clear that, at least for now, the Trump administration considers that cooperation sufficiently important to override the congressional human rights restrictions on the $320 million.

The State Department stressed that the waiver does not amount to an endorsement of Egypt’s human rights practices. Instead, officials framed the decision as a national-security determination that preserving Washington’s military and diplomatic relationship with Cairo is especially important amid the extraordinary security challenges confronting the Middle East.