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Syria’s transitional government announced that it has uncovered additional remnants of Bashar Assad’s long-concealed chemical weapons program and detained 18 individuals allegedly connected to its development and operation, marking one of the most significant investigations into the former regime’s weapons activities since Assad’s downfall.

Assad was driven from power in December 2024 and later fled to Russia, one of the key allies that supported his government throughout Syria’s devastating civil war. Following his removal, control of the country passed to a transitional administration led by a coalition of insurgent and jihadist factions under Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda.

Since taking power, Syria’s new leadership has distanced itself from both Russia and Iran, Assad’s longtime backers, while seeking closer ties with Western governments. Among its initiatives was joining the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State in November 2025.

The government has also expanded cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), headquartered in The Hague. On Tuesday, the OPCW reported that inspectors had gained access to multiple chemical weapons facilities that had never previously been disclosed by the Assad government. During those inspections, teams discovered “dozens of undeclared chemical munitions such as aerial bombs and rockets, as well as separately found chemicals and related equipment.”

Authorities working alongside OPCW personnel have so far identified more than 70 rockets and aerial bombs apparently built to deliver chemical agents, similar to munitions linked to attacks carried out by Assad’s forces against opposition-held areas in 2013 and 2017.

Investigators also located materials associated with the production of sarin nerve gas. Among the substances recovered was hexamine, a compound with legitimate industrial uses that was previously identified as a component used by Assad’s chemical weapons specialists in the manufacturing process for weaponized sarin.

Previous investigations by OPCW and United Nations teams uncovered stores of chlorine and mustard gas used by Syrian military units. Officials say nearly 100 additional sites across Syria remain on the list for future inspection.

Mahamad Katoub, the transitional government’s representative to the OPCW, described the discoveries and arrests as a major victory for both Syria and the international community.

“Today we delivered for the Syrian people and for the world, despite the secrecy, the danger, and the enormous security challenges,” he said.

“It is the first time such munitions could be recovered before they were used in crimes against the Syrian people,” he added.

Katoub declined to publicly identify the 18 people taken into custody but said those arrested include “high-level military, political, and technical officials.” He noted that at least four of the suspects are already under sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, or the European Union.

Earlier this month, on May 8, Syria’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of former Brig. Gen. Khardal Ahmed Dayoub, a senior Assad-era military commander accused of involvement in a 2013 chemical attack near Damascus. Authorities also linked him to chemical assaults in Eastern Ghouta.

Officials charged Dayoub with “direct involvement in systematic violations against civilians,” including responsibility for attacks that killed approximately 1,400 people.

OPCW Director-General Amb. Fernando Arias said Wednesday that the latest findings reinforce longstanding conclusions that Assad’s government concealed critical information about the scope of its chemical weapons activities.

“confirms the Secretariat’s repeated assessment since 2014 that the former Syrian regime withheld information and unsuccessfully attempted to mislead the Secretariat and the international community on the extent of its chemical weapons program.”

Arias praised the cooperation shown by Syria’s current authorities during the investigation.

“I welcome Syria’s cooperation and support for this deployment,” Arias said.

He stressed that substantial work remains ahead and called on Syrian officials to fully account for and eliminate the materials that have been uncovered.

“The Syrian authorities now need to declare and destroy what has been found, under the Secretariat’s verification and to continue supporting the Secretariat in unveiling the full scope of the chemical weapons program they have inherited,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani renewed his criticism of federal immigration enforcement on Thursday, accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of carrying out actions he described as “cruel and inhumane” and defending the city’s status as a sanctuary jurisdiction.

Speaking on MSNBC’s The Briefing, Mamdani argued that New York’s sanctuary-city policies are both a public-safety measure and a reflection of the city’s identity as a destination for immigrants from around the world.

“We are proud of the fact that we are a sanctuary city. We’re proud of that for a number of reasons. One, it is a policy designed to keep New Yorkers safe. Two, we know that here in our city, we are proud of the more than 3 million New Yorkers who are immigrants. I’m one of them. And we know that in a city like this, it is incumbent upon us to live up to the ideals of the Statue of Liberty, not just tell people to come and look at it when they visit from across the world.”

Host Jen Psaki then asked the mayor about his communications with President Donald Trump, noting that Mamdani has previously discussed immigration issues with the president and had been involved in efforts that helped secure the release of a detainee in New York.

“You speak to the president from from time to time. You’ve spoken to him about his immigration policies in the past. You’ve even helped get a detainee in New York released. I’m curious, have you spoken to him since Mark when Mullen made that announcement?” Psaki asked.

Mamdani declined to discuss the details or frequency of his conversations with Trump but said he has consistently voiced his objections to ICE’s operations whenever the subject arises.

“No. I keep the cadence of our conversations private. But what I will say, Jen, is that when I’ve had those conversations with the president, I have made clear, as you’ve said, that I view ICE actions to be cruel and inhumane.”

The mayor went on to argue that federal immigration enforcement efforts do not improve public safety and alleged that the agency has operated without sufficient accountability.

“These are not actions that serve any interest of public safety. And I say that time and again, because what I’ve seen as the mayor of New York City is an agency that is operating with impunity, whether across the five boroughs of New York or whether elsewhere across the country. And so often, New Yorkers have no idea as to what could put them at risk beyond just the simple fact of their existence in this city.”

Mamdani’s remarks are the latest in an ongoing dispute between New York City officials and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement, sanctuary-city policies, and the role of federal authorities in local communities.

{Matzav.com}

A Belzer yungerman was arrested in Kiryat Gat on Friday afternoon, just hours before Shabbos, on allegations of draft evasion, setting off protests, sharp criticism from Belz erleaders, and an immediate investigation ordered by Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy.

The yungerman was detained by police and is currently being held at the police station on Sderot Lachish in Kiryat Gat.

According to eyewitnesses, the arrest occurred after the yungerman approached police officers in an effort to assist them during a gathering that had developed in the area. Witnesses claim that despite his attempt to help, officers subsequently sought to transfer him to the Military Police due to his alleged status as a draft evader.

Following the arrest, the “Tzeva Shachor” protest alert network, which mobilizes demonstrations in response to the detention of bnei yeshiva and yungeleit, called on members of the public to gather at the scene and protest in an effort to prevent his transfer to military authorities.

The arrest drew an angry response from within the Belzer community. A source in the chassidus harshly criticized the move, saying, “Police Commissioner Daniel Levy has lost his bearings. There are hundreds in Belz who enlist. If this young man is not released, they will all be returning home on Sunday.”

The unusually strong statement comes amid heightened sensitivity surrounding relations between the chareidi community and both the police and military, particularly regarding the detention of bnei yeshiva and yungerleit classified as draft evaders.

The current incident has generated particular outrage because, according to eyewitness accounts, the yungerman was not participating in any confrontation with law enforcement. Rather, they say, he approached officers in an effort to assist them during an event taking place in the city.

The controversy also comes one day after a report on Channel 12 News revealed that police are formulating a new policy for handling chareidi draft evaders in an effort to reduce tensions with the chareidi public.

Under the proposed framework, a chareidi draft evader who voluntarily enters a police station to file a complaint, report a missing person, or receive police services would not be detained or transferred to the Military Police.

However, if a police officer encounters a draft evader during a routine traffic stop, at a checkpoint, or in another incidental encounter, the individual would still be detained and transferred to military authorities under existing procedures.

Supporters of the detained yungerman argue that his case falls outside the category of routine enforcement, maintaining that he approached officers of his own accord to assist them and should not have been treated as someone attempting to evade authorities.

Representatives of the chassidus warned that failure to release the yungerman could lead to a significant deterioration in relations between the chareidi community and law enforcement as early as next week.

As the controversy intensified, Commissioner Daniel Levy instructed police officials to immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding the young chareidi man’s detention. The review was ordered following claims that the yungerman was arrested despite having approached officers to assist them during an incident in the city, rather than as part of any confrontation with police or attempt to avoid law enforcement authorities.

According to reports, the commissioner also directed that the full chain of events leading to the arrest be examined in light of the conflicting accounts surrounding the incident.

{Matzav.com}

A long-running chapter in Satmar reached its conclusion Thursday as representatives of the four sons of the late Satmar Rebbe, the Berach Moshe, gathered for a landmark meeting to complete the distribution of the Rebbe’s treasured estate, including rare sifrei kodesh, manuscripts, and sacred heirlooms worth millions of dollars.

The historic gathering, which followed nearly two decades of negotiations, delays, and quiet efforts to resolve the issue, took place under a veil of secrecy at the home of philanthropist Reb Lipa Friedman on the outskirts of Monsey.

Representing the heirs were Rav Yoel Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Beis Baruch in Kiryas Yoel and son of the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum; Rav Chaim Hersh Teitelbaum, son of Rav Lipa Teitelbaum of Zenta; Rav Yaakov Dov Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Sighet and son of the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum; and Rav Moshe Horowitz, son-in-law of Rav Shalom Eliezer Teitelbaum, Av Beis Din of Satmar 15.

Serving as witnesses to the lottery were Rav Sholom Glick, a senior member of Yeshivas Mesivta D’Satmar and Satmar rov in Lakewood, and Rav Shimon Katz, a dayan of the Satmar community in Monsey.

As first reported before Pesach, members of the family had signed a joint letter calling upon anyone in possession of items belonging to their father’s estate to return them so that the inheritance could finally be organized and distributed among the heirs.

Behind the scenes, mediators from various Satmar circles spent years attempting to resolve the complicated matter of the Rebbe’s financial estate and sacred possessions. During his lifetime, the Berach Moshe appointed his longtime attendant, Reb Moshe Friedman—widely known as Reb Moshe Gabbai—to oversee matters relating to the inheritance together with his close associate, philanthropist Reb Eliezer Kestenbaum.

Following the Berach Moshe’s passing, however, the deep division within Satmar prevented an orderly distribution of the estate.

Approximately a decade ago, Reb Moshe Gabbai arranged for the transfer of many of the items to the business premises of philanthropist Reb Meir Hirsch, a prominent supporter of the Mahar”א community and a close friend of Reb Moshe. Over the past year, the collection was carefully cataloged, examined, and appraised.

Among the items are rare books, handwritten manuscripts, and treasured artifacts passed down through the Sighet-Satmar dynasty, tracing their lineage from the Yismach Moshe through the Vayoel Moshe. The Berach Moshe inherited many of these possessions after the Vayoel Moshe passed away without leaving children. The collection is believed to be worth several million dollars.

Following publication of the family’s letter, additional valuable items that had remained in the possession of chassidim and associates were returned to the estate, reportedly with the encouragement of the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum. Once the collection was assembled and documented, preparations for the final division could proceed.

According to the Berach Moshe’s will, the sacred items and books were to be divided equally among his four sons. To fulfill that directive, organizers assembled four separate packages, carefully balancing both the monetary value and the historical and spiritual significance of each group of items.

Each package included a mixture of sacred objects, manuscripts, books, and family heirlooms so that no bundle would be viewed as more prestigious or valuable than another.

For example, one package contained the Rabbeinu Tam tefillin of the Kedushas Yom Tov, while another included a menorah that had belonged to the same revered ancestor. Other packages contained rare manuscripts, books, and additional treasured artifacts. Once the values were equalized, a lottery was conducted to determine which heir would receive each package.

Also present at the gathering were Reb Moshe Friedman, the longtime attendant of the Berach Moshe and official custodian of the estate; attendant Reb Shmuel Teitelbaum; philanthropist Reb Eliezer Kestenbaum; Reb Meir Hirsch, who safeguarded much of the collection for years; and Reb Moshe Yitzchok Wertheimer, the famed hoiz bochur of the Berach Moshe during the Satmar split, who managed many of the estate’s logistical details over the past year.

Sources familiar with the process said several individuals played critical roles in recent months as the negotiations approached their final stages. Among those credited with helping bring the matter to completion was the host, Reb Lipa Friedman, son of Reb Moshe Gabbai, who quietly worked to bridge gaps and finalize arrangements between the various parties.

Friedman, a well-known supporter of Satmar institutions with close ties to many leading philanthropists and community figures, is said to have helped create the channels of communication that ultimately enabled the agreement to be completed after nearly two decades.

The event also carried a personal dimension. It was held in Friedman’s home just days before the wedding of his eldest daughter, scheduled for this coming Sunday. As preparations for a family simchah continued, the residence simultaneously became the setting for one of the most significant and sensitive moments in recent Satmar history, bringing closure to a process that had remained unresolved for almost twenty years.

{Matzav.com}

Jill Biden is facing growing criticism from individuals who worked in the Biden administration after remarks she recently made about President Joe Biden’s widely criticized debate performance against President Donald Trump, comments that many former aides reportedly view with deep skepticism.

The controversy erupted after Jill Biden described her reaction to the June 2024 CNN debate, suggesting she feared her husband may have been suffering from a serious medical episode during the event.

Alex Thompson, the Axios journalist who co-authored the book Original Sin, which examined concerns surrounding Biden’s mental and physical condition, said he has heard significant pushback from former Biden administration officials since Jill Biden’s comments became public.

According to reporting cited from The Atlantic ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, Jill Biden said she believed her husband might have been experiencing a medical emergency.

“Well, a lot of Democrats, including several Biden aides that I’ve talked to since yesterday when this interview came out, just simply don’t believe her,” Thompson told CNN’s Brianna Keilar.

Thompson noted that Jill Biden appeared with her husband at a rally immediately following the debate and continued participating in campaign activities in the days that followed, behavior that some former aides believe is difficult to reconcile with her current account.

“And a lot of former Biden aides, you know, have told me if you really believed he might be having a stroke, that it’s not necessarily the same behavior that you would do. There’s no evidence that there was any significant medical exam afterward,” Thompson said before acknowledging she suggested her husband take a cognitive exam but was overruled by his advisors, per The Atlantic.

He said many Democrats view the renewed discussion as an attempt to revisit and reshape a chapter of political history that has already been heavily scrutinized.

“And, you know, a lot of Democrats think that this is simply unhelpful to come out at this moment and try to rewrite this portion of history… I have to say that there is a significant skepticism that she is trying to rewrite this narrative right now.”

Thompson also referenced reporting he conducted during the 2024 campaign, arguing that Biden’s debate performance was not an isolated incident. According to his reporting, aides and advisers had observed similar struggles months before the debate took place.

He further pointed to Biden’s interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur, during which questions were raised about the president’s memory and recall. Despite those concerns, Thompson said Biden’s closest advisers continued to publicly maintain that he was capable of serving effectively.

“They just feel that the inner circle gaslit them,” Thompson said.

Thompson added that the reaction from some former Biden administration officials has been unusually intense.

“I’ve been surprised by the level of anger and frustration that I’ve heard from former Biden aides towards the former first lady in the last 24 hours,” he added.

In a separate post on X, Thompson revealed that one former Biden official offered an even harsher assessment of Jill Biden’s recent explanation, telling him simply: “she’s lying.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration on Thursday launched a new website that uses the language and imagery of extraterrestrial conspiracies to spotlight immigration enforcement efforts, presenting data on illegal immigration through a platform called Aliens.gov.

The new site, which adopts a science-fiction theme, argues that the “aliens” Americans should be concerned about are not visitors from another planet but illegal immigrants already living in communities across the country. The website was introduced as a tool for tracking immigration arrests, border encounters, and enforcement actions nationwide, according to information obtained by Fox News Digital.

“They walk among us,” the website reads. “For 60 years, the U.S. government has kept a closely guarded secret. Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives. They’ve shopped in the same stores, attended the same classes as our children, and lived seemingly normal human existences.”

The site then delivers its central message:

“With one exception — they do not belong here.”

Fox News Digital reported that it reviewed the website in advance of its launch. The platform combines immigration statistics with references to UFO disclosure campaigns, using humor and satire while advancing the administration’s position on border security and illegal immigration.

According to a White House official, the goal is to draw public attention to what the administration views as the consequences of the previous administration’s border policies.

“This is a first of its kind effort to draw eyeballs to the fact that the previous administration’s porous border didn’t just put families in border states at risk, many across the country were in harm’s way,” a White House official told Fox News Digital.

Among the website’s features is an interactive map of the United States displaying locations where immigration arrests have occurred. Visitors can also view a running total of migrant encounters, which the site says has exceeded three million.

Drawing from Immigration and Customs Enforcement data, the platform allows users to search enforcement actions by city, state, or alleged offense. Search results include information such as arrest dates, criminal allegations, countries of origin, and any reported gang connections.

The website presents a sharply critical assessment of past immigration policies, claiming that federal officials knowingly permitted large numbers of migrants to enter and remain in the country.

“Millions arrived under the cover of darkness and embedded themselves directly into our society. Countless presidents, congressmen, and senior officials knew exactly what was happening. Instead of protecting American citizens, they chose to cover it up and even accelerate the invasion,” the new website states.

The site credits President Trump with bringing attention to the issue and portrays him as the first national leader willing to confront it directly.

“Until one man finally had the courage to tell the truth. Bold. Unapologetic. Unafraid. President Trump was the first to call out the real danger Aliens pose to every American family, every community, and the future of our nation,” the website said. “The truth is no longer out there. It is right here. Right now.”

White House officials told Fox News Digital that the information displayed on the website will be refreshed continuously and will also be integrated into the administration’s existing White House mobile application.

The platform additionally includes an ICE reporting feature that encourages members of the public to “report suspicious aliens.”

The launch comes shortly after the Department of War released two batches of previously classified UAP records as part of a government-wide transparency initiative. That effort directed agencies to review internal archives for decades-old reports involving unidentified aerial phenomena, responding to longstanding public interest in UFO investigations and government secrecy surrounding unexplained sightings.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his decision not to attend Sunday’s Israel Day Parade during a public safety briefing on Thursday, reaffirming a campaign pledge that has drawn sharp criticism from supporters of Israel and many within the city’s Jewish community.

Mamdani, whose positions on Israel have long been the subject of controversy, confirmed earlier this week that he would not take part in the annual celebration. His absence marks a significant departure from the practice of previous New York City mayors, who traditionally joined the march along Fifth Avenue as a show of support for Israel and solidarity with the city’s large Jewish population.

“While I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe,” Mamdani announced during the joint law enforcement briefing, as quoted by The New York Daily News.

He stressed that City Hall’s focus remains on providing security for major public events throughout the city, regardless of whether he personally participates in them.

A visible contrast within the administration emerged when journalists asked whether any senior officials would represent the mayor’s office at the parade. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch immediately made her position known by indicating that she would be attending.

“It’s the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,” Tisch declared, describing the annual event as “one of the most joyful days of the year.”

Tisch said police are implementing the most extensive security operation ever assembled for the parade, citing increased concerns over threats targeting Jewish institutions both in New York and across the country.

According to city officials, the security plan will include a record number of officers, specialized tactical units, and heavy weapons teams stationed throughout the parade route. Everyone seeking entry into the event area will be subject to screening procedures. Emphasizing that no exceptions will be made, Tisch warned: “If you think you are too important to be screened, don’t come”.

Mamdani’s decision to stay away from the parade is the latest flashpoint in a broader record of actions and statements that have generated criticism from pro-Israel groups and elected officials.

During last year’s mayoral campaign, Mamdani declined to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”. He also faced criticism for comments he made about Israel on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel.

He has frequently accused Israel of committing war crimes during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza and has stated that he would seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he travel to New York City.

Further controversy erupted shortly after Mamdani took office when he rescinded several executive orders concerning Israel that had been enacted by his predecessor, Eric Adams.

Among the directives revoked was an order signed by Adams in June 2025 adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism for New York City government.

Another canceled directive barred mayoral appointees and agency employees from participating in boycotts or divestment efforts targeting Israel.

Since assuming office, Mamdani has repeatedly found himself at the center of disputes involving allegations of antisemitism. One recent report highlighted social media activity by his wife, Rama Dawaji, who reportedly liked several posts that praised or appeared sympathetic to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

Additional criticism followed earlier this month when Mamdani released an official city video marking the “Nakba,” the term used by Palestinian Arabs to describe the creation of the State of Israel as a catastrophe.

Despite objections from numerous Jewish organizations, the mayor stood by the decision to publish the video and defended its release.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s ambassador to the United States said Thursday that any agreement aimed at resolving concerns over Iran’s nuclear program must result in the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, including hundreds of centrifuges that could rapidly produce enriched nuclear material.

Appearing on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight, Ambassador Michael Leiter said Israel believes a diplomatic solution remains possible, but only if Iran’s nuclear capabilities are fully eliminated and independently verified.

Leiter said the ideal outcome would involve Iran opening its facilities to international inspectors and allowing experts to confirm that all nuclear-related materials and equipment have been removed.

“[T]he best case scenario would be that they actually open it up as a result of any deal and turn it over, by inspectors that would come in, experts that would come in and assess that all of it has been removed. But it’s important to point out, they have 1,700 centrifuges that can produce nuclear weapons tomorrow — enriched material, I should say, tomorrow. So those have to be dismantled as well or at least completely taken out of the ability to be reconstituted.”

The ambassador emphasized that merely pausing Iran’s nuclear activities would not be sufficient. In Israel’s view, any arrangement must ensure that the machinery used to enrich uranium cannot be restored or brought back into operation at a later date.

Earlier in the interview, Leiter expressed confidence that ongoing diplomatic efforts could ultimately produce a far-reaching agreement that eliminates the need for military action.

“we’re very confident, at the end of the day, if we have a deal of that nature, rather than going back to kinetic activity, it’s going to include a complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”

His remarks come as negotiations continue over a potential agreement with Iran, with nuclear enrichment and the future of Tehran’s uranium-processing infrastructure remaining among the central issues under discussion.

{Matzav.com}

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Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, said on Thursday that there will be appropriate security at the Salute to Israel Parade, scheduled for Sunday, which he plans to skip despite a tradition set by his predecessors.

“We expect tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to gather along Fifth Avenue for this event, and while I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe for all those who take part,” Mamdani said at a press conference at New York City Police Department headquarters.

“As the mayor of our city, I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance,” he said.

Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the NYPD who is Jewish, also spoke at the press conference.

“It’s the largest celebration of its kind outside of Israel, and for so many of us, it’s one of the most joyful days of the year,” she said. “But the sobering truth is it is also taking place in a heightened threat environment with multiple threat vectors active at the same time.”

“Since Oct. 7, 2023, we have seen an unacceptable rise in antisemitism and dozens of attacks across the United States, Canada and Europe targeting the Jewish community. That has only increased in the wake of the start of hostilities in Iran on Feb. 28,” Tisch said.

She noted that two weeks ago, a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander “connected to approximately 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and Canada in just the past few months alone was arrested for those attacks and for allegedly planning to target a synagogue in New York City.”

“In that threat environment, to be blunt, we are not messing around with security at this year’s parade,” Tisch told reporters. “The NYPD is one of the most robust municipal counterterrorism capabilities of any city in the world, and I am bringing all of that to bear for this year’s parade.”

“This Sunday, New Yorkers will see the most extensive security plan that the NYPD has ever put together for the Salute to Israel parade, including the largest number of officers ever assigned to that detail,” she said. “Included in that security plan will be the most heavy weapons teams ever, robust camera coverage of the area and comprehensive screening of everyone entering the parade route, including spectators, vendors, participants and the press.”

“If you think you are too important to be screened, don’t come,” she said. “There will be no exceptions.”

The NYPD will also screen and sweep “all assets deployed on the route, including vehicles and porta potties, according to Tisch.

“We will not tolerate any disruptions to the parade. Any unauthorized persons entering the parade route will be arrested,” she said. “The public should also expect to see counterterrorism teams, explosive detection canines, helicopters, drones, emergency service, mounted unit, hostile surveillance teams and other assets.”

Streets leading up to the parade route will have “hardened block NYPD vehicles and heavy sanitation trucks,” she said.

There will be designated screening entry points at East 61st, 63rd, 66th, 70th and 73rd Streets off Madison Avenue, and the entire west side of Central Park West, which borders Fifth Avenue, will be closed off to pedestrians and parade viewers, according to Tisch.

Historically, parade viewers lined both sides of the legendary Fifth Avenue, where the parade has been held annually since 1964.

“At this time there are no serious or credible threats against the parade,” Tisch said at the briefing.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council-New York, which organizes the annual show of pride that typically attracts more than 250,000 participants and spectators, also spoke at the press conference.

“We are expecting one of the biggest turnouts ever this Sunday at the Israel Day on Fifth Parade,” he said. “We are expecting sunny and 70-degree weather, baruch Hashem,” praise God, “and the Knicks are going to the NBA finals, all happening at the same time,” he said.

“We’re expecting tens of thousands of folks from New York, across the state, across the region, even folks from the tri-state region and beyond in celebration of our love and our story and our pride and our identity of who we are as a people,” Treyger said.

Liz Berney, director of research and special projects at the Zionist Organization of America, said during an online meeting about the parade’s history on Thursday that fewer people might show up for fear of a terror attack.

“I’m hearing this from other organizations marching in the parade—that they have people calling them” and canceling, Berney said. “It’s not what the parade should be.”

Mamdani has said that, breaking with decades-long custom from City Hall, he won’t march in the parade. Jule Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, who is Jewish, intends to be part of the parade, as do candidates in upcoming Democratic congressional primaries around the city scheduled for next month.

“It’s the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,” Tisch told reporters.

A reporter asked Mandani if he will send someone to represent his administration in his absence. Tisch looked at Mamdani and pointed at herself and smiled.

“OK,” the reporter said, amid some laughter. “So that’s an answer.” JNS

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that negotiations between the United States and Iran have advanced significantly, though key disputes remain unresolved and no final agreement has yet been approved by President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters, Vance indicated that both sides continue to work through outstanding issues related to a proposed memorandum of understanding.

“It’s hard to say when or if the President is going to sign the MOU. We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points. I do think we’ve made a lot of progress here. It’s very clear, I think, the Iranians want a deal and they want to open the Strait of Hormuz. We want them to open the Strait of Hormuz,” Vance said.

He noted that the most difficult discussions continue to revolve around Iran’s nuclear program, particularly its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and future enrichment activities.

“There are a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff and the highly enriched stockpile, the question of enrichment,” he continued. “So we’re going back and forth with them. We do think they’re negotiating, at least so far, in good faith and we’re making some progress.”

Vance expressed cautious optimism that additional progress could pave the way for presidential approval, while stressing that no final decision has yet been made.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to make progress and the President will be in a position where he can endorse the agreement, but obviously, that’s still TBD.”

His remarks followed confirmation from White House officials that American and Iranian representatives have tentatively agreed to a 60-day memorandum designed to extend the ceasefire and launch formal talks over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Sources familiar with the mediation effort told Axios that although negotiators have reached a preliminary understanding, Trump has not yet signed off on the proposal. Two U.S. officials and a regional intermediary involved in the talks said final approval remains pending.

According to Axios, the proposed framework would represent one of the most significant diplomatic developments since the conflict began, although major issues would still need to be negotiated before a comprehensive agreement could be finalized.

One key provision would guarantee uninterrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official said Iran would be barred from imposing fees or interfering with commercial traffic and would be required to clear all naval mines from the strategic waterway within 30 days.

The proposal also envisions a gradual rollback of the American naval blockade as commercial maritime activity resumes.

Officials said the memorandum would include a formal Iranian pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons. During the initial 60-day period, negotiators would concentrate primarily on the future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium reserves and the broader question of uranium enrichment.

The report said Washington would also be prepared to discuss easing sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian assets as part of the talks. Additional discussions would focus on creating channels through which Iran could obtain goods and humanitarian aid.

Trump, meanwhile, signaled during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he remains unconvinced by the current state of the negotiations and expects more concessions from Tehran before any agreement is finalized.

“They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven’t gotten there,” Trump said, adding, “We’re not satisfied with it, but we will be. We will be either that, or we’ll have to just finish the job.”

Even while voicing frustration with the pace of progress, Trump suggested that the negotiations are moving in a positive direction and indicated that Iran may be beginning to yield on issues the administration considers essential.

He said he believes “the Iranian regime is starting to give us the things that they have to give us.”

{Matzav.com}

An anti-Israel Wikipedia editor was indefinitely banned this week from editing articles related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The editor, known as “TarnishedPath,” has made more than 54,000 edits on the site and was sanctioned through Wikipedia’s Arbitration Enforcement process, in which administrators enforce rulings issued by the site’s Arbitration Committee, Wikipedia’s highest dispute-resolution body in contentious topic areas.

TarnishedPath and another editor, “Sean.hoyland,” were accused of repeatedly defending “M.Bitton,” an anti-Israel editor who was recently banned from Wikipedia, and, in so doing, of violating Wikipedia policy against turning the site into “a battleground between factions.”

One administrator initially imposed a 90-day ban on TarnishedPath from editing articles related to the conflict over conduct on the talk page for Wikipedia’s main Zionism entry, separate from the original complaint. After reviewing the editor’s broader conduct, other administrators escalated the sanction to an indefinite topic ban.

Sean.hoyland received an informal warning, a notice from administrators cautioning that further problematic conduct could lead to sanctions.

TarnishedPath can appeal the sanction, but the editor has not yet done so.

Shlomit Lir, a University of Haifa researcher who specializes in Wikipedia, told JNS that “the English Wikipedia article on Zionism remains one of the most contested and deeply problematic entries in this topic area.”

She said it was “encouraging” that Wikipedia administrators were recognizing “patterns of battleground editing, procedural obstruction and attempts to flatten or distort the historical meaning of Zionism.”

“This is an important, if overdue, step toward protecting a knowledge space that should represent historical complexity rather than politicized framing under the appearance of neutrality,” she told JNS.

{Matzav.com}

The Sequoia Union High School District, which has about 9,000 students in eight schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, conceded that it must protect Jewish students better, settling a lawsuit alleging that it mishandled antisemitism.

“For years Jewish students have endured not only overt antisemitism, but their complaints about those experiences have been ignored or even maligned,” Lori Lowenthal Marcus, legal director of the Deborah Project, told JNS.

The settlement “requires policies of transparency, unbiased decision-making and concrete protections from antisemitic indoctrination and bullying” by district students, teachers and administrators, Lowenthal Marcus said. (JNS sought comment from the district.)

The agreement, which lasts until June 30, 2029, calls on the district to pay the six families who sued $325,000 in legal fees and for emotional distress and other damages. JNS saw a copy of the settlement.

The district also agrees to list the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a “controversial issue,” which means teachers will have to present the matter neutrally, without sharing their personal views on the subject.

Teachers in the district will also have to warn students not to draw conclusions on the subject without having all the relevant information.

The Deborah Project, a public-interest law firm, and Ropes and Gray represented the six families who sued the district in November 2024.

They alleged that the district was deliberately indifferent toward instances of Jew-hatred and that district officials “shifted blame onto the victims, refused to engage with concerned parents and used superficial ‘investigations’ to whitewash legitimate concerns.”

A neutral, independent decision-maker, or a curriculum expert that that person approves, will need to clear any supplementary instructional materials about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict used in the classroom, per the agreement.

“Parents get to see any materials that are going to be used in the classroom,” Lowenthal Marcus told JNS.

The settlement requires the district’s board to state explicitly in its policies that antisemitism is a barred form of discrimination.

The district’s definition of antisemitism also must include “the denial of the right of Israel to self-determination and self-defense, and holding Israel to a standard or behavior that other democratic nations are not,” Lowenthal Marcus told JNS.

“That’s huge,” she said. “It isn’t only when kids say, ‘heil Hitler’ or a teacher tells a Holocaust joke, as horrible as those are, and those generally are recognized already as being antisemitic.”

“But you can’t call Jewish kids, tell them that their families are committing genocide and you can’t say that Israel has no right to exist,” she told JNS. “That is verboten, and that has not been the case before.”

As part of the agreement, the district agrees to provide mandatory Jew-hatred training to administrators, teachers and staff and to provide yearly anti-hate programs for students.

The district also commits to provide at least one antisemitism lesson in world history classes at its schools.

The agreement also stipulates new ways that the district must handle discrimination complaints.

It will be required to hire a third-party investigator who has not worked for the district within three years of the complaint and who cannot have any other conflict of interest. The investigator will provide a report to the district and the complainant after the probe, and an independent decision-maker will review the findings and make a determination that will be provided to both the complainant and district officials, according to the agreement.

“It used to be that all the policies and all the control were essentially owned by the district and able to be used and manipulated by the district,” Lowenthal Marcus told JNS. “Now the students and the families have a degree of control.”

The district is not admitting to any wrongdoing under the settlement.

Lowenthal Marcus told JNS that the district is “going to go back and review the complaints that were filed that initiated this lawsuit.”

“That’s looking backward. Everything else is really looking forward, making new policies and requirements and putting teeth into what existed before,” she said. “There’s no more playing, ‘Well it depends on what you mean by X.’”

“It’s spelled out in the settlement,” she said.

A “neutral fact-finder” will determine if both sides are following the terms of the settlement, Lowenthal Marcus said.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yitzchok Alster zt”l, a distinguished talmid chochom, revered marbitz Torah, gifted baal menagen, and a noted talmid of Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l.

For more than seven decades, Rav Alster carried the teachings, spirit, and vision of his rebbi across continents, building institutions, nurturing talmidim, and bringing Yidden closer to Torah.

Born in Cologne, Germany, Rav Alster was still a child when his family escaped Europe shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Like so many refugees who arrived on American shores with little more than faith and determination, he would help build the very Torah world that barely existed in America at the time.

His spiritual home became Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, where he arrived in 1953 and came under the influence of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Yitzchok Hutner. What began as admiration developed into a lifelong kesher that would shape every aspect of his life.

Years later, reflecting on his arrival at the yeshiva, Rav Alster recalled that he had already sensed something unique before becoming a talmid. He noticed the extraordinary reverence that Rav Hutner’s talmidim displayed toward their rebbi and realized that theirs was no ordinary rebbi-talmid relationship. It was a profound connection that he himself yearned to attain.

That relationship, he explained, did not emerge overnight. It developed gradually through years of learning, observation, conversations, and immersion in the atmosphere Rav Hutner created. By then, Rav Hutner no longer delivered the daily blatt shiur and instead focused on the shiur klali and the famed maamarim that would later become the classic Pachad Yitzchok. Talmidim forged relationships with him through personal meetings in his office and by watching him during davening, shiurim, maamarim, and Yom Tov observances.

Rav Alster often spoke about the uniqueness of Chaim Berlin and Rav Hutner’s revolutionary vision. The rosh yeshiva, he explained, transformed the yeshiva into a family. A bochur did not merely attend classes there; he became part of a mishpacha. Rav Hutner often pointed to the words “mishpacha umishpacha” in Megillas Esther, teaching that the unity of a family rooted in kedushah could withstand even the corrosive influence of Amalek. Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin was built around that concept.

At a time when the American Torah community was still in its infancy and talmidim arrived from vastly different backgrounds, Rav Hutner understood that Torah education required more than transmitting information. It demanded shaping the entire person. He created an environment in which talmidim felt they belonged to something larger than themselves.

The Yomim Tovim reflected that philosophy. Rav Alster would later describe the unforgettable Pesach sedorim that Rav Hutner conducted through the night until vasikin. Bochurim flocked to the yeshiva from across New York to participate.

Central to Rav Hutner’s influence were the legendary maamarim. Rav Alster described them as masterpieces that combined Chazal, Rishonim, the Maharal, and the Vilna Gaon into a coherent worldview that taught talmidim not only how to learn but how to think, feel, and experience Yiddishkeit.

Rav Alster often quoted Rav Hutner’s insistence that these were not intellectual luxuries, but essential foundations of Jewish life.

Rav Alster explained that his rebbi sought to implant within every talmid an appreciation for penimiyus. Superficiality was anathema to him.

He once compared the challenge to crossing a large puddle. Sometimes, he taught, there is no way through except by making a great leap. The maamarim gave talmidim the ability to make that leap — to transcend the limitations of their surroundings and elevate themselves to a higher plane of avodas Hashem.

Rav Alster would later remark that while many sought prose, Rav Hutner spoke poetry. The four sections of Shulchan Aruch represented the prose of Torah, while the world of hilchos deios and Chovos Halevavos revealed its poetry. Few talmidim absorbed that lesson as deeply as Rav Alster himself.

Rav Hutner’s impact on him was so profound that Rav Alster remained his talmid for life. Even after leaving the yeshiva, he maintained a close relationship with his rebbi, regularly returning for Yom Tov and seeking guidance in major decisions.

When Rav Alster founded the Yeshiva of Pittsburgh in 1967, he brought with him the educational philosophy he had absorbed in Chaim Berlin. The yeshiva became an important Torah institutions in the city and helped shape generations of bnei Torah.

In 1985, he established Kollel HaTorah in New York, creating a framework through which businessmen and professionals could maintain serious Torah learning alongside their careers. Long before such programs became commonplace, Rav Alster recognized the need to provide opportunities for baalei batim to remain connected to sustained growth in Torah.

Yet another dream remained unfulfilled. For decades, Rav Alster longed to settle in Eretz Yisroel. In 2004, that aspiration became reality when he moved to Yerushalayim and established Kollel Nachlas Tzvi in Har Nof. There, as rosh kollel, he continued teaching and inspiring until his final years, bringing the spirit of Chaim Berlin and the teachings of Rav Hutner to a new generation.

Alongside his accomplishments in Torah, Rav Alster possessed another extraordinary gift. He was a uniquely talented composer of music.

Rav Alster’s melodies became woven into the soundtrack of yeshivos, batei medrash, and Jewish homes. His stirring composition “Vahaviyosim” first appeared on the iconic Chaim Berlin album Torah Lives and Sings. The album also featured some of his other beloved niggunim, including Heviani, Pischu Li, Dovko Nafshi, and his celebrated Yedid Nefesh, which is sung in homes across the Jewish world. You can listen to some of his niggunim here.

Many listeners never realized – and still don’t know – that Rav Alster was not only one of the album’s principal composers but also its producer. Through those recordings, he helped preserve and transmit the unique spirit of Chaim Berlin and Rav Hutner to audiences far beyond the walls of the yeshiva.

Those who knew Rav Alster understood that his music was not separate from his Torah. The same yearning for penimiyus that animated his learning found expression in his melodies. His niggunim carry depth, longing, warmth, and dignity, reflecting the inner world he spent a lifetime cultivating.

In speaking about his rebbi, Rav Alster often quoted Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky’s description of Rav Hutner as “the mechanech of the dor.” He marveled at Rav Hutner’s ability to understand each talmid individually and tailor his guidance to the needs of every soul.

Over time, many came to see that Rav Alster himself had inherited much of that gift. Whether through his yeshiva, his kollelim, his conversations, his shiurim, or his music, he possessed an unusual ability to uplift people and connect them to something deeper.

The generation of talmidim who heard him teach, learned under his guidance, sang his melodies, and absorbed the worldview he faithfully transmitted have lost a treasured link to one of the great chains of mesorah of the last century.

With the petirah of Rav Alster, the Torah world loses a talmid chochom of distinction, a master educator, a builder of institutions, a composer whose melodies continue to inspire, and a lifelong ambassador of Rav Hutner’s vision.

He is survived by his choshuve family, who continue his derech. One of Rav Alster’s daughters is married to Rav Chaim Yitzchok Kaplan, venerated mashgiach of Yeshivas Chevron and Yeshivas Pachad Yitzchok. 

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.co m}

Incoming Shas Knesset member Erez Malul declared that the chareidi parties will refuse to join any future coalition unless legislation guaranteeing the legal status of yeshiva students is fully secured, setting the stage for a major confrontation in the next round of coalition negotiations.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Kol Chai, Malul drew a firm line regarding the ongoing battle over the draft status of bnei yeshiva and made clear that the issue would determine whether chareidi parties enter a government at all.

“We will not form a coalition and we will not enter any government until the status of yeshiva students is resolved once and for all through a fortified and robust law,” Malul said.

Malul also painted a grim picture of the current political atmosphere in the Knesset, describing the sense that the government may be nearing collapse.

“It is the end of an era,” he said, adding that “inside the coalition, everyone is talking about dissolving the Knesset.”

Addressing the recent arrests of yeshiva students, Malul accused authorities and political opponents of waging an aggressive campaign against the Torah world under the guise of military concerns.

“There is a wild persecution happening here. People in this country simply want to dismantle the Torah world – they don’t care about the army or security; their sole objective is to ensure there are no Torah scholars here,” he said.

Malul also blasted efforts to impose financial penalties and economic sanctions on yeshiva students, arguing that the measures are designed to pressure avreichim into abandoning Torah learning.

“They think that if they suffocate the married yeshiva students financially, they will abandon the yeshivas and forget their identity. The tighter they squeeze, the louder the charedi public will cry out, and the more they will flock to the ballot boxes,” Malul said.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration filed lawsuits Thursday against four Democrat-led states after they refused to provide confidential license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, escalating a growing battle over cooperation with the federal government’s immigration enforcement efforts.

The Department of Justice announced legal action against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington, accusing the states of unlawfully blocking ICE agents from obtaining undercover vehicle registrations commonly used by law enforcement agencies during sensitive operations.

According to the lawsuits, the states declined to reverse policies denying ICE access to the confidential plates, which the administration says are necessary for agents carrying out arrests as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Officials in Maine and Massachusetts had previously defended their stance by pointing to what they described as aggressive ICE enforcement tactics, arguing that state resources should not be used to assist covert civil immigration operations.

The lawsuits follow warnings issued earlier this month by Assistant U.S. Attorney General Brett Shumate, who sent letters to state officials threatening legal action if the policies remained unchanged.

The Justice Department argues that the states are violating the Constitution by discriminating against federal agencies, specifically ICE and other branches of the Department of Homeland Security, while continuing to cooperate with other law enforcement entities engaged in undercover investigations.

Federal officials also contend that denying the confidential plates places immigration agents at risk by making them more vulnerable to identification, tracking, harassment, and possible attacks while performing arrests.

“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their ⁠duties effectively,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

Representatives for the governors of Maine, Oregon, and Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the announcement of the lawsuits.

A spokesperson for Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey instead referred reporters to a letter her administration sent to the Justice Department last week defending the state’s policy.

In that letter, Healey’s administration argued that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles applies the policy broadly and does not single out federal immigration authorities. The state maintained that confidential license plates are restricted not only for federal agencies, but also for state and local law enforcement unless the request involves criminal investigations.

The Justice Department disputed that claim in its lawsuit, asserting that until recently — including as late as 2025 — federal agencies such as ICE and Customs and Border Protection routinely received confidential vehicle registrations and plates in Massachusetts.

According to the complaint, the policy shifted earlier this year after Healey’s administration announced it would no longer assist ICE operations in that manner.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge has pushed back the criminal trial of former FBI Director James Comey until October as his legal team prepares a broad constitutional challenge to charges accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump through a controversial Instagram post featuring the phrase “86 47.”

The case centers on a 2025 social media image posted by Comey showing seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47,” a message prosecutors claim constituted a threat against Trump, the nation’s 47th president.

Comey’s attorneys requested additional time to prepare what they described in court filings as “multiple motions on constitutional grounds,” arguing the case may ultimately be dismissed entirely before ever reaching a jury.

The trial had originally been scheduled for July, but federal prosecutors did not oppose delaying proceedings until Oct. 21.

The postponement gives Comey’s defense team several additional months to argue that the Instagram post represented protected political expression under the First Amendment rather than a criminal threat.

The legal fight is expected to center heavily on free speech issues and could become a major constitutional test case before trial proceedings formally begin.

Comey has remained one of the most polarizing figures connected to the Trump years dating back to the 2016 election cycle. He drew national attention over his handling of Hillary Clinton’s private email investigation and later became a central player in the early stages of the Russia probe before being dismissed by Trump in 2017.

The indictment stems from the now-deleted Instagram post Comey published in May 2025 featuring the phrase “86 47.”

Federal prosecutors argue the message carried threatening implications. The term “86” is commonly used slang meaning to remove, discard, or eliminate something, while “47” was interpreted as a reference to Trump’s presidency.

After intense backlash erupted online last year, Comey removed the image and publicly denied intending any threat toward Trump. He said at the time that he was unaware the phrase “86” could be interpreted as advocating violence.

The decision to postpone the trial was issued by U.S. District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan, who was appointed to the federal bench in 2003 by President George W. Bush.

The prosecution has also fueled broader political debate, with critics accusing the Trump administration of using the justice system to target political adversaries.

“Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to turn our justice system into a weapon for punishing and silencing his critics,” Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, said of the indictment after it was announced. “Our system depends on prosecutors making decisions based on evidence and the law, not on the personal grudges of a politician determined to settle scores.”

Supporters of the charges, however, argue that Comey crossed a legal line and that threatening language directed toward a sitting president cannot be shielded as political speech.

“It’s not a very difficult line to look at, and it’s not, in my mind, a difficult line for one to cross over, one way or the other,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said of the case in March. “We cannot, you are not allowed to threaten the President of the United States of America. That’s not my decision. That’s Congress’s decision, and a statute that they passed that we charge multiple times a year.”

{Matzav.com}

Denver International Airport is preparing to give travelers access to portions of its long-rumored underground tunnel network, transforming areas once surrounded by conspiracy theories into public pedestrian walkways connecting the airport’s concourses.

Airport officials announced this week that sections of the subterranean baggage tunnel system will eventually be opened for foot traffic, allowing passengers to walk between concourses A, B, and C instead of relying solely on the airport’s underground train.

For decades, the tunnels beneath Denver International Airport have fueled speculation involving secret military compounds, underground bunkers, hidden government facilities, and the airport’s infamous “lizard people” conspiracy theories.

Now, some of those same passageways are set to become part of the airport’s public infrastructure.

At present, most travelers move between terminals using the airport’s automated underground rail system. The new project would create an alternate route for passengers navigating the massive airport complex.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston directly referenced the airport’s bizarre reputation while discussing the plan.

“Maybe along the way, travelers will finally get a closer look at the underground tunnels and decide for themselves what’s fact and what’s fiction,” Johnston said in a statement released by the airport.

According to airport officials, the pedestrian tunnels are part of Denver International Airport’s larger “Vision 100” development initiative, a long-term expansion effort designed to accommodate growing passenger traffic in the years ahead.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2027.

Officials estimate the cost will fall somewhere between $300 million and $700 million.

Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington told CBS News that the expansion will be financed through airport-generated revenue rather than taxpayer funding.

The airport has attracted conspiracy theories almost since the day it opened, with attention focusing on its underground tunnel network, unusual murals and artwork, and the giant blue horse statue with glowing red eyes known to many travelers as “Blucifer.”

Public fascination intensified after the airport’s 1995 opening suffered major delays and ballooned billions of dollars over budget, further fueling speculation about what might actually exist beneath the property.

In recent years, the airport has already poured substantial funding into modernization efforts, including upgrades to its train system, terminal renovations, and expanded gate capacity at the Jeppesen Terminal.

News of the tunnel project immediately ignited reactions online, where social media users revived many of the airport’s famous conspiracy theories with humor.

“Be prepared to fight the lizard people along the way,” one Reddit user wrote.

Others joked about the airport’s towering blue horse statue.

“Praise Blucifer,” another commenter joked.

Some travelers, meanwhile, focused less on the conspiracies and more on the convenience of finally having another way to move between terminals.

“We’ve only been asking for this since before the airport opened,” one Reddit user wrote.

{Matzav.com}