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Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Wednesday publicly described the terrifying events aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 for the first time, saying one of the pilots stabbed the other and apparently attempted to deliberately crash the Tel Aviv-bound jet with everyone aboard before passengers and other crew members intervened.

“During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu said in a video statement Wednesday afternoon. He called the passengers who intervened “heroes” who “prevented a major disaster.”

The prime minister’s account marked a significant development in Israel’s description of an incident that began Wednesday morning with reports of an unexplained emergency aboard the Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX 8 traveling from Dubai to Ben Gurion Airport.

Flight FZ1073 was carrying 174 passengers, according to Israeli reports, including 27 children. More than 100 of those aboard were Israeli nationals.

According to Netanyahu, the violent confrontation began as the aircraft was approaching Israel. One pilot allegedly attacked and stabbed the other, after which the aircraft began a frightening and extremely rapid descent.

Flight-tracking data shows just how dramatic that descent was. The jet dropped from approximately 34,000 feet to below 17,000 feet in a matter of minutes, with some tracking data recording an extraordinary instantaneous descent rate during the crisis.

Passengers described the aircraft as being effectively out of control during those moments.

Miryam Shira Ohayon, who was aboard the flight, said, “The plane was pretty much out of control.”

“So the co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she said.

Her mother, Yasmin Abukasis, who was waiting for her daughter at Ben Gurion Airport, said passengers heard shouting before discovering the bloody scene near the cockpit.

“She said one pilot tried to kill the other pilot with a knife. They heard shouting,” Abukasis said.

Another passenger went toward the cockpit “and saw a lot of blood,” she said.

“She started screaming ‘come help’ and some people went in and caught the guy,” Abukasis said.

“All the while, the plane started going down very fast. People thought they were going to die,” she added.

Tzvika Manes, CEO of Barak Capital Underwriting, Bank Leumi’s underwriting arm, said he was one of the passengers who rushed into the cockpit and physically subdued the alleged attacker.

“My wife was standing near the cockpit because our daughter was in the restroom. Suddenly, she heard shouting coming from the cockpit. She yelled to a relief pilot from who was sitting nearby: ‘Go in quickly, see what’s happening.’”

“He called for help, and two other men and I entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker. I’m covered in blood. It was insane,” Manes said.

A doctor aboard the aircraft then began treating the injured pilot.

“A doctor who was on board bandaged the pilot, treated him, and allowed the flight to continue,” Manes said.

Other qualified pilots were reportedly aboard the aircraft as passengers or positioning crew members and were able to take control after the suspect was subdued. Israeli media reported that they helped stabilize the aircraft and carry out the emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia.

Video recorded during the ordeal showed just how uncertain passengers remained about whether they would survive.

“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help,” a bloodied passenger said.

“We’re landing in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown, unfamiliar area. On the plane, everybody is safe and sound, other than the pilot. We need help.”

Another passenger described the terror inside the cabin as the plane rapidly lost altitude.

“For several minutes we were certain we will be murdered or crash … Screams were heard coming from the cockpit,” the passenger said.

“The Israeli passengers grabbed the attacker and pinned him to the floor … There were moments when we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive.”

The aircraft’s transponder signals added to fears that a hijacking was underway. About 90 minutes after departing Dubai, the plane transmitted code 7700, the international signal for a general emergency. It subsequently transmitted 7500, the code used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft, including a possible hijacking.

The signals set off alarms throughout Israel’s security establishment. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled, while Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz convened an urgent security consultation. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir simultaneously held an assessment with the commander of the Israeli Air Force and the heads of the IDF’s Operations and Military Intelligence directorates.

The aircraft ultimately landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi airport authorities confirmed that both the captain and copilot were injured and transported to a hospital, but their initial statement did not explain the cause of the injuries or characterize what happened as terrorism.

Netanyahu said Saudi authorities had arrested the suspected attacker and were questioning him.

Israeli reports have described the suspect as an Omani copilot, although neither Flydubai nor Saudi authorities had publicly confirmed his identity or nationality as of Wednesday afternoon. Authorities are investigating his background, motive and whether anyone else was involved.

Defense Minister Katz went further than Netanyahu in describing the episode, publicly declaring it an attempted “jihadist terrorist attack.” Katz said Israel’s preliminary information indicated that the attacker had one objective: bringing down the aircraft with everyone aboard.

Flydubai, by contrast, has remained cautious, saying only that FZ1073 “experienced an incident while en route” and confirming that everyone aboard was safe. The airline said it was cooperating with the authorities and would provide additional information as verified details became available.

There has also been no publicly disclosed evidence thus far establishing that the alleged attacker was acting under orders from a terrorist organization or foreign government.

The incident has triggered a separate investigation into how the suspected copilot was approved to operate an Israel-bound flight. Transportation Minister Miri Regev has demanded an examination of the crew-vetting process amid reports that the suspect was an Omani national.

For Netanyahu, however, the most immediate conclusion from the extraordinary episode was that the outcome could have been dramatically different had passengers and other crew members not acted when they did.

The prime minister said the passengers who confronted the alleged attacker “prevented a major disaster,” crediting their intervention with saving the lives of those aboard the aircraft.

Israeli security and aviation authorities launched an urgent investigation Wednesday into how a Flydubai copilot reportedly from Oman — a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel — was cleared to operate a flight to Tel Aviv before allegedly stabbing the captain and attempting to crash the aircraft with 174 passengers aboard.

The Mossad, Shin Bet, IDF, Transportation Ministry and Israel Airports Authority are now examining the security procedures that preceded Flydubai Flight FZ1073, including precisely what screening was conducted on the suspected attacker and whether his assignment to the Israel route complied with the aviation arrangements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

At the center of the investigation is a basic question: How was a pilot identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national authorized to fly an aircraft scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport?

Under Israeli-Emirati aviation arrangements cited by Israeli officials and media, pilots operating flights into Israel are required to hold passports from countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. Oman has never joined the Abraham Accords and does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev has demanded an examination of whether Flydubai and the UAE violated those requirements and called for the airline’s flights to Israel to be suspended while the matter is investigated.

One possibility under examination is that the suspected copilot held dual citizenship and entered Israel under a second passport from a country that does maintain relations with Israel. Israeli reports said Regev raised the dual-citizenship issue in discussions with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

Security officials are also investigating whether the standard vetting process was properly conducted before the copilot was approved for the Tel Aviv route. Because of the particular sensitivities surrounding flights arriving from Gulf and other Middle Eastern countries, foreign crew members are subject to individualized screening before being cleared for flights into Israeli airspace.

Investigators are seeking to determine whether that screening occurred in this case, what information was available about the copilot beforehand and whether any warning signs were missed.

The investigation comes after Netanyahu publicly described what happened aboard FZ1073 as a “highly severe security incident.” According to Netanyahu, the copilot attacked the captain while the aircraft was approaching Israel and then attempted to bring down the Boeing 737 MAX.

The suspected attacker was identified by an Israeli official as an Omani national and was arrested after the plane made its emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities are questioning him.

Netanyahu said passengers and another crew member forced their way into the cockpit after the aircraft “entered a tailspin and began to dive” and found the copilot “trying to sabotage the plane’s systems.”

“They saved many lives. They prevented a heavy disaster,” Netanyahu said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz went further, describing the episode as an attempted jihadist terror attack and saying Israel’s preliminary information indicated that the suspect intended to crash the aircraft with everyone aboard. That remains the Israeli government’s assessment; Saudi authorities and Flydubai have not publicly confirmed a terrorist motive.

Flight data underscores how close the incident came to catastrophe. The aircraft was cruising at roughly 34,000 feet when it suddenly plunged by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before its first emergency transmission, according to Flightradar24 data cited by Reuters.

The plane initially transmitted squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, and subsequently switched to 7500, the international signal for unlawful interference with an aircraft. The second signal immediately raised fears in Israel that a passenger jet carrying scores of Israelis had been hijacked.

Israeli fighter jets were scrambled while Netanyahu and senior defense officials held emergency consultations. The plane ultimately stabilized and landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk.

Passengers have described a bloody struggle inside the cockpit in which Israelis and other crew members rushed forward after hearing screams. Israeli reports say the captain was repeatedly stabbed before passengers managed to overpower the alleged attacker and remove him from the cockpit.

A particularly fortunate circumstance may have prevented the incident from becoming an aviation catastrophe: additional qualified pilots were traveling aboard FZ1073 as part of a crew arrangement. After the alleged attacker was subdued, another pilot was able to take control of the aircraft and help bring it safely to Saudi Arabia.

“The great stroke of luck on this flight was the pilots,” a senior Israeli official told Channel 12. “Otherwise, we would have been facing an incident straight out of September 2001 or July 1976.”

The official was referring to the September 11 terror attacks in the United States and the 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight to Entebbe.

Israel’s investigation is now extending beyond the alleged attacker himself. Authorities want to reconstruct the entire chain through which he was hired, screened, assigned to FZ1073 and ultimately permitted to serve aboard an aircraft whose scheduled destination was Israel.

Flydubai has not confirmed the copilot’s nationality or publicly explained how its crew members are vetted for Israel-bound flights. The airline has described Wednesday’s events only as an onboard “incident” and said it is cooperating with the relevant authorities.

There is also no publicly disclosed evidence at this stage that the suspected attacker was directed by a terrorist organization, foreign government or other outside entity. Israeli authorities are investigating whether he acted alone and what motivated his alleged actions.

The Shin Bet is expected to question the Israeli passengers and crew members after their return from Saudi Arabia as investigators piece together the events inside the cockpit and seek to determine whether anything before takeoff should have raised suspicion.

Meanwhile, the Mossad was involved in security arrangements for the replacement Flydubai aircraft dispatched to Tabuk to retrieve the stranded passengers, as Israeli authorities sought assurances regarding the crew assigned to bring them home.

The scrutiny is particularly significant because Flydubai’s Dubai-Tel Aviv service is part of one of the busiest aviation links created by the Abraham Accords. More than two dozen flights normally operate each day between Israel and the UAE, and the route has continued operating despite years of regional conflict.

A second Flydubai flight, FZ1081, initially appeared to turn back toward Dubai later Wednesday while over Saudi Arabia, although subsequent flight data indicated it continued along its scheduled route.

For Israeli investigators, however, the central question remains the one raised almost immediately after FZ1073 landed: if the man in the cockpit was indeed an Omani national who intended to destroy an Israel-bound passenger jet, how did he receive clearance to fly that route in the first place?

The approximately 174 passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia following the suspected terror attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 are preparing to return to Israel after the Mossad approved the replacement Flydubai crew sent to retrieve them, following a high-level security assessment led by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

The replacement Flydubai aircraft landed Wednesday afternoon in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where the passengers have remained since their Tel Aviv-bound flight made an emergency landing following the violent cockpit attack. Passengers began boarding the new aircraft, which was expected to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport at approximately 6 p.m. Israel time. Some passengers, shaken by the ordeal, initially indicated that they did not want to board another Flydubai flight.

The decision to allow the passengers to return aboard another Flydubai aircraft came only after Israeli security officials scrutinized the replacement crew. According to Israeli reports, the Mossad examined and approved the pilots and crew members assigned to the rescue flight before Israeli authorities gave their approval for the passengers to board.

The unusual vetting followed serious questions about how the suspected attacker aboard FZ1073 was cleared to fly an aircraft bound for Israel in the first place. Israeli officials believe the copilot involved in Wednesday morning’s incident is an Omani national, although his identity and nationality have not yet been formally confirmed by Flydubai. Oman does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Mossad Director Roman Gofman is personally overseeing Israel’s handling of the case, including contacts with Saudi authorities and the Israeli side of the investigation into the suspected attack. Israeli officials are awaiting information from the Saudi interrogation of the detained copilot as they attempt to determine his motive and whether he acted alone.

One issue being investigated is whether the suspected attacker held dual citizenship that enabled him to satisfy security requirements for Flydubai personnel assigned to Israel-bound flights. Israeli officials reportedly understand that he had worked for the Emirati carrier for less than a year.

The decision to use a Flydubai rescue plane followed several hours of discussions over how to extract the Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia, which has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel initially examined the possibility of sending its own aircraft to Tabuk. Israeli media reported that officials considered both a civilian Israeli plane and an Israeli military aircraft, while El Al offered to conduct a special rescue flight. Saudi authorities, however, did not approve an independent Israeli evacuation operation, leaving the replacement Flydubai aircraft as the route home.

The complicated rescue operation came after Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu held a security assessment with senior defense and intelligence officials as the crisis unfolded.

“The situation is under control, and all measures are currently being taken to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel safely,” Netanyahu’s office said.

The passengers had been stranded in Tabuk since FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, made its emergency landing Wednesday morning after a violent confrontation erupted in the cockpit.

According to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, one pilot attacked the other and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft. Israeli passengers rushed the cockpit and helped overpower the suspected attacker, while other qualified pilots aboard the plane helped regain control. Katz has characterized the incident as an attempted “jihadist terrorist attack.” Saudi and Flydubai authorities have not publicly adopted that characterization, and the motive remains under investigation.

The aircraft had been cruising at approximately 34,000 feet before suddenly plunging to roughly 17,000 feet. During the emergency it transmitted transponder code 7700, signaling a general emergency, and subsequently 7500, the internationally recognized code for unlawful interference or a possible hijacking.

Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as authorities initially feared that the aircraft had been hijacked. The plane eventually landed safely in Tabuk, where Saudi security forces detained the suspected attacker. Both pilots were taken to a hospital with injuries.

Netanyahu said the attacker was now being questioned by Saudi authorities and praised those aboard the plane whose intervention he said prevented a catastrophe.

The incident has also triggered a major dispute over Flydubai’s continued operations in Israel.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev demanded that Flydubai flights to Israel be suspended pending a full investigation and instructed the Civil Aviation Authority to examine whether the airline violated aviation arrangements requiring pilots flying into Israel to carry passports from countries maintaining diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

Regev’s demand reportedly produced disagreement with Shin Bet Director David Zini over how Israel should respond while the investigation is still underway.

For the passengers themselves, however, the immediate focus shifted Wednesday afternoon from the investigation to finally getting home.

After surviving the terrifying plunge, the cockpit struggle and an emergency landing in a country most of them could not ordinarily enter, the passengers were permitted to board the replacement Flydubai jet only after Israeli intelligence officials were satisfied with the crew assigned to fly them to Ben Gurion Airport.

Israeli security personnel are expected to question passengers after they arrive in Israel as investigators reconstruct exactly what happened aboard FZ1073 and determine whether the attack was planned in advance and whether the Israelis aboard the aircraft were deliberately targeted.

Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Wednesday that the terrifying midair attack aboard Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was an “attempted jihadist terror attack,” saying several Israeli passengers forced their way into the cockpit, physically overpowered the attacker and enabled another flight crew aboard the jet to regain control before the aircraft could be deliberately crashed with 174 passengers aboard.

Katz’s statement represents Israel’s strongest official characterization yet of the extraordinary incident aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv when violence erupted in the cockpit and the aircraft suddenly plunged thousands of feet before diverting to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

“The grave incident on the flydubai plane was a jihadist terrorist attack attempt, which was thwarted only thanks to the bravery of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist and, with their own hands, restored control of the plane to another flight crew who was present there,” Katz said.

“According to the initial information in our possession, the terrorist had one intention: to crash the plane with all its passengers,” Katz added.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu also said Wednesday afternoon that Israel’s information indicated one pilot attacked the other as the aircraft approached Israel and apparently intended to bring down the plane.

“During the flight, as they approached the country, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot, and apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Netanyahu hailed the passengers who intervened as “heroes” and said their actions “prevented a major disaster.”

The suspected attacker was arrested after the emergency landing and is being questioned by Saudi authorities, according to Netanyahu. Israeli security officials are working to determine whether he acted alone or had connections to a terrorist organization or another outside entity. Thus far, no evidence of an outside sponsor has been publicly disclosed.

Israeli reports have identified the alleged attacker as an Omani copilot. The captain who was stabbed has meanwhile been identified in Indian reporting as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national who has flown as a Flydubai captain since 2022. Flydubai itself has not publicly confirmed the pilots’ identities or nationalities.

The rapidly emerging passenger accounts paint a remarkable picture of what happened inside the aircraft.

Yitzhak Lieber, one of the Israeli passengers who helped during the emergency, recorded a message from aboard the plane saying that passengers had managed to overpower the knife-wielding attacker.

“We are on the flight from Dubai. We took control here of the attacker with a knife who stabbed one of the pilots. We simply jumped in and a few of us pulled them out of the cockpit. Everything is fine now. We are probably landing in Saudi Arabia. You can see that I am okay.”

“We will see what happens now. In just a few minutes we are landing. The terrorist has been neutralized.”

Lieber said passengers subsequently made certain that the cockpit was secured from the cabin.

“We made sure they closed the door.”

Another of the passengers now identified as having helped subdue the alleged attacker is Tzvika Manes, CEO of Barak Capital Underwriting, Bank Leumi’s underwriting arm.

Manes told Calcalist that his wife was near the cockpit because their daughter was using the restroom when she suddenly heard shouting coming from inside.

“My wife was standing near the cockpit because our daughter was in the restroom. Suddenly, she heard shouting coming from the cockpit. She yelled to a relief pilot from who was sitting nearby: ‘Go in quickly, see what’s happening.’”

“He called for help, and two other men and I entered the cockpit and subdued the attacker. I’m covered in blood. It was insane,” Manes said.

The presence of additional pilots aboard the flight may have proved critical. Israeli accounts indicate that at least two other qualified pilots were traveling as passengers or positioning crew members. Once the alleged attacker had been pulled from the cockpit, those pilots were able to help regain control and ultimately bring FZ1073 safely into Tabuk.

Manes said a physician aboard the aircraft immediately began treating the wounded captain.

“A doctor who was on board bandaged the pilot, treated him, and allowed the flight to continue,” he said.

Other passengers described the moments before the intervention as sheer terror.

Miriam, an Israeli passenger aboard the flight, said screams suddenly erupted near the cockpit approximately an hour or two before the scheduled arrival in Israel.

“About an hour or two before landing, we just started to hear screams from the plane. Someone started screaming… We just heard screams, and they opened the cockpit and saw large amounts of blood, from someone who had simply tried to murder the pilot and stabbed him with a pocketknife. Then the plane lost control.”

She said the aircraft’s movements left passengers believing they were about to die.

“We felt that this was it; we were about to crash. I was already screaming ‘Shema Yisrael’ and saying, ‘I can’t die, I’m my mother’s only daughter, I can’t do this to my mom.’”

Miriam credited Israelis aboard the aircraft with intervening and said medical professionals among the passengers rushed to help the injured pilot.

“Those who ultimately took control of the incident here were Israelis from the plane, who simply neutralized the terrorist. There was also a nurse here, and a doctor who provided first aid to the pilot. And thank God, there were several pilots on the plane, and they sort of took control of the plane, and in the end we made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.”

Importantly, Miriam herself cautioned immediately after the landing that passengers did not yet know the attacker’s motive.

“We don’t know yet. There is speculation that it might be someone from the flight crew. We really don’t know. At least, I don’t know.”

Asked how the man was overpowered, she said: “I believe it was with their own hands; I wasn’t in the cockpit.”

Flight data independently confirms that something extraordinary occurred aboard the aircraft. FZ1073 was cruising at nearly 34,000 feet when it suddenly lost an enormous amount of altitude, falling below 17,000 feet during the emergency before changing course toward Saudi Arabia.

The aircraft first transmitted transponder code 7700, signaling a general emergency. It then switched to 7500 — the internationally recognized code indicating unlawful interference, including a potential hijacking — before eventually returning to 7700.

Those signals triggered immediate alarm in Israel. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as defense officials initially feared that an airliner carrying a large number of Israelis could have been hijacked and might be approaching Israeli airspace. Netanyahu and Katz convened security consultations while senior IDF officials conducted their own assessment.

The aircraft ultimately landed at Tabuk at approximately 9:45 a.m. local time. Saudi authorities confirmed that the captain and copilot were injured and taken to a hospital, while the passengers were brought into the terminal.

Flydubai has so far avoided endorsing Israel’s description of the episode as terrorism. The airline has publicly described it only as an unspecified onboard “incident.”

“Flydubai can confirm that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on 30 September experienced an incident while en route,” the airline said.

“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”

Saudi authorities likewise have not publicly characterized the episode as a jihadist attack. Their statements have confirmed the emergency landing and injuries to the two pilots while leaving the cause to investigators.

That makes Katz’s declaration significant: Israel’s defense minister is no longer describing the terrorist explanation merely as one possibility under investigation. He is publicly asserting, based on what he called Israel’s “initial information,” that the attacker intended to deliberately destroy the aircraft and kill everyone aboard.

Netanyahu similarly said Saudi Arabia has the suspect in custody and is questioning him. Israeli authorities are examining whether he acted independently and whether the Israelis aboard the Tel Aviv-bound flight were specifically targeted.

The drama also produced an extraordinary logistical problem after the survivors suddenly found themselves stranded in Saudi Arabia, a country with which Israel has no formal diplomatic relations. Flydubai dispatched another aircraft to Tabuk to bring them the rest of the way to Tel Aviv.

But the defining account to emerge from the incident is now the extraordinary intervention inside the cockpit: according to Katz, Israeli passengers realized that the aircraft itself was in mortal danger, broke into the cockpit while the jet was plunging, wrestled the alleged attacker into submission and handed control to other pilots aboard.

Had they failed, Katz said, Israel’s preliminary assessment is that the attacker intended to crash FZ1073 with everyone aboard.

Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s political allies on Wednesday of attempting to link the dramatic Flydubai incident to Netanyahu’s pre-election security warning, saying that nothing resembling the apparent attempted attack on the Tel Aviv-bound aircraft was raised during the classified security briefing he received from Netanyahu just hours earlier.

“Nothing even resembling the aircraft incident this morning appeared in the security briefing with the prime minister last night,” Lapid, a former prime minister, said. “Nothing similar, nothing reminiscent of it, not even a hint.”

Lapid’s statement came after Flydubai Flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 100 Israeli passengers aboard, was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following a violent incident involving the aircraft’s pilots. Israeli officials are investigating whether one of the pilots deliberately tried to crash the plane in what may have been an attempted terrorist attack.

Passengers and crew members reportedly intervened during the emergency and helped overpower the suspected attacker. The aircraft abruptly dropped from approximately 34,000 feet to 17,000 feet, transmitted an emergency code associated with unlawful interference, and ultimately landed safely in Saudi Arabia. Both pilots were hospitalized.

The political dispute surrounding the episode stems from Netanyahu’s striking warning just one day earlier.

Speaking Tuesday during a visit to the Tel Nof Air Force Base, Netanyahu said Israeli authorities had indications that the country’s enemies could attempt an attack in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 27 Knesset election. He did not publicly identify a specific country, terrorist organization or type of attack.

“We have indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us,” Netanyahu said.

“So from here, from the Air Force base, from the long arm of Israel, I am sending you a message: Don’t mess with us — not now, and not ever. Our long arm will reach you anywhere and at any time,” he added.

The comments immediately generated controversy, with Lapid and Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot demanding that Netanyahu provide opposition leaders with the intelligence underlying such a serious public warning. Eisenkot said the information, if genuine, required an immediate briefing to ensure that the warning was based on a concrete security threat rather than election politics.

Netanyahu subsequently instructed his military secretary to brief Lapid, and the two met Tuesday night for a high-level security update.

After Wednesday morning’s Flydubai emergency, Netanyahu allies and supporters pointed to the incident as potentially validating his warning. Lapid pushed back sharply, saying the threat information presented to him the previous evening bore no resemblance to what unfolded aboard FZ1073.

“All the spin the mouthpieces are putting out now only proves what was already clear yesterday: They are once again trying to play cheap politics at the expense of Israel’s security. A reckless bunch,” Lapid said.

The dispute escalated further when an unnamed “diplomatic source,” widely interpreted in Israeli media as speaking on behalf of Netanyahu, reportedly suggested that Lapid had indeed been briefed about relevant security concerns. Lapid accused the source of misrepresenting what occurred in the meeting and reiterated that the Flydubai scenario had not been raised.

The political argument is separate from the investigation into what actually happened aboard the aircraft. Israeli officials increasingly suspect that the cockpit violence may have constituted an attempted terrorist attack, but investigators have not publicly established the suspect’s motive or produced evidence that a foreign government or terrorist organization directed the incident.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for Israel to “address the intent and not the results” of the incident.

“Whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis must pay as if he murdered. He and every state or terrorist organization that sent him,” Smotrich wrote.

No evidence has emerged thus far establishing that the suspected attacker was acting on behalf of a state or terrorist group. Reports concerning the pilot’s identity and nationality have also remained inconsistent as Saudi authorities continue investigating the incident.

Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar focused on the intervention of those aboard the aircraft.

“Thank God Almighty for the great miracles and for the Israeli heroes who showed tremendous resourcefulness and saved many lives. Israel’s enemies will pay dearly,” Zohar wrote.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir circulated a Channel 14 report claiming that the pilot intended to carry out an attack resembling the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. That claim has not been independently established, and investigators have yet to publicly determine precisely what the suspected attacker intended to do.

“Israel has done tremendous work over the past two and a half years, but it must not stop and must continue until achieving a complete victory in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria,” Ben-Gvir wrote.

“The naive perception that our enemies value life and should be shown mercy received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board,” he added. “Terror is an evil that must never be met with any agreement other than defeating it and wiping it off the face of the earth.”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Wednesday that the crisis surrounding a Flydubai jet carrying approximately 180 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv was under control after the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia amid a violent cockpit incident that Israeli security officials are investigating as a possible terrorist attack.

“The situation is under control, and all measures are currently being taken to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel safely,” Netanyahu’s office said in an official statement.

Netanyahu held urgent security consultations after Flight FZ1073 diverted to Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk rather than continuing to Ben Gurion Airport.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 landed safely in Tabuk, and Flydubai confirmed that all passengers were safe and accounted for. Saudi airport authorities said both the captain and first officer were injured and transported to a hospital following the emergency.

The exact sequence of events remained under investigation Wednesday, with important elements of the accounts circulating in Israel not yet independently established. Israeli officials said they were examining evidence that one of the pilots deliberately attacked the other and attempted to bring down the aircraft, while other reporting initially described the episode simply as a violent fight between the pilots.

Passengers have provided far more dramatic accounts, saying they intervened after one pilot allegedly attacked the other inside the cockpit and the aircraft suddenly began losing altitude.

According to Israeli reports, the suspected attacker was the copilot, described in preliminary accounts as an Omani national who had been employed by Flydubai for approximately a year. Israeli sources stressed that his identity and nationality had not yet been definitively confirmed.

The aircraft’s flight data underscored the severity of the emergency. FZ1073 initially transmitted squawk code 7700, signaling a general emergency, before switching several minutes later to 7500, the international transponder code for unlawful interference aboard an aircraft. It later returned to 7700.

Flight-tracking information showed the plane suddenly plunging from cruising altitude, descending from approximately 34,000 feet to around 19,000 feet in roughly 90 seconds. Other tracking analyses placed it below 17,000 feet during the rapid descent.

Israel scrambled fighter jets while authorities assessed whether the aircraft had been hijacked or otherwise posed a security threat. The fighters were subsequently recalled after the plane diverted safely to Saudi Arabia.

Despite reports that Israeli airspace had temporarily been closed during the incident, the Israel Airports Authority later said that was incorrect, stating that Israeli airspace remained open and airports continued operating normally throughout the emergency.

Israeli security officials were increasingly examining the incident as a possible act of terrorism rather than an ordinary dispute between crew members. At the same time, officials said they had no evidence that the suspected attacker had been dispatched or directed by a terrorist organization or foreign government.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the incident demonstrated the need for Israel to intensify its military campaigns against its enemies.

“Thank God and the heroic passengers, but Israel’s security doctrine must be taken to the next level,” Ben-Gvir said.

“We must not stop and must continue until achieving total victory in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria,” Ben-Gvir said, using the biblical names for the West Bank.

The Otzma Yehudit chairman added that “the naive belief that our enemies cherish life and should be shown mercy received another reminder this morning. Terrorism is an evil with which no agreement should be reached other than defeating it and wiping it off the face of the earth.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich similarly called for the suspected attacker, and anyone who may ultimately be found to have assisted or dispatched him, to face severe consequences.

“Anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them, as should any country or terrorist organization that sent them,” Smotrich said.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev went a step further on the aviation front, demanding the immediate suspension of Flydubai flights to Israel pending an investigation into the incident.

Regev also instructed the Civil Aviation Authority to examine whether the UAE carrier had violated provisions of the aviation agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates governing the eligibility of pilots assigned to flights entering Israel. Her demand followed reports that the suspected copilot was Omani, although that nationality remained unconfirmed.

Israeli media subsequently reported that Flydubai flights to Israel had been frozen following the incident as authorities examined the security implications.

Flydubai itself has been considerably more cautious in describing what occurred.

The airline confirmed only that FZ1073 “experienced an incident while en route,” adding that the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk and that every passenger had been accounted for. Flydubai said it was cooperating with authorities and would release additional information as details were confirmed.

Saudi authorities similarly stopped short of characterizing the episode as terrorism or an attempted hijacking. Tabuk airport said air traffic controllers received a distress call from FZ1073 at 8:44 a.m. local time, prompting emergency procedures before the aircraft landed at 9:45 a.m.

The Saudi statement confirmed that the captain and first officer had both suffered injuries and were hospitalized, but did not explain how those injuries occurred. Authorities said an investigation was underway while passengers were cared for in the terminal and Flydubai arranged another aircraft.

Reports indicated that Flydubai planned to dispatch a replacement plane to Tabuk to return the passengers to Israel. Some passengers, however, were reportedly reluctant to board another Flydubai aircraft so soon after the ordeal, complicating efforts to bring the group home.

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions while investigators were still reconstructing what happened, saying it was “still too early to know the sequence of events” aboard the flight.

Gantz nevertheless praised the passengers’ “resourcefulness and courage” in responding to the emergency.

The incident remained under active investigation Wednesday, with Israeli authorities seeking to establish the suspected attacker’s identity and motive and determine whether the alleged attempt to bring down the aircraft was terrorism, an attempted suicide, or stemmed from another motive. Reports suggesting a suicide attempt have also surfaced, underscoring how much of the episode remains unresolved.

For Netanyahu’s government, however, the immediate priority remained the approximately 180 travelers stranded in Saudi Arabia after an extraordinary flight that began as a routine trip from Dubai to Tel Aviv and ended with two injured pilots, an emergency hijacking signal and a diversion to a country that does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

A Flydubai flight carrying roughly 180 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make a dramatic emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent incident erupted inside the cockpit, with Israeli officials increasingly treating the episode as a suspected terrorist attack in which a copilot allegedly stabbed the captain and attempted to seize control of the aircraft.

Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, landed safely at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk after plunging thousands of feet during the midair crisis. All passengers survived, while Saudi airport authorities confirmed that both the captain and first officer suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital.

An Israeli official described what happened as a case in which a “major disaster was narrowly avoided,” as investigators worked to establish whether the alleged attacker intended to deliberately crash the aircraft, bring it into Israeli airspace for an attack, or carry out some other form of hijacking.

The precise motive remains under investigation, and there have been conflicting reports about the identities and nationalities of the pilots. Israeli sources have said preliminary information indicated that the suspected attacker was an Omani national, but that detail has not been officially confirmed by Flydubai or Saudi authorities.

What has been confirmed is that the aircraft experienced an extraordinary emergency while en route to Ben Gurion Airport. According to Flightradar24, the plane first transmitted squawk code 7700, the international signal for a general emergency, at 5:31 a.m. UTC. Seven minutes later, it switched to 7500 — the code used to indicate unlawful interference with an aircraft — before eventually returning to 7700.

The aircraft also lost altitude at an alarming rate. Flight data showed it descending from nearly 34,000 feet to below 17,000 feet in approximately a minute as the crisis unfolded.

Israeli officials initially described the emergency more cautiously as a physical altercation between the pilots. As passenger accounts, videos and additional security information emerged, however, Israeli authorities began examining the possibility that the incident was a deliberate attack rather than simply a fight inside the cockpit. Reuters reported that two Israeli officials said the working assessment had shifted toward a suspected terrorist attack.

There has been no evidence released publicly indicating that the alleged attacker was acting on instructions from a terrorist organization or foreign government.

According to accounts provided by passengers, one pilot allegedly stabbed the other and attempted to force him out of the cockpit as the aircraft began its dangerous descent. Passengers seated near the front of the plane rushed toward the cockpit after realizing that something was seriously wrong, and off-duty pilots traveling aboard the flight reportedly helped regain control of the aircraft.

Videos taken aboard FZ1073 captured the chaotic aftermath. One showed an injured and bloodied pilot lying outside the cockpit as passengers tended to him, while another crew member appeared restrained nearby.

A bloodied passenger recorded another video during the ordeal, explaining what had happened as the aircraft approached its emergency landing.

“We’re here during the hijacking of an airplane. At this point, we’ve subdued the terrorists, we’re approaching landing. Whoever is hearing me, we need help,” he says.

“We’re landing in Tabuk, apparently in Saudi Arabia. An unknown, unfamiliar area. On the plane, everybody is safe and sound, other than the pilot. We need help.”

Another passenger, identified as Meital, told Channel 12 that her husband was among those who rushed forward and helped overpower the alleged attacker after the trouble erupted in the cockpit.

She said a crew member in the cockpit “tried to crash the plane.”

“Someone shouted ‘stabbing’ and my husband immediately understood what was happening and rushed to the front of the plane, and along with other Israelis they neutralized the terrorist,” she said. “There were stabbings and a lot of blood.”

“We’re very emotional and under terrible stress, it’s very difficult for me to talk,” she added.

Other footage recorded after passengers intervened captured people aboard the aircraft thanking those who had helped bring the situation under control.

“You saved the plane. It’s good for you.”

Another passenger can be heard explaining, “We were attacked and were guarding the pilot.”

“They tried to murder the pilot. We subdued [the attacker],” another passenger says.

Someone then points toward a restrained man and says, “This is the man who… stabbed him.”

In another recording sent to his family, a passenger described the suspect as a “terrorist” who had attempted to take over the aircraft and said he had participated in overpowering and restraining him.

One passenger later gave a more detailed account of the struggle, saying the attacker appeared to be attempting to push the other pilot out of the cockpit so that he could control the aircraft alone. Passengers near the front joined the confrontation and ultimately removed the alleged attacker from the cockpit. Two pilots who happened to be traveling as passengers then reportedly helped control the aircraft and bring it safely to Tabuk.

An Israeli dentist aboard the flight reportedly provided emergency medical assistance to the wounded captain before the aircraft landed. The passenger who described the treatment said the captain appeared to be critically injured.

Saudi authorities have provided a more limited official account. Tabuk airport said its air traffic control center received a distress call from FZ1073 at 8:44 a.m. local time requesting an emergency landing. Emergency teams were activated, and the aircraft touched down safely at 9:45 a.m. Officials confirmed that both the captain and first officer were injured and transported to a hospital, but did not state how they sustained their injuries.

The airport said passengers were cared for inside the terminal while arrangements were made with Flydubai for a replacement aircraft. Saudi authorities said the incident remained under investigation.

Flydubai confirmed that FZ1073 had experienced an “incident” while traveling between Dubai International Airport and Ben Gurion Airport, but the airline did not publicly describe the cockpit confrontation or characterize it as terrorism.

“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”

Flydubai said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities and making arrangements to continue the passengers’ journey.

The crisis triggered an immediate response in Israel. Israeli fighter jets were scrambled as authorities monitored the aircraft and tried to determine whether it posed a threat, while Israel temporarily heightened its aviation security posture.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu convened urgent consultations with security officials as the incident unfolded.

“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Israeli officials subsequently considered sending either a civilian or military aircraft to Saudi Arabia to retrieve the stranded passengers. The unusual circumstances were complicated by the fact that Israel and Saudi Arabia do not maintain formal diplomatic relations.

The incident also led IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to cancel a planned trip to the United States, according to Israeli reports. Zamir had been expected to hold talks with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

Israeli security officials were meanwhile seeking additional information from Saudi authorities about the suspected attacker, including his background, nationality and possible motive. Saudi investigators were questioning those involved and examining the aircraft, while Israel sought to participate in the investigation.

Images of the Boeing 737 MAX appeared to show damage near the aircraft’s tail, including part of the rudder. Aviation experts cautioned against immediately attributing that damage to an impact, with Arik Zer, a former Shin Bet aviation-security official, suggesting that the aircraft’s exceptionally violent descent could have been responsible.

The incident immediately prompted demands from Israeli officials for a full investigation into whether the alleged attack was specifically directed at Israelis.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for Israel to “address the intent and not the results” in a statement after the incident.

“Whoever tried to crash a plane and murder 180 Israelis must pay as if he murdered. He and every state or terrorist organization that sent him,” Smotrich wrote.

Despite the increasingly firm language from Israeli officials, crucial questions remained unanswered Wednesday: investigators had not publicly established the suspect’s motive, whether the incident was planned in advance, whether Israelis aboard the aircraft were specifically targeted, or whether anyone else was involved.

What was already clear was how close the flight came to catastrophe. A jetliner carrying approximately 180 people lost roughly half its cruising altitude in an extraordinarily short period, transmitted the international code for unlawful interference, and diverted into Saudi Arabia as a violent struggle unfolded aboard the aircraft — before passengers and crew members managed to bring the situation under control and the plane landed safely in Tabuk.

The wave of support for Rav Eliyahu Meir Feivelson continues to grow, with two additional senior rabbonim issuing forceful letters condemning the harassment and attacks directed against him and joining the public stand previously taken by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and the roshei yeshiva of Ponevezh.

Rav Yehuda Silman, Raavad of Bnei Brak, and iRav Yehoshua Eichenstein, rosh yeshiva of Yad Aharon, have now issued their own letters expressing deep dismay over the conduct of extremist opponents of Rav Feivelson.

Their letters follow the extraordinary public letter issued by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, protesting the campaign against Rav Feivelson.

That letter was subsequently joined by senior roshei yeshiva of Ponevezh, Rav Chaim Peretz Berman and Rav Dovid Miller, who likewise protested what they described as the grave assault on Rav Feivelson’s kavod.

The controversy surrounding Rav Feivelson, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Pesach Eliyahu and a prominent baal machshavah, has intensified in recent weeks, with critics targeting his approach to machshavah and hashkafah. The dispute has moved beyond ideological criticism, according to Rav Feivelson’s supporters, with incidents of harassment and aggressive demonstrations prompting an increasingly vocal response from leading rabbonim.

In his newly released letter, Rav Silman explicitly associated himself with Rav Hirsch’s earlier protest and sharply condemned the behavior directed at Rav Feivelson.

“I hereby join the letter of Maran Rosh Hayeshiva, Hagaon Hagadol Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita, and protest the rampaging and violence that supposedly stem from zealotry, but are nothing other than falsehood and a chillul Hashem,” Rav Silman wrote.

Rav Silman then offered a strong endorsement of Rav Feivelson’s continued work in harbotzas haTorah and hashkafah.

“And I bless Rav Eliyahu Meir shlita that he should continue his important work of disseminating Torah and proper hashkafah to all his talmidim. Chag sameach.”

Rav Eichenstein’s letter addresses the substance of the criticism as well, stressing that legitimate approaches in avodas Hashem can take different forms and should ultimately be judged by whether they bring people closer to Hashem and His Torah.

“I join all that was stated above. It must be understood that there are many paths to the Makom, and one can recognize whether a path is indeed a path by whether it brings its listeners and talmidim closer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and His Torah. It has already been demonstrated that those among his talmidim who needed this have grown closer to Torah and yiras Shomayim.”

Rav Eichenstein concluded with a bracha for Rav Feivelson to continue his work despite the opposition.

“May Hakadosh Boruch Hu help him continue bringing his talmidim closer to the Makom. Chag sameach.”

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of bochurim from Belzer yeshivos gathered on Tuesday, the third day of Chol Hamoed Sukkos, for an unusual and specially arranged tish conducted by the Belzer Rebbe in the massive sukkah outside the Belzer Bais Medrash Hagadol in Yerushalayim.

The daytime tish was arranged specifically for the bochurim, in a rare gesture intended to give them an opportunity to spend time in the presence of the Rebbe under far less crowded conditions than at the regular nightly tishen.

The regular Chol Hamoed tishen in Belz draw enormous crowds, and the packed parenchess make it difficult for many of the younger bochurim to get close enough to see the Rebbe. The special gathering was therefore structured entirely around them, allowing thousands of bochurim to participate in a more direct and organized fashion.

Considerable planning went into the seating arrangements. Each bochur was assigned a designated place based on his age and the yeshiva in which he learns, allowing the enormous gathering to proceed in an orderly and dignified manner.

The bochurim themselves also played an unusually prominent role in conducting the tish. Rather than relying entirely on the usual attendants, bochurim helped distribute the food along the tables throughout the gathering.

The singing was likewise led entirely by a choir composed of bochurim. Musical accompaniment was also provided during the tish, itself an unusual feature for a Belzer tish during Sukkos.

The gathering concluded with Birkas Hamazon, with the honor of leading the bentching given to the Rebbe’s grandson, habochur Moshe Yehoshua Rokeach.

הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק

היסטורי: עם מעל 100 שנות תורה, יחבוט הגר”מ ערבה מול שמותיכם

בשיתוף קופת העיר

19:50

כשהמלון הוא רק תירוץ, אבל אתם לוקחים ממנו את המהדרין

תוכן מקודם

07:43

המתנה המפתיעה שהעניק מנשה צרפתי לבנו החתן רגע לפני החופה

מקודם

22:07

הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק הטיש לבחורים בבעלזאצילום: אנשיל בעק {Matzav.com}

A massive electronic billboard in the heart of Times Square was used by an anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish organization to publicly denounce Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu following his blistering attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the United Nations, with the organizers declaring before crowds in Midtown Manhattan that “Netanyahu Does Not Represent American Jews,” “Zionism Is Not Judaism” and “Not in Our Name.”

The campaign was organized by Natruna, with funding raised from Satmar-affiliated donors in New York, according to its organizers. The Times Square display reportedly cost tens of thousands of dollars and was coordinated by R’ Moshe Dovid Katz, a Satmar activist who founded Torah Jews and serves as chairman of Natruna.

The billboard appeared at 1557 Broadway in Times Square following Netanyahu’s Sept. 24 address to the United Nations General Assembly, placing the message on one of the world’s most heavily trafficked commercial advertising corridors.

Netanyahu had devoted an unusually pointed portion of his UN address to Mamdani, accusing the mayor of spreading false accusations against Israel, associating with figures hostile to Israel and contributing to an atmosphere in which Jewish New Yorkers feel increasingly unsafe.

“To all those spreading these lies about my country and our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the anti-Semitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you. Shame on you for distorting the facts. Shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor. Shame on you for spitting in the face of truth,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu then addressed Mamdani directly.

“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me. They tell me, ‘This isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.’”

The prime minister went on to accuse Mamdani of praising individuals convicted of supporting Hamas and maintaining relationships with controversial figures including streamer Hasan Piker. Netanyahu also criticized people associated with Mamdani over social-media activity and contacts that he said reflected hostility toward Israel.

Explaining how the campaign was financed, R’ Katz said: “I raised these thousands of dollars, dollar by dollar, from Jewish New Yorkers who were deeply frustrated that Netanyahu was using our communities in his political battles. Many Jews feel that they are being silenced and are not properly represented. They asked that their voice be heard clearly, first and foremost, before the entire world.”

Natruna publicly described the billboard as a response to what it called Netanyahu’s “weaponization of antisemitism,” and confirmed that the Times Square advertisement cost thousands of dollars raised from Jewish New Yorkers who supported its message.

The campaign was not presented merely as a defense of Mamdani. Its messaging reflected the longstanding anti-Zionist position associated with Satmar and Natruna, rejecting the idea that the State of Israel politically represents Jews throughout the world.

Referring to the purpose of the Times Square display, R’ Katz said: “It pains us deeply to see our holy religion exploited to advance the agenda of a foreign government. Jews are not an extension of the State of Israel, Zionism is not Judaism, and Netanyahu does not represent us. We want to live in peace and tranquility with our neighbors without being dragged into political battles that are not ours.”

Natruna further argued that treating Jewish communities around the world as representatives of the Israeli government does not combat antisemitism but can instead expose Jews outside Israel to anger generated by Israeli government policies. That argument represents the organization’s ideological position and is sharply disputed within the broader Jewish community.

The Times Square campaign quickly spread well beyond New York.

Middle East Eye, which has millions of followers across its social-media platforms, highlighted the display, where the coverage quickly accumulated tens of thousands of views along with more than 1,000 likes and hundreds of shares, according to figures cited by the organizers.

The Jordanian-based Roya network also produced coverage of the campaign for its Arabic-speaking audience, exposing the Times Square demonstration to viewers throughout Jordan and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Quds News Network, a Palestinian media network with a substantial social-media following, similarly circulated images and reports about the display, generating additional views and comments across Arabic-language platforms.

The campaign also traveled to Turkey, where TRHaber reported on the billboard under a headline describing an anti-Netanyahu advertisement in Times Square. Its coverage focused heavily on Natruna’s ideological distinction between Judaism and Zionism.

The story reached audiences still farther afield through Independent Urdu, the Urdu-language edition affiliated with The Independent, bringing the campaign to readers in Pakistan and other Urdu-speaking communities.

The result was precisely the international amplification the organizers had sought: an advertisement purchased in Manhattan was soon being circulated among English-speaking audiences in the West, Arabic-speaking audiences across the Middle East, Turkish readers and Urdu-speaking audiences in South Asia.

Natruna also used the publicity to direct viewers to their own website, where the Times Square footage was prominently displayed alongside material explaining the organization’s opposition to Zionism.

The site highlighted the campaign with the phrases “As Seen in Times Square” and “Yes, That Was Us,” before directing visitors to explanations of why the billboard had been commissioned and the ideology of the organization behind it.

The campaign follows other recent public statements by Satmar-associated anti-Zionist activists defending Mamdani against accusations of antisemitism. Torah Jews published a statement in August highlighting the Satmar Rebbe’s opposition to labeling Mamdani an antisemite, and in July published another message telling Netanyahu to “Leave Us Out Of Your Mess.”

{Matzav.com}

Investigators working for special counsel Jack Smith obtained communications involving nearly 50 journalists at some of the country’s largest news organizations as part of the federal investigation into President Trump and the aftermath of the 2020 election, according to newly disclosed records presented Tuesday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.

The journalists were not themselves directly subpoenaed for the messages at issue in the latest disclosure. Instead, their communications were swept up when Smith’s team obtained archived text messages from dozens of government-issued phones used by officials in the first Trump White House. The same collection previously was revealed to contain communications involving 44 current and former members of Congress.

“Jack Smith obtained internal communications from DOZENS of national media outlets communicating with government sources,” the official account for the Senate Judiciary Republicans announced in a Tuesday X post.

“What will the partisan media say about this disgraceful government overreach?” the Senate Judiciary Republicans added.

According to the Senate Judiciary Committee, nearly 50 journalists were represented in the communications obtained by investigators. The committee has not publicly identified the individual reporters, citing privacy concerns.

The news organizations represented in the records span virtually every segment of the national media. They include Fox News, CNN, CBS News and 60 Minutes, NBC News, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, The Mark Levin Show, The Federalist, the Washington Times and the Media Research Center.

The communications were captured through a June 2023 subpoena issued to the National Archives and Records Administration for text messages stored on phones associated with officials who served in the Trump White House. The request sought messages covering October 2020 through Jan. 20, 2021, from phones associated with a lengthy roster of Trump administration figures.

Among those whose government phones were covered were Trump himself, Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, Ivanka Trump, Stephen Miller, Peter Navarro, John Ratcliffe, Kash Patel, Rudy Giuliani, Kellyanne Conway and Mike Pence.

The National Archives turned over the material to Smith’s office on Aug. 21, 2023. According to records previously released by Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson, senior Smith prosecutor Thomas Windom began downloading the material within roughly half an hour, and other investigators began accessing it shortly afterward.

That timing has become central to a dispute over whether the special counsel’s investigative team followed procedures intended to keep potentially privileged material away from prosecutors.

Justice Department records released by Grassley and Johnson showed that a separate filter team had been established to examine material collected in Smith’s election and classified-documents investigations before potentially privileged information reached the investigative team. The lawmakers have alleged that investigators bypassed that process when reviewing the White House text messages.

“What will the partisan media say about this disgraceful government overreach? This wasn’t a normal prosecution by any means,” Sen. Grassley told Fox News.

The newly revealed journalist communications broaden an already contentious controversy over the scope of Smith’s investigation, known within the FBI as Arctic Frost.

Earlier congressional disclosures showed that the same White House phone records contained communications to and from 44 members of Congress — Republicans and Democrats — including Sens. Grassley, Ron Johnson, John Cornyn, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, Cory Booker, Rand Paul, Rick Scott, Susan Collins and Tim Scott, among others.

Smith’s team also used separate legal process to obtain telephone metadata associated with lawmakers. Smith defended those subpoenas at Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, saying they were relevant to determining who was communicating with the White House as Congress prepared to certify the 2020 election results. The metadata generally reflected information such as the timing and duration of communications rather than their content.

The National Archives production was different because it included the actual content of text messages stored on White House devices — including exchanges with lawmakers and, as Tuesday’s disclosure revealed, journalists.

Grassley and Johnson have repeatedly pressed the Justice Department and FBI for information about what procedures were used to identify and segregate potentially privileged material before prosecutors examined it.

“We are writing to determine what procedures and protocols, if any, Smith and his team used to filter privileged or potentially privileged materials from being impermissibly accessed, reviewed and/or used,” the senators wrote.

The lawmakers have sought records identifying which officials reviewed the material, what privilege safeguards were applied and whether the investigative team encountered attorney-client, congressional or other potentially protected communications.

The Media Research Center was among the organizations whose communications appeared in the records. Its president, David Bozell, had previously criticized major television networks for providing little coverage of congressional disclosures concerning the breadth of Smith’s investigation.

The journalist revelation also comes after Grassley disclosed a much wider set of subpoenas from Arctic Frost. In October 2025, the Judiciary Committee released 197 subpoenas issued to 34 individuals and 163 businesses that sought information concerning at least 430 Republican individuals and organizations. Some sought communications with media companies, members and employees of Congress, Trump White House advisers and Republican donors.

Grassley disclosed additional information at Tuesday’s hearing indicating that Smith’s investigation also obtained financial information connected to thousands of Americans. Smith confirmed during the hearing that his team subpoenaed financial records as part of the criminal investigation, while defending the investigation as evidence-based and lawful.

Smith rejected Republican allegations that the investigation was politically motivated or designed to target Trump’s political allies. During his Senate testimony Tuesday, he said the subpoenas were issued because investigators believed the information was relevant to determining whether crimes had been committed in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Republicans, led by Grassley, have characterized the breadth of the subpoenas as evidence that the investigation extended far beyond a narrowly focused examination of Jan. 6.

Grassley noted that some subpoenas sought records dating as far back as 2019 and continuing through 2023, and argued that the collection of financial records, congressional communications and media-source communications demonstrated the extraordinary reach of the investigation.

Smith disputed that characterization at Tuesday’s hearing, defending his prosecutors and saying their investigative decisions were driven by the evidence rather than politics. He also defended efforts to obtain lawmakers’ records as necessary to reconstruct communications between the White House and members of Congress during the events surrounding Jan. 6.

The Senate Judiciary Committee says it has determined the identities of the journalists whose communications appeared in the archived White House messages but does not intend to release their names because of privacy concerns.

The disclosure nevertheless raises a separate set of questions about the handling of reporter-source communications contained within government records, particularly what restrictions, if any, governed investigators’ ability to examine material involving journalists who were not targets of the investigation.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump on Tuesday unveiled America.gov, a sweeping new artificial intelligence-powered government portal intended to give Americans a single place to find federal information and, eventually, complete tasks ranging from renewing passports to enrolling in Medicare.

The new platform, which draws information from roughly 29,000 government websites, currently functions primarily as an AI-powered information and navigation service. The Trump administration says it plans to expand the site later this year and into early 2027 so Americans can complete forms, applications and renewals directly through America.gov rather than being redirected from one federal agency website to another.

”It’s not just simply a website,” Trump said during the launch event, according to the Washington Examiner. ”It’s a restoration of America’s founding promise and it’s a reinvention of your government for the 21st century and beyond.”

Trump presented America.gov at an event at Washington’s Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium as an attempt to fundamentally redesign the way ordinary Americans interact with the federal bureaucracy. The president described the project as one of the most consequential technological initiatives undertaken by the government.

“With America.gov, the federal government no longer stands in your way and it stands only at your service,” Trump said during his remarks.

The portal is designed as what administration officials describe as a digital concierge. Rather than requiring someone to determine which department or agency is responsible for a particular service and then navigate that agency’s website, users can simply describe what they need in everyday language.

”Instead of forcing citizens to search through the endless maze of tens of thousands of terrible government websites,” Trump said, according to the Journal, ”you’ll now have one front door for every single question.”

At launch, the website allows users to type or speak questions into a chat-style interface. The system searches government information and produces an answer while directing users to the underlying official sources. No account is required simply to use the question-and-answer feature.

The platform can already assist users looking for information on such matters as replacing a Social Security card, comparing Medicare plans, obtaining a national park pass, registering a business and finding other government services. The General Services Administration says the portal can also help users find information about benefits, passport renewals and Social Security.

What America.gov generally cannot yet do is complete those transactions from beginning to end. The White House says that later this year users are expected to be able to perform tasks such as passport renewal and Medicare enrollment directly through the platform, with broader form, application and renewal capabilities targeted for early 2027.

Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing the federal government to build toward that much broader system.

The order instructs the General Services Administration, White House National Design Studio and Office of Management and Budget to establish America.gov as the primary digital entry point for major public-facing federal services. Agencies will be required to integrate qualifying services with the platform under guidance issued by OMB.

The mandate generally covers online federal services used by more than 100,000 people during a 12-month period. IRS tax-filing services and national-security-sensitive services are specifically excluded.

The administration also intends to integrate Login.gov into America.gov, eventually allowing users to authenticate themselves before conducting government business through the same centralized platform.

Joe Gebbia, the Airbnb co-founder who serves as the United States chief design officer and leads the White House National Design Studio, has played a central role in creating the system. Trump praised Gebbia at Tuesday’s event as one of the driving forces behind the administration’s effort to overhaul the government’s digital infrastructure.

Under the hood, America.gov is powered in part by Google’s Gemini and Grok, the AI system developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, according to Gebbia. Google publicly confirmed its involvement as a technology partner in the project.

The system does not require Americans to know which agency controls the information they are seeking. Instead, its AI can search across tens of thousands of government sites and attempt to find the relevant answer based on a plain-language request.

Trump said that capability could remove one of the longstanding frustrations of dealing with Washington: having to understand the organizational structure of the federal government simply to figure out where to begin.

The administration says America.gov is also intended to address the enormous amount of time Americans collectively spend complying with federal paperwork requirements. The White House has cited billions of hours annually devoted to forms and administrative requirements as evidence that the existing system is unnecessarily burdensome.

The site is being introduced in stages rather than as a finished replacement for existing agency websites. For now, individual agencies continue to operate the underlying services while America.gov serves as the centralized layer through which users can locate information and find their way to them.

As transactional capabilities are added, the administration envisions Americans being able to remain on America.gov while completing increasingly complex government business instead of being sent through multiple agency websites.

The project nevertheless faces significant technical, legal and administrative hurdles. Federal programs operate under different statutes, regulations, identity-verification requirements and data systems, meaning that bringing them together under one interface will require far more than simply building a new website. Experts have also pointed to the need for safeguards against inaccurate AI-generated answers, particularly when mistakes could affect benefits, immigration matters or application deadlines.

The site itself says its answers are drawn from official government sources and provides links allowing users to examine the underlying material. It also warns that it does not provide legal, financial or tax advice.

America.gov’s AI produced some unexpected results almost immediately after its launch. When reporters tested the system with political questions Tuesday, it initially provided answers based on official federal records that conflicted with some of Trump’s own public assertions. The site subsequently began declining to answer some political questions, saying it could not address them.

The rollout is part of a much broader push by the Trump administration to accelerate the federal government’s adoption of artificial intelligence. Tuesday’s America.gov event coincided with a major White House gathering of technology leaders as Trump promoted the potential of increasingly advanced AI systems.

Trump has argued that the United States must maintain its technological advantage over China and has resisted calls for restrictions that he believes could slow American AI development.

“I will never stifle the growth of a technology that will be bigger than the industrial revolution,” Trump said Tuesday. “We can’t stifle it, and we’re leading by a lot.”

With America.gov, the administration is attempting to put that technology directly into Americans’ everyday dealings with Washington — turning tens of thousands of government websites into what Trump says should eventually become a single digital entrance to the federal government.

”This is an incredible transformation,” Trump said, according to Spectrum News.

More than 60 million American children are set to receive Trump Accounts automatically beginning around Oct. 1, under new Treasury Department rules that dramatically expand the child investment program by eliminating the need for parents or guardians to take the first step of opening an account.

The temporary regulations, issued Tuesday by the Treasury Department and IRS, authorize the government to establish accounts for eligible children under 18 who have Social Security numbers and do not already have Trump Accounts. Treasury expects to continue automatically adding eligible children in the future, with roughly 2 million additional accounts projected for each new annual birth cohort.

The move represents a major change from the program’s original opt-in structure, under which an authorized adult generally had to submit Form 4547 to establish an account. Treasury concluded that automatic enrollment would substantially increase participation after early enrollment numbers showed that only a fraction of eligible children had been signed up.

The program’s official website declares, “The American Dream starts now” and promotes “long-term financial security for millions of kids” through the Trump Accounts program.

Automatic enrollment will apply only when an account has not already been established for the child. Children whose parents or other authorized individuals previously opened accounts will therefore not receive duplicate accounts.

There is, however, a significant distinction between automatically receiving an account and automatically receiving money from Washington.

The government’s $1,000 seed contribution is available only to eligible U.S. citizen children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, and an authorized individual must specifically elect to receive that payment. Treasury cannot make that election on the family’s behalf merely because it automatically created the account.

That means millions of children may soon have Trump Accounts in their names without any action from their parents, but families with children eligible for the $1,000 federal contribution will still have to request the money.

Automatically created accounts will initially have more limited functionality as well. They can receive certain government and nonprofit contributions, but a parent or guardian must claim control of the account before ordinary family or employer contributions can be deposited.

Parents will be required to establish their identity and demonstrate their legal authority over the child’s finances through the Treasury’s online system or Trump Accounts app. The regulations outline that process, although some operational details concerning how families will take control of automatically created accounts remain to be finalized.

Once an account is fully activated and controlled by an authorized adult, families and others can generally contribute as much as $5,000 annually, with that limit scheduled to be adjusted for inflation after 2027. Employer contributions of as much as $2,500 can count toward the annual limit. Government and qualifying charitable contributions are treated separately and do not count toward the $5,000 ceiling.

The money is designed to remain invested over the child’s youth, primarily in qualifying low-cost funds tracking broad U.S. stock indexes. Distributions generally cannot begin during the account’s designated growth period, which runs through the end of the year before the beneficiary turns 18.

After that point, the account transitions into the broader IRA framework, with withdrawals subject to the applicable tax and distribution rules.

Treasury’s decision to switch to automatic enrollment follows figures showing a striking gap between the number of children eligible for the program and the number whose families had voluntarily enrolled them.

By July 30, Treasury had processed approximately 5.6 million electronic Form 4547 submissions, compared with an estimated 73.4 million children potentially eligible for Trump Accounts. Treasury officials subsequently said total applications had climbed above 7 million.

The disparity was especially pronounced among families reporting no income. According to figures cited in the new rules, only about 10,000 applications had come from that group even though approximately 8.6 million eligible children live in such households.

Treasury cited evidence from retirement plans and state child-savings initiatives showing that automatic or opt-out enrollment tends to produce substantially greater participation than systems requiring people to actively sign up.

The automatic-account system could also greatly increase the reach of major private philanthropic commitments to Trump Accounts.

Among the largest is the $6.25 billion commitment announced by Michael and Susan Dell to benefit children born from 2016 through 2024 who live in qualifying ZIP codes with median household incomes below $150,000. Automatic enrollment could allow children whose parents never independently opened an account to benefit from such large-scale contributions.

The White House said in July that more than 50 companies had also committed to making Trump Account contributions for the children of employees.

The regulations additionally permit certain donors to contribute publicly traded stock rather than only cash. Such securities generally must remain in the account for a specified holding period, including a five-year requirement in circumstances covered by the new rules.

Trump Accounts were created under the tax and spending legislation signed by President Trump in July 2025 and are structured as a special form of individual retirement account for children. The program formally began accepting funded accounts in July 2026.

President Trump has promoted the accounts as a way to give children an ownership stake in the American economy from an early age.

“This is a pro-family initiative that will help millions of Americans harness the strength of our economy to lift up the next generation. And they’ll really be getting a big jump on life.”

With Treasury now moving from voluntary enrollment to automatic account creation, the program is poised to expand from several million participants to tens of millions within a short period — although parents of children eligible for the government’s $1,000 seed payment will still have to take action to obtain it.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directly appealed to American voters Tuesday to oppose President Trump and “take back control” of U.S. policy, inserting the Iranian regime’s powerful military arm into America’s domestic political debate just weeks before the November midterm elections.

In an extraordinary open letter addressed to the American public, the IRGC urged voters to use the political process to challenge Trump’s policies and accused the president of prosecuting an unsuccessful war against Iran. The appeal came as the conflict entered its eighth calendar month and as Washington and Tehran remained deadlocked in indirect negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. economic pressure.

“You are the ones who empower, with your votes, those who make decisions in your name,” the letter says, according to published excerpts.

“Take back control,” it urges.

The intervention is particularly notable because the IRGC is not simply another branch of Iran’s government. The United States has designated the organization a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 2019, making it the first official military component of another government to receive that designation.

The IRGC was established following Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution as a force intended to defend the Islamic Republic and its revolutionary system. It operates separately from Iran’s conventional armed forces and has accumulated enormous military, political and economic power inside the country.

Its overseas Quds Force has also played a central role in Iran’s relationships with armed groups across the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis.

The IRGC’s appeal came as the Trump administration continues using both military force and economic pressure to compel Tehran to make concessions over its nuclear program and other security issues.

An IRGC spokesman separately called on Americans Tuesday to protest Trump’s policies, arguing that the administration’s military strategy in the Middle East had failed.

The comments coincided with another round of U.S. sanctions targeting networks Washington says have helped supply Iran’s military.

The Treasury Department announced sanctions Tuesday against 10 individuals and entities based in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan, accusing them of assisting Iranian efforts to acquire sensitive technology and equipment for military use.

The sanctions were imposed as part of the Trump administration’s broader “Operation Economic Outcast,” which is intended to cut off revenue and procurement channels supporting Iran’s military establishment.

While the IRGC’s letter fiercely attacked the American government, it attempted to draw a distinction between the Trump administration and ordinary American citizens.

“We share the same pain,” the letter says.

The message portrays Americans themselves as suffering from decisions made by their government and argues that voters possess the ability to force a change in Washington’s approach.

The IRGC also sought to explain one of the Iranian regime’s most notorious slogans, “Death to America,” which has been chanted at official Iranian events for decades.

“‘Death to America’ is a prayer for the eradication of the diabolical ruling elite whose seat of power is the White House,” the letter says, according to the published text.

The attempt to redefine the slogan comes despite its longstanding use by Iranian officials and regime supporters during demonstrations and government-sponsored events targeting the United States.

The letter was released following months of American and Israeli military operations against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure.

Washington maintains that the central purpose of its campaign is preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Trump has repeatedly insisted that any settlement ending the confrontation must ensure that Tehran cannot develop a nuclear arsenal.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes and has accused Washington and Israel of violating its sovereignty through military attacks.

The confrontation has also transformed the Strait of Hormuz into one of the most consequential battlegrounds of the conflict.

The narrow waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is one of the world’s most important routes for international energy shipments. Disruptions there have affected global oil markets and made restoring normal shipping through the strait a central issue in negotiations involving the United States, Iran and Gulf countries.

The United States has increased military protection for shipping moving through Hormuz, while Trump has recently touted growing quantities of oil successfully passing through the waterway.

Tehran, meanwhile, has sought the lifting of the American naval blockade and restrictions on Iranian oil exports as part of negotiations to reopen the strait.

Qatar has spent recent days attempting to mediate between the two countries, but those efforts have so far failed to produce a breakthrough. Iran wants economic and military relief before making major concessions, while Washington is demanding concrete Iranian movement on its nuclear program.

Against that backdrop, the IRGC used its letter to argue that the American-Israeli campaign has been unsuccessful.

The United States and Israel “failed to achieve any of their declared objectives,” the letter claims.

That assertion represents the IRGC’s characterization of the conflict. The United States and Israel have said their operations have severely damaged Iranian military capabilities and nuclear infrastructure, while Iran has continued to resist American demands and retain significant military capabilities.

The IRGC’s message also comes as Iran faces severe economic pressure. The Iranian rial has fallen to record lows amid the war, sanctions and restrictions on oil exports, while the Trump administration continues tightening measures targeting Tehran’s sources of revenue and military procurement.

The letter’s timing — only weeks before Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections — gives its appeal an unmistakably political dimension.

Control of Congress will be decided in November, and the IRGC explicitly reminded Americans that their votes determine who exercises power in Washington.

The episode is also striking given longstanding U.S. concerns about foreign governments attempting to influence American political opinion and elections. U.S. intelligence agencies have previously accused Iran of conducting influence operations aimed at American voters, including cyberattacks, covert social-media campaigns and efforts to obtain and distribute political information.

Federal authorities said during the 2024 election cycle that Iranian actors had targeted political campaigns and attempted to influence American public opinion. Tehran denied accusations that it was attempting to interfere in the U.S. election.

Tuesday’s message, by contrast, was public and unmistakable: Iran’s most powerful military organization openly called on Americans to politically challenge the sitting U.S. president.

The appeal came even as Tehran continues participating indirectly in negotiations with the Trump administration through Qatari intermediaries, creating the unusual spectacle of Iranian officials exploring a possible agreement with Washington while the IRGC simultaneously urges American voters to oppose Trump.

Despite that political message, Trump has publicly argued that Iran is increasingly weakened and will eventually be forced to accept American demands.

“They’re doing very poorly. I don’t know if they’re going to give up yet, but they will give up,” Trump said Tuesday.

R’ Michoel Sorotzkin explores the deeper meaning of the zman and keviyus of Sukkos, the significance of geshamim and Nisuch HaMayim in the teachings of the Gra, and a remarkable episode concerning the mitzvah of esrog in the Vilna Gaon’s family ; together with its enduring lesson for future generations.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Nearly a week after Neria Leiter was critically wounded in a terrorist ramming attack on Route 443, his mother, Chani Leiter, has described the agonizing uncertainty surrounding her son’s condition as doctors gradually reduce his sedation and his family waits to see how he will awaken.

Neria, 38, a reserve soldier and the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, remains hospitalized at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim after suffering a severe head injury in the Sept. 23 attack. He underwent hours of complex brain surgery following the attack and has remained in intensive care. The latest account from his mother indicates that doctors are now less focused on whether he will survive the immediate crisis and more on the extent of his eventual recovery.

“Neria is still on a ventilator. His brain stem is functioning normally. We need to keep a close watch on him, but the doctors are less concerned about his immediate survival and more uncertain about how he will wake up,” she told Israel Hayom. “They have started reducing the sedation, and we are waiting to see how he responds. Right now, there is a great deal of uncertainty. In the best-case scenario, we will begin the long journey of rehabilitation.”

Neria was serving on reserve duty alongside police personnel at the Bell checkpoint near Route 443 when a Palestinian terrorist drove a vehicle toward the security forces and struck him. Israeli security personnel shot and killed the attacker at the scene. Neria was evacuated unconscious to Shaare Zedek, where doctors performed emergency surgery on his brain.

The ordeal has been especially wrenching for the Leiter family, which already suffered the loss of Neria’s older brother, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, Hy”d, who was killed while fighting in Beit Hanoun in Gaza in November 2023. Moshe, a father of six, had been training to become a doctor and was serving as a reserve officer when he was killed.

Asked how many children she has, Hani answered with words that captured the almost unimaginable position in which the family now finds itself.

“I have eight children. One is in Heaven, one is somewhere in between, and six more.”

Despite everything the family has endured, she said she continues trying to hold onto hope, although there are inevitably moments when doing so becomes far more difficult.

“It really depends on my mood. When I have the strength, I am optimistic. It is genuine optimism. We hear so many stories of miracles, of people who were critically wounded and are functioning today, and that really reassures us.”

The family has been surrounded by tefillos since the attack. Neria’s father immediately cut short his stay in New York, where he had been preparing for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s visit to the United Nations, and flew back to Eretz Yisroel to be at his son’s bedside. He publicly asked Jews around the world to daven for Neria, saying shortly after the attack that his son “needs a miracle.”

Ambassador Leiter said at the time that Neria had continued serving hundreds of days of reserve duty on multiple fronts even after the family lost Moshe. He expressed his belief in the power of the Jewish people’s tefillos and said that when Klal Yisroel comes together, miracles can happen.

Amid those tefillos, Hani related an extraordinary dream experienced by a cousin of the family. In the dream, the cousin saw both Moshe and Neria.

“She dreamed about Moshe, completely surrounded by light. Then Neria comes toward him, and Moshe pushes him away. He tells him, ‘Go back now. What are you doing here?!’ It is terrible to think about, but it isn’t completely far-fetched, because he was completely unconscious when he arrived at the hospital.”

The dream carries particular emotional weight because of the unusually close relationship between the two brothers. Yechiel Leiter has said that Neria and Moshe grew up sharing the same bedroom and were best friends. After Moshe was killed, Neria assumed an especially important role in holding the grieving family together.

Hani said the family’s experience following Moshe’s death also made the decision of her children to continue serving in combat extraordinarily difficult for her.

“I told them I wasn’t sure I could handle it. So some of them enlisted in logistical roles, but eventually moved into combat. In the end, Neria also fought in Lebanon. While he was there, I spoke with Liat, and she told me she was really afraid. Then he came home and began taking on reserve shifts beyond what was required, in a unit tasked with accompanying police during operations in Judea and Samaria.”

Neria had in fact continued reporting for reserve duty despite the tragedy his family had already endured, eventually serving hundreds of days on several fronts. On the day he was wounded, he was participating in a joint operation with police personnel at the checkpoint when the terrorist struck.

His mother said that after Moshe’s petirah, Neria became one of the central figures holding the extended family together. He worked to keep his siblings connected, arranged family gatherings and tried to fill some of the enormous void left by his brother.

The days since the attack have brought another extraordinary mixture of pain and simcha to the Leiter family. While Neria lay in intensive care, his sister Sarah, who had come to the hospital to be near him while heavily pregnant, went into labor approximately two weeks before her due date. She gave birth at the same medical center, reportedly only about 40 meters from the intensive-care unit where her brother was fighting for his life.

Yechiel Leiter contrasted the family’s current ordeal with the devastating night in 2023 when they learned that Moshe had been killed. With Moshe, he said, there had been no opportunity for doctors to intervene. With Neria, the family has been able to gather around his bedside, say Tehillim and turn to Klal Yisroel for tefillos.

Neria’s wife and children have also been navigating the painful uncertainty. His mother previously said that his wife was stunned that such a catastrophe could strike after already fearing for him during his service in Lebanon. The couple’s oldest son, 11, was told about his father’s condition on the night following the attack.

For now, the family remains beside Neria as his doctors slowly reduce the sedation and watch for signs that will provide a clearer picture of what lies ahead. The immediate danger that dominated the first hours after the attack has eased somewhat, according to his mother, but enormous uncertainty remains regarding his neurological recovery and the rehabilitation he may require.

The family is asking Klal Yisroel to continue storming the Shaarei Shomayim on his behalf.

Please continue to daven for the complete refuah sheleimah of Neria Dov Chaim ben Chana.

{Matzav.com}

Intensive Qatari efforts to broker an agreement between the United States and Iran have failed to break a deepening diplomatic stalemate, with Washington demanding meaningful concessions on Tehran’s nuclear program and Iran insisting on relief from the American naval blockade and economic restrictions before making major moves of its own.

Three sources familiar with the negotiations told Axios that the latest round of shuttle diplomacy produced little progress, despite hours of discussions in New York and Washington and a new two-page compromise proposal drafted by Qatar. The impasse is increasing concern that the current diplomatic effort could collapse and major military operations could eventually resume.

Some U.S. officials reportedly believe President Trump could consider a return to large-scale combat operations after the November midterm elections if diplomacy fails. Trump himself said Sunday, when asked whether he was considering renewed strikes against Iran, “I am always thinking about it.”

Qatar intends to continue trying to bridge the divide, but mediators are becoming increasingly frustrated with the unwillingness of either Washington or Tehran to substantially alter its position, according to officials briefed on the discussions.

Qatari mediator Ali al-Thawadi spent several hours Monday in New York meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and members of the Iranian delegation. The discussions centered on a two-page Qatari compromise intended to find common ground between the competing American and Iranian demands.

At the center of the dispute is the sequence in which concessions would occur. Iran wants the United States to end its naval blockade, ease economic restrictions and permit greater Iranian oil exports as part of a process that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Washington, however, wants concrete Iranian concessions concerning its nuclear program as part of any agreement.

The Iranian proposal presented during the U.N. General Assembly called for the United States to release frozen Iranian funds, lift sanctions and end the blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran said those measures could be implemented within several days, after which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin negotiations on a broader agreement, including its nuclear program, within approximately one week.

Trump rejected that proposal Saturday.

“They have made a proposal and I rejected it,” Trump said.

He nevertheless indicated a day later that he expected negotiations to continue.

“I expect more talks with Iran [this week]. They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make. It is what we would have maybe agreed to a year ago. They overplayed their hand,” Trump said Sunday.

Following Monday’s meeting with the Iranian delegation, al-Thawadi traveled to Washington and met with Trump adviser Jared Kushner and other senior American officials. Vice President JD Vance participated in part of the discussions. The White House declined to publicly detail what was discussed.

For a time Monday, American officials were describing the negotiations much more optimistically.

U.S. officials briefed several news organizations that the indirect talks were “positive and constructive” and that Iran “indicated they are flexible on the nuclear issues.”

Those officials also indicated that Trump could consider sanctions relief and releasing frozen Iranian assets if Tehran took concrete steps to restrict its nuclear program. Axios reported that the administration’s message to Iran included precisely that possibility.

Trump publicly contradicted that account only hours later.

“Axios just released a story that ‘Trump’ offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also called the report “a HOAX” and demanded that Axios withdraw it. Reuters subsequently reported Trump’s denial.

The conflicting accounts underscored the uncertainty surrounding negotiations that are taking place almost entirely through intermediaries rather than sustained direct U.S.-Iranian talks.

One source familiar with Monday’s diplomacy said that despite the more upbeat descriptions from some American officials, there had been no meaningful breakthrough.

“It is stuck. The Iranians are asking for things the US can’t accept and the US thinks it is winning so there is no need for compromise,” the source told Axios.

The Trump administration appears to believe that time is working in Washington’s favor as Iran faces mounting economic and military pressure.

The United States on Tuesday imposed additional sanctions on ten individuals and entities in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan that Washington says have assisted Iran’s military procurement network. The sanctions are part of the administration’s “Operation Economic Outcast,” an effort to further restrict Tehran’s ability to obtain equipment and financing for its military.

Iran’s currency has meanwhile fallen to historic lows, dropping to roughly 2.5 million rials to the dollar as sanctions, the blockade and months of war continue to hammer the Iranian economy.

Washington also argues that Tehran has less leverage over the Strait of Hormuz than Iranian officials claim. U.S. military forces have been escorting or assisting commercial shipping through the strategically vital waterway, allowing significant quantities of Middle Eastern oil to return to world markets.

U.S. officials recently said approximately 60 million barrels of oil had passed through Hormuz over a 72-hour period. Trump separately said that more than 20 million barrels moved through the strait over one weekend, with a U.S. defense official confirming that approximately 22 million barrels were exported on Friday night alone.

Overall Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded in September to approximately 12.8 million barrels per day, their highest level since the war began, though still substantially below the roughly 18.8 million barrels per day recorded before the conflict.

Iran, however, continues to insist that Washington must address its conditions before a wider settlement can be reached.

Araghchi said the latest discussions with Qatar focused on finding a practical formula for satisfying those demands.

“We talked about ideas and how to find solutions to fulfil Iran’s conditions and how to implement those conditions,” he said. “They had some ideas, and we had a discussion that they will also present to the American side.”

Araghchi said the Qatari mediators could deliver Washington’s response to Tehran after he left New York.

“Whenever the Qataris have a response, they know how to get it to us,” he said.

He has described the latest mediation as an extension of messages being exchanged through Qatar and Pakistan, saying those communications have taken on “a more serious form” since Iran submitted its proposal.

Iranian officials have also pushed back against suggestions that the Trump administration currently holds the stronger hand.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tuesday that Tehran had already made its conditions clear and accused Trump of being unable to choose between negotiations and continued warfare.

“Trump is incapable of making a decision,” Rezaei said, according to Iranian media. “Trump is trapped in a quagmire in which he can neither negotiate nor fight.”

Trump offered precisely the opposite assessment Tuesday, portraying Iran as increasingly desperate and predicting that Tehran would eventually be forced to relent.

“They are doing very poorly. I don’t know if they are ready to give up yet. They will give up. This is to stop a nuclear weapon. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

The latest impasse follows months of intermittent diplomacy and fighting. The Strait of Hormuz has become one of the central bargaining points because the waterway handled roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the conflict. Iran sharply curtailed passage following the U.S.-Israeli offensive that began on Feb. 28, sending energy prices higher and disrupting global shipping.

The United States and Iran previously reached a tentative arrangement in June, but that effort ultimately failed to produce a durable settlement. American officials have accused Iran of subsequently violating commitments by attacking commercial vessels, while Tehran says Washington failed to fulfill its own commitments involving Israeli military operations and shipping arrangements.

Despite the present deadlock, neither side has publicly closed the door to diplomacy. Araghchi said over the weekend that Iran remains prepared to negotiate even after Trump rejected Tehran’s latest proposal.

“We only care about our national interests. We are ready for negotiations,” Araghchi said.

“Although we heard from President Trump that he’s rejecting this deal … we are still waiting for an official response through the mediators,” he added.

The disagreement now appears to hinge less on whether negotiations should occur than on what must happen first. Tehran is seeking immediate relief from the blockade and economic pressure before reopening Hormuz and moving into wider nuclear negotiations, while Washington is unwilling to provide major concessions without receiving concrete nuclear commitments from Iran.

For Qatar, which has spent days shuttling proposals between the two governments, that sequencing dispute has become the central obstacle — and, for now, neither side appears prepared to blink.

A new purported ransom message connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, has been determined to be not credible, authorities said Tuesday, hours after revealing that they were investigating the latest potential development in the nearly eight-month-old kidnapping mystery.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI initially announced that investigators had learned of another possible ransom communication and were examining it along with social media activity surrounding the message.

“The PCSD/FBI Guthrie Task Force was recently made aware of a new possible ransom note related to the Nancy Guthrie investigation,” a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement during the early morning hours of Tuesday.

“Investigators are also aware of social media comments regarding the note and are looking further into the information to determine its credibility,” the sheriff’s department — which has been investigating the abduction alongside the FBI — added.

By later Tuesday, however, investigators had completed an initial review and concluded that the message was not authentic.

“After further review, investigators determined the text message is not credible,” the sheriff’s department said in an updated statement. “Investigators will continue to review reported messages for credibility and investigate any potential attempts at extortion.”

The purported message reportedly involved a woman who was contacted through social media by someone claiming that Guthrie remained alive and demanding money. The woman herself apparently questioned whether the communication was legitimate and brought it to authorities.

The episode is only the latest ransom-related lead investigators have been forced to examine since Guthrie vanished from her Catalina Foothills home outside Tucson in the early hours of Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was forcibly abducted and continue to investigate the case as a kidnapping for ransom. No suspect has been arrested or publicly identified.

Investigators have received numerous purported ransom communications during the investigation, with some dismissed as attempted scams while others have received considerably more serious scrutiny.

“Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such,” the FBI said previously.

Two messages sent during the first week after Guthrie disappeared have been treated as potentially significant. Authorities released their full text in July in hopes that someone might recognize the language, phrasing or writing style of the sender.

The first arrived Feb. 2, one day after Guthrie was reported missing, and claimed she was alive and frightened. It demanded $4 million in Bitcoin for her return, with the price increasing to $6 million if the initial deadline passed without payment. The sender threatened to kill Guthrie if the second deadline was missed.

That communication immediately attracted investigators’ attention because it contained information about the crime scene that had not been widely known. It referenced a white smartwatch lying near the foot of Guthrie’s bed and a damaged white floodlight in her backyard.

Investigators later determined that a second communication, received Feb. 6, came from the same IP address as the first, according to law-enforcement sources.

That message delivered a dramatically different claim, saying Guthrie had died shortly after being abducted because those responsible had underestimated the seriousness of her medical condition. The writer claimed she had been buried somewhere in nature and expressed remorse over what had happened. Authorities have never confirmed that account, and Guthrie’s condition and whereabouts remain unknown.

The emergence of ransom demands has also produced deliberate hoaxes.

Earlier this month, California resident Derrick Callella was sentenced after admitting that he sent Guthrie’s family a fraudulent ransom demand. Callella had pleaded guilty in federal court to transmitting a ransom demand in interstate commerce and using a telecommunications device with intent to abuse, threaten or harass.

The continuing flood of genuine tips, questionable claims and outright extortion attempts has complicated an investigation that has already stretched for nearly eight months.

Investigators do possess surveillance evidence from Guthrie’s home. Video released by authorities shows a masked individual apparently tampering with a camera at the residence and obstructing it with a plant around the time of her disappearance.

Despite the surveillance footage, the ransom communications and an extensive investigation involving both local authorities and the FBI, no arrests have been made and investigators have not publicly said whether they believe Guthrie remains alive.

Guthrie’s family has continued making public appeals for information while offering $1 million for information leading to her recovery. The FBI is separately offering a reward of up to $100,000, bringing the potential reward connected to the case to more than $1 million.

Savannah Guthrie has continued speaking publicly about her mother while acknowledging the possibility that the family may ultimately receive devastating news.

“We just want our mom home [to] give her a proper goodbye.”

For now, authorities say the newest ransom claim has been eliminated as a credible lead, while the larger mystery of what happened inside Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson-area home on Feb. 1 remains unsolved.

The State Department has abruptly postponed a memorial ceremony honoring the American victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that had been scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30, leaving families without a new date just days before the third anniversary of the attack on the Jewish calendar.

The department never publicly announced the ceremony, but multiple sources familiar with the arrangements had confirmed that the event was set to take place in Washington. Planning had reached senior levels of the State Department, including the office of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the American Jewish Committee working alongside officials on arrangements for victims’ families traveling to Washington.

The decision to postpone the ceremony appears to have been made Tuesday morning. No explanation was immediately provided, and as of Tuesday evening, no replacement date had been announced.

The memorial had been intended to focus specifically on the Americans murdered during the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as Americans subsequently killed while being held hostage in Gaza. At least 46 American citizens were among those murdered in the attack or killed in captivity.

The planned event would have represented a significant formal acknowledgment by the U.S. government of the American toll from Oct. 7, nearly three years after Hamas terrorists stormed southern Israel, murdering approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 others into Gaza.

The effort to establish a dedicated American memorial was driven in significant part by Ruby Chen, the father of Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli-American IDF soldier who was killed fighting Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.

Itay Chen, who was born in the United States and raised in Israel, was serving in a tank unit near the Gaza border when Hamas terrorists overran the area. He was killed while defending Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and his body was dragged into Gaza.

For months after the attack, Itay was believed to be alive and was counted among the hostages. The IDF announced in March 2024 that intelligence had established that he was killed on Oct. 7. His remains were ultimately returned to Israel in November 2025, more than two years after the massacre.

Ruby Chen spent those years traveling repeatedly to Washington and elsewhere to press American officials to secure his son’s return. Since Itay was brought home for kevurah, Chen has continued lobbying for greater recognition of the American victims and for an examination of how the Oct. 7 attack was allowed to occur.

“The majority of the families are dealing with the rehabilitation aspect,” Ruby Chen told JNS at a recent Republican Jewish Coalition gathering in Las Vegas. “I have created very unique relationships with a number of the people inside of the administration, and we still have an open dialogue.”

Chen said that one product of those discussions was the effort to establish a formal memorial for the American victims, an idea he said had reached senior administration officials.

“It’s not a question of if it’s going to happen,” he told JNS. “It’s more a matter of the logistics of when and how it happens that makes the most sense.”

The Sept. 30 date had been selected to fall three days before the third anniversary of the massacre on the Jewish calendar.

The American Jewish Committee had confirmed its involvement in preparing for the ceremony and assisting families expected to travel to Washington for the commemoration. The organization was also working on additional programming surrounding the families’ visit.

Relatives had expected that their time in Washington could include more than the memorial itself.

Ronen Neutra, whose son Capt. Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American tank commander, was killed during the Hamas invasion, said families could use the Washington visit to meet with federal agencies involved in efforts to hold those responsible for the massacre accountable.

Among the agencies mentioned were the FBI and Treasury Department, whose authorities can play roles in investigating terrorism, tracking terrorist financing and imposing financial sanctions.

The Neutra family, like the Chens, spent an extended period believing their son was being held alive in Gaza. The IDF announced in December 2024 that Omer Neutra had actually been killed during the Oct. 7 attack and that Hamas was holding his body.

The families’ efforts have increasingly shifted from the hostage campaign that dominated the first years after Oct. 7 toward questions of remembrance, accountability and justice for the Americans murdered by Hamas.

Chen has also called for Congress to conduct an investigation into the Oct. 7 attack, arguing that the deaths of dozens of American citizens warrant an American governmental inquiry.

He has said there has been a generally positive response on Capitol Hill to the possibility of such an investigation and suggested that political developments in Israel could create an opportunity for the effort to move ahead.

Chen said the post-election period in Israel “maybe would be an inflection point that would create an opportunity to advance very quickly.”

The postponement comes after the State Department had previously declined to publicly confirm the memorial even while preparations were underway. When reports of the planned ceremony first emerged last week, the department said it had nothing to announce.

The ceremony would have been the first dedicated, in-person State Department memorial focused specifically on the American citizens murdered in the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath.

Transportation Security Administration officers assigned to check passengers’ identification and boarding passes at airport security checkpoints will no longer be permitted to sit while performing that job, under a new nationwide TSA policy that has already triggered a sharp backlash from the union representing the agency’s workforce.

The change applies specifically to officers working at Travel Document Checker positions — the podiums passengers encounter at the entrance to TSA screening lanes, where identification and travel documents are verified. Chairs are being removed from those stations at airports across the country, TSA confirmed Tuesday.

The rule does not appear to mean that every TSA officer must remain standing throughout an entire shift. Officers rotate through different checkpoint assignments, and chairs reportedly remain at certain other positions, including some X-ray and exit-lane stations. The new directive specifically eliminates seating for officers while they are assigned to the document-checking position.

TSA defended the change as both a security and customer-service measure, arguing that officers who are standing will be better positioned to remain attentive and interact professionally with travelers.

“This welcome change reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality by having these officers on their feet and alert,” TSA said. “All officers must meet fitness for duty requirements to be capable of performing their vital national security function while simultaneously creating a welcoming and professional environment for travelers.”

The American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100, which represents TSA officers, reacted angrily, describing the decision as a “disregard for workers’ rights and safety.”

“These chairs serve as basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day,” the union said. “TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege – it is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce.”

According to union officials, employees began learning about the new requirement Friday afternoon, and the removal of chairs has already started at most commercial airports. One union leader said AFGE and its local chapters did not receive formal advance notification about the change.

Reports from TSA employees began circulating before the agency publicly confirmed the policy. Officers at airports in different parts of the country described being told that chairs at the document-checking stations were being eliminated nationwide, while seating at other checkpoint assignments remained available.

The union’s objections center in part on the physical demands already placed on Transportation Security Officers. TSA employees typically rotate among assignments during their shifts and can spend substantial amounts of time standing and walking on hard airport flooring.

The TSA collective bargaining agreement contains provisions dealing with workplace ergonomics. It calls for the agency to provide ergonomic equipment “as appropriate” and also requires anti-fatigue mats at workstations where bargaining-unit employees stand in one location for extended periods. It is not yet clear whether the union will formally challenge the chair-removal policy under those provisions.

Another unresolved issue involves TSA officers who have medical conditions or disabilities that make prolonged standing difficult. Existing federal reasonable-accommodation requirements have not disappeared as a result of the new policy, and the publicly reported directive does not establish that employees with approved medical accommodations are categorically prohibited from receiving seating or another accommodation. The broad new rule concerns ordinary staffing of the document-checker position, rather than eliminating federal disability protections.

The change comes less than two months after David Cummins was confirmed by the Senate to lead TSA. Cummins has begun an agency-wide initiative known as “Horizon 25,” aimed at rapidly changing several aspects of airport security operations as TSA approaches the 25th anniversary of its creation.

“TSA does not have to choose between a secure checkpoint, an efficient checkpoint, and an elevated passenger experience,” Cummins said in announcing the broader initiative.

Horizon 25 includes efforts to expand TSA PreCheck, deploy new screening technology, increase the role of private screening operations and improve passengers’ experience at airport checkpoints. TSA has not publicly established that the decision to remove chairs from document-checking stations is formally part of Horizon 25.

The seating controversy is unfolding as the Trump administration pursues much broader changes at TSA. President Trump proposed in April eliminating more than 9,400 positions and cutting slightly more than $1.5 billion — approximately 20% — from the agency’s annual budget.

The administration has also proposed moving additional smaller airports toward privately employed security screeners rather than federal TSA personnel. Such a change could eliminate more than 4,500 TSA positions as an initial step toward substantially expanding privatization of airport screening.

Private airport screening is not entirely new. Roughly 20 airports already participate in arrangements using private screening personnel, including airports serving San Francisco, Kansas City and Sarasota, Florida.

Cummins himself came to TSA after serving as a senior vice president at Serco, the British-headquartered government-services contractor. The Senate confirmed him in August after the TSA administrator position had remained without a Senate-confirmed permanent leader for approximately 16 months following Trump’s removal of David Pekoske on his first day back in office in January 2025.

TSA employees have also recently endured an unusually difficult period. A six-week government shutdown this spring left roughly 50,000 TSA employees working without pay and contributed to severe airport disruptions, with security waits at some locations stretching to four hours or longer.

The latest change will be far more visible to passengers: At the front of TSA checkpoints across the country, the officers who examine IDs and boarding passes will now ordinarily be doing so on their feet rather than from chairs.