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New York City Comptroller Mark D. Levine welcomes New Yorkers at the inauguration of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani in 3 different languages.

The U.S. State Department issued an advisory urging U.S. citizens in Iran to “exercise increased caution” due to ongoing protests in the country.

“The Department of State advises U.S. citizens in Iran to exercise increased caution due to ongoing and escalating protests in Iran,” the U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran stated. “Demonstrations have resulted in heightened security presence, road closures, disruptions to public transportation and internet blockages. Protests can turn violent, leading to arrests and injuries.”

It advised U.S. citizens in Iran to “avoid crowds and keep a low profile,” follow local media reports for the latest and to “have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on U.S. government help.” The State Department currently lists Iran under a “do not travel” advisory “due to the risk of terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens and wrongful detention.”

The protests, which have entered their fifth day, reportedly stem from a worsening economy and have featured chants of “death to the dictator,” a reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.

The State Department, from its Farsi-language social-media account, stated that the protesters are “demanding respect, access to services and the right to self-determination.”

“Their resolve demonstrates the power of people who refuse to remain silent,” it stated. “The United States stands in solidarity with the people of Iran in their pursuit of their fundamental rights.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

Supreme Court justices Yitzchak Amit, Ofer Grosskopf, and Gila Kanfi-Steinitz issued a conditional order to the state on Thursday, freezing a law that allows the Education Ministry to dismiss teachers who publicly support terrorism. The order requires the state to explain why the law should not be repealed in response to petitions filed against it […]

The Israel Defense Forces is expediting preparations for a multi-front war with Iran in light of the internal unrest in the Islamic Republic, Hebrew media reported.

The preparations, which are part of the military’s multi-year plan extending roughly to 2030, anticipate conflict involving Iran, Lebanon and Judea and Samaria, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

A senior Israeli official told the outlet that while Israel was refusing to comment on the protests in Iran, which entered their fifth day on Thursday, the political echelon sees it as a “dramatic event.

“It is too early to know the consequences,” the official told the outlet.

The report said that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu held “discussions and consultations” regarding the demonstrations during his visit to the United States, which is scheduled to end on Thursday.

The IDF’s developing war plans reportedly include the possibility that the Islamic regime’s leaders will decide to attack the Jewish state to prevent their overthrow at the hands of the Iranian people.

A large-scale “surprise war” with Tehran and its regional terror proxies could for the first time also include Israeli attacks “in and from” outer space, according to the report.

Netanyahu told Newsmax on Tuesday that Iran’s leaders have “robbed their people of the future” and that change would “come from within.”

“It’s up to the Iranian people, and we understand what they’re going through, and we’re very sympathetic to them,” he told the channel.

The regime’s leadership is cracking down on expressions of widespread dissent over the country’s spiraling economic crisis, which has left the national currency at an all-time low of 1.4 million rials to a U.S. dollar.

Iran International reported that the crackdown on protesters continued on Thursday morning, with regime forces opening fire and deploying tear gas at Tehran’s central fruit and vegetable market.

Iranian authorities confirmed on Thursday that a member of the Basij, a paramilitary force within Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed during a rally in the country’s western Lorestan province.

The Basij member was “martyred … at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” a local official said. Another 13 Basij members and police officers reportedly suffered injuries.

A government building in the country’s south was also vandalized by demonstrators on Wednesday, Iranian authorities told local media.

Iran has seen repeated waves of protests since 2009 over a host of issues, including the religious oppression practiced by its theocratic rulers. The latest have reportedly become the biggest protests since 2022, when the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in regime custody triggered mass rallies.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser and representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, earlier this week alluded to an attack in the wake of the meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Under Iran’s defense doctrine, some responses are determined even before the threats reach the implementation stage,” Shamkhani wrote in Hebrew on X. He added: “Iran’s missile and defense capabilities are uncontrollable and do not require authorization. Any aggression will be met with a severe, immediate, and unexpected response.”

It appeared shortly after Trump said he would “knock the —- out of” Iran if the regime attempted to rebuild nuclear sites targeted in June. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Dirshu is coming to Far Rockaway and the Five Towns. This coming Sunday, 16 Teves/January 4, will mark a historic milestone in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns which will host their first ever major Dirshu event, An Evening of Celebration and Chizuk. The evening will start off with a gala siyum on Mishnah Berurah Chelek Gimmel […]

OAC delivers the opening remarks at the public inauguration ceremony for New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders stood with the crowd on the front steps of City Hall for Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration. Ocasio-Cortez is set to speak, while Sanders will administer the oath to the new mayor during this afternoon’s ceremony.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio offered advice to Zohran Mamdani, noting that from his own experience, no matter how much you prepare, “you’re still going to get thrown a lot of curveballs.”

HAPPENING NOW: Chants of “Free Free Palestine” break out at Mamdani inauguration, while another woman is on live TV demanding Mamdani keep to his campaign promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he visits NYC.

IDF officer (res.) Dovi Yudkin published a sharp warning on Thursday on his Facebook account regarding the treatment of Charedi prisoners in military prisons. Yudkin, from Kfar Chabad, is the brother of Capt. Yisrael Yudkin, H’yd, who fell in the Gaza Strip more than a year and a half ago. Yudkin stated that he chose […]

Residents of cities near Bnei Brak are planning to carry out a counter-protest against the wave of Chareidi protests against the draft by creating a deliberate traffic jam on the roads leading to Bnei Brak on Erev Shabbos, blocking access to the city. The protesters, frustrated with highway closures and weekly traffic jams caused by […]

The Shin Bet, Israel Police, and IDF have uncovered a weapons-smuggling network operating in the Negev using drones. Four MAG machine guns were seized after being transported by a drone that was intercepted and downed by IDF forces.

The massive anti-regime protests in Iran have now spread to more than 50 cities.

IDF soldiers patrol Mount Hermon as heavy snowfall blankets the area.

ACA enhanced health-insurance subsidies have expired today (Jan. 1, 2026), meaning the extra premium tax credits that helped lower monthly costs for millions of marketplace enrollees are now gone unless Congress acts.

Members of an anti-Hamas militia in the Gaza Strip marked the anniversary of Fatah’s founding with chants of “Death to Hamas.”

MK Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah, voiced sharp anger following the Israeli High Court of Justice’s decision to issue an interim order freezing funding for chareidi education, warning that the move could set a precedent leading to a complete halt of education budgets for the chareidi sector.

Senior figures in the chareidi parties fear that the interim injunction could pave the way for a broader and permanent suspension of funding, as additional petitions concerning chareidi education remain pending before the court.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Gafni spoke harshly in closed conversations overnight, saying: “I don’t remember a time this bad for the chareidi public. The wickedness of the judges has crossed all limits.”

He went on to issue a veiled threat, adding: “The judges have declared war on us, and they’re not hiding it. We cannot continue like this. We will consider responding with war.”

Meanwhile, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri also expressed fury over the court’s decision and the response — or lack thereof — from coalition partners. In private conversations, Deri sharply criticized Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the Likud for remaining silent following the ruling.

Deri held a tense conversation with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, during which he expressed deep disappointment at what he described as the coalition’s indifference to the freezing of Torah education budgets.

“It’s being treated as if this were a climate budget or beach cleanup funding,” Deri said in closed talks. “The coalition partners must understand clearly: Jewish identity is the foundation of this government. Without the education of Toras Yisroel, even the struggle for Eretz Yisroel will not succeed.”

Deri added that the silence from most government ministers comes against the backdrop of preparations for elections expected to take place later this year. “The cracks and gaps within the coalition are beginning to widen,” he warned.

The High Court issued the interim order on Wednesday evening, freezing the transfer of approximately one billion shekels to chareidi educational institutions, following a petition filed by Yesh Atid. The ruling effectively halts funding for chareidi education pending further review.

In the decision, Justice Yael Wilner wrote: “After reviewing the request for an interim injunction, the responses, and the petitioners’ reply, an interim order is hereby issued, according to which no financial transfers shall be made pursuant to the decisions of the Finance Committee under discussion in the petition, until a further decision is made.”

Yesh Atid officials said they do not intend to settle for the existing injunction and plan to demand an expanded remedy that would require chareidi teachers to return funds already received to the state treasury, noting that some of the money covered by the interim order had already been transferred before the freeze took effect.

{Matzav.com}

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed eliminating state income taxes on tips, following backlash from service-industry workers. Her plan would remove New York state income tax on up to $25,000 in tipped earnings, aligning with President Trump’s move to end federal taxes on tips.

Firefighters rescued an elderly person trapped in a vehicle during flooding near the Tzofim crossing in Samaria, using a specialized flotation vest to safely carry out the rescue.