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Judge Rejects Saudi Arabia’s Bid to Dismiss Claims It Supported 9/11 Hijackers
A federal judge in New York has ruled against Saudi Arabia’s most recent attempt to have civil lawsuits dismissed that accuse the kingdom of aiding the 9/11 hijackers.
In a written ruling issued Thursday, Judge George B. Daniels clarified that his decision focused on the question of jurisdiction, not on whether the allegations against Saudi Arabia are ultimately true.
Despite the kingdom’s arguments, the judge determined that the lawsuits present sufficient legal grounds to proceed. He pointed to evidence suggesting that two Saudi employees — an imam and an accountant — may have played roles in supporting two al-Qaida operatives who arrived in the U.S. in 2000 to learn English and take flying lessons.
Attorneys representing Saudi Arabia maintained that during the 1990s, the kingdom and the U.S. were aligned in their fight against terrorism, specifically against al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden.
The lawyers for the families of 9/11 victims, however, contend that a group of radical religious figures connected to Saudi Arabia helped facilitate the attacks. These lawsuits — filed by hundreds of victims’ relatives, injured survivors, insurers, and businesses — claim that Saudi government employees knowingly assisted the hijackers and contributed to al-Qaida’s growth by financing charities tied to terrorism.
Other defendants in related cases, including Iran, the Taliban, and al-Qaida itself, have already been found in default after failing to respond to the lawsuits.
During court hearings last year, Saudi Arabia’s attorney Michael Kellogg emphasized that the kingdom revoked bin Laden’s citizenship in the 1990s and took more aggressive actions against him than any other country before the September 11 attacks.
Following the ruling, Kreindler & Kreindler, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, issued a statement praising the outcome, saying the decision “ensures that the plaintiffs may continue their long pursuit of truth and justice.”
{Matzav.com}
WATCH: Democrat Rep. John Larson Calls On ‘Americans to Rise Up’ Against ‘Gestapo’ ICE Agents
Rep. John Larson (D-CT) took part in an anti-immigration enforcement demonstration this week in Newington, Connecticut, where he urged citizens to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and likened the agency’s officers to Nazi forces.
“This is a time for good trouble. This is a time for Americans to rise up,” Larson told attendees at the rally, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
During his remarks, Larson compared ICE agents to the secret police forces of Nazi Germany that were responsible for atrocities during the Holocaust. “This is not Germany. That’s the SS and the Gestapo,” Larson said. “This is the United States of America. Unmask yourselves.”
His comments come at a time when ICE agents are reporting a dramatic rise in attacks, with data showing an 830-percent surge in assaults connected to enforcement operations.
In June, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons disclosed that left-wing activists have been targeting the families and children of ICE agents as part of their opposition efforts.
Separately, Cudahy, California, Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez (D) stirred controversy when she suggested that members of the violent 18th Street Gang should turn their attention toward ICE agents.
“You guys tag everything up, claiming hood, and now that your hood is being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you,” Gonzalez said in video footage. “It’s everyone else that’s not about the gang life and out there protesting and speaking up.”
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}
Mass Resignations Hit CDC After Director Removed Over Vaccine Disputes; Acting Director Named
Israeli Transportation Minister Cancels Nighttime Flight Ban at Ben Gurion Ahead of Uman Pilgrimages
Israel’s Transportation Minister Miri Regev has ordered the cancellation of the nighttime flight restrictions at Ben Gurion Airport to accommodate the large wave of travelers heading to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, where thousands are expected to visit the kever of Rav Nachman of Breslov in Ukraine.
According to Regev, the decision aims to ease the travel process for passengers and reduce congestion at the airport in the days leading up to the holiday. The nighttime curfew, originally imposed to limit noise from late-night departures, can only be lifted through a special ministerial order.
With this change, flights to Uman will now be permitted to take off during previously restricted hours — specifically on Sunday, September 21, and Friday, September 25, between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. These time slots had previously been included under the departure curfew.
This update follows last week’s announcement that the government is working on a coordinated plan to prevent the arrest of yeshiva students who are classified as draft dodgers and intend to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Homan: Newsom ‘Embarrassment’ for Calling ICE Trump’s Private Police
White House border czar Tom Homan sharply criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday after the governor accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of acting as President Trump’s “private police force.”
“Newsom is an embarrassment to the position he holds. Hard stop,” Homan told reporters. “If he had an ounce of integrity, he’d be calling President Trump and thanking him for making LA safer. He’d be calling the head of ICE and thanking them for the thousands of criminals, public safety threats they’ve taken off the streets of California.”
Homan’s remarks came in direct response to statements Newsom made Wednesday during a Politico Summit, where the governor denounced ICE’s conduct and suggested misplaced priorities. “When they’re done with this — all that funding and that ‘big beautiful betrayal’ allows more resources for this private police force that increasingly is showing a tendency not to swear an oath to the Constitution, but to the president of the United States,” Newsom said.
Tensions between Trump and Newsom have been ongoing and escalated further during June’s protests over ICE raids in Los Angeles, after Trump deployed the National Guard to restore order. Their feud intensified over the summer when Trump told reporters that, if he were in Homan’s position, he would take action against the governor. “I’d do it if I were [border czar Tom Homan]. I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity,” Trump said. “He’s done a terrible job. I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy but he’s grossly incompetent, everybody knows.”
In response, Newsom posted on X condemning Trump’s remarks, framing them as a dangerous precedent. “The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,” Newsom wrote. “I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation – this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.”
{Matzav.com}
Former New York Yankees Star Mark Teixeira Launches GOP Run for Texas House Seat
Ambassador Leiter: My Own Son Was Killed Because We Do Not Kill Innocent Civilians
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper in a candid interview, highlighting the extraordinary challenges facing the IDF and the complex ethical considerations shaping Israel’s military strategy.
“You got to ask yourself a question,” Leiter said. “A country that’s capable of taking out the control of all of Iranian airspace in 72 hours, allowing for the B-2s of the United States to come in and obliterate the nuclear weapons operations in Iran, is not capable of ending this war sooner? Of course we are. But it’s because we’re taking precautions that no other country has ever taken, had to face a situation of 450 miles of terror tunnels under an area that’s 24 miles long.”
Leiter described Hamas as a “ghoulish, fiendish organization,” emphasizing that it deliberately places civilians in harm’s way while exploiting them as human shields. “They enjoy this. This is a death cult. They say this. You have to read their stuff,” he said, referring to Hamas’s own words and propaganda.
The ambassador became emotional when discussing his personal loss during the conflict, revealing that his son, Moshe, was killed in the early days of the war. “We do everything we possibly can. My own son was killed because we do not kill innocent civilians. He went in on foot into Gaza and led the troops at the beginning of the war and was killed when he went into a Hamas booby trap.”
Leiter also responded to criticisms of Israel’s military tactics, suggesting that if Israel had operated without its current restrictions, fewer soldiers might have been lost. “If we were doing what we’re being accused of doing, maybe he’d be alive today. So many of our soldiers that have died would have been alive today.”
Addressing recent images of anti-war protests, Leiter stressed that the demonstrations represent a divided sentiment in Israel rather than a single prevailing view. “The demonstrations you showed are only half of the demonstrations. The other half of the demonstrations are families of soldiers who are saying to the Prime Minister, you have to end this war with the defeat of Hamas, because otherwise we’re going back to October 6th.”
{Matzav.com}“Talk Like Mamdani”: De Blasio Urges Democrats To “Win Big” By Embracing Socialism
Sen. Graham: I Blame Hamas For All The Problems After October 7
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) visited the Kerem Shalom crossing on Thursday, where he was given a comprehensive briefing on the inspection and coordination process used to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. During the visit, he stressed the need to provide relief to civilians while preventing resources from strengthening Hamas.
“I visited the Kerem Shalom crossing and was briefed regarding the system in place to clear trucks to provide aid to Gaza. The goal is to feed the people of Gaza and not to empower Hamas,” Graham stated following the tour. “There have been episodes of cigarettes and other banned items included in shipments that allow Hamas to continue to make money on the black market. To some extent this is inevitable as all are operating under difficult circumstances.”
Graham dismissed claims that Israel is purposely using aid as a weapon or attempting to starve Gaza’s population.
“However, I want to make it clear I have never bought into the narrative that Israel is intentionally starving the people of Gaza as a tool of war. I blame Hamas for all the problems associated with the attack of October 7 and its aftermath,” he said.
The Senator also voiced his belief that Israel is cooperating with international relief organizations to ensure aid reaches those who need it.
“I do expect Israel to work with international organizations and I believe that they are,” he added.
As part of his visit, Graham toured a facility run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), an American-backed program focused on supplying food to civilians. He commended the work being done by GHF and its partners, including Samaritan’s Purse, led by Reverend Franklin Graham.
“I also visited a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a food delivery system supported by the American government, and was impressed by what I saw. Samaritan’s Purse, Reverend Franklin Graham’s organization, is assisting GHF with food packages. I also support the World Food Program and many other organizations who are trying to provide humanitarian aid,” Graham said.
He highlighted that the GHF initiative had originally been supported by the Trump Administration and called for ongoing bipartisan backing to ensure its success.
“Supporting GHF was a decision made by the American government through the Trump Administration and I hope that decision will be respected. I’m not interested in engaging in efforts to tear one group down over the other. I found the accusations made against GHF not to be credible and I appreciate all they have done under difficult circumstances,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}
Surface Transportation Board Shakeup: Trump Ousts Democrat Ahead of Historic Rail Merger
Israel’s Supreme Court Rejects Petition To Cancel Draft Orders For 5,500 Yeshiva Bochurim
Israel Estimates: Houthi Defense Minister, Chief of Staff, Killed In Strike On Yemen
Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Thursday against targets in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.
The operation coincided with a speech being delivered by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
According to a security source, the main objective of the strike was a high-level meeting involving senior figures within the Houthi organization, described as a cabinet-style gathering that included both top military commanders and government ministers. The official said, “We estimate that we succeeded.”
Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that among those likely killed in the strike were the Houthi Defense Minister and the group’s Chief of Staff, the latter of whom had already been injured in a previous Israeli-attributed attack. However, the organization’s leader was reportedly not at the scene.
The IDF confirmed that its forces struck a Houthi military installation in the Sanaa region.
“The Houthi terrorist organization has been operating under the Iranian direction and funding in order to harm the state and its allies since the beginning of the war, undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation,” the IDF stated.
The statement continued: “The IDF is operating decisively against the Houthi terrorist regime, while simultaneously intensifying strikes against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, and will continue to act to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
Foreign media reports said the Israeli strike focused on safe houses where top Houthi leaders were believed to be hiding. A defense source confirmed that several high-ranking officials were inside one of the targeted locations.
Hezbollah-linked al-Mayadeen reported that more than ten separate strikes were launched across Sanaa during the operation.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, together with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior military leadership, consulted with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu before authorizing the strikes.
Katz declared: “As we warned the Houthis in Yemen, after the Plague of Darkness comes the Plague of the Firstborn. Whoever raises a hand against Israel — his hand will be cut off.”
This marks the second time in a week that Israeli forces have struck targets in Yemen.
On Sunday, Israeli warplanes conducted a large-scale assault involving 14 fighter jets that dropped around 40 munitions on multiple Houthi positions in the Sanaa area.
Those strikes targeted several key facilities, including the presidential palace complex, the Asar and Hizaz power stations, and a fuel storage depot utilized by Houthi forces.
In its statement following Sunday’s attacks, the IDF explained that “the strikes were conducted in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians, including the launching of surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs toward Israeli territory in recent days.”
“The presidential palace in the Sanaa area is located within a military site from which the military forces of the Houthi terrorist regime operate,” the IDF added. “In addition, the Hizaz and Asar power plants, which served as a significant electricity supply facility for military activities, were struck.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
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