January 02, 2026

Newly founded NY Office to Combat Antisemitism to remain open, Mamdani says

Speaking in his first press conference after the inauguration, incoming New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed to keep the newly founded Office to Combat Antisemitism open.

The decision came as a surprise, as many had expected the incoming mayor to shut down the office opened in May. Critics have also dismissed the office as a campaign stunt on the side of then-Mayor Eric Adams and questioned its effectiveness.

The Office to Combat Antisemitism is led by Moshe Davis, a former Jewish liaison for the Adams administration, and focuses on monitoring incidents, coordinating with law enforcement and advising on policies to curb hate crimes.

Several reported killed in Iran protests over economic hardships

People walk past closed shops following protests over a plunge in the currency's value, in the Tehran Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, December 30, 2025. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

People walk past closed shops following protests over a plunge in the currency's value, in the Tehran Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, December 30, 2025. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Several people were killed during unrest in Iran, Iranian media and rights groups said on Thursday, as the biggest protests to hit the Islamic Republic for three years over worsening economic conditions sparked violence in several provinces.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported that three protesters were killed and 17 were injured during an attack on a police station in Iran's western province of Lorestan.

"The rioters entered the police headquarters around 1800 (local time) on Thursday ... they clashed with police forces and set fire to several police cars," Fars reported.

Earlier, Fars and rights group Hengaw reported deaths in Lordegan city in the country's Charmahal and Bakhtiari province. Authorities confirmed one death in the western city of Kuhdasht, and Hengaw reported another death in the central province of Isfahan.

The clashes between protesters and security forces mark a significant escalation in the unrest that has spread across the country since shopkeepers began protesting on Sunday over the government's handling of a sharp currency slide and rapidly rising prices.

President Herzog offers assistance to Switzerland after New Year's fire kills dozens

Following a fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland that killed dozens of people during New Year's celebrations, President Isaac Herzog offered Israeli assistance to Swiss authorities.

President Guy Parmelin thanked Herzog, who expressed his deep sorrow over the disaster, according to a statement from the President's Office.

The statement added, Herzog noted Israel's extensive experience in locating and treating victims of burns and fire-related incidents during emergencies and disasters, particularly after October 7.

RECAP: Seven people killed in Iranian anti-gov't protests; religious-nationalist rabbi attacked in Jaffa

Here are Thursday's latest updates from Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and the Middle East:

■ Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be required to explain why he is not dismissing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from his position as National Security Minister, amid petitions demanding Ben-Gvir's dismissal on the grounds of harming the independence of the police. Ben-Gvir responded with a post on X, "You're a criminal, I don't count you!"

■ At least seven people were killed in Iran as violence escalated during anti-government protests that continued for a fifth day. Dozens of people have been arrested, according to state media.

■ A rabbi from the religious-nationalist group Garin Torani (Torah nucleus) was attacked in Jaffa, central Israel and sustained minor injuries. The attack follows an incident earlier this month in which Garin youth who have not yet been arrested pepper-sprayed a pregnant woman and her young children, calling her a "Dirty Arab."

■ Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud) said he will boycott interviews with Channel 12, which leaked the video of Sde Teiman detention center guards abusing a Palestinian detainee, until the news channel "issues a clear and public apology," calling on other MKs and gov't officials to join him.

■ The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council that governs southern ‍Yemen shut down Aden airport in defiance of ‌an order by the Saudi-backed Yemen government to impose targeted restrictions on ‌UAE flights. The STC also allowed Saudi troops to deploy to Yemen's southern provinces, securing the area against Iran-backed Houthi militia.

■ In Iran, several people were killed in the biggest protests in three years amid soaring inflation, an Iranian ‌news agency and a rights group reported.

■ Police raids and clashes continue in the Bedouin town of Tarabin in the southern Negev, as residents express outrage over "collective punishment." National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered a multi-agency crackdown on suspected legal violations related to agriculture, tax, electricity and water use, and issued dozens of tickets and fines against town residents.

■ The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against four Arab Israelis from the Negev for espionage and weapons-related offenses.

■ The IDF said it shot three Palestinians, killing one of them, near a West Bank highway overnight into Thursday, saying they were throwing rocks.

■ A soldier in the IDF combat engineer corps died by suicide in southern Israel on Wednesday, becoming the 22nd active-duty IDF soldier to have taken his own life in 2025.

■ United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.