The masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies on a Manhattan sidewalk used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” a law enforcement official said Thursday. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown, blocks from tourist draws like Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art. The words on the ammunition may have been a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims.

US intelligence officials say that the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which was significantly compromised militarily by Israel in the recent war, is already engaged in rehabilitating its forces and replenishing its weapons caches, Reuters reported. The officials said that Hezbollah still poses a long-term threat to the US and its regional allies. Four sources updated on US intelligence told Reuters that even while the war between Israel and Lebanon was still ongoing, Hezbollah began to recruit new members and was assessing ways to rearm through domestic production and by smuggling materials through Syria.

Airline executives were relentlessly grilled by furious senators on Wednesday over skyrocketing fees for luggage, seat assignments, and other “money-grabbing” practices. During a scathing hearing led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, lawmakers accused the airlines of treating passengers like walking ATMs. Blumenthal didn’t mince words, declaring, “Airlines these days view their customers as little more than walking piggy banks to be shaken down for every possible dime.” He tore into executives from American, Delta, United, Spirit, and Frontier, armed with a report showing these airlines raked in a staggering $12.4 billion in seat fees between 2018 and 2023. Republican Sen.

Former Chief Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Yosef Yitzchak, member of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, instructed bnei yeshivos to tear up any draft orders they receive and flush them down the toilet. During a sichah the Rav delivered to bnei yeshivos at the beginning of the week, he said: “You’re Baruch Hashem sitting and learning. If you have problems with the army, they sent you a draft order, listen to the Gedolei Yisrael.” “Last Adar, I was still in office and I announced that if they don’t let us learn Torah here, we’ll go abroad. We need to learn Torah. Why did we return to Eretz Yisrael? To be secular?” “I said this clearly and they filed a petition against me to the Supreme Court, ordering to remove me from my position as a Dayan in the Beis Din HaGadol.

The body of Itay Svirsky HY’D, who was abducted by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, has been retreievd and brought to Israel. Forensic and legal teams concluded the identification process, and his family has been informed of the tragic news. Itay’s remains were brought back to Israel last night, where final confirmation of his identity was made. Svirsky, 38, was abducted from his parents’ home in Be’eri, where he was visiting to celebrate Simchas Torah. Both his parents, Orit Svirsky and Rafi Svirsky, were murdered by Hamas terrorists. His 96-year-old grandmother Aviva Sela managed to survive the attack. Svirsky had been featured in a pair of Hamas propaganda videos published earlier this year.

An IDF investigation has determined that six hostages abducted by Hamas were likely executed by their captors amid an airstrike on a Hamas tunnel in Khan Younis, Gaza. As YWN reported at the time, the bodies of the hostages were recovered on August 20, over three months after their deaths. YWN had reported at the time that they had been executed as their bodies were found riddled with bullets, and the IDF is releasing confirmed details now. The victims, identified as Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78, were taken hostage during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The IDF announced on Wednesday that the graduation ceremony for the pilot technician course for 26 Chareidi soldiers took place on Tuesday at the Air Force base in Haifa. The soldiers were certified as Level A technicians for F-16 aircraft and will serve at the Ramat Dovid Air Base in northern Israel. “This is the first training course for Class A technicians from the Chareidi sector,” the IDF spokesperson said.

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a potential nominee for Secretary of Defense, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The move comes as Pete Hegseth, Trump’s original pick for the role, faces mounting resistance in the Senate over personal and professional controversies. The Journal, citing unnamed sources close to the discussions, described the potential selection of DeSantis—a one-time GOP presidential rival—as a dramatic shift. However, the report noted that DeSantis’ conservative credentials and military background align with Trump’s vision for reshaping the Pentagon, including addressing what they perceive as “woke” policies within the armed forces. Hegseth, a former U.S.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday warned Lebanon that if it doesn’t enforce the ceasefire with Hezbollah, the IDF would no longer differentiate between Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon. Speaking on a visit to the northern border, Katz said: “The main message I came to convey here: our policy, together with the IDF, is clear and unequivocal – we will act with all our might to enforce all the understandings of the ceasefire agreement, and we will have maximum response and zero tolerance.” “Yesterday was the first test. Shots were fired toward Har Dov as if it were outside the usual discourse or subject to interpretation. For us, it is not subject to any interpretation.

Until last month, the Chareidi parties had despaired of the chance of passing a recruitment law, as it seemed impossible mainly due to the firm insistence of then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant not to engage in legislation that would not also be agreed upon by the heads of the opposition, Kikar H’Shabbat reported. Just before UTJ chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf announced his resignation from the government due to its failure to pass a recruitment law, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his decision to fire Gallant and appoint Minister Yisrael Katz as the new Defense Minister. From the moment Gallant was dismissed, the Chareidi parties realized that this was a real opportunity to pass a recruitment law.