BERLIN (JTA) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed gratitude about Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear program.

STATE DEPT. SPOX: “President Trump is the singular guiding hand about what will be occurring from this point forward.”  

In a new development, Israeli authorities have begun preliminary preparations to assist foreign nationals who remain stranded in Israel due to the ongoing security situation. While no official exit plan has yet been announced, Chaim V’Chessed has learned from sources that the developing arrangement may include evacuation by air or sea to a third country. At this stage, the government is focused on collecting data from those affected. Tourists and other foreigners currently in Israel who wish to return to their home countries are encouraged to submit their personal details using this online form. This move comes as part of broader efforts to support the large number of foreign nationals who have found themselves unable to leave the country following the closure of commercial air routes.

Brad Lander, New York City’s comptroller and current mayoral hopeful, was taken into custody by masked federal agents while accompanying an individual out of an immigration courtroom.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed the arrest to the Guardian, stating Lander was taken in for “assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.”
“Our heroic Ice law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them – it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment,” said McLaughlin. “No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”

Iranian state television on Tuesday afternoon urged the country’s public to remove the messaging platform WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging the app — without offering specific evidence — gathered user information to send to Israel. In a statement, WhatsApp said it was “concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most.” WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, meaning a service provider in the middle can’t read a message. “We do not track your precise location, we don’t keep logs of who everyone is messaging and we do not track the personal messages people are sending one another,” it added.

New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents on Tuesday at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan while escorting an individual out of a courtroom at 26 Federal Plaza. According to reports, Lander was observing immigration hearings and had stated his intention to “accompany” individuals exiting the courthouse to prevent their detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While walking arm-in-arm with a man whose immigration case had reportedly been dismissed pending appeal, Lander was approached by federal agents, some wearing masks and tactical vests. Videos show Lander repeatedly asking to see a judicial warrant as agents attempted to separate him from the individual.

Massive bombings rock Tehran as the IAF is carrying out their most relentless attacks since the war began.

President Donald Trump declared in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that the United States and Israel now dominate Iranian airspace.
“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA,” Trump wrote.