The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
Small medevac plane crashes in Philadelphia with child, 5 others on board
A medevac plane has crashed in Philadelphia with a child and five others on board, the air ambulance company that operated it says, adding that it has not confirmed any survivors.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance says its aircraft crashed with four crew members, one pediatric medical patient and the patient’s escort on board.
“At this time we cannot confirm any survivors,” the company says in a statement.
US President Donald Trump writes on social media that it was “so sad to see the plane go down in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More innocent souls lost. Our people are totally engaged. First Responders are already being given credit for doing a great job.”
The crash follows this week’s collision of an American Airlines jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, DC, which killed 67 in the deadliest airplane crash in the US since 2009.
The Federal Aviation Administration says six people were on the Learjet 55 that crashed around 6:30 p.m. local time. Local media reports it was near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia and that there were multiple injuries on the ground.
Video aired on local TV stations shows the plane in a sharp dive before slamming into the ground in a heavily populated area of northeast Philadelphia and exploding in a massive fireball.
At least one house and multiple cars were on fire, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The weather was cold and rainy and with low visibility at the time of the crash.
The air ambulance had left Northeast Philadelphia Airport and was headed to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri, about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) to the southwest, the FAA says in a statement.
Trump administration may lift hold on delivery of assault rifles to Israel — NYT
The Trump administration is looking at lifting a hold on the delivery of 24,000 assault rifles to Israel that was issued by former US secretary of State Antony Blinken, the New York Times reports, citing an American official.
The newspaper says the State Deportment didn’t reply to a request on whether the US will lift the hold, which Blinken put in place over concerns that then-national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir was using them to arm settlers in the West Bank.
U of Michigan suspends Students for Justice in Palestine’s local chapter for 2 years
A pro-Palestinian group at the University of Michigan has been suspended for two years and will lose its funding in connection with protesters’ demands for divestiture from companies doing business with Israel.
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, also known as SAFE, was accused of violating the university’s standards of conduct for recognized student organizations following a protest last spring outside a regent’s home and a demonstration without school permission on its Ann Arbor campus.
Tensions over the Israel-Hamas war led to emotional demonstrations on US campuses, including a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments that led to about 3,200 arrests.
The war was sparked by an October 7, 2023, attack on Israel in which Hamas-led terrorists killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for aggressive action to fight antisemitism on college campuses and promising to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathizers.”
The University of Michigan’s sanctions against SAFE were handed down nearly two weeks earlier, on January 16. The group also is prohibited from reserving university spaces. It has until next Thursday to appeal.
The suspension could be lifted earlier than two years if the group satisfies all the sanctions against it and meets with school officials to discuss the university’s decision and the awareness of policies for student organizations. However, that could occur no sooner than winter 2026.
The Associated Press left several email messages seeking comment with SAFE and with its national umbrella organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, on Friday.
Rubio discusses ‘path forward in Gaza’ during call with Saudi FM
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed “the path forward in Gaza” in a call with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, the State Department says.
The pair also talked about “ways to advance shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, and across the region, to include Red Sea security and freedom of navigation,” according to the State Department readout, which adds that Rubio “said he looked forward to strengthening the US-Saudi partnership.”
IDF troops operating in Syria buffer zone come under fire; none injured
IDF troops operating in a buffer zone in southern Syria came under fire a short while ago, the military says.
The IDF says soldiers returned fire at the source of the shooting.
There are no injuries, the military adds.
It marks the first such incident since Israeli forces deployed to the buffer zone on the border between Israel and Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime last month.