The United States dispatched additional warplanes and ships to the Middle East amid heightened concerns about an imminent Iranian strike against Israel and potential increased violence that could affect American troops in the region, U.S. officials said Friday.
Washington
Pentagon sends more troops to Middle East as Israel braces for Iranian threat
Tehran has blamed Israel for the April 1 strike on an Iranian site in Syria that killed two Iranian military commanders, and has vowed revenge. Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
“I am certain that the world sees the true face of Iran,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday, according to a statement from the ministry. “We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air,” he said.
The move reflects the Biden administration’s concern that its support for Israel’s war in Gaza could spark wider violence in the Middle East. President Biden told reporters Friday that he expected an attack on Israel to come “sooner rather than later.” When asked what his message was to Iran, he replied: “Don’t.”
Threats from Iran — including a statement from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, that Israel would “regret this crime” — prompted the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to issue a security alert restricting the movement of government employees and their families.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin complained to his Israeli counterpart that Israel did not notify Washington before the Syria strike, an escalation the Pentagon sees as increasing risks to U.S. forces in the Middle East, The Washington Post reported.
Here’s what else to know
Jacob Toukhy, a staff member of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s mission in the West Bank and Gaza, was killed Friday near his home in Israel, according to an internal memo seen by The Washington Post. USAID is working with the U.S. Embassy to ascertain details about the death, the agency said.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society accused Israeli forces of firing bullets at one of its ambulances in the West Bank on Friday. The society also said Israeli forces assaulted one of its volunteer paramedics, who was later released and transferred to a hospital. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Turkish state-run broadcaster TRT said Friday that two of its journalists were injured while reporting in Gaza after they were struck by Israeli fire. Sami Shehadeh, a freelance cameraman for TRT’s Arabic channel, was “grievously injured,” it said, adding that doctors had amputated one of his feet. Zahid Sobaci, TRT’s director general, said in a message on social media that a second journalist, Sami Barhum, was in good condition.
The Israeli military said Friday that trucks transporting food entered through a new aid crossing into northern Gaza. Israel announced the route this week in the face of international pressure to stave off famine in the besieged enclave. It was not clear how much aid went in.
At least 33,634 people have been killed and 76,214 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants and says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 260 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
Dan Lamothe, Bryan Pietsch and John Hudson contributed to this report.
Washington
Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey
WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. — Officers in Washington Township, said they finished a DoorDash food delivery after arresting the driver who had warrants out for his arrest.
Body camera video shows officers stepping in to deliver the food themselves, a move the department in southern New Jersey later shared on its Facebook page.
“I thought something happened. Oh my God, I got so scared,” said the customer when she answered the door.
The DoorDash customer, seen on police body cam video, was instantly relieved and appreciative upon learning why officers were at her door.
“Arrested your driver, but, yeah, we delivered your food,” one of the officers said.
It turns out a Washington Township police officer stopped the DoorDash driver during routine patrols in front of a high school over the weekend.
“He made a stop on it for a violation,” said Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.
But then, Chief Gurcsik said the officer learned the driver had warrants out for his arrest in another county.
“He made the officers aware that he had two DoorDash meals in the car that he was in the middle of delivering,” Gurcsik said.
The officers went from cuffing the driver to ringing a doorbell to finish his delivery.
“I never heard of anything like that in the South Jersey area. It’s sort of a first for us here in Washington Township, definitely,” Gurcsik said.
Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey
It’s happened in other places, too, including in New Mexico last summer, when a motorcycle cop delivered someone’s Chick-fil-A order after arresting the driver.
“Hello, sir, got your DoorDash. Oh, thank you,” the officer said. “He’s a good kid, give him five stars. He just didn’t take care of a simple insurance ticket.”
And officers over in Arizona made a similar arrest during a traffic stop and were seen on body camera finishing the delivery.
“Your GrubHub, still delivered your pizza,” the officer said.
“We definitely serve the community in more ways than one,” Gurcsik said.
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Washington
Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt
Washington
Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI
SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement
Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
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