Australia's Sydney began 2026 with a fireworks display held under an enhanced police presence, weeks after gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city.
Sydney's annual New Year's Eve celebrations are known globally for their spectacular fireworks, with 40,000 pyrotechnic effects stretching seven kilometers (four miles) across buildings and barges along its harbor, including the city's iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
Organizers held a minute's silence for the victims of the attack at 11:00 p.m. local time, with the Harbour Bridge lit up in white and a menorah - a symbol long used to symbolize Judaism - projected onto its pylons.
"After a tragic end to the year for our city, we hope that New Year’s Eve will provide an opportunity to come together and look with hope for a peaceful and happy 2026," Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore said ahead of the event.
At least 15 people were murdered, and 40 were wounded when a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, on December 14.
Australian rabbis joined the mounting calls for the Australian federal government to initiate a royal commission on Thursday, further urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to ban violent slogans and radical protest marches.
Bondi Beach Christmas, New Years events toned down in aftermath of antisemitic terror attack
Traditional Christmas celebrations at Bondi were muted this year, and several New Year events planned there were canceled.
Around 3,000 police, some carrying long arms, were deployed in the city during the main New Year celebrations, which typically attract over a million revelers.
"We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we're not going to be cowed by this kind of terrorism, and we're not going to change the way we live our life in our beautiful city," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns didn't rule out the possibility of deploying the army to Jewish areas to protect the community, he implied in a press conference on Sunday, ABC News reported.