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The Israeli Defense Forces is expected to conduct airstrikes against Lebanon late Sunday targeting financial institutions linked to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst in Israel reports the strikes will specifically target al-Qard al-Hassan "all over Lebanon." Al-Qard al-Hassan is a unit in Hezbollah to fund terrorist activities like paying operatives and buying arms. 

The registered nonprofit is sanctioned by both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, provides financial services and is also used by Lebanese civilians. 

IDF SAYS ‘MISSION IS NOT OVER’ UNTIL HOSTAGES ARE RETURNED: ‘WE WILL NOT REST’

The IDF issued evacuation orders for civilians close to these financial institutions. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the strikes will be widespread, targeting not just financial centers in Beirut, but also other Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon. 

Fox News is told the goal is to strike at the heart of Hezbollah’s financial support for the conflict with Israel, which has been ongoing since October 2023, the month Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing nearly 1,200 and taking hundreds more as hostages. 

NETANYAHU PROMISES RETALIATION FOLLOWING ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT BY HEZBOLLAH

A senior intelligence official indicated earlier Sunday that not all of Hezbollah’s money is being held in these financial institutions, but it’s expected to inflict significant damage on the group’s economic abilities. 

The official noted that there are hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians – mostly Shias – who use this banking system, and there are a number of branches in Beirut expected to be targeted. 

A year of escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah over the war in Gaza turned into all-out war last month, and Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon early this month.

Israel's announcement came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called civilian casualties in Lebanon "far too high" in the Israel-Hezbollah war, and urged Israel to scale back some strikes, especially in and around Beirut.

Iran supports the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents indicating that Israel was moving military assets into place for a military strike in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, according to three U.S. officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN – Contrary to what much of the world’s media has reported, China’s 13-hour simulated blockade of Taiwan that began on Monday, Oct. 14, using a record-breaking number of planes, an aircraft carrier, and both Navy and Coast Guard vessels, was not quite so simple as China "punishing" Taiwan’s new president William Lai for comments he’s made since taking office in May of this year. 

"China planned the exercises in advance and would have carried them out regardless of what Lai said," nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global China Hub Elizabeth Freund Larus told Fox News Digital. "The military exercises are intended to wear down Taiwan’s military hardware and personnel. The purposes of the exercises are to threaten Taiwan’s security to the point that the Taiwan people lose confidence in their government and to change the status quo of a Taiwan separate from China."

All those reasons would be enough to justify the military maneuvers if one views them from Beijing’s tactical standpoint, but senior research fellow with the R.O.C. Society for Strategic Studies, Dr. Chang Ching, who also served in the Navy for several decades, told Fox News Digital that people are missing the big picture. Chang pointed to publicly available military logs from Japan that tracked both Russian and Chinese ships over several days before the 13-hour exercise.

TAIWANESE PEOPLE READY TO FIGHT AS CHINA RAMPS UP AGGRESSION, AMBASSADOR SAYS 

A joint staff press release from Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Monday, Oct. 14, stated, "On October 11, 2024 (Friday), around 5 PM, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed the presence of six vessels [four Chinese and two Russian] in the waters approximately 400 km (approx 248 miles) northeast of Okinotorishima Island (Tokyo)." These were just some of the ships identified, and Japanese press releases noted that they had been tracking both Chinese and Russian naval actions since late September. 

The location of these ships at those times, Chang asserted, means they cannot have been plausibly connected to the short Taiwan blockade. "The real target is the United States," he told Fox News Digital. "They were using a very old Chinese strategy called ‘encircling the point/striking the reinforcement;’ in other words, practicing ways to ambush the U.S. Navy if it heads towards an already held-hostage Taiwan. If China can convince the U.S. that intervening in any actions it chooses to take in the Taiwan Strait is not worth the risk, then Beijing wins." 

Other local experts had similar takes on the situation. Taiwan’s Central News Agency quoted assistant professor at Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies Lin Ying-yu, who argued that the timing of the military drills was an attempt by China to probe the United States’ ability to respond to simultaneous crises on the Korean Peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait. 

CHINA SEEKS TO ‘WEAR DOWN TAIWAN’S RELIANCE’ WITH COVERT ECONOMIC AND CYBER OPERATIONS, US WARGAMERS SAY

The Chinese Navy, depending on what matrix is used to measure it, is either in second place after the U.S., has overtaken the U.S., or is basically even. Regardless of rankings, the Chinese have a formidable navy that is often dismissed as inexperienced. Analysts such as Chang, however, who’s spent his adult life studying military strategy and threats, say those who underestimate China’s navy do so at their peril.

China’s fleets boasts many smaller and more modern ships. According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, about 70% of Chinese warships were launched after 2010, while only about 25% of the U.S. Navy’s were.  

Unlike in the past, for Joint Sword 2024B there was no 24-hour prior notification, no specific latitude or longitude parameters were announced, and to add a final touch of menace, no date or time was given for when the exercise was scheduled to end. 

Despite this, the general mood on the streets of Taiwan during the encirclement was calm, with almost no one telling the media they felt scared or threatened. Some say such nonchalance is worrying as it implies that the Taiwanese people are beginning to accept that their government and military are powerless to stop China’s incursions that inch closer each time – Joint Sword 2024B, for example, pushed to within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan. 

China’s large and well-armed Coast Guard also took part in Joint Sword 2024B. Many Chinese Coast Guard ships are essentially warships, and the fleet includes several 10,000-ton vessels equipped with 76mm guns, and capable of top speeds of 25 knots (28.7 MPH). 

In a move Elizabeth Freund Larus described as "rather macabre," and Chang called "a cynical reflection of their ‘abusive relationship’ mindset," an image was released on the official China Coast Guard Weibo account (China’s version of X), depicting a drill route around Taiwan in the shape of a heart. The image featured Chinese characters that translate roughly to "Hello my sweetheart! Our patrol is our way of loving you."

TAIWAN REACTS TO TRUMP’S THEY 'SHOULD PAY US FOR DEFENSE' COMMENTS

In a recent poll, some 70% of Taiwanese said they expected some type of U.S. help in the event of a Chinese attack, but the U.S. reaction to Joint Sword 2024B was seen by some as being tepid and confusing. 

"The United States is seriously concerned by the People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. "The PRC response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation."

FOR CHINA'S MILITARY PLANNERS, TAIWAN IS NOT AN EASY ISLAND TO INVADE

The State Department Asia Pacific Media Hub issued a statement via X on Oct. 15 that read in part, "We have closely monitored the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercise, JOINT SWORD 2024B, around Taiwan. This military pressure operation is irresponsible, disproportionate, and destabilizing." 

Some in Taiwan are asking why the State Department chose to use the word "disproportionate," as Taiwan has done nothing that would warrant even a "proportionate" response. With just weeks to go before the American presidential election, all official comments coming out of D.C. are likely to be carefully vetted, which makes the State Department’s comments all the more puzzling. 

Considering that almost anything Taiwan does is seen by Beijing as some sort of "pro-independence provocation," there are calls in Taiwan for the democracies of the world, led by the United States, to come together and prepare concrete reactions to China’s continual attempts to change the status quo, militarize the Taiwan Strait, and deprive the people of Taiwan of their hard-won democracy. 

Assistant Director of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, Kitsch Liao, told Fox New Digital that it's "imperative for Taiwan to provide an update to its National Security Strategy, last updated in 2007, to act as a North star, and to galvanize collective efforts toward peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." 

A man in Greece was given a suspended one-month prison sentence after his conviction for disturbing his neighbors by repeatedly sneaking onto their properties and smelling their shoes.

Addressing the court in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Thursday, the 28-year-old man said he was unable to explain why he entered his neighbors' homes to get a whiff of their shoes and said he was embarrassed by his behavior.

He said he had no intention of breaking the law or harming anyone during the incidents, according to the Associated Press.

FATHER CALLED UK POLICE TO CONFESS TO KILLING DAUGHTER, 10, IN ENGLAND AFTER HE FLED TO PAKISTAN

The defendant's neighbors also testified that he never displayed any sign of aggression when he visited during the night.

The man was ordered by the judge to attend therapy sessions.

FORMER MEXICAN PUBLIC SECURITY CHIEF GETS MORE THAN 38 YEARS, $2M FINE FOR TAKING CARTEL BRIBES

Shortly before dawn on Oct. 8, the man was arrested in the small town of Sindos after police were called to a home by a neighbor who found the man in his front yard sniffing his family’s shoes that had been left outside to air out.

At least three similar incidents have happened in the past six months, even after neighbors asked the man's family to make him stop entering their property to sniff their shoes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Hezbollah following its alleged assassination attempt against him and his wife, calling it a "grave mistake."

"The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake," Netanyahu wrote in a X post Saturday. "This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future."

Issuing a stark warning to Iran and the "Axis of Resistance," which includes Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, the prime minister said Israel is determined to achieve its war objectives following the Oct. 7 attack and "change the security reality in our region for generations."

"I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil: Anyone who tries to harm Israel's citizens will pay a heavy price; We will continue to eliminate the terrorists and those who dispatch them; We will bring our hostages home from Gaza; And we will return our citizens who live on our Northern border safely to their homes," he wrote.

"Israel is determined to achieve all our war objectives and change the security reality in our region for generations to come," Netanyahu said. 

UAV LAUNCHED TOWARD ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU'S PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN CAESAREA

Netanyahu's vow to hold Hezbollah accountable came after a UAV was launched towards his private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea on Saturday morning.

Netanyahu and his wife were not home when the incident happened, his spokesperson told Fox News.

No injuries were reported in the incident. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had not been at his private residence for several days.

The Israeli military said that three drones had been fired from Lebanon on Saturday towards the prime minister's house, but two had been intercepted.

IDF VIDEO: ISRAELI TANK FIRES AT BUILDING WHERE HAMAS LEADER YAHYA SINWAR WAS BARRICADED BEFORE BEING KILLED

There were reports of some minor damage to the residence but Fox News Digital couldn't confirm that report.

Following the assassination attempt, Netanyahu released a video message, confidently declaring that "we're going to win this war."

"Two days ago we took out Sinwar, the terrorist mastermind whose goons beheaded our men, raped our women and burned our babies alive," he said. "We took him out, and we're continuing to battle with Iran's other terrorist proxies."

"We're going to win this war," he said.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

WHO WAS YAHYA SINWAR? THE ISRAELI PRISONER TURNED TERRORIST HAMAS LEADER KILLED BY IDF TROOPS

Ryder said that Sec. Austin reviewed U.S. force-posture adjustments, including the recent deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to reinforce Israel’s defenses in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iranian proxies. 

The Secretary also told Minister Gallant that he was relieved Netanyahu was safe following the attack.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson wrote on X that he spoke with Netanyahu, saying that the prime minister remained "undettered."

"I spoke with my friend Prime Minister Netanyahu today, and I am happy to report he is safe, in good spirits, and undeterred," Johnson said. "I told him America stands strong with Israel and reiterated our ongoing commitment to help counter Iran and its terrorist proxies. This is a crucial."

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion and Younat Friling contributed to this report.

Cuba's government said it was working again to reestablish electrical service across the island after state-run media earlier on Saturday reported the national grid had collapsed for a second time in 24 hours.

The country's top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, said on a morning TV news program that another grid malfunction in western Cuba had forced technicians to begin anew connecting three important power plants to the system, temporarily stalling progress.

CUBAN POWER PLANT FAILURE LEAVES MILLIONS IN THE DARK IN ISLAND-WIDE OUTAGE

"I can not assure you that we will be able to complete linking the system today, but we are estimating that there should be important progress today," Guerra said.

Just prior to Guerra's statement, CubaDebate, one of the island's state-run media outlets, said the grid operator, UNE, had reported a "total disconnection of the national electro-energetic system."

Guerra did not directly confirm the total collapse, leaving some confusion as to what exactly had taken place.

Cuba's electrical grid first failed around midday on Friday after one of the island`s largest power plants shut down, suddenly leaving more than 10 million without power.

Even before the grid's collapse, an electricity shortfall on Friday had forced Cuba's communist-run government to send non-essential state workers home and cancel school classes for children as it sought to conserve fuel for generation.

But lights began to flicker on in scattered pockets across the island early in the evening on Friday, offering some hope that power would be restored.

Cuba's government has blamed weeks of worsening blackouts - often 10 to 20 hours a day across much of the island - on deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages and rising demand.

Strong winds that began with Hurricane Milton last week had also complicated the island's ability to deliver scarce fuel from boats offshore to feed its power plants, officials have said.

Fuel deliveries to the island have dropped off significantly this year, as Venezuela, Russia and Mexico, once key suppliers, have reduced their exports to Cuba.

Key ally Venezuela slashed by half its deliveries of subsidized fuel to Cuba this year, forcing the island to search elsewhere for far more pricey oil on the spot market.

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Cuba's government also blames the U.S. trade embargo, as well as sanctions under then-President Donald Trump, for ongoing difficulties in acquiring fuel and spare parts to operate and maintain its oil-fired plants.

The United States on Friday denied any role in the grid collapse in Cuba.

Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, including near the city of Haifa, on Saturday after the Israeli military said more than 100 projectiles crossed into Israel from Lebanon. 

The Lebanese terror group said its "large salvo" of rockets hit a military base east of Haifa, AFP News reported. The Israel Defense Forces said approximately 180 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah, which has vowed to escalate its war against Israel after IDF strikes killed senior Hezbollah leaders.

"The IDF will continue to defend the State of Israel and its people against the threat posed by the Hezbollah terrorist organization," the IDF said in a statement.

At least five people suffered shrapnel injuries in Kiryat Ata, in the city of Haifa, the emergency service provider Magen David Adom said, according to AFP.

UAV LAUNCHED TOWARD ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU'S PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN CAESAREA

A rocket reportedly damaged a three-story building and burned two cars in Kiryat Ata, the outlet said. 

The Saturday attacks followed after a UAV was launched towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in the coastal city of Caesarea.

Netanyahu and his wife were not home when the incident happened, his spokesperson told Fox News. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has stepped up its attacks on Israel in recent weeks after the IDF successfully sabotaged the terror group's electronic communications and killed its senior leaders, including Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his replacement. 

IDF VIDEO: ISRAELI TANK FIRES AT BUILDING WHERE HAMAS LEADER YAHYA SINWAR WAS BARRICADED BEFORE BEING KILLED

Israel struck another great blow against Iran's proxy groups this week with the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Hezbollah and Hamas, along with other proxy groups, comprise an "Axis of Resistance" that Iran has used to oppose Israel and the U.S. and wield power in the Middle East for decades. 

Speaking on Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sinwar's death would not stop the "Axis of Resistance" and that Hamas would live on.

"His loss is undoubtedly painful for the Axis of Resistance, but this front did not cease advancing with the martyrdom of prominent figures," Khamenei said in a statement. "Hamas is alive and will remain alive."

SINWAR'S RUTHLESS BROTHER MOHAMMED SLATED TO TAKE OVER AS LEADER OF HAMAS

Sinwar, the architect of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, was killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with Israeli forces after a year-long manhunt, and his death was announced on Thursday.

"He was a shining face of resistance and struggle. With a steely resolve, he stood against the oppressive and aggressive enemy. With wisdom and courage, he dealt them the irreparable blow of October 7 that has been recorded in the history of this region. Then, with honor and pride, he ascended to the heavens of the martyrs," said Khamenei.

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"As always, we will remain by the side of the sincere fighters and combatants, by God's grace and help." 

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion and Reuters contributed to this report.

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to ignore dire warnings from President Biden and Vice President Harris not to conquer the last major stronghold of Hamas terrorists in Rafah proved to be correct, according to military and Middle East experts.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the country’s Shin Bet intelligence agency announced Wednesday that "soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip."

Biden and Harris congratulated Israel over the death of the Hamas terror chief, but, earlier this year, both warned Israel about going into Rafah, where Sinwar met his end.   

HAMAS ADMITS 'PAINFUL, DISTRESSING' LOSSES AFTER ISRAELI VIDEO SHOWS TERRORIST SINWAR MOMENTS BEFORE HIS DEATH

Sinwar oversaw the massacre of nearly 1,200 people Oct. 7, 2023, including over 40 American citizens.

In March, Harris declined to rule out "consequences" for Israel if it moved forward with an invasion of Rafah in Gaza.

"We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake," Harris told ABC News at the time."Let me tell you something. I have studied the maps. There's nowhere for those folks to go."

Also in March, Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan echoed Harris’ warning. 

"Our position is that Hamas should not be allowed a safe haven in Rafah or anywhere else," Sullivan noted during a White House Press briefing. "But a major ground operation there would be a mistake. It would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally."

In May, Biden went as far as threatening Israel, saying he would not furnish the Jewish state with weapons if it entered Rafah. Biden told CNN "if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem."

Amit Segal, chief political analyst of Israel's Channel 12, told Fox News Digital, "The elimination of Sinwar proves that the continuation of the war was not a whim, the entry into Rafah was not a vendetta and the refusal to surrender to Hamas to resolve the northern front was not a rash decision.

"There is a strategy, and it is to ensure, front by front, that the entire Middle East sees what happens to those who attack Israel."

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ISSUES WARNING TO NETANYAHU AS ISRAEL HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING ON GAZA AID

New information emerged about the elimination of Sinwar Friday. An IDF spokesman said "Sinwar’s main goal was to wipe Israel off the map. This operation achievement is one fragment out of a one-year endeavor" in Gaza. 

He said Sinwar was in the "same tunnel where six hostages were executed" in August.

One of the six hostages murdered was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.  

"We understand Sinwar was in that area; a few hundred meters from that tunnel is where he was eliminated," the IDF spokesman noted, adding there are "indications of senior Hamas leaders in Rafah area." 

There are 14,000 occurrences of Hamas booby-trapped buildings in the Rafah area, the IDF spokesman added.

"Had Prime Minister Netanyahu listened to Biden and Harris and not entered Rafah, we may have never reached Sinwar. The people of America and Israel overwhelmingly supported our entry into Rafah and want to see Hamas committed to the annals of history. Now it's time to finish Hamas and bring home the hostages," Israeli Lt. Col (res) Yoni Chetboun, former deputy speaker of the Knesset and a decorated special forces operator, told Fox News Digital.

ELIMINATION OF SINWAR IS ‘SIGNIFICANT AND PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY FOR CEASE-FIRE, STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS 

Harris’ misjudgment about the ground war in Gaza sparked some intense criticism and ridicule on social media from foreign policy experts. American-Israeli Middle East expert Caroline Glick, wrote on X, "Sinwar was killed in Rafah — a mile from the Egyptian border. Kamala threatened Israel with sanctions if we went in. Oh, and she studied the maps." 

The campaign by the U.S. government and the European Union to rope in Israel’s push to eradicate the Iranian regime-backed terrorist movements, Hamas and Hezbollah, has so far not seemed to impact Netanyahu's war plans.

Josep Borrell, the left-wing European Union's foreign policy chief who suggested in February that the United States slash military aid to Israel, said at the time there was no military solution to defeat Hamas. 

Max Abrahms, a leading expert on counterterrorism and a tenured professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital, "Biden and Harris have been basing their advice to Netanyahu on American political calculations. The White House is keenly aware that the Democratic Party has a strong anti-Israel constituency. For this reason, the White House has tried to coerce Netanyahu to withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza before the Hamas threat is fully handled and specifically against a Rafah operation.

"Had Netanyahu heeded that advice, Sinwar would be alive. Israel is safer for ignoring this White House, an important lesson as Netanyahu weighs military options against Iran."

Following news of Sinwar's death, a reporter at the State Department briefing on Thursday asked Spokesman Matthew Miller whether the Biden Administration's policy towards Israel invading Rafah was in hindsight preemptive.  

In his response, Miller said: "No, I will say that we always made clear that we supported Israel conducting counterterrorism operations to target the leaders of Hamas and to target Hamas militants. And not only did we make clear we supported it, but we provided active intelligence support for those operations. And I think I’ll leave it at that."

Fox News Digital press queries asking President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris whether they erred in their warnings to Netanyahu over Rafah were not returned. 

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

A UAV was launched towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea on Saturday morning.

Netanyahu and his wife were not home when the incident happened, his spokesperson told Fox News.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

IDF VIDEO: ISRAELI TANK FIRES AT BUILDING WHERE HAMAS LEADER YAHYA SINWAR WAS BARRICADED BEFORE BEING KILLED

The drone launched towards the prime minister's house was among the drones fired at Israel from Lebanon earlier on Saturday morning.

WHO WAS YAHYA SINWAR?THE ISRAELI PRISONER TURNED TERRORIST HAMAS LEADER KILLED BY IDF TROOPS

A building was hit in the drone strike, although it was not immediately clear what building was struck.

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Assailants fired a dozen gunshots at a building housing the newspaper El Debate in the embattled northern Mexico state of Sinaloa, the media outlet said Friday.

The newspaper is based in the state capital, Culiacan, where rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have been staging bloody battles.

MEXICAN MAYOR'S SEVERED HEAD PLACED ATOP PICKUP TRUCK 6 DAYS AFTER TAKING OFFICE

The newspaper said it found at least four bullet impacts on the building’s walls, and more gunfire hit newspaper vehicles parked in front of the offices late Thursday. The paper said that no one was injured.

The Mexican Media Alliance, a press freedom group, called it "a direct attack against press freedom and right of the public to be informed."

El Debate said that the assailants arrived in two vehicles and stopped briefly in front of the building. One gunman got out and opened fire with a rifle, before they sped off.

Threats against journalists and their sources have increased exponentially since the latest round of factional fighting broke out after two Sinaloa drug capos — one from each faction — flew to the United States and were arrested there.

Drug lords Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were apprehended in the United States after flying there in a small plane on July 25.

Zambada later claimed he was kidnapped and forced aboard the plane by Guzmán López, causing a violent battle between Zambada’s faction and the "Chapitos" group led by the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán.

Journalists have reported being stopped by gunmen on roadways outside Culiacan and told they couldn't cover the continuing gunbattles happening on the outskirts of the city on an almost daily basis.

In 2017, Javier Valdez — an award-winning reporter for the weekly publication Rio Doce who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime — was slain in Sinaloa's state capital.

Ismael Bojórquez, Rio Doce's director, said that "as in other wars, we journalists are the ones who get caught in the crossfire."

There is little doubt that the warring cartel factions in Sinaloa want to intimidate the media into not reporting on their battles, and that has forced local residents to turn largely to social media for reports on when it might be safe to go out, and where the danger is.

Those social media platforms were full on Friday of videos of burning vehicles, bodies and cartel convoys speeding through towns.

As usual, there was no confirmation of that from state authorities, who have consistently tried to downplay the violence.

On Thursday, hours before the attack on the newspaper, Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha said "there is nothing to worry about" and "everything is under control."

But the truth leaks out around the edges: Sinaloa State University told students that it was canceling in-person classes Friday because of "the acts of violence in and around the Sinaloa state capital."

Those online videos sometimes depict scenes that could reasonably be compared to a war: Two weeks ago in a town north of Culiacan, a passing driver filmed a military helicopter hovering over four gunmen in helmets and tactical vests just yards from a highway. The gunmen had crashed their truck into a telephone pole, but were shooting back at the chopper.

However, the online rumor mill is sometimes unreliable.

The Sinaloa Red Cross was forced to issue a statement late Thursday denying reports that two paramedics had been kidnapped along with their ambulance in an outlying town where fighting has been especially fierce.

But even the Red Cross was spooked. It was careful to say that "it is important to stress that the Mexican Red Cross is not taking any side in the conflict."

State prosecutors were largely left hamstrung after the chief state prosecutor resigned after allegedly submitting false information about the July 25 killing of an opponent of Gov. Rocha.

And the entire municipal force in Culiacan has been temporarily disarmed by soldiers to check their guns, something that’s been done in the past when the army suspects that police officers are working for drug cartels.

President Claudia Sheinbaum limited her response to the shots fired at the newspaper to a few words. "First, obviously, to condemn these acts, and investigations are being carried out," Sheinbaum said.

The state is governed by her Morena party, and she has strongly backed Rocha.

A failure at one of Cuba's major power plants resulted in island-wide blackouts on Friday, the communist nation's Ministry of Energy and Mines said. 

The electric system at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant was "completely disconnected" at 11 a.m., the agency said on X. The failure left millions of Cubans without power in a country used to frequent power outages amid a seeping economic crisis. 

The energy agency said it was working to restore power. 

LAWMAKERS TORCH FEDS' CUBA REGULATION ADJUSTMENT AS ‘LIFELINE TO GREATEST ENEMY IN OUR HEMISPHERE’

Cuban officials said that the blackout, which started late Thursday, saw 1.64 gigawatts go offline during peak hours in the early evening, about half the total demand at the time.

"The situation has worsened in recent days," Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said in a special address on national television in the early hours of Friday. "We must be fully transparent... we have been halting economic activities to ensure energy for the population."

"From the highest leadership of the country we are working to resolve this energy contingency as soon as possible," he later wrote on X. "We will not rest until it is restored."

During his address, Marrero was accompanied by Alfredo López, the chief of the state-owned utility UNE, who said the outage stemmed from increased demand from small- and medium-sized companies and residences’ air conditioners, as well as breakdowns in old thermoelectric plants that haven’t been properly maintained and the lack of fuel to operate some facilities.

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The communist-run government earlier in the day shut down schools and non-essential industries. Most government workers were sent home in an effort to conserve energy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

South Korea's spy agency said Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine. If confirmed, the move would bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West.

The South Korean announcement came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government has intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country.

US 'CONCERNED' ABOUT REPORTS OF NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS FIGHTING ALONGSIDE RUSSIA IN UKRAINE

The National Intelligence Service said in a statement that Russian navy ships transferred 1,500 North Korean special operation forces to the Russian port city of Vladivostok from Oct. 8 to Oct. 13. It said more North Korean troops are expected to be sent to Russia soon.

The North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia have been given Russian military uniforms, weapons and forged identification documents, the NIS said. It said they are currently staying at military bases in Vladivostok and other Russian sites such as Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk, and that they will likely be deployed to battle grounds after completing their adaptation training.

The NIS posted on its website satellite and other photos showing what it calls Russian navy ship movements near a North Korean port and suspected North Korean mass gatherings in Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk in the past week.

South Korean media, citing the NIS, reported that North Korea has decided to dispatch a total of 12,000 troops formed into four brigades to Russia. The NIS said it could not confirm the reports.

The NIS has a mixed record in finding developments in North Korea, one of the world's most secretive countries. If confirmed, the move would be North Korea’s first major participation in a foreign war. North Korea has 1.2 million troops, one of the largest standing militaries in the world, but it hasn’t fought in large-scale conflicts following the 1950-53 Korean War.

Asked about the NIS finding, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said "At this moment, our official position is that we cannot confirm reports that North Koreans are actively now as soldiers engaged in the war effort, but that may change."

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday that the U.S. couldn’t confirm or corroborate media reports on the North Korean troop dispatch to Russia.

Russia has earlier denied using North Korean troops in the war, with presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing the claims as "another piece of fake news" during a news conference last week. North Korea's state media hasn't commented on the issue.

North Korea and Russia, locked in separate confrontations with the West, have sharply boosted their cooperation in the past two years. The U.S., South Korea and their partners have accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells, missiles and other conventional arms to Russia to help fuel its war on Ukraine in return for economic and military assistance. In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked.

Many experts question how much the North Korean troop dispatch would help Russia, citing North Korea’s outdated equipment and shortages of battle experience. They say North Korea likely received Russian promises to provide it with high-tech weapons technology associated with its nuclear and missile programs, a move that will complicate U.S. and South Korean efforts to neutralize North Korea nuclear threats.

"Diplomatically, Pyongyang would be sacrificing its relations with European countries for the foreseeable future. The quid pro quo in terms of Russian military technology provided to the Kim regime could be significant enough to threaten South Korea’s security," said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

Hong Min, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, believed Russia has likely offered technology transfers related to intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines and surface-to-air defense systems that would enhance North Korea's deterrence posture against the U.S. and South Korean forces.

Hong said Kim may also see the troop dispatch as a crucial opportunity to expose his soldiers to modern weapons technology and warfare and test their combat capabilities.

Earlier Friday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency security meeting to discuss the fallout of the North Korean troop dispatch. Meeting participants agreed that North Korea’s troop dispatch poses "a grave security threat" to South Korea and the international community, according to Yoon's office.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have intensified in recent years, with Kim sharply increasing the pace of provocative missile tests and openly threatening to use nuclear weapons preemptively. South Korea and the U.S. have responded by expanding their military exercises, which North Korea views as invasion rehearsals.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy warned that a third nation wading into the hostilities could turn the conflict into a "world war."

"From our intelligence we’ve got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine," Zelenskyy told reporters at NATO headquarters. "They are preparing on their land 10,000 soldiers, but they didn’t move them already to Ukraine or to Russia."

Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that six North Koreans were among those killed after a Ukrainian missile strike in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region on Oct. 3.

Many experts were earlier skeptical of possible North Korean troop deployments to Russian-Ukraine battlefields because North Korea is preoccupied with its nuclear standoff with the U.S. and South Korea.

North Korea sent pilots to fight for North Vietnam during the Vietnam war and for Egypt during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, but there have been no known large-scale dispatch of its ground troops overseas.

There have been speculations that North Korea has likely sent military technicians and engineers to support Russia's use of North Korean weapons and learn their wartime performances.

Easley, the professor, said "it would be surprising if Pyongyang deployed thousands of soldiers to fight as hired mercenaries." But he added North Korea could have sent construction workers, technicians, engineers, and military intelligence officers to Russian-controlled enclaves.

Video footage released by the Israel Defense Forces shows tank fire targeting a building where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been barricaded, authorities said on Friday. 

Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, was inside a building in Gaza when a tank opened fire, the IDF said. He was killed Thursday by Israeli forces.

Israel vowed to kill the terror leader after the attack that he masterminded killed 1,200 people in Israeli communities, and several hundred others were taken hostage by Hamas terrorist fighters. 

WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?

"Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7th Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis," the IDF and Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency said in a joint statement on Thursday. "Yahya Sinwar was eliminated after hiding for the past year behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip."

Sinwar, referred to by Israel as the Butcher of Khan Younis for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, was widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas militants on Oct. 7. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, following the confirmation of Sinwar's death, that Hamas has suffered a "heavy blow," but he promised that the war in Gaza is not yet over.

HAMAS NAMES YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCT. 7 ATTACKS, AS ITS NEW LEADER  

He added that "Hamas will no longer rule Gaza," and "this is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny."

In addition to Sinwar, other top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah have been targeted for death by Israel over repeated attacks on the Jewish state. 

On Friday, the IDF said that 1,5000 Hezbollah terrorist fighters have been eliminated since Israel began targeting the Iran-backed group in southern Lebanon after enduring a year of airstrikes. 

"We estimate that we are in the region of 1,500 Hezbollah operatives killed, and we put our estimates in the conservative areas," said IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Herzi Halevi. "I guess there are more and we don't know, in a lot of attacks."

Israeli officials believe Mohammed Sinwar, brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed Wednesday, could be next in line for the top job, multiple Israeli media outlets reported on Friday.

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the possible next head of the terrorist organization plaguing the Gaza Strip, but according to outlets citing the IDF, the younger brother is expected to take over political responsibilities for Hamas. 

Mohammed Sinwar, 13 years younger than his notorious brother Yahya Sinwar, was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in 1975 after his family was originally displaced following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Growing up in the shadow of one of the founders of Hamas and his subsequent arrest in 1991 over suspected terrorist activities, enabled Mohammed Sinwar to form close ties with top officials in the terrorist organization that remain alive today, the Jerusalem Post reported. 

WHO WAS YAHYA SINWAR? THE ISRAELI PRISONER TURNED TERRORIST HAMAS LEADER KILLED BY IDF TROOPS

Despite the public’s relatively little knowledge of the younger Sinwar, his operational experience in Hamas allegedly made him one of the IDF's most targeted terrorists of the group.

"You won't find a key event in Hamas's military buildup over the past 25 years in which Mohammed Sinwar wasn't involved," one military source told the Jerusalem Post. 

Israeli security officials reportedly said that Mohammed Sinwar is believed to be even more ruthless than his better-known older brother. Describing him as an "arch-terrorist" and pointing to his direct involvement in the torturous interrogations and deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to gain knowledge of how the IDF and Shin Bet – Israel's security agency – operate. 

"No one in Hamas understands Israel's covert operational patterns better than him. He conducted all the interrogations himself, learning everything from start to finish," one official told the media outlet.

But despite concerns over the ruthless tendencies of the expected new Hamas leader, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Friday said the death of Yahya Sinwar could be an "extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting ceasefire."

"We’ll see how things evolve," he said from a NATO summit in Brussels when asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to continue fighting in Gaza. "But clearly there are opportunities for a change in direction, and we would hope that, you know, parties would take advantage of that, both in Lebanon [and] in Gaza."

But despite Austin’s hopeful tone and a meeting reportedly to be held Friday by Netanyahu on the 101 hostages still in Gaza, Hamas has said that the hostages will not be exchanged until Israel stops its offensive.

Israeli reports also suggested that the IDF does not believe the threat posed by Hamas will be effectively eliminated until Hama’s hierarchical structure is eliminated. 

HAMAS ADMITS 'PAINFUL, DISTRESSING' LOSSES AFTER ISRAELI VIDEO SHOWS TERRORIST SINWAR MOMENTS BEFORE HIS DEATH

While Mohammed Sinwar is expected to take over as the next leader of Hamas, the remainder of other top officials in the terrorist organization mean that the group continues to pose a threat.

Khalil Al-Hayya, who led the indirect ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel and was reportedly in Tehran when longtime Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in July, also served as Yahya Sinwar’s deputy and is believed to remain a major player in the terrorist organization. 

Khaled Meshaal, who led Hamas between 2004 and 2017 and now resides in Qatar according to Reuters, was listed as an official potentially under consideration following the assassination of Haniyeh, though a report in August suggested that the oldest Sinwar brother was opposed to his reappointment to the top job.

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Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior official in Hamas and one of the group's founders, was also assessed to be on the short list for the top job after Yahya Sinwar was killed. He reportedly survived two assassination attempts in 1992 and 2003, though Reuters has said that he has not been seen since the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Mohammad Shabana remains one of the most senior veteran commanders in the terrorist groups and reportedly heads a battalion in Rafah. He also played a significant role in developing the tunnels used to attack Israel during the 2006 conflict. 

Several other officials were detailed in reporting by Reuters as top Hamas officials who would be critical in dismantling the terrorist network, though neither their whereabouts nor their deaths have been officially confirmed by Hamas. 

A video has captured a woman in India miraculously escaping injury after a water tank fell from a roof and landed perfectly around her.  

The incident happened in Surat earlier this month after the woman was returning home from a Hindu temple where she had just offered donations to the local deities, according to Viral Press. 

Footage shows the woman leaving a building and beginning to walk across a street when the water tank plunges out of the sky. 

However, instead of being hit by the tank, it ends up slotting directly over the woman, leaving her unharmed.  

WHILE ON VACATION, WOMAN SWALLOWS HER DIAMOND WEDDING RING BY MISTAKE 

Her head then pops out of the tank as bystanders rush to the scene. 

One bystander is seen gesturing toward a roof as he and the woman look up to see where the flying object came from. 

NEW JERSEY COUPLE JUST SITTING IN THEIR BACKYARD WHEN MASSIVE OBJECT FALLS FROM SKY ‘OUT OF NOWHERE’ 

A security guard told Viral Press that the empty water tank was accidentally dropped by a scrap collector who was clearing out items on a nearby terrace. 

Locals now believe that divine intervention saved the woman from injury as she had done a good deed at the local temple, Viral Press adds. 

In 1982, a discovery made by a sponge diver prompted archaeologists to complete 22,000 dives to excavate the area of the Uluburun shipwreck. 

The 3,300-year-old shipwreck was initially discovered by a diver off the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near Kaş, according to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA)'s website, who excavated the area. 

The area was excavated by underwater archaeologists over eleven seasons between 1984 and 1994, according to the source. 

GEOLOGISTS STUDY 5,600-YEAR-OLD SUBMERGED BRIDGE; NEW DETAILS OF LIFE EMERGE FROM MALLORCA, SPAIN

There are many challenges that come with underwater archaeology, including but certainly not limited to issues regarding conserving objects in the water, as well as weather, tides and marine life potentially posing additional hurdles. 

The excavation of the wreck lasted 10 years, and the total working time came to be three to four months, according to Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology's website, which has an exhibit dedicated to the Uluburun shipwreck, as well as notable others. 

Archaeologists excavated over 18,000 relics from the Late Bronze Age during their excavations, per the source.  

The ship was carrying cargo including copper and tin ingots, as well as pottery and items of luxury such as carved ivory containers and jewelry made of gold and semi-precious stones, according to the INA. 

UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER ANCIENT OBJECTS DURING DIVE IN BULGARIA BAY

Much of the jewelry found at the site were Egyptian pieces, such as a gold disk shaped pendant, faience beads, ostrich eggshell beads, silver bracelets and more, according to the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology's website.

Other objects that were aboard the ship included elephant tusks, plus weapons, galley wares, balance weights and musical instruments, per the INA. 

There were 24 stone anchors that were also found, with just a small amount of the damaged hull remaining of the ship made of cedar wood, according to the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.

The Uluburun shipwreck is one that has been extensively studied by archaeologists and researchers, as well as explored by tourists at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Turkey.

The museum has an exhibit dedicated to the Uluburun shipwreck, featuring a real-life representation of the ship.

The ship measured 15 meters long according to the museum and is thought to have stored up to 20 tons of cargo. 

Hamas on Friday is admitting to suffering "very painful and distressing" losses following the killing of its leader Yahya Sinwar as the Israeli military has released new drone video capturing the final moments of the terrorist’s life. 

Footage taken of a wounded Sinwar shows him throwing a wooden board at a drone that was surveying damage inside of a building that the Israel Defense Forces targeted in Rafah, according to IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. Sinwar was later found dead with a gun and nearly $11,000 in his possession, he added. 

"Yes it’s very painful and distressing to lose beloved people, especially extraordinary leaders like ours, but what we are sure of is that we are eventually victorious; this is the outcome for all people who fought for their liberty," senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Friday. 

"It seems that Israel believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people. They can believe what they want, and this is not the first time they said that," he continued. 

IRAN REMEMBERS OCT. 7 MASTERMIND YAHYA SINWAR AS A ‘MARTYR’ AND ‘MODEL FOR THE YOUTH AND CHILDREN’ 

Naim added that despite the past killings of Hamas’ founders the first commander of its military wing, the terrorist group "each time became stronger and more popular, and these leaders became an icon for future generations to continue the journey towards a free Palestine." 

"Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity, and this cannot be eliminated," he also said. 

ELIMINATION OF SINWAR IS ‘SIGNIFICANT AND PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY FOR CEASE-FIRE, STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Thursday following the announcement of Sinwar’s death in the southern Gaza Strip that "Hamas will no longer rule Gaza" and "this is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny." 

An Israel Army Radio report said Thursday that Sinwar was killed during a battle with Israeli soldiers.  

The soldiers had spotted suspected terrorists in Gaza and opened fire before the individuals fled into a building, according to the report. It added that a tank then fired a shell at the building, causing it to collapse. 

When the soldiers went inside to examine the aftermath, they found three bodies — one of which ultimately was identified as Sinwar. 

Hours after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces, Iran remembered Sinwar as a martyr whose vision for a liberated Palestine would be carried forward. 

Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which prompted the ongoing war between the Jewish state and terror group in the Gaza Strip, was killed Thursday by Israeli forces in Rafah. 

"He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he was hiding in a dark den, and he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised message announcing Sinwar's death. 

In a statement, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations compared Sinwar's demise to the hanging of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was captured by U.S. forces in 2003 and subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity.  

WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?

"When U.S. forces dragged a disheveled Saddam Hussein out of an underground hole, he begged them not to kill him despite being armed. Those who regarded Saddam as their model of resistance eventually collapsed," the statement said. 

"However, when Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield — in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy — the spirit of resistance will be strengthened," the mission said. "He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine. As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration."

ISRAEL’S HUNT FOR HAMAS TERROR LEADER YAHYA SINWAR: ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’ 

Hamas is considered a proxy of Iran, similar to Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, and other terrorist groups with American blood on their hands. Both groups receive funding and training from Tehran. 

Israel has killed top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, which began launching airstrikes targeting Israel's north more than a year ago in solidarity with Hamas. 

Israel vowed to kill Sinwar at the start of its military campaign against Hamas. Before Sinwar was elevated to the top leader of the group, his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran. 

1 YEAR AFTER HEZBOLLAH STRIKES, ISRAEL REINFORCES TROOPS AND QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER ‘LIMITED’ OPERATION

In response, Iran launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel. The Jewish state has vowed to respond. For more than four decades, the Iranian regime has meticulously constructed a "Ring of Fire" around Israel, employing various terror groups to extend its influence across the Middle East. 

Amnon Sofrin, former head of the Intelligence Directorate at Mossad, told Fox News Digital, "In central Tehran, there is a huge clock that was set up in 2015, showing how much time is left for Israel, indicating that, by 2040, Israel should no longer exist. They have been preparing for this moment. Some of the Iran-backed militias conducted reconnaissance with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and claimed they would assist once the [Israel Defense Forces] IDF entered Lebanon. 

"However," Sofrin added, "we are already inside Lebanon, and no pro-Iranian militia has yet provided help. Iran isn’t giving the order to its other proxies in the region to join the ground war — at least not yet."

On Thursday, Netanyahu vowed to bring an end to "the reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen."

Earlier this month, drones loaded with explosives were launched by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq against an Israeli military base in the Golan Heights, killing two Israeli soldiers and injuring 24. 

Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter contributed to this report. 

The State Department on Thursday said the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops presented an "opportunity" for a potential cease-fire and an end to the yearlong war.  

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said until Sinwar’s death, "there’s been no path to ending this war because Sinwar has refused to talk about releasing the hostages."

"We now see an opportunity with him having been removed from the battlefield, being removed from the leadership of Hamas. We wanted to seize that opportunity," Miller said. 

Sinwar was a chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in which Hamas militants stormed into Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 others in an attack that stunned the country. As of October 2024, Hamas militants are still holding around 100 hostages. 

WHO WAS YAHYA SINWAR? THE ISRAELI PRISONER TURNED TERRORIST HAMAS LEADER KILLED BY IDF TROOPS

Israeli forces hailed Sinwar’s death as a major victory, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that his country will keep fighting until all hostages are free. He said Israeli forces will control Gaza long enough to ensure that Hamas does not rearm.

BIDEN, US LAWMAKERS PRAISE DEATH OF HAMAS LEADER YAHYA SINWAR BY ISRAEL: ‘THE WORLD IS A SAFER PLACE’

It’s not clear who will succeed Sinwar. While his death is a crippling blow to Hamas, the group has proven resilient to past losses of its leaders. 

"One thing we do know for certain is that the world is a better place with Sinwar gone from it, and it gives us an opportunity that we didn't have as long as he still called the shots for Hamas," Miller said. "Now what that will mean, we'll have to wait and see in the days ahead."

In the 12 months of fighting, Israeli forces have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the Gaza Strip. The figures come from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says half of those who were killed were women and children. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Italy has tightened its surrogacy ban to include citizens who choose to travel to countries like Canada or the United States for surrogate mothers.

The Italian Senate passed a bill on Wednesday criminalizing citizens who go abroad to countries where it is legal to purchase children through surrogacy. The bill passed 84-58 and floor debate lasted around seven hours.

The bill extends an original ban put in place in 2004 which criminalized commercial surrogacy within Italy. The bill was promoted by right-wing parties, the Brothers of Italy and the League. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni leads the Brothers of Italy party.

VATICAN CITY, THE WORLD’S SMALLEST COUNTRY, SPANS 100 ACRES BUT HOSTS MILLIONS OF VISITORS ANNUALLY

Meloni, the first woman and mother Premier in Italian history, has called surrogacy "a symbol of an abominable society that confuses desire with rights and replaces God with money."

Supporters of the bill claim that extending the surrogacy ban abroad protects women's dignity, while opponents have called it discriminatory toward same-sex couples.

Under the bill, Italian citizens seeking surrogate mothers in countries where the practice is legal will face up to $1.1 million in fines and two years' jail time.

Pope Francis has called for the end of commercial surrogacy worldwide as recently as January of this year, a practice which the pontiff calls "deplorable." 

"I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother's material needs," said the Pope.

While the Vatican condemns commercial surrogacy, it does not deny children born through surrogate mothers sacraments like baptism.

EUROPEAN NATION'S PIVOT TOWARD CONSERVATISM BRINGS STAGGERING DROP IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Pope Francis asserted, a "child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract."

Opponents of the Italian surrogacy ban claim that the bill hurts same-sex couples who want families. Italy is currently facing a record-low birthrate at 1.2 children per woman recorded in 2023.

Italy, Spain, France and Germany all ban surrogacy outright. The UK, however, allows for surrogates to be compensated within a reasonable amount of their regular expenses. In the United States, commercial surrogacy is not regulated by the federal government.

Children born via surrogate mothers in the United States may have the client couple's name on birth certificates, and often take the child away from his or her birth mother immediately.

The surrogacy ban applies equally to all couples, but only those in heterosexual marriages are legally able to adopt children in Italy. Same-sex marriage is banned in Italy.

Activists with the LGBTQ movement protested before the Italian Senate in opposition to the new law, with some banners reading, "Parents, not criminals."

 "Commercial surrogacy, as currently practised in some countries, usually amounts to the sale of children," wrote a Special Rapporteur for the United Nations in a 2018 report.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The man once heralded as the architect of Mexico’s war on drug cartels was sentenced to more than 38 years in a U.S. prison on Wednesday for taking massive bribes to aid drug traffickers.

Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s former secretary of public security, was convicted by a New York jury in 2023 of taking millions of dollars in bribes to protect the violent Sinaloa cartel that he was supposedly combating. He is the highest-level Mexican government official to be convicted in the United States.

At his sentencing hearing before a federal judge in Brooklyn on Wednesday, García Luna continued to maintain his innocence and said the case against him was based on false information from criminals and the Mexican government.

MEXICAN MAYOR'S SEVERED HEAD PLACED ATOP PICKUP TRUCK 6 DAYS AFTER TAKING OFFICE

"I have a firm respect for the law," he said in Spanish. "I have not committed these crimes."

García Luna, 56, led Mexico’s federal police before he served in a cabinet-level position as the top security official from 2006 to 2012 under then-President Felipe Calderón. At the time, García Luna was hailed as an ally by the U.S. in its fight against drug trafficking.

But U.S. prosecutors said that in return for millions of dollars, he provided intelligence about investigations against the cartel, information about rival gangs and the safe passage of massive quantities of drugs.

After the sentencing, Calderón said via the social platform X that he respects the court's decision, but he never had "verifiable evidence" of García Luna's criminal activities. Calderón said taking on the cartels "was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. But I would do it again, because it is the right thing to do."

Earlier outside the courthouse, a group of about 15 protesters celebrated the verdict. Some held a banner that said, in Spanish, "Calderon did know," while others brandished signs denouncing his political party.

Prosecutors had asked for a life sentence. García Luna's lawyers had argued that he should get no more than 20 years.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said he wasn't moved by past accolades that García Luna received for his work in the war on drugs.

"That was your cover," Cogan said before imposing the sentence. "You are guilty of these crimes, sir. You can’t parade these words and say, ‘I’m police officer of the year.’"

Besides the sentence of 38 years and four months, the judge imposed a $2 million fine.

During the trial, photos were shown of García Luna shaking hands with former President Barack Obama and speaking with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John McCain.

But prosecutors said García Luna secretly advanced a drug trafficking conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of thousands of American and Mexican citizens. He ensured that drug traffickers were notified in advance of raids and sabotaged legitimate police operations aimed at apprehending cartel leaders, they said.

Drug traffickers were able to ship over 1 million kilograms of cocaine through Mexico and into the United States using planes, trains, trucks and submarines while García Luna held his posts, prosecutors said.

During former Sinaloa kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán’s trial in the same court in 2018, a former cartel member testified that he personally delivered at least $6 million in payoffs to García Luna and that cartel members agreed to pool up to $50 million to pay for his protection.

"He enabled the cartel. He protected the cartel. He was the cartel," Assistant U.S. Attorney Saritha Komatireddy told the judge Wednesday.

García Luna enabled a corrupt system that allowed violent cartels to thrive and distribute drugs that killed multitudes of people, she added.

"It may not have been the defendant pulling the trigger, but he has blood on his hands," Komatireddy said.

Prosecutors also said García Luna plotted to undo last year's verdict by seeking to bribe or corruptly convince multiple inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to support false allegations that two government witnesses communicated via contraband cellular phones in advance of the trial.

García Luna’s lawyer, Cesar de Castro, said the defense intends to appeal the sentence. He said his client is someone who "has served his country" and has now lost his money, his reputation as well as policies he championed in Mexico.

"He has lost close to everything. All that remains is his wonderful family," de Castro said.

In Mexico, newly inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum briefly commented on the case Tuesday, saying: "The big issue here is how someone who was awarded by United States agencies, who ex-President Calderón said wonderful things about his security secretary, today is prisoner in the United States because it’s shown that he was tied to drug trafficking."

García Luna’s arrest and conviction became a political cudgel that the governing party of Sheinbaum and her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, used in this year’s Mexican presidential election against Calderón’s weakened National Action Party. They sought to paint García Luna as the poster child of corruption and Calderón as the man responsible for soaring violence from the drug war.

López Obrador and now Sheinbaum turned away from direct confrontation with the cartels, instead focusing on what they consider root causes of violence, such as poverty. But the new strategy has failed to significantly lower the level of violence.

López Obrador had a very different reaction in 2020 when U.S. authorities arrested former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos for allegedly colluding with a drug cartel. In that case, López Obrador accused the Drug Enforcement Administration of fabricating evidence against Cienfuegos and protested until the U.S. government dropped the charges. He was returned to Mexico, where he was promptly cleared and released.