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An Italian woman surfing an island break off the west coast of Sumatra died in a freak accident when a swordfish impaled her, according to reports.

The Antara News Agency in Indonesia reported that 36-year-old Giulia Manfrini was surfing in the waters of Masokut Island in the Mentawai Islands, just off the west coast of Sumatra, when she was stabbed by the bill of a swordfish.

Acting head of the Mentawai Islands' Disaster Management Agency, Lahmudin Siregar, told the news outlet that his agency was notified about the accident involving an Italian citizen who was surfing.

He said Manfrini was hunting waves in the waters of Ombak Bengbeng, Masokut Island in the Southwest Siberut District.

CALIFORNIA MAN SURVIVES SHARK ATTACK BY REPORTEDLY PUNCHING PREDATOR 'INSIDE ITS MOUTH'

"Unexpectedly, a swordfish jumped toward Manfrini and stuck it right in the chest of the female tourist," Siregar added.

Information obtained by Antara from Siberut Police suggests Manfrini asked for help by waving to two witnesses who were also foreign nationals, named Alexandre Ribas and Massimo Ferro.

HAWAII LIFEGUARD KILLED IN SHARK ATTACK AFTER SURFING: ‘A TRAGIC LOSS’

The two witnesses rushed to assist Manfrini and provided first aid before taking her to a nearby clinic, where she was pronounced dead.

A medical examination conducted by the medical team at Pei Pei Puskesmas found Manfrini suffered a stab wound in the upper chest, about 5 centimeters deep. The report also said the victim’s nose emitted foam, suggesting a lack of oxygen due to drowning.

AUSTRALIAN SURFER SAVED BY OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER AFTER SHARK RIPPED OFF LEG, DOCTORS HOPE TO REATTACH IT

Manfrini’s body is currently in Pei Pei Puskesmas and is expected to be taken to the city of Padang before being sent back to Italy.

Manfrini reportedly grew up in Venaria Reale, Italy, a community just outside the city of Turin.

The mayor of Venaria Reale, Fabio Giulivi, spoke about Manfrini’s sudden death on Saturday.

SEE IT: MYSTERY SURFER CAUGHT ON VIDEO SAVING BIRD DROWNING IN THE WAVES: ‘A HERO’

"The entire Venarian community is gathering around Giulia Manfrini’s family," Giulivi said in a translated post. "The news of her death has left us shocked and makes us feel powerless in front of the tragedy that took her life so prematurely."

He continued, saying Manfrini dreamed of surfing and opening a travel agency for sports vacations.

"To mum Chiara, dad Giorgio and all the people who loved her, a touching hug from me and the whole city," Giulivi said.

BRAZILIAN SURFER HOVERS ABOVE OCEAN IN VIRAL PHOTO, BREAKS OLYMPIC SURFING RECORD

Tributes poured in after news broke about Manfrini’s death.

One person who said she spent Manfrini’s last evening with her picking pomegranates and talking about making fig jam, wrote about her friend, saying, "We can only say how much she got out of her short life, and she filled it completely."

Another person wrote, "We are a huge heartbroken community that loved Giulia with all our hearts. She was the most lighthearted friend we had, always bringing joy and love to our group."

The Mentawai Islands Regency is a popular international tourist destination, especially for surfing. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed new intelligence about Hezbollah's financial network on Monday, as the military continues eliminating threats from Hamas and other terrorist groups.

In a Monday briefing that was posted on X, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed new information about the institution Hezbollah uses to fund attacks.

"Tonight, we're exposing Hezbollah's financial network and how Hezbollah uses it to fund its terrorist activities," Hagari said. "In recent years, the state of Lebanon has experienced a deep financial crisis which was exploited by Hezbollah."

Hagari said that Hezbollah's financial arm is Al-Qard Al-Hasan, which "provides financial services to Lebanese civilians and pays the salaries of Hezbollah's operatives," Hagari said.

IDF RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING HAMAS LEADER YAHYA SINWAR FLEEING INTO TUNNEL WITH FAMILY BEFORE OCT. 7 ATTACK

Al-Qard Al-Hasan is a loan provider that is registered as a charitable non-profit in Lebanon, according to Reuters. Hagari said that the Iranian-linked financial network violates international law.

"Hezbollah's financial network is based on two main sources of income: money from the Iranian regime, and money from the Lebanese people," the military spokesman said. "Iran's Quds Force is transferring money to Hezbollah from Iranian oil sold in Syria."

"Iran also sends suitcases of cash and gold by planes to the Iranian embassy in Beirut, and then directly it goes to Hezbollah."

ISRAEL HAMMERS HEZBOLLAH FINANCES WITH CRUSHING AIRSTRIKES

Hagari also noted that Hezbollah built factories in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey to generate cash to support terrorist activities.

The Israeli official argued that Hezbollah's financial arm threatens the Lebanese economy, as bringing Iranian money into circulation devalues the Lebanese pound.

"I want to emphasize, we are not at war with the people of Lebanon," Hagari concluded. "We are at war with Hezbollah, and we will continue to operate against Hezbollah so that the residents of northern Israel will be able to return to their homes in safety and security."

The update comes three weeks after the IDF began their ground operations in Lebanon. On Sunday, the military conducted airstrikes targetting Al-Qard Al-Hasan buildings in Lebanon.

Fox News Digital's Trey Yingst and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

South Korea demanded on Monday that the Russian ambassador protest military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, calling for the immediate pullout of North Korean troops rumored to have been deployed to help Russia.

The Associated Press reported Friday that South Korea’s spy agency confirmed North Korea sent 1,500 special operations troops to help Russia in October in support of its war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian intelligence suggests North Korea was preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to join Russian forces, according to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev met with Vice South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, when the latter "condemned in the strongest terms" the North’s sending of troops to help Russia, which Kim said poses "a grave security threat" to South Korea and the international community.

SOUTH KOREAN INTELLIGENCE SAYS NORTH HAS SENT TROOPS TO AID RUSSIA'S WAR IN UKRAINE

Kim also said South Korea and the international community will mobilize all available means to deal with the act, which threatens its vital national security interests, the foreign ministry added.

Zinoviev was quoted by the Russian Embassy as saying the cooperation between Russia and North Korea is not aimed at South Korea’s security interests.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte spoke to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over the phone on Monday, who said Seoul will not sit idly by as the "reckless" military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang continues. 

NORTH KOREA BLOWS UP PARTS OF INTER-KOREAN ROAD AND RAIL LINKS IN SYMBOLIC DISPLAY OF ANGER

Yoon also said South Korea plans to send a delegation to NATO to speak about Russian-North Korean cooperation, according to his office.

In a post on X, Rutte said North Korea’s decision to send troops to fight alongside Russia "would mark a significant escalation."

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters last week that the U.S. could not confirm or corroborate media reports on the North Korean troop dispatch to Russia.

Russia has previously denied using North Korean troops in the war, with presidential spokesperson 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 SENDS WARNING TO SOUTH KOREA, SAYING TROOPS READY TO STRIKE IF MORE DRONES APPEAR

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 against 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 Korean nuclear threats.

Ukrainian media reported 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 previously 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 has been no known large-scale dispatch of its ground troops overseas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In his fourth and likely final trip to Ukraine ahead of the U.S. election next month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin championed Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deadly years-long assault but warned there is "no silver bullet" to end the war. 

"There is no silver bullet. No single capability will turn the tide. No one system will end Putin’s assault," Austin said, speaking from Ukraine’s Diplomatic Academy in Kyiv.

"What matters is the way that Ukraine fights back," he added. "What matters is the combined effects of your military capabilities, and what matters is staying focused on what works."

ZELENSKYY VICTORY PLAN: REPLACE US TROOPS AT OUTPOSTS IN EUROPE WITH BATTLE-HARDENED UKRAINIANS

Austin applauded the bilateral efforts by the U.S. and its international allies to aid Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin and warned Ukraine’s security is a matter of not only European security, but the U.S.’s.

International concern has mounted in recent months as the U.S. stares down a presidential election in just over two weeks and questions remain over whether a second Donald Trump White House would continue to back Kyiv should he win.

In a continued show of solidarity, Austin announced another $400 million arms package for Ukraine, and argued the cost of aiding Kyiv is less costly than abandoning it to Putin.

"Consider the price of American retreat. In the face of aggression, the price of principle is always dwarfed by the cost of capitulation," Austin said. "We face a hinge in history.

"We can continue to insist that cross-border invasion is the cardinal sin of world politics, and we can continue to stand firm against Putin's aggression. Or we can let Putin have his way, and we can condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a far bloodier and more dangerous world," he continued.

"If Ukraine falls under Putin’s boot, all of Europe will fall under Putin’s shadow."

US TO PROVIDE UKRAINE WITH ANOTHER $425M WORTH OF SUPPLIES TO HELP DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST RUSSIA

Austin argued Putin has yet to achieve a single objective of his "special military operation" when he invaded Ukraine nearly a thousand days ago, including his inability to take Kyiv or force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step aside. 

The secretary pointed to the more than 600,000 casualties Russia has incurred since February 2022, and the 11,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 600 children, that have been killed, according to figures by the United Nations.

Zelenskyy in a message posted to X, thanked Austin for his visit and the defense package, and said the pair discussed not only defense priorities and winterizing against Russia’s promised assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, but also "the expansion of long-range weapon use against Russian military targets."

The Ukrainian president has long pushed the U.S. to enable it to use long-range weapons to hit military sites deeper in Russia in a move to stop its deadly aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities. 

The U.S. has remained largely opposed to this tactic, and Austin did not mention any long-range strike capabilities during his address Monday. 

Austin pledged to continue driving international efforts to back Ukraine with the military aid it needs to battle Russian troops on its eastern front.

"When a dictator puts his imperial fantasies ahead of the rights of a free people, the whole international system feels the outrage," he said. "And so that’s why nations of goodwill from every corner of the planet have risen to Ukraine's defense.

"And that's why the United States and our allies and partners have proudly become the arsenal of Ukrainian democracy," Austin added.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday that the United States is monitoring reports that North Korean soldiers are "deploying to Russia" to fight in Ukraine. 

"We're obviously continuing to look into those reports," Kirby said. "We're talking to our allies and partners about what they're saying on this as well. If it's true that the DPRK soldiers are going there to join the war against Ukraine, it would certainly mark a dangerous and highly concerning development." 

Kirby said the development signaled "another demonstration of Putin's growing desperation and his growing isolation that he's got to reach out to North Korea for potential – potential, as I said, we're looking into the reports – potential infantry support, to his ground operations." 

"There's no question about it, that his forces continue to suffer an extraordinary amount of casualties on the battlefield," Kirby said, referencing figures of Russia losing more than 1,200 soldiers per day.

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

"That is a truly historic amount of soldiers killed and wounded in this fight, all to accomplish but a warped and twisted idea of his about Ukraine's ability to exist as a sovereign state," Kirby said. "I think all of this is and proves the point that Mr. Putin is increasingly desperate and increasingly isolated on the world stage." 

The U.S. and NATO have not confirmed that North Korean troops were sent to Russia. But the reports of their presence have already stoked concerns in South Korea that Russia might provide North Korea with sophisticated technologies that can sharply enhance the North's nuclear and missile programs in return for its troop dispatch.

South Korea on Monday summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow and demand the immediate pullout of the North Korean troops. 

VLADIMIR PUTIN MEETS WITH IRANIAN PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN TO CELEBRATE 'VERY CLOSE' RELATIONSHIP

South Korea's spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said his government had intelligence that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were being prepared to join invading Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, will be shaking hands this week with multiple world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. They will convene in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday for a meeting of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, defying predictions that the war in Ukraine and an international arrest warrant against Putin would turn him into a pariah.

The alliance, which aims to counterbalance the Western-led world order, initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa but started to rapidly expand this year. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia joined in January; Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia formally applied, and a number of others expressed a desire to be members.

"These countries can decide for themselves who they want to associate with and, especially how they want to be economically linked with one another. Russia is increasingly isolated on the world stage," Kirby said Monday. "There's no question about that. Mr. Putin is still having to take radical steps to prop up his, currency, and to keep his war economy going." 

Putin is expected to end the BRICS conference with a press conference on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Israeli security agencies on Monday said they had uncovered and stopped an Iranian spy ring operating out of northern Israel after seven Israeli citizens were detained over allegations of working to aid Jerusalem’s top adversary.

In a joint announcement by Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, and the Israeli Police, the suspects were all reported to be providing intelligence on key military and energy infrastructures, reported Israeli news agency TPS.

Two minors, whose names remain confidential, along with five others identified as Aziz Nisanov, Alexander Sedykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe and Yigal Nissan have been arrested and accused of conducting espionage to aid two Iranian agents under the operational code names of "Elkhan" and "Orkhan."

IDF RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING HAMAS LEADER YAHYA SINWAR FLEEING INTO TUNNEL WITH FAMILY BEFORE OCT. 7 ATTACK

"The scale and severity of these acts are among the most dangerous security breaches Israel has faced. The suspects acted knowingly, driven by financial greed, and compromised the safety of Israel and its citizens," the Israeli Police reportedly said in a statement. 

The suspects, residents of Haifa and other areas across northern Israel, are suspected of gathering intelligence on Israeli military bases, including air force and naval installations, as well as Israel’s infamous Iron Dome defense system.

The accused are also suspected of relaying information to Iranian intelligence on Israel’s critical energy infrastructure, including its largest power station in Hadera – a tactic that could suggest Iran may look to utilize a strategy long held by its top ally Russia, which has frequently targeted Ukraine's energy systems.

According to Shin Bet, the spy network provided Iranian intelligence agents with critical information using sophisticated equipment to photograph sensitive locations in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars, some made using cryptocurrency, confirmed the Israeli news agency. 

ISRAEL HAMMERS HEZBOLLAH FINANCES WITH CRUSHING AIRSTRIKES

But the suspects were not only found to have been collecting intelligence on military and energy targets, they were also allegedly spying on other Israeli citizens. 

The Israeli investigation, conducted in coordination with security agencies and the Israel Defense Forces, found that specific citizens were targeted with mal intent. 

The security forces reportedly arrested several of the suspects while they were in the midst of conducting surveillance on one Israeli citizen who was believed to have been the target of a planned Iranian attack.  

"The group’s activities caused significant harm to Israel’s national security, with intelligence collected on military bases and energy infrastructure at a time when the country is engaged in multiple conflict zones," one senior Shin Bet official said, according to TPS.

The suspects are expected to be indicted in the coming days.

Though the announcement of the Iranian spy network comes as tension between Jerusalem and Tehran remains at an all-time high, it is not the first time Israeli security teams have uncovered such a scheme. 

In August, another Israeli citizen from southern Israel was arrested over his alleged involvement in helping Iran plan future attacks, including on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

A search is underway in the Philippines after police received reports that a group of gunmen shot an American national in the leg as he was kidnapped and taken away on a speed boat.

The reported kidnapping happened in the coastal town of Sibuco, a town in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte, on Thursday night. The FBI told Fox News Digital on Monday morning that it is aware of the alleged kidnapping reports and is coordinating with the State Department and other government agencies.

Regional police identified the American as Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from Vermont.

"We confirm that there was a report of the alleged abduction of an American national," the regional police said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. "We want to assure the public, particularly the community of Sibuco, that we are doing everything in our power to secure the safe recovery of the victim."

REMAINS OF MICHIGAN WOMAN, 68, WHO DISAPPEARED DURING VACATION, FOUND IN STOMACH OF SHARK

A resident of Sibuco told police that four men in black clothing and armed with M16 rifles introduced themselves as police officers before forcibly taking Eastman, according to two police reports seen by The Associated Press. 

The resident described to police how Eastman tried to escape, but one of the gunmen shot him in the leg before dragging him into a speedboat. The witness said the group then fled on the boat further south toward the provinces of Basilan or Sulu.

Policemen chased but failed to find the gunmen and Eastman and alerted other police and Philippine marine units in the region, according to the reports.

RUSSIAN MAN RESCUED AFTER 67 DAYS ADRIFT AT SEA. HIS FAMILY MEMBERS DIDN'T MAKE IT

The southern Philippines is no stranger to security issues among its largely impoverished population, which is home to a Muslim minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

The Abu Sayyaf group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the Philippines, is an offshoot of decades-long Muslim separatist unrest in the south and carried out mass kidnappings for ransom, beheadings and bombings more than two decades ago in the southern region.

It is unclear whether the gunmen in the alleged kidnapping belong to any such group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces released footage showing the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fleeing with his family into a tunnel underneath Gaza in the hours leading up to his terrorist group’s brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

The video shows Sinwar moving his family and equipment – including pillows, water and a television – into a bunker in Khan Younis, according to the IDF. 

"While hiding in the tunnels of Khan Younis, Sinwar ordered the Oct. 7 attack to begin. Sinwar’s army of terrorists invaded Israel, murdered families, raped women and kidnapped men, women, children and babies into Gaza," a narrator says in the video. 

The narrator added that Sinwar’s ability to live underground during the war was a "luxury that the people of Gaza did not have as Sinwar always prioritized himself, his money and Hamas terrorists over the people of Gaza." 

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

The Israeli military announced Sinwar’s death last week. 

An Israel Army Radio report said Thursday that Sinwar was killed during a battle with Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. 

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

The soldiers 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. 

The IDF also released video showing tank fire targeting the building where Sinwar had been barricaded and of his final moments before his death. 

Israeli airstrikes targeted nearly a dozen branches of a Hezbollah-run financial institution that the IDF says helps to fund terror operations.

The branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, or "the benevolent loan," were located across southern Lebanon and in the capital of Beirut. While some individuals maintain their savings with the institution, Israel says Hezbollah uses it to store hundreds of millions of dollars.

Israel issued evacuation warnings ahead of the airstrikes, and there have been no reports of casualties.

"Overnight, the IAF conducted a series of targeted, intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to finance its terrorist activities against the State of Israel. The strikes were conducted in the areas of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and deep within Lebanese territory," the IDF said in a statement.

US INVESTIGATING RELEASE OF CLASSIFIED DOCS ON ISRAEL'S PLANNED STRIKE ON IRAN

"These funds, which Hezbollah used for terror activities, were stored by the Al-Qard al-Hassan Association, which directly funds Hezbollah's terror activities, including the purchase weapons and payments to operatives in Hezbollah's military wing. The Hezbollah terrorist organization stores billions of dollars in the association's branches, including money that was directly held under the name of the terrorist organization," the statement continued.

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

The institution, which has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, tried to reassure customers ahead of the strikes, saying it had evacuated all its branches and relocated gold and other deposits to safe areas.

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.

ISRAEL’S UN AMBASSADOR: RESPONSE TO IRAN WILL BE ‘VERY PAINFUL'

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.

Israel's government said a drone targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house on Saturday, with no casualties, as fighting with Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists showed no pause.

The Associated Press and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

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.