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TEL AVIV – Amid negotiations to forge a hostages-for-cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and as the truce with Hezbollah in Lebanon mostly holds, Jerusalem has an opportunity to direct additional military resources to cut Yemen’s Houthi leadership down to size, according to former Israeli officials.

"Israel has to accelerate and expand attacks [in Yemen], not only on national infrastructure but also on the political leadership," retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli Military Intelligence and president of MIND Israel, told Fox News Digital. 

"Targeted killings are an option if there is good intelligence to enable such operations. The leaders of the Houthis should meet Sinwar and Nasrallah and the sooner the better," he added.

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An Israel Defense Forces strike killed Hezbollah terror master Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 28, while Israeli ground troops eliminated Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Oct. 17, and Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh in Iran last summer.

The Houthis are led by Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi (Abu Jibril), whom the U.S. State Department designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2021.

According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), other top officials include Abdul Khaliq Badruddin Al-Houthi (Abu Yunis), commander of the Republican Guard (Presidential Reserve), whom the U.S. also blacklisted in 2021; Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi (Abu Ahmad), a member of the Supreme Political Council; and Abdul Karim Amiruddin Husayn Al-Houthi, interior minister and director of the executive office of Ansar Allah.

Joe Truzman, a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital that intel-based assassination operations take time and that, to date, the Israelis have been preoccupied with Gaza and Lebanon.

"But it can be done. We’ve seen Israel target nuclear scientists and military personnel in Iran. This can be replicated in Yemen. If the Houthis continue these attacks, more of Israel’s focus turns to them," Truzman said.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser in Israel and a senior fellow at the Washington-based JINSA think tank, outlined to Fox News Digital the intricacy of such attempts.

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"You have to be sure that a target is in the place that you bomb. If he has three houses, how do you know which one he's in? You need real-time intel," said Amidror, who noted that it was relatively easy for Israel to hit Nasrallah from the moment his exact location was known.

"It took 15-20 minutes to strike [the Hezbollah headquarters] in Beirut because it is so close to Israel," he said. "Yemen is a huge logistical operation, it requires refueling jets, let alone the tactical issues on the ground. A totally different sort of intelligence is needed.

"Both Nasrallah and Sinwar were known enemies and we amassed information on them over many years, but the Houthis were not a priority," continued Amidror. "The way forward is to begin intensifying the collection of intelligence by building bridges with those who can provide it." 

Overnight Wednesday, the IAF struck targets some 1,200 miles away in Yemen, after a Houthi missile hit an elementary school in Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv.

The pre-dawn strikes were conducted in two waves, targeting the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea, the Hodeidah and Salif ports, as well as the D’Habban and Haziz power stations in Sana'a, according to reports.

In July, a Houthi drone killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, prompting the IAF to strike Yemen’s Hodeidah Port. Israeli jets also conducted dozens of strikes in the area of Hodeidah in September.

Overall, the Houthis have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people. Since then, the Houthis have also attacked more than six dozen commercial vessels – particularly in the Bab-el-Mandeb, the southern maritime gateway to Egypt’s Suez Canal.

"The distance to Yemen is about the longest range the IAF has ever flown, but they could expand that with more refueling," Brig. Gen. (res.) Relik Shafir, a former IAF pilot who took part in Operation Opera, the attack on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor on June 7, 1981, told Fox News Digital. 

"It’s uncomfortable for a pilot to sit in an F-15, F-16 or F-35 for seven hours. You need to be fully aware and at your top level of concentration," he continued. "Israel can strike far enough for any existing enemy and the air force uses guided missiles that fire at a precision of two or three feet."

On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning to the Houthis, "We will strike their strategic infrastructure and decapitate their leaders. Just as we did to [former Hamas chief Ismail] Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah, in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do in Hodeidah and Sanaa." 

Jerusalem had previously refrained from taking responsibility for the July 31 killing of Haniyeh, who traveled to the Iranian capital for the inauguration of the country’s president.

On Friday, U.S. Defense Department spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated that the Israelis "certainly have a right to defend themselves." 

The Houthis "are a danger to everybody in the Middle East," former Mossad head Efraim Halevy told Fox News Digital. "In the end, most countries in the region will be interested and willing to cooperate in efforts to bring about the end of these attacks, which have no justification whatsoever."

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES TARGET YEMEN'S HOUTHI-CONTROLLED CAPITAL OF SANAA, PORT CITY OF HODEIDA

Halevy insisted that "terrorist activity of every kind is a challenge that has to be met with an appropriate response. The Houthis have incurred losses and if they continue to provoke us, we will have to do more."

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched a military intervention against the Houthis at the request of then-Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had been ousted from Sana'a the previous September. Yemen’s civil war remains stalemated, with the internationally recognized government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council since 2022, based in Aden, in the country’s south, since February 2015.

A source close to that government told Israel's Kan public broadcaster on Saturday that Jerusalem should initiate assassinations of Houthi leaders, while the Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya reported that senior Houthi officials had fled Sana’a out of concern they would be targeted.

"We need to understand more deeply what it is that would cripple the Houthis’ ability to operate," former Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata told Fox News Digital. "For this, we need more intelligence, more assessments and coordination between the different parties."

The big question, Hulata posited, is whether the Houthis will continue to pose a threat if Israel and Hamas agree to a cease-fire.

"If they become a major enemy, Israel will need to address this by directing resources it was hoping to avoid – and maybe is still hoping to," he said.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israelis to be "patient" while intimating Jerusalem was preparing to up the intensity of its campaign against the Houthis.

"We will take forceful, determined and sophisticated action. Even if it takes time, the result will be the same," he vowed. "Just as we have acted forcefully against the terror arms of Iran’s axis of evil, so too will we act against the Houthis."

The U.S. military conducted an airstrike on Monday in Syria, where they killed a pair of ISIS operatives and destroyed a truckload of weapons, according to U.S. Central Command.

A precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr Province, which was formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russians, killed two ISIS operatives and wounded another, CENTCOM said.

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The operatives were driving a truckload of weapons, which was destroyed, when they were targeted in the strike.

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"This airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond," CENTCOM said in a statement.

A Peruvian police officer dressed as the Grinch, the cantankerous and green-furred villain, busted suspected drug traffickers in the South American country's capital days before Christmas. 

The operation in San Bartolo in Lima resulted in the arrest of three suspects, according to a video posted online by the Peruvian National Police. 

"In an ingenious operation, agents of the Green Squad arrested the aliases La Reina del Sur, La Coneja and Pote, alleged members of the La Mafia de San Bartolo gang, dedicated to drug dealing," a police post on X states. "Various narcotics were seized."

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Using what appeared to be a sledgehammer, the officer walked down the street dressed as the infamous Christmas villain with a small heart before breaking down the front door of a home and entering, according to the video footage. 

The suspects were arrested, and the "Grinch" is seen rummaging through various items in the home before finding what authorities said were illegal drugs and other items related to drug trafficking.

MORE THAN $31M OF METH CONCEALED IN SHIPMENT OF PEPPERS SEIZED AT TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER

Peru is the second-largest producer of cocaine and cultivator of coca in the world, according to the State Department. 

"The majority of cocaine produced in Peru is transported to South American countries for domestic consumption, or for onward shipment to Europe, the United States, East Asia, and Mexico," the State Department website said. 

Peru's national police force has carried out similar operations in the past. 

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On Halloween 2023, officers disguised as horror favorites Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Tiffany Valentine, the murderous doll in the "Child's Play" series, also broke into the home of alleged drug dealers. 

FIRST ON FOX: The former Prime Minister of Georgia, Nika Gilauri, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the country now has Russian-styled elections, and the country has no credible or legitimate parliament, adding another blow to Georgia’s long struggle to join the European Union.

"The elections were rigged, and we have an illegitimate parliament right now," Gilauri told Fox News Digital.

For many in Georgia’s battle for democracy, the Russian-supported Georgian Dream’s election victory was no doubt a win for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

PUTIN LOOKS TO HALT NEIGHBORING GEORGIA'S WESTERN AMBITIONS IN VITAL ELECTION

"Putin was praising Georgia’s government on its standing against European pressure just within minutes of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement on stopping the European integration process of Georgia," Gilauri said.

"It all looks very much orchestrated," the former prime minister added.

Gilauri, who was prime minister of Georgia from 2009 to 2012, said that you can see Russia’s hands all over the events taking place in Georgia right now. The former prime minister said Russian President Vladimir Putin has a recent pattern of interfering in the affairs of its neighbors, citing a decision by the Romanian constitutional court annulling the country’s presidential election because of Russian involvement, as well as efforts to undermine Moldovan democracy by sowing chaos in its political system.  

"So, we have a very similar scenario, and it was written in Moscow. It was done in Romania, in Moldova, in Ukraine, and it is being done in Georgia right now," Gilauri said.

Thousands of Georgians have battled freezing temperatures and the authorities for nearly a month since the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claimed victory in elections and halted efforts to join the European Union.

More than 460 people have been detained since peaceful protests broke out on Nov. 29, with around 300 reporting severe beatings and other ill-treatment, according to Amnesty International.

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Gilauri also said that Georgia’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, should not step down and should remain in her post. Zourabichvili’s presidential term ends on Dec. 29, and the new Georgian Dream majority in parliament already appointed her successor, Mikheil Kavelashvili.

"Georgia’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, is the only legitimate institution that Georgia has right now," Gilauri said.

Zourabichvili, who is pro-Europe, declared that the elections were fraudulent, and that parliament was illegitimate and had no authority to appoint her replacement. The Georgian Dream-backed Kavelashvili is critical of the West, and the opposition views him as an extension of Georgian Dream’s ambitions of moving the country closer to Russia and away from their European ambitions.

President Zourabichvili said the October parliamentary elections were essentially stolen and that she would not step down. Thousands gathered to hear Zourabichvili speak at a rally on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi Sunday night, with the president calling on Georgian Dream leaders to negotiate and hold new elections.

"I am ready to sit down and find a solution on how to schedule elections, but the decision must be agreed upon by the 29th," the president posted on X.

While Zourabichvili has become the de facto leader of the protest movement, her decision could cause further chaos once her presidential term officially comes to an end on the 29th.

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Georgia’s current prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, suggested Zourabichvili be imprisoned if she does not step down from the presidency.

Georgian Dream, the Russian-supported party, claimed victory shortly after polls closed on election night, with around 54% of the vote. The united opposition garnered only 38%. Reuters reported that Georgian Dream says it remains committed to integration with the West, and to a pragmatic policy towards neighboring Russia.

Radio Free Europe reported that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said after voting in October's election said, "This is a referendum between war and peace, between immoral propaganda and traditional values. This is a referendum between the country's dark past and a bright future."

Many opposition figures reject the victory claimed by Georgian Dream and call the election stolen and rigged.

The Georgian president and many Western observers confirmed that the election results were marred by irregularities, including fraud and ballot stuffing.

The election was "marked by a tense environment and several incidents of physical altercations and widespread intimidation of voters," the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), noted in a statement. European Council President Charles Michel is calling for an investigation into the alleged irregularities.

Many Georgians have strong aspirations to join the EU, with polls showing up to 83% of them supporting such a move. The Georgian Dream Party has stalled Georgia’s efforts of joining the EU since it became a candidate member in 2023. The EU subsequently put Georgia’s process on hold after a controversial "foreign agent" law that required citizens, non-governmental organizations, media outlets and other civil society organizations that receive over 20% in funding from abroad to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Ministry.

Following the passage of the pro-Kremlin foreign agent law, the U.S. imposed sanctions and travel bans on Georgian officials who voted for the law and security agencies responsible for cracking down on dissent. The State Department also paused $95 million in assistance to the government.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Iran has recruited young children to commit attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets across Europe, a new trend amid several blows to Iranian proxies in recent months and dwindling influence in the Middle East.

The troubling pattern includes incidents in Sweden, Belgium and Norway as Tehran has expanded its proxy war against Israel into Europe.

In Stockholm, a 15-year-old boy with a loaded gun took a taxi in May and asked to be taken to the Israeli Embassy. However, he had to call an associate for directions when he was unable to locate the building. Swedish police stopped the cab before it reached the destination. 

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Authorities had been monitoring him for several months. 

A 13-year-old in Gothenburg was caught firing shots at Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems. At the same facility, a 16-year-old helped plant homemade explosives outside the main entrance, Bloomberg reported.

In Brussels, security services found children as young as 14 orchestrating an attack on the Israeli Embassy. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Iranian Mission to the United States for comment. 

Recruiters acting on behalf of the Iranian regime have reached out to minors on platforms like Telegram, TikTok or WhatsApp, according to Peter Nesser, a terrorism researcher at a Norwegian defense research institute. 

The new tactic comes as Iran's influence has severely weakened in the Middle East amid Israel's deadly response to devastating attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah, both Iranian proxies.

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In addition, the recent ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has compounded Iran's woes in the region. 

While some young people recruited by Iran are acting out of frustration at Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, some are motivated by money. In Sweden and Norway, they can't be prosecuted if they are under 15, the report said. 

"There are cases where the proxies aren’t aware or don’t realize that they are acting on behalf of a foreign power," the Swedish Security Service said in a statement this year.

The 16-year-old who attacked Elbit Systems used two thermos flasks packed with explosives in an attack on the Israeli defense company and was charged alongside a 23-year-old accomplice, according to Bloomberg. 

Sweden has seen an increasing presence of organized criminal gangs recruiting minors from immigrant communities. 

More than 1.5 million people have moved to the country since 1980 and now around 20% of the population has been born outside the country, but many struggle to assimilate, the report said.

A group of four NATO leaders and a representative from the European Union on Sunday said they agreed it was time to invest more in defense spending as Russia remains a chief security threat in Europe amid the war in Ukraine, and as Western leaders brace for the incoming Trump administration. 

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis argued the era of spending 2% of a nation’s GDP on defense was "probably history" but he, along with the other four leaders in attendance at the North-South Summit in Lapland, Finland fell short of saying what that figure should look like. 

"We know that we need to spend more than 2%," Mitsotakis said. "But it will become very clear… once we interact with the new president, what is the figure that we will agree on within NATO."

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The summit was convened by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, and was also attended by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The leaders were questioned about a recent report by the Financial Times that said President-elect Donald Trump intends to push NATO to increase its defense spending requirement from 2% to 5% — a requirement that would demand all nations, including the U.S. which spends just over 3% of its GDP, to drastically increase spending on defense.

The Trump transition team did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions on whether Trump is going to be pushing all NATO nations, including the U.S., to drastically ramp up defense spending.

Instead, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team said, "President Trump believes European nations should meet their NATO defense spending obligations and step up their share of the burden for this conflict, as the U.S. has paid significantly more, which is not fair to our taxpayers. He will do what is necessary to restore peace and rebuild American strength and deterrence on the world stage."

Fox News Digital also could not get clarity over whether an increase in defense spending would be supported by GOP lawmakers given the large number of conservatives in Congress, as well as his Vice President-elect, who have called for cutting U.S. aid to Ukraine, as well as last week’s internal fighting in the House among Republican lawmakers over spending disagreements. 

Even as NATO leaders at the North-South Summit agreed Russia is Europe’s "greatest threat," they urged caution when it came to dealing with "rumors" surrounding the incoming Trump administration. 

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"I would wait to understand exactly what is the real will of the new president of the US," Meloni said, according to a Bloomberg report. "On NATO, we all know and understand that we have to do more. A lot of what we can do is up to the tools that we are able to put on the table."

The Finnish prime minster echoed a similar sentiment and said, "Europe has to take greater responsibility for its own security. This means that European countries have to be strong leaders, both in the EU and in NATO.

"[Russia] is trying to consolidate power and sow discord in Europe. The geopolitical situation is also very challenging in the Middle East and North Africa, for example," Orpo added, according to Euro News. 

Kristersson said spending more on defense was important, in part, so that European nations were less dependent on the U.S. being "the main sponsor" of the alliance’s defense, but also to show Washington that European nations do take defense "seriously."

"European countries — individually, most of us, and collectively — need to strengthen our defense. And let’s do that," he said. 

Trump during his first administration pushed NATO leaders to meet their 2% defense spending pledge, which several did — increasing the number of allies to meet the terms of the NATO agreement from five in 2016 to nine in 2020.

But that number dropped to just six once Trump left in 2021.

By 2022, however, NATO leaders have once again began re-evaluating their defense budgets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and by 2024, a historic number of NATO allies had met their spending agreements, with 23 out of 32 nations spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense. 

Only Poland spends over 4% of its GDP on defense, while four nations spend over 3%, including Estonia, the U.S., Latvia and Greece. 

Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain have yet to meet their defense spending commitments.

Concerns over a resurgence of the Islamic State in Syria remain heightened following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and an increase in attacks targeting U.S.-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

President-elect Donald Trump may well face another round against the extremist group as the SDF faces a reality in which it may have to divide its focus between ISIS and threats levied at it by Turkey.

The SDF said five of its soldiers were killed Saturday in attacks by Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria, reported Reuters. 

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The attacks came following an apparent collapse in a cease-fire agreement brokered by the Biden administration as the U.S. and the SDF ramp up efforts to counter ISIS. 

National security advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday told CNN that his "single biggest concern" is the return of ISIS, which was deemed "defeated" in 2019. 

"ISIS loves vacuums," he said in reference to the extremist group’s use of power struggles in places like North Africa to gain footholds. "What we see in Syria right now are areas that are basically ungoverned because of the fall of the Assad regime. 

"Our goal is to ensure that we support the SDF — the Kurds — and that we keep ISIS in check," he added.

The U.S. has long had to balance its campaign against ISIS in Syria — which it is fighting with the help of the Kurdish coalition forces, despite Turkey deeming the SDF as akin to the terrorist network the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) — with Washington's partnership alongside Ankara as a NATO ally. 

"The SDF and the Assad regime were the primary opponents of ISIS," Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founding editor of "The Long War Journal," told Fox News Digital. "With the former gone and the latter under pressure from Turkish proxies, concerns about the expansion of ISIS are warranted."

"Turkey wants to destroy the SDF," Roggio confirmed. "Turkey has the ideal opportunity to destroy the SDF, and it will take advantage of this unique situation. I expect attack[s] against the SDF to increase."

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The Biden administration has already taken steps to ramp up its campaign against ISIS, hitting more than 75 sites in a significant strike earlier this month on known "ISIS leaders, operatives and camps," U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.

The operation coincided with the fall of Damascus on Dec. 8 following a sweeping takeover of Aleppo, Hama and Homs by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was aided by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).

In addition, CENTCOM on Thursday killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud using a precision airstrike in eastern Syria — an area where, according to Syrian news outlets, ISIS has been able to seize weapons depots belonging to the former Syrian military under the Assad regime amid the "chaos."

SDF forces in an attempt to clamp down on ISIS uprisings captured 18 ISIS terrorists and suspected collaborators on Sunday near the city of Raqqa, which was once an ISIS stronghold, according to ANF News.

The campaign was reportedly done "in cooperation with the international coalition forces," but CENTCOM has not yet confirmed whether the U.S. was involved. 

But concern remains high that the SDF could see its operational abilities divided as attacks from the Turkey-backed SNA coalition forces increase — which could spell trouble for the upcoming Trump administration as it looks to prevent another resurgence of ISIS, while balancing U.S. relations with Turkey, which is further expected to exercise outsized influence over the new Syrian government.

"We continue to monitor the situation in Syria," Brian Hughes, Trump-Vance Transition spokesperson said in response to questions from Fox News Digital. "President Trump is committed to diminishing threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and to protecting Americans here at home."

Displaying a beautifully decorated and illuminated Christmas tree in homes is a beloved holiday tradition, but the origins of how this tradition came to be is one that is still debated today.

One country that claims to be the home of the world's first Christmas tree is Latvia. 

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Several sources, including the National Christmas Tree Association, note that the first written record of a decorated Christmas tree was from Riga, Latvia. 

Men of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, an association of unmarried merchants and foreign traders, are said to have decorated the tree with artificial roses. 

They brought the tree to the marketplace, danced around it and then set it on fire in 1510, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

Today, a plaque engraved with the words "The First New Year's Tree in Riga in 1510" in eight languages is on display in Latvia. 

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Each year, a Christmas tree is featured in Riga, where the first one is said to have stood. 

Tallinn, Estonia, contradicts the idea that Latvia was home to the first tree, claiming the title for itself.

Several sources, including Visit Tallinn, note that the Brotherhood of the Blackheads brought a tree to Tallinn Town Square in 1441, predating the tree in Latvia.

Similar to Riga, Tallinn also displays a Christmas tree in the main square annually during the holiday season.

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Both European cities boast holiday activities during the winter months, including Christmas markets, festive decor and merry performances. Visitors will find plenty to explore during the holiday season, so long as they don't mind the cold. 

The cold climate does bring plenty of snowfall in both Latvia and Estonia, so a white Christmas is definitely a possibility.  

Though the topic of where the first Christmas tree officially came from could result in a festive feud, where the tradition began of displaying trees inside homes is less of a debate. 

The tradition of bringing Christmas trees into homes is believed to have originated in Germany during the 1600s, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

During the time, apples, red strips of paper and gilded nuts were all popular decorations to add to a Christmas tree, according to the source. 

It was the 1800s when the Christmas tree tradition started gaining traction in the United States, according to History.com. 

It wasn't until 1901 when the first Christmas tree farm opened in the country. W.V. McGalliard was responsible for opening the country's very first Christmas tree farm in New Jersey when he planted 25,000 Norway spruce, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

Today, there are around 15,000 Christmas tree farms around the United States. 

Many families find holiday joy in going to the Christmas tree farm each year to pick out the tree that will be the festive centerpiece of their home for December.

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25. 

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the "longest holiday season in the world," according to the website Discover Puerto Rico. 

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January. 

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families. 

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations. 

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner. 

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple. 

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with. 

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they'll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence. 

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source. 

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn't Christmas, but instead, the night before. 

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast. 

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo. 

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico. 

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that "commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth," according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com. 

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico. 

Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season. 

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades. 

FIRST ON FOX - Aviva Siegel, the wife of American hostage Kieth Siegel and a former hostage herself, is pleading with everyone and anyone involved in the hostage negotiations to get her husband, and the others, freed from Hamas captivity after they have spent more than 440 days in deplorable conditions. 

"Hamas released a video of Keith, and I just saw the picture," Aviva told Fox News Digital in an emotional interview in reference to a video Hamas released in April. "He looks terrible. His bones are out, and you can see that he's lost a lot of weight.

"He doesn't look like himself. And I'm just so worried about him, because so [many] days and minutes have passed since that video that we received," she said. "I just don't know what kind of Keith that we're going to get back."

7 US HOSTAGES STILL HELD BY HAMAS TERRORISTS AS FAMILIES PLEAD FOR THEIR RELEASE: 'THIS IS URGENT'

"I'm worried about all the hostages, because the conditions that they are in are the worst conditions that any human being could go through," Aviva said. "I was there. I touched death. I know what it feels being underneath the ground with no oxygen. 

"Keith and I were just left there. We were left there to die," she added. 

Aviva and her husband of, at the time 42 years, were brutally abducted from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and held together for 51 days before she was released in the November 2023 hostage exchange after suffering from a stomach infection that left her incredibly ill. 

She has since tirelessly fought for Kieth’s release, meeting with top officials in the U.S. and Israel, traveling to the United States nine times in the last year and becoming a prominent advocate for the hostages. 

"I just hope that he's with other people from Israel, and if he has them, he's going to be okay," Aviva said. "He’s just the person that will make them feel that they’re together. That's what he did when I was there – he was 100% for me and the hostages that we were with."

 "If you get kidnapped, get kidnapped with Keith, because he was outstanding to everybody. He was strong for all of us. And I'm sure that he's keeping strong and keeping his hope to come out," she said. 

Aviva recounted their last moments together before they were separated ahead of her release, telling Fox News Digital, "When I left him, I told him to be the strongest – that he needs to be strong for me, and I'll be strong for him."

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY UNDER PRESSURE AMID RISING RESISTANCE, POPULARITY OF IRAN-BACKED TERROR GROUPS

Top security officials from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar have been pushing Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire and the return of hostages. 

Reports on Thursday suggested that negotiators are pushing for a 42-day cease-fire in which 34 of the at least 50 hostages still assessed to be alive, could be exchanged. 

Hamas is also believed to continue to hold at least 38 who were taken hostage and then killed while in captivity, along with at least seven who are believed to have been killed on Oct. 7, 2023 and then taken into Gaza. 

Though all the hostages are believed to have been held in deplorable conditions, the children, women – including the female IDF soldiers – the sick and the elderly have reportedly been front listed to be freed first in exchange for Hamas terrorists currently imprisoned. 

"I'm keeping my hope and holding on and just waiting – waiting to hug Keith, and waiting for all the families, to get their families back," Aviva said. "We need to get them back."

Aviva said she dreams of the moment that she gets to hug her husband again and watch their grandchildren "jump into his arms." 

"We’ll be the happiest people on Earth," she said. "All the hostages, I can't imagine them coming home. It'll be just the happiest moment for all of the families. We need it to happen."

Reports in recent weeks suggest there is an increased sense of optimism in bringing home the hostages, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged some caution when speaking with MSNBC Morning Joe on Thursday when he said, "We are encouraged because this should happen, and it should happen because Hamas is at a point where the cavalry it thought might come to the rescue isn’t coming to the rescue, [Hezbollah's] not coming to the rescue, [Iran's] not coming to the rescue."

"In the absence of that, I think the pressure is on Hamas to finally get to yes," he added. "But look, I think we also have to be very realistic.  We’ve had these Lucy and the football moments several times over the last months where we thought we were there, and the football gets pulled away.

"The real question is: Is Hamas capable of making a decision and getting to yes?  We’ve been fanning out with every possible partner on this to try to get the necessary pressure exerted on Hamas to say yes," Blinken added.  

Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in what appeared to be "friendly fire", the U.S. military said.

The pilots were found alive after they ejected from their aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries.

The incident demonstrates the pervasive dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis, even as U.S. and European military coalitions patrol the area.

The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, but the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.

The military said the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command. On Dec. 15, Central Command said the Truman had entered the Mideast, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.

"The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," Central Command said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The pope has contracted a cold and will skip his usual outdoor Sunday prayer, instead giving the blessing indoors just days ahead of his Christmas Eve and Day Masses, the Vatican said Saturday. 

Chilly weather and the pope’s busy schedule during Christmas week were cited as reasons for the 88-year-old giving the blessing from his residence at the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta quarters.

The pope usually addresses the public from the window of St. Peter’s Basilica overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Sundays. 

BIDEN HEADING TO VATICAN CITY NEXT MONTH TO MEET WITH POPE FRANCIS, MELONI IN FINAL OVERSEAS TRIP

Pope Francis sounded congested on Saturday as he gave his annual Christmas greeting to Vatican bureaucrats. 

The octogenarian has suffered from bronchitis before, including last year when he was hospitalized, and he also missed a climate change meeting in Dubai last year because of the flu and lung inflammation. 

POPE FRANCIS REVEALS HE WAS NEARLY ASSASSINATED DURING HISTORIC IRAQ TRIP

The pope developed pleurisy in his 20s and was forced to have part of his lungs removed in his native Argentina. 

Christmas Eve also marks the beginning of the Vatican’s Holy Year in which around 32 million pilgrims are expected to head to Rome throughout 2025. 

The pope will open the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve and On Dec. 26, he will go to Rome’s main prison to inaugurate the start of the Holy Year there. 

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The Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee, is usually held every 25 years. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

The U.S. military confirmed it conducted airstrikes in Yemen, saying it targeted a missile storage site and a command-and-control center operated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the successful strikes in a release Saturday, saying they were meant to "disrupt and degrade" Houthi operations.

"CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden," CENTCOM said in a news release.

DISAPPROVAL MOUNTS BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD AS US AVOIDS DIRECT ACTION AGAINST HOUTHI REBELS

Footage from CENTCOM showed F/A-18's taking off. The agency said it also used assets from the Navy and the Air Force.

US NAVY SHIPS REPEL ATTACK FROM HOUTHIS IN GULF OF ADEN 

"The strike reflects CENTCOM's ongoing commitment to protect U.S. and coalition personnel, regional partners and international shipping," it said.

The attacks against shipping are ongoing, and Houthi militants have vowed to continue until Israel ends its campaign in Gaza.

The terrorist group has targeted more than 100 merchant vessels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

A packed bus collided with a truck and burst into flames early Saturday in Brazil, killing more than 30 people, the Fire Department said.

After removing all the victims from a major highway near the town of Teofilo Otoni in Minas Gerais, the state's Fire Department reported that of the 45 people on the bus, 38, including the bus driver, had been confirmed dead.

PASSENGER PLANE CRASHES IN BRAZIL, KILLING ALL PEOPLE ON BOARD, AIRLINE VOEPASS SAYS

The other passengers remained in critical condition after being transported to a local hospital.

The truck driver fled the scene, and three occupants of a car that collided with the truck and became trapped underneath survived the accident, said the fire department.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on social media that the government was ready to provide whatever assistance was needed, and that the Federal Highway Policy was at the site.

"I deeply mourn and extend my prayers to the families of the more than 30 victims of the accident in Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais. I pray for the recovery of the survivors of this terrible tragedy," he posted on X.

A forensic investigation will be required to determine the accident's cause, as differing accounts were gathered from witness testimony, said the local Fire Department.

Initially, firefighters reported the bus had a tire blowout, causing the driver to lose control before colliding at around 4 a.m. local time, with an oncoming truck on the BR-116 federal highway, a major route connecting Brazil's densely populated southeast to the poorer northeast.

However, witnesses also reported that a granite block the truck was transporting came loose, fell on the road and caused the collision with the bus, the Fire Department said.

"Only the forensic investigation will confirm the true version," said the fire department in a statement.

The bus departed from Sao Paulo and was headed to the state of Bahia.

Pressure is building on the controversial U.N. agency UNRWA over its alleged and extensive ties with terror leaders that has propelled hatred for Israel and support for terror through its curricula. Even as 159 countries in the U.N. General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution affirming to "fully support" UNRWA, last week, Sweden announced on Friday that it has decided to end funding to UNRWA due to a ban placed on the agency by the Israeli government and will redirect Gaza aid to other organizations.

Yet, while the U.N. continues to show solidarity with UNRWA, two informed sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that in spite of the vocal solidarity, there is dissension among the ranks.

One U.N. source explained that "several agencies have had behind-the-scenes discussions" about who might "take over and run" UNRWA programming. "One of the main and most notable agencies doing so is the United Nations Development Programme," the source claimed.

"The UNDP has come forward and said that they can take over from UNRWA to advance peace," the source said. They noted that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres "shot those requests down," leading to an "internal conflict." The source elaborated that recent events "show that there are elements of the U.N. that recognize the challenges and clear issues with UNRWA," but that "even as other agencies are ringing the alarm bells," their "offers are being shot down at the highest levels" of the U.N.

ISRAEL TO CLOSE EMBASSY IN IRELAND OVER ‘ANTI-ISRAEL POLICIES’

Israel Hayom newspaper also reported that Guterres has passed over the UNDP’s offer to take on increased work in the Palestinian territories. The newsaper quoted "fundamental opposition" from the Secretary-General to the UNDP’s "willingness to take on significant areas of responsibility, such as fuel distribution, waste removal and rubble clearance." It also reported that "preparations are already underway among international aid organizations, led by UNDP, to expand their activities in the Strip."

Fox News Digital asked Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, about Guterres’ position on the UNDP’s offer to take on UNRWA’s work and inquired about Guterres’ thoughts on recent reports of the agency’s leadership’s ties to terrorists and its difficulties raising funds after news arose that some UNRWA members had participated in the terror attacks of Oct. 7.

Dujarric told Fox News Digital that "many different U.N. agencies have a role to play, and are playing a role, in humanitarian and development support to the Palestinian people." He reiterated that, "as we’ve said many times before, no other agency in the U.N. system can replace UNRWA given the scope of its work, notable in health and education. All U.N. agencies, including UNDP, have the same position."

Dujarric explained that Guterres "will continue to do his utmost to work for an end to this conflict, the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza, and for full humanitarian access in Gaza. There are also needs to be a restoration of a political horizon for a two-state solution for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians."

Fox News Digital asked the UNDP whether it had proposed that it could take on UNRWA’s role and asked how seamless that transfer could be and whether a UNDP-led effort might create an atmosphere in which peace and a two-state solution could be reached.

A UNDP spokesperson said that the "UNDP does not propose, nor does it support, being an alternative to UNRWA. UNDP’s position on UNRWA’s irreplaceability is aligned with the U.N. Secretary General’s and is a matter of public record." 

RETURN OF TRUMP GIVES FAMILIES OF GAZA HOSTAGES NEW HOPE

The spokesperson also sent a statement standing by Guterres’ statement that UNRWA is the "principal means" for supporting Palestinian refugees and that "there is no alternative to UNRWA." 

The "irreplaceability" of UNRWA has been questioned, including by senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute Hen Mazzig, who recently stated on X that only 13% of aid to the Palestinian people is distributed by UNRWA.

Fox News Digital asked UNRWA to confirm this figure. A spokesperson from the agency said that since October 2023, the agency "has provided over 6.8 million primary health care consultations," claiming it represented "60% of primary healthcare consultations currently provided in the Gaza Strip." The spokesperson also stated that UNRWA provides "50% of the food security response," and "assisted hundred of thousands of people with essential mental health and psychosocial support services," as well as providing "essential logistical and infrastructure support to the entire humanitarian system."

Fox News Digital asked the Israel Defense Forces about the role UNRWA plays in relation to other humanitarian groups coordinating aid in Gaza. A security official said the agency is a "weak player," compared with entities like World Food Program, World Central Kitchen, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), which "play a more central role." The official said that these agencies "have their own logistical chains and can work independently from UNRWA."

UNRWA’s fundraising ability has decreased since credible information emerged showing that members of UNRWA had infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The U.S. had provided $121 million to UNRWA between October 2023 and January 2024, but then cut funding to the agency through March 2025.

The UNDP is unhindered by these issues and provides a variety of services in the region. A UNDP spokesperson told Fox News Digital that UNDP has funded about a third of its Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People’s $270 million Gaza Emergency Response and Early Recovery Programme.

The spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "as a lead development agency within the UN system, UNDP works closely with our sister humanitarian agencies to embed early recovery efforts – such as rehabilitating crucial infrastructure and cash-for work programs – into emergency responses."

"In contexts such as the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, and Syria, we have carried out a variety of early recovery initiatives tailored to specific needs and conditions on the ground," the spokesperson continued." This has entailed "working with local partners to deliver a range of activities including debris removal from roads to facilitate access to critical services, working closely with local service providers and the private sector to restore essential services such as solid waste management, supporting the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply networks to increase access to clean water, and has implemented solar-powered energy systems. We also strengthen government capacities on emergency response and recovery planning and support vocational training programmes for women."

UN ACCUSED OF DOWNPLAYING HAMAS TERRORISTS’ USE OF GAZA HOSPITALS AS NEW REPORT IGNORES IMPORTANT DETAILS

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of U.N. Watch, told Fox News Digital that aside from UNRWA, there "are several agencies on the ground who are doing significant work in distributing humanitarian aid." 

"Around the world, when there is a crisis of some kind," Neuer said that "you get a whole cluster of U.N. agencies," including the World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF … and UNDP, which combine forces to "distribute aid to millions of people." Neuer said that "the notion that is put forward that for some reason a tiny strip of land on the Gaza Strip is the only place in the world where those agencies cannot operate" is "absurd and false." 

UN Watch has raised the ire of UNRWA by beginning to release a 150-page dossier showing URNWA leaders meeting with representatives of terror groups. Though UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini referred to the reports as "disinformation," Neuer explained that UNRWA simply "cannot handle the truth." Neuer said that UN Watch assembled its dossier by screenshotting data and photographs that were "hidden in plain sight" on the internet and social media." He added that more of UN Watch’s dossier is set to emerge the coming week.

The U.S. was among nine nations to dissent from the General Assembly’s resolution in support of UNRWA. 

Ambassador Robert Wood, the alternative representative for special political affairs, explained the dissension on Dec. 11, both noting that while URNWA is a "critical lifeline," the "resolution on UNRWA operations also has serious flaws." Wood cited how the proposal fails "to create a path forward for restoring trust between Israel and UNRWA," and that the resolution "denigrates Israel’s actions in Gaza without addressing the central reason for them, namely Hamas’ unprovoked October 7 attack and the terrorist group’s deplorable behavior in the interim."

"More than 14 months into this conflict, some delegations here in New York cannot bring themselves to acknowledge — let alone condemn — Hamas’ role in instigating a conflict that has visited so much pain, suffering, and anguish on the people of Gaza," Wood wrote, adding that "we deeply regret that the drafters chose to try to score political points, rather than pursue a resolution which could have provided unanimous support to UNRWA, addressed credible allegations about the activities of some of its personnel, and ultimately bolsters UNRWA’s vital humanitarian mission."

While voting on UNRWA’s future, the General Assembly did note the issues with the agency, explaining that URNWA needed to implement the recommendations set by an independent reviewer and that there must be "immediate efforts" to address UNRWA’s "financial and operational crises." 

The General Assembly also emphasized that it "strongly warns against any attempts to dismantle or diminish the operations and mandate of the Agency," noting the humanitarian consequences that millions of Palestinians would face if its work were interrupted or suspended.

In an effort to assert the primacy of his organization despite snowballing evidence that its members have hindered efforts to create peace in the region, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini penned an op-ed imagining the possibly "dystopian" outcome of a decision to dismantle UNRWA. Supposing that a two-state solution hinges on the agency's continued operations, Lazzarini urged that "we still have a window of opportunity to avert a cataclysmic future where firepower and propaganda construct the global order." 
 

U.N. Watch's Neuer disagreed, noting "UNRWA is an arsonist masquerading as a firefighter," he said. "Only by ending this terror-infested agency with the pathological aim of perpetuating hatred, resentment and dependency, can Palestinians move forward to a future of hope and peace."

A projectile launched into Israel from Yemen overnight into Saturday struck Tel Aviv, resulting in mild injuries to 16 people, according to Israeli officials.

Israel's military said after sirens sounded in central Israel that the projectile landed in Tel Aviv’s southern Jaffa area following failed attempts to intercept.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," the military said on Telegram.

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES TARGET YEMEN'S HOUTHI-CONTROLLED CAPITAL OF SANAA, PORT CITY OF HODEIDA

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missile attacks from Yemen against Israel since the war in Gaza began in October of last year, but the incident overnight represents a rare instance in which Israel failed to intercept.

Israel has retaliated by striking multiple targets in areas in Yemen controlled by the Houthis.

HAMAS' GAZA DEATH TOLL QUESTIONED AS NEW REPORT SAYS ITS LED TO 'WIDESPREAD INACCURACIES AND DISTORTION'

"A short time ago, reports were received of a weapon falling in one of the settlements within the Tel Aviv district," Israeli police said Saturday.

On Thursday, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, with shrapnel resulting in extensive damage to a school near Tel Aviv.

Malaysia's government has agreed in principle to accept a second "no find, no fee" proposal from a U.S. company to renew the hunt for flight MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than 10 years ago, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Friday.

Loke said Cabinet ministers gave the nod at their meeting last week for Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity to continue the seabed search operation at a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean next year.

MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES RENEWED PUSH TO FIND MH370 DECADE AFTER DISAPPEARANCE: ‘SEARCH MUST GO ON’

"The proposed new search area, identified by Ocean Infinity, is based on the latest information and data analyses conducted by experts and researchers. The company’s proposal is credible," he said in a statement.

The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane deviated from its flight path to head over the southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed.

An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues, although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing.

Under the new deal, Ocean Infinity will get $70 million only if significant wreckage is discovered, Loke said. He said his ministry will finalize negotiations with Ocean Infinity in early 2025. The firm has indicated that January-April is the best period for the search, he said.

"This decision reflects the government’s commitment to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of MH370 passengers," he added.

Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett earlier this year reportedly said the the company had improved its technology since 2018. He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyze data and narrow the search area to the most likely site.

JERUSALEM — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could be on the brink of engulfing Syria in a new war with his slated invasion of the country’s north in an effort to decimate the U.S.-allied Syrian Kurds who helped President-elect Trump defeat the Islamic State in 2019.

The White House-brokered cease-fire between Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been largely ignored by pro-Turkey forces and Erdoğan, according to Fox News information from northern Syria. The SDF, which lost 12,000 fighters in its campaign to aid the U.S. in the victory over the Islamic State, is faced with an existential crisis.

An SDF source in northern Syria told Fox News Digital that the Syrian Opposition and the Syrian National Army, both of whom are aligned with Erdoğan’s government, "are building up around Kobani from the east and west directions. Assaults on the Tishreen Dam are still taking place intermittently. SDF confront them and push them back continuously. Additionally, the Kobani frontlines are subjected constantly to Turkish armed drones and artillery targeting. No support from any nation. Just the U.S. helping with mediation between us and the Turks aims to have a permanent cease-fire."

TURKEY HITS US-ALLIED KURDS IN SYRIA, IRAQ FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACK ON DEFENSE GROUP

According to the SDF source, "The main attackers are called SNA, which constitute the Al Hamza division and Sultan Suliman Shah division, who are loyal to the Turkish MHP party leader Dewlet Bahçelî." Erdoğan is aligned with the extremist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Simone Ledeen, a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, told Fox News Digital, "The U.S. must reinforce support for the SDF — using all available tools to ensure they remain capable on the ground — while addressing the reality that Turkey, our NATO ally, is enabling a rapidly expanding jihadist threat." 

When approached by Fox News Digital, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, "Syria is in a fragile state right now. We don’t want to see any party take an action to pursue their own unilateral interests over the broader interests of the Syrian people. We continue to talk to the Government of Türkiye and others in the region about a path forward that de-escalates tensions, not one that escalates them. This is a time to increase stability, not to further devolve into fighting."

The spokesperson added, "Our focus is on promoting a Syrian-led political process in the spirit of U.N. Security Council resolution 2254, while ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS. Given that we know ISIS exploits instability, it's incumbent on all countries with influence on the ground — including Türkiye — to promote stability, dialogue, and restraint. The United States supports Syria’s territorial integrity."

The Biden administration’s alleged failure to rope in Erdoğan aggression could mean the escape of 10,000 Islamic State terrorists held in SDS-run prisons. The SDF has had to redeploy its forces to counter Turkey’s campaign to depopulate northern Syria of SDS fighters. The reemergence of the Islamic State in Syria could adversely affect American security, argue counter-terrorism experts.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., declared repeatedly in an address to Erdoğan in Congress, "Leave the Kurds alone." He added, "The Kurds are America's friends… The people most responsible for helping us, most responsible for destroying ISIS, were the Kurds."

Kennedy warned Erdoğan, "If you invade Syria and touch a hair on the head of the Kurds, I'm going to ask this United States Congress to do something," noting, "Our sanctions are not going to help the economy of Turkey."

Turkey’s economy is wobbly, and potent U.S. economic sanctions could destabilize Erdoğan’s government.

FALL OF SYRIA'S BASHAR ASSAD IS STRATEGIC BLOW TO IRAN AND RUSSIA, EXPERTS SAY

When asked about the reports of Turkish-aligned forces attacking Syrian Kurds, a spokesman for Turkey’s Foreign Ministry told Fox News Digital, "The mentioned reports are groundless. Türkiye never had a problem with the Syrian Kurds — to the contrary, embraced them and supported them to become part of a unified Syria. The clear distinction should be made between the Syrian Kurds and the ones associated with the terrorist organizations."

The spokesman added, "The continued dedication and sacrifices of Türkiye in the fight against Daesh (ISIS) should not be overlooked. At the end of the day, Türkiye remains as the most credible and capable actor in the region in the fight against Daesh." 

Turkey’s government uses Daesh, the transliteration of the Arabic acronym Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to designate the Sunni Jihadi terrorist movement. 

When confronted with the SDF statement that the U.S.-led mediation efforts collapsed because Turkey failed to accept key points, "including the transfer of remaining Manbij Military Council fighters and civilians wishing to move to safer areas within north and eastern Syria, as well as the resolution of the issue concerning the transfer of Suleiman Shah's remains to their former location," the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said, "It is not Türkiye escalating the situation on the ground, it is the determination of Syrian people to act against the terrorist organization."

He added, "The Syrian people, empowered by the confidence gained from overthrowing the Ba’ath regime, are striving to expel the PKK/YPG/’SDF’ terrorist organization, which has long occupied their territories and subjected them to violence and oppression. They have successfully removed the organization from Manbij and Deir ez-Zor, and are on the verge of doing so in Raqqa. At the end of the day, this is merely the reflection of the will of the Syrian people."

PKK is an abbreviation for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, an organization classified by the U.S. and the EU as a terrorist entity. The U.S. has a long-standing military alliance with the Syrian Kurdish military organization, The People’s Defense Units (YPG), in Syria. The YPG is part of a broader organization known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and played a key role in dismantling the Islamic State in Syria.

In a growing act of bi-partisan congressional support for the Syrian Kurds, lawmakers are sending messages to the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration. 

On Wednesday, Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., threatened to impose sanctions on Erdoğan. The senators wrote in a joint statement, "While Turkey has some legitimate security concerns that can be addressed, these developments are undermining regional security, and the United States cannot sit idly by."

"In the wake of the Assad regime’s fall, Turkish-backed forces have ramped up attacks against our Syrian Kurdish partners, once again threatening the vital mission of preventing the resurgence of ISIS," they said.

US GROUP LOOKS FOR KIDNAPPED AMERICANS IN SYRIA AFTER FALL OF ASSAD REGIME

Several requests for comment from Fox News Digital to President-elect Trump’s spokespeople and his incoming National Security Council adviser, Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., were not immediately returned.

Shukriya Bradost, an expert on the Kurds, who was born and raised in the Kurdistan region of Iran, told Fox News Digital, "Turkey's most pragmatic option is to engage in dialogue with the Kurdish administration in Syria, facilitated by the United States. A cooperative relationship could serve both Turkish and Kurdish interests, stabilizing the region while addressing Turkey's security concerns and the experience that Turkey already has with the Kurdistan Region of Government in Iraq (KRG)." 

She added, "Turkey has already shown that it can cooperate with a Kurdish administration in Syria. In the past, oil from northern Syria flowed through KRG into Turkey, demonstrating the potential for economic and political collaboration. This precedent proves that mutual interests can override historical hostilities."

Bradost recommended that Washington "broker a historic agreement that addresses Turkey’s security concerns without dismantling Kurdish autonomy in Syria. Much like the Abraham Accords brought unprecedented diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East, a U.S.-facilitated deal between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds could offer a transformative path forward."

On Friday, the State Department's top diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, met with representatives of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus. HTS and its Islamist allies ousted the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad less than two weeks ago. 

Leaf told reporters after the meeting that there is a cease-fire around Manbij and there are concerns about "the effects of fighting near the Tishreen Dam and damage to that dam, especially if it were significant structural damage." She added the U.S. is working with Turkish authorities and the SDF for a cease-fire around Kobani. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday looked set to lose power early next year after a key ally said he would move to bring down the minority Liberal government and trigger an election.

New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been helping keep Trudeau in office, said he would present a formal motion of no-confidence after the House of Commons elected chamber returns from a winter break on Jan. 27.

NEWT GINGRICH SAYS TRUMP MAY HAVE 'BROKEN' TRUDEAU GOVERNMENT DURING HISTORIC TRANSITION PERIOD

If all the opposition parties back the motion, Trudeau will be out of office after more than nine years as prime minister and an election will take place.

A string of polls over the last 18 months show the Liberals, suffering from voter fatigue and anger over high prices and a housing crisis, would be badly defeated by the official opposition right-of-center Conservatives.

The New Democrats, who like the Liberals aim to attract the support of center-left voters, complain Trudeau is too beholden to big business.

"No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government's time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons," said Singh.

The leader of the Bloc Quebecois, a larger opposition party, promised to back the motion and said there was no scenario where Trudeau survived. The Conservatives have been calling for an election for months.

A few minutes after Singh issued his letter a smiling Trudeau, under growing pressure to quit after the shock resignation of his finance minister this week, presided over a cabinet shuffle.

Trudeau's office was not immediately available for comment.

Votes on budgets and other spending are considered confidence measures. Additionally, the government must allocate a few days each session to opposition parties when they can unveil motions on any matter, including non-confidence.

Before Singh made his announcement, a source close to Trudeau said the prime minister would take the Christmas break to ponder his future and was unlikely to make any announcement before January.

Liberal leaders are elected by special conventions of party members, which take months to arrange.

Singh's promise to act quickly means that even if Trudeau were to resign now, the Liberals could not find a new permanent leader in time for the next election. The party would then have to contest the vote with an interim leader, which has never happened before in Canada.

So far around 20 Liberal legislators are openly calling for Trudeau to step down but his cabinet has stayed loyal.

The timing of the crisis comes at a critical time, since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is due to take office on Jan. 20 and is promising to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada, which would badly hurt the economy.

The premiers of the 10 provinces, seeking to create a united approach to the tariffs, are complaining about what they call the chaos in Ottawa.

A festive Christmas market in Eastern Germany erupted into chaos after a car was driven into a group of people.

According to German news agency Bildt, more than 20 people were injured in a suspected terrorist attack in the idyllic Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday.

It was not immediately unclear if anyone was killed during the suspected terrorist attack.

The driver of the car was arrested, the agency said.