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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.

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A knife-wielding teenager walked into a school in Croatia’s capital Zagreb on Friday, killing a 7-year-old student and injuring three more children and a teacher, authorities said.

Authorities said the knife attack happened at 9:50 a.m. at the Precko Elementary School in the neighborhood of the same name. They described the attacker as a 19-year-old male and said he had been detained after inflicting injuries to himself.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said one child died while three children and a teacher were injured.

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"The attacker is a 19-year-old who is a former student of that school and still lives nearby," said Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic. "Eventually he started injuring himself. Police prevented him from committing suicide."

Bozinovic said the attacker was registered as previously having mental health problems and had already tried to kill himself: "It is hard to say this person was mentally balanced."

Video footage released by Croatian media showed children running away from the school building and a medical helicopter landing in the schoolyard.

Authorities in Zagreb declared Saturday a day or mourning. President Zoran Milanovic said "there are no words to describe the grief over the horrible and unthinkable tragedy that shocked us all today." MIlanovic called for unity and an effort to ensure that schools are a safe and careless place for children.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at the a government session that he is "appalled" by the attack and that authorities are still working to determine exactly what happened. Plenkovic said several children have been taken to various hospitals in Zagreb.

State HRT television said the attacker entered the school and went straight into the first classroom he found and attacked the children.

School attacks are rare in Croatia. Last May, a teenager in neighboring Serbia opened fire at a school in the capital Belgrade, killing nine fellow students and a school guard.

Singapore's Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay is an annual event filled with holiday spirit. 

This year marks the 11th edition of the event with dazzling light installations that are sure to impress. 

There are plenty of light displays that will leave visitors in awe at Christmas Wonderland, but there is one that is exceptionally impressive. 

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This is the Spalliera light display that extends 20 meters (over 65 feet) into the sky, according to the Christmas Wonderland website. 

This particular light display, inspired by Italian Gothic architecture, is a handmade work by artisans. 

In 2023, the handmade light display, which was inspired by northern Italy's Mesola Castle, was illuminated by 103,000 bulbs, according to an Instagram post from the event's page. 

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This year's light fixture is new in its design, pulling inspiration from the Orvieto Cathedral in Umbria, Italy, according to the Christmas Wonderland website. 

The light display was handmade by artisans in Puglia, Italy, per the website. 

While visiting Spalliera, guests can also experience artificial snowfall at "Blizzard Time." 

While surrounded by illumination and encompassed by "snow," guests will also hear "Magic of Christmas," by Singaporean composer Dr. Darius Lim, according to the Christmas Wonderland website. 

Other featured activities at the event include a 50-meter-long tunnel filled with lights, as well as several picture-perfect light displays, such as a large ice skate, ornaments and gift boxes. 

Of course, pictures with Santa are available at Christmas Wonderland, as well as carnival rides plus games, dining experiences and live performances. 

In 2024, Christmas Wonderland runs until the start of the new year on Jan. 1, 2025.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued its pursuit of obtaining a nuclear weapon by not only stockpiling enriched uranium to near-weapons grade purity, it has expanded its covert actions in developing its weaponization capabilities. 

According to information obtained by sources embedded in the Iranian regime and supplied to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an opposition organization based out of D.C. and Paris, there are indications that Tehran has once again renewed efforts to advance its ability to detonate a nuclear weapon.

At the head of Iran’s detonators program is an organization the NCRI has dubbed METFAZ, which is the Farsi acronym for the Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies on Explosions and Impact, and its recent movements at a previously deactivated site, known as Sanjarian, has drawn immense speculation.

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"Our information shows the METFAZ has expanded its activities, intensified activities, and their main focus is basically the detonation of the nuclear bomb," Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI in the U.S., told Fox News Digital. "When you make a bomb, you have the fissile material at the center of it, but you need to be able to trigger it, to detonate it, and that’s a sophisticated process.

"It’s important to see what METFAZ does and follow their activities because that is sort of like a gauge on figuring out where the whole nuclear weapons program is," he added. 

Iran has at least a dozen sites across the country dedicated to nuclear development, weaponization, research and heavy water production, but information shared with Fox News Digital suggests that there has been an increase in covert activity in at least two of these locations, including Sanjarian, which was once one of Iran’s top weaponization facilities. 

The Sanjarian site, located roughly 25 miles east of Tehran and once central to Iran’s nuclear program under what is known as the Amad Plan, was believed to have been largely inactive between 2009 and late 2020 after stiff international pushback on Iran’s nuclear program.

Though by October 2020 renewed activity had returned to the area under the alleged guise of a filming team, first captured through satellite imagery and which the Islamic Republic used to justify why vehicles had reportedly been regularly parked outside the formerly top nuclear site. 

In 2022, trees were planted along the entrance road to the compound, effectively blocking satellite imagery from monitoring vehicles stationed there, before a security gate was then believed to have been installed in May 2023, according to information also verified by the Institute for Science and International Security. 

Now, according to details supplied by on-the-ground sources to the NCRI this month, top nuclear experts have been seen regularly visiting the site since April 2024 and are believed to be operating under the front company known as Arvin Kimia Abzaar, which claims to be affiliated with the oil and gas industry, a sector in which Iran has long attempted to conceal its activities. 

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Jafarzadeh said one of the executives of the Arvin Kimia Abzaar company is Saeed Borji, who has been a well-known member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since 1980 and has long headed METFAZ.

METFAZ falls under Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, which is widely known to security experts as the organization spearheading Iran’s nuclear development and is suspected of using the Sanjarian site for renewed research on exoloding bridgewire (EWB) detonators. 

Iran has previously attempted to conceal its EBW detonators program, a system first invented in the 1940s to deploy atomic warheads but which has expanded into non-military sectors, under activities relating to the oil industry.

In a 2015 report, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), noted that Iran’s detonator development was an "integral part of a program to develop an implosion-type nuclear explosive device."

It also highlighted how Iran attempted to conceal its program by alleging during a May 20, 2014, meeting that the detonator program dating back to 2000-2003 was related to Tehran’s aerospace industry and was needed to "help prevent explosive accidents" but which the IAEA determined was "inconsistent with the timeframe and unrelated to the detonator development program."

During the same 2014 meeting, Iran claimed that "around 2007 its oil and gas industry had identified a requirement for EBW detonators for the development of deep borehole severing devices."

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The IAEA assessed that while the application of EBW detonators, which are fired within "sub-microsecond simultaneity," are "not inconsistent with specialized industry practices," the detonators that Iran has developed "have characteristics relevant to a nuclear explosive device."

"The Iranian regime has really basically, over the years, used deceptive tactics – lies, stalling, playing games, dragging [their feet], wasting time," Jafarzadeh said when asked about this report. "That’s the way they’re dealing with the IAEA, with the goal of moving their own nuclear weapons program forward without being accountable for anything."

The IAEA did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on the NCRI’s most recent findings, which were shared with the nuclear watchdog this week, and it remains unclear what advancements or research Iran continues to pursue in the detonator field.

"While the international community and the IAEA have mainly focused on the amount and the enrichment level of uranium Tehran possesses, which would provide fissile material for the bomb, the central part, namely the weaponization, has continued with little scrutiny," Jafarzadeh told Fox News Digital.

The NCRI also found that METFAZ, which operates out of a military site known as Parchin some 30 miles southeast of Tehran, has expanded its Plan 6 complex where it conducts explosive tests and production.

Parchin, which is made up of several military industrial complexes, was targeted in Israel’s October 2024 strikes. According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the strikes destroyed "multiple buildings" within the complex, including a "high explosive test chamber" known as Taleghan 2.

Iran’s layered approach to its nuclear program, which relies on networks operating under the guise of privately owned companies, false operations and immense ambiguity, has made tracking Tehran’s nuclear program difficult for even agencies dedicated to nuclear security, like the IAEA, Jafarzadeh said.

"The regime has used deceptive tactics to prevent any mechanism for verification, and it has yet to provide an opportunity or the means for the IAEA to have a satisfactory answer to the inquiries it has raised," he told Fox News Digital. "Our revelation today shows that the regime has no transparency related to its program for building an atomic bomb and is moving towards building the bomb at a rapid pace."

The NCRI confirms that neither the Sanjarian site nor Parchin’s Plan 6 have ever been inspected by the IAEA.

A group of U.S. officials are in Syria's capital for the first time in more than 10 years seeking information on American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, among other things.

The team visiting Damascus consists of US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) Barbara Leaf and NEA Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Rubinstein, who previously served as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and has decades of foreign affairs experience, will lead the diplomatic engagement, the spokesperson confirmed. 

His mission is to engage with the Syrian people and key parties within the country. He also seeks to coordinate with allies to advance principles laid out in a meeting between world leaders in the Jordanian city of Aqaba earlier this month.

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The trio will meet with the Syrian people to uncover their vision for their country after the Assad regime fell earlier this month amid an ongoing civil war. They will also ask how the U.S. can help support them in their desired future.

"They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices," the spokesperson said, in part.

The three officials will also meet with representatives of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terrorist group, to "discuss transition principles" endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan, the State Department said.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously noted that world leaders discussed "the need for an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition" during the Aqaba Meetings on Syria in Jordan on Dec. 14.

"The United States supports a future government in Syria that is chosen by and representatives of all Syrians," Blinken said on X.

Another goal of the visit is to determine what has happened to American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, including former marine turned freelance journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012.

Carstens has been leading the charge to locate Tice and recently shared that Rewards for Justice is offering up to $10 million for information on his whereabouts.

"Given recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our call for information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was detained in Damascus in August 2012," the FBI said in a statement.

The Pentagon says there are 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in Syria, more than double what officials with the Department of Defense have been telling reporters for months.

"We have been briefing you regularly that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops deployed to Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. "In light of the situation in Syria, and in significant interest, we’ve recently learned that those numbers were higher."

Ryder asked to look into the numbers and said he learned on Thursday that there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.

"It was explained to me these additional forces are considered temporary rotational forces that deploy to meet shifting mission requirements, whereas the core 900 deployers are on longer term deployments," he continued. "As you know, for many of our deployments, numbers will fluctuate from time to time, but given that this number is significantly higher than what we've been briefing, I wanted to let you know, as soon as I found out this information."

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The lead spokesman said there are diplomatic and operational security considerations with deployments and the numbers of troops associated with those deployments, as was the case with Syria.

Ryder noted that the troops were in Syria before the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – who fled to Russia earlier this month and ended a nearly 14-year struggle to maintain power in his country – and help augment the defeat of ISIS mission.

After learning of the fluctuation in number of troops, Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin pressed Ryder about the correction to the number of troops and timing.

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"This is more than double the number of troops that we’ve been told for quite some time. So, are we talking about this has been going on for months? For Years?" Griffin asked. "Is this something that just happened this summer? We need a time frame."

"Yeah, I think it would probably be fair to say at a minimum, months," Ryder said. "I’ll go back and look. But it’s…yeah, it’s been going on for a while."

The news of additional troops in Syria comes as interest in the region is exceptionally high, especially after the fall of Assad.

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Attacks by the Turkish military on Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have increased since the Syrian president fled to Russia on Dec. 8. In an interview with Fox News this month, Gen. Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the SDF, warned that if his Kurdish fighters have to flee, ISIS would return.

He also said half of his fighters guarding the ISIS camps had to withdraw.

"All of the prisons still are under our control. However, the prisons and camps are in a critical situation because who is guarding them? They are leaving and having to protect their families," Gen. Mazloum said. "I can give you one example like the Raqqa ISIS prison, which contains about 1,000 ISIS ex-fighters. The number of guards there have diminished by half which is putting them in a fragile position." 

Fox News previously reported that the U.S. had 900 troops in Eastern Syria, but now that number is about 2,000, and they would likely have to withdraw if the allied Kurdish fighters retreat under attack from Turkey’s military, which views the Kurds as a terrorist threat.

An Indian navy speedboat crashed into a ferry carrying over 100 people to a popular tourist destination off Mumbai on Wednesday, killing at least 13, the navy said.

A navy statement said 99 ferry passengers were rescued. They were on their way to Elephanta Island when the speedboat circled and collided with the ferry "Neelkamal."

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The speedboat was undergoing engine tests and lost control, the statement said.

The dead included one navy personnel and two others on a navy craft, it said.

The tourists were picked up by navy and civilian boats and transferred to jetties and hospitals in the vicinity, the statement said. Four helicopters and 11 naval craft were used in the rescue.

The Elephanta Caves on the island have temples and images from Hindu mythology and are a popular tourist destination off Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday promised to ask former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for help in locating American veteran and journalist Austin Tice following a letter from Tice’s mother pleading for assistance. 

"I haven’t seen President Assad yet, since he came to Moscow – but I plan to do so. I will have a conversation with him," Putin told NBC during a press conference according to a translator, though he appeared to cast doubt on the former president’s ability to help. "We are adults, we understand – 12 years ago, a person went missing in Syria, 12 years ago.

COLLAPSE OF SYRIA’S ASSAD REGIME RENEWS US PUSH TO FIND AUSTIN TICE

"We understand what the situation was and 12 years ago acts of hostilities were ongoing from both sides. Does President Assad himself know what happened to that U.S. citizen, a journalist who performed his journalistic duty in a combat area?" he asked before giving a shrug.

"Nonetheless, I do promise that I will ask this question to him," he added. 

Putin’s comments came after Debra Tice on Wednesday appealed to the Kremlin chief in a letter to help find her son who went missing after he was detained in Damascus in August 2012.

The Syrian government for more than a decade refused to negotiate the release of Tice, who was abducted while reporting on the uprising against the Assad regime during the early stages of the Syrian civil war, which ultimately ended earlier this month after the Syrian president was ousted and fled to Moscow. 

"The current situation in Syria compels us to ask for your help in finding Austin and safely reuniting our family. You have profound connections with the Syrian government, which can be a great benefit for our unrelenting efforts to find our Austin," she wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News. "In this holiday season of peace and goodwill, we respectfully request your assistance in finding Austin and safely reuniting him with our family.

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"We would, of course, be willing to travel to Moscow or any other place on Earth to put our arms around our precious Austin and bring him home safely," she added. 

In an interview with NBC News, Debra defended her decision to write to the authoritarian leader, one of the U.S.’ chief adversaries, and said, "Of course I am reaching out to powerful people, so they can help us."

"Russia has had a port there in Latakia forever, so I do think they have the ability to know what’s going on the ground. We are still trying to find out where he is," she emphasized. 

The State Department has escalated its efforts to find Tice following the fall of the Assad regime, including by offering a $10 million reward for information relating to his release.

"We have fanned out everywhere with every possible source, every possible actor who might be able to get information," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday in his interview with MSNBC's "Morning Joe," in a transcript sent out by the State Department. "This involves anyone and everyone who has some relationship with the different rising authorities in Syria. We’ve been in direct contact with them ourselves. We have other partners on the ground, and we’re looking at getting on the ground ourselves as quickly as we can.

"But the most important thing is this: Any piece of information we get, any lead we have, we’re following it. We have ways of doing that irrespective of exactly where we are," Blinken continued. "And I can just tell you that this is the number-one priority… to get Austin."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities.

Trump, a self-styled master of brokering agreements and author of the 1987 book "Trump: the Art of the Deal", has vowed to swiftly end the conflict, but has not yet given any details on how he might achieve that.

Putin, fielding questions on state TV during his annual question and answer session with Russians, told a reporter for a U.S. news channel that he was ready to meet Trump, whom he said he had not spoken to for years.

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Asked what he might be able to offer Trump, Putin dismissed an assertion that Russia was in a weak position, saying that Russia had got much stronger since he ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.

"We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises," Putin said, after saying that Russian forces, advancing across the entire front, were moving towards achieving their primary goals in Ukraine.

"Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out. In my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."

Reuters reported last month that Putin was open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Trump, but ruled out making any major territorial concessions and insisted Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join NATO.

Putin said on Thursday that Russia had no conditions to start talks with Ukraine and was ready to negotiate with anyone, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But he said any deal could only be signed with Ukraine's legitimate authorities, which for now the Kremlin considered to be only the Ukrainian parliament.

Zelenskyy, whose term was due to expire earlier this year but has been extended due to martial law, would need to be re-elected for Moscow to consider him a legitimate signatory to any deal to ensure it was legally watertight, said Putin.

Putin dismissed the idea of agreeing to a temporary truce with Kyiv, saying only a long-lasting peace deal with Ukraine would suffice.

Any talks should take as their starting point a preliminary agreement reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the early weeks of the war at talks in Istanbul, which was never implemented, he added.

Some Ukrainian politicians regard that draft deal as akin to a capitulation which would have neutered Ukraine's military and political ambitions.

Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands of dead, displaced millions and triggered the biggest crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Russia, which casts the conflict as a defensive special military operation designed to stop dangerous NATO expansion to the east, controls around a fifth of Ukraine and has taken several thousand square kilometers of territory this year.

Determined to incorporate four Ukrainian regions into Russia, Moscow's forces have taken village after village in the east and are now threatening strategically important cities such as Pokrovsk, a major road and rail hub.

Putin said the fighting was complex, so it was "difficult and pointless to guess what lies ahead... (but) we are moving, as you said, towards solving our primary tasks, which we outlined at the beginning of the special military operation."

Discussing the continued presence of Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, Putin said Kyiv's troops would be forced out, but declined to say exactly when that would happen.

The war has transformed the Russian economy and Putin said it was showing signs of overheating which was stoking worryingly high inflation. But he said growth was higher than many other economies such as Britain.

Asked if he'd do anything differently, he said he should have sent troops into Ukraine sooner than 2022 and that Russia should have been better prepared for the conflict.

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Asked by a BBC reporter if he'd looked after Russia, something that Boris Yeltsin had asked him to do before handing over the presidency at the end of 1999, Putin said he had.

"We have moved back from the edge of the abyss," Putin said.

"I have done everything to ensure that Russia is an independent and sovereign power that is able to make decisions in its own interests."

Russia, Putin said, had made proposals to Syria's new rulers about Russia's military bases there. He said most people Moscow had spoken to on the issue favored them staying.

Russia would need to think about whether the bases should remain or not, he added, but rumors about the death of Russian influence in the Middle East were exaggerated.

Putin touted what he said was the invincibility of the "Oreshnik" hypersonic missile that Russia has already test-fired at a Ukrainian military factory, saying he was ready to organize another launch at Ukraine and see if Western air defense systems could shoot it down.

In Brussels, Zelenskyy addressed Putin's missile suggestion during a press conference at a European Council meeting, remarking of Putin, "Do you think he is a sane person?"

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing a growing challenge in the northern West Bank city of Jenin as it launches an ongoing operation against local terror factions supported by Iran, a crackdown that has sparked violent clashes and highlighted the deepening rift between the PA and local communities.

"Iran has been funding militants to buy weapons, and now the Palestinian Authority is acting to stop that. They've taken measures to block the money and crack down on the factions. The PA knows Iran will keep supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and this is the challenge they face. It’s the right time to confront Iran, especially after the wars in Gaza and Lebanon- public mood is not welcoming any military confrontation with Israel after what happened," Mohammad Daraghmeh, Asharq News bureau chief in Ramallah, told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. has reportedly requested Israel’s approval to deliver urgent military assistance to the PA as it intensifies its crackdown on terror organizations in Jenin, Axios reported. The Biden administration is seeking to provide the PA security forces with ammunition, helmets, bulletproof vests, armored cars and other essential items, but needs Israel’s consent to proceed. Historically, U.S. assistance to the PA has ranged between $200 million and $300 million annually. In recent years, especially after the Biden administration took office, there has been a resumption of aid to the PA, following a freeze during the Trump administration.

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"Since October 7th, there has been an increased push from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with significant Iranian involvement," said Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Forum for Palestinian Studies at Tel Aviv University who further emphasized the shift in the situation since Oct. 7, noting the influence of Iranian-backed forces. "They're trying to push operations in the West Bank, and there have been attempts to manufacture rockets and fire them at Israeli cities from Jenin. While it’s still in the early stages and these efforts are unsuccessful, it’s a troubling development that signals how Jenin is evolving into a central hub for terrorists."

Last weekend, PA security forces killed Yazid Jaysa, an Islamic Jihad commander, in an operation that has intensified tensions in the region. This was the third death in Jenin within a week, following the killing of 19-year-old Rahbi Shalabi during gunfights between PA forces and local militants. The deaths have further fueled the discontent in the city, particularly among residents of the Jenin refugee camp. "The entire refugee camp is now against the PA," said Daraghmeh.

On Sunday, reports surfaced that the PA had positioned its forces outside the refugee camp, but attempts to enter were met with resistance. The terrorists inside the camp, many of whom have vowed to fight the PA’s forces, pose a significant challenge to the PA’s plans for reasserting control.

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"There’s no active fighting right now, but the PA forces are stuck. They’ve tried to enter, but failed, and now they’re stuck outside," said Daraghmeh. "They can’t leave, but they can’t continue the operation either, because there are dozens of militants ready to confront them."

Milshtein, the former head of Palestinian affairs in Israeli Defense Forces military intelligence, told Fox News Digital, "The PA does not have the ability to enforce control in northern Samaria and the surrounding areas. The PA has lost control of these regions, and for years, Israel has treated Jenin and the surrounding areas like Gaza- without PA control mechanisms, and essentially, there’s a real vacuum."

The timing of the PA’s operation is significant, with many observers noting that it coincides with the broader regional context, including the ongoing war in Gaza and the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Milshtein believes that the events in Syria played a role in the PA’s decision to act. "People in the West Bank say that when one dictator (PA President Mahmoud Abbas) saw what happened to the other (Bashar al-Assad), he decided he would not follow the same fate," Milshtein explained. "Mahmoud Abbas likely felt that he needed to act before the PA’s authority in the West Bank completely erodes."

The operation, which is part of a larger crackdown in the northern West Bank, also reflects the PA’s desire to assert itself as a capable authority ahead of potential political developments in Gaza. The PA has long struggled with its ability to govern Gaza, which it lost to Hamas in 2007. Now, with the region in turmoil, it is hoping to prove that it can restore order in the West Bank, which it argues will bolster its legitimacy in any postwar political scenario for Gaza.

"I don’t see a possibility that the PA will control Gaza," Milshtein said, "There are two million people there. For 17 years, they have been ruled by Hamas, and 60% were born after Hamas took control. They were educated to view the PA as collaborators with Israel and enemies. Giving the PA two hours in Gaza is a known failure from the outset."

Despite the violence in Jenin, Daraghmeh does not foresee the conflict spreading beyond. "People in Ramallah, Hebron and other cities don’t want the West Bank to turn into another Gaza," Daraghmeh said. "The situation in Jenin is contained, but it remains a test for the PA’s ability to control its own territory."

A Frenchman accused of drugging his wife of 50 years and inviting strangers over to rape her – while he filmed the assaults – has been found guilty. 

The verdict for 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot, the ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot, was read by the lead judge of the court in Avignon, Roger Arata. He later gave Pelicot the maximum sentence of 20 years. 

Dominique Pelicot, admitted that for years he knocked his then wife of 50 years out with drugs so that he and strangers he recruited online could abuse her while he filmed the assaults.

The appalling ordeal inflicted over nearly a decade on Gisèle Pelicot, now a 72-year-old grandmother, in what she thought was a loving marriage and her courage during the bruising and stunning trial have transformed the retired power company worker into a feminist hero of the nation.

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Stretching over more than three months, the historic case profoundly shook the nation, galvanizing campaigners against sexual violence and spurring calls for tougher measures to stamp out rape culture.

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Dominique Pelicot and 49 other men were tried in the southern French city of Avignon for aggravated rape and attempted rape and face up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.

Prosecutors asked that he get the maximum penalty and for sentences of 10 to 18 years for the others. They also requested a four-year prison term for another defendant who was tried for aggravated sexual assault.

The 51 men were all accused of having taken part in Dominique Pelicot's sordid rape and abuse fantasies that were acted out in the couple's retirement home in the small Provence town of Mazan and elsewhere.

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Dominique Pelicot testified that he hid tranquilizers in food and drink that he gave his then wife, knocking her out so profoundly that he could do what he wanted to her for hours.

Gisèle Pelicot's courage in waiving her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse and successfully pushing for the hearings and shocking evidence — including videos — to be heard in open court have fueled conversations both on a national level in France and among families, couples and groups of friends about how to better protect women and the role that men can play in pursuing that goal.

Dominique Pelicot first came to the attention of police in September 2020, when a supermarket security guard caught him surreptitiously filming up women's skirts.

Police subsequently found his library of homemade images documenting years of abuse inflicted on his wife — more than 20,000 photos and videos in all, stored on computer drives and cataloged in folders marked "abuse," "her rapists," "night alone" and other titles.

As the U.S. looks to better secure itself from threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Beijing is skirting efforts to clamp down on Chinese interference by utilizing a core American principle, the separation of state and federal powers.

While the U.S. federal government over the last several years has taken steps to protect against potential threats posed by Beijing – like efforts to restrict its ability to invest in U.S. farmlands over concerns that China could use the land for espionage schemes – it has failed to address China’s most utilized tool: influence.

According to a report titled, "The Near Enemy: China’s Subnational Reach Into the United States" and released on Tuesday by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), China’s localized subnational relations in the U.S. are its driving force behind Beijing's continued influence in a range of sectors nationwide.

CHINA ATTACKED US WITH HACKERS. WE NEED TO HIT BACK HARD

"Chinese subnational influence in the United States today grossly outweighs the capacity enjoyed by any other external power. It also dwarfs the leverage cultivated by the ‘active measures’ playbook deployed by the last U.S. great power rival, the Soviet Union," the authors of the report found. 

This sphere of influence is obtained by skirting federal policies and instead focusing on relation-building at the state and local levels, whether this is through private contracts, state-based programs, or acquisitions and investments that create jobs and boost local economies. 

"State and local governments are more ‘pragmatic’ than their federal counterparts, focused on ‘employment and economic development’ rather than security concerns," the authors said in reference to a 2019 report by the state-owned news agency Xinhua that reviewed local U.S. government relationships with China despite the ongoing trade war ignited one year earlier under the then-Trump administration. 

The Chinese report found that "U.S. local governments actively seek cooperation with China," and according to the FDD’s most recent findings, this attitude toward Beijing has not changed when it comes to state leadership on both sides of the aisle. 

"An asymmetry exists within the U.S. federal system’s division of labor. National authorities carry responsibility for national security and international trade policy. State and local authorities focus on the provision of public goods and economic development," the FDD report found. 

"As a result, Chinese subnational influence efforts that disproportionately emphasize economic impact – particularly inbound investment at the subnational level – can bypass security mechanisms that exist at the national level," the report added. 

BIDEN ADMIN DOUBLING TARIFFS ON CHINESE SOLAR PANEL PARTS AFTER REPORTED 'INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE'

The report pointed to relationships that have been fostered between both Democrats and Republican leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last year visited China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They reportedly discussed issues ranging from economic development to cultural exchange programs. 

Similarly, in 2018, as the trade war with China was kicking off, Arkansas' Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, said during an event hosted by the National Governors Association, and attended by China General Chamber of Commerce Foundation – a group committed to fostering U.S.-China business cooperation – that subnational cooperation with China "is very important."

"Obviously, our federal government runs our foreign policy and our trade policy. But the more we can build relationships at the state level, then the more successful we will be at the national level," he added. 

But according to the findings of the FDD report, this sentiment is the core issue facing the U.S. today and its inability to effectively safeguard itself from Chinese interference in areas ranging from trade and investment to technology, education systems, media and research enterprises.

"American policy responses to China lack coordination. Defending against China’s subnational influence arms requires a more integrated approach to address the complex collective action problem posed by China’s cultivation of influence through state, local, and commercial avenues in the United States," the authors wrote.

The FDD experts reported that China sees state and local actors as "valuable and ripe targets for influence efforts" that are effective in not only securing investment deals and cultural programs, but in swaying national narratives. 

"The Chinese Communist Party takes a deliberate approach to finding seams in U.S. defenses and working to establish a united front that extends the CCP's influence beyond China's borders," Nathan Picarsic, FDD senior fellow and co-author of the report told Fox News Digital. "State, local and commercial avenues provide openings for Beijing to manipulate – and through which it can evade the barriers imposed by an increasingly hawkish Washington."

"For the United States to effectively and efficiently respond to the threat of the CCP's global positioning – across domains of competition, whether measured in capital, technology or military power – we must first address the CCP's presence in the United States," he added. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Hutchinson for comment.

A series of Israeli airstrikes targeted Sanaa, Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, early Thursday, igniting fires at energy facilities and at the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

"The targets struck by the [Israeli military] were used by the Houthi forces for military purposes," a statement said. "The strikes degrade the Houthi terrorist regime, preventing it from exploiting the targets for military and terrorist purposes, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the region."

Israeli forces carried out the strikes on the ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen following the firing of Houthi missiles that were shot down before reaching Israeli territory, according to IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari.

US FORCES TARGET HOUTHI WEAPONS STORAGE FACILITIES IN YEMEN OVER THE WEEKEND: CENTCOM

"Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling debris from the interception," the Israeli military said. 

Sirens sounded near Tel Aviv and the surrounding areas, and a large explosion was heard overhead at the time. The Houthis did not immediately claim the missile attack, but said a statement would be issued within hours, following a pattern of how the group claims their assaults.

ISRAELI STRIKE KILLS HEZBOLLAH SPOKESMAN IN BEIRUT; AT LEAST 30 DEAD IN GAZA AIRSTRIKES

The Houthis have carried out attacks on Israel and shipping in a campaign to support the Palestinians as Israel continues its war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 45,000 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Healthy Ministry.

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

Houthi-controlled media outlets currently offer no information on the damage or casualties from Thursday’s strikes.

A group of agitators waving Palestinian flags stormed the court during a basketball game between Israel’s Hapoel Holon and France’s Nanterre 92, sparking chaos in the stands. 

The bedlam came during the third quarter of the game in Nanterre, France, which was part of the FIBA Basketball Champions League. 

Around 10 individuals ran onto the court waving Palestinian flags, angering hundreds of attendees from the French Jewish community cheering for the Israeli team. 

Some of the anti-Israel agitators jumped into the stands and were quickly apprehended by security. A group on the pro-Israel side began breaking out into nationalist chants. 

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

The match resumed a few minutes later after police detained the disruptors. Security was ramped up for the remainder of the game, including officers equipped with shields, to separate members of the Jewish community from other fans.

The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs had issued a warning regarding the game earlier in the day, including initial indications of a planned protest by groups expected to gather near the arena. These included the pro-Palestinian organization Europalestine and the far-left party La France Insoumise. 

Nanterre Mayor Raphaël Adam earlier this week barred fans from attending the game to "prevent public disturbances," but a court overturned that decision Wednesday morning.

Hapoel Holon lost the game to Nanterre, 87-77. But the Israeli team still advanced to the Top 16 stage thanks to the loss of Bosnian team Igokea to German team Würzburg. Yotam Hanochi led Guy Goodes’ scorers with 18 points, while Paul Lacombe excelled on the opposing side with 23 points.

France’s highest court has upheld an appeal court decision which had found former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state.

Sarkozy, 69, faces a year in prison, but is expected to ask to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet — as is the case for any sentence of two years or less.

He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated.

"The convictions and sentences are therefore final," a Court of Cassation statement on Wednesday said.

FRANCE'S MACRON NAMES CENTRIST ALLY BAYROU AS NEXT PRIME MINISTER

Sarkozy, who was France’s president from 2007 to 2012, retired from public life in 2017 though still plays an influential role in French conservative politics. He was among the guests who attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral earlier this month.

Sarkozy, in a statement posted on X, said "I will assume my responsibilities and face all the consequences."

He added: "I have no intention of complaining. But I am not prepared to accept the profound injustice done to me."

Sarkozy said he will seek to bring the case to the European Court of Human Rights, and hopes those proceedings will result in "France being condemned."

He reiterated his "full innocence."

"My determination is total in this case as in all others," he concluded.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, said his client "will comply" with the ruling. This means the former president will have to wear an electronic bracelet, Spinosi said.

It is the first time in France’s modern history that a former president has been convicted and sentenced to a prison term for actions during his term.

Sarkozy’s predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was found guilty in 2011 of misuse of public money during his time as Paris mayor and was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Sarkozy has been involved in several other legal cases. He has denied any wrongdoing.

He faces another trial next month in Paris over accusations he took millions of dollars from then-Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to illegally finance his successful 2007 campaign.

The corruption case that led to Wednesday's ruling focused on phone conversations that took place in February 2014.

At the time, investigative judges had launched an inquiry into the financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign. During the inquiry, they discovered that Sarkozy and his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, were communicating via secret mobile phones registered to the alias "Paul Bismuth."

Wiretapped conversations on those phones led prosecutors to suspect Sarkozy and Herzog of promising magistrate Gilbert Azibert a job in Monaco in exchange for leaking information about another legal case involving Sarkozy. Azibert never got the post and legal proceedings against Sarkozy have been dropped in the case he was seeking information about.

Prosecutors had concluded, however, that the proposal still constitutes corruption under French law, even if the promise wasn’t fulfilled. Sarkozy vigorously denied any malicious intention in his offer to help Azibert.

Azibert and Herzog have also been found guilty in the case.

A new report cites a laundry list of alleged errors in the casualty tallies that the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health has issued during the conflict in Gaza, and found that worldwide media widely report the inflated numbers with little or no scrutiny.

The Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a U.K. based think tank, found "widespread inaccuracies and distortion in the data collection process" for the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH) which has resulted in a "misleading picture of the conflict." The study also analyzed how journalists worldwide have spread misleading MoH data without noting its shortcomings or offering alternative information from Israeli sources.

The report's author, Andrew Fox, a fellow at HJS said his team’s research is based on lists of casualty figures that the MoH has released through Telegram as well as lists released by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Fox said he and his team have been able to examine segments of the reporting, despite changeable MoH data being "really hard to interrogate." 

On Tuesday, Gaza health authorities updated its number of dead to what it said was more than 45,000.

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

The report said the ministry's reporting long indicated that women and children made up more than half of the war dead, leading to accusations that Israel intentionally kills civilians in Gaza.

"If Israel was killing indiscriminately, you would expect deaths to roughly match the demographic proportions pre-war," Fox said. At the time, adult men made up around 26% of the Gazan population. "The number of adult males that have died is vastly in excess of 26%," he said.

Within accessible reporting, Fox and his team also found instances of casualty entries being recorded improperly, "artificially increas[ing] the numbers of women and children who are reported as killed." This has included people with male names being listed as females, and grown adults being recorded as young children.

Analyzing data by category has further highlighted biases within reporting. There are three kinds of entries within MoH’s casualty figures: entries collected by hospitals prior to the breakdown of networks in November 2023, entries submitted by family members of the deceased, and entries collected through "media sources," whose veracity researchers like Dr. David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, has previously questioned. 

Analysis of gender breakdowns among these groupings shows that hospital records "are distorted," with a higher percentage of women and children among hospital-reported casualties than in those reported by family members.

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

Though around 5,000 natural deaths typically occur in Gaza each year, the study found that MoH casualty figures do not account for natural deaths. It claims that it also fails to exclude deaths unassociated with Israeli military action from its count. This includes individuals believed to have been killed by Hamas, like 13-year-old Ahmed Shaddad Halmy Brikeh, who appears on a casualty list from August despite reports indicating he had "been shot dead by Hamas" while trying to get food from an aid shipment in December 2023. The list also excludes individuals killed by Hamas’ rockets, about 1,750 of which "fell short within the Gaza strip" between October 2023 and July 2024.

Fox and his team also found individuals who died before the conflict began had been added to MoH casualty counts. In addition, at least three cancer patients whose names were included in lists to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment in April had been listed as dead during the month of March.

RETURN OF TRUMP GIVES FAMILIES OF GAZA HOSTAGES NEW HOPE

The ministry does not separate combatants and civilians in its casualty figures. Though the study states that Israeli forces have killed around 17,000 Hamas terrorists, Fox said that his research indicated the death toll may include as many as 22,000 members of Hamas. He said his research supports the fact that around 15,000 of the dead in Gaza are women and children, and 7,500 are non-combatant adult males.

"Collecting these sorts of lists in a war zone is a hugely challenging thing," Fox admitted, but he stated that the MoH’s mistakes, whether innocent or deliberate, show that the institution is "really unreliable." 

Despite this unreliability, the Henry Jackson Society’s survey of reporting of the conflict found that 98% of media organizations it looked at utilized fatality data from MoH versus 5% who cited Israeli figures. Fox found that "fewer than one in every 50 articles [about the conflict] mentioned that the figures provided by the MoH were unverifiable or controversial," though "Israeli statistics had their credibility questioned in half of the few articles that incorporated them." 

As an illustration of the phenomenon witnessed in the survey, Fox pointed out what he called an "incredibly biased" article from a British broadcaster that recently emerged citing MoH data claiming that there have been more than 45,000 deaths in Gaza. Though its report mentions MoH data, it does not break down the numbers of combatants and civilians, and does not mention the questionable veracity of MoH reporting. Instead, it parrots MoH claims, reporting that women and children make up for over half of the fatalities.

"It’s just a great example of everything we’ve written in the report," Fox said.

The choosing and decorating of a Christmas tree to display during the holiday season is a beloved tradition with a long history. 

Today, Christmas trees are often decorated with an array of ornaments, including glass ones, homemade creations, candy canes, tinsel and sparkling lights, but that was not always the case. There was a time in history when Christmas trees were adorned with edible items, including apples, to commemorate the feast of Adam and Eve on Dec. 24. 

Germany is credited with starting the tradition of the Christmas tree, according to History.com, with 16th century records telling of Christians bringing trees into their homes for the holiday. 

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT SOLD CHRISTMAS TREES TO LOCAL RESIDENTS ON HIS OWN ESTATE IN THE 1930S

The Christmas tree has evolved over time, especially in the way in which it is decorated. 

In the 1600s, it was typical for a Christmas tree to be decorated using apples, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

The feast of Adam and Eve, held on Dec. 24, was honored by a "Paradise Play," which told the story of Adam and Eve. 

The play featured a "Paradise Tree," according to the website, The Catholic Company, which was decorated with apples.

HOW TO SAY ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ IN 10 LANGUAGES TO FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD

It was popular in Germany to set up "Paradise Trees" in homes, according to several sources, including Britannica and CatholicProfiles.org. 

Then, in the 1700s, evergreen tips were hung from the ceilings of homes, also decorated with apples as well as gilded nuts and red paper strips, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

It was not until the 1800s that the Christmas tree made its way to the United States by German settlers, according to the source. 

At this time, Christmas trees were not the large displays they are now, and they simply sat atop a table, per the National Christmas Tree Association. 

Then, in the mid-1800s, trees began to sell commercially in the U.S. By the late 1800s, glass ornaments became a common decoration for the Christmas tree, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

Today, every family has their own traditions and preferences when it comes to decorating the Christmas tree. 

Some go with a very complimentary design, sticking to a single or couple of colors. Others opt for a mix-matched arrangement, combining homemade ornaments with more classic ones, as well as colorful lights, ribbon and more. 

Israel rejected Turkish accusations on Tuesday following Ankara’s condemnation of Israeli military actions in Syria, as Turkey escalates its own operations in the war-torn country. The rising tensions have deepened the rift between the two nations and sparked concerns over regional stability and the fate of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces fighting ISIS.

On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized Israel for expanding settlements in the Golan Heights, calling it part of Israel’s "expansion of borders through occupation." Turkey urged Israel to comply with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which established a cease-fire between Israel and Syria.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the agreement void, arguing it no longer applied after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad abandoned their positions on the Syrian side during the country’s civil war. Netanyahu has described the Golan Heights as a vital security buffer and integral to Israel’s defense strategy against Iran and Hezbollah, which operate in Syria.

TRUMP SAYS TURKEY ‘DID AN UNFRIENDLY TAKEOVER’ IN SYRIA AS US-BROKERED CEASE-FIRE APPEARS TO FAIL

On Tuesday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a response on X. "Turkey has systematically encroached on Syrian territory... Approximately 15% of Syria’s territory is under Turkish-backed control. In these areas, the Turkish currency is in use, and Turkish bank branches and postal services have been operating.

"Furthermore, the Turkish military bombards infrastructure in the northeastern autonomous region of Syria using aircraft and UAVs. Turkey supports jihadist forces that operate against Kurds in Syria. The last country that can speak about occupation in Syria is Turkey… There is no justification for Turkish aggression and violence against Kurds in Syria!"

The unusually sharp exchange reflects a new low in bilateral relations, according to Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies. "Relations between Israel and Turkey are now at their lowest point in decades," she told Fox News Digital. "In May, Turkey imposed a complete trade ban on Israel, severing all direct links. This is unprecedented for countries that maintain diplomatic relations."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rhetoric has worsened ties further. His support for Hamas, which carried out the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and his accusations of "genocide" in Gaza have drawn Israeli ire. "We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these ridiculous things to Palestine," Erdoğan said in July. "Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them."

TOP US ALLY, SDF COMMANDER IN SYRIA WARNS OF ISIS RETURN IF TURKISH AIRSTRIKES DON’T STOP

Erdoğan has also urged Islamic nations to unite against Israel, calling it "the most concrete threat to regional and global peace." Lindenstrauss emphasized Turkey’s support for Hamas as a major source of tension. "Turkey backs Hamas and wants to see Hamas remain in charge in Gaza after the war," she explained.

Israel remains increasingly concerned about Turkey’s military buildup in northern Syria. Lindenstrauss said Ankara’s ambitions are growing. "Turkey has been in control of northern areas and supported rebels against Assad," she said. "The question now is whether Turkey’s influence will spread further south, positioning Ankara as a patron of the emerging regime."

Lindenstrauss highlighted Turkey’s reliance on Qatar for financial backing, referencing Erdoğan’s recent meeting with the Qatari emir. "Turkey cannot sustain its influence in Syria alone," she said. "It needs Gulf state cooperation, particularly from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, to finance the rebuilding of Syria."

US WARNS AMERICANS TO FLEE SYRIA OR PREPARE TO 'SHELTER IN PLACE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS'

Turkey’s focus remains on dismantling Kurdish control in northern Syria, particularly around Kobani, a symbolic city for the Kurds. Ankara’s current strategy recalls its 2019 invasion, which displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.

"The Kurds control prisons that hold thousands of ISIS fighters," Lindenstrauss said. "These prisons are critical to the U.S., Israel, and the West. Weakening Kurdish control risks regional destabilization and a resurgence of ISIS."

As Turkey deepens its presence in Syria, analysts warn that clashes with Israel could become unavoidable. Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak of Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center drew parallels to Turkey’s interventions in Libya and Azerbaijan. "If Turkish forces move into proximity with Israeli operations or allies, the risk of unintended confrontations will rise dramatically," he told TPS-IL news agency.

Despite the sharp rhetoric, experts argue that both countries share an interest in avoiding direct conflict. "Turkey’s main interests are in northern Syria, while Israel’s focus is on the south," Lindenstrauss said. "Israel and Turkey managed to establish deconfliction channels with Russia in Syria to avoid friction. Similar mechanisms will be necessary here, even if they operate quietly."

Yanarocak warned of growing risks. "The skies are the limit for how far this situation could deteriorate," he said. "It’s time to pay attention."

With the collapse of the Assad regime and Russia’s declining influence in Syria, some are saying that an opportunity for a rapprochement between Israel and Ukraine now exists, where it hadn't before.

"Israel needs to be more involved in supporting Ukraine," Yuli Edelstein, the chair of Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Community and a member of the ruling Likud party, told Fox News Digital. "The situation has changed, it’s time for Israel to step up."

Edelstein, a leading voice in Israel’s defense and foreign policy discussions, said "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," adding, "We see a strategic alliance between the Russians and the Iranians. If before it was the great Russia adopting Iran, now it’s important to recognize that the balance of power has changed."

"We’ve seen the importance of Iranian weapons, with an emphasis on missiles and drones, for the Russians," Edelstein continued, "Therefore, Israel could have taken a much clearer stance, supporting Ukraine."

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Israel has long navigated the delicate balance between its ties with Russia and Ukraine. Despite strong public support for Ukraine, Israel’s government has maintained a cautious approach, largely due to its complex relationship with Moscow. With Russia controlling key areas of Syrian airspace, Israel had to manage airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias and weapons convoys along the axis from Iran via Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, all while avoiding provoking Russia.

With Russia backing both Iran and its proxy groups, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk, who has been advocating for closer military cooperation and requesting military assistance from Israel, told Fox News Digital that Israel’s cautious stance toward Ukraine can no longer be justified. While Israel insists on providing only humanitarian and defensive aid, refraining from sending high-tech weaponry, Korniychuk emphasized the need for a shift in policy.

"Russia’s ties with Iran and its support for Hezbollah and Hamas make it clear Russia is no neutral player for Israel," Korniychuk explained. "Now that Russia’s role in Syria is diminishing, Israel has no excuse – it should seize the opportunity to work more closely with Ukraine."

The ambassador added, "Both our countries face the same threats. Israel has the expertise we need in air defense, and we have the experience in defending ourselves against Iranian drones. These drones are becoming a growing problem for both Ukraine and Israel."

IRANIAN PROXIES STEPPING UP THEIR DRONE ATTACKS IN WAR WITH ISRAEL

Edelstein noted, "I’m not suggesting we should open a war with Russia. But when it comes to cooperation with the Ukrainians, the Israeli interest is a close cooperation in anything related to defense, especially regarding missiles and drones. Look at what’s happening in Israel," he said referring to recent events, when Iranian drones were able to penetrate the airspace of Israel, which is protected by highly advanced systems like the Iron Dome and Arrow. 

However, against what is perceived as a simpler threat, a drone strike took the lives of four soldiers at an Israeli base. "If, together with the Ukrainians, two years ago we had entered the defense field when the problems began here, we could have been better prepared."

An Israeli security official told Fox News Digital that while Israel is advancing its own technology to combat Iranian drones, it takes time. "The Iron Dome, for example, is crucial for air defense, but it wasn’t designed to handle mass drone attacks, which is a challenge both Israel and Ukraine are facing," the official said. "Israel’s systems are effective against rockets, but drones are another story. Ukraine has become a testing ground for real combat conditions, and we missed the chance to take advantage of that."

Despite Israel’s cautious political rhetoric, intelligence collaboration between Israel and Ukraine has flourished. An Israeli government official speaking on background said, "The intelligence cooperation between Ukraine and Israel has been far more advanced than our political relations." A Ukrainian official confirmed that, saying, "The intelligence communities in Ukraine and Israel have close and productive relations, and I hope that on the military level, Israel will now agree to sell Ukraine technologies and equipment that can assist it in the war against Russia."

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

Rebekah Koffler, strategic military intelligence analyst and author of "Putin’s Playbook," said Israel’s primary concern should be its regional security, particularly in relation to Iran, and that the collapse of Assad’s regime and the weakening of Russia’s influence in Syria has not changed that. "As much as there is pressure for Israel to support Ukraine, strategically, Israel has more to gain by remaining neutral with Russia. Russia still holds significant leverage in the Middle East."

"A stable relationship with Russia offers Israel a strategic advantage," Koffler continued, "especially in managing the Iranian threat and maintaining influence with key regional actors like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey, where Putin has leverage. Ukraine, on the other hand, offers little to Israel. While Ukraine is highly dependent on Western support, Israel does not derive significant benefits from this relationship."

Daniel Vajdich, a Republican foreign policy expert and president of Yorktown Solutions, which advises Ukrainian state entities, highlighted that Israel is now in a stronger position to support Ukraine, given the changing security landscape. "Israel’s strategic focus has always been on its own security, especially after 14 months of multifront war. But now, there is certainly room for more support for Ukraine," Vajdich explained. "Israel’s defense capabilities, especially in air defense, are exceptional, and Ukraine could benefit significantly from that expertise."

Vajdich also pointed out that a shifting geopolitical landscape could provide Israel with more freedom to support Ukraine without facing the same level of external pressure. "The Trump administration likely won’t pressure Israel to increase its support for Ukraine, unlike the Biden administration," he said. "However, more U.S. support to Israel, particularly under a future Trump administration, could allow Israel to feel more secure in providing additional help to Ukraine. Israel will likely continue to prioritize its security, but the space for collaboration with Ukraine is expanding."

"The Israelis always said that Russia was their neighbor to the north, and therefore they had to be cautious not to threaten the relationship," Ukraine's ambassador to Israel said, "But now their neighbor has left – the excuse lost its validity. We hope that Israel will reconsider its refusal to deliver defensive weapons and technology to Ukraine."

A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the killing of a senior Russian general in Moscow.

Though the person was not identified by name, the suspect is a male citizen of the Republic of Uzbekistan who was born in 1995, according to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

He is accused of detonating an explosive device outside a residential building in Moscow on Tuesday, killing Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov and his assistant, Maj. I.V. Polikarpov.

UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL TAKES CREDIT AFTER RUSSIAN GENERAL IGOR KIRILLOV KILLED BY EXPLOSIVE DEVICE IN MOSCOW

The suspect said he was recruited by the Ukrainian special services to conduct the attack, which the agency claimed responsibility for on Tuesday.

"On their instructions, he arrived in Moscow, received a high-power homemade explosive device and placed it on an electric scooter, which he parked near the entrance to the house of I.A. Kirillov," a Russian statement translated to English said. "To monitor the serviceman's address, he rented a car-sharing car, installed a Wi-Fi video camera in it, the footage from which was broadcast online to the organizers in the city of Dnepr (Ukraine)."

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