Kim Jong Un tells military leaders to mobilize most powerful means to destroy enemies, including US: reports

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un told his military leaders during a meeting on Sunday to mobilize the most powerful means to destroy South Korea and the U.S. if either country chooses to go to war, according to state media reports.

Kim warned the leaders of the dangers of an armed confrontation that is quickly becoming a reality on the Korean peninsula.

He blamed maneuvers by the U.S. and other enemies, which would require North Korea to "sharpen the sword" to protect itself.

"If they chose military confrontation and set the fire, we must mobilize all the most powerful means…to deal a crushing blow and completely destroy them," Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KIM JONG UN REVEALS NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO MAKE MORE NUKES AND LAUNCH MILITARY SATELLITES

The dictator hosted his senior military leaders at the ruling Workers’ Party headquarters to acknowledge and congratulate them on their accomplishments during 2023, KCNA said.

Kim also attended a late-night concert to celebrate the new year, KCNA added.

State media reported on Saturday that Kim’s New Year’s resolution was to develop more nuclear materials and launch three more military satellites in 2024.

KIM JONG UN SAYS 'WHEN WASHINGTON MAKES A WRONG DECISION,' ICBM LAUNCH PROVES BEST OPTION

North Korea's ultimate goal is to have an "overwhelming war response capability," Kim said.

North Korea has worked extensively in the past year to increase cooperation with its regional allies Russia and the People's Republic of China.

Kim has been in communication with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin — to meet the latter face to face, the supreme leader made a rare trip out of the country by train.

KIM JONG UN PERSONALLY OVERSEES LAUNCH OF NORTH KOREA'S MOST POWERFUL ICBM YET

The Central Committee of the North Korean Workers' Party gathered in Pyongyang last week for the multi-day plenary meeting to review policies leading into the new year.

While the supreme leader of North Korea has historically been expected to deliver a New Year's Day speech to the people, Kim has delivered the yearly recap speech at Workers' Party meetings since 2020.

North Korea has ramped up its aggression throughout 2023, launching ballistic missiles into the sea around Japan and threatening retaliation against U.S. military exercises.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Kim Jong Un reveals New Year's resolution to make more nukes and launch military satellites

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un declared that his nation will develop more nuclear materials and launch three more military satellites in 2024.

North Korean state media reported the leader's New Year's resolution on Saturday, adding that he is also seeking to develop more advanced attack drones. Kim made the comments during a meeting with the nation's ruling Worker's Party in Pyongyang.

Kim went on to attack the United States, arguing it was engaging in expansionist activity throughout Asia, citing joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea in particular.

North Korea's ultimate goal is to have an "overwhelming war response capability," Kim said.

KIM JONG UN SAYS 'WHEN WASHINGTON MAKES A WRONG DECISION,' ICBM LAUNCH PROVES BEST OPTION

North Korea has worked extensively in the past year to increase cooperation with its regional allies Russia and the People's Republic of China.

KIM JONG UN PERSONALLY OVERSEES LAUNCH OF NORTH KOREA'S MOST POWERFUL ICBM YET

Kim has been in communication with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin – to meet the latter face to face, the supreme leader made a rare trip out of the country by train.

The Central Committee of the North Korean Workers' Party gathered in Pyongyang on Tuesday last week for the multi-day plenary meeting to review policies leading into the new year.

While the supreme leader of North Korea has historically been expected to deliver a New Year's Day speech to the people, Kim has delivered the yearly recap speech at Workers' Party meetings since 2020.

North Korea has ramped up its aggression throughout 2023, launching ballistic missiles into the sea around Japan and threatening retaliation against U.S. military exercises. 

Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and the Associated Press contributed to this report

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Mexico eagerly prepares for historic first Latin American lunar mission: 'Elevates the name of our country'

Mexico will launch its first lunar mission next month, a historic step for the country and Latin America as a whole, according to officials. 

"This project will make history and is the first of its kind in Latin America, which elevates the name of our country, confirming once again that Mexican engineering is at the level of the best in the world," Salvador Landeros, director of the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), said in a press release. 

A team of scientists and nearly 250 university students developed five microrobots that the AEM will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, between Jan. 8 and Jan. 11 as part of project Colmena.

Each robot weighs 60 grams — a little over one-tenth of a pound — and measures just under 5 inches in diameter. 

2023 SPACE STORIES: A REVIEW OF THE GIANT LEAPS MANKIND MADE IN THE PAST YEAR

The robots will communicate with each other on the moon and work together to assemble a panel to generate energy, according to Mexico News Daily. Once set up, the robots will also take measurements of lunar plasma temperature and surface particle sizes, all previously unrecorded data.

Project Colmena is part of a broader NASA program, Artemis, which also includes emerging space programs in Brazil, South Korea and Mexico. 

NASA LAUNCHES MISSION TO INTERCEPT ‘GOD OF CHAOS’ ASTEROID BEFORE IT SCRATCHES EARTH'S ORBIT

"In today's world, developing our own technology is a necessity for Mexico," Medina Tanco, the current head of the Space Instrumentation Laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences, said.

"If we want social well-being, if we want a more productive and better future, we need to be no longer just consumers and transform this country into an actor with technological sovereignty." 

THE GALACTIC DISCOVERY THAT WAS MADE AFTER JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE CAPTURED THIS STUNNING IMAGE

NASA will provide more than the launch pad. NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program has produced a spacecraft called Peregrine that will deliver the microrobots to the moon. 

The early January launch will lead to a late February arrival. The Mexican team had hoped to send the robots to space in 2022 but delayed the project and scrapped a launch after a "wet dress rehearsal" interruption due to a connection timeout error. 

The launch has generated significant national excitement.

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US forces around the world in 2023: From bolstering allies to attacks in Iraq, Syria

American forces stationed around the globe had a busy year in 2023, deploying to numerous countries to reassure allies and continuing the decades-long fight against international terrorism.

The year kicked off with a major military drill in Israel, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) partnering for the largest bilateral show of force in the history of the alliance between the two countries.

The drill, dubbed Juniper Oak, was a "Combined Joint All-Domain exercise," according to CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, an exercise that allowed the two allies to improve their "interoperability on land, in the air, at sea, in space, and in cyberspace with our partners, enhances our ability to respond to contingencies, and underscores our commitment to the Middle East."

CENTCOM contributed about 6,400 personnel to the drill, spreading members between up to 10 Israeli bases and operating six American ships at sea. Israel deployed more than 1,000 soldiers to the drill, including another six ships and aircraft that included F-35s, F-16s, F-15s, G550 reconnaissance aircraft, Boeing 707 refueling aircraft, UAVs and helicopters.

US, ISRAEL LAUNCH LARGE-SCALE MILITARY DRILL IN REGIONAL SHOW OF FORCE

"The exercise demonstrates the indisputable strategic partnership between Israel and the United States and is another step in building Israeli military power," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the drill. "Israel will always defend itself on its own, but of course welcomes the intensifying cooperation with our great ally."

Israel was not the only ally to benefit from training alongside U.S. forces in 2023, a year that included multiple missions alongside South Korean partners. In April, U.S. forces partnered for joint military drills with Japan and South Korea in a show of force amid continued hostile rhetoric from North Korea.

The partner forces engaged in anti-submarine drills that were meant to counter threats made by North Korea a month earlier, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called on his country to be ready to launch a nuclear attack against the allies.

In October, Reuters reported on more drills being held between U.S. and South Korean forces, which included combat drills with drones, unmanned vehicles and wearable laser sensors that were aimed at modernizing the forces of both countries.

US OPENS DRILLS WITH SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN AS NORTH KOREA BLUSTERS

But drills weren't the only news to involve American forces out of the Korean Peninsula in 2023, which included a July incident that saw Army Pvt. Travis King detained in North Korea after he abruptly separated from his group that was touring the demilitarized zone and sprinted into North Korean territory.

King, who was returned to the U.S. by North Korea more than two months later, was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, to face disciplinary action from the Army for an alleged assault on a South Korean national. But the young soldier never boarded his flight back to the United States, instead joining the tour group and making his move across the border.

The incident caused immediate fear among U.S. officials for the safety of King in North Korean custody, with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth saying that the young soldier was likely fearing consequences in the U.S. but probably had not been "thinking clearly" when he fled across the border.

"What we want to do is get that soldier back into our custody. I worry about him, frankly," she said during a July interview with NBC News. "It makes me very, very concerned that Pvt. King is in the hands of the North Korean authorities. I worry about how they may treat him."

King spent a total of 71 days in North Korean custody, returning to U.S. soil on Sept. 28 and receiving medical treatment at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston's Brooke Army Medical Center.

He faces eight charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion, solicitation of child pornography, assault, attempted escape from U.S. military custody and insubordination.

US SOLDIER TRAVIS KING BACK ON AMERICAN SOIL AFTER BEING FREED BY NORTH KOREA

American forces were also busy in Europe in 2023, with thousands of troops deploying to the continent in response to Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine. In February, President Biden ordered 3,000 additional U.S. troops to European countries neighboring Ukraine in a bid to deter any further Russian aggression and reassure allies in the region.

That move was followed by a July announcement that Biden had authorized the Pentagon to use up to 3,000 more U.S. reservists to augment the troops already stationed in Europe.

But U.S. officials have also remained steadfast that American troops will not be deploying to Ukraine in the fight against Russia, with former Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, who now serves as the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, saying that U.S. European deployments would have troops in a "defensive posture" and that they "will not fight in Ukraine."

There are now nearly 66,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in or deployed to Europe as of December 2023, according to numbers compiled by Statista, and are unlikely to be drawn down as Russia's war with Ukraine drags into 2024.

BIDEN AUTHORIZES MILITARY TO USE UP TO 3,000 RESERVE TROOPS TO AUGMENT US FORCES IN EUROPE

The U.S. military increased its troop count in the Middle East in 2023, in large part as a result of the continued aggressive behavior of Iran in the region.

In August, the Navy announced that more than 3,000 sailors and Marines had arrived in the Middle East to supply additional support after "recent attempts by Iran to seize commercial ships in the CENTCOM area of operations."

The move came after a CENTCOM statement in July that said more troops were needed in the region "in response to recent attempts by Iran to seize commercial ships in the CENTCOM area of operations, the Secretary of Defense has ordered the deployment of an Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) into the CENTCOM area of responsibility." 

"In the past two years, Iran has attacked, seized, or attempted seizure of nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels in the CENTCOM area of operations," CENTCOM added.

Iran's aggressive behavior in the Strait of Hormuz had made the move to bolster U.S. forces necessary, Kirby added in August, noting that the area is a "vital seaway" for the flow of global goods.

"The Strait of Hormuz is a vital seaway that has a huge impact on seaborne trade around the world," Kirby said at the time. "It’s a critical choke point in the maritime world. And we have seen threats by Iran to affect that choke point."

US DEPLOYS MORE THAN 3K SAILORS, MARINES TO MIDDLE EAST FOLLOWING IRAN’S TARGETING OF SHIPS

Elsewhere in the Middle East, American forces were busy battling the threat of terrorism in Iraq and Syria.

In December, the Senate voted to shoot down a bill that would have required the U.S. to withdraw roughly 900 troops stationed in Syria. The bill, which was brought by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., came in response to dozens of attacks against U.S. forces in the region by Iranian proxies since October.

"It seems to me, though our 900 troops have no viable mission in Syria, that they’re sitting ducks," Paul said at the time, according to a report from Defense News.

US TROOPS TARGETED IN 3 MORE ATTACKS AT BASES IN IRAQ, SYRIA, LEAVING 1 INJURED

But the bill was defeated in an 84-13 vote, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arguing that such a move is exactly what Iran would want the U.S. to do in response to the attacks.

"Passage of such a resolution would be a gift to Iran and its terrorist network," McConnell said. "Driving American troops from the Middle East is exactly what they’d like to see."

Those attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have continued as 2023 draws to a close, with the Pentagon tallying more than 100 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the start of the year.

Most recently, three U.S. service members were injured in a Christmas Day attack on Erbil Air Base in Iraq by Kataib Hezbollah terrorists.

US RETALIATES AFTER 3 AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS INJURED BY KATAIB HEZBOLLAH ATTACK IN IRAQ

Of the three injured service members, one was injured critically, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. 

Austin also announced that later that day the U.S. had "conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq" in retaliation for the attack.

"These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today, and intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible," Austin said.

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Great-granddaughter of Stalin's successor on stalled aid to Ukraine, the 'Hollywood' framing of the war

The ongoing debate over U.S. aid to Ukraine has reached a standstill, with Republicans refusing to pass President Biden’s multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine unless Congress comes up with a compromise bill that addresses both border security at home and aid for an ally abroad.

Money for Ukraine is expected to run out by the end of the year, according to U.S. officials. 

Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned Congress in a December letter about the detrimental effects of not providing Ukraine with more weapons and equipment, saying it could "kneecap" Ukrainians on the battlefield and increase the "likelihood of Russian military victories."

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, said stalled aid to Ukraine benefits Russian President Vladimir Putin because he has "all the time in the world to wait."

She also rejected the notion Putin will invade a NATO country should he succeed in Ukraine and said there’s been a Hollywood-like framing of the Russia-Ukraine war that creates hyped rhetoric and expectations. 

"You have the Darth Vader of Russia, which is Vladimir Putin, and you have the Captain Marvel of Ukraine, which is Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and of course, good always triumphs," Khrushcheva said. "It’s not realistic."

She pointed to an underwhelming Ukrainian counteroffensive and argued some Republicans are making a populist argument that there needs to be accountability and "convincing numbers" for the U.S. to continue funding Ukraine. 

PUTIN OFFERS RARE DETAILS ABOUT WAR IN UKRAINE, SAYS THERE WILL BE NO PEACE UNTIL GOALS ARE ACHIEVED

"Once again, because it was all played in Hollywood terms, I am really not surprised that Republicans — although, of course, for them, that's their own agenda there — but I'm still not surprised that a lot of people just said, ‘really first, we need a plan first, we need accountability, and then we can talk about it,’" Khrushcheva explained. "And I think that's what [President] Biden needs to concentrate on in the next year." 

President Biden told reporters earlier this month that "If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there." He predicted, according to Reuters, that Putin will attack a NATO ally next and then the U.S. would "have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops." 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in February 2022 that Putin has "made clear that he'd like to reconstitute the Soviet empire. Short of that, he'd like to reassert a sphere of influence around neighboring countries that were once part of the Soviet bloc."

Khrushcheva dismissed this "linear" perspective and said such exaggerated rhetoric, including predicting attacks against NATO countries, is counterproductive and only furthers the Hollywood-esque narrative that Putin, as Darth Vader, will try and take the whole galactic.

"Putin has been very clear right from the beginning, even before Ukraine, not even when he said, ‘What are they expecting us to fight with NATO? Of course, we're not going to fight with NATO.’ Because when he went into Ukraine, he was not planning to fight with NATO," she asserted.

"He really didn't plan for that kind of a war. He thought he was exerting a sphere of influence on a country that he thinks he has power over or should have power over. Then it became an East-West war." 

Dan Hoffman, a former CIA station chief in Moscow, told Fox News Digital that if Putin does beat Ukraine, it’s "much more likely that he would seek to target other countries in the region, including Baltic NATO members."

Hoffman said the Biden administration needs to do a better job of explaining to the American people why the U.S. is supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression instead of saying things like "as long as it takes" because Americans don’t like "forever wars." 

"We should define what victory is. Victory, in part, is making sure Russia doesn't overrun Ukraine, but it might also be Ukraine recovering all the territory Russia annexed by force," he explained. Hoffman added that Russia taking over Ukraine would impact the global economy and show the U.S. can’t stand up for its global allies.

"[Ronald] Reagan would have never stood for this," he said. 

FINLAND JOINS NATO IN MAJOR SETBACK TO RUSSIA

Khrushcheva said she would advise Blinken and Biden to "have a policy, not to have a rhetoric" because politics doesn’t win wars, but it can create them.

The professor of international affairs at the New School in Manhattan added that she believes Biden has a "forever war" on his hands and that Putin will continue his war in Ukraine until he achieves his self-proclaimed "strategic goals," including securing non-NATO status for Ukraine and maintaining control of Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014. 

"[Putin] will not hesitate to sacrifice Russia for that goal. Is the West ready to sacrifice themselves with Ukraine for that goal?" Khrushcheva asked.

"Putin has all the time in the world. And it's the West that does not have the time. It's Zelenskyy and Ukraine that do not have that time," she told Fox News Digital. "That's why we need a policy. Politics no longer works."

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Gunmen kill 6 people, wound 26 others in attack on party in northern Mexico border state

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Three gunmen pulled up to a party early on Friday in northern Mexico and opened fire on partygoers, killing six people and wounding 26 others.

Two of the dead were under 18 years old, and five of the wounded were children. Four of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition at local hospitals, while 13 others were treated and released.

ARIZONA BORDER RANCHER FEARS CARTELS INTENTIONALLY OVERWHELM BORDER PATROL AS A 'DIVERSIONARY TACTIC'

Prosecutors in the border state of Sonora said the killings in the city of Ciudad Obregon was an attack on a suspected cartel member who was wanted in homicide and other charges.

A fourth gunman who participated in the attack was already at the party. The suspected cartel member tried to flee but was killed.

The attackers were able to escape. Sonora has been the scene of bloody turf battles between various drug gangs.

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Burundi's president claims Rwanda is backing rebels fighting against his country

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Burundi’s president on Friday accused Rwanda of funding and training rebels behind an attack last week on the village of Gatumba, close to Burundi’s border with Congo, that killed at least 20 people.

A Burundian armed rebel group known as RED-Tabara and based in South Kivu, eastern Congo, took responsibility for the attack in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The group, which denied having targeted civilians, claimed to have killed nine soldiers and a police officer.

BLINKEN URGES CONGO, RWANDA TO DE-ESCALATE BORDER CONFLICT

Burundian authorities consider RED-Tabara a terrorist movement. The group first appeared in 2011 and has been accused of a string of attacks in Burundi since 2015.

In a national radio broadcast, President Evariste Ndayishimiye claimed the RED-Tabara "are fed, sheltered, hosted and maintained in terms of logistics and financial means by … Rwanda."

Ndayishimiye said Burundi has been unsuccessfully negotiating with Rwanda for two years, seeking the extradition of the rebels.

"As long as they have a country that provides them with uniforms, feeds them, protects them, shelters them, maintains them, we will have problems," he said.

There was no immediate reaction from Rwanda’s government to Ndayishimiye's accusations but it has previously said that it cannot extradite people who are under the protection of the U.N. refugee agency.

Relations between the two central African neighbors improved with the ascension to power of Ndayishimiye in June 2020 and borders between them reopened.

Some of those killed in the Gatumba attack — which Burundi has described as an act of terror and said it had contacted Interpol to seek its help in apprehending the perpetrators — were buried on Tuesday.

In August last year, Burundi deployed soldiers to eastern Congo as part of a regional force invited by Congo to tackle the resurgence of the M23 rebel group there. Some observers believed that the Burundi troops from the seven-nation East African Community force would be used to crush RED-Tabara.

However, the East African Regional force is currently being withdrawn in phases from the violence-plagued eastern Congo following complaints from locals and authorities that instead of disarming the rebels, the forces were cohabiting with them.

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Deadly Nepal plane crash likely caused by basic pilot error, report finds

A January plane crash in Nepal that killed 72 people – including two Americans and two lawful U.S. permanent residents – was likely caused by its pilots mistakenly cutting the power, according to a report by government-appointed investigators released on Thursday.

The deadly decision resulted in an aerodynamic stall and then the Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara plummeted into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The January 15 crash was the country’s most deadly airline disaster in 30 years.

NEPAL CRASH: VIDEO FROM INSIDE PLANE SHOWS PASSENGERS' FINAL MOMENTS

There were 72 people on the twin-engine aircraft, an ATR 72, including two infants, four crew and 15 foreign nationals. There were no survivors.

"The most probable cause of the accident is determined to be the inadvertent movement of both condition levers to the feathered position in flight, which resulted in feathering of both propellers and subsequent loss of thrust, leading to an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain," the report states.

Dipak Prasad Bastola, an aeronautical engineer and a member of the investigating panel, told Reuters that due to lack of awareness and lack of standard operating procedures, the pilots had put the condition levers, which control power, in the feathering position, instead of selecting the flap lever.

This led the engine to "run idle and not produce thrust," Bastola told Reuters. "But due to its momentum, the aircraft flew for up to 49 seconds before hitting the ground."

ATR is based in France and the plane's engines were manufactured in Canada by Pratt & Whitney Canada.

The report also listed a lack of appropriate technical and skill-based training, high workload and stress due to operating into a new airport, and non-compliance with standard operating procedures as contributing factors to the incident. The crew also missed associated flight deck and engine indications that both propellers had been feathered, the report states.

The report went on to state that the aircraft had been properly maintained, had no known defects and that the cockpit crew had been qualified in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

DOZENS KILLED IN NEPAL PLANE CRASH AFTER AIRCRAFT PLUMMETS INTO RIVER GORGE

Footage taken from inside the aircraft showed passengers chatting as the plane started making its descent. Video of the crash taken by eyewitnesses then showed the plane’s wing dropping aggressively before slamming into the ground. 

It was co-piloted by Anju Khatiwada, who had pursued years of pilot training in the United States after her husband died in a 2006 plane crash while flying for the same airline. The plane was under the command of senior captain Kamal KC.

Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest, has a long and tragic history of air crashes. According to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety database, there have been 42 fatal plane crashes in Nepal since 1946. 

The January crash was Nepal's worst aircraft disaster since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 crashed into a hillside on approach to Kathmandu, killing all 167 people on board.

January’s passenger list included 53 Nepali citizens, five Indians, four Russians, two South Koreans, one Australian, one Argentinian, one Irish and one French, Nepali authorities said. 

The European Union has banned Nepali airlines from its airspace since 2013, citing safety concerns, according to Reuters.

Fox News’ Greg Norman, Pilar Arias, Anders Hagstrom, as well as Reuters contributed to this report. 

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Russia fires 122 missiles in largest aerial barrage of the Ukraine war, killing at least 18 people

Russia launched one of the largest aerial barrages during its war with Ukraine overnight Thursday and into Friday, striking areas across the country and killing at least 18 people. At least 86 people were also injured during the roughly 18-hour onslaught.

Ukrainian officials said the massive attack included 122 missiles and 36 drones striking six different cities, including the capital, Kyiv. According to Ukraine’s military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukrainian forces intercepted 87 of the missiles and shot down or disabled 27 of the Shahed-type drones.

Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the overnight assault was "the most massive aerial attack" since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Previously, in November 2022, Russia launched 96 missiles into Ukraine in a single attack, the Ukrainian air force said. The largest previous attack this year was on March 9, when Russia fired 81 missiles.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO SEND UKRAINE LAST BATCH OF AID AS US DEPLETES AVAILABLE FUNDS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kremlin’s forces used a wide variety of weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles: "Today, Russia used nearly every type of weapon in its arsenal."

A maternity hospital, apartment blocks and schools were among the buildings damaged in the attack, he added. Ukrainian officials said an unknown number of people are among the rubble and the number of deceased and injured is expected to increase.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said Russia "apparently launched everything they have" in the assault. The assault included S-300 and Kh-21 missiles.

The Russian aerial barrage comes as the two sides have mostly failed to make any territorial gains through the winter and as the conflict has fatigued diplomatic relations on both sides. Fighting continues along the roughly 620-mile line of contact.

Ukrainian officials continue to urge Western allies to provide it with more air defenses to protect itself against aerial attacks like Friday's attack.

Western officials and analysts have warned that Russia was stockpiling its cruise missiles for months in an apparent effort to carry out massive strikes, such as Friday’s, hoping to break Ukrainians spirit.

Two people were killed and 15 were injured in Odesa, on the southern coast. One person was killed and eight injured in the western city of Lviv. One person was killed and at least nine injured in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Teen killed in shark attack off Australia's coast, officials say

A 15-year-old boy was killed by a shark attack in the waters off Australia’s south coast, police have confirmed. 

South Australia police said the body was pulled from the water after the attack, near Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park on the Yorke Peninsula. The area is a popular spot for surfing. 

Yorke Mid North Police, Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators were responding to the scene. Police said a report by the coroner is underway. 

The teenager may have been swimming between 100 and 130 feet from shore, Marty Goody, a local resident who has surfed in the area for decades, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

US TOURIST KILLED IN BAHAMAS SHARK ATTACK IDENTIFIED

"It's the most open part to the open ocean... that's the main area that gets the swell," Goody said.

The attack follows the death in May of a 46-year-old mauled by a shark at Walkers Rocks Beach on Eyre Peninsula. 

The attack comes after a 55-year-old Australian man was killed by a shark in late October. The man was surfing around 10:20 a.m. near Granites Beach, south of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula when witnesses saw a shark clench him in its jaws. 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Reuters contributed to this report. 

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Stowaway from Algeria found barely alive at Paris airport

A stowaway was found barely alive in the undercarriage bay of an airplane after it landed in Paris Thursday morning, according to reports. 

Security sources told Reuters that the Air Algeria airplane had come from the Western Algerian town of Oran, embarking on the two-and-a-half hour flight to Paris Orly airport. 

The stowaway, who was not identified but is believed to be in his 20s, was discovered during technical checks. He had no ID on him and was taken to an area hospital in serious condition because of severe hypothermia, per AFP. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to airport officials for more information. 

FRANCE GROUNDS NICARAGUA-BOUND FLIGHT UNDER SUSPICION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Commercial airplanes often fly at 30,000 to 40,000 feet altitude. Stowaways daring to brave the journey in the unpressurized wheel-houses and cargo holds of planes can expect to face between minus 50 and 60 Celsius as well as a lack of oxygen. 

In 2019, the body of a suspected stowaway fell hundreds of meters from a plane flying over southwest London, landing in the garden of a man's home, just missing him as he sunbathed.

In 2015, the body of a stowaway on a British Airways flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow landed on a shop in Richmond, southwest London. A second stowaway survived the 10-hour flight and was found in the undercarriage of the plane.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

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Mexican officials use bulldozers to clear migrant tent camp at US border

Mexican officials worked with bulldozers Wednesday to clear out a ragged migrant tent camp next to the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico.

Migrants at the encampment in Matamoros, which borders Brownsville, Texas, first moved into the area in late 2022. The encampment once held as many as 1,500 migrants, but many of the temporary shelters were vacated in recent months as the migrants fled to reach the U.S.

The removal came as a top level U.S. delegation met with Mexico's president in Mexico City’s National Palace to discuss how to curb the unprecedented surge of migrants reaching the U.S. border.

The meeting included U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and others.

TEXAS HAS ARRESTED THOUSANDS AT THE US-MEXICO BORDER AS STATE EXPANDS POWERS TO ARREST MIGRANTS

On Wednesday, Matamoros officials said the operation mostly consisted of removing abandoned tents.

"What we are doing is removing any tents that we see are empty," Segismundo Doguín, the head of the local office of Mexico’s immigration agency, told The Associated Press.

One Honduran migrant, simply identified by his first name José, however, claimed he and some of the 200 remaining migrants had been forced to leave the camp when the clearance operation began.

"They ran us out," he said, adding the migrants were given just a moment's notice before it began. "You had to run for your life to avoid an accident."

MIGRANT CRISIS INCREASING STRAIN ON BORDER OFFICIALS, IMMIGRATION COURTS WITH MASSIVE NUMBERS

Some migrants relocated to another area of the encampment while others fled.

About 70 migrants crossed the Rio Grande and traveled into the U.S. It is not immediately clear if there were any injuries or deaths among these crossings, but several people drowned attempting to cross the river earlier in the week.

The U.S. and Mexico are currently negotiating how to help curb illegal border crossings, with both sides saying the other needs to do more.

This month, as many as 10,000 migrants were arrested daily on the southwest U.S. border.

The U.S. temporarily closed key border rail crossings into Texas, urging Mexico to do more to stop migrants from hopping on freight cars, buses and trucks to get across the border.

Mexico’s López Obrador says he is willing to help, but wants the U.S. to send financial assistance to migrants’ home countries as well as reduce or eliminate sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela.

Mexico has over 32,000 soldiers and National Guard troopers – about 11% of its total forces – assigned to enforce immigration laws.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Xi Jinping says Taiwan will 'surely' be reunified with China during symposium commemorating Mao

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday vowed that Taiwan will be reunited with the mainland, saying Beijing will "resolutely prevent anyone from splitting" the two sides in any way. 

The comments came during a symposium in Beijing commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, the founding father of Communist China. In 1949, Mao led his country to defeat the Republic of China government, which then fled the mainland for Taiwan. 

To this day, Beijing regards the democratically-governed island nation as part of its own territory, despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei. Over the past year and a half, China has staged multiple rounds of major war games around Taiwan and regularly sends warships and fighter jets into the Taiwan Strait.

Per reporting from the state-run Xinhua news agency, Xi said "the complete reunification of the motherland is an irresistible trend."

CHINA HAD A BUSY 2023 IN RACE TO USURP US AS DOMINANT WORLD POWER

He added that China must deepen integration between the two sides, promote the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, and "resolutely prevent anyone from splitting Taiwan from China in any way." 

The report from Xinhua made no mention of using force against Taiwan, though China has never renounced that possibility. It also did not mention Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 13.

The Chinese government has repeatedly denounced the frontrunner to be Taiwan's next president, Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as a dangerous separatist and has rebuffed his calls for talks.

Both the DPP and Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), which traditionally favors close ties with China but denies being pro-Beijing, say only the island's people can decide their future.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Argentina's unions take to the streets to protest president's cutbacks, deregulation and austerity

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Thousands of union members and activists took to the streets of Argentina’s capital Wednesday to protest a decree from President Javier Milei that imposes sweeping deregulation and austerity measures meant to revive the country's struggling economy.

Unions had asked a court for a prior injunction to block measures lifting some labor protections, but a judge rejected the appeal, noting the decree had not yet entered into effect. It does so on Friday.

ARGENTINA'S MILEI CUTS 5,000 GOVERNMENT JOBS, WILL NOT RENEW CONTRACTS

Argentine labor activists question whether Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist who has long railed against the country's "political caste," can impose the measures by way of an emergency decree bypassing the legislature where his party has few seats.

"We do not question the president’s legitimacy ... but we want a president who respects the division of powers, who understands that workers have the need to defend themselves individually and within the framework of justice when there is unconstitutionality," said Gerardo Martínez, general secretary of Argentina’s construction workers’ union.

The protest went off peacefully, except for a confrontation between a small group of protesters and police. Journalists were caught up in the scuffle as police broke up the group of protesters, and some were beaten by police.

"The country is not for sale!" some protesters chanted, apparently referring to proposals that would allow the privatization of state-run industries.

Since taking office on Dec. 10 following a landslide election victory, Milei has devalued the country’s currency by 50%, cut transport and energy subsidies, said his government won’t renew contracts for more than 5,000 recently hired state employees and proposed repealing or modifying about 300 laws.

He says he wants to transform Argentina’s economy and reduce the size of its state to address rising poverty and annual inflation expected to reach 200% by the end of the year.

The General Labor Confederation read a statement at the march on Wednesday saying Milei's decree "introduces a ferocious, regressive labor reform whose only purpose is to hamstring union activity, punish workers and benefit business interests."

Milei’s administration has quickly faced protest. The government had said it will allow demonstrations, but threatened to cut off public aid payments to anyone who blocks thoroughfares. Marchers were also forbidden to carry sticks, cover their faces or bring children to the protest.

Milei, a 53-year-old economist who rose to fame on television with profanity-laden tirades against the political establishment, became president with the support of Argentines disillusioned with the economic crisis.

In a media interview ahead of the protest, he accused those who oppose his reforms of "not being aware of the seriousness of the situation."

His initiatives have the support of Argentina's Business Association which called them a "historic opportunity" to fight the "excessive size of the state" and the negative consequences of decades of budget deficits.

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Christmas Eve attack in Nigeria leaves at least 140 people dead, homes burned

Nomadic herders in Nigeria killed at least 140 people during a Christmas Eve rampage through 15 villages, according to media reports. 

The hours-long attacks happened in the country's central Plateau state as suspected nomadic herders used firearms and machetes on their victims, Reuters reported. 

"As I am talking to you, in Mangu local governorate alone, we buried 15 people. As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less than 100 corpses. I am yet to take stock of (the deaths in) Barkin Ladi," Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang said in a broadcast on the local Channels Television. "It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us here in Plateau."

The violence was the bloodiest in the country since 2018, when more than 200 people were killed amid clashes between farmers and herders. 

GENOCIDE, FAMINE IN SUDAN AS BIDEN ACCUSED OF BEING ‘IDLE’

"We returned at 6 the next morning and found that houses had been burnt and people killed," Grace Godwin told the news outlet. "There are still people missing."

It was not clear what triggered the violence but the region, known as the "Middle Belt," is often characterized chiefly Muslim Fulani herdsmen clashing with mainly Christian farmers, Reuters said. 

Some of the locals said that it took more than 12 hours before security agencies responded to their call for help. 

No group took responsibility for the attacks though blame fell on herders from the Fulani tribe, who have been accused of carrying out such mass killings across the northwest and central regions where the decades-long conflict over access to land and water has further worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigerian President President Bola Tinubu said the violence was "unprovoked" and directed the police to find those responsible. 

Authorities said homes, cars and motorcycles were found burnt as well. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

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A top Brazilian criminal leader is isolated in prison after he negotiated his own arrest

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One of Brazil's top criminal leaders was locked up in a 6-square-meter (65-square-foot) isolation cell at a maximum security prison to avoid being killed by rivals, authorities said Tuesday.

Luiz Antônio da Silva Braga, the boss of the largest militia group in the state of Rio de Janeiro, surrendered to federal police on Sunday. The criminal leader better known as Zinho was sent to the Bangu 1 prison, where drug traffickers and militia men are also held, Rio state's public security secretary Victor Santos said.

MORE BRAZILIANS DECLARED THEMSELVES BIRACIAL, COUNTRY'S STATISTICS AGENCY SAYS

"Today, Zinho’s custody is a responsibility of the state," he told TV channel GloboNews. "He is now in an isolated cell for us to secure his physical integrity."

Zinho’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press following his arrest.

Militias emerged in the 1990s when they originally were made up mainly of former police officers, firefighters and soldiers who wanted to combat lawlessness in their neighborhoods. They charged residents for protection and other services, but more recently moved into drug trafficking themselves.

Zinho, whose militia group dominates Rio's west region, had 12 arrest warrants issued against him until he surrendered after a negotiation. He had been on the run since 2018, and rose to the top position of the group after his brother Wellington da Silva Braga, known as Ecko, was killed in 2021.

The militias are believed to control about 10% of Rio’s metropolitan area, according to a study last year by the non-profit Fogo Cruzado and a security-focused research group at the Fluminense Federal University. The militias are distinct from drug trafficking gangs that control important areas of Rio.

A Brazilian federal police source who had access to the investigation told The Associated Press that Zinho feared he could be executed if he turned himself in to Rio state police. The source, who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, also said the criminal leader will not join other inmates at Bangu for sunbathing and meals due to security reasons.

Rio Gov. Claudio Castro said in a statement Monday that Zinho is "Rio's number one enemy" and celebrated his police forces for the arrest.

"This is another victory of our police and security plan," Castro said. "The disarticulation of these criminal groups with arrests, raids, financial blocking and the arrest of that mobster show we are on the right path," the governor said.

Authorities also said they would protect Zinho in the expectation he could sign a plea deal that could implicate members of police forces, politicians and businessmen.

"That will depend a lot on where the lawyers take him, what he can offer as information and, obviously, what benefits he can obtain from such a plea bargain," Santos, the Rio state public security secretary said.

Ricardo Capelli, executive-secretary at Brazil's Justice Ministry, said the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva needs to "work to get to the spine of the connections of the organized crime and its financial moves. No one brings terror to one third of the city of Rio without having powerful connections," he said in his social media channels.

The area dominated by Zinho’s group made news in October when gang members set fire to at least 35 buses in apparent retaliation for police killing one of the criminal leader's main allies. The attack caused no casualties, but it underlined the ability of the militias to cause chaos and inflict damage.

Zinho will stand trial on charges of forming a criminal organization, money laundering, extortion, bribing public officials and co-participating in August 2022 in the killing of former Rio councilor Jerônimo Guimarães Filho, better known as Jerominho.

Police investigators said Jerominho was shot dead under orders from Zinho, in an attempt to keep control of his criminal organization. Zinho's lawyers have long denied he had any connection with that case. He is also under investigation in several other killings of militia members.

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Navy uses anti-ship ballistic missiles to engage Iran-backed Houthis in Red Sea

The U.S. Navy fired anti-ship ballistic missiles on Tuesday against incoming Iran-backed Houthi missiles in the Red Sea, signaling a significant escalation in the region, a senior defense official told Fox News. 

The Navy engaged three ballistic missiles provided to Yemen's Houthis by Iran. It was the first time the Navy shot down an incoming ballistic missile using an anti-ship ballistic missile.

The USS Laboon and assets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group shot down 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack missiles fired by the Houthis over a 12-hour period, U.S. Central Command said.

Nearly 100 drones operated by the Houthis have been shot down since Oct. 17. The group has attacked more than 21 international vessels in the region, which has disrupted global shipping.

IRAN CLAIMS TO BE DEVELOPING ‘SMART’ CRUISE MISSILES FOR NAVY ARSENAL 

The Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) said Tuesday that its container ship MSC United VIII was attacked around 12:25 UTC while en route from King Abdullah Port, Saudi Arabia to Karachi, Pakistan. 

"Currently, all crew are safe with no reported injuries and a thorough assessment of the vessel is being introduced," MSC said in a statement. "Our first priority remains protecting the lives and safety of our seafarers, and until their safety can be ensured MSC will continue to reroute vessels booked for Suez transit via the Cape of Good Hope." 

Attacks in the Red Sea have soared following Israel's military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

Major shipping companies, including Denmark-based giant Maersk, have been avoiding the Red Sea and sending their ships around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, adding costs and delays. 

Tuesday's engagement came after three U.S. service members were injured in Iraq on Christmas Day when terrorists with Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, attacked Erbil Air Base. One of those injured was in critical condition. 

In response, U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said.

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

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Colombia's ELN rebels say they will only stop kidnappings for ransom if government funds cease-fire

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The head of Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group said on Monday it would only abide by a recent agreement to suspend the kidnappings of civilians for ransom if the government keeps its promise to finance projects that could provide the rebels with alternate sources of income.

In a column published on Christmas Day, National Liberation Army commander Antonio García argued that Colombian officials and journalists had misinformed the public on Dec. 17, when they announced that the rebels had agreed to stop kidnappings, if a cease-fire with the government is extended next year.

COLOMBIA ELECTS FORMER REBEL GUSTAVO PETRO TO BECOME COUNTRY'S FIRST LEFTIST PRESIDENT

Colombians have grown angry at kidnappings by the guerrillas, known by their Spanish initials as the ELN.

García said that while such an agreement was reached during a recent round of peace talks in Mexico City, the government had also agreed in the talks to create a committee that would find ways to finance the peace talks and the current ceasefire and determine what kind of activities will be funded.

The conflict between the government and the leftist rebels of the ELN dates back to the 1960s. The larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, agreed a peace deal with the government in 2016, but the ELN still has about 2,000 to 4,000 fighters in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela.

ELN leader García wrote that public funding for the cease-fire should be "linked" to the suspension of kidnappings.

"Peace is not designed for just one side to win," he wrote. "Everyone must benefit, especially the country."

García's announcement marks a setback for Colombia's first leftist government, which had described the tentative agreement by the ELN to stop kidnappings as an important step towards peace.

The current talks between both sides began in November of 2022. While they produced a six-month cease-fire that ends on Jan. 30, there has been little progress on other fronts.

In October Colombian officials pressured the ELN to stop kidnapping civilians for ransom after one of its squadrons shocked the nation, by abducting the parents of soccer star Luis Díaz near their home in the north of the country.

Díaz's mother was quickly rescued by police, while his father was released 12 days later, after multiple protests and mediation efforts.

But García warned the group would not be forced into giving up kidnappings.

"We have not come to an agreement in the peace talks, on political, judicial or economic detentions" he said in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Colombia's Defense Ministry says the group is holding at least 38 hostages.

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Evangelical Christian leader says Hamas stole Christmas in Bethlehem: Cut off the 'lights'

JERUSALEM — A leading evangelical Christian leader, the Rev. Johnnie Moore, accused Hamas of pulling the plug on Christmas lights and festivities in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. This comes as the number of Christians in the city continues to dwindle.

"It is Hamas, not Israel, which cut off the Christmas lights in Bethlehem. Hamas tried to sabotage Christmas in the Holy Land for the world’s 2 billion Christians. Jesus is the prince of peace. Hamas hates peace," Moore, who is the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. government and the European Union have classified Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization.

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS: A YEAR OF BIBLICAL DISCOVERIES IN THE HOLY LAND

Moore added, "Instead of taking a page from Hamas by further politicizing religion, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah and in Bethlehem should have defied Hamas’ hate by having the biggest celebration they could imagine to spread the message of the Prince of Peace, Jesus … from Bethlehem."

He continued, "But, that’s fine. One only has to drive a mile to Jerusalem where Christmas is alive and well. Jerusalem is alive with holiday celebrations because Israel is, even now, fiercely protecting its sanctity during this time of terror and war. Or, if you want a dose of hope that peace is not only possible but will come, then drive up north to beautiful Haifa. It is a city where Jews, Christians and Muslims live in peace with one another and not only side-by-side but by sharing their lives, joys and sorrows together."

Palestinian Christian leaders said during the war that celebrations would not unfold in the West Bank, where Bethlehem is located. Many Israelis refer to the West Bank by its biblical name Judea and Samaria.

While the number of Christians in Middle East countries has plummeted, Israel continues to experience growth of its minority Christian population. 

According to newly released data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, roughly 187,900 Christians live in Israel, which is a 1.3% rate of growth when contrasted with last year’s statistics. Israel’s current population is approximately 9.795 million people and is expected to soar past 10 million in 2024.

Yet for Bethlehem, things aren't as rosy. In 2016, the National Catholic Reporter wrote that Bethlehem and its surrounding villages had a Christian population of 86% in 1950. In 2016, the paper reported, the number of Christians sunk to a mere 12%. According to the National Catholic Reporter, there were just 11,000 Christians in Bethlehem.

In 2023, an estimated 10,000 Christians lived in Jesus’ birthplace among a total Bethlehem population of roughly 75,500 residents.

IRAN PROXIES ENGAGED IN 'INVISIBLE JIHAD' AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN MIDDLE EAST, REPORT WARNS 

The Rev. Petra Heldt, a leading Christian scholar who has lived in Israel for 40 years, told Fox News Digital that she pins the blame on the Palestinian Authority (PA), which rules over Bethlehem, for the lack of Christmas festivities.

"The PA ordered the demolition of Christmas decorations in Bethlehem. This came in the wake of the statements of the heads of churches in Jordan (Greek Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic; they have churches in Gaza) on Dec. 1. The statement is written in the spirit of Hamas, if not dictated by Hamas. The heads of churches are hostages of Hamas," Heldt said.

She added, "In Jerusalem, the Orthodox and the Catholics do not take their statements too seriously. For instance, yesterday the Catholic Church and the International Christian Embassy joined forces in a joyful open Christmas sing-along in Mamilla Mall. There is a huge Christmas tree in front of the YMCA in King David Street."

The rapid decline of the Christian population in Bethlehem under the rule of the Muslim-majority Palestinian Authority has been the subject of some news reporting over the last decade. 

"There are no reliable figures for the numbers of Christians in Bethlehem," Heldt said. "The numbers are extremely low in comparison to 1993, before [the Oslo Accords established a peace framework between Israel and the Palestinian leadership]. Conservative estimates speak of 5% of Christians in Bethlehem as [contrasted] to some 90-plus percent before 1993. The hardship for Christians in Bethlehem is beyond words. Fear, threats and intimidation is the norm, not because of Israel, because of the PA." 

Yet, some dissenting voices suggested Israel’s response via its declaration of war on Hamas in self-defense to the jihadi movement’s Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans, on Oct. 7 is why Christian leaders canceled Christmas in Bethlehem.

The Rev. Dr. Jack Sara, the general secretary of the Middle East and North Africa Evangelical Alliance, told Fox News Digital, "Sadly, this is not the first time that Palestinian Christians have decided to cancel all the festivities in Bethlehem. It was done before, during the first intifada and second intifada, and now."

Intifada is an Arabic word that means "shaking off" and has been frequently interpreted as "uprising" to describe violent Palestinian protests against Israel in the disputed West Bank territory in 1987. A second intifada erupted in 2000 with Palestinian suicide bombing attacks against Jews in Israel.

Sara said about the cancelation of Christmas festivities in Bethlehem: "The reasons are obvious. How can Christians celebrate when their own people are going through such tragedy? It’s tragedy after tragedy. We lament the killing of all civilians, including those who fell on the 7th of October. But what followed that is also very tragic and makes us lament more innocent lives, over 20,000 now, over 1.5 million refugees; and, in addition, even our Christian community in Gaza is struggling to survive because of the war on Gaza." The 20,000 deaths are numbers provided by the Hamas-run ministry of health.

Israel’s government and many Mideast experts reject the number of 1.5 million Palestinian refugees because of an allegedly biased and antiquated U.N. definition of what constitutes a Palestinian refugee.

In contrast to other standard definitions of a refugee that refer to a person (and not his or her descendants) who has fled a conflict zone, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) says that descendants of a Palestinian refugee who were displaced during Israel’s War of Independence in 1947-1949 warrants refugee status.

FAITH GROUP TO MARCH ON WASHINGTON TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION 

When asked about the demise of Christian life in Bethlehem, Sara, who runs a Bible college in Bethlehem, said, "True, but the numbers were higher before 1948 and before 1967. I don’t believe it’s related to the Oslo agreements, the Christians' numbers dwindled always, even in what we call ‘better time,’ meaning no escalation of the conflict."

He added, "Christians have had families immigrate or leave the country since 1948, so they have relatives all over the world and that connection makes it easier for them to immigrate. Christians in general, like anyone else, fear for their children’s future living in a conflict zone, under occupation, so they opt to find a safer place with no fear of uninvited violence."

Fox News Digital sent numerous press queries to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Bethlehem municipality for comment.

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World political scandals: A raunchy dance video prompts leader's exit as global corruption cases abound

Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin made perhaps the most unique splash of the world's political scandals when a raunchy video of her dancing and partying at a private party surfaced last year, causing controversy that spilled into 2023 and resulted in her exit from office.

The former prime minister was featured in the video dancing and drinking with a group of friends in an apartment, which some saw as continued evidence of the habit of attending too many parties and festivals for someone in a role as important as the one she held. Marin, 36 at the time of the video, faced even more of an outcry following the partying scene, with critics accusing her of engaging in behavior that some said was unbecoming of her position.

Marin defended her actions despite the controversy, arguing that her behavior was normal for a person in her age group.

"I danced, sang and partied – perfectly legal things. And I've never been in a situation where I've seen or known of others [using drugs]," she said after the video went viral.

EX-FINLAND PM SANNA MARIN, WHO WENT VIRAL FOR RAUNCHY DANCE VIDEO, SPARKS FUROR WITH EARLY EXIT

Nevertheless, the young leader continued to face backlash for her behavior into 2023, culminating in her defeat in April's Finnish parliamentary election. The defeat became even more embarrassing for the leader when it became clear her party would fall to third place in the election, causing her to announce days later that she would be stepping down as the leader of the Social Democratic Party later in 2023.

Marin followed through on that promise and left Parliament all together in September, announcing that she would become an adviser to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. It was also revealed that the former leader signed with Range Media Partners in October, a talent agency that represents other big-name celebrities that will help Marin navigate future media opportunities.

But Marin wasn't the only world political leader to garner controversy in 2023, with several other examples of scandal and corruption highlighting a busy year around the world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started 2023 by forcing a series of resignations and firings of top-level officials in a bid to root out corruption in Ukraine. The January moves were just the first in a series of similar decisions throughout the year, with the cloud of corruption hanging over his government and threatening the lifeline of support Ukraine has continued to receive from the West as it fights back against Russia's invasion.

The Biden administration has acknowledged the concerns about Ukraine while continuing its support for the country's war effort, including in a September State Department memo that called corruption the "biggest challenge in winning the war" while still arguing that "Ukraine has a unique opportunity in the current moment to commit to the anti-corruption and judicial reforms needed to realize the aspirations of the Ukrainian people."

For his part, Zelenskyy has continued to oust high-level figures from Ukraine's government, including a series of September moves that analysts praised as a positive sign of the government's commitment to rooting out the issues.

But concerns still remain, including from those close to the Ukrainian leader. In October, a Time report detailed the concerns of one close aide who said people in the government were still "stealing like there’s no tomorrow."

"When I asked Zelenskyy about the problem, he acknowledged its gravity and the threat it poses to Ukraine’s morale and its relationships with foreign partners. Fighting corruption, he assured me, is among his top priorities," wrote the report's author, Time senior correspondent Simon Shuster. "He also suggested that some foreign allies have an incentive to exaggerate the problem because it gives them an excuse to cut off financial support."

"It’s not right," Zelenskyy told him, "for them to cover up their failure to help Ukraine by tossing out these accusations."

ZELENSKYY AIDE ON CORRUPTION IN UKRAINE: 'PEOPLE ARE STEALING LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW'

While Ukraine continued to fight off corruption and Russia in 2023, Russia, too, found itself trying to root out similar problems within its own government.

Perhaps the most dramatic example of Russian President Vladimir Putin's fight with corruption came in April when a Daily Beast report outlined the black market industry for private data that continues to run rampant across Russia. For Putin's part, the problem could no longer be ignored when prominent pro-war Russians Vladlen Tatarsky and Aleksandr Dugin were targeted in explosive attacks, killing Tatarsky and Dugin's daughter.

According to the report, the attacks were made possible by the selling of prominent Russian addresses by police agencies in the country, oftentimes to Ukrainians.

While Ukraine has denied any involvement in the attacks, the Daily Beast reported, the country has assessed that Moscow has been "unsettled" by them, spawning Russia's federal law enforcement arm to begin a crackdown on local agencies.

"The Kremlin is cleansing policemen selling addresses of specific officers to Ukrainian citizens after the assassinations of Tatarsky and Dugin," Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister for internal affairs, told the outlet. "They are afraid of assassinations."

RUSSIAN ANTI-WAR CANDIDATE BLOCKED FROM FACING PUTIN IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

World political scandals weren't just contained to Europe in 2023, with South America being home to one of the year's most explosive cases.

At the center of the controversy was Colombian President Gustavo Petro's 36-year-old son, Nicolas, who was arrested in August and faced charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment.

The case originated when Nicolas Petro's ex-wife, Daysuris Vasquez, said in a local news magazine that Petro pocketed money after soliciting donations for his father's 2022 campaign.

Those allegations sparked an investigation and closer scrutiny of Petro's assets, with prosecutors accusing the young Petro of using the illicit funds to purchase everything from luxury homes to expensive cars, sometimes registering the property in the names of relatives to avoid detection.

Petro, who was serving as a legislator representing a northern coastal region, would have had to make a salary more than 10 times his actual compensation to justify such expenses, prosecutors alleged, prompting the investigation and charges.

The younger Petro pleaded not guilty at a hearing on the charges later that month and will face a trial in the case after a plea deal failed to materialize, according to a Reuters report.

COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT'S SON CHARGED WITH MONEY LAUNDERING

Asia also saw its share of political corruption stories in 2023, including the investigation of the face of the Chinese military, Gen. Li Shangfu.

Li became a prominent figure in the Chinese military's modernization drive, according to a report from Reuters, rising to become one of President Xi Jinping's most trusted officers in a more than decade-long push to make China more competitive with rivals such as the United States.

CHINA DISMISSES DEFENSE MINISTER NOT SEEN IN PUBLIC FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS

But part of that drive was also a push to stamp out widespread corruption that has for years plagued the Chinese military, with Li finding himself at the center of that as well.

Li was elevated to defense minister in March, according to Reuters, but within months disappeared from public view amid a corruption probe. At issue in the investigation was Li's history of procurement of military equipment, though it is still unclear what specific purchases were being scrutinized.

Despite the sudden sidelining of one of its top officials, analysts told Reuters there will be no shortage of candidates to fill his role as China enters 2024 looking to continue its push to become a larger military player on the world stage.

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US retaliates after 3 American service members injured by Kataib Hezbollah attack in Iraq

Three U.S. service members were injured in Iraq on Christmas Day when Kataib Hezbollah terrorists attacked Erbil Air Base, according to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin.

Austin announced late on Monday night that American forces "conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq."

"These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today, and intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible," Austin said in a press release.

IRAN CLAIMS TO BE DEVELOPING ‘SMART’ CRUISE MISSILES FOR NAVY ARSENAL

"Today’s attack led to three injuries to U.S. personnel, leaving one service member in critical condition," the statement added. "My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured."

This story is developing. Check back with us for more updates.

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Iranian leaders accuse Israeli missile strike of killing senior Revolutionary Guards member

Iranian state media claims an Israeli airstrike outside Damascus in Syria on Monday killed a senior advisor in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Reuters reported that three security sources confirmed the death of Sayyed Razi Mousavi, who was responsible for coordinating a military alliance between Iran and Syria.

State television interrupted programming to announce the death of Mousavi and described him as one of the oldest advisors for the Guard in Syria.

The announcement stated that Mousavi accompanied Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Guards’ elite Quds Force, who died in a U.S. drone attack in Iraq in 2020.

IRAN CLAIMS TO BE DEVELOPING ‘SMART’ CRUISE MISSILES FOR NAVY ARSENAL

Damascus Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador, told state television that the late Mousavi was in the embassy as a diplomat, adding he was killed by missiles fired by Israel after returning home from work.

The assassination was a show of Israel’s weakness, according to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

"This act is a sign of the Zionist regime's frustration and weakness in the region for which it will certainly pay the price," Raisi was quoted as saying.

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Echoing Raisi, the Revolutionary Guards also said Israel would suffer for killing the advisor.

"The usurper and savage Zionist regime will pay for this crime," the Guards said in a statement provided to state TV.

Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told state TV, "Iran reserves the right to take necessary measures to respond to this action at the appropriate time and place."

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Israel’s military did not immediately comment on Mousavi’s death.

Attacks on Iran-linked targets in Syria by Israel are nothing new and have taken place for years. 

Tehran’s influence in the country has continued to grow after backing President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that broke out in 2011 in Syria.

Iran claimed earlier this month that Israeli strikes killed two members of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria, who also served as military advisers.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Russian opposition leader Navalny's team finally locates him in remote prison colony after 20-day search

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team has announced that they have found him in a Siberian penal colony following a weekslong search. 

"We found Alexei Navalny," spokesperson Kira Yarmysh announced on Christmas Day, the BBC reported. Yarmysh added that Navalny’s lawyer was able to meet with him. 

Yarmysh announced the update on Telegram, where she clarified that Navalny, 47, had been moved to the IK-3 penal colony, also known as "Polar Wolf," in Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets district in Northern Russia. 

Previously, Russian authorities had held him at a facility roughly 145 miles east of Moscow. Navalny’s team lost contact with him on Dec. 5 after he failed to appear in court via video link for a hearing, kicking off a desperate search. 

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Yarmysh at the time said prison officials had blamed electrical problems and that lawyers had not been able to meet with their client for nearly a week. Officials finally admitted to the lawyer that Navalny was no longer among the inmates and "refused to say" where he had gone. 

Navalny has stood as the most significant opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, leading to an assassination attempt in 2020 when Navalny suffered poisoning from a suspected Novichok nerve agent. He remained in a coma for several weeks while doctors in Germany fought to keep him alive. 

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Navalny returned to Russia in 2021, when authorities immediately arrested him and later sentenced him to 19 years in prison on extremism charges. His team has repeatedly raised concerns about his treatment following his return.

Ivan Zhadov, an aide to the opposition leader and head of his anti-corruption foundation, criticized the Russian government for putting Navalny in the "most remote colonies" to "isolate and suppress" him, The New York Times reported. 

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"Aleksei’s situation is a clear example of how the system treats political prisoners," Zhadov said in a post on X. He added that although Navalny spoke with his lawyer, officials tried to delay the meeting. 

Zhadov also claimed that government officials had likely decided months ago to move Navalny to IK-3.

"Thanks to those who continue to write and spread information about Alexei and other political prisoners, we continue the fight," Zhadov wrote. "Thank you. Freedom for Navalny."

Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pope Francis laments violence in Gaza, Ukraine during annual Christmas speech, call for peace

Pope Francis renewed calls for peace and an end to the many violent conflicts around the world, particularly the war in Gaza and the invasion of Ukraine, as he begged for everyone to remember "the voice of the innocent." 

"Isaiah, who prophesized the prince of peace, spoke about a day in which one nation will not lift up sword against another nation," Pope Francis said to a crowd of roughly 6,500 followers in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. "He wrote of a day when people will no longer learn the art of war but instead beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." 

"With God’s help, let us make every effort so that day will come," the pope urged. "May it come in Israel and Palestine, where war is devastating the lives of those people. I embrace all of you, particularly the Christian communities of Gaza, the parish in Gaza and the entire Holy Land." 

During his Urbi et Orbi speech – meaning "to the city and to the world" – the pope highlighted the suffering of innocent people in the Gaza War conflict, particularly children, whom he called "the little Jesuses of today." 

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The pope has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, and he renewed his call during his Christmas speech, saying that he bears in his heart "the suffering of the victims of the attack of October 7" and pleaded for the release of all hostages still held by Hamas and increased humanitarian aid for the victims of the conflict.

"May there be an end to the fueling of violence and hatred, and may the Palestinian question come to be resolved through sincere and persevering dialogue between the parties, sustained by strong political will and support of the international community," he said. "Brothers and sisters, let us pray for peace in Palestine and Israel." 

The pope’s speech opened with a reminder of God’s message and "joy born of being God’s beloved sons and daughters" but soon moved to focus on the conflict, asking, "How many innocents are slaughtered in our world?"

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He spoke of other conflicts, including the ongoing civil war in Syria, violence in Sudan and the invasion of Ukraine. He called for peace for Ukraine and hoped that the people of Ukraine may feel the support of the Christian community. 

He also prayed for the end of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with a call for refugees to return to their homes in potential reference to the 120,000 residents of the Republic of Artsakh who were ousted from the region in September. 

"The children whose lives are being devastated by war – to say yes to the Prince of Peace is to say no to war, to every war, even to the mindset of war," the Pope said. He called war a "journey without a place to go."

PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS CONFRONT DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS, SHUT DOWN CHICAGO INTERSTATE

"To say no to war means saying no to arms, to weapons," he added, lamenting the weakness and "impulsive" nature of the human heart. He noted that the sale of weapons and arms is on the rise. 

"How much violence and killing takes place amid deafening silence, unbeknownst to so many?" the pope asked. "People who desire not weapons but bread, who struggle to make ends meet and desire only peace have no idea how many public funds are spent on arms – and yet they should know this."

The pope also touched on concerns about human trafficking, food shortage and general suffering before leading the gathered thousands in the Angelus prayer. 

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London police arrest 2 suspects who allegedly stole Banksy's latest art, a stop sign with 3 drones

London police have arrested two men accused of stealing Banksy’s latest work, less than an hour after confirming the art on Friday.

Banksy’s piece consisted of three military drones being placed on a red stop sign and was located in the Peckham section of south London, according to the Associated Press.

The sign was taken in the middle of the day by a man holding bold cutters, while witnesses took pictures and shot video of the heist.

After Banksy posted a picture of the sign on Instagram, some people predicted it would not last long, as some of his works have sold for tens of millions of dollars.

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One onlooker, who only wanted to be referred to as Alex, told the Associated Press he went to see the stop sign before anything happened to it. He, along with many onlookers, watched as a man in a red and black jacket climbed onto a bike next to the bolted sign and began hitting it with his hands.

"We said, ‘what are you doing?’ but no one really knew what to do, we sort of just watched it happen," Alex told the AP. "We were all a bit bemused; there was some honking of car horns."

UKRAINE: SUSPECTED BANKSY MURAL THIEF COULD GET 12 YEARS IN PRISON

The man left and returned a few minutes later with a pair of bolt cutters. Another man reportedly stabilized a rental bike he stood on before removing it and fleeing.

BANKSY UNVEILS NEW MURAL IN UKRAINE 

On Saturday, London police arrested a man in his 20s on suspicion of theft and criminal damage, who was later released on bail.

Then on Sunday, a second suspect, this time a man in his 40s, was taken into custody on charges of theft and criminal damage.

Banksy is known for thought-provoking street art, and often makes political statements with his work. Many of his Instagram followers interpreted his latest work as a call for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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