Israel kills Hamas commander who led heinous Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz killed in drone attack: IDF

A top Hamas commander responsible for the heinous Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz has been killed by a targeted drone strike, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) announced.

Abd al-Hadi Sabah, who led the infiltration into Kibbutz Nir Oz, which ravaged the community near the Gaza border on Oct. 7, was killed on Tuesday local time in the Western Khan Yunis Battalion.

The IDF said in a release on social media Tuesday that they conducted the intelligence-based strike alongside the Israeli Security Agency (ISA). 

The agencies said that Sabah was hiding in a shelter in the designated humanitarian area in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza.

ISRAELI OFFICIAL REVEALS HOW 'TO TRULY DEFEAT HEZBOLLAH'

The agencies noted that Sabah was one of the leaders of the infiltration into Kibbutz Nir Oz during Oct. 7 and had been a leader in "numerous terrorist attacks against IDF troops."

IDF FINDS HEZBOLLAH WEAPONS CACHE IN UNDERGROUND TUNNEL: VIDEO

"The IDF and ISA will continue to operate against all of the terrorists who took part in the murderous October 7th Massacre," the agencies said.

The IDF said that they took "numerous steps" to mitigate harm to civilians by using "precise munitions, intelligence, and aerial surveillance."

Sabah's leadership on the destruction of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel left nearly half of the 400 residents murdered or taken captive during the Oct. 7 attack.

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Russian foreign minister blasts Ukraine peace deal reportedly floated by Trump's team: 'Not happy'

Russia's foreign minister has rejected a reported peace deal involving Ukraine and NATO, claiming that the proposals have been made by President-elect Trump's advisors.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comments during an interview with TASS, a state-run Russian news agency, on Monday. During the interview, Lavrov claimed that the U.S. plans "to suspend hostilities along the line of contact and transfer responsibility for confrontation with Russia to the Europeans."

"We are not happy, of course, with the proposals made by members of the Trump team to postpone Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 20 years and to station British and European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine," the foreign minister said, though that deal has not been announced by any American officials.

Lavrov said that the proposal came through "leaks" and Trump's recent interview with TIME Magazine, but Trump's interview did not contain any references to NATO. The foreign minister also claimed that NATO "has been expanding its reach for many years, which became one of the primary causes of the Ukraine crisis."

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"Those who accuse Russia of various doings should be advised to look in the mirror instead," the foreign minister later said during the interview. "NATO military and mercenaries openly participate in the planning of combat operations and fighting on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

"NATO is complicit in the invasion of the Kursk Region and long-range missile strikes inside Russia," Lavrov continued. "President Vladimir Putin made this very clear in his recent public statements."

During his TIME Person of the Year interview, Trump said that it was "an advantage to both sides," to end the Russo-Ukrainian war, and claimed that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if he were president in 2022.

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"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Trump said at the time. "We're just escalating this war and making it worse…[but] I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you're going to reach an agreement is not to abandon."

Lavrov's recent interview came over a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed willingness to compromise with Trump, though he insisted that Russia is in a stronger position than it was in 2022.

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

"We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises."

Fox News Digital reached out to Trump's team for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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National Guard soldier dies days after Christmas in 'non-combat' related incident in Iraq

An Indiana Army National Guard soldier died in a "non-combat related incident" in Iraq just days after Christmas, the National Guard confirmed to Fox News.

The National Guard said Capt. Eric Richard Hart, 34, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died on December 28 while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in the Middle East.

The National Guard did not reveal what led to Hart's death, only saying the incident is under investigation. 

Hart was assigned to Headquarters & Headquarters Battalion, 38th Infantry Division, Indiana National Guard, according to the National Guard.

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Hart served with the Indiana National Guard for 11 years, earning the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, among many others.

He commissioned as second lieutenant in 2015 from the Officer Candidate School at Camp Atterbury.

SOLDIER KILLED, ANOTHER SERIOUSLY INJURED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT AT POLAND ARMY CAMP

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Indiana National Guard called Hart an "integral part of our team," writing "he will be missed." 

"The Indiana National Guard extends our heartfelt and sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Capt. Eric Hart who died in a noncombat incident while overseas serving with the 38th Infantry Division in support of Operation Inherent Resolve," the statement read. "Our thoughts are with them and the soldiers who worked and served alongside Capt. Hart."

US SOLDIER DEAD AFTER NONCOMBATANT INCIDENT IN KUWAIT

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Defense for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. 

The U.S. announced plans to shrink the U.S. "footprint" in Iraq and end the current mission of coalition forces — including the Kurds — to fight ISIS, but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed there would remain. 

The current mission is now set to end by September 2025, with a plan to keep the number of forces on the Iraqi side to back up the 900 U.S. troops in Syria until at least 2026. 

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

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Putin offers to pay off debts as recruitment tool in war against Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly took a page out of President Biden’s book and is offering to write off debts for new recruits enlisting in the country’s military for one year.

In November, Putin signed a law allowing anyone who joined the Russian military after Dec. 1, 2024, to have debs of up to 10 million rubles, or about $96,000, written off.

The Associated Press reported that the law applies to debts in which a court order for collection was issued, and enforcement proceedings had commenced before Dec. 1, 2024. The legislation also applies to spouses of new recruits.

The move appears to be similar to one from Biden’s own playbook, though the latter does not connect loan handouts to military recruitment.

RUSSIAN PARAMILITARY SOLDIERS KILLED IN FRIENDLY FIRE ATTACK BY NORTH KOREANS AFTER ENLISTING DPRK HELP

Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced $4.28 billion in student loan handouts as Biden and Vice President Harris prepare to vacate the White House.

The massive handout will give 54,900 public workers loan forgiveness but also brings the total loan forgiveness approved by Biden to nearly $180 billion for nearly 5 million borrowers.

The Biden-Harris administration touted the program for creating an "incentive" for public servants to "pursue and remain" in their careers by forgiving borrowers' remaining balance after they made the 120 qualifying monthly payments.

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ROLLS OUT ANOTHER $4.28 BILLION IN STUDENT LOAN HANDOUTS

For Russia, though, the measure to write off debts is just another way Putin plans to build up Russian forces as he continues his war against Ukraine.

The AP reported on Sunday that western leaders say North Korea has sent some 10,000 troops to help Russia’s military campaign.

Russia also reportedly recruited hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in its war in Ukraine by luring them to Russia under false pretenses in coordination with the Houthi terrorist network, according to a report from the Financial times.

ZELENSKYY FEARS DANGER IF UKRAINE LOSES UNITY, DEFEAT IF US CUTS FUNDS, 1,000 DAYS AFTER WAR BEGAN 

The Yemeni recruits who were transferred to Russia under a "shadowy trafficking operation" were originally told they would receive high-paying jobs and Russian citizenship.

However, after arriving with the help of a Houthi-linked company, many have apparently been coerced into the Russian military, forced to sign fighting contracts at gunpoint and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

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Israeli spy network uncovers Hezbollah commander's plans to marry his 4 mistresses

Israeli spy agencies have uncovered information about Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr's plans to marry his four mistresses over the phone, according to a report. 

The New York Times reported this week about its investigation into how deeply Israeli spies had penetrated Hezbollah leading up to the assassination of its top leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as other commanders in the Iran-backed terror group. 

Israel announced in July that its forces had killed Shukur during what was, at the time, a rare and provacative strike in Beirut. 

It came in response to Israel assessing that the Hezbollah commander was behind the rocket attack days earlier in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 people, including schoolchildren. 

The United States had also long blamed Shukur for staging and planning a bombing of a Marine Corps barrack in Lebanon in 1983 that killed 241 American service members.

ISRAELI OFFICIAL REVEALS HOW 'TO TRULY DEFEAT HEZBOLLAH'

Leading up to the strike that killed Shukr, Israeli intelligence agencies had identified four of his mistresses, according to the Times. 

Shukr – apparently uneasy about his affairs – earlier this year reached out for help from Hashem Safieddine, one of Hezbollah’s highest religious clerics, to have the four women wedded, two Israeli officials and a European official told the Times. 

Safieddine, in turn, reportedly arranged four marriage ceremonies conducted over the phone. 

The intimate and sometimes mundane details of Shukr's personal affairs point to how closely Israeli intelligence agencies managed to track the moves of Hezbollah's leadership. 

IDF FINDS HEZBOLLAH WEAPONS CACHE IN UNDERGROUND TUNNEL: VIDEO

Beyond tracking meetings with mistresses, the Times report revealed how Israeli spy agencies recruited human sources within the terror group to plant listening devices in bunkers and expose hideout locations.

After a pager attack that had been orchestrated by Israel's Mossad for years, and increased strikes that killed Hezbollah leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while en route to New York City to speak before the United Nations General Assembly, finally ordered the killing of Nasrallah, according to the Times. Nasrallah, who headed Hezbollah for the past three decades, was killed in an Israeli air raid that leveled six apartment buildings in Beirut on Sept. 27. 

The Times reported that Nasrallah had brushed off warnings from his commanders to change locations from his 40-foot underground Hezbollah bunker before the attack.

Unaware of the methodical Israeli intelligence providing clear visibility of his every move, he apparently believed that the Jewish state had no interest in an all-out war with Hezbollah. 

Israeli F-15 jets soon after destroyed the bunker by dropping thousands of pounds of explosives, and Nasrallah, found locked in an embrace with an Iranian general who was based in Lebanon, reportedly died of suffocation underground. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Uncovering the atrocities of the Assad regime at its 'death factory' on the hill

In the shadow of Syria’s brutal civil war, one institution stands as a chilling symbol of the regime’s systemic violence: Sednaya prison. Referred to as the "Death Factory" or the "Human Slaughterhouse," Sednaya became a site of unimaginable suffering. 

Around 100,000 individuals, according to reports, have disappeared into Assad'a prisons, where people, including thousands of women and children, were detained, tortured and killed.

"Rights groups have documented that at least 10% of those detained lost their lives in these prisons, though some reports suggest the figure could be as high as 20%," said Joseph Braude, founder of the Center for Peace Communications, an NGO dedicated to resolving identity-based conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, whose group gained rare access to Sednaya. "The number continues to rise as families speak out about the whereabouts of their missing loved ones, many of whom remain unaccounted for."

SYRIA'S LIBERATED POLITICAL PRISONS REVEAL GRIM REALITY OF BASHAR ASSAD'S REGIME OF TORTURE

Sednaya was not just a prison, it was a tool to crush any form of resistance or humanity. "The prison was located on a hill outside Damascus," Ahed Al Hendi, a former political prisoner and Syrian affairs analyst, told Fox News Digital. "We would see it while going to a nearby tourist area, but even if you were just driving by, you were afraid to talk about it. If you said, ‘Sednaya,’ you would end up there."

Al Hendi continued: "I’ve heard from my friends describing the sights going into Sednaya this week. They found bags of bones, there was still fresh blood on the floor, the smell of death, and the torture machines, which were the most horrible things they’ve seen. One friend told me he saw a mother hugging the torture machine, believing her son had died there. It was a tragic image, seeing her holding the machine that killed her son, thinking she could still smell him in the machine. The tools were unimaginable, like a massive metal press designed to liquefy bodies and make them unrecognizable."

As Assad regime’s atrocities at Sednaya become clearer, and after days of looking for survivors and realizing that some people may never be found, attention has shifted to mass graves. Braude’s team on the ground in Syria is currently collecting evidence. "We're documenting, we're interviewing people who are there, trying to use equipment to discover any possibility of secret underground prisons." He said the team had recently worked at a mass grave site "where we estimate 100,000 people were buried."

"Some of the people in these mass graves came from Sednaya and died under torture," Al Hendi said. "Many show gunshot wounds, and their bodies were moved to a large area where the regime placed old military equipment to create the illusion of a restricted military zone. Locals reported seeing refrigerated trucks entering the area with security forces blocking the roads. The trucks stayed for hours before leaving. People became accustomed to the smell of death."

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Sednaya prison became a symbol of the regime’s relentless repression. "It wasn’t just political opponents," said Al Hendi, who was arrested for establishing a secular anti-regime student organization. "Children and women were also taken as hostages to pressure their fathers or husbands. We found children born there as a result of rape by prison guards. Entire families were destroyed by the regime."

The conditions in Sednaya were inhumane. Prisoners were often starved, beaten and tortured with electricity. "When they execute someone, they don’t feed them for three days before the execution. The guards say, ‘Why feed him? We will take the food for ourselves.’ Imagine someone about to die, and they are starved first, denied even the dignity of a last meal," Al Hendi said.

US GROUP LOOKS FOR KIDNAPPED AMERICANS IN SYRIA AFTER FALL OF ASSAD REGIME: WON'T 'LEAVE A STONE UNTURNED'

The atrocities committed at Sednaya were part of a broader campaign by the Assad regime to exterminate its opposition in the most horrific ways. Both Braude and Al Hendi emphasize the need for accountability. "What we need now is truth and reconciliation," Braude says. "Only by acknowledging the suffering and recognizing the full scope of the atrocities can Syria begin to heal. If we don’t do that, we risk perpetuating cycles of vengeance."

After the fall of the Assad regime earlier this month, Sednaya was liberated, and thousands of prisoners were freed. "The prisoners who emerged from Sednaya were traumatized, many of them unable to even remember their own names," Al Hendi said. "They had been detained for so long they didn’t even know that Assad’s father had died. They thought Assad was still in power."

Robert Petit, the Head of the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism for Syria (IIIM), visited Damascus and observed the extensive documentation of the regime’s atrocities, noting in a press release the "chilling efficiency" with which these crimes had been systematized. He emphasized the urgent need to preserve this evidence, warning, "Time is running out. There is a small window of opportunity to secure these sites and the material they hold. Each day we fail to do so, we risk losing the chance for comprehensive accountability."

The investigations into Sednaya and the mass graves have painted a horrific picture of the regime’s violence, but they also serve as a call for justice, Braude said. "The consequences of the Assad regime’s atrocities are profound. The key question now is how the population can move forward and rebuild, rather than descending into further civil conflict. There is a fear of cycles of vengeance, but true reconciliation can only come through truth and acknowledgment."

He said that "99% of Syria’s prison guards belong to the Alawi community." "We’re talking about half the young population of the Alawi sect, as most of them work in the army or secret police. The rebels have proposed a solution: Russia will surrender Assad and 100 top officials responsible for the atrocities. In return, rebels would offer amnesty to low-level perpetrators who were following orders. If Russia facilitates this, it could help prevent further violence and bring stability to Syria."

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South Korea deadly plane crash: US sends investigators to country still reeling from disaster that killed 179

The death toll for what amounted to be South Korea's most fatal plane crash in decades stands at 179 people on Monday, a day after the disaster gripped the nation already in intense political turmoil. 

The United States is now sending investigators to help determine what caused the Jeju Air plane to crash-land at Muan airport and slam into a concrete barrier on Sunday.

Meanwhile, South Korean officials are combing through more than 600 body parts, and the stench of blood remains in the air at the crash site, the Daily Mail reported. 

So far, 141 bodies have been identified. The youngest passenger was a 3-year-old and the oldest was 78, the BBC reported. 

The plane had 181 people on board, and just two lone survivors – identified as 32-year-old Lee and 25-year-old Kwon, both flight attendants – were pulled from the tail end of the fiery aircraft alive.  

Doctors at Mokpo Korean Hospital reportedly described how Lee, who suffered a fractured left shoulder and head injuries but remained conscious, repeatedly asked them "What happened?" and "Why am I here?"

"It seems she was in a near-panic state, possibly worried about the safety of the plane and passengers," one hospital official told the Korean Times. 

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Kwon, who is being treated at Mokpo Central Hospital, suffered a scalp laceration, a fractured ankle, and abdominal pain, according to the report. She also had no immediate recollection of the crash. 

"While her life is not in danger, the trauma and injuries are significant," another hospital said, according to the Korean Times. 

South Korea's Transport Ministry said Monday it plans to conduct safety inspections of all of the 101 Boeing 737-800 jetliners operated by the country’s airlines as well as a broader review into safety standards at Jeju Air, which operates 39 of those planes. Senior ministry official Joo Jong-wan said representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing were expected to arrive in South Korea on Monday to participate in the investigation.

"The NTSB is leading a team of U.S. investigators (NTSB, Boeing and FAA) to assist the Republic of Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) with their investigation of the Dec. 29 Jeju Air accident at Muan International Airport in Muan, Republic of Korea," the NTSB Newsroom account wrote on X. 

Ministry officials also said they will look into whether the Muan airport’s localizer — a concrete fence housing a set of antennas designed to guide aircraft safely during landings — should have been made with lighter materials that would break more easily upon impact.

Joo said the ministry has determined that similar concrete structures are in other domestic airports, including in Jeju Island and the southern cities of Yeosu and Pohang, as well as airports in the United States, Spain and South Africa.

Sunday's crash, the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades, triggered an outpouring of national sympathy. Many people worry how effectively the South Korean government will handle the disaster as it grapples with a leadership vacuum following the recent successive impeachments of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s top two officials, amid political tumult caused by Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law earlier this month.

New acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday presided over a task force meeting on the crash and instructed authorities to conduct an emergency review of the country’s aircraft operation systems.

"The essence of a responsible response would be renovating the aviation safety systems on the whole to prevent recurrences of similar incidents and building a safer Republic of South Korea," Choi, who is also deputy prime minister and finance minister, said, according to the Associated Press. 

SOUTH KOREA PLANE'S FINAL MOMENTS CAPTURED ON VIDEO BEFORE HITTING CONCRETE BARRIER, TRIGGERING EXPLOSION

The Boeing 737-800 plane operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air aborted its first landing attempt for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. Then, during its second landing attempt, it received a bird strike warning from the ground control center before its pilot issued a distress signal. The plane landed without its front landing gear deployed, overshot the runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into a fireball.

The Transport Ministry said authorities have identified 146 bodies and are collecting DNA and fingerprint samples from the other 33, according to the AP. 

Park Han Shin, a representative of the bereaved families, said they were told that the bodies were so badly damaged that officials need time before returning them to their families.

"I demand that the government mobilize more personnel to return our brothers and family members as intact as possible more swiftly," he said, choking down tears.

Earlier Monday, another Boeing 737-800 plane operated by Jeju Air returned to Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport shortly after takeoff when the pilot detected a landing gear issue. Song Kyung-hoon, a Jeju Air executive, said the issue was resolved through communication with a land-based equipment center, but the pilot decided to return to Gimpo as a precautionary measure.

Joo said officials were reviewing whether there might have been communication problems between air traffic controllers and the pilot. 

"Our current understanding is that, at some point during the go-around process, communication became somewhat ineffective or was interrupted, ahead of the landing and impact," he said.

Ministry officials said Monday the plane’s flight data and cockpit audio recorders were moved to a research center at Gimpo airport ahead of their analysis. Ministry officials earlier said it would take months to complete the investigation of the crash.

The Muan crash is South Korea's deadliest aviation disaster since 1997, when a Korean Airlines plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board.

The crash left many South Koreans shocked and ashamed, with the government announcing a seven-day national mourning period through Jan. 4. Some questioned whether the crash involved safety or regulatory issues, such as a 2022 Halloween crush in Seoul that killed 160 people and a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people.

Video of the crash indicated that the pilots did not deploy flaps or slats to slow the aircraft, suggesting a possible hydraulic failure, and did not manually lower the landing gear, suggesting they did not have time, John Cox, a retired airline pilot and CEO of Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida, told the AP. 

Despite that, the jetliner was under control and traveling in a straight line, and damage and injuries likely would have been minimized if not for the barrier being so close to the runway, Cox said. Other observers said the videos showed the plane was suffering from suspected engine trouble, but the landing gear malfunction was likely a direct reason for the crash. They told the AP there wouldn't likely be a link between the landing gear problem and the suspected engine issue.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Eyewitnesses to South Korea plane crash recount sparks in engine, bird strike before collision

Witnesses to a deadly plane crash in South Korea on Sunday said they observed flames in the engine of the aircraft and heard explosions, according to a report.

A Jeju Air flight skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport in the town of Muan, roughly 190 miles south of Seoul, and collided with a concrete fence, killing at least 176 people, the Associated Press reported, citing the country's National Fire Agency (NFA).

Authorities are investigating a potential landing gear failure stemming from a bird strike that may have caused the crash, according to Yonhap News Agency. 

Videos show the plane attempting to land without its landing gear deployed.

PLANE VEERS OFF AIRPORT RUNWAY IN SOUTH KOREA AND CRASHES, KILLING AT LEAST 176: REPORTS

The flight was carrying 181 people when the collision happened at about 9:03 a.m. local time. Emergency workers pulled two crew members to safety who health officials say are conscious and not in life-threatening condition, while three people remained missing.

South Korea's Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that was returning from Bangkok in Thailand.

"We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a statement. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew."

One witness, Yoo Jae-yong, 41, who was staying at a rental house near the airport, said he saw a spark on the plane's right wing before the incident, according to Yonhap News Agency.

"I was telling my family there was a problem with the plane when I heard a loud explosion," Yoo said.

Another witness, identified only by his last name, Cho, told the outlet he was taking a walk 4.5 kilometers, or about 2.8 miles, from the airport when the plane crashed into the concrete wall at the end of the runway.

"I saw the plane descending and thought it was about to land when I noticed a flash of light," Cho said. "Then there was a loud bang followed by smoke in the air, and then I heard a series of explosions."

Kim Yong-cheol, 70, said the plane was unable to land in the initial attempt and had to circle back around to try again before the crash occurred.

Kim said he heard the sound of "metallic scraping" twice about five minutes before the crash. He also said he looked up at the sky and observed the plane ascending after failing to land before he heard a "loud explosion" and noticed "black smoke billowing into the sky."

KAZAKHSTAN PLANE CRASH SURVIVORS SAY THEY HEARD BANGS BEFORE AIRCRAFT WENT DOWN; PUTIN ISSUES STATEMENT

A 50-year-old witness, identified by his last name, Jung, was fishing nearby when he says he observed a flock of birds colliding with the plane, which resulted in a fire in the right engine.

"As the plane was landing on the runway, it hit a flock of birds approaching from the opposite direction," he said. "I heard two or three bangs as if the birds had been sucked into the engine before I saw flames coming from the right engine."

Kerati Kijmanawat, the director of Airports of Thailand, said in a statement that the plane departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of abnormal conditions with the aircraft or on the runway.

Jeju Air said in a statement it expresses its "deep apology" over the crash and that it will do its "utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Plane veers off airport runway in South Korea and crashes, killing at least 176: reports

A Jeju Air flight skidded off a runway in South Korea and collided with a concrete fence, killing at least 176 people, the Associated Press reported, citing the country's National Fire Agency (NFA).

The Yonhap News Agency attributed the devastating crash, one of the worst in the country's history, to malfunctioning landing gear. 

Jeju Air, a low-cost airline in South Korea, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members in the Boeing 737-800 when the incident occurred Sunday morning local time at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, roughly 180 miles south of Seoul.

At least 176 people — 83 women, 82 men and 11 others whose genders weren’t immediately identifiable — died in the fire, the fire agency said. 

KAZAKHSTAN PLANE CRASH SURVIVORS SAY THEY HEARD BANGS BEFORE AIRCRAFT WENT DOWN; PUTIN ISSUES STATEMENT

According to the NFA, emergency workers rescued two people, both crew members who were conscious. Three people remained missing about nine hours after the incident.

The plane landed at 9:07 a.m. local time at the airport when the incident happened. 

According to the Associated Press, the passenger plane slammed into a concrete fence on the runway after its front landing gear failed to deploy. 

The plane was flying back to South Korea from Thailand, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

Photos shared by local media showed smoke billowing out of the plane.

A senior Transport Ministry official said that the flight data recorder from the plane’s black box was retrieved and that crews were still searching for the cockpit voice recording device, according to the AP.

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American teacher jailed in Russia is wrongfully detained, State Department formally says

The State Department announced that an American teacher arrested at a Russian airport on drug charges more than three years ago has been designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government.

Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.

Fogel was left out of a massive prisoner swap in August that freed multiple Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

US CITIZEN IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA GIVEN NEW 15-YEAR SENTENCE IN WAKE OF ESPIONAGE CONVICTION

After the prisoner exchange, which also freed a dozen German nationals, lawyers for Fogel's family again pushed for the Biden administration to work toward securing his freedom, including by designating him as wrongfully detained.

The State Department considers several factors when choosing whether to designate an American jailed in a foreign country as wrongfully detained, such as whether there is credible information that the person is innocent or if they are being held primarily to influence U.S. policy or secure concessions from the U.S. government.

"The United States has been working to secure Marc Fogel’s release for some time," the State Department said in a statement. "We have long called for his humanitarian release and tried to include him in the August 1 deal, but were unable to. The Secretary determined Marc is wrongfully detained in October."

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Designating someone as wrongfully detained traditionally moves supervision of their case to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs's office, which is within the State Department and focuses on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in foreign countries.

Fogel's wife, Jane, and his sons, Ethan and Sam, said in a statement they were grateful that the State Department "has finally acknowledged what we have known all along — that our husband and father, Marc Fogel, has and continues to be wrongfully detained."

RUSSIA DETAINS SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING HIGH-RANKING GENERAL IN MOSCOW

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"Now that we have the full force of the U.S. government behind us, we must do everything in our power to bring Marc home as quickly and safely as possible," the family continued.

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Plane drives off runway, crashes into fence leaving at least 23 dead: report

A Jeju Air flight drove off the runway in South Korea and collided with a fence, leaving at least 23 passengers killed, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The agency attributed the devastating crash to malfunctioning landing gear.

Jeju Air, a low-cost airline in South Korea, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members in the Boeing 737-800 when the incident occurred Sunday morning local time at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province.

RUSSIA DOWNPLAYS SPECULATION OVER DEADLY AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES CRASH AS REPORT LAYS BLAME FOR DOWNED PLANE 

The plane landed at 9:07 a.m. local time at the airport when the incident happened. 

The plane was flying back to South Korea from Thailand, the report said.

Photos shared by local media showed smoke billowing out of the plane.

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Kazakhstan plane crash survivors say they heard bangs before aircraft went down

Crew members and survivors of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day say they heard at least one loud bang before the aircraft crashed in a ball of fire, heightening speculation that a Russian anti-aircraft missile may have been responsible for the tragedy.

The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defense systems against Ukrainian attack drones. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.

Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers aboard Flight J2-8243, told Reuters from the hospital that he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing a bang.

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"After the bang...I thought the plane was going to fall apart," Rakhimov told the outlet. "It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way. It was as if it was drunk - not the same plane anymore."

Surviving passenger Vafa Shabanova said that there were "two explosions in the sky, and an hour and a half later the plane crashed to the ground."

Another survivor, Jerova Salihat, told Azerbaijani television in an interview in the hospital that "something exploded" near her leg, per the Associated Press.

Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli , meanwhile, said that after one noise, the oxygen masks automatically released. She said that she went to perform first aid on a colleague, Zulfugar Asadov, and then they heard another bang.

Asadov said that the noises sounded like something hitting the plane from outside. Shortly afterward, he sustained a sudden injury like a "deep wound, the arm was lacerated as if someone hit me in the arm with an ax," he added. He denied a claim from Kazakh officials that an oxygen canister exploded inside the plane.

Asadov said a landing was denied in Grozny due to fog, so the pilot circled, at which point there were bangs outside the aircraft. The aircraft’s two pilots died in the crash.

"The pilot had just lifted the plane up when I heard a bang from the left wing. There were three bangs," he told Reuters. 

Flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea.

Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact. Holes could be seen in the plane’s tail section.

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On Friday, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the U.S. had seen some early indications that "would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems." He refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.

Azerbaijani minister Rashad Nabiyev also suggested the plane was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor accounts.

Preliminary results of Azerbaijan's probe into the fatal incident suggest the aircraft was struck by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, or shrapnel from such a missile, individuals briefed on the investigation noted, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A source familiar with Azerbaijan's probe told Reuters that preliminary results indicated the aircraft was hit by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system — electronic warfare systems paralyzed communications on the aircraft's approach to Grozny, the source stated, according to the outlet.

"No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft," the source noted, according to Reuters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the claims that the plane was hit by Russian air defenses, saying that it will be up to investigators to determine the cause of the crash.

Russia's aviation watchdog said on Friday the plane had decided to reroute from its original destination in Chechnya amid dense fog and a local alert over Ukrainian drones. The agency said the captain had been offered other airports at which to land, but had chosen Kazakhstan's Aktau. 

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to eight additional Russian airports after the tragedy.

The airline noted in a post on X that beginning Dec. 28, flights from Baku to eight Russian airports have been suspended. The announcement comes in addition to the prior suspension of flights between Baku and two other Russian airports.

Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg, Pilar Arias, Elizabeth Pritchett, the Associated Press as well as Reuters contributed to this report.  

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Man on vacation with family goes overboard on Norwegian cruise ship in Bahamas

The frantic search for a Norwegian Cruise Line passenger who went overboard has been called off.

A spokesperson for the cruise line confirmed to Fox News Digital that the 51-year-old went overboard from Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic late Thursday afternoon. 

The incident was first noted at approximately 3 p.m. as Norwegian Epic was sailing from Ocho Rios, Jamaica en route to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. 

The passenger was on the cruise with his family, the spokesperson said. The cruise left from Port Canaveral, Florida on Saturday, Dec. 21 and was a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage.

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The cruise line said that authorities were quickly notified and search and rescue efforts were immediately implemented. 

SOCIAL MEDIA USERS GET DRAMATIC AFTER CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP HITS ICE IN ALASKA: 'TITANIC MOMENT'

"After an extensive search that was unfortunately unsuccessful, the ship was released by the authorities to continue its voyage," the spokesperson said. 

Norwegian Cruise Line said the passenger’s loved ones on board were "being attended to and supported during this very challenging situation."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time," the spokesperson added. 

The Norwegian Epic, which was built in 2010 and refurbished in 2020, has 19 decks. It can accommodate 4,070 passengers with double occupancy of its cabins and has 1,724 crew members. 

It was not immediately clear what caused the man to go overboard. The man has not been identified.

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China unveils world's largest amphibious warship

China has launched the first of its new line of amphibious assault ships and its biggest warship yet, strengthening what is already the world's largest navy.

The Sichuan, a type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony on Friday. 

With a full load displacement of 40,000 tons, the warship ranks among the world's largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a dual-island superstructure and full-length flight deck, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.

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China Bugle, an news outlet associated with the PLAN's news media center, reported the ship will play a key role in transforming and developing the Chinese navy and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas. 

The Sichuan is capable of launching fighter jets and unmanned drones from an electromagnetic catapult. It is designed to carry ground troops in landing craft with air support. 

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The ship also features "arrester technology" that Chinese researchers boast will allow fighter jets to land on its deck, similar to an aircraft carrier.

China launched its first amphibious assault ship, a type 075 class warship called the Hainan, in 2019.

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The PLANmi has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its homemade aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago.

The Sichuan will now undergo additional tests at sea. 

China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel.

The U.S. Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed in strategic locations globally, including in the Asia-Pacific.

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South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly votes to impeach acting President Han

South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo despite vehement protests by governing party lawmakers, further deepening the country’s political crisis set off by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment.

Han’s impeachment means he will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him. The court is already reviewing whether to uphold Yoon's earlier impeachment. The impeachments of the country’s top two officials has worsened its political turmoil, deepened economic uncertainties and hurt its international image.

The single-chamber National Assembly passed Han’s impeachment motion with a 192-0 vote. Lawmakers with the governing People Power Party boycotted the vote and surrounded the podium where assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik was seated, shouting that the vote was "invalid" and demanding Woo's resignation. No violence or injuries were reported.

The PPP lawmakers protested after Woo called for a vote on Han’s impeachment motion after announcing its passage required a simple majority in the 300-member assembly, not a two-thirds majority as claimed by the PPP. Most South Korean officials can be impeached by the National Assembly with a simple majority vote, but a president’s impeachment needs the support of two-thirds. There are no specific laws on the impeachment of an acting president.

SOUTH KOREA LAWMAKERS VOTE TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT OVER MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION

In a statement, Han called his impeachment "regrettable" but said he respects the assembly's decision and will suspend his duties to "not add to additional confusion and uncertainty." He said he will wait for "a swift, wise decision" by the Constitutional Court.

Han’s powers were officially suspended after copies of his impeachment document were delivered to him and the Constitutional Court. The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, took over.

Later Friday, Choi's office said he instructed the military to boost its readiness to help prevent North Korea from miscalculating the situation and launching provocations. He also told the foreign ministry to inform the U.S., Japan and other major partners that South Korea's foreign policies remain unchanged.

Han, who was appointed prime minister by Yoon, became acting president after Yoon, a conservative, was impeached by the National Assembly about two weeks ago over his short-lived Dec. 3 imposition of martial law. Han quickly clashed with the main liberal opposition Democratic Party as he pushed back against opposition-led efforts to fill three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, establish an independent investigation into Yoon’s martial law decree and legislate pro-farmer bills.

At the heart of the fighting is the Democratic Party’s demand that Han approve the assembly's nominations of three new Constitutional Court justices to restore its full nine-member bench ahead of its ruling on Yoon’s impeachment. That’s a politically sensitive issue because a court decision to dismiss Yoon as president needs support from at least six justices, and adding more justices will likely increase the prospects for Yoon’s ouster. Yoon’s political allies in the governing party oppose the appointment of the three justices, saying Han shouldn’t exercise the presidential authority to make the appointments while Yoon has yet to be formally removed from office.

On Thursday, Han said he wouldn’t appoint the justices without bipartisan consent. Later in the day, the Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the assembly, submitted an impeachment motion against Han and passed bills calling for the appointment of three justices.

South Korean investigative agencies are probing whether Yoon committed rebellion and abuse of power with his marital law decree. Yoon has repeatedly ignored requests by authorities to appear for face-to-face questioning,

His defense minister, police chief and several other senior military commanders have already been arrested over the deployment of troops and police officers to the National Assembly, which prompted a dramatic standoff that ended when lawmakers managed to enter the chamber and voted unanimously to overrule Yoon’s decree.

NORTH KOREA CONDEMNS SOUTH KOREA AS 'FASCIST DICTATORSHIP' AFTER MARTIAL LAW SCARE

South Korean media reported that prosecutors indicted former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun for allegedly playing a key role in Yoon's rebellion plot and committing abuse of power and obstruction. The reports said Kim, a close associate of Yoon, became the first person to be formally charged over the martial law decree. Calls to a Seoul prosecutors' office were unanswered.

Han's impeachment motion accuses him of collaborating and abetting Yoon's declaration of martial law. It also accuses Han of attempting to obstruct the restoration of the Constructional Court's full membership and of delaying investigations into Yoon's alleged rebellion by not appointing independent counsels.

The martial law enactment, the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea, lasted only six hours but it caused political turmoil in South Korea, triggered alarms from its neighbors and rattled markets. Yoon has defended his decree as an act of governance, saying it was a warning to the Democratic Party which he said has been using its parliamentary majority to obstruct his agenda.

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Iran regime under 'immense pressure' amid incoming Trump admin policies, regional losses, economic woes

JERUSALEM—President-elect Donald Trump’s slated revival of his maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran coupled with a chronic gas shortage in the nation could be the one-two punch that topples the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to one prominent expert. 

"This gas shortage inside Iran is highly significant and exposes the regime’s growing vulnerabilities across multiple fronts. From the defeats of Hezbollah and Hamas in their conflicts with Israel, to the losses of the Houthis in Yemen and the collapse of the Syrian regime under Assad, we see a consistent erosion of the regime's influence," Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital.

She continued, "Add to this the plummeting Rial and the staggering mismanagement of resources despite the loosening of sanctions and billions handed over through lopsided deals under Biden's watch—it's no surprise the regime is under immense pressure."

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"With President Trump likely to return to a leadership stance that emphasizes maximum pressure, the Iranian people could find themselves in an environment ripe for demanding regime change, Daftari said.

The widespread blackouts and severe gas shortages for households have jolted Iran’s rulers. Acute anxiety about social and political unrest is on the minds of the rulers who control Iran and are quick to impose violence on mass dissent. 

Nationwide protests over fuel prices and the violent repression of women for not properly wearing the compulsory hijab have rocked the Tehran regime in 2019 and 2022. 

In 2019, Fox News Digital reported that Iran’s regime killed at least 106 people who protested against an increase of fuel prices. Three years later, in 2022, the regime’s infamous morality police murdered a young woman, Masha Amini, for not adequately covering her hair. The 2022 protests morphed into widespread calls across the nation for the dissolution of the Islamic Republic.

According to a Tuesday report in the London-based Iran International news organization, the head of Iran’s judiciary sent a directive to prevent unrest because of the power and gas outages.

Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary reportedly said "The Attorney General and prosecutors across the country, in direct cooperation with the intelligence, security, and law enforcement agencies, should take all appropriate measures and arrangements to stabilize and strengthen the security of the people and citizens, and, as in the past, and even with greater firmness, take the relevant measures so that the enemy's conspiracy to create insecurity…is neutralized."

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Despite Iran’s vast natural gas and oil reserves, years of underinvestment, economic mismanagement, corruption and sanctions have left the energy sector ill-prepared for seasonal surges.

The Islamic Republic has also pumped massive funds into its terrorist proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, over the years. Matthew Levitt, a counter-terrorism expert for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, has said that Iran funnels roughly $700 million to $1 billion a year to Hezbollah and Hamas secures $100 million a year.

The Iranian rial on December 18 fell to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Trump won the presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging across the Middle East.  

Iran’s Central Bank has in the past flooded the market with more hard currencies in an attempt to improve the rate.

The currency plunged as Iran ordered the closure of schools, universities, and government offices on Wednesday due to a worsening energy crisis exacerbated by harsh winter conditions. The crisis follows a summer of blackouts and is now compounded by severe cold, snow and air pollution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Armed for survival: How Oct 7 Hamas massacre transformed gun culture in Israel

In the delivery room of a hospital in Jerusalem, as the contractions intensified and the midwife tried to help the laboring woman shift to a more comfortable position, the mother felt something strange.

"She told me something was hurting her," recalled Erga Froman, the midwife. "Then I realized it was my gun, which was holstered on a rotating belt and had shifted forward, touching her." After the baby was born, Froman's colleagues at the hospital took a photo of her standing next to the newborn, still wearing the gun. "It's a picture of contrasts," she said.

Before Oct. 7, Froman, a mother of five now living in the Golan Heights in northern Israel, had never considered obtaining a gun license. Having opted to do non-military national service instead of military service in the IDF, she had never fired a gun in her life. The change came swiftly after Hamas’ unprecedented terrorist attack on Israeli communities on Oct. 7, leaving over 1,200 dead and shattering a sense of security that many Israelis had long relied upon.

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"On the evening of Oct. 7, my husband and I realized that because I travel alone at night on dangerous roads to my job – bringing life into the world – I needed protection," Froman told Fox News Digital. "By the next morning, I had submitted my application for a gun license. Now I hope I’ll never need to use it, but I’m prepared if I have to."

For decades, firearm ownership in Israel was uncommon. Although military service ensured that many Israelis were trained with weapons, personal firearms were seen as more of a liability than a necessity. The strict licensing process deterred many, and Israelis trusted the state and its defense forces to protect them from terror threats, which took precedence over Israel’s low crime rates.

But after the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, many Israelis began to see personal firearms as a necessary safeguard in a new and more dangerous reality. "As there weren’t enough medical teams on Oct. 7, there also wasn’t enough defense," Froman noted. "Learning from that, today we have a community medical team, and we are also armed to be able to give a first response."

The Israeli Supreme Court is currently reviewing petitions against the nationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, alleging that his office issued firearm licenses without proper authority.

In the months following the Oct. 7 attack, over 260,000 new gun license applications were submitted – nearly matching the total number from the previous two decades combined. More than 100,000 licenses have already been approved, marking a tenfold increase compared to the previous year.

Ayala Mirkin, a mother from Shiloh in Judea and Samaria, more widely known as the West Bank, applied for a firearm license after her husband, an IDF reserve soldier, was sent to fight in the war in Gaza, leaving her alone with their three young children. "I felt unsafe driving through Arab villages and knew I had to do something to protect myself," she said. "The process was much faster than it would have been before Oct. 7, but it still took months because of the flood of applications."

Mirkin now carries her pistol whenever she leaves her settlement, though she remains conflicted. "I don’t want to own a gun. The day I can give it back will be the happiest of my life. But I have no choice. It’s a tool for survival."

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For families like Mirkin’s, firearms have become part of everyday life. She keeps her gun securely locked in a safe and has trained her children never to touch it. "It’s a tool for protection, not for killing," she emphasizes. "My focus is on preserving life, not taking it."

Oren Gozlan, a paratrooper veteran and father, is among those who hesitated before applying for a license. Living on the Israeli side of the Green Line border near the Palestinian city of Tulkarem, Gozlan decided he could no longer avoid arming himself. "The fear of having a gun at home with kids still exists, but the need to protect my family outweighs it," he says. "Oct. 7 changed everything. It brought the realization that we are vulnerable in ways we never imagined."

Gozlan is unnerved by what he sees as inadequate oversight in the licensing process. "At the range, I saw people who had never held a gun in their life, barely hitting their targets. It’s frightening to think these people are now walking around with firearms."

Saar Zohar, a reservist in an elite unit, expressed a similar shift. For years, Zohar resisted owning a gun, believing it unnecessary after his service. But a series of terror attacks following Oct. 7 pushed him to reconsider. "I couldn’t stand the thought of being helpless if something happened," he says. "Knowing I have the training and can respond, I feel it is my responsibility."

Unlike in the United States, where gun ownership is often linked to fears of crime or the defense of private property, firearms in Israel are seen as tools for countering terrorism. Historically, Israel has avoided the public mass shootings that have sometimes plagued the U.S., but experts warn that the rapid proliferation of firearms could change this. With so many untrained individuals carrying weapons, the fear of impulsive actions and tragic mistakes looms large.

Zohar is haunted by the potential for misidentification. "The idea that another armed civilian might mistake me for an attacker terrifies me," he says, referencing a tragic incident in November 2023 when an Israeli civilian who had shot at terrorists in Jerusalem was mistakenly killed by a young soldier.

The psychological toll of this shift is evident among those newly armed. Eyal Haskel, a father of three from Tel Aviv, describes the social pressures he faced after Oct. 7. "I never wanted to carry a gun, but my friends questioned why I wasn’t armed. It felt like an expectation, almost a duty."

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But Haskel is also disturbed by what he has seen at shooting ranges. "People treat it like a game, firing without any understanding of the responsibility. It’s horrifying to think these people are now licensed."

For many Israelis, the reform represents a necessary response to an existential threat. Yet, it has also exposed deep flaws in the system. Critics argue that the current approach sacrifices long-term safety for short-term security, warning of potential unintended consequences, from accidental shootings to a rise in domestic violence.

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"Getting a gun license is easier than getting a driver’s license," Gozlan says. "For a car, you need lessons, tests and strict rules. For a gun, it’s just some paperwork and a few hours at the range."

Froman sees things differently. "If someone threatens you, you only draw your weapon in a national security situation. You don’t pull a gun for personal life-threatening situations unless it’s a case of terrorists. The rules here are clear – you must have a safe for your weapon. I can’t rely on my husband’s safe; a firearm is personal. I’m not allowed to use his gun, and he’s not allowed to use mine. The regulations are very strict. The weapon is for defending against those who want to harm us, not for general self-defense."

Mirkin agrees. "We’re not like America," she said. "We don’t want guns as hobbies … for us, it’s survival, not choice."

One interviewee who asked to remain anonymous described how he trained his wife in basic firearm handling, even though she doesn’t have a license. "I never wanted to put her in this position, but if I’m not home during an attack, she needs to know how to defend our children."

As Israel adjusts to this new reality, the societal implications of increased firearm ownership remain uncertain. For many, the weight of these decisions highlights the delicate balance between protection and responsibility.

"I hope I’ll never have to use it," Gozlan says. "But I can’t ignore the reality we live in. Oct. 7 changed everything."

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Grandson of former commandant of Auschwitz on rise of antisemitism, his life as a pastor

Kai Höss walks to the podium every Sunday at a small church in Germany to share a message of salvation and God’s grace and forgiveness. 

He’s the lead pastor at the Bible Church of Stuttgart, a non-denominational church that serves the English-speaking international community as well as U.S. service members and their families who are stationed in the area.

He’s also the grandson of former Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss, a Nazi official who oversaw the mass murder of an estimated 1.1 million people, the majority of them Jews, at the notorious extermination camp in southern Poland.

Höss spoke with Fox News Digital from his home in Germany to share his thoughts on antisemitism today and how he reconciles his Christian faith with what his grandfather did nearly 80 years ago.

He was raised in a non-Christian home with non-believing parents, but his Grandma Caroline was a believer who "understood Christ" and the Gospel. 

"I thought she was really weird," Höss admitted.

He graduated from school, trained as a chef, joined the military and then studied hotel tourism management. He worked abroad for roughly 20 years, spending most of his time with big-name hotel chains like Sheraton and Shangri-La.

"I was a young urban professional full of myself, in love with myself, you know, Rolex, golden Amex, Mr. Cool, going to clubs, out every night. That was my life," he said.

It wasn’t until a medical operation went wrong that he turned his life around. He found a Bible in the hospital room, initially telling himself that he wasn’t going to read it, but continued book by book.

He was saved in Singapore in 1989. "God saved a wretch like me, you know? And that's what he does. And it never stops. His grace abounds," Höss said. 

The father of four openly speaks about his family’s past and his salvation and goes to schools to share his story and speak out against antisemitism.

Höss was in sixth or seventh grade when he discovered that Rudolf Höss was his grandfather, which left him feeling deeply ashamed.

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"I didn't go around telling people, 'Hey, you know, I'm the grandson of the greatest mass murderer in human history,'" he told Fox News Digital. "So, I just kept it quiet."

After he became a Christian, he felt compelled to share his grandfather’s dark legacy and share a message of forgiveness, grace and reconciliation. He shared his testimony at a U.S. military retreat in Germany, where he was embraced by a Jewish military officer whose family had been murdered in Auschwitz.

"I started thinking, ‘How can I give something back? How can I do something to’ – I know I can't make it undone. I can’t reverse history, but I thought, you know, I can do something. I can just love them and what I can do, I can proclaim the truth from God's word to Christians," Höss said. 

Through Jesus Christ, he believes God's grace is able to redeem even the darkest past. 

When speaking to students in Germany, Höss addresses antisemitism by drawing connections between the past and the present, specifically referencing World War II, his grandfather’s role and the power of hate.

He explains the concept of social Darwinism, which was used by the Nazis to justify their belief in racial superiority. He explains how Darwin’s theory of evolution was misapplied to humans, leading to the idea that certain races were "stronger" and more "superior" than others and thus had the right to dominate or eliminate "weaker" races.

Höss emphasized that this false ideology fueled much of the hatred against Jews, along with other marginalized groups, during World War II.

He connects his presentations to social media platforms today and how TikTok, for example, can be highly influential, especially with its short, emotionally charged clips. He warns students about the danger of being swayed by superficial or biased content, emphasizing the importance of thinking critically and not simply swallowing information "hook, line and sinker" without considering the deeper truths or questioning the narrative.

"One of my friends called it TikTok mentality, TikTok brains, you know, you get these endorphins, you get these, you know, little hormone boosts every time you see a little clip. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then it gets so addictive, right? And people get filled with the wrong idea. They don't look for deeper truth. They don't analyze," he told Fox News Digital.

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Höss reacted to anti-Israel protests that erupted on U.S. college campuses after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, noting how much of the support for violence on campuses comes from people acting emotionally, often without a full understanding of the historical and political complexities of the situation.

Julia Wax, a Georgetown University law student, told "Fox & Friends" in the wake of Oct. 7 that college campuses are a "hostile environment" for Jewish students. 

"People are scared to go to class. You have to sit next to classmates who are posting antisemitic rhetoric, who are promoting rallies that spew antisemitic rhetoric. People are scared, and the universities are not doing their part, and they're not stepping up, and they're staying silent," Wax said.

Höss told Fox News Digital he hears people chanting "From the river to the sea," but if you ask them what that river or sea is, "they have no idea." "They want to be part of something. They feel good about it. They get the basic message, the narrative. They've never really questioned both sides of the coin, so they don't really have the full information. They're not really interested because, again, it's emotional. It's an emotional response."

He critiqued how people, driven by ideologies or emotional narratives, can turn hatred into action, leading to harm and violence against others.

"We get infiltrated by ideas, ideologies, thoughts, emotions. And then we start going all for it. We go right out there, and we turn these thoughts into actions. And one of them is hatred and hatred turning into bloodshed. And that's exactly what we see on the campuses. We see people are willing to go out for this idea and do bad things. I mean, [they] don't realize that this Jewish person there is just, you know, a normal person like they themselves," Höss said.

"He's made of flesh and blood, right? He's a student. He's just a normal person. And here I hate someone because of something a government did somewhere on the other side of the planet, you know? And is everything that happened right? Perhaps not, you know, in that whole conflict there," he added, referring to the Israel-Hamas war. "I hope they're going to come to a point now where this whole thing sort of slows down and people can help."

Höss and his father traveled to Auschwitz three years ago when they were filming the HBO documentary "The Commandant’s Shadow." They met with Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch in her home and came to terms with Rudolf Höss’ murderous past. 

"We pray for her," he added. "And I feel so privileged and thankful, humbled that we were allowed to go there and my dad and I and just see her and spend time with her. A person that had suffered so much under my grandfather's cruel, cruel system in that concentration camp."

Höss has plans to speak at a synagogue in Freiburg, Germany, in January as part of the commemoration services for the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation. 

"[It’s] an amazing opportunity to speak up and to be part of something like that," he told Fox News Digital.

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Incoming Trump admin, Congress showdown looms with South Africa over support for Russia, US foes

JOHANNESBURG – Key Republicans are already pressing the incoming Trump administration to kick South Africa out of lucrative trade arrangements, should the South African government not change its position on Russia, China, Iran and Israel.

Most at risk is South Africa’s duty-free exports to the U.S. of items such as cars and citrus fruit under AGOA – the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and with it the potential loss of tens of thousands of African jobs. South Africa is likely to be under intense scrutiny from the incoming administration. 

A publication from the Center for African Studies at Howard University, in 2023, warned that a country wanting AGOA’s preferential trade agreements "cannot act in a manner that undermines U.S. national security or foreign policy interests".

South Africa joins Russia’s military aircraft and naval vessels on exercises, allowing Pretoria’s naval bases to be used by the Kremlin and Russia’s sanctioned warships. Senior South African military officials have received training in Moscow. At the U.N., South Africa has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

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South Africa’s majority ANC party has met with terror group Hamas, and recently one branch of the ANC supported a local Muslim leader who reportedly shouted to a cheering crowd, "I am Hamas, Cape Town is Hamas, Viva Hamas!" The government also issued a statement condemning the killing this year of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The country’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, spoke out against the "assassination" of this designated terrorist leader, saying "such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law."

South Africa has accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa’s biggest trading partner is China, with the two countries being founder members of the BRICS trade organization. South Africa has welcomed the inclusion now of Iran in BRICS. There have been accusations of deep links between Tehran and Pretoria.

"Given the South African positions on the Russia-Ukraine and Mideast conflicts, South Africa is leaning away from American positions in a number of ways, most especially in its vigorous pursuit of Israel and its leaders in the international courts," J. Brooks Spector told Fox News Digital. 

Spector, a former U.S. diplomat now based in Johannesburg, and deputy editor of the respected Daily Maverick, added that "continuing action and rhetoric by South Africa in its pursuit of Israel in international court efforts will, however, encourage Republicans in Congress (and probably in the administration as well) to strip South Africa of benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, assuming the act is renewed next year."

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"Such pursuits by the South African government may also lead to efforts to cut back on assistance to important efforts such as PEPFAR – the aid program that, together with the Global Fund and local organizations, has been crucial in the country’s successful efforts combatting HIV and AIDS."

One such leading Republican, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital, "I remain concerned about South Africa’s efforts to cozy up to Russia, China and Iran, including Iran’s terror proxies, and the impact this has on U.S. national security – a vital element in AGOA eligibility. The country’s foreign policy actions will remain a focus of my oversight efforts." 

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and member of the Senate Finance Committee, slammed South Africa in 2023, "South Africa has harbored sanctioned Russian ships, expanded relations with Iran and issued statements against Israel’s right to defend itself following Hamas’ recent terror attacks" 

Both of these influential Republican leaders are expected to become more powerful when President-elect Trump takes office in January, with Scott’s office staff telling Fox News Digital, "Sen. Scott looks forward to working with the Trump administration to ensure that AGOA participants are not undermining our national security interests."

South Africa’s moves are very definitely in an extremely bright spotlight in Washington. From inside the beltway, Richard Goldberg told Fox News Digital he’s worried particularly over potential links between South Africa and Iran. Goldberg is a former member of the National Security Council, and a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He told Fox, "The first step is to build the case publicly, and give South Africa one last moment of choosing. We should declassify intelligence about South Africa’s deep relationship with Iran, and any other support or partnership with terrorist groups."

Goldberg continued, "And then we need to use our full diplomatic and economic weight to force Pretoria to choose between the United States and our terrorist adversaries. AGOA should be one of several items on the policy menu."

South Africa’s Department of International Relations didn’t respond to several requests for comment. But COSATU’s Parliamentary Co-ordinator, Matthew Parks did. COSATU is the Confederation of South African Trade Unions, historically aligned with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC party. Parks is highly respected for his meaningful and dignified pursuance of workers’ rights. His members have much to lose, including potentially their jobs, if South Africa is pushed out of AGOA. But he appeared to be cautiously optimistic when talking to Fox News Digital, "We are confident that our relations with the U.S. will continue to grow, including through AGOA, simply because it is to the benefit of both our peoples."

"We’ve been extensively involved in engagements between South Africa and the U.S., on how to deepen our relations and toward the renewal of AGOA," Parks continued.  "We’ve engaged extensively with our colleagues in the U.S. labor movement, business community, Congress (both Republicans and Democrats), the State Department, Department of Labor, NSC and the White House."

As Trump moves into the White House, nearby Ebrahim Rassool will be starting his second term as South African ambassador to the U.S. This month he talked to the Daily Maverick on South Africa’s challenges with the new administration, referring to South Africa’s attack on Israel at the ICJ. "We will stick by the case, but let us now trust our legal team," he said, "trust the evidence that we have placed in front of the judges of the ICJ, trust the judges of the ICJ to come to a sustainable, just solution – but that we need to put away the megaphone now." 

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Rassool pointed out that the South African oranges exported to the U.S. under AGOA enabled Americans to drink orange juice all year round, when Florida and California oranges were out of season. 

And Rassool added, "Why would you want to punish America with expensive cars when the BMWs coming from South Africa are going to be much cheaper than getting them from Germany or manufacturing your own?

"Likewise, to point out that American cancer patients are receiving medical nuclear isotopes that come from South Africa."

The expulsion of South Africa from AGOA would be "disastrous," Renai Moothilal wrote in the Business Day newspaper last year. Moothilal is CEO of the National Association of Automotive Component & Allied Manufacturers, and wrote, "It will be no surprise if some component manufacturers close their doors. U.S.-headquartered multinational manufacturers with plants here may exit the South African country if there are volume losses linked to our exclusion from AGOA, or other forms of political pressure are brought to bear."

Observers note there are loud threats coming from President-elect Trump himself, including a claim that he will slap a 100% import tariff on countries like South Africa if, as members of BRICS, they adopt a new currency to rival the dollar. In the other corner of the ring, South African politicians are taking a more placatory and reserved tone. The Democratic Alliance or DA is South Africa’s main opposition party. But since May, they have also been members of the government of national unity, working in a sometimes noisy coalition with President Ramaphosa’s ANC. 

Emma Powell, the DA’s national spokesperson for foreign affairs, told Fox News Digital that it’s likely the relationship between Pretoria and Washington "will become increasingly transactional, with greater emphasis placed on equitable reciprocity. This would contrast the Biden administration’s approach to beneficiation-based investment and development. There is also likely to be less tolerance for any action on the part of the South African government that may be perceived as undermining the national security interests of the United States."

Powell added "the Trump administration is also likely to take a more cautious approach on AGOA eligibility."

J. Brooks Spector told Fox News Digital he could take home one strong positive: "The incoming U.S. president’s often-expressed support for transactional foreign economic policies may possibly be an incentive for Africa's nations – urged on by South Africa – to come together with initiatives offering trade and market concessions in Africa to America."

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Russia being blamed for Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed hundreds of miles off course, killing dozens

More than 30 passengers are dead after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, reports say.

The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia had 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced. As of Wednesday afternoon, those authorities said there were 38 dead and 29 injured survivors.

Flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. Officials did not immediately explain why it had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane's flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

Russia's aviation watchdog, meanwhile, said it was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

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Aviation-security firm Osprey Flight Solutions said the flight was "likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense sytem," the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night.

"Video of the wreckage and the circumstances around the airspace security environment in southwest Russia indicates the possibility the aircraft was hit by some form of antiaircraft fire," Matt Borie, Osprey's chief intelligence officer, said in an interview.

Ukrainian national security official Andriy Kovalenko also blamed a "Russian air-defense system" for the crash in an X post on Wednesday.

Those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani and three Kyrgyzstani citizens, according to Kazakhstani officials. 

Russian news agency Interfax reported that both pilots died in the crash, citing a preliminary assessment by emergency workers at the scene. The news agency also quoted medical workers who stated that four bodies had been recovered from the crash so far. 

The survivors have been hospitalized and include two children, the ministry told Russia's state news agency, RIA Novosti, The Associated Press reported. 

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Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had been traveling to Russia, returned to Azerbaijan upon hearing news of the crash, the president’s press service said. Aliyev was due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in St. Petersburg.

Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement on social media. 

"It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured," he wrote.

Aliyev also signed a decree declaring Dec. 26 a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.

In a statement, Azerbaijan Airlines said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black.

"We ask God for mercy on the passengers and crew members who lost their lives," a translated statement on X said. "Their pain is our pain. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured." 

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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