Israel issues detailed threat to Hezbollah, Iran as Gaza war hits 4 months

The Israeli military offered a stark warning to Hezbollah and Iran on Saturday as the war in Gaza was just days away from completing its fourth month.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari addressed Hezbollah, saying that Israel will be "ready to attack immediately" if provoked, but said they do not wish for outright war.

"We do not choose war as our first priority, but we are certainly prepared," Hagari said."We will continue to act wherever Hezbollah is present, we will continue to act wherever it is required in the Middle East. What is true for Lebanon is true for Syria, and is true for other more distant places."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a similar warning this weekend, saying that even if Israel agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas, the IDF would not hesitate to strike Hezbollah if necessary.

ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLS FOR UNRWA COMMISSIONER TO RESIGN AMID ALLEGATIONS ITS WORKERS ASSISTED HAMAS

Israel will mark four months since it began its retaliatory campaign against Hamas later this week. Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that they expect the war to continue for "many more months."

ISRAEL TO BAN REBUILDING OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS IN GAZA FOLLOWING CONCERNS FROM BIDEN ADMIN

An Israeli intelligence official told reporters last week that Israel remains far away from achieving its stated goals of capturing Hamas' leaders and ammunition reserves and rendering Hamas military bases and tunnels inoperative.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar remains at large, though he is believed to be somewhere within the network of tunnels beneath Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza.

BIDEN SAYS HE'S DECIDED ON RESPONSE TO IRANIAN-BACKED MILITIA ATTACK THAT KILLED 3 US SOLDIERS IN JORDAN

Israel's warning this weekend comes as tensions between the U.S. and Iran threaten to boil over. Iran-backed terrorist groups have caused chaos throughout the Middle East since Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, going so far as to kill 3 U.S. soldiers last week.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Biden's administration has vowed a response, and Iran has likewise vowed to "decisively" respond to any U.S. attacks. U.S. Central Command said Friday that forces conducted airstrikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/fqRbWCX

Biden ignores Palestinian terror on West Bank as administration sanctions four Israelis: 'Pure politics'

JERUSALEM — President Biden slapped sanctions on four Israeli settlers Thursday for violently targeting Palestinians in the disputed West Bank territory.  

The White House’s unprecedented executive order to penalize Israelis while the Jewish state wages a war against the Palestinian Hamas terrorist movement in Gaza and Palestinian terrorist cells in the West Bank sparked intense anger among supporters of the Middle East’s only democracy.   

"While I have no tolerance for violence, Biden’s selection of four Israeli Jews for sanctions, especially when Palestinian violence is far more prevalent and lethal, is just pure politics," David Friedman, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and a key architect of peace between Arab nations and Israel, told Fox News Digital. 

"Meanwhile, Biden is permitting hundreds of people on the Terror Watch List to enter the USA illegally and refuses to enforce sanctions on Iran. This order represents a huge hit to the prestige of the presidency. No one is falling for it."

ISRAELI FORCES DESTROY HAMAS TUNNEL SYSTEM BUILT UNDER CEMETERY, IDF SAYS 

Friedman, who served under President Trump, further excoriated Biden for singling out Israeli Jews for sanctions while Palestinian violence flourishes in the West Bank, according to the envoy and other experts. 

"The order targets anyone acting against peace and stability. On that basis, Biden must sanction all members of the Palestinian Authority, which pays terrorists to kill Jews. But we know he won’t. He’ll roll out the red carpet for them." 

Friedman’s comment about Biden playing "pure politics" appears to be a reference to Biden’s efforts to court Arab-American votes in the state of Michigan. Biden’s punitive measures against the four Israelis coincided with a campaign visit Thursday to Michigan, the state with the largest Arab-American community, in a push to shore up falling support among many community members who object to Israel’s war to root out Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.   

Biden's executive order stated that it is aimed at a "threat posed by the situation in the West Bank, including, in particular, high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction.  Such actions constitute a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region and undermine the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States." 

The executive order also noted: "I find that these actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I have declared a national emergency to deal with that threat." 

The four Israelis sanctioned are David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil, Shalom Zicherman and Yinon Levi. The Biden administration’s punitive action has also triggered outrage because Israel’s judiciary has either taken legal action against the Israelis or is in the process of litigating claims against the extremists. 

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office on X regarding the executive order said, "The overwhelming majority of residents in Judea and Samaria are law-abiding citizens, many of whom are currently fighting – as conscripts and reservists – to defend Israel."

It concluded by stating that, "Israel acts against all Israelis who break the law, everywhere; therefore, exceptional measures are unnecessary." 

Israel sentenced Chasdai in 2016 to six months in jail for planning to attack a Palestinian village. Israel’s Supreme Court is hearing a case against Levi for vandalizing Palestinian olive trees and water wells. Tanjil is facing charges for assaulting an Israeli activist in 2021. 

Shalom Zicherman faces an indictment from 2022 for attacking left-wing Israeli activists near the ancient city of Hebron. 

Biden’s sanctions bar the four men from commerce with Americans in the U.S. and travel to the U.S.  

ISRAEL TO BAN REBUILDING OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS IN GAZA FOLLOWING CONCERNS FROM BIDEN ADMIN 

"Calling Israelis ‘settlers’ is an ahistorical slur," former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Judea and Samaria are the rightful homeland of the Jewish people. For Biden to target these Israelis — especially as he shows weakness and deference to Iran — is a reckless policy." 

Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria prefer the term residents over "settlers" because of the connotation of invasion applied to settlers. From the legal perspective of Israel’s government, the region of Judea and Samaria is disputed territory.  

Most of the international community claims the territory is being occupied by the Israeli government. Israel seized Judea and Samaria in response to a self-defense war carried out by multiple Arab nations against the existence of the Jewish state in 1967. 

Pompeo, who like Friedman served during the Trump administration, recently appeared in a documentary with the former ambassador titled "Route 60: The Biblical Highway." The film covers major Christian and Jewish biblical sites along Route 60 in the Holy Land. 

JUDGE LETS LAWSUIT CLAIMING BIDEN ADMIN KNEW US FUNDS WERE AIDING PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS MOVE FORWARD 

Yisrael Medad, who lives in Shiloh in Samaria, told Fox News Digital, "I think the executive order does a disservice to the cause of justice. 

"There are many more Arab residents of the same territory that deserve the restrictions more, including members of the Palestinian Authority governing bodies. Actually, Mr. Biden should push applying the terms of the Taylor Force Act first." 

Congress passed the Taylor Force Act, named after West Point graduate Taylor Force, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. A Palestinian terrorist stabbed Force in 2016. The act seeks to stop economic aid to the Palestinian Authority until it pulls the plug on its monetary subsidy system to Palestinians convicted of terrorism and their family members. The program has earned the infamous name "Pay to Slay."  

WITNESS TO TERRORISM: HOW HAMAS RADICALIZED PALESTINIANS FOR THEIR GENOCIDAL ATTACK ON ISRAEL 

When asked about what is motivating Biden to punish Israelis living in settlements, Medad, who has written extensively about the area, said, "He is doing so to placate Mahmoud Abbas (the president of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank), who Israel refuses to see a part of the post-Gaza War arrangements as well as help out his election campaign, which is threatened by pro-Palestine activists quite openly." 

He argued the violence in the region is "Terrorist killings of Jews, official incitement to terror by the Palestinian Authority and the like." 

In a recent opinion article for the Jerusalem Post, Medad disputed U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who said Dec. 6 that there has been "unprecedented levels of violence by Israeli extremist settlers targeting Palestinians and their property." 

According to Medad, Israeli media reported in early November that, when contrasted with 2022, "there has been an overall almost 50% decrease in incidents in which Jews were engaged in violent offenses in Judea and Samaria." Some half a million Israelis and an estimated three million Palestinians live in the West Bank. 

When asked about Ambassador Friedman’s criticism, the U.S. State Department referred a Fox News Digital press query to spokesman Miller’s press briefing Thursday.

"The president and the secretary have both raised our concerns with their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts about the level of violence in the West Bank and stressed that Israel must do more to stop violence against civilians and hold accountable those responsible for it," Miller said during Thursday's State Department briefing. 

Miller also noted that, "We continue to make clear that expectation to the government of Israel, and as we do, the United States will also continue to take actions to advance the safety, security and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians alike."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/dUP3jah

Cuban economy minister out over delayed fuel, transport price hikes

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel removed the country's economy minister on Friday, according to state media, following a delay in recently announced measures to increase the prices of fuel and transportation.

Cuba's Council of State, which is under the president's leadership, appointed Central Bank president Joaquín Alonso Vázquez to replace Alejandro Gil, the outgoing economy minister.

The move comes days after the government put on hold an increase in gasoline prices planned for Feb. 1, saying a cyberattack from outside the communist-run island nation had prevented its implementation.

MASSACHUSETTS FEDERAL LAWMAKERS CALL ON BIDEN TO REMOVE CUBA FROM LIST OF COUNTRIES PROTECTING TERRORISTS

The Cuban government said late last year that it would have to either increase prices for fuel and electricity, or reduce rations for basic supplies.

At the time, Díaz-Canel said that difficult measures were needed for difficult times. The then-economy minister, Gil, said Cuba’s economy had contracted between 1% and 2% in 2023, while inflation was at about 30%.

The government said it needed to hike fuel prices or else it would have to reduce the amount of food and other basics contained in government ration books.

The economic crisis in Cuba is already so bad that hundreds of thousands of people have left in a bid to reach the United States.

Díaz-Canel also removed Science, Technology and Environment Minister Elba Rosa Perez after more than a decade in the post. She will be replaced by Eduardo Martinez, a lawmaker and president of the Cuban pharmaceutical company, BioCubaFarma.

State media also reported that the Food Industry Ministry will now be led by lawmaker Alberto Lopez, governor of Villa Clara province.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/T7pUFEZ

Cyprus mandates 'zero tolerance' sex harassment policies in government ministries

Cyprus' president on Friday required all government ministers to sign a "zero tolerance" declaration on sexist behavior and sexual harassment among employees and anyone visiting a government office.

Cyprus already has stringent laws against sexual harassment and sexism in the workplace, but it’s the first time that ministers had to sign such a declaration in what Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides called an "institutional commitment" to eliminating such behavior in government.

CYPRUS COLLABORATES WITH MOSSAD, THWARTS IRANIAN PLOT TO KILL ISRAELIS

Cyprus ranks a lowly 22nd of 27 countries in the European Union in terms of gender equality, scoring 57.3 out of 100, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality.

All ministers, deputy ministers and commissioners signed the declaration during a ceremony at the presidential palace. Christodoulides said that he expected all his subordinates to implement the declaration.

"Through our behavior, our stance and approach, it is us who must first and foremost stand as an example," Christodoulides said.

A father of four daughters, Christodoulides has made gender equality a key policy objective for his nearly year-old administration. He said his government is already working to "dismantle whichever gender bias discrimination that takes us years back."

Cyprus’ Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou said that the declaration formally embeds the issue of gender in all levels of government.

"The ultimate goal is to create an environment allowing for a healthy society and economy, equal for all," Christodoulou said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/WO9lUDL

Storm Ingunn brings hurricane-force winds, structural damage and power outages to Norway

Norway's most powerful storm in more than three decades ripped off roofs, heightened avalanche risks, canceled flights and cut power as it raged in parts of the Scandinavian country Thursday.

Hurricane-force winds brought gusts of up to 112 miles per hour in some places. A new national wind speed record of 121.7 miles per hour was recorded locally early Thursday on the island of Soemma, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute said.

Near Laerdal, a small, picturesque town northeast of Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, a bus with 14 passengers was blown off a road, though no injuries were reported, police said.

NORWAY BRACES FOR MOST POWERFUL STORM SINCE 1990S

Some areas flooded, and airlines and ferry operators suspended service. There were scattered reports of closed schools, roads, tunnels and bridges because of strong wind, rain and snow. An estimated 12,000 households were without power.

Hurricane-strength gusts were also reported overnight in Sweden. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute issued a red warning, its highest alert, for the western part of the Norrbottens district, which borders Norway. Local media reported that schools shut down in the Swedish town of Kiruna.

The storm, named Ingunn by Norwegian meteorologists, landed in central Norway on Wednesday afternoon before moving north Thursday. The Meteorological Institute issued a red warning for the Arctic region and several avalanche warnings.

Windows were blown out in a hotel in Bodoe, a town in Nordland district, police said, adding that downtown Bodoe was later sealed off because "there is a danger to life and health."

The University Hospital of North Norway said part of a roof was damaged at its branch on Norway’s largest island, Hinnoeya. Photos in Norwegian media showed a helicopter landing pad littered with debris.

"Roof tiles are flying everywhere throughout the town and visibility is poor," Harstad town spokesperson Øivind Arvola told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Local police confirmed debris was flying around.

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, issued its highest avalanche warnings for most of southern and central Norway for the coming days. The agency also warned of a considerable risk for landslides, mudslides and flash floods for the same period.

Bjørnar Gaasvik, a police spokesperson in the Troendelag region, told Norwegian news agency NTB that the public safety agency received between 40 and 50 reports overnight from people affected by the storm and more were expected Thursday.

Sigmund Clementz of IF insurance told Norwegian newspaper VG that it was too early to estimate the cost of the storm damage.

To the south in Denmark, the Storebaelt bridge linking two major Danish islands was closed to vehicles with light trailers because of strong winds.

The storm hit the same area as a 1992 New Year’s hurricane, one of the strongest storms in Norway’s history, the newspaper VG said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/world/storm-ingunn-brings-hurricane-force-winds-structural-damage-power-outages-norway

UN warns of spike in killings and kidnappings across Haiti as deployment of armed force stalls

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — More than 2,300 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti from October to December last year, a nearly 10% increase compared with the previous quarter, according to a new U.N. report released Thursday.

The number of killings alone spiked to more than 1,600 during the period, with officials blaming the vacuum created by the death of a powerful gang leader known as Andrice Isca for unleashing territorial fights in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince that killed and injured nearly 270 people over roughly two weeks in late November. Isca has also been identified as Iskar Andrice and Iscar Andris.

GANG VIOLENCE IS SURGING TO UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS IN HAITI, UN ENVOY SAYS

Authorities said fights occurred within a powerful gang federation known as G-9 Family and Allies, which also targeted an opposition gang coalition called G-Pep.

"In addition to the loss of human life, the humanitarian toll of the clashes was disastrous: over 1,000 people were forced to abandon their homes and take refuge in nearby areas," stated the report by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.

Officials said at least 262 gang members died in the last quarter, but noted the losses were barely felt given that "the ease of recruitment among the poor populations living under their control enabled them to rapidly replenish their ranks."

The report also found that nearly 700 people were kidnapped from October to December, an increase of nearly 20% compared with the previous quarter.

"No social category has been spared: from street vendors and farmers…to high-level professionals, including doctors and civil servants," according to the report.

Gangs also continue to rape women and girls, sometimes recording themselves and posting the videos on social media "with a view to humiliate their victims," the report stated.

Children continue to be targeted by gangs, with more than 50 killed in the last quarter, including a 10-year-old who encountered members of the Grand Ravine gang.

"After questioning the boy, they accused him of being a police informant and executed him on the spot," the report said.

Overall, more than 310,000 people have been left homeless in Haiti because of gang violence, including some 170,000 children, according to UNICEF. In addition, more than 8,400 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti overall last year, more than double the number reported in 2022.

BINUH recommended in its report that the international community accelerate the deployment of a foreign armed force, but it’s unlikely one would arrive soon in Haiti, which first requested the force more than a year ago.

Last week, a court in Kenya barred the U.N.-backed deployment of police officers to Haiti, saying it was unconstitutional.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/wdlkRS1

Thousands rally in Slovakia against government's plan to close the special prosecutor's office

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Mass street protests intensified Thursday across Slovakia against a plan by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country's penal code and eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with major crime and corruption.

Thousands were rallying as the protests spread to 31 cities and towns across the country, up from two dozens last week. Rallies also took place abroad, where Slovaks live, such as the Czech Republic, Poland, France, Norway, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg, organizers said.

THOUSANDS TAKE TO STREETS IN SLOVAKIA IN NATIONWIDE ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS

The plan approved by Fico’s coalition government includes abolishing the special prosecutors’ office, which handles crimes such as graft, organized crime and extremism. Those cases would be taken over by prosecutors in regional offices, which have not handled such cases for 20 years.

The planned changes also include a reduction in punishments for corruption and some other crimes, including the possibility of suspended sentences, and a significant shortening of the statute of limitations.

Parliament is currently debating the draft but the ruling coalition has approved a fast-track parliamentary procedure to approve the changes and limit time for discussion. The vote may come as early as next week.

"Slovakia will become a haven for criminals," Richard Sulík, head of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity party, told the crowd at the central SNP square in the capital of Bratislava.

"Mafia, mafia," people chanted. "Fico is evil," read one of the banners held by people.

"We will stop them if we stay united," said Michal Šimečka, who heads the liberal Progressive Slovakia, the strongest opposition party,

President Zuzana Čaputová sharply criticized the proposed changes and said she is willing to challenge the legislation before the Constitutional Court.

Some European Union institutions have questioned the Slovak proposals. Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his scandal-tainted leftist party won the Sept. 30 parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and an anti-American platform.

A number of people linked to Fico's party — the scandal-tainted leftist Smer, or Direction — face prosecution in corruption scandals.

Fico’s critics worry his return could lead Slovakia to abandon its pro-Western course and instead follow the direction similar to that of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/9VD8ArS