President-elect Trump tangled with a reporter who asked him Monday if he would entertain the idea of preemptive strikes on Iran.
Trump, following remarks at Mar-a-Lago, took questions from the media, and one reporter asked if he would target Iran’s nuclear facilities,
"Well I can’t tell you that. I mean, it's a wonderful question, but how can I – am I going to do preemptive strikes? Why would I say that?" the president-elect responded.
"Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say, ‘That was strange that he answered that way.’ Am I going to do preemptive strikes on Iran? Is that a serious question? How could I answer a question like that?" Trump continued.
"How could I tell you a thing like that now?" Trump responded. "You don't talk about that before something may or may not happen. I don't want to insult you, I just think it's just not something that I would ever answer. Having to do with there or any other place in the world."
"We're trying to help very strongly and getting the hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East," Trump added Monday.
"We're working very much on that. We're trying to get the war stopped, that horrible, horrible war that's going on in Ukraine with Russia. We're going to, we've got a little progress. It's a tough one. It's a nasty one. It's nasty," he also said.
Hezbollah lost its most important supply route from Iran through Syria with the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, the group’s chief admitted Sunday.
It was the first public acknowledgment of how upheaval in Syria had hurt the Iranian proxy, which had propped up Assad and is now fighting a war in Lebanon with Israel. Weapons to counter the Israeli campaign flowed from Iran through Syria and into Lebanon for Hezbollah.
"Yes, Hezbollah lost in this phase its military supply line through Syria, but this loss is merely a detail in the overall of the resistance," said Naim Qassem in a televised address.
"The supply line might come back normally with the new regime, and we can always look for other ways, the resistance is flexible and can adapt," he added.
Assad’s ousting jeopardized Syria’s close ties to Iran. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led the overthrow of Assad, had lamented that Syria had become a "playground for Iran." Hezbollah had fought off the rebel groups on Assad’s behalf.
As it became clear Assad’s grip on power was coming undone, Hezbollah and Iran’s military forces made their exit from Syria.
Qassem took over as Hezbollah’s secretary general in October after its leader for three decades, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in Israeli airstrikes south of Beirut. Hezbollah and Iran had long intervened on behalf of Assad in Syria’s 13-year civil war, but depleted by war with Israel, refused to come to his defense during the swift takeover of Damascus.
Israel has also used the chaos of Assad’s fall to destroy the Syrian army’s strategic and chemical weapons in more than 350 airstrikes across the country. And it has moved into the buffer zone that separates it from Syria – the first time the Golan buffer zone has seen Israeli forces since 1973.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is not interested in meddling in Syria’s domestic politics but is looking to protect Israel’s borders. "We have no interest in a conflict with Syria. We will determine Israeli policy regarding Syria according to the reality on the ground," he said Sunday, adding Israel would continue to strike "as necessary, in every arena and at all times" to prevent the rebuilding of Hezbollah.
HTS, a former al Qaeda affiliate, has sought to portray itself as a moderating force in Syria, and the U.S. has been in direct contact with the leading rebel group. But Israel is leery of the group’s long-term intentions.
"The immediate risks to the country have not disappeared, and the latest developments in Syria are increasing the intensity of the threat – despite the moderate appearance rebel leaders are pretending to portray," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.
Hezbollah kicked up its cross-border attacks on Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, in support of Hamas, another Iranian proxy. Since late November, the cease-fire has mostly held, despite some Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah operatives.
Qassem defended his decision to stick to the cease-fire, saying it did not mean the end of Hezbollah's "resistance," but was necessary to "stop the aggression" of Israel in Lebanon.
Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather was out shopping in London this week when he and his entourage were seemingly targeted by an angry mob that, according to reports, were furious over his support for Israel.
Several videos posted to social media showed the former boxing champion surrounded by a group of people while shopping at Hatton Gardens in London. The crowd, seemingly more agitated, followed Mayweather into the street.
Videos showed the angry group shouting expletives as Mayweather’s security attempted to get him into a black SUV and away from the scene.
According to reports, it was Mayweather’s support of Israel that agitated the crowd.
A source told The Sun that someone had questioned Mayweather over his support while shopping, to which the American boxer doubled down. The source added that someone then "took a swing" at Mayweather.
"Floyd took a few hits during it, but his security was trying to push people back," the source told the outlet.
Floyd addressed the reports with a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday. He denied being "touched in any way."
"Let me set the record straight... there's no truth to the rumors going around. I wasn't punched or touched in any way. What you're seeing is just my security doing their job to keep things under control.
"I was in the UK for a quick 48-hour stop to do some shopping, and unfortunately, people let jealousy and negativity fuel false stories," he continued. "I'm perfectly fine, and there's really nothing more to it."
The dustup comes just days after Mayweather announced the "Mayweather Israel Initiative," aimed at offering support to orphans.
"Over the next year, every orphan in Israel will be visited by the Floyd Mobile and receive special birthday gifts. To all the widows and orphans: keep your heads held high as we honor the cherished memories of those who have passed," he wrote in a post on Instagram.
Mayweather, 47, has been outspoken about his support for Israel. He has taken several trips there and in October met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It was an honor to meet with you today. Your strength and courage are unmatched, and your commitment to protecting the Jewish people and citizens of Israel is truly inspiring. Keep using your voice and never back down," he said in a post at the time.
"This week in Israel has been deeply emotional for me. Visiting injured soldiers, meeting families of fallen heroes, and connecting with the people of Israel has been a humbling experience."
A top Israeli diplomat insisted his nation is "not getting involved" in Syria’s domestic politics after the nation launched an aggressive campaign of airstrikes and seized control of a buffer zone in Syria.
"We are not getting involved in what's happening domestically inside Syria. But we have concerns about our border," Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News Digital.
"It’s been a quiet border, relatively, but we hope it will continue to be the same."
Israel has launched an assault on military and chemical weapons sites within Syria, fearing they could fall into the wrong hands after the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad and his government over the weekend.
The ouster left a power vacuum that leaves Israel and the U.S. to wonder which forces may seize dominance in the nation and how friendly they might be.
In that vacuum, Israel moved troops into the Golan buffer zone for the first time since it was established after the 1973 Mideast war.
Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have condemned the Israeli incursion, accusing it of exploiting the situation.
Danon seemed hopeful the next Syrian government would not be under the thumb of Iran but warned "bad actors" had been involved in the overthrow of Assad.
"Iran was heavily invested in Syria. And I'm sure that today it will change, and the Iranians will not be welcome anymore in Syria. So, on that front, I think it's an achievement. But, at the same day, we have to look what's happening on other fronts," said Danon.
"We have to remember that it's not like a peaceful revolution. You know, they walked with al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. So, we have to pay attention to that."
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was the key faction behind the fall of Damascus and the fleeing of Assad and now controls the capital city. But the Islamist militant group was founded as an offshoot of al Qaeda, and its leader has a $10 million bounty on his head.
The group in recent years has worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist organization by the U.S.
Israel has also taken control of Mount Hermon, the highest point on the border between the two countries and a blind spot in its defenses that Iran had been exploiting to send low-flying drones.
"That was a defensive, temporary act," said Danon. "We want to see what’s happening there."
The ambassador said Israel hopes Syria will have a "better future," but its only goal is to "not allow terrorists to be on the fence."
"For more than 50 years, the Assad family tortured the Syrian people, massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians. So, we are the one humanitarian point of view. We do hope that they will have a better life."
In his first appearance in court for corruption charges, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid bare his stark disagreements with former President Barack Obama over Iran and a Palestinian state.
"Obama made it clear to me that U.S. policy was going to take a sharp turn against the ideas I believed in," Netanyahu recounted of his interactions with the U.S. in the early days of the Obama administration.
"He saw Iran not as a threat but as an opportunity and saw a vital need for us to return to the '67 lines and establish a Palestinian state here."
Netanyahu took the stand for about four hours Tuesday morning in Tel Aviv District Court. The trial was moved from Jerusalem for undisclosed security reasons and convened in an underground courtroom, according to Reuters. He recalled his rocky relationship with Obama – how they failed to see eye to eye on an appropriate course of action for Palestinians.
"I had to face great pressure to create a Palestinian state," Netanyahu said. "[Obama] demanded it during the first meeting, he said: 'Not even one brick will you build over the Green Line.' I responded: 'Half of Jerusalem is over the Green Line; for instance, the Gilo neighborhood.' Obama said: 'Gilo too.' He demanded a total construction freeze, massive pressure. I had to deal with this, I had to deflect it, and it was no small matter."
Netanyahu called to mind a disagreement with then-Secretary of State John Kerry, who was urging Israeli forces to withdraw from Judea and Samaria.
"Kerry explained to me that my fear of placing security in Judea and Samaria in Palestinian forces' hands was unfounded because the Americans were training Palestinian forces and we could withdraw."
He also said Obama had recommended Israel take notes from the U.S. policy in Afghanistan, and Netanyahu predicted it would not age well.
"Obama suggested I make a secret visit to Afghanistan to see how American forces were training local forces. I told him the moment you leave Afghanistan, these forces will collapse under Islamist forces, and that's exactly what happened."
The corruption trial, which stems from a 2019 indictment for alleged breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud, takes place against the backdrop of Israel’s war with Hamas. Netanyahu must attend court three times a week while it is ongoing.
Netanyahu, 75, is the first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime.
The charges include: accepting gifts from Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan in exchange for advancing his interests, failing to report a bribery attempt from newspaper "Yediot Aharonot"publisher Arnon Mozes, who wanted Netanyahu to allow a bill outlawing free newspapers to pass and offered him favorable coverage in exchange, and accepting an offer in which Shaul Elovitch, the owner of Israeli telecom conglomerate Bezeq, would grant Netanyahu favorable media coverage in exchange for favorable regulatory changes.
Netanyahu said he is not in office for personal gain, and directly responded to allegations he asked for a constant supply of luxury items like champagne and cigars.
"Absolute lies," he said. "I work 17-18 hours a day... It's around-the-clock work into the early hours of the night. There's almost no time to see family. I didn't see the children, and that's a hefty price to pay," Netanyahu said, adding that his rare leisure time is spent reading history or economics books.
The prime minister argued that if he had been concerned about better media coverage, he could have just moved toward granting Palestinians statehood.
"Had I wanted good coverage, all I would have had to have done would be to signal toward a two-state solution… Had I moved two steps to the left I would have been hailed," he said.
The court had been granting Netanyahu delays in his testimony throughout the 14-month-long war in Gaza, but last week ruled he must start testifying. In the lead-up to his court date, Netanyahu classified the charges against him as a witch hunt and railed against law enforcement and the media.
"The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public’s elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters’ choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy," he said in a statement on Thursday.
"Netanyahu is on trial for allegedly using his political power to improve his media coverage. His defense: the coverage was not positive but hostile, and I did not attempt to change it for the benefit of Netanyahu the citizen but for the benefit of the State of Israel in response to Obama’s hostile stance," Amit Segal, chief political analyst for Israel's Channel 12, told Fox News Digital of the prime minister's testimony.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the fall of Bashar Assad's regime in Syria on Sunday and argued that it was a "direct result" of Israeli attacks on Iran and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu made the remarks in a public address shortly after news broke that Assad had fled Damascus on Saturday night with his family. Islamist rebels took over the city on Sunday. Netanyahu cautioned that the fall of the Assad regime is nevertheless "fraught with significant dangers."
"This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. This collapse is the direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad's main supporters. It set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this tyranny and its oppression," Netanyahu said.
The Israeli leader also noted that the fall of the Syrian regime also prompted action by the Israel Defense Forces, who were forced to take positions abandoned by the Syrian Army near the border with Israel.
"But it also means that we have to take action against possible threats. One of them is the collapse of the Separation of Forces Agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement held for 50 years. Last night, it collapsed," he continued. "The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found."
Netanyahu closed by offering a "hand of peace" to people in Syria, including to "Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel."
"Equally, we send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel. We're going to follow events very carefully. If we can establish neighborly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that's our desire. But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel," Netanyahu finished.
In the waning days of the Biden administration, President-elect Trump is bucking his predecessor's "don't" doctrine as a deterrent to foreign adversaries, instead issuing tough warnings before even taking office.
"If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity," Trump warned Hamas on his Truth Social account Monday.
"Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!" Trump added.
War broke out in the Middle East on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Terrorists killed more than 1,100 people and kidnapped more than 200, with Hamas still holding 101 hostages, including seven Americans, in Gaza more than a year after the war began.
The White House and Israeli government have worked for months to secure a hostage release deal, but have been unsuccessful.
Trump's tough language against Hamas, which included warning those responsible for holding the hostages that they "will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America," stands in stark contrast to President Biden's "don't" doctrine regarding the war in Israel.
"And my message to any state or any other hostile actor thinking about attacking Israel remains the same as it was a week ago: Don’t. Don’t. Don’t," he said.
War continued despite the warning, including from Iranian proxies against Israel.
This year, Biden doubled down on his warning of "don't" aimed at Iran. When asked by reporters about Iran's expectation to attack Israel in April, he said his message to Tehran is: "Don't."
"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he added.
Again in August, Biden warned Iran against attacking Israel with the one-word threat.
Biden's common response to deter foreign adversaries from attacking Israel is viewed as a failed policy, with conservative security experts and others slamming the message as weak.
"The Administration keeps saying 'don't' to Iran – but then does nothing to impose costs. This weakness means the risk from Iran continues to grow," former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted in August.
"Well, he said, ‘Don’t’ multiple times, and ‘Don’t’ isn’t a national security policy," Pompeo added later in a comment to Fox News. "It’s not even a deterrent.
"So much for President Biden telling bad guys ‘Don’t’ actually being an effective deterrent. Every time he says 'Don’t,' they do," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote in a post in April, after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel.
"Biden's approach with Iran and the Middle East is backwards," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote on X. "Now as we risk entering WWIII, the US must stand by Israel's commitment to democracy. The president must stand firm, and stop coddling Iran immediately."
"I guess Biden's speechwriters have him down to one word now. At least he can remember it. Worse when referring to the hospital carnage he calls Hamas the other team," Fox News' Greg Gutfeld quipped after the war in Israel broke out last year, mocking Biden's use of the word "don't."
Trump had campaigned on ending the wars in both Ukraine and Israel, both of which began under the Biden administration, and claimed that neither war would have been launched if he had been president.
"The Ukraine situation is so horrible, the Israeli situation is so horrible. We are going to get them solved very fast," Trump said on the campaign trail in January.
Israeli officials celebrated Trump's tough stance against terrorists in the Middle East and his demand for hostages to be released by next month.
"Thank you and bless you Mr. President-elect," President Isaac Herzog of Israel said in a post on social media. "We all pray for the moment we see our sisters and brothers back home!"
The nation's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, added, "How refreshing it is to hear clear and morally sound statements that do not create a false equivalence or call for addressing ‘both sides.’ This is the way to bring back the hostages: by increasing the pressure and the costs for Hamas and its supporters, and defeating them, rather than giving in to their absurd demands."
"President Trump is working towards international peace. In anticipation of the incoming Trump administration, Iran has called off its reprisal attack on Israel and negotiations to end the war in Gaza and Russia's war in Ukraine have accelerated. One former NATO Supreme Allied Commander says America's enemies are 'concerned, they're nervous – [and] they ought to be,'" the Trump War Room said in an email this week titled "Promises Kept – And President Trump Hasn't Even Been Inaugurated Yet."
President Biden on Friday picked up a copy of a book that described Israel as a colonial power in the face of Palestinian resistance despite his repeated support for the Jewish state.
Biden was spotted by the press leaving Nantucket Bookworks holding a copy of "The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017" by Columbia University professor emeritus Rashid Khalidi, the New York Post reported.
"I do not speak to the Post (or the Times for that matter), so this is not for publication, but my reaction is that this is four years too late," Khalidi told the Post of Biden holding his book.
The newspaper noted it did not agree to any terms conditioning Khalidi's response as off the record or on background.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Khalidi and the White House.
The book argues that "the modern history of Palestine can best be understood in these terms: as a colonial war waged against the indigenous population, by a variety of parties, to force them to relinquish their homeland to another people against their will."
It was not clear if Biden purchased the book or if it was given to him.
Khalidi, who is of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, called the first Trump administration a "mouthpiece" for Israel and has criticized Israel over the humanitarian toll in Gaza after Hamas killed about 1,200 people inside Israel Oct. 7, 2023, in addition to kidnapping hostages, including Americans.
"It’s perfectly unclear, reading the Israeli press, what their political objective is. I mean, ethnic cleansing. That’s not a political objective. They’re doing that. They’re driving the population of the Northern Gaza Strip into the Southern Gaza Strip. But what their political objective is, is, to me, entirely unclear, in the writings of, as far as one can tell, from the Israeli press," he said on the "Intercepted" podcast in November 2023.
Biden has repeatedly declared his support for Israel but has been criticized by Israeli supporters for putting conditions on U.S. aid to the Middle East ally and pausing shipments of heavy munitions to Israel earlier this year.
Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian supporters, who nicknamed Biden "Genocide Joe," have increasingly criticized him and Netanyahu over civilian casualties in Gaza. Biden has also reportedly criticized his Israeli counterpart behind closed doors, the Post reported.
The book, published in 2020 before Trump brokered relationships between Israel and five Muslim countries, criticized Trump for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day war.
In the book, Khalidi wrote about Israel's alleged discriminatory policies against Palestinians.
"Settler-colonial confrontations with indigenous peoples have only ended in one of three ways: with the elimination of full subjugation of the native population, as in North America; with the defeat and expulsion of the colonizer, as in Algeria, which is extremely rare; or with the abandonment of colonial supremacy, in the context of compromise and reconciliation, as in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Ireland," he wrote.
He also praised the first intifada by Palestinians against Israel, which occurred from 1987 to 1993 and left more than 2,000 people dead, the Post wrote.
"The First Intifada was an outstanding example of popular resistance against oppression and can be considered as being the first unmitigated victory for the Palestinians in the long colonial war that began in 1917," the book says.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team this week, as the Jewish leader and his former defense chief Yoav Gallant face arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their ongoing response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
Cuomo, a three-term Democrat who resigned in 2021 amid harassment allegations he has personally denied, also railed against antisemitism at a recent dinner with leaders of New York’s Jewish community.
Cuomo condemned what he characterized as whitewashing Hamas kidnappings and murders in Israel, telling the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education he is proud to join Netanyahu’s defense.
He condemned the "denial" that too many people and "institutions" have about the scourge of antisemitism.
Cuomo said one Jewish leader, Rabbi Zvi Kogan, who had been reported as "missing" in the United Arab Emirates was not so, and instead was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas. Cuomo suggested such incorrect characterizations should be considered antisemitic.
"This is the moment that is going to be in the history books. This is a pivotal moment and this is the moment when true friends stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for the state of Israel," Cuomo said.
"I am proud to be on the legal defense team of the prime minister against the arrest warrant at the ICC – and I’m proud to stand against antisemitism."
The ICC charged Netanyahu and Gallant with crimes against humanity and war crimes, setting off a global firestorm as signatories to the court’s jurisdiction found themselves at odds with non-party allies like the U.S.
In recognizing the ICC, member nations have a sworn duty to uphold its edicts. Netanyahu’s warrant therefore presented the swath of Western nations – including the entire European Union – with a predicament that placed them counter to the U.S. and Israel.
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Britain's GB News there would be "hell to pay for any international leader buying into this bulls---." That nation's leader, left-wing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, faces pressure from some members of his Labour Party who have cited an "obligation" to arrest Netanyahu, according to the outlet.
The Macron administration in France signaled Netanyahu will be treated as immune to the ICC because – while the French are signatories – Israel is not.
Separately, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was asked if France would arrest Netanyahu, and responded that Paris is "very committed to international justice and will apply international law," according to the Jerusalem Post.
The warrants caused bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill as Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., found rare agreement.
Graham told "Hannity" that he and Cotton seek to pass a law sanctioning any country aiding the ICC in arresting Netanyahu, while the other listed lawmakers all condemned the warrant.
Cuomo is also rumored to be considering a 2025 mayoral run in New York City – which is home to the largest Jewish community in the U.S.
During his remarks, he cited the 1.6 million Jews in the Big Apple and said Hamas is demonstrating in the streets with masks while Jewish people are afraid to wear yarmulkes or Stars of David in public.
"That cannot happen in the state of New York," he said, adding a relevant law he signed as governor should be properly enforced.
In 2019, Cuomo approved antisemitic-hate-crimes legislation sponsored by state Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-Long Beach, and launched a "No Hate In Our State" campaign soon after.
A Cuomo spokesman directed Fox News Digital to video of the governor's speech and said in a statement the Democrat is proud to be part of a legal "dream team" for Netanyahu.
"As governor, Cuomo made fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel a top priority, passing landmark hate crime legislation, prioritizing security upgrades to religious institutions, creating a new hate crimes unit in the State Police and leading a state delegation to Israel when it was under attack," he said.
The ideological potpourri of the U.S., Russia, Cuba, Turkey, Vatican City and Malaysia are some of the more major nations who do not recognize the ICC.
Major U.S. allies Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom recognize the Holland-based bench.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Netanyahu administration for comment.
President Biden announced Tuesday that Israel has reached a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon that would end nearly 14 months of fighting, and while some U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle congratulated efforts to reach a stop to the conflict, others suggest this is nothing but a political football.
While speaking from the White House Rose Garden, Biden said Israel and Lebanon agreed to the deal, adding that Israel retains the right to defend itself should Hezbollah break the pact.
"Let's be clear. Israel did not launch this war. The Lebanese people did not seek that war either. Nor did the United States," Biden said. "Security for the people of Israel and Lebanon cannot be achieved only on the battlefield. And that's why I directed my team to work with the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to forge a cease-fire, to bring a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to a close."
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder was asked about a potential cease-fire deal during a press briefing on Tuesday and said the Department of Defense (DoD) was "very supportive" of the ceasefire. He also said the DoD plays an important role in working with partners in the Middle East region to prevent a wider conflict.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who serves as the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence called the agreement "a welcome development for the region."
"This agreement to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has killed thousands of people, is a welcome development for the region and should increase pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement to end the fighting and destruction in the Gaza Strip, which has already claimed so many innocent lives," Warner said. "I applaud diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration and other international partners over many months in helping to reach this point."
Also weighing in on the deal was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who said he was pleased to hear the agreement between Israel and Hezbollah had been reached.
"Well done to all those involved in reaching this agreement," he said. "I appreciate the hard work of the Biden Administration, supported by President Trump, to make this ceasefire a reality. This ceasefire will protect Israel from another October 7th and will give the people of Lebanon a break from the fighting.
"My hope is that we can soon achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and allow peaceful solutions to replace endless conflict," he added.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on the other hand, was not so quick to congratulate the Biden administration’s efforts in reaching a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
He said Israeli allies accomplished enormous military successes over the past year against Hezbollah, resulting in the death of thousands of Hezbollah terrorists and eliminating the entire command of the Iranian-backed terrorist group.
"These actions have directly contributed to vital American national security interests, including directly by liquidating terrorist leaders who had the blood of hundreds of American on their hands," Cruz said. "Indeed, the U.S.-Israel relationship is at the core of U.S. interests in the Middle East, and American policy should be to provide unequivocal military and diplomatic support to our Israeli allies to fully ensure their security."
He then turned to the Biden administration’s tactics and timing in conjunction with President-elect Trump’s return to the White House.
"The Biden administration has spent the last four years pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel and boosting Iran, including by coercing our Israeli allies to cede maritime territory to Hezbollah," Cruz noted. "They are now using the transition period to the Trump administration and a Republican Congress to try to lock in those efforts — and to constrain the incoming administration — by establishing what they believe to be irreversible diplomatic, legal, and military policies. However, these and similar international policies are not irreversible."
Cruz and 10 other senators signed a letter saying the U.S. will re-evaluate its relationship with the United Nations and with Palestinians if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fulfills a pledge he made to secure the expulsion of Israel from the U.N. General Assembly.
Cruz also said he joined his colleagues in vowing to act against the International Criminal Court for undermining American and Israeli interests by issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and said everyone involved in the decision should face American sanctions.
He then accused Obama-Biden officials for pressuring Israeli allies into accepting the ceasefire by withholding weapons necessary to defend themselves against Hezbollah, while also threatening to facilitate a binding international arms embargo through the U.N.
"Obama-Biden officials are already trying to use Israel's acceptance of this cease-fire to ensure that Hezbollah and other Iranian terrorist groups remain intact across Lebanon, and to limit Israel's future freedom of action and self-defense," Cruz claimed. "Administration officials, including Secretary of State Blinken, today even downplayed Israel's right under the cease-fire to strike terrorist groups in Lebanon when those groups pose imminent threats.
"These constraints have been rejected by our Israeli allies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that under the cease-fire Israel retains full freedom of action to counter Hezbollah if the group attacks Israel or tries to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure," he added. "The United States should allow and assist Israel in doing so, and I am committed to working closely with the Trump administration and my colleagues in the incoming Congress to ensure they are able to do."
Fox News Digital’s Luis Casiano contributed to this report.
Controversial "squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has explained where she thinks the Democratic presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., went wrong.
According to Omar, the campaign's choice to embrace the endorsements of former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, was "a huge misstep."
This was especially true in battleground state Michigan, she told the Minnesota Star-Tribune, because it was where the Uncommitted Movement maintained a stronghold.
The Uncommitted Movement specifically withheld support from President Joe Biden — and then Harris — because of its disapproval of their handling of the war in Gaza. Particularly, a large population of Arabs and Muslims in Michigan believed the U.S. was not holding Israel accountable for death and destruction in Gaza.
"You have the one name for my generation and generations younger than me that is synonymous with war," Omar said of Cheney.
"It does say something about where your priorities are, even if those are not your priorities."
As part of the Harris-Walz campaign's strategy to attract disaffected Republicans, they advertised former Rep. Cheney's endorsement and even hosted an event with her and Harris in battleground state Wisconsin.
She also explained why she thought Harris lost the city of Dearborn, Michigan, which is home to a large Arab community. The congresswoman pointed to the fact that President-elect Donald Trump met with the Democratic mayor, but Harris and Walz were only willing to send staff.
"I think that personal touch for that community made the difference," Omar said. "We could have had that personal touch."
Despite her past record of criticism of and opposition to Trump, Omar claimed she'd be open to collaborating with his administration. She maintained that she would still be opposing "hurtful" policies towards her constituents, though.
With Trump returning to office, Omar said she is afraid that Israel will get the "green light" to "finish their genocidal war."
The Harris-Walz team did not provide comment in time for publication.
Bipartisan backlash erupted in response to news that Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with arrest warrants.
The chamber issued the arrest warrants against the two men "for crimes against humanity and war crimes," according to the ICC.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. – who has been a stalwart supporter of Israel in the wake of the heinous Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack against the Jewish state – responded to the ICC's move in a post on X, writing, "No standing, relevance, or path. F--- that." He capped off the tweet with an Israeli flag emoji.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., excoriated the ICC, accusing it of ignoring the context of Israel's war effort, which the U.S. ally launched in response to the horrific Oct. 7 attack last year. During the assault, Hamas terrorists committed atrocities including rape, murder and kidnapping.
"The ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants against the leadership of Israel represents the weaponization of international law at its most egregious. The ICC has set a precedent for criminalizing self-defense: any country daring to defend itself against an enemy that exploits civilians as human shields will face persecution posing as prosecution," Torres declared in a post on X.
"The ICC ignores the cause and context of the war. Israel did not initiate the war. The war was imposed upon Israel by the unbridged barbarism of Hamas on October 7th. Not only did Hamas wage war on Israel, causing the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, it carefully constructed a battlefield designed to maximize the loss of civilian life," he continued.
"None of that context seems to matter to the kangaroo court of the ICC, which cannot let facts get in the way of its ideological crusade against the Jewish State. The ICC should be sanctioned not for enforcing the law but for distorting it beyond recognition," the congressman concluded.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, declared in a post, "Enough of this dangerous lawfare against @netanyahu & Israel. @SenSchumer must stop blocking a Senate vote on my bipartisan (42 Dems joined) House-passed ICC sanctions bill, #HR8282. Vote now!"
Torres was one of the dozens of House Democrats who voted in favor of passing the measure earlier this year.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., referred to the ICC as "a dangerous joke," declaring in a tweet, "It is now time for the U.S. Senate to act and sanction this irresponsible body."
An effort by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to block certain U.S. weapons sales to Israel was overwhelmingly rejected by the U.S. Senate Wednesday evening.
Sanders' joint resolution of disapproval, which was supported by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., intended to stop the White House's latest arms sales to the Israeli military. An effort to block the sales of tank rounds to Israel was voted down 79-18, and a measure intending to block mortar round shipments was rejected 78-19.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Sanders claimed the Israeli government is controlled "not only by right-wing extremists, but by religious zealots."
"It is time to tell the Netanyahu government that they cannot use U.S. taxpayer dollars and American weapons in violation of U.S. and international law and our moral values despite receiving $18 billion from U.S. taxpayers in the last year," Sanders said.
"And being the largest historical recipient of U.S. foreign aid, the Netanyahu government has completely ignored the repeated requests of President Biden and the U.S. government."
The 83-year-old politician also decried living conditions in Gaza during his speech.
"Right now, there is raw sewage running through the streets of Gaza, and it is very difficult for the people there to obtain clean drinking water," Sanders said. "Every one of Gaza's 12 universities has been bombed … as have many hundreds of schools. For 13 months, there has been no electricity in Gaza.
"As I have said many, many times, Israel had the absolute right to respond to that horrific Hamas attack as any other country would," Sanders concluded. "I don't think anybody here in the United States Senate disagrees with that. But Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged an all-out war against the Palestinian people."
Despite the vote, Sanders' effort was not wholly unpopular. Earlier this week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., signaled support for the Vermont Independent's proposal.
"The failure by the Biden administration to follow U.S. law and to suspend arms shipments is a grave mistake that undermines American credibility worldwide," Warren said in a statement to The Guardian.
"If this administration will not act, Congress must step up to enforce U.S. law and hold the Netanyahu government accountable through a joint resolution of disapproval."
Fox News Digital's Jessica Sonkin and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
After responding to Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre, former-Israeli Defense Forces soldier Max Long went to the U.S. to attend DePaul University where he was later assaulted while holding a sign that read, "Come talk about Israel with an IDF Soldier." Now, Long is working to sue the school so that something like that never happens again.
Long was a leading advocate for Israel on DePaul's Chicago-area campus, where he held discussions about Jewish civil rights and Israel's work to defend itself from Hamas' terror attack on Oct. 7. That day, Long was deployed by the IDF, as he was serving as a reservist with the Israeli military.
As a result, Long said he became the target of disgruntled protesters who harassed him and launched threats against his physical safety. Eventually, Long was beaten unconscious by an anti-Israel agitator on campus, leading to a concussion and other injuries.
Now, roughly two weeks later, a top Jewish civil rights law firm, The Lawfare Project, indicated Tuesday that Long had retained them to assist him in defending his civil rights and explore potential legal challenges against the school, including but not limited to Title VI, contract and tort claims. They will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon at DePaul's student center.
The firm also defended a Jewish student at Columbia University earlier this year in a Title VI suit, and shortly after they took legal action, Columbia amended its policies related to campus protesting. That case is still ongoing.
"Colleges and universities across the United States are turning into literal battlegrounds where Jewish students are being singled out, discriminated against and beaten for their identity," said Brooke Goldstein, founder and executive director of The Lawfare Project. "No student — let alone one like Max who served in the IDF and went on the frontlines to destroy Hamas terrorists — should be subjected to physical, verbal or mental abuse for expressing their Jewish identity. DePaul failed Max and needs to be held accountable for its abject failure to protect Jewish students."
Meanwhile, Long added that he "will never apologize" for standing up for his Jewish identity and hopes no one at DePaul falls victim to the same sort of violence he experienced.
"I am in incredible pain with bruises all over my face, but I am grateful for the support I have received from the Jewish community at large and The Lawfare Project, specifically, and will continue to work to enforce my civil rights and against the hatred that has consumed American campuses," Long said Tuesday.
Anti-Israel campus protests that began last year at Columbia University and spread to campuses across the country have continued this year, with Long's assault being one of the latest examples.
The assault against Long came when he and fellow Jewish student Michael Kaminsky stood on a sidewalk near DePaul's student union holding a sign that read, "Come talk about Israel with an IDF soldier."
At a certain point, Long began engaging in a conversation with an individual. During the slightly contentious, yet calm back-and-forth, a masked accomplice came from behind and knocked out Long. Kaminsky, who broke his wrist, helped fend off the attack before both suspects fled.
In addition to threatening the school with legal action, the Lawfare Project said that it will also work to ensure Long's attackers are brought to justice and penalized appropriately to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
DePaul University spokesperson Russell Dorn said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the school's president, Robert L. Manuel, is "outraged this hate crime occurred."
"The university condemns in the strongest possible terms the antisemitic targeting of these two Jewish students, and the lasting fear and anger that the act has inflicted on our Jewish and broader communities," Dorn added. "First and foremost, our concerns are for the two victims in this situation."
Dorn indicated that DePaul had reached out to Long and Kaminsky "to offer care and resources" and are actively working with Chicago police to help identify their perpetrators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no secret of his feelings toward President Biden after Donald Trump was elected this month, publicly revealing he'd ignored the current U.S. president's counsel and threats to withhold aid.
"The U.S. had reservations and suggested that we not enter Gaza," Netanyahu revealed to the Israeli Knesset on Monday.
The U.S., he said, also was hesitant about Israel’s plans to enter Gaza City, Khan Younis and "strongly opposed entry into Rafah," threatening to force Israel to fight without U.S. aid.
"President Biden told me that if we go in, we will be left alone," Netanyahu said. "He also said that he would stop shipments of important weapons to us. And so he did. A few days later, [U.S. Secretary of State Antony] Blinken appeared and repeated the same things and I told him – we will fight with our nails."
The U.S. ultimately withheld a single shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, allowing all other weapons transfers to go on.
"I made clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gotten into Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem," Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett in an interview at the time.
The move prompted blowback from supporters of Israel in Congress and Biden eventually moved forward with the shipment.
Netanyahu also claimed the U.S. wanted Israel not to respond to Iran’s missile attacks on Tel Aviv in October.
"Again, we were told by our friend that there is no need to respond. And I said that sitting and not reacting is not acceptable, and we responded."
He confirmed that Israel had struck Iranian nuclear facilities in its counter-attack.
"It’s not a secret, it has been published," Netanyahu said. "There is a specific component in their nuclear program that was hit in this attack."
Netanyahu emphasized the importance of Israel making its own decisions.
"We must preserve Israel’s independence. We decided to enter – and we occupied Rafah, the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing."
Netanyahu had immediately congratulated Trump following his victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election, deeming it "history's greatest comeback."
At the Knesset meeting Monday, Netanyahu said he would work with Trump on how to move forward on combating Iran through its proxies, its ballistic missiles and its nuclear program.
"Our ability to act against these three threats will be evaluated in the near future together with the incoming administration in Washington," he said.
The Biden administration is working to secure a cease-fire in Lebanon in its final months in power. Amos Hochstein, Biden's envoy to the Middle East, suggested a peace deal was "within our grasp."
"This is a moment of decision-making. I am here in Beirut to facilitate that decision, but it’s ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. It is now within our grasp," he said.
But Netanyahu struck a different tone – suggesting his nation would continue to carry out attacks on Hezbollah even if they had reached a cease-fire "on paper."
"The most important thing is not [the deal that] will be laid on paper," Netanyahu said. "Even if there is a paper [setting out an agreement], worthy though it may be, we will be required, in order to ensure our security in the north (of Israel), to systematically carry out operations – not only against Hezbollah’s attacks, which could come. Even if there is a cease-fire, nobody can guarantee it will hold. So it’s not only our reaction, a preventive reaction, a reaction in the wake of attack, but also the capacity to prevent Hezbollah from strengthening."
"We will not allow Hezbollah to return to the state it was in on Oct. 6, 2023."
