US strikes against Kataib Hezbollah targets in Iraq after service members injured in attack

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The New York Times faced intense criticism throughout the final months of 2023 over its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

The Times began drawing ire as the horror unfolded in southern Israel on Oct. 7, immediately portraying Palestinians as the victims with the headline "Gaza Has Suffered Under 16-Year Blockade."

But perhaps the biggest blunder from the Gray Lady during the Israel-Hamas war was its botched coverage of the explosion at a Gaza hospital.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health alleged that Israel bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital through an airstrike killing over 500 civilians. Subsequent reporting and intelligence found it was an explosion in the hospital's parking lot stemming from a misfired rocket fired by Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, resulting in a death toll a fraction of what Hamas alleged. The initial reports from the Times and others prompted several Arab leaders to cancel meetings with President Biden and sparked riots outside of U.S. and Israeli embassies across the Middle East.

While many news organizations uncritically ran with Hamas' narrative, The Times stood out with its blaring headline that read "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say" and even included an unrelated photo of rubble from a bombed building from a separate incident.

The following week, The Times published an editor's note admitting it relied "too heavily" on Hamas' version of events.

The conclusion from Hamas' disinformation campaign drawn by New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg was that "It Is Impossible to Know What to Believe in This Hideous War."

Former Times reporter Alison Leigh Cowan accused her ex-employer of committing "modern-day blood libel" with its erroneous reporting. The Free Press editor Bari Weiss, a former Times opinion page editor, raked the paper over the coals for "publishing Hamas PR" and its subsequent "soft non-apology."

Even after that unflattering episode, the coverage of the war from the "Paper of Record" has continued raising eyebrows. While reporting on the Hamas sympathizers who have ripped posters of Israeli hostages in cities and college campuses across the country, The Times described the anti-Israel vandalism as "its own form of protest- a release valve and also a provocation by those anguished by what they say was the Israeli government’s mistreatment of Palestinians in the years before Oct. 7 and since the bombing of Gaza began."

Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

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Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., told Newsweek in an interview that his friendship with "Squad" Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Minn., was "not easy," but noted that it was important.

"We are friends. It's an important friendship. It's not an easy one. I'm sure she would say the same thing," he told Newsweek in an interview.

Phillips has been critical of the "Squad" after Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

He previously said that being a Democratic, Jewish member of Congress was "very difficult," during an interview with Bill Maher.

"And by the way, being a Jewish member of Congress in the Democratic caucus is very difficult right now, you can imagine," Phillips told Maher. "And there's a seemingly a lack of progressive love when it comes to our doorstep. And it's problematic. I know I don't look like someone whose community might need support or affection or protection… But let me tell you… it's a big deal."

Phillips also told Newsweek that the Israel-Hamas conflict was "very personal" for Tlaib, because "she has a grandmother who lives in the West Bank."

"She has Palestinian descent," Phillips said. "I am a Jewish man. I have great affection for the Israeli people and for Jewish history. And it's tragic what her community is facing right now, what the Jewish community is facing right now is horrifying."

The Democratic presidential candidate added that it was time to "join hands."

"What I've spoken with her about and so many others is it's time for us to join hands. You know, take hands, take arms in that sense of togetherness, before people take arms in the terrible sense, and that's something I want to work with her on," Phillips said. "It doesn't mean we see things the same way, doesn't mean that we hurt each other's feelings when we say things about what's very personal. But when we withdraw from those relationships, it's dangerous."

Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

The U.S. warship "USS Laboon" with the broadside number 58 passes through the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey on June 11, 2021. (Photo by Muhammed Gencebay Gur/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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

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

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

Read the full article about the U.S. Navy by Louis Casiano and Jennifer Griffin

A Starbucks Corp. coffee shop on Istiklal Street in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (Photographer: David Lombeida/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

An award-winning news broadcaster for Turkey's TGRT Haber was immediately fired after appearing on camera with a Starbucks coffee cup, the news channel announced on Sunday.

TGRT Haber revealed Meltem Günay and her show's director were let go after she presented the news with a Starbucks cup in front of her during a live broadcast on Christmas Eve.

In a statement posted to X and shared by the Messenger News, TGRT Haber said Günay had violated strict advertising restrictions.

Starbucks and its locations have faced boycotts and acts of vandalism over perceptions the coffee company is pro-Israel, because of its conflict with Workers United.

Read the full article about Meltem Günay by Kristine Parks

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. (Photo by: Arthur Gurmankin/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A group of doctors protesting the "Genocide in Gaza" canceled a planned event at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., on December 28 after outcry on social media.

The group called Doctors Against Genocide, "DAG," was recently formed in response to Israel's actions in Gaza, following Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7. 

Members from DAG recently held a press conference with progressive lawmakers demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who was formally censured in November for showing support for antisemitic rhetoric, spoke at the December 7 conference. 

Read the full article about Doctors Against Genocide by Kristine Parks

An MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co SA container ship sails southbound through the Great Bitter Lake in Ismailia, Egypt, on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. (Photographer: Stringer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) said one of its container ships was attacked Tuesday afternoon while transiting the Red Sea. 

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

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia also on Tuesday claimed to have fired missiles at the vessel, without saying it was struck.

Read the full article about Houthis by Bradford Betz

Journalist and pro-Israel activist Emily Austin appeared on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

During her interview with Joey Jones, Austin argued that many of the Gen Z protests against Israel are "attention-seeking."

"There's no rational explanation behind it because most college students and most Gen Zers have no idea what's happening in the Middle East," Austin explained. "However, if they build this common denominator of victimhood and they all gather and unite, they feel empowered."

"They feel empowered by grasping this victim mentality, and then they go and they march the streets," she added. "Who knows? Maybe they just lacked attention growing up and this is how they compensate."

An unidentified International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector disconnects the connections between the twin cascades for 20 percent uranium production at nuclear research centre of Natanz. (Photo by KAZEM GHANE/IRNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran has boosted its production of highly enriched uranium after a slowdown earlier this year, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said in a report on Tuesday, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.

Iran is currently enriching uranium up to 60%, which is reaching the 90% needed for weapons, at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in the Natanz complex and at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP).

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in the report that Iran had "increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023."

Read the full article about Iran by Michael Dorgan

Rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel, as smoke rises over the Gaza Strip as seen from the Israeli side of the border on December 26, 2023 in Southern Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reported that nine Israeli soldiers were wounded after evacuating injured people at a church in Northern Israel.

Speaking a Tuesday press briefing, Hagari said that Hezbollah struck the house of worship earlier on Tuesday. Two Israeli Christians were injured.

"When IDF troops arrived to evacuate the wounded, Hezbollah terrorists fired another missile at the church, wounding 9 of our soldiers," Hagari explained. "Shortly after Hezbollah deliberately fired at the church, Hezbollah then fired at Israel from next to a mosque in Lebanon."

"We shared clear video evidence of this so that Hezbollah‘s violations of international law are on full display to the world," he added.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during his visit to an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) centre, at the Palmachim Airbase near the city of Rishon LeZion on July 5, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, arguing that Gaza will need "to be deradicalized" as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

In the piece, Netanyahu wrote that Palestinian society "needs to be transformed."

“Gaza will have to be deradicalized,” Netanyahu said in the op-ed. "Schools must teach children to cherish life rather than death, and imams must cease to preach for the murder of Jews."

"Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it," he added.

The Israeli leader cited "successful deradicalization" in post-World War II Germany and Japan as examples moving forward.

"Today, both nations are great allies of the US and promote peace, stability and prosperity in Europe and Asia," Netanyahu wrote.

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan speaks during the UN General Assembly emergency special session on the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations headquarters on December 12, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called out UN Secretary-General António Guterres on X Tuesday, arguing that the UN Relief and Works Agency is "an accomplice of Hamas."

The ambassador posted an audio call allegedly between an IDF soldier and a Gazan, in which the Gaza resident explains that Hamas controls humanitarian services in the territory.

On X, Erdan wrote that "Hamas=UNRWA & UNRWA=Hamas."

"@antonioguterres under your watch UNRWA in Gaza has been hijacked by genocidal terrorists who exploit it every day," Erdan's post read. "Aside from Hamas, the only body to blame for the situation in Gaza is the UN!"

"UNRWA is an accomplice of Hamas," the Israel official added. "It’s time for the Secretary-General and @UNLazzarini to shoulder responsibility for the moral rot of UNRWA and UN agencies."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted video on X reportedly showing Hezbollah firing weapons from a Lebanese mosque on Tuesday.

"Hezbollah fired from within a mosque in southern Lebanon toward Israeli civilians," the IDF's post read. "This is not Hezbollah’s first attack involving a holy site today."

The black-and-white video shows what appears to be a rocket or drone firing from a Muslim house of worship.

"Places of worship should be sacred, not sacrificed for terrorism," the Israeli military added.

The New York Times caused uproar online after it published a guest essay by Gaza City's mayor, Yahya R. Sarraj. (Getty Images)

The New York Times caused uproar online after it published a guest essay by Gaza City's mayor, Yahya R. Sarraj, on damage to buildings and civilian infrastructure. 

The guest essay, released on Christmas Eve, listed examples of destruction in Gaza after Hamas terrorists killed and kidnapped Israeli, American and other civilians on Oct. 7.

"The unrelenting destruction of Gaza — its iconic symbols, its beautiful seafront, its libraries and archives and whatever economic prosperity it had — has broken my heart," Sarraj wrote. 

The Gaza City mayor went on to blame Israel for the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza City. 

"Why did the Israeli tanks destroy so many trees, electricity poles, cars and water mains?" he wrote. "Why would Israel hit a U.N. school? The obliteration of our way of life in Gaza is indescribable. I still feel I am in a nightmare because I can’t imagine how any sane person could engage in such a horrific campaign of destruction and death."

Read the full article about the op-ed and controversy by Jeffrey Clark 

The UN Security Council chamber prior to a meeting about the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN headquarters in New York. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The government of Israel will no longer automatically approve visas for workers from the United Nations, citing security concerns.

Spokesman Eylon Levy announced Tuesday that the government will now review UN visa requests on a case-by-case basis, according to the Times of Israel.

Israel officials have accused UN personnel of being “complicit partners" to Hamas terror tactics, according to the outlet.

The decision marks yet another point of escalation between Israel and the international body after months of arguments on the appropriateness of a cease-fire in the Gaza region.

Levy criticized the UN for failing to condemn Hamas for their misappropriate of aid to the region and their use of civilian infrastructure to hide weaponry, the Times of Israel reported.

United States Representative Rashida Tlaib (2nd R) holds a press conference with a group of activists, State legislators and actors on the third day of the five-day hunger strike they launched in front of the White House in Washington DC. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A Jewish advocacy and watchdog organization has chosen US Rep. Rashida Tlaib as one of three candidates in its annual poll to determine the most antisemitic person of the year.

StopAntisemitism, a watchdog group founded in 2018, has launched its 2023 "Antisemite of the Year" poll, offering Tlaib as a finalist.

Tlaib is one of three options for the poll, joined by international supermodel Gigi Hadid and senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh.

All three of the selected candidates were previously featured by StopAntisemitism as their "Antisemite of the Week."

StopAntisemitism criticized Tlaib for her rhetoric referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict as a "genocide" and defense of the "River to the Sea" chant used widely at pro-Palestine protests.

Last year, the organization selected rapper Kanye West for the distinction, citing his highly publicized remarks praising Hitler and announcement he was "going death con 3 [sic]" on "Jewish people."

An aerial view shows office buildings in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Shubham KOUL / AFP) (Photo by SHUBHAM KOUL/AFP via Getty Images)

A blast has been reported near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, India.

"We can confirm that around 5:20 pm (local time, 1150 GMT) there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy," said Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir, according to Reuters.

Local police and security teams have launched an investigation into the incident with cooperation from Israeli officials.

The Israeli foreign ministry said no one was harmed in the blast, according to reports.

"We heard an explosion. We thought it was close, and then we realized that it was indeed near the embassy. The Delhi Police and our security teams were immediately called to understand what was happening," Nir told Indian television station N12, according to the Jerusalem Post. "Obviously, something happened, but we have no information beyond that. In the meantime, we are waiting for the results of the investigation."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference in Israel. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a letter in the Wall Street Journal on Christmas Day offering three stipulations to accepting a peace deal.

"Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized," Netanyahu wrote in the editorial. "These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza."

Israel has been facing increased international pressure to halt its offensive operations in Gaza that were launched in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre.

Netanyahu's editorial is most clear articulation of Israeli criteria for a cease-fire.

Regarding the demand that Gaza be "demilitarized," the prime minister said that Israel must be sufficiently sure the region cannot be used as a base for any future attack.

"Among other things, this will require establishing a temporary security zone on the perimeter of Gaza and an inspection mechanism on the border between Gaza and Egypt that meets Israel’s security needs and prevents smuggling of weapons into the territory," Netanyahu wrote.

"Schools must teach children to cherish life rather than death, and imams must cease to preach for the murder of Jews," he said of proposed deradicalization in Gaza. "Palestinian civil society needs to be transformed so that its people support fighting terrorism rather than funding it. That will likely require courageous and moral leadership."

Former residents of the village of Iqrit gather as they visit the church in the Palestinian village sprawled on a hilltop in the Upper Galilee. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

An ancient church in a disputed Israeli village is severely damaged after being struck amid the ongoing firefight between Israel and Hamas, according to reports.

The Church of St. Mary in the destroyed village of Iqrit was hit by a missile this week, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

"Hezbollah attacked the St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church of Iqrit in northern Israel," the IDF reported via social media. "An anti-tank missile from Lebanon directly hit the church, injuring a civilian."

St. Mary's is a Greek Catholic church, not Orthodox.

"This attack is not only a clear violation of [United Nations] Security Council Resolution 1701, but also a violation of the freedom of worship," the IDF wrote.

Iqrit is an uninhabited village in the northern region of modern-day Israel. IDF forces took the land during the First Arab-Israeli War and destroyed the village in 1951.

St. Mary's Church was the only building spared by the IDF and remains a gathering place for descendants of the original displaced villagers, who celebrate monthly mass there as they seek the right to return.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint press conference with Israel's defence minister, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin released a statement on Christmas night announcing US retaliatory strikes were made on terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah the same day.

“Today, at President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq," Austin said in the statement. "These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today, and intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible."

Three American military personnel were injured during the attack by Kataib Hezbollah terrorists in Iraq on Christmas Day, including one U.S. servicemember who was critically wounded.

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

The defense secretary added, “And let me be clear – the President and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests. There is no higher priority. While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities.”

CENTCOM General Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement that the airstrikes are intended to hold regional actors "accountable."

Fox News Digital's Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.