Israel conducts airstrikes in West Bank, Syria overnight, kills Hamas commander

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued an updated alert on Wednesday warning of heightened terrorism threats in the United States amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The announcement was made to "highlight potential threats" from a "variety of actors" following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which has emboldened foreign terrorist groups to encourage their supporters to "foment violence in the West."

Wednesday's bulletin reflects "a fluid and evolving situation," according to the agencies, and comes as an update to the Oct. 10 and Oct. 18 announcements from the FBI, the DHS and the National Counterterrorism Center.

"The terrorism threat in the Homeland has remained heightened throughout 2023, but recent events have increased the possibility of potential attacks against individuals and institutions in response to developments in the Middle East," the bulletin read.

Since the initial announcement on Oct. 10, the FBI and DHS said "the volume and frequency" of threats against Americans, especially those in the Jewish, Arab Americans and Muslim communities, have increased, heightening concerns over reactions from "violent extremists and "lone offenders."

"While we have no specific information that foreign adversaries are plotting attacks against the homeland, some are seeking to take advantage of the conflict, calling for violence in furtherance of their respective goals," the agencies wrote.

The bulletin noted a few instances over the past two weeks of terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida and ISIS, using their media publications to call for attacks against Americans and Jewish communities.

US

Jewish institutions on high alert, increase security in US following Hamas attacks

The Jewish Federations of North America said that Jewish institutions in the United States are increasing security measures following the attacks on Israel.

A warning was also issued about mis- and dis-information circulated online by Iranian media outlets "that risk deepening resentment and evoking strong emotional responses among English-speaking audiences" in relation to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"These outlets are utilizing verifiably doctored or mislabeled images and video footage, inaccurate translations, and misleading content about the conflict with the apparent intent to stoke passions, accelerate the process of radicalization, and lead individuals to engage in targeted violence," the bulletin said.

Americans at home and abroad are urged to remain vigilant and to report threats of violence and suspicious activity to authorities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian holds a press conference after meeting of South Caucasus platform in Tehran, Iran on October 23, 2023. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is calling out the White House for allowing a high-ranking Iranian official in the U.S. amid Tehran's possible support of Hamas attacks against Israel.

Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in New York on Wednesday night to attend a United Nations session, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

Iran has been heavily criticized by Israel supporters for possibly being linked to the Hamas attacks of October 7, in addition to having a previous history of supporting Hamas.

"Iran-backed terrorists have attacked our servicemembers and are currently holding Americans hostage," Ernst wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "But the Biden administration has granted a top Iranian official a visa — welcoming this regime on U.S. soil with open arms."

"The appeasement must end," the Iowa senator added.

Social media video shows Jewish students at Cooper Union in New York City locked inside a school library while a pro-Palestinian rally moved through the building.

Protestors were heard banging on doors and chanting "Free, free Palestine" as the students sat at a table and attempted to study. Organizers were also observed holding up anti-Israel signs against the library's glass.

Jake Novak, who formerly worked as a media director at the Israeli Consulate in New York, reported that the protestors "barricad[ed]" the library's exits.

"My sources tell me several Jewish students [at Cooper Union] are currently locked in the school library as a [pro] Hamas rally outside of the Cooper Union building learnt [sic] the Jews were afraid and sitting in the library, then brought the protest inside and are barricading all exits," he explained.

"Police have been called for 40 min and are afraid to get involved," Novak added. "Security locked the students in as they are worried they cannot protect the Jews [right now]."

A man in California was arrested after he allegedly broke into a Jewish family's home screaming "Free Palestine," according to the LAPD.

The homeowners called police at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and told them that they were hiding in a room with their four kids. In a second call, the Jewish homeowners explained that the suspect was threatening to kill them because of their religious identities.

When police arrived to arrest the suspect, who was only wearing his underwear, he chanted, "Free Palestine, free Palestine, free Palestine."

Police have not released the identity of the assailant, who they believe may have been on drugs at the time.

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

U.S. Capitol Police stand watch on the East Front at sunrise on October 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

6 of the 9 Democrats who voted against the House resolution to condemn Hamas's attacks against Israel were "Squad" members, with the remaining "Squad" members voting present.

H.R. 771, which was voted upon on Wednesday night, passed by a vote of 412-10 with six members voting present.

Reps. André Carson, D-Ind., Al Green, D-Texas, and Delia Ramirez, D-Ill. all voted against the resolution. Joining them were six "Squad" members: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., Summer Lee, D-Pa., and Cori Bush, D-Mo.

One Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against the measure over concerns it could escalate tensions, but still affirmed Israel's right to self defense.

Reps. Greg Casar, D-Texas, and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., the two other "Squad" members, voted present. Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., Jesús "Chuy" Garcia, D-Ill., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. joined them.

Fox News Digital's Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Aerial photo of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Andy Dunaway/USAF via Getty Images)

The Pentagon has confirmed that 21 U.S. service members were injured in drone attacks in the Middle East, as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

Military officials previously reported that injury estimates were "more than 20." In a statement obtained by Fox News, a Pentagon spokesperson clarified the number.

"Between Oct. 17-18 (ET), twenty-one U.S. personnel received minor injuries due to drone attacks at Al Assad airbase, Iraq and Al-Tanf Garrison, Syria," the statement read. "All members returned to duty."

"It is important to note, in some cases service members may report injuries such as TBI several days after attacks occur, so numbers may change," the spokesperson added. "We will continue to work closely with U.S. Central Command to provide updates as appropriate."

Fox News Digital's Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

A view of rockets fired from Gaza are being intercepted in the air by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system in Ashkelon, Israel on October 16, 2023. (Photo by Saeed Qaq/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia intercepted a Houthi missile barrage towards Israel last week, Fox News can confirm.

The cruise missile was fired by Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen .The interception is the first known time that the Saudi military has intervened to prevent an attack against Israel.

It is also the fifth interception of missiles fired from Yemen. On October 19, the USS Carney intercepted 4 missiles and 15 drones.

One of the cruise missiles that was fired by Houthis had a range of approximately 1250 miles.

Fox News's Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Soldiers sit in a military vehicle near a rest stop on October 25, 2023 in Southern Israel. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

The U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on Wednesday.

The vote passed 412-10. Six members, all Democrats, voted 'present'. The resolution marked the first non-Speaker related vote by the House since October 3.

The war between Israel and Hamas terrorists has been raging since October 7, when Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed.

Roughly 222 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza, and only four have been released.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

A residential building in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel was hit by rockets late Wednesday night, video shows.

Fox News's Alex Hogan reported from the scene in the city, which is located around five miles outside of Tel Aviv.

"Police are not yet exactly telling us what specifically struck this building behind me, but you can likely see the large gaping hole in this building," Hogan explained. "This a residential building, three apartments there. There are still search and rescue teams inside trying to make sure that they have evacuated everyone."

Hogan then explained that it was a "terrifying sight" for Rishon LeTsiyon residents as Hamas continues targeting civilians in its war against Israel.

"Obviously, a very terrifying moment," she said. "We had heard the sirens in Tel Aviv and again, then the Iron Dome went off. Now, seeing this develop, we have seen some people come out of this home completely, completely disgruntled, frustrated and terrified."

Soldiers walk through this kibbutz after Hamas militants shot at and killed civilians, as well as kidnapping them in homes two weeks earlier near the border with Gaza on October 25, 2023 in Nir Yitzhak, Israel. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Russia and China have both vetoed the U.S.-backed United Nations resolution condemning Hamas's October 7 attack against Israel.

The vote took place at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday. Russia and the U.S. both drafted rival resolutions, with Russia calling for a ceasefire.

Both resolutions called for the U.N. to address humanitarian concerns in Gaza, including medical supply, food and water shortages. The Israeli military imposed a blockade on Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists began attacking their country on October 7.

The United Nations Security Council previously rejected a draft proposal from Russia on October 16 because it failed to mention Hamas.

Reuters and Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Yemen's Houthi supporters hold banners and flags as they chant and protest against Israel on its aerial offensive on the Gaza Strip on October 18, 2023 in Sana'a, Yemen. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

Critics are panning the White House for removing the Yemeni Houthis' terrorist designation in 2021, as the group continues attacking Israeli and American military assets.

The Houthis were designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in January 2021 under President Trump, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken revoked the decision the next month.

"We have listened to warnings from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, and bipartisan members of Congress, among others, that the designations could have a devastating impact on Yemenis’ access to basic commodities like food and fuel," Blinken explained.

"The revocations are intended to ensure that relevant U.S. policies do not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis," the official added. "By focusing on alleviating the humanitarian situation in Yemen, we hope the Yemeni parties can also focus on engaging in dialogue."

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that removing them from the list was a mistake.

"In word and in deed, the Houthis in Yemen are proving to the world their connectivity to Iran’s axis of resistance and why they should have remained on the U.S. terror list," Taleblu explained. "Pulling punches and failing to hold Iran and its proxies to account, even diplomatically, shows you how far things have devolved."

The Houthis reportedly launched drones and missiles towards Israel last week, but the USS Carney intercepted and them shot down.

Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

Jack Lew, President Joe Biden's nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, arrives for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill October 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Biden's nominee for ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, was advanced by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a vote on Wednesday.

The 12-9 vote took place during a closed business meeting. The nomination was opposed by every Republican on the committee except for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

"I think it's important in the middle of a war to have an ambassador. I think it's important to have a representative from the United States," Paul said to Fox News. "I met with him privately. I think he's a thoughtful individual and I think he will do a good job."

Lew, who served as Treasury Secretary under President Obama, has been criticized by Republicans for his past work on Iran sanctions. Lew said during the hearing that Iran is "a threat to regional stability."

"I want to be clear, Iran is a threat to regional stability and to Israel's existence," Lew said. "If confirmed, I will uphold President Biden's commitment to deny Iran a nuclear weapon." 

Fox News Digital's Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

The signboard of International Criminal Court (ICC) is seen as people carrying Palestinian flags and banners gather in front of ICC, calling for an investigation for attacks on Gaza, on October 18, 2023 in Hague, Netherlands. (Photo by Abdullah Asiran/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been asked to investigate Hamas for war crimes with respect to the southern Israel massacres on October 7.

The International Legal Forum (ILF), an Israel-based NGO, filed the complaint on Wednesday. According to the ILF, it is the first formal complaint about the October 7 massacres to the International Criminal Court.

In a statement, the ILF asked the Chief Prosecutor to "initiate an urgent investigation" into war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed by Hamas.

"Specific crimes alleged, include, but are not limited to: intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, mass murder and summary executions, taking of hostages, torture, rape, use of human shields, pillaging and mutilation," the statement read.

"In addition to seeking the arrest warrants for the leadership of Hamas, the complaint also seeks arrest warrants against Mahmoud Abbas, in his capacity as President of the Palestinian Authority, as well as Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran and Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, Chief of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps, arising out of their legal culpability and direct involvement in the atrocities committed on October 7th, 2023, and continuing thereafter."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses media during a joint press conference with French President in Jerusalem on October 24, 2023. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE ENA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to his nation, promised that the delayed ground invasion of Gaza will come soon.

Netanyahu said that when the time comes, the Israeli military will "exact the highest price from these murderers" for the Oct. 7 terror attack in which at least 1,400 Israelis were killed. The unprecedented infiltration of Israel, the deadliest terror attack in the country's history, provoked a war that is now in its 19th day.

"We will never forget the 1,400 brothers and sisters who were slaughtered in cold blood and fought heroically to the death against these human animals, Netanyahu said, announcing there will be a national day of mourning for the victims. 

The prime minister also promised there will be an investigation into the security failures that led to Hamas catching Israel off-guard on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. 

"This failure will be investigated to the end. Everyone has to respond to that and give answers, including me, but all of this is after the war," Netanyahu said.

Students at George Washington University attended a pro-Palestinian vigil supporting Hamas' surprise attack that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians, that prominently projected messages on the wall of the campus' library.

"Glory to Our Martyrs," one projected sign read.

The students projected the large signs on the University's Gelman Library on the Washington D.C. campus on Tuesday evening. 

Another sign read, "GW the Blood of Palestinians is on Your Hands."

"Your Tuition is Funding Genocide in Gaza," another projected sign read.

On X, the page @StopAntisemites, called for the George Washington University President Ellen Granberg to "immediately expel those who are involved."

The university later responded in a statement that the "unauthorized" messages "violated university policy, and leadership intervened to ensure that these projections were removed."

The university continued, "The statements made by these individuals in no way reflect the views of the university. We are reviewing this incident and will take any appropriate steps with respect to the individuals involved in accordance with university policies."

A U.S. defense official tells Fox News that more than 20 U.S. service members have been injured in drone and rocket attacks in the Middle East over the past week. 

The full extent of the injuries was not immediately clear. The defense official said several service members suffered from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) but have all returned to duty.

United States-led coalition forces have started live-fire exercises at military bases in Iraq and Syria, after more than a dozen attacks on American troops over the last week. 

The Combined Joint Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said on Wednesday that ground operational exercises "to validate weapons systems and maintain crew proficiency and readiness" would happen in or near the al-Hasakah region in Syria and the Khalidiyah region in Iraq.

"On Oct. 25, 2023, Coalition service members will be conducting ground operational exercises in or near the al-Hasakah region in Syria to validate weapons systems and maintain crew proficiency and readiness," a notice from CJTF-OIR said. A separate but similar notice coalition forces will conduct "base defense and ground operational exercises in or near the Khalidiyah region in Iraq to validate weapons systems and maintain crew proficiency and readiness."

The exercises come as U.S. troops positioned in the Middle East have been attacked 14 times — 11 times in Iraq and three times in Syria — between Oct. 17-24. The attacks include a mix of one-way drones and rockets. 

Fox News' Liz Friden and Lawrence Richard contributed to this update.

CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour claimed that the "rest of the world" agrees with the Queen of Jordan, Rania Al Abdullah’s lament that the western world seems to show more support for Israel over the Palestinian people in the Israel-Hamas war.

Amanpour pushed that most other people around the world acknowledge there is a "glaring double standard" in people recognizing the tragedy of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 while not showing enough sympathy for Palestinians.

The anchor made her comments on "CNN This Morning" Wednesday, following her interview with the Queen of Jordan from the previous evening. CNN anchors introduced Amanpour by playing a clip of her interview with the world leader.

In it, the queen stated, "When October 7th happened, the world immediately and unequivocally stood by Israel and tried to defend itself and condemned the attack that happened. But when we — what we’re seeing the last couple of weeks, we are seeing silence in the world. You know, countries have stopped just expressing concern or acknowledging the casualties. But always with a preface of declaration of support for Israel."

"And you know, are we being told that it is wrong to kill a family, an entire family at gunpoint, but it’s okay to shell them to death?" the queen asked.

When asked what she believed the primary takeaway was Wednesday morning, Amanpour said, "The primary takeaway is that she is expressing exactly what the rest of the world thinks. The world in which the Muslims and many, many other parts of the world believe that there is a, as she said, a glaring double standard."

Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this update.

An off-duty Israeli soldier walks by an installation of blindfolded giant teddy bears adorned with photos of Israelis held captive in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. The installation is meant to draw attention to over 200 people who were abducted by Hamas militants during a bloody and unprecedented Oct. 7 cross-border attack. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Dozens of teddy bears with blindfolds were set up in a display near a fountain in Tel Aviv to call attention to the suffering of Israeli children held captive by Hamas terrorists.

Each of the brown and white stuffed animals featured a picture of one of the roughly 30 children, some as young as nine months old, who were among the 222 people held hostage in Gaza by Hamas fighters following the militant group's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the Associated Press reported.

Photos of the display show some of the bears were marked with fake blood and some were tied together. Passerbys said they were left speechless.

“It’s just unbelievable. There’s like no words. Because, even with the blood on it you can see, and the blindfolds … it’s very symbolic for me of the captivity of innocent children,” Hilary Meyerov said. “It’s completely heartbreaking.”

An off-duty Israeli soldier stopped to take photos of the display.

“Bring them back. Bring them back,” said Avigail Ben-Yosef. “I’m sending love to all the families, they are waiting for these children, and to all the other hostages.”

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Israel is "weaponizing" the Holocaust to justify its "genocide" and "war crimes" against Palestinians, one Israel scholar and professor argued in the Guardian this week.

Raz Segal, an Israel expert and Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University in New Jersey, criticized President Biden and Israel's leaders for "weaponizing the Holocaust" by comparing the atrocities against Jews to the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians.

Segal acknowledged that the attack, which left at least 1,400 Israelis dead, was the single deadliest massacre of Jews since World War II. However, he argued the context was "completely different."

"A powerful state, with powerful allies and a powerful army, engaged in a retaliatory attack against stateless Palestinians under Israeli-settler colonial rule, military occupation and siege, is thus portrayed as powerless Jews in a struggle against Nazis," the professor complained. 

While both sides should be held accountable for their "war crimes," world leaders were "distort[ing]" reality by not putting the conflict in the context of Israel's "settler colonial violence against Palestinians since the 1948 Nakba," he argued.

 The "Nakba," meaning "catastrophe," is a term that Palestinians use to describe the 1948 establishment of the state of Israel.

"No justice is possible, not in the short term and certainly not in the long term, without a truthful reckoning of how we got here," Segal wrote.

He also suggested Israel was demonizing Palestinians in the same way that Nazis did to Jews, to justify their "genocide."

"The fantasy of 'fighting Nazis' drives such explicit language, because the image of Nazis is one of ‘pure, unadulterated evil’, which removes all laws and restrictions in the fight against it. Perpetrators of genocide always see their victims as evil and themselves as righteous. This is, indeed, how Nazis saw Jews," he wrote.

Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this update.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called for a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Hamas war, arguing that Israel deserved "justice" after the Hamas terrorist attacks but not "revenge" in a recent media appearance.

"I think the humanitarian pause is the way to go," Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC Tuesday. "Look, what Hamas did was barbaric in Israel. It was barbaric, it was outside the circle of civilized human behavior, and if it happened to your family, you would want justice." 

"I’m not talking about revenge," Pelosi added. "I’m saying justice." 

Pelosi rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire in the war. "So there has to be some other place we go instead of just saying ‘let’s have a ceasefire,’" she said. "We had a ceasefire in May that was broken by Hamas on Oct. 7th, so let’s remember that, but there may be a few votes in our caucus who may not support the package, but I think by and large, it will be overwhelmingly supported."

The Israeli government has rejected calls for a ceasefire that have come from some prominent American politicians, including from liberal members of Congress. 

"Until we complete our mission of dismantling Hamas, urging a ceasefire is the pro-Hamas position," Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman, told Fox News Digital. "Demanding a ceasefire from Israel is saying that Hamas should get away with what it did — and should keep its ability to do it again," Levy said. 

Fox News Digital's Jeffrey Clark contributed to this update.

Israeli fighter jets and navy soldiers thwarted Hamas terrorists that were attempting to infiltrate Israel by sea on Tuesday, according to footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) early Wednesday.

The video shows at least two individuals swimming from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory near Zikim, the IDF said.

"The terrorists exited through a tunnel shaft located on the coast of the Gaza Strip and were struck by IDF fighter jets and Naval soldiers," the IDF said. "In addition, IDF fighter jets and Naval soldiers struck a weapons storage facility that was used by the terrorists."

The video also shows Israeli forces striking the suspected tunnel shaft on the Gaza coast and the weapons storage facility, according to the IDF.

Fox News' Trey Yingst reported from Israel Wednesday at noon local time that small arms fire took place overnight near the beach of Zikim, which sits between Israel and Gaza, to which the Israeli military responded by firing flares.

Two Hamas terrorists were killed during the infiltration attempt, Yingst reported, adding that the group has a "frogman unit" made up of trained scuba divers who attempt to access Israeli territory from the Mediterranean Sea.

"It was absolutely a suicide mission. The Israelis have locked down the beach, the sea. They have naval ships off the coast of Gaza and Israel. They've got infantry troops along the northern part of the Gaza Strip," Yingst explained, adding that the attempt didn't "make sense."

Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this update.

Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, who survived the Islamic Republic’s kidnapping and assassination plot against her, is speaking out about the brutal plan and asserts the country is ‘absolutely’ behind Hamas’ attack on Israel.

The Department of Justice says Alinejad was targeted at her New York home in an Iran-backed plot to murder the activist for speaking out against the regime’s human rights abuses, according to a previous report. Rafat Amirov, 43, of Iran, Polad Omarov, 38, of the Czech Republic and Slovenia and Khalid Mehdiyev, 24, of Yonkers, New York, were charged last January with money laundering and murder-for-hire in the incident.  

"Being hated by the (barbaric) regime of Iran is a badge of honor for me, but being targeted by the Iranian government for my reporting was intense," Alinejad told FOX News Digital. "When you, as a journalist, challenge the foundations of a totalitarian regime like the Islamic Republic, they often resort to drastic measures to silence you, be it physically or mentally. They may plan to harm, kidnap, or even assassinate you and your family. Simultaneously, they launch a smear campaign against you on social media, aiming to dehumanize and discredit you. I've personally faced both. I survived a kidnapping and an assassination plot." 

Alinejad, who was warned about 31 threats against her on U.S. soil, has been moving to different safe houses for almost three years and constantly faces death threats for her social media posts against the regime. 

"The word ‘safe’ is too luxury for me and those of us who dare to criticize the Islamic Republic," she explained. "My life is upside down. I have no fear for my own life, but it is scary to see that the Islamic Republic dares to challenge the U.S. government on U.S. soil by trying to kill U.S citizens. Iranian officials (bar) 80 million people from using social media, but at the same time their cyber army inundates every post I make with negative comments, sends death threats, and spreads disinformation to cloud public perception. How ironic that the U.S. tech companies (are) allowing dictators of Iran to enjoy freedom of speech on social media to call for destroying Israel and to spread the death threats against U.S. citizens." 

Fox News Digital's Maria Lencki contributed to this update.

From left to right: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott. (Scott Olson, Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images)

Some evangelical voters in Iowa are now saying support for Israel has become their top priority for the Republican presidential caucus, now less than three months away, according to a report.

For decades, Christian conservatives have supported candidates who protect the lives of unborn children and curb abortion, but Hamas attacking Israel has changed the 2024 landscape. Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza has put new pressure on Republican candidates to directly address the conflict and emphasize traditional Republican support for Israel, according to The Associated Press, which interviewed more than a dozen Iowa conservative activists.

Since the Oct. 7 attack, Iowa’s evangelical pastors, faith leaders and rank-and-file caucus participants have been looking more closely at candidates’ statements, while ministers urge their congregations to keep those positions top-of-mind when weighing their options.

Several leading Republican candidates, including former President Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott, have told Iowans where they stand on the conflict and shared how they would respond if they were in the White House.

In Iowa, just three days after Hamas attacked Israel and killed more than 1,400 people — which were mostly civilians — several Christian pastors delivered a message meant to resonate both biblically and politically.

"What we’re seeing in that region is pure evil," said Steve Rowland, a senior minister at the Rising Sun Church of Christ in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona. "Israel has mobilized their army, and they are intent on stamping out evil, and we should be behind them. That's where we should be, and I want you to know that, as a pastor."

Some Christians support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Some evangelicals believe Israel is key to an end-times prophecy that will bring about the return of the Christian messiah.

Evangelical Christians dominate the first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucuses, and several GOP contenders have begun to discuss the conflict in black-and-white terms, even accusing President Biden of not being tough enough on Hamas or Iran, a financial supporter of the terrorist group.

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.

The note the Israeli Air Force says was found on a Hamas fighter that entered southern Israel on Oct. 7. (Israeli Air Force)

The Israeli air force published a chilling, handwritten note Wednesday that it alleged was found on a Hamas fighter who invaded the country on Oct. 7. 

"The words from Hamas commanders," according to the Israeli air force, "consist of an order to kill Jews and encouragement to decapitate their victims and tear out their hearts and livers. 

"Know that this enemy of yours is a disease that has no cure, other than beheading and extracting the hearts and livers!" the Israeli military agency quoted the note as saying in a post on X. 

The emergence of the purported note comes days after Israel released what it described as "gruesome" and "unseen" bodycam footage of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack in order to counter a "Holocaust denial-like phenomenon evolving in real time."  

The screening happened in Israel Monday morning. Some of the content, according to Fox News correspondent Mike Tobin, included Israelis being ambushed in their cars, a girl being executed after Hamas terrorists found her hiding under a desk and a father dying after a Hamas fighter threw a grenade into a bomb shelter that he and his two children were seeking cover in. 

Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said in a video posted on X before the release that the Israel Defense Forces have "been collecting footage from bodycams taken by the Hamas death squads," and that they would be making the footage public to maintain a record to counter those who doubt whether certain events took place. 

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this update.

Fox News' Trey Yingst took viewers inside a hospital in Khan Younis, the second-largest city in the Gaza Strip, where doctors treat patients injured by Israel's relentless airstrikes. 

Yingst met a 14-month-old Gazan girl in a hospital bed who was cared for by her aunt after an Israeli airstrike killed her mother. She and her twin brother, Ahmed, survived the blast. 

"My sister was protecting the boy, Ahmed, so he wasn't injured. But the daughter, as you can see, is injured," the woman explained. "I'm sure he feels the absence of his sister. As we say, twins are always connected." 

Since Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, more than 2,000 Palestinian children have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and shelling, according to the humanitarian group Save the Children. 

Hospitals in Gaza are running low on supplies and doctors worry they will not be able to save lives if the bombardment continues without humanitarian relief. 

Fox News' Trey Yingst contributed to this update.

TEHRAN, IRAN - APRIL 22: Ali Khamenei Iran supreme leader speaking and praying for Eid Al-Fitr (The religious holiday is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan) at Mosalla mosque on April 22, 2023 in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Sadegh Nikgostar ATPImages/Getty Images)

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States is complicit in alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.

"The U.S. is definitely an accomplice of the criminals," Khamenei said during a speech in Tehran. "In other words, in this crime the U.S.'s hand is drenched and stained up to its elbow with the blood of the oppressed, the children, the sick, women and others."

He went on to accuse the U.S. of "managing the crime that is being committed in Gaza." 

Khamenei insisted that the Palestinians will ultimately prevail in the war against Israel, which started when Hamas infiltrated the Jewish state on Oct. 7 and brutally tortured, raped, killed and dismembered as many as 1,400 Israeli civilians. 

The United States has supported Israel's right to self-defense and the bombing campaign to eradicate Hamas while calling for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Palestinian people caught in the crossfire in Gaza. The U.S. has moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran-backed terrorist groups like Hezbollah from joining the war on the side of Hamas.  

The father of an American kidnapped by Hamas will not stop searching until he brings his son home. 

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was last seen being loaded into a pickup truck by Hamas militants when they attacked an Israeli music festival Oct. 7, kidnapping and killing hundreds of attendees.  

"I have one mission: Get Hersch home," Jon Polin told "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Tuesday. "There's no partial success here. There's no 90% success here. It's either success or failure, and I want to bring Hersh home." 

Polin said Hersh, who lived in California until moving to Israel at 8 years-old, is "a child of both countries" and called on people to stop politicizing the attack. 

"Let's turn this into what [it] is, a global humanitarian catastrophe, and the whole world and foreign ministers everywhere should be screaming to get these people out and don't politicize them." 

Polin said video of the kidnapping shows his son "with a stump of a left arm bleeding out" and the family hopes he has received medical care and is alive.  

"The Israeli government lists him officially as a hostage, as taken by Hamas, as we've seen in the video, and still lists him as a hostage, but we don't know. We have no proof of life," he told MacCallum. "We don't know if once he was loaded into that pickup truck at 9:00 in the morning on October 7, if he was tossed off the truck after 30 seconds or if he made it into Gaza where his phone was last pinged. We don't know his status, but officially he's still listed as ‘kidnapped’." 

A family member of a hero who saved the lives of two women by charging at Hamas terrorists spoke out in an interview with Fox News Digital about his final moments. 

Addir Mesika, 23, was born and raised in New York. He was with three childhood friends, his girlfriend, and another young woman at the music festival which became a massacre after Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel and butchered, tortured, raped and mutilated Israeli civilians. 

"He was a real hero," Morielle Lotan, Mesika's aunt, said. "I think he knew what his end was going to be, and he did it anyway."

Mesika and his friends were resting in the tents at the end of the party when they heard rocket sirens. Hamas sent out missiles from the Gaza Strip as a cover for their ground invasion. The group of friends quickly packed, got into the car and drove to a small bomb shelter for safety. While in the car, Lotan said Mesika was texting his younger brother about what was happening. At the time, they didn’t know that Hamas terrorists infiltrated parts of the country. 

When Mesika and his friends heard machine guns and Arabic language – it dawned on them that there were terrorists looking to hunt and kill. They saw the terrorists approaching other shelters and throwing grenades into them. When they heard terrorists approaching their shelter, Mesika and his best friend Eli instructed the girls to hide, left the shelter and charged at the terrorists to attract attention.

The boys were killed by gunfire in a heroic act to save the women, who remained in the shelter for six hours until the Israel Defense Forces rescued them. 

Mesika, Eli and another friend named Matan – who were childhood buddies – were buried side-by-side together in Israel. 

"There's some… vortex that we're in at the moment," Lotan said. "We're broken and devastated, and angry, and sad and worried." 

Fox News Digital's Hannah Grossman contributed to this update.

Families with loved ones killed or captured by Hamas shared their stories on "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday morning.

Netta Atzili, 20, survived the Oct. 7 terror attack by holding the handle of a door shut to prevent the terrorists from finding him. 

"I have no idea why they didn't kill me," Atzili said. "If they were smarter, or stronger, or more insightful or more determined, I would be dead."

He said that in many cases the terrorists shot through doors or used explosives to blast them down, "but for some reason they didn't do that with me. I guess they were just there to loot." 

Atzili said he grabbed a knife from the kitchen to give himself a fighting chance if he were discovered by the killers. "I would probably still be dead, but I would have a chance," he said recalled thinking. 

His parents are both missing after the attack.

Another survivor, Adele Raemer, said she hid in a safe room for nine hours, "deadly petrified," with terrorists just inches away on the other side of a wall.

"We heard their voices in Arabic, shouting to each other," Raemer said. "We heard machine gun fire shooting at each other. This is something you usually don't hear. We've never been infiltrated before, ever. This is something that is totally — we don't know how to handle ourselves." 

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah meets Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhalah and deputy leader of Hamas, Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri at an unidentified location in this handout image released on October 25, 2023. Hezbollah Media Office/Handout via REUTERS

The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah met with leaders of the Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad to discuss an alliance that will "achieve real victory for the resistance," Hezbollah said on Wednesday.

Part of an Iran-backed regional alliance, the heavily armed Hezbollah has had daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.

The meeting involved Hezbollah's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala, Hezbollah said in a statement. It did not say when the meeting took place.

"An assessment was made of the international positions being taken and what the parties of the Axis of Resistance must do ... to realise a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestinian and to halt the brutal aggression," Hezbollah said, according to Reuters. 

"There was agreement on continuing the coordination."

The terror group also said two of its fighters were killed on Wednesday. Israel has killed 40 Hezbollah terrorists along the border with Lebanon since the start of the war. 

Reuters contributed to this post.

Israel continued to pound Hamas and Islamic Jihad cells in Gaza with airstrikes overnight, resulting in more civilian casualties as the terrorist groups hide behind human shields. 

Save the Children, a leading humanitarian organization, says more than 2,000 children have been killed since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7. Thousands of homes, playgrounds, schools, hospitals and places of worship have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza, the group says, as the Israel Defense Forces aim at military targets placed near civilian infrastructure.

Fox News' Trey Yingst reported that Israeli forces killed two Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel through the Mediterranean Sea overnight. Additionally, the Israelis are responding with strikes in southern Lebanon targeting the terrorist group Hezbollah as fears grow that the Iran-backed group might join the war on the side of Hamas.

Israeli soldiers stand ready to invade Gaza once they receive orders to do so. Reports have said an expected ground operation in Gaza has been delayed as Israel and Qatari mediators work behind the scenes to secure the release of some 222 hostages held by Hamas. 

Fox News' Trey Yingst contributed to this update.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said he held private conversations with CNN and MSNBC about their coverage of Israel after scolding the networks on the air and urging news organizations around the world to do a better job covering the tragic Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7. 

"I've called out the coverage on CNN while I was being interviewed on CNN. I've called out the coverage on MSNBC while I was being interviewed on MSNBC," Greenblatt told Fox News Digital. 

"All of them need to do better. They need to do better because this isn't just about antisemitism, although it is. The carelessness with which they treat Jewish victims is crazy," he continued. "This isn't just about Israel, although it is. Demonizing and dehumanizing Israelis and Zionists is how you get this kind of barbarism and these atrocities. This is about humanity."

Greenblatt believes the big picture is "about how we see each other as human beings deserving of a degree of dignity" and respect. 

"The failure to do so, is why we have this problem in the first place," Greenblatt said. 

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this update.

Turkey's President and leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during his party's group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, on October 25, 2023. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan referred to Hamas terrorists as a "liberation group" trying to protect the Palestinian people. 

In an address to his ruling party’s legislators on Wednesday, Erdogan also said he has canceled plans to visit Israel as part of his country’s policy of normalizing its relations with the Jewish state, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “misused our goodwill.”

Erdogan sharpened his criticisms of Israel, describing the siege of Gaza as one of the "bloodiest, most disgusting and most savage attacks in history." 

“We have no problem with the Israeli state, but we never have, and never will, accept the atrocities committed by Israel and the fact that it acts as an organization rather than a state,” he said.

The Turkish leader called for an immediate cease-fire, for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza and for talks for the release of hostages to begin. He also suggested the establishment of an international peace conference for Israel and the Palestinians.

“All sides must pull their fingers off the trigger, a cease-fire must be declared,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokeswoman denounced UN Secretary-General António Guterres for saying Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed an estimated 1,400 people "did not happen in a vacuum."

Guterres addressed the UN Security Council describing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need for a two-state solution. 

"It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation," he said. "They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing."

"But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

Netanyahu spokeswoman Tal Heinrich said Guterres’ remarks showed there is anti-Israel bias at the United Nations.  

"This is nothing new, this crazy double-standard. What the UN secretary-general said, that this Hamas attack, the massacre of Oct. 7, didn't come in a 'vacuum.' That is mind-boggling," she said Tuesday on "America Reports."

"Can you imagine the UN secretary-general saying such a terrible sentence after the 9/11 attack? That the 9/11 attack didn't come in a vacuum? That the Pearl Harbor attack didn't come in a vacuum? That the Boko Haram kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria in 2014 didn't come in a vacuum?" Heinrich asked. "This is insane. This is insanity. The civilized world must stand with Israel in its war against terrorism. The message that a UN secretary-general must send out is that terrorism is a dead end."

Guterres told the Security Council he was "deeply concerned" about the "clear violations of international humanitarian law" in Gaza after Israel cut off water, electricity, food and fuel. 

Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan contributed to this update.

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel, slammed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres' speech at the U.N. Security Council meeting in a statement. 

Guterres stated Tuesday that the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel by Hamas "did not happen in a vacuum" and that the "Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation."

Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan responded to those remarks, saying, "The slaughter of Jews by Hamas on October 7th was genocidal in its intents and immeasurably brutal in its form. Part of why it differs from the Holocaust is because Jews have today a state and an army. We are not defenseless and at the mercy of others.

"However, it puts to test the sincerity of world leaders, intellectuals and influencers that come to Yad Vashem and pledge “Never Again”.  Those who seek to "understand", look for a justifying context, do not categorically condemn the perpetrators, and do not call for the unconditional and immediate release of the abducted – fail the test. UN Secretary General António Guterres failed the test."

Guterres' speech drew fiery condemnations from Israeli officials. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, demanded that Guterres resign, accusing him of showing "understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly."

"There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most terrible atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel and the Jewish people. There are simply no words," Erdan said.

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this update.

Saudi Arabia intercepted at least one of the cruise missiles launched at Israel by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to reports.

Last week, the USS Carney, a guided missile destroyer operating in the Northern Red Sea, intercepted several missiles fired towards Israel near the coast of Yemen. The Pentagon confirmed the Navy destroyer shot down four land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.

The Wall Street Journal reports the Houthi militants fired five cruise missiles, and that at least one of them was intercepted by Saudi Arabia as it protected its airspace. Saudi Arabia's involvement in the incident was previously unknown. The Arab country's Patriot Missile Defense system is provided by the United States.

There were no reported casualties to U.S. forces in the missile and drone attack. 

A senior U.S. Defense official said Monday the military expects a "significant escalation" of attacks against U.S. troops in the Middle East and pointed to Iran meddling in the region. 

"I think it’s fair to say when you see this uptick in activity in attacks by many of these groups, there’s Iranian fingerprints all over it," the defense official said. 

Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this update.

KHAN YUNIS, GAZA - OCTOBER 25: A view of a damaged bus and debris of buildings over it as Israeli airstrikes continue in the 19th day in Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 25, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Taysir Mubasher, the commander of the North Khan Yunis battalion of Hamas, was killed by Israeli soldiers Wednesday morning, according to intelligence gathered by Israel Defense Forces and Israel Securities Authority.

Mubasher, who previously served as a commander in Hamas' naval forces and held positions in weapons manufacturing, had extensive experience in the military, according to the IDF. He was also related to senior Hamas operatives, including Mohammed Deif, supreme commander of Hamas' military wing.

The IDF said Mubasher was responsible for "numerous terror attacks" against Israelis and IDF soldiers over the years, including the 2002 attack at the Atzmona pre-military academy, which left five students dead and several more injured.

He is also accused of directing the 2003 terror attack in the Vered Post, being involved in the infiltration into Zikim beaches during Operation "Protective Edge," and manufacturing explosive devices used to explode a tunnel under an IDF post in Gush Katif in 2004, which claimed the life of an IDF soldier and injured several others.

Since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli forces say they have killed at least 21 of the terrorist group's leaders.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported early Wednesday morning that Hamas terrorists attempted to invade Israel by sea on Tuesday.

"Hamas terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israeli territory by sea were identified by naval forces in southern Israel earlier today," the IDF explained in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "The terrorists were thwarted and the tunnel was struck, in addition to a weapons warehouse used by the terrorists in Gaza."

The IDF later updated the post, explaining that "Hamas terrorists were found exiting a tunnel on the Gaza coast, attempting to infiltrate southern Israel via sea."

Fox News' Trey Yingst reported from Israel Wednesday at noon local time that small arms fire took place overnight near the beach of Zikim, which sits between Israel and Gaza, to which the Israeli military responded by firing flares.

Two Hamas militants were killed during the infiltration attempt, Yingst reported, adding that the terrorist group has a "frogman unit" made up of trained scuba divers who attempt to access Israeli territory from the Mediterranean Sea.

"This just gives you a sense of the different ways Hamas is trying to target Israel," Yingst said.

Hamas has attempted to infiltrate Israel by sea before, Yingst said, and past videos have shown Israel's navy responding to the attack by firing into the water and killing any militants in it.

"It was absolutely a suicide mission. The Israelis have locked down the beach, the sea. They have naval ships off the coast of Gaza and Israel. They've got infantry troops along the northern part of the Gaza Strip," Yingst explained, adding that the attempt didn't "make sense."

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

The Israeli Air Force said Wednesday morning it conducted two separate airstrikes overnight, one in West Bank and another in Syria.

An airstrike took place in Syria in response to two rockets that were fired into Israel, Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson reported from the Jewish State. Military infrastructure and Syrian army positions for launching mortar bombs were targeted in the aerial attack, the IAF said.

The Jenin refugee camp inside the West Bank was also hit by an airstrike after "armed terrorists shot and threw explosives at our forces" during an activity, the IAF said.

"A manned aircraft remotely attacked the terrorists to remove the danger," the branch wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in Hebrew. "Vulnerabilities have been detected."

Both operations were also made public on the IAF's X account.