IDF announces humanitarian pauses in Gaza for evacuations, limited fuel deliveries continue

Israel Defense Forces

The Israeli Defense Forces said its soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade worked with the Armored Corps, Engineering Corps and the Israeli Air Force on operations in the Sheikh Ijlin and Rimal areas to identify and destroy Hamas infrastructure and assets.

The soldiers found roughly 35 tunnel shafts and many weapons and eliminated terrorists during the operations.

Additionally, the soldiers operated in a Hamas military base belonging to its military intelligence unit.

"During the operation, IDF soldiers located ammunition depots and seven rocket launchers," the IDF said. "Embedded in the Rimal area are the residences of senior Hamas officials, who took control of the buildings in the area to conduct and direct terrorist activities."

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Members of Congress belonging to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have not condemned the violent anti-Israel protest that targeted the headquarters of their own party in Washington, D.C., this week.

The offices of representatives Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Greg Casar, D-Texas; and Cori Bush, D-Mo., did not respond to Fox News Digital's multiple requests for comment concerning the violence that erupted Wednesday when pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war rioted outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

None have released a public statement addressing the violence, other than Bush sharing a statement on X from left-wing group IfNotNow Movement blasting House Speaker Mike Johnson for his criticism of the protest.

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) responded to what they said were 150 people "illegally and violently protesting" near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The ensuing clash led to a number of injuries to police and protesters and led to the evacuation of multiple Democratic members of Congress and candidates attending a reception inside the building at the time.

USCP confirmed on X that six officers were injured during the clash, which included injuries ranging from minor cuts and pepper spray burns and punches from protesters.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Israeli supporters marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem this week to protest government inaction in rescuing hostages.

Families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas were the focal point of the support as the procession marched over the course of three days. The march is set to end on Saturday in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence.

After the protest, the families of Israeli hostages are set to meet with war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and cabinet observer Minister Gadi Eisenkot.

The families have demanded to meet with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and cabinet observer Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, but such requests have been met with silence.

Hamas is holding up to 238 hostages in Gaza and 10 of them are believed to be Americans.

Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.

A person carrying an Israeli flag walks by graffiti that reads, "Bring them home now" on November 18, 2023 in Jerusalem.

Hamas leaders have reportedly agreed to free numerous hostages in exchange for both militaries halting their combat operations for five days, according to the Washington Post.

The agreement was reportedly facilitated by the United States. The WaPo report states that the release could begin within the next several days.

According to the six-page deal, 50 hostages would be released while both militaries cease fighting for at least five days. The captives would be freed in small batches every 24 hours.

The reports came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that any deal was struck with Hamas.

"Please understand to this moment there has not been a deal," Netanyahu said Saturday night. "But I promise you, when there is something for us to tell in regards this, we will advise you."

In a post on X on Saturday night, National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson denied that an agreement was reached.

"We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal," she wrote.

The CAIR-Cleveland released an image of Hesham A. Ayyad in the hospital after his injuries. (CAIR-Cleveland)

An Ohio man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly lied about being the victim of a hate crime involving anti-Palestinian slurs.

According to WKYC, citing the North Ridgeville Police Department, 20-year-old Hesham A. Ayyad came to a local hospital on Oct. 22, and told officers that he had been hit by a car in an incident that was "racially motivated."

The next day, the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for an immediate investigation into Ayyad's claims.

Read the full article about Hesham Ayyad by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten

Source: WFLD

DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Chicago was temporarily shut down Saturday due to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the area.

Chicago Police Department told Fox News Digital that around 3,000 participants were at the protests. Many were waving Palestinian flags or wearing keffiyehs.

"On today's date, around 3:00 p.m., Chicago Police officers monitored a demonstration in the 300 block of S. Columbus Dr. of approximately 3,000 participants," the police's statement read. "The demonstration continued onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive as participants marched approximately one block northbound reaching Jackson before dispersing."

"Responding officers provided safety and traffic control for all participants and nearby motorists," the statement added. "At this time, there have been no arrests or citations issued."

The Chicago Office of Emergency Management (OEMC) said that the lanes were re-opened by 5:30 p.m.

University of Alberta sign in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A Canadian university has fired the head of their sexual assault center for adding the organization's name to a letter that denied sex crimes committed by Hamas.

The letter had criticized "the unverified accusation that Palestinians were guilty of sexual violence," amid the war. University of Alberta President Bill Flanagan released a statement about the incident Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The recent improper and unauthorized use of the name of the University of Alberta’s Sexual Assault Centre in endorsing an open letter has raised understandable concerns from members of our community and the public," the statement read. "Effective immediately, the director of the centre is no longer employed by the university."

Flanagan also wrote that the new leaders of the center are "committed to swiftly implementing the changes required to ensure this university commitment is upheld."

"On behalf of the university, I apologize for the hurt and distress this issue has caused members of our community and beyond," he concluded. "As a university, we commit to continued action to restore your trust."

The Geisel Library on the University of California San Diego (UCSD) campus in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Social media footage that was said to show Jewish students being evacuated at University of California, San Diego has been debunked by school officials.

A caption on the video, which spread across X, claimed that an anti-Israeli mob formed outside a building where Jewish students gathered to discuss antisemitism.

"UC San Diego Police are aware of a video circulating on social media that says a building was evacuated where Jewish students had gathered to discuss antisemitic threats," a statement on UC San Diego Today's website read. "Police report no such action took place."

"The video appears to be old footage from a student government meeting a few weeks ago that has been edited into other video. No such activity occurred," the statement added.

US President Joe Biden during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders retreat in San Francisco, California, US, on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Biden on Saturday called for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians in the Middle East, but one that is "free from Hamas" as he put forward his plan for peace in the region in the wake of the Hamas terror attack against Israel.

"The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own and a future free from Hamas," he said.

Biden used the op-ed in The Washington Post to argue that the world faces "an inflection point" in the Middle East, and stressed that the U.S. stands with Israel in the face of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists.

Read the full article about President Biden by Adam Shaw

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to attend a photo opportunity with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations Headquarters on September 20, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Saturday evening that his government has not yet reached a deal with Hamas to return the hostages taken from Israel on and after Oct. 7.

The Israeli leader said that "baseless" rumors about a potential deal have been spread in various publications.

"The subject of the abductees...there are a lot of baseless rumors about it. A lot of publications... are incorrect," Netanyahu said.

"Please understand to this moment there has not been a deal," he continued. "But I promise you, when there is something for us to tell in regards this, we will advise you."

Netanyahu extended his sympathies to the families of kidnapped and murdered victims, and told them that, "the nation of Israel is marching with you."

"We know the misery, the horrific misery you are undergoing, the nightmares in which the families find themselves [in]," he added.

Family and supporters of the estimated 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza complete the final leg of a five-day solidarity rally calling for their return, from Tel Aviv to the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, in the town of Mevaseret Zion, near Jerusalem, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. The hostages, mostly Israeli citizens, were abducted during the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas cross-border attack in Israel and have been held in the enclave since as war rages. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Thousands of people marched into Jerusalem on Saturday to protest the Israeli government's handling of the war with Hamas and demand action to bring hostages home.

Those marching included family members and supporters of the some 240 people Hamas took captive during the Oct. 7 attack. They began their march five days ago in Tel Aviv, 45 miles away. 

The Israeli government has vowed to wipe out Hamas and bring the hostages home.

But some of the hostage families have said they fear that the military offensive endangers their loved ones. Israeli leaders, in turn, have argued that only military pressure on Hamas will lead to some hostage releases in a possible deal involving a temporary cease-fire.

On Saturday, the protesters carried Israeli flags and photos of their missing loved ones into Jerusalem and gathered where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is located. 

Netanyahu has not yet agreed to meet with them, provoking fury among the demonstrators. Other members of Israel's War Cabinet — former opposition leader Benny Gantz and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot — were set to sit down Saturday evening with representatives of the hostage families.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, gestures as he attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France. (REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

The White House on Friday accused billionaire Elon Musk of repeating a "hideous" antisemitic lie on X.

Musk on Wednesday agreed with a post on X that claimed Jewish communities were stoking hatred against white people, saying the user who smeared Jewish people was speaking "the actual truth."

The White House accused Musk of an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans."

"It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie ... one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, referring to the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel.

The White House's condemnation comes as IBM and other companies decided this week to pull advertising from X after Media Matters for America claimed ads from the tech giant and pro-Nazi X posts had shown up adjacent to each other. The non-profit said other company’s ads had similar experiences. 

In response, Musk vowed to launch a "thermonuclear lawsuit" against Media Matters, accusing the watchdog group of misrepresenting "the real user experience on X." 

Fox Business' Eric Revell, Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Reuters contributed to this update.

The first suggestion that Hamas terrorists committed acts of extreme sexual violence and rape against victims during their Oct. 7 rampage through southern Israel came on social media early on that fateful Saturday morning six weeks ago. 

Two short videos, shared by the terrorists themselves, quickly emerged showing groups of cheering Palestinian men, some armed, in the streets of Gaza crowding around half-naked and bloodied young Israeli women.

In one clip, a woman later identified as German-Israeli citizen Shani Louk, 22, can be seen barely clothed lying unconscious in an unnatural position on the flatbed of a pickup as men spit and abuse her body while screaming "Allahu Akhbar."

In another video, 19-year-old Israeli soldier Na’ama Levy is pulled from the back of a jeep by an armed gunman, her hands bound behind her back and  thick blood stains between her legs, as Palestinian men jeer at her. 

Louk is now counted among the 1,200 people murdered that day, and Levy is thought to be one of an estimated 240 hostages, including babies and children, being held by the terror group inside the Palestinian enclave. 

While the victims of gender-based crimes committed during that brutal attack have yet to come forward, either because they were murdered or kidnapped or are still reeling from the trauma, the Israeli police and Israel’s newly formed Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women believe sexual violence during the terror attack was widespread, systematic and even endorsed by the Islamic fundamentalist group’s religious and spiritual leaders as permissible during war. 

Read more from Ruth Marks Eglash. 

Pope Francis presides over the Holy Mass in memory of the late Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI and the Cardinals and Bishops who died during the year 2023. Vatican City. (Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Pope Francis will be meeting with the families of Israeli hostages and groups of Palestinians displaced by the ongoing conflict.

The pontiff will meet with both groups following a General Audience at the Vatican on Nov. 22.

"Pope Francis will meet separately with a group of relatives of Israelis held hostage in Gaza and a group of family members of Palestinians suffering from the conflict in Gaza," said Director of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni.

The groups will meet with Pope Francis separately — the Vatican made clear the talks were strictly of "a humanitarian nature."

There remain up to 238 Hamas hostages in Gaza, and 10 of them are believed to be Americans. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims more than 11,200 Gazans have been killed in the fighting, though they do not distinguish between Palestinian civilians and Hamas terrorists.

Bruni stated, "As he stated at the end of last Sunday's Angelus, 'Every human being, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, of any people and religion, every human being is sacred, precious in the eyes of God, and has the right to live in peace."

He added that Pope Francis wishes to express "spiritual closeness to the suffering of each individual."

Fox News Digital's Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this update.

TOPSHOT - Artillery fire from an Israeli position hits the hills near the outskirts of the border town of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon on November 17, 2023. (Photo by HASAN FNEICH/AFP via Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Forces said air defense systems intercepted a "suspicious target" in Lebanon on Saturday.

Sirens sounded in Ashkelon, Sderot and areas of central Israel as the IDF detected "numerous launches" from Lebanon aimed at Israeli posts.

"In response, IDF tanks and aircraft struck a number of Hezbollah observation posts," the military said. 

The military added that an IDF drone carried out an emergency landing in an open area of northern Israel on Saturday morning. 

"An initial inquiry indicates that the aircraft was not damaged by enemy fire. No injuries were reported, and the incident is under review," the IDF said. 

Hezbollah terrorists have fired at numerous Israeli military posts since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7. The Lebanese group has demanded Israel cease its bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip, but has yet to fully enter the war on the side of Hamas. 

Israel views Hezbollah and its 150,000 rockets and missiles as its most direct national security threat should the war expand into a wider regional conflict. 

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday announced expanded military operations to wipe out Hamas terrorists in two areas of Gaza City. 

The IDF said soldiers operating in the Zaytun and Jabalia areas encountered "numerous terrorists" as Israel targets Hamas infrastructure in the city.

According to Israel, one of Hamas' main battalions operates in Zaytun, while Jabalia is where the terrorist group's "command and control center for the Northern Gaza Brigade" is located. IDF said that four Hamas battalions operate in Jabalia. 

"Engineering forces, infantry, and armored corps of the divisions, assisted by the [Israeli air force], are encountering terrorists who intentionally operate from within civilian areas, and attempt to attack the troops using anti-tank missiles and explosive devices," the IDF said. 

"During the encounters, numerous terrorists were killed and the troops struck a large number of terror infrastructures, including underground infrastructure and significant targets of the terrorist organization," it added.

The IDF released video showing soldiers exchanging fire with terrorists in Zaytun.

Watch above: NYU has discriminated 'very very sharply' against Jewish students: Marc Kasowitz

The editor of a college newspaper in Tennessee resigned after he felt improperly supported in the paper's response to campus anger over an Israel-related story.

"Just two weeks ago, I was the editor-in-chief of Middle Tennessee State University’s student newspaper, MTSU Sidelines," Matthew Giffin wrote in The College Fix. "Animated by the horrific images I saw Oct. 7, I wrote a story profiling a MTSU student worried about his friends in Tel Aviv."

"Unable to stand behind a dishonest and harmful representation of my story, I resigned," he continued. 

Sidelines, the school paper, "received unprecedented feedback from students on the article’s Instagram post, and the student I profiled asked that I take down the article out of concern for his safety," Giffin wrote. "But then the editorial board, against my expressed wishes, published a statement: ‘In retrospect, Sidelines failed to report on the casualties the Palestinian people have suffered and focused only on damage done to the Israeli population.’"

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Giffin wrote that he "decided to step down because I felt the statement that the editorial board and the faculty advisor released was something I couldn’t stand behind." 

He continued: "I don’t think they are bad people or antisemitic — I do think antisemitism played a disproportionate role in how the events at the paper unfolded. I still plan to write and speak out about things that are important, whatever the consequences may be. Telling the truth is a lost practice, and I’d like to bring it back. Morality is important for the order and survival of our society. Our way of life will fail if we cave to the influence of those who stand behind terrorists like Hamas."

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

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, spoke to Fox Business after her office in Texas was vandalized with anti-Israel messages.

"Someone, an individual, came to my local McAllen, Texas, office and vandalized it," De La Cruz said in an interview on Friday. 

Photos De La Cruz shared with Fox Business show her district office vandalized with messages that read "Monica Murders" and "Israel kills Jews too."

"While we have a small Jewish community in this area, it is a vibrant community. And I have made known to the local rabbis that I will continue to stand firm and will not back down from my support with Israel," she said. 

Asked about the Biden administration's efforts to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses, De La Cruz said Jewish students must feel safe and secure at school.

"In the United States, we should not accept antisemitism in our nation, not at our schools," she said. "Jewish children who are learning, whether at the university or at their local high schools, should not be afraid to attend their school." 

Medical personnel and officials move Mohammed Abu Tabikh, 14, who was wounded in the neck and spine during the Israel-Hamas war, from a plane to an ambulance on a stretcher in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Abu Tabikh is one of thousands of children in Gaza who have been injured by the ongoing Hamas-Israel war. But he’s one of the slightly luckier ones who was able to leave the besieged enclave to get treatment outside. (AP Photo/Malak Harb)

The first plane carrying Palestinian children wounded in the Israel-Hamas war landed in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday after the country pledged to aid 1,000 children.

The group of 15 people, including children and their family members, made it across the Gaza Strip's Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Friday. They then took a flight from the Egyptian city of El-Arish to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.

An Associated Press reporter observed young children laying asleep on their mom's laps as the plane landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Some seats had been removed on the plane so that critically wounded children could lie on stretchers. 

The war, now in its seventh week, was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The militant group also abducted some 240 men, women and children.

Israel's ongoing retaliatory military strikes on Gaza has so far killed more than 11,400 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry. Another 2,700 have been reported missing, believed buried under rubble.

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

The head of a Chicago college is insisting no "single perspective represents the views of the entire university" after Fox News Digital reported on the sociology professors who repeatedly sent mass anti-Israel emails to students and staff. 

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) Interim President Dr. Katrina Bell-Jordan issued a statement to the entire campus community clarifying its free speech position after Fox News Digital reported that students and staff in the Sociology Department received multiple emails from professors advocating against the Jewish state. 

"Northeastern values community and diversity and as an educated institution, we have a responsibility and commitment to allow our community to express their opinions under the First Amendment even when we may not agree with what is being said," Bell-Jordan wrote to students and staff Thursday night in an email obtained by Fox News Digital. "We must also remember that no single perspective represents the views of the entire University."

Bell-Jordan continued, "We ask our community to continue to be mindful that many in our NEIU community may be grieving and otherwise struggling with loss and anxiety related to the violence in Gaza and Israel. No words are adequate under these circumstances, and yet, the anguish of tragedy requires that we come together to support and care for one another."

NEIU did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this update.

Palestinians ride donkey carts during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Khan Younis on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Jordan's foreign minister slammed Israel's offensive in Gaza as "blatant aggression" against Palestinians that threatens to spark a wider war in the Middle East.

Ayman Safadi accused Israel of committing "war crimes" after the Jewish state launched a campaign to wipe out Hamas terrorists in Gaza who perpetrated the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were massacred. 

“All of us have to speak loud and clear about the catastrophe that the Israeli war is bringing, not just on Gaza, but on the region in general,” Safadi told the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain. “This is not a time for mincing words. This is a time to state facts as they are.”

He added: “This is not self-defense. This is a blatant aggression, the victims of which are innocent Palestinians.”

Safadi went on to call for an immediate cease-fire. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to his remarks. 

However, White House National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk responded and said that "a release of large number of hostages would result in a significant pause in fighting ... and a massive surge of humanitarian relief.”

“There’s no returning to Oct. 6. That’s true for Israel. It’s true for Palestinians,” McGurk said. “No country can live with the threats of terror like what we saw from Hamas unleashed, on Oct. 7 on their border. And at the same time, Palestinians deserve need and require safety and self-determination.”

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Pro-Israel advocates from across the U.S. gathered in the nation's capital to demonstrate against antisemitism during the Israel-Hamas war.

"This is the first time in my life that I honestly don't really feel safe being Jewish," Nick, who attended the event with his father, told Fox News.

"We felt a bit nervous coming out here, but we thought we can't let that fear kind of guide us. We have to just go out and represent what we believe in."

Demonstrators dressed themselves in American and Israeli flags Wednesday as they congregated at the National Mall for the March for Israel. 

Demonstrators showed support for hostages taken in the Israel-Hamas war and condemned antisemitism. 

The Jewish Federations of North America, the nonprofit organizer of the rally, said it was the largest pro-Israel gathering in U.S. history. 

There were over 830 documented antisemitic incidents across the U.S. between Oct. 7, 2023, and Nov. 7, 2023, according to a recent Anti-Defamation League survey. That averages to nearly 28 antisemitic incidents a day. 

"The antisemitism has always been around," Steve from Pennsylvania told Fox News, and it "always raises its ugly head when there's a conflict.

"Anti-Israel is just another name for antisemitism."

Fox News Digital's Jon Michael Raasch contributed to this update.

The Israeli military provided more details on humanitarian assistance provided to Al-Shifa Hospital, where Israeli soldiers say they have found weapons and military equipment used by Hamas. 

IDF troops transferred over 6,000 liters of water and over 2,300 kilograms of food, including fish, canned food, bread, spreads and dates to Al-Shifa Hospital, the IDF said.

"This activity was done in parallel with the IDF activities to locate and thwart terrorism in the hospital," the IDF said. 

"Furthermore, this morning, the IDF acceded to the request of the director of the Shifa Hospital to enable additional Gazans who were in the hospital and would like to evacuate, to do so via the secure route," it added. 

Israel, the White House, and many experts have long said that Hamas uses hospitals as command centers and ammunition depots to conceal its military operations, putting civilians in harm's way with little regard for their safety. 

Earlier this week, the IDF released a video from the hospital showing various weapon caches found hidden inside.

Israeli flags hang on a lamp post in the upper Galilee near the border with Lebanon, as light flashes from Israeli artillery units firing toward southern Lebanon on November 17, 2023. Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, when the Iran-backed fighters stormed out of the Gaza Strip, Hamas ally Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions have exchanged fire with Israeli forces across Lebanon's southern border. (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone fired two missiles at an aluminum plant in the southern town of Nabatiyeh early Saturday. 

The drone strikes caused fire and widespread damage, though there were no reports of casualties, according to the Associated Press. 

The alleged Israeli strike strike near the village of Toul is the first to hit the area since the 34-day war in 2006 between Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group, and far from the border. 

Hezbollah members prevented journalists who attempted to reach the factory, the AP reported.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike at the factory but it did say that the Israeli army is currently striking Hezbollah targets. It said further details will follow.

Following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in which 1,200 Israelis were brutally killed, Hezbollah started attacks on Israeli posts along the northern border. Israel has responded with mortar shells and airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory. 

The terror group has claimed responsibility for more than a dozen attacks on Israeli posts, including one with two suicide drones on a post in the northern Israeli town of Metula. 

Hezbollah has an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles which would be directed at Israel should the terror group fully enter the war. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

DES MOINES, IOWA - NOVEMBER 17: Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis listens as Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Thanksgiving Family Forum at the downtown Marriott on November 17, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Christian faith based forum hosts three Republican Presidential candidates, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Former US Ambassador Nikki Haley to speak on political issues. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Ron DeSantis' move to shut down pro-Palestinian campus groups is receiving pushback both from civil libertarian groups and at least one 2024 presidential hopeful.

Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the Florida governor's administration arguing its demand for public universities to "deactivate" local Students for Justice in Palestine chapters is an attempt to "stifle" student speech protected by the First Amendment.

A spokesperson for the governor stood by DeSantis’ decision in light of the lawsuit, saying he was right "to disband a group that provides material support to a terrorist organization."

But a DeSantis’ rival for the Oval Office, Vivek Ramaswamy, slammed the order as "utter hypocrisy," while a libertarian-leaning group that fights for free speech on college campuses is also weighing in critically of the move.

"Free speech doesn’t just protect the ideas we love. It protects the ideas we hate," Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"The idiotic college ‘pro-Palestine’ student groups are dead wrong to excuse genocidal attacks against Jews and spout disgusting antisemitism, but one of the things that makes us different from Islamic terrorists is we don’t silence dissent," he said.

Fox News'  Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters raided a University of Michigan administrative building. (Screenshot/BG On The Scene)

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters on the campus of University of Michigan forced their way into an administrative building as footage emerged on social media depicting the chaotic scene Friday. 

"Late this afternoon, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters forcefully gained access to a locked Ruthven Administration Building. An estimated 200 protesters entered the building," a spokesperson for the university confirmed to FOX News Digital on Friday. "U-M Police report building occupants have safely left the building and officers are working to restore order to the building. We will provide further updates as the situation evolves."

The spokesperson confirmed that protesters remained in the Ruthven Administration Building going into the evening as police attempted to control the scene. The building holds the office of University of Michigan's president. 

Images shared on social media by independent journalist Brendan Gutenschwager show campus staff and a campus police officer blocking the doors into the building until a protester opened the door from the inside, allowing others to flood in.

The officer is seen struggling to block entry into the building as the protesters force their way past him. The protesters can be heard chanting, "No justice, no peace!"

Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this update.