World News

A debate in Mexico City’s congress descended into a brawl Monday as lawmakers yanked hair, traded blows and shoved one another across the dais after an opposition protest over the city’s transparency institute erupted into chaos.

Video from inside the chamber showed the dispute turning violent within seconds, with lawmakers lunging at each other as others stood back and filmed the melee.

Reuters reported the fight broke out during a debate over dissolving Mexico City’s transparency institute.

The clash began when one woman grabbed another’s hand, prompting the second woman to yank her hand back and jab her in the stomach with an elbow.

CONGRESS MELTS DOWN: MEMBERS UNLEASH PERSONAL ATTACKS AFTER WEEKS OF SHUTDOWN DRAMA

The first woman retaliated by striking her in the back, then seized the other woman’s hair as the scuffle escalated.

A man stepped in and tried to pry her hand loose, but more lawmakers rushed forward as shoving spread across the dais.

HOUSE DEM CRASHES MIKE JOHNSON PRESS EVENT AS TENSIONS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN

Several women were seen pushing and grappling while bystanders lifted phones to record the chaos.

Lawmakers from the opposition National Action Party had taken over the congressional podium to protest the measure at the center of the debate.

TRUMP TELLS MEXICO TO FIX CROSS-BORDER SEWAGE PROBLEM FLOWING INTO US COMMUNITIES ‘IMMEDIATELY’

The opposition accused Morena – the ruling party – of breaking an agreement to create a new transparency body, sparking the podium occupation.

The session unraveled as shouting escalated, and rival groups clashed across the chamber.

The meeting was ultimately suspended and relocated to another venue, so lawmakers could resume deliberations, local media reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Polish authorities have foiled a suspected ISIS-inspired plot to attack a Christmas market, charging a student accused of preparing a mass casualty bombing, according to officials.

The case comes as Germany and the U.K. also raised security measures around religious and cultural events after the Sydney shooting Sunday in which 16 people were shot dead at a Jewish Hanukkah party on Bondi Beach.

Polish authorities say the suspect, identified as Mateusz W., 19, was detained in late November at an apartment in Lublin by officers from the Internal Security Agency (ABW).

According to Jacek Dobrzyński, a spokesperson for the Minister's Coordinator of Special Services, investigators believe the teen had been studying how to make explosives and intended to join a terrorist organization to help carry out the attack.

EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS FORTIFY SECURITY MEASURES AS TERROR THREATS FORCE MAJOR OPERATIONAL CHANGES

"The purpose of the crime was to intimidate many people, as well as to support the Islamic State," Dobrzyński said in a statement shared on X.

Items linked to Islam and digital storage devices were seized, and the suspect has been remanded for three months as the Szczecin branch of ABW continues its investigation.

At a news conference, Dobrzyński also referenced a June case in which three 19-year-olds were charged over alleged extremist plots, including a reported plan to attack a school in Olsztyn.

MOSSAD–EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE OPERATION LAUNCHES SWEEPING CRACKDOWN ON HAMAS GLOBAL TERROR NETWORK

"You are familiar with this issue from Olsztyn; now we have another example of preparing an attack before Christmas," he told reporters, according to GB News.

In Germany, police in Lower Bavaria also arrested five men on Dec. 12 on suspicion of preparing an attack on a Christmas market, according to reports.

Authorities said an Egyptian national described as an Islamic preacher had allegedly called for an assault during gatherings at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area, per Euronews.

CANADIAN SPY CHIEF WARNS OF ALARMING RISE IN TEEN TERROR SUSPECTS, 'POTENTIALLY LETHAL' THREATS BY IRAN

Special operations forces carried out the arrests, and investigators believe the group had begun early-stage preparations.

In the U.K., counterterrorism officials stepped up armed patrols and public alert messaging across London and other major cities on Tuesday.

"Sadly, as shown by the appalling attack on Sydney’s Jewish community during a Hanukkah event, we know they can also be a target for terrorist activity," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell said in a press release.

He cited large festive gatherings, religious services and Christmas markets as potential targets.

In the release posted Tuesday, he urged the British public to report anything that "doesn’t feel right" as part of the annual winter vigilance campaign.

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities say they separately disrupted a New Year’s Eve plot in Southern California.

Four alleged members of an extremist anti-capitalist, anti-government group suspected of rehearsing coordinated bombings against sites linked to two U.S. companies were arrested on Monday.

The deadly terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, left at least 15 dead, including a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and an elderly couple.

Australian authorities identified the assailants as a father-son duo and said the attack was inspired by ISIS. The father was killed on the scene, while the son was shot by police and taken for medical care.

The youngest victim of the deadly rampage was 10-year-old Matilda Britvan.

GAL GADOT, ASHTON KUTCHER CONDEMN ANTISEMITIC TERROR ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH HANUKKAH EVENT

Lina Chernykh, Britvan's aunt, told Australia's 9News that her niece was "a happy kid" and "open-hearted."

"Everywhere she goes, she was like a sun," Chernykh told the outlet.

Britvan and her six-year-old sister were enjoying the Hanukkah celebrations when the gunmen opened fire, according to 9News. The 10-year-old was shot in front of her sister and was rushed to the hospital, but she could not be saved, 9News reported.

A GoFundMe set up by Britvan's teacher, Irina Goodhew, describes her as "a bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her."

"Matilda was a bright and loving soul who taught us that true goodness is in the love and compassion we share. Her memory reminds us to carry kindness in our hearts and spread it to the world," the GoFundMe page reads.

Alex Kleytman, 87, was a Holocaust survivor from Ukraine. He and his wife of 57 years, Larisa Kleytman, who is also a Holocaust survivor, were celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach when the attack began.

Chabad, an international Jewish organization, said that Alex died while shielding Larisa from the gunmen's bullets. The organization noted that in addition to his wife, Alex leaves behind 11 grandchildren.

"I have no husband. I don't know where is his body. Nobody can give me any answer," Larisa told reporters outside a Sydney hospital on Sunday, according to the BBC.

"We were standing and suddenly came the 'boom boom', and everybody fell down. At this moment, he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me," Larisa told Australian media, according to the BBC.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger was the assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organizer of the "Chanukah by the Sea" event, according to Chabad. The organization said that Schlanger had served as a rabbi and chaplain for the Bondi community for 18 years.

In September, Schlanger wrote a letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, urging him "not to betray the Jewish people." The letter, which has garnered renewed attention since the deadly attack, was posted on Schlanger's Facebook page. Schlanger told Albanese that he had "the opportunity to stand on the side of truth and righteousness."

The letter was written shortly after Australia voted at the United Nations to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Boris and Sofia Gurman, a Russian-Jewish couple, confronted one of the gunmen before the attack at Bondi Beach began. While they were able to momentarily disarm him, the assailant grabbed another rifle and killed the couple.

The Gurmans would have celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in January, according to a GoFundMe set up for the family. They were also about to celebrate Sofia's 62nd birthday on Dec. 17, just days after she was killed.

"They were people of deep kindness, quiet strength, and unwavering care for others. Devoted to their family and to each other, their absence has left a void that cannot be filled," the GoFundMe reads. "In the moments before their passing, Boris — with Sofia courageously beside him — attempted to intervene to protect others. This act of bravery and selflessness reflects exactly who they were: people who instinctively chose to help, even at great personal risk."

Edith Brutman served as vice president of an anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination committee at B’nai B’rith New South Wales (NSW), according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Ernie Friedlander, the president of the Alfred Dreyfus committee, who worked closely with Brutman, told the Sydney Morning Herald that she was "a very clever lady" who was "passionate about dealing with prejudice and discrimination."

"She was always there, and she had very strong opinions," Friedlander added.

The Brutman family gave a statement on Edith's death to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), remembering her as "a woman of integrity."

"Our beloved Edith was a woman of integrity who chose humanity, every day. She met prejudice with principle, and division with service," the statement read.

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan served as secretary of the Sydney Beth Din (a rabbinic court) and was "deeply involved in Chabad operations in Sydney," Chabad said. The organization also stated that Levitan worked at the BINA, a center for Jewish learning.

Chabad described Levitan as a "popular coordinator" of the organization's activities in Sydney, Australia.

"​Yaakov Levitan was a profoundly beloved and active member of the Sydney Jewish community," a crowdfunding page endorsed by Chabad read. "He was a man of quiet devotion, known for his kindness and tireless work in assisting others, including his commitment to distributing tefillin as a sacred act of service."

"His senseless murder has left an irreplaceable void," the page added. "Yaakov was the cornerstone of his family: a devoted husband and father."

POPE LEO XIV CONDEMNS 'ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE' AFTER MASSACRE IN SYDNEY: 'WE MUST ELIMINATE HATRED'

Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French national, was a soccer player for the Rockdale Ilinden Football Club. His death was confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

"It's with immense sadness that we have learned that our compatriot Dan Elkayam was among the victims of the terrorist attack that hit Jewish families gathered on the beach at Bondi in Sydney," Barrot wrote on X, according to a BBC translation. "We mourn with his family and loved ones, with the Jewish community and the Australian people."

Rockdale Ilinden Football Club released a statement mourning Elkayam, saying that he "loved the Australian way of life."

"Football was his passion — together with spending time on the beach and socializing with friends. His smiling face and respectful nature will be sorely missed by his teammates and everyone that knew him. We pray for him and for his family," the football club wrote.

Elkayam lived with his girlfriend, Krystal Troyano, according to a GoFundMe page set up in his honor.

"Dan was taken far too soon, and Krystal is now navigating profound grief while suddenly having to face life on her own," the page reads.

Peter Meagher was a retired detective sergeant with the NSW Police and a member of the Randwick Rugby Club.

"Peter was working as a freelance photographer at the ill-fated Hanukkah event, and, like all victims, it was simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time," the club said in a statement. "’Marzo,’ as he was universally known, was a much loved figure and absolute legend in our club, with decades of voluntary involvement, he was one of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby."

Randwick Rugby general manager Mark Harrison told ABC that Meagher was "one of the heart and soul figures" of the club.

Meagher's family also gave a statement to ABC, saying: "Our family is heartbroken by the loss of our beloved Peter. He was a cherished brother, husband and uncle whose kindness, generosity and love touched everyone who knew him. Our lives have been changed forever."

Reuven Morrison, who migrated from the USSR to Australia, was attempting to protect his community from the gunmen, despite being unarmed and alone, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The outlet said that Morrison, 62, charged towards the gunmen and appeared to hurl an object towards them.

Though Morrison lived in Melbourne, he was "deeply connected to Sydney," according to Chabad, which described Morrison as a "beloved member" of the community.

"A successful businessman whose main goal was to give away his earnings to charities dear to his heart, notably Chabad of Bondi, which organized the event," Chabad wrote on X.

Tibor Weitzen, 78, was remembered in a Chabad post on X as "the congregation's beloved 'candyman,' who brought joy and smiles to everyone." The organization said that he was killed while trying to shield his loved ones.

"My grandfather was truly the best you could ask for… He was so proud of us… and loved us more than life itself. He only saw the best in people and will be dearly missed," Weitzen's granddaughter, Leor Amzalak, told ABC.

Chabad said that Weitzen was identified by his first responder grandson at the scene.

Marika Pogany, 82, was a member of COA Sydney, a volunteer service for Jewish seniors.

"She was not just a long-serving volunteer. She was part of the beating heart of COA and a source of warmth for thousands of people over nearly 3 decades," COA Sydney wrote on Facebook. "For 29 years she arrived at COA with her quiet smile and her steady kindness. She lifted the room simply by being in it. She asked for nothing and gave everything. She showed us what true service looks like and she did it without fanfare and without ever wanting attention."

Chabad noted that in 2022 Pogany was recognized for delivering 12,000 kosher Meals on Wheels over the course of more than two decades.

FIRST ON FOX: Senior Israeli intelligence officials say warnings delivered to Australia ahead of a deadly attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach were part of a much broader alert: an accelerating global rise in attempts to execute terror attacks across Western countries, increasingly aimed not only at Jewish targets, but also at Christians and large gatherings especially during religious holidays.

According to a senior Israeli intelligence official, Israel’s foreign intelligence service has been tracking a sharp increase in attempted attacks worldwide, many of them low-tech, quickly mobilized and designed to exploit open societies and crowded public events.

"We stopped a few ticking bombs, the target was on people’s heads," the senior official told Fox News Digital.

ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER SAYS AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS 'DID NOTHING' AMID RISE OF ANTISEMITISM BEFORE SYDNEY ATTACK

Israeli intelligence officials say Australia is not an outlier. From their perspective, recent months have revealed a pattern of attempted and disrupted plots across Europe, North America and beyond, pointing to a sustained global threat rather than sporadic violence.

"If you knew how many terror attacks we exposed and prevented," the senior official said, "your jaw would drop."

Israeli intelligence officials say the rise in attempted attacks is driven in part by how extremist and state-linked networks build terror infrastructure globally while deliberately masking their origins.

Officials say the networks frequently rely on non-Iranian nationals to carry out different roles along the operational chain, including logistics, intelligence gathering, financing and execution, in order to blur any connection to Tehran. In some cases, operatives are recruited from migrant or refugee backgrounds, while in others criminal elements or hired proxies are used to carry out acts of violence.

To avoid detection, officials say the networks rely on encrypted communications and clandestine in-person meetings, sometimes conducted outside the country where an attack is planned. In other cases, instructions are delivered remotely through secure channels that bypass standard telecommunications monitoring.

According to Israeli assessments, extremist networks are increasingly overlapping: jihadist ideology, lone-actor violence and state-linked activity now exist in the same ecosystem, fueled by online radicalization and geopolitical instability. Many plots, officials say, are unsophisticated, making them harder to detect early while still capable of causing mass casualties.

‘WE WARNED THEM’ JEWISH LEADER SAYS AFTER BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK THAT KILLS 15

Israeli intelligence officials and foreign diplomatic sources warn that the threat is not limited to Jewish targets and is global. "We exposed terror cells in Germany, Greece, Austria — but not only Europe — also in South America, India and Thailand." The senior official said he cannot elaborate further.

A senior foreign diplomatic source said the current environment is being shaped by what they described as a global contagion effect, in which attacks are amplified online, celebrated across extremist networks and rapidly imitated elsewhere.

According to the source, attacks are increasingly attractive to extremists because they are relatively easy to carry out while producing outsized psychological and political impact.

RABBI SLAMS AUSTRALIA OVER BONDI MURDER OF TWO JEWISH LEADERS, ONE WITH ‘DEEP US TIES’

The source cautioned that Christian communities and broader civilian gatherings are also vulnerable, particularly during religious holidays and symbolic events that attract large crowds.

This concern has been reflected across Europe in recent weeks, when authorities sharply increased security at Christmas markets and holiday celebrations amid warnings that seasonal events present prime targets for extremist violence. Armed patrols, barriers and surveillance were expanded in multiple cities as officials assessed elevated risks tied to jihadist-inspired attacks and lone actors.

On Monday, federal authorities announced they foiled a New Year’s Eve terror plot, arresting suspects accused of planning coordinated attacks involving improvised explosive devices, according to the Department of Justice. Prosecutors said the plot was disrupted before explosives were fully assembled, underscoring both the scale of the threat and the importance of early intelligence intervention.

A second senior Israeli intelligence source said the broader threat environment has deteriorated after two years of war in the Middle East, which they said has energized radical Islamist movements globally.

According to the source, instability in Syria is of particular concern, creating conditions that could allow ISIS to regroup and once again project influence beyond the region.

"I’m worried about Syria and that ISIS will return," the source said, warning that renewed activity there could inspire further attacks in Europe, Australia and North America.

MAMDANI CONDEMNS ‘ANTISEMITIC TERROR’ AFTER HANUKKAH MASSACRE — BUT MUM ON ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’

The source said the growing prevalence of lone actors and sleeper cells poses a significant challenge to Western security services, as individuals with minimal resources can still carry out deadly attacks and trigger copycat violence.

While Australian authorities have not linked the Bondi Beach attack to foreign intelligence direction, Israeli officials say the case fits into a wider global picture: a sustained rise in attempted terror attacks, many of which never become public because they are disrupted early.

"We see it everywhere," the senior intelligence official said. "And most of what we stop, the public never hears about."

Mexican lawmakers were filmed shoving each other and pulling hair on the floor of Congress in Mexico City on Monday.

The viral video shows women lawmakers of rival parties jostling for position at a podium in the front of the chamber. The women's argument escalates from shouts to pushing and ultimately to pulling each other's hair as other lawmakers try to intervene.

The scene took place during debate over reforms to Mexico City's transparency oversight agency. Members of the right-leaning National Action Party (PAN) were protesting conduct by the left-leaning Moreno Party, which is the controlling power.

PAN representatives were holding their position at the podium as members of the Moreno Party tried to remove them, leading to the scuffle. Both parties condemned the violence after the incident, but blamed their opponents for starting it.

MEXICAN SENATORS BRAWL ON CAMERA DURING DEBATE OVER US TARGETING CARTELS

"We took the podium peacefully, without touching anyone, and the decision made by the majority legislative group and its allies was to try and regain control of the board through violence," PAN aide Andres Atayde said at a press conference following the incident, according to a translation from the Economic Times.

"Not only is it vulgar, not only is it aggressive, but it is lamentable that this is the majority governing party for this city," PAN lawmaker Daniela Alvarez added.

Morena spokesman Paulo Garcia made similar claims about conduct by PAN lawmakers.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CLAIMS TRUMP'S ICE IS 'PRIMARILY GOING AFTER INNOCENT PEOPLE, INCLUDING US CITIZENS'

"What worries us a lot is how the opposition is systematically resorting to violence instead of arguments, in the absence of being able to debate," Garcia later said in an interview with Mexican media.

Bystanders were seen on video confronting a gunman before his ISIS-inspired deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, could begin. 

Despite their efforts to disarm him, the gunman eventually overpowered the two bystanders and killed them, according to authorities.

The bystanders were later identified as Boris and Sofia Gurman, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The outlet reported that the Gurmans were walking by as they saw the assailant exiting a vehicle. Though Boris had the upper hand for a moment after picking up the shooter's rifle, the attacker allegedly picked up another rifle during the confrontation and fatally shot the couple, making them the first victims of the massacre.

"We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman," the family said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. "While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness."

RABBI KILLED IN SYDNEY HANUKKAH ATTACK HAD WARNED AUSTRALIAN PM ABOUT RISING ANTISEMITISM

In the video, obtained and verified by Reuters, an eyewitness replaying the dashcam footage recalls how the incident unfolded.

"You see the shooter here — he fired shots from here, shooting from here. And then look, this guy went and tackled him (shooter), knocking him to the ground. At that point, he had already grabbed the gun," the witness, who was speaking in Mandarin, said in the video, according to a Reuters translation.

Authorities have identified the shooters as a father, 50, and a son, 24. The father was killed at the scene, while the son was shot by police and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Australian authorities also said that the shooters had improvised explosives and homemade ISIS flags in their vehicle.

On Sunday, the pair opened fire on families celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and leaving more than two dozen injured. The Australian government is investigating the incident as a terror attack targeting the Jewish community.

GAL GADOT, ASHTON KUTCHER CONDEMN ANTISEMITIC TERROR ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH HANUKKAH EVENT

During the deadly rampage, another bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, an Australian immigrant, wrestled a gun away from one of the shooters. His attorney said that Ahmed does not regret intervening, despite being "riddled with bullets" and in intense pain.

"He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him," Ahmed's attorney, Sam Issa, told The Sydney Morning Herald. "He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment."

The outlet reported that Ahmed has undergone his first round of surgery and that Issa fears the hero bystander may lose his left arm.

"He’s a lot worse than expected. When you think of a bullet in the arm, you don’t think of serious injuries, but he has lost a lot of blood," Issa said.

President Donald Trump praised Ahmed for his actions, calling him "a very, very brave person" and saying that he has "great respect" for him.

The Bondi Beach attack is the worst mass shooting Australia has seen since the country implemented sweeping reforms after a shooter killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996. Following the Bondi Beach attack, Australian leaders have vowed to strengthen the country's already restrictive gun laws.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced several proposed actions, including limiting the number of guns one can possess.

"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," he said after meeting with his National Cabinet.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano, Bradford Betz and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

Australian authorities said Tuesday that the father and son who opened fire on families during a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach had packed their vehicle with improvised explosive devices and homemade ISIS flags, deepening fears that the massacre was part of a broader attack plot than initially believed.

During a press conference, investigators called the father-and-son gunmen, ages 24 and 50, "cowards" who hunted Jewish Australians "in broad daylight." Fifteen people were killed and more than two dozen were injured in the shootings, which police are now formally describing as an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack.

New South Wales Police confirmed the younger attacker’s vehicle contained IED’s and two homemade ISIS flags, evidence authorities said points directly to extremist inspiration and an apparent intent to carry out a larger, coordinated assault. Forensic teams are still conducting ballistic and chemical examinations of the items.

"This was a barbaric attack against Jewish Australians," Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said. "They were hunted down in broad daylight."

JOHN FETTERMAN BREAKS WITH DEMOCRATS, SLAMS PARTY’S PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD STANCE AS ‘ABSOLUTE BETRAYAL’

Authorities said they are still working to determine whether the devices were functional or intended for secondary targets.

Mal Lanyon, the Police Commissioner for New South Wales state, said the suspects traveled to the Philippines last month. Their reasons for the trip and where in the Philippines they went would be probed by investigators, Lanyon said.

The region has long been home to ISIS-linked networks. Groups of Muslim separatist militants, including Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines, once expressed support for ISIS and have hosted small numbers of foreign militant combatants from Asia, the Middle East and Europe in the past.

SCHUMER DRAWS FIRE FOR CASUAL TONE AFTER SYDNEY TERROR ATTACK AS FETTERMAN, CRUZ DEMAND TOUGHER STANCE

Decades of military offensives, however, have considerably weakened Abu Sayyaf and other such armed groups, and Philippine military and police officials say there has been no recent indication of any foreign militants in the country's south.

Officials said there is currently no evidence that additional attackers or facilitators were involved in Sunday’s massacre but officials cautioned that this assessment could change as investigators review digital devices, travel records and thousands of seized documents.

Tuesday marked the first time that officials confirmed their beliefs about the suspects' ideologies.

DAVE PORTNOY SAYS AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK 'BORDERLINE INEVITABLE' AS HATRED TRENDS INTO 'MAINSTREAM' CULTURE

There are more than two dozen people, ranging in ages from 10 to 87, still being treated in hospitals after Sunday's massacre. Ten of them, including three who are patients in a children’s hospital, are in critical condition.

Among the injured is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 42-year-old Syrian-born fruit shop owner who was captured on video tackling and disarming one assailant, before pointing the man's weapon at him and then setting it on the ground. He had surgery scheduled on Wednesday for shotgun wounds to his left shoulder and upper body.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who met earlier with Ahmed, hailed him as "a true Australian hero."

GAL GADOT, ASHTON KUTCHER CONDEMN ANTISEMITIC TERROR ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH HANUKKAH EVENT

"We are a brave country. Ahmed al Ahmed represents the best of our country. We will not allow this country to be divided. That is what the terrorists seek. We will unite. We will embrace each other, and we'll get through this," Albanese added.

The older gunman was shot dead while his son was also being treated at a hospital on Tuesday.

Albanese and the leaders of some of Australia's states have pledged to tighten the country's already strict gun already strict gun laws in what would be the most sweeping reforms since a shooter killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania in 1996. Mass shootings in Australia have since been rare.

Officials divulged more information as public questions and anger grew on the third day following the attack about how the suspects were able to plan and enact it and whether Australian Jews had been sufficiently protected from rising antisemitism.

Albanese announced plans to further restrict access to guns, in part because it emerged the older suspect had amassed his cache of six weapons legally.

"The suspected murderers, callous in how they allegedly coordinated their attack, appeared to have no regard for the age or ableness of their victims," Barrett said. "It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally."

Pope Leo XIV on Monday condemned "antisemitic violence" in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Sydney, Australia, in which a father and son opened fire on a crowd attending a Hanukkah celebration.

The pope prayed for the victims and the "gift of peace and fraternity" this holiday season as he spoke during an audience with the donors of the Vatican’s Christmas decorations.

"We pray for those who suffer from war and violence, in particular today I want to entrust to the Lord the victims of the terrorist attack in Sydney against the Jewish community," the pontiff said on Monday.

"Enough of these forms of antisemitic violence!" he continued. "We must eliminate hatred from our hearts."

AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK: 16 DEAD, INCLUDING GUNMAN, AFTER FATHER-SON DUO OPENS FIRE ON JEWISH COMMUNITY

Leo made similar prayers in an official telegram of condolence sent to the archbishop of Sydney, Most. Rev. Anthony Fisher.

The pope prayed "with renewed hope that those tempted to violence will undergo conversion and seek the path of peace and solidarity," according to the telegram signed by the Vatican secretary of state.

At least 15 victims were killed and dozens more were wounded in the massacre over the weekend on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where hundreds had gathered for a "Chanukah by the Sea" event celebrating the beginning of the Jewish festival. One of the gunmen was shot and killed by police while the other was hospitalized with injuries.

A man identified as Ahmed al Ahmed has been praised as a hero for tackling and disarming one of the gunmen. He was shot but is recovering in a hospital.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the shooting as an act of antisemitic terrorism and vowed to strengthen the country's already strict gun laws.

The attack was an "act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism," Albanese said.

Leo also issued a strong anti-abortion message during the audience with the donors of the Vatican's Christmas decorations, which he described as a sign of "faith and hope."

The pope said the evergreen fir trees donated by various Italian regions "are a sign of life and recall the hope that isn’t lacking even in the winter cold."

He said another sign of life was reflected in the Nativity scene in the Vatican’s audience hall, which was donated by Costa Rica. It featured 28,000 ribbons representing embryos that were not aborted.

GAL GADOT, ASHTON KUTCHER CONDEMN ANTISEMITIC TERROR ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH HANUKKAH EVENT

"Each of these 28,000 colored ribbons that decorate the scene represent a life saved from abortion thanks to the prayer and support provided by Catholic organizations to many mothers in need," the pontiff said.

Leo thanked the artist for the message affirming that "life is protected from conception."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Australian leaders on Monday promised to strengthen the country's already restrictive gun laws in the wake of the weekend mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach that left 15 victims dead.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced several proposed actions, including one to limit the number of guns someone can own and a review of licenses held over time. 

"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," he said after meeting with his National Cabinet. 

"If we need to toughen these up, if there's anything we can do, I'm certainly up for it," he added. 

ANTISEMITIC ATTACKERS VIOLENTLY TARGET SYNAGOGUE, ISRAELI RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA

Australia already has strict gun control laws, which heavily restricted civilian firearm ownership after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania in 1996.

Other proposed actions include limiting the number of firearms any one person can have, requiring Australian citizenship as a condition for obtaining a firearms license, and limiting open-ended firearms licensing and the types of guns that are legal.

Sunday's shooting came during a Hanukkah celebration as thousands of people gathered at Bondi Beach, a popular local and tourist destination. The event – the Chanukah by the Sea – celebrated the start of the Jewish holiday.

Albanese called the shooting "a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah." 

Two gunmen, a 50-year-old father who died at the scene, and his 24-year-old son, opened fire, killing 15 people. Those killed range in age from 10 to 87, authorities said. Both gunmen were shot by police. The son is recovering in a hospital. 

AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE WORKERS THREATEN ISRAELI MAN, CLAIM TO HAVE KILLED JEWS IN THEIR CARE ON CAMERA

At least 38 other people are being treated in hospitals. Among them is a man captured on video appearing to tackle and disarm one apparent assailant, before pointing the man’s weapon at him, then setting the gun on the ground.

The man was identified by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke as Ahmed al Ahmed. The 42-year-old fruit shop owner and father of two was shot in the shoulder.

Al Ahmed's family said he migrated from Syria in 2006, and underwent surgery on Monday. His parents recently moved to Australia. They said he had a background in the Syrian security forces.

"My son has always been brave. He helps people. He’s like that," his mother, Malakeh Hasan al Ahmed, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. through an interpreter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Ahmed al Ahmed, the Australian immigrant who heroically wrested a gun away from one of the shooters involved in the deadly antisemitic terror attack on Sunday in Australia, said he would do it all over again, his migration lawyer, Sam Issa, said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

"He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him," Sam Issa noted Monday night after visiting the wounded man, the outlet reported. "He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment."

The wounded Muslim father, 44, has daughters who are five and six-years-old, according to the outlet, which reported that he came to Australia from Syria in 2006 and later received citizenship in 2022.

‘WE WARNED THEM’ JEWISH LEADER SAYS AFTER BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK THAT KILLS 15

"Ahmed’s a humble man, he’s not interested in coverage, he just did what he was compelled to do as a human being on that day," Issa noted, according to the outlet. "He gets that gratitude from being in Australia. This is his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship.

"He has really appreciated this community, and he felt that as a member of the community, he had to act that way and contribute."

RABBI SLAMS AUSTRALIA OVER BONDI MURDER OF TWO JEWISH LEADERS, ONE WITH ‘DEEP US TIES’

At least 15 people were killed in the shooting.

ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER SAYS AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS ‘DID NOTHING’ AMID RISE OF ANTISEMITISM BEFORE SYDNEY ATTACK

The attack "was an act of pure evil," "antisemitism," and "terrorism" that was "deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said.

Senior Israeli intelligence officials say Australia was warned months in advance about the establishment of foreign-linked terror infrastructure on its soil, including activity aimed at Jewish communities, amid growing concerns about both Iranian-directed operations and a potential resurgence of ISIS in Syria.

According to a senior Israeli intelligence official who spoke on background with Fox News Digital, Israel’s foreign intelligence service provided Australian authorities with concrete warnings about what the official described as Iranian-directed terror activity operating inside Australia. The warning, the official said, was not about the Bondi Beach attack specifically, but about broader efforts to build terror networks with the intent of harming Jewish targets.

"We stopped a few ticking bombs," the official said. "The target was on people’s heads."

RABBI KILLED IN SYDNEY HANUKKAH ATTACK HAD WARNED AUSTRALIAN PM ABOUT RISING ANTISEMITISM

The official said Israeli intelligence identified Iranian guidance and coordination, including operatives allegedly possessing weapons and operating "in the center of Jewish communities," while remaining undetected by local authorities.

In the months preceding the Bondi Beach attack, the Australian government expelled Iran’s ambassador after its domestic security services publicly accused Iran of directing or enabling attacks against Jewish targets in Australia. Tehran rejected the allegations and denied involvement.

After the shooting, Iranian state media published an official condemnation of the attack, denouncing the killing of civilians and rejecting any connection between Iran and the violence. Australian officials said the investigation into the attack remains ongoing and have not attributed it to a foreign state. An intelligence source said we will know in the next few days if there has been such guidance.

The Israeli intelligence assessments align with warnings from a senior foreign diplomatic source, who described the current threat environment as being driven by a global contagion effect, in which extremist networks worldwide amplify and celebrate attacks, encouraging others to replicate them.

According to the diplomatic source, online jihadist ecosystems play a central role in accelerating this dynamic, rapidly turning incitement into action. From an operational standpoint, the source said such attacks are increasingly attractive to extremists because they are relatively simple to carry out while producing disproportionate impact.

AFTER AUSTRALIA’S HANUKKAH MASSACRE, CRITICS SAY APPEASING EXTREMISTS AFTER OCT 7 FUELED RISING ANTISEMITISM

Two sources cautioned that the threat extends beyond Jewish targets, warning that attacks against Christian communities are also plausible, particularly during overlapping Jewish and Christian holiday periods that tend to heighten extremist motivation.

The senior Israeli intelligence official said Australia is not an isolated case, describing what he said is a sharp global rise in Iranian-linked terror activity targeting Jews.

"Since the war, there is a huge rise in attempts by Iran to execute terror all over the world against Jews," the official said. "Not only Australia."

The official said Israeli intelligence has identified or disrupted similar activity in Europe, Africa and Asia, including Germany, Austria and multiple locations beyond the Middle East, as well as alleged plots in South America, India and Thailand.

"If you knew how many terror attacks the Mossad has prevented, you would drop your jaw," the official told Fox News Digital.

A second senior Israeli intelligence source said the threat landscape has worsened after two years of war in the Middle East, which the source said has energized radical Islamist movements globally.

ISRAEL UNMASKS IRAN-DIRECTED HAMAS CASH NETWORK IN TURKEY AS ANKARA PUSHES FOR GAZA ROLE

According to the source, the threat increasingly comes from lone actors or sleeper cells, which require minimal resources and are harder to detect, but can still cause mass casualties and inspire copycat attacks.

The source warned in particular about developments in Syria, saying the instability there could allow ISIS to regroup and reemerge, creating new waves of violence beyond the region. "I’m worried about Syria and that ISIS will return," the source said, while also warning that the recent attack in Australia could inspire further violence elsewhere.

The intelligence warnings resurfaced after a terror attack Sunday evening at a public Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most iconic and densely populated locations.

Australian authorities said two gunmen — a father and his adult son — opened fire on the beach, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens. Police said the father was killed at the scene, while the son was shot by officers and taken to a hospital in critical condition. Authorities classified the shooting as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community.

While Australian officials have not linked the Bondi Beach attack to foreign intelligence direction, the incident has intensified scrutiny of earlier warnings, the rise in antisemitic incidents nationwide and whether sufficient action was taken to disrupt emerging threats.

Australian leaders have condemned the attack, increased security around Jewish institutions and pledged to review counterterrorism measures.

Israeli Knesset Member Pnina Tamano-Shata joined a growing number of Israeli officials Monday in calling out the Australian government for allowing antisemitism to fester ahead of this weekend's terrorist attack.

Tamano-Shata told Fox News Digital that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and others saw the growth of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment "right in front of their eyes" in recent months. She said Australian officials had reports of rising antisemitism for months, "but they did nothing."

"When governments around the world, and especially in Australia, don't do something that they can do before something like this happens, they are giving in many ways a green light to antisemites and terrorists to hurt and to kill Jews," Tamano-Shata said.

"The government doesn't understand that anti-Israel ideas and antisemitism – it is the new antisemitism. There were a wide range of attacks before this happened. We see how they burned down a synagogue, we see how they attacked an Israeli restaurant," she added. "This issue was in front of their eyes."

AT LEAST 10 DEAD AFTER MASS SHOOTING DURING HANUKKAH EVENT ON AUSTRALIA'S BONDI BEACH; 2 ARRESTED

Tamano-Shata's comments echo statements from Jewish leaders both in Israel and Australia in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Sydney on Sunday, which killed 15 people and hospitalized dozens more. The shooters targeted a Hanukkah celebration taking place at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach.

Dionne Taylor, the communications manager of the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council, said it is a painful reality that the attack didn't come without warning.

"We have been completely let down by our government," Taylor told Fox News Digital. "We warned them that this snowball effect was going to happen, and it was only a matter of time before someone got killed."

RABBI SLAMS AUSTRALIA OVER BONDI MURDER OF TWO JEWISH LEADERS, ONE WITH ‘DEEP US TIES’

"It started with hate speech," she said. "Then graffiti. Then public demonstrations. Then firebombing synagogues, preschools, people’s homes, people’s cars. And now murder."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted a letter he sent to Albanese earlier this year when Albanese declared his support for a Palestinian state.

"Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the antisemitic fire. It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets. Antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent; it retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve," Netanyahu read.

AUSTRALIA TO RECOGNIZE PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD: ‘HUMANITY’S BEST HOPE’

"Instead, Prime Minister, you replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement. Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia. You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today," Netanyahu said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also released uncommonly stark statements following Sunday's shooting, which killed at least 11 people and hospitalized 29. 

"Time and again we called on the Australian government to take action and fight against the enormous wave of antisemitism that is plaguing Australian society," Herzog said in a statement on social media, posting an image of a prayer shawl stained in blood.

Saar added that the Australian government had ignored "countless warning signs" and called on leaders to "come to their senses."

Fox News' Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Chile delivered its sharpest political shift in decades as José Antonio Kast, a hard-right former lawmaker who campaigned on restoring public order and tightening the country’s borders, won the presidency in a decisive vote Sunday. 

Kast, who captured 58% of the vote, enters office with a platform centered almost entirely on security and immigration, promising what he describes as the most aggressive public-order campaign in a generation.

The 59-year-old father of nine was born to a German immigrant family in Santiago. He spent years in Chile’s congress and previously ran for president in 2017 and 2021 before breaking through in 2025. His long political trajectory and established conservative identity made him a familiar figure to voters even as he framed this campaign as a mandate for sweeping security reform.

MADURO TRAPPED WITH FEW RETALIATION OPTIONS AFTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEIZES VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER

In a message that echoes that of U.S. President Donald Trump, Kast has pledged mass deportations of undocumented migrants, expanded policing and the deployment of the military to confront drug trafficking and organized crime. He argues that rising homicides and cartel activity demand extraordinary measures, including deadlines for irregular migrants to leave the country before facing enforced removal. 

His victory reflects a broader regional trend in which voters are turning to candidates who promise crime control rather than ideological transformation.

Kast defeated left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara, a former labor minister who campaigned on expanding social programs, strengthening workers’ rights and raising taxes on high earners to pay for new public benefits. Jara also backed a more lenient immigration policy and emphasized protections for women and LGBTQ Chileans — a clear contrast to Kast’s security-first agenda.

"Here, no individual won, no party won — Chile won, and hope won," Kast said in a victory speech. "The hope of living without fear. That fear that torments families." 

He added: "When we tell an irregular migrant that they are breaking the law and must leave our country if they ever want the chance to return, we mean it … We must show great firmness against crime, organised crime, impunity and disorder."

Kast had predicted his own victory on Chilean radio after Trump won the U.S. election in 2024. 

"We are going to win, too," he said at the time. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to praise Kast's win. 

"Under his leadership, we are confident Chile will advance shared priorities to include strengthening public security, ending illegal immigration and revitalizing our commercial relationship," he said. 

Chile, long considered one of Latin America’s safest countries, has seen a sharp rise in violent crime in the past several years, driven in part by the spread of transnational criminal groups and a surge in drug trafficking. Homicide rates have climbed to their highest levels in decades, and police say organizations such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua have expanded extortion, kidnapping and narcotics operations inside the country. 

The spike in violence has unsettled a population accustomed to relative stability and has turned public security into Chile’s top political issue. 

Although he has long held staunchly conservative positions on abortion, gender policy and same-sex marriage, Kast downplayed those issues during the campaign as he sought to broaden his appeal. Instead, he emphasized structural changes he says are necessary to confront the security crisis, including shrinking parts of the bureaucracy, tightening Chile’s asylum system and giving the presidency greater authority to respond to organized crime.

BOLIVIA PIVOTS TO US AS IT BREAKS FROM CHINA, MADURO AND YEARS OF LEFTIST RULE

Kast also intends to steer Chile toward a more market-oriented economic model, with tax cuts, deregulation and expanded mining development — particularly in lithium and copper, two of the country’s most important exports. He has signaled interest in strengthening ties with the United States and other Western partners, even as China remains Chile’s largest trading partner and a major buyer of its mineral output.

Chile’s rightward turn follows a similar shift in neighboring Argentina, which elected libertarian firebrand Javier Milei on a platform of radical economic reform and political disruption. 

But the two leaders represent distinct strains of the right: Milei is an anti-establishment libertarian who thrives on theatrical confrontation and sweeping proposals to remake Argentina’s economy, while Kast is a more traditional conservative focused on order, border enforcement and institutional authority. Their wins stem from similar voter frustrations, but they offer sharply different governing styles.

Kast is also one of South America’s most outspoken critics of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, frequently citing Venezuela’s economic collapse and mass migration as warnings for Chile. He has accused Maduro of allowing criminal networks to flourish and has linked Venezuela’s crisis directly to Chile’s migration and security challenges.

His party’s lack of a congressional majority could slow or dilute parts of his agenda, but Kast’s decisive margin suggests Chilean voters are prepared to test his hard-edged security strategy after years of political gridlock and rising public anxiety.

In the aftermath of a deadly terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Dionne Taylor, a senior figure in the community, says the most painful reality is that the violence did not come without warning.

"We have been completely let down by our government," Taylor, the communications manager of the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council, told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. "We warned them that this snowball effect was going to happen, and it was only a matter of time before someone got killed."

The shooting took place Sunday evening during a public Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens, according to Reuters and The Associated Press. Australian authorities have described the attack as an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community. 

Police said the suspected attackers were a father and his adult son. The father was killed at the scene, while the son was shot by police and taken to a hospital in critical condition.

GAL GADOT, ASHTON KUTCHER CONDEMN ANTISEMITIC TERROR ATTACK AT BONDI BEACH HANUKKAH EVENT

Taylor, who lives a 10-minute walk from Bondi Beach, said the attack was not an isolated act of violence, but the culmination of years of escalating antisemitism that authorities failed to confront.

"It started with hate speech," she said. "Then graffiti. Then public demonstrations. Then firebombing synagogues, preschools, people’s homes, people’s cars. And now murder."

She said Jewish leaders and community representatives repeatedly raised alarms with state and federal officials, warning that inaction would lead to bloodshed. Taylor pointed to formal submissions and a detailed report produced by Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, which she said was acknowledged by the government but never implemented.

PATRICIA HEATON WARNS AMERICA COULD FACE ‘ANOTHER 9/11’ IF NATION IGNORES RISING ANTISEMITISM, RADICAL ISLAM

Instead, Taylor said, the Jewish community received what she described as empty reassurances. "We receive these one-line messages that there’s ‘no place for antisemitism in Australia,’" she said. "But they’re empty promises. There’s been no action."

Taylor said the failure to act has had broader consequences for Australian society as a whole.

"There’s been a number of situations that have led to the complete erosion of social cohesion here in Australia, a relaxed immigration policy, letting in too many refugees from the wrong places, a rise of radical Islamism and a basically slick government that really hasn’t assisted or supported the Jewish community and other communities," Taylor said. "So this attack, while it was a targeted attack on the Jewish community, is actually a targeted attack across the whole of Australia."

TRUMP ENCOURAGES JEWISH AMERICANS TO 'CELEBRATE PROUDLY' DURING HANUKKAH AFTER DEADLY BONDI BEACH SHOOTING

Bondi Beach, she noted, is one of the country’s most iconic and densely populated public spaces, drawing tourists and locals from around the world. "People who were sitting on the beach last night were not just there for the Hanukkah festival," Taylor said. "Yes, the people who were shot were participants of the festival, but there are hundreds of thousands of people sitting on that beach on a Sunday afternoon. It’s summer. It’s exactly what’s described as the happy place in the world."

"But it’s not anymore," she added. "We’re broken. Our country is ruined."

Among the victims, Taylor said, was a 10-year-old girl who later died of her wounds and a Holocaust survivor who had sought refuge in Australia decades earlier.

"Australia is the home to [one of] the largest Holocaust survivor community," she said. "They came here seeking peace and safety, a better life. And now one of them has fallen victim to terrorism here."

The violence also struck close to home for Taylor’s organization. She said Arsen Ostrovsky, the newly appointed head of AIJAC’s Sydney office, was shot at the festival and remains hospitalized.

"He moved back to Australia with his wife and children just two weeks ago," Taylor said. "He survived reporting after Oct. 7 in Israel, and now he’s become a victim of that same bloodshed here."

EYEWITNESS TO AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK DESCRIBES 'PANDEMONIUM' DURING DEADLY SHOOTING AT HANUKKAH EVENT

Australian leaders have condemned the attack and pledged to review security and counterterrorism measures. Police presence has been increased around synagogues and Jewish institutions and Hanukkah events across the country have been canceled.

Taylor said the trauma has forced painful conversations in her own home about whether Australia remains a safe place to raise a Jewish family.

"After Oct. 7, many people made plans to make aliyah to Israel," she said. "We discussed it as a family. We decided our life was better here. And now we’re asking ourselves, how is our life better here?"

She said support from non-Jewish Australians has been overwhelming, with people lining up to donate blood and reaching out to offer help. Still, she warned that the government must act decisively.

"I would hope that this is a big wake-up call for our current government," Taylor said. "This is an attack on the whole of Australia. So they’ve lost 15 of their citizens in one day and they’re powerless to stop it. So if they can’t make changes and improvements to not only protect the Jewish community, but to protect the broader Australian community from terrorism, then they need to do that. And I believe they know they need to do it. I just don’t think they know how."

A 1,000-strong "dark fleet" of rogue oil tankers skirting sanctions has emerged as a new target for the U.S. and Ukraine, a senior maritime intelligence analyst claims.

Michelle Wiese Bockmann warned the aging fleet poses geopolitical risks and threats of $1 billion oil spills, with the recent U.S. seizures in Venezuela and Ukrainian drone strikes in the Black Sea marking a turning point for both nations in their efforts.

"There are about 1,000 vessels worldwide that are trading sanctioned crude tankers containing sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil," Bockmann told Fox News Digital.

"These vessels are a lifeline for these regimes, because they’re used for shipping oil to fund the war in Ukraine, and also give money to the illicit Maduro regime," she added.

IRAN BACKS MADURO TO KEEP LATIN AMERICA FOOTHOLD AS TRUMP INCREASES PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

"This is a brand-new problem for the U.S., and now Ukraine has signaled they are going to target these vessels the same way," she said. "There is a new strategy to deal with this dark fleet, which is the lifeline of sanctioned oil revenues, and now under attack by the U.S. and Ukraine. The strategy is all to counter what we call gray-zone aggression."

US ESCALATION WITH MADURO HALTS DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA

Recent Ukrainian naval drone strikes have disabled several tankers in the Black Sea, including the Dashan, part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet that Ukraine says helps Moscow export oil in defiance of sanctions, according to Reuters.

"It is dangerous and could be interpreted as a form of gray-zone aggression in order to continue to keep oil revenue flowing," Bockmann said.

"This is all a billion-dollar oil spill catastrophe waiting to happen," she added, pointing to the environmental and navigational risks posed by poorly maintained, uninsured ships.

VENEZUELA MOBILIZES TROOPS, WEAPONS IN RESPONSE TO US WARSHIP BUILDUP IN CARIBBEAN

She said a subset of "about 350 to 400 vessels at any one time are not only sanctioned but falsely flying flags, which is dangerous," because false registration leaves vessels stateless and uninsured, putting crews at risk.

"This is a huge issue for maritime safety, it’s a menace to the environment, and it entails crew welfare," Bockmann said.

These vessels, she said, are typically "elderly" and used solely for sanctioned oil trades. Many also "manipulate AIS" to show they are in one place when they are actually elsewhere.

TRUMP SENDS WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL WARSHIP TO LATIN AMERICA — HISTORIC ECHOES OF REGIME CHANGE

"They use false flagging, but also, spoofing and manipulating its AIS to show it's in one place when it's not. These vessels have also gone to fraudulent registries that don't exist, which means they have no insurance," she said. "Their certificates of seaworthiness are invalid, and they have relied on international maritime conventions to have what's called the right of innocent passage so they can't get intercepted."

Bockmann said U.S. forces have used legal tools including Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows boarding of stateless vessels, to stop these ships.

"It's my belief that they used Article 110, and they got on board that vessel, and they were absolutely entitled to remove that vessel from global trade," she said.

VENEZUELA ACCUSES US OF 'PIRACY' AFTER SEIZING MASSIVE OIL TANKER

In the Caribbean, U.S. forces recently seized the tanker Skipper, sanctioned in 2022 and found to be masking its location, under a federal warrant as part of a broader campaign to disrupt illicit oil shipping.

"The recent Venezuelan tanker was carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil uninsured, so that's a billion-dollar maritime disaster waiting to happen," Bockmann said.

As reported by Fox News Digital, Dec. 12 saw Attorney General Pam Bondi frame the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan crude tanker as a sanctions-enforcement action rooted in a federal court warrant.

Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, Ukraine targeted multiple alleged "shadow fleet" tankers with sea drones, according to Reuters.

"The three tankers that have been targeted by Ukraine are all in ballast, which means that they weren't carrying oil," Bockmann said.

"That was carefully chosen, and they were also falsely flagged, just like in the recent case of the three tankers attacked in Ukraine. That flag was Gambia. In the U.S. case of Skipper, the flag was Guyana," Bockmann said.

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

The rescue operation to extract Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and transport her to Norway in time to accept her Nobel Peace Prize involved a complex series of complications and various components in land, sea and air.   

The mission, dubbed Operation Golden Dynamite, was spearheaded by Bryan Stern, a U.S. special forces veteran and founder of the Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, which specializes in high-risk rescue missions and evacuations, notably from conflict and disaster zones.

Getting her out of Venezuela, where she is considered a fugitive by President Nicolás Maduro, involved disguises, deception, navigating choppy seas and arranging flight options.

"She's perceived by the Maduro regime the way we perceived Osama bin Laden, like that," Stern told Fox News. "That level of manhunt if you will."

US COVERT TEAM LEADER DESCRIBES 'DANGEROUS' MISSION TO RESCUE VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER

Machado has been hiding out in Venezuela since Maduro won a highly disputed election last year and had not been seen in public in months. 

Stern emphasized that the U.S. government was not involved in the operation. 

His team had been building up a presence in the Caribbean, Venezuela and the neighboring island of Aruba in preparation for operations in the South American region.

The biggest challenge, Stern said, was getting Machado out of the country despite her being a well-known figure there. In order to move her from her house to a "beach landing site," his team reportedly did "all kinds of things designed to create a little bit of confusion."

"Anything that we could have possibly think of that we thought could hide her face … was employed." Stern said. "Anything we could think of, her digital signature, her physical signature. On top of that, we did some deception operations on the ground. We made some noise in some places designed to get people to think something was happening that wasn't."

VENEZUELAN DISSIDENT MACHADO CREDITS TRUMP FOR ADVANCING FREEDOM MOVEMENT, DEDICATES NOBEL TO HIM

The maritime operation started off rough, Stern recounted. Of the two boats deployed for the mission, the vessel that physically extracted Machado reportedly lost its GPS in the turbulent seas and suffered a mechanical hiccup that delayed the operation. The team was forced to continue into the "dead of night" in "pitch-black darkness," navigating seas so violent that one of Stern’s seasoned operators reportedly vomited for nine hours straight.

Reaching the rendezvous point added another layer of difficulty. Stern’s boat and Machado’s vessel had to find each other in pitch-black seas while maintaining radio silence to avoid detection, ultimately locating one another by flashlight.

Stern said he had to remain cautious, fearing that the approaching boat could have been a trap set by Venezuelan forces. To confirm it was safe to proceed, his larger vessel circled Machado’s boat and shined lights on the crew. 

After Stern physically pulled Machado onto his boat, he then alerted the rest of the team that Machado was secured: "Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot."

"Now we are on the run with Maria Corina Machado, the most wanted woman in the Western Hemisphere, on my boat," he said.

"I have the most wanted person in the Western hemisphere that I'm trying to move around," Stern said. "Personally, she's a hero of mine. She's a hero of mine. I've been tracking her for years."

VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS COUNTRY AT 'THRESHOLD OF FREEDOM' AS NEW MANIFESTO ENVISIONS REGIME CHANGE

Once in international waters, the new concern was avoiding any appearance that they had kidnapped a Venezuelan, which would have given the government any justification to attack.

"They lie. They could have killed us for any reason," Stern said. "We're in the middle of the d--- ocean and there's no one around to see the truth … we are scared, we are nervous, we're on the run and we floor it getting to the rendezvous."

Stern ordered his boat captain to drive full throttle and not stop for anything, fearing pursuit by the Venezuelan regime.

"My boat guy, I told him I don't care, I don't care who comes," Stern said. "You don't stop. You do not stop. I don't care, I don't care who. You do not stop at all. Let them chase us if they have to. We have got to get to land."

At some point during the escape, two F-18 fighter jets reportedly flew overhead. Stern described the moment as a potential complication, since they could not determine whether the jets were hostile or friendly, though he noted it was likely not part of a Navy coordination.

"There's an aircraft carrier in the Caribbean throwing airplanes off every twenty minutes. I don't know," Stern said. "I can tell you that nobody in the Navy said, 'Don't worry, brother, we sent two F-18s to cover you.'"

The maritime team successfully delivered Machado to safety. Stern said his team had also prepared for a possible air extraction, but that plan was abandoned after a last-minute change on Machado’s side. Instead, the final flight to Norway was arranged by her personal network using a friend’s private jet, culminating in her safe arrival.

While Grey Bull Rescue has conducted operations in high-threat environments such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti, Stern said the extraction of Machado was uniquely challenging, describing it as "overwhelmingly" the most complicated mission in the organization’s 800-mission history.

A senior New York rabbi has condemned Australia’s "inaction" after a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach was shattered by a mass shooting that wounded 40 and killed at least 15 people, including two prominent rabbis.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky of the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City, said the attack, carried out by a father and son, reflected a growing climate of antisemitism in Australia that authorities had failed to confront.

"As well as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, we have now learned that Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Levitan has succumbed to his wounds. May his memory also be a blessing," Krinsky told Fox News Digital.

"Jewish people around the world right now are uneasy, but they are defiant," he said. "Every incremental escalation of antisemitic language that is tolerated has a direct, and now, deadly, consequence, and must no longer go unchecked."

PATRIOTS PAY TRIBUTE TO BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTING, AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK VICTIMS

"Australian authorities need to act with alacrity and stamp out both the acts and the rhetoric that normalize antisemitism," Krinsky added.

The tragic mass shooting Dec. 14 came when two gunmen opened fire on a large "Chanukah by the Sea" event near Campbell Parade at Bondi Beach.

The attack, reportedly being investigated as a terrorist incident by police, included improvised explosive devices found in one suspect’s vehicle, as previously reported by Fox News Digital.

ANTISEMITIC THREATS ESCALATE NATIONWIDE AS PROTESTERS CALL FOR REPEAT OF OCT 7 MASSACRE

The elder assailant was killed at the scene and his son was taken into custody in critical condition.

Krinsky, who was also in Melbourne in July when a synagogue arson attack took place at the East Melbourne Synagogue, said he had already seen the "unease" in Australia growing firsthand.

"I witnessed firsthand the unease and concern felt by many within the Australian Jewish community amid the rise in antisemitic incitement, and their sense that the response from the authorities was inadequate, he said.

FAITH, FREEDOM AND THE FIGHT AGAINST RISING ANTISEMITISM

"At that point, there was a feeling that the Jewish community in Australia has been increasingly uneasy with what they feel is the lack of a strong enough response to these acts."

Schlanger, 41, who was one of the first deceased victims to be identified, was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and an organizer of the beach event.

TRUMP ENCOURAGES JEWISH AMERICANS TO 'CELEBRATE PROUDLY' DURING HANUKKAH AFTER DEADLY BONDI BEACH SHOOTING

"While each Chabad center operates independently, they function under our global umbrella organization," Krinsky clarified. "There are no words to underscore the anguish and heartbreak caused by this gut-wrenching tragedy." 

"Rabbi Schlanger was among the victims of this barbarism," he added. "He had deep ties to the United States and studied here, he has family here and although the attack took place far away, this Hanukkah we feel him closer than ever."

"He was younger than I am, and we attended the same institutions, though at different times," Krinsky noted. "He dedicated his life to living in communities around the world, far away from home, inspired by the Rebbe's teachings and vision.

PATRIOTS WILL HOLD PREGAME CEREMONY FOR VICTIMS OF BROWN UNIVERSITY AND BONDI BEACH

Schlanger, born in the U.K., married Chaya, the daughter of prominent Australian Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.

"Following their marriage, some 18 years ago, they moved to Sydney to help grow the community and bring the beauty and spirit of the Jewish tradition to life for many in the Sydney Jewish community," Krinsky explained. "He would have found some place to move to go about the work that he had he wanted to dedicate his life to."

As the world responded, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack as an "act of pure evil," according to The Associated Press.

"We are crushed for the families who were celebrating the Festival of Light on Bondi Beach," Krinsky said.

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"But every Chabad community worldwide is already doing what we do best: spreading more light, strengthening Jewish pride and observance, and increasing acts of goodness and kindness."

"The perpetrator may have wanted to dim the Hanukkah lights in Sydney – but they will burn even brighter across Australia and around the globe."

A statement released by Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters in New York said, "Let us be clear: this was a treacherous act of terror – an attack on the community, on goodness, and on light itself. It reflects a climate in which Jew hatred has been allowed to grow and to turn violent. That reality must be confronted." 

"We will honor the lives taken by enhancing Jewish practice, pride and visibility. May their light rise from this sorrow, and their memory be a blessing to us all," the statement read.

Sunday’s deadly terrorist attack on Australian Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney was something the country’s small but historic community had feared since a wave of antisemitic incidents began following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.

While the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, condemned the attack — calling it "a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah,"— his critics say his Labor government has failed to appropriately respond to the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. 

Avi Yemini of Rebel News Australia, who has been documenting the attacks against the community, told Fox News Digital that just days after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, "mobs of Islamic extremists were already openly hunting Jews here in Australia, chanting ‘where’s the Jews’ outside the Sydney Opera House. Since then, synagogues and childcare centers have been firebombed and repeated warnings ignored. With no meaningful government action to confront the problem, tonight’s horrific attack in Bondi was tragically inevitable and is unlikely to be the last."

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He said: "The Australian Labor government has been unwilling to act decisively, in part because of its political reliance on Islamic community votes. As a result, many Australian Jews are now facing a devastating wake-up call that this country is no longer as safe for us as it once was. I believe many will now be seriously considering a move to Israel."

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Adding to the anger, Australia’s Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced criticism for failing to note in an earlier statement posted on X that the deadly attack was directed at Jewish Australians.

Following the attack, a reporter confronted Albanese with concerns about his government’s response to antisemitism, citing his government’s recognition of a Palestinian state, Labor ministers attacking the Israeli government and refusing to visit the sites of the Oct. 7 massacres, and the simultaneous appointment of special envoys for Islamophobia and antisemitism. The reporter asked Albanese whether his government had taken antisemitism seriously.

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"Yes, we have taken it seriously," Albanese replied. "And we’ve continued to act. We’ve continued to work with Jewish community leaders. We’ve continued to take all the advice from the security agencies to put in place special measures, and we will continue to do so."

Albanese’s press office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about frustrations regarding the prime minister’s response to the mass shooting attack.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) recently documented 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents across Australia between 1 Oct, 2024 and 30 Sept. 2025, "in addition to 2,062 incidents nationwide the year before." 

It also noted that, "antisemitic incidents in Australia remain at historically high levels, at almost five times the average annual number before Oct. 7, 2023… While there has been a marginal reduction from last year’s all-time high, the most serious categories of incidents, including arson attacks against synagogues, pre‑schools and other Jewish institutions, are higher than in any previous year on record."

Some of the more shocking incidents to hit Australia’s Jewish community since Oct. 7, 2023, up until Sunday's terror attack include:

Masked individuals setting a fire in Ripponlea’s Adass Israel Synagogue while congregants said morning prayers. The fire caused widespread damage and injured one worshipper. 

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Sydney’s Allawah Synagogue was tagged with swastika graffiti. The following day, the Newtown Synagogue, also in Sydney, was similarly defaced. The week prior, a car in Sydney had been spray-painted with an antisemitic phrase.

Major property damage was inflicted on a childcare center near a Jewish school and synagogue in Sydney during an arson attack. Antisemitic graffiti was found inside.

A car was set on fire in a Jewish community in Sydney, and as many as seven homes in the area were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

Two healthcare workers in Sydney speaking on the social platform Chatrouletka with an Israeli man said that they would refuse treatment to Israeli patients and had previously killed Israeli patients.

Gideon Sa’ar, the foreign minister of Israel, expressed his sorrow to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong by phone. On X on Sunday, Sa’ar said that he told Australia’s foreign minister that "security for the Jewish community in Australia will be achieved only through a real change in the public atmosphere. Calls such as ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ ‘From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free,’ and ‘Death to the IDF’ are not legitimate, are not part of freedom of speech, and inevitably lead to what we witnessed today. The Australian government must take strong action against the use of these antisemitic calls."

Populist Australian Sen. Pauline Hanson said on X that Albanese "never heeded the warning signs, including the weekly antisemitic protests across our nation, hate speech from certain religious clerics, our obnoxious universities and probable terrorist alert." Hanson said the Jewish community in Australia has "the same right to live in peace and harmony as all Australians," and called on authorities to "be honest when revealing the identities and backgrounds of these murderers."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the frontline city of Kupiansk on Friday, just weeks after Russia claimed its forces had taken control.

In a video posted to X, Zelenskyy is seen wearing a flak jacket and speaking in front of a heavily damaged sign in Cyrillic that says "Kupiansk."

"Today, I am in the Kupiansk sector, with our warriors who are getting the job done for Ukraine here," he said. "The Russians kept going on about Kupiansk – the reality speaks for itself. I visited our troops and congratulated them."

Russian state media outlet Tass reported in November that Russian forces had "liberated" the city of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, citing a briefing from Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces, to President Vladimir Putin.

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Zelenskyy’s visit comes as he and his negotiating team prepare for a new round of talks Sunday in Berlin with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

He is also expected to hold talks with European leaders on a broader political agreement to end the war and secure long-term safety for Ukraine, as well as plans to support the country’s postwar recovery and development.

"We are focusing on how to reliably guarantee Ukraine’s security so that the experience of the Budapest Memorandum and Russia’s invasion are never repeated. We are counting on constructive talks," said Zelenskyy on X.

UKRAINE'S ZELENSKYY YET TO READ PEACE PLAN, TRUMP SAYS

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added that any sustainable ceasefire in Ukraine must include firm guarantees and protect European security interests, warning that peace cannot be reached at the expense of the EU or NATO or without their participation.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte echoed those concerns last week, warning members of the transatlantic alliance that they could be Russia’s next target.

Rutte, speaking at the Bavarian State Representation during a Munich Security Conference event in Germany, told attendees that raising defense spending wasn't a moment for self-congratulation while Russia continues its large-scale attacks on Ukraine.

"I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now," he said.

The NATO chief urged allies to boost defense spending and production, saying their armed forces must have the resources needed to protect their homelands, and cautioning that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.

Harrowing footage from the Hanukkah shooting in Sydney, Australia, shows a bystander tackling and disarming one of the gunmen on Sunday.

The footage shows the bystander sneak up on the shooter as he is firing on victims off-screen. The man then tackled the shooter and wrenched the gun away from him. He then turned the weapon on the shooter, but did not fire.

The hero has been identified by Australian media as Ahmed al-Ahmad, 43. The man's cousin, Mustafa al-Ahmad, told Australia's News 7 that Ahmed was shot once in the arm and once in the shoulder. The injuries came when the second gunman fired on Ahmed after he tackled the first man.

"He's a hero. One hundred percent a hero. Once we saw on social media, he's one hundred percent a hero," Mustafa told the outlet.

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Ahmed is currently in surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Australian media.

Praise and gratitude poured in for Ahmed on social media as the footage of his takedown spread.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the man as "brave" in a statement regarding the shooting. Netanyahu had initially stated that the man who intervened was a Jew, but that was before Ahmed was identified.

"We saw an action of a brave man--turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him--that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews," Netanyahu said.

Chris Minns, the premier of Australia's New South Wales state, also hailed Ahmed as a hero.

"That man is a genuine hero, and I've got no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery," Minns said in a statement.

Sunday's shooting killed at least 11 people and hospitalized at least 28. One of the gunmen was killed and the other remains in critical condition.

Australian authorities have confirmed the attack targeted the Jewish community, which was celebrating the first day of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach.

Neither of the shooters have been identified.