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US lawmakers threaten Pam Bondi with contempt action over unreleased Epstein material
Watch: Images, cassettes and high-profile figures – What’s in the latest Epstein files?
A pair of US lawmakers have threatened legal action against US Attorney General Pam Bondi, after her deadline to release all government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was met only in part.
The release of the Department of Justice (DoJ) documents was highly anticipated but in the end, only a portion of the available material was made public.
A leading campaigner on the issue, Republican congressman Thomas Massie, said he could try to bring contempt proceedings against the attorney general as a result.
The DoJ insists it is complying with its legal obligations, and Bondi herself has said she is part of “the most transparent administration in American history”.
In addition to the move by Massie in the House, the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has announced an effort of his own to put pressure on the DoJ.
On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Schumer said he would introduce a resolution in the Senate to take legal actions of its own against the Trump administration for failing to release the files in full and “to hold the Department of Justice accountable”.
The issue would be considered when the upper chamber reconvenes in January. Schumer appealed for support from Republican senators, pointing out that the law to release of the full trove was a bipartisan effort.
The phrase “Epstein files” refer to the trove of information that was amassed by the US justice department during its two criminal investigations into Epstein.
A law that compelled the release of the full trove was signed by US President Donald Trump in November, after pressure from his supporters and members of his own Republican Party. Friday was the deadline for the release of the material.
Although some material was released, there were many redactions and other information was withheld – which angered Massie and his allies, as well as survivors of Epstein’s abuse. Trump himself is yet to comment.
The DoJ has said that more material will follow in the coming weeks.
But speaking to CBS programme Face the Nation on Sunday, Massie suggested that the justice department was “flouting the spirit and the letter of the law”.
He went on to say: “The quickest way, and I think most expeditious way, to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi, and that doesn’t require going through the courts.”
Inherent contempt is a little-used legal recourse that can be used by either the Senate or House – the upper and lower chambers of Congress respectively – which has not been invoked for nearly a century, according to the American Bar Association.
Massie added that “Ro Khanna and I are talking about and drafting that right now”, referring to a Democratic congressman who has also been prominent in the campaign for the release of the full Epstein files.
Speaking to the same programme, Khanna gave further detail on how the contempt proceedings could work. “We’re building a bipartisan coalition, and it would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents,” he said.
Unlike an impeachment effort – another option that would be theoretically available to critics of Bondi – the contempt move would only require support from the House of Representatives, Massie pointed out in Sunday’s interview.
During an interview of his own on Sunday, with a different broadcaster, Bondi’s deputy Todd Blanche was defiant.
Asked by the Meet the Press programme on NBC News whether he took threats from Congress members seriously, the deputy attorney general said: “Not even a little bit. Bring it on. We are doing everything we’re supposed to be doing to comply with the statute.”
Blanche pointed to the magnitude of the task. “You’re talking about a million or so pages of documents,” he said. “Virtually all of them contain victim information.”
He continued: “And if by complying with the statute we don’t produce everything on Friday, we produce things next week and the week after, that’s still compliance with the statute.”
Speaking to the same programme, another member of Khanna’s party, Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, said contempt or impeachment efforts would be “premature”.
“We have tools in appropriations bills and other tools to force compliance if somebody is dragging their feet and I’d rather focus on those tools,” Kaine said.
Blanche said elsewhere on Sunday that certain Epstein-related files that were originally released on Friday were later removed by the DoJ from its website because of concerns raised by victims.
One of those files – an image featuring Trump – was later reinstated after review, said Blanche.
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Israeli officials have slammed the latest report from an organization that earlier this year claimed there was famine in parts of Gaza, saying the new document is biased and that its conclusions were “predetermined.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed organization, previously claimed famine conditions were met in Gaza Governorate in August but now says that about 1.6 million Gazans are facing “high levels of acute food insecurity.
IDF Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which deals with Gaza, called out what he said were “biased claims” by the IPC which he said, “disregard the volumes of food that entered during the ceasefire, indicating that the report’s conclusions were predetermined.”
ISRAEL PUSHES BACK AT ‘TAILOR-MADE’ UN-BACKED REPORT CLAIMING GAZA FAMINE
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. (Ramadan Abed/Reuters)
A statement from COGAT noted, “It is important to recall that this is not the first time IPC reports regarding the Gaza Strip have been published with extreme forecasts and warnings that do not materialize in practice. Time and again, IPC assessments have proven to be incorrect and disconnected from the data on the ground, contradicting verified facts, including aid volumes, food availability and market trends. The international community must act responsibly, avoid falling for false narratives and distorted information and refrain from legitimizing a biased and unprofessional report.”
In its latest report, the IPC’s Famine Review Committee addressed the changing circumstances, explaining that “following the publication of the [last] FRC report, there was a partial relaxation of the blockade and an increase in the availability of food and other essential supplies.” While the FRC says this “came too late to avoid famine in Gaza Governorate in July and early August, the persistence of Famine and its spread to other governorates during the projection period has been avoided.”
Gazans carry food airdropped by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates on July. 27 (TPS-IL)
In August, the IPC projected that two additional governorates would experience famine by Sept. 30. At the time, several experts disputed the presence of famine conditions, including Dr. David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Adesnik told Fox News Digital that mortality figures, while worrisome, did not reach levels expected during famine conditions. He also said that the prices on key food items had remained relatively stagnant or even declined during the period of alleged famine.
Following the IPC’s latest report, Adesnik said that the IPC are still “dodging the question of proving that they were right” about prior famine declarations.
US REPORT URGES UN AGENCY’S SHUTDOWN OVER HAMAS TIES, OCT 7 TERROR LINKS
In assessing the lack of mortality numbers that indicate famine, Adesnik said one of the IPC’s current arguments is that “data largely capture trauma-related deaths and overlook a substantial proportion of non-traumatic mortality.” He called this “a big leap,” explaining “They’re basically saying that with all of its efforts to track down every name of someone killed during the war, the Gaza Ministry of Health somehow missed all the people who didn’t die because of bullets, shrapnel or falling buildings — that there’s just all these people who would have died of hunger, disease, other things.”
He said that the IPC’s figures show the highest number of malnutrition-related deaths per month being 27, with all malnutrition deaths peaking at 186. “Hundreds of people dying from malnutrition is still a terrible, terrible thing,” Adesnik said. “But we were asking a question: Is this famine? And that is not remotely close to the threshold for determining famine.”
Palestinians await donated food at a community kitchen in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo)
The IPC told Fox News Digital that to meet the famine threshold, “at least two in every 10,000 people” “or at least four in every 10,000 children under five are dying daily” on account of “outright starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.”
US-BACKED AID GROUP ENDS GAZA MISSION AFTER DEFYING HAMAS THREATS, UN CRITICISM
In response to questions about its famine data, the IPC told Fox News Digital that “in the case of the Gaza analysis, there was clear evidence that thresholds for starvation and acute malnutrition had been reached, and analysts reasonably assessed from the broader evidence that the mortality threshold (third outcome) has likely been reached.”
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said on X that “The IPC also disregards the fact that, on average, between 600 and 800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, 70% of them carrying food – nearly five times more than what the IPC itself said was required for the Strip.”
Palestinians carry bags and boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo)
Though it is not claiming famine is underway, the IPC still states that in a “worst-case scenario” of a return to conflict, “the entire Gaza Strip is at risk of famine through mid-April 2026.”
Adesnik said that the IPC is merely “guessing about the future.” He noted that accuracy from the IPC holds serious importance given the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice’s allegations of war crimes and genocide against Israel. A declaration of famine would be a “big building block in what seems to prove part of the case.”
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Last week, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sanctioned two more members of the ICC for engaging “in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent, including voting with the majority in favor of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on December 15.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the State Department “will continue to hold accountable those responsible for the ICC’s morally bankrupt and legally baseless actions against Americans and Israelis.”
Beth Bailey is a reporter covering Afghanistan, the Middle East, Asia, the United Nations, Central America and antisemitism. She was formerly a civilian intelligence analyst with the Department of the Army. You can follow Beth on X @BWBailey85
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Supporters of a prominent Colorado immigration and labor activist say an immigration judge has ruled that she can post bond and be released after spending nine months in detention.
The judge issued a written ruling Sunday allowing Jeanette Vizguerra to post $5,000 bond, said Jennifer Piper of the American Friends Service Committee, who has been working with Vizguerra’s lawyers and her family. Vizguerra’s family and a nonprofit group that helps pay bonds for people in immigration detention were working Monday to post the bond, which can take a day or more to process, she said.
Emails seeking comment from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security were not immediately returned.
Vizguerra gained prominence after she took refuge in churches in Colorado to avoid deportation during the first Trump administration. She was arrested in the parking lot of the Denver-area Target store where she worked on March 17.
Vizguerra, who came to Colorado in 1997 from Mexico City, has been fighting deportation since 2009 after she was pulled over in suburban Denver and found to have a fraudulent Social Security card with her own name and birth date but someone else’s actual number, according to a 2019 lawsuit she brought against ICE. Vizguerra did not know the number belonged to someone else at the time, it said.
Vizguerra’s lawyers have said ICE was attempting to deport her based on an order that was never valid and challenged her detention in federal court.
A federal judge recently ordered that a bond hearing be held in immigration court to determine whether Vizguerra should be continue to be held in detention facility in suburban Denver as her immigration case plays out.
NEED TO KNOW
- Kylie Kelce revealed her top hacks for navigating Christmas as a mom to daughters Wyatt, Elliotte, Bennett, and Finnley
- She shares her secrets for curating the perfect gift list and finding the best places to take family photos with Santa
- Kylie even pulled inspiration from Mandy Moore, who shared one of her own favorite hacks on social media
Kylie Kelce is sharing all her best holiday tips.
On Monday, Dec. 22, the mom of four, 33, gave insight into how she navigates the holiday season with her husband, Jason Kelce, and their four daughters, Wyatt, 6, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finnley, 8 months, during a special “More ‘S— Monday” clip of her Not Gonna Lie podcast.
To begin, Kylie revealed that she has two very specific go-to destinations that she visits every time she wants to take her kids to “meet a Santa.” And although she often turns to her personal photographer to take their family portraits with a “great Santa” that she knows, Kylie noted that the Santa at the King of Prussia mall, not far from Philadelphia, is a close second.
“You need to take them to a large mall; it can’t be the mall that’s half forgotten,” she emphasized. “You can’t do that. Don’t do that. You gotta go to the big mall.”
Kylie also passionately advised against taking any child to a Santa that might have a fake beard that pulls down away from his face.
“Go to the big mall,” she repeated. “They grow that s—, it’s crazy.”
As for how she gets her girls the perfect gifts? This year, Kylie admitted that her kids’ wish lists, which their Elf on the Shelf personally delivers to Santa, have been a little “out of pocket.”
“We can’t find the middle ground between actual things that exist and crazy whack ass options and I wanna meet in the middle on one gift — we were always a one big gift house — one gift that’s really really cool and exactly what they want,” she explained. “That’s how I ended up with, I believe it was three different doll houses last year to figure out which one was the correct one.”
Despite their best efforts last year, she and Jason ended up being “Santa’s elves” and painting rainbows all over one of the houses on Christmas Eve.
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Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce with daughters Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett.
Kylie Kelce /Instagram
So, Kylie decided to turn to a “parenting hack” that she learned from one of her former podcast guests, Mandy Moore.
“Taking pics at the toy store to send to Santa,” Moore, 41, wrote on one of her previous Instagram Stories, as seen in a clip from Kylie’s podcast. “Any other parents use this as a hack to get out of getting something on the day?”
Calling the idea an “outstanding safety net,” Kylie made it clear that she’s “very much in on this.” In fact, she’s already been taking pictures of various items her daughters have pointed out for future birthdays and holidays.
“We have had things over the year that I have taken a picture of and been like ‘Oh, we could ask for that for your birthday, or we could put it on your Christmas list,’ ” she explained. “I really love to have them focus on, you either earn it by doing something where it warrants this type of reward, or you ask for it and save up for Christmas, birthday, things like that.”
WORLD NEWS
Bill Clinton demands ALL Epstein files be released by DOJ as victims claim THOUSANDS more pictures still being held from public
Bill Clinton has demanded that Trump’s Department of Justice releases the rest of the Epstein files, after he was featured in multiple images in the last drop.
The former president, in a statement through his spokesman, said ‘someone or something is being protected. We need no such protection.’
Clinton called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to ‘immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton’.
He accused the DOJ of ‘selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years.’
Clinton further alleged that by refusing to release the files, the DOJ would be confirming suspicions that its actions are about ‘insinuation’ and not transparency.
His statement comes as a group of 19 alleged victims of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell accused the government of missteps in its partial release of the files.
They accused the DOJ of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by ‘withholding massive quantities of documents’ and ‘failing to redact survivor identities.’
They that the failure to release the full trove of files and the DOJ’s alleged lack of communication about its actions ‘suggests an ongoing intent to keep survivors and the public in the dark as much as possible and as long as possible.’
Bill Clinton (pictured in a photo from the Epstein Files) has demanded that Donald Trump’s Department of Justice releases the rest of the Epstein files, after he was featured in multiple images in the last drop
The records that were released by the DOJ last week – including photographs, interview transcripts, call logs, court records and other documents – were either already public or heavily blacked out, and many lacked necessary context.
There were few revelations in the tens of thousands of pages of records that have been released so far. Some of the most eagerly awaited records, such as FBI victim interviews and internal memos shedding light on charging decisions, weren’t there.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has now urged his colleagues Monday to take legal action over the DOJ’s incremental and heavily redacted release of the records.
He introduced a resolution that, if passed, would direct the Senate to file or join lawsuits aimed at forcing the DOJ to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted last month that required disclosure of records by last Friday.
‘Instead of transparency, the Trump administration released a tiny fraction of the files and blacked out massive portions of what little they provided,’ Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat said in a statement. ‘This is a blatant cover-up.’
In lieu of Republican support, Schumer’s resolution is largely symbolic. The senate is off until January 5, more than two weeks after the deadline.
Even then, it’ll likely face an uphill battle for passage. But it allows Democrats to continue a pressure campaign for disclosure that Republicans had hoped to put behind them.
The Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis by the end of the year. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring victims’ names and other identifying information.
So far, the department hasn’t given any notice when new records arrive.
That approach angered some accusers and members of Congress who fought to pass the transparency act.
This is a breaking news story.
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Bill Clinton demands ALL Epstein files be released by DOJ as victims claim THOUSANDS more pictures still being held from public
Philip Young, 49, was charged with 56 sex offences including multiple rapes and administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity – as five others also face trial
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Authorities say they don’t have enough food, tents, and equipment to accommodate everyone fleeing Sudan’s war. Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall visited the Ghoz-el-Salam camp in northern Sudan.
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A court in Ecuador has sentenced 11 air force personnel to decades in prison over the forced disappearance” of four Afro-Ecuadorian boys aged between 11 and 15 during security operations in the country’s largest city last year.
The case of the “Guayaquil Four” is widely seen as the starkest example of human rights abuses under the iron-fist security policy pursued by the rightwing president, Daniel Noboa, who placed the armed forces at the centre of the fight against drug trafficking.
Eleven servicemen were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison. Five others, who confessed and cooperated with the investigation, received reduced sentences of two years and six months, and one was acquitted.
“The cruelty with which the four minors were victimised has been proven,” said the presiding judge, Jovanny Suárez, who was joined by two other judges.
It remains unclear who exactly killed the boys. The trial focused on the crime of forced disappearance, and the public prosecutor’s office is still pursuing a separate investigation into kidnapping resulting in death.
On 8 December last year, Steven Medina, 11, Nehemías Saúl Arboleda, 14, and brothers Josué and Ismael Arroyo, aged 14 and 15, were returning from a football match in Las Malvinas, an impoverished neighbourhood in southern Guayaquil, when they were stopped by air force personnel – who have been deployed on street patrols since Noboa declared a state of “internal armed conflict” two years ago.
For more than two weeks, their families had no news of them, until charred bodies were found on Christmas Eve about 25 miles away.
Noboa’s defence minister, Gian Carlo Loffredo, repeatedly denied the involvement of the military and said instead that the youths had been victims of “criminal groups”.
But CCTV footage later emerged, capturing the moment the boys were assaulted and forced into vehicles.
The case has also been seen as an example of how Afro-Ecuadorians are particularly vulnerable to human rights violations: after their abduction, the boys were taunted with racist insults and beaten with punches, kicks, and blows from belts and gun barrels.
They were stripped naked and abandoned far from home, at a location where one of them managed to call his father to ask for help.
By the time the father arrived, however, the boys were no longer there. Their bodies were eventually discovered on Christmas Eve.
Forensic examinations concluded that all four had been killed by gunshots at close range to the head and back. Their bodies were then burned and dismembered.
The defence teams for the servicemen, including those who confessed to taking part in the abduction and torture, deny that they were responsible for the killings.
One of those who confessed, Christian Eduardo A. Q., said during the trial that troops were being sent to patrol the streets without any training to do so.
“I never received any training in human rights or operational procedures. I worked in the control towers in Quito as a weather observer and air traffic technician. I should never have been sent out on to the streets. They took untrained personnel, because of staff shortages, and sent us to patrol,” said the soldier.
One possible line of investigation is that, after being tortured and abandoned naked miles from home in an unfamiliar area with high crime rates, the four were killed by local criminals.
Suárez, the presiding judge ruled that “the abandonment of the minors in a dangerous and desolate place was the cause of the victims’ deaths.”
The Israeli government on Monday approved plans to shut down one of the country’s respected military radio stations, claiming it broadcasts “divisive content” which is not in line with military values.
Founded in 1950 and staffed by both military and civilian personnel, Galei Tzahal (literally: “Waves of the IDF”) is Israel’s third most popular radio station with a market share of almost 18%.
Despite its inherent links to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Galei Tzahal (abbreviated as GLZ) has a reputation for impartial journalism, reliable information and public debate. As such, it also broadcasts programs which are critical of the Israeli government and the IDF, thus bringing it to the attention of Defense Minister Israel Katz.
“Over the past two years, throughout the war, many soldiers and citizens, including bereaved families, have repeatedly complained that they feel the station does not represent them, and that it even undermines the war effort and morale,” Katz said, justifying his proposal to close the station.
He accused GLZ of broadcasting “political and divisive content that is not in line with the values of the Israeli army” and claimed that “a situation in which a radio station intended for all citizens is operated by the military is an anomaly that does not exist in democratic countries.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged ministers to back Katz’ proposal, saying: “There have long been recurring proposals to remove Galei Tzahal from the military framework, abolish it, or privatize it.”
He claimed that only “North Korea and maybe a few other countries” have public news radio stations controlled by the military. “And we certainly don’t want to be like them,” Netanyahu stressed.
‘They can’t control reality, so they try to control minds’
The Israeli opposition has slammed the move, accusing Netanyahu’s government of clamping down on freedom of speech and attempting to control the media ahead of elections scheduled for October 2026.
“They can’t control reality, so they try to control minds,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote, warning against the closure of other critical media outlets.
“They won’t stop,” he continued. “Wherever there is a truth that is uncomfortable for the government, they act to eliminate it.”
Israeli television station i24news reported that the head of Galei Tzahal, Tal Lev-Ram, intends to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser and is currently facing dismissal proceedings initiated by Netanyahu, said the move “poses questions regarding an infringement on freedom of expression and of the press” and “raises concerns about possible political interference in public broadcasting.”
Her office stated that closing the station would require a vote in parliament, while an appraisal seen by the AFP news agency stated that the decision “does not meet the required legal criteria and cannot be advanced in its current form.”
Trump’s Gaza truce plan stalls over key sticking points
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Huckabee says Iran’s ‘ultimate goal is to destroy the US’
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, speaking at the Israel National Security Studies conference, says President Donald Trump has been clear that Iran will not be allowed to go nuclear. (Video: srael National Security Studies.)
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a meeting with President Donald Trump as Israeli officials warn that recent Iranian missile drills could be used as cover for a surprise attack, raising fresh urgency around Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture ahead of the expected Dec. 29 talks.
Those concerns were echoed publicly on Monday by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who warned that Iran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture pose a direct threat not only to Israel but also to the United States and Europe.
Speaking Monday at the Israel Institute for National Security conference, Huckabee said Trump has maintained a consistent red line on Iran. “All I can do is point out to you what the president has said repeatedly, and he consistently has said Iran is never going to enrich uranium, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
ISRAELI PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG THANKS TRUMP FOR ‘HISTORIC’ IRAN STRIKE
A police officer stands guard during a demonstration honoring Iran’s military forces, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, 2025, in Tehran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
“It presents a threat, but not just to Israel, not just to the United States. This presents a real threat to all of Europe,” he added. “And if the Europeans don’t understand this, then they’re even dumber than I sometimes think they are.”
Huckabee suggested in his interview that Iran may not have taken that message seriously until U.S. military action earlier this year. “I don’t know that they ever took him seriously until the night that the B-2 bombers went to Fordow,” Huckabee said. “I hope they got the message, but apparently they didn’t get the full message because, as you have mentioned, they appear to be trying to reconstitute and find a new way to dig the hole deeper and secure it more,” he said at the conference.
Huckabee also framed Iran’s long-standing threats as fundamentally aimed at Washington. “Iran has threatened America for 46 consecutive years, from 1979, when the ayatollahs took power,” he said. “They’ve always said, ‘Death to Israel, death to America,’ in the same sentence.”
“Israel is only the appetizer because you’re closer, and you’re an easier target than the vast geographical expanse that represents the United States,” Huckabee continued. “But they’ve never hidden the fact that the real entrée, their ultimate goal, is to destroy the United States.”
HEGSETH, PENTAGON BRASS PRAISE TRUMP’S ‘SPECTACULAR’ MILITARY SUCCESS IN IRAN NUCLEAR STRIKES
A drone view shows an impacted residential site, following an early morning missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Be’er Sheva, June 24, 2025. (Yonatan Honig/Reuters)
The remarks come amid heightened concern in Israel over recent Iranian military activity. According to Axios, Israeli officials warned the Trump administration over the weekend that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile exercise “could be preparations for a strike on Israel,” citing three Israeli and U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue. One Israeli source told Axios that while intelligence currently shows force movements inside Iran, Israel’s tolerance for risk is far lower than it was before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
A senior Israeli official told Fox News Digital on background that concern over the Iranian drills is rooted in history rather than speculation. “Iran is doing drills. A concern that the drill will become a surprise attack is a real concern based on history. The Yom Kippur War started that way. I remind you, we shouldn’t ignore it,” the official said.
The source dismissed speculation that the drills signal imminent coordinated military action with Washington. “If we were planning an attack with the U.S., it probably wouldn’t make it into the media,” the official said.
UN NUCLEAR CHIEF SAYS IRAN HAS MATERIAL TO BUILD BOMBS, BUT NO PLAN TO DO SO
President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House for a meeting on April 7, 2025. (Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The official acknowledged that the Iranian activity has also shifted Israel’s domestic political conversation, including debate over draft evasion legislation. “The headlines in Israel are now about the Iranian threat instead of the bill,” the official said. “Is it spin? Is there something special? Is there truth? Maybe. But we always need to be prepared.”
NBC News reported on Saturday that Netanyahu plans to use his meeting with Trump to argue that Iran’s renewed expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a growing threat that could require swift action. According to the report, Netanyahu is expected to emphasize that Iran’s activities endanger not only Israel but also broader regional stability and U.S. interests.
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Iranians burn American flags during an anti-U.S. demonstration outside the former U.S. embassy headquarters in Tehran, on May 9, 2018. (Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
NBC reported that Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with several options, including potential U.S. involvement or support, should Israel determine that additional military action against Iran is necessary.
Asked Thursday about a possible Dec. 29 meeting with Netanyahu, Trump told reporters, “We haven’t set it up formally, but he’d like to see me.” Israeli officials have announced that a meeting is planned for Dec. 29.
Fox News Digital reached out to Netanyahu’s spokesperson but did not get a response.
Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.
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A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa’s capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 kilometers (210 miles) from where the mass shooting took place on Dec. 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.