Washington has blamed ISIL (ISIS) for the attack and promised retaliation.

Three US soldiers have been killed in an attack in Syria’s central city of Palmyra.

It is the first known deadly attack on US forces since former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was deposed last year. Washington has accused the ISIL (ISIS) group of carrying out the assault.

The government in Damascus has expanded its ties with Washington and joined a coalition to fight the ISIL group.

But how much of a security challenge is ISIL in Syria?

Will the US now reinforce its military presence? What risks could that pose?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Colin Clarke – executive director of The Soufan Center

Dareen Khalifa – senior adviser at the International Crisis Group

Orwa Ajjoub – PhD candidate in global politics, focusing on armed groups in Syria

Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025

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Anthony ZurcherSenior North America reporter

BBC

At a meeting of his cabinet at the White House two weeks ago, US President Donald Trump looked around the long room filled with his top advisers, administration officials and aides, and made a prediction.

The next Republican presidential candidate, he said, is “probably sitting at this table”.

“It could be a couple of people sitting at this table,” he added, hinting at possible electoral clashes to come.

Despite a constitutional amendment limiting him to two four-year terms, his supporters chanted “four more years” at a rally last Tuesday night in Pennsylvania. Trump said at the time that the final three years of his second term amount to an “eternity”.

But in the cabinet room last week, when talking about prospects for the 2028 Republican president nomination, he was clear: “It’s not going to be me.”

The next presidential election may seem a long way off, but Trump’s own speculation – and certain frictions within Trump’s coalition – suggest that the jockeying to succeed and define the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement after Trump is well under way.

EPA/Shutterstock

At 78 when he was sworn in for the second time, Trump was the oldest person ever elected president – some media outlets suggested may be slowing him down; Trump called such speculation “seditious”

In last month’s local elections, the Republican Party lost support among the minority and working-class voters who helped Trump win back the White House in 2024.

Members of his team have feuded over policy. And some, most notably Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have cut loose from his orbit, accusing the president of losing touch with the Americans who gave him power.

There has been speculation about fractures within the Maga base in certain quarters of the international press, as well as at home. On Monday, a headline in The Washington Post asked: “Maga leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen?”

The warning signs are there. While Trump has long been known for being in tune with his base, the months ahead will pose a series of challenges to the president and his movement. Nothing less than his political legacy is at stake.

From Vance to Rubio: A team of rivals?

It was all smiles and talk of historic presidential achievements inside the friendly confines of Trump’s newly redecorated, gold-bedecked cabinet room two weeks ago.

But the presidential aspirants Trump may have had in mind as he looked around the table hint at just how hard it could be to keep his Maga movement from stretching apart at the seams.

Vice-President JD Vance sat directly across from the president. As his running mate, he is widely considered to be Trump’s most likely heir apparent – the favourite of Trump’s sons and libertarian Silicon Valley tech billionaires.

Getty Images

Vance, more than perhaps anyone in Trump’s inner circle, is allied with those trying to give Trumpism an ideological foundation

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on the president’s immediate right. The former Florida senator, who competed with Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016, had spent the past 10 years undergoing a Maga transformation.

He has jettisoned his past support for liberalising immigration policy and his hard line on Russia in lieu of Trump’s America First foreign policy. But if there is anyone close to an old-guard Republican with influence in Trump’s party, Rubio tops the list.

Then there is Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose vaccine scepticism and “Make America Healthy Again” agenda have sent earthquakes through the US health bureaucracy; he sat two down from Rubio. The Democrat-turned-independent-turned-Republican is a living embodiment of the strange ideological bedfellows Trump made on his way to re-election last year.

And finally, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, was tucked off to the corner of the table. While the former South Dakota governor is not considered a major presidential contender, her advocacy for aggressive immigration enforcement – including a recent call for a full travel ban on “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches and entitlement junkies” – has made her a prominent face of administration’s policies.

Reuters

The jockeying to succeed and define the Maga movement after Trump is already under way

Each might believe they could, if they chose to run, become Trump’s political heir and take control of the political movement that has reshaped American politics over the last decade.

But to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin’s comments at the birth of American democracy, whoever wins the Republican nomination will have been given a winning coalition – if they can keep it.

The Republican empire transformed

Of course none of this is guaranteed – nor is it certain that the next generation of Maga leaders will be someone from the president’s inner circle. Trump stormed the White House as a political outsider. The next Republican leader may follow a similar path.

“It’s going to be up to the next Republican president who follows Trump to set him or herself apart,” says former Republican Congressman Rodney Davis of Illinois, who now works for the US Chamber of Commerce.

“But at the same time make sure that you don’t go too far away, because clearly it’s Donald Trump [who] got elected president twice.”

When the November 2028 presidential election rolls around, American voters may not even want someone like Trump. Some public opinion polls suggest that the president may not be as popular as he once was.

A survey by YouGov earlier this month indicated the president had a net approval rating of -14, compared with +6 when he took office again in January. Then there are concerns about the economy and his relentless efforts to push the boundaries of presidential power.

Getty Images

Leadership of Trump’s movement still represents the keys to the Republican empire

Leadership of Trump’s movement still represents the keys to the Republican empire, however, even if that empire has drastically changed in recent years.

“I think the Republican coalition has become fundamentally different over the last few decades,” said Davis, who served in Congress from 2013 to 2023. “The Republican coalition that existed when Ronald Reagan was elected is not the Republican coalition anymore.”

Back in the 1980s, the Reagan coalition was a fusion of free-market economics, cultural conservatism, anti-communism and international foreign affairs, says Laura K Field, author of Furious Minds: The Making of the Maga New Right.

Trump’s party, she continues, was perhaps best described by long-time Trump adviser and current state department official Michael Anton in a 2016 essay advocating for Trump’s election. In contrast with the Reagan era, its core principles include “secure borders, economic nationalism and America-first foreign policy”.

‘Normie Republicans’ versus ‘the edgelords’

Earlier this month, the conservative Manhattan Institute released a comprehensive survey of Republican voters, shedding more light on the composition of Trump’s coalition.

It suggested that 65% of the current Republican Party are what it calls “core Republicans” – those who have supported party presidential nominees since at least 2016. (If they were alive in the 1980s, they may well have voted for Reagan.)

On the other hand, 29% are what the Institute called “new entrant Republicans”. It is among those new Republicans that the challenge to the durability of Trump’s coalition presents itself.

Only just over half said they would “definitely” support a Republican in next year’s mid-term congressional elections.

According to the survey, the new entrants are younger, more diverse and more likely to hold views that break with traditional conservative orthodoxy. They hold comparatively more left-leaning views of economic policy, they tend to be more liberal on immigration and social issues, and they may also be more pro-China or critical of Israel, for example.

AFP via Getty Images

Trump was able to attract ‘new entrant Republican’ voters into his coalition – the question is whether he and his political heirs can keep them, or if they even want to

Jesse Arm, vice-president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute, told the BBC in an email: “A lot of the conversation about the future of the right is being driven by the loudest and strangest voices online, rather than by the voters who actually make up the bulk of the Republican coalition.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the so-called new entrant Republican voters are significantly less supportive of some of Trump’s would-be heirs. While 70% of core Republicans have positive views of Rubio and 80% for Vance, just over half of new entrants feel that way about either.

Other findings could be more concerning for Republicans.

More than half of new entrants believe the use of political violence in American politics “is sometimes justified” – compared to just 20% among core Republicans.

It also suggests they may be more likely to be tolerant of racist or anti-Semitic speech and more prone to conspiratorial thinking – on topics like the moon landings, 9/11 and vaccines.

Trump was able to attract these voters into his coalition. The question is whether he and his political heirs can keep them there – or if they even want to.

“The real takeaway is not that these voters will ‘define’ the post-Trump GOP, but that future Republican leaders will have to draw clear lines about who sets the agenda,” argues Mr Arm.

“The heart of the party remains normie Republicans, not the edgelords that both the media and the dissident right are strangely invested in elevating.”

Clashes in the conservative ranks

The divides revealed in the Manhattan Institute poll helps explain some of the most notable frictions within the Trump coalition over the past few months.

The Trump-Greene feud that culminated in the latter’s resignation from Congress began with her backing of a full release of the government files connected to the Jeffrey Epstein underage sex-trafficking case – long a source of conservative conspiracy theories.

It broadened, however, into a critique of Trump’s Middle East policy and accusations of his failure to address cost-of-living and healthcare concerns for low-income American voters.

An earlier high-profile Maga split erupted over Trump’s economic policy, with billionaire Elon Musk, a strong supporter and member of Trump’s inner circle at the start of the year, going on to condemn certain tariffs and government spending policies.

Reuters

An earlier high-profile Maga split erupted over Trump’s economic policy

The president has, for the moment, largely tried to stay out of another bitter clash within conservative ranks over whether Nick Fuentes, a far-right political commentator and Holocaust denier, is welcome within the conservative movement.

It’s a dispute that has roiled the influential Heritage Foundation and pitted some powerful right-wing commentators against each other.

According to Ms Field, those who follow Trump may find it a difficult conflict to avoid. “Nick Fuentes has a huge following,” she says. “Part of how the conservative movement got the energy and power that they’ve got is by peddling to this part of the Republican Party.”

In the halls of the Republican-controlled Congress, some signs of friction with the president’s agenda are showing. Despite White House lobbying, it couldn’t stop the House from passing a measure mandating release of the Epstein files.

The president has also been unable to convince Senate Republicans to abandon the filibuster, a parliamentary procedure Democrats in the minority have been able to block some of Trump’s agenda.

AFP via Getty Images

Even a defeat next year – or in 2028 – is unlikely to mark the end of Trumpism

Meanwhile, Trump’s party has been stumbling at the polls, with the Democrats winning governorships in Virginia and New Jersey last month by comfortable margins.

In dozens of contested special elections for state and local seats over the past year, Democrats have on average improved their margins by around 13% over similar races held in last November’s national elections.

The future of Trumpism

All of this will be front of mind for Republicans ahead of the 2026 mid-term congressional elections – and it will do little to ease the concerns held by some that, without Trump at the top of the ticket, their coalition will struggle to deliver reliable ballot-box victories.

Yet even a defeat next year – or in 2028 – is unlikely to mark the end of Trumpism.

The ascent by Trump’s Maga movement to the pinnacle of American power has been far from a smooth one. It includes a mid-term rout in 2018 and Trump himself losing in 2020, before his re-election last November.

But the changes that Trump has wrought within the Republican Party itself appear to be foundational ones, according to Ms Field. His Maga coalition builds on strains of populist movements in the US that date back decades or more – from Barry Goldwater’s insurgent presidential campaign in 1964 to the Tea Party protests during Barack Obama’s presidency.

“These things are not coming out of nowhere. They are forces in American politics that have been underground for a while, but have been just kind of fermenting.”

The old Republican order, she argues, is a relic of the past.

“The Trump movement is here to stay and there’s no real likelihood of the old establishment returning with any sort of clout – that much is clear.”

Top picture credit: Getty Images

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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

Pope Leo XIV hugs a child at the end of an audience with donors of the Christmas tree and nativity scene set up in St. Peter’s Square, in the Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP)

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.

Pope Leo XIV shakes hands with Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Vatican City State at the end of an audience with donors of the Christmas tree and nativity scene set up at the Vatican, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP)

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

Ribbons representing lives saved from abortion according to Catholic groups are seen on Nacimiento Gaudium, a nativity scene set during an audience led by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP)

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“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.

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NEED TO KNOW

• The Stranger Things cast hasn’t said goodbye to the series just yet, Noah Schnapp shared on Good Morning America
• He shared that he and his costars are planning to watch the series finale together when the episode drops
• The Stranger Things series finale will drop at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 31

The Stranger Things cast is planning their group farewell to the hit series.

Noah Schnapp appeared on Good Morning America on Monday, Dec. 15, and chatted about the upcoming final episodes of Stranger Things season 5. 

During his conversation with Lara Spencer, Schnapp, 21, shared that the cast won’t see the series finale until the rest of the world does. He also discussed how he and his costars — including Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair ),Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) and Sadie Sink (Max) — will watch that episode together.

“I’m nervous to watch it,” he said. “Once you watch that, it’s done. That’s the last episode we’re ever gonna watch together.”

Jamie Campbell Bower, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Finn Wolfhard on Nov. 8.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

He continued: “It’s so emotional, like reading it, I can’t even fathom what it’s gonna be like to watch.”

He explained that they’re all going to “sit together as a group and watch it together one last time,” adding they’re ” probably gonna be sobbing the rest of the day, the rest of the month, probably.”

The Netflix star also noted he’s going to go to the movie theaters to watch the finale with his family on New Year’s,

“[I’m] probably going to have to put a mask on or something,” he said. “I don’t know.”

The series finale will drop on the streaming platform and in theaters on Dec. 31.

Schnapp also told Spencer, 56, what he’s going to miss most about saying goodbye to the Stranger Things “family.” 

“I’m gonna miss like, our family of Stranger Things,” he said. “Not just the cast, though, the crew, and everyone at Netflix who’s worked on it.” 

“It’s all kind of just family. We’ve grown up with each other, and it’s going to be hard to not have that,” continued Schnapp, who joined the show when he was 11 years old.

Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard in 2016.

Steve Zak Photography/FilmMagic

Prior to the actor’s Dec. 15 GMA appearance, he revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he and his costars are “just as excited as” fans are to finally see how the story wraps up for their characters.

“The stakes just keep getting higher and higher, and the show — you are not ready,” he teased. “I just watched [episodes] 5 and 6, and I was sobbing. It’s so good.”

Months prior, Wolfhard and  David Harbour separately teased the series finale. Wolfhard, 22, told PEOPLE in April that he was “so happy” with how Mike’s story wrapped up in the finale. “I was satisfied, but I was also very confused and sad, but also very happy,” he said, adding that it was “definitely a lot” to process. “I felt like I was in a dream or something. None of it felt real. I don’t know, it felt perfect.”

Harbour said in an October 2024 Happy Sad Confused podcast appearance that the finale episode “is the best episode they’ve ever done.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, is currently available to stream. Volume 2 will premiere on Dec. 25, and the finale on Dec. 31. All episodes will drop at 8 p.m. ET.

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American victims with deep Texas ties are emerging after the Bondi Beach terror attack, including a mother who hid from the gunmen in the sand with her baby and a young rabbi who’s clinging to life in ICU.

The horrific antisemitic attack that killed at least 15 people unfolded Sunday afternoon in Sydney where hundreds were gathered at Australia’s most famous beach to attend the Chanukah by the Sea event for the first day of Hanukkah. 

Two gunmen opened fire on the crowd – making it the country’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years.

Authorities have named Sajid Akram, 50 and his son Naveed Akram, 24, as the shooters. The father was killed at the scene, while he son is in custody.

At least 15 people were killed and 27 other victims are fighting to recover at Sydney hospitals.

Among them is Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, 20, from College Station, Texas who helped organize the Hanukkah event.

‘He’s still in the ICU and he’s intubated,’ Leibel’s older brother Rabbi Menachem Lazaroff told the Daily Mail by phone on Monday afternoon.

‘He had another two-hour surgery recently. They just removed more shrapnel from his abdomen and his leg. 

‘Now, there’s liver damage, and rib damage and tissue damage, but the doctors think he’s going to make it.’

Texas Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff tweeted his son Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, 20, was among those injured in Sunday’s terror attack in Australia 

Leibel, 20, moved to Australia in September to intern for a year after becoming a rabbi earlier this year, Menachem told Daily Mail Monday afternoon.

Before that, he has spent most of his life in the Lone Star State where his father, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff’s leads the Jewish Center at Texas A&M University.

It’s unclear if Leibel knows exactly what he lived through, or that his boss, Rabbi Schlanger, is among the dead.

Schlanger was confirmed to be among those killed by family, who called him an ‘incredible guy.’

The London-born religious leader leaves behind a wife and young children. 

‘I don’t know what he knows. He’s still asleep until they finish doing all the surgeries. I don’t know what he knows or what he doesn’t know,’ his brother stated. 

The third oldest of nine siblings, Leibel recently studied in a Brooklyn yeshiva, a Jewish educational center.

‘Being a rabbi kind of runs in the family,’ Menachem added. ‘He was very busy (in Australia) organizing and helping others.’

Bondi Beach terror victim Leibel Lararoff (right) poses with a friend Joseph Waks (left)

Texas A&M Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff confirmed his son Leibel faced multiple surgeries after being shot in the Bondi Beach antisemetic attack

Rabbi Eli Schlanger (pictured) was one of the organisers for the Chanukah by the Sea event allegedly targeted by the gunmen at Bondi Beach on Sunday

Rabbi Schlanger (pictured) was the head of the Chabad mission in Bondi where he had served the community for 18 years

Meanwhile, Leibel’s father emotionally tweeted about this tragedy while en route to his child’s side. 

‘Sitting on a very long plane ride to Australia from Texas, while still grappling with the lives lost & communicating with the hospital as my son Leibel goes into multiple surgeries for his life threatening injuries,’ the campus rabbi tweeted Monday.

‘Leibel was spreading light, helping a community thrive, volunteering his year to bring joy to others. While doing so, a father & son duo, filled with an ideology of Jewish hatred, hunted him & his fellow Jews down. This is about good vs evil, light vs darkness, up-standers vs bystanders. It’s your choice to make. Who are you?’

Menachem remains in College Station where he lighted the menorah in on campus Sunday.

‘It bogles the mind how someone can have so much hate- do something like that to people just celebrating a holiday. I’m a few thousands of miles away- not much I can do- but I can do one thing. All I can do is to spread light, and spread kindness to others’ Menachem said.

The uncle of a San Antonio preschool teacher has been confirmed as being among the dead, according to the Jewish Federation of San Antonio.

While the name of the uncle has not been released, the Jewish organization also shared that a San Antonio rabbi had to hide in the sand with her baby to dodge bullets, Fox San Antonio reported. It’s unclear if the mother and baby were hurt.

A rabbi in Dallas also confirmed his relative is among the dead.  

Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky of Chabad of Dallas (pictured above) confirmed that the son of his cousin was gunned down, according to Fox 4

Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky of Chabad of Dallas confirmed to Fox 4 that the son of his cousin was gunned down.

‘The young man whose life was snuffed away, his mom, is my cousin. So it’s very personal. Our hearts go out,’ Dubrawsky told the local TV station.

The religious leader did not name his loved one.

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MANCHESTER UNITED 4-4 BOURNEMOUTH: One of the most open games of the Premier League season ended all-square in a thriller at Old Trafford with Man Utd leaving with regrets

22:01, 15 Dec 2025Updated 22:19, 15 Dec 2025

Manchester United couldn’t hold on after Matheus Cunha’s late effort(Image: Offside via Getty Images)

One of the matches of the Premier League season saw both Bournemouth and Manchester United in touching distance of victory. In the end, though, both had to settle for a point after a Monday night classic.

Ruben Amorim’s hosts dominated en route to a 2-1 half-time lead before proving their own worst enemies as Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier struck in quick succession before drama struck in the final 15 minutes. Goals in double-quick time from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha put the hosts back in front, only for Eli Junior Kroupi to level from the bench.

United dominated early on but only had one goal to show for it as they entered the closing stages of the first half, and were punished as Antoine Semenyo cancelled out Amad’s opener. The hosts were back in front at the break, though, with Casemiro on target deep into stoppage time when visiting keeper Djordje Petrovic was too weak to keep out the Brazilian’s header.

Moments after the restart, though, it was all square again as Evanilson escaped a sleeping United defence before rolling home. and it was 3-2 to the visitors shortly after as Tavernier put away a free-kick after being felled by United scorer Casemiro.

United rung the changes, with the returning Benjamin Sesko among those thrown on by Ruben Amorim, and were ultimately rewarded. Seconds after Fernandes’ free-kick equaliser, Cunha collected a weak Adrien Truffert clearance and slammed the ball home, but Bournemouth weren’t done and substitute Kroupi kept a cool head to give Senne Lammens no chance with barely six minutes to go.

READ MORE: Man Utd star sends cheeky response to Ruben Amorim dig – before quickly deletingREAD MORE: Man Utd push Kobbie Mainoo closer to exit as Ruben Amorim plots surprise January transfer

United threatened inside 90 seconds with Amad and Bryan Mbeumo leading a rapid attack, only for Bournemouth to get bodies in the way of Bruno Fernandes’ eventual shot. Mason Mount was the next to go close, with his driven effort beaten away by Petrovic.

They didn’t have to wait that much longer. When the opener arrived, it came after the two wing-backs combined, with Petrovic only able to touch Diogo Dalot’s teasing cross into the path of a grateful Amad who couldn’t miss.

Bournemouth offered little going forward in the opening half hour and Andoni Iraola may well have felt Marcus Tavernier’s header straight at Senne Lammens was a chance they couldn’t afford to miss. At the other end, a flying volley from Mbeumo might have lifted the roof off Old Trafford had it crept a little lower.

It was truly a game of two halves, though, with Bournemouth catching United cold with their one-two punch within 10 minutes of the restart before even more drama followed. Here are Mirror Football‘s talking points from Old Trafford.

1. The good and bad of Casemiro

Casemiro being shown a yellow card by Simon Hooper(Image: Getty Images)

United had a remarkable 17 shots in the first half, but it was only in the final knockings that they ensured they went in ahead at the break. Casemiro got the goal, but he could easily have scored earlier.

The midfielder has only scored more than four league goals in two of his seasons as a pro, dating back to 2010. This was his fourth in 15 appearances this term.

His joy didn’t last long, though, with a yellow card early in the second half ensuring he’ll miss the weekend meeting with Aston Villa through suspension. It’s his second ban of the campaign, with the other coming after a red card against Chelsea, and Kobbie Mainoo was given half an hour in his place on Monday – perhaps with one eye on Sunday.

2. Back four reinvention has to wait

Evanilson racing through to score Bournemouth’s second goal(Image: Getty Images)

Ahead of the match, Ruben Amorim indicated he might switch from his trusted back three to a back four. His selection left either as an option, with questions over whether Diogo Dalot would operate as a wing-back or a full-back, and things appeared fluid to begin with.

There were moments when United appeared to revert to a four, with one of the nominal wing-backs dropping deep as the other advanced. However, a full departure from the Amorim system this was not.

Frustratingly for United, it was a night to forget for the entire back-line. That includes the often reliable goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who arguably could have done a lot better with Tavernier’s effort.

3. AFCON will hurt Amorim

Amad and Bryan Mbeumo dovetailed well for United(Image: Getty Images)

Amad was at the centre of so much of United’s good work in the first half, but Amorim will now be without the Ivorian for as long as the Africa Cup of Nations holders remain in the tournament. And that’s a problem, because few can replicate his role in the team.

The former Atalanta man probably won’t score an easier goal than the one he put away early on, while a mazy run shortly after the half-hour mark caused real problems. It may be that United experiment with different ways of attacking during his absence rather than trying to put square pegs in round holes.

Not only that, but Bryan Mbeumo will be absent as well. Noussair Mazraoui was already unavailable, with the Moroccan robbing United of cover across the back-line while on duty with the AFCON hosts.

4. Semenyo shows why he’s in demand

Antoine Semenyo celebrating his first-half goal at Old Trafford(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

On Sunday, there was plenty of chatter about Erling Haaland taking advantage for Manchester City after barely getting a sniff of goal early on. The next day, Antoine Semenyo showed two can play at that game.

The Ghanaian needed barely a sniff to level things up in the first half after Luke Shaw was caught in possession. It was moments like this which will leave Bournemouth delighted Ghana failed to qualify for AFCON this time around.

Whether they keep hold of Semenyo throughout January is another matter, with a number of the league’s big hitters involved. And throughout this season we’ve seen why.

5. United’s clean sheet problem

Marcus Tavernier stunned Man Utd with a second-half free-kick(Image: AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

In 17 matches this season, Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet. That came against Sunderland, more than two months ago.

Their defending against Bournemouth suggested they may have to wait a while for their next one as well. United had more of the shots but still provided far too many opportunities to the visitors.

They might want to cling onto the memory of shutting out upcoming opponents Villa when the sides met on the final day of last season. At this rate, though, it would take a miracle for Villa to draw another blank.

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Morocco has earned itself a spot in the FIFA Arab Cup final after soundly defeating the UAE 3-0 in Monday’s semi-final at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.

Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025

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NSW Health says 25 patients still in hospital

We have an update from NSW Health, who say there are currently twenty-five patients receiving care in several Sydney hospitals for their injuries.

Six are classified as being in a critical condition, four critical but stable. And an additional 15 have classified as stable.

More to come.

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Updated at 22.20 CET

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Krishani Dhanji

Intelligence agencies aren’t ‘all knowing’ says Burke

Tony Burke says the 24-year-old alleged shooter, Naveed Akram, is still in a coma, but couldn’t provide any more details on the man or the status of the investigation. His father, the 50-year-old alleged shooter was shot dead by police.

The government is facing questions over why Asio, Australia’s spy agency, stopped monitoring Akram.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, the home affairs minister says some of the criticism of the intelligence agencies “isn’t right”.

Our intelligence agencies can only work with what they have and work with what they know. They will never be all seeing and all knowing … now in hindsight, people look back, and obviously ASIO always reviews its processes and always looks back to make sure that things are getting stronger and stronger …

There was none of the evidence more than half a decade ago that this person was going to turn out the way that they did.”

ShareCaitlin Cassidy

Sombre scenes at Bondi

The crowd of mourners at Bondi Pavilion continues to be quiet and sombre. There is a diverse array of people here, from dog walkers to babies in strollers and elderly couples in running gear.

A Jewish group is handing out free sufganiyot – a traditional Jewish doughnut popular during Hanukkah – and leading prayers. There are many tears and many hugs.

Every major news station is broadcasting from the grassy hill this morning, and has been visited by the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, and the NSW Liberal leader, Kelly Sloane. The CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Rivkin, is also here.

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Updated at 22.30 CET

NSW Health says 25 patients still in hospital

We have an update from NSW Health, who say there are currently twenty-five patients receiving care in several Sydney hospitals for their injuries.

Six are classified as being in a critical condition, four critical but stable. And an additional 15 have classified as stable.

More to come.

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Updated at 22.20 CET

PM says one alleged gunman was interviewed by Asio in 2019 but was not at that time a ‘person of interest’

Albanese said Naveed Akram – one of two alleged gunmen – and his family and acquaintances were interviewed by Asio while under investigation in 2019, but he was “not seen at that time to be a person of interest”.

“He was drawn to their attention because of his association with others. Two of the people he was associated with were charged and went to jail,” Albanese told ABC Radio Sydney.

“Now, whether he was radicalised further after that, what the circumstances are, that’s the subject of further investigation.”

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Updated at 22.19 CET

National cabinet agrees gun licences will not be issued in perpetuity

Krishani Dhanji

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, says the government has already acted on a series of recommendations to combat antisemitism by the government’s special envoy, Jillian Segal, including to make doxxing illegal, and banning Nazi symbols.

Things like making doxing illegal, which we’ve done, you’ll see in the report wanting to strengthen our laws on hate crimes. We’ve now got the toughest laws at we’ve ever had in fuelling violence.

Speaking to the Today show this morning, Burke is facing questions on how the 50-year-old father was able to keep a gun license when his 24-year-old son had been monitored by spy agency Asio.

Burke says he acknowledges security checks can’t be “one and done”. Last night’s national cabinet meeting agreed gun licenses would no longer be issued in perpetuity. Burke says:

There’s a separate issue as to whether or not within family groups how how this is looked at. There is another issue which national cabinet dealt with yesterday about once a gun license is issued, how regularly it needs to be renewed. These licences should not be something where security checks are done at the start and then not revisited it.

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Updated at 22.09 CET

Australia must combat extremism while ‘learning how to disagree well’, Spender says

People are wrapping their arms around each other, Spender says, but at the same time, the broader response needs to go beyond care and sympathy.

How do we as a country do whatever we can to prevent this happening again? And that is combating antisemitism and combating extremism.

I don’t think this reflects Australia – these were Islamic extremists, and the person who did most to save people was a Muslim man. He is a better reflection of our country, but we do have extreme elements here, and that creates fear. That said, there is more prevalent antisemitism now than I’ve ever seen it. Most of it is nowhere near the extremism we saw on the weekend but it does mean the Jewish community feels very isolated.

You have to combat the extremism which I think led to the physical attack but we also have the question of how to make sure we as a country can disagree well, but we still belong.

ShareCaitlin Cassidy

The local member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, pays her respects

Among those paying their respects at Bondi Pavilion on Tuesday morning is the local member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender.

Spender was seen wrapping her arms around a Rabbi and hugging community members who have come down to lay flowers.

Like “so many people”, Spender was at Bondi on Sunday afternoon until about 5pm with her children in the waves. She was celebrating a family Christmas dinner in Bronte when news of the attack broke.

She tells Guardian Australia, “everybody is really struggling”.

The community is completely devastated and it’s still incredibly hard to comprehend. People coming like they are today to show their respect is really, really important … those shows of support. Many people I know lit candles for Hanukah tonight … those are the things that really matter.

Allegra Spender (r) with the governor general, Sam Mostyn, at yesterday’s vigil at Bondi Pavillion. Photograph: Mark Baker/APShare

Updated at 22.03 CET

PM outlines potential gun reforms in wake of Bondi terror attack

Asked about gun reforms, the PM said the government was going to look at limiting the amount of guns one person can own, the type of guns people can own and only allowing citizens to be able to own guns.

He said many jurisdictions don’t use a digital system and don’t talk to each other about gun ownership:

Some state governments still have paper processes for the registration of firearms, so it’s impossible to check if you don’t have a digitised system. And so we’re accelerating that $100m and $60m program. More than $100m has been provided to states and territories, which is where guns are registered, to enable them to digitise their system.

He said the juristictons need to work together:

The system is only as strong as its weakest link, and if you have New South Wales laws tightened, but no changes were made in all of the other states… [it won’t work] … which is why I brought together the national cabinet.

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Updated at 21.57 CET

Albanese defends antisemitism record

The PM has been asked if his government has done enough to combat antisemitism:

It would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology, the ideology that has been around for more than a decade, which led to this ideology of hate, and, in this case, preparedness to engage in mass murder.

We are working as hard as we can. Antisemitism, tragically, has been around for a long period of time. We have been the first government to legislate for hate symbols, for Nazi symbols, for hate speech. We have established an envoy on antisemitism. We have appointed a national ombudsman to look after those issues.

We have a program as well into schools that has been the first one that’s been established as a result of those recommendations, we have been working as hard as we can, engaging with Jewish community leaders.

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Updated at 21.46 CET

PM says Five Eyes network being brought into Bondi shooting investigation

The PM has just been speaking on ABC Sydney:

This was a meticulous, calculated, cold-blooded attack.

Now the investigations will, of course, continue. Those investigations are being led by New South Wales police, but through the joint counterterrorism team. That will involve not just the Australian Federal Police, but also our agencies Asio, who look after domestic security and ASIS, who look after our international issues, and we are certainly reaching out to Five Eyes partners, our security partners internationally as well.

Those investigations will continue, and will continue to inform Australians as those investigations proceed.

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Updated at 21.46 CET

Krishani Dhanji

Opposition leader continues attacks on Labor’s handling of antisemitism

The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has now joined Sunrise, and says the government failed by not addressing antisemitism in the community.

She reiterates that the government should implement the recommendations from special envoy on antisemitism Jillian Segal’s report, and says that the opposition will offer bipartisan support to increase resourcing for security agencies.

Segal said yesterday that her 13 recommendations – handed to the government in July – focus on education, and cracking down on education, arts and cultural institutions that fail to address antisemitism.

Ley claims to Sunrise the government hasn’t acted on antisemitism as a priority.

This scourge of antisemitism that is talked about needs to be acted on in a way across government and given the priority that, sadly, it hasn’t had.

I hear from young women at university about what they have experienced on-campus, and I know there’s been nothing coming from this … to actually [hold] universities to account.

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Updated at 21.45 CET

Bondi on Tuesday morning

Caitlin Cassidy

Dozens of mourners have gathered at the Bondi Pavilion on Tuesday morning to pay their respects to the victims of Sunday night’s terrorist attack.

Some wrap their arms around each other, whilst others carry flowers to lay at an ever-growing memorial. A woman still in her bathers and towel stares at the display with tears flowing down her cheeks. Many stand arms crossed in reflective silence.

The Australian and Israeli flags are hung at the pavilion’s gates.

A portion of Campbell Parade is still cut off to traffic with police tape hung by strewn electric bicycles. There is still a large police presence on the ground, as well as council vehicles sweeping the streets.

The road is still cut off by police tape. Photograph: Caitlin CassidyPictures from Bondi Beach on Tuesday morning, two days after the shooting. Photograph: Caitlin CassidyShare

Updated at 21.24 CET

Multifaith coalition reiterates solidarity with Jewish community in joint statement

There was a meeting last night between religious leaders from the city’s largest denominations, convened by the state minister for multiculturalism.

A statement from the New South Wales (NSW) Faith Affairs Council said they “expressed their deepest sympathies for the people killed in the horrific attack” and “reiterated their solidarity with the Jewish community”.

Jewish clergy leaders addressed the meeting which included Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faith leaders, with one senior rabbi saying communities could show support by lighting a Hanukah candle or engaging in charity.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Sunday, the council had declared:

We will not let hatred and violence divide us. Across all our cultures and faiths, will stand united in sympathy, compassion and solidarity.”

Minister Kamper said: “Australians of all faiths must work together, unambiguously, to restore faith in NSW’s multiculturalism.”

Sydney in particular is a highly multicultural city, viewed by residents as largely harmonious and peaceful – where nearly 40% of the population was born overseas and more than a third of people speak a language other than English at home.

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Ley says gun law investigations ‘ongoing’

Yesterday, Ley said it was too early to talk about gun laws. Asked about it now, she said:

Following the national cabinet, we’ll take a sensible, proportionate examination of the proposals, of course we would. And Australians are rightly saying this doesn’t make sense.

But that investigation is ongoing, and we’ll let it take its course. Important though that is, we cannot take a step away from the issue that is underpinning so much of the pain here in the community. And that’s antisemitism.

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Updated at 21.13 CET

Opposition leader continues attacks on government over alleged lack of action on antisemitism

Sussan Ley is being interviewed by ABC at Bondi. She says the government needs to do more about antisemitism.

This has come against a backdrop of anger and despair and disappointment. Because, for every day, for the last two years, the lives of Jewish Australians have been made harder by the rising tide of antisemitism.

And that’s what so many spoke to me about yesterday. That they’ve heard a lot of words, they want to see action.

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Updated at 21.10 CET

Dreyfus backs stricter gun laws

Asked about gun laws, Dreyfus said there should be stricter regulations on how many guns people could have and only allowing citizens to own them.

People having six guns, possibly rapid firing, in their position, is more than anyone could want, and so for the national cabinet to meet yesterday and say right away, we think we should require citizenship to get a gun license, and we think there should be more limitations on the number of guns.

They seem like obvious reforms.

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Updated at 21.10 CET

Health minister says 26 people still hospitalised, including children

There are still 26 people in hospital who were injured in the Bondi terror attack, the NSW health minister, Ryan Park, has told Nine’s Today program.

A dozen of them were still in critical condition and “will have ongoing surgery for devastating injuries”, Park said.

A number of children were in a serious condition, Park confirmed.

He commended hospital clinicians and staff who have “no doubt saved lives”.

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Updated at 21.03 CET

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Madeline Halpertand

Regan Morris,Los Angeles

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The couple were found dead in their home with multiple stab wounds, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News

A son of film director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner has been arrested and booked on suspicion of murder after the couple were found dead in their Los Angeles home.

The Los Angeles Police Department said on Monday that Nick Reiner, 32, had been arrested and that he was in custody with no bail.

The deceased couple’s 28-year-old daughter, Romy, found her parents in their home with multiple stab wounds on Sunday, sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Rob Reiner is known for directing several iconic films in a variety of genres, including When Harry Met Sally, This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, Misery and A Few Good Men.

Emergency services were called to provide medical aid at the Reiners’ Brentwood, California, home at around 15:38 local time (23:38 GMT) on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said two people – later identified as Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele, 68 – were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Nick Reiner was arrested several hours later, at about 21:15 local time on Sunday. Investigators have not publicly outlined a motive and said the investigation remains ongoing.

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Rob Reiner and his family, including son Nick (fourth from left) attend a movie premiere

Nick Reiner has spoken publicly about his struggles with addiction and homelessness. His experiences formed the basis of the semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, which he made with his father in 2015.

The family’s home is in Brentwood, a wealthy celebrity enclave full of large mansions, boutique shops and restaurants. On Monday morning, a security guard stood outside the home as media gathered outside the front gate.

Rob Reiner, the son of comedy great Carl Reiner, began his career in the 1960s and rose to fame playing Meathead in the TV sitcom All in The Family.

He cemented his success with the cult mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap in 1984, which he directed and starred in.

Reiner was married to Laverne & Shirley actress Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981 and is the adoptive father to Marshall’s daughter, actress Tracy Reiner.

He married Michele Reiner in 1989, who he said he met during the making of the romantic comedy-drama film When Harry Met Sally. The couple have three children together.

EPA

A guard stood in front of the Reiner home on Monday as people and media gathered after hearing the news

Michele Reiner was an actress, photographer and producer, and the founder of Reiner Light, a photography agency and production company.

Rob Reiner was also known for his outspoken political activism and support for Democratic candidates.

In a post calling their deaths “very sad”, President Donald Trump criticised Reiner, saying that they “reportedly” died “due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction” with “Trump Derangement Syndrome”.

“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump,” the president wrote.

It is not clear what reports the president was referring to, and while the investigation is being treated as a homicide, police have yet to comment on any possible motive.

The president and his allies often used the term Trump Derangement Syndrome in reference to those who are critical of him. Reiner was a vocal critic of Trump’s.

Several Republicans criticised Trump over the post, including former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said the deaths were a “family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies”.

“Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy especially when it ends in murder,” she said.

“These go to 11” – watch Rob Reiner in the amplifier scene from This is Spinal Tap, one of the films he directed

Trump’s post was also met with anger by some of the Reiners’ friends.

In a post on X, Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California and longtime friend of the Reiners, said the couple were “devoted parents”.

“They deeply loved all their children and they never gave up trying to care for them,” she said.

Sir Elton John, who made an appearance in this year’s Spinal Tap sequel, said: “I am in disbelief at today’s news of Rob and Michele.

“They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better.”

Fellow actor John Cusack, who appeared in Reiner’s 1985 film The Sure Thing, called him “a great man”, while Elijah Wood, who starred in 1994’s North, said he was “horrified” by the couple’s deaths.

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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

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at a press conference in Canberra, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025.  (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

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

Among 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, killed 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

People gather around a tribute for shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Monday, a day after a shooting.  (Mark Baker/The Associated Press)

At least 38 other people are being treated in hospitals. Among those 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.

People pay respects at Australia’s Bondi Pavilion to victims of a shooting during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Dec. 15, 2025.  (REUTERS/Hollie Adams)

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“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. 

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