Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Director-General says Ben Gurion airport is not yet shut down and the public will be notified of any changes there.

According to their intelligence, the United States believes a missile and drone strike will be launched against Israel. President Biden reiterated the US' "ironclad" commitment to Israel against such threats.

The Defense Department intends to invest a staggering $130 billion to update its warheads, missiles, and launch systems, many of which were built in the 1970s.

The United States reportedly prevented European countries from sanctioning Iran and the weapons it provides Russia and terrorist organizations, for fear of harming diplomatic efforts.

Maritime news site gCaptain confirmed  reports on damage caused to four undersea cables connecting Asia to the Middle East and beyond. The cause of the damage is presently unclear.

The IDF published footage of ongoing American efforts to drop aid into the Gaza Strip.

The UAE Defense Ministry announced it was joining a multinational effort to airdrop aid to directly reach Gazan civilians in need.

The airdrop is part of a joint effort involving Israel, the US, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, and France.

Earlier, Biden had implied that Netanyahu's government was too conservative and would lead to flagging international support for the country.

Compared to a worrying poll conducted by Harvard/Harris in December showing relatively low support among those aged 18-24 for Israel, numbers have since rebounded in favor of the country.

A poll conducted by Lebanese paper al-Akhbar shows relative consensus on America's responsibility for Israeli actions but sectarian splits on whether the war serves Lebanese interests.

Iraqi media outlets report a vehicle that was struck from the air, with the four inside killed. US officials confirmed to VOA News that the air strike was American, involving a "high value individual."

Sources in Yemen report that at least 57 Houthis were killed and several more injured in US-led coalition strikes against the Iran-backed proxy, including IRGC experts and Hezbollah activists.

According to a report by Army Radio, the State of Israel has become the first country in the world to allow the commercial sale of lab-cultivated beef meat, following a long process of approval.

American and British forces struck additional Houthi targets after the Iran-backed forces continued their attacks against shipping in the Red Sea.

Many countries around the world condemned the US and UK strikes against the Houthis in Yemen as contrary to international law.

FirstPost host Palki Sharma discusses the rapid global decline in library attendance, discussing the reasons for it and how it might still be possible to attract people back to the stacks.

FDD Senior VP for Research Jonathan Schanzer posted his own version of the "Night Before Christmas" on X/Twitter, discussing the war in Gaza and the threat posed by Iran and its proxies.

The decision comes after Finland had joined NATO earlier in the year, a change in a decades-long neutrality policy triggered by Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022.