Three Israelis killed after gunmen target bus in the occupied West Bank

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank, killing at least three people and wounding eight others, Israel’s rescue service said. Violence has surged in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the ongoing war there. The latest attack occurred Monday in the Palestinian village of Al-Funduq, on one of the main east-west roads crossing the territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “settle accounts” with the attackers “and with everyone who assisted them.” Hamas praised the attack in a statement, but did not claim responsibility for it.

Russia claims it captured another town in eastern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s Defense Ministry is claiming that its troops in eastern Ukraine have captured the town of Kurakhove after a monthslong battle. But the Ukrainian force defending the town dismissed the claim Monday while acknowledging that Russian forces were conducting assaults against urban areas. The town’s fall would add to the Kremlin’s list of conquests in the partially occupied Donetsk region during the almost three-year war. It came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had pressed new attacks in Russia’s Kursk border region. The inauguration in two weeks’ time of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has brought a new element of uncertainty.

Austrian far right gets mandate to try to lead a government

VIENNA (AP) — The leader of Austria’s Freedom Party received a mandate Monday to form a new government, which would be the first headed by the far right since World War II if he succeeds. Herbert Kickl’s party won Austria’s parliamentary election in September, beating outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative Austrian People’s Party into second place. But in October, Austria’s president gave Nehammer the first chance to form a new government after other parties refused to work with Kickl. Those efforts to form a governing alliance without the far right collapsed in the first few days of the new year and Nehammer said Saturday that he would resign.

Macron affirms Trump has ‘solid ally’ in France

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron cautiously reaffirmed his country’s good relations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, declaring that France is “a solid ally” as he outlined his vision for global diplomacy in 2025. “Donald Trump knows that he has in France a solid ally, an ally he does not underestimate, one who believes in Europe and carries a lucid ambition for the transatlantic relationship,” Macron said during his annual conference to French ambassadors. Macron emphasized France’s commitment to fostering cooperation while urging European nations to fortify their unity and resilience. Macron’s speech laid out France’s foreign policy priorities, spanning the Ukraine war, European defense, and the Middle East, while hinting at the contentious EU-Mercosur trade deal.