Four months into the war between Israel and Hamas, the combatants, their allies, and their neighbors are closer than ever to reaching a cease-fire or even a settlement of their disputes--and are also equally close to seeing it spin out of control into a widening regional conflict. They are tracing this thin line between negotiated peace and escalating mayhem along every front of the Middle East's hot spots, which are intensifying, enlarging, and mingling with one another--a fact that makes it harder but also potentially more manageable to douse the flames. On Friday, U.S. combat planes fired 125 precision-guided missiles and drones at 85 targets into seven facilities--command-control and intelligence centers, supply lines and storage sites for rockets, missiles, and drones, as well as other military targets--all run by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. The attack was in retaliation to a Jan. 28 drone strike launched by one of those militias in Iraq that killed three U.S. soldiers at a base in northeastern Jordan, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Militias had fired 165 drones or missiles at U.S. forces in the region since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, but this was the first strike that killed Americans.

Hulu ran an anti-Hamas ad that appears to be made using artificial intelligence to show an idealized version of Gaza--claiming this paradise destination could exist if not for Hamas. The 30-second spot, opening like a tourism ad, shows palm trees and coastlines. There are five-star hotels and children playing. People dance, eat, and laugh, while a voiceover encourages visitors to "experience a culture rich in tradition." But it suddenly shifts, turning the face of a smiling man into a grimacing one.

A UK vessel shot down a Houthi drone in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence has said, as tensions in the Middle East soar amid the ongoing war in Gaza. "Yesterday HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea," read a statement from the ministry published on Sunday on X. "Diamond destroyed a drone targeting her, with no injuries or damage sustained to Diamond or her crew," it added. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis. The Yemen-based group previously pledged to target Israel-linked vessels in the region as part of an effort to pressure the country's government to end its bombardment of Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid supplies into the coastal Palestinian enclave. Gaza has been under heavy bombardment by Israeli forces since October 7, when Hamas fighters stormed communities in southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 people and taking about 240 others captive, according to Israeli officials.

Just 24 hours before he took to the podium on Wednesday, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah, was preparing to deliver a speech commemorating another of Israel's former arch foes, Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed in a U.S. drone strike four years ago to the day. But in the wake of the suspected Israeli assassination on Tuesday of Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas leader killed in the heart of Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut, Mr. Nasrallah revised his comments to commemorate not just one of his closest allies, but two. In a highly anticipated speech on Wednesday that gained new significance in the wake of Mr. al-Arouri's assassination, Hezbollah's leader denounced the attack in Lebanon's capital as a "dangerous" milestone, pledging revenge for the killing and threatening to meet any wider Israeli conflict with unrestrained warfare. "If the enemy considers waging a war against Lebanon, our battle will be without boundaries or rules," Mr. Nasrallah said. "We are not afraid of war. Those who think of going to war with us will regret it. War with us will come at a very, very, very high cost."

Other significant Hamas officials died in Tuesday's drone strike that killed senior leader Saleh al-Arouri, harming the armed group's military capabilities in Lebanon during Israel's war on Gaza. According to Lebanese state media, the strike on a Hamas office in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeb, a southern suburb of Beirut, killed seven people. Hamas described the killing of al-Arouri on its official TV channel as "a "cowardly assassination" by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's adviser Mark Regev told the United States-based TV news channel MSNBC that Israel had not taken responsibility for the attack and added: "Whoever did it, it must be clear that this was not an attack on the Lebanese state." Al-Arouri, 57, was the deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau.

A general strike has been called across the cities of the occupied West Bank in protest against the assassination of seven members of Hamas, including the deputy head of its political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri. The strike was called by Palestinian armed groups that asked people to stay home on Wednesday and only leave to march in demonstrations against the drone attack on the outskirts of Beirut. The slain men are Saleh al-Arouri, who was also the commander of the Qassam Brigades in the occupied West Bank; Samir Fendi, who commanded the Qassam Brigades in Lebanon; Azzam al-Aqraa, who commanded the Qassam Brigades in southern Lebanon; and members Mahmoud Shaheen, Mohammed al-Rayes, Mohammed Bashasha and Ahmed Hamoud. All seven will be buried in Lebanon. Funerals will be held for Hamoud and Shaheen on Wednesday in the Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees and Taalbaya, respectively.

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. joins'Fox News Sunday' to discuss a new survey that revealed 74% of Americans are concerned about a war between the U.S. and China. This is a rush transcript of'Fox News Sunday' on December 3, 2023. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. A special hour on the state of defense, a report card on America's military readiness to meet the challenges of an increasingly dangerous world. Israel's war with Hamas, the latest conflict to ignite instability, turbo- charging attacks on our forces in the region from Iranian proxies. We'll get reaction from National Security Council Communications Coordinator John Kirby about the restart of the war and the headwinds the Biden White House faces from Democrats over conditioning future aid to Israel. GENERAL C.Q. BROWN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We want to be so good at what we do that our adversaries go, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. General C.Q. Brown joins me here at the Reagan Library. And before serving in Congress, they served several tours of duty on the ground in two of America's longest wars. We sit down with Congressman Michael Waltz and Seth Moulton, veterans for both sides of the aisle, as the fight over defense spending is coming up against the stark deadline. Plus -- JENNIFER GRIFFIN, FOX NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Is it cool to be patriotic now? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's always been cool to be contrarian and I think right now, it's -- it's been a little contrarian to be very patriotic. BREAM: Our inside look at how cutting-edge technology is shaping the future of warfare and battlefields worldwide. Here are the top headlines making news today. Israel is widening its evacuation orders for Palestinians in southern Gaza, including in and around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, which both reported heavy bombardment overnight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for a total victory against Hamas and pushing back against White House calls to allow the Palestinian Authority to ultimately govern Gaza, claiming the group also calls for Israel's destruction. Meanwhile, in Paris, French authorities are looking into whether terrorism was to blame for a knife and hammer attack on tourists near the Eiffel Tower, leaving a German man dead and two others injured. A 26-year-old French national has been arrested. Let's turn now to Trey Yingst in southern Israel with the very latest on the war in Gaza. After a week-long ceasefire saw more than 100 hostages freed from Gaza, fighting has resumed for a third day. Israeli officials say the ground and air campaign in the second phase of this war against the strip could last for months. New airstrikes overnight targeted tunnel shafts and weapon storage facilities.

FOX News White House correspondent Peter Doocy has the latest on the Biden administration's response to the Middle East conflict on'Special Report.' As Israeli Defense Forces resumed military operations to eradicate the Hamas terrorist threat last Friday, the Biden administration is inserting itself into Israel's war planning process, teaching the Israelis – who've been fighting for their survival for decades – how to properly prosecute the conflict. Washington warfare "experts" – who arguably haven't secured a single clear military victory since 1945 – insist that Israeli military strategists alter their war plans to make their combat operations more targeted and their strikes more accurate, in order to minimize casualties, especially among civilians. The Biden administration's demands, while noble-sounding, are misguided and unreasonable. Implementing these requirements, at the expense of achieving the main mission of eliminating Hamas and its entire supporting infrastructure, will likely prolong the conflict, ultimately resulting in many more Israeli and Palestinian deaths.

LAYING DOWN ARMS – Cease-fire begins between Israel and Hamas ahead of planned hostage-prisoner swap. DISHING IT OUT – Biden campaign released guide of how to respond to'crazy MAGA nonsense' from relatives. 'LEFT ME SPEECHLESS' – Israel spokesman's stunned reaction over bizarre question about hostage deal goes viral. LITTLE RECOURSE – Man who fended off home intruders faces uphill battle to get gun permit back. CASH COW – Brothels that allegedly hosted politicians raked in millions, kept'impeccable records'.