Palestinian terrorists in western Shomron for the first time tried to fire a rocket with powerful explosives at Israel’s heavily populated central region.
The terrorist rocket, whose warhead contained high explosives with the potential to cause mass casualties, was discovered in bushes in the village of Budrus near Ramallah, about six miles from Ben-Gurion International Airport, the Israel Hayom daily reported on Wednesday.
Budrus also overlooks the Route 6 main north-south highway as well as Modi’in, a city of 106,000 located between Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Social media site Bluesky has

President-elect Donald Trump made a surprising announcement on Wednesday, naming Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his choice for Attorney General.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social.
Trump praised Gaetz’s abilities, calling him “a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law,” and highlighted Gaetz’s achievements in Congress. “He has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced on Tuesday a 12 million shekel ($3.2 million) budget allocation for improvements at the Kever Rochel complex near Bais Lechem. The aim of the improvements is to make the site more accessible, particularly for people with disabilities.
The announcement was made on the yahrtzeit of Rochel Imeinu, the 11th of Cheshvan.
The comprehensive renovation plan includes expanding the access road, adding a new bus station, implementing safety solutions for pedestrians and vehicles and increasing parking spaces. These enhancements are designed to ease traffic congestion, improve the overall visitor experience and bolster safety in the area.

President-elect Donald Trump continued to announce appointments for his national security team on Wednesday, revealing that former Representative Tulsi Gabbard will be his choice for the position of director of national intelligence.
Gabbard, who previously served as the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, publicly supported Trump and switched her allegiance to the Republican Party late in the 2024 campaign. In this new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the country’s 17 intelligence agencies.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a proof-of-life video on Wednesday of Russian-Israeli hostage Alexander “Sasha” Troufanov, who was abducted from his family home during the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and has been held captive in the Gaza Strip for 404 days.
In the undated video, the third of Troufanov that the terrorist organization has published, he says his age is 28, although he turned 29 on Monday.
In the video, Troufanov says that he and the other remaining captives (there are 101, 97 of whom were kidnapped on Oct. 7 and many of whom are believed to have died) are running out of food and basic hygiene products.

BRICK, N.J. (AP) — Record-setting dry conditions in some parts of the U.S.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday, setting up a onetime critic who evolved into one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders to become the nation’s top diplomat.