The mysterious drones appearing across the tri-state area may be a calculated distraction by a foreign entity attempting to divert attention from other covert activities within the United States, according to one expert.
“These drones and this activity is too large, too well-organized to be the work of hobbyists,” said Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute think tank and author of Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America, in an interview with Fox Business.
Chang speculated that the origins of these drones likely involve foreign powers, adding, “It could be Iran, it could be Iran in connection with China, but clearly, somebody is trying to absorb our attention.”

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie expressed frustration on Sunday over recent drone sightings above his home and criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for downplaying the issue.
Speaking about the mysterious drone activity reported across New Jersey, New York, and other areas, Christie attributed public anxiety to what he described as evasive responses from officials like Mayorkas.
“They’re not answering the questions,” Christie said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos.
Stephanopoulos noted that Mayorkas has stated his department “is monitoring it, they haven’t seen any unusual activity, and they need more authority” to disable drones when necessary.

Ten weeks into its campaign in Lebanon, and about three weeks after the ceasefire took effect, the IDF announced on Sunday that it has confiscated over 10,000 weapons belonging to Hezbollah in various areas of southern Lebanon.
The IDF clarified that Division 91 carried out operations in more than ten districts, while Division 98 was active in at least six. It is possible that the two divisions overlapped in some regions.
Division 91 extended its operations to the Litani River and the Saluki area, reaching deeper into southern Lebanese territory.
Division 98, on the other hand, operated in key locations such as Khiam, Al-Adaysseh, Rab Al-Tlatin, Marjayoun, Al-Taybeh, and Al-Khiam.

The cutting-edge Oron surveillance aircraft, considered the most advanced of its kind globally, touched down at the Nevatim air base on Sunday.
Boasting exceptional command, control, and intelligence capabilities, the Oron can gather critical data under any weather conditions. The intelligence it acquires is transmitted instantly to all relevant IDF intelligence units, ensuring seamless coordination.
The 122nd Squadron, the Israeli Air Force’s premier intelligence unit, is responsible for operating the Oron, alongside the Shavit and Eitam aircraft, further enhancing the squadron’s strategic capabilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu spoke overnight with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, according to Hebrew-language media.
The two leaders reportedly discussed a potential hostages-for-ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group, the fall of the Assad regime to Islamist fighters in Syria and the Iranian nuclear threat.
Last week, Trump made it clear that while he hopes for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, Israel must secure a decisive victory. “I want [Netanyahu] to end it, but you have to have a victory,” Trump stated.
Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, is visiting Israel this week amid ongoing negotiations to secure the release of the remaining captives in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu called the two Hamas propaganda videos released a short time earlier “cruel and malicious psychological warfare.”
The premier also stated that he maintains ongoing communication with the families of the hostages, who are “enduring a terrible and prolonged nightmare.”
According to the latest Israeli estimates, there are 100 captives in the clutch of terrorist groups in Gaza, including 96 kidnapped during the Hamas-led massacre in the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023. Sixty-four hostages are believed to be alive.
Netanyahu also warned again that “whoever harms our hostages—will pay the price. We will continue to work relentlessly for the return home of all of our male and female hostages, the living and the deceased.”

Health authorities in New York are examining a rise in gastrointestinal illnesses, including the easily spread norovirus, that are affecting Long Island and the rest of the state this season.
“The State Health Department is aware of several gastrointestinal illness investigations occurring, some of which have been confirmed to be due to norovirus across New York State,” the New York Department of Health announced in a statement. “It is not uncommon to see outbreaks of norovirus this time of year.”
State officials are looking into numerous suspected outbreaks, including cases at area nursing facilities, as both residents and medical personnel prepare for the virus’s impact.

Federal authorities are preparing to send an advanced drone detection system to New York State as clusters of unidentified flying objects continue to appear in the skies above the tri-state area, leaving specialists baffled.
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday, these drones will aid state and local law enforcement in their efforts to investigate the unexplained drones that have been seen flickering in the night sky over the past several weeks.
“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State,” Hochul said.
Hochul emphasized, however, that while the new technology is a welcome step, more help is needed to adequately address the issue.

Israel Defense Forces soldiers eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists, while arresting several others, during a counter-terrorism raid in the Beit Hanun area of northeastern Gaza, the military said on Sunday.
Troops of the IDF’s Givati Brigade, working in tandem with the Israeli Air Force and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), raided the position in Beit Hanun following intelligence that terrorists were gathering there.
In addition, a combat team of the IDF’s Kfir Brigade continued to operate in the nearby city of Beit Lahiya, eliminating terrorists from the air and on the ground and destroying weapons, the IDF said.

Controversial commentator Candace Owens has been declared “Antisemite of the Year” by the organization StopAntisemitism, which announced that she received a record-breaking number of votes, surpassing all previous recipients.
“Candace Owens’ witch’s brew of antisemitism drew from vile medieval blood libels, including claims that Jews drink Christian blood, conspiracies that Jews are pedophiles who control the media and are ‘taking over America,’ and modern toxic anti-Israel hysteria,” stated Liora Rez, the founder of StopAntisemitism, in an interview with The Post.
“There is no psychotic rabbit hole too extreme for this poisonous hater.”