The police chief for the University of California at Los Angeles, who was criticized for the handling of a violent mob attack in May on pro-Palestinian activists encamped at UCLA, has left the campus police department."December 10, 2024, was former UCLA Police Chief John Thomas' last day with UCLA and the UCLA Police Department," the department said on Thursday.UCLA Police Captain Scott Scheffler will serve as interim police chief until a permanent chief is selected, the department added.

A large fire broke out on Friday in an open area in the Arab local council Ilut in the Lower Galilee, Army Radio reported.שריפה נרחבת פרצה בשטח פתוח בעילוט שבגליל התחתון, 11 צוותי כיבוי והצלה פועלים לכיבוי השריפה שמאיימת על מבנים סמוכים@Yael_Hadad97 (צילום: כב"ה צפון) pic.twitter.com/U590Mv5aGt— גלצ (@GLZRadio) December 13, 2024Eleven fire and rescue teams are working to extinguish the fire, which is threatening nearby buildings.

Qatar will send its first official delegation to Damascus on Sunday to meet Syria's interim government and discuss reopening Qatar's embassy and enhancing humanitarian aid delivery, a Qatari official told Reuters on Friday.Previous reports by Syria's information ministry about a visit by Qatar's intelligence chief on Thursday were untrue, the Qatari official said.

The IDF intercepted a "suspicious" aerial target in the Western Galilee that was determined to be a false alarm, the military announced Friday evening. Sirens did not sound during this incident.

The Louisiana Department of Health said on Friday it has detected the first presumptive positive human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, in the US state.The individual is a resident of southwestern Louisiana and is currently hospitalized.

Turkey's embassy in Damascus will resume work on Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, adding the diplomatic delegation headed to Syria."We want to see a terror-free Syria, where minorities are not mistreated. We want an inclusive government in Syria," he said in an interview broadcast live on NTV broadcaster on Friday.The number of Syrians in Turkey returning to their country will gradually increase as Syria stabilises, the minister said.Fidan also added that the elimination of YPG is Turkey's strategic goal.The People's Protection Units (YPG) has been a central element of US-allied forces in a coalition against Islamic State militants. Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist group, closely tied to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years.

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday the Republican Party "will use its best efforts" to end daylight saving time because it is "inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation."