A U.S.-sponsored draft resolution on the Israel-Hamas war that was expected to be voted on at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday includes no mention of Iran, the main patron of the Hamas and Hezbollah terror organizations. 

The original draft resolution had called on Iran to stop funding terror groups, according to a Saturday report from Reuters. The first draft resolution, since obtained by Fox News Digital, stated that ‘Iran must cease the export of all arms and related matériel to armed militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region, including Hamas …’

The latest version – which was expected to be voted on Tuesday, but negotiations are ongoing – features no mention of Iran, however. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the latest draft resolution that ‘Urges Member States to intensify their efforts to suppress the financing of terrorism, including by restricting financing of Hamas through applicable national-level authorities, in accordance with international law and consistent with Resolution 2482 (2019).’

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N. blamed Russia for Iran’s omission from the latest draft resolution.

‘The Biden Administration has been unequivocal in its condemnation of Iran’s longtime support of terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah – and we will never hesitate to hold Iran accountable for its destabilizing activities,’ the spokesperson wrote. ‘Regarding the U.N. resolution, Russia’s mission in New York insisted that references to Iran be removed. I suggest reaching out to the Russians to ask why they made those demands. That said, the Resolution has very strong language that applies directly to Iran, including calls to suppress financing of Hamas (Op 14), to prevent the export of arms and [matériel] to Hamas (Op 16), and language on Iran-backed Hizballah ceasing its cross border attacks (Op 15).’

The paragraphs that the U.S. spokesperson says refer directly to Iran in the latest draft resolution ‘Calls on all States and international organizations to intensify urgent, concrete steps to support efforts by the United Nations and regional States to prevent the violence in Gaza from escalating, spilling over or expanding to other areas in the region, and calls on all those with influence to work towards this objective, including by demanding the immediate cessation by Hezbollah and other armed-groups of all attacks which constitute clear violations of Resolution 1701 (2006) and relevant Security Council resolutions …’

Whereas operating paragraph 16 states, ‘Calls on all States to take practical steps to prevent the export of arms and matériel to armed militias and terrorist groups operating in Gaza, including Hamas …’

Fox News Digital inspected both drafts and confirmed that any mention of Iran had been removed from the latest draft of the resolution.

While there was no mention of Iran in the U.S. draft resolution, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Iran during his speech to the Security Council, ‘The United States does not seek conflict with Iran. We do not want this war to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack U.S. personnel anywhere, make no mistake, we will defend our people. We will defend our security swiftly and decisively.’

Blinken continued, ‘To all the members of this council: If you, like the United States, wants to prevent this conflict from spreading, tell Iran, tell its proxies – in public, in private, through every means – do not open another front against [Israel] in this conflict. Do not attack Israel’s partners. And we urge members to go a step further. Make clear that if Iran or its proxies widen this conflict and put more civilians at risk, you will hold them accountable. Act as if the security and stability of the entire region and beyond is on the line because it is.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the Russian spokesperson to its U.N. mission to ask why they insisted that Iran be taken out of the draft resolution.

According to sources, Russia has introduced its own U.N. draft Security Council resolution, which calls for a humanitarian cease-fire. The draft text is expected to be voted on once the U.S. has a vote on its draft resolution.

Earlier this month, Hamas terrorists launched thousands of missiles at Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border, killing at least 1,400 people and wounding thousands more. The actions from the Iran-backed group resulted in Israel declaring war against the terror group.

Just before the Hamas attack, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that ‘the usurper regime is coming to an end,’ in reference to Israel.

‘Today, the Palestinian youth and the anti-oppression, anti-occupation movement in Palestine is more energetic, more alive, and more prepared than ever during the past 70 or 80 years,’ he wrote. ‘God willing, the movement will achieve its goals.’

On Monday, senior Pentagon officials said they expect to see a ‘significant escalation’ of attacks against U.S. troops in the Middle East, adding that the attacks have ‘Iranian fingerprints all over’ them.

A senior U.S. defense official and a senior U.S. military official held a background briefing on Monday afternoon, and both officials suggested that attacks will likely increase on U.S. troops over the coming days.

The defense official reiterated that Iran is funding, equipping, guiding and directing partners and proxies across the Middle East, including Lebanese Hezbollah militia groups in Iran, Syria and Yemen.

‘I think it’s fair to say when you see this uptick in activity in attacks by many of these groups, there’s Iranian fingerprints all over it,’ the defense official said.

Fox News’ Peter Aitken and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is introducing a measure that would ‘protect our bases’ by requiring government agencies to ensure that updated information on sensitive military and intelligence sites is provided to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) so that the panel can properly assess the national security risk of certain foreign land purchases.

Scott, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, is rolling out the ‘Protect our Bases Act,’ which will ensure foreign land purchases near critical military and government sites are properly scrutinized by requiring government agencies to annually update and review their lists of sensitive sites with CFIUS.

CFIUS, which is composed of several national security agencies, is charged with reviewing certain acquisitions and real estate transactions made by foreign individuals or entities.

The bill comes after federal government officials warned of possible national security risks after Chinese-owned Fufeng Group purchased land in North Dakota. The company attempted to build a corn mill on that property, but local officials eventually rejected that proposal.

The Chinese company paid $2.3 million to purchase 300 acres of land just 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base, home to top-secret U.S. drone technology.

At the time, CFIUS determined it could not evaluate the transaction for national security risks because the Department of Defense (DOD) had not listed the base as a sensitive site for national security purposes.

Scott said that while Grand Forks ultimately blocked the transaction, the incident demonstrated a significant flaw in the review process of foreign land purchases.

‘The Chinese Communist Party can’t be allowed to compromise the security of military and government facilities on our home turf,’ Scott told Fox News Digital. ‘By enhancing the review of foreign real estate transactions near sites that are vital to U.S. national security, this legislation will increase accountability to help ensure that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States can take proper action to push back on Communist China and keep our nation safe.’

Scott’s office told Fox News Digital that if CFIUS member agencies do not provide updated information on sensitive military, intelligence and national laboratory sites, then CFIUS cannot properly assess the security risk of foreign investment in the U.S. 

The bill is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Steve Daines of Montana, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Katie Britt of Alabama.

Meanwhile, following the Grand Forks transaction, the Biden administration tightened security around additional military installations across the country by requiring a strict review of foreign entities seeking to buy property around those facilities.

An official at the time told Fox News Digital that the Department of Defense decided which bases to add based on an evaluation of current national security concerns. DOD is expected to continue to assess its military installations and the geographic scope around them to ensure appropriate application in light of those national security considerations.

CFIUS and the Treasury Department declined to comment on Scott’s legislation.

Amidst all the hand-wringing and outrage about the ill-timed replacement of the Republican Speaker of the House, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture: this is what freedom looks like.

It isn’t easy. It isn’t fast. And it often isn’t pretty. Sometimes it’s a knock-down drag-out power struggle. That’s what governance from the bottom up looks like. Our Founders knew that. And they chose it anyway.  

That’s because the orderly, top-down power structure of dictators like Chinese president Xi Jinping comes at a huge cost to the people. Here in America, our power struggles happen out in the open, at least mostly in the open. Our representative republic can be cumbersome and chaotic, but only because we allow so many different voices to engage in the political process.  

The battle playing out in the halls of Congress is a feature of our system, not a bug. We can disagree with the actions of those who precipitated this vacuum of leadership at such a critical time. I disagree with their strategy even as I sympathize with their grievances. Nonetheless, I’m grateful the Speaker’s race is competitive – at least on the Republican side.

Certainly the Democrats enjoy less chaotic leadership changes. They fundamentally believe in top-down leadership, with a strong central government calling all the shots.  It’s in their DNA.  I believe this translates into a kind of lockstep caucus in which Nancy Pelosi was allowed to call all the shots.

For the Democrats, they profess to represent the American public, but their power structure emanates from the top. The elitists and big money control today’s Democrat Party, not the working man or woman despite the desperate attempt to brand the party as swelling from the grassroots.

That’s much less true in the Republican Party, but more true than the ‘progressives’ of today. For the most part, Republicans remain the party of individual rights, self-determination, grassroots leadership, and local control. That translates to how the body functions in the U.S. House of Representatives, the people’s house. In the GOP, they squabble, negotiate, disagree, and actually debate.

I’m as frustrated as anyone about the House Republicans’ fruitless quest for consensus at this critical time. But for all the Republicans complaining about one person wanting to re-vote on who is the Speaker, you voted for that right in the Rules. Hard to complain about something you voted for, but now dislike less than a year later.

Yet, we should all be grateful for a system that still enables such battles to play out where power is not absolute and perpetual.

Freedom is not for the faint of heart. It’s for people who can handle the chaos of a representative republic. We can. And we will. Somehow, some way we will figure out our way through this and be a stronger republic because of it.

The speaker’s race may get worse before it gets better. It could be a long battle.  But in the end, we are better off for letting it play out. We must be patient, even as we make our own demands known. This is the system that produces the greatest happiness, growth and prosperity the world has ever known. 

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and called for the international coalition initially built to fight against ISIS to now target Hamas.

The U.S.-led coalition has fought ISIS in the Middle East for years, and Macron did not offer details about how the coalition could be involved in Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas. Israel has appeared poised for a ground invasion of Gaza for more than a week.

‘France is ready for the international coalition against Daesh in which we are taking part for operations in Iraq and Syria to also fight against Hamas,’ he told reporters, using another term used for ISIS.

He added that the fight against Hamas ‘must be without mercy but not without rules.’

Netanyahu has called for international support for the war against Hamas, but Israel has not requested any foreign boots on the ground. The U.S. has devoted two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean as a deterrent for Iran, Hezbollah or other regional powers from joining the war against Israel.

Both Israeli and U.S. officials have suggested that U.S. forces would intervene should Iran or its proxy, Hezbollah, join the war.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been massed around the Gaza Strip for more than a week, poised for an invasion. That order has yet to come down, however, and hostage negotiations remain ongoing.

Hamas terrorists took more than 200 hostages during their Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. So far, two Americans and two Israelis have been released.

The IDF said Tuesday that it dropped leaflets in the Gaza Strip making a direct appeal to Palestinians to provide Israel with information on hostages held by Hamas.

‘If you want a better future for you and your children, take action and provide us with solid and useful information as soon as possible regarding the hostages in your area,’ the leaflet reads.

The Israelis are offering protection and even a monetary award to any Palestinian who comes forward with verifiable information leading to the rescue of an Israeli hostage.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Some House Republicans who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., appear open to Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s candidacy for the gavel.

Emmer is one of several Republicans gunning for the speaker’s gavel after the last nominee, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, failed to secure enough votes to ascend to the top House office.

The majority whip rolled into Tuesday morning’s votes with an endorsement from McCarthy, and at least two of the members who ousted the now-former speaker are open to an Emmer candidacy.

A spokesperson for Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital that the congressman has not made a public endorsement of any candidate yet but is close to Emmer and voted for the whip several times on the House floor during last week’s three rounds of balloting.

Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, while the congressman has not specifically endorsed Emmer, he would vote for any candidate that can get the 217 votes needed to get the speakership — including the whip.

A spokesperson for Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital the congressman plans to support whoever the GOP nominee ends up being.

Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs’ spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the congressman isn’t publicly revealing who he is supporting at the moment.

The offices of GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia, and Eli Crane of Arizona did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Emmer is currently the front-runner in the internal contest that began voting on Tuesday morning.

The Minnesota Republican won 78 votes in the first round on Tuesday morning, with the closest second candidate — Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. — securing just 29.

It’s likely to take several rounds of voting – a candidate must win a conference majority to be named speaker-designate under current House GOP Conference rules.

If no candidate manages to win a majority during a given round, the person with the least amount of votes is withdrawn from the race and another round is held. 

It’s unclear whether Emmer will succeed where Jordan and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., failed — convincing the various factions within the GOP to unite around his leadership.

‘He is the right person for the job. He can unite the conference,’ McCarthy said of Emmer. ‘He understands the dynamics of the conference. He also understands what it takes to win and keep a majority.’

Emmer said he would use teamwork, communication and respect to build on the success Republicans had taking back the House majority in 2022 and scoring legislative wins.

‘Our Conference remains at a crossroads, and the deck is stacked against us. We have no choice but to fight like hell to hold on to our House majority and deliver on our conservative agenda,’ Emmer told Republican members of Congress in a letter Saturday about his bid for the speaker’s gavel.

The election comes three weeks after McCarthy’s ouster from the top job, the first time in history the House of Representatives removed their leader in the middle of a congressional term.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind, Adam Shaw, and Thomas Phippen contributed reporting.

Hamas terrorists in Gaza launched a massive series of rocket barrages into Israel on Tuesday, with some observers saying it is the largest wave since Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.

The barrage centered on Tel Aviv, but rocket sirens blared across more than a dozen cities, and maps of rocket alerts displayed a sea of red warning signs in central Israel.

Hamas has fired thousands of rockets into Israel since launching its unprecedented assault on Oct. 7. Israel has responded in kind, destroying thousands of Hamas targets in Gaza with airstrikes.

Nevertheless, the Tuesday barrage from Hamas marks a spike in its aggression over the past 18 days of war, with the Jerusalem Post reporting that it is the single largest attack since the war began, next to the Hamas violence on Oct. 7.

At least five Israelis were wounded in Tuesday’s barrage, according to the Post. The injuries took place in separate incidents in Holon, Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba, Be’er Yaakov and Yavne.

The Israeli military remains poised for a ground invasion of Gaza at any moment, though plans for such an operation have been delayed. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi told reporters that Israel is ‘ready to invade,’ but nevertheless explained the delay.

‘At this stage, there are tactical and strategic factors which are allowing us more time to improve and to exploit every minute to be more ready,’ he said. ‘With every minute that passes for the other side, we are attacking the enemy more, killing his fighters, killing his commanders, destroying his infrastructure, and collecting more intelligence for the next moves.’

Meanwhile, President Biden’s administration has also urged Israel to delay the invasion in hopes of providing more time to negotiate the release of hostages.

Hamas has so far released four of the roughly 200 hostages it took in the Oct. 7 attack. The terror groups released two Americans and two Israelis, but there have been no further updates on negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ‘destroy’ Hamas, and he has the full support of the U.S. and other Western nations.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Netanyahu on Tuesday and said the campaign against Hamas must be ‘without mercy, but not without rules.’