Israel was on high alert Thursday after its arch foe Iran threatened reprisals over a strike in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals, and as the war against Hamas ground on in Gaza. Days after Israel strengthened its air defenses and paused leave for combat units, the United States also warned of the risk of an attack by Iran or its allied groups at a time when Middle East tensions have soared.

WHY US INTEL IS WORRIED ABOUT ESCALATION OF TENSIONS

Fallen cryptocurrency wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried has appealed his federal conviction and 25-year jail sentence in a sweeping fraud case. News of the appeal comes after US District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan set the prison term and ordered SBF to pay $11 billion in forfeiture. He was convicted by a federal jury in New York in November 2023 on seven counts of fraud, embezzlement and criminal conspiracy.

SEE THE GROUNDS FOR APPEAL CITED BY SBF'S LAWYERS

O.J. Simpson, the NFL Hall of Famer whose 1995 acquittal in the so-called "trial of the century" for the brutal murders of his ex-wife and a male friend gripped the world, has died. He was 76. Simpson, who had reportedly been battling prostate cancer, rose to stardom first as a college football and NFL player, announcer, actor and advertising pitchman. However, the double murder sent his life in an odd direction.

HOW SIMPSON'S LIFE PLAYED THE ROLE OF A TRAGIC HERO

O.J. Simpson was infamously acquitted on double murder charges in 1995, but what two felonies were he actually convicted of in 2008?

Thursday's answer: South Korea has had 13 presidents since 1948.