they sweep the buildings. tanks rolling through the streets. the military warning civilians in southern gaza to evacuate. but where can they go? and the major escalation in the red sea. a u.s. warship shooting down drones allegedly launched by iran-backed militants. could the u.s. get drawn deeper into the conflict? also tonight, protesters in philadelphia targeting and taunting a jewish restaurant owner. the white house condemning it as antisemitic. and growing security concerns days before the start of hanukkah. the deadly stabbing during the holiday shopping season at a macy's. what police are saying. the former u.s. ambassador charged with spying for cuba for more than 40 years. the secrets he's accused of stealing. and how he was caught. the storms pounding the pacific northwest. the major flood threat. al roker is here. the deadly shark attack involving an american tourist in the bahamas. and when their only supermarket was in danger of closing, the small town that came together to save it. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. good evening, everyone, and welcome. the rush to find a safe quarter inside embattled gaza is becoming more perilous by the hour as the israeli military dramatically expands its combat footprint. an israeli military spokesman saying the army is pursuing hamas with maximum force in the north and south as israeli warplanes bombarded areas of the south once deemed safe, gazans are saying there is no longer a reliably safe place to go to. the u.s. watching it with increasing concern, calling on israel to protect civilians. nearly 2 million people have been displaced in gaza. the hamas-run health ministry reporting over 15,000 dead since the start of the war. chief foreign correspondent richard engel starts us off tonight in israel with the latest. >> reporter: israel today dramatically expanded its ground offensive against hamas, saying its forces are now in every area of the gaza strip. and as troops pushed deeper israel ordered tens of thousands of gazans to move even further south. with almost no fuel left, palestinians fled the city of khan younis on bicycles and horse and donkey carts loaded with blankets, mattresses, and wood to burn. "they are pushing us from one place to the next, and each one is worst than the last," says this man. israel is now attacking hamas in the south, in the very place it had ordered palestinians to go for safety. a new phase of this war is starting and there are mobilizations all across israel. the chief of staff of the israeli military says the operations in southern gaza will be just as intense, just as powerful as what northern gaza has seen so far. these girls are from the shpir family. doctors say ten members of the family were injured and five killed when israel bombed their home today. the biden administration has urged israel to be more precise. today praising more targeted evacuations. but a u.s. military official told nbc news he was taken aback by the ferocity of israel's expanding campaign. the united states urged publicly, repeatedly israel to do more to avoid civilian casualties. do you think -- are you listening to that? have you taken that on board? >> absolutely. we're very attentive to the administration, and from a military to military perspective we are constantly engaging with our american counterparts. there is no fairy godmother that will make hamas disappear. >> reporter: across israel the war against hamas is broadly popular, as the only response after hamas massacred more than 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages. but prime minister netanyahu's approval ratings are plummeting. over the weekend some israelis gathered to demand he resign. as the united states continues to blame hamas for breaking last week's ceasefire by refusing to turn over all of the women hostages it's holding. and today calling for investigations into reports that hamas used rape as a weapon of war. >> one of the reasons they don't want to turn women over that they've been holding hostage and the reason this pause fell apart is they don't want those women to be able to talk about what happened to them during their time in custody. >> and richard, we understand there are signs tonight that israel is intensifying that campaign in the south. >> reporter: yes, lester. there's been another almost total communications and internet blackout, making it nearly impossible for rescue workers to coordinate their activities and for palestinians to receive evacuation orders and information from the israeli military. lester? >> richard engel tonight. thank you. nearby, in the red sea another dangerous situation appears to be escalating. in the latest chapter a u.s. navy destroyer rushed to the aid of commercial ships that the pentagon says came under ballistic missile fire from iranian-backed militias. we get late details now from courtney kube at the pentagon. >> reporter: tonight the white house pointing the blame squarely at iran. after an hours-long drama at sea sunday that saw a u.s. military warship rush to aid three commercial vessels under fire. >> that gun, the weapons here are being supplied by iran. and iran we believe is the ultimate party responsible for this. >> reporter: it began around 9:15 a.m. sunday when a ballistic missile landed near a commercial ship in the red sea. then at noon the "uss carney," a navy destroyer, intercepted the first of three drones fired towards commercial ships and the "carney" itself. ballistic missiles later hitting all three of the cargo ships, one after another. none of the ships suffered major damage or casualties. responding to each distress call, the "carney" found itself directly in the path of houthi attack drones. the pentagon says there are no indications the drones were targeting the "carney" but still shot them down. the iranian-backed houthi rebels in yemen have targeted israeli-owned ships in the red sea before. >> we do not believe that all three of the ships had ties to israel and it goes to show you the level of recklessness that the houthis are operating on. >> reporter: in october the "carney" shot down cruise missiles and drones the pentagon says were fired by houthis toward israel. since then the houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the red sea, the u.s. navy shooting them down. and all of this comes as iranian-backed militias continue to attack u.s. military bases in the mideast, despite u.s. retaliatory strikes. we spoke to the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff today. >> is this evidence that the war in israel and gaza has really boiled over into a larger regional conflict? >> it could be. so that's one of the things we want to track closely. >> courtney, we've seen u.s. strikes have not deterred other iranian-backed militias from attacking u.s. bases. so is the u.s. now considering any action specifically against the houthi rebels? >> reporter: well, lester, so far the u.s. has not launched any strikes against the houthi rebels recently. but officials here tell us after this weekend's attack they are not ruling anything out. lester? >> courtney kube at the pentagon. thank you. tonight the white house is condemning a pro-palestinian protest outside a jewish-owned restaurant in philadelphia as completely unjustifiable and antisemitic. stephanie gosk is there for us tonight. >> reporter: at goldie falafel shop in philadelphia a lunchtime rush. little sign of the scene sunday night where police say 400 to 500 protesters gathered. >> goldie goldie you can't hide. we charge you with genocide! >> reporter: they accused the restaurant co-owned by israeli chef michael solomonov of supporting genocide in gaza. today the white house called the protest antisemitic. pennsylvania's governor said it echoed 1930s germany. >> the purposeful gathering of a mob outside of a restaurant simply because it is owned by a jewish person, well, that's antisemitism, plain and simple. >> reporter: solomonov has multiple restaurants in the area specializing in israeli food. he was born in israel but grew up in pittsburgh. so far the award-winning chef hasn't commented publicly. a pro-palestinian group that appears to have organized last night's protest called for a boycott of goldie's and other jewish-owned restaurants after the israel-hamas war began. the group did not respond to nbc news's request for comment. >> if you're protesting policies in israel, it's one thing. it's another thing when you're sitting here chanting things like we charge you with genocide. >> reporter: for some lining up today for falafel was a kind of counterprotest. >> people can have a lot of opinions about what's going on with the war in gaza. i think it's a lot of things. it's tragic. it's complicated. what it isn't is an excuse to treat people badly. >> reporter: the protest here was part of a larger demonstration. there was some vandalism, but police say no arrests. lester? >> all right, stephanie, thank you. and also in philadelphia a man is in custody after allegedly stabbing to death a macy's security guard and injuring another. police say the suspect tried to steal merchandise, was stopped by the guards and left, then returned and stabbed the guards. the suspect fled but was later arrested at a metro station. let's get to the urgent threat of flooding in the pacific northwest. melting snow in the mountains combined with heavy rain through mid-week have put 9 million under flood watches in washington and oregon. there's also a risk of mudslides and avalanches. al roker is tracking it. al, the worst isn't over yet. >> reporter: that's right, lester, this pineapple express, this plume of moisture coming all the way up through the pacific, into the pacific northwest, the rain is going to be coming and it's just going to keep coming because this is an atmospheric river that's just going to continue to bring flash flood watches and flash flood warnings from bellingham to brookings and back to spokane. rainfall amounts three to six inches along the coast, but some of that could be more. eight to eleven in the olympics. six to nine inches of rain in the cascades. and then you get to the upper elevations. we're talking over 9,000 feet anywhere from 6 to 18 inches of snow, lester. >> all right, al, thanks very much. now to washington, where the supreme court heard arguments over a deal that would give money to victims of the opioid epidemic but shield the family who created oxycontin from future lawsuits. kate snow has the story. >> this abuse of bankruptcy! >> reporter: they're one of the most infamous families in america, with their role in creating purdue's popular painkiller oxycontin, the subject of popular shows and movies. >> it's poison. >> what's that? >> that's all this is, it's poison. >> reporter: today the supreme court hearing arguments over a bankruptcy court deal that shields the sackler family from future liability from lawsuits in exchange for paying $6 billion to help victims of the opioid crisis. >> what it means is that the family members cannot be sued civilly by anybody even those who disagreed with the settlement. so that's the issue before the supreme court. >> reporter: the deal took years to craft and was approved by a lower court. lawyers for the justice department today arguing that since the company filed for bankruptcy but not members of the sackler family the sacklers should not be protected from lawsuits. >> it would raise serious due process concerns and seventh amendment concerns. >> reporter: the justices appeared conflicted, expressing both reservations about the deal and concerns about overturning it. >> it's overwhelming, the support for this deal, among people who think that the sacklers are pretty much the worst people on earth. they've negotiated a deal which they think is the best that they can get. >> reporter: ellen isaacs does not think it's the best deal they can get. she and her son ryan were both oxycontin users. he died of an overdose five years ago. she wants those who've suffered to be able to sue the sacklers. >> you've done this to our families. you killed our children. you created all kinds of mental health problems across the entire country. and it's just wrong. and you need to finally step up. >> reporter: a supreme court decision is expected in the coming months. kate snow, nbc news. the justice department today arrested a former high-ranking u.s. diplomat accused of being a spy for cuba for more than four decades. it says victor manuel rocha was caught in an fbi sting operation. the attorney general called it one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the u.s. government. rocha was a u.s. ambassador to bolivia and served in many other diplomatic posts. he has not yet entered a plea. in 60 seconds an american vacationer killed in a shark attack in the bahamas. and the potential new clue to that mysterious virus spreading in dogs. nd cowboys were one and the same. my daddy's a cowboy. i'm a cowboy and i'm raising a cowgirl. and discovering that my family come from farmers, for generations. this life is in our blood. and we ain't stopping no time soon. give the gift of family heritage with ancestry. i've always been prone to hair thinning. i'm genetically predisposed. i just gave birth. i was under a lot of stress. i started taking nutrafol. we test our formulations with the highest rigor of clinical trials and we're the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement. i noticed it becoming... stronger and thicker. nutrafol has taken me back to the hair i was meant to have. i am back to me. start your hair growth journey at nutrafol.com a tourist tragedy in the bahamas to report. police say an american woman was attacked by a shark and killed while paddleboarding less than a mile from a resort's shoreline. first responders took a boat out to rescue her but found no signs of life. she has not yet been named. and a health alert tonight. we have told you about the mysterious illness striking seemingly healthy dogs across the u.s. now doctors may have found some critical clues. here's priscilla thompson. >> this is maple. >> reporter: seven-month-old australian shepherd maple was a happy healthy puppy. until her owner adriana noticed a cough. >> she's coughing pretty much every other minute. >> reporter: as maple's cough grew even worse adriana panicked and rushed to the vet. >> i was really scared. >> reporter: maple was sent home with antibiotics. the vet told adriana the symptoms were likely caused by the mysterious respiratory illness plaguing dogs across the country. >> i would say that there's probably more that we don't know than what we know, which is frustrating. >> reporter: at texas a&m college of veterinary medicine dr. kate iker began studying the illness after seeing a rash of cases in the spring, including her own puppy. >> what should dog owners be looking out for? >> something like discharge with the eye, a soft cough, like actually just what he just did. >> reporter: an online data base shows dog owners are now reporting suspected cases in 37 states, with at least a dozen deaths. the cause of the surge in cases, experts say, could include a new pathogen, low vaccination rates, or lower immunity levels after pandemic isolation. dr. iker found one bacteria alone present in 75% of the severely ill dogs she tested. and in reviewing x-rays noticed a pattern. >> are the patterns that we're seeing here important? >> they're really important. a lot of the pattern or sort of the brightness that we would see wasn't in the spot where we would normally see it. it was occurring further back in the chest. >> reporter: understanding the pattern, she says, could be key for vets to know what medication to prescribe. treatment dog lovers may need to help their best friends. priscilla thompson, nbc news, college station, texas. we have more to tell you about. coming up, saving the most vulnerable babies of gaza. the critical mission. plus the deadly eruption of a volcano and the search for missing climbers. next. - oh, so many medicare plans. - that's why you're comparing all in one plans all in one place with ehealth. - oh, hey. - based on what we talked about, your doctor. - my pharmacy. - your budget. - my medications. - you have a match. - whoa, how is all this a free service? 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>> reporter: "yes. i'm very happy," she says. nora thought she might not ever see leanne and her twin sister again. the girls were among some 39 babies separated from their families as violence engulfed the al shifa hospital. >> rpg. >> reporter: israel the u.s. and european union allege hamas used hospitals to conceal its military operations and patients as human shields, allegations hamas denies. days into the siege doctors say the babies began to die. these images of the sick babies emerged from al shifa. while at the evacuated al nasr hospital this footage of the remains of babies left behind. the hamas-run health ministry says they were prevented from evacuating them. israel slamming that as false but also a perverse exploitation of innocent lives. back at al shifa 31 babies made it out alive. a dozen brought here to a cairo hospital. >> they brought them for us with very bad general condition. now more or less stable. >> reporter: dr. mohammed abu sukin says all but two are alone. dr. sukein takes us to see baby halema known only by his mother's name. >> what happened to his eye? >> removed. explosion. all the building. all the neighbors died. >> reporter: doctors say this is what baby halema looked like when he arrived, now growing stronger every day. >> during sleeping i dream by this boy. >> you dream about this boy. >> yes. actual. >> what do you dream? >> i dream that he's happy. this boy is happy. >> reporter: tonight as the bombs drop in gaza that dream for all its children never seemed so far away. erin mclaughlin, nbc news, cairo. all right. we'll take a break. coming up, the small town spirit that saved a store that is so much more than groceries. leukemia, calquence helps you do the fighting. and you can do the exploring. you can do the splashing... ...the sightseeing... ...and the playing. calquence is an oral targeted therapy for cll. more patients begin with calquence than any treatment of its kind, and calquence is proven to work better than chemoimmunotherapy in patients with previously untreated cll. calquence may cause serious side effects, which may lead to death. these include serious infections with fever, chills, or flu-like symptoms; and bleeding problems that may increase with blood thinners. decreased blood counts are common and can be severe. new cancers have happened, including skin cancers. heart rhythm problems with fast or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, feeling faint, chest discomfort, or shortness of breath, have happened. tell your doctor if you have bleeding, heart rhythm, or liver problems; infection, or if you are or plan to be pregnant or breastfeeding. calquence helps you do the fighting. and you can focus on the things you're loving. ask your doctor if calquence is right for you. is this for me? 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