iranian backed houthi rebels claiming responsibility. israel intensifies its deadly assault from the air, and on the ground, officials confirm soldiers are fighting in southern gaza. hundreds reportedly killed in one of the deadliest bombardments since the ceasefire collapsed. victims buried under rubble, many of them children. tonight u.s. officials warn israel to protect civilian lives. and what we're learning from the newly released hostages, what they endured in tom soufi burridge reports from israel. just weeks before christmas, paris on high alert after a deadly attack near the eiffel tower. police are investigating it as a possible terrorist attack. also tonight, dangerous winter storms on both coasts, as much as a foot of snow could pile up in parts of new england. in the west, several days of heavy rain and snow expected. our weather team times it out. the shocking crime scene in new york city, where police say a man went on a deadly stabbing rampage. danger in the skies? "the new york times" reports the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers could put travellers at risk, with some allegedly showing up for work drunk, others falling asleep on the job. how the faa and union are responding tonight. a break in the case after that week-long manhunt for a suspected serial killer. what we've just learned about the suspect accused of murdering at least four people, including three homeless men. the technology that helped them track down the suspect. and why police think there could be more victims. back in action, lebron james' son, bronny, returns to the court months after suffering cardiac arrest. and america strong tonight, remembering a woman who taught us to love every moment. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >> good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on another busy sunday. i'm linsey davis. tonight, there are renewed fears that the war between israel and hamas could expand after multiple attacks on cargo vessels in the red sea. they were in the vicinity of a u.s. navy destroyer. u.s. officials say the assault by yemen's irani backed houthi rebels lasted for hours. the uss carney operating in international waters, engaged and shot down several drones traveling in its direction just weeks after it shot down missiles and drones potentially headed toward israel. this major escalation comes as israel said it was expanding its ground operations throughout gaza. the death toll now more than 15,000, according to the hamas-run palestinian health ministry. and after some of the strongest calls yet from the white house for restraint by israel, the vice president says too many innocent palestinians have been killed. we have team reporting tonight. tom soufi burridge is standing by in israel. but mary alice parks leads us off from the white house. >> reporter: tonight, a major escalation in the middle east. the u.s. pointing the finger directly at iran for a series of missile attacks on multiple vessels in the red sea and drones flying towards a u.s. warship. over the course of six hours, the uss carney took out three drones, the pentagon says, acting in self-defense. the drones flying overhead, right in the direction of the american warship and other vessels. the hostilities began when several commercial ships fell under attack. ballistic missiles fired from houthi-controlled areas of yemen hitting three vessels in busy shipping lanes. the uss carney responding to the distress calls, defending civilian ships, and finding drones overhead. the drones were also launched from houthi-controlled territories of yemen. the houthis claiming their goal was to target israeli ships. a u.s. official tells abc news, some of the commercial vessels may have had connections to israel. no one was reported injured. it's the latest attack on commercial shipping by the houthi rebels. last month, they released video showing armed members using a helicopter to hijack a cargo ship. the carney, one of several u.s. warships and aircraft carriers sent to the red sea after the outbreak of israel's war with hamas. >> the u.s. is being very careful not to turn the red sea into a shooting gallery. >> reporter: the houthis claim this unverified video shows them shooting down a u.s. reaper drone last month. and in late october, the carney already intercepting four missiles and 15 drones headed from houthi-controlled territories towards targets in israel. >> mary alice joins us now from the white house. mary alice, what are you hearing from your sources about how the u.s. might respond? >> reporter: linsey, the pentagon put out a formal statement saying it would consider all appropriate responses in coordination with allies and partners. several countries had civilians who were under attack today, but this is delicate. the u.s. is trying to protect this area. they will feel the need to hit some houthi targets. but of course they are trying not to escalate things too much, linsey. >> certainly a delicate situation there. mary alice, thank you. tonight the israeli army is ordering more evacuations in the southern part of gaza and says it has now expanded its ground offensive to every part of the gaza strip. many palestinians say they're running out of places to go. abc's tom soufi burridge from israel, and a warning some of the images may be difficult to watch. [ sound of gunfire ] >> reporter: tonight, israel expanding its assault on gaza. for the first time confirming its ground forces are now operating in every area of the strip, including the south. massive missile strikes, as hamas fired rockets into southern israel. the israeli military claiming it hit hundreds of terror targets in northern and southern gaza this weekend. >> we see here a fighting tunnel of hamas 15 meters deep right outside a school. >> reporter: entire residential blocks destroyed. the u.n. says hundreds buried in the rubble. wounded rushed through the streets. the hamas-run health ministry calling today one of the deadliest days of the war. more than 700 killed since the ceasefire collapsed friday. little saeed covered in dust, kissing his lifeless brother, maha mad, refusing to stop, as they zip the body bag around him. sayeed pleading, bury me with him. and the cries of wounded children echoing through this hospital. israeli officials now expanding evacuation orders in the south, where nearly 2 million people have fled, seeking safety. but israel is striking there too. residents in khan younis running for cover. unicef saying, nowhere is safe. >> children with shrapnel, with third degree burns, with broken bones, with head injuries, those are children who were meant to be in a safe place. >> reporter: with the death toll mounting, the u.s. warning israel, if it doesn't protect palestinian civilians, support for hamas could grow. >> if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat. >> reporter: and vice president kamala harris also not mincing words. >> too many innocent palestinians have been killed. ♪ >> reporter: tonight the fate of 130 hostages still uncertain. protests in the streets of israel. we spoke with lee siegel. his brother, keith, one of eight americans in captivity. keith's wife, aviva, was released days ago. >> her first sentence was, i went through hell. no freedom, not knowing when their next meal is coming. >> and above all else, you want another pause in the fighting. >> we want whatever needs to be done done quickly to allow keith and all the hostages to be returned. >> that's the hope of so many tonight. tom soufi burridge joins us now. tom, with the fighting resumed, what kind of pressure is israel getting from the international community to protect civilian life? >> reporter: israel is under increasing pressure from the u.s. and other allies, with france, the uk, spain, and belgium publicly expressing concern or even criticism. israel promising it will make the maximum effort to safeguard gaza's civilian population. linsey? >> tom, thank you. french authorities are on heightened alert after a deadly knife attack near the eiffel tower. police say the suspect had sworn allegiance to the islamic state. abc is following developments from london. lama? >> reporter: linsey, tonight paris is on high alert after a man wielding a knife and a hammer went on a rampage on saturday night near the eiffel tower. according to the french prosecutor, just after 9:00 p.m. local time, he lunged at a german tourist, killing him, then fleeing on foot. he attacked two passers by. police used a stun gun to subdue him, then arresting him. now, the accused man is in his mid 20s. he's a french national known to intelligence services. he's already served a four-year prison sentence for conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack. and he'd been under psychiatric treatment. as for his motive, he told police he's upset at seeing so many muslims dying in afghanistan and the palestinian territories and that he believes france is complicit in the deaths of palestinians in gaza. linsey? >> lama, thank you. here at home, we're tracking storms that are bringing unsettled weather to both coasts. the same system that hit florida this weekend is dumping heavy rain and some snow in parts of the northeast. in the west, winter weather alerts from a series of storms leading to has zous road conditions. these images coming in from northern utah. abc meteorologist so mara theodore joins us now. so somara, what's in store for the week ahead? >> reporter: well, linsey, we van active weekend shaping up. we have to get through this rain maker on the east coast. the last of the showers are now moving out of the northeast. however, the northern tier of the storm will bring disruptive snow to parts of far north new england tomorrow, the worst of the conditions arriving during the monday morning commute. 6 inches to over a foot. the west coast is gearing up for a barrage of storms, leading to multiple weather warnings and advisories. and with this next system being so warm and rainier, avalanche warnings have been issued for parts of the cascade mountains. >> thank you. here in new york, authorities are searching for a motive after horrific fatal stabbings. police say a man killed four people, including two children, in what's believed to be a family dispute. two officers were also wounded before the suspect was killed. authorities say the suspect tried to then set the home on fire. here's abc's morgan norwood. >> reporter: tonight a horrific scene in queens, where police say a man went on a stabbing rampage before setting the house on fire and then attacking officers. >> this scene was chaos, multiple victims, a house on fire, and a madman on a rampage, on a mission. >> reporter: the force calls for help coming in around 5:00 this morning from a young girl telling dispatchers her cousin is killing her family members. first responders racing to the home. police confronting the suspect, 38-year-old courtney gordon, in the driveway. >> the male draws a knife on officers. he stabs one officer in the neck/chest area. he strikes the second officer in the head. >> reporter: officers immediately shooting gordon. he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. officers tried to go inside, but the flames were tearing through the living room. once the fire was put out, police say they made yet another disturbing discovery. >> we found another three victims, all dead. >> reporter: in all, a family of four, an 11-year-old girl, 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old woman, and a man in his 30s. tonight authorities are working to determine what caused gordon to snap and turn on his own family. and linsey, we're learning those two officers are expected to be okay. in fact, one set to be released from the hospital as soon as tonight. linsey? >> glad to hear that. morgan, thank you. new concerns tonight about the safety of america's skies, after a series of near misses. an investigation finds repeated lapses by air traffic control personnel, including sleeping on the job and the use of alcohol, according to "the new york times." the controllers union is denouncing that report. abc's reena roy reports from new york. >> reporter: tonight an alarming new investigation into air traffic controllers, as millions prepare for the holiday travel rush. "the new york times" detailing multiple incidents where air traffic controllers were allegedly sleeping on duty or using alcohol and drugs. the report not independently confirmed by abc news covers hundreds of complaints to the faa hotline over two years, saying one employee showed up to work this summer drunk, joking about making big money buzzed. the faa telling abc news, the report in "the new york times" is not reflective of the overall high safety standard that exists throughout the national aerospace system. flying has never been safer. the industry already facing scrutiny, after an unprecedented number of nearmisses across the country, like this one earlier this year. >> southwest, abort. fedex is on the go. >> reporter: a fedex flight cleared to land in austin came within 100 feet of a southwest plane taking off. and back in june at boston logan airport -- >> it's not going to -- it's not going to -- oh, it did! >> reporter: just last month, high levels of overtime among air traffic controllers, leading to, quote, absenteeism, lower productivity, and fatigue. and despite more passengers and planes in the air, there are about 1,000 fewer air trafficker controllers than there were ten years ago. >> and the air traffic controllers union is firing back, saying the report is an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of their professionalism and skill. but did acknowledge the ongoing staffing issues and fatigue introduce unnecessary risk into the system. linsey? >> all of it disconcerting there. reena, thank you. police in los angeles are trying to determine if the alleged serial killer arrested in the fatal shootings of four people has killed before. those four murders took place over the course of four days. three of the victims were experiencing homelessness. more now from abc's jaclyn lee. >> reporter: tonight police in los angeles are searching for more possible victims of an alleged serial killer, now being held on $2 million bail after a week long manhunt. >> what make you believe there are additional victims out there? >> he didn't start doing the this a week ago. >> reporter: officials say 33-year-old jerrid powell killed four people, one each day between november 26th and 29th. three victims were unhoused men between the ages of 37 and 62. each shot separately while they were sleeping alone on a sidewalk or in an alley, according to police. >> it was chilling, the cold blooded manner in which he walks up and shoots this individual without any hesitation. >> reporter: authorities say powell followed a fourth victim home to rob him, gunning the husband and father of two down in his own garage. investigators identifying a gray bmw of interest in running an automatic license plate reader system, leading to powell's arrest in beverly hills. >> the result of their work has positively identified the hand begun recovered from mr. powell's car as being the murder weapon of our three homicides. >> reporter: linsey, the l.a. district attorney said he and his team will review the case tomorrow and decide on charges. linsey? 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