Immigrant entrepreneurs are stealing billions of dollars from American taxpayers, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said as he began a Tuesday hearing on welfare fraud for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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A surge in Somali piracy is fueling fears of a Red Sea "security vacuum" across the region as analysts warn of a revived maritime crime playbook, now linked to Iran-backed Houthis.
The warning follows a May 2 report from Yemen’s coast guard that armed men hijacked an oil tanker off Shabwa and steered it toward the Gulf of Aden, and the vessel has since been located with recovery efforts underway, Reuters reported.
"There is a fundamental shift in the maritime center of gravity amid a new phase of maritime instability in the region," Ido Shalev, chief operating officer at RTCOM Defense, told Fox News Digital.
"Somali and Houthi-linked groups are teaming up — using skiffs and new tech to strike ships with coordination not seen in a decade — while Saudi crude rerouted from the Strait of Hormuz has created a ‘target-rich environment for them,’" he added.
COULD SOMALILAND BASE EMERGE AS US FOOTHOLD AGAINST IRAN, HOUTHIS IN KEY SEA LANES?
"There is an opportunistic alignment, with the Houthis providing geopolitical cover and advanced GPS and surveillance, and Somali groups providing the boots on the ground or skiffs on the water," Shalev said.
With the MT Eureka taken off Shabwa, Shalev, a former Israeli naval officer, suggested what he called the "Somali model" had returned "with a vengeance."
"This is a transactional collaboration, and in the exact area where the Houthis are active and would like to cause damage and support their IRGC sponsor," he said before describing how pirates would hijack the entire ship and cargo, taking them to a secure anchorage "like Qandala or Garacad."
"They then demand a ransom for the entire package: the vessel, the tens of millions of dollars in oil, and the crew," he said.
The surge in regional risk is also exacerbated, Shalev said, by the volatility of the Strait of Hormuz. As Iranian-backed threats persist in the Persian Gulf, global energy flows are shifting.
"Due to the closure and instability of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of crude per day through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu," the former Israeli naval officer said.
"This creates a target-rich environment in a sector that was previously a backbound route. With Brent Crude prices surging — peaking near $115/bbl this quarter — the prize for a successful hijacking has never been higher."
The risk level in waters off Somalia was recently upgraded to "substantial" following a wave of hijackings and attempted attacks that began April 21, according to Windward AI and alerts from the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
At least three vessels were hijacked within days: a Somali-flagged fishing boat on April 21, followed by the Palau-flagged tanker Honour 25 (IMO 1099735), and, by April 26, a general cargo ship seized and redirected to Garacad.
ISRAEL’S NAVY HITS HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN 'UNIQUE' STRIKE AFTER TRUMP PROMISES END TO US OPS
Shalev, who served as the lead architect for Nigeria’s "Falcon Eye" project — a surveillance system that successfully reduced piracy in those waters to 0% — warned that the distraction of global warships is being exploited.
"Because international naval forces are preoccupied with missile threats, a ‘security vacuum’ has now opened in the region, so pirates can travel vast distances in skiffs to board vulnerable commercial vessels," he said.
"Somali piracy, which had been suppressed for years, has seen this sharp resurgence that also correlates perfectly with the Houthi crisis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," Shalev said.
The Red Sea carries 12% to 15% of global trade and about 30% of container traffic, moving over $1 trillion in goods annually, including oil and LNG, according to reports.
"The current crisis proves that you cannot ‘patrol’ your way out of this; you have to see the threat before it ever reaches the ship," Shalev said.
JOHANNESBURG: A major defeat for Russia’s mercenary Africa Corps, in a battle with jihadist and tribal militia, is being reported in Mali. Deadly attacks by al Qaeda-linked rebels and mostly-Muslim Tuareg tribesmen across cities in the West African country are continuing Monday, also with reports of senior figures in Mali’s military junta being killed or injured.
Analysts say this could be a turning point in Moscow’s influence in West Africa. Russia has been grabbing Mali’s precious minerals, including gold, in return for promising to protect the country against the rebels. Sunday, though, rebels reported that Russian mercenaries have been forced to retreat from their base in the northern city of Kidal.
"The attacks are a major blow to Russia", Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told the Associated Press. He added, "The (Russian) mercenaries had no intelligence about the attacks and were unable to protect major cities. They have unnecessarily worsened the conflict by not distinguishing between civilians and combatants."
Video of dead soldiers who appear with their features to be Russian, and of Russian military vehicles reportedly leaving Kidal, has been seen by Fox News Digital.
US ALLOWING SOME NIGERIA EMBASSY STAFF TO EVACUATE OVER 'DETERIORATING SECURITY SITUATION'
The Defense News Nigeria media site reported that Russia’s Africa Corps stated in Kidal "they were heavily outnumbered by a ratio of 6 to 1," adding "the Corps claimed that between 10,000 and 12,000 fighters were involved in yesterday’s attacks. There are 2,000 Russian mercenaries operating in Mali. The Malian government pays Wagner $10 million per month for security," according to the Nigerian publication.
A Russian blog on Telegram Monday, claiming to come from Kidal, stated "the units of the African Corps that were stationed and fought in Kidal left this settlement together with the military personnel of the Malian army. First of all, wounded servicemen and heavy equipment were evacuated. The personnel continues to carry out the assigned combat mission. The situation in the Republic of Mali remains difficult."
A spokesperson for the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, told the Associated Press that the Russian troops have withdrawn from the city after a "white" agreement was reached. This has not been confirmed by either Mali’s government or Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Russia's ministry of foreign affairs said on its Telegram account that "two hundred and fifty militants attacked Bamako Senou International Airport and the military base located nearby. The Malian Armed Forces repelled the attack and are currently taking further steps to eliminate the militia that may have been, reportedly, trained by Western security agencies. Russia is deeply concerned about these developments. This terrorist activity poses a direct threat to the stability of friendly Mali and could have the most serious consequences for the entire region."
Mali’s military junta, which first took power in a coup in 2020, Monday announced that both the chief of the armed forces’ general staff, Gen. Oumar Diarra, and the director of the national security agency, Gen. Modibo Koné, have been wounded in attacks.
The government confirmed earlier that Sadio Camara, said to be the second most important figure in Mali’s military junta, had been killed in the fighting. Camara was Mali’s defense minister, and is widely credited with bringing in Moscow’s mercenary Africa Corps to assist in battling the militia.
The rebels attempting to take over Mali are said to be jihadists from the Nusrat al-Islam (GSIM/JNIM) linked with the tribesmen of the FLA and other groups, including at least one linked with Islamic State. The GSIM’s declared aim is to turn Mali into an al Qaeda-linked Islamic caliphate with strict Sharia law.
"The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Mali," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital Monday, adding: "We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected. We stand with the Malian people and government in the face of this violence. The United States remains committed to supporting efforts to advance peace, stability, and security across Mali and the region."
The U.S. Embassy in Mali warned Sunday on its website that "U.S. citizens should continue to shelter in place, remain alert, follow local news for updates, and avoid areas where security operations may be underway."
On Monday, multiple reports said Malian troops and Russian mercenaries have also been forced by rebels to withdraw from the northern Malian city of Tessit. At the time of publication, this had not been confirmed by the Malian government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
