This is part six of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.

Germany is pledging to become a more powerful military force inside NATO, with Berlin’s ambassador to Washington telling Fox News Digital that the country is ready to assume greater responsibility for European security after decades in which the United States carried much of the alliance’s military burden.

"Germany is stepping up — we heard the call!" German Ambassador to the United States Jens Hanefeld told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Germany’s armed forces should become the strongest conventional army in Europe, a goal Hanefeld said is now backed by Berlin’s new military strategy.

UK, GERMAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS DEFEND MILITARY BUILDUP UNDER RUSSIAN THREATS

"Russia’s illegal war of aggression has shaken old certainties in Europe and Germany as the international rules we have relied on are being challenged," Hanefeld said. "This changes the strategic environment we operate in."

"Today, Germany is Ukraine’s largest supporter," Hanefeld said in written answers. "Germany’s decision to become Europe’s strongest conventional army, well anchored in the NATO alliance, is an ongoing commitment."

The shift marks a historic turn for a country whose postwar military identity was built around restraint. 

After World War II, West Germany was allowed to rearm only within a Western alliance framework, joining NATO in 1955 and building the Bundeswehr as a force embedded in collective defense rather than independent German power. For decades after reunification, Germany relied heavily on the U.S. security umbrella and often lagged behind NATO spending targets, feeding repeated American complaints that Europe’s largest economy was not pulling its weight.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced Berlin to begin rethinking that posture. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the shift a "Zeitenwende," or turning point. Merz is now seeking to turn that phrase into a long-term military buildup.

In Germany, Hanefeld said, the changes underway are often described as a "Zeitenwende," but he acknowledged that the transformation does not come easily given the country’s history.

GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS MILITARY DRAFT COULD RETURN IF VOLUNTEER NUMBERS FALL SHORT

The effort is unfolding against a backdrop of public friction between President Donald Trump and Merz, a dispute that a U.S. defense expert warned could complicate critical decisions on deterring Russia.

The tension escalated after Merz criticized Washington’s handling of the Iran war, saying the United States was being "humiliated" by Iran’s leadership in negotiations and questioning the Trump administration’s exit strategy. Trump fired back by accusing Merz of being soft on Iran’s nuclear program, even though Merz has said Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon.

The dispute quickly spilled into NATO politics. Trump later threatened to review possible U.S. troop reductions in Germany and said Merz should spend more time ending the war in Ukraine and "fixing his broken country" than commenting on Iran.

Then Merz added another irritant. Speaking to a young audience in Germany, he said he would not advise his children to live, study or work in the United States "today," citing America’s changing social climate, while also saying he remained "a great admirer of America," but "My admiration isn’t growing at the moment."

GERMANY'S MERZ TO 'ADAPT' TO TRUMP DURING HIGH-STAKES MEETING ON TARIFFS, DEFENSE

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former U.S. European Command official, told Fox News Digital that Merz was wrong to speak that way about Trump at a moment when Germany needs Washington’s support. 

"Talking trash about the president at a meeting with school kids in Germany is not professional diplomacy, and especially a president who is well-known to be prickly as President Trump," Montgomery said. "Germany is not the big country in this relationship, the United States is, and Merz needed to show more discipline as a national leader." 

Montgomery said those tensions risk affecting hard security decisions, including long-range strike capabilities in Germany.

He criticized recent U.S. moves to delay or potentially cancel a rotational deployment of long-range strike systems to Germany, which he said would have included Tomahawk, SM-6 or Precision Strike Missile capabilities. Reuters reported in May that Germany’s defense ministry said there had been no "definitive cancellation" of the deployment.

"Both of these are bad decisions being made by our Department of Defense," Montgomery said. "These are weapons systems that are incredibly important to deterring Russia."

He said the goal is not to fight Russia in Poland, the Baltics or the Suwałki Gap, but to prevent Moscow from attacking in the first place.

"And those long-range strike weapons are a big part of that. And I’m very disappointed in our Department of Defense," Montgomery said.

A source with knowledge of the matter said that despite briefings about possible decreases in U.S. involvement, the U.S.–Germany defense relationship remains strong and cooperation remains close.

'PUTIN IS PUSHING THE LIMITS’: EASTERN ALLIES WARN TRUMP NOT TO PULL US TROOPS

"Germany developing a large, impressive defense industrial base is good for NATO, it’s good for Western security, and it’s even good for our primes," Montgomery said, arguing that Germany, not Poland, France or the United Kingdom, is most likely to become the "beating heart" of Europe’s future defense industrial base.

Germany has long been central to the U.S. military presence in Europe. Hanefeld pointed to Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the training area in Grafenwöhr as examples of Germany’s continuing importance to American power projection and NATO deterrence.

"These facilities serve U.S. national security interests and U.S. military personnel and further NATO’s ability to deter and defend," he said. "I am confident: NATO will remain transatlantic at its core, but will become more European over the next decade."

At the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP annually in defense and defense-related spending by 2035, including core military spending and broader security investments. Merz said at the time that the decision was meant to safeguard "freedom, security and prosperity," according to the German government.

Hanefeld said Germany is already moving to meet that standard, saying Berlin will increase defense spending to 5% of GDP "well before" 2035 and recruit almost 100,000 new active-duty soldiers into the Bundeswehr.

He also pushed back against U.S. critics who argue that Germany and other European allies are still not carrying their fair share of the defense burden. Hanefeld said Germany has signed more than 380 contracts worth more than $33 billion with U.S. defense companies to procure and manufacture fighter jets, transport helicopters, air defense systems and ammunition.

"It’s a down payment on the transatlantic future and on our political commitment to shift the burden for deterrence and defense to Europe," Hanefeld said.

TRUMP PUSHED NATO TO SPEND BIG — NOW COMES THE HARDER QUESTION: CAN EUROPE ACTUALLY FIGHT?

One of Germany’s most visible commitments is its permanent brigade in Lithuania, expected to include around 5,000 German military and civilian personnel. The Bundeswehr says the force is intended to become fully operational for the defense of NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic region within three years.

Hanefeld called the brigade one of Germany’s "signature efforts" to reassure Baltic allies that NATO "will defend every inch of allied territory."

For Germany, the change is not only about money. It is a political and cultural break with decades of caution about military power. For the United States, it is also a test of whether the ally long criticized by Trump and other U.S. leaders for underspending can now become the European backbone Washington has demanded.

Hanefeld said that is exactly where Berlin intends to go.

"NATO will remain transatlantic at its core," he said, "but will become more European over the next decade."

Former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Dr. Ben Carson spoke about the upcoming premiere of the animated Star Spangled Adventures: The Movie at the Trump Kennedy Center, and how it uses "animation to tell the story of America."

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The Trump administration has moved to restrict foreign access to some of the most advanced artificial intelligence technology developed in the United States, according to a report published Friday.

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A district court in Seoul, South Korea, sentenced impeached former President Yoon Suk-yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday.

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Mexican authorities discovered a decomposing corpse with "signs of violence" near Tijuana's Caliente Stadium, where the Iranian national soccer team is training during the World Cup, according to a New York Post report.

Authorities responded to complaints about a bad smell wafting from a gray Toyota SUV with California plates parked in a grocery store parking lot near the stadium, the Post reported.

"Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence," a spokesperson for the Tijuana prosecutor's office told the Post.

According to the report, the car had a damaged back end and was equipped with a license plate holder from a Tijuana car dealership.

HIDDEN TUNNEL DISCOVERED IN TIJUANA MAY HAVE SUPPORTED CROSS-BORDER TRAFFICKING OPERATIONS

Mexican officials could be seen wearing white jumpsuits while collecting evidence from the car in photos taken from the scene.

TSUNAMI OF SEWAGE FROM MEXICO BARRELS TOWARD US COASTLINE, OFFICIALS WARN

Tijuana, located just across the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego, California, is frequently rated as one of the most violent cities in the world.

Iran's national team is training at Caliente Stadium in preparation for their upcoming World Cup game against New Zealand in Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium on Monday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) special agents detected a suspicious target of interest near Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico, which was later identified as a 30-foot rustic vessel. The rustic boat contained 40 migrants headed for the island. The occupants were apprehended and removed from the disabled vessel.

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On Friday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Briefing,” Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) responded to criticism of his past votes to fund DHS and ICE by saying that “those bills had millions of dollars for SNAP” and

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A group of gunmen shot and killed a journalist in Mexico. The crime comes just days after a female journalist was kidnapped in the same state of Veracruz. The attack is even more alarming as the murdered journalist was under government protection after having received threats from law enforcement.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Friday that he will fight to stay in office after the sudden resignation of his trusted defense minister left his shaky leadership weakened still further.

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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) fired 70 staff members working in Gaza after long-standing claims from Israeli authorities that the agency is a collaborator with the Hamas terrorist group.

"Today, the Commissioner-General ad interim of UNRWA, Christian Saunders, took the decision to terminate the employment of 70 UNRWA staff members in Gaza with immediate effect," UNRWA wrote in a Friday statement.

UNRWA insisted its decision was not an admission of guilt, but one taken "to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves under its mandate and for UNRWA personnel and premises."

The agency claims it has "repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza but has received no response to date."

ISRAEL SAYS UN MISLEADS WORLD AS GAZA AID STOLEN AND DIVERTED FROM CIVILIANS

"The dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them," the UNRWA statement read.

The firings follow a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) investigation that referred more than 100 UNRWA staff members for suspension or dismissal.

USAID's investigation, the results of which the agency published June 5, assessed that a number of UNRWA's employees were deeply enmeshed in Hamas' civil society and military operations.

The investigation results included mention of "a deputy school principal serving as an al-Qassam deputy company commander in the Ain Gallout/5th infantry battalion, a deputy school principal serving as squad leader for the Khan Younis Brigade/2nd infantry battalion" and "a teacher with expertise as a sniper for Hamas."

The investigation also found numerous school teachers and principals it claimed to have participated directly in Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Israeli authorities have long charged UNRWA with being directly tied to Hamas.

"Since October 7, evidence of numerous incidents of Hamas exploiting UNRWA infrastructure and UNRWA employees being involved in terrorist activity has been exposed. Civilians in Gaza have even stated that UNRWA is Hamas," the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wrote in a January web post.

Additionally, the IDF claimed, citing intelligence findings, that "among the 12,521 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, at least 1,462 (12%) are members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations."

UNRWA SCHOOLS ‘HIJACKED BY HAMAS,’ WATCHDOG REPORT WARNS

Israel's Foreign Ministry pushed back on UNRWA's defense framing and claims that Israel had not supplied evidence of employee-Hamas collaboration.

"UNRWA's statement on the termination of 70 employees, while blaming the victim, Israel, and without even mentioning the word 'Hamas,' is a cynical cover-up," the ministry wrote in a statement shared on X.

"The responsibility to purge terrorism lies solely with the UN, yet Hamas membership remains simply acceptable within UNRWA's ranks. By harboring terrorists and letting its facilities serve as Hamas headquarters, UNRWA has become an arm of Hamas," the statement concluded.

UNRWA, for its part, denies being an active collaborator with Hamas, but insists working with the group is an operational necessity for distributing aid in Gaza.

"UNRWA, similar to other United Nations entities, does not have police or intelligence capacities and must rely on the cooperation and assistance of Member States, including the State of Israel as the Occupying Power, to protect its operations and neutrality amid high risks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the agency wrote in its Friday statement.

In April, UNRWA's Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) announced the results of an investigation into 19 employees accused of participating in Oct. 7. UNRWA terminated 12 of the employees in January. Of the remaining seven cases, UNRWA had dismissed one, citing a lack of evidence. The remaining six cases were still under investigation as of April, according to the agency.

President Donald Trump's administration weighed levying terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA in December.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also referred to UNRWA as "a subsidiary of Hamas."

Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA and a spokesperson for the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations but did not immediately receive a response.

A 30-year-old woman was rushed to a hospital Saturday with serious injuries after being attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach, the latest in a string of recent shark attacks off Australia's coast.

Officials said emergency crews responded to Coogee Beach on Saturday morning following reports that a swimmer had been bitten.

The woman was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, police said in a statement.

"The woman was pulled from ⁠the water by members of the public who commenced ​first aid," police said.

AUSTRALIAN TEENAGER DIES IN DEVASTATING SHARK ATTACK, NEARLY 100 YARDS FROM POPULAR BEACH: REPORT

Authorities said she suffered serious injuries to her arm and leg.

Coogee Beach and two nearby beaches were closed following the attack.

The incident comes amid a recent series of fatal shark attacks across Australia.

SHARK ATTACK DEATHS SURGE ABOVE DECADE AVERAGE IN 2025

Last week, officials said a 35-year-old fisherman was killed by a suspected shark measuring nearly 15 feet long off the coast of Western Australia.

The man was spearfishing near Michaelmas Island, a protected sand cay near Albany.

On May 24, 39-year-old Michael Jensz was killed after suffering fatal injuries during a suspected bull shark attack while spearfishing along the Great Barrier Reef.

'LARGE SHARK' KILLS MAN AT AUSTRALIAN BEACH, WITH WITNESS DESCRIBING HEARING SCREAMS OF 'DON'T BITE ME!'

Just days earlier, on May 16, 38-year-old Steve Mattabonni was killed in a suspected great white shark attack near Rottnest Island, a popular tourist destination off Western Australia.

Earlier this year, a 12-year-old also died following a shark attack in Sydney Harbour.

Dozens of beaches along Australia's east coast were temporarily closed in January after four shark attacks were reported over a two-day period.

Officials said heavy rain had created murky water conditions that may have attracted sharks while reducing visibility.

Australia averages about 20 shark attacks each year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson and Reuters contributed to this report.

Texas Democrat James Talarico recently said he opposes gender reassignment surgeries for minors, despite voting against Texas legislation banning certain gender-transition procedures and treatments for children and arguing that restrictions on treatment for extreme gender dysphoria could harm minors.

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President Donald Trump announced Friday that the U.S. military killed Niño Guerrero, the leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, in what he described as a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" carried out by U.S. Southern Command at his direction.

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In a shocking revelation that rocked the Texas 15th Congressional District race, Latin Grammy-winning singer turned Democrat candidate Bobby Pulido was caught on tape bragging about helping his longtime bandmate—a convicted child sex offender—get out of jail. While Pulido’s campaign attempts to dismiss the surfacing of his own words as a “desperate smear,” the audio confirms the candidate boasted about his efforts to bail out accordionist Frankie Caballero, a man later imprisoned for the sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that illegal employment schemes generated more than $2.5 billion in suspicious activity tied to payroll tax fraud in 2025.

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The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly approved the Paramount Skydance $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to insiders.

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We're writing this from a decidedly terrestrial compound while the world finally gets its chance to buy shares of a company whose goal is to lead humanity into its interplanetary future.

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Two children were robbed while running a lemonade stand on Wednesday afternoon in a Boston neighborhood, and the incident has shaken community members.

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A majority of Americans believe Democrats are "for" open borders, a recent Harvard-Harris survey revealed.

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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is ripping into New York City's "shameful" socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani and vowing to surge ICE agents into NYC.

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The U.S. has called on Britain to urgently rediscover its strength in the wake of the resignation of two defence ministers in 24 hours.

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Gulf allies are backing President Donald Trump’s blockade and economic pressure campaign against Iran, telling Fox News Digital after a trip to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom that regional leaders believe Tehran is feeling the pain.

Waltz spoke to Fox News Digital on Thursday evening shortly after landing back in the United States, as reports of a possible deal with Iran began to emerge. He said the situation was still shifting by the hour, noting that Iran had launched another strike on Bahrain shortly after he left the region.

Waltz, the highest-level U.S. official to visit the region since the war began, said Gulf partners strongly support the administration’s efforts to keep pressure on Iran through both the blockade and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s "Operation Economic Fury."

SCOTT BESSENT SAYS IRAN UNDERSTANDS 'BRUTE FORCE' AS TRUMP WEIGHS OPTIONS AMID NUCLEAR STANDOFF

"They very much support the blockade," Waltz said, adding that allies shared with him "in a number of ways" how Bessent’s economic campaign is affecting the regime. The pressure campaign, Waltz said, is designed to squeeze Tehran while Trump continues negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

On Friday, an unnamed U.S. official told reporters in a briefing: "We do expect to be signing this agreement with Iran over the next few days. We assess it at 85%, but not 100%. We feel very good about the deal. We are not quite at the finish line, but we are very close"

Waltz said, "The UAE, in particular, believes that you have to keep that pressure and a very credible pressure," he told Fox News Digital. "That’s what the Iranians understand and respond to."

Waltz said leaders in the region validated U.S. assessments that Iran’s economy is deteriorating under the combined weight of sanctions, military pressure and isolation. He said Iran’s currency is "tanking," foreign currency reserves are running out, inflation is continuing to rise and the regime is struggling to pay the military, government employees and police.

TRUMP’S 'ECONOMIC FURY' SQUEEZES IRAN — BUT CAN TEHRAN OUTLAST THE PRESSURE?

"I think the regime is going to be increasingly desperate," Waltz said, adding that Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would use that pressure "to their advantage."

In the UAE, Waltz met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and the foreign minister, describing the Emiratis as among the most active regional partners against Iran. "There is zero daylight," Waltz said.

Waltz added the UAE has "both the capability and the will" to act, and said the Emiratis are prepared to take "short-term pain" to achieve the longer-term goal of blocking Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The UAE has been hit hard during the war. Waltz said the country had taken "by far the most missiles, the most drones, the most hits," but had moved quickly to repair damage and restore operations. 

Waltz also pointed to the Abraham Accords as a major factor in the UAE’s posture, saying the country’s growing partnership with Israel has become an "important shift" in the regional alignment against Iran.

Bahrain was another central stop on Waltz’s trip. The country hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and has been directly exposed to Iran’s attacks and threats around the Strait of Hormuz.

MIKE WALTZ PUSHES UN RESOLUTION TO STOP IRAN MINING KEY GLOBAL SHIPPING ROUTE

"Until you go and really sit with them, you can’t appreciate what a strong ally they are," Waltz said.

He said U.S. and allied teams in Bahrain are working with global shipping companies, local shipping officials, insurance companies and other maritime actors as the U.S. seeks to keep vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

Waltz accused Iran of making a "phenomenally bad decision" by attacking its neighbors, including hotels, port facilities and energy infrastructure. During one visit to a petroleum site, he said he saw evidence that Iran had targeted fire suppression systems and first responders before striking storage tanks, in an apparent effort to maximize damage.

"The Iranians were deliberately targeting fire suppression systems," Waltz said. "They were deliberately targeting first responders first."

Despite the strikes, Waltz said allied air defenses have had "over a 90% success rate" in shooting down Iranian missiles and drones, with U.S. forces working "hand in glove" with Gulf partners.

Waltz ended his trip in the United Kingdom, where he said officials have been strong partners at the U.N. Security Council on Iran. He acknowledged "hiccups" and "speed bumps" over basing and access issues, but said many of those concerns had been "smoothed over."

"When we’re working to keep the Iranians isolated diplomatically," Waltz said, "they’ve been very good to work with."

The Department of War on Friday released a third tranche of documents and videos on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), including multiple "orb" sightings over the northeastern United States in recent years.

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During an interview aired on Thursday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) argued that energy costs from data centers “should be internalized by tech companies themselves, rather than exported to the American people.” And “there’s a

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Government statistics have revealed that working-class white students are the demographic most disadvantaged by the British education system, despite receiving next to zero attention in the broader zeitgeist.

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The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, is traveling across Texas to highlight progress in the battle against the New World Screwworm. Rollins visited the Zavala County Ranch where the first case of the flesh-eating parasite was discovered and highlighted the full recovery of case one after nine days of treatment.

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The U.S. has hit back against threats to now block another Middle East waterway by Iranian terror proxy, the Houthis.

Earlier this week, the group declared a complete ban on Israeli-owned ships using the Red Sea, declaring them to be "legitimate targets."

The Red Sea and the waterway through its narrow Bab-el Mandeb Strait has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stopped functioning as the main route of navigation for shipping.

IRAN'S AFRICA ACTIVITIES POSE 'SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY'

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree posted on Monday, "We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and we consider all enemy movements to be legitimate targets."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a State Department spokesperson struck back: "The escalatory actions of Iran and their Houthi proxies are unacceptable. These dangerous actions only serve to further enflame tensions and further disrupt global supply chains. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz." 

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, "The Houthis have indeed risen to the challenge, at least verbally. In common with much ‘Axis of Resistance’ rhetoric at present, the intention appears to be to leverage U.S. political nervousness and market volatility, and to drive a wedge between the Americans and the Israelis."

Fitton-Brown, a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen, added, "Provided the allies keep talking to each other, the Israelis respond proportionately, as they have done, and the Iranians continue to provoke President Trump with actions like the downing of the helicopter, these tactics are unlikely to achieve significant success."

"It will be interesting if the Houthis do go all in, and resume their campaign against Red Sea shipping with full intensity," Fitton-Brown said, adding, "This will draw international anger and likely result in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Sana'a and Hodeida. There is potential for a general escalation if this happens, albeit one in which the allies have a clear military advantage."

US STRIKES ON YEMEN CONTINUE AFTER HOUTHI MISSILE HITS BY ISRAELI AIRPORT; TERROR GROUP VOWS 'AERIAL BLOCKADE'

Such actions come as reports emerge that Ethiopia, the Red Sea region’s most populous country, is stepping up as a major U.S. ally against Islamic terrorism.

While landlocked, Ethiopia has a population of some 130 million, making it the largest nation in the Horn of Africa. Located near parts of the Red Sea corridor, the country is roughly 60% Christian, according to a recent report by the Association of Religion Data Archives.

And despite it being landlocked, Ethiopian researcher Blen M. Diriba told Fox News Digital that the country acts as a strategic roadblock or "a keystone state" on the Islamist expansionist "highway" that has formed all the way from Iran to Sudan.

Diriba, executive director of the Horn Review — an Addis Ababa-based research and publication think tank — told Fox News Digital that "Ethiopia, long a frontline U.S. security partner, now sits at the center of an expanding pressure zone where maritime disruption, insurgent violence, terrorist threats, and proxy competition converge."

Diriba added. "Iran’s Bab el-Mandeb threat transforms the Horn of Africa into a militarized frontline, placing Ethiopia at the center of a choke point crisis. With Iranian influence radiating through conflict ecosystems in Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia, the region is beginning to resemble a continuous arc of instability stretching from the Arabian Peninsula into East Africa."

"Ethiopia sits at the center of one of the world's most combustible security corridors," Diriba continued. "And in strategic terms, its relevance to the United States is amplified, not diminished, by that reality: From the Red Sea disruptions driven by the Houthis to the persistent insurgency threat of al-Shabab in Somalia, Ethiopia functions as a massive inland security buffer whose stability directly shapes whether these threats expand or are contained."

IRAN’S KILLER DRONES INCREASE SLAUGHTER IN SUDAN AMID WORLD’S FORGOTTEN WAR

But in addition to being pro-U.S., Ethiopia also has relations with Iran.

Fitton-Brown believes to some extent Ethiopia can be accused of playing both sides, as he said Tehran "has helped Ethiopia with its internal conflicts, giving drone support and military aid to the Ethiopian government during the recent Tigray War."

He added, "There is a new memorandum of understanding built upon that basis, with Iran gaining influence in Ethiopia, while Ethiopia receives military, police and intelligence support to counter its domestic ethnic insurgencies."

 However, Diriba said, "Ethiopia’s engagement with Iran is neither affinity nor alignment, it’s strategic awareness: keeping channels open to engage where necessary, cooperate selectively, and strategically manage its relations with a complex regional actor, while firmly anchoring its core partnerships with its emerging and long-standing partners — the United States being on the top of that list."

"Ethiopia has pursued a flexible multi-alignment strategy, Diriba said, "prioritizing its entrenched security partnership with Washington while keeping open channels with Tehran to preserve diplomatic room to maneuver in an increasingly fragmented Horn of Africa–Red Sea order."

Fitton-Brown said relations between the U.S. and Ethiopia "are good, especially in the field of counterterrorism. Both countries use Somaliland to their advantage without having gone so far as to recognize it as an independent state."

Fox News Digital reached out to both the Department of War and the Ethiopian government for comment, but received no response by the time of publication.

A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison Friday in a case that accused him of ordering drone flights over North Korea in an effort to justify his declaration of martial law.

Yoon, 65, was sentenced alongside former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun by the Seoul Central District Court.

The ousted president was previously sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection following his declaration of martial law in December 2024.

North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets on three occasions in October 2024.

SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS SUPPORT SUSPENDING PRESIDENT’S POWERS AFTER SHORT-LIVED MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION

Then-Defense Minister Kim initially issued a vague denial before South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations.

Although tensions between the two Koreas escalated following the incident, the drone flights did not lead to any military clashes.

Prosecutors accused Yoon of attempting to create a crisis with North Korea while plotting an authoritarian power grab aimed at removing political opponents and consolidating control.

SOUTH KOREAN COURT RULES EX‑PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL GUILTY IN INSURRECTION TRIAL

Before declaring martial law, Yoon delivered a televised address accusing liberal lawmakers of sympathizing with North Korea.

Yoon has argued that he possessed the constitutional authority to declare martial law and said the move was intended to draw attention to what he viewed as obstruction by opposition parties.

His attempt to impose martial law lasted roughly six hours before lawmakers voted to overturn it amid mass public protests.

Yoon was arrested in July 2025 and continues to face multiple criminal proceedings.

The insurrection verdict has been appealed by both Yoon and prosecutors, who had sought the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers deported a 28-year-old Mexican national after an investigation showed the illegal alien from Mexico tried to fraudulently transfer her newborn baby to another individual because of a debt to smugglers. Maria Lidia Valle-Hernandez is now back home in Mexico.

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