Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro made his first public appearance Friday since the Trump administration charged him with murder over the 1996 shoot-down of planes operated by a Cuban exile group.

Castro appeared on state television during an Interior Ministry celebration in Havana, according to Reuters.

The appearance came weeks after the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment accusing Castro of playing a role in the downing of two aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile organization Brothers to the Rescue nearly 30 years ago.

Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder.

DOJ, TREASURY INVESTIGATE NONPROFITS AND LEADERS ALLEGEDLY COORDINATING WITH CUBA IN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN

Castro, who turned 95 on Wednesday, was last seen publicly during May Day celebrations in Havana, days before the indictment was unsealed.

Prior to his May Day appearance, Castro had remained out of public view for months, appearing only at a public ceremony in Cuba's capital in January honoring 32 Cuban soldiers killed during the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The indictment centers on a February 1996 incident in which Cuban military aircraft allegedly shot down two unarmed civilian planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, killing four men: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales.

OBAMA’S BASEBALL OUTING WITH CASTRO REIGNITES FURY AFTER TRUMP DOJ DROPS HAMMER ON CUBAN LEADER

Prosecutors allege the aircraft were flying outside Cuban territory when they were destroyed.

The indictment came amid rising tensions in the Caribbean and a series of comments from Trump and his surrogates hinting at possible regime change in the island nation.

President Donald Trump previously praised the indictment, saying Cuban Americans whose families suffered under the communist regime had waited decades for accountability.

TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME

"We have big news on Cuba, as you know, with the indictment of Castro," Trump said. "A lot of people have suffered very big, very, very, at levels that few people would understand."

Trump also suggested tensions with Cuba would not escalate following the indictment.

"There won’t be escalation," he said. "We won’t have to."

MADURO'S CAPTURE IS 'BEGINNING OF THE END' FOR CUBA'S REGIME, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIR SAYS

Still, the decision to indict Castro fueled comparisons to the pressure campaign Trump previously used against Maduro.

"At the very least, it means symbolically that he is now set up just as Nicolás Maduro was," Christine Balling, a Cuba expert at the Institute of World Politics and former advisor to U.S. Special Operations Command South, previously told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. indicted Maduro on narco-terrorism charges while tightening sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector, backing opposition efforts to remove him from power and increasing military operations in the Caribbean.

"I don't think that we are necessarily going to conduct the same operation," Balling said. "Raúl Castro is 94 years old. It might not be worth the trouble."

Still, Balling argued that the indictment sent "a very straightforward message that we are 100% behind the fall of the Castro regime."

Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy, Greg Wehner and Morgan Phillips, along with Fox News' David Spunt, Bill Mears and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. Reuters also contributed to this report.

The United States, along with the other countries that make up the Shield of the Americas, condemned the "ongoing efforts" in Bolivia to "overthrow the legitimately and overwhelmingly elected" government of President Rodrigo Paz on Friday.

"The member countries of Shield of the Americas denounce ongoing efforts to overthrow the legitimately and overwhelmingly elected government of President Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia," the statement read. "We stand with Paz’s democratic government as it fights back against attempts to drag Bolivia backwards through cynical efforts to prevent the delivery of food, medicine and other vital supplies to the Bolivian people through fake road blockades."

The statement added that "Mob rule cannot replace the decision that a majority of Bolivians made at the ballot box to turn the page on two decades of corrupt governments."

It also said that anyone who is funding protests with "dirty money" from drug trafficking and transnational crime "should be held accountable. Those who have legitimate grievances should take advantage of the government’s willingness to dialogue, and denounce those who would abuse their causes to regain power."

PETE HEGSETH WARNS NARCO-TERRORISTS AS U.S. BACKS BOLIVIA'S GOVERNMENT AMID COUP WARNINGS

The State Department made the joint statement along with Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The statement comes as Bolivia's capital, La Paz, has been rocked by weeks of social unrest as mass protests have blocked streets in major cities amid economic inflation and rising fuel prices.

Bolivian Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas resigned Tuesday.

Upon taking office, Paz supported a land reform bill to boost agribusiness that Indigenous farmers said put them at risk of eviction. He further scrapped fuel subsidies, sending prices surging by nearly 90%. Motorists complained that the gasoline was contaminated and ruined their cars.

PETE HEGSETH MAKES HOMELAND SECURITY TOP MISSION IN FIRST INTERVIEW AS SECRETARY OF WAR

The Trump administration has said drug traffickers are responsible for inciting the mass unrest.

Meanwhile, former President Evo Morales of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, the country's first Indigenous president who ruled for an unprecedented 14 years, is calling for early elections. "Paz only has two paths left: a suicidal decision like militarization or ... an election in the next 90 days," he wrote on X.

For almost two years now, Morales has been hiding out in Bolivia's central coca-growing Chapare region, evading an arrest warrant on human trafficking charges relating to allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl. He rejects the allegations as politically motivated.

On Thursday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X, that the War Department and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), a recently established multinational military and political alliance, reject all attempts to overthrow the government of Rodrigo Paz Pereira six months into his term.

"The United States is watching. Bolivia must not allow itself to fall prey to the old status quo of narco-terrorist dominance in the region," Hegseth wrote. "We will continue to support our A3C partners like Bolivia to ensure that narco-terrorists are deterred from profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere."

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

In an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed meeting to reach a resolution to the years-long war between their two nations.

"We see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran, and it would be wrong to simply wait until the war in Europe returns to the center of its attention. Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us — and you. I am proposing a meeting," Zelenskyy said in the letter.

"There are countries that have traditionally hosted leaders to resolve issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Türkiye, the countries of the Arab world — many are able and willing to host such a meeting. It is leaders who resolve the key issues. That has always been the case, and it always will be," he asserted.

18 HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP TO PASS UKRAINE AID PACKAGE HEADED FOR VETO FIGHT

Zelenskyy suggested that Europe and the U.S. should also be involved in the peace process.

"Since the war is taking place in Europe, and since Ukraine needs security guarantees, while you also seek security guarantees for yourself, it would be logical to involve those who can genuinely serve as guarantors. We believe Europe should be part of this process — those who truly have the capacity to influence the situation. We also believe that the United States must be part of the process. This is what could help shape a new security architecture for our part of the world," he said.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN DON BACON SAYS HE WANTS 'PARIAH STATE' RUSSIA BOOTED FROM UN SECURITY COUNCIL

He indicated that Ukraine would agree to a ceasefire during the proposed negotiations.

"Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. This is standard practice, and current developments around Iran only reinforce that point. An attempt to establish real silence is the best way to begin talking to one another. We believe it would not simply be an attempt, but a real ceasefire — if that is what you want," he noted.

He also suggested a prisoner swap between the two nations, noting, "Ukraine is ready for an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war, and this could become a good prologue to ending the war. Serious steps must be taken to return civilians and children who were taken away during the war."

PENTAGON SLASHES NATO COMBAT COMMITMENTS AS TRUMP PUSHES EUROPE TO DEFEND ITSELF

"If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence. We will have those who support us. But you, too, will have to fight much harder for your own existence — not Russia’s, but your own. And this is not a threat from me or from Ukraine. It is a fact of Russian history that you know well: when Russia grows tired, change comes," Zelenskyy warned Putin.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said the United States remains committed to helping defend Bolivia's fragile government amid ongoing warnings of a coup d’état.

In a post on X, Hegseth said the War Department and the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), a recently established multinational military and political alliance, reject all attempts to overthrow the government of Rodrigo Paz Pereira a mere six months into his term.

"The United States is watching. Bolivia must not allow itself to fall prey to the old status quo of narco-terrorist dominance in the region," Hegseth wrote. "We will continue to support our A3C partners like Bolivia to ensure that narco-terrorists are deterred from profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere."

PETE HEGSETH MAKES HOMELAND SECURITY TOP MISSION IN FIRST INTERVIEW AS SECRETARY OF WAR

Bolivia's capital, La Paz, has been rocked by weeks of social unrest as mass protests have blocked streets in major cities amid economic inflation and rising fuel prices.

Bolivian Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas resigned Tuesday.

Upon taking office, Paz supported a land reform bill to boost agribusiness that Indigenous farmers said put them at risk of eviction. He further scrapped fuel subsidies, sending prices surging by nearly 90%. Motorists complained that the gasoline was contaminated and ruined their cars.

The Trump administration has said drug traffickers are responsible for inciting the mass unrest.

RUBIO IDENTIFIES 'SINGLE MOST SERIOUS THREAT' TO THE US FROM WESTERN HEMISPHERE

"Let there be no mistake: the United States stands squarely in support of Bolivia's legitimate constitutional government," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote Wednesday on X. "We will not allow criminals and drug traffickers to overthrow democratically elected leaders in our hemisphere."

"Let us not make any mistake about that; it is a coup financed by this perverse alliance between politics and organized crime across the region," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Tuesday, stating that the protests were part of an ongoing "coup d’état."

Meanwhile, former President Evo Morales, the country's first Indigenous president who ruled for an unprecedented 14 years, is calling for early elections. "Paz only has two paths left: a suicidal decision like militarization or ... an election in the next 90 days," he wrote on X.

For almost two years now, Morales has been hiding out in Bolivia's central coca-growing Chapare region, evading an arrest warrant on human trafficking charges relating to allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl. He rejects the allegations as politically motivated.

Two days after another ceasefire was announced between Israel and U.S. terrorist designated group Hezbollah, Yulia Bar-Dan was standing outside her temporary home in Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel when the familiar sound of an interceptor echoed overhead. 

"There will probably be another siren soon," she told Fox News Digital.

Minutes later, an alert appeared on her phone warning residents in northern Israel to take shelter.

For Bar-Dan, the scene captured the reality of life on Israel's northern border nearly two years after Hezbollah joined the war against Israel on Oct. 8, 2023. 

After Hezbollah entered the recent war in support of Iran, Washington launched a diplomatic effort aimed at turning the ceasefire into a broader arrangement for Lebanon. 

ISRAEL OPENS FIRE IN LEBANON AT ‘SUSPECTS’ ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING TRUCE, WHICH HAS ENTERED ITS SECOND DAY

Multiple rounds of talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials have taken place in Washington, and President Donald Trum repeatedly has announced ceasefire understandings aimed at restoring calm along the border. Residents of communities like Manara, Israel, say the rockets, drones and uncertainty never really stopped.

"A ceasefire is supposed to be on both sides," she said. "Not that Hezbollah keeps shooting at us and we just keep absorbing it."

When Fox News Digital first spoke to Bar-Dan in December 2024 during the war, she and her husband had fled Manara, Israel, with their three children and were living out of a single hotel room, unsure whether they would ever return home.

Today, roughly 200 of the kibbutz's 280 residents have returned, Bar-Dan said. But many, including Bar-Dan's family, still cannot live in their original homes because of war damage. 

Despite repeated ceasefire announcements, residents say normal life remains elusive.

"There hasn't really been a routine or a quiet day since February," she said.

Schools officially reopened in early June, but Bar-Dan decided not to send her children.

"They take the bus to school," she said. "What if there's a siren on the way? I can't take that chance."

ISRAEL DESTROYS HEZBOLLAH'S 'LARGEST PRECISION-GUIDED MISSILES MANUFACTURING SITE' AS GROUP VOWS TO 'FIGHT'

Her frustration is not directed at Hezbollah alone.

Like many residents interviewed by Fox News Digital, Bar-Dan says there is a growing disconnect between the reality experienced on the border and the reality described by politicians.

"It doesn't really matter where the decisions are being made," she said. "The decisions just need to match reality. Right now there is a decision, but the reality is completely different."

A year and a half after most of Manara's residents were evacuated amid fears of a Hezbollah invasion, community leader Yochai Wolfin says residents have developed their own name for the current situation. 

"We call it 'the ceasefire war,'" he said. 

The phrase has become common in the community.

First came a year and a half of evacuation. Then came the return home. Then came what Wolfin describes as three months of "fire within a ceasefire."

The uncertainty has become part of daily life.

Children study inside shelters. Parts of the kibbutz still lack protected rooms. Construction projects remain unfinished because contractors are reluctant to work so close to the border. 

He said many residents increasingly feel that the decisions determining their future are being made far from the communities that bear the consequences.

ISRAEL WARNS IT WILL GO AFTER LEBANON DIRECTLY IF CEASE-FIRE WITH HEZBOLLAH COLLAPSES

"Who knows what tomorrow will bring?" Wolfin said. "We know who is calling the shots. We saw it a few days ago when Trump announced another ceasefire. But for us, the reality on the ground hasn't changed."

The comments come as Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned Thursday that northern Israel would remain unsafe as long as Israeli strikes continue in Lebanon, according to Reuters.

In a written statement broadcast on June 4, 2026, Qassem condemned the Washington-mediated framework as "absurd, humiliating, and insulting," calling it a roadmap for surrender.

For residents of Israel's northern border communities, the statements reinforced what many say they have been experiencing for months: a ceasefire that exists on paper but not in daily life.

Naor Shamia, who heads Manara's emergency response team, says residents increasingly worry that temporary emergency measures are becoming permanent.

"The fear isn't today," he said. "The fear is that this becomes years. We are in a deadlock."

Across the border region, similar concerns are heard.

In the community of Adamit, resident Yael Cohen-Arazi described the contrast between the beauty surrounding her and the reality of living under constant threat.

"Every morning I wake up and think I'm living in paradise," she said in footage provided to Fox News Digital by the Israeli news agency TPS-IL. "Then there are the explosions that shake my soul."

Her children, she said, have spent so much of their lives under fire that they no longer know what normal looks like.

"I tell them there are children who don't live like this," she said.

Back in Manara, Israel, another alert interrupted the afternoon.

Bar-Dan says she is not angry anymore. Mostly, she is tired and sad.

"I feel bad for the soldiers," she said. "Every day there is another casualty, and there is still no solution."

Yet she insists she is staying.

"This is our home," she said. "Someone has to live on the borders of this country."

Then another explosion sounded in the distance.

The Trump administration is rolling out what experts describe as the most significant expansion of U.S. sanctions on Cuba in decades.

The administration is attempting what supporters say is the first broad application of Cuba-related secondary sanctions against foreign firms, aiming not only at Havana itself but also at foreign companies and banks that continue doing business with the island’s military-linked economic empire. 

The new framework, established under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump May 1, applies pressure beyond U.S. companies for the first time, threatening foreign firms with sanctions exposure if they continue operating in key sectors of the Cuban economy linked to Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., or GAESA.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PRESSED TO CLOSE CUBA EMBARGO LOOPHOLE AS OIL SET TO RUN OUT WITHIN DAYS

Supporters say the move closes a loophole that allowed foreign investors to sustain Cuba’s communist regime while the longstanding U.S. embargo largely restricted Americans.

Critics argue the measures risk worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis on the island without meaningfully weakening the government.

"At the top of the month, what the Trump administration did was for the first time extend the application of U.S. sanctions from just prohibiting trade between U.S. firms and U.S. persons and the Cuban island to third-party countries and enablers," Max Meizlish, a former Treasury Department official now serving as a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"For the first time ever in a truly unprecedented fashion, that’s the same logic that the administration is now applying to Cuba," he said.

The sanctions focus heavily on GAESA, a sprawling military-linked conglomerate that analysts estimate controls between 40% and 70% of Cuba’s economy, including tourism, mining, retail, ports and financial services. 

A recent Foundation for Defense of Democracies report authored by Meizlish and Connor Pfeiffer argued that foreign companies doing business in Cuba are effectively helping sustain the regime’s military and political leadership.

TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME

The State Department sanctioned GAESA and several affiliated entities in May under the new authorities, opening the door for potential penalties against foreign companies and financial institutions that continue dealings with them after a June 5 wind-down deadline.

Meizlish argued previous sanctions regimes failed because they isolated American companies while allowing foreign actors to continue financing the Cuban state.

"There’s a lot of Spanish firms, for instance, that have invested millions of dollars in luxury hotel properties, villa properties in Cuba that partner with GAESA, all funding this military enterprise at the expense of the Cuban people," he said.

He also pointed to Canadian involvement in Cuba’s nickel and cobalt sectors, saying foreign investment has generated "huge amounts of money for the regime."

"A lot of people think about the U.S. embargo over the years is actually being responsible for a lot of the problems on the Cuban island, but they don't give consideration to the fact that GAESA, this newly sanctioned entity, has been sitting on an estimated $20 billion in assets and cash over the year while depriving the people of Cuba," Meizlish told Fox News Digital.

But critics of the policy warn the economic fallout could land hardest on ordinary Cubans.

William LeoGrande, a longtime Cuba expert at American University, said the May 1 measures represent a major escalation because they specifically target foreign businesses rather than just Americans.

LeoGrande said the new sanctions represent a major escalation because they extend beyond Americans and aim to deter foreign companies from doing business with GAESA by threatening sanctions exposure.

LeoGrande acknowledged the measures could deprive the Cuban government of revenue but argued the broader population is likely to suffer most.

CUBA'S ENTIRE ELECTRICAL GRID COLLAPSES, LEAVING WHOLE ISLAND WITHOUT POWER

"This would potentially deprive the Cuban government of funds, but the impact will fall mainly on ordinary citizens because it means the government has fewer resources to import food, medicine and fuel," he said.

The debate comes as Cuba faces its deepest economic and humanitarian crisis in years. 

The World Food Programme says food insecurity is worsening amid fuel shortages, inflation and declining access to imported goods, while U.N. officials have warned that electricity shortages and blackouts are disrupting hospitals, vaccination programs and food distribution networks across the island.

LeoGrande also warned tougher sanctions could contribute to another migration crisis.

NICARAGUA BLOCKS PATHWAY USED BY CUBAN MIGRANTS TO REACH THE US

"Another unintended effect is that by making living conditions in Cuba even more desperate, tougher sanctions could trigger a mass migration like we saw in 1980 or 1994," LeoGrande said.

On background, a U.S. official rejected arguments that American sanctions are responsible for Cuba’s humanitarian crisis.

"The suffering of the Cuban people is not caused by the U.S. embargo but by the Cuban dictatorship’s failed Communist policies and human rights violations," the official told Fox News Digital. "The embargo does not prohibit Cuba’s access to world markets or trade with third countries."

The official added that U.S. law explicitly permits exports of food, medicine and medical equipment to Cuba and accused the regime of hiding "billions in overseas bank accounts instead of investing in electricity, infrastructure and the daily needs of its people."

The debate mirrors longstanding arguments surrounding U.S. sanctions on countries like Iran and Venezuela, where supporters view economic pressure as a tool to weaken authoritarian governments while critics argue regimes often survive and civilians absorb the economic damage.

Meizlish argued sanctions should not be judged simply by whether they immediately topple governments.

"The problem isn’t that the embargo went too far," he said. "It’s that it didn’t go far enough."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Cuban Embassy in Washington for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Newly released police bodycam footage is intensifying scrutiny of local police after officers handcuffed an 18-year-old university student who repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe moments before dying on a Southampton street.

The video, released Monday following the murder conviction of 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, shows Henry Nowak telling officers, "I’ve been stabbed" and "I can’t breathe" while lying on the ground after the Dec. 3, 2025, attack.

One officer responded: "I don’t think you have, mate," according to the video. 

Police handcuffed Nowak after Digwa claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault, according to court proceedings previously reported by Sky News.

BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS MOMENT FLORIDA OFFICERS' ATTEMPT TO RESTRAIN SUSPECT GOES HORRIBLY WRONG

Reuters reported that officers later removed the handcuffs and attempted CPR after realizing Nowak had suffered serious stab wounds.

Digwa was sentenced Monday to life in prison after being convicted of murdering the 18-year-old University of Southampton finance student with a 21-centimeter blade prosecutors described as a Sikh kirpan-style weapon.

GRIEVING TEXAS FATHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER SON WAS STABBED TO DEATH AT HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET

The case has sparked political backlash in Britain and renewed debate over policing, race and knife crime.

In a statement read outside court Monday, Nowak’s father, Mark Nowak, said his son repeatedly pleaded for help before losing consciousness.

"Henry had been stabbed multiple times, and as his chest filled with blood, he tried to escape. He was chased, abused, and filmed by Vickrum Digwa and others," Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. "When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress." 

"With his final words, he told officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed," Mark Nowak said, according to Reuters. "The response from one officer was ‘I don’t think you have, mate,’" he added.

Mark Nowak said the family held Digwa "solely and 100% responsible" for their son's death, but criticized the police, saying, "Henry should not have died on the streets of Southampton in police custody. The way he was treated was inhumane and degrading."

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the case showed "the fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder," according to Reuters.

UK POLICE APOLOGIZE TO 'FATHER TED' CREATOR GRAHAM LINEHAN FOR ARREST OVER TRANS SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick also called for the release of body-worn camera footage and accused authorities of prioritizing allegations of racism over saving Nowak’s life during an appearance on GB News.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the killing as "an awful, shocking case" and said it was right that the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigate the police response.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, the police force responsible for policing Southampton and surrounding areas in southern England, previously apologized after the conviction, with Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France saying he was sorry that Nowak had been handcuffed "in the moments before he lost consciousness," according to Sky News.

The police force remains under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment but did not receive a response. 

Reuters contributed to this story.

Kuwait decried Iranian attacks in a statement issued by its foreign affairs ministry, saying that the Kuwait International Airport had been targeted.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, the latest of which occurred at dawn today, targeting once again civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, resulting in the death of one individual, injuries to others, and damage to vital facilities, including diplomatic missions," part of the statement declared, according to a translation of the Arabic-language post on X.

Kuwait's Ministry of Defense spokesperson had indicated that a building at Kuwait International Airport was damaged and people were injured, according to a post on X by the official account of Kuwait Army general staff headquarters.

IRANIANS SPEAK OUT OVER POSSIBLE TRUMP-REGIME DEAL

"The Official Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that a number of hostile drones targeted today the passenger building (T1) at Kuwait International Airport as a result of the criminal Iranian aggression, which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries to a number of individuals, who received the necessary medical care," according to a translation of the Arabic-language post.

"He affirmed that the armed forces are monitoring the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities, and they are in a state of complete readiness to deal with any developments, and to take all necessary measures to preserve the security of the country and its stability," the post added.

The Iranian hostilities come more than three months since the start of the U.S. war against the Islamic Republic.

In a Tuesday statement, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated that America had engaged in "self-defense strikes" against Iran.

US MILITARY ATTACKS IRAN IN 'SELF-DEFENSE STRIKES' OVER WEEKEND

"U.S. forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East, June 2. Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces," the release noted.

"Moments earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island. No U.S. personnel were harmed. CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire," the statement added.

TRUMP INSISTS IRAN TALKS ARE ON, SAYING DEAL IS 'NOT A SIMPLE THING'

CENTCOM noted in a post on X that, "An additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets tonight. U.S. Central Command air defenses successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed."

Amid President Donald Trump’s Monday announcement that a deal with Iran’s clerical regime is imminent to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an end to Tehran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, Iranians who hoped U.S. pressure would force a decisive outcome now fear it may survive while ordinary people absorb the costs.

"Inside Iran, the mood has shifted from early-war optimism to a kind of exhausted resignation, but there is still some hope that this is the moment President Trump will use his leverage to do the right thing. The Iranian people understand this unusually narrow but strategic window," Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk who keeps in contact with Iranians on the ground, told Fox News Digital.

She continued that ,"The regime is fiscally strained and politically brittle, while the broader population has been disillusioned by years of repression and economic collapse. Iranians do see this as a one‑time opportunity for Washington — and President Trump in particular — to translate military and economic leverage into the potential collapse of an irrefromable regime. If the outcome is a shallow agreement that props up the system without changing its trajectory, that window will likely close for years."

TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP CREATES 'RARE OPPORTUNITY' FOR CHANGE IN IRAN, FORMER IRANIAN POLITICAL PRISONER SAYS

She continued, "If instead, the U.S. holds firm on sanctions and nuclear red lines, it can weaken the regime’s hand without punishing the Iranian people, who have already paid the highest price."

Daftari, the Iran expert, shared recent correspondence from two Iranians from Tabriz and Tehran.

The resident from Tabriz said, "From my perspective, decades of political tension between Iran and the United States have had their greatest impact on ordinary people rather than those in power. Many families feel their voices are not being heard in international discussions about Iran." Adding, "I respectfully ask whether you might consider sharing or highlighting the human side of this situation, so that the experiences of ordinary Iranian families are not overlooked in political discussions and media coverage."

The Tehran resident said, "Today, the people of Iran believe in the future. On days when economic pressure makes the faces of the Iranian people sad, the word ‘unity’ brings a smile to their lips. Our situation is not good, but we are motivated."

Fox News Digital surveyed a few Iranians and agreed to use only their first names because the clerical regime has declared the use of Starlink to bypass the censor a criminal act. A sophisticated clandestine network has managed to smuggle some satellite internet technology into Iran to allow people to communicate with the world outside the Islamist state.

Hassan, who lives in Tehran, pleaded with President Trump to keep strong in his dealings with the regime, saying that "Things have gotten so bad that even if you wanted to give up and leave Iran and just focus on your own life and work, it feels like there’s nowhere left to turn. Mr. Trump, through these deals and arrangements, has left people feeling trapped, with no road left open."

Mehdi, who resides in Tehran, expressed confusion about the existence of an agreement. He said, "So what exactly are they agreeing on? Are they saying they’re close to a deal or are there other discussions too? Every minute there is a new piece of news, everyone has a new analysis, everything changes every minute. It’s strange. This war achieved nothing. We’re the only ones left paying the price," he complained.

THE WAR HITS HOME: WHY FINANCIAL PAIN AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THREATEN TRUMP’S DRIVE TO TOPPLE IRAN’S REGIME

Hassan from Tehran said that "Mr. Trump, if until yesterday most Iranians thought they were on the same path as America, you caused them all to become disappointed. "Mr. Trump, if you wanted this government to remain in power, why did you blow up factories? Now workers are being laid off, and inflation is out of control. Even with a salary of 18 million tomans, you cannot feed yourself."

Mahsa, from the Caspian Sea city of Rasht, told Fox News Digital that the system [Islamic Republic of Iran] is still fully intact. They don’t care how many people died. If anything, they seem more emboldened now and even take pride in martyrdom. Yesterday I argued with a regime supporter [who] said: "Our leader didn’t give away a single meter of land, didn’t take a step backward, unlike previous kings who gave away Bahrain, Baku, Nakhchivan, and others."

The concerns among many Iranians revolve around the proposed memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran’s regime. The MOU does not address the overthrow of the clerical regime or human rights violations, according to media reports.  Large numbers of Iranians within Iran and among the Iranian diaspora want the Trump administration to topple the Islamist dictatorship in Tehran.

The MOU reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension. Israel and the U.S. launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. The MOU would also see the reopening the Strait of Hormuz and new talks over Iran's illicit nuclear weapons program.

The leaked elements of the MOU have not been confirmed by the Trump administration.

When asked about the concern among Iranians about a deal with the Islamic Republic, Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House, told Fox News Digital that "For 47 years, American Presidents and countless other world leaders talked about the threat posed by Iran, but no one had the courage to address it. President Trump took decisive action to ensure that Iran could never harm our homeland, our troops, or our allies again. Once Iran’s nuclear threat is removed for good, the entire region and its people will be safer and more stable."

IRAN REGIME ESCALATES REPRESSION TOWARD 'NORTH KOREA-STYLE MODEL OF ISOLATION AND CONTROL'

However, Trump said last week during his cabinet meeting, "We didn’t set out for regime change," adding, "But by the fact that we’re dealing with a totally different group of people than we were at the beginning … This is regime change."

Reza Farnood, an Iranian American who supports the Trump administration and is a researcher, writer and activist, urged that President Trump continue with his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.

Farnood told Fox News Digital, "We welcome the bombing and attacking the regime because we are aiming to overthrow the regime." He urged that Trump continue the blockade of Iran’s vessels and deny money to the regime. He said sanctions relief will be used by Iran "against the U.S. and Israel and their allies and innocent Iranians."

Farnood stressed that the clerical regime is holding the Iranian people "hostage."

Kianoosh, who lives in the northern city of Karaj, the capital of  Alborz province, said about Trump’s proposed deal: "You threw six months of our lives into hell. What answer are "you going to give to the mothers of all those children who were killed? Why did you give people false hope? Why did you hand down a death sentence to everything so many people believed in?"

Leading U.S. Senators well-versed in foreign policy have praised Trump’s approach to the Islamic Republic. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., recently told Fox News’ Sean Hannity "On Trump’s watch, they’re [Iran’s regime] becoming poorer and weaker. That’s the difference."

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

Graham juxtaposed Trump’s Iran policy with his predecessors. "Obama and Biden screwed Iran up, and Donald Trump is fixing it. On Obama and Biden’s watch, Iran became rich and lethal," he said. "On Trump’s watch, they’re becoming poorer and weaker. That’s the difference."

Iran is running dangerously low on oil storage capacity and could face a severe economic breaking point if forced to halt production, former U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette recently told Fox News.

Trump has said that Iran’s regime murdered as many as 45,000 Iranian demonstrators in January 2026. He urged just days after the mass murder that protesters keep going and promised them that "help is on its way."

Lawdan Bazargan, a prominent Iranian-American activist who the regime imprisoned in its infamous Evin Prison in Tehran in the 1980s for political dissent, told Fox News Digital that the Iranians she’s spoken with are discouraged by Trump’s dealings. "He was one of the few world leaders who repeatedly spoke about the thousands of Iranians killed in January 2026 and expressed disgust at the sheer brutality of the Islamic Republic. He had promised support for the Iranian people and raised expectations that meaningful change might finally come."

She continued: "Now, 88 days later, many people feel they are left facing the same regime, one that appears more emboldened, more ideological, and still willing to repress, execute, and arrest people. The economy has been devastated, and many feel trapped between a government with no mercy and a future with no clear path forward.

For years, 90 million Iranians have lived as hostages of the Islamic Republic. Now, many fear that the consequences no longer stop at Iran’s borders, through threats to global energy routes, regional stability, and even digital infrastructure."

According to Bazargan, "The question many ordinary Iranians are asking is simple: How are people expected to fight a system that feels victorious, controls the weapons, controls the narrative through a massive propaganda machine, and possesses countless tools of repression?"

Ali, who is also from the sprawling capital city of Tehran, complained about the spiraling prices and inflation and disappointment that the regime is still in place.

"For a government with state-provided housing and billions in patronage and privileges, what difference did any of this make for its supporters?"

Ali added: "We’re the ones who are paying the price and getting crushed. How are our children ever supposed to afford these housing and car prices, and how are they supposed to get married?"

The U.S. State Department referred Fox News Digital to the White House for a comment.

UNITED NATIONS: Romania’s foreign minister told Fox News Digital that Bucharest answered the Trump administration’s call for allied support in the Middle East by allowing the use of Romanian military bases for "defensive activities" related to tensions with Iran and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have allowed for access to defensive activities, such as air refueling, for example, because we do believe allies need to rely on each other," Romania’s interim Foreign Affairs Minister Oana-Silvia Ţoiu said in an exclusive interview at the United Nations.

"We’re not part of the war, nor do we intend to become part of war, but we are part of an effort to ensure common defense, and we are a part of a diplomatic effort to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz," she said.

Ţoiu’s comments come as President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed European allies to increase defense spending and take a larger role in global security efforts, including maritime security in the Middle East.

NATO LEADERS PREDICT ERA OF 2% DEFENSE SPENDING 'PROBABLY HISTORY' AS TRUMP REPORTEDLY FLOATS HIGHER TARGET

Ţoiu acknowledged growing tensions between Washington and some European allies over support related to the conflict with Iran, but said both sides recognize the need for closer coordination.

"I’m pretty sure that both on the U.S. side and the European side, we do understand that we need to enhance our dialog in order to prevent moments when we create tension in the transatlantic partnership," she told Fox News Digital. "And I do believe a better dialog ahead of time on all sides leads to better results, specifically on the request of help in terms of the conflict in the Middle East."

The Romanian foreign minister said Bucharest approved the use of its military bases and infrastructure for defensive operations linked to regional security efforts.

"Romania has approved through Parliament the proposal of the President, the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry for defense and the prime minister, the use of our military bases and infrastructure for defensive activities, for activities such as air-fuelling, for example, because we are aware of the fact that it is needed that we trust each other," she said.

"I think we share clear objectives here in Europe, between the U.S. and countries around the world, such as lowering energy prices, such as allowing for fertilizers not to be blocked anymore there."

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

Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has emerged as one of the alliance’s key eastern flank states amid growing concerns over both Russia’s war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East.

"We do agree with President Trump on the need to increase budgets," Ţoiu said.

She noted that Romania raised defense spending to 2% of GDP during Trump’s previous term and plans to allocate an average of 3.4% next year through a combination of military procurement and strategic infrastructure investments.

Her remarks came just hours after Romania requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday following a Russian drone strike that hit a residential building in the Romanian city of Galați on May 29.

The emergency briefing marked the first time in Romania’s roughly 70-year history at the United Nations that it requested a Security Council session over a direct threat to its national security, according to Romanian officials.

MULTIPLE ALLIES DECLINE US CALLS FOR STRAIT OF HORMUZ SUPPORT AMID RISING MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS

Speaking at the Security Council, Ţoiu said a drone carrying explosives violated Romanian airspace for approximately four minutes before crashing into the 10th floor of a residential building, injuring a mother and child.

"We do have the military analysis that shows clearly that it is a Russian-made drone in type of design, type of pieces of equipment, and also the chemical analysis that they have done," she told Fox News Digital.

Ţoiu said the drone was believed to be part of a larger Russian attack targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure near the Danube River.

"We wanted to call on the international community to make sure we collectively state that this is a blatant violation of international law," she said.

"And irrespective of whether that was the intention or not, the responsibility is very clear. And these reckless escalations need to stop."

BALTIC LEADERS RIP UN SECURITY COUNCIL AS POWERLESS WHILE RUSSIA HOLDS VETO SEAT

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya rejected the accusations during the session, calling them "unfounded and biased."

Nebenzya argued that if a Geran-2 drone had directly hit the building, the damage would have been far more severe, claiming Romanian media footage showed only fire damage rather than complete destruction.

He also called for a "thorough, objective, and depoliticized investigation" involving Russia and suggested the incident could have been a Ukrainian provocation intended to drag NATO deeper into the war.

Ţoiu pushed back against Moscow’s position and questioned how a permanent member of the Security Council can simultaneously act as an aggressor state.

"We do now have a question that's not just a question on Romania's side, but the question of the international community of how can a member of the Security Council contribute to its mission there, which is peace and security, while also being an aggressor state," she said.

"And of course, its veto [ is not currently] used towards peace and security."

The United States joined more than 50 countries backing Romania in a joint statement condemning the strike.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz later wrote on X that he met with Ţoiu following "the reckless Russian drone strike on a Romanian apartment building.

"The violence must end before more innocent people suffer," Waltz wrote.

Ţoiu told Fox News Digital she also held meetings with the U.S. delegation at the United Nations following the emergency session.

"The United States has joined our common statement alongside more than 50 countries in making a clear public message on the attack," she said.

"We are working with the United States not just through our partnership in NATO, but also strategic partners."

The Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that it eliminated a Hamas terrorist who helped abduct American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who ultimately was murdered in the Gaza Strip. 

The IDF said Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba terrorist cell, was killed in the central Gaza Strip on Monday. Nukhba, which is Arabic for elite, is the special forces for the Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas' military wing. 

"Ramadan infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre and took part in the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel, and Or Levy from the bomb shelter at the Re’im Junction," the IDF said Tuesday. 

"In addition, throughout the war, and in recent weeks, the terrorist advanced attack plans against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. As such, he posed an immediate threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip," it continued.

HAMAS STRUGGLES TO FILL LEADERSHIP RANKS AS ISRAEL HUNTS OCTOBER 7 TERRORISTS

Goldberg-Polin survived almost 11 months in underground tunnels following his capture but was killed alongside other hostages in August 2024, while still in captivity. He was 23 at the time of his death. 

"According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them," then- IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. 

Goldberg-Polin was abducted at a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against the Jewish State.

He lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack.  

PENTAGON HOSTS FIRST-EVER ISRAELI-LEBANESE MILITARY TALKS AIMED AT CURBING HEZBOLLAH

Eliya Cohen survived 505 days in captivity. He faced extreme starvation, was kept chained in tunnels, and had surgery for a gunshot wound without anesthesia. He was released in February 2025 as part of a negotiated deal.

Or Levy survived 491 days in captivity. He endured harsh conditions and only learned after his release that his wife, Einav, had been killed in the Oct. 7 attack. He has since reunited with his young son.

Alon Ohel spent more than two years as a hostage in Gaza until his release in October last year. 

A talented pianist, he endured starvation, torture and serious eye injuries from a grenade. He was freed on Oct. 13, 2025, through a U.S.-brokered deal and returned home to recover. He now performs with Israeli artists.

Fox News’ Yonat Friling, Robert McGreevy and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Mexican authorities have uncovered a sophisticated underground tunnel near the U.S.-Mexico border that was equipped with lighting, ventilation and an electronic transport system, which they say may connect Tijuana to a street in San Diego.

Mexico's Attorney General's Office, known as the FGR, announced the discovery Saturday following a search warrant executed at a property in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood of Tijuana, Baja California.

Authorities said the tunnel stretched approximately 265 meters, or about 870 feet, and reached a depth of roughly 6.3 meters, or 21 feet underground.

According to investigators, the tunnel contained operational infrastructure, including lighting and ventilation systems, as well as an electronic sliding mechanism designed to move items in both directions between Mexico and the U.S.

RASHIDA TLAIB BECOMES LONE HOUSE LAWMAKER OPPOSING CRACKING DOWN ON MEXICAN CARTELS' BORDER TUNNEL SYSTEM

The tunnel was discovered through intelligence work conducted by agents with the FGR's Criminal Investigation Agency in coordination with Mexico's Security Cabinet.

Officials said the search warrant was executed as part of an investigation into alleged violations of Mexico's firearms and explosives laws as well as drug-related offenses.

Authorities said they believe the property may have functioned as a storage, logistics and trafficking center for firearms, explosives and illicit drugs.

FEDS LIKELY EYEING 'COVER-UPS' TO BUST MEXICAN CARTELS ALONG BORDER: FORMER DEA AGENT

Photos released by the FGR appear to show agents navigating the underground passageway, access points leading into the tunnel and evidence recovered during the operation.

Investigators said they recovered ammunition, suspected methamphetamine, suspected marijuana, cell phones and various documents from the property.

Images released by Mexican authorities also appear to show ventilation infrastructure inside the tunnel, underscoring what officials described as a sophisticated operation.

BORDER AGENTS UNCOVER RPG LAUNCHER, CACHE OF RIFLES HIDDEN IN VEHICLE HEADING TO MEXICO

The FGR said its investigation indicates the tunnel likely connects to a street in San Diego, though authorities have not publicly identified the location or confirmed whether the U.S. side of the tunnel has been located.

The tunnel discovery comes as U.S. authorities announced charges against four individuals accused of trafficking more than a ton of cocaine through a sophisticated cross-border tunnel stretching between Tijuana and San Diego.

According to federal prosecutors in San Diego, the tunnel extended approximately 1,933 feet, reached a depth of about 55 feet and was equipped with reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation systems and rail infrastructure.

Federal investigators said the tunnel connected Tijuana to a storefront in Otay Mesa known as "Buy 4 Less," where agents discovered a concealed exit point hidden beneath the floor of a storage room.

Authorities seized approximately 1,029 kilograms, or more than 2,269 pounds, of suspected cocaine during the investigation, an amount prosecutors estimated was worth roughly $45 million.

Homeland Security Investigations said the seizure dealt a significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations.

The investigation resulted in charges against four suspects accused of using the tunnel to move narcotics into the U.S.

Federal officials said the tunnel was discovered after months of surveillance that began in late 2025 and culminated in coordinated enforcement actions on May 29.

Officials described the discovery as a significant blow to criminal organizations that rely on underground smuggling routes to move narcotics and other contraband across the border.

"For these defendants, it wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. It was lights and sirens," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California, said.

The evidence and property have been turned over to federal prosecutors in Baja California, who will continue the investigation.

Colombia’s first-round presidential election, won by tough-talking conservative Abelardo de la Espriella, signaled what analysts describe as a growing backlash across Latin America against leftist governments.

The presidential election could carry significant implications for U.S. interests in the region, including drug trafficking, migration and regional stability, as voters increasingly prioritize security, counternarcotics policies and economic stability ahead of a June 21 runoff between de la Espriella and leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda.

"For the Trump administration, a Colombia that recommits itself to security cooperation, counternarcotics efforts, and stronger democratic institutions would be a major win and an important step forward towards restoring stability across the Western Hemisphere," Melissa Ford Maldonado of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) told Fox News Digital from Colombia.

ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA'S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION

"What happens in Colombia affects the flow of drugs into American communities, the strength of transnational criminal networks, migration pressures and the broader balance between democratic governments and criminalized regimes throughout the region," she added.

The first-round winner, de la Espriella, a conservative lawyer and political outsider known as "El Tigre" ("The Tiger"), has emerged as the face of Colombia's security-focused shift. 

An admirer of President Donald Trump and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, won 43.7% of the vote Sunday, outperforming most polls and advancing to a runoff against left-wing Cepeda, the candidate backed by President Gustavo Petro. 

His campaign has centered on a hardline crackdown on criminal organizations, which he argues have flourished under Petro's "Total Peace" policy.

In an interview with the Associated Press, de la Espriella pledged to open mega-prisons and take a far more aggressive approach toward criminal groups. "Criminals will either surrender or leave the country," he said.

The vote comes as Colombia faces rising violence, expanding criminal organizations and growing criticism of President Gustavo Petro’s "Total Peace" strategy, which sought negotiations with armed groups and criminal networks.

AT LEAST 80 PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AS PEACE TALKS FAIL, OFFICIAL SAYS

"Colombia heads into a June 21 runoff with armed groups controlling vast stretches of the country, a failed ‘Total Peace’ negotiating strategy leaving communities more exposed than when it began, and a Venezuelan refugee crisis that has overwhelmed the state's already thin capacity to govern its own territory," Daniel Swift, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital.

Maldonado said Colombia’s election reflects a wider political shift taking place across Latin America.

"This election is part of a broader trend across Latin America, where voters are increasingly rejecting the failed promises of the left in favor of security, sovereignty and economic opportunity," she said.

ECUADOR'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION GOES TO RUNOFF BETWEEN CONSERVATIVE INCUMBENT, LEFTIST LAWYER

"We’ve seen it in Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica and now increasingly in Colombia."

Swift agreed the election results reflect a broader regional trend.

He said with de la Espriella outperforming "every poll, with security at the top of every voter's mind — confirms that Colombia is part of a broader regional reckoning: Latin Americans are losing patience with governments that cannot provide security," Swift said.

Maldonado said the results reflected mounting frustration with the country’s direction under Petro.

"Years of growing insecurity, rising coca cultivation, expanding criminal organizations, and concessions to armed groups have left many Colombian people frustrated with the direction of the country," she added.

The June 21 runoff is expected to focus heavily on security policy, organized crime and Colombia’s future relationship with the United States under the Trump administration. Maldonado argues it "offers Colombia an opportunity to begin reversing course and reestablish a principle that should have never been up for debate: criminal organizations should be confronted, not negotiated with."

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it carried out "self-defense strikes" against Iran over the weekend.

"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island this weekend," a press release noted.

"The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters. U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters," CENTCOM continued.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN US WILL 'FINISH THE JOB' IF DEAL COLLAPSES AS ISRAEL EXPANDS LEBANON OFFENSIVE

"No American service members were harmed. CENTCOM will continue to protect U.S. assets and interests in response to unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire," the release added.

The Associated Press reported that Kuwait noted its air defenses opened fire on Monday to intercept drone and missile attacks. Around the same time, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it responded to an American attack without saying where, likely referring to the attack on Kuwait. The Guard, via a statement reported by the state-run IRNA news agency, indicated that America targeted a telecommunications tower, according to the AP.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a Monday post on X, "Last night at 11 p.m. ET, U.S. forces successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait. These missiles were immediately defeated and no American personnel were harmed. U.S. Central Command remains vigilant and will continue to protect our forces from Iranian aggression while supporting the ongoing ceasefire."

Asserting that Iran "really wants" to strike an agreement, President Donald Trump declared in a Monday morning Truth Social post that chattering critics are making it more difficult for him to negotiate. 

MOJTABA KHAMENEI TOUTS NEW ANTI-US ALLIANCE AS GULF BACKCHANNELS SEEP INTO TEHRAN: ANALYST

He urged people to "sit back and relax," claiming that the issue will ultimately turn out "well."

"Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us. But don’t the Dumocrats, and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans, understand that it is MUCH tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate, when political hacks keep negatively ‘chirping,’ at levels never seen before, over and over again, that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever," he declared in a Truth Social post early on Monday.

"Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end - It always does!" he declared.

TRUMP REVEALS KEY IRAN CONCESSION, WARNS US WILL 'FINISH IT OFF MILITARILY' IF DEAL FAILS

The U.S. is continuing to conduct a blockade against Iran.

"U.S. forces operating in the Gulf of Oman enforced blockade measures by disabling a Gambia-flagged maritime vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, May 29," CENTCOM announced in a Saturday press release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Hezbollah has begun unleashing "game changing" waves of "lethal" nighttime drones against Israel, a defense expert warns, with the attacks contributing to casualties, defense breaches and plunging parts of the border region into chaos, according to reports.

Escalating deployments by Hezbollah had also prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene an emergency security meeting on May 30 following a surprise Hezbollah strike, amid reports of "utter chaos" as Israeli forces scrambled to respond.

"These nighttime drones are the very small Category 1 and Category 2 drones," defense expert and Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital.

"They are generally used by squads on the ground to go and conduct tactical lethal missions or surveillance missions right in theater immediately. What they are able to do is use thermal sensors to be able to fly at night and use heat signatures to spot IDF troops," he said.

ISRAEL SAYS IT IS STRIKING HEZBOLLAH TARGETS IN LEBANON

"Hezbollah now has nighttime capabilities, which is game changing," Chell added.

"What you will see is an escalation of the use of drones and the innovation of asymmetric warfare in that particular area by Hezbollah," he warned.

Chell’s comments came amid reports of makeshift defenses with nets being deployed against the backdrop of a significant shift in the conflict.

Israeli soldiers have resorted to buying commercial fishing and soccer nets to entangle the incoming aerial threats, according to reports.

"This means that there is a whole other set of countermeasures that the IDF has to put in place, whether it is electronic jamming, net guns or the use of netting just to put in front of installations or in front of vehicles to try to stop the final impact of the drone if it is a strike drone," Chell added.

HEZBOLLAH DISARMAMENT DEADLOCK RISKS CIVIL WAR, ANALYSTS SAY, AS US PREPARES FOR ISRAEL–LEBANON TALKS

"The IDF will have to change a lot of their tactics regarding their ability to move around and conduct operations at night. Now they will have to factor in the fact that Hezbollah has nighttime capabilities to at least do observation using thermal cameras, as well as strike capabilities."

Netanyahu called a meeting with top officials following an intense Hezbollah rocket and drone blitz that caught the military off guard on Saturday.

According to a report by Channel 13, the Israeli army was surprised by the scale of the fire as well as Hezbollah's decision to shift its operational policy in response to the expansion of Israel’s ground operations beyond the Litani River.

IDF SOLDIERS ACCUSE UN PEACEKEEPERS OF ENABLING HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS AMID INCREASING CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS

Reports from the ground described "utter chaos" in parts of the north. While rockets were said to have hit the cities, Hezbollah simultaneously launched waves of drone strikes.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has also touted the militant group’s drone capabilities, calling them an effective weapon against Israeli forces operating near and inside southern Lebanon. 

Netanyahu has also described Hezbollah's drone capabilities as a major threat given the difficulty in detecting them.

"Hezbollah have got a supply line or supply chain of some sort set up," Chell added before stating that they are not "using stuff that is groundbreaking; this is very old technology and tactics that they are using."

"That said, somebody is making the equipment available to Hezbollah — whether it is coming via Iran, China, Russia, Afghanistan or the black market, someone is getting enough product and feeding it into their supply chains," Chell warned.

Iran's supreme leader has launched a sweeping counteroffensive against President Donald Trump, attempting to rally Middle Eastern nations into an anti-American alliance, an analyst warned Sunday.

The aggressive maneuvering came hours after Trump pitched an expansion of the Abraham Accords, as an analyst said Tehran is seeking to position itself as the region’s "new sheriff" while forcing Gulf states with backchannels to Iran to choose between Washington’s security umbrella and a "New Islamic Civilization."

On Sunday, negotiations between Iran and the United States appeared to be ongoing, with Trump not yet signing off on a potential peace agreement.

Trump recently held a phone call with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to discuss expanding the 2020 Abraham Accords, followed by a May 25 post on Truth Social.

IRAN'S KHAMENEI LAUNCHES BLISTERING ATTACK ON TRUMP AFTER MIDDLE EAST VISIT

Mojtaba Khamenei issued a direct counter-response on X on May 26, issuing a call for a "New Islamic Civilization" aimed at those same regional capitals.

"I, with sincerity and purity of intention, invite all Islamic countries and governments to friendship and cooperation in goodness, so that by working together we may take steps toward the advancement of the Islamic Ummah and the resolution of the Islamic world's problems," Khamenei posted.

Highlighting "the nations of the region" and "common interests that will shape the new order and the future architecture of the region and the world," he spoke of "the Islamic Ummah and the #New_Islamic_Civilization."

"The United States will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in West Asia," he also warned.

"Mojtaba Khamenei's statement is that the Muslim world should consolidate under Iran's leadership — the 'Ummah,' the 'new Islamic civilization' — against the American-led order," Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.

"That is the theme, and it runs straight into the Accords narrative. This is a bid to build an alliance against the Abraham Accords," said Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative Program on Extremism at George Washington University.

TOP ISRAELI MILITARY OFFICIAL REVEALS OPERATION AGAINST IRAN INVOLVED 'STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL DECEPTION'

"In his statement, he also frames American bases on Muslim soil as an occupation to be expelled while wrapping it in religious language that casts the regime as God's instrument."

The counterterrorism expert noted that while the "Ummah" doctrine itself is not new — having been used by Mojtaba's father for years — the timing and targeted nature of the pitch represent a major escalation.

"This came into the Ummah with Iran, not into normalization with Israel under Washington," Mohammed explained. "Same audience, opposite frame, 24 hours apart, and a bid to assemble that alliance."

"The statement was published in full and carried by Iranian state media. It also tracks with his first statement as leader on March 12, when he demanded that U.S. bases in the region close."

"This was not a stray post," the expert warned. "While the doctrine is old, aiming it at these regions the day after Trump's pitch is what is new."

The posturing comes as Khamenei establishes his footing on the world stage, though his hidden nature complicates traditional diplomacy.

IRAN’S ‘STUNNING STRATEGIC MISCALCULATION’ COULD ACCELERATE GULF TIES TO ISRAEL, EX-CENTCOM DIRECTOR PREDICTS

"Tehran is selling itself to the region as the new sheriff of the neighborhood," Mohammed warned. 

"The Saudis, Qataris and Omanis have channels into the Iranian state, but you can't open a back channel to a man no one can locate. This has all been running through Pezeshkian and Araghchi."

Despite Iran's sudden rhetoric of "friendship," regional reality is defined by months of Iranian aggression against its neighbors.

Tehran's forces have actively fired upon Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.

Mohammed added that Tehran wants to peel Gulf states away from Washington, while its threats remain aimed at both the United States and the countries that host American forces.

"Iran spent this war firing on them — it hit Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait, the same capitals it's now inviting to brotherhood, and the UAE alone reported intercepting close to 2,000 drones and hundreds of ballistic missiles since Feb. 28," Mohammed said. 

"These are the states that host our forces: the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Al Dhafra in the UAE and Al Udeid in Qatar. You don't take three months of Iranian fire and then sign onto its alliance."

Ultimately, Gulf capitals remain deeply skeptical of Tehran, Mohammed said, but they are equally watchful of American resolve.

"What actually worries the Gulf isn't Mojtaba's invitation — it's the deal Washington might sign," Mohammed noted, "one that hands Iran its money back with its missiles intact and reads as rewarding the regime that just attacked them."

English police are facing mounting scrutiny after officers handcuffed an 18-year-old university student as he bled to death following a fatal stabbing, allegedly after believing the attacker’s false claim that he had been the victim of a racist assault.

The case has sparked outrage across Britain, fueled political debate over policing and prompted calls for the release of body-worn camera footage from the responding officers.

Alan Mendoza, executive director and co-founder of the London-based Henry Jackson Society think tank, told Fox News Digital that the case reflected broader failures in British policing culture. "The killing of Henry Nowak shows how far the rot of political correctness has set into the British policing mentality," Mendoza said.

"The reflex attitude today appears to be to believe any and every claim that mentions racism," he added. "It clearly trumped actual murder in this case as a dying Mr. Nowak was arrested on the say-so of his Sikh assailant without any facts being established by the officers attending."

BRITISH POLICE RELEASE DETAILS ON SUSPECTS AFTER 'SHOCKING' TRAIN ATTACK, UPDATE ON VICTIMS

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was convicted Thursday at Southampton Crown Court of murdering Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old finance student at the University of Southampton, during a confrontation on Dec. 3, 2025.

Officers arriving at the chaotic scene initially treated Nowak as the suspect after Digwa allegedly claimed he had been racially abused and attacked. Officers handcuffed Nowak before realizing the severity of his injuries. He later collapsed and died at the scene despite attempts to administer first aid, according to Sky News.

Following the verdict, Hampshire Constabulary publicly apologized and referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), England and Wales' police watchdog, for investigation. "I’m sorry that he was handcuffed and arrested in the moments before he lost consciousness," Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said in a statement reported by Sky News.

Prosecutors told jurors Digwa stabbed Nowak multiple times using a 21-centimeter blade described in court as a Sikh kirpan-style weapon. Digwa claimed he acted in self-defense after being racially abused, but jurors rejected that argument and found him guilty of murder.

The case has since ignited fierce public debate online and in British media over whether police prioritized allegations of racism over basic investigative and medical procedures.

TEXAS PRESS CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN METCALF KILLING DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS OVER TRACK MEET STABBING

Speaking on GB News on Friday, Reform UK Member of Parliament Robert Jenrick called for the release of body-worn camera footage if the Nowak family consents.

"The officers chose to prioritize the accusation of racial abuse over saving the life of this young man," Jenrick said. "I think that was a terrible mistake."

Jenrick also criticized what he described as a muted response from Britain’s political establishment compared to reactions following the 2020 death of George Floyd in the United States.

"The Prime Minister says absolutely nothing. The Home Secretary says absolutely nothing."

The killing has also raised concerns about hostility toward Britain’s Sikh community, which Sikh organizations have sought to distance from the crime.

In a public statement issued following the verdict, Sikh community organizations condemned the killing and stressed that the case should not be viewed as representative of Sikhism.

2 JEWISH MEN STABBED IN LONDON ATTACK CLASSIFIED AS TERRORISM

"Henry’s life has tragically been cut short by a moment of madness by an individual for which there can be no excuses," the statement said.

The organizations also acknowledged that "the actions of police officers who handcuffed the victim just before he died" had intensified criticism of police and "unnecessarily stirred up community hatred."

The statement further emphasized that legal protections allowing Sikhs in Britain to carry ceremonial kirpans for religious purposes do not apply if the blade is used violently.

"We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practicing Sikhs," the statement read.

Mendoza stressed that Britain’s Sikh community broadly condemned the murder and supported the investigation.

"It’s legal for Sikhs to carry ceremonial knives in the U.K. but they are almost always tiny ones that religious authorities have ordained are sufficient to fulfil the obligation," Mendoza told Fox News Digital. "He had one of those, plus his [8 inch] blade."

He also described Digwa as "a weapons nut," referencing evidence presented during the trial that prosecutors said showed the defendant had a fascination with knives and weapons.

The IOPC investigation into the officers’ actions remains ongoing. Fox News Digital reached out to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

A hardline, law-and-order candidate who promises to dismantle drug cartels and reset Colombia’s security doctrine is gaining traction with voters as Colombians vote in Sunday's presidential election.

As the world’s largest cocaine producer and a long-standing U.S. security partner, Colombia’s internal policies directly affect narcotics flows, migration dynamics and regional stability.

Analysts believe a shift in Bogotá’s leadership could reshape cooperation with Washington on drug interdiction, intelligence sharing and counter-cartel operations — issues that remain central to U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

Abelardo De La Espriella, a businessman and successful defense attorney, has emerged as a leading candidate on the right with a platform focused on aggressive counternarcotics enforcement, institutional reform and a decisive break from current leftist President Gustavo Petro’s negotiation-based approach with armed rebel groups. 

TRUMP’S WAR ON DRUGS STOPS AT MEXICAN BORDER — FOR NOW

The 47-year-old, nicknamed ‘The Tiger,' recently told the Associated Press, "The only peace process I believe in is one imposed by the force of arms and the laws of the republic. Under my government, any bandit who resists will be eliminated as appropriate, and if he submits, we will imprison him in a mega prison so he can pay his debt to justice as they should."

His rise mirrors a regional pattern seen with leaders like Javier Milei, Nayib Bukele and José Antonio Kast figures who have built political momentum around security-first agendas and voter frustration with crime and economic instability.

According to an Associated Press report, polls say De La Espriella is likely to fight it out with leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, who is from the same party as President Gustavo Petro, and center-right candidate Paloma Valencia. There are 14 candidates on the ballot.

Valencia’s campaign is backed by most of the nation’s traditional parties and by economists who are concerned about the growing levels of debt under the Petro administration and want Colombia to return to more orthodox policies, the Associated Press reported.

US PARTNERS WITH COLOMBIA TO TAKE ON IMMIGRATION USING BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES

Valencia told Fox News Digital, "As president of Colombia, we will restore a strategic, close, and trustworthy relationship with the United States, based on mutual respect and the defense of our national interests. We will strengthen cooperation in security, intelligence, military training, and the fight against transnational crime; areas in which the alliance between our two countries has been essential to Colombia’s stability. We will also work to ensure that Colombia plays an active role in the Shield of the Americas and contributes to regional leadership in defense and security. "

She added, "The United States will continue to be a key partner for economic growth, investment, and job creation, as well as a vital ally for the millions of Colombians who live there. Colombia will also stand alongside the United States in defending freedom and democracy across the hemisphere, supporting efforts to restore liberty in Cuba and to help Venezuela return to a democratic path. Our relationship will be defined by trust, cooperation, and the pursuit of tangible benefits for Colombia and its citizens."

Critics say leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, represents a continuation and potential expansion of the leftist policies associated with Petro. Cepeda supports dialogue with armed groups, rural reform and a reform of Colombia’s traditional security framework, placing greater emphasis on social investment.

COLOMBIA PRESIDENT DECREES EMERGENCY POWERS TO RESTORE ORDER IN COCA REGION WRACKED BY REBEL COMBAT

Camilo Guzmán, executive director of Libertank, told Fox News Digital that Sunday’s election will likely result in a runoff between Cepeda and De La Espriella. "Abelardo earned that ticket by reading the room better than anyone else in the opposition. He offered catharsis, speaking directly to Colombian voters' indignation toward the traditional political class and the establishment. 

"Where center-right Senator Paloma Valencia offered competence and continuity with the Uribe tradition, he said, De La Espriella’s message "is built on a hard line on security," Guzman added. "Ending Petro's failed ‘total peace’ policy that emboldened guerrillas and cartels, going after narco-trafficking with full force, and rebuilding the counter-narcotics alliance with Washington that Petro spent four years dismantling."

Analysts say the outcome for the U.S. carries significant strategic weight. A De La Espriella administration could align more closely with Washington’s traditional counternarcotics priorities, potentially strengthening bilateral cooperation at a time when synthetic drug flows and organized crime networks are expanding across the hemisphere.

TRUMP-STYLE LAW-AND-ORDER CONSERVATIVE CLINCHES CHILE’S PRESIDENCY AS VIOLENT CRIME CRISIS RESHAPES NATION

Beyond bilateral relations, the election is being closely watched as a potential inflection point for Latin America. A De La Espriella or Valencia win would reinforce the momentum of security-focused leadership seen in parts of the region, while a Cepeda presidency would signal continuity for Petro’s policies.

José Manuel Restrepo, candidate for vice president on the ticket with De La Espriella talked exclusively to Fox News Digital. "The relationship between Colombia and the United States needs to be recovered and rebuilt, and this starts with a sound security policy to combat drug trafficking. It will be crucial to move beyond the current deteriorated relationship, in which we lost the historic bilateral, bicameral, bipartisan, and multisectoral relationship with our primary trading and investment partner."

He continued, "To strengthen it, we must seize the opportunity for Colombia to become the United States' best possible ally in the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. Leveraging this relationship with the United States, we can play a major role in investing in food, hygiene products and basic needs from Colombia to Venezuela. This would, among other things, give a new direction to the relationship with the United States, creating new opportunities that benefit Colombia…Under our administration, the relationship with the United States would be strengthened and revitalized.

Guzman noted that "De La Espriella's anti-establishment posture is not a libertarian agenda. His economic program leans on price controls, interest-rate subsidies, and import substitution, closer to old-school Latin American populism than to Bukele's pro-investment turn, and a world away from Milei's free-market project. Whether the economic program that comes with it creates new instability south of the border is the open question."

Analyst, entrepreneur and son of a former president Jerónimo Uribe said the stakes could not be clearer in Sunday's presidential race. "The elections in Colombia are not between the left and the right. They are between a communist model propped up by drug traffickers and a model that defends democracy and freedom," he told Fox News Digital.

Representatives for Cepeda did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israeli and Lebanese military delegations opened Pentagon-mediated talks Friday morning in Washington, launching a new U.S.-brokered security coordination track aimed at preventing renewed escalation along the Israel–Lebanon border and shoring up a fragile ceasefire reached in mid-April.

A State Department official told Fox News Digital, "As we have continuously stated, the only path to lasting peace is through direct negotiations between the two sovereign governments."

The discussions mark a shift from diplomatic negotiations into direct military coordination, with talks expected to focus on ceasefire enforcement, border stability, Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon and the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces in containing Hezbollah.

ISRAEL MOVES TOWARD CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH HEZBOLLAH: REPORTS

The talks come weeks after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire first reached during the broader regional conflict tied to the U.S.–Iran war. While large-scale fighting has eased, Israeli forces continue operating inside parts of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah maintains drone and rocket capabilities, keeping tensions high along the border.

The ceasefire was extended on May 15 for another 45 days, creating pressure on both sides to show progress before the current arrangement expires.

But analysts say the central question overshadowing the talks is whether Lebanon can realistically curb Hezbollah’s military power without risking internal collapse.

"This will be the first meeting between representatives of the militaries since the start of the negotiation process between Lebanon and Israel," Ahmad Sharawi, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Fox News Digital.

Representing Lebanon in the talks is Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, who previously served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon, an area where Hezbollah maintains a strong presence. Hezbollah is the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist organization designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. 

"What we should expect is talks regarding de-confliction and what the expectations are for the LAF in terms of the broader disarmament plan against Hezbollah’s weapons," he said.

Sharawi said the chances of a broader breakthrough remain limited so long as Hezbollah remains heavily armed and politically entrenched inside Lebanon.

"The biggest obstacle here is that the Lebanese state is yet to present a feasible plan to disarm Hezbollah," he said.

LAWMAKERS QUESTION WHETHER US MOVING FAST ENOUGH TO CAPITALIZE ON HEZBOLLAH'S WEAKENED STATE

He pointed to the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire agreements, which placed responsibility for disarming Hezbollah on the Lebanese state.

"We are yet to see the confiscation of one single bullet from Hezbollah," Sharawi said.

He also warned that Hezbollah’s deep support among Lebanon’s Shiite population complicates any attempt to move toward normalization with Israel.

"There’s a fear of a civil war," he said. "That also accounts for the Lebanese state’s unwillingness to disarm Hezbollah."

The talks opened as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled Israel intends to maintain military pressure on Hezbollah despite the negotiations.

Sharawi argued the Trump administration nevertheless appears determined to push the process forward as part of a broader effort to weaken Iranian influence in the region.

"The reason behind these meetings is that President Trump is really trying to push for a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon," he said. "Peace between these two countries could really undermine Hezbollah and its influence in Lebanon."

WALTZ SAYS TRUMP HAS CREATED 'BEST CHANCE IN OUR LIFETIME' TO BREAK HEZBOLLAH’S GRIP ON LEBANON

Israeli analysts similarly described the talks less as a breakthrough and more as a strategic signal aimed at Hezbollah.

"The war between us and Hezbollah is continuing," Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and former head of the Research Division of Israeli Military Intelligence, told Fox News Digital.

"There is no doubt the Lebanese government does not have a monopoly on the use of force in Lebanon."

‘OVERBLOWN’ REPORTS ON ISRAEL–LEBANON NORMALIZATION RISK HINDERING BORDER TALKS BEFORE THEY BEGIN: OFFICIAL

Kuperwasser said expectations for an immediate diplomatic breakthrough should remain low but argued the talks themselves send an important political message.

"The purpose of these talks is first and foremost to send a message to Hezbollah and also to the Americans," he said. "Both sides are prepared to sit together against Hezbollah and signal that they are moving, even if slowly, toward normalization between Israel and Lebanon."

He argued Hezbollah has been weakened politically and militarily by the ongoing conflict and by growing frustration among Lebanese civilians displaced by the fighting.

"For years, Hezbollah portrayed itself as the defender of Lebanon," Kuperwasser said. "Now many Lebanese see Hezbollah as responsible for the suffering Lebanon is experiencing."

Kuperwasser added that while Israel supports strengthening the Lebanese army, Beirut fears direct confrontation with Hezbollah could ignite another civil war.

"The Lebanese government fears military action against Hezbollah would lead to civil war," he said. "That fear shapes everything."

The talks also come amid mounting domestic pressure inside Israel, where critics of Netanyahu have accused the government of pursuing containment rather than decisive military victory against Hezbollah.

Speaking Friday during a visit to Israel’s northern front, Netanyahu said Israeli forces had crossed the Litani River and were operating across multiple parts of Lebanon. 

"We are operating in Beirut, in the Bekaa Valley, across the entire front and striking Hezbollah hard," Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s leadership is attempting to balance growing American pressure with fears of internal instability and renewed sectarian conflict.

Following Friday's meeting, the Pentagon issued a statement, saying, "Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby hosted military delegations from the State of Israel and the Republic of Lebanon to launch the security track supporting the ongoing talks between the two nations.

"The delegations engaged in productive, military-to-military talks focused on building practical frameworks for regional security and stability. The progress and tangible outcomes from these discussions will directly inform the Department of State-led political track, which is scheduled to reconvene next week.

"The Department of War deeply values its strategic partnerships with both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The Department supports Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, free of armed non-state actors, and welcomes the commitment of both militaries to these historic efforts. These are essential steps toward realizing President Trump's vision for a lasting peace in the Middle East.

"The United States anticipates reconvening soon to continue the security track."

Neither the Israeli Embassy in Washington nor the Lebanese Embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment. 

A drone struck an apartment building Friday in Romania, a NATO member, causing an explosion and fire that injured multiple people, local authorities said.

According to Romania’s Ministry of Defense, the incident occurred as Russia carried out an overnight drone attack in neighboring Ukraine near the Romanian border.

"A drone entered Romanian airspace, was tracked by radar systems as far as the Southern area of Galați municipality, and crashed onto the roof of a residential apartment building," the ministry said.

Romania — a member of both NATO and the European Union — has reported more than two dozen incidents involving Russian drones entering its airspace since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.

NATO SCRAMBLES WARPLANES AS RUSSIA HITS NEAR ROMANIAN BORDER IN UKRAINE

Friday’s incident marked the first time a drone struck a populated area in Romania, resulting in injuries.

Romania’s state news agency reported that a woman and her child were hospitalized with minor injuries, while two other people were treated at the scene for panic attacks.

Following the incident, Romania requested additional anti-drone capabilities from NATO and described the drone’s flight path as a serious violation of international law, according to The Associated Press.

RUSSIAN DRONES TEST NATO'S ARTICLE 5 DEFENSE GUARANTEE AHEAD OF FRIDAY SANCTIONS DEADLINE

Romania’s emergency response agency said the drone struck the apartment building and exploded, sparking a fire on the 10th floor.

The agency said the drone’s entire explosive payload detonated upon impact.

Seventy people were evacuated from the building, authorities said. The fire has since been brought under control.

NEW ROMANIAN LAW MAY HAVE AVERTED NATO CLASH WITH RUSSIA AFTER BORDER STRIKES

The defense ministry said two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter were deployed to monitor the Russian attack. The pilots were authorized to shoot down any drones that posed a threat.

The incident came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that he was pressing the United States to provide additional Patriot air defense missiles to help counter Russian attacks.

He warned that deliveries to Ukraine were falling dangerously short as the conflict with Iran strains U.S. military resources and stockpiles.

"I believe [the U.S.] must act quicker. We are being very persistent," Zelenskyy told reporters during a visit to Sweden.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russia and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have signed a military cooperation pact, cementing an alliance that further solidifies Moscow’s influence in Central Asia, according to reports.

The deal, finalized Wednesday at an international security forum in Russia, followed a meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.

The Taliban Defense Ministry announced on X that Yaqoob had traveled to Russia to attend the conference.

Yaqoob is the Taliban’s former military chief and the son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.

AL QAEDA REMAINS MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST GROUP 24 YEARS AFTER 9/11, EXPERT WARNS

Omar had formed a close alliance with Osama bin Laden and provided a safe haven from which al Qaeda planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

As of Thursday, neither Russia nor the Afghan side had shared the further details of the new military agreement.

"Afghanistan and Russia have long and historical relations. In this direction, we want to move further. We have expanded bilateral relations," Yaqoob said at the meeting.

The pact follows statements from a senior Russian security official who noted that Moscow has established a "full-fledged partnership" with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and is encouraging other countries in the region to expand cooperation with Kabul, Reuters reported.

The Taliban had regained power in August 2021, after overthrowing the U.S.-backed Afghan government run by President Ashraf Ghani.

In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the possibility of dropping Russia’s classification of the Taliban as a terrorist organization.

FORMER AFGHAN TRANSLATOR WARNS OF STARVATION, HUMANITARIAN CRISIS: 'BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED IN 2001'

In 2024, he called the Taliban "allies in the fight against terrorism" and Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

"After several years of vacillation, Russia has become the first country in the world to officially recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan," Nikita Smagin, an expert on Iranian foreign and domestic policies, Islamism and Russia's policy in the Middle East, said in a report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"It’s more of a symbolic gesture than something driven by trade or economic considerations," Smagin added, describing how when Taliban militants entered the Afghan capital in August 2021, "Russia was already deemed eligible for special treatment."

"Its diplomatic mission was immediately provided with security, and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov became the first foreign diplomat to meet with the new rulers of Afghanistan," he explained.

On Wednesday, Shoigu also called for Western countries to unfreeze sanctioned Afghan assets.

AFGHANISTAN'S ONLY WOMEN-LED RADIO STATION TO RESUME OPERATIONS AFTER TALIBAN LIFTS SUSPENSION

"We are convinced that Western countries should unfreeze blocked Afghan assets, fully recognize their responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan, and bear the burden of the country's post-conflict reconstruction," Shoigu said, according to reports.

"Moscow needs to take steps that will restore its image as an influential power that holds the initiative, and recognition of the Taliban regime serves precisely that purpose," Smagin added.

"The status of the first country to establish official diplomatic relations with the Taliban government should ensure Russia has a leading role in discussions of regional security issues."

The recognition of the Taliban, he said, was an attempt by Russia to "prove itself as a leading global force that is not afraid to break established norms and set precedents for other countries."

Moscow continues to emphasize the need to work directly with Kabul as it faces severe, ongoing security threats from various rival Islamist militant groups operating throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, Reuters said.

Shoigu also said Moscow was building a "pragmatic dialogue" with the Taliban that included security, trade, culture and humanitarian support, the outlet reported May 14.

UNITED NATIONS — The Czech Republic is prepared to help protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and is aligning closely with the Trump administration on security, NATO and Israel, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview at the United Nations in New York.

Prague already had begun discussions about contributing specialized capabilities to help secure the strategically vital waterway amid growing tensions with Iran, Macinka said while speaking at Security Council-related meetings at the U.N. 

"We are ready to contribute to freedom of passage and the Hormuz trade," Macinka said. 

"We were among the first countries that were ready to contribute … We have no navy, as we are in the middle of Europe," he explained, "But we have some unique passive surveillance capabilities."

TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Macinka warned that Iran posed a global threat through what he described as four main "war tools": nuclear proliferation, drones and ballistic missiles, international terrorism and threats to the Strait of Hormuz. 

"Their nuclear military program must be stopped," he said. "It’s a global risk and global threat."

The comments come as the Trump administration has increased pressure on European allies to take a larger role in protecting international shipping routes amid Iranian threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit choke points. Roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

Speaking after a meeting with foreign ministers in Sweden Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio questioned the value of hosting U.S. military bases in allied countries that later restrict American military operations during wartime.

"One of the arguments I always made was that these bases in the region provided us with logistical options that we wouldn’t otherwise have," Rubio told reporters. "And when some of those bases are denied to you during a conflict that we’re involved in, then you question whether that value is still there."

President Donald Trump also has sharply criticized NATO allies over a reluctance to participate in military operations tied to the Iran conflict and securing the Strait of Hormuz. 

Trump said he was "strongly considering" pulling the United States out of NATO after allies failed to join the U.S. campaign against Iran, according to an April 1 interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph, calling the alliance a "paper tiger."

The Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, reached NATO’s benchmark of spending 2% of GDP on defense and has supported calls for Europe to increase military readiness amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Macinka strongly defended the administration’s calls for Europe to increase defense spending and reduce dependence on Washington for long-term security guarantees. 

"We should do our homework and build our defense to become stronger," he said, arguing that Europe had delayed necessary military investments for too long.

He also tied Europe’s defense spending challenges to the European Union’s Green Deal policies, the bloc’s sweeping climate agenda aimed at reducing carbon emissions, calling them ideological and financially destructive. 

"If we get rid of this green, crazy alarmism, then we have enough money to build our defense," he said.

The Czech foreign minister also voiced unusually direct support for Trump and his administration, praising what he described as a global "common sense" shift following Trump’s election victory.

"We are friends of Israel, and we are friends of America," Macinka said. "Especially me as a politician, I'm a friend of the ideology of the current American administration."

Macinka also referenced a clash earlier in 2026 with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized Europe’s liberal political establishment and defended the populist wave reshaping parts of Europe and the United States.

EUROPE MUST LEAD ON UKRAINIAN SECURITY GUARANTEES, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS: 'WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS'

Macinka linked Prague’s strong support for Ukraine to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, when hundreds of thousands of Warsaw Pact troops occupied the country for more than two decades.

He said that historical experience continues to shape Czech public opinion and support for Kyiv.

"The Czech society feels a big solidarity with Ukraine," Macinka said, describing the war as a "symmetric war" between a powerful Russian military and a Ukrainian army backed by the West.

Macinka highlighted Prague’s leading role in a Czech-backed ammunition initiative supplying Ukraine with artillery rounds collected through international donor efforts. 

Recalling a visit to Kyiv earlier in 2026, he said he received intelligence briefings on battlefield ammunition consumption from Ukrainian military officials.

TRUMP, ZELENSKYY TO MEET FOR KEY DEAL AS NATO ALLIES, RUSSIA WAIT, WATCH

The Czech initiative delivered more than half a million rounds of ammunition in 2026 alone, according to Macinka, helping stabilize the battlefield ahead of possible peace negotiations.

Macinka argued that maintaining a stable front is essential for meaningful negotiations, warning that shifting battle lines will only harden demands on both sides.

With Washington increasingly focused on the Middle East, Macinka also said Europe must begin taking a larger diplomatic role in future negotiations over Ukraine.

"America is quite busy with the Middle East," he said. "Europe should wake up and ask for a place at the table."

Iran is said to be ‘deeply threatened’ by the small African breakaway state, Somaliland, because of the potential for U.S., Israeli and Western powers to use its deep water port and airbase.

Such moves would severely disrupt Iran’s plan to use their proxy, Yemen’s Houthi terror group, to attack Red Sea shipping.

Iran has been accused of pressuring the Houthis to renew their strikes on shipping, particularly in the Red Sea’s Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.

COULD SOMALILAND BASE EMERGE AS US FOOTHOLD AGAINST IRAN, HOUTHIS IN KEY SEA LANES?

Lisa Daftari, a Middle East and foreign policy expert, told Fox News Digital, "Iran’s regime is deeply threatened by what Somaliland represents in an emerging pro‑Western, potentially pro‑Israel foothold overlooking the Bab el‑Mandeb, that could blunt Tehran’s leverage via the Houthis over Red Sea shipping and Israel."

Daftari, the editor‑in‑chief of The Foreign Desk, said, "that’s why Iran‑backed Houthis are already explicitly threatening to strike any Israeli or Western military presence in Somaliland and warning they could move to choke the Bab el‑Mandeb if the conflict with the U.S. and Israel escalates." 

The White House has said that Iran’s proxies, such as the Houthis, have been weakened. "The United States Military achieved all of the goals laid out for Operation Epic Fury – including weakening Iran’s proxies. Now, Iran is being strangled economically – giving President Trump all the cards as negotiations continue," Anna Kelly, special assistant to the President and White House principal deputy press secretary told Fox News Digital when asked if the U.S. was considering a full-time-basing relationship with Somaliland.

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) told Fox News Digital that Somaliland’s recognition of Israel and Israel’s recognition of it last December has clearly irked Iran.

Fitton-Brown, who is a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen — the Houthis home country, said Iran "opposes any recognition of it (Somaliland) primarily because Israel is the first state to recognize it, and Iran will oppose anything that Israel does. Iran is also viscerally opposed to the U.S. and UAE, both of which have pragmatic engagement with Somaliland, short of recognition. Somaliland is a potential base for anti-Houthi enforcement, i.e. a threat to the Iranian Axis of Resistance."

IS TRUMP CONSIDERING BOLD AFRICA PLAY TO PUSH BACK ON CHINA, RUSSIA AND ISLAMIC TERRORISTS?

The U.S. already has a large base on the Red Sea in Djibouti, but Fitton-Brown says this is increasingly problematical "China is significantly expanding its military and commercial presence in Djibouti. There is a sense that Djibouti is not a reliable ally for the U.S. So Somaliland’s time has probably come."

And Somaliland hopes so. Its Foreign Minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adam, told Fox News Digital "At a time when the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure and threats to the Red Sea are escalating, Somaliland has reiterated its longstanding offer to provide the United States with access along our coast. We have been clear about this in times of peace, and we are equally clear today."

The Somaliland government is also offering storage space for tomahawk missiles, with a government source saying it’s "a unique way to advance security interests."

Adam added, "U.S. destroyers that expend their missile batteries in the Red Sea require (currently) up to two weeks of travel to be resupplied. Somaliland is ready to play a practical role in helping the U.S. to secure global trade routes."

But Somaliland’s offer of allowing use of its airbase and seaport is not all plain sailing.  Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth P. Ekman, former AFRICOM/J5 and West Africa coordination element lead, told Fox News Digital "a policy dilemma presents when conducting diplomatic and military relations with Somaliland directly, rather than through the Federal Government of Somalia and the SNA (Somali National Army)."

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

"This same dilemma presents," Ekman continued. "While we (the U.S.) enjoy good access in Djibouti, this access is singular and competes with the Chinese presence.  Additional access to the port of Berbera, located in Somaliland, provides redundancy (backup) and a relationally different partner. Frankly, the U.S. military, along with some of our allies and partners, need port access in Berbera."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, is strongly advocating for the U.S. to go all the diplomatic way and recognize Somaliland.

He told Fox News Digital in a statement that "Somaliland promises to be a critical counterterrorism ally for the United States, both because of its strong willingness to partner with us and because of its unique location. We should recognize the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state and, in the meantime, significantly boost our counterterrorism cooperation." 

The U.S. though, appears to be making below-the-radar moves. The Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Gen. Dagvin Anderson, was recently in the country visiting port facilities, with a delegation, in November. This week, a Somaliland government source told Fox News Digital that U.S. military delegations come to the state every two months, with the last visit in the second half of April. 

Fitton-Brown told Fox News Digital that, "The U.S. is already using it (Somaliland) for counterterrorism operations. My understanding is that the U.S. doesn’t have a permanent military presence in Somaliland, but actively cooperates with Somaliland's security forces on regional counterterrorism and maritime security issues."

A former senior U.S. defense official agreed that American military specialists have been co-ordinating with Somaliland forces since 2023, when they came together to kill Bilal al-Sudani, reportedly a key facilitator and financier of the ISIS global network.

However, the U.S. aligns publicly with Somalia, from which Somaliland broke away in 1991. 

When asked this week about the U.S. military relationship with Somaliland when it comes to counter-terrorism operations in the country, a Pentagon official told Fox News Digital: "The United States maintains its strategic partnership with the Federal Government of Somalia.

"In northern Somalia, AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, has conducted airstrikes to degrade ISIS—Somalia's ability to threaten the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad. In southern Somalia, AFRICOM, also in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, has conducted airstrikes to enable partner forces’ ability to degrade al Shabaab. Our strategic approach to countering terrorism in Africa relies on trusted partnerships and collaboration grounded in and through shared security interests."

Daftari added, "Somaliland is offering the United States what the mullahs fear most in this theater, namely an alternative, resilient platform on the African shore that includes an airfield, port, and over‑the‑horizon access that would dilute Houthi leverage and give Washington options that don’t depend on Djibouti or Persian Gulf partners alone."

A French mother who allegedly abandoned her two young children in a forest in Portugal while blindfolded was arrested with her former law enforcement boyfriend while eating at a café near Libson.

Marine Rousseau, 41, was taken into custody Thursday with Marc Ballabriga, 55, two days after the couple allegedly dumped her helpless 3- and 5-year-old children in a remote forest and left, according to Portuguese and French media.

"They stayed sitting and didn’t seem nervous," café owner Jorge Lopes told the news outlet. "They were searched and handcuffed without any stress at all. When I saw them so at ease in front of the authorities, I was astonished. It was as if they didn’t have blood running through their veins."

The boys were found crying and alone 125 miles away, MetroUK reported.

FLORIDA MOM ACCUSED OF ABANDONING DAUGHTER AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TO GO DRINKING AT BAR

"Given the situation of evident vulnerability, the children were taken to the home of a local resident, where they remained and received initial care in the presence of the officers until they were transferred to a hospital unit," Portuguese authorities said in a statement.

The two boys were in good health and were discharged from hospital on Thursday," Portugal's Public Ministry said.

The couple face child endangerment and abandonment charges. Ballabriga — a former French policeman who quit the force in 2010 — faces an additional aggravated assault charge.

UTAH DOOMSDAY MOM ARRESTED ABROAD AFTER ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTING FOUR KIDS, DUMPING THEM IN EUROPEAN ORPHANAGE

They were ordered held pending trial.

Rousseau’s sons were rescued by Artur Quintas, a local baker who spotted them "screaming and crying" while frantically stumbling along a main road on May 19, the New York Post reported.

They were carrying backpacks stuffed only with clothes, water and snacks.

Quintas recalled the older brother telling him that their mother and her boyfriend allegedly took them into the forest and covered their eyes as part of a "game." When they removed their blindfolds, both adults had vanished.

The pair have since been placed in temporary foster care.

Their biological father — who reported them missing on May 11 — is working to bring them back to France.

"It’s only a matter of days before I get my children back," he told French broadcaster Ici Alsace TV on Monday. "I think about them every second since the Colmar police station contacted me to tell me they were missing. My children will have to rebuild their lives, just as I rebuilt mine.

"And they don’t need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy."

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, would have to approve any final deal with the U.S. through secret courier networks while remaining in hiding as a "designated target," counterterrorism experts said Tuesday.

The unprecedented arrangement, they claimed, means Washington is negotiating a high-stakes accord with an entirely invisible counterparty, with a potential memorandum signed by a regime leader and a marked target who can never publicly show his face.

"Khamenei is a designated target, and every confirmed sighting is a coordinate," Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.

"The courier system used for messaging is not transitional. It is the operating system of his rule.

IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER RUNS 'STATE WITHIN A STATE' THROUGH SECRET 4,000-PERSON NETWORK, REPORT SAYS

"Any deal the United States signs will have to be designed for a permanently invisible counterparty whose enforcement depends on his continued survival. That is not arms control as it has been conventionally understood. It is a memorandum signed under American military pressure, with a regime whose leader cannot show his face."

Mohammed’s remarks came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained to reporters in India why the deal was suffering delays.

"It’s just the response," Rubio said. "I mean, when you get down on some of these things, you’ve got to hear back, and it takes the Iranians — takes them a little while longer to get back," he explained.

"That is Secretary Rubio confirming the courier latency on the record," said Dr. Omar Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative Program on Extremism at George Washington University. "Rubio is describing a structural feature of negotiating with a supreme leader no one can locate.

IRAN'S KHAMENEI STAYS AWAY FROM TALKS AS JD VANCE SAYS DYNAMIC MAKES DIPLOMACY 'MUCH MORE COMPLICATED'

"Mojtaba is in hiding, messages are moving by courier, and responses are arriving days late.

"Rubio just confirmed the symptom, and the administration is being honest about the problem. The question is whether the framework can be designed to survive it," Mohammed claimed.

Khamenei has spent nearly three months in hiding as tensions with the U.S. escalate.

He went underground as soon as a strike on Feb. 28 killed his father, amid reports that he was gravely injured.

He was struck in Operation Epic Fury — "wounded and likely disfigured," according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His wife and son were killed in the same strike.

"Officials at the highest levels of the Iranian government do not know where he is," Mohammed said, meaning every piece of information he receives is "dated, and his responses come with significant latency."

The remarks come as Iran and the United States continue talks aimed at reaching a deal to end the war that began Feb. 28.

IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER MOJTABA KHAMENEI 'MISFUNCTIONING,' NOT CONTROLLING REGIME: SOURCES

"If there’s going to be a deal, we’re going to have to work through that. But this is, you know, it’s either going to be a good deal or there isn’t going to be one," Rubio said Tuesday.

A senior administration official said the U.S. is prepared to ease sanctions if Iran makes major concessions on uranium enrichment. Frozen Iranian assets have also emerged as a key hurdle.

Iran said Monday that no agreement with the United States was imminent, despite progress toward a framework in talks.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the focus of talks remained ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and that a possible memorandum of understanding did not include specific details on managing the Strait of Hormuz.

"The real question for Washington is not how fast the framework can be signed," Mohammed added.

"It is also what enforcement looks like when the counterparty’s signature comes through a courier."

LVIV, Ukraine — As Kyiv takes a massive hit from Russia, another city seeks to carry on amid war. Four years into Russia’s war, the western Ukrainian city of Lviv is trying to master something impossible: how to live normally while surrounded by death.

At 11:30 a.m., the city stops.

Cars freeze in the middle of the street. Pedestrians pause on sidewalks. In the center of town, underneath the tall clock tower that rises above city hall, people bow their heads in silence as another military funeral convoy passes through the streets.

"It happens one to five times a day," a local resident says quietly.

The war feels far from Lviv, until suddenly it doesn’t.

UKRAINE’S BATTLEFIELD IS TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF NATO

The city of roughly one million people sits near the Polish border, hundreds of miles from the brutal front lines in eastern Ukraine. But Russian drones and missiles still hit here. Air raid sirens interrupt coffee dates and children’s soccer games. Funeral processions cut through wedding traffic. Entire neighborhoods live between moments of beauty and grief.

"We lost approximately 2,000 citizens of Lviv," Mayor Andriy Sadovyi told Fox News Digital during an interview at city hall. "It is a very huge price which we pay to our independence, to our democracy."

Sadovyi has led the city for nearly two decades, except for a brief presidential run. Inside his office overlooking the historic center, he proudly points to the terrace where he has hosted world leaders and celebrities, including actor Tom Cruise. At one point, a large well-fed cat jumps onto his desk.

"This is my deputy," Sadovyi jokes. The cat, he explains proudly, has become something of a city mascot. "He’s tough like a Ukrainian."

But beneath the humor is exhaustion. Sadovyi says he realized at the beginning of the war that Lviv had a special responsibility. It was close enough to Europe to remain functioning, but close enough to war to understand what was at stake.

His answer was what he calls the "Unbroken" project: a sprawling rehabilitation and innovation effort aimed at helping Ukraine survive physically and psychologically.

The city built rehabilitation centers for wounded soldiers and civilians arriving from across the country, treating amputees, burn victims and trauma patients. Sadovyi says the municipality also dedicated 20% of its budget to supporting defense technology companies developing military solutions for the war effort.

"Every family in this city was affected by war," he says. "We need to be strong. We need to survive. I’m building what is needed for that."

'A NEW KIND OF WAR': INSIDE UKRAINE'S HIDDEN FACTORIES MASS-PRODUCING COMBAT DRONES

Yet survival in Lviv is not only about weapons or hospitals. It is also about convincing people not to give up on life itself.

"People are afraid to come here," Sadovyi says. "But we need them to come."

One of the city’s newest projects reflects that mentality. Part school, part shooting range, part patriotic training center, it was designed to prepare civilians for a country where war has become everyday reality.

Inside one classroom, dozens of teenage girls sit listening to instructors explain emergency survival skills. Upstairs, at the indoor shooting range, instructor Vitaliy proudly shows off rows of American-made weapons including AR-15 style rifles and pistols.

"It’s not as big as ranges in the United States," he says apologetically.

On the wall hangs a shredded image of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, riddled with bullet holes from target practice.

Vitaliy laughs when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin posters.

"We ran out," he jokes. "They’re too popular. We can’t keep them."

On the terrace outside, two wounded veterans practice archery.

One sits in a wheelchair after losing both legs in the war. Another leans on a cane. Both have become competitive athletes through rehabilitation programs.

NATO ALLY POLAND WARNS RUSSIA, BELARUS PUSHING ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TOWARD ALLIANCE — AND THE US

One proudly explains he won a silver medal during a national contest. The other recently took gold and is now preparing for an international championship. Neither wants to talk much about what happened to them during combat.

Their therapy now is sport.

Down the road, another funeral begins. A military convoy carrying the body of a 32-year-old soldier drives slowly through the city center until it arrives at the cemetery.

The city’s military cemetery filled so quickly that officials recently had to open a new burial ground just weeks ago. Already, rows of fresh graves stretch across the hillside, above them blue-and-yellow flags and photographs of young men and women smiling back from before the war.

The grieving brother at the funeral says the fallen soldier never had time to start his own family.

Around him, families kneel beside the earth.

And still, life continues.

Children go to school. Mothers rush to work. Cafés remain packed. Street musicians perform in the old town square.

That same evening, inside the Lviv Theater of Opera and Ballet, hundreds gather for the "Miss Lviv" beauty pageant.

Young women dressed in glittering gowns pose beneath bright stage lights while music echoes through the theater. The audience is overwhelmingly female. Many of the men still in the city work in defense industries or hold exemptions from military service.

POLAND SEEKS ANSWERS AFTER PENTAGON SCRAPS PLANNED US ARMORED BRIGADE ROTATION

The contrast feels surreal only hours after attending a military burial.

But for many residents, events like these are an act of resistance.

"We are trying to keep life going," the reigning Miss Lviv says backstage before crowning the next winner. "I want the war to stop."

One of her friends explains why gatherings like this matter.

"These are difficult times," she says. "Doing normal things like this gives us a reason to dress up and enjoy ourselves."

Nobody here believes anymore that peace can come in 24 hours. But many still hope that President Trump and the U.S. can help bring the war to an end.

By the time evening arrives, air raid sirens once again cut through the city.

At outdoor cafés, people barely react at first.

'WRITTEN IN OUR DNA': POLISH PILOTS WHO REMEMBER SOVIET RULE PREPARE FOR AMERICA'S MOST LETHAL FIGHTER JET

Parents continue watching children play near fountains. Young couples finish drinks on restaurant terraces. Residents wait to hear whether the threat is "only" drones or actual missiles before deciding whether to move toward one of the hundreds of shelters spread throughout the city.

That frustration increasingly extends beyond the battlefield itself. Speaking to Fox News Digital while the latest wave of Russian strikes battered Ukrainian cities overnight, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Nations Andriy Melnyk warned that the war was becoming even more dangerous for civilians.

Melnyk, a native of Lviv, described the massive Russian assault between Saturday and Sunday as "the worst and the most devastating Russian attack on the capital since the beginning of the large-scale invasion."

Even members of his own family in Kyiv, he said, are now considering temporarily leaving the city because "it becomes unbearable to stay."

In Lviv, residents repeatedly ask to remind the world that the war is still intensifying, not fading into the background. Melnyk called on the United States and European allies to take "bold actions" to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged Western countries to provide additional air defense systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and drones targeting civilians.

He also criticized the United Nations for failing to stop the war, arguing that Russia’s veto power had left the Security Council effectively paralyzed.

On the overnight train leaving Lviv, most passengers are women. Border guards spend long minutes questioning the few men onboard, making sure they are not trying to escape mandatory military service. 

The exhaustion is visible everywhere. Still, Sadovyi is full of hope.

"This city will have a great future," he says confidently.

He believes the world will eventually come to Lviv not only to rebuild, but to learn.

"To learn how to be unbroken," he says.

Because, he warns, what happened to Ukraine could happen elsewhere too.

LONDON, England — From Sudan to Gaza, civilians are desperate, hospitals are under attack, and the humanitarian aid system cannot keep up, according to a new report in the Lancet medical journal. 

"The humanitarian system is no longer fit for purpose, given the types of emergencies that we have and their magnitude," report co-author Dr. Paul Spiegel told Fox News. 

AS WORLD FIXATES ON OTHER WARS, SUDAN SEES 12 MILLION FORCIBLY DISPLACED IN DEVASTATING CONFLICT

A professor at Johns Hopkins University and co-chair of its Center for Humanitarian Health, Spiegel has decades of experience working in refugee camps and war zones around the world. "I've been doing this for well over 30 years," he said. "We're in a very dark time."

Highlighting one of the world’s largest disasters, Sudan's brutal civil war — where tens of millions of people are in need as hospitals close and famine spreads — the panel of experts behind the report says the world knows how to save lives, but that the system is failing to deliver. The experts' report, titled 'Health in a World of Crises and Impunity,' argues that some agencies are too bureaucratic, and others too slow. The whole system, they say, needs revamping.

The report argues the United Nations is in need of reform, while in the U.S. it highlights the Trump Administration's shuttering of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) over suspected fraud and abuse. 

During that restructuring, many of USAID's most vital programs were folded into the State Department, but the report calls USAID's closure a "shock" and "sudden," and part of a chain of decisions in the U.S. and elsewhere which it condemns as "a political and moral failure."

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"USAID needed to be restructured," Spiegel told Fox News. "The U.N. needs to be restructured in a very significant way. But it's how you do that.

"It is the strategy to make sure that you do it in such a way that vulnerable populations across the globe are not going to be hurt, and that it wasn't done like that."

The authors are pushing for major global reforms, including overhauling funding, sending aid directly to local communities, greater accountability if governments or armed groups block aid, and upholding healthcare as a basic human right.

"It's really a complete rebalancing," Spiegel said, "to make sure that the system actually works for the people it's intended to help."

President Masoud Pezeshkian invoked one of Iran’s strongest wartime symbols on May 24, signaling Tehran’s resolve to hold its ground against the U.S. and Israel across the region, a counterterrorism expert said.

The Iranian leader's remarks came at a key moment in diplomacy, as President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran to end the war is "largely negotiated" and warned the U.S. would either sign "a great and meaningful" agreement or walk away entirely.

While Iran signaled broad agreement with Washington on some points, it said a final deal is not imminent and that negotiations over the remaining details are still underway.

IRAN’S TOP DIPLOMAT SAYS NATION’S POWER LIES IN DEFYING PRESSURE: ‘NO TO THE GREAT POWERS’

In an X post marking the anniversary of the 1982 recapture of Khorramshahr from Iraqi forces during the Iran-Iraq War, Pezeshkian said, "Khorramshahr today is Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz," adding that "resistance, self-sacrifice, and repelling aggression are rooted in the culture of this land."

Analysts claimed Pezeshkian was deliberately invoking one of the deepest ideological touchstones of the Islamic Republic — the battle that came to symbolize national resistance, civilian sacrifice and defiance against invasion.

"This is the Iran-Iraq War reference, and the timing is the point," said Dr. Omar Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative Program on Extremism at George Washington University.

May 24 marks the anniversary of the 1982 liberation of Khorramshahr, the southwestern city Saddam Hussein captured early in the war and Iranian forces retook after months of brutal urban combat.

FROM HOSTAGE CRISIS TO ASSASSINATION PLOTS: IRAN’S NEAR HALF-CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS

"This is one of the Islamic Republic’s foundational mythological moments — civilian resistance, mass sacrifice, repelling an ‘aggressor army.’ Roughly what the Great Patriotic War is to Russia. The rhetorical move is the extension," Mohammed told Fox News Digital.

"He’s mapping the 1980-82 defensive-war frame onto the current confrontation: Iran attacked by an aggressor, ordinary citizens (‘battle-untested but brave’) expected to stand and fight, with ‘resistance, sacrifice, repelling aggression’ cast as the cultural default mode."

Some of the phrasing, Mohammed said, also evokes volunteer and Basij fighters versus a professional invading army. The analyst noted that Pezeshkian’s "Hormuz line" comment reflects a standard Iranian escalation tactic.

IRAN TO HOLD LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ WITH US ARMADA IN MIDDLE EAST

"Invoking the strait inside a wartime-mobilization frame — even rhetorically — is a deliberate signal, not throat-clearing," he added.

"The Khorramshahr frame is the deepest register the regime has. It’s what they reach for to signal existential war, not a managed crisis."

Mohammed explained that Pezeshkian’s X post is framing the current confrontation from the presidential account to send a "high-stakes message."

"It’s also a tell on internal posture: Khorramshahr, in short, means ‘we are being invaded and we will not negotiate,’" he added.

Pope Leo unveiled the Vatican’s new encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," warning that artificial intelligence risks becoming a tool of "domination, exclusion and death" unless governments and institutions place moral limits on the rapidly developing technology.

The Vatican is formally entering the global debate over artificial intelligence as governments and tech companies race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems with limited international regulation.

The pontiff invoked Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical "Rerum Novarum," which addressed worker exploitation during the Industrial Revolution, arguing that AI represents a similarly transformative moment threatening human dignity.

"Today we find ourselves facing a transformation of similar magnitude, with perhaps even greater consequences," the Pope said.

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The pope warned about increasingly autonomous weapons systems that are beyond meaningful human control. He also said AI systems could block access to healthcare, employment and security because of biased data. He compared AI governance to nuclear arms control.

"Like nuclear energy, it must be at the service of all and of the common good," he said.

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The pope said disarming AI alone is not enough and called on governments and institutions to "build" systems rooted in trust and human dignity. Recalling devastating floods in Peru, he said rebuilding means restoring trust and hope.

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The pope also laid out the church’s broader argument about humanity and technology.

"The person bears within him- or herself a freedom, an interiority and a vocation to love and worship that no machine can replace," he said.

The Vatican is attempting to insert moral theology into a largely secular technological arms race.

"Stay awake," the pope urged, warning humanity not to surrender moral judgment to machines.