Pakistani Defense Minister Kahwaja Asif declared “open war” on Afghanistan on Friday, promising “there will be chaos and a reckoning” after the Taliban junta launched drone strikes against targets in Pakistan.
The post ‘There Will Be Chaos’: Pakistan Declares ‘Open War’ on Afghanistan appeared first on Breitbart.
As the Trump administration weighs its next move on Iran, one of the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. arsenal has taken up position closer to Tehran.
Eleven U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have arrived at Israel’s Ovda Air Base in the country’s south, Fox News reported, marking the first-ever operational deployment of American combat aircraft to Israel. The move comes amid a broader U.S. military buildup in the region not seen at this scale in years and as concerns grow over Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities.
For American decision-makers, the significance is straightforward: The F-22 changes the military equation.
"The F-22 is indeed the most air-to-air capable fighter in the world; nothing comes close to it in the air-to-air role," said retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, former deputy chief of staff for operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters. During a May 26 webinar hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), he described its presence as "a very clear deterrent signal" that allows the United States to "negotiate with strength."
TRUMP 'NOT HAPPY' WITH IRAN TALKS, HASN'T MADE 'FINAL DECISION' ON US STRIKES
Designed to establish and maintain air superiority, the F-22 can operate in heavily defended airspace and suppress enemy air defenses. In any potential strike scenario against Iran, that capability would be critical. Before bombers or strike aircraft can reach hardened nuclear or missile targets, someone has to clear the skies. That is the F-22’s core mission, former generals explained in the webinar.
Guastella underscored what forward positioning means in practical terms. "The advantage of the large force that’s there is that it can hold almost any target in Iran at risk … if that’s what the president wants to do," he said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Charles Moore, former deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, said in the webinar that the deployment is about expanding presidential options rather than signaling a predetermined strike.
TRUMP ISSUES STERN IRAN WARNING AS TEHRAN ANGRILY REACTS TO SPEECH AMID MUTED WORLD REACTION
"There is a lot of combat capability that’s been moved into the region … the more capability, the more assets we put, the more options that the President has. We don’t box him in," Moore said.
He added that the posture allows the United States "to be prepared for a long-term type of deployment and sustainment of combat capability if that’s what the President decides he wants us to do."
Trump signaled Friday that diplomacy remains his preference but did not rule out force. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas, he said he was not happy with Iran and wants to make a deal with Tehran, but warned that "sometimes you have to" use military force. He added that Iran remains unwilling to forswear nuclear weapons as demanded by the United States.
The choice of Israel as the deployment site also matters. Unlike some Gulf bases, where operational restrictions can apply, Israel offers fewer political constraints, they explained. That gives U.S. planners additional freedom of action in a fast-moving crisis.
THE ONLY MAP YOU NEED TO SEE TO UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS TRUMP IS ABOUT IRAN
JINSA’s fellow for American Strategy, Jonathan Ruhe, said the move follows a JINSA recommendation to expand U.S. basing options in Israel, outlined in a report the organization published last fall.
That report argued that forward basing in Israel would enhance U.S. flexibility and deterrence in the region. The organization has for months pushed the idea that Israel could function as a land-based platform for American airpower in the Middle East.
Former Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amikam Norkin said deploying such high-end aircraft to the region is not routine and framed the move as both operational and strategic. "It presents the American commitment to Israeli security once you are landing with your best airplane in Israel," he said, adding that regional actors "understand the very strong commitment of the American government, American military, American President, to the national security of Israel."
At the same time, he rejected the idea that the deployment represents a shift toward American "boots on the ground" in Israel.
"Well, it’s not the first time that America is on the ground. As you remember the 12-Day War, the American Air Defense System supported us. So it’s already been done," Norkin said.
More broadly, he emphasized that Iran is not solely an Israeli problem. "The Iranian threat, it’s not just an Israeli threat, it’s a regional threat, and the American forces support the region, not just Israel."
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command briefed President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday on potential military options targeting Iran, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to Fox News. The president’s top military adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, also attended the briefing.
For now, officials describe the move as part of preparedness rather than a prelude to immediate conflict. But the arrival of America’s premier air-dominance fighter on Israeli soil signals a new phase in U.S.-Israel military coordination and a clear message to Tehran: If the president chooses to strike, the tools are already in place.
Dr. Paul Brandenburg, ein renommierter Journalist, Arzt und Bürgerrechtler, äußert sich regelmäßig unmissverständlich. Als er genau das während der Corona-Krise tat, wurde er von den Mainstreammedien plötzlich nicht mehr eingeladen.
Was bis vor Kurzem in der jungen Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland undenkbar erschien, ist mittlerweile Realität geworden. Seit der Corona-Krise agieren die staatlichen Institutionen gegen das Grundgesetz und verfolgen Andersdenkende, die ihr grundgesetzlich verbrieftes Recht auf Meinungsfreiheit im öffentlichen Raum ausüben.
In diesem Gespräch erörtern Moderator Rüdiger Lenz und Paul Brandenburg den Staatsterrorismus, dem er ausgesetzt ist, und befassen sich mit den Abgründen des Finanzkapitalsatanismus, die durch die Epstein-Files ans Licht gekommen sind.
Die Wurzel fast aller gegenwärtigen politischen Herausforderungen sieht Brandenburg in der großen Anzahl von Menschen, die sich weigern, erwachsen zu werden. Die Mehrheit der Bevölkerung wünscht sich klare Anweisungen und Vorgaben für ihr Handeln und Verhalten – ähnlich wie Kinder. Das Abweichen von der Norm wird als bedrohlich empfunden und kann mit sozialer Isolation bestraft werden. Nur wenige Menschen übernehmen von sich aus die volle Verantwortung für ihr eigenes Leben.
Die Kenntnis der Epstein-Files sollte theoretisch Millionen von Menschen dazu veranlassen, ihren Gehorsam gegenüber staatlichen Autoritäten vollständig zu verweigern. Ein Generalstreik auf allen Ebenen wäre die logische Konsequenz. Die Proteste müssten bis in die politischen Institutionen hineingetragen werden.
Die Realität zeigt jedoch, dass keine derartigen Entwicklungen eintreten. Und es ist unwahrscheinlich, dass sich die Situation ändert. Die Mehrheit wird weiterhin ihre gewohnten Verhaltensmuster beibehalten. Sie erhält ihre Lebensanweisungen von oben und hat sich mit der Haltung abgefunden, dass ihr Handeln keine signifikante Wirkung erzielen kann.
Mehr über Dr. Paul Brandenburg hier: https://paulbrandenburg.com/
Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration was "temporarily" halting "certain amounts of Medicaid funding" to Minnesota, until the government learns "to be good stewards" of taxpayer money.
The post Trump Administration Halts ‘Certain Amounts of Medicaid Funding’ to Minnesota appeared first on Breitbart.
FIRST ON FOX: A new report detailing the inner workings of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office says the Islamic Republic’s real command structure lies not in Iran’s visible government, but in a shadow apparatus designed to preserve regime control even if the supreme leader himself disappears from public view.
The report, Unmasking the Bayt: Inside the Supreme Leader’s Office, published by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and authored by Saeid Golkar and Kasra Aarabi, describes the Bayt, the Office of the Supreme Leader, as a vast institutional network embedded across Iran’s military, economy, religious institutions and state bureaucracy.
"It is the hidden nerve center of the regime in Iran… it operates as a state within a state," Aarabi said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
WITKOFF WARNS IRAN IS ‘A WEEK AWAY’ FROM 'BOMB-MAKING MATERIAL' AS TRUMP WEIGHS ACTION
According to Aarabi, the system allows Khamenei to oversee and influence decision-making at every level of the Islamic Republic, including nuclear policy, war planning and internal security.
"This is what gives Khamenei absolute control. It’s not the visible state, this is the invisible state," he said.
The report estimates roughly 4,000 people operate inside the Bayt’s core structure, with tens of thousands more working through affiliated institutions across the country.
"There’s around 4,000 close employees… think of them as commissars… the real policymakers," Aarabi said. "Beyond that, the Bayt’s umbrella has 40,000 individuals working for it… entrenched at every single layer of policy, every single state entity."
The report maps a tightly controlled inner circle at the top of the Bayt, including Khamenei’s sons, particularly Mojtaba Khamenei, who is described as operating like a "mini-supreme leader" within his father’s office.
It details how the structure reaches directly into Iran’s military chain of command, with senior promotions requiring approval from the Supreme Leader’s office and parallel counterintelligence bodies monitoring loyalty across the armed forces. The Bayt, the report says, also plays a decisive role in nuclear negotiations and wartime decision-making, ensuring ultimate authority remains concentrated around the supreme leader.
The network, Aarabi said, effectively duplicates state ministries inside Khamenei’s office, allowing direct oversight and ideological enforcement across government agencies, universities and cultural institutions.
TRUMP ISSUES STERN IRAN WARNING AS TEHRAN ANGRILY REACTS TO SPEECH AMID MUTED WORLD REACTION
The report also outlines how the Bayt sustains regime durability through control of the economy, religious institutions and the education system. Networks of foundations and conglomerates tied to the supreme leader oversee major sectors of Iran’s economy, while clerical institutions, universities and cultural bodies are monitored by embedded representatives tasked with enforcing ideological compliance and suppressing dissent.
"Think of the Bayt as the nucleus of the core power of the regime," Aarabi said.
The findings come amid renewed speculation about Khamenei’s health and reduced public visibility, as well as growing regional tensions and the possibility of military confrontation involving Iran.
Aarabi pushed back on suggestions that Khamenei’s absence from public appearances signals weakening authority or internal fragmentation.
"We saw this during the 12-day war… even if he is hiding in a bunker, he is in full control. The Bayt has been tightening Khamenei’s grip on power," he said.
The structure, he argued, was deliberately built to function even without the supreme leader physically present.
"Even if he is eliminated, the Bayt as an institution enables the supreme leader to function," Aarabi said. "Think of the supreme leader as an institution rather than just a single individual."
The report places the Bayt at the top of Iran’s power hierarchy, above the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the formal government.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S IRAN WARNING IS SERIOUS — BUT AMERICANS NEED THE FULL FACTS
"The Bayt is the core apparatus… the strategic policymaking body that is driving the ballistic missile program, the nuclear program, [and] regional destabilization," Aarabi said.
The implications, he added, are significant for policymakers in Washington and across the region, particularly as the U.S. weighs options for confronting Iran’s nuclear program and regional activities.
"Eliminating Khamenei in isolation on its own is not enough… you have to dismantle this extensive apparatus that he has created," Aarabi said.
Instead, any effort to weaken the regime would require targeting the broader institutional structure surrounding the supreme leader, not just the individual at its center.
"It involves a comprehensive strategy… cyber operations, sanctions, [and] a military component," he said. "For any meaningful change in Iran… you have to go after the core nucleus of power within the Islamic regime, and that is the Bayt."
He said on reports of Khamenei being a target that, "the elimination of Khamenei alone is not enough… dismantling the extensive apparatus of the Bayt is essential," he added.
The Government of Mexico confirmed that 25 Mexican National Guardsmen, one prison guard, and an innocent woman died in a series of terror-style attacks that were a direct response to the killing of Ruben Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the terrorist organization Cartel Jalisco New Generation.
The post Mexico Confirms 25 National Guardsmen Killed in Cartel’s Terror Response to El Mencho’s Death appeared first on Breitbart.
Mexican forces seized rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft during the operation Sunday that killed cartel boss Ruben "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," underscoring how the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) amassed military-style firepower over the years.
Authorities have previously linked CJNG to a 2015 attack in Jalisco in which cartel gunmen used rocket-propelled grenades to bring down a Mexican military helicopter – one of the starkest examples of a cartel directly engaging federal forces with battlefield-grade weapons.
The assault marked a turning point in how Mexican authorities viewed the group’s capabilities.
During Sunday’s raid, officials said security forces were attacked and returned fire, deploying aircraft and specialized units to carry out the operation. Authorities said troops seized armored vehicles and heavy weapons, equipment more commonly associated with armed conflict than routine law enforcement.
TOURISTS IN MEXICAN SEASIDE CITY TOLD TO STAY ON RESORT AS GOVERNMENT WARNS OF ‘CLASHES’
Mexican Special Forces, with aircraft assistance from the Air Force and National Guard rapid-reaction units, participated in the mission, highlighting the scale of force required to confront senior cartel leadership.
Former U.S. officials have described CJNG as operating more like a paramilitary organization than a traditional trafficking ring, using coordinated roadblocks, armed convoys and structured enforcement wings to assert control in contested regions.
In prior reporting, former Drug Enforcement Administration officials said the group commanded large numbers of gunmen and organized itself in a way that allowed it to deploy force quickly and visibly.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNSEALS MULTI-STATE INDICTMENTS AGAINST TREN DE ARAGUA LEADERS FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
CJNG’s tactics have included seizing vehicles and staging coordinated attacks in urban areas to demonstrate strength and deter rivals or security forces.
Over time, such displays reinforced its reputation as one of Mexico’s most heavily armed criminal organizations.
ALLEGED SINALOA CARTEL FENTANYL PRODUCER CHARGED IN NEWLY UNSEALED FEDERAL INDICTMENT
The State Department issued a travel alert Sunday urging Americans in multiple Mexican states to shelter in place due to "ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity," reflecting the instability that can follow major cartel confrontations.
In recent years, Mexican authorities have increasingly relied on military forces – rather than local police – to confront senior cartel figures as groups like CJNG expanded their reach and arsenals.
The raid that killed "El Mencho" marked not only the removal of a powerful drug lord but also another example of how heavily armed cartels can challenge state forces in direct confrontations.
A Portland, Oregon, man pleaded guilty to his role in the violent assault of a U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) officer in June 2025. Robert Jacob Hoopes pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a federal employee with a dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury on Wednesday.
The post Portland Anti-ICE Agitator Faces 20 Years in Prison for Assaulting Federal Agent with Large Rock appeared first on Breitbart.
A man has been criminally charged after allegedly damaging the famed Brisbane Synagogue in Australia on Friday night.
A 32-year-old Sunnybank man, whose name has not yet been released, is charged with willful damage, serious vilification or hate crime, dangerous operation of a vehicle, possession of dangerous drugs and possession of utensils or pipes etc. for use, according to a statement from Queensland Police.
Authorities said just after 7:15 p.m. local time Friday, a black Toyota Hilux utility truck struck and knocked down the gates of the synagogue, located on Margaret Street, before leaving the scene.
Police quickly tracked down the car and took the driver into custody without incident.
MISSISSIPPI SYNAGOGUE ARSON SUSPECT'S DAD TURNS HIM IN AFTER LAUGHING CONFESSION, FBI SAYS
No one was injured during the incident, according to officials.
The suspect, who is believed to have acted alone, will face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday.
There is no ongoing threat to the community.
AUSTRALIA HANUKKAH TERROR ATTACK SUSPECT SEEN FOR FIRST TIME IN PRISON
"The Queensland Police Service is focused on ensuring community safety and continues to support and engage with all local religious communities," the agency wrote.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he was briefed on the incident, noting the incident was "very distressing for the Jewish community in Queensland."
Crisafulli added he spoke with Jewish leaders, as well as police, and assured Queenslanders the incident is being taken seriously.
"This is another signal as to why we have put strong laws before Parliament to protect all people where they worship," Crisafulli wrote in a statement on X. "We are going through the process and I fully intend to have them passed during the next sitting of Parliament."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A search is underway for the person who stole an ambulance from St. Luke’s Hospital in Meridian, Idaho, and used the vehicle to crash into a nearby office building that houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. According to police, the suspect had poured gasoline or another unknown accelerant throughout the stolen vehicle before fleeing the scene on foot.
The post Stolen Ambulance Doused in Gasoline Rammed into Idaho ICE Facility, Suspect Flees appeared first on Breitbart.
Laut aktuellen Recherchen des SPIEGEL soll die CIA bereits früh in die Anschlagspläne auf die Nord-Stream-Pipelines eingeweiht gewesen sein und ihnen zumindest anfangs auch grünes Licht gegeben zu haben. Das wird nicht die letzte „Enthüllung“ gewesen sein und die gesamte Geschichte ist auch noch lange nicht auserzählt. Wie bei einer Zwiebel wird Schicht um Schicht die Wahrheit freigelegt. So kommt es zumindest zu keinem „Realitätsschock“. Derweil betreiben die USA und Russland hinter den Kulissen eifrig ihre Schattendiplomatie. Dass Nord Stream künftig wieder Gas liefern wird, ist durchaus möglich – dann jedoch unter Kontrolle der USA. So droht Nord Stream zu einem Mahnmal der Demütigung und des europäischen Versagens zu werden. Von Jens Berger.
Dieser Beitrag ist auch als Audio-Podcast verfügbar.
Kurz nach der Sprengung der Nord-Stream-Pipelines stand für Politik und Medien fest: Der Russe war’s! Was auch sonst? Nachdem Indizien oder gar Beweise ausblieben und man keine Erklärung für das offensichtlich fehlende Tatmotiv Russlands fand, versuchte man den Sabotageakt so gut wie möglich zu verdrängen und kleinzuspielen. Man wolle ja ohnehin kein Gas mehr aus Russland beziehen, da sei es letztlich auch egal, ob die Ostseepipelines nun intakt oder zerstört seien. So ganz ignorieren konnte man die Anschläge aber dennoch nicht, zumal erste Ermittlungsergebnisse an die Öffentlichkeit drangen, die auf eine ukrainische Täterschaft hinwiesen. Nun machte die Geschichte von ukrainischen Hobbytauchern die Runde. In den Medien keimte damals sogar Sympathie für die Täter auf. Wahnsinn.
Aus den Hobbytauchern wurden dann bald Angehörige ukrainischer Spezialeinheiten. Zunächst hieß es, sie hätten vollkommen auf sich allein gestellt gehandelt. Dann kam langsam heraus, dass sie auf Anweisung des damaligen ukrainischen Oberbefehlshabers handelten. Angeblich wusste die politische Führung jedoch nichts davon. Wer’s glaubt. Warten wir auch die nächste Schicht der Zwiebel ab. Bislang hielt sich auch die Erzählung wacker, dass weder die USA noch sonstige westliche Staaten in die Planung eingeweiht oder gar aktiv daran beteiligt waren. Zumindest diese Erzählung ist jetzt auch Geschichte.
Glaubt man dem SPIEGEL, der sich auf „vertrauenswürdige ukrainische Quellen“ beruft, war die CIA schon sehr früh in die Planung einbezogen. Es gab demnach einen regelmäßigen Austausch und die Amerikaner hatten den Anschlagsplänen wohl auch grünes Licht gegeben. Doch dann sollen sie sich – warum, das bleibt offen – plötzlich anders entschieden haben. Wer’s glaubt. Ob die CIA oder die US-Regierung dieser Version folgend die Pläne daraufhin aktiv verhindert oder ihre Verbündeten in Deutschland informiert haben, bleibt offen. Aber diese Fragen stellen sich ohnehin nur, wenn man die jetzige Version wirklich glaubt. Es ist jedoch davon auszugehen, dass auch dies nur eine Schicht der Zwiebel ist und tieferliegende Schichten derartige Fragen ohnehin obsolet machen.
Spannender als die derzeitige Geschichte selbst sind daher auch eher die Sätze zwischen den Zeilen. So heißt es im SPIEGEL-Artikel beispielsweise, dass der ukrainische Drahtzieher hinter dem Anschlag zu einer „Elitetruppe“ gehörte, „die von der CIA nach der Maidan-Revolution 2014“ aufgebaut wurde und die spätestens ab 2019 „oft mit Hilfe der USA“ verdeckt „gegen Moskau“ gearbeitet habe. Eine Quelle wird mit den Worten zitiert, man habe „gemeinsam mit den Amerikanern gearbeitet“ und „im Prinzip sei es über die Jahre egal gewesen, zu welchem Dienst (also CIA oder ukrainischer Dienst, Anm. d. Red.) man gehörte“. Interessant. Widerspricht das nicht der auch heute noch in Medien und Politik erzählten Geschichte, die USA hätten sich nicht aktiv am ukrainischen Bürgerkrieg und an Operationen gegen Russland beteiligt? Wenn man diese Sätze ernst nimmt, ist es übrigens auch unerheblich, ob die CIA oder die US-Regierung die ukrainischen Nord-Stream-Saboteure nun direkt angewiesen haben. Es ist ja eh egal, zu welchem Dienst man nun konkret gehört.
Und wie reagiert das politische Deutschland auf die nun entfernte Schicht der Zwiebel? Gar nicht. Was auch sonst! Es ist schließlich auch klar, dass die Entscheidungsträger ohnehin wissen, was sich noch in den inneren Schichten der Zwiebel befindet. Am liebsten würde man das ganze Thema totschweigen. Aber wenn man das schon nicht kann, so scheint es zumindest strategisch klüger zu sein, die Schichten Teil für Teil und mit größerem zeitlichen Abstand offenzulegen. Die Öffentlichkeit vergisst schnell.
Denn eins ist klar: Je näher man dem Kern der Wahrheit kommt, desto stärker gerät man in Erklärungsnot. Warum unterstützt man einen Staat, der mittels Staatsterrorismus schwere Straftaten gegen Deutschland begangen hat? Erst vor kurzen stellte der BGH fest, dass „dringende Gründe dafür sprächen, dass der ukrainische Staat den Sabotageakt initiiert und gesteuert habe“. Und unsere Regierung sieht diesen ukrainischen Staat immer noch als besten Verbündeten? Kaum zu glauben. Noch größer wäre die Erklärungsnot, wenn nun auch offiziell offenbar würde, dass unser allerbester Verbündeter, die USA, den Anschlag nicht nur toleriert, sondern womöglich auch initiiert und gesteuert haben. Aber es kann ja nicht sein, was nicht sein darf. Stelle keine Fragen, deren Antwort du nicht ertragen kannst.
Derweil findet das Thema Nord Stream auch auf einer ganz anderen Ebene statt, die der deutschen Öffentlichkeit nicht bekannt ist. Dazu ist in der letzten Woche ein überaus lesenswerter Artikel in der Le Monde diplomatique erschienen. Der Artikel behandelt die Schattendiplomatie zwischen Russland und den USA über eine mögliche Reparatur und Wiederinbetriebnahme der Pipelines. Hierfür gibt es nicht nur in Russland, sondern auch in den USA großes Interesse und die normative Kraft des Faktischen wird die EU ohnehin bald zwingen, sich diesem Unterfangen nicht mehr zu verschließen. In Alaska stand die gemeinsame russisch-amerikanische Wiederinbetriebnahme von Nord Stream bereits auf der Agenda.
Auch dieser Artikel glänzt aber durch das, was dort zwischen den Zeilen geschrieben ist. So wird beispielsweise unter Verweis auf amerikanische Geheimdienstquellen behauptet, dass die USA schon 2024 – also vor Trumps Wiederwahl – aktiv Interesse an einer Wiederinbetriebnahme von Nord Stream gezeigt haben, um – und hier wird es besonders interessant – „die Pipelines als politischen Hebel gegen Europa zu nutzen“. Das ist durchaus glaubhaft und vervollständigt das Mosaik. Während man in Deutschland immer noch glaubt, es ginge bei dem Anschlag um Russland, wird immer deutlicher, dass Europa das eigentliche Ziel ist. Es ging nie darum, Russland zu schwächen. Es ging den Amerikanern zu jedem Zeitpunkt nur darum, die europäische Energieversorgung zu steuern und Europa so in der Hand zu haben.
Jetzt aber, da Trump sich von der transatlantischen Partnerschaft abwendet, begnügen sich die USA nicht mehr damit, den Europäern LNG zu verkaufen und einer russisch-europäischen Annäherung entgegenzuarbeiten. Sie wollen mehr: eine verstärkte Kontrolle der Energieinfrastrukturen – und zwar auch in Europa.
Quelle: LMd
Zählt man eins und eins zusammen, ergibt sich hieraus die größtmögliche Demütigung Europas. Henry Kissinger soll einst gesagt haben: „Wer die Energie beherrscht, beherrscht die Welt“. Er hatte damit nicht ganz unrecht. Nord Stream zeigt, dass Europa die Energie nicht beherrscht. Doch wo bleibt die Diskussion? Wo bleibt der Aufschrei?
Titelbild: Frame Stock Footage/shutterstock.com
Iran is rebuilding nuclear sites damaged in previous U.S. strikes and "preparing for war," despite engaging in talks with the Trump administration, according to a prominent Iranian opposition figure.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said newly released satellite images also prove the regime has accelerated its efforts to restore its "$2 trillion" uranium enrichment capabilities.
"The regime has clearly stepped up efforts to rebuild its uranium enrichment capabilities," Jafarzadeh told Fox News Digital. "It is preparing itself for a possible war by trying to preserve its nuclear weapons program and ensure its protection."
IRAN SAYS US MUST 'PROVE THEY WANT TO DO A DEAL' ON NUCLEAR TALKS IN GENEVA
"That said, the ongoing rebuilding of Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities is particularly alarming as the regime is now engaged in nuclear talks with the United States," he added.
New satellite images released by Earth intelligence monitor Planet Labs show reconstruction activity appears to be underway at the Isfahan complex.
Isfahan is one of three Iranian uranium enrichment plants targeted in the U.S. military operation known as "Midnight Hammer."
The June 22 operation involved coordinated Air Force and Navy strikes on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities.
US POSITIONS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, STRIKE PLATFORMS ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN
Despite the damage, the satellite images show Iran has buried entrances to a tunnel complex at the site, according to Reuters.
Similar steps were reportedly taken at the Natanz facility, which houses two additional enrichment plants.
"These efforts in Isfahan involve rebuilding its centrifuge program and other activities related to uranium enrichment," Jafarzadeh said.
The renewed movements come as Iran participated in talks with the U.S. in Geneva.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump warned that "bad things" would happen if Iran did not make a deal.
While the talks were aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, Jafarzadeh argues that for the regime, talks would be nothing more than a tactical delay.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS
"Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei agreed to the nuclear talks as it would give the regime crucial time to avoid or limit the consequences of confrontation with the West," he said.
Jafarzadeh also described the regime spending at least "$2 trillion" on nuclear capabilities, which he said "is higher than the entire oil revenue generated since the regime came to power in Iran in 1979."
"Tehran is trying to salvage whatever has remained of its nuclear weapons program and quickly rebuild it," he said. "It has heavily invested in the nuclear weapons program as a key tool for the survival of the regime."
Jafarzadeh is best known for publicly revealing the existence of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site in 2002, which led to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency and intensified global scrutiny of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
"The insistence of the Iranian regime during the nuclear talks on maintaining its uranium enrichment capabilities, while rebuilding its damaged sites, is a clear indication that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has no plans to abandon its nuclear weapons program," he said.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran, led by Maryam Rajavi, exposed for the first time the nuclear sites in Natanz, Arak, Fordow and more than 100 other sites and projects, Jafarzadeh said, "despite a massive crackdown by the regime on this movement."
EXCLUSIVE: This was the kind of prison break officials say could have changed the region, and perhaps even the world, overnight.
Nearly 6,000 ISIS detainees, described by a senior U.S. intelligence official as "the worst of the worst," were being held in northern Syria as clashes and instability threatened the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the guards responsible for keeping the militants locked away and preventing a feared ISIS resurgence. U.S. officials believed that if the prisons collapsed in the chaos, the consequences would have been immediate.
"If these 6,000 or so got out and returned to the battlefield, that would basically be the instant reconstitution of ISIS," the senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital.
In an exclusive interview, the official walked Fox News Digital step by step through the behind-the-scenes operation that moved thousands of ISIS detainees out of Syria and into Iraqi custody, describing a multi-agency scramble that unfolded over weeks, with intelligence warnings, rapid diplomacy and a swift military lift.
US MILITARY LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKES AGAINST ISIS TARGETS IN SYRIA, OFFICIALS SAY
The risk, the official explained, had been building for months. In late October, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard began to assess that Syria’s transition could tip into disorder and create the conditions for a catastrophic jailbreak.
The ODNI sent representatives to Syria and Iraq at that time to begin early discussions with both the SDF and the Iraqi government about how to remove what the official repeatedly described as the most dangerous detainees before events overtook them.
Those fears sharpened in early January as fighting erupted in Aleppo and began spreading eastward. Time was running out to prevent catastrophe. "We saw this severe crisis situation," the official said.
U.S. ANNOUNCES MORE MILITARY ACTIONS AGAINST ISIS: 'WE WILL NOT RELENT'
According to the source, the ODNI oversaw daily coordination calls across agencies as the situation escalated. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was "managing the day to day" on policy considerations, while the ODNI drove a working group that kept CENTCOM, diplomats and intelligence officials aligned on the urgent question: how to keep nearly 6,000 ISIS fighters from slipping into the fog of war.
The Iraqi government, the official said, understood the stakes. Baghdad had its own reasons to move quickly, fearing that if thousands of detainees escaped, they would spill across the border and revive a threat Iraq still remembers in visceral terms.
The official described Iraq’s motivation bluntly: leaders recognized that a massive breakout could force Iraq back into a "2014 ISIS is on our border situation once more."
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the official said, played a pivotal role in smoothing the diplomatic runway for what would become a major logistical undertaking.
Then came the physical lift. The official credited CENTCOM’s surge of resources to make the plan real on the ground, saying that "moving in helicopters" and other assets enabled detainees to be removed in a compressed timeframe.
"Thanks to the efforts… moving in helicopters, moving in more resources, and then just logistically making this happen, we were able to get these nearly 6,000 out in the course of just a few weeks," the official said.
ISIS FIGHTERS STILL AT LARGE AFTER SYRIAN PRISON BREAK, CONTRIBUTING TO VOLATILE SECURITY SITUATION
The SDF, had been securing the prisons, but its attention was strained by fighting elsewhere, fueling U.S. fears that a single breach could spiral into a mass escape. Ultimately, detainees were transported into Iraq, where they are now held at a facility near Baghdad International Airport under Iraqi authority.
The next phase, the official said, is focused on identification and accountability. FBI teams are in Iraq enrolling detainees biometrically, while U.S. and Iraqi officials examine what intelligence can be declassified and used in prosecutions.
"What they were asking us for, basically, is giving them as much intelligence and information that we have on these individuals," the official said. "So right now, the priority is on biometrically identifying these individuals."
The State Department is also pushing countries of origin to take responsibility for their citizens held among the detainees.
State Department is doing outreach right now and encouraging all these different countries to come and pick up their fighters, Fox News has learned.
While the transfer focused strictly on ISIS fighters, the senior intelligence official said families held in camps such as al-Hol were not part of the operation, leaving a major unresolved security and humanitarian challenge.
ISIS EXPLOITING SYRIA’S CHAOS AS US STRIKES EXPOSE GROWING THREAT
The camps themselves were under separate arrangements, the official said, and responsibility shifted as control on the ground evolved.
According to the official, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government reached an understanding that Damascus would take over the al-Hol camp, which holds thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and children.
"As you can see from social media, the al-Hol camp is pretty much being emptied out," the official said, adding that it "appears the Syrian government has decided to let them go free," a scenario the official described as deeply troubling for regional security. "That is very concerning."
The fate of the families has long been viewed by counterterrorism officials as one of the most complicated, unresolved elements of the ISIS detention system. Many of the children have grown up in camps after ISIS lost territorial control, and some are now approaching fighting age, raising fears about future radicalization and recruitment.
For now, the official said, intelligence agencies are closely tracking developments after a rapid operation that, in their view, prevented thousands of experienced ISIS militants from reentering the battlefield at once and potentially reigniting the group’s fighting force.
"This is a rare good news story coming out of Syria," the official concluded.
Around 100 U.S. troops and military equipment arrived in Nigeria Monday to help support local forces battling Islamic militants and other armed groups in the West African nation, the Nigerian military said.
The U.S. personnel touched down as part of a broader security cooperation effort between Washington and Abuja with 100 more arriving over time.
The arrival came at the request of the Nigerian government, which sought assistance with training, technical support and intelligence sharing as it confronts violence, the Associated Press reported.
About 200 U.S. Africa Command personnel are expected to deploy to Nigeria in total and in what officials have described as a support mission aimed at strengthening the capacity of Nigerian forces.
NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY SAYS US STRIKES WERE A ‘BLESSING,' WELCOMES COLLABORATION WITH TRUMP
The effort is focused on combating Islamist extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, both of which have carried out attacks in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
The first batch of troops represents the initial group of what is expected to be a roughly 200-person deployment of others, including U.S. intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers.
The move follows recent visits by senior U.S. Africa Command officials to Abuja to reinforce military-to-military ties and expand counterterrorism cooperation.
DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER
On Feb. 8, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met with a high-level U.S. delegation led by U.S. Africa Command commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson at the State House in Abuja, according to Nigeria’s presidency.
The meeting included senior officials from Nigeria’s military, security and intelligence agencies and focused on expanding intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
Monday's deployment came as tensions between Washington and Abuja have eased following earlier friction over religious violence and civilian protection.
AMERICANS CAN’T CLOSE OUR EYES TO THE MURDER OF CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA
President Donald Trump had previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from what he described as a genocide, citing attacks by extremist groups and armed bandits.
Trump ordered airstrikes on Dec. 25 targeting Islamic State militants and said they were responsible for killing Christians.
Africom conducted strikes in Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria targeting what it described as Islamic State terrorists and said they were coordinated with Nigerian authorities.
"The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social at the time.
The increasingly controversial medical nongovernmental organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which has been accused of anti-Israel rhetoric, shocked many when it recently announced that it had ceased operations at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, due to the presence of gunmen using the hospital it had constantly accused Israel of raiding.
MSF said its teams had "reported a pattern of unacceptable acts, including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients, and a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons," and said the "incidents pose serious security threats to our teams and patients."
Salo Aizenberg, director of media watchdog group HonestReporting, told Fox News Digital, "MSF buried its acknowledgment of seeing armed gunmen at Nasser Hospital at the very end of a 2,500-word Gaza projects update, but still wouldn’t name who those gunmen were. Hamas."
STEFANIK ASKS AG BONDI TO PROBE MEDICAL CHARITY OVER HAMAS PROPAGANDA CLAIMS
The terrorist group's continuing operations highlight another challenge: the need to disarm Hamas, as required by the ceasefire currently in place.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Israel Defense Forces said it "possesses intelligence indicating that Nasser Hospital is being used as a headquarters and military post for senior Hamas commanders and operatives in the southern Gaza Strip. For two years, the IDF and the defense establishment has warned about the cynical use by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip of hospitals and humanitarian shelters as human shields to conceal terrorist activity."
While noting that MSF’s decision was "important," the IDF said it "comes too late. This is further proof that reinforces the necessity for the disarmament of the Hamas terror organization."
Fox News Digital asked the White House whether the presence of armed fighters in Nasser Hospital is a violation of the ceasefire. A White House official stated, "We can't confirm Medecins Sans Frontieres' claims, but any threatening presence of Hamas is one of the reasons why we continue to emphasize that Hamas must disarm."
US-BACKED GAZA AID GROUP SLAMS DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS, ACCUSES IT OF SPREADING 'FALSE' CLAIMS
MSF has previously stated that it has been "operational out of Nasser Hospital since before the conflict escalated in October 2023."
Aizenberg said MSF’s discourse is a change from prior statements. "When the IDF raided Nasser Hospital in February 2024, saying Hamas operatives and hostages were believed to be there, it was condemned as an illegal attack on a medical facility," Aizenberg said. "MSF now confirms the hospital was used by combatants and for weapons movement. The IDF was right all along."
Concerns have also come from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which provided over 187 million meals to Gazans between May 26 and late November 2025. In September, GHF told Fox News Digital that Nasser Hospital routinely issued "false reports" of civilian deaths at GHF sites to the media.
FORMER DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS LEADER CALLS GROUP 'ACCOMPLICES OF HAMAS' OVER GAZA WAR RESPONSE
MSF did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about their failure to address the presence of armed gunmen at Nasser Hospital previously, whether the armed gunmen at the hospital are members of Hamas and why they chose to include their change in operations at the end of a lengthy statement alleging "intimidation, pressure and smear campaigns" regarding MSF from Israeli authorities.
The IDF banned MSF from operating in Gaza beginning on March 1, citing the organization’s failure to provide a list of all Palestinian staff, according to the Times of Israel.
MSF has come under fire in the U.S., with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., sending a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi in September requesting that she investigate the organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act because it "mirror[ed] propaganda continuously pushed by Hamas."
As the ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration takes hold, other anti-Israel NGOs also seem to be coming to terms with their obsession with Israel. Former Oxfam in the U.K. CEO Dr. Halima Begum is taking the charity to court for accusations of sexism, racism and antisemitism. She told the U.K.’s Channel 4 News that "it always felt as though we were disproportionately working around the crisis in Gaza."
Addressing Begum’s remarks, Israeli cabinet minister Amichai Chikli said she has "been a vocal critic of the State of Israel. Therefore, when she testifies about the level of antisemitism within the organization and levels these accusations herself, her remarks should resonate around the world all the more."
On Monday, Israel’s news agency TPS-IL reported that Oxfam will no longer be permitted to operate in Gaza beginning Feb. 28, the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has ruled.
Watchdog organization NGO Monitor told Fox News Digital that the confluence of news stories demonstrates that "slowly, superpower NGOs are being exposed from the inside – their anti-Israel rot bared for all to see. A major return to founding principles is required to ensure that human rights once again become driving ideals inside the world’s most influential NGOs."
The man accused of carrying out a Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney, Australia, was seen publicly for the first time Monday, appearing by video link from Goulburn Supermax prison during a hearing at Downing Center Local Court.
7NewsAustralia reported that Naveed Akram, 24, spoke only briefly during the less than 10-minute hearing as a suppression order protecting the names of some victims was extended.
"Did you hear what just occurred?" Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund asked. "Yep," Akram replied.
"Your solicitor will call you, OK?" Freund said.
FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’
"Yeah," responded the shooting suspect.
Akram has been charged with one count of committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and additional firearms and explosives offenses, according to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions website.
The most serious charges carry potential life imprisonment.
ISRAELI DIASPORA MINISTER SAYS AUSTRALIA SHOULD HAVE SEEN 'WRITING ON THE WALL' BEFORE TERROR ATTACK
Akram’s lawyer, Ben Archbold, told reporters it was too early to indicate how his client would plead, according to 7NewsAustralia.
"There’s a client that needs to be represented. And we don’t let our personal view get in the way of our professional application," Archbold said.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 8.
The 24-year-old is accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest terror attack targeting a Jewish "Hanukkah by the Sea" celebration at Bondi Beach in December.
His father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed in a gun battle with police at the scene.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the Bondi attack as an "ISIS-inspired atrocity," saying at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra late last year that the government had been informed by the Office of National Intelligence of an ISIS online video feed reinforcing that assessment.
Der Polizeichef der Greater Manchester Police, der dazu beitrug, einen IS-Anschlag auf jüdische Einrichtungen zu verhindern, warnt vor der islamistischen Bedrohung des jüdischen Lebens in Großbritannien. Der importierte Hass bedroht unzählige Menschenleben.
Während die Linken mit den moslemischen Juden- und Israelhassern paktieren, werden in diesen Kreisen immer wieder blutige Massaker an unschuldigen Menschen geplant. Kürzlich erst vereitelte die Polizei von Manchester einen solchen Anschlag. Der Chief Constable der Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, sagte, wäre der Plan erfolgreich gewesen, wäre es “eine der schlimmsten Gräueltaten” gewesen, die die Welt je gesehen habe.
Walid Saadaoui aus Wigan und Amar Hussein aus Bolton planten, die Terroranschläge von Paris 2015 zu imitieren, indem sie eine jüdische Gemeinschaft ins Visier nahmen. Sie kauften Sturmgewehre, Handfeuerwaffen und Hunderte Patronen zur Vorbereitung auf einen Selbstmord-Schusswaffenangriff, bei dem sie “so viele Mitglieder der jüdischen Gemeinschaft töten wollten, wie sie konnten”, und hofften, als “Märtyrer” zu gelten. Sie wollten dies aus Rache für Israels Handlungen in Gaza durchführen. Saadaoui spähte Synagogen, jüdische Schulen und einen koscheren Supermarkt aus und zog außerdem in Betracht, einen Angriff während Protesten gegen Antisemitismus zu verüben. Er bekannte sich auch offen als Unterstützer des “Islamischen Staates”.
Die beiden wurden am Freitag zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilt: Saadaoui erhielt eine Mindesthaftdauer von 37 Jahren, Hussein eine Mindesthaftdauer von 26 Jahren. Saadaouis Bruder Bilel (37) aus Hindley, Wigan, wurde schuldig gesprochen, Informationen über den Terrorplan nicht offengelegt zu haben. Er wurde zu sechs Jahren Haft verurteilt, mit einer verlängerten Bewährungs-/Auflagenzeit von 12 Monaten.
Der Polizeichef sagte: “Es wurde etwas vermieden, von dem ich wirklich glaube, dass es wahrhaft schrecklich gewesen wäre und sich in eine Reihe mit den schlimmsten Gräueltaten gestellt hätte, die wir weltweit gesehen haben. Wir sehen, wie sich Hass weltweit über unsere Grenzen hinaus manifestiert, und das ist eine Bedrohung für uns alle. Es ist eine Bedrohung für unsere jüdischen Gemeinschaften, und wenn unsere jüdischen Gemeinschaften bedroht sind, sind wir alle bedroht.” Deshalb stehe die Greater Manchester Police in der Pflicht, “unseren jüdischen Freunden und Nachbarn” zur Seite zu stehen.
Doch obwohl dieser Anschlag glücklicherweise vereitelt werden konnte, gibt es keine Entwarnung. Die Massenzuwanderung von Moslems ins Vereinigte Königreich sorgt für eine ständige Bedrohung des jüdischen Lebens. Es wird immer wieder radikalisierte Elemente geben, die in ihrem Hass und in ihrem religiös-ideologischen Wahn Juden, Christen und andere “Ungläubige” töten wollen.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday that it had carried out ten strikes against over 30 ISIS targets in Syria in recent days as part of a joint military effort to "sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network."
CENTCOM said, from Feb. 3-12, its forces "struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage targets with precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft."
Recently, CENTCOM forces conducted five strikes against an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node and weapons storage facilities in Syria between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2.
US MILITARY IN SYRIA CARRIES OUT 5 STRIKES AGAINST 'MULTIPLE ISIS TARGETS'
"Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria," Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement at the time.
"Operating in coordination with coalition and partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS makes America, the region and the world safer."
AFTER TRUMP DECLARED ISIS DEFEATED, US FACES NEW TEST AS DETAINEES MOVE AMID SYRIA POWER SHIFT
On Jan. 27, President Trump told reporters he had a "great conversation with the highly respected" president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
"All of the things having to do with Syria in that area are working out very, very well," said President Trump. "So, we are very happy about it."
The Operation Hawkeye Strike mission was launched in response to an ISIS "ambush" attack that left two U.S. service members and an American interpreter dead Dec. 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria.
AFTER TRUMP DECLARED ISIS DEFEATED, US FACES NEW TEST AS DETAINEES MOVE AMID SYRIA POWER SHIFT
"More than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured and over 100 ISIS infrastructure targets have been struck with hundreds of precision munitions during two months of targeted operations," CENTCOM said.
On Thursday, CENTCOM announced it had completed its withdrawal of American forces from al-Tanf Garrison in Syria, pointing to a broader shift in U.S. posture in the region.
CHAOS IN SYRIA SPARKS FEARS OF ISIS PRISON BREAKS AS US RUSHES DETAINEES TO IRAQ
Operation Inherent Resolve was launched in 2014 to combat ISIS with American troops maintaining a limited presence to support partner forces and prevent ISIS from returning after it was territorially defeated in 2019.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan and Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
A man who had recently been released from prison on a terrorism charge was shot and killed by a police officer after he allegedly tried to attack another officer with a knife and scissors near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris Friday.
The incident happened near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the ceremony for relighting the eternal flame, which is carried out nightly.
The unidentified man, who is a French national born in 1978, allegedly tried to attack an officer guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and was shot by another officer.
He died of his wounds at a hospital, the French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said.
He was sentenced to 17 years in prison in Brussels in 2013 on a terrorist-related offense of attempted murder of three police officers in Belgium and had just been released in December.
The man served 12 years in prison and was placed under police supervision with routine checks, the French prosecution office said.
VIDEO SHOWS THE ‘HEIST OF THE CENTURY’ AT THE LOUVRE
The French counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation into the man related to his ties to a "terrorist enterprise" before his death.
The man was held in a Belgian prison until 2015, when he was transferred to France and released on Christmas Eve.
The Arc de Triomphe was closed to guests after the incident, which had no other reported injuries.
The Arc de Triomphe, at the end of the Champs-Élysées, is one of Paris and Europe’s most popular sights, and millions of tourists visit the monument in the heart of the French capital each year.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. military has completed its withdrawal of American forces from al-Tanf Garrison in Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday.
The departure, finalized Feb. 11, was carried out as part of a broader shift in U.S. posture in the region under Operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition mission launched in 2014 to combat ISIS.
American troops have maintained a limited presence in the country to support partner forces and prevent the terrorist group from resurging after it was territorially defeated in 2019.
Syria’s Defense Ministry said government forces took control of the al-Tanf base following the U.S. withdrawal and have begun deploying along the country’s borders with Iraq and Jordan, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency, the country’s state-run news outlet.
US MILITARY LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKES AGAINST ISIS TARGETS IN SYRIA, OFFICIALS SAY
The ministry said the handover was coordinated with U.S. officials and that Syrian Arab Army units moved in to secure the base and surrounding areas in the tri-border desert region.
The development follows a Pentagon decision in April 2025 to scale back and consolidate U.S. forces in Syria.
Caroline Rose, director of the Crime-Conflict Nexus and Military Withdrawals portfolios at the New Lines Institute, told Fox News Digital that al-Tanf was one of the most strategically important U.S. garrisons in Syria, if not the broader Middle East, as it offered access, insight, and intelligence collection along Syria's borders with Jordan and Iraq.
AFTER TRUMP DECLARED ISIS DEFEATED, US FACES NEW TEST AS DETAINEES MOVE AMID SYRIA POWER SHIFT
"This was not only pivotal during the U.S.-led Coalition to defeat the Islamic State, where there was a threat of cross-border offensives and violence, but also proved key to U.S. deterrence efforts against Iran-backed militia networks that operated in Iraq and Syria," she said. "The U.S. pullout from Al-Tanf is a signal that Washington is now comfortable with where the counter-ISIS fight is and the defeat of Iran-aligned proxy networks in the region, along with Syrian security integration efforts with the [Syrian Democratic Forces]."
Rose added that the departure could be viewed as a setback for Jordan, which has long depended on the U.S. position at al-Tanf to deter adversarial actors in the region.
Despite the withdrawal, U.S. forces remain prepared to counter ISIS threats, CENTCOM said, noting that in the past two months, American forces have struck more than 100 targets in the region and captured or killed more than four dozen ISIS fighters.
The change in posture comes just weeks after U.S. forces transferred 150 ISIS fighters from a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure location in Iraq.
Officials indicated in late January that thousands more detainees could also be moved as part of the broader effort to maintain long-term security in the region.
Syria became the 90th member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, a U.S.-led alliance formed to coordinate international efforts against the extremist group, in November.
Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said Damascus — under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa — is prepared to assume security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps, following the 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
Police clashed with anti-Israel demonstrators in Sydney during protests against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia, prompting national leaders to urge calm and call for demonstrations to remain peaceful.
Police said 27 people were arrested, including 10 for allegedly assaulting officers, after violence broke out Monday evening when authorities moved to clear thousands of protesters gathered near Sydney’s Town Hall.
The unrest unfolded as Herzog arrived in Australia for a visit centered on solidarity with the Jewish community after the Dec. 14 terror attack at a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.
Herzog traveled to Bondi during the trip, where he met bereaved families and participated in memorial events honoring the victims. In a post on X, he wrote, "Together with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the community’s leader, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, bereaved families, and members of the Jewish community, we united in memory of the 15 victims of the Bondi terror attacks. The terrorists sought to instill fear in the Jewish people—and we respond with renewed Jewish pride, by choosing life and hope."
Herzog also warned of rising antisemitism during the visit, calling it a global emergency and defending Israel’s actions in Gaza when asked about the protests.
Demonstrations opposing Israel’s war in Gaza and Herzog’s presence erupted across Australia, with the largest confrontation unfolding in Sydney. Authorities imposed restrictions on protest routes and used pepper spray to disperse crowds after tensions escalated.
Police said officers were met with violence and acted to maintain order, while protesters and some politicians accused authorities of excessive force.
Talking to Sky News Australia, former Australian Jewish Association president David Adler called the violence "a disgraceful display," noting that Australia has a system of law and order and that a court decision establishing an exclusion zone for the protests was ignored by the "radical activists," which "left the police with an impossible situation."
Commenting on Sydney police actions against the agitators, Adler said there was some "rejoicing in our community to finally see a bit of pushback from the New South Wales police, because, for two years and a half, almost, there's been a lack of law enforcement when it comes to the incitement, the antisemitism and we've seen the emboldenment and the dreadful incidents which have occurred right across the country culminating (on Dec. 14) with the massacre at Bondi Beach. So maybe we've seen a little bit of a flicker of pushback in law enforcement, which we certainly welcome," he said.
AUSTRALIA BANS PRO-ISRAEL INFLUENCER WEEKS AFTER BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK
Andrew Wallace, a member of parliament said, "Australians who live in a democracy have a right to protest peacefully and lawfully," Wallace told Sky News, "What we saw last night was not peaceful, and it certainly was not in accordance with directions given by police."
Australian leaders called for restraint and warned against importing overseas conflict into domestic streets.
A timeline compiled by the American Jewish Committee notes that the December Bondi Beach attack came after a sustained rise in anti-Jewish threats and violence across Australia, including vandalism of synagogues and Jewish schools, arson attacks and public harassment since Oct. 2023. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry documented more than 1,600 anti-Jewish incidents between Oct. 2024 and Sept. 2025, following more than 2,000 incidents the previous year.
Israeli leaders have pointed to the Bondi attack as evidence of growing risks facing Jewish communities abroad and have criticized Australian authorities for failing to prevent the terrorist attack.
As U.S.-Iran diplomacy remains primarily focused on Tehran’s nuclear program, Israeli officials and analysts warn that ballistic missiles remain a central red line for Jerusalem and could shape any decision on unilateral action.
Before departing for his trip to Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to press Israel’s priorities in the talks. "I will present to the president our views regarding the principles of the negotiations — the important principles — and, in my view, they are important not only for Israel, but for anyone in the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East."
Those priorities, Israeli officials say, extend beyond the nuclear file and include Iran’s missile capabilities. Israeli defense officials have recently warned U.S. counterparts that Iran’s ballistic missile program constitutes an existential threat to Israel and that Jerusalem is prepared to act alone if necessary, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.
‘ISRAEL IS ONLY THE APPETIZER’: HUCKABEE WARNS IRAN THREAT LOOMS AS NETANYAHU EYES TRUMP TALKS
The outlet reported that Israeli security officials conveyed in recent weeks their intent to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and production infrastructure through a series of high-level exchanges with Washington. Military planners outlined potential operational concepts aimed at degrading the program, including strikes on key manufacturing and development sites.
A spokesperson for Israel’s defense minister declined to comment on the issue.
Sima Shine, a former senior Israeli intelligence official and current senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News Digital that limiting talks to the nuclear issue risks missing what Israel considers the broader threat.
"If negotiations deal only with the nuclear file and ignore the missiles, Israel will remain exposed," Shine said. "Iran treats its ballistic missile program as its main deterrence and will not give it up." She stressed that Tehran views them as a defensive and deterrent capability dictated by the supreme leader. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would not negotiate on its ballistic missile program, rejecting a core U.S. demand and further dimming prospects for a breakthrough deal. Shine described that stance as a fundamental red line for Israel.
She also warned that Tehran may be stalling diplomatically while assessing whether Washington will limit the talks to nuclear constraints alone.
"They have room to show flexibility on enrichment," she said, noting that activity slowed after strikes on facilities, "but missiles are different. That they would not discuss."
Israeli concerns extend beyond the negotiating table. A former intelligence official familiar with strategic planning said Israel retains the capability to strike independently if necessary.
TRUMP WARNS IRAN, DELAYS STRIKES AS RED LINE DEBATE ECHOES OBAMA’S SYRIA MOMENT
"Israel can act by itself if there is no choice," the former official said, adding that missile expansion and regional threats would be key triggers.
Shine says the optics of Israeli pressure on Washington could complicate matters.
"If missiles become the central public demand, it may look as if Israel is pushing the U.S. toward military action," she said. "If that fails, Israel could be blamed."
She added that Iran’s missile arsenal is not aimed solely at Israel but forms part of a broader deterrence strategy against the United States and regional adversaries.
For Israel, the implication is clear. A nuclear agreement that leaves Iran’s missile infrastructure untouched could be seen in Jerusalem as stabilizing the regime while leaving the most immediate threat in place. That calculation, Israeli analysts say, defines the red line.
Fifteen people were arrested in Europe on Tuesday for allegedly spreading Islamic State terrorist group propaganda over TikTok, a report said.
The suspects, whose ages ranged from 16 to 53, were taken into custody in raids across the Netherlands, according to Reuters.
The news agency cited Dutch prosecutors as saying the suspects were detained on suspicion of spreading propaganda from ISIS on TikTok and trying to persuade people to carry out terrorist attacks.
The arrests were sparked by a TikTok account that spread large amounts of ISIS propaganda with Dutch subtitles, the prosecutors reportedly added.
US MILITARY IN SYRIA CARRIES OUT 5 STRIKES AGAINST ‘MULTIPLE ISIS TARGETS’
Thirteen of those arrested were Syrian and four had Dutch nationality, suggesting that some of the suspects were dual nationals, Reuters reported.
TikTok did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The arrests come as the U.S. military remains active in Syria against ISIS.
RISING ISIS THREATS TO US HOMELAND DRIVE AFRICOM AIRSTRIKES AGAINST TERRORISTS IN SOMALIA
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced last Wednesday that it carried out five strikes against "multiple" Islamic State targets in recent days as part of a joint military effort to "ensure the enduring defeat of the terrorist network."
CENTCOM said, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, its forces "located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft."
"Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria," Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement.
CENTCOM said it launched the Operation Hawkeye Strike mission in response to a Dec. 13, 2025, ISIS "ambush" attack against U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria.
That attack left two U.S. service members and an American interpreter dead.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., swiftly pulled the plug on a meeting with Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal after the Lebanese official refused to confirm that the Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah movement is a terrorist organization.
Graham posted to X a blunt message about his frustration with the state of Lebanon in particular and Mideast power politics in general.
"I just had a very brief meeting with the Lebanese Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal. I asked him point blank if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He said, ‘No, not in the context of Lebanon." With that, I ended the meeting. They are clearly a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has American blood on its hands. Just ask the U.S. Marines,"
He continued, "They have been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by both Republican and Democrat administrations since 1997 – for good reason. As long as this attitude exists from the Lebanese Armed Forces, I don’t think we have a reliable partner in them. I am tired of the double speak in the Middle East. Too much is at stake."
LAWMAKERS QUESTION WHETHER US MOVING FAST ENOUGH TO CAPITALIZE ON HEZBOLLAH'S WEAKENED STATE
Haykal’s refusal to recognize that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization set off security alarm bells among leading experts on the movement.
Matthew Levitt, a leading scholar on Hezbollah from the Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital that, ‘Gen. Haykal’s comment is only going to further concerns that the LAF sees Hezbollah as an actor with which it should deconflict, rather than disarm. The ceasefire agreement is clear that Hezbollah must be disarmed, in both the south and north of the country. In several instances to date, the LAF appears to have shared with Hezbollah targeting intelligence obtained from Israel through the US-led mechanism rather than acting on it."
He added, "At a time when the LAF is seeking international aid, purportedly to disarm Hezbollah, failing to recognize the group as an adversary not only of Israel but of Lebanon as well undermines the case for further funding."
Fox News Digital sent multiple press queries to Lebanon’s embassy in Washington, D.C.
ISRAEL WARNS HEZBOLLAH ‘PLAYING WITH FIRE,’ PRESSES LEBANON TO ACT ON WEAPONS PLEDGE
Sarit Zehavi, a leading Israeli security expert on Hezbollah from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital that, "I was not surprised by what Haykal said. This is exactly the problem. Hezbollah is not designated as a terrorist organization in Lebanon. The Lebanese army... is not willing to clash with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is not willing to voluntarily disarm. It will not happen as long as there is no clash."
Zehavi claimed the Lebanese Armed Forces has "helped Hezbollah to conceal is military activity and weapons storages in south Lebanon."
The U.S. brokered a ceasefire in Nov. 2024 between Hezbollah and Israel. In August, Lebanon’s government accepted an American plan to disarm the group by the end of 2025. That deadline does not seem to have been met.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, who also serves as envoy to Syria, said at a recent Milken Institute event that Lebanon is a "failed state."
CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH
Barrack said, "The confessional system does not work. A Maronite president, a Sunni prime minister and a Shia speaker; 128 parliamentary seats split equally between Islam and Christians; everything is a deadlock."
He said, "Hezbollah is a foreign terrorist by U.S. standards," and "it also happens to be a large political party within Lebanon that has blocking rights… This idea of saying you have to disarm Hezbollah … you’re not actually gonna do it militarily."
Barrack said, "The U.S. is saying Hezbollah needs to be disarmed, Hezbollah is a foreign terrorist organization, it cannot exist. My personal opinion is you kill one terrorist, you create 10. That can’t be the answer." He urged the Lebanese political leadership to "run to Israel and make a deal...there is no other answer."
Walid Phares, an American academic expert on Hezbollah and Lebanon who has advised U.S. presidential candidates, told Fox News Digital that "The disarming of Hezbollah is not just a U.S. and international request but also and most importantly a request by a majority of Lebanese since at least the Cedars Revolution in 2005, when 1.5 million Lebanese Christians, Druze and Sunnis rallied against the Syrian occupation and the Khomeinist militia."
He added, "While the Assad forces withdrew, Hezbollah remained armed. In May 2008, the radical Shia militia conducted an urban military coup against the pro-Western government and seized full power until the Israel-Iran war, known as the 12-day war of 2025. The latter was provoked by Hezbollah siding with Hamas during the Oct. 7 war."
Fox News Digital reported in November that the Trump administration ramped up pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government is facing intense criticism over its failure to swiftly outlaw Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The development comes as a London-based Islamic center has been accused of selling merchandise supporting terrorism.
Potkin Azarmehr, a British-Iranian expert on Iran who has written extensively on Iran’s influence operations in the United Kingdom, told Fox News Digital the "Islamic Centre of England is a regime outpost.
"The head of the center is directly appointed by Iran’s supreme leader. The letter of the appointment is publicly read during the inauguration ceremony. There is not a shred of doubt that the center is used to peddle the influence of Iran’s political Islam. It is also used to recruit disgruntled British individuals who are sent to Iran for training."
The Daily Telegraph reported in late January that U.K. authorities were investigating the Islamic Centre of England for allegedly selling Hezbollah phone cases and pro-Iranian regime key rings. Britain has sanctioned the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist movement, Hezbollah.
TRUMP’S IRAN THREATS FACE ‘OBAMA RED LINE’ TEST AS WHITE HOUSE PIVOTS TO DIPLOMACY
The pro-Hezbollah and pro–Islamic Republic goods were reportedly sold at a bazaar Dec. 14, 2025, according to the paper. One key ring displayed the words, "With the kindness of God, Seyyed Ali [Khamenei] is our leader." The Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei, would order the murder of thousands of Iranian demonstrators just weeks later.
The bazaar also allegedly had stickers of late IRGC global terrorist Qassem Soleimani, who was responsible for the murders of over 600 military personnel, according to the Trump administration. President Trump ordered a drone strike in January 2020 that killed Soleimani in Iraq.
Emma Schubart, a research fellow at Britain's Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital, "The Islamic Centre of England is not an isolated religious institution; it is part of a wider ecosystem of Iranian state-linked influence operating openly in the U.K., and at the center of that ecosystem sits the IRGC.
"The U.K. Government is dragging its feet over designating the IRGC. By delaying action, ministers are allowing hostile Iranian networks to continue operating under the cover of civil society and religious life. This is a dangerous blind spot in Britain’s national security."
The Islamic Centre of England is a registered charity. When asked about reports of the Islamic Center’s role in selling pro-terrorist merchandise, a spokesperson for the U.K.’s Charity Commission told Fox News Digital, "As part of our ongoing statutory inquiry into (the) Islamic Centre of England, we have raised concerns with the trustees about material sold by third parties at a recent event hosted at the charity’s premises. We take very seriously any alleged links between a charity and extremism or terrorism. Such links are abhorrent and corrosive to the trust on which the charitable sector depends."
Azarmehr, however, countered, "The U.K. Charity Commission, the regulatory body, has been ‘investigating’ the center for five years with no decisions and no updates other than appointing an interim director, but the center carries on business as usual.
"The only tangible result is that every time you make a complaint to the charity about the center, they reply by saying that because they are investigating the center, they cannot comment.
IRAN REGIME OPENED FIRE WITH LIVE AMMUNITION ON PROTESTERS, DOCTOR SAYS: ‘SHOOT-TO-KILL’
"The first head of the center, Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, is now a member of Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts and a key figure in propagating Iran’s soft power abroad. Araki’s family have U.K. citizenship. The previous U.K. government, in which Alicia Kearns was part of its administration, even paid the center in excess of £100,000 in COVID-19 furlough."
Kearns, who is the shadow minister for home affairs for the opposition Conservative party, is now demanding that the Islamic Center be shuttered.
"These latest revelations of terrorist tat being sold by the Islamic Centre of England are yet more evidence of why the center must be closed and those responsible for propagating terrorist propaganda face the law," she told the Telegraph.
"The figures being idealized are responsible for the cold-blooded murder of tens of thousands of young Iranian protesters, adding to the many regional and international crimes of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
A spokesperson for the Islamic Centre of England told Fox News Digital, "The trustees take all concerns about the center very seriously. We are currently reviewing matters pertaining to the Dec. 14 event and, in light of this, are unable to comment further at this time."
The EU announced last week that it has classified the IRGC a terrorist entity. The U.S., Canada and Australia have previously designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization. The IRGC played a key role in the massacre of Iranian demonstrators last month.
The proliferation of pro-Iran activism unfolded last weekend in London. Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party in the United Kingdom, posted on X, "When people in Britain are chanting support for the thuggish regime in Iran, we are in serious trouble as a nation."
Video footage embedded in Farage’s post and other clips on social media shows a mix of pro-Palestinian and pro-Iran regime messaging at the protests.
Multiple Fox News Digital inquiries to the British prime minister’s office went unanswered.
The Hamas terrorist who murdered Cpl. Noa Marciano while she was held captive in Gaza has been eliminated, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Wednesday.
The strike on a group of terrorists, including Muhammad Issam Hassan al-Habil, had reportedly followed a Hamas attack overnight that wounded IDF troops in northern Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Al-Habil, a Hamas cell commander, was killed in the airstrike in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp, the IDF said in a statement.
"In response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement overnight, earlier today (Wednesday), the IDF and ISA struck and eliminated the terrorist Muhammad Issam Hassan al-Habil, head of a Hamas terrorist cell," the IDF confirmed.
IDF STRIKES HAMAS 'TERRORIST TARGETS' ACROSS GAZA FOLLOWING REPORTED CEASEFIRE VIOLATION
The IDF also said that via Israeli Security Agency (ISA) questioning, al-Habil had brutally murdered Marciano, 19, while in Hamas captivity.
The IDF soldier had been abducted from the Nahal Oz outpost during the terrorist organization’s Oct. 7 massacre.
She was wounded in an IDF airstrike on Nov. 9, 2023, while being held by Hamas and was later taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. At the time, Hamas claimed Marciano died in an Israeli airstrike.
Her body was eventually recovered by Israeli forces in November 2023 and returned to Israel for burial in Modi’in, where she had lived with her family.
Following the announcement of al-Habil's death, Marciano’s mother, Adi Marciano, said the family had been promised that everyone involved in her daughter’s murder would be brought to justice, according to The Times of Israel.
"There is no real comfort in this," she said. "But there is knowledge that justice was done, even if only partially. Nothing will bring Noa back to us."
"This elimination brings closure for the Marciano family, and to the IDF and ISA," the IDF said.
"The IDF and ISA will continue to operate against any terrorist involved in the brutal Oct. 7 massacre and against any attempts by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians."
Israeli forces had been responding to multiple security incidents overnight, including attacks on IDF troops when al-Habil was killed.
At around 1 a.m., terrorists had opened fire on IDF forces in the Daraj Tuffah area, severely wounding a reserve officer.
IDF KILLS KEY HAMAS FOUNDER AND MASTERMIND OF OCT 7 TERROR ATTACK IN ISRAEL
IDF troops returned fire and carried out additional strikes in the area to eliminate the threat.
In the attack, suspects were identified approaching the yellow line in southern Khan Younis and were deemed a threat to the troops. The suspects were subsequently struck, the IDF said.
In addition to al-Habil, those killed included Bilal Abu Assi, a Hamas Nukhba platoon commander who led the massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7.
Abu Assi was believed to have taken part in holding deceased hostages in captivity while directing terrorist plots against IDF troops.
Ali Raziana, commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization was also killed, according to the IDF.
The U.S. military has bolstered its presence across the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, as nuclear talks were thrown into uncertainty Wednesday before being moved to Oman.
U.S. and Iranian officials had been expected to meet Friday in Istanbul, with several Middle Eastern countries participating as observers.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the talks, focused on restarting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, will now take place in Oman.
"The agreement to move forward with this happened only after several Arab country leaders lobbied the Trump administration today – making the case the U.S. should not walk away," the source said.
Satellite imagery from Plant Labs shows U.S. aircraft, naval vessels and logistical platforms positioned throughout the region at the end of January.
"The military buildup is consistent with a force preparing for a variety of potential strike options," Philip Sheers, a research associate with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, told Fox News Digital.
Sheers cautioned that visible movements alone do not indicate a strike is imminent, saying "positioning of platforms is not the only precondition to preparedness for a strike."
"Additional maintenance equipment, munitions and intelligence, among other elements, may still be needed before a desired strike can be executed," he said, adding that "operational details will be classified and are difficult to discern based on aircraft and ship movements alone."
U.S. naval assets in the region include the aircraft carrier strike group centered on the USS Abraham Lincoln, operating in the Arabian Sea, as well as destroyers deployed throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea region.
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN AIRCRAFT CARRIER STRIKE GROUP MAKES MOVE AMID THREAT FROM IRAN
The images of Duqm Airport in Oman appear to show a U.S. V-22 Osprey aircraft, which Sheers, who viewed the images, said could support "search-and-rescue missions to recover personnel after a mission."
Images from Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Azraq, Jordan, appear to show C-130 aircraft, which Sheers said could be used for "search and rescue at sea or for other logistics operations."
"It's clear that there are multirole combat aircraft stationed here, which would support ground strikes and defensive counterair operations," Sheers added while stating that helicopters were also visible, though their type, he said, could not be determined from the available imagery.
Sheers also cited the presence of Iran’s Shahid Bagheri drone carrier, saying its potential role could be to "harass, fatigue or distract U.S. surface ships in the area" and force U.S. forces to expend time and munitions defending themselves.
IRAN RESPONDS TO TRUMP PRESSURE WITH WARNING OF RETALIATION: 'FINGERS ON THE TRIGGER'
Wednesday also saw Secretary of State Marco Rubio say the U.S. would only engage in meaningful talks if they addressed Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for militant groups across the Middle East and its treatment of its own people, in addition to its nuclear activities.
"If the Iranians want to meet, we're ready. They've expressed an interest in meeting and talking. If they changed their mind, we're fine with that, too. We prefer to meet and talk," Rubio told reporters at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, U.S. Central Command warned Iran against what it called "escalatory behavior" in international waters, vowing the United States would protect its personnel and assets.
On Tuesday, U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone that approached the Abraham Lincoln in international waters, according to U.S. Central Command, underscoring rising tensions.
"What is clear is the United States is moving a variety of intelligence, logistics, search and rescue, strike and air defense platforms into the region," Sheers added.
"Those are clear signals to Iran of increasing U.S. strike capability, but the potential timing and targets of a possible strike are not clear and may not become clear," he said.
Fox News' Gillian Turner contributed to this report.
Verwandte Tags
U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday that it carried out five strikes against "multiple" Islamic State targets in recent days as part of a joint military effort to "ensure the enduring defeat of the terrorist network."
CENTCOM said, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, its forces "located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft."
"Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria," Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement.
"Operating in coordination with coalition and partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS makes America, the region and the world safer."
AFTER TRUMP DECLARED ISIS DEFEATED, US FACES NEW TEST AS DETAINEES MOVE AMID SYRIA POWER SHIFT
CENTCOM said it launched the Operation Hawkeye Strike mission in response to a Dec. 13, 2025, ISIS "ambush" attack against U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria. The attack left two U.S. service members and an American interpreter dead.
"After nearly two months of targeted operations, more than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured. CENTCOM forces killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim during a deliberate strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16. The terrorist leader was directly connected with the ISIS gunman responsible for the Dec. 13 attack," the military agency said.
CHAOS IN SYRIA SPARKS FEARS OF ISIS PRISON BREAKS AS US RUSHES DETAINEES TO IRAQ
Cooper said in December at the launch of Operation Hawkeye Strike that the effort is "critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the U.S. homeland."
"We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region," he added.
In December, before Operation Hawkeye Strike, CENTCOM said U.S. and partner forces in Syria "conducted more than 80 operations over the last six months to eliminate terrorists posing a direct threat to the United States and regional security."
