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A new U.S.-backed proposal to build a network of overland energy pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz is gaining attention as tensions in the region expose a critical vulnerability in the global energy system.

A policy memo reviewed by Fox News Digital outlines the concept, known as "ARAM Express," a proposed consortium between the United States and Gulf partners to develop a multidirectional overland network for oil, gas and petrochemicals, originating with Richard Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The plan envisions pipelines extending westward to the Red Sea and Mediterranean, as well as southern routes toward the Arabian Sea, creating multiple export pathways that would reduce reliance on the strait, through which roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil currently flows.

TRUMP OPENS HORMUZ UNDER FIRE WITH ‘PROJECT FREEDOM’ AS IRAN WARNS OF ATTACKS

The proposal would rely on broad international participation, with European and Asian buyers investing in infrastructure and securing long-term supply agreements.

"European buyers are desperate for long-term supply resilience, and Asian customers are equally exposed," Goldberg said. "Even China cannot tolerate the risk of a sustained disruption."

The push comes as Iran’s threats to commercial shipping and ongoing U.S. efforts to secure the waterway under President Donald Trump’s "Project Freedom" highlight the risks posed by a single chokepoint to global energy flows.

Roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the narrow waterway, making it a critical artery for global markets. With Iran threatening shipping and U.S. forces now guiding vessels through the strait under President Donald Trump’s "Project Freedom," the White House is framing the crisis in global terms. 

"The President will not allow Iran to hold the global economy hostage and undermine the free flow of energy," said White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, describing the launch of "Project Freedom" as a humanitarian effort to restore navigation through the strait.

That framing aligns with a growing view among U.S. officials and analysts that the risk is not only immediate but also structural.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz signaled that Washington’s partners are already looking beyond the strait itself.

"I know our Gulf partners and allies are seriously thinking through that," Waltz told Fox News Digital when asked about long-term alternatives during a conference call with reporters Monday.

"I know they’re looking at additional alternatives to frankly diversify their pathways and diversify their economies," he added.

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

The idea that Hormuz represents a structural weakness is not new. But until now, it has largely been tolerated, with global markets relying on stability in the Gulf to keep energy flowing.

That assumption is now under strain.

Even with U.S. naval power deployed to secure the waterway, the current crisis has highlighted how quickly disruption, or even the threat of it, can ripple through global supply chains.

"This isn’t just a long-term idea anymore," said Rich Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. "There is a real threat to the Strait of Hormuz that isn’t going away so long as the regime in Tehran remains."

AS IRAN WEAKENS, QUESTIONS GROW OVER MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN’S REGIONAL AMBITIONS

Saudi Arabia stands out as the country among Gulf states that has invested most heavily in reducing reliance on Hormuz.

Its East-West pipeline allows crude oil to travel from eastern fields on the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the strait entirely. From there, shipments can move toward Europe, Africa and Asia without entering the chokepoint.

"Saudi Arabia has treated the Strait of Hormuz risk with planning, not panic," said Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst.

"The East-West pipeline is strategic insurance," he told Fox News Digital, "A Hormuz closure would be disruptive, but not paralyzing. Saudi Arabia has spent years reducing that vulnerability, and today it is uniquely positioned to absorb shocks and keep global flows moving."

Al-Ansari argued that the kingdom’s strategy goes beyond energy exports, positioning the country as a broader logistics hub.

"Ports, pipelines, land bridges, storage and Red Sea access are all part of one Saudi contingency architecture," he said.

HORMUZ CHOKE POINT PERSISTS AS IRAN HALTS OIL TRAFFIC DESPITE TRUMP CEASEFIRE

Saudi Arabia is not the only player adapting. 

The United Arab Emirates also has developed alternative export capacity through its pipeline to Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, some analysts argue that recent regional dynamics point to a deeper shift, one that goes beyond infrastructure and into the political structure of the Gulf itself.

Yonatan Adiri, an Israeli entrepreneur and former adviser to former Israeli President Shimon Peres, said the traditional model of a unified Gulf energy system centered on Hormuz is beginning to break down.

"The whole arrangement … it’s starting to expire," Adiri said, referring to the long-standing reliance on the strait as a central artery for Gulf exports. 

He pointed to emerging economic and geopolitical realignments, including new corridors and shifting alliances, that are fragmenting the region’s traditional energy architecture.

"The UAE stepping away from OPEC is not just about production policy," Adiri said, referring to the country’s decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries effective May 1, 2026. "It reflects a broader shift toward an independent strategy — building its own routes, partnerships and leverage rather than relying on a collective system."

These changes are driven in part by broader global competition, according to Adiri, particularly efforts by the United States and its partners to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

"The entire system is being rethought," he said, describing a shift toward diversified routes that reduce reliance on single choke points.

WHY GULF STATES AREN’T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL

Despite these developments, not all Gulf states are equally prepared.

"If you’re Kuwait, you’re in a world of hurt," Goldberg said, pointing to countries that lack meaningful alternatives to maritime exports.

Qatar, one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas, remains heavily dependent on the strait, with limited options to reroute supply if shipping is disrupted.

This uneven exposure could reshape regional dynamics, giving countries with alternative routes greater resilience and leverage in future crises.

While the technical case for alternative routes is growing stronger, political constraints remain.

One of the most sensitive issues is whether future corridors could involve Israel, even indirectly.

"As for routes involving Israel, even indirectly, the politics are extremely difficult under current circumstances," Al-Ansari said. "I genuinely do not see it happening now."

At the same time, he suggested that such cooperation could become more realistic in the future under different political conditions.

For now, the U.S. and its allies remain focused on stabilizing the immediate situation in the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring that ships can pass safely and global markets continue to function.

But as tensions persist, the current crisis is forcing a broader reassessment.

The question is no longer just how to secure the strait, but whether the global energy system can afford to depend on it to the extent it has for decades.

If the current trajectory continues, Hormuz may remain critical, but no longer dominant, experts argue, as countries invest in new routes, new partnerships and a more diversified energy map.

Fox News Digital reached out to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Germany is facing a sharp rise in antisemitism, with officials warning that Islamist and left-wing extremist networks are exploiting the war in the Middle East to spread anti-Jewish rhetoric, mobilize supporters and contribute to harassment and violence against Jewish communities.

These groups are using the Israel–Hamas war and broader regional tensions as a pretext to amplify antisemitic narratives, according to a study by the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which includes accusations of "genocide" in Gaza and portrayals of Israel as a colonial state, language authorities say is increasingly being used to justify hostility and, in some cases, violence against Jews.

German Interior Minister Roman Poseck warned that the trend is escalating.

CALLS FOR US TO DO MORE AS ANTISEMITIC ACTS SKYROCKET IN EUROPE: 'ENORMOUSLY PAINFUL'

"Antisemitism is one of the greatest threats to our social cohesion — especially from Islamism and the left-wing extremist spectrum," Poseck said in a statement.

The developments are raising broader concerns beyond Germany, as officials and Jewish leaders warn that similar patterns of antisemitic rhetoric tied to Middle East conflicts are emerging across Western democracies, including the United States. With Germany long seen as a bellwether due to its history and legal framework around hate speech, the findings are being viewed as a warning sign of how extremist narratives can move from the fringes into mainstream discourse.

Poseck, who commissioned the report of the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warned of a deteriorating social climate, saying that "antisemitic sentiments are becoming increasingly intolerable, even in public spaces." 

"I am deeply ashamed of what Jews in Germany have to endure 80 years after the end of the Second World War," he continued. "We Germans, in particular, bear a lasting responsibility never to forget what happened."

US ALLY WARNS ANOTHER ANTISEMITIC ATTACK IS HIGHLY LIKELY IN NEXT 6 MONTHS

Forty-six of 102 Jewish communities surveyed in Germany reported antisemitic incidents, highlighting the growing scale of the threat, a new nationwide report by the Central Council of Jews in Germany found. 

Among the most common incidents identified in the Central Council survey were verbal abuse, threatening phone calls, vandalism and antisemitic graffiti. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they feel less safe living in Germany since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

"Following the explosive rise in antisemitism after Oct. 7, a ‘new normal’ has emerged," Central Council President Josef Schuster said in the press statement. "A situation in which Jewish communities require constant protection and antisemitism has become normalized as part of the public sphere."

The report also found that broader geopolitical developments continue to directly impact Jewish communities in Germany. Sixty-two percent of respondents said their sense of insecurity worsened following the recent war involving Iran, while two-thirds said a Gaza ceasefire did not improve their safety.

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Jewish leaders say the consequences are being felt in daily life. Many Jews are increasingly avoiding visible signs of their identity, such as wearing a Star of David or a kippah, or Jewish skullcap, amid fears of harassment. In some cases, communities have canceled events due to security concerns.

At the same time, the report highlights a sharp decline in perceived societal support. Only 35% of communities said they feel solidarity from broader civil society, down from 62% in 2023.

Officials say the normalization of such rhetoric is shifting the boundaries of acceptable public discourse.

The findings underscore growing concern that antisemitism, once seen as confined to the margins, is becoming more visible in public life, leaving Jewish communities feeling increasingly isolated and under threat.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it eliminated Hamas Commander Anas Muhammad Ibrahim Hamed, who infiltrated Israel and participated in the Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival Massacre.

Hamed was killed during a targeted Monday strike in Gaza, the IDF announced Tuesday.

"The IDF struck yesterday in the center of the Gaza Strip and eliminated Ans Muhammad Ibrahim Hamed, Nukhba commander in the Hamas terror organization, who raided the territory of the State of Israel and the Nova festival during the murderous massacre on October 7," the IDF wrote in a Tuesday morning post on X.

The IDF called Hamed an "immediate threat to IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip," and said he was "eliminated in a precise airstrike."

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

The IDF said it has forces "deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat."

Nukhba, which is Arabic for elite, is the special forces for the Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas' military wing.

Both units were instrumental in the Oct. 7 massacre. The Al-Qassam Brigades planned and executed the attack, according to the IDF and the Counter Extremism Project. Of the 6,000 terrorists who invaded Israel during the attack, more than 3,800 were Nukhba fighters, the IDF stated in an August 2024 assessment.

The Oct. 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 Israelis and prompted a sprawling Israeli military campaign in Gaza. During this campaign, the IDF eliminated two commanders of the al-Qassam Brigades and numerous other members of the group's military leadership.

ISRAELI MILITARY OPERATION IN GAZA EXPANDING TO SEIZE 'LARGE AREAS': 'EXPANDING TO CRUSH AND CLEAN THE AREA'

A July 2024 targeted strike killed then-al-Qassam Brigades Commander Mohammed Deif. In May 2025, another airstrike killed his replacement, Mohammad Sinwar.

The latest Israeli strike in Gaza comes just under seven months after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in October. The IDF accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire in February by using ambulances to transport terrorists and weapons around the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has also accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with daily airstrikes.

HAMAS TERRORISTS USE AMBULANCES, SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS IN VIOLATION OF US-BROKERED CEASEFIRE, IDF OFFICIAL SAYS

Fox News' Trey Yingst asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week if Hamas' refusal to put down its weapons would prompt the Trump administration to support Israel resuming combat operations in Gaza.

"Let’s hope we can avoid that. That’s not the outcome we want," Rubio told Yingst. "The outcome we want is for Hamas to be demilitarized, and a Palestinian security force backed by an international security force is able to secure Gaza.   

Fox News Digital reached out to the IDF and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

The U.S. military conducted a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean tied to suspected drug trafficking operations, killing two people, U.S. Southern Command said.

In a post on X, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a "lethal kinetic strike" on May 4 at the direction of commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DESCRIBES UNCERTAINTY AFTER 3 DEATHS AMID HANTAVIRUS PROBE

The command said intelligence assessed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and allegedly engaged in drug trafficking operations. It added that the vessel was operated by what officials described as designated terrorist organizations.

Two male suspected "narco-terrorists" were killed in the strike, and no U.S. military personnel were harmed, according to the statement.

The strike is part of an ongoing campaign targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters that has continued since early September and has killed at least 188 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The operations have ramped up again in recent weeks, even as the U.S. remains engaged in conflict with Iran, according to officials and prior military statements.

U.S. officials have described the effort as part of a broader campaign against what the administration calls "narcoterrorism" in the Western Hemisphere.

Separatists in Alberta declared they now have enough signatures to trigger a vote on the province leaving Canada. 

The Stay Free Alberta group said Monday it formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures after needing 178,000 names to force the province to consider such a ballot measure. The question of separation could go on a province-wide ballot as early as October, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified.   

"This day is historic in Alberta history," Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, said Monday as he arrived at the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton leading a convoy of seven trucks to deliver the names. "It’s the first step to the next step — we’ve gotten by Round 3, and now we’re in the Stanley Cup final." 

Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada, but she has accused previous federal Liberal governments of introducing legislation that hamstrings Alberta’s ability to produce and export oil, which she said has cost the province billions of dollars, and noted that she doesn’t want the federal government meddling in provincial issues, according to The Associated Press.

'VEXIT' MOVEMENT REIGNITES AS RED STATE INVITES DISENFRANCHISED VIRGINIANS TO 'BEST VIRGINIA'

More than 300 supporters gathered in Edmonton on Monday, waving the provincial flag and chanting "Alberta strong." 

A "yes" vote would not trigger independence automatically, as negotiations with the federal government would have to take place. 

Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, told the AP that despite the independence effort, liberal Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney "is indeed popular, even in Alberta."

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

"The push for independence by some Albertans predates his prime ministership, and it’s related to economic, fiscal, and political grievances about the seemingly unfair treatment of Alberta by the federal government," Béland said. "These concerns increased during the Justin Trudeau years, but they have peaked and even declined since he left office." 

Béland added that some Indigenous groups that are already using the courts to prevent an independence referendum would use venues including the courts to stop independence from happening.

The petition for a referendum could face a hurdle this week as an Edmonton judge is expected to rule on a court challenge by Alberta First Nations, who say separation would violate treaty rights. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

An explosion at a fireworks factory in a central Chinese province killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others, according to state media.

The blast happened at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, a city administered by Changsha in Hunan province, on Monday afternoon, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.

The plant was operated by Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. in Liuyang, which is under the jurisdiction of Hunan’s capital, Changsha. Liuyang is home to a hub for fireworks manufacturing, state media China Daily reported.

MASSIVE FIRE DESTROYS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA LABORATORY BUILDING: 'TOTAL LOSS'

Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed white smoke still billowing on Tuesday in parts of the area, with facilities collapsed or damaged and debris scattered around.

Nearly 500 firefighters, rescuers and medical personnel responded to the scene, according to the South China Morning Post. People in danger zones were evacuated because of what authorities described as high risks posed by two black powder warehouses at the site.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "all-out efforts" to save injured victims and to search for people who remain unaccounted for, Xinhua reported. He called on authorities to probe the cause and pursue serious accountability. Xi also ordered effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.

Xi often issues "important instructions" to local officials after deadly accidents and disasters, according to reports.

CREWS RESPOND TO MASSIVE EXPLOSIONS AT FIREWORKS FACILITY IN CALIFORNIA

Authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the blast, and unspecified "control measures" were taken against those in charge of the company.

In an effort to avoid additional accidents during the search for survivors, rescuers adopted measures such as spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards. Robots were also used to assist with the search and rescue operation.

Amsterdam has reportedly become the first capital city in the world to ban public ads for meat and fossil fuels — wiping burgers, gas-powered cars, and airline promotions from billboards, tram stops and metro stations.

Since May 1, the Dutch capital and tourist hotspot’s advertising landscape has undergone a dramatic shift. Ads once showcasing chicken nuggets, SUVs, and budget flights have been replaced with promotions for museums and concerts, according to BBC News.

Local politicians say the sweeping move is part of an aggressive climate agenda, with goals to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and cut meat consumption in half, the outlet reported.

‘MEAT-CENTRIC’ MEALS LIKE THANKSGIVING CONTRIBUTE TO A CLIMATE CRISIS: BLOOMBERG

"The climate crisis is very urgent," Anneke Veenhoff from the GreenLeft Party said. "I mean, if you want to be leading in climate policies and you rent out your walls to exactly the opposite, then what are you doing?"

But critics argue the policy crosses a line — calling it an overreach that attempts to engineer personal choices, according to BBC News.

The Dutch Meat Association blasted the ban as "an undesirable way to influence consumer behavior," warning that meat provides essential nutrients and should remain visible and accessible, the outlet reported.

Meanwhile, travel industry leaders say the restrictions unfairly target businesses. 

FLARING CLIMATE PROTESTS BECOMING MORE CONFRONTATIONAL AS FREE SPEECH TESTED GLOBALLY

The Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators called the ban on airline advertising a disproportionate blow to commercial freedom, according to BBC News.

Supporters, however, are framing the policy as a broader cultural shift — even comparing meat ads to cigarette campaigns of decades past.

"Because if I look now back at like old pictures, you have Johan Cruyff," Hannah Prins, a paralegal at Advocates for the Future, told the outlet. "The famous Dutch footballer. … He would be in advertisements for tobacco. That used to be normal. He died of lung cancer."

Prins added, "I don't think it's normal to see murdered animals on billboards. So I think it's very good that that's going to change."

CLIMATE GROUPS SUE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER EPA'S BOMBSHELL DEREGULATION DECISION

Other Dutch cities — including Haarlem, Utrecht and Nijmegen — have rolled out similar restrictions, while cities across Europe continue pushing to curb fossil fuel advertising, BBC News reported.

Meanwhile, in the United States, federal officials have taken a markedly different approach to food policy. 

The Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year unveiled updated dietary guidance featuring an inverted food pyramid. The top of the pyramid, now the wider part of the structure, is built on meat, fats, fruits and vegetables, while whole grains are at the narrow bottom.

Fox News Digital's Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.

The United States is advancing a new United Nations Security Council resolution targeting Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz as the administration seeks to reinforce its ongoing maritime operation with international backing.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Monday the effort is designed to hold Iran accountable for mining international waters, threatening global shipping and attempting to disrupt one of the world’s most critical trade routes.

"The president and Secretary Rubio have instructed us to come to the Security Council in full cooperation and craft a resolution with Bahrain and the GCC countries," Waltz said during a press briefing. "We’re working on a parallel effort at the Security Council that is separate and distinct from Project Freedom, but obviously related."

"The resolution will involve holding Iran to account for its blatant violations of international law," he added, including requiring Tehran to stop laying sea mines, disclose their locations and work with the United Nations to establish humanitarian corridors used by dozens of U.N. agencies to deliver aid globally.

RUSSIA, CHINA VETO UN RESOLUTION AIMED AT REOPENING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP DEADLINE

The diplomatic push comes as U.S. forces moved Monday to secure commercial shipping through the strait under President Donald Trump’s Project Freedom. U.S. Central Command confirmed American forces sank six Iranian small boats threatening vessels, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire and the ongoing risks to global energy flows.

Waltz framed the effort as part of a broader push to set a global precedent.

"We can’t set a standard that if two countries have a conflict … you can then embark on collective punishment for the economies of the rest of the world," he said.

When asked by Fox News Digital about the broader implications of Iran’s actions, Waltz said the U.S. is working to ensure that international waterways cannot be weaponized.

IRAN SEIZES SHIPS IN HORMUZ AS US TALKS FALTER AFTER CEASEFIRE EXTENSION

"You can’t start indiscriminately just throwing sea mines out into the ocean to sow doubt and fear into the international maritime community," he said. "And you certainly can’t see it as a revenue source … no country has a right to punish the rest of the world as part of a conflict."

He also pointed to the human toll of the crisis, noting that thousands of civilian mariners have been caught in the escalating tensions.

"These are captains, engineers, cooks, deckhands … they had no part in this conflict. They shouldn’t be forced to suffer," Waltz said, adding that the administration is emphasizing the humanitarian aspect of ensuring safe passage and aid delivery.

Fox News Digital also asked whether the U.S. and its partners should look beyond securing the strait and consider long-term structural solutions to bypass it altogether.

"I know our Gulf partners and allies are seriously thinking through that," Waltz said, referencing existing infrastructure such as Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline and export routes through the Gulf of Oman.

"I know they’re looking at additional alternatives to frankly diversify their pathways and diversify their economies," he added.

While the U.S. military effort is focused on immediate stabilization, including guiding vessels and deterring Iranian harassment, Waltz stressed that the U.N. resolution is intended to address the broader international implications and prevent similar crises in the future.

Despite the push, questions remain about whether Russia and China will support the measure after a previous attempt in April failed to pass. 

Waltz said the current proposal is narrower in scope and focused specifically on clear violations of international law, which he argued should make opposition less likely.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the U.N. fo comment. 

A car plowed into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, Germany, on Monday, killing two people and leaving several others seriously injured, officials said.

Reuters reported that police detained the driver, identified as a 33-year-old German man. Officials said there was no ongoing threat to the public as investigators work to determine what led to the incident.

BRITAIN WARNS ANOTHER TERROR ATTACK IS 'HIGHLY LIKELY' WITHIN 6 MONTHS AFTER LONDON STABBING

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said the city was "mourning two deaths" and at least three people were seriously hurt, calling it a "horrific attack."

"We ​are mourning two deaths, currently three seriously injured people, and many ⁠others who were injured," Jung told journalists at a media briefing on Monday evening, ​according to Leipziger Volkszeitung.

"It’s impossible to find the right words for this horrific attack," he ​added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

There are growing fears among some in Syria that the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa has the aim of clamping down on the rights and freedoms of its civilians by promoting a more conservative interpretation of Islam.

Local authorities in Syria’s capital, Damascus, recently banned restaurants and bars from selling alcohol in most parts of the city. Only venues in the majority-Christian neighborhoods of Damascus would be allowed to continue to sell alcohol, but only for takeaway. The move sparked minor protests throughout the capital, with security forces sent in to maintain order. 

"What you're seeing is pressure from one part of Syrian society, the clerics and sort of harder-line Islamists who have a vision, an Islamist vision of how Syrian society should be," Robert Ford, former ambassador to Syria, told Fox News Digital. Syria's temporary constitution is guided by Islamic law.

EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS US MUST PROTECT SYRIAN CHRISTIANS FROM ATTACKS BY JIHADI TERRORISTS

Syria’s social affairs minister, Hind Kabawat, a Christian and the only woman in al-Sharaa’s cabinet, pushed back on the idea that alcohol can only be consumed in Christian neighborhoods.

"Our neighborhoods are not places for alcohol, but the heart of Damascus," she said in a Facebook post.  

"The strength of our nation is in its diversity, and any radical, extremist voice will cause our nation's weakness," she added.

In response to the outcry, Damascus authorities walked back the ban, saying that alcohol purchases could remain in places important for tourism, such as hotels and certain restaurants.

The move is a significant departure for everyday Syrians living in Damascus, where alcohol was readily available in bars and restaurants for decades, even under the authoritarian and oppressive rule of former dictator Bashar al-Assad.

SYRIA GRANTED SANCTIONS WAIVER BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO ENCOURAGE REBUILDING

"Steps like these, which restrict freedoms in Syria, are worrying. When they have occurred far from Damascus, the central government can argue that it lacks sufficient control. But it is particularly meaningful to see such steps in Damascus since President al-Sharaa dominates there," Mara Karlin, a former Department of Defense official and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), told Fox News Digital.

"If he is pushing an Islamist Syria, then it calls into question how much he is moving beyond his history," Karlin added.

Al-Sharaa, who led the Islamist rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to victory over Assad, has been on an international charm offensive since taking power, visiting foreign capitals and reintegrating Syria into the global community.

President Trump even endorsed al-Sharaa, who first met with him in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2025 and again in November 2025 when Trump hosted him at the White House, the first time a Syrian leader had visited the White House since the country gained independence in 1946.

Karlin, who testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in February on the challenges facing Syria after the fall of Assad, said that, while the Syrian government does include former jihadists, they have been mostly pragmatic and non-ideological in their governance.

She noted, however, that their reach beyond Damascus is weak and limited.

"There have been some troubling instances of restrictions on women’s freedom, for example, and indicators such as these merit close scrutiny for evidence of the Syrian government’s influence and ideology."

TRUMP ORDERS COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL TROOPS FROM SYRIA WITHIN TWO MONTHS: REPORT

Ford, who was the last U.S. ambassador in Damascus in 2011, stressed that al-Sharaa is not a democrat and probably would like to impose parts of an Islamist vision on Syria, but has so far held back since overthrowing the Assad regime in 2024.

The ordinances in Damascus and elsewhere are imposed by local officials, but these officials are directly tied to the government and are loyal to al-Sharaa and likely support an Islamist vision for Syria.

Some worry the ban on alcohol could harm Syria’s fragile post-conflict reconstruction, particularly at a time when al-Sharaa is trying to reintegrate Syria into the world economy and rebuild the country’s tourism sector.

The World Bank estimated Syria’s reconstruction costs are about $216 billion after nearly 14 years of civil war. Syria’s minister of tourism previously said the country will need at least $100 million over the next seven years to rebuild the tourism industry.

Alcohol isn’t the only target of some local authorities in Syria. Officials in the port city of Latakia in February banned women from wearing makeup at work. Another town outside Damascus prohibited men from working in female clothing stores to uphold public decency.

Ford said although some of the local ordinances are a cause for concern, it is a domestic issue, and Syrians will have to determine the role of religion in post-Assad Syria.

THE Associated Press contributed to this article. 

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has left three people dead and several others ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement posted to X.

The U.N. health agency said one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, while five additional suspected cases are pending. Of the six people affected, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.

The WHO said it is coordinating with governments and the ship’s operator to arrange the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, while continuing to assess the public health risk to those still on board.

"Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations," the WHO said. "Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing."

WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS, THE CAUSE OF GENE HACKMAN’S WIFE’S DEATH?

The outbreak is linked to the m/v Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the vessel, confirmed that three passengers died during the voyage and that one passenger is being treated in intensive care in Johannesburg.

Two crew members on board also require urgent medical care, the company said.

LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE OUTBREAK LINKED TO CRUISE SHIP HOT TUBS, CDC SAYS

As of late Sunday, authorities in Cape Verde had not authorized the disembarkation of passengers requiring medical treatment or broader medical screening, according to the company.

Local health officials have boarded the vessel to assess the situation but have not yet approved the transfer of symptomatic individuals to facilities on land.

"The priority of Oceanwide Expeditions is to ensure that the two symptomatic individuals on board receive adequate and expedited medical care," the company said.

GENE HACKMAN'S HOME FOUND TO BE INFESTED WITH RODENTS AFTER WIFE DIED OF HANTAVIRUS

Dutch authorities are working to coordinate the repatriation of those affected from Cape Verde to the Netherlands, though the effort depends on approval from local officials, Oceanwide Expeditions said. 

Hantavirus infections are typically linked to exposure to infected rodents’ urine or feces and can lead to severe respiratory illness.

"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," WHO said.

There is no specific cure for the virus, though early treatment can improve survival.

WHO said it has notified global health authorities under international regulations and is continuing to support the response.

"We are currently establishing the full facts and working on appropriate medical care, screening, and next steps," Oceanwide Expeditions said.

A surge in Somali piracy is fueling fears of a Red Sea "security vacuum" across the region as analysts warn of a revived maritime crime playbook, now linked to Iran-backed Houthis.

The warning follows a May 2 report from Yemen’s coast guard that armed men hijacked an oil tanker off Shabwa and steered it toward the Gulf of Aden, and the vessel has since been located with recovery efforts underway, Reuters reported.

"There is a fundamental shift in the maritime center of gravity amid a new phase of maritime instability in the region," Ido Shalev, chief operating officer at RTCOM Defense, told Fox News Digital.

"Somali and Houthi-linked groups are teaming up — using skiffs and new tech to strike ships with coordination not seen in a decade — while Saudi crude rerouted from the Strait of Hormuz has created a ‘target-rich environment for them,’" he added.

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

"There is an opportunistic alignment, with the Houthis providing geopolitical cover and advanced GPS and surveillance, and Somali groups providing the boots on the ground or skiffs on the water," Shalev said.

With the MT Eureka taken off Shabwa, Shalev, a former Israeli naval officer, suggested what he called the "Somali model" had returned "with a vengeance."

"This is a transactional collaboration, and in the exact area where the Houthis are active and would like to cause damage and support their IRGC sponsor," he said before describing how pirates would hijack the entire ship and cargo, taking them to a secure anchorage "like Qandala or Garacad."

"They then demand a ransom for the entire package: the vessel, the tens of millions of dollars in oil, and the crew," he said.

TRUMP HALTS MILITARY STRIKES ON HOUTHIS BUT EXPERT WARNS IRAN-BACKED TERRORIST GROUP REMAINS MAJOR THREAT

The surge in regional risk is also exacerbated, Shalev said, by the volatility of the Strait of Hormuz. As Iranian-backed threats persist in the Persian Gulf, global energy flows are shifting.

"Due to the closure and instability of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of crude per day through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu," the former Israeli naval officer said.

"This creates a target-rich environment in a sector that was previously a backbound route. With Brent Crude prices surging — peaking near $115/bbl this quarter — the prize for a successful hijacking has never been higher."

The risk level in waters off Somalia was recently upgraded to "substantial" following a wave of hijackings and attempted attacks that began April 21, according to Windward AI and alerts from the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

At least three vessels were hijacked within days: a Somali-flagged fishing boat on April 21, followed by the Palau-flagged tanker Honour 25 (IMO 1099735), and, by April 26, a general cargo ship seized and redirected to Garacad.

ISRAEL’S NAVY HITS HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN 'UNIQUE' STRIKE AFTER TRUMP PROMISES END TO US OPS

Shalev, who served as the lead architect for Nigeria’s "Falcon Eye" project — a surveillance system that successfully reduced piracy in those waters to 0% — warned that the distraction of global warships is being exploited.

"Because international naval forces are preoccupied with missile threats, a ‘security vacuum’ has now opened in the region, so pirates can travel vast distances in skiffs to board vulnerable commercial vessels," he said.

"Somali piracy, which had been suppressed for years, has seen this sharp resurgence that also correlates perfectly with the Houthi crisis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," Shalev said.

The Red Sea carries 12% to 15% of global trade and about 30% of container traffic, moving over $1 trillion in goods annually, including oil and LNG, according to reports.

"The current crisis proves that you cannot ‘patrol’ your way out of this; you have to see the threat before it ever reaches the ship," Shalev said.

A large cargo ship was attacked by multiple small craft while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, roughly 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

The master of the northbound bulk carrier reported the attack to UKMTO, which said all crew members were safe and no environmental impact had been reported. Vessels in the area were advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity while authorities investigate.

The incident occurred near one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints and comes amid heightened tensions over Iranian threats to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the U.S. says the strait should be governed and controlled by Iran.

"What is certain is that we will not step back from the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its pre-war state," Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Sunday.

IRAN’S REMAINING WEAPONS: HOW TEHRAN CAN STILL DISRUPT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The location is significant because territorial waters generally extend up to 12 nautical miles from a nation’s coastline. But under international maritime law, foreign-flagged vessels are allowed innocent passage through territorial seas so long as they are not engaging in threatening conduct, fishing or other prohibited activity.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea says coastal states may claim a territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles, while foreign vessels are allowed "innocent passage" through those waters.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. The vessel was not publicly identified in the initial UKMTO alert.

WHY THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MATTERS AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH ULTIMATUM TO IRAN

Iran has previously used fast-attack boats to harass or seize vessels in and around the strait. Sunday’s incident follows a series of maritime attacks in the region during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the U.S. and Israel, with commercial shipping repeatedly caught in the middle.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a key route for global energy shipments. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has described it as a critical oil chokepoint, and roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption moved through the strait in recent years.

The UKMTO alert did not say whether the small craft were Iranian, and authorities were continuing to investigate.

Fox News' Bryan Llenas and Nick Kalman contributed to this report.

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

As President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on NATO allies to increase defense spending — and orders the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months — a deeper issue is coming into focus: even as allied budgets rise, NATO still depends heavily on American military power to function.

NATO’s imbalance is not theoretical — and it is not new, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital, "I told the president… maybe you ought to talk about a tiered relationship with NATO," Kellogg described conversations with Trump in his first term about the alliance’s future. "…we need to develop a new, for lack of a better term, a new NATO a new defensive alignment with Europe."

Kellogg, who served as a senior national security official during Trump's first term, said the alliance has expanded politically but not militarily — creating what he sees as a growing gap between commitments and real capability.

NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US

"You started with 12, and you went to 32, and in the process, I think you diluted the impact," he argued, calling today’s NATO "a very bloated architecture."

"They haven't put the money into defense. Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. When you look at the Brits right now, they could barely deploy forces: they have two aircraft carriers, both under maintenance. Their brigades are like one out of six that work. And you just look at the capability, it's just not there. So I think we need to realize that and say, well, we need something different," Kellogg, who is the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Foreign Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.

But not everyone agrees the alliance is losing relevance.

"It has never been more relevant," said John R. Deni, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College, who says NATO remains central to U.S. national security.

"The reason for that is twofold," he said. "One, it’s our comparative advantage versus the Chinese and the Russians… they don’t have anything like this."

"And the second reason… NATO underwrites the security and stability of our most important trade and investment relationship," he added, referring to economic ties between North America and Europe.

NATO ALLIES CLASH AFTER RUSSIAN JETS BREACH AIRSPACE, TESTING ALLIANCE RESOLVE

By around 2010, the United States accounted for roughly 65% to 70% of NATO defense spending, according to analysis provided by Barak Seener from the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank.

"They’ve always been dependent on the U.S.," Kellogg said of the European allies.

"The allies overall rely upon one another for deterrence and defense by design," Deni said, explaining that alliances exist to "pool their resources" and "aggregate their individual strengths."

Deni pointed to ground forces as a clear example of what the U.S. gains from the alliance, noting that "there are far more allied mechanized infantry forces on the ground than there are Americans."

Still, he acknowledged that reliance has at times gone too far.

"In the past… it was fair to say that the European allies were overly reliant upon the Americans for conventional defense," he said, pointing to the 2000s.

That, he said, was partly driven by U.S. priorities — as Washington pushed European allies to focus on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rather than territorial defense.

Seener describes NATO as "formally collective, but functionally asymmetric," with the U.S. providing a disproportionate share of "high-end capabilities."

That asymmetry is most visible in nuclear deterrence.

Seener said the U.S. provides the overwhelming majority of NATO’s nuclear arsenal — including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched systems and strategic bombers — meaning deterrence ultimately relies on the assumption of U.S. retaliation.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital that, "The U.S. nuclear deterrent cannot be replaced, but it is clear that Europe needs to step up. There’s no question. There needs to be a better balance when it comes to our defense and security. Both because we see the vital role the U.S. plays around the world and the resources that it demands, and also because it is only fair."

"The good news," the official added, "is that the Allies are doing exactly that. They are stepping up, working together — and with the U.S. — to ensure we collectively have what we need to deter and defend one billion people living across the Euro-Atlantic area."

NATO LAUNCHES ARCTIC SECURITY PUSH AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND TAKEOVER

Beyond nuclear weapons, the dependence runs through the alliance’s operational backbone.

Seener pointed to U.S.-provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — as well as logistics and command systems — as essential to NATO operations.

"Without U.S. intelligence and surveillance, NATO loses situational awareness and early warning capabilities," Seener said, adding, "So that means that Russia, for example, can attack Europe. And theoretically, if there's no NATO and the U.S. is not involved, Europe would not be aware, or it would take it too long to be able to defend itself."

Kellogg also says that much of Europe’s military capability falls short of top-tier systems.

"For the most part, their equipment, if you had to grade it A, B, C, D, E, F, they’re kind of like B players or C players," he said. "It’s not the first line of work."

He pointed to air and missile defense as a key gap, noting that while European countries rely on U.S.-made systems such as Patriot and THAAD, "they don’t have a system that’s comparable."

Kellogg attributed that to years of underinvestment, saying European defense industries "have atrophied," adding that the United States is also now "relearning that as well."

TRUMP AFFIRMS US 'WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR NATO,' WHILE EXPRESSING DOUBTS ABOUT ALLIANCE

Deni said the picture today is more mixed.

"Alliance defense spending has been up… and has spiked far more after 2022," he said, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 as a turning point.

But he cautioned that capability gains take time, noting that many improvements are still years away from full deployment.

Deni pointed to recent European purchases of U.S. systems as evidence of growing capability, noting that countries including Poland, Romania, Norway and Denmark are acquiring the F-35 fighter jet from the U.S.

"You can’t build an F-35 overnight," he said, adding that many of these improvements will take years to fully materialize.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital the alliance "needs to move further and faster" to meet growing threats, pointing to new capability targets agreed by defense ministers in June 2025.

The official said priorities include air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics and large land forces, noting that while details remain classified, plans call for a fivefold increase in air and missile defense, "thousands more" armored vehicles and tanks, and "millions more" artillery shells. NATO also aims to double key enabling capabilities such as logistics, transportation and medical support.

The official added that allies are increasing investments in warships, aircraft, drones, long-range missiles, as well as space and cyber capabilities, while boosting readiness and modernizing command and control.

"These targets are now included in national plans," the official said, adding that allies must demonstrate how they will meet them through sustained defense spending and capability development.

The NATO official also noted that European allies lead multinational forces across Central and Eastern Europe, while the U.S. and Canada serve as framework nations in Poland and Latvia, alongside ongoing air policing missions and NATO’s KFOR operation in Kosovo.

Kellogg’s warning is direct: NATO’s deterrence depends on U.S. presence.

"The one you always have to worry about… is Russia," Kellogg, who was Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia in 2025, said.

If U.S. forces are tied down elsewhere, NATO could face serious strain — particularly in areas like intelligence and logistics.

For Kellogg, the danger is delay. "We won’t know until it happens," he said. "And then you won’t be able to respond to it."

Deni, however, said the alliance remains a strategic asset — not a liability.

The question, he suggests, is not whether NATO still works. It is whether allies can adapt fast enough to keep it working.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday accused Iran’s regime of dramatically intensifying its crackdown on dissent in the wake of the February conflict, warning that Tehran has carried out executions, mass arrests, torture and one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns while invoking national security.

In a sharply worded statement from Geneva, Türk said at least 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested on national security-related charges since Feb. 28, as the regime faces mounting scrutiny over what he described as a sweeping assault on fundamental rights. 

"I am appalled that, on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict, the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities, in harsh and brutal ways," Türk said.

COULD NARGES MOHAMMADI UNITE IRAN’S OPPOSITION? HUSBAND SAYS IMPRISONED NOBEL LAUREATE STILL FIGHTING

Since the start of the conflict two months ago, the U.N. said nine people have been executed in connection with the January 2026 protests, 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups, and two on espionage charges. It's estimated that some 40,000 people were killed by regime forces during January's uprising.

Türk warned that Iran’s broad use of vaguely defined national security laws has enabled authorities to fast-track prosecutions, deny legal counsel, and rely on coerced confessions.

"Even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate," he said, calling on Tehran to halt executions, impose a moratorium on capital punishment, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.

For many Iranian dissidents, the findings reflect an already dire reality.

"It is bad," Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, told Fox News Digital. "They’re completely killing off the country."

On Saturday, it was reported that Iran had executed another athlete, a 21-year-old karate champion. Sassan Azadvar Joonqani was detained in January during the anti-regime protests and was executed by the regime on Thursday, according to a report in Euronews.

In March, Iran executed another athlete, 19-year-old wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi, for protesting against the regime, Fox News Digital reported. 

Türk’s office said detainees have reportedly faced enforced disappearances, torture, mock executions, and televised confessions, with ethnic and religious minorities including Bahá’ís, Zoroastrians, Kurds and Baluch Iranians facing particular risk.

RUBIO REVOKES IRANIAN OFFICIALS' US TRAVEL PRIVILEGES OVER DEADLY PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Among those cited by the U.N. was imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, whose condition sharply worsened Friday after what her family described as a catastrophic health crisis following months of being denied specialized care.

According to a statement from the Narges Foundation that was published Friday, Mohammadi was urgently transferred by ambulance from Zanjan Prison to a hospital after suffering two episodes of complete loss of consciousness in a single day, accompanied by severe cardiac distress. The foundation said prison doctors determined her condition could no longer be managed on-site after what her family called a "last-minute" transfer that may have come dangerously late.

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, told Fox News Digital earlier this week that her physical condition had already become increasingly dire after what he described as a violent arrest and deteriorating prison treatment. "She has sustained severe trauma and urgently requires medical attention."

Rahmani previously said Mohammadi’s medical team and outside specialists had pushed for treatment in Tehran due to her history of multiple heart procedures, while authorities allegedly blocked those recommendations until her condition became life-threatening. Despite her physical decline, Rahmani said, "Spiritually and mentally, Narges remains steadfast."

IRAN’S KHAMENEI LASHES OUT AT PROTESTERS AS NATIONWIDE ANTI-REGIME UNREST GROWS

The U.N. statement, combined with Mohammadi’s emergency hospitalization, has intensified scrutiny of Iran’s prison conditions, which Türk described as marked by overcrowding, medical neglect, and severe human rights abuses.

Türk also cited dire prison conditions, including overcrowding, shortages of food, water and medicine, and denial of medical care.

The U.N. further highlighted reports of lethal violence in detention facilities, including claims that security forces killed at least five detainees in Chabahar Prison after protests over suspended food distribution.

But while dissidents welcomed the U.N.’s unusually forceful language, some also questioned whether condemnation without action can meaningfully alter conditions, especially as Iran this week was elevated to a vice-chair role on a U.N. nuclear nonproliferation committee.

"The reason why Iranians just don't trust, don't like and don't want to know from the U.N.," Zand said, is what she described as its repeated failure "to rise to the occasion of responding to the regime and holding their feet to the fire at the right time... with the right amount of pressure."

While she said the latest statement itself was important, Zand argued many view such condemnations as hollow when paired with what they see as institutional legitimacy granted to Tehran.

"They're making a statement... fine," she said. "But what are they gonna do about it?"

Iran is once again being accused of playing a deadly role in yet another conflict, this time by supplying attack drones to one of the sides in the predominantly Muslim nation of Sudan’s deadly civil war — drones that are indiscriminately killing women and children.

The war, now in its fourth year, has, according to some accounts, seen as many as 400,000 deaths since the conflict began on April 15, 2023. More than 11 million have been displaced, giving rise to the worst displacement crisis in the world.

Mariam Wahba, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) told Fox News Digital that, "Iran has supplied the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with drones, specifically the Mohajer-6, manufactured by Qods Aviation Industries, a U.S.-sanctioned entity, since 2013."

‘PEACEMAKER’ TRUMP CAN END AFRICA’S BIGGEST WAR, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR SAYS

The State Department has hit out against the use of drones against civilians in the ongoing war in Sudan, with the SAF alleged to use Iranian drones widely against the population. An Iranian woman is also in federal custody in California after being arrested earlier this month for an alleged plot to supply Sudan with more Iranian drones.

Documented cases show both the SAF and the rebel militia they are fighting, the Rapid Support Forces, (RSF), are increasingly using drones against civilians.

Wahba said that "between Dec. 2023 and July 2024, at least seven cargo flights traveled between Iran and Sudan, likely transporting drones and component parts. On April 19, an Iranian-born U.S. resident was arrested at LAX (Los Angeles International airport) for allegedly brokering a $70 million deal to supply Mohajer-6 systems and other hardware to Sudan’s Ministry of Defense, indicating the transfers are likely ongoing."

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We are greatly concerned about the proliferation of drone warfare by the parties (in Sudan), and the impact this has on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Recently we have seen RSF and SAF drones destroy hospitals and schools, killing civilians."

FEDS ARREST IRANIAN WOMAN AT LAX FOR ALLEGEDLY BROKERING WEAPONS SALES FOR ISLAMIC REGIME

News of the Iran drone plot in the U.S. was first announced by Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, in a post on X, April 19, "Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for trafficking arms on behalf of the government of Iran. She is charged with a violation of 50 U.S.C. § 1705 for brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan."

The post was accompanied by photos of Iranian drones, and an image of what looked like a suitcase stuffed with dollar bills.

Ciaran McEvoy from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California told Fox News Digital that Mafi "remains in federal custody and her arraignment is scheduled for Friday, May 8 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles."

 ANOTHER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT RISK IN AFRICA AS EXTREMISTS AND WAR TAKE THEIR TOLL

Wahba told Fox News Digital that the Mohajer-6 drone Iran is supplying to Sudan is "Iran’s workhorse drone", adding it’s the system used in attacks on Israel and the Red Sea by Hezbollah and the Houthis.

"The Mohajer-6 is a reusable platform used for surveillance and precision strikes," Wahba added. It can loiter, collect intelligence and return."

The State Department told Fox News Digital of wider concerns: "Islamist groups aligned with the SAF have formed relationships with the Iranian regime and have received assistance from Iran. We’ve sanctioned a number of these groups, including the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood, who used unrestrained violence against civilians and undermined efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan. Many of the group’s fighters have received training and other support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and have committed atrocities against civilians."

United Nations spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, condemned the recent drone attacks in Sudan. He told reporters: "An aid truck from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) that was carrying emergency shelter kits came under attack by a drone on Friday (April 24) while transiting through the town of Umm Drisaya in North Darfur state. All supplies were destroyed in the fire."

Dujarric added: "The second incident occurred on Saturday (April 25) when a drone reportedly caused casualties in residential neighborhoods of El Obeid city, North Kordofan state. Seven people were killed and over 20 injured, according to a local medical group."

"These are ordinary families in their homes, caught in violence that continues to reach civilian neighborhoods," said Dujarric. "We condemn all of these attacks."

Ricardo Pires, communication manager for the children’s agency UNICEF, told Fox News Digital: "For children in Sudan, the sound of a drone is yet another dreadful signal to hide and hope they are not harmed next. Across Darfur and Kordofan, drones and other explosive weapons are turning streets, hospitals and schools into places of danger and death. This is not just a protection threat for children. It is childhood being attacked by new forms of warfare."

The State Department spokesperson added, "In order to safeguard U.S. interests, to include the protection of religious freedom in Sudan, U.S. efforts seek to limit malign Islamist influence in Sudan’s government and curtail Iran’s regional activities, which have contributed to regional destabilization, conflict and civilian suffering."

A driver in training sent a bus careening into the River Seine near Paris Thursday after hitting a parked car and veering off the road, triggering a massive rescue operation, according to BBC and Reuters.

All four people on board were pulled to safety as more than 90 firefighters, divers and emergency crews — along with boats and a helicopter — responded, officials said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and drug and alcohol tests came back negative.

EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO TOUR BUS ROLLOVER WITH DOZENS OF PATIENTS IN NEW YORK

The incident happened in France's Juvisy-sur-Orge, about 12 miles south of Paris, as the driver was nearing the end of her practical training, transport officials told the BBC.

Authorities said the bus missed a turn near the riverbank, instead continuing straight and dragging a parked car into the water before plunging into the Seine, Reuters reported.

Dramatic images show the bus partially submerged as rescue crews surrounded it with some individuals on top of the vehicle while others worked in the water below.

WILD VIDEO SHOWS SPEEDING CAR GOING AIRBORNE, EJECTS DRIVER INTO BACKYARD POOL

Witnesses described a chaotic response, with one saying it felt like "every firefighter in the department" had arrived as bystanders initially threw life rings into the river before first responders took over.

TERRIFYING VIDEO SHOWS OUT-OF-CONTROL MTA BUS PLOWING INTO CARS IN THE BRONX, INJURING 8

Officials later launched an internal investigation into what caused the crash.

Video released later showed crews using cranes to pull the submerged bus from the river as helicopters circled overhead.

May Day demonstrations across Europe and Asia on Friday revealed how International Workers’ Day is increasingly transforming from a traditional labor rights event into a broader political battleground, where demands over wages, inflation and worker protections are now frequently intertwined with anti-war activism, anti-Israel rhetoric and wider ideological struggles over global power.

From Paris to Istanbul, Madrid, Manila and Seoul, protests often expanded far beyond workplace grievances, with demonstrators linking rising living costs and social inequality to war in the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy and broader anti-capitalist narratives.

Nile Gardiner, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that the demonstrations reflected what he described as a ‘troubling moral inversion’.

600 GROUPS WITH $2B IN REVENUE MOBILIZE 3,000 MAY DAY PROTESTS IN ‘RED-BLUE’ ALLIANCE, PROBE FINDS

"These May Day protesters should be demonstrating against the brutal tyranny in Tehran instead of protesting against U.S. military action, and this is an illustration of the complete moral vacuum that exists in Europe today," Gardiner said.

In Paris, May Day protests reportedly escalated into clashes as police used tear gas grenades and forceful arrests after projectiles were thrown during demonstrations, according to publicly circulated social media footage.

Earlier, French labor leaders had focused on inflation, wages and social protections, but parts of the protests also featured anti-war slogans, Palestinian symbolism and criticism of military spending.

MAY DAY PROTESTS TO TAKE PLACE FRIDAY AS AGITATORS ACROSS THE US PUSH 'WORKERS OVER BILLIONAIRES' MOTTO

In Madrid, thousands marched under banners reading "Capitalism should pay the cost of their war," while demonstrators protested stagnant wages, housing shortages and militarism. Placards targeting President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted how international conflict featured prominently alongside domestic labor concerns.

Germany also saw unrest in Munich, where publicly circulated reporter footage showed riot police using batons to disperse radical leftist protesters after pyrotechnics were repeatedly ignited during a revolutionary May Day demonstration. 

Emma Schubart, Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank, warned that May Day demonstrations increasingly serve as platforms for ideological movements extending beyond labor activism.

"The May Day demonstrations across Europe increasingly feature Islamist elements. Militant anti-war, anti-capitalist rhetoric is now routinely accompanied by Palestinian flags and explicit anti-Israel slogans," Schubart said, adding that far-left activism and Islamist-linked networks are increasingly converging under broader anti-Western narratives.

In Istanbul, police blocked leftist groups from marching to the banned Taksim Square, the historic center of Turkey’s labor movement, where demonstrations have long carried symbolic political weight. Protesters attempted to break through barricades and clashed with police as authorities detained some of the protesters.

MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP

Outside Europe, similar themes emerged across Asia.

In Manila, workers clashed with police near the U.S. Embassy while protesting higher fuel and commodity prices, demanding wage increases and calling for an end to war in the Middle East.

A left-wing labor group paraded a giant effigy depicting Trump, Netanyahu and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a three-headed monster, symbolically tying domestic hardship to both local and international political leadership.

In South Korea, thousands gathered near Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square for major labor rallies centered on collective bargaining and worker rights, but speeches also incorporated broader geopolitical messaging. 

Korea Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Kyung-soo called on demonstrators to "unite with the Iranian and Palestinian workers and people suffering from American imperialist aggression," explicitly connecting labor solidarity to anti-American and Middle East political narratives.

While local priorities varied, from wages in France to labor rights in Seoul, May Day 2026 demonstrated a growing global pattern: labor demonstrations are increasingly becoming arenas for broader ideological and geopolitical confrontation.

"The United States is fighting to defend the free world against tyranny, and yet across Europe and beyond we are seeing protesters direct their outrage at America and its allies instead of the brutal regimes driving so much of this global instability," Gardiner said. "That should deeply concern anyone who cares about the future of Western civilization."

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has publicly praised soldiers who killed themselves rather than be captured while fighting Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, offering the clearest confirmation yet of what officials and intelligence agencies have long described as one of Pyongyang’s most extreme battlefield policies.

In remarks published Monday by North Korean state media KCNA and first reported by Reuters, Kim honored troops who "unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide" rather than surrender, as he addressed Russian officials and bereaved families during a memorial ceremony for North Korean soldiers killed in combat.

"It is not only the heroes who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honor, but also those who fell while charging at the forefront of assault battles," Kim said.

The comments mark the first time Kim has directly acknowledged the lengths North Korean troops fighting for Russia have gone to in attempts to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces.

BATTERED IN UKRAINE, RUSSIA RACES TO REARM — BUT QUESTIONS LINGER OVER ITS MILITARY STRENGTH

North Korea deployed an estimated 14,000 troops to Russia’s western Kursk region to support Moscow’s war effort, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials cited by Reuters. Those same officials say the forces suffered staggering losses, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers believed killed in some of the war’s most intense fighting.

For months, intelligence reports, battlefield evidence and defector testimony have pointed to a grim directive: North Korean troops were expected to detonate grenades or otherwise take their own lives rather than risk capture.

That policy appears to have extended even to the few who survived. According to The Guardian, two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces and now held as prisoners of war in Kyiv both reportedly attempted to blow themselves up but were unable to do so because of severe injuries. One of the captured soldiers has reportedly expressed guilt over failing to carry out those orders.

NORTH KOREA VOWS 'TOUGHEST' US POLICY IN VAGUE ANNOUNCEMENT

Kim’s latest speech appears to transform those reports from battlefield allegations into publicly praised state doctrine.

"Those who writhed in frustration at failing to fulfill their duty as soldiers rather than suffering the agony of their bodies being torn apart by bullets and shells — these too can be called the party’s loyal warriors and patriots," Kim added.

The statement underscores the ideological intensity imposed on North Korean forces, whose loyalty to the regime appears to extend beyond combat to self-destruction.

The revelation also highlights the deepening military relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow.

According to South Korean intelligence assessments, North Korea has provided not only troops but also munitions to Russia, while receiving economic aid and military technology in return.

Reuters contributed to this report.

As the Trump administration escalates its campaign against Iran through sanctions, naval pressure and financial enforcement, a central question is emerging: Can unprecedented economic strain truly weaken the regime, or will Iran’s rulers once again absorb the pain, suppress unrest and survive?

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday post on X that the "Economic Fury" campaign already has disrupted "tens of billions of dollars in revenue" that would otherwise support terrorism, while arguing Iran’s inflation has doubled and its currency has sharply depreciated under the current maximum pressure campaign.

Bessent also warned that Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, is nearing storage capacity and could soon force production cuts, which he said may cost the regime an additional roughly $170 million per day in lost revenue.

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The escalating pressure campaign marks one of the most aggressive U.S. efforts in years to economically isolate Iran. But the central question is whether this strategy can force meaningful concessions from a regime that has historically absorbed economic pain, or whether it risks triggering broader instability — from energy market shocks to regional escalation — before Iran is pushed to a breaking point.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that Treasury is aggressively expanding "Economic Fury" beyond traditional sanctions by targeting Iran’s ability to generate, move and repatriate funds across oil, banking, cryptocurrency and covert trade networks.

The official said Treasury has disrupted billions in projected Iranian oil revenue in recent days alone, including freezing $344 million in regime-linked cryptocurrency, while also escalating pressure on Chinese "teapot" refineries, foreign banks and sanctions-evasion networks facilitating Tehran’s trade.

The Treasury also has warned financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Oman that continued facilitation of Iranian illicit commerce could trigger secondary sanctions, while signaling that foreign companies — including airlines — may also face penalties if they support prohibited Iranian activity.

But Alireza Nader, an Iranian independent analyst based in Washington, is skeptical that economic pressure alone will force a strategic breaking point. 

"It looks like a game of chicken and I think the regime thinks that it can win this game of chicken with President Trump," he told Fox News Digital.

"I don’t see this economic blockade … leading to some sort of breaking point for the regime," Nader added, arguing that Iran’s leadership has repeatedly shown it is willing to let ordinary citizens bear extraordinary suffering to preserve power.

"The regime cares about staying in power," he said, warning that public hardship does not necessarily translate into vulnerability.

"The economic clock is moving much faster on Iran than on its adversaries."

That skepticism stands in stark contrast to Miad Maleki, a former Treasury sanctions analyst, who argues Washington may now hold its greatest leverage over Iran since the 1979 revolution.

"We’ve never had the level of leverage that we have today with Iran in the history of our conflict … since 1979," Maleki said.

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For Maleki, what makes this moment different is not sanctions alone, but the convergence of sanctions, naval blockade and aggressive secondary enforcement.

He said Iran’s already fragile economy — marked by 104% food inflation and a roughly 90% collapse in purchasing power — could face roughly $435 million in daily economic losses if maritime restrictions hold.

"Iran’s economy relies on the Strait of Hormuz more than any other economy," Maleki said, arguing that disruption around the strait may ultimately hurt Iran faster than its adversaries.

If restrictions are fully enforced, Maleki warned, "crude onshore storage shortages in about 7 to 14 days, then they can buy a few weeks with filling up a dozen tankers already in the Persian Gulf, but they have to start dropping oil extraction now in anticipation of running out of storage. They are also facing gasoline shortages in matters of days or a few weeks, forced oil-production cuts, and eventually banking or salary strain."

Independent shipping intelligence from from shipping intelligence firm Kpler suggests Iran’s oil bottleneck may already be intensifying, though perhaps on a slightly longer timeline than some sanctions advocates predict.

Before the conflict, Iran exported roughly 2 million barrels of oil per day, Court Smith, Kpler’s head of engagements and partnerships, told Lauren Simonetti at FOX Business, but current exports appear closer to 1 million barrels daily, leaving an estimated 1 million barrels per day accumulating in storage.

Smith estimated Iran may have roughly 30 days before shoreside storage faces severe capacity constraints under current conditions, while warning that older fields or marginal wells could already be facing early shut-in pressures.

To buy time, Iran has reportedly begun pulling decades-old tankers out of storage for temporary floating capacity, a sign of mounting logistical strain. 

Former Israeli national security adviser Yaakov Amidror argues the blockade should not be judged by whether it forces immediate capitulation, but by whether Washington has the patience to let time erode Iran’s strength.

"Blockade is one of the oldest forms of warfare," Amidror said. "Blockade equals time."

In his view, the strategy’s advantage is precisely that it imposes relatively low costs on the United States while gradually exhausting Iran’s economy.

"The siege does its work. It weakens Iran," he said, describing it as one of the cheapest long-term methods of pressure available.

Amidror also pushed back forcefully against claims that modern enforcement is unrealistic.

"I don’t buy the idea that the U.S. Navy in the 21st century can’t monitor the 35 kilometers of blockade" he said, arguing that American surveillance, satellites and naval assets are more than capable of controlling the choke point over time.

Danny Citrinowicz, a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, offers a far more skeptical view.

"The blockade won’t force Iran to capitulate," Citrinowicz said.

BLOCKADE 101: AMERICAN SEA POWER ON DISPLAY AS TRUMP CORNERS IRAN AND WARNS OFF CHINA

"This country is under sanctions since 1979 … they know how to make adjustments," he added.

"The regime isn't just dependent on oil and energy exports to survive, it has other means of income," Nader argued, "Oil and natural gas are its biggest sources of income, but I think this regime has made a calculation that it can withstand even months of economic siege because it may think that the Trump administration is more vulnerable to political pressure."

"Look," he added, "American voters vote in the president and vote out the president. In Iran, nobody's voted in and out. The regime maintains power through brutal force. If there are public disturbances, if there are new uprisings, the regime will try to deal with them as it has in the past to mass violence, killing thousands of people. That's how this regime stays in power."

Citrinowicz warned that Iran may escalate regionally or exploit global energy vulnerabilities long before economic collapse forces surrender, potentially driving oil prices sharply upward and creating international political pressure before Tehran truly breaks.

"In the pain game … the world will feel that before," he said.

That leaves the administration facing a strategic endurance contest: Can economic warfare degrade Iran faster than the regime can adapt, repress and weaponize global pain?

Nader believes Iran’s rulers may still calculate that they can outlast U.S. patience through repression and resource management.

Maleki believes the economic "clock is moving much faster" on Iran than on its adversaries.

Amidror argues time itself may be Washington’s greatest weapon.

And Citrinowicz warns that if the United States expects quick capitulation, it may be underestimating both Iran’s resilience and its willingness to escalate.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Iranian mission to the U.N., CENTCOM and the Pentagon for comment.