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A Russian ballistic missile strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, killed at least 10 people, including two children, and wounded 16 others Saturday, officials said.

The strike was part of a broader overnight assault in which Russia launched 29 missiles and 480 drones targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with damage reported in Kyiv and at seven other locations across the country, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy called for an international response following the attack.

"There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life. I thank everyone who will not remain silent. Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue," he said in a post on X.

ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR 'REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR

"We count on active work with the European Union to guarantee greater protection for our people," he added. "I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our protection."

Preliminary Ukrainian data showed air defense systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones, while nine missiles and 26 strike drones hit 22 locations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted Ukrainian military factories, energy facilities and air bases.

TRUMP SAYS 'HATRED' BETWEEN PUTIN, ZELENSKYY BLOCKING UKRAINE PEACE DEAL

Speaking Saturday at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, President Donald Trump said the "hatred" between Russia and Ukraine was complicating efforts to reach a peace deal.

"It's so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you'd think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It's very hard for them to get there. It's very, very hard to get there. So we'll see what happens," Trump said. "But we've been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out." 

"But we're losing, you know, they're losing, you know, doesn't really affect us very much because we've got an ocean separating. I'm doing it as a favor to Europe, and I'm doing it as a favor to life because they're losing 25,000 souls," Trump added. "Think of that every month. 25,000. Last month, 31,000.  Both sides, 31,000 people died, mostly soldiers."

Last month, Zelenskyy told Fox News that Russia is trying "to play with the president of the United States" and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman-Diamond and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

People Leo XIV on Saturday announced the appointment of the Vatican’s new ambassador, Apostolic Nuncio, to the U.S. to help manage strained relations with the Trump administration.

Italian Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, 68, a veteran Vatican diplomat who is currently ambassador to the United Nations, previously served as ambassador to the Philippines and Lebanon.

Caccia is replacing 80-year-old Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who is retiring.

"I receive this mission with both joy and a sense of trepidation," Caccia said after the appointment, according to the Vatican News. He added that his mission was "at the service of communion and peace," remembering that 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS NO TO CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CALL FOR CHRISTMAS PAUSE IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

The pope and President Donald Trump have been at odds over key issues for the White House, including immigration and the war in Iran.

Pierre's ambassadorship was also at times at odds with the more conservative U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops while representing Pope Francis’ more progressive priorities.

"Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue," the American-born pope said on Sunday after the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, according to the outlet Chicago Catholic.

POPE LEO URGES DIALOGUE OVER MILITARY ACTION AFTER FAILED MADURO, TRUMP CALL

"Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss," he added.

In early January, Leo also delivered a major policy speech, mostly in English, that came on the heels of the U.S. military action in Venezuela.

"War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading," the pope warned in the speech.

Trump called it a "great honor for our country" when Leo was elected pope last May after Pope Francis’ death, and when asked about Leo’s remarks earlier this year seemingly pressing him on policy, Trump told Politico he hadn’t seen the statements from the pontiff, but "I’m sure he’s a lovely man."

He also said that he had met with the pope’s brother, who he called "serious MAGA."

Last fall, the pope suggested that supporting the "inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States" is not "pro-life," leaving White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to "reject there was inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration."

Leavitt, who is Catholic, added that the administration always tries to be as humane as possible while enforcing laws.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, current president of the U.S. conference, said after Caccia’s appointment: "On behalf of my brother bishops, I wish to extend our warmest welcome and our prayerful support to him as he carries out his responsibilities across the United States."

Trump won 59% of the Catholic vote in the 2024 election, according to Politico.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An Iranian official warned that any European countries that enter the conflict against Iran will become "legitimate targets" for Tehran’s retaliation. 

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the remark to France24 as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologized to neighboring countries that have been attacked by the regime. 

"We have already informed the Europeans and everybody else that they should be careful not to be involved in this war of aggression against Iran," Takht-Ravanchi told the network. "If they help, I'm not trying to name any country, but if any country joins in the aggression against Iran, joins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran, definitely they will be also the legitimate targets for Iranian retaliation." 

"This war has imposed on us, and we will continue to defend ourselves to the best of our abilities," he added. "We have an obligation to defend our people and that is what exactly we are doing."

GULF STATES INTERCEPT HUNDREDS OF IRANIAN MISSILES AND DRONES, ISSUE JOINT CONDEMNATION WITH US

Takht-Ravanchi also claimed Iran was "negotiating in good faith" in talks with the U.S. about its nuclear program, before America launched Operation Epic Fury and Israel began Operation Roaring Lion on Feb. 28. 

"We are sincere. We are sincere in our endeavor to arrive at a peaceful conclusion of this issue," he told France24. 

AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN'S ENRICHED URANIUM?

Pezeshkian said Saturday that any future attacks coming out of Iran would only be in response to attacks against the country. 

"I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf," he said, according to The Associated Press. "From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy."

Pezeshkian made the apology during a prerecorded televised speech on Saturday after Iran launched repeated strikes on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman. 

Despite the vow, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the country's air defense systems intercepted 16 ballistic missiles, 15 of which were destroyed while one fell into the sea.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

When Benny Sabti was a child growing up in Iran, he remembers receiving an unusual prize at school. "For being an excellent student, I received a Persian translation of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler," Sabti told Fox News Digital. "They translated Hitler’s book into Persian and distributed it to students."

The experience stayed with him. Looking back, Sabti, now an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Israel, says it reflected a broader effort by Iran’s ruling clerical establishment to shape how young Iranians viewed politics, religion and the world around them.

Schools, mosques, workplaces and media all became part of an ideological ecosystem designed to reinforce loyalty to the regime. But critics of Iran’s leadership say religion itself was often not the ultimate goal.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN’S SUCCESSION BENCH WIPED OUT AS ISRAELI STRIKE HITS LEADERSHIP DELIBERATIONS

"Faith for them is their tool," Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, told Fox News Digital. "It’s not the end all to be all. It’s a tool that they can hide behind so that they can carry out all their criminalities."

The Islamic Republic was founded on the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, or "guardianship of the Islamic jurist," which places ultimate political and religious authority in the hands of the country’s supreme leader.

But Zand argues that in practice the system functions less as a purely religious project and more as a mechanism of political control. "It’s more like a mafia," she said. "They use faith in order to keep people down."

According to Zand, ideology is reinforced through a mix of financial incentives and intimidation. "They tried by incentive and money and buying people," she said.

Programs tied to the Basij, a militia affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have often provided benefits such as jobs, housing and education to families aligned with the regime.

"If you are poor and you join the Basij, they give you benefits," Zand said. "But you have to go along with whatever it is that they offer you."

Sabti says the Islamic Republic built a vast network designed to reinforce ideology in everyday life. "In banks, offices, public spaces and even in the bazaars, regime representatives walk between shops telling people it is time to pray and checking who is not attending," Sabti said.

Mosques themselves are closely integrated into the political system. Friday prayer leaders often deliver sermons aligned with government messaging.

"There are 16 propaganda bodies in Iran," Sabti said, describing a network of state institutions responsible for spreading the regime’s interpretation of Islam and the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.

Some institutions also focus on exporting that ideology abroad. "There is a university dedicated to converting Sunnis to Shiism," he said. "They bring people from Africa and South America to Iran, convert them to Shiism and send them back to export the Shiite Islamic revolution."

OPERATION EPIC FURY: HOW AMERICA'S AIR POWER IS CRUSHING IRAN’S TERROR REGIME

Schools play a central role in the regime’s ideological system.

"Schools are heavily indoctrinated," Sabti said. "In civil studies books, Islam was promoted as superior to all other ideologies."

Religious messaging appears across the curriculum. "You cannot separate any school subject from Islam," Sabti said. "Not history, not geography. Everything is mixed with ideology. The only thing missing was adding it to mathematics."

For Sabti, the Mein Kampf episode symbolized the ideological environment students were exposed to. The message, he said, reinforced hostility toward perceived enemies and embedded a political worldview from an early age.

Sabti says the credibility of the system is also undermined by the behavior of Iran’s own elites. "You can see it in the second generation," he said. "Their children live abroad while the elites live in palaces in Iran and in other countries. It is hypocrisy."

Zand says ideology has always been reinforced by intimidation. "They make examples out of people in the most vicious possible way," she said. "It’s fear and manipulation."

According to Zand, that atmosphere of fear shapes daily life for many Iranians. "Everybody is afraid of the police," she said. "Everybody is afraid of their neighbors."

WORLD LEADERS SPLIT OVER MILITARY ACTION AS US-ISRAEL STRIKE IRAN IN COORDINATED OPERATION

Despite the regime’s extensive ideological machinery, Sabti believes many Iranians never fully accepted the worldview the government tried to impose.

"Over the years, the indoctrination has stopped working," he said. "Most of the public does not truly believe it."

Still, the Islamic Republic remains in power. "The regime maintains control through money, weapons and propaganda," Sabti said.

Zand agrees the system never fully reshaped Iranian society. Many people, she said, complied outwardly simply to avoid punishment.

"They won’t have a problem to transfer as long as they realize that the new Iran has no room for the violence and the horrifying characteristics of the Islamist regime," Zand told Fox News Digital.

She said that beneath the surface, Iran’s cultural identity remained intact even after decades of pressure from the state.

The stunning details revealed by Steve Witkoff on his talks with Iran and their boastful remarks about its nuclear program have seemingly fallen on deaf ears at the U.N. nuclear agency.

Days into the U.S.-Israel joint campaign against Iran, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi posted to X stating, "There has been no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb."

Fox News Digital asked the IAEA how it could assess the development of a possible nuclear weapon without access to Iran’s facilities but received no response at press time.

Grossi's post came as the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff gave details to Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this week on his talks with the regime prior to the U.S. and Israel launching their military operation against Tehran.

SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL ACTIVITY AT IRAN NUCLEAR SITES BOMBED BY US, ISRAEL

Witkoff revealed the negotiators said they had an "inalienable right" to enrich uranium. When Witkoff countered that the Trump administration had the "inalienable right to stop [them, ]" he explained that the negotiators said this was only their starting point.

"They have 10,000, roughly, kilograms of fissionable material that's broken up into roughly 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, another 1,000 kilograms 20% enriched uranium," Witkoff explained. "They manufacture their own centrifuges to enrich this material, so there's almost no stopping them. They have an endless supply of it. The 60% material can be brought to 90% - that's weapon grade — in roughly one week, maybe 10 days at the outside. The 20% can be brought to weapons grade inside of three to four weeks."

Witkoff added that during his first meeting with the negotiators, they said "with no shame that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% and they're aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of this negotiating stance."

"They were proud of it. They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs," Witkoff said.

Grossi, who is running to become the next United Nations secretary general, did however admit in his post on X that Iran maintains "a large stockpile of near-weapons grade enriched uranium" and said that the Islamic Republic has not allowed inspectors full access to its program. With these facts in mind, he said that the IAEA "will not be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful" until Iran "assists…in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues."

Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, FDD, told Fox News Digital, "No one paid much attention to Rafael Grossi throughout the Biden years when he repeatedly warned publicly that Iran was refusing to cooperate with and providing false statements to the IAEA about ongoing investigations into undeclared facilities, activists and nuclear material."

PHYSICIST LAWMAKER WARNS US LACKS CLEAR PLAN FOR IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM

The former Trump administration official said, "There are some key facts being ignored today. The IAEA board last year found Iran to be in breach of the NPT. To this day, Grossi has confirmed that the IAEA cannot verify the Iranian nuclear program is peaceful."

He continued, "This is not Iraq where we lacked hard public evidence of a nuclear weapons program. Iran had built out nearly every part of its nuclear weapons program in plain sight, with the weaponization work moving forward at undeclared sites controlled by SPND. If the administration had evidence the regime was moving quickly to reconstitute key elements of that program — from advanced centrifuge manufacturing to completion of a new underground enrichment site alongside advancement of delivery vehicle programs - the president was fully justified in enforcing a red line he set after Operation Midnight Hammer."

Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), told Fox News Digital that his organization calculated prior to the June 2025 12 Day War that Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of 60% rich uranium. With about 24 or 25 kilograms of 90% rich uranium required per weapon, Faragasso said the country possessed the ability to produce 11 weapons in one month.

Faragasso said that there remain questions about whether the Iranians can access their enriched materials, and whether they possess additional centrifuges that may have not been installed in the facilities that were struck.

US EMBASSY URGES AMERICANS IN IRAQ TO SHELTER IN PLACE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

"Being able to enrich the uranium up to weapon grade is actually a tall order," he said, explaining that it would require a new enrichment site and components and materials that "Iran would either need to recover from its destroyed facilities" or "illicitly import them from abroad." With a few hundred centrifuges, enough for two or three cascades, Faragasso said the Iranians could have enriched their uranium stores to weapon grade.

"To be clear, the successes gained from the June war are not permanent and officials from the regime spoke publicly about how they wanted to reconstitute their enrichment program, their nuclear program," he said. "The more time that goes on, the worse the situation will get. It’s not going to get better, especially regarding the ballistic missile program."

He said the Iranians had previously expressed the desire to open a fourth enrichment site, which the IAEA stated was at Esfahan. According to Faragasso, there was "never confirmation" of where the site was or how far along construction may have been.

The group is now tracking an Israeli strike on March 3 on Min-Zadayi, a site that Faragasso said "was completely unknown" to them previously. The Israel Defense Forces reported on X that the site was "used by a group of nuclear scientists who operated to develop a key component for nuclear weapons." 

The State Department referred Fox News Digital to remarks made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the press on Tuesday on Iran's nuclear program. 

"This terroristic, radical, cleric-led regime cannot be ever allowed to have nuclear weapons." Explaining that the Islamic Republic was "willing to slaughter their own people in the streets," Rubio directed members of the press to "imagine what they would do to us. Imagine what they would do to others. Under President Trump that will never, ever happen," he said.

Pope Leo XIV this week said he "can’t" comment on the 20-year sentence imposed on a democracy activist in Hong Kong. 

"I can’t comment," the American-born Leo told EWTN News, which covers Catholic news globally, while speaking to reporters in Italy. 

He added, "Let’s pray for less hatred and more peace and work for authentic dialogue. God bless you all." 

Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who is a converted Catholic, was sentenced to 20 years by Beijing last month for violating their 2020 national security law, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called "unjust and tragic."

JIMMY LAI IS RISKING EVERYTHING FOR DEMOCRACY. WE CAN'T IGNORE WHAT CHINA IS DOING

"The conviction shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong," Rubio said in a statement. "The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole."

The 78-year-old founded the now-closed Hong Kong-based Apple Daily in 1995, while the island was still under British rule. 

Lai’s sentence closed one of the country’s most consequential national security cases since Beijing imposed the sweeping new law in 2020 in the wake of months-long anti-Chinese Communist Party protests in 2019, which were sparked by fears Beijing was eroding Hong Kong’s promised autonomy. 

They were followed by a sweeping security crackdown that criminalized dissent and reshaped the city’s legal system.

CHINA PHONY CONVICTION OF JIMMY LAI IS A WARNING

Lai had been arrested several times during the 2019 protests, and he was detained at his home in 2020. His newspaper was also raided at the time and closed. 

He was found guilty in December of attempting to undermine national security. 

President Donald Trump said in December that he had personally urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Lai. 

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"I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release," Trump said. "He’s not well, he’s an older man, and he’s not well, so I did put that request out. We’ll see what happens."

While former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki praised in a Persian-language television interview the issuance of a fatwa calling for the killing of U.S. President Donald Trump, his daughter is living in New York City with her husband — an Iranian diplomat serving at the permanent mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, Fox News digital confirmed.

Mottaki, who served as Iran’s foreign minister from 2005 to 2010 under then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and remains a prominent figure in Iran’s political establishment, said Iran’s Supreme Leader had determined that Trump was a criminal and suggested Iran’s judiciary should act, according to a video reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

He also described as a "brave and significant act" a religious ruling calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

EMORY FIRES IRANIAN OFFICIAL'S DAUGHTER AFTER CAMPUS PROTESTS OVER CONTROVERSIAL HIRING DECISION

Mottaki’s daughter, Zahra Assadi Nazari, is married to Nasser Assadi Nazari, who is listed as a third counselor at Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York.

The situation echoes previous controversies involving relatives of senior Iranian officials living in the United States. 

In January, Emory University dismissed Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of Iranian official Ali Larijani, from a teaching position after protests over her employment at the university’s medical school.

On Sunday, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Saeid Iravani, sparred with U.S. envoy Mike Waltz during a Security Council session, telling the American ambassador to "be polite," a remark that drew a sharp rebuke.

MIKE WALTZ TURNS TABLES ON IRANIAN ENVOY AT HEATED UN MEETING

"I have one word only: I advise the representative of the United States to be polite," Iravani said during the meeting.

Moments later, Waltz responded: "Frankly, I’m not going to dignify this with another response, especially as this representative sits here in this body representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people and imprisoned many more simply for wanting freedom from your tyranny."

Fox News Digital contacted Iran’s mission to the United Nations asking whether it could confirm the relationship. The mission declined to comment.

Fox News Digital also requested comment from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations regarding Mottaki’s remarks and the broader implications of a former senior Iranian official appearing to endorse violence against the sitting U.S. president while his immediate family resides in New York. No response was received by the time of publication.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday announced that it had dismantled former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s underground bunker in Tehran.

"The underground compound was created by the regime as a base for advancing military activities and its extremist ideologies against the State of Israel and the Western world," the IDF said. "It spanned multiple streets in the heart of Tehran and contained numerous entrances and meeting rooms for senior members of the Iranian terrorist regime."

Israel later released an illustrated video which showed a number of entry points throughout Tehran with tunnels leading to the underground bunker.

ISRAEL POUNDS HEZBOLLAH TARGETS, DARING LEBANON TO RECLAIM SOVEREIGNTY FROM IRAN-BACKED TERROR PROXY

The fortified compound was directly under where Khamenei and other regime leaders were situated on Saturday morning when almost 50 of them were killed in under 50 seconds during the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a senior Israeli official told Fox News.

IRAN POSTPONES TEHRAN FAREWELL CEREMONY FOR KHAMENEI WHERE LARGE CROWDS WERE EXPECTED TO GATHER

The official said that Khamenei spent millions of dollars and a number of years building the bunker, which he did not use on the morning of the strike. Sources familiar with the intelligence say that Khamenei believed no one had the guts to strike him.

The senior Israeli official told Fox News that Khamenei's confidence was partially thanks to an Israeli-American deception plan that included messaging, signals and public statements by President Donald Trump that suggested nothing immediate was coming. Top IDF commanders even went home on Friday night, hours before the strike, in an attempt to deceive Iranian leadership.

Khamenei was killed on the first day of Operation Epic Fury after ruling the Islamic Republic for more than 30 years. During that time, he oversaw harsh internal crackdowns, including the most recent one in January, which targeted Iranian protesters, as well as international confrontations.

Fox News' Trey Yingst and Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter and Ruth Marks Eglash contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The Israeli military spokesman confirmed to Fox News Digital this week that multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, have been launched into Israel from Iraqi territory since the start of the conflict with Iran to eradicate the Islamic Republic of Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons facilities, missile systems and terrorism infrastructure. 

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, said that the army has had a "near complete success" rate in stopping Iranian drones from hitting Israeli targets. 

The drones fired from Iraq are presumed to come from the Iranian regime-controlled Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF. An umbrella organization of Shiite terrorists, that attacked Israel with drones in 2024 during Israel’s war against the Tehran-backed Hamas movement. 

TRUMP THREATENS TO END IRAQ SUPPORT OVER AL-MALIKI COMEBACK BID TIED TO IRAN INFLUENCE

An Iraqi Kurdish official told Fox News Digital, "Iraq has become a vessel for the Iranians. Is it so hard to see? I don’t see a distinction between the PMF and the state. They’re paid by the state, hold sovereign portfolios in this cabinet, go on foreign travel and now they’ve entered the federal legislature."

The official continued: "In the last two decades, Iran has systemically taken over the state, weaponizing what were supposed to be institutions into tools to protect the Shia regime in Baghdad and punish any threat to it, including the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Through Baghdad and state institutions, it has economically strangled the Kurdistan Region, torn strips from our autonomy and exposed us to more attacks."

An attack was reported on the country’s shrinking Christian community. The Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq, from the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan, wrote on X on Thursday: "A miracle no one was injured when 2 drones struck our community, 150 meters from our Catechist Center that serves 1,000 Catholic children. Our university & schools are also closed so the young can be with their parents. Please pray for us & for all who suffer in this war." 

Kurdistan Regional Government authorities confirmed the attack and ​said it was carried out by two ​drones.

ISRAEL POUNDS HEZBOLLAH TARGETS, DARING LEBANON TO RECLAIM SOVEREIGNTY FROM IRAN-BACKED TERROR PROXY

Phillip Smyth, an expert on Shiite militias in Iraq, told Fox News Digital about the strikes on the Chaldean Catholic school that "Kata'ib Hezbollah was first to talk about it and it was likely Kata'ib Hezbollah, but it is possible it was another two pro-Iran militias because they all work together on drone launches."

A drone attack struck an oil field operated by U.S. firm HKN Energy in Iraq’s ​Kurdistan region on Thursday, causing a fire ‌and halting production, according to a Reuters report citing security sources and an oilfield engineer.

No group claimed responsibility, but Kurdish officials accused Iran-allied Iraqi militias of carrying out the attack.

If so, the attack would mean Iran‑aligned ​Iraqi militias, who have vowed to retaliate for the killing ‌of ⁠Iran’s supreme leader, have expanded targets from U.S. military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan to U.S. energy interests.

Production at the field was halted as a precaution ​after an ​explosion at ⁠its power unit, the engineer told Reuters.

Some ⁠energy companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan shut oil and gas production at their fields as a precaution ⁠after ​the U.S. and Israel ​launched strikes on neighboring Iran.

Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq, echoed the comments of the Iraqi Kurdish official in his statement to Fox News Digital: "The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are fully funded by the Iraqi government. In fact, they are formally included as a line item in Iraq’s federal budget. Officially, more than $3 billion is allocated annually just for salaries, but when logistics, weapons, food, and other operational costs are included, the PMF’s budget likely exceeds $10 billion. That is the size of the budget of a small country in the Middle East," he claimed.

IRAQI STATE BANK ACCUSED OF PROCESSING PAYMENTS FOR HOUTHI TERRORISTS WHO DISRUPT RED SEA COMMERCE

Qanbar said there is a way to change Iraq’s behavior: "If the United States wants to stop this situation, there are clear tools available. Sanctions must be imposed on the Iraqi government for funding these militias. Another powerful mechanism involves Iraq’s oil revenues, which are deposited at the U.S. Federal Reserve. The United States could suspend transfers of those funds unless Baghdad halts the financing of the PMF. Make no mistake: every terrorist who launches drones or rockets against Kurdistan, U.S. interests, Gulf states or military bases is effectively being paid by the Iraqi government," he claimed.

When asked if the Islamic Republic of Iran urged Shiite militias from the PMF to fire drones at Israel, a spokesman for Iran’s U.N. mission said, "The Mission declined to comment."

On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said his government is "not tolerating any attempt aimed at dragging Iraq into war or threatening the country’s stability," according to Kurdistan24. 

Salwan Sinjari, chief of staff to the Iraqi foreign minister, referred Fox News Digital to the Iraqi foreign ministry page for official statements by his minister and the government. He did not respond to follow-up messages and calls on whether Iraq’s government was failing to crack down on the PMF.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein claimed the government was seeking to convince Iran-backed militias to disarm in January 2025, according to the Long War Journal.

However, Iraq’s government has issued mixed messages about the PMF over the years. In May 2025 al-Sudani was quoted as saying, "Today, the Popular Mobilization Forces constitute a basic force in defending Iraq."

Iraq’s ambassador to the U.S. did not immediately respond to email, WhatsApp and telephone queries. A second Iraqi diplomat said he was unable to provide Fox News Digital a comment.

The Times of Israel reported on Thursday, after military strikes eliminated a senior officer from Kataeb Hezbollah — Iraq’s largest pro-Iran militia — south of Baghdad that PMF militias pledged to strike the Middle East interests of European nations that joined in the "Zionist-American" strikes on the Islamic Republic and its proxies.

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department.

An Iranian ship offloaded more than 200 members of its crew to Sri Lanka on Friday after suffering an engine failure at sea, just days after a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in an Indian Ocean torpedo attack. 

The IRIS Bushehr, described in previous Iranian media reports as a navy logistics ship, is being brought first to the port of Colombo, according to Sri Lanka navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath. Sailors are being taken to a naval base in Welisara following medical exams and immigration procedures. 

"We have to understand that this is not an ordinary situation," Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Thursday. "It’s a request by a ship belonging to one party to enter into our port. We have to consider that according to the international treaties and conventions." 

Dissanayake added that authorities decided to take control of the IRIS Bushehr following discussions with Iranian officials and the ship’s captain, after one of its engines failed. He said some crew members would remain on board to help the Sri Lankan navy later navigate the vessel to Trincomalee on the island’s northeast coast, about 165 miles from Colombo.

NEW SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW FIRES, NAVAL BASE DAMAGE ACROSS IRAN AFTER US-ISRAELI STRIKES

The moves come after the U.S. sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast on Wednesday.  

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said it was "the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II." 

The Indian navy said Thursday that it had initiated search and rescue operations after receiving a distress signal from the Dena, deploying two aircraft along with a sailing training vessel. By the time the response was launched, the Sri Lankan navy had already started its own rescue efforts, it said.

The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies after the attack, according to The Associated Press. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Thursday that the U.S. will "bitterly regret" striking and sinking that ship. 

"The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araqchi wrote on X. "Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning."

US 'WINNING DECISIVELY' AGAINST IRAN, WILL ACHIEVE 'COMPLETE CONTROL' OF AIRSPACE WITHIN DAYS, HEGSETH SAYS

"Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set," he added. 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday that the Iranian vessel was "effectively neutralized" in a Navy "fast attack" using a single Mark 48 torpedo.

He added that the U.S. Navy achieved "immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea." 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace, Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, analysts say the Trump administration should pressure Lebanon to fulfill its commitments to disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group as it drags the country into another war with Israel.  

David Schenker, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs who oversaw Lebanon's policy during the first Trump administration and now directs the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: "The U.S. should make clear to Lebanon that it is time for the state to honor its ceasefire commitment to disarm Hezbollah," he told Fox News Digital. Schenker warned if Beirut "doesn’t pursue disarmament, it will remain a failed state."

The warning comes as the IDF attacked multiple Hezbollah targets Friday in response to the terror group's launching of rockets and drones toward Israel on March 2, its first attack since a November 2024 ceasefire ended the previous round of fighting. 

IRAN SMUGGLED $1B TO HEZBOLLAH THIS YEAR DESPITE US SANCTIONS, TREASURY OFFICIAL SAYS

Since the first day of the renewed fighting, the IDF has carried out over 200 strikes across Lebanon targeting Hezbollah’s military, media and financial infrastructure, as well as operatives from the group and affiliated networks, according to a March 5 analysis by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also threatened Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.

The renewed fighting has exposed deep tensions inside Lebanon’s government, which in recent days called on Hezbollah to disarm and ordered security agencies to prevent attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory. 

IRAN COULD ‘ACTIVATE’ HEZBOLLAH IF US TARGETS REGIME, TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE TO DECIDE: EXPERT

Schenker says the move reflects frustration in Beirut rather than a fundamental policy shift. "The Government of Lebanon’s latest cabinet vote on Hezbollah disarmament is nothing new," Schenker said. "It is a reiteration of the cabinet decision last August mandating the disarmament of Hezbollah. The language is perhaps more strident, but the message is the same."

"It is a reflection of the Government’s frustration and desperation over Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into yet another war with Israel," he added. "It also reflects the Lebanese Armed Forces’ failure to date to take its mission of disarmament seriously."

Hezbollah’s latest attacks appear to have caught Lebanese officials off guard. Reports suggest the group had previously assured officials it would not intervene in a broader regional conflict tied to Iran.

Schenker said the episode underscores a longstanding reality in Lebanon’s political system. "The government of Lebanon has never tried to control Hezbollah," he said. "The few months that the LAF devoted to disarmament in south Lebanon was performed with Hezbollah’s consent and coordinated with the militia."

Still, public frustration inside Lebanon may be shifting the political environment. "Given the population’s growing anger toward Hezbollah now, the political environment should be more conducive for the LAF to confront Hezbollah," Schenker said.

ON MADURO’S ‘TERROR ISLAND,’ HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES MOVE IN AS TOURISTS DRIFT OUT

"The fear of ‘civil war’—i.e., Hezbollah perpetrating violence against the Government—remains," he added. "But increasingly, Lebanese prefer taking that risk and possibly gaining sovereignty than being in a state of perpetual war with Israel."

In a clip posted on X by the Center for Peace Communications, Lebanese people angrily responded to Hezbollah's actions with one man telling Jusoor News: "If Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem wants to commit suicide, let him go do it in Tehran, not Lebanon."

According to David Daoud, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hezbollah’s decision to attack Israel despite the ceasefire reflects the group’s willingness to escalate the conflict even as Lebanon’s government seeks to avoid another war.

The crisis has also drawn international attention. French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent steps to prevent Lebanon from sliding deeper into war.

"Everything must be done to prevent this country, so close to France, from once again being drawn into war," Macron wrote in a statement posted on X on March 5 after speaking with Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese leaders.

Macron said Hezbollah "must immediately cease its fire toward Israel," while urging Israel to avoid expanding military operations inside Lebanon.

For now, analysts say the outcome may depend on whether Lebanon’s government is willing to confront Hezbollah directly or continue to tolerate Iran's terror proxy that has long operated outside the control of the government's control.

Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.

FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a "vital" hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.

As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.

Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.

LIV GOLFERS DEAL WITH 'TERRIFYING' EXPERIENCE IN MIDDLE EAST AS CONFLICT BROKE OUT IN IRAN

People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available. 

The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.

LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.

MIDDLE EAST CRUISE NIGHTMARE DEEPENS AS IRAN AIRSTRIKES LEAVE PASSENGERS STRANDED

Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.

After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.

A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.

AMERICAN STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST ESCAPES IN RACE TO REACH CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND IN CALIFORNIA

"We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region," the spokesperson said. "The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option."

Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate. 

The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.

AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE

The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests. 

Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.

Fox News Digital's Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

In less than a week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has gone from supporting U.S. actions against Iran to raising the issue that the U.S. and Israel "acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada" to on Wednesday not ruling out Canadian military participation in the conflict.

"He’s been all over the place," Nader Hashemi, a Canadian-born associate professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, told Fox News Digital. "It doesn’t look very good for him or for the government of Canada."

"My own reading is that he’s influenced by public opinion and his understanding of Canada’s national interests and where they lie, and specifically the relationship with the United States at its core. His first statement was very supportive of the American-Israeli attack and then he walked it back two days later when he got a lot of pushback because there was no reference to Canada’s support for international law, rules-based order and the United Nations."

TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION

When asked whether Canada would join the U.S. military against Iran during his visit to Australia on Wednesday, Carney told reporters that "one can never categorically rule out participation" and that Canada "will stand by our allies, when makes sense."

However, former NATO commander and retired Canadian major-general David Fraser told CTV News Channel that it’s "unlikely" that Canada would be drawn into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran unless a member state, such as Turkey, called for assistance under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Carney’s latest comments signal the Canadian prime minister’s desire to ensure that "it doesn’t create a deeper rupture with the United States than already exists," said Hashemi.

Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the Canadian Conservative Party, summarized the prime minister’s changing position on the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran with a post on X: "We support it, we’re upset about it, we think it’s bad, but also, we might join in."

Her colleague, Michael Chong, the Conservative shadow minister for foreign affairs, told Canadian broadcaster CTV that "supporting the airstrikes and at the same time calling for a secession of those strikes" is "an inherent contradiction."

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES, SAYS KEY ALLIES ‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’

Carney has also had pushback from the political left.

After the airstrikes against Iran began, Alexandre Boulerice, foreign affairs critic for the New Democratic Party of Canada, said in a statement that his party "strongly condemns the American and Israeli bombings of Iran" and "deplores the Carney government’s decision to blindly support this dangerous venture by Israel and Donald Trump's administration. We want Canada to be a voice for diplomacy, peace and international law."

During his Australian tour this week, the prime minister said that "hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws while others bear the consequences."

He also said Canada supports "efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security," but noted that Canada "take[s] this position with regret because the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order."

Carney said that "Canada calls for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities and is prepared to assist in achieving this goal."

At a security and defense conference in Ottawa, also this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said that Canada calls "on all sides to respect the rules of international engagement" and that "international law binds all parties" in the Middle East conflict.

The results of an Angus Reid Institute poll, involving 1,619 respondents and released on Tuesday, showed that 49% of Canadians opposed the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran, while 34% were supportive.

Sri Lanka began offloading 208 crew members from a second Iranian vessel a day after 87 people were killed and several others were still missing following a U.S. submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the same region.

"After detailed discussions with all parties, Sri Lanka has decided to assist the Iranian vessel," Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told reporters at a press briefing in Colombo, Reuters reported.

Among the crew members being offloaded the ship, which is near the port of Colombo, were 53 officials, 84 cadets, 48 senior sailors and 23 sailors, Dissanayake said.

IRAN STARTS ‘INDISCRIMINATE’ STRIKES ACROSS GULF OF OMAN, HITS SHADOW TANKER TIED TO REGIME

The Iranian ship, the IRIS Dena, was sunk Wednesday off Sri Lanka's coast in the Indian Ocean. Officials there have dispatched two freezers to store 87 bodies recovered at sea. 

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the ship was "effectively neutralized" in a Navy "fast attack" using a single Mark 48 torpedo. He added that the U.S. Navy achieved "immediate effect, sending the warship to the bottom of the sea."

TRUMP OVERSEES US STRIKES ON IRAN FROM MAR-A-LAGO, SPEAKS WITH NETANYAHU: WH

Iran contends the ship was sunk in international waters without warning. 

"The U.S. will bitterly regret the precedent it has set," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X.

Iran has asked Sri Lanka to assist with the repatriation of the bodies. 

Sri Lankan officials said the Dena was on its way home after taking part in a naval exercise organized by India in the Bay of Bengal from Feb. 18 to 25.

Search and rescue operations would continue for an estimated 10 people who remain unaccounted for, they said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) released audio on Thursday of a civilian in Tehran describing what it's like on the ground as Operation Epic Fury rocks Iran.

"To us here, the war did not start four days ago. It started when we heard the initial news of a piling up of the forces in the region and preparations for war. Now, with the war going on, we hear constant explosions and there is no respite from this," the unidentified civilian said.

The civilian said that the frequency of explosions has made people so nervous that even everyday noises can cause panic attacks.

"Any moment you can expect a loud noise. This has made us so nervous that any loud noise, including the noise of a car passing by, gives us a panic attack," the civilian said.

Even with the noise of the explosions, what the civilian, who said he was born and raised in Tehran, noticed was that the city has become a ghost town as people have either fled the war or limited movements in order to stay safe from aerial attacks.

US 'WINNING DECISIVELY' AGAINST IRAN, WILL ACHIEVE 'COMPLETE CONTROL' OF AIRSPACE WITHIN DAYS, HEGSETH SAYS

"As a person who was born and lived his whole life in this city, I have never seen the city so quiet," the civilian said. "Some of the people of my city have left, many others stayed in, trying to limit movements to avoid getting caught in the aerial attacks on the city that never seem to come to an end. You don't see people around. My city was a very big city and busy. I'm not used to seeing my city so calm and quiet."

The U.S. and Israel have carried out air and sea attacks on Iran since the operation began on Saturday. The operation has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, according to The Associated Press. Additionally, six U.S. service members in Kuwait were killed in the hostilities.

IRAN’S DRONE SWARM ATTACKS UNLEASH ‘EXPONENTIAL COSTS’ ON US, PROLONGING WAR: 'ASYMMETRIC CAPABILITY'

The ICRC has expressed concerns about the situation in Iran, with the organization's president saying on day one of Operation Epic Fury that it could lead to "devastating consequences for civilians."

"The military escalation in the Middle East is igniting a dangerous chain reaction across the region, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said.

In a statement issued a few days later, Spoljaric warned that "the scale of major military operations flaring across the Middle East risks embroiling the region – and beyond – into another large-scale armed conflict that will overwhelm any humanitarian response."

"Without urgent steps to de-escalate the situation and respect the rules of war, further civilian lives will be lost," Spoljaric added. "Civilians are already suffering the consequences of war."

According to the civilian, Iranians on the ground are worried about the future and wonder how the war will play out. Another fear among the people is the possibility of supplies running out.

"The supplies are available in the shops that are open and work. But what if the situation gets worse or continues as it is now? Will the supplies being stocked be of any help, or they will be meaningless in the face of what can happen?" the civilian wondered. "It is especially more worrying for people like me, who have to take care of people with medical complications that require special care. We are now under a lot of stress, worried to see what can come next." 

Fox News Digital reached out to ICRC for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: As U.S. and Israeli military pressure on Iran intensifies, and President Donald Trump signals support for Kurdish forces, Kurdish opposition groups along the country’s western frontier tell Fox News Digital they are watching closely for an opportunity to strike back against the Islamic Republic, which they have fought for decades.

Kako Aliyar, a member of the leadership committee of the Kurdish opposition party Komala, told Fox News Digital from an undisclosed location in Iraq that the Kurdish movements are ready to act if conditions allow. 

"Kurds have been waiting for a moment to do something," Aliyar said. "We believe that those moments are not far from us."

But Aliyar said Kurdish forces cannot yet move against the regime because Iran still retains the ability to launch missile and drone attacks, which opposition fighters would struggle to defend against.

IF KHAMENEI FALLS, WHO TAKES IRAN? STRIKES WILL EXPOSE POWER VACUUM — AND THE IRGC’S GRIP

Aliyar said Iranian forces continue to target Kurdish opposition bases across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Trump signaled support for Kurdish fighters launching an offensive against Iran, saying in a telephone interview with Reuters Thursday that he would back such a move. 

"I think it's wonderful that they want to do that — I'd be all for it," Trump said. 

Asked whether the United States would provide air cover for a Kurdish offensive, Trump declined to elaborate. 

"I can't tell you that," he said.

Aliyar said Kurdish groups remain under pressure from Iran and continue to face attacks on their bases across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. 

"Our camps, the Kurdish political parties, are still under attack by the Iranian regime, and we can’t go into detail," he said. 

Still, he indicated that if the opportunity arises, Kurdish fighters would attempt to return to Iranian territory. 

"If we get an opportunity to go back to our own country, we will use it," he said.

The comments come as Iranian Kurdish opposition groups attempt to present a united front against Iran.  

In February, several factions formed the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, bringing together parties including Komala, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), PJAK and the Kurdistan Freedom Party.

Aliyar said the coalition is still organizing itself but carries an important political message.

"Politically, it’s a huge message for the Kurdish people inside the country and the international community that Kurds are united," he said. "We are working together, and we are trying to reach our goals together."

Kurdish groups have long fought the Iranian government. Armed clashes between Kurdish militants and Iranian forces date back to the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Kurdish factions sought autonomy and were violently suppressed by Tehran.

Today, many Kurdish opposition groups operate from neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan, where they maintain political offices and limited military forces.

NETANYAHU INSISTS US AND ISRAEL'S STRIKES ON IRAN WON'T LEAD TO 'ENDLESS WAR'

Aliyar suggested Kurdish forces would only be able to move if Iran’s military capabilities are significantly degraded. 

"I believe those missile and drone abilities have to be more weakened or totally removed because we are not able to defend ourselves against them," he said.

Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones remains one of the regime’s strongest deterrents against internal or external challengers. 

"They can still launch missiles and they can still kill people," Aliyar said.

If those capabilities were reduced, he believes Kurdish forces could attempt to exploit the moment. 

"I think everyone has the capacity to do so because Kurdish political parties have huge legitimacy among the people," he said. "People support them, people support us."

However, Aliyar cautioned that no one can predict how events will unfold. 

"When a war starts, you are trying to find a way to use it in your best way, but you cannot predict what happens tomorrow," he said.

Kurds in Iran represent one of the country’s largest ethnic minorities and have historically maintained organized opposition movements. 

Kurdish parties developed armed wings and political networks decades ago, giving them a level of organizational structure that many other Iranian opposition movements lack.

Jino Victoria Doabi, an international political analyst focused on Iran and Kurdistan, told Fox News Digital that "Kurds inside Iran have their own history and tradition of struggle and resistance with political parties and armed forces."

Doabi said that Kurdish forces are unlikely to move without clear backing from Washington.

TRUMP TELLS IRANIANS THE 'HOUR OF YOUR FREEDOM IS AT HAND' AS US-ISRAEL LAUNCH STRIKES AGAINST

 IRAN

"For that to happen, they need assurance from America, both politically but also security-wise," Doabi said.

"Kurds have learned that they cannot just do it for the good cause anymore, because that's going to cause civilians a lot of pain and destruction and killings."

Discussions about the idea of Kurdish involvement may have been underway long before the recent escalation, according to Doabi. 

"I don't think this has happened overnight," she said. "I think this has been discussed for a long time."

Despite the growing attention on Kurdish groups, Aliyar emphasized that Iraqi Kurdish authorities are not directly involved in any potential campaign. 

"Iraqi Kurds are not part of it," he said. "I am not Iraqi, so I cannot comment on that."

Analysts say Kurdish insurgents alone are unlikely to topple the Iranian regime. But if internal unrest spreads and Kurdish forces coordinate with broader opposition movements, Iran’s western frontier could become a serious pressure point for Iran. 

For Aliyar and other Kurdish leaders, however, the goal remains clear after decades of opposition to the Islamic Republic.

"We have had this desire for 47 years," he said. "If we get an opportunity, we will use it."

The sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a single Mk 48 torpedo has put renewed focus on the U.S. Navy’s primary undersea weapon, a heavyweight torpedo that first entered operational service in 1972 and has been steadily upgraded for modern naval warfare.

The strike on the IRIS Dena marked the first time since World War II that a U.S. submarine used a torpedo to sink an enemy ship.

"In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet Death," War Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Navy says the Mk 48 has long served as its principal undersea weapon, designed to "defeat all threat surface ships and submarines in all ocean environments."

IRAN CONTINUES FIRING MISSILES, DRONES AT NEIGHBORING STATES, WITH MULTIPLE INTERCEPTIONS REPORTED

The Mk 48 is a submarine-launched torpedo that uses information from the launching submarine and its own sensors to find and strike submarines or surface ships.

Physically, the weapon is built for destructive power. According to Navy specifications, the torpedo measures 21 inches in diameter, weighs about 3,744 pounds and carries a 650-pound high-explosive warhead.

According to the Department of the Navy's fiscal year 2025 budget estimates, a single Mk 48 torpedo costs approximately $4.2 million.

AMERICA STRIKES IRAN AGAIN — HAS WASHINGTON PLANNED FOR WHAT COMES NEXT?

Lockheed Martin, one of the Mk 48 torpedo program’s primary contractors, says it can be guided in real time by wire from the launching submarine, allowing operators to update targeting information and adjust its course after launch. 

If the wire connection is lost, the torpedo can switch to autonomous homing, relying on digital guidance systems and onboard signal processing to continue its pursuit independently.

Over time, the torpedo has evolved through hardware variants known as "Mods," each integrating upgraded sensors, guidance and control systems, and propulsion improvements. 

OIL SLICK, LIFE RAFTS, DOZENS OF BODIES: WHAT SRI LANKAN NAVY FOUND AFTER US SANK IRANIAN WARSHIP

The current fleet includes the Mod 7 configuration, developed in partnership with the Royal Australian Navy, while Mod 8 is in development and Mod 9 is being pursued as a rapid prototyping effort, according to the Department of War’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

In addition to hardware upgrades, the Mk 48 undergoes recurring software updates known as Advanced Processor Builds, or APBs, which modify tactics, classification algorithms and operator interfaces to improve performance in increasingly complex undersea environments.

Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Thursday, with explosions reported in the region and Tehran threatening that the U.S. would "bitterly regret" sinking an Iranian warship.

Iran's strikes on Thursday targeted Israel, American bases and countries in the region. Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks as air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense on Thursday said that Iran used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an attack on Nakhchivan International Airport and other civilian infrastructure. The ministry said that the details of the attack and the capabilities of the UAVs were being investigated.

"The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against civilian infrastructure on the territory of Azerbaijan in the absence of any military necessity. The Islamic Republic of Iran bears the entire responsibility for the incident," the ministry's statement read.

ISRAEL HAMMERS IRANIAN INTERNAL SECURITY COMMAND CENTERS TO OPEN DOOR TO UPRISING

Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, despite the country's ministry of defense pointing the finger at Tehran.

Qatar evacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha on Thursday, with its Ministry of Defense confirming that the country was "subjected to a missile attack" and that its air defense systems were able to intercept it. The ministry urged the public to remain calm and avoid unofficial information.

Abu Dhabi announced that its authorities were responding to an incident involving falling debris in ICAD 2, which is part of the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. Six people, identified by Abu Dhabi as Pakistani and Nepali nationals, suffered minor to moderate injuries.

FORMER TOPGUN PILOT DECLARES IRAN MILITARY 'OVER WITH' AMID US AIR SUPERIORITY, BUT WARNS OF ANOTHER DANGER

Iran has carried out retaliatory strikes since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, with the latest wave coming one day after the U.S. sunk an Iranian warship, killing at least 87 Iranian sailors. Sri Lankan navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said 32 people were rescued from the wreck and were admitted to a hospital.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the move during a news briefing at the Pentagon.

"An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — Quiet Death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win," Hegseth said.

ISRAEL'S MILITARY RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING OBLITERATION OF IRAN'S MISSILE LAUNCHERS, DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Iranian leaders condemned the attack, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accusing the U.S. Navy of committing "an atrocity at sea." Meanwhile, Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli appeared on state television and called for the shedding of Israeli and "Trump's blood."

"Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders," he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.

The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Saturday with strikes targeting Iran's leadership, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed. Iran's missile arsenal and nuclear facilities were also hit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday released a video it said shows the moment an Israeli F-35I "Adir" stealth fighter jet shot down an Iranian air force Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.

"Completed. Target down. The target is down," the pilot can be heard saying in the footage set to "Star Wars" theme music.

Israel’s military said Wednesday that the shoot down over the Iranian capital was a key milestone for its F-35 fleet.

Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli air force, commended the pilots who carried out the mission as part of Operation Roaring Lion.

US 'WINNING DECISIVELY' AGAINST IRAN, WILL ACHIEVE 'COMPLETE CONTROL' OF AIRSPACE WITHIN DAYS, HEGSETH SAYS

"The historic shoot down over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination," Bar said. "The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest. The next mission is already waiting for you."

The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet. 

Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process in 2010 and received its first jet in June 2016.

TRUMP SAYS US SANK 10 SHIPS IN IRAN STRIKE, ‘LAST, BEST CHANCE’ TO ACT

The Israeli air force gave the aircraft the Hebrew name "Adir," meaning "Mighty One."

The Yak-130, by contrast, is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau and manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation. 

It first flew in 1996 and remains in active production.

Iran received its first Yak-130 aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster, as part of a broader effort to modernize its air force.

3 US WARPLANES SHOT DOWN BY KUWAITI AIR DEFENSES, PILOTS BAIL OUT IN FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENT, CENTCOM SAYS

In November 2023, Brig. Gen. Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and additional Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.

Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.

A massive joint air campaign by the United States and Israel is dismantling Iran’s missile network in what officials and analysts describe as one of the most coordinated allied operations in modern warfare.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the campaign is rapidly establishing dominance over Iranian skies. 

"Starting last night and to be completed in a few days … the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies," Hegseth said Wednesday. "Uncontested airspace." 

"We will fly all day, all night … flying over Tehran, flying over Iran, flying over their capital… Iranian leaders are looking up and seeing only U.S. and Israeli air power every minute of every day until we decide it’s over."

NETANYAHU INSISTS US AND ISRAEL'S STRIKES ON IRAN WON'T LEAD TO 'ENDLESS WAR'

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Tuesday that "the cooperation between us and the American military is amazing. We have mutual planning and mutual executing for the plans in Iran and beyond."

John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, told Fox News Digital Israel effectively matched the U.S. military’s opening airpower surge. 

"Israel matched the United States in the number of aircraft in the air," Spencer said. "For Israel, that represents roughly 80% of its air force capability."

He added that the level of coordination between Washington and Jerusalem represents a new model for allied warfare. 

"This isn’t separate work," Spencer said. "This is combined work. Integrated, synchronized operations combining powers." 

"In the past we’ve had coalitions of dozens of countries," Spencer said. "But having a partner that is both willing and capable of bringing immense capabilities like this is very rare."

The Israeli campaign, known as Operation Roaring Lion, began with roughly 200 fighter jets launching the largest coordinated air operation in the history of the Israeli Air Force. 

Within the first 24 hours of the campaign, Israeli fighter jets already had opened a corridor allowing sustained operations over Tehran, according to the Israeli military.

Israeli aircraft struck missile launch sites and air defense systems across western and central Iran in an opening wave targeting hundreds of sites simultaneously using intelligence gathered by Israel’s Intelligence Directorate and the CIA.

In the joint operation, Israeli aircraft dropped hundreds of munitions on approximately 500 targets, including missile launchers, command centers and air defense batteries.

The opening strike achieved a level of surprise rarely seen in modern warfare, according to Israeli intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder. 

"In 40 seconds, we eliminated more than 40 of the most important people in Iran," Binder said, referring to senior regime and military officials, including Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. "We are sending a clear message to our enemies — there is no place where we will not find them."

IRAN'S SENIOR CLERICS ‘EXPOSED’ AFTER BUILDING STRIKE IN QOM, SUCCESSION CHOICE LOOMS

Spencer said the strategy behind the opening strike represents a dramatic shift in modern warfare. 

"What Israel did in this opening campaign just wasn’t imaginable in the history of war. It never happened," he said. "To start off by cutting off the brain… usually you target the military first. Here they targeted the political and military leadership and had the ability to wipe them out in a matter of hours."

Spencer, a veteran of the 2003 Iraq War, said the operation reflects advances in intelligence and strike capabilities. 

"I was part of the invasion in 2003," he said. "Something like this was unthinkable even 20 years ago."

An IDF spokesperson announced Wednesday what he described as a historic milestone: an Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian aircraft, marking the first time anywhere in the world that an F-35 has downed a manned aircraft and the first time in 40 years that an Israeli aircraft has shot down an enemy aircraft in combat.

Since the start of the operation, Israeli aircraft have carried out more than 1,600 sorties and deployed more than 5,000 munitions, according to figures released Wednesday.

The strikes have destroyed roughly 300 missile launchers and targeted more than 600 Iranian military infrastructure sites, according to the IDF.

ISRAEL STRIKES IRANIAN LEADERSHIP MEETING CHOOSING KHAMENEI SUCCESSOR

Israeli intelligence assessments before the operation indicated Iran was accelerating its ballistic missile production with plans to reach 8,000 missiles by 2027. At the start of the campaign, Israel estimated Iran possessed roughly 3,000 missiles.

The strikes already have prevented the production of at least 1,500 ballistic missiles while destroying hundreds already in Iran’s arsenal, according to the IDF. 

Israeli officials say the missile program represented a direct threat not only to Israel but also to American forces and allies in the region. 

"The possession of missiles by a regime that openly declares its intent to destroy the State of Israel constitutes an existential threat," the IDF said.

Six U.S. service members have been killed, and several others injured, during Operation Epic Fury.

In Israel, 13 civilians had been killed as of Wednesday night and more than 1,000 injured in Iranian missile and drone attacks launched in response to the operation, according to Israeli emergency services. The United Arab Emirates has reported three deaths and 68 injuries since the war started

Precise casualty figures in Iran remain difficult to verify. Media reports say dozens of senior Iranian commanders were killed in the opening phase of the campaign, along with additional military personnel and civilians following strikes on military facilities and infrastructure.

As the conflict expands beyond Iran, Israeli forces have struck more than 160 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in recent days. To sustain the multifront campaign, Israel has mobilized approximately 110,000 reservists.

"Wars are contests of will," Spencer said. "Iran’s strategy is to break the will of the United States and Israel to continue the operation. The question is whether they can endure the pressure long enough to make that happen."