World News

Israel’s military says it has found a Hezbollah compound stocked with weapons and motorcycles underneath a home in a Lebanese border village where the terrorist group’s special forces unit was planning another major attack on Israelis. 

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video posted Monday that the bunker, discovered only a few miles away from Israel’s border, was set up for Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces to "do a raid into Israel and do a larger scale of massacre than the 7th of October." 

"They were planning with the motorcycles here to go ... to villages and positions inside Israel and conduct a massacre," Hagari said. 

"They were only here a couple of days ago. In those beds with those weapons here," he added. "We found fresh coffee and food here in this compound." 

HEZBOLLAH DRONE ATTACK IN ISRAEL KILLS MULTIPLE IDF SOLDIERS, WOUNDS DOZENS OF PEOPLE: REPORTS 

Footage released by the IDF shows weapons and ammunition strewn across beds inside the underground facility. 

On one of its walls was a large portrait of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed recently in Beirut by an Israeli airstrike. 

Hagari described Nasrallah as a "ruthless terrorist that we eliminated that is responsible for the deaths of many people, not just Israelis – Germans, Americans, French and others." 

"The world is a better place without Hezbollah. The world is a better place without Nasrallah," Hagari added. 

"All of our enemies should know whether they are close or far away in Iran, they should know we are determined to supply security and safety to our citizens," he also said. 

HOW A US-BACKED UN RESOLUTION FAILED TO STOP HEZBOLLAH TERROR TAKEOVER 

At the start of October, Hagari had said that "Hezbollah has openly declared that it plans to carry out its own October 7th massacre on Israel's northern border, but on an even larger scale. They call this plan ‘Conquer the Galilee." 

"To make sure that Hezbollah can never carry out such an attack and in order to enable all 60,000 Israelis to safely return back to their homes in northern Israel, the IDF is taking action," he added at the time. 

During a series of military operations, IDF Special Forces "entered into Hezbollah compounds in dozens of locations along the border with Israel, collected intelligence, dismantled Hezbollah's weapons and terrorist infrastructures. Our soldiers entered Hezbollah's underground infrastructures, exposed Hezbollah's hidden weapon caches, and seized and destroyed the weapons, including advanced Iranian-made weapons," Hagari said. 

The father of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in England called U.K. police after fleeing to Pakistan to admit that he had killed his daughter, prosecutors said Monday.

Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at London's Central Criminal Court on allegations he, his partner Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik murdered Sara Sharif, according to The Associated Press.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said all three defendants played a part in a "campaign of abuse" against Sara in the weeks leading up to her death.

Police found Sara's body under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, which is located southwest of London, on Aug. 10, 2023, with dozens of injuries, including extensive bruising, burns and fractures. The child died of unnatural causes, according to a post-mortem examination.

BUS FILLED WITH WEDDING GUESTS PLUNGES INTO A RAVINE, KILLING 7

Jones said law enforcement learned of Sara's death after her father called U.K. police from Pakistan and said: "I've killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died." 

He also told the phone operator he did not intend to kill her, but he had "beat her up too much," the prosecutor said.

Urfan Sharif, Batool and Malik fled the U.K. for the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Aug. 9.

Police in Pakistan located the three suspects following a search and subsequently sent them to the U.K., where they were arrested upon landing at London’s Gatwick Airport. They were held in prison as they awaited trial.

Jones said the three suspects had lived in the same house as Sara and that it was "inconceivable" that only one of them was responsible for the girl's death.

The prosecutor said each of the suspects attempted to blame the others for the killing. Urfan Sharif had claimed that Batool, who is Sara's stepmother, was responsible for the girl's death and that he made a false confession to protect her.

UK PREACHER WHO WAS ARRESTED IN FREE SPEECH CORNER WHILE DEBATING ISLAM WINS DAMAGES FROM POLICE

A recording of a phone call made on the evening of Aug. 8, 2023, the day Sara was believed to have been killed, was played for the jury. In the recording, Batool can be heard asking about booking a flight to Islamabad for four adults and four children.

The three suspects deny murdering Sara or causing or allowing the girl's death.

The trial is expected to continue until December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Years before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and started the latest war in the region, the terror group plotted other assaults, including a scheme to blow up a skyscraper in Tel Aviv while pressuring Iran to assist in its battle against the Jewish state, according to documents found by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, the Washington Post reported.

The documents seized from Hamas command centers uncovered planning for the attacks using trains, boats and even horse-drawn chariots, according to the newspaper. The 59 pages of documents include an illustrated presentation detailing possible options for an attack as well as letters from Hamas to Iran’s top leaders in 2021 requesting hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and training for 12,000 additional Hamas fighters.

"Hamas is so determined to wipe Israel and the Jewish people off the map that it managed to drag Iran into direct conflict — under conditions that Iran wasn’t prepared for," an Israeli security official who has reviewed the letters and planning documents told the Post. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive documents seized by Israeli forces in Gaza.

IRAN MAKING BILLIONS IN OIL REVENUES DESPITE SANCTIONS 

The move to release the documents comes as Israel could possibly retaliate against Iran after the Islamic Republic launched nearly 200 missiles on Oct. 1 in response to the killing of Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group. 

In the letters written in 2021, Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar appeals to several senior Iranian officials, including the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, for additional financial and military support, pledging that, with Iran’s backing, he could destroy Israel completely in two years.

IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY

"We promise you that we will not waste a minute or a penny unless it takes us toward achieving this sacred goal," states a June 2021 letter with apparent signatures by Sinwar as well as five other Hamas officials.

Iran initially declined to directly involve itself in the war between Hamas and Israel after Oct. 7. However, the conflict has expanded as its proxies continue to attack Israel on multiple fronts. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran accused Israel of spreading false information. 

"We regard the Israeli regime as a mendacious criminal, anti-human entity and place no credence in their illusions," a spokesman for the mission said. "They have a long history of spreading falsehoods, fabricating already-counterfeit documents, and conducting deceptive psychological operations."

US TO DEPLOY MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM, MILITARY PERSONNEL TO ISRAEL

Some plans seized by the Israel Defense Forces include a computer slide presentation showing a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza with options and scenarios for attacking Israel, with targets ranging from military command centers to shopping malls.

Another described plans to destroy the Moshe Aviv Tower, a 70-story building in Tel Aviv that is Israel’s second tallest, as well as the Azrieli Center complex, which comprises three skyscrapers, a large shopping mall, train station and a cinema, according to the Post report. 

"Working to find a mechanism to destroy the tower," the plan states. 

Other plans of attack included targeting Israel's rail system and resurrecting horse-drawn carriages of antiquity as conveyances for fighters and weapons, the report said. 

JERUSALEM- Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon on Sunday accused the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) of failing to enforce its mission to prevent the U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hezbollah from establishing military outposts on the border with Israel.

Israel’s incursion into southern Lebanon has revealed a military outpost about a mere 300 yards north of the border with the Jewish state that is filled with explosives and mines, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"Hezbollah terrorists are using UNIFIL outposts as hiding places and as places of ambushes. The U.N.'s insistence on keeping the UNIFIL soldiers in the line of fire is incomprehensible," said Danon. 

HEZBOLLAH BIGGER CHALLENGE THAN HAMAS TO ISRAEL: ‘CROWN JEWEL IN THE IRANIAN EMPIRE OF TERROR’

He added "For 18 years, UNIFIL personnel ignored the Hezbollah bases along the border and did not report any Resolution 1701 violations, which states that only the Lebanese army is allowed to operate in the area."

Danon continued that "While the IDF is working against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, we requested that UNIFIL forces move five kilometers (approx 3.1 miles) north of the border in order to stay out of the line of fire. Unfortunately, at this time, this request has not been accepted."

The U.S. and other world powers passed Resolution 1701 at the United Nations Security Council in 2006 to aid the Lebanese Armed Forces in assuming military control over the region, replacing Hezbollah, between the Litani River and the southern border in Lebanon. The goal of the 2006 UNIFIL mandate was to prevent a third war between Israel and the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah. Israel fought Hezbollah in 1982 and in the summer of 2006.

Hezbollah’s decision to join Hamas’ war on Israel a day after the Sunni terrorist movement Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7 revealed to Israeli war planners and counter-terrorism experts UNIFIL had failed its mission.

Hamas slaughtered nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, including over 30 Americans. A lethal Hezbollah drone attack on Sunday murdered four IDF soldiers and wounded nearly 60 Israelis.

Hezbollah’s massive military buildup of its presence on Israel’s northern border since the 2006 war has caused an Israeli government re-examination of the clear and present danger of the Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist movement following Hamas’ invasion of Israel’s southern border on Oct. 7.

ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS

The IDF said in a statement that "Over the past month, approximately 25 rockets and missiles have been launched at Israeli communities and IDF troops from Hezbollah’s terrorist compounds embedded near UNIFIL posts in southern Lebanon, exploiting their proximity to U.N. forces. One of the attacks resulted in the deaths of two IDF soldiers. Hezbollah uses compounds located above and below ground to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel."

UNIFIL issued a statement on Sunday, announcing, "Early this morning, peacekeepers at a U.N. position in Ramyah observed three platoons of IDF soldiers crossing the Blue Line into Lebanon. At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the position. They requested multiple times that the base turn out its lights. The tanks left about 45 minutes later after UNIFIL protested through our liaison mechanism, saying that IDF presence was putting peacekeepers in danger."

UNIFIL added "peacekeepers at the same position reported the firing of several rounds 100 meters north, which emitted smoke. Despite putting on protective masks, fifteen peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp. The peacekeepers are receiving treatment."

Danon said "The details of the incident involving UNIFIL soldiers in southern Lebanon are currently being investigated. In the coming days, we will continue to promote a dialogue on this issue with the relevant parties at the UN."

When Fox News Digital approached UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti for a comment about Danon’s criticism, Tenenti did not immediately respond.

Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on UNIFIL to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon because they are being used as "human shields" to advance the Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah war machinery.

IRAN TRIED TO INFLUENCE ELECTION BY SENDING STOLEN MATERIAL FROM TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO BIDEN’S CAMP, FBI SAYS

Speaking in Hebrew, Netanyahu told the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, "It is time for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the areas of combat."

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, said "Against the backdrop of the ongoing hostilities in southern Lebanon and despite attacks that have hit United Nations positions, injuring a number of peacekeepers in the past several days, UNIFIL peacekeepers remain in all positions and the U.N. flag continues to fly."

Dujarric added that "The Secretary-General reiterates that the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of U.N. premises must be respected at all times without qualification. In a deeply worrying incident that occurred today, the entrance door of a U.N. position was deliberately breached by IDF armored vehicles."

The U.N. chief called "on all parties, including the IDF, to refrain from any and all actions that put our peacekeepers at risk. The Secretary-General takes the opportunity to reiterate the call for a cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701."

Guterres did not address that the Hezbollah tunnel shafts discovered by the IDF were located a mere 300 feet away from a UNIFIL peacekeeping observation post, as well as the presence of other Hezbollah military installations in a zone that was required by UNSC 1701 to be free from Hezbollah explosives and armaments. The elaborate Hezbollah tunnels were found west of the Lebanese village of Labbouneh.

The United Nations Security Council will once again discuss the situation in Lebanon later on Monday.

China launched a record-breaking number of military aircraft Monday in exercises surrounding Taiwan that are aimed at warning the country against independence, officials say. 

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense says the 125 Chinese military aircraft are the most that it has counted in a single day. The Ministry added that 90 of the aircraft, including warplanes, helicopters and drones, were spotted within Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. 

China’s Defense Ministry said the drills were a response to the Taiwanese president’s refusal to accept Beijing’s demand that self-governed Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party. 

The military operation comes four days after Taiwan celebrated the founding of its government on its National Day, with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te saying in a speech that China has no right to represent Taiwan and declaring his commitment to "resist annexation or encroachment." 

CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN STUDENTS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY SPYING ON MILITARY BASE 

"The United States is seriously concerned by the People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. "The PRC response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation. 

"We call on the PRC to act with restraint and to avoid any further actions that may undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region, which is essential to regional peace and prosperity and a matter of international concern," he added. "We continue to monitor PRC activities and coordinate with allies and partners regarding our shared concerns." 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning slammed Taiwanese independence during a briefing last Friday, saying, "I would like to stress that ‘Taiwan independence’ is as incompatible with peace of the Taiwan Strait as fire with water." 

"The Lai Ching-te authorities’ attempt to reject reunification through the use of force is futile. No matter how many weapons they buy, they cannot stop the historical trend toward China’s reunification," she also said. 

TAIWANESE PEOPLE READY TO FIGHT AS CHINA RAMPS UP AGGRESSION, AMBASSADOR SAYS 

A map aired on China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed six large blocks encircling Taiwan indicating where the military drills were being held, along with circles drawn around Taiwan’s outlying islands. China's Defense Ministry has not said how long the drills will last. 

China deployed its Liaoning aircraft carrier for the drills, and CCTV showed a J-15 fighter jet taking off from the deck of the carrier, though the exact location of the ship is unclear. 

China's People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Senior Captain Li Xi said the navy, army air force and missile corps were all mobilized for the drills, which were an integrated operation, according to the Associated Press. 

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it deployed warships to designated spots in the ocean to carry out surveillance and stand ready. It also deployed mobile missile and radar groups on land to track the vessels at sea. 

"Our military will definitely deal with the threat from China appropriately," Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan's security council, said Monday at a forum in Taipei, according to the AP. "Threatening other countries with force violates the basic spirit of the United Nations Charter to resolve disputes through peaceful means." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

JOHANNESBURG - In what is described by some as electioneering and a last-minute attempt to leave a legacy, some observers say President Biden and his administration’s officials are making renewed efforts at trying to end "the largest humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world today," the war in Sudan. 

With the United Nations reporting some 25 million in desperate need of aid, and up to 150,000 said to have been killed since fighting broke out last year, and now agencies, including Health Policy Watch reporting that "over half of Sudan’s citizens face acute hunger," some analysts say it’s a classic case of too little, too late. 

"The Administration is making an 11th hour attempt to put the situation on a better footing, not least because the humanitarian situation is so desperate," Cameron Hudson told Fox News Digital. Hudson, former director for African affairs at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, and now senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, added, "There could be 2 million Sudanese dead from famine by the time he (Biden) leaves office."

WORLD FORGETS ‘CATASTROPHIC’ WAR IN SUDAN AS RUSSIA, IRAN, OTHERS REPORTEDLY FEED FIGHTING WITH ARMS

"Biden’s promises to Africa about elevating its importance on the global stage will ring even more hollow if he does not quickly take meaningful action to address this calamitous situation before he departs office," Hudson stated.

Each of the 11 million Sudanese said by the U.N. to have been ripped from their homes – in diplomatic speak, to have been displaced – has their own horror story. 

Katie Striffolino, director of policy and advocacy for Mercy Corps, told Fox News Digital, "I met a mother who had given birth while she was being displaced in the back of a pickup truck with no medical care. She was with her newborn in an informal displacement site with no food or water. She was unable to breastfeed her infant who was visibly hungry because she didn’t have enough nutrition to produce breastmilk."

Mercy Corps is a global aid agency working in nine of Sudan’s 18 states, but Striffolino added that often aid workers are forced to stand by and watch empty-handed, as aid often can’t get through. "We can physically reach these people – and they are still starving to death. This indicates massive aid blockages that are manmade."

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been fighting the government’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for 18 months, have been accused of blocking or diverting much of the aid coming into the country. 

TOP US GENERAL SAYS ISLAMIC JIHADIST TERRORISM IN AFRICA HAS SOARED TENFOLD OVER 26 YEARS

An example of this comes from aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which reported from North Darfur’s Zamzam camp that it "is under a blockade, with no essential supplies or food reaching its residents." Zamzam is home to between 300,000 to 500,000 displaced people.

Sudan researcher Eric Reeves told Fox News Digital, "The people of Zamzam camp are desperate to see the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied Arab militias defeated, thereby creating security conditions that would allow humanitarian convoys to reach them. Children are starving to death now; malnourished mothers have stopped lactating and are much more vulnerable. Older people are also dying from malnutrition and disease."

Last month, while addressing the U.N. General Assembly, President Biden warned "stop blocking aid to the Sudanese people," adding, "The world needs to stop arming the generals, to speak with one voice and tell them: Stop tearing your country apart. End this war now."

Vice President Kamala Harris echoed Biden's words in a statement on X, where she also called for an end to the conflict, noting in part, "We stand with the Sudanese people and their right to a peaceful future."

But the CSIS’s Hudson claims that though these were strong words, Biden had been silent publicly on Sudan for well over a year. He told Fox News Digital "that plea came more than 15 months after the last time he referenced the conflict publicly, hardly a demonstration of consistent engagement with the world’s largest conflict."

THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS ‘DELIBERATELY TARGETED’ AND KILLED IN NIGERIA, NEW REPORT SAYS

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken taped a video message late last week for the people of Sudan, in which he said, "The whole world has been united in calling for an end to this conflict, and insisting on a negotiated solution. "

"Our support for the Sudanese people is steadfast, as they work to demand an end to conflict and develop a process to resume the stalled political transition," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We continue to reiterate that there is no military solution to the crisis in Sudan. We continue to be deeply concerned about the ongoing fighting in Khartoum, El Fasher, and elsewhere between the RSF and the SAF, which continues to kill civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure.

"The United States and our regional and international partners are unified in calling for the parties to immediately end fighting in Sudan and for the SAF and RSF to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and respect human rights… and allow unhindered cross-border and cross-line humanitarian access to meet the emergency needs of civilians."  

The spokesperson concluded, "The United States continues to be the largest donor of humanitarian aid to the Sudan response, providing more than $2 billion in humanitarian assistance, including protection, food aid, and other lifesaving support, since the start of Fiscal Year 2023 for needs in Sudan and neighboring countries."

But with the U.S. clearly still pushing peace talks, which have yet to be effective, Hudson referred to the warring combatants in Sudan and told Fox News Digital, "It is clear that neither side has any interest in political talks right now, as much as we want to have them. The administration would be wise to focus its efforts on increasing humanitarian access and saving as many lives as possible before it leaves office, rather than devoting its precious little attention to talks that are not likely to amount to genuine change on the ground."

SUDANESE PARAMILITARY CARRIES OUT ETHNIC CLEANSING IN DARFUR, RIGHTS GROUP SAYS

Mercy Corps’ Striffolino added there’s a risk of hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths in Sudan: "Children are starving, and they do not have the privilege to wait for the international community to act."

She continued, "People in Sudan are being starved to death, and it's entirely preventable. Conflict parties must stop attacking aid workers, civilians, and vital infrastructure, and allow humanitarian staff to deliver lifesaving aid across the country." 

In Sudan now, there are also widespread disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella. The U.N.’s children’s agency UNICEF states that 3.4 million children under the age of 5 are at high risk from epidemic diseases.

Hudson added, "It’s never too late to have an impact. There are a number of things Biden should do before he leaves office to prevent the parties (in Sudan) from rehabilitating their images so that they can reinvent themselves as legitimate political figures. That means supporting an International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment and sanctioning the leadership of both organizations. These moves would hang around their necks well after Biden is gone."

It’s been nearly two years since Biden stood smiling and making promises with African leaders at a Washington summit to re-engage with the continent, and elevate the partnership between the administration and Africa.

But Hudson concludes, "Ultimately, it is less the Biden administration’s policies toward Africa that will be judged, than the gap between those policies and the expectations the administration set. But the problem with unmet expectations is that they sting more than promises never made. This may be the most important lesson Biden’s successor can apply to Africa."

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) launched a new campaign last week seeking the public's help solving 46 cold cases of women whose bodies were found in Europe between 1982 and 2021.

Interpol’s goal through the "Identify me" campaign is to solve 46 cold cases in which the victims, all women, were found dead in six European countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

"Despite extensive police investigations, these women were never identified, and evidence suggests that some of them could have come from other countries," Interpol said in a press release. "Who they are, where they are from and why they were in these countries is unknown."

Interpol issued a Black Notice for each victim, and while the alerts are for police only, Interpol released extracts of the notices for the public to review.

VIRGINIA MAN FOUND GUILTY OF 1992 COLD CASE RAPE AS PART OF INITIATIVE TO TEST RAPE KITS

Along with the extracts, there are details about each case, including facial reconstruction images, with hope that someone may be able to recognize them and help determine the circumstances that led to their death.

One of the cases, for example, is called "The woman in the well," which roots back to Aug. 6, 1991.

MASSACHUSETTS MAN ARRESTED IN 36-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE AFTER SPIT ON SIDEWALK LINKS HIM TO MURDER OF WOMAN

That day, a woman estimated to be between 30 and 55 years old was found in a rainwater well in Holsbeek, Belgium.

Police say the woman was wearing a beige/brown knitted cardigan, a t-shirt with black vertical stripes, an image of two surfers and three palm trees with text reading, "sun-surf-sea," and dark plaid shorts.

SERIAL KILLER KNOWN AS ‘HOLLYWOOD RIPPER’ EXTRADITED TO ILLINOIS FOR 1993 MURDER OF HIS TEEN NEIGHBOR

Police also said the woman’s body may have been in the well for up to two years before it was discovered.

Another case called, "The body in the bog," was opened on Oct. 14, 2001, when the body of a woman between the ages of 20 and 30 was found in a bog in the Worringen quarter of Cologne, Germany.

Police said the woman is presumed to have had a dark complexion and had black hair with interwoven artificial hair.

CIGARETTE BUTT HELPS WASHINGTON POLICE HUNT 1980 MURDER SUSPECT ACROSS COUNTRY: ‘I WAS HOOKED IN THIS CASE’

Her body was discovered by a mushroom picker, and it is suspected of being there for at least four months prior to its discovery, though police added it may have been there for up to four years.

Experts reconstructed the woman’s face in April 2002, to get an idea of how the woman may have looked at the time of her death.

For each case on the website, police have a link that people can click to contact Interpol and the police agency of the particular country where the body was found.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We need you to help us resolve these cold cases," Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in a post on X. "Our goal is to identify these deceased women and bring answers to families."

North Korea announced Sunday that army units are prepared to launch strikes against South Korea, after its neighbor to the south flew drones over Pyongyang and dropped leaflets.

The Associated Press reported that South Korea has refused to confirm if it sent drones into North Korea but warned it would punish North Korea if the people of South Korea are threatened.

According to North Korea, South Korea flew drones into its country three times and dropped propaganda leaflets over the capital city of Pyongyang. North Korean officials warned if it happens again, they will respond with force.

State media reported Sunday that the North’s Defense Ministry said its military issued a preliminary operation order to artillery and other units near the border of South Korea to be prepared to "open fire."

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES FRESH WAVE OF TRASH BALLOONS TOWARD SOUTH KOREA

A spokesperson for the ministry who remained unidentified said North Korea’s military ordered units to fully prepare for situations in which they may need to launch immediate strikes on unspecified enemy targets, if South Korea sends drones across the border again, according to the statement.

The spokesperson also said "grave tough-and-go military tensions are prevailing on the Korean Peninsula" due to the south’s drone flights.

In another statement on Sunday, the spokesperson said South Korea "might turn into piles of ashes" after North Korea’s powerful attack.

TOP RUSSIAN OFFICIAL LANDS IN IRAN AMID US, UK CONCERNS OVER ALLEGED NUCLEAR DEAL

North Korea is no stranger to issuing such fiery and blistering rhetoric when tensions between it and South Korea and the U.S. become elevated.

Relations between North and South Korea have been tense since a U.S.-led diplomacy to end North Korea’s nuclear program disintegrated in 2019.

Since then, North Korea has pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal and has repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the U.S. with nuclear weapons.

TOP RUSSIAN OFFICIAL LANDS IN IRAN AMID US, UK CONCERNS OVER ALLEGED NUCLEAR DEAL

Experts, though, say it is unlikely North Korea will launch a full-blown attack because the U.S. and South Korean forces outpace the north’s military.

Last Week, North Korea said it would permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures to cope with "confrontational hysteria" by South Korean and U.S. forces.

Last month, North Korea launched more than 160 balloons carrying trash across the southern border.

Inside the balloons were paper, plastic bottles and other household garbage, which were found in parts of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital of Seoul.

Earlier in September, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected about 420 balloons that the north allegedly launched into South Korea.

The trash bundle is the latest tit-for-tat between the two Koreas, which have been engaging in Cold War-style tactics since earlier this year, with the North having flown thousands of balloons toward the South, filled with wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. 

North Korea says the balloons are in retaliation against South Korean civilian activists who fly anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.

Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said the balloon contained no dangerous materials and that no one was hurt.

South Korea has retaliated with front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rescue services in Israel said over 60 people were wounded, some of them critically, in a drone strike in Binyamina, Israel, which the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group has claimed responsibility for, according to reports.

Israeli media reported that two drones were launched from Lebanon, one of which was intercepted.

Who was hurt – whether military members or civilians – or what was struck was not immediately clear.

On Thursday, Israel conducted two strikes in Beirut that killed 22 people, and Hezbollah said it was retaliating for the strikes by targeting an Israeli military training camp.

US TO DEPLOY MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM, MILITARY PERSONNEL TO ISRAEL

This was the second time in two days that a drone struck Israel.

On Sunday, as Israelis were celebrating Yom Kippur, there was a drone strike in a Tel Aviv suburb that damaged the area but did not cause any injuries.

IDF MEETS LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM HEZBOLLAH AFTER WEEKS OF HITTING TERROR TARGETS, OFFICIALS SAY

Iran and its proxy terrorist groups launched massive waves of missiles against Israel earlier this year in April and again on Oct. 1. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) has previously been deployed to Israel in 2019, but only for an exercise, Pentagon officials say.

AMERICAN FATHER OF HAMAS HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN PUSHES US, ISRAEL ON ‘PLAN B’ AS NEGOTIATIONS FALTER

Sunday’s strike came the same day the U.S. said it would send a new air-defense system to Israel to increase protection from missiles.

"The THAAD Battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran. It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias," the Pentagon said in a statement.

Iran's massive Oct. 1 missile barrage displayed the threat Iran poses to Israel as a regional power. While debris from hundreds of rockets and missiles rained down on Israeli territory, there were no Israeli fatalities reported.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Iran has increased its oil exports during the Biden administration despite severe and heavy sanctions imposed by the U.S. government, according to a new report.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its annual report on Iranian petroleum and petroleum product exports, finding that Iran made between $53 billion to $54 billion in 2022 and 2023 – significant increases over $37 billion made in 2021 and $16 billion made in 2020. The EIA report is mandated by Congress.

The 2020 revenue marked a low point since 2018, when Iran earned $65 billion in nominal revenue, based on calculations derived from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) website.

The report’s main takeaway is that China has provided Iran a significant export partner, allowing it to bypass sanctions and continue to rake in profits from its energy exports. 

AMERICA FIRST ENERGY STRATEGY STARTS WITH THIS SAFE, CLEAN AND RELIABLE RESOURCE

The Trump administration maintained a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran, hitting each of its industries and manufacturing sectors with significant sanctions against companies and individuals alike to drive the country to economic ruin. The BBC in 2019 found that Iran had entered a "deep recession" and that oil exports "plummeted" as a result of Trump's policies. 

The Biden administration meanwhile sought to appease Iran with a series of sanctions waivers that officials argued would incentivize Tehran to sit down and agree to a renewed nuclear deal, which never materialized. 

Meanwhile, the Biden administration continued to issue waivers such as those issued for Iraq to purchase energy from Iran – waivers started under the Trump administration but maintained by Biden even as Iran's allies and proxies in the Middle East started to hit Israel. 

"The numbers here don't lie," former Trump NSC official Richard Goldberg told Fox News Digital. "I've always said the Biden administration has had a strategic communications policy, not a sanctions policy… there's no active campaign to stop these shipments, to really put the pressure up on both China and other shipment points, and it's quite obvious from the numbers. 

A Reuters report in 2023 found that "appetite for Iranian crude is growing in China," which stands as the world’s "biggest oil importer." The oil’s heavily discounted price due to sanctions might serve as the main attraction for Iran’s product, and the EIA report notes that it cannot account for discounts in its data.

Iran’s 2023 export of 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) stands as the country’s "highest in more than four years, with more than 80% shipped to China," Reuters reported, citing consultancies FGE and Vortexa.  

HOUSE GOP TARGETS BIDEN ‘SOCIAL COST’ POLICY FOR RISING ENERGY PRICES

Some critics have argued that the revenue is not a fully accurate measure since the price of oil fluctuates based on a number of factors, and the last few years have seen a surge in pricing that roughly correlates with the Iranian revenues. 

When Iran made $16 billion in 2020, oil per barrel was priced at $39.68; when Iran made over $50 billion a year, oil per barrel was priced at $94.43 and $82.95. 

Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, acknowledged that fluctuating prices do make it difficult to gauge the true level of exports from Iran, but knowing that the revenues have gone up as the discounts have either remained or increased due to U.S. sanctions would counterbalance any price drop.

"That's very difficult to account for because you just don't know what the Chinese are actually paying because it's illicit, there's risk involved in the cargo, therefore Iran has to charge at a discount," Goldberg said. 

"When you go to the export numbers, particularly to China – I mean, to go from 300,000 barrels per day to 1.2 million, that is breathtaking," Goldberg said. "That is not sanctions evasion. That is an active policy of allowing shipments."

HARRIS CLAIMS AD QUOTING HER 2019 VOW TO BAN FRACKING IS ‘MISCHARACTERZITION’ TO MAKE PEOPLE ‘AFRAID’ OF HER

The EIA noted that access to trusted data remains scarce, and its reporting relied on the NIOC and other third-party sources, but stressed that the EIA uses only sources and data that it has "reasonably high confidence" in their estimates. 

"Because of challenges with data availability and transparency, nearly all the petroleum and petroleum product data presented in this report are estimates rather than actual data," the report said, later adding, "Data are subject to change as new information becomes available."

"Although price data are available on a real-time or near-real-time basis, actual pricing data pertaining to sales of Iranian crude oil are opaque, requiring estimation methods and proxy variables to derive estimates of revenues," the report said. 

The report treats destinations in South East Asia (specifically Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam) as misdirections for Chinese imports as a means of sidestepping issues with U.S. sanctions. 

On Friday, the State Department along with the Treasury Department issued new sanctions on Iran's energy sector in response to Iran's most recent attack on Israel, 

The statement read in part, "This action intensifies financial pressure on Iran, limiting the regime’s ability to earn critical energy revenues to undermine stability in the region and attack U.S. partners and allies. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is identifying the petroleum and petrochemical sectors of the Iranian economy."

According to Reuters, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement about the sanctions that, "The new designations today also include measures against the 'Ghost Fleet' that carries Iran’s illicit oil to buyers around the world." 

Vice President Kamala Harris' spokesperson and the State Department did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

A senior politician in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, who was also known for his close ties with Bollywood, has been shot dead weeks before a key state election.

Baba Siddique, 66, was shot multiple times outside his son’s office in Mumbai on Saturday night, police said in a statement. He later succumbed to his wounds at the city’s Lilavati Hospital.

Siddique was associated with the Indian National Congress party for decades but had recently joined a regional party that rules Maharashtra state. He was also close to several Bollywood superstars and was known for throwing lavish parties.

INDIA'S POPULAR BUT POLARIZING LEADER NARENDRA MODI IS EXTENDING HIS DECADE IN POWER. WHO IS HE?

Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is from the same political party as Siddique, said he was shocked by the killing.

"The incident will be thoroughly investigated and strict action will be taken against the attackers. The mastermind behind the attack will also be traced," Pawar said in a statement.

News agency Press Trust of India reported that two suspected attackers had been arrested, and police were searching for another.

Broadcaster NDTV said the two suspects claimed they were part of a crime gang that has carried out multiple killings in the past.

Elections in Maharashtra state are expected to be held in November.

Spanish scientists announced in a new documentary that first aired on Saturday that DNA analysis shows the 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe. 

The documentary titled, "Columbus DNA: The true origin," which aired on Spain's national broadcaster TVE, showcases the research of a 22-year investigation led by forensic expert Miguel Lorente, Reuters reported. 

Lorente and his team tested samples of remains buried at Seville Cathedral, long believed to be Columbus' final resting place, though the claim had been contested. Researchers compared the DNA with those of known relatives and descendants of the navigator who led trans-Atlantic expeditions for the Spanish crown from the 1490s onward, inducing European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

DEFACED COLUMBUS STATUE THAT WAS THROWN INTO A VIRGINIA POND FINDS MORE WELCOMING HOME IN NYC SUBURB

"We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Hernando Colón, his son," Lorente said in the documentary. "And both in the Y chromosome [male] and in the mitochondrial DNA [transmitted by the mother] of Hernando there are traits compatible with Jewish origin."

Reuters reports that approximately 300,000 Jews resided in Spain before the "Reyes Catolicos," Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, compelled Jews and Muslims to convert or face exile. The expulsion of Jews from Spain took place in 1492, the same year as Columbus' famed first voyage.

WILL JULY 4TH, LIKE COLUMBUS DAY, SOON SIMPLY DISAPPEAR?

The word Sephardic is derived from Sepharad, or Spain in Hebrew.

Columbus was traditionally believed to have come from Genoa, Italy, though historians also had theorized him as being a Spanish Jew or perhaps Greek, Basque, Portuguese or British. Lorente's study analyzed 25 possible locations, but ultimately could only conclude that Columbus was born in Western Europe, Reuters said. 

Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain, in 1506, according to Reuters. 

His remains were brought to the island of Hispaniola – currently home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti – in 1542, where he wanted to be buried, and later to Cuba in 1795. Authorities long believed Columbus' remains were ultimately taken back to Spain, to Seville in 1898. 

Lorente said his research confirmed that the remains at Seville Cathedral are indeed those of Columbus. 

"The outcome is almost absolutely reliable," Lorente said.

Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for decades championed Scotland’s independence from the U.K. and nearly accomplished it, has died. He was 69.

Salmond, who was one of the most divisive figures in British politics at the turn of the century and who, as the then leader of the Scottish National Party, took Scotland to the brink of independence in the 2014 referendum, died in the North Macedonia lake-resort town of Ohrid, local media reported.

"Unfortunately, Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who was one of the panellists at yesterday’s cultural diplomacy forum that was held in Ohrid, died suddenly today," according to a statement from the office of former North Macedonia President Gjorgje Ivanov.

TRAVELERS WILL NEED 'PERMISSION' AND A FEE TO VISIT UNITED KINGDOM AS PART OF NEW DIGITIZED SYSTEM

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, led by King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla.

"My wife and I are greatly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alex Salmond," the king said. "His devotion to Scotland drove his decades of public service."

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labour Party called him a "monumental figure" of both Scottish and British politics.

"He leaves behind a lasting legacy," Starmer said. "As first minister of Scotland, he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented."

Salmond served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014, and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000, and from 2004 to 2014. Salmond led the independence campaign in the referendum in 2014, but lost, gaining 45% of the vote, and subsequently resigned from the top job and was replaced by his long-time ally, Nicola Sturgeon. Their subsequent split dominated Scottish politics for years.

"Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, and it would not be right for me to try," Sturgeon said after learning of Salmond's death. "However, it remains the fact that for many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in U.K politics."

UK GOVERNMENT ACCUSED OF CRACKING DOWN ON FREE SPEECH: 'THINK BEFORE YOU POST'

In 2019, Salmond was charged with sexual assault and attempted rape after allegations by nine women who had worked with him as first minister or for the party. Salmond called the charges "deliberate fabrications for a political purpose." Salmond was acquitted after a trial in March 2020.

A year later, he created a new party called Alba — the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland — that made few inroads into Scottish politics and sought a new independence referendum come what may.

The current SNP first minister, John Swinney, said that he was "deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death" of Salmond.

"Over many years, Alex made an enormous contribution to political life, not just within Scotland, but across the U.K. and beyond," he said. "He took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics into government and led Scotland so close to becoming an independent country."

Salmond had said that he learned to dream of an independent Scotland at his grandfather’s knee, and chose to join the SNP at university in 1973 when his English girlfriend poked too much fun at his separatist sentiments.

Salmond’s academic and professional background prepared him to become Scotland’s most economically optimistic and visionary politician. At St. Andrew’s University. he double-majored in medieval history, reflecting his love of a Caledonia lost, and economics. In his 20s, he worked as an economist first for Britain’s regional government in Scotland and then at the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he analyzed the country’s most dynamic industry, North Sea oil.

He won a seat in the U.K. Parliament in 1987, and within three years was party leader. He supported Tony Blair's Labour government in the late 1990s to create a devolved Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, a reform that stopped short of independence, but gave his homeland a taste of self-government for the first time since its 1707 union with England. Under that new settlement, which was ratified by a referendum, the Scottish Parliament has had a wide array of domestic powers, including over policies on health and education, but not on foreign policy matters.

Salmond then had a very public forum to push his dream of full independence forward — his government had an array of powers especially on social issues — and managed to convince the government of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron to call a referendum. Up until the results were known, it had been considered a close call.

Though the independence campaign lost, Salmond's SNP managed to capitalize its support and has dominated Scottish politics since. The SNP has been the Edinburgh-based government since, though it suffered a huge setback in this year's U.K.-wide general election, when it lost a vast majority of the seats it held in the House of Commons to Labour. The next Scottish election is due to take place in 2026.

A National Geographic documentary team has found on Mount Everest what they believe is the partial remains of a British climber who vanished 100 years ago during a quest to become among the first to summit the world’s tallest mountain. 

The organization announced Friday that the expedition found a foot encased in a sock embroidered with "AC Irvine" and a boot that could be that of Andrew "Sandy" Irvine, who disappeared at the age of 22 along with his co-climber, the legendary George Mallory, near Everest's peak on June 8, 1924. 

"It's the first real evidence of where Sandy ended up," photographer and director Jimmy Chin told National Geographic. "A lot of theories have been put out there." 

"When someone disappears and there’s no evidence of what happened to them, it can be really challenging for families. And just having some definitive information of where Sandy might’ve ended up is certainly [helpful], and also a big clue for the climbing community as to what happened," Chin added. 

MOUNT EVEREST CLIMBING DUO VANISHES FROM NOTORIOUS AREA OF WORLD’S TALLEST PEAK 

In his final letter to his wife, Ruth, before he vanished on Mount Everest a century ago, the 37-year-old Mallory tried to ease her worries even as he said his chances of reaching the world’s highest peak were "50 to 1 against us." 

Mallory's body was found in 1999, but there was no evidence that could point to the two having reached Everest's summit at 29,032 feet, according to The Associated Press. 

The apparent discovery of Irvine's remains could narrow the search for a Kodak Vest Pocket camera lent to the climbers by expedition member Howard Somervell.  

NEPALI GUIDE, UK MOUNTAINEER SURPASS THEIR OWN RECORDS FOR MOST CLIMBS OF MOUNT EVEREST 

For mountaineers, the AP describes it as the equivalent of the Holy Grail -- the possibility of photographic proof that the two did reach the summit, almost three decades before New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay got there on May, 29, 1953. 

The sock and boot were found on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below the north face of Mount Everest in September.

Irvine’s family reportedly is volunteering to compare DNA test results with the remains to confirm their identity. 

"I have lived with this story since I was a 7-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest," Irvine’s great-niece and biographer, Julie Summers, told the AP. "When Jimmy told me that he saw the name AC Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

While excavating the tomb of Jifai-Hapi, who governed the Asyut region during Egypt's Middle Kingdom, archaeologists discovered the tomb of the ancient governor's daughter, "Edi." The find was announced by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in an in an Oct. 2, 2024, Facebook post. 

Jifai-Hapi (also spelled Djefaihapi), was governor during the reign of King Senusret I. His burial chamber was the largest cemetery belonging to a non-royal of the time, signaling that he was an important ruler in Ancient Egypt, the statement said.

THE HISTORY OF THE HOXNE HOARD, THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF ROMAN TREASURE FOUND IN BRITAIN

The daughter's burial chamber was discovered by archaeologists about 50 feet down and consisted of two coffins, one placed inside another of slightly bigger size, according to the statement from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The excavation was conducted by the University of Sohag in Egypt and the Free University of Berlin.

The larger of the two coffins was 2.62 meters (around 8.5 feet) while the smaller measured out to be 2.30 meters (around 7.5 feet.) The coffins were each "intricately painted," according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH UNEXPECTED FIND INSIDE TOMB LIKELY BELONGING TO ROMAN GLADIATOR

"This new discovery in Asyut will add more to what we know about the Middle Kingdom, which is all too often overshadowed by the earlier Old Kingdom 'Pyramid Age' and the later New Kingdom, with its big name pharaohs such as Tutankhamun and [Ramesses II]," Joann Fletcher, a professor with the Department of Archaeology at the U.K.'s University of York, who was not involved in the research, told Newsweek.

"And yet the Middle Kingdom was actually a time of great artistic and cultural splendor, as indeed is reflected in the quality of the paintwork on the newly discovered outer coffin visible in the excavation photographs," Fletcher told the outlet.  

Also found in the burial chamber was a small coffin lid, anopic jars as well as wooden structures, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in the statement.

MOM, SON DIG UP ANCIENT OBJECT OFTEN FOUND NEAR BURIAL GROUNDS WHILE GARDENING

During ancient times, thieves entered the chamber, according to the source, but there were still remains of the skeleton for experts to study. 

Early studies have revealed that the governor's daughter died before she was 40 years old and suffered from a congenital foot defect, according to the statement. 

There is still much to be learned about the ancient governor and his daughter.

Further research to learn more about their lives is ongoing, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in the statement.

An explosive report from the Iranian dissident group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) alleges that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s domestic airline, Iran Air, is providing support to the U.S. designated terror organization Hezbollah.

Citing a former Hezbollah member, the MEK said that flights between Iran and Beirut Airport in Lebanon often transferred Hezbollah personnel to Iran for training courses and "smuggle[d] food [and] light and medium weapons" into Lebanon. 

That transfer was alleged to have delivered advanced light weapons from Iran to Lebanon, particularly through runway 17, which it claims "exclusively" belongs to Hezbollah. In January 2021, a Hezbollah member alleged that shipments arriving at runway 17 included anti-aircraft missiles. 

IRAN’S AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI IN HIDING WITH EXTRA SECURITY FOLLOWING HEZBOLLAH LEADER’S DEATH: REPORT

Jason Brodsky, policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital that "Iran Air has a history of enabling procurement of Western products, particularly dual-use goods, for use by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] IRGC and Iran’s Defense Ministry, through Europe to Iran routes." Brodsky explained that Iran Air gets away with these transfers by using "carry-on luggage in European airport stopovers which do not require another security check." Brodsky said that "Iran purposely uses such civilian flights as a shield to avoid kinetic targeting by its adversaries."

The MEK also stated that public information and intelligence obtained from inside the IRGC and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) shows that the MOIS "has systematically used Iran Air to move MOIS agents and their equipment for terrorist activities outside of Iran." The MEK elaborated that Iran Air had transferred "shipments and packages necessary for activities of the MOIS in Europe to Austria" while "terrorist diplomat" Asadullah Assadi led the MOIS between 2015 and 2018. 

Assadi was sentenced to 20 years in a Belgian prison for his plot to bomb a National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gathering in 2018. He was released in exchange for a Belgian aid worker, a Danish citizen and two dual Austrian-Iranian citizens in May and June 2023, according to Yahoo News.

WILL NETANYAHU ‘TAKE THE FIGHT DIRECTLY TO IRAN’ AFTER MASSIVE MISSILE STRIKE ACROSS ISRAEL? 

MEK sources also issued a reminder of Iran Air’s historic ties to terror. As MEK reported, "most" of the 12 terrorists sent to Geneva to participate in an operation to assassinate Professor Kazem Rejavi, a human rights defender and member of the NCRI, on April 24, 1990, "were transported by Iran Air," as were their weapons. The MEK alleges that the return Iran Air flight after the assassination had a "delayed departure from Geneva…so the terrorists could make the flight." The Washington Post’s reporting from 1990 corroborates this claim.

The Treasury and State Departments sanctioned Iran Air on Sept. 10 on the basis of the shipments of equipment and aircraft parts it has provided to Russia. In its press release, the Treasury Department noted Iran Air’s "history of transporting goods on behalf of Iran’s [IRGC] and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL)."

The Treasury and State Departments did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about any known ties between Iran Air and Hezbollah. A spokesperson from the Treasury Department did emphasize that, per the new sanctions, "all property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to [the Office of Foreign Assets Control.]" 

VIRGINIA FAA CONTRACTOR ALLEGEDLY SPIED FOR IRAN, SHARED PRIVATE INFO ON US AIRPORTS, ENERGY INDUSTRY: DOJ

Following U.S. sanctions, France, the United Kingdom and Germany announced that they would likewise "cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran," and "will also work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air." 

Ali Safavi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based NCRI, told Fox News Digital that "the clerical regime in Iran has strategically utilized the nation’s resources and recognized civil entities, including its national airline, to further its goals of domestic suppression and the international proliferation of terrorism and extremism."

The MEK notes that senior IRGC-Qods Force Commander Brigadier General Rostam Ghasemi, who is subject to U.S. sanctions, appointed IRGC Brigadier General Shamseddin Farzadipour to be the head of Iran Air on April 25, 2022. Prior to this role, Farzadipour was the IRCH Air and Space Force aviation operations commander.

Safavi said that Farzadipour’s appointment demonstrates "the airline’s alignment with [the IRGC’s] oppressive objectives," which "blatantly contravenes established international laws and norms."

Safavi has urged the international community to prohibit Iran Air from flying to its major hubs across Europe, and to designate the IRGC as a terror organization. He also called on the United Nations Security Council to reinstate sanctions against Iran.

When asked about the Hezbollah member’s allegations, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations told Fox News Digital that "The Islamic Republic of Iran remains actively involved in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Lebanon via multiple channels and has formally expressed its preparedness to extend medical aid and receive the wounded – a proposition duly accepted by the Government of Lebanon." 

The spokesman claimed that "Lebanon is not in need of military support. The foremost and urgent priority must center upon the establishment of a ceasefire and the facilitation of relief efforts."

New Zealand's Defense Minister has clapped back at claims that the appointment of a female captain to commandeer a $61 million navy ship ultimately led to its sinking. 

The navy's specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, The Manawanui, sank on Sunday on a reef off the coast of Samoa that it was surveying. Its 75 crew and passengers were ordered to abandon the vessel on life rafts and were later rescued. The sinking marked New Zealand’s first ship lost since World War II and an investigation has been launched into what led to its demise.

The incident sparked debate online about whether the captain, Commander Yvonne Gray, was hired, in part due to her gender and sexuality in accordance with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) ideology.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SPARKS INVESTIGATION OF SECRET SERVICE DEI POLICIES: 'COMPROMISED ITS MISSION'

Judith Collins, who is New Zealand’s first female defense minister, rebuked such claims and said there is a "misogynistic narrative" surrounding the sinking. The cause of the sinking has yet to be determined. 

"A court of inquiry has been stood up to establish what caused this terrible incident. "The one thing that we already know did not [because] it is the gender of the ship's captain, a woman with 30 years' naval experience who on the night made the call to get her people to safety," Collins said. 

She said she was appalled to see the comments online from "armchair admirals, people who will never have to make decisions which mean life or death for their subordinates."

AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES ARE REBRANDING DEI DEPARTMENTS INSTEAD OF ELIMINATING THEM, STUDY FINDS

"I thought seriously in 2024 what the hell is going on here with people who are sitting there in their armchair operating a keyboard making comments about people that they do not know, about an area they do not know and they are just vile. Where's a bit of decency," Collins said.

She added women in uniform were being abused in the street following the incident.

"This is outrageous behavior and New Zealand is not known for this and we are better than it," she added. "We are all appointed on merit, not gender," she added.

The vessel lost power and ran aground on Saturday evening one nautical mile off the southern coast of the Samoan island of Upolu. By Sunday morning, the vessel was "listing heavily," and smoke was spotted around 6:40 a.m., the navy said. By 9 a.m. the ship slipped below the surface.

The sinking prompted fears of a major fuel spill. On Thursday, officials in Samoa said while the vessel was leaking oil from three places, the amount was decreasing each day and was dissipating quickly due to strong winds in the area.

Passengers, including civilian scientists and foreign military personnel, left the vessel on lifeboats in "challenging conditions" and darkness, New Zealand’s Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding told reporters after the sinking.

The vessel had been in service for New Zealand since 2019, was 20 years old and had previously belonged to Norway. The military said the ship, purchased for $61 million ($100 million NZ dollars), was not covered by replacement insurance.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

The U.S. military will look to robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve fleet maintenance and readiness, according to Gecko Robotics. 

The company has worked out a deal that will see the U.S. Navy introduce wall-climbing robots and AI to "reduce delays and maintain its fleet" with an eye toward extending the life of ships and submarines. 

"We’re proud to grow our partnership with the Navy around keeping ships in the fight and increasing the pace of production on the Columbia," Jake Loosararian, co-founder and CEO of Gecko Robotics, said, referring to the Columbia-class submarine program in a press release.

"Making sure the brave men and women of the U.S. Navy have the tools they need to perform their vital missions safely and effectively is the perfect example of what our team wakes up every morning focused on." 

FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: CREEPY, YET HELPFUL ROBOT IS READY TO ASSIST

The main benefit Gecko has promised is a reduction in work hours associated with maintenance. The company also believes it can improve data analytics to help find defects in these processes to improve defensive structures of the vessels. 

Gecko said it can capture 4.2 million data points while traditional methods capture "less than 100 data points on key vital defense structures."

PIONEERS OF AI WIN NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS FOR LAYING THE GROUNDWORK OF MACHINE LEARNING

Loosararian started Gecko Robotics in 2013 as an evolution of a project he started during college. He started developing his first robot in 2012 while at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, according to Fortune. 

He built the robot to satisfy a project pitched by an engineering professor to handle structural issues at a nearby power plant. Loosararian’s project ended up donated to the plant, which used it for years. 

EXPERT WARNS UN'S ROLE IN AI REGULATION COULD LEAD TO SAFETY OVERREACH

Loosararian redesigned the hardware to build the robots for his eventual company, Gecko, pouring his savings into the company. He cycled through co-founders and worked without pay for years before finally finding his footing with his new projects.

Gecko started partnering with the U.S. Navy in 2023 mainly to help decrease maintenance delays for ships and submarines, but it has seen a 400% increase in use during 2024. In the coming months, it will start to work on aircraft carriers and will start to gather "granular data on the health of the Navy’s vessels." 

"That data is then fed into Gecko’s AI-powered operations platform, Cantilever, to help substantially reduce growth work, maintenance timelines and help the ships get back to sea faster," the company said in its press release. 

"The new deals cement Gecko’s role in building and maintaining critical defense assets that support both national and global security," the release said. "It also makes the U.S. Navy a pioneer in using the very latest technology to reduce delays and unexpected maintenance for its fleet — a challenge faced by countries around the world."

An air raid on Beirut left at least 22 people dead and dozens of others wounded after Israeli airstrikes pummeled neighborhoods in Lebanon, according to the Associated Press.

The latest attack, the deadliest one in over a year of war between the embattled countries, further escalated the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

Lebanon's health ministry told the AP that the air strikes targeted two residential buildings in separate neighborhoods at the same time, demolishing the eight-story building and taking out the lower floors of the other.

The Israeli military told the AP it was investigating the reported strikes. Israeli airstrikes have become more prevalent in Beirut’s tightly packed southern suburbs, where Hezbollah bases a large portion of its operations.

ISRAEL HIT WITH MULTIPLE TERRORIST ATTACKS AS HEZBOLLAH ROCKET KILLS 2 ISRAELIS WHILE WALKING DOGS

The attack came the same day as Israeli forces fired on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and wounded two of them, the AP reported. 

Hezbollah has expanded its rocket fire to more populated areas deeper inside Israel, causing few casualties but interrupting daily life for people in the country. 

1 YEAR AFTER HEZBOLLAH STRIKES, ISRAEL REINFORCES TROOPS AND QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER ‘LIMITED’ OPERATION

The attacks across Israel come as the Jewish nation finds itself embroiled in multiple conflicts with Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden spoke on Wednesday to discuss Israel’s anticipated retaliatory attack against Iran following its massive missile strike on Israel last week, reported Israeli news outlets. 

NETANYAHU CONFIRMS NASRALLAH'S REPLACEMENT DEAD: ‘THOUSANDS OF TERRORISTS’ KILLED

The Biden administration has grown increasingly frustrated with Israel over its withholding of security details and had previously urged it not to launch an incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah over concerns it could prompt a broader regional war. 

The White House has urged Israel not to hit Iranian nuclear or oil facilities and to keep its retaliation "proportionate," though the administration has not specified what this type of attack would look like. 

Roughly 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated last month. More than 400,000 people have fled Lebanon into Syria, and roughly 1,400 people have been killed based on numbers provided by the Lebanese Health Ministry and the number of combatants believed to have been killed by Israel. Some 70,000 Israelis have been forced out of the country's northern communities since the start of the conflict. 

Fox News Digital's Caitlin McFall and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Details of the phone call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, in which Jerusalem’s pending response to Iran’s attack last week was discussed, remain limited. 

A readout of the call noted Biden's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security," adding that Biden "condemned unequivocally Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st." 

Prior to the readout, when asked about the details of the discussion, Vice President Kamala Harris – who sat in on the call – said she could not discuss "private diplomatic conversations," telling CNN it was "an important call."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also short on any details, saying that the pair "continued their discussion on a response to Iran's attack" and that it was a "straightforward, honest conversation."

IRAN POSED TO OVERWHELM US BASES IN GULF FORMER CENTCOM COMMANDER WARNS

Following the attack by Tehran, in which the U.S. helped defend Israel against the more than 180 missiles fired at it, Netanyahu vowed to make Iran "pay," prompting immediate speculation over what the counterattack would look like.

No casualties were reported in Israel, though one Palestinian was killed in the West Bank, and Biden has urged Netanyahu to issue nothing more than a "proportionate" counterstrike. 

However, speculation has mounted over the type of attack Israel could hit Iran with, and security analysts have begun reviewing strike options that range from hitting military sites, infrastructure important to the Iranian regime like oil refineries and ports, to even an attack on Iran’s expanding nuclear program.

According to an assessment by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), Iran has more than a dozen nuclear installations across the country, including uranium mines, fuel enrichment plants, a reactor and heavy water production plant, as well as several weaponization facilities – all of which could be in Israel’s crosshairs.  

However, the U.S. has warned the Israeli prime minister against attacking Iranian nuclear or oil facilities over concerns it could prompt a regional war. 

Following Iran’s attack in April, during which it levied some 300 missiles and drones at Israel, Jerusalem responded to Western calls for restraint by hitting Iran’s air defenses and destroying part of an S-300 long-range air defense system.

However, the precision strike, seemingly muted compared to the missile launch levied by Iran, likely sent a loud message to Tehran after Israel successfully hit one of Iran’s most coveted defense systems, strategically placed in between its nuclear sites.

ISRAEL’S MINISTER OF DEFENSE CANCELS VISIT TO PENTAGON AMID MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT ESCALATION

The S-300 system was permanently deployed at the Isfahan Air Base, just 60 miles south of the Natanz enrichment plant and less than 10 miles north of the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, two sites supposedly at the core of Iran’s nuclear program, according a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

However, even given the significance of the previous hit, one expert suspects Jerusalem’s response this time will be more "public," even as Israel continues to butt heads with its biggest ally, the U.S.

"It is unknown what target, or in what order, or with what exact political verse military goal in mind, Israel may choose to strike back at the Islamic Republic," expert on Iran-Israel security matters and senior fellow with the FDD, Behnam Ben Taleblu, told Fox News Digital. 

"What seems certain, however, is that Israel is intent on returning fire and likely in a larger and more public fashion than it did in April," he said, adding it remains likely that Israel again goes after Iran’s air and missile defense capabilities. 

NETANYAHU CONFIRMS NASRALLAH'S REPLACEMENT DEAD: ‘THOUSANDS OF TERRORISTS’ KILLED

Tension between the U.S. and Israel has been brewing for months over mounting concerns about the number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip, and reports suggested last month the U.S. was kept in the dark over Israel’s alleged pager operation against Hezbollah in late September in which some three dozen terrorists were killed and 3,000 others were injured.

Additionally, Washington fervently warned Israel against any ground incursion into Lebanon, though Jerusalem ignored the international calls to ease fighting and argued its operations against Hezbollah were required to ensure the safe return of 60,000 citizens forced to evacuate from their homes near the border. 

Despite U.S. objections over the ground incursion in Lebanon, the U.S. reinforced its troops in the region to better defend Israel ahead of the Iranian attack.  

Questions over how the U.S. will support or respond to an Israeli attack on Iran remains as unclear as the type of retaliatory strike Jerusalem will throw at Iran. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday issued an ominous warning to Iran and said, "Our strike will be powerful, precise, and above all – surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened."

Ben Taleblu said Israel’s forthcoming decision on what it decides to strike will "tell analysts a great deal if Israel envisions this to be an operation verses a campaign," as well as serve as an indicator as to how involved the Biden administration was in the counterattack. 

"Israeli military planners, in my estimation, are likely to be exploring options that enable them to do as much damage while keeping the U.S. on board," he said. "But Israel's ability to signal the vulnerability of Tehran's nuclear weapons enterprise through other and more creative means ought not to be minimized."