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Peace talks between U.S. and Russian delegations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine are underway Monday in Saudi Arabia, according to media reports. 

The discussions come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a delegation from his country had a "quite useful" meeting with an American team in Riyadh on Sunday. 

"Our team is working in a fully constructive manner, and the discussion is quite useful. The work of delegations continues. But no matter what we’re discussing with our partners right now, Putin must be pushed to issue a real order to stop the strikes – because the one who brought this war must be the one to take it back," Zelenskyy said. 

The U.S. delegation meeting with the Russians on Monday is led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, the director of the policy planning staff at the State Department, Reuters reported. It added that the Russians are represented by Grigory Karasin, the leader of the Russian upper house of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service. 

MASSIVE RUSSIAN DRONE ATTACK KILLS 7 IN UKRAINE AHEAD OF US PEACE TALKS 

The delegations will focus on a ceasefire in the Black Sea, according to a report by Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, citing U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. In the next stage of the talks, the two sides will discuss "issues related to the verification of the ceasefire, the peacekeeping contingent, as well as the ownership of territories." 

President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News he doesn't believe Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to invade Europe. 

"Now I've been asked my opinion about what President Putin's motives are on a larger scale. And I simply have said that I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe," Witkoff said during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."

TRUMP EYES CONTROL OF UKRAINE’S NUCLEAR PLANTS AS US PREPARES CEASEFIRE TALKS WITH RUSSIA 

"This is a much different situation than it was in World War II. There was no NATO," he added. "I take him at his word in this sense."

"I think you're going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you'll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire," Witkoff also said Sunday. 

Russia launched a massive drone attack targeting Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine overnight on Sunday, highlighting just how far there is to go before a peace agreement can be made. 

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

A tourist in Mexico is facing charges after he climbed stairs of one of the New Seven Wonders of the World before furious locals took justice into their own hands by beating the man. 

Bystander footage shows the individual – who authorities have yet to name – scaling the side of the Temple of Kukulcan in Chichén Itzá in Yucatan last week. 

The man was one of two separate visitors filmed climbing the pyramid on Thursday, as approximately 9,000 tourists flocked to the temple – referred to as El Castillo – to observe the spring equinox, according to local outlet Mexico News Daily. 

MEXICO TOURIST WHACKED WITH STICK, HECKLED AFTER ILLEGALLY CLIMBING SACRED MAYAN PYRAMID

"He eluded us, even though we’re keeping watch on the western side of the temple," a National Guard member told Mexico News Daily. "He ran past us. He’s clearly in good physical condition."

Video shows one of the men scaling the steps as security guards chased after him. One of the trespassers, a 38-year-old German tourist, reportedly attempted to hide inside the pyramid chamber, but was found by authorities and escorted out of the historic site. 

Mexican National Guard officers and personnel from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) attempted to shield the man, who was being attacked by the crowd as angry onlookers shouted that he should be "sacrificed" - referring to the human sacrifices that were once carried out at the top of the pyramid by the ancient Mayans, the local paper reported.

AMERICANS CONSIDERING SPRING BREAK VACATION IN MEXICO WARNED OF MURDER SPIKE

The incident comes as thousands of tourists flock to the Chichén Itzá to witness an event known as the Descent of the Feathered Serpent, a natural phenomenon where the sunlight casts a serpent-shaped shadow along the pyramid’s stairs, during the spring equinox.  

The site hosts a four-day-long program featuring activities for guests to enjoy. However, the events do not include climbing the nearly 1,000-year-old pyramid, which was outlawed in 2006 to protect the structure. 

The two tourists were arrested and face potential fines under Article 55 of the Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic, and Historical Monuments and Zones of Mexico, according to Mexico News Daily. 

US ISSUES MAJOR TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR MEXICAN BORDER STATE OVER CONCERNS WITH GUN BATTLES, IEDSUS ISSUES MAJOR TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR MEXICAN BORDER STATE OVER CONCERNS WITH GUN BATTLES, IEDS

A strikingly similar incident unfolded two years ago when a Polish tourist chose to scale the same pyramid.

The man was filmed running up the sacred temple’s stairs before a bystander whacked him with a stick as authorities placed him under arrest. The man was held in jail for 12 hours and fined 5,000 pesos, according to the Mexico Daily Post. 

Chichén Itzá authorities did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. 

A Turkish court on Sunday jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, pending trial on corruption charges, in a move likely to inflame the country's biggest protests in more than a decade.

The decision to send Imamoglu to jail comes after the main opposition party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticized the actions against him as politicized and undemocratic.

As the courtroom developments unfolded, there were signs that the mayor's troubles were galvanizing opposition against Erdogan's government, which has run Turkey for 22 years.

Thousands of Republican People's Party (CHP) members and non-members streamed into polling stations nationwide to elect Imamoglu its candidate in a future presidential vote.

CHRISTIAN WATCH GROUP RISES UP TO PROTECT COMMUNITY AMID GROWING VIOLENCE IN SYRIA

The non-member vote will be closely watched as an indicator of how much support the widely popular Imamoglu enjoys beyond the party faithful.

Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as "unimaginable accusations and slanders" and called for nationwide protests on Sunday. "We will rip away this coup, this dark stain on our democracy, all together," he said.

Footage showed what broadcasters said was him being taken to Silivri prison in a police convoy.

Imamoglu was removed from duty, along with two other district mayors, an interior ministry statement said.

The government denies that investigations are politically motivated and says courts are independent.

A nationwide ban on street gatherings was extended on Saturday for four more days but protests and skirmishes with police continued through the night in major cities.

Thousands crowded outside the courthouse overnight and early on Sunday awaiting the rulings on Imamoglu.

The court said Imamoglu, 54, and at least 20 others were jailed as part of a corruption investigation, one of two opened against him last week.

It said he was arrested for "establishing and leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, embezzlement, unlawfully recording personal data, and rigging public tenders in connection with a financial investigation".

POPE FRANCIS MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE SINCE HOSPITALIZATION, IMMEDIATELY DIVES INTO POLITICS

The jailing caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures and the removal of other elected officials from office, in what critics called a government attempt to hurt their election prospects.

Six of the CHP's 27 municipal mayors are now under arrest - a year after opposition parties handed Erdogan's AK Party its worst ever electoral defeat in municipal elections.

The CHP opened party polling stations Sunday to non-members to cast "solidarity votes" for Imamoglu, who was the only name on the ballot for presidential candidate.

CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel predicted millions of votes from non-members, saying Imamoglu is "on the road to prison but also to the presidency".

No general election is scheduled until 2028.

But if Erdogan, 71, who has led Turkey for 22 years, is to run again, parliament would need to back an earlier election since the president will have reached his limit by that date. Imamoglu is leading Erdogan in some opinion polls.

Imamoglu is also facing terrorism charges, but the court did not formally arrest him on those at the same time.

A future ruling to jail him pending trial on terrorism-related charges could allow the government to appoint a trustee to run Istanbul. A conviction could prevent him running for president.

The CHP said it would appeal against the ruling and elect someone to work as acting mayor.

EX-ISRAELI HOSTAGE SAYS NEW FOUND FAITH HELPED HER SURVIVE HAMAS CAPTIVITY

Shortly after the court ruling, the mayor vowed to ultimately defeat Erdogan, and said those who ran the investigation would be held accountable.

"Imamoglu has become Erdogan's ... nightmare," Mehmet Karatas, an opposition supporter, said outside the courthouse. "We will make Ekrem Imamoglu president."

Imamoglu's detention has roiled markets, with the Turkish lira, stocks and bonds suffering heavy declines since Wednesday. Analysts expect more selling pressure after the jailing.

Turkish central bank governor Fatih Karahan met board members of Turkey's Banks Association (TBB) on Sunday.

The central bank will use all instruments within market rules effectively and decisively to maintain stability, Karahan told bankers, the TBB said.

Civil disobedience has been dramatically curbed in Turkey since nationwide Gezi Park protests against Erdogan's government in 2013, which prompted a violent state crackdown.

Yet thousands gathered again Saturday night outside the Istanbul municipality building and the main courthouse. Hundreds of police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters, as the crowd hurled firecrackers and other objects.

Though most demonstrations have been peaceful, protesters also clashed with police in the western coastal province of Izmir and the capital Ankara for a third night in a row, with police firing water cannon.

Authorities have detained more than 300 people during protests.

Additional reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever, Mert Ozkan and Mehmet Emin Caliskan; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Daniel Wallis, William Mallard, David Goodman, Alison Williams and Giles Elgood

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent kicked off their election campaigns Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and annexation threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Carney announced there will be a five-week election campaign before the vote on April 28.

The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and he acknowledged Friday that he has upended Canadian politics.

Trump’s almost daily attacks on Canada’s sovereignty have infuriated Canadians and led to a surge in Canadian nationalism that has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.

CANADA 'RAGE ROOM' LETS VISITORS SMASH TRUMP, VANCE, MUSK PORTRAITS TO RELEASE TARIFF ANGST

"President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen," Carney said.

The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in January and Trump declared a trade war. Carney has said the government in a time of crisis needs a strong and clear mandate.

"The next election will be one of the most consequential in our lifetimes," he posted on social media overnight.

The election campaign for 343 seats or districts in the House of Commons will last 37 days. While other parties are running, the Liberals and the Conservatives are the only two that have a chance to form a government. The party that commands a majority in Parliament, either alone or with the support of another party, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.

CANADA’S NEW PM AND TRUMP CRITIC MARK CARNEY ACCUSED OF BEING OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE 'COMMON MAN’

Carney replaced Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader on March 9 following a leadership race by the governing party.

The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with Trump.

Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products — as well as all of America’s trading partners — on April 2.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, is Carney’s main challenger. The party and Poilievre were heading for a huge victory in Canada’s federal election this year until Trump’s near-daily trade and annexation threats derailed them.

CANADIAN POLITICIAN CLAIMS TRUMP ADMIN'S '51ST STATE' RHETORIC IS AN 'ACT OF WAR'

Poilievre said he will stand up to Trump but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative ally, said in an interview Poilievre would be "very much in sync" with the "new direction in America."

"I will insist the president recognizes the independence and sovereignty of Canada. I will insist he stops tariffing our nation," Poilievre said as he launched his campaign.

Poilievre said he doesn't respect "the treatment that he has meted out to our country."

"I know a lot of people are worried, angry and anxious. And with good reason as a result of the president’s unacceptable threats against our country," he said.

"You are worried about your job and the sovereignty of our nation. And you are angry at the feeling of betrayal that these unacceptable words and tariffs have made us all experience. I share your anger and I share the worry about our future."

Carney still hasn’t had a phone call with Trump and that might not happen now until after the election. Trump mocked Trudeau by calling him governor, but he has not yet mentioned Carney’s name.

Carney, 60, was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2013, he became the first noncitizen of the United Kingdom to run the Bank of England — helping to manage the impact of Brexit.

Poilievre, 45, for years the party’s go-to attack dog, is a career politician and firebrand populist who says he will put "Canada first." He vows to defund Canada’s public broadcaster and he won’t allow media onboard his campaign buses and planes.

FIRST ON FOX: The growing violent attacks and killings in Syria under the Islamist rule of the new regime led by Ahmed al-Sharaa have put the country's Christian community on edge, with many fearing for their future.

"The situation for Christians in Syria has reached a critical threshold, and I'd argue they're teetering on the edge of catastrophe," Jeff King, the president of International Christian Concern, told Fox News Digital.

"A jihadist storm is beginning to rain down on them and, so how long can faith hold?" King added.

While King's organization has been actively helping persecuted Christians in Syria as well as globally for years, a group of Syrian Christians in the country's capital, Damascus, known as the Eagles of Antioch, came together to defend their communities and religious identity following the fall of former Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad.

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

The group's importance is even more significant, given the attacks by Islamic extremists earlier this month that resulted in the death of hundreds of the minority Alawite community as well as several Christians who were targeted due to their faith. 

The "Eagles of Antioch," is a volunteer organization made up of around 500 volunteers, operating within three primarily Christian neighborhoods in Damascus. They watch over Christian areas from dusk to dawn, patrolling the streets and protecting Christian shrines from attack.

Danial Georgios, a construction engineer living in Damascus, spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital about the group's work in Damascus neighborhoods. Georgios, 30, and his Eagles of Antioch want to fill in the security gap until tensions ease.

"We want to be represented. We no longer accept the idea of being marginalized or treated like a second-class citizen," he told Fox News Digital.

"We look at ourselves that we are equal to the Muslim, the Alawite, and every single Syrian citizen," he added.

The group derives its name from the ancient city of Antioch, reflecting their deep-rooted connection to the Antiochian Patriarchate. Members hail from three main Christian denominations: Antiochian Greek Orthodox, Antiochian Melkite Catholics and Antiochian Syriac Orthodox. 

Members of the group patrol their communities, protecting Christian holy sites, including shrines, symbols and churches. If a site is damaged or vandalized, the group will repair it themselves, hoping to avoid an escalation into sectarian conflict between the Christian community and their Sunni neighbors.

They advocate for a system based on strong municipalities, or extreme local governance, enabling Christians across Syria to manage their own affairs and celebrate their religious festivals without fear of persecution. Since emerging, the group has successfully protected liquor stores, churches, shrines and residences from theft and vandalism, according to the Eagles of Antioch.

Georgios and his peers were spurred to action in December after a Christmas tree was lit on fire in Al-Sqailbiyyah, just outside Hama. Radical jihadists, according to Georgios, were responsible for the vandalism. Following the incident, He and his fellow Christians organized a mass peaceful protest inside Damascus, chanting for equal rights for all Syrians.

"We want to internally be able to police our area," Georgios said. However, he stressed that any actions taken are in coordination with the HTS government and will not impact the sovereignty of Syria or challenge its rule.

Even if HTS is capable of providing full security in Damascus and other minority communities around Syria, Georgios said the group will not dissolve but would be open to joining state-sponsored local police forces under the authority of HTS if the political transition continues.

"We want to be represented, and we no longer accept the idea of being marginalized or treated like second-class citizens. We look at ourselves that we are equal to the Muslim, the Alawite and every single Syrian citizen," Georgios said.

UNCOVERING THE ATROCITIES OF THE ASSAD REGIME AT ITS 'DEATH FACTORY' ON THE HIL

Since Assad fell and HTS took power, Georgios claims that most of the attacks against Christian communities were carried out by foreign factions or radical elements, and is not government sanctioned.

Despite reports and accusations that HTS members have been targeting Christians, he claims, "It’s not HTS at all, HTS is trying to avoid any clashes with Christians. HTS is now the state and we as Christians try to support stability," Georgios asserted.

HTS promised not to target religious minorities during their lightning path to seizing Damascus and toppling Assad. The group made assurances to the communities they controlled that they would allow religious minorities to peacefully coexist and would not be targeted for their faith. 

Yet, King's organization isn't as hopeful. "Since HTS toppled the Assad regime in December 2024, the environment has been precarious at best. But the bloodshed that unfolded March 6-10 in Latakia and Tartous represents a frightening escalation. According to the Syrian Observatory, the violence claimed over 1,540 lives—predominantly civilians, with reports indicating between four and a dozen Christians among the casualties."

He continued, "While HTS hasn't yet implemented an official anti-Christian policy (they're treading carefully thinking about public perception as they solidify control), certain factions and individual fighters are already targeting Christians with violence."

King's organization noted that the new interim Syrian constitution states, "The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam," Article III declares, and "Islamic jurisprudence is the principal source of legislation." The group says that "this language is slightly starker than Syria’s previous constitution, which cited Islamic law as simply one source among others." 

International Christian Concern (ICC) also noted that the interim constitution also guarantees protection "for all divine religions." The ICC wrote that the document "seems to indicate that the government intends to tolerate Christians and other religious minorities."

And there are some encouraging signs according to the Eagles of Antioch, who say they coordinate closely with HTS in Damascus, according to Georgios, benefiting from the presence of educated HTS fighters in the city. This collaboration ensures that Islamic rules are not imposed on Christian neighborhoods. Together with HTS police, they work to prevent crimes, maintaining security and harmony within these communities.

Some of the volunteers have weapons that are licensed and sanctioned by HTS officials. They communicate and coordinate with them and provide information on the people who committed any crimes.

Yet despite some positive signs, King said, "Syria's Christian population has already experienced a devastating decline, dropping from 1.5 million before the conflict to somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 now. The community exists in a state of perpetual anxiety, doors locked, waiting tensely for the situation to deteriorate further," he warned.

Russia launched a massive drone attack targeting Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine overnight on Sunday, killing at least seven people.

The attack comes just days before Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to meet for indirect peace talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. will mediate the talks and meet with representatives separately.

Ukraine's air force says Sunday's attack from Russia involved 147 drones, 97 of which were shot down and another 25 failed to reach their targets.

The attack killed three people in the nation's capital of Kyiv, including a 5-year-old child. At least 10 others were wounded.

MILITARY LEADERS TO MEET ON UK-FRANCE 'COALITION OF THE WILLING' PLAN FOR UKRAINE

Ukrainians at the scene of the attacks in Kyiv surveyed the damage done to their homes and neighborhoods on Sunday morning. Many were disparaging of the upcoming ceasefire talks, pointing to the burned out homes destroyed in the drone attack, saying these were more indicative of Russia’s true intentions.

MILITARY LEADERS TO MEET ON UK-FRANCE 'COALITION OF THE WILLING' PLAN FOR UKRAINE

In an old multistory building on Kyiv’s left bank that was damaged in the overnight attack, Dmytro Zapadnya, 37, said he had no faith in Russia upholding any ceasefire agreement.

"There is no point in signing anything (with Russians), because it will not be worth the cost of paper where you put this signature. Well, the only thing that is not very pleasant is that now the United States seems to have little understanding of our situation," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement that attacks such as the one in Kyiv were a daily occurrence for Ukraine.

"This week alone, more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs, almost 1,100 strike drones and 15 missiles of various types were used against our people," he said. "New solutions are needed, with new pressure on Moscow to stop both these strikes and this war."

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE RUSSIA, UKRAINE CEASEFIRE TALKS?

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Ukrainian officials are set to meet with the U.S. a day ahead of the negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

After 482 days in Hamas captivity, Agam Berger was finally home. The world first saw her in the horrific footage from Oct. 7, 2023 – bloodied, terrified, alongside four other young women soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz IDF base. The terrorists paraded them through the streets of Gaza as trophies.

At a recent ceremony, held at the Yehezkel Synagogue in Tel Aviv at a traditional meal of gratitude to God, Berger made an emotional plea to God for the 59 hostages who remain in Gaza.

"The lives and the deeds" she said in a trembling voice in the Synagogue, "We won’t rest until they all return."

CEASEFIRE OVER AS ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA AFTER HAMAS REFUSED TO RELEASE HOSTAGES, OFFICIALS SAY

Her mother, Merav Berger, told Fox News Digital, "I began to feel God shaking my world." She started keeping the Sabbath in her daughter's honor – long before she knew whether her daughter was alive. "We grew up traditional, but not religious. Agam didn’t keep Shabbat before. But somehow, she found God – in Gaza, of all places."

She said what kept her daughter going was faith and identity. "They took her body," she told Israeli media, "but they couldn’t take her soul and identity."

She and fellow hostage Liri Albag were given a radio during their early days in captivity, and told in an interview to Israel public radio station, "We’d hear voices—Israelis saying that we were worth fighting for. That gave us strength," she said. "But after the first hostage rescue, they took the radio. They were more paranoid than ever."

In January 2024, Hamas guards brought them a stack of items recovered from an abandoned Israeli military outpost: maps, a newspaper and a Jewish prayer book.

Agam's mother later revealed that her daughter had dreamed of a siddur – a Jewish prayer book – just days earlier. "Then it arrived," Merav said. "How do you explain that? That’s not chance. That’s faith."

With that book, she began marking Jewish time. "We had a watch at first," she told Israeli public radio. "That’s how we knew when it was Shabbat, when it was Yom Kippur. I fasted. On Passover, I refused bread. I asked for corn flour—and they brought it. In a strange way, they respected my religion."

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SPEAKS FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HIS 505 DAYS OF SURVIVING HAMAS HELL

As the months dragged on, the conditions worsened. Hamas guards rotated often, she said, noting that many were cruel and others indifferent. She related to the Israeli media that, "They argued with us, scolded us over small things… we didn’t know who we could trust."

She tried to stay hopeful, telling herself she’d be home before her younger brother’s bar mitzvah. But the day came and went. "That broke me," she admitted in interviews. She said what kept her together was her belief that it would end somehow.

Even as rumors of a hostage deal began to circulate in early 2025, she didn’t let herself hope. "We heard people talking, but we didn’t think it would happen for us," she said.

On Jan. 24, Liri Elbag was taken away to film a release video. "They told her she was filming a video – but not that she was going home," Agam said. "I waited for her. I had made her birthday cards. Then someone told me, ‘Your friends are already home.’"

The next day, gunfire echoed in the distance. Her captors dressed her in a hijab and drove her in circles for two hours. "They didn’t let me take anything – not our notebooks, not the drawings, nothing," she recalled in an interview with Israeli public radio.

Agam’s absence left a gaping hole in her family, but her siblings carried her strength. Her twin sister Liyam remained in the army, even completing officer training while Agam was still missing. "She did it for her sister," her mother said.
 

Bar, the younger sister, had planned not to enlist. But after hearing that Agam had promised her fellow hostages she’d return to her base after her release, Bar changed her mind. "Three days after Agam came home, she graduated from her unit," the Bergers' mother recalled. "She wanted her to carry it forward."

Now back home, Agam is surrounded by friends, visitors and endless attention. But she’s not at peace – not while others remain in captivity.

In the synagogue this week, Agam made that call loudly and publicly. "We won’t rest," she said, "until every soul – living or dead – comes home."

As her mother put it: "This is the Jewish mission. There’s nothing more sacred. It’s our right to exist – and our rebirth as a people – depends on it. 

"God brought Agam home," her mother said. "Now we have a duty to bring the others back too."

Israel launched airstrikes on several locations in Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for a rocket attack, killing six people in the heaviest exchange of fire since its ceasefire with the militant group Hezbollah began nearly four months ago.

The exchange sparked concern about whether the ceasefire would hold, days after Israel relaunched its war with another Iran-backed militant group, Hamas, in Gaza. In a statement, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the attack, saying it was committed to the truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it instructed the army to respond forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah is based. Israel's army said six rockets were fired toward Metula, a town along the border with Lebanon. Three crossed into Israel and were intercepted.

ISRAEL ORDERS IDF TO SEIZE MORE GAZA TERRITORY IF HAMAS DOESN'T RELEASE HOSTAGES

The army said it "cannot confirm the identity of the organization that fired the rockets." It said it struck Hezbollah command centers and dozens of rocket launchers.

An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Touline killed five people, including a child, and wounded 10 others, including two children, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

Another Israeli strike Saturday night hit a garage in the coastal city of Tyre, the NNA reported, with one person killed and seven wounded. It was the first attack on the city since the ceasefire took effect Nov. 27. And a strike on Hawsh al-Sayed Ali village along the border with Syria wounded five people, according to the NNA.

In a statement, Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, asked the country's military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country does not want to return to war.

Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into all-out war in September as Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.

Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January under the ceasefire deal. The deadline was extended to Feb. 18, but Israel has remained in five locations in Lebanon across from communities in northern Israel. Meanwhile, Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it attacked Hezbollah, while continuing drone attacks that have killed several members of the militant group.

Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to fully withdraw. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said it was alarmed at the possible escalation of violence and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made.

The strikes came a day after Israel said it would carry out operations in Gaza "with increasing intensity" until Hamas frees the 59 hostages it holds — 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Israeli strikes on Friday night killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house in Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the bodies.

"Rubble and glass started falling on us," said Sameh al-Mashharawi, who lost his brother in the attack. He mourned with his young nephew Samir al-Mashharawi, whose parents and siblings were killed. The 12-year-old, his head and wrists bandaged, sat in the back of a truck and cried.

Israel's military said Friday that its forces were planning fresh assaults into three neighborhoods west of Gaza City and issued warnings on social media for Palestinians to evacuate the areas.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE TELLS UN, 'NO MORE EXCUSES,' SAYS AID IS FEEDING TERRORISTS

"Hamas, unfortunately, understands military pressure," Netanyahu's foreign policy advisor Ophir Falk told The Associated Press.

Around 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel relaunched the war on Tuesday. Israel had already cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians, aiming to pressure Hamas over ceasefire negotiations.

The international community has condemned the resumed attacks.

The initial 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have been freed in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not say how many were militants but says more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Tens of thousands of Israelis on Saturday again protested the government’s failure to negotiate a hostage deal and its move to fire the head of the country’s Shin Bet internal security service. They called for new elections.

The Supreme Court has ordered a temporary halt to Ronen Bar’s dismissal until an appeal is heard. Israel’s attorney general has ruled that the Cabinet has no legal basis to dismiss him.

Netanyahu said in a statement late Saturday that Bar "will not remain the head of the Shin Bet" and "Israel will remain a democratic state." He argued that his loss of confidence in Bar long predates the Shin Bet investigation into illicit ties between several of his aides and Qatar.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for a tax rebellion and general strike if the government defies the court ruling, saying: "If this happens, the entire country needs to grind to a halt."

Venezuela will resume accepting deportation flights from the US after Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro suspended the flights earlier this month.

Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela's Assembly and chief negotiator with the U.S. announced the change in policy on Saturday.

"We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday," Rodriguez said.

He added that the deal with the U.S. secured the "return of our compatriots to their nation with the safeguard of their Human Rights."

VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBAN-BORN GOP LAWMAKER IN PRAISING TRUMP ON VENEZUELA STANCE

Rodriguez referenced the deportation of some Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in his statement. President Donald Trump's administration has sent some Venezuelan members of the Tren de Aragua gang to the country.

"Migrating is not a crime and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador," Rodríguez said in a statement.

RUBIO: MADURO A ‘HORRIBLE DICTATOR’

Maduro himself referred to the Venezuelans held in El Salvador as "kidnapped" on Saturday.

In recent weeks, some 350 people were deported to Venezuela, including some 180 who spent up to 16 days at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

THE ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IS SETTLED LAW, STEPHEN MILLER SAYS

The Trump administration said that the Venezuelans sent to Guantanamo are members of Tren de Aragua.

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Venezuela had long been a friendly oil-trading partner of the U.S. until Maduro's leftist regime took root following the 1998 and 2000 elections under the rule of the late Hugo Chavez and foreign policy challenges arose.

Pope Francis made his first public appearance on Sunday after spending more than five weeks in the hospital, where he survived a severe case of pneumonia that doctors said twice threatened the Roman Catholic Church leader's life.

The 88-year-old pontiff offered a Sunday blessing from Rome’s Gemelli hospital. The Vatican's broadcaster also read in English a statement from the pontiff issued by the Holy See Press Office. 

In it, Pope Francis said he was "saddened by the resumption of heavy Israeli bombing on the Gaza Strip, causing many deaths and injuries." 

"I call for an immediate halt to the weapons and for the courage to resume dialogue so that all hostages may be released, and a final ceasefire reached," the pontiff wrote. "In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation is again very serious and requires urgent commitment from the conflicting parties and the international community."

The pope said he was pleased Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to the final text of the peace agreement, "and I hope that it may be signed as soon as possible and thus may contribute to establishing lasting peace in the South Caucuses."

POPE FRANCIS SET TO BE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL ON SUNDAY: DOCTORS

"You are continuing to pray for me with great patience and perseverance. Thank you very much. I pray for you too. And together let's pray for an end to wars and for peace, especially in tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Francis wrote. "May the Virgin Mary keep you and continue to accompany us on our journey towards Easter."

A large crowd gathered at the main entry piazza of Gemelli Hospital, including patients wheeled outside to see him in person. The pope, seated in a wheelchair, waved from the balcony and smiled. 

The pope briefly spoke from a microphone, acknowledging a woman in the crowd holding up yellow flowers for him. Doctors have said his voice has been weakened by his illness. 

The Holy Father gave a thumbs up and made the sign of the cross to the crowd. Francis was subsequently discharged from the hospital and will return to the Vatican to begin at least two months of rest, rehabilitation and convalescence. 

His discharge comes after 38 days of medical ups and downs that raised the prospect of a papal resignation or funeral. 

Francis began his written message by telling the faithful that the parable in this Sunday's Gospel "tells us about the patience of God, who urges us to make our life a time of conversion." 

"Jesus uses the image of a baron victory which has not born the anticipated fruit and which nevertheless the farmer does not want to cut down. He wants to fertilize it again in that it may bear fruit in the future, and this patient farmer is the Lord who works the soil of our lives with care and waits confidently for our return to Him," the pope wrote. "In this long period of my hospitalization, I've had the opportunity to experience the Lord's patience, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of the doctors and healthcare workers, as well as in the care and hopes of the relatives of the sick. This trusted patience anchored in God's unfailing love is indeed necessary in our lives, especially when facing the most difficult and painful situations." 

Doctors, who announced his planned release at a Saturday evening news conference, have said the Holy Father should refrain from meeting with big groups of people or exerting himself, but that eventually he should be able to resume all his normal activities. It was Francis' longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history. 

KING CHARLES III TO MEET POPE FRANCIS DURING VISIT TO VATICAN NEXT MONTH

At the Vatican, on the third Sunday of the Lenten season awaiting Easter, pilgrims flocked as they have all year to St. Peter’s Basilica to participate in the 2025 Holy Year. They swarmed St. Peter’s Square and progressed through the Holy Door in groups, while big TV screens in the square were turned on to broadcast Francis’ hospital greeting live. 

No special arrangements have been made at the Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican hotel next to the basilica, where Francis lives in a two-room suite on the second floor, according to the AP. Francis will have access to supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed, though his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less assistance breathing as his lungs recover.

While the pneumonia infection has been successfully treated, Francis will continue to take oral medication for quite some time to treat the fungal infection in his lungs and continue his respiratory and physical physiotherapy.

"For three or four days he’s been asking when he can go home, so he’s very happy," Carbone said.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the medical and surgical chief at Gemelli who coordinated Francis’ medical team, stressed that not all patients who develop such a severe case of double pneumonia survive, much less are released from the hospital. He said Francis’ life was at risk twice, during the two acute respiratory crises, and that the pope at the time understandably lost his typical good sense of humor. 

"But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, ‘I’m still alive,’ we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humor back," he said.

The Holy Father was never intubated and never lost consciousness, Alfieri said.

Alfieri confirmed that Francis was still having trouble speaking due to the damage to his lungs and respiratory muscles. But he said such problems were normal, especially in older patients, and predicted his voice would eventually return to normal.

The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to confirm any upcoming events, including a scheduled audience on April 8 with King Charles III or Francis’ participation in Easter services at the end of the month. But Carbone said he hoped Francis might be well enough to travel to Turkey at the end of May to participate in an important ecumenical anniversary.

Francis is also returning to the Vatican in the throes of a Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration scheduled to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome this year. The pope has already missed several Jubilee audiences and will presumably miss several more, but Vatican officials say his absence hasn't significantly impacted the numbers of expected pilgrims arriving.

Only St. John Paul II recorded a longer hospitalization in 1981, when he spent 55 days at Gemelli for minor surgery and treatment of an infection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight into Sunday, including a senior Hamas political leader as well as several women and children.

This, as the Israeli military instructed people to evacuate from part of the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.

The military said it would soon operate in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah. Israel launched a major offensive on the city in May.

People were ordered to evacuate on foot along a single route to the Mawasi area. It was not immediately known if the evacuation order meant Israeli forces would renew ground operations.

ISRAEL ORDERS IDF TO SEIZE MORE GAZA TERRITORY IF HAMAS DOESN'T RELEASE HOSTAGES

"Remaining in camps, tents, or houses in Tel al-Sultan or walking on any other route endangers your lives and the lives of your family members," military spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee said in a statement.

Hamas said that Salah Bardawil, a member of its political bureau, was killed in a strike in Mawasi along with his wife. Bardawil, who was also a member of the Palestinian parliament, was a well-known member of the Hamas' political wing who spoke to the media over the years.

Two hospitals in southern Gaza said they received the bodies of 17 people killed in the strikes, including several women and children. Bardawil and his wife were not included in this number.

The European Hospital said five children and their parents killed in a strike in Khan Younis were among the deceased. Another family of two girls and their parents were killed in a separate strike. The Kuwaiti Hospital said it had received the bodies of a woman and child killed in another strike.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said Israeli forces were blocking its ambulances from responding to strikes in Rafah and that several of its medics had been wounded.

Israel's ceasefire with Hamas ended last week when the Jewish State launched a series of airstrikes, killing hundreds of Palestinians.

The ceasefire started in January, pausing a 15-month war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Twenty-five Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others were released during the ceasefire in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Negotiations were supposed to begin in early February on the next phase of the truce, in which Hamas was called to free the remaining 59 hostages — including 35 who are believed to be dead — in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

CEASEFIRE OVER AS ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA AFTER HAMAS REFUSED TO RELEASE HOSTAGES, OFFICIALS SAY

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However, those negotiations never began, and Israel backed out of the ceasefire deal after Hamas refused Israeli and U.S.-backed proposals to free more hostages ahead of any talks on a lasting truce.

Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. Most of the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, but Israeli forces rescued eight alive and recovered dozens of bodies.

Israel's offensive has killed nearly 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run government's Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are allies of Hamas, launched another missile at Israel, but the Israeli military said the projectile was intercepted. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Germany has temporarily closed its embassy in South Sudan's capital Juba because of rising tensions that have brought the East African country to the verge of civil war, the German foreign ministry said on Saturday.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir this week sacked the governor of Upper Nile state, where clashes have escalated between government troops and an ethnic militia he accuses of allying with his rival, First Vice President Riek Machar.

EU DENIES INTENT TO DELAY SOUTH SUDAN ELECTIONS

The standoff has heightened concerns that the world's newest nation could slide back into conflict some seven years after its emergence from a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

"After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war," the German foreign ministry wrote on x.

"President Kiir and Vice President Machar are plunging the country into a spiral of violence. It's their responsibility to end this senseless violence & finally implement the peace agreement."

South Sudan's United Nations peacekeeping chief, Nicholas Haysom, has also said he is concerned the country is "on the brink of relapse into civil war".

Gemelli Hospital medical director Dr. Sergio Alfieri announced Saturday that Pope Francis is expected to be discharged on Sunday. 

The Vatican also announced that the pontiff would appear publicly on Sunday morning to bless the faithful from his 10th floor suite at the hospital. He will then return to the Vatican. 

At a press conference, Alfieri said the Holy Father experienced "two very critical episodes" during his hospitalization when his life was in danger but has since shown a "slow but progressive" improvement due to "pharmacological therapy, the administration of high flow oxygen and assisted mechanical ventilation." The pope, however, was never intubated and never lost consciousness, Alfieri said. 

Alfieri said Saturday that Francis will require at least two months of rest and rehabilitation as he continues recovering back at the Vatican. He said doctors advise the pontiff not to meet large groups or activities in public during that recovery time.

Alfieri was joined by the head physician of the Vatican's Health and Hygiene Office, Luigi Carbone, and the pope's spokesperson, Matteo Bruni, in the entry hall of Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where Pope Francis has been treated since Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. The pope was hospitalized for 38 days while battling a life-threatening case of pneumonia in both lungs, his doctors said. 

KING CHARLES III TO MEET POPE FRANCIS DURING VISIT TO VATICAN NEXT MONTH

The pope experienced "acute respiratory failure due to a polymicrobial infection," Alfieri said. 

The Saturday evening briefing was the first in-person update on the pontiff's condition since Feb. 21, a week after the 88-year-old Francis was brought to Gemelli hospital. He subsequently experienced several respiratory crises that landed him in critical condition, though he has since stabilized. Due to the double pneumonia, Alfieri told reporters that the pope's voice has been damaged but that it will improve with time. 

The doctor added that recovery would best continue away from the hospital, where exposure to viruses risks weakening the Holy Father's condition. Alfieri said the pope did not have COVID-19, but he had been exposed to various viruses.

While Francis released an audio message on March 6 and the Vatican distributed a photo of him March 16, Sunday’s blessing will be the first live appearance since Francis was admitted on Feb. 14 for what has become the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease, is prone to respiratory problems in winter and had part of one lung removed as a young man. 

When the pope was admitted, doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. 

Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions, according to officials.

The most serious setbacks began on Feb. 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing fit and inhaled vomit, requiring him to use a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises in the following days, which required doctors to manually aspirate the mucus, at which point he began sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluids.

Over the past two weeks, the Vatican press office reported that the pope has stabilized, no longer needs to wear the ventilation mask at night, and is cutting back his reliance on high flows of supplemental oxygen during the day.

Alfieri said the pope does not have double pneumonia anymore but still has some infections and must continue to heal.

Fox News' Courteney Walsh and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump's administration’s use of Elon Musk's DOGE to cut USAID spending is having a deep impact on the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), according to internal U.N. emails shared with Fox News Digital.

In an email sent early Friday morning, president of the U.N. Field Staff Union, Milan Victor Dawoh wrote that the USAID funding cut resulted in "approximately $30 million" having been "removed from the extra-budgetary (XB) resources, resulting in a significant reduction in staffing." 

Dawoh’s email warns that the U.N. "is currently experiencing its worst liquidity crisis since its establishment. The situation is expected to deteriorate further before any improvement occurs."

Dawoh said that UNDSS will lose 100 employees and that its presence will be eliminated in 35 to 45 countries, while noting that "regional hubs" will be established "in the remaining 120 countries where UNDSS will maintain a presence." 

‘UN80 INITIATIVE’ APPEARS TO SHOW WORLD BODY’S PANIC OVER POSSIBLE DOGE-LIKE CUTS

"The [under secretary-general of UNDSS] emphasized that UNDSS is not a protection agency but a risk management and analysis entity," the email reads. "This distinction should be clearly communicated to staff."

The Department’s website describes the UNDSS as "a global leader in security risk management principles" and explains that it "enables the safe and effective delivery of United Nations programmes and activities in the most complex and challenging environments, while maximizing resources." 

Fox News Digital asked Dawoh about the authenticity of the email and what portion of the UNDSS budget was paid for by USAID, but received no response.

Earlier this month, António Guterres warned about cuts to U.S. spending at the U.N., stating that "going through with recent funding cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe, and less prosperous."

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, told Fox News Digital that UNDSS only received about $20 million from USAID last year. "USAID informed us that some of this funding has been terminated; other projects will continue with USAID support," he said. 

Whereas Dawoh’s email indicates that the UNDSS’s loss of funding is related to a cut in extra-budgetary resources, Haq stated that "extra budgetary funding from USAID is a relatively small proportion of the Department's budget, most of which comes from the U.N. regular budget, a U.N. cost-sharing mechanism, and the peace support account."

According to Haq, UNDSS has 2,250 personnel around the globe, "supporting the security of — and enabling operations by — 180,000 U.N. personnel." Haq added that "the majority of the Department's workforce is in the field, with a much smaller percentage in New York HQ. U.N. personnel serving in the world's most dangerous places deserve effective security as they work to save lives."

PAUSE IN US FOREIGN AID HAS UN IN PANIC OVER FUNDING CUTS, TRUMP SAYS WORLD BODY 'NOT BEING WELL RUN'

Haq said that an email sent to multiple U.N. mailing groups on Mar. 19 mentioning the funding-related closure of one staff entrance to U.N. headquarters was unrelated to UNDSS. "Funding for the UNHQ premises does not come from USAID," Haq explained. He said that the temporary closure is the result, instead, of some member states’ non-payment of dues.

A U.N. source speaking on condition of anonymity said that in the midst of financial uncertainty, U.N. staff "are very fearful of their immediate future." The source said that concerns include the ability to collect pensions and access their United Nations Federal Credit Union accounts. The source indicated that because "most of these staffers that are losing their jobs are . . . on G-4 visas," the change may even impact their ability to stay in the U.S. 

"This is an implication beyond just losing the jobs of individuals. It impacts families, and this could be massive in the coming weeks with new cuts that will impact U.N. agencies."

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for insight on how employees would be impacted by layoffs but received no response.

Calls for increased U.N. reform come a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a review of funding to the U.N. At the time, Trump said that the world body "has tremendous potential" but is "not being well run." 

As Israel comes into focus amid the ongoing war against Hamas, antisemitism has risen across the globe. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said it recorded over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. between Oct. 7, 2023, and Oct. 6, 2024. The ADL said it was the highest number of incidents ever recorded in a single year since it began tracking such data in 1979. 

In the aftermath of the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, protests erupted on university campuses and in the streets of major cities. In fact, on Oct. 8, 2023 —just one day after the massacre and before Israel’s retaliation — a crowd gathered in Times Square to celebrate the attackers and condemn the victims.

PRO-ISRAEL INFLUENCER SAYS STUDENTS AT ELITE UNIVERSITY SHOWED ANTISEMITISM 'WITHIN SECONDS' OF GOING UNDERCOVER

"The very same lethal antisemitism that fueled the atrocities, the war crimes, the crimes against humanity perpetrated on October the 7th is the antisemitism that fuels the responses to the atrocities, to the war crimes, to the crimes against humanity perpetrated on October the 7th," Israel’s special envoy for combating antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh told Fox News Digital. 

Cotler-Wunsh warns there is a "global tsunami" of antisemitism, and anti-Zionism is a "new strain" of "an ever-mutating lethal virus."

"If we track these moments in which we've seen this unfathomable backlash, we could track it to the execution — [the] point-blank execution of six of the hostages who were held in captivity—one, of course, being American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin," Cotler-Wunsh told Fox News Digital.

ADL ALLEGES WIKIPEDIA EDITORS ENGAGING IN 'COORDINATED CAMPAIGN' AGAINST ISRAEL

"And the understanding that in response to that point-blank execution, instead of seeing outrage in the streets — including in New York City — what we saw was support for Hamas, the executioners, if you will. Hamas, a genocidal terror organization designated as such by the United States of America."

While antisemitism was on the rise prior to Oct. 7, the attacks "ripped off many, many masks," according to Cotler-Wunsh. However, she emphasizes that this is not just a problem for Jewish people; this is a warning shot for humanity.

"What we have seen systematically in this normalization historically through time is that antisemitism, when it comes to this state of normalized mainstream lethal hate, just predicts what is a major threat to freedom, humanity, and the dignity of difference."

When speaking about the protests seen at universities across America, Cotler-Wunsh pointed to the examples of professors who either praised or downplayed the Oct. 7 attacks, including Cornell professor Russell Rickford, who described the massacre as "exhilarating." She believes that schools need to start consistently applying policies and cracking down on systemic violations of those policies, such as the anti-Israel demonstrations seen on so many campuses.

"No rule that is not applied equally and consistently is worth the paper that it is written on," Cotler-Wunsh told Fox News Digital.

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However, Cotler-Wunsh says that enforcing rules is only the first step. She believes institutions across the globe, not just universities, need to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

The IHRA definition states: "Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."

While criticizing Israel is not necessarily an antisemitic act, even under the IHRA’s definition, "claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor" is considered antisemitic by the IHRA’s standards.

Countries and institutions across the globe, such as the U.S. and the United Nations, have adopted the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism. The Combat Antisemitism Movement says that as of Feb. 1, 2025, 1,266 entities have adopted the definition, which includes national and local governments, as well as international organizations.

As top U.S. officials prepare for a meeting with a Russian delegation in Saudia Arabia Sunday, questions have mounted over how the Trump administration will push Moscow to extend a preliminary ceasefire. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week agreed to temporarily halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which includes Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who will both travel to Jeddah for the negotiations, said the next step will be to secure a ceasefire over the Black Sea.

MILITARY LEADERS TO MEET ON UK-FRANCE 'COALITION OF THE WILLING' PLAN FOR UKRAINE

Moscow had previously agreed to a similar deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in 2022, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which attempted to secure Ukrainian exports of agricultural products to control global prices, but Putin pulled out of the agreement in 2023. 

Security experts remain unconvinced that Putin can be trusted this time around.

But there is another issue that apparently will be on the negotiating table in the Middle East — Ukraine’s nuclear power. 

As the president’s focus on a mineral deal with Ukraine appears to have diminished, he has turned his interest to a new business venture, U.S. "ownership" of Kyiv’s "electrical supply and nuclear power plants."

"American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure," a joint statement released by Rubio and Waltz said after Trump’s phone call Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

TRUMP HOLDS 'VERY GOOD' CALL WITH ZELENSKYY FOLLOWING DEAL WITH PUTIN

When asked by Fox News Digital how Putin, who has made his interest in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant clear, will respond to Trump’s new ambitions, Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and author of "Putin’s Playbook," said she does not think it will go over well. 

"Putin almost certainly is not in favor of this idea and will attempt to sabotage such a deal," said Koffler, who briefed NATO officials of Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine years before the 2022 invasion. "Moreover, Zelenskyy is unlikely to sign off on such a deal also.

"Zelenskyy would likely agree to cede control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to the U.S., which is currently under Russian control. The Russians will not voluntarily give up control of Zaporizhzhia. If someone tries to take it over by force, they will fight to the bitter end."

It is unclear when Trump’s interest in acquiring Ukraine’s energy infrastructure began, though it appears to tie into his previous assertions that Ukraine will be better protected if it has American workers and businesses operating within its borders. 

The basis of this argument has been debated because there were, and remain, American companies operating in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion. The debate contributed to an Oval Office blowup between Trump and Zelenskyy last month. 

Koffler said Putin could view a U.S. takeover of Kyiv’s four nuclear power plants as a "backdoor way" for the U.S. to extend some security guarantees for Ukraine and a "clever way of controlling Ukraine’s nuclear capability, which the Russians believe can be militarized."

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE RUSSIA, UKRAINE CEASEFIRE TALKS?

"It would be viewed as a threat to Russia," Koffler said.

When asked how U.S. ownership of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure could affect negotiations, former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital he is not convinced it will have much of an effect on actually securing peace. 

"Show me the deal. We don't have a deal yet. We have a ceasefire that's been broken on energy infrastructure," Hoffman pointed out. He noted that even after Putin agreed to stop attacking Ukraine’s infrastructure on Tuesday, the following morning a drone strike hit a railway power system in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which led to civilian power outages. 

"It's just another discussion point. There are so many other issues that are of far greater importance. What Putin would probably do for his negotiating strategy is to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I'll let you do that United States of America, but I want this in return’. It's always going to be that way," Hoffman added, reflecting on his own negotiations with Russian counterparts during his time with the CIA.

"He wants Ukraine. He wants to topple the government. That's his objective," Hoffman added. "Whatever deals he agrees to in the short term, what he really wants to do is destroy Ukraine's ability to deter Russia in the future and to give Russia maximum advantage. 

"Right now, he can gain through negotiation what he can't gain on the battlefield." 

While a number of issues will be discussed, the former CIA Moscow station chief said the real key in accomplishing any kind of ceasefire will need to be an authentic signal from Putin that he actually wants the war to end.

"The big question that John Ratcliffe has to answer is explain to me why Putin wants a ceasefire. I would argue he doesn't," Hoffman said in reference to the director of the CIA. "There is zero indication that he wants one.

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"If he wanted to stop the war and stop the killing of his own people and stop spilling so much blood and treasure, he would have stopped it," Hoffman argued.

Ultimately, Hoffman said, when looking at how most major wars have concluded, history suggests the war in Ukraine can only truly end on the battlefield.

"One side loses, one side wins, or both sides don't have the means to fight anymore," Hoffman said. "That's how the wars end."

Sudan's military on Friday retook the Republican Palace in Khartoum, the last heavily guarded bastion of rival paramilitary forces in the capital, after nearly two years of fighting.

The seizure of the Republican Palace, surrounded by government ministries, was a major symbolic victory for Sudan's military against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces — though it likely doesn't mean the end of the war as the RSF holds territory in Sudan's western Darfur region and elsewhere.

SUDAN'S ARMY DENOUNCES VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWING ITS TROOPS CARRYING SEVERED HEADS OF ENEMIES

Social media videos showed Sudanese soldiers inside the palace, giving the date as the 21st day of Ramadan, the holy Muslim fasting month, which corresponds to Friday. A Sudanese military officer wearing a captain’s epaulettes made the announcement in the video and confirmed the troops were inside the compound.

The palace appeared to be in ruins, with soldiers’ stepping on broken tiles. Troops carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers chanted: "God is the greatest!"

Khaled al-Aiser, Sudan’s information minister, said the military had retaken the palace in a post on the social platform X.

"Today the flag is raised, the palace is back and the journey continues until victory is complete," he wrote.

Later, curious residents wandered through the palace. Walls stood pockmarked by rifle rounds. Smears of blood led to dead bodies, covered haphazardly with blankets.

Palace's fall a symbolic and strategic moment

The fall of the Republican Palace — a compound along the Nile River that was the seat of government before the war erupted and is immortalized on Sudanese banknotes and postage stamps — marks another battlefield gain for Sudan’s military, which has made steady advances in recent months under army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan.

It also means that the rival RSF fighters, under Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have been mostly expelled from the capital, Khartoum. Sporadic gunfire could be heard throughout the capital Friday, though it wasn't clear if it involved fighting or was celebratory.

Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesperson for the Sudanese military, said its troops are holding the palace, surrounding ministry buildings and the Arab Market to the south of the complex.

Khartoum International Airport, only some 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) southeast of the palace, has been held by the RSF since the start of the war in April 2023.

Suleiman Sandal, a politician associated with the RSF, acknowledged the military took the palace and called it part of "the ups and downs" of history.

The RSF later issued a statement claiming its forces "are still present of the vicinity of the area, fighting bravely." A drone attack on the palace believed to have been launched by the RSF reportedly killed troops and journalists with Sudanese state television.

Late Thursday, the RSF claimed it seized control of the Sudanese city of al-Maliha, a strategic desert city in North Darfur near the borders with Chad and Libya. Sudan’s military has acknowledged fighting around al-Maliha, but has not said it lost the city.

Al-Maliha is around 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the city of El Fasher, which remains held by the Sudanese military despite near-daily strikes by besieging RSF.

The head of the U.N. children’s agency has said that Sudan's conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. UNICEF on Friday separately decried the looting of food aid meant to go to malnourished children at Al Bashir Hospital on Khartoum's outskirts.

"Commercial supplies and humanitarian aid have been blocked for more than three months due to ongoing conflict along key routes," UNICEF warned. "The result is a severe shortage of food, medicine and other essentials, with thousands of civilians trapped in active fighting."

The war has killed more than 28,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes and left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine sweeps parts of the country. Other estimates suggest a far higher death toll.

The Republican Palace became the seat of power during the British colonization of Sudan. It also saw some of the first flags of independent Sudan raised in 1956. The complex had also been the main office of Sudan’s president and other top officials.

The Sudanese military has long targeted the palace and its grounds, shelling and firing on the compound.

Sudan has faced years of chaos and war

Sudan, a nation in northeastern Africa, has been unstable since a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. A short-lived transition to democracy was derailed when Burhan and Dagalo led a military coup in 2021.

The RSF and Sudan’s military began fighting each other in 2023.

Since the start of the year, Burhan’s forces, including Sudan’s military and allied militias, have advanced against the RSF. They retook a key refinery north of Khartoum, pushed in on RSF positions around Khartoum itself. The fighting has led to an increase in civilian casualties.

Al-Bashir faces charges at the International Criminal Court over carrying out a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s in the western Darfur region with the Janjaweed militia, the RSF precursor. Rights groups and the U.N. accuse the RSF and allied Arab militias of again attacking ethnic African groups in this latest war.

Since the war began, both the Sudanese military and the RSF have faced allegations of human rights abuses. Before U.S. President Joe Biden left office, the State Department declared the RSF are committing genocide.

The military and the RSF have denied committing abuses.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Friday that the U.S. could receive "severe slaps" if they act "with malice" following President Donald Trump’s threats to Yemen’s Houthis, a report said. 

Americans "make a big mistake and call regional resistance centers Iranian proxies. What does proxy mean?" Khamenei said, according to Reuters. "The Yemeni nation has its own motivation and the resistance groups in the region have their own motivations. Iran doesn't need proxies." 

"They issue threats," Khamenei reportedly added, claiming that "we have never started a confrontation or conflict with anyone." 

"However, if anyone acts with malice and initiates it, they will receive severe slaps," he was quoted by Reuters as saying. 

IRAN’S REACTION TO TRUMP’S HOUTHI THREATS, EXPLAINED 

Trump said Monday that "every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!"  

"Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.   

TRUMP VINDICATED AS EXPLOSIVE REPORT CONFIRMS IRAN SUPERVISES HOUTHI ‘POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS’ 

"Iran has played 'the innocent victim' of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control," he continued. "They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, "Intelligence.'" 

U.S. Central Command said Saturday it had "initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation."    

Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday that he "ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen." 

Fox News’ Taylor Penley, Andrea Margolis and Lucas Y. Tomlinson contributed to this report. 

Gal Dalal has spent nearly a year and a half fighting for the release of his brother, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. 

Dalal wants the world to know who his brother was before he was a face on a poster and why getting Guy out of Gaza is urgent.

"So, my brother is the most warm-hearted man I know. He's a very, very funny guy," Dalal told Fox News Digital. "For me, he's actually my best friend. We share the same interests and hobbies and we do everything together."

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE TELLS UN, 'NO MORE EXCUSES,' SAYS AID IS FEEDING TERRORISTS

On Oct. 7, 2023, Guy was in the middle of experiencing his first-ever spiritual festival with his friends when Gal, a more seasoned festival goer, joined the group at approximately 6:15 a.m., less than 15 minutes before the attack began.

Dalal told Fox News Digital that when he arrived at the festival, an excited Guy ran up to hug him before pulling out his phone to take a selfie for their mother.

"That’s the only reason I went there [to the Nova music festival] was to watch over him. And, you know, the fact that I came back without him, I think that’s the worst part of it for me," Dalal told Fox News Digital.

Neither of the Dalal brothers could have known what was coming next. As the sirens began to sound, Dalal told Fox News Digital that he suggested that the group go to his apartment, and they agreed. While Dalal went in his own car, Guy decided to go with his friends. Dalal estimates that Guy and his friends took an additional 10 minutes before leaving the festival area. At this point, they were not alarmed despite the rocket sirens blaring.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SPEAKS FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HIS 505 DAYS OF SURVIVING HAMAS HELL

"We [are] used to these alarms. We [are] used to missiles attack and no one thought it's going to be a terror attack in this kind of scale," Dalal told Fox News Digital.

Safety protocol for rocket attacks is widely known in Israel. There are designated amounts of time to seek shelter depending on the location’s distance from Gaza. Many at the Nova festival ran to shelters on the side of the road, which would later turn out to be deadly. Hamas terrorists used the shelters to carry out mass killings. They would throw grenades into groups of people, many of whom did not survive.

Dalal told Fox News Digital that outside the festival, he sat in traffic for about 20 minutes before he heard shooting. From there, he spent hours running for his life. He was too far to go back for Guy, but the two were able to talk on the phone one last time before Guy was taken hostage.

The Dalal family found out on Oct. 7 that Guy and his best friend, Evyatar David, were taken hostage. Hamas published a video of the two kidnapped men already in Gaza. Guy and Evyatar went to the festival with two other friends, both of whom were killed.

Dalal and his family have spent the last 17 months advocating for the release of all the hostages, including Guy. 

"I always say that in one hand, we are so tired. We are literally on the edge. This fight is taking so much out of us, and the only thing that we really care about is my brother seeing him again, knowing that he's well and protecting him. Hug him. Help him to heal. We miss him so much, I miss him so much," Dalal told Fox News Digital.

Recently, the Dalal family received a sign of life, but it was not a relieving sight. Guy and Evyatar were forced to take part in a Hamas propaganda video, in which they were forced to sit in a van and watch hostages be released only to have the door slammed in their faces.

Dalal told Fox News Digital that the video brought him back to Oct. 7 and showed the "psychological torture" the families of hostages endure. He says it’s clear that his brother and Evyatar are being "starved to death."

"It scares me that this negotiation can take more time, and Guy doesn’t have the time," Dalal told Fox News Digital. However, he believes that President Donald Trump and the U.S. have the power to bring the hostages home.

In his fight for his brother’s freedom, Gal traveled to the U.S. and met with members of both the Biden and Trump administrations. He said that meeting the Trump officials felt "different" and that they understood that time is not on their side.

"I think that the only one who can really put the pressure and bring these hostages back and make sure that they will return to their families is President Trump and United States as a nation, you have the power of that, the power and the support that we need to make sure the hostages will return and will come back home," Dalal told Fox News Digital.

Taliban hostage George Glezmann landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday after more than 800 days in captivity in Afghanistan, where he received a "champion's welcome."

"I feel born again," Glezmann told Fox News.  "I have no words."

"President Trump is amazing," he added before thanking Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and hostage envoy Adam Boehler. 

TALIBAN FREES AMERICAN HOSTAGE GEORGE GLEZMANN FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS WITH US, QATAR

"A free American individual…abducted because of my U.S. passport."

"I've got no words to express my gratitude for my liberty," Glezmann added.

His wife, Aleksandra, arrived shortly after her husband landed, and the two embraced after she got out of the car for the first time since his Dec. 5, 2022, capture in Kabul. 

Ryan Corbett, who was released in January after nearly 900 days in Taliban captivity greeted Glezmann upon arrival.

Both Glezmann and Corbett were held together in Afghanistan.

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News of Glezmann's release was first revealed to Fox News Digital on Thursday after he departed from the Kabul International Airport headed for Doha, Qatar.

His release was secured by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler, and Qatari officials, who engaged in direct communications with the Taliban in Afghanistan.  

Boehler met Glezmann in Kabul before flying with him to the Maryland base located just outside of Washington,