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A cargo ship docked for repairs at a port on the northeastern coast of China caught fire Thursday, killing at least 25 people who were on board at the time, according to Chinese state media.

The ship was being fixed by Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in the port of Qingdao — one of the country's major shipping hubs — when it caught fire at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time, the Xinhua news agency reported.

A total of 42 people were on the vessel at the time of the blaze, and 12 of them were safely rescued, Xinhua reported. Five others were injured and taken to the hospital, where they are in stable condition.

CARGO SHIP ATTACKED BY SMALL CRAFT NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UK MARITIME AGENCY SAYS

Photos released by Xinhua identified the ship as the Ocean Melody. The ship-tracking website VesselFinder lists it as sailing under the Liberian flag.

The Associated Press reported that the fire was extinguished at around 2:30 p.m., a little over three hours after it started. Videos online showed plumes of white smoke billowing from the ship.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Chinese authorities have not said what sparked the blaze while the vessel was undergoing repairs.

TIM SHEEHY EXPOSES A 'SCARY' SHIPBUILDING COLLAPSE THAT LEAVES THE US VULNERABLE TO CHINA

China’s President Xi Jinping called for "intensified efforts" to provide support for those who were affected by the fire, Xinhua reported, adding that Premier Li Qiang said "trapped people" needed to be rescued.

Xi also called for ensuring "preventive measures are thoroughly implemented" and "resolutely prevent major and catastrophic accidents."

Beihai Shipbuilding is a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world's largest shipbuilder. According to the company's website, its primary businesses are shipbuilding and ship repair.

Qingdao, in China's Shandong province, is one of the country's busiest ports and a major center for shipbuilding, shipping and international trade. The port handles millions of containers each year and is home to several large shipyards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

At sundown on Friday, Sept. 11, as America marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, Jewish families across the country will welcome in Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year marking 5787.

They will enter synagogues at the moment of peak annual attendance, walking past armed guards, security cameras, secured doors and bag checks.

The convergence brings into focus how the Sept. 11 attacks transformed security in American synagogues and helped create the national infrastructure that now protects Jewish life.

FOX NEWS MEDIA ANNOUNCES EXTENSIVE 9/11 ANNIVERSARY COVERAGE FROM GROUND ZERO, PENTAGON AND SHANKSVILLE

When Rosh Hashanah began six days after the attacks in 2001, a security guard stationed outside a synagogue was still unusual. Twenty-five years later, security is no longer an occasional precaution. It has become a permanent precondition of Jewish communal life.

"The confluence of events, the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah, is really very meaningful to us," Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, told Fox News Digital. "If you trace the evolution of the security situation for the Jewish community in North America, you see that 9/11 really was a major turning point."

Before the attacks, Fingerhut said, synagogues may have relied on police to direct traffic during the High Holidays or installed basic alarm systems, but there was no widespread belief that Jewish communities needed protection from threats to their physical safety.

"That changed on 9/11," he said. "The Jewish community understood quite clearly that the people who attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacking America that day, but they had a special animus for the Jewish community and the Jewish people."

Fingerhut said that shift led Jewish Federations of North America to help create the Secure Community Network after 9/11, giving communities a model for protecting Jewish institutions and a unified channel to federal law enforcement.

For generations, Rosh Hashanah preparation meant apples and honey, prayer books and the shofar. Now the checklist also includes secured entrances, emergency plans and congregants standing watch while their neighbors pray.

The price of that new reality is staggering.

MARYLAND SYNAGOGUE SUES COUNTY OVER LAW RESTRICTING CONCEALED CARRY NEAR HOUSES OF WORSHIP

A national study by Jewish Federations of North America found that Jewish communal institutions spend an estimated $1 billion annually on security. Based on an examination of more than 4,500 institutions, that amounts to nearly $2.8 million every day simply to keep Jewish life open and accessible.

The organization leads the national initiative placing professional security directors across all 141 Federation communities.

Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, senior rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, described the contrast on his own block.

"If you walk past the churches on our block, the doors are wide open, inviting people in," Steinmetz told Fox News Digital. "But at our synagogue, there are security cameras, a double door system and a line of guards outside, at the cost of untold thousands of dollars."

That security is no longer reserved for major institutions or large cities. From New York and Florida to Michigan and Los Angeles, ordinary worshipers are training in situational awareness, access control, surveillance detection, emergency response and coordination with law enforcement.

The Community Security Service, or CSS, said more than 20,000 people completed its training in 2025. Of those, 6,100 volunteers protected 440 synagogues and nearly 100 Jewish events, logging more than 300,000 guard hours across 24 states.

The Secure Community Network, or SCN, provides national intelligence and coordination. In 2025, it recorded 4,400 incident reports, trained 40,000 people and made 851 referrals to law enforcement.

"While the threat environment accelerates, our community has never been more prepared, informed or engaged," Michael Masters, SCN’s national director and CEO, told Fox News Digital. "This year our Duty Desk logged nearly 3,200 threat incidents, pacing ahead of last year."

Steinmetz said threats to the Jewish community "exploded after Oct. 7th," adding that "the hatred of Israel encourages antisemites to come out of the woodwork."

The FBI recorded 1,528 hate crime incidents targeting Jews in 2025, representing 63% of the nation’s 2,408 religiously motivated incidents. Jews comprise roughly 2% of the U.S. population, yet incidents targeting Jews represented 14% of all hate crimes reported nationwide.

ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT

During the first eight months of 2026, major crime fell 6.2% across New York City while confirmed hate crimes targeting Jews rose 8%, from 212 to 229, according to new NYPD figures. That averages nearly one such crime every 25 hours.

Fox News Digital contacted NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch about the department’s High Holiday preparations. The NYPD said it will hold a briefing ahead of the holidays and provide additional security details at that time.

In neighboring New Jersey, the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said it is coordinating with the state Attorney General’s Office, New Jersey State Police, the FBI’s Newark field office, local law enforcement and community partners.

"Together, we are protecting houses of worship, helping ensure every New Jerseyan can practice their faith without fear, and keeping New Jersey safe and secure," NJOHSP said.

The coordination follows recent attacks on Jewish institutions.

On Aug. 14, a man was charged with allegedly disrupting a Friday night service attended by approximately 375 people at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue, damaging ceremonial candlesticks and assaulting a congregant and security guard. The charges against include federal hate crimes and damaging religious property resulting in bodily injury.

Five months earlier, an attacker inspired by Hezbollah rammed a pickup truck carrying gasoline and fireworks through the doors of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, according to the FBI. Armed with a rifle and hundreds of rounds, he struck one security guard and exchanged gunfire with others.

Inside were 140 children at the synagogue’s early childhood center. Every child and staff member escaped without physical injury and the guard survived.

For Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, the assault remains a powerful reminder of the need for vigilance as families prepare to gather.

"We take the security of our community with the utmost seriousness, and, of course, the assault on Temple Israel remains fresh in our minds," Ingber said. "We will enter the High Holidays vigilant and prepared. But we will also enter them with confidence and pride."

Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in suburban Detroit, who also serves as president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, said Jewish Michiganders are entering the new year "with a feeling of heaviness."

"From marking the 25th year since the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to marking six months since the terrorist attack on our community and especially our children, anxieties are heightened," Starr told Fox News Digital exclusively. "We enter with heaviness, but we are also filled with hope for a better tomorrow."

LOX & LOADED: JEWISH GUN GROUP PARTNERS WITH NRA AMID RISING ANTISEMITISM

"No family should have to weigh their safety against their faith," Fingerhut said.

Employing one full-time security guard costs an estimated $90,000 annually, according to Jewish Federations of North America. The organization is advocating for greater federal support through the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which would strengthen security assistance for at-risk nonprofit institutions.

For Jewish communities, the question is no longer whether security is necessary, but who will bear the growing cost of making worship possible.

SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER

Steinmetz called that cost "a vicious tax on the Jewish community," one "levied by the antisemites."

For Fingerhut, the purpose of security is not simply to prevent an attack. It is to ensure fear never determines whether a Jewish family participates in Jewish life.

"We do not want anyone to make the choice not to participate in Jewish life because they are afraid for their safety," Fingerhut said. "What we have learned is that the visible presence of security, and the real impact of that security, is what enables and encourages people to come out and participate in Jewish life."

Fingerhut’s message to Jewish communities in America and around the world was clear: do not retreat, but continue to "lean into Jewish life."

He said, "We will make sure that there is safety and security in place so that we can all feel confident in our involvement in Jewish life."

That is the purpose, according to the experts, of every guard, camera and volunteer: not to turn a synagogue into a fortress, but to ensure that Jewish life continues inside.

A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Norway for the king’s state funeral was "almost hit" by a drone as it prepared to take off from Moldova on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told public broadcaster NRK about the incident Wednesday, the outlet said, after Zelenskyy’s aircraft arrived safely in Oslo Tuesday evening.

"His plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. That is the reality he is facing," Støre said, without specifying how close the drone came to the Ukrainian leader's aircraft.

GERMANY BLAMES RUSSIA AFTER EXPLOSIVE-LADEN DRONE FOUND NEAR UKRAINIAN CARGO PLANES AT MAJOR AIRPORT

Later Wednesday, a Moldovan government spokesperson said two Russian drones were involved in the incident, with Zelenskyy’s departure to Oslo delayed after authorities closed the country’s airspace.

His aircraft was then cleared for takeoff once officials determined that one Russian drone had landed on Moldovan territory, a spokesperson told Reuters.

REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES

One landed in a field north of the capital, sparking a fire, while the other continued into Romanian airspace.

The incursions forced Chișinău International Airport to temporarily suspend arrivals and departures Tuesday, sending incoming flights into holding patterns or diverting them to neighboring countries, according to tracking data.

RUSSIA'S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT

Moldovan President Maia Sandu denounced the incursions as a "serious threat to people’s lives" and separately condemned a Russian drone strike on a border crossing with Ukraine that killed two people.

Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo Tuesday evening, where he discussed military aid, including air defense support and civilian assistance with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, according to Deutsche Welle.

The Institute for the Study of War also said a Russian Shahed drone flew through Moldovan and Romanian airspace for about an hour Tuesday before crashing in Moldova.

A Spanish opposition leader branded the country's socialist prime minister a traitor over his government's handling of the influx of migrants in a North African enclave.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the Vox party, spoke during a parliamentary session when he asked if Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was being blackmailed by Morocco amid the border crisis in Ceuta.

During his remarks, Abascal called Sánchez a "traitor" and "a dog."

FIREBRAND REP UNLOADS ON SOCIALIST PRIME MINISTER AS 'HORDES OF MILITARY AGED MEN' SWARM EUROPEAN COUNTRY

Sánchez responded in a heated back-and-forth, saying, "I may be a dog, but I have no master."

Abascal then held up sheets of paper one by one that spelled out "Traidor," Spanish for "Traitor." Sánchez then sat down.

Spain has seen major protests in response to the migrant arrivals in Ceuta, with critics blaming Sánchez for the crisis and some accusing him of pandering to Morocco.

LOCALS TORCH MIGRANT SHELTERS AS SPAIN'S PM POINTS BLAME BEYOND THE BORDER

More than 70,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in July. Most of them have returned to Morocco, but many remain in the enclave, with some living in tent encampments on the beach.

Meanwhile, Spain’s national intelligence agency issued multiple warnings before the mass crossing of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta in late July, according to declassified documents released by the government on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

"There are two different groups with a total of 180,000 followers," the declassified WhatsApp message said, "just to give you an idea of its scale."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian drones struck deep into Russia’s Arctic north Wednesday, sparking a fire at an industrial facility in Novy Urengoy, a city in the heart of Russia’s most important natural-gas producing region, according to Russian officials and the Associated Press.

Regional Gov. Dmitry Artyukhov said Russian air defenses repelled the attack but falling drone debris caused a fire at an industrial site. He did not identify the facility, and the extent of the damage was still being assessed, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Ukrainian defense manufacturer Fire Point appeared to claim involvement, posting: "Guess who covered more than 3,300 km and successfully hit the target."

The extraordinary strike comes as Washington makes a renewed push to end the more than four-year war even as Russia and Ukraine intensify long-range attacks on each other.

UKRAINE UNLEASHES MORE THAN 400 DRONES NEAR MOSCOW IN ONE OF WAR'S BIGGEST ATTACKS

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he had just spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested both Moscow and Kyiv may be prepared to negotiate.

"We had a great conversation. He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that would be very nice," Trump said.

Asked what was holding up an agreement, Trump pointed to the personal animosity between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling them "two people that hate each other."

"These are two people that are tired of fighting," Trump added.

Trump’s comments followed a weekend diplomatic push by U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who traveled to Moscow and Kyiv in an effort to revive negotiations. The talks produced no breakthrough, according to the Associated Press.

RUSSIAN STRIKES CONTINUE FOLLOWING VISIT BY WITKOFF AND KUSHNER TO KYIV

Russia resumed major missile and drone attacks on Kyiv shortly after the American delegation left Ukraine, killing five people and wounding 35 on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

A European intelligence source told Fox News Digital that the simultaneous diplomacy and military escalation reflects a long-standing dilemma for Western governments trying to engage Moscow.

"You have to talk, you have to explain," the source said, arguing that communication is necessary to prevent misunderstandings.

RUSSIA UNLEASHES NEARLY 600 MISSILES AND DRONES ON KYIV IN DEADLIEST STRIKE SINCE MAY

But the source said Russian officials can interpret Western outreach differently.

"Whenever you talk with them, they consider that this is a Western weakness," the source said, adding that the assessment was based in part on informal contacts with Russian officials.

The source also said Putin’s recent emphasis on Russian "military progress in Ukraine" appeared aimed in part at Washington, projecting strength as U.S. officials seek to revive negotiations.

The escalation is taking an increasing toll on civilians. The United Nations said last month that Russian attacks killed or wounded more Ukrainian civilians in July than in any month since March 2022, with 437 killed and more than 2,600 wounded.

More than 16,800 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and more than 51,000 wounded since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians and says its strikes are aimed at military and military-related facilities.

DRONE OFFENSIVE HITS RUSSIAN OIL TANKERS AND REFINERIES AT 'INDUSTRIAL SCALE' AS MOSCOW BANS DIESEL EXPORTS

United24 described Wednesday’s attack as the deepest Ukrainian drone strike inside Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Novy Urengoy lies roughly 1,740 miles from Ukraine’s border. Artem Zhoga, Putin’s envoy to Russia’s Urals Federal District, said a Ukrainian drone had attempted to strike a fuel-and-energy facility in Yamal, according to Meduza.

The city sits in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the country’s dominant natural-gas producing region. About 80% of Russia’s natural gas is extracted there, according to Interfax data cited by the Associated Press.

Artyukhov said there were no reported casualties.

The attack was part of a broader Ukrainian drone assault on Russia. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces also struck targets around the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, including a naval base, an oil-loading terminal, military port facilities and warships capable of carrying cruise missiles, according to the Associated Press.

Russian authorities said four people, including a child, were killed and 29 wounded in the Novorossiysk attack.

Russia, meanwhile, continued its own long-range campaign against Ukraine Wednesday. Russian drones struck the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, killing two civilians and wounding three, while another wave of attacks on Kyiv killed one person and wounded 14, according to Reuters.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israel’s move to advance construction in the strategically significant E1 area between Ma’ale Adumim on the West Bank and Jerusalem has triggered growing backlash, with Britain announcing sanctions and 11 other countries threatening or considering trade restrictions on Jewish communities in the disputed area.

The Netanyahu government last month announced tenders for the first 1,400 of roughly 3,400 housing units in E1, a 4.6-square-mile area that would expand the built-up connection between Ma’ale Adumim, a city of about 40,000 people in the Judean Desert, and the Israeli capital.

European governments have strongly opposed the move, with Britain’s left-wing ruling party announcing sanctions Tuesday.

BRITAIN’S DRAMATIC CRACKDOWN ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS SPARKS FIERCE RESPONSE AS US BLOWBACK LOOMS

U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on products from Judea and Samaria, saying the government in London "believes the unlawfulness of the occupation should be reflected in the economic relationship we choose to have with the occupied territories."

The foreign ministers of 11 additional countries — Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden — said Tuesday in a joint statement they intend to impose or are actively considering trade restrictions on goods from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Doron Spielman, international spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, told Fox News Digital the E1 project has been underway for years and is located in Area C of the West Bank, which, according to the Oslo Accords, is under full Israeli security and civilian control.

"The Israeli government believes E1 is the natural extension of the area of Ma’ale Adumim, which is an area where Jews live freely within 3 miles of our biblical capital, Jerusalem. I don’t understand why the world is so focused on a hilltop in the middle of Judea, which is the biblical national homeland of the Jewish people," he said.

Spielman stressed that "at no point in time, in any agreement that Israel ever made, was E1 ever slated to become part of a Palestinian state."

"E1 doesn’t affect Palestinian freedom of movement; that’s a myth. ... Palestinian propaganda is trying to create an international issue about something that is very basic regarding Jews living in their homeland," he added.

HOLY LAND BATTLE: SOLOMON'S POOLS BECOME FLASHPOINT IN FIGHT OVER ISRAEL'S BIBLICAL HERITAGE

While not explicitly commenting on E1, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, as President Donald Trump has made clear, the United States does not support the annexation of the West Bank.

"Such actions could be counterproductive to the president’s comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza and undermine our broader efforts to achieve regional peace and stability," the spokesperson said.

Ashraf al-Ajrami, a former Palestinian Authority minister of Prisoners Affairs, told Fox News Digital there is no scenario in which the Palestinian Authority would agree to construction in E1.

"The whole international community refutes this plan because they understand the objective of it. It’s not a plan that helps settlers to grow; it’s a plan to destroy the hope of having a two-state solution. It is the opposite of the Palestinian national rights of self-determination and statehood," he said.

"The Israeli government has ignored all the ultimatums from the European Union and even the objections from the American administration up to this point. They will start to build the units merely to divide the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and cut the contiguity between East Jerusalem and our villages in the area."

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told Fox News Digital the E1 project is controversial because the U.S. and other governments that support a two-state solution believe construction there would divide the West Bank and prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.

"The Oslo Accords do not prohibit Israeli settlement construction, nor do they stipulate that the accords’ outcome must be a two-state solution," he said.

"Therefore, this is not a violation of the Oslo Accords. It may violate the spirit of the accords, but there have been many thousands of violations of their spirit. The Second Intifada was a violation of the spirit of the Oslo Accords," he added, referring to the Palestinian terror campaign against Israel from 2000 to 2005, which was marked by suicide bombings targeting civilians.

EXCLUSIVE: ISRAEL SEIZES VAST IRAN TERROR AXIS ARSENAL WITH SURPRISING FOREIGN ORIGINS

Naomi Kahn, international director of Regavim, an NGO dedicated to protecting Israel’s national lands, resources and the rule of law, told Fox News Digital the Palestinian Authority made the plan controversial 30 years ago when it approached the U.S. administration at the time.

"The Rabin government had actually announced plans to develop the Ma’ale Adumim area, and the PA claimed that if Israel built in E1, it would spell the end of any possibility of a Palestinian state," she said.

While that claim is false in physical terms, Kahn said, it has carried political significance because the PA has made E1 a battleground and involved international actors from the outset.

"E1 has been at the heart of efforts to essentially globalize the push to remove the State of Israel from all of Judea and Samaria," she said.

Kahn noted that some of the countries pushing for sanctions against Israel have spent the past 20 years actively financing and supporting illegal Arab construction in E1, while Palestinian Authority outposts have increasingly mushroomed throughout Judea and Samaria.

She said Regavim first went to court about 16 years ago over the illegal construction of these outposts and has since won six times.

"Still, nothing has happened," said Kahn, whose organization was recently among four Israeli civil society organizations sanctioned by the European Union over allegations that they support "settler violence" and undermine prospects for a Palestinian state.

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital E1 is a critical security corridor that would help protect Jerusalem from Palestinian terrorism and encroachment into areas under Israeli security and administrative control under the Oslo Accords.

Diker said Israel is wary of another invasion following Oct. 7, this time from Palestinian Arab towns, cities and villages across Judea and Samaria.

"There are tens of thousands of machine guns, other weapons and ammunition smuggled into Palestinian villages, towns and cities, and there is deep concern that, particularly in communities in the E1 area, they could cut off the road between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim, creating another existential threat," Diker said.

For the international community, Diker said, the political disagreement over E1 is rooted in the period when Israel and the Palestinian Authority were expected to negotiate the final status of a peace agreement.

"Since then, we’ve had the terror war of 2000, followed by four terror wars waged by Hamas, culminating in Oct. 7. The geopolitical and security reality has completely shifted, but the international community’s mindset has not. For them, it’s a political issue; for us, it’s an existential one," he added.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced on Tuesday that the U.S. sank another vessel characterized as a "floating refueling station" linked to drug trafficking efforts.

"On September 8, under the direction of #SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) forces successfully interdicted a floating refueling station supporting illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific," SOUTHCOM noted in a post on X.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel's involvement with the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization. Individuals removed from the vessel have been transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. After clearing the vessel and disembarking the crew, U.S. forces sank it," the post continued.

AMERICANS WARNED OF KIDNAPPING, EXTORTION AS VIOLENT CRIME GRIPS PARTS OF TOURIST SPOT

"JTF-WHEM continues to conduct precise and professional operations to dismantle the logistical networks fueling narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere," SOUTHCOM added.

The post was the latest in a string of similar announcements about the U.S. sinking vessels serving as refueling stations linked with the Los Choneros, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

US FORCES SINK NARCO-REFUELING STATION LINKED TO ECUADORIAN CARTEL IN PACIFIC: SOUTHCOM

"The Ecuador-based gang Los Choneros is a major driver of destabilizing violence in Ecuador," according to a counterterrorism guide.

"Los Choneros engages in a range of violent and criminal activities, including hired killings; kidnappings; political assassinations; and the smuggling of weapons, explosives, and drugs," the document notes.

US MILITARY BOARDS, SEARCHES AND SINKS VESSEL ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTING LOS CHONEROS NARCO-TERRORISTS

"Los Choneros uses prisons and illegal gold mines as operational bases and cooperates with the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel and with Albanian cartels to facilitate drug shipments globally," the guide states.

The State Department said Tuesday it is aware of approximately 70 Americans who remain unaccounted for in the Nepal-China border region following last month's catastrophic flooding, while 18 Americans have now made it to safety.

"We extend our deepest sympathy to all those affected by the flooding in Nepal, and their families, and we reaffirm our enduring friendship with the Nepali people," a State Department official told Fox News.

"The Department of State remains in close contact with the families of Americans who remain unaccounted for and is committed to providing regular updates as more information becomes available."

ROUGHLY 80 AMERICANS STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR AFTER HIMALAYAN DISASTER KILLS 903, OFFICIALS SAY

Officials also urged Americans not to travel to the disaster zone, warning the region remains at risk for additional flash floods and landslides.

The latest update reduced the number of Americans unaccounted for from 75 to 70, while the number confirmed safe rose from 16 to 18.

Officials have not confirmed any American deaths.

RESCUERS USE ZIPLINES TO TRANSPORT TRAPPED CITIZENS AFTER DEVASTATING NEPAL FLOODS DECIMATE COUNTRY'S BRIDGES

As search efforts continue, Nepalese authorities said rescuers are concentrating on three hydropower project tunnels where they believe dozens of workers may still be trapped beneath debris left by the Aug. 26 glacier collapse that triggered devastating flooding along the Nepal-China border, according to Reuters.

"Our search operation is focused on finding survivors, including in tunnels. Our bigger focus is on the Chilime hydroelectric project, where we believe people are trapped, because there was a canteen, residency and arrangements for food," Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of Nepal's disaster authority, told Reuters.

DEATH TOLL FROM MUDSLIDES, FLOODING AT NEPAL-CHINA BORDER CLIMBS PAST 670; NEARLY 3,000 MISSING

The disaster has killed at least 1,399 people across Nepal and China's Tibet region, with more than 5,400 others still missing, according to authorities. 

Both governments have blamed climate change for the glacier collapse that unleashed the flooding.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Gilberto C. Teodoro, the Defense Secretary for the Philippines, publicly bashed China after he was handed a note outlining China's position on the South China Sea while he was speaking during the Seoul Defense Dialogue in South Korea on Tuesday.

While Teodoro was in the middle of speaking, a man in a white sports coat walked up behind him and placed a sheet of paper on the table beside him.

"I have a note here, I think this is from China," Teodoro said, stopping short in his remarks.

"And may I read it?" he asked the crowd, before proceeding to read aloud from the note.

"China's position on the South China Sea arbitration is clear, consistent and firm. They have no position. The arbitration violates fundamental principles of international law," the note read.

MASSIVE RISK IN SOUTH CHINA SEA EXPOSED AFTER FOUR-DAY POWER LOSS ON US NAVY DESTROYER

The note likely referred to the 2016 legal case that the Philippines brought against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The case, titled the South China Sea Arbitration, determined that China was unlawfully reclaiming land in the Philippines' territorial waters.

China has long rebuked the ruling and consistently accuses the Philippines of infringing on China's sovereignty in the disputed waters.

The long-running dispute has created a number of tense standoffs between the two countries' navies.

"How can you deal with a country in an international forum – beyond the question asked to me – disrespecting the organizers of this forum, how do you expect to deal with it civilly?" Teodoro asked the crowd.

"I ask you the question, is this the right paper to post to me when I'm being asked a question on the floor? And how will you treat this kind of behavior? It not only disrespects, shows, if this is a Chinese position sent to me, it not only disrespects international law, throwing UNCLOS to the floor and trampling upon it, but it also disrespects the basic decency accorded that should be accorded to our most gracious host, the Republic of Korea and the rest of the audience here," he continued.

RULE JAPANICA: AMERICA AND JAPAN ARE BUILDING THE ALLIANCE CHINA FEARS

"So, perhaps basic decency and behavior is what China needs to do. This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression. I will keep this paper as a memento of how desperate China is and how ineffective its position is in the face of a free audience. Thank you very much for the person who gave me this piece of paper. You have just done your country a great service," Teodoro added.

"I think it is well known to the public, to everyone here about the Philippine situation where we face challenges daily from the People's Republic of China which tries to occupy and illegally assert its presence over our territory and especially our exclusive economic zone. In contravention with the UNCLOS. We live in a very interconnected world, and there is no right for any state of that matter to appropriate an international common for its exclusive use or right, contrary to what the international norms clearly state. So the Philippines has been forced to enter into creative defense arrangements and alliances," Teodoro concluded.

Hungary has demanded that 10 individuals with the Russian mission depart the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Orban — who is not related to Hungary's former Prime Minister Viktor Orban — noted in a post on X that the 10 people had participated in actions that were "unacceptable" according to the Vienna Convention.

"Acting on my instructions, on Tuesday the relevant official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Russian ambassador to Hungary that, according to the assessment of the Hungarian authorities, 10 members of the Russian mission had engaged in activities in Hungary that are unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention. The Hungarian side has therefore called on the individuals in question to leave Hungary," she declared in the post.

RUSSIA'S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT

But Orban noted that Hungary is not cutting off diplomatic relations with Russia.

"This decision protects Hungary’s security and sovereignty. It does not imply breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia. Hungary intends to continue the necessary dialogue, based on mutual respect and adherence to the rules," she said in the post.

HUNGARY'S NEW LEADER ONCE IDOLIZED ORBÁN — NOW HE'S THE MAN WHO BROUGHT HIM DOWN

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in comments to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, vowed to provide "an appropriate response" to the expulsions.

Hungary is a member of the European Union.

European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said Tuesday that "we take note of Hungary’s legitimate decision" to expel the Russian diplomats.

Wigand noted that the move was an expected response due to "Russia’s persistent campaign in using hybrid attacks against the EU and its member states."

RUSSIA'S QUIETER NUCLEAR SUBMARINES THREATEN NATO, FORMER COMMANDER WARNS

Hungary is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which the U.S. is a founding member.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A supermarket manager in Mexico leapt to action Sunday, diving into the road to save a 3-year-old girl from oncoming traffic, security footage shows.

Luis Cruz, a manager at the Super King El Rey del Ahorro grocery store, sprinted after the girl who had wandered into the busy road and grabbed her while diving to the ground moments before she would have been hit by a silver minivan.

The girl had run out of the Puebla, Mexico, supermarket around 2 p.m. local time after slipping out of her mother’s grip, according to Mexican news outlet Tribuna Noticias.

The girl was initially chased by a woman, but the woman slipped and fell before she could grab the child.

WATCH: ICE OFFICER MAKES HEROIC RESCUE AFTER 6-YEAR-OLD GIRL HAS POOL EMERGENCY

Video shows Cruz quickly tackling the girl to the ground moments before a minivan crossed the lane she would have entered had Cruz not stopped her.

OFF-DUTY ICE OFFICER RELIES ON 'SIXTH SENSE' TO SAVE DROWNING CHILD BEFORE DELIVERING MESSAGE TO CRITICS

As car horns honk, Cruz grabs the girl, pulling her backwards as they both tumble safely to the ground in the lane closest to the store while the minivan screeches to a halt in the middle lane.

The grocery store, according to Tribuna Noticias, awarded Cruz with 20,000 Mexican pesos – roughly $1,184 – for his heroics.

CALIFORNIA LIFEGUARD SPEAKS OUT ON HEARTSTOPPING OCEAN RESCUE: 'I LOVE WHAT I DO'

Cruz also reportedly said he didn't think before taking action, and that as a father himself he was driven by paternal action. He also, Tribuna Noticias reported, urged parents to keep a watchful eye on their children.

Fox News Digital contacted Super King El Rey del Ahorro for confirmation and further comment.

The United Kingdom unveiled sweeping new measures targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, triggering an immediate diplomatic rupture with Israel and a sharp warning from a senior Trump administration official.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval, that Israel would close the British Consulate in Jerusalem and impose a series of countermeasures in response to the U.K. sanctions.

The Israeli measures also include removing British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, ending British activities training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank and denying entry to 12 British elected officials and other British nationals whom Israel accused of antisemitic or anti-Israel activity.

UK MOVES TO SANCTION ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS AS PM BURNHAM RISKS CLASH WITH TRUMP: REPORT

"Measures against Israel will not go unanswered," Sa’ar said. "Whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in the region."

The escalation came hours after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that Britain would ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements, target companies and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and refuse licenses for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the occupation.

The move is part of a coordinated push with France, Canada and other European partners amid what the governments described Tuesday as "unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion" in the West Bank, including Israel’s E1 project, which they argue threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. The measures come just weeks before world leaders gather for the U.N. General Assembly in New York and less than two months before Israel’s Oct. 27 election, adding diplomatic and political stakes to an already strained relationship between Israel and several of its traditional Western allies.

At the same time, the foreign ministers recognized Israel’s "legitimate security interests" and reiterated their condemnation of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack, which they described as "the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust." They said their objective remained a two-state solution allowing Israel and "a sovereign, democratic and viable Palestinian state" to live side by side in peace and security.

UK DEFENSE SHORTFALLS HIGHLIGHTED AS BRITAIN AVOIDS IRAN OFFENSIVE ROLE AMID TRUMP CRITICISM

The timing has also become a political issue inside Britain. An unnamed Labor MP told The Telegraph that Prime Minister Andy Burnham had faced pressure from colleagues worried about Gaza-related campaigning and losing seats to the Greens, while Israeli officials have accused London of trying to influence Israel’s election — claims the British government rejects as it frames the measures as an effort to preserve the two-state solution.

"Today, I announce that the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful," Miliband told lawmakers Tuesday.

Miliband opened the statement by describing himself as a "proud British Jew" with "the deepest gratitude to the State of Israel," recalling how his grandmother found refuge there after losing her husband and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis.

He stressed that the measures were aimed at settlements rather than Israel itself.

"The sanctions regime will target illegal settlement and settlement expansion. Not Israel," Miliband said, adding that Britain would continue to support trade with Israel inside the Green Line and that he "wholeheartedly" opposed the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Miliband also condemned rising antisemitism in Britain, saying, "Holding British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism, plain and simple."

He reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, called for Hamas to disarm and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure under the U.S. -led 20-point Gaza plan, and announced sanctions against Hezbollah financing institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan. He also said Britain was reimposing major economic sanctions on Iran and would continue security cooperation with Israel against shared threats.

The measures drew immediate criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who warned in an interview with BBC World Service Newsday that Britain could face economic repercussions in the United States.

ISRAELI OFFICIAL SAYS EU SANCTIONS REVEAL ANTISEMITISM HIDING BEHIND 'SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE MASK'

"I think without a doubt there will be," Huckabee said when asked whether the U.K. should expect consequences.

Huckabee pointed to Florida and other states with anti-boycott laws, arguing that British companies could face restrictions on doing business there.

"If the Brits do something like this with a partner, Israel, then they will not be able to do business in Florida," he said, warning of a "huge economic impact on British businesses."

He also challenged Britain’s policy on substantive grounds, arguing that Israel is permitted under the Oslo agreements to build communities in Area C and predicting that the sanctions would have "a very negative effect that does not meet whatever goal maybe that the Brits have."

In a separate portion of the BBC interview, Huckabee said, "I feel like that it's a discrimination against the Israeli government. It's a discrimination against the Jewish people. And I don't understand the rationale."

The Trump administration also made clear Tuesday that Washington would not join the coordinated sanctions push. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States does not want to see "anything destabilizing" in the West Bank, but said Washington would not follow Britain, France and Canada in blocking imports from Israeli settlements, according to Reuters.

IS ISRAEL REALLY ISOLATED? POLLS AND DIPLOMACY POINT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS

Sa’ar also accused London of interfering in Israel’s election campaign and said the settlement sanctions were driven by domestic British politics ahead of the Labor Party conference.

"The British move is morally distorted and constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and in its electoral process," he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Britain’s move a "grave miscalculation" Tuesday and argued that it amounted to "gross interference" in Israel’s upcoming election, according to a statement from his office.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president and founder of the Tel Aviv-based Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, also criticized the measures, arguing that the economic impact would be limited while the political consequences could be significant.

"These sanctions are not serious economic policy; they are political theater staged at Israel’s expense," Darshan-Leitner told Fox News Digital. She disputed Britain’s legal characterization of the territory, saying, "The territories are disputed, not sovereign Palestinian land, and their future must be negotiated by the parties under the Oslo framework."

Darshan-Leitner also argued that because little of the roughly $8 billion in annual U.K.-Israel trade originates in West Bank settlements, the measures would have little direct economic effect while potentially influencing Israel’s political debate ahead of elections.

Miliband, however, argued that failing to act would allow continued settlement expansion to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution. He focused particularly on Israel’s E1 project east of Jerusalem, which Britain and numerous other governments say threatens the territorial viability of a future Palestinian state.

Sa'ar rejected Britain’s position that the E1 settlement project threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.

UK PINS STRING OF ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS ON IRAN-LINKED GROUP, BANS IRGC

The policy has also exposed divisions within Britain.

Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat acknowledged in Parliament that illegal settlements were wrong and that some settlers had committed "outrageous abuses" against Palestinians, but argued that the government’s response risked hurting ordinary Israelis and Palestinians.

"What we reject here is not the intent, but the performative politics," Tugendhat said, warning against acting without sufficiently broad international support.

Miliband rejected arguments that the measures were intended to isolate Israel.

"Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the U.K. has unshakable bonds," he said. "Our argument is with the conduct of its government."

Thieves made off with two valuable Renoir paintings after breaking into a small museum on the French Riviera early Tuesday, dropping two other stolen works in the garden as police raced to the scene, officials said.

The two thieves cut through a garden fence and entered the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer shortly before 6 a.m., stealing four paintings, Mayor Bryan Masson said.

The alarm sounded at 5:48 a.m. Police arrived five minutes later and chased the thieves, who dropped two of the paintings in the garden before escaping with the other two, according to Masson.

NJ FATHER-DAUGHTER TEAM ACCUSED OF PEDDLING FAKE PICASSOS, WARHOLS AND MORE TO NYC ART HOUSES PLEAD GUILTY

"Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer," Masson said, further calling for tighter security at museums across France.

Surveillance cameras captured two people entering the museum. Police were still looking for them Tuesday.

The four paintings taken included "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano," "Coco Lisant" and "Young Girl at the Well," according to French newspaper Nice-Matin, which valued the stolen works at about $10.5 million.

A regional police official confirmed the theft and search for the suspects to The Associated Press but could not confirm the reported value. It was also unclear which two paintings the thieves abandoned as they fled.

The museum remained closed Tuesday while police investigated.

The Renoir Museum is housed in the hilltop estate where French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent the final years of his life and died in 1919.

WATCH: MASKED THIEVES WIELDING HAMMERS HIT JEWELRY STORE IN WHAT EXPERT CALLS 'MOB-STYLE' HEIST

The museum, which opened in 1960, sits in Cagnes-sur-Mer between Nice and Cannes on France’s Mediterranean coast. Its collection includes 13 Renoir paintings, about 40 sculptures, furniture and photographs.

Tuesday’s theft follows a series of museum robberies in France, including last year’s theft of crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris.

Thieves stole jewels valued at about $102 million from the Louvre in October, including a tiara that belonged to Empress Eugénie.

Europol said last month that art robberies in Europe have grown more violent and that some thefts once carried out by specialist gangs are now being committed by opportunists recruited through social media.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

JERUSALEM — With Israel’s stunning capture of the strategically valuable Ali al-Taher ridge in south Lebanon on Sunday, a major Hezbollah and Iran stronghold, the campaign to degrade Tehran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance" suffered a severe blow.

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) triumph is not a death blow, it means that the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement lost one of its key offensive bases to plan an invasion of Israel.

IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, the founder and president of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center (Alma), told Fox News Digital that "In the past three years Israel has attacked Hezbollah against various areas, for instance, we degraded the amount of rockets and missiles."

EXCLUSIVE: ISRAEL SEIZES VAST IRAN TERROR AXIS ARSENAL WITH SURPRISING FOREIGN ORIGINS

She noted that the IDF has decimated 90% of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile arsenal. Zehavi said, "Today Hezbollah is holding between 10,000 to 15,000 rockets, which is much less than what it used to have. Most of the array of sophisticated missiles, accurate missiles and long-range missiles was either eliminated or neutralized."

She said, "The capability to launch an invasion of thousands of terrorists into Israel which was the plan, and this was the preparedness three years ago. This capability doesn't exist anymore since the IDF is based in South Lebanon along the borderline, preventing Hezbollah from coming back to those places."

In late August, Alma released a widely read analysis on: "Hezbollah – Situation Assessment: From a Large-Scale Terrorist Army to a Persistent Dispersed Threat."

Zehavi, who resides in northern Israel and has experienced Hezbollah’s massive aerial attacks into her region since the Lebanese terrorist movement joined Hamas in its war against Israel, warned that, "As long as Iran supports its main proxy, which is Hezbollah, it will be very difficult to prevent its rebuilding of its military capabilities and with everything that happened in Iran In the past year, Iran still supports Hezbollah."

She noted that Iran still aids Hezbollah via "arms smuggling and money" and "they still put a lot of effort [into] that and the training and the involvement of Iran in Hezbollah in Lebanon. And this must be stopped."

LEBANON ACCUSES IRAN OF INSERTING IRGC TERRORISTS INTO COUNTRY 'UNDER GUISE OF DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY'

Iran's regime is a state-sponsor of terrorism and Hezbollah’s base is the Shiite community in Lebanon. Radical Shiite Islamism unifies Iran's regime with its chief proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

Alma, who has a deep knowledge of Hezbollah’s activities, wrote on X on Sunday: "The battle for the Ali al-Taher Ridge is over – the struggle with Hezbollah is not."

According to Zehavi, Hezbollah "today is much more of a guerrilla organization than a terrorist army as it used to be. It is having a lot of difficulties in rebuilding its capabilities… It is dedicated to rebuilding its military capabilities. But it has a lot of challenges along the way with this regard because of the regime change in Syria, because of that fact that it's much more difficult to transfer weapons through the airport in Lebanon and through Syria. But it doesn't mean that it is not happening. They are still trying and some of it do pass."

Hezbollah’s setback was also echoed by Israel TV’s Channel 12 chief political analyst, Amit Segal. He said the Hezbollah base Ali al-Taher was "Just 10 kilometers (just over six miles) from the Israeli border, with a clear view of the Litani and the Israeli Hula Valley, it was the place from which Hezbollah intended to coordinate its own Oct. 7 in the Galilee."

Hezbollah’s ally, the Hamas terrorist organization, invaded Israel nearly three years ago on Oct. 7 and slaughtered over 1,200 people in southern Israel, including more than 40 Americans.

The IDF announced on Sunday that "Soldiers from the 36th Division have operated in recent weeks to clear and neutralize the two underground routes in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area in the Security Zone. The soldiers achieved operational control of the ridge area, both above and below ground, and cleared the area of terrorists. Some of the terrorists were eliminated, while others fled the area."

PENTAGON HOSTS FIRST-EVER ISRAELI–LEBANESE MILITARY TALKS AIMED AT CURBING HEZBOLLAH

The IDF statement added that "Following operations in the underground routes over the past several weeks, their capability to carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers from within the routes has been neutralized."

Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qamati told a Lebanese podcaster in late August that, "Ali al-Taher is important, but if it is lost it does not mean the end of Hezbollah."

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told an Arab TV station, also in late August, that the Lebanese army was ready to take over the strategic ridge.

He accused Israel of blocking the army due to its own political considerations ahead of Israeli national elections on Oct. 27.

"The problem is not in the Lebanese army’s readiness but in Israel’s stance," he said.

The Trump administration had pushed for Hezbollah to allow Lebanon’s Army to take control of Ali al-Taher. Hezbollah refused the proposed U.S. deal.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "Hizballah has been the primary obstacle to Lebanon's economic recovery, the main blemish on its international reputation, and the biggest threat to the safety and stability of Lebanon. It bears sole responsibility for Israel's presence on Lebanese soil. This is precisely why Hizballah must be disarmed and dismantled."

EXPERTS URGE EXTREME CAUTION ON IRAN'S 'CROWN JEWEL' HEZBOLLAH — TERROR GROUP WITH US BLOOD ON ITS HANDS

The State Department spokesperson added that "Hizballah is drastically weaker than at any point in recent history, which has allowed the Government of Lebanon to outlaw its military activities. We fully support that decision, as do all of our regional partners."

Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute who focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant, told Fox News Digital that "Hezbollah is weakened on two levels. They lost a lot of people, commanders and people, and weapons. Today, there is a goal to rebuild this military structure, invest in rebuilding in personnel, infrastructure and weapons. This is their primary goal."

Ghaddar, who is from Lebanon, added the second level of weakness for Hezbollah is the people are divided within the Shiite community. Hezbollah is no longer the father figure. Hezbollah ended with [Hassan] Nasrallah with his assassination. Hezbollah as protector and liberator is no longer there. It is a mix of IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Hezbollah and Nabih Berri [ the Shiite speaker of the Lebanese parliament and the president of the Amal movement]."

Ghaddar said the Shiite community in Lebanon is fractured over whether to continue its support for Hezbollah after multiple wars with Israel.  She said it's "divided over whether Hezbollah is the solution. There is where Hezbollah is bleeding. Hezbollah needs the Shiite community for political power."

Ghaddar said that "Hezbollah has managed to get appointments through their allies, Berri and Amal… They have ministries of finance and health ministry… They really wanted appointments in general security and military. They got that. This reflects their strength economically. They are in survival and using power in the state and cash economy to rebuild."

Multiple Fox News Digital press queries sent to the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., went unanswered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles on Tuesday, after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Ukraine's capital as part of an effort to resume stalled peace negotiations.

Ukrainian officials said the attack involved ballistic and cruise missiles, according to CNN, and residential buildings in two districts of the city sustained damage as people were urged to remain indoors.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said people were trapped inside a residential building after the attacks.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE

The attacks, which caused fires across the city, including at an educational facility, came after Witkoff and Kushner met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on Sunday. The day prior, they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the Trump administration attempts to bring an end to the war that began in February 2022.

Witkoff said Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a three-day ceasefire before their visit to the region following months without significant progress toward a peace agreement. The ceasefire ended on Tuesday.

KUSHNER, WITKOFF SET FOR KYIV TALKS AFTER PUTIN MEETING IN US PUSH FOR PEACE

"Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks. President Trump is working hard to stop the killing and work towards a lasting and durable peace," he wrote on X following the trip.

On Tuesday morning, the governor of the Russian city of Saratov said a Ukrainian drone struck civilian infrastructure and injured some people.

Russian attacks killed multiple people and wounded dozens of others across Ukraine over the past day, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

Additionally, Ukrainian drones struck three Russian oil refineries on Monday.

The United Kingdom is expected to announce restrictions targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, a move already drawing strong pushback Monday from U.S. and Israeli officials.

According to The Times, a US State Department said Washington was "tracking the plans closely."

The measures are expected to include an embargo on goods and some services involving West Bank settlements marking an escalation in London’s pressure on Israel under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has taken a firmer stance on the conflict, according to reports.

The announcement is expected to come a day after Burnham spoke by phone with President Donald Trump.

WHO IS ANDY BURNHAM? BRITAIN'S NEW PRIME MINISTER AND LONGTIME TRUMP CRITIC

According to a No. 10 Downing Street readout of the call Monday, the two leaders discussed the Middle East, with Burnham highlighting the importance of a two-state solution which calls for an independent Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip to exist alongside Israel.

"On the Middle East, the Prime Minister set out the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of the Two-State Solution," the spokesperson said.

The readout did not mention the planned sanctions. Bloomberg reported, however, that the timing of the call suggested Burnham may have briefed Trump on the measures targeting goods and services linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The move could create an early point of friction between Burnham and Washington, where the Trump administration has strongly backed Israel, the outlet said.

I’M AN ARAB MUSLIM — I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND THE ANTISEMITIC BDS MOVEMENT

The new measures, billed widely as sanctions, are expected to be formally unveiled by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who has already pledged a "comprehensive reset" of Britain’s policy toward Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Miliband signaled last week that measures were coming in response to Israeli settlement expansion, including the E1 project east of Jerusalem, according to The National.

He went on to describe E1 as a longstanding "red line" and said Britain would take action to protect the prospect of a two-state solution.

The planned sanction announcement has already drawn sharp criticism in Israel and the United States.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the British ambassador’s expulsion in a post on X.

"We will not be a doormat for an antisemitic government in a country occupied by radical Islam that is trying to escape economic and social collapse by attacking Jews and the State of Israel," Smotrich wrote. "The British Mandate in Israel is over."

EX-PENTAGON OFFICIAL URGES US TO ‘SQUEEZE’ UK ON DEFENSE AMID FALKLANDS FUROR

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also condemned the planned restrictions, writing in Spanish on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should retaliate by recognizing Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and imposing sanctions on Britain.

Ben-Gvir accused Britain of having "violently" taken the disputed islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, the Times of Israel reported.

In the United States, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., also warned in a post on X that the planned measures could implicate Florida’s anti-boycott law and potentially prevent some affected British companies from doing business with state and local governments.

Meanwhile, Burnham has joined leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy and other countries in condemning Israel’s E1 settlement expansion, arguing that the project threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.

A popular Egyptian TV host on Saturday was sentenced to death by hanging in a major drug case that accused dozens of suspects of forming an organized criminal group to manufacture and traffic synthetic drugs.

Sarah Khalifa is among 12 defendants facing execution for their alleged roles in the operation, including importing materials used to produce narcotics, according to state-backed media Ahram Online. Capital punishment in Egypt is carried out by hanging for civilian convictions.

Khalifa is a media personality, beauty clinic owner and former TV host who has appeared on several Egyptian television channels. Local outlet Masrawy reported that she previously hosted the Egyptian crime show "Mission Impossible."

Khalifa, who currently has more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram, was reportedly arrested in Cairo in April 2025 as part of the investigation.

DOCTOR AND SON ACCUSED OF RUNNING DANGEROUS SIDE-BUSINESS SCHEME IN NEW YORK

The case involved a total of 28 defendants who were charged with forming an organized criminal group, as well as possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition, Ahram Online said. Twelve were sentenced to death, nine received life sentences and seven were acquitted of all charges.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON BRAZIL'S BIGGEST DRUG GANGS WITH ‘GLOBAL TERROR’ DESIGNATION

The group allegedly operated like a production and distribution network, with members assigned different roles. Some were responsible for importing raw materials, while others manufactured and distributed the synthetic drugs, the prosecution said, according to reports.

The group was also accused of storing materials and manufacturing drugs in a residential property.

More than 750 kilograms, or roughly 1,653 pounds, of synthetic narcotics and raw materials were seized during the investigation, prosecutors said, according to reports.

The case against Khalifa and the other defendants relied on statements from 20 witnesses, along with technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos that prosecutors said documented the alleged criminal activity, according to Ahram Online.

Authorities also placed the defendants' assets and bank accounts under precautionary measures and ordered those already in custody to remain detained, Ahram Online reported.

Russia’s quieter new-generation nuclear-powered submarines are pressuring NATO’s northern defenses as the alliance races to secure Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, a former NATO commander warned, citing President Vladimir Putin’s emerging "new super weapons and super capabilities" amassing in the region.

The rising challenge, he said, also includes Russia’s heavily militarized Kola Peninsula, where Moscow has expanded military infrastructure, including airfields and ports, as it seeks to strengthen its position along the Northern Sea Route, as well as the waters leading to the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap, known as the GIUK Gap.

NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum highlighted Sept. 2 that an expanding Russian submarine threat in the region was "serious."

"Something is moving beneath the surface," NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum posted on X.

ARCTIC POWER PLAY GIVES TOP US ADVERSARY NEW OPENING WITH RUSSIA AS US STAKES GROW

"Russia is expanding and modernising its submarine force, with the Kola Peninsula remaining a key hub for the Northern Fleet. Among them: new-generation nuclear-powered SSGNs, bringing serious long-range strike and sea-denial capabilities into the High North," NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum said.

"They may be invisible beneath the waves. But not for us. We see them, we watch the developments closely and yes, we take these developments seriously," the Joint Force Command added.

The combination of quieter nuclear submarines and Russia's growing military infrastructure across its Arctic coastline means NATO is confronting an increasingly difficult undersea surveillance challenge, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove told Fox News Digital.

"Submarines are one of the toughest threats that we have to deal with — they're very hard to find and track," he explained.

"Submarines can get well within striking distance of any nation in the Atlantic. From the United States to our NATO allies, submarines can get close enough to the shore to fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which are a major problem," the former supreme allied commander Europe for NATO and commander of U.S. European Command added. 

REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES

Today, countries such as Russia and China are developing similar fleets, posing a growing threat to any nation with a significant coastline, Breedlove said.

"We've taken very capable measures in the past to understand what Russia is doing in those waters, and we will now be adapting to the possibility of a quieter submarine," he said. "Any increase in stealthiness or noise suppression by a Russian submarine is, of course, a problem for NATO."

Russia's Yasen-M-class nuclear-powered submarines include advanced acoustic-quieting and sonar technology, according to Military Watch and Russian news agency, TASS.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the 13,800-ton submarines can carry 1,000-mile-range cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, with Russian officials stating they remain "invisible."

"Yasen-M-class nuclear-powered submarines are capable of accomplishing all of the Navy’s objectives in any part of the World Ocean while remaining invisible," Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Fleet Adm. Alexander Moiseyev said in a June 17 statement, according to TASS, after Russia's Sevmash shipyard started building the ninth Yasen-M submarine.

NATO'S EASTERN FLANK RACES TO REARM AS TRUMP PRESSURE EXPOSES WESTERN EUROPE'S DEFENSE GAP

"As is often the case when Putin is in trouble — and he's in trouble now in his war in Ukraine — one of the ways he diverts attention is to start announcing new super weapons and super capabilities that NATO and the West can't contend with," Breedlove warned.

"Putin is creating a stir about a new class of submarines that he wants to deploy from what we call the bastion waters in the Far North," he said before stating that NATO would "have to adapt our measures and our ability to see and track them."

"We've taken excellent measures in the past." 

Breedlove characterized the GIUK Gap as a critical gateway for Russian naval forces moving from their northern bases toward the Atlantic.

"All the Russian ships have to come out through the GIUK Gap to make it into the Atlantic," Breedlove said, warning that the seven other Arctic nations, including the United States, are concerned about what Russia is doing.

A UKRAINIAN HACKER'S TALE OF HOW HE IS AIDING THE LAND WAR BY BATTLING RUSSIA FOR THE CLOUD

NATO has also been strengthening its northern posture amid the renewed Russian military activity and the growing strategic importance of the Arctic.

In February 2026, the alliance launched Arctic Sentry, a multidomain military initiative led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and designed to better coordinate allied land, air and maritime activity across the Arctic and High North.

NATO further strengthened its northern flank in June with Forward Land Forces Finland, a Swedish-led multinational force designed to bolster deterrence and defense along the alliance's northeastern flank, with Finland serving as the host nation, according to a release.

"The Arctic region has been a concern for some years now as ice in the area is receding in the north, and what that has done is created the Northern Passage that allows European trade to happen with Asia much faster," Breedlove said, stating that for most types of ships, the trips are up to 14 days quicker.

"This is a tremendous economic opportunity, but Russia sees this as an economic opportunity in that they want to control those northern waters.

DENMARK VOWS TO DEFEND GREENLAND AFTER TRUMP REITERATES US SHOULD CONTROL TERRITORY

Russia has been upgrading airfields, ports and radar systems along the Arctic coast as Moscow seeks greater control over the Northern Sea Route and its commercial traffic, Breedlove said.

The recent NATO buildup however, has drawn strong pushback from Moscow, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warning Aug. 30 that increased Western military activity risks destabilizing the Arctic region.

"Such military activity in the Far North poses a direct threat to Russia’s security," Lavrov wrote in a public essay.

"It also increases the risk of incidents that could trigger an armed confrontation with potentially disastrous consequences," he said, according to Reuters.

Another European nation has stopped funding the U.N. agency that aids the Palestinians. Finland has followed the U.S. and Sweden in halting donations to the terror-tainted agency.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is presently being investigated for ties to the terrorist rulers of Gaza. Recently, organizations including the USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) and NGO UN Watch have uncovered further evidence of what they allege is Hamas infiltration of UNRWA and its members’ participation in the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in southern Israel. 

Finland announced it would discontinue funding to the organization at the end of 2026. Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed to Fox News Digital that the agreement with UNRWA would conclude at the end of 2026 but that "As of yet, no decision has been made on what are the international partners through which Finland’s support will be channeled next year to meet the acute needs in the region." 

Finnish officials did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about what prompted the change to the country’s funding for UNRWA.

US URGES DONORS TO ABANDON UNRWA FUNDING AS UN DEFENDS AGENCY'S MISSION

While other nations still continue to fund UNRWA, President Donald Trump fully banned funding to the organization in February 2025 and Sweden ended funding to UNRWA in December 2024. Sweden redirected aid to other U.N. bodies for its Gaza response.

The future of aid provision in Gaza matters for the Trump administration-backed Board of Peace as it seeks to shape a conflict-free future for the region.

An official affiliated with the Board of Peace reconstruction effort told Fox News Digital that "the international community’s concern about UNRWA in Gaza continues to rise and is supported by damning evidence. The Board of Peace has been clear: New Gaza will be both demilitarized and deradicalized, and we will only be working with trusted, credible delivery partners to achieve our goals. We anticipate responsibly replacing UNRWA with vetted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza."

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The USAID OIG is investigating about 1,500 members of UNRWA for terror participation, and has referred 108 UNRWA staff to the State Department to suggest they be suspended or excluded from further work with organizations in receipt of U.S. funds.

A senior U.S. official briefed on USAID OIG’s ongoing investigation told Fox News Digital that the USAID OIG’s "independent findings are prompting several other countries to reassess the stale and conventional thinking that UNRWA is the best and only option to provide aid to civilians in Gaza." The official said that the USAID OIG’s "findings also will prevent Hamas and October 7 affiliated staff from circulating across future, more responsible, aid organizations operating in Gaza."

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UN Watch’s Terror Network report claims that about 12% of UNRWA staff in Gaza are members of terror organizations, based on "cross-checking UNRWA employee rosters with Hamas records seized by the [Israel Defense Forces.]"

Executive director of UN Watch Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital that "Finland’s principled decision to defund terror-infested UNRWA will not deprive Palestinians of aid, as it will be redirected through genuine humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Programme that are not systemically infiltrated by Hamas."

He said that "other democracies should follow" the examples of Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. "Contrary to what UNRWA supporters claim, the agency is not ‘indispensable’ — assistance can and must be delivered through responsible alternatives."

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, told Fox News Digital that "UNRWA has taken note of the announcement, and they are grateful to Finland for the disbursement of the 2023–2026 funds under the multi-year agreement. UNRWA looks forward to continuing our discussions with the government." He explained that "the Secretary-General continues to encourage member states to support UNRWA's vital work." 

Finland's four-year funding was around $23.23 to UNRWA and will now end after this year. UNRWA did not respond to Fox News Digital questions about Finland’s decision.

Neuer said "defunding UNRWA is a prerequisite for deradicalization, the first step in the Gaza peace plan. Far from harming the prospects for peace, dismantling UNRWA is essential to achieving it. For decades, the agency has perpetuated the conflict by teaching generations of Palestinians that their future lies not in building their own society, but in a so-called ‘right of return’ that would eliminate Israel."

He concluded by noting that USAID OIG and UN Watch’s exposes on UNRWA prove that "the agency is unreformable. Nations that genuinely want peace should stop financing this machinery of hate, and invest instead in humanitarian relief, deradicalization and Palestinian self-reliance."

Travel restrictions have been placed on U.S. government employees in the Mexican border city of Nogales, Sonora, according to officials.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico on Saturday issued a warning restricting government activity over an unspecified threat in Nogales, Sonora, in Mexico.

"Due to threat information, U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Nogales have been restricted to essential movement during daylight hours only," the U.S. Consulate General in Nogales said in a statement.

STATE DEPARTMENT URGES AMERICANS TO AVOID MEXICAN CITY JUST ACROSS TEXAS BORDER

"We are alerting U.S. citizens of this threat and change in posture," the statement continued.

Sonora's State Security Board said it contacted U.S. consular officials after the alert was issued but did not provide information identifying a specific threat. State authorities said they had no information establishing a concrete risk to the public, though they would continue preventive security operations in Nogales.

The alert also reminded Americans that the U.S. Travel Advisory designates Sonora as a Level 3 "Reconsider Travel" area.

Anyone in the area is urged to exercise increased caution and be aware of their surroundings, seek shelter in the event of an incident, notify friends and family of their safety in the event of an incident, follow instructions from Mexican law enforcement, and monitor local media for updates.

U.S. lawmakers also encouraged people in the area to pay attention to the warnings issued by the U.S. government.

"For Americans in or near Nogales - or who may have family members or friends there: please heed the guidance and warnings from the U.S. government," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said on X.

"We are praying for the safety of U.S. citizens and personnel who may be in harm's way," he added.

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It remains unclear what threat in Nogales triggered the security warning.