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Unidentified drones spotted over US bases in the UK, do not appear belong to 'hobbyists'
Unidentified drones have been spotted over joint U.S.-U.K. bases in the United Kingdom for nearly a week.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin reports that four U.S. military bases in the U.K. that house the American F-15 Strike Eagle and F-35 fighter jets have been targeted by "swarms of small drones" since Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Military officials say they are "alarmed" at what appears to be a coordinated effort to test security at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell in eastern England, as well as RAF Fairford in southwestern England.
The U.K. military has sent around 60 personnel to protect the bases being targeted by multiple drone incursions.
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A senior U.S. official told Fox that the drones do not appear to be those of "hobbyists." Witnesses say they are small quadcopters and octocopters and are more sophisticated than those that can be bought off the shelf.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said earlier Tuesday that none of these drone incursions have impacted the base residents, the facilities or U.S. assets on the bases.
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"We, of course, always maintain the right to defend ourselves if we deem something to be a threat," Ryder said.
U.S. officials have not revealed the origin of the drones, but the coordinated nature suggests an aggressive state actor that began a day after Ukraine used long-range American ATACMs to target Russia after President Biden lifted restrictions on the use of longer-range missiles.
Soon after, President Vladimir Putin said his country had the right to strike nations that allow their weapons to be used against Russia.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said it is working closely with U.S. and local police to find out what these drones are doing and whether a foreign adversary is involved.
"The number of systems has fluctuated, and they have ranged in sizes and configurations," U.S. Air Forces Europe said in a statement. "Our units continue to monitor the airspace and are working with host-nation authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets."
The incursion of drones comes a month after Fox first reported that surveillance drones flew for 17 days near Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last December. Those drones were large but pose a similar challenge to base commanders.
Lakenheath is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which the U.S. Air Force describes as the foundation of its combat capability in Europe. Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, and Feltwell is a hub for housing, schools and other services. Fairford is home to the 501st Combat Support Wing Headquarters and the 420th Air Base Squadron.
New subway system in Greece puts archaeological finds discovered during construction on display for passengers
A yearslong construction project for a new subway system in Thessaloniki, Greece, has unveiled thousands of ancient artifacts, many of which have been incorporated into the metro station's design in a unique way.
Construction of the Agias Sofias metro station in Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece behind the capital city of Athens, began in 2003.
Since construction commenced on the 9.6-kilometer line over a decade ago, excavations have led to thousands of significant ancient finds being unearthed.
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Ancient finds that were discovered varied from Roman-era roads and water and drainage systems to Greek burial sites, mosaics and more.
Many of the ancient discoveries made through excavations of the area are being incorporated into the design of the subway system by being displayed at the 13 underground stations along the route.
"This project offers a remarkable blend of the ancient and modern, integrating archaeological heritage with metro infrastructure," Christos Staikouras, the transport and infrastructure minister, told reporters Friday, according to The Associated Press.
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The discovery of these ancient treasures led the project to be more expensive, and has also caused several delays in order to preserve the archaeological finds.
"The project faced substantial delays and many challenges, including over 300,000 archaeological finds, many of which are now showcased at various stations along the main line," Staikouras explained.
At this point, the brand-new metro, featuring driverless trains and platform screen doors, cost $3.1 billion to complete.
The first line of the subway system is set to open on Nov. 30, 2024, with the second line on its way in a year.
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This subway system will become one on a long list of archaeological sites throughout Greece.
Greece is home to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, which is widely considered to be one of the world's most important archaeological museums, and is also the largest museum in Greece.
The city of Thessaloniki is home to its own archaeological sites, including the Archaeological Museum of Thessalonki, as well as the Polycentric Museum of Aigai.
The White Tower, the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Agios Dimitrios Church are among the other historical destinations throughout Thessaloniki.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Netanyahu publicly backs Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly backed a cease-fire agreement with Hezbollah terrorists that would end nearly 14 months of fighting, but the deal, brokered by the U.S. and France, has yet to be formally approved by his cabinet.
Netanyahu’s security Cabinet convened earlier Tuesday, when ministers had been deliberating for more than three hours over the proposed cease-fire.
At a press conference while deliberations were ongoing, Netanyahu laid out three reasons in support of the deal: to focus on the Iranian threat; provide an opportunity to refresh the Israeli forces; and separate Hamas from the northern front.
By ending the conflict with Hezbollah, Netanyahu said Hamas would stand alone, clearing the way for Israeli forces to recover the remaining Oct. 7 hostages.
Netanyahu said he would present the agreement to the Cabinet for a vote later Tuesday.
"How long it will be will depends on what will happen in Lebanon," Netanyahu said. "If Hezbollah doesn't follow the agreement, we'll attack."
Under the proposed terms of an initial two-month cease-fire, Hezbollah is required to move its forces north of the Litani River – a significant focal point which in some places is 20 miles from the Israeli border – and Israeli forces must withdraw from southern Lebanon as well. The Lebanese armed forces are to deploy to the border region within 60 days, and a five-country committee chaired by the U.S., and including France, would monitor compliance of the terms of the deal, Reuters reported.
A peacekeeping mission by observers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will also continue, according to the Israeli news agency Tazpit Press Service (TPS-IL).
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Among the remaining issues was Israel's demand to reserve the right to take military action should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier Tuesday that its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River – considered a longtime Hezbollah stronghold.
In a statement, the IDF said its troops had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and "raided Hezbollah strongholds, uncovering and confiscating hundreds of weapons, dismantling dozens of underground facilities, and neutralizing numerous rocket launchers that were prepared for imminent use."
The IDF said the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few miles from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation.
The Israeli military said troops "conducted intelligence-based raids based on terrorist infrastructure concealed in the complex terrain."
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"The soldiers raided several terrorist targets, engaged in close-quarters combat with terrorists, located and destroyed dozens of launchers, thousands of rockets and missiles, and weapons storage facilities hidden in the mountainside," the IDF said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised the deal, saying it would allow Israelis displaced in the north to return to their homes and ensure Israel's security against Hezbollah.
"As this agreement shows, when terrorists are beaten back both militarily and through dogged diplomacy, the likelihood of peace increases. Hezbollah said they would never give up as long as there was fighting in Gaza, but today’s ceasefire agreement should show Hamas they are as isolated as ever," Schumer said in a statement. "Now, Hamas must release all the remaining hostages and come to a negotiated ceasefire. Carrying on their failed strategy will lead only to further suffering and SENSELESS bloodshed in Gaza. Hamas must recognize that there’s no future without a strong and secure state of Israel."
"The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement also provides an enforcement mechanism to help ensure Hezbollah remains weakened and allows displaced Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return to their homes," he added. "I applaud the Biden administration for this agreement and for continuing to work to negotiate a ceasefire and the return of all the hostages in Gaza."
Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages from southern Israel into Gaza, setting off more than a year of fighting. That escalated in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, and an Israeli ground incursion of the country’s south. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli military bases, cities and towns, including some 250 projectiles on Sunday.
More than 68,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes along the Lebanese border, TPS-IL reports.
An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown.
The Israeli military also issued warnings for 20 more buildings in Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled suburbs to evacuate before they too were struck — a move carried out in the final moments before any cease-fire took hold.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting in Italy, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday there were "no excuses" for Israel to refuse a cease-fire with Hezbollah, warning that without it, "Lebanon will fall apart."
The Times of Israel reported that Minister of Defense Israel Katz met with the U.N. Special Envoy for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Tuesday, when he said Jerusalem would have "Zero tolerance" for any violation of the truce, warning that "If you don't do it, we will … and with great force."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
6 dead as protests erupt in Pakistan over jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan
Supporters seeking the release of imprisoned Pakistani former Prime Minister Imran Khan broke through a ring of shipping containers blocking off the capital on Tuesday, and battled security forces despite a government threat to respond with gunfire. Six people have died in the violence.
Thousands of security forces have poured into central Islamabad in an attempt to quell protests in support of Khan that have gripped the capital and its surrounding areas since Sunday. The popular politician has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated.
Authorities say only courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been imprisoned since his first conviction in a graft case, in August 2023.
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On Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in downtown Islamabad’s Red Zone, which houses key government buildings and is where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Paramilitary rangers and police were also out in force and some fired warning shots into the air.
Still, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who is leading the protests, made slow progress toward the square in a heavily guarded convoy, surrounded by well-wishers.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi threatened that security forces would respond with live fire if protesters fired weapons at them.
"We have now allowed police to take any decision according to the situation," Naqvi said later while visiting the square.
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Protester Shahzor Ali said people were on the streets because Khan had called for them to be there. "We will stay here until Khan is among us. He will decide what to do next," Ali said.
"If they again fire bullets, the bullet will be responded with the bullet," he said.
Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years.
"We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life," she said.
Police so far have used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds. The dead include four members of the security services and one civilian who were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack, saying an "anarchist group" was deliberately targeting law enforcement personnel. There was no claim of responsibility for the ramming. A police officer died separately.
Scores of people have also been injured, including journalists who were attacked by demonstrators. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for The Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in a hospital.
Pakistani media have mostly stopped filming and photographing the rally, instead focusing on the security measures and the city’s deserted streets.
By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Most demonstrators had the flag of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, around their shoulders or wore its tricolors on accessories.
Naqvi said Khan’s party rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city.
Information Minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence.
He said the government did not want Bushra Bibi to achieve her goal of freeing Khan. "She wants bodies falling to the ground. She wants bloodshed," he said.
In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country and messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital.
Khan’s party relies heavily on social media to demand Khan’s release and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN.
On Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All educational institutions remain closed.
Trump, Congress looking to put suffocating sanctions on 'kangaroo' ICC over Netanyahu arrest warrant
JERUSALEM — The scandal-plagued International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Jewish state’s former defense minister has brought the court into the crosshairs of a potent American sanctions regime.
The ICC last week slapped arrest warrants on Netanyahu and ex-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for their war plans involved in rooting out Hamas terrorism in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas slaughtered nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel, including over 40 Americans.
Israeli news outlet Kan said President-elect Trump’s administration plans to initiate sanctions against the ICC judges who issued the warrants, including the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.
The British chief prosecutor, Khan, is currently the subject of a probe based on allegations that he committed sexual misconduct, something that he has vigorously denied, noting that there was "no truth to suggestions" of such behavior, according to reports.
Avi Bell, a professor of law at the University of San Diego and Bar Ilan University in Israel and founding dean of the Israel Law and Liberty Forum's annual program on law and democracy, told Fox News Digital, "Several years ago, the ICC threatened to charge American soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan. The fact that the ICC lacked jurisdiction did not cause the ICC to pause even for a second. It was only President Trump’s sanctions against the ICC (during his first term) that forced the ICC to obey the law and drop its threat to prosecute Americans. Sanctions against the ICC will work; persuasion will not."
Trump’s nominee for national security adviser, Mike Waltz, announced on X, "You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC and U.N. come January."
One of Trump’s key Senate partners, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., upped the ante in a recent Fox News interview, saying, "To any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we’re going to sanction you."
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean for the L.A.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, warned democratic states that they could face persecution from the judicial activism of the world’s top war crimes court based in The Hague, Netherlands.
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He told Fox News Digital, "The warrant from a kangaroo court makes a mockery of justice and is a victory for Iran and its terrorist lackeys. Israeli leaders are guilty of defending their citizens from genocidal terrorists. France and the Netherlands were the first to confirm they would arrest PM Netanyahu and the list could reach 124 nations. Democracies beware you could be next."
Both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations branded the ICC a defective judicial system for Americans and rejected joining the international body.
"The arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant are legally a joke, but they constitute a very serious development," Bell said. "Under Karim Khan’s predecessors as ICC prosecutor, the ICC was merely ineffective. Khan has ushered in an era of political buffoonery in which the court devotes the bulk of its resources to political grandstanding. With the new indictments, the court is grandstanding on behalf of terrorists and some of the world’s worst criminals."
When approached for a comment about Bell’s criticism, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah told Fox News Digital, "We don’t comment on such declarations."
The legal scholar urged countries to walk away from the ICC, saying, "The ICC will only desist from its course if it is forced to pay a heavy price. Countries should withdraw from the Rome Statute and cease paying dues. They should impose sanctions on the ICC and forbid cooperation with the ICC. And so long as the ICC persists in issuing warrants for persons over whom it has no jurisdiction on trumped-up charges, ICC personnel should face criminal sanctions for attempted kidnapping and support for terrorism."
The ICC, which commenced operations in 2002, bases its authority on the signatories of the Rome Statute, which outlines four core international crimes that the court will prosecute: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression, all of which are "not subject to any statute of limitations" but limited to only crimes that occurred after the statute came into force.
When asked if anti-Jewish sentiments animated the ICC warrants, Bell said, "I do not get the impression that the warrants are due to the ICC judges’ personal antisemitism. The ICC has always preyed on the politically weak: formerly African countries and now the Jewish state. It is widespread antisemitism in the West, especially among progressives, that makes Israel politically weak and vulnerable. The ICC may be bigoted, but the ICC’s attempt to prosecute Israelis despite their legal innocence is really a sign of a much greater institutional moral depravity than mere bigotry."
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Gabriel Noronha, a former U.S. Department State adviser on Iran who is now a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Fox News Digital the ICC has known that it could face penalties for its legal action against the Mideast’s only democracy, Israel, but the ICC "decided to ignore diplomacy and face the repercussions of the United States."
He added that U.S. sanctions would mean that affected ICC personnel will not be able to secure visas to enter the U.S. and their property and bank accounts will be frozen in America.
"The sanctions could be pretty broad and include family members," Noronha noted.
Noronha echoed Graham's remarks. A second Trump administration, he said, could implement a "Diplomatic strategy to impose penalties on countries that cooperate with these particular ICC warrants."
Some European countries have already slammed the ICC decision. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg wrote on X, "The ICC decision to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant is utterly incomprehensible. International Law is non-negotiable and applies everywhere, at all times. But this decision is a disservice to the Court‘s credibility."
He continued, "It is absurd to create an equivalence between members of a democratically elected government and the leader of a terrorist organization."
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for the already dead Hamas terror leader Muhammad Deif.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala flatly dismissed the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
"The ICC’s unfortunate ruling undermines authority in other cases by equating the elected representatives of a democratic state with the leaders of an Islamist terrorist organization," he wrote on X.
Conservative Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused the ICC of "interfering in an ongoing conflict for political purposes," saying the decision to issue the warrant for Netanyahu over his conduct of the war in Gaza undermined international law and escalated tensions.
The U.S. and the European Union have classified Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Associated Press and Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this article.
Russian forces capture former British soldier fighting for Ukraine in Kursk: report
Russian forces captured a former British Army soldier who was fighting with Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, according to reports on Monday.
In a video, the prisoner of war was sitting on a bench with his hand restrained as he identified himself as 22-year-old James Scott Rhys Anderson.
Russia’s Tass news agency reported on Monday that Russian security officials confirmed a British mercenary had been captured in the Kursk area.
"I was in the British Army before, from 2019 to 2023, 22 Signal Regiment," Anderson told Russian authorities while being recorded. "Just a private. I was a signalman. One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Squadron."
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He expressed regret for joining Ukraine in its fight against Russia, explaining he had nearly lost everything.
When he left the military, he got fired from his job and applied on the International Legion (of Ukraine) webpage.
"I had just lost everything. I just lost my job. My dad was away in prison. I see it on the TV," Anderson said while shaking his head. "It was a stupid idea."
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The International Legion for Defense of Ukraine was created at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The Associated Press reported that the Legion is a unit of Ukraine’s ground forces that mainly consists of foreign volunteers.
Anderson reportedly served as an instructor for Ukrainian troops and was deployed to the Kursk region against his will.
In the video, he said his commander took his stuff — passport, phone and other items — and ordered him to go to the Kursk region.
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"I don’t want to be here," Anderson said.
The AP could not independently verify the report, but if confirmed, it said this could be one of the first publicly known cases of a Western national getting captured on Russian soil while fighting for Ukraine.
The U.K. Embassy in Moscow told the wire officials were "supporting the family of a British man following reports of his detention" though no other details were provided.
Anderson’s father, Scott Anderson, told Britain’s Daily Mail that his son’s Ukrainian commander informed him the young man had been captured.
The senior Anderson also said his son served in the British military for four years, worked as a police custody officer, and then went to Ukraine to fight. He told the paper he tried to convince his son not to join the Ukrainian military, and now fears for his safety.
"I’m hoping he’ll be used as a bargaining chip, but my son told me they torture their prisoners, and I’m so frightened he’ll be tortured," he told Britain’s Daily Mail.
While being questioned, the younger Anderson talked about how he got to Ukraine from Britain, saying he flew to Krakow, Poland from London Luton. From there, he took a bus to Medyka in Poland, which is on the Ukrainian border.
Anderson’s capture comes amid reports Russia is recruiting hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in its war in Ukraine by luring them to Russia under false pretenses in coordination with the Houthi terrorist network, as reported by the Financial Times.
A senior Ukrainian defense official told Fox News that Moscow is trying to involve as many foreign mercenaries as possible in its war against Ukraine, whether from its allies or proxies in poor, impoverished countries.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense similarly confirmed the report to Fox News and said, "Russi[a] has escalated this war twice recently. First, when they brought North Korean fighters, and second, when they used [a] ballistic missile in Ukraine."
Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall and Nana Sajaia, as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
At least 16 tourists missing after Egyptian yacht carrying Americans sinks in high-waves Red Sea
At least 16 people are missing after an Egyptian yacht carrying international tourists sank in the Red Sea on Monday.
Forty-four people, including 13 crew members and 31 tourists, were aboard the Sea Story when it sank near Marsa Alam, a resort town in southeastern Egypt. The ship was carrying tourists for a multi-day diving trip.
Egyptian media outlet Al-Dostor reported that two American tourists were on board, but it is unclear if they are among those missing. Authorities were alerted to the incident at around 5:30 a.m. on Monday.
"Immediately, [authorities] informed the Naval Base and the Armed Forces, where search and rescue teams began operations using a helicopter and a marine unit moving from Bernice Harbor towards the rescue site," the Red Sea Governorate explained in a Facebook post.
"The [Egyptian] Control Center and Operations Room continue to coordinate and follow up around the clock to ensure all necessary actions are taken and situation is reassured."
The search is ongoing and the number of deaths have not been officially announced.
Egyptian officials reported that 28 people have been rescued. Among that group, minor injuries like scrapes and bruising were reported, but no victims were hospitalized.
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The group of missing people includes 12 foreign nationals. The ship carried citizens of the U.S., Belgium, Spain and Germany, along with citizens of the United Kingdom, China, Finland, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland.
While the cause of the sinking has not been determined, officials believe that a massive wave capsized it. The vessel sank within five to seven minutes.
"Some passengers were in their cabins, which is why they were unable to escape," Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said in the statement.
Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No additional information is known at this time.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Top NATO military official urges businesses to be prepared for ‘wartime scenario’
A top military official with NATO warned businesses on Monday to be ready for a wartime scenario, which could entail adjusting production and distribution lines to be less vulnerable to blackmail from Russia and China.
Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, the chairperson of NATO’s military committee, told attendees at an event of the European Policy Center think tank in Brussels that all available instruments could be used during a time of war, according to a report from Reuters.
"If we can make sure that all crucial services and goods can be delivered no matter what, then that is a key part of our deterrence," Bauer said.
He also said NATO is seeing a growing number of sabotage acts while Europe has seen the same when it comes to its energy supply.
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"We thought we had a deal with Gazprom, but we actually had a deal with Mr. Putin. And the same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods. We actually have a deal with [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping]," Bauer told the group.
The west, Bauer explained, depends on supplies from China, as 60% of all rare earth materials are produced, and 90% of those are processed there.
Also coming from China are chemical ingredients for sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and low blood pressure medications, he further explained.
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"We are naive if we think the Communist Party will never use that power," Bauer said. "Business leaders in Europe and America need to realize that the commercial decisions they make have strategic consequences for the security of their nation."
"Businesses need to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly," he continued to stress. "Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it's the economies that win wars."
Bauer’s message comes as tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to escalate.
Last week, Russia launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads, into Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said the missile called Oreshnik — Russian for Hazel Tree — reached speeds of Mach 11 when it struck a factory in the city of Dnipro on Thursday.
While two U.S. officials told Fox News the missile was not hypersonic, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday the attack was concerning and that it was the first time the missile had been used on the battlefield.
North Korea also sent at least 11,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine alongside Russian soldiers, further escalating tensions.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Israel 'moving forward' on possible Hezbollah cease-fire, official says
Israel is "moving forward" on a possible cease-fire deal with Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, one Israeli official said Monday.
The Israeli prime minister's office told Fox News on Monday that they have no update on the cease-fire talks for now. Israeli media is also reporting that the Israeli Security Cabinet will convene on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
"We have not finalized it, but we are moving forward," Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told reporters outside the U.N. Security Council.
A senior U.S. official told Axios on Monday that Israel and Lebanon reached a cease-fire deal, but neither party has formally announced any finalized agreement.
The Israeli Security Cabinet is expected to vote on the agreement Tuesday, the U.S. official told Axios.
"We have clearly made significant progress, however, we're not there yet," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Fox News when asked about the Axios report. "We continue to work to reach a diplomatic resolution to allow civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to be able to safely return to their homes."
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Meanwhile, the Pentagon's top Middle East policy official, Dan Shapiro, traveled to Israel and met with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in Tel Aviv on Monday, according to Axios and the Times of Israel.
Israel’s military has killed nearly all of Hezbollah's top leaders, but the terrorist group continues to fire missiles into Israel. Tens of thousands of Israelis who were evacuated from the border months ago are pressuring their government in order to go home.
"Israel went to war in the north with the goal of bringing its residents back, while Hezbollah’s goal was to force Israel into a cease-fire in Gaza," Amit Segal, the chief political analyst for Israel Ch. 12, told Fox News Digital. "If Israel succeeded and Hezbollah failed, it means that Israel won the battle. I anticipate that Netanyahu will present the agreement to his voters as a temporary cease-fire for the purposes of rearming, regrouping, and waiting for a Trump administration."
Following the latest visit to the region by a U.S. mediator, Israel hit central Beirut over the weekend, and Hezbollah responded with its biggest barrage in weeks as each applied pressure to reach a deal.
The recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was reportedly complicated by news that the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. Lebanon had wanted France to mediate the agreement, but negotiations soured when the French Foreign Ministry announced it would comply with the ICC ruling.
President Biden spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron, warning him against trying to mediate a deal while simultaneously pledging to arrest the head of state of one of the involved parties, a U.S. official told Axios.
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily since the day after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, setting off the war in Gaza.
Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon two months ago, then a ground invasion. More than 3,500 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to The Associated Press.
The proposal under discussion to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah calls for an initial two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River.
The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, which have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force.
An international committee would be set up to monitor implementation of the cease-fire agreement and of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which was passed in 2006 to end a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah but never fully implemented. Hezbollah never ended its presence in southern Lebanon, while Lebanon said Israel regularly violated its airspace and occupied small patches of its territory.
It is not clear whether a new deal would be any more successful than the one in 2006.
Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that the deal aimed to improve surveillance and enforcement of the previous resolution. While he said there were still certain points that needed to be finalized, a deal was close and could be secured "within days."
A U.S. official told the AP that negotiations continued to progress on Sunday, but the parties still needed to work out some outstanding issues to close the deal.
The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks, declined to detail the outstanding issues.
Fox News' Pat Ward and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russia tricks Yemeni men to fight in Ukraine under Houthi scheme
Russia is recruiting hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in its war in Ukraine by luring them to Russia under false pretenses in coordination with the Houthi terrorist network, a report by the Financial Times found.
The Yemeni recruits who were transferred to Russia under a "shadowy trafficking operation" were originally told they would receive high-paying jobs and Russian citizenship.
However, after arriving with the help of a Houthi-linked company, many have apparently been coerced into the Russian military, forced to sign fighting contracts at gunpoint and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.
RUSSIA IS SUPPLYING HOUTHIS WITH SATELLITE DATA TO ATTACK SHIPS IN THE RED SEA: REPORT
A senior Ukrainian defense official told Fox News that Moscow is trying to involve as many foreign mercenaries as possible in its war against Ukraine, whether from its allies or proxies in poor, impoverished countries.
"Before reporting on the troops from North Korea, which [North Korean leader Kim Jong Un] has sent to assist Putin, we had already reported on mercenaries from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East."
"We can confirm that Yemen is also among these countries. Moscow is indeed recruiting Yemeni Houthis to participate in hostilities against Ukraine," the official added. "However, the current numbers are extremely low – serving as ‘cannon fodder’ rather than a force the Kremlin would consider sufficient. Nevertheless, Russia is continuing its recruitment process."
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense similarly confirmed the report to Fox News and said, "Russi[a] has escalated this war twice recently. First, when they brought North Korean fighters, and second, when they used [a] ballistic missile in Ukraine."
"Regarding mercenaries, for some time now, Russia has been working with mercenaries from all around the world and all we can say for now is they are working with new countries," the ministry added.
It is unclear if any of the Yemeni men are Houthi terrorists or how many have been sent to fight in Ukraine, though the Financial Times report on Sunday suggested that recruitment is believed to have begun in July. At least 200 Yemeni men were reportedly a part of just one group forcibly conscripted into the Russian military in September – most of whom had little training before they were then sent to Ukraine to fight.
A video posted by the London-based news outlet depicted at least five Yemeni men, four in the video along with the cameraman, explaining their dire situation and noting that one of their fellow conscripts attempted to commit suicide but was taken to a hospital before being reinstated into service one day later.
"We are now under bombardment," said the man holding the camera, who expressed their exhaustion and showed a group of men holed up in a Ukrainian forest. "Mines, drones, digging bunkers, we are carrying lumber."
U.S. diplomats told the news outlet that the scheme coordinated between the Houthis and Russia shows how far Moscow is willing to go to beef up its forces amid the high casualty rates.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Monday assessed that Russia has seen more than 730,000 casualties in the nearly three-year-long war, though U.S. assessments in early October suggested this number was closer to 600,000, which includes some 115,000 deaths and roughly 500,000 wounded.
UKRAINE TO ANALYZE FRAGMENTS OF MISSILE FIRED BY RUSSIA CAPABLE OF CARRYING NUCLEAR WARHEADS
Though the report by the Financial Times suggests there could be hundreds, if not more, Yemeni men forced to fight in Ukraine, they are not the only foreign fighters being pulled into Russia’s war machine.
North Korea has sent some 12,000 troops to aid Russia, and reports earlier this year suggested that men from India and Nepal had been lured into fighting for Moscow under false pretenses, again having been promised lucrative jobs before being shipped off to the war in Ukraine.
It is unclear how many Indian men have been conscripted into Russia’s military, though a report by Time in August said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi apparently raised the subject with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a July visit to Moscow. Modi was allegedly assured Russia would do what it could to return all Indian mercenaries, though the status of that agreement remains unclear.
CNN similarly reported earlier this year that some 15,000 men from Nepal had also been recruited to fight for Russia – depicting a trend that shows Russia has been targeting impoverished nations to falsely lure fighters into its ranks.
Russia has been bolstering its ties with Iran, and in extension, Iran’s proxy forces like the Houthis, since Putin launched his "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022.
It is unclear what, if anything, Russia has promised the Houthi’s in exchange for their help in Moscow’s latest conscription scheme, and security officials have yet to confirm any arms sales from Russia to the terrorist network.
Russia is known, however, to have aided the group by providing targeting data, which the group uses in its attacks against Western ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have also sent at least two delegations to Russia this year to meet with senior Kremlin officials.
The U.S. State Department did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions.
Russia tricks Yemeni men to fight in Ukraine under Houthi scheme: report
Russia is recruiting hundreds of Yemeni men to fight in its war in Ukraine by luring them to Russia under false pretenses in coordination with the Houthi terrorist network, a report by the Financial Times found.
The Yemeni recruits who were transferred to Russia under a "shadowy trafficking operation" were originally told they would receive high-paying jobs and Russian citizenship.
However, after arriving with the help of a Houthi-linked company, many have apparently been coerced into the Russian military, forced to sign fighting contracts at gunpoint and sent to the front lines in Ukraine.
RUSSIA IS SUPPLYING HOUTHIS WITH SATELLITE DATA TO ATTACK SHIPS IN THE RED SEA: REPORT
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the U.S. State Department or the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment on Russia’s increasing use of foreign fighters to aid its war machine in Ukraine.
It is unclear if any of the Yemeni men are Houthi terrorists or how many have been sent to fight in Ukraine, though the Financial Times report on Sunday suggested that recruitment is believed to have begun in July. At least 200 Yemeni men were reportedly a part of just one group forcibly conscripted into the Russian military in September – most of whom had little training before they were then sent to Ukraine to fight.
A video posted by the London-based news outlet depicted at least five Yemeni men, four in the video along with the cameraman, explaining their dire situation and noting that one of their fellow conscripts attempted to commit suicide but was taken to a hospital before being reinstated into service one day later.
"We are now under bombardment," said the man holding the camera, who expressed their exhaustion and showed a group of men holed up in a Ukrainian forest. "Mines, drones, digging bunkers, we are carrying lumber."
U.S. diplomats told the news outlet that the scheme coordinated between the Houthis and Russia shows how far Moscow is willing to go to beef up its forces amid the high casualty rates.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Monday assessed that Russia has seen more than 730,000 casualties in the nearly three-year-long war, though U.S. assessments in early October suggested this number was closer to 600,000, which includes some 115,000 deaths and roughly 500,000 wounded.
UKRAINE TO ANALYZE FRAGMENTS OF MISSILE FIRED BY RUSSIA CAPABLE OF CARRYING NUCLEAR WARHEADS
Though the report by the Financial Times suggests there could be hundreds, if not more, Yemeni men forced to fight in Ukraine, they are not the only foreign fighters being pulled into Russia’s war machine.
North Korea has sent some 12,000 troops to aid Russia, and reports earlier this year suggested that men from India and Nepal had been lured into fighting for Moscow under false pretenses, again having been promised lucrative jobs before being shipped off to the war in Ukraine.
It is unclear how many Indian men have been conscripted into Russia’s military, though a report by Time in August said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi apparently raised the subject with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a July visit to Moscow. Modi was allegedly assured Russia would do what it could to return all Indian mercenaries, though the status of that agreement remains unclear.
CNN similarly reported earlier this year that some 15,000 men from Nepal had also been recruited to fight for Russia – depicting a trend that shows Russia has been targeting impoverished nations to falsely lure fighters into its ranks.
Russia has been bolstering its ties with Iran, and in extension, Iran’s proxy forces like the Houthis, since Putin launched his "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022.
It is unclear what, if anything, Russia has promised the Houthi’s in exchange for their help in Moscow’s latest conscription scheme, and security officials have yet to confirm any arms sales from Russia to the terrorist network.
Russia is known, however, to have aided the group by providing targeting data, which the group uses in its attacks against Western ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have also sent at least two delegations to Russia this year to meet with senior Kremlin officials.
Uruguay ousts conservative government, elects leftist opposition candidate as turnout hits 90 percent
Uruguay ousted its conservative government that had been in charge for the past five years, as leftist opposition candidate Yamandú Orsi claimed victory in a tight presidential runoff Sunday.
Even as the vote count continued, Álvaro Delgado, the presidential candidate of the center-right ruling coalition, conceded defeat to his challenger.
"With sadness, but without guilt, we can congratulate the winner," he told supporters at his campaign headquarters in the capital of Montevideo.
Orsi, 57, a working-class former history teacher and two-time mayor from Uruguay's Broad Front coalition, was mentored by former President José "Pepe" Mujica, an ex-Marxist guerilla who became world renowned for driving Uruguay’s legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and sale of marijuana a decade ago. Orsi thanked his supporters as crowds flocked to greet him.
"The country of liberty, equality and fraternity has triumphed once again," he said, vowing to unite the nation of 3.4 million people after such a tight vote.
"Let's understand that there is another part of our country who have different feelings today," he said. "These people will also have to help build a better country. We need them too."
"I will be the president who calls for national dialogue again and again, who builds a more integrated society and country," Orsi said.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll have to work very hard, there's a lot to do," he told the Associated Press from the glass-walled NH Columbia hotel, thronged friends and colleagues embracing and congratulating him.
With nearly all the votes counted, electoral officials reported that Orsi won just over 49% of the vote, ahead of Delgado’s 46%. The rest cast blank votes or abstained in defiance of Uruguay's enforced compulsory voting. Turnout reached almost 90%.
After weeks in which the rivals appeared tied in the polls, Delgado's concession ushers in Orsi as Uruguay’s new leader and cuts short the center-right Republican coalition's shot at governing.
The 2019 election of President Luis Lacalle Pou spelled an end to 15 consecutive years of rule by the Broad Front.
"I called Yamandú Orsi to congratulate him as President-elect of our country," Lacalle Pou wrote on social media platform X, adding that he would "put myself at his service and begin the transition as soon as I deem it appropriate."
Orsi's victory made the South American country the latest to rebuke the incumbent party in the wake of post-pandemic economic malaise.
The win contrasts with that of populist Javier Milei, who won the presidency in Argentina in 2023 by promising to overhaul the establishment to deal with soaring inflation and poverty. Milei reportedly has grown close to President-elect Trump.
Orsi has been described as a moderate with no radical plans for change. He largely agrees with his opponent on key voter concerns like driving down the childhood poverty rate, now at a staggering 25%, and containing an upsurge in organized crime that has shaken the nation long considered among Latin America's safest.
ARGENTINA'S MILEI BLASTS UN OVER SUPPORT FOR COVID LOCKDOWNS, APPEASING 'BLOODY DICTATORSHIPS'
Despite Orsi's promise to lead a "new left" in Uruguay, his platform resembles the mix of market-friendly policies and welfare programs that characterized the Broad Front’s tenure from 2005-2020.
Mujica, now 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer, turned up at his local polling station before balloting even began on Sunday to praise Orsi’s humility and Uruguay’s proud stability.
"This is no small feat," he said of his nation's "citizenry that respects formal institutions."
With inflation easing, and the economy expected to expand by some 3.2% this year, Delgado had promised to continue pursuing his predecessor’s pro-business policies.
Lacalle Pou, who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term, has enjoyed high approval ratings. But the official results trickling in on Sunday showed that mounting complaints in Uruguay about years of sluggish economic growth, stagnant wages and the government’s struggle to contain crime after five years helped swing the election against Delgado.
Specific proposals by Orsi include tax incentives to lure investment and revitalize the critical agricultural sector, as well as social security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay’s unions that failed to pass in the Oct. 27 general election during which neither front-runner secured an outright majority.
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He is also likely to put an end to a trade agreement with China that Lacalle Pou had pursued to the chagrin of Mercosur, an alliance of South American nations promoting regional commerce.
His government will take office on March 1, 2025.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Israel moves towards ceasefire deal with Hezbollah: reports
Israel is reportedly moving towards a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon after nearly a year of fighting escalated into an all-out war in September.
Israeli media outlets including YNET and Haaretz have reported that Israel has tentatively agreed to a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire. No final deal has been reached, according to the reports.
Lebanon and the militia group Hezbollah reportedly agreed to the deal last week but both sides need to give the final okay before it can materialize.
The reported ceasefire deal comes after Hezbollah launched one of its largest rocket attacks on Israel in exchange for Israeli forces striking Hezbollah command centers in Beirut.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets into Israel after IDF targets Hezbollah command centers in Beirut
Hezbollah fired a barrage of missiles and other projectiles into Israel Sunday in response to deadly IDF strikes on the militant group’s command centers in Beirut.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles Sunday, with some intercepted – marking one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months. Some of the rockets reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on an army center killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded 18 others in the southwest, Lebanon's military said. The Israeli military said the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah and that the military's operations are directed solely against the militants.
Israeli airstrikes also pounded central Beirut on Saturday, killing at least 29 people and wounding 67, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
RABBI FEARED KIDNAPPED, KILLED BY TERRORISTS AFTER GOING MISSING, PROMPTING INVESTIGATION
Smoke billowed above Beirut again Sunday with new strikes. Israel's military said it targeted command centers for Hezbollah and its intelligence unit in the southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, where the militants have a strong presence.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Iran supports both armed groups.
FLORIDA SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY PLANNING TO BOMB NYSE: ‘I FEEL LIKE BIN LADEN’
Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes at Hezbollah, and in September the low-level conflict erupted into all-out war as Israel launched airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon and killed Hezbollah's top leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon's population.
NETANYAHU OFFERS $5 MILLION TO PALESTINIANS FOR EVERY ISRAELI HOSTAGE THEY HELP FREE
On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardment in northern Israel and in battle following Israel's ground invasion in early October. Around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country's north.
Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on U.S.-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a "direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts" to end the war.
Four men convicted in Spain in connection to 2021 hate crime murder
Four men in Spain were convicted for their role in what is being considered a homophobic murder on Sunday in connection to the killing of a young nursing assistant, which sparked protests in cities across Spain and abroad.
Reuters reported that 24-year-old Samuel Luiz died in a hospital in July 2021 after he was assaulted by a group of people outside a nightclub in A Coruña, which is located in the northwestern Galicia region of Spain.
Three of the men involved who committed the fatal assault – Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire and Kaio Amaral – were each found guilty of aggravated murder. The fourth man, Alejandro Míguez, was convicted of complicity. A fifth person, a woman, was tried and acquitted of charges against her.
Evidence presented in court showed that Montaña led the efforts after concluding that Luiz was gay based on his speech and clothing.
FIRE KILLS AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE IN SPANISH RETIREMENT HOME
Montaña then reportedly started shouting homophobic insults and slurs at Luiz before the attack and made anti-gay comments to the other accused individuals afterward.
The trial lasted nearly four weeks before the case was placed on the jury to decide the fate of Montaña, Freire, Amaral and Míguez. Ultimately, the jury found them guilty of the charges.
Sentencing is expected to take place at a later date, and the prosecution has asked the judge for jail terms between 22 and 27 years.
SPAIN SEARCHES FOR BODIES AFTER UNPRECEDENTED FLOODING CLAIMS AT LEAST 158 LIVES
"Today, 4 attackers have been sentenced for the murder of Samuel Luiz," Irene Montero, former minister of equality in Spain, wrote in a translated post on X, explaining that the men shouted a derogatory term at the victim. "I hope it helps to make amends for Samuel’s family and friends. Let’s not look the other way: the [LGBTQ-phobia] that kills begins with comments or ‘jokes’ that are hateful, harmful and must be stopped."
Reuters reported that in 2023, there were more than 360 hate crimes related to sexual orientation or gender identity reported in Spain. Of those crimes reported, 184 arrests were made, Interior Ministry data shows.
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights also reported that only a fraction of hate crimes are reported.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Ukraine to analyze fragments of missile fired by Russia capable of carrying nuclear warheads
Investigators in Ukraine are analyzing the debris of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) fired by Russia at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, marking the first time the weapon had been used on the battlefield.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s Security Service showed the remaining fragments of the IRBM called Oreshnik – Russian for Hazel Tree – that struck a factory to The Associated Press.
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the attack on Thursday evening in an address to the nation and said it was in direct response to the U.S. and the U.K. jointly approving Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russia.
The Pentagon has said the missile is based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), though the wreckage has not yet been analyzed, according to security officials on site in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
‘NEW’ RUSSIAN MISSILE USED AGAINST UKRAINE NOT HYPERSONIC, DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY
The AP and other media were permitted to view the fragments before being taken over by investigators.
The wire service showed images of what it described as mangled and charred wires, along with an ashy airframe about the size of a large snow tire. The remains were all that were left of the IRBM, which can carry nuclear or conventional warheads.
"It should be noted that this is the first time that the remains of such a missile have been discovered on the territory of Ukraine," a specialist with Ukraine’s Security Service said. The specialist only identified himself by his first name Oleh because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the missile was launched from the 4th Missile Test Range, Kapustin Yar, in Russia’s Astrakhan region. Once launched, Ukrainian officials said, it flew for 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. The missile was carrying six warheads, each carrying six subunitions, and its speed was Mach 11.
Last week, Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to reporters during a press briefing that Russia had launched the IRBM, noting that it was a "new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield."
She also said the U.S. was notified briefly before the launch through nuclear or risk reduction channels.
US EMBASSY IN KYIV CLOSED AS 'POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT AIR ATTACK' LOOMS
Putin also said last week that the missile attacked targets at a speed of Mach 10.
Despite Ukraine’s and Putin’s claim that the rocket reached speeds greater than Mach 10, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News on Thursday the missile was not hypersonic, which, according to NASA, is a speed greater than 3,000 mph and faster than Mach 5.
Along with launching the IRBM for the first time on the battlefield, Putin signed a law to grant debt forgiveness to those who enlist in Russia’s army to fight in Ukraine.
US BRIEFED UKRAINE AHEAD OF PUTIN'S ‘EXPERIMENTAL INTERMEDIATE-RANGE BALLISTIC’ ATTACK
The AP reported that the measure highlights the country’s need for military personnel as it continues its war against Ukraine.
Russian state news agency Interfax said the new legislation allows new recruits enlisting for a one-year contract, to write off debts up to 10 million rubles, or about $96,000.
The law reportedly applies to debts in which a court order for collection was issued, and enforcement proceedings had commenced before Dec. 1, 2024. The legislation also applies to spouses of new recruits.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Shootout near Israeli Embassy in Jordan leaves 3 police officers injured, gunman dead
A gunman is dead in Jordan after wounding three police officers in a shootout near Israel's embassy early Sunday, authorities said.
The gunman opened fire in the Rabiah neighborhood of the capital of Amman, Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said in a statement. Police pursued the gunman, shooting and killing him.
"He was chased and surrounded, so he started firing gunshots at the security force, which in turn applied the rules of engagement, which resulted in the killing of the perpetrator," the statement said.
Jordan's communications minister, Mohamed Momani, described the shooting to Reuters as a terrorist attack that targeted public security forces in the country.
ISRAEL CONFIRMS DEATH OF MISSING ABU DHABI RABBI: ‘ABHORRENT ACT OF ANTISEMITIC TERRORISM’
"Tampering with the security of the nation and attacking security personnel will be met with a firm response," Momani told the outlet.
While authorities did not immediately identify the shooter or a motive, Momani said the gunman had a criminal history of drug trafficking.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
CALL FOR US TO DO MORE AS ANTISEMITIC ACTS SKYROCKET IN EUROPE: ‘ENORMOUSLY PAINFUL’
Jordan is a close Western ally that made peace with Israel in 1994, though relations were strained amid Israel's war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.
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Jordan has a large Palestinian population and has seen repeated protests outside the Israeli Embassy, with demonstrators sometimes clashing with police.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Israel confirms death of missing Abu Dhabi rabbi: 'Abhorrent act of antisemitic terrorism’
Israeli officials on Sunday confirmed the death of an Abu Dhabi rabbi who had been missing since Thursday.
"The UAE intelligence and security authorities have located the body of Zvi Kogan, who has been missing since Thursday, 21 November 2024," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X. "The Israeli mission in Abu Dhabi has been in contact with the family from the start of the event and is continuing to assist it at this difficult time; his family in Israel has also been updated."
"The murder of Zvi Kogan, of blessed memory, is an abhorrent act of antisemitic terrorism. The State of Israel will use all means and will deal with the criminals responsible for his death to the fullest extent of the law," the statement added.
RABBI FEARED KIDNAPPED, KILLED BY TERRORISTS AFTER GOING MISSING, PROMPTING INVESTIGATION
Rabbi Zvi Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of Hasidic Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City.
The 28-year-old was a resident of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates when he went missing Thursday. He is a citizen of both Moldova and Israel.
According to his LinkedIn, Kogan worked as a recruiter and was "passionate about volunteering and serving [his] community."
'CHEERLEADING FOR TERRORISM': TWITCH STAR CALLED FOR NEW 9/11, DISMISSED HORROR OF OCT 7
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced its investigation into the unusual disappearance on Saturday. At the time, the statement said the disappearance appeared to be related to "a terrorist incident" but did not elaborate.
The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior had confirmed it was investigating Kogan's disappearance, but described his citizenship solely as a "Moldovan national."
Kogan’s wife, Rivky, is a U.S. citizen who lived with him in the UAE. She is the niece of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, who was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Calls for US to do more as antisemitic acts skyrocket in Europe: 'enormously painful'
On Nov. 7, an anti-Israel mob set out on a "Jew hunt" through the streets of Amsterdam following a soccer game against a visiting Israeli team in what Israeli President Isaac Herzog termed an ‘antisemitic pogrom.’
When the angry mob was done hunting down and violently assaulting Jews and Israelis, five victims were hospitalized. Rioters continued to protest following the attacks setting a tram aflame on Nov. 11 and intensifying the spotlight on antisemitism throughout Europe.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Fox News Digital that his organization "put a travel advisory on Amsterdam in the immediate aftermath of what happened." Cooper explained that the Simon Wiesenthal Center only takes this action "very rarely" and after serious deliberation.
TRAM SET ON FIRE AS AMSTERDAM RIOTS RAGE ON
"Theoretically," Cooper added, "you can slap a travel advisory on almost every place in Western Europe." As Cooper explained, "the establishment has never stepped forward in any really major way across Europe to safeguard their Jews and guarantee their rights and their religious freedoms."
Following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, there has been a staggering increase in antisemitism across Europe. In May, citing data from the World Zionist Organization, Ynetnews reported an 800% increase in antisemitic incidents in Sweden over the previous year, as well as a 680% increase in Spain, a 450% increase in the Netherlands, a 442% increase in the UK and a 433% increase in France.
Events in Amsterdam appeared to be a flashpoint for further hate. On Nov. 10, Belgian authorities arrested five individuals after calls appeared on social media for a "Jew Hunt" in the Jewish Quarter of Antwerp, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In Greece in mid-November, protests featuring pro-Palestinian activists became so volatile that the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry advised Israelis to avoid the Embassy and certain other areas and to remove identifying symbols, the Jerusalem Post reported. Far from the first anti-Israel demonstration in Greece, in June, nine Europeans were under consideration for deportation following "disruptive anti-Israel demonstrations" at the University of Athens School of Law.
The Jerusalem Post reported that an under-17 youth soccer team in Berlin was "chased and assaulted" on Nov. 7 by a knife- and stick-wielding crowd screaming, "Free Palestine." The Times of Israel reported that fewer than two weeks later, the Berlin Chief of Police told Jewish and gay residents to "be careful" in neighborhoods with high populations of Arabs. "Unfortunately, there are certain neighborhoods where there are mostly Arab people who also have sympathy for terrorist groups," she explained.
The expansion of at-risk groups in Berlin echoes the warning words of Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal. As Cooper explained, his organization’s founder readily emphasized, "It often starts with the Jews. It never ends with the Jews."
In the atmosphere of tension and hate, Cooper noted that Jewish Europeans are engaging in "conditioning and self-censorship," removing yarmulkes, or taking the Jewish "chai" symbols from their necklaces. Cooper said that it has "probably been about 15 years since a Jewish person felt comfortable walking to synagogue wearing a kippah in Amsterdam."
Cooper’s concerns are borne out by media reports. As one Dutch Jewish citizen told Ynetnews, Jews visiting the Netherlands should not wear identifying items or "bring Israeli passports." The Times reported in October that many Irish Jews are likewise removing identifying symbols due to an environment of mistrust.
In France, Jewish citizens are removing mezuzahs from their doors, avoiding riding in Ubers, and even changing their names to protect themselves from being identified and targeted with hate when they receive deliveries, according to the Christian Science Monitor. In 2023, France recorded 1,676 antisemitic incidents, compared with 436 the prior year. About 1,200 French Jews began applications to emigrate to Israel in 2023, an increase of 430% from 2022.
As Cooper explained, it is "enormously painful to look across Europe and to see that they give their due deference one or two days a year to dead Jews. They still haven’t figured out in Europe how to live and embrace and celebrate Jewish presence in their societies."
With increased hate in Europe possibly impacting Americans traveling overseas, Fox News Digital asked the U.S. State Department whether it would issue travel advisories warning Jewish Americans of antisemitism abroad.
"We take seriously our commitment to provide U.S. citizens with clear, timely, and reliable information about every country in the world so they can make informed travel decisions," a spokesperson said. "We use standard formats for our Travel Advisories and Alerts to help U.S. citizens find and use important security information easily. We encourage U.S. citizens traveling overseas to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP.state.gov) to receive important safety and security updates, and to make it easier for the U.S. embassy or consulate to contact them in an emergency."
The Netherlands’ Level-Two State Department Travel Advisory, last updated in August, notes threats of terrorism, but provides no information about antisemitic hatred. Neither do advisories for France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, or Greece.
Cooper emphasized that the Simon Wiesenthal Center hopes the incoming Trump administration will "take the fight against antisemitism globally to a new level," making it "part and parcel of American foreign policy, especially in the Americas and in the international organizations for which we fork out billions of dollars every year."
Man in India regains consciousness before his cremation on funeral pyre: reports
A 25-year-old man who was declared dead and about to be cremated in India this week was found to be still alive by witnesses, according to reports.
Rohitash Kumar, 25, who was deaf and mute, was declared dead at a hospital in the state of Rajasthan in the northwestern part of India without a post-mortem examination, according to The Times of India.
Once it was clear Kumar was alive at his cremation on Thursday afternoon, his family reportedly took him back to a hospital where he died early Friday morning.
COLORADO FUNERAL HOME OWNERS PLEAD GUILTY TO CORPSE ABUSE AFTER NEARLY 200 BODIES FOUND DECOMPOSING
Three doctors involved in declaring Kumar dead at the Bhagwan Das Khetan district hospital have since been suspended, the newspaper reported.
Kumar had suffered an epileptic seizure and was declared dead after he flatlined while doctors were performing CPR on him, the Daily Mail reported, citing the AFP news service.
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"The situation was nothing short of a miracle," a witness at the funeral pyre told local news outlet ETV Bharat. "We all were in shock. He was declared dead, but there he was, breathing and alive."
Ramavtar Meena, a government official in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, called the incident "serious negligence."
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"Action will be taken against those responsible. The working style of the doctors will also be thoroughly investigated," he said.
Meena added that a committee had been formed to investigate the incident.