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A Russia-linked hacking group unleashed a new "advanced phishing campaign" targeting European diplomats with invites to fake wine tasting events, according to a report. 

Check Point Research said the APT29 group is trying to "impersonate a major European Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send out invitations to wine tasting events, prompting targets to click a web link leading to the deployment of a new backdoor [malware] called GRAPELOADER."  

"This campaign appears to be focused on targeting European diplomatic entities, including non-European countries’ embassies located in Europe," the cybersecurity firm said in an advisory, noting that the emails with malicious links included subject lines such as "Wine tasting event (update date)," "For Ambassador’s Calendar" and "Diplomatic dinner." 

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said last year that APT29, which also goes by the names of Midnight Blizzard, the Dukes, or Cozy Bear, is "a cyber espionage group, almost certainly part of the SVR, an element of the Russian intelligence services." 

WINDOWS 10 SECURITY FLAWS LEAVE MILLIONS VULNERABLE 

Check Point Research said Tuesday that APT29 is "known for targeting high-profile organizations, including government agencies and think tanks" and that "their operations vary from targeted phishing campaigns to high-profile supply chain attacks that utilize a large array of both custom and commercial malware." 

"Throughout the [new] campaign, the targets include multiple European countries with a specific focus on Ministries of Foreign Affairs, as well as other countries’ embassies in Europe. In addition to the emails we’ve identified, we found indications of limited targeting outside of Europe, including of diplomats based in the Middle East," it also said. 

Check Point Research said the phishing attacks started in January of this year. 

CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIMED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THAT THEIR GOVERNMENT PLAYED ROLE IN US CYBERATTACKS: REPORT 

"In cases where the initial attempt was unsuccessful, additional waves of emails were sent to increase the likelihood of getting the victim to click the link and compromise his machine," it added. 

"The server hosting the link is believed to be highly protected against scanning and automated analysis solutions, with the malicious download triggered only under certain conditions, such as specific times or geographic locations. When accessed directly, the link redirects to the official website of the impersonated Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the firm continued. 

It is unclear if any of the phishing attacks were successful. 

Authorities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa rescued a kidnapped American pastor during a deadly shootout on Tuesday at a house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) released a statement announcing that an operation led by the agency "resulted in the successful rescue" of an American pastor who was kidnapped. 

Though the news release did not name the pastor, 34-year-old Josh Sullivan, of Tennessee, was kidnapped by several armed, masked men last week at his church in the Eastern Cape.

Police said they received tips that Sullivan was inside a safe house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha. When they arrived at the home, suspects inside a car on the premises began firing at law enforcement and attempted to flee.

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A "high-intensity shootout" took place and three unidentified suspects were killed. 

Sullivan was found inside the same car that the suspects were in, but he was "miraculously unharmed," police said, adding that he is "currently in an excellent condition."

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Hamas appears to have rejected Israel’s latest attempt to secure a ceasefire and the return of nearly a dozen hostages who have been held in the Gaza Strip for 556 days.

The terrorist organization has yet to issue a formal response regarding its rejection of Israel’s ceasefire proposal, but according to remarks by Hamas leader Abu Zuhri to reporters on Tuesday, "Handing over the resistance's weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion."

Fox News Digital could not independently verify the extent of the terms involved in the deal, but sources said the conditions included a 45-day ceasefire and the return of humanitarian aid – which has been blocked since March 2 – in exchange for 11 hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.

TOP HAMAS TERROR LEADER KILLED IN 'PRECISE STRIKE' BY ISRAEL: IDF

The Israeli government assesses that 24 of the 59 hostages held in the Gaza Strip are still alive, including American Israeli Edan Alexander – who had a second proof of life video released by Hamas on Saturday, the eve of Passover. 

But Hamas on Tuesday claimed it had lost contact with the soldiers said to be guarding Alexander and accused Israeli forces of targeting his location, though it did not provide evidence of any strike. 

Hamas on multiple occasions has falsely blamed Israeli attacks for either the death of or the loss of communication with hostages held across the Gaza Strip. 

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Israeli authorities nor Alexander’s family for confirmation of the Tuesday claims posted in a Telegram post by Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades.

News of the proposal’s failure does not appear to have come as a surprise to mediators, who remain tight-lipped and have not responded to Fox New Digital’s questions.

Some reporting suggested that mediators were not confident the Israeli ceasefire proposal would gain much traction despite Israel’s continued advances in Gaza because it did not propose any withdrawal terms and called on Hamas to relinquish its arms. 

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE CALLS ON TRUMP TO ACT AS 'MODERN MOSES' TO SAVE BROTHER FROM HAMAS 'LUNATICS'

Israel frustrated mediators last month when it resumed military operations across the Gaza Strip following the end of the first ceasefire and the failure to secure a second phase, which was intended to see the release of the remaining hostages. 

Israel over the weekend captured more territory in the Gaza Strip after reports earlier this month indicated it had taken over half of the Palestinian territory as talks remain stalled over ceasefire negotiations. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday the IDF had captured territory in the southern portion of the Gaza Strip from the Philadelphia Corridor, which runs along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and the Morag axis, a new corridor announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, which cuts off the city of Rafah and southern Gaza off from Khan Younis – roughly a quarter of the way up the Strip from the Egyptian border. 

Katz said the area has become a buffer zone controlled by the IDF.

"The area of the northern border in Gaza is also deepening and expanding as part of the security zone and the protection of Israeli settlement," he said in a post on X. "Hundreds of thousands of residents have already evacuated from the combat zones and tens of percent of Gaza's territory has become part of Israel's security zones.

"The main goal is to exert heavy pressure on Hamas in favor of returning to the outline of releasing the abductees," Katz continued. "Gaza will become smaller and more isolated, and more and more of its residents will be forced to evacuate the combat zones."

A Russian general who criticized the nation's Ministry of Defense may soon be reinstated to the front lines of the war in Ukraine this week, according to a report from CNN.

General Major Ivan Popov once commanded Russia's 58th Army before being sidelined, accused of fraud, and detained after blasting Russian military leadership in 2023. His lawyer and the Ministry of Defense called for him to be put in command of one of Russia's infamous detachments of ex-convicts, forces that have sustained massive casualties in the war against Ukraine.

"We, together with the Ministry of Defense, have a motion to suspend on the case… with the positive decision to send Ivan to [Ukraine]," the lawyer, Sergei Buinovsky, said, according to Russian media.

Popov published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, asking the leader to reinstate him to military service in order to suspend his criminal trial.

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS 'RUSSIAN NARRATIVES ARE PREVAILING' IN US DURING '60 MINUTES' INTERVIEW

Former defense intelligence officer and author of "Putin's Playbook" Rebekah Koffler says Putin may intervene in the case to ensure Popov is deployed to Ukraine.

"Putin routinely weighs in on high-profile cases, especially when Western media is involved," Koffler told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

"Putin is unpredictable - he may decide to let the process run its course and have Popov serve a prison sentence or he may decide to send him into the meat grinder in Ukraine and serve the ‘Russian motherland,' making a propaganda case out of it, since Popov asked for it," she added.

The assignment to a penal detachment is arguably a death sentence, however, as Russia's military has routinely used ex-convict forces to conduct near-suicidal missions in the war against Ukraine, leading to high casualty rates.

TRUMP ENVOY MEETS PUTIN IN RUSSIA AS TRUMP FUMES OVER STALLED UKRAINE PEACE TALKS

"I was subjected to unjust prosecution," Popov wrote in his letter to Putin. "I wish to continue smashing the enemy in accordance with the oath I took."

Popov’s lawyer, Sergei Buinovskiy, told Russian media that Popov "was grateful for the trust the president has placed in him."

As commander of Russia's 58th Army, Popov was in charge of a force of nearly 50,000 troops. The detachment he could soon lead likely numbers in the hundreds, however.

At the head of the 58th Army, Popov gained popularity with front-line troops by repelling a Ukrainian counter-attack that relied heavily on tanks provided by NATO countries. He then blasted Russia's top commanders for allowing Ukraine's initial breakthrough.

"The armed forces of Ukraine could not break through our army from the front, [but] our senior commander hit us from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment," Popov said of Russian military chief-of-staff Valery Gerasimov at the time.

Popov was soon reassigned to Syria before fraud charges landed him in court. He denied wrongdoing and retained many allies in Moscow who shared his criticisms of Russian military leadership.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it has killed a top Hamas leader responsible for arming terrorists with weapons used to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops. 

Muhammad al-‘Ajlah, the commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya battalion, was taken out in a "precise strike" on Sunday, the IDF said Tuesday.

The Shejaiya battalion is a military unit within Hamas’s armed wing that operates primarily in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, which has historically been a stronghold for Hamas and a focal point of intense fighting during Israeli military operations.

WITH TRUMP'S BACKING ISRAEL PUSHES DEEPER INTO GAZA AS PRESSURE BUILDS FOR HOSTAGE DEAL

Al-‘Ajlah is the fifth commander of the Shejaiya battalion to be eliminated since the beginning of the war and the third since the start of the renewed operations in Gaza, the IDF said. 

"Muhammad al-‘Ajlah served as the commander of a combat support company in the Shejaiya battalion throughout the war and was eliminated in a precise strike on Sunday night," the IDF said in a statement Tuesday.

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including issuing advanced warnings to civilians, precise munitions, and aerial surveillance."

ISRAEL LAUNCHES NEW GROUND OPERATION IN GAZA

The Shejaiya battalion has been known to use urban guerrilla warfare, tunnels, IEDs and rocket launches as part of its operations, according to the IDF and reports.  

In October, Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar was killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, with chilling video capturing his final moments. 

Hamas’ top military commander, Mohammad Deif, was killed during a strike in July 2024. Deif initiated, planned and executed the October 7th terror attacks along with Sinwar, according to the IDF.

The killing of al-‘Ajlah on Sunday comes amid a resumption of the war on March 18 following a two-month ceasefire. 

The latest round of talks on Monday in Cairo to restore the ceasefire and free Israeli hostages ended with no apparent breakthrough, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said.

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Hamas insists Israel commit to ending the war and pull out its forces from the Gaza Strip as agreed in the three-phase ceasefire accord that went into effect in late January.

Israel has said it will not end the war unless Hamas is eliminated and returns the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Israel says that there are still 59 hostages in captivity, of whom Israel believes 35 are dead. Thirty-three hostages were released during the latest ceasefire; 251 were initially captured during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump on Monday once again reiterated that Iran must abandon any hope of obtaining a nuclear weapon as the U.S. prepares for more talks in less than a week.

"Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office while sitting alongside the president of El Salvador. 

"Iran wants to deal with us, but they don't know how. They really don't know how," Trump continued. 

TRUMP TEAM HOLDS 'CONSTRUCTIVE' FACE-TO-FACE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN, WILL MEET AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND

The president confirmed the U.S. will hold more talks with Iran next Saturday in Italy, one week after the first talks began in Oman. 

Details of the discussion remain nil, though they were seen as a launching point as Washington tries to negotiate with Tehran to end its nuclear program. 

Iranian state media reported that Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi "briefly spoke" together during the two-hour meeting, which suggests Tehran viewed the discussions positively given their initial refusal to hold "direct" talks.

The White House similarly described the talks as "very positive and constructive," though it also conceded that "very complicated" issues remain unresolved. 

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN. WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE?

Trump has said negotiations with Iran need to happen "very quickly" but he has not provided a specific timeline on how long he will allow the diplomatic process to be carried out before he turns to military options.

The president has repeatedly threatened to "bomb" Iran should it not stop its ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon. 

But the extent that the U.S. intends to shut down Tehran’s nuclear program also remains unclear as some call for complete disarmament as Iran also continues to advance its missile programs. 

"I'll solve that problem. It's almost an easy one," Trump told reporters while comparing the end of Iran’s decades-long ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon to the challenge of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

"I think Iran could be a great country as long as it doesn't have nuclear weapons," Trump said. "If they have nuclear weapons, they'll never get a chance to be a great country."

Poland’s foreign minister on Monday urged President Donald Trump to take steps to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued war in Ukraine following another deadly strike that killed 34, including two children, on Palm Sunday.

"I just want to say how appalled I am by the latest spate of Russian attacks on Ukraine," Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters ahead of the European Union’s foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

"Ukraine unconditionally agreed to a ceasefire over a month ago," Sikorski said. "The heinous attacks on Kryvyi Rih and Sumy are Russia's mocking answer."

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS 'RUSSIAN NARRATIVES ARE PREVAILING' IN US DURING '60 MINUTES' INTERVIEW

Russia fired two ballistic missiles into Sumy’s city center Sunday, claiming it targeted a meeting of top Ukrainian military officials. The northeastern city lies about 30 miles from the Russian border. Moscow said 60 troops were killed but provided no evidence, and it remains unclear if any officials were among the 30 dead and 119 injured.

The attack came just over a week after Russia struck Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, in what was the deadliest strike against children since the war began in an attack near a playground that killed 19 people, including nine children.

"I hope that President Trump and his administration see that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill and I hope the right decisions are taken," Sikorski told reporters Monday. 

TRUMP ENVOY MEETS PUTIN IN RUSSIA AS TRUMP FUMES OVER STALLED UKRAINE PEACE TALKS

The attacks were met with a swift international rebuke from European leaders, with Germany’s chancellor-designate, Friedrich Merz, calling it a "serious war crime."

Leaders from Lithuania made similar claims and summoned a Russian diplomat over the incident on Monday.

France’s foreign minister ahead of the top international talks called for tougher sanctions on Russia to "suffocate" its economy and stop its war effort. 

Trump similarly condemned the attacks as "terrible" but said he "was told they made a mistake." 

"But I think it's a horrible thing," he added.

Russian forces over the last month have dropped 2,800 air bombs on Ukraine, fired more than 1,400 drones – including 62 Shahed drones Sunday night – and levied some 60 other missiles of various types, according to The Associated Press. 

Daniel Noboa, the tough-on-crime firebrand president of Ecuador, was re-elected in Sunday's runoff.

Noboa, running under the right-wing National Democratic Action party label, handily defeated Luisa González of the leftist Citizen Revolution Movement – the party of influential former President Rafael Correa. 

ECUADOR'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION GOES TO RUNOFF BETWEEN CONSERVATIVE INCUMBENT, LEFTIST LAWYER

According to the National Electoral Council, Noboa received about 55.8% of the vote to González's 44%. 

EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO TRUMP REPATRIATION FLIGHT ON C-17 MILITARY PLANE TO ECUADOR

Over 90% of ballots have been tabulated, according to The Associated Press. Over 13 million people were eligible to vote – and in Ecuador, voting is compulsory.

A Miami-born heir to a large banana trade fortune, the largely politically-inexperienced Noboa emerged as the surprise winner of a 16-month presidency following a 2023 snap election to succeed former President Guillermo Lasso.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An American missionary who was detained in Tunisia for over a year was released on Sunday.

Officials gained the release of U.S. citizen Robert Vieira on Sunday afternoon, according to a Reuters report citing U.S. special envoy Adam Boehler.

Boehler told the outlet that Vieira was doing missionary work when he was detained by Tunisian authorities 13 months ago.

Officials reportedly suspected Vieira of espionage.

19 BODIES RECOVERED OFF THE COAST OF TUNISIA AFTER MIGRANTS ATTEMPTED TO CROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN TO EUROPE

Tunisia, a North African country bordered by Algeria and Libya, was amenable to Vieira's release after Boehler worked closely with its foreign minister, Mohamed Ali Nafti.

After being released on Sunday, Vieira flew back home to the U.S. alongside his family.

TUNISIAN OPPOSITION DECLINES TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTION UNLESS POLITICAL PRISONERS FREED

"We appreciate the government of Tunisia’s decision to resolve this case and allow Mr. Vieira to reunite with his family after more than 13 months of pre-trial detention," Boehler said.

Boehler credited his collaboration with Nafti for securing the detainee's release.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for additional comment but did not immediately hear back.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The daughter of a German-American journalist who died in the custody of Iran and whose body was returned mutilated and missing body parts urged the Trump administration on Sunday to pull the plug on nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.

Jamshid "Jimmy" Sharmahd, 69, a California resident who was kidnapped while on a business trip in the United Arab Emirates in 2020 and taken to Tehran, was executed in October. His daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd, told Fox News Digital his body was returned bearing horrific signs of torture.

IRAN REPORTEDLY EXECUTES CALIFORNIA MAN AMID ONGOING EXECUTION SPREE

"I traveled to Berlin with my family not to embrace my freed father after five years of torture by these terrorists, but to receive his mutilated body in a box," she said. "The regime did not only torture my father physically and mentally for more than 1,500 days as the U.S. Biden administration and Germany was watching idly, even after killing my father they cut out his organs."

Gazelle Sharmahd said an autopsy report showed her father's tongue, larynx, thyroid and heart were missing, and he only had two teeth.

The daughter, who fruitlessly lobbied the Biden administration to free her father, said the U.S. and Germany should not negotiate with a nation capable of such atrocities.

"On the day that a German-American patriot and hostage was returned in pieces in a casket, with his tongue and heart cut out, barely recognizable to my family and me, Germany and the U.S. consider sitting down with the killers of their dual national hostage," she said.

The Trump administration started indirect talks with Iran’s clerical regime on Saturday in Oman, a Mideast country, where Jimmy was taken after he was kidnapped in the UAE and later moved to Iran.

AHEAD OF TRUMP ADMIN-IRAN TALKS, NEW REPORT SAYS IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT RISES TO 'EXTREME DANGER'

Sharmahd, who was a sharp critic of the regime in Tehran, was considered an American national under the Levinson Act, according to the family’s lawyer, Jason Poblete, who is an expert on victims kidnapped by totalitarian regimes.

The Levinson Act defines a "United States national" as a "lawful permanent resident with significant ties to the United States." According to the State Department, the definition applies to non-U.S. citizens. 

The act was named after Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent and private investigator who disappeared from an Iranian island in 2007. Levinson was held hostage and was declared dead in 2020 when he was said to have died in Iranian custody. His family blamed the Iranian regime for his capture and imprisonment.

Gazelle Sharmahd called on FBI Director Kash Patel and German authorities to investigate the murder of her father and issue arrest warrants for the Iranian regime officials responsible for his summary execution.

TRUMP HAS TIMELINE IN MIND FOR IRAN NUKE DEAL, TAPS ISRAEL TO LEAD ANY POTENTIAL MILITARY ACTION

She received support from the German-Iranian community. Behrouz Asadi, a prominent German-Iranian human rights activist, sent a letter to the German federal prosecutor, Jens Rommel, about Jimmy’s case.

"We urge you to initiate criminal investigations against those responsible in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially those directly or indirectly responsible for his abduction, imprisonment, torture, and ultimately his killing," Asadi wrote.

FBI SAYS CHINA, IRAN USING NEW TACTICS TO TARGET CRITICS IN US

Poblete posted on X that Jimmy Sharmahd's murder was "the result of a brutal regime acting with impunity—and of systemic failures by both the United States and Germany, who did not do enough. This is what happens when Americans and other U.S. nationals held hostage/unjustly detained are abandoned abroad. As Jimmy starts his journey home, our prayers are with the Sharmahd family. Justice for Jimmy will be pursued—relentlessly and without pause. We call on the media and all Americans to NeverForget Jimmy and to keep US nationals foremost on their minds when discussing hostage issues and engaging partners, allies, and adversaries."

Sharmahd said she believes German Christian Democratic party politician Friedrich Merz, who is expected to become chancellor in May, and President Donald Trump will stand up to terrorist regimes in ways their predecessors did not.

"President Trump is newly elected but has promised to stand with hostages and stand up to jihadists, be it Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis or the biggest one, the Islamic regime in Iran," she said.

Pope Francis wished a "Happy Palm Sunday and Happy Holy Week" to the faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square following the conclusion of a mass presided over by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri on his behalf, according to the Vatican News. 

Francis, who is recovering from double pneumonia, greeted the crowds from his wheelchair for about 10 minutes. He stopped occasionally to talk with the faithful, including a group of delighted nuns.

Unlike last Sunday, when he made his first public appearance since being discharged from hospital three weeks ago, the pope was not receiving oxygen via a small hose under his nose.

Francis, 88, was discharged from hospital on March 23 after spending five weeks being treated for the lung infection, which his doctor later said had nearly killed him.

POPE FRANCIS DENOUNCES WAR IN SUDAN, SUGGESTS LIVING LENT 'AS A TIME OF HEALING'

Vatican News estimates 40,000 people gathered in the square for the Palm Sunday celebration of the Lord's Passion, and said the pope "is limiting his exposure to the elements in order to continue recovery from his respiratory conditions."

Sandri read Francis' homily during the mass, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week commemorates the Lord's passion, death and resurrection. 

POPE FRANCIS' DOCTORS CONSIDERED ENDING TREATMENT, SAID 'THERE WAS A REAL RISK HE MIGHT NOT MAKE IT': REPORT

The faithful emerged from St. Peter's Square carrying blessed palm fronds or olive branches to mark the occasion.

The Vatican said it was waiting to advise on what role he may play in upcoming Holy Week events leading up to Easter Sunday.

"Sisters and brothers, I thank you very much for your prayers," the pontiff said in a statement distributed by the Holy See Press Office, "At this time of physical weakness, they help me to feel God's closeness, compassion and tenderness even more. I, too, am praying for you, and I ask you to entrust all those who suffer to the Lord together with me."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

A Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian city killed more than 20 people as civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, officials said.

Two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city of Sumy at around 10:15 a.m., according to Ukrainian officials. Images from the city show a building blasted to rubble, vehicles on fire in a street and several bodies on the ground.

"On this bright Palm Sunday, our community has suffered a terrible tragedy," Acting Mayor Artem Kobzar said in a statement on social media. "Unfortunately, we already know of more than 20 deaths."

An initial investigation determined at least 21 people were killed in the attack, the Prosecutor General's Office said. At least 83 others were injured, including seven children, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko wrote on social media.

TRUMP ENVOY MEETS PUTIN IN RUSSIA AS TRUMP FUMES OVER STALLED UKRAINE PEACE TALKS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on social media that rescue efforts were ongoing after the Russian missiles hit the city’s residential buildings, schools and cars on the street.

"According to preliminary information, dozens of civilians were killed and wounded. Only filthy scum can act like this — taking the lives of ordinary people," he said.

US AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE BRIDGET BRINK TO STEP DOWN AMID HIGH-STAKES WAR DIPLOMACY

Zelenskyy also called on the U.S., Europe and all other countries around the world "who wants this war and killings to end" to "respond firmly" to the attack. 

"Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves," he said.

The strike comes less than a day after Russia and Ukraine’s top diplomats accused each other of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. and South African groups have started to take action to "improve" the lives of Afrikaners, descendants of white, mostly Dutch settlers, after President Donald Trump said they could settle in the U.S. as refugees. 

On Friday, President Trump lashed out again against the South African government for its treatment of farmers, many, but not all of whom, are Afrikaners, positing on his Truth Social media platform via X, "they are taking the land of white Farmers, and then killing them and their families."

The State Department told Fox News Digital about new moves it is making. At the same time, the Afrikaner Orania Movement, an Afrikaner settlement, has stated its desire to be treated by the U.S. as a state within a state in South Africa.

TRUMP FREEZES AID TO SOUTH AFRICA, PROMOTES RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES FACING RACE DISCRIMINATION

This has led to often heated discussions about Afrikaners, and, up until now, no details from the U.S. side. But now there’s real movement, not just talk, taking place. 

"The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria (South Africa) is reviewing inquiries from individuals who have expressed interest to the Embassy in refugee resettlement to the United States and has begun reaching out to some individuals to schedule and conduct informational interviews," the State Department told Fox News Digital.

According to the nongovernmental South African Chamber of Commerce in the U.S., as of last month, 67,042 South Africans have expressed interest in the refugee offer, but the State Department told Fox News digital, "We do not have anything to share on numbers of participants at this stage of the process."

There’s also been a flurry of flights across the Atlantic to Washington by groups looking to get the White House’s, and ultimately the president’s, attention.

First was the political group AfriForum, widely credited with alerting President Trump to the need for "humanitarian relief" for Afrikaners.

Among other organizations making the trek to D.C. was the Cape Independence Advocacy Group, which says Cape Town and some of the surrounding areas should become a state separate from the rest of South Africa. 

But perhaps the Orania Movement’s trip to Washington, and its request for U.S. help, is of most interest. 

"Help us Here," is the slogan Orania CEO Joost Strydom declared to Washington insiders.

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS 

Orania is a small but rapidly growing settlement of 3,000 Afrikaners in South Africa’s Karoo region. Strydom told Fox News Digital those settlers don’t want to become refugees in the U.S. but are seeking Washington's support to become truly autonomous in Africa "not necessarily with U.S. tax dollars, but with recognition with our pursuit of a national home for Afrikaners.  

"Orania's goal is to grow and protect the safety and freedom of Afrikaners. If we can make decisions for ourselves, we can look after our own safety and prosperity. If we are free, we are safe.

"We are a people of Africa, we belong here. We have no other home. On a personal note, my great-grandfather came to Africa in 1676, 100 years before the U.S. declaration of independence."

Founded in 1988, Orania claims it’s entirely white, Afrikaner population is growing at an average of 10-12% a year, with a growth in business projects of 26%. It has its own water purification and solar power systems. In one of the driest parts of South Africa, Orania’s farmers are successfully developing corn, wheat, pecan nuts, almonds and livestock. 

Orania has built its own Afrikaans language schools and a college and has plans to open its own university.

The Orania delegation went to Washington, Strydom said, due to "the fact that President Donald Trump gave us recognition as a people, the Afrikaners. (It) made it very important for us to hasten our already-planned U.S. liaison tour to liaise with Afrikaner and American supporters of the Orania idea in the U.S.

TRUMP, SOUTH AFRICA IN GROWING ROW OVER HOTLY CONTESTED LAND LAW, COUNTRY'S DEALS WITH US FOES

"We had meetings with officials upon invitation and discussed substantive matters in depth, which, for the sake of an ongoing conversation and our honor towards newfound contacts, we will only specify publicly later."

The South African government has attacked those who have gone knocking on Washington’s doors. 

"These groups do not represent the majority of South Africans, whether it's the Orania movement or it's AfriForum or it's this Cape Independence Advocacy," the presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told reporters March 20.

The State Department spokesperson made the administration’s viewpoint clear to Fox News Digital this week.

"Through his executive order, the president has taken steps to hold the government of South Africa accountable for the violation of Afrikaner rights and has instructed the administration to prioritize humanitarian relief for Afrikaners who are victims of unjust racial discrimination," the spokesperson said. 

Hanli Pieters, who works at Bo-Karoo Opleiding, Orania's college, is proud of being an Afrikaner and told Fox News Digital she wants to stay in Orania. 

"I choose to live in Orania because it offers what so few places can — a safe and purposeful future for Afrikaners. Here, I can live, pray without fear and speak Afrikaans not as a formality, but as the heartbeat of my daily life. We take hands as a community to build, to work and to grow. Orania is where Afrikaner identity becomes legacy."

Fox News Digital reached out to the South African government for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Ecuadorians go to the polls today in a runoff election between incumbent President Daniel Noboa and leftist challenger Luisa González. Noboa is seen as a pro-Trump conservative, while González is viewed as an ideological ally of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Noboa refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela after his staged 2024 election and is also committed to fighting criminal gangs with all available resources to restore peace and security in Ecuador. 

It's expected González will follow in the footsteps of her mentor, former president Rafael Correa, and seek stronger ties with Latin America’s leftist governments of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silval, Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Gabriel Boric of Chile.

"Security has been his principal mandate as the president of Ecuador. He’s dedicated a lot of time, effort and resources to deal with the security situation," Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society and senior fellow of the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital. 

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"However, there’s been only marginal improvements in the security situation, and it’s compounded with other problems," Humire added.

González is running on a platform calling for an increase in the military’s role in fighting gang violence but also strongly condemns excessive use of force and abuse of human rights.

She "appears to have a softer perspective on the issue of crime, meaning she has not stated her willingness to chase drug cartels but, most probably, would intend to negotiate with them," Mathias Valdez Duffau, visiting fellow at the Center for International Studies at Catholic University of Argentina, told Fox News Digital.

Valdez Duffao said a policy of negotiation is similar to the policy of former President Correa’s administration and would focus on whole-of-government crime reduction approaches that would look to integrate criminal gangs into civil society. 

"The reality is that negotiating with criminal gangs might give the government a short-term space to maneuver, but the gangs become stronger and end up co-opting government officials, which eventually leads the country to the brink of becoming a narco-state," ValdezDuffao warned.

Violence and insecurity remain at the top of voters’ minds. Ecuador has the highest murder rate in Latin America, with 6,986 recorded homicides in 2024, making it the second most violent year in Ecuador’s history. Some 95,000 people fled the country in 2024 as many communities became focal points of turf wars between rival gangs competing for territory. 

President Noboa declared an internal armed conflict in 2024 and ordered the armed forces to carry out military operations to neutralize various transnational organized crime groups. The anti-crime initiative saw an increase in the military’s presence in prisons and communities across the country. 

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Noboa also called for the international community to provide military assistance and suggested the U.S. army could work with Ecuador to combat violent gangs.

Despite the president’s hardline position on crime, January 2025 was Ecuador’s most violent month in recent history, with 781 people killed. Noboa partnered with Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater, and formed a strategic alliance in March to strengthen Ecuador’s ability to fight narcoterrorism.

InSight Crime, a nonprofit focusing on organized crime and security in the Americas, reports that Ecuador is one of the region’s "most significant drug trafficking hubs" and ships cocaine from Peru and Colombia to Central America, Mexico and Europe. Many of these drug trafficking organizations working through local proxies and other criminal groups have infiltrated the prison system and expanded its network of street gangs. 

The various groups operating throughout Ecuadorian society and within the prison system work with domestic and international drug traffickers, including the Sinaloa Cartel, considered one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world and responsible for a large amount of fentanyl trafficked into the U.S., according to the Department of Justice. 

President Noboa and González each received around 44% of the vote in the first round of the election. González is the leader of Citizen Revolution and is considered the heir of former President Correa. She's also looking to become the first female president of Ecuador. If she wins, Ecuador could see a return to the leftist economic policies of the Correa presidency.

EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO TRUMP REPATRIATION FLIGHT ON C-17 MILITARY PLANE TO ECUADOR

Whoever wins in the second round will have to contend with an evenly divided National Assembly split between both parties, making legislation to solve the country’s endemic violence and economic problems even more difficult.

Saúl Medina, a former governor of Tungurahua, told Fox News Digital that, after the electoral cycle, a comprehensive and determined strategy to combat gang violence must be enacted. 

Two of the most important issues that must be addressed, according to Medina, are strengthening institutions and executing better oversight of the police and justice system to root out corruption, and prison reform.

"Prisons must stop being operational centers for gangs," Medina added.

Valdez Duffao, Humire and other experts on Latin America agreed Noboa has ingratiated himself with President Trump. They are ideologically similar and, should Noboa win, it could put him in a better position to address the country’s endemic violence. 

A penguin inside a cardboard box caused a helicopter crash in South Africa earlier this year, according to authorities. 

On Jan. 19, a pilot and three passengers transported a penguin back from Bird Island in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province while conducting an aerial survey of the area, the South African Civil Aviation Authority said in an investigation report this week. 

A specialist on board "requested that they transport one of the penguins back," the report said, adding, "The pilot agreed to the request and the penguin was placed in a cardboard box."

EMPEROR PENGUIN TRAVELS OVER 2,000 MILES FROM HOME IN ANTARCTICA

Although the pilot did a risk assessment of the flight, "he omitted to include the carriage (transportation) of the penguin on-board."

The passenger sitting in the front left seat of the helicopter was holding the penguin in their lap when the "cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot’s cyclic pitch control lever.

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The report continued: "As a result, the cyclic pitch control lever advanced to the far-right position. The helicopter rolled to the right and the pilot could not recover timeously."

The helicopter hit the ground and "sustained substantial damage." 

This all happened while it was flying about 50 feet off the ground. 

No one, including the penguin, was harmed in the incident. 

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The report concluded: "The lack of secure containment for the penguin created a dangerous situation. The absence of a proper, secured crate meant that the penguin’s containment was not suitable for the flight conditions. Proper cargo handling is crucial to ensure that items on-board do not interfere with flight controls or the safety of the passengers."

American and Iranian officials sat down for a first round of direct talks Saturday in Oman, a major step after years of rising tensions and stalled diplomacy that will continue with further discussions next weekend, according to a statement released by the White House. 

The meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Steven Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was the first face-to-face exchange since President Donald Trump returned to office as Iran continues to expand its nuclear program.

The White House described the discussions as "very positive and constructive," adding, "the United States deeply thanks the Sultanate of Oman for its support of this initiative."

Witkoff, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Oman Ana Escrogima, told Araghchi Trump had personally instructed him to try to resolve differences through diplomacy, if possible. 

DELEGATES FROM IRAN, US HOLDING TALKS IN OMAN AMID ONGOING TENSIONS: WHAT TO KNOW

The talks took place on the outskirts of Oman’s capital, Muscat, and lasted just over two hours. Omani Foreign Minister Said Badr hosted the meeting. 

Iranian state TV later confirmed the sides exchanged several rounds of messages, and there was a short, direct conversation between the American and Iranian diplomats.

Military pressure appears to be a big reason Iran came to the table. Rebecca Grant, a senior fellow at the Lexington Institute, told the "Fox Report" Saturday the U.S. has sent a clear signal by moving powerful military assets into the region.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN. WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

"All the options are not only on the table. They're all deployed to the Middle East," Grant said. "Somewhere between four and six B-2 stealth bombers [are] forward in Diego Garcia, [along with] two aircraft carriers. That has really gotten Iran’s attention."

Grant said Iran now faces a choice. 

"Iran either has to talk or get their nuclear facilities bombed," she said.

Tensions between the two countries have been high since 2018, when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal. 

That agreement placed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program. Since then, Iran has been enriching uranium at much higher levels. The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran is enriching uranium to 60% purity, just below weapons-grade, and has stockpiled over 18,000 pounds of it. Under the original deal, Iran was limited to 3.67% purity and a much smaller stockpile.

While U.S. intelligence agencies do not believe Iran has started building a nuclear weapon, they warn the country is getting closer to being able to do so if it decides to.

Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News military analyst, said Iran’s leaders now believe Trump is serious about using military force if they don’t agree to limit Iran's nuclear program.

"They’ve come to the conclusion that the president is dead serious about supporting an Israeli-led, U.S.-supported strike on Iran to take down their nuclear enterprise," Keane said.

Grant explained that the U.S. and its allies are ready for such a strike if talks fail. 

"Israel took out a lot of Iran’s air defenses last year," she said. "Then you have two [U.S.] carriers, land-based fighters in the region and B-2 bombers with bunker-busting bombs. That’s the threat display."

She added that Iran has no real need to enrich uranium since it can buy nuclear fuel on the open market. 

"It is time for them to start to make a deal," she said. "And I think, maybe, due to our military pressure and Trump’s resolve, they’re beginning to realize it."

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said he’s not open to direct negotiations on the nuclear program but has also blamed the United States for breaking past promises. 

"They must prove that they can build trust," Pezeshkian said in a recent Cabinet meeting.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei warned of consequences if threats continue. 

"Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace," he wrote on social media. "The US can choose the course... and concede to consequences."

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News no deal can happen unless Iran gives up its nuclear weapons plans. 

"We have to fully, verifiably eliminate their nuclear weapons program for there to be any agreement," he said. "All we ask is that they behave like a normal nation."

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Grant said any future deal will need strict terms. 

"It’s going to have to include real inspections," she said. "It’s going to have to include them giving up, frankly, some of that enriched uranium. There will have to be some limits on their ballistic missile development."

The two nations are scheduled to meet again April 19 in Oman, according to the White House statement.

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after he seemed to validate an anti-Israel protester’s assertion that there is a "genocide" in Gaza.

"Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney. But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state. Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement," Netanyahu wrote in a post on X.

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Carney was at a rally in Calgary, Alberta, when someone in the crowd shouted, "Mr. Carney, there’s a genocide happening in Palestine!"

In response, Carney thanked the protester and said, "I’m aware, which is why we have an arms embargo" as the crowd began chanting his name.

The response sparked an uproar among Canadian Jewish organizations, such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which tweeted an objection to Carney’s comments. CIJA also criticized Canada's arms restrictions on Israel, calling them "dangerous."

"It is outrageous to see politicians fuel antisemitism through false narratives of demonization," CIJA tweeted. "There is no genocide in Gaza. Claiming otherwise is false."

JEWS ‘UNDER SIEGE’ IN TRUDEAU'S CANADA AMID SOARING ANTISEMITISM

Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi, a member of Canada’s Conservative Party, also condemned Carney’s remarks, calling them a "disgraceful betrayal of moral clarity."

"By siding with a heckler and endorsing the false, slanderous claim of 'genocide' in Israel, he has shown himself unworthy of leadership or respect."

When asked to clarify his comments, Carney claimed he did not hear the protester say the word "genocide."

"It's noisy. If you're up there you hear snippets of what people say and I heard Gaza, and my point was I'm aware of the situation in Gaza," he said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

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Canada began halting arms sales to Israel in January 2024. Months later, in September 2024, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that she had suspended the permits of multiple companies over a U.S. plan to sell Canadian-made ammo to Israel. She said that Canada would "not have any form of arms or parts of arms be sent to Gaza, period."

Nearly a month into Israel’s renewed ground operation, U.S. backing appears to be shaping the conflict on multiple levels—militarily, diplomatically and politically. Israeli officials have suggested the chances of a hostage deal have significantly increased, with some anticipating developments within the next two weeks.

On Monday, sitting beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump told reporters, "We are trying very hard to get the hostages out. We're looking at another ceasefire. We'll see what happens." The remarks highlighted Trump’s dual-track approach: continued diplomatic pressure on Iran and direct support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. 

With what Israeli officials describe as a "free hand" to operate, Israel has expanded its offensive into Rafah and the strategically significant Morag Corridor. The stated aim is to increase pressure on Hamas and help secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES NEW GROUND OPERATION IN GAZA

A senior Israeli security official told Fox News Digital that the campaign is being carried out in close coordination with the United States. "Everything is coordinated with the Americans — both the negotiations and the operational activity. The goal is to bring the hostages home. We now have a free hand to act, and no longer facing the threat of a veto at the UN Security Council, unlike during the previous administration."

The same official pointed to a shift in humanitarian policy that, in their view, has enhanced Israeli leverage. "Unlike the previous administration, the U.S. is not forcing 350 aid trucks into Gaza every day. That gives us leverage," the official said, adding that limiting aid reduces Hamas’s ability to control the population.

On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced the IDF had completed the takeover of the Morag Axis. The Morag Corridor — which separates Rafah from Khan Younis — is part of an effort to establish a new buffer zone and degrade Hamas’s operational capabilities. "The logic is that the more territory Hamas loses, the more likely it will be to compromise on a hostage deal," the official said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reinforced that strategy during a visit to front-line units this week. "I expect you to defeat the Rafah Brigade and lead to victory wherever you are fighting," he told troops. The IDF had previously declared the Rafah Brigade dismantled in September, but forces have returned to key strongholds, where tunnel networks remain.

HAMAS LAUNCHES FIRST ATTACK ON ISRAEL SINCE CEASEFIRE COLLAPSE

In the same statement on Saturday, Katz warned Gazans, "Hamas is unable to protect the residents or the territory. Hamas leaders are hiding in tunnels with their families or living in luxury hotels abroad, with billions in bank accounts, using you as human shields. Now is the time to rise up, to get rid of Hamas, and to release all the Israeli hostages — that is the only way to stop the war."

In their Oval Office meeting, Trump and Netanyahu reiterated their alignment on core issues. Netanyahu stated that Gazans should be "free to choose to go wherever they want," in what some analysts view as a reference to renewed discussions about third-country resettlement. Trump went further, floating the idea of a U.S. presence in the Strip, noting, "Gaza is an incredible piece of important real estate. Having a peace force like the United States there, controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing."

Javed Ali, a former senior director at the U.S. National Security Council and now a professor at the University of Michigan, offered a more measured view of the current military strategy. "Now that we're almost a full month into the resumption of high-intensity IDF operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, Israel's military strategy appears to be focused on clearing and holding remaining pockets of known Hamas elements, which at the same time is displacing Palestinians throughout the territory."

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

Ali said it remains unclear how Israel intends to manage or govern areas it clears. He drew comparisons to the U.S. experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The U.S. encountered its own challenges in the post-9/11 wars with similar 'clear and hold' approaches, since insurgent and jihadist elements in both conflicts utilized guerrilla warfare tactics and terrorist attacks."

While the Biden administration had previously emphasized humanitarian access, Ali noted that the current White House has not publicly pressed Israel to scale back its operations. "That could change," he said, particularly as humanitarian conditions worsen or if negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program progress. "If those talks gain momentum, Iran may pressure the U.S. to rein in Israel’s campaign against Hamas to preserve what remains of the group. Whether the U.S. team, led by Steve Witkoff, entertains such demands will be a key regional development to watch."

On the ground, Israel has moved to reshape the humanitarian landscape in Gaza. The decision to restrict Hamas’s access to aid reflects a broader policy shift under IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reversed his predecessor's stance and authorized the military to directly oversee the distribution of supplies. "Hamas will not regain control over the aid, because that was its lifeline," an Israeli security official explained. "It’s what allowed it to maintain control over the territory throughout this period. People in Gaza know that Hamas controls the aid; if they realize that Hamas no longer does, its control within the Strip becomes ineffective."

Humanitarian organizations and international leaders continue to condemn Israel. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking on April 8, condemned the ongoing blockade of aid. "More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. Gaza is a killing field — and civilians are in an endless death loop," he said.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, strongly rejected the Secretary-General’s claims. "As always, you don’t let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel," he posted on X. "There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip — over 25,000 aid trucks have entered during the 42 days of the ceasefire. Hamas used this aid to rebuild its war machine. Yet, not a word in your statement about the imperative for Hamas to leave Gaza. The people of Gaza are braver than you — they’re calling, loud and clear, on Hamas to leave and stop abusing them."

Eugene Kontorovich, a senior legal scholar at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital: "One doesn’t need the Israeli Supreme Court to say there is no starvation in Gaza — this was admitted by the UN’s own Food Security Phase Classification, which in June found that prior UN reports were inaccurate and that there is no famine. There is no serious evidence of starvation in Gaza, and what food scarcity does exist can be attributed to Hamas pillaging and hoarding aid. As the truth comes out, it becomes clear that the starvation claims were designed to halt Israel’s legitimate self-defense against a genocidal attack."

As military and diplomatic tracks converge, Israeli officials remain cautiously optimistic that talks may soon produce results.

Delegates from the United States and Iran are holding talks in Oman on Saturday in a delicate effort to restart negotiations over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. 

The talks, between a mediator to Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, come nearly seven years after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Since then, indirect talks between the two adversaries have made zero progress.

Trump has imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign and has suggested military action remained a possibility. Despite this, the president has said he still believed a new deal could be reached by writing a letter to Iran's 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which he sent early last month. 

Khamenei, meanwhile, has warned that Iran would respond to any U.S.-led attack with an attack of its own.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN. WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

"They threaten to commit acts of mischief, but we are not entirely certain that such actions will take place," the supreme leader said. "We do not consider it highly likely that trouble will come from the outside. However, if it does, they will undoubtedly face a strong retaliatory strike."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called such threats against Iran "a shocking affront to the very essence of International Peace and Security."

"Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace. The US can choose the course...; and concede to CONSEQUENCES," he wrote on X.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected direct negotiations with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

"We don't avoid talks; it's the breach of promises that has caused issues for us so far," Pezeshkian said in televised remarks during a Cabinet meeting. "They must prove that they can build trust."

Once allies, both countries have been hostile to one another for nearly half a century, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution that saw the creation of a theocratic government led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose rule was cemented in a CIA-led coup in 1953, had fled Iran before the revolution, ill with cancer, as demonstrations swelled against his rule. Late in 1979, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shah's extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that severed diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S.

TRUMP'S GOT IRAN CORNERED BY FOLLOWING REAGAN'S DOCTRINE

In the decades since, Iran-U.S. relations have see-sawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers before Trump withdrew from the deal, sparking more tensions in the Mideast that persist today.

Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 661 pounds. The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's program put its stockpile at 18,286 pounds as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity.

U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so."

Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so.

A fertility clinic in Australia has confirmed a critical error in which one woman gave birth to another couple’s child after an embryo transfer went wrong.

The incident occurred at Monash IVF’s Brisbane clinic and is being described as the result of "human error," despite what the company says are strict protocols in place.

Monash IVF revealed that the mistake was identified in February, after the birth parents requested their remaining embryos be transferred to another clinic. During that process, an extra embryo was found in storage, sparking an internal investigation.

It was then confirmed that an embryo belonging to a different couple had been incorrectly thawed and transferred, ultimately resulting in the birth of a child.

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"Monash IVF can confirm that an incident has occurred at our Brisbane clinic, where the embryo of one patient was incorrectly transferred to another patient, resulting in the birth of a child," Monash IVF said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Our focus is on supporting our patients through this extremely distressing time. We are devastated about what has happened and apologize to everyone involved.

"We are truly sorry."

The clinic stressed that it is prioritizing the privacy of the families involved, including the child, and confirmed that the information being shared publicly has been de-identified with their knowledge.

VERMONT ACCUSED IN LAWSUIT OF TRACKING PREGNANT WOMEN CONSIDERED UNSUITABLE TO BE MOTHERS

According to the clinic, the situation was escalated to senior leadership within hours, prompting an immediate investigation. 

"The investigation confirmed that an embryo from a different patient had previously been incorrectly thawed and transferred to the birth parents, which resulted in the birth of a child," according to the statement. "The investigation also found that despite strict laboratory safety protocols being in place, including multi-step identification processes being conducted, a human error was made."

Monash IVF said its Crisis Management Team was activated as soon as the issue was identified. Within a week, the Medical Director of the Brisbane clinic began meeting with the affected patients to offer apologies and support. 

The company said it conducts regular compliance audits and is now undertaking full process reviews while reinforcing safeguards across all of its clinics.

"On behalf of Monash IVF, I want to say how truly sorry I am for what has happened. All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologize to everyone involved. We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time," Monash IVF Group CEO Michael Knaap said. "Since becoming aware of this incident, we have undertaken additional audits and we're confident that this is an isolated incident. 

"We are reinforcing all our safeguards across our clinics – we also commissioned an independent investigation and are committed to implementing its recommendations in full."

Monash IVF has not released further information about how the child was returned to the biological parents or the current legal status of the case.

The case echoes a similar incident in the U.S. involving a Georgia woman. 

In 2023, Krystena Murray underwent IVF treatment at Coastal Fertility Specialists and gave birth to a baby who was not biologically hers. A DNA test confirmed the error, and after a custody battle, Murray was compelled to give the child, a boy, to his biological parents. 

Murray has since filed a lawsuit against the clinic, citing emotional distress and negligence.

It is unclear if the families involved will be compensated for the Monash IVF Group's error.