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The Palestinian terrorist group whose attack on Israel launched the war in Gaza is now calling President Donald Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to rebuild the territory a "recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region." 

Trump sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East after announcing last night that the U.S. will "take over the Gaza Strip," level it and rebuild the area. 

"Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished," Hamas told the Associated Press Wednesday. 

Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, led to the Israeli military entering the Gaza Strip in their mission to eliminate the Palestinian terrorist group. As a result, the conflict has rendered much of the territory uninhabitable. The U.N. estimated late last year that 1.9 million people – around 90% of Gaza’s population – have been internally displaced. 

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE 

Hamas added to the AP that Trump’s plan is a "recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region." 

"What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States' control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity," a senior Hamas official also told Fox News on Wednesday.

"We demand that the mediators, especially the United States, oblige the occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement in its three stages without procrastination or manipulation, as we are committed to implementing the agreement as long as the occupation commits to it, and any manipulation in implementing the agreement may cause it to collapse," the official added.

THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE 

Trump announced in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Tuesday that "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,"

 "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site," he continued.

"Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," Trump also said. "Do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years." 

Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst said the timing of Trump’s comments "raises huge questions about the current ceasefire agreement that is supposed to see the remaining hostages released from Gaza."

"There are dozens of living hostages inside the Gaza Strip right now being held by Hamas, the group that is currently in control of Gaza. And it would not be surprising if tomorrow, Hamas threatens to step back from the current agreement or puts more pressure at the negotiating table," Yingst said in a video posted on X last night.

"But the timing of these remarks is very significant remembering that these hostages remain in Hamas captivity and Palestinians being removed from Gaza has been a red line not only for Hamas but for regional countries including Egypt, Jordan and others as it relates to the Palestinian people there," he added. 

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

JERUSALEM—President Donald Trump’s decision to restore his maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran jolted the clerical regime in Tehran and established a clean break with the Biden administration’s concessionary policy toward the rogue nation, according to Mideast experts.

Trump also warned the regime on Tuesday that if it carries out his assassination, advisers will ensure that the country is "obliterated."

Trump's message to the Iranians seemingly got their attention. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that "If the main issue is ensuring that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a difficult matter." He also added that "maximum pressure is a failed experiment, and trying it again will only lead to another failure." He did not respond Trump’s sanction order targeting Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s support for jihadi terrorist organizations. 

IRAN'S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Yossi Mansharof, an Iran analyst at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Israel, told Fox News Digital, "Despite oil sanctions on Iran, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that Iran's oil revenue surged to $144 billion in the first three years of Biden's presidency (January 2021–January 2024), $100 billion more than during the last two years of the Trump administration. "

Mansharof continued, "While Biden tightened sanctions, he did not enforce them, allowing Iran to continue profiting from oil exports, providing critical support to its economy. This approach reflects a flawed strategy of attempting to engage Ali Khamenei [the supreme leader of Iran] diplomatically while ignoring Iran’s oil smuggling."

Fox News Digital also reported extensively on Biden’s decision to extend sanctions waivers that enabled repeated payments of $10 billion to be delivered into Iran’s coffers. 

Mansharof welcomed the reinstatement of the maximum economic pressure campaign. He warned, however, that in light of Iran’s progress on building a nuclear weapon "it is unclear whether this strategy is sufficient." He said, "Military pressure on Iran is needed to disrupt its activities, send a clear message on its nuclear ambitions, and prevent further destabilizing actions."

Both the Republican and Democratic administrations have classified Iran’s regime as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Trump’s Tuesday signing of the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) restoring maximum pressure on Iran states its aims are to deny "Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad." Iran’s regime funds the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah.

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Dan Diker told Fox News Digital, "President Donald Trump's reimposed maximum pressure campaign  to cripple the Iranian regime is another differentiator from the former Biden administration’s defensive and even conciliatory approach to the Iranian regime."

He added, "The first Trump administration maximum pressure that came in parallel with canceling its participation in the ill-fated JCPOA had essentially bankrupted the regime and Trump's continuation of economic warfare against the regime underscores his commitment to U.S. primacy and power projection in the terror-ridden Middle East short of direct military intervention."

TRUMP'S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL 

The JCPOA, an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was former President Obama’s signature foreign policy deal. It was supposed to slow down Iran’s drive to build an atomic bomb in exchange for massive economic benefits for Iran. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and famously termed it "the worst deal in history." Trump said at the time of the withdrawal, "At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program."

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According to the Trump administration, the JCPOA did not prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapons device and allowed Tehran to finance global terrorism.

Diker said, "Trump will face an Iranian regime octopus that is still extending its terror tentacles across the region, particularly in the Israeli controlled Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while prosecuting charm offensive with European and other powers to fend off the US initiative to strangle the Iranian regime."

Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this story. 

In an audacious move that stunned the world, President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal to relocate 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza, seeking to rebuild their lives in new places. Addressing the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump outlined his ambitious vision for the Gaza Strip.

"I strongly believe that the Gaza Strip, which has been a symbol of death and destruction  … for so many decades—devastating for the people living there and for those anywhere near it—should not go through another cycle of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have fought, lived, died, and suffered in that place."

The president emphasized the importance of learning from history. "History, you know, just can’t keep repeating itself," Trump remarked, urging a departure from the failed approaches of the past.

'LEVEL IT': TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE OVER' GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

"Dating back nearly 4,000 years, since the time of the Patriarchs Abraham & Isaac, to the time of the mighty Biblical Judge Samson and the Philistines; from the rule of Solomon and the kings of the Davidic Dynasty, and for millenia onward; the territory of modern-day Gaza has been a place of both conflict and hope, trading hands from one ruler to another, with the potential for prosperity just over the horizon, but aside from brief periods, peace for her inhabitants and neighbors remained elusive," Ze'ev Orenstein, the director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital

The history of Gaza that Trump was referring to is both a long and tumultuous one. 

Gaza’s history dates back nearly 4,000 years, frequently appearing in biblical narratives. It was one of the five key cities of the Philistines, who arrived from the Aegean, known for their clashes with the Israelites. The story of Samson, who tore down a Philistine temple, is one of the earliest recorded tales of destruction and rebuilding in Gaza. Over centuries, it was conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians, each bringing new rulers and forcing population shifts. Even then, Gaza was a land where people came and went, often not by choice.

Under the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), Gaza was a military stronghold. The Ottomans used it as a buffer zone, and while some periods saw growth, it was frequently abandoned during wars. In 1799, Napoleon’s forces briefly occupied it before retreating. Once again, Gaza was left in ruins, and its population had to start over.

TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK

When the British took control in 1917, Gaza became part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Tensions between Jews and Arabs escalated, leading to violent clashes. By 1948, when Israel declared independence, thousands of Palestinian refugees fled to Gaza, turning it into an overcrowded enclave under Egyptian rule.

From 1949 to 1967, Egypt controlled Gaza but never integrated it. Palestinians living there were not granted Egyptian citizenship, and Gaza remained impoverished and politically unstable. When Israel captured it in the Six-Day War, the cycle of displacement and destruction resumed.

After Israel took over Gaza in the Six-Day War in 1967, Jewish settlements were built within the coastal enclave, creating economic interactions between the two peoples - but also increasing the level of tension. 

Amir Tibon, himself a survivor of the October 7 attack, describes in his book "The Gates of Gaza," Palestinians found out what life looked like for their Israeli neighbors, who enjoyed a significantly higher standard of living. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Gazans would enter Israel daily for work, and Gaza's economy became tied to Israel's, but hostility persisted. In the 1980s, the Islamist organization Hamas became a rising force among Palestinians in Gaza, eventually succeeding in taking over the enclave and turning it into a fortress of terror.

'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH': TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

After the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) took administrative control of Gaza in the 1990s. For the first time, there was hope for Palestinian self-rule, but corruption and internal strife plagued the PA’s governance. During the Second Intifada (2000–2005), terrorist attacks from Gaza escalated, leading to Israeli military operations that devastated the region once again.

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, removing all settlements. In 2007, elections were held, and Hamas took control, ousting the PA. Since then, Hamas has engaged in repeated attacks on Israel, leading to destruction and humanitarian crises. With Hamas prioritizing terrorism over governance, Gaza has remained in a state of war and siege. Today, it is one of the most densely populated places in the world, with 2 million residents.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, "Israel withdrew unilaterally 20 years ago. Egypt wants nothing to do with Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist group, not a government. Gaza is no man’s land, with 2 million people used as political pawns instead of human beings."

Trump’s idea of relocating Gaza’s population and rebuilding new communities echoes patterns from the past. Whether it was the Philistines, Ottomans, the British, or Egyptians, Gaza has frequently seen its population displaced, only to return or be reshaped under new rulers. While today’s political realities make mass relocation unlikely, history shows that radical shifts in Gaza’s demography are not unprecedented.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres seems to be bracing his staff ahead of possible changes in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump. In a letter distributed to UN staff, Guterres warned of the "difficult challenge" facing the international body.

"I assure you that we are working closely with colleagues throughout the United Nations system to understand and mitigate the extent of its impact on our operations," Guterres wrote in the letter.

"Now, more than ever, the work of the United Nations is crucial. As we face this difficult challenge, your dedication and support will help us to overcome and move forward. Together, we will ensure that our Organization continues to serve people in need around the world with unwavering commitment."

In response to a Fox News request for comment, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, "From day one, US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security.  The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world."

WHITE HOUSE DETAILS USAID PROGRAMS UNDER ELON MUSK'S MICROSCOPE

"As President Trump has indicated, the UN plays a crucial role in taking on big challenges so that individual countries don’t have to do it on their own at far greater expense. With the letter, the Secretary-General was keeping staff informed," Dujarric added.’

Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital that "UN entities from the top down are feeling very anxious," citing someone extremely senior in the UN. Dugan believes that DOGE and his own organization DOGE-UN are causes of concern for Guterres due to "heightened accountability" from Washington. 

"And I think that they’re going to have to scramble to show that they’ve been trustworthy with those resources and have been careful in accounting for their ultimate disposition, because I expect that we’re going to find that’s not been the case," Dugan said.

This letter was sent just over two weeks after President Trump issued his Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.

"It is the policy of the United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States," Trump’s order reads.

While the order calls for a 90-day pause in foreign programs, it includes a clause giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to "waive the pause in Section 3(a) for specific programs."

Trump administration officials claim to have uncovered several areas of government waste when it comes to foreign funding. This includes a $1.5 million US Agency for International Development (USAID) project aimed at advancing DEI in Serbian workplaces and a $2 million program promoting "LGBT activism" in Guatemala.

In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that DOGE and OMB found "that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza."

"That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. So that's what this pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars," Leavitt told reporters at the briefing.

At first glance, the funding for condoms in Gaza could seem like it would be aimed at public health. However, Hamas has used condoms in the past to fly incendiary devices and IEDs into Israel, as the Jerusalem Post reported in 2020.

TRUMP CUTS US OFF FROM UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, BANS UNRWA FUNDING

During his 2024 campaign, Trump took aim at government spending, ultimately introducing DOGE to tackle waste.

Following Trump’s order, Secretary Rubio paused all US foreign assistance programs funded by or through the State Department and USAID pending review.

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"Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative," the State Department statement read. "The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars overseas."

In the same statement, the State Department emphasized Secretary Rubio’s focus on ensuring the programs his department funds are working for Americans and are "consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda."

Mexico will not allow the U.S. government to send Mexican migrants to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, Mexico's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said Mexico would rather directly receive the migrants.

The Mexican government sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. embassy in Mexico to explain its position.

This comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the Trump administration has begun flying detained illegal migrants from the U.S. to Guantánamo Bay, although she did not specify the nationalities of the people on those flights.

US BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO GUANTANAMO BAY

"I can also confirm that today the first flights from the United States to Guantánamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway," Leavitt said.

"And so President Trump, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem are already delivering on this promise to utilize that capacity at Gitmo for illegal criminals who have broken our nation's immigration laws and then have further committed heinous crimes against lawful American citizens here at home," she continued.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to expand the detention camp to hold up to 30,000 "criminal illegal aliens." The U.S. military base has been criticized around the world for its inhumane abuse and torture of detainees, including in interrogation tactics.

One flight from Fort Bliss to Guantánamo Bay has roughly a dozen migrants on board, according to the Pentagon. An additional flight left the U.S. on Monday.

The migrants will be held in the detention camp that was set up for detainees in the aftermath of 9/11. The migrants will be separated from the 15 detainees who were already there, including planners in the 2001 terrorist attack.

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

Last week, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called Trump's effort to send 30,000 migrants to Guantánamo an "act of brutality."

"In an act of brutality, the new US government announces the imprisonment at the Guantánamo Naval Base, located in illegally occupied territory [of Cuba], of thousands of migrants that it forcibly expels, and will place them next to the well-known prisons of torture and illegal detention," he said in a translated post on X.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is created, shooting down U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the idea of the U.S. government taking control of the Gaza Strip.

Trump said on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too," Trump said at the White House. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site."

"Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," he said. "Do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years."

'LEVEL IT': TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE OVER' GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation.

The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom's position in "a clear and explicit manner" that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.

TRUMP'S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS' FUTURES

Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an idea Trump has suggested multiple times since retaking office last month, is a highly sensitive matter for both Palestinians and Arab countries.

Trump said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to "just clean out" the area.

"You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it’s over,'" he said at the time.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another "Nakba," meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH': TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel's offensive.

Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world's biggest oil exporter.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The White House on Monday released a list of projects overseen by the top U.S. aid agency it identified as "waste and abuse" as Elon Musk's cost cutters seek to dismantle the decades-old provider of foreign aid. 

Musk, a "special government employee," according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, oversees the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Despite its title, DOGE is not a government agency but has been tasked by the White House’s executive office with dismantling top spending initiatives, and the billionaire's most recent target is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight," the White House said Monday. 

According to a list released by the White House, USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration.

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

At the top of the list was a $1.5 million program slated to "advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities" and a $70,000 program for a "DEI musical" in Ireland.

Initiatives that supported LGBTQI programs were also flagged as an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, including $47,000 for a "transgender opera" in Colombia, $32,000 for a "transgender comic book" in Peru and $2 million for sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala.

Fox News Digital could not independently verify the initiatives detailed by the White House in Colombia or Guatemala. The White House referenced reports about these programs by the Daily Mail, the Daily Caller News Foundation and other outlets. 

The White House also detailed spending initiatives that launched during Trump’s previous administration, including a 2017-2019, $6 million agreement that it said was intended to "fund tourism" in Egypt. 

MUSK'S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST' FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

However, the link referencing the Egyptian program detailed how it was intended to build on previous investments in North Sinai that provided potable water and wastewater services to hundreds of thousands of people and would provide further "access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families."

The White House also outlined USAID’s funding for coronavirus research, including millions of taxpayer dollars supplied to EcoHealth Alliance for coronavirus research, support for contraceptive initiatives and programs that it said benefited terrorists in several countries. 

The future of USAID remains unclear, though the doors to its headquarters were closed Monday, and thousands of employees across the globe sat waiting to hear whether they still had jobs after the apparent Musk takeover.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting director, and he agreed Monday with the White House that the agency needed an overhaul.

"The president made me the acting administrator," he told Fox News. "I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full-time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department."

Questions remain over whether the White House has the legal authority to dismantle an independent agency, and Democratic lawmakers on Monday joined agency employees who stood outside the headquarters protesting the shutdown despite having been told to remain at home. 

Rubio took issue with the protests and referred to them as "rank insubordination."

"The goal was to reform it, but now we have rank insubordination," he said. "Now we have basically an active effort — their basic attitude is, ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves. No agency of government can tell us what to do.’"

Hundreds of earthquakes that have rattled the Greek islands since last week have prompted the evacuation of thousands from the tourist hotspot Santorini.

Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos told The Associated Press that the tremors are a "seismic swarm" and could continue for weeks before eventually diminishing.

"This phenomenon may play out with small quakes or a single, slightly stronger one, followed by gradual subsidence," Zorzos said, adding he was cautiously optimistic after speaking to seismologists.

More than 200 undersea earthquakes up to magnitude 5 have been recorded in the volcanic region since Friday.

EMERGENCY CREWS DEPLOYED ON SANTORINI AS EARTHQUAKE SWARM WORRIES GREEK EXPERTS

Roughly 9,000 people have left Santorini since Sunday, with more emergency flights and ferries adding services to accommodate departures, the BBC reported.

Santorini has canceled public events, restricted travel to the island and banned construction work in certain areas. The quakes have caused cracks in some older buildings, but no injuries have been reported. The island has a population of approximately 15,500 residents.

EARTHQUAKE OFF COAST OF MAINE SHAKES NORTHEAST

Efthimios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the epicenter of the earthquakes in the Aegean was moving northward away from Santorini, and emphasized there was no connection to the area's dormant volcanoes.

"This may last several days or several weeks. We are not able to predict the evolution of the sequence in time," Lekkas told state-run television.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeated on Monday that Greenland is "not for sale," but she remained open to bolstering the American "footprint" on the Arctic island.

As European Union leaders convened for a meeting in Brussels, Frederiksen addressed President Donald Trump's prospect of acquiring control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally, through military or economic force. 

"I think we have been very clear from the Kingdom of Denmark, with great support from the European partners and the European Union, that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a part of our territory, and it's not for sale," Frederiksen told reporters, speaking in English. "The chairman, the leader of Greenland, has been very clear that they are not for sale." 

Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force already has a base to monitor missile threats. 

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

"I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence," Frederiksen said, as China and Russia have both been increasingly active in the region. "And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland. They [the U.S.] are already there, and they can have more possibilities. And at the same time, we are willing to scale up from the Kingdom of Denmark. And I think NATO is the same. So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward." 

Frederiksen also responded to Trump's threat of implementing tariffs on imports from the European Union. The Danish leader said EU members "are willing to help each other and to stick together, and I will never support the idea of fighting allies, but of course, if the U.S. puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response."

Last week, her government announced a nearly $2 billion agreement with parties, including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, to "improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region." It would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity, the Danish Defense Ministry said.

Meanwhile, European Council President Antonio Costa, noting that the EU has stood beside Ukraine in defense of its borders, said of Greenland on Monday: "Of course, we will stand also for these principles, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned."

Trump has said the United States needs control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal, for "national security purposes." While Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama this week, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino pledged to end his country's key Belts and Road project agreement with China. Trump had lamented Beijing's increased control of the strategic waterway, built by the United States, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF

In Brussels on Monday, Frederiksen also reacted to Vice President JD Vance recently asserting that Denmark has "not been a good ally." In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Vance repeated that Greenland is "really important to our national security," as China and Russia increasingly traverse sea lanes near the island, and "frankly, Denmark, which controls Greenland, it's not doing its job, and it's not being a good ally." 

"You have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security if that means that we need to take more territorial interests in Greenland? That is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn't care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America's citizens first," Vance said, adding, "You've got probably 55,000 people living on Greenland who are not actually happy with Danish government. They've got great natural resources there. They've got an incredibly bountiful country that the Danes aren't letting them develop and explore. Of course, Donald Trump would take a different approach if he was the leader of Greenland." 

Speaking in Danish, Frederiksen told reporters that Danes "have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades," according to reports and an online translation. 

"We are one of the United States’ most important and strongest allies – and I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we never have been, and we never will be in the future. The Arctic Cooperation is important. It is something we are willing to prioritize," Frederiksen said, arguing that it would align with the interests of Denmark, the U.S. and NATO. 

"It is sensible, but it is also important that we work together against terrorism, against the destabilization we see in the Baltic Sea right now with sabotage, and it is important that we work together on NATO’s Eastern flank and thereby holding firm in relation to Russia," she added, turning to the Ukraine war. "So we would be able to work together in many ways, but I do not want to be sitting on Denmark’s name and remuneration that we should be a bad ally, because we are not." 

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland's capital Nuuk, to meet with locals last month, weeks before his father took office.

Trump's 10% tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S. took effect this week, as the administration aims to hold Beijing accountable for precursor chemicals said to be fueling the fentanyl crisis. He agreed to suspend a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tax on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, by 30 days after both countries agreed to send additional troops to their borders with the U.S., among other stipulations. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The FBI released posters Tuesday seeking information about two senior Iranian intelligence officers involved in the disappearance of retired FBI Special Agent Robert Levinson as the agency is vowing to "hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable." 

Levinson was working as a private investigator when he vanished in 2007 after traveling to Iran’s Kish Island. He had reportedly taken part in an unauthorized CIA mission and was presumed dead in 2020. 

"The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family," Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, said in a statement. "Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable." 

The FBI said the two Iranian officers in the posters – Mohammed Baseri and Ahmad Khazai -- "allegedly acted in their capacity as officials of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security during Bob’s abduction, detention, and probable death." 

IRAN’S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES 

"For nearly 18 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of Bob's whereabouts despite senior intelligence officials authorizing Bob's abduction and detention and launching a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime," the FBI added. 

The Treasury Department sanctioned both officers in December 2020. 

TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING 

"According to the designation, Baseri has been involved in counterespionage activities inside and outside Iran, as well as sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security issues. He has worked directly with intelligence officials from other countries to harm U.S. interests," the FBI said. "Khazai has led MOIS delegations to other countries to assess security situations." 

A $5 million reward is still being offered by the FBI for information leading to Levinson's location, recovery and return. 

Uganda has begun a trial vaccination program for the strain of Ebola viral infection that is behind the country's latest outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while the number of confirmed cases has risen to three.

Last week, the east African country announced an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, with a single case, a nurse who died on Jan. 29.

CDC ORDERED TO IMMEDIATELY STOP COLLABORATING WITH WHO AFTER TRUMP BEGINS PROCESS FOR US WITHDRAWAL

The total number of cases has now risen to three, with the two additional cases from the family of the deceased man, Ministry of Health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona told Reuters late on Monday.

In a post on the X platform late on Monday, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director for Africa, said Uganda had also started a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola.

Currently, there is no approved vaccine for that strain. The existing vaccination is for the Zaire strain, which is behind a recent outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

"This marks a major milestone in public health emergency response and demonstrates the power of collaboration for global health security," Moeti said. "If proven effective, the vaccine will further strengthen measures to protect communities from future outbreaks."

Bruce Kirenga, who heads Makerere Lung Institute, a research organization that is doing the trial, told local media during the launch of the vaccination that it had been developed by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and that the institute had received about 2,460 doses.

The health ministry last week said that the trial would target contacts of confirmed cases.

A high-fatality disease, Ebola infection symptoms include hemorrhage, headache and muscle pains. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue.

At least four people were injured during a school shooting in central Sweden on Tuesday, according to police reports.

The condition of those injured remains unclear, and it is not known whether the shooter is among them. Police say the shooting took place at the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, and they are urging local residents to stay away from the area.

"A major operation is currently underway at a school in Västhaga, Orebro," Swedish police said in a statement online, urging residents "to stay away from the Västhaga area."

"The operation concerns threats of deadly violence," police added.

THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS RALLY ACROSS IRAQ FOR A 2ND DAY TO CONDEMN THE BURNING OF A QURAN IN SWEDEN

Police have made no statements regarding a potential motive for the shooting.

Police said they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night at an apartment building in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, and found a man with gunshot wounds who later died.

Prosecutors said five people were arrested the following night on suspicion of murder. They said all were adults but gave no further details.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday is geared toward bolstering ties with and securing guarantees from the Trump administration primarily over Iran and the war against Hamas, according to current and former Israeli officials.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic visit to Washington will mark a significant moment in Israel-U.S. relations, setting a tone of close cooperation and friendship between the Israeli government and the Trump administration," Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News Digital.

"The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in President Trump’s second term, and his visit will spur bilateral efforts to promote security and prosperity in the U.S., Israel and the Middle East," he added.

AMERICAN AMONG THREE HOSTAGES FREED FROM TERROR'S GRIP AFTER NEARLY 500 DAYS

Leiter, appearing on "America's Newsroom" last week, told Dana Perino that Iran would be front and center during the Trump-Netanyahu meeting. "We will make the point that to allow Tehran to maintain its nuclear capabilities, which they can raise very quickly toward nuclear weapons, is simply unacceptable," he stated.

Netanyahu was last at the White House on July 25, 2024, with then-President Biden having only invited the Israeli leader some 20 months after his re-election. This was widely viewed as a snub by Biden, whose party has increasingly distanced itself from traditional bipartisan support for the Jewish state.

Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was "telling" Trump chose to meet him first, describing it as "a testimony to the strength of the American-Israeli alliance."

"This meeting will deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region, victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis and all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world," he said. 

There are currently 79 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including six dual US-Israeli citizens. "Regarding agenda terms, Trump will want Netanyahu to proceed to the second phase of the truce agreement with Hamas. This is very difficult for Israel, since this basically leaves the terror group in power in Gaza," former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told Fox News Digital.

While Trump has said he was "not confident" the ceasefire deal would hold, his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff visited Israel last week and reportedly pushed for the implementation of all three phases. According to Netanyahu, Trump has committed to supporting the resumption of the war if negotiations with Hamas prove "futile."

"There may also be discussion about the future of the Palestinian issue and ways in which the Trump peace plan unveiled during his first term can be revived, as well as how a normalization push between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be concluded," Oren said. "I think the major pressure point would be the ‘P’ word, which refers to the Saudis insisting on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Parts of Netanyahu’s coalition and even some within his own party will not discuss the ‘P’ word."

IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS

On this point, the two leaders may be aligned, with Trump insisting that Gaza be rebuilt "in a different way." He also indicated his desire to relocate Gazans to Arab countries. "You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out [Gaza] and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’" he said.

During his first term, Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, which was orchestrated by the Obama administration. However, the Biden administration undid most of Trump’s "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran – consisting primarily of crippling sanctions – by rehashing many Obama-era policies.

"I believe that Trump is prepared to immediately snap back paralyzing sanctions and issue a credible military threat to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for an agreement on its nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile testing and terror financing," Danny Ayalon, former Israeli deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S., told Fox News Digital.

"If not, the Iranians will be subject to a major operation that may be through an American-led coalition or different structures with or without Israel," he added, while referencing an Axios report last month that the U.S. president might "either support an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities… or even order a U.S. strike." However, Ayalon said Trump will express a preference for a diplomatic solution, possibly placing him at odds with Netanyahu.

BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR TRUMP, CABINET PICKS

Ayalon also noted Netanyahu’s appreciation for Trump’s initiative to punish the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the prosecution of the war against Hamas, while suggesting that normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be raised as part of a broader effort to reshape the Middle East.

"A potential economic corridor from Asia to Europe through Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, maybe even the Palestinian Authority, works very well with Trump’s agenda of countering aggressive Chinese expansionism through the Belt and Road Initiative," Ayalon said.

Other agenda items might include a possible U.S.-backed push to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, also known by Israel as Judea and Samaria – a prospect Netanyahu shelved during Trump’s first term in favor of forging the Abraham Accords – and expanding overall defense ties, including by advancing the American president’s goal of developing an Iron Dome-like missile shield for the United States.

"It is very different from the Biden administration. Of course, it is more aggressive but that’s only part of it. Trump sees the problem of Gaza in a wider perspective" that includes the Saudis, Qataris, Egyptians and other regional players, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hannan Gefen, the former commander of IDF's elite Unit 8200, told Fox News Digital.

"Trump, in his second term, is repeating his willingness to withdraw from the Kurdish-controlled northeastern part of Syria, which may contrast with Israel’s interest," he explained. "In Lebanon, there might be a disagreement if Israel sees Hezbollah [violating the ceasefire and] regaining power, and wants to strike terror bases. Regarding the Houthis in Yemen, Israel and the Saudis will try to direct Trump's policy to be more assertive than Biden was toward the Iranian proxy."

While any gaps between the sides will be overshadowed by the pomp and circumstance accompanying a visit by Netanyahu to D.C., Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told Fox News Digital that the prime minister "won’t make any concessions on issues that relate to Israel’s national security.

"Our national interests come above all else – the state has an obligation toward its civilians and the right to defend itself," Bismuth said. "Fortunately, Trump has a thriving relationship with Israel and is a great friend of ours."

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has offered for illegal immigrants – of any nationality – facing deportation in the U.S. to be booked in his country's prison system in exchange for a fee.

This proposal comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Bukele at his lakeside country house outside San Salvador on Monday.

"We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system," Bukele wrote on X Monday night. "We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable."

Rubio said the Salvadoran president "has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world."

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP'S 'GOLDEN AGE' AGENDA

"We can send them, and he will put them in his jails," Rubio told reporters, referring to illegal immigrants behind bars in U.S. prisons. "And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents."

While Bukele did extend the offer to include violent American criminals, it is highly unlikely that part of the offer would actually happen, since it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens. A U.S. official said the Trump administration has no plans to deport American citizens, but noted that Bukele's offer was significant.

The proposal with El Salvador, known as a "safe third country" agreement, could potentially be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them, and Rubio said Bukele offered to accept detainees of any nationality.

Bukele also said he would take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members in the U.S. illegally, and promised to accept and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens from any country, especially those affiliated with Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang.

Manuel Flores, the secretary general of the leftist opposition party Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, argued that the "safe third country" plan would paint the region as the U.S. government's "backyard to dump the garbage."

TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA WILL TAKE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BACK

Rubio was visiting El Salvador to push for more help in supporting President Donald Trump's mass deportation plan. He arrived in San Salvador shortly after watching a U.S.-funded deportation flight carrying 43 illegal immigrants leave from Panama for Colombia.

The deportation flight had 32 men and 11 women detained by Panamanian authorities after illegally crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia. The State Department said the deportations send a message of deterrence.

"Mass migration is one of the great tragedies in the modern era," Rubio said afterward. "It impacts countries throughout the world. We recognize that many of the people who seek mass migration are often victims and victimized along the way, and it’s not good for anyone."

Rubio's trip comes during a sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders that have shut down taxpayer-funded programs targeting illegal immigration and crime in Central America. The State Department said that the secretary had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting.

The secretary will continue to urge foreign leaders to do more to help the U.S. combat illegal immigration, including in his next stops in Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, which are part of his five-nation Central American tour following the visits to Panama and El Salvador.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A 17-year-old girl from Bribie Island, just north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, died Monday after being bitten by a shark nearly 100 meters offshore, according to reports.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Charlize Zmuda, a member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club, was bitten on her arm by a shark while swimming about 100 meters off the beach.

She was reportedly helped in, Nine News reported, where crews from the Queensland Ambulance Service eventually met her.

The stretch of beach where Zmuda was injured, Woorim Beach, is an unpatrolled stretch of sand, and crews met her there at about 4:45 p.m. local time. The area is popular with off-road enthusiasts and campers.

SHARKS: 12 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE MARINE FISH 

While paramedics and witnesses tried to save her life, the wounds to her upper body were reportedly so significant that she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Queensland Police Department will prepare a report for the coroner, according to the local outlets.

The publication reported that drumlines are used in the area where the reported attack took place, to attract and catch sharks in an effort to reduce the risk of shark attacks.

SWIMMING IN A SHARK'S HOME: TIPS FROM AN EXPERT FOR AVOIDING AND SURVIVING AN ATTACK

It was not immediately clear if the drumlines were baited when Zmuda was attacked.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club for more information about Zmuda as well as the types of sharks that typically come through the waters, though the club did not respond.

Still, the Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, called the attack "devastating."

"What happened on Woorim Beach at Bribie Island late yesterday is devastating," Crisafulli said in a post on X. "For someone so young to lose their life in a shark attack is an unimaginable tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and Bribie community. Thank you to our first responders who were on the scene."

Mexican drug cartels are ordering their members to target U.S. Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives amid a crackdown at the southern border by the Trump administration. 

An internal memo titled "Officer Safety Alert" cited social media posts and other sources for the warning to federal agents, the New York Post reported. Agents were reminded to be "cognizant of their surroundings" and should be wearing their ballistic armor and utilizing their long firearms.

MEXICO AGREES TO DEPLOY 10,000 TROOPS TO US BORDER IN EXCHANGE FOR TARIFF PAUSE

"On February 1, 2025, the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center (EPT-IOC) received information advising that Mexican cartel leaders have authorized the deployment of drones equipped with explosives to be used against US Border Patrol agents and US military personnel currently working along the border with Mexico," the memo, obtained by the newspaper, states. 

"It is recommended that all US Border Patrol agents and DoD personnel working along the border report any sighting of drones to their respective leadership staff and the EPT-IOC," it said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

News Nation, which first reported the memo, reported TikTok posts and other social media sites used by Mexican drug cartels have also advised illegal immigrants to spit and urinate on ICE agents and defecate in their vehicles. 

Other posts have urged assassins to target border personnel. 

NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING 

Last week, Border Patrol agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. The cartel members fled Mexico because of a military presence and sought refuge on an island between Mexico and the U.S., DPS said. 

The warning comes as the Trump administration has launched deportation raids targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records and enacted tougher measures to secure the southern border. 

Cartel leaders have realized a proactive U.S. presence on the border could cut into their drug and human smuggling profits, the memo showed, according to the Post. 

Last week, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, suggested the idea of the U.S. green-lighting private parties to target drug cartels for profit.

"Congress could issue letters of marque and reprisal authorizing private security firms or specially trained civilians to intercept cartel operations, particularly those involving drug shipments or human trafficking across borders," Lee wrote on X. "Focus on disrupting supply lines, capturing high-value targets, or seizing assets like boats, vehicles, cash, gold, or equipment used in criminal activities."

Lee suggested it would lower costs to American taxpayers, since privateers would be paid a portion of what they capture and bring back to the U.S.

Excluding Ukraine from U.S.-led talks involving the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv's eastern front would set a "dangerous" precedent to dictators across the globe, warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"If there will be direct talks between America and Russia without Ukraine, it is very dangerous, I think," Zelenskyy said in a Saturday interview with the Associated Press. "They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us – it is dangerous for everyone."

Zelenskyy argued that doing so would validate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion and "show that he was right" because he received "impunity" and "compromise." 

"This will mean that anyone can act like this. And this will be a signal to other leaders of the big countries who think about [doing]… something similar," he said. 

ZELENSKYY PRAISES TRUMP FOR 'JUST AND FAIR' RHETORIC TOWARD RUSSIA: 'EXACTLY WHAT PUTIN IS AFRAID OF'

The Ukrainian president's comments came before President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested that his administration had already begun talks with Moscow and claimed they were "going pretty well."

"We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia. And I think those discussions are actually going pretty well," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. 

On Friday, Trump refused to say whether he had spoken directly with Putin and wouldn’t detail who in his administration had begun talks with Moscow, though he insisted the two sides were "already talking" and had engaged in "very serious" discussions.

Speaking with Fox News on Friday, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg said, "Everybody is pulling together" on ending the three-year-long war in Ukraine. 

"It’s important because we realize it is actually in our national security interest to get this war resolved," Kellogg said. "When you look at the money the United States has provided, which is over $174 billion, when you look at the alliance that has now formed with Russia, with North Korea, with China and Iran – that wasn’t there before."

TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE'S ZELENSKYY IS READY TO NEGOTIATE A DEAL TO END WAR WITH RUSSIA

Despite the U.S. pledge to send Ukraine more than $175 billion worth of military aid, Zelenskyy said over the weekend that Ukraine hasn’t received anywhere near this much support, telling the Associated Press that in terms of military aid, Kyiv has only received some $75 billion worth. 

It remains unclear where the remainder $100 billion in military support has gone, and the White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital's questions on the matter.  

Kellogg also told Fox News that Trump "will lead" the negotiations and said, "I think most people should be very comfortable in the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows where to apply pressure, where not to apply pressure.  But more importantly, that he will create leverage, leverage both with Ukrainians and the Russians."

The special envoy didn’t specify how Trump will apply this pressure to both Moscow and Kyiv, though Putin and Zelenskyy have made clear that negotiating on Ukraine joining the NATO alliance is a non-starter. 

Zelenskyy argued Trump could get Putin to the negotiating table by threatening to increase sanctions on Russia’s energy and banking systems, along with continued military aid to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president also argued that Trump should back Ukraine’s push to join the NATO security alliance as it would be the "cheapest" option for Ukraine’s allies.

Ukraine’s admittance into the NATO alliance would likely protect Kyiv against the threat of another Russian invasion, as it would grant the country security guarantees under Article Five, which says an attack on one nation "shall be considered an attack against them all." 

However, Putin has long threatened nuclear escalation should Ukraine be granted admittance to the international security alliance. 

North Korea is criticizing Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s description of the country as a "rogue state," calling it "nonsense" while vowing to take "tough counteraction" to any provocations from the Trump administration. 

Rubio made the remark last week during an appearance on "The Megyn Kelly Show," where he was speaking about the goals of U.S. foreign policy. 

"It’s not normal for the world to simply have a unipolar power. That was not – that was an anomaly. It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multipolar world, multi-great powers in different parts of the planet. We face that now with China and to some extent Russia, and then you have rogue states like Iran and North Korea you have to deal with," Rubio said, according to the State Department. 

North Korea’s foreign ministry said in response that Rubio "talked nonsense by terming the DPRK a ‘rogue state’ while enumerating the foreign policy of the new U.S. administration." 

TRUMP’S 'DENUCLEARIZATION' SUGGESTION WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA: HOW WOULD IT WORK? 

"The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK deems the U.S. State Secretary's hostile remarks to thoughtlessly tarnish the image of a sovereign state as a grave political provocation totally contrary to the principle of international law which regards respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other's internal affairs as its core and strongly denounces and rejects it," read a statement published by North Korean state media. 

"Rubio's coarse and nonsensical remarks only show directly the incorrect view of the new U.S. administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the U.S. interests as he wishes," the statement added, taking a swipe at the Trump administration. 

NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS IN RUSSIA RESORT TO SUICIDE AMID CAPTURE OF FIRST POWS BY UKRAINE 

"We will never tolerate any provocation of the U.S., which has been always hostile to the DPRK and will be hostile to it in the future, too, but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual," it concluded. 

Rubio said during the interview that "now more than ever, we need to remember that foreign policy should always be about furthering the national interest of the United States and doing so, to the extent possible, avoiding war and armed conflict, which we have seen two times in the last century be very costly.   

"They’re celebrating the 80th anniversary this year of the end of the Second World War. That – I think if you look at the scale and scope of destruction and loss of life that occurred, it would be far worse if we had a global conflict now. It may end life on the planet," he also said. "And it sounds like hyperbole, but that’s – you have multiple countries now who have the capability to end life on Earth. And so we need to really work hard to avoid armed conflict as much as possible, but never at the expense of our national interest. So that’s the tricky balance." 

Schools were closed and emergency crews deployed on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini on Monday after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake.

Precautions were also ordered on several nearby Aegean Sea islands — all popular summer vacation destinations — after more than 200 undersea earthquakes were recorded in the area over the past three days.

"We have a very intense geological phenomenon to handle," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said from Brussels, where he was attending a European meeting. "I want to ask our islanders first and foremost to remain calm, to listen to the instructions of the Civil Protection (authority)."

EARTHQUAKE OFF COAST OF MAINE SHAKES NORTHEAST

Mobile phones on the island blared with alert warnings about the potential for rockslides, while several earthquakes caused loud rumbles. Authorities banned access to some seaside areas, including the island's old port, that are in close proximity to cliffs.

"These measures are precautionary, and authorities will remain vigilant," Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said late Sunday following an emergency government meeting in Athens. "We urge citizens to strictly adhere to safety recommendations to minimize risk."

While Greek experts say the quakes, many with magnitudes over 4.5, are not linked to Santorini’s volcano, they acknowledge that the pattern of seismic activity is cause for concern.

Government officials met with scientists throughout the weekend and on Monday to assess the situation, while schools were also ordered shut on the nearby islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios.

The frequency of the quakes, which continued throughout Sunday night and into Monday, has worried residents and visitors.

"I have never felt anything like this and with such frequency — an earthquake every 10 or 20 minutes. Everyone is anxious even if some of us hide it not to cause panic, but everyone is worried," said Michalis Gerontakis, who is also the director of the Santorini Philharmonic Orchestra.

"We came out yesterday and performed. Despite the earthquakes, the philharmonic performed for a religious occasion," Gerontakis said. "When you are playing, you cannot feel the quakes but there were earthquakes when we were at the church. No one can know what will happen. People can say whatever they like, but that has no value. You cannot contend with nature."

Residents and visitors were advised to avoid large indoor gatherings and areas where rock slides could occur, while hotels were instructed to drain swimming pools to reduce potential building damage from an earthquake.

Fire service rescuers who arrived on the island on Sunday set up yellow tents as a staging area inside a basketball court next to the island's main hospital.

"We arrived last night, a 26-member team of rescuers and one rescue dog," said fire brigadier Ioannis Billias, adding that many residents, including entire families, spent the night in their cars.

Some residents and local workers headed to travel agents seeking plane or ferry tickets to leave the island.

"We’ve had earthquakes before but never anything like this. This feels different," said Nadia Benomar, a Moroccan tour guide who has lived on the island for 19 years. She bought a ferry ticket Monday for the nearby island of Naxos.

"I need to get away for a few days until things calm down," she said.

Others said they were willing to take the risk. Restaurant worker Yiannis Fragiadakis had been away but said he returned to Santorini on Sunday despite the earthquakes.

"I wasn’t afraid. I know that people are really worried and are leaving, and when I got to the port it was really busy, it was like the summer," Fragiadakis said. "I plan to stay and hopefully the restaurant will start working (for the holiday season) in three weeks."

South Korean tourist Soo Jin Kim, from Seoul, arrived Sunday on a family vacation.

"We had dinner last night at the hotel and felt mild shakes about 10 times. But at midnight we felt a big one, a big shake, so I checked the news report. We are half-worried and half-looking to see what the situation is," she said, adding she didn't plan to change her travel plans.

Crescent-shaped Santorini is a premier tourism destination with daily arrivals via commercial flights, ferries, and cruise ships. The island draws more than 3 million visitors annually to its whitewashed villages built along dramatic cliffs formed by a massive volcanic eruption — considered to be one of the largest in human history — more than 3,500 years ago.

That eruption, which occurred around 1620 B.C., destroyed a large part of the island, blanketed a wide area in feet of ash and is believed to have contributed to the decline of the ancient Minoan civilization, which had flourished in the region.

Although it is still an active volcano, the last notable eruption occurred in 1950.

Prominent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the current earthquake sequence – displayed on live seismic maps as a growing cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi — could indicate a larger impending event.

"All scenarios remain open," Papadopoulos wrote in an online post. "The number of tremors has increased, magnitudes have risen, and epicenters have shifted northeast. While these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the risk level has escalated."

In Santorini’s main town of Fira, local authorities designated gathering points for residents in preparation for a potential evacuation, though Mayor Nikos Zorzos emphasized the preventive nature of the measures.

"We are obliged to make preparations. But being prepared for something does not mean it will happen," he said during a weekend briefing. "Sometimes, the way the situation is reported, those reports may contain exaggerations... so people should stay calm."

JOHANNESBURG - President Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to cut off all foreign aid to South Africa because he claimed it is "confiscating" land "and treating certain classes of people very badly" in "a massive human rights violation" has provoked strong reaction from the South African presidency and commentators. 

"The South African government has not confiscated any land", South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded in a statement, adding "We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest. We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters". 

Last week, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law permitting national, provincial and local authorities to expropriate land – to take it -"for a public purpose or in the public interest," and, the government stated "subject to just and equitable compensation being paid". However, sources say no expropriation has happened yet.

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

On his Truth Social Media platform, President Trump hit out at South Africa, posting "It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!" Trump later repeated his comments while speaking to the press on Sunday night at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Pieter du Toit, assistant editor of South African media group News 24, posted on X "The U.S. President, clearly advised by Elon Musk, really has no idea what he’s talking about." 

South African-born Musk is trying to expand his Starlink internet service into South Africa, but President Ramaphosa has reportedly told him he must sell off 30% of his company here to local broad-based so-called Black empowerment interests.

In response to the South African president’s statement, Musk fired back on X, asking Ramaphosa, "Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?"

INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOES

Analyst Frans Cronje told Fox News Digital that President Trump may be referring to the ongoing killing of farmers in South Africa when he posted that certain classes of people are being treated very badly.

"President Trump's recent comments on land seizures in South Africa cannot be divorced from his past comments on violent attacks directed at the country's farmers. Whilst these comments have often been dismissed as false, the latest South African data suggests that the country's commercial farmers are six times more likely to be violently attacked in their homes than is the case for the general population." 

Cronje said there may be agendas in play behind President Trump’s statements.

"Such seizures may also apply to the property of American investors in South Africa. Cronje is an adviser at the U.S. Yorktown Foundation for Freedom. He added "with regards to land specifically, the legislation could enable the mass seizure of land which has been an oft expressed objective of senior political figures in the country. To date, however, there have been no mass seizures, in part because there was no legislative means through which to achieve such seizures." 

Now, with the bill having been signed into law, Cronje says that has changed. 

"The comments around property rights in South Africa must be read against broader and bipartisan US concern at developments in South Africa. In 2024 the US/South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act was introduced (in Congress) amid concerns that the South African government's relationships with Iran, Russia, and China threatened US national security interests."

Cronje, who also advises corporations and government departments on economic and political trajectory, continued. "Last week, South Africa’s government, together with that of Cuba, Belize and four other countries supported the formation of the ‘Hague Group’ in an apparent move to shore up the standing of the International Criminal Court, amid the passage through Congress of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act that prescribes sanctions against any country that is seen to use the court to threaten US national security interests. South Africa has in recent years been prominent in employing both that court and the International Court of Justice in the Hague to press for action against Israel and Israeli leaders."

South Africa’s Ramaphosa played down the importance of U.S. aid, stating "with the exception of PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids program, there is no other significant funding that is provided by the United States in South Africa." President George W. Bush introduced PEPFAR in 2003.

Analyst Justice Malala, also speaking on ENCA, said that, under the Trump administration, "the United States is going to upend South Africa in many ways."