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President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, recently said the United States must return to the policy of "maximum pressure" and that the Iranian regime's weakness has reopened what the future of Iran will look like.

"I believe this year should be considered a year of hope, it should be considered a year of action, and it should be considered a year of change," Kellogg, who served in Trump’s first administration, said at an event sponsored by an Iranian opposition group, The National Council of Resistance of Iran, in Paris.

The retired lieutenant general said that Iran’s development and acquisition of a nuclear weapon would be the most destabilizing event for the Middle East. Kellogg reminded the opposition group that then-President Trump walked away from the Iran nuclear deal during his first term, even with opposition from those who served in the first administration.

IRAN REGIME UNDER 'IMMENSE PRESSURE' AMID INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN POLICIES, REGIONAL LOSSES, ECONOMIC WOES

"For the United States, a policy of maximum pressure must be reinstated, and it must be reinstated with the help of the rest of the globe, and that includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy," Kellogg said.

Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, during his first term in 2018 and reapplied crippling economic sanctions. While some, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, applauded the move, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany had urged the president to remain committed to the deal.

The remarks, made just days before Trump is set to take office for his second term, are yet another signal of how a second Trump administration will face the threat posed by Iran in a new environment with much of the Middle East embroiled in conflict since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. 

IRAN EXPANDS WEAPONIZATION CAPABILITIES CRITICAL FOR EMPLOYING NUCLEAR BOMB

"The beginning of the end of Iran's primacy began, ironically, a year ago, on 7 October," Kellogg said.

Kellogg noted that pressures applied to Iran would not only be kinetic or military force, but must include economic and diplomatic as well.

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told the event that the fall of Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad, provided a unique opportunity for Iranians to remake their own future.

"Khamenei and his IRGC were unable to preserve the Syrian dictatorship, and they certainly cannot preserve their regime in the face of organized resistance and uprising. The regime will be overthrown," Rajavi said.

ISRAEL EYES IRAN NUKE SITES AMID REPORTS TRUMP MULLS MOVES TO BLOCK TEHRAN ATOMIC PROGRAM

Rajavi said it was a decisive moment in the history of Iran. The National Council of Resistance of Iran, according to Rajavi, has a path forward for a democratic Iran, which includes a step-by-step process after the overthrow of the current regime. A transitional government would be formed for a maximum of six months, and its main task would be to hold free elections for a Constituent Assembly and transfer power to the people’s representatives.

"The overthrow of the mullahs’ regime is the only way to establish freedom in Iran and peace and tranquility in the region," a hopeful Rajavi said.

Kellogg championed these ideas and said a "more friendly, stable, non-belligerent, and a non-nuclear Iran" must be the near term goal and that the United States needs to exploit Iran’s current weaknesses.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei slammed France for hosting what the Iranian government called a "terrorist group" and accused the French government of violating its international legal obligations to prevent and fight terror.

Earlier this month, New York implemented its widely-contested Congestion Relief Zone tolling scheme, which charges drivers between $9 and $21.60 per day to drive below 60th Street in Manhattan. 

On Jan. 6, the State Department released guidance that exempts employees and personnel from foreign missions and international organizations, including the United Nations, from paying Congestion Relief Zone fees. 

"Wait ‘til the people get a load of this," New York City Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino told Fox News Digital. "Why should a truck driver from Queens or New Jersey face a new burden of $10K a year for delivering into Manhattan while some corrupt Iranian diplomat gets total immunity?"  

The Queens Republican told Fox News Digital that the announcement of special treatment for United Nations personnel did not "come as any surprise." Paladino said the U.N. "has been using our city as their personal playground for decades, and the State Department has enabled them with blanket exemptions from the many laws and fines that regular New Yorkers struggle with," adding, "it's just one big mess."

NJ DEM SLAMS NEW YORK AS CONTROVERSIAL NYC CONGESTION PRICING TAKES EFFECT

"Our diplomats can just skate about anywhere they like in the five boroughs," Paladino said, explaining how diplomats are routinely forgiven for speeding tickets, fines and parking tickets. "We’ve seen cars with diplomat plates rack[ing] up six figures in unpaid parking fines," she said.

An investigation by NBC New York in 2022 found that Russian diplomats had accumulated over $100,000 in unpaid fines for parking since 2003. A State Department spokesperson referred NBC to a policy indicating that "three or more unpaid violations since 2003 will result in a nation being suspended from registering or renewing diplomatic license plates." Russia had 46 outstanding unpaid tickets, but the State Department "declined to say definitively" to NBC News reporters if Russia’s ability to register or renew diplomatic plates was suspended.

The Congestion Relief Zone charges drivers based on the size of their vehicle. These rates, which will increase in 2031, are meant to raise funds to upgrade the transportation system and reduce traffic in the zone. Paladino said that these fees will not result in "any improvement that is going to be worth the kind of money they’re going to be raking in." Describing an "absolutely filthy, dirty, disgusting" subway system and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority deeply in debt, Paladino said that "the trust factor here is nil." 

NEW YORK DEMOCRATS’ NEW TAX FORCES MIDDLE-CLASS WORKERS INTO LAWLESS SUBWAY TUNNELS

Congestion pricing has already had an impact beyond decreasing traffic. The New York Post reported on Jan. 3 that the New York City union for EMTs and paramedics urged its members to transfer from stations within the Congestion Relief Zone because workers making less than $19 per hour could not afford the $45 weekly charge to enter the zone.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department to ask why they issued an exemption for U.N. personnel, how many vehicles were estimated to be exempted by their guidance and whether New York and New Jersey residents ought to shoulder the economic burden of the Congestion Relief Zone while U.N. personnel, including representatives from unfriendly foreign regimes, pay nothing. There was no response.

Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul's office for comment but received no response.

"As far as economically," congestion pricing is "probably the worst thing that could happen so soon after COVID," Paladino added. She said that fixing a "broken city" does not occur "by just doubling down on the middle class and the lower middle class." 

There are 193 member states of the United Nations, many with missions in and around New York City.
 

Authorities investigating suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived at his residence Wednesday in a second attempt to detain him over his ill-fated martial law declaration last month.

Police dispatched some 3,200 officers to the president's sprawling hillside estate in Seoul, according to Reuters, where he has spent weeks in hiding whilst surrounded by a personal security detail.

Video shows officers closing in on Yoon's residence, according to Reuters, where hundreds of his supporters had already gathered to protest on his behalf. Earlier, they were reportedly seen pushing through a group of them.

SOUTH KOREA’S IMPEACHED PRESIDENT AVOIDS ARREST ATTEMPT AFTER HOURSLONG STANDOFF

A previous attempt to detain Yoon was called off on Jan. 3 following a six-hour standoff between military guards and the president's security staff. 

"As I have repeatedly emphasized the need for prevention of physical conflict between state agencies," Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement Wednesday. "I will sternly hold those responsible if unfortunate events occur."

Executing a warrant for Yoon's arrest has proven difficult for investigators, as the president's legal counsel insists it is impossible to do so under a law barring non-consensual searches of locations potentially linked to military secrets.

Yoon's lawyers have also decried such a warrant as an illegal means of publicly humiliating him.

ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR IMPEACHED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT AS POLITICAL CRISIS DEEPENS

The arrest warrant is the first ever to be levied against a sitting South Korean president. Yoon's warrant stems from his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 out of apparent frustration with the opposition-dominated parliament's refusal to pass key items on his political agenda.

The move was decried within South Korea and abroad, where analysts expressed shock at the sudden and unprecedented move in what is typically one of Asia's most stable democracies.

Parliament unanimously rejected Yoon's declaration, and subsequently suspended him on Dec. 14 in a 204-85 vote that included members of his own party. 

Yoon will be formally impeached should the Constitutional Court uphold the motion with a three-fourths majority.

The court's next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Months after South African authorities initially cut off supplies to miners working illegally in an abandoned gold mine, rescuers brought dozens of bodies and emaciated survivors to the surface Tuesday with hundreds more still believed to be underground, many of them dead and others too weak to come out on their own.

At least 60 bodies and 92 survivors had been pulled from one of South Africa's deepest mines since Monday in a red cagelike device lowered thousands of feet underground, police said. Police are uncertain how many miners remain inside but said it is likely in the hundreds. Another nine bodies were brought out Friday in a community-led rescue effort, according to a group representing the miners.

DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 13 IN SOUTH AFRICA MINING DISASTER

The mine has been the scene of a tense standoff between police, miners and members of the local community since authorities launched an operation in November to force the miners out by cutting off food and water from the surface for a period of time. At the time, a Cabinet minister said the aim was to "smoke them out" and the government would not send help because they were "criminals."

But that tactic has been fiercely criticized by civic groups and the community, and the South African government is under scrutiny for the way it has dealt with the issue at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, where more than 100 miners are believed to have died underground of starvation or dehydration, according to the group representing them.

Authorities, who removed the ropes and pulley system miners used to enter and to lower supplies, say the survivors are able to come out but refuse to because of fear of arrest. That has been disputed by the civic groups, which won a court case to force authorities to allow food, water and medicine to be sent down to the miners. But they say the supplies aren’t enough and many of the miners are dying of starvation and unable to climb out because the shaft is too steep.

Residents desperately waiting for news of family members gathered at the mine Tuesday near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, some holding placards criticizing authorities for their response. One sign said there had been a "Sacrifice at Stilfontein" while some handcuffed survivors were led away in a line by police.

The community organized its own rescue operation on Friday before the official effort by authorities began Monday. They say a proper rescue operation should have been launched months ago.

"We are happy that this operation is happening, even though we believe that if it was done earlier, we wouldn’t even have one dead person," said Mzukisi Jam, the regional chairperson of the South African National Civics Organization, an umbrella for civic and rights groups.

Authorities have grappled with informal mining for years

Illegal mining is common in parts of gold-rich South Africa where companies close down mines that are no longer profitable, leaving groups of informal miners to enter them illegally in a search for leftover deposits.

Large groups of miners often go underground for months to maximize their profits, taking food, water, generators and other equipment with them, but also relying on others in their group on the surface to send down more supplies.

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe visited the site Tuesday and said that more than 1,500 miners who resurfaced from the Buffelsfontein mine have been arrested since authorities began a larger crackdown on illegal mining in late 2023. He said the vast majority were foreign nationals from neighboring countries.

Police have also doubled down on their assertion that the miners who are still underground aren't coming out because they are afraid of being arrested.

Activists said the only way out is for miners to make a dangerous trek to another shaft, which can take days, and crawl out there, but many are too weak or ill to climb out. The mine is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) deep with multiple shafts, many levels and a maze of tunnels. The group representing the miners said there are numerous groups in various parts of the mine.

"The last time I spoke to my brother was in July, when he told us that he is going underground," said Zinzi Tom, a sister of one of the miners who remained underground. "We had not heard anything from him, but yesterday one of the miners who surfaced said he saw him about two weeks ago. Apparently he is very sick and he is struggling to survive."

Cellphone videos emerge from underground

The Mining Affected Communities United in Action group, which took authorities to court in December to force them to allow supplies to be sent down to the miners, released two cellphone videos that they said were from underground and showed dozens of dead bodies of miners wrapped in plastic. A spokesman for the group said "a minimum" of 100 miners had died.

The cellphone videos purportedly from the depths of the mine are filmed by a man who can be heard saying, "This is hunger. People are dying because of hunger," as he records emaciated-looking men sitting on the damp floor of the mine. He adds: "Please help us. Bring us food or take us out."

The rescue operation will go on for 10 days and authorities would then reassess, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said. Police also said that the survivors who had been brought to the surface will be arrested and charged with illegal mining and trespassing after receiving medical attention.

Authorities made clear their approach when South African Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters in November that the government would not help the miners, who they consider criminals.

"We are not sending help to criminals," she said. "We are going to smoke them out. They will come out."

She added: "Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted."

India's foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, met acting Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai last week, making a strong leap forward in bilateral relations. 

While India has been gradually increasing its engagement with the Taliban, this latest meeting represents the highest-level talks since the Islamic group's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Notably, this was the second meeting between officials from New Delhi and Kabul in just two months, indicating both countries' readiness to step up diplomatic engagement.

"We shouldn’t overstate the impact of Pakistan’s tensions with the Taliban on India’s stepped up engagement with the Taliban. New Delhi had already taken some small steps toward Taliban engagement soon after the Taliban’s return to power, before tensions crept into the Taliban’s relations with Pakistan," Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, tells Fox News Digital.

TALIBAN GOVERNMENT TO CEASE OPERATIONS AT AFGHAN EMBASSY IN INDIA'S CAPITAL

During the discussions, Misri emphasized the "historic friendship" and "strong people-to-people contacts" between the two nations. Meanwhile, the Afghan foreign minister described India as "an important and economically significant country in the region." 

According to a statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs, the talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations, addressing security concerns, engaging in development projects and enhancing humanitarian assistance.

India is among several countries actively facilitating trade, aid and medical support to Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. The country, which hosts thousands of Afghan refugees, also pledged to provide "material support" for their rehabilitation back in Afghanistan.

"New Delhi’s outreach to the Taliban is driven by the view that closer engagement can help India better pursue its security and strategic interests in Afghanistan – and these include strengthening trade and connectivity links and ensuring India isn’t threatened by terrorists on Afghan soil," Kugelman explained.

BIDEN ADMIN'S AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL FAILURES DETAILED IN REPORT

The discussions also touched on enhancing trade via the Chabahar Port in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province. India has been developing the Chabahar Port to enable goods to bypass ports in its rival, Pakistan. This strategic port, which lies just across the border from Pakistan, could provide landlocked Afghanistan with an alternative route to receive and send goods, circumventing Pakistan.

The meeting between India and the Taliban could unsettle Pakistan, which shares borders with both countries. India and Pakistan are long-standing rivals, having fought three wars over Kashmir since both countries gained independence in 1947. This meeting also takes place amid deteriorating relations between the Taliban regime and Pakistan, once considered friendly neighbors, as cross-border violence escalates.

PAKISTANI AIRSTRIKES TARGET TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN FOLLOWING SUICIDE BOMBING

The talks occurred just days after India "unequivocally" condemned Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan in late December. These rare airstrikes resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians, including women and children. Pakistani officials claimed the strikes targeted militants of the Pakistani Taliban. Islamabad frequently accuses the Pakistani Taliban of using Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.

The diplomatic engagement also follows the Taliban’s appointment of an acting consul in the Afghan consulate in Bombay in November, the same month India’s joint secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs visited Kabul. Although no foreign government, including India, has officially recognized the Taliban administration since it swept to power in 2021, India reopened its embassy in Kabul less than a year after the Taliban's return to power. 

"Islamabad has already seen its relations with its former Taliban asset take a major tumble," Kugelman, said. "Now it must grapple with the fact that its rival India may fill the vacuum left by Pakistan’s distancing from the Taliban. No matter how you slice it, this is bad news for Pakistan all around."

BIDEN SAYS HE’S LEAVING TRUMP ‘STRONG HAND TO PLAY,' DEFENDS HIS RECORD ON AFGHANISTAN

Several factors, in addition to deteriorating Pakistani relations, may have led India to strengthen its relationship with Afghanistan. The weakening of Iran, due to conflicts in the Middle East and internal issues, has diminished its influence over the Taliban. At the same time, Russia, one of India's closest allies, is moving toward recognizing the Taliban government in Afghanistan, even calling the group a partner in combating terrorism. Moscow perceives a significant security threat from Islamist militant groups across countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East, especially after losing Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

China is also enhancing its connections with the Taliban, causing India to be wary of Beijing's increasing influence. Additionally, India's approach may be influenced by President-elect Trump’s imminent return to the White House. The Trump administration initially brokered the U.S.-Afghanistan withdrawal deal. Trump's re-election could now introduce new dynamics to the region, prompting India to safeguard its long-term interests.

In contrast, the United States has severed diplomatic ties with Kabul since its chaotic withdrawal from war-torn Afghanistan. Washington maintains a policy of sanctions and isolation toward Taliban leaders. But now, nations in the region are evaluating the implications of a new Trump administration for the Taliban.

North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region against Ukrainian forces have begun resorting to drastic measures to evade capture, including suicide, a report by Reuters on Tuesday said. 

Following a battle this week, Ukrainian special forces reportedly scoured the snowy terrain where more than a dozen North Korean soldiers lay slain before they came upon one who was still alive. The North Korean soldier apparently pulled out a grenade and detonated it, killing himself, though without injuring the nearby Ukrainian troops.

UKRAINE HAS CAPTURED 2 NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS, SOUTH KOREA'S INTELLIGENCE SERVICE SAYS

The news of the self-sacrificing tactics being employed came just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, for the first time, two North Korean prisoners of war had been captured by Ukrainian forces.

Zelenskyy confirmed the capture in a Saturday address to the nation, saying "it was not easy" and claiming that North Korean and Russian forces apparently "finish off their wounded Korean" troops to prevent their capture.

Ukraine has repeatedly claimed that Russia has issued military IDs to North Korean forces in a move to conceal evidence that foreign troops have entered the war in support of Moscow, though Western nations, including the U.S., have confirmed for months Pyongyang’s deployment of forces to Russia.

As many as 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia, an estimated 11,000 of whom have been stationed in Kursk to fend off Ukrainian advancement. 

Zelenskyy, as well as South Korean intelligence, have said North Korean troops in Kursk have seen some 3,000 casualties since they entered the fight in mid-November.

KIM JONG UN’S BIG GUNS SPOTTED ON RUSSIAN FRONT LINES: REPORT

In a Sunday post on X, Zelenskyy shared a video of the two captured North Korean soldiers receiving medical attention and being questioned about what they knew before they found themselves embroiled in the front-line-fight.

One of the soldiers said he did not know he was going to war against Ukraine to aid Russia, and instead believed he and his troops were being sent for training exercises. 

However, by Jan. 3, one of the soldiers found himself in an active operation and witnessed North Korean soldiers dying before he hid in a dugout for two days. He was found on Jan. 5. 

Western intelligence has repeatedly suggested that North Korean troops are unprepared for the fight they have been thrown into, and Zelenskyy said on Sunday, "It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others."

"Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia," Zelenskyy said.  "For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available."

Reuters contributed to this report.

Hamas has reportedly agreed to a draft cease-fire deal with Israel that would include the release of dozens of hostages, according to The Associated Press, which cited "officials involved in the talks." This potential agreement is the first sign in months that the war between Israel and Hamas, which has gone one of over a year, could be nearing its end.

The possible agreement will reportedly take place in three phases, the first of which would kick off a 42-day cease-fire. During that time, 33 hostages, including children, women, female soldiers, men over the age of 50 and humanitarian cases would be released. In exchange, Hamas would receive hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile detainees. According to an Israeli government official, "most" of the 33 hostages who were abducted by Hamas from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, are still alive.

Addressing the exchange of hostages for prisoners, the Israeli government official noted that there is a "price" for getting the terrorist group to release the captives. The source vowed, however, that Israel would "not leave the Gaza Strip until all of our hostages are back home."

CEASE-FIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS GETTING CLOSER AMID CONCERNS TERROR GROUP REARMING IN GAZA

As part of the first phase of the agreement, Israel would begin to withdraw from parts of northern Gaza, allowing Palestinians to return to their homes. However, security experts warn that this could allow Hamas to rebuild itself.

Additionally, during the first phase of the deal, humanitarian aid would be delivered to the Gaza Strip.

FOX NEWS GETS AN INSIDE LOOK AT IDF'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS

Details of the second phase are expected to be negotiated during the first. However, a draft agreement cited by the AP, indicates that during this phase, Hamas will release the remaining living hostages in exchange for a "complete withdrawal" of Israeli forces from Gaza. An Egyptian official allegedly told the AP that before the end of the first phase, there will be deals for phases two and three.

"This is the only time since November 2023 that we are really negotiating with Hamas, and they are not playing a game in negotiations," an Israeli government official told FOX News.

The official cited multiple events, such as the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and domestic pressure against the terror group, as crucial turning points in creating the right "conditions" for a deal.

PALESTINIAN OFFICIAL PREDICTS TRUMP WILL 'DESTROY' IRAN, LEADING TO BREAKDOWN OF REMAINING HAMAS CELLS: REPORT

Qatari and Israeli officials who spoke with FOX News expressed optimism about the potential deal that could bring about an end to the war.

Thousands have been killed in the 15-month war, which started after Hamas’ brutal attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 250 were taken hostage.

Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Hotels around the world hold impressive records for their height, age and impressive suites for guests. If you're looking to stay at the world's largest hotel, Malaysia is where you can find it. 

Malaysia is home to the First World Hotel, which, according to Guinness World Records, is the largest hotel of any around the globe, for the number of rooms it offers. 

The hotel is made up of 7,351 rooms, according to the Resorts World Genting website, among the three towers part of the property. The last time rooms were added to the property was 2015, taking the count from 6,118 to the current 7,351. 

SET SAIL ON WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE OVER 7,000 GUESTS PER VOYAGE

There are quite a few different room options to choose from with a stay at First World Hotel, including a standard room, deluxe room, superior deluxe room, triple room and the world club room. 

The smallest rooms in the hotel offer around 180 square feet of space, while the largest are laid out over about 430 square feet, according to the Resorts World Genting website. 

There are three eateries on site. Guests can grab a bite at The Food Factory, The Junction or the Ice Cream Parlour, without leaving the comfort of the hotel. 

A LOOK AT THE WORLD'S LONGEST SNAKE WHICH MEASURES OVER 32 FEET, A RECORD-BREAKING SLITHERING SERPENT

Surrounding the hotel is the scenic rainforest, providing picturesque views for guests. 

There are also additional offerings around the Resorts World property to explore.  

First World Hotel is just one of several hotels part of Resorts World Genting. Among others are Crockfords, Resorts World Awana and Genting SkyWorlds Hotel. 

WORLD'S BIGGEST SPIDER COMES FROM NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA, CAN MEASURE AS LARGE AS A DINNER PLATE

For those looking to add a little thrill to their travels, there are two different theme parks part of Resorts World Genting. There's Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, as well as Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park. 

Skytropolis includes rides like bumper cars, tea cups, carousels and a Ferris wheel. 

Genting SkyWorlds is made up of several different lands inspired by popular films. There's Studio Plaza, Eagle Mountain, Central Park, Rio, Andromeda Base, Liberty Lane, Epic, Robots Rivet Town and Ice Age, according to the theme park's website. 

Besides the theme parks, there are lots of dining and shopping opportunities around Resorts World Genting.  

As a whole, Resorts World has unique locations all around the world. There are several Resorts World locations in the United States, including in Las Vegas and New York City. 

An ancient structure uncovered on the eastern slope of the City of David inside Jerusalem Walls National Park is believed to have been used for ritual practices during the time of the First Temple, according to a new study.

The structure contained eight rooms containing things like an altar, a standing stone, an oil press and a wine press.

Excavation director Eli Shukron said in an article published in the scientific journal Antiqot that the uncovered structure may have been used by residents of Judah for cultic or religious practices.

The study suggests the structure, which is in overall exceptional shape, dates to the First Temple period and was revealed during excavations performed by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David.

ANCIENT TOMB BELONGING TO DOCTOR WHO TREATED EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS DISCOVERED BY ARCHAELOGISTS

"When we began excavating the City of David in 2010, we discovered that the site had been sealed with fill from the 8th century BCE (Before the Common Era), indicating it had fallen out of use during that time," Shukron said. "The standing stone we uncovered remained upright in its original place, and the other rooms in the structure were also well-preserved."

Shukron’s article proposed that the structure, comprised of eight rock-hewn rooms, was used for ritualistic purposes, not far from the Temple on the Temple Mount, nearly a few hundred meters away.

It is also the only known structure of its type from the period in Jerusalem and one of only a few found in Israel.

HIDDEN STAIRCASE IN CHURCH LEADS ARCHAEOLOGISTS TO UNEARTH 400-YEAR-OLD BURIAL VAULT

The structure itself covers an area of about 220 square meters and has eight rooms, each used for different purposes.

One room contained an oil press for producing oil. Another contained a wine press for making wine.

Other rooms contained things like a carved installation with a drainage channel, which researchers identified as an altar; a large standing stone; and a floor with V-shaped carving marks, though researchers remain puzzled about the carvings’ purposes.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

Shukron hypothesized that the carvings may have been used as a base for a tripod used during ritual activities.

On the edge of the structure is a small cave that includes a cache of items dating to the 8th century BCE. The items in the cache included cooking pots, jars with fragments of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals and grinding stones for crushing grains.

Shukron and his team believe the structure was used until the 8th century BCE, when the Kings of Judah ruled.

ARTIFACT WITH STRANGE INSCRIPTION DUG UP AT HOLY SITE IN JERUSALEM: 'UNUSUAL LOCATION'

"The structure ceased to function during the 8th century BCE, possibly as part of King Hezekiah’s religious reform," Shukron said.

The Bible says Hezekiah wanted to centralize worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, and in doing so, he abolished the ritual sites located across the kingdom.

It also describes that during the First Temple period, other sites used for rituals were used outside the temple, and Kings Hezekiah and Josiah implemented reforms to eliminate the sites.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS STUMPED BY STRANGE ALIEN-LIKE FIGURINE DATING BACK 7,000 YEARS: ‘RAISES QUESTIONS’

"Nearly 3,000 years later, Jerusalem's Biblical heritage continues to be unearthed in the City of David, and with the passage of time, its relevance and meaning only continues to increase, with significance to billions, not just millions, around the world," Ze’ev Orenstein, the director of internal affairs at the City of David, told Fox News Digital. "Unlike most sites of antiquity, Jerusalem's Biblical heritage remains both timeless and timely – not limited to museums & history books – but a necessary component in understanding the world today – past, present and future."

The northern part of the structure was uncovered in 1909 by British explorer Montague Parker, who searched in Jerusalem for the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple treasures.

It was not until 2010 that Shukron began to excavate the property, which lasted over several excavation seasons.

"This discovery in the City of David once again affirms the Jewish people's ongoing 3,000+ year-old bond with Jerusalem – not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact – from Bible times to the modern day," Orenstein said.

Attacks on underwater cables running through strategically significant bodies of water in both the Baltic Sea and the South China Sea by Russia and China, respectively, in recent months has top officials concerned they are not "mere coincidence."

Maritime sabotage efforts in both regions of the world appear to have been on the rise over the last several years, with a notable spike in recent months after at least three separate attacks occurred in as many months, beginning in November, and the top suspects are Russia and China. 

"The Kremlin has been running a hybrid campaign against Europe for years, ranging from spreading disinformation and cyberattacks to weaponizing energy supplies. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these efforts have intensified dramatically," EU High Representative Kaja Kallas told Fox News Digital. "However, Russia is not the only challenge we face."

NATO LEADERS PREDICT ERA OF 2% DEFENSE SPENDING 'PROBABLY HISTORY' AS TRUMP REPORTEDLY FLOATS HIGHER TARGET

In November, two cables under the Baltic Sea were severed, and a Chinese-flagged commercial ship dubbed the Yi Peng 3 was stopped by Danish naval forces and made to anchor at sea while international authorities began investigating the incident.

The Chinese ship, which is reported to have left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15, was discovered to have dragged its anchor for over 100 miles along the Baltic seabed, cutting an undersea cable that connected Sweden and Lithuania on Nov. 17 as well as the only communication cable connecting Finland with Germany on the 18th.

The incident rang eerily similar to an October 2023 event in which a Chinese ship dubbed the NewNew Polar Bear, was found to have dragged anchor, again, over 100 miles in the Gulf of Finland and damaged the Balticconnector gas pipeline as well as two telecommunications cables between Sweden and Estonia.

The damage to the pipeline reminded the Western world of the vulnerability of its subsea infrastructure just one year after the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines had been significantly damaged.

By Oct. 22, 2023, the Chinese ship was reported to have docked in the Russian port of Arkhangelsk with its port side anchor missing. 

This time, European leaders were quick to voice their suspicions that the November attack was an act of sabotage, and former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis pointed out the likeness between the two attacks in an X post that said, "If I had a nickel for every time a Chinese ship was dragging its anchor on the bottom of the Baltic Sea in the vicinity of important cables I would have two nickels, which isn't much, but it's weird that it happened twice."

US ALLIES ACCUSE RUSSIA OF 'ESCALATING HYBRID ACTIVITIES' AGAINST NATO, EU NATIONS AFTER DATA CABLES SEVERED

While Beijing has denied any intentional wrongdoing in either incident, targeting international undersea cables is not a new tactic for China to employ.

Taiwan last week began investigating whether a China-linked ship was responsible for intentionally damaging one of its cables that connect the island with the internet, and Taipei has taken steps to increase its low-orbit satellite network in a move to circumvent future attempts by Beijing to cut it off from the international community by targeting its fiber-optic cables. 

But the tactics China has long employed against Taiwan are now being optimized in the Baltic Sea.  The U.S. Defense Department has been warning of China's plans to invade and annex the neighboring island nation by 2027.

"Chinese vessels have now been implicated in the recent damage to Baltic Sea cables, something we have seen in [the] Taiwan strait for years," the EU’s top diplomat told Fox News Digital. "Considering China’s vast support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, it is difficult to view these incidents as mere coincidences. 

"China is closely monitoring our response to Russia’s war. The U.S. must be strong on Russia to prevent trouble with China," Kallas warned. "Supporting Ukraine today helps keep American forces out of future conflicts."

NATO CHIEF URGES MEMBERS TO 'TURBOCHARGE' DEFENSE PRODUCTION AS HE PAINTS PICTURE OF A WORLD BOUND FOR WAR

But China isn’t the only country suspected of sabotaging international undersea cables.  

A vessel accused of being tied to Russia has been seized by Finland, which is investigating a suspected attack that damaged four telecommunications and the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power cables on Christmas Day by, again, dragging its anchor across the seabed. 

The tanker dubbed Eagle S is suspected of being used by Moscow under a scheme known as "shadow fleet" which relies on dated vessels under dubious ownership to help Russia skirt sanctions and keep up its oil exports to help finance its war in Ukraine. 

Neither the Pentagon nor the White House responded to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether the recent attacks in both regions of the world are connected. But security experts have signaled that in international politics there is little room for "coincidence." 

"Despite the lack of public information clearly proving Chinese and Russian coordination and collusion, I don't believe in coincidence in international affairs," former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Heino Klinck told Fox News Digital. "Both malign actors thrive in the gray zone, and these attacks seem to be mutually reinforcing and mutually inspiring as they demonstrate the ineffectual international response to date."

NATO on Tuesday will announce a new defensive strategy titled "Baltic Sentry" that will involve the deployment of more ships, a naval drone fleet and the use of AI to better detect, deter and respond to attacks or acts of sabotage in the Baltic Sea, a NATO spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

NATO did not respond to questions about whether the alliance assesses the recent maritime sabotage to be a coordinated operation between Russia and China, though a Western security official familiar with the intelligence on the attacks said these are not believed to be incidents of opportunity.

"It seems to be a bit more coordinated than one could initially think," said the security official, who spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity. "It's not just that somebody throws the anchor, and then they see what happens. This is a bit more planned and a bit more coordinated."

China is reportedly building a series of "D-Day style" barges that could be used to aid an invasion of Taiwan, according to media reports. 

At least three of the new craft have been observed at Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China, according to Naval News.

The barges are inspired by the World War II "Mulberry harbours," which were portable harbors built for the Allied campaign in Normandy, France, in 1944, The Telegraph reported.

SULLIVAN CLAIMS BIDEN ADMIN LEAVES RUSSIA, CHINA AND IRAN 'WEAKER,' AMERICA 'SAFER' BEFORE TRUMP HANDOFF

Tensions between China and Taiwan, a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific region, have remained heightened over Beijing's refusal to recognize the independence of the island nation. 

In its report last week, Naval News said at least three but likely five or more barges were seen in China's Guangzhou Shipyard. The barges, at over 390 feet, can be used to reach a coastal road or hard surface beyond a beach, the report said. 

In his New Year's message, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said "reunification" with Taiwan is inevitable.

TRUMP CABINET PICKS DELIGHT TAIWAN, SEND STRONG SIGNAL TO CHINA

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification," he said on CCTV, China’s state broadcaster.

Using barges, Chinese forces could land in areas previously considered unsuitable, including rocky or soft terrain, and beaches where tanks and other heavy equipment can be delivered to firmer ground or a coastal road, the report said. 

"Any invasion of Taiwan from the mainland would require a large number of ships to transport personnel and equipment across the strait quickly, particularly land assets like armored vehicles," Emma Salisbury, a sea power research fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, told Naval News. "As preparation for an invasion, or at least to give China the option as leverage, I would expect to see a build-up of construction of ships that could accomplish this transportation."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Defense, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, also in Washington.

A young gorilla rescued from a plane’s cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials said Sunday, while wildlife officers consider returning him to his natural habitat.

The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month. After a public competition, he has been named Zeytin, or Olive, and is recuperating at Polonezkoy Zoo.

"Of course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla … to continue its life in its homeland," Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, said Sunday.

ZOO IN VIRGINIA LAUNCHES POLL TO NAME NEWBORN PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS CALF

"What is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us."

In the weeks since he was found, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of recovering from his traumatic journey.

"When he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him," said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. "He doesn’t have that shyness now. He doesn’t even care about us much. He plays games by himself."

Both gorilla species — the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa’s remote forests and mountains — are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

As Istanbul emerges as a major air hub between continents, customs officials have increasingly intercepted illegally traded animals. In October, 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were found in an Egyptian passenger’s luggage at the city’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

As negotiations for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas approach a decisive moment, the toll of the conflict continues to grow.

Today, the Israeli military reported five soldiers were killed in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, and eight injured from an ammunition explosion, one of the deadliest incidents in recent operations. On Sunday, another four soldiers were killed in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas has fired 20 rockets at Israel over the past two weeks, highlighting its continued ability to launch attacks after 15 months of war.

Negotiations involving the U.S., Qatar and Egypt are reportedly close to an agreement. The draft deal would secure the release of 33 hostages out of 98 – children, women, female soldiers, men over the age of 50 and humanitarian cases – in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile detainees. This phase is expected to last 42 days.

According to an Israeli official, most of the 33 hostages who were abducted by Hamas from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, are still alive. Humanitarian aid will be delivered to the Gaza Strip during this phase. Israel will reportedly release 50 prisoners for every female hostage and 30 children and women for every hostage.

BIDEN CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE IN CALL WITH ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU

The deal would also include a significant Israeli concession allowing 1 million displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, a move security experts warn could enable Hamas to regroup.

"The pace at which Hamas is rebuilding itself is higher than the pace that the IDF is eradicating them," retired IDF Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Avivi also told Israeli radio that the deal has to include all the hostages, but there is only one Hamas demand that can't be agreed to: "ending the war." He said as long as ending the war is not part of the deal, then "hard concessions" can be made.

During his farewell foreign policy address at the State Department on Monday, President Biden said, "We’re on the brink of a proposal laid down months ago finally coming to fruition. We're pressing hard to close this – free the hostages, halt the fighting, secure Israel and ensure humanitarian aid to Gaza. Palestinians deserve peace, Israel deserves peace, and we are working urgently to close this deal as we address the challenges."

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized the urgency in a statement, "We have coordinated very closely with the incoming administration to present a united message to all the parties, which says it is in the American national security interest…to get this deal done as fast as possible. And now we think those details are on the brink of being fully hammered out, and the parties are right on the cusp of being able to close this deal. Whether or not we go from where we are now to actually closing it, the hours and days ahead will tell."

ISRAEL SENDS REPORT TO UN ON 'BRUTAL' TREATMENT USED BY TERRORISTS AGAINST HOSTAGES IN GAZA

Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the proposed cease-fire over the phone on Sunday, reflecting the high-level coordination between the U.S. and Israel. U.S. envoy Brett McGurk has been stationed in Qatar working nonstop to finalize the agreement.

The Israeli military has reported killing approximately 17,000 Hamas terrorists and detaining thousands more since the war began. Before the conflict, Hamas maintained a force of 30,000 terrorists organized into 24 battalions. While the IDF claims to have dismantled much of this structure, Hamas, which still controls large parts of Gaza, has not disclosed its losses or new recruitment figures. The Hamas-run Ministry of Health claims some 46,000 Gazans have been killed so far in the war.

The cease-fire proposal has sparked fierce debate within Israel’s government. Most coalition members, including Netanyahu, support the deal, viewing it as a critical step toward the hostages’ release. However, some coalition members to Netanyahu's right strongly oppose the deal, citing security risks and fears that Hamas will use the pause to rebuild.

President Biden on Monday spoke for the last time from the State Department on the state of American foreign policy and national security following his four-year term set to conclude in one week when President-elect Donald Trump will once again take up the top job. 

Biden did not specifically address or name the inbound president, but he referenced the prior, and incoming, Trump administration and touted that he is leaving a "strong hand to play."

BIDEN CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE IN CALL WITH ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU

The president listed off a number of major nations of top geopolitical importance to U.S. national security, but he also referenced the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan – which has been among the president’s most heavily criticized policy decisions and which resulted in the death of 13 American service members and roughly 140 Afghan civilians ISIS-K launched an attack on those evacuating at Abbey Gate.

"[I am] the first president in decades who's not leaving a war in Afghanistan to his successor," Biden said.

The president pointed to the 2011 assassination of 9/11 mastermind, Osama bin Laden, during the Obama administration and said he assessed that large numbers of American forces were no longer needed when he took up office.  

"So when I took office, I had a choice – only I saw no reason to keep thousands of servicemen in Afghanistan," he added. "In my view, it was time to end the war and bring our troops home, and we did."

This is a developing story.

Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering.

Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati — where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy’s ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth.

AT LEAST 9 MINERS ARE TRAPPED IN A COAL MINE IN INDIA'S NORTHEASTERN ASSAM STATE

Here’s what to know about the festival:

Hindus venerate rivers, and none more so than the Ganges and the Yamuna. The faithful believe that a dip in their waters will cleanse them of their past sins and end their process of reincarnation, particularly on auspicious days. The most propitious of these days occur in cycles of 12 years during a festival called the Maha Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival.

The festival is a series of ritual baths by Hindu sadhus, or holy men, and other pilgrims at the confluence of three sacred rivers that dates to at least medieval times. Hindus believe that the mythical Saraswati river once flowed from the Himalayas through Prayagraj, meeting there with the Ganges and the Yamuna.

Bathing takes place every day, but on the most auspicious dates, naked, ash-smeared monks charge toward the holy rivers at dawn. Many pilgrims stay for the entire festival, observing austerity, giving alms and bathing at sunrise every day.

"We feel peaceful here and attain salvation from the cycles of life and death," said Bhagwat Prasad Tiwari, a pilgrim.

The festival has its roots in a Hindu tradition that says the god Vishnu wrested a golden pitcher containing the nectar of immortality from demons. Hindus believe that a few drops fell in the cities of Prayagraj, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar — the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.

The Kumbh rotates among these four pilgrimage sites about every three years on a date prescribed by astrology. This year’s festival is the biggest and grandest of them all. A smaller version of the festival, called Ardh Kumbh, or Half Kumbh, was organized in 2019, when 240 million visitors were recorded, with about 50 million taking a ritual bath on the busiest day.

At least 400 million people — more than the population of the United States — are expected in Prayagraj over the next 45 days, according to officials. That is around 200 times the 2 million pilgrims that arrived in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage last year.

The festival is a big test for Indian authorities to showcase the Hindu religion, tourism and crowd management.

A vast ground along the banks of the rivers has been converted into a sprawling tent city equipped with more than 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 restrooms. Divided into 25 sections and spreading over 15 square miles, the tent city also has housing, roads, electricity and water, communication towers and 11 hospitals. Murals depicting stories from Hindu scriptures are painted on the city walls.

Indian Railways has also introduced more than 90 special trains that will make nearly 3,300 trips during the festival to transport devotees, besides regular trains.

About 50,000 security personnel — a 50% increase from 2019 — are also stationed in the city to maintain law and order and crowd management. More than 2,500 cameras, some powered by AI, will send crowd movement and density information to four central control rooms, where officials can quickly deploy personnel to avoid stampedes.

India’s past leaders have capitalized on the festival to strengthen their relationship with the country’s Hindus, who make up nearly 80% of India’s more than 1.4 billion people. But under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the festival has become an integral part of its advocacy of Hindu nationalism. For Modi and his party, Indian civilization is inseparable from Hinduism, although critics say the party's philosophy is rooted in Hindu supremacy.

The Uttar Pradesh state, headed by Adityanath — a powerful Hindu monk and a popular hard-line Hindu politician in Modi’s party — has allocated more than $765 million for this year’s event. It has also used the festival to boost his and the prime minister’s image, with giant billboards and posters all over the city showing them both, alongside slogans touting their government welfare policies.

The festival is expected to boost the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s past record of promoting Hindu cultural symbols for its support base. But recent Kumbh gatherings have also been caught in controversies.

Modi's government changed the city’s Mughal-era name from Allahabad to Prayagraj as part of its Muslim-to-Hindu name-changing effort nationwide ahead of the 2019 festival and the national election that his party won. In 2021, his government refused to call off the festival in Haridwar despite a surge in coronavirus cases, fearing a backlash from religious leaders in the Hindu-majority country.

A new report shared with the Trump transition team and shown to Fox News Digital recommends drastic steps to curtail the Iranian regime just days away from the start of President-elect Donald Trump's second term in office.

"President-elect Trump now has the unique opportunity to push back on the regime in a moment of its significant decline. By using diplomatic, informational, military, and economic means to hold Tehran accountable, he can promote regional stability and a new Middle East," Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, CEO and founder of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital.

The UANI report, titled "A 100 Day Plan for the Incoming Trump Administration on Iran" is a blueprint for the administration to employ against Iran and has been shared with the Trump transition team, according to its authors.

INSIDE ISRAEL’S DARING RAID THAT DESTROYED IRAN-FUNDED UNDERGROUND MISSILE FACTORY IN SYRIA

"Since 1979, Iran has been the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, the major cause of instability in the Middle East, and has brutally repressed its people with impunity," Wallace said.

The report recommends that the incoming Trump administration take a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach across, as Ambassador Wallace said, the diplomatic, informational, military and economic sectors alongside allies to properly hold Iran accountable for its regional destabilization efforts.

Iran fears the incoming Trump administration, said co-author of the report Jason Brodsky, adding he believes there is a strategic opportunity for Washington and its allies to capitalize on that fear to advance U.S. interests.

"Rushing into premature diplomacy risks undermining that dynamic," Brodsky, policy director of UANI, told Fox News Digital. 

The report outlines several specific policy prescriptions in order to weaken Iran and argues that the U.S. government should first build a pressure campaign against Iran which will sharpen the regime's choices.

IRAN EXECUTES OVER 1K PRISONERS IN 2024, HIGHEST TOTAL IN 30 YEARS, REPORT SAYS

In this new policy approach, the United States should learn from Israel's experience since Oct. 7 about how to strike the Islamic Republic militarily without triggering a wider war.

"If the Israelis can do so without triggering a wider war, so can the U.S. government," Brodsky said.

The authors assert that President-elect Trump should deliver a major policy address to warn Tehran that the U.S. would not hesitate to use military force to destroy Iran’s nuclear program if it takes steps to further advance its capabilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in early December enriched uranium to weapons-grade levels. French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran's nuclear program is nearing the "point of no return" with many seeing it as a method to build leverage against the incoming Trump administration.

Additionally, the report’s authors say the incoming Republican administration could also use targeted strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, Quds Force and Intelligence Ministry assets inside Iran if Iran or its proxies harm Americans. Targeted strikes should also hit Iran’s repressive apparatus through cyber and kinetic means if security forces violently suppress innocent protesters, as happened in 2009 after the disputed presidential election and in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the morality police for not covering her hair with a hijab.

U.S. strikes or retaliations against the regime, the report notes, have been non-existent or focused on the Islamic Republic's proxies.

"That dynamic only emboldens Iranian decision-making to calculate the benefits of these operations against Americans outweigh the costs and to doubt the U.S. resolve to defend its interests. The incoming Trump administration should reverse that calculus and one way to do so is to start holding Iran's regime responsible on Iranian soil for the terrorism of its proxies," Brodsky explained. The U.S. should also build a military defector program and encourage political and military actors across the Islamic Republic, including within the Revolutionary Guard and other security forces, to defect from the regime. 

IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS NEARING 'THE POINT OF NO RETURN,' FRANCE'S MACRON SAYS

A key source of Iranian revenue is provided by its vast oil exports and allows Iran to sustain its terror across the Middle East through its "Axis of Resistance" proxy networks. In 2024, Iran exported 587 million barrels of oil, an increase of 10.75% compared to the previous year due to OPEC cuts and lack of sanctions enforcement. 

Claire Jungman, co-author and director of the Tanker Tracking Program and chief of staff of UANI, told Fox News Digital that Iran’s oil exports have surged to nearly 2 million barrels per day—the highest in five years—under President Biden's administration, reflecting weakened sanctions enforcement and the impact of billions in unfrozen assets. 

"The incoming Trump administration has a critical opportunity to halt Tehran's illicit revenue streams and restore maximum pressure on the regime," Jungman added.

Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is a key source of regional Islamist terror groups including Hezbollah and Hamas, the group responsible for the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. The State Department estimates that Iran provides some $100 million annually to Hamas and helps fund Hezbollah with about $700 million a year.

UANI cautions against some in Western capitals who wish to seek negotiation with Tehran and views this flawed approach of endless negotiations as a way Iran can buy time and avert pressure. Ambassador Wallace said the previous maximum pressure campaign worked, and it's time to reapply this policy as the regime faces setback after setback as it became embroiled in regional conflict with Israel after October 7th.

"With the loss of its proxies and the support of the Iranian people … the Iranian regime's days are numbered and, inevitably, the brave Iranian people will rise against the weakened corrupt mullahs," Wallace said.

A long-awaited cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage deal appears to be on the verge of finally being secured, according to a statement released by the Hamas terrorist group on Monday.

"We renew the alliance with our patient people. We confirm that the release of our prisoners is close," Hamas released in a statement following overnight negotiations in Qatar and a Sunday call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During the phone call, the two discussed a release deal first talked about in May of last year, according to White House officials. That deal was endorsed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council.

ISRAELI PM OFFICE DENIES REPORTS THAT HAMAS FORWARDED LIST OF HOSTAGES TO RELEASE IN EVENT OF DEAL

The deal would be carried out in three stages – beginning with the release of some 34 captives that are classified as "humanitarian" hostages. 

Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya reported that the first stage would last a total of 42 days and will include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from several areas, allowing residents to return to their homes, and an increase in humanitarian aid will be supplied.

The second stage would start on the 16th day of the cease-fire, when all parties would apparently begin discussing the return of young men and soldiers, reported Israeli media outlet 12 News, and the remainder of all Israeli forces would apparently withdraw from the Gaza Strip. 

The third stage would then focus on steps to establish an alternative government in the Gaza Strip and the rehabilitation of Gaza following more than a year of destruction and fighting.

Negotiators have told Hamas they must respond to "final" draft of a hostage-ceasefire deal by midnight Israeli time tonight, reported Israel's Channel 12.

There are believed to be 96 hostages still held by Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, only 50 of whom are still assessed to be alive, including three Americans. It is unclear when the deceased hostages would be returned to their families. 

"The President discussed the fundamentally changed regional circumstances following the cease-fire deal in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran's power in the region," the White House reported in a statement.

US LAWMAKERS REACT TO CEASEFIRE DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HEZBOLLAH

The Biden administration, Egypt and Qatar have been attempting to reach a compromise for the last year in efforts to secure a release for the hostages and end the war between Israel and Hamas.

There has been a firm divide in the negotiations and Hamas has said it won’t release the captives without a clear end to the war, while Netanyahu has said he will continue until "total victory" over the terrorist group.

HAMAS TO FACE 'MORE PRESSURE' AFTER HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE DEAL, EXPERT SAYS | FOX NEWS VIDEO

Biden has stressed the immediate need for the cease-fire and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid.

Netanyahu has said he is only committed to the first phase with a partial hostage release in exchange for a week-long halt in the fight. Hamas is demanding a full withdrawal and a complete end to the fighting.

During the call, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his support of Israel and America's support for Israel’s security and national defense.  

Yaara Litwin contributed to this report. 

Ukraine captured two wounded North Korean soldiers who were fighting on behalf of Russia in a Russian border region, South Korea’s intelligence service said, confirming an account from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.

Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told AFP it has "confirmed that the Ukrainian military captured two North Korean soldiers on January 9 in the Kursk battlefield in Russia."

The confirmation comes after Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that the two captured North Korean soldiers were wounded and taken to Kyiv, where they are communicating with Ukrainian security services SBU.

SBU released video that appears to show the two prisoners on beds inside jail cells. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.

TRUMP'S DESIGNATED SPECIAL ENVOY FOR UKRAINE AND RUSSIA SETS LONGER TIMETABLE THAN ‘24 HOURS’ FOR ENDING WAR

A doctor interviewed in the SBU video said one soldier suffered a facial wound while the other soldier had an open wound and a lower leg fracture. Both men were receiving medical treatment.

SBU also said one of the soldiers had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.

Ukraine’s military says North Korean soldiers are outfitted in Russian military uniforms and carry fake military IDs in their pockets, a scheme that Andrii Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, says could mean Moscow and "its representatives at the U.N. can deny the facts."

Despite Ukrainian, U.S. and South Korean assertions that Pyongyang has sent 10,000 – 12,000 troops to fight alongside Russia in the Kursk border region, Moscow has never publicly acknowledged the North Korean forces.

TRUMP SETTING UP MEETING WITH PUTIN, IN COMMUNICATION WITH XI

While reports of their presence first emerged in October, Ukrainian troops only confirmed engagement on the ground in December.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy put the number of killed or wounded North Koreans at 4,000, though U.S. estimates are lower, at around 1,200.

Despite North Korea’s suffering losses and initial inexperience on the battlefield, Ukrainian soldiers, military intelligence and experts suggest first-hand experience will only help them develop further as a fighting force.

"For the first time in decades, the North Korean army is gaining real military experience," Yusov said. "This is a global challenge — not just for Ukraine and Europe, but for the entire world."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

OTTAWA-After President-elect Trump mused about using "economic force" to acquire Canada as the 51st state during his Mar-a-Lago news conference on Tuesday, outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded on social media that "there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States."

However, as Trudeau announced on Monday his plan to resign as prime minister once the Liberal Party that he leads chooses his successor, the biggest pushback to Trump’s pitch to annex Canada – and his planned 25% tariffs on exports from the country – has come from the premier of Canada’s most populous province, Ontario.

Doug Ford, a former businessman and conservative like Trump who has served as Ontario’s 26th premier since 2018, told Fox News Digital in an interview that the president-elect’s targeting Canada is both "crazy" and "ridiculous."

He said the bilateral focus should be on "strengthening" what the Canadian government calls a nearly trillion-dollar two-way trade relationship to "make the U.S. and Canada the richest and most prosperous jurisdiction in the world."

WHO IS PIERRE POILIEVRE? CANADA'S CONSERVATIVE LEADER SEEKING TO BECOME NEXT PRIME MINISTER AFTER TRUDEAU EXIT

At a Toronto news conference on Monday following Trudeau’s resignation announcement, Ford chided Trump with a "counteroffer" to his Canada-as-a-51st state idea. 

"How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota?" the premier said at Queen’s Park, Ontario’s legislature.

Ford jokingly told Fox News Digital that he heard from Canadians after making those remarks that he should have chosen "somewhere warmer, like Florida or California."

"California never votes for him anyway," he added.

At his Monday news conference, Ontario’s premier said that "under my watch," annexing Canada "will never, ever happen."  

Ford is also taking Trump’s tariff threat seriously.

Last month, his Progressive Conservative government launched a multimillion-dollar U.S. ad campaign on television and streaming apps touting Ontario as an "ally" to generate "more workers, more trade, more prosperity, more security."

"You can rely on Ontario for energy to power your growing economy, and for the critical minerals crucial to new technologies," says the 60-second ad.

Ford said the 25% tariff against Canada, which Trump plans to implement on his first day in office on Jan. 20, would hurt millions of American and Canadian workers.

"Nine million Americans produce products for Ontario alone every single day," he said. "The problem is China shipping goods into Mexico and Mexico slapping a made-in-Mexico sticker."

JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S RESIGNATION MET WITH GLEEFUL REACTION FROM CONSERVATIVES ONLINE: ‘THE WINNING CONTINUES!’

Ontario is ready to take retaliatory measures "that will really send a message to the U.S." in response to the imposition of U.S. tariffs, said Ford, who was involved in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement during the first Trump administration, but would now like Canada to have separate deals with the U.S. and Mexico.

"It’s unfortunate because retaliation is not good for either country," he offered, noting that Ontario is the top exporter to 17 states and the second largest to 11 others. 

"The last thing I want to do is hurt those people," said Ford. "I want to create more jobs in the U.S., more jobs in Canada. And we can do that by making sure that we toughen up and put tariffs on places like China."

By way of example, he said that "someone in Texas who purchased a GM pickup truck made in Oshawa, [Ontario] might have paid between $50,000 and $60,000," and with a tariff, "would be paying 70 some-odd thousand."

"It just doesn’t make sense whatsoever," Ford said. 

He would like to have a face-to-face meeting with Trump and said he has reached out to U.S. senators and governors to make that happen. A sit-down with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk – whom Trump appointed to co-lead, with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the proposed "Department of Government Efficiency" – is also on Ford’s wish-list.

Ford said Trump "doesn’t realize" that Ontario is the U.S.’s third-largest trading partner, amounting to about US$344 billion in 2023, "split equally down the center."

Ontario’s premier said he wants to ship more electricity and critical minerals to the U.S., which "needs us like we need them." 

TRUMP REACTS TO TRUDEAU RESIGNATION: ‘MANY PEOPLE IN CANADA LOVE BEING THE 51ST STATE’

In 2012, the premier and his late brother, Rob, who was mayor of Toronto at the time, met Trump, along with his daughter, Ivanka, when they were in the city to open the former Trump International Hotel and Tower, now unaffiliated with The Trump Organization and known as The St. Regis Toronto.

Ford, who ran a Toronto-based family business, Deco Labels & Flexible Packaging, before entering municipal politics as a city councilor in 2010, considers Trump "a shrewd operator" and "a smart businessperson."

The incoming president "knows about Ontario," the premier said.

"Not one senator, not one governor, not one congressperson or businessperson, has said that Canada is a problem," said Ford, who opened a Deco branch in Chicago in 1999.

He said Trump has not set his sights on such other U.S. allies as the United Kingdom and France, but "wants to target" the U.S.’s "closest friend," Canada. 

"I’m not too sure if it’s personal against Trudeau, but Trudeau is on his way out, so hopefully we’ll have a better conversation," said Ontario’s premier, who added that he would consider taking a run at federal politics in the future.

On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that "the United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat." 

"Justin Trudeau knows this, and resigned," said the next, and 47th, U.S. president.

But Trudeau is still the prime minister, and Ford and the premiers of the other nine provinces and three territories will meet with him next Wednesday in Ottawa to address the Trump tariff issue.

Despite his departure as prime minister sometime over the next two months when the next Liberal leader is expected to be chosen, Trudeau should not think "he’s off the hook" and Canadian premiers "will hold his feet to the fire" in ensuring that Canada is ready to respond to the Trump administration’s imminent and punitive trade measure, said Ford.

He chairs the Council of the Federation – a gathering of Canada’s premiers, which has kept Canada-U.S. relations top of mind and has made avoiding U.S. tariffs "a priority," according to a statement issued last month.

"Canada and the U.S. form one of the largest integrated markets in the world, with more than C$3.5 billion [about US$2.4 billion] worth of goods and services crossing the border each day. The U.S. sells more goods and services to Canada than it sells to China, Japan and Germany combined."

To help assuage Trump’s concerns over border security, Ford’s government launched on Tuesday "Operation Deterrence," to crack down on illegal crossings, and drugs and guns – 90% of which are entering Ontario from the U.S., the premier told Fox News Digital.

On drugs, he said his government is also collaborating with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to identify the source of fentanyl ingredients – and whether they originated in "China or Mexico or the U.S."

Last month, the Trudeau government announced its own border-security plan.

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday denounced new U.S. sanctions against Moscow's energy sector as an attempt to harm Russia's economy at the risk of destabilizing global markets and said the country would press on with large oil and gas projects.

A ministry statement also said that Russia would respond to Washington's "hostile" actions, announced on Friday, while drawing up its foreign policy strategy.

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BLASTS UKRAINE PEACE DEAL REPORTEDLY FLOATED BY TRUMP'S TEAM: 'NOT HAPPY'

The statement said the measures amounted to "an attempt to inflict at least some damage to the Russian economy, even at the cost of the risk of destabilizing world markets as the end approaches of President Joe Biden's inglorious tenure in power."

"Despite the convulsions in the White House and the machinations of the Russophobic lobby in the West, trying to drag the world energy sector into the 'hybrid war' unleashed by the United States against Russia, our country has been and remains a key and reliable player in the global fuel market."

The measures constituted the broadest U.S. package of sanctions so far targeting Russia's oil and gas revenues, part of measures to give Kyiv and the incoming administration of Donald Trump leverage to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, which explore for, produce and sell oil as well as 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil, many of which are in the so-called shadow fleet of ageing tankers operated by non-Western companies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the measures would "deliver a significant blow" to Moscow. "The less revenue Russia earns from oil ... the sooner peace will be restored," he said.