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Ukrainian forces destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes with a drone attack on air bases deep within Russian territory on Sunday.

Ukrainian forces destroyed 40 aircraft in the attack, which an official says took more than a year to orchestrate. Russia's defense ministry confirmed the attack on Sunday, saying it struck five airfields.

The operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said. The drones reportedly hit 41 planes stationed at several airfields on Sunday afternoon, including A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M aircraft, the official said.

Moscow has previously used Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range bombers to launch missiles at Ukraine, while A-50s are used to coordinate targets and detect air defenses and guided missiles.

GEN. KELLOGG REVEALS WHAT CONCERNS HIM ABOUT RUSSIA

The White House told Fox News that President Donald Trump and his administration were not warned of the attack ahead of time.

Ukraine says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally oversaw the drone attack.

"We are doing everything to protect our independence, our state and our people," Zelenskyy said in a statement.

The strike comes just a day before Ukrainian and Russian officials are set to meet for a second round of ceasefire talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

PUTIN MASSES 50,000 TROOPS ON UKRAINE'S NORTH FRONT AS TRUMP AGAIN AGREES TO MEET RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN LEADERS

A series of explosions also struck bridges in Russia near Ukraine's border on Saturday, though Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the attacks.

A highway bridge over a railway in the Bryansk region was blown up at 10:50 pm (1950 GMT) on Saturday night just as a passenger train carrying 388 passengers to Moscow was passing underneath, Russian investigators said.

Just four hours later, a railway bridge over a highway was blown up in the neighboring Kursk region, showering the road with parts of a freight train, the investigators said.

Fox News' Sarah Tobianski, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when two bridges were blown up in separate Russian regions bordering Ukraine ahead of planned peace talks aimed at ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine, Russian officials said on Sunday.

A highway bridge over a railway in the Bryansk region was blown up at 10:50 pm (1950 GMT) on Saturday night just as a passenger train carrying 388 passengers to Moscow was passing underneath, Russian investigators said.

Just four hours later, a railway bridge over a highway was blown up in the neighboring Kursk region, showering the road with parts of a freight train, the investigators said.

GEN. KELLOGG REVEALS WHAT CONCERNS HIM ABOUT RUSSIA

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, linked the incidents and said explicitly that both bridges were blown up.

In the Bryansk region, social media pictures and videos showed passengers trying to climb out of smashed carriages in the dark. Part of the passenger train was shown crushed under a collapsed road bridge and wrecked carriages lay beside the lines.

"The bridge was blown up while the Klimovo-Moscow train was passing through with 388 passengers on board," Alexander Bogomaz, the region's governor, told Russian television.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, linked the incidents and said explicitly that both bridges were blown up.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the incidents, which took place just a day before the United States wants Russia and Ukraine to sit down to direct talks in Istanbul to discuss a possible end to a war which, according to Washington, has killed and injured at least 1.2 million people.

Ukraine's HUR military intelligence agency said on Sunday that an explosion had derailed a Russian military train hauling cargo and fuel trucks near the settlement of Yakymivka, in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

PUTIN MASSES 50,000 TROOPS ON UKRAINE'S NORTH FRONT AS TRUMP AGAIN AGREES TO MEET RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN LEADERS

The agency did not claim responsibility or attribute the explosion to anyone, though Ukraine has in the past claimed a series of attacks deep into Russia.

Russian politicians lined up to blame Ukraine, saying it was clearly sabotage aimed at derailing the peace talks which the United States has demanded.

"This is definitely the work of the Ukrainian special services," the chairman of the defense committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Andrei Kartapolov, told the SHOT Telegram channel.

"All this is aimed at toughening the position of the Russian Federation and stoking aggression before the negotiations. And also to intimidate people. But they won't succeed."

President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the bridge blasts by the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Emergency Ministry throughout the night, the Kremlin said. Putin also spoke to the governor of Bryansk, Alexander Bogomaz.

U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded the sides make peace, and he has threatened to walk away if they do not - potentially pushing responsibility for supporting Ukraine onto the shoulders of European powers.

But as politicians talk of peace negotiations, the war is heating up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has not committed to attending the talks in Turkey, saying it first needed to see Russia's proposals, while a leading U.S. senator warned Moscow it would be "hit hard" by new U.S. sanctions.

For the first time, Syrians are openly calling for peace with Israel. In an interview with Fox News Digital, journalist Furat Alali from Damascus said, "We want a future without wars. We want to live. People are not afraid to speak up anymore." 

Her statement reflects a significant shift in the country’s political landscape, as many Syrians begin to openly discuss the prospect of peace with Israel. This change comes at a time when Syria and Israel are engaged in direct talks as Reuters revealed on Tuesday, marking a dramatic departure from the decades-long hostility between the two nations.

Reuters reported, Israel and Syria have recently held direct meetings focused on security issues along their shared border. These talks represent a major step in the relationship between the two countries, which have been adversaries for decades.

A WEAKENED HEZBOLLAH LEADS SOME IN LEBANON TO TALK OF PEACE WITH ISRAEL AS US PUSHES SIDES TOGETHER

Sources familiar with the discussions have indicated that the U.S. has played a pivotal role in facilitating these talks, encouraging Syria’s new leadership to engage with Israel.

The discussions come after a shift in U.S. policy, following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this month. The meeting signaled a break from decades of U.S. hostility toward Syria’s Assad regime and opened the door to potential normalization between Syria and Israel. 

While the talks are still in the early stages, Trump’s engagement has raised the possibility of Syria’s leadership eventually normalizing ties with Israel, although this process will likely take time.

Furat Alali explained: "We don’t want to be part of the Axis of Resistance anymore. The Palestinian cause has been used to oppress us. We feel sympathy for the Palestinians, but now we need to focus on Syria and our future."

Lina Ali, a 24-year-old pharmacist from Latakia, told Fox News Digital, "We feel for the people of Gaza. We condemn the mass killings, but we are in a different situation. We are thinking about our own interests now. The idea of exploiting the Palestinian cause to oppress the Syrian people has been rejected. We are tired of this."

Another young woman interviewed by Jusoor News, a Pan-Arab media outlet, shared similar thoughts: "We are for anything that serves our country’s interest. We’ve lived through difficult times. The country’s economy is very weak. It’s time for people to live."

FALL OF SYRIA'S BASHAR ASSAD IS STRATEGIC BLOW TO IRAN AND RUSSIA, EXPERTS SAY

An elderly Syrian man explained to Jusoor, "We’ve spent 40-50 years preaching Arabism and liberating Palestine, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing. It’s time for peace." 

The shift in Syria’s stance on Israel is significant, especially given the historical enmity between the two nations. For decades, Syria and Israel have been locked in conflict, with the status of the Golan Heights remaining a key point of contention since its capture by Israel during the 1967 war. Syria’s involvement in the Axis of Resistance, aligning with Iran and Hezbollah against Israel, has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

However, the recent emergence of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has raised new possibilities, as well as concerns.

Furat Ali said, "I was one of the journalists who extensively covered the violations of Jabhat al-Nusra before the fall of the Assad regime, the group Al-Jolani emerged from (using his previous name), which was part of al-Qaeda. I know exactly what they did. So, when I first heard that Al-Jolani was taking over Aleppo and challenging Assad, I was scared." 

"But as time went on," she added, "when he rebranded himself as Ahmed al-Sharaa and promised a new direction, I saw he was smart. He managed to convince the West to lift sanctions and engage with him, bringing back international recognition for Syria. While we remain skeptical and cautious, what we’re seeing from Sharaa domestically is so far being accepted."

Joseph Braude, founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications, highlighted the significance of the shift in public opinion within Syria. He noted, "People in Syria and Lebanon often associate the Palestinian issue with dictators who exploited it to justify corruption and brutality. There is a growing rejection of pro-Palestinian militancy, as many people now desire to turn the page and focus on new partnerships aimed at developing their own countries.

"We believe that it has become a majority view in Syria that if peace with Israel brings economic development and improvements, then it’s worth pursuing."

He also pointed out that in countries dominated by Iran and its militias, ordinary people have the clearest understanding of the harm these groups cause. "They are among the most eager for a different future, increasingly calling for peace," Braude added.

As one man interviewed by Jusoor News put it: "We’ve suffered years of oppression and war. It’s time for reconstruction. We need peace with everyone," another Syrian added’ "I support normalization a million percent! If normalization with Israel, or America or whoever can bring us comfort, then I’m on board. We just want peace!"

A newly surfaced U.K. government document has raised fresh concerns over British-funded humanitarian aid to Gaza, suggesting officials were aware of the risk funds might indirectly support Hamas. the terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip. 

While U.K. officials strongly deny the claim, critics say key questions remain unanswered.

The document, dated November 2022 and obtained by NGO Monitor, outlines the U.K.'s humanitarian strategy in the occupied Palestinian territories. One section references a UNICEF-administered cash assistance program in Gaza coordinated with the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD). 

The NGO Monitor report claims, "The MoSD in Gaza is affiliated with the de facto authorities and thus U.K. Aid can be linked directly or indirectly with supporting the de facto authority in Gaza (Hamas), which is part of a proscribed group." 

UN CASH APP FOR GAZANS EXPLOITED BY HAMAS AS TERROR GROUP STEALS AID MONEY MEANT FOR CIVILIANS

The group's report also claimed the British consulate-general in Jerusalem, which reportedly authored the document, assessed this as a "reputational" risk, raising concerns not of legality, but of public perception if the arrangement were to be revealed. 

Anne Herzberg, legal advisor at NGO Monitor, told Fox News Digital the phrasing is significant. 

"This is what was most shocking to us," she told Fox News Digital. "The government clearly acknowledged the risk that U.K. taxpayer funds could reach Hamas, but they were more concerned about how it might look than the real danger of supporting terrorism."

Herzberg explained NGO Monitor uncovered the Foreign Office document, originally published in November 2022, during an extensive investigation into humanitarian aid flows in Gaza. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) categorically denied any funding reached Hamas-controlled bodies.

"We categorically reject these allegations. The U.K. does not fund Hamas-run agencies in Gaza," an FCDO spokesperson stated. "The UNICEF program is coordinated with the Ministry of Social Development in Ramallah, which is run by the Palestinian Authority. U.K. funding was provided through UNICEF directly to vulnerable households in Gaza."

The FCDO stressed that Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organization under U.K. law, "and funding or supporting it is a crime." It further noted that the U.K. conducted a due-diligence assessment of UNICEF and tracks the path of funding to its final civilian recipients.

ISRAEL FIRES BACK AT UK OVER SUSPENDED TRADE TALKS, REJECTS ‘EXTERNAL PRESSURE’

But Herzberg said the November 2022 document — alongside UNICEF’s own March 2024 update celebrating its "strengthened partnership with the Ministry of Social Development" in Gaza — points to deeper inconsistencies.

Yona Schiffmiller, the director of research at NGO Monitor, told Fox News digital, "The U.K. document clearly refers to the Gaza-based MoSD. If the program was only coordinated with Ramallah, it’s unclear why Gaza-specific risks were flagged."

UNICEF’s March 2024 report states that over 540,000 Gazans received support after the Oct. 7 attacks, adding the partnership with the MoSD "helped ensure access to the social registry and resulted in targeting the most vulnerable families." NGO Monitor points out that the MoSD in Gaza is led by Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas politburo member sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2024.

Herzberg said the report claims "this aid diversion was central in Hamas’ preparations for the October 7th massacre, including the construction of tunnels and other military installations, and stockpiling supplies and resources. After thousands of terrorists invaded Israel and committed mass atrocities, Hamas continued to commandeer aid, creating and taking advantage of a black market."

ISRAELI AMBASSADOR LASHES OUT AT UN OFFICIAL, CONDEMNS UK, FRANCE, CANADA STATEMENT ON AID

"Even after Oct. 7 and all we’ve been seeing ... they still refuse to deal with this question of diversion," Herzberg claimed. "There’s no transparency, no oversight, and the U.N. is actively trying to thwart Israeli, U.S. and other allied efforts in trying to improve the humanitarian aid situation."

She was referring to the recent U.S.-backed initiative to establish a new aid distribution system in Gaza that started operating Monday.

The NGO Monitor report further details how the MoSD is run by senior Hamas officials, including Ghazi Hamad, who publicly praised the Oct. 7 massacre and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in November 2024. Another top MoSD figure, Mohammed Al-Araeer, has repeatedly glorified terrorist attacks on social media and praised Hamas commanders.

A recent investigation by Israel’s website, "Shomrim," and Israel’s Channel 12 revealed that Hamas has built an extensive fundraising network inside the U.K. Senior Hamas operatives with British citizenship have established charitable foundations that raise millions of pounds annually, some of which ends up in the hands of the group’s military wing. 

Udi Levi, formerly head of the Counter-Terror Financing Division in the Mossad, told Israel’s Channel 12, "Britain is becoming the central country transferring funds to Hamas, including after Oct. 7."

The watchdog also raised broader concerns about the role of other U.N. agencies in Gaza, noting at least 12 are active in the Strip. Herzberg said it remains unclear whether similar diversion risks exist across those agencies.

"We all know how UNRWA has been taken over by Hamas, but what about the others? Is the same thing happening there? These are the types of questions no one is willing to answer," she said.

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tensions. Last month, the U.K. suspended trade negotiations with Israel, citing humanitarian concerns. Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticized the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and called for restored aid and electricity.

NGO Monitor says the debate highlights the urgent need for a new international mechanism to oversee aid delivery in Gaza, one that bypasses Hamas-controlled institutions and ensures civilian aid is protected from exploitation.

"The issue isn’t just legal compliance — it’s moral responsibility," Herzberg said. "Western donors should be taking every precaution possible. So far, that hasn’t been the case."

Early South Korean voters reportedly turned out in record numbers this week as the nation awaits the June 3 presidential election in what has been described as a pivotal race amid ongoing threats posed by China and recent rocky relations with the U.S. due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. 

The leader of the progressive Democratic Party of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is reported to be leading the race as the frontrunner, but he has raised some eyebrows after he vowed to take a "pragmatic" approach to geopolitics, chiefly by easing previously hawkish positions on China and lessening dependence on the U.S.

"The alliance with the U.S. is the foundation of South Korea’s diplomacy," Lee said during a debate earlier this month, Bloomberg reported.

KIM JONG UN LEFT FUMING AFTER NORTH KOREA'S NEW DESTROYER DAMAGED IN FAILED LAUNCH

Lee said the U.S.-South Korea-Japan partnership should be expanded, but he also said Seoul can’t be "unilaterally bound" to relations with Washington, particularly when it comes to U.S. geopolitical rivalries. 

"We should not neglect ties with China or Russia. We need to manage them appropriately, and there’s no need to have an unnecessarily hostile approach like now," Lee also said during the debate, the South China Morning Post reported.

Former California GOP Congresswoman Michelle Steel, who was born in South Korea, explained that China's "bullying" behavior in the region leaves much for the global community to be concerned about. 

"China [poses] the biggest threat, and they already told the whole world that they're going to take over Taiwan," she told Fox News Digital. "When they take over, where are they going to go [to] next? South Korea or Japan? The Philippines?

"China has been always fighting to expand." 

Foreign policy has taken center stage in the presidential race after conservative former President Yoon Suk Yeol threw the nation into political chaos after his December 2024 impeachment.

Yoon was ardently aligned with the U.S. when it came to opposing Chinese aggression in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, where Beijing has been accused of expanding, militarizing and blocking freedom of navigation in contested territorial zones. 

Lee’s chief challenger, Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), a former labor minister under Yoon, pushed back on the democratic challenger’s position when it comes to China and the U.S.

But Lee has rejected the idea he is not prioritizing the U.S. alliance and reportedly said during this month’s debate, "There’s no need to worry. The South Korea-U.S. alliance is important and should continue to grow and strengthen."

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES SHORT-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILES INTO SEA, SOUTH KOREA SAYS

Though he did caution that certain steps taken by the Trump administration, including the 25% tariffs announced earlier this year and the potential withdrawal of troops has "eroded" the relationship. 

 "If the U.S. continues this way — eroding its soft power and the trust of other nations — it won’t be sustainable. At some point, brakes will be applied," Lee said. "Until then, endurance is key."

Steel argued the "South Korean people understand the importance of a strong relationship with the United States."

"Whatever the outcome of the election, South Korean leaders should embrace President Trump and look to make an incredible trade deal that will benefit everyone," she added. 

But Lee has not convinced all who are weary of his view on U.S. relations, including David Eunkoo Kim, founder and president of the Truth Forum, a conservative youth organization founded at Seoul National University.

"This election is widely seen as a pivotal moment for South Korea because the stakes — both domestically and geopolitically — are extraordinarily high," Kim said.

"Throughout his political career, (Lee) has consistently aligned himself with both pro-North Korean and pro-Chinese agendas. He has been implicated in sending funds to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, and his deference to China has been nothing short of submissive," Kim said.

Kim was referring to Lee's indictment for an illegal cash transfer scheme to North Korea, though Lee denies the accusations and has argued they are politically motivated.

During this month’s debate, Lee's opponents claimed Lee is also a "North Korea risk" as concerns about Pyongyang’s military movements continue to escalate, Radio Free Asia reported.

Lee maintains he wants to ease tensions with North Korea by engaging in peaceful diplomacy. 

But David Eunkoo Kim told Fox News Digital Lee’s legal troubles are another geopolitical vulnerability.

"With multiple criminal investigations looming, he has every incentive to cling to power at all costs — even if that means aligning South Korea more closely with Beijing," he said. "And this concern is not theoretical. 

"China is already aggressively asserting influence in the region." 

At least 26 Palestinians were reportedly killed and some 175 were wounded as they made their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to officials from the Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses, but Israeli officials dispute these claims.

Witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around 1,000 yards away from an aid site run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). A Palestinian journalist told the BBC that thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the aid site near Gaza's southern city of Rafah when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire on the crowd.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it is "currently unaware of injuries caused by IDF fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site," adding that "the matter is still under review."

"It is false and fabricated. All aid was distributed today without incident," the GHF said. "No injuries or fatalities as noted in our daily update sent out earlier. We have heard that these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas. They are untrue and fabricated."

The GHF has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.

ISRAEL HOSTAGE DEAL IN DOUBT AS HAMAS ADDS DEMANDS, US ENVOY CALLS TERMS 'UNACCEPTABLE'

In its statement, the foundation dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos."

The organization's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, with multiple witnesses having said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials.

The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds. The Israeli military has said it fired warning shots in previous incidents.

As thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and return later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1,000 yards away, at around 3 a.m., the military opened fire, the witnesses said.

"There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd, said.

He said he observed at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to carry the victims to the field hospital.

Another witness, Ibrahim Abu Saoud, gave a nearly identical account. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene.

Mohammed Abu Teaima said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were on their way to the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene, while many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law.

"They opened heavy fire directly towards us," he said.

HUCKABEE SLAMS FRENCH-BACKED PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD PUSH AT UN, SAYS US-ISRAEL ARE 'INSEPARABLY' LINKED

Israel and the U.S., which also backs the foundation, say the new aid system seeks to prevent Hamas from taking away aid. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion and the U.N. denies it has happened.

U.N. agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, arguing that it violates humanitarian principles since it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites.

The U.N. system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel recently slightly eased its total blockade of the territory. The groups say Israel's restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

At least 26 Palestinians were killed and at least 175 were wounded as they made their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and witnesses.

Witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around 1,000 yards away from an aid site run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. A Palestinian journalist told the BBC that thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the aid site near Gaza's southern city of Rafah when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire on the crowd.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it is "currently unaware of injuries caused by IDF fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site," adding that "the matter is still under review."

The foundation said in a statement that it delivered 16 truckloads of aid "without incident" early on Sunday. It has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.

ISRAEL HOSTAGE DEAL IN DOUBT AS HAMAS ADDS DEMANDS, US ENVOY CALLS TERMS 'UNACCEPTABLE'

In its statement, the foundation dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos."

The organization's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, with multiple witnesses having said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials.

The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds. The Israeli military has said it fired warning shots in previous incidents.

As thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and return later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1,000 yards away, at around 3 a.m., the military opened fire, the witnesses said.

"There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd, said.

He said he observed at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to carry the victims to the field hospital.

Another witness, Ibrahim Abu Saoud, gave a nearly identical account. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene.

Mohammed Abu Teaima said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were on their way to the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene, while many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law.

"They opened heavy fire directly towards us," he said.

HUCKABEE SLAMS FRENCH-BACKED PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD PUSH AT UN, SAYS US-ISRAEL ARE 'INSEPARABLY' LINKED

Israel and the U.S., which also backs the foundation, say the new aid system seeks to prevent Hamas from taking away aid. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion and the U.N. denies it has happened.

U.N. agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, arguing that it violates humanitarian principles since it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites.

The U.N. system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel recently slightly eased its total blockade of the territory. The groups say Israel's restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Torrents of predawn rain unleashed flooding that killed at least 111 people in a market town where northern Nigerian farmers sell their wares to traders from the south, officials said Friday, predicting the death toll would grow.

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency did not immediately say how much rain fell after midnight Thursday in the town of Mokwa in the state of Niger, more than 180 miles west of Abuja, the capital of Africa's most populous nation.

SOUTHEAST MET WITH DANGEROUS FLOODING WHILE NORTHEAST BRACES FOR SNOWSTORMS

Communities in northern Nigeria have been experiencing prolonged dry spells worsened by climate change and excessive rainfall that leads to severe flooding during the brief wet season.

In videos and photos on social media, floodwaters covered neighborhoods and homes were submerged, with their roofs barely visible above the brown-colored waters. Waist-deep in water, residents tried to salvage what they could, or rescue others.

"We lost many lives, and the properties, our farm produce. Those that have their storage have lost it," Kazeem Muhammed, a Mokwa resident, said.

Besides the 111 confirmed dead, "more bodies have just been brought and are yet to be counted," Niger state emergency agency spokesman IIbrahim Audu Husseini told The Associated Press by telephone Friday afternoon.

Mokwa, nearly 380 kilometers (236 miles) west of Abuja, is a major meeting point where traders from the south buy beans, onions and other food from farmers in the north.

Mokwa community leader Aliki Musa told the AP the villagers are not used to such flooding. "The water is like spiritual water which used to come but it’s seasonal," said Musa. "It can come now (and) it will reach another twenty years before coming again."

The chairman of the Mokwa local government area, Jibril Muregi, told local news website Premium Times that construction of flood-control works was long overdue.

"This critical infrastructure is essential to mitigating future flood risks and protecting lives and property," he said.

In September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in the northeastern city of Maiduguri caused severe flooding that left at least 30 people dead and displaced millions, worsening the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Iran angrily lashed out at Austria’s government Friday after Fox News Digital reported on a document asserting that Tehran has developed an advanced nuclear weapons program that can launch long-range missiles. 

The explosive report from Austria’s version of the FBI—the Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service—provides a specialized window into the Iranian regime’s illicit atomic weapons program and its espionage activities in the central European country.

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

Fox News Digital was the first news organization to report on the Iran sections of the report on Wednesday, sparking a major diplomatic row between the Islamic Republic and Austria.

"The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances," the Austrian domestic intelligence agency report stated.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baqaei, denounced the Austrian intelligence agency "for spreading lies," and called on the Austrian government to "provide an official explanation regarding the irresponsible, provocative, and destructive act by one of its official institutions," according to the Ministry’s website.

IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER VOWS NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT WILL CONTINUE 'WITH OR WITHOUT A DEAL'

Tehran-based Austrian diplomat Michaela Pacher was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry, according to the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

"[Pacher] took this opportunity to reiterate Austria's and the EU's position on the Iranian nuclear program," Austrian officials said in a statement. "This position was most recently expressed to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency."

Austria expressed support for an EU statement along with other countries in March.

"Iran already accumulated more than six significant quantities of 60% enriched material [which the Agency defines as the approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded] and is currently producing one significant quantity of highly enriched uranium every month," noted the EU statement.

The EU statement added that "All these actions carry very significant proliferation-related risks and raise grave concerns about Iran’s intentions, since they have no credible civilian justification. In this context, the EU remains concerned by statements made by Iranian officials about Iran’s capacity to assemble a nuclear weapon."

The shocking Austrian intelligence findings contradict the assessment of U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so." There have long been conflicting views (between U.S. intelligence agencies and European intelligence services) over Iran’s illegal nuclear weapons program.

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the Austrian report.

"President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one," a White House official said.

The Austrian report coincides with a new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report. The AP reported on Saturday that Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday and called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with the agency’s probe.

The report comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have been holding several rounds of talks in the past weeks over a possible nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to reach.

IRAN'S KHAMENEI SAYS AMERICANS SHOULD AVOID TALKING 'NONSENSE' IN NUKE TALKS

The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%.

That material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put the stockpile at 274.8 kilograms (605.8 pounds).

The IAEA report raised a stern warning, saying that Iran is now "the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern."

In February, Fox News Digital reported that the IAEA said Iran has sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture six nuclear weapons.

US AND IRAN CLASH OVER URANIUM ENRICHMENT AS NUCLEAR TALKS RESUME IN ROME

"The Islamic Republic is the standard-bearer of deception and stonewalling. Today’s damning IAEA reports confirm how Iran has been in violation of the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] for years, even when the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] was in effect. It shows the regime cannot be trusted with any diplomatic agreement," said Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).

The JCPOA is the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal that was concluded between the Obama administration and Iran. President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 because, his administration said at the time, the deal did not prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.

"I think Iran’s regime’s response to Austria’s findings shows its sensitivity over these matters," Brodsky said. "It also wants to bully Austria. Austria should force the Iranian regime to decrease the size of its embassy in Vienna which it has long used as a hub for malign intelligence collection and operations throughout Europe."

The clerical regime’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, posted on his X account a statement in response to the Fox News Digital report.

"Media is speculating about an imminent Iran-U.S. deal. Not sure if we are there yet," he wrote. "Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides.

"But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran's nuclear rights—including enrichment. Path to a deal goes through the negotiating table and not the media."

The U.S. talks to dismantle Iran’s illicit atomic weapons program coincides with a nationwide truckers’ strike in Iran. The widespread labor unrest could severely weaken the regime, according to Iran experts.

The exiled crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S, called on U.S. labor unions to stand with Iranian truckers.

 "Truck drivers and workers across Iran are on strike and are putting their lives on the line to fight for their rights and for a better future for their families," Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S, wrote on X. "Now, they are being jailed and threatened for posting photos and videos of their strike. Only in a free Iran will all workers have the right to freely and openly organize. I invite you, labor unions and leaders, to stand with your fellow workers in Iran and show your solidarity."

President Trump's shadow is cast over this Sunday's presidential election runoff election, with polls showing a tight race between Warsaw’s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, and his conservative challenger, Karol Nawrocki. 

The Associated Press reported that Donald Trump met with Nawrocki at the White House earlier this month and sent DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to a meeting of CPAC in Poland, where she offered an endorsement.

Speaking in support of Nawrocki, Noem said he would rule in the style of President Trump. "I just had the opportunity to meet with Karol and listen. He needs to be the next president of Poland. Do you understand me?" she said.

"This is arguably the most important Polish presidential election since the end of communism, not only because the contest is so close, but because there is a palpable sense in Warsaw of how dangerous the country’s security situation has become, with the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russian revisionism in full view," Andrew Michta, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, told Fox News Digital.

POLISH PARTY LEADERS MAKE FINAL APPEALS TO VOTERS AS CLOSE ELECTION NEARS

Trzaskowski, backed by the current prime minister, Donald Tusk, received 31.4% of the vote in the first round. Nawrocki, a historian supported by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS), performed better than expected and was close behind with 29.5% of the vote.

Most experts and observers in the region view the race as a toss-up.

"Nawrocki has a good chance of winning the election. This would clearly demonstrate the Polish people's desire to counter the current government's liberal politics," Stanisław Żaryn, Advisor to Poland's current President Andrzej Duda, told Fox News Digital.

The conservative Law and Justice party recruited Nawrocki, an outsider with no prior political experience, to be its candidate for president to replace outgoing President Duda, a close ally of President Trump. The Law and Justice Party governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, until it lost parliamentary elections led by Donald Tusk’s center-left Civic Platform coalition.

Although the Polish president is nominally symbolic, the president does wield the power to veto legislation passed by parliament, which could derail the incumbent government's domestic agenda if the president is of a different party from the prime minister.

Matthew Tyrmand, a U.S.-based Polish dual citizen who advises conservative sovereignty-defending political figures and parties across Europe, told Fox News Digital from Europe, "We in Poland, who saw the previous unchecked PO (Tusk’s party) government from 2010-15, know how this ends if Tusk’s puppet candidate Trzaskowski ends up securing the presidency in the runoff. Poland’s tightened alignment with the EU will come at the expense of previously strong ties with the USA and the previous and now returned Trump administration. This will weaken Poland militarily and economically.

"This runoff is existential for Poland maintaining its multi-party democracy with the existent check and balance of the last 15 years of having, in essence, a two-party duopoly. The right-wing president, Andrzej Duda, has been the one check given his veto power to reject the Tusk government’s agenda since the country’s government turned over in late 2023 toward left-leaning (self-described and so-called by the compromised leftist media as centrist but in reality very left) Eurocentrists. If that veto is lost, Polish sovereignty will be a distant memory as Tusk devolves national competences toward Berlin and Brussels who have been his paymasters for nearly two decades, and he has been their ready, willing and able pliant stooge."
 

Duda utilized the veto power against Tusk while in office to strike down bills to restore independence to the judiciary, an issue that put Poland at odds with the European Union under the previous PiS government.

Nawrocki as president would likely continue the policies of Duda, further sinking Tusk's popularity as many in Poland feel that Tusk has not lived up to his campaign promises. 

POLAND SAYS MOSCOW IS 'MOCKING' TRUMP WITH DEADLY UKRAINE STRIKE

A win for Trzaskowski means Tusk will have the ability to drive his agenda, with the new president likely endorsing his proposals, laws and ambassadorships. A victory for Trzaskowski will also be received positively in Brussels as he is seen as pro-European and in line with the EU’s priorities of democratic governance and judicial independence. 

"If Nawrocki wins, expect a tough fight between the Tusk government and the President, as they are polar opposites on a number of issues, especially foreign policy," Michta of the Atlantic Council said.

ICONIC FORMER POLISH PRESIDENT MESSAGE TO LAWMAKERS ON UKRAINE: 'IF WE DON'T ACT NOW, WE WILL LOSE'

The Warsaw mayor favors closer ties with Brussels, Berlin and Paris but will also look to maintain stable relations with the U.S. Nawrocki, who met with President Trump and Republican leaders in Congress, would likely push for even closer relations with the U.S. 

While there is a rising number of voices that are critical of continuing support for Ukraine as the war drags on, no matter who wins, Poland’s foreign and defense policy and its support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is unlikely to change. 

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s toughest backers in Europe, providing 5 billion euros worth of overall aid, including nearly 4 billion euros in military aid, since the war began.

Since the European refugee crisis of 2015, Poland has taken a tougher stance on immigration, particularly from the Middle East. Poland has been much more welcoming to Ukrainian's fleeing Russian aggression. Poland has taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees since Russian launched its invasion in February 2022.

Matt Qvortrup, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Studies at the Australian National University, said a Nawrocki win would be a roadblock to further European integration with another leader critical of Europe taking power.

"A win for Nawrocki would be unwelcome for the leaders in the most powerful EU countries, especially in Germany. It's not the signal they would want," Qvortrup told Fox News Digital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

JOHANNESBURG - Julius Malema, the South African politician who President Donald Trump wants arrested for repeatedly chanting "kill the farmer," is reportedly a Rolex watch-wearing Gucci revolutionary, often seen in snazzy, expensive clothes, who champions the poor from a luxury mansion in what is said to be South Africa’s richest street. 

He has also called for the further arming of the terror group Hamas and has been accused of stealing millions of dollars from the very pensioners he is trying to get to vote for him.

Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a video of Malema shouting "Shoot to kill, Kill the Boer (the Afrikaner), kill the farmer," when the South African president, a neighbor of Malema’s in Johannesburg, visited the Oval Office earlier this month. 

SOUTH AFRICA'S PRESIDENT PUSHES BACK ON TRUMP'S DEMAND TO ARREST POLITICIAN WHO CHANTED 'KILL THE FARMER'

Trump has offered Afrikaner farmers, descendants of mostly Dutch settlers, refuge in the U.S., citing controversial and disputed claims that they are facing White genocide and forced land seizures.

The self-styled commander in chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Party, Malema, a Marxist-Leninist, was the head of the Youth League of South Africa’s biggest party, the African National Congress (ANC), but he was kicked out for bad-mouthing its leadership.

In last year’s election, votes for the EFF slumped to under 10%, and both of Malema’s sidekicks, party co-founders and men he described as "brothers," left him and joined a competing party.

So it did not come as a surprise to many that, allegedly to spite President Trump, Malema just days later jumped up, literally, onto the stage at the very next rally he was due to appear at to yell "Kill the farmer, I repeat kill the farmer."

In 2022, South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, ruled the chant is not hate speech, declaring it is only the words of a song. Malema sits on the Judicial Services Commission, a body which appoints the Court’s judges.

To Malema, critics say, the chant may be more than just song lyrics. At least twice he told reporters here, "We have not called for the killing of White people – at least for now." On another occasion, he demanded, "We will cut the throat of Whiteness."

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

Some say Malema is running two strategies - one which follows the mantra "There’s no such thing as bad publicity," and the other to act like a small child that makes a lot of noise, hoping to be noticed, but with little real effect. 

Analyst J. Brooks Spector told Fox News Digital that Malema "has crafted a political reputation as the ‘bad boy’ of South African politics."

Spector, a former U.S. diplomat who lives in Johannesburg and is associate editor of the Daily Maverick, continued. "In a country with a third of its workforce unemployed, and higher among young people, and poverty still a fact of life for many more, his (Malema’s) populism initially drew significant support and enthusiasm among voters. However, his popularity as a political leader has faded somewhat."

Malema openly supports the terror group Hamas, telling a rally in 2023, shortly after the October 7 attack on Israel, "when you are oppressed, you only have one option, shoot to kill. There is nothing wrong with what Hamas is doing. The EFF is going to arm Hamas." He also shouted he intended to shut down the Israeli Embassy in South Africa. "We are going to remove this embassy," he yelled to loud cheers.

Allegations also suggest that Malema and his then right-hand man, Floyd Shivambu, benefitted from "dodgy" deals with the South African VBS bank, which subsequently collapsed, leading to people losing their pension savings. 

"In 2018, the VBS scandal exposed widespread looting by bank officials and politicians, including senior leaders of the EFF, Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema," the Opposition Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Baxolile Nodada stated last August. 

On Friday, the DA’s federal executive member and national spokesperson, Willie Aucamp, told Fox News Digital the DA "isn’t letting the VBS scandal fade into the background. Not when over R2 billion ($111 million) was looted from pensioners, struggling municipalities, and poor communities. The DA has been leading the charge to expose those behind this daylight robbery, including Julius Malema, leader of the EFF." 

He continued, "The DA laid criminal charges back in 2018, but six years later, not a single charge has been prosecuted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Justice for the victims of VBS is long overdue. The DA will continue pushing for the arrest and prosecution of every single person involved - Malema included."

Speaking in Cape Town in July last year, Malema said "I will never be intimidated by VBS. No leader of the EFF received VBS money."

But now that Malema is on Donald Trump’s radar, the president might push back powerfully on Malema’s links to Hamas and the VBS saga, Max Meizlish, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. 

"Like the ANC that courts Iran and supports Hamas, Julius Malema would be wise to not provoke Donald Trump. After all, Malema was clearly implicated in the VBS scandal and has openly called to "arm Hamas." Malema could very well find himself the target of Global Magnitsky Act sanctions — a tool which President Trump can wield unilaterally and at a moment’s notice," Meizlish said.

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and return the bodies of 18 more, but the terms of the proposed deal have been deemed unacceptable by the U.S. and Israel.

The group, which has been on the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations since 1997, made the announcement in a statement Saturday and said it was being done on the condition that a number of Palestinian prisoners be returned in exchange as part of a means to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

Israeli media reported that Hamas added new demands to the proposal from U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, including a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian aid flow into the strip.

Witkoff's proposal did not include a full withdrawal or a ceasefire, the Jerusalem Post reported, and that Hamas added terms of its own.

In a statement posted to X on Saturday, Witkoff called Hamas' response to the American proposal "totally unacceptable" and warned it "only takes us backward." He urged the group to accept the original framework in order to begin proximity talks as early as next week, which could pave the way for a 60-day ceasefire and the return of both living and deceased hostages.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SAYS HAMAS CAPTORS 'WANTED KAMALA TO BE ELECTED,' WERE 'VERY SCARED' OF TRUMP'S RETURN

In a statement before Witkoff's response, Hamas wrote: "After conducting a round of national consultations, and based on our immense sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties. 

"This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip."

Reacting to the announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that while Israel had agreed to the updated Witkoff framework, "Hamas continues to cling to its refusal." The office emphasized that Israel remains committed to bringing its hostages home and defeating Hamas, citing Witkoff’s remarks as confirmation that Hamas' latest stance undermines progress.

Hamas is holding 58 hostages in Gaza. Of these, Israeli intelligence assesses that at least 34 are deceased, leaving approximately 24 believed to be alive. More than 250 people were captured during the Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

RETURN OF TRUMP GIVES FAMILIES OF GAZA HOSTAGES NEW HOPE

The latest proposal being negotiated involves the release of 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during a 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks, The Associated Press reported Friday, citing a Hamas official and an Egyptian official speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. negotiators had not publicized the terms of the proposal.

Witkoff’s office reiterated on social media that the proposed deal could allow "half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased" to return to their families if Hamas agrees to enter talks under the current terms. 

The statement stressed that the window to finalize the deal is narrowing, and that major negotiations could begin "in good faith" within days if Hamas accepts.

"As stated by the U.S. President’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff: Hamas’ response is unacceptable and sets the situation back," the Prime Minister’s Office said.

President Donald Trump said Friday that negotiators were nearing a deal.

"They’re very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow," Trump told reporters in Washington. Late in the evening, asked if he was confident Hamas would approve the deal, he told reporters: "They’re in a big mess. I think they want to get out of it."

Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March.

Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all hostages still held in Gaza before it agrees to end the war. Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Hamas has said it has agreed to release ten living hostages being held captive by the terror group and return the bodies of 18 others. 

The militant group made the announcement in a statement Saturday and said it was being done on the condition that a number of Palestinian prisoners be returned in exchange as part of a means to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas said the agreement comes after a proposal by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has yet to comment publicly on the Hamas statement.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SAYS HAMAS CAPTORS 'WANTED KAMALA TO BE ELECTED,' WERE 'VERY SCARED' OF TRUMP'S RETURN

"After conducting a round of national consultations, and based on our immense sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) today submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties," the Hamas statement reads. 

"This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip."

RETURN OF TRUMP GIVES FAMILIES OF GAZA HOSTAGES NEW HOPE

Hamas is holding 58 hostages in Gaza. Of these, Israeli intelligence assesses that at least 34 are deceased, leaving approximately 24 believed to be alive. More than 250 people were captured during the Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

The latest proposal being negotiated involves the release of 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during a 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks, The Associated Press reported Friday, citing a Hamas official and an Egyptian official speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. negotiators had not publicized the terms of the proposal.

President Donald Trump said Friday that negotiators were nearing a deal.

"They’re very close to an agreement on Gaza, and we’ll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow," Trump told reporters in Washington. Late in the evening, asked if he was confident Hamas would approve the deal, he told reporters: "They’re in a big mess. I think they want to get out of it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE - The United States will not participate in a conference next month in New York City hosted by France and Saudi Arabia aimed at promoting the recognition of a Palestinian state, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview in Jerusalem earlier this week.

"It’s incredibly inappropriate in the midst of a war that Israel is dealing with to go out and present something that I think increasingly Israelis are steadfast against.

"Oct. 7 changed a lot of things. If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I have a suggestion for them–carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state they are welcome to do that, but they are not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation. And I find it revolting that they think they have the right to do such a thing.

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TRIP HANDED ISRAEL A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY — IF IT CHOOSES TO ACT, EXPERTS SAY

"I hope they will reconsider but the U.S. will not participate. It simply will not be a part of such a ruse," he added.

Huckabee, commenting on recently reported tensions between the two close allies, noted there may be disagreements between the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, but there should be no fear of a rupture in bilateral ties.

"I don’t think pro-Israel Americans need to be concerned that there’s some rift between the United States and Israel. Are there sometimes differences of opinion on the next steps in the war in Gaza, getting the hostages home, or maybe to avoid an all-out war with Iran? Of course, that’s natural," he said.

"But as far as the relationship between Israel and the U.S., that is not in any way at risk, nor is it in any way splintered or fractured. It’s solid, it has to be. We don’t have a choice. It’s critically important that the United States maintains its partnership—and I use that word very deliberately—it’s not a friendship, it’s not an alliance, it’s a partnership, which means we are yoked together in our intelligence sharing, military — so many ways in which our nations are linked inseparably."

On talks between Washington and Tehran, the ambassador described the Islamic Republic as "one of the if not the greatest, threats to world peace," warning that it poses a serious and immediate existential threat not only to Israel, but also to several Gulf nations and ultimately to the United States.

"The Iranians have said Israel is the ‘Little Satan,’ but America is the ‘Great Satan.’ They’ve always treated Israel as the appetizer and the United States as the entrée," he said. "It’s just important when people tell you over and over for 46 years they plan to kill you, you might want to start taking them seriously."

Nevertheless, Huckabee expressed hope that ongoing nuclear negotiations between the two nations would be successful and avoid any kind of military conflict.

IRAN WARNS ISRAEL AND US 'CAN'T DO A DAMN THING' TO THWART TEHRAN NUCLEAR AMBITIONS AS TENSIONS ESCALATE

"But when diplomacy fails, the soldiers show up," he said.

"I find it hard to believe the Iranians, after all these years of pushing towards a nuclear device that is weaponized, would suddenly come to their senses and say we've changed. We don't want that anymore, but let’s hope they do. But if they don’t, the president has been incredibly clear that Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon."

On Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, he emphasized that the suffering could end immediately—if Hamas chooses to act.

"All of us are hoping and praying that Hamas will finally give up all the hostages and release them, and then they will depart Gaza for good. If they do these two things, this is over," he said. "It could have been over on Oct. 8, 2023; it should have been. What they did was unthinkable, horrific, heinous, uncivilized, savage behavior."

He noted that President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that Hamas has no future in Gaza. "They can’t rule it, they can’t stay," said Huckabee.

"Israel has been clear that they are willing to put them on airplanes and fly them out in exile, they have a way out, but they don’t have a way in. They have to go, and all hostages living and dead have to be returned," he added.

Huckabee expressed hope that this would happen immediately.

Speaking to Fox News Digital on Thursday, he said of the hostages, "This pin that I wear on my lapel—one of the happiest days of my life will be when I can take this pin off and permanently put it away, never to wear it again, because that means all of the hostages have come home," he said. 

He also expressed confidence in the prospect of expanding the Abraham Accords, forged during Trump’s first term, which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

While not naming new countries considering joining, Huckabee said, "There are a number of nations that now realize that having enmity with Israel is meaningless," he said. "It is a delicate path for some countries; they can’t go faster than their people are willing to go and accept … but there is a great atmosphere and possibility that we will see some dramatic changes and big additions to the Abraham Accords."

Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday told allies in the Indo-Pacific that the U.S. has their back against increasing military and economic pressure from China, while insisting that they also contribute more to their own defense.

Hegseth said the U.S. will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon views as rapidly developing threats by China, particularly toward Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade of the island would look like.

The Chinese army "is rehearsing for the real deal," Hegseth said in a keynote speech at a security conference in Singapore. "We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent."

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT WORKERS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO SUBMIT DOGE'S WEEKLY PRODUCTION REPORTS

China has said it wants its military to be in a position to take Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027.

China is no longer building up its military forces to take Taiwan, but it is "actively training for it, every day," Hegseth said on Saturday.

Not only has China created man-made islands in the South China Sea to support new military outposts, but it has also developed highly advanced hypersonic and space capabilities, prompting the U.S. to begin creating the "Golden Dome."

HEGSETH DENIES CLAIM THAT GOLDEN DOME IS 'OFFENSIVE': 'PROTECTING THE HOMELAND'

In his speech, Hegseth called out China's ambitions in Latin America, specifically attempts to increase influence over the Panama Canal.

He also urged countries in the region to increase their defense spending to be in line with the percentage of gross domestic product that European nations are being pressed to contribute.

"We must all do our part," Hegseth said.

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, pushed back against Hegseth after his speech for a comment he made about European countries putting focus on defending their own region while the U.S. mostly handles the Indo-Pacific.

Kallas said European and Asian security are "very much interlinked" at the moment as North Korean troops are fighting for Russia and China is supporting Moscow.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

China has launched a space probe that will travel to an asteroid near Mars to collect samples and find potential "groundbreaking" results.

The Tianwen-2 probe launched Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The target of the Tianwen-2 will be different from its predecessor, the Tianwen-1, which launched a year ago and landed on Mars.

Tianwen-2 will be aiming for the asteroid 2016 HO3, which is also known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, to bring back samples.

CHINA’S SECRET WEAPON IN THE SPACE RACE IS ALREADY HURTING US

The proposed 10-year plan would involve more than just this space mission as China continues to look to expand into space.

Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1, told China Central Television he plans to implement the "Tianwen-3" Mars sampling return mission in 2028, while the "Tianwen-4" will head toward Jupiter.

According to The Associated Press, the asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, will hopefully offer clues about the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water.

US PREPARES TO DEORBIT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AMID CHINA COMPETITION

Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. 

Even if the CNSA is going to distribute these samples to international partners like they have on previous missions, NASA wouldn’t be able to receive any samples.

A law passed in 2011, known as the Wolf Amendment, restricts NASA from having any cooperation with the CNSA.

China also operates the three-person Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," space station.

This gives China a step in the right direction to become a major force in the exploration of space.

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Its permanent station was created after being excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns.

The Associated Press contributed to this story

French President Emmanuel Macron struck a serious note on Friday in his address to a Shangri-La security forum in Singapore, in which he hit on some of the biggest crises spanning the globe and appeared to issue an indirect warning to President Donald Trump and China. 

"I will be clear, France is a friend and an ally of the United States," Macron said. "And [France] is a friend, and we do cooperate - even if sometimes we disagree and compete - with China."

"The main risk today is the division of two super-powers," he warned.

NETANYAHU ACCUSES THE UK, FRANCE AND CANADA OF 'ENABLING HAMAS'

Macron’s speech was a warning to the U.S. and China that if they force nations to choose sides as tensions remain heightened following Trump’s triple-digit tariff threat, such a move would "kill the global order."

"We will destroy methodically, all the institutions we created after the Second World War in order to preserve peace and to have cooperation on health, on climate, on human rights and so on," he added.

"We are neither China nor the U.S., we don’t want to depend on any of them," he said. "We want to cooperate. But we don’t want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life will change because of the decision of a single person."

But the French president didn’t limit his speech to trade concerns, and chided China for aiding Russia amid its illegal invasion of Ukraine, and its refusal to play a part in stopping North Korea from sending troops to fight in the war for Moscow.

EUROPE STEPS UP TO FUND ITS OWN DEFENSE, PROVIDE SECURITY FOR UKRAINE AFTER TRUMP THREATS

"If China doesn't want NATO being involved in Southeast Asia or in Asia, they should prevent DPRK to be engaged on European soil," Macron said in reference to the formal name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Ultimately, he warned that every conflict that is plaguing European, American, Middle Eastern and Asian partnerships -- including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza -- are interconnected and there is a "big risk" that the universal principles which connect these conflicts have been forgotten. 

"If we consider that Russia could be allowed to take a part of the territory of Ukraine without any restriction, without any constraint, without any reaction of the global order...what could happen in Taiwan? What would you do the day something happened in [the] Philippines?" the French president asked. 

"What is at stake in Ukraine is our common credibility to be sure that we are still able to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty of people, no double standard," Macron said in a counterargument to claims that the war in Ukraine is a European issue.

This extended to the war in Gaza, and Macron argued that giving Israel "a free pass" for its military operations in Gaza that have led to a humanitarian crisis could "kill our own credibility in the rest of the world."

The French government is cracking down on cigarettes in public, announcing a sweeping outdoor smoking ban that aims to clear the air for the next generation of Parisians (and everyone else).

Beginning July 1, France will ban smoking in a wide range of outdoor public areas, including beaches, public parks, gardens, bus stops, sports venues and anywhere near schools, according to reporting from the BBC and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin told Ouest-France, a regional French newspaper, in an interview published Thursday.

21,000% SPIKE IN MA VAPE SEIZURES THROWS CIGARETTE BAN INTO QUESTION, EX-ATF OFFICIAL SAYS

"The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins."

Under the new rules, lighting up in these designated areas could earn violators a fine of up to $153, as reported by AFP. Enforcement will primarily be handled by regular police, though Vautrin said she’s counting on a dose of "self-regulation" from the public.

There’s a carve-out for culture, though. France’s iconic "terrasses," the bustling outdoor café seating areas, are exempt from the ban. 

Smokers can still enjoy a cigarette with their espresso and croissant, provided they’re seated at a café. The BBC confirmed that these social spaces, which are practically a national institution, won’t be affected.

SOUTH CAROLINA BILL WOULD BAN SMOKING INSIDE CARS WHILE CHILDREN ARE PASSENGERS

E-cigarettes are also currently excluded from the restrictions, but Vautrin told Ouest-France that her office is working on future limits to the nicotine levels allowed in vapes.

The move marks a significant expansion of France’s existing anti-smoking laws.

Smoking has already been banned in restaurants, nightclubs and indoor public places since 2008. Local efforts to restrict smoking in public spaces have been growing steadily. According to AFP, more than 1,500 French municipalities have already enacted their own outdoor smoking bans and hundreds of beaches have been smoke-free for years.

According to data from the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction cited by the BBC, just 23.1% of French adults smoke daily, the lowest level ever recorded and a drop of over five percentage points since 2014.

Still, tobacco-related illnesses remain a leading cause of death. France’s National Committee Against Smoking reports that more than 75,000 people die each year from smoking, around 13% of all annual deaths in the country.

Support for the new restrictions appears strong. A report from La Ligue Contre le Cancer, a prominent French cancer association, found that nearly 80% of French citizens favor smoke-free public areas like parks, beaches and woodlands.

But while many in France welcome the move, some have raised concerns over the balance between public health and personal liberty. Conservatives may see the ban as another example of top-down government overreach.

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Be careful lighting up on your summer vacations in France this year as it may just get you a fine.

Police have launched an investigation into a vessel that washed ashore on an Eastern Caribbean island that contained human remains of at least 11 people in an advanced state of decomposition.

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) said it received a report at about 10:45 a.m. Monday that a suspicious vessel had been discovered along the coastline of the island of Canouan near Little Bay and Cherry Hill.

Officers from the Canouan police station responded and discovered the remains of 11 people on the boat.

Police said the boat measured 45 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet deep, and it was found grounded in the area.

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The remains of the people onboard were in what police called an "advanced state of decomposition," and some of the remains were not fully intact.

Investigators recovered several passports from the boat, which appear to be from the West African country of the Republic of Mali.

While passports have been recovered, police have not officially identified any of the bodies, and the investigation remains ongoing.

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The RSVGPF said it is working closely with regional and international partners to confirm the origins of the boat and the identities of those onboard.

The human remains have since been transported to the island of St. Vincent, where they are being held at the Kingstown mortuary for further forensic and investigative procedures.

"This incident is deeply concerning, and we understand the public’s interest in the matter," police said. "We assure you that the RSVGPF is treating this investigation with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity."

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The department added that it is committed to pursuing every lead and ensuring all appropriate protocols are followed.

The U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for the country of Mali in July 2023.

The State Department’s reasoning for not traveling to the country is due to crime, terrorism and kidnapping.

"Violent crime, such as kidnapping and armed robbery, is common in Mali. Violent crime is a particular concern during local holidays and seasonal events in Bamako, its suburbs, and Mali’s southern regions," the advisory states. 

"Terrorist and armed groups continue plotting kidnappings and attacks in Mali," the advisory on Mali adds. "They may attack with little or no warning, targeting nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, places of worship, international diplomatic missions, and other locations frequented by foreigners. Attacks may target Malian government offices and infrastructure, in addition to locations frequented by Westerners."

A top United States military general warned Thursday that terror groups in Africa are ramping up their ability to conduct attacks in the U.S. 

Gen. Michael Langley, the four-star Marine General who leads U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), said the Sahel region of the continent is now the "flashpoint of prolonged conflict and growing instability. It is the epicenter of terrorism on the globe."

Several terror groups have expanded drastically in the last three years. Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is three times the size it was in 2022, he said, and has spread across Mali, Burkina Faso, and parts of Niger, which the U.S. military pulled out of last year. 

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Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, a faction affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is now four times the size it was in 2022, expanding mainly in Burkina Faso.

"We're keeping a good eye on this because they could have the capacity to attack the homeland," Langley said in a call with reporters. 

"Throughout my travels across West Africa and through dialog here at the conference, the concerns shared by my peers match my own," he added. "One of the terrorist's key goals now is access to the west coast of Africa. If they gain access to the vast coastline, they can diversify their revenue streams and evolve their tactics, more easily exporting terrorism to American shores."

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He noted that the terror groups engage in illicit activity like smuggling, human trafficking and arms trading, which fund their nefarious actions and destabilize the region.

U.S. forces over the weekend conducted an airstrike against the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab in Somalia. The East African country has been wracked for decades by attacks and insurgency from Islamist terrorists, both from ISIS and al-Shabab. 

The U.S. is in a race with China and Russia to gain influence and trust with the local governments of several African nations to help protect citizens from terror groups. 

Langley said there is an increasing concern about the number of African soldiers going to Beijing for military training and replicating a U.S. International Military Education and Training (IMET) program.

"They're trying to replicate what we do best in our IMET program," said Langley. "And then they also said they're going to increase security and training in a number of countries. So, they're trying to replicate what we do."