World News

China executed 11 people convicted of intentional homicide, fraud and other crimes linked to a cross-border scam operation, after the country’s top court approved their death sentences, authorities said Thursday.

The announcement was published on the webiste for the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s highest state body responsible for criminal prosecution and oversight.

The executions followed a ruling and execution order from the Supreme People’s Court, which upheld lower court judgments against members of the so-called Ming family criminal group.

They were accused of running large-scale telecommunications fraud and gambling operations from northern Myanmar that involved more than 10 billion yuan, roughly $1.4 billion.

TRUMP ADMIN SOUGHT REDACTIONS ON KEY CHINA WAR GAME REPORT WARNING OF US MILITARY READINESS GAPS

Authorities said the group colluded with criminal organizations led by "financial backers" to operate telecom fraud schemes, illegal casinos, drug trafficking and prostitution operations.

FORMER, ACTIVE-DUTY ARMY SOLDIERS CHARGED IN SCHEME ALLEGEDLY SELLING SENSITIVE MILITARY INFORMATION TO CHINA

"The Ming family criminal group also colluded with the online fraud criminal group of Wu Hongming and others to deliberately kill, intentionally injure, and illegally detain people involved in fraud, resulting in the death of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others," the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said.

NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS SOUND ALARM OVER CCP-LINKED LAND OWNERSHIP NEAR US MILITARY BASES: ‘UNTHINKABLE’

Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, Zhou Weichang, Wu Hongming, Wu Senlong, and Fu Yubin were among those sentenced to death in September by the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court of Zhejiang Province.

Some of the defendants appealed, but the Zhejiang Higher People’s Court on Nov. 25 rejected the appeal, upheld the original verdict and submitted the case to the Supreme People’s Court for mandatory review.

Authorities said the prisoners were allowed to meet with close relatives before the executions were carried out.

President Donald Trump appealed to Iraqis on Tuesday to not reinstate the controversial former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to a new term because of his alleged corruption and severe mismanagement of the country’s economy and security situation.

Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform: "I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister. Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!" 

A parliamentary session was slated for Tuesday to elect a president, who would then appoint the prime minister. The meeting was canceled because of a lack of a quorum.

IRAQI STATE BANK ACCUSED OF PROCESSING PAYMENTS FOR HOUTHI TERRORISTS WHO DISRUPT RED SEA COMMERCE

Al-Maliki fired back at Trump on Wednesday, stating, "We reject the blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and consider it a violation of its sovereignty."

The Trump administration vehemently opposes al-Maliki attempts to secure a third term because of his close ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran — a state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department.

Al-Maliki’s previous premiership (2006 to 2014) was plagued by sectarian violence, including his reported failure to form an inclusive government that did not discriminate against Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Muslims in favor of Shiite Muslims.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told caretaker Prime Minister al-Sudani on Sunday that the U.S. was concerned about a pro-Iran government seizing control of the Iraqi state.

"The Secretary emphasized that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, or advance the mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

MYSTERY SURROUNDS VISIT TO DC OF IRAN-BACKED IRAQI JUDGE WHO ISSUED WARRANT FOR TRUMP’S ARREST

Al-Maliki ended his second term in 2014 after the Obama administration’s growing frustration with his security blind spots that saw the rise of the Islamic State in the same year across a large swathe of Iraqi and Syrian territory. 

Al-Sudani secured the most seats in November’s parliamentary elections but withdrew his candidacy this month. The 75-year-old al-Maliki, from the  Shiite Islamist Dawa Party, tossed his hat in the political ring and won the support of the Coordination Framework, a collection of Shia parties that is the largest parliamentary bloc.

Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, told Fox News Digital that "Iran has exercised tremendous influence over Iraq. Ayatollah Khamenei personally ‘blessed’ Nouri al-Maliki’s nomination. Even if Maliki is ultimately dropped, Iran will simply nominate another candidate who is secretly acceptable to Washington. That individual may even be given leeway to say the right things publicly in order to appease the U.S., while remaining fully aligned with Tehran behind the scenes."

Qanbar, who worked as a civil engineer in Iraq, added, "As for the Iraqi elections, the process itself has been systematically engineered to ensure that Iran’s proxies win without meaningful resistance. These elections are not contests between Iranian-backed factions and genuine alternatives; rather, they are mechanisms to divide votes among groups already approved by Iran. Any real dissent has been banned, imprisoned, or eliminated."

He noted that "I have often used the analogy that Iraqi elections resemble a soccer match with only one goal, no goalkeeper and only one team allowed on the field," and warned, "the United States fails to see these structural manipulations."

An Iraqi Kurdish official also echoed the view that Iran has gained greater control of Iraqi power politics. The official told Fox News Digital that, "Under Sudani’s government, Iran’s proxies have doubled on the state payroll and receive over $3 billion a year. He established the Muhandes company — the PMF’s investment wing, securing public contracts and buying weapons."

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an umbrella organization of Shiite militias loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The PMF wields enormous power in Iraq.

The Iraqi Kurdish official said, "Economically, Iran’s oil blending in Basra has been formalized with official state support. Financially, Iraq’s state and private banks have funneled billions in U.S. dollar bills into Iran under Sudani, bringing Tehran critical relief against U.S. sanctions."

The official added, "Iran, of course, has always been ahead of the curve in Iraq. When the pro-Western candidate Ayad Allawi beat Maliki in the 2010 elections, it was the Americans who handed Maliki a second term — an odd moment of alignment with Iran against their own preferred outcome." He said he hopes the U.S. won't make the same mistake again.

Talks between the U.K. and the U.S. over the future of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean have reportedly reopened after President Donald Trump’s comments cast doubt over an agreement that would see Britain hand sovereignty of the strategically vital archipelago to Mauritius.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed Wednesday that the U.K. had reopened discussions after the president had panned the deal and branded it an "act of great stupidity," GB News reported.

"Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER," Trump had posted on Truth Social. "There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness."

He added: "The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired."

TRUMP WARNS US CAN NO LONGER THINK ‘PURELY OF PEACE’ AS HE PUSHES FOR GREENLAND CONTROL

The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius during Britain’s decolonization process, a move the International Court of Justice ruled unlawful in 2019. 

The U.K. later agreed to transfer sovereignty while leasing Diego Garcia back for at least 99 years at a cost of at least $160 million annually.

Diego Garcia is a hub for long-range bombers, logistics and power projection across the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Africa. 

Around 2,500 military and civilian personnel, mostly American, are stationed there. The base serves as a critical operation point for the U.S. and plays a central role in intelligence gathering and securing military communications.

Speaking aboard a flight to China, Starmer said he had "discussed Chagos with Donald Trump a number of times," but declined to confirm whether the issue had been raised during a phone call between the two leaders on Sunday, The Financial Times reported.

TRUMP’S ‘SMALL ASK’ FOR GREENLAND WOULD BE THE REAL ESTATE DEAL OF A LIFETIME

Starmer also said the matter "has been raised with the White House at the tail end of last week, over the weekend and into the early part of this week."

Starmer also added that when the Trump administration took office, the U.K. paused the agreement for three months to allow the U.S. time to assess the deal at the agency level.

"Once they’d done that, they were very clear in the pronouncements about the fact that they supported the deal, and there were announcements made," he said.

A Downing Street spokesperson also confirmed London was working to "allay any concerns" in Washington, according to GB News.

"We will continue to engage with the U.S. on this important matter and the importance of the deal to secure U.S. and U.K. interests and allay any concerns, as we’ve done throughout the process," the spokesperson said.

Trump’s comments on the Chagos deal had been welcomed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who wrote on X: "Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Downing Street for comment.

Pope Leo made an appeal for a world free from antisemitism, prejudice, oppression and persecution on Wednesday, before linking the message to International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed the day before.

Speaking at the conclusion of his weekly audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the pope recalled the Jan. 27 commemoration honoring the millions of Jews and others murdered.

RABBI ATTACKED ON NYC STREET ON INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

Pope Leo called it an "annual occasion of painful remembrance" and urged the international community to remain vigilant so that "the horror of genocide may never again be inflicted upon any people" and so that societies rooted in "mutual respect and the common good" can be built.

"I ask the Almighty for the gift of a world no longer marked by antisemitism, nor by prejudice, oppression, and persecution against any human being," the pope said.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.

The Holocaust resulted in the systematic murder of six million Jews as well as millions of others in World War II.

ANTISEMITISM IS BECOMING 'NORMAL,' WITH JEWISH TEENS PAYING THE PRICE

On Jan. 27, as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Leo also spoke to reporters.

When asked about rising tensions in the Middle East and the deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier to the region amid protests and killings in Iran at the hands of the regime, Leo emphasized the need "to pray hard for peace."

"We little ones can raise our voices and always seek dialogue rather than violence to resolve problems, especially on this day that commemorates the Shoah," he added.

In a post on X marking the Holocaust memorial, Pope Leo reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to the principles outlined in Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration rejecting all forms of antisemitism.

WHY HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE MATTERS AS HISTORY IS REWRITTEN AND ANTISEMITISM SURGES

He stressed that the Church "rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion" and encouraged dialogue rather than violence as a means toward solving conflicts.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Vatican for comment.

Colombia’s state-owned airline Satena confirmed commercial Flight HK-4709 crashed after disappearing near the Colombian-Venezuelan border Wednesday, killing all 15 people on board, including a Colombian politician.

The airline said the Beechcraft 1900, operating the Cúcuta-Ocaña route, departed at 11:42 a.m. and was scheduled to land at approximately 12:05 p.m.

It's last contact with air traffic control was at 11:54 a.m., and it would have exhausted its flight endurance time at 2 p.m.

COLOMBIAN SINGER YEISON JIMÉNEZ DIES IN PLANE CRASH HOURS BEFORE SCHEDULED PERFORMANCE

When officials realized the flight had lost contact, Satena said aircraft from the Colombian Aerospace Force, National Army and charter flight company Searca initiated aerial overflight operations in the areas where the last available information on the aircraft was recorded.

The aircraft also searched along the missing plane’s planned route.

Just before 5:30 p.m., Satena confirmed the plane crashed leaving no survivors, citing information from the president of the Community Action Board of the Curásica rural district in the municipality of La Playa de Belén.

The two crew members were identified as Capt. Miguel Vanegas and Capt. Jose de la Vega.

BRETT JAMES, ‘JESUS, TAKE THE WHEEL’ SONGWRITER, DIES IN NORTH CAROLINA PLANE CRASH

The 13 passengers were identified as María Álvarez Barbosa, Carlos Salcedo, Rolando Penaloza Gualdron, María Díaz Rodríguez, Maira Avendano Rincon, Anayisel Quintero, Karen Parales Vera, Anirley Julio Osorio, Gineth Rincon, Diogenes Quintero Amaya, Natalia Acosta Salcedo Maira Sánchez Criado and Juan Pacheco Mejía.

Diogenes Quintero Amaya was a member of the House of Representatives of Colombia, according to a report from The City Paper Bogotá. Carlos Salcedo was a candidate for Colombia’s House of Representatives.

"From Satena, we extend our most sincere condolences, with profound sorrow and full solidarity, to the families of our passengers and crew members who lost their lives in this accident," the airline said in a statement. 

Satena added it will deploy all of its resources to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims' families and to "clarify the circumstances of what occurred."

The airline is heavily used by government officials and tourists and connects the capital with small regional airports in the capitals of Colombia's 32 states.

The area where the plane disappeared, near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, is known for its mountainous terrain and poor visibility.

Local newspaper El Tiempo reported there have been heavy rains for weeks between Cucuta and the Catatumbo region, which has seen recent violence, including targeted killings, kidnappings and forced displacement of civilians.

Shipping in the Persian Gulf dipped sharply Wednesday as tensions with Iran intensified amid signs the U.S. was positioning military forces for a potential strike, according to maritime intelligence assessments.

The U.S. Navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group entered the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Monday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital, as President Donald Trump continued to keep military options on the table.

"At this stage, it remains ambiguous, and probably intentionally ambiguous, what the objectives and desired outcomes are of any U.S. military action," Ambrey Intelligence's Robert Peters told Fox News Digital.

"This means that there are a wider range of possibilities and retaliatory scenarios under consideration.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES 'FINAL' 25% TARIFF ON COUNTRIES DOING BUSINESS WITH IRAN REGIME

"That said, there are five U.S.-flagged merchant vessels, tankers and cargo ships in the Gulf today — two transited the Strait of Hormuz earlier without any apparent issues — but those already in the Gulf and destined for the U.S. are at heightened risk," he added.

Trump, who earlier this week indicated "numerous" calls were received from Iran, also posted about the situation on Truth Social Wednesday morning.

"A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela," he wrote.

IRAN POSES A FAR MORE DANGEROUS MILITARY TEST FOR THE US THAN VENEZUELA, EXPERTS WARN

"Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL!"

The post came as the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported the death toll from nationwide protests in Iran has surpassed 6,200 since the outset Dec. 28. 

The organization said nearly 17,100 more were under investigation with "a continuation of both scattered and mass arrests" as internet restrictions continue.

TRUMP THREATENS IRAN WITH CRUSHING RESPONSE AS TEHRAN DENIES HALTING PROTEST EXECUTIONS

Peters meanwhile, claimed that "shipping companies have been advised to reduce aggregate risk when operating in the Arabian/Persian Gulf.

"This means limiting the number of ships that could be exposed to retaliatory action, and sometimes ships will await further instructions closer to their next port in the Gulf," he said. "At this point, it is more appropriate to wait further away in case of an escalation."

Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned Wednesday that any military action by the U.S. from any origin and at any level "will be regarded as the start of a war, and the response will be immediate, all-out, and unprecedented, targeting the heart of Tel Aviv and all those who support the aggressor," according to Iran International.

IRAN STRIKES COULD SIGNAL LIMITS OF BEIJING, MOSCOW’S POWER AS US FLEXES STRENGTH

"Our brave Armed Forces are prepared — with their fingers on the trigger — to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air, and sea," Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.

With tensions rising in the region, Peters described how shipowners may be approached by cargo charterers to load cargo in the Gulf.

"Then they will make the decision to avoid the Gulf for the time being until the tensions reduce," Peters added. "Interestingly, last year the Iranians did not take retaliatory action in the maritime sphere. Israeli shipping was already avoiding the Gulf, and the U.S. military action was highly targeted at the nuclear capabilities."

But Peters warned that the situation "may see something similar again. If there is a much broader, regime-destabilizing operation, the effects could be considerable for wider shipping.

"During periods like this, we tend to see greater risk aversion and inquiries from those asked to pick up cargo for U.S. charterers and destined for the U.S.," he added.

As the United States experiences negative net migration due to President Donald Trump policies, Spain is heading in the opposite direction, announcing plans to grant legal status for up to half a million illegal migrants.

Spain’s Socialist-led government approved a royal decree on Tuesday, allowing unauthorized immigrants who entered the country before the end of 2025, and have lived there for at least five months and have no criminal record to obtain one-year residency and work permits, with possible pathways to citizenship.

While many European governments have moved to tighten immigration policies — some encouraged by the Trump administration’s hardline approach — Spain has taken a different path. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his ministers have repeatedly highlighted what they describe as the economic benefits of legal migration, particularly for the country’s aging workforce.

WHITE HOUSE ROADMAP SAYS EUROPE MAY BE ‘UNRECOGNIZABLE’ IN 20 YEARS AS MIGRATION RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT US ALLIES

Spain "will not look the other way," Migration Minister Elma Saiz told reporters at a press conference, saying the government is "dignifying and recognizing people who are already in our country."

The plan has sparked a fierce political battle, as conservatives and the populist Vox party have condemned what they describe as an amnesty that could fuel irregular migration.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal wrote on social media that the measure "harms all Spaniards," arguing critics of his party are motivated by fear of Vox’s growing influence. "They are not worried about the consequences of Sánchez’s criminal policies," Abascal wrote. "They are worried that Vox will gain more strength."

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that "Spain’s decision appears calculated to increase the lure of Europe as a destination for illegal migrants in general, causing problems for all of its neighbors. If Spain wishes to become a repository for such people, then I’m sure other European countries would appreciate signing agreements to transfer their own illegal migrants there. Absent this, we will all be paying the price for Spanish largesse."

TRUMP SAYS HUNGARY'S BORDER STANCE KEEPS CRIME DOWN, SAYS EUROPE 'FLOODING' WITH MIGRANTS

Ricard Zapata-Barrero, a political science professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, told Fox News Digital that "This is not a symbolic gesture, It is a direct challenge to the dominant European approach, which treats irregular migration primarily as a policing issue. Spain, instead, frames it as a governance problem — one that requires institutional capacity, legal pathways and administrative realism rather than more detention centers and externalized borders."

He said Spain’s immigration system had been showing signs of strain for years.

"When hundreds of thousands of people live in irregularity for years, the issue stops being an individual failure and becomes a structural one," Zapata-Barrero said. "In this context, regularization is not leniency — it is governability."

He argued, "In a Europe closing in on itself, Spain has taken a step that sets it apart — not because it is ‘softer,’ but because it is more pragmatic," he added. "Whether this becomes a model or a counter-model inside the EU remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Spain has launched a political experiment that Europe will watch closely."

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A Filipino mayor escaped unharmed after an apparent rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on his convoy in broad daylight Sunday in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur, authorities said. 

The Philippine News Agency (PNA), the country’s state-run news outlet, reported that Mayor Akmad Ampatuan was inside a bulletproof vehicle when the attack occurred at around 6:30 a.m.

Video of the incident shows two men stepping out of a white van, one holding what appears to be an RPG and another carrying a gun.

One of the men then lowers the launcher and aims it down the street.

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He fires the weapon before jumping back into the vehicle, moments before a black SUV turns onto the road and is struck by the blast.

PNA reported that the mayor’s backup vehicle, a pickup, was also hit by gunfire during the attack.

Police and military forces later killed three suspected attackers in a pursuit.

MEXICAN MAYOR WHO TOOK HARD LINE AGAINST DRUG GANGS SHOT AND KILLED AT DAY OF THE DEAD EVENT

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

"The mayor is safe," Anwar Kuit Emblawa, the mayor’s executive assistant, told the PNA.

Two members of Ampatuan’s security detail were injured, though their wounds were not life-threatening.

The outlet said the mayor has survived two previous assassination attempts in the past five years.

A new report is warning that the combined war casualties in the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war could hit 2 million by spring 2026. The number includes soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of the conflict.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report on Tuesday predicting the grim milestone. CSIS states that Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025. It estimates that Ukraine suffered between 500,000 to 600,000 casualties, including 140,000 troop deaths. CSIS estimates that the current combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties could be as high as 1.8 million.

Getting a clear picture of the fatalities and casualties suffered on both sides is not easy as neither Moscow nor Kyiv gives timely data on military losses, according to The Associated Press, which noted that the two countries are also simultaneously focused on amplifying each other's casualties. Russia has publicly acknowledged the deaths of just over 6,000 soldiers, the AP reported. 

The outlet noted that activists and independent journalists have said that reports of military losses have been repressed in Russian media.

ZELENSKYY TOUTS ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ TRILATERAL TALKS BETWEEN THE US, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE IN ABU DHABI

"Despite claims of battlefield momentum in Ukraine, the data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains and is in decline as a major power," the report reads.

"No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II," the report notes.

Russian battlefield casualties and fatalities have been "significantly higher" than Ukraine's, according to the report. 

CSIS estimates the ratio to be roughly 2.5:1 or 2:1. CSIS points to several reasons for the high Russian casualties and fatalities, including the country's "failure to effectively conduct combined arms and joint warfare, poor tactics and training, corruption, low morale and Ukraine’s effective defense-in-depth strategy in a war that favors the defense." The report also states that Russia has accepted taking high casualties as part of its strategy.

"Russia’s attrition strategy has accepted the costs of high casualties in hopes of eventually wearing down Ukraine’s military and society," CSIS states in its report.

ZELENSKYY SAYS US SECURITY GUARANTEES DOCUMENT IS '100% READY' FOR SIGNING

In addition to its high casualty rate, Russia has also been advancing "remarkably slowly," according to the report. CSIS stated in its report that Russian forces had advanced at an average rate of 15 to 70 meters (49 to 230 feet) per day in its most prominent offenses since seizing the military initiative in January 2024. The authors of the report say Russia's pace is "slower than almost any major offensive campaign in any war in the last century."

The report comes less than one month before the fourth anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine. Despite international mediators, including the U.S., making attempts to end the war, it has persisted, with both sides suffering casualties.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said two people were killed during Russian strikes that hit an apartment block on the outskirts of Kyiv, the AP reported. Additionally, at least nine people were injured in separate attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Kryvyi Rih.

Representatives for Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. recently met in the United Arab Emirates for the first trilateral talks since 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the "conversations were constructive."

"A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive," he wrote on X, noting the delegations could have further meetings as early as next week. "As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders."

Fox News Digital reached out to Russia and Ukraine's foreign affairs ministries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: China’s expanding push into the Pacific Islands is raising alarms among experts, who warn that Beijing is quietly working to establish a foothold in territory long viewed as vital to American defense.

Rather than deploying troops or building overt military bases, experts say China is using infrastructure projects, political influence and economic leverage to gain access to strategically sensitive areas across Micronesia, a region tied to the United States through decades-old security agreements.

Fox News Digital has learned that a Chinese-backed runway on the island of Yap is due to be officially opened during a handover ceremony on Feb 9. The president of the Federated States of Micronesia is expected to attend, along with representatives from the Chinese company involved in the project.

One of the experts tracking the developments, FDD senior fellow Cleo Paskal, traveled to the Federated States of Micronesia to see them firsthand. She told Fox News Digital she spent four days sleeping on the open deck of a Chinese-donated cargo ship in order to witness a Chinese company breaking ground on a project to rehabilitate a World War II Imperial Japanese runway.

NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS SOUND ALARM OVER CCP-LINKED LAND OWNERSHIP NEAR US MILITARY BASES: 'UNTHINKABLE'

"It’s not a huge runway, but what it does is it gets China in the door and on the ground in a very strategic location," Paskal said.

The project is located in the state of Yap, a remote east-to-west island chain that sits along key maritime and air routes connecting Hawaii, Guam and East Asia. U.S. military planners have long considered Yap one of the most strategically important locations in the Pacific.

Paskal said the same Chinese company involved in the runway is now working on another major infrastructure project on Yap: the reconstruction of a bridge on the main island.

"At the same time, because of how strategic it is, Secretary Hegseth announced not that long ago about $2 billion worth of defense infrastructure investment for Yap," she said. "Now, when he says Yap, what he means is the main island of Yap."

According to Paskal, that distinction matters.

"The story here is that the Department of War is focused on the main island, but, from what I’ve seen, there are no plans for the rest of the island chain," she said. "Meanwhile, the Chinese are using other entry points into the political and economic system in order to start to break open access to Yap."

She described China’s approach as fundamentally different from Washington’s.

"So it’s not just a physical kinetic infrastructure operation," Paskal said. "It’s also a political warfare operation, whereas the U.S. is focusing more just on a very narrow band of the kinetic map."

CHINA’S MISSILE SURGE PUTS EVERY US BASE IN THE PACIFIC AT RISK — AND OFFICIALS SAY THE WINDOW TO RESPOND IS CLOSING

The geography at stake has shaped American security strategy for generations.

During World War II, the lagoon at Ulithi, part of the Yap island chain, served as the largest U.S. naval base in the world, hosting hundreds of American warships as the military prepared for operations against Imperial Japan.

That history, Paskal said, helps explain why the region remains so sensitive today.

Under the Compact of Free Association, the United States retains exclusive defense rights in Micronesia. The agreements allow Washington to deny military access to other powers, establish defense facilities and maintain strategic control, while granting Micronesian citizens the right to live and work in the United States and serve in the U.S. military. The Compact creates such deep ties that Micronesia is considered part of the U.S. domestic mail system.

The compacts were designed after World War II to ensure Pacific islands once controlled by Japan could never again be used as launch points for attacks against the United States.

But Paskal warned that China is finding ways to work around, and potentially undermine, those arrangements.

She said U.S. officials often focus on visible construction sites while underestimating the broader political campaign that enables Chinese access in the first place. This includes cultivating ties with national leaders, engaging local officials such as customs and immigration officers and securing contracts through regional development banks in order to place Chinese companies and personnel on the ground.

According to Paskal, Chinese firms are often willing to absorb financial losses in exchange for long-term strategic positioning.

CHINA QUIETLY BUILDS WORLDWIDE SPACE NETWORK, ALARMING US OVER FUTURE MILITARY POWER

The concern is heightened by political shifts within Micronesia itself. While states such as Yap have historically been more resistant to Chinese engagement, the national government has grown closer to Beijing in recent years.

Former President of the Federated States of Micronesia David Panuelo warned in a March 9, 2023, letter that China was engaging in political warfare, including alleged bribery and pressure campaigns. He later lost his re-election bid, while the current government is viewed as more receptive to China.

When asked by Fox News Digital about China’s activities in Micronesia, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, "I am not aware of the specifics."

The spokesperson emphasized that China views Pacific Island Countries (PICs) as partners in development and denied any geopolitical intent.

"China always respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of PICs," the spokesperson said, adding that Beijing has "never interfered in the internal affairs of PICs, never attached any political strings, and never sought any geopolitical self-interest."

Paskal said this characterization is not accurate, pointing to what she described as China’s targeted efforts to interfere with the internal decisions of three Pacific Island countries — Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu — to recognize Taiwan, including explicitly attaching support to derecognition.

The spokesperson’s statement added that the South Pacific should be "a stage for cooperation, rather than an arena for vicious competition" and insisted China’s engagement does not target any country.

For U.S. security experts, however, the concern is not a single runway or bridge, but the gradual erosion of strategic access in a region that has underpinned American defense for more than 80 years.

China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital, "We lost so many American lives in World War Two, taking these islands from the Japanese. And now we are letting China dominate them. This is just wrong. I can't, I get angry when I think about this. But the important point here is that we have the power to stop this," he said.

"The three compact states are our closest military allies, our closest allies full stop. We said that again. The three complex states in the Western Pacific are our closet allies. Guam is actually part of the United States. So we have the power to stop this and we're not doing that. And this is now on us, a strategic failure, a failure to understand what China is doing. I hope that the administration starts to understand the significance of what's occurring and moves to block Chinese infiltration of the Western Pacific."

As Paskal warned, China’s campaign in the Pacific is unfolding not through force, but through influence, access, patience and presence.

Neither the White House nor the Department of War responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian attack drones struck a civilian passenger train in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, killing at least four people in what he called an "act of terrorism."

"In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism. There would be no doubt about the classification, neither in Europe, nor in America, nor in the Arab world, nor in China, nor anywhere else," he wrote in a post on X. "There is, and can be, no military justification for killing civilians in a train carriage."

The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday on Telegram that the number of confirmed fatalities had risen to five, with two people injured and one man reported missing.

Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said three Russian drones were used in the attack on the train, which was carrying more than 200 people.

ZELENSKYY SAYS FRESH RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE SHOWS PUTIN'S 'TRUE ATTITUDE' AHEAD OF TRUMP MEETING

Eighteen passengers were inside the carriage hit by one of the drones, he added.

The attack followed trilateral talks between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington in Abu Dhabi over the weekend that were aimed at ending the nearly four-year war.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said the meetings were "very constructive" and plans were being made for the sides to meet again this week.

RUSSIA, UKRAINE TO DISCUSS TERRITORY AS TRUMP SAYS BOTH SIDES 'WANT TO MAKE A DEAL'

"President Trump and his entire team are dedicated to bringing peace to this war," Witkoff said.

Russia has continued to strike Kyiv’s energy infrastructure during negotiations, leaving thousands of residents without power and heat as winter conditions persist.

RUSSIA HAS SUFFERED MORE CASUALTIES IN UKRAINE WAR THAN ALL OTHER CONFLICTS COMBINED SINCE WWII: PENTAGON

Zelenskyy said significant outages remain across the region, with hundreds of residential buildings in three districts of the capital still without heating despite ongoing repair efforts.

"Repair crews are working at maximum capacity. Crews from almost across the entire country have been deployed to assist," he noted.

Sen. Ted Cruz called for the U.S. to arm Iranian protesters Tuesday as unrest continues inside the nation and Iran-backed militias issued threats against Washington.

"We should be arming the protesters in Iran. NOW," Cruz wrote in a post on X.

"For the Iranian people to overthrow the Ayatollah — a tyrant who routinely chants ‘death to America’ — would make America much, much safer," the Texas Republican added.

Cruz was responding to another post from Tehran Bureau, which cited a source inside Iran detailing what was described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground as security forces continued to crack down on demonstrations.

IRAN WILL RETALIATE 'WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE' IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS

"From trusted source in Tehran: Tell all of your friends [abroad] — everyone you know: there is absolutely nothing else we can do here inside Iran," the post read.

"They are killing people in such ways, they’ve descended upon people so brutally, they’re attacking us in such ways... We’ve lost so many lives that no one dares go out anymore. They shoot directly with bullets. They kill outright. And even after killing, they come and behead you, and do countless other violent things to you," it continued.

"Going out into the streets is literally suicide. It’s not about bravery anymore. It’s madness. You go out and they shoot you point-blank. They don’t even ask why you came. They just kill you," the post continued. "There is absolutely no way for us to gather unless we had weapons, unless we were armed like them. Otherwise they have weapons everywhere."

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, activist groups estimate that more than 6,000 people have been killed in Iran, with additional cases still under review.

The protests began in late December amid widespread anger over economic hardship, political repression and corruption, according to reports.

IRAN REGIME REPORTEDLY ISSUED NATIONWIDE SHOOT-TO-KILL ORDERS AS PROTEST DEATH TOLL SURGES

Cruz’s post came after armed militias aligned with Iran warned the U.S. they would retaliate against any American attack on the Islamic Republic, as the Trump administration moved forces into the region.

Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq said it was prepared for "total war" if the U.S. attacked Iran, according to The Associated Press.

Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, the group’s leader, said the "enemies" of the Islamic Republic would face "the bitterest forms of death."

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ACKNOWLEDGES THOUSANDS KILLED AS TRUMP CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP: REPORTS

"You will taste every form of deadly suffering, nothing of you will remain in our region, and we will strike terror in your hearts," the statement read.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis also threatened to restart attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, releasing a video Monday showing a ship engulfed in flames, captioned: "Soon," The Associated Press reported.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, President Donald Trump said Iran appeared to be seeking negotiations with the U.S. amid the growing military buildup, telling Axios, "They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk."

The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East on Monday as unrest inside Iran continued to escalate.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Sen. Ted Cruz for comment.

French lawmakers have backed a bill banning social media for children under 15 in what one legislator likened to a "battle for free minds."

The bill, which also bans mobile phones in high schools, passed late Monday by a 130–21 vote. The bill will now head to the Senate for discussion before a final vote.

"With this law, we are setting a clear boundary in society and saying social media is not harmless," French lawmaker Laure Miller told the assembly.

"Our children are reading less, sleeping less and comparing themselves to one another more," she continued. "This is a battle for free minds."

TEXAS FAMILY SUES CHARACTER.AI AFTER CHATBOT ALLEGEDLY ENCOURAGED AUTISTIC SON TO HARM PARENTS AND HIMSELF

Macron has pushed lawmakers to fast-track the legislation so that the ban could be in place in time for the start of the next academic year in September.

"Banning social media for those under 15: this is what scientists recommend, and this is what the French people are overwhelmingly calling for," Macron said after the vote. "Because our children’s brains are not for sale — neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks. Because their dreams must not be dictated by algorithms."

The idea of setting a minimum age for use of the platforms has gained momentum across Europe.

The vote comes days after the British government said it is considering similar restrictions as it tightens rules to protect children from harmful online content and excessive screen time.

PROTECTING KIDS FROM AI CHATBOTS: WHAT THE GUARD ACT MEANS

Australia introduced a world-first ban on social media for children under 16 years old in December, restricting access to platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

France’s health watchdog reports that one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone. A December report found that about 90% of children ages 12 to 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, with 58% using them for social media.

The agency warned of links between heavy social media use and reduced self-esteem, as well as increased exposure to content tied to risky behaviors, including self-harm, drug use and suicide.

Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

China has publicly condemned U.S. pressure on Cuba, accusing Washington of violating international law and calling for an end to sanctions and the decades-long embargo. 

The comments echo Beijing’s long-standing pattern of backing smaller communist governments it says face foreign threats, including Cuba and Venezuela.

"China is deeply concerned about and strongly condemns the U.S. moves, and urges the U.S. to stop depriving the Cuban people of their rights to subsistence and development, stop disrupting regional peace and stability, stop its violations of international law, and immediately lift its blockade and sanctions against Cuba," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X on Tuesday morning.

The post was shared by China’s embassy in the U.S.

HAVANA SYNDROME: FOREIGN ADVERSARIES' MICROWAVE WEAPONS CAPABILITIES EXPLAINED BY PHYSICIST

Beijing has routinely criticized U.S. sanctions policy, framing economic pressure on communist governments as a threat to regional stability.

There is no naval blockade currently in place, though U.S. officials have said it remains an option.

The escalation follows the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, a move that significantly disrupted Cuba’s access to Venezuelan oil and triggered outrage from Havana.

The operation and its fallout marked a dramatic escalation in U.S.–Cuba tensions, with President Donald Trump declaring that Cuba would no longer receive oil or money from Venezuela — a move that severed Havana’s longtime energy and financial lifeline.

VENEZUELA’S DELCY RODRÍGUEZ SNAPS AT WASHINGTON, DECLARES ‘ENOUGH’ OF US INFLUENCE

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said his administration was not negotiating with Washington, despite Trump’s threats to push Cuba into a deal now that Venezuelan oil will no longer be supplied.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is actively seeking Cuban officials willing to strike a deal that could facilitate regime change by the end of 2026.

In June, Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum tightening U.S. policy toward Cuba, reinforcing sanctions and travel bans, restricting financial dealings with Cuban military-linked entities, and enforcing the economic embargo.

Fox News’ Nicole McManus contributed to this report.

When Col. (Res.) Eli Konigsberg puts on his uniform at the age of 57, he carries more than the weight of command. He carries the story of two families nearly erased from the map of Europe.

As the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945, the deputy commander of Israel’s Jerusalem and Central District in the Home Front Command says the past is not distant history. For him, it lives in memory, in service, and in the urgency of defending a Jewish state he believes remains the only place where Jews are truly protected.

"Both of my parents are Holocaust survivors," Konigsberg, whose picture is blurred for security reasons, told Fox News Digital. "My father came from a large Orthodox Jewish family in western Poland. Before the war, the extended family numbered around 700 people. After the Holocaust, only my father and two cousins remained; three people out of 700."

101-YEAR-OLD KRISTALLNACHT SURVIVOR WARNS CURRENT ERA 'EQUIVALENT TO 1938' ON ANNIVERSARY OF NAZI RIOT

After surviving Auschwitz, his father joined the Betar movement and attempted to reach the Land of Israel in 1946 aboard the ship Theodor Herzl. He was detained by British authorities, imprisoned at the Atlit camp and exiled to Cyprus for nearly two years.

Only with the declaration of Israel’s independence did he finally arrive.

"He enlisted, fought in the War of Independence and four additional wars and served in the reserves for 55 years," Konigsberg said.

On his mother’s side, the losses were no less devastating. Her parents and sisters were taken from their home in eastern Poland after neighbors informed on them.

"They were forced to dig their own grave beneath a pear tree and were executed by gunfire," he said.

The Holocaust was rarely discussed openly in his childhood home, Konigsberg said, but its presence was constant. Now, he worries about a different silence.

"We are 80 years after the Holocaust, and the people who can say ‘I was there. I saw’ are disappearing," he said. "Therefore, the duty of remembrance is our duty."

CHRISTIAN PASTORS, INFLUENCERS JOIN 1,000-STRONG ISRAEL MISSION BACKING JEWISH STATE, FIGHTING ANTISEMITISM

That sense of responsibility shaped his life. Konigsberg, a father of four daughters and a grandfather, has served more than 36 years in Israel’s reserve forces, completing more than 3,600 days of duty.

"Ten years of reserve duty in total," he said. In Israel, reservists are legally exempt from duty at age 45. Konigsberg chose to continue, "When they call me, I will immediately arrive." 

Following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, he was mobilized once again.

"What we saw on Oct. 7 was killing for the sake of killing," he said. "Not to conquer territory or change reality. It was hatred for the sake of hatred."

WHY CHRISTIANS MUST STAND WITH ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE AMID SURGING ANTISEMITISM

Since then, he has commanded rescue and heavy engineering units operating in the Gaza Envelope, inside Gaza, and in the north. His forces have carried out body identification, rescue operations and clearing missions aimed at eliminating terrorist hiding places.

"In the next few days we are going back into Gaza again for clearing and demolition," he said.

Despite the trauma, he says the reserve system reflects something powerful about Israeli society. "What is beautiful about the reserves is that people can hold very different political opinions, and everyone still comes and works as one body," he said.

Konigsberg reflected on what he believes history is teaching again. "We see now that antisemitism existed and will continue to exist in the future," he said.

He pointed to the global reaction to Israel since Oct. 7. "There are terrible things happening in other places. For example, the Iranian regime crackdown on its own people, and you do not see demonstrations like this, but when it involves Israel and Jews, there is an outcry," he said.

For Konigsberg, remembrance is not only about mourning the dead. It is about protecting the living. "The place of every Jew is here in Israel," he added. "And we must always remain united and strong. We must be here in our land, be strong and united and ensure that ‘never again’ truly means never again," he said.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is hailing the start of a new era in the Middle East after the return of the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza.

Israeli police officer Ran Gvili's remains were returned to Israel on Monday, marking the return of all hostages, both living and deceased.

"Yesterday was a historic day," Witkoff wrote in a post on X. "Now, ALL 20 living hostages and all 28 deceased hostages in Gaza have now been returned to their families – a monumental, historic feat that few thought was possible. It’s thanks to the hard work of so many, but especially [the president], who works tirelessly for peace."

"This closes a painful chapter for many, and paves the way for a new future that can be defined by peace, not war, and prosperity, not destruction," Witkoff added. "It’s a new day in the Middle East, and President Trump, myself, and the entire team are committed to sustained peace and prosperity for all in the region."

ISRAEL CONFIRMS RECOVERY OF LAST HOSTAGE'S REMAINS FROM GAZA

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an organization created in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks to represent the families of those who were kidnapped, thanked Witkoff and echoed his message, saying, "Without [the president] and his administration, the hostages would never have come home."

President Donald Trump celebrated the return of Gvili's remains from Gaza with a post on Truth Social.

"Just recovered the last hostage body in GAZA. Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living hostages, and ALL of the dead! AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do. Congratulations to my great team of champions!!!" Trump wrote.

TRUMP WRITES MESSAGE TO ISRAELIS AFTER ALL LIVING HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised Trump while addressing Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset. He thanked Trump, Witkoff, Jared Kushner and their teams "for their significant and important support."

Trump has previously made high-profile diplomatic moves in the Middle East. During his first administration, he brokered a series of normalization agreements known as the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

Witkoff and Trump visited Israel in October on the day the final remaining living hostages returned home from Gaza after more than two years in captivity. The Knesset received them and other members of the administration with cheers of gratitude.

"No American president has ever done more for Israel," Netanyahu said at the time. "It ain’t even close."

When the living hostages were released, Witkoff celebrated their return and recognized the pain of those whose loved ones would not come home alive.

"Even in this moment of relief and happiness, my heart aches for those whose loved ones will not return alive. Bringing their bodies home is a must and an act of dignity and honors their memory forever," Witkoff wrote on X.

On the morning of Oct. 7, Gvili was supposed to be at home resting while waiting for surgery on his broken shoulder, which he sustained during a motorbike accident. However, when rocket sirens sounded, Gvili, who was 24 at the time, grabbed his uniform and went to fight. He fought alongside fellow officers and was eventually killed near Kibbutz Alumim. His body was taken into Gaza, where it was held for over 840 days.

In December, Ran’s mother, Talik Gvili, wrote an op-ed for Fox News Digital reflecting on her son’s final moments and pleading for his return.

"My Ran never hesitated when evil came knocking... That's who my son was," she said of her son's actions on Oct. 7.

"I promise you, my Ran, that your story will be heard around the world. Everyone will know what you did, how you fought, how you never gave up."

Leaders from around the world gathered in Jerusalem on Tuesday to highlight the global surge in antisemitism on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marked annually on the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi extermination camp.

An opening gala was held on Monday, during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the West’s democratic civilization is under threat from a destructive ideology that has infiltrated every country in Western Europe and the United States.

"They want to destroy the West as we know it. And they agree on one thing. What is the thing that they agree on? World War Jew. To conduct a world war, first against the Jews and against the Jewish state," he said.

ISRAEL WILL HONOR THE LATE CHARLIE KIRK WITH AWARD FOR OPPOSING ANTISEMITISM

"And for the radical Muslims, they are right, because there would be no West in the Middle East if the Jewish state is eradicated. There would be no obstacle for the further invasion of Europe if the Jewish state doesn't exist. And it also appeals to their internal hatred of the Jews, which has common roots with antisemitism over the centuries," Netanyahu added.

Among the prominent international figures attending the conference were Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

"Antisemitism is rooted in a spiritual disease of raw evil," Huckabee told Fox News Digital. "It’s the bigotry of believing oneself to be superior to another, which is the essence of all forms of irrational hate and racism. We all should be speaking up and standing up against it," he said.

"Hating the Jews today is hating Christians tomorrow and some other group the next. It’s a cancer that is never satisfied until every healthy human relationship is destroyed. It originates in hell. Any and all efforts to identify such darkness is helpful. Being quiet about it is to accept it and agree with it," the ambassador added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog was the first speaker to address the conference on Tuesday, warning of a deteriorating reality for Jewish communities worldwide.

"The same old plague has been let loose on our society once again. The rationale may be different, but it is the same ancient poison, it has taken many forms, but it has always carried the same name, antisemitism," he said.

ISRAELI OFFICIALS HEAP BLAME ON AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AFTER BONDI BEACH SHOOTING: 'COUNTLESS WARNING SIGNS'

Herzog noted that Jews now feel compelled to hide their identities on the streets of London and Paris, and that Jewish worshipers must be protected on Saturday mornings from Toronto to Boston to Buenos Aires.

He cited the killing of Jewish worshipers in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the murder of innocents at a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia, and the isolation and harassment of Jewish students on university campuses across the U.S. and Europe.

"When this happens," Herzog said, "we are failing to meet our vow. We are failing to meet our duties to humanity."

Herzog also addressed concerns in the United States, citing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "To deny the Jewish people and only the Jewish people the right to self-determination in their national homeland is antisemitism - even if you are the mayor of the city with the most Jews outside Israel," he said.

ISIS, IRAN ESCALATING GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST JEWS, ISRAEL SPY CHIEF SAYS

The conference, titled Generation Truth, and hosted by Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli, focused on three primary manifestations of modern antisemitism: violent Islamist antisemitism, progressive antisemitism that seeks to delegitimize Israel and exclude Jews from public life, and far-right antisemitism, which has gained renewed visibility in recent years.

On Tuesday, Chikli drew a connection between Nazi ideology and what he described as "Islamo-Nazism," which he said underpins the worldview of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

"Eighty-one years have passed, and the Jewish people have still not fully recovered from the horrific campaign of annihilation carried out by Nazi Germany. Eighty-one years have passed and yet an axe is still raised against us seeking to destroy the small Jewish state and to harm Jews at every point on the globe, from the kibbutzim and communities in southern Israel still scared by the barbaric Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7 to Manchester and Sydney," Chikli said.

"This conference seeks to banish political correctness… and to mobilize all essential forces in the ideological and physical fight against the modern heirs of the Nazi," he continued.

Also speaking at the conference was Sylvan Adams, president of the World Jewish Congress for the Israel region, who told Fox News Digital that on Oct. 8, 2023 — before the war in Gaza began and while Israel was still counting its dead — demonstrations took place across the globe celebrating the Hamas-led massacre.

He blamed the events on several countries that he said are part of an organized campaign led by Qatar, which he said serves as a frontline for the Muslim Brotherhood, with backing from Iran and, more recently, China — actors he argued exploit Israel and the Jewish people to intimidate and overturn Western society.

"After Israel appeared wounded and vulnerable on Oct. 7, they activated a massive, long-prepared campaign — investing vast resources, infiltrating institutions, and planting paid operatives in Western cities in an effort to deliver a final blow. But we see how deeply mistaken they were," Adams said.

"We need to push back and remind leaders in the West, institutional leaders as well as political leaders, that we are under attack. Our way of life, our freedoms are under attack. It’s not Israel’s fight, this is a clash of civilizations, we are fighting for all of the West," he added.

North Korea is flexing its muscles and firing short-range ballistic missiles toward its waters ahead of a major political meeting.

South Korea's military detected the launches of several ballistic missiles from an area northeast of Pyongyang, North Korea, adding that each missile flew approximately 217 miles, The Associated Press reported. 

Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry said that two ballistic missiles launched from North Korea and landed off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to the AP.

These launches represent the first time North Korea fired weapons since testing hypersonic missiles in early January, the AP noted. In December, the country tested long-range strategic cruise missiles and new anti-air missiles and released photos of the apparent construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, which would be the first of its kind for Pyongyang, the AP reported.

NORTH KOREA TEST-LAUNCHES HYPERSONIC MISSILE SYSTEM IN FRONT OF KIM, NATION SAYS

The missile launches come as the ruling party prepares to hold its first full congress in five years, according to the AP, which cited state media. So far, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has met with other top officials to prepare for the meeting. The top-level meeting will reportedly be used to set new political and economic priorities as the U.S. and South Korea seek renewed talks with North Korea.

NORTH KOREA RELEASES IMAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which is controlled by the North Korean government, reported in December that Kim presided over a plenary meeting of the Workers Party’s Central Committee in which participants discussed issues related to the party congress and this year's state policies, the AP reported. The outlet noted that Kim revived the congress in 2016 after a 36-year hiatus.

Additionally, North Korea recently accused South Korea of carrying out surveillance drone flights across the border. Seoul has denied operating drones during the times Pyongyang specified and said it began investigating the possibility that civilians sent them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces conducted approximately 80 brigade-level counterterrorism operations over the past year in the West Bank — known to Israelis as Judea and Samaria — neutralizing hundreds of terrorists and seizing more than 1,300 weapons, according to data released by the military.

The IDF said overall Palestinian terrorist activity in the area declined sharply in 2025, with incidents down 78% compared to the previous year. Attacks involving firearms dropped by 86%, the data showed.

Security remains essential in Israel’s ancient heartland, home to more than 500,000 Jews and up to 3 million Palestinians, and is at the center of intense political and diplomatic debate. Many Israeli officials argue that Jerusalem must assert sovereignty over the territory. 

TRUMP LAUNCHES PHASE 2 OF GAZA PEACE PLAN — BUT HAMAS DISARMAMENT REMAINS THE REAL TEST

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, brokered during the Clinton administration, the West Bank was divided into three areas: Area A, under full Palestinian control; Area B, under Palestinian civil authority and Israeli security control; and Area C, under full Israeli authority.

A 2020 plan by the Trump administration, known as "Peace to Prosperity," envisioned Israeli annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria but was shelved in favor of the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with four Arab countries. In July 2024, the Knesset plenum overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, and in July 2025, approved a declaration calling on the government to apply sovereignty in Judea and Samaria as well as the Jordan Valley, something Vice President JD Vance described as a "very stupid political stunt," when asked his thoughts on the vote.

On a visit to Israel, he said, "The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel… The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy. And if people want to take symbolic votes, they can do that, but we certainly weren't happy about it."

VANCE REBUKES ISRAEL ON 'VERY STUPID' VOTE TO ANNEX WEST BANK

Focusing on the national security significance of the area, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF international spokesperson and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that fundamental principles of warfare apply to the area.

"High ground, or elevated terrain, remains critical and extremely important in defending a country, its people and its sovereignty," Conricus said. "I cannot identify any credible professional military assessment that would suggest it is wise for Israel to allow a hostile entity to dominate high terrain that controls, by line of sight and fire, most of modern Israel west of the 1949 armistice line, where 80% of Israel’s GDP and 70% of its population reside."

WALTZ HAILS ‘NIGHT-AND-DAY’ MIDDLE EAST SHIFT AS TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN RESHAPES REGION

Conricus said that no Israeli government could relinquish military control over the area without endangering the most basic security of the State of Israel.

He emphasized that the area defines Israel’s eastern border and noted that, while Israel currently maintains strategic peace with Jordan, the kingdom remains unstable and vulnerable to both internal and external pressures.

"It could be jihadist elements, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas or the Iranian regime," he said. "Israel has to have an eastern border that is a natural barrier. The Jordan River is a natural barrier that limits the movement of troops, tanks and vehicles, and provides a border that is defensible," he said.

ISRAEL FM ACCUSES PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY OF AIDING TERROR WITH ‘PAY-FOR-SLAY’ AFTER DEADLY ATTACK

Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, pointed to the concept of defensible borders that emerged after the 1967 Six-Day War.

"As a result, Israel gained a major defensive position and strategic depth it had never previously possessed," Diker said, noting that Israel had been only nine miles wide at its narrowest point in the north.

After the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Diker said its strategic importance has increased amid concerns that a similar large-scale attack could occur there, given the widespread flow of weapons.

"Although we control between 60% and 75% of the region, Iran has been penetrating the Jordanian border," he said, adding that Hamas incitement has energized jihadist networks.

Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron — the cradle of Jewish civilization located in Judea — told Fox News Digital that the vast majority of events described in the Bible took place in Judea and Samaria.

Hebron, he said, is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, while Jerusalem is where the two Jewish Temples stood and where King David reigned. In Bet El, the Biblical account of Jacob’s dream of the ladder took place.

"The reason we have national aspirations in the Land of Israel is because of our history," Fleisher said. He also cited an initiative to rename Route 60 — which runs through many Biblical cities — the "Biblical Highway."

Earlier this month, IDF troops were dispatched to the Shavei Shomron Junction following reports that dozens of masked Israeli suspects had vandalized property in the area. Several Palestinian vehicles were torched, and two Palestinians were injured. A day later, IDF troops were dispatched to the area of Jalud following reports that Israeli civilians had vandalized a local school. In a separate incident in the Bizzariya area, several Palestinian vehicles were set on fire and property was damaged.

In 2025, the IDF recorded an increase of approximately 27% in anti-Palestinian crimes.

Governor of Binyamin and Chairman of the Yesha Council Yisrael Ganz told Fox News Digital that Judea and Samaria has been in a state of war since Oct. 7. Over the past year, he said, citing Shin Bet data, there were more than 4,000 attempted attacks against Israelis.

UN AMBASSADOR WALTZ REVEALS TRUMP'S MIDDLE EAST PEACE PLAN IS ‘THE ONLY WAY FORWARD’

Ganz cited former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen, who said only 1.5% of Shin Bet cases involve Jews, while roughly 80% focus on Arab terrorism.

"Yes, there are incidents of violence, but the number of Jews who attack Arabs is negligible," Ganz said, condemning extremist youth as a small and unrepresentative minority.

Ganz argued that the absence of Israeli sovereignty creates a legal gray zone that enables extremism.

"When there is governance, security and economic opportunity, there is no room for anarchy or violence," he said, envisioning Judea and Samaria as "the Israeli Tuscany."

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told Fox News Digital that the two-state solution was never viable but rather a diplomatic reflex.

"The Palestinians hold the world record for a people who have been offered a two-state solution and have rejected it," Oren said. "They rejected it in 1937, the British offer in 1947, the American-Israeli offer in 2001, and the subsequent offer in 2008."

According to polls, Oren said, most Palestinians oppose a two-state solution and support the Oct. 7 attacks.

"Rather, the two-state solution is viewed as an interim stage toward a one-state solution," he said, a phrase often used as a euphemism for the eventual destruction of Israel through demographic change.

While acknowledging Palestinian self-rule in Areas A and B, Oren said a fully sovereign Palestinian state is impossible.

"It could not have control over its borders, nor control over strategic affairs, such as entering a defense pact with Iran. It will never be a classic sovereign state, but it could be more than what they have today," he said.

While a two-state solution once seemed inevitable, Dan Shapiro — who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama and as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for the Middle East under President Joe Biden — told Fox News Digital that it has not been viable for many years and may now be harder to envision than ever, particularly in the aftermath of Oct. 7.

ISRAEL CALLS UN PUSH FOR PALESTINE STATEHOOD A ‘CHARADE,’ WARNS OF ‘CONSEQUENCES’ FOR RECOGNITION MOVES

Still, Shapiro said, the framework remains a fixture of Middle East diplomacy due to the lack of viable alternatives for resolving the conflict between two peoples living in one land, each with legitimate claims to a homeland.

"President Trump includes a credible pathway to a Palestinian state in his 20-point plan to stabilize Gaza and remove Hamas from power. Presidents Biden and Trump have both viewed progress toward a Palestinian state as part of the formula to achieve Saudi normalization with Israel," Shapiro said.

"None of this means it can happen soon, or perhaps at all. If it ever does, it will take longer and look different from earlier efforts. It is not a copy-and-paste of ideas from the Oslo era. But that credible pathway to a Palestinian state — one that would live peacefully alongside a secure Israel — difficult as it is, remains relevant," he added.

Shapiro noted that even Israel’s current government — the most right-wing in the country’s history and one that includes multiple proponents of annexation — has stopped short of applying sovereignty across the West Bank, a sign, he said, that the political and diplomatic costs remain too high.

"President Trump has announced that it will not happen because he promised Arab states — the same ones he does business with and relies on to help stabilize Gaza — that it will not happen, and Netanyahu will not oppose him on it," Shapiro said.

Shapiro said that preserving the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state on some portion of the territory — even if it appears distant and would require major changes in Palestinian leadership and society — has remained relevant, even under Israeli governments that profess to oppose any two-state outcome. 

An Iranian amateur boxer was shot and killed by Iranian security forces during ongoing anti-regime protests near Tehran, and his father spent a week searching before identifying his body in a black body bag.

Harrowing footage circulating online shows his distraught father desperately searching among piles of bodies covered with black body bags, crying out for his missing son.

Sepehr Ebrahimi, 19, was killed on Jan. 11 in the Andisheh area, approximately 19 miles west of Tehran’s city center, according to Iranian opposition sources.

"Sepehr was shot and killed in Tehran," Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.

IRAN LOCKS NATION INTO ‘DARKER’ DIGITAL BLACKOUT, VIEWING INTERNET AS AN ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’

Video shared on social media, which was viewed by Fox News Digital, shows Ebrahimi’s father calling out his son’s name as he searches a warehouse filled with unidentified bodies following a violent crackdown on demonstrators.

"My dear Sepehr, where are you?" the father can be heard crying. At one point, he shouts, "Damn Khamenei. They have killed the children of so many people. You killed so many young people!"

According to Safavi, Ebrahimi was shot with live ammunition by Iran’s security forces during protests against the clerical regime.

His family spent an agonizing week searching through morgues, hospitals and detention facilities before finally identifying his body among piles of corpses, also shown in the viral footage.

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

The killing comes amid ongoing demonstrations across Iran, as anger continues to simmer over political repression, economic hardship and human rights abuses.

Ebrahimi’s death has also renewed attention on the case of another Iranian boxer, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, who is on death row.

Vafaei Sani, now 30, is a champion boxer who was arrested in 2020 for participating in nationwide pro-democracy protests.

Iranian authorities accused him of supporting the opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK).

He has spent five years in prison, during which he has reportedly been tortured and held in prolonged solitary confinement, according to rights organizations.

IRANIAN SOLDIER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR REFUSING TO FIRE ON PROTESTERS DURING NATIONWIDE UNREST

In 2023, more than 100 human rights experts and international organizations sent a letter to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, urging urgent intervention to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution.

His death sentence echoes the case of Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari, who was executed in September 2020.

Meanwhile, the death of Ebrahimi and others come as Iran’s protest-related death toll continues to rise.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 6,126 people have been killed since the start of the latest wave of protests.

HRANA also reported that 214 government-affiliated forces and 49 civilians have also been killed, while more than 17,000 deaths remain under investigation.