Feed aggregator
Russia may be using hidden 'lunchbox-size' drone devices to counter Ukraine defenses: expert
Russia may be concealing signal repeaters inside Ukrainian cities to help its long-range drones evade air defenses and strike with greater precision, a weapons expert told Fox News Digital.
The Kyiv Post first reported the possible use of the small ground devices, or repeaters, which Draganfly CEO and co-founder Cameron Chell said form part of an expanding "mesh" network that allows Russian drones to relay encrypted signals across multiple connections, making drones and drone swarms far harder for Ukraine to disrupt and bring down through standard electronic jamming.
Chell’s warning also came amid escalating diplomatic notices for the region, with Moscow urging foreign nationals and embassy staff to leave the capital Kyiv immediately on Oct. 3, highlighting "mortal danger" as Russian forces threatened further "massive retaliatory strikes."
"Russia has come to the realization that innovation is going to have to win this war, to the point now where they are becoming the innovative leader in this war—not just in terms of tactics, strategy, and technology, but the entire mindset is shifting," Chell said.
RUSSIA READIES NEW 500-MILE MISSILE AS WEAPON EXPERT WARNS OF 'TERMINAL END GAME SURPRISES'
Mesh networks, Chell explained, allow drones and strategically placed ground-based repeaters to relay encrypted signals across multiple connections, making many Russian drone flights harder to disrupt.
"The use of mesh networking is now making it increasingly hard for a defensive position to bring down Russian drones in an effective manner."
"With real-time precision, Russia can also now take their drone device into a particular window," Chell warned.
"You can take the device onto a particular portion of a bridge because you can make that real-time, last-minute decision live because you've got all these additional network connections that increase not just your bandwidth, but also your resilience in terms of being jammed," he added.
RUSSIAN STRIKES CONTINUE FOLLOWING VISIT BY WITKOFF AND KUSHNER TO KYIV
Moscow's rapid technological evolution on the battlefield comes alongside unusually precise strikes on critical infrastructure in Kyiv, including major river crossings.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat confirmed Sept. 29 that Russian forces are integrating mesh networking into their drone fleet while upgrading onboard optics.
"The enemy is using high-quality materials in its UAVs and increasing camera resolution, allowing the enemy to view the situation on the ground in detail and use these UAVs for various targets. And the use of mesh networks is indeed present. Of course, this is quite dangerous," Ihnat said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
"They are using the principles of mesh networking to combat the counter-drone measures taken by Ukraine to ensure that drones can't get through or that those Russian communication links are broken," Chell said.
FBI WARNS BATTLEFIELD-STYLE DRONE ATTACKS COULD REACH US: 'ONLY A MATTER OF TIME'
"If Russia had multiple nodes that could communicate with a device and could use the device to communicate with other devices swarming the area, Ukraine would be faced with multiple, maybe even hundreds of connections to have to break simultaneously in order to bring that drone down," he said.
On Oct. 3, Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, also warned that Russian forces may have hidden the small signal boosters, or these ground repeaters, inside Kyiv to extend drone control.
"Such repeaters are difficult to find, but we must search for them. As long as they exist, shielding the city with electronic warfare will not be effective," Beskrestnov warned.
Specifically, the repeaters are small concealed radio relay devices that receive and retransmit signals, extending the range of drone operators while helping maintain control in areas where direct communications or GPS signals may be disrupted.
"The size of these repeaters is really about the size of a large lunchbox. They're very easy to conceal, and they don't have to be turned on all the time, so they're hard to detect electronically," Chell said.
"Moving one or two or even three of these into a city the size of Kyiv can be hugely effective."
RUSSIA EXPOSES NATO WEAPONS GAP AS TOP COMMANDER WARNS ‘THE MATH IS NOT IN FAVOR OF THE WEST’
Technical analysts also pointed to a Sept. 4 strike on the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) headquarters on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv as early evidence of the tactic.
Tracking data reportedly showed no relay drones airborne during the strike, fueling concerns that hidden ground-based repeaters may have been used to maintain communications with the attacking drone.
"They will be doing everything they can to move as many of these things not just into Kyiv, but at any location in the country, even operational battlefields," Chell said.
"The reality is every time you put another node on a mesh network, you exponentially increase the efficiency, resiliency, and capability of that network."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sept. 28 that while Ukraine intercepts about 70% of conventional Russian drones during mass attacks, interception rates fall to 57% against newer, faster jet-powered UAVs.
UKRAINE’S BATTLEFIELD IS TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE OF NATO
"It is obvious that the Russians are not preparing to stop the war – at least not at the moment," Zelenskyy said.
"Next year Russia plans to spend US$12 billion just on producing jet-powered drones and loitering munitions. And that's only one category of weapons. Of course, this doesn't only relate to Ukraine," he added, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
"Russia probably has the intention of, if needed, expanding this war," Chell warned, arguing that drones themselves are becoming secondary to the communications architecture that guides them.
"The network is now the weapon, and the drone is what executes the desired result," he said.
"This is an unbelievable moment in the tactics of what's unfolding here with the future of warfare," Chell concluded.
North Korea missile could put Guam in range as Kim rebuffs Trump outreach: expert
North Korea fired what it described as an intermediate-range strategic missile Oct. 3, and an expert warned that such a missile could put Guam and parts of Alaska within range, raising the stakes for the U.S. and its allies as President Donald Trump seeks to revive diplomacy with Kim Jong Un.
Kim personally oversaw the drill, North Korean state media claimed, while former U.S. Forces Korea analyst Sydney Seiler told Fox News Digital that its range means the latest test has implications extending far beyond the Korean Peninsula.
According to Reuters, citing North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, the missile was described as part of a "hypersonic strategic weapon system" and traveled about 1,000 kilometers, or 621 miles, away in waters off the country's east coast.
Guam holds strategic military importance as a U.S. territory in the western Pacific and hosts major military installations, including Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam.
"What is interesting about an IRBM launch — an intermediate-range ballistic missile that flies around 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers — is that it brings Guam, parts of Alaska, and Japan into range of North Korea," Seiler, a former National Intelligence Council officer focused on North Korea, said while cautioning against fully viewing the launch as a direct response to Trump.
"But when you consider the preparation required for an intermediate-range ballistic missile system, it is unlikely this was primarily a response to the president's comments or actions over the past few days," Seiler said.
Hours after the Oct. 3 missile launch, Trump had touted his relationship with Kim during a rally in Vandalia, Ohio.
"I get along great with Kim Jong Un. Isn't it nice to get along with the leaders of massive nuclear nations?" Trump said.
He also added: "When someone has 112 nuclear missiles, it is better to get along with them," pointing to North Korea's nuclear capabilities as a reason for maintaining open diplomatic communication.
"North Korea simply isn't interested in talking right now, so they have no incentive not to launch," Seiler said of the recent missile test and Trump's latest remarks.
"The fact that they're doing these missile launches amid a diplomatic effort by President Trump to try to re-engage the North, you have to see them only as somewhat related."
RUSSIA DEPLOYS NORTH KOREAN MISSILE UNIT TO UKRAINE; MOSCOW-PYONGYANG AXIS DEEPENS: REPORT
The test also followed North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on Sept. 20, according to reports.
Officials from the U.S., South Korea and Japan said Oct. 3 that North Korea's ballistic missile tests violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and threaten regional and international security.
Seiler, now a nonresident senior adviser with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Pyongyang's posture extends beyond its relationship with the Trump administration.
The latest launch comes "within the larger context of a current absolute stand down on dialogue with South Korea and repeated rejections of overtures from the United States for dialogue," Seiler said.
"But North Korea has refrained from some more aggressive actions during the president’s term of office; we haven't seen an ICBM launch for almost two years now."
TRUMP ORDERS MAJOR CUT TO US-SOUTH KOREA DRILLS AS NORTH KOREA RAMPS UP MISSILE TESTS
Seiler warned that restraint should not, however, be mistaken for a willingness to abandon Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.
"For North Korea, their overall diplomatic strategy is to condition the world to accept them for who they are: a non-denuclearizing, missile-launching, occasionally provoking, and rhetorically coercive state," Seiler said.
"As time goes on, their goal is for us to give up any hope of denuclearization or structural change, which is consistent with them establishing a baseline: whether diplomacy unfolds or not, they will continue to develop and demonstrate missile technology."
Meanwhile, Trump has continued to emphasize his relationship with Kim while signaling a wish to revive the personal diplomacy of his first term.
Trump and Kim held summits in Singapore in 2018 and Hanoi in 2019 before meeting at Panmunjom in the Korean Demilitarized Zone later that year, when Trump crossed into North Korea.
"The president has shown persistent commitment to engaging North Korea in dialogue — most recently suggesting he is open to a phone call," Seiler said.
"While a call might not yield immediate progress on denuclearization, it contributes to tension reduction and helps establish a direct relationship necessary for future crisis management on the peninsula."
Complicating Washington's strategy, the expert said, is Kim's alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
North Korea has provided troops and military equipment to support Russia's war in Ukraine, reducing Kim's incentive to engage with the U.S., according to Seiler.
"Right now, Kim Jong Un, particularly given his emerging relationship with Vladimir Putin and everything he's getting out of the relationship with Russia right now, simply doesn't need to talk to the United States," Seiler said.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman's unusual relationship with Kim also perhaps offers Trump another potential connection to the North Korean leader. Rodman has also made multiple trips to North Korea and met personally with Kim.
Rodman joined Trump at a Peterbilt plant in Denton, Texas, on Oct. 1 before traveling with the president toward a rally in Durant, Oklahoma.
Asked in Texas whether he was using Rodman, who has personally met Kim, to help broker peace with Pyongyang, Trump emphasized his own relationship with the North Korean leader.
"As long as I'm here, you're not gonna have any problems. Somebody else comes, you're gonna have some big problems," Trump said.
Trump also highlighted Rodman's personal connection to Kim, saying: "When I wanted to get to know Kim Jong Un when we were having a problem—Kim Jong Un and I get along—but the one who knew him best was Dennis Rodman."
"Dennis Rodman has a very interesting perspective in that he was able to interact with Kim Jong Un over a number of visits and get to know him personally, to develop some rapport without any diplomatic baggage," Seiler said.
"He may be offering President Trump insights into Kim Jong Un's personality, values, and potential approaches, but, you know, as I think Dennis Rodman's representatives have said, he is still a long way off from getting airplane tickets."
America’s Arctic war machine roars to life as commander reveals chilling new reality on Russia’s doorstep
Across one of the coldest, most remote and strategically exposed corners of the United States, American forces are practicing how to fight on land, at sea and in the air — rapidly moving rocket systems into western Alaska, sending F-35s and F-16s toward simulated threats, and coordinating U.S. and Canadian warships in the Bering Sea.
The operations are part of Tundra Merlin, an enduring U.S. military campaign aimed at proving that even across Alaska’s vast distances and extreme Arctic conditions, American and allied forces can rapidly assemble combat power to defend the northern approaches to the homeland.
And behind that show of force is a changing security environment increasingly shaped by Russia and China.
TWO ICEBREAKERS HEADED TO ALASKA AS US COMBATS RUSSIAN, CHINESE INFLUENCE IN ARCTIC
"I think what’s changed is primarily two things," Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, told Fox News Digital. "One is that the melting sea ice has made the Arctic more accessible. And we’re seeing increased activity both commercially and militarily in the Arctic, particularly during the summer months."
"The other factor is that China and Russia and others are continuing to advance their military capabilities and capacity with an interest in showing that they can use them in the Arctic as well," Davis said.
The Pentagon has reached a similar conclusion. Its 2024 Arctic Strategy warned that growing Russia-China cooperation could "alter the Arctic’s stability and threat picture," and called for greater U.S. presence, exercises and military preparedness in a region becoming increasingly accessible. Defense officials have said forces operating there must be able not merely to train in extreme conditions, but survive them.
RUSSIA PULLED BACK FROM THE ARCTIC, FOR NOW. NATO MUST ACT BEFORE THOSE TROOPS RETURN
Few places illustrate the stakes better than Alaska.
The state sits at the intersection of the Arctic and Pacific and serves as a critical hub for homeland defense and a platform for projecting U.S. military power toward the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The Russian and American mainlands are only about 55 miles apart at their closest points across the Bering Strait, while Russia’s Big Diomede Island and Alaska’s Little Diomede Island are separated by roughly 2.5 miles.
Alaska also hosts major air bases, early-warning and missile-defense infrastructure, and tens of thousands of military personnel. U.S. Northern Command says Alaskan Command has more than 22,000 active-duty personnel from across the services, along with approximately 4,700 Guard and Reserve members.
Air Force officials have described Alaska as the "crossroads of the Arctic and the Pacific," providing U.S. forces with reach and domain awareness for both homeland defense and global power projection.
Davis put that geography in even starker terms.
Pointing to the fifth-generation fighters positioned in Alaska, he told Fox News Digital that U.S. forces can "project from the Arctic to almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in about 10 hours of flight time."
RUSSIA’S QUIETER NUCLEAR SUBMARINES THREATEN NATO, FORMER COMMANDER WARNS
Tundra Merlin is designed to turn that geographic advantage into combat capability.
Davis described the operation as a collection of military options — essentially "plays in a playbook" — that can be activated either to deter an adversary or respond if one begins acting aggressively.
"Our hope is that we don’t have any adversarial activity because we’ve effectively deterred it," Davis said. "But if we do see it and we have kind of a play in the playbook ready to go. For a response."
One of the most striking demonstrations came recently, on Alaska’s western edge.
U.S. and Canadian forces rapidly moved a U.S. Army HIMARS mobile rocket system and an AN/TPQ-53 radar into western Alaska aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force C-17, then connected those ground forces with American F-35s, F-16s and a KC-135 tanker operating overhead.
CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN AND NORTH KOREA FORM 'AXIS OF AGGRESSORS' THAT COULD OVERWHELM US, BOOK WARNS
The mission brought air defense and long-range offensive firepower together in a single operation. F-35s and HIMARS synchronized against a simulated ground target approximately 135 miles away, while F-16s simultaneously intercepted F-35s acting as simulated incoming aerial threats, according to U.S. Northern Command.
Davis said the point was not simply to prove the individual weapons worked, but to show how quickly forces could be moved into a remote part of Alaska and linked together.
The operation demonstrated that U.S. forces can rapidly move capabilities into Alaska "both to defend Alaska, but also, if necessary, to put other adversary targets at risk," he told Fox News Digital.
Tundra Merlin pushed that same concept out to sea in September.
From Sept. 18–22, U.S. and Canadian forces conducted a joint maritime strike scenario roughly 100 nautical miles north of Dutch Harbor, integrating U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy surface and subsurface vessels with Canadian maritime patrol aircraft and Alaska-based U.S. Air Force F-35 fighters and E-3 airborne warning and control aircraft.
The forces practiced multiple simulated maritime target engagements, testing whether information collected by different ships and aircraft could be rapidly passed across the force and used to identify, track and engage a potential threat.
"The most impressive part to me was seeing the high degree of cooperation and integration among units that day in and day out don't necessarily operate together," Davis said.
"To see the joint nature on the U.S. side integrated together with the inter-agency of the U.S. Coast Guard and with our allies, with Canada as an example, was just an amazing thing to see," he added.
That ability to operate at scale is complicated by Alaska itself.
Extreme cold can affect equipment and personnel, while the enormous distances and limited infrastructure of the North American Arctic make moving and sustaining forces unusually difficult. The Pentagon’s Arctic Strategy specifically identifies those distances and the region’s infrastructure limitations as obstacles to military operations and says maintaining infrastructure in Alaska is essential for missile defense, surveillance and rapid power projection.
Davis said military equipment brought into Alaska cannot simply be expected to function as it would elsewhere.
"It needs to be conditioned. It needs to be properly outfitted to operate in sub-zero temperatures for a long period of time," he said, adding that troops also require specialized clothing, training and procedures to avoid cold-weather injuries and continue fighting in Arctic conditions.
The pressure to master that environment comes as Russia and China increasingly demonstrate their own ability to operate near North America.
In July 2024, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, detected and intercepted two Russian Tu-95 bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers flying together in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. It was the first time NORAD had intercepted Russian and Chinese military aircraft operating together in the zone. The aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign territory, and NORAD said the flight itself was not considered a threat.
The episode nevertheless highlighted the very kind of cooperation U.S. defense planners are watching.
For now, Davis said Alaska is positioned to deal with the military threats commanders expect under normal conditions.
"We're postured very well for any of the anticipated threats that we think would come our way in the very near term," he said. But if commanders saw indications of a significant escalation, Davis said Alaskan Command would likely request additional forces and capabilities.
That, ultimately, is what Tundra Merlin is intended to prove: that in a theater defined by enormous distances, punishing weather and growing Russian and Chinese activity, the United States can move forces across Alaska, connect them across land, sea and air, and have combat power ready before a potential adversary decides to test the northern edge of the homeland.
US Marine arrested in Japan over suspected killing of woman as Tokyo lodges 'strong protest'
A U.S. Marine stationed in Japan has been arrested on suspicion of robbing and killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Okinawa, prompting Japanese officials to lodge a formal protest with the United States.
Lance Cpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, early Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, according to Japanese police.
Ballard has denied the allegations, police said.
SERVICE MEMBER AMONG 2 ARRESTED AFTER MISSING MAN PROBE LEADS COPS TO BODY DUMP SITE ON ARMY BASE
Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, according to the Marine Corps.
Surveillance footage showed Yagi entering the hotel with Ballard before he later left alone, Stars and Stripes reported, citing Okinawa police. A hotel employee later found Yagi unresponsive after she failed to check out.
Police subsequently located Ballard in Okinawa City and arrested him, according to the outlet.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Okinawa Prefectural Police for additional information.
THAI RESORT CITY CRACKS DOWN ON PROSTITUTION AHEAD OF USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN ARRIVAL
The Marine Corps said it was cooperating with Japanese authorities and that Ballard remained in Japanese custody.
"The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behavior," the service said in a statement obtained by Reuters.
The arrest prompted swift condemnation from senior Japanese officials. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi offered condolences to Yagi's family and said her government had lodged a "strong protest" with the United States.
"The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret," Takaichi said in an English translation of her Japanese-language statement.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also summoned U.S. Ambassador George Glass and called for full U.S. cooperation with the investigation, stricter discipline among American military personnel and measures to prevent similar incidents.
Glass expressed regret over the loss of life and pledged U.S. cooperation with Japanese authorities.
The case comes against a decades-long backdrop of tensions surrounding the large U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
Most of the roughly 18,000 Marines stationed in Japan are based on Okinawa, where crimes involving U.S. personnel, aircraft accidents and noise have periodically fueled local opposition to the American military presence.
Okinawa remains strategically important to the U.S.-Japan alliance because of its location in the western Pacific near Taiwan amid increased concern over China's military activity in the region.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Exclusive: Trump envoy blasts South Africa over hateful ‘kill' chant, says country is drifting toward US foes
JOHANNESBURG: The U.S. ambassador to South Africa has hit out at the country’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, telling Fox News Digital, "You've got a president of South Africa who refuses to condemn an incitement to kill."
Ambassador L. Brent Bozell III was responding strongly, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, to being summoned this past week to South Africa’s foreign ministry and criticized for ‘undiplomatic conduct."
This is the third time the ambassador has received a démarche — a diplomatic rebuke — from Pretoria in the nine months since he arrived here. The ambassador has been slammed by South Africa for relaying President Trump’s condemnation of South African policies and statements. Bozell is a former Fox News contributor and founder of the largest conservative media watchdog, the Media Research Center.
He has repeatedly pushed for issues brought up by President Trump in a testy confrontation in the Oval Office with South Africa’s President Ramaphosa 16 months ago to be addressed. Among other points, these include alleged race-based discrimination, allegations of murder and torture of farmers, plans for uncompensated land seizures and the incitement of violence against minority groups.
The ambassador said three of the five specific ‘asks’ the Trump administration wants have been ignored by South Africa.
High up the list of ‘asks’ is President Trump’s demand that President Ramaphosa stops people in South Africa from shouting "Kill the Boer! Kill the farmer!" A Boer is a white man, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It defines it as "a South African of Dutch or Huguenot descent". Ramaphosa has claimed he can’t stop people chanting this slogan because it’s been cleared for use by the country’s supreme court.
Bozell told Fox News Digital, "You've got a president of South Africa who refuses to condemn an incitement to kill."
SOUTH AFRICA’S ILLEGAL MIGRATION BACKLASH MIRRORS POLITICAL BATTLES ACROSS THE WEST
He added, "You've got a government that has said it's not going to do any more for the Afrikaner rural community, and it's got a government that's saying no, your mining has to go through race-based programs. We're not going to allow your investments to go the way everyone else has been allowed to go".
"Those were three strikes and you're out as far as we were concerned," Bozell said.
"Ask 100% of the world if "kill the farmer!, kill the Boer" isn’t hate speech," he continued. "If that isn't hate speech, I don't know what hate speech is: inciting people to commit murder. So the answer we've gotten is, well, the court said it isn't. To which our response is look, in the United States, the president can disagree with the court and does about every five minutes because that's what you do in a democracy when you disagree with something."
TRUMP GETS MAJOR WIN AGAINST CHINA IN AFRICAN RARE EARTH MINERALS RACE
Bozell added, "So, to say, well, you can't do it because the court said it's not, you know, that's poppycock. If President Ramaphosa, if he wants to, he can do it. It's just as simple as that."
The ambassador pushed hard on the point, saying "How hard is it to say this chant, where some, where people do it, 50,000 people in the stadium jump up and down, pantomiming guns, shooting people, how hard is it to say, stop it? This is awful that anybody would be inciting people to kill."
South Africa, analysts say, is drawing ever closer to Iran, Russia, China even Cuba. The African National Congress, the ANC, the party which rules the country in the so-called ‘government of national unity’, has hosted the terror group Hamas.
This is very much on the administration’s radar. President Trump met with Bozell in Washington again recently, with the ambassador telling Fox News Digital the president’s thinking "perhaps most of all, he's concerned about how South Africa has been systematically leaving the non-alignment space and moving closer and closer to our adversaries."
Referring to South Africa, the ambassador added, "There are people who are living in the glory days of the Soviet Union, and they want to go back to the good old days of communism. Why are they still working with Cuba?"
Digging deeper, Bozell asked, "Why are they working with Iran and Hamas terror organizations? What's Russia doing for them? What's China doing for them? This is bad news when they're going in that direction. What we're saying is simply do what you've always done. Have a non-aligned with both sides. We'll live with that."
US COUNTERS CHINA AS BEIJING’S ‘SHOCK WAVE’ HITS AFRICAN ECONOMIES
The ambassador stressed that the U.S. wants to make dynamic business with South Africa on mining, particularly on critical or rare earth minerals. He stated, "We're not going to do what the Chinese do. They come in, they take the ore, they take it to China, they benefit [from] it and they make a pile of money. We're saying to South Africa, we'll come in, we'll do the mining, we'll do it right there in South Africa."
He continued,"South Africa gets the money, not the Chinese. We bring in the technology that they could never have. We've created hundreds of thousands of jobs. We're saying we could create more and more and more at a time when they desperately need it, but it will be good for us as well. This is the partnership we want."
Elon Musk and his Starlink satellite internet company are one of many U.S. companies which want to enter South Africa. But in the telecommunications and mining fields, the government insists that 30% of foreign company ownership must be given to black local entrepreneurs.
Bozell says this is problematical for the U.S. "There are literally billions of dollars from American firms and American government investments ready to go into mining, but it's not going to go there so long as you have these race-based avenues they must go through. In telecom, Elon Musk has said he will put Starlink in 500 schools and pay for it in perpetuity if he's allowed to go this way. And they said, "No, we want 30% of your company. So yeah, of course it's hurting."
On Friday, a senior official at South Africa’s Department of International Relations – the country’s foreign ministry – confirmed to Fox News Digital that they demarched Ambassador Bozell for a third time, adding, "This is a record. He was called in to explain his undiplomatic conduct. The issues related to the bilateral relations between the two countries are a subject of ongoing discussions. There is commitment from both sides to resolve the outstanding matters. South Africa values the relationship with the USA. It is a mutually beneficial partnership".
Also, Friday, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We are not interested in diplomatic maneuvering, procedural delays, or dialogue for dialogue’s sake. The ball is now squarely in the Government of South Africa’s court to outline the relationship it wants with the United States and respond accordingly to President Trump’s executive order."
Still, Bozell looks to the future of the U.S. - South Africa relationship with guarded optimism. "Look, temperatures can go up, but I want their temperature to go down too. You know, we want this partnership. We want to figure this out. It's good for South Africa. It's good for the United States of America. Temperatures need to go down, and we got to figure it out."
Latin America’s conservative shift faces its biggest test yet in Brazil election
SÃO PAULO: As Brazil goes to the polls Sunday, analysts are watching closely to see whether the continent’s most populous nation will be the latest domino to fall into the conservative column, following Colombia, Peru, Chile, and others in voting out the left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Known by his nickname Lula, the 80-year-old, who served time in jail for corruption in a massive payback bribery scandal, barely leads Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair.
Going into Sunday’s first round, neither candidate is expected to win outright. The latest Datafolha poll puts Lula at 42% and Bolsonaro at 38%, with a two-point margin of error. If the election goes to a runoff, it has Lula up by 3%. But the polls have been wrong before.
ANTI-CARTEL CANDIDATE 'THE TIGER' CHANNELS TRUMP AND BUKELE IN COLOMBIA ELECTION SHOCKER
"The problem with Datafolha, which is the largest polling institute in the country, is that it tends to underestimate the force and voting intention in candidates running against Lula or the Workers Party (PT). This has been consistent for at least over a decade, and it underestimated Jair Bolsonaro’s number on the runoff of 2018 by 7%," Roberto Reis, an electoral strategist working with several candidates across multiple electoral tiers and analyzing aggregator data, told Fox News Digital. "According to the latest aggregator data such as MRT News or Polling Data, we currently have Lula leading Bolsonaro 42% to 39% on the first runoff of the elections with Bolsonaro leading Lula 45% to 44% on the runoff," he added.
One Brazil analyst said that the election is about more than just another ideological contest between left and right in Latin America — It is the single major remaining stumbling block in the Western Hemisphere that still hasn’t shifted to conservativism and while there are other left-wing governments in the hemisphere, including Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua and Uruguay, Brazil is by far the largest and most important economy in this group with its status as the 11th largest world economy according to the IMF and the 10th largest world economy according to the World Bank.
‘WAVE OF FREEDOM’ SWEEPS LATIN AMERICA AS TRUMP ALLY TAKES FIGHT TO MARXIST TERROR GROUP
Bolsonaro has spent much of the campaign cultivating a relationship with President Donald Trump and presenting himself as a potential U.S. partner in the Western Hemisphere. He met Trump at the White House in May, where the two discussed organized crime, tariffs and Brazil's rare earth and critical mineral reserves — both critical prime-source materials Brazil has plenty of and which could significantly lower U.S. and European dependency on Russia and China.
Bolsonaro also said he had asked Washington to designate Brazil's two largest criminal organizations, the First Capital Command (PCC, in its Portuguese acronym) and Red Command (Comando Vermelho, in Portuguese), as terrorist groups. Both designations were accepted by the Department of State on May 28 and became effective in June under section 219 of the Immigration and Naturalization Code.
TRUMP ADMIN'S LIST OF US-DESIGNATED 'FOREIGN TERRORIST' GROUPS IN LATIN AMERICA EXPANDS TO 21
The designation by the U.S. government incensed Lula and his allies and was viewed as direct meddling in domestic affairs and a rubber stamp from the Trump administration that the left-wing, populist president has not been doing enough to combat organized crime in his country, directly favoring Bolsonaro’s contest in the elections.
Flávio Bolsonaro has also proposed a free-trade agreement between Brazil and the United States, potentially expanding it into a broader free-trade arrangement among countries in the Americas. And his campaign has emphasized cooperation with Washington on critical minerals, an increasingly strategic issue as the Trump administration tries to reduce U.S. dependence on China, as per a current report by Brazil’s leading newspaper, Folha de S. Paulo.
That would represent a significant change in emphasis from Lula's foreign policy.
China is Brazil's largest trading partner, and Brazilian agricultural exports to China totaled more than $55 billion in 2025, according to Reuters. Lula has defended maintaining strong relations with Beijing while pursuing what he describes as an independent foreign policy that oftentimes borders on aggressiveness towards both the United States and its closest allies, such as Israel.
Lula's relationship with Trump has been considerably more complicated. Washington imposed new 25% tariffs on a wide range of Brazilian goods in July, affecting about $7 billion of Brazilian exports, while Lula's government has challenged the measures and sought negotiations with Washington with very limited success so far. Washington has also imposed a ban on most new permanent visa requests coming from Brazil, and that could lead to green cards.
TANVI RATNA: LATIN AMERICA'S RIGHT TURN IS REDRAWING THE UNITED STATES' BACKYARD
A Bolsonaro presidency would come with stated plans for closer U.S. economic and security cooperation, greater alignment with Israel, a more confrontational posture toward China's influence in Brazil and reduced friction both within the hemisphere and in global affairs. Whether those policies can all be implemented depends on negotiations with Congress, Brazil's powerful bureaucracy, and the country's economic interests — especially the agribusiness and mining powerhouses in the country.
A Lula victory would mean continuity in a foreign policy trajectory that seeks strong commercial ties with China while maintaining strategic autonomy from Washington, alongside his government's current position on Israel and Gaza. Both attitudes are in direct defiance of Trump’s policies and could end up damaging U.S.-Brazilian relations even further.
With the presidential race effectively heading toward a second round, the stakes for a new version of the Americas for U.S. interests could very much hinge on its outcome.
France’s violent student protests raise warning for America: ‘A cautionary tale’
France’s violent student protests are fueling fresh warnings about the consequences of open-border immigration policies, with the unrest being held up as a "cautionary tale" for the U.S.
"I would also say as we’re sitting here in beautiful New York City, this is a cautionary tale," "The Big Weekend Show" co-host Tomi Lahren said Saturday.
She continued: "This is something we’re learning from Europe, and we would be wise to learn from Europe. They decided they wanted to have open borders. They decided they wanted diversity as their strength, and of course, Joe Biden tried that for four years. We’re undoing that currently."
FRANCE'S TEEN RIOTS TAKE EXPLOSIVE NEW TURN AS GOVERNMENT POINTS FINGER AT HARD LEFT
Lahren posited that "when you let so many people come into your country, leech off of your system, then the people who are from there are going to at some point get upset."
She said that anger often becomes misplaced and, "they end up lighting things on fire, which I think is stupid no matter what you’re angry with, but it’s no doubt these countries that say we’re going to be a global home for everybody, they end up paying the price, and it’s usually the native Frenchmen, or whenever they are that end up paying the highest price."
Students in Paris began to protest late last month against what they deemed as overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, long school days and deteriorating conditions, blaming the government for not investing enough in education.
The demonstrations started peacefully in Paris’ poorer suburbs but quickly spread to Paris itself, then went nationwide in cities like Marseille, Strasbourg, Tours, Nantes, Toulouse and Lille, becoming increasingly violent as they expanded.
The protests were also fueled by the government’s 2027 budget unveiling on Thursday, which showed education spending would rise by only 1.7%, excluding teacher pensions, an increase which is below the rate of inflation, Reuters reported.
Rioters have committed arson, vandalism, thrown objects at police and even assaulted people in some cases, prompting authorities to respond with tear gas and rubber bullets.
TENS OF THOUSANDS FLOOD STREETS TO PROTEST SPAIN BORDER CRISIS
More than 5,000 protesters were arrested this week across the country, according to Reuters, and more than 400 schools remained closed as of Friday.
Euronews reported Friday that at least 65 school staff members, including 40 principals, have been injured since the unrest began, along with roughly 170 students.
More than 100 high schools have suffered what Education Minister Édouard Geffray described as "severe damage."
French intelligence agencies told a government crisis meeting Thursday that the protest movement had been initiated by politicians from the hard-left France Unbowed Party, known as LFI, Reuters reported Friday.
LIZ PEEK: ANGRY, AFFLUENT AND ADRIFT — WHAT'S DRIVING SOME YOUNG AMERICANS TO VIOLENCE
LFI has denied the allegations and accused President Emmanuel Macron's government of politicizing the protests ahead of France's 2027 presidential election.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, senior envoy to Europe at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the unrest began with legitimate concerns but has since evolved into something far more serious.
"The students’ grievances about missing teachers and deteriorating schools were real at first," Rodan-Benzaquen said. "But dousing a principal in gasoline and attacking firefighters are acts of extreme violence. What makes this politically significant is the effort to turn frustration over schools into a much broader confrontation with the government."
Fox News' Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
'Crazy' FlyDubai landing explained by Israeli pilot, who offers steps to prevent future crises
Eliran Almog, a former Israeli helicopter pilot turned aviation cybersecurity firm CEO, explained just how "crazy" it was that the near-hijacked FlyDubai flight 1073 managed to land safely after a violent midair attack.
"You can't imagine being in that position. You see the videos, you hear the kids screaming, and people don't necessarily understand what is happening," the former Israeli Air Force pilot told Fox News Digital.
After an Omani national copilot — who has since been identified as 29-year-old Hamam al-Hammami — allegedly stabbed FlyDubai flight 1073’s pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar mid-flight, the aircraft plummeted more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds.
"The g-force on the plane was enormous, and you basically think you are going to die," Almog said, adding "it's crazy that the aircraft did not break up in the air, and landing it with the tail damage it sustained was remarkable."
FLYDUBAI PASSENGER SAYS CO-PILOT STABBED CAPTAIN BEFORE TERRIFYING PLUNGE, EMERGENCY LANDING
Despite sustaining serious injuries, Machchhar was able to hit a button to open the cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers to rush into the cockpit and subdue al-Hammami, officials said. A second FlyDubai crew that happened to be aboard the craft then stabilized the plane and successfully completed an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
FLYDUBAI PILOT SHOWED WORLD 'THE HIGHEST FORM OF COURAGE,' INDIA'S PM SAYS
"As a pilot, if I were in this situation, I'm not sure I could have landed the aircraft. Every commercial aircraft is different, requiring different setup, landing procedures and limitations," Almog explained.
Almog, who now advises airliners and adjacent businesses on how to shore up their cybersecurity, explained how crucial it was for carriers to ensure their pilots undergo thorough screening processes for both psychological and potential political risks.
FLYDUBAI CO-PILOT ACCUSED OF STABBING CAPTAIN IDENTIFIED AS 29-YEAR-OLD OMANI NATIONAL
"We give a lot of weight in the process to the characteristics of the pilot. The technical and cognitive skills are important, but we make sure that the pilot is balanced and resilient in extreme cases," he said.
"Because aviation is critical infrastructure, we must rethink how we screen pilots — not just initially, but continuously. Even for experienced pilots, we need the right tools in place to identify when someone is facing family issues, psychological distress, or developing extreme views that could impose risk. These are practices the industry needs to adopt, and I call on governments and regulators to step in," he continued.
PILOT’S SUDDEN DEATH DURING OVERNIGHT LAYOVER PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON FATIGUE CONCERNS
While numerous countries, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, are conducting their own investigations into al-Hammami and the FlyDubai incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox & Friends in a Thursday interview that the copilot had been exposed to "Islamist radical indoctrination."
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, suggested the pilot could have been trained or motivated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
TRUMP’S IRAN CRACKDOWN COLLIDES WITH NATO ALLY SEEKING ACCESS TO AMERICA’S PRIZED FIGHTER JET
Almog told Fox News Digital that geopolitical concerns, such as the ones imposed by the ongoing wars in the Middle East, are increasingly becoming airlines' top risk factor for a number of reasons.
"If you ask the airlines today what are the main risks that they are looking forward on, it is geopolitical risk," he said. "... We are tracking GNSS and GPS jamming and spoofing activities, and I can show you the map and you can understand exactly where the conflicts are."
AMERICANS WARNED AGAIN TO RETHINK TRAVEL AS MISSILE ATTACK RATTLES HISTORIC REGION
Almog also explained how pilots are not the only people airlines need to screen or keep an eye on.
"Pilots aren't the only ones who can crash a plane. Over 80% of cybersecurity threats come from insiders — many of whom may not even realize they are posing a risk," he said. "It isn't just pilots; it's cabin crew and maintenance personnel. A plane can crash without the right fuel balance or proper maintenance parameters. Aviation relies on a complex supply chain. It would be a mistake to limit psychological screening and background monitoring to pilots alone — it needs to expand to every person who impacts flight operations."
Almog also praised both the resiliency of the flight's passengers and the heroism of Capt. Machchhar.
FATAL AIR AMBULANCE CRASH EXPOSES GROWING GPS DANGER FACING US FLIGHTS
"Ultimately, this was a chain of circumstances that prevented a total disaster," he said. "Beyond personal resilience, it took the courage of the off-duty Indian pilot who opened the door, and the fact that FlyDubai had two other pilots on board who landed the aircraft safely."
"As a pilot, I can tell you that isn't easy. Landing an unfamiliar commercial aircraft type under extreme stress requires specialized training, which is why rigorous screening and continuous support for flight crews are so vital," he added.
FlyDubai co-pilot accused of stabbing captain identified as 29-year-old Omani national
The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of attacking a captain on a Tel Aviv-bound flight earlier this week allegedly used the cockpit's "crash axe" in the attack and has been identified as a 29-year-old Omani national.
The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, a Middle Eastern source told Fox News, adding that he was barred from flying with Oman Air — his country's airline — in 2024 due to concerns about extremist views.
The source also said authorities believe the co-pilot moved to Dubai later that year.
The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation into the attack on FlyDubai Flight 1073, said the co-pilot attacked Capt. Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe, incapacitating him and causing the aircraft to plummet before passengers on board seized control of the plane.
FLYDUBAI PASSENGER SAYS CO-PILOT STABBED CAPTAIN BEFORE TERRIFYING PLUNGE, EMERGENCY LANDING
The source said al-Hammami spent a significant part of his life outside Oman, including time living with his mother, who is from Syria.
According to the source, FlyDubai did not check with Oman Air about al-Hammami before hiring him.
A Gulf diplomat told The Associated Press that investigators are working to determine whether al-Hammami acted as a "lone wolf or has any connection with any extremist groups."
The AP separately reported that Oman had barred al-Hammami from flying over concerns that he had adopted extremist views.
HERO FLYDUBAI PILOT SAYS HE WAS 'FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE' AS PLANE PLUNGED AFTER COPILOT ATTACK
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday described the incident as an act of terrorism, saying the attacker had undergone "Islamic radicalization."
"He came to crash the passengers on board," Netanyahu said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller contributed to this report.
FlyDubai co-pilot accused of cockpit attack was grounded by Oman Air before joining airline: report
The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of a passenger jet mid-flight and nearly causing a catastrophic crash was grounded by Oman Air in 2024 after the airline discovered he had been visiting radical Islamic websites, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Authorities believe the co-pilot moved to Dubai later that same year, according to the source, who also told Fox News the co-pilot spent a significant part of his life outside Oman, including with his mother, who is from Syria.
According to the source, FlyDubai did not check with Oman Air about the co-pilot before hiring him.
FLYDUBAI PILOT SHOWED WORLD 'THE HIGHEST FORM OF COURAGE,' INDIA'S PM SAYS
The new details come as The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the Omani national had previously been banned from flying over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views before later being hired by FlyDubai. The newspaper reported it was unclear whether Omani officials shared those concerns with other countries or airlines.
Fox News has not independently verified the reason the co-pilot was grounded by Oman Air.
The alleged attack unfolded Wednesday aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 as the aircraft traveled from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
According to passengers and officials, the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain inside the cockpit, sending the aircraft into a steep dive that nearly tore it apart before two reserve pilots aboard the flight regained control and safely diverted the aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Passengers and crew members then helped overpower the suspect, according to accounts of the incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday described the incident as terrorism, saying the attacker had undergone "Islamic radicalization."
"He came to crash the passengers on board," Netanyahu said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
UK AIRBASE TERROR SUSPECTS BEING RELEASED ON BAIL AS IRAN DENIES CONNECTION
Netanyahu also said Israeli authorities are investigating whether the suspect acted alone or had assistance from others.
The United Arab Emirates is leading the investigation into the incident. A UAE spokesperson declined to comment to the Journal on the suspect's background, saying officials did not want to prejudice the outcome of the investigation or interfere with its course.
The incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of airline pilot vetting procedures and aviation security on flights serving Israel. Aviation security analysts told the Journal the episode represented a significant security failure and raised questions about how warning signs may have gone undetected before the co-pilot entered the cockpit.
FlyDubai has suspended flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv following the attack.
FlyDubai did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
UK man accused of planning terrorism acts against Nigel Farage also charged in murder of another politician
British prosecutors announced terrorism charges Friday against a 28-year-old man already in custody for the alleged murder of a conservative politician.
The Crown Prosecution Service charged Joshua Kerry of South Yorkshire with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, accusing him of "engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism, including against [Reform UK leader] Nigel Farage MP."
Kerry has been in the custody of His Majesty's government since late July, after he was arrested and accused of murdering former Reform UK and Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe.
Prosecutors say Widdecombe was eating lunch in her Devon home July 8, when Kerry allegedly walked through the front door, beat her 21 times in the head with a hammer, took her wallet and was gone in an attack that lasted only two minutes.
IRAN PROBED IN ALLEGED TERRORISM PLOT AT UK BASE
Authorities say the latest charges against Kerry are related to events between May 31 and July 8.
In a statement, Senior National Coordinator for Counterterrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, said, "The charge announced today is a result of the tireless work of investigators across the Counterterrorism Policing network. This investigation has been led by a dedicated team of detectives, analysts and forensic experts, working on multiple lines of inquiry, which has resulted in this very serious charge."
U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, posting on X, called the new charges against Kerry "extremely concerning" and sent her "profound sympathies" to the Farage family. She added that "an attack on anyone in politics is an attack on us all. This case raises serious questions about the security of those in public life."
The Jo Cox Foundation, set up in honor of the Labour MP who was murdered in 2016, said in a statement, "No one in public life should have to fear for their safety. Violence, abuse and intimidation not only endangered individuals and their families, but threaten our democracy and have no place in public life. We must do more to prevent the rising levels of abuse and intimidation in politics."
Kerry is due back at Westminster Magistrates’ Court Wednesday.
Separately on Friday, Counterterrorism Policing announced charges against two Iranian men accused of plotting "to target the Jewish community in the Manchester area."
The Crown Prosecution Service charged 36-year-old Salam Ahmadyan and 34-year-old Rahman Salehi with "engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006," alleging that two men were "in contact with an overseas third-party who may be in Iran in relation to the plot."
SUSPECT CHARGED IN MURDER OF UK POLITICIAN ANNE WIDDECOMBE
Evans called the charges "extremely serious" while reiterating that "we do not believe there to be any ongoing threat to the public in relation to this matter."
Evans noted the alleged plot comes during the High Holy Day period and "coincides with the anniversary of the devastating terrorist attack last year at Heaton Park synagogue and comes in a wider context of increasing antisemitic incidents across the U.K."
Ahmadyan and Salehi have been remanded and are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court Saturday.
Fox News’ Thomas Ferraro and Stephanie Bennett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
France’s teen riots take explosive new turn as government points finger at hard left
Violent student unrest intensified across France on Friday as riot police clashed with teenagers in several cities, roughly 400 high schools remained shuttered and authorities said some 2,000 people had been arrested since the protests began — while the government increasingly blamed the country’s hard left.
Tear gas filled streets in Strasbourg, protesters fired fireworks toward police lines in Marseille, and garbage bins were set ablaze in Rennes, while clashes also broke out in Paris, Reuters reported Friday. The latest violence marks a sharp escalation from the unrestt reported by Fox News Digital Thursday, when hundreds had been arrested as school blockades and clashes spread across the country.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told RTL radio Friday that approximately 2,000 people — most of them teenagers — had been arrested since the protests erupted. He said parents whose children damage property should be required to pay reparations, according to Reuters.
"In the streets, the children are in danger," Education Minister Édouard Geffray told BFM TV.
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR COMPARES FRANCE'S FAR-LEFT LEADER'S RHETORIC TO HITLER AS ANTISEMITISM SURGES
Euronews reported Friday that at least 65 school staff members, including 40 principals, have been injured since the unrest began, along with roughly 170 students. More than 100 high schools have suffered what Geffray described as "severe damage."
The protests began over complaints about overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, long school days and deteriorating facilities. Students have blamed years of underinvestment for conditions inside schools, as the government unveiled its draft 2027 budget Thursday. Under the proposal, education spending would rise 1.7% to 65.53 billion euros, excluding teacher pensions — an increase below the rate of inflation, according to Reuters.
But as the protests have grown more violent, the unrest has also become a major political fight.
French intelligence agencies told a government crisis meeting Thursday that the protest movement had been initiated by politicians from the hard-left France Unbowed Party, known as LFI, Reuters reported Friday.
LFI lawmakers rejected the allegation and accused President Emmanuel Macron's government of politicizing the protests ahead of France's 2027 presidential election.
Le Monde reported Friday that Geffray accused LFI of fueling the initial demonstrations before saying the movement had been "taken hostage by ultra-left groups." LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has denied responsibility for the violence.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, senior envoy to Europe at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the unrest began with legitimate concerns but has since evolved into something far more serious.
"The students’ grievances about missing teachers and deteriorating schools were real at first," Rodan-Benzaquen said. "But dousing a principal in gasoline and attacking firefighters are acts of extreme violence. What makes this politically significant is the effort to turn frustration over schools into a much broader confrontation with the government."
The protests are quickly becoming a major issue in the campaign to succeed Macron next May, with Mélenchon denouncing the government’s response as repressive. Rodan-Benzaquen said LFI has "actively supported the mobilization," adding that "activists circulate footage of clashes, party accounts amplify it and elected officials present themselves as the students’ defenders."
"With an election next year," she said, "Mélenchon sees these mobilizations as a way to consolidate young voters and marginalize the moderate left. At a time of deep political, geopolitical and economic challenges, this is a very dangerous situation for France."
Marine Le Pen also accused LFI of playing a direct role in the unrest. "This is no longer about high school student protests. It is about riots organized by professionals and overseen by deputies from La France Insoumise," Le Pen wrote on X in a translated post. "We must pass a new anti-rioters law so that participation in a riot is a clearly identified offense."
PSG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE VICTORY CAUSES CHAOS IN PARIS, WITH 45 ARRESTED AND FIRES SET ACROSS CITY
The government has now deployed specialized riot police and mobile gendarmes as authorities struggle to contain the unrest, Le Monde reported.
The government's response is also drawing scrutiny. Students and rights groups have accused police of excessive force against minors, including the use of batons, tear gas and non-lethal weapons. Amnesty International warned against excessive force, while France's Interior Ministry said Friday that three investigations into alleged police violence had been opened, according to Reuters.
The unrest may also be beginning to spread beyond France. Students in Liège, Belgium, began demonstrating Thursday, and high schools there were closed Friday.
Fox News Digital reached out to the French government, the Education Ministry, the Interior Ministry and La France Insoumise for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.
Tyler Speicher and Reuters contributed to this story.
Hero FlyDubai pilot says he was 'fighting for my life' as plane plunged after copilot attack
Capt. Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai pilot who heroically opened the plane's cockpit door after being stabbed by his copilot in a midflight attack, told Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi he was fighting for his life before taking the heroic action.
"You are my biggest idol and I am feeling very proud that you called me and encouraged me. I was fighting for my life in that moment," he told Modi during a Friday phone call.
"It was a moment when I thought, because I had fallen on the floor, I was wounded and fell down. At that moment I thought if I don't get up, I've been flying for the last 17 years and I have been a captain for the last 11 years, and even if I shut my eyes, I can tell what is happening inside a plane. When I was lying on the floor, I could feel that the aircraft was plunging and I said to myself while I was getting beaten, 'this is the last push Smit, do it, the door is right there,'" he recalled.
"Somehow, I opened the door and everyone came in and everyone else had an equal role (in the rescue). I was trying to save myself but I also knew that I can't let anyone die," he said.
FLYDUBAI PILOT SHOWED WORLD 'THE HIGHEST FORM OF COURAGE,' INDIA'S PM SAYS
Machchhar’s ability to open the door allowed Israeli passengers on board to rush into the cockpit, incapacitate the copilot, and stabilize the quickly plummeting aircraft after it had plunged over 14,000 feet in 30 seconds.
FLYDUBAI PASSENGER SAYS CO-PILOT STABBED CAPTAIN BEFORE TERRIFYING PLUNGE, EMERGENCY LANDING
The heroic pilot, whose efforts have garnered praise from Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and numerous passengers on the flight, said he turned to his faith to get through the harrowing ordeal.
"Whenever I'm in pain, I know only one thing, I chant the Hanuman Chalisa. I know that God saved me," Machchhar said.
FLYDUBAI PILOT SHOWED WORLD 'THE HIGHEST FORM OF COURAGE,' INDIA'S PM SAYS
Modi, in turn, told Machchhar that all of India was praying for him.
"Yesterday, prayers and chants were offered in all the temples and holy places, wishing for your long life, and we all are praying for your good health. You are going to be in good health very soon and India is very eager to welcome you," Modi said.
"People are chanting mantras. Your courage, patience, and presence of mind. You took a decision in a fraction of a second and saved the lives of so many people and today, the whole country can say this with pride — we Indians are not killers, we are life savers," Modi said. "And you endured so many wounds on your body and you are fighting a battle of life and death. In that moment as well, you did not think of your life, rather thought about the lives of the passengers. And the biggest thing is you enhanced the honor of 1.4 billion Indians and that is why I am feeling proud from my heart."
Machchhar was stabbed in the head and "his arm was basically split in two" during the attack, Netanyahu revealed to Fox News in a Thursday interview. But the pilot expressed hope that he would achieve a full recovery.
NETANYAHU PRAISES HEROIC BYSTANDER IN BLOODY COCKPIT ATTACK FOR PREVENTING ‘ANOTHER 9/11’
"I am not thinking about my wounds like typical wounds because that will hinder my recovery. I am taking these wounds like a journey which will progress slowly and it will take time, but I am very confident that this recovery will happen and I will be absolutely healthy," he told Modi.
After being stabilized in Saudi Arabia, where a second flight crew on board the plane safely landed the plane, Machchhar was taken to a hospital in the UAE, where he is now recovering.
FLYDUBAI PASSENGER SAYS CO-PILOT STABBED CAPTAIN BEFORE TERRIFYING PLUNGE, EMERGENCY LANDING
"I am fine and everything is all right," he told Modi.
Trump’s Iran crackdown collides with NATO ally seeking access to America’s prized fighter jet
At least 83 flights operated by U.S.-sanctioned Iranian airlines landed in Turkey in the five days after a key American sanctions deadline, according to flight data analyzed by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, putting a new spotlight on whether Washington will enforce its escalating pressure campaign against companies servicing the carriers in a NATO ally.
The Sept. 28 FDD report said U.S. pressure has helped push Iranian airlines out of several regional markets, including Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, but found that Turkey remains a significant gap in Washington’s effort to ground the carriers.
The findings come after the Treasury Department announced sweeping new sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry on Sept. 8, designating all 27 remaining active Iranian airlines under Executive Order 13902. Treasury said Iran's aviation sector has been used to transport weapons, personnel and illicit cargo and warned foreign businesses about the risks of continuing to support sanctioned carriers.
The continued Iranian flights come at a sensitive moment in U.S.-Turkey relations. Turkey is a NATO ally, and President Donald Trump has publicly emphasized his close relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while signaling openness to restoring Ankara’s access to the F-35 fighter jet program. Turkey was removed from the program after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air-defense system, a move that also triggered U.S. sanctions in 2020.
During a July 2026 visit to Turkey, Trump said his administration would lift those sanctions and was considering allowing Ankara to buy F-35s, though congressional restrictions tied to Turkey’s possession of the S-400 remain an obstacle. Erdoğan said as recently as Sept. 24 that he expects Washington to take "concrete steps" toward Turkey’s return to the program.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that after a Sept. 23 wind-down deadline, companies providing sanctioned Iranian airlines with services such as fuel or landing support risked losing access to the U.S. financial system. FDD cited Bessent saying that by that date, Iranian airlines would be "shut down around the world."
But FDD researchers Ahmad Sharawi and Sinan Ciddi said their review of Flightradar24 flight histories showed that at least 83 flights operated by U.S.-sanctioned Iranian carriers landed in Turkey between Sept. 23 and Sept. 27, after that deadline had passed. The flights landed in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, according to the report.
The researchers identified 12 sanctioned Iranian airlines among the arrivals. Iran Airtour and Caspian Airlines each accounted for 12 landings, Iran Air for 10, and ATA Airlines and AVA Airlines for nine each, according to FDD. Eight of the 12 carriers identified in the flight data were among the airlines newly designated by Treasury on Sept. 8.
The Treasury Department told Fox News Digital that it has continued raising the issue directly with senior Turkish officials and has warned Turkish companies and financial institutions about their potential sanctions exposure.
"Following Treasury’s productive engagements with senior Turkish authorities last month, which quickly translated into tangible results — including the cancellation of Mahan Air flights and the revocation of Bank Mellat’s license — we have continued discussions regarding Türkiye’s aviation links to Iran and the sanctions exposure Turkish financial institutions and businesses face for facilitating these flights," a Treasury spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We have made those risks clear and continue to address these issues at senior levels with the Turkish government," the spokesperson said.
The Treasury spokesperson pointed to the administration’s broader "Operation Economic Outcast" campaign, saying it was producing results as Washington seeks to cut off Iran’s remaining sources of revenue and access to international markets. "Operation Economic Outcast is delivering results as Treasury and our partners continue to sever the Iranian regime’s remaining economic lifelines," the spokesperson said. "Iran’s rial has fallen to record lows, Iran loaded no crude oil onto tankers in September, and countries across the region are taking concrete steps to restrict Iran’s access to the international financial system and commercial aviation."
"We will continue applying pressure and holding accountable those who provide the regime with the financial and commercial lifelines it needs to sustain its terrorist activities," the spokesperson added.
Turkey has indeed taken some steps to limit aviation ties with Iran. Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus removed flights to Iran from their schedules, while Mahan Air suspended service to Turkey beginning Sept. 21, according to Turkish Minute, citing airline schedules and reporting by the Financial Times and other outlets.
Mahan Air has been under U.S. sanctions since 2011. The Treasury Department said at the time that the airline provided financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
Other sanctioned Iranian airlines, however, have continued flying into Turkey. Caspian Airlines and Meraj Air were designated by Treasury as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in August 2014. Treasury said Caspian had transported IRGC personnel and weapons to Syria and said Meraj had ferried illicit cargo, including weapons, to the Syrian government.
Sharawi told Fox News Digital that the continued flights reflect a gap between Ankara’s public steps and its handling of sanctioned Iranian carriers.
"The fact that sanctioned Iranian airlines continue to land in Turkey, despite Washington’s clear effort to restrict their operations, is a testament to Ankara’s willingness to take symbolic measures while turning a blind eye to much of Iran’s broader activity," Sharawi said.
MILLIONS OF BARRELS OF IRANIAN OIL SIT BEYOND TRUMP BLOCKADE AS HE VOWS ‘ZERO LEAKAGE’
Sharawi argued that Washington could increase pressure by targeting Turkish companies that continue providing services to sanctioned Iranian carriers.
"Ankara may think it can get away with this, but Washington has not hesitated in the past to sanction Turkish entities that support sanctioned Iranian actors," he told Fox News Digital. "Continuing to target companies that provide that support would send a clear message to Ankara that facilitating Iran’s sanctioned networks will carry consequences."
He said such measures could have a practical effect on Iran’s ability to maintain the routes.
"If the United States targets the support system that keeps these sanctioned Iranian carriers operating, private Turkish companies will have much less incentive to continue doing business with them," Sharawi said. "If those companies begin cutting ties, it could significantly restrict Iranian airlines’ ability to operate routes to Turkey."
The Turkey findings come as another advocacy group is raising concerns about a different potential weak point in Washington’s campaign to isolate Tehran: Iranian maritime commerce in waters near Malaysia.
United Against Nuclear Iran said Sept. 25 that its investigators traveled roughly 100 nautical miles into the South China Sea near Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits, where the group said it observed Iranian-linked tankers, cargo vessels and bulk carriers alongside Malaysian bunker vessels supplying ships with fuel. UANI described the concentration of ships as a "floating city" supporting Iran’s sanctions-evasion network. Those findings were produced by UANI and have not been independently verified for this draft.
EXCLUSIVE: RUSSIAN DOCUMENT REVEALS SWEEPING IRAN PLAN SPANNING NUCLEAR, FINANCE AND AVIATION
"After seeing this floating city of ghost tankers with our own eyes, it is clear it is serving as an illicit Malaysia-backed lifeline for the Iranian regime," UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace said in a Sept. 25 statement. He accused Malaysian entities of providing support that allows Tehran to continue generating revenue despite international efforts to economically isolate the regime.
Former Florida Gov. and UANI Chairman Jeb Bush and Wallace called on the Treasury Department to sanction entities associated with Malaysia’s Pengerang petroleum complex as well as Malaysian entities or officials they allege are facilitating the trade. Their call for sanctions is an advocacy position and does not establish that the Malaysian entities have violated U.S. law.
Fox News Digital has learned that Treasury has mapped Iranian oil-smuggling networks, facilitators and financial channels, including deceptive shipping activity off the coast of Malaysia, and that senior Treasury officials continue to raise the issue with Malaysian and other foreign government counterparts.
Taken together, the findings from FDD and UANI highlight what the organizations describe as continuing enforcement challenges as Washington attempts to cut Iran off from international aviation, shipping and financial networks. Treasury has continued expanding that campaign: on Sept. 29, it announced another round of sanctions targeting individuals and companies it said had procured weapons and components for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Turkish and Malaysian embassies for comment but did not receive a response.
DOE employee charged with trying to aid Iran-backed Houthis, feds say
A U.S. Department of Energy worker from Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempting to provide "material support" to the Iran-backed Houthis, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, is accused of attempting to use his electrical engineering knowledge and background to support the terrorist group in improving its mobile communications infrastructure, secure components for drones as well as chemicals for homemade explosives.
"As alleged, a U.S. government employee traveled overseas and used his specialized expertise in an attempt to aid the Houthis, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization backed by Iran," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a statement.
"Additionally, Ellaboudy acquired materials for the construction of explosive material and drones capable of delivering these explosives. These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination."
IRAN’S PROXY WAR HAS CROSSED OCEANS AND IS NOW KNOCKING ON AMERICA’S DOOR
Federal authorities took Ellaboudy into custody following an investigation by the FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.
According to court records, Ellaboudy first attracted the FBI’s attention after buying precursor chemicals, or starting ingredients, and components that are often used in homemade explosives, as well as parts to make drones.
The DOJ said that in 2024, Ellaboudy took sick leave from his Department of Energy job and said he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid — a key chemical compound used in explosive manufacturing.
FBI OFFERS $200K REWARD FOR FORMER AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE AGENT ACCUSED OF SPYING FOR IRAN
In 2025, prosecutors allege Ellaboudy used an official passport from his previous role with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to travel from Washington state to Oman.
He then crossed into Yemen. After returning to the U.S., Ellaboudy told border officers his trip was authorized government business.
Investigators also said Ellaboudy advised an undercover FBI confidential human source posing as a representative of a Houthi colonel.
For the Houthis, Ellaboudy allegedly tested solar generators, modified power systems, created circuit schematics and provided support to the group’s communications, the statement said.
"This individual allegedly betrayed the U.S. and attempted to aid the Houthis, a designated foreign terrorist organization, but thanks to the work of the men and women of the FBI, his actions were detected and he is now in custody," said Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
Officials also confirmed Ellaboudy's alleged activities did not target local nuclear facilities.
"This matter did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce, and at no time was there a threat to the safety or security of the site," said Ray Geimer, office manager of the Department of Energy Hanford Field Office.
Ellaboudy faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.
He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance before a federal magistrate judge at 11 a.m. Oct. 2 in Richland, according to the Justice Department.
France rocked by student riots as hundreds arrested, violence spreads nationwide
More than 625 people, mostly students, have been arrested over two days of violent protests near schools and universities across France over what students say are staffing shortages, dilapidated buildings, overcrowded classes, government budget cuts and long schedules.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting Thursday, canceling ministers’ trips to focus on the protests, which began last week in Paris-region schools and have snowballed.
EUROPE’S LEFT COURTS MUSLIM VOTERS AS ANTI-ISRAEL POLITICS RESHAPE CONTINENT
Reports say over 350 high schools and about 30 university campuses were affected by the movement on Thursday alone. RFI reported 83 police and gendarmes were wounded today, with 119 students and school staffers injured since the start of unrest last week.
Reuters reported the principal of Marseille’s Victor Hugo high school was doused in gasoline and injured, while two other principals were injured in attacks in Rouen and Petit-Quevilly. Police used tear gas in several cities, with Reuters reporting students accusing authorities of heavy‑handed tactics. Meanwhile, authorities are warning of "urban violence" and attempted arson at multiple schools.
The protests coincide with the government announcing a series of unpopular spending cuts in its 2027 budget two weeks ago and have become a political flashpoint at a sensitive moment for the French government.
GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED; RABBI SAYS WORLD AT 'A TIPPING POINT'
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told Reuters that, "in certain places, there were individuals acting as agitators — people who moved from one school to another to stir up high school and other students and incite them to commit acts of violence." Education Minister Edouard Geffray called for schools to hold classes remotely if protesters were blocking their premises, posting on X: "Violence will not keep our students from their fundamental right to an education."
Senior Envoy to Europe at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Simone Rodan-Benzaquen told Fox News Digital, "The students’ grievances about missing teachers and deteriorating schools were real at first. But dousing a principal in gasoline and attacking firefighters are acts of extreme violence. What makes this politically significant is the effort to turn frustration over schools into a much broader confrontation with the government."
The Associated Press reported the protests are quickly blowing up as a hot topic in the election campaign to replace President Emmanuel Macron next May. Far-left presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon has decried the government response to the protests as repressive. Critics have accused his party, La France Insoumise, (LFI), of seeking to use the unrest to score points in the presidential campaign and of inciting violence.
GERMAN OFFICIALS WARN ISLAMIST, FAR-LEFT RHETORIC DRIVING SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS
Rodan-Benzaquen says the LFI has "actively supported the mobilization. Activists circulate footage of clashes, party accounts amplify it and elected officials present themselves as the students’ defenders." With an election next year, she said, "Mélenchon sees these mobilizations as a way to consolidate young voters and marginalize the moderate left. At a time of deep political, geopolitical and economic challenges, this is a very dangerous situation for France."
Video posted to social media shows the Seine-Saint Denis mayor, Bally Bagayoko of the LFI, joining in with students, smiling and high-fiving pupils after a trash can was set on fire in the street. And the president of the Île‑de‑France region told Radio Monte Carlo, "There is a call to action being issued by LFI today: ‘Trash your high school.’ It is being spread via TikTok challenges."
In Madrid on Wednesday, Macron told reporters, "High schools are meant to be open and to share knowledge. They are not meant to be blockaded or to have trash cans set on fire."
The Associated Press, Reuters contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s new security alliance faces first real-world test deep in South America as troops deploy
Bolivia’s mounting security challenge is emerging as one of the first real-world tests of President Donald Trump’s Shield of the Americas, the country’s defense minister told Fox News Digital, as security forces deploy to strategic locations and the government braces for renewed unrest.
"I believe this is one of the first real tests of whether Shield of the Americas can move from declarations to concrete results," Bolivian Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
But Justiniano stressed that Bolivia is not declaring that a coup attempt is underway. "I am not saying today that we have proven evidence of a specific operation currently underway to overthrow the President," he said. "What we do have are very serious precedents and warning signs that justify preventive action."
Trump launched Shield of the Americas at a March summit in Florida, bringing together governments across the Western Hemisphere to deepen economic and security cooperation, including efforts to combat transnational crime.
TRUMP ADMIN BACKS BOLIVIA STATE OF EMERGENCY AS LEFTIST EX-LEADER'S LOYALISTS FRACTURE NATION
Justiniano's comments come as President Rodrigo Paz’s government attempts to prevent a repeat of more than 50 days of road blockades earlier this year that caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine and deepened the country’s economic crisis. On Sept. 17, Bolivia’s Assembly approved a 90-day extension of the country’s state of emergency, citing persistent risks of renewed blockades. Some opposition lawmakers and social groups criticized the measure, arguing that it failed to address the underlying causes of the unrest. Reuters
A U.S. official told Fox News Digital that, "The United States is unwavering in its commitment to support Bolivia’s democracy and the Paz Administration as it rebuilds the country after 20 years of failed socialist policies. The Trump Administration will continue to stand with Bolivia as it works toward stability, security, and a better future for all Bolivians."
"The threat is serious enough for us to take preventive measures, but I do not want to portray a government that is under siege or weak," Justiniano said. "There is one fundamental difference: Bolivia learned… We do not confuse legitimate social discontent with a threat to democracy. People may agree or disagree with our economic policies. They can march, protest and challenge the government. That is democracy. What is not democratic is trying to impose a decision through violence, indefinite blockades or threats against the constitutional order."
The defense minister confirmed that police and military forces have already been deployed preventively around the country.
‘WAVE OF FREEDOM’ SWEEPS LATIN AMERICA AS TRUMP ALLY TAKES FIGHT TO MARXIST TERROR GROUP
"There is a preventive deployment in different parts of the country, particularly along strategic routes, access points to major cities and locations considered sensitive for freedom of movement, supply lines and the protection of critical infrastructure," Justiniano said.
He declined to provide exact locations, troop numbers or unit movements, saying the scale of the deployment would change according to the level of risk.
The unfolding situation comes just days after Trump hosted leaders participating in Shield of the Americas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 22. The White House has described the initiative as an alliance focused on economic and national security in the Western Hemisphere. The White House
PRESIDENT PAZ: BOLIVIA HAS REJECTED SOCIALISM AND IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "the United States values its close partnership with Bolivia, a Shield of the Americas participant, to advance economic growth and solve the security challenges posed by corruption and transnational crime."
"President Paz survived 53 days of blockades and violent attempts to undermine his presidency," the spokesperson said. "As the country’s elected leader, we support his administration’s ongoing work to repair Bolivia’s economy after more than 20 years of corrupt mismanagement by Evo Morales’s Movement towards Socialism (MAS) party."
The State Department also said visa restrictions announced Sept. 28 targeted Bolivian nationals whom Washington says are undermining "the security and governance progress President Paz and his administration are achieving," adding that the actions "reinforce, not undercut, our cooperation."
The Trump administration revoked visas for 27 officials, former officials and relatives across Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, according to the Associated Press. Among those affected was Bolivian Prosecutor General Roger Mariaca, whom the State Department accused of corruption and facilitating narcotrafficking. Mariaca has rejected the allegations.
Justiniano said Bolivia has formally requested the information underlying the U.S. action.
"The case of Bolivia’s Prosecutor General, Roger Mariaca, is particularly serious because the U.S. government has publicly made specific allegations involving corruption and the facilitation of drug trafficking," he said.
But the defense minister cautioned against drawing a direct connection between those affected by the visa restrictions and the current unrest. "It would be irresponsible for me to automatically state that everyone affected by those measures is connected to the current mobilizations," Justiniano said. "We do not have public evidence that would justify that generalization."
Asked what assistance Washington is providing in response to the current threat, Justiniano declined to say whether the U.S. was supplying operational intelligence or other direct assistance.
EXCLUSIVE: FBI EXTRADITIONS SOAR AS PATEL RAMPS UP FOREIGN OUTREACH, VOWS 'NO SANCTUARY'
"What I can say is that Bolivia wants to deepen this cooperation," he said.
Justiniano said Bolivia is seeking closer cooperation with the United States on information sharing, financial intelligence, counter-narcotics, organized crime, border security, extraditions, training and institutional strengthening.
That push was already evident last week, when Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Fernando Aramayo told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that the Paz government views its struggle against organized crime as part of a wider regional challenge.
"We recognize the legitimacy of protests and demonstrations that demand responses from the government," Aramayo said. "What we are attacking right now is all the attacks against our democracy that have been financed by narco-traffic money and organized international crime."
Aramayo said the government had received support from Washington. "The White House has supported us and other countries in this fight against these dark forces," he said, adding that Bolivia was "very proud of being part of this mechanism like the Shield of Americas."
Asked whether state actors were also involved in fueling the unrest, Aramayo said corruption and organized crime had become deeply embedded during the previous two decades, claiming that institutions, social and political leaders and private-sector actors had become entangled with transnational criminal organizations.
Justiniano stressed that the military deployments are not intended to suppress peaceful demonstrations and said police retain primary responsibility for public order.
"We are preparing for a risk, not declaring that a coup is underway," he said.
The distinction goes to the heart of the challenge confronting Shield of the Americas: how a regional initiative built in part to combat cartels and transnational organized crime operates when a member government says those networks are intersecting with domestic political unrest.
Hezbollah received $157M in weapons in 2024, mostly from 1 nation, report says
Hezbollah terrorists in Yemen received $157M worth of weapons in 2024, most of it given freely by Iran, according to a new report from the Israeli nonprofit Center for Research of Terror Financing.
The report, titled Hezbollah Financial Statements, relied on open-source data as well as known valuations of Hezbollah's military assets, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The report found that Hezbollah spent just $28 million on procuring weapons, and those were limited to small arms, ammunition, drone components, dual-use equipment, and equipment obtained through its international procurement networks.
EXCLUSIVE: ISRAEL SEIZES VAST IRAN TERROR AXIS ARSENAL WITH SURPRISING FOREIGN ORIGINS
Meanwhile, CENTEF Iran provided roughly $129 million worth of weapons as an in-kind grant, including rockets, missiles, drones, ATGMs, air-defense systems, ammunition, launchers, naval equipment, and IED-related assets.
The CENTEF analysis found that Hezbollah acquired 4,000 short-range Katyusha rockets, 400 Falaq-1 and 2 rockets, and 120 Burkan rockets in 2024. The short range rockets are estimated to cost $300 per unit, while the Burkan rockets are estimated to cost $400.
IDF UNCOVERS HEZBOLLAH WEAPONS STASH INSIDE HOSPITAL IN LEBANON
The report also detailed more sophisticated weaponry obtained by Hezbollah, including Iran’s Fajr series and Syrian-origin heavy rockets. The Fajr-3 is a 240mm artillery rocket armed with a 45-kilogram warhead, while the Fajr-5 is a 333mm rocket with a GPS-guided Fajr-5C variant, according to the Post.
The rockets are estimated to cost $2,000 to $10,000, and CENTEF estimates Hezbollah obtained 600 of them in 2024.
HEZBOLLAH'S 'GAME CHANGING' NIGHT-HUNTING WEAPON PUNCHES THROUGH ISRAEL'S DEFENSES: EXPERT
Anti-tank guided missiles make up a major portion of Hezbollah's arsenal. The research found that The Russian-made Kornet and Iran's reverse-engineered Dehlavieh make up the bulk of Hezbollah's ATGMs, with the former costing approximately $26,000 per round and the latter costing an estimated $12,000 to $15,000, according to the Post.
Hezbollah has expended vast measures of its arsenal in its attacks against Israel over the past year, and Israeli forces have decimated the group's leadership ranks.
IDF ANNOUNCES ELIMINATION OF HEZBOLLAH COMMANDER BEHIND MURDER OF 5 AMERICAN SOLDIERS
IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, the founder and president of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center told Fox News Digital earlier this month that IDF has decimated 90% of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile arsenal.
"Today Hezbollah is holding between 10,000 to 15,000 rockets, which is much less than what it used to have. Most of the array of sophisticated missiles, accurate missiles and long-range missiles was either eliminated or neutralized," Zehavi said.
Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
FlyDubai pilot showed world 'the highest form of courage,' India's PM says
The Indian pilot being credited with helping save the lives of 174 passengers after being stabbed on a FlyDubai aircraft heading to Israel has "shown the world the highest form of courage," India’s prime minister said.
Narendra Modi said Thursday that Capt. Smit Machchhar, "without fearing for his own life," had "fought valiantly and prevented another 9/11-like attack from happening" on Wednesday aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073, which had to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Modi added that India is saluting Machchhar and is "praying for his wellbeing." The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia described the "brave" pilot as being in stable condition after being taken to a hospital.
"Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of FlyDubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit," according to the Israel Foreign Ministry. "Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door – allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers."
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said on Wednesday there was "no doubt" that a FlyDubai pilot who allegedly stabbed Machchhar was attempting to bring down the plane, calling it a miracle that the aircraft was able to land safely.
"We have no doubt that it was a terror attack of a radical individual," Danon said on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."
"We know that there was an intention to bring that plane down, and we are grateful," he continued.
After the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia, another FlyDubai aircraft was brought in to bring the passengers to their destination of Tel Aviv.
"I did speak to [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi [Benjamin] Netanyahu at length about this event, and it seems as though the copilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job. And he stabbed the pilot," President Donald Trump said Wednesday.
NETANYAHU PRAISES HEROIC BYSTANDER IN BLOODY FLYDUBAI COCKPIT ATTACK
Machchhar’s LinkedIn profile stated he has worked for FlyDubai for about four years, according to The Associated Press.
Before joining the airline, Machchhar, who is from Mumbai, spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet, according to the profile.
SpiceJet, in a post on X, praised Machchhar’s "heroic courage" and "selfless actions."
"You are a hero to us all, Captain," the airline wrote.
Machchhar, who is married and has two children, trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in the New Zealand city of Dunedin for 18 months, beginning in 2008, the school’s head Philip Kean told 1News, a New Zealand television news channel.
Shota Musayev, a dentist and eyewitness, told The Associated Press how the wounded Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door to let passengers in before they grappled with the copilot.
Musayev then treated Machchhar.
"Poor pilot, he was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him," Musayev said.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz, Stepheny Price and The Associated Press contributed to this post.
Billion-dollar power link connecting Israel to Europe hits roadblock in bitter regional feud
UNITED NATIONS — Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of "hypocritical and provocative" rhetoric over Gaza while warning that Ankara is trying to obstruct a major energy project linking Israel, Cyprus and Europe.
"Turkey has been making threats and has been acting on threats against Cyprus, especially in the exclusive economic zone," Kombos told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
Kombos pointed to the Great Sea Interconnector, a planned subsea electricity cable linking Israel to Cyprus and Cyprus to Greece, connecting the island to Europe’s power grid.
TRUMP'S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER
"The main project of the electrical connection between Greece-Cyprus and then Cyprus-Israel has been blocked by Turkey because of illegal claims they have in terms of delimitation in the exclusive economic zone," Kombos said.
The roughly €1.9 billion Great Sea Interconnector is designed to carry up to 1,000 megawatts across more than 1,200 kilometers of subsea cable. The EU has committed €657 million to the Cyprus-Crete section, which is intended to end Cyprus’ isolation from the European electricity system and eventually connect Israel more directly to the European market.
TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENERGY VICTORIES ARE A HUGE REMINDER OF AMERICA'S DOMINANCE
The project has faced financial delays and geopolitical tensions tied to competing Greek and Turkish maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"The fact that we have someone challenging all the bases and all the norms of international law cannot be the answer to how we plan the future of our people," Kombos said.
Those tensions also framed his sharp response to Erdoğan’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly.
"We decided to stay in the room and hear Mr. Erdogan’s speech," Kombos said, referring to himself and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. "And we are both, at the same time, thinking that this is hypocritical and provocative."
Kombos said Erdoğan’s appeals to the U.N. Charter stood in stark contrast to Turkey’s record on the divided Mediterranean island.
"It’s an ongoing violation, an act of aggression, of invasion, of occupation," he said. "So it’s a very clear example of a distance between rhetoric and action, words and deeds."
MIDDLE EAST TAKES CENTER STAGE AT UN AS REGIONAL LEADERS CONFRONT IRAN WAR, GAZA AND HOUTHI THREAT
Erdoğan delivered a blistering attack on Israel during his Sept. 22 U.N. address, accusing the Israeli government of refusing to end its "occupation" and saying Gaza had become "the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time." He also accused Israel of having a "genocidal mindset." Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a coup backed by Greece’s then-military junta was followed by a Turkish military intervention that left the island split. The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus controls the south, while the northern third is administered by Turkish Cypriots with Turkey’s support. The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey, and a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone separates the two sides.
Efforts to reunify the island have repeatedly stalled. The U.N.-backed framework has centered on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, while Turkey has in recent years backed a two-state solution.
Kombos said Cyprus wants negotiations to resume from where they broke down in 2017 but argued that progress ultimately depends on Ankara.
"We need Turkey to give the green light to the Turkish Cypriot leadership," he said, adding that a two-state approach "runs contrary to everything this very organization and the United Nations Security Council have decided."
The U.N. has recently stepped up efforts to revive the process. Secretary-General António Guterres traveled to Cyprus from July 28-29, meeting separately and jointly with Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman in an effort to advance talks toward a "comprehensive and sustainable settlement."
TRUMP COULD HAND PRIZED STEALTH JETS TO NATO ALLY ONCE SEEN AS ALLIANCE HEADACHE
Kombos also raised concern over the possibility of Turkey obtaining U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
"This is something that is of concern to us, of course, as well as to other countries in the region," he said. "We cannot just accept this as the usual day at the office. This is something that’s important. It’s upsetting regional balances."
At the same time, Cyprus has moved significantly closer to Washington.
Kombos said the U.S.-Cyprus relationship is "probably right now at the highest level we have ever been," pointing to strategic dialogue, military cooperation, joint exercises and work to make Cypriot facilities compatible with assets used by the US and NATO partners.
Earlier this month, Washington renewed Cyprus’ exemption from U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations restrictions for fiscal year 2027, allowing transfers of US defense articles and services. Cyprus is also eligible for US Foreign Military Sales and the Excess Defense Articles program.
"We want to make sure that we are an active, useful partner in the international system," Kombos said, arguing that Cyprus’ location and close ties with Israel, Gulf states, Europe and the US give it an increasingly important regional role.
Pages
Advertisement
