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Gilberto C. Teodoro, the Defense Secretary for the Philippines, publicly bashed China after he was handed a note outlining China's position on the South China Sea while he was speaking during the Seoul Defense Dialogue in South Korea on Tuesday.

While Teodoro was in the middle of speaking, a man in a white sports coat walked up behind him and placed a sheet of paper on the table beside him.

"I have a note here, I think this is from China," Teodoro said, stopping short in his remarks.

"And may I read it?" he asked the crowd, before proceeding to read aloud from the note.

"China's position on the South China Sea arbitration is clear, consistent and firm. They have no position. The arbitration violates fundamental principles of international law," the note read.

MASSIVE RISK IN SOUTH CHINA SEA EXPOSED AFTER FOUR-DAY POWER LOSS ON US NAVY DESTROYER

The note likely referred to the 2016 legal case that the Philippines brought against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The case, titled the South China Sea Arbitration, determined that China was unlawfully reclaiming land in the Philippines' territorial waters.

China has long rebuked the ruling and consistently accuses the Philippines of infringing on China's sovereignty in the disputed waters.

The long-running dispute has created a number of tense standoffs between the two countries' navies.

"How can you deal with a country in an international forum – beyond the question asked to me – disrespecting the organizers of this forum, how do you expect to deal with it civilly?" Teodoro asked the crowd.

"I ask you the question, is this the right paper to post to me when I'm being asked a question on the floor? And how will you treat this kind of behavior? It not only disrespects, shows, if this is a Chinese position sent to me, it not only disrespects international law, throwing UNCLOS to the floor and trampling upon it, but it also disrespects the basic decency accorded that should be accorded to our most gracious host, the Republic of Korea and the rest of the audience here," he continued.

RULE JAPANICA: AMERICA AND JAPAN ARE BUILDING THE ALLIANCE CHINA FEARS

"So, perhaps basic decency and behavior is what China needs to do. This is actual coercion, bullying and aggression. I will keep this paper as a memento of how desperate China is and how ineffective its position is in the face of a free audience. Thank you very much for the person who gave me this piece of paper. You have just done your country a great service," Teodoro added.

"I think it is well known to the public, to everyone here about the Philippine situation where we face challenges daily from the People's Republic of China which tries to occupy and illegally assert its presence over our territory and especially our exclusive economic zone. In contravention with the UNCLOS. We live in a very interconnected world, and there is no right for any state of that matter to appropriate an international common for its exclusive use or right, contrary to what the international norms clearly state. So the Philippines has been forced to enter into creative defense arrangements and alliances," Teodoro concluded.

Hungary has demanded that 10 individuals with the Russian mission depart the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Orban — who is not related to Hungary's former Prime Minister Viktor Orban — noted in a post on X that the 10 people had participated in actions that were "unacceptable" according to the Vienna Convention.

"Acting on my instructions, on Tuesday the relevant official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Russian ambassador to Hungary that, according to the assessment of the Hungarian authorities, 10 members of the Russian mission had engaged in activities in Hungary that are unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention. The Hungarian side has therefore called on the individuals in question to leave Hungary," she declared in the post.

RUSSIA'S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT

But Orban noted that Hungary is not cutting off diplomatic relations with Russia.

"This decision protects Hungary’s security and sovereignty. It does not imply breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia. Hungary intends to continue the necessary dialogue, based on mutual respect and adherence to the rules," she said in the post.

HUNGARY'S NEW LEADER ONCE IDOLIZED ORBÁN — NOW HE'S THE MAN WHO BROUGHT HIM DOWN

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in comments to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, vowed to provide "an appropriate response" to the expulsions.

Hungary is a member of the European Union.

European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said Tuesday that "we take note of Hungary’s legitimate decision" to expel the Russian diplomats.

Wigand noted that the move was an expected response due to "Russia’s persistent campaign in using hybrid attacks against the EU and its member states."

RUSSIA'S QUIETER NUCLEAR SUBMARINES THREATEN NATO, FORMER COMMANDER WARNS

Hungary is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which the U.S. is a founding member.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A supermarket manager in Mexico leapt to action Sunday, diving into the road to save a 3-year-old girl from oncoming traffic, security footage shows.

Luis Cruz, a manager at the Super King El Rey del Ahorro grocery store, sprinted after the girl who had wandered into the busy road and grabbed her while diving to the ground moments before she would have been hit by a silver minivan.

The girl had run out of the Puebla, Mexico, supermarket around 2 p.m. local time after slipping out of her mother’s grip, according to Mexican news outlet Tribuna Noticias.

The girl was initially chased by a woman, but the woman slipped and fell before she could grab the child.

WATCH: ICE OFFICER MAKES HEROIC RESCUE AFTER 6-YEAR-OLD GIRL HAS POOL EMERGENCY

Video shows Cruz quickly tackling the girl to the ground moments before a minivan crossed the lane she would have entered had Cruz not stopped her.

OFF-DUTY ICE OFFICER RELIES ON 'SIXTH SENSE' TO SAVE DROWNING CHILD BEFORE DELIVERING MESSAGE TO CRITICS

As car horns honk, Cruz grabs the girl, pulling her backwards as they both tumble safely to the ground in the lane closest to the store while the minivan screeches to a halt in the middle lane.

The grocery store, according to Tribuna Noticias, awarded Cruz with 20,000 Mexican pesos – roughly $1,184 – for his heroics.

CALIFORNIA LIFEGUARD SPEAKS OUT ON HEARTSTOPPING OCEAN RESCUE: 'I LOVE WHAT I DO'

Cruz also reportedly said he didn't think before taking action, and that as a father himself he was driven by paternal action. He also, Tribuna Noticias reported, urged parents to keep a watchful eye on their children.

Fox News Digital contacted Super King El Rey del Ahorro for confirmation and further comment.

The United Kingdom unveiled sweeping new measures targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, triggering an immediate diplomatic rupture with Israel and a sharp warning from a senior Trump administration official.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval, that Israel would close the British Consulate in Jerusalem and impose a series of countermeasures in response to the U.K. sanctions.

The Israeli measures also include removing British representatives from the International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, ending British activities training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank and denying entry to 12 British elected officials and other British nationals whom Israel accused of antisemitic or anti-Israel activity.

UK MOVES TO SANCTION ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS AS PM BURNHAM RISKS CLASH WITH TRUMP: REPORT

"Measures against Israel will not go unanswered," Sa’ar said. "Whoever acts against Israel, Israel will act against them, and they will lose their influence and relevance in the region."

The escalation came hours after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that Britain would ban imports of goods from Israeli settlements, target companies and individuals facilitating settlement expansion, and refuse licenses for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the occupation.

The move is part of a coordinated push with France, Canada and other European partners amid what the governments described Tuesday as "unprecedented levels of settler violence and settlement expansion" in the West Bank, including Israel’s E1 project, which they argue threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. The measures come just weeks before world leaders gather for the U.N. General Assembly in New York and less than two months before Israel’s Oct. 27 election, adding diplomatic and political stakes to an already strained relationship between Israel and several of its traditional Western allies.

At the same time, the foreign ministers recognized Israel’s "legitimate security interests" and reiterated their condemnation of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack, which they described as "the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust." They said their objective remained a two-state solution allowing Israel and "a sovereign, democratic and viable Palestinian state" to live side by side in peace and security.

UK DEFENSE SHORTFALLS HIGHLIGHTED AS BRITAIN AVOIDS IRAN OFFENSIVE ROLE AMID TRUMP CRITICISM

The timing has also become a political issue inside Britain. An unnamed Labor MP told The Telegraph that Prime Minister Andy Burnham had faced pressure from colleagues worried about Gaza-related campaigning and losing seats to the Greens, while Israeli officials have accused London of trying to influence Israel’s election — claims the British government rejects as it frames the measures as an effort to preserve the two-state solution.

"Today, I announce that the official view of the British government is that the occupation is unlawful," Miliband told lawmakers Tuesday.

Miliband opened the statement by describing himself as a "proud British Jew" with "the deepest gratitude to the State of Israel," recalling how his grandmother found refuge there after losing her husband and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis.

He stressed that the measures were aimed at settlements rather than Israel itself.

"The sanctions regime will target illegal settlement and settlement expansion. Not Israel," Miliband said, adding that Britain would continue to support trade with Israel inside the Green Line and that he "wholeheartedly" opposed the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Miliband also condemned rising antisemitism in Britain, saying, "Holding British Jews responsible for the actions of the Israeli government is antisemitism, plain and simple."

He reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism, called for Hamas to disarm and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure under the U.S. -led 20-point Gaza plan, and announced sanctions against Hezbollah financing institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan. He also said Britain was reimposing major economic sanctions on Iran and would continue security cooperation with Israel against shared threats.

The measures drew immediate criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who warned in an interview with BBC World Service Newsday that Britain could face economic repercussions in the United States.

ISRAELI OFFICIAL SAYS EU SANCTIONS REVEAL ANTISEMITISM HIDING BEHIND 'SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE MASK'

"I think without a doubt there will be," Huckabee said when asked whether the U.K. should expect consequences.

Huckabee pointed to Florida and other states with anti-boycott laws, arguing that British companies could face restrictions on doing business there.

"If the Brits do something like this with a partner, Israel, then they will not be able to do business in Florida," he said, warning of a "huge economic impact on British businesses."

He also challenged Britain’s policy on substantive grounds, arguing that Israel is permitted under the Oslo agreements to build communities in Area C and predicting that the sanctions would have "a very negative effect that does not meet whatever goal maybe that the Brits have."

In a separate portion of the BBC interview, Huckabee said, "I feel like that it's a discrimination against the Israeli government. It's a discrimination against the Jewish people. And I don't understand the rationale."

The Trump administration also made clear Tuesday that Washington would not join the coordinated sanctions push. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States does not want to see "anything destabilizing" in the West Bank, but said Washington would not follow Britain, France and Canada in blocking imports from Israeli settlements, according to Reuters.

IS ISRAEL REALLY ISOLATED? POLLS AND DIPLOMACY POINT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS

Sa’ar also accused London of interfering in Israel’s election campaign and said the settlement sanctions were driven by domestic British politics ahead of the Labor Party conference.

"The British move is morally distorted and constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and in its electoral process," he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Britain’s move a "grave miscalculation" Tuesday and argued that it amounted to "gross interference" in Israel’s upcoming election, according to a statement from his office.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president and founder of the Tel Aviv-based Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, also criticized the measures, arguing that the economic impact would be limited while the political consequences could be significant.

"These sanctions are not serious economic policy; they are political theater staged at Israel’s expense," Darshan-Leitner told Fox News Digital. She disputed Britain’s legal characterization of the territory, saying, "The territories are disputed, not sovereign Palestinian land, and their future must be negotiated by the parties under the Oslo framework."

Darshan-Leitner also argued that because little of the roughly $8 billion in annual U.K.-Israel trade originates in West Bank settlements, the measures would have little direct economic effect while potentially influencing Israel’s political debate ahead of elections.

Miliband, however, argued that failing to act would allow continued settlement expansion to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution. He focused particularly on Israel’s E1 project east of Jerusalem, which Britain and numerous other governments say threatens the territorial viability of a future Palestinian state.

Sa'ar rejected Britain’s position that the E1 settlement project threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.

UK PINS STRING OF ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS ON IRAN-LINKED GROUP, BANS IRGC

The policy has also exposed divisions within Britain.

Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat acknowledged in Parliament that illegal settlements were wrong and that some settlers had committed "outrageous abuses" against Palestinians, but argued that the government’s response risked hurting ordinary Israelis and Palestinians.

"What we reject here is not the intent, but the performative politics," Tugendhat said, warning against acting without sufficiently broad international support.

Miliband rejected arguments that the measures were intended to isolate Israel.

"Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the U.K. has unshakable bonds," he said. "Our argument is with the conduct of its government."

Thieves made off with two valuable Renoir paintings after breaking into a small museum on the French Riviera early Tuesday, dropping two other stolen works in the garden as police raced to the scene, officials said.

The two thieves cut through a garden fence and entered the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer shortly before 6 a.m., stealing four paintings, Mayor Bryan Masson said.

The alarm sounded at 5:48 a.m. Police arrived five minutes later and chased the thieves, who dropped two of the paintings in the garden before escaping with the other two, according to Masson.

NJ FATHER-DAUGHTER TEAM ACCUSED OF PEDDLING FAKE PICASSOS, WARHOLS AND MORE TO NYC ART HOUSES PLEAD GUILTY

"Attacking the Renoir Museum is attacking a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer," Masson said, further calling for tighter security at museums across France.

Surveillance cameras captured two people entering the museum. Police were still looking for them Tuesday.

The four paintings taken included "Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano," "Coco Lisant" and "Young Girl at the Well," according to French newspaper Nice-Matin, which valued the stolen works at about $10.5 million.

A regional police official confirmed the theft and search for the suspects to The Associated Press but could not confirm the reported value. It was also unclear which two paintings the thieves abandoned as they fled.

The museum remained closed Tuesday while police investigated.

The Renoir Museum is housed in the hilltop estate where French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir spent the final years of his life and died in 1919.

WATCH: MASKED THIEVES WIELDING HAMMERS HIT JEWELRY STORE IN WHAT EXPERT CALLS 'MOB-STYLE' HEIST

The museum, which opened in 1960, sits in Cagnes-sur-Mer between Nice and Cannes on France’s Mediterranean coast. Its collection includes 13 Renoir paintings, about 40 sculptures, furniture and photographs.

Tuesday’s theft follows a series of museum robberies in France, including last year’s theft of crown jewels from the Louvre in Paris.

Thieves stole jewels valued at about $102 million from the Louvre in October, including a tiara that belonged to Empress Eugénie.

Europol said last month that art robberies in Europe have grown more violent and that some thefts once carried out by specialist gangs are now being committed by opportunists recruited through social media.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

JERUSALEM — With Israel’s stunning capture of the strategically valuable Ali al-Taher ridge in south Lebanon on Sunday, a major Hezbollah and Iran stronghold, the campaign to degrade Tehran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance" suffered a severe blow.

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) triumph is not a death blow, it means that the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement lost one of its key offensive bases to plan an invasion of Israel.

IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, the founder and president of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center (Alma), told Fox News Digital that "In the past three years Israel has attacked Hezbollah against various areas, for instance, we degraded the amount of rockets and missiles."

EXCLUSIVE: ISRAEL SEIZES VAST IRAN TERROR AXIS ARSENAL WITH SURPRISING FOREIGN ORIGINS

She noted that the IDF has decimated 90% of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile arsenal. Zehavi said, "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."

She said, "The capability to launch an invasion of thousands of terrorists into Israel which was the plan, and this was the preparedness three years ago. This capability doesn't exist anymore since the IDF is based in South Lebanon along the borderline, preventing Hezbollah from coming back to those places."

In late August, Alma released a widely read analysis on: "Hezbollah – Situation Assessment: From a Large-Scale Terrorist Army to a Persistent Dispersed Threat."

Zehavi, who resides in northern Israel and has experienced Hezbollah’s massive aerial attacks into her region since the Lebanese terrorist movement joined Hamas in its war against Israel, warned that, "As long as Iran supports its main proxy, which is Hezbollah, it will be very difficult to prevent its rebuilding of its military capabilities and with everything that happened in Iran In the past year, Iran still supports Hezbollah."

She noted that Iran still aids Hezbollah via "arms smuggling and money" and "they still put a lot of effort [into] that and the training and the involvement of Iran in Hezbollah in Lebanon. And this must be stopped."

LEBANON ACCUSES IRAN OF INSERTING IRGC TERRORISTS INTO COUNTRY 'UNDER GUISE OF DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY'

Iran's regime is a state-sponsor of terrorism and Hezbollah’s base is the Shiite community in Lebanon. Radical Shiite Islamism unifies Iran's regime with its chief proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

Alma, who has a deep knowledge of Hezbollah’s activities, wrote on X on Sunday: "The battle for the Ali al-Taher Ridge is over – the struggle with Hezbollah is not."

According to Zehavi, Hezbollah "today is much more of a guerrilla organization than a terrorist army as it used to be. It is having a lot of difficulties in rebuilding its capabilities… It is dedicated to rebuilding its military capabilities. But it has a lot of challenges along the way with this regard because of the regime change in Syria, because of that fact that it's much more difficult to transfer weapons through the airport in Lebanon and through Syria. But it doesn't mean that it is not happening. They are still trying and some of it do pass."

Hezbollah’s setback was also echoed by Israel TV’s Channel 12 chief political analyst, Amit Segal. He said the Hezbollah base Ali al-Taher was "Just 10 kilometers (just over six miles) from the Israeli border, with a clear view of the Litani and the Israeli Hula Valley, it was the place from which Hezbollah intended to coordinate its own Oct. 7 in the Galilee."

Hezbollah’s ally, the Hamas terrorist organization, invaded Israel nearly three years ago on Oct. 7 and slaughtered over 1,200 people in southern Israel, including more than 40 Americans.

The IDF announced on Sunday that "Soldiers from the 36th Division have operated in recent weeks to clear and neutralize the two underground routes in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area in the Security Zone. The soldiers achieved operational control of the ridge area, both above and below ground, and cleared the area of terrorists. Some of the terrorists were eliminated, while others fled the area."

PENTAGON HOSTS FIRST-EVER ISRAELI–LEBANESE MILITARY TALKS AIMED AT CURBING HEZBOLLAH

The IDF statement added that "Following operations in the underground routes over the past several weeks, their capability to carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers from within the routes has been neutralized."

Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qamati told a Lebanese podcaster in late August that, "Ali al-Taher is important, but if it is lost it does not mean the end of Hezbollah."

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told an Arab TV station, also in late August, that the Lebanese army was ready to take over the strategic ridge.

He accused Israel of blocking the army due to its own political considerations ahead of Israeli national elections on Oct. 27.

"The problem is not in the Lebanese army’s readiness but in Israel’s stance," he said.

The Trump administration had pushed for Hezbollah to allow Lebanon’s Army to take control of Ali al-Taher. Hezbollah refused the proposed U.S. deal.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "Hizballah has been the primary obstacle to Lebanon's economic recovery, the main blemish on its international reputation, and the biggest threat to the safety and stability of Lebanon. It bears sole responsibility for Israel's presence on Lebanese soil. This is precisely why Hizballah must be disarmed and dismantled."

EXPERTS URGE EXTREME CAUTION ON IRAN'S 'CROWN JEWEL' HEZBOLLAH — TERROR GROUP WITH US BLOOD ON ITS HANDS

The State Department spokesperson added that "Hizballah is drastically weaker than at any point in recent history, which has allowed the Government of Lebanon to outlaw its military activities. We fully support that decision, as do all of our regional partners."

Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute who focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant, told Fox News Digital that "Hezbollah is weakened on two levels. They lost a lot of people, commanders and people, and weapons. Today, there is a goal to rebuild this military structure, invest in rebuilding in personnel, infrastructure and weapons. This is their primary goal."

Ghaddar, who is from Lebanon, added the second level of weakness for Hezbollah is the people are divided within the Shiite community. Hezbollah is no longer the father figure. Hezbollah ended with [Hassan] Nasrallah with his assassination. Hezbollah as protector and liberator is no longer there. It is a mix of IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Hezbollah and Nabih Berri [ the Shiite speaker of the Lebanese parliament and the president of the Amal movement]."

Ghaddar said the Shiite community in Lebanon is fractured over whether to continue its support for Hezbollah after multiple wars with Israel.  She said it's "divided over whether Hezbollah is the solution. There is where Hezbollah is bleeding. Hezbollah needs the Shiite community for political power."

Ghaddar said that "Hezbollah has managed to get appointments through their allies, Berri and Amal… They have ministries of finance and health ministry… They really wanted appointments in general security and military. They got that. This reflects their strength economically. They are in survival and using power in the state and cash economy to rebuild."

Multiple Fox News Digital press queries sent to the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., went unanswered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles on Tuesday, after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Ukraine's capital as part of an effort to resume stalled peace negotiations.

Ukrainian officials said the attack involved ballistic and cruise missiles, according to CNN, and residential buildings in two districts of the city sustained damage as people were urged to remain indoors.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said people were trapped inside a residential building after the attacks.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE

The attacks, which caused fires across the city, including at an educational facility, came after Witkoff and Kushner met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on Sunday. The day prior, they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the Trump administration attempts to bring an end to the war that began in February 2022.

Witkoff said Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a three-day ceasefire before their visit to the region following months without significant progress toward a peace agreement. The ceasefire ended on Tuesday.

KUSHNER, WITKOFF SET FOR KYIV TALKS AFTER PUTIN MEETING IN US PUSH FOR PEACE

"Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks. President Trump is working hard to stop the killing and work towards a lasting and durable peace," he wrote on X following the trip.

On Tuesday morning, the governor of the Russian city of Saratov said a Ukrainian drone struck civilian infrastructure and injured some people.

Russian attacks killed multiple people and wounded dozens of others across Ukraine over the past day, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

Additionally, Ukrainian drones struck three Russian oil refineries on Monday.

The United Kingdom is expected to announce restrictions targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday, a move already drawing strong pushback Monday from U.S. and Israeli officials.

According to The Times, a US State Department said Washington was "tracking the plans closely."

The measures are expected to include an embargo on goods and some services involving West Bank settlements marking an escalation in London’s pressure on Israel under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has taken a firmer stance on the conflict, according to reports.

The announcement is expected to come a day after Burnham spoke by phone with President Donald Trump.

WHO IS ANDY BURNHAM? BRITAIN'S NEW PRIME MINISTER AND LONGTIME TRUMP CRITIC

According to a No. 10 Downing Street readout of the call Monday, the two leaders discussed the Middle East, with Burnham highlighting the importance of a two-state solution which calls for an independent Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip to exist alongside Israel.

"On the Middle East, the Prime Minister set out the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of the Two-State Solution," the spokesperson said.

The readout did not mention the planned sanctions. Bloomberg reported, however, that the timing of the call suggested Burnham may have briefed Trump on the measures targeting goods and services linked to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The move could create an early point of friction between Burnham and Washington, where the Trump administration has strongly backed Israel, the outlet said.

I’M AN ARAB MUSLIM — I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND THE ANTISEMITIC BDS MOVEMENT

The new measures, billed widely as sanctions, are expected to be formally unveiled by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who has already pledged a "comprehensive reset" of Britain’s policy toward Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Miliband signaled last week that measures were coming in response to Israeli settlement expansion, including the E1 project east of Jerusalem, according to The National.

He went on to describe E1 as a longstanding "red line" and said Britain would take action to protect the prospect of a two-state solution.

The planned sanction announcement has already drawn sharp criticism in Israel and the United States.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the British ambassador’s expulsion in a post on X.

"We will not be a doormat for an antisemitic government in a country occupied by radical Islam that is trying to escape economic and social collapse by attacking Jews and the State of Israel," Smotrich wrote. "The British Mandate in Israel is over."

EX-PENTAGON OFFICIAL URGES US TO ‘SQUEEZE’ UK ON DEFENSE AMID FALKLANDS FUROR

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also condemned the planned restrictions, writing in Spanish on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should retaliate by recognizing Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and imposing sanctions on Britain.

Ben-Gvir accused Britain of having "violently" taken the disputed islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, the Times of Israel reported.

In the United States, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., also warned in a post on X that the planned measures could implicate Florida’s anti-boycott law and potentially prevent some affected British companies from doing business with state and local governments.

Meanwhile, Burnham has joined leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy and other countries in condemning Israel’s E1 settlement expansion, arguing that the project threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.

A popular Egyptian TV host on Saturday was sentenced to death by hanging in a major drug case that accused dozens of suspects of forming an organized criminal group to manufacture and traffic synthetic drugs.

Sarah Khalifa is among 12 defendants facing execution for their alleged roles in the operation, including importing materials used to produce narcotics, according to state-backed media Ahram Online. Capital punishment in Egypt is carried out by hanging for civilian convictions.

Khalifa is a media personality, beauty clinic owner and former TV host who has appeared on several Egyptian television channels. Local outlet Masrawy reported that she previously hosted the Egyptian crime show "Mission Impossible."

Khalifa, who currently has more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram, was reportedly arrested in Cairo in April 2025 as part of the investigation.

DOCTOR AND SON ACCUSED OF RUNNING DANGEROUS SIDE-BUSINESS SCHEME IN NEW YORK

The case involved a total of 28 defendants who were charged with forming an organized criminal group, as well as possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition, Ahram Online said. Twelve were sentenced to death, nine received life sentences and seven were acquitted of all charges.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON BRAZIL'S BIGGEST DRUG GANGS WITH ‘GLOBAL TERROR’ DESIGNATION

The group allegedly operated like a production and distribution network, with members assigned different roles. Some were responsible for importing raw materials, while others manufactured and distributed the synthetic drugs, the prosecution said, according to reports.

The group was also accused of storing materials and manufacturing drugs in a residential property.

More than 750 kilograms, or roughly 1,653 pounds, of synthetic narcotics and raw materials were seized during the investigation, prosecutors said, according to reports.

The case against Khalifa and the other defendants relied on statements from 20 witnesses, along with technical and digital evidence, including messages, photographs and videos that prosecutors said documented the alleged criminal activity, according to Ahram Online.

Authorities also placed the defendants' assets and bank accounts under precautionary measures and ordered those already in custody to remain detained, Ahram Online reported.

Russia’s quieter new-generation nuclear-powered submarines are pressuring NATO’s northern defenses as the alliance races to secure Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, a former NATO commander warned, citing President Vladimir Putin’s emerging "new super weapons and super capabilities" amassing in the region.

The rising challenge, he said, also includes Russia’s heavily militarized Kola Peninsula, where Moscow has expanded military infrastructure, including airfields and ports, as it seeks to strengthen its position along the Northern Sea Route, as well as the waters leading to the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom Gap, known as the GIUK Gap.

NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum highlighted Sept. 2 that an expanding Russian submarine threat in the region was "serious."

"Something is moving beneath the surface," NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum posted on X.

ARCTIC POWER PLAY GIVES TOP US ADVERSARY NEW OPENING WITH RUSSIA AS US STAKES GROW

"Russia is expanding and modernising its submarine force, with the Kola Peninsula remaining a key hub for the Northern Fleet. Among them: new-generation nuclear-powered SSGNs, bringing serious long-range strike and sea-denial capabilities into the High North," NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum said.

"They may be invisible beneath the waves. But not for us. We see them, we watch the developments closely and yes, we take these developments seriously," the Joint Force Command added.

The combination of quieter nuclear submarines and Russia's growing military infrastructure across its Arctic coastline means NATO is confronting an increasingly difficult undersea surveillance challenge, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove told Fox News Digital.

"Submarines are one of the toughest threats that we have to deal with — they're very hard to find and track," he explained.

"Submarines can get well within striking distance of any nation in the Atlantic. From the United States to our NATO allies, submarines can get close enough to the shore to fire submarine-launched ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which are a major problem," the former supreme allied commander Europe for NATO and commander of U.S. European Command added. 

REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES

Today, countries such as Russia and China are developing similar fleets, posing a growing threat to any nation with a significant coastline, Breedlove said.

"We've taken very capable measures in the past to understand what Russia is doing in those waters, and we will now be adapting to the possibility of a quieter submarine," he said. "Any increase in stealthiness or noise suppression by a Russian submarine is, of course, a problem for NATO."

Russia's Yasen-M-class nuclear-powered submarines include advanced acoustic-quieting and sonar technology, according to Military Watch and Russian news agency, TASS.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the 13,800-ton submarines can carry 1,000-mile-range cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, with Russian officials stating they remain "invisible."

"Yasen-M-class nuclear-powered submarines are capable of accomplishing all of the Navy’s objectives in any part of the World Ocean while remaining invisible," Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Fleet Adm. Alexander Moiseyev said in a June 17 statement, according to TASS, after Russia's Sevmash shipyard started building the ninth Yasen-M submarine.

NATO'S EASTERN FLANK RACES TO REARM AS TRUMP PRESSURE EXPOSES WESTERN EUROPE'S DEFENSE GAP

"As is often the case when Putin is in trouble — and he's in trouble now in his war in Ukraine — one of the ways he diverts attention is to start announcing new super weapons and super capabilities that NATO and the West can't contend with," Breedlove warned.

"Putin is creating a stir about a new class of submarines that he wants to deploy from what we call the bastion waters in the Far North," he said before stating that NATO would "have to adapt our measures and our ability to see and track them."

"We've taken excellent measures in the past." 

Breedlove characterized the GIUK Gap as a critical gateway for Russian naval forces moving from their northern bases toward the Atlantic.

"All the Russian ships have to come out through the GIUK Gap to make it into the Atlantic," Breedlove said, warning that the seven other Arctic nations, including the United States, are concerned about what Russia is doing.

A UKRAINIAN HACKER'S TALE OF HOW HE IS AIDING THE LAND WAR BY BATTLING RUSSIA FOR THE CLOUD

NATO has also been strengthening its northern posture amid the renewed Russian military activity and the growing strategic importance of the Arctic.

In February 2026, the alliance launched Arctic Sentry, a multidomain military initiative led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and designed to better coordinate allied land, air and maritime activity across the Arctic and High North.

NATO further strengthened its northern flank in June with Forward Land Forces Finland, a Swedish-led multinational force designed to bolster deterrence and defense along the alliance's northeastern flank, with Finland serving as the host nation, according to a release.

"The Arctic region has been a concern for some years now as ice in the area is receding in the north, and what that has done is created the Northern Passage that allows European trade to happen with Asia much faster," Breedlove said, stating that for most types of ships, the trips are up to 14 days quicker.

"This is a tremendous economic opportunity, but Russia sees this as an economic opportunity in that they want to control those northern waters.

DENMARK VOWS TO DEFEND GREENLAND AFTER TRUMP REITERATES US SHOULD CONTROL TERRITORY

Russia has been upgrading airfields, ports and radar systems along the Arctic coast as Moscow seeks greater control over the Northern Sea Route and its commercial traffic, Breedlove said.

The recent NATO buildup however, has drawn strong pushback from Moscow, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warning Aug. 30 that increased Western military activity risks destabilizing the Arctic region.

"Such military activity in the Far North poses a direct threat to Russia’s security," Lavrov wrote in a public essay.

"It also increases the risk of incidents that could trigger an armed confrontation with potentially disastrous consequences," he said, according to Reuters.

Another European nation has stopped funding the U.N. agency that aids the Palestinians. Finland has followed the U.S. and Sweden in halting donations to the terror-tainted agency.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is presently being investigated for ties to the terrorist rulers of Gaza. Recently, organizations including the USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) and NGO UN Watch have uncovered further evidence of what they allege is Hamas infiltration of UNRWA and its members’ participation in the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in southern Israel. 

Finland announced it would discontinue funding to the organization at the end of 2026. Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed to Fox News Digital that the agreement with UNRWA would conclude at the end of 2026 but that "As of yet, no decision has been made on what are the international partners through which Finland’s support will be channeled next year to meet the acute needs in the region." 

Finnish officials did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about what prompted the change to the country’s funding for UNRWA.

US URGES DONORS TO ABANDON UNRWA FUNDING AS UN DEFENDS AGENCY'S MISSION

While other nations still continue to fund UNRWA, President Donald Trump fully banned funding to the organization in February 2025 and Sweden ended funding to UNRWA in December 2024. Sweden redirected aid to other U.N. bodies for its Gaza response.

The future of aid provision in Gaza matters for the Trump administration-backed Board of Peace as it seeks to shape a conflict-free future for the region.

An official affiliated with the Board of Peace reconstruction effort told Fox News Digital that "the international community’s concern about UNRWA in Gaza continues to rise and is supported by damning evidence. The Board of Peace has been clear: New Gaza will be both demilitarized and deradicalized, and we will only be working with trusted, credible delivery partners to achieve our goals. We anticipate responsibly replacing UNRWA with vetted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza."

WATCHDOG DEMANDS APOLOGY AFTER UN MEMORIAL ERRONEOUSLY HONORS HAMAS TERRORIST

The USAID OIG is investigating about 1,500 members of UNRWA for terror participation, and has referred 108 UNRWA staff to the State Department to suggest they be suspended or excluded from further work with organizations in receipt of U.S. funds.

A senior U.S. official briefed on USAID OIG’s ongoing investigation told Fox News Digital that the USAID OIG’s "independent findings are prompting several other countries to reassess the stale and conventional thinking that UNRWA is the best and only option to provide aid to civilians in Gaza." The official said that the USAID OIG’s "findings also will prevent Hamas and October 7 affiliated staff from circulating across future, more responsible, aid organizations operating in Gaza."

WORLD'S HUMANITARIAN SYSTEM BUCKLING, 'NO LONGER FIT FOR PURPOSE,' US-BASED RESEARCHERS SAY

UN Watch’s Terror Network report claims that about 12% of UNRWA staff in Gaza are members of terror organizations, based on "cross-checking UNRWA employee rosters with Hamas records seized by the [Israel Defense Forces.]"

Executive director of UN Watch Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital that "Finland’s principled decision to defund terror-infested UNRWA will not deprive Palestinians of aid, as it will be redirected through genuine humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Programme that are not systemically infiltrated by Hamas."

He said that "other democracies should follow" the examples of Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. "Contrary to what UNRWA supporters claim, the agency is not ‘indispensable’ — assistance can and must be delivered through responsible alternatives."

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, told Fox News Digital that "UNRWA has taken note of the announcement, and they are grateful to Finland for the disbursement of the 2023–2026 funds under the multi-year agreement. UNRWA looks forward to continuing our discussions with the government." He explained that "the Secretary-General continues to encourage member states to support UNRWA's vital work." 

Finland's four-year funding was around $23.23 to UNRWA and will now end after this year. UNRWA did not respond to Fox News Digital questions about Finland’s decision.

Neuer said "defunding UNRWA is a prerequisite for deradicalization, the first step in the Gaza peace plan. Far from harming the prospects for peace, dismantling UNRWA is essential to achieving it. For decades, the agency has perpetuated the conflict by teaching generations of Palestinians that their future lies not in building their own society, but in a so-called ‘right of return’ that would eliminate Israel."

He concluded by noting that USAID OIG and UN Watch’s exposes on UNRWA prove that "the agency is unreformable. Nations that genuinely want peace should stop financing this machinery of hate, and invest instead in humanitarian relief, deradicalization and Palestinian self-reliance."

Travel restrictions have been placed on U.S. government employees in the Mexican border city of Nogales, Sonora, according to officials.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico on Saturday issued a warning restricting government activity over an unspecified threat in Nogales, Sonora, in Mexico.

"Due to threat information, U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Nogales have been restricted to essential movement during daylight hours only," the U.S. Consulate General in Nogales said in a statement.

STATE DEPARTMENT URGES AMERICANS TO AVOID MEXICAN CITY JUST ACROSS TEXAS BORDER

"We are alerting U.S. citizens of this threat and change in posture," the statement continued.

Sonora's State Security Board said it contacted U.S. consular officials after the alert was issued but did not provide information identifying a specific threat. State authorities said they had no information establishing a concrete risk to the public, though they would continue preventive security operations in Nogales.

The alert also reminded Americans that the U.S. Travel Advisory designates Sonora as a Level 3 "Reconsider Travel" area.

Anyone in the area is urged to exercise increased caution and be aware of their surroundings, seek shelter in the event of an incident, notify friends and family of their safety in the event of an incident, follow instructions from Mexican law enforcement, and monitor local media for updates.

U.S. lawmakers also encouraged people in the area to pay attention to the warnings issued by the U.S. government.

"For Americans in or near Nogales - or who may have family members or friends there: please heed the guidance and warnings from the U.S. government," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said on X.

"We are praying for the safety of U.S. citizens and personnel who may be in harm's way," he added.

AMERICANS WARNED POPULAR TRAVEL ROUTES THIS SUMMER COULD CARRY CRIME AND KIDNAPPING RISKS

It remains unclear what threat in Nogales triggered the security warning.

The far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election on Sunday, in a major blow to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right party, the Christian Democratic Union.

Merz's party was projected to be hit with a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

AfD had sought to form the country’s first far-right state government since the end of World War II in 1945, although it was not immediately clear whether it would be able to fulfill that ambition.

Ulrich Siegmund, AfD's anti-migration candidate for governor, said that "we have written history."

ANTI-MIGRANT AFD SEEKS TO BREAK GERMANY'S POLITICAL 'FIREWALL' IN HISTORIC STATE ELECTION

Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a message that "things cannot carry on like this," adding that it was "also a signal toward Berlin."

"A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz. Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many," he said of Germany's unpopular leader.

The election comes amid widespread public discontent with the national government, which has yet to convince many voters it can get the country's sluggish economy back on track.

AfD aimed for an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with it. But it was unclear long after polls closed whether that goal would become reality.

"AfD is a right-wing extremist party. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall ... it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model," said Franziska Hoppermann, the national general-secretary of Merz's party. "We will not work with them."

Achieving its first state government would be the biggest victory in the anti-migration party’s 13-year history.

Regardless of whether AfD forms its own government, the projected result is still a blow to Merz, whose center-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years. Unlike several other European countries, modern Germany has not had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.

AfD is the largest opposition party in Germany’s national parliament and is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east, where Saxony-Anhalt sits.

Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group by the domestic intelligence agency, which cites members' disparagement of migrants from Muslim countries among other things.

The party promotes "remigration," which pushes for the deportation of immigrants.

Siegmund has said his top priorities include "a deportation offensive" and ending incentives for people to come to Germany and "exploit our social system." He also wants to initiate a process to pull Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster over allegations of "disinformation."

Germany’s 16 states have extensive powers, including overseeing security matters and running the education system.

An AfD leader in a neighboring state appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan.

The party has pushed back on accusations of extremism as politically motivated.

GERMANY BLAMES RUSSIA AFTER EXPLOSIVE-LADEN DRONE FOUND NEAR UKRAINIAN CARGO PLANES AT MAJOR AIRPORT

Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and partial counting, have AfD at just over 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.

Merz's Christian Democratic Union was significantly behind, polling 18% and losing about half its support. The Left Party, the center-left Social Democrats and Greens were seen polling around 9% each.

It was unclear whether the BSW party would reach the 5% of the vote needed to win seats. The projections put AfD at least marginally short of an absolute majority for now, but that could change.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rome has declared a "red zone" around the Colosseum after predatory crime, drug dealing and a violent confrontation involving roughly 50 people turned one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations into a security flashpoint.

The "enhanced-control zone" covers the Colosseum, Imperial Forums and Colle Oppio and allows authorities to remove certain people whose violent, threatening or persistently disruptive behavior creates a public safety risk, according to a six-page order issued by Rome Prefect Lamberto Giannini.

The measure took effect Aug. 24 and will remain in place for four months, through Christmas Eve.

FIREWORKS REPORTEDLY TRIGGER MASS HORSE STAMPEDE THROUGH ROME STREETS, INJURING SEVERAL SOLDIERS

Officials said the area has experienced a "resurgence of disorder" that was "predominantly attributable to groups of young people of non-EU origin," according to the order.

The document cited predatory crimes, fights and fireworks near the ancient amphitheater, warning that the explosives may have been used to distract potential crime victims.

Officials said the trouble reached a breaking point July 1, when Rome Capital police officers responded after fireworks were set off near the Colosseum. A group of approximately 50 non-EU nationals allegedly resisted responding officers and damaged police property, according to the order.

The group surrounded local police officers and left two with minor injuries during what news agency ANSA described as an unauthorized gathering in Piazza del Colosseo.

Authorities also singled out Largo Gaetana Agnesi, a terrace overlooking the Colosseum and situated above the Colosseo subway station, as a regular gathering place for the groups at the center of the security concerns.

The nearby Colle Oppio park was also described as a problem area because of people officials said may be engaged in conduct harmful to public safety and public order.

SEATTLE MAYOR ANNOUNCES CRACKDOWN ON CRIME-PLAGUED NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER YEARS OF COMPLAINTS

The newly designated zone stretches through some of the most recognizable areas of central Rome, including Piazza Venezia, Via dei Fori Imperiali, Piazza del Colosseo, the Arch of Constantine and Piazza del Campidoglio.

Giannini issued the order following a proposal from Rome’s police chief and discussions by the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security.

The order says the opening of the Metro C station serving the Colosseum has also contributed to the security challenges by creating a direct connection between the historic center and neighborhoods in eastern Rome.

The station and another subway stop inside the designated area draw large numbers of commuters and tourists who could be exposed to criminal activity, officials said.

TOURIST HOT SPOT SLAPPED WITH US TRAVEL WARNING RENEWAL DUE TO CRIME AND TERROR

Under the order, authorities may remove people who engage in violent, threatening or persistently disruptive behavior and who were reported during the previous five years for specified offenses. Those include intentional crimes against people or property, certain drug offenses, weapons violations and crimes carrying a particular hate-crime aggravating circumstance.

The order is part of a broader push to protect residents and a flood of tourists visiting the Italian capital. Officials described Rome as facing an unusually complex security situation because of major international and historic events, the heightened geopolitical threat environment and the continuing influx of visitors.

AMERICAN TOURISTS STABBED OUTSIDE ATHENS' ACROPOLIS AS POLICE DETAIN SUSPECT IN APPARENT RANDOM ATTACK

Authorities said ordinary patrols, surveillance systems, fixed security posts and joint "High Impact" operations had produced results but had not stopped repeated criminal conduct or fully restored public spaces to residents and visitors.

Officials also extended a separate security zone in Esquilino, covering streets around Rome’s main Termini train station and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

ITALY SHUTS DOWN EFFORT LINKED TO GAZA FLOTILLA GROUP TO TRACK JEWISH, ISRAELI TOURISTS

Officials said demonstrations around Termini continue to require close attention. They also cited the increased number of visitors and pilgrims traveling to Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis is buried, warning that large crowds can become targets for predatory crimes.

An earlier enhanced-control designation covering the Valle Aurelia area, including the Battistini and Cornelia subway stations, was discontinued after authorities determined that continuing the special measures there was no longer useful.

Anyone who violates the order could face criminal charges under Italian law.

Fox News Digital reached out to Rome police for additional information.

The Trump administration’s push to compel the new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to dismantle pro-Iran terrorist militias is moving forward — even with some setbacks.

As Mideast experts are taking a wait-and-see approach tinged with mild optimism, a senior Iraqi official announced in late August that Baghdad will not treat Sept. 30 as a deadline to disarm the pro-Iran groups known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also called the Popular Mobilization Forces.

The Iraqi government is seeking to exercise control over the rogue state-affiliated militias with a strategy to integrate them into the state apparatus. The radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who leads Saraya al-Salam armed group, said in May that he favored integration. Some of the more hardline pro-Iranian regime militias, like Kataeb Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, declared that they will not disarm or integrate into the state.

The official, Qasim al-Araji, security advisor to the prime minister, told Al Iraqiya on Aug. 23, "Sept. 30 is the date for the international coalition to depart, not the deadline to hand over weapons." The international coalition is the U.S.-led force that defeated the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during President Trump’s first term. It is unclear why Iraq’s government is walking back the disarmament deadline for the PMU.

IRAN'S WAR ON AMERICANS BEGAN DECADES AGO. THESE FAMILIES STILL CARRY THE SCARS

A spokesman for the Iraqi embassy declined to comment on the mixed messaging from Iraq’s government and on the timetable for dissolving or integrating the PMU.

Just days before al-Araji’s announcement, a representative of the Iraqi government sent Fox News Digital a statement: "Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi: All political forces fully agree on moving forward with restricting weapons to state control, and work is underway on mechanisms for surrendering weapons and bringing this issue to a complete end."

Al-Zaidi told the Baghdad Dialogue Conference at the same time that "all political forces agree on moving forward to ensure that all arms remain under state authority and on developing mechanisms for the handover of weapons. There are no intentions or prospects of any military confrontation, and we will not allow Iraq’s enemies to exploit any opportunity. The presence of weapons outside state authority creates an environment that discourages investment, which is unacceptable because it does not serve the interests of Iraqis."

In May, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, Iraq’s deputy minister of oil, because he, according to the designation, "abuses his position to facilitate the diversion of oil to be sold for the benefit of the Iranian regime and its proxy militias in Iraq." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time, "Like a rogue gang, the Iranian regime is pillaging resources that rightfully belong to the Iraqi people," adding "Treasury will not stand idly by as Iran's military exploits Iraqi oil to fund terrorism against the United States and our partners."

In late August, the UAE's The National paper reported that "Iraq's anti-corruption body announced that deputy oil minister, Al-Bahadly, was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined millions of dollars for corruption.

Reacting to reports that Iran approved passage of Iraqi oil tankers via the Strait of Hormuz, Alberto Fernandez, former U.S. ambassador and Mideast analyst, claimed that "the profit from that Iraqi oil goes, in part, to pay for Iran’s own Iraqi militias/death squads on the Iraqi government’s payroll." 

An Iraqi government spokesman dismissed Fernandez's comments, telling Fox News Digital, "That is not accurate."

TRUMP’S COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGY SCORES BIG WINS AGAINST GLOBAL TERROR THREATS

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Iraq has embarked on a new direction under the leadership of Prime Minister Al-Zaidi in full partnership with the United States. As President Trump made clear when he hosted Prime Minister Al-Zaidi’s historic July 14 visit, the United States strongly supports his vision to ensure a brighter future for all Iraqis free from terrorism, to prevent attacks in and from Iraqi territory, and to deliver a strong and mutually beneficial U.S.-Iraq partnership."

Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq during the George W. Bush administration, told Fox News Digital: "We were all hoping that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi would take decisive action against the militias, especially after his visit to the White House and the widespread praise he received from President Trump. I was always skeptical, very skeptical, but I believed he deserved a chance."

Qanbar added, "Initially, some militias such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali (sanctioned by the U.S.) merely issued statements claiming they would hand over their weapons. There has been no credible evidence that they have actually disarmed."

IRAN’S GUTTED RANKS LEAVE LOYALISTS FILLING CRITICAL POSTS — WITH ONE GLARING PROBLEM

Qanbar claimed that "any remaining hope was further diminished after IRGC [Islamic Republic Guard Corps] Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani visited Baghdad. According to multiple reports, he instructed militia leaders to slow down any discussion of disarmament, reject the September 30 deadline, and maintain their weapons as part of Iran’s broader regional deterrence strategy."

When asked about Iraqi state efforts to dismantle the PMU, Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "The Iraqi government is trying. It genuinely carried out some moves. Unfortunately, because the militias are extremely willing to use force against their own people, including against security forces, the government finds itself in a position of backing down in the face of these militias."

She noted, "The militias have penetrated most state institutions… and you see repeated situations of the state backing down." Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, kidnapped Tsurkov in 2023 and held her hostage for nearly two years. The Trump administration secured her release in 2025.

The power of the PMU was demonstrated in a recent setback for the Iraqi government.

Both Qanbar and Tsurkov cited the case of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), which arrested Abbas al-Yaqubi, the head of intelligence for the Popular Mobilization Forces’ Baghdad Belt Operations Command.

A few days after al-Yaqubi’s arrest, he was transferred to the PMU intelligence branch. Qanbar said: "Al-Yaqubi has long been involved in violence against Iraqi activists, and many viewed his arrest as an important signal that the government was finally willing to confront powerful militia figures. What seemed like a significant step forward turned into a major setback."

A political earthquake is brewing in Germany's east as working-class and young voters appear set to deliver an unprecedented victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Sunday’s state elections in Saxony-Anhalt.

The AfD, which was famously backed by Elon Musk in last year’s national election, has been criticized for being pro-Russia and was accused of being a "right-wing extremist endeavor" by Germany’s domestic intelligence office, has the chance to become the first party outside the mainstream center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) or center-right Christian Democratic Union and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), to win an outright majority in a German state parliament, or Landtag, since World War II.

"The reason Saxony-Anhalt matters," foreign policy expert and author Daniel Schatz, who holds a doctorate in political science from Berlin's Humboldt University, told Fox News Digital, "is that the AfD is no longer just knocking on the door of power. It may be close to kicking it open."

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FAR-LEFT PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE IN ANTI-CONSERVATIVE PARTY RIOTS

Other minor parties have led governing coalitions in German states, but no party outside the SPD or the CDU and the CSU has ever held a single-party governing majority in Germany since the Federal Republic was re-established in 1949.

Janek Treiber, a political science researcher at Dresden University of Technology, told Fox News Digital that if the AfD does win outright in Saxony-Anhalt, their policy influence would be limited due to the German federal system, but warned "you must not underestimate the political symbol this would give. That a single party, and a right-wing party, could rule a German state… The symbol that these parties, that have been ruling Germany since 1949 or the East since 1990, they now lose control. They now lose power. I think this is a much more important symbol than just saying, OK, (the) AfD will change this or that in its local school system or university system."

Schatz described the AfD "a nationalist, anti-immigration party on the far right that has become a powerful vehicle for voter anger at Germany’s political establishment — especially in the former East Germany. It campaigns for much tighter immigration, a stronger emphasis on German national identity, rejection of much of the green agenda and a softer line toward Russia."

An outright win for the AfD, even in Germany’s 6th smallest state, would break through the political establishment’s so-called "Brandmauer," or "firewall." Simply put, other parties refuse to work with the AfD, which is currently the second-largest party in the Bundestag, officially the opposition party, after winning 20.8% of the vote in the February 2025 federal election.

'SEND THEM BACK' CHANTS ROCK EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AFTER LANDSLIDE VOTE TO SPEED UP DEPORTATIONS

In an interview on German broadcaster ZDF, the AfD’s national co-chair, Alice Weidel, advocated for closing Germany’s borders and exiting Europe’s Schengen treaty, saying, "Illegal migration, unchecked open borders, anyone can get in. Our internal security is suffering. People are honestly fed up with this situation."

Weidel added, "All Syrian refugees must have their protected status revoked because the reason for their flight no longer exists. These people must return to their homeland. If they don't leave voluntarily, then they must be deported by force." Adding that many of the 1.3 million Syrians in Germany are being naturalized, "we must stop naturalizing these people who should actually be leaving our country. We have Islamization."

GERMAN OFFICIALS WANT TO KNOW WHY BERLIN ATTACK SUSPECT WAS FREE DESPITE ALLEGED ISIS SUPPORT

In May 2025, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" group, citing "anti-migrant positions and an ancestry-based definition of German identity." This past February, according to Deutsche Welle, that classification was put on hold by a German court after "Judges found that while there was evidence of potentially unconstitutional statements and policies within the AfD… it said that there was not sufficient evidence to characterize the party as a whole as extremist."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently told state broadcaster ARD, "I cannot imagine international investors attending a ground-breaking ceremony with an AfD Minister-President to set up new plants and establish new businesses in Saxony-Anhalt… However, that is a decision for ​the voters in Saxony-Anhalt to make. The state will suffer ⁠considerable damage if things turn out as we now fear they ​might."

This has done little to damage the popularity of the AfD’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund. In a state of just over 2 million people, he has a TikTok following of over 700,000.

A Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) report said Siegmund’s "polished appearance and professional tone lend respectability, and radical demands blend with footage of a community-oriented politician responding to audience questions… The AfD’s physical presence in the streets and omnipresence in the media helps to push the common populist ‘us versus them’ narrative: The AfD is here for you, the other parties are not."

NEW GERMANY SEX-CRIME FIGURES REIGNITE MIGRATION FIGHT AS EXPLOITATION PROBE EXPANDS

According to the independent, non-partisan German website Wahlrecht.de, which tracks federal and state election polling, ahead of Sunday’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD holds a 41%-23% lead over the CDU, followed by three leftist parties. A party or a coalition needs at least half of the seats to control parliament and name a state Minister-President, essentially a governor. So how can a party with only 43% win an election outright? That comes down to Germany’s unique election system.

"German voters cast two ballots," Schatz says, "One for a local candidate — like voting for your congressman - and one for a party. That second vote, the party vote, is the one that counts. It decides how many seats each party gets in parliament." But there is a caveat: "Any party that falls below 5% gets nothing — zero seats — and those votes are effectively thrown out. Right now, several smaller parties are hovering right at that line. If they miss it, 42% or 43% of the vote can translate into more than half the seats. So Saxony-Anhalt could wake up to an AfD majority government even though a clear majority of voters chose someone else. That would be a first in postwar Germany."

The CSIS report said voters are drawn to the AfD "because, or despite of, its extremist ideology. 60.5% of AfD voters hold a right-wing extremist worldview… At the same time, more than two in five AfD voters think that the party does not sufficiently distance itself from right-wing extremist positions." The report also found that AfD’s "strongest recent gains have been among voters 18–25 years old, where the party tripled its results compared to the 2021 national election."

Treiber said economics is pushing younger voters to the AfD, due to rising expenses and unemployment. He also said that younger voters are "kind of polarized because the other part of the youth in Germany is voting for the left party (Die Linke)."

Saxony-Anhalt may just be the beginning for the anti-establishment parties. Voters in neighboring Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where former Chancellor Angela Merkel grew up and began her political career, go to the polls in two weeks. Polling data from Wahlrecht.de shows the AfD leading the ruling SPD 35%-32% there. 

Conversely, in Berlin, where voters in the capital also go to the polls in two weeks, the average of recent polling has the far-left Die Linke in a dead heat with the CDU at 20%, followed by the AfD at 18%, with the Greens and the SPD each around 15%. While the majority of the AfD’s support does come from the former East Germany, the party is represented in 14 of Germany’s 16 state legislatures and holds 15 of Germany’s 96 seats in the European Parliament.

A day at the air show turned fatal on Saturday when a Greek air force jet crashed north of Athens as thousands of spectators watched.

Both pilots were killed in the crash at Tanagra air force base but no civilians were hurt.

The twin-seat Phantom F4 jet flew into the ground during a low-altitude maneuver just meters above the ground.

EIGHT BELIEVED DEAD AFTER B-52 CRASHES SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE

"The sense of grief is widespread, and our thoughts are with the families of the two pilots we lost," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. "It is a reminder of the daily danger faced by Greece’s aviators, who remain on constant standby to protect Greece's skies."

The jet burst into flames on impact, sending up a large plume of black smoke, prompting 11 water-dropping planes and helicopters to assist 85 firefighters in extinguishing the blaze.

11 SKYDIVERS, ONE PILOT KILLED IN MISSOURI PLANE CRASH NEAR AIRPORT

Video of the crash showed a second ball of fire nearby as the plane broke apart.

The bodies of the pilots were eventually recovered.

"We were all stunned. It hadn't been airborne for more than three minutes," an eyewitness told ERT, Greece’s state-owned broadcaster.

The crash happened during the country’s annual Athens Flying Week.

The organizers canceled the rest of the events following the incident and the area was evacuated.

"It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of the two officers of the Hellenic Air Force, who lost their lives in the tragic accident that occurred during the air show at Tanagra Air Base," Cyprus' Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas said, adding that he had called Nikos Dendias, Greece’s Minister of National Defense.

AIR FORCE IDENTIFIES 8 CREW MEMBERS KILLED IN B-52 STRATOFORTRESS CRASH AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE

The air force has declared three days of mourning in the country.

In May, two jets collided during an air show in Idaho, but the pilots were able to safely eject.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

The United Nations on Friday was one vote shy of unanimously adopting a new map of the world that shows Africa's true size, making the continent appear far larger than it does on traditional maps.

The United States was the only one of the 165 member nations to vote against the UN General Assembly resolution to accept the Equal Earth map projection, which depicts countries and continents in their true relative sizes, according to the map creator's website.

Six nations abstained, including Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine.

Yaryna Ferencevych, the deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said the resolution was presented as "an anodyne effort to update cartographic proportions" but was, in her view, part of a "much larger and more radical ideological project."

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"Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice," Ferencevych said Friday during the 114th Plenary meeting.

"Resolutions like this one and the ideological agenda they promote are barnacles on our work here and the reason this institution is losing its credibility," she added.

Ferencevych was referring to the Mercator projection, created in 1569 to aid maritime navigation. To this day, it is seen as the traditional world map and is used in many school textbooks and atlases.

It enlarges land masses near the poles and reduces the apparent size of those near the equator, making Africa appear far smaller relative to Greenland and Europe than it is in reality.

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Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who introduced the resolution on behalf of the African Group, said that adopting the new map would "promote projections that better preserve the true proportions of continents."

"A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world," he said. "And when our perspective becomes more just, it paves the way for greater understanding, respect and peace among nations."

The measure does not require countries or companies to abandon the Mercator projection, but it establishes the U.N.'s official backing for equal-area maps as the preferred way to depict the world.

The Mercator projection largely fell out of favor among cartographers in the 20th century because of its distortions. However, it saw a resurgence after Google Maps adopted the Web Mercator projection in 2005, with virtually every major online mapping service following suit.

Web Mercator became the standard for online maps because it allowed for smooth panning and zooming across the globe, making it well suited for interactive digital maps, according to a 2014 Cartographica study.

The United States Mission to the United Nations and the ECOSOC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, are visiting Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"We have an idea for peace," Trump told reporters on Friday. "I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy confirmed the news in a post on X.

"Today, it has been clearly established that U.S. envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days. We have the details from the U.S. President’s team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday. We are preparing for the visit," Zelenskyy wrote.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES SURPRISE THREE-DAY CEASEFIRE IN RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

The pair will visit Russia first on Saturday and, according to Russian state-affiliated media outlet Tass, have already landed in Moscow. 

Photos showed Kushner and Witkoff greeted by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev shortly after landing in Moscow.

Kushner and Witkoff are expected to later travel to Kyiv on Sunday, Zelenskyy confirmed. Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine will work to keep Russian airspace safe during the Americans’ visit.

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"Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit," he wrote on X.

ZELENSKYY CONGRATULATES TRUMP ON TURNING 80 IN BIRTHDAY CALL, VOWS MORE UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AT G7 ON TUESDAY

"Our goal is to make the visit and the talks with the U.S. side as constructive and substantive as possible. We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end. We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response," the Ukrainian president concluded.

Zelenskyy, in a subsequent Saturday morning post on X, said he had already communicated with Witkoff and Kushner ahead of their planned Sunday meeting.

"I have just spoken with the U.S. President’s envoys. They have already begun working with the Russian side today. From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process. From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv," he wrote.

"Today, I also received reports from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi on the situation at the front, the dynamics of threats in Ukraine’s airspace, our steps, and active defensive operations. I am grateful to every one of our warriors for effectively defending Ukraine’s positions," Zelenskyy's post continued. 

"On the diplomatic track, our actions must be, and will be, just as strong and effective – one hundred percent. The plan for tomorrow’s diplomatic engagements in Kyiv, involving the U.S. team, has been approved. We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine!" Zelenskyy concluded. 

Zelenskyy’s Friday message came the same day that a Russian drone strike targeted the Security Service of Ukraine’s headquarters in Ukraine, Zelenskyy wrote in a public message on the app Telegram.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE

Zelenskyy alleged the strike directly targeted the head of the Security Service's office.

He also wrote that he was directing the head, Oleksandr Poklad, to prepare a retaliatory strike. "I gave Poklad the task of adequately, noticeably and, if possible, mirroring the Russians' response to this attack, when everything is prepared. Our military will support this response. Glory to Ukraine!" he wrote.

PUTIN UNLEASHES NEW FURY ON UKRAINE AS REPORT EXPOSES FEAR HANGING OVER WAR’S END

At least nine people were injured in the explosion, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also wrote on Telegram.

The visit also comes just one day after German officials formally accused Russia of attempting an explosive drone attack on a major airport in Germany.

RUSSIA’S STRIKES NEAR MOLDOVA RAISE ALARM OVER PUTIN’S PLANS FOR EUROPE’S EASTERN FLANK

"The attack on the aircraft in Leipzig was concrete; it could have triggered a catastrophe had it succeeded. The attacker was, at most, covert, but even here there is now certainty: The German government has named Russia as the mastermind. Patterns of attack, police investigations, and intelligence findings prove Russian responsibility for the drone attack," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German federal government, wrote Friday.

Fox News Digital contacted the White House and the foreign ministries for Russia, Ukraine and Germany for further comment.

Germany is pushing European partners to create a rapid-response task force in the Baltic Sea region as Berlin confronts what it says is an escalating campaign of Russian hybrid warfare, including an attempted explosives-laden drone attack on one of the country's most important cargo airports.

The initiative, proposed by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt following an Aug. 28 meeting in Flensburg, is intended to allow Baltic Sea countries to rapidly exchange information and coordinate responses to hybrid threats ranging from drones and sabotage to cyberattacks, disinformation and attacks on critical infrastructure.

"We want to turn this shared threat environment into a shared security environment," Dobrindt said, warning that hybrid threats were becoming more frequent and sophisticated.

The proposal has taken on new urgency after Germany formally accused Russia this week of responsibility for an attempted Aug. 4 attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport involving a drone carrying explosives.

EXPLOSIVE DRONE FORCES SHUTDOWN AT MAJOR GERMAN AIRPORT SERVING NATO, UKRAINE FLIGHTS

German officials said police findings, intelligence information and the methods used in the attack led Berlin to conclude Russia was responsible. The government said aspects of the drone, explosives and detonation technology were consistent with methods seen in previous Russian hybrid operations and in Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Germany has not publicly released much of the underlying evidence, saying details including information about suspected perpetrators, travel routes, surveillance footage and DNA evidence are being withheld to protect the investigation.

Latvia characterized the Leipzig attack in even stronger terms.

"The attack in Leipzig confirms once again that Russia poses a direct threat to the security of all of Europe. This was not merely a hybrid attack, but state-sponsored terrorism on German soil," Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said in a statement published by Latvia's Foreign Ministry.

Braže also called for continued efforts to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and for additional sanctions aimed at limiting Russia's ability to produce missiles, drones and other weapons.

US INTEL WARNS RUSSIA COULD LAUNCH LIMITED ATTACK ON NATO ALLY IN EFFORT TO FRAGMENT ORGANIZATION: REPORT

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Newton told Fox News Digital that the episode reflects what he described as a widening pattern of hostile activity.

"We are clearly seeing an escalation in the scope and intensity of Russian gray-zone hostile actions across Europe," Newton said. "Russia has long used a variety of non-military, covert, and hybrid tactics – cyberattacks, information operations, sabotage, other covert means – to create disruption while staying just below the threshold of open conflict with NATO."

Newton called Germany's attribution of the Leipzig plot "particularly serious," saying it "demonstrates how dangerous these operations are becoming."

Germany responded by announcing the closure of Russia's consulate general in Bonn and ending the arrangement governing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin. Berlin also said it would tighten entry controls for Russian nationals and increase pressure on Russia's so-called shadow fleet.

Russia has denied responsibility for the Leipzig incident, calling Germany's accusations "entirely fabricated" and accusing Berlin of escalating tensions, according to Reuters.

The heightened concern comes as German police separately investigate a cluster of suspected sabotage incidents targeting the country's electricity infrastructure this week.

REPORT WARNS RUSSIA USING SHADOW FLEET TO PROBE NATO DRONE DEFENSES

Authorities were investigating a suspicious device found near a substation in Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, on Friday, following incidents in Bergheim and Brandenburg.

In Bergheim, deliberate interference temporarily forced lignite-fired generating units representing about 4,200 megawatts of capacity offline, though no broader blackout occurred.

German authorities have not publicly connected those power-grid incidents to Russia, a distinction Newton said was important.

"We need to be careful when attributing these hostile acts and ensure we have indisputable intelligence information that clearly leads to the source of these belligerent actions," Newton said.

"The incidents involving Germany’s power infrastructure are still under investigation and have not been publicly attributed to Russia, or any other source for that matter," he added.

The German government nevertheless said Friday that the country faces a persistent hybrid threat.

"Germany is not at war, but it is a daily target of hybrid warfare," the government said, citing attacks on communications systems, disinformation and arson targeting the defense industry.

EUROPE BANKROLLS PUTIN'S WAR MACHINE EVEN AS NATO RACES TO BOLSTER DEFENSES

Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told Fox News Digital that Moscow has increasingly sought to pressure Western countries while avoiding conventional conflict.

"We do know that Russia is trying to fight the Western world below the line of kinetic conflict and their methods are getting ever bolder, whether through cyber operations, sabotage, drones and other forms of pressure across Europe," Breedlove said. "We’re even becoming aware of things they are doing inside the United States."

Breedlove said Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to exploit divisions within NATO, "especially between the United States and Europe."

"The Western world has got to step up to counter the Russian threat," he said.

The Baltic initiative comes amid broader efforts by NATO and regional governments to protect an area increasingly associated with threats to undersea cables, pipelines, shipping and other critical infrastructure.

NATO already operates Baltic Sentry, an enhanced vigilance activity launched in 2025 to strengthen protection of critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

In February, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden agreed to accelerate the acquisition and integration of new technologies for Baltic naval operations. NATO said that initiative built on testing involving roughly 70 aerial and maritime drones in 2025.

Breedlove said Germany's proposed task force could help bridge intelligence, law-enforcement and military responses among regional partners.

"Germany’s Baltic initiative makes sense," he said. "The value is also for partner countries to share information faster, connect the intelligence, law-enforcement and military pieces, and make decisions before Russia can take advantage of confusion or delay."

Newton similarly said the task force could complement NATO's existing military activity by improving governments' ability to rapidly share intelligence and coordinate security responses.

Breedlove warned that Moscow would continue searching for opportunities to exploit uncertainty.

"Without question, the Russians will keep looking for places where they can create uncertainty and hesitation," he said. "We need to get better at recognizing their actions with speed – and responding forcefully with the strength of our allies."

Fox News Digital reached out to the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment but did not receive responses by publication time.