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Russian President Vladimir Putin ratcheted up tensions with Europe on Tuesday, warning that if the bloc sparked a war with Russia, Moscow was prepared to meet it.

Putin also blasted European leaders, accusing them of sabotaging U.S.-led efforts to end the nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine.

"But if Europe suddenly wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away. There can be no doubt about that," Putin said, according to The Associated Press.

Putin was responding to a question about Russian media reports that Hungary’s foreign minister warned Europe was preparing for war with Russia. Putin insisted, as he has for years, that Moscow does not seek a war with European nations.

TRUMP: EUROPE WILL ‘TAKE A LOT OF THE BURDEN’ IN PROVIDING SECURITY GUARANTEES FOR UKRAINE

The Russian president made the remarks after speaking at an investment forum and before meeting in the Kremlin with a U.S. delegation led by envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

It’s not the first time Putin has warned Europe about meddling in the war.

In October, Putin warned that Europe would face a "significant response" if it continued supplying military aid to Ukraine, and he made similar threats in May.

In February 2024, Putin warned that Western military intervention against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could result in nuclear escalation — a statement widely interpreted as a warning to Europe and Western allies.

Putin claimed on Tuesday that European leaders introduced "demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia" that effectively "blocked the entire peace process." He accused them of doing so cynically in order to blame Moscow for rejecting peace.

European leaders have maintained that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a stepping stone to a wider war with the 27-nation European Union, which has poured billions of dollars into supporting Kyiv.

TRUMP ADDRESSES UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE TALKS, SAYS ZELENSKYY WILL BE INVOLVED

Putin said European powers had locked themselves out of peace talks on Ukraine because they cut off contacts with Moscow.

"They are on the side of war," Putin said.

He also suggested the conflict in Ukraine was not a full-blown war, describing Russia’s actions as "surgical" — a restraint, he said, that would not apply in a direct confrontation with European powers, according to Reuters. 

Putin’s comments come as Witkoff and Kushner press for peace between Ukraine and Russia.

On Sunday, Witkoff — a central figure in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kushner in Florida to meet with Ukrainian negotiators. Rubio described the meeting as "very productive." In a statement, Rubio said the goal is "not just the end of the war."

Last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow could reject the White House’s peace framework if it does not uphold the "spirit and letter" of what Trump and Putin agreed to at the Alaska summit in August. He said that if the "key understandings" were watered down, the situation would become "fundamentally different."

Despite Lavrov’s comments, Putin showed interest in Trump’s effort to end the war, calling the drafted plan a starting point. 

"We need to sit down and discuss this seriously," Putin told reporters, according to the AP.

He characterized Trump’s plan as "a set of issues put forward for discussion," rather than a draft agreement.

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis, Sarah Tobianski, Kyle Schmidbauer and Ashley Carnahan as well as The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV's first foreign trip is over. A six-day pilgrimage to the Middle East wrapped up Tuesday in Beirut.

We were in conflict-torn Lebanon just a few miles from the country's Ground Zero, where on Aug. 4, 2020, a deadly blast in Beirut's port killed over 200, injured thousands and left over 300,000 homeless.

Five years on, the Lebanese government has not concluded its investigation into how the nearly three tons of ammonium nitrate being stored in the port combusted, resulting in the largest non-nuclear explosion ever. Every fourth of the month, the families of victims go to the port to protest the government for its inaction and corruption.  

POPE LEO XIV BEGINS LEBANON VISIT AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, HEIGHTENED SECURITY CONCERNS

Pope Leo paid homage at the port with a silent prayer and lit a lamp in the victim's memory.

Earlier in the day, Vatican press officer Salvatore Scolozzi was in the marble hallway of Beirut's Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel doing roll call for the 80 journalists accredited.

All the windows of this luxury hotel were shattered during the 2020 explosion, injuring staff and guests and destroying all the furniture. "All the air seemed to be sucked out of the building and there was glass flying and dust everywhere," a staff member told me, adding that there were no fatalities. After extensive repairs, the hotel reopened in 2023 but is still surrounded by skeletal burned-out buildings.

In the lobby, Salvatore warns, "Non fare ritardi VAMPS, don't be late." He and his staff have worked for over a year putting together this six-day tour de force pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon, originally planned for the late Pope Francis.

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We are known collectively as the VAMPS, the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel, and on this trip we hail from 15 different countries. After our 5:30 a.m. check-in for our return flight to Rome, the lobby chatter is focused on what we should ask the new pontiff on the much-anticipated in-flight press conference en route to Rome.

Normally each language group comes up with a question for the presser, and debate can get heated. "He will never go there," was the comment after one colleague suggested we ask if the Pope's frequent references to the important role of women during the trip indicated he would be open to women deacons.

Initially, there was concern that Pope Leo might not speak with journalists at all on board.

POPE LEO XIV OPENS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP IN TURKEY WITH A VISIT TO CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY HEARTLANDS

But we were relieved when the curtain opened on our chartered Airbus flight from Istanbul to  Beirut and a rather bashful-looking Pope Leo took thorny questions such as the conflict in Gaza, confirming the Vatican's years-long support of a two-state solution, but insisting, "Israel is our friend."

Pope Leo does not want to polarize, he is measured and diplomatic, and, six months into his papacy, appears to be gaining confidence and making his speeches punchier. He kept to the script in his native English and, in Lebanon, also spoke in excellent French and said a few words of Arabic as he pressed the need for peace between local authorities, different religious groups and the country's youth.

At Monday's evening celebration with young people, a Christian type of Woodstock, he saluted the Lebanese who had not emigrated, and those who had returned. "Have hope, don't leave, your country needs you!"

Nada Merhi, a local Catholic Maronite volunteer who was only five when the civil war of 1975-1990 shattered her family's lives, spoke of her love for her country and how she would never leave despite the economic and political crisis and the renewed violence following the Iran-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah’s attack on Israel a few weeks after Hamas’s massacre in Israel on Oct. 6, 2023.

"We need concrete help, but above all we just want peace. I hope the Pope will not forget about us."

Andre Sassine, a small-business owner from Byblos, a coastal city about 20 miles north of Beirut, is optimistic. "Business will be good if we just have peace. The Muslims in Lebanon are not the problem, don't believe the media, the problem is with external countries influencing and corrupting," he said, adding that he thought President Trump, whose daughter Tiffany married a Lebanese, could join forces with the pontiff.

"We Lebanese love America," he said, "and we love this new pope born in America. Please help us find peace."

FIRST ON FOX: As Hamas uses the ceasefire to regroup and reassert control across parts of Gaza, a small number of emerging Palestinian militias say they are trying to form an alternative force inside the enclave. One of their leaders, Shawqi Abu Nasira, told Fox News Digital the pause in fighting has become a "kiss of life" for Hamas and warned the group is rebuilding.

"Hamas works for Iran," he said. "They got weakened, yes, true, but the ceasefire, they gave them a kiss of life, and they are now preparing themselves better, trying to equip themselves. They are opening their own centers," and added, "I'd like to thank President Trump for freezing the assets of Hamas and for labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization."

Abu Nasira, a former senior Palestinian Authority police official who spent 16 years in an Israeli prison, is now operating with a small band of fighters on the eastern side of Gaza’s "yellow line," in territory under Israeli military control. "I moved to the east of a yellow line, to the area that is now [controlled by the] Israeli Army. I was forced to move because I had no other option but to flee Hamas," he said.

TRUMP PEACE PLAN FOR GAZA COULD BE JUST A 'PAUSE' BEFORE HAMAS STRIKES AGAIN, EXPERTS WARN

According to Jusoor News, a pan-Arab media outlet that recently launched an English-language channel reporting on Gaza, Abu Nasira’s defection began years ago when Hamas killed his only son and "dragged his body through the Strip." He told Jusoor that the killing and public display of the body solidified his decision to oppose Hamas.

Abu Nasira told Fox News Digital he acknowledged his own faction is small. "I have dozens of fighters now fighting with me," he said. "We lack a lot of equipment, and we need better assistance." But he argued that many Gazans share his view. "People that are now living in tents, people that are starved, people that are living in the street. They have no medication. These people don't want Hamas."

The ceasefire has exposed a chaotic landscape of militias, clan groups and local networks that have emerged as Hamas’s control weakened. Although none rival Hamas in size or capability, several factions have gained visibility.

These include the Popular Forces in Rafah, the Popular Army in northern Gaza, the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force in Khan Yunis and the Shujaiya Popular Defense Forces in eastern Gaza City, along with powerful clan-based networks such as the al-Majayda and Doghmosh families. Their alliances shift frequently, and their structure varies widely, but all have appeared or strengthened during the breakdown of centralized rule.

AFTER TRUMP DECLARES ‘WAR IS OVER,’ HAMAS EXECUTES RIVALS IN GAZA TO REASSERT CONTROL

Abu Nasira said many of these groups are in contact. "They are our brothers and sisters," he said. "All of these people, they are holding arms and fighting Hamas for a reason, because they were the first witness to Hamas terrorism and they are victims of Hamas."

He said early efforts are underway to unite the factions. "We are coordinating all of these groups together to work under one political umbrella, and they can act as a National Guard for East Gaza," he said.

Abu Nasira argued that Palestinians, not outside powers, should be the ones to remove Hamas from Gaza. "We can now, as Palestinians, attack them," he said. "We just need the support in order to win this war, and we can finish it in a few months."

WARFARE EXPERT CALLS GAZA REBUILDING PLAN 'DISNEYLAND STRATEGY' TO DEFEAT HAMAS

He rejected the idea that Gazans would fear being labeled collaborators. "Whenever you say no to Hamas, you are accused as an operator, or you will be executed," he said. "Everybody in Gaza knows that, so that's not going to scare us anymore."

In a message to Americans, Abu Nasira said the stakes go beyond Gaza. "Fighting terror is a campaign that we all should fight against," he said. "It can spread from Gaza to all over the world."

He described Hamas as part of a broader network. "As long as the triangle of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Republic in Iran are working all together, that is a threat to the entire human, civilized world," he said.

He dismissed the concept known as the "Disneyland strategy," which envisions building functioning civilian zones east of the yellow line to inspire pressure against Hamas over time. "This is a good, nice talk, but this is a long term," he said. "We don't need to give them the time to get strong."

As Hamas regains strength under the ceasefire, Abu Nasira said Palestinians "are ready" and "want to fight for our future," insisting that with international backing, a unified alternative can still be built.

An Australian high school teacher has pleaded guilty in a New South Wales court to sexually abusing a teenage boy several times near Newcastle, according to reports.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that 37-year-old Karly Rae, who became a mother nearly eight weeks ago, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old boy in October 2024, possessing child abuse material, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity and committing an act with the intention of perverting the course of justice.

Rae initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in May but changed her pleas last month.

Her attorney, Mark Ramsland, reportedly urged the courts to give her case priority because she appeared in court with her eight-week-old baby.

FEMALE TEACHER IN AFFLUENT FLORIDA CITY ACCUSED OF INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH TEEN GIRL

Court documents obtained by the station reportedly show Rae and the 15-year-old communicated on social media and that the crimes she was accused of committing occurred in the suburbs of Bolton Point, Merewether and Belmont.

Police evidence presented in court included messages between Rae and the teenager on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.

"Hey, sorry for removing you on Snap," Rae reportedly told the teenager. "I found it too tempting for now."

FORMER DC TEACHER ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH SOLICITING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: DOJ

A few messages later, the boy asked Rae, "Should we remove each other now?"

"It’s my fault," she responded. "I take full responsibility. Do what you want/need."

In another message reported by the station, Rae suggested to the boy that they meet one more time.

MARRIED OHIO SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR, 43, LEARNS SENTENCE FOR SEX WITH TEEN STUDENT IN OFFICE

"Maybe we could have one last rendezvous before school goes back," she reportedly wrote. "I’ll bring my toy."

The teenager’s cousin allegedly saw the messages between the two on Instagram, told his parents and the parents reported the matter to police, the station reported.

When police arrested Rae, court documents alleged that she told law enforcement she was unaware of the teenager’s age.

FORMER FLORIDA NURSE CAUGHT HAVING SEX WITH TEEN STEPSON SENTENCED TO 2 YEARS IN PRISON

"I thought he was of age… and leaving school," she reportedly said.

According to ABC, Rae was granted Supreme Court bail in June after telling the court she was pregnant, though an earlier application had been refused.

She had been scheduled to stand trial in August 2025, but those dates have since been vacated.

Judge Roy Ellis has allocated two and a half hours for a sentencing hearing set for March 25 and ordered that a sentencing assessment report be prepared beforehand.

Ramsland said there would be "a lot of subjective material" included in the submissions.

Police facts cited by ABC noted that a professional learning transcript from the NSW Department of Education "indicated Rae had completed child protection training in February 2024."

She remains on bail while awaiting sentencing.

A 19-year-old man was mauled to death after climbing into a lion enclosure Sunday morning in Brazil.

Viral video captured the incident, showing the victim scaling a roughly 26-foot-tall fence to enter the lioness’s enclosure at Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, known locally as Bica, in João Pessoa, Paraíba.

Local media Correio Braziliense identified the victim as Gerson de Melo Machado who has long aspired to be a lion tamer. Machado reportedly had mental health issues and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The zoo confirmed in a statement that the individual deliberately entered the enclosure, was attacked by the animal, and did not survive his injuries.

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"The Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park (Bica) deeply regrets what happened this Sunday morning, when a man deliberately invaded the lioness's enclosure, resulting in his death," the zoo said in a statement on social media Sunday. "This is an extremely sad episode for everyone, and we express our solidarity and condolences to the family and friends of the man."

In the video, witnesses watched in horror as the teen climbed the towering fence and shimmied down a nearby tree. A lion in the enclosure spotted him, prowled to the base of the tree and waited as he continued his descent.

When the boy got close enough to the ground, the lion sprang on him. He tried to flee, disappearing into the bushes and briefly reappearing during his escape, only to be leapt on again by the lioness. The mauling then continued out of view behind a wall.

MAN CAUGHT ON CAMERA APPROACHING, SPRAYING UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE TOWARD YELLOWSTONE WOLVES: RANGERS

Following the incident, the park was closed to allow for safety procedures and the removal of the body. The zoo stated that Bica will remain closed to visitors until the investigation and all official procedures are complete.

Machado had struggled with mental health issues throughout his life, and his mother had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to Correio, which cited child welfare counselor Verônica Oliveira, who had been monitoring him since childhood. Oliveira told the outlet that Machado had always dreamed of traveling to Africa to become a lion tamer and was once caught hiding in the landing gear of a plane, believing it would take him there.

The zoo stated it does not plan to euthanize the lion, emphasizing that the killing resulted from deliberate trespassing, an incident that was "completely unpredictable" and "outside of any scenario within the park’s routine."

The lion is reportedly stressed but shows no signs of behavior that would warrant concern for euthanasia.

"It is important to emphasize that euthanasia was never considered," the zoo said. "Leona is healthy, does not exhibit aggressive behavior outside the context of the incident, and will not be euthanized."

Local authorities in the UK have dramatically increased their use of drones, fueling fears that the government is monitoring or even snooping on people from above, according to reports.

Data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that more than 60 councils have hired staff certified to operate aerial drones, while at least a dozen other authorities are looking for guidance to launch similar programs.

Because the CAA only records pilots sponsored by their employers, experts in the UK have since warned the real number of publicly funded drone operators could be even higher.

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UK watchdog group Big Brother Watch has accused local governments of drifting toward "spies in the sky" tactics that further erode civil liberties in a nation already covered by widespread CCTV monitoring.

Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations, cautioned that while drones can support legitimate tasks such as flood monitoring or land surveys, they must not become tools for unchecked surveillance.

"There may be a role for drones in helping councils monitor flooding or conduct land surveys, but local authorities must not use the technology as spies in the sky" he said.

"Britain is already one of the most surveilled countries on Earth. With CCTV cameras on street corners, we do not need flying cameras too. Councils must make sure that they do not use this technology for intrusive monitoring of their citizens."

UFO-LIKE ‘DRONES’ TARGETED POLICE HELICOPTER OVER AIR BASE BEFORE VANISHING: REPORT

"Just because it's possible, it does not mean it's something they should do," he added.

Previously, Hurfurt also criticized London's Metropolitan Police’s use of drones as first responders, warning that the rollout is occurring without clear policies governing when, how or why drones can be deployed.

Without safeguards, he said, the technology risks becoming airborne CCTV or, worse, a way to monitor lawful protest activity.

"Without robust safeguards, there is a real risk of mission creep and drones becoming flying CCTV cameras or watching people lawfully protesting," he said in a statement shared online.

PENTAGON EXPLORING COUNTER-DRONE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT INCURSIONS OVER NATIONAL SECURITY FACILITIES

"The Metropolitan Police must be transparent about its thresholds for using drones and take care to balance the rights of Londoners with the purported benefits of drone use," he added.

Despite the concerns, Hammersmith and Fulham Council plans to integrate drones into its 70-member law enforcement team, which issued more than 2,200 fines last year.

The borough says drones will help in combating antisocial behavior, supplementing a lack of police manpower and work alongside CCTV equipped with live facial recognition.

Sunderland currently operates the largest known council drone fleet, with 13 aircraft and multiple trained pilots.

Their drones are used to detect and prevent crime, enforce environmental rules and oversee public gatherings. 

Other councils, including North West Leicestershire, Stockton-on-Tees, Newcastle, North Norfolk and Thurrock are also said to be using drones for everything from planning enforcement to monitoring coastal disputes, according to GB News.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Lebanon's tradition of interfaith coexistence Monday as a beacon of hope for a conflict-torn region, as he asked for "the divine gift of peace" alongside the country’s Christian and Muslim religious leaders.

Leo received a raucous, ululating welcome from the crowds and a sincere welcome from its spiritual leaders on his first full day in Lebanon, where billboards with his image dotted highways around the capital. Thousands of ordinary Lebanese braved a steady rain in the morning to line his motorcade route, some throwing flower petals and rice on his car in a gesture of welcome.

History’s first American pope is on his maiden papal voyage, and it has taken him to the heart of Christianity: First to Turkey to commemorate a founding profession of the Christian faith and now to Lebanon to encourage an ancient Christian community in a country that is unique in the Arab world for its religious tolerance.

The highlight of his day was an interfaith meeting in Martyr’s Square in Beirut, with the country’s Christian patriarchs and Sunni, Shiite and Druze spiritual leaders gathered under a tent. After listening to hymns and readings from the Bible and Quran, Leo praised Lebanon’s tradition of religious tolerance as a beacon for "the divine gift of peace" in the region.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: THANKSGIVING WEEKEND IN TURKEY WITH AN AMERICAN POPE, NEXT STOP LEBANON

"In an age when coexistence can seem like a distant dream, the people of Lebanon, while embracing different religions, stand as a powerful reminder that fear, distrust and prejudice do not have the final word, and that unity, reconciliation, and peace are possible," he said.

Leo’s remarks underscored the vital importance of Lebanon and its Christian community to the Catholic Church, a place that St. John Paul II famously said was more than just a country, but a message of freedom to the rest of the world. At the end of the event, the spiritual leaders planted an olive sapling as a symbol of peace.

While Lebanon is now often cited as a model of religious coexistence, it hasn’t always been that way. The country's civil war from 1975 to 1990 was largely fought along sectarian lines.

Leo’s visit comes at a newly tenuous time for the tiny Mediterranean country after years of conflict, economic crises and political deadlock, punctuated by the 2020 Beirut port blast. At a time of conflict in Gaza and worsening political tensions in Lebanon, Leo’s visit has been welcomed by the Lebanese as a sign of hope.

"We, as Lebanese, need this visit after all the wars, crises and despair that we have lived through," said the Rev. Youssef Nasr, the secretary-general of Catholic Schools in Lebanon. "The pope’s visit gives a new push to the Lebanese to rise and cling to their country."

More recently, Lebanon has been deeply divided over calls for Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and political party, to disarm after fighting a war with Israel last year that left the country deeply damaged. Despite a ceasefire, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes targeting Hezbollah members.

The Grand Sunni Muslim Mufti of Lebanon, Abdul-Latif Derian, welcomed Leo at the interfaith event and recalled the good relations forged by his predecessor, Pope Francis. He cited the 2019 joint statement on human fraternity signed by Francis and the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the seat of Sunni learning in Cairo, Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayeb.

"Lebanon is the land of this message," Derian said.

A top Lebanese Shiite Muslim cleric, Ali al-Khatib, deputy head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, urged Leo to help Lebanon end Israel’s attacks amid rising concerns in the Mediterranean country of wider Israeli strikes.

"We put Lebanon in your hands so that maybe the world helps us," al-Khatib said.

POPE LEO XIV BEGINS LEBANON VISIT AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, HEIGHTENED SECURITY CONCERNS

Leo opened his day by praying at the tomb of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese saint revered by many Christians and Muslims.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, Christian and Muslim, visit the tomb at the hilltop monastery of St. Maroun overlooking the sea at Annaya, around 25 miles from Beirut.

Bells rang out as Leo’s covered popemobile snaked its way through the rain to the monastery where Leo prayed quietly in the darkened tomb and offered a lamp as a gift of light for the community there.

Leo was moving through Lebanon in a closed popemobile, a contrast with Francis, who eschewed bulletproof popemobiles throughout his 12-year pontificate. Lebanese troops deployed on both sides of the roads all along his motorcade routes, but his warm welcome underscored the joy his visit had brought.

Many Lebanese posted footage of the welcome alongside a widely shared hot mic video of Queen Rania of Jordan, during an October visit to the Vatican, asking Leo if it was safe to go to Lebanon. Leo’s response, "Well, we’re going," had cheered Lebanese who were otherwise offended by the suggestion that Lebanon wasn’t safe for the pope to visit.

Leo ended the day at a jubilant rally of Lebanese youth at Bkerki, the seat of the Maronite Church, where he sought to encourage them to persevere and not leave the country as many others have done.

"This is an unforgettable moment," said Nawal Ghossein, a Maronite Catholic who welcomed the pope with a group from her church. "We are so proud because we are Christians. So proud!"

Today, Christians make up around a third of Lebanon’s 5 million people, giving the small nation on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East.

A power-sharing agreement in place since independence from France calls for the president to be a Maronite Christian, making Lebanon the only Arab country with a Christian head of state

The Vatican sees Christian presence as a bulwark for the church in the region.

Lebanese Christians have endured in their ancestral homeland even after an exodus following the country's civil war. The region has also seen Christians from Iraq and Syria fleeing in large numbers after the rise of the Islamic State Group, which was defeated in 2019 after losing its last stronghold in Syria.

"We will stay here," said May Noon, a pilgrim waiting for Leo outside the St. Charbel Monastery. "No one can uproot us from this country. We must live in it as brothers because the church has no enemy."

Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay accompanied a group of 60 people from the Lebanese diaspora in Australia not only to welcome Leo and join in his prayer for peace but also to reinforce Christian presence in the country.

"Even though we live abroad, we feel that we need to support young people and the families to stay here," he said. "We don’t like to see more and more people leaving Lebanon, especially Christians."

President Donald Trump described it as "very important" that "nothing" transpire to derail Syria's transformation "into a prosperous state."

The commander-in-chief's cryptic comments come days after Israel engaged in an operation in Syria.

"The United States is very satisfied with the results displayed, through hard work and determination, in the Country of Syria. We are doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended, which is substantial, in order to build a true and prosperous Country. One of the things that has helped them greatly was my termination of very strong and biting sanctions — I believe this was truly appreciated by Syria, its Leadership, and its People!" the president said in the Truth Social post.

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"It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State. The new President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together. This is a historic opportunity, and adds to the SUCCESS, already attained, for PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST!" Trump added.

The IDF noted last week that troops were wounded during action in Syria.

A post on X explained that "IDF troops conducted an operation to apprehend suspects from the Jaama Islamiya terrorist organization operating in the Beit Jinn area of southern Syria. During the activity, several armed terrorists opened fire at the troops. IDF soldiers responded with live fire, supported by aerial assistance."

ISRAEL RELEASES BODY-CAM VIDEO OF DEADLY SYRIA RAID TARGETING MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD-AFFILIATED TERRORISTS

"As a result of the incident, several reservists were injured and were evacuated to the hospital to receive medical treatment. The operation concluded with all suspects apprehended and several terrorists eliminated," the IDF post noted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump spoke on Monday.

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"The two leaders stressed the importance and obligation of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and discussed expanding the peace agreements," the office of the prime minister noted on X. "US President Trump invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House in the near future," another post added.

Tensions between NATO and Russia sharpened Monday after the alliance’s top military commander said member states are considering whether they must become "more aggressive" in confronting Moscow’s hybrid threat campaign.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of NATO’s military committee, told the Financial Times the alliance is evaluating if it should be "proactive instead of reactive," including the possibility of "preemptive" cyber or sabotage operations.

Dragone said such actions could still fall under defensive doctrine, saying, "It is further away from our normal way of thinking or behavior."

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Dragone pointed to the Baltic Sentry mission, launched this year to counter Russian-linked sabotage at sea, saying that "from the beginning of Baltic Sentry, nothing has happened. So this means that this deterrence is working."

He added: "Being more aggressive compared with the aggressivity of our counterpart could be an option, but Dragone also admitted that NATO and its members had much more limits than our counterpart because of ethics, because of law, because of jurisdiction. It is an issue. I don’t want to say it’s a loser position, but it is a harder position than our counterpart’s."

RUSSIA SHIFTS FROM TALK TO ACTION, TARGETING NATO HOMELAND AMID FEARS OF GLOBAL WAR

Moscow immediately pushed back. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called Dragone’s comments "an extremely irresponsible step" and accused NATO of signaling it is willing "to move toward escalation," according to Russian state media.

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former senior State Department and official at the U.S. mission to the United Nations, told Fox News Digital that, "Given Russia’s unilateral invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the idea that Russia is warning about NATO being irresponsible is laughable. Putin has been given numerous opportunities to end the war peacefully and has refused them all because of his own expansionist goals. NATO is simply reacting to his aggression."

"Regarding U.S. involvement," she explained, "Article 5 merely states that an attack on one is an attack on all. NATO adopting a more assertive position does not obligate the U.S. to do the same. We are only required to take ‘such action as [we] deem necessary’ – and that, only in the case of an attack on a NATO state."

General Bruce Carlson, U.S. Air Force (ret.) and former director of the National Reconnaissance Office, told Fox News Digital, "Let’s not forget it’s Russia who is conducting preemptive military action in Europe with the sole intention of invading and occupying another sovereign nation’s territory by force." 

Carlson added, "Putin only understands one thing and that’s power. No one has strengthened NATO more than President Trump, and it is critical that we use every lever possible to push Russia to the negotiating table to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace deal that protects Ukraine’s sovereignty and defends U.S. national security interests."

The warnings come amid a steady drumbeat of Russian-linked activity that NATO officials say falls under hybrid warfare. The alliance says it faces daily cyberattacks that can be traced to Moscow, alongside information operations, migration pressure, and repeated targeting of critical infrastructure.

A series of sabotage incidents in late 2024 triggered a major NATO review. Several undersea data cables and a key power link were damaged that November and December, including on Dec. 25. Prosecutors in Finland accused the crew of a Cook Islands–flagged tanker of dragging an anchor for more than 50 miles and severing infrastructure, though a Finnish court later dismissed the case, ruling national law did not apply.

More recently, roughly 20 drones crossed into NATO member Poland in September, prompting Warsaw to trigger Article 4 consultations. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the time it was "the closest we have been to open conflict since World War II," while Moscow denied targeting Polish territory.

As President Donald Trump's administration aims to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, a European Union official asserted that Russia must face accountability for its "crimes," according to a report.

European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath warned against allowing "impunity," opining that it "would be a historic mistake of huge proportions."

"I don’t think history will judge kindly any effort to wipe the slate clean for Russian crimes in Ukraine," McGrath said, according to Politico. "They must be held accountable for those crimes and that will be the approach of the European Union in all of these discussions.

"Were we to do so, to allow for impunity for those crimes, we would be sowing the seeds of the next round of aggression and the next invasion," he noted, according to the outlet. "And I believe that that would be a historic mistake of huge proportions."

UKRAINE PEACE TALKS PRODUCTIVE AS EX-GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAYS COUNTRY RETHINKING ‘UNCOMPROMISING’ STANCE

"We cannot give up on the rights of the victims of Russian aggression and Russian crimes," McGrath asserted, according to the outlet. "Millions of lives have been taken or destroyed, and people forcibly removed, and we have ample evidence." 

EX-CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS PUTIN USING TALKS TO GAIN LEVERAGE AS UKRAINE DELEGATION MEETS TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude toward the Trump administration.

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"I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump’s team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war," he noted in part of a post on X.

Dutch prosecutors demanded Friday that a Muslim father and his two sons face up to 25 years in prison for allegedly drowning an 18-year-old family member because they believed her "Western" behavior was bringing shame to the family.

The body of Syrian woman Ryan Al Najjar was found submerged in a lake with hands and feet bound tightly on May 28, 2024, near Joure in northern Netherlands, six days after disappearing, according to authorities. Officials arrested her father and two brothers, then aged 22 and 24, and charged them in connection with her killing, which prosecutors said likely happened on May 22.

"They saw Ryan as a burden that had to be removed," the Public Prosecution Service said Friday. "Just because she was a young woman who wanted to live her own life."

Authorities said her male relatives, who come from what they described as a "strict" Islamic family, allegedly killed her after believing she was "behaving too Western in the eyes of her family." Al Najjar was reportedly targeted after refusing to wear a headscarf in public-like settings.

MOTHER SAYS ALLEGED STALKER WHO KILLED HER DAUGHTER SHOULD BE TRIED AS AN ADULT

"The immediate cause of her death appears to be a live video on TikTok, showing Ryan without a headscarf and wearing makeup," prosecutors said Friday. "The video seriously embarrasses the family, according to their posts, as it does not fit within their traditional views."

"Once the suspects were aware of the video, they started looking for Ryan," the authorities added. "According to the Public Prosecution Service, her brothers visited her in Rotterdam and convinced her to come along to a remote location the night before her murder. She was taken to Knardijk, where their father joined. There she was killed."

Local media NL Times identified the brothers as Mohamed Al Najjar and Muhanad, and their 53-year-old father as Khaled. All three were charged with murdering the young woman, while their father was accused of orchestrating the killing before likely fleeing to Syria, prosecutors said.

CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING SUSPECT'S BROTHER SAYS KILLING COULD HAVE BEEN 'PREVENTED' 

Investigators say Al Najjar was taken to a remote park where "no one for miles around could have heard her" cries for help. Evidence showed signs of strangulation and drowning, and approximately 60 feet of tape had been used to bind her before she was thrown into the water alive. Prosecutors reported that Khaled’s DNA was also found under his daughter’s fingernails, suggesting he was present during the killing.

"[Khaled] fled to Syria immediately after the murder and left his sons to take the blame. Cowardly," the Public Prosecution Service wrote in a statement Friday, according to NL Times. "Khaled has completely destroyed his family."

Dutch authorities added that extraditing Khaled may be difficult because he married a woman in Syria since Al Najjar's death, the outlet reported. 

The Public Prosecution Service has recommended a 25-year prison sentence for the father and 20 years for each of the two brothers.

The court is scheduled to issue its ruling on Jan. 5.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Public Prosecution Service for more information.

President Donald Trump delivered a stern ultimatum to Nicolás Maduro to leave Venezuela immediately before announcing the country's airspace should be closed, according to a report.

Per the Miami Herald, Washington's warning was delivered in a phone call with Caracas and offered guaranteed evacuation for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son, but only if the dictator agreed to resign on the spot. 

The conversation stalled, U.S. officials said, and within hours Washington escalated dramatically. 

The ensuing impasse, a source told the outlet, was over Maduro asking for "global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed, and that was rejected." 

MADURO BRANDISHES SWORD AT RALLY AS HE RAILS AGAINST 'IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION' AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH US

"Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces — similar to what happened in Nicaragua in ’91 with Violeta Chamorro. In return, they would allow free elections." 

The final issue was timing, according to the outlet, as Washington demanded that Maduro resign immediately – but Caracas refused.

Trump went on to announce Saturday that Venezuelan airspace would be considered "closed in its entirety." 

The Herald also reported that the Maduro government tried to schedule another call to Washington but received no response.

According to a defense expert familiar with the country’s military and state-linked cartel ties, Maduro and key players in his regime could now face their most serious threat yet.

"I think the operations will start imminently," former Venezuelan diplomat Vanessa Neumann told Fox News Digital.

"The clearing of the airspace is an indication and a very clear public warning that missiles might be coming to take out command and control infrastructure or retaliatory infrastructure," Neumann said. "This will not be like breaking a jar into a thousand pieces, this is where you can lift the concentration of power, and it's easier to manage."

"The targets have been identified through covert operations over the last several years by people on the ground," she continued. "So they're well-mapped. This is a capture-or-kill scenario, but there's a limit to how many people you can remove quickly."

On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One not to "read anything into" his declaring Venezuela's airspace closed when asked if a strike was imminent. 

"Maduro also doesn't have that many options, and his military is very weak," she warned. "You can't go after 30 people simultaneously, who are spread all around, but certainly high on the list would be Maduro himself."

TRUMP PUSHES PEACE IN EUROPE, PRESSURE IN THE AMERICAS — INSIDE THE TWO-FRONT GAMBLE

Venezuela’s armed forces, once among Latin America’s strongest, have been weakened by years of corruption, sanctions, defections, and lack of maintenance. Much of its equipment, Neuman says, has never even been serviced.

"Their material is extremely old, decayed, and has not been serviced," Neuman explained. 

"They've got junk from the Russians. The stuff they originally had from the Americans is decades old and has not been serviced.

"So, they have neither the personnel, foreign support, nor the material," she said.

Ahead of shuttering the airspace, the U.S. also officially designated the cartel allegedly linked with Venezuela’s government, the Cartel de los Soles, as a foreign terrorist organization.

"This cartel turned Venezuela's main oil company into a narcotics trafficking money laundering operation, using the company’s access to international finance, until it was sanctioned," Neuman, who has worked with governments on countering transnational organized crime linked to the group, explained.

"They were using Venezuelan military jets to bring in cocaine from Colombia, process it in Venezuela, and then move it into Central America and then into Europe.

IRAN BACKS MADURO TO KEEP LATIN AMERICA FOOTHOLD AS TRUMP INCREASES PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

"Jet pilots were making a lot of money off that, and they've tortured people. They target people, anybody who tell on them, they’re disappeared," Neuman said. "They’re now one of the prime drug trafficking networks into the United States and Europe, and use their military positions, including their military-to-military relations, to grow and accelerate those movements."

In fact, in September, the European Parliament also voted in favor of the EU designating Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization.

"The Cartel de Los Soles is also a key collaborator and financier of Hezbollah and some of the drug money has been used to fund terrorist attacks that have killed American citizens, even in the Middle East," added Neuman, CEO of Asymmetrica Group, which specializes in defense cooperation.

The U.S. has also ramped up a military and intelligence campaign targeting drug-trafficking networks linked to Venezuela, including strikes on suspected narcotics boats.

TRUMP’S STRIKE ON CARTEL VESSEL OFF VENEZUELA SENDS WARNING TO MADURO: ‘NO SANCTUARY’

"The decision is President Trump's because when he says, ‘Go’, we go. And nobody knows when he'll say that," Neuman said. "He has mobilized so many assets down there now. But what President Trump is doing now is long overdue."

"The timing is right now," she added. "Because even Maduro's biggest backers, Russia and Iran, are both on the back foot, and China will not go that far in backing Maduro as it has bigger and broader interests throughout the region."

She also noted that "Maduro is also weakened because his partners are weakened and have their own issues to deal with," and that "we also now have a concentration of power and deep repression within the country that's quite unified, which means it's easy to flip."

WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME

Neuman identified others in the regime who may be targeted, including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace and Alexander Granko Arteaga, head of Venezuela’s counter-intelligence agency, the DGCIM.

"One of the reasons Granko is an important figure is that he's one of the reasons why they haven't capitulated and why there has not been a military uprising," Neuman explained.

"It's because of the brutality of the counter-intelligence that they do to their own military, and hundreds of soldiers are tortured. That said, the Venezuelan people have made it clear that they wanted Maduro out and fought democratically but lost," she added.

"They voted in elections, protested peacefully, lobbied for sanctions, and lobbied for international support," Neuman said.

Beauty influencer Stefanie Pieper was reportedly found dead after her body was discovered inside a suitcase in a Slovene forest, following an alleged confession from her ex-boyfriend.

The 31-year-old Austrian influencer – known for her makeup, fashion and singing content on social media – went missing after returning home from a Christmas party last Sunday, Nov. 23, according to Styrian State Police.

Pieper's ex-boyfriend allegedly admitted to strangling her, hiding her body in a suitcase and burying it in the forest. He later led authorities to her body, according to Kronen Zeitung, a major Austrian newspaper.

Following the Christmas party, Pieper reportedly messaged a friend saying she had arrived home safely, but soon sent another message saying she thought someone was in her stairwell. Her neighbors also said they heard arguing and allegedly saw Pieper's ex-boyfriend in the building, People Magazine reported, citing local outlets including Oe24, 20 Minuten and Kleine Zeitung.

FOX NEWS TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER: ANNA KEPNER'S MYSTERY, ALEX MURDAUGH'S STAGE, MARTHA MOXLEY'S CASE RUNS COLD

When relatives and coworkers were unable to reach Pieper, and she failed to show up for work, they reported her missing, police said.

The influencer's 31-year-old ex-boyfriend was subsequently arrested in Slovenia after he was found near his burning car, with investigators noting they were unable to contact him.

'JAILHOUSE KAREN' BRYAN KOHBERGER COMPLAINS ABOUT PRISON BANANAS AFTER QUADRUPLE MURDER CONVICTION: REPORT

"The man is believed to have traveled to Slovenia several times in his car. He could not be contacted by the investigating police," Styrian State Police said in a statement. "On Monday evening, November 24, 2025, the Slovenian police reported that a car had caught fire in the parking lot of a casino near the border. This was the 31-year-old man's car."

Pieper's ex-boyfriend was extradited to Austria and during questioning, he reportedly agreed to cooperate with authorities, according to Kronen Zeitung.

FORMER TV ANCHOR CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN STABBING DEATH OF 80-YEAR-OLD MOTHER: DA

The Styrian State Police confirmed that two male relatives of the suspect have also been arrested in connection with the case.

Styrian State Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Official peace talks between the U.S. and Ukraine on ending the Ukraine war moved to a productive phase Sunday – but only after President Zelenskyy sent a new-look team to Florida, according to a former Ukrainian government official.

With Rustem Umerov now leading Zelenskyy's team and longtime adviser and chief of staff Andriy Yermak out, the source claimed the move signaled Kyiv was reassessing its "uncompromising" stance.

The official, who spoke to Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity, said the personnel choice represented a move away from the approach that has shaped Ukraine’s diplomatic strategy for years.

"Yermak had been teaching Zelenskyy to be a 'Father of the Nation’ and until now, the Ukrainian side has been pushing for an unachievable and uncompromising position," the former official said.

MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE

"Umerov is not a very impressively strong individual in politics, but he wants to achieve results and is known to be aligned with compromise."

Ukraine’s new delegation also included Andrii Hnatov, head of the armed forces; Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister; and Umerov, who is head of the country’s security council.

After the meeting, Umerov offered a brief assessment to reporters, saying: "We are grateful to American people, American leadership and a great team with, state secretary, Steve, with both Jared Kushner for their tremendous work with us," he said.

"Our objective is a prosperous, strong Ukraine. We will [be] discussing [sic] the future of Ukraine. We discussed all the important matters that are important for Ukraine, for Ukrainian people. And the U.S was super supportive."

"We already had a successful meeting in Geneva, and today we can continue this success. So at the moment, this meeting was productive and successful in the later stages."

MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE

The new team traveled to Florida for discussions aimed at refining President Trump’s proposed framework and his push to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Sunday’s negotiations also took place after a leak published by Bloomberg News, revealed a transcript of an Oct. 14 call where special envoy Steve Witkoff allegedly offered advice to Russian officials on how to sell a peace plan to Trump.

"The Ukrainian side had in some way undermined peace negotiations and Donald Trump's efforts, not mentioning that it prolongs the war," the former official said.

UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL YERMAK RESIGNS AS CORRUPTION PROBE ENCIRCLES ZELENSKYY

The same former official said the shift in Kyiv’s delegation followed the dramatic resignation of Yermak, after anti-corruption investigators raided his home on Friday.

"Yermak was deeply distrusted by many actors, including Western actors including the U.S. administration and including Biden's administration," the source added.

Despite his exit, the official warned that Yermak’s influence may still be shaping the Ukrainian team.

"Mr. Yermak is still there and, in fact, all the delegation that came to Florida includes Mr. Yermak's people, his loyal people, very close personally to him –  people who [have] been serving him faithfully for years."

"Yermak has not disappeared and might be on the telephone or online and ruling the agenda behind the scenes," they added.

RUBIO, WITKOFF MEET WITH UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN PUSH TO FINALIZE DEAL AFTER ZELENSKYY'S TOP NEGOTIATOR RESIGNS

They said Yermak’s long-standing governing style still influences Kyiv’s political posture:

"In Ukraine, as in many post-Soviet countries, there is still the so-called 'telephone rule', when a powerful person can influence the outcome of any formal decision-making despite lacking formal powers and in contradiction with the law."

"Yermak has been doing this for the last six and a half years," the source added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, and senior advisor Jared Kushner led the American side in Sunday’s session.

Rubio told reporters after the meeting: "We had another very productive session. Building off Geneva, building off the events of this week," he said.

ZELENSKYY WARNS UKRAINE FACES ‘DIFFICULT CHOICE’ AS US PEACE PLAN HITS MAJOR HURDLE 

"As I told you earlier this morning, our goal here is to end the war," he continued. "But it's more than just to end the war. We don't just want to end the war. We also want to help Ukraine be safe forever. So never again will they face another invasion. And equally importantly, we want them to enter an age of true prosperity."

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he had spoken to Rubio and Witkoff and that they were "doing well."

"Ukraine's got some difficult little problems," Trump said. "They have some difficult problems. But I think Russia would like to see it end and I think Ukraine… I know Ukraine would like to see it end."

He also said he thinks there is "a good chance we can make a deal."

In a post shared on X, Zelenskyy highlighted Umerov's work in Florida as the head of the Ukrainian delegation.

"Today, following the work of the teams in the United States, head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov reported on the main parameters of the dialogue, its emphases, and some preliminary results," he said.

"It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests. I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump’s team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war. We will continue working. I look forward to receiving a full report from our team during a personal meeting."

Sunday's talks came just hours after another deadly Russian strike on Kyiv killed at least one person and wounded 19, including four children, Euronews reported.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the war has left huge areas of Ukraine devastated and roughly 20% of its territory under occupation.

Early on Sunday, we learned the Vatican’s chartered Airbus 320, which had ferried Pope Leo XIV, his entourage and 80 journalists to Turkey on Thanksgiving Day, was safe for travel after its software had been successfully updated. 

Our flight to Lebanon is on. Hallelujah!

I have been on nearly a dozen papal trips as a Fox News reporter and producer, but four days into Pope Leo’s first international pilgrimage — this one takes the cake... or maybe a reference to a pie is more appropriate? Is this peace-pilgrimage trip to the Middle East just pie in the sky?

We certainly had pies in the sky on the flight from Rome. I was seated next to a colleague who brought a pecan pie (which smelled divine, no pun intended) and behind two who gifted our Chicago-born pope home-baked pumpkin pies. Pope Leo was over the moon! Our Thanksgiving meal was less exciting but appreciated, served with a menu, real silverware and cloth napkins.

POPE LEO XIV BEGINS LEBANON VISIT AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, HEIGHTENED SECURITY CONCERNS

Fast-forward to Saturday night, after three long, action-packed days, at a 4,000-strong Mass in Istanbul for the country’s minuscule Catholic community. (Over a million Christians, especially Armenians, were wiped out in World War I by the Ottoman Empire. Now, most of the country’s 85 million people are Sunni Muslim. Catholics are a mere 0.2% of the population.)

At Mass, I sat next to my colleague Elise Harris, the first to be granted an interview with Pope Leo (he chose a woman, and an American, how cool is that!) and baker of one of those beautiful pumpkin pies. As Pope Leo walked down a side aisle near us in a cloud of incense, he gave us an almost imperceptible nod and blessed us with the sign of the cross. Amazing!

During the homily, the pope returned to the themes of peace and unity, the very same he emphasized on Thursday in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and again on Friday in Istanbul with Jewish religious leaders and later that day in Iznik, when he joined Orthodox patriarchs and ecumenical leaders to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. 

After that meeting and prayer with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, he signed a joint declaration in a show of Christian unity.

But the pope also spoke of the need for unity with non-Christians. "We live in a world where religion is too often used to justify wars and atrocities," he said. "We need to appreciate what unites us, breaking down the walls of prejudices and mistrust... to become peacemakers."

POPE LEO XIV OPENS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP IN TURKEY WITH A VISIT TO CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY HEARTLAND

One man not invited to meet the pope in Iznik was Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish national who shot and severely wounded Pope John Paul II in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square in 1981. Agca was released from prison in 2010 after completing his sentences in Italy and Turkey and now lives in Iznik. He has never explained his motive for the assassination attempt, but Turkish media quoted him as saying he hoped to meet Leo "for two or three minutes." Instead, he was escorted out of town. 

Back in 2006, I came to Istanbul for Fox News Radio to cover Pope Benedict XVI’s conciliatory visit aimed at quelling the violent uproar over comments he had made in a speech in Germany, in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor saying Islam was spread through "the sword."

It was a big deal when Benedict was seen in the Blue Mosque, the country’s most important Muslim place of worship, with his head bowed and lips moving. I remember my Reuters colleague excitedly yelling out in the press room, "The pope is praying!" Well, yes, he might be doing that, I thought — but how to explain its importance in a 30-second audio clip? 

In 2014, Pope Francis also visited the Blue Mosque and openly prayed. So it was natural to assume that our new pope would do the same. The Vatican press office even said in its daily communiqué he had. 

But we 'vaticanisti" were inside the Blue Mosque on Saturday morning, having left our shoes at the entrance and put on a headscarf, and saw there were clearly no pauses!

Later, the press spokesman Matteo Bruni clarified that the pope had visited the mosque "in silence, in the spirit of reflection and listening, with profound respect for the place and the faith of those gathered here in prayer." 

That description of a spirit of "reflection and listening with respect for others" does indeed capture the essence of this Midwestern 70-year-old. 

His first words after being chosen to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and thrust onto the world's stage six months ago were, "Peace be with you." 

But it's still too early to see how his message of unity and the brotherhood of man will resonate in the conflict-ridden Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, opening the second half of his first international trip as pontiff after three days in Turkey marked by calls for unity, peace and renewed ties among Christian communities. 

His stop in Lebanon places him in a nation where Christians have long-faced war, instability and a wave of emigration that has reshaped the country’s demographics.

Lebanon was once a Christian-majority country, a balance reflected in the 1932 census that recorded Christians as just over half the population. No official count has been conducted since, but demographic studies and independent estimates show a significant shift over the past century. As Reuters reported, Christians are now "believed to make up roughly a third of Lebanon’s population," a decline driven by emigration, conflict, and changing birth rates.

POPE LEO XIV OPENS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP IN TURKEY WITH A VISIT TO CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY HEARTLANDS

JP De Gance, founder and president of Communio, told Fox News Digital that the choice of Turkey and Lebanon as the pope’s first destinations is intentional. "Pope Leo chose to make Turkey and Lebanon the site of his first trip very likely to emphasize two major themes of his pontificate. Coming out of the conclave that elected him, he has placed a great emphasis on both unity and on peace."

Lebanon marks the most emotionally charged part of the trip. The last papal visit came in 2012. Pope Francis had hoped to travel there but was unable to make the journey because of health concerns. Lebanon is often described as having the highest proportion of Christians in the Middle East, yet these communities have been devastated by economic collapse, political paralysis and mass migration over the last decade.

The Associated Press reported that the pope’s schedule includes meetings with political leaders, Christian and Muslim clerics, and families affected by overlapping national crises. A key moment will come on Dec. 2 when he visits the Port of Beirut, the site of the 2020 explosion that killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands. His presence there is expected to draw significant attention in a country where many still demand accountability for the blast.

Local media outlets report that large crowds are expected despite deep infrastructure problems and ongoing security challenges.

The pope arrives amid one of Lebanon’s most volatile periods in years, with repeated exchanges of fire along the southern border throughout 2024 and 2025 between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. The clashes displaced residents and raised fears of a wider conflict, prompting questions about whether the situation might force last-minute changes to the papal itinerary.

POPE LEO XIV AGREES TO THROW OUT FIRST PITCH AT WHITE SOX NEW STADIUM AFTER INVITE FROM TEAM OWNER

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni addressed those concerns in comments to EWTN Vatican, confirming that the schedule remains intact. "There is no specific concern related to the recent Israeli strike," Bruni said. He added that "the situation was already well known even a few months ago, and all necessary precautionary measures have been taken."

De Gance said the Lebanon leg underscores the pope’s focus on Christians in the most vulnerable regions. "In terms of peace, I believe the pope has added Lebanon to this trip because a great many Christian communities — both those in full communion with Rome and those who are Eastern Orthodox — are suffering in a war-torn region."

He added that the trip also aims to draw international attention to communities often overlooked. "Leo likely wants to bring the bully pulpit of the papacy to the region to bring a message of peace that also advocates for those often forgotten in the West — our Eastern Christian brothers and sisters."

POPE LEO XIV STRONGLY SUPPORTS US BISHOPS' CONDEMNATION OF TRUMP IMMIGRATION RAIDS: 'EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL'

The themes emerging in Lebanon mirror those set in Turkey, where Pope Leo appealed for dialogue amid regional tensions. His opening days as pontiff emphasized reconciliation, solidarity and support for Christian communities navigating political and social upheaval.

In Turkey, the pope marked the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in İznik. At an ecumenical prayer service near the archaeological remains associated with the council, he gathered with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders.

De Gance highlighted the significance of the commemoration. "Pope Leo chose to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, which has such historic significance because this council helped define the reality — now still accepted by Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox — that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man." He added, "At the time of the council, a great many Christians had begun to reject this central apostolic truth. This first council helped settle this controversy and is rightly celebrated today by those in the East and the West as creating greater unity within the entire church."

During the ceremonies, Pope Leo emphasized the shared Christian heritage found in the Nicene Creed, a foundational statement of faith recited across denominations.

For many Lebanese Christians, his arrival offers a moment of recognition from Rome and a source of hope during a period of deep national uncertainty.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to meet Ukrainian negotiators Sunday in Florida to build on the recent peace talks in Geneva, and work through the remaining details of the agreement reached last week.

The Florida meeting comes after Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s top negotiator, resigned Friday after anti-corruption agencies raided his home. Ukraine has been embroiled in an alleged $100 million kickback corruption scheme linked to the state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom. 

"The dialogue based on the Geneva points will continue. Diplomacy remains active. The American side is demonstrating a constructive approach, and in the coming days it is feasible to flesh out the steps to determine how to bring the war to a dignified end," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "The Ukrainian delegation has the necessary directives, and I expect the guys to work in accordance with clear Ukrainian priorities."

Zelenskyy wrote on X that Rustem Umerov, the head of the Ukrainian delegation and secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, would lead efforts to outline the steps to end the war and to hammer out the remaining elements of the peace framework.

A U.S. official told Fox News Tuesday that Kyiv agreed to a peace deal, with only minor points still to be resolved.

ZELENSKYY WARNS UKRAINE FACES ‘DIFFICULT CHOICE’ AS US PEACE PLAN HITS MAJOR HURDLE

RUSSIA BOMBARDS KYIV, KILLING AT LEAST 6, AS TRUMP PEACE PLAN MOVES FORWARD

Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow this week to discuss the updated peace framework that reportedly stands at 19 points instead of the original 28, which was criticized by European leaders as too favorable to the Kremlin.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested Moscow could reject the White House’s latest Ukraine peace deal framework if it does not uphold the "spirit and letter" of the understandings reached at the August Alaska summit between Trump and Vladimir Putin.

He warned that if the terms of the "key understandings" are "extinguished" then the situation would become "fundamentally different."

Russia has maintained its maximalist demands in negotiations, insisting Ukraine be barred from joining NATO and required to give up the rest of the Donbas region as part of any agreement.

The Kremlin has kept up its drone and missile barrages even as negotiations continue to move forward. Zelenskyy said Sunday that over the past week alone, Russia fired nearly 1,400 attack drones, 1,100 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles at Ukraine.

Documents revealing how infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death," led an open post-war life in Argentina were found among a massive trove of evidence released and declassified earlier this year by President Javier Milei.

Mengele was notorious for his role as a commander in Auschwitz, where he conducted brutal medical experiments on prisoners, especially twins, under the guise of scientific research. Eyewitnesses — including some contained in the declassified Argentine files — describe his extremely cold-blooded and macabre, sadistic nature, including torturing and testing on twins in front of one another after sending their parents to the gas chambers.

An entire binder is dedicated exclusively to following the footsteps of infamous Auschwitz doctor and SS commander Mengele.

ARGENTINA REVEALS SECRET WWII FILES ON HITLER'S HENCHMEN WHO FLED BEFORE, AFTER THE WAR

The declassified archives show Argentina clearly understood by the mid- to late 1950s who Mengele was and that he was actually present in the country. Authorities knew he had entered the country in 1949 using an Italian passport issued under the name Helmut Gregor, which he used as the basis for obtaining an official immigrant ID card in 1950.

Argentina’s archival material sheds light on the networks that sheltered Mengele. Though heavily fragmented and multilingual — featuring Spanish, German, Portuguese, and English documents — the archive provides a snapshot of how authorities tracked, archived, mishandled and often took no action regarding the information they had about one of the world’s most wanted war criminals.

The collection contains photographs, intelligence notes, immigration records, surveillance reports and correspondence, reflecting decades of investigation and efforts to understand the network that helped him move across Argentina, Paraguay and ultimately Brazil. The presence of German-language documents indicates the incorporation of foreign intelligence or materials seized from émigré communities; Portuguese elements suggest cross-border coordination with Brazilian sources; English notes point to communication with U.S. or British agencies.

The files contain an undated press clipping of an Argentine citizen born in Poland, José Furmanski, who was a victim of Mengele, showing Argentinian intelligence were aware of the accusations against the Nazi criminal.

"I met Mengele. I knew him well. I saw him many times in the Auschwitz camp, with his SS colonel’s uniform and, on top of it, the white doctor’s coat," says Furmanski in the interview.

The interview goes on to explain that Furmanski, who had a twin, gave his vivid testimony of the experiences performed on them. The report labeled Mengele as a pathological sadist.

"He gathered twins of all ages in the camp and subjected them to experiments that always ended in death. Between the children, the elderly, and women… what horrors. I saw him separate a mother from her daughter and send one to certain death. We will never forget," Furmanski said.

Dozens of scanned images without embedded text and internal labeling of hundreds of pages signal a systematic effort by Argentine intelligence to compile a complete personal file of Mengele, including copies of foreign passports under aliases, photographs of suspected associates, handwritten operational notes, immigration ledgers or border-crossing logs, investigative summaries prepared for political superiors and correspondence between Argentine officers and international investigators.

The files corroborate Argentina’s ambiguous postwar position of cooperating with Western democracies, extremely disjointed bureaucracy, lack of will or understanding regarding the serious nature of crimes committed by former Nazis in its territory and a reluctance by higher-hierarchy authorities to confront how deeply Nazi fugitives were embedded within the country’s social and political landscape.

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In 1956, trying to expand his business partnership, he obtained a legalized copy of his original birth certificate from the West German Embassy in Buenos Aires, requested his ID be judicially amended to reflect his real biographical data and — surreally — began using his original legal name, a sign of how safe he felt in Argentina.

Argentine agencies by this point not only knew who he was, where he lived, and the fact that he married his brother’s widow and was raising their son, but also had full details regarding his business interests in the country. Reports in the files cite a possible visit by Mengele’s father to Argentina to help him financially, investing in a medical laboratory business in Buenos Aires.

The overt nature of his life in the country prompted West Germany to issue an arrest warrant and request his extradition in 1959, which was denied without further action by a local judge, citing that the request was unofficially based on "political persecution" of Mengele, which didn't allow for the case to be taken up.

Despite all the hard evidence accumulated, it is clear that the information was fragmented among various different agencies that did not fully communicate with one another. There was also a lack of direct communication with the country’s presidency and executive branches. This led to action on the case being decided in a disconnected manner, and often too late — or after press leaks had already alerted Mengele of possible concern by authorities — to yield fruitful results. Arrest warrants, searches, and surveillance requests were often carried out or decided after the fact, leading to dead ends.

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After the 1959 extradition request and with increased international pressure on Argentina, Mengele escaped the country to Paraguay, while his wife and stepson moved to Switzerland.

This is evident from a memo from the Federal Coordinate Directorate marked as strictly secret and confidential detailing a search for Mengele and his business interests dated July 12, 1960 — a point when Mengele had already left Argentina for Paraguay.

"I bring to the knowledge of the Chief that from the investigations carried out in order to fulfill the referenced O.B., it follows that JOSÉ MENGELE, served as a partner of the medical laboratories "FADRO-FARM" located at Drysdale 3573 Street, in Carapachay, District of Vicente López, and with offices, since July of this year, at Cramer 860 Street, Capital. The subject, listed as a medical doctor, was entered into the firm on July 10, 1958, as a contributing partner of $10,000 pesos in capital, and withdrew from the partnership in April of 1959," the report stated.

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"Since entering Argentina, the subject resided on the property of the Mengeles, using the name of Dr. GREGOR […], the subject manifested that he had arrived in Argentina using a different name and distinct from his profession […]. Thus, it appears that, while maintaining his real name, the subject belonged to the SS Society […] during which time he demonstrated being nervous, having stated that during the war he acted as a physician in the German S.S., in Czechoslovakia, where the Red Cross labeled him a "war criminal". He had studied Anthropology and was known to the Justice in the courts of Nuremberg, especially regarding the study of skulls and bones, but that union was considered a crime in National Socialist Germany," the report states about Mengele when, in the course of changing his name from his fake alias to his real identity, the Nazi "explained" his motives for originally not using his real identity," it said.

Argentina’s intelligence community kept following Mengele mostly through press reports and contacts with foreign agencies. Mengele acquired Paraguayan citizenship and was protected by the government of Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, whose family originated in the same Bavarian town as him.

The archives reveal Mengele entered Brazil clandestinely at some point in 1960 through the tri-border area near Paraná state. He was helped by German Brazilian farmers who were Nazi sympathizers and provided multiple rural safehouses for several years. 

Though the Argentine files are thin on details and rely heavily on media clippings at this point, Argentina was aware that Mengele had adopted the alias Peter Hochbichler, though sometimes he also used a Portuguese version of his real name — José Mengele. For the latter part of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s, he began living in properties belonging to the German Bossert and Stammer families in São Paulo state, Brazil.

Mengele died in 1979 when he suffered a stroke while swimming at sea in the coastal town of Bertioga. He was buried under the false name of Wolfgang Gerhardt, but multiple leads led to his body being exhumed and his remains being positively identified by Brazilian authorities in 1985. DNA testing further confirmed the findings in 1992.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon as he stands trial on corruption and fraud charges — weeks after President Donald Trump sent his own letter urging clemency.

Netanyahu emphasized concern over public division in his request. While explicitly not admitting guilt, he wrote the pardon would allow him to "reconcile the national rift" and "lower the flames" in the arguments surrounding his trial.

Herzog’s office released a statement Sunday saying it has received Netanyahu’s formal pardon request, calling it "extraordinary" and acknowledging that it carries "significant implications."

The request, in accordance with guidelines and procedures, was being transferred to the Pardons Department in the Ministry of Justice, which will gather opinions from relevant authorities on the matter, the president’s office said.

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The opinions will then be sent to the legal advisor in the Office of the President, who will formulate an additional opinion for Herzog.

"After receiving all of the relevant opinions, the President will responsibly and sincerely consider the request," Herzog’s office said in the statement.

Netanyahu is currently standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. The trial, which began in 2020, marked the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister testified as a criminal defendant.

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Earlier this month, Trump urged Herzog to consider fully pardoning Netanyahu in a letter. Trump wrote that Netanyahu has been a "formidable and decisive" leader for Israel in a time of war and has led Israel "into a time of peace."

Trump wrote that while he "absolutely" respects the independence of the Israeli judicial system, he believes the case against Netanyahu is a "political, unjustified prosecution."

Trump had previously urged Herzog to pardon Netanyahu during a speech in the Israeli Knesset in October.

Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

A mass protest on Saturday filled with many activists from the radical organization Antifa, which President Donald Trump designated as a domestic terrorist organization, delayed the start of a conference for the right-wing populist German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) youth wing called Generation Deutschland.

Between 25,000 and 30,000 protesters turned out against the AfD youth convention in the central German city of Giessen, prompting the largest police contingent (6,000 officers) in the history of the state of Hesse.

The AfD co-leader Alice Weidel blasted the demonstrators at the city's convention center. "What is being done out there – dear left-wingers, dear extremists, you need to look at yourselves – is something that is deeply undemocratic."

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According to the Associated Press, officers used pepper spray after stones were thrown at them at one location, police said. They also used water cannons to clear a blockade by about 2,000 protesters after they ignored calls to leave. They did so again Saturday afternoon as a group tried to break through barriers toward the city’s convention center. Police said up to 6,000 officers were deployed, and 10 to 15 were slightly injured.

The former U.S. ambassador to Germany during the first administration, Richard Grenell, warned on X about the dangers of the anti-democratic left in the Federal Republic of Germany. He wrote:" The intolerant and violent Left is gaining ground in Germany. If they follow the U.S. left then they will promote deadly violence while also losing public support — and elections. But they won’t see the errors of their ways because the German left gets lots of support from the media in Germany. It’s publicly funded, too. The conservative media is small and timid — but growing fast."

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Boris Rhein, the Christian Democratic Union governor of the state of Hesse, criticized the attacks on police and the attempt to torpedo the AfD youth event. "The use of violence and attempts to prevent assemblies through marches can never be democratic means," said Rhein.

The AfD scored an impressive second place election result in February, securing 20.8% of the vote. However, the mainstream German parties refused to form a coalition with the AfD because of what they said were its extremist views.

The youth division of the AfD elected 28-year-old Jean-Pascal Hohm as its chairman. According to an article in the German paper Die Welt, a local intelligence report quoted him as expressing anti-immigrant and nationalist views. "We will fight resolutely for a genuine shift in migration policy that ensures Germany remains the homeland of Germans, "Hohm said at the start of the conference.

The creation of Generation Deutschland unfolded after Germany’s federal intelligence agency classified the previous AfD youth chapter, Young Alternative, as an "extremist organization" in 2023, causing its dissolution.

AfD portrays itself as an anti-establishment force at a time of low trust in politicians. It first entered the national parliament in 2017 following the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s. Curbing migration remains its signature theme, but it has shown a talent for capitalizing on discontent about other issues too. That was reflected in leaders’ confident tone Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.