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Ukraine, Russia claim thousands of violations of Putin-imposed holiday ceasefire

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:56:32 -0400

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of hundreds of attacks Sunday, casting doubt on a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire that appeared to be unraveling less than a day after it began.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter holiday, ordering forces to halt fighting from Saturday afternoon through the end of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to honor the pause but warned Kyiv would respond quickly to any violations.

The holiday ceasefire, however, appeared to be short-lived.

Ukraine’s military said it had logged 2,299 ceasefire violations by early Sunday morning, including assaults, shelling and small drone activity, though it noted no use of long-range drones, missiles or guided bombs.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI

A Ukrainian officer told The Associated Press that Russian troops continued attacking positions despite the declared truce.

Russia’s Defense Ministry fired back, accusing Ukrainian forces of 1,971 violations, including drone strikes in the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod that allegedly injured civilians.

The head of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday that the bodies of two civilians have been recovered following an alleged Ukrainian attack on Saturday.

NATO SCRAMBLES JETS AS RUSSIA FIRES NEARLY 400 DRONES TOWARD UKRAINE, SIGNALING NEW SPRING OFFENSIVE

The dueling claims highlight the deep mistrust between the two sides and underscore the difficulty of enforcing even temporary pauses in fighting.

Past ceasefire attempts have collapsed quickly, with both nations routinely blaming each other. A similar truce declared by Putin last Easter also unraveled amid accusations of violations from both sides.

Irena Bulhakova told The Associated Press at a holiday gathering outside Kyiv that she had her doubts about any ceasefires as Russia’s four-year war on Ukraine drags on.

"Every time a ceasefire is announced for a holiday, the shelling continues regardless," she said.

Reflecting on the meaning of the Orthodox Easter holiday, she added: "Good triumphs over darkness, and we hope for that very much."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Leo calls out 'delusion of omnipotence' fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter's Basilica

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:40:46 -0400

Pope Leo in a Saturday vigil for peace, called out the "delusion of omnipotence" he claimed is fueling war.

"In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God," he said in a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, "A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive."

In posts on X and during the prayer vigil, the pontiff also warned that war "divides" while hope and faith unite humanity.

TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE DELAY: WHY HE WAS NEVER GOING TO OBLITERATE IRAN IN THE FIRST PLACE

"Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war," he wrote. "True strength is shown in serving life."

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

MIKE PENCE WARNS JD VANCE TO AVOID OBAMA-STYLE IRAN DEAL AS NUCLEAR TALKS SET TO BEGIN IN PAKISTAN

They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday "truly unacceptable."

"Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable," the pope said earlier this week. "There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population."

Trump had written on Truth Social "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will... God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to "the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday in Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside the White House: "We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t."

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged "those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace."

Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a "globalization of indifference."

"What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world," Leo said, quoting Francis.

Fox News' Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Malnourished boy found locked in father's van for more than a year unable to walk, hadn't showered since 2024

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:04:59 -0400

A malnourished 9-year-old boy was found lying in the fetal position in his father’s utility van in eastern France this week after allegedly being locked in the vehicle two years ago.

The boy, who was unable to walk after sitting for so long, was discovered Monday after a neighbor heard the "sounds of a child" coming from the van, local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz said Saturday.

Officers in the village of Hagenbach, near the border with Switzerland and Germany, found the boy "lying in a fetal position, naked, covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement" after forcing the van open, Heitz said.

The boy told authorities he hadn’t showered since 2024.

WISCONSIN COUPLE ALLEGEDLY STARVED SIX CHILDREN FOR YEARS, FORCING THEM TO EAT MOLD, BUGS AND DOG FOOD

The boy’s father was charged with kidnapping. He claimed to police that he had locked his son in the van in November 2024 to "protect" him from his partner who wanted to send him to a psychiatric hospital, according to the prosecutor.

But the prosecutor said there was no medical record of the boy having psychiatric problems, and he had gotten good grades in school.

When the boy disappeared, his teachers were told he had transferred to another school.

The man’s partner, who denied knowing the boy was locked in the van, has also been charged, including for failure to help a minor in danger.

MICHIGAN WOMAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STARVING, TORTURING DISABLED SISTER-IN-LAW SHE LOCKED IN BASEMENT

The boys’ family and friends told police they believed the boy was in a psychiatric hospital.

The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of the man’s partner are under the care of social services.

The boy has been taken to a hospital.

He told authorities he thought his father had no choice but to lock him in the van and that he’d had "big difficulties" with his father’s partner.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Man climbs onto US military aircraft in Ireland, attacks it with hatchet: report

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:12:40 -0400

A man was detained Saturday at Shannon Airport in Ireland after allegedly climbing onto the wing of a U.S. military aircraft and attacking it with a hatchet, according to local reports.

Irish police, or Gardaí, said a man in his 40s entered an unauthorized area of the airport in County Clare and was arrested shortly before 11 a.m. on suspicion of criminal damage. Investigations are ongoing, Gardaí said.

The aircraft involved was a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane that had been parked on a remote taxiway, Irish news outlet The Journal reported.

Video circulating online appeared to show a man in dark clothing walking along the wing of the aircraft during the incident. He moved across the wing near the engines and fuselage.

JORDANIAN NATIONAL ARRESTED AFTER BOARDING FLIGHT IN ARIZONA WITH INVALID TICKET, PROMPTING EVACUATION

The breach raises renewed concerns about security at Shannon Airport, which has experienced multiple recent incidents involving unauthorized access to restricted areas.

A spokesperson for Shannon Airport said the airport temporarily shut down operations after the breach.

"The airport suspended operations at approximately 9:50 a.m., and operations resumed at 10:15 a.m.," the spokesperson said.

JORDANIAN NATIONAL ARRESTED AFTER BOARDING FLIGHT IN ARIZONA WITH INVALID TICKET, PROMPTING EVACUATION

The brief closure caused minor disruption, with two departing flights delayed and one incoming aircraft placed in a holding pattern before landing shortly after 10:20 a.m., The Journal reported.

Authorities, including airport police, Gardaí and Irish Defence Forces personnel responded, The Journal reported. Armed officers and specialist units were also deployed.

Officials carried out a search of the airport perimeter to determine how the suspect gained access to the restricted area.

BULLET DISCOVERED ON COMMERCIAL JET AT MAJOR AIRPORT SPARKS SECURITY SCARE

According to The Journal, the incident is the latest in a string of recent security breaches at Shannon Airport.

In November, three people were arrested after a van breached airport security and entered a restricted area. In May, another vehicle crashed through a perimeter fence, forcing a temporary shutdown. Weeks later, three women were arrested after allegedly accessing the airfield and damaging an aircraft.

Authorities have not said whether Saturday’s incident is linked to those prior breaches.

Shannon Airport has been the site of frequent anti-war protests for years over its use by the U.S. military, dating back to the Iraq War era.

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe for comment.

Iran's supreme leader severely disfigured by US strikes: report

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:30:02 -0400

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is severely disfigured after sustaining leg and face injuries during joint U.S.-Israel airstrikes on Tehran in February, Reuters reported Saturday.

Khamenei is recovering after incurring the injuries in the February 28 airstrikes that killed his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. He has not been seen publicly since being hospitalized.

Despite the injuries, Khamenei allegedly remains "mentally sharp," Reuters reported, citing a trio of anonymous sources within his inner circle. The new supreme leader is in communication with the Iranian delegation in Pakistan for peace talks with a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.

The Reuters report corroborates an earlier statement from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who told reporters March 13 that Khamenei was "likely disfigured."

IRAN POSTPONES TEHRAN FAREWELL CEREMONY FOR KHAMENEI WHERE LARGE CROWDS WERE EXPECTED TO GATHER

He then reiterated the claim at a press conference Thursday while outlining the U.S. military's achievements in Iran.

"Their top leadership was systematically eliminated, their previous Iranian supreme leader dead, the supreme national security council secretary dead, the supreme leader office advisor dead, the supreme leader military office chief dead, the defense minister no longer with us, the IRGC commander dead, the armed forces general staff commander dead, the intelligence minister dead, the IRGC navy commander no longer here, the IRGC Intel chief dead," Hegseth said.

"I skipped over a bunch, and I could go on and on and on, to include the new so-called new supreme leader, wounded and disfigured. This new regime was out of options and out of time, so they cut a deal."

NEW IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER 'LIKELY DISFIGURED,' HEGSETH SAYS

Despite his weakened condition, Khamenei vowed to put up resistance in a defiant written statement Thursday.

"Iran is not seeking war but will not forfeit its rights and considers all resistance fronts as a unified entity," the statement said.

Hegseth dismissed the statement as "weak" in his March press conference.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS REGIME IS 'CRUMBLING' AFTER KILLING OF KHAMENEI, OTHER LEADERS

"It was a written statement. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement?" Hegseth asked. "I think you know why. His father, dead. He's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy. It's a mess for them. Who's in charge? Iran may not even know."

Sources reportedly told Reuters that Khamenei could enter the public spotlight in a month or two but only if "his health and the security situation allowed.

While many publicly question where and when we may see the supreme leader again, Iranian hardliners stress the importance of him keeping a low-profile.

"Why should he appear in public? To become a target for these criminals?" an Iranian militiaman asked Reuters in a text message.

Iran regime uses former Soviet republic to dodge sanctions, fund war machine: report

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:47:25 -0400

With Iran increasingly isolated among its Gulf neighbors, recent reports say Tehran has been deepening its ties in the South Caucasus with the Republic of Georgia.

The former Soviet republic, which was until recently seen as an aspiring European Union and potential NATO member candidate, has slowly moved closer to Tehran.

"Iran has built a vast influence infrastructure in Georgia, which includes entities sanctioned by the U.S. government for links to extremism and viewed in Washington as fronts for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," Giorgi Kandelaki, former member of the Georgian Parliament, told Fox News Digital.

IRAN BACKLASH FORCES GULF ALLIES TOWARD WASHINGTON AS REGIONAL TENSIONS RISE

Kandelaki, co-author of a recent report with the Hudson Institute titled Georgia’s Iranian Turn: Tehran’s Rapid Expansion of Influence in a Once-Committed U.S. Ally, said that Tbilisi’s turn toward Iran is bad for Georgians but also bad for U.S. interests in the region.

"Georgia has an overwhelmingly pro-U.S. public opinion committed to Western values with it also being viewed as a traditional U.S. ally in Washington. This reality presents a terrible precedent and reversing this trajectory is in the interest of both the U.S. but also Georgian society," he added.

While Georgia has remained diplomatically neutral, the Hudson report details the budding ties between the two countries and how Iran uses Georgia as a network for intelligence infrastructure, penetrating Georgia’s religious, educational and cultural institutions to impact society.

BLOODY NYC KHAMENEI VIGIL REVEALS ANTI-US PROTEST NETWORK LINKED TO IRAN

As far back as 2007, Iran opened the Georgian branch of Al-Mustafa University, which is considered one of Iran’s main arms for the dissemination of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's ideology abroad, according to United Against a Nuclear Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department stated in 2020 that Iran’s IRGC-Quds Force uses Al-Mustafa University in Georgia as an international recruitment network for Iran and acts as a conduit for the Islamic Republic’s ideological and security interests.

"Al-Mustafa has facilitated unwitting tourists from Western countries to come to Iran, from whom IRGC-Qud's Force members sought to collect intelligence," the Treasury Department said. It also said that the university facilitated student exchanges with foreign universities to develop intelligence sources.

RUSSIA ALLEGEDLY SHARING SATELLITE INTELLIGENCE ON US BASES WITH IRAN, WORLD LEADER CLAIMS

GEORGIAN DEMONSTRATORS WATCH IRAN CLOSELY AS THEIR OWN PROTESTS GRIND ON

A report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimated the university’s annual budget is $100 million and has trained tens of thousands of emissaries across the world who spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

Iran has utilized sympathetic Georgians to commit international crimes to advance its domestic agenda.

While no links have ever been made with the Tbilisi government, a Georgian national, Agil Aslanov, who had ties to organized crime, was reportedly recruited by the Quds Forces to assassinate a prominent Jewish leader in Azerbaijan in 2022. In another case in 2025, Georgian national Polad Omarov was indicted in federal court in New York City and sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to assassinate prominent Iranian activist Masih Alinejad, a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic’s use of violence against peaceful protesters.

Georgia once made significant inroads to foster political and security ties with the United States following the Rose Revolution in 2003, becoming a bedrock of regional security in the Black Sea region. After decades of Soviet rule, Georgia aligned itself with the United States, contributing to missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and eventually signed a Strategic Partnership Charter with the United States in 2009.

Tbilisi's ties with Tehran have been expanded under the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party that took power in 2012. That bond, according to analysts, has tightened after Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili finished her six-year term in office in 2024 and was replaced by Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was chosen as her successor by a newly established electoral college reportedly dominated by Georgian Dream supporters.

INSIDE IRAN’S MILITARY: MISSILES, MILITIAS AND A FORCE BUILT FOR SURVIVAL

Kavelashvili’s installment followed parliamentary elections in Oct. 2024 marred by some irregularities, according to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi, in which the Georgian Dream declared victory.

Leadership ties between both countries have steadily grown since the Georgian Dream's disputed 2024 parliamentary victory.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze visited Iran in May 2024 for the funeral of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter accident, and again in July to attend the inauguration of Iran’s current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, where Iranian news agencies reported both leaders praised the growing relationship between the two countries.

WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IRAN RIGHT NOW? THE KEY POWER PLAYERS AS TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS TO 'TOP' OFFICIAL

Many Georgian companies are also importing oil and petroleum products from Iran, a key economic lifeline for the regime and its regional war efforts, according to Georgian NGO Civic IDEA. In 2024, Iranian oil export revenue was approximately $43 billion, which accounts for roughly 57% of Iran’s total export revenue.

According to Civic IDEA, between 2022 and 2025, 72 companies registered in Georgia imported Iranian oil and petroleum, including eight inked to donors of the ruling Georgian Dream party, boosting Iran’s revenue stream even while heavily sanctioned by Western nations.

"Georgia has become Iran’s primary sanctions-evasion hub . . . funneling hard currency back to Tehran’s war machine and the IRGC through specific schemes in oil imports," Nicholas Chkhaidze, national security and strategic communications analyst based in Tbilisi, told Fox News Digital.

Chkhaidze said these Georgian companies that import Iranian oil pay in cash and can bypass international banking sanctions.

"The scale is massive, as Tehran uses the revenue from these schemes to fund its regional operations," Chkhaidze claimed.

Telephone and email requests for comment sent to the government of Georgia were not returned. A spokesman for Iran's mission to the United Nations would not comment on the relations between the two countries.

Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi in Beijing as Taiwan defense fight intensifies

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:26:55 -0400

KAOHSIUNG – Taiwan: For the first time in nearly a decade, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) supreme leader and the head of the communist party, Xi Jinping, held a meeting with the chairperson of Taiwan’s main opposition party. Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (also known as the Kuomintang, KMT), met Xi in Beijing on Friday.

Before their closed-door meeting the pair posed for pictures. Xi said that Taiwan is historically a part of China and remains an "inalienable" and "inseparable" part of Chinese territory. He said the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" was a "broader trend" that will not change. China’s state-controlled media and government officials often repeat these party lines, even though, after its establishment in 1949, the communist regime has not ruled Taiwan for a single day.

The two met in their capacities as heads of their respective political parties. China refuses to speak to the democratically elected government of Taiwan, led by President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The DPP won Taiwan’s presidential elections in 2016, 2020, and 2024, although in 2024 it narrowly lost control of the parliament to an opposition coalition led by the KMT.

TAIWAN 'WILL NOT ESCALATE, BUT WILL NOT YIELD' TO CHINESE INTIMIDATION, FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS

The meeting came as Taiwan is mired in a dispute over defense spending, with the opposition coalition blocking President Lai’s proposed $40 billion special defense budget. During a recent visit to Taipei, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said approval of the package would send a clear message that Taiwan is prepared to invest in its own defense and "peace through strength."

Hours before Cheng and Xi smiled for the cameras, Lai did not directly mention the Beijing meeting, but said on social media that any compromise with an authoritarian regime would damage Taiwan’s sovereignty. There are also concerns that if the special budget isn’t approved soon, the willingness of President Donald Trump to sell weapons to Taiwan could change should Trump decide to strike some kind of deal with Xi at a possible meeting in May.

Xi’s phrase "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," which was repeated by Cheng, is a reference to the goal of China becoming a — if not the — major world power by 2049, the centennial of the founding of the communist PRC.

In comments that are sure to evoke controversy in Taiwan, Cheng repeated much of Xi’s phrasing, claiming that in the more than 100 years of interactions between the KMT and the CCP, "all we ever wanted is to guide the Chinese nation out of decline and toward rejuvenation." Cheng went on to say, "The great Chinese rejuvenation involves people on both sides of the strait. It is about the reawakening and resurgence of Chinese civilization."

That’s not how many here in Taiwan see things. Rose Chou, 45, works as an administrator in one of the biggest primary schools in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan’s largest city and a major port. Chou told Fox News Digital it was time for Taiwan to dump any connection to being China or a part of China. "Yes, I want a Republic of Taiwan. I have an 18-year-old son. And, yes, I realize we may have to fight. I’m willing to fight."

US LAWMAKERS WARN TAIWAN TO ‘MEET THE MOMENT’ AS CHINA STAGES INVASION-STYLE DRILLS

Chou readily admitted that most people she knows favor maintaining the status quo. A very small number, she said, are committed to the idea of unification — but under what terms they hope that could occur, Chou said she didn’t know.

Under the status quo that dates from the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, Taiwan’s official name remains the Republic of China, to nominally indicate that Taiwan is a part of China, just not "Red China." This formula previously satisfied the communist regime in Beijing, but — especially since Xi Jinping’s rise — Beijing has pushed Taiwan towards outright submission.

A meeting between the head of the KMT and the CPP hasn’t happened in almost a decade, but there is precedent. A KMT chair met Xi in 2015, and again in 2016, and separately, in 2015, then-Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou met Xi in Singapore, during which each addressed the other as "Mister," and titles used were "Leader of Taiwan" and "Leader of Mainland China," respectively.

In a statement after the meeting, a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei, said, "The United States supports cross-Strait dialogue. We expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait. Meaningful cross-Strait exchange should focus on dialogue between Beijing’s leadership and Taiwan’s democratically elected authorities without preconditions, while also including engagement with all other political parties in Taiwan."

Elizabeth Freund Larus, a Taiwan Fellowship Scholar in Taipei, told Fox News Digital the KMT’s traditional China approach no longer connects with much of Taiwan’s electorate. "KMT Chair Cheng’s trip is trying to replicate Ma Ying-jeou’s approach to cross-Strait relations," Larus said. "But that approach is 30-years old and no longer appeals to the Taiwanese. As a result, many people in Taiwan are critical of her China trip."

Larus said Beijing is also likely to use the visit for domestic propaganda, presenting it as proof that Taiwan embraces cultural and social affinities with mainland China while casting the government in Taipei as an outlier. "Cheng may be welcomed in Beijing," Larus said, "but her party may receive a less enthusiastic reception" in local elections later this year and in the next presidential and legislative elections in 2028.

Taipei-based political risk analyst and Tamkang University assistant professor Ross Feingold told Fox News Digital, "President Lai’s DPP has a savvy media team, which for many years has successfully shaped public opinion towards China. Following today’s meeting, Cheng and the KMT will be portrayed as traitors willing to sell out Taiwan."

He concluded by noting, "Ultimately, though, the success or failure of Cheng’s visit to China and meeting with Xi will be determined by Taiwan’s voters, despite efforts from China and the United States to influence events. For the Trump administration, though, its near-term priority in Taiwan remains legislative approval to purchase billions of dollars of American weapons and speedy implementation of Taiwan’s commitment to invest $250 billion in the United States."

Iran’s ‘Godfather of propaganda’ tactics resurface in war with US and Israel

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:03:30 -0400

Just hours before the ceasefire deal went into effect on Tuesday between the U.S. and Iran’s clerical regime to pause fighting for two weeks, the regime urged young children and adults to surround Iranian energy facilities as human shields in reaction to President Trump's threat to wipe out its energy infrastructure.

The thinking behind Iran’s regime's willingness to use children and civilians as cannon fodder, according to observers, is that an American airstrike that kills children or civilians will dramatically sway U.S. public opinion against the war and create a rally-round-the-regime effect in Tehran.

And now with high-level peace talks due to start between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan, Tehran can be seen as the godfather of propaganda when it comes to manipulating much of the world's media — even more skilled than its terror apprentice forces in Gaza and Lebanon. Yemen and beyond.

INSIDE TEHRAN AFTER STRIKES: IRANIAN WOMAN DESCRIBES FEAR, CHECKPOINTS AND PEOPLE USED AS ‘HUMAN SHIELDS’

Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert, told Fox News Digital that the theocratic state’s exploitation of civilians for their war aim is part and parcel of their nearly half-century playbook against the West. "The Islamic Republic is the Godfather of propaganda. It has spent 47 years perfecting the art of saying one thing at the negotiating table and doing another in the field. The Trump administration should walk into these talks with maximum skepticism. This regime has never kept its word on its weapons, and there's no reason to believe this time is different."

She pointed to Tehran's "record of positioning civilian infrastructure — hospitals, mosques, schools and now power plants — as military shields. They did it in Lebanon through Hezbollah. They did it in Gaza through Hamas. And they are doing it now on their own soil, with their own people, under coercion. Iranians who refuse to participate face consequences."

Daftari, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Desk, added that, "Iran's regime has never hesitated to use its own people as a shield. The difference now is they're doing it in front of cameras, in real time, knowing exactly which images will make prime-time news around the world. This is propaganda. And the two-week ceasefire just gave them more time to manipulate the West and continue on in their narrative warfare."

Right at the beginning of "Operation Epic Fury", the world's media was full of accounts from Iran of an air strike that reportedly hit an Iranian school for girls in the town of Minab Feb. 28. The air strike reportedly killed 175 people, most of whom were children, at the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, according to the regime. The school was located on the same street as buildings used by the IRGC. A Pentagon investigation was launched in March to look into the allegations that a U.S. missile struck the school.

Speaking to Fox News Digital last month, Iranian-American journalist Banafsheh Zand, who has been following the reporting, pointed to the fact that the school that has been there for more than a decade and its reported affiliation with Iran’s military. She said that while the regime claims between 168 fatalities and 180 fatalities, mostly girls between the ages of 7 and 12, along with teachers and parents from the school, there has been no independent confirmation of the reported casualty figures.

TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS

"There is no confirmation on the number of people, from anyone other than regime sources," she said. "Some people in the area said it was 65 boys. Sixty-five boys? What are 65 boys doing in a girls’ school at 10:30 on a Saturday morning?"

Both Democratic and Republican U.S. administrations have classified Iran’s regime as a leading state-sponsor of terrorism.

Speaking on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,' on Thursday, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the American media was "essentially… carrying water for Iran."

Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at JINSA, told Fox News Digital, "The regime wants to show the Iranian people that it is not weakened despite all the deaths in its leadership and losses in its arsenals, and to claim legitimacy by showing it is winning against the eternal American and Israeli enemies."

He said, "Like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran uses civilians as human shields for propaganda purposes. It cares nothing for the safety and fate of its own people. It wants to portray the country as undaunted and willing to sacrifice for victory. And if civilians are killed, all the better for the regime's political goals… Iran wants to undermine U.S. domestic support for the war by framing it as America doing Israel's bidding, and by using AI-generated disinformation to depict massive destruction and casualties at U.S. bases in the Middle East."

The regime suffered a crisis of legitimacy after millions of Iranians poured into the streets in January and demanded the dissolution of the Islamic Republic.

Both the IRGC and Basij — the regime’s street fighting paramilitary troops — played a key role in the mass murder of 45,000 Iranian civilians in January, who protested the regime. President Trump said in his address to the nation that the regime killed 45,000 people. The previous death toll was estimated to be over 35,000 people.

Ruhe said, "As it did before the war, it also wants to delegitimize protesters and other internal opposition by depicting them as American and Israeli agents. It can be expected to ramp up all of these propaganda efforts during the ceasefire. The United States and our partners will be part of this intended audience, too."

Adding to its deadly propaganda mix, the regime freely uses child soldiers to achieve its goals. According to Amnesty International, "Eyewitness accounts and verified audiovisual evidence show child soldiers having been deployed at IRGC checkpoints and patrols, armed with weapons, including AK47pattern rifles."

Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, for Amnesty stated in the report that, "The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children as young as 12 to join an IRGC run military campaign, putting them in grave danger and violating international law, which prohibits the recruitment and use of children in the military. Recruiting children under 15 into the armed forces constitutes a war crime."

Jennifer Dyer, a retired commander of U.S. Naval Intelligence, told Fox News "I’d say the remnant of the regime can’t muster enough human shields to be doing it all over the place. The people are too resistant. Protests continued in the country the last couple of days, and some reporting on social media indicated a crackdown by the Basij on protesters after the so-called ceasefire was announced."

In late March, a deputy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Rasoul Allah Corps of Greater Tehran, Rahim Nadali, declared that the state launched a recruitment campaign called the "Homeland-Defending Combatants for Iran" that is "open to volunteers" aged 12 and older. The drive to recruit child soldiers took place in mosques and bases of the paramilitary organization Basij. The recruitment campaign sought adolescents to join "combatants defending the homeland."

Fox News Digital reached out to Iran’s U.N. Mission in New York for a comment.

Inside Tehran after strikes: Iranian woman describes fear, checkpoints and people used as ‘human shields’

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:48:17 -0400

An anonymous Iranian woman has bravely stepped forward on the international stage to describe what's really happening on the ground in Tehran as President Donald Trump's two-week ceasefire with Iran tentatively began Tuesday.

In an essay published in The Australian, the anonymous author details nightly explosions, sweeping checkpoints and communications blackouts as a part of Iranian daily life since the beginning of operations launched by the United States and Israel in February.

"In effect, ordinary people have been turned into human shields within a vast militarized landscape," she wrote. "A pervasive sense of anger, paranoia and exhaustion has taken hold."

Flagrant public executions of protesters by the thousands by the Iranian regime in January moved residents to cheer on the initial days of attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces as Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.

WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR

"They say they’ve hit the leader’s residence," the author's daughter was quoted saying. "All the children were screaming and cheering. … Even our teacher was quietly snapping their fingers and dancing."

The author described everyday Iranians celebrating the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei that same Saturday, and the streets of Tehran filling with cheers of "death to the dictator."

"Perhaps for the first time," the anonymous author recalled, "we allowed ourselves to believe our long-held dream was beginning to take shape."

RED CROSS SHARES AUDIO OF IRANIAN CIVILIAN EXPLAINING SITUATION ON THE GROUND IN TEHRAN: 'NO RESPITE'

But soon enough, the reality of day-to-day life under a threatened, crumbling regime and ongoing attacks took a toll. One of the harshest realities those on the ground in Iran face is the internet blackout, effectively ending communications with the outside world and leading to great uncertainty at the hands of the regime.

"So far, none of those close to us have suffered physical harm, but no night is calm," the Iranian woman wrote. "What weighs most heavily is not only the war itself, but the possibility that it may end leaving behind a regime even more authoritarian, more repressive and more violent."

According to the author, a stubborn faction of regime supporters remain, blasting propaganda on loudspeakers nightly through the streets of Tehran and reinforcing its authority to those who support the revolution.

TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS

"The streets are now covered with checkpoints," she wrote. "Under bridges and along main roads, movement is restricted. Long traffic lines form. Young people are stopped, their phones inspected under the pretext of routine checks."

After the announcement of the ceasefire between U.S. forces and the Iranian regime Tuesday, the author said, most of her country went to sleep that night in a "state of deep anxiety."

"What weighs most heavily is not only the war itself, but the possibility that it may end up leaving behind a regime even more authoritarian, more repressive, and more violent," the author notes.

She urged a ceasefire that is not "abandonment," but peace, destabilizing the Iranian regime.

"A ceasefire that stabilizes the current order, without addressing the demands that have brought Iranians into the streets for years, risks being experienced not as peace, but as abandonment," the author wrote.

Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. are scheduled to begin Friday in Pakistan.

"We wait, and we continue, in whatever ways possible, to insist that light will eventually overcome this darkness," she concluded.

The Australian notes the author remains anonymous for "fear of retribution."

Israeli man built bomb lab for Iranian plot targeting ex-PM Bennett, authorities say

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:48:26 -0400

Israeli authorities arrested a 22-year-old Haifa resident for his involvement in an Iranian-backed plot to assassinate a high-ranking Israeli official, with the intended target believed to be former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, reports say.

Ami Gaydarov, 22, was arrested last month on suspicion that he was working with an Iranian agent to gather intelligence and build a bomb for use in a terror plot against a high-ranking Israeli official. Gaydarov was unaware of the target's identity. A gag order on his arrest was recently lifted, allowing Israeli media outlets to report on the case.

Authorities said Gaydarov first made contact with his Iranian handler in August 2025 and was paid roughly $23,000 — most of it in cryptocurrency — to carry out tasks in preparation for the assassination plot.

Gaydarov allegedly rented an apartment in the city's downtown area to serve as a laboratory for the bombs.

TOP IRANIAN OFFICIAL, COMMANDER KILLED IN STRIKE, ISRAEL DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

"To facilitate the contacts with his handlers, Gaidarov purchased dedicated phones and rented an apartment in Haifa where he produced the explosive substance, while documenting his activities in videos and photos that were sent to his handler as proof of compliance," the Israeli police force said.

In connection with the plot, Israeli authorities have also arrested three other suspects, including Sergey Leibman and Edward Shovtiuk. The fourth suspect has not been named. Authorities said indictments for the four suspects should occur in the "coming days."

The terror plot was uncovered as part of Israel's "Operation Roaring Lion," a major military campaign launched against Iran on February 28, coinciding with the start of the war with Iran.

The arrest of the four men comes as Israeli authorities have won more than 40 indictments against more than 60 defendants working on behalf of the Iranian government. Just two months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the citizenship of Israelis convicted of espionage for Iran be stripped of their citizenship.

Since the outbreak of the war with Iran, pro-Iranian attacks linked to radical groups have been on the rise. Just last week, French officials reported that a pro-Iran group was behind a failed bomb plot on a Bank of America office in Paris.

UK defense minister warns Putin of 'serious consequences' after covert underwater military operation

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:30:26 -0400

U.K. Defense Minister John Healey warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of "serious consequences" Thursday after revealing a weeks-long military operation to deter Russian meddling in the North Sea.

"To President Putin I say we see you, we see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences," he cautioned.

The defense minister detailed an operation involving a Royal Navy frigate, a Royal Air Force patrol plane and hundreds of personnel deployed to deter a trio of Russian submarines that were detected near underwater cables in Britain’s economic exclusionary zone.

RUSSIA, CHINA VETO UN RESOLUTION AIMED AT REOPENING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP DEADLINE

One of the submarines, Healey announced, was a nuclear-powered Akula-class submarine, while the other two were spy submarines from Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, also known as GUGI. Subs from this unit were directed specifically by Putin "to conduct hybrid warfare activities against the UK" and its allies, Healey said.

At least one of those allies, Norway, was involved in the deterrent operation, Healey revealed. Norway’s Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik confirmed the cooperation in a Thursday statement.

"Norway has participated in a coordinated military operation with our allies to send a clear message: covert activities in our waters will not be tolerated," Sandvik wrote.

The submarines left U.K. waters after a protracted period of monitoring from the U.K. and Norway, and there is no evidence of damage to any underwater infrastructure, Healey said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.K.’s Defense Department for more information.

The Russian incursion marked the second time in less than six months that the U.K. detected Russian seacraft near its territorial waters. Healey announced a similar military operation in November after Russia deployed the spy ship Yantar to the North Sea in 2025.

TRUMP, STARMER AGREE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MUST REOPEN AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT ESCALATES

Healey also cited this year’s incident as an example of why the U.K. hasn’t sent troops to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf key to global energy markets that Iran has choked off in recent weeks.

"I understand people questioning why all UK military assets and personnel have not been deployed to deal with it. But that is not in Britain’s national interest," he said, later calling Russia "the primary threat to the UK and to NATO."

President Donald Trump has criticized NATO allies and the organization itself for not acceding to requests to help open the Strait of Hormuz.

"NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN," he wrote in a Thursday morning Truth Social post.

The U.K., while holding a planning meeting on how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran War is over, initially refused to let the U.S. use a British air base to launch military strikes against Iran.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer eventually allowed the U.S. to launch "defensive strikes" from Royal Air Force bases after Trump slammed him as "not Winston Churchill."

Strait of Hormuz toll would set 'dangerous precedent,' UN shipping agency warns

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:26:27 -0400

The United Nations’ shipping agency warned Thursday that imposing a toll on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would "set a dangerous precedent."

The remark comes after President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that there may be a U.S.-Iranian toll system coming for ships that travel through the key waterway. Trump told ABC News, "We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture," and, "It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people."

"There is no international agreement where tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits. Any such toll will set a dangerous precedent," a ‌spokesperson ⁠for the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization told Reuters on Thursday.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, is one of the world’s most critical energy choke points, carrying roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day along with about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas.

LIVE UPDATES: US MILITARY 'LOADING UP AND RESTING,' TRUMP SAYS, AS IRAN TESTS CEASEFIRE

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also warned on Wednesday that a reported Iranian plan to charge ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely unacceptable."

"I don’t think that the international community would be ready to accept Iran setting up a toll booth for every ship that crosses the strait," Mitsotakis, representing the world's leading shipping power, told CNN.

HEGSETH DECLARES 'DECISIVE MILITARY VICTORY' OVER IRAN

"This agreement cannot, I repeat, cannot include a sort of a fee that ships will have to pay every time they cross the strait," he continued. "This was not the case before the war started, and it cannot be the case after the war finishes."

The Trump administration had reached a ceasefire deal with Iran on Tuesday.

"The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning. "We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will."

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Miner rescued alive after spending nearly 2 weeks trapped underground in flooded area

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:25:40 -0400

A miner in Mexico was saved in an "astonishing rescue" after spending nearly two weeks trapped underground, officials said.

A dam breach caused by a structural failure flooded the El Rosario mine in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa on March 25, trapping Francisco Zapata Nájera and three co-workers. Zapata Nájera was located on Tuesday by divers, but the rescue teams were unable to reach him through heavily flooded areas until 21 hours later.

"The exceptional members of the Mexican Army's Emergency Response Battalion, along with the faith and resilience of a miner, made this astonishing rescue possible after 13 days," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X. "I'm certain that all Mexicans, every one of us, hold you in our hearts."

Of the 25 miners present during the accident, 21 escaped immediately. Five days later, rescuers pulled one survivor from a depth of 985 feet.

AMERICAN SKIERS RESCUED AFTER GETTING LOST NEAR OLYMPIC VENUE IN THE ITALIAN ALPS

Sheinbaum confirmed that another miner has been found dead and one more is still missing.

In a video released Wednesday, clapping could be heard from a crowd that gathered as Zapata Nájera was removed from the mine, seeing daylight for the first time this month.

CREWS RESCUE TEEN FROM 50-FOOT DEEP CALIFORNIA MINESHAFT

His condition was stabilized and he was sent in a Mexican Air Force helicopter to a hospital in Mazatlán, where he will be treated by specialists, officials said.

Mexico's deadliest mining accident took place in February 2006 at the Pasta de Conchos mine in Coahuila, where an explosion killed 65 workers.

In August 2022, 10 miners died when the El Pinabete coal mine in Coahuila flooded.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US allowing some Nigeria embassy staff to evacuate over 'deteriorating security situation'

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:46:30 -0400

The State Department said it authorized the departure of some staff at its embassy in Nigeria over the "deteriorating security situation" in the African country.

The development comes weeks after the U.S. military reportedly sent MQ-9 Reaper drones to Nigeria amid fears of a renewed insurgency by the terrorist group Boko Haram. The day before the authorization was issued, gunmen attacked two villages about 155 miles from Abuja, where the U.S. embassy is located, killing 20 people, residents told The Associated Press.

"On April 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and family members from U.S. Embassy Abuja due to the deteriorating security situation," the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria said. "The U.S. Embassy in Abuja will remain open but will have limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Nigeria."

"The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos will continue to provide routine and emergency services to U.S. citizens in Nigeria," it added. "The Department of State Travel Advisory for Nigeria remains at Level 3, recommending travelers reconsider travel to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed gangs, and inconsistent availability of health care services."

GUNMEN ON BIKES STORM NIGERIA VILLAGE ON PALM SUNDAY, KILLING AT LEAST 20

The embassy also said, "U.S. citizens in Abuja should consider departing if you do not need to remain for emergency or essential purposes."

The recent attacks occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in Bagna and Erena, located in the Shiroro area of Niger state.

"They came on motorbikes and began shooting. It was a surprise attack, because it was in the early hours of the morning," Jibrin Isah, who lives in Erena, told the AP.

100 US TROOPS LAND IN NIGERIA AS ISLAMIC MILITANTS THREATEN WEST AFRICA REGIONAL SECURITY

Residents said at least 20 people were killed, with more missing. However, local police said only three people were killed.

The State Department said in a travel advisory issued Wednesday that there is "risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Nigeria," adding, "Terrorists collaborate with local gangs to expand their reach" and "They may attack with little or no warning."

The MQ-9 drones reportedly were deployed to Nigeria in late March after 200 U.S. troops arrived in February to provide training and intelligence. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north of the country.

A spokesperson for AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command, had told the AP that U.S. troops "are working alongside their Nigerian counterparts to provide intelligence support, advisory assistance, and targeted training in support of the Nigerian Armed Forces."

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups active in Nigeria are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State and is known as Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP.

There is also the ISIS-linked Lakurawa, as well as other "bandit" groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.

President Donald Trump has spoken out against violence targeting Christians in Nigeria, telling Fox News Radio last year, "I’m really angry about it" and "What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also met with Nigerian national security advisor Nuhu Ribadu last November amid threats from Trump to cut off aid to Nigeria if the country "continues to allow the killing of Christians." Nigerian officials have pushed back on the accusation.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chief prosecutor behind Israel war crimes charges faces disciplinary action amid sexual misconduct allegations

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:16:46 -0400

The International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor, who brought charges against Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister on war crimes and crimes against humanity, is facing disciplinary proceedings against him over allegations of sexual misconduct.

After more than a year-long process of investigating the claims that Karim Khan engaged in sexual misconduct with a subordinate staffer, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) has voted in favor of pursuing disciplinary proceedings against Khan, Reuters reported.

According to The New York Times, the alleged victim revealed the sexual contact with Khan to her husband and several colleagues in April 2024. After colleagues confronted Khan in May, the judges’ report cites a witness who noted that Khan "jumped at the ‘lifeline’ of an alternative narrative when another colleague present said he ‘suspected whether Mossad played a role behind the scenes.’"

ICC PROSECUTOR BEHIND NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANTS STEPS ASIDE AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT PROBE

Just weeks later, Khan filed arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Trump administration sanctioned Khan in February 2025 as a response to the war crimes warrants against the Israeli officials.

Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at George Mason University, told Fox News Digital that the fact that Khan "specifically blamed the Mossad for his problems shows he is fundamentally compromised and the investigation that he launched… in any normal legal system would be dismissed with extreme prejudice."

He said it was a sign of "how broken" the ICC is "that such a politicized investigation would be allowed to proceed."

The disciplinary action came as 15 member states voted in favor of moving forward to discipline Khan, with four votes against and two abstentions. In a letter read aloud during the meeting, prosecutors’ office officials noted they were not in favor of Khan remaining in his position as chief prosecutor.

SCANDAL LEAVES INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT GRASPING FOR LEGITIMACY AMID PROBE OF ISRAEL

The vote represented a change from the consensus of three judges who determined last month there was insufficient evidence to prove the allegations against Khan "beyond a reasonable doubt," according to the New York Times report. The judges based their findings on a United Nations’ investigation done by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) turned up more than 5,000 pages of evidence. While the U.N. investigation report determined that Khan had "non-consensual sexual contact" with the employee, the judges’ report found there was no evidence of misconduct.

In a press release, the Association of International Criminal Law Prosecutors (AICLP) noted "structural deficiencies" made clear through the proceedings against Khan.

Among these are an Independent Oversight Mechanism whose processes were "inadequate to the task" when it closed an inquiry into the assault after the alleged victim "declined to file a formal complaint" and claimed she feared retaliation. "The Court cannot credibly prosecute the gravest crimes against persons while tolerating a culture in which its own staff are inadequately protected," the AICLP argued.

Khan’s alleged retaliation against the staff who supported the complainant further concerned the AICLP. "We observe that the standard for fitness to lead the world’s foremost international criminal prosecution office is not simply the absence of proven misconduct beyond reasonable doubt," the AICLP wrote. "It also includes the demonstrated capacity to command the trust of the institution’s own staff, and that trust, on the evidence now before the Assembly of States Parties, appears to be deeply and publicly fractured."

The AICLP believes that "a prompt, principled, and transparent resolution is not only a matter of fairness to the individuals directly involved, but a prerequisite for restoring the operational integrity of an Office on which the cause of international criminal justice depends."

Prior to the announcement of the Bureau’s decision to pursue disciplinary action against Khan, the ICC directed Fox News Digital to a press release in which the President of the ASP "expresse[d] concern at the recent media reporting concerning the ongoing disciplinary process regarding the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court." The ASP President called "for due respect for the privacy and the rights of all parties concerned, as well as the integrity of the ongoing process."

Peter Gallo, formerly an investigator with the OIOS, told Fox News Digital that "trying to deflect attention away from the facts of the allegation by blaming Israel is an indication of the anti-Israel bias which clearly exists, and which reduces the ICC to a tool of political warfare rather than any kind of court of justice."

Gallo noted that "the panel of judges appear to be hung up on there being insufficient evidence to meet the ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’ standard," and questioned why "one particular international civil servant [should] be subjected to a ridiculously high standard of proof when lower ranking staff are not."

The ICC did not respond to follow-up questions about whether investigations into Gallant and Netanyahu will continue should Khan be removed from his post.

The OIOS did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on its report.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Iran threatens to end ceasefire over Hezbollah's exclusion from truce deal

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:58:48 -0400

The lack of a two-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be a dealbreaker for Iran’s regime as the ceasefire takes effect.

While the Trump administration maintains the deal does not include the Tehran-backed terrorist movement Hezbollah, Iran is threatening to use that exclusion as a pressure point against the U.S., potentially collapsing the entire ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that "The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both. The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments."

IRAN REVEALS 10-POINT PLAN FOR PEACE WITH THE US – HERE'S WHAT'S IN IT

His comments were later echoed by Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key intermediary in ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran over Operation Epic Fury, said the two-week ceasefire would include Lebanon.

Hezbollah reneged on a U.S. negotiated November 2024 ceasefire by entering the war against Israel on March 2025 to aid Iran. Many experts say long-term regional security depends on Lebanon’s government and army disarming the terror group.

Edy Cohen, an Israeli security expert on Hezbollah, who was born in Lebanon, told Fox News Digital that "Hezbollah will never disarm itself. From its perspective, it protects two million Shiites. The only way to defeat Hezbollah is to first define it as a terrorist organization. Not to allow its political wing to exist and also to order the Lebanese army to gather in the areas under its control area by area."

He added that "Dismantling Hezbollah must be carried out in stages. The Lebanese government must first take possession of the heavy weapons. Not to allow it to concentrate except in Dahiya [a Beirut suburb that is a Hezbollah and Shiite stronghold]. Leave it in one place and control all the roads leading to it. Little by little, it can be dismantled. Israel cannot and should not disarm Hezbollah. It can only assist with bombing from above."

TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS

On Wednesday, the IDF said it hit over 100 targets in 10 minutes, including, "Hezbollah headquarters, military arrays, and command-and-control centers: Intelligence command centers and central headquarters used by Hezbollah terrorists for directing and planning terror attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians." Reuters, quoting the country's health ministry, said some 91 people were killed in Beirut, with a total of at least 182 killed nationwide on Wednesday.

The IDF added, "The large-scale strike was based on precise IDF intelligence and was planned meticulously over weeks. Most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah's cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields in order to safeguard its operations. Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible."

Since the war started and before Wednesday’s attacks, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,530 people in Lebanon, according to the Associated Press. The Long War Journal notes "that neither the Lebanese Health Ministry nor Hezbollah has provided an official count of the group’s fallen fighters."

Guila Fakhoury, whose father, Amer, was kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2019, told Fox News Digital that "Iran and the IRGC are occupying Lebanon through their proxy Hezbollah."

Fakhoury, who was born in Lebanon, said, "The majority of Lebanese people believe the actions of Hezbollah caused Israel to occupy southern Lebanon and don’t want Iran and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is threatening the entire government."

VANCE WARNS IRAN WILL 'FIND OUT' TRUMP IS 'NOT ONE TO MESS AROUND' IF CEASEFIRE DEAL FALLS APART

As the president and co-founder of the Amer Foundation, an organization dedicated to help families of illegal detainees and educate on Middle East policy and geopolitics, she said is seeing some positive steps being taken including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun calling for negotiations with Israel.

She said the "only solution is to have peace with Israel. I think there a lot of Shiites who are against Hezbollah… The majority of the Lebanese people just want peace. We hope the Trump administration will push the Lebanese government and Israel’s government to start peace talks."

Last week, Iran’s regime defied Lebanon’s expulsion order for its ambassador by saying he would stay, further increasing tensions in a country in the crosshairs of the latest fighting between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

Lebanon had declared Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani "persona non grata" to weaken Iran’s diplomatic presence and have a chargé d'affaires at its embassy instead. But the deadline to leave the country was Sunday and an Iranian spokesperson said the ambassador’s mission in Beirut continues.

Fox News Digital reached out to Lebanon’s government and the Embassy in Washington D.C. for a comment.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

UK's NATO show of force ends with docked destroyer in Mediterranean after 'technical' issue

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:11:27 -0400

The United Kingdom’s only warship deployed to the eastern Mediterranean during the Iran conflict has been forced into port over a "technical" issue, abruptly sidelining a key piece of Britain’s regional military presence as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s handling of the crisis.

The docking of HMS Dragon — a Type 45 destroyer tasked with defending U.K. assets and projecting force near the conflict zone — weakens Britain’s visible military posture at a sensitive moment, as a fragile U.S.-brokered pause takes hold and criticism from Trump administration officials and conservative voices builds over delays and restrictions that they say damaged London’s credibility with allies.

HMS Dragon was facing issues with its "onboard water systems," which impacted water provisions for sailors on board, The Daily Mail first reported.

MULTIPLE ALLIES DECLINE US CALLS FOR STRAIT OF HORMUZ SUPPORT AMID RISING MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS

"HMS Dragon is undertaking a routine logistics stop and a short maintenance period in the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing the ship to take onboard provisions, optimise systems and conduct maintenance," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement to the outlet.

The ministry said in a statement to the Daily Mail that if necessary the ship will be "able to sail at short notice."

"The UK continues to maintain a robust and layered defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, working in coordination with allies. This includes Typhoon and F-35 jets, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, and advanced counter-drone and air defence systems."

While the Iran war began on Feb. 28, the U.K. did not announce the deployment of HMS Dragon to protect its air bases in Cyprus until five days later. The announcement came a day after Iranian-backed militia group Hezbollah struck RAF Akrotiri, one of the United Kingdom's air bases in Cyprus. HMS Dragon did not depart from Portsmouth, England, until March 10 — a week after Starmer's announcement.

HEGSETH DECLARES 'DECISIVE MILITARY VICTORY' OVER IRAN

Trump and Starmer have been at odds since the conflict's onset. While the United Kingdom has allowed the U.S. military to operate out of those bases, Starmer restricted the U.S. military from carrying out offensive missions from its bases. Trump compared Starmer's approach to Iran to former United Kingdom Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who adopted an appeasement policy toward Nazi Germany during World War II.

During a press briefing, War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday called on "so-called allies," referring to the United Kingdom, to "take notes" on what the U.S. and Israel accomplished.

Criticism of Starmer's handling of Iran is also coming from United Kingdom Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly, a member of the Tory Party who is also a military reserve officer. Cleverly scrutinized Starmer's decision to visit the Middle East after the ceasefire was brokered in an interview with GB News.

FARAGE SLAMS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER FOR ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ LACK OF SUPPORT FOR TRUMP'S IRAN STRIKES

"He was opposing the United States using their own aircraft from British bases. Then he was in favor of it. He delayed the decision to deploy British naval assets," Cleverly said.

"He left British military personnel and our allies in the region not properly defended, and now he's finally engaging properly with this situation," Cleverly continued.

He claimed that Starmer's conduct had cost the country "credibility on the world stage."

"I know a lot of our friends and allies in the region and beyond are very disappointed in Britain's response. And that is entirely because of decisions that Keir Starmer failed to make," Cleverly said.

British journalist Patrick Chrysty, host of GB News, also criticized the United Kingdom's efforts in the Iran war. He called Secretary of Defense John Healey a "bumbling idiot."

"It took us a month to get HMS Dragon to Cyprus after Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah attacked our military base there... And right as the world holds its breath, HMS Dragon has a fault with its fresh water supply. It's gone to dock for repairs. It's out of action. This is an abomination!"

John Hemmings, director of the National Security Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Starmer's visit to the Gulf is his way of showing the United Kingdom is in support of Western allies' efforts in Iran.

"UK Prime Minister Starmer’s trip to the Persian Gulf shows the pressure he is under to ‘fly the flag’ and it’s clear that he’s trying to use Britain’s traditional networks and connections amongst the Gulf Arabs. In some ways, the Starmer team’s behind-the-scenes mediation strengths were proven in the Hamas-Israel peace deal with Jonathan Powell leading,

"This time, Yvette Cooper at the FCDO has been in the lead, running a virtual meeting of over 40 countries to coordinate a response to Iran’s blockade in early April."

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense for comment.

Evangelical leaders rally for Trump and Israel as Operation Epic Fury reshapes the region

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:23:43 -0400

Despite efforts to shift evangelical Christian support away from Israel, some of the most influential leaders say the community has stood firmly by the Jewish state since the start of the joint U.S.-Israel operation against Iran.

As Wednesday's ceasefire took effect, Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a close evangelical ally of President Donald Trump, reflected on the war. Evans flew to Israel on Feb. 26 as tensions escalated ahead of the operation.

During his visit, Evans toured impact sites caused by enemy missiles, met wounded civilians and Holocaust survivors, and provided $50,000 in financial assistance to a bereaved family.

"I knew the war would start, so I flew to the area. I have been in 41 wars. I go there intentionally when people are hurting to help them," Evans told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN 'VERY HARD' AFTER OBLITERATING NEARLY '90 PERCENT' OF REGIME MISSILES

On March 1, an Iranian missile struck the city of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, killing nine people. Evans arrived at the scene with first responders shortly after the strike. He later visited Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital, where he met Pnina Cohen, who was injured and lost both her husband and mother-in-law in the attack.

"I have been doing this for half a century. This is my life—combating antisemitism and helping the Jewish people," Evans said.

Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign [named Roaring Lion in Israel], began on Feb. 28, with the stated goal of "obliterating Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and production capacity," weakening its military infrastructure and preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons, according to a White House briefing. The first day of the operation was marked by the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

AMERICAN WHO FLED IRAN SAYS CITIZENS 'DESPERATE' FOR FREEDOM, PRAYING FOR ISLAMIC REGIME TO FALL

According to Israel's Ministry of Health on Tuesday, since the beginning of the war, 7,183 people have been evacuated to hospitals, of whom 118 are currently hospitalized.

Evans described the U.S.-Israel partnership as unprecedented. "No one could have imagined an American president partnering so closely with Israel against radical Islam," he said, calling the campaign "historic."

He said evangelical support for Israel is rooted in religious belief. "The Bible is a Jewish book, and evangelicals believe in a Jewish person, Jesus," he said. "They see Israel as the biblical land and believe God keeps his promises."

The Evangelical Christian community, which numbers about 52 million people in the United States, supported Trump’s presidency on the condition that he would back Israel, Evans said.

Beyond political backing, Evans said evangelicals are active online. "We’ve had 127 million views on social media in the last eight weeks," he said. "We are fighting misinformation and antisemitism because lies can cost lives."

He emphasized that support is also practical. "We don’t just offer prayers — we provide financial help to those who lost homes and possessions."

Evans acknowledged that a portion of younger evangelicals has shifted away from traditional support for Israel. "A segment has been influenced by universities and online voices," he said, estimating that about 22% to 23% have shifted. "We are working to reach them and I believe we can."

American Pastor John Hagee, the founder and chairman of the Christian Zionist organization Christians United for Israel, told Fox News Digital that the evangelical community supports Trump’s decision to seek the end of Iran’s menacing and murderous behavior.

AIRMAN RESCUE SHOWS U.S. CAN PENETRATE ENEMY TERRITORY 'ANYWHERE' IN IRAN, FORMER PENTAGON OFFICIAL WARNS

"We will be backing his request to Congress to fund this effort, and we will ensure our elected officials represent the will and morality of the American people by seeing this righteous endeavor to its righteous end," he said.

Hagee said that "as Americans, we have a right to defend ourselves against the Islamic Republic’s half-century of terror. As Christians, we are mandated to defend ourselves against evil, to stand with the oppressed against the same, and to stand with the children of Israel at all times."

"Evangelical Christians who’ve been raised in the church and are biblically literate are Christian Zionists," he said.

"The rise of antisemitism on the 'woke right' is not a product of evangelical churches, but rather a product of the false doctrine of Replacement Theology, repurposed and used as clickbait," he continued.

Any pastor or priest, politician or podcaster, who charges that the modern children of Israel are anything other than the direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the beneficiaries of God’s unbreakable covenant with Israel, Hagee said, is not preaching the word of God.

"Operation Epic Fury is making the world a safer and better place for all its inhabitants; stay the course, Mr. President," he said.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, an international, evangelical Christian disaster relief organization, said Iran has vowed to wipe the State of Israel off the face of the earth, and with nuclear weapons, they could.

"If President Trump had not stopped them, this is something this fanatical Islamic regime might have done within the next few months," he said.

"My message to the American people would be to remember Israel is the only truly democratic nation in the Middle East — the only one. And they have been our nation’s closest ally in the region. I urge Americans to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' as the Bible instructs us," he continued.

Graham said Trump stood with Israel in a way no other American president did in the past.

"We’ve never had a president like President Trump in my lifetime. If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it. He warned Iran that if it continued to develop nuclear weapons, the U.S. would intervene, and that’s exactly what he did."

North Korea fires missiles toward sea after ridiculing South's hopes for better ties

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:04:39 -0400

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea Wednesday in its second launch event in two days, South Korea’s military said, hours after a senior North Korean official released crude insults against Seoul’s hopes for warmer relations.

South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said several missiles lifted off from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area on Wednesday morning and flew about 240 kilometers (150 miles) each in a direction toward the North’s eastern waters. It said an additional North Korean ballistic missile fired later Wednesday traveled more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) off the North's east coast.

South Korea's military said it maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea under a solid military alliance with the United States. It earlier said it detected the launch of an unidentified projectile from North Korea’s capital region Tuesday.

South Korean media reported the projectile, also likely a ballistic missile, disappeared from South Korean military radars after displaying an abnormal development in the initial launch stage. This indicated the launch ended in failure, according to the reports.

'CREDIBLE INTELLIGENCE' REVEALS NORTH KOREA'S SUCCESSOR TO KIM JONG UN, SOUTH KOREA SAYS

The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made it clear that it has no intention of improving ties with South Korea, whose liberal government has steadfastly expressed its hopes to restore long-dormant dialogue.

On Tuesday night, Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said South Korea would always remain North Korea's "most hostile enemy state." He derided South Korea as "world-startling fools" engaged in wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong late Monday praised him for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated a threat to retaliate if such flights recur. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim Yo Jong’s statement as meaningful progress in relations.

NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR SAYS GOVERNMENT WILL KEEP CEMENTING NATION'S 'IRREVERSIBLE STATUS AS A NUCLEAR POWER'

Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He cited Kim Yo Jong as calling South Korea "the dogs affected by mange that blindly bark to the tune of neighboring dogs" as she criticized it for recently co-sponsoring a U.N. resolution on the North’s purported human rights violations.

North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S. and pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. North Korea has instead sought to strengthen ties with Russia, China and other countries embroiled in confrontations with the U.S. Last September, Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing to attend a military parade alongside other foreign leaders and held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.

North Korea’s state media said Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea on Thursday for a two-day trip.

NORTH KOREA TESTS SOLID-FUEL MISSILE ENGINE AS KIM BOOSTS THREAT TO US MAINLAND

Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before liftoff and cannot last long.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday the engine test was likely related to an effort to build a more powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Experts say North Korea wants multi-warhead missiles to penetrate U.S. missile defenses, but they doubt Pyongyang has mastered the technology needed to acquire such a weapon.

Iran's UN ambassador takes swipe at Trump in final hours before Strait of Hormuz deadline

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:28:19 -0400

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations took a swipe at President Donald Trump on Tuesday hours before Trump’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, calling one of the president’s posts on Truth Social "deeply irresponsible" and "profoundly alarming."

Trump has given the Iranian regime until 8 p.m. ET to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a key waterway — or face strikes against its power plants and bridges.

In a post Tuesday morning, Trump said, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," and, "I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will."

"Today the President of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible but profoundly alarming, declaring that, quote, 'the whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back,' unquote," Amir-Saeid Iravani said at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday afternoon.

RUSSIA, CHINA VETO UN RESOLUTION AIMED AT REOPENING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP DEADLINE

"It is regrettable and alarming that while in full view of the international community, the President of the United States shamelessly and brazenly issues threats to destroy all civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges, power plants and energy facilities, by setting a deadline and openly reveals this intent to commit vile crimes and crimes against humanity," Iravani added.

The White House, when asked by Fox News Digital for reaction, said, "The Iranian regime has committed egregious human rights abuses against its own citizens for 47 years, just murdered tens of thousands of protestors in January, and has indiscriminately targeted civilians across the region in order to cause as much death as possible throughout this conflict."

CHINA AIDING IRAN MISSILE PROGRAM AMID US-ISRAELI STRIKES, REPORTS SAY

"As President Trump said today, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing. The President will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly added. "Greater destruction can be avoided if the regime understands the seriousness of this moment and makes a deal with the United States."

Trump also said Tuesday, "now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?"

"We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World," the president added. "47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

Australia’s most decorated living soldier charged amid fierce debate over war crimes allegations

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:10:49 -0400

Australian authorities have arrested and charged the country's most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, with five war crime murders allegedly committed during the war in Afghanistan.

Roberts-Smith, a former member of the Australian Defence Force, was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday. His arrest has sparked outcry from a former Australian prime minister, who argued its unfair to judge the actions of "men in mortal combat by the standards of ordinary civilian life." X owner Elon Musk also weighed in on the arrest, calling it "insane."

The Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator said Roberts-Smith is being charged in connection with the killings of five unarmed Afghans in three separate incidents between 2009 and 2012. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett alleged that Roberts-Smith either killed the unarmed Afghans himself or instructed a subordinate to kill them. If convicted, Roberts-Smith faces life imprisonment on each charge.

"It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan," Barrett said during a press conference. "It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed."

NEW CHARGES AGAINST DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING SUSPECT OPEN DEATH PENALTY DOOR

The investigation into Roberts-Smith began in 2021, according to Ross Barnett, director of investigations at the Office of the Special Investigator. Roberts-Smith received the Victoria Cross after storming two enemy machine guns during his fifth tour in Afghanistan.

Barnett said at the press conference that the investigation was "under challenging circumstances," given that some of the murders occurred well over a decade ago and investigators were unable to visit Afghanistan.

"We don’t have access to the crime scenes, we don’t have photographs, site plans, measurements, the recovery of projectiles, blood spatter analysis, all of those things we would normally get at a crime scene," Barnett said at the press conference.

TRUMP’S DC GUARD DEPLOYMENT DIDN’T FUEL VIOLENCE — BIDEN'S AFGHAN VETTING BREAKDOWN DID

While Australia's current prime minister has yet to weigh in on the arrest, former Australian Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party Tony Abbott expressed his support for Roberts-Smith on X in a lengthy post.

"If Ben Roberts-Smith transgressed, why wasn’t this picked up prior to his gallantry awards and why wasn’t any culture of brutality towards prisoners detected by his more senior officers, and dealt with quickly, rather than being allowed to fester, as has been alleged, for over a decade?" Abbott wrote.

Allegations that Roberts-Smith engaged in war crimes began circulating publicly in 2017 and 2018 in articles published by The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times.

Roberts-Smith filed a defamation suit against the papers, which became Australia's most expensive defamation trial, but in 2023, a Federal Court judge ruled that four of the six murder allegations brought by the papers against Roberts-Smith were legitimate.

In one of the allegations ruled to have merit by Justice Anthony Besanko, Roberts-Smith allegedly marched a handcuffed Afghan man named Ali Jan off the edge of a 10-meter cliff. He survived the fall, but Roberts-Smith and his fellow soldiers walked down a footpath to meet him. Roberts-Smith then ordered a subordinate, known as Person 11 in court, to shoot him.

The High Court dismissed Roberts-Smith's appeal of the ruling in September 2025.

The criminal charges against Roberts-Smith stem from a joint effort by OSI and AFP. The two Australian agencies have conducted 53 investigations into ADF members tied to war crime allegations in Afghanistan. Ten of the investigations remain ongoing.

China aiding Iran missile program amid US-Israeli strikes, reports say

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:54:27 -0400

Communist China is reportedly providing military assistance to the embattled Iranian regime, according to a leading U.S. military think tank and other reporting.

The Institute for the Study of War stated that China is providing military assistance to the Iranian regime’s missile program, basing its research on recent reporting.

According to the Institute, "China is helping Iran reconstitute the Iranian missile program amid US-Israeli efforts to degrade it."

A TIMELINE OF TRUMP’S ESCALATING DEADLINES ON IRAN AND THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

According to the Institute for the Study of War, "Western media reported that China has sent multiple shipments of missile fuel precursor to Iran since the start of the war."

The institute said that, "China’s efforts to help Iran reconstitute could undermine the combined force efforts to degrade or destroy the supporting elements of the ballistic missile program."

Gordon Chang, an expert on China, told Fox News Digital that "China is an enemy combatant and is endangering our troops."

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that, "Ships believed to be carrying Chinese chemicals for missile fuel have arrived in Iran, raising questions about Beijing’s support for the regime. Four sanctioned Iran-flagged vessels have docked at Iranian ports since the war broke out."

The report also claimed that, "Sanctioned vessels carrying enough chemicals to produce hundreds of projectiles travel from Chinese to Iranian ports."

Chang urged the U.S. to seize the Chinese vessels that are reportedly transporting sodium perchlorate, the chemical material required for Iran’s missile fuel systems. He added that "It is a question of America’s will to impose costs on China."

TRUMP CALLS RESCUE OF DOWNED AIR FORCE PILOT AN 'EASTER MIRACLE'

Chang concluded by noting that the "President of the U.S. has many points of leverage. If you look at the overall relationship between China and the U.S., the U.S. has more cards to play." He cited the U.S.-China trade relationship because China is an export-driven country and depends on the vital American consumer market.

The Islamic Republic’s military forces have reportedly been feverishly working to rebuild their missile apparatus after punishing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes since the start of the war on Feb. 28.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, "Iran has been digging out underground missile bunkers and silos struck by the combined force, in some cases returning them to operation hours after strikes, according to recent U.S. intelligence assessments. Iran may be reestablishing access to their launchers hours after strikes, but these launchers are components of a larger system that has been degraded. Reported fear and lack of coordination across some Iranian forces mean that medium-range missile systems are still functioning sub-optimally."

Chinese companies have been sanctioned as part of busting U.S. restrictions on providing military aid to Iran’s regime. In 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had "designated one individual and six entities in a sanctions' evasion network that has facilitated Iran’s procurement of electronic components for its destabilizing military programs, including those used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Particularly, this action targets the head of U.S.-designated Iran’s Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), and the entity’s Iran-, Malaysia-, Hong Kong, and PRC-based front companies[People’s Republic of China] and suppliers that have enabled PASNA’s procurement of goods and technology."

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, "China portrays itself as a neutral actor in the conflict with Iran, but it has long ignored the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions and destabilizing activities while providing the regime an economic lifeline and other support. The United States has sanctioned China- and Hong Kong-based entities and individuals for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV proliferation activities. We will continue to act to ensure China does not contribute to the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities."

Just last month, a report by the Atlantic Council noted "China has supplied Iran with drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and the components thereof, to aid in its aerial and maritime defense capabilities. In other instances, China directly supplies Iran with Western or Chinese technology components that are found in Iranian drones used against US military installations and economic interests in the Gulf, as well as on Russia’s battlefield in Ukraine."

Fox News Digital press queries to China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were not immediately returned.

Russia, China veto UN resolution aimed at reopening Strait of Hormuz, hours before Trump deadline

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:50:52 -0400

Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution Tuesday aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, just hours before President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to cease threatening the key waterway.

Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. ET to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes against its power plants and bridges on Tuesday. The resolution received 11 votes in favor and two against, with abstentions from Pakistan and Colombia.

"No one should tolerate that they are holding the global economy at gunpoint, but today, Russia and China did tolerate," U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said Tuesday. "They sided with a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission, even as it brutalizes its own people during a national internet blackout for daring to imagine dignity or freedom."

"Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the people of the world — the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organization responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security," Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, added following the vote.

US EMBASSIES IN BAHRAIN, EGYPT ISSUE WARNINGS AS IRAN THREATENS UNIVERSITIES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST

The vetoed resolution, which was introduced by Bahrain, "strongly encourages states interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate with the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz."

The resolution also demanded that Iran immediately halt attacks on merchant and commercial vessels and stop impeding their freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian infrastructure.

The language of the resolution was significantly weakened to try to get Russia and China to abstain rather than veto it, according to The Associated Press.

The initial Gulf proposal would have authorized countries to use "all necessary means" — U.N. wording that would include military action — to ensure transit through the Strait of Hormuz and deter attempts to close it.

WHY THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MATTERS AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH ULTIMATUM TO IRAN

After Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries on the 15-member Security Council, expressed opposition to approving the use of force, the resolution was revised to eliminate all references to offensive action. It would have authorized only "all defensive means necessary." A vote had been expected on Saturday.

But instead, the resolution was further weakened to eliminate any reference to Security Council authorization — which is an order for action — and limit its provisions to the Strait of Hormuz. Previous drafts had included adjacent waters.

"Let me be clear — this text would only embolden the United States and the Israeli regime to continue in their unlawful actions and atrocious crime, while shielding from accountability," Iran's ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, said following the vote.

"The Iranian regime has until 8 p.m. Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Tuesday. "Only the president knows where things stand and what he will do."

Fox News’ Patrick Ward, Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US embassies in Bahrain, Egypt issue warnings as Iran threatens universities across Middle East

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:27:01 -0400

The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain told American citizens in the country to shelter in place on Tuesday, as the embassy in Egypt issued its own caution to Americans amid threats that Iran and its terror proxies may try to target American universities across the Middle East.

The embassy in Manama directed all U.S. government employees, along with all other Americans in the country, to shelter in a secure structure and stay away from windows until further notice.

"Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target American universities in Bahrain," the embassy said. "Iran has specifically threatened American universities across the Middle East."

The embassy provided instructions to those Americans who wish to leave the Middle East.

TRUMP WARNS 'WHOLE CIVILIZATION WILL DIE TONIGHT,' AS IRANIAN OFFICIAL URGES HUMAN CHAINS AROUND POWER PLANTS

"If you want to leave the Middle East, the U.S. government is ready to assist by providing you the latest information about the departure options available," it said.

For those who wish to remain and shelter in place, the embassy reminded them to have a supply of food, water, medications and other essential items.

VANCE SAYS IRAN HAS '2 PATHWAYS' AS 12-HOUR DEADLINE LOOMS, PRAYS US ON 'GOD'S SIDE' IN NIXING NUCLEAR THREAT

"We urge all Americans to remain vigilant, follow local authorities’ instructions, and review the latest guidance from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate," the embassy said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo advised U.S. citizens to closely monitor the news for regional developments.

"Egyptian authorities generally offer effective security protection," the embassy said. "However, extremists and Iranian-aligned actors have expressed interest in planning and carrying out attacks in the region. Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target universities in the Middle East. Iran has specifically threatened American universities across the Middle East."

Iran releases 2 French citizens after 'three and a half years of detention,' Macron says

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:15:12 -0400

French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris were released by Iran on Tuesday after "three and a half years of detention," President Emmanuel Macron announced.

The pair, who were arrested in May 2022 while visiting Iran, were accused by Iranian state television of being spies who sought to stir up unrest, according to Reuters. France previously denounced their detention as unjustified and unfounded.

"Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on their way to French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran. This is a relief for all of us and obviously for their families," Macron wrote on X.

"Thank you to the Omani authorities for their mediation efforts, to the State services, and to the citizens who mobilized tirelessly and thus contributed to their return," he added.

SON OF BRITISH COUPLE DETAINED IN IRAN 'LET DOWN' BY STARMER'S LEADERSHIP ON PARENT'S IMPRISONMENT AMID WAR

The nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran described Kohler as the head of a federation of teachers unions in France, with Paris being her partner.

France’s foreign ministry said last May that Kohler and Paris were being detained as "state hostages by the Islamic Republic of Iran."

AFGHANISTAN FREES US CITIZEN DENNIS COYLE OVER A YEAR AFTER TALIBAN ARREST

"They are being held in shameful conditions and have been able to receive only four consular visits, under very restrictive conditions," the ministry said at the time.

Iranian authorities freed the pair from prison in November but didn't let them leave the country, according to The Associated Press.

French officials said they were then being kept safe at the French Embassy in Tehran, until their departure from Iran on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.