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Remains recovered of US soldier who went missing in military exercises in Morocco, 2nd soldier still missing

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:53:17 -0400

The remains of a U.S. Army officer who went missing during military exercises in Morocco were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, while the search continues for a second missing soldier, according to military officials.

The remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, of Richmond, Virginia, were recovered Saturday, U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced Sunday. Key, a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer, was one of two U.S. soldiers who reportedly fell from a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike near the Cap Draa Training Area on May 2.

A Moroccan military search team found Key in the water along the shoreline at about 8:55 a.m. local time Saturday, roughly one mile from where both soldiers reportedly entered the ocean, the Army said.

"Today, we mourn the loss of 1st Lt. Kendrick Key, whose remains were recovered in Morocco," Brig. Gen Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement. "Our hearts are with his Family, friends, teammates, and all who knew and served alongside him. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Family is grieving, and we will continue to support one another and 1st Lt. Key’s Family as we honor his life and service."

LONG-LOST SOLDIER'S GRAVE DISCOVERED AT REMOTE US NATIONAL PARK AFTER 150 YEARS

Key and the second soldier were reported missing on May 2 after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise hosted across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.

The two were reported missing around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a terrain featuring mountains, desert and semi-desert plains, the Moroccan military said.

The disappearance of the two soldiers led to a search-and-rescue mission involving more than 600 personnel from the U.S., Morocco and other military partners. Ships, helicopters and drones were deployed as part of this operation.

Search efforts will continue for the second missing soldier.

PENTAGON HONORS AMERICAN TROOPS KILLED IN OPERATION EPIC FURY: 'NEVER BE FORGOTTEN'

A U.S. contingent remained in Morocco after the military exercises ended on Friday to provide command and control and to support the ongoing search and rescue mission.

Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, according to the Army.

His decorations include the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School the following year as an Air Defense Artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Key is survived by his parents, his sister and his brother-in-law.

African Lion 26 is a U.S.-led exercise that began in April across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal, with more than 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations.

For more than 20 years, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa.

In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed, and two others injured during an MV-22 Osprey crash near Cap Draa while participating in Exercise African Lion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Massive 11,000-carat ruby believed to be second-largest ever found in conflict-ridden country

Sun, 10 May 2026 22:10:58 -0400

A massive ruby unearthed in Burma is being hailed as the second-largest ever discovered in the conflict-ridden country.

The ruby weighs about 11,000 carats — about 4.8 pounds — and was unearthed near Mogok in the Mandalay region, the center of Burma’s gem industry and an area affected by ongoing conflict, according to The Associated Press, citing state media.

The stone was found in mid-April, shortly after the country’s traditional New Year celebrations.

MAN STUMBLES ONTO RARE DIAMOND TREASURE DURING ARKANSAS PARK TRIP WITH FAMILY: 'KNEW IT WAS DIFFERENT'

Although it is roughly half the size of a 21,450-carat ruby discovered in 1996, experts say the new find could be more valuable because of its higher quality, the outlet reported.

It has a purplish-red color with slight yellow tones, moderate transparency and a highly reflective surface.

Burmese President Min Aung Hlaing and his cabinet have already inspected the stone in the country's capital of Naypyidaw.

ONCE-IN-A-CENTURY TREASURES DATING BACK 4,500 YEARS UNEARTHED IN LEGENDARY CITY

Burma produces up to 90% of the world’s rubies, mostly from Mogok and nearby Mong Hsu.

The gem trade — both legal and illegal — is a major source of income in the country.

However, rights groups, including Global Witness, have long urged jewelers to avoid buying Burmese gemstones, saying the trade helps fund the country's military governments, according to The Associated Press.

RARE 10-CARAT BLUE DIAMOND AMONG $100M WORTH OF GEMS GOING UP FOR AUCTION

Gem mining also finances ethnic armed groups fighting for autonomy, contributing to Burma’s long-running conflicts.

The mining regions remain unstable.

Mogok was seized in July 2024 by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed group. Control later returned to the military under a ceasefire deal brokered by China late last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Second suspected oil slick near Iran raises fears of major disaster in vital global oil corridor

Sun, 10 May 2026 19:23:15 -0400

A second suspected oil slick has been detected near Iran’s Kharg Island export hub, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI, heightening fears of an environmental disaster as a larger spill identified May 8 continues drifting toward Saudi Arabian waters.

The suspected new slick comes as U.N. officials warned Sunday that oil spills in the region could trigger an environmental catastrophe amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis.

"Another possible oil spill was detected today at 11 a.m. local time," Windward told Fox News Digital. The approximate visible area, according to the firm, was between 12 to 20 square kilometers.

Tehran has pointed to foreign vessels, but maritime experts say the main slick — estimated at tens of thousands of barrels and covering about 65 square kilometers, according to the U.N. University Institute for Water, Environment and Health — is more likely linked to aging infrastructure, pipeline ruptures or a "war mode" environment that has threatened the waterway since February.

IRAN THREATENS MASS ‘WATER WAR’ WITH STRIKES ON KEY PLANTS IN DAYS, UN OFFICIAL WARNS

"We should worry about the cause of the slick and monitor things carefully to see if there are new developments," U.N. official Dr. Kaveh Madani told Fox News Digital.

"If this slick gets bigger, we should be seriously worried about there being a leakage of aging infrastructure," Madani said, adding the slick was "moving away toward the southwest of the island."

"We just have to see how it moves and if it gets closer to the centers of population. If it does, desalination operations also must be halted. The risk is low right now," he said.

Madani also noted the slick is near a zone with a heavy concentration of pipelines and energy infrastructure.

"Keeping these infrastructure systems healthy and operational has been very hard for the Iranians even in peacetime due to sanctions," he said, warning that amid conflict, a "major accident is very likely."

Water circulation in the Persian Gulf is slow, meaning pollution can persist for extended periods, he added.

"We saw similar instances during the Gulf wars and the Iran-Iraq War, with these things impacting coastal communities, the fishing industry, marine life and even the intake of desalination plants," he said.

BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN

The larger spill, visible in satellite images as a gray-and-white slick, was first detected west of Kharg Island, Windward AI reported May 8, and has been steadily moving.

"It is believed to be crude rather than bunker fuel and unlikely to have come from a ship, possibly originating from pipeline issues or a failed ship-to-ship transfer," the firm said.

The spill could pass through Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within about four days, with possible landfall near Al Mirfa in the United Arab Emirates in roughly 13 days, according to Windward.

The incident comes as Washington ramps up "Economic Fury," tightening sanctions and increasing its naval presence near the Strait of Hormuz to curb Iran’s oil exports.

Since Iran closed the strait in late February following the outbreak of hostilities, tankers have bottlenecked across the region as the vital oil chokepoint remains largely shut.

"We also know that there are many tankers in the area, so there is a chance of an accidental spill," Madani said.

US EYES SEIZING IRAN’S OIL LIFELINE — BUT IT MAY NOT CRIPPLE TEHRAN

"As long as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is there and the region is in a war mode, the environment would not be a priority, but monitoring the behavior of tankers would not be trivial," he said.

Meanwhile, Jafar Pourkabgani, a lawmaker representing Bushehr province, claimed the slick was caused by "oil residue and ballast water waste from European tankers" discharged into the sea.

"This claim is false and part of the enemy’s psychological operation," he wrote on X, referring to allegations Iran released oil due to full storage tanks.

Iran’s Oil Terminals Company also denied reports of a leak near Kharg Island, according to Reuters.

The company’s chief executive said Sunday that inspections found no evidence of leaks from storage tanks, pipelines, loading facilities or nearby tankers.

China’s undersea cable threat raises $10T fears as Trump-Xi talks loom

Sun, 10 May 2026 18:05:51 -0400

The U.S. economy is under threat from adversaries like China targeting undersea cables with the ability to "inflict devastating economic chaos almost at will," a former U.S. intelligence official warned Sunday.

These cables carry 99% of global data and support up to $10 trillion in daily financial transactions, according to reports.

Andrew Badger, chief strategy officer at Coalition Systems, a defense tech startup, spoke as President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks expected to focus on trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.

Taiwan, a flashpoint in U.S.-China tensions, has reported about 30 subsea cable incidents in recent years, including one in which Chinese vessels allegedly severed cables and cut communications for months.

INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER CABLE ATTACKS BY RUSSIA, CHINA ARE NO ‘MERE COINCIDENCE’ WARNS EU’S TOP DIPLOMAT

"America depends on the fragile nervous system of subsea cables for modern life," Badger, a former Pentagon official and author, told Fox News Digital before warning that U.S. adversaries "seek to turn the bottom of the ocean into a battlefield."

"The asymmetric threat — China and Russia are devoting far more resources to attacking undersea infrastructure than the U.S. or its allies are to defending it," Badger said.

"They've identified one of our greatest vulnerabilities, and we haven't caught up. A coordinated strike on American undersea infrastructure could fundamentally disrupt our way of life — the internet, banking, energy markets and military communications all run through these cables. The dollar cost is almost incalculable, and the real damage would be the chaos and political instability that would follow," he said.

Badger’s remarks came after Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., alongside Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., introduced the bipartisan Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026 in April.

The legislation is aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of critical undersea infrastructure.

TAIWAN COAST GUARD DETAINS CHINESE-CREWED VESSEL SUSPECTED OF CUTTING UNDERSEA CABLE

"Undersea cables are important for a variety of reasons. They carry 99% of the world’s internet traffic. They also support $10 trillion in financial transactions each and every day," Barrasso said in a statement.

In April, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed a successful deep-sea mission testing an advanced "electro-hydrostatic actuator," a device capable of slicing through armored submarine cables at depths of 3,500 meters, according to reports.

Similar suspicious disruptions have been reported in Europe and elsewhere, raising concerns about coordinated "gray-zone" operations designed to probe Western responses while remaining below the threshold of open conflict.

"This is hybrid warfare in its purest form, designed to weaken the adversary below the threshold of declared war," Badger said, noting that incidents such as anchors dragging across the seabed can provide plausible deniability.

HORMUZ CHAOS SPARKS WARNING: CHINA COULD STRANGLE TAIWAN WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT

"Cables give Beijing and Moscow the ability to inflict devastating economic chaos almost at will," Badger warned. "This gives both nations tremendous strategic leverage over the U.S."

China could also potentially target American undersea cables as a deterrent to U.S. engagement in Taiwan, according to Badger.

"Beijing could simultaneously target cables landing in the U.S., not to win militarily, but with the goal of breaking the American public's will to intervene in Taiwan," he said.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory, while the U.S. — Taiwan’s largest unofficial ally — supplies weapons under a law requiring it to help the island defend itself.

The Taiwan Strait is also a critical artery for the artificial intelligence revolution’s most essential resources.

Anniki Mikelsaar of the Oxford Internet Institute said growth in AI’s use means "rising capacity requirements on submarine cables. Not all recent cable damage incidents can be attributed to foreign adversaries: the ICPC estimates 150 to 200 cable breaks occur per year around the globe, most of them accidents," she said.

From London synagogues to New York preschools — antisemitic attacks escalating on both sides of the Atlantic

Sun, 10 May 2026 16:27:57 -0400

Thousands rallied in London Sunday, alarmed by the massive increase in violent attacks against the country's Jewish population. Marchers made clear their anger towards the British government's inaction.

Speaking a few days before the rally, U.K. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch told Fox News Digital, "Zero tolerance for antisemitism means treating this epidemic of violence as a genuine national emergency." Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions. "Antisemites will not be welcomed or tolerated. Britain has been a haven for Jews for centuries. It must remain so."

Her warning comes as the United Kingdom raised its national terrorism threat level to "severe," the second-highest classification, meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The move reflects what security officials describe as a worsening threat environment amid a spike in antisemitic incidents, arson attacks and targeted violence.

EVEN BEFORE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL HATE CHANTS, UK JEWS WARNED OF ALARMING RISE IN ANTISEMITISM

"There’s an unholy alliance of the hard Left and Islamist extremists behind some of the spread of antisemitism," Badenoch warned. "What do people think chants such as ‘from the river to the sea’ or ‘globalize the intifada’ mean if they do not mean the erasure of the world’s only Jewish state and violence against Jews everywhere?"

British security officials have long noted that Islamist extremism remains one of the United Kingdom’s primary terror threats, with MI5 warning that radicalization networks and extremist ideology continue to pose serious risks.

Jewish leaders and analysts say expressions of support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, combined with public glorification of violence, have contributed to an environment in which anti-Jewish hostility is becoming increasingly normalized.

Despite mounting criticism over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s handling of antisemitism as incidents continue to reach new highs across the U.K., Starmer, speaking at the No10 Tackling Antisemitism Forum last week, said: "Our Jewish communities [are] feeling frightened, angry and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them."

He added: "In recent months, as antisemitic incidents have risen, we have acted decisively to strengthen the safety of Jewish communities," announcing an additional £25 million in funding for increased patrols and enhanced security to prevent serious harm before it occurs." Despite those assurances, critics say the response is still falling short, warning that Jewish communities remain exposed and the situation is continuing to escalate.

Jonathan Sacerdoti, a London-based commentator and writer, told Fox News Digital that authorities have demonstrated the ability to deploy large scale policing when necessary, but many Jewish residents are questioning whether that same urgency is being applied to protecting them.

"Considering they’re able to police massive anti-Israel protests every two weeks for the last two and a half years," Sacerdoti said, "they ought to be able to do the same to protect Jews."

He added that security funding alone cannot solve what he sees as a deeper problem.

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

"Jews should not need a volunteer security organization," he said. "The state should protect us itself."

For many Jewish families across the United Kingdom, the impact is no longer abstract. It is being felt in everyday life.

Rabbi Albert Chait, senior rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation in Leeds, said one of the most troubling signs is how normalized constant security has become for Jewish children.

"You know what the worst thing is, in my opinion?" Chait said. "The fact that my children do not ask why there is police outside their school. They do not question why there is paid security on the gate and on the street. They do not even question it because that is just normal day to day activity."

ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT

According to the Community Security Trust, antisemitic incidents in Britain reached approximately 3,700 in 2025, among the highest totals on record, prompting increased funding for security at synagogues, schools and Jewish institutions.

As Britain confronts what many are increasingly describing as a national crisis, similar warning signs are becoming more visible in the United States.

This past week in Queens, New York, multiple Jewish homes, a synagogue and a Jewish community center housing a preschool were vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti, raising alarm among residents.

From swastikas scrawled in school bathrooms and subway stations to antisemitic graffiti targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions, symbols of hate are appearing with growing visibility in everyday American life.

"One of the sites houses a pre-K program, where young children, their families and staff were greeted with swastikas and other hateful vandalism," Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York told Jewish Insider. "This is not normal, and we need city leaders to act now."

For many observers, the parallels are difficult to ignore.

What Britain is experiencing, rising antisemitic violence, normalized hostility, and ongoing debates over ideology and enforcement, is no longer confined overseas.

It is increasingly being reflected in American communities.

And as the crisis unfolds, Badenoch’s warning carries implications far beyond the United Kingdom.

"I have never seen the level of racism, discrimination, intimidation and attacks that have been directed at the Jewish community," she said. "If other minority communities were facing similar levels of violence, there would be a national emergency."

Woman who spent 7 years in Chinese prison describes torture, surveillance and loss of her husband

Sun, 10 May 2026 10:16:54 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Wang Chunyan held a photograph toward the camera, her hands trembling slightly as she pointed to each of the 21 smiling faces: a husband and wife, a university lecturer, a young engineer, friends she met in prison.

Some died in detention, she said. Others after years of abuse. Others disappeared into China’s vast security system and never returned the same. "More than 25 of my friends have died in this persecution. I only have photos of 21 of them," Chunyan said, her voice breaking.

For more than two decades, the 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner said, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) systematically dismantled her life, stripping away the business she had built, the home she once shared with her family and, eventually, seven years of her life in prison.

But the hardest thing for her, is that she believes it took her husband too. "My beloved husband died due to the persecution," Chunyan claimed during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

REPORT DETAILS RISING PRESSURE ON UNDERGROUND CATHOLICS AS CHINA DENIES CRACKDOWN

Her account comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to China next week for meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with trade, security and regional tensions expected to dominate the agenda. Yet behind the geopolitical rivalry lies another conflict: Beijing’s decades-long campaign against religious and spiritual groups the Communist Party views as threats to its authority.

Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback believes Wang’s story reflects a much broader struggle unfolding inside China. "Either the world changes China or China will change the world," Brownback told Fox News Digital.

Brownback recently chronicled Chunyan’s story and the experiences of other survivors in his book China’s War on Faith, arguing that personal testimony can often reveal the reality of persecution more powerfully than statistics alone. "Stories are more powerful than data," he said.

The book examines what Brownback describes as an increasingly sophisticated system of surveillance and repression targeting Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners. He argues the Chinese Communist Party views independent faith communities as a direct threat to its authority.

"They fear religious freedom more than anything else. More than our aircraft carriers, more than our nuclear weapons, more than anything else because they think it is the biggest threat to the regime."

CRUZ LEADS SENATE PUSH TO HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE FOR BEIJING CHURCH CRACKDOWN

Chunyan story started in the late 1990s, when she suffered from severe insomnia, sometimes sleeping only two or three hours a night. Then her older sister introduced her to Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice ,she says, is centered on meditation exercises and teachings rooted in "truthfulness, compassion and tolerance."

The movement spread rapidly across China during the 1990s, attracting tens of millions of followers before Beijing banned it in 1999, portraying it as a threat to Communist Party control.

Chunyan says Falun Gong helped improve her "physical condition." She said, "My business was booming. My family was happy. My life was perfect."

Chunyan became convinced the practice had saved her life. She owned a successful company selling chemical production equipment and had become wealthy by Chinese standards, but after the crackdown began she felt compelled to publicly defend Falun Gong against what she believed were government lies.

She bought a printing press and began distributing leaflets. Soon afterward, she said, surveillance followed everywhere.

"The buildings where I worked were under constant surveillance," Chunyan recalled. "I left to escape and was afraid to come home."

GRAHAM FAMILY RESPONDS TO GLOBAL CRACKDOWN ON CHRISTIANS WITH $1.3M DEFENSE FUND AND URGENT CALL TO ACTION

For years, she lived in hiding, using prepaid calling cards and public telephones to secretly arrange meetings with her husband, Yu Yefu, in restaurants, coffee shops and hotels across the city. The two tried, briefly, to maintain some sense of normalcy.

Yu himself never practiced Falun Gong, but police repeatedly pressured him to reveal where his wife was hiding. He never did. Then, in 2002, Wang stopped hearing from him.

When she finally returned home, she found him unconscious. Doctors could not save him. "He protected me," she said in tears.

He was 49 years old when he died. Their daughter was still in college.

The devastation spread through the family afterward, Chunyan said. Her mother-in-law stopped eating and later became paralyzed. Her father-in-law died from grief. Her sisters were also imprisoned and tortured.

Then came Chunyan’s own imprisonment.

WATCHDOG HIGHLIGHTS NATIONS WHERE CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION AROUND THE GLOBE

She described years of forced labor, sleep deprivation and physical abuse. At one point, she said, the torture became so severe that she fainted three times in a single day.

One memory still haunts her most. Shortly before her release from prison, Wang said authorities conducted unexplained blood tests and medical examinations. At the time, fellow inmates told her the government was simply checking on Falun Gong prisoners before release. Only later, after learning about allegations of forced organ harvesting involving detained Falun Gong practitioners, did she begin to fear why the testing may have happened. "I was horrified," Chunyan said.

Today, Chunyan lives in the United States, having left China in 2013 and eventually making her way through Thailand before arriving in America in 2015.

Yet decades later, the losses remain immediate to her.

"There are millions of families in China like ours," Chunyan wants the world to know, "Persecuted by the CCP."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu rejected the allegations and defended Beijing’s actions against Falun Gong. "The aforementioned remarks are nothing but malicious fabrications and sensational lies," Liu said. "Falun Gong is a cult organization that is anti-humanity, anti-science and anti-society. It is hostile toward religion, endangers the public, and serves as a malignant tumor within society." Liu argued that "the Chinese government outlawed the Falun Gong cult in accordance with the law, thereby safeguarding the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the vast majority of the Chinese people."

North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

Sat, 09 May 2026 23:56:24 -0400

North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

"If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately," the updated provision states.

KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the "most hostile" state.

Kim has also accused the United States of "state terrorism and aggression," and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Man accused of threatening former Prince Andrew near Sandringham home pleads not guilty in court

Sat, 09 May 2026 22:05:51 -0400

A 39-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Friday to threatening former Prince Andrew near his new home on the royal family’s Sandringham estate.

Alex Jenkinson, 39, is accused of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior toward the former prince, whose royal titles were removed last year by King Charles III due to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Jenkinson, who faces two counts, is accused of threatening Andrew on Wednesday and another man on Tuesday.

The former Duke of York is also expected to give evidence in the trial, which is set for July 29 at the Westminster Magistrates' Court.

EX-PRINCE ANDREW LEAVES ROYAL MANSION ‘IN DEAD OF NIGHT’ AFTER COMPROMISING EPSTEIN PHOTOS SURFACE: EXPERT

Andrew was allegedly yelled at by a masked man while walking his dogs near his home, the Daily Telegraph reported.

"Officers attended, and the man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of an offensive weapon," the police statement said.

The incident comes three months after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, was arrested, himself, on suspicion of misconduct in public office connected to his Epstein ties and his time as the U.K. trade envoy.

Andrew moved to Sandringham earlier this year after he was asked to vacate his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

PRINCE ANDREW ACCUSER VIRGINIA GIUFFRE’S DEATH CEMENTS ROYAL’S RUIN, DEEPENS EPSTEIN’S ‘EVIL’ LEGACY: EXPERTS

Virginia Giuffre, Andrew’s main accuser, claimed that she was forced to have sex with the royal three times starting when she was 17 years old.

PRINCE WILLIAM SEES DISGRACED ANDREW AS 'A TROUBLED SOUL' BUT EPSTEIN FALLOUT LEAVES 'NO COMING BACK': AUTHOR

Andrew has denied all of the accusations against him, but settled with Giuffre in 2022 over her civil sexual assault lawsuit. She later died of suicide in 2025.

Jenkinson appeared in court remotely from King's Lynn Police Investigation Centre in Norfolk on Friday with his arm in a sling.

He did plead guilty to failing to provide specimen of blood while in custody.

Jenkinson was released on bail on the condition that he doesn’t enter the county of Norfolk, attempt any contact with Andrew, and he must stay 500 meters away from Sandringham, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle, Windsor Castle and Highgrove.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Labour MP puts Cabinet 'on notice,' threatens to trigger leadership challenge against Starmer by Monday

Sat, 09 May 2026 22:02:37 -0400

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer could face a leadership challenge as soon as next week after his Labour Party suffered major losses in Thursday’s local elections.

Labour MP Catherine West told the BBC that if a Cabinet minister does not challenge Starmer by Monday, she will trigger a leadership contest herself.

West said she was putting the Cabinet "on notice."

"I’m putting people on notice — if I don’t hear by Monday morning of some leadership hopefuls, I will be asking everybody in the Parliamentary Labour Party to put a name against my name, because we need to get this ball rolling," she told the outlet.

TRUMP ‘RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED’ BY EUROPE’S BETRAYAL ON IRAN, SAYS FORMER THATCHER ADVISOR

"But my preferred option is for the Cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there’s plenty of talent and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role, and then for others to come to the fore, who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss," she continued.

West, a former junior Foreign Office minister, would need support from 20% of Labour MPs — or 81 members — to trigger a contest.

She said about 10 MPs are backing her effort and expressed confidence more would join, according to the report.

200,000 SMALL BOAT ARRIVALS LOOM AMID UK RAISING THREAT LEVEL TO ‘SEVERE’ FOLLOWING RECENT TERROR ATTACK

Labour suffered roughly 1,400 losses across the U.K. in this week’s elections, with Reform UK making significant gains, according to GB News.

Starmer accepted responsibility for the losses but resisted calls to resign, saying he was "not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos."

Still, he has not explicitly ruled out a managed exit and is expected to address the situation on Monday.

ONLYFANS MODEL INTERRUPTS PLAY AT WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP IN BRITAIN

As of late Friday, 22 Labour MPs had publicly called for the prime minister to step down or set a timeline for his exit, the BBC reported.

West did not name a preferred replacement.

"I don't have a candidate," she said. "That's part of the problem."

"But I think there are several people who would like to do it, who have been planning for months, but I'm very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say 'I will do it'," she added.

Fox News Digital’s Robert Schmad contributed to this report.

Putin says he thinks the war with Ukraine 'is coming to an end' as Trump-brokered 3-day ceasefire begins

Sat, 09 May 2026 17:32:20 -0400

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said he thinks the war with Ukraine could end soon.

"I think that the matter ⁠is coming to an end," Putin told reporters, according to Reuters.

Putin’s words came a day after Trump announced a three-day ceasefire to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, as well as a massive prisoner exchange between both nations.

The ceasefire began on Saturday and will run through Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The celebration in Russia is for Victory Day but, likewise, in Ukraine, because they were also a big part and factor of World War II."

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

"This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country," he added. "This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy."

The day was celebrated with Russia’s most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years.

The war in Ukraine has dragged on for more than four years after Russia invaded the country in February 2022, with the Kremlin initially believing it could win quickly yet Russia still hasn’t been able to take the entire Donbass region.

US SPECIAL ENVOY WITKOFF ANNOUNCES US, UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN DELEGATIONS AGREED TO PRISONER SWAP

Putin told reporters that he would prefer to talk to former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder when asked about talks with European leaders.

He added that he would only consider speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a lasting peace deal had been agreed upon.

On X, Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange of prisoners captured during the four-year conflict, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

"Within the framework of the negotiating process mediated by the American side, we received Russia’s agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000," he wrote. "A ceasefire regime must also be established on May 9, 10, and 11. Ukraine is consistently working to bring its people home from Russian captivity. I have instructed our team to promptly prepare everything necessary for the exchange."

Zelenskyy also thanked Trump for his diplomatic involvement in the process and said he hopes the United States will make sure Moscow abides by the agreement.

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Experts warn Trump administration any Iran deal must close plutonium pathway to nuclear bombs

Sat, 09 May 2026 16:00:21 -0400

Nuclear weapons experts are raising the alarm bells over the pressing need for the Trump administration to codify in any new deal a ban on Iran’s attempts to use plutonium from its facilities to build an atomic bomb.

The administration and non-proliferation experts have largely focused on the Islamic Republic’s atomic weapons facilities that use uranium as the material for building nuclear bombs. Tehran could take advantage of this blind spot and covertly build a plutonium-based nuclear weapon.

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital: "I do believe any proposed deal with Iran needs to address the plutonium pathway to nuclear weapons. Israel struck the Arak heavy water reactor twice over the last year — in June 2025 and in March 2026. Intelligence suggested Iran had repeatedly attempted to reconstruct the facility even after the bombing, so any deal with Iran should cover the plutonium pathway."

TRUMP BLOCKADE SQUEEZING IRAN SO HARD REGIME MAY BE DUMPING OIL INTO GULF, EXPERTS SAY

Iran’s regime could use plutonium from spent fuel at its nuclear reactor at Bushehr to build an atomic weapons device, according to Henry Sokolski, the executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center and former deputy for nonproliferation policy in the Department of Defense (1989–1993).

Writing last month on the website of Real Clear Defense, he noted "Washington should make sure that Iran doesn’t remove Bushehr’s spent fuel and strip out the plutonium. This can and should be done without bombing the plant."

Sokolski wrote the "Pentagon should watch to make sure Iran does not remove any of the spent fuel at Bushehr. It could do this with space surveillance assets or, as it did in 2012, with drones. Second, any ‘peace’ deal President Trump cuts with Tehran should include a requirement that there be near-real-time monitoring of the Bushehr reactor and spent fuel pond, much as the IAEA had in place with Iran’s fuel enrichment activities."

In another article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in April, Sokolski argued that Iran has enough plutonium for more than 200 nuclear bombs. He said, "The last time IAEA inspectors visited Bushehr was August 27, 2025. Even when agency inspectors had routine access to the plant, they only visited every 90 days — more than enough time to divert the spent fuel and possibly fashion it into nuclear weapons."

He added that "President Obama did not insist on such surveillance even though the IAEA asked Iran to permit it. Tehran said no."

Recent IAEA reports have not addressed the plutonium path to a bomb with any specificity.

TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN 'STARVING FOR CASH,' 'COLLAPSING FINANCIALLY' AFTER EXTENDING CEASEFIRE

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, "Iran’s nuclear program poses a threat to the United States and the entire world."

The spokesperson continued, "Iran today stands in breach of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations by failing to provide full cooperation with the IAEA. Iran’s leadership must engage in serious diplomatic negotiations with the United States to resolve the nuclear issue once and for all."

David Albright, a physicist and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, told Fox News Digital that he is "Highly skeptical that Iran would use plutonium from Bushehr’s spent fuel to make nuclear weapons."

The former weapons inspector, Albright, argued that, "One, Iran would need a design it has not developed. There is nothing in the Nuclear Archive on a plutonium-based nuclear weapon. Two, a diversion from Bushehr would be detected and undoubtedly lead Russia to suspend enriched uranium supplies, leading to a shutdown of a multibillion-dollar investment that supplies the area with electricity. Third, almost all the plutonium in the spent fuel is reactor-grade, and it is feasible that none is weapon-grade."

Albright added that "Reactor-grade plutonium can be used to make a nuclear weapon, but it is tricky to do so if a significant explosive yield is wanted." He added that Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton "has been raising this issue for decades, and it is a remote possibility. It was rejected first in the Bush administration."

Concerns persist about Iran’s devious behavior and its aim to build a nuclear weapon at all costs. As a result, there are calls to outlaw Iran’s plutonium reprocessing and impose rigorous surveillance on Iran’s plutonium infrastructure in a future deal with the U.S.

Andrea Stricker, the deputy director of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, told Fox News Digital. "The United States must insist on a permanent and verified ban on plutonium reprocessing in Iran under any deal."

Stricker noted that Moscow had realized the danger too. "To Russia’s rare credit, it insisted Iran let inspectors back in to safeguard the Bushehr reactor after the June 2025 strikes. Those inspections resumed last August. Plutonium produced at the reactor is not of desirable quality for nuclear weapons, and Iran has not focused on the plutonium route to nuclear weapons since the early 2000s, so it could be difficult for Tehran to work with. They would also need to illicitly acquire and outfit a plutonium reprocessing plant as well as sophisticated equipment to handle and chemically convert the fuel. All of this creates significant obstacles to its use as fuel for nuclear weapons."

She continued that "The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) could mitigate any proliferation risk at Bushehr by increasing the frequency of inspections to monthly. Russia could also remove the spent fuel that has accumulated at the site."

As Trump forces NATO to pay up, alliance races to close military gap with US

Sat, 09 May 2026 08:30:58 -0400

This is part one of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.

NATO has become a "bloated architecture" too dependent on American military power, former senior national security advisor Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital.

As President Donald Trump pressures NATO allies to spend more on defense — ordering the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany and signaling possible cuts in Spain and Italy — a deeper concern is emerging inside the alliance: despite years of rising European defense budgets, NATO still depends heavily on American military power, from missile defense and intelligence to logistics and nuclear deterrence.

The growing gap between political commitments and real military capability is now fueling calls for structural changes inside the alliance as NATO confronts mounting threats from Russia and instability in the Middle East.

TRUMP ‘RIGHT TO BE OUTRAGED’ BY EUROPE’S BETRAYAL ON IRAN, SAYS FORMER THATCHER ADVISOR

NATO’s imbalance is not theoretical — and it is not new, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital, "I told the president… maybe you ought to talk about a tiered relationship with NATO," Kellogg described conversations with Trump in his first term about the alliance’s future. "…we need to develop a new, for lack of a better term, a new NATO a new defensive alignment with Europe."

Kellogg added the alliance has expanded politically but not militarily — creating what he sees as a growing gap between commitments and real capability.

"You started with 12, and you went to 32, and in the process, I think you diluted the impact," he argued, calling today’s NATO "a very bloated architecture."

"They haven't put the money into defense. Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. When you look at the Brits right now, they could barely deploy forces: they have two aircraft carriers, both under maintenance. Their brigades are like one out of six that work. And you just look at the capability, it's just not there. So I think we need to realize that and say, well, we need something different," Kellogg, who is the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Foreign Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.

But not everyone agrees the alliance is losing relevance.

"It has never been more relevant," said John R. Deni, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College, who says NATO remains central to U.S. national security.

"The reason for that is twofold," he said. "One, it’s our comparative advantage versus the Chinese and the Russians… they don’t have anything like this."

"And the second reason… NATO underwrites the security and stability of our most important trade and investment relationship," he added, referring to economic ties between North America and Europe.

NATO ALLIES CLASH AFTER RUSSIAN JETS BREACH AIRSPACE, TESTING ALLIANCE RESOLVE

By around 2010, the United States accounted for roughly 65% to 70% of NATO defense spending, according to analysis provided by Barak Seener from the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank.

"They’ve always been dependent on the U.S.," Kellogg said of the European allies.

"The allies overall rely upon one another for deterrence and defense by design," Deni said, explaining that alliances exist to "pool their resources" and "aggregate their individual strengths."

Deni pointed to ground forces as a clear example of what the U.S. gains from the alliance, noting that "there are far more allied mechanized infantry forces on the ground than there are Americans."

NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US

Still, he acknowledged that reliance has at times gone too far.

"In the past… it was fair to say that the European allies were overly reliant upon the Americans for conventional defense," he said, pointing to the 2000s.

That, he said, was partly driven by U.S. priorities — as Washington pushed European allies to focus on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rather than territorial defense.

Seener describes NATO as "formally collective, but functionally asymmetric," with the U.S. providing a disproportionate share of "high-end capabilities."

That asymmetry is most visible in nuclear deterrence.

Seener said the U.S. provides the overwhelming majority of NATO’s nuclear arsenal — including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched systems and strategic bombers — meaning deterrence ultimately relies on the assumption of U.S. retaliation.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital that, "The U.S. nuclear deterrent cannot be replaced, but it is clear that Europe needs to step up. There’s no question. There needs to be a better balance when it comes to our defense and security. Both because we see the vital role the U.S. plays around the world and the resources that it demands, and also because it is only fair."

"The good news," the official added, "is that the Allies are doing exactly that. They are stepping up, working together — and with the U.S. — to ensure we collectively have what we need to deter and defend one billion people living across the Euro-Atlantic area."

NATO LAUNCHES ARCTIC SECURITY PUSH AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND TAKEOVER

Beyond nuclear weapons, the dependence runs through the alliance’s operational backbone.

Seener pointed to U.S.-provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — as well as logistics and command systems — as essential to NATO operations.

"Without U.S. intelligence and surveillance, NATO loses situational awareness and early warning capabilities," Seener said, adding, "So that means that Russia, for example, can attack Europe. And theoretically, if there's no NATO and the U.S. is not involved, Europe would not be aware, or it would take it too long to be able to defend itself."

Kellogg also says that much of Europe’s military capability falls short of top-tier systems.

"For the most part, their equipment, if you had to grade it A, B, C, D, E, F, they’re kind of like B players or C players," he said. "It’s not the first line of work."

He pointed to air and missile defense as a key gap, noting that while European countries rely on U.S.-made systems such as Patriot and THAAD, "they don’t have a system that’s comparable."

Kellogg attributed that to years of underinvestment, saying European defense industries "have atrophied," adding that the United States is also now "relearning that as well."

TRUMP AFFIRMS US 'WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR NATO,' WHILE EXPRESSING DOUBTS ABOUT ALLIANCE

Deni said the picture today is more mixed.

"Alliance defense spending has been up… and has spiked far more after 2022," he said, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 as a turning point.

But he cautioned that capability gains take time, noting that many improvements are still years away from full deployment.

Deni pointed to recent European purchases of U.S. systems as evidence of growing capability, noting that countries including Poland, Romania, Norway and Denmark are acquiring the F-35 fighter jet from the U.S.

"You can’t build an F-35 overnight," he said, adding that many of these improvements will take years to fully materialize.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital the alliance "needs to move further and faster" to meet growing threats, pointing to new capability targets agreed by defense ministers in June 2025.

The official said priorities include air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics and large land forces, noting that while details remain classified, plans call for a fivefold increase in air and missile defense, "thousands more" armored vehicles and tanks, and "millions more" artillery shells. NATO also aims to double key enabling capabilities such as logistics, transportation and medical support.

The official added that allies are increasing investments in warships, aircraft, drones, long-range missiles, as well as space and cyber capabilities, while boosting readiness and modernizing command and control.

"These targets are now included in national plans," the official said, adding that allies must demonstrate how they will meet them through sustained defense spending and capability development.

The NATO official also noted that European allies lead multinational forces across Central and Eastern Europe, while the U.S. and Canada serve as framework nations in Poland and Latvia, alongside ongoing air policing missions and NATO’s KFOR operation in Kosovo.

Kellogg’s warning is direct: NATO’s deterrence depends on U.S. presence.

"The one you always have to worry about… is Russia," Kellogg, who was Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia in 2025, said.

If U.S. forces are tied down elsewhere, NATO could face serious strain — particularly in areas like intelligence and logistics.

For Kellogg, the danger is delay. "We won’t know until it happens," he said. "And then you won’t be able to respond to it."

Deni, however, said the alliance remains a strategic asset — not a liability.

The question, he suggests, is not whether NATO still works. It is whether allies can adapt fast enough to keep it working.

Three hikers killed after climbing restricted Indonesian volcano to create online content, police say

Fri, 08 May 2026 18:00:26 -0400

Three people are dead and five others were injured Friday when Mount Dukono erupted on a remote Indonesian island, where the hikers were in a restricted area, authorities said.

About 20 climbers set out Thursday to climb the nearly 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano in Halmahera, Indonesia, despite safety restrictions, North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu said.

"They were aware that climbing was prohibited as the mountain is a restricted zone due to its high alert status but insisted on going ahead," Pasaribu said.

Despite warnings on social media and signs at the site, "many people remain determined to climb, driven by the desire to create online content," Pasaribu said.

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Pasaribu said three people, including one local resident and two Singaporeans, were killed in the eruption. The Indonesian victim was from Ternate, which is in the same province as Mount Dukono.

The three victims' bodies remain on the volcano, with ongoing eruptions and difficult terrain preventing them from being evacuated by rescue teams, Pasaribu said.

The group became stranded when the volcano erupted at 7:41 a.m., sending a column of ash over 6 miles into the sky.

STUNNING PHOTOS CAPTURE MOMENT ONE OF INDONESIA'S MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES ERUPTS

Rescue teams were deployed after receiving an emergency signal from the mountain area.

As of Friday afternoon, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation and provided information on the climbing routes of the victims before the eruption, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

Five of those evacuated were reported injured.

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Pasaribu said police will question those who joined the hikers up the mountain. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Indonesian National Police for additional information.

According to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, Mount Dukono has been continuously erupting since 1933.

"Friday’s eruption was among the strongest during this period," said Lana Saria, who heads Indonesia’s Geology Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump blockade squeezing Iran so hard regime may be dumping oil into Gulf, experts say

Fri, 08 May 2026 15:42:28 -0400

Satellite imagery revealed a massive suspected oil slick spreading near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, in what experts say could be evidence that Tehran’s oil infrastructure is buckling under mounting U.S. pressure.

The slick, seen in Copernicus Sentinel satellite images between Wednesday and Friday, covered roughly 45 square kilometers west of the island, according to analysts cited by Reuters.

The incident is emerging as a potential sign that Trump’s maritime pressure campaign is achieving one of its central objectives of overwhelming Iran’s export system to the point Tehran can no longer move or store crude fast enough to sustain normal production.

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The suspected spill near Iran’s main oil hub is raising concerns that mounting U.S. pressure is overwhelming Tehran’s ability to store or export crude, potentially forcing risky workarounds with environmental consequences in the Gulf.

"At this stage, I see two plausible explanations, and they’re not mutually exclusive," Miad Maleki, an Iran sanctions and energy expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

"One is operational: They simply didn’t ramp down extraction fast enough relative to their true onshore capacity and over counted on empty tankers slipping through the blockade," he said.

"Now they’ve effectively over-delivered crude into the export system, with more oil at or near the terminals than they can actually load, and the ‘solution’ is to push some of that excess into the water."

Maleki said another possible explanation is mechanical failure tied to Iran’s use of aging tankers as floating storage or sanctions-busting carriers.

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"They’ve dragged older, marginal tonnage into service as floating storage or sanctions-busting carriers, and some of those retired or poorly maintained hulls are now leaking," he said.

"Either way, the common denominator is the same — storage and evacuation capacity are out of sync with upstream output, and the Gulf is paying the price for that mismatch."

The incident comes as the Trump administration continues pressing its Economic Fury campaign against Iran, combining sanctions enforcement with a growing U.S. naval presence around the Strait of Hormuz aimed at restricting Iran’s oil exports.

Before the conflict, Iran exported roughly 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, much of it to China. Analysts say the blockade and the threat of sanctions on shipping companies and financial institutions have made it increasingly difficult for Tehran to move crude out of Kharg Island.

Reuters reported the slick appeared as a "grey and white" plume west of the 8-kilometer-long island.

Leon Moreland, a researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, told Reuters the slick was "visually consistent with oil," while Louis Goddard, co-founder of Data Desk, said it could be the largest spill since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran roughly 70 days ago.

Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports and has become a critical choke point in the Trump administration’s effort to cut off the regime’s main source of revenue during the ongoing war.

Energy analysts say Iran is now facing a dangerous dilemma. If Iran cannot export oil or find additional storage capacity, it may be forced either to shut down wells, risking long-term damage to oil fields, or dispose of excess crude in ways that could trigger environmental fallout across the Gulf.

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"They’ve already reduced extraction. In a true blockade scenario, the constraint isn’t production at the wellhead, it’s the inability to load tankers at export terminals," Maleki said.

"Once onshore storage nears capacity, output has to be cut to match remaining headroom or wells get shut in," he added. "In Iran’s case, that’s roughly 13 days."

The environmental implications are also raising alarm across the Gulf.

Windward, a maritime risk intelligence firm, estimated the slick was moving southeast at roughly 2 kilometers per hour and warned it could reach Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within days and potentially drift toward the United Arab Emirates within two weeks.

The Gulf’s desalination infrastructure, relied upon by millions across the region, remains especially vulnerable to major oil contamination events.

The spill also is unfolding amid heightened military tensions in the Gulf. The war has trapped hundreds of vessels in the region and caused one of the largest disruptions to global crude and liquefied natural gas supplies in recent years.

Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the suspected spill or its possible causes.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iran mission to the U.N. for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Israeli police say Iran using WhatsApp, Facebook, blackmail to recruit spies as latest attempt foiled

Fri, 08 May 2026 06:00:50 -0400

The arrest of two Israeli air force personnel on allegations of espionage has underscored Iran’s expanding efforts to penetrate Israel’s military by recruiting operatives from within.

Over the past year and a half, Israeli police, working alongside the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), have investigated more than 20 cases involving an estimated 40 to 50 suspects. Most remain in custody, though investigators believe additional suspects are still at large.

Capt. Sefi Berger of the Israel Police’s Lahav International and Major Crimes Unit, which investigates Iranian espionage cases, told Fox News Digital that Tehran primarily seeks intelligence that could aid attack planning, along with information on high-profile individuals and other sensitive targets.

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Payments vary widely. One network of seven suspects reportedly received about $300,000, while an Iron Dome reservist was allegedly paid $1,000 — and in some cases, even less.

"People may think they will get rich, but the money is not life-changing," Berger said. "In one case last year involving two soldiers, one received just $21 and has been in prison for a year and a half."

Iranian recruitment tactics include infiltrating WhatsApp and Facebook groups used by Israelis seeking freelance work, as well as pornography websites, where agents allegedly use compromising material to blackmail individuals into cooperating. Recruitment also relies on emotional manipulation of individuals whose moral judgment may be compromised.

"When recruiting a person, a relationship can develop between the handler and the spy. Sometimes the asset is looking for a father figure or a friend — someone who listens without judgment," Berger said.

Former Shin Bet handler Gonen Ben Itzhak, who spent years recruiting sources within Palestinian society, told Fox News Digital that the issue is particularly serious, saying he has not previously seen so many attempts — and some successful cases — of spying against Israel.

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"The million-dollar question is who makes a good recruit. We don’t have a clear answer. There are certain indicators that someone may be more susceptible. The Iranians use social media — something we didn’t have in the same way — and it’s a powerful tool to identify potential motives," he said.

As a handler, Ben Itzhak said he sought to recruit as many viable candidates as possible while avoiding individuals likely to attract suspicion, such as known criminals. He described the process as gradual and often uncertain.

"At first, they need to agree to meet in secret. Sometimes they come but won’t share information. I would start with simple questions — who leads Hamas in their village," he said.

"Sometimes it takes time. Some refuse to cooperate, some may even act as double agents. In many cases, they are trained to collect information without being exposed. It’s a process," Ben Itzhak added.

On Friday, indictments were filed against an Israeli civilian and three soldiers arrested in March on suspicion of working for Iranian intelligence and carrying out security-related missions under its direction before enlisting in the IDF.

As part of the alleged operations, the defendants documented and sent their handlers photos and videos of locations including train stations, shopping centers and security cameras, and were at one point instructed to purchase weapons. They also allegedly transferred documents from the Air Force Technical School, where some of the suspects had studied.

In March, 22-year-old Haifa resident Ami Gaydarov was arrested on suspicion of manufacturing explosives intended to target a senior Israeli figure at the direction of an Iranian agent.

Last month, a man from the Israeli-Arab city of Qalansawe was detained on suspicion of allegedly spying for "a hostile actor, mediated through the Al Jazeera channel." According to the investigation, Miqdad Moder Hosni Natur made contact with his handler after being introduced while searching for job opportunities through the Qatari-owned news organization.

Under Israeli law, contact with a foreign agent carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Providing intelligence can result in more than 10 years’ imprisonment, while aiding the enemy during wartime carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment and, in extreme cases, the death penalty.

Berger also warned against attempts by Israelis to deceive foreign agents, stressing that any contact is a serious offense.

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"We had a hotel worker near the Dead Sea who falsely told Iranians that a group of Israelis would arrive. He said it was a lie, but I explained he had effectively put a target on that hotel, its staff and guests, and encouraged an attack," Berger said.

"People unfamiliar with this world should not engage in it. Contact is an offense, providing information is an offense, and aiding the enemy is the most severe," he added.

While most suspects remain in custody awaiting trial, some cases are advancing through the courts.

One concluded case involved 70-year-old Moti Maman, who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison after twice entering Iran, where he met with intelligence agents to discuss carrying out terrorist activity in Israel. He also discussed the possibility of assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Former Mossad operative Gad Shimron told Fox News Digital that while the espionage efforts have caused damage, their impact appears tactical rather than strategic. However, he cautioned against complacency.

"The electronic Iron Dome is trying to catch Israelis willing to work for the Iranians, and I believe it is quite efficient," he said. "But one should never underestimate the enemy. I am sure they are investing a lot of effort and that they have some successes we don’t yet know of."

Iranian dissidents seize on Trump remarks about armed resistance, fueling revival of Reagan doctrine

Thu, 07 May 2026 16:17:56 -0400

After President Donald Trump suggested this week that Iranians "would fight back" if they had weapons, Iranian dissidents, military analysts and some Republican lawmakers are openly reviving a once-taboo question: should the West move beyond "maximum pressure" on Tehran and actively support armed resistance inside Iran?

"They have to have guns. And I think they’re getting some guns. As soon as they have guns, they’ll fight like, as good as anybody there is," Trump said in an interview with "The Hugh Hewitt Show," while discussing anti-regime unrest and the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters.

The comments come as the Iranian regime emerges weakened from weeks of war, while frustration continues to simmer among many Iranians after years of failed protests and violent crackdowns by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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Supporters of a more aggressive approach argue sanctions, diplomacy and unarmed demonstrations have failed to produce meaningful change inside Iran and say the current moment may represent the best opportunity in decades to challenge the regime from within. Critics warn that openly discussing armed resistance could endanger protesters, deepen divisions inside the opposition and risk pushing Iran toward civil war.

The idea of armed resistance echoes aspects of the Reagan Doctrine, the Cold War-era strategy in which the U.S. backed anti-Soviet resistance movements around the world, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua.

"We need to give Iranians the tools now, and they’ll finish the job themselves," Brett Velicovich, founder of Powerus and a former U.S. military and intelligence specialist focused on drone warfare, told Fox News Digital.

"It’s their time to do something. There has never been a better chance."

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Velicovich described the strategy as "Reagan Doctrine 2.0," updated for the age of drones and decentralized warfare.

"Cheap FPV drones, loitering munitions, and small arms let motivated fighters turn Iran’s streets and mountains into a nightmare for the IRGC," he said. "This isn’t fantasy; it’s asymmetric warfare that works."

He argued that modern drone technology has fundamentally changed the balance between governments and insurgent or resistance movements.

"Drones democratize power," Velicovich said. "The regime’s monopoly on violence ends the day the people get eyes in the sky and precision strike capability."

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Still, even some critics of the Iranian regime caution that the comparison to Cold War proxy movements has limits.

Unlike Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe or Afghanistan in the 1980s, Iran is a highly nationalistic country with a fragmented opposition and deep fears of foreign intervention following decades of conflict across the Middle East.

Still, calls for more direct support for anti-regime forces are increasingly moving into mainstream Republican foreign policy discussions.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recently called for what he described as a "Second Amendment solution" inside Iran.

"If I were President Trump and I were Israel, I would load the Iranian people up with weapons so they could go to the streets armed and turn the tide of battle inside Iran," Graham said on "Hannity."

The question of who would actually receive support, however, remains deeply controversial.

Some opposition supporters continue to rally around exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose name has surfaced during anti-regime protests inside Iran and who has urged the international community not to give Tehran "another lifeline."

Another group that has acted in various operations against the regime is the controversial People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran, or MEK, which has long positioned itself as an organized opposition force against the Islamic Republic. The MEK recently posted videos showing its members targeting "regime centers and symbols of crime and repression," in response to the execution of two of its members last month — Hamed Validi and Mohammad (Nima) Massoum-Shahi.

Others point to existing armed or semi-organized anti-regime groups, including Kurdish organizations, Baloch insurgent networks and underground resistance cells operating inside Iran.

Sardar Pashaei, director of the Hiwa Foundation and a former Iranian wrestling champion now living in the United States, warned that publicly discussing arming protesters could itself put lives at risk.

"I think we must be extremely cautious on this issue, especially publicly, because the regime can use it as a pretext to arrest protesters, fabricate cases and even justify executions," Pashaei told Fox News Digital.

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"For decades, the Islamic Republic has used accusations of ties to the United States, Israel, or espionage to target dissidents and political prisoners."

Pashaei argued the better approach is supporting Iranian civil society, restoring internet access and backing democratic opposition groups that reflect Iran’s ethnic and political diversity.

The issue became even more sensitive after Trump said during a phone interview with "Fox News Sunday" in early April that his administration had previously attempted to send firearms to Iranian protesters through Kurdish channels, though the effort failed.

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"We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them. We sent them through the Kurds. And I think the Kurds took the guns," Trump said.

Several Kurdish groups have denied receiving such shipments.

Pashaei warned that claims of foreign weapons support could deepen divisions inside the opposition while also exposing Kurdish groups to further retaliation from Tehran.

"During the so-called ceasefire period, Kurdish opposition groups were targeted more than 30 times with drone and missile attacks," he said, adding that four young Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed, including 19-year-old Ghazal Mowlan.

One source familiar with discussions surrounding Iranian opposition strategy said supporters of a more aggressive approach increasingly believe the current moment presents a rare opportunity to identify, train and support local resistance networks capable of protecting protesters and challenging the regime from within.

The source argued that while Iran spent decades building and cultivating proxy networks across the Middle East, Western governments largely avoided investing in organized anti-regime infrastructure inside Iran itself.

Others warn that empowering armed factions could trigger ethnic fragmentation, civil war or a Syria-style conflict inside Iran.

According to the source, supporters of a more aggressive approach increasingly believe the current moment presents a rare opportunity to identify, train and support local resistance networks capable of protecting protesters and challenging the regime from within.

Whether Washington is willing to move beyond pressure campaigns and sanctions toward something closer to a modernized Reagan Doctrine remains unclear.

For now, Trump’s comments have pushed a once-theoretical conversation into the open, while some argue the current moment may represent the best opportunity in decades to challenge the regime.

What Israel wants from an Iran peace deal: No enrichment, missile limits and strict enforcement

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:30:45 -0400

As President Donald Trump signals progress toward a possible agreement with Iran, Israeli officials and analysts increasingly are outlining what Jerusalem believes any deal must include to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its military and regional power.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel and the United States remain in "full coordination" as negotiations continue.

"We share common objectives, and the most important objective is the removal of the enriched material from Iran, all the enriched material, and the dismantling of Iran’s enrichment capabilities," Netanyahu said at the opening of a security cabinet meeting.

US AND IRAN CLASH OVER URANIUM ENRICHMENT AS NUCLEAR TALKS RESUME IN ROME

"We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday.

At the same time, Trump warned that if negotiations fail, "we’ll have to go a big step further."

For Israel, the question is not simply whether the war ends, but whether Iran emerges from negotiations weakened or repositioned to rebuild. Israeli officials fear a weak agreement could allow Tehran to preserve strategic capabilities, regain economic breathing room and eventually restore the regional network of armed groups that threatened Israel before the war. Jerusalem is also seeking guarantees that any future deal preserves military leverage and freedom of action if Iran violates its commitments.

Against that backdrop, Israeli analysts say Jerusalem’s red lines focus on four core areas: dismantling Iran’s enrichment infrastructure, restricting its ballistic missile program, preventing Tehran from rebuilding Hezbollah and Hamas, and ensuring the regime does not gain political legitimacy or strategic relief from the negotiations.

On the nuclear issue, former Israeli National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror said Israel’s position remains uncompromising.

"Weaponized uranium must leave Iran," Amidror said. "The Iranians must not be allowed to enrich uranium."

Israeli journalist and commentator Nadav Eyal agreed, adding that Israel is seeking a much stricter framework than previous agreements.

"Israel wants Iran to stop enrichment for as long as possible and for the enriched material to leave Iran," Eyal said, adding that Jerusalem is looking for "an arms control agreement that would be extensive and robust."

Avner Golov, vice president of the Mind Israel think tank, told Fox News Digital that Israel also wants Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure dismantled entirely.

"In the nuclear arena, what matters is the removal of the enriched material, the destruction of the underground facilities, including those still being built, and a prohibition on new sites," Golov said.

Golov also warned against "sunset clauses" that would allow restrictions to expire after several years.

"There must be an agreement without sunsets," he said, calling for "unprecedented monitoring and supervision, anywhere, under any conditions and not dependent on Iranian approval."

Jonathan Ruhe, Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) fellow for American strategy, told Fox News Digital, "Ultimately the United States and Israel should have strongly similar redlines for an acceptable deal," he said, including "shutting down Iran’s nuclear weapons program completely, permanently and verifiably."

Ruhe said that goes beyond Iran handing over highly enriched uranium and includes shutting down remaining enrichment-related facilities at Pickaxe and Isfahan.

UN'S ATOMIC AGENCY'S IRAN POLICY GETS MIXED REVIEWS FROM EXPERTS AFTER US-ISRAEL 'OBLITERATE' NUCLEAR SITES

Alongside the nuclear issue, Israeli analysts say Iran’s ballistic missile program has become equally central to Israel’s security concerns.

"One of the key questions is whether there will be any sort of limitation on the ballistic missile program of the Iranians," Eyal said. "Israel sees this as no less of an existential threat than the nuclear issue."

Amidror warned that without missile restrictions, the threat could eventually extend beyond Israel and Europe.

"If there are no restrictions on the missile program, then missiles that today can reach half of Europe will, within five to 10 years, be able to reach the United States," he warned.

Golov argued that a nuclear-only agreement would leave Iran free to rebuild a missile shield protecting a future nuclear breakout.

"A deal that focuses only on the nuclear program would allow the Iranians to produce thousands of missiles and create a protective shield around their nuclear program."

Ruhe similarly said limiting Iran’s missile arsenal must include preventing Iran from rebuilding production capabilities damaged during the war.

IRAN DRAWS MISSILE RED LINE AS ANALYSTS WARN TEHRAN IS STALLING US TALKS

Another major Israeli concern is that sanctions relief or renewed trade could funnel money back to Iran’s regional proxies.

"Israel is demanding that the Islamic Republic isolate itself from involvement with Lebanon and Gaza and stop supporting armed groups that operate against Israel," Eyal said.

"For Israel, it is a material issue that the money injected into Iran will not be used to rebuild the proxies in the region," he added.

Amidror said Iran’s ability to support Hezbollah and Hamas has already been weakened by the collapse of regional supply routes.

"The Iranians cannot effectively support the proxies because there is no longer a land bridge from Iran to Syria," he said, but warned that if negotiations leave the impression that Washington backed down, Iran’s regional proxies could emerge stronger even after the war.

Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.

"Avoiding anything that legitimates Iran’s regime and abandons the Iranian people" is critical, Ruhe said, including "giving guarantees against future attacks or compensating Tehran for wartime damages."

Ruhe warned that for Israel, a "bad deal" is ultimately any agreement that restrains Israel’s future freedom of action against Iran and its proxies.

"This is one big reason Iran wants to ensnare the Trump administration in open-ended negotiations that sideline military options and create daylight between Washington and Jerusalem," Ruhe said.

Trump ‘right to be outraged’ by Europe’s betrayal on Iran, says former Thatcher advisor

Wed, 06 May 2026 14:49:05 -0400

As President Donald Trump continues to express anger at NATO European allies for their lack of help in the war with Iran, he’s making clear their behavior comes at a cost.

In the weeks during the war and since the ceasefire, the president has hit back not just with words but with definitive actions against several of those countries.

On Saturday, Trump said that he would withdraw more than the initial 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany as stated by the Pentagon, after Berlin’s leader denigrated the American effort to stop Iran’s regime from building a nuclear weapon.

TRUMP WEIGHS PULLING US TROOPS FROM GERMANY AMID CLASH WITH CHANCELLOR OVER IRAN WAR

A day earlier he said about Germany that "We're gonna cut way down. We're cutting a lot further than 5,000." The Trump administration previously announced a contraction of 5,000 troops in Germany after the country’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran’s regime "humiliated" Trump.

In an apparent state of panic, Merz walked back his attack on Trump and his Iran strategy on Sunday. The chancellor wrote on X: "The United States is and will remain Germany‘s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance. We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons."

Trump ratcheted up his troop reduction number against Germany amid his comments about downsizing U.S. boots on the ground in Spain and Italy because they failed to aid America in the war against Iran. The president’s anger at Western European countries has been simmering for weeks and could lead to profound changes in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

TRUMP CRITICIZES SPAIN AMID IRAN, NATO RIFT AS PM SANCHEZ FACES QUESTIONS OVER POLITICAL MOTIVES

Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital, "The lack of support for the United States has been nothing less than treacherous. I think the president has the right to be outraged by the lack of support from key European allies."

He said, "There is a very deep-seated cultural appeasement in Europe toward the Iranian regime that goes back many decades, and a flat-out refusal to accept the reality of the immense dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran. European leaders are sleepwalking toward destruction with this perilous path they have taken.

TRUMP IS RIGHT ABOUT NATO’S WEAKNESS — THE REAL QUESTION IS HOW DOES AMERICA FIX IT

"The lack of support for the United States is how far Europe has gone toward losing its moral compass. Iran is a genocidal regime that threatens to wipe Israel off the map." He noted that the Islamic Republic has killed huge numbers of its population.

Gardiner, a former advisor to Lady Margaret Thatcher said, "If you listen to European leaders, it's as if the U.S. is the villain here."

Merz, speaking last week in Marsberg, criticized the U.S. approach to Iran, saying Washington was being "humiliated by the Iranian leadership" and expressing hope the conflict would end "as quickly as possible."

Gardiner said of Merz’s remarks, "Comments like these actually help the propaganda of the Iranian dictatorship. It is astonishing that a German chancellor would make these kinds of remarks at a time of war… and the German chancellor is giving comfort to the Iranian regime. It is disgusting."

Numerous Fox News Digital press queries sent to Merz’s spokesman Stefan Kornelius were not returned.

Before his announcement on the troop withdrawal from Germany, and in response to a question about reducing U.S. troops in Spain and Italy, Trump responded, "I mean, they haven't been exactly on board. Yeah, probably. Yeah, I probably will… Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible."

Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has taken a belligerent stand toward the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime, forbidding the U.S. from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action. He has decried the campaign as illegal while staying quiet on the regime’s murder of thousands of protesters and its increased drive to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.

Gardiner said, "The Spanish have been the worst by a long way. At least the Germans and Italy have allowed the use of its own bases. The Spanish have refused to cooperate in any way with the war."

Trump told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera last month about the country's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, "I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong."

The Europe expert, Gardiner, sees a wide gulf between how mainly Western European countries and the United States view the preservation of Western civilization, freedom, democracy and liberty.

"Europe has lost both its ability and its will to fight. The United States is clearly willing to fight to defend Western civilization and the free world. Much of Europe has given up on this, especially Western Europe. It is an appeasement mindset cojoined with weakness and pacifism and also a growing acceptance by European leaders of mass migration and Islamification."

He added, "Europe has fundamentally changed over the last 20 years beyond recognition, and yet Europe’s ruling elites accept it seemingly as a fact, with some notable exceptions."

Trump took the United Kingdom and France in March to task for their postion on the war against Iran.

"The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!," he wrote.

Trump also wrote, "All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you."

"Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT."

"You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"

Gardiner said the crisis over the Iran war shows that Europe has surrendered. The big Western Europeans have embraced "defeatism," and "they do not care. It is as simple as that. And future generations will have to pay the price for the course Europe is taking now," he said.

Fox News' Brittany Miller and Solly Boussidan contributed to this report.

Argentina investigators zero in on possible origin point of hantavirus in deadly cruise outbreak

Wed, 06 May 2026 13:01:14 -0400

A bird-watching tour in a region that had never recorded a hantavirus case is now at the center of an urgent investigation, as Argentine officials examine whether a Dutch couple unknowingly brought the deadly virus aboard a cruise ship after a stop at a landfill.

Argentina’s leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple may have been exposed to rodents while visiting the landfill during the tour in the city of Ushuaia, contracting the virus before boarding the cruise ship, two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the outbreak told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) said human-to-human transfer is uncommon, but possible.

Authorities previously said Ushuaia and surrounding Tierra del Fuego province had never recorded a hantavirus case.

RARE HANTAVIRUS HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION SUSPECTED ON LUXURY CRUISE SHIP WHERE 3 HAVE DIED

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius ship is at the center of an outbreak that has already killed three passengers and sickened several others. Contact tracing is underway across Europe and Africa to track possible spread among passengers who have since disembarked.

Testing in Switzerland, South Africa and Senegal has confirmed that this is the Andes strain, according to authorities. The WHO says the variant is found primarily in Argentina and Chile and can spread through close contact, though rare.

Swiss officials said a man who returned from the cruise sought treatment after developing symptoms and was immediately isolated. They said he tested positive for the Andes strain.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that three suspected cases were evacuated from the vessel and are being transported to the Netherlands for treatment.

"At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low," Tedros said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

200,000 small boat arrivals loom amid UK raising threat level to ‘severe’ following recent terror attack

Wed, 06 May 2026 11:58:26 -0400

As the United Kingdom raised its national terror threat level to "severe," meaning an attack is considered "highly likely," security experts are warning that Britain’s separate illegal migration crisis is adding to broader concerns over border control and vetting, with small boat crossings now nearing 200,000 arrivals since 2018.

The U.K.’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Center raised the national threat level from "substantial" to "severe" last week following a stabbing attack in Golders Green in North London, warning that the broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terror threat in Britain has been increasing "for some time."

At the same time, official figures cited by GB News and The Sun show small boat arrivals across the English Channel are approaching the 200,000 mark, intensifying political debate over illegal immigration, deportations and national security.

UK TO TIGHTEN IMMIGRATION RULES OVER VOTER FRUSTRATION WITH HIGH IMMIGRATION NUMBERS: 'FAILED EXPERIMENT'

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK Party, said in a Facebook video Tuesday that "most of them are unidentified, young males of fighting age" and warned the crossings pose "a risk not only to women and girls in this country but a risk to our national security."

Security analysts say the combination of elevated terror concerns and mass illegal migration is adding pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to demonstrate greater control over Britain’s borders.

"Channel migrants pose a potential security threat," Dr. Michael McManus, director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

"Minimal vetting of the migrants means we have no way to know who is really coming to the country. The vast majority are combat-aged males from war zones and regions associated with terrorism."

McManus added that "the current government is failing to read the mood in the country, which overwhelmingly wants action to deter and deport those who pose a threat."

"So long as the immigration system fails to deter crossings, and the system makes deportation almost impossible, we will only see more," he said.

According to The Sun, 7,612 migrants have been deported or removed since the crisis began, representing less than 4% of total arrivals.

The debate intensified this week after British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined plans to expand "safe and legal" refugee pathways once the government regains greater control over the asylum system, according to GB News reporting.

FARAGE SLAMS SECRET AFGHAN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TO UK, CLAIMS SEX OFFENDERS AMONG ARRIVALS

Speaking to GB News, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden defended the government’s broader migration policy and said Mahmood was doing a "very good job."

"We want to make sure that it’s a level that is good for the economy, that can be absorbed by the country, and that is done under proper rules," McFadden said.

The Home Office has argued the government is increasing enforcement efforts against trafficking gangs and strengthening cooperation with France. A Home Office spokesperson said that the government had signed a "landmark new deal" with France aimed at boosting enforcement operations on beaches and disrupting smuggling routes.

The crossings themselves remain dangerous. Over the weekend, two Sudanese women reportedly died attempting to cross the Channel after a boat carrying dozens of migrants encountered problems off the French coast, according to British media reports.

According to the Refugee Council, many of those arriving by small boat originate from countries experiencing war, persecution or political instability, including Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Iran and Sudan. The group says the vast majority of small-boat arrivals go on to apply for asylum in the UK.

The small boat crisis first escalated in 2018 after tighter security reduced attempts to enter Britain hidden in trucks and ferries. Since then, the crossings have become one of the most politically explosive issues in British politics, fueling growing pressure on both Labour and Conservative leaders to demonstrate control over the border.

South African police airlift massive crocodile suspected of eating missing local

Tue, 05 May 2026 21:50:41 -0400

Authorities in South Africa carried out a high-risk recovery operation over the weekend, airlifting a massive crocodile suspected of eating a local resident.

The operation followed last month’s disappearance of a 59-year-old businessman from Gauteng, South African Police Service (SAPS) said. Local media Smile FM identified him as Gabriel Batista, the owner of the Border Country Inn located a short drive from the river.

A specialized task force eventually tracked down the reptile Saturday along the Komati River, where it was euthanized and removed from the area, officials reported. Upon examination, they said human remains were discovered in its digestive system.

The operation was also captured on camera and has since spread widely on social media, showing personnel hoisting the massive crocodile from the water by helicopter.

SOUTH AFRICAN ELEPHANT KILLS TOURIST WHO WAS TRYING TO SAVE CHILDREN AT KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

According to the police, the local businessman went missing late last month after his Ford Ranger became stranded at a flooded low-lying river crossing near crocodile-infested waters.

State media SABCNews reported that the vehicle was swept away as he attempted to cross the bridge.

ALLIGATOR MAULS WOMAN CANOEING AS FLORIDA URGES VACATIONERS TO AVOID DISASTER WITH SAFETY TIPS

Following a weeklong search, the team reportedly identified a large crocodile nearby that they believed may have attacked and consumed the victim.

According to officials who monitored the reptile for several days, the reptile appeared to show signs it had recently fed, including prolonged periods of inactivity, South African outlet ENCA said.

"During the search, we saw that this particular crocodile was only about 150 meters away from where the person had washed off the bridge. This crocodile stayed there the whole time. When the helicopter went over it, it wouldn’t move away," SAPS Captain Johan "Pottie" Potgieter said.

"We know from experience that if crocodiles have had a big meal, they’re not very active, and need to lie in the sun for their digestive system to start working."

After authorities euthanized the animal with the necessary permissions, Potgieter operated under "extremely dangerous conditions," being lowered from a helicopter into crocodile-infested waters.

It was then secured with a rope, hoisted from the water, and airlifted away, SAPS said.

During the examination, officials reportedly discovered human remains, as well as six pairs of sandals inside the animal’s stomach, SABC News reported.

The remains have been submitted for DNA testing to confirm the victim’s identity.

It remains unclear whether the shoes are linked to any missing residents or villagers in the area.

Three suspected narco-terrorists killed in US military strike on drug-trafficking vessel in Eastern Pacific

Tue, 05 May 2026 21:42:00 -0400

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Tuesday that the U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing three suspected narco-terrorists.

The strike, which was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear at the direction of Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, targeted a vessel that was operating along known narco-trafficking corridors and engaged in narco-trafficking activity.

No U.S. service members were injured in the operation, according to SOUTHCOM.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the command wrote on X. "Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed."

US MILITARY KILLS 3 IN LATEST STRIKE ON A SUSPECTED DRUG VESSEL IN THE PACIFIC

SOUTHCOM did not immediately release further information about those killed.

The U.S. military has carried out numerous strikes in recent months on suspected drug-smuggling vessels as part of a broader campaign to dismantle cartel-linked trafficking operations.

The announcement comes a day after SOUTHCOM said it conducted a similar strike in the Caribbean on Monday, killing two suspected drug traffickers.

US KILLS 2 MORE SUSPECTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS IN BOAT STRIKE

Earlier, on April 24, SOUTHCOM carried out a lethal strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two suspected narco-terrorists.

That strike followed less than a week after SOUTHCOM said it conducted an operation in the Caribbean, killing three suspected narco-terrorists.

US MILITARY LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER AUTONOMOUS WARFARE COMMAND TO DEPLOY UNMANNED SYSTEMS ACROSS LATIN AMERICA

SOUTHCOM is responsible for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including counter-narcotics missions aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.

The Eastern Pacific remains a key corridor for narcotics trafficking, with cartels often using small, fast-moving vessels to transport drugs toward the U.S. and Central America.

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz, Michael Sinkewicz, Alex Nitzberg and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Zelenskyy blasts ‘absolute cynicism’ as deadly Russian barrage hits Ukraine before planned ceasefire

Tue, 05 May 2026 20:39:19 -0400

Russian drone and missile strikes on Tuesday killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 80 across Ukraine, just hours before Kyiv had planned a ceasefire and days ahead of a pause announced by Moscow.

Glide bombs struck the Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 17 civilians and injuring 45. Overnight attacks left five people dead and 39 wounded, according to The Associated Press.

"Absolute cynicism — to demand silence for holding propagandistic celebrations and then deliver such missile and drone strikes on all the days leading up to it," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

RUSSIA BUILT GLOBAL RECRUITMENT PIPELINE TARGETING VULNERABLE MIGRANTS FOR UKRAINE WAR: REPORT

Zelenskyy added that Russia could end the war at any time.

"Every day, Russia could cease fire, and that would stop the war and our responses. Peace is needed, and real steps are required for it. Ukraine will act in kind," he said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry previously said it would impose a unilateral ceasefire on Friday and Saturday for Victory Day, but warned it would retaliate if Ukraine disrupts events, The Associated Press reported.

RUSSIAN MISSILES AND DRONES BOMBARD UKRAINE IN HOURSLONG ATTACK, KILLING AT LEAST 16

The United Nations welcomed the moves, with Secretary-General António Guterres urging a full ceasefire.

Guterres called for "a full, immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire, leading to a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace, in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and relevant U.N. resolutions," The Associated Press reported.

Victory Day, observed each year on May 9 in Russia, marks the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.

EXAMINING NATO: INSIDE THE ‘COMMITMENT GAP’ AS US CARRIES ALLIANCE DETERRENCE

Russia has previously announced short holiday truces — most recently for Orthodox Easter — but they have failed to hold amid persistent mistrust between the two countries.

During that ceasefire, Ukraine’s military reported more than 2,200 violations, including shelling, assaults and drone activity.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, in turn, accused Ukrainian forces of nearly 2,000 breaches, including strikes in border regions that it said injured civilians.

Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US-backed pipeline proposal targets global reliance on Strait of Hormuz amid Iran threats

Tue, 05 May 2026 14:32:18 -0400

A new U.S.-backed proposal to build a network of overland energy pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz is gaining attention as tensions in the region expose a critical vulnerability in the global energy system.

A policy memo reviewed by Fox News Digital outlines the concept, known as "ARAM Express," a proposed consortium between the United States and Gulf partners to develop a multidirectional overland network for oil, gas and petrochemicals, originating with Richard Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The plan envisions pipelines extending westward to the Red Sea and Mediterranean, as well as southern routes toward the Arabian Sea, creating multiple export pathways that would reduce reliance on the strait, through which roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil currently flows.

TRUMP OPENS HORMUZ UNDER FIRE WITH ‘PROJECT FREEDOM’ AS IRAN WARNS OF ATTACKS

The proposal would rely on broad international participation, with European and Asian buyers investing in infrastructure and securing long-term supply agreements.

"European buyers are desperate for long-term supply resilience, and Asian customers are equally exposed," Goldberg said. "Even China cannot tolerate the risk of a sustained disruption."

The push comes as Iran’s threats to commercial shipping and ongoing U.S. efforts to secure the waterway under President Donald Trump’s "Project Freedom" highlight the risks posed by a single chokepoint to global energy flows.

Roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the narrow waterway, making it a critical artery for global markets. With Iran threatening shipping and U.S. forces now guiding vessels through the strait under President Donald Trump’s "Project Freedom," the White House is framing the crisis in global terms.

"The President will not allow Iran to hold the global economy hostage and undermine the free flow of energy," said White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, describing the launch of "Project Freedom" as a humanitarian effort to restore navigation through the strait.

That framing aligns with a growing view among U.S. officials and analysts that the risk is not only immediate but also structural.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz signaled that Washington’s partners are already looking beyond the strait itself.

"I know our Gulf partners and allies are seriously thinking through that," Waltz told Fox News Digital when asked about long-term alternatives during a conference call with reporters Monday.

"I know they’re looking at additional alternatives to frankly diversify their pathways and diversify their economies," he added.

MIKE WALTZ PUSHES UN RESOLUTION TO STOP IRAN MINING KEY GLOBAL SHIPPING ROUTE

The idea that Hormuz represents a structural weakness is not new. But until now, it has largely been tolerated, with global markets relying on stability in the Gulf to keep energy flowing.

That assumption is now under strain.

Even with U.S. naval power deployed to secure the waterway, the current crisis has highlighted how quickly disruption, or even the threat of it, can ripple through global supply chains.

"This isn’t just a long-term idea anymore," said Rich Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. "There is a real threat to the Strait of Hormuz that isn’t going away so long as the regime in Tehran remains."

AS IRAN WEAKENS, QUESTIONS GROW OVER MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN’S REGIONAL AMBITIONS

Saudi Arabia stands out as the country among Gulf states that has invested most heavily in reducing reliance on Hormuz.

Its East-West pipeline allows crude oil to travel from eastern fields on the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the strait entirely. From there, shipments can move toward Europe, Africa and Asia without entering the chokepoint.

"Saudi Arabia has treated the Strait of Hormuz risk with planning, not panic," said Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst.

"The East-West pipeline is strategic insurance," he told Fox News Digital, "A Hormuz closure would be disruptive, but not paralyzing. Saudi Arabia has spent years reducing that vulnerability, and today it is uniquely positioned to absorb shocks and keep global flows moving."

Al-Ansari argued that the kingdom’s strategy goes beyond energy exports, positioning the country as a broader logistics hub.

"Ports, pipelines, land bridges, storage and Red Sea access are all part of one Saudi contingency architecture," he said.

HORMUZ CHOKE POINT PERSISTS AS IRAN HALTS OIL TRAFFIC DESPITE TRUMP CEASEFIRE

Saudi Arabia is not the only player adapting.

The United Arab Emirates also has developed alternative export capacity through its pipeline to Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, some analysts argue that recent regional dynamics point to a deeper shift, one that goes beyond infrastructure and into the political structure of the Gulf itself.

Yonatan Adiri, an Israeli entrepreneur and former adviser to former Israeli President Shimon Peres, said the traditional model of a unified Gulf energy system centered on Hormuz is beginning to break down.

"The whole arrangement … it’s starting to expire," Adiri said, referring to the long-standing reliance on the strait as a central artery for Gulf exports.

He pointed to emerging economic and geopolitical realignments, including new corridors and shifting alliances, that are fragmenting the region’s traditional energy architecture.

"The UAE stepping away from OPEC is not just about production policy," Adiri said, referring to the country’s decision to leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries effective May 1, 2026. "It reflects a broader shift toward an independent strategy — building its own routes, partnerships and leverage rather than relying on a collective system."

These changes are driven in part by broader global competition, according to Adiri, particularly efforts by the United States and its partners to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

"The entire system is being rethought," he said, describing a shift toward diversified routes that reduce reliance on single choke points.

WHY GULF STATES AREN’T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL

Despite these developments, not all Gulf states are equally prepared.

"If you’re Kuwait, you’re in a world of hurt," Goldberg said, pointing to countries that lack meaningful alternatives to maritime exports.

Qatar, one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas, remains heavily dependent on the strait, with limited options to reroute supply if shipping is disrupted.

This uneven exposure could reshape regional dynamics, giving countries with alternative routes greater resilience and leverage in future crises.

While the technical case for alternative routes is growing stronger, political constraints remain.

One of the most sensitive issues is whether future corridors could involve Israel, even indirectly.

"As for routes involving Israel, even indirectly, the politics are extremely difficult under current circumstances," Al-Ansari said. "I genuinely do not see it happening now."

At the same time, he suggested that such cooperation could become more realistic in the future under different political conditions.

For now, the U.S. and its allies remain focused on stabilizing the immediate situation in the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring that ships can pass safely and global markets continue to function.

But as tensions persist, the current crisis is forcing a broader reassessment.

The question is no longer just how to secure the strait, but whether the global energy system can afford to depend on it to the extent it has for decades.

If the current trajectory continues, Hormuz may remain critical, but no longer dominant, experts argue, as countries invest in new routes, new partnerships and a more diversified energy map.

Fox News Digital reached out to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

German officials warn Islamist, far-left rhetoric driving spike in antisemitic attacks

Tue, 05 May 2026 12:37:08 -0400

Germany is facing a sharp rise in antisemitism, with officials warning that Islamist and left-wing extremist networks are exploiting the war in the Middle East to spread anti-Jewish rhetoric, mobilize supporters and contribute to harassment and violence against Jewish communities.

These groups are using the Israel–Hamas war and broader regional tensions as a pretext to amplify antisemitic narratives, according to a study by the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which includes accusations of "genocide" in Gaza and portrayals of Israel as a colonial state, language authorities say is increasingly being used to justify hostility and, in some cases, violence against Jews.

German Interior Minister for the State of Hesse Roman Poseck warned that the trend is escalating.

CALLS FOR US TO DO MORE AS ANTISEMITIC ACTS SKYROCKET IN EUROPE: 'ENORMOUSLY PAINFUL'

"Antisemitism is one of the greatest threats to our social cohesion — especially from Islamism and the left-wing extremist spectrum," Poseck said in a statement.

The developments are raising broader concerns beyond Germany, as officials and Jewish leaders warn that similar patterns of antisemitic rhetoric tied to Middle East conflicts are emerging across Western democracies, including the United States. With Germany long seen as a bellwether due to its history and legal framework around hate speech, the findings are being viewed as a warning sign of how extremist narratives can move from the fringes into mainstream discourse.

Poseck, who commissioned the report of the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warned of a deteriorating social climate, saying that "antisemitic sentiments are becoming increasingly intolerable, even in public spaces."

"I am deeply ashamed of what Jews in Germany have to endure 80 years after the end of the Second World War," he continued. "We Germans, in particular, bear a lasting responsibility never to forget what happened."

US ALLY WARNS ANOTHER ANTISEMITIC ATTACK IS HIGHLY LIKELY IN NEXT 6 MONTHS

Forty-six of 102 Jewish communities surveyed in Germany reported antisemitic incidents, highlighting the growing scale of the threat, a new nationwide report by the Central Council of Jews in Germany found.

Among the most common incidents identified in the Central Council survey were verbal abuse, threatening phone calls, vandalism and antisemitic graffiti. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they feel less safe living in Germany since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

"Following the explosive rise in antisemitism after Oct. 7, a ‘new normal’ has emerged," Central Council President Josef Schuster said in the press statement. "A situation in which Jewish communities require constant protection and antisemitism has become normalized as part of the public sphere."

The report also found that broader geopolitical developments continue to directly impact Jewish communities in Germany. Sixty-two percent of respondents said their sense of insecurity worsened following the recent war involving Iran, while two-thirds said a Gaza ceasefire did not improve their safety.

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Jewish leaders say the consequences are being felt in daily life. Many Jews are increasingly avoiding visible signs of their identity, such as wearing a Star of David or a kippah, or Jewish skullcap, amid fears of harassment. In some cases, communities have canceled events due to security concerns.

At the same time, the report highlights a sharp decline in perceived societal support. Only 35% of communities said they feel solidarity from broader civil society, down from 62% in 2023.

Officials say the normalization of such rhetoric is shifting the boundaries of acceptable public discourse.

The findings underscore growing concern that antisemitism, once seen as confined to the margins, is becoming more visible in public life, leaving Jewish communities feeling increasingly isolated and under threat.