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Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is created, shooting down U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the idea of the U.S. government taking control of the Gaza Strip.
Trump said on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said at the White House. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”
“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”
‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) poses prior to a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Presidential Palace on June 16, 2023, in Paris, France.(Getty Images)
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation.
The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in “a clear and explicit manner” that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.
TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS’ FUTURES
Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an idea Trump has suggested multiple times since retaking office last month, is a highly sensitive matter for both Palestinians and Arab countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025.( REUTERS/Leah Millis)
Trump said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to “just clean out” the area.
“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’” he said at the time.
Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another “Nakba,” meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.
‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025.(REUTERS/Leah Millis)
The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.
Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.
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Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world’s biggest oil exporter.
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The White House on Monday released a list of projects overseen by the top U.S. aid agency it identified as “waste and abuse” as Elon Musk’s cost cutters seek to dismantle the decades-old provider of foreign aid.
Musk, a “special government employee,” according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, oversees the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Despite its title, DOGE is not a government agency but has been tasked by the White House’s executive office with dismantling top spending initiatives, and the billionaire’s most recent target is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday.
According to a list released by the White House, USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration.
WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?
Billionaire Elon Musk is a “special government employee” working for the Trump administration to root out wasteful spending. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
At the top of the list was a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities” and a $70,000 program for a “DEI musical” in Ireland.
Initiatives that supported LGBTQI programs were also flagged as an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, including $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia, $32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru and $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala.
Fox News Digital could not independently verify the initiatives detailed by the White House in Colombia or Guatemala. The White House referenced reports about these programs by the Daily Mail, the Daily Caller News Foundation and other outlets.
The White House also detailed spending initiatives that launched during Trump’s previous administration, including a 2017-2019, $6 million agreement that it said was intended to “fund tourism” in Egypt.
MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
USAID humanitarian aid destined for Venezuela is displayed for the media at a warehouse next to the Tienditas International Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
However, the link referencing the Egyptian program detailed how it was intended to build on previous investments in North Sinai that provided potable water and wastewater services to hundreds of thousands of people and would provide further “access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families.”
The White House also outlined USAID’s funding for coronavirus research, including millions of taxpayer dollars supplied to EcoHealth Alliance for coronavirus research, support for contraceptive initiatives and programs that it said benefited terrorists in several countries.
The future of USAID remains unclear, though the doors to its headquarters were closed Monday, and thousands of employees across the globe sat waiting to hear whether they still had jobs after the apparent Musk takeover.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting director, and he agreed Monday with the White House that the agency needed an overhaul.
“The president made me the acting administrator,” he told Fox News. “I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full-time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department.”
Employees and supporters gather to protest outside the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Questions remain over whether the White House has the legal authority to dismantle an independent agency, and Democratic lawmakers on Monday joined agency employees who stood outside the headquarters protesting the shutdown despite having been told to remain at home.
Rubio took issue with the protests and referred to them as “rank insubordination.”
“The goal was to reform it, but now we have rank insubordination,” he said. “Now we have basically an active effort — their basic attitude is, ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves. No agency of government can tell us what to do.’”
Hundreds of earthquakes that have rattled the Greek islands since last week have prompted the evacuation of thousands from the tourist hotspot Santorini.
Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos told The Associated Press that the tremors are a “seismic swarm” and could continue for weeks before eventually diminishing.
“This phenomenon may play out with small quakes or a single, slightly stronger one, followed by gradual subsidence,” Zorzos said, adding he was cautiously optimistic after speaking to seismologists.
More than 200 undersea earthquakes up to magnitude 5 have been recorded in the volcanic region since Friday.
EMERGENCY CREWS DEPLOYED ON SANTORINI AS EARTHQUAKE SWARM WORRIES GREEK EXPERTS
Tourists walk on the narrow streets of Fira after an earthquake swarm on the island of Santorini, southern Greece, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Roughly 9,000 people have left Santorini since Sunday, with more emergency flights and ferries adding services to accommodate departures, the BBC reported.
People wait for the arrival of a regularly scheduled ferry to Athens’ port of Piraeus, after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Santorini has canceled public events, restricted travel to the island and banned construction work in certain areas. The quakes have caused cracks in some older buildings, but no injuries have been reported. The island has a population of approximately 15,500 residents.
EARTHQUAKE OFF COAST OF MAINE SHAKES NORTHEAST
A woman from China looks on from a caldera at Firostefani while authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Efthimios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the epicenter of the earthquakes in the Aegean was moving northward away from Santorini, and emphasized there was no connection to the area’s dormant volcanoes.
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“This may last several days or several weeks. We are not able to predict the evolution of the sequence in time,” Lekkas told state-run television.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeated on Monday that Greenland is “not for sale,” but she remained open to bolstering the American “footprint” on the Arctic island.
As European Union leaders convened for a meeting in Brussels, Frederiksen addressed President Donald Trump’s prospect of acquiring control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally, through military or economic force.
“I think we have been very clear from the Kingdom of Denmark, with great support from the European partners and the European Union, that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a part of our territory, and it’s not for sale,” Frederiksen told reporters, speaking in English. “The chairman, the leader of Greenland, has been very clear that they are not for sale.”
Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force already has a base to monitor missile threats.
US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen talks to media before an informal EU leaders’ retreat on Feb. 3, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium.(Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
“I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence,” Frederiksen said, as China and Russia have both been increasingly active in the region. “And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland. They [the U.S.] are already there, and they can have more possibilities. And at the same time, we are willing to scale up from the Kingdom of Denmark. And I think NATO is the same. So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward.”
Frederiksen also responded to Trump’s threat of implementing tariffs on imports from the European Union. The Danish leader said EU members “are willing to help each other and to stick together, and I will never support the idea of fighting allies, but of course, if the U.S. puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response.”
Last week, her government announced a nearly $2 billion agreement with parties, including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, to “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.” It would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity, the Danish Defense Ministry said.
Meanwhile, European Council President Antonio Costa, noting that the EU has stood beside Ukraine in defense of its borders, said of Greenland on Monday: “Of course, we will stand also for these principles, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned.”
Trump has said the United States needs control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal, for “national security purposes.” While Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama this week, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino pledged to end his country’s key Belts and Road project agreement with China. Trump had lamented Beijing’s increased control of the strategic waterway, built by the United States, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
The Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, with the domes of the Thule Tracking Station, in northern Greenland on Oct. 4, 2023.(Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF
In Brussels on Monday, Frederiksen also reacted to Vice President JD Vance recently asserting that Denmark has “not been a good ally.” In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Vance repeated that Greenland is “really important to our national security,” as China and Russia increasingly traverse sea lanes near the island, and “frankly, Denmark, which controls Greenland, it’s not doing its job, and it’s not being a good ally.”
“You have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security if that means that we need to take more territorial interests in Greenland? That is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America’s citizens first,” Vance said, adding, “You’ve got probably 55,000 people living on Greenland who are not actually happy with Danish government. They’ve got great natural resources there. They’ve got an incredibly bountiful country that the Danes aren’t letting them develop and explore. Of course, Donald Trump would take a different approach if he was the leader of Greenland.”
Speaking in Danish, Frederiksen told reporters that Danes “have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades,” according to reports and an online translation.
Prime Minister Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force has a base to monitor missile threats.(Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
“We are one of the United States’ most important and strongest allies – and I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we never have been, and we never will be in the future. The Arctic Cooperation is important. It is something we are willing to prioritize,” Frederiksen said, arguing that it would align with the interests of Denmark, the U.S. and NATO.
“It is sensible, but it is also important that we work together against terrorism, against the destabilization we see in the Baltic Sea right now with sabotage, and it is important that we work together on NATO’s Eastern flank and thereby holding firm in relation to Russia,” she added, turning to the Ukraine war. “So we would be able to work together in many ways, but I do not want to be sitting on Denmark’s name and remuneration that we should be a bad ally, because we are not.”
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Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland’s capital Nuuk, to meet with locals last month, weeks before his father took office.
Trump’s 10% tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S. took effect this week, as the administration aims to hold Beijing accountable for precursor chemicals said to be fueling the fentanyl crisis. He agreed to suspend a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tax on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, by 30 days after both countries agreed to send additional troops to their borders with the U.S., among other stipulations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.
The FBI released posters Tuesday seeking information about two senior Iranian intelligence officers involved in the disappearance of retired FBI Special Agent Robert Levinson as the agency is vowing to “hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable.”
Levinson was working as a private investigator when he vanished in 2007 after traveling to Iran’s Kish Island. He had reportedly taken part in an unauthorized CIA mission and was presumed dead in 2020.
“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family,” Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, said in a statement. “Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable.”
The FBI said the two Iranian officers in the posters – Mohammed Baseri and Ahmad Khazai — “allegedly acted in their capacity as officials of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security during Bob’s abduction, detention, and probable death.”
IRAN’S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES
Mohammad Baseri, left, and Ahmad Khazai. The FBI is seeking more information about both Iranian intelligence officers, who they allege played a role in the disappearance of American Robert Levinson.(FBI)
“For nearly 18 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of Bob’s whereabouts despite senior intelligence officials authorizing Bob’s abduction and detention and launching a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime,” the FBI added.
The Treasury Department sanctioned both officers in December 2020.
TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING
The FBI said it received this image of Robert Levinson in April 2011, four years after his disappearance.(FBI)
“According to the designation, Baseri has been involved in counterespionage activities inside and outside Iran, as well as sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security issues. He has worked directly with intelligence officials from other countries to harm U.S. interests,” the FBI said. “Khazai has led MOIS delegations to other countries to assess security situations.”
The FBI released seeking information posters Tuesday regarding Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai.(FBI)
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A $5 million reward is still being offered by the FBI for information leading to Levinson’s location, recovery and return.
Ugandan officials confirmed an Ebola outbreak in the east African country’s capital, Kampala, last week.
One nurse died on Jan. 29, and Ugandan authorities have confirmed two other Ebola cases as of the announcement of the outbreak.
The World Health Organization director for Africa said Uganda has started a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.
Uganda has begun a trial vaccination program for the strain of Ebola viral infection that is behind the country’s latest outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while the number of confirmed cases has risen to three.
Last week, the east African country announced an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, with a single case, a nurse who died on Jan. 29.
CDC ORDERED TO IMMEDIATELY STOP COLLABORATING WITH WHO AFTER TRUMP BEGINS PROCESS FOR US WITHDRAWAL
The total number of cases has now risen to three, with the two additional cases from the family of the deceased man, Ministry of Health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona told Reuters late on Monday.
In a post on the X platform late on Monday, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director for Africa, said Uganda had also started a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola.
A Ugandan doctor attends to a patient who had tested positive during the launch of the vaccination for the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus at the Mulago Guest House isolation center in Kampala, Uganda, on February 3, 2025.(Reuters/Abubaker Lubowa)
Currently, there is no approved vaccine for that strain. The existing vaccination is for the Zaire strain, which is behind a recent outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
“This marks a major milestone in public health emergency response and demonstrates the power of collaboration for global health security,” Moeti said. “If proven effective, the vaccine will further strengthen measures to protect communities from future outbreaks.”
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Bruce Kirenga, who heads Makerere Lung Institute, a research organization that is doing the trial, told local media during the launch of the vaccination that it had been developed by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and that the institute had received about 2,460 doses.
The health ministry last week said that the trial would target contacts of confirmed cases.
A high-fatality disease, Ebola infection symptoms include hemorrhage, headache and muscle pains. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue.
At least four people were injured during a school shooting in central Sweden on Tuesday, according to police reports.
The condition of those injured remains unclear, and it is not known whether the shooter is among them. Police say the shooting took place at the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, and they are urging local residents to stay away from the area.
“A major operation is currently underway at a school in Västhaga, Orebro,” Swedish police said in a statement online, urging residents “to stay away from the Västhaga area.”
“The operation concerns threats of deadly violence,” police added.
THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS RALLY ACROSS IRAQ FOR A 2ND DAY TO CONDEMN THE BURNING OF A QURAN IN SWEDEN
Police officers are seen at the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, on Feb. 4, 2025, following reports of a serious violent crime. Four people were shot at a school in the Swedish city of Orebro on Tuesday, police said, while adding that a large operation was still ongoing, urging people to stay away from the area.(KICKI NILSSON)
Police have made no statements regarding a potential motive for the shooting.
Police said they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night at an apartment building in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, and found a man with gunshot wounds who later died.
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Prosecutors said five people were arrested the following night on suspicion of murder. They said all were adults but gave no further details.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
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TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday is geared toward bolstering ties with and securing guarantees from the Trump administration primarily over Iran and the war against Hamas, according to current and former Israeli officials.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic visit to Washington will mark a significant moment in Israel-U.S. relations, setting a tone of close cooperation and friendship between the Israeli government and the Trump administration,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News Digital.
“The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in President Trump’s second term, and his visit will spur bilateral efforts to promote security and prosperity in the U.S., Israel and the Middle East,” he added.
AMERICAN AMONG THREE HOSTAGES FREED FROM TERROR’S GRIP AFTER NEARLY 500 DAYS
Benjamin Netanyahu leaves Israel for a meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., February 2025.
Leiter, appearing on “America’s Newsroom” last week, told Dana Perino that Iran would be front and center during the Trump-Netanyahu meeting. “We will make the point that to allow Tehran to maintain its nuclear capabilities, which they can raise very quickly toward nuclear weapons, is simply unacceptable,” he stated.
Netanyahu was last at the White House on July 25, 2024, with then-President Biden having only invited the Israeli leader some 20 months after his re-election. This was widely viewed as a snub by Biden, whose party has increasingly distanced itself from traditional bipartisan support for the Jewish state.
Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was “telling” Trump chose to meet him first, describing it as “a testimony to the strength of the American-Israeli alliance.”
Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was “telling” Trump chose to meet him first.(Prime Minister’s Office)
“This meeting will deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region, victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis and all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world,” he said.
There are currently 79 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including six dual US-Israeli citizens. “Regarding agenda terms, Trump will want Netanyahu to proceed to the second phase of the truce agreement with Hamas. This is very difficult for Israel, since this basically leaves the terror group in power in Gaza,” former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told Fox News Digital.
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago estate, in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26, 2024.(Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Trump has said he was “not confident” the ceasefire deal would hold, his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff visited Israel last week and reportedly pushed for the implementation of all three phases. According to Netanyahu, Trump has committed to supporting the resumption of the war if negotiations with Hamas prove “futile.”
“There may also be discussion about the future of the Palestinian issue and ways in which the Trump peace plan unveiled during his first term can be revived, as well as how a normalization push between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be concluded,” Oren said. “I think the major pressure point would be the ‘P’ word, which refers to the Saudis insisting on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Parts of Netanyahu’s coalition and even some within his own party will not discuss the ‘P’ word.”
IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS
The families of the four released hostages reunite with their daughters on Jan. 25, 2025.(IDF Spokesman’ Unit)
On this point, the two leaders may be aligned, with Trump insisting that Gaza be rebuilt “in a different way.” He also indicated his desire to relocate Gazans to Arab countries. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out [Gaza] and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’” he said.
During his first term, Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, which was orchestrated by the Obama administration. However, the Biden administration undid most of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran – consisting primarily of crippling sanctions – by rehashing many Obama-era policies.
“I believe that Trump is prepared to immediately snap back paralyzing sanctions and issue a credible military threat to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for an agreement on its nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile testing and terror financing,” Danny Ayalon, former Israeli deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S., told Fox News Digital.
“If not, the Iranians will be subject to a major operation that may be through an American-led coalition or different structures with or without Israel,” he added, while referencing an Axios report last month that the U.S. president might “either support an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities… or even order a U.S. strike.” However, Ayalon said Trump will express a preference for a diplomatic solution, possibly placing him at odds with Netanyahu.
BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR TRUMP, CABINET PICKS
Hamas terrorists watch on as four hostages are released to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.(TPS-IL)
Ayalon also noted Netanyahu’s appreciation for Trump’s initiative to punish the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the prosecution of the war against Hamas, while suggesting that normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be raised as part of a broader effort to reshape the Middle East.
“A potential economic corridor from Asia to Europe through Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, maybe even the Palestinian Authority, works very well with Trump’s agenda of countering aggressive Chinese expansionism through the Belt and Road Initiative,” Ayalon said.
Other agenda items might include a possible U.S.-backed push to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, also known by Israel as Judea and Samaria – a prospect Netanyahu shelved during Trump’s first term in favor of forging the Abraham Accords – and expanding overall defense ties, including by advancing the American president’s goal of developing an Iron Dome-like missile shield for the United States.
“It is very different from the Biden administration. Of course, it is more aggressive but that’s only part of it. Trump sees the problem of Gaza in a wider perspective” that includes the Saudis, Qataris, Egyptians and other regional players, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hannan Gefen, the former commander of IDF’s elite Unit 8200, told Fox News Digital.
“Trump, in his second term, is repeating his willingness to withdraw from the Kurdish-controlled northeastern part of Syria, which may contrast with Israel’s interest,” he explained. “In Lebanon, there might be a disagreement if Israel sees Hezbollah [violating the ceasefire and] regaining power, and wants to strike terror bases. Regarding the Houthis in Yemen, Israel and the Saudis will try to direct Trump’s policy to be more assertive than Biden was toward the Iranian proxy.”
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Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern city of Rafah on May 9.(AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
While any gaps between the sides will be overshadowed by the pomp and circumstance accompanying a visit by Netanyahu to D.C., Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told Fox News Digital that the prime minister “won’t make any concessions on issues that relate to Israel’s national security.
“Our national interests come above all else – the state has an obligation toward its civilians and the right to defend itself,” Bismuth said. “Fortunately, Trump has a thriving relationship with Israel and is a great friend of ours.”
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has offered for illegal immigrants – of any nationality – facing deportation in the U.S. to be booked in his country’s prison system in exchange for a fee.
This proposal comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Bukele at his lakeside country house outside San Salvador on Monday.
“We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” Bukele wrote on X Monday night. “We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”
Rubio said the Salvadoran president “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”
RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA
Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.(AP)
“We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio told reporters, referring to illegal immigrants behind bars in U.S. prisons. “And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.”
While Bukele did extend the offer to include violent American criminals, it is highly unlikely that part of the offer would actually happen, since it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens. A U.S. official said the Trump administration has no plans to deport American citizens, but noted that Bukele’s offer was significant.
The proposal with El Salvador, known as a “safe third country” agreement, could potentially be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them, and Rubio said Bukele offered to accept detainees of any nationality.
Bukele also said he would take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members in the U.S. illegally, and promised to accept and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens from any country, especially those affiliated with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.
Manuel Flores, the secretary general of the leftist opposition party Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, argued that the “safe third country” plan would paint the region as the U.S. government’s “backyard to dump the garbage.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA WILL TAKE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BACK
Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.(AP)
Rubio was visiting El Salvador to push for more help in supporting President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan. He arrived in San Salvador shortly after watching a U.S.-funded deportation flight carrying 43 illegal immigrants leave from Panama for Colombia.
The deportation flight had 32 men and 11 women detained by Panamanian authorities after illegally crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia. The State Department said the deportations send a message of deterrence.
“Mass migration is one of the great tragedies in the modern era,” Rubio said afterward. “It impacts countries throughout the world. We recognize that many of the people who seek mass migration are often victims and victimized along the way, and it’s not good for anyone.”
Rubio is nearly half way done with his Central America tour after Monday’s visit to El Salvador.(AP)
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Rubio’s trip comes during a sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders that have shut down taxpayer-funded programs targeting illegal immigration and crime in Central America. The State Department said that the secretary had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting.
The secretary will continue to urge foreign leaders to do more to help the U.S. combat illegal immigration, including in his next stops in Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, which are part of his five-nation Central American tour following the visits to Panama and El Salvador.
Mexican drug cartels are ordering their members to target U.S. Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives amid a crackdown at the southern border by the Trump administration.
An internal memo titled “Officer Safety Alert” cited social media posts and other sources for the warning to federal agents, the New York Post reported. Agents were reminded to be “cognizant of their surroundings” and should be wearing their ballistic armor and utilizing their long firearms.
MEXICO AGREES TO DEPLOY 10,000 TROOPS TO US BORDER IN EXCHANGE FOR TARIFF PAUSE
Rival drug cartels exchange gunfire in Mexico. (Fox News)(Fox News)
“On February 1, 2025, the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center (EPT-IOC) received information advising that Mexican cartel leaders have authorized the deployment of drones equipped with explosives to be used against US Border Patrol agents and US military personnel currently working along the border with Mexico,” the memo, obtained by the newspaper, states.
“It is recommended that all US Border Patrol agents and DoD personnel working along the border report any sighting of drones to their respective leadership staff and the EPT-IOC,” it said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
News Nation, which first reported the memo, reported TikTok posts and other social media sites used by Mexican drug cartels have also advised illegal immigrants to spit and urinate on ICE agents and defecate in their vehicles.
Other posts have urged assassins to target border personnel.
NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING
U.S. Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas last week.(Texas Department of Public Safety)
Last week, Border Patrol agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. The cartel members fled Mexico because of a military presence and sought refuge on an island between Mexico and the U.S., DPS said.
The warning comes as the Trump administration has launched deportation raids targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records and enacted tougher measures to secure the southern border.
Cartel leaders have realized a proactive U.S. presence on the border could cut into their drug and human smuggling profits, the memo showed, according to the Post.
Last week, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, suggested the idea of the U.S. green-lighting private parties to target drug cartels for profit.
“Congress could issue letters of marque and reprisal authorizing private security firms or specially trained civilians to intercept cartel operations, particularly those involving drug shipments or human trafficking across borders,” Lee wrote on X. “Focus on disrupting supply lines, capturing high-value targets, or seizing assets like boats, vehicles, cash, gold, or equipment used in criminal activities.”
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near Sasabe, Arizona. Agents are reportedly being targeted by Mexican drug cartels amid a crackdown by the Trump administration to secure the southern border. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Lee suggested it would lower costs to American taxpayers, since privateers would be paid a portion of what they capture and bring back to the U.S.
