A 17-year-old girl from Bribie Island, just north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, died Monday after being bitten by a shark nearly 100 meters offshore, according to reports.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Charlize Zmuda, a member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club, was bitten on her arm by a shark while swimming about 100 meters off the beach.
She was reportedly helped in, Nine News reported, where crews from the Queensland Ambulance Service eventually met her.
The stretch of beach where Zmuda was injured, Woorim Beach, is an unpatrolled stretch of sand, and crews met her there at about 4:45 p.m. local time. The area is popular with off-road enthusiasts and campers.
SHARKS: 12 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE MARINE FISH
FILE – A large white shark looks straight into the camera. Captured in the clear blue waters of South Australia. Three great whites were pinged this week off the coast of the southeast United States, researchers said. (iStock)
While paramedics and witnesses tried to save her life, the wounds to her upper body were reportedly so significant that she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Queensland Police Department will prepare a report for the coroner, according to the local outlets.
The publication reported that drumlines are used in the area where the reported attack took place, to attract and catch sharks in an effort to reduce the risk of shark attacks.
SWIMMING IN A SHARK’S HOME: TIPS FROM AN EXPERT FOR AVOIDING AND SURVIVING AN ATTACK
A map pinpointing Bribie Island in Queensland where a teenager reportedly died after being bitten by a shark.(Google Maps)
It was not immediately clear if the drumlines were baited when Zmuda was attacked.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club for more information about Zmuda as well as the types of sharks that typically come through the waters, though the club did not respond.
Still, the Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, called the attack “devastating.”
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“What happened on Woorim Beach at Bribie Island late yesterday is devastating,” Crisafulli said in a post on X. “For someone so young to lose their life in a shark attack is an unimaginable tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and Bribie community. Thank you to our first responders who were on the scene.”
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.
Excluding Ukraine from U.S.-led talks involving the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv’s eastern front would set a “dangerous” precedent to dictators across the globe, warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“If there will be direct talks between America and Russia without Ukraine, it is very dangerous, I think,” Zelenskyy said in a Saturday interview with the Associated Press. “They may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us – it is dangerous for everyone.”
Zelenskyy argued that doing so would validate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion and “show that he was right” because he received “impunity” and “compromise.”
“This will mean that anyone can act like this. And this will be a signal to other leaders of the big countries who think about [doing]… something similar,” he said.
ZELENSKYY PRAISES TRUMP FOR ‘JUST AND FAIR’ RHETORIC TOWARD RUSSIA: ‘EXACTLY WHAT PUTIN IS AFRAID OF’
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024.(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
The Ukrainian president’s comments came before President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested that his administration had already begun talks with Moscow and claimed they were “going pretty well.”
“We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia. And I think those discussions are actually going pretty well,” he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
On Friday, Trump refused to say whether he had spoken directly with Putin and wouldn’t detail who in his administration had begun talks with Moscow, though he insisted the two sides were “already talking” and had engaged in “very serious” discussions.
Speaking with Fox News on Friday, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg said, “Everybody is pulling together” on ending the three-year-long war in Ukraine.
“It’s important because we realize it is actually in our national security interest to get this war resolved,” Kellogg said. “When you look at the money the United States has provided, which is over $174 billion, when you look at the alliance that has now formed with Russia, with North Korea, with China and Iran – that wasn’t there before.”
Ukrainian infantrymen with the 28th Brigade take cover along the frontline on March 5, 2023, outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine.(John Moore/Getty Images)
TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY IS READY TO NEGOTIATE A DEAL TO END WAR WITH RUSSIA
Despite the U.S. pledge to send Ukraine more than $175 billion worth of military aid, Zelenskyy said over the weekend that Ukraine hasn’t received anywhere near this much support, telling the Associated Press that in terms of military aid, Kyiv has only received some $75 billion worth.
It remains unclear where the remainder $100 billion in military support has gone, and the White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s questions on the matter.
Kellogg also told Fox News that Trump “will lead” the negotiations and said, “I think most people should be very comfortable in the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows where to apply pressure, where not to apply pressure. But more importantly, that he will create leverage, leverage both with Ukrainians and the Russians.”
The special envoy didn’t specify how Trump will apply this pressure to both Moscow and Kyiv, though Putin and Zelenskyy have made clear that negotiating on Ukraine joining the NATO alliance is a non-starter.
Zelenskyy argued Trump could get Putin to the negotiating table by threatening to increase sanctions on Russia’s energy and banking systems, along with continued military aid to Ukraine.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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The Ukrainian president also argued that Trump should back Ukraine’s push to join the NATO security alliance as it would be the “cheapest” option for Ukraine’s allies.
Ukraine’s admittance into the NATO alliance would likely protect Kyiv against the threat of another Russian invasion, as it would grant the country security guarantees under Article Five, which says an attack on one nation “shall be considered an attack against them all.”
However, Putin has long threatened nuclear escalation should Ukraine be granted admittance to the international security alliance.
Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
North Korea is criticizing Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s description of the country as a “rogue state,” calling it “nonsense” while vowing to take “tough counteraction” to any provocations from the Trump administration.
Rubio made the remark last week during an appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” where he was speaking about the goals of U.S. foreign policy.
“It’s not normal for the world to simply have a unipolar power. That was not – that was an anomaly. It was a product of the end of the Cold War, but eventually you were going to reach back to a point where you had a multipolar world, multi-great powers in different parts of the planet. We face that now with China and to some extent Russia, and then you have rogue states like Iran and North Korea you have to deal with,” Rubio said, according to the State Department.
North Korea’s foreign ministry said in response that Rubio “talked nonsense by terming the DPRK a ‘rogue state’ while enumerating the foreign policy of the new U.S. administration.”
TRUMP’S ‘DENUCLEARIZATION’ SUGGESTION WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA: HOW WOULD IT WORK?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.(Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
“The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK deems the U.S. State Secretary’s hostile remarks to thoughtlessly tarnish the image of a sovereign state as a grave political provocation totally contrary to the principle of international law which regards respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other’s internal affairs as its core and strongly denounces and rejects it,” read a statement published by North Korean state media.
“Rubio’s coarse and nonsensical remarks only show directly the incorrect view of the new U.S. administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the U.S. interests as he wishes,” the statement added, taking a swipe at the Trump administration.
NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS IN RUSSIA RESORT TO SUICIDE AMID CAPTURE OF FIRST POWS BY UKRAINE
President Donald Trump, right, met with Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018 during Trump’s first term as president.(AP/Evan Vucci)
“We will never tolerate any provocation of the U.S., which has been always hostile to the DPRK and will be hostile to it in the future, too, but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual,” it concluded.
Rubio said during the interview that “now more than ever, we need to remember that foreign policy should always be about furthering the national interest of the United States and doing so, to the extent possible, avoiding war and armed conflict, which we have seen two times in the last century be very costly.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, waves after being welcomed by Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha, left, upon his arrival at the presidential palace in Panama City on Sunday, Feb. 2. Panama is Rubio’s first trip abroad as secretary of State.(AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
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“They’re celebrating the 80th anniversary this year of the end of the Second World War. That – I think if you look at the scale and scope of destruction and loss of life that occurred, it would be far worse if we had a global conflict now. It may end life on the planet,” he also said. “And it sounds like hyperbole, but that’s – you have multiple countries now who have the capability to end life on Earth. And so we need to really work hard to avoid armed conflict as much as possible, but never at the expense of our national interest. So that’s the tricky balance.”
More than 200 undersea earthquakes have been recorded near Aegean Sea islands, popular summer vacation destinations, over the past three days.
Local authorities are taking precautions, including deploying emergency crews, banning access to some seaside areas near cliffs and instructing hotels to drain swimming pools.
Greek experts say the quakes are not linked to Santorini’s volcano, which was the source of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history more than 3,500 years ago.
Schools were closed and emergency crews deployed on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini on Monday after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake.
Precautions were also ordered on several nearby Aegean Sea islands — all popular summer vacation destinations — after more than 200 undersea earthquakes were recorded in the area over the past three days.
“We have a very intense geological phenomenon to handle,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said from Brussels, where he was attending a European meeting. “I want to ask our islanders first and foremost to remain calm, to listen to the instructions of the Civil Protection (authority).”
EARTHQUAKE OFF COAST OF MAINE SHAKES NORTHEAST
Mobile phones on the island blared with alert warnings about the potential for rockslides, while several earthquakes caused loud rumbles. Authorities banned access to some seaside areas, including the island’s old port, that are in close proximity to cliffs.
“These measures are precautionary, and authorities will remain vigilant,” Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said late Sunday following an emergency government meeting in Athens. “We urge citizens to strictly adhere to safety recommendations to minimize risk.”
While Greek experts say the quakes, many with magnitudes over 4.5, are not linked to Santorini’s volcano, they acknowledge that the pattern of seismic activity is cause for concern.
The volcanic island of Nea Kameni, left, is seen from Fira, Santorini’s main town, as Greek authorities take emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island in Greece, on Feb. 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Government officials met with scientists throughout the weekend and on Monday to assess the situation, while schools were also ordered shut on the nearby islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios.
Residents are concerned
The frequency of the quakes, which continued throughout Sunday night and into Monday, has worried residents and visitors.
“I have never felt anything like this and with such frequency — an earthquake every 10 or 20 minutes. Everyone is anxious even if some of us hide it not to cause panic, but everyone is worried,” said Michalis Gerontakis, who is also the director of the Santorini Philharmonic Orchestra.
“We came out yesterday and performed. Despite the earthquakes, the philharmonic performed for a religious occasion,” Gerontakis said. “When you are playing, you cannot feel the quakes but there were earthquakes when we were at the church. No one can know what will happen. People can say whatever they like, but that has no value. You cannot contend with nature.”
Residents and visitors were advised to avoid large indoor gatherings and areas where rock slides could occur, while hotels were instructed to drain swimming pools to reduce potential building damage from an earthquake.
Fire service rescuers who arrived on the island on Sunday set up yellow tents as a staging area inside a basketball court next to the island’s main hospital.
“We arrived last night, a 26-member team of rescuers and one rescue dog,” said fire brigadier Ioannis Billias, adding that many residents, including entire families, spent the night in their cars.
Some residents and local workers headed to travel agents seeking plane or ferry tickets to leave the island.
“We’ve had earthquakes before but never anything like this. This feels different,” said Nadia Benomar, a Moroccan tour guide who has lived on the island for 19 years. She bought a ferry ticket Monday for the nearby island of Naxos.
“I need to get away for a few days until things calm down,” she said.
Tourists pass by closed shops in Fira town as Greek authorities prepare for a potential earthquake following the detection of more than 200 undersea earthquakes nearby, on the island of Santorini, Greece, on Feb. 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Others said they were willing to take the risk. Restaurant worker Yiannis Fragiadakis had been away but said he returned to Santorini on Sunday despite the earthquakes.
“I wasn’t afraid. I know that people are really worried and are leaving, and when I got to the port it was really busy, it was like the summer,” Fragiadakis said. “I plan to stay and hopefully the restaurant will start working (for the holiday season) in three weeks.”
South Korean tourist Soo Jin Kim, from Seoul, arrived Sunday on a family vacation.
“We had dinner last night at the hotel and felt mild shakes about 10 times. But at midnight we felt a big one, a big shake, so I checked the news report. We are half-worried and half-looking to see what the situation is,” she said, adding she didn’t plan to change her travel plans.
Santorini volcano blew up 3,500 years ago
Crescent-shaped Santorini is a premier tourism destination with daily arrivals via commercial flights, ferries, and cruise ships. The island draws more than 3 million visitors annually to its whitewashed villages built along dramatic cliffs formed by a massive volcanic eruption — considered to be one of the largest in human history — more than 3,500 years ago.
That eruption, which occurred around 1620 B.C., destroyed a large part of the island, blanketed a wide area in feet of ash and is believed to have contributed to the decline of the ancient Minoan civilization, which had flourished in the region.
Although it is still an active volcano, the last notable eruption occurred in 1950.
Prominent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the current earthquake sequence – displayed on live seismic maps as a growing cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi — could indicate a larger impending event.
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“All scenarios remain open,” Papadopoulos wrote in an online post. “The number of tremors has increased, magnitudes have risen, and epicenters have shifted northeast. While these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the risk level has escalated.”
In Santorini’s main town of Fira, local authorities designated gathering points for residents in preparation for a potential evacuation, though Mayor Nikos Zorzos emphasized the preventive nature of the measures.
“We are obliged to make preparations. But being prepared for something does not mean it will happen,” he said during a weekend briefing. “Sometimes, the way the situation is reported, those reports may contain exaggerations… so people should stay calm.”
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JOHANNESBURG – President Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to cut off all foreign aid to South Africa because he claimed it is “confiscating” land “and treating certain classes of people very badly” in “a massive human rights violation” has provoked strong reaction from the South African presidency and commentators.
“The South African government has not confiscated any land”, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responded in a statement, adding “We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest. We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters”.
Last week, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law permitting national, provincial and local authorities to expropriate land – to take it -“for a public purpose or in the public interest,” and, the government stated “subject to just and equitable compensation being paid”. However, sources say no expropriation has happened yet.
SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, center left, waves as he walks past Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, during a family photo session in front of the Osaka Castle at the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019.(Tomohiro Ohsumi/AFP via Getty Images)
On his Truth Social Media platform, President Trump hit out at South Africa, posting “It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump later repeated his comments while speaking to the press on Sunday night at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Pieter du Toit, assistant editor of South African media group News 24, posted on X “The U.S. President, clearly advised by Elon Musk, really has no idea what he’s talking about.”
South African-born Musk is trying to expand his Starlink internet service into South Africa, but President Ramaphosa has reportedly told him he must sell off 30% of his company here to local broad-based so-called Black empowerment interests.
In response to the South African president’s statement, Musk fired back on X, asking Ramaphosa, “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?”
INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOES
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to supporters during the ANC Siyanqoba Rally held at FNB Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Johannesburg.(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Analyst Frans Cronje told Fox News Digital that President Trump may be referring to the ongoing killing of farmers in South Africa when he posted that certain classes of people are being treated very badly.
“President Trump’s recent comments on land seizures in South Africa cannot be divorced from his past comments on violent attacks directed at the country’s farmers. Whilst these comments have often been dismissed as false, the latest South African data suggests that the country’s commercial farmers are six times more likely to be violently attacked in their homes than is the case for the general population.”
Cronje said there may be agendas in play behind President Trump’s statements.
“Such seizures may also apply to the property of American investors in South Africa. Cronje is an adviser at the U.S. Yorktown Foundation for Freedom. He added “with regards to land specifically, the legislation could enable the mass seizure of land which has been an oft expressed objective of senior political figures in the country. To date, however, there have been no mass seizures, in part because there was no legislative means through which to achieve such seizures.”
Farmers inspect show sheep at the Philippolis Show in Philippolis, South Africa, on Nov. 1, 2024.(Photo by PAUL BOTES/AFP via Getty Images)
Now, with the bill having been signed into law, Cronje says that has changed.
“The comments around property rights in South Africa must be read against broader and bipartisan US concern at developments in South Africa. In 2024 the US/South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act was introduced (in Congress) amid concerns that the South African government’s relationships with Iran, Russia, and China threatened US national security interests.”
Cronje, who also advises corporations and government departments on economic and political trajectory, continued. “Last week, South Africa’s government, together with that of Cuba, Belize and four other countries supported the formation of the ‘Hague Group’ in an apparent move to shore up the standing of the International Criminal Court, amid the passage through Congress of the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act that prescribes sanctions against any country that is seen to use the court to threaten US national security interests. South Africa has in recent years been prominent in employing both that court and the International Court of Justice in the Hague to press for action against Israel and Israeli leaders.”
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and President Donald Trump. Trump has criticized South Africa’s new land expropriation law.(Evan Vucci/AP/RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP via Getty Images)
South Africa’s Ramaphosa played down the importance of U.S. aid, stating “with the exception of PEPFAR (The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) Aid, which constitutes 17% of South Africa’s HIVAids program, there is no other significant funding that is provided by the United States in South Africa.” President George W. Bush introduced PEPFAR in 2003.
Analyst Justice Malala, also speaking on ENCA, said that, under the Trump administration, “the United States is going to upend South Africa in many ways.”
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JERUSALEM – The seeming alliance between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Hezbollah terrorist movement is adding greater urgency to calls for the Trump administration to pull the plug on its generous aid to the LAF, some analysts charge.
“Hezbollah and the Lebanese army are the same,” Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, told Fox News Digital. Cohen, a researcher at the Eitan Center, added, “Trump must not fund the Lebanese.” He noted the Lebanese army gave Hezbollah intelligence information about Israel.
The London-based Times newspaper reported last week that an LAF chief sent a classified document to Hezbollah. The LAF‘s Suhil Bahij Gharb, who oversees military intelligence for southern Lebanon, secured the confidential material from a military facility run by the U.S., France and the U.N. interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the newspaper reported.
LEBANON’S NEW PRESIDENT STRIKES A NATIONALISTIC TONE AMID REGIONAL SHIFTS, FURTHER WEAKENING OF HEZBOLLAH
Lebanese soldiers take security measures as the Israeli army extended the deadline for its withdrawal from the southern region of Lebanon on Jan. 26, 2025.(Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. State Department posted a fact sheet about USA-LAF cooperation. “Since 2006, U.S. investments of more than $3 billion to the LAF enabled the Lebanese military to be a stabilizing force against regional threats,” noted the document.
A senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital that “Nothing really has been honored by Hezbollah since 2006” and “Lebanon has a chance because Israel destroyed Hezbollah’s leadership.” The official added there is a “historic opportunity” with President Aoun. In early January, the Lebanese Parliament elected the commander of the LAF, Joseph Aoun, as president of Lebanon.
The growing questions over the U.S.-LAF partnership come at a time when the U.S. agreed to Israel’s request to extend the ceasefire arrangement between Jerusalem and Hezbollah until Feb. 18. The U.S. government said in a statement, “The Government of Lebanon, the Government of Israel, and the Government of the United States will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023.”
Hezbollah, however, seeks to inflame the fragile ceasefire, according to Israeli experts.
AP reported that Israeli forces killed two people and wounded 17 last Monday, according to Lebanese health officials. Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Kassem said his group won’t accept the extension of the ceasefire – a stinging indictment of the Lebanese government that agreed to extend the pause in combat.
CHRISTIAN LEADER IN LEBANON URGES US, ALLIES TO INTERVENE TO STOP HEZBOLLAH
President Joseph Aoun reviews an honor guard upon his arrival at the Lebanese Parliament, in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
“Israel has to withdraw because the 60 days are over,” Kassem said. “We won’t accept any excuses to extend one second or one day.”
“Any delay in the withdrawal is the responsibility of the United Nations, the U.S., France and Israel,” he added.
Last week, pro-Hezbollah Shiite residents of southern Lebanon defied Israeli army orders and sought to storm into their villages. As a result, at least 22 people were killed and 124 others injured by Israeli forces, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Hezbollah has used the Shiite villages and residents to attack Israelis since its ally, Hamas, massacred over 1,200 people in southern Israel. Hezbollah launched its attack one day after the Hamas invasion.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Fox News Digital about the fast-moving developments in Lebanon that there is “nothing new on that front except what you saw from PMO.”
The PMO is an abbreviation for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Fox News Digital reported on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the Lebanese government, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.”
When asked about the collusion between the LAF and Hezbollah, the IDF spokesperson said, “We won’t comment on that.”
Walid Phares, a leading expert on Hezbollah and Lebanon, told Fox News Digital, “It is clear that Hezbollah has had a massive opposition to its military presence in Lebanon at least since May 2008 when they invaded half of the capital and parts of the mountain to bring down the government of the ‘Cedars revolution’ after the Syrian withdrawal in 2005.”
ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS
Israeli soldiers raise their fists from a moving APC in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border, Oct. 1, 2024.(AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Phares, who has previously advised candidate Trump, added, “In Washington, D.C., there is a debate about arming or not the Lebanese army. Hezbollah has a lot of influence in the LAF. Some lawmakers want to stop the support to the army, others preach that maintaining that support will keep it away from Hezbollah.”
He recommended a new policy: “Rerouting the money to new units in the Lebanese army dedicated only to disarm Hezbollah. These units should report to the command of the army and the president of the republic and should be funded on projects only.”
Phares said, “When Israel eliminated the leadership of the terror militia most Lebanese hoped it was the moment to end Hezbollah and have the army disarm it. People hoped Lebanon will be able to free itself and join the Abraham Accords. But again, the Biden administration didn’t help because of the Iran deal.”
Foreign policy critics of the Biden administration argued that he was wedded to the Iran nuclear deal and did not want to pick fights with Iranian regime allies, so he rekindled the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Tehran. Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal because, he argued, it did not stop Tehran from building a nuclear bomb.
An arch glorifying Hezbollah and Iranian leaders decorates a street of Beirut’s southern suburb on Jan. 16, 2011.(Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, president and founder of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital, “Hezbollah is coming back in south Lebanon [and is] opposed to the arrangement. The Lebanese Army is not fulfilling its mission to deploy effectively in south Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from coming back.”
A spokesman for Lebanon’s embassy referred Fox News Digital to a spokesperson in Beirut, who did not answer multiple press queries.
Zehavi, who lives close to the Lebanese border, said, “We did not see the Lebanese Army disarming Hezbollah. Hezbollah is coming back to those towns. If there are still weapons in those towns, I believe there is, it means that they will be capable of executing terror attacks.”
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She said, “It is within the interests of Hezbollah to cause death, to cause friction to its own Lebanese civilians. And to present the IDF as a force that should not be in Lebanon.” She warned, “We should not fall into the fake message of Hezbollah.” Zehavi said after the second war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel it was agreed that Hezbollah should not be in south Lebanon. UNIFIL has ignored the Hezbollah military buildup since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, according to Israel.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital press query about whether the American government will end aid to the LAF.
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Panama’s president vowed Sunday to end a key development deal with China after meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and after complaints from President Donald Trump that the Latin American country had ceded control over its critical shipping canal to Beijing.
José Raúl Mulino, Panama’s president, said his nation’s sovereignty over the 51-mile waterway, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, will remain unchanged. But he said he would not renew a 2017 memorandum of understanding to join China’s Belt and Road global development initiative and that Panama would instead look to work more closely with the U.S.
“I think this visit opens the door to build new relations … and try to increase as much as possible U.S. investments in Panama,” Mulino told reporters after meeting with Rubio on his first international trip since being confirmed.
Rubio, who was a senator representing Florida before Trump tapped him to be America’s top diplomat, said his team is ready to push the U.S. agenda.
‘TAKING IT BACK’: INTERNAL HOUSE GOP MEMO OUTLINES CASE FOR TRUMP TO Y PANAMA CANAL
“Had the pleasure of meeting the incredible @USEmbPAN team during my first embassy meet and greet in my new role as Secretary of State!” Rubio wrote in a post on X. “Thankful for their dedication and ongoing efforts to promoting President Trump’s vision of an America First foreign policy.”
During his visit, Rubio wrote in a post on X that “the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area.”
Trump has complained that China exerts control over the canal and charges U.S. ships six-figure premiums to cross Panama’s isthmus. The canal was built over several decades by the U.S. and completed in 1914 but handed over to Panama during the Carter administration.
Trump has made regaining ownership of the Panama Canal a priority in his administration. House Republicans introduced a bill for the United States to repurchase the Panama Canal after Trump raised concerns that the critical waterway is under Chinese control.
The bill, named the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, was introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a member of the Select Committee on China and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal,” Johnson said in a statement. “China’s interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern. America must project strength abroad – owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe.”
HOUSE REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE BILL TO REPURCHASE PANAMA CANAL AFTER TRUMP RAISES CONCERNS OF CHINESE CONTROL
Panama announced it won’t renew the Belt and Road Initiative with China after Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the country.(Reuters)
If it becomes law, the bill would give the president authority to act in coordination with the secretary of state to “initiate and conduct negotiations with appropriate counterparts of the Government of the Republic of Panama to reacquire the Panama Canal.”
CHINA’S INFLUENCE ON PANAMA CANAL POSES ‘ACUTE RISKS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY,’ SEN CRUZ WARNS
President Donald Trump has expressed concern that the Panama Canal is being controlled by China.(Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of State estimates around 72% of all vessels that travel through the Panama Canal are coming from or going to a U.S. port.
Noting the canal’s strategic importance to the United States, Johnson’s office also noted how the waterway is a key transit point for U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels.
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Without access to the canal, ships would be forced to travel 8,000 additional miles around South America.
“More than 10,000 ships use the Panama Canal each year, generating billions of dollars of tolls which would economically benefit America,” Johnson’s office said.
While the canal and China’s role in the region topped the agenda, Rubio had other items to raise.
“We also discussed efforts to end the hemisphere’s mass migration crisis and ensure fair competition for U.S. firms,” Rubio added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
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FIRST ON FOX: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was jailed last month on charges of corruption, is being compared by supporters to President Donald Trump given the way they say authorities in Pakistan have persecuted him.
Many have linked his situation to Trump’s and blamed the government for jailing the popular former prime minister. Khan’s plight has also been highlighted by longtime Trump ally and adviser Richard Grenell, who took to social media late last year when he tweeted, “Free Imran Khan!”
A Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 and seven years in jail after finding them guilty of corruption. They were convicted for allegedly accepting land as a bribe through the Al-Qadir Trust, which they had set up while Khan was in office. Khan, however, maintains his innocence, describing the events as a “witch hunt” in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital. It is just one of the more than 100 cases he is facing.
PAKISTANI COURT SENTENCES EX-PM IMRAN KHAN AND HIS WIFE TO 14 AND 7 YEARS IN PRISON IN GRAFT CASE
President Donald Trump greets Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, July 22, 2019.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
In response to Fox News Digital questions about Khan’s conviction, Pakistan’s federal minister for information and broadcasting, Ata Ullah TararIn, defended Khan’s conviction. “The 190 million pound case is one of the biggest corruption cases in the history of Pakistan, and it is a mega scam in which former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been found to be guilty. There is irrefutable evidence that they not only used the official position to grant illegal favor to a property tycoon, but they also received gratification and formed a sham trust in order to grant this favor to a property tycoon.”
He continued, “This is corruption of the highest order, and the former prime minister has been convicted on the basis of irrefutable evidence of corruption and this, this scam, which is the biggest scam in the history of Pakistan, has reached its legal conclusion.”
Khan has denied the charges and says his 2023 arrest and consequent sentencing was a plot to stop him from returning to office.
Supporters of Imran Khan chant slogans during a protest against the Pakistan Election Commission, in Lahore, Pakistan, March 10, 2024.(AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Khan’s responses to Fox News Digital questions came via his spokespeople, who communicated them with the former prime minister. Khan noted the parallels between himself and Trump, saying the two shared similar experiences. “The world today needs steadfast leadership that champions peace, democracy, and human rights, and I hope that his leadership can contribute to that vision”.
Trump’s and Khan’s experiences with the authorities share are a key similarity, but their stories mirror each other in ways that go beyond just that.
While Trump transformed the U.S. political scene with his “Make America Great Again” movement, Khan energized Pakistanis with his “Naya Pakistan” (New Pakistan) vision. And in a manner similar to Trump, Khan did away with the elitism of politics, focusing on the average person instead.
Khan told Fox News Digital that his political party “is an inclusive party that represents the diverse fabric of Pakistan.” He noted that while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was initially perceived as a party of the educated elite, that notion was “quickly dispelled.”
FORMER PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES BY POLICE
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, his wife, speak to the media at an office of Lahore High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, on July 17, 2023.(AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
Khan continued, the “PTI resonates with people from all walks of life – rural and urban, middle class and marginalized – and it’s because our policies prioritize inclusion, merit and justice.” He added, “We represent all provinces, castes and religions, ensuring that every voice has a place in shaping Pakistan’s future. This inclusivity is what makes us the largest national party, uniting Pakistan under the principles of equity and fairness.”
Zuhair Ahmed, a waiter from Lahore, told Fox News Digital, “Imran Khan resonates with a diverse crowd from all ethnic groups and religious sects. We have never seen a leader who has this much grassroots support-base. That’s the beauty of it, and we are confident that he will return to power and make the country better.”
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the political party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, hold a rally on Jan. 14, 2024.(AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
PAKISTAN PREPARES FOR PIVOTAL ELECTION AS ONE OF THE LEADING CANDIDATES SERVES JAIL TIME
In Pakistan’s turbulent politics, it has been observed by some analysts that “Allah, the army and America” are the key to rule. Since Trump’s return to office, the South Asian nation has been buzzing with speculation and hope over whether he will force Khan’s release. The two have a friendly relationship, with Trump calling Khan “a very good friend of mine” at a 2020 forum in Davos. The two first met in Washington in July 2019, which at the time was considered a reset for U.S.-Pakistan relations.
Shortly after Trump’s win in November, Grenell wrote on X “Watch Pakistan… Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the U.S. Red Wave. Stop the political prosecutions around the world!”
Richard Grenell has stated on social media his support for freeing Imran Khan.(Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Zulfikar Bukhari, special assistant to Khan, told Fox News Digital “They say Grenell seems to be the second most popular man in Pakistan due to his tweet supporting Khan.” He added that Trump prevailed in a similar situation, and “it’s only a matter of time before Khan also returns.”
Khan tweeted his congratulations to Trump on winning November’s presidential election, noting, “The will of the American people held against all odds.”
When it comes to national priorities, Trump and Khan have put the economy at the forefront. Khan has also asserted that Pakistan will thrive when he makes his comeback. The country’s economy has teetered on the verge of collapse over the past few years.
“Economic diplomacy will be central to my approach. Pakistan is rich in natural resources, yet we have barely scratched the surface of our potential in agriculture, industrialization, and IT,” Khan stated. “These sectors hold immense promise, both domestically and globally.”
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Explaining his aspirations, Khan concluded, “Rather than relying on handouts, we must focus on self-sufficiency and leveraging our strengths to build sustainable economic relationships. With a population of 250 million, what succeeds internally can and should be positioned globally, creating opportunities for trade and investment that benefit the nation and our international partners alike.”
Khan’s message to his supporters and foes alike, “The people of Pakistan have never been more awake or more determined. They see with clarity what is happening to their nation, and they understand the forces at play. I firmly believe that truth and justice will ultimately prevail. And as long as I have breath, I will continue to fight for this cause and for a Pakistan that reflects the will and aspirations of its people.”
A group of powerful Arab nations released a statement on Saturday rejecting President Donald Trump’s proposal that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip be relocated to Egypt and Jordan.
The foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States met in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, and released a joint statement afterward detailing matters that the leadership of the powerful Arab countries agreed upon.
Their agreements included “expressing the continued full support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and their adherence to their legitimate rights under international law.” The statement said the officials “affirmed their rejection of any violation of these inalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, the expulsion and demolition of homes, land annexation, or the displacement of Palestinians from their land.”
“They also rejected any efforts to encourage the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land, under any circumstances or justifications,” the statement, released in English by the Qatari government, said. “Such actions, they noted, threaten regional stability, exacerbate the conflict, and undermine the prospects for peace and coexistence among the region’s peoples.”
ISRAEL ORDERS UNRWA TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN COUNTRY OVER TERROR TIES: ‘MISERABLY FAILED IN ITS MANDATE’
Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
The statement also “welcomes” the cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas that was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
“The participants also expressed their commitment to working with the administration of US President Donald Trump to pursue a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, in line with the two-state solution, and to strive for a conflict-free region,” they said.
Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Friday if he believes that it is a good idea that Egypt and Jordan accept Palestinians from Gaza despite the two countries denying they would do so.
“I think Jordan will take people, yeah, people from Gaza, and I think Egypt will take them also. I mean, I heard somebody said they’re not going to, but I think they will. I feel confident they will,” Trump said.
Israel’s war in Gaza, which was started by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis, is believed to have eliminated most of the terrorist organization’s grip on the region, but the matter of reconstruction and eventually reformed leadership without terrorist control hangs in the balance amid a fragile cease-fire agreement.
Trump first floated the idea of Egypt and Jordan taking in about 1.5 million people from Gaza while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One last month.
“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “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.’”
“It’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there,” Trump said of the destruction caused by the 15-month war. “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
Last week, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza “can’t ever be tolerated or allowed.”
Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi, left, and Saudi foreign minster, Faisal bin Farhan, attend a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
ISRAELI PARLIAMENT BANS UNRWA OVER TERRORISM TIES, FACES INTERNATIONAL BACKLASH
“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he reportedly said at a news conference. “The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place. No.”
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said that his country’s opposition to Trump’s idea was “firm and unwavering.”
The Egyptian government said El-Sisi received a call from Trump on Saturday but did not mention the issue.
“The call fostered a positive discussion between the two Presidents, underscoring the critical importance of advancing the implementation of the first and second phases of the ceasefire agreement, and ensuring the stabilization of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” according to the Egyptian government read-out. “Additionally, the call emphasized the urgent need to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief to the residents of Gaza.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, right, meets with Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at Tahrir palace in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
El-Sisi “reiterated the imperative to reach lasting peace in Middle East,” according to his government. “He affirmed that the international community places its trust in President Trump’s capacity to secure a historic and enduring peace agreement, which would bring an end to the decades-long conflict in the region. This is grounded in President Trump’s commitment to peace, which he underscored in his inaugural address, as a man of peace. President El-Sisi stressed the vital necessity to launch a peace process conducive to a permanent solution in the region.”
Jordan already is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, according to the Associated Press. Egypt has warned of security implications of transferring large numbers of Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, bordering Gaza.
Both countries were the first to make peace with Israel, but they support the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories that Israel captured from Jordan and Egypt in 1967’s Six-Day War.
The Israeli government ordered the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to cease its operations in the country as of Thursday amid allegations the agency is involved with the Hamas terrorist group.
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The Arab nations’ statement Saturday also affirmed “the pivotal, indispensable, and irreplaceable role” of UNRWA and “categorically rejected any attempts to bypass or diminish its role.”
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.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for the U.S. on Sunday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, looking to strengthen ties with the U.S. government following tensions with the Biden administration over the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu departed for Washington amid the ceasefire with Hamas – which includes hostage releases – still in effect and negotiations for a second phase expected to begin this week. He will be the first foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration on Jan. 20.
“The fact that this will be his first meeting with a leader of a foreign country since his inauguration holds great significance for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
HAMAS RELEASES 3 MORE HOSTAGES, INCLUDING US CITIZEN, AS PART OF FRAGILE CEASEFIRE DEAL
President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) as they pose for a photo during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26, 2024.(Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“First of all, it indicates the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States. Secondly, it also reflects the strength of our connection; a connection that has already yielded great things for the State of Israel and the region, and has also brought about the historic peace agreements between Israel and four Arab countries – the ‘Abraham Accords’ that President Trump led,” the prime minister continued.
This comes nearly 16 months after the war in Gaza began, prompted by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel, leading to military retaliation from Israeli forces.
ISRAELI WOMAN BRAVELY DESCRIBES HORROR AS HAMAS HOSTAGE: ‘THEY WERE TAKING PLEASURE IN HURTING ME’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024.(MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“The decisions we made during the war, combined with the bravery of our IDF soldiers, have already changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said. “They have changed it beyond recognition. I believe that with hard work alongside President Trump, we can change it even more for the better.”
“Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better,” he added.
Netanyahu and former U.S. President Joe Biden experienced tension in their relationship during the last administration in Washington, and the Israeli prime minister has not visited the White House since returning to office at the end of 2022.
President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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“We can strengthen Israel’s security, we can expand the circle of peace even further, and we can bring about a wonderful era that we never dreamed of. An era of prosperity, security, and peace from a position of strength,” Netanyahu said. “The strength of our soldiers, the strength of our citizens, the strength of Israel, and the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States.”
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel and Reuters contributed to this report.
