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Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta after hordes of mostly military-aged men rushed into the Spanish enclave from Morocco late last month, Ceuta's president said Thursday.

While speaking from a video call during an extraordinary session of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas also revealed around 100 people died during the surge.

Authorities estimate roughly 80,000 migrants rushed into the territory within a 48-hour period in late July.

Vivas called the border crisis an "invasion" and "one of the most difficult moments in the recent history of our city."

"According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, an 'invasion' should be understood in its second definition as the abnormal or irregular occupation of a specific place," Vivas said, according to a Fox News Digital translation of his remarks, which he gave in Spanish.

AT LEAST 72 DEAD AMID MASS MIGRANT RUSH TO STORM SPANISH ENCLAVE OF CEUTA SPARKING BORDER CRISIS

"That is precisely what occurred on July 30 and 31, when approximately 80,000 people — equivalent to the entire population of Ceuta — stormed into our city. This characterization, moreover, aligns with the statement made by the President of the Government of Spain, who on Friday the 31st, during his visit to Ceuta, stated that we were facing an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity," Vivas continued.

Echoing previous claims from Spain's leftist President Pedro Sánchez and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Vivas acknowledged roughly 75,000 of the migrants had returned to Morocco but added "under no circumstances does it allow us to claim that our city has returned to normal."

"Ceuta has not returned to normal because between 3,000 and 5,000 people who entered during those fateful days of July 30 and 31 still remain," Vivas said. "The reception centers for adult and minor migrants are in a state of collapse, turning the influx into a major humanitarian emergency."

"Added to this are disruptions to public order and a high risk to public safety," he continued. "Furthermore, the morale of Ceuta's residents is severely affected. Our population feels sad, helpless, uneasy, fearful, and worried — and with good reason. It is inevitable to wonder whether this will happen again, and if that next time will be the definitive plunge into the abyss, causing us to cease being what we are: Spain and Europe. It has been exposed to the world that we are extraordinarily vulnerable, and that our security and integrity are in the hands of a third country, Morocco, which does not recognize our sovereignty."

He then proposed a set of actions authorities should take to return the city to normal. The proposals included expelling the remaining Moroccan migrants, provisioning more resources for the city's migrant facilities, and the implementation of a new economic model which he called on to be "More Spain and More Europe."

CEUTA MIGRANT SURGE EXPOSES SPAIN-MOROCCO TENSIONS AS ISLAMIST GROUPS REPORTEDLY SEEK TO EXPLOIT BORDER CRISIS

"We serve a society that has forged its character through courage to endure and the ability to overcome adversity. We are confident it will do so again, though I emphasize that the requested support from European authorities remains indispensable. Thank you very much," Vivas concluded.

Following the border rush between July 30-31, Sánchez called the incident "an attack, a violation of the territorial integrity of Spain."

Fox News Digital contacted the governments of Spain and Ceuta for additional comment.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command vowed Thursday that the U.S. "remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region" after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile.

The launch of the short-range ballistic missile unfolded ahead of large-scale, annual exercises to be conducted by the U.S. and South Korean militaries later this month. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said a projectile from North Korea's eastern Wonsan area was detected around 5 p.m. local time.

"We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies," U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

"The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region," it added.

RUSSIA DEPLOYS NORTH KOREA MISSILE UNIT TO UKRAINE; MOSCOW-PYONGYANG AXIS DEEPENS: REPORT

South Korea's military bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the U.S. and Japan in the wake of the event, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the missile landed in the waters off North Korea's east coast and that there were no reports that the weapon reached Japanese territory.

Koizumi added that North Korea's repeated missile launches pose a threat to Japan and the region and that Tokyo lodged a protest to Pyongyang through their embassies in Beijing. South Korea's presidential national security council called the North Korean launch "a provocation" that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged the North to stop it.

It was North Korea's first ballistic missile launch since late June, when it tested a tactical ballistic missile with a "special mission" warhead and other weapons. After watching the testing activities, leader Kim Jong Un said at the time that the military needed to bolster its "deadly and destructive offensive posture."

CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN AND NORTH KOREA FORM 'AXIS OF AGGRESSORS' THAT COULD OVERWHELM US, BOOK WARNS

South Korean and U.S. officials haven't yet released details about this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercise, but the drills are typically held in the latter half of August.

"This annual exercise aims to build understanding between Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea, the United Nations Command, and ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), ROK government agency, ensuring their ability to fortify the combined defense posture and enhance Alliance response capabilities against a spectrum of security threats," United States Forces Korea said about the exercises on its website.

"It will feature live, virtual, constructive and field-based training, engaging personnel from the various military services," it added.

U.S. and South Korean officials say the training is defensive in nature, but North Korea says the maneuvers are a practice invasion and often responds with missile tests, according to The Associated Press.

Fox News' Liz Friden and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reports of Iranians stealing bread, cheese, meat and other basic groceries are fueling concerns that the country’s worsening economic crisis is pushing households toward a breaking point.

An investigation published Wednesday by the Iranian newspaper Jahan-e Sanat described supermarket workers encountering customers who allegedly concealed inexpensive food items or ate packaged products inside stores without paying. The accounts are anecdotal and do not establish the national prevalence of food theft, but analysts say they reflect the mounting pressure created by inflation, currency depreciation and collapsing purchasing power.

"These are anecdotal, but they align with hard data," Miad Maleki, an associate fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

IRAN’S DEEPEST WEAKNESS IS GETTING EXPOSED THROUGH AMERICA’S MAXIMUM PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

"Iran is already inside the tipping zone," Maleki said. "But a genuine ‘tipping point’ wouldn’t be a single dramatic event. It would look like what’s already unfolding in slow motion: currency collapse, World War II-level food inflation and now theft of staples, reaching a threshold where basic caloric/nutritional access breaks down for a large share of the population, not just the poorest."

The reports surfaced as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that the country was facing "difficulties and problems," while insisting during a televised address Wednesday that Iran remained powerful and respected.

"The enemy is exerting pressure in an attempt to provoke the people into protesting," Pezeshkian said, according to an account of his Aug. 5 address published by Iran’s state-affiliated Press TV.

Maleki said worsening food insecurity could become a trigger for renewed demonstrations, pointing to Iran’s November 2019 protests following a sharp government-imposed increase in gasoline prices.

IRAN HANGS 2 PROTESTERS IN PUBLIC, CROWD CRIES 'DISHONORABLE' AS SECURITY FIRES TEAR GAS

"The regime’s own history proves it, because its most dangerous moments have been economic, not ideological," Maleki said.

He cautioned, however, that economic desperation would not necessarily produce immediate political change. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij paramilitary forces have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to suppress unrest rather than make significant economic concessions, he said.

A supermarket employee identified only as Amirhossein told Jahan-e Sanat that he had witnessed several suspected thefts during the previous 10 months. The employee described customers allegedly taking cheese, butter, cakes, pastries and meat, according to Iran International’s account of the newspaper investigation.

"I think poverty is the main reason," the employee told the newspaper. "You cannot judge everyone the same way, but when someone steals a simple item, they are probably under enormous pressure."

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Maleki, a former Treasury Department sanctions official, said Iran’s annual food inflation reached between 112.5% and 113.8% in March 2026, with the prices of bread and cereals rising 140% and dairy products and eggs increasing 116.8%.

The Statistical Center of Iran data cited in separate reports showed point-to-point inflation of 113.8% for food and beverages and 112.5% for food items in March compared with the same month a year earlier. Bread and cereal prices increased 140%, while milk, cheese and egg prices rose 116.8%.

"While a single newspaper’s petty-crime roundup isn’t proof of imminent collapse, it’s a credible symptom layered on top of verified macro data," Maleki said. "And when or if this conflict ends and market demand is not suppressed by a state of war, inflation will skyrocket even higher."

Maleki said Iran’s currency crisis has intensified the pressure on households. The U.S. dollar reached approximately 1.5 million rials in January before surpassing 1.94 million rials on Iran’s open market in July amid renewed regional conflict.

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The government’s response, Maleki said, has included issuing monthly cash credits worth approximately $7 at the open-market exchange rate after eliminating subsidized exchange rates for certain imports. He argued that removing those subsidies contributed to further price increases.

The critical threshold, he added, would come when access to basic nutrition deteriorates not only among Iran’s poorest citizens but across a large portion of the population.

The supermarket accounts do not prove that the Iranian government is on the verge of collapse. Maleki argues, however, that they provide an increasingly visible sign that the country’s economic crisis is affecting Iranians’ ability to afford basic necessities.

Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane questioned whether Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia can be trusted to help shape negotiations with Iran, accusing the regional partners of steering President Donald Trump away from military pressure while leaving the United States and Israel to bear the risks of confronting Tehran.

Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst and former Army vice chief of staff, said during a Monday appearance on Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom" that Pakistan and Qatar were "compromised" as mediators because, in his view, they favor Iran over the United States.

"It is well known in the Middle East region, by our intelligence services, by all the players, that the Pakistanis and the Qataris are compromised because they favor Iran at the expense of the United States," Keane said. "This is historical. This is not new."

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Keane’s criticism contrasts with Trump’s public praise for Islamabad.

Trump said April 26 during a phone interview with Fox News that he had "great respect for Pakistan" because its officials had "been terrific" and "really tried" to advance negotiations with Iran. He added that Pakistan would remain involved in the process.

While speaking to reporters after the G7 summit in France June 18, Trump also credited Pakistan and Qatar with helping advance the negotiations that produced the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also defended the administration’s regional partners, telling Fox News Digital that, "President Trump has great relationships with leaders from Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and he appreciates the involvement of all of our regional partners who are assisting with negotiations." 

"If Iran cannot agree to a good deal with the United States, the fault will lie squarely with the regime, who will suffer the consequences," Kelly added.

Mediators were preparing a second memorandum focused exclusively on the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday reports indicated, potentially separating the immediate maritime crisis from the broader dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Keane, a former four-star general, argued that their involvement may have contributed to Washington misunderstanding Iran’s intentions.

"And yet they’re mediators," Keane said. "So their influence here, I think, had played a part in misleading the United States in terms of Iran’s real intentions."

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Pakistan and Qatar have played formal roles in the diplomatic process.

A June 22 joint statement from the two countries said they were mediating talks between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The framework established working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions, monitoring and dispute resolution, as well as a mechanism intended to prevent incidents involving commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan declined to comment on Keane’s criticism. The Saudi and Qatari embassies in Washington did not respond by the time of publication.

Raza Rumi, editor-at-large of Pakistan’s The Friday Times, disputed Keane’s characterization, arguing that Islamabad’s working relationship with Tehran does not make it a compromised mediator.

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"Successful mediators are often those that enjoy channels of communication with all sides," Rumi told Fox News Digital, saying Pakistan’s approach is shaped more by geography, security and economic concerns than ideological alignment with Iran.

He noted that Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and wants to prevent further instability, while also maintaining longstanding ties with the United States and close partnerships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Rumi also pointed to the exchange of strikes between Pakistan and Iran in January 2024 as evidence that relations between the neighbors are not uniformly close.

"The suggestion that Pakistan somehow caused Washington to misunderstand Tehran’s intentions is difficult to substantiate," Rumi said. "It would be a considerable stretch to attribute any American misreading of Iran’s intentions to Pakistani mediation."

Keane directed even sharper criticism at Saudi Arabia, saying that Riyadh denied the United States access to Saudi airspace and a U.S. air base during preparations for a possible operation to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He also claimed Saudi officials had repeatedly persuaded Trump not to resume major military operations against Iran.

"The fact of the matter is, the Saudis are not willing to sacrifice to rid the Middle East region of Iran’s aggression," Keane said, describing the potential costs as casualties and damage to Saudi oil infrastructure.

"They’re willing for us to make that sacrifice, for sure," he added. "They’re willing for Israel to make that sacrifice, for sure."

His remarks highlighted a broader debate over whether Saudi caution represents an unwillingness to confront Tehran or a strategic effort to prevent an open-ended regional war.

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Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, rejected the suggestion that Riyadh is unwilling to confront Iran, saying the Kingdom distinguishes between credible deterrence and military action without clear objectives.

"Saudi Arabia supports confronting Iranian aggression, but not an open-ended regional war without clear objectives or an endgame," Al-Ansari told Fox News Digital.

"Riyadh favors diplomacy backed by credible deterrence, but any agreement must be enforceable and verifiable, addressing Iran’s nuclear program, its proxies, and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

A Gulf affairs analyst who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue offered a different assessment, saying Saudi leaders fear that a wider confrontation would expose the Kingdom’s critical infrastructure to Iranian retaliation.

"Saudi Arabia believes it should appease Iran because it is deeply concerned about the consequences of a broader confrontation," the analyst said. "Riyadh fears the damage Iran could inflict on the Kingdom’s infrastructure and has therefore favored restraint and negotiations over a decisive military campaign."

The analyst described a widening divide among Gulf states, arguing that Saudi Arabia and Qatar favor accommodation while the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait support stronger pressure on Iran.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank and former National Security Council official, said during a separate Fox News appearance Wednesday, that Washington continues to depend on Saudi infrastructure even as disagreements persist over military strategy.

"When we talk about the Gulf states, we talk about Saudi Arabia and General Keane’s comments, remember, we also are relying on Saudi Arabia with their overland pipelines to keep us in the game here," Goldberg said. "The fact that they’re at maximum capacity moving through the Red Sea also allows us to continue the strangulation strategy."

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The debate comes as the United States and Iran continue negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all have been involved in the diplomatic effort, while reports Wednesday indicated that mediators were working on an interim arrangement that could establish separate shipping routes through Iranian and Omani waters as broader nuclear negotiations continue.

The central question is whether those negotiations can produce an enforceable agreement or merely allow Tehran to preserve its leverage over the waterway.

Keane said he remained doubtful that Iran was prepared to surrender meaningful control.

"They are not going to give up the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "They think it’s a strategic asset."

He predicted Iran would seek to retain some degree of control over the waterway and warned that reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would be even more difficult.

"My gut feeling here is no," Keane said when asked whether Iran was prepared to reach and implement a substantive agreement. "The president is not going to make a bad deal here."

Vacationers were sent scrambling for safety Monday after a projectile struck a crowded beach in a Russian Black Sea resort town, killing seven people, including four children, and injuring dozens more, officials said.

Video footage captured the incident in the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik, where the beach was packed with visitors at the time of the strike.

The Russian Mission in Geneva said in a post on X that the "bloody attack" was carried out by a drone launched by Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of targeting civilians.

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"The attack targeted civilian infrastructure. Emergency and special services are working at the crash site," regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.

"What happened today is a targeted attack by the Kyiv regime against civilians who have no connection to the military infrastructure. This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified." 

UKRAINE UNLEASHES MORE THAN 400 DRONES NEAR MOSCOW IN ONE OF WAR'S BIGGEST ATTACKS

Andriy Kovalenko, an officer with Ukraine’s Defense Forces, disputed Russia’s account, saying the deaths were directly caused by Russian air defenses that intercepted a drone, sending debris onto the beach.

"Russian air defense shot down a drone over people lying on the beach," Kovalenko said on Telegram.

In the video, sounds resembling gunfire were heard just seconds before a drone struck the beach, causing a fireball explosion that sent bystanders screaming. As the gunfire was heard, the drone appeared to veer sharply before diving toward the beach.

Preliminary Russian reports also found that several of the deaths were caused by "falling drone debris," Kondratyev said.

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In another Telegram post, Kovalenko indicated that Ukraine uses its weapons against Russian military-industrial infrastructure to affect Moscow’s ability to finance the war.

He further accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating an "illusion" that Russia would remain safe from the war by downplaying daily explosions as falling debris, limiting air raid warnings, and positioning air defenses near populated areas such as the Black Sea resort.

"Putin deliberately killed these people. Because if he had not started the war and struck Ukraine, they would be alive," Kovalenko said.

"It was Putin, his air defense, who killed these Russians. His decisions in response to their decisions launched a chain of death for Russians."

A drone carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian plane at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport late Tuesday, prompting officials to warn the incident represented "a new quality of danger," authorities said Wednesday.

The discovery temporarily shut down both runways at the major European freight hub and forced several flights to divert to other airports, according to The Associated Press.

Another flying object was spotted nearby shortly before midnight and several flights, including one passenger plane, were then diverted to other airports.

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German police launched a large response and opened an investigation into the two incidents.

Police said an airport worker found the first explosive drone near the airport's south runway with "an unknown explosive device."

An explosives disposal robot was deployed to examine the device before authorities removed its detonator.

The plane, bearing the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, displayed the English-language slogan, "Be Brave Like Kherson," a tribute to the southern Ukrainian region, Deutsche Welle reported.

In the second incident, an unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft that had aborted its landing at Leipzig/Halle Airport because of the runway closure.

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The aircraft diverted to Hannover Airport, about 125 miles north-west of Leipzig, where officials found minor damage, according to The Associated Press.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the discovery of the first drone marked a significant escalation.

"Drone sightings, drone threats, including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past," he said. "That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario."

Dobrindt also described the incident as "a hybrid attack scenario."

He said questions about the type of explosives used, the drone's origin and who was responsible remained under investigation.

"All the speculation that is currently going on about the explosives, the construction, the question of the drone, the origin and, of course, who is behind it, is now part of the investigation," Dobrindt said.

"What is happening now also shows that the assessment made months ago — that we are dealing with a high level of danger — was justified."

In June, Dobrindt opened Germany's Joint Centre for Countering Hybrid Threats, which brings together federal and state security agencies to address threats including espionage, sabotage and disinformation.

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Leipzig/Halle Airport is a major European cargo hub, and Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft are based there.

NATO said it was aware of the incidents but referred questions to German authorities.

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Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, suggested Moscow may have been behind the incident, telling Welt TV Wednesday, "Who else could it be but Russia?" according to reports.

In 2024, an incendiary device ignited at a logistics center at Leipzig/Halle Airport, setting fire to a freight container in an incident Western security officials suspect was part of a Russian intelligence sabotage operation.

Russia has begun deploying a North Korean missile unit equipped with up to 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for use in its war against Ukraine, a Ukrainian intelligence official told told Reuters Wednesday.

The reported escalation marks a deepening military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, with around 90 North Korean personnel expected to be stationed in Russia's western Voronezh region to support the new unit, according to Andrii Cherniak of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).

Cherniak also claimed Pyongyang has already delivered a fresh batch of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles to Russian forces, Reuters said.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE

Final details of the deployment are expected to be finalized during high-level talks next month.

The intelligence report follows a massive Russian barrage against Kyiv and the surrounding region Aug. 4. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow launched 24 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and 115 drones overnight, killing at least 17 people.

Zelenskyy argued more lives could have been saved had Western allies replenished Ukraine's depleted stockpiles of air defense interceptors.

Zelenskyy previously warned that Moscow had been preparing since June to receive additional North Korean military personnel in the Voronezh region, according to reports.

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Cherniak told Reuters a Russian strike in late July marked the first recorded use of North Korean ballistic missiles against Ukrainian targets since August 2025.

According to HUR estimates, Russia has received approximately 150 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles from North Korea since late 2023.

Military analysts say Russia is increasingly relying on ballistic weapons because they require advanced defense systems — such as the U.S.-made Patriot — to intercept.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed that Russia is deliberately incorporating more ballistic missiles into its long-range strike packages to maximize pressure on Ukraine's limited air defenses.

ISW added that North Korea is gaining critical battlefield data from the conflict, allowing Pyongyang to refine its missile performance using Russian operational experience.

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North Korea has emerged as one of Moscow's key military allies since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

Reuters reported that Pyongyang has supplied millions of artillery shells and previously sent 14,000 troops to Russia's Kursk region to counter Ukraine's 2024 cross-border incursion.

Cherniak also noted that roughly 9,500 North Korean troops are still in Kursk, though they are not engaged in active combat right now.

A report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) states that, since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, North Korea has supplied Moscow with large quantities of artillery and rocket ammunition, cannon and rocket artillery systems and ballistic missiles.

The policy institute described the Russia-North Korea relationship as one of the "most consequential among the Axis" and the only partnership in which one member has deployed troops in combat to assist another.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of going "mad" following the release of a video showing a Ukrainian vegetable vendor being stalked by a Russian military drone before the drone exploded near him.

The incident occurred on Aug. 4 at a Kherson market located in Southern Ukraine. Footage released by the Kherson Regional Military Administration shows a drone hovering near a man standing beside a minibus before following him as he moves behind the bus. Moments later the drone dives toward the minibus and explodes near its front, detonating close to where the man is standing.

"A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables and detonated right next to him," Zelenskyy wrote on X in a post including the video. "The Russians even admitted to the crime, showing zero regret and openly boasting about tormenting people. The man was wounded in the blast. Every single day, ordinary people in Kherson face these Russian "safaris."

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The street vendor, identified as 52-year-old Yuriy, survived the near-fatal encounter, which Ukrainian authorities describe as part of a pattern of Russian drone attacks that track and target civilians — a practice they have dubbed "human safaris."

Speaking from a hospital bed, Yuriy told BBC that he and his wife were setting up their stall when he heard the drone buzzing nearby. His wife had run away, and the drone zeroed in on Yuriy, who pulled out vegetables to show that he did not have a weapon.

"It could see that I had tomatoes out, some cucumbers and eggplants laid out on the floor," Yuriy told BBC. "It even ducked under the umbrella when I was running away round the other side."

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack a "barbaric war crime," demanding international intervention.

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Zelenskyy argued that everyone should see the video to make clear what Russia is capable of, arguing that President Vladimir Putin won't stop with Ukraine.

"This is not just about Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote. "Russia’s campaign against human life must be stopped here in Ukraine before it spreads further. Finland and Kazakhstan, the Baltic states and Poland, the countries of the South Caucasus, Romania, and Moldova — all should work together to ensure real security guarantees and bring Russia’s war to an end."

"Peace is needed, which requires cooperation among everyone in the world who truly values peace," Zelenskyy wrote.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office says authorities have opened 5,303 criminal cases into drone attacks on civilian targets in the Kherson region. The office says the attacks have killed 287 civilians and wounded 2,549 others, including 41 children.

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Prosecutors said the attacks appeared to be part of a systematic campaign, with FPV drones repeatedly striking civilians in public places, homes, transport hubs and civilian vehicles, and in some cases launching follow-up attacks after emergency crews arrived.

The release of the chilling video comes a year after a one-year-old boy was killed by a Russian drone in the Kherson region while playing in his playpen in his grandmother's backyard.

Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard commander declared Wednesday that Tehran would continue working on nuclear weapons as long as the United States and Israel possess them, intensifying concerns that Iran is using negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz to postpone concessions on its nuclear program.

"As long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security," IRGC commander-in-chief Ahmad Vahidi said, according to a translation of remarks circulating Wednesday. "If they disarm, we will disarm."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing that Israel would continue preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with or without a diplomatic agreement.

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"Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘continue,’ as he put it," Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the reinterment of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of the founder of modern day Zionism, Theodor Herzl.

"Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons," he said.

Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s greatest friend in the White House and expressed appreciation for the two countries’ joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

"Israel’s existence is not subject to negotiation," Netanyahu said. "With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined — we are all determined — to do whatever is necessary to ensure our security and our future."

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The exchange came as nuclear experts urged Trump to keep Iran’s nuclear program at the center of negotiations, warning that Tehran could use the Hormuz crisis to secure sanctions relief and other concessions before addressing its remaining nuclear capabilities.

Trump told "Fox News at Night" Tuesday that military force remained an option if Iran abandoned the talks, while insisting Tehran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"If they back out again, they’re going to get hit really hard," Trump told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher. "They know that. They understand that. I have no choice. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.

"The hard hit is yet to come, and hopefully we won’t have to use it."

Trump said negotiators held an "all-day negotiation" Tuesday and described the discussions as "very good." He has said the talks would initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before turning to Tehran’s nuclear program.

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Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, said that sequence could play directly into Iran’s strategy.

"It is in the Iranians’ interest to steer the negotiations toward the issues that they most care about," Stricker told Fox News Digital, including securing major U.S. concessions over Hormuz and "maintaining control of that crucial waterway that has proven a lifeline for Tehran to survive this war."

She said Iran would also seek oil sanctions relief and potentially relief from all U.S. sanctions, before addressing the nuclear file.

"If Tehran is able to structure the talks that way — and I’m concerned that Trump appears to be going along with that approach — there may be little left in terms of leverage to get big concessions from the Iranians on the nuclear file down the line," Stricker said.

There is evidence that Tehran has sought to sequence the talks in its favor. Axios reported in April that Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war before beginning nuclear negotiations, potentially reducing U.S. leverage over enrichment and Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile.

The Washington Post later reported that Tehran was focused on preserving its leverage over Hormuz rather than engaging deeply on major nuclear restrictions.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, agreed Iran is seeking to capitalize on the leverage it gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The current focus on the Straits of Hormuz is not surprising. Iran is looking to capitalize on leverage gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the waterway and test if Trump is willing to negotiate in good faith," Davenport told Fox News Digital.

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She said Tehran understands that any durable agreement will ultimately have to address its nuclear program but said, "At the end of this conflict, Iran will still possess the capabilities necessary to build a bomb," Davenport said, "The relevant knowledge and nuclear expertise cannot be bombed away.

"Tehran retains key materials and technologies necessary to build a bomb," she added. "If left unchecked, the nuclear program will be a source of instability and renewed conflict, even if Iran does not resume more proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities."

A proposed agreement between Iran and Oman could give Tehran some control over ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters Wednesday. One regional source described the arrangement as a concession that had already been made, although the precise meaning of Iranian "control" remained under negotiation.

Iran is also seeking fees from ships traveling through the waterway, according to Reuters, while Washington has opposed both Iranian control and mandatory transit charges.

Stricker said postponing the nuclear issues would allow the regime to preserve its remaining enriched-uranium stockpiles and avoid fully dismantling its nuclear infrastructure.

She said Iran also wants to avoid accounting for its past nuclear weapons-related work or committing to end uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.

"Leaving them as a last-order issue in the negotiations likely means that we will not see the Iranians make big concessions and make a solid nuclear deal," Stricker said.

Davenport said the administration should prioritize restoring access for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency before beginning detailed nuclear negotiations.

"The IAEA has not visited key Iranian nuclear sites in more than a year," she said. "It remains unclear how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains and where any gaps might be in trying to account for Iran’s nuclear materials."

She said renewed inspections would give Washington a clearer picture of Iran’s remaining facilities and materials, while helping negotiators design a verification regime capable of addressing any gaps.

Davenport also recommended pairing sanctions relief with specific, verifiable Iranian steps rather than negotiating one sweeping package.

"A series of smaller deals could build confidence in the process," she said.

Stricker urged the administration to link every concession involving Hormuz, sanctions or the U.S. blockade to a measurable Iranian step on the nuclear file.

"The best approach to ensure a solid deal is to make the nuclear issues just as important as the Strait of Hormuz, removing the blockade and other top Iranian priorities," she said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a stern warning about the global spread of antisemitism in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at his Jerusalem residence.

"Antisemitism is an age-old plague which should be dealt with by everybody, by all societies. It's not an Israeli issue or only a Jewish issue," he said.

"It's a contamination of societies that starts with the Jews — never ends with them. It's the most dangerous phenomena that has to be dealt with aggressively, with no mercy, with full adjudication, and most importantly, with education," he added.

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Herzog's warning comes as newly released New York City Police Department (NYPD) data show anti-Jewish incidents accounted for 56.9% of all confirmed hate crimes since the start of 2026, even though Jewish New Yorkers make up only about 10% of the city's population.

Herzog pointed to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he accused of spreading hate and compromising the lives of New Yorkers.

"Mamdani does not respect my nation's right for self-determination — the Jewish people's inherent right to have a nation of their own. And he's basically spreading blasphemy, hate, antisemitic rhetoric. He should understand that he's risking his own citizens, he’s risking their safety, well-being and life," Herzog told Fox News Digital.

In a video posted on social media on July 21, Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people."

Days later, Raul Morales, 51, allegedly yelled "Allahu Akbar" while stabbing two men on Manhattan's Upper West Side, including one who was visibly identifiable as Jewish.

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"We've seen the stabbing just a few days ago ... just because somebody was dressed as an Orthodox Jew. This cannot be accepted in New York, which is a city that is dear to our heart, dear to Israelis, and dear to me personally," Herzog said.

More broadly, a report released last month by the J7 Large Communities' Task Force Against Antisemitism found that 20 people were killed in antisemitic attacks across seven countries outside Israel in 2025, marking the deadliest year for such violence in the Jewish diaspora since 1994.

The J7 comprises Jewish communities in the United States, Australia, Canada, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

According to the report, more than 23,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded across the J7 countries last year, representing a 97% increase in violent attacks and a 136% rise in overall incidents compared with 2022.

"Of course, Israel is doing its best, but it has to be an effort with governments all over the world, law enforcement agencies, educational systems and Jewish communities, which we care about a lot," Herzog said, in reference to confronting Jew-hatred.

Referencing a recent article by Prof. Niall Ferguson titled "The Death of History," he said, "How much TikTok or the social networks distort the facts of history? They negate the worst and greatest horror of humankind, the Holocaust. And that's why we have to stand up together and combat it," he told Fox News Digital.

Herzog stressed that misinformation spread through distorted and superficial channels makes it easy to smear Israel on social media, but that such narratives do not reflect reality.

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"[Israel] is the place where the Startup Nation flourishes. This is the place where great ideas are given to the world and contribute enormously to the world in so many great fields, from health to energy, to science, to agriculture, to food security, to what not. There's a reason why Americans who visit our country, young Americans, fall in love with this country," he said.

Growing antisemitism, coupled with polarization within and between Jewish communities and a weakening sense of Jewish identity in some places, led Herzog to launch Voice of the People in April 2023. The initiative brings together a council of 150 emerging leaders — one-third from Israel, one-third from the United States and the remainder from around the world.

Leaders are selected through an algorithm from thousands of candidates and serve rotating terms of roughly two years, developing ideas to address challenges facing the Jewish world.

The initiative held an in-person kick-off summit in March 2025 in Haifa, featuring Herzog and bringing together all council members, reflecting his belief in building the next generation of Jewish leadership, which he described as one of his main tasks.

"I'm overjoyed by the great ideas I see and feel, and I hope that around November we will have a new registration starting for the next slot, the next cohort, and I invite as many Jewish friends to register," he said.

Brazilian lawmakers preparing to conduct official business found themselves sharing the halls of a state legislature with several uninvited — but unusually relaxed — guests.

A group of capybaras entered the Mato Grosso Legislative Assembly in Cuiabá on July 30, briefly drawing attention away from an upcoming vote as they explored the government building.

Video recorded by legislative staffer Nayara Bueno showed the animals moving calmly through the entrance while workers sought to steer them outside.

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"They show up here quite often, so we’ve gotten used to seeing them," Bueno told The Associated Press.

The rodents' guest appearance did not cause any damage to the Mato Grosso state legislature, according to officials.

The legislature borders a park that is home to wildlife, giving the animals easy access to the surrounding government complex. 

Native to South America, capybaras are semiaquatic mammals commonly found around wetlands and other bodies of water. They are highly social, generally travel in groups and can reach weights of about 175 pounds.

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The world's largest living rodents have also become internet favorites, with social media users frequently highlighting their laid-back behavior around other animals and people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Iran’s rival political factions are increasingly invoking the authority of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to attack their opponents and protect their own positions, even as questions persist over whether he is actively governing the country, according to an Iran expert.

The internal struggle surfaced in two reports published by Iran International concerning Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s relationship with the new supreme leader.

In the first report, senior cleric Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, a relative of the Khamenei family by marriage, claimed Pezeshkian had repeatedly threatened to resign and was warned that his next resignation would be accepted.

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"If he resigns one more time, I will approve it," Kharrazi quoted Khamenei as saying.

Pezeshkian’s office strongly denied the account. Mehdi Tabatabaei, the president’s deputy for communications and information, called the allegation "baseless and an outright lie," while another presidential advisor said Kharrazi had no contact with the supreme leader and was known for telling "strange stories."

Hours later, Iran International published a second report alleging Pezeshkian had met Mojtaba Khamenei only once, inside a vehicle with tinted windows at an undisclosed location in Tehran.

According to the outlet’s unnamed sources, the encounter lasted several minutes, the two men could not see each other and Pezeshkian was not permitted to shake Khamenei’s hand. The report alleged that the president later questioned whether the voice he heard had actually belonged to the supreme leader.

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The claims have not been independently verified. Pezeshkian previously described a substantially different encounter, saying publicly that he had spent approximately two and a half hours with Khamenei in a cordial atmosphere.

Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, said the competing claims surrounding Pezeshkian and Mojtaba Khamenei reflected a deeper struggle inside what he described as an "Islamist oligarchic mafia system."

Under Ali Khamenei, Aarabi said, the supreme leader functioned as the system’s "godfather," arbitrating among rival Islamist factions and guaranteeing their access to power and money. His removal created a vacuum that Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment was intended to fill, but the new supreme leader’s prolonged public absence has left rival factions uncertain about who is actually in charge.

"The very essence of this mafia system is built on a godfather," Aarabi said. "If the godfather is absent, whether because he is severely incapacitated or nonexistent, that vacuum… re-emerges between the various Islamist oligarchic clans."

Aarabi said those factions are not primarily divided by ideology.

"They’re not competing over ideology," he said. "They’re competing over raw power and economic interests."

In that environment, Aarabi said, Mojtaba Khamenei’s name has become a political instrument that competing factions can invoke to legitimize themselves, constrain their rivals or justify decisions whose true source remains unclear.

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"Mojtaba’s name is the glue that’s holding the system together right now," Aarabi said. "Each of these clans invokes his name to justify its existence, legitimize its position, and consolidate its place within this fragile system."

Exiled Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi described the resignation claims as part of a recurring political strategy used by reformist administrations.

"This is a familiar cycle," Ghadimi said. "Whenever they feel that their usefulness to the supreme leader has come to an end, they start circulating these resignation rumors in an effort to build public sympathy and improve their image before being pushed aside."

Ghadimi said similar rumors surrounded former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani during the final years of their administrations. He argued that reformist-aligned media channels often continue circulating resignation claims even after a president’s office formally denies them, allowing officials later to portray themselves as having challenged the supreme leader.

On Mojtaba Khamenei’s status, Ghadimi went further than Aarabi, saying he did not believe there was "a functioning person by that name who is capable of thinking, making decisions or speaking."

"Either he is dead, or he is being kept alive in an extremely unstable and severely deteriorated condition," Ghadimi said.

Aarabi said the two reports illustrate that dynamic. A cleric opposed to or unaligned with Pezeshkian invoked Mojtaba Khamenei’s authority to weaken the president by claiming his next resignation would be accepted, while figures around Pezeshkian pushed back with an account portraying the president as having met directly with the supreme leader.

Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in any publicly released video or audio recording since succeeding his father, according to Iran International. Iranian officials have offered conflicting accounts about how often senior government figures have met him.

Aarabi cautioned that using Khamenei’s name as a source of authority will become increasingly difficult if his public absence continues.

"There’s only so many times you can use someone’s name without any proof of life that they actually exist," Aarabi said. "The longer Mojtaba is absent, the more questions develop over whether he is alive or able. And as soon as that doubt increases, you will see this infighting increase."

Thousands of migrants remained stranded in Spain’s North African city of Ceuta on Tuesday as the European Union offered emergency assistance to reinforce the enclave’s border and Spanish authorities investigated whether criminals or suspected jihadists used last week’s chaotic mass crossing to enter European territory.

Approximately 72,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco, and about 70,000 have since returned, Spanish officials said Tuesday, leaving roughly 2,000 people in the small territory. Reception facilities remained overwhelmed as authorities struggled to shelter hundreds of migrant minors and determine the status of those who remained.

Local authorities were processing 862 migrant minors, who receive special protections under Spanish law and cannot be summarily returned. The Associated Press reported that children were begging for food or sleeping outside after the youth shelter became overwhelmed.

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The EU offered Spain assistance, including emergency financial support, to strengthen protection of its external border in Ceuta, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said Tuesday following an emergency meeting of the bloc’s ministers in Brussels.

Brunner said the unprecedented crossing was fueled by criminal smuggling networks and disinformation spread through social media, as Spanish authorities were examining whether known criminals or suspected jihadists exploited the scale and disorder of the crossing to enter Ceuta undetected.

Spain’s National Police and Guardia Civil were reviewing video of the crossings and checking people who remained in the territory against criminal and counterterrorism databases, according to El Confidencial, which cited Spanish Interior Ministry sources.

The Spanish outlet reported that authorities were searching for known criminals and possible jihadists who may have entered among the tens of thousands who crossed. Interior Ministry sources acknowledged that the sheer scale of the surge created a genuine infiltration risk, according to the report.

El Confidencial said the concern was heightened by Ceuta’s proximity to Fnideq, also known as Castillejos, a Moroccan border town that has figured in previous jihadist recruitment investigations. Authorities have previously dismantled extremist cells operating across the Ceuta-Fnideq border area, while hundreds of people from northern Morocco traveled to join ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq during the mid-2010s, the outlet reported.

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The crisis is also creating an opening for Islamist movements seeking to weaken confidence in Morocco’s government, according to Zineb Riboua, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Riboua said in an article that Moroccan Islamists have spent years portraying the monarchy as overly secular and pro-Western, attacking its relationships with the United States and Israel and encouraging the belief that young Moroccans have little future at home.

At the same time, she wrote, Islamist voices have promoted an idealized image of Europe as a place where prosperity and legal status can be easily obtained.

Riboua said the Ceuta crisis allows those movements to transform public frustration over migration, unemployment and economic conditions into a broader political attack on the Moroccan state ahead of the national elections in September.

Evidence has separately emerged that the mass crossing was preceded by an extensive online mobilization campaign.

An open-source intelligence report prepared by Golden Owl Intelligence traced weeks of activity across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, including misleading interpretations of Spanish immigration law and practical information about routes, meeting points and recommended crossing times.

The report estimated that the content generated more than 11 million potential impressions through posts, videos, comments and interactions. It also identified messaging groups administered through telephone numbers carrying Algerian international codes.

The campaign accelerated after Spain’s Supreme Court issued a July 8 ruling concerning the immediate return of migrants intercepted at sea near Ceuta and Melilla, according to the report. Simplified and misleading interpretations of the decision, combined with confusion surrounding Spain’s policy to regularize hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants, were presented online as evidence that people who reached Spanish territory would be allowed to remain and eventually obtain legal status.

The investigation documented the later circulation of maps, swimming routes, transportation information and suggested departure points as tens of thousands of people began moving toward the border.

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Morocco’s Interior Ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said at a news conference Sunday that the surge resulted from several overlapping factors, including the exploitation of digital platforms, misleading information, human-trafficking networks and inaccurate interpretations of legal and administrative developments.

Khalfi said the messaging created the false impression that the border was open and that people could reach European territory without legal consequences. He said Moroccan prosecutors had opened investigations to identify those responsible and determine the appropriate legal consequences.

Reuters and the Associated Press have independently documented cases in which online claims influenced people to travel toward Ceuta. Reuters interviewed a Moroccan teenager who said Instagram videos inspired him and his cousin to make the journey, while a Moroccan human-rights activist told the AP that social-media posts initially claimed the border was open and later promoted a misleading interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling.

The crisis has also placed Spain’s intelligence services and its relationship with Morocco under scrutiny.

El País and Cadena SER reported, citing officials familiar with Spain’s intelligence assessment, that Morocco did not plan the mass crossing but allowed it to unfold after border controls were gradually relaxed.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said Spain’s foreign intelligence agency had not warned him of an imminent surge of that magnitude.

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Morocco has denied deliberately orchestrating the crossing. Interior Ministry spokesman Rachid Khalfi blamed the surge on online misinformation, human-trafficking networks and distorted interpretations of Spanish legal and administrative developments, according to The Jerusalem Post. The ministry said Morocco remained committed to international cooperation against irregular migration and human trafficking.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares defended Rabat’s response, saying Moroccan authorities quickly provided police support and helped facilitate the return of most of those who crossed.

Juan Jesus Vivas Lara, president of the autonomous city of Ceuta, offered a sharply different assessment, telling El País that many Ceuta residents believed Morocco had allowed, if not orchestrated, the surge.

"Morocco has shown us that it isn’t reliable," Vivas said. "There’s no alternative but to put in place whatever means are necessary to ensure it cannot do this again."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Moroccan government for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Built more than 2,000 years ago to supply Jerusalem with water, Solomon's Pools have become the center of a modern political dispute, with officials from the nearby Israeli town of Efrat accusing the Palestinian Authority of allowing the historic site to deteriorate after it was placed under Ramallah's jurisdiction following the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Most archaeologists date the construction of Solomon's Pools, three ancient reservoirs located between Efrat and Bethlehem, south of Israel's capital, to the Hasmonean period in the second century B.C. The reservoirs were built to supply water to Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.) later expanded the system to provide water to his palace-fortress at Herodium.

"Solomon's Pools are not only the history of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and the source of Jerusalem's living water, but also the future of Efrat in our ability to exercise our sovereignty, preserve Efrat's development space and sustain tourism for all religions in the area between Jerusalem and Hebron," Dovi Shefler, mayor of Efrat, told Fox News Digital.

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The three reservoirs collectively hold approximately 288,000 cubic meters of water, or more than 10 million cubic feet. They are fed by the Arrub and el-Biyar aqueducts, which, together with rainwater, historically supplied Jerusalem with water year-round. During the British Mandate, the pools underwent significant renovations and became known as "Jerusalem's beach" until the Oslo Accords.

Under the agreements, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. Solomon's Pools are located in Area A, which falls under Palestinian civil and security control.

Yonatan Marcus, chief of staff of the Efrat Municipality, told Fox News Digital that during the negotiations, then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin maintained that the pools would remain under Israeli control, alongside other archaeological sites of major Judeo-Christian significance such as Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.

However, during the mapping process, he said, the words "Solomon's Pools" remained within Area C on zoomed-out maps, while the reservoirs themselves ultimately mistakenly fell inside Area A.

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Marcus said under Palestinian Authority control, things changed for the worse. "When you visit today, you can see that the place is neglected. Much of it has been destroyed. There are signs everywhere in Arabic stating that swimming is not permitted because the pools are filled with sewage water," he said.

He added that the sewage contamination was not natural, with wastewater deliberately diverted into the pools, replacing the fresh water that flowed there until the Oslo Accords. He said this occurred despite the PLO's commitment under the agreement to protect historical sites in Area A.

"Our main goal is to protect these magnificent pools. It's not just about Jewish history; it's about Judeo-Christian history and whoever believes in the people of the Bible who walked here," he said.

He described the reservoirs as the largest archaeological pools in Israel, saying they occupy a strategic location between the Western Wall and the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs along Route 60, known as the Biblical Highway.

Although the pools are located in Area A, Marcus said visits by Israelis take place only on coordinated tours secured by the IDF's Judea and Samaria Division, as permitted under the Oslo Accords.

He noted that visits by Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have prompted improvements, saying the Palestinian Authority removed about 200 bags of garbage from the site following years of neglect.

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"If the pressure of our coming here is going to make them take care of the site, then wonderful. In the end, our goal is for it to be preserved," he said.

Ahmad Fattouh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, rejected the allegations.

"It's absolutely audacious that the leadership of the colonial settlement of Efrat claims to be concerned about the condition of Burak Sulaymān's pools when they are the very reason behind its declining water levels," Fattouh told Fox News Digital. He said Israeli locals diverted the springs that feed the pools and argued that the Palestinian Authority has restored the site and developed it as a tourist destination.

Fattouh also accused Israeli officials of using the issue to justify taking control of the site, saying Smotrich's visit showed that the pools were not completely dry, contrary to claims by Efrat officials.

Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron, said the pools are akin to rediscovering a lost part of the Jewish Temple, as they supplied Jerusalem with water for some 2,000 years.

He said preserving the site begins with attracting visitors, producing educational videos, improving access along the new road from northern Efrat, hosting senior Israeli officials and establishing a permanent presence with cameras, patrols and farms.

"Since the story started breaking, the P.A. is trying to build a mosque there. The goal of the P.A. is to stop Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria and the Land of Israel. They are not about developing anything for its own sake," Fleisher claimed to Fox News Digital.

Fleisher, who is an influential voice among the Israeli right, called for a radical change in policy. "What we really have to do is dismantle the P.A. and assert sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. In the meantime, the line should be redrawn so that Solomon's Pools, which are essentially archaeological sites, are placed under Israeli control in Area C," he said.

The alleged leader of a violent Mexican criminal cell has been arrested in connection with the assassination of a mayor, while authorities say the case also produced new evidence linking his organization to the livestreamed killing of a 23-year-old influencer.

Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, also known as "El R-1," was taken into custody during a joint military and law enforcement operation, officials said.

Mexican authorities identified him as the leader of Los Rs, a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG.

Officials allege Álvarez Ayala ordered and financed the November 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. His criminal cell was also linked to the May 2025 killing of beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, whose former boyfriend is Álvarez Ayala’s son, according to authorities.

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Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced details of the investigation a day after the arrest.

"'El R-1' is identified as the main leader of Los Rs, one of the most violent criminal cells linked to the CJNG, with operations in Apatzingán, Uruapan and Morelia, Michoacán, as well as in Jalisco," García Harfuch said in a statement posted on X.

"This organization is involved in extortion, murders and drug trafficking, directly affecting producers, business owners and families in the region," he added.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Márquez, a popular TikTok creator with more than 100,000 followers, was shot and killed while livestreaming from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.

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At the time, the killing was being investigated as a femicide, a gender-based crime under Mexican law.

Video appeared to show a man entering the salon, asking, "Are you Valeria?" before handing Márquez a gift.

The man then allegedly shot her in the chest and head. Márquez collapsed on camera before another person ended the livestream, the video appeared to show.

García Harfuch said the killing was linked to Francisco, who allegedly threatened Márquez several times after their relationship ended.

"This criminal cell allegedly participated under his orders in coordinating multiple violent acts in the region. Among them is the tragic feminicide of Valeria Márquez, which occurred in May 2025 in Zapopan, Jalisco, a crime linked to Francisco, the victim's former partner and Ramón Ángel's son," García Harfuch said.

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"With yesterday's arrest, we learned that R-1's son had a romantic relationship with Valeria. He had threatened her on several occasions and everything indicates, and this will be proven, that the son asked his father, R-1, to carry out the feminicide," he said, according to reports.

Álvarez Ayala is now in custody, while Francisco remains at large. Jalisco authorities have also arrested another man accused of participating in Márquez's killing.

In addition to Márquez's killing, Álvarez Ayala is accused of financing and orchestrating the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in November 2025.

Manzo had been an outspoken critic of organized crime and worked to root out corruption within the local police force.

Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with Manzo's killing, García Harfuch said.

Álvarez Ayala is being held at the Altiplano maximum-security prison while federal prosecutors pursue charges. Investigations into both killings are ongoing.

The Treasury Department said the CJNG was "one of the most powerful cartels in the world" and imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals and entities in Mexico linked to the organization in July.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's drive to project "normalcy" in Moscow may have created a dangerous security blind spot, giving adversaries like Ukraine greater opportunities to target the Kremlin's military elite, an analyst said Monday.

The assessment came after a deadly explosion ripped through an upscale Moscow restaurant on Aug. 1, where a senior Russian general was reportedly attending a private celebration. Several Russian media outlets claimed the bombing targeted Col. Gen. Alexander Chaiko, who led the troops that made a botched attempt to storm the Ukrainian capital in 2022 and recently was appointed the chief of Russia’s aerospace forces. The claims could not be independently verified.

If Chaiko was indeed at the restaurant, "that would establish a compelling motive for Ukraine," Dr. Mark Episkopos, a Eurasia research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Fox News Digital. "But there has been an ongoing discourse inside Russia that, despite numerous such attacks, Russian elites and even military figures continue to flout [operational security] best practices by holding parties like this in the first place."

The Russian Embassy in Rome accused Kyiv of carrying out the attack and said in a statement Aug. 2 that the attack was "evidence that the Ukrainian terrorist contagion is already beginning to spread."

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"The other factor here is that Putin has done his best to preserve a sense of ‘normalcy’ in Moscow and St. Petersburg, cultivating a facade of stability that Ukraine has been able to exploit," Episkopos added.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said an unidentified woman carried an improvised explosive device to the Balzi Rossi restaurant. The committee said the woman was stopped by security before the bomb was detonated near the restaurant's entrance. The Russian Embassy in Rome on Monday said five people were killed and 19 were injured in the attack.

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"This particular event did seem to have a substantial level of security, which is why the person carrying the explosive was reportedly stopped and questioned at the entrance," Episkopos noted.

Russian investigators suggested the courier may not have known she was transporting explosives and said the device was detonated remotely.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin condemned the "brutal terrorist attack," vowing that those responsible would be punished, according to Deutsche Welle.

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"The means by which this attack was executed — a remotely detonated explosive device delivered on-site by a civilian — are also consistent with other assassinations deep inside Russian territory previously attributed to Ukraine," Episkopos said.

"These include those of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, pro-Kremlin blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and others," he said.

Ukraine had not publicly commented on the restaurant bombing as of Monday afternoon, and no group had claimed responsibility.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of targeting senior military officers, pro-war figures and Russian-installed officials.

MOSCOW, TALIBAN FORGE MILITARY ALLIANCE IN POWER GRAB AFTER US AFGHANISTAN EXIT: REPORTS

Episkopos noted that Kyiv has increasingly used unconventional tactics to offset Russia's superiority in conventional manpower and firepower.

"Ukraine has pioneered a new style of asymmetric warfare that plays to its strengths and Russia's weaknesses — relatively porous borders and vast territory that's difficult to monitor, let alone defend," he said. "Ukraine's interior is smaller and comparatively better controlled, and the intelligence it receives from Western partners plays a role here."

NATO MEMBER SCRAMBLES FIGHTER JETS AS RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE KILLS 8

Episkopos added: "This makes operations like this more difficult to pull off. Russia has generally relied on its advantage in raw firepower to conduct airstrikes, as opposed to covert assassinations, against high-value Ukrainian targets."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Hamas’ newly elected leader to congratulate him and pledge Tehran’s continued support for the group’s cause, Hamas said Monday — as President Donald Trump promotes a landmark agreement intended to strip the terrorist organization of its weapons and power in Gaza.

Pezeshkian congratulated Khalil al-Hayya on his election as head of the group’s political bureau and told him Iran would continue supporting the Palestinian cause, according to a Hamas statement posted in Arabic, and reviewed by Fox News Digital.

"We are with you, and we support you in every action you take, despite the attacks we are facing," Pezeshkian said, according to Hamas’ account of the call.

Fox News Digital has asked Iran’s mission to the United Nations to confirm that the call took place and provide an official readout.

HAMAS TAPS 'ULTIMATE INSTITUTIONAL SURVIVOR' AS TERROR CHIEF, SENDING MESSAGE TO ISRAEL: EXPERT

The reported conversation highlighted a central contradiction confronting Trump’s Gaza initiative: While the White House is presenting the roadmap as a landmark agreement to remove Hamas from power and secure its weapons, Iran — the group’s longtime military and financial patron — was simultaneously reaffirming its support for Hamas and its new leader. Tehran’s backing raises fresh questions about whether Hamas is prepared to surrender the arsenal at the core of its power and how the Board of Peace could enforce disarmament against a group that continues to receive political support from one of Washington’s principal regional adversaries.

Trump in recent days announced what he called a "HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups," presenting it as a breakthrough after nearly three years of war. The stakes extend far beyond the wording of the deal: Hamas’ weapons remain the central obstacle to rebuilding Gaza, and the agreement will test whether Trump’s Board of Peace can enforce a postwar transition or whether Hamas will exploit the process to survive, regroup and retain power.

At the center of the effort is Trump’s Board of Peace, the president’s handpicked vehicle for implementing his Gaza policy and potentially extending his approach to other global conflicts. Trump chairs the board, whose executive leadership includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The White House says the board will oversee Gaza’s transition, mobilize reconstruction funding and hold the parties accountable.

But the tensions intensified Monday also on the Israeli side, when Nickolay Mladenov, Board of Peace director-general and high representative for Gaza, and board advisor Aryeh Lightstone met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged Israel to halt its attacks in Gaza.

Israel appeared to reject the board’s two central demands shortly afterward.

"Israel will not withdraw from its current line in the Gaza Strip and will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers," an Israeli political official said. The statement amounted to a rejection, at least for now, of demands that Israel return to the "yellow line" and halt targeted strikes in Gaza.

A Board of Peace official declined to discuss the meeting but said the body remained focused on carrying out the roadmap.

"We are focused on implementation," the official told Fox News Digital. "We have provided a pragmatic path forward to transform Gaza by removing Hamas from power and seeing it hand over its weapons. These steps would undoubtedly allow for the improvement of life in Gaza and enhancement of security in Israel. We remain determined to advance these objectives."

Meanwhile, the Hamas terrorist group says it has agreed only to a phased and conditional process involving the storage of weapons after Israel stops its attacks, withdraws its forces and allows more aid into Gaza. Hamas has avoided the word "disarmament" in its statements and insists its weapons would remain under Palestinian control rather than being surrendered to Israel or an international force.

HAMAS AGREES TO COMPLETE DISARMAMENT UNDER 'HISTORIC' GAZA AGREEMENT: TRUMP

The board’s 15-point roadmap calls for Hamas to transfer Gaza’s civilian government and security responsibilities to a Palestinian technocratic body known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. Hamas-run police would surrender their weapons to the committee, while heavy weapons, military production sites, weapons depots and tunnels would be addressed later through a phased decommissioning process linked to an Israeli withdrawal.

The intended endpoint is that only the new Palestinian authority would possess or control weapons in Gaza. But the roadmap leaves unresolved who will enforce the process, what constitutes compliance and which side must act first.

Hamas’ disarmament remains a central obstacle to rebuilding Gaza. Trump has tied reconstruction to the group laying down its weapons, while The Associated Press reported that the Board of Peace had secured approximately $7 billion in pledges by February — a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the devastated territory.

Moumen al-Natour, a Palestinian lawyer from Gaza and co-founder of the anti-Hamas "We Want to Live" movement, said civilians desperately want the agreement to succeed but do not trust Hamas to relinquish power.

"Civilian people inside Gaza Strip… want safety, want to stop this war, want a new government, want to be alive," al-Natour told Fox News Digital.

But al-Natour, who previously was imprisoned by Hamas, warned that the group would use delays and violations to remain embedded in Gaza.

"I can’t trust Hamas because I know Hamas," he said, arguing that the group had repeatedly arrested and killed Palestinians who opposed its rule. He said an international force of only a few hundred personnel would be unable to secure Gaza or prevent Hamas from intimidating residents and that a much larger force and a new Palestinian police structure would be required.

Drawing on a grassroots network of thousands of Gazan professionals who reject Hamas’ ideology, the "We Want to Live" movement is promoting its own plan to rebuild Gaza’s civil society and is calling for cooperation with the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the technocratic body tasked under the U.S.-backed transition plan with governing and rebuilding the enclave.

Al-Natour also proposed allowing civilians who want to escape Hamas-controlled areas to move into protected zones near the "yellow line" — the boundary separating Israeli-held territory from the rest of Gaza — where they could live under a new Palestinian administration backed by an international security force. He said the arrangement could provide Gazans with a safer alternative while a post-Hamas governing structure is established.

HAMAS SAYS IT WILL DISSOLVE GAZA GOVERNMENT, BUT ISRAEL WARNS GROUP STILL SEEKS HEZBOLLAH-STYLE CONTROL

Michael Milstein, a former military intelligence officer in Israel and now head of the Palestinian Studies Centre at Tel Aviv University, said the compromise has been developing for months under pressure from Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.

Milstein said Hamas may be prepared to give up control of Gaza’s day-to-day government and accept restrictions on heavy weapons but is unlikely to abandon its armed organization completely.

Under the model Hamas appears to favor, Milstein said, a technocratic government and international forces would assume responsibility for public services and reconstruction while Hamas preserves its personnel, infrastructure and political influence — an arrangement resembling Hezbollah’s longtime position in Lebanon.

"There is a very, very low chance that Hamas will completely disarm," Milstein told Fox News Digital, describing the roadmap as the kind of "gray area" Hamas has historically used to its advantage.

The Board of Peace also is pressing for an end to actions that could derail the plan. After Israeli strikes killed civilians and reportedly destroyed medical supplies over the weekend, Mladenov, the director-general of the Board of Peace, called for de-escalation but did not identify Israel by name.

"Two days of strikes across Gaza have killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies," Mladenov wrote on X, adding that he was working with the parties and regional mediators to "create the space for the full implementation of the President’s plan."

Israel, meanwhile, says it will not withdraw before Hamas genuinely disarms. Hamas says Israel must withdraw first.

The roadmap also faces resistance inside Israel’s government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock urged Netanyahu on Monday to convene the security Cabinet immediately and block the international stabilization force from entering Gaza, according to Israel’s N12 news outlet.

In an urgent letter reported by N12 on Aug. 3, 2026, the ministers called the Board of Peace roadmap "dangerous to Israel" and argued that it contradicts Israel’s stated goals of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza. They objected that weapons would be placed under the authority of a new Palestinian body rather than removed from Gaza or handed to Israel and that Israeli troops would begin withdrawing while the disarmament process was still underway.

The far-right ministers also argued that the international force would monitor the separation between Israeli troops and the new Palestinian administration rather than directly disarm Hamas. They demanded that Netanyahu prevent implementation until the roadmap is revised to require full demilitarization before an Israeli withdrawal. The letter underscores that the plan’s obstacles extend beyond Hamas: Influential members of Netanyahu’s coalition are also challenging its sequencing, enforcement and security provisions.

That leaves Trump’s proclaimed milestone resting on the same question that has stalled previous Gaza negotiations: whether Hamas is truly preparing to surrender the weapons that underpin its power — or merely buying time to ensure that it remains standing when the rebuilding begins.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his appeal for U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors after an overnight Russian missile and drone barrage on Kyiv killed at least 10 people and injured dozens more, Ukrainian officials said Aug. 1.

"The world has Patriot missiles. What matters now is for our partners to make the political decision to provide the necessary packages. The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need," Zelenskyy said in a video message shared on X.

"Anti-ballistic missiles must protect people – not sit in stockpiles," he added.

Zelenskyy's appeal came as a former Ukrainian government official told Fox News Digital that Ukraine's civilian protection crisis extends far beyond air defenses, describing "scandalous situations" amid a widening bomb shelter probe that has allegedly exposed deficiencies despite billions spent on construction and repairs.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE

Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, is also auditing its shelter spending, according to local reports.

"It's not possible to keep begging for missiles all the time. This is not how one protects the population," ex-Ukrainian government spokesperson Luliia Mendel said. "Zelenskyy is shifting responsibility onto the United States and Western partners for the lack of protection inside Ukraine."

Mendel went on to describe how Ukrainians have been saying they are drawing their "anti-drone curtains" and closing their "anti-missile windows" simply to illustrate that their survival depends more on luck than on systematic protection from the state.

"Scandalous situations keep arising," she said, "where people have no chance to take cover."

"Many still lack shelters close enough to reach quickly every time danger strikes," Mendel added.

Ukraine and Finland launched the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition in May 2025 to help implement Ukraine's civil defense strategy through 2034.

At the coalition's inaugural meeting on Nov. 27, members pledged more than 22 million euros (about $25 million at the time) to support bomb shelter construction and modernization.

RUSSIA UNLEASHES NEARLY 600 MISSILES AND DRONES ON KYIV IN DEADLIEST STRIKE SINCE MAY

Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said in June that his office inspected 1,066 bomb shelters nationwide and found deficiencies in 93% of them, according to The Ukrainian Week.

Some were locked, flooded or otherwise unusable, while others were inaccessible to people with disabilities, the outlet reported.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi ordered a nationwide inspection of civil defense shelters on July 30 after a major Russian missile attack, following reports that some civilians were unable to access shelters during the assault. 

According to Reuters, Kyiv has spent billions of hryvnias on bomb shelters since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. 

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city allocated more than 1.1 billion hryvnias (about $26 million) for shelter repairs in 2026, after spending roughly 7 billion hryvnias from 2022 through 2025.

On July 10, he ordered an audit of how district administrations used those funds.

Some people have been sheltering in bathrooms or corridors, offering little to no protection from a direct hit. Others relocate to basements, risking being buried under rubble, Reuters reported.

One woman said she was denied entry to a shelter because of her dog, while another said she has to rent a hotel room to access its shelter. Many others resort to sleeping in underground parking garages, the outlet reported.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN DON BACON SAYS HE WANTS 'PARIAH STATE' RUSSIA BOOTED FROM UN SECURITY COUNCIL

"Thousands of shelters fail to meet basic standards, and mandatory evacuations from dozens of villages and towns in the front-line regions are being announced on a regular basis as Russia expands its fire control," Mendel explained.

"Ukraine's civilian population is largely unprotected, not solely because of shortages of missiles, but because of the absence of any comprehensive system that would give people reliable places to shelter and the means to survive."

Zelenskyy told Axios on July 29 that he had asked Trump for an emergency shipment of about 300 Patriot interceptors ahead of winter, saying Ukraine "needed the Patriots yesterday" and warning that producing them domestically could take one to five years.

"I'm not sure that 300 Patriot missiles would be helpful," Mendel said. "Russia has also intensified its use of guided aerial bombs across the front-line regions, from northern Sumy to southern Kherson, expanding its fire control. No missile system can stop that."

ZELENSKYY SAYS PUTIN 'LOST THE INITIATIVE' AS UKRAINE'S TECH INDUSTRY RESHAPES THE WAR

Mendel warned that without a comprehensive overhaul of Ukraine’s civilian defense system, the country faces an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.

"Zelenskyy and his government are already warning that the winter will be even harsher than the last one, preparing the public for a humanitarian catastrophe," Mendel said. "But Ukraine has not designed a system that would be able to protect its population. Zelenskyy will continue demanding more support and missiles while shifting responsibility."

During a recent appearance on Fox News’ "Hannity," Zelenskyy said Trump had "accepted that he will give us licenses" to produce the interceptors in Ukraine.

Trump later said no agreement had been reached and that the administration was still discussing the proposal.

"I don't think this would ever happen, but, you know, there's people that, you give that technology, they can someday turn on you," Trump told reporters at Camp David on July 31.

"So we have to be very careful," he warned.

At least 72 migrants are dead after a chaotic rush to storm the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, turning one of Europe's latest border crises into a humanitarian disaster that is reigniting debate over immigration across the continent.

Spanish authorities continued searching the waters off Ceuta over the weekend for additional victims after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants — most of them young men — poured into the tiny Spanish territory in North Africa. Officials said many of the victims drowned while attempting the crossing, while others were killed in a stampede near a breakwater barrier.

The mass crossing unfolded over several days, temporarily increasing Ceuta's population of roughly 84,000 by more than half. By Sunday, many migrants had returned to neighboring Morocco, while others remained in the city or tried to avoid authorities.

SPAIN DEPLOYS MILITARY AFTER THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS OVERWHELM BORDER ENCLAVE, AT LEAST 18 DEAD

The deaths have intensified the political fight over immigration in Spain and across Europe. Far-right leaders called for tighter border security and the removal of migrants who remained in the enclave.

Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's nationalist Vox party, visited Ceuta on Sunday and blasted the country's government, calling the migrant influx "an invasion" and accusing officials of failing to protect Spain's borders.

Tensions were also on display Saturday when European Parliament member Alvise Pérez faced angry counterprotesters during a rally in Ceuta. Pérez eventually took shelter inside a nearby bar before police escorted him away.

MIGRANT CRISIS PUSHES ITALY TO RESTORE BORDER CHECKS WITH SPAIN, TESTING EUROPE'S OPEN-BORDER SYSTEM

Many local residents expressed sorrow over the loss of life, even as the political debate intensified.

"It pains me deeply that young people are dying at sea. It's not right that, in the year 2026, women with children as young as two months old should be crossing the sea only to die," Karima Abenaz, a French national in Ceuta with family in Morocco, told Reuters.

"In Morocco, there's food, there's everything we need," she said. "If we don't have a decent job, we should go on strike and demand our rights from the government. We shouldn't be dying at sea. It's not right."

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS SPANISH GOVERNMENT AS THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS SURGE FROM MOROCCO, EMERGENCY REQUEST DENIED

Other local residents said the migrants themselves should not be blamed.

Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a waiter in Ceuta, told The Associated Press that responsibility lies with the authorities.

"If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren't to blame. The authorities are responsible," he said.

Others said the events had tested Ceuta's reputation as a city where Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu communities have long lived side by side. Some also voiced concerns about security and questioned whether another mass crossing could happen again.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday raised its Travel Advisory for Ceuta to Level 3: Reconsider Travel in response to the surge, warning that the "massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta may lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A bombing at an upscale restaurant in Moscow that killed three people and wounded at least 21 others on Saturday was a "brutal terrorist act," according to the city’s mayor, who vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attack.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin made the declaration Sunday, a day after the explosion tore through the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in the Russian capital.

"Yesterday, a brutal terrorist act was committed in Moscow that claimed human lives. The victims are currently in the city’s hospitals, where they are receiving all necessary care," Sobyanin wrote on social media Sunday.

EXPLOSION AT RESTAURANT IN CENTRAL MOSCOW LEAVES THREE DEAD, MORE THAN A DOZEN INJURED

He added investigators are working to identify those behind the attack and vowed they "will certainly be found and will face the punishment they deserve."

Russian authorities have not identified any suspects, and no group had claimed responsibility as of Sunday.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the blast was caused by a homemade explosive device. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing local officials, reported that a woman carrying the bomb tried to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard before it exploded.

The blast killed the woman, the security guard and a restaurant patron, RIA Novosti reported. At least 21 other people were injured in the explosion, which happened around 8 p.m. local time at the restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square.

UKRAINE UNLEASHES MORE THAN 400 DRONES NEAR MOSCOW IN ONE OF WAR'S BIGGEST ATTACKS

The restaurant was closed to the public Saturday night for a private event, according to its website and Russian state media.

Video released by Russian state media showed heavily armed police officers, ambulances and other emergency vehicles outside the damaged restaurant as investigators examined the scene.

Earlier this year, Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, said it would tighten security for senior military and government officials following a series of assassination attempts in Russian cities since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian authorities have not linked the restaurant bombing to those earlier attacks or to the war in Ukraine.

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.