War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to military leaders from around the globe this week: get fit, get on board with the Trump agenda or get out.

It marked the first time generals from around the world had been summoned to convene with the secretary, and many had expected closed-door announcements on trimming the general officer corps, drawing down forces in the Middle East and Europe or cutting civilian and contractor roles.

Instead, what they got was a televised address from Hegseth and President Donald Trump. The secretary pushed a populist message of handing decision-making back to the warfighter, requiring senior leadership to perform physical training in line with lower-ranking officers and bringing uniformity back to the force.

Garrett Smith, an active-duty Marine Corps reservist and CEO of defense tech firm Reveal, said the spectacle was unusual but not without precedent.

TRUMP DECLARES ‘REAWAKENING’ OF ‘WARRIOR SPIRIT,’ UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR MILITARY: ‘I HAVE YOUR BACKS’

«At a first level, at any big multinational corporation or big organization, when there’s a new boss, it’s totally reasonable to call in all your regional managers and VPs for a setting of tone, to reconfirm the agenda, to ensure alignment. So all of that makes sense,» Smith said. «But obviously, these are not normal times. This is the Trump administration. So it’s going to come with a bunch of enhanced drama and mystique and weirdness about it… the policy and the action might have been totally great, but much of the country is going to be left wondering, what was that really about?»

Even so, Smith argued, the underlying message was unmistakable: «A return to warfighting and preparation for winning wars as the priority mission of the department. There was a perception we’d strayed from that, that it had become just one mission among many. Reconfirming that this is the mission is really important — investing in a warfighting ethos.»

At a moment when the Trump administration is on alert for internal resistance to its agenda, the speech served as a reminder to commanders stationed far from Washington that their authority ultimately flows from the president.

«This is a historic come-to-Jesus meeting,» said Chad Robicheaux, a former reconnaissance Marine who deployed to Afghanistan eight times. «The message is clear: the days of divisiveness, resistance, and undermining leadership are over.»

«It was crystal clear — generals and admirals are on notice: comply and enforce these new policies and culture or be fired. No more woke leaders,» said Amber Smith, a combat veteran and advisor with the Coalition for Military Excellence.

«The topic today is about the nature of ourselves, because no plan, no program, no reform, no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the Department of War,» Hegseth told the group.

He emphasized that combat fitness tests would be gender-neutral and that high-level officers would need to meet standards.

«It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It’s a bad look. It’s not who we are,» he said. «Whether you’re an airborne Ranger or a chairborne Ranger, a brand new private or a four-star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass your PT test.»

Hegseth announced that all personnel must pass physical training tests and meet weight requirements twice a year, and would be required to work out daily. «We’re not talking, like, hot yoga and stretching,» he said. «Real hard PT.»

That represented a departure from previous years, when fitness standards often fell away once officers reached higher ranks and desk-bound commands.

HEGSETH INSTATES ‘HIGHEST MALE STANDARD ONLY’ FOR COMBAT, OTHER CHANGES, DECLARING DEPT. OF DEFENSE ‘IS OVER’

Hundreds of generals were called to Quantico on a week’s notice for Hegseth’s address. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Smith, who comes from the infantry, said the focus on standards for physical readiness was part of that shift. «If we want to present a deterring force to the world so we don’t have to go to war, we have to be ready to win the next war. That is the deterrent force we project,» he said.

At the same time, Smith acknowledged the cultural edge of Hegseth’s message. «There was an obvious and very clear anti-woke, anti-social-justice threat in there. That is unique to this administration, and it has to be a part of their message every time. That’s not a surprise given the last four or five years.»

From Trump, generals saw a preview of what is expected in the forthcoming national defense strategy: a renewed focus on homeland defense and U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Trump suggested crime-ridden U.S. cities could even serve as «training grounds» for troops.

«I told Pete we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military — National Guard, but military — because we’re going into Chicago very soon,» Trump said.

HEGSETH TELLS TROOPS TO RESIGN IF THEY OPPOSE HIS PLAN TO SCRAP ‘WOKE’ POLICIES AND RESTORE WARRIOR ETHOS

Hegseth’s message carried a personal edge rooted in his own military experience. A former Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth left the service at the rank of major — well short of the general officer tier he now oversees.

That trajectory has long colored his outsider posture toward the Pentagon brass, giving him credibility with rank-and-file troops but also fueling what some see as a chip-on-the-shoulder tone toward those who climbed higher in the hierarchy.

His insistence that generals shed weight, train daily and live by the same standards as junior officers reflects both his populist instincts and his lived sense of being closer to the warfighter than the war planner.

«I can’t really imagine a scenario where a general needs to be able to run across a battlefield,» one veteran mused. 

«It felt a bit theatery,» one junior officer said of the speech. «But he’s right that generals should have to meet the same standards they expect of the people they lead.»

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«The future of the military and ‘war’ department finally is starting to look better, and I’m happy all that bulls— that happened in the past was addressed, and I don’t have to deal with it,» said another. 

Hegseth also said he would lift guardrails aimed at preventing bullying and hazing and «empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second-guessing.»

«No more walking on eggshells.»

He told military officers in the room that if they didn’t like his message, «then you should do the honorable thing and resign.»

El canciller de Francia, de visita en Arabia Saudita, consideró este jueves que Hamas “perdió” frente a Israel y que debe aceptar su “rendición“, en momentos en que el grupo terrorista palestino examina un plan de Estados Unidos para poner fin a la guerra en Gaza.

“Hamas tiene una responsabilidad muy fuerte en la catástrofe vivida por los palestinos. Ha perdido. Debe resignarse a su propia rendición“, declaró el ministro Jean-Noël Barrot a AFP.

Tras la publicación, el lunes, del plan de paz del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, aprobado públicamente por el primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, Barrot reiteró este jueves el apoyo de Francia a esa iniciativa.

“Aplaudimos el plan y queremos trabajar en su puesta en marcha para poner fin a la guerra, al hambre y al sufrimiento en Gaza”, dijo Barrot.

El ministro insistió en el aislamiento de Hamas y recordó que el 12 de septiembre, en la Asamblea General de la ONU se votó por amplia mayoría un texto presentado por París y Riad que defiende un futuro Estado palestino en el que Hamas quedaría al margen.

El plan de Trump prevé un alto al fuego en 72 horas, el desarme de Hamas y la retirada progresiva de Israel a Gaza.

El presidente estadounidense le había dado a Hamas un plazo de “tres o cuatro días” para aceptar su propuesta.

Trump insistió en que “sólo estamos esperando a Hamas” y advirtió que una eventual negativa a la propuesta significaría “un futuro muy triste” para el enclave. Cuestionado por la posibilidad de modificar términos del acuerdo, respondió que el margen para renegociaciones sería “no mucho”, acotando así la flexibilidad para enmiendas de última hora.

Por otra parte, las fuerzas de Israel intensificaron sus operaciones militares en la Franja de Gaza en las últimas 24 horas, al tiempo que aumenta la presión internacional sobre Hamas para que acepte la propuesta de alto el fuego.

En un comunicado emitido por las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel (FDI), se informó que diferentes divisiones del ejército realizaron allanamientos en la ciudad de Gaza, donde confiscaron armas, eliminaron combatientes considerados como terroristas y destruyeron infraestructura utilizada por milicias armadas.

La División 36 de las FDI incursionó en un edificio militar, localizando “una gran cantidad de armas y equipo militar”, y destruyó puntos logísticos. Por su parte, las divisiones 98 y 99 reportaron ataques aéreos y terrestres que resultaron en la muerte de más combatientes en distintas zonas de la ciudad. Las FDI agregaron que sus tropas continúan avanzando con el respaldo de inteligencia y potencia de fuego para “eliminar células terroristas de Hamas”, además de haber recogido equipo táctico que quedó abandonado tras el repliegue de combatientes palestinos.

Entre el material incautado figuran chalecos, cargadores, granadas, mapas y cámaras utilizadas para la planificación de operaciones y tareas terroristas, los cuales fueron entregados a las agencias de inteligencia israelíes para mayor análisis.

De acuerdo con el comunicado castrense, estas acciones forman parte de la denominada Operación Carros de Gideon II. El ejército aseguró que el combate se desarrolla en “un espacio denso y urbanizado”, combinando acciones encubiertas, inteligencia y ataques precisos. Los soldados actúan en condiciones de alta complejidad, registrando intensos combates y detectando la huida apresurada de miembros de las facciones armadas de Gaza.

(Con información de AFP)

The persistent threat of antisemitism was underscored Thursday after at least two people were killed in a U.K. synagogue attack. The violence unfolded as millions of Jews marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day in their faith, and as global efforts continued to free 46 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Details of the assailant, who attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in England’s northeastern city of Manchester by ramming his car into pedestrians before stabbing at least one person, remain unknown.

British police shot and killed the suspect, and authorities declared the attack a terrorist incident.

«Attacks like the one today in the U.K. sadly are becoming normalized,» Jonathan Ruhe, Director of Foreign Policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Fox News Digital.

UK TERROR ATTACK OUTSIDE PACKED SYNAGOGUE ON YOM KIPPUR LEAVES 2 DEAD, 4 INJURED, POLICE SAY

The Community Security Trust (CST), which tracks antisemitic attacks in the U.K., found that «incidents» against the Jewish community across Britain drastically escalated following the Hamas attacks on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip that followed with 4,103 events recorded that year — an all-time high. 

In October 2023 alone,1,330 instances of antisemitism were reported by the CST, which includes assault, damage or desecration, threats and abusive behavior against Jews. 

Incidents reported in November and December that year, with 931 and 477 incidents respectively, made those months the second- and fourth-worst months for antisemitism in the U.K. recorded by the group.

Last year also saw another 3,528 incidents reported, more than double the 1,652 incidents reported the year prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

CST found that the surge in attacks was linked to ideologically or politically motivated sentiments related to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. 

TRUMP GIVES HAMAS ‘THREE TO FOUR DAYS’ TO ACCEPT PLAN OR MEET A ‘A VERY SAD END’

People march with placards showing pictures of Israeli hostages as U.K. Jewish groups mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Oct. 6, 2024, in Manchester, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to X to offer his condolences for the victims of the attack and said, «Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester.

«As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it,» he added. 

While the motive behind Thursday’s attack remains unknown, Ruhe argued that the failure of European leaders to use «their diplomatic weight to support a viable post-Hamas future for Gazans» and instead «punish» Israel has contributed to the rise in antisemitic sentiment. 

The attack on the Manchester synagogue comes just two weeks after the U.K. and other European leaders agreed to recognize a Palestinian state after long refusing to do so. 

But anti-Semitism is also on the rise in the U.S., which Ruhe noted is possibly even more concerning given Europe’s history with combating the issue.

Jewish-targeted attacks in the U.K. rose 282% over the last decade, according to data collected by the CST. But in the U.S., antisemitic attacks jumped by 893% in the same 10-year period, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with some 9,354 incidents reported last year. 

«The rise of open and violent anti-Semitism in America is more recent than in much of Europe, but perhaps all the more worrying because of that,» Ruhe said. «Part of the solution is colleges shutting down far-left campus ‘protests’ that intend only to intimidate Jews and anyone who calls for policies short of ending Israel’s existence. 

«It’s been very telling that such ‘protesters’ use militarized language like ‘encampments’ to describe their campus presence and activities.» 

Former President Donald Trump walks on stage at a fighting antisemitism event with Miriam Adelson at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster Aug. 15, 2024, in Bedminster, N.J. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

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But Ruhe pointed out that anti-Semitism is an increasing concern across the political spectrum’s extremes, driving a narrative on both the far left and far right.

«There’s also a somewhat subtler normalization of antisemitism on the far right, for example, major influencers asking whether we need more context in talking about Adolf Hitler and Nazism,» Ruhe said. «There needs to be more serious and clear pushback from our political leaders on narratives like these.»