INTERNACIONAL
Lebanon accuses Iran of inserting IRGC terrorists into country ‘under guise of diplomatic activity’
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The Lebanese government filed a sharply worded complaint with the United Nations arguing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has abused diplomatic immunity by refusing to recall its ambassador after Beirut demanded his expulsion and to stop alleged terrorist activities on its soil, according to a recently surfaced letter from late April.
The disclosure of the letter, which is reportedly a precedent-setting move by Lebanon, comes amid a second day of talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon to normalize relations (the countries are in a state of war) and dismantle the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that «The United States facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon have resumed today and are ongoing. The atmosphere of talks has been very positive, even exceeding expectations.»
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A mourner holds a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral procession on March 5, 2026, for members of Iraq’s pro-Iran paramilitary group Kataeb Hezbollah killed in a strike in Baghdad the previous day. (Ahmed Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X on Friday that «On May 14 and 15, the United States hosted two days of highly-productive talks between Israel and Lebanon. The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress. The State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3.»
He added that, «In addition, a security track will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with military delegations from both countries. We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border.»
As the sides report back to their capitals, the potentially game-changing letter in which Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa, slammed Iran for inserting alleged terrorists from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into Lebanon «under the guise of diplomatic activity,» has given hope to critics of Iran and Hezbollah.
Arafa said, according to the letter, that Iran committed «unlawful acts in blatant defiance of the decisions of the Government of Lebanon.» He continued, «This Iranian conduct constitutes direct and blatant interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon and drags the country into a war it did not choose to become involved in.»
Michael Needham, counselor for the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter pose for a photo before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
The U.S. and the European Union have classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
The letter took the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, to task for «blatant interference» in Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s U.N. letter, Beirut argued that Iran is violating the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and interfering in Lebanon’s state of affairs.
IDF SOLDIERS ACCUSE UN PEACEKEEPERS OF ENABLING HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS AMID INCREASING CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS
Iranian protesters carry flowers in front of a large banner of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during a protest in Tehran on Sept. 30, 2024, condemning an Israeli air strike on Hezbollah’s Beirut headquarters and the killing of Nasrallah and IRGC Quds Force commander General Abbas Nilforoushan. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
When asked about the details of the letter, a spokesperson for Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S. declined to comment. The spokesperson also declined to weigh in on the current talks with Israel in Washington.
Walid Phares, a leading U.S. expert on Lebanon and the Mideast, told Fox News Digital that «Many have considered the Lebanese memo to the U.N. as the start of the Lebanese government change of attitude towards Iran and a sign of escalation by Beirut. While the tone of the letter and its narrative make people feel that there is a government resistance to Iran and Hezbollah reality is still lesser.»
He added that «The subject of the last quarrel is a legal change of status regarding the presence of Iranians on Lebanese soil. The Lebanese government has decided not to grant Iranians, government, and private citizens an automatic visa waiver, which upset Iran and Hezbollah. Besides, Tehran is furious at the fact that the Lebanese government has not been helpful in dealing with the elimination of a number of IRGC members killed in Lebanon by Israel. Tehran blames the foreign ministry of Lebanon, particularly foreign minister Youssef Raggi, for the ‘lessening of solidarity with Iran.»‘
Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on April 5, 2026. (Emilio Morenatti/AP)
According to Phares, «Raggi represents a Lebanese Christian bloc in the parliament, who is not sympathetic to the regime. However, the actual talks in D.C. are designed by the Lebanese government to show the Trump administration that the ‘state wants to talk’ but not to reach an agreement that would trigger Hezbollah’s wrath. The leaders of the Lebanese state are not yet where the U.S. and Israel expect them to be.»
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A regional official well-versed in the U.N. dispute told Fox News Digital that Lebanon «argued that Iran had not given the Lebanese foreign ministry the list of all Iranians and the details about their place of stay. And that’s why Israel targeted that hotel in Lebanon in which six were killed, which is true.»
The official said that «Iran had not told the foreign ministry of Lebanon about those six people.»
war with iran, lebanon, united nations, israel, state department, terrorism
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FIRST ON FOX: As the White House touts «collapsing» violent crime rates in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security is pointing to the deportation of violent criminal illegal immigrants as the «common sense» reason.
A new analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) released this month reported that homicides will «likely» reach a «new historic low» in the U.S. as most crime rates continue to decline mid-year. CCJ reported that homicides in a sample group of large U.S. cities are down 18% from the previous year, which is on pace for the lowest level since 1900. Additionally, carjackings are down 47%; motor vehicle thefts are down 20%; robberies are down 17% and residential burglaries are down 13%.
The White House touted the report as evidencing «extraordinary progress» in «delivering on one of President Trump’s core promises to restore law and order.»
Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital, «It is common sense. When you remove criminals from the country, crime rates fall.»
ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER
President Donald Trump announces the Freedom Haulers initiative on West Executive Avenue in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2026. The program will allow military veterans to get expedited commercial driver’s licenses for trucking careers. The nation faces a shortage of truckers after licenses were stripped from immigrants who failed English language tests. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The agency shared exclusively with Fox News Digital some of the «worst of the worst» criminal illegal immigrants who have been deported just in the last few weeks. Recent deportees include foreign nationals convicted of homicide, drug trafficking, aggravated assault, carjacking and other crimes, in addition to multiple with illegal re-entries into the country.
Among those deported was a member of the foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua, a Honduran national named Jared Adonay Cruz-Rivera, according to DHS. He was deported on July 18 following a previous conviction for robbery and an arrest on charges of drug possession.
DHS said that one deportee, Olegario Ramirez, a Mexican national and Paisas gang member, has a criminal history including convictions for homicide and illegal re-entry into the U.S. He was deported on July 27.
Another Mexican national deported the same day was Bulmaro Rendon-Ramos, a Surenos gang member, who had convictions for robbery, burglary and four counts of driving under the influence of liquor.
ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ILLINOIS TEACHER LINKED TO TREN DE ARAGUA MASS SHOOTING
Mugshots, left to right from top: Jared Adonay Cruz-Rivera, Olegario Ramirez, Bulmaro Rendon-Ramos, Nammoun Khampanya, Omar Loaces Gonzalez, Marc James Guerrier Pinard. (Blake Fagan / AFP via Getty Images; DHS)
Nammoun Khampanya, a Crips gang member from Laos, was deported on July 28 following convictions for cocaine possession, possession of a weapon, obstructing police and fraud.
A Cuban national, Omar Loaces Gonzalez, was deported on July 17. His criminal history includes convictions for vehicle theft and wire fraud.
Additionally, Haitian national Marc James Guerrier Pinard was deported on July 16 following his convictions for three counts of armed carjacking and an arrest on charges of burglary.
NEW YORK TIMES TORCHED FOR ‘FALSE’ REPORTING ON ICE INVESTIGATIONS, OUTLET FIRES BACK
Federal agents are seen walking in uniform. A report from The New York Times said the Trump administration has lost or abandoned hundreds of cases in which it accused anti-ICE protesters and migrants of assaulting federal immigration agents. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Commenting on the deportations, Bis told Fox News Digital that «President Trump promised to make America safe again, and he has done just that.»
«Crime has fallen to record lows under the Trump administration, including murders on pace to drop to the lowest level in 126 years. It’s no surprise that this drop in crime coincides with deportations of dangerous criminal illegal aliens,» she said.
deportation, illegal immigrants, immigration, enforcement, homeland security, donald trump, migrant crime
INTERNACIONAL
Crisis migratoria en España: dudas y un opaco trasfondo político detrás del aluvión de marroquíes en Ceuta
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Francesca Hong, the likely Democratic nominee for governor in Wisconsin backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, once argued that Americans should not celebrate Thanksgiving.
«Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,» Hong wrote in a now-deleted post to X.
«If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx [sic] and women, so be it,» she added, referring to the spread of smallpox that killed many indigenous Americans.
WISCONSIN DEM SOCIALIST GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL DODGES WHETHER SHE STILL WANTS TO ‘ABOLISH POLICE’
Governor candidate Francesca Hong speaks on stage during the Wisconsin Democrats 2026 Convention on June 14, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (Getty Images for WisDems)
The post, which was originally made in November 2020, sheds more light on Hong’s progressive thinking as she emerges as a frontrunner in the Wisconsin gubernatorial contest and drew mockery online.
«‘Folx,’» Stephen Miller, a conservative podcaster, posted to X, noting the term used to signal inclusivity of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups.
«Francesca Hong is all but certain to be the Democratic nominee for governor of Wisconsin. She also wants to ‘Cancel Thanksgiving,’ according to a since-deleted tweet. What is going on in Wisconsin??» another observer wrote.
Hong has leaned into her socialist record in her campaign, describing it as ensuring that «working-class people have their fair share.»
Hong shares policy positions with other notable progressives like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another self-proclaimed socialist. Among other platform positions, Hong is championing race-based grants for social workers, publicly funded grocery stores and a state-run bank.
The stances seem to have paid off as Hong has gained momentum in recent months, and, with under two weeks to go until the primary, looks poised to capture the Democratic nomination.
‘FREE BEER’ FOR TRUMP DEATH DEM ACTIVIST RUNNING FOR WISCONSIN GOV: ‘I WILL WIN’ IF THEY SILENCE ME
Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Hong also started getting mocked Friday for a resurfaced 2019 post where she said, «I ate two bites of my kid’s cheeseburger at a Culver’s in black river falls and told him they ran out of ice cream. Mostly just wanted to leave bc I was on the verge of a anxiety attack…to (sic) many old white people who didn’t think we spoke english.»
«Omg English ***TOO **AN,» she replied.
«Bold choice for Democrats in Wisconsin running someone statewide who gets a panic attack at Culver’s at the sight of ‘old white people,’» Former White House Principal Deputy Communications Director Alex Pfeiffer wrote on X.
«The only way this post could be worse for someone running for office in Wisconsin is if she had complained that Culver’s uses too much butter,» Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter at the Washington Free Beacon, wrote on X.
«One of the democrats running for Governor of Wisconsin doesn’t know that Culver’s serves only fresh frozen custard. She thinks they serve ice cream. Disqualifying,» Brick Suit, an online MAGA personality, wrote on X.
The race was shaken up on Thursday when Mandela Barnes, the state’s former lieutenant governor, dropped out of the race. Barnes was considered a frontrunner in the race because of his proximity to outgoing Gov. Tony Evers and his name recognition.
His exit also coincides with rumblings that Barnes may have abused his position in the past to make sexual advances toward women in the workplace, an allegation currently under investigation by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
With his departure, Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley were left as the two main contenders.
Hong has received backing from a number of nationally recognized progressives, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. She has raised nearly $709,000 as of late June, according to state records.
SCHIFF-BACKED CANDIDATE ABRUPTLY ENDS GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN AMID RUMBLINGS OF A DAMAGING REPORT
Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialist candidate for governor, poses for a portrait at St. Paul Baptist Church on July 19, 2026, in Racine, Wis. (Sara Stathas/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
By comparison, Crowley has secured $250,000 and enjoys the support of a number of local organizations and figures.
Gov. Evers has endorsed Crowley , citing his experience.The gubernatorial primary will take place Aug. 11.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hong’s campaign for comment.
wisconsin, gubernatorial, politics
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