INTERNACIONAL
Experts urge extreme caution on Iran’s ‘crown jewel’ Hezbollah — terror group with US blood on its hands
Sen Sheehy warns of Iran’s ‘murderous regime’ as nuclear deal sparks debate
Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., reacts to the latest Iran nuclear peace talks, warning that the Iranian regime is merely buying time. He highlights Iran’s stated goal to ‘wipe our civilization off the map’ and its decades-long funding of terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas. He stresses the importance of supporting U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Israel and the UAE, against this global threat.
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Foreign policy experts are advising the Trump administration to continue to carefully watch Iran’s behavior over its terror proxy Hezbollah — a group with American blood on its hands.
The importance of Hezbollah to the Tehran regime is clear in the comprehensive U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. While the agreement does not mention the group by name, clause one of the 14-point MOU calls for the permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including the cessation of conflict in Lebanon.
Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief, told Fox News Digital that, «Hezbollah isn’t just the Iran regime’s most prized proxy; it’s the crown jewel of the regime’s forward defense. For almost five decades, the Islamic Republic has invested billions building Hezbollah into a forward-deployed missile arsenal aimed directly at Israel’s heart.» She said «Losing Hezbollah would hurt the mullahs more than losing the Strait of Hormuz or anything else in their arsenal. That’s why Hezbollah is clause one,» of the MOU.
TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN RIPS INTO TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL, SAYS $300 BILLION MAKES OBAMA DEAL LOOK LIKE ‘A PITTANCE’
Hezbollah al-Mahdi scouts parade with large portraits of Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Khomeini and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an event for Jerusalem Day in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, on Aug. 1, 2013. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)
Daftari said Hezbollah is «a forward-deployed arm of the IRGC Quds Force taking Lebanon hostage,» She said that «the IRGC created Hezbollah in 1982, trained it, armed it, funded it, and to this day embeds Quds Force commanders inside its command structure. Treating them as separate organizations is a fiction Tehran exploits.»
While the State Department didn’t answer Fox News Digital questions over concerns raised by critics regarding the administration’s handling of Hezbollah, Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a tough line on the terror group when asked by reporters in the United Arab Emirates Tuesday about Tehran’s terror proxies and why Iran’s ballistic missile program was left out of the recent Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MOU).
Rubio insisted that regional proxy threats are fundamentally covered by the framework. «I think a careful reading of the MOU will see that when you talk about, for example, a complete – an end of hostilities in the entire region, well, that’s not possible. You can’t have the end of hostilities and conflicts in the region as long as Iranian proxies are launching missiles and drones from Iraq and are participating in terrorism like Hamas did and like Hezbollah did. So I do think it’s covered by the MOU, and it is an issue that will be gotten to at the appropriate time in these negotiations.»
American Marines search for survivors and bodies in the rubble of their barracks headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, after a suicide car bomb killed 241 U.S. servicemen and wounded over 60 on Oct. 24, 1983. (Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket)
Hezbollah was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. in 1997. Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense for Democracies (FDD) and editor of its Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital that «Hezbollah has a five-decade-long track record of killing Americans, starting with the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in 1983, attacks on U.S. embassies and airplane hijackings.»
Roggio said the efforts «continue to this day,» with Hezbollah playing «a key role in establishing, training, advising and supporting the Iraqi militias, which are responsible for killing more than 600 American soldiers. Hezbollah also trained al Qaeda to use suicide car bombs, which it implemented in the 1998 suicide attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and perfected in theaters such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.»
In May 2025, A U.S. District Court determined that the torture of Lebanese American Amer Fakhoury was the responsibility of Iran, through its proxy Hezbollah. Fakhoury lost sixty pounds during a six-month period of captivity after being kidnapped by Hezbollah in Lebanon in September 2019. He died six months after his return to the U.S. of cancer that was diagnosed in prison in Lebanon.
FAMILY OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE TORTURED IN LEBANON WINS LANDMARK CASE AGAINST IRAN
As U.S.-Iran talks opened Sunday in Switzerland, a dispute over who controls and monitors billions of dollars in potentially unfrozen Iranian assets emerged (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS)
Zoya and Guila Fakhoury, Amer’s daughters and co-founders of the Amer Foundation, told Fox News Digital that their «family wants to see a peaceful, sovereign, and prosperous Lebanon» and welcomes «any effort that genuinely reduces violence and helps Lebanon move toward stability.»
The Fakhoury’s said that «lasting peace cannot come at the expense of accountability. True stability in Lebanon requires ensuring that terrorist organizations like Hezbollah no longer hold the power to intimidate, detain, and silence innocent people.»
They expressed disappointment that there has been «little public focus on the Americans who remain unjustly detained by the Iranian regime.» They added that «Any meaningful agreement with Iran should include concrete progress toward bringing every wrongfully detained American home.»
Amer Fakhoury is shown before his illegal detention in Lebanon and after his rescue from hospital with cancer. His New Hampshire family seeks justice from Iran for his imprisonment. (Fakhoury Family)
A U.S. official told Fox News Digital that «The Trump Administration is committed to securing the release of all Americans unjustly detained in Iran and around the world. The Iranian regime has a long and shameful history of unjustly detaining U.S. nationals and other foreign citizens. The Iranian regime should immediately release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran. To ensure the safety and security and security of those Americans, we have nothing further to share at this time.»
As talks brokered by the U.S. between Lebanese and Israeli officials resumed in Washington, the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, released a statement on his X account Tuesday, thanking the Vice President and Secretary of State, stating in part «for the attention that the United States is showing toward Lebanon, aimed at ending the war there, strengthening the authority of the Lebanese state, and the independence of its decision-making, considering it solely responsible for preserving national sovereignty, the dignity of the Lebanese people, and their safety.»
ISRAEL POUNDS HEZBOLLAH TARGETS, DARING LEBANON TO RECLAIM SOVEREIGNTY FROM IRAN-BACKED TERROR PROXY
The U.S. delegation including Steve Witkoff, JD Vance and Jared Kushner arrived in Switzerland on Sunday (REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool)
Walid Phares, a foreign policy expert and author of ‘Iran: An Imperialist Republic and U.S. Policy,’ told Fox News Digital that it was «a major mistake…to give the Islamic regime in Iran a power to include Lebanon and Hezbollah in the talks. He warned that «putting Lebanon on the agenda of the talks with the regime in Switzerland could collapse the Washington, D.C. platform.»
Pressed by reporters while in Kuwait on Wednesday about Israel’s continued military presence, Rubio drew a firm line on the administration’s expectations, stating its hope is «that the Lebanese Armed Forces and the legitimate, sovereign Lebanese government will continue to be able to control and secure more and more of their own territory – because that’s who needs to control Lebanese territory, not a terrorist group like Hezbollah. So that’s the goal. And I think the Israelis have been clear. They don’t have any quarrels with the Lebanese people, they don’t have any claims on the territory of Lebanon.»
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 Photo)
Jonathan Conricus, a former international spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, told Fox News Digital that «From an Israeli perspective, Hezbollah is not an organization that we can talk with or expect them to change their ways.» He said that as a jihadi organization, «their primary objective in life is to wage holy war against the Jews, and then against Christians and against other what they consider to be infidels and Westerners. These are not people that you can negotiate or talk sense with.»
Conricus, a senior fellow at the FDD, added that «there’s a unique chance here to roll back Iranian aggression in the region and to dismantle the most important Iranian proxy Hezbollah.» To do so, he called for «political pressure, information pressure and…economic pressure on Hezbollah [and] on all of its financial institutions.»
A deliverman rides a motorcycle along a road in Baghdad past billboards showing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Hezbollah, on Oct. 7, 2024. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)
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A U.S. government official told Fox News Digital that «Secretary Rubio spoke to both [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and Aoun on Friday about solidifying ceasefire and future talks. As a result of those calls, the U.S. started a monitoring mechanism via [U.S. Central Command] so that our policymakers have real-time and accurate information about fighting in Lebanon.»
The Washington talks between Lebanon and Israel are expected to continue into Thursday.
war with iran, lebanon, israel, terrorism, ali khamenei, mojtaba khamenei
INTERNACIONAL
Unearthed video exposes vulnerable House Dem’s reversal on crucial issue impacting state
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A vulnerable Democratic New Mexico lawmaker once called for his state to walk away from the energy production that brings in almost a third of the state’s general fund, while now pitching an «all of the above» energy approach.
«We have to champion a whole bunch of different policies to really mitigate the impact of climate change,» Rep. Gabriel Vasquez, D-N.M., said in a 2021 interview.
«The electrification of our fleet systems, for example, across our federal government and even our local government here in the city of Las Cruces, the electrification of residential developments, the electrification of residential developments the electrification of commercial and municipal developments, limiting the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels and carbon-based fuels and replacing them with electric,» Vasquez said.
At the time, Vasquez was in the middle of a campaign to become the Democratic nominee to challenge incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M.
‘MODERATE’ DEM’S UNEARTHED ‘DECONSTRUCT’ LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMENTS DRAW FIRE FROM GOP CRITICS
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., during a tour of CN Wire Corporation in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
His resurfaced comments come as he wages a campaign for a third term in one of the country’s most competitive congressional districts and highlight how some Democrats have made efforts to rebrand their stances towards renewable sources of power as they look to champion affordability platforms.
In his most recent campaign materials, Vasquez has said he supports all forms of energy, citing high prices.
«Rep. Vasquez stands by the energy workers in the Permian Basin who fuel America’s energy economy. He believes in an all-of-the-above approach with oil and gas and clean energy to diversify our economy and bring more jobs to New Mexico,» his website reads.
When asked about his past comments and whether he believes they conflict with his current stance, Vazquez’s campaign said the congressman stands by his current position.
«Gabe is proud of his record on the City Council and his advocacy for clean energy, clean air and clean water. In Congress, he continues to support an all-of-the-above energy approach,» Patricia Santiago, a spokesperson for the campaign, said.
Energy production in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest oil and gas regions, employs a large number of people in New Mexico.
The industry brings in $13.1 billion in total revenue, according to the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Of that, roughly $7.5 billion goes to New Mexico’s general fund, the state Department of Finance and Administration says.
VULNERABLE DEM INCUMBENT CAUGHT CALLING HOME STATE ‘STOLEN LAND’ IN RESURFACED VIDEO
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., holds a news conference with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., on March 13, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
FORMER BIDEN CABINET MEMBER DEB HAALAND LAUNCHES NEW MEXICO GUBERNATORIAL BID
It’s a reliance Greg Cunningham, a former law enforcement agent and Vasquez’s challenger, believes isn’t going anywhere.
«Progressives like Gabe Vasque are first in line to spend our oil and gas money, and then they run around and shame the very industry that funds our schools, builds our roads and gives more than 100,000 New Mexicans a good-paying job. You don’t get to cash the check and trash the people who wrote it,» Cunningham said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«Energy is and will continue to be the lifeblood of New Mexico,» Cunningham added.
Back in 2021, Vasquez seemed to believe that the transition away from fossil fuels would take time.
«We also have to make sure we lay down the path into renewable energy, and that means in places like the Permian Basin, where the economy is strongly dominated by fossil fuel extraction, that we prepare the workforce for a transition into a renewable energy workforce,» Vasquez said.
US OIL AND GAS PRODUCERS PRESSURE HOUSE TO PASS PIVOTAL PERMITTING BILL AND GET AMERICA ‘BACK ON TRACK’
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., attends a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc)
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«That doesn’t mean next year, that doesn’t mean in five to ten years. We have to be much smarter,» he added.
Vasquez last won re-election in a 52.1% to 47.9% victory over Herrell in 2024.
new mexico, climate change environment, democrats elections, energy, congress
Trump congratulates Colombia presidential candidate
Trump congratulated Abelardo De La Espriella, known by many as ‘El Tigre,’ following an initial ballot count. While not officially called, the narrow lead signals a potential rightward shift for Colombia. (Reuters.)
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Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
The concession came days after Cepeda initially refused to acknowledge defeat following preliminary results that showed de la Espriella as the apparent winner.
«At this stage of the vote count, I have decided to accept the result emerging from that process, which indicates that Abelardo de la Espriella is the new President of the Republic,» Cepeda said in an address to the nation.
«I do so as an act of democratic responsibility.»
TRUMP SAYS COLOMBIA’S ‘EL TIGRE’ WILL BE A ‘GREAT PRESIDENT’ AS SOCIALIST OPPONENT LAUNCHES LEGAL CHALLENGE
Ivan Cepeda speaks during a campaign rally in Cali, Colombia, on June 6, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
De la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never previously run for office, known to his supporters as «El Tigre,» defeated Senate member Iván Cepeda by one percentage point in a remarkably close election, according to officials.
«The vote count shows an extraordinarily narrow margin between the two options vying for the trust of the Colombian people,» he said. «Less than 1% of the vote separates the candidacies that participated in this contest.»
Despite his concession, Cepeda made serious allegations that de la Espriella’s victory was influenced by «foreign interference» by the United States and the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate voters.
«During this process, we denounced the open and improper foreign interference in Colombia’s internal affairs—particularly the interventions by the United States government, and specifically the interventions by President Donald Trump in support of Abelardo de la Espriella’s candidacy,» he said.
He further accused the opposing campaign of widespread vote-buying and unethical tactics that he said undermined the legitimacy of the election results.
ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION
Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech to supporters during a campaign rally in Palmira, near Cali, Colombia on May 14, 2026. (Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP via Getty Images)
President-elect de la Espriella will begin his four-year term in August.
«Starting August 7, we will work with determination to consolidate a common agenda that strengthens the security, freedom, and prosperity of our nations,» de la Espriella in a post on X.
The result will effectively end outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s leftist influence on the state and the policies Cepeda had pledged to continue if he won the election.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, left, and President Donald Trump are shown in separate photographs. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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A core pillar of Petro’s signature agenda was his «total peace» strategy, aimed at opening negotiations with remaining guerrilla forces, drug cartels, and armed paramilitary groups in an effort to end Colombia’s decades long internal conflict.
In contrast, de la Espriella has pledged a more hardline approach, including a militarized crackdown on criminal organizations, proposals to build mega-prisons, expand fossil fuel fracking, and revive the controversial practice of aerial glyphosate spraying to eradicate coca crops.
The president-elect, who holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, has also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed «Shield of the Americas,» a proposed coalition aimed at coordinating efforts against criminal groups in Latin America.
colombia, latin america, south america, foreign affairs
INTERNACIONAL
Ciudadano dominicano es deportado desde Nueva York por una causa de tentativa de homicidio
El ciudadano dominicano Luis Enrique Cruz Sena fue capturado en la ciudad de Nueva York y deportado a la República Dominicana, donde enfrenta una acusación por tentativa de homicidio relacionada con un hecho de violencia ocurrido en Santo Domingo Este. Según informó la Policía Nacional de República Dominicana, el arresto se logró gracias a la colaboración entre agencias internacionales y la emisión de una alerta por parte de la OCN-Interpol Santo Domingo.
La detención de Cruz Sena se produjo después de una serie de gestiones realizadas por la Dirección de Cooperación y Relaciones Internacionales de la Policía Nacional. Esta dependencia solicitó a la OCN-Interpol Santo Domingo la activación de una alerta internacional, lo que permitió que el Departamento de Policía de Nueva York (NYPD) localizara y arrestara al prófugo, informó Diego Pesqueira, vocero de la Policía Nacional. El proceso incluyó la coordinación de procedimientos legales y migratorios para garantizar la deportación del detenido hacia suelo dominicano.
De acuerdo con el reporte de Pesqueira, Cruz Sena era requerido por la orden judicial de arresto No. 973-2024-EMES-06045, tras ser señalado como responsable de ocasionar múltiples heridas por arma de fuego a Wellington de la Rosa Ovalles. El hecho se registró el 21 de abril de 2024 en el sector Ensanche Isabelita, en el municipio de Santo Domingo Este. La víctima recibió atención médica tras el incidente, mientras las autoridades iniciaron la búsqueda del presunto agresor.
La deportación de Cruz Sena refuerza la cooperación entre organismos de seguridad de distintos países. Según destacó Pesqueira, el intercambio de información y la colaboración interinstitucional resultan herramientas clave para la localización y captura de personas que intentan evadir la justicia dominicana.
La entidad resaltó la eficacia de los mecanismos internacionales y la respuesta de las autoridades estadounidenses, que permitieron materializar la extradición en un corto plazo.
El vocero de la Policía Nacional subrayó la importancia del trabajo coordinado entre la fuerza pública dominicana y agencias extranjeras. “Este caso demuestra la capacidad de respuesta que brindan los acuerdos de cooperación internacional y el uso eficiente de las alertas de Interpol”, afirmó Pesqueira en su comunicado. El funcionario indicó que el acusado fue entregado al Ministerio Público para que se inicien los procesos judiciales correspondientes.
En lo que va del año, la República Dominicana ha recibido a varios ciudadanos deportados por delitos graves cometidos fuera del territorio nacional. Según registros oficiales, solo en el primer semestre de 2026 se han registrado más de 40 deportaciones de dominicanos acusados de homicidio, narcotráfico, abuso sexual y robos agravados en Estados Unidos y Europa. La Dirección General de Migración informó que estos procesos suelen requerir coordinación entre la OCN-Interpol, la Policía Nacional y organismos judiciales de los países solicitantes.
Uno de los casos recientes incluyó la deportación desde España de un ciudadano acusado de participar en una red de tráfico de personas, mientras que desde Estados Unidos también fue retornado un dominicano con cargos de fraude financiero y asociación ilícita.
Las autoridades dominicanas han reiterado su compromiso con la persecución de delitos transnacionales y la cooperación con agencias internacionales para el combate de la criminalidad.
Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil han pedido fortalecer más los mecanismos de control migratorio y la cooperación judicial internacional, en un contexto marcado por el aumento de la movilidad y el uso de nuevas tecnologías para la comisión de delitos. La Policía Nacional y la Dirección General de Migración mantienen operativos y protocolos especiales para la recepción y puesta a disposición judicial de los repatriados.
La detención y deportación de Luis Enrique Cruz Sena se suma a una serie de acciones que buscan garantizar la aplicación de la justicia y la seguridad pública en la República Dominicana, en colaboración con organismos internacionales y agencias de seguridad extranjeras.
arresto,detención,policía,esposas,crimen,ley,justicia,seguridad,manos,hombre
Unearthed video exposes vulnerable House Dem’s reversal on crucial issue impacting state
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A los 100 años, murió Alan Greenspan, histórico presidente de la Reserva Federal de Estados Unidos
