INTERNACIONAL
Expert warns of ‘general escalation’ of fighting if Houthis resume Red Sea campaign
Progress with Iran can only be achieved ‘by force,’ expert warns
President Trump hints at an imminent peace deal with Iran, suggesting the Supreme Leader has approved it and the US will lift blockades. Rebecca Heinrichs, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow, expresses skepticism, citing Iran’s continued harassment in the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program. She also addresses reports of the US cutting fighter jets in Europe, questioning the timing given escalating tensions with Russia.
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The U.S. has hit back against threats to now block another Middle East waterway by Iranian terror proxy, the Houthis.
Earlier this week, the group declared a complete ban on Israeli-owned ships using the Red Sea, declaring them to be «legitimate targets».
The Red Sea and the waterway through its narrow Bab-el Mandeb strait, has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stopped functioning as the main route of navigation for shipping.
IRAN’S AFRICA ACTIVITIES POSE ‘SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY’
Houthi terrorists walk over British and U.S. flags at a rally supporting Palestinians amid Houthi strikes on shipping near Sana’a, Yemen, on Feb. 4, 2024. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree posted on Monday, «We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and we consider all enemy movements to be legitimate targets.»
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a State Department spokesperson struck back: «The escalatory actions of Iran and their Houthi proxies are unacceptable. These dangerous actions only serve to further enflame tensions and further disrupt global supply chains. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.»
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, «The Houthis have indeed risen to the challenge, at least verbally. In common with much ‘Axis of Resistance’ rhetoric at present, the intention appears to be to leverage US political nervousness and market volatility, and to drive a wedge between the Americans and the Israelis.»
An aerial view of The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a sea route connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021)
Fitton-Brown, a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen added, «Provided the allies keep talking to each other, the Israelis respond proportionately, as they have done, and the Iranians continue to provoke President Trump with actions like the downing of the helicopter, these tactics are unlikely to achieve significant success.»
«It will be interesting if the Houthis do go all in, and resume their campaign against Red Sea shipping with full intensity,» Fitton-Brown said, adding, «This will draw international anger and likely result in Israeli and U.S. strikes on Sanaa and Hodeida. There is potential for a general escalation if this happens, albeit one in which the allies have a clear military advantage.»
US STRIKES ON YEMEN CONTINUE AFTER HOUTHI MISSILE HITS BY ISRAELI AIRPORT; TERROR GROUP VOWS ‘AERIAL BLOCKADE’
A huge column of fire erupts in the Yemeni rebel-held port city of Hodeida following reported strikes on July 20, 2024. The strikes targeted a fuel depot in the port, according to Houthi-run media and an AFP correspondent.
Landlocked Ethiopia acts as regional anti-terrorism buffer
Such actions come as reports emerge that Ethiopia, the Red Sea region’s most populous country, is stepping up as a major U.S. ally against Islamic terrorism.
While landlocked, Ethiopia has a population of some 130 million, making it the largest nation in the Horn of Africa. Located near parts of the Red Sea corridor, the country is roughly 60% Christian, according to a recent report by the Association of Religion Data Archives.
World Data Locator Map, Ethiopia. (Encyclopedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
And despite it being landlocked, Ethiopian researcher Blen M. Diriba told Fox News Digital that the country acts as a strategic roadblock or «a keystone state» on the Islamist expansionist ‘highway’ that has formed all the way from Iran to Sudan.
Diriba, executive director of the Horn Review — an Addis Ababa-based research and publication think tank — told Fox News Digital that «Ethiopia, long a frontline U.S. security partner, now sits at the center of an expanding pressure zone where maritime disruption, insurgent violence, terrorist threats, and proxy competition converge.»
Diriba added. «Iran’s Bab el-Mandeb threat transforms the Horn of Africa into a militarized frontline, placing Ethiopia at the center of a chokepoint crisis. With Iranian influence radiating through conflict ecosystems in Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia, the region is beginning to resemble a continuous arc of instability stretching from the Arabian Peninsula into East Africa.»
«Ethiopia sits at the center of one of the world’s most combustible security corridors,» Diriba continued. «And in strategic terms, its relevance to the United States is amplified, not diminished, by that reality: From the Red Sea disruptions driven by the Houthis to the persistent insurgency threat of al-Shabab in Somalia, Ethiopia functions as a massive inland security buffer whose stability directly shapes whether these threats expand or are contained.»
IRAN’S KILLER DRONES INCREASE SLAUGHTER IN SUDAN AMID WORLD’S FORGOTTEN WAR
Members of the Ethiopian National Defense Force parade during the 116th celebration of Ethiopian Defense Force day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Oct.26, 2023. (Amanuel Sileshi/AFP via Getty images)
But in addition to being pro-U.S., Ethiopia also has relations with Iran.
Fitton-Brown believes to some extent Ethiopia can be accused of playing both sides, as he said Tehran «has helped Ethiopia with its internal conflicts, giving drone support and military aid to the Ethiopian government during the recent Tigray War.»
He added, «There is a new memorandum of understanding built upon that basis, with Iran gaining influence in Ethiopia, while Ethiopia receives military, police and intelligence support to counter its domestic ethnic insurgencies.»
However, Diriba said, «Ethiopia’s engagement with Iran is neither affinity nor alignment, it’s strategic awareness: keeping channels open to engage where necessary, cooperate selectively, and strategically manage its relations with a complex regional actor, while firmly anchoring its core partnerships with its emerging and long-standing partners — the United States being on the top of that list.»
A drone view shows vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, May 25, 2026. (Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY via Reuters)
«Ethiopia has pursued a flexible multi-alignment strategy, Diriba said, «prioritizing its entrenched security partnership with Washington while keeping open channels with Tehran to preserve diplomatic room to maneuver in an increasingly fragmented Horn of Africa–Red Sea order.»
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Fitton-Brown said relations between the U.S. and Ethiopia «are good, especially in the field of counterterrorism. Both countries use Somaliland to their advantage without having gone so far as to recognize it as an independent state.»
Fox News Digital reached out to both the Department of War and the Ethiopian government for comment, but received no response by the time of publication.
war with iran, middle east, counter terrorism, terrorism, israel, africa
INTERNACIONAL
Massachusetts woman steps in after ‘shameful’ Dem governor boycotts Great American State Fair
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A patriotic woman from Massachusetts took matters into her own hands after leaders in her state decided to boycott the Great American State Fair out of anger at President Donald Trump — and she showed no mercy to those who made that decision.
«I came here to represent Massachusetts because I didn’t want the public to walk into an empty room. I wanted somebody to be there,» said Donna Festinger, who paid her own way from the Bay State to the nation’s capital to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
Festinger is manning her state’s booth at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, part of the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 event that began on June 25 and ends on July 10.
Massachusetts resident Donna Festinger speaks with Fox News Digital at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
DAVID MARCUS: LIBERAL ELITES SEETHE OVER AMERICA’S STATE FAIR
She had a clear message for Massachusetts leadership, along with the leadership of other states who also declined to participate in the celebration.
«I’m very disappointed that Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts decided — their governments decided not to support this effort to celebrate our American heritage,» she said. «It’s actually shameful.»
«It makes me feel like they really don’t love America or Massachusetts — my governor,» she said of Democrat Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who has had some very public spats with Trump.
Festinger, a former teacher who paid her own way to the event in Washington, D.C., and arrived at the beginning of the celebration, says she plans to stay through the entire 16-day event.
Massachusetts resident Donna Festinger occupies her state’s booth at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
BILL MAHER TELLS LIBERALS TO STOP ‘PARTISAN SULKING’ AND JOIN AMERICA 250 PARTY
She told Fox News Digital that she thinks the state boycotts are actually a point of unity for the American public, «because most people are upset about it and do not understand why a governor would do that.»
«And so that’s actually uniting people, Democrats, Republicans, independents, and agreeing that every state should be proud of our country,» Festinger speculated.
She added: «I think the Trump administration is working hard to bring the country together.»
MIKE MINOGUE HEADS TO MASS GOP CONVENTION READY TO TAKE ON MAURA HEALEY: ‘SHE’S BANKRUPTING OUR STATE’
Meanwhile, Healey, known for her rabid anti-Trump streak, mocked the fair in an interview with Boston Public Radio.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also hosted a news conference on Thursday, pushing back on the Supreme Court’s decision. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Asked whether she would welcome Trump if he visited the state, she reportedly said the president is «too busy with his Great American State Fair down there that everybody’s bailing on.»
She also claimed, without evidence, that Trump is using the fair to «get money into his own pocket,» and falsely claimed that states were being charged to participate in the fair.
Festinger also recently garnered some backup at the Massachusetts booth.
Judith Kalaora, a Boston resident, stood at the state’s stand dressed to the nines in a Revolutionary War uniform to honor Deborah Sampson, a Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a man to fight the British.
Judith Kalaora of Massachusetts honors female Continental Army soldier Deborah Sampson at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
«I’m hopeful that my being here will unite folks to realize that Boston and Massachusetts have a great spirit, and that that spirit can unite the United States through our nation’s heritage and through our military history,» said Kalaora.
«I believe that the United States, in 250 years, has accomplished many more achievements than other nations have accomplished in 400 and 500 years,»
Eleven states, all run by Democrats, decided to skip the fair.
Some had explicitly anti-Trump reasons for declining to participate, like Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker, citing what he said is Trump’s «politicization of America 250 activities.»
Oregon’s leadership expressed a similar sentiment, though did not mention Trump by name.
«The State of Oregon will not be participating in the Great American State Fair due to both the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented,» Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek’s office said in a statement.
People visit «The Great American State Fair» during a heatwave in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. Tens of millions of Americans sweltered under furnace-like temperatures this week as central and eastern cities hunkered down for a heat wave set to last through the July 4 holiday weekend. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
Kalaora, however, remains optimistic.
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«Times change, and emotions change, and that’s okay, as long as we still remember that we’ve done great things,» she said.
«I’m happy to be here.»
american stories, massachusetts, washington dc, politics, fox business proud american
INTERNACIONAL
Las ventas de autos nuevos mantienen el acelerador en Panamá y superan las 26 mil unidades hasta mayo
La venta de autos nuevos en Panamá mantiene su ritmo de crecimiento en 2026 y consolida al segmento de las SUV como el principal motor del mercado automotriz. Entre enero y mayo se inscribieron 26,689 vehículos nuevos, un aumento de 12.7% frente a las 23,679 unidades registradas en el mismo periodo de 2025, según cifras preliminares de la Contraloría General.
El resultado confirma que la industria avanza por encima de la proyección inicial de crecimiento que manejaba el sector para este año. La expectativa preliminar apuntaba a un aumento cercano al 5% y a un cierre de alrededor de 63 mil unidades, pero el comportamiento observado hasta mayo sugiere que esa meta podría ser superada si la demanda mantiene el impulso durante el segundo semestre.
En 2025, el mercado cerró con 60,233 autos nuevos vendidos, un crecimiento de 10.8% frente a 2024, cuando se comercializaron 54,384 unidades. De sostenerse la tendencia acumulada hasta mayo, 2026 podría convertirse en otro año de expansión para una actividad que viene recuperándose de forma sostenida tras la pandemia, apoyada en mayor oferta de modelos, competencia de precios, nuevas marcas y acceso al crédito.
El crecimiento no ha sido uniforme durante el año. Marzo fue el mes de mayor dinamismo, con 6,473 autos nuevos inscritos, un salto de 42.5% frente al mismo mes de 2025. Abril moderó el ritmo con 5,312 unidades y un incremento de 4.1%, mientras que mayo cerró con 4,972 vehículos, 7.4% más que en igual mes del año anterior.
El liderazgo del mercado sigue concentrado en las SUV, que se han convertido en el modelo preferido por los consumidores panameños. Entre enero y mayo se inscribieron 14,987 SUV, lo que representa 56.2% del total de autos nuevos vendidos en el país. Este segmento creció 12.8% frente a las 13,283 unidades registradas en el mismo periodo de 2025.
La preferencia por las SUV responde a una combinación de factores: mayor sensación de seguridad, espacio interior, altura de manejo, versatilidad familiar y una oferta cada vez más amplia en versiones compactas, medianas y grandes.
Otro de los factores que continúa transformando el mercado automotriz panameño es la consolidación de las marcas chinas. La mayor disponibilidad de modelos, una estrategia de precios más competitiva y una oferta cada vez más amplia de tecnología y equipamiento han permitido que estos fabricantes ganen terreno frente a las marcas tradicionales.
De acuerdo con estimaciones de la industria, las marcas de origen chino ya representan cerca del 30% de las ventas de vehículos nuevos en Panamá, una participación que ha venido aumentando de forma sostenida en los últimos años.
Este cambio ha intensificado la competencia entre distribuidores y ha ampliado las opciones para los consumidores, especialmente en el segmento de las SUV, donde se concentra buena parte de la oferta de fabricantes chinos. No obstante, las marcas japonesas continúan liderando el mercado, con Toyota manteniendo la primera posición en ventas, respaldada por su red de distribución, servicio posventa y trayectoria en el país.
Después de las SUV, los automóviles regulares ocuparon el segundo lugar del mercado con 5,282 unidades, un crecimiento de 23.9%, el mayor avance entre los segmentos de alto volumen. Esta categoría incluye sedanes, coupés, camionetas y hatchbacks.
Le siguieron los pick ups, con 3,663 unidades, un aumento de 11.6%, impulsados por la demanda comercial, agropecuaria y de usuarios que buscan vehículos de trabajo con doble propósito.
El segmento de autos de lujo mostró un avance más moderado, con 975 unidades inscritas hasta mayo, apenas 1.5% más que en el mismo periodo de 2025. Aunque el crecimiento es bajo, mantiene una tendencia positiva en una categoría que durante varios años tuvo un comportamiento más débil por el encarecimiento del financiamiento y la cautela en el consumo de mayor valor.
No todos los segmentos crecieron. Las minivans cayeron 18.5%, al pasar de 367 a 299 unidades; los buses bajaron 25.7%, con 211 unidades; y los camiones retrocedieron 4.7%, hasta 785 unidades. Estos descensos muestran que la recuperación está más concentrada en vehículos de uso particular y en segmentos de alta preferencia familiar.
Hacia adelante, voces de la industria prevén que el desempeño dependerá de tres factores principales: disponibilidad de inventario, condiciones de crédito y confianza del consumidor. El financiamiento seguirá siendo clave, porque una parte importante de las compras de autos nuevos se realiza mediante préstamos bancarios o planes ofrecidos por financieras vinculadas a las agencias.
Si el ritmo actual se mantiene, Panamá podría cerrar 2026 por encima de las 63 mil unidades estimadas inicialmente y consolidar otro año de crecimiento para uno de los sectores más visibles del consumo interno.
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