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.
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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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SEE IT: Dem senators dodge on backing Platner as Maine candidate’s scandal clouds final days before primary
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Several Democratic senators repeatedly declined to say whether they still support Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner when pressed about leaked explicit sexual messages tied to the candidate.
Platner’s latest controversy in the public eye involves sexually explicit text exchanges with multiple women that surfaced publicly while he was married to his wife, Amy Gertner.
The Maine candidate also has an active profile on Kik — private messaging app associated with casual sex and anonymous encounters. The app lacks proper identification methods that have led it to enable child predators to share inappropriate material.
His profile, Phustle0331, has been active since 2016, but Platner’s campaign previously acknowledged that the Kik account, which was created in 2016, belonged to him, stating that he had deleted the app from his phone but did not deactivate the account, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner has had an active account on Kik since June 2016. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)
While most Democrats were hesitant to vocalize their support for Platner, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., made it clear that he supports Platner in securing the Senate spot in Maine because of his opposition to President Donald Trump.
«We have in Maine, a candidate, that is Platner, who wants to stop Trump’s authoritarian destruction of our democracy,» Markey told Fox News Digital. «And we have another candidate, an incumbent, who hasn’t stood up to Trump. And so if you care about our Constitution, there’s really only one choice.»
Many Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have continued to back Platner despite the growing scandal, arguing that flipping Maine’s now Republican-held Senate seat remains a top political priority.
WATCH: CHUCK SCHUMER SIDESTEPS PLATNER SCANDALS, CONFIRMS SUPPORT FOR CONTROVERSIAL DEM
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., confirmed his support for Maine Democratic candidate Graham Platner on Tuesday amid mounting controversy. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Not all Democrats offered an outright endorsement. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said the decision ultimately belongs to Maine voters.
«I think that’s up to the voters of Maine to decide,» Shaheen said. «I don’t think inappropriate sexual behavior should be approved by anybody who does it, but the voters of Maine will have to decide that.»
Some Democrats declined to weigh in on the controversy or say whether they still support Platner as the countdown to Maine’s primary election enters its final days.
«I haven’t met him, I haven’t engaged with him, and I’m not going to answer that,» Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said.
THE GROWING LIST OF CONTROVERSIES THREATENING DEMOCRAT GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID
Sen. Chris Coons was among several Democratic senators pressed on support for Graham Platner amid the Maine Democrat’s growing scandals. (Nicholas Ballasy/Fox News Digital)
«I don’t do campaign stuff in the Capitol,» Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said when asked both if he was still supporting Platner and if he attended the meeting between some Democratic senators and Platner on Tuesday.
Platner invited the entire Senate Democratic caucus to a meeting Tuesday, though only about half a dozen senators were seen attending. Those in attendance included Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.
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The primary election is set for Tuesday, leaving Maine voters just days to decide whether the controversy changes the trajectory of one of Democrats’ most closely watched Senate races.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
chuck schumer, bernie sanders, senate elections, democrats senate, maine
INTERNACIONAL
Honduras registra alta probabilidad de lluvias por influencia de la Tormenta Tropical Amanda
La tormenta tropical Amanda, el primer ciclón tropical con nombre de la temporada de huracanes 2026 en la cuenca del Pacífico, continúa siendo monitoreada por los servicios meteorológicos internacionales debido a su evolución sobre aguas abiertas del océano Pacífico.
Aunque el fenómeno no representa una amenaza directa para Honduras ni para las costas centroamericanas, su circulación favorecerá el ingreso de humedad que podría incrementar las lluvias en distintas regiones del país durante los próximos días.
De acuerdo con los reportes meteorológicos más recientes, Amanda se formó en el océano Pacífico convirtiéndose en el primer sistema tropical nombrado de la temporada 2026.
El Centro Nacional de Huracanes de Estados Unidos informó que el fenómeno se encuentra sobre aguas abiertas y alejado de zonas pobladas, por lo que actualmente no existe riesgo directo para territorios continentales.
Amanda se mantiene lejos de Centroamérica
Los especialistas detallaron que la tormenta tropical registra vientos máximos sostenidos cercanos a los 65 kilómetros por hora, con rachas superiores y una presión mínima central de 1006 milibares.
El sistema se localiza aproximadamente a 2,415 kilómetros al oeste-suroeste de Baja California Sur, México, desplazándose hacia el noroeste sobre aguas abiertas del Pacífico. Debido a esta trayectoria, las proyecciones descartan cualquier impacto directo sobre Honduras, Centroamérica o las costas mexicanas.
Las previsiones indican que Amanda podría fortalecerse ligeramente durante las próximas horas antes de iniciar un proceso gradual de debilitamiento durante el fin de semana.
Los modelos meteorológicos actuales coinciden en que el fenómeno no alcanzaría la categoría de huracán y terminaría disipándose en el océano sin tocar tierra.
Aunque Amanda se encuentra muy lejos del territorio hondureño, los expertos explican que los sistemas tropicales pueden influir indirectamente en las condiciones atmosféricas de la región.
En este caso, la circulación asociada al fenómeno y los remanentes de baja presión favorecerán el transporte de humedad desde el Pacífico hacia Centroamérica, generando condiciones propicias para lluvias y chubascos.
Los pronósticos meteorológicos mantienen probabilidades de precipitaciones entre el 87 % y el 90 %, especialmente en sectores del occidente, sur y algunas zonas del centro del país.
Estas lluvias podrían presentarse de forma intermitente durante varios días, acompañadas en algunos casos por actividad eléctrica y ráfagas de viento moderadas.
Los organismos de vigilancia meteorológica continúan observando la evolución de Amanda para identificar cualquier cambio significativo en su comportamiento.
Sin embargo, hasta el momento no existe ningún indicio de que el sistema pueda representar peligro para Honduras.
Las autoridades han reiterado que la población debe mantenerse informada únicamente a través de canales oficiales y evitar compartir información no confirmada que pueda generar alarma innecesaria.
Asimismo, recordaron que la temporada ciclónica apenas comienza y que durante los próximos meses podrían desarrollarse nuevos fenómenos tanto en el Pacífico como en el Atlántico.
La formación de Amanda marca oficialmente el inicio de la actividad ciclónica nombrada en el Pacífico oriental durante este año.
Los especialistas prevén una temporada activa, por lo que recomiendan a la población mantenerse atenta a los boletines meteorológicos emitidos por los organismos competentes.
Aunque Amanda no representa una amenaza para Honduras, su influencia indirecta servirá como recordatorio de la importancia de la preparación ante fenómenos climáticos que puedan desarrollarse durante los próximos meses.
Por ahora, el principal efecto esperado para el territorio hondureño será el aumento de humedad y la posibilidad de lluvias en varias regiones, condiciones que podrían beneficiar algunas zonas agrícolas, pero que también requieren vigilancia ante posibles crecidas repentinas de ríos o quebradas en sectores vulnerables.
Las autoridades meteorológicas reiteraron que continuarán monitoreando la evolución del sistema y emitirán nuevas actualizaciones en caso de que se produzcan cambios significativos en su trayectoria o intensidad.
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