INTERNACIONAL
Iran expands it ‘shadow empire’ across Middle East as Trump pulls troops from Iraq, Syria
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Just six months after the Trump administration said it would begin drawing down U.S. forces in Syria, the U.S. confirmed this week it will also begin reducing the number of U.S. forces in Iraq under an agreement reached by the Biden administration – a move security experts warn could benefit Iran and its «shadow empire.»
Just six months after the Trump administration announced plans to draw down U.S. forces in Syria, the Biden administration confirmed this week it will also reduce troop levels in Iraq under a new agreement – a move security experts warn could strengthen Iran and its «shadow empire.»
The changes have come amid a perceived reduction in threat from the terrorist network ISIS and a growing U.S. desire to end «forever wars.»
US ‘UPS THE ANTE,’ DESIGNATES IRAN-BACKED GROUPS IN IRAQ TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
But a reduced U.S. presence in both Iraq and Syria has security experts deeply concerned about the power vacuum it will create in both countries, and the immediate threat that Iran poses.
Iran for decades has been expanding its influence in both Iraq and Syria, and it has established a complex and highly embedded presence in the region militarily, politically, economically and socially, making it difficult to divert or thwart its influence even amid a regime change in Syria.
People wave guns in the air as they gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime in Umayyad Square Dec. 8 in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)
«The relationship between Islamic Revolutionary Iran and Syria goes all the way back to the ’80s. It’s not something that just started with the advent of the Syrian civil war,» Gregg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum, told Fox News Digital. «They took 40 years of relations and eventually turned that into an enterprise.»
Iran has used Shia militant forces from not only Syria, but Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, to construct a «parallel military infrastructure» in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that has transformed Syria into an «Iranian forward operating base.»
According to an investigative report compiled by the Middle East Forum, using on-the-ground sources embedded in Iranian military installations across Syria since 2018, Iran has not only constructed underground tunnels and weapons depots for its disposal. Tehran has embedded itself deeply into the everyday lives of Syrians through an integrated system that has blended military duties with civil programs.
It’s command structure also transcends traditional nation-state borders by integrating Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi commanders.
While Iran now faces opposition in Syria following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime with the December 2024 takeover by the Sunni paramilitary organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HST) – once deemed by the U.S. as a terrorist organization deriving from al Qaeda – Tehran has the potential to take advantage of that of lack of a unified government across Syria, as well as an immensely complex geopolitical dynamic where Israel, Turkey and Russia are all vying for more influence in the nation.
Masked Iran-backed Shi’ite fighters hold their weapons in Iraq’s Al Hadidiya, south of Tikrit, en route to the Islamic State-controlled al-Alam town, where they are preparing to launch an offensive March 6, 2015. (Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani)
IRAQI PRESIDENT SAYS NATION IS ‘100% SAFE’ AMID LINGERING ISIS, MILITIA CONCERNS
Roman pointed out that if HST, in coordination with the Kurds in the northeast or the Druze in the southwest, are not able to create a «bulwark» against Iranian influence, then Tehran could be well positioned to expand its regional interest under its «shadow empire.»
«Perhaps most concerning is the precedent established by Iran’s success in constructing this shadow empire,» the report found. «The ability to build parallel military infrastructure, operate independently of host government control, and maintain strategic capabilities despite international scrutiny provides a template that could be replicated elsewhere in the region.»
Though its strategy may be slightly different, Iran has repeatedly used power vacuums to extend its reach and counter U.S. influence, as seen in both Afghanistan, where it backed the Taliban, and in Iraq, where it began backing Shia militia groups fighting the U.S. as early as 2003.
«The Iranians have a strategy in Iraq, and it’s effective,» Bill Roggio, expert terrorism analyst and senior editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ «Long War Journal,» told Fox News Digital. «They’re using military, political and economic means to achieve their goals, and their proximity to Iraq really helps them achieve that.»
Roggio said there are hundreds of thousands of Iran-backed militants in Iraq who are largely a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were heavily influential in fighting ISIS and are a part of the Iraqi Armed Forces under the command of the prime minister, but which are also heavily influenced by Tehran.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, hold an Islamist flag after Iraqi forces retook the northern city from ISIS earlier in the month on April 5, 2015, in Tikrit, Iraq. (Mohammed Sawaf/AFP via Getty Images)
IRAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES US OF ‘GRAVE BETRAYAL’ WITH NUCLEAR STRIKES IN UNGA SPEECH
«They wield significant influence in the Iraqi government. They occupy a large, dominant block in the Iraqi parliament. And these militias also have economic power,» Roggio said. «Iran built these militia forces along the same lines as Hezbollah, and they essentially want them to ultimately become like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is in Iran.»
Both Roman and Roggio expressed concern over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region and, more significantly, the removal of U.S. influence at a time when Iran is looking to heavily counter Washington and its interests.
«We haven’t learned the lessons of Afghanistan and even the lessons of Iraq,» Roggio said. «I don’t care if we have 100 or 100,000 troops in Afghanistan or anywhere else. Do we have the right troops to achieve the mission that we put out for them?
«We talk about numbers of troops. … We’re not really talking about what is our mission in Iraq? Is it a counter-ISIS mission? Is it a stave off Iranian influence mission?
«And do we have the right mixture of military and diplomatic and political and economic influence in Iraq to achieve those goals? I don’t believe we do.»
U.S. forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of PKK in Syria, in the Qamisli district in the Al-Hasakah province, Syria, Aug. 18, 2023. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Both experts pointed out that the U.S. has a long history of not taking Iran and the threat it poses seriously enough, a problem that has spanned decades across both Republican and Democratic administrations.
«The Iranians are patient. They’re operating on timeframes of decades and generations. And we aren’t patient. We operate in timeframes and two and four-year election cycles,» Roggio said. «Ultimately, Iran is looking to drive the U.S. from the region and expand its influence in neighboring countries, be it Afghanistan, be it Iraq, be it the Gulf states.
«The ultimate goal is to get the U.S. out so it can expand its influence.»
iran,middle east,syria,iraq,donald trump,terrorism,world
INTERNACIONAL
Tragedia en Filipinas: asciende a 93 el número de muertos y a 26 el de desaparecidos por el paso del tifón Kalmaegi
Al menos 93 muertos y 26 personas que aún siguen siendo buscadas en Filipinas fueron víctimas del tifón Kalmaegi. La mayoría de los afectados por el fenómeno natural sufrieron las inundaciones que arrastraron vehículos y obligaron a los residentes a refugiarse en los techos de sus casas.
Según informaron autoridades locales, entre las víctimas también se cuentan seis personas fallecidas en un accidente de helicóptero de la Fuerza Aérea filipina, ocurrido el martes en Agusan del Sur mientras se dirigía a entregar ayuda humanitaria en las zonas afectadas por Kalmaegi.
El tifón, con vientos sostenidos de hasta 130 km/h y ráfagas de 180 km/h, se desplazó el miércoles hacia el Mar de China Meridional tras causar estragos principalmente en la provincia de Cebú, donde el fenómeno provocó el desbordamiento de ríos y sumergió casas por completo. Numerosos habitantes tuvieron que ser rescatados de los tejados, algunos tras horas de espera y llamados desesperados.
El gobierno de Cebú, que aún se recuperaba de un sismo de magnitud 6,9 ocurrido el 30 de septiembre y que dejó al menos 73 muertos y miles de desplazados, declaró el estado de calamidad para agilizar la liberación de fondos de emergencia. Muchos de los ya desplazados por el terremoto debieron ser evacuados nuevamente a refugios más sólidos ante la llegada del tifón.
Rhon Ramos, portavoz de Cebú, informó este miércoles a AFP que se recuperaron 35 cuerpos en las zonas inundadas de Liloan, llevando el saldo provincial a 76 muertos. La oficina de Defensa Civil nacional confirmó 17 decesos en otras regiones, con lo que el total de fallecidos alcanzó la trágica cifra de 93 muertos.
Se confirmaron muertes en la provincia de Leyte del Sur —donde un anciano se ahogó— y en Bohol, donde un residente murió tras la caída de un árbol. “Las ciudades grandes fueron las más golpeadas (por inundaciones), las zonas más urbanizadas”, dijo el subdirector de la Defensa Civil, Rafaelito Alejandro, a una radio local. “Nuestro desafío ahora es despejar los escombros que bloquean nuestras carreteras”.
La gobernadora provincial de Cebú, Pamela Baricuatro, calificó la situación como “sin precedentes”. “Esperábamos vientos peligrosos, pero el agua es lo que realmente está poniendo a la gente en peligro”, afirmó ante periodistas locales.
“La inundación aquí fue muy severa ayer”, relató Reynaldo Vergara, de 53 años, quien señaló que el agua arrasó con todo lo que había en su pequeña tienda. “Alrededor de las cuatro o cinco de la mañana, el agua era tan fuerte que no podías salir Nada así ha pasado antes”, agregó.
Antes de que Kalmaegi tocara tierra, más de 387.000 personas fueron evacuadas de zonas vulnerables del este y centro del país. El tifón obligó también a suspender la salida de transbordadores y pesqueros, dejando más de 3.500 pasajeros y camioneros varados en cerca de 100 puertos, y al menos 186 vuelos nacionales fueron cancelados.
Más de 200.000 personas fueron evacuadas en la región de Bisayas, así como en zonas del sur de Luzón y norte de Mindanao, debido a las inundaciones, cortes de energía y viviendas anegadas provocadas por la tormenta.
Kalmaegi, la vigésima tormenta que impacta Filipinas este año, se intensificó ligeramente al cruzar el Mar de China Meridional en dirección a Vietnam, donde ya se preparan ante la llegada prevista del tifón este viernes.
En septiembre, el supertifón Ragasa azotó el norte de Luzón y obligó al cierre de escuelas y oficinas gubernamentales por los fuertes vientos y lluvias torrenciales.
(Con información de AFP)
Accidents,Disasters,Natural Catastrophes,Asia / Pacific,Disasters / Accidents
INTERNACIONAL
Minneapolis mayor’s race advances to ranked choice voting after no candidate reaches 50%
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Minneapolis mayor’s race will advance to ranked choice voting after none of the candidates received at least 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s election, The Associated Press has reported.
Minneapolis allows voters to rank up to three candidates in its municipal races. The field for mayor included more than a dozen candidates. As of 10:41 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jacob Frey and Omar Fateh had received the most first-choice results.
Fateh made waves on the national political stage this year, drawing comparisons to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York City after The Minnesota Star Tribune dubbed him the «Mamdani of Minneapolis.»
The 35-year-old son of Somali immigrants who became the first Somali-American elected to the Minnesota state Senate in 2020 challenged incumbent Frey head-on this year, criticizing the comparatively moderate Democrat for failing to «meet the needs of our changing society.»
ILHAN OMAR ERUPTS AT OWN PARTY FOR RENEGING ON SOCIALIST CANDIDATE’S ENDORSEMENT: ‘INEXCUSABLE’
Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh takes a phone call at the University of Minnesota Oct. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Fateh was endorsed by Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor party this summer, the first endorsement of a Minneapolis mayoral candidate in 16 years, before DFL Chairman Richard Carlbom rescinded the coveted endorsement a month later.
«I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us,» Fateh said on X in July.
MINNEAPOLIS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OMAR FATEH VOWS TO PROTECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM ‘HOSTILE’ TRUMP ADMIN
«After a thoughtful and transparent review of the challenges, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee found substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process on July 19th, including an acknowledgment that a mayoral candidate was errantly eliminated from contention. As a result, the Constitution, Bylaws & Rules Committee has vacated the mayoral endorsement,» Carlbom said the following month.
But with the backing of the Twin Cities’ chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and «Squad» member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House of Representatives, Fateh’s progressive campaign maintained momentum.
There were 15 mayoral candidates on the ballot in Minneapolis Tuesday after the city did not hold a mayoral primary. And while candidates can still identify politically, city races in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan.
In an attempt to consolidate support against the incumbent frontrunner Frey, Fateh urged his supporters to rank pastor DeWayne Davis and attorney Jazz Hampton as their second and third choices.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a press conference at City Hall after a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School Aug. 28, 2025, in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
In Minneapolis, if a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, that candidate wins outright.
But if no one gets a majority, counting moves to additional rounds. After each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those ballots are redistributed to the next-ranked candidate on each voter’s ballot. The process continues until one candidate has a majority and can be declared the winner.
According to The Associated Press, every mayoral race in Minneapolis since 2013 has gone to at least a second round of ranked-choice voting.
Frey ousted an incumbent in 2017 after six rounds of tabulation. Then, in 2021, Frey won re-election after two rounds.
A campaign sign for Omar Fateh is displayed near Riverside Plaza in Minneapolis’ Cedar–Riverside neighborhood. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
The last mayor’s race took the national stage after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, triggering national and international protests rejecting police brutality amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate last year and is up for re-election next year, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., endorsed Frey’s campaign this year.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
And Minneapolis was once again in the national spotlight this year.
The city is still reeling from a massacre at a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in August, where two children were killed and 17 others were injured when a shooter opened fire before committing suicide.
Associated Press contributed to this report
2025 2026 elections coverage,elections,politics,minneapolis st paul,socialism
INTERNACIONAL
Elecciones en Nueva York: en un enorme revés para Trump, Zohran Mamdani se anotó un contundente triunfo
Andrew Cuomo, candidato a la alcaldía de Nueva York, llega a votar a un centro de votación en Nueva York. Foto Bloomberg
El oficialismo define cuándo llamar a sesiones extraordinarias mientras la oposición no ve posible sesionar antes del 30 de noviembre
Estos son los 7 «pecados capitales» del ahorrista argentino al invertir pesos o dólares
Milei refuerza sus lazos con los evangélicos: fue bendecido por pastores y atribuyó a Dios el triunfo bonaerense
Tragedia en Filipinas: asciende a 93 el número de muertos y a 26 el de desaparecidos por el paso del tifón Kalmaegi
Triunfo en Diputados: el oficialismo logró dictamen para tratar el Presupuesto 2026
Momi Giardina se cansó de MasterChef y reveló cómo invaden su privacidad
Suben parcialmente los impuestos al combustible y esto pasará con el precio de la nafta
Paula Robles rompió el silencio tras las amenazas de muerte a Juanita Tinelli, su hija: “Hay otro mundo en el que sí tenemos posibilidades”
Lamine Yamal contó toda la verdad sobre las infidelidades a Nicki Nicole y fue tajante: “Todo lo que está saliendo no tiene nada que ver”
Tras los cambios de Gabinete, Milei viaja a Miami para participar de una cumbre global junto a Trump
CHIMENTOS3 días agoPaula Robles rompió el silencio tras las amenazas de muerte a Juanita Tinelli, su hija: “Hay otro mundo en el que sí tenemos posibilidades”
- CHIMENTOS3 días ago
Lamine Yamal contó toda la verdad sobre las infidelidades a Nicki Nicole y fue tajante: “Todo lo que está saliendo no tiene nada que ver”
- POLITICA3 días ago
Tras los cambios de Gabinete, Milei viaja a Miami para participar de una cumbre global junto a Trump
