A dual U.S.-Salvadoran citizen from California accused of murdering a woman in front of their toddler son before abandoning the child near her remains has been extradited to El Salvador to face charges, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
Michael Alejandro Castillo Murga, 27, of Beaumont, California, was handed over to Salvadoran authorities Wednesday to face charges of aggravated femicide and imperfect homicide in the 2019 killing.
The extradition marks the first time the U.S. has surrendered an American citizen to face prosecution for crimes committed in El Salvador, according to the DOJ.
Castillo Murga holds dual U.S. and Salvadoran citizenship.
Salvadoran authorities allege Castillo Murga picked up Melvi Fernanda Nájera Quezada, 23, and their son from her mother's home Jan. 31, 2019, supposedly to begin living together as a family.
Investigators allege he instead killed Nájera Quezada and abandoned their child near her body, which was discovered near a highway the next day.
An autopsy determined she died from severe bleeding caused by cuts to her neck and other wounds inflicted with a plastic knife, according to the DOJ.
Farmworkers discovered the boy, who was younger than 2, several days later in a rugged area near where his mother's body was found. He was severely dehydrated and starving with cuts on his face, insect bites and signs of abuse, authorities said.
Investigators linked Castillo Murga to the killing through cellphone location data and witness accounts. Authorities also said he sent his girlfriend a photograph showing bloodstains on his face and neck.
Prosecutors also accused Castillo Murga's grandmother and a lawyer of helping conceal evidence. According to the DOJ, the pair arranged for two people to clean blood from the interior and exterior of Castillo Murga's vehicle using water, car shampoo and vinegar, but they were unable to remove all the blood.
Castillo Murga escaped to Guatemala around Feb. 2, 2019, with assistance from his grandmother and lawyer before eventually entering the U.S., according to prosecutors.
U.S. Marshals arrested him in October 2024 in response to an extradition request from El Salvador.
Castillo Murga challenged his extradition in federal court, but a judge rejected his petition in November 2025 and denied a subsequent request to halt the transfer in September 2026.
Opposition lawmakers in Albania disrupted a parliamentary session on Thursday by setting off flares that filled the chamber with colored smoke, marking an escalation following weeks of student-led anti-government protests.
Members of the main opposition Democratic Party also blocked access to the podium during a vote on a central bank bill, Reuters reported.
"These ruling lawmakers are criminals, and they deserve tear gas, rubber bullets, cracked skulls, and broken bones—not the young people," opposition leader Sali Berisha declared during a speech before his microphone was cut off.
As the chamber devolved into chaos, fellow opposition members surrounded Berisha, holding blue flares, the official color of their party, and displaying images of protesters injured by police rubber bullets.
Albania has been gripped in recent weeks by student-led demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over alleged government corruption, underfunded schools, widespread unemployment, and a lack of economic opportunities.
The protests began on Oct. 13 and quickly turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police and set fire to government buildings. Protesters also targeted Rama’s ruling Socialist Party headquarters in Tirana, clashing with riot police deployed to protect the property.
The unrest has since spread to several other cities across the country.
In response, Rama, who has governed since 2013 and secured a fourth term last year, blamed "foreign hands who do not want Albania in the European Union. " He accused outside forces of manipulating the movement, claiming they "represent organized crime rather than students. "
To curb the violence, Rama introduced strict new measures, including $6,000 fines for anyone participating in a protest that turns violent, regardless of whether they personally commit acts of violence.
Thirty-seven United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) workers are being held captive by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, the agency's new executive director told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. Many have been detained for two years.
Luke J. Lindberg's remarks come as WFP workers face growing threats in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, where hundreds have died risking their lives to save others, he said.
"Right now in Yemen, we have 37 colleagues of ours who are currently detained," Lindberg said.
"These folks are out there to provide basic humanitarian services. They're not there to influence the political outcomes of a conflict. And so we need to protect them, and we need to get our detained colleagues released."
"All detainees are Yemeni nationals employed locally by the WFP, Lindberg clarified, before stating that some have been separated from their families for "nearly two years," he clarified.
"It's a really complex political environment," Lindberg continued before adding that there are no current Americans in that pool.
"They are all locally employed Yemenis," he clarified.
Just three days into his tenure, Lindberg raised the detentions with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, underscoring the urgency of securing the workers' release.
"Ambassador Waltz is aware, and the State Department team has done a great job of taking this seriously and also, it's a priority for them as it is for us to get these folks released."
"It's been almost two years," Lindberg said. "Away from their families. It breaks my heart."
The detentions come amid Yemen’s crippling civil war between the internationally recognized government and Iran-backed Houthis, which has devastated the economy and left millions dependent on humanitarian aid.
More than 18 million people face acute food insecurity, including more than two million children under age five suffering from acute malnutrition.
"Our team operates in the most impossible and challenging conditions you can imagine around the world," Lindberg said.
"People like me, we're not out in the field, literally handing food to people and literally cooking food for people so that they get the nourishment. It's the wonderful people, the people that choose to go out and do this work that are the real heroes of this equation."
Lindberg said the WFP must now balance reaching vulnerable populations with protecting employees from unacceptable risks.
"And so there are areas where we will go into, areas where you can't go into. Again, the goal is the end of the conflict and allow humanitarian resources to flow into those areas.
"And until that happens, there are areas where we do not operate so that our staff can remain protected and that they can do their job safely."
The dangers extend beyond Yemen, with Lindberg saying conflict drives roughly two-thirds of acute food insecurity worldwide, with an estimated 266 million people facing severe hunger.
"It means the most challenging levels of hunger we can imagine," Lindberg said.
The crisis has intensified pressure on humanitarian organizations to deliver food in some of the world's most dangerous and inaccessible regions.
"But the World Food Programme really has a great team operating in over 120 countries around the world, doing this hard work each and every day," he explained.
Among the most urgent crises, he said, are those in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, where conflict, displacement and climate-related disasters have pushed vulnerable communities toward famine.
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has displaced millions and triggered famine conditions in parts of the country, with Lindberg saying Sudan will be his first field destination as executive director, reflecting the urgency of the crisis.
"Right now, we are approaching famine levels in three countries, predominantly in the Africa region, in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia," he said.
"And so those are flash points for me that are incredibly important for us to focus on, find the resources that should be available to help us meet those needs specifically."
Other humanitarian emergencies include Gaza, where fighting, damaged infrastructure, restricted access and funding shortages have complicated food deliveries, and Haiti, where gang violence has disrupted aid access.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fighting involving armed groups has displaced millions, while the war in Ukraine has also disrupted agricultural production and global food supply chains.
But Lindberg said one of the most disturbing consequences of these conflicts is the rising death toll among humanitarian workers with hundreds killed worldwide in recent years.
"Unfortunately, in the past couple of years, we've lost over 700 humanitarians around the world in their active duty.
"To me, that's the worst possible outcome. It's really unacceptable. And so yes, many of our World Food Programme colleagues have unfortunately been caught up in those circumstances as well.
"It's my commitment to call each one of those family members should that happen, but it's primarily my goal to not let that happen anymore."
Lindberg's appointment comes as the WFP confronts major humanitarian emergencies and funding pressures, while also bringing the agency a direct connection to President Donald Trump.
A South Dakota native, Lindberg previously served as undersecretary of agriculture for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overseeing international agricultural assistance programs, including the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Food for Progress programs.
Lindberg succeeds Cindy McCain, who stepped down this year, with Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau serving in the interim. Since 1992, six executive directors were American.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Qu Dongyu appointed Lindberg after consulting the WFP Executive Board.
Lindberg said Trump personally called to ask him to serve as the U.S. nominee for the position, a conversation he described as evidence of the president's commitment to humanitarian efforts.
"When I was nominated to lead the World Food Program by the United States, President Trump personally took the time to call me and offer me this opportunity," Lindberg said.
"And to me, that shows his heart for this work. He is somebody that believes in peace around the world. And for me to have the opportunity to speak with him about how the World Food Programme can.
"To play an important role alongside the U.S. in addressing these humanitarian needs was a special moment that I'll never forget."
That said, Lindberg is adamant that his new job at the World Food Programme comes with a clear mission: "show up no matter what."
TEL AVIV, Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition remained well short of a parliamentary majority Thursday as newly counted ballots showed a dramatic surge in support for Arab parties, potentially giving the opposition enough votes to challenge his control of parliament.
With 93.8% of ballots counted as of 4 a.m. ET Thursday (10 a.m. local time in Israel), including votes from the double-envelope count, Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc was projected to win 53 seats in Israel's 120-member Knesset, compared with 48 for the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. The two predominantly Arab parties were projected to secure a combined 19 seats, bringing the potential anti-Netanyahu parliamentary majority to 67.
The updated figures showed Netanyahu's Likud remaining the largest individual party with 26 seats, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar party with 21 and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Beyachad party with 12. The figures remain preliminary.
The results leave neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot with the 61 seats required to form a government independently, raising the prospect of difficult coalition negotiations or another election.
The biggest shift came from Israel's Arab voters, whose turnout surged compared with previous elections, potentially reshaping the country's political balance.
Arab voter participation reached approximately 80%, compared with 53.2% in the 2022 election, according to the Israel Democracy Institute. The 2026 figure remains preliminary.
The Joint List was projected to win 11 seats, while Ra'am was projected to secure eight. Together, their 19 seats would nearly double the Arab parties' representation from the 10 seats they won in 2022.
Overall voter turnout reached 77.7% by the official 10 p.m. closing time on election night, the highest level at that hour since 1999, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee.
The increased Arab participation could prove decisive in determining the next government's composition. Although Eisenkot and several other opposition leaders ruled out including Arab parties in their governing coalition during the campaign, their parliamentary support could allow the opposition to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a Netanyahu ally, and gain greater control over the legislative agenda even before a new government is formed.
The political stakes intensified Thursday following a Channel 12 report alleging that substantial sums originating in Qatar may have been transferred to influence voter participation in Arab communities.
According to N12, some of the funds allegedly traveled through financial channels previously used to transfer money to terrorist organizations, including currency exchanges.
The allegations have not been independently substantiated, and investigators have yet to establish whether foreign financing occurred or whether election-related crimes were committed.
Channel 12 reported that Shin Bet Director David Zini presented intelligence concerning suspected foreign interference to Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, prompting the judge to order an investigation.
In a letter published by N12, Sohlberg instructed the domestic security agency to investigate the allegations and identify evidence that could either substantiate or disprove them. He requested findings within one week, citing the limited time available during the election count.
The judge's letter did not publicly identify Qatar as the suspected foreign actor. That identification came from N12's reporting.
Qatar strongly denied the allegations Thursday, accusing Israeli politicians of attempting to drag the Gulf nation into Israel's domestic political disputes following the election.
"We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr. Majed Al-Ansari wrote on X.
Al-Ansari accused Israeli politicians and their allies in the media of launching a "disinformation campaign," saying Qatar had been accused of financing Netanyahu, the Israeli left and now Arab voters.
"If these claims were to be believed, Qatar would apparently own all of Israel," he wrote. "Qatar should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians," Al-Ansari added, insisting that Qatar had no involvement in Israel's electoral process and would continue its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in the region.
Acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne also rejected the allegations in a letter to Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak, who sits on the committee. "The Knesset elections were conducted lawfully. The integrity of the elections at polling stations was rigorously safeguarded, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity."
Israel's Shin Bet security agency clarified Thursday that the intelligence behind the investigation was gathered independently and did not originate from any political party. It said no one outside the agency, except Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, had access to the information before the election ended.
The agency stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and warned against drawing premature conclusions.
The investigation "does not cast aspersions on or accuse an entire sector that went out to vote democratically and lawfully," the Shin Bet said in a statement translated from Hebrew.
The agency also confirmed that Shin Bet Director David Zini had briefed Netanyahu, Eisenkot and opposition leader Yair Lapid on the allegations, with Sohlberg's approval.
But the allegations have already become part of the political confrontation over whether opposition parties should cooperate with Arab lawmakers.
Netanyahu and Likud had challenged the legitimacy of the Arab parties' electoral gains. On Wednesday, before the latest Qatari allegations emerged, Likud accused Arab parties of stealing the election through alleged voter fraud, accusations that had not been substantiated.
In a statement Thursday, Likud argued that the suspected foreign interference made cooperation with the Arab parties unacceptable.
"After it became clear that foreign actors attempted to take control of the Knesset, it is obvious that no Zionist party must cooperate with Ra'am and the Joint List, replace the Knesset speaker using votes bought with cash, or establish a government dangerous to Israel," the party said.
The assertion that parliamentary seats were obtained through purchased votes has not been established by the investigation.
Hauser Tov, a political reporter for Israel's Haaretz newspaper, argued on X that the statement revealed Likud's immediate political objective: preventing the opposition from using its potential parliamentary majority to replace the Knesset speaker.
Israeli journalist Amir Tibon wrote on X, "The main reason they want to prevent this is so that the Knesset won't vote to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7." He argued that such an investigation could examine Qatari involvement in Gaza and Israel.
Eisenkot responded to the allegations Thursday, after meeting with Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director David Zini. "Foreign involvement in Israel is unacceptable and profoundly serious, particularly when it involves a country that funds and supports Hamas," Eisenkot said. "It is serious when it occurs in the Prime Minister’s Office, and it is serious if it occurs in the electoral process."
He called on the Shin Bet to investigate the allegations thoroughly and take the strongest possible action against anyone found to have attempted to compromise the election's integrity.
Eisenkot also accused Netanyahu and his allies of conducting "an illegitimate influence operation targeting the Israeli public," claiming its purpose was to delay the publication of the results and undermine the legitimacy of the newly elected Knesset.
Israeli political commentator Amit Segal also cautioned against assuming the allegations would lead to the cancellation of election results.
"The likelihood of the entire election being invalidated is extremely slim, given the time constraints," Segal wrote on X. He suggested the developments could instead intensify discussions about a unity government or another election.
Meanwhile, Democrats party leader Yair Golan urged opposition leaders to move quickly toward forming a new government.
"The people have spoken. Sixty-seven seats demanded change," Golan wrote Thursday on X, adding that he intended to spend the day meeting with political partners and coalition negotiators. "I intend to leave no stone unturned, act in every possible way and do everything necessary to fulfill the voters' will," he added.
The comments underscored the central question emerging from the election: whether parties united in their opposition to Netanyahu can overcome their differences, particularly over cooperation with Arab lawmakers.
Could Trump help broker a unity government?
Another possibility is a national unity coalition involving Netanyahu's Likud and Eisenkot's Yashar party, potentially excluding the Arab parties and Netanyahu's far-right allies.
Such an arrangement could also align with the preferences of figures close to President Donald Trump, who publicly endorsed Netanyahu ahead of the election.
According to Ynet diplomatic correspondent Itamar Eichner, sources close to Trump said the president wants to ensure that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is excluded from the next Israeli government, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich potentially excluded as well.
A separate Ynet report said Trump associates had contacted Israeli political figures to assess the prospects for a unity government and expressed a preference for a stable coalition without Ben-Gvir.
Trump himself has not publicly endorsed a specific unity arrangement.
Asked Wednesday by Axios whether he would become involved in efforts to establish a Netanyahu-led unity government, Trump said, "I will take a look."
A unity government involving Netanyahu and Eisenkot would face substantial obstacles. Eisenkot repeatedly pledged during the campaign not to join a Netanyahu-led government, while Netanyahu's far-right partners have warned against efforts to exclude them.
The ultra-Orthodox parties present another potential route to a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu's projected 53 seats include 14 held by Shas and United Torah Judaism, which have traditionally aligned with him.
Those 14 seats, combined with Eisenkot's projected 48-seat opposition bloc, would mathematically produce a 62-seat majority. But such an arrangement would face major disagreements over military conscription, as Eisenkot has pledged to expand mandatory service to ultra-Orthodox men, while the religious parties have sought to preserve exemptions for yeshiva students.
Political divisions within Eisenkot's own bloc would present additional obstacles to such a coalition.
For now, the foreign interference allegations remain under investigation, while the election results continue to show Netanyahu's existing coalition without the parliamentary majority required to govern on its own.
Several Americans are believed to have been injured in a high-speed train collision that killed at least 68 people in Spain on Wednesday when one train collided with another that had stopped on the tracks.
The crash took place in Spain's Castilla-La Mancha, with the regional government confirming the death toll and adding that another 58 people required medical treatment in hospitals. Several Americans are believed to have been hurt in the crash, according to the State Department.
Rescue workers continue to search in the wreckage for survivors and bodies, with witnesses describing a gruesome scene.
Wednesday's incident is the second high-speed rail crash Spain has suffered this year.
Spain’s rail system operator ADIF said the crash occurred Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. Both trains were carrying hundreds of passengers, and were headed in the same direction on a route from Madrid to Seville.
One train, run by the state-owned RENFE company, ran into the tail of the other train owned by private company IRYO that had stopped, knocking two of its cars off the track. Those companies were the same ones involved in January's crash.
Esther Padilla, a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government, said 397 passengers were on the RENFE train and 147 passengers on the IRYO train.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the deadly train collision to what he described as an "inexplicable" decision by the country's central rail control center to allow a train to resume traveling after a safety system malfunctioned.
Puente said the train's engineers were not responsible for the collision.
According to Puente, a computer malfunction caused a safety system covering roughly 39 miles of track to stop working around 8:30 a.m.
The disruption forced trains in the affected area to stop, but the central control center subsequently authorized the RENFE train to resume traveling without speed restrictions, he said.
Just over 20 minutes later, the RENFE train collided with the stopped IRYO train.
Puente said the RENFE train should never have been cleared to resume traveling while a stop signal remained active on the line. At a minimum, he said, the train should have been instructed to proceed at a reduced speed.
Officials are still working to determine the train's speed at the time of the collision, but Puente said it may have been traveling at approximately 124 mph.
David Gómez, a construction worker, was working with his brother and another colleague nearby when they heard the crash and ran to help, he told the newspaper El País.
"People were trying to get out through the windows…. We cut through some fences to access the area and treated people with the first-aid kits we had brought," until emergency services arrived, he said. "As I was trying to pull a young woman out, there was a piece of a leg."
Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said emergency workers were focusing on rescuing survivors and bodies from the two most damaged train cars. She said the injured are being sent to different hospitals in the area.
"It was a high-speed impact, so we are expecting this to be a tragedy," García said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the crash site and announced that his government would declare three days of national mourning.
"Today all of Spain is grieving," Sánchez said.
The prime minister also called for enhanced safety measures across the country's rail system following the second high-speed rail crash this year.
"It is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year," he said.
Passenger Ignacio Relaño was traveling on the RENFE train. He told state broadcaster TVE that the train had stopped momentarily on the line before it started again and then crashed into the IRYO.
"We all felt the train abruptly slowing down and then the impact," he said. "The car leaned to one side like it was about to tip over. I hit my nose, everything went flying, luggage, cellphones. Everything shook."
Another passenger recounted to Cadena Ser radio how she felt the train slam on the brakes and was thrown forward in her seat, breaking the small table in front of her. She said she saw body parts and trapped people covered in blood.
IRYO, an Italian-owned company, said in a statement that it has "activated its security protocols and is closely working with authorities."
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said in a short statement on X that they were following news of the accident.
"We are deeply saddened and concerned by the train accident in Urda (Toledo)," the royal couple said. "We share in the grief of the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we send our heartfelt support to the injured and all those affected."
An assailant armed with two knives attacked a member of Serbia's Gendarmerie guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade shortly after midnight Wednesday, prompting the officer to fatally shoot the attacker in self-defense, according to Serbian authorities.
The assailant, who was a minor, allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" — or "God is great" in Arabic — as he slashed the officer in the face, leaving the officer "slightly injured."
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack, adding that security forces had been monitoring the assailant.
Dacic said the attacker supported ISIS and displayed a black flag bearing the terrorist group's symbol on his Instagram account. The attacker was believed to be Serbian and from the town of Sabac, Dacic added.
Israel's foreign ministry confirmed the "attempted terrorist attack," and said the incident was under investigation by the relevant authorities.
"The attacker was neutralized by local police. No embassy personnel were injured, and the mission was closed at the time of the incident, which occurred late at night," the statement said.
According to Serbian prosecutors, an unidentified person wearing black clothes opened the door to the security booth outside the embassy around 12:15 a.m. local time.
Prosecutors said the attacker then walked toward the officer inside, identified as D.S., and threw one of his knives in his direction, hitting the officer in the left cheek.
D.S. then retrieved his service weapon and fired multiple rounds, killing the attacker on the spot, according to the office of the Higher Public Prosecutor in Belgrade.
Photos from the scene hours after the attack show heavily armed police officers standing at the entrance of the embassy.
Dacic said Serbia had raised its terrorism threat level to the highest level, prompting an increased police presence at sensitive sites and crowded public spaces across the country.
In June 2024, a crossbow-wielding assailant wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade before the officer returned fire, killing the attacker.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political bloc gained ground Wednesday morning as Israel counted votes from its first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, but remained short of the majority needed to form a government, leaving the country facing another potential political deadlock.
With approximately 70% of votes counted, Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc stood at 54 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, compared with 47 for the main opposition and 19 for Arab parties, according to partial election results reported by Israeli media. Netanyahu's Likud led with 27 seats, while former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party held 20.
As both Netanyahu and Eisenkot claimed victory Tuesday night, Israelis told Fox News Digital that although they had expected a tight race, the shifting numbers and uncertainty over who could form a government had left many confused about what comes next.
Despite Netanyahu's lead, the parties outside his governing bloc collectively held 66 seats, a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, creating a potential path for the opposition to challenge his leadership if it can secure sufficient cooperation from Arab lawmakers.
The results marked a shift from Tuesday night's initial exit polls, which prompted celebrations at Eisenkot's campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv. Eisenkot called on Netanyahu to accept the results and step aside, while Netanyahu declared later in the night from his headquarters in Jerusalem that Likud had emerged as the country's largest party and urged the formation of a strong right-wing government.
President Donald Trump took credit Wednesday morning for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stronger-than-expected election performance, suggesting his endorsement helped shift the momentum of the race.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a statement from Irving C. Schwartz, who wrote, "When President Trump endorsed Bibi Netanyahu, the whole tide turned, and now, rather than a decisive defeat for a Great Prime Minister, it looks like a big come-from-behind stalemate, or even a WIN for Netanyahu."
Later, speaking to reporters near Air Force One, Trump said, "I heard the poll numbers were wrong ... the exit polls; I heard he [Netanyahu] did very well. It was pretty close, but very well. When the endorsement went out, it helped him a lot."
"It's a little bit early, but I'm hearing in Israel, top people say, 'Wow! He did a lot better than people thought.' It's looking like maybe a stalemate or a win," Trump added.
The growing influence of Arab parties has emerged as one of the most consequential factors in determining Israel's next government.
According to the partial results, the Joint List held 13 seats and Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, held six, giving Arab parties a combined 19 seats.
Abbas signaled openness to political negotiations, saying figures from both sides of Israel's political divide had approached him.
"Everyone is talking to us, not just the change bloc," Abbas told Israel's Channel 12.
Democrats leader Yair Golan went further, openly calling for the formation of a new government in cooperation with Arab parties. "Netanyahu lost. I know how to count to 120–65 is greater than 55. That's how Israeli democracy works. Period," Golan wrote on X. Golan also rejected Netanyahu's distinction between Jewish and Arab political support, arguing that every Israeli citizen's vote should carry equal weight. "The vote of an Israeli citizen in Tira is worth exactly the same as the vote of an Israeli citizen in Givat Shmuel," he wrote.
Golan's figures reflected an earlier stage of the count, but his argument highlighted an emerging disagreement within the opposition over whether to include Arab parties in the next government.
Eisenkot has previously expressed opposition to including Ra'am in his coalition, while Netanyahu has warned against any government dependent on Arab parties.
Netanyahu could attempt to expand his current coalition by winning support from at least seven lawmakers outside his right-wing and religious bloc, which would bring him to the 61 seats needed for a conventional parliamentary majority.
Alternatively, Eisenkot could seek enough parliamentary recommendations, potentially including those of Arab parties, to persuade President Isaac Herzog to give him the first opportunity to form a government.
Those recommendations would not necessarily require Arab parties to join a future coalition. However, Eisenkot would still need enough parliamentary support to secure a confidence vote.
A third possibility is another deadlock, with neither leader able to form a government and Israel potentially facing another election.
The final outcome remains uncertain as vote counting continues, including ballots cast by soldiers and other voters using special voting procedures.
Official results are scheduled for Nov. 4, after which Herzog will consult with parliamentary factions and select a lawmaker to attempt to form the next government.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Updated Israeli exit polls early Wednesday showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gaining ground against his political rivals but still falling short of a parliamentary majority, leaving the country facing a possible political deadlock despite a combined majority of seats projected for parties outside his governing bloc.
An updated Channel 12 exit poll at 3:30 a.m. (Israel time) projected 53 seats for Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc, compared with 49 for the main opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and another 19 for Arab parties. Together, the opposition and Arab factions would hold 68 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, although they remain divided over forming a government together.
Netanyahu struck a defiant tone in his first election-night speech at Likud headquarters in Jerusalem, declaring that his party had emerged as the largest in Israel and calling for the formation of a strong right-wing government.
"We are still waiting for the actual results, which we will receive over the next day or two," Netanyahu told supporters. "Two things have become clear. The first is unequivocal: Likud is the largest party in Israel."
"We must establish a strong national right-wing government," he added, warning against a government dependent on Arab parties, which he accused of opposing Israel's existence.
His remarks came hours after Eisenkot took the stage at his campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, where supporters celebrated earlier projections showing the opposition ahead. Eisenkot called on Netanyahu to accept the results and step aside, but the updated numbers underscored how uncertain the race remains. Netanyahu also said Israel faced a "once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity" with Trump to eliminate the existential threat from Iran.
The competing speeches highlighted the central question emerging from the election: Who will be given the first opportunity to form a government? If Eisenkot can secure recommendations from at least 61 lawmakers, potentially including Arab parties, he could receive the first mandate despite Netanyahu's Likud emerging as the largest individual party. But that would not guarantee he could assemble a governing coalition. For Netanyahu, the election remains a waiting game. Even without a majority, he could still be tasked with forming a government — or get another opportunity if Eisenkot's efforts fail — leaving Israel facing weeks of political negotiations.
Israelis turned out in exceptionally high numbers Tuesday for the country’s first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, with initial exit polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud emerging as the largest party but his governing coalition falling short of a parliamentary majority, potentially opening the door to a change in leadership.
Netanyahu fights for political future as Israel heads to polls with Iran threat looming
The results are preliminary projections, not an official vote count, and could change as ballots are tallied in the coming days.
The election followed an extraordinary day at polling stations across Israel, with long lines and voter participation reaching levels not seen in decades.
Israeli voter turnout surged to a historic high, with 77.7% of eligible voters casting their ballots by the time the polls closed, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee. The figure marked the highest turnout recorded since 1999, underscoring the intensity of the country's national election.
The unusually high participation prompted election officials to streamline voting procedures and assure voters that anyone arriving at a polling station before the 10 p.m. deadline would be allowed to cast a ballot.
The vote was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership following three years of war and continuing questions about responsibility for the security failures that allowed Hamas terrorists to kill approximately 1,200 people and abduct 251 others on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, campaigned on his record of confronting Iran and its regional proxies, highlighting Israel's military achievements and his relationship with President Donald Trump. His opponents accused him of failing to accept responsibility for the October 7 security failures and opposed his government's approach to investigating the failures that preceded the massacre.
Netanyahu's Likud party prepared hundreds of targeted campaign videos and social media messages, making digital outreach a central part of its last-minute election strategy.
Eisenkot's campaign pushed supporters to rally behind Yashar as the leading alternative to Likud, while Bennett traveled between cities and engaged voters directly and through WhatsApp conversations.
The key question now is which candidate can secure the support of at least 61 lawmakers when President Isaac Herzog consults with the newly elected parliamentary factions. If Eisenkot can obtain those recommendations, including from Arab parties, he would have a strong claim to receive the first opportunity to form a government, even though Netanyahu’s Likud is projected to remain the largest individual party. Crucially, Arab parties could recommend Eisenkot without formally joining his governing coalition. However, the final decision rests with Herzog, who is tasked with selecting the lawmaker he believes has the best chance of forming a government. Securing the first mandate would not guarantee Eisenkot could assemble a governing majority, leaving the possibility of another political deadlock.
The campaign's closing hours also featured personal appeals, phone calls to undecided voters and aggressive turnout operations across the political spectrum.
The final days were particularly important because a relatively small share of voters remained undecided about which party to support.
A Times of Israel poll published five days before the election found that 87% of respondents had already made their final choice, while 2.4% remained undecided between the pro and anti-Netanyahu political blocs.
Other surveys suggested a larger pool of undecided voters, although many were choosing between parties within the same political camp rather than switching sides.
That distinction could prove decisive in Israel's parliamentary system, where political parties need at least 3.25% of valid votes to enter the 120-seat Knesset.
Even a slight change in the vote share of smaller parties could shift several parliamentary seats and determine whether either camp has a realistic path to power.
Despite the exit poll projections, the identity of Israel's next prime minister may remain uncertain for weeks.
Unlike in the United States, Israelis vote for political parties rather than directly electing their head of government.
The 120 seats in parliament are allocated proportionally, and parties must secure at least 3.25% of valid votes to win representation.
Once the final results are certified, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult with the newly elected political factions and select the lawmaker he believes has the strongest chance of forming a government.
Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro fled Brazil for the United States on Tuesday, two days after losing the country's presidential runoff to leftist incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The U.S. Department of State will issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the U.S., a senior State Department official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
An ally of the far-right conservative senator confirmed his departure from the South American country to Reuters on Tuesday.
Bolsonaro's flight was reportedly headed to Florida, according to Brazilian outlet Metropoles, citing people close to his family.
British prosecutors charged two men Tuesday under the U.K.’s National Security Act following an incident at RAF Fairford, a key base used by the U.S. military’s heavy bombers.
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, of London, was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service. Nouman Essghir, 24, was charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
British counterterrorism police said they believe the foreign country Abdulkarim was assisting was Iran, Reuters reported.
The charges follow a September incident near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. British police arrested five men outside the base in the early hours of Sept. 27, according to Reuters.
The base had been used by U.S. bombers to carry out strikes against Iran. About a dozen B-1 bombers were among the aircraft later withdrawn from RAF Fairford and returned to their home stations in the United States on security grounds, according to previous Fox News reporting.
RAF Fairford serves as a key European operating location for U.S. heavy bombers and has supported American military missions.
Frank Ferguson, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said the agency decided to prosecute the two men following a "complex" counterterrorism investigation.
"We will continue to work closely with our partners as this complex investigation continues," Ferguson said.
Both men were expected to appear Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
A ceasefire that first lady Melania Trump helped negotiate in a front-line Ukrainian city that she described as being on the "brink of disaster" went into effect Tuesday.
The pause in fighting in Oleshky started around 3 a.m. local time as "part of a humanitarian mission being carried out with the mediation and coordination of U.S. first lady Melania Trump, in cooperation with Yana Lantratova, Russia’s commissioner for human rights," according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament commissioner for human rights.
"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster," Trump said in a statement last week. "Oleshky’s remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water.
"The people of Oleshky have limited electricity, live amid mined roads, and endure regular military attacks. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible," she added.
The White House said both Ukraine and Russia "agreed to temporarily stop all military action in Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway."
"Non-military, civilian leaders from both countries will work together to visit Oleshky residents in their homes and determine the level of assistance they require. Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination. I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine," Trump added.
Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," senior advisor Marc Beckman said the agreement followed weeks of mediation involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry wrote on Telegram, "In relation to the conduct of the humanitarian operation in the area of the settlement of Oleshky, Kherson region, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have ceased fire in the Kherson direction."
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Campaign banners bearing the faces of Israel's political leaders cover buildings and roadsides, while in homes, coffee shops and family gatherings, the same question dominates conversations: Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain in power?
With Israelis heading to the polls Tuesday, the country is bracing for a closely contested election that could end in another political deadlock. But this vote is unlike any other in Israel's recent history.
For many Israelis, the election has become a referendum on accountability for the failures that allowed Hamas terrorists to carry out the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre — the deadliest attack in Israel's history.
Netanyahu, who has dominated Israeli politics for decades, has resisted calls to accept personal responsibility for the security failures and establish an independent state commission of inquiry. His government instead sought a politically appointed investigation, a proposal fiercely opposed by many bereaved families.
Yet Israel's divisions began long before Oct. 7.
In the months preceding the attacks, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul, which critics argued would undermine the country's democracy. The confrontation spilled into the military, where reservists threatened to suspend volunteer service, raising alarms about Israel's preparedness. Some critics have argued that the turmoil projected weakness to the country's enemies, although the extent to which it influenced Hamas's decision to attack remains disputed.
Three years after the massacre, those divisions have only deepened, transforming Tuesday's vote into something intensely personal. Political allegiances have strained friendships and divided families, with much of the national debate reduced to a single question: Are you for Netanyahu, widely known as "Bibi," or against him?
For some families who lost loved ones on Oct. 7, the answer is painfully clear.
Shir Shai, whose brother Yaron Shai, an Israeli soldier, was killed battling Hamas terrorists that day, delivered a stark message to those considering another vote for Netanyahu.
"If you nevertheless decide to vote again for the man who brought disaster upon us and his accomplices, I have one personal request: Don't come here anymore," Shai said over her brother's grave in his memorial ceremony on October 7.
"You still have 20 days to be part of the process of putting things right. But if you choose to perpetuate the failure rather than honor the fallen, it would be better if you stayed home next year," she added.
Yet other bereaved families have reached the opposite conclusion, crediting Netanyahu with standing firm through years of war on multiple fronts and arguing that Israel's military and intelligence establishment bears the principal responsibility for failing to anticipate the Hamas assault.
The deeply polarized atmosphere has been intensified by an increasingly bitter campaign. Just two days before the election, Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv, warning of the existential threat posed by Iran if the country elects a leader unable to confront Tehran.
Concerns now extend beyond the election results themselves. Israeli police are preparing for possible unrest after the polls close, while experts have warned about the potential for disputes over the legitimacy of the results — including an extreme scenario resembling the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
With the opposition united in its ambition to replace Netanyahu but divided over how to govern afterward, neither political bloc is assured of a parliamentary majority and the final outcome could take weeks to determine.
Israelis will vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, with most polling stations opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 10 p.m. local time.
Election Day is a national holiday in Israel, giving voters the opportunity to cast their ballots. Some smaller communities and special polling locations operate on different schedules.
Eligible voters must be Israeli citizens at least 18 years old and generally vote at their assigned polling station. Most Israelis living abroad cannot vote remotely, although exceptions apply to certain official representatives overseas.
How does Israel's election system work?
Israel has a parliamentary system in which voters select a political party rather than an individual candidate for prime minister.
The country's parliament, known as the Knesset, has 120 seats, distributed through a system of nationwide proportional representation.
Each party submits a ranked list of candidates, and the number of seats it receives depends on its share of the national vote.
To enter parliament, a party must win at least 3.25% of the valid votes. Parties falling below that threshold receive no seats, potentially changing the balance between rival political blocs.
Israel's major television networks are expected to release exit polls immediately after voting ends at 10 p.m. Tuesday (4 p.m. EST).
Those projections will provide the first indication of how many seats each party may win and whether Netanyahu or his rivals appear better positioned to assemble a coalition.
But exit polls are not official results, and even small differences in the final vote could determine whether parties cross the electoral threshold.
Actual vote counts will emerge as ballots are counted, with preliminary results developing after polls close and over the following days.
Israel's Central Elections Committee has scheduled the publication of official results for Wednesday, Nov. 4, eight days after the election.
Who are the main candidates?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 77, leads the conservative right-wing Likud party and is seeking to extend his record tenure as Israel's longest-serving prime minister.
His main challenger is Gadi Eisenkot, 66, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces who leads the centrist Yashar party and has positioned himself as an alternative to Netanyahu's leadership.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, 54, is also seeking a political comeback, running on a joint ticket with former Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Other significant political figures include former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Democrats leader Yair Golan and Netanyahu's right-wing populist allies Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Arab political parties, including Ra'am and the Joint List, could also play a crucial role in determining the final parliamentary balance.
How many seats does a party need to win?
The key number in Israeli politics is 61 — a majority of the 120-seat Knesset.
No single Israeli party has ever won enough seats to control parliament alone, meaning parties generally need to form coalitions with other political factions.
This means the party that wins the most seats does not automatically get to lead the government.
Instead, the decisive question is which political leader can secure enough parliamentary support to govern.
How is Israel's next prime minister chosen?
Once the official results are published, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult representatives of the newly elected parliamentary factions.
Within seven days, the president must assign a member of the Knesset the task of forming a government.
The president generally selects the politician considered most likely to assemble a governing coalition, who is not necessarily the leader of the largest party.
That candidate initially has 28 days to reach agreements with other parties, with the possibility of an extension of up to 14 additional days.
The proposed government must then win a confidence vote in the Knesset before taking office.
What happens if nobody can form a government?
If the first candidate fails, the president can ask another lawmaker to attempt to form a government, giving that person 28 days without an extension.
If that effort also fails, a majority of 61 lawmakers can request that another candidate be given 14 days to try.
If no government emerges, Israel could face another national election.
Coalition negotiations can take weeks or months. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, the process of forming an Israeli government has historically taken between 20 and 100 days.
Until a new government is sworn in, the outgoing government remains in office.
Why is this election particularly consequential?
Tuesday's vote is the first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, which triggered the war in Gaza and raised profound questions about Israel's security leadership.
Beyond Netanyahu's political future, the next government will face decisions over Israel's national security, the future of Gaza, military conscription, relations with the United States and the country's regional diplomatic relationships.
With pre-election polling showing no clear path to a parliamentary majority for either major political bloc, the contest could remain unresolved long after Tuesday's votes are counted.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is seeking a political comeback with an ambitious vision for the Middle East: expanding the Abraham Accords, building economic partnerships with Arab nations and rebuilding Israel's strained international relationships, particularly with the United States.
For Bennett, whose American parents moved to Israel from San Francisco, the U.S. connection is both personal and political. The 54-year-old former technology entrepreneur, a familiar face on American television, believes his business background could help him work with President Donald Trump to advance regional diplomacy.
"Naftali Bennett is the right leader to strengthen Israel’s global standing, including among the American people, thanks to his proven track record of working with world leaders and bringing people together, both as prime minister and as a successful businessman," Bennett’s campaign told Fox News Digital.
"We are confident that our great friend in the White House, President Trump, and Israel’s allies around the world will welcome the opportunity to work with Bennett and the new government he intends to form. Together, we will revive the Negev Forum and expand the Abraham Accords, strengthening regional security and stability. That is why so many leaders across the Middle East and beyond who share a vision of a more secure, prosperous and stable region are eager to see Bennett lead Israel’s next government."
"He was a businessman, not a career politician, same as me," Bennett told The Times of Israel in June, referring to Trump. "His worldview is, let's get stuff done. Let's look at results, not process. And that's precisely my view."
Bennett said he would aggressively pursue regional agreements through economic cooperation, seeking to build on the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. But while his ambitions overlap with Trump's regional agenda, the president endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for re-election on Oct. 18.
Bennett also faces an unusual political challenge at home. His joint Beyachad, or Together, party with former Prime Minister Yair Lapid is polling behind both Netanyahu's Likud and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party.
A Channel 12 poll published Oct. 23 projected 23 Knesset seats for Eisenkot, 21 for Netanyahu and 15 for Bennett and Lapid.
Yet Bennett knows better than most Israeli politicians that leading the largest party is not necessary to become prime minister. In 2021, he took office despite his Yamina party winning just seven of the Knesset's 120 seats, demonstrating the power of coalition negotiations in Israel's parliamentary system.
Born in Haifa to American immigrants, Bennett served in Israel's elite Sayeret Matkal and Maglan military units before co-founding cybersecurity company Cyota, which was sold for $145 million in 2005.
He entered politics as Netanyahu's chief of staff, later led the Yesha Council representing West Bank settlements and served as economy, education and defense minister.
A religious Zionist and longtime opponent of Palestinian statehood, Bennett stunned Israel's political establishment in 2021 when he formed a coalition spanning right-wing, centrist, left-wing and Arab parties, ending Netanyahu's 12 consecutive years in power.
The coalition collapsed in 2022, leaving many former supporters accusing him of betraying his electoral promises.
Einat Halevy Levin, a strategic advisor who has known Bennett for years, described a politician who has spent his time outside office preparing for a second opportunity.
"In 2021, he wasn't prepared. He hadn't built a governing party; he had built another election campaign," Halevy Levin told Fox News Digital.
She said she met Bennett at his home in November 2023, following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, when he had decided to return to politics.
This time, according to Halevy Levin, Bennett spent years building a political organization, carefully screening candidates and developing the infrastructure needed to govern.
"I've known him since he was economy minister. He was always daring and full of creative ideas, but was more inclined to stick to his own views," she said. "He has undergone a transformation."
Bennett's regional ambitions reflect an approach to diplomacy shaped by his business experience, according to Halevy Levin.
She recalled attending a meeting with a senior official from a neighboring country who appeared astonished by Bennett's detailed knowledge of its economy and priorities.
"He wasn't looking at the country through a military lens," she said, describing Bennett's focus on identifying shared economic interests rather than approaching every regional relationship primarily as a security challenge.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 13 on Sunday, two days before the election, Bennett pointed to his meetings as prime minister with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed as examples of the diplomacy he hopes to revive.
He argued that Israel needs to present a new vision of a Middle Eastern renaissance and identified extremist settler violence in the West Bank as a major source of damage to its international standing.
"We need to eliminate Jewish terrorism in Judea and Samaria, and I say this precisely as a supporter of the settlement movement," Bennett said. "They do not represent the overwhelming majority of settlers, but right now this is the problem causing us the greatest damage internationally."
Bennett said he would direct Israel's senior police, military and intelligence officials to produce a plan within three days to crack down on extremist violence.
His foreign policy, however, remains firmly on the Israeli right.
On Iran, Bennett has promoted his "Octopus Doctrine," advocating direct action against Tehran rather than focusing exclusively on Iranian-backed groups.
"If Hezbollah fires at us, we strike Iran," he declared at an Aug. 19 policy conference.
On Gaza, Bennett opposes Palestinian statehood and supports maintaining Israeli security control until Hamas is disarmed. He has also proposed excluding Qatar and Turkey from Gaza's future arrangements while involving Egypt.
Those positions raise questions about how significantly his government would depart from Netanyahu's policies.
Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies and former head of the Iran branch in Israeli military intelligence, argued that restoring Israel's diplomatic standing requires more than a change in leadership.
"If Bennett thinks he can support annexing E1 (an area east of Jerusalem where planned Israeli settlement construction could further fragment the West Bank), oppose a Palestinian state, continue the occupation of Gaza and simultaneously meet with Sisi and Abdullah and attract investment to Israel, he simply doesn't understand the depth of the international crisis," Citrinowicz said.
Citrinowicz argued that without a fundamental change in Israeli policy toward the Palestinians, replacing Netanyahu would not be sufficient to restore the country's international standing.
His warning comes amid changing American public attitudes toward Israel. A February 2026 Gallup survey found 36% of Americans sympathized more with Israelis, compared with 41% who sympathized more with Palestinians, a statistically insignificant five-point difference but a significant shift from the long-standing pro-Israel advantage.
A comeback built on lessons from 2021
Beyond foreign policy, Bennett is promising a sweeping domestic overhaul.
In an Oct. 25 manifesto, he pledged to redirect 30 billion shekels in government benefits toward families who work and serve in the military, reduce food prices by 30%, establish a state commission of inquiry into Oct. 7 and introduce an eight-year term limit for prime ministers.
His alliance with Lapid gives him an established political organization, but he faces competition from Eisenkot and continuing attacks from Netanyahu, who has warned that a future opposition coalition could depend on left-wing and Arab parties.
With Israel's fragmented parliamentary system requiring at least 61 seats to govern, coalition negotiations could prove as consequential as the election results themselves.
Bennett has already demonstrated that political reality once.
Now, four years after his first government collapsed, he is seeking to convince Israelis that the unconventional politician who became prime minister with seven seats has returned better prepared — and with a vision that could reshape Israel's place in the Middle East.
The Israeli military launched large-scale domestic military exercises on Sunday to counter surprise border infiltrations and ground raids across northern and central Israel, mobilizing multiple divisions and air assets amid rising regional tensions.
The drills, set to continue over 48 hours, came as an Israeli security expert invoked the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Egypt and Syria used exercises to disguise preparations for a surprise attack, warning that escalating tensions in the region could in fact trigger what he described as a "dangerous miscalculation."
The large-scale maneuvers, the IDF said, involve the Northern Command’s 210th Division, the West Bank Division, and the Central Command’s 98th and 96th divisions, alongside the Israeli Air Force.
The exercise, scheduled just ahead of Israel's elections Oct. 27, aims to "maintain the forces’ alertness and readiness, strengthen the ability to defend communities, and make full use of aerial capabilities for defense in the area," according to the IDF.
On Friday, the IDF said troops would practice "a variety of scenarios, including a surprise attack and infiltration into Israeli territory by air and land," incorporating lessons learned from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
"This exercise is mostly about non-state actors with or without Iranian support," Israeli national security analyst Dr. Ehud Eilam told Fox News Digital.
"It's aimed at those in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan who might try to infiltrate into Israel or send ground raids. Some are supported by Iran; others are not. It could be planned by Iran or be a local initiative."
"This is a massive exercise, the biggest one in recent years, aimed at protecting the borders," the former Israeli Ministry of Defense researcher added.
"It's all about making sure that the election day on October 27 will run smoothly. It's also a message to Iran and others: don't try to provoke us during election day, so nothing will be disrupted."
The Israeli drills followed a show of force by Tehran days earlier, during which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired roughly 30 ballistic missiles across two distinct weapon classes, according to reports.
That live-fire display highlighted Iranian strike capabilities and sparked renewed alerts about commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and prompted the Israeli military to heighten its alert level while maintaining maximum readiness for a targeted strike against Iran.
During a visit to the IDF's Central Command on Wednesday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that the risk of escalation was growing.
"Given the numerous warnings across all fronts and the sensitivity of the current period, the potential for escalation has increased," Zamir said.
"To ensure better operational control on the ground, we have reinforced our troop deployments across all sectors, including moving the 98th Division into the area to strengthen security and stability."
"Part of mutual deterrence: a few days ago, Iran had their own pretty big exercise, and that was actually more intimidating as far as Israel is concerned because they launched missiles and prepared for a war with Israel," Eilam said.
"This exercise on Sunday and Monday is against Iran's proxies and allies at the border of Israel."
Sunday’s Israeli drill also followed an Oct. 19 mission in which Israeli fighter jets and aerial refueling tankers flew 800 miles across Syrian and Iraqi airspace to Iran’s border.
Washington was notified in advance and viewed the maneuver as a non-kinetic show of force following the postponement of a broader strike package earlier in the month.
Despite the deterrence signals, Eilam warned that large-scale military exercises carry the "risk of miscalculation" and particularly when troop movements could be mistaken for preparations for an attack.
"During the Cold War, every time the Soviet Union or NATO carried out a major drill, having so many troops in the field meant they might attack if that was the intention," Eilam said.
He pointed to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Egypt and Syria used military exercises to help conceal troop buildups along Israel's borders.
Israeli intelligence largely dismissed the movements as routine drills, allowing the two countries to achieve strategic surprise when they launched a coordinated, two-front attack on Yom Kippur.
"The classic example in Israel is 1973, when Egypt and Syria conducted a major exercise just before the war that turned into the actual attack," the analyst said.
"Israel and Iran are now watching each other very closely and both sides suspect the other might strike first," Eilam added before stating that there is the chance of what they call "miscalculation — that each side suspects the other and strikes first by mistake."
"It's all about sending messages to each other."
"It remains uncertain whether there will eventually be an Israeli attack on Iran because it depends on U.S. authorization," Eilam concluded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's former spokesperson urged him Sunday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face in Moscow, arguing that his past business and political connections in the Russian capital from years back could help him negotiate a peace deal there.
Iuliia Mendel, who served as Zelenskyy's spokesperson from 2019 to 2021, told Fox News Digital that the former comedian had also made his first millions in Russia and should perhaps leverage those ties to pursue lasting peace.
"When Zelenskyy was an entertainer, he often performed in Moscow," Mendel said, adding that the Ukrainian president "knows a lot of people from Putin's elite."
"He actually professionally grew in Moscow and earned his first millions in Moscow, and today he pretends that he has nothing in common with them," Mendel said.
"He needs to go to Moscow and needs to agree on compromises that are acceptable," she said, before adding that Zelenskyy "doesn't need to play his maximalist games and to play this noble actor."
Mendel's criticism came as Ukraine, Russia and the United States prepared for another round of technical-level peace talks, potentially in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland, in November.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have helped lay the groundwork for renewed negotiations that officials hope could finally lead to direct talks between the two leaders.
Before entering politics, Zelenskyy had built a successful entertainment career. Beginning in the late 1990s, he performed with the comedy troupe Kvartal 95, competed on the Russian-language comedy program KVN and later worked as an actor, writer and producer in television and movies.
From the late 1990s, he performed on Russian stages and at private parties and appeared in movies shown across former Soviet republics, Mendel claimed.
She said that after Russia annexed Crimea and launched its war in Donbas in early 2014, Zelenskyy traveled to Russia to work on the comedy film "Eight New Dates" which was released in Russian theaters in 2015.
According to a report by Business Insider, many of Zelenskyy's movies were also in Russian and were marketed to a Russian audience, David Dodson, an American movie editor who worked with Zelenskyy told the outlet.
"He was a well-loved comic, actor and performer in Russia, but after [the 2013-14] Maidan [Revolution], everything changed," Dodson said.
"People need to realize that Volodya’s movies were very big in Russia. Most of his market was in Russia. He’s always been a popular comedy star in Russia," Dobson also clarified to GQ when asked if he directed the former actor in "Eight First Dates" in Russia, released in 2012.
In 2013, the movie received the Russian National Movie Awards as the Best Russian Comedy of the Year.
In 2019, Zelenskyy also promised to relinquish ownership of a Cyprus-registered company operating a film studio in Russia after investigative journalists revealed that he and his business partners still owned three Russian companies, according to the Kyiv Post.
Zelenskyy's entertainment career made him a household name in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics before he entered politics and won Ukraine's 2019 presidential election with roughly 73% of the runoff vote on promises to fight corruption and pursue peace in eastern Ukraine.
Mendel argued that Zelenskyy's promise to bring peace at the time stands in stark contrast to the devastating war that has crippled the country and defined much of his presidency.
"Zelenskyy became the president with 73% record support," Mendel said. "Because he promised to bring peace to Ukraine."
"And now he has been presiding for almost five years (over) the largest war in Europe since World War II. This shows a lot."
"When his country is bleeding, he needs to make a peace deal for his people," she said before adding that the leader "needs to put the interests of his people first, just for Ukraine to exist as an independent state."
Whether Zelenskyy should travel to Moscow has, in fact, become a flashpoint in efforts to arrange direct peace talks.
In 2025, Putin offered to host Zelenskyy for talks in Moscow, but the Ukrainian president rejected the invitation as Russian forces continued attacking Ukraine.
"He can come to Kyiv," Zelenskyy told ABC News at the time, saying he could not visit Moscow while Ukraine remained under Russian missile attacks.
Mendel, however, argued that personal animosity between the two leaders has become the main obstacle to diplomacy.
"Today there are diplomatic efforts to try to stop this brutal and bloody war that Russia started," she said.
"But what we see now is a personal opposition between Zelenskyy and Putin that continues to grow into constant escalation in which people suffer tremendously, Ukraine's infrastructure, energy grid, and businesses are in ruins, and refugees are fleeing."
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. More than four years later, peace negotiations are deadlocked over territory, security guarantees and the terms of a lasting ceasefire.
Moscow has demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine, including areas Russian forces do not fully control.
Kyiv has rejected ceding sovereign territory and insists that any agreement include enforceable security guarantees against another Russian attack.
Mendel went on to praise President Donald Trump's efforts to break the diplomatic deadlock, calling him the first Western leader to "challenge the status quo" and consistently push for an end to the war.
"For this reason, many Ukrainians place great hope in his ability to bring peace," she said.
"A sustainable peace deal cannot be reached solely between Zelensky and Putin; it requires the involvement and initiative of a strong third party to halt the ongoing devastation."
On Friday, the White House announced that first lady Melania Trump had helped broker a temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in southern Ukraine's Kherson region, to allow humanitarian aid deliveries, demining operations and civilian evacuations.
An estimated 1,700 to 2,000 people remain in the devastated front-line town, many of them facing severe shortages of food, medicine and other essentials.
The White House said the ceasefire would begin Oct. 29, although Ukrainian and Russian officials have indicated that operations could begin Oct. 27.
Pope Leo also reportedly spoke with Zelenskyy and Putin about the humanitarian crisis, according to Vatican News.
"Melania Trump has become synonymous with the words of a saver and a hero, since she has brokered the deal for Oleshky," Mendel said. "This is something that is going to save around 2,000 people and that neither Ukraine nor Russia could have solved for months and months."
"That is why, you know, what Melania Trump has done is actually a case to show that where two men are fighting, a woman can actually save lives," she added.
"And this is the new approach that would show that peace really should focus on human lives, not on maps and territories."
Mendel also criticized the influence of Zelenskyy's longtime ally Andriy Yermak on his diplomatic approach, arguing that the Ukrainian president has favored confrontation over compromise.
"Mr. Yermak was teaching Zelenskiy to be a strong man in diplomacy. And what today we see is actually diplomacy that doesn't exist," she said.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made returned to her home country on Sunday after nearly a year abroad, re-entering a political landscape transformed by the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
"I'm here. With you all," Machado wrote on social media, announcing her return for the first time since December. Her homecoming comes as Venezuela remains under the leadership of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally backed by the Trump administration, with no presidential election scheduled.
President Donald Trump, asked about Machado's return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope for her safety.
"I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman," Trump said. "She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she's safe. She's a very nice woman. But we're doing really well in Venezuela."
Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her peaceful opposition to Maduro's government, did not disclose her exact location or provide details about how she returned.
Fellow opposition leader Edmundo González, who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from seeking office, confirmed her arrival on social media and said he would join her "very soon."
"Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!" González wrote on X. "You know it, this is until the end."
Machado's return comes nearly 10 months after U.S. forces captured Maduro in January, removing the longtime leader from power.
Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, has remained in power with the Trump administration's support, despite exceeding the period she was initially authorized to serve as acting president.
Trump has repeatedly praised his administration's relationship with Rodríguez, highlighting agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business ventures with American companies.
In September, Trump said it was too soon to consider holding democratic elections in Venezuela, with U.S. officials prioritizing economic stabilization. Machado and her allies, meanwhile, have pushed for an election date, arguing that democratic governance is essential to the country's long-term stability.
Her return could complicate relations between the Venezuelan opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that U.S. officials had asked Machado to delay her return.
Machado spent much of 2025 in hiding after being briefly detained following an opposition protest that January. She later secretly left Venezuela and resurfaced in Norway in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Venezuelan opposition and Rodríguez's government held another round of talks this month focused on reforms to the country's Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections, Reuters reported.
From mass arrests in France to troop deployments in Italy, European leaders are taking varied approaches to protests and clashes across the continent. The unrest began in France in mid-September with student demonstrations over school conditions, then spread to other countries, where protests have centered on local grievances.
President Donald Trump has used the unrest to press his hard-line immigration message, blaming France’s protests on immigration and urging the country to close its borders.
French President Emmanuel Macron pushed back, calling foreign leaders' comments "unacceptable and even stupid" and accusing them of exploiting France’s crisis for political gain.
Here’s how leaders across Europe are responding.
France vows to make rioters pay as cities assess damage
Macron has vowed that those who loot or destroy property will be held accountable and made to pay for the damage. French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers nationwide Saturday as demonstrations took place in Paris and other cities.
Some clashes broke out in several cities, including Paris, Lyon, Lille, Toulouse and Nantes. Police used tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons, and the Interior Ministry reported more than 1,300 arrests.
Most union-organized marches were peaceful, though clashes broke out later in Paris and several other cities. Separately, a French intelligence assessment reportedly identified Antifa and other far-left groups as instigators of some of the violence, according to a French outlet.
Italy takes one of Europe's toughest lines
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned what she called "gangs of thugs" who used demonstrations to "sow chaos," and voiced support for police facing violence in several Italian cities.
Meloni moved quickly after the previous weekend’s looting and clashes, sending 500 additional soldiers to Milan and approving tougher penalties for minors involved in vandalism. She said destroying and stealing was a crime and that the state's response would be firm.
The measures put Meloni among the European leaders taking the most visible steps to deter further violence.
Greek police maintain a visible presence
While Greece has seen less unrest than France and other European countries, officials have been monitoring the risk of clashes as student and teacher demonstrations spread.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the right to protest must be respected as long as demonstrations remain lawful, while condemning violence, looting and occupations.
Police still kept a visible presence at demonstrations earlier in the week, which largely passed without major violence.
Belgium accuses Antifa-linked activists of stoking clashes
Belgium's demonstrations began over education reforms and budget cuts, with young protesters taking to the streets in Brussels and Liège. Earlier clashes injured police, damaged public areas and blocked roads. Nearly 200 people were arrested, according to Belgian officials.
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin accused far-left activists, including people linked to Antifa, of infiltrating demonstrations and encouraging young people to commit violence.
Albania clashes escalate as protesters demand prime minister's ouster
In Albania’s capital, Tirana, student-led protests have grown into a broader challenge to Prime Minister Edi Rama, with demonstrators demanding his resignation and accusing his government of corruption and neglecting schools and public services.
Police used tear gas and water cannons as more than 2,500 officers were deployed. Rama placed chairs outside his government headquarters and invited protesters to talk, but they rejected the gesture.
He said his government would address their concerns and warned that people responsible for violence could face criminal and financial consequences.
Spanish regional leaders vow consequences after Barcelona riots
In Spain, the unrest was largely concentrated in Barcelona, unlike France, where protests and clashes spread across multiple cities.
Police arrested 128 people in Barcelona after fires, vandalism and looting. Catalonia, the northeastern Spanish region that includes Barcelona, saw its regional president, Salvador Illa, condemn the violence and back the police response.
Meanwhile, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said the city would take legal action against those responsible and warned that parents or guardians could face consequences for damage caused by their children.
Nearly 1,000 peoplewere arrested Saturday as nationwide protests resumed, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters.
The unrest has spread beyond France, with violent clashes breaking out in Rome and Albania's capital of Tiranë, where demonstrators set government buildings on fire.
President Donald Trump also weighed in Saturday, pointing to the turmoil in France as a warning about what he said could happen in the United States under left-wing leadership.
Earlier in the day, police officers preemptively searched protesters andarrested people suspected of carrying potential weapons, including fireworks and ball bearings, Reuters reported.
Nuñez did not specify where the arrests were made.
In Paris, where police estimated 110,000 people marched, officers conducted more than 3,000 checks and arrested 65 people, the BBC reported.
The French Interior Ministry said about 410,000 people participated in protests nationwide, while union organizers estimated attendance at 800,000. In Paris, union organizers put turnout at 250,000, compared with the police estimate of 110,000, according to CBS News.
"Violent individuals have no place in the marches," the Paris Police Department said in a social media post. "The objective is clear: to prevent troublemakers from joining the procession, and to ensure the safety of the demonstrators."
Central Paris resembled a city under lockdown as shopkeepers boarded up storefronts, museums closed and more than 20 metro stations suspended service.
In other cities — including Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille and Nice — police have resorted to firing tear gas to break up unruly crowds, Reuters reported.
Also in Nice, police used a water cannon to disperse a group of demonstrators who refused to pull back. And in Marseille and Lyon, there have been clashes between police officers and hooded youths.
The unrest also reached Italy on Saturday, where police deployed a water cannon against protesters in Rome as demonstrations over rising living costs and war turned violent. Reuters footage showed riot police confronting demonstrators before a water cannon vehicle approached and sprayed water toward the crowd.
Violence was also reported in Turin and Bologna, where demonstrators confronted police, while protests in Milan remained largely peaceful, according to Reuters. Italian authorities increased security after widespread rioting and looting the previous weekend.
In Albania, riot police fired water cannons at protesters in Tirana, where some demonstrators set government buildings ablaze and threw projectiles at officers. High school and university students have been demanding lower tuition fees, greater investment in education and an end to corruption in the education system.
Some protesters have joined a broader anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. Rama said Saturday that his government was preparing a response to students' demands and called for dialogue, while warning that violent protesters would face penalties, according to The Associated Press.
Trump pointed to the unrest in France while speaking to reporters Saturday after casting his early-voting ballot for the 2026 midterm elections in West Palm Beach, Florida. The president criticized the country's previous leadership and argued that similar unrest could unfold in the U.S. under left-wing leadership.
"Just two years ago, we were laughed at. We were a stupid country. We were a country led by idiots and morons and bad people and radical left people. ... Just take a look at France because that's what they'd like to have for our country, and I don't let that happen."
Some 70,000 police officers have been deployed across France to clamp down on agitators and prevent the kind of unrest seen during recent demonstrations, when cars were torched and the city hall building in Limoges was set on fire.
Last weekend, more than 2,700 people were arrested during protests that later turned into riots and looting sprees.
The nationwide marches were meant to reflect broader dissatisfaction with the French government, with protesters taking to the streets to air a range of different grievances.
The movement gained momentum when major labor unions joined the demonstrations, broadening the protests to include opposition to the government's austerity policies and concerns over wages, pensions and the overall cost of living.
A group of gunmen stormed a Christian church in Jordan during a funeral Friday, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen, according to authorities.
The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 55 miles south of the capital, Amman.
Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said Saturday that one critically injured patient remained hospitalized at Prince Ali Military Hospital in unstable condition.
Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Saturday the attackers subscribed to "extremist takfiri ideology," which brands people who reject a strict interpretation of Islam as apostates or nonbelievers. Terrorist groups such as ISIS have invoked takfiri beliefs to justify killing Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Karak is home to a sizable Christian minority, and Momani sought to emphasize that Christians are "part of Jordan's national fabric."
It remains unclear whether the gunmen were affiliated with any terror group, and Jordanian authorities have not announced any arrests in connection with the attack.
Footage shown on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen armed with what appeared to be pistols approaching the church and opening fire, The Associated Press reported.
A third man carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle joined them moments later, before all three rushed toward the church.
Photos and videos from witnesses show broken glass and pools of blood inside the church. After the location was secured by police, two bodies covered with blankets were seen outside the church.
Dorgham Halasa told the AP that intense gunfire erupted in the church some 15 minutes after the funeral service began. People began running, he said.
Halasa said he didn't see the gunmen but said others he spoke with reported seeing at least four of them. Jordanian authorities had not confirmed the number of attackers as of Saturday.
On Friday, King Abdullah II said Jordan will "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties."
"Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity," he added. "Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded."
Jordan announced three days of national mourning after the attack, according to the state-run Petra News Agency.
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