Ukraine says air alert system hacked after false radiation warning in Kyiv

Ukraine officials said the country’s official air-raid alert app was likely hacked after emergency alerts warned on Sunday that there was a "radiation hazard" and a "chemical attack alert" in Kyiv.

The false warnings urged residents not to go outside.

"There is a radiation hazard alert in Kyiv. Do not go outside!" read one alert.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE

"There is a chemical attack alert in Kyiv. Do not go outside!" another one read.

The public air alert online map also displayed Kyiv and other areas as under a nuclear alert. The app also issued false warnings about Russia’s hypersonic Oreshnik missile and alleged street fighting in Kyiv.

Additionally, loudspeakers in the streets blasted a recorded message instructing people to take precautions.

But Ukraine’s Air Force said its air alert app was hacked and that there was no radiation hazard to be concerned about.

"The air alert app appears to have been subjected to enemy influence. There is no radiation threat! Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel!" the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement posted to Telegram.

Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia for the incident, although no group had publicly claimed responsibility.

CHINA-LINKED HACKERS INFILTRATED US GOVERNMENT NETWORKS BEFORE FBI TAKEDOWN

Separately, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said early Monday that its mobile application had been hit by a "massive cyberattack" that allowed attackers to send false information to the public.

"Attention! The mobile application of the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia has been subjected to a massive cyberattack, enabling attackers to send false information to the public," the ministry said on Telegram.

Fox News' Simon Owen contributed to this report.

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Iranian ‘ghost fleet’ filmed evading US blockade en route to China, UANI says

Small Iranian "ghost fleet" tankers are slipping past the U.S. naval blockade and smuggling sanctioned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to China through a shadowy maritime hub off Malaysia, according to U.S. investigators who covertly filmed one of the vessels en route in September.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which conducted the months-long probe, said at least nine similar tankers carrying Iranian oil or LPG have also evaded U.S. restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz since Washington reinstated the Iranian port blockade in July.

UANI identified one of the sanctioned tankers as the SOGL. It allegedly escaped the blockade on Sept. 1 carrying approximately 500,000 barrels of Iranian LPG after collecting it at an Iranian port in August.

The vessel then traveled thousands of miles to a Malaysian offshore anchorage, where UANI filmed the vessel receiving fuel and other services offshore. The ship then traveled on to China, where the organization said it discharged its Iranian cargo.

IRAN’S $800M OIL SMUGGLING SCHEME USES TANKERS POSING AS IRAQI SHIPS TO DODGE BLOCKADE

"This tanker had loaded its Iranian LPG from Assaluyeh Port, Iran, in late August. It then breached the U.S. blockade and made its way to a Malaysian anchorage," Jemima Shelley, a senior analyst at UANI, explained.

"What this shows us is that some vessels are managing to breach the U.S. maritime blockade," Shelley said of the footage shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.

"Most vessels aren't, but since the reinstatement in mid-July, we have seen only nine small tankers being successful in their breach of the U.S. blockade and departing the Gulf of Oman laden with oil or LPG."

At the center of the operation is the Malaysian Eastern Outer Port Limits Anchorage, known as the EOPL, an offshore shipping area approximately 70 kilometers from Malaysia’s coastline.

The anchorage has become a critical staging ground for Iran’s sanctioned energy trade with China, Shelley said.

The area allows vessels to wait offshore, receive supplies and transfer cargo between tankers, providing a logistical lifeline for Iranian energy exports as American naval forces patrol waters closer to Iran.

UANI had been monitoring the SOGL before its arrival in Malaysian waters, Shelley explained.

US TARGETS CHINESE REFINERY IN SWEEPING IRAN OIL CRACKDOWN, SANCTIONS ‘SHADOW FLEET’ TANKERS

"On September 16th, United Against Nuclear Iran chartered a supply vessel and transited 100 nautical miles into the Malaysian Eastern Outer Port Limits Anchorage," Shelley said.

"Here we witnessed firsthand the illicit activities of ghost fleet tankers, as well as some Iran-flagged cargo ships that were located in this anchorage, one of them being the SOGL."

She described the SOGL as "a Handymax small tanker that was laden with 500,000 barrels of Iranian LPG."

The U.S. maritime blockade was first imposed April 13, temporarily lifted in mid-June and reinstated July 14 after diplomatic negotiations collapsed. The operation has largely stopped Iran from exporting crude oil, depriving Tehran of a major source of revenue as the country faces intense economic pressure.

"The U.S. blockade is an overwhelming success at preventing vessels laden with Iranian oil and petrochemicals from leaving the Gulf of Oman," Shelley said.

She added that since the blockade was reinstated, "no Iranian crude oil has managed to depart and be a successful export for Iran, which is a huge economic pressure for the Iranian regime."

"It's just that there are some opportunistic small tankers that are just managing to breach the blockade."

The United States, she said, is primarily prioritizing Iranian crude and very large tankers, which often carry "two million barrels of Iranian crude."

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE AMERICAN MILITARY HAVE BEATEN IRAN

LPG is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbons, primarily propane and butane, used for heating, cooking, transportation and industrial production.

"LPG carries a lot of risks," Shelley said. "The U.S. blockade's first course of action is to try to attempt to turn around these vessels, which is their main technique for enforcing the U.S. blockade."

"However, sometimes they do have to use military force and this would be incredibly high risk on far more volatile cargo such as LPG."

According to Shelley, the smaller vessels exploit those challenges while using tactics commonly associated with Iran’s ghost fleet.

"So what they'll do is they will turn off their AIS. They will often fly a false flag so they're completely stateless vessels," she added.

Automatic Identification System, or AIS, transponders broadcast a vessel’s identity, position and movements to other ships and maritime authorities. Switching them off can make a vessel more difficult to track.

"Often they will load, and then they will transit the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and then in the Gulf of Oman, they will conduct a ship-to-ship transfer there," Shelley said, describing it as a "very high-risk ship-to-ship transfer because it's LPG, not crude oil."

"And then the other tanker that's receiving the LPG will then transit and attempt to breach the blockade."

The overall scale remains relatively small compared with Iran’s historical energy exports.

US ECONOMIC CHOKEHOLD ON IRAN REACHES PEAK LEVERAGE AS COLLAPSE RISKS EMERGE

The SOGL, identified by IMO number 9208227, was added to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list Oct. 8 over its alleged involvement in transporting Iranian petroleum products since 2025.

The vessel has operated under multiple flags, including the Comoros and Zimbabwe, and has been linked in sanctions records to Gravion Maritime Co.

"Most of these tankers are very emblematic of what ghost fleet tankers do and so are flying false flags, which means they're completely stateless and will have very complicated front companies running them," Shelley said.

Meanwhile, the EOPL anchorage in Malaysia — roughly a 10-day-to-two-week journey from Iran — has become an important logistical center for Iranian vessels traveling toward Chinese buyers and a "key node in Iran's oil trade to China," Shelley said.

"It is used by ghost fleet tankers, Iran-flagged tankers that will load Iranian crude and then transit eastwards from Iran all the way to this anchorage where they will often conduct ship-to-ship transfers with the final tanker bound for China."

"Often this anchorage is also used for floating storage, which is how Iran managed to survive for so long with the U.S. blockade being reinstated in July," Shelley said.

She also clarified that since the blockade has been enforced, Iranian floating storage has fallen to "zero to seven million barrels."

"So you can see how they have survived from having this offshore anchorage where illicit ghost fleet tankers have been able to wait laden with Iranian products."

IRAN’S OIL LIFELINE IS DRYING UP. THE BIGGEST PAIN MAY FALL ON ORDINARY CITIZENS

UANI’s video also shows the SOGL sitting low in the water and receiving bunkering services from a smaller tanker off Malaysia, where Shelley said authorities appear to be "looking the other way."

"This is a common thing that you will see in this anchorage, because not only is this anchorage used for ship-to-ship transfers, but also these ghost fleet tankers, as well as some cargo ships in this anchorage, require various services, whether that is food, logistics or bunker fuel."

China is the dominant destination for Iranian oil and LPG, providing Tehran with a critical economic outlet despite U.S. sanctions and the naval blockade.

"For years, China has made up 80% of Iran's liquid cargo exports, and we have seen that only grow since the beginning of the Iran War. Now China is importing almost 100% of Iran's oil and LPG exports."

"It has created a system and trade that has allowed Iran to avoid sanctions, U.S. and OPEC sanctions, whilst China is able to buy highly discounted Iranian oil and LPG."

IRAN SEIZES SHIPS IN HORMUZ AS US TALKS FALTER AFTER CEASEFIRE EXTENSION

"After United Against Nuclear Iran's trip to the EOPL, interestingly, this small LPG tanker SOGL did not conduct a ship-to-ship transfer," Shelley said.

"Instead, it transited northbound into the South China Sea, where it finally discharged its Iranian LPG at Xinzhou Port in China."

The G Summer, a U.S.-sanctioned LPG carrier with a capacity of approximately 7,000 cubic meters, was also separately tracked transmitting signals from the Arabian Sea beyond the American blockade line in April, according to Bloomberg.

The vessel broadcast a message indicating it had an "all Chinese crew" aboard, while shipping analytics identified Iran as its last cargo country and Galle, Sri Lanka, as its reported destination.

Fox News Digital has reached out to CENTCOM for comment.

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US calls Turkey-Libya maritime deal 'unhelpful and provocative' amid regional backlash

The Trump State Department denounced the recent eastern Mediterranean maritime agreement between NATO member Turkey and the fractured Libyan state.

The Turkey-Libya deal has also caused frustration and anger among many nations because they say it rewrote the established sea borders of the sensitive Mediterranean Sea region, where large deposits of gas might be located.

The Eastern Libyan parliament approved the maritime accord in mid-October. The region is ruled by military leader Khalifa Haftar, who has formed an alliance with Turkey — the maritime deal ignores Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli in the northwestern part of the oil-rich country. 

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital: "The announcement of the ratification of the Turkish-Libyan delimitation memorandum of understanding has raised tensions in the region and is unhelpful and provocative — and our position on this matter has not changed."

BILLION-DOLLAR POWER LINK CONNECTING ISRAEL TO EUROPE HITS ROADBLOCK IN BITTER REGIONAL FEUD

The spokesperson added: "We encourage all countries, including partners in the Eastern Mediterranean, to resolve maritime disputes through good-faith negotiations and avoid any provocative behavior. Greece and Türkiye are both NATO allies. We encourage them to engage bilaterally to address any areas of disagreement."

According to the spokesperson, "Peaceful resolution of such disputes opens the way for commercial investment and exploration that will benefit the entire region."

According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday said that the maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya was "entirely legitimate" and not in violation of international law.

He added: "This is an entirely legitimate agreement, both from a legal and a political perspective. There is no need to debate it."

Reuters reported Fidan also shot back at critics of the deal. "There are countries reacting to this. We know why they are reacting. Some are doing so because they need to, some really do have strategic problems with this issue. ​ However, this is an entirely legitimate deal, both from a legal and a statutory perspective. ​There is no need to argue this."

NETANYAHU WARNS TURKEY SHOULD NOT GET F-35S, CITING ERDOĞAN'S HOSTILITY TOWARD NATO ALLIES

Fox News Digital sought comment from both Turkey and Libya but did not get a response by time of publication.

Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis angrily wrote on his ministry’s website that, "The memorandum will not be implemented. And it will not be implemented for the simple reason that it produces no legal effects whatsoever, as it is entirely contrary to international law." He added that "Türkiye had established a system of influence in Libya, essentially seeking to advance its own interests" and the Turkish media has ramped up its anti-Greece rhetoric. "There is a constant stream of reports pushing the Turkish government to become even more aggressive."

Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, told Fox News Digital that the Turkey-Libya agreement "absolutely" endangers the security of the U.S. and its allies.

He said: "This memorandum specifically infringes on U.S. companies and U.S. energy policy. It effectively denies maritime rights and zones of Crete. Crete is NATO’s southernmost base. And the U.S. has been increasingly relied upon because of wars in the Mideast." He noted that the American companies Exxon and Chevron are present in Crete.

US-BACKED ISRAEL-MOROCCO DEAL DEEPENS ABRAHAM ACCORDS AMID GROWING REGIONAL THREATS

Zemenides said the Turkey-Libya deal is a way of pushing the U.S. out of the region. The U.S. has not been able to rely on Turkey for a decade, said Zemenides. He continued that "in allowing Turkey to challenge the pro-Western order" it is not good for American interests.

The European Union invoked unusually strong language targeting the deal, declaring the deal to be in violation of maritime law.

"The EU position regarding the MoU is firm and clear. As outlined in the European Council Conclusions of December 2019 and reiterated in June 2025, the Türkiye-Libya Memorandum of Understanding infringes upon the sovereign rights of third States and does not comply with the Law of the Sea. It is null and void and cannot produce any legal consequences for third States."

Israel also blasted Turkey and Libya. The Jewish state has developed a troika alliance with both Greece and Cyprus. Israel’s foreign ministry said on X it "strongly condemns the decision of the Libyan House of Representatives to ratify the Maritime Jurisdiction Memorandum between Turkey and Libya."

Israel’s foreign ministry added on X that "This agreement infringes upon the sovereign rights of our close allies in the region. Regretfully, once again we see Turkey working to destabilize the east Mediterranean region."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Colombia's 'El Tigre' takes fight to cartels as Trump alliance takes shape

President Abelardo de la Espriella means business when it comes to his war against the cartels. Colombia's new president, known by the nickname of ‘El Tigre’, was voted in on a law and order ticket and so far his actions in fighting the cartels are seemingly paying dividends — not just in Colombia but in Washington too.

Recently, he arrived at the Barranquilla police command around the early hours of the morning as 587 police officers and soldiers raided 50 locations across the Caribbean port city and its suburbs in Operation Blindaje 360. A few days earlier, domestic Colombian news outlets had widely publicized a recording intercepted by Colombian police of "Keko", the alleged leader of a gang called "Los del Freseo" boasting that de la Espirella had nothing on him.

"The Tiger's got nothing. Let him come out, and we'll put lead in him," Keko allegedly said on the recording.

Then, before dawn, Colombia's president had tracked him down and was face to face with him, all caught on tape.

According to a video released by his presidential office, El Tigre told Keko the gang leader was "a tough guy on the phone… but the look of the fear on his face matched that of his many victims". The sweep ended with 72 arrests.

ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA'S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION

The theatrics played to a large audience who long argued that former leftist Gustavo Petros’s policy of pursuing engagement with drug traffickers and through conversation and peace talks had left Colombia more vulnerable to organized crime and further articulation between Colombian and Venezuelan cartels that had been dominating the space left by the power vacuum which emerged from effective law-enforcement control.

His government is also seeking to reverse former President Gustavo Petro’s "total peace" policy, which pursued negotiations with several armed organizations. Before taking office, de la Espriella announced that he would dismantle key elements of the policy and reactivate arrest warrants against members of illegal armed groups.

Nearly three months into his term, the 48-year-old lawyer has scrapped his leftist predecessor's "total peace" talks, ordered every armed group treated as a terrorist organization and claims more than 32,000 arrests. He is doing it arm in arm with Washington.

A dual U.S.-Colombian citizen who lived in Miami before running for president, he has brought Colombia into President Donald Trump's anti-cartel coalition. Last month, he personally handed a guerrilla boss accused of supplying Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel to DEA agents with his hands and feet shackled.

The prisoner, Geovany Andrés Rojas, alias "Araña," is alleged to have led the "Comandos de la Frontera" dissidents and now faces narco-terrorism charges in Southern California.

"The option of dialogue is completely exhausted," de la Espriella told troops after his Aug. 7 inauguration. In an Oct. 12 address, he put the tally at 32,503 arrests, 33 ringleaders taken out of action and 679 drug-production sites destroyed or disabled. He has signed more than 100 extradition orders, including five for former armed-group peace negotiators wanted in the U.S. whose handovers the previous government had frozen.

‘DONROE’ DOCTRINE AND CONSERVATIVE VICTORIES SQUEEZE CARTELS IN LATIN AMERICA

The offensive reaches deep into the countryside, where conflict monitor ACLED counted August as the deadliest month for clashes between security forces and armed groups since it began tracking Colombia in 2018. 

In late August he warned FARC dissident chief Iván Mordisco: "When you least expect it, a bomb is going to fall on you." Two days later, he walked among the bagged bodies of 23 suspected dissidents at an army base in Guaviare, and troops killed the top commander of a paramilitary-rooted trafficking group in La Guajira.

Colombia became the 19th member of Trump's Shield of the Americas coalition in August, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Bogotá had authorized "joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks domestically." The administration has pledged $1 billion in security aid, pending congressional approval, and Marine Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, has toured Colombian bases.

However, speaking on-camera to Fox News Digital, Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo said while his country is embracing President Donald Trump’s push for a new security alliance across the Western Hemisphere, he drew a clear line on the role American forces would play inside Colombia, saying Colombian troops — not U.S. forces — will carry out operations against the country’s armed groups.

PENTAGON SENDS HUNDREDS OF ARMY TROOPS TO LATIN AMERICA FOR TRAINING AS DRUG-TRAFFICKING CAMPAIGN EXPANDS

According to Benjamin Gedan, a senior fellow and director of the Latin America Program at the Stimson Center in Washington who previously served as a South America Director in the White House, the last few years were an outlier:

"For decades, the United States and Colombia closely cooperated to fight guerrillas and organized crime. Plan Colombia was celebrated by both Republicans and Democrats. The Colombian military is well-trained and battle-tested. Renewed close cooperation between Bogotá and Washington is a cornerstone of the renewed U.S. focus on security in Latin America," he said.

"Still, flashy military strikes on criminal targets will not answer the mail. These groups are well-armed, well-funded, and thrive in regions with little state presence. Images of criminals in body bags may give the impression of forward progress after the failed strategy of Colombia’s last leader, much as videos of exploding speedboats have become the calling card of the Shield of the Americas. In both cases, a more sophisticated strategy is needed to deal lasting blows to criminal groups," Gedan argued.

CRIME, KIDNAPPINGS AND DRONE ATTACKS FLAGGED IN US WARNING FOR BORDER REGION

Oscar Palma, a professor of Security Studies at the University of Rosario in Bogotá, said it is still a little too early to assess the change in policies and affirm they will be fruitful within the Colombian context. "Beyond the policing acts themselves, there is the subjective feeling of security with debates within Colombian society on whether this open war strategy brings more or less security to the population. Many argue that the gangs are acting now more forcefully to defend their territories and business deals, while others believe that a strong police presence will eventually lead to less organized crime."

Palma said there is a false dichotomy between having to choose all-out war or dialogue in order to achieve peace with groups such as the FARC and other gang leaders: "It is a fiction that you will come to zero combatants simply pursuing one strategy or the other—all-out war will never zero down those combating in the FARC and organized crime just as peace talks, especially if carried out in a misguided policy such as the one led by [Gustavo] Petros, will achieve real results."

He said, "A better example is the strategy carried out by President [Juán Manuel] Santos during the dealings with the FARC, which led to a much safer Colombia: there were talks, but those were part of a bigger strategy of also fighting these groups with arms and bringing them to justice," he added.

"There is a wave of freedom, a wave of democracy, a wave of free market… There is a new momentum for the region and we have to take advantage of that momentum. That's what I said to President Trump," Restrepo told Fox News Digital. "If we want to keep and preserve democracy in the region, the Shield of the Americas is going to be the best opportunity to do it."

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US Embassy warns of credible 'mass casualty' threat at popular Moscow tourist attraction

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert Saturday warning people of a potential "mass casualty event" at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow.

"The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is aware of a credible threat of a mass casualty event TODAY October 31, at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow at Dolskaya Ulitsa 1, Moscow, Russia 11569. The U.S. government is coordinating with appropriate Russian authorities on a response," the embassy wrote in a statement.

The alert warned people to avoid the Tsaritsyno Museum area and to "stay alert, and avoid crowds."

Founded in 1775 as a summer home for Russia's Catherine II, the Tsaritsyno Museum is now a popular tourist attraction in Russia's capital.

INSIDE MELANIA TRUMP'S SECRET DIPLOMATIC ROLE IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CEASEFIRE DEAL

The museum itself attracted more than two million visitors in 2022, Moscow's deputy mayor Natalya Sergunina said in 2023. The surrounding grounds, enjoyed by Moscow's local citizens for physical activity and dog walking, see even more foot traffic, according to The Art Newspaper.

The U.S. Embassy's alert also included a warning to people in the Moscow area to keep cell phones and other batteries charged, stay aware of surroundings, and to review a personal security plan.

The alert was issued as tensions in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE ENERGY CEASEFIRE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

On Friday, Ukraine struck an oil refinery in southern Russia, ending a two-week pause on energy infrastructure attacks brokered by President Donald Trump between the warring nations.

The previous day, Russian drone and missile strikes in Ukraine killed at least 27 civilians, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Fox News Digital contacted the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for further information.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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France deploys 70,000 police officers to prepare for new wave of protests on Halloween

The French government is deploying 70,000 police officers to cities across the country as authorities expect a third week of intense anti-government protests to resume Saturday.

Demonstrators objecting to rising costs and President Emmanuel Macron's government have engaged in looting and damaging property, prompting the law enforcement surge, according to officials.

"Everyone is on deck to ensure an extremely firm response to any trouble," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said at a news conference early in the week.

FRANCE ON EDGE WITH 70,000 POLICE DEPLOYED FOR UNREST AS AUTHORITIES PROBE SUSPECTED TERROR ATTACK NEAR PARIS

The expected protests, coinciding with Halloween, introduce an additional element to authorities' response, as some protesters are expected to don Halloween masks to hide their identities.

At least 150 planned gatherings across the country have been tracked and acknowledged by the Interior Ministry.

FRANCE'S MACRON BLAMES PROTESTS ON 'ULTRA-LEFT GROUPS WHOSE AIM IS TO BRING DOWN THE REPUBLIC'

One of the events, a planned march between the iconic Parisian squares of Republique and Bastille, has been banned by France's top administrative court. The demonstration was instead rerouted to boulevards on the eastern fringe of the city, far from the main shopping centers.

France's Chamber of Commerce has estimated retail losses from looting and property damage at over $1 billion, while other estimates that include lost revenue calculate losses could be double that.

PHOTOS SHOW AFTERMATH OF RIOTS AS MASKED GROUPS CLASH WITH POLICE ACROSS FRANCE

Some of Paris' iconic luxury shops, like Hermes and Louis Vuitton, have been targeted by rioters as France's marquee shopping avenues now show scores of buildings with protective wooden boards.

In response to the unrest, France's government is crafting a law that would punish rioters who caused property damage and make them liable to pay up to €10,000, or $11,000.

VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST IS BEING EXPLOITED

Demonstrations originated with the country's young people protesting schooling conditions and pushing for educational reform and quickly ballooned to include other social groups and issues, including economic anxieties, rising costs in fuel and borrowing.

Though the French government has vowed to reform education and reduce fuel costs, the promises have not satisfied the protesters.

"When I was little, I was told young people were the future," 15-year-old high school student Aaron Berthier de Grandry, who plans on protesting over the weekend, told Reuters.

"Well, if we, as the future of France, lack resources, that means France will end up collapsing," de Grandry added.

The U.S. Embassy in France has advised travelers to avoid areas where large gatherings are taking place.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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EXCLUSIVE: State Department accuses politicians of endangering Afrikaner lives after gruesome farm attacks

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department has hit out strongly against South Africa and some of its politicians, accusing them of putting their people’s lives at risk following two attacks on White farmers believed to be Afrikaners — people of European descent — near Johannesburg.

A 50-year-old man was reportedly tortured, and a 55-year-old woman allegedly beaten to death.

In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, a State Department spokesperson said "the lives and property of Afrikaners have been endangered by politicians who incite race-based violence against them."

BIDEN-ERA DIRECTIVE FOR DIPLOMATS TO PEDDLE DEI ON FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS SCRAPPED BY STATE DEPARTMENT

This is the latest volley from the administration in an increasingly bitter row, which first burst out of the Oval Office last year in a heated exchange between President Donald Trump and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, on a range of the country’s policies and issues — including safety concerns for the Afrikaner community.

"This month’s attacks were ‘appalling,’ said Ian Cameron, chair of South Africa’s Portfolio Committee on Police and a member of Parliament with the main opposition Democratic Alliance.

He detailed the attacks, starting with one involving Donovan Marx, a 50-year-old who was on his farm about 80 miles from Johannesburg.

Cameron told Fox News Digital there were reports Marx was shot, stabbed and had his ears cut off, describing the attack as "extraordinary cruelty."

He added that in a separate attack in the same North West Province earlier this month, a female farmer, Hannetjie van Zyl, 55, was beaten to death while opening a gate.

Eyewitness reports claim she was approached from behind and hit repeatedly over the head with an iron bar.

In both attacks, the victims’ vehicles and belongings were reportedly stolen. But the alleged torture of Marx goes beyond straightforward crimes such as burglary, Corné Mulder, leader of the opposition party Freedom Front Plus, told Fox News Digital.

"Safety and farm attacks in South Africa remains a huge problem," Mulder said. "Donovan Marx was attacked this week. He's fighting for his life in hospital at the moment. The perpetrators not only attacked him, they tried to castrate him."

While both victims were White, there have been no accusations from public figures that the attacks were racially motivated.

Cameron claimed the attacks were not isolated, noting he had "personally attended farm-attack scenes where people were tortured with boiling water, burnt with clothing irons and subjected to other horrific abuse."

"SAPS [South African Police Service] must put experienced investigators, forensic support and crime intelligence behind these cases," Cameron said. "Nobody should have to accept this level of violence as a normal part of life."

The reported torture of farmers is "unthinkable," Mulder said, adding "not one word from the President of South Africa to sympathize, not even acknowledging that this has happened, which is absolutely unbelievable."

"We have been pleading with [the] government to prioritize rural crime and farm attacks as a priority crime, they are not prepared to do so," he continued.

Fox News Digital reached out to the South African government for comment, but was referred to police, who did not immediately respond.

SOUTH AFRICAN EX-POLICE CHIEF GETS TISSUE STUCK ON FOREHEAD WHILE SWEATING DURING CORRUPTION INQUIRY

Mulder claims the recent farm attacks were fueled by the South African president’s refusal to heed Trump’s demand last year to stop performances of the song "Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer." The term "Boer" refers to a South African of Dutch or Huguenot descent, according to Merriam-Webster.

Ramaphosa said he could not stop the song being chanted in stadiums by crowds of up to 90,000 because the country’s highest court has said the lyrics are not hate speech.

THOUSANDS OF POLICE DEPLOYED ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA AS DEADLY ANTI-IMMIGRATION PROTESTS SPREAD TO MULTIPLE CITIES

"As long as [President Ramaphosa] does not stop the incitement to attack farmers with the singing of the song "Kill the Boer," the attacks will continue," Mulder wrote in a statement. "We see the practical reality when these things play out as happened with the last two farm attacks that we've seen."

Last month, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Brent Bozell III told Fox News Digital that Ramaphosa could ban the song despite a court ruling that it did not constitute hate speech.

"So, to say, well, you can’t do it because the court said it’s not, you know, that’s poppycock," Bozell said. "If President Ramaphosa, if he wants to, he can do it. It’s just as simple as that."

The State Department doubled down on the administration’s demand that the singing of the song be banned, with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital on Friday, "The United States asked senior government officials to condemn incitement to race-based violence, particularly the singing of "Kill the Farmer! Kill the Boer!"

The spokesperson added that Trump has demanded South Africa formally designate rural crime as a priority crime, and "expand alternatives to the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment ownership requirements, such as equity equivalent investment programs."

Regarding farmers, the State Department spokesperson said South African politicians "threaten to confiscate their farms without compensation and support a corrupt, race-based scoring system that discriminates against Afrikaners and other minorities in employment."

"The lack of a meaningful response to these requests made clear that the South African government does not want a constructive relationship with the United States and is willing to continue pursuing oppressive policies that disadvantage all South Africans," the spokesperson continued.

Nearly 13,000 South African refugees, most of them Afrikaners, have been flown to the U.S. during fiscal year 2026. That number is expected to increase by another 17,500 refugees in fiscal year 2027.

"As directed by President Trump, we are prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaners in South Africa escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination," the State Department spokesperson said.

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