Chinese Coast Guard rams Philippine boat in South China Sea, sparking diplomatic clash

Tensions in the South China Sea escalated again Friday after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippine government ship, an encounter captured on video that prompted competing accounts from Manila and Beijing.

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was distributing fuel to Filipino fishermen when the collision occurred at 11:13 a.m., roughly 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province — an area Manila says is well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed crew members shouting, "Brace for impact!" moments before the collision. Photographs taken afterward showed bent and detached railings, damaged metal supports and debris scattered across the Philippine ship's deck. No injuries were reported.

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Philippine officials accused Beijing of deliberately ramming a civilian government vessel on what they described as a humanitarian and livelihood mission.

Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for West Philippine Sea concerns, said the Chinese vessel first cut across the Philippine ship's stern at a distance of about 33 feet before repeating the maneuver minutes later and colliding with it.

Beijing disputed Manila's account. Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue said the Philippine vessel "intentionally adjusted its course and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow" of the Chinese ship after disregarding repeated warnings. China said its vessel had been conducting lawful operations near Sabina Shoal and blamed the Philippine side for the collision.

The incident also drew Washington into the dispute. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton said the United States "strongly condemn[s] the China Coast Guard's deliberate ramming."

The Chinese Embassy in Manila responded by accusing the United States of backing Philippine "infringement and provocations" in the disputed waters.

Friday's collision was the latest in a series of maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines. In July, Manila accused Chinese forces of firing water cannons at government vessels near Scarborough Shoal and striking a Philippine Navy staff member in the head with a wooden baton during an encounter at Second Thomas Shoal.

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Middle East takes center stage at UN as regional leaders confront Iran war, Gaza and Houthi threat

UNITED NATIONS — The Middle East will take center stage when world leaders open the U.N. General Assembly's annual debate Tuesday, with some of Washington's most important regional partners arriving in New York facing a question: What will the region look like after months of war with Iran, renewed Houthi attacks and an uncertain future for Gaza?

Leaders from Jordan, Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt are expected to address the Assembly during the annual General Debate, which begins Sept. 22. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also scheduled to attend.

President Donald Trump is expected to meet Gulf leaders on the sidelines of UNGA to discuss the Iran conflict and the region's future. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told Fox News Digital that the administration wants to hear directly from Gulf leaders about their concerns, describing the meeting as an important opportunity for diplomacy.

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Rich Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that the Iran war has fundamentally altered the region's strategic landscape, creating opportunities for new energy partnerships and closer cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

"The opportunity for regional integration and normalization works alongside energy infrastructure meeting the moment, the crisis of needing bypasses for Hormuz," Goldberg said.

He argued that a network of pipelines carrying Gulf energy overland to the Mediterranean, potentially through Israel, could reduce dependence on vulnerable shipping routes.

"We can make the Strait of Hormuz irrelevant," Goldberg said, describing potential energy links between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as routes connecting Qatar to the Mediterranean.

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But the threat to regional energy supplies now extends beyond Hormuz. The Houthis' offensive along Yemen's Red Sea coast has raised new concerns over the Bab el-Mandeb, another critical maritime choke point. Washington Institute analysts April Longley Alley and Allison Minor wrote in a Sept. 11 analysis that the offensive had "shattered the status quo" along Yemen's western coast.

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Gaza presents a separate diplomatic challenge, with Arab governments seeking a political settlement while differing with Israel over Palestinian statehood and the territory's future.

In a Sept. 6 joint statement, the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia and Pakistan rejected proposals to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza and reiterated support for a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. They also warned that displacement proposals risk undermining Trump's Gaza peace plan.

ISRAEL’S E1 PLAN EXPLAINED: THE JERUSALEM-AREA CORRIDOR SPARKING INTERNATIONAL BACKLASH

Qatar has simultaneously condemned renewed Iranian attacks against Arab states and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, while insisting that the Palestinian issue remains a priority.

In a Sept. 8 joint statement, the leaders of France, Britain and Canada announced plans to ban imports from Israeli settlements and pursue targeted measures against settlements and those who facilitate them. They also said they would co-chair a meeting during UNGA to advance a two-state solution, one year after recognizing Palestinian statehood.

The diplomatic divisions will also be reflected in who can address the U.N. in person. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was denied a U.S. visa for the second consecutive year. The General Assembly voted Thursday to allow him to deliver his address by video.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, is expected to travel to New York weeks before Israel's Oct. 27 parliamentary elections, the country's first national vote since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, amid declining international support for Israel. A June 2026 Pew Research Center survey found that a median of 67% of adults across 36 countries held unfavorable views of Israel, compared with 25% who viewed it favorably.

For Washington, the challenge is balancing its regional security relationships with competing demands over Gaza and the future of relations with Israel.

TRUMP CALLS ON ARAB NATIONS TO SIGN ABRAHAM ACCORDS

Goldberg predicted that some of the most consequential discussions would take place away from the General Assembly podium, with Arab leaders delivering one message publicly and another in private meetings with Trump and senior U.S. officials.

"We may see the old propaganda of criticizing Israel and saying everybody wants a different future, and they're going to support Gaza and the Palestinians, they demand a Palestinian state," Goldberg said.

Behind closed doors, he predicted the discussions would focus on U.S. security guarantees, the next steps in confronting Iran and expanding regional energy infrastructure.

"What will be a pathway forward politically that the U.S. can provide to these leaders so that they can normalize with Israel alongside the necessary infrastructure upgrades that they need to make for their own energy securities and physical securities going forward?" Goldberg said.

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Italian PM pushes foreign student cap in classrooms, burqa, niqab ban in schools

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans Sept. 20 to introduce legislation capping the number of foreign students in Italian classrooms and banning face-covering garments, including burqas and niqabs, in schools.

The conservative leader said her proposed measures aim to foster integration, preserve Italian cultural identity and ensure that native children do not feel sidelined in the classroom.

"There’s no way that in an Italian classroom, the ones who feel marginalized are Italian children because they have become a minority," Meloni said during a speech to Gioventù Nazionale, the youth wing of her conservative Brothers of Italy party, in Rome, according to reports.

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Under the proposal, individual classrooms would have limits on non-Italian students to prevent heavy concentrations in specific districts.

Meloni did not specify the exact cap but said the government would also require mandatory Italian-language lessons for parents of foreign pupils who struggle to integrate.

"For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules," Meloni said, The Associated Press reported.

"It is the only serious way to welcome them."

Students who don't hold Italian citizenship account for around 11.6% of school enrollment nationwide, according to Italy’s Education Ministry cited by the ISMU ETS Foundation.

Under Italian law, children born to foreign parents also do not automatically gain citizenship at birth and must wait until age 18 before they can apply.

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Meloni argued that high concentrations of non-native speakers impact the learning process for everyone involved.

"If in a classroom there is only one child who doesn’t understand Italian, it is possible that that child will manage, with the help of his peers and teachers, to learn the language and integrate fast," she said.

"But if these children are many, or even the majority, that’s not integration anymore, that’s abandonment."

The proposed package also targets religious face coverings, explicitly prohibiting burqas and niqabs in educational institutions while permitting other forms of Islamic dress, such as the hijab.

In a series of posts on X on Monday, the Brothers of Italy party reinforced the prime minister’s message:

"Those who choose to build their future in Italy must learn our language, know our culture, and respect our rules.

"School is attended with one's face uncovered. No tradition can impose on a young woman the obligation to hide herself."

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A subsequent post added: "Limit on the number of foreign students in classrooms, obligation for parents of pupils with serious integration difficulties to learn Italian, and ban on burqas and niqabs in educational institutions.

"Integration comes through knowledge of our language, respect for our rules, and protection of our cultural identity."

Several European neighbors, including France and Belgium, have previously imposed bans on face-coverings in public places, though enforcement and legal frameworks differ.

The proposed Italian legislation is expected to be considered by Italy’s Council of Ministers before being sent to Parliament for consideration.

Meloni, who has led Brothers of Italy since 2014 and served as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party from 2020 to 2025, has governed Italy since 2022.

Her administration recently surpassed previous records set by Silvio Berlusconi to become the longest-serving uninterrupted government in modern Italian history.

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China ‘wiretapped Red Sea’ with spy hub 6 miles from US base: ex Pentagon official warns

Beijing has transformed the Red Sea into a dangerous surveillance hub, a former Pentagon official warned Sunday, after a new report revealed upgrades to China’s military footprint just six miles from a key $66 million-a-year U.S. military base in Djibouti, Africa.

The report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cited new facilities which it said would likely enable the Chinese military to monitor activities of other militaries operating nearby, although it also clarified it was not possible to determine whether China was actively intercepting communications.

The developments, one defense expert told Fox News Digital, could also inject fresh tension into U.S.-China relations in the run-up to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the White House on Sept. 24. Beijing's intelligence-gathering capabilities are already under renewed scrutiny.

"What China is clearly doing is building eavesdropping capabilities. That seems to be their aim," Morgan Murphy, former Trump White House official and press secretary for Mark Esper when he was secretary of defense during the first Trump administration.

CHINA-LINKED SPY SITE EXPANSION IN CUBA RAISES ALARMS NEAR KEY US MILITARY BASES

"Beijing has clearly wiretapped the Red Sea. When you build a 30-meter (100-foot-wide) satellite dish and cover it with a dome, so nobody can see where it's pointing, it's pretty clear you're up to no good," Murphy added while stating of the Washington-based think tank, that "the specificity here reflects the thorough research we expect out of CSIS."

The report pinpoints a large southeastern facility showing a control building, three 30-meter dipole antennas for high-frequency communications, two smaller antennas for very and "ultra-high frequencies", three mobile satellite dishes, four probable 5G towers and what CSIS said was a "radome" covering an unidentified asset.

CSIS also highlighted two new communications facilities that it says have emerged since 2024 that are likely to form part of a C4ISR command architecture, expanding China’s ability to intercept signals, track naval movements and communicate with Beijing while monitoring foreign militaries in the region.

The facilities would provide China with "a much more robust picture of the operating environment in the region," the report said.

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"This isn’t a supply depot — it’s a 50-yard line seat over America’s power projection and the U.S. Navy," Murphy said before stating that the USA has "128 bases in more than 51 countries — China has just one."

"But look at the location — a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, overlooking the chokepoint that moves roughly a sixth of global sea trade. Great powers don’t plant listening posts next to rival fleets for 'logistics,'" he warned.

"Britain held Gibraltar to see who entered the Med while Japan’s island radios came before the runways. The Soviets’ overseas sites were never just about fuel and Beijing is running that playbook on the Red Sea," Murphy added.

Although China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jian said China is "unaware of the specific situation" and framed the country as a "builder of international peace," the new facilities provide Beijing with a picture of regional operations, according to Reuters.

CHINA IS BUILDING A MASSIVE SHIP THAT SHOULD SCARE AMERICANS ABOUT THE FUTURE

"The new report is helpful in framing the conversation, and it comes at an awkward time for China because Xi Jinping is visiting the White House on the 24th of this month," Murphy said.

"I'd bet a box of donuts this issue comes up. There is going to be public exposure of this, which Chinese leadership isn't used to. They aren't used to being asked tough questions by the press," he said.

President Donald Trump recently addressed Chinese intelligence efforts aboard Air Force One, acknowledging that China "spies on us" just as "we spy on them."

Trump's comments followed a report by The Wall Street Journal linking support from a Chinese entity to high-resolution satellite imagery used by Iran prior to a deadly missile attack on U.S. troops in Jordan.

"They basically do what we do," Trump noted, adding that "Xi has behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well. ... You know what they say? That China spies on us. I say you're right, and we spy on them, too," he said, according to Reuters.

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Murphy noted, "Nations spy on each other — allies and adversaries alike."

"It is a very old playbook, and listening posts all over the world are typical of great powers, but where the metal hits the floorboard is when you try to use that information," he said before adding that China may "keep tabs on us, but they cannot project power like the United States can."

The proximity of China's facility to U.S. operations is a core concern. Located less than six miles from Camp Lemonnier — the primary U.S. counterterrorism hub in Africa — and near French, Italian and Japanese installations, the site has a history of friction with U.S. forces.

"We are just right around the corner from China, and yet it's not a cooperative relationship," Murphy explained.

"Back in 2018, they lasered two of our C-130 pilots' eyes who suffered lasting damage from that incident. Beijing denied it, of course, but we know the truth."

WE SHOULD USE REAGAN AS A GUIDE IN HANDLING OUR MODERN ARMS RACE WITH CHINA

During the 2018 incident, the Pentagon had formally complained to China after military-grade lasers were pointed at American pilots attempting to land at Camp Lemonnier, causing minor injuries.

While Beijing dismissed the allegations as "groundless accusations," the confrontation underscored the potential for friction between military forces operating from nearby bases.

"China has one overseas base. The United States has more than 128 — by some counts, over 700 installations around the world," Murphy said.

"So it's significant that China has chosen to place its only overseas base six miles from ours in Djibouti. It is hugely strategically important, which is why, of course, we're there."

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"It's our only base on the continent of Africa," he said, noting that it shares a "parking lot" with Japanese and Italian bases.

"At $66 million a year, it's the best money Americans spend on our defense budget, full stop."

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a chokepoint for nearly 16% of global maritime trade and, with significant crude shipments, Houthi attacks and pipeline disruptions have fueled a regional military buildup.

"Interference by China is in their strategic interest. They don't want to see the United States able to control their oil supply," Murphy said.

"China is far more reliant on Middle Eastern oil than the United States. China imports a huge portion — around 33% or more — of their daily oil needs and is highly reliant on long sea lines. You are seeing this muscle-flexing because they are far more reliant on Middle Eastern oil than we are."

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"Having intelligence is one thing, but you must have the ability to act on it. You need assets in the region," Murphy said.

"China doesn't have major combat assets outside their region because they lack a blue-water navy to project power outside the first island chain yet.

"That is coming, and they are working towards it quickly. Americans can take comfort in the fact that they don't have that capacity today, but we must stay alert because the only thing that subdues a threat is a ready posture," he concluded.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Chinese Embassy for comment.

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World leaders descend on New York for UNGA — but who really has America’s ear?

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK — More than 100 presidents and prime ministers will descend on New York this week for one of the busiest gatherings on the diplomatic calendar, arriving at a United Nations confronting wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, economic pressure from disrupted energy markets and fresh questions about the institution’s ability to respond to an increasingly fractured world.

The U.N. expects 73 heads of state and 45 heads of government , alongside 49 ministers, 11 vice presidents and one crown prince, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters Friday. Member states have already submitted roughly 1,000 requests for bilateral meetings , while 168 events are scheduled during high-level week, according to Dujarric.

Asked Friday to characterize the atmosphere inside U.N. headquarters as the delegations prepare to arrive, Dujarric described it simply as "high stress."

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The General Debate of the 81st U.N. General Assembly begins Tuesday, Sept. 22, under the theme, "Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all."

But beneath the speeches, motorcades and closed-door meetings across Manhattan is another competition: nearly every government represented in New York will be trying, in one way or another, to capture the attention of the United States.

"This is their moment to grab a piece of American mindshare for sure," Frank Ahrens, head of BGR Analytics, told Fox News Digital.

A new analysis released ahead of UNGA attempts to measure which countries already have it.

The 2026 BGR Impact Index , produced by BGR Analytics, the data practice of Washington-based BGR Group, ranks 197 countries and economies according to their overall footprint in the United States, combining economic, cultural, diplomatic, institutional and geopolitical measures. Japan holds the top position for a third consecutive year, followed by Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

That competition is especially consequential this year.

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President Donald Trump will return to the General Assembly on Tuesday with the US-Iran war entering its seventh month, while fighting involving the Iran-backed Houthis has placed new pressure on shipping through the Red Sea and raised fresh concerns among Gulf states about regional security. Reuters reported Sept. 18 that European and Asian allies have largely resisted U.S. calls to become more directly involved in the Iran conflict and that the prolonged war has strained Washington’s relationships with some partners.

The stakes extend well beyond Iran. The General Assembly agenda is expected to be dominated also by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Israeli-Palestinian tensions, Sudan, climate change and artificial intelligence. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are among the prominent leaders or representatives expected to speak.

That combination of military power, diplomatic access and public perception gets at the central question behind BGR’s index: what does influence actually mean?

BGR compiled more than 100 indicators, ranging from GDP, population and foreign investment to international students, cultural presence and lobbying activity in Washington.

But one of the most consequential variables in this year’s analysis came from a much newer arena: social media.

"We looked at 4.9 trillion pieces of data across an entire year because we know that a social media campaign can really move a country's perception in the U.S.," Ahrens said. "And that was really the big takeaway from this year's index."

Social-media sentiment accounts for 20% of the index , second only to cultural imprint at 24%. Institutional ties and outward orientation each make up 16%, geopolitical nexus accounts for 10%, economic size 8% and lobbying and Washington influence 6%. BGR says its underlying data comes from publicly available sources, primarily the U.N., U.S. government agencies and established research institutions, while its social-media data is supplied by Meltwater.

For smaller countries, the analysis suggests reputation can produce particularly large swings.

Bahrain was the biggest riser, climbing 22 places , from No. 97 in 2024 to No. 75 in 2026. BGR attributed much of that increase to improved US-facing online sentiment and increased visibility tied to Bahrain’s election to a rotating U.N. Security Council seat, its Arabian Gulf Cup victory and a USS Nimitz port call.

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Georgia moved in the opposite direction, falling 31 positions , from No. 73 to No. 104. BGR said its deteriorating US-facing online sentiment coincided with political unrest and arrests of journalists and opposition leaders.

Ahrens acknowledged that generating attention is not the same as wielding political influence. "Countries that make a lot of noise about themselves do get on the radar, but to stay on the radar, you have to have real accomplishments."

The index attempts to address that distinction by combining sentiment with harder measures such as economic links, institutional rankings, lobbying expenditure and participation in international organizations.

Perhaps BGR’s most unusual example of how national perception can change did not come from a president, diplomat or lobbying operation.

It came from a German soccer fan.

BGR calls it the "Freddy Effect," after a German World Cup visitor whose enthusiastic posts about traveling through the United States went viral this summer.

Ahrens said BGR found that positive sentiment toward Germany increased 13% over roughly three weeks during Freddy’s rise online. BGR links a substantial part of that increase to the reaction generated by his posts, although the data does not independently establish that he alone caused the change.

"Can you recreate a Freddy? I don't know if you can reverse engineer him to that effect," Ahrens said. "But what it shows you is how authentic communication really breaks through on social media."

It is a lesson that may resonate with delegations arriving in New York this week, where hundreds of leaders will have only a few days to secure meetings, shape headlines and make their country’s case.

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Hamas allegedly built weapons depots across Europe, planned terror attacks as Oct 7 anniversary neared

The German federal prosecutor’s office recently announced that it indicted seven people for allegedly securing weapons for the Hamas terrorist organization, with the goal of launching terrorist attacks on the second remembrance date of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

The indictment has catapulted the danger of Hamas’ network in Europe to Israeli, American and European installations and citizens into the spotlight.

According to the prosecutor’s office, "All of the accused belong to the foreign terrorist organization Hamas. Some time ago, the organization’s military wing (the so-called Qassam Brigades) began establishing weapons depots in Europe. No later than July 2025, Hamas planned a concrete assassination in Germany or Austria targeting representatives of Israel, people of Jewish faith, or persons with pro-Israel views." The seven suspects were arrested between Oct. 2025 and May 2026.

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The statement added, "The attack was to take place in close temporal proximity to the second anniversary of Hamas’s assault on Israel on 7 October 2023 — i.e., in early October 2025."

The indictment listed the nationalities and first names and first letter of the last name of the suspects: German national Abed Al G., Danish national Yousif C., Lebanon-born Borhan El-K., Lebanon-born Wael F.M., German national Ahmad I., Lebanon-born Kamel M., Bulgarian national Mohammad S."

German law shields the last names of criminal suspects for privacy reasons.

The German prosecutors said the suspected Hamas terrorists "had already obtained a functional fully automatic rifle, 13 functional pistols and more than 700 rounds of ammunition. Mohammed A., who is being prosecuted separately, transported some of the weapons to Vienna and stored them there."

According to the German paper Die Welt, "One of the accused was working as a confidential informant for Germany’s domestic intelligence agency. The files show that the informant continued reporting to his intelligence handler while allegedly failing to disclose the full extent of his own involvement in obtaining ammunition for the group."

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Sascha Adamek, a German journalist and the author of the 2026 book "Infiltration: Political Islam Continues Its Advance" told Fox News Digital that "Now the policy of previous federal governments is coming back to haunt them: until 2023 they allowed Hamas and its front organizations to use Germany as a ‘safe haven’ for fundraising and recruitment and also for the radicalization of young people. This dirty deal — that Hamas does not use violence in this country and is therefore left to operate freely — has long been obsolete."

According to the most recent Federal German domestic intelligence report, Hamas could have had as many as 650 operatives in Germany during 2025, the last year of tracking. In 2024, 550 Hamas operatives were active and in 2023 the number totaled 450. The intelligence officials wrote in the report that "The figures refer to Germany and are partly estimated and rounded." According to the report, 1,250 Hezbollah operatives are active in Germany.

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When asked why Germany is allowing Hamas and Hezbollah operatives and members to conduct activities within its territory, the press office of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior told Fox News Digital in part, that, "Hamas, which has been banned from operating in Germany since 2023, has a network of supporters and followers; however, for many years they have tended to act with restraint in public and avoid any outward signs of connection to the organization."

The Interior Ministry’s press office added that "Hezbollah, which is also subject to a ban on its activities in Germany, is not organized under any nationwide umbrella organization or similar supraregional structure. Rather, its supporters are spread across various associations throughout Germany. The focus of the activities of these associations — which are classified as affiliated with Hezbollah —lies in the religious and cultural spheres, as well as in educational programs for children, youth and adults that promote conservative Islam and a Shi’ite identity. In isolated cases, Hezbollah supporters in Germany have been known to engage in specific acts of support for the organization in Lebanon."

When asked if the German government is lax, as critics argue, about eradicating Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism structures, the Interior Ministry said, "On November 2, 2023, the Federal Ministry of the Interior banned the activities of the terrorist organization Hamas in Germany, as these activities violate German criminal law and run counter to the principle of international understanding… Furthermore, its purpose or activities significantly harm the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition, the Federal Ministry of the Interior had already banned the activities of Hezbollah in Germany on April 30, 2020, as these activities also violate German criminal law and the organization is directed against the principle of international understanding."

The interior ministry noted that "Federal and state security authorities consistently investigate leads regarding possible extremist activities as well as acts subject to criminal prosecution and continuously examine all countermeasures available under the rule of law."

The statement also said, "The Hamas terrorist attack on the State of Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent military operation by Israeli defense forces in the Gaza Strip continue to have an impact on the security situation in Germany and Europe. In addition to the heightened abstract threat level, there continue to be intense pro-Palestinian protests as well as corresponding agitation on social media. Various extremist actors in Germany are inciting hatred and violence against Jews or the State of Israel, or denying its right to exist."

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The presence of indicted Lebanese men highlights the alliance between the two U.S-designated terrorist organizations, Hamas and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

The Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah joined Hamas a day after the Gaza-based terrorist movement invaded Israel in 2023 and slaughtered over 1,200 people.

Germany's Die Welt reported, "The prosecutors alleged the weapons operation was also coordinated from Lebanon, where a Hamas operative allegedly oversaw one of the procurement channels linking members of the network across Europe."

Israel’s Foreign Ministry seized on the report about the planned Hamas terror attacks in Germany and Austria, posting on X:" Palestinian Hamas was planning terror on the streets of Europe. German prosecutors say Hamas plotted attacks in Berlin and Vienna targeting Jewish communities and Israeli diplomats - part of a network allegedly using Turkey as a base for terror operations against European targets. The goal: mark October 7 with more blood."

Matthew Levitt, a leading scholar on Hezbollah and Hamas in Europe from the Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital that "I wrote the only long form, detailed expose on this a while back now in CTC Sentinel [Combating Terrorism Center}, based on court documents and extensive interviews." He added, "Hamas continues plotting in Europe, overseen by senior Qassam Brigades officials in Lebanon and with direct ties to senior Hamas leadership. One of the people arrested in Europe is the son of a senior Hamas leader, Basem Naim."

Levitt published his article titled "Hamas Plots in Europe: A Shift Toward External Operations?" in the Oct. 2025 issue of the West Point journal CTC.

Levitt cited a 2024 German prosecution indictment of alleged Hezbollah terrorists planning possible attacks against an American military base and Israel's embassy. Levitt wrote "The weapons, German officials concluded, ‘were intended to expand Hamas’ activities in Europe. ‘As the investigation progressed, German authorities determined — based on materials found on one of the defendants’ USB storage devices — that the Hamas operatives were considering specific targets in Germany, including the Israeli embassy in Berlin, the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate and the area around Berlin’s Tempelhof airport."

Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, warned that Hamas remains a serious security threat. He told the German media outlet, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), that "Germany has gone from being a retreat for Hamas to an active terrorist target." He stressed Hamas’ ideology and terrorism affects "all of us" and a coordinated response is required.

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Ukraine targets Russia with over 1,000 drones, killing 2 as Moscow holds last day of elections

Ukraine delivered a barrage of missiles and more than 1,000 drones on Russia, which Moscow is calling the "largest ever" of the war and an attack on its parliamentary elections.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the strike at the "dollars that support the war machine" as a push for Russia to "end its brutal war and choose peace."

"Tonight in the Moscow region, our long-range responses were felt very acutely," Zelenskyy wrote early Sunday morning on X. "One of the key enterprises of the Russian Federation's oil industry and an aggressor's logistics facility have been struck. These are billions of dollars that support the war machine."

UKRAINE UNLEASHES MORE THAN 400 DRONES NEAR MOSCOW IN ONE OF WAR'S BIGGEST ATTACKS

Zelenskyy added that the Ukraine attack was a stern response to Russian aggression, making a future call for the U.S., Europe and the G7 to deliver "new sanctions."

"This week alone, Russia has launched more than 2,000 attack drones against us, most of them jet-powered, as well as 1,700 aerial bombs and 19 missiles of various types," he wrote on X. "Ukraine is constantly looking for and finding ways to defend itself and respond to these attacks on life.

"It is important that our partners also look for and find ways to make Russia feel its war. Now is the right moment to take new sanctions steps against the aggressor and force peace through strength. The United States has the means to do this, Europe has them, and so does every G7 country. We are counting on new, strong steps."

The Kremlin was wrapping up the third and last day of its parliamentary elections this weekend and said two were killed and 20 wounded, according local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov.

UKRAINE LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT

"The biggest attack by enemy drones has been repelled," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. "This unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed."

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that its forces shot down a total of 1,110 Ukrainian drones across the country, as well as over the peninsula of Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 450 drones had been destroyed en route to the Russian capital, and that the attack had damaged the Moscow Oil Refinery and a residential building.

"Moscow must end its brutal war and choose peace instead of building layered rings of air defense at the expense of other regions," Zelenskyy wrote in a second X post. "Steps toward de-escalation are on the table – in energy and food security. What is needed is political will. I thank everyone who is strengthening Ukraine’s long-range capabilities. I am grateful to everyone who complements our long-range responses with responses through sanctions."

Ukraine continued to fend off Russian attacks, according to Zelenskyy. A Russian drone strike hit a monastery in Ukraine’s Kherson region Saturday, killing a member of the clergy and wounding four people, he said.

BRINGING THE WAR TO PUTIN’S FRONT DOOR: IS UKRAINE’S ENERGY STRIKE STRATEGY WORKING?

A Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv also killed three children and their mother Saturday night, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv regional state administration.

Ukraine's latest drone strikes took place on the final day of Russia’s first wartime parliamentary election — balloting that has been virtually devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s policies.

Russia was also holding the vote in the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claimed after the war began but still does not fully control, and in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that was Russia invaded in 2014.

Putin accused Ukraine of trying to interfere in the election, citing what he said was a Ukrainian strike that killed an election official in her home in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region Tuesday. Reuters could not independently verify details of the attack and there was no comment from Kyiv.

Putin told the nation in a televised address before the election that the vote would underline support for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.

"Your choice, and your will, will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our soldiers, that we are a united people bound together by shared values, historical memory, and love for our homeland, and that no one will succeed in dividing or intimidating us," Putin said.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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