Israel announces limited reopening of Rafah Crossing under Trump’s 20-point plan
The Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said Sunday it has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
In a series of posts on X, the Prime Minister’s Office said the crossing would reopen only for pedestrian traffic and would remain subject to a full Israeli inspection process.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the reopening was contingent on the return of all living hostages and what it described as a “100 percent effort” by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.
“The IDF is currently conducting a focused operation to exhaust all of the intelligence that has been gathered in the effort to locate and return the fallen hostage, Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili, of blessed memory,” the Prime Minister’s Office wrote. “Upon completion of this operation, and in accordance with what has been agreed upon with the US, Israel will open the Rafah Crossing.”
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“The State of Israel is committed to the return of Israeli hero Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili and will spare no effort to bring him home for a proper Jewish burial.”
Syrian militiaman shows off what he claims to be severed Kurdish fighter’s braid as Damascus asserts control
A video showing a Syrian militiaman holding what he claims to be a severed braid belonging to a Kurdish fighter killed in Raqqa has sparked outrage as Damascus moves to assert control in northeastern Syria amid a fragile ceasefire.
In the video, the man holds up what appears to be a cut braid. He is said to tell the person filming that he took it from a woman he claims was affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
When asked why, he responds, “She’s already gone, what will she do?” according to London-based news outletNew Arab.
The video prompted an online campaign and protests where Kurdish women braided their hair in solidarity. Outrage continued to grow as control in northeastern Syria began to shift, AFP reported.
TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS
“The video highlighted the fears many Kurds have about what Syrian government control could mean for their communities,” Syria analyst Nanar Hawach told Fox News Digital.
“The Damascus-affiliated fighter held up a severed braid, claiming he cut it from a YPJ fighter killed in Raqqa, but he later claimed it was ‘artificial’ and ‘a joke.’ The woman’s identity and fate remain unverified,” Hawach, of International Crisis Group, said
“The response matters more than the video though,” he added, noting that the braid carries “cultural significance in Kurdish tradition and has become a symbol of women’s resistance.”
US STRIKE ELIMINATES AL QAEDA OPERATIVE CONNECTED TO ISIS AMBUSH THAT KILLED 3 AMERICANS IN SYRIA
The incident comes as Damascus, under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, pushes to expand its reach and authority into areas long governed by the SDF, the U.S.’ main partner in the fight against ISIS in Syria.
Raqqa, once the Islamic State group’s de facto capital, has also seen fighting emerge across the region between Syrian government forces and Kurdish units, prompting a U.S.-brokered cease-fire on Jan. 18.
The truce followed diplomatic efforts by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who met SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in Erbil on Jan. 17 before traveling to Damascus to meet al-Sharaa, Reuters reported.
“This new 15-day ceasefire extension has created a real diplomatic window, but postpones rather than resolves the fundamental dispute,” Hawach said.
ISIS FIGHTERS BREAK FREE FROM SYRIAN JAIL AMID CHAOTIC GOVERNMENT HANDOVER
“For Syria’s Kurds, the extension offers temporary relief but perhaps little certainty about what comes next,” he said. “The fundamental disagreement remains: Damascus insists on individual integration, while the SDF views organizational dissolution as political erasure.”
The ceasefire extension was also tied to security concerns surrounding ISIS prisoners held in northeastern Syria.
Damascus has taken control of several detention sites. As previously reported by Fox News Digital, prisoners escaped amid the transfer of control before U.S. Central Command began moving detainees to Iraq on Jan. 21, with the operation ongoing.
ISIS FIGHTERS STILL AT LARGE AFTER SYRIAN PRISON BREAK, CONTRIBUTING TO VOLATILE SECURITY SITUATION
“Washington is racing to transfer detainees before the security situation deteriorates further,” Hawach said.
“Washington’s goal is to prevent this standoff from producing two outcomes: violence against Kurds, or an Islamic State resurgence from detention facilities,” he said.
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“The U.S. is trying to ensure this transition doesn’t end in violence along ethnic lines or an Islamic State resurgence,” Hawach added.
“The fundamental dispute over integration between the SDF and Damascus remains unresolved. If they cannot bridge that gap, renewed fighting is possible when this new 15-day ceasefire expires,” he said.
Italy’s Meloni rebukes Trump remarks on NATO’s role in Afghanistan
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday called President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO allies’ role in Afghanistan “unacceptable,” pushing back against suggestions they “stayed a little back” from the front lines.
“Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO activated Article 5 for the first and only time in its history: an extraordinary act of solidarity toward the United States,” Meloni wrote on X.
“In that massive operation against those who fueled terrorism, Italy responded immediately alongside its allies, deploying thousands of troops and taking full responsibility for Regional Command West, one of the most significant operational areas of the entire international mission,” she said.
Meloni explained that Italy’s nearly two decades of involvement in Afghanistan came at a significant cost, with 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded during combat operations, security missions and training programs for Afghan forces.
TRUMP SAYS US SHOULD HAVE TESTED NATO BY INVOKING ARTICLE 5 OVER BORDER SECURITY
“For this reason, statements that minimize the contribution of NATO countries in Afghanistan are unacceptable, especially if they come from an allied Nation,” she added.
“Italy and the United States are bound by a solid friendship, founded on a shared community of values and historical collaboration, which is even more necessary in the face of the many current challenges. But friendship requires respect, a fundamental condition for continuing to ensure the solidarity at the heart of the Atlantic Alliance.”
Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO allies’ reliability, including whether they would come to the United States’ aid if ever called upon.
NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP AT DAVOS, SAYS HE FORCED EUROPE TO ‘STEP UP’ ON DEFENSE
He unsettled U.S. allies across Europe, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, after downplaying their contributions in Afghanistan during an interview with FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo at the World Economic Forum.
“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them,” Trump said of NATO. “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this and that. And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
Trump later appeared to soften his remarks in a Saturday post on Truth Social, praising the sacrifices of British troops in Afghanistan.
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” he wrote.
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Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also highlighted the broader international toll of the war, citing the sacrifices of 31 allied nations that fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
He thanked those countries for answering the call after Sept. 11, noting that 159 troops from Canada, 90 from France, 62 from Germany, 44 from Poland and 43 from Denmark were among those killed in the conflict.
Trump hails ‘great and very brave’ UK soldiers after slamming NATO allies’ Afghanistan service
President Donald Trump praised the soldiers of the United Kingdom who served alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan on Saturday, clarifying his previous criticism of NATO allies.
Trump had earlier criticized NATO troops who served in Afghanistan, arguing they had stayed “a little bit back” from the frontlines during the conflict. His statement was met with outrage in the U.K., however, where Prime Minister Kier Starmer called it “insulting and frankly, appalling.”
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” he continued.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S UK VISIT SHOULDN’T BE UNDERESTIMATED
The social media post partially walks back his previous criticism of NATO, made during an interview on Fox Business.
“We have never really asked anything of them,” he said. “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines.”
Starmer’s office says the prime minister raised the issue with Trump during a phone call this weekend.
UK READY TO SEND TROOPS, JETS, SHIPS IF TRUMP CLINCHES UKRAINE CEASEFIRE, DEFENSE CHIEF SAYS
“The Prime Minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” a spokesperson said. “We must never forget their sacrifice.”
Trump’s initial remarks also drew a direct rebuke from Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan.
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“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there,” Harry said.
“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defense of diplomacy and peace,” he added.
Zelenskyy touts ‘constructive’ trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday described recent trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi as “constructive,” saying the meetings marked the first format of their kind in some time and focused on potential parameters for ending Moscow’s war.
Zelenskyy said the talks, which were hosted by the United Arab Emirates over two days, involved political and military representatives from all three sides and addressed security-related issues, including the need for American monitoring and oversight.
“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” he wrote on X, noting the delegations could have further meetings as early as next week. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”
The Abu Dhabi talks followed a meeting in Moscow on Thursday between Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service.
RUSSIA ALLEGES ATTACK ON PUTIN RESIDENCE AS UKRAINE DENIES CLAIM AHEAD OF TRUMP TALKS
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the “extremely frank” discussions lasted roughly four hours and included U.S. officials updating Moscow on their recent conversations with Ukrainian and European leaders.
“Importantly, the participants in the conversation between the President of Russia and the Americans reaffirmed the fact that bringing about a lasting settlement would be unlikely without addressing the territorial issue based on the formula as agreed in Anchorage,” Ushakov said, according to a summary of the meeting from the Kremlin.
Territorial issues remain a key obstacle in the negotiations, with Moscow pressing Kyiv to relinquish parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region that Russian forces do not fully control.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE TO DISCUSS TERRITORY AS TRUMP SAYS BOTH SIDES ‘WANT TO MAKE A DEAL’
The diplomatic efforts come as Russia continues its strikes across Ukraine, targeting the country’s energy sector, critical infrastructure and residential areas.
UKRAINE-RUSSIA AT A CROSSROADS: HOW THE WAR EVOLVED IN 2025 AND WHAT COMES NEXT
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces had launched more than 1,700 attack drones, over 1,380 guided aerial bombs and 69 missiles in the past week alone.
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The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said ahead of the trilateral talks that it was deploying 447 emergency generators to help restore power to hospitals, shelters and critical services, as more than one million Ukrainians face outages amid freezing temperatures.
“The EU will not let Russia freeze Ukraine into submission and will continue helping Ukrainians get through this winter,” the commission said.
Lindsey Graham says there’s ‘strong consensus’ to protect Kurds as Syrian forces advance on territory
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both issued dire warnings about the pressing need to protect the endangered Syrian Kurdish population under attack by government forces in the war-torn nation.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who earlier this month ordered his army, which reportedly has a large jihadist element, to conquer territory controlled for more than a decade by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF.)
Writing on the social media platform X, Graham declared, “There is strong and growing bipartisan interest in the U.S. Senate regarding the deteriorating situation in Syria. There is strong consensus that we must protect the Kurds who were there for us in destroying the ISIS caliphate, as well as many other groups.”
Pompeo responded to Graham’s post, stating, “Turning our backs on our Kurdish allies would be a moral and strategic disaster.”
CHAOS IN SYRIA SPARKS FEARS OF ISIS PRISON BREAKS AS US RUSHES DETAINEES TO IRAQ
The Trump administration is facing criticism from its long-standing ally, the Syrian Kurds, who played a crucial role in the defeat of the Islamic State in the heartland of the Middle East after a U.S. government announcement on social media that seemed to hint that the partnership had ended this past week with the Kurdish-run SDF in northern Syria.
The SDF formed as a bulwark against the rapid spread of the Islamic State’s terrorist movement in 2013. ISIS created a caliphate covering significant territory in Syria and Iraq. Al-Sharaa was a former member of the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department regarding U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who also serves as the special envoy for Syria, for a response to his recent statement on X that indicated the U.S. partnership with the SDF was over.
Barrack wrote, “The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurds, proved the most effective ground partner in defeating ISIS’s territorial caliphate by 2019, detaining thousands of ISIS fighters and family members in prisons and camps like al-Hol and al-Shaddadi. At that time, there was no functioning central Syrian state to partner with — the Assad regime was weakened, contested, and not a viable partner against ISIS due to its alliances with Iran and Russia.
“Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), signaling a westward pivot and cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism.”
TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS
Iham Ahmed, a prominent Syrian Kurdish politician, told Fox News Digital, “We really wished to see a firm position from the U.S. The Kurdish people are at the risk of extermination. The U.S. does not give any solid or tangible guarantees.”
Ahmed cast doubt on statements like Barrack’s, warning the “Syrian army is still consisting of radical factions that no one can trust. Alawites, Christians, Sunnis and Druze cannot trust these factions. We could face massacres, which happened in other Syrian cities.”
When asked by Fox News Digital if the SDF wants Israel to intervene to aid the Kurds as it did to help the Syrian Druze and other minorities last year, Ahmed said, “Whoever wants to help us should do so. Today is the day.” She said “the Islamic State is showing itself in the image of an official army. Everyone is threatened now.”
She urged a “special status for the Kurdish region” in northeastern Syria.
Ahmed accused the Erdoğan government of nefarious involvement.
“Turkey stands behind the attacks on our region. Turkish intelligence and small groups are leading attacks. Statements from Turkey are encouraging the extermination of our people,” she claimed.
Fox News Digital sent a press query to the Turkish embassy spokesman in Washington D.C.
ISRAELI OFFICIAL ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER CHILLING SYRIAN MILITARY WAR CHANTS SURFACE
The influential president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, wrote on X, “Sen. Graham is right. I’ve been discussing the situation in NE Syria with Republican House leaders. It is not in America’s interest for Islamist forces to seize territory once governed by trusted U.S. allies who protected minorities and advanced religious freedom.
“Yet this is happening as Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces move into northeast Syria, displacing the Syrian Democratic Forces — our partners in the fight against ISIS, who lost thousands of fighters, guarded U.S. bases, and detained ISIS prisoners.
“Before we place trust in al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda insurgent who fought U.S. forces in Iraq and was held at Abu Ghraib, he has to show he is trustworthy. So far, he is failing the test.”
Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., had harsh words for the administration, telling Fox News Digital, “American officials continue to describe the SDF as a reliable partner in that narrow mission. Washington avoids framing the relationship as a political alliance. The U.S. never intended a long-term political commitment to the Syrian Kurds. It was a military partnership without political guarantees. From Washington’s view, that’s consistency. From the Kurdish view, that’s betrayal.”
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She added there has been an announcement of a 15-day extension of a ceasefire.
“But both the SDF and outside observers noted continued [Syrian] government troop buildups near Kurdish-held areas, signaling that conflict could resume. The Kurds want to have peace and stability through negotiations.”
Iran Revolutionary Guard commander says regime has ‘finger on the trigger’ as US warships head to Middle East
The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned the U.S. Saturday that the paramilitary force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger” as American warships head toward the Middle East.
The warning comes after weeks of pressure from President Donald Trump amid widespread anti-regime protests and a violent government crackdown in which the IRGC played a key role.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” IRGC Gen. Mohammad Pakpour said, The Associated Press reported. It cited Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
IRAN WILL RETALIATE ‘WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE’ IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS
Pakpour also reportedly warned the U.S. and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation,” according to the AP. This warning comes after another last week from an Iranian ambassador who said the U.S. and Israel were responsible for “political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos.”
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed their support for the Iranian protesters. Netanyahu said his country was “closely monitoring” the situation. He also vowed that once Iran was “liberated from the yoke of tyranny,” Israel would be prepared to be a partner in peace.
On Tuesday, Iran warned Trump not to take action against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world,” Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said, according to the AP.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he was moving warships toward Iran “just in case” he wants to take action.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said, according to the AP.
A U.S. Navy official told the AP the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships traveling with it were in the Indian Ocean.
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM BOOTS IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FROM DAVOS SUMMIT AMID DEADLY CRACKDOWN ON PROTESTERS
Anti-regime protests started Dec. 28 as Iranians took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the economic woes facing the country, which has become more isolated internationally. Since then, despite an internet blackout, reports of violence against protesters have emerged.
When the protests began, Trump warned the regime the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and ready to act if it used violence against protesters.
Trump put out a Truth Social post Jan. 16 in which he claimed the Iranian regime had canceled over 800 scheduled hangings.
However, Iran’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Movahedi, said Friday, “This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” the AP reported.
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The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported Friday that the confirmed death toll had reached 5,137, while 7,402 people were seriously injured. HRANA also said the total number of arrests had risen to nearly 28,000.
On Wednesday, the Iranian government offered its first death toll, saying that 3,117 people had been killed. It said 2,427 were civilians and security forces and labeled the rest as “terrorists,” according to the AP.