World
Egyptians, IDF exchange gunfire at Rafah border crossing: reports
Egyptian service members and Israeli Defense Forces exchanged gunfire Monday at the Rafah border crossing along the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel is reporting.
Other Israeli media outlets are reporting that an Egyptian soldier was killed Monday during the incident.
The Israel Defense Forces said “a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border” and that the “incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians.”
The gunfight comes just hours after an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas compound in Rafah killed two top Hamas officials as well as dozens of civilians.
‘SQUAD’ MEMBER RASHIDA TLAIB CALLS BIDEN ‘ENABLER’ OF GENOCIDE AT CONFERENCE LINKED TO TERRORIST GROUP, CCP
The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in November 2023. (Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
While the exact number of killed remains unclear at this time, the IDF confirmed that it struck a Hamas compound in which “significant Hamas terrorists were operating.”
The IDF said it carried out the strike “against legitimate targets under international law.”
IDF sources told Fox News Digital the strike eliminated Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas’ leadership in Judea and Samaria, as well as Khaled Nagar, a senior official in Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing.
The IDF said both men had perpetrated numerous terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in which Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed.
The IDF acknowledged reports that “several civilians in the area were harmed” from the airstrike and a subsequent fire. It said incident is “under review” as well.
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON RAFAH KILLS 2 TOP HAMAS COMMANDERS, DOZENS OF CIVILIANS
Fire rages following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, May 26. (Reuters/Reuters TV TPX Images of the Day)
Last week, the United Nations’ top court issued an order demanding Israel “immediately halt its military offensive” against Hamas in Rafah, the Palestinian terrorist group’s final stronghold in the Gaza Strip.
“The military ground offensive in Rafah, which Israel started on 7 May 2024, is still ongoing and has led to new evacuation orders,” the International Court of Justice said in its ruling. “As a result, according to United Nations reports, nearly 800,000 people have been displaced from Rafah as of 18 May 2024.”
It added that the “immense” humanitarian risks “associated with a military offensive in Rafah have started to materialize and will intensify even further if the operation continues.”
But Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman, when asked about the ICJ order on Friday, declared, “No power on earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza.”
The IDF says its “troops are continuing operations against terror targets in the area of Rafah.” (IDF Spokesman’s Office)
“We will destroy Hamas, we will return peace and security to the people of Israel and to the people of Gaza,” Hyman added. “We cannot go on with a genocidal terrorist regime on our southern border.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Trey Yingst contributed to this report.
World
Harry Styles announces first album in 4 years, ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’
NEW YORK (AP) — In this world, it’s just him: Harry Styles has announced that his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive this spring.
Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” and out March 6, the album is Styles’ first full-length project in four years. It follows the 2022, critically acclaimed synth pop record “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star the top prize of album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
In a review, The Associated Press celebrated “Harry’s House” for showcasing “a breadth of style that matches the album’s emotional range.”
On Instagram, Styles’ shared the cover artwork for “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which features the 31-year-old artist in a T-shirt and jeans at night, standing underneath a shimmering disco ball hung outside.
According to a press release, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon. The British songwriter and producer has been a close collaborator of Styles’ since the beginning of his solo career, working on all of his albums since the singer’s 2017 self-titled debut.
“Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” is now available for preorder.
It is also Styles’ first project since his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died in 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
World
Troops from Europe deploy to Greenland in rapid 2-day mission as Trump eyes US takeover
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Troops from several European countries deployed to Greenland and are on the ground there Thursday for a quick two-day mission to bolster the territory’s defenses.
France, Germany, Sweden and Norway are participating in the exercise, Fox News has learned. Leaders say the mission is meant to demonstrate they can deploy military assets “quickly.”
The development comes as the Trump administration is pushing to acquire the Danish territory. Germany deployed a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel, France sent 15 mountain specialists and Sweden, Norway and Britain sent three, two and one officers, respectively, according to Reuters.
“The geopolitical tensions have spread to the Arctic. The Government of Greenland, and the Danish Ministry of Defense have therefore decided to continue the Danish Armed Forces’ increased exercise activity in Greenland, in close cooperation with NATO allies,” the Danish Ministry of Defense said in a statement Wednesday.
“From today, there will be an expanded military presence in and around Greenland — in close cooperation with NATO allies. The purpose is to train the ability to operate under the unique Arctic conditions and to strengthen the alliance’s footprint in the Arctic, benefiting both European and transatlantic security,” it added.
DENMARK IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AS US MAKES AMBITIOUS APPEAL TO GREENLAND
An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)
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“As part of the increased presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic, the Danish Armed Forces are, from today, deploying capabilities and units related to the exercise activities. In the period ahead, this will result in an increased military presence in and around Greenland, comprising aircraft, vessels and soldiers, including from NATO allies,” the Danish Ministry of Defense also said.
It said the exercise activities in 2026 “could include guarding critical infrastructure, providing assistance to local authorities in Greenland, including the police, receiving allied troops, deploying fighter aircraft in and around Greenland, and conducting naval operations.”
People walk in downtown of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. On the right is President Donald Trump. (Evgeniy Maloletka/Evan Vucci/AP)
“Some officers from the Swedish Armed Forces are arriving in Greenland today,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X on Wednesday. “They are part of a group from several allied countries. Together they will prepare upcoming steps within the framework of the Danish exercise Operation Arctic Endurance. It is at the request of Denmark that Sweden is sending personnel from the Armed Forces.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Reuters on Thursday that, “The American ambition to take over Greenland is intact.”
“That is of course serious, and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent this scenario becoming a reality,” he added.
A fisherman carries a bucket onto his boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
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Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday.
World
EU will keep Arctic ties with US amid Greenland tension: von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the European Union will continue to work closely with the United States to strengthen security in the Arctic even as US President Donald Trump persists with his threats to seize Greenland from Denmark.
“The European Union has a very good reputation in Greenland, and we are counting very much on the excellent cooperation that we have,” von der Leyen said on Thursday on an official visit to Limassol, Cyprus.
“We will thus continue our work on Arctic security with our allies (and) our partners, including the United States,” she added.
Trump has framed his expansionist agenda as a national security goal.
On Wednesday, the American president said that NATO would become “more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States”. Otherwise, he said, Russia and China would stand to benefit in the strategic region.
“Anything less than that is unacceptable,” he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
His remarks coincided with a meeting in Washington between the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, US Secretary Marco Rubio, and US Vice President JD Vance.
The Danish minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen,said the tone had been frank and constructive, but conceded there remained a “fundamental disagreement” between the two sides.
“We didn’t manage to change the American position,” he said at the end of the meeting. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland.”
Rasmussen added that Denmark and the US had agreed to set up a high-level “working group” to find a “common way forward” on the matter of Greenland. He also countered Trump’s claims that Chinese warships had gained ground around the island.
At the same time, several European countries began to publicly announce their intention to send military officers as part of a reconnaissance mission to the mineral-rich territory, a stark reflection of the sky-high tensions fuelled by Trump’s vision.
France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands are among those that have committed to joining the mission at Copenhagen’s request.
Speaking as she marked the start of the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council, von der Leyen promised to “double down” on investments and cooperation in Greenland.
“What is clear is that Greenland can count on us politically, economically, and financially,” she said at a press conference, standing next to the Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
“When it comes to its security, the discussions on Arctic security are, first and foremost, a core issue of NATO. But I also want to emphasise that the Arctic and Arctic security, both topics, are core topics for the European Union and matter enormously for us.”
Mutual assistance
Separately, the European Commission confirmed that Denmark would be able to invoke the EU’s mutual assistance clause in the event of an armed attack against Greenland, even though the semi-autonomous island is not part of the bloc.
The Commission had recently avoided clarifying the legal application.
“Greenland is part of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and therefore in principle covered by the mutual solidarity clause in Article 42.7 TEU,” a Commission spokesperson told Euronews in a statement.
“However, currently the question doesn’t ask itself,” the spokesperson added, referring to the fact that Trump’s threats have not yet been translated into action.
The mutual assistance clause is enshrined in Article 42.7 of the EU treaties, which says that if a country is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory”, the other member states will have an “obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power” in accordance with the right of collective self-defence recognised by the UN Charter.
The article does not spell out what measures qualify as “aid and assistance” in practice.
According to an explanatory memo from the Commission, member states should have ample margin to decide their support, which could be of a diplomatic, technical, medical or civilian nature. Military assistance is also envisioned.
Activating the article requires an attack “from abroad” carried out by state or non-state actors, the memo says. The decision to activate rests solely on the member state under assault. Once triggered, the duty to assist becomes “legally binding”.
Since its introduction in 2007, Article 42.7 has been invoked only once, when France fell victim to the terrorist attacks of November 2015 and asked other member states to contribute manpower to its Opération Sentinelle.
Notably, Article 42.7 establishes a direct connection with NATO’s Article 5, which is the bedrock of the transatlantic alliance’s collective defence. Most EU countries are members of NATO, creating an overlap of commitments and obligations.
Unlike the EU provision, which is broadly worded, NATO’s Article 5 is more explicit, compelling allies to take necessary action “including the use of armed force” to “restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”.
However, given that both the US and Denmark are members of NATO, there is no precedent to determine how Article 5 would apply in a scenario where the American military violated Danish sovereignty and seized Greenland by force.
Such a dilemma emerged in 2020 when Turkey and Greece were involved in a standoff over Ankara’s contested gas exploration in waters claimed by Athens. In response, Greece put its army on alert, bringing two NATO members to the brink of war.
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