World
Iran’s ‘basement’ Chinese drone networks spark fears of sleeper cell attacks on US soil
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Iran is building a decentralized drone warfare capability in Tehran’s apartment building basements, powered by inexpensive technology sourced from China, a leading defense expert has warned.
Draganfly’s Cameron Chell also said that this emerging system — centered on first-person-view (FPV) drones — could pose a threat not only across the Middle East but potentially to the U.S. homeland itself.
“The FPVs are Iran’s Hail Mary because they are very hard to defend, are incredibly effective, and can be delivered in a manner without having to have a central command,” Chell told Fox News Digital.
“So whether it’s the Iranian army, whether it’s militia groups or Iranian patriots, they can all create or procure their own FPVs and get offensive,” Chell said.
EX-CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS US TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO KEY IRANIAN ISLAND COULD BE ‘EXTREMELY RISKY’
Smoke rises after an Iranian drone was intercepted over the Bahrain Financial Harbour towers, which houses the Israeli embassy, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Manama, Bahrain, March 6, 2026. Picture taken on a mobile phone. (Stringer/Reuters)
He added that “Iran could be reiterating FPVs and churning out more than 100,000 a month over time.”
“Iran’s got either militias or sleeper cells in the States who can, in my estimation, already build this equipment,” Chell clarified.
Chell’s warning comes as recent incidents in Iraq highlight the growing use of FPVs.
At Baghdad International Airport, Iranian-backed militias operating under the “Iraqi Islamic Resistance” umbrella have launched multiple FPV drone attacks.
Footage released in March 2026 allegedly shows an FPV drone striking a U.S. UH-60M or HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, while another attack successfully hit a U.S. AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar unit at the same base.
“FPVs are a central core theme, and Iran is building these itself, suspecting they’re pulling parts in from China and getting the parts through some pretty porous borders, so it is very difficult to stop that,” Chell said.
IRAN’S DRONE SWARMS CHALLENGE US AIR DEFENSES AS TROOPS IN MIDDLE EAST FACE RISING THREATS
A drone view of the site of an Iranian missile strike on a residential building, after Iran launched missile barrages following attacks by the U.S. and Israel, in Tel Aviv (REUTERS/Roei Kastro)
He warned that Iran’s strategy mirrors what has already occurred in Ukraine, where decentralized drone manufacturing has flourished.
“There will be, or already is, an underground industry for FPV and drone manufacturing, which will or is swelling up inside Iran, the exact same way that we saw it swell up inside Ukraine,” he explained.
“This is going to be happening in people’s homes in Iran, people’s basements, the basements of apartment blocks, where they can construct makeshift assembly lines.”
“I am confident China and Russia are shipping in parts to help support the development of drone assembly or manufacturing capability – which is a de facto decentralized cottage industry,” he warned.
Concerns extend beyond overseas battlefields as about 1,500 Iranians were intercepted at the U.S. border during the Biden administration.
Officials warn the unknown number who evaded detection raises fears of potential “sleeper cells.”
MORE THAN 90% OF IRANIAN MISSILES INTERCEPTED, BUT A DANGEROUS IMBALANCE IS EMERGING
Iran drone swarms threaten U.S. military assets in Middle East region (Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)
President Trump acknowledged the issue on March 11, saying, “A lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border, but we know where most of them are: We’ve got our eye on all of them, I think.”
“It is the beginning of an asymmetric capability that the Iranians will use against their neighbors and U.S. assets in the region, but also the U.S. homeland,” Chell said.
“We may even want to call it terrorist attacks, using FPV’s against their neighbors and practically anywhere in the world,” he added.
“It’s a matter of when we see FPV attacks, probably swarm, probably sophisticated, on U.S. soil.”
“Within the next eight months, the Iranians are going to have sophisticated drone systems that can defeat some RF/radio frequency jamming. They will start to use tactics like swarming or spoofing,” he warned.
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“It will be very, very difficult for the U.S. to take out these little drone factories in the basements of apartment blocks where civilians help. Cutting supply chains will also be difficult.”
“The primary choke point for the Iranians is to establish supply chains from China to have enough supply to constitute precision mass capability and/or consistent, pervasive asymmetric capability,” Chell said before stating that if this happens, “the war between Iran and the U.S. just gets a lot longer.”
World
Fifth woman accuses former US lawmaker Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct
The Democratic representative from California has resigned his seat in Congress over multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
Published On 14 Apr 2026
Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell has resigned from the United States Congress, amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.
On Tuesday, a fifth woman came forward to accuse Swalwell of unwanted sexual contact, saying the Democratic lawmaker drugged and raped her during an encounter in 2018.
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“My delay in taking action against Eric was driven by fear, not doubt – fear of his political power,” Lonna Drewes said during a news conference in Los Angeles.
Drewes’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said her firm would be filing a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office.
Swalwell has denied allegations of wrongdoing. But on Monday, he announced he would resign from Congress, one day after suspending his gubernatorial campaign.
Polls had shown the 45-year-old leading the race to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California.
But his campaign imploded last week after reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN detailed allegations of sexual misconduct from several women.
One woman, identified as a former staffer, told CNN that Swalwell raped her in a New York City hotel in 2024, an encounter that left her bleeding and bruised.
Three other women told US news outlets that they had received inappropriate messages from Swalwell on the app Snapchat, which automatically deletes interactions.
The accusations quickly prompted backlash to Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign. Supporters withdrew their endorsements, and a handful of bipartisan lawmakers said they would push for a vote to expel Swalwell from Congress.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also announced on Saturday that it is investigating the sexual assault allegations.
In a statement on Monday, Swalwell apologised to his family, staff and constituents for what he called “mistakes in judgment”.
Although he confirmed he would resign his seat in Congress, he nevertheless criticised his colleagues for seeking his expulsion.
“I will fight the serious, false allegations made against me,” Swalwell wrote.
“I am aware of the efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong.”
Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna had said she would withdraw her motion to expel Swalwell once he stepped down, and she confirmed on Tuesday that he had submitted a resignation letter, “effective immediately”.
Republican Representative Tony Gonzales also announced on Monday that he would retire from Congress amid calls for his expulsion over allegations of sexual misconduct.
World
‘Jumanji 3’ Gets Official Title and Action-Packed Trailer at CinemaCon; Dwayne Johnson Teases Robin Williams Tribute
Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black are dispensing with all the levels.
Sony Pictures unveiled a first look at “Jumanji: Open World,” the long-gestating, latest entry in the action-comedy franchise, at CinemaCon on Monday as part of its presentation to theater owners.
Once again, our heroes find that the boundaries between a fantastical game and the real world have blurred. This time, the three leading actors will play three different characters. Johnson’s Dr. Bravestone, for instance, is Spanish (he pronounces charisma like the guy from the Dos Equis ads), while Hart and Black’s characters are “stuck in demo mode” and still working out a few kinks. Hopefully, they adapt quickly, because the trailer that Sony shared included plenty of scenes of jungle beasts rampaging through a pastoral New England town.
“Jumanji” is one of the most successful series at Sony, but seven years have passed since 2019’s “Jumanji: The Next Level” opened and nearly a decade since 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” debuted. The movies were inspired by the 1995 Robin Williams hit “Jumanji,” which Hart, Johnson and Black said will be celebrated in the new film with an Easter egg. This film includes the original dice used in the first “Jumanji.”
“Robin, this one’s for you,” Johnson said, gesturing skyward in a nod to Williams, who died in 2014.
Jake Kasdan, who helmed the previous “Jumanji” films, is back behind the camera again. Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner and Danny DeVito reprise their roles from the previous films. The latest “Jumanji” opens on December 25, 2026.
Johnson has teased that the franchise, or at least the part that stars him, will end with this third film. If it reaches the box office heights of its predecessors, it seems likely that Sony will find other ways for “Jumanji” to live on.
It may not be a hard sell for the actors. Most of the cast on stage said they loved making the latest “Jumanji,” with Black calling it his favorite moviemaking experience.
“This was not a good time for me,” Hart interjected jokingly. “It was fucking work!”
World
Macron under fire over Iran, Hezbollah policy as Trump admin hosts Israel-Lebanon talks
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France’s President Emmanuel Macron is facing renewed criticism for his lack of support for President Donald Trump’s war against Iran and demands to include Lebanon in the current ceasefire as historic talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin Tuesday.
The historic meeting brokered by President Trump between Lebanon, a former French mandate, and Israel will take place at the ambassador level as hopes for an agreement evolve — most noticeably without French involvement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to host both nations’ ambassadors.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel’s government requested that France be excluded from the talks. An Israeli official told the paper that “France’s conduct over the past year – including initiatives aimed at limiting Israel’s ability to fight in Iran, and a complete lack of willingness to take concrete steps to help Lebanon disarm Hezbollah – has led Israel to view France as an unfair mediator.”
IRAN’S TERROR PROXIES FROM IRAQ-TO-LEBANON SAY READY TO RESPOND TO US-ISRAEL ATTACKS
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting with President Trump and other world leaders. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On Monday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem called on the Lebanese government to cancel the Tuesday meeting in Washington, while describing the talks as pointless. In a televised speech, Qassem said the armed group will continue to confront Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Hezbollah violated a ceasefire to enter the war on its patron, Iran’s side, in March, when it launched rockets into Israel after the U.S.-Israel joint attack on the Islamic Republic began. Still, Macron has demanded Israel stop attacking Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure in Lebanon.
Israeli Brig. General (Res.) Yosef Kuperwasser told Fox News Digital that Macron was “working against the best interests of the Lebanese state and government. This is a very problematic direction.” He accused Macron of taking the side of Hezbollah and normalizing Hezbollah because he is focused on “narrow interests.”
IRAN THREATENS TO END CEASEFIRE OVER HEZBOLLAH’S EXCLUSION FROM TRUCE DEAL
Hezbollah al-Mahdi scouts parade with big portraits of Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Khomeini, foreground, and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, background, during an event for Jerusalem day or Al-Quds day, in the southern town of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)
The former head of research for the Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate, Kuperwasser, added that the “Americans want us to engage with the Lebanese along with the military [in Lebanon]. Our expectations are very similar. We want to see Lebanon do something about Hezbollah, something real, not just issue statements and pledges. We believe we have helped them by weakening Hezbollah militarily since they decided to launch missiles on March 2. If there is a breakthrough, Lebanon has a lot to gain,” but said it has to “disarm Hezbollah.”
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Macron has faced accusations over the years that he has normalized Hezbollah. His government, in contrast to Germany, the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Austria and many other Western and non-Western countries, refuses to designate Hezbollah’s entire organization a terrorist entity. France has classified Hezbollah’s “military wing” a terrorist organization but declined to ban its “political wing.” Hezbollah considers itself a unified movement without branches.
The French politician François-Xavier Bellamy, who is a member of the European Parliament for the Republicans Party, said last week on French television that “France must stop normalizing Hezbollah.” Macron sparked outrage in 2020 when he reportedly held a private conversation with a top elected Hezbollah official, according to the Paris-based daily Le Figaro.
Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Emilio Morenatti/AP)
Edy Cohen, an Israeli security expert on Hezbollah, who was born in Lebanon, told Fox News Digital, “France is forced not to come out against Hezbollah in order to legitimize its involvement in Lebanon.”
A French diplomat told the Times of Israel that “what we are hoping for is not a ticket to the meeting, but that Israel stops its offensive on Lebanon.”
When asked if France would pressure Lebanon to recognize Israel as a state, Pascal Confavreux, a spokesman for France’s Foreign Ministry, told “Fox News Sunday” that, “Iran has to stop terrorizing Israel through Hezbollah because Hezbollah chose to bring Lebanon into a war which is not Lebanon’s war… Lebanon has to be included in the ceasefire, something that we are pushing diplomatically.” He continued that we are in favor of direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
It is not known if France asked for a seat at the talks. Fox News Digital sent multiple press queries to France’s embassies in Washington, D.C., and Tel Aviv.
IDF UNCOVERS HEZBOLLAH WEAPONS STASH INSIDE HOSPITAL IN LEBANON
Hezbollah launches long-range missiles from Lebanon into northern Israel within 48 hours of strikes on Iran, escalating the widening conflict amid Operation Epic Fury. (Hadi Mizban/AP)
On Saturday, Macron again pushed his desire for a ceasefire and wrote on X that he had discussions with Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian: “I stressed the importance of full respect for the ceasefire, including in Lebanon. France extends its full support to the actions of the Lebanese authorities, who alone are legitimate to exercise the sovereignty of the State and decide the destiny of Lebanon.”
Walid Phares, an expert on Lebanon and the region, told Fox News Digital that while the talks are important, problems exist. “It is at ambassadors’ level, which means it is not destined to reach a top level of decision-making.”
He added, “Strangely, the Lebanese president and prime minister declined to invite the Lebanese foreign minister to the Washington talks, provoking a representation by Israel, also at ambassadorial level, showing that Hezbollah still has a strong influence on the Lebanese government. The militia is being rejected by the population on the ground and fears a meeting in D.C. would ostracize Hezbollah further.”
Iran rebuilds Hezbollah ties as Trump gives a 10-15 day deadline. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto)
Sethrida Geagea, a member of parliament from the Lebanese Forces party, posted on X ahead of the Israel-Lebanon talks an open letter to Nabih Berri, the powerful speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and leader of the Shiite Amal Movement. She issued indirect criticism of Hezbollah and its terrorist army within the state. Geagea appealed to Berri to unify the Lebanese to be “protected by a single army.”
Without naming Hezbollah, her letter stated that young Shiites have been plunged into war that has nothing to do with them and the conflict is really about an Iranian decision to retaliate for the joint U.S.-Israel war that killed the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28.
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The State Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital press query.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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