World
Macron under fire over Iran, Hezbollah policy as Trump admin hosts Israel-Lebanon talks
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
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.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The State Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital press query.
Reuters contributed to this report.
World
Stefon Diggs’ acquittal clears path for return to the field but he could still face NFL discipline
Stefon Diggs’ acquittal in court clears a path for the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver to return to the field.
He still could face discipline from the NFL.
“We have been monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Tuesday.
Diggs was found not guilty Tuesday of assaulting his personal chef. The charges stemmed from a Dec. 2 incident at his house in Massachusetts where Jamila Adams, a former live-in personal chef, testified that Diggs slapped and choked her during an argument. He had pleaded not guilty to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before clearing Diggs of all charges.
“The evidence has shown what we’ve maintained from day one: Mr. Diggs was wrongly accused, and this case represents exactly the kind of opportunistic targeting that players can face the moment they step off the field,” Diggs’ attorney, Mitch Schuster, said in a statement.
Diggs spent last season with the New England Patriots, helping them reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to Seattle. He was released in March and remains a unsigned.
That could change in the coming weeks, though league discipline is still a possibility.
Several NFL players, including Ben Roethlisberger, Jameis Winston and Ezekiel Elliott, have been suspended for violating the personal-conduct policy despite not being arrested or charged with a crime.
Roethlisberger, the former Steelers quarterback was suspended six games — it was later reduced to four after an appeal — in 2010 following sexual assault accusations.
Winston was in his fourth season with the Buccaneers when he was suspended three games in 2018 following a sexual assault allegation.
Elliott, a three-time Pro Bowl running back, was in his second season with the Cowboys when he was suspended six games in 2017 following a league investigation into domestic violence allegations. An arbitrator upheld the six games following an appeal.
Diggs led New England with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his only season with the team. He was the go-to option for Drake Maye, who finished runner-up to Matthew Stafford for the AP NFL MVP award.
Diggs, who turns 33 on Nov. 29, has played for three teams in the last three seasons. He began his career in Minnesota in 2015 and went from fifth-round pick to No. 1 receiver in five seasons with the Vikings.
He was traded to Buffalo for a first-round pick in 2020 and had an All-Pro season that year. Diggs spent four seasons with the Bills before he wore out his welcome. He played for the Texans in 2024.
Here are five potential landing spots for Diggs going forward:
Baltimore Ravens
Despite drafting Ja’Kobi Lane in the third round and Elijah Sarratt in the fourth, Baltimore could use another veteran receiver to pair with Zay Flowers and give Lamar Jackson more options.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers acquired Michael Pittman Jr. in a trade to join DK Metcalf and tried to select Makai Lemon in the first round before the Eagles swooped in and took him instead. The Steelers ended up taking wideout Germie Bernard in the second round but Aaron Rodgers, if he returns, prefers veterans and Diggs would be a fit.
Los Angeles Chargers
Fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson joins a group that’s led by Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston and includes Tre’ Harris. Diggs would give Justin Herbert a dependable target.
Los Angeles Rams
After exploring the possibility of a trade for A.J. Brown earlier in the offseason, the Rams could still be in the market for another veteran to add to a formidable unit led by All-Pro Puka Nacua and six-time Pro Bowl pick Davante Adams.
New England Patriots
They’re likely going to acquire Brown from the Eagles after June 1. However, bringing Diggs back if the price is right could be an option. He knows the offense and didn’t hold any grudges after being informed he was going to be released. Diggs posted his appreciation for the organization, saying: “We family forever.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
World
South African police airlift massive crocodile suspected of eating missing local
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Authorities in South Africa carried out a high-risk recovery operation over the weekend, airlifting a massive crocodile suspected of eating a local resident.
The operation followed last month’s disappearance of a 59-year-old businessman from Gauteng, South African Police Service (SAPS) said. Local media Smile FM identified him as Gabriel Batista, the owner of the Border Country Inn located a short drive from the river.
A specialized task force eventually tracked down the reptile Saturday along the Komati River, where it was euthanized and removed from the area, officials reported. Upon examination, they said human remains were discovered in its digestive system.
The operation was also captured on camera and has since spread widely on social media, showing personnel hoisting the massive crocodile from the water by helicopter.
SOUTH AFRICAN ELEPHANT KILLS TOURIST WHO WAS TRYING TO SAVE CHILDREN AT KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
A wildlife specialist dangles alongside a euthanized crocodile during an aerial relocation in South Africa. (Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Mpumalanga Provincial Office)
According to the police, the local businessman went missing late last month after his Ford Ranger became stranded at a flooded low-lying river crossing near crocodile-infested waters.
State media SABCNews reported that the vehicle was swept away as he attempted to cross the bridge.
ALLIGATOR MAULS WOMAN CANOEING AS FLORIDA URGES VACATIONERS TO AVOID DISASTER WITH SAFETY TIPS
Following a weeklong search, the team reportedly identified a large crocodile nearby that they believed may have attacked and consumed the victim.
According to officials who monitored the reptile for several days, the reptile appeared to show signs it had recently fed, including prolonged periods of inactivity, South African outlet ENCA said.
A massive crocodile was spotted near a river in South Africa. (Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Mpumalanga Provincial Office)
“During the search, we saw that this particular crocodile was only about 150 meters away from where the person had washed off the bridge. This crocodile stayed there the whole time. When the helicopter went over it, it wouldn’t move away,” SAPS Captain Johan “Pottie” Potgieter said.
“We know from experience that if crocodiles have had a big meal, they’re not very active, and need to lie in the sun for their digestive system to start working.”
After authorities euthanized the animal with the necessary permissions, Potgieter operated under “extremely dangerous conditions,” being lowered from a helicopter into crocodile-infested waters.
It was then secured with a rope, hoisted from the water, and airlifted away, SAPS said.
Authorities used a helicopter to transport a massive crocodile from a river in South Africa. (Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Mpumalanga Provincial Office)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
During the examination, officials reportedly discovered human remains, as well as six pairs of sandals inside the animal’s stomach, SABC News reported.
The remains have been submitted for DNA testing to confirm the victim’s identity.
It remains unclear whether the shoes are linked to any missing residents or villagers in the area.
World
Trump says ‘Project Freedom’ paused as US, Iran peace talks advance
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says ceasefire with Iran remains in place despite growing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Published On 6 May 2026
-
News57 seconds agoPope Leo rejects claim he supports nuclear weapons after Trump tirade
-
New York2 hours agoPollution Worsened in South Bronx After Congestion Tolls, Study Finds
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoDetroit People Mover resumes service after nearly 2 months of repairs
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoDoJ closes San Francisco immigration court in move critics say worsens case backlog
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Cowboys Might Be On List of Teams Interested in Jadeveon Clowney
-
Miami, FL2 hours ago
Dance NOW! Miami resurrects extinct songbird for season finale
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoHere’s your Mother’s Day weekend forecast – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoBroncos signing linebacker Red Murdock to 4-year rookie contract