World
Top South African rabbi critical of govt's 'support' of Hamas, says US needs to stop 'bad actors' on continent
FIRST ON FOX – Iran, Russia and China are sweeping across Africa, with the U.S. facing a crisis of influence. In South Africa, the government has aligned itself with the “bad actors” Russia, China and Iran. These are the main takeaways from an exclusive interview with South Africa’s chief rabbi, Dr. Warren Goldstein.
Goldstein spoke with Fox News Digital in Johannesburg on Monday, on the eve of what promises to be a watershed presidential election in South Africa this week. Thirty years ago, the African National Congress (ANC) Party swept into power, carrying Nelson Mandela to become the country’s first democratic president. There have been remarkable achievements, but corruption, nepotism, failed government promises and catastrophic fraud-linked power blackouts have left democracy critically strained and many voters disillusioned. In Wednesday’s polls, for the first time, the ANC is likely to lose its majority.
Across Africa, as democracies become weaker, countries which are strange bedfellows step out of the murky shadows. “The bad actors in international politics, China, Russia and Iran, are making a grab for the African continent,” Goldstein told Fox News Digital.
Goldstein added “also realize that the African continent is suffering from a wave of jihadi terror in which Christians are being persecuted across the continent. In this context, South Africa in particular, and the African continent in general, is a beacon and can be a very important ally for the United States in promoting freedom and democracy.”
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South Africa’s chief rabbi, Dr. Warren Goldstein. (Office of the Chief Rabbi )
“American values are at stake on the African continent, and we need a much stronger American presence in the continent as a whole and in South Africa in particular”, he continued.
Responding to the growing worry of U.S. foes gaining ground in South Africa and the region, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital “we have a strong relationship with South Africa and that relationship is based on the priorities of the American people and the South African people, our shared values and our interests. We are committed to an affirmative agenda with South Africa, through which we work together to bring our nations’ respective priorities to the table.”
The spokesperson added “The United States believes all countries may choose the countries and groupings with which they associate. South Africa is a sovereign country that can make its own decisions about how to engage others. The relationship between the United States and South Africa is broad, deep, and multifaceted, grounded in values, interests, and people-to-people ties that include our common journeys to uphold human dignity. We’re focused on making our relationship even stronger, to the benefit of Americans and South Africans, and we aren’t distracted by what others are doing.”
Analysts have often accused the ANC of telling the South African government, in which, until Wednesday, its members have a majority, what to do and say. This, Goldstein told Fox News Digital, has led to the country turning away from the West. “A very important thing to understand is the distinction between the ANC government and the South African people. They are very divergent in their values,” said Goldstein.
President Biden, right, shakes hands with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 16, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of enduring partnership, and discussed their work together to address regional and global challenges. (Photo by Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images)
“The ANC government has aligned itself with Russia, China and Iran. The South African people do not share their values in this regard. And to note that this is going to be the first time in South African history the ANC is going to drop below 50% (in electoral votes).”
“It has lost the support of the majority of South Africans. And therefore, when America is considering the opportunities for alliances with South Africa, with the continent, it needs to look beyond the ANC government. That it is a waning force in South African politics, and it is eventually on its way out”
CHRISTIANS IN AFRICA FACE WORRYING RISE IN KILLINGS, PERSECUTION AND DISPLACEMENT
A woman holds up a poster of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (not seen) as they welcome him upon arrival for a state visit at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare on July 13, 2023. (Jekesai Nijikizana/AFP via Getty Images)
The South African government responded to Goldstein’s criticism, noting, “Firstly, it’s wrong to label the South African government with a political party,” Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy at South Africa’s Department of International Relations, told Fox News Digital.
“Decisions of the state are taken by the state and not the ruling party,” Monyela added. “The values that this government espouses are shared by the people it represents. The constitution of the Republic is the guide.”
However, the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA), believes the ANC pushes its cadres into influential government positions. On their own website, the ANC calls the positioning of their faithful ‘cadre deployment,” as if such a procedure was part of a military exercise.
Public hearings in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel begin at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In a document accompanying a court action in February, the DA stated “The ANC controls both the demand-side and the supply-side of senior administrative roles, State-owned enterprises (SOEs), boards, entities, and independent state institutions.”
This past Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s top court, voted that Israel should “immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah.” South Africa had applied to the court to stop the attack in Gaza.
Rabbi Goldstein said, “The ICJ ruling is not only an attack on Israel’s right to self-defense, it is also a threat to the United States of America and all countries of the free world. – when you can have, for example, a judge from Lebanon presiding over this matter, and countries representing, if you think about the United Nations, the vast majority of the members of United Nations do not come from free democracies. You cannot have dictatorships and their representatives determining when free democracies can defend themselves against the forces of terrorism and violence in the world.”
ANGER RISES OVER SOUTH AFRICA MAKING MILLIONS IN US BENEFITS WHILE COZYING UP TO IRAN, RUSSIA AND HAMAS
President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to supporters during the ANC Siyanqoba Rally held at FNB Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Johannesburg. South Africa’s national and provincial elections will be held on May 29, 2024 to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislature in each of the nine provinces. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Monyela defended the country’s actions, saying “The SA government’s principled position on the Palestine/Israeli matter has been vindicated repeatedly by the rulings of the ICJ. We approached the ICJ to stop the current genocidal acts being perpetrated by Israel against the people of Palestine. This is what all peace-loving people of the world, who believe in human rights and international law, should do.”
South Africa kicked out Israel’s ambassador and closed the embassy, but Goldstein told Fox News Digital that there is little antisemitism among ordinary South Africans. “Antisemitism in South Africa today is a fascinating paradox, which is very revealing about what is actually happening in this country. On the one hand, you have the South African government that has been the most anti-Israel, pro-Hamas, pro-Iranian government in the world when considering free democracies, which is a betrayal of the South African constitution and the values of this country.”
US CONCERNED OVER SOUTH AFRICA’S GROWING TIES WITH RUSSIA, IRAN AND HAMAS: ‘FALLEN’ FOR PROPAGANDA
Members of the Active African Christians United Movement pose as one of them blows through a shofar as others gather in support of Israel outside the embassy of Israel in Pretoria on Nov. 17, 2023. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP via Getty Images)
Goldstein continued” On the other hand, the South African Jewish community has experienced amongst the lowest levels of antisemitism of any Jewish community in the world. And so you have this paradox, an assault, an ANC government that has been pro-Iran, and a South African people that is welcoming of its fellow citizens of the Jewish faith together with all of the citizens of this country, this tremendous spirit of togetherness of unity and diversity, which is the motto of the country, really drawing from the spirit of Nelson Mandela, which is still felt to this day, which is utterly at odds with the spirit and the values of the ANC government.”
Monyela hit back, adding, “The challenge with this comment is the deliberate blurring of the lines between the ANC and the state. The South African Government is not anti-Israel and most certainly not pro-Hamas.”
A man brandishes a replica toy gun during a pro-Palestinian demonstration organized by the South African opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters in front of the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria on Oct. 23, 2023. (Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images)
“It is the most ridiculous and outrageous thing to suggest”, added Monyela. “These false and manufactured narratives, including the baseless antisemitism label, are a blunt object meant to silence us from speaking out against the genocidal acts of Israel against the Palestinian people.” He claimed that “The ICJ has repeatedly agreed with us. Look at the comments of the President of France on the latest attacks in Rafah that killed innocent civilians. Even the White House has criticized Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister himself has called for an investigation. South Africa is consistent in calling for the respect of human rights and international law. Our position on the two-state solution is on record.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the ANC for comment, but received no response.
World
Intense Israeli strikes hit Iran and Lebanon as US warns the bombardment will ‘surge dramatically’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon early Friday as the U.S. apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea in its unrelenting campaign against the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks in the Middle East at the end of a full week of bombardment, which U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned was “about to surge dramatically.”
Israel’s military said Friday morning it had begun “a broad-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran, Iran’s capital. Witnesses described the Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area. Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.
The Israeli military said strikes have already destroyed most of Iran’s air defenses and missile launchers.
The war has escalated to affect countries across the Middle East and beyond. Early Friday, Iran fired missile and drone attacks into Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, all countries that host U.S. forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
In Lebanon, where the war has rekindled fighting between Israel and Iran-allied Hezbollah militants, Israel launched a series of airstrikes late Thursday into Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas. Motorists jammed roads trying to flee or seek shelter.
The U.S. and Israel have battered Iran with nationwide strikes, targeting their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program.
In addition to Israel, Iran’s attacks have targeted their Arab neighbors, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel. The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 120 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.
US says it struck an Iranian drone carrier
The U.S. military said early Friday that it struck an Iranian drone carrier, setting it ablaze.
The U.S. military’s Central Command released black-and-white footage of the burning carrier. The Iranian military did not immediately acknowledge the attack.
The drone carrier, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship with a 180-meter-long (yard) runway for drones. The vessel can travel up to 22,000 nautical miles without needing to refuel in ports, reports said at the time of its 2025 inauguration.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, described the carrier as “roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier.”
“And as we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper told reporters.
Earlier in the week, an American submarine sank an Iranian frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka as it was returning from an exercise hosted by the Indian navy that the U.S. also joined. The sinking killed at least 87 sailors.
Under cover of darkness Friday morning, B-2 stealth bombers dropped dozens of 2,000 pound “penetrator” bombs on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers inside Iran, Cooper said.
“We’ve also struck Iran’s equivalent of Space Command, which degrades their ability to threaten Americans,” Cooper said.
Speaking alongside Cooper, Hegseth gave few details when he promised an upcoming surge.
“It’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” Hegseth said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”
Iran targets country’s hosting US forces
Qatar’s Defense Ministry reported early Friday it intercepted a drone attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command.
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired early Friday toward Prince Sultan Air Base south of Riyadh, which hosts U.S. forces, said a spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense.
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry said Iranian strikes targeted two hotels and a residential building. It said there were no casualties. In Kuwait, where the six U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday, the Kuwaiti army said its air defenses were activated when missile and drone attacks breached Kuwait’s airspace.
Cooper said Iranian attacks had now hit a dozen countries, who would be welcome to play a more active role in the conflict.
“Those 12 countries are none too happy and I look forward to working with all the partners who are willing to join us,” he said.
Trump again urges Iranians to “take back” their country
In brief remarks at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump again urged the Iranian people to “help take back your country.” This time he promised the U.S. would grant them “immunity” amid the war and ongoing dangers under the current Iranian regime.
“So you’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity,” Trump said, without giving any details about what that meant. “Or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death.”
Cooper and Hegseth cautioned Iranians not to take to the streets while the conflict is still raging, however.
“It’s common sense, don’t go out and protest while bombs are dropping” Hegseth said.
“The best thing for them to do now is just to lay low,” Cooper added.
In an interview with the news website Axios, Trump said he should be involved in choosing Iran’s new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war. Trump spoke dismissively of Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, being a front-runner to replace his father, calling him “a lightweight.”
“We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump said.
Iranian officials meet to discuss new leadership
Iranian state television reported Friday that a leadership council had started discussing how to convene the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the new supreme leader.
The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.
The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or remotely for the vote.
Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, a 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the Israeli-U.S. airstrike campaign.
Israel hits Lebanon with multiple airstrikes around Beirut
Israel carried out at least 11 airstrikes late Thursday and early Friday, targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut. Fires broke out near a gas station.
The Israeli army issued a warning Thursday evening, urging residents to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately.” Two hospitals evacuated patients and staff. No casualties were immediately reported.
The Lebanese health ministry said the death toll has risen to 123 since the resurgence of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which struck Israel in the opening days of the war.
A spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, Tilak Pokharel, said Thursday that peacekeepers had seen and heard clashes, including ground combat, in southern Lebanon as more Israeli forces have moved across the border.
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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia, Rising from Bangkok and Abou AlJoud from Beirut, Lebanon. AP journalists around the world contributed.
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This version has corrected the date of the ship’s inauguration to 2025, not 2005.
World
Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East
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Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.
FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.
As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.
Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.
Oman continues to be a “vital” hub for evacuation flights at its Muscat International Airport. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available.
The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.
LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.
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Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.
After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.
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FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)
“We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,” the spokesperson said. “The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option.”
Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate.
The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.
AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE
This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests.
Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
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The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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