US brokers major ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon

The Department of War on Wednesday announced the death of an active-duty soldier supporting Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The service member was identified as 26-year-old Sgt. Devin A. Seibel of Robinson, Texas.

He reportedly died during a training-related incident at Erbil Air Base in Iraq on May 31, 2026.

Seibel was assigned to the Air Ambulance Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Carson, Colorado, according to officials.

The incident is under investigation.

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report. 

The House on Wednesday erupted into a chaotic showdown after GOP Rep. Max Miller of Ohio made fiery remarks directed at Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., saying she advocates “for terrorists on a daily basis.”

The incident unfolded during a debate over a Lebanon War Powers resolution, when Miller made comments about Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah is a terrorist organization — the gentlelady from Michigan, and its members are butchers that you like to, you know, hang out with to a certain extent,” Miller said. “No nation can be fully sovereign when an armed group operates outside the authority of its elected.”

As Tlaib interjected from the chamber and shouted an inaudible response, Miller fired back, “Oh, I’m sorry, are we getting a little emotional?”

“I certainly believe you advocate for them. Yes. You advocate for terrorists on a daily basis,” Miller added.

“Do you associate yourself with them?”

Chaos continued as presiding Rep. Jay Obernolte demanded order in the House.

“That is a direct attack on my character,” Tlaib said. “I, please, request to strike the words down.”

Obernolte later ruled Miller’s remarks out of order and ordered them stricken from the record. Miller was also barred from speaking on the House floor for the remainder of the day.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, who was managing the floor for Republicans, then delivered a statement on Miller’s behalf, saying: “Yes, I said it, I own it and I stand by it.”

U.S. Army officials told Fox News on Wednesday that certain operations were not planned for the fiscal year 2026 budget, placing additional strain on Pentagon resources and forcing Army leaders to make “tough” spending decisions.

The unplanned operations included missions such as Operation Epic Fury, southern border operations and National Guard deployments, officials said.

Some of the unexpected costs stem from rising fuel prices which have affected military training, officials told Fox News. The Pentagon reportedly purchases around 80 million barrels of fuel annually.

“Current energy market dynamics are increasing fuel costs, which can affect the costs of transporting personnel, supplies, and equipment,” Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard told Fox News.

The Army issued guidance to commands to make “tough and sound resource decisions that optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical requirements,” Army spokesperson Col. Marty Meiners told Fox News.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee in May that without supplemental funding, the Navy may need to decide in July how to reduce the cost of routine operations.

Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report. 

Dramatic video shows chaotic scenes at Kuwait International Airport following a reported Iranian drone and missile strike hours earlier.

Kuwaiti officials said the attack targeted civilian and critical infrastructure, resulting in one death, at least 63 injuries and damage to diplomatic missions.

In the footage, smoke, dust and flames engulfed a terminal building as debris lay scattered across the area.

A large gaping hole was also seen in the roof, as eyewitnesses said, “This is where the drone hit,” according to Reuters.

Flights were suspended after the attack, Reuters reported.

The civil aviation authority said Kuwait Airways is resuming flights from Terminal 4 after assessing damage and implementing safety measures, the outlet said. Jazeera Airways also resumed operations following similar protocols, Reuters added.

President Donald Trump suffered a rare defeat in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after Democrats joined by a handful of Republicans voted to sharply curb his war powers in Iran.

Lawmakers voted 215-208 to withdraw troops from using military force against Iran absent congressional authorization.

All Democrats present voted for the measure to effectively halt the U.S. military campaign against Iran. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Warren Davison, R-Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Tom Barrett, R-Mich., were the lone Republicans to buck the president and support the war powers resolution.

Massie, an ardent foe of the president who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, and Davidson, a libertarian-aligned lawmaker have criticized the war in Iran. Fitzpatrick and Barrett are both facing potentially difficult re-election bids in swing districts.

A majority of Republicans, however, sided with the president as Democrats sought to put them on the record.

The successful war powers vote is largely a symbolic loss for Trump given an expected presidential veto and the lack of a veto-proof majority.

Even if Congress did cobble together a supermajority to force the president’s hand, it’s unclear whether Trump would ultimately withdraw U.S. forces.

This is an excerpt from a story by Adam Pack, Tyler Olson and Chad Pergram.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. has made contact with Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah for the first time, adding that the group has agreed not to fire during its conflict with Israel.

“We actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time ever,” Trump said. “We didn’t know they spoke. And they agreed yesterday they’re not going to shoot. Israel is not going to shoot.”

His comments came as Trump said Israel “needed us” in its conflict involving Iran and Hezbollah.

“They couldn’t have done it without us, couldn’t have even come close. And they needed us and they got us to help them with a real problem,” he said. “They couldn’t have done it without us.”

He also praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a strong partner with the U.S., following reports that Trump recently became heated over Israel’s escalating military campaign against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, exposing a rare rift between the two leaders.

“They’ve been a great partner,” Trump said. “Bibi Netanyahu has been, for me, a great partner.”

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed to allow the U.S. to enter the country to excavate buried nuclear material from a mountain site that was previously “obliterated” during a U.S. operation.

The strike took place last summer, when U.S. military deployed B-2 bombers during Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran’s subterranean nuclear facilities. The Atomic Energy Commission later reported that highly enriched nuclear material was trapped and sealed beneath the collapsed mountain, Trump said.

“I want to get it,” he said. “They’ve changed their mind a couple of times. But as it stands now, we will go into some time in the not too distant future.”

Trump added that he would only support the effort when conflict has eased.

“I still nevertheless want it, and I don’t want to do it if we’re in conflict, I don’t want to put men in that kind of danger,” he said.

“When it’s over, as of this moment, it’s agreed that we will go in with them. We will get it, and we will destroy it. It will be destroyed.”

Trump also noted that the issue was of high priority to him.

“it’s very overrated. I’m the one that overrated it. I thought to me it was important. To other people, it’s not important.”

President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated that the ceasefire with Tehran remains intact and suggested negotiations could still take place in the coming days, even after reported Iranian attacks on U.S. allies Kuwait and Bahrain.

He said ceasefire conditions in certain parts of the world require different approaches.

“At that part of the world, a ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate pattern,” he said at the White House.

Hours earlier, Kuwait’s foreign ministry said Iranian drone attacks resulted in one death and at least 63 injuries. The U.S., meanwhile, hit Iran’s Qeshm Island as tensions escalated, officials said.

“There’s a reason for everything and we hit them pretty hard the night before and actually last night,” Trump added.

The president suggested Iran may have acted after being “slightly provoked,” referring to U.S. forces carrying out what they described as “self-defense strikes” in late May amid the ongoing ceasefire.

“Some people would say that they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason,” he said. “So they were reciprocating it.”

“I knew the negotiation itself is going very well,” he added. “If it happens it may happen over the weekend.”

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday rebuked Iran’s claim that damage at Kuwait International Airport in an attack hours earlier was caused by American operations instead of Tehran.

“CLAIM: Iran claimed today that it did not attack the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport and damage was instead caused by a U.S. missile interceptor. Totally FALSE,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.

CENTCOM said Iran was responsible for the attack, alleging it used drones in what it described as a “calculated and unjustified” operation.

“TRUTH: Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack,” it said.

Earlier in the day, U.S. ally Kuwait said its airport was targeted during “brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones.”

The strike reportedly killed one person, injured others, and damaged critical infrastructure, including diplomatic missions, according to a statement from the country’s foreign ministry on X.

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday praised President Donald Trump’s approach toward Iran and Israel, describing it as a necessary response to what he called Iran’s role as a leading state sponsor of terrorism.

His remarks at The Economic Club of New York on Operation Epic Fury marked another conciliatory signal after his relationship with Trump fractured in early 2021.

“I must tell you personally, I couldn’t be more proud of the decision by President Donald Trump, to unleash the armed forces of the United States of America last year and this year against the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. The president’s willingness to take the fight directly to Iran,” Pence said.

“And let me also, say, as the father of a United States Marine and the father-in-law of a lieutenant commander in the Navy, every American should be proud of the extraordinary work of our military in Operation Epic Fury.”

Pence further expressed support for the administration’s backing of Israel, saying he is grateful Trump has defended the alliance despite criticism from some voices on the populist right.

“And finally, at a time when we have voices on the populist right that are questioning our historic alliances, including our alliance with Israel, I am proud and grateful that the Trump administration and our president has stood without apology for the Jewish state of Israel,” he said.

Government watchdogs have launched a formal accountability review of spending tied to Operation Epic Fury, federal officials announced Wednesday.

The inspectors general for the Department of War (DoW), Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will lead the government-wide oversight effort, which is required under federal law when a military operation exceeds 60 days as an overseas contingency operation, the office said.

Officials said the effort is intended to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of foreign assistance funds connected to the mission.

Inspector General Platte B. Moring III will serve as the lead inspector general.

“We are collaborating closely with our colleagues to promote accountability and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” Moring said.

Arne B. Baker, the senior official performing the duties of the State Department inspector general, said the initiative will help “safeguard the integrity of U.S. diplomatic, security, and foreign assistance efforts while promoting transparency and accountability to the American public.”

As part of the effort, the DoW Office of Inspector General will coordinate federal oversight of the operation, develop a joint strategic oversight plan, and provide quarterly reports to Congress. The first report is expected this fall.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touted the U.S. economy’s persistent growth, despite it facing economic disruptions from the Iran war, during a Wednesday budget hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee.

“For the past four quarters, the U.S. economy has grown at 2.6 percent. And that is despite the Democratic government shutdown in the fall. And that is despite the Iranian conflict, which will make our country safer,” Bessent said.

“And what we are doing on the household side, as I said, almost 50 percent of the tax returns we received had one of the president’s four signature policies. On the other side, the pro-growth, the tax policy for our corporations, immediate expensing of capital equipment of structures, including farm structures, and the 100% expensing for R&D and certainty, Senator, it is the certainty that allows both big and small businesses to be able to plan for the future for hiring, for capital expenditures,” Bessent continued.

“And it is this capital stock and investment that generates high after tax returns and increases productivity. And productivity increases are what increases real standards of living,” he told Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Bessent also pointed to the U.S.’s high deficit, blaming it on high government spending.

“As I said all the way back as far as my confirmation hearing, we do not have a collection problem. We have a spending problem, and we have a growth problem. So if we can constrain spending and grow our economy, then we have the ability to pay down debt and get back to the 3 percent target,” he said.

“I believe that we can achieve something with a three in front of it by the end of President Trump‘s term,” Bessent included.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent detailed the Treasury Department’s efforts to halt Iran’s shadow fleet and their movement of Iranian oil during a Wednesday budget hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee.

“We began With a maximum campaign pressure in March of 2025. We have continued that. And approximately seven or eight weeks ago, the president instructed me to take it up to the maximum,” Bessent said.

“We call it Operation Economic Fury. And the Iranians, one of the many mistakes they have made, was targeting, with missiles, their Gulf neighbors. We have good partners in the Gulf, but many of them were not completely transparent with us (with) what may or may not have been going on in their banking system. And we have achieved a much greater level of transparency. And we have seized a substantial amount of crypto assets. We have sanctioned ships. And in fact, the Navy has seized some of these ships. And we are tracking, mostly the IRGC funds, and we are freezing those for the day that they can be given back to the Iranian people,” Bessent concluded.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that, as a result of a U.S. pressure campaign, the Iranian government was unable to pay over 50 percent of their army and that their police “are not reporting to the police station.”

“We have a dedicated, dedicated staff that has done a fantastic job of outlining the black market and the flow of Iranian oil and energy around the globe,” Bessent said. Wednesday during a Senate Finance Committee budget hearing.

“We have frozen assets. We are holding those, and we have severely disrupted the Iranian economy and the Iranian war machine. We think that inflation may be over 200%,” he continued.

“Their currency has collapsed. We believe that more than 50 percent of the army is not getting paid, and that police are not reporting to the police station,” Bessent concluded.

A California tech company CEO was arrested for allegedly supplying U.S. equipment to Iran’s nuclear and military establishment.

Jamshid Ghomi, 63, a dual Iranian and U.S. citizen residing in Newport Coast, Calif., is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Ghomi allegedly procured “sophisticated U.S.-origin networking, security, and encryption equipment for Iranian customers — including the Iranian regime’s nuclear and military establishment,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.

“As alleged, Ghomi enriched himself by supplying U.S. technology to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and other sanctioned entities responsible for Iran’s nuclear program,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said, per the statement.

“The National Security Division will hold accountable those who violate our laws to further Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” he said

Ghomi moved over $15 million from Iran into his U.S. bank accounts and a separate escrow account, falsely reporting the money to the IRS as a foreign inheritance, according to the DOJ.

His federal tax returns reported almost no income with his highest reported income in any year being $20,684. He allegedly claimed the tax break intended for low- to moderate-income working individuals and families, in seven different tax years while reporting more than $1.7 million in mortgage interest and $1.25 million in state and local real-estate taxes on his federal income tax returns.

According to the DOJ, he used the proceeds from his “sanctions-evasion scheme” to fund the construction of a multi-million dollar Orange Country mansion.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he was hopeful that the second day of talks between the Lebanese and Israeli governments would produce a plan to secure Lebanon from the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.

“As I speak to you now, for the second consecutive day, and for the first time in many, many years, the leaders of the legitimate government of Lebanon and leaders from the government of Israel for the second day in a row,” Rubio said while appearing in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

“Hopefully today we’ll produce a joint statement and an action plan on a track for security in that country, independent from Hezbollah, independent from nefarious influence,” Rubio continued.

Rubio also revealed that the two sides had similar meetings last week at the Pentagon that were of the military nature.

Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in the south of Lebanon as well as limited strikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, threatened to derail a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran after Iranian leaders claimed they were shutting down diplomatic negotiations, citing the Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

On Tuesday the U.S. brokered a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but, Rubio detailed Wednesday, Hezbollah broke that ceasefire.

“We had indications, multiple indications, that Israel may be considering conducting anti-Hezbollah strikes inside of Beirut. And at that moment we had reachout from the Lebanese authorities saying that Hezbollah had contacted them and said if Israel doesn’t strike Beirut, that they would stop launching missiles into Israeli territory that they would stop launching missiles into Israeli territory. That’s the message we got. And that’s what the president pursued and said, okay, I had this outreach. If you won’t do these strikes in Beirut, they’ll stop launching against you in in northern Israel. Unfortunately, within an hour or two of that conversation, they launched two waves of rockets from Hezbollah against Israel and Israeli territory,” Rubio revealed.

“One of the reasons why we’re engaged in these talks between Lebanon and Israel is understanding that Hezbollah is not just an enemy of Israel. Hezbollah is an enemy of Lebanon. They are an enemy of the Lebanese government. They have called for the overthrow of the Lebanese government. When Lebanon expelled the Iranian ambassador, he refused to leave. He said ‘I’m not leaving. You can’t expel me. Hezbollah is protecting me.’ So Hezbollah is not just a challenge to Israel. It’s a challenge to Lebanon, to the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people. And we are hopeful that we can create a paradigm in which Lebanon’s government and Israel can work together to disarm Hezbollah and allow the people of Lebanon to reclaim its country,” Rubio said

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alluded to a highly-publicized phone call between him and President Donald Trump in which Trump expressed displeasure with Netanyahu over Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

During a Wednesday interview with CNBC, Netanyahu refused to comment directly on the phone call, but alluded more broadly to “tactical disagreements” he has with Trump.

“Sometimes we have, as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements,” he told the outlet. He also added “we always find a way to work them out, and we do so as great friends.”

“We can disagree in the morning” and end up agreeing by afternoon, he told the outlet. He also said he and Trump “agree on the main things.”

He also said Trump has been “the greatest friend to Israel” and said the pair speak every two days.

A Monday report from Axios alleged that Trump lambasted Netanyahu over ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon that threatened a peace deal between the U.S. and Lebanon. “You’re f—— crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your a–. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Trump reportedly said.

In an interview published on Wednesday, Trump confirmed he expressed displeasure with Netanyahu over Lebanon on a phone call, though did not confirm the language reported by Axios.

“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. At some point I said ‘Bibi, we gotta stop this. We gotta stop it,'” he told the New York Post’s Miranda Devine.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemned Iran’s Wednesday strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain in a social media post, calling the attacks “flagrant Iranian aggression and blatant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly Kingdom of Bahrain and the brotherly State of Kuwait.”

“The Kingdom reiterates that these clear violations undermine international efforts to restore security and stability in the region,” the statement, posted on X, continued.

“The Kingdom reaffirms its solidarity with the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, and its full support for all measures they take to preserve their sovereignty, security, and stability. The Kingdom extends its condolences to the State of Kuwait and wishes the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement concluded.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that the strikes, which hit Kuwait International Airport and other facilities, injured at least 63 and killed at least one person.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News on Wednesday that he would oppose a forthcoming vote on an Iran War Powers Resolution.

Johnson said he would “hope it doesn’t pass” in regards to legislation that could curtail President Donald Trump’s power to enact strikes on Iran and require him to gain congressional approval for doing so.

On May 14, a House resolution directing the president “to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran or any part of its government or military” failed after a 212-212 tie in the House.

Three Republicans — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich. — broke ranks with the party to support the resolution while one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted with Republicans.

A week later, Johnson and other House GOP leadership pulled a separate war powers vote after concluding they lacked the votes to defeat it. The resolution’s support had grown, including from Golden, who had opposed an earlier version but said he would vote for the measure the next time it reached the floor.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also weighed in Wednesday, telling Fox News’ chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram, “I don’t know how it’s going to go… There are lot of people now seeing that (the war is) moving toward peace.”

President Donald Trump confirmed reports of a tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s ongoing military action against the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

During an interview with Trump, the New York Post’s Miranda Devine asked Trump to confirm details from a Monday Axios story detailing the phone call in which Trump reportedly told Netanyahu “You’re f—— crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me.”

Trump confirmed that he took issue with Netanyahu on the phone call, saying “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. At some point I said ‘Bibi, we gotta stop this. We gotta stop it.”

Iran had previously announced a cessation of all communication with U.S. negotiators, citing the Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

Following the phone call, the U.S. brokered a partial truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, though Israel warned residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate on Wednesday, claiming the Israeli Defense Forces were preparing for an operation after claiming Hezbollah violated the ceasefire.

UNITED NATIONS: Romania’s foreign minister told Fox News Digital that Bucharest answered the Trump administration’s call for allied support in the Middle East by allowing the use of Romanian military bases for “defensive activities” related to tensions with Iran and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have allowed for access to defensive activities, such as air refueling, for example, because we do believe allies need to rely on each other,” Romania’s interim Foreign Affairs Minister Oana-Silvia Ţoiu said in an exclusive interview at the United Nations.

“We’re not part of the war, nor do we intend to become part of war, but we are part of an effort to ensure common defense, and we are a part of a diplomatic effort to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.

This is an excerpt from a story by Efrat Lachter.

Kuwait decried Iranian attacks in a statement issued by its foreign affairs ministry, saying that the Kuwait International Airport had been targeted.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait‘s condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, the latest of which occurred at dawn today, targeting once again civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, resulting in the death of one individual, injuries to others, and damage to vital facilities, including diplomatic missions,” part of the statement declared, according to a translation of the Arabic-language post on X.

Kuwait‘s Ministry of Defense spokesperson had indicated that a building at Kuwait International Airport was damaged and people were injured, according to a post on X by the official account of Kuwait Army general staff headquarters.

This is an excerpt from a story by Alex Nitzberg.