The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has released a statement in the aftermath of the U.S. and Israel military strikes on Iran. 

The IOC shared the statement with Fox News Digital in response to an inquiry asking whether the committee considered the U.S. and Israel strikes on Iran a violation of the Olympic truce. The statement concludes by saying “discussions being undertaken” as to how to best uphold the IOC’s commitment to its neutrality principles.

“In a world shaken by conflict, division and tragedy, with lives being lost and tragedies experienced by so many, now more than ever, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stands firm in its belief that sport must remain a beacon of hope – a force that brings the whole world together in peaceful competition,” the statement read. 

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“This is at the very heart of the Olympic Movement and derives from the Fundamental Principles of Olympism. The neutrality principle of the Olympic Movement was recently re-emphasised by the IOC Executive Board. Strengthening this approach and ensuring that it remains relevant in the future is central to the discussions being undertaken by a dedicated working group in the context of the Fit for the Future process.”

The committee’s recent reference to its “neutrality principle” was a Sept. 19 statement, coming at a time of early U.S. military action against Venezuelan targets. 

“In a world shaken by conflict and division, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) stands firm in its belief that sport must remain a beacon of hope — a force that brings the whole world together in peaceful competition. This is at the very heart of the Olympic Movement and derives from the Fundamental Principles of Olympism,” the Sept. 19 statement read. 

After the Jan. 2 U.S. operation against Venezuela that captured its former dictator, Nicolás Maduro, the IOC provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to a question of whether the operation would lead to U.S. banishment from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The committee ruled out any penalty on Team USA.

“As a global organization, the IOC has to manage a complex reality. The IOC has to deal with the current political context and the latest developments in the world,” the statement read.

“The ability to bring athletes together, no matter where they come from, is fundamental to the future of values-based, truly global sport, which can give hope to the world.

“For this reason, the IOC cannot involve itself directly in political matters or conflicts between countries, as these fall outside our remit. This is the realm of politics.”

Since 2023, some activists around the globe have called for Israel to also be penalized by the IOC for the war in Gaza. 

The IOC directly rejected a request from Spain’s government to bar Israel from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in September. 

“Both the National Olympic Committee of Israel and that of Palestine are recognized by the IOC and have the same rights. Both comply with the Olympic Charter and we continue working with them to mitigate the impact of the current conflict on athletes,” the IOC said in a statement to Spanish media.

Russian athletes are banned from competing in the Olympics since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russian invaded Ukraine just four days after the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February of that year, which is a violation of the Olympic Truce clause in the IOC charter. Russia also put Ukrainian athletes there under the control of the Russian Olympic Committee. 

As the war rages on, some American and Israeli national team athletes have been impacted by Iranian counterstrikes in Israel. 

Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counterattack on the country following the U.S.-assisted strikes on Iran.

“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace are causing considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sport.”

A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts were moving between bomb shelters when Iran’s counterstrikes began.

At least three American women’s basketball players are currently stuck in the country, as South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has led a public effort to bring them home. 

Former NCAA and Team USA women’s basketball player Destiny Littleton, who moved to Israel in November to play for a pro team in the country, has seen Iranian missiles and drones go off within viewing distance, as she is currently trapped in Jerusalem.

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“It’s my reality right now. It’s a war zone. Right now it’s pretty routine, you sit around, you wait for an alert on your phone, you wait for a siren, you go into a shelter in place, you wait for the all clear, and you just do it again, and do it again, and do it again,” she told Fox News Digital. 

Evacuations of American citizens from the Middle East have begun, a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

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A New York state Supreme Court judge has vacated disciplinary sanctions against 22 former and current Columbia University students who took over Hamilton Hall in April 2024 during anti-Israel protests.

Justice Gerald Lebovits ruled on Feb. 27, 2026, that the university had improperly relied on sealed arrest records in its internal disciplinary proceedings against the students and the sealed arrests were the only evidence students were in the building during the occupation.

“Ultimately, this court concludes that the underlying disciplinary determinations were not impermissibly delayed. But respondent’s internal hearing panel was statutorily barred from taking into account the fact that petitioners had been arrested in Hamilton Hall,” Lebovits wrote. “And the fact of petitioners’ sealed arrests was the only evidence before the hearing panel that petitioners were in Hamilton Hall while it was occupied. As a result, the panel’s determinations that petitioners committed most of the charged disciplinary violations… are arbitrary and capricious.”

The court further ruled that under the university’s own guidelines, students must be charged for their individual actions based on available evidence rather than the actions of a larger group.

Anti-Israel agitators barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024, in New York City.  (Alex Kent/Getty Images)

“The court therefore declines petitioners’ request not only to annul the challenged determinations, but also to bar recommencement of disciplinary proceedings against them,” the order stated.

Lebovits said the university could still pursue discipline if it finds other evidence not tied to the sealed arrests. He stayed the ruling for 30 days from entry to allow time for any stay request pending appeal.

A spokesperson for Columbia University said the school is reviewing the ruling and noted that students who were disciplined cannot return to campus.

“Columbia is reviewing the Court’s ruling from last Friday,” a statement provided to Fox News Digital read. “The order does not take effect for at least 30 days, and no student who was disciplined for the occupation of Hamilton Hall can return to campus at this time. Columbia is considering all of its options, including seeking a stay of the order and appealing the decision.”

New York Police Department officers detain dozens of anti-Israel students at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building near Gaza Solidarity Encampment earlier in New York, United States on April 30, 2024.  (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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The occupation occurred between April 29 and April 30, 2024, when an anti-Israel mob took over the administrative building, Hamilton Hall. Agitators barricaded the facility, renamed it “Hind’s Hall” in honor of a 6-year-old who died during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, and briefly detained two university janitors.

During the 22-hour standoff, agitators blocked entrances, smashed glass door panes, and covered security cameras.

Footage showed the students smashing windows, unfurling a Palestinian flag over a window and chanting: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Palestine will live forever.”

Mariano Torres and Lester Wilson, the two janitors inside at the time, later filed a lawsuit alleging they were “terrorized,” assaulted, and held against their will while protesters mocked them with antisemitic slurs.

A maintenance crew member confronts demonstrators attempting to barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on April 30, 2024, in New York City.  ((Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images))

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Students arrested that night were initially charged with misdemeanor trespass. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office later dismissed the charges, saying there was a lack of evidence, due in part to students wearing masks and blocking security cameras during the hostile takeover.

The DA’s office also moved to dismiss the charges on the understanding “that the students would be subject to Columbia’s internal disciplinary proceedings” and the records of their arrests and prosecutions were sealed under New York law.

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Columbia University’s internal hearing panel concluded that 22 students had each violated eight university conduct rules and imposed disciplinary sanctions that ranged from suspensions to expulsions to retroactive degree revocations.

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

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FIRST ON FOX: The State Department revealed communications with Congress on getting Americans out of the Middle East as Democrats on Capitol Hill say the department is “refusing to help people leave the region.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News Digital that the department has been in “constant contact” with Congress, specifically related to getting stranded Americans back home. 

“The State Department is in constant contact with members of Congress in order to provide American citizens in the Middle East with assistance and accurate information on the security situation in the region,” State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital in a statement Tuesday. “There is no greater priority than the safety of American citizens both at home and abroad.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his department has been in constant contact with Congress and thousands of staffers to assist Americans in the Middle East, pushing back on Democratic claims that it is refusing to help citizens leave the region. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters)

“The State Department has reached over a thousand Congressional staffers with briefings on the security situation on the Middle East and continues to be in constant contact with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee to ensure that their constituents have the facts on available support and assistance,” Pigott added.

Democrats in Congress have accused the Trump administration of not assisting in getting trapped Americans out of the area. 

“So the State Department is forcing everyone to immediately leave the region but is also refusing to help people leave the region,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted to X. “The strike itself is illegal and disastrous but their lack of readiness for what comes next is unforgivable as well.”

“Incompetence everywhere,” Murphy added.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and other Democrats have accused the Trump administration of incompetence and failing to adequately support Americans seeking to evacuate amid escalating tensions and strikes involving Iran. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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Sources at the State Department told Fox News Digital that they contacted the Consular on the Hill with approximately 130 emails and calls from 88 congressional offices through Monday evening, seeking information to provide constituents or request information about citizens in the region. 

The department also told Fox that they communicated with more than 1,300 congressional staffers, held three webinars covering the security situation, and have been in constant communication with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee on Embassy operating status, regional requests for additional interceptors, and other military equipment. 

The department says it made 60 emails and a dozen calls on policy-related questions, briefing requests, and general inquiries from congressional offices.

“On the first day, we had a lot of anxiety about things,” Kristy Ellmer told Fox News Digital. “I’ve never been in a place that had bombs floating above.” (Kristy Ellmer)

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During an interview with Fox News Digital, Kristy Ellmer, from New Hampshire, described the “shock waves” and “red bursts in air” she witnessed while with her husband in Dubai.

“We were just sitting on the beach. We hadn’t been watching the news or anything, just enjoying the morning,” Ellmer said. “All of a sudden, we felt explosions.”

She was scheduled to leave Dubai on Sunday, though she dealt with flight cancellations for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were all directly hit by strikes this weekend. (Sawayasu Tsuji)

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On Saturday, Iranian airstrikes hit the Dubai International Airport as the country exchanged blows with the U.S. and its Israeli allies. 

She still remains in the region, hoping to get out of the country by the end of the week.

Fox News Digital’s Jessica Mekles contributed to this report.

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A man has been convicted of murder and manslaughter after giving a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle to his teenage son, who is accused of using it to kill two high students and two teachers.

Colin Gray was found guilty of second-degree murder over the deaths of the two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo in the shootings at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast Atlanta, in 2024.

He was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded in the mass shooting that Mr Gray’s teenage son Colt has been accused of.

The teen’s mother, Marcee Gray, had testified she had urged his father to take any guns and lock them inside his truck so their son, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, could not access them.

The couple had separated in the months leading up to the shooting.

Gray is one of a number of parents prosecuted after their children were accused in fatal shootings across the US.

Prosecutors said he gave his son access to a gun and ammunition “after receiving sufficient warning that Colt Gray would harm and endanger the bodily safety of another”.

The father was also convicted of multiple counts of reckless conduct and cruelty to children. His son has been indicted on a total of 55 counts including murder.

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The teen has pleaded not guilty with a hearing scheduled for mid-March.

Investigators allege he carefully planned the attack on September 4, two years ago, at the school attended by 1,900 students.

He boarded a school bus with the semiautomatic, assault-style rifle in his book bag with the barrel sticking out and wrapped in poster board, they added.

After leaving his second-period class, he allegedly emerged from a bathroom with the weapon, and shot people in a classroom and hallways.

Colin Gray had given him the gun as a Christmas present and allowed his son to have access to it, despite his awareness that the boy’s mental health had deteriorated, a prosecutor said.

Fox News Media finished February continuing its run as the go-to brand on YouTube, topping all news brands and broadcast networks, according to social media analytics firm Emplifi.

Fox News increased its YouTube viewership year-over-year in February, delivering 370 million video views. The network led MS NOW, with 315 million views, CNN, with 205 million views, ABC News, with 139 million views, NBC News, with 90 million views, and CBS News, with 66 million views.

The news outlet’s coverage of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 led to Fox News hitting 36.8 million views on YouTube, according to YouTube Analytics.

Fox News’ flagship YouTube channel has 15 million subscribers as of March 3. The Fox News Clips account, which launched in May 2025 and provides the latest reporting and analysis from Fox News Channel, has 700,000 subscribers.

In this photo illustration, a YouTube app logo is displayed on an iPhone in the Apple Store.  (Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Fox Weather’s YouTube page was up 198% year-over-year with video views, driven by its coverage of a nor’easter in February.

Fox News Media also topped all news brands on social media with interactions, according to Emplifi.

The network delivered 134 million social media interactions in February, including 61 million interactions on Facebook, 25.9 million interactions on Instagram, 6.1 million interactions on X and 40.5 million interactions on TikTok.

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Understanding digital terms like “slop” and clickbait can help users take back control of their feeds. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Fox News’ TikTok engagement was up 49% compared to the prior year. The outlet also had its third-highest month ever with 2.4 billion social video views across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, almost doubling its views from one year ago.

The brand similarly delivered a record January on YouTube in 2026, generating 466 million video views in the first month of the year.

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Signs at the side entrance to the FOX News Headquarters at NewsCorp Building in Midtown Manhattan in March 2025. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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