As the U.S. escalates its fight against Iran with bunker-buster bombs designed to hit deeply buried missile storage sites, retired Gen. Jack Keane slammed NATO allies for their initial lack of support on “Hannity,” but said that “the Europeans have started to get the message.”

Keane said on Wednesday “these social democracy countries” have “absolutely decapitated their defense budgets” to pay for what he called “entitlement programs” over the course of decades.

The Callisto tanker sits anchored as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 10, 2026. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

Their handouts and open border policies led to serious issues, he continued, ultimately setting the conditions for strongmen like Russian President Vladimir Putin to move in.

“What did Russia look at? He [Putin] sees vulnerabilities. He sees American weak leadership. He doesn’t see the Europeans standing up here. And he takes advantage of the situation and invades Ukraine,” said Keane.

US BUNKER-BUSTER BOMBS HAMMER IRANIAN ANTI-SHIP MISSILE SITES NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The looming threat of Putin and pressure from President Donald Trump have led America’s European allies to begin rebuilding their defenses, Keane contended, though he said it would take some time to accomplish.

He expressed frustration at allies’ initial reluctance to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and gas transport that supplies roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and has been targeted by Iran. 

Most shipping traffic has been halted since early March, after the war started. About 20 vessels have been attacked in the area.

Volunteers clean debris from a residential building damaged when a nearby police station was hit Friday in a U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

“It’s very frustrating to see something like that happen when we need help. It’s not that we can’t escort these ships down the Straits of Hormuz. Of course, we know how to do that,” he said.

US COULD TAKE IRAN’S MAIN OIL EXPORT HUB ‘AT A TIME OF OUR CHOOSING,’ JACK KEANE SAYS

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan released a joint statement Thursday expressing their willingness to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, proving Keane’s prediction that some countries will “come forward and do what they should have done right from the beginning” to be true.

“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” it read. 

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“It’s not going to start immediately,” he said. “We want to remove that threat and bring the risks down to something that’s quite manageable.”

The conflict with Iran began on February 28, 2026, with the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting the Iranian security apparatus.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is speaking out over an incident in a restaurant in her home state where she says she was treated rudely and asked to leave by staff while having lunch. 

“Last week I was having lunch with two other moms at a restaurant when the owner approached a member of the State Police Executive Protection Detail and said my presence made their employees feel threatened and told us to leave,” Sanders said in a statement Thursday about her recent dining experience at The Croissanterie restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

“Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate.”

Sanders’s office tells Fox News Digital the governor visited the establishment on Friday, March 13, along with her security detail and after about an hour and fifteen minutes, during which her group was seated at two tables and had already paid and tipped staff, the restaurant’s owner approached a member of the security detail and requested that the governor leave.

GOV SANDERS, CONSERVATIVES UNLOAD ON ‘BIZARRE’ DEMOCRAT SOTU COUNTERPROGRAMMING: ‘NORMAL VS CRAZY’

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attends an event on natural disaster preparedness with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on June 10, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Her office said the request was made due to concerns that her presence was making employees feel threatened and uncomfortable due to her political views.

Sanders and her party complied with the request and exited the restaurant. As they were leaving, an individual standing with the restaurant staff shouted for them to go and made a crude hand gesture in the governor’s direction.

The Croissanterie released a lengthy statement about the incident to local media, saying when they first learned she had arrived at the establishment they were “surprised and uncertain how best to respond.”

“By the time we entered the dining room, she was already seated and eating. At that point, we chose not to interrupt, expecting that the party would complete their meal and depart without issue,” the statement said. 

The restaurant says that as time went on, the governor’s security detail became “more widely noticed, by both employees and guests, questions were raised about them remaining in the restaurant.”

GOV SANDERS REJECTS DEMAND FROM LEGAL GROUP TO UNDO CHRISTMAS CLOSURE: ‘I WILL DO NO SUCH THING’

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences. Allowing her to stay risked being perceived as a lack of support for the community that makes up the majority of our team, as well as their families and friends. Conversely, asking her to leave could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs.”

The restaurant says they “ultimately made the decision” to “support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable” but said “we do not recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened.”

The restaurant says that one hour into the governor’s visit, a member of the security detail was “quietly approached and asked to encourage the governor to conclude her visit” given she had finished dining.”

“Nearly 30 minutes later, the party remained on the premises,” the restaurant says. “As the 90-minute table seating limit approached, the security detail was approached a second time and informed that approximately 10 minutes remained. Around this time, another customer attempted to involve themselves in the situation and was asked to step away.”

The restaurant says they reviewed camera footage from the incident and confirmed “that a member of the security detail did send a message to the governor following the initial request; however, it was not seen at that time. Once the message was received, she and her party departed without incident.”

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The restaurant went on to say that “many” guests in the dining room were “unaware of the situation” and that there was “no applause or disruption.”

The Croissanterie also claimed that the individual who made an “inappropriate hand gesture” to Sanders was a customer rather than an employee and “the matter has been addressed.”

“We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision,” the restaurant said. “However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests.”

Fox News Digital reached out to The Croissanterie for details on what specifically made the employees “uncomfortable” but did not receive a response. 

A similar incident unfolded in 2018, while Sanders was serving as President Donald Trump’s press secretary, when she was asked to leave a Red Hen restaurant in Virginia after being told the ownership took issue with her political views and job position.

“Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left,” Sanders tweeted at the time. “Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.”

Other Republican political targets who were harassed at restaurants that year included Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

Atlanta Hawks star Jonathan Kuminga improbably made the sixth-longest basket in NBA history during the third quarter of the team’s 135-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center.

Kuminga, 23, snared a rebound under his own basket with about five seconds left in the quarter. He took one dribble and appeared to fling a pass across the court to an open Jock Landale under the rim, hoping for a quick layup.

Instead, Kuminga’s 75-foot pass went straight through the net for a 3-pointer. Kuminga, seemingly incredulous that he made the basket, put his hands on his head, stunned that he made it.

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Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) drove downcourt and scored against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on March 18, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

The basket was the longest by a Hawks player in the play-by-play era and the sixth-longest among all players in the play-by-play era since 1997-98, according to Elias Sports. The previous longest made basket by a Hawks player was a 63-foot bucket by Jason Terry on Jan. 5, 2000.

Kuminga’s basket was one of many highlights in the Hawks’ 11th straight win. The win streak has propelled the Hawks to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

NBA MVP CANDIDATE, 24, DIAGNOSED WITH COLLAPSED LUNG AS PLAYOFFS NEAR: REPORT

Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (not pictured) drove downcourt and scored as center Jock Landale (31) tried to reach the ball during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on March 18, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

Atlanta hasn’t won at least 11 in a row since winning a franchise-record 19 straight during the 2014-15 season. Their current streak is tied for the fourth-longest winning streak in club history.

Dyson Daniels had 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and Jalen Johnson scored 17 points with 11 rebounds for the Hawks. Kuminga had 16 points with five rebounds and three assists in the win.

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Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) shoots over Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Texas, on March 18, 2026. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

The Mavericks have now lost 11 of their last 13 and appear destined for the draft lottery at 23-47.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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