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In a long-awaited move that has reignited global public curiosity about potential extraterrestrial life, the U.S. Pentagon released its first collection of once-classified documents detailing hundreds of reported unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings on Friday. The batch of files, which draws records from multiple U.S. agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, NASA and the Defense Department itself, includes decades-old reports of flying saucers, mysterious airborne discs, and even a recent glowing orb encounter compared to the iconic ‘Eye of Sauron’ from *The Lord of the Rings*.

Public and official attention toward Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP, the Pentagon’s official term for UFOs) has surged in recent years. Beyond public fascination, U.S. defense officials have raised serious national security concerns, noting that many unexplained aerial sightings could stem from advanced secret military technologies being tested by U.S. geopolitical adversaries.

In an official statement announcing the release, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the urgency of transparency, noting that decades of classification had fueled widespread public speculation that the public deserved to evaluate firsthand. ‘These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves,’ Hegseth said.

In total, more than 160 declassified files were made accessible to the public via the Defense Department’s official website. The records stretch back nearly 80 years: one of the oldest entries, dated December 1947, compiles multiple independent reports of ‘flying discs’ documented by U.S. military officials. A 1948 top-secret U.S. Air Force intelligence report echoed persistent official concern over the recurring sightings, noting that the consistent reports from credible observers kept the issue a top priority for Air Material Command headquarters.

Alongside the mid-20th century documents, the release also includes recently compiled reports from 2023. One file summarizes seven separate accounts from federal government employees of unexplained anomalous phenomena across U.S. airspace. The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the body tasked with investigating UAP encounters, labeled this collection of accounts ‘among the most compelling’ in its entire active database, citing the professional credibility of the witnesses and the unusual nature of the events they described.

One of the most striking 2023 accounts comes from three independent teams of federal law enforcement special agents, all of whom separately reported seeing large orange orbs in the sky that launched or emitted smaller, red glowing orbs. In a separate incident, two federal special agents encountered a glowing orange object perched on the edge of a rock pinnacle. The witnesses drew a sketch of the object, and described it as nearly identical to the Eye of Sauron from J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy franchise, minus the iconic central pupil.

The release of the files follows an executive order from President Donald Trump issued in February 2025, which directed all U.S. federal agencies to begin the process of identifying and declassifying all government-held records related to UFOs and potential extraterrestrial activity. Trump justified the order by pointing to overwhelming public interest in the topic.

When announcing the order, Trump drew controversy by accusing his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, of improperly disclosing classified information during a viral podcast appearance. In that podcast, Obama had addressed widespread rumors surrounding Area 51, the highly secretive Nevada military facility at the center of decades of UFO conspiracy theories. Obama stated: ‘They’re real, but I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in… Area 51.’

Trump responded to the remarks at the time by claiming Obama had leaked information he was not authorized to share, while adding that he remained uncertain about the existence of extraterrestrial life: ‘I don’t know if they are real or not.’

To date, no conclusive empirical evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life visiting Earth has been presented by the U.S. government. In a March 2024 report, the Pentagon confirmed that it has found no conclusive evidence linking reported UAP sightings to alien technology. The report noted that the vast majority of unexplained encounters ultimately are identified as ordinary objects and activity, including weather balloons, reconnaissance aircraft, orbiting satellites, and natural atmospheric phenomena.

A day of rapidly shifting developments across the Middle East on Friday left regional security hanging in the balance, with armed clashes between U.S. and Iranian forces, cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel, and diplomatic friction roiling already fragile relations between key global and regional players.

The first major development broke when U.S. Central Command announced via a social media post on X, accompanied by footage of the operation, that American military forces had fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers that it said attempted to breach a U.S.-led maritime blockade imposed on Iranian ports since April 13. The attack, carried out by a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, used precision munitions targeted at the vessels’ smokestacks to stop them from entering Iranian territorial waters. This operation marks the fourth time the U.S. has forcibly stopped ships it accuses of violating the blockade, following the seizure of the Iran-flagged tanker Herby by the U.S. destroyer USS Rafael Peralta just 11 days earlier.

Iranian state media quickly pushed back on the U.S. account, confirming fresh armed confrontations in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Fars News Agency reported that sporadic clashes between Iranian armed forces and U.S. naval vessels had been ongoing for more than an hour on Friday, following a major flare-up overnight Thursday. An unnamed Iranian official added that overnight U.S. strikes on shipping near the strait hit an Iranian cargo vessel, leaving five crew members missing and 10 others wounded.

Diplomatically, the U.S. remained on standby Friday for Iran’s response to a latest U.S.-proposed peace deal, a development that comes after both sides traded blame for the overnight clash that sent global markets into turbulence and renewed widespread fears that the region could slide back into full-scale open conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s hardline position ahead of Iran’s expected response, stressing that Iran has no right to claim control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global chokepoint for 20% of the world’s daily oil trade. “Iran now claims that they own, that they have a right to control, an international waterway… That’s an unacceptable thing that they’re trying to normalise,” Rubio told reporters Friday.

Amid the U.S.-Iran standoff, the long-running Israeli-Lebanese border front also flared back to life, just weeks after a tentative truce went into effect. The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah announced it had launched a barrage of missiles at an Israeli military base south of the coastal city of Nahariya in northern Israel. The strike was framed as retaliation for recent Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Israeli military confirmed that air raid sirens activated across multiple northern Israeli communities shortly before Hezbollah’s statement. Separately, Lebanon’s civil defence rescue organisation confirmed that an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed one of its personnel, raising tensions further along the volatile border.

Diplomatic friction also emerged between the U.S. and its long-time regional partner Saudi Arabia, according to two anonymous Saudi sources speaking exclusively to Agence France-Presse. The sources confirmed that Riyadh has barred the U.S. from using Saudi airspace and military bases on Saudi territory for any operations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The clarification notes that this restriction applies only to operations targeting the current standoff with Iran, and that the U.S. will retain access to Saudi infrastructure for all other pre-planned activities. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stated publicly that it will never allow its territory or airspace to be used for offensive operations against Iran, aligning with this new restriction.

The escalating conflict has already sparked ripple effects across global energy and transportation sectors. On Friday, the European Union moved to crack down on exploitative airline pricing amid spiking aviation fuel costs tied to Middle East war supply risks, banning carriers from adding last-minute fuel surcharges to tickets that customers have already purchased. Separately, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued new guidance clearing the way for expanded use of U.S.-produced Jet A aviation fuel across European airports. Currently, the fuel is only permitted for use by flights returning to the U.S. from European hubs. EASA’s new guidance concludes that widespread adoption of Jet A in Europe would not create major safety risks so long as the transition is properly managed, a move intended to head off potential fuel shortages amid ongoing supply disruptions.

Another major escalation came when the United Arab Emirates confirmed that Iranian forces launched a combined missile and drone attack on Emirati territory Friday. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence wrote in a post on X that the country’s air defence systems successfully intercepted two ballistic missiles and three unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran, but the attack still left three people with moderate injuries.

In a further sign of Iran’s plans to assert control over the strategic waterway, a leading international shipping journal reported Friday that Tehran has established a new government agency tasked with approving all vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz and collecting transit tolls from passing ships. The move comes as Washington continues to push for a diplomatic deal to reopen the strait, which Iran has closed to commercial shipping in recent weeks amid the escalating standoff.

One year to the day after his historic election as the first American pontiff to lead the global Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV traveled to southern Italy’s Pompeii on Friday to mark the milestone, describing himself as “blessed” amid weeks of public friction with the White House.

The 70-year-old Pope marked the May 8, 2025 anniversary with a visit to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii, a religious site founded by a former Satanic priest that held special personal meaning for Leo: he first referenced the sanctuary in his inaugural address from St. Peter’s Basilica balcony on the day of his election. The site sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, near the iconic ruins of the ancient Roman city destroyed by the volcano’s eruption centuries ago.

Arriving via white helicopter to the ancient southern Italian city, Pope Leo was greeted by roaring shouts of “the pope has arrived!” from thousands of pilgrims gathered in the main city square. Inside the sanctuary, he addressed a crowd of more than 2,000 faithful, which included 400 sick and disabled worshippers. “What a beautiful day, so many blessings. I feel the most blessed for being able to come here to the sanctuary… on this anniversary,” he told the assembled gathering.

The pastoral trip came just one day after Pope Leo held a long-awaited audience with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a meeting arranged to de-escalate tensions that erupted after U.S. President Donald Trump launched scathing public criticism of the pontiff’s outspoken anti-war stance. In the wake of Trump’s attacks, Pope Leo stood firm, saying he held a “moral duty” to speak out against conflict, and reiterated this position ahead of the Pompeii visit, noting “The Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel and to preach peace.”

Following the meeting, Rubio confirmed the discussion had been productive, telling reporters “It’s important to share our points of view and an understanding of where we’re coming from.” The Pope’s measured response to Trump’s criticism won praise from both lay worshippers and Italian political leaders. Mariella Annunziata, a 52-year-old faithful in attendance at the Pompeii event, told reporters the pope had responded “in an elegant way” to the attacks, adding “He did not give in to provocation.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who also drew criticism from Trump after defending the Pope’s right to speak out on peace issues, issued a public tribute to the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Writing on X, she noted: “In a complex and highly uncertain time, his voice is a point of reference on a global level — for Christians but not only.”

After arriving in Pompeii, Pope Leo traveled through the packed square in his popemobile, with crowds leaning out of building windows and gathering on balconies to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. Dressed in a traditional red mozzetta short cape over his white papal robes, he greeted an estimated 20,000 people gathered outside the basilica with a cheerful “Good morning Pompeii!” before entering the sanctuary.

During an outdoor mass held following his tour, the Pope returned to his core anti-war message, telling attendees “We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that we see on the news every day”. He also prayed for God to “enlighten all those who bear special responsibilities of governance” and called on global leaders to make a “renewed commitment” to end all armed conflicts around the world.

For many pilgrims in attendance, the anniversary visit was a historic occasion. Tommaso Del Sorbo, a 32-year-old local who brought his small poodle Giorgio to the mass, said “It’s a wonderful feeling because it’s not every day that we have the pope here among us, especially one year after his election.” Sixty-eight-year-old Salvatore Sica, who traveled to Pompeii from nearby Naples, offered a measured take on the new pontiff, noting his reserved leadership style contrasts sharply with that of the late Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff who died in April 2024 and was widely beloved for his warm, spontaneous approach. “I’m curious to see the new pope… He’s not like Francis, who was one of the family, like a brother or a father,” Sica said. “He preaches peace but I see him as distant from the people. But he is a good pope.”

The one-day southern Italy trip is the first of a series of short pastoral visits the Vatican has planned for Italy this summer, coming two weeks after the Pope completed a four-nation tour of Africa. After wrapping up his events in Pompeii, the Pope traveled on to Naples, where he venerated the relics of San Gennaro, the city’s patron saint, and greeted crowds in the iconic Piazza del Plebiscito. In a speech to Naples residents, he praised the city as a “pearl of the Mediterranean” while also drawing attention to its widespread economic hardship and “multiple faces of poverty.”