As officials in the White House became increasingly concerned about the escalation in the conflict between Pakistan and India, it was decided Friday morning that Vice President JD Vance would call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Twenty-four hours before President Donald Trump announced on social media Saturday morning that a ceasefire had been reached, the scramble in the White House began. 

Senior officials began to fear that the situation could spiral out of control with neither side seriously considering options for de-escalation after Pakistan hit back at Indian military sites on Friday following an Indian missile attack on Pakistan. 

The strikes mark the latest escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals, a move triggered by a mass shooting for which India blames Pakistan.

PAKISTAN SAYS IT HAS STRUCK MILITARY TARGETS INSIDE INDIA IN SERIES OF NEW ATTACKS

In his noon phone call with Modi, Vance made it clear that the U.S. believed that there was a high probability of dramatic escalation as the conflict went into the weekend. 

The vice president encouraged Modi to consider de-escalation options, including a potential off-ramp that U.S. officials knew the Pakistanis would be amenable to. 

Modi listened to the vice president’s message, although he didn’t explicitly indicate openness to any of the options put forth. 

Vance's call to Modi came less than a month after he met with the Indian leader in New Delhi to discuss trade talks. 

From that point, key U.S. officials continued to work the phones with their counterparts in India and Pakistan into the night to help re-establish communications between the two sides, allowing them to work out terms for a ceasefire in the next 12 to 18 hours. 

PAKISTAN, INDIA SUGGEST POSSIBLE DE-ESCALATION AMID BOTH COUNTRIES' MISSILE STRIKES

"After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social just before 8 a.m. on Saturday. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., reacted to the president's announcement by referring to him in a post on X as "The Peace President."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted in a statement that he and Vance had engaged with officials from the two foreign countries.

"Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik," Rubio said in the statement. 

"I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site," he continued. "We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace."

Vance wrote in a post on X, "Great work from the President’s team, especially Secretary Rubio. And my gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire."

President Donald Trump wants India and Pakistan to cease fighting and is open to helping both countries broker a peace agreement, following strikes from India against Pakistan early Wednesday. 

India launched missiles against at least nine sites "where terrorist attacks against India have been planned," according to India’s Defense Ministry. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military reported that the strikes killed at least 26 people — including women and children — and claimed the strikes amounted to an "act of war." 

"Oh, it's so terrible. My position is, I get along with both," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop. And hopefully they can stop now. They've got a tit for tat, so hopefully they can stop now. But I know both. We get along with both countries very well. Good relationships with both. And I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help I will. I will be there as well."

Tension between India and Pakistan escalated in April after a gunman killed 26 people who were primarily Indian Hindi tourists in the India-controlled portion of Kashmir. India pinned the blame on Pakistan, and a militant group India claims is affiliated with a Pakistani militant group ultimately claimed responsibility for the attack. 

After India’s Wednesday strikes, Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets, claiming that the move was justified given India’s actions. 

"Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said. 

The Associated Press, Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Nick Kalman contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. is warning of potentially catastrophic consequences if India follows through with what Islamabad claims could be an imminent military strike in response to a recent attack in the disputed Kashmir region.

War between the two nuclear-armed states could get ugly quickly, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Rizwan Saeed Sheikh is calling on President Donald Trump to leverage his self-professed dealmaker credentials to hammer out an agreement with India.

"This is one nuclear flashpoint," the ambassador said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. "It could be an important part of President Trump’s legacy to attend to this situation — not with a Band-Aid solution, but by addressing the core issue: the Kashmir dispute."

Saeed described India’s response to the attack in Pahalgam — which left several Indian security forces dead — as dangerously premature and inflammatory. "Within minutes of the attack, India began leveling accusations against Pakistan," he said, noting that a post-investigation report was filed just 10 minutes after the incident occurred, despite the remote and rugged terrain near the scene. 

INDIA'S MODI GIVES ARMY FREEDOM TO ACT AS TENSIONS RISE WITH PAKISTAN AFTER DEADLY TERROR ATTACK

Pakistan claimed this week to have "credible intelligence" that an Indian counter-attack on its territory is imminent. The Indian Embassy in the U.S. did not respond to requests for comment on this story before publication time. 

The dust-up began with a tourist massacre on April 22 in Belgaum, Kashmir. All but one of the victims were Indian citizens, and India swiftly pointed the finger at Pakistan, which rejected the charge. 

The attack occurred in a remote valley only accessible on foot or by horse, and survivors claimed after the attack that the gunmen had accused some of the victims of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The ambassador warned that the region, home to over 1.5 billion people, is once again being held "hostage to the war of hysteria" by India’s government and media, who immediately "began beating war drums." The pair of rivals have exchanged gunfire across their heavily militarized borders since the attack. 

He cited Pakistan’s request for evidence linking it to the attack and Islamabad’s offer to participate in a neutral, transparent inquiry — both of which he said have gone unanswered.

"Any misadventure or miscalculation can lead to a nuclear interface," the ambassador said. "That is certainly not desirable in such a densely populated region."

PAKISTAN FEARS INDIA INCURISON ‘IMMINENT’ AMID HEIGHTENED TENSIONS FOLLOWING TERROR ATTACK

While Pakistan denies any involvement in the attack, the ambassador said those suspected are reportedly Indian nationals whose homes have already been raided. He questioned why India is looking outside its borders rather than addressing what he characterized as "administrative inadequacies" in Jammu and Kashmir, a territory he repeatedly referred to as "illegally occupied."

He also criticized India’s broader policies in Kashmir, including the alleged settlement of non-residents into the region, and what he called threats to unilaterally block water flows from Pakistan’s rivers — a move he said violates the long-standing Indus Waters Treaty.

"That is as grossly illegal as it can get," said Saeed. "This is one treaty that has withstood wars between India and Pakistan." Pakistan has said they would consider the cutting off of water supplies an act of war — and made pleas to The Hague, accusing New Delhi of water terrorism.

The ambassador called on nations around the globe to help with a lasting settlement. 

"Previously, when the situation has been at this level or the tensions have escalated, the international community has attended to the situation, but taken their eyes, their attention away, even before the situation could fully diffuse," said Saeed. "This time, perhaps it would be… timely in terms of the situation elsewhere on the globe, with similar instances, which one can note and see and are being attended to to perhaps not afford a Band-Aid solution, but to address the broader problem."

PAKISTAN FEARS INDIA INCURSION 'IMMINENT' AMID HEIGHTENED TENSIONS FOLLOWING TERROR ATTACK

India and Pakistan each control parts of the Kashmir region, but both claim it in full. They have fought three wars over the territory.

In 2019, a cross-border attack carried out by militants killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in Kashmir. India responded by bombing targets inside Pakistan. 

Modi's government revoked Muslim-majority Kashmir's autonomy in 2019, bringing it back under Indian control and prompting protests. 

Kashmir has been a disputed region since both India and Pakistan gained their autonomy from Britain in 1947. The region is now one of the most militarized in the world. Violence by regional militant groups has left tens of thousands dead. 

But Modi's aggressive stance in Kashmir has precipitated relative peace over the past five years, boosting his popularity domestically. He may feel political pressure to respond with force to the most recent dust-up. 

Pakistan has been ravaged by terrorism for decades, and Saeed said the nation has lost anywhere between 70,000 and 90,000 lives over the past 20 years to terror attacks. 

"We cannot afford any instability in the neighborhood," said Saeed. "We want a peaceful neighborhood. But as we have been repeatedly mentioning at all levels, leadership level and all the other levels, that we want peace, but that should not in any way be misconstrued as a sign of weakness. We want peace with dignity."

FIRST ON FOX: A plane full of Central Asian illegal immigrants is on its way from the U.S. to Uzbekistan under a deal brokered between the two governments, Fox News Digital has learned. 

More than 100 unlawful immigrants are flying back to Uzbekistan on Wednesday under an agreement with the U.S., with the Uzbek government footing the bill for the return of its own nationals – the first such deal by a foreign government since President Donald Trump took office. The flight, which took off this morning, had 131 migrants on board. 

People from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan were on board the flight, and Kyrgyzstan and Kazahkstan nationals are expected to continue on to their home countries from Uzbekistan.

The deal, which the Trump administration says is a model framework for how it wants other nations to engage with the U.S. on immigration, is the result of months of diplomatic engagement between State Department officials, DHS officials, the White House and the National Security Council with their counterparts from Uzbekistan.

TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES 4K FOREIGN STUDENTS' VISAS IN FIRST 100 DAYS, NEARLY ALL WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS

The deal "underscores the deep security cooperation between our nations and sets a standard for U.S. alliances," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.

"We commend Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for his leadership in sending a flight to return 131 illegal aliens back to their home country," said DHS  Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work together with Uzbekistan on efforts to enhance our mutual security and uphold the rule of law."

Uzbekistan, with its more than 37 million people, is a security partner of the U.S. in Central Asia, situated in the neighborhood of Iran, China and Afghanistan. 

NEW DHS PORTAL TO HELP MIGRANTS REGISTER BIOMETRICS TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP ORDER

The arrangement follows a deal brokered by the Trump administration after a showdown with Colombia, by which the South American country agreed to accept its nationals, including those on military planes, after President Gustavo Petro originally rejected two Colombia-bound U.S. military aircraft carrying unlawful migrants. 

It also follows an agreement with El Salvador, by which President Nayib Bukele agreed to receive not only his own nationals but those from Venezuela and potentially other countries that will not take their own citizens back from the U.S. Many of the immigrants are suspected of gang ties and are being held in El Salvador’s notoriously brutal CECOT prison. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested 66,463 illegal immigrants and removed 65,682 of them.

Border encounters dropped to an average of 11,363 per day in February and March, Trump's first two full months in office, compared to an average of nearly 160,000 during the Biden administration. 

Vice President JD Vance touted progress made toward a U.S.-India trade deal on Tuesday, saying a partnership between the Trump administration and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would ensure a 21st century that's "prosperous and peaceful." 

Speaking in the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, Vance also warned of "dire" consequences in the Indo-Pacific and a "dark time" for the world should the partnership between the U.S. and India fail. 

"Critics have attacked my president, President Trump, for starting a trade war in an effort to bring back the jobs of the past, but nothing could be further from the truth," Vance said, referring to Trump's aggressive tariff policies and commitment to revitalize U.S. manufacturing. "He seeks to rebalance global trade so that America, with friends like India, can build a future worth having for all of our people together." 

President Donald Trump and Modi announced in February that the U.S. and India aim to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by the end of the decade. 

VANCE WAS ONE OF POPE FRANCIS' LAST VISITORS

"Both of our governments are hard at work on a trade agreement built on shared priorities, like creating new jobs, building durable supply chains and achieving prosperity for our workers," Vance said on Tuesday. "In our meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Modi and I made very good progress on all of those points, and we’re especially excited to formally announce that America and India have officially finalized the terms of reference for the trade negotiations. I think this is a vital step toward realizing President Trump and Prime Minister Modi’s vision because it sets a roadmap toward a final deal between our nations. I believe there is much America and India can accomplish together." 

Vance noted that his trip to India was the first time he had visited the birthplace of the parents of his wife, Usha Vance. The vice president, the second lady and their three children visited Modi for dinner on Monday. 

In his speech Tuesday, Vance said his children have only built a rapport with two world leaders – Trump and Modi, who the second family first met in February at the AI Action Summit in Paris. 

"Our kids just like him," Vance said, arguing that children are "brutally honest" and typically good judges of character. "I just like Prime Minister Modi too. And I think it’s a great foundation for the future of our relationship." 

"President Trump and I know that Prime Minister Modi is a tough negotiator. He drives a hard bargain. It's one of the reasons why we respect him. And we don't blame Prime Minister Modi for fighting for India's industry," Vance said. "But we do blame American leaders of the past for failing to do the same for our workers. And we believe that we can fix that to the mutual benefit of both the United States and India." 

JD VANCE GEARS UP TO TALK ECONOMIC PRIORITIES DURING TRIPS TO ITALY, INDIA

Vance appeared to reference China – though not directly – in addressing the high-stakes nature of trade negotiations between the U.S. and India. 

"This audience knows better than most: neither Americans nor Indians are alone and looking to scale up their manufacturing capacity," Vance said. "The competition extends well beyond cheap consumer goods and into munitions, energy infrastructure and all sorts of other cutting-edge technologies. I believe that if our nations fail to keep pace, the consequences for the Indo-Pacific, but really the consequences for the entire world will be quite dire." 

"We believe a stronger India means greater economic prosperity. But also greater stability across the Indo-Pacific, which is, of course, a shared goal for all of us in this room," the vice president continued. "I believe that if India and the United States work together successfully, we are going to see a 21st century that is prosperous and peaceful. But I also believe that if we fail to work together successfully, the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity." 

In the past, Vance argued, Washington has approached Modi with an "attitude of preachiness or even one of condescension," using India "as a source of low-cost labor" while criticizing the prime minister’s government. 

Vance said the Trump administration recognizes that "cheap, dependable energy is an essential part of making things and is an essential part of economic independence for both of our nations." He said America is "blessed with vast natural resources and an unusual capacity to generate energy," arguing that India would benefit from purchasing expanding U.S. energy exports by being able "to build more, make more, and grow more, but at much lower energy costs."

"We also want to help India explore its own considerable natural resources, including its offshore natural gas reserves and critical mineral supplies," he said. "We believe that American energy can help realize India's nuclear power production goals, and this is very important as well as its AI ambitions, because as the United States knows well, and I know that India knows well there is no AI future without energy security and energy dominance." 

"Americans want further access to Indian markets. This is a great place to do business, and we want to give our people more access to this country," Vance said. "And Indians, we believe, will thrive from greater commerce in the United States. This is very much a win-win partnership. It certainly will be far into the future." 

U.S. and Philippine fighter aircraft staged a joint patrol and training Tuesday over a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese fighter jets fired flares last year to drive away a Philippine aircraft, Philippine officials said.

The joint patrol and air-intercept drills over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines were the first by the longtime treaty allies since President Donald Trump took office again.

It comes as the Trump administration has promised to deliver a foreign policy that centers on "America First." 

Two U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft and three Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets joined the brief patrol and training, which involved practicing how to intercept a hostile aircraft, Philippine air force spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo said at a press conference. It was not immediately known if the joint patrol encountered any challenge from Chinese forces guarding the Scarborough Shoal.

'THIS IS ABOUT FENTANYL': TARIFFS ARE CRUCIAL TO COMBATING 'DRUG WAR,' TRUMP AND CABINET OFFICIALS SAY

"The exercises focused on enhancing operational coordination, improving air domain awareness and reinforcing agile combat employment capabilities between the two air forces," the Philippine Air Force said.

On Tuesday, the Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said its units would maintain a "high degree of alert, resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and control any military activities that disrupt the South China Sea," alleging the Philippines participated in joint patrols organized by other foreign countries to "undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea," according to Reuters. 

The Philippine Navy said at a press conference on Tuesday that it was "closely monitoring" three Chinese navy vessels within Manila's maritime zones, including a Jiangkai-class guided missile frigate.

"The presence of People's Liberation Army-Navy reflects the People's Republic of China's complete disregard for international law and undermines the peace and stability in the region," Philippine Navy spokesperson John Percie Alcos said, according to Reuters.  

In August last year, two Chinese air force aircraft flew close then fired flares in the path of a Philippine air force plane on routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal in actions that were strongly condemned and protested by the Philippine government, military officials said. All those aboard the Philippine air force NC-212i turbo-prop transport plane were unharmed, the Philippine military said.

The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said then that a Philippine air force aircraft "illegally" entered the airspace above the shoal and disrupted training activities by Chinese forces. It warned the Philippines to "stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hyping-up."

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF

The Philippine military chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, said at the time that the incident "posed a threat to Philippine air force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation."

China and the Philippines have had increasingly alarming face-offs in the shoal, which is called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and Huangyan Island by China.

"We are always prepared for any contingency, it’s part of the training," Castillo said Tuesday when asked if the allied forces had prepared to address any challenge by Chinese aircraft.

"It already happened before and, as I have said, whatever the coercive, aggressive actions of any foreign party, the Philippine air force will not be deterred to perform its mandate," Castillo said.

The U.S. military has reported encountering such dangerous maneuvers by Chinese air force planes in the past over the disputed waters, where it has deployed fighter jets and navy ships to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

China has bristled at U.S. military deployments in the disputed region, saying these have endangered regional security.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping territorial claims in the busy sea passage, a key global trade and security route, but hostilities have particularly flared in the past two years between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces in the Scarborough Shoal and another fiercely contested atoll, the Second Thomas Shoal.

Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

As millions of Americans gather together with loved ones to celebrate the Christmas holiday and ring in the new year, hundreds of thousands of American men and women in uniform will mark the holidays away from family in decidedly less festive corners of the world. 

As of June, 165,830 U.S. service members were on deployment across the Middle East, Indo-Pacific region and Europe. That figure has likely ticked higher amid recent unrest across the Middle East, and it doesn’t include service members working at U.S. bases over the holidays and civilian personnel on overseas contracts.

Here’s a look at where service members will spend the holidays on deployment across the world: 

Around 43,000 troops are stationed across the Middle East as of October, an increase from the usual 34,000 amid the recent unrest and outbreak of war between Israel and Iranian proxy forces Hamas and Hezbollah. 

The Pentagon announced in October it would be moving troops into Cyprus to prepare for escalating unrest in Lebanon. And last week the Pentagon divulged that some 2,100 troops were in Syria — not the 900 they had long claimed. Another 1,000 troops are in Iraq carrying out missions to thwart ISIS. 

U.S. forces are stationed across Europe to support NATO forces and deter any potential Russian aggression. 

Major areas of deployment include Germany (34,894), Italy (12,319) and the United Kingdom (10,180).

SECOND US NAVY FIGHTER JET NARROWLY AVOIDED BEING SHOT DOWN IN 'FRIENDLY FIRE' INCIDENT: SOURCE

U.S. forces partner with allies in Asia to conduct joint exercises and coordinate on countering the threat of China and 

Areas of deployment include South Korea (23,732), Japan (52,852) and Guam (6,453).

TWO US NAVY PILOTS SHOT DOWN OVER RED SEA IN APPARENT ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’ INCIDENT: US MILITARY

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked U.S. troops for serving over the holiday season in a Christmas message. 

"We know firsthand the holidays can be especially hard if you're far away from your loved ones. So for our troops stationed around the globe, we deeply appreciate your sacrifice," he said. "We know that your families serve too, and our military families are the foundation of America's strength."