Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
10-day ceasefire in Lebanon begins as Israel agrees to U.S.-backed deal Trump bets economic pain will finally force Iran to reopen Strait Iran has limited the impact of US strikes, intelligence says Trump says 2nd round of Iran talks could be this weekend, war ‘should’ end soon Despite cease-fire, Iran’s hackers haven’t logged off US intends to lead Hezbollah disarmament, senior Israeli official tells 'Post' U.S. completes handover of military bases in Syria Turkey to host talks about Middle East security cooperation China says its military activities around Taiwan are 'reasonable, justified' Japan is a pacifist nation, and now a hint of change is drawing rare protests Bloomberg’s Marc Champion: Hungarian ‘regime change’ is both dangerous and necessary WSJ Editorial: Democrats try to block arms sales to IsraelIn The News
Israel
A tentative 10-day ceasefire was greeted with celebratory gunfire after the clocks hit midnight in Lebanon, as the U.S.-brokered deal that promised to halt Israeli strikes in the country went into force. – Washington Post
El Al Israel Airlines (ELAL.TA), said on Thursday it would buy up to 12 more 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Boeing (BA.N), in a deal worth $1.5 billion, taking advantage of its dominance of the Israeli market during the conflicts in Gaza and Iran. – Reuters
A Frenchman whose role in a fatal hit-and-run in Israel more than a decade ago triggered a diplomatic dispute between Paris and Jerusalem, was shot dead on a street in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Thursday, French prosecutors said. – Reuters
Somalia condemned Israel’s dispatch of an envoy to the breakaway northern region of Somaliland as an affront to its sovereignty and territorial integrity․ – Bloomberg
The Palestinian Authority has extradited to France a key suspect in a deadly 1982 terror attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris, Arabic news reports said Thursday. – Agence France-Presse
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres welcomed the 10-day ceasefire announced Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, and urged “all actors” to fully respect the truce, his spokesman said. – Agence France-Presse
With local elections due next week, West Bank Palestinians are struggling to muster enthusiasm for their first ballot since the Gaza war, discouraged by limited political choice and the difficulty of voting under Israeli occupation. – Agence France-Presse
The IDF has operated its domestically produced Ro’em self-propelled howitzer for the first time, using it in an operation in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
The Israel Navy has torn apart enemy forces in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen since 2023, raising Israel’s power in the Middle East to new heights, since most of its rivals have been wiped out militarily. – Jerusalem Post
Israel reportedly told Ukraine on Thursday that it was too late to act against a Russian vessel accused of carrying stolen Ukrainian grain, as the ship had already departed Haifa Port. – Times of Israel
Editorial: The generation of Scoop Jackson and Joe Biden, which saw support for Israel as both a moral and strategic imperative, is being replaced by one that views the relationship through the lens of identity politics and intersectionality. The Senate vote should be treated as a final warning. The “no” votes may have won the day, but the “yes” votes may have signaled the Democratic Party’s future direction. Israel cannot afford to wait until such a resolution passes. The factories must be built, the supply chains secured, and innovation accelerated now – so that when the next vote comes, Israel’s security remains in its own hands. Independence is not isolation. It is the only way to ensure that “Never Again” remains a promise Israel can keep by itself. – Jerusalem Post
Neville Teller writes: By contrast, the forthcoming Lebanon-Israel talks build on more substantial foundations. Both parties seek to bring Hezbollah under control. Moreover, there is the recent precedent of successful, US‑mediated technical bargaining over maritime boundaries. They focus on a clearly defined, border‑and‑security agenda that officials on both sides see as “solvable.” In fact, the two tracks are linked. Tangible progress in the forthcoming Lebanon-Israel talks could provide the cooperative atmosphere necessary for Syrian-Israeli negotiations to succeed. Suddenly, a glimmer of hope for a restoration of peace along Israel’s northern borders is appearing. It needs to be fostered assiduously. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
An intensifying U.S. naval blockade of Iran is aimed at inflicting such severe economic pain that Tehran will be compelled to submit quickly to Washington’s demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear ambitions. – Wall Street Journal
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday renewed his threat to attack Iran’s electrical infrastructure if the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran failed. – New York Times
U.S. and Iranian negotiators have scaled back ambitions for a comprehensive peace deal and are instead seeking a temporary memorandum to prevent a return to conflict, two Iranian sources told Reuters. – Reuters
Iran halted all petrochemical exports to prioritise domestic supply and prevent shortages of raw materials, the economic newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad reported on Thursday, due to disrupted production after Israel struck several petrochemical hubs. – Reuters
No dates have been decided for the second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Thursday. Nuclear issues are among the subjects being discussed by the countries, he said. – Reuters
Some Gulf Arab and European leaders believe that a US-Iran peace deal will take about six months to be agreed and that the warring sides should extend their ceasefire to cover that timeframe, according to officials from the regions familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
Pre-war planning meant Iran’s military was able to mitigate the impact of US-Israeli strikes on its weapons arsenal and leadership, according to Western military intelligence assessments — which also say it retains the ability to respond if the ceasefire fails. – Bloomberg
Fourteen vessels have turned around in three days rather than test a US naval blockade on Iranian-linked ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said. – Bloomberg
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated the importance of keeping the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US in place in his latest phone call with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. – Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a second round of talks with Iran could take place this weekend, a week after negotiations in Islamabad failed to result in an agreement to permanently end the war. – Agence France-Presse
US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran has agreed to give up their nuclear ambitions during comments to the press outside the White House on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Thursday took credit for the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which officially went into effect at midnight. – Arutz Sheva
Senior Iranian officials have grown frustrated with a plan to generate revenue from shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with little money collected despite expectations of significant income, sources familiar with the matter told Iran International. – Iran International
Christopher Tremoglie writes: A papal criticism of war and calls for peace are fine. Everyone should want wars to end and world peace to exist. The pope is right to do this. Yet, his inability to condemn Iran looks suspiciously weak and, as Trump said, “terrible for foreign policy.” If Leo wants to comment on geopolitical affairs, he should, and no one should protest him doing so. But if he has enough conviction to criticize the war in Iran, he should also have enough courage and strength to denounce Iran at the same level he rebukes Trump. Rushing to excuse Leo’s behavior and omissions on Iran simply because he is the pope is inexcusable. – Washington Examiner
Lawrence J. Haas writes: Moreover, maintaining the blockade may prove challenging even without the risk of such a confrontation. To avoid detection, ships are starting to go dark or falsify their origin or destination—as Russia has done to great effect with its “shadow fleet” following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of Western sanctions. To be clear, an effective US blockade over time would severely cripple, if not destroy, Iran’s increasingly troubled economy. But the blockade will impose some costs on the United States as well. The question is, who will hang tough, Washington or Tehran? – The National Interest
Russia and Ukraine
Russia launched its deadliest attack of the year on Ukraine, killing at least 18 people, including a 12-year-old child, and injuring over 100 more across the country, officials said Thursday. – Wall Street Journal
The economic potential of the vast chemical plant on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast is easy to see. Warehouses, storage depots and chimneys stretch across an area three-quarters the size of Central Park, all stitched together by miles of conveyor belts and rail tracks connected to a port handling giant cargo ships. – New York Times
The Kremlin took the unusual step of publicly acknowledging sharp criticism of the authorities from a celebrity blogger on Thursday, saying work was under way to address a slew of problems identified by social media influencer Viktoria Bonya. – Reuters
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko left the United States on Thursday buoyed by what she called positive talks with top U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying she found him to be supportive of her war-torn country. – Reuters
Russia summoned Mexico’s ambassador on Thursday to express strong concern over what it cast as inaction by Mexican authorities in a case involving an underage Russian citizen in the custody of Mexican social services. – Reuters
A number of Russian shadow fleet tankers are transporting oil with insurance certificates from a company that doesn’t exist as it’s described in the documents, according to an intelligence assessment from Ukraine. – Bloomberg
The European Commission this week unveiled the results of its 2025 European Defence Fund call for proposals, selecting 57 collaborative research and development projects for a combined €1.07 billion ($1.26 billion) in EU funding − a package that makes clear where the bloc’s defense priorities lie: drones, autonomy, and an increasingly institutionalized partnership with Kyiv. – Defense News
Editorial: Zelensky says autonomous systems have participated in over 22,000 frontline missions — sparing human casualties — these last three months, a period that’s seen Moscow driven back on multiple fronts. Vlad’s answering “innovations”? Throw convicts, conscripts, mercenaries into the buzzsaw, and deceive Third Worlders into coming to Russia to be sent to the front. Ukraine still needs major support from the rest of the civilized world, but the much-smaller nation is fundamentally facing down a former superpower all in its own. Putin bit off more than he can chew, and he still has no idea what to do except keep bleeding his own nation rather than eat his pride and admit his fundamental defeat. – New York Post
David Ignatius writes: One of the most unforgivable things that Trump could do in foreign policy would be to abandon America’s NATO allies in Europe at a moment when they face a growing, explicit threat from Moscow. As Rumer writes, “A transatlantic divorce before Europe has built up its conventional defenses and solved the problem of deterring nuclear threats from Russia without the U.S. nuclear umbrella over it would create a window of opportunity for Vladimir Putin to pursue his ambitions.” Europe is hearing a siren in the night. Trump is so preoccupied with his list of anti-NATO grievances that he seems deaf to what could be the greatest crisis of his presidency. If one day historians ask, “Who lost Europe?” what will Trump’s supine national security advisers say in response? – Washington Post
Hezbollah
Hezbollah said on Thursday that the presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory would grant Lebanon and its people “the right to resist,” adding in its first comment on a proposed truce that any ceasefire must not allow Israel freedom of movement within Lebanon. – Reuters
A senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that, unlike in the past, the United States now intends to actively lead efforts to disarm Hezbollah and is prepared to use American resources to achieve this goal. “Trump wants this to happen, so this time the US will be far more involved,” the official said. – Jerusalem Post
Eric R. Mandel writes: Israeli defense and intelligence leaders increasingly view this moment as a rare strategic window, one unlikely to recur soon. A premature halt to military pressure on Hezbollah would not stabilize the region; it would all but guarantee the next, more dangerous war. If the United States deprioritizes Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, it is not a tactical oversight – it is a strategic failure, one that leaves Iran’s most powerful proxy intact, emboldened, and positioned to threaten American interests for decades to come. – Jerusalem Post
Syria
The United States has completed a handover of all its major military bases in Syria as it winds down a more than decade-long presence in the country to fight the terror group Islamic State, or ISIS. – New York Times
The European Union plans to deepen its engagement with Syria by relaunching formal political contacts and paving the way for closer economic and security ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, marking the latest step in a broader policy shift after years of frozen relations. – Reuters
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted two key Kurdish leaders on Thursday to discuss further integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the Syrian security forces. – Jerusalem Post
Turkey
A 14-year-old student who shot dead eight fellow pupils at a school in Turkey had used an image referencing a 2014 U.S. mass killer, Elliot Rodger, on his WhatsApp profile, police said on Thursday. – Reuters
Turkey said on Thursday it would continue supporting peace talks between the United States and Iran and called on the sides to be “constructive” in negotiations to end the war. – Reuters
Turkey is preparing to host talks later this week about creating a regional security platform with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and possibly Egypt, according to officials familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
Lebanon
Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber on Thursday said his government had good meetings this week with the International Monetary Fund and remained committed to working toward a lending program. – Reuters
Lebanese civilians forced their way past the barriers placed on the Al-Qasmiya Bridge over the Litani River on Thursday, local media reported, ignoring warnings by the IDF to refrain from returning south of the river until further notice. – Jerusalem Post
Dramatic and tense hours are unfolding for IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon, amid a growing gap between political declarations from Washington and the operational reality on the ground. – Arutz Sheva
Gulf States
Investigators in Bahrain said Thursday that an officer from the country’s National Intelligence Agency had been charged in the death of a detainee the government accused of spying for Iran. – New York Times
Marine fuel sales at the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah port fell sharply to a fresh low in March after the U.S.-Iran conflict disrupted supply and demand in the key Middle Eastern bunker hub, according to latest data and trade sources. – Reuters
Gulf states on Thursday said they would rework and reintroduce a UN Security Council resolution to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, after an earlier draft failed to pass, exposing deep division among major powers. – The National
Robert Mason and Rikard Jalkebro write: The lesson of this war is not that deterrence has held. It is that deterrence, as traditionally understood in the Gulf, is beginning to fail. And as it fails, the risks will not remain confined to strategy. A region moving toward nuclear hedging is also one in which civilian populations face escalating danger with diminishing capacity to absorb shocks. The greatest risk now is that policymakers continue to act as if the old rules still apply — as if escalation can be controlled, and competition contained. That assumption is becoming one of the most dangerous variables in the system. – War on the Rocks
Middle East & North Africa
Finance chiefs of the Group of Seven nations on Thursday said it was urgent to limit the cost to the global economy of an enduring Middle East war and “reaffirmed the pressing need to move toward a lasting peace.” – Reuters
Energy disruptions due to the Iran war will weigh heavily on Gulf oil and gas exporters’ economies, while the Middle East’s oil importers like Egypt and Jordan face shocks from higher commodity prices and possible falls in income from remittances from Gulf-based workers, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday. – Reuters
Deep in Morocco’s fertile heartlands, pickup trucks carrying migrants from sub-Saharan Africa roll past a sea of plastic greenhouses producing fresh fruit and vegetables for supermarkets across Europe and West Africa. – Reuters
Korean Peninsula
South Korea’s capital markets are luring back foreign buyers after a brutal March, as hopes of stability in the Middle East, a red-hot AI memory trade and Seoul’s corporate governance reforms lift stocks and bonds alike. – Reuters
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Friday it was not aware of any U.S. protest or curbs on intelligence sharing following a report that Washington was unhappy about the disclosure of a previously unconfirmed North Korean nuclear site. – Reuters
South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol will hold a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday, the Yonhap News Agency reported. – Reuters
Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), asked a court on Thursday to block its South Korean labour unions engaging in illegal activities during strike, a spokesperson said, as a wage dispute threatens to disrupt operations at the world’s top memory chipmaker. – Reuters
China
As the United States imposes a blockade of Iranian ports, pressure is mounting on Beijing to push Tehran to accept terms that will end the war and the global energy crisis. In reality, there is little that Beijing could or would do to pressure its partner in the Middle East. – New York Times
With the United States and China vying for influence in Asia, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is keen to show that Vietnam is in his corner on trade, political ideology and, increasingly, security. – New York Times
China is accelerating its efforts to end the Iran war, walking a diplomatic tightrope as it prepares for a summit next month with U.S. President Donald Trump while trying not to alienate Tehran. – Reuters
China is willing to work with Italy to tap into the “potential” for economic and trade cooperation, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a meeting in Beijing on Thursday. – Reuters
China will continue to diversify its energy imports and boost energy reserves to help enhance its capacity to cope with an “emergency situation”, Wang Changlin, vice chair of the country’s state economic planner, said on Friday. – Reuters
China’s regular military activities around Taiwan are “entirely justified and reasonable” and any tensions are the fault of the government in Taipei, the Chinese defence ministry said in a rare comment on Friday. – Reuters
Mark L. Clifford and L. Gordon Crovitz write: Hong Kong’s seizure of Mr. Lai’s assets is a warning to other companies. Under the Chinese Communist Party, Hong Kong has become an unsafe place for business. If Mr. Lai could speak from his solitary-confinement jail cell, he would likely express little surprise. Until his arrest, Mr. Lai always lived in rented homes in Hong Kong, never buying despite his wealth. The communists had confiscated his family’s assets in China after the party took power in 1949, which taught him to take precautions as an immigrant in Hong Kong. The regime insists that it’s business as usual in Hong Kong. It isn’t. Businesses know better than to invest in a place where private assets are seized on the whims of the Chinese Communist Party. – Wall Street Journal
South Asia
Sri Lanka has used the fragile cease-fire between the United States and Iran to repatriate more than 200 Iranian sailors who came into its custody last month after a U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship near its waters. – New York Times
Pakistani diplomacy has risen to the forefront of efforts to broker peace between the United States and Iran, as the top leaders of Pakistan tried to preserve a shaky cease-fire between the combatants and to again offer their country as the venue for potential talks. – New York Times
India’s government launched a bid to overhaul its democratic system on Thursday, with bills to increase the size of parliament and bring forward plans to reserve a third of seats for women – though the opposition dismissed it as an attempt to manipulate elections. – Reuters
India’s steel secretary on Thursday met Russia’s deputy minister of industry and trade to discuss cooperation in the steel sector, the South Asian country’s steel ministry said. – Reuters
Myanmar’s new President Min Aung Hlaing has approved an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, state television reported on Friday, the third such move in the past six months. – Reuters
Mihir Sharma writes: Workers aren’t asking for too much. The labor codes can be made fair if they applied equally; they need to be easy to implement, allow for the ability to hire and fire — but also ensure secure workplaces and some form of accountability for employers. This isn’t rocket science. Most places in the world manage without violent protests, most of the time. But India has ignored the issue and relied on largely peaceful business hubs like Noida just to keep going. That peace was when we should have fixed problems. When, finally, the tinder-box explodes, politicians need to blame themselves first — instead of conjuring imaginary enemies from across the border. – Bloomberg
Michael Jankelowitz writes: If the state’s case against him is strong, it should withstand scrutiny in an open and credible judicial process. Ultimately, democracies are judged not by how they treat their allies but by how they treat their opponents. Pakistan now faces a defining test. Continuing to hold Imran Khan under contested circumstances risks deepening political divisions and damaging the country’s democratic fabric. Allowing due process to unfold transparently – and ensuring that it is free from political influence – is not just in Khan’s interest. It is in Pakistan’s. – Jerusalem Post
Eldar Mamedov writes: Pakistan has helped to open the direct channel between the old foes. It is one of the few states that can communicate with both Washington and Tehran without the message being dismissed as hostile or subservient. Islamabad did not over-promise; it delivered the meeting, not the outcome. That distinction matters. With new talks possible, the United States and Iran will again need a credible intermediary. The final decisions remain the responsibility of Washington and Tehran. But the road still runs, for now, through Islamabad. – The National Interest
Asia
An agreement with the Philippines to establish a high-tech industrial hub is the Trump administration’s latest effort to lessen China’s dominance over global supply chains. – Wall Street Journal
As a security hawk, Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has initiated a plan to consider changes to the pacifist clause in the country’s constitution, which has constrained its military and defined its national identity since World War II. – Washington Post
The United States will likely approve pending weapons sales to Taiwan in coming weeks, a bipartisan group of senators assured Taiwanese lawmakers in a letter, urging Taipei to hasten its stalled defense spending in the face of pressure from China. – Reuters
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Friday he had the full support of his party’s lawmakers, responding to media reports that some members will push for a leadership change when parliament returns next week. – Reuters
An Australian court ordered bail with travel restrictions on Friday for the country’s most decorated soldier, following his arrest on accusations of war crimes while deployed in Afghanistan more than a decade ago. – Reuters
A court in Kazakhstan convicted 19 activists after a protest against Beijing’s crackdown in China’s far-western Xinjiang region last year, in what experts and advocates said was the largest move yet by the Kazakh government to silence criticism at Beijing’s behest. – Associated Press
The Chinese Embassy in Japan said Thursday it has received multiple threats and accused Japanese authorities of failing to take effective measures despite its repeated reporting to police, as tensions between the two sides rise. – Associated Press
Australia isn’t looking to engage in a “dispute” with President Donald Trump over his repeated complaints about Canberra’s failure to assist the US in the Iran war and to secure the Strait of Hormuz, senior government ministers said. – Bloomberg
A law clamping down on protests following the deadly Bondi Beach terror attack targeting Australia’s Jewish community was overturned by a court on Thursday, a written ruling showed. – Agence France-Presse
Europe
British vetting officials recommended against granting top level security clearances to Peter Mandelson before he became ambassador to the United States last year, but were overruled by Britain’s foreign office, 10 Downing Street said on Thursday. – New York Times
France and Britain will chair a meeting on Friday of around 40 countries aimed at signalling to the United States that some of its closest allies are ready to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow. – Reuters
British police said on Friday they had charged three people over an attempted arson attack on offices linked to television station Iran International in northwest London earlier this week. – Reuters
In a grassy valley in rural southern Bulgaria, farmer Nikolay Vasiliev is desperate for change. For years, he said, corrupt local officials have blocked plans to expand his cattle-raising business. Revolving governments in the capital Sofia have failed to uproot graft or support the area’s cratered economy. – Reuters
Romanian radar systems caught a drone breaching its national airspace during a Russian overnight attack on neighbouring Ukraine before losing contact southeast of the border village of Chilia Veche, the defence ministry said on Friday. – Reuters
NATO member Estonia has no doubt that the United States would help defend it if Russia attacks, its defence minister told Reuters, while warning that Europe is not ready to stand up to Moscow on its own. – Reuters
Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will spearhead gatherings of the global left in Barcelona on Friday and Saturday, in a bid to defend multilateralism and mobilise left-wing movements against the far right. – Reuters
The Iran war has left Britain’s armed forces exposed, heaping pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to act on his promises to invest in defence, after years of warnings from military bosses about the UK’s shrinking capabilities. – Reuters
Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel supplies, the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war. – Associated Press
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Thursday that his populist-nationalist Fidesz party will require a “complete renewal” following its landslide election loss on Sunday which brought an end to Orbán’s 16 years in power. – Associated Press
A French bill aimed at combating what supporters label “new forms of antisemitism,” such as calls for Israel’s destruction, was withdrawn from parliamentary debate after fierce opposition from lawmakers. – Bloomberg
European Union officials are heading to Budapest on Friday for talks with Hungary’s incoming leader, Peter Magyar, with no signs the outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban will drop his veto over a €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan to Ukraine. – Bloomberg
Slovakia said it’s prepared to obstruct the European Union’s latest Russia sanctions, which the bloc’s foreign ministers are set to discuss next week. – Bloomberg
The largest party in Romania’s ruling coalition is poised to withdraw support for Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan next week and demand his resignation, according to people familiar with the discussions, a move that would pitch the country into political crisis. – Bloomberg
Serbia remains on its path to European Union membership but its officials won’t “beg” for admission to the 27-nation bloc, Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Whether their appeal persists will depend in part on Europe’s ability to deliver economic growth and security. So far, efforts to build a bloc-wide savings and investment union, cut regulatory burdens, and deepen the single market with initiatives like a common corporate code — all under the banner of “competitiveness” — are still mostly talk. European leaders need to inject these initiatives with the urgency they deserve. Much larger EU states — including France, Spain, Italy and Poland — will hold elections next year that will shape the bloc’s direction for years to come. Hungary’s vote presents an opportunity for a national reset. It should also prompt a European one. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Ceasefires don’t last because Hezbollah answers to Tehran, not Beirut. Instead, America seeks to cut the Gordian knot by promoting an eventual Israeli-Lebanese peace treaty, hinged on disarming Hezbollah. “We certainly don’t want the French anywhere near these negotiations,” Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, told reporters after the historic meeting with his Lebanese counterpart. “We’d like to keep the French as far away as possible from pretty much everything, but particularly when it comes to peace negotiations.” In the Iran crisis, too, Sir Keir and Monsieur Macron insist on talking themselves into irrelevance. – New York Sun
Joseph C. Sternberg writes: British voters may care more about his vacillating mismanagement of Britain’s serial economic crises. This particular form of instability—in which electoral outcomes haven’t caught up with voters’ frustrations—has long plagued polities on the Continent, where proportional voting systems accelerate the fracturing of authority in parliaments. There the rise of insurgents can deprive mainstream parties of functional governing majorities without giving anyone the opportunity to do any better. Now, this phenomenon appears to be spreading to Britain, too. Buckle up, Mr. Starmer. – Wall Street Journal
Marc Champion writes: For where Law and Justice can rebuild in Poland by frustrating Tusk and continuing to campaign on their conservative, populist agenda, too many Hungarians now see Orban’s Fidesz party as a criminal enterprise for it to get renewed traction. Criminal prosecutions will be accepted as not just legitimate, but also due. […] The risk is real that the expediency of controlling the institutions designed to check his powers as a future prime minister proves so attractive to Magyar, too — he is, after all, a former Orban acolyte — that he simply uses his constitutional majority to restack the deck in his favor. That, however, is a reason for vigilance, not for standing in the way of doing what’s needed to dismantle Orban’s system. So bring out the wrecking ball. – Bloomberg
Africa
Julius Malema, the leader of a left-wing political party in South Africa who has become a focal point of President Donald Trump’s criticism of the country, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for firing a rifle at a rally in 2018. – Washington Post
Pope Leo XIV is not backing down. Amid a growing dispute with the Trump administration over the legitimacy of American attacks in Iran, Leo used a speech on Thursday in Cameroon to express “woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.” – New York Times
Kenya has requested rapid financial support from the World Bank to help it manage the shocks from the war in Iran, its central bank governor told Reuters on Thursday. – Reuters
South African police said they have arrested prominent pan‑African and pro-Russian activist Kemi Seba who is wanted by authorities in Benin for backing an attempted coup there, and have launched extradition proceedings. – Reuters
Denis Sassou N’Guesso was sworn in Thursday to a new five-year term as the Republic of Congo’s president in a ceremony in a packed stadium. – Associated Press
Benin ‘s Constitutional Court on Thursday confirmed the presidential election victory of Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni in the West African country’s weekend election. – Associated Press
The top United Nations official in Sudan told AFP on Thursday that the country, facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, has been “abandoned” as the war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its fourth year. – Agence France-Presse
The Americas
For almost six years, Argentines have demanded the truth about the mysterious death of their tragic national hero, Diego Maradona, among the greatest soccer players the world has ever seen. – Wall Street Journal
The government of Chile’s new President Jose Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight on Thursday, authorities said, fulfilling a campaign pledge to tighten immigration controls. – Reuters
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and companies that operate in Nicaragua’s gold sector, including two sons of the country’s co-presidents. – Reuters
The World Bank Group said on Thursday it is working on a guarantee of up to $2 billion to help refinance “a relevant portion of Argentina’s debt.” The operation is subject to approval by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, the bank said. – Reuters
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivered a blunt critique of U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais published on Thursday, saying world leaders should seek respect rather than rule by fear. – Reuters
The International Monetary Fund will resume formal contact with Venezuela, potentially paving the way for the acting administration of Delcy Rodriguez to regain access to the lender’s financing. – Bloomberg
The US wants Venezuela’s political transition to end in a vote overseen by a new electoral board, a senior State Department official said Thursday, echoing demands from the country’s main opposition coalition. – Bloomberg
Carrie Filipetti writes: Delcy Rodriguez is quietly working to undermine President Trump’s goals while securing her own long-term power. If the Trump administration is serious about its goals in Venezuela, it cannot partner with Rodriguez. While the United States continues to hold the cards, it must significantly accelerate the timeline towards the democratic transition in Venezuela that Secretary Rubio has made clear is the ultimate end goal. While full elections may still take some time, serious efforts must be made now to move Venezuela toward a transition government in which the democratic opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, has a genuine seat at the table. Otherwise, the Delcy Option will remain one that serves only Delcy, not Venezuela and the United States. – The National Interest
North America
In an unusual attempt to get President Trump’s ear, the grandson of Cuban leader Raúl Castro tapped a wealthy Havana entrepreneur to try to personally deliver a letter to the White House last week outside of regular diplomatic channels, said a U.S. official and a former U.S. official. – Wall Street Journal
Nearly 6 million people in Haiti are expected to face acute food insecurity in the coming months, underscoring how gang violence, mass displacement and economic strain are keeping the Caribbean nation in the grip of a deepening humanitarian crisis, according to a new assessment published on Thursday. – Reuters
Masood Masjoody had a long history of firing accusations at those he considered adversaries. So when he claimed on social media last fall that two fellow Iran-born activists were plotting to kill him, it did not get much notice. – Associated Press
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government wants to resolve trade frictions with the Trump administration as part of a comprehensive agreement, rather than through “one-off” deals. – Bloomberg
James Kirchick writes: The first Trump administration rescinded Mr. Obama’s measures, and the Biden administration didn’t reimpose them, a bipartisan acknowledgment of their failure. To Mr. Obama, “normalizing” relations with a longtime enemy of the U.S. was a good in and of itself. His Cuban giveaway didn’t further American interests. It also didn’t help the Cuban people, who faced even harsher repression under a government that felt impunity after being rewarded by the most powerful country in the world for nothing. Mr. Obama was right that America’s Cuba policy had to change. The past three months have shown that rather than being too punitive, it wasn’t punitive enough. – Wall Street Journal
United States
Nearly two months into the Iran war, Republicans in Congress are increasingly anxious and impatient. But that doesn’t mean they are willing to vote to end it. – Wall Street Journal
Several House Republicans joined Democrats to oppose President Donald Trump on his immigration policy Thursday, voting to restore temporary protections for some 350,000 Haitians living in the United States. – Washington Post
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said Pope Leo was free to say what he wanted but that it was important for him to understand that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon. Trump has repeatedly criticized the religious leader, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in recent weeks. – Reuters
The Trump administration said on Thursday it was attempting to deport an Iranian academic and media commentator, who it alleged had lied on his visa application, prompting criticism from a Muslim advocacy group which cast his detention as a crackdown on Iranian voices amid the Iran war. – Reuters
U.S. officials have informed some European counterparts that some previously contracted weapons deliveries are likely to be delayed as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks, five sources familiar with the matter said. – Reuters
President Donald Trump sought to assuage voters’ fears about the cost of living despite higher energy prices stemming from his war in Iran at a rally to build support for his economic record ahead of November’s midterm elections. – Bloomberg
The Trump administration’s decision to drop a long-running US criminal case against a Turkish state-owned bank for allegedly violating US sanctions on Iran is being questioned by Democratic lawmakers. – Bloomberg
Editorial: It serves the U.S. interest not one jot to hamstring Israel’s air force, which cleared the U.S. flight path to Iran’s nuclear sites in June, and has now decapitated Iran’s military leadership and helped slash its missile arsenal and industrial complex. The armored bulldozers, portrayed as malevolent, are a military response to Hamas and Hezbollah’s strategy of booby-trapping their own civilian buildings. Israeli capabilities are an asset to the U.S., which should encourage Jerusalem to buy its systems, munitions and equipment. Israel already seeks to wind down U.S. aid, but these are sales to a fighting ally. The votes to cut off arms in the middle of a war is an ominous turn that will encourage Iran, Hezbollah and their terrorist allies around the Middle East. – Wall Street Journal
Seth Mandel writes: In a broader sense, this simply means that Israel is deprived of the rights we usually accord to all other states. It’s another way of saying Israel has no right to exist, therefore anything that enables it to exist is evil, including mine-clearing and wildfire-fighting vehicles. Welcome to the Twilight Zone. The worst part is that the trend is clear: Unless something changes, this shameful moment in American history will be surpassed by an even more shameful moment next time this vote is taken. And anti-Israel Democrats will continue trying to chip away, bit by bit, at the Jewish state’s ability to defend itself from mass-casualty terrorism. – Commentary Magazine
Lee Smith writes: Trump has staked his legacy to a war he’s all but won and he says he wants everything. “I don’t want 90 percent, I don’t want 95 percent,” he says he told his negotiators. “I told them, ‘I want everything.’” If he doesn’t get it, the predecessor who plotted against him, and the possible successor who’s undermining his war policy, will decide not only the Iran campaign but also Trump’s place in history—as well as the fate of the echo chamber which was put in place to sell the Iranian nuclear bomb and which has been at the center of a decade’s worth of campaigns to deceive the American public. – The Tablet
Cybersecurity
The exchange of bombs and missiles in the Middle East between Iran and its foes has been paused for more than a week now. Iran’s hackers, however, have remained active on the digital battlefield. – New York Times
A U.S. bill to keep more chipmaking equipment from China has been scaled back, according to the latest version seen by Reuters, but still includes a new countrywide restriction on ASML’s deep ultraviolet (DUV) immersion lithography machines. – Reuters
A company that was sued by Facebook content moderators in Kenya over poor working conditions said Thursday that more than 1,000 workers will be laid off after Meta, Facebook’s parent company, ended its contract. – Associated Press
Authorities from 21 countries took down 53 domains and arrested four people allegedly involved in distributed denial-of-service operations used by more than 75,000 cybercriminals, Europol said Thursday. – Cyberscoop
Editorial: But there’s no guarantee that people would buy the same amount. When prices fall, demand increases. And there are economic relationships between different products. When people buy more hot dogs, they also buy more hot dog buns. Even industries that don’t see significant gains from AI could still reap benefits from higher demand. Any analysis of AI’s effect on the job market should be humble in its predictions and make sure to consider the full effect of technological advances on employment. If policymakers limit their thinking only to what currently exists, they’ll foreclose future opportunities for improving Americans’ lives. – Washington Post
Dana Sameah writes: The enemy is no longer hiding behind an iron curtain of ancient religious ideology; they are sitting in air-conditioned offices in Tehran, crafting prompts for Midjourney, and conducting a war where AI has become a strategic weapon no less significant than the country’s ballistic missiles. The generation currently controlling the messaging in Tehran knows the Western code from the inside. They know that in an era where “truth” is a fluid term, whoever produces the most visual, most entertaining, and most viral content is the one who dictates the global narrative. Iran has stopped preaching. Instead, it has started engineering consciousness. – Jerusalem Post
Defense
Last August, U.S. Navy officials carrying out a test of unmanned vessels realized they had hit a single point of failure: Starlink. A global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network affecting millions of Starlink users had left two dozen unmanned surface vessels bobbing off the California coast, disrupting communications and halting operations for almost an hour. – Reuters
The callsign “Sandy,” used by U.S. Air Force aircraft and pilots conducting combat search-and-rescue operations, traces to late 1965. Capt. J.W. “Doc” George, a U.S. Air Force A-1 Skyraider pilot, arrived at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, as part of a CSAR replacement rotation from Bien Hoa, South Vietnam. – Defense News
The Army’s top civilian leader told lawmakers the service is leaning on its new counter-drone marketplace to bolster local security at upcoming high-profile events, ones that experts and officials have warned are at risk of unmanned aerial system threats. – Defensescoop
House Democrats have introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing power, mishandling classified information and authorizing military action without proper legal authority. – Military.com