Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
In a first, U.S. deploys combat jets to Israel for potential wartime mission in Iran WINEP’s Michael Herzog: On war with Iran, a U.S.-Israeli division of labor? 40 Iranian doctors and nurses describe a massacre WSJ Editorial: Trump and the stakes in Iran Ukraine wants to join the E.U. quickly. That won’t be easy. Foreign Policy’s Keith Johnson: Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy have two targets WINEP’s Devorah Margolin and Leiden University’s Joana Cook: From bad to worse in northeast Syria North Korea warns it could destroy South if threatened, but leaves door open for US dialogue U.K. delays controversial deal linked to U.S. military base after Trump criticism Islamist militant attacks on Niger, Benin and Nigeria border zone soaring, research shows Cuba’s border guard kills four on U.S. speedboat in alleged infiltration attempt Pentagon spends $12.6 billion to upgrade surveillance of China’s subs, satellitesIn The News
Israel
The U.S. has sent top-of-the-line fighters to Israel, marking the first time it has deployed combat aircraft to the country for a potential wartime mission as the two nations prepare to square off against Iran. – Wall Street Journal
A Gaza firm has been contracted to build an Emirati-funded compound for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in a part of the territory under Israeli military control, two Israeli officials and two Palestinian businessmen told Reuters. – Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rousing welcome from Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday at the start of a two-day visit as he promised “friendship, respect and partnership” with Israel at a time when its world standing has suffered because of the war in Gaza. – Associated Press
State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp on Wednesday announced the delivery of a large autonomous underwater vehicle, dubbed BlueWhale, to the German Navy. – Agence France Presse
Israel on Tuesday launched the bidding process for the construction of the Tel Aviv metro, one of the country’s largest-ever infrastructure projects, expected to cost $50 billion and carry two million passengers daily in the coastal metropolis. – Agence France-Presse
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a strengthening of defense, trade and counter-terrorism ties with Israel during a rare visit, forging closer bonds to combat security threats in their regions. – Bloomberg
Jerusalem Border Police and IDF troops detained terrorists in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in the West Bank in a joint operation on Wednesday, an Israel Police spokesperson said in a statement. – Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to be summoned to give open testimony at the midnight meeting affair, according to reports by Israeli media on Wednesday. The Attorney-General’s Office declined to comment. The Jerusalem Post queried the Israel Police and has yet to receive any comments. – Jerusalem Post
Israel has formally welcomed Dr. Mohamed Haji as the fully accredited Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Somaliland to Israel, the Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement on Wednesday. Israel is set to appoint its own ambassador in the coming weeks. – Jerusalem Post
The estimates of defense deals that Israel and India are expected to sign as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Jerusalem are eye-popping, with some reaching $8 billion-$10b., according to Indian media reports. – Jerusalem Post
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first-ever recipient of the Knesset Medal on Wednesday, after his speech at the Knesset. – Jerusalem Post
President Isaac Herzog visited Ethiopia on Wednesday, where he met with top officials and touted Israel’s ties with the East African nation amid a push from Jerusalem to build and strengthen relationships with countries across the continent. – Times of Israel
The West Bank settlement movement recorded an unprecedented year in 2025, with records broken — and in some cases surpassed by wide margins — across multiple measures of expansion in the contested territory, according to figures from an anti-settlement watchdog.- Times of Israel
A right-wing activist from Har Hebron, who was arrested about a month ago and ordered removed from Judea and Samaria, was summoned for questioning on Wednesday. Following the interrogation, administrative restrictions were imposed on him by Central Command chief Avi Bluth. – Arutz Sheva
The police have arrested a 16-year-old high schooler from Tayibe, an Arab town in central Israel, on suspicion that he planned a terror attack and even obtained a weapon for its execution. Channel 12 revealed that the teen was arrested following Shin Bet intelligence. – Arutz Sheva
A report by i24NEWS states that in 2025 the Palestinian Authority transferred approximately half a billion shekels in payments to terrorists and their families. – Arutz Sheva
Following diplomatic activity by several countries at the UN, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) UN representative, Riyad Mansour, who submitted his candidacy for the position of President of the General Assembly this month, withdrew his candidacy on Wednesday. – Arutz Sheva
Jack Simony writes: “Never Again” was supposed to mean that no people would be placed outside the circle of protection. If the UN cannot recognize the danger in calling the Jewish state “the common enemy of humanity,” then the promise forged in 1945 is being hollowed out from within.Silence is not neutrality. At some point, condemnation without action becomes complicity. The question is straightforward. Will the United Nations enforce its own standards, or will it continue to let them dissolve, one incendiary phrase at a time? – Jerusalem Post
Maoz Druskin writes: A carefully limited death penalty would not diminish Israel’s moral standing. Properly structured, it would reinforce a clear message: Jewish life is not negotiable, not expendable, and not a bargaining chip. Israel defines itself as both Jewish and democratic. The challenge is not choosing between those identities — it is upholding both under extraordinary pressure. Strength and morality are not opposites. At times, they require difficult decisions. When terrorism crosses into deliberate mass murder, and guilt is proven beyond any doubt, terror must have a cost. And the law must reflect that reality. – Times of Israel
Haggai Resnik writes: Uncontrolled weapons, by their nature, spread beyond control and leak everywhere. Those who do not treat crime as terrorism today will encounter it as an organized army tomorrow. The time has come to stop asking for more tools – and to begin using the sovereign power the state already possesses. – Jerusalem Post
Eric R. Mandel writes: If the president seeks a historic victory in Gaza and perhaps even a Nobel Prize, he must not be swayed by false hope, flattery, or empty assurances from Doha and Ankara. He must adhere firmly to his stated commitment: Hamas will be disarmed, one way or another. – Jerusalem Post
Michael Herzog writes: Among other things, this strategy should include ways of providing significant support to protesters inside Iran, deepening the divide between the regime and the people, opening cracks within the regime’s repressive network, and identifying and empowering Iranians who could effectively lead efforts to challenge the regime. Military strikes could play an important role by decapitating the regime’s leadership, degrading the repressive network’s centers of gravity, and potentially emboldening the oppressed populace. Yet kinetic action may prove insufficient without a wider strategy for eroding the regime. – Washington Institute
Iran
On the eve of a third round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran on Thursday in Geneva, where Tehran is expected to deliver a new proposal, much of the world is holding its breath to see if the massive military force President Donald Trump has assembled in the Middle East is a threat designed to bring the Iranians to heel or a promise to attack if negotiations don’t immediately produce a deal to his liking. – Washington Post
Iranians, from the government’s highest officials to the protesters calling for their ouster, are trying to game out President Donald Trump’s next move, under the looming threat of U.S. strikes. Trump has warned of “bad things” if Iranian negotiators don’t agree to a nuclear deal as he continues to expand a massive U.S. military buildup in the region. Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon,” he pledged in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. – Washington Post
The targeted strikes on Iran being considered by the Trump administration would probably be aimed at nuclear and missile sites in the country. But the president has yet to specify, to either the American people or the troops who would carry out his orders, exactly what he wants this military engagement to accomplish. – New York Times
On Thursday, the United States and Iran will meet for a high-stakes round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva. The outcome may determine whether they go to war or strike a deal. – New York Times
Germany is urging Iran to stop seeking nuclear weapons, to restrict its ballistic missile programme and to cease destabilising the wider region, a foreign office spokesperson said on Wednesday, ahead of fresh nuclear talks in Geneva. – Reuters
Senior Trump administration officials on Wednesday made the case that Iran poses a major threat to the United States ahead of Thursday negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. – Reuters
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump still preferred a diplomatic solution with Iran and that he hoped Iranians took that seriously in their negotiations on Thursday. – Reuters
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has posted on social media new Farsi-language instructions for Iranians wishing to securely contact the spy service. – Reuters
Several countries have begun withdrawing dependents of diplomatic personnel and non-essential staff from some locations in the Middle East, or advising citizens to defer travel to Iran, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. – Reuters
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on more than 30 individuals, entities and “shadow fleet” vessels it said enabled Iran’s illicit petroleum sales, ballistic missiles and weapons production. – Reuters
Ali Shamkhani, who taunted Israel after being pulled alive from the rubble of his Tehran home following a strike in June 2025, has survived at the centre of Iranian policy-making during its most testing military confrontations and diplomatic endeavours. – Reuters
Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear program, alternating between calling his remarks “big lies” and saying negotiations may yield an agreement through “honorable diplomacy.” – Associated Press
Every day, Iranians go to stores and find prices rising. Some post photos on social media of the shrinking contents of their shopping carts as they struggle to buy enough basic staples for their families. The mounting cost of living is an extra weight bearing down as Iranians prepare for a possible war with the U.S. and wrestle with the aftermath of protests that swept the country last month. – Associated Press
A new report detailing the inner workings of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office says the Islamic Republic’s real command structure lies not in Iran’s visible government, but in a shadow apparatus designed to preserve regime control even if the supreme leader himself disappears from public view. – Fox News
Editorial: Mr. Trump has put himself in a position where there is risk no matter what he decides. His way out is to explain why he thinks he must act now in Iran. If he asks for support in advance from Congress and the public, he will have more allies if the war doesn’t go exactly as planned, which it rarely does. The upside is a chance to weaken or topple a regime that promises “death to America,” and to give the Middle East a new chance for peace. – Wall Street Journal
Roxana Saberi and Fatemeh Jamalpour write: Nearly 54,000 Iranian demonstrators have been arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Detainees are often held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, without access to lawyers, and are threatened with torture. Dozens of detained protesters face charges that can carry the death penalty. – New York Times
Mike Evans writes: For anyone who has tracked this confrontation across its long, largely invisible history Stuxnet, the killings of nuclear scientists, the shadow naval war, the proxy battles from Lebanon to Yemen, this moment carries an eerie sense of culmination. Every covert tool has been tried. Every escalatory rung has been climbed. What remains is the question that has hung over the region for a generation: Will Washington and Jerusalem use overwhelming force to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, or will Tehran find a way to pull back? – Times of Israel
Maddie Ali writes: The world must stop treating this regime as a legitimate governing authority and begin treating it as what it is: a system sustained by violence, fear, and the systematic destruction of human life. Silence, neutrality, and delay are not neutral positions. They are choices with consequences measured in blood. This is not a warning. It is a record. It is an appeal to action, before more victims are added to the documented toll of the Islamic regime’s state violence. Long live Iran. – Algemeiner
Russia and Ukraine
Ukraine wants to join the European Union quickly as a guarantee of its future security and has made that a priority in negotiations for a peace agreement with Russia. Yet Kyiv’s path into the Brussels-based bloc is fraught with obstacles. – New York Times
For four years, the people of Ukraine have been celebrated abroad for their perseverance in the face of hardship — the smaller country that bravely stood up to Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky himself has called Ukrainians “unbreakable.” Ms. Shetelia and many others, however, say they are fed up both with hardship and with being called resilient in the face of it. – New York Times
More than 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow was using deception to trick them into fighting. – Reuters
Russia questioned on Thursday how U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace would work with the United Nations Security Council, which has served as the fulcrum of collective international peacemaking since the end of World War Two. – Reuters
Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones last night, causing damage to residential buildings and injuring about 20 people in the eastern and southern regions, local authorities said on Thursday. – Reuters
The International Monetary Fund’s executive board will review an $8.1 billion lending agreement for Ukraine and vote on its approval on Thursday, two sources familiar with the plans said. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed that the next session of trilateral talks in March on a war settlement should lead to a meeting of the countries’ leaders. – Reuters
Repairs to the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian oil to Eastern Europe, cannot be completed quickly despite requests from the European Union and protests by Hungary, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The first Ukrainian drone production plant has started its operations in Britain, Ukraine’s ambassador Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A Ukrainian delegation will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys in the run-up to another round of trilateral talks with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday. – Associated Press
Keith Johnson writes: That is an important consideration at a time when the Trump administration, and its main Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, continue to pressure Kyiv for concessions while coddling Moscow. Ukraine has fended off threats since four Februarys ago, and 10 before that. The threats have come from the east, and they have come from the west. But as the fifth year of war begins, Kyiv has retained not only 80 percent of its territory, but it has also gained an increasing ability to deal long-range punches—at all of its foes. – Foreign Policy
Syria
A now-closed camp that housed thousands of people with suspected links to the Islamic State group in northeast Syria has witnessed “mass escape” in the weeks since government forces took control of it, with at least 133 breaches discovered, a Syrian official said Wednesday. – Associated Press
Colin P. Clarke writes: The jihadists have remained, maintaining a fighting force of several thousand militants. It will now have the opportunity to expand, with a potential infusion of members from the next generation of fighters and a boost to morale for the group at a pivotal time in Syria’s precarious transition. – Washington Post
Devorah Margolin and Joana Cook write: Recently, the head of Iraqi intelligence warned of a resurgence of Islamic State cells in Iraq, citing an increase from 2,000 to 10,000 fighters over the past year. Syria already faces an uphill battle meeting the needs of its citizens in a postwar environment with few resources, raising concerns about how they would handle more radical challenges to the regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa. As the Islamic State waits in the shadows to reconstitute itself, international inaction may provide it the opportunity that it needs. – Foreign Policy
Turkey
Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund is in talks with international partners on a potential $10-billion petrochemical project in the country, CEO Arda Ermut said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Turkey is evaluating all aspects of potential measures that may be taken in the event of a conflict between its neighbour Iran and the United States, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday. – Reuters
An Israeli-Turkish dual national was recently arrested while visiting her parents in Istanbul for serving in the past in the Israel Defense Forces, being held under house arrest for several days until diplomatic pressure secured her release and return to Israel, Hebrew media reported Wednesday. – Times of Israel
Lebanon
A Hezbollah official said Wednesday that the Lebanese terror group will not intervene militarily in the event of “limited” US strikes on its backer Iran, but will consider any attack against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “red line.” – Agence France Presse
Dania F. Arayssi writes: When Hezbollah ministers walked out of the August 2025 cabinet meeting there were no consequences. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act requires Pentagon reporting on disarmament efforts. The same conditionality could apply to political obstruction. Military victory is within reach. Political victory requires a different strategy and the clock is ticking. – New York Sun
Sharon Levy writes: Hezbollah today is a fractured version of the terrorist organization it once was. Its leadership is weakened, and its rocket arsenal is nowhere near the extent it was before October 2023. Yet the presence of the terrorist organization on Israel’s northern border remains. Its apparent willingness to join the Iranian regime if a new round of fighting is to break out only goes to display that it has not strayed from its goal of destroying the Jewish state. The media might try to look away from this reality, but Israel cannot — nor can it afford the consequences of ignoring the security threat. – Algemeiner
Middle East & North Africa
The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday said it completed two reviews of Egypt’s economic reform programme, as well as another review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), allowing the country to draw about $2.3 billion. – Reuters
Saudi Arabia is increasing its oil production and exports as part of a contingency plan in case any U.S. strike on Iran disrupts supplies from the Middle East, two sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Iraq could nearly double its output from the West Qurna 2 oilfield to 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) as Chevron enters exclusive talks to take over operations from Russia’s Lukoil, Iraq’s oil minister said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Neville Teller writes: Maliki publicly emphasizes Iraqi sovereignty but, especially worrying in present circumstances, he maintains a very close relationship with the Iranian regime. “Since leaving office,” the trustworthy policy forum Chatham House notes, “Maliki has kept close relations with Iran.” Tehran backed his return as a prime-ministerial candidate in 2026, it says, because it sees him as a “trusted figure” who can impose order on Iraq’s fragmented security landscape […]Given Maliki’s record in office, his close Shi’ite connections, and his strong association with the Iranian regime, Trump’s opposition to his return to power makes sense. Will Maliki succeed in out-maneuvering him? – Jerusalem Post
Korean Peninsula
It was a lateral move for Kim Jong Un, merely retaining his spot atop North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party. But the appointment won lavish praise in the regime’s largest newspaper on Wednesday. – Wall Street Journal
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, said he could improve ties with the United States if Washington recognized his country as a nuclear weapons state, state media reported on Thursday, as Pyongyang concluded its biggest political event in five years. – New York Times
The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a military parade held in Pyongyang on Wednesday night, state media footage showed on Thursday, amid speculation that she is being groomed as a potential successor. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would focus on expanding his country’s nuclear arsenal and that prospects for improving relations with the U.S. rested entirely on Washington’s attitude, state media KCNA reported on Thursday. – Reuters
South Korea’s SK Hynix said on Wednesday that it plans to invest 21.6 trillion won ($15.07 billion) to build new chip production lines in the South Korean city of Yongin by 2030 to meet rising demand for semiconductors. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul, state media said Thursday. However, he left the door open to dialogue with Washington as he concluded a ruling party congress outlining his policy goals for the next five years. – Associated Press
South Korea has relaunched a fact-finding commission into its past human rights violations, with a key focus on the extensive fraud and malfeasance that corrupted the nation’s historic foreign adoption program. – Associated Press
China
A large Chinese military drone has conducted regular flights over the South China Sea in recent months while transmitting false transponder signals that made it appear to be other aircraft, including a sanctioned Belarusian cargo plane and a British Typhoon fighter jet. – Reuters
Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling against jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s conviction and sentence for a fraud offence, saying the judge in the case had “erred.” – Reuters
A Hong Kong court sentenced the father of a wanted pro-democracy activist to eight months in prison on Thursday under the city’s national security law, after he attempted to terminate her insurance policy and withdraw the funds. – Reuters
China’s government intervened and helped get charges dropped against three Chinese scientists at the University of Michigan who were accused of helping a colleague smuggle biological materials into the U.S., defense lawyers said. – Associated Press
There are many things that China and Germany do not see eye-to-eye on — notably Russia’s war in Ukraine — but the leaders of the world’s second and third largest economies nonetheless pledged Wednesday to work to deepen ties in an era of global turbulence. – Associated Press
New satellite imagery obtained by Newsweek shows work advancing on China’s fourth aircraft carrier, with defense analysts increasingly convinced the vessel will be nuclear-powered — a step that would give it far greater range, endurance and sustained speed than its conventionally powered predecessors. – Newsweek
South Asia
After a lukewarm shower in the freezing winter of Kabul, Alireza Ahmadi combed his hair, tucked his white shirt into his black pants and stepped back onto the court. Alireza, 17, is a phenomenon in Afghanistan, playing futsal, a faster indoor variant of soccer played with five on each side. – New York Times
Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department arrested on Wednesday the country’s former intelligence chief in connection with the Easter bombings of 2019 that killed 279 people. – Reuters
Bangladesh’s new government appointed entrepreneur and financial governance specialist Mostaqur Rahman as governor of the central bank, a government notification said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Pakistan has boosted security and arrested dozens of suspects as it fears rising wave of militant attacks following its air strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Junior Interior Minister said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Sadanand Dhume writes: To make matters worse for India, China has stepped up cooperation with Pakistan. China has modernized Pakistan’s air force and air-defense systems. Mr. Lalwani points out that in last year’s four-day India-Pakistan conflict, China provided Pakistan with real-time satellite and radar information. “China puts its thumb on the scales for Pakistan,” Mr. Lalwani said. It is in the interest of the free world, including the U.S., that India become better able to defend itself against Chinese depredation. The Indian government’s decision to upgrade its fighter jet fleet may signal its belated recognition of the scale of the threats it faces. – Wall Street Journal
Asia
Ms. (Pauline) Hanson and her far-right party, One Nation, persisted on the fringes of Australian politics. In recent weeks, though, they have soared in opinion polls to record levels, with nearly a quarter of Australian voters saying they back the party. – New York Times
Fiji and Tuvalu will host key meetings in the lead-up to the COP31 climate summit in 2026, the Pacific Islands Forum said on Thursday. – Reuters
A United States military plane hit a concrete barrier while attempting to take off from a road during contingency training in the Philippines, injuring all five American personnel aboard, Philippine officials said Wednesday. – Associated Press
Australian police said Wednesday they will return posters depicting politicians and public figures as Nazis that they seized from a Canberra bar last week under new hate crime laws. – Agence France Presse
Cambodian authorities say a crackdown on online scam compounds has cut activity in half since the start of this year, as they face international pressure to dismantle networks accused of stealing billions annually from people worldwide. – Bloomberg
A Philippine tycoon said partnering with China may be an option in the development of a new gas field in an area of the South China Sea where the two nations have competing maritime claims. – Bloomberg
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her family are relocating to Australia, becoming the most high-profile addition to a growing wave of Kiwis moving across the Tasman. – Bloomberg
U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will announce a critical minerals deal with Kazakhstan on Thursday as the West scrambles to diversify its supply chains away from China. – Politico
The Australian government has told dependants of its diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two Middle East countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. – Times of Israel
Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) has signed an agreement with local company DroneShield to accelerate research and development of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). – Janes
The US Army has delivered 17 additional 8×8 Stryker infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to the Royal Thai Army (RTA). The RTA announced on 23 February that the Stryker IFVs were delivered under the US government’s Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme through which the US Department of Defense (DoD) transfers surplus US military assets to allied countries. – Janes
Gordon G. Chang writes: For decades, Japanese leaders were deferential to China. But constant hectoring from Beijing has created widespread resentment in Tokyo. Up until last November, the reaction in Tokyo has been mild. That posture will almost certainly change. Japan’s prime minister now has, as the Japan Times correctly stated, “the needed political capital to confront Beijing on her terms.” Tokyo, under the management of a lady of iron, is already showing Beijing that it is no longer afraid. – The Hill
Europe
The U.K. is holding up a controversial deal to give up sovereignty over a handful of islands in the Indian Ocean that host a key U.S. military base after President Trump criticized the plan. – Wall Street Journal
This week, the leader of the Green Party called Labour “irrelevant” in the election. Labour leaders accused the Green candidate of trying to “manipulate” voters by circulating campaign materials written in Urdu that urged Muslims to “punish Labour for Gaza.” A Reform activist who had campaigned in the area was suspended by the party for online posts deemed racist and antisemitic. – New York Times
Antonio Tejero Molina, a pistol-toting Civil Guard officer who led an overnight takeover of the Spanish Parliament as part of an attempted coup that foundered when King Juan Carlos I of Spain came out in support of the country’s nascent democracy, died on Wednesday in Alzira, Spain, outside Valencia. He was 93. – New York Times
President Emmanuel Macron will update France’s nuclear doctrine on Monday, ruling out shared European control while outlining what Paris can offer allies worried about the reliability of the U.S. nuclear umbrella under President Donald Trump. – Reuters
Iceland will hold a referendum “in the coming months” on restarting European Union accession talks, Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said on Wednesday during a visit to Poland. – Reuters
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Ukraine on Wednesday of planning to disrupt the Hungarian energy system, and dispatched troops to safeguard infrastructure, escalating a dispute that has undermined Europe’s pro-Ukraine consensus. – Reuters
Four Belarusians and two Poles were detained and charged with attempting to smuggle to Russia devices used to automate the production of integrated circuits, used, among others, in the assembly of combat drones, Polish prosecutors said. – Reuters
The British government was on Wednesday given permission to appeal against a ruling that its ban on pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was unlawful. – Reuters
Facing tough odds in an upcoming election, Hungary’s pro-Russian prime minister is trying to convince voters that the greatest threat to the country is not economic stagnation — the focus of his top opponent — but neighboring Ukraine. – Associated Press
The French navy sent its biggest warship to Sweden with a dual mission to strengthen military ties and sharpen Paris’ commercial edge as Stockholm nears a decision on a $5 billion frigate contract. – Bloomberg
Keir Starmer’s UK government has become concerned it could face fresh criticism from President Donald Trump if it does not lay out a plan to quickly and credibly raise defense spending. – Bloomberg
British Defence Minister Al Carns described the failure to agree U.K. entry into the EU’s SAFE program as “self-defeating” for European security. – Politico
Russian air and missile defenses may soon be able to intercept British and French nuclear weapons, according to new analysis by the U.K.-based defense think tank RUSI. – Politico
London and Washington have tentatively restarted work on their multibillion-pound “tech prosperity deal”, which was paused last year after President Donald Trump piled pressure on the UK to cede ground in wider trade talks. – Financial Times
NATO is working to integrate emerging technologies like uncrewed surface vehicles and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles into crisis planning through its latest major exercises in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. – USNI News
Garry Kasparov writes: The only country that has been actively fighting to fend off the advance of authoritarianism is Ukraine, and it has emerged as the most effective, most experienced military in Europe. The rest of the free world must wake up and learn from the Ukrainians—morally and militarily. The future is up for grabs. I hope that by the time Munich comes around next year, Western leaders will have been roused from their state of hibernation and are building a new architecture of global freedom. – Wall Street Journal
Amine Ayoub writes: If Europe fails to dismantle Tehran’s Balkan gateway, the next great security crisis won’t arrive via a smuggler’s boat across the Mediterranean. It will drive straight across a European land border, armed with Schengen access and an ideology purpose-built to destroy the West from within. – Algemeiner
Africa
The Vatican announced on Wednesday that Pope Leo XIV would make a 10-day trip to Africa in April, traveling to Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, less than a year after he was elected to the papacy. – New York Times
Zimbabwe has suspended exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates with immediate effect, its mines ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, after the government alleged malpractices and leakages. – Reuters
Zimbabwe has pulled out of talks on a $367 million bilateral health agreement with the United States due to concerns over the sharing of sensitive health data in return for U.S. financial support, with a government spokesman suggesting on Wednesday that the offer represented an “unequal exchange”. – Reuters
Zambia has pushed back on part of a deal worth more than $1 billion in global health aid from the United States because it does not align with the country’s interests, the government said on Wednesday, as health advocates warned the deal links the money to mining access and has data-sharing risks. – Reuters
At least 25 people were killed and several houses torched after gunmen attacked two villages late on Tuesday in Adamawa State, northeast Nigeria, residents and the state governor said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The drone strike that killed M23 military spokesperson Willy Ngoma in eastern Congo this week left at least nine people dead but narrowly missed the rebels’ military commander, who escaped unharmed, four sources told Reuters. – Reuters
The United States and Burkina Faso signed a five-year bilateral health cooperation memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening regional health security and improving the African nation’s ability to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Angola’s state oil company Sonangol is talking to Chinese financial institutions to secure a $4.8 billion loan to partly finance the construction of a new refinery in the Atlantic sea port of Lobito, it said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A team from the International Monetary Fund is in Kenya to discuss a new loan programme, the government and the Fund said. – Reuters
Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are rapidly increasing their attacks on the borderlands between Niger, Benin and Nigeria, turning remote transit corridors into active conflict zones, according to a crisis monitoring group. – Reuters
The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on four commanders of Sudan’s warring paramilitary force suspected of atrocities against civilians that U.N. experts said showed “hallmarks of genocide.” – Associated Press
Guinea’s military confirmed the detention of 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers after accusing them of crossing the border and raising their flag on Guinean soil. – Associated Press
Five miners who were trapped last week after a mudslide flooded a shaft remain unaccounted for and are “now presumed deceased,” the owners of the diamond mining company in South Africa said Wednesday, announcing that it had filed for liquidation and shut the mine. – Associated Press
Amine Ayoub writes: To counter this, US policymakers must abruptly shift their focus from the endless political deadlock in Tripoli to the hard-power dynamics of the south. Countering the Africa Corps and containing the jihadist spillover requires abandoning diplomatic platitudes and engaging directly with the regional actors who actually hold territory and wield leverage in the Gray Zone. If Washington continues to rely on obsolete institutional frameworks, the Sahel will permanently fall to those who deal exclusively in blood and iron. – Times of Israel
The Americas
Alcalá and another former top official accused of conspiring with Maduro to traffic vast amounts of cocaine into the U.S. view the capture and potential criminal trial of Maduro as a golden opportunity to assist the U.S. government in its prosecution of the ousted president—and, in turn, help themselves. – Wall Street Journal
Since the U.S. raid that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, Trump administration officials have repeatedly expressed their desire to access these minerals—part of a larger plan to break China’s stranglehold on the supply of critical minerals used in modern technology. – Wall Street Journal
Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts early Wednesday for what was intended to be a showcase of the Trump administration’s focus on the Western Hemisphere after the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last month. – Washington Post
An armada of U.S. warships and fighter jets sat menacingly off Venezuela’s waters, and the Pentagon had already devised plans to capture or kill the country’s leader. But as 2025 ended, President Nicolás Maduro seemed surprisingly relaxed, celebrating New Year’s Eve with a small group of family and friends at home in Caracas, the capital, according to several people close to him, including one guest at the party. – New York Times
A lawyer for Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader who was seized from his country by U.S. forces last month and charged with federal crimes, says that the Trump administration is blocking the Venezuelan government from paying Mr. Maduro’s legal fees. – New York Times
Four men, including two politicians, were found guilty on Wednesday in the assassination of Marielle Franco, a Black, gay, feminist councilwoman in Rio de Janeiro who achieved global renown for fighting corruption and systemic racism and whose 2018 killing set off a lengthy quest for justice. – New York Times
Venezuela’s attorney general, who for years played a central role in the government’s repressive apparatus, resigned Wednesday as pressure grew for an overhaul of his office and the country’s justice system, but lawmakers surprisingly appointed him immediately as the acting ombudsman. – Associated Press
North America
Four people on a U.S.-registered speedboat were shot and killed, and six others were injured, after being intercepted in Cuban waters in an alleged infiltration attempt on Wednesday morning, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said. – Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration is easing its policy on the sale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, providing a potential lifeline to the island’s eight million people as a fuel shortage accelerates a humanitarian crisis. – Wall Street Journal
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney heads to the Indo-Pacific region this week, starting with a visit to India where he aims to accelerate efforts to deepen commercial ties with the country after years of diplomatic distress. – Wall Street Journal
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday that an incident with a Florida-registered speedboat off the coast of Cuba was an ‘aggressive provocation by the United States’ aimed at escalating the situation and triggering a conflict, state-owned TASS news agency reported. – Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday she spoke this week with U.S President Donald Trump after he called to discuss the situation in Mexico. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday called for deeper cooperation on tackling criminal gangs as he met Caribbean leaders, even as regional concerns grew over the potential fallout from Washington’s squeeze on Cuba. – Reuters
U.S. and Canadian trade officials spoke on Wednesday and plan to meet in coming weeks, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, adding that the Trump administration was open to their ideas on how to reach an agreement. – Reuters
Canada announced Wednesday it is sending $8 million Canadian (US$6.7 million) in food aid to people in Cuba as the island faces an escalating fuel crisis as oil shipments have slowed following U.S. threats of tariffs. – Associated Press
Mexico has sent a second humanitarian aid package for Cuba as the island faces a tightened U.S. embargo and threats of tariffs against countries providing it with oil. – Associated Press
When roadblocks, explosions and gunshots broke out after the killing of Mexico’s most powerful drug lord, people who rushed to their cellphones for information found social media posts depicting a country in chaos. – Associated Press
For nearly two years after the attack, gangs drained the life out of Carrefour Aéroport. Then in December, Haitian police officers launched a sustained attack against powerful gangs to drive them out of the area with the help of a private security firm and Kenyan police officers leading a U.N.-backed mission that is winding down. – Associated Press
Antonio De Loera-Brust writes: Instead, the United States seems intent on pressuring the Mexican government into taking ever more provocative action against cartels—turning the country into a battleground, victimizing ordinary Mexicans, and then using the ensuing violence to ratchet up the pressure for further military action. All the while, the White House also appears poised to keep the U.S. border closed to the Mexican asylum-seekers the drug war creates. Mexicans have been watching this movie nonstop since 2006. There is no happy ending; there are just endless bloody sequels. It’s time to write a new script. – Foreign Policy
United States
A man arrived in New York in April 2024 to discuss plans with an old acquaintance to sell traditional, yarn-dyed clothes from Pakistan to American customers. But investigators believed his business venture was merely a ruse for assassination plots backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, targeting leaders including then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. The man, Asif Merchant, aimed to hire hit men for his targets, prosecutors said. – New York Times
British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson visited the U.S. State Department on Wednesday and met with at least one U.S. official, social media posts from Robinson and a department official showed. – Reuters
Eswar Prasad writes: So when exporters, importers, investors and central banks go looking for a safe place to park their funds and for a currency they can use easily and with few constraints, they still mostly turn to the dollar. Thus, the real question is whether other countries are going to set their economic and financial houses in order and do what’s needed to improve their own institutions. Without that, they will remain at the mercy of the dollar, with only themselves to blame. – New York Times
Cybersecurity
When French authorities raided X’s offices over alleged distribution of child sexual-abuse material, owner Elon Musk took to his account to call it “a political attack.” – Wall Street Journal
Canadian ministers told OpenAI that if it did not quickly boost its safety protocols in the wake of a recent school shooting, Ottawa would effect the change through legislation, a top official said on Wednesday. – Reuters
President Donald Trump is convening technology executives at the White House next week to sign pledges committing their companies to foot the electricity bill for energy-hungry data centers. – Bloomberg
A Chinese law enforcement official attempted to use ChatGPT to review its reports on cyber operations, subsequently revealing details of a worldwide online harassment and silencing campaign of China’s critics at home and abroad. – CyberScoop
A senior official at China’s top prosecutorial agency said that Beijing is stepping up criminal enforcement against commercial espionage and technology leaks to protect domestic innovation. – The Record
Steven Feldstein writes: Trump officials say their dispute with Anthropic is about correcting an imbalance of power—to stop a private company from dictating how the military can use its tools. But the actual question to ask is: Can the Trump administration or tech companies be trusted to safely and responsibly develop powerful AI technologies for national security? The answer so far is no. – Foreign Policy
Defense
The Pentagon plans to spend an additional $12.6 billion to improve surveillance of China’s military maneuvers, submarines and satellites as the US tries to counter the “unprecedented Chinese military buildup” in Asia, according to a budget document sent to Congress. – Bloomberg
As the U.S. Army embarks on a massive reorganization of its acquisition agencies, it’s also changing the ways it acquires electronic warfare and signals intelligence systems. – Defense News
Even as modern conflicts show the vulnerabilities of traditional battlefield medical care, American medics are still relying on “analog, paper-based” triage systems to assess injured troops, according to the Defense Innovation Unit. – DefenseScoop
U.S. naval aviation equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles and a B-2 stealth bomber held an integrated maritime strike exercise off California, the Air Force announced Tuesday. – USNI News
More than a dozen warships and support ships will leave the U.S. Navy’s battle force this year, according to the Fiscal Year 2026 ship inactivation schedule released last week. – USNI News