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Israel strikes in Gaza kill 10, including senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures Israel says it is striking Hezbollah targets in several areas in Lebanon JPost Editorial: Israel cannot heal from war with Hamas while Ran Gvili remains in Gaza Trump was told attack on Iran wouldn’t guarantee collapse of regime Iran’s heavy crackdown quells protests US tells UN all options on table, Iran warns it will respond to any aggression AEI’s Michael Rubin: Is the world ready for waves of Iranian refugees? Turkey says Syrian government could use force against Kurds Turkey says it opposes military intervention in Iran, priority is avoiding destabilisation Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey defence deal in pipeline, Pakistani minister says Egypt boosts military presence in Somalia after Israel recognizes Somaliland Taiwan pledges $250 billion in U.S. spending in exchange for lower tariffsIn The News
Israel
A senior figure in the armed wing of Hamas, a Hamas policeman, and a senior figure in the militant group Islamic Jihad were among at least ten people killed on Thursday in a series of Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to local sources. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was backing the newly appointed “Palestinian Technocratic Government” in Gaza where Washington has announced the launch of a second phase in a ceasefire that went into effect in October but remains fragile. – Reuters
Ali Shaath, the Palestinian former government official chosen to administer Gaza under a U.S.-backed deal, has an ambitious plan that includes pushing war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure within three years. – Reuters
The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in several areas in Lebanon on Thursday, adding that the strikes were in response to Hezbollah’s “repeated violations of the ceasefire”. – Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the ceasefire announcement largely symbolic, raising questions about how its more challenging elements will be carried out. – Associated Press
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally asked US President Donald Trump to hold off on a US military attack on Iran, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing an anonymous senior US official. – Jerusalem Post
US Senator Lindsey Graham confirmed that he will travel to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “at this crucial time in the history of the Middle East,” in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Palestinians on Thursday were divided over the prospects of success for the newly established technocratic committee, which is supposed to assume responsibility for rebuilding Gaza and replace the Hamas government. – Jerusalem Post
The United States announced it will hold back 10% of its funding to the United Nations and UN agencies unless they “take credible steps to combat anti-Israel bias.” – Jerusalem Post
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington will reach an agreement with Hamas that will see it fully disarm, threatening the terror group if it doesn’t get on board. – Times of Israel
Members of the National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip (NCAG) held their first meeting on Thursday in Cairo, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel. – Times of Israel
Editorial: If Israel is to move from war to recovery and from pain to reconstruction, Gvili must be returned. His homecoming can mark a national recommitment to its deepest values. It can give a grieving family the dignity of burial and give a battered society a moment of moral alignment. Phase II will be measured in clauses signed and mechanisms built. It will also be judged by whether Israel proves, through action, that no soldier and no citizen is treated as negotiable or expendable, and that no one is left behind, including in death. – Jerusalem Post
Liron Rose and Amit Shabi write: For Washington, Saudi-Israeli normalization would be a rare and visible foreign-policy achievement ahead of domestic political milestones. Delay favors no one, but it hurts Saudi Arabia most. In chess, zugzwang is not about forcing an immediate blunder. It is about reaching a position where every move worsens one’s standing. Recognition of Somaliland may appear peripheral, but it tightens Saudi Arabia’s strategic space. The question is no longer whether Riyadh can avoid choosing sides. It is whether it will shape the emerging order or be shaped by it. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
Iranians had been demonstrating for over a week, but Aminian knew that day was going to be different. The protests had been growing in size and expanding to more cities, with calls for regime change becoming louder. President Trump had threatened to intervene if security forces started shooting. Adding to the growing momentum, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the deposed shah, had urged Iranians to pour onto the streets at 8 p.m., the start of the Iranian weekend. – Wall Street Journal
President Trump was advised that a large-scale strike against Iran was unlikely to make the government fall and could spark a wider conflict, U.S. officials said, and for now will monitor how Tehran handles protesters before deciding on the scope of a potential attack. – Wall Street Journal
A fierce crackdown by Iranian security forces that has killed thousands of people protesting against the country’s autocratic leaders has forced demonstrators off the streets in some cities, with residents reporting an eerie quiet after days of escalating violence. – Wall Street Journal
Iran appeared to backpedal on previous threats to execute protesters, amid global condemnation and fears of U.S. military action, even as the government continues a brutal crackdown after weeks of demonstrations. – New York Times
The United States stands by the “brave people of Iran,” and President Donald Trump “has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. – Reuters
The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and said it was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being wired to international banks, as President Donald Trump keeps the pressure on Tehran. – Reuters
No pursuit of nuclear weapons. Confronting drug trafficking. An immediate recognition of the state of Israel. Exporting copious amounts of oil and gas. Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi laid out his aspirations Thursday for Iran if its theocracy is toppled — and experts say they sound exactly like what U.S. President Donald Trump wants to hear. – Associated Press
“The situation in Iran is catastrophic. Over 3,000 people have been killed. IRGC ground forces have been deployed. We cannot do it alone. We need help. We urge the US and Israel to help us.” These were the words of Khalil Kani Sanani, the spokesman for the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), a Kurdish Peshmerga group operating in the mountainous regions of Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan. – Jerusalem Post
After killing thousands of people during protests against the regime, the authorities in Iran are demanding hefty amounts of money from the parents of the victims if they want to retrieve the bodies of their sons or daughters who were killed. – Arutz Sheva
Defense Minister Israel Katz signed an order today (Thursday) designating the Iranian state-owned Bank Melli as a terrorist organization. – Arutz Sheva
David Ignatius writes: Khosrowshahi told a group of opposition supporters by video last year that in Iran’s future role as a regional technical hub, “the sky’s the limit.” Bring it on! The Middle East battle I’d like to see is one among Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for tech supremacy. Despite this week’s bloody repression, the campaign for Iran’s political transition is just beginning. A strong, steady American policy can help eventually sink this regime. It may look strong, but it signed its death warrant this week, in blood. – Washington Post
Faezeh Alavi writes: This is a pivotal chance for Iran, the Middle East, and the United States to ensure regional stability and build a new alliance. Given how isolated the Iranian people are in Iran and in the media, and how disconnected experts have become, President Trump now faces a historic decision, as Iranians are counting on him. The best way to honor the lives lost in Iran is to help establish exactly what they are sacrificing their lives for. Any other effort is a hollow gesture and nothing more than a post on X with a high number of likes and reposts. – Jerusalem Post
Stephen M. Flatow writes: There should be no confusion and no surprise. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not malfunctioning – it is functioning exactly as designed. A regime built on hostage-taking, terror sponsorship, and ideological hatred will inevitably turn its guns on its own people. The same system that financed bombings in Buenos Aires, Beirut, and Jerusalem now executes protestors in Tehran. The lesson of the past 45 years is unmistakable: as long as the mullahs rule Iran, violence will follow. Removing them from power is not reckless – it is necessary. The world will not be safer until the source of this brutality is gone. – Arutz Sheva
Michael Rubin writes: Once a migrant has crossed a border and escaped danger, he should receive refugee services in that country. This will once again make Turkey the destination of choice for millions of Iranian refugees. With its own collapsing currency and inflation, though, Erdoğan will be reluctant to accept Iranians. […] Barham Salih, the new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), began work just two weeks ago. With budgets declining and a refugee crisis looming, he might face a trial by fire. While Trump is right to vow to protect Iranians from slaughter, slashing the budget of UNHCR now may make a bad situation worse. – Middle East Forum
Russia and Ukraine
Devastating attacks on Kyiv’s energy system over the past week have left hundreds of thousands in the cold and dark, as temperatures plunged well below freezing, sparking a war of words between President Volodymyr Zelensky and the mayor over the plight of the capital’s residents. – Washington Post
Russian forces destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine’s second-biggest city Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air campaign by Moscow that has plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold. – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir said on Thursday that the international situation had deteriorated and that the world was getting more dangerous but he was silent on the situation in Venezuela and Iran. – Reuters
Russia is still waiting for the United States to respond to President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to informally extend for a year the provisions of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between the two countries, the Kremlin said on Thursday. – Reuters
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump that it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, not Russia, who was holding up a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. – Reuters
Russia said on Thursday that NATO’s talk of Russia and China being a threat to Greenland was a myth designed to artificially whip up hysteria and that what it called the Western alliance’s policy of escalating confrontation in the Arctic was extremely dangerous. – Reuters
An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would use nuclear weapons against Europe if it ever found itself close to defeat. – Newsweek
Alexander Gabuev and Sergey Vakulenko write: Likewise, Russia has not abandoned Venezuela; its military personnel and equipment are still there. The Kremlin will be waiting for an opportunity to leverage its presence, especially if the United States’ removal of Maduro leads only to a regrouping of his regime or more chaos on the ground. If conditions in Venezuela continue to deteriorate, the Kremlin will be all too happy to fuel regional instability and then point to Venezuela as yet another example of failed American overreach after Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. Ultimately, Russia will compensate for its weakness as a partner by reverting to its familiar strength as a spoiler. – Foreign Affairs
Pavlo Zhovnirenko writes: For the United States, leadership means both the ability to act and the ability to create frameworks that everyone will follow. An Arctic Treaty could become a modern embodiment of this tradition: a practical way to strengthen NATO unity, reduce risks in the High North, and protect the long-term interests of the United States. From the Ukrainian perspective, these issues are not abstract. We have seen how quickly Moscow turns any disagreements among democracies to its own benefit. When allies are united and predictable, deterrence is strongest. That is why debates about the Arctic matter far beyond the region itself. A confident, unified, rules-based Western approach to the Arctic will shape not only the situation in the High North but also limit Russia’s ability to maneuver in other parts of the world. – National Interest
Syria
The Syrian government army could use further force against Kurdish militants after a flare-up in violence in northern Syria, the foreign minister of neighbouring Turkey, a strong backer of the Syrian authorities, said on Thursday. – Reuters
A trickle of civilians left a contested area east of Aleppo on Thursday after a warning by the Syrian military to evacuate ahead of an anticipated government military offensive against Kurdish-led forces. – Associated Press
Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized the Syrian government for what it says is the lack of accountability on perpetrators of sectarian violence and killings on all sides in clashes between government-backed armed Bedouin clans and Druze militias in a southern province in July that killed hundreds of civilians. – Associated Press
Sectarian violence has plagued Syria long before Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which splintered from al-Qaeda, took control of the country last year. The Alawites, an Abrahamic faith that draws its ideology from the quran, faced centuries of persecution and discrimination, a reality that intensified after 14th Century Sunni scholar Ibn Taymiyyah issued a fatwa against the religious minority, declaring them infidels. – Jerusalem Post
Wladimir van Wilgenburg writes: Yet popular anger among SDF supporters at the ceasefire has likely tempered other officials’ language. SDF commander Hemo appeared more circumspect when asked about the prospects of integration “We are still in a period of mourning. We are mourning our martyrs, caring for our wounded, and processing the pain. A formal assessment of the situation is still pending, but the right approach will certainly emerge.” – Washington Institute
Turkey
Turkey plans to deploy fighter jets to Estonia and Romania as part of NATO’s enhanced air policing missions, the defence ministry said on Thursday. – Reuters
Turkey is opposed to any military intervention in Iran and its priority is to avoid destabilisation there, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, as Tehran continues its crackdown on protests. – Reuters
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of talks, Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production said, a signal they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years. – Reuters
Middle East & North Africa
Maersk will resume sailing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal following improved stability in the area, but said it will continue to monitor the Middle East security situation closely. – Wall Street Journal
Egypt has received 1 billion euros from the European Union and is set to receive a total of 3 billion euros in two tranches in 2026, the International Cooperation Ministry said. – Reuters
Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential leadership council has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Salem bin Breik and appointed Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen Zindani as the country’s new prime minister, the state news agency Saba reported on Thursday. – Reuters
Saudi Arabia has announced a slew of development projects across southern Yemen worth about $500 million, many in areas long-held by the United Arab Emirates and allied separatists who were routed in a Saudi-backed offensive this month. – Reuters
Egypt has increased its military presence in Somalia following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, fearing Israeli influence in the strategic Horn of Africa, sources told Abu Dhabi-owned outlet The National earlier this week. – Jerusalem Post
Coby Schoffman writes: Because in the end, geopolitics is not only about borders and balance sheets. It is about what we choose to pass down: whether we raise our sons and daughters to memorize grievances, or to build futures; whether we teach them to fear the world, or to repair it. This moment will not last forever. But if seized with courage and clarity, it could mark the beginning of a region defined not by perpetual conflict, but by the quiet, revolutionary act of stability and prosperity itself. – Jerusalem Post
Korean Peninsula
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is finding himself the center of attention in the region: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week invited him to join an impromptu drum jam session to K-pop songs. Last week, it was Chinese leader Xi Jinping who was — uncharacteristically — all smiles as Lee took selfies of them on the Chinese cellphone Xi gave him last year. – Washington Post
A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on charges that included obstructing attempts by authorities to arrest him following his failed bid to impose martial law in December 2024. – Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent comments on the Korean won underscore the importance of foreign exchange stability for bilateral economic cooperation between Seoul and Washington, a senior South Korean official said on Thursday. – Reuters
China
Canada’s Prime Minister took an important step toward reinvigorating his nation’s ties with China and diversifying its trade away from the U.S., as Beijing increasingly seeks to woo U.S. allies frustrated with American protectionism. – Wall Street Journal
Faced with new global challenges, the leaders of China and Canada pledged Friday to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony. – Associated Press
U.S. businesses are more concerned about China’s slowing economy than trade friction, according to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China released Friday. – Associated Press
Karishma Vaswani and David Fickling write: Russia is the only country that provides more than 10% of China’s crude, and most major suppliers are aspiring middle powers that won’t be easily persuaded to do his bidding. Switching away from oil is another way of diversifying supplies: Electric cars and trucks will eliminate about 1.76 million barrels of Chinese oil demand this year, roughly equivalent to every barrel imported from Iran and Venezuela put together. This slippery liquid always finds its level, and can seep through the narrowest cracks to connect buyers with sellers. If you’re betting that the law of trade and geopolitics has been upended, you may find yourself disappointed. – Bloomberg
Matthew P. Funaiole, Brian Hart, and Aidan Powers-Riggs write: China is now applying a similar playbook to space, offering satellites, launch services, ground stations, and technical training as an integrated package to nations across the Global South. To avoid repeating the 5G experience, Washington needs to rethink its approach to global space cooperation. The United States has largely focused on wealthy partners, but expanding engagement with the Global South would better serve long-term strategic interests. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
South Asia
Pakistani students returning from Iran on Thursday said they heard gunshots and stories of rioting and violence while being confined to campus and not allowed out of their dormitories in the evening. – Reuters
It was a piece of audio obtained by the BBC that revealed what worries the Taliban’s leader most. Not an external danger, but one from within Afghanistan, which the Taliban seized control of as the previous government collapsed and the US withdrew in 2021. – BBC
Richard Fontaine and Lisa Curtis write: Yet Washington cannot afford to be belligerent. And after over eight months of recriminations, it will have to be patient in regaining New Delhi’s trust. […] Trust is hard to build and easy to lose, especially between two countries that spent the entirety of the Cold War essentially estranged. It will likely take years to repair the damage that has already been inflicted. But that is all the more reason to act now. The longer the current crisis lasts, the harder it will be to restore the relationship and the more likely it is that the two countries will lose an entire generation of progress. It is therefore time to right the ship. – Foreign Affairs
Asia
The U.S. and Taiwan signed a trade deal Thursday aimed at boosting American production of semiconductors in exchange for lower tariffs, adding to the Trump administration’s efforts to bring critical industries to the U.S. – Wall Street Journal
Nearly five million social media accounts belonging to Australian teenagers have been deactivated or removed, a month after a landmark law barring those younger than 16 from using the services took effect, the government said on Thursday. – New York Times
The yen rallied against the dollar on Friday after Japan’s finance minister floated the possibility of joint intervention with the United States to defend the nation’s faltering currency. – Reuters
Taiwan aims to become a close strategic partner with the United States in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) after striking a deal to cut tariffs and boost its investment in the country, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said on Friday. – Reuters
The military government of Myanmar, long noted as one of the world’s biggest producers of heroin and methamphetamine, has announced what it describes as the country’s largest-ever seizures of illicit drugs and equipment used to produce them, state media reported Thursday. – Associated Press
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to work together on critical mineral supply and elevate their relationship to a new level. – Bloomberg
Japan’s Defense Ministry said a Russian naval vessel designed to collect intelligence was tracked sailing around the country’s southwestern outlying territory near Taiwan, amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over a potential Chinese move on the island. – Newsweek
Jonathan Walberg writes: At home, the NDS would shift the defense conversation from vague slogans such as “resilience” and “resolute defense and … deterrence” to specific action. Citizens who are called to serve deserve to see how their army’s readiness is improving and where gaps remain. Transparency builds legitimacy, which is a form of national power. Quadrennial reviews are speeches, while annual strategies are scorecards. Taiwan doesn’t need grander prose but a rhythm that turns political will into military effect, again and again. Make the NDS annual, tie it to the budget, measure what matters, and report results. If the danger is moving on a real-time clock, Taiwan’s strategy can’t be stuck on a four-year one. – Foreign Policy
Europe
Fifteen French mountain infantry soldiers marched onto a runway late Wednesday and boarded a bus labeled “Greenland Excursions,” their first step in a mission to deter a U.S. invasion of the Arctic island. – Wall Street Journal
France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure has warned U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that any move to seize Greenland would amount to a “crossed line” endangering Europe’s economic relationship with Washington, the Financial Times reported on Friday. – Reuters
Greece has warned its shipping fleet to upgrade security measures to the highest possible when sailing to Russian Black Sea ports after drone attacks on two Greek-operated tankers this week, according to shipping ministry advisories. – Reuters
European airlines like Wizz Air, Lufthansa, and British Airways, dodged Iraqi and Iranian airspace on Thursday, according to flight tracking websites, opting instead for routes over Afghanistan and central Asia in an effort to mitigate risks associated with ongoing geopolitical turmoil in Iran and the Middle East. – Reuters
The Czech Republic’s new government led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš won a mandatory confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament on Thursday over its agenda aimed at steering the country away from supporting Ukraine and rejecting some key European Union policies. – Associated Press
A stalemate between Denmark and the US over Greenland is prompting Europeans to establish a military presence on the Arctic island after a high-level meeting failed to defuse US threats over its future. – Bloomberg
French President Emmanuel Macron fired a warning shot to the country’s defense industry, saying France’s armed forces could turn to European suppliers if those can deliver equipment faster or more efficiently, as the country seeks to bolster its military. – Defense News
Latvia’s government has approved the planned purchase of Archer 155 mm self-propelled howitzers for the country’s armed forces. As part of the procurement, which are made by BAE Systems, Latvia aims to strengthen its cooperation with Sweden, the first customer to buy the Archer. – Defense News
Africa
Ethiopian police said they had seized thousands of rounds of ammunition sent by Eritrea to rebels in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, an allegation Eritrea dismissed as a falsehood intended to justify starting a war. – Reuters
The South African rand was steady in early trading on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump calmed market anxiety over potential U.S. military action against Iran. – Reuters
The International Monetary Fund’s new mission chief for Senegal will make a short trip to the West African nation early next week, an IMF spokesperson said, but no substantive negotiations are expected. – Reuters
Kenya has struck a preliminary trade deal with China that would give 98% of its exports duty-free access to the large Chinese market, the Nairobi government said on Thursday, with a full, final agreement in the pipeline. – Reuters
Ghana will scrap long-term mining investment stability agreements and double royalties under sweeping reforms, the regulator in Africa’s top gold producer told Reuters, as it seeks to capture more benefits from surging bullion prices. – Reuters
Uganda’s presidential election was plagued by widespread delays Thursday in addition to a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986. – Associated Press
Tanzania’s president has, for the first time since the disputed October election, commented on a six-day internet shutdown as the country went through its worst postelection violence. – Associated Press
A Gambian court on Thursday opened the trial of one of the leaders of former dictator Yahya Jammeh ‘s notorious death squad. – Associated Press
The US on Thursday criticized Iran’s presence at naval drills off South Africa’s coast as “particularly unconscionable” given the regime’s crackdown on protests. – Agence France-Presse
The Americas
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met Thursday with President Trump and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize, which he accepted, a White House official said. – Wall Street Journal
U.S. forces seized a sixth oil tanker on Thursday morning, the U.S. Southern Command confirmed. In a predawn raid, Marines and sailors launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Caribbean and apprehended the vessel Veronica, according to the military’s Southern Command. – Wall Street Journal
During her first State of the Union address on Thursday, Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim leader, walked a political tight rope. Ms. Rodríguez echoed the fiery, anti-imperialist rhetoric used by her predecessors in the speech, which she said she had co-written with Nicolás Maduro just hours before he was captured by U.S. commandos, and she launched a verbal offensive against the United States. – New York Times
Cuban national television broadcast live on Thursday morning the return of the remains of 32 of its citizens, who were killed in the U.S. strikes on Venezuela during the operation in the early morning of Jan. 3 to capture the ousted Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro. – New York Times
The cyberattack that plunged Venezuela’s capital into darkness this month demonstrated the Pentagon’s ability not just to turn off the lights, but also to allow them to be turned back on, according to U.S. officials briefed on the operation. – New York Times
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told Reuters on Thursday that the IMF is ready to support Venezuela but needs its major shareholders to recognize the country’s leadership and those authorities to seek IMF assistance. – Reuters
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale to Peru of $1.5 billion in equipment and services to support the country’s efforts to shift its main naval base in the city of Callao, the Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday, so it can expand a neighboring seaport. – Reuters
The U.S. State Department’s top aid official on Thursday said Cuba’s authorities must not interfere with a shipment of humanitarian aid to its people and suggested President Donald Trump could take action if Cuba does not comply. – Reuters
Russia said on Thursday that using the language of blackmail and threats against Cuba was unacceptable after U.S. President Donald Trump told Havana to make a deal before it was too late. – Reuters
Guatemala President Bernardo Arévalo on Thursday said that after the United States’ removal of Venezuela’s president, his country, which has also felt the sting of U.S. intervention, is focused on maintaining what he described as a “good” relationship with the U.S., while working to support international law and peaceful dispute resolution. – Associated Press
The US immigrant visa crackdown has ensnared friends and foes alike in Latin America, where a large share of blacklisted countries are run by left-wing presidents such as US ally Uruguay. – Bloomberg
Judy Shelton writes: It isn’t too early to begin planning how monetary arrangements in the Americas might evolve in beneficial ways. World War II was still raging in July 1944 when the U.S. convened a conference with representatives from 44 allied nations in Bretton Woods, N.H., to hammer out an international monetary agreement based on fixed rates anchored by a gold-convertible U.S. dollar. In his book “Changing Fortunes,” former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker wrote that “the performance of the world economy in the first twenty-five years after Bretton Woods was exceptional.” Let’s hope that strategic currency proposals foster a renewed impetus to make America’s money great again. – Wall Street Journal
Juan Pablo Spinetto writes: For now, Brasilia should keep its head down and return to its traditional foreign-policy strengths: defending democracy while pushing for a meaningful reform of the international system at a moment when multilateralism faces its greatest test since World War II. […] Brazil is not alone in falling short in this tragedy; other Latin American countries share responsibility. But leadership is not declared, it is earned. And in Venezuela, Brazil squandered its clearest opportunity in a generation to prove it deserved that distinction. – Bloomberg
Emily A. Cole writes: When governments weaken access for civic actors who help stabilize communities, it undermines U.S. strategic interests in the hemisphere. Indeed, religious leaders across Latin America wear multiple hats, and they should not be penalized for doing so. When targeted or legally separated from their titles, they face local dangers, adding to domestic and regional instability. A restoration of explicit protections for religious leaders in Colombia will align with our national interests and should factor into U.S. policy priorities in 2026. – The Hill
North America
The United States is intensifying pressure on Mexico to allow U.S. military forces to conduct joint operations to dismantle fentanyl labs inside the country, according to American officials. – New York Times
Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente and his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spoke on Thursday about security and “reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Mexico partnership,” both governments said in a joint statement. – Reuters
Amid persistent doubts over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact, Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard insisted on Thursday that the agreement remains firmly intact and that the three countries will close a deal to extend it. – Reuters
The United States and Honduras intend to launch negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement as soon as possible, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement on Thursday. – Reuters
A Canadian citizen has died in Iran at the hands of the Iranian authorities, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a social media post on Thursday, but did not give details of how or when. – Reuters
United States
President Trump is urging Congress to make healthcare a priority this year, endorsing a series of proposals that come as his party faces mounting political pressure over rising costs ahead of the midterm elections. – Wall Street Journal
A federal appeals court delivered a major blow to Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil, unwinding the decision that freed him from immigration detention last year. – Wall Street Journal
The Marine Corps general tapped to lead U.S. military operations in Latin America told lawmakers Thursday that he stands ready to oversee an expanded presence that began ahead of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s capture — but he doesn’t know how long that enhanced focus will last. – Associated Press
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have proposed creating a new agency with $2.5 billion to spur production of rare earths and the other critical minerals, while the Trump administration has already taken aggressive actions to break China’s grip on the market for these materials that are crucial to high-tech products, including cellphones, electric vehicles, jet fighters and missiles. – Associated Press
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration’s massive immigration crackdown. – Associated Press
The United Nations chief lashed out Thursday at countries that violate international law and called the concentration of power and wealth by the world’s richest 1% “morally indefensible.” – Associated Press
In the wake of this month’s stunning Venezuela operation, the Trump administration’s nominee to take the operational reins inside US Southern Command appeared in front of senators today, very careful to say nothing. – Breaking Defense
Cybersecurity
After a year of gung-ho news about China’s gains in artificial intelligence, some elite Chinese AI researchers are coming to a more pessimistic conclusion. The country’s chances of catching up to the U.S. are slim in the short run, they say, because of a bottleneck in chips. – Wall Street Journal
After X announced that it had disabled, in some locations, a controversial Grok tool that allows users to digitally undress photos of real people, the tool remains functional on the stand-alone Grok app. – Washington Post
The Philippines is moving to block Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok amid concerns about its ability to generate sexualised images, including content that could pose child safety risks, the secretary of information and communications technology said on Thursday. – Reuters
There are strong reasons to believe a group connected to Russian secret services was behind a December cyberattack on Poland’s energy infrastructure, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday. – Reuters
Canada’s privacy watchdog said on Thursday it was expanding an existing probe into X following reports that the social media platform’s Grok AI chatbot was making non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes. – Reuters
A Chinese-linked cyberespionage group targeted U.S. government and policy-related officials with Venezuela-themed phishing emails in the days after the U.S. operation to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, cybersecurity researchers said Thursday. – Reuters
Americans are being taught to trust propaganda. Often, it’s not intentional. A classic bit of advice for separating propaganda from real research is “Check the citations.” If the sources support the analysis, the material can be trusted. But AI is changing the rules of the game. – CyberScoop
Chinese hackers successfully breached multiple critical infrastructure organizations in North America over the last year using a combination of compromised credentials and exploitable servers, researchers at Cisco Talos found. – The Record
The Anchorage Police Department said it took a range of actions to address a recent cyberattack on one of its technology service providers. – The Record
Defense
The Pentagon said Thursday that it is changing the independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes so it concentrates on “reporting for our warfighters” and no longer includes “woke distractions.” – Associated Press
Satellites have captured the Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln operating in the disputed South China Sea before it was reportedly ordered to redeploy to the Middle East to shore up U.S. military power amid flaring tensions with Iran. – Newsweek
U.S. Navy leaders speaking at a military conference this week outlined what they described as the strategic opportunities of the recently announced Trump-class battleships and why the service is embracing the development. – Defense News
Lockheed Martin delivered 191 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters last year, according to the company, the highest yearly amount in the program’s history, as the major defense contractor worked to clear out a backlog of previously undelivered jets. – Defense News
Saildrone will equip its unmanned surface vessels with strike missiles made by Lockheed Martin, the drone company announced this week. – Defense News
The U.S. Navy is moving swiftly to integrate and deploy unmanned surface vessels, with three USV divisions slated to be created next week and two medium USVs to be operating under fleet control this year. – Defense News
The Coast Guard has spent close to $7.7 billion of the nearly $25 billion awarded to it by the Trump administration in July, investing in new hardware, infrastructure and personnel to support the largest overhaul of the service since World War II. – USNI News
The Pentagon’s embassy in Silicon Valley, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), is offering up to $100 million dollars in prizes for companies to prototype new user-friendly “orchestrator” control software for whole formations of unmanned air, ground, and water vehicles. – Breaking Defense
Adm. Kevin Lunday is officially the 28th commandant of the United States Coast Guard. Lunday, previously the acting commandant, assumed his position on Thursday morning during an Assumption of Command Ceremony presided over by the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. – Military.com
Robert C. O’Brien, and Charles Richard write: American innovation excels when the government defines strategic imperatives, and industry mobilizes to meet them. The Trump administration should partner with the private sector to build an advanced radiation testing facility to complement the nuclear modernization mission and compete with China and Russia. […] The United States has the talent, the scientific base, and the industrial depth to lead this effort to secure our nuclear arsenal and ensure America leads the fusion energy revolution. The administration should partner with the private sector to move in Trump time. – National Interest