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Why the U.S. and Israel struck when they did: a chance to kill Iran's leaders In surprise daytime attack, U.S., Israel take out Iranian leadership NYT’s Bret Stephens: Trump and Netanyahu are doing the free world a favor By striking its neighbors, Iran has deepened the Gulf’s resolve to fight back Iran says Natanz nuclear site hit in US-Israeli strikes WSJ’s Elliot Kaufman: Khamenei’s unforced errors proved fatal WaPo’s George F. Will: At last, the credibility of U.S. deterrence is being restored Kyiv says Russia accepted US plan for Ukraine security guarantees Hezbollah attacks Israel, prompting Israeli strikes and Lebanese criticism Glitzy Dubai gets a taste of Middle East war China’s ‘two sessions’ to shed light on what lies ahead for economy Protesters try to storm U.S. consulate as thousands in Pakistan protest Iran strikesIn The News
Israel
Israeli and U.S. military intelligence had long watched and waited for a rare opportunity: senior political and military leaders in Iran holding a meeting—where they could all be killed at once. The day finally came Saturday. Intelligence officers had identified not just one meeting but three, Israeli officials said. And they had a fix on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top decision maker and spiritual leader. – Wall Street Journal
The United States and Israel launched strikes across Iran in a bold daytime attack Saturday that struck hundreds of missile and air defense sites and eliminated layers of leadership in the Iranian regime, most significant among them the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. – Washington Post
One man stood crying in the ghastly aftermath of an Iranian missile strike that killed at least nine people in central Israel on Sunday afternoon, the worst casualty toll in the country after two days of conflict with Iran. Hours after the direct hit on a residential district in Beit Shemesh, about 18 miles west of Jerusalem, dozens of military personnel in khaki uniforms and orange helmets were searching through the debris. – New York Times
Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Sunday and Iran responded with more missile barrages, a day after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pitched the Middle East and the global economy into deepening uncertainty. – Reuters
Israel banned public gatherings, shut schools and workplaces and moved hospital patients to underground facilities on Saturday as Tehran launched missiles towards Israel in retaliation for a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. – Reuters
Crossings into the Gaza Strip, vital for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the movement of patients in need of medical evacuation, were closed on Saturday as Israeli and U.S. forces attacked Iran, the Israeli government agency COGAT said. – Reuters
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned “escalation” in the Middle East after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, on which the UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later Saturday. – Agence France-Presse
Three people were wounded by the impact of an Iranian ballistic missile on a highway on the outskirts of Jerusalem Sunday evening, medics said, on the second day of the Islamic Republic’s war with the US and Israel. – Times of Israel
With the skies expected to remain closed as Iranian missiles continue to rain down, Israeli airlines have been gearing up to operate special flights to help tens of thousands of Israelis return home, and others leave the country via land border crossings that have remained open. – Times of Israel
Israeli Air Force fighter jets have dropped over 2,000 bombs in strikes against hundreds of Iranian regime targets and military sites since the start of the conflict with the Islamic Republic on Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday. – Times of Israel
The warhead of an Iranian missile hit a site just several dozen meters from the Old City of Jerusalem, and just several hundred meters from the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, during the course of Saturday, police announced on Sunday. – Times of Israel
The woman killed in an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv late Saturday was identified Sunday as 32-year-old Philippine national Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera, a caregiver who lived with her patient. – Times of Israel
Hamas’s civil defense agency reported seven people killed in IDF strikes in Gaza on Friday, as the military said it struck Hamas operatives throughout the Strip after several Palestinian gunmen emerged from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah. – Times of Israel
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is slated to hold a classified operational update on Operation Roaring Lion on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
Israel is going to intensify its attacks against Iran in the coming days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday. – Jerusalem Post
Bret Stephens writes: They have rid the world of an odious tyrant, and of several layers of his equally odious deputies. It’s odd that the same people who fault Trump for divorcing U.S. foreign policy from its democratic values now fault him for going to war for the sake of advancing democratic values. Still, millions of ordinary people around the world — not just in Tel Aviv or Tehran or Tehrangeles but also, perhaps, in Taipei and Tallinn — will notice that the United States, for its many warts, still stands for freedom. – New York Times
Iran
The Iranian regime, decapitated in the first hours of the U.S.-Israeli campaign that started on Saturday, has responded by striking at least nine countries across the Middle East, unleashing a truly regional war. – Wall Street Journal
The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei brought a sense of disbelief to a nation divided over his legacy, as loyal supporters gathered in mourning and opponents celebrated his demise. – Wall Street Journal
Iran announced the first step in a succession process that remains opaque and fraught with uncertainty Sunday after the government confirmed the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S. and Israeli attacks. – Washington Post
Iran’s sprawling nuclear facility at Natanz was struck during U.S. and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic, Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday. – Reuters
Following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, many senior U.S. officials remain skeptical that the U.S. and Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic will lead to a regime change in the near term. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran were continuing and would carry on until all of Washington’s objectives are achieved. Trump confirmed in a video posted on Truth Social that three U.S. service members had been killed and said there would likely be more casualties, vowing to avenge the deaths of Americans. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that 48 leaders have been killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly. This has been this way for 47 years,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with a Fox News reporter. – Reuters
Veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani, who said on Sunday a temporary leadership council would be set up after an air strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reemerged last year as one of the most powerful figures in the security hierarchy. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed, according to an interview with the Atlantic magazine. – Reuters
Alireza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as the jurist member of Iran’s Leadership Council, a body tasked with fulfilling the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader, ISNA news agency reported. – Reuters
In the run-up to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency assessed that even if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, he could be replaced by hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two sources briefed on the intelligence said. – Reuters
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday it had seen no “radiological impact” from U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran or retaliatory strikes in other countries in the region, though it did not say whether Iranian nuclear sites had been targeted. – Reuters
Iran’s attacks over the first day of combat have leaned heavily on drones and small-scale missile strikes, trends that could indicate either deliberate planning — or a breakdown in command and control. – Bloomberg
As Tehran was being pounded by U.S. and Israeli bombs on Saturday morning, its top diplomat dialed Moscow’s number. On the other end of the line, according to an official Russian statement, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered his Iranian counterpart sympathy and promised his — verbal — support. – Politico
After 47 years of division, splintering, and fragmentation, the popular uprising in January—and the continuation of protests inside Iran—have become a catalyst for greater unity among opposition parties abroad. – Jerusalem Post
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that Iran’s armed forces are now “independent and somewhat isolated,” and that the attacks in Oman were “not our choice,” in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday. – Jerusalem Post
Iranian Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani said Tehran “will not negotiate” with Washington, hours after US President Donald Trump vowed to continue to punish the “terrorists” with the “full force” of the American military. – Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty
Editorial: This doesn’t imply a forever bombing campaign in Iran. But it does mean continuing as long as it takes to ensure that, even if the regime doesn’t fall, it will no longer be a threat to its neighbors. And perhaps it can be weakened enough that its people can muster the ability to install a government that wants to be a normal nation again, rather than one that seeks to spread revolution and kill Jews, Sunni Arabs and Americans. – Wall Street Journal
Editorial: This is especially true if there are more U.S. casualties. Mr. Trump was wise to warn about this in his video remarks, but he will have to keep making the case for his war aims and that achieving them takes time. Mr. Trump didn’t begin a war on Saturday. He is fighting back against an Iranian regime that has been waging war against the U.S., Israel and the West for decades. The threat is the regime itself, and let’s hope it falls. – Wall Street Journal
Elliot Kaufman writes: Most disastrously of all, Khamenei continued to underestimate Mr. Trump. He wasn’t the only one. The conventional Western analysis has long been that this president would settle for an agreement like Barack Obama’s from 2015 and then call it the greatest deal ever made. Wrong. In the end, Khamenei presented Mr. Trump with the best opportunity any president was ever likely to have to weaken, transform or topple this Iranian regime, America’s most implacable adversary. – Wall Street Journal
David Ignatius writes: But now that the United States has embarked in earnest on a campaign of regime change, we should understand that it’s likely to be a protracted conflict, with many dangerous moments ahead. In a conflict like this, with such big stakes and unknowable risks, Trump has a special responsibility to explain what he’s doing to the American people — and ensure that the United States can stay the course. This is the opposite of “one and done.” It may be a worthy fight, but it’s likely to be an arduous one. – Washington Post
Reza Pahlavi writes: History rarely announces its turning points in advance. But moments do come when courage, leadership and solidarity can change the course of nations. When the Iranian people succeed in reclaiming their freedom in the days ahead, President Trump will be remembered as a leader who stood with them when it mattered most. God bless America. Long live Iran. – Washington Post
George F. Will writes: Iran’s potential for flourishing is in what is ancient and what is young. It can draw on more than 20 centuries of cultural identity that preceded the recent decades of theocratic primitivism. And the median age of Iranians is about 34. This guarantees the restless energy that freedom requires. Nationalism, so often derided, was never captured by Iran’s regime. Instead, nationalism simmered against the state, which warred unceasingly against the nation. As America prepares to help, from a distance, Iran’s political rebirth, we should heed an American poet’s advice of bold thoroughness. Robert Frost: “The best way out is always through.” – Washington Post
Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. writes: Opting for war is never an easy decision, and I know from personal observation that Mr. Trump does not seek a prolonged conflict with Iran. I do believe that there are worse things than war, though — continued Iranian exportation of terror across the region and maltreatment of Iran’s own people, to name a few. This military campaign may allow us to find a path forward to long-lasting peace in the region, and with the death of the supreme leader, an opportunity for representative government in Iran. – New York Times
Karim Sadjadpour writes: Ayatollah Khamenei organized his existence around one big idea: resistance. It sustained him through prison, assassination attempts, sanctions and uprisings. His refusal to adapt sealed his country’s fate. The Islamic Republic’s tenure has, so far, amounted to a lost half-century for Iran. While its Persian Gulf neighbors became global hubs of finance, transport and technology, Iran squandered its wealth on failed regional adventures and a nuclear program that brought only isolation — all the while repressing and wasting its greatest source of wealth: its people. – New York Times
James Stavridis writes: Finally, to be effective in the ultimate sense, air power is most likely to succeed when the target government is vulnerable to its population. This is what eventually led to the ends of Milosevic and Qaddafi. And it is a gut question in Iran. President Donald Trump insists the campaign is intended to help the protesters who were brutally put down earlier this year. He has urged that this is their “moment for action.” Can the population rise up and seize power? Are we looking at the French Revolution, or just another failed uprising like Tiananmen Square? We’ll know very soon. And if it’s a success, air power will be largely responsible. – Bloomberg
Michael Rubin writes: They have signed on to common principles, where they can litigate their differences politically and through elections, but agree on the importance of democracy and the rule of law. In essence, they inherit the mantle of the 1905-1909 Persian Constitutional Revolution, which ushered in the most successful democratic period in Iranian history. Either way, though, Trump now faces a problem: He foreswears boots on the ground, but Iran likely faces an insurgency. First, there are Guard units across the country, each with its own weapons depots. And, second, there are enough ideologues and true believers that it may take U.S.-trained security to keep Reza Pahlavi or the members of the Iran Freedom Congress alive. Trump achieved step one in his goal of regime change. Now the hard part begins: How to fill the vacuum. – 19FortyFive
Ahmed Charai writes: The American interest lies in a Middle East where expansionist militancy is contained, allies feel secure choosing integration, and regional powers operate within predictable norms rather than ideological confrontation. Iran stands at a consequential juncture. Decisions made in Tehran will determine whether the country moves toward responsible statehood or deeper isolation. Decisions made in Washington will determine whether deterrence evolves into a durable security architecture or remains captive to episodic reaction. The choices made now will shape not only Iran’s trajectory, but also the strategic architecture of the Middle East—and America’s role within it—for decades to come. – The National Interest
Russia and Ukraine
When the full-scale Russian invasion began, Western defense manufacturers rushed their modern weaponry into Ukraine, helping Kyiv drive back a much more powerful foe. Four years on, the flow of battle-tested technology is going the other way. – Wall Street Journal
On the outskirts of Kosmyryn, a village in western Ukraine, several men poured the foundation for a house. They used hand tools — shovels, wheelbarrows, a manual cement mixer. No engines, no electric cables. – New York Times
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping could lead to significant disbalances on the global oil and gas markets. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that the changes in Iran brought about by U.S. and Israeli strikes should be “used properly” to benefit the country’s people who had withstood violence from their authorities. – Reuters
Russia on Saturday criticised U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel for embarking on a dangerously irresponsible attack on Iran which Moscow said was plunging the entire Middle East into the abyss. – Reuters
The Russian Ministry of Transport said on Saturday that Russian air carriers had suspended flights to Iran and Israel. – Reuters
Russia said at recent talks in Geneva it would accept the U.S. proposal for Ukraine’s post-war security guarantees, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff said on Saturday. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that the time and place of the next round of peace talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine would depend on the security situation in the Middle East and the level of “real diplomatic possibilities”. – Reuters
The Druzhba pipeline exported some Ukrainian oil, as well as much higher volumes of Russian crude, before it was damaged a month ago by a Russian strike that has led to a halt in supply, three industry sources familiar with the matter said. – Reuters
Russia urged Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday to halt cross-border attacks immediately and resolve their differences by diplomatic means. – Reuters
The Ukrainian military wants to accelerate the production of anti-ballistic missiles for Patriot air-defense systems to help protect against Russian attacks, according to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. – Bloomberg
Imran Khalid writes: Zelensky’s empty chair was a silent protest against a world where sovereign futures are settled like real estate mergers. He is gambling that by holding out for a “just” peace in Geneva, he can prevent Ukraine from becoming a mere subsidiary in a larger American-Russian partnership. The question remains whether a peace built on personal leverage and entry fees can survive the test of time. We are witnessing the birth of “Subscription Security,” where guarantees are only as good as the next payment and alliances are as fleeting as a press release. If the Board of Peace succeeds in turning Ukraine into a corporate subsidiary, it won’t just be the end of the war; it will be the end of the post-war world as we know it. In this new era, the most expensive thing on the menu is, quite clearly, a nation’s conscience. – The Hill
Astrid Chevreuil, Otto Svendsen, and Max Bergmann write: Europe’s security architecture is being fundamentally rewritten. As the United States steps back, Europe faces a choice: It can shape this transition by assuming strategic leadership for Ukraine’s defense, or it can be shaped by events as Russian aggression continues unchecked. The four priorities outlined here—strategic coherence, hedging against U.S. disengagement, defining Ukraine’s future force, and securing long-term financing—provide a roadmap for European action. The window for decisive action remains open, but it will not stay open indefinitely. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Hezbollah
Hezbollah attacked Israel on Monday to avenge the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting Israeli strikes on Beirut and setting the group at odds with Lebanese leaders who want the country kept out of a regional war. – Reuters
The Israeli military said on Monday it has begun striking Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah across Lebanon. Explosions were heard in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. – Reuters
Northern Command Chief MG Rafi Milo commented on the first wave of strikes across Lebanon, saying, “Hezbollah chose the Iranian regime over the State of Lebanon and initiated an attack on our civilians. We were prepared – and they will pay a heavy price.” – Arutz Sheva
The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary faction, Mohammad Raad, was reportedly killed during IDF strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reported on Monday morning. – Jerusalem Post
Faysal Itani and Dania F. Arayssi writes: The ongoing operations against Iran will probably not result in Iran “activating” Hizballah in Lebanon, because that would endanger the group much more than its likely targets and expose rather than protect Iran. Worse for Hizballah, an attack on Iran may well trigger an opportunistic Israeli escalation against the militia and might destroy its leverage against domestic attempts to disarm it. In other words, the attacks on the Iranian regime are less likely to trigger Hizballah action in Lebanon and more likely to empower its enemies, making it the opposite of useful for Iran. Removing it from Lebanon altogether might be expeditious for Iran, at the risk of cutting it off from its beleaguered constituency. In any scenario, Hizballah loses. – War on the Rocks
Syria
Four people were killed and several others wounded when an Iranian missile struck a building in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Saturday, the state news agency SANA said. – Reuters
Amid the unprecedented military escalation between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other, attention is increasingly turning to Syria, long one of the arenas most shaped by Iranian influence. – Jerusalem Post
Seth Mandel writes: Syrians, Hof lamented, “have involuntarily paid such a high price” for America’s ill-fated nuclear deal with Iran. Inaction in Syria was directly tied to the administration’s false narrative about the Iranian nuclear program. The nuclear program could have been dealt a far greater blow than Obama unconvincingly argued was being delivered by his capitulation to Iranian negotiators, and Syrians could have been saved. Operation Epic Fury has not been designed to make a point about past Syria policy. But it has done so. And the point is a valuable one. – Commentary Magazine
Iraq
At least two Iraqi Hashid Shaabi fighters were killed and three others seriously wounded after at least four explosions occurred following airstrikes in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, a Popular Mobilization Forces spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday. – Reuters
In Iraq, security forces fired teargas after hundreds of pro-Iran protesters waving flags and throwing stones tried to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses the US embassy. In recent days, US-Israeli strikes have targeted Iran-backed armed groups in the country, leading to fatalities. – The Guardian
Yasir Kuoti and Shamiran Mako write: This means investing in stacking the U.S. embassy with well-trained diplomats with deep knowledge of Iraq and the region; calibrating Washington’s multipronged interests according to national and subnational realities and political stakeholders, including the Kurds and Sunni Arabs; continuing to invest in the various military and counter-terrorism capacity-building initiatives already in place; and seeing Iraq as both a mediating and influential actor in Washington’s posture toward Iran and the region as a whole. This, in the long run, will enable Iraqi elites to view Washington’s policy toward their country as one based on an equal and mutually beneficial partnership. – War on the Rocks
Turkey
Some Iranian citizens are being stopped from crossing into Turkey at Iran’s northwestern Khoy land border gate, according to three foreign passport-holders who crossed on Sunday and some local Turkish media. – Reuters
Jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan said on Friday that peace-related laws were needed for a transition to democratic integration in Turkey, in a statement read out a year after he called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to end its decades-old insurgency and disband. – Reuters
Turkish assets came under pressure Monday as escalating tensions in Iran triggered a broader regional selloff and prompted the central bank to support the lira. – Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a U.S. attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution, the four people said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, continued his long-running public campaign for U.S. strikes against what he views as an existential enemy of his country. – Washington Post
Satellite images showed a rise in the number of military support aircraft including refuelling tankers at a Saudi airbase used by the U.S. military during a four-day period in February, as Washington built forces in the region amid tensions with Iran. – Reuters
Saudi Aramco has halted operations at its Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia after a drone strike in the area, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
Gulf States
On Saturday, Iranian explosives pierced that lucrative bubble. Missiles and drones rained down on Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, targeting bases and other strategic sites and scattering debris from intercepts. – Wall Street Journal
Debris from an intercepted drone damaged an Abu Dhabi complex housing the Israeli embassy and several other international missions, causing minor injuries to a woman and her child, Abu Dhabi’s state media office said on Sunday. – Reuters
Global air travel remained heavily disrupted on Sunday as war in Iran kept major Middle Eastern airports including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, closed for a second day in one of the sharpest aviation shocks in recent years. – Reuters
At least 150 tankers, including crude and LNG vessels, dropped anchor in open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz and dozens more were stationary on the other side of the chokepoint, shipping data showed on Sunday, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the region into turmoil. – Reuters
A Palau-flagged oil tanker under U.S. sanctions was hit on Sunday off Oman’s Musandam peninsula, injuring four people, the country’s maritime security centre said, without specifying what hit the vessel. – Reuters
One person was killed Saturday in the United Arab Emirates as Iran targeted six Arab countries in addition to Israel in response to strikes launched by Israel and the US. – Times of Israel
Drones targeted an Omani port, injuring one worker, official media said on Sunday, marking the first attack on the sultanate — which has mediated US-Iran talks — since Tehran began its retaliation campaign in the Gulf. – Al Arabiya
One person has been killed and 32 others injured in Kuwait, the health ministry said on Sunday, since the start of Iran’s retaliation campaign against US and Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader. – Al Arabiya
The UK is mounting an operation to support at least 200,000 British nationals in the Gulf, as Iran continues to launch strikes in the region in response to an ongoing attack by Israel and the US. – BBC
Ella Rosenberg writes: Ultimately, the IRGC’s strategy relies on short-term coercion that can generate tactical gains, at the cost of lost legitimacy and a strengthened opposing axis. Instead of splitting its rivals and forcing concessions, Iran is facing a more cohesive, more determined, and more connected regional and international front. The Gulf, which Tehran sought to turn into a pressure arena under its control, is gradually becoming a hub of international cooperation designed to block Iran’s expansion. – Jerusalem Post
Mona Yacoubian and Samuel Zabin write: The United States will struggle to win the global AI race without deepening exposure in a volatile region it officially seeks to deprioritize. Moreover, Gulf states will continue to be central to the landscape of global computing power with or without the United States, creating incentives for Washington to deepen Middle East partnerships. U.S. policymakers should therefore prepare for a new Middle East-focused national security priority centered on compute, data centers, and AI interdependencies. If the United States truly believes compute is the new oil, it should recognize that, like oil, this strategic resource will bind Washington to the Gulf much more tightly than current doctrine acknowledges. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Middle East & North Africa
Former Tunisian prime minister Ali Larayedh was sentenced on Friday to 24 years in prison on charges of facilitating Tunisian jihadists’ travel to Syria over the past decade, state media said. – Reuters
Lebanon’s presidency said on Saturday it had been told by the U.S. ambassador that Israel would not escalate against Lebanon as long as there are no hostile acts from the Lebanese side, following the launch of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. – Reuters
Seventeen Lebanese men affiliated with ISIS are currently imprisoned in Syria, a high ranking security official in Beirut has said. He was speaking after several women and children, who escaped ISIS camps in Syria recently, crossed into the neighbouring country through official and illegal entry points. – The National
Though far from its borders, the latest Iran war places Egypt in the unenviable position of balancing its vital ties with the US, growing relations with Iran and strategic alliance with Gulf Arab states. – The National
Korean Peninsula
U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran will reinforce the nuclear ambitions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, say experts and former officials, as attention focuses on whether he might return to negotiations with President Donald Trump. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has presented new sniper rifles as ceremonial gifts to party and military officials, calling them a “wonderful weapon” and a sign of his trust, state media KCNA news agency said on Saturday. – Reuters
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday for a summit aimed at expanding cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence and nuclear energy, during a state visit to the city-state. – Reuters
South Korea President Lee Jae Myung said on Sunday he hopes North Korea will resume dialogue as soon as possible to discuss a new era of relations between the neighbours. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a cement factory on Sunday and called for continued production to meet new goals set during a recent key party congress, state media KCNA said on Monday. – Reuters
North Korea’s foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement that Israel’s attacks on Iran and the U.S. military operation were “illegal aggression” and a violation of national sovereignty, state media Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. – Reuters
China
One of the year’s biggest policy events for China watchers is set to start this week, bringing the top brass together to chart the course for the world’s second-largest economy. – Wall Street Journal
China’s legislature has dismissed 19 members, including nine who are military officers, one week ahead of the start of its annual meeting. – Associated Press
One month before President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are set to convene at a much-touted summit in China, the US leader’s toppling of another friend of China risks stoking tensions between the world’s biggest economies. – Bloomberg
China said US claims that it was carrying out nuclear explosive tests were baseless, and it accused Washington of being the main cause of uncertainty over the global nuclear order, according to a statement. – Bloomberg
Editorial: A U.S. State Department official on Friday condemned her father’s sentencing, saying it was “unacceptable” to target Hong Kong freedom advocates and their families. The Kwok family’s troubles illustrate how authorities use Hong Kong’s national-security regime to go after anyone they want, whenever they want, anywhere in the world. The lesson for Western companies in Hong Kong is that even the most mundane business transactions can become an excuse for criminal charges if you, your loved ones or any of your associates run afoul of the Communist Party. – Wall Street Journal
South Asia
Afghan officials said Sunday that Pakistan had conducted airstrikes on Bagram Air Base, its most prized military asset and one coveted by President Trump. – New York Times
At least 22 people were killed in Pakistan on Sunday as thousands gathered across the country to denounce U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, including 10 who died as crowds tried to storm the U.S. Consulate in Karachi. – New York Times
The European Union and India plan to grant each other Most Favoured Nation status after their trade deal takes effect, preventing either from offering better tariff terms to other partners for five years, a draft of the text showed on Friday. – Reuters
India wants to secure the best trade deal with the U.S. to ensure it has an edge over competitors, India’s trade minister said on Friday, as the fate of deals finalised by Washington remain uncertain after President Donald Trump’s tariffs were invalidated. – Reuters
Nepal is set to vote on Thursday in a pivotal general election that comes months after historic protests led to the resignation of the government. The landlocked Himalayan nation has been riven by political instability for decades, with 32 governments taking office since 1990 and none of them completing a five-year-term. – Reuters
The United States on Friday expressed support for what it called Pakistan’s “right to defend itself” against attacks from Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier in the day that the neighboring countries were in “open war.” – Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to boost cooperation in trade and supply chains during Carney’s first official visit to India, as the two nations look to reset relations following years of strain. – Bloomberg
India’s opposition groups criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Israel trip last week, saying it gave tacit approval for subsequent airstrikes in Iran that have sparked a crisis in the region. – Bloomberg
Michael Rubin writes: The Indian Navy should help defend all Indian Ocean basin countries from Chinese predation. The Chinese navy might support China’s fishing fleet against the Filipino coast guard, but it could not bully the Indian Navy in the same way. The longer Modi waits, the harder establishing security throughout the Indian Ocean will be. More than 280 crore people living in countries bordering the Indian Ocean will depend on the security India can provide. Chinese ships might pass through its waters, but they should have no base or dual use military facility in the region. Regional security and small state sovereignty and independence require India to be the paramount power. – The Sunday Guardian
Asia
Australia said on Monday it would not take part in any military operations in Iran, ruling out deploying troops to the Middle East if the conflict escalates, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Iran responded with more missile attacks. – Reuters
Japanese shipping firms are halting operations around the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. – Reuters
The navies of the Philippines, the U.S. and Japan trained alongside each other in the South China Sea this week to ramp up cooperation among the military allies, the Philippines’ armed forces said on Friday. – Reuters
The head of Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to more than 10,000 prisoners and reduced the sentences of others to mark a holiday, state-run media reported Monday. – Associated Press
Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on a trading junction in the central Magway region killed more than two dozen people and wounded 20 others, a resistance group and independent online media said Sunday. – Associated Press
Editorial: Ironically, it was Beijing’s belligerence and bullying that helped Takaichi solidify her domestic standing. After she acknowledged a Chinese attack on Taiwan would amount to an existential crisis for Japan, implying Tokyo might assist Taipei, China reacted furiously with crude threats, economic boycotts and warning Chinese tourists not to visit. The bullying backfired, and voters rewarded her Liberal Democratic Party with one of its largest majorities in postwar history. The electoral mandate is significant because it shows that the people of Japan are bought in and ready to lead. – Washington Post
Europe
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has put his rivalry with Ukraine at the center of his difficult campaign for re-election, accusing Kyiv of trying to cause an energy crisis. – Wall Street Journal
The European Union will implement a free-trade deal with a bloc of South American nations, a breakthrough for the pact as Europe looks to boost trade flows amid uncertainty from President Trump’s trade tariffs. – Wall Street Journal
Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey on Sunday declined to explicitly back strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, saying it was for the U.S. to “set out the legal basis of the action it took”. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the air strikes on Saturday, Iran’s state media has confirmed. – Reuters
More than a thousand demonstrators marched to the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Athens on Sunday to protest against strikes in Iran. Demonstrators mainly affiliated to the Greek Communist Party held banners and placards reading “Hands off Iran” and “close Souda base”. – Reuters
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday that the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was “a defining moment in Iran’s history”. – Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that his country has accepted a U.S. request to use British bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers. – Reuters
A drone strike hit a British air base in Cyprus overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot and British officials said on Monday, in a marked escalation effectively dragging an EU member state into the conflict surrounding Iran. – Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron is delivering a keynote speech Monday on France’s nuclear deterrence policy, as his European allies express growing concerns over possible U.S. disengagement and Russian threats. – Associated Press
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concern about the unpredictable fallout from this weekend’s US and Israeli strikes on Iran, remarks that risk straining ties with the White House ahead of a key visit to Washington this week. – Bloomberg
Belgium’s special forces on Sunday boarded and seized an oil tanker from the “shadow fleet” that Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. – Bloomberg
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday called for Iran to ditch its authoritarian Islamist constitution and make “a credible transition” to democracy after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. – Politico
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking ahead of an emergency security and defense council Sunday evening, said France will “strengthen its [military] position and defensive support to stand alongside those with whom we have defense treaties and be able to adapt our stance to the developments of the last few hours.” – Politico
Poland’s leadership said Saturday it had prior awareness of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in contrast to France, which said it was neither informed of nor involved in the operation. – Politico
Editorial: Germany has also been increasing its military readiness in more tangible ways than other NATO members who have promised to do so. Trump said in his State of the Union speech that countries who already secured trade deals with the U.S. are eager to stick to them. An easy signal of friendship would be to confirm the deal he struck with the European Union last July will stay in place. But that’s only the first step. Merz avoided sycophancy in China; he should know his preferred ally has his back. – Washington Post
Africa
South Sudan is at a “dangerous point” as a surge in killings threatens a fragile peace deal, the U.N. human rights chief said on Friday, a day after Western powers accused groups linked to the military of carrying out a massacre. – Reuters
Guinea on Friday released 16 security personnel from neighboring Sierra Leone arrested earlier this week, two officials said, a move that may de-escalate the latest flare-up of a long-running border dispute. – Reuters
The U.S. has lifted sanctions targeting three senior Malian officials for their relationship with Russia’s mercenary group Wagner, according to a notification from the Treasury Department, as bilateral relations improve. – Reuters
A former South Sudan finance minister is the latest former government official arrested in a wave of detentions that analysts say shows cracks in the government of President Salva Kiir, who also faces an armed rebellion. – Associated Press
To his supporters, Ethiopia’s prime minister is a renaissance man trying to reimagine the old greatness of his country. To some others, Abiy Ahmed is a provocateur who could light a fire in the restive Horn of Africa region as he pushes for sovereign access to the sea via an unfriendly neighbor. – Associated Press
At least 15 people have been killed after gunmen attacked three communities in north-central Nigeria, Amnesty International said Sunday. – Associated Press
Nigeria will hold next year’s presidential and National Assembly elections a month earlier than planned, after the electoral commission revised the polling schedule. – Bloomberg
The Americas
The Dominican Republic has identified rare earth deposits that could position the Caribbean nation as a significant future supplier of minerals critical to high-tech industries, President Luis Abinader said on Friday. – Reuters
Venezuelan politician Freddy Superlano, a leader of the opposition Voluntad Popular party, on Friday had a house arrest order lifted, a video posted on his Instagram account showed, as part of a limited amnesty bill passed this month in the South American country. – Reuters
Venezuelan opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize María Corina Machado said on Sunday that she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held in the South American country. – Associated Press
Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei opened Congress on Sunday with a fiery speech highlighting his government’s achievements, lambasting the opposition, and praising his relationship with American President Donald Trump. – Associated Press
Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrated in cities across the South American nation on Sunday, as organizers hoped to build momentum for a right-wing victory in the upcoming presidential elections. – Associated Press
Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes: The law’s exclusions are far from the only trouble Venezuelans face in trying to recover a free and just society. As Mr. Escovar León points out, Venezuelan laws on the books can be used to “equate opposition with terrorism—and the so-called law against hatred must be repealed if effective reconciliation is to be achieved. The end of one era cannot be proclaimed while the legal instruments that made the previous era possible remain in place.” The amnesty law asks the U.S. to forget the regime’s crimes but makes clear the regime won’t forget Venezuelan resistance to its rule. That’s no transition. It’s more tyranny. – Wall Street Journal
North America
In recent weeks, family members of a group of Cuban dissidents who overheard them making plans to “liberate Cuba” dismissed the talk as the kind of bravado that is common among Cuban-American exiles. – Wall Street Journal
El Mencho, arguably the world’s most powerful criminal, did not have a cellphone. Worried the devices would expose his location, he relied on human messengers to manage a sprawling criminal organization that stretched across Mexico and into 40 countries, senior Mexican officials said. – New York Times
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, in a high-profile speech last month, described the Trump era as a rupture for countries like his, and called on global “middle powers” to band together to survive in the tumult of a changing United States. This week, he is building on his plan to construct a middle-power sphere of trade and deep bonds by visiting India, Australia and Japan. – New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday raised the prospect of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, telling reporters at the White House that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dealing with the issue at a “very high level.” – Reuters
A commando of Cuban exiles who intended to infiltrate Cuba on a speedboat was armed with nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols, Cuban officials said on Friday, providing new details about Wednesday’s deadly exchange of gunfire at sea. – Reuters
Chaos has tamped down across Mexico after a cartel leader’s killing at the hands of the national army led to widespread violence. A U.S. military veteran-led organization has been at the forefront of aiding citizens and noncitizens alike, telling Military.com that hundreds reached out for their assistance. – Military.com
Christopher Shays and Richard Swett write: Sheinbaum is pressing against some of the most powerful criminal organizations in the hemisphere. Doing so exposes her government — and her personally — to retaliation. It also reinforces the principle that the Mexican state, not armed syndicates, governs Mexican territory. Washington should reinforce that effort. Support, intelligence cooperation, and disciplined messaging will advance shared security goals more effectively than threats of unilateral action. Narcoterrorism is a transnational problem that demands sustained cooperation. To that end, Claudia Sheinbaum has proven herself a fearless and capable partner. With the cartels on the run, Mexico needs an ally not an adversary. – The Hill
Ryan C. Berg writes: Instead, the Morena Party should work to reduce informality in Mexico’s economy and enforce compliance against wealthy individuals who have evaded payment for years — some of whom are even major figures within the party itself. Uncertain audits, aggressive tax claims and shifting rules may seem like quick fixes to wring resources from companies, but they will not solve Morena’s fiscal woes and will likely only damage Mexico’s long-term reputation. Only a regulatory climate capable of generating conditions for further investment can help Mexico reach its full potential. – The Hill
United States
Rebecca Weiner, the deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, oversees the bureau. At its 15 outposts, 12 of which are abroad, officers in the international liaison unit are gathering information about potential threats to New York City following the U.S.-Israeli attacks in Iran, according to an internal police document. – New York Times
Key members of Congress are demanding a swift vote on a war powers resolution that would restrain President Donald Trump’s military attack on Iran unless the administration wins their approval for what they warn is a potentially illegal campaign that risks pulling the United States into a deeper Middle East conflict. – Associated Press
The US Secret Service heightened security around the White House, the homes of former presidents and other protected locations Saturday, citing the agency’s active monitoring of the situation in Iran. – Bloomberg
FBI Director Kash Patel said he put the bureau’s counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams on high alert Saturday after the US and Israel launched a sweeping military assault on Iran. – Bloomberg
Jubilant Iranian-Americans on Saturday took to the streets from Boston to Los Angeles to cheer the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and voice hope for a brighter future for their homeland. – Agence France-Presse
Seth Mandel writes: Then there is the fact that the propaganda flowing through left-wing institutions—including universities and the media—is enabled by propagandists for the Chinese Communist Party and spread on Chinese-controlled social media. These aren’t “critics of Israel.” They are useful idiots for America’s most powerful enemies no less than similar-minded activists were during the Cold War. It’s naïve in the extreme to think that these latest “sympathy” polls are merely an Israeli public-relations crisis and not a sign that America’s domestic extremists are on the march. – Commentary Magazine
Cybersecurity
A wave of cyber-enabled operations took place early Saturday morning alongside the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on targets across Iran, according to cybersecurity experts and observers. – Reuters
Britain is seeking the views of parents and children on whether to ban access to social media for under-16s, as well as possible restrictions on gaming platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots. – Reuters
Australia’s internet regulator said it may push search engines and app stores to block artificial intelligence services that fail to verify user ages after a Reuters review found more than half had not made public any steps to comply by a deadline next week. – Reuters
South Korea’s government on Friday said it will allow Google to export detailed mapping data of the country to overseas servers under certain security requirements, responding to years of frustration by foreign travelers who found that Google Maps didn’t work effectively in the country. – Associated Press
Denmark’s intelligence services warned that foreign powers may seek to interfere in the country’s March 24 general election, singling out Russia as the primary threat but also flagging the US and China as potential sources of influence. – Bloomberg
Governments should halt plans to roll out age checks on online services until privacy and security concerns are addressed, hundreds of academics said Monday. – Politico
In a bid to diversify wireless communications innovation, the Defense Department is poised to release an open-source software stack that users from the military and commercial industry can use to develop their own custom network solutions. – Defensescoop
Anthropic is holding its ground on specific ethical restrictions for classified military use of its Claude AI products, as the Pentagon’s deadline to resolve their heated dispute looms. – Defensescoop
Multiple defense officials told DefenseScoop Sunday that a viral message purporting to be from U.S. Cyber Command wasn’t sent by the command. The message claimed Cybercom was warning troops to turn off location services from their electronic devices and that multiple commercial applications were compromised, all amid the ongoing military operations against Iran. – Defensescoop
Editorial: Mr. Trump derided Anthropic as “some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company.” But the bigger picture before the meltdown was that an AI company with a progressive reputation and the Trump Pentagon largely agreed that America has to be defended with premiere technology. The Pentagon needs all the AI help in can get as the technology races ahead and China isn’t far behind. The People’s Liberation Army is the winner of the Anthropic ban. – Wall Street Journal
Defense
When the U.S. military’s top general laid out the risks to President Trump of launching a major and extended attack on Iran, one of the issues he flagged was America’s stockpile of munitions. – Wall Street Journal
Three U.S. troops were killed and five others seriously wounded amid ongoing hostilities with Iran, military officials said Sunday, the first known American casualties in a campaign that has quickly heightened concerns about the Pentagon’s ability to protect its personnel. – Washington Post
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. military was sinking Iran’s Navy, having destroyed nine Iranian warships so far and “going after the rest.” Trump made the announcement in a social media post as the Pentagon intensified its bombings of Iran’s military, deploying B-2 stealth bombers from the U.S. to strike at hardened, underground Iranian missile facilities with 2,000-lb bombs. – Reuters
The United States unleashed an array of weaponry against Iranian targets on Saturday, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters, and for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modeled after Iranian designs. – Reuters
U.S. Central Command officials have confirmed that airstrikes launched on Iran on Saturday involved the first combat use of the U.S. military’s new autonomous kamikaze drone. – Defense News