France, Germany expand defense partnership as Europe seeks more military autonomy

The leaders of Germany and France pledged on Friday to deepen defense cooperation and counter intense economic competition from China, which they said was exerting drastic pressure on Europe throug...

Partial withdrawal of US troops from Estonia sparks wider allied worries

As Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur prepared to fly to the NATO summit, he told local journalists that several hundred U.S. troops deployed to his Baltic nation in the winter had quietly bee...

Iran strikes eastern Syria for first time in war

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked a U.S. special operations command center at al-Tanf in Syria in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr, state media reported...

US extends strikes on Iran to bridges and airport in escalation of campaign

The United States escalated its renewed bombing campaign on Iran on Friday by hitting bridges and an airport, and Tehran responded with strikes on U.S. bases across the Middle East. Tap for the ful...

Franco-German defense cooperation under strain as Macron, Merz meet

France and Germany will discuss deepening cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, ranged strike capabilities and space at a joint ministerial retreat — seeking to show the EU's two larg...

Iran, US step up attacks, though release of American may signal path to climbdown

Iran and the United States exchanged intensified fire on Thursday in a week-long escalation that has all but torn up last month's truce — though Iran's release of a U.S. citizen pointed towards a p...

US will focus counterterrorism efforts on left-wing groups, Rubio says

"We can and we must identify and map this threat and rebuild our counterterrorism architecture to defeat it," State Secretary Rubio said. Tap for the full brief.

Syria foils attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah from Iraq, state media says

Syrian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in a shipment of weapons and missiles over the border from Iraq, the state news agency SANA reported on Thursday. Tap for the full brief.

Pentagon announces mandatory testosterone screening for US troops over 30

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday mandatory annual testosterone screening for troops 30 years old or above — an initiative he said was aimed at combating testosterone deficiency...

Some ships refusing US-military guided Hormuz transits after attacks, sources say

Shipping companies are avoiding using a U.S. military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security ...

Russia says foreign troops sent to Ukraine after a peace deal would be legitimate targets

Russia said on Wednesday that any multinational force sent by Ukraine's allies to deploy there in the event of a peace deal would be unacceptable to Moscow, which would view it as a threat and a le...

US launches new round of strikes against Iran as escalation threatens shipping

The U.S. conducted a new wave of strikes against Iran's coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Ir...

ICE suspends traffic stops after fatal shooting in Maine

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday suspended vehicle stops related to immigration enforcement, two sources briefed on the matter said, after agents fatally shot two men six days ap...

China expels third Politburo member amid purge

China has expelled Ma Xingrui, a former Politburo member, from the ruling Communist Party on corruption charges — making him the third sitting member of the decision-making body to be purged since ...

Russia accuses Ukraine of “terrorism” in Sea of Azov as Kyiv opens new front in war

Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov — a route that handles about a quarter of its grain exports. Tap for the full brief.