Assad defends escape from Syria, blames ‘terrorist onslaught’ in first statement

Russia launches missile strike on Kyiv following Putin’s ‘duel’ threat

The Russian leader had mockingly challenged Ukraine’s Western allies to a missile “duel,” testing their air defenses, during his annual year-end news conference....

Trump-Putin relations enter a new chapter and the world is at stake

Putin wants a sit down with Trump as equals in which they divide the world into spheres of influence....

European allies consider deploying troops to Ukraine after the war

The deployment of European troops could provide security guarantees to Ukraine and play to Trump’s insistence that Europe carry more weight on defense....

Putin denies weakness after Assad ouster in Syria, is open to Trump meeting

The Russian president also promised he would ask the ousted Syrian leader — whom he has given asylum in Moscow — for the whereabouts of U.S. journalist Austin Tice....

Putin promises to ask Assad for whereabouts of U.S. journalist Austin Tice

Pentagon warns of China’s rapid military buildup despite corruption

A Pentagon report noted China’s modernization of nuclear weapons, air power and space assets, even with a corruption crackdown on senior military officials....

Club raids, influencers: How Putin’s playbook is pushing young Russians toward ultranationalism

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants young Russians to become ultranationalist patriots. Today, we meet the online influencer at the center of this push and hear how a society can drastically change in a short period....

Kyiv behind killing of Russian general in Moscow, Ukrainian official says

An explosion killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s nuclear defense forces, and his assistant in Moscow, Russia’s Investigative Committee said....

Denmark frees anti-whaling activist, rejecting Japan’s extradition request

U.S.-Canadian environmentalist Paul Watson, 74, was detained based on a decade-old Interpol warrant that accused him of interfering with a Japanese whaling ship....

CNN says it was misled by man freed in Syria report with Clarissa Ward

Who is Igor Kirillov, the Russian nuclear defense chief killed in Moscow?

Kirillov ran Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical defense forces. Kyiv previously accused him of ordering the use of chemical weapons against Ukraine....

Ukrainian troops say inexperienced North Koreans are making easy targets

At least 30 North Koreans were “killed or wounded” over the weekend while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region, Ukrainian military intelligence said....

The unique destructiveness of Israel’s war on Gaza

Airwars, which charts civilian casualties of 21st century conflict, calls Israel’s campaign in Gaza “by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict” it has tracked....

Foreign powers jockey for control in Syria, risking new conflict

In the days since the collapse of the Assad regime, multiple countries have bombed targets in Syria, as the power vacuum unleashes a battle for the heart of the Middle East....

Drones swarm Kyiv every night. These volunteers shoot them down.

A searchlight, a World War II-era machine gun and lots of coffee and tea help a band of volunteers protect the night skies over Ukraine’s capital from drones....

Unexploded mines endanger Syrian returnees, nonprofit warns

Live ordnance is littered across vast swaths of Syria, the nonprofit HALO Trust warned....

Russia packs up military assets in Syria; future of bases unclear

Live Briefing: Russia packing up military equipment in Syria, satellite imagery shows

Images released by Maxar on Friday show cargo planes at a Russian airfield in Syria with their nose cones opened to receive heavy equipment....

Macron names François Bayrou as French prime minister after government collapse

The new prime minister, a Macron ally, must try to assemble a government, regain control of France’s deficit and satisfy warring political factions....

Russia launches large attack on Ukraine’s energy systems, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 93 missiles and 200 drones in one of its largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. ...

After Assad’s demise, Turkey is emerging a winner in Syria

Turkey is emerging as the outside power with the strongest hand in steering Syria’s political transition....

Assad’s fall humiliated Putin and could dent his global ambitions

Assad’s fall nine years after Russia saved his regime is a stunning blow to Putin’s goal of forging Russia into a world power to compete with the United States....

Data shows global conflict surged in 2024

Conflicts have doubled over five years, according to a report published by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data....

Australian leader decries hate crimes after another antisemitic attack

Australian politicians are warning against “importing conflicts” after the second antisemitic attack in a week. The incidents have shaken the Jewish community....

Ukraine races to develop its own long-range weapons to counter Russia

Ukraine has demonstrated skill with long-range drones, hitting deep inside Russia, but experts say it needs the punch and power of ballistic missiles, as well....

U.S. group travels to Syria in search of missing reporter Austin Tice

The fall of President Bashar al-Assad has revived hopes that Austin Tice, a journalist abducted while covering Syria’s civil war, will be found alive....

Russia’s elite sound the alarm on the economy amid high interest rates

Squeezed by Western sanctions and soaring interest rates, Russia’s businesses fear bankruptcies as President Vladimir Putin pushes ahead with the Ukraine war....

Netanyahu takes the stand in his corruption trial. Here’s what to know.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s court appearance comes against the backdrop of war in Gaza, regime collapse in Syria and a tenuous ceasefire in Lebanon....

China reveals its playbook for dealing with impending Trump trade war

Beijing is responding to Biden administration actions decisively and swiftly — a warning to Donald Trump that it will play hardball this time, analysts say....

Israel said it carries out strikes in Syria as Netanyahu claims credit for ‘reshaping Middle East’

Syrian rebels sought to bring a sense of security after ousting Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia....