Belgium, Britain, France, and Germany are among European countries on heightened alert after an explosion outside a synagogue in eastern Belgium raised fears of possible terrorism linked to the war involving Iran.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced Wednesday that member nations will release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, the largest coordinated drawdown in the agency’s history, as the war with Iran disrupts global energy supplies.

U.S. forces have struck more than 5,500 targets inside Iran since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, according to an operational update Wednesday from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

Three commercial cargo vessels were struck by projectiles early Wednesday in or near the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the growing threat to global shipping lanes as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies.

Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has called on the Iranian people to prepare for what he described as the decisive stage of their struggle against the Islamic regime, urging citizens to await his “final call” as tensions continue to escalate in the country.

U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying boats near the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday as Washington moved to prevent Tehran from disrupting one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, the Pentagon confirmed.

Iran’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly wounded during the recent war but remains capable of carrying out his duties, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by The Jerusalem Post.

At least six people were killed and five others injured after a passenger bus burst into flames in western Switzerland, with authorities saying the blaze may have been deliberately set.

Iran launched new attacks on Gulf Arab countries Tuesday as strikes that began last week have killed at least seven people and injured more than 120 others, heightening fears among foreign residents, including minority Christians, Worthy News learned.

The American military continues to ramp up its attacks on Iran, 10 days into Operation Epic Fury.

Israel came under a coordinated barrage of rockets, drones, and ballistic missiles Wednesday night as Hezbollah and Iran launched simultaneous attacks that triggered air raid sirens across large parts of the country.

Israel is exploring a strategic security partnership with Somaliland that could potentially include a military presence near the mouth of the Red Sea, according to officials cited in a Bloomberg report.

Israel’s military believes Iran’s ability to launch ballistic missiles at the Jewish state could collapse by as much as 95% within days, according to reports Tuesday citing senior Israeli Air Force officials.

Israel faced an intensified wave of attacks Tuesday as Iran and Hezbollah launched what analysts describe as a coordinated barrage of missiles and drones, including cluster munitions, on the 11th day of Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion.

Israel’s military says it has struck more than 600 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon and eliminated roughly 200 terrorists since the Iranian-backed group joined the regional conflict last week.

The Israeli military said Sunday that an overnight strike in Beirut killed five senior liaison officials connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and Hezbollah, dealing what it described as a significant blow to coordination between the Iranian regime and its Lebanese proxy.

Israel signaled a major escalation in its war against Iran on Thursday as the Israeli Air Force struck the Parchin military complex near Tehran, part of what military leaders describe as the “next phase” of the campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s military capabilities.

U.S. intelligence agencies say they have intercepted encrypted communications believed to originate from Iran, raising concerns that the signals could be intended to activate sleeper cells abroad amid escalating tensions following reports that Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the first new U.S. oil refinery built in half a century will be constructed in Brownsville, Texas, calling the project a historic milestone for American energy independence.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that its Houston division arrested 414 illegal immigrants in 2025 who were charged with or convicted of child sex crimes.

A political standoff is brewing in Washington after President Donald Trump vowed not to sign new legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, prompting warnings from Senate leaders that the move could trigger legislative gridlock.

The United States federal budget deficit totaled $1 trillion in the first five months of fiscal year 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will refuse to sign any additional legislation until Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, escalating pressure on lawmakers to advance the voter-identification bill that has stalled in the Senate.

Authorities say a suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before throwing an improvised explosive device during a protest near Gracie Mansion, triggering a major investigation involving federal and local law enforcement.

A pastor was recovering Wednesday after being beaten unconscious when a mob of Hindu nationalists attacked a house church gathering in central India, assaulting worshippers that included women and children, Christians familiar with the case said.

Christians in India voiced concern after lawmakers in the northern state of Bihar suggested introducing an anti-conversion law similar to legislation adopted in several other states.

Evangelical Christians in parts of Mexico are facing renewed persecution after cartel retaliation erupted following the killing of one of the country’s most notorious drug lords in a U.S.-backed military operation that left dozens of Mexican soldiers dead, Christian advocates say.

A Christian rights leader in Pakistan has welcomed a recommendation by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to keep Pakistan designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” amid reports of widespread violence against Christians and other minorities.

Authorities in Pakistan launched an investigation after a 10-year-old Christian girl was allegedly targeted in an attempted rape by a Muslim man in Punjab province amid a series of violent incidents against Christians in the region, investigators said Sunday.

A growing number of Islamic militants are abandoning terrorism and turning to the Christian faith in Nigeria, one of the world’s most dangerous countries for Christians, according to a new documentary by a global mission group.

Pakistani police have arrested two Muslim suspects in connection with the killing of a young Christian agricultural worker whose death sparked protests in the country’s eastern Punjab province, investigators and Christian advocates said Saturday.