The United States carried out its most extensive wave of strikes against Iran to date on Thursday, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.

Saudi Arabia warned Thursday that it may take military action following an Iranian drone strike on a key oil installation, escalating tensions across the Middle East and raising concerns over regional stability and global energy supplies.

Russia has significantly expanded its intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, providing satellite imagery and advanced drone technology to bolster Tehran’s ability to target U.S. forces across the Middle East, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive citing officials familiar with the matter.

A request to suspend a parliamentary debate so a Muslim lawmaker could break his Ramadan fast has sparked controversy in the Netherlands, with critics warning it reflects growing “Islamization” in a nation long regarded as one of Europe’s most liberal societies.

Dutch police arrested four teenagers after an explosion damaged a synagogue in the port city of Rotterdam early Friday, heightening concerns about antisemitism and threats against Jewish institutions.

President Donald Trump intensified his rhetoric toward Cuba on Monday, raising the possibility that the long-oppressed island could be on the verge of a historic transformation away from decades of communist rule.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is prepared to continue military operations against Iran without support from NATO allies, signaling a willingness to act unilaterally to secure the vital Strait of Hormuz and counter Tehran’s growing aggression.

In an unprecedented rebuke to U.S. President Donald J. Trump, European countries on Monday declined his request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas until its effective closure by Iran.

A bitter war of words between Hungary and Ukraine has escalated sharply ahead of Hungary’s crucial April 12 elections, with both sides trading accusations over threats, energy supplies, and alleged political interference.

A previously unknown terrorist organization with suspected links to Iran has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Jewish targets across Europe, raising alarms among security officials and Jewish communities.

U.S. President Donald Trump met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for nearly three hours Wednesday, with both leaders confirming that negotiations with Iran remain ongoing but no final agreement has been reached.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Wednesday with President Donald Trump at the White House, as negotiations with Iran enter a decisive and potentially volatile phase. The meeting, set for 11:00 a.m. Washington time, will mark Netanyahu’s seventh face-to-face encounter with Trump since the U.S. president began his second term, underscoring the unusually close relationship between the two leaders.

Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Sunday reaffirmed the terrorist group’s refusal to disarm, rejecting demands from U.S. President Donald Trump and vowing to continue the fight against Israel.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has received a 70-page draft “Interim Constitution” aimed at laying the legal groundwork for a future Palestinian state, Palestinian media reported. The document was presented in Ramallah by a constitutional committee led by Mohammed al-Hajj Qassem, according to the PA-affiliated WAFA.

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it carried out a series of airstrikes targeting underground Hezbollah weapons storage facilities across Lebanon, citing ongoing violations of ceasefire understandings.

A former Israeli-American hostage freed from captivity in Gaza has met with U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, as international attention shifts from hostage negotiations to sustaining a fragile ceasefire and addressing the humanitarian aftermath of the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene his security cabinet this afternoon, moving up planned deliberations ahead of high-stakes nuclear talks between the United States and Iran scheduled to take place in Oman.

The suspect in a deadly early-morning shooting in downtown Austin that left at least two people dead and 14 others wounded was wearing clothing bearing Islamic and Iranian imagery, according to multiple media reports, as federal authorities investigate a possible connection to terrorism.

The FBI is on high alert following the U.S.-Israeli coordinated strikes on Iran overnight.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Friday ordered all federal agencies to phase out their use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology from Anthropic, a leading U.S.-based AI firm valued at about $15 billion, following a high-profile dispute with the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, over military use of the technology.

Federal authorities have arrested 25 individuals in connection with a January 18 anti-ICE protest that disrupted services at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told a congressional investigative panel on Friday that he had no knowledge of the crimes of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and said he did not believe current President Donald J. Trump was involved.

Congressional Democrats are moving to force votes in the House and Senate to block President Donald Trump from launching military action against Iran without prior congressional approval.

The FBI obtained phone records belonging to its current director, Kash Patel, during the Biden administration while he was still a private citizen, according to multiple reports confirmed Wednesday.

Christian advocacy groups urged U.S. President Donald J. Trump not to close America’s doors to Christian refugees from Pakistan, citing cases of bonded labor, abduction, and alleged misuse of blasphemy laws targeting the country’s Christian minority.

Christian activists say religious freedom is under “unprecedented threat” in China and India, citing a sharp escalation in government actions and extremist violence targeting believers.

Christians across Colombia expressed deep shock and grief after church officials confirmed that a prominent evangelical pastor was shot and killed during New Year’s celebrations in the country’s Caribbean region.

Bible sales reached historic highs in both the United Kingdom and the United States in 2025, according to newly released industry data, pointing to a growing re-engagement with Christian faith amid global uncertainty.

Dutch police detained controversial Christian preacher Tom de Wal late Friday after he proceeded with a banned prayer-healing service in the southern Dutch city of Tilburg, authorities said.

Chinese authorities have detained Protestant church leaders and demolished church property as part of a “widening crackdown on underground churches” that refuse to align with Communist Party ideology, Christian sources say.

There was mounting concern Thursday about the plight of Christians still staying in war-torn Syria after fighting escalated in the northern city of Aleppo, killing several people and prompting tens of thousands to flee their homes.