Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and key European leaders in Brussels on Wednesday to strategize over Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Turkish-backed militias, operating under the Syrian National Army (SNA), have advanced into northern Syria, displacing tens of thousands of Kurdish civilians. The SNA captured Manbij, a Kurdish-controlled city, on Tuesday. This followed last week’s seizure of Shahba, where Kurdish officials reported over 120,000 people were forced to flee. The SNA’s offensive is part of “Operation Dawn of Freedom,” aimed at removing Kurdish forces from northern Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government on Friday, accusing its anti-Israel policies of fostering antisemitism after an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue. The Adass Israel synagogue was firebombed during morning prayers, injuring one and causing extensive damage. Worshippers inside reported masked assailants throwing incendiary devices through the windows.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski called for Russia’s suspension from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) during a meeting in Malta on Thursday, accusing Moscow of attempting to rebuild its empire. Sikorski led a walkout of European delegations in protest against Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s presence.
The Kosovo government has accused Serbia of orchestrating the bombing of a vital pipeline that supplies water and electricity to northern Kosovo's ethnic Serb population.
Belgian authorities have launched a fraud investigation into former European Union Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, just days after his term ended. The probe, announced Wednesday, centers on potential money laundering activities, according to the Brussels prosecutor general’s office.
Israeli warplanes conducted strikes in Beirut’s suburbs and the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Tuesday as Israel’s security Cabinet prepared to vote on a U.S.-brokered cease-fire proposal with Hezbollah. The deal, aimed at ending over a year of conflict, includes a two-month halt to hostilities. It also requires Hezbollah to withdraw its armed forces from southern Lebanon while Israeli troops return to their side of the border.
Poland announced on Friday that it is reactivating its embassy in Pyongyang, becoming the second Western country after Sweden to resume diplomatic operations in North Korea following their suspension during the pandemic.
Israel has allowed 15 trucks loaded with essential aid to enter northern Gaza, addressing warnings from aid organizations about worsening conditions and the risk of famine due to the ongoing conflict. The trucks, which arrived Wednesday, carried food, water, hygiene items, shelter materials, and medical supplies provided by the United Arab Emirates. Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported the aid's arrival, though the United Nations has not yet confirmed if the supplies have reached the intended distribution points in northern Gaza.
