War and Armed Conflicts

• The Secret Egyptian Air Base Powering Sudan’s Drone War - The covert base offers new evidence of how the Sudanese conflict is morphing into a theater for high-tech warfare, driven by foreign interests.
• Trump Warns Iran With Military Muscle, but Risks a Regional War - Iran’s Islamic Republic, weakened by airstrikes in June and huge popular unrest, warns that it will strike back hard if attacked by the United States. This time, Iran may mean it.
• Trump Threatens Iran With ‘Massive Armada’ and Presses a Set of Demands - U.S. and European officials say they have put three demands in front of the Iranians, including a permanent end to all enrichment of uranium.
• As U.S. Warships Get Closer, Iran Ramps Up Threats to Retaliate - Iran and its militia allies say they will respond aggressively in the region if attacked. A U.S. aircraft carrier and warships are approaching the region.
• Syria’s President Affirms Kurds’ Rights, in Overture to the Minority - President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s announcement comes after days of deadly clashes between government and Kurdish forces that have underscored the difficulty he faces in uniting the country.
• A Refuge for Afghan Music Is at Risk of Falling Silent - Peshawar is a haven for Afghan artists who fled from the Taliban, which had banned music. A new policy of deportations by Pakistan threatens this community of exiles.
• Why Israel Is Wary of Intervening in Iran - Israel is unlikely to do much to try to precipitate a regime change in Iran, seeing the government as far from the brink of collapse and the current protests as insufficient to push it to that point.
• U.S. Launches Major Strikes on Islamic State Targets in Syria - The airstrikes followed an even larger attack in December to avenge the killing of three Americans last year.
• Trump Is ‘Chest-Beating’ Over a Retreat - The round table convenes to discuss the start to Trump’s 2026, from Greenland to Minnesota and Venezuela.
• Peace Is Unraveling - As states disregard limits on the lawful use of force, this may be just the beginning of a slide into frequent war.