December 2024
WHO chief at Yemen airport as Israeli warplanes strike
“We are just getting started with them,” said Benjamin Netanyahu of the retaliatory attack on the Iran-backed militia.
- Isabel Kershner and Ismaeel Naar
Russia’s Christmas Day attacks ‘inhuman’, Ukraine says
Nearly three years into the war, the strikes wounded at least six people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and killed one in the region of Dnipropetrovsk.
- Updated
- Pavel Polityuk
US shoots down its own F/A-18 over Red Sea
The American military’s Central Command said that the two pilots had been safely recovered after they ejected from their fighter jet.
- Updated
- Yan Zhuang and Matthew Mpoke Bigg
Why North Korean troops are now a problem for Putin
Many have expressed surprise at the apparent naivety of the Asian troops, under live fire for the first time.
- Iain Hollingshead
More aid for Ukraine, but Trump wants 5pc NATO defence spending target
The US president-elect now intends to maintain supplies to Kyiv after his inauguration, but will demand allies more than double their financial commitment.
- Lucy Fisher, Henry Foy and Felicia Schwartz
China to have 1000 nukes by 2030, says Pentagon
The annual China Military Power Report said the People’s Liberation Army had expanded its arsenal by 20 per cent in the 12 months to mid-2024.
- Demetri Sevastopulo
Australia to reopen embassy in Ukraine
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has visited Kyiv and put an end to the long-running controversy.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Ukraine kills Russia’s nuclear forces boss with e-scooter bomb
An explosive device planted near a Moscow apartment building slayed Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov.
- Updated
- Anton Troianovski and Constant Méheut
Aussie troops could play role in Ukraine ceasefire deal
After he and Foreign Minister Penny Wong met their UK counterparts Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia would look to Britain for leadership.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Israel to close Ireland embassy over Gaza tensions
The decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland’s ‘extreme anti-Israel policies’.
- Wafaa Shurafa and Natalie Melzer
Blast bunkers, iodine tablets: How Finns are bracing for apocalypse
Finland’s bunker network feels like a throwback to a bygone era. But the Finns’ vigilance raises the question: if catastrophe came, how would we Aussies cope?
- Hans van Leeuwen
Rebels vow reforms in race to stabilise Syria
The government is trying to get the state functioning again, while Russia frets over its bases and Israel and Turkey look to increase their leverage.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen and Andrew Tillett
- Updated
- Syrian conflict
New day dawns for Syria after Assad flees to Moscow
The swift and surprise toppling of President Bashar al-Assad is sending shockwaves through the Middle East and the world – especially in Moscow and Tehran.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
Alone against a renewed insurgency, Assad faces the end without allies
It seemed Syria’s president was almost out of the woods. But then a sudden rebel offensive caught everyone off guard.
- Zeina Karam and Sarah El Deeb
- Updated
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Trump vows ‘hell to pay’ if Gaza hostages not released
The president-elect has threatened to hit Hamas “harder than anybody has been hit” after news emerged of an American-Israeli soldier killed on October 7.
- Updated
- Jill Colvin
November 2024
Putin warns Russia may strike Kyiv with new Oreshnik missile
The Russian president said “decision-making centres” in the Ukrainian capital were potential targets of its new ballistic weapon.
- Henry Meyer
- Opinion
- Trump diplomacy
Trump’s foreign policy hand is stronger than you might think
Fears of American isolationism ignore that the president-elect’s international relations capabilities might be better than many think once he takes office.
- James Curran
Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill at least 20
The attack completely demolished a multi-storey building in a densely populated neighbourhood while ceasefire talks continued.
- Abby Sewell and Bassem Mroue
Israel pounds southern Lebanon and Beirut outskirts
The intense military campaign against Hezbollah pushes on, tempering hopes that efforts by a US envoy will lead to an imminent ceasefire.
- Reuters
Russia seeks to intimidate Ukraine with new missile, officials say
The decision to deploy the weapon will “neither change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine”, a spokeswoman said.
- David L. Stern, Siobhán O'Grady and Ellen Francis