US Intelligence officials have branded Israel's strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria as "reckless" and fear a wider war in the Middle East.

Iran has vowed to retaliate after it accused Israel of bombing its embassy complex in Syria on Monday, in a deadly escalation of regional tensions over the war in Gaza that once again appeared to raise the risk of a wider Middle Eastern conflict.

On Monday, an Israeli airstrike leveled an Iranian consulate building that’s next to the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus, marking a significant escalation in Israeli attacks on Iranians in the region.

This week Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Torzhok air base in Tver Region which hosts the 344th Training Center for Russian combat pilots. Some or many of these aviators who will likely go on to fly missions in Ukraine.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Poland demanded an explanation from Russia on Sunday after one of its missiles strayed briefly into Polish airspace during a major missile attack on Ukraine, prompting the NATO member to activate F-16 fighter jets.

With US funding for Ukraine still in limbo, European allies are trying to ramp up their support as Russia mounts new strikes.

American troops are to be permanently stationed in Taiwan, according to Taipei, a huge move that will likely send tensions with China soaring as it president Xi Jinping covets the island.

Russian intelligence has alleged that France is preparing a military contingent of 2,000 troops to be deployed on the ground in Ukraine. The claim was made by Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin on Tuesday, and was quickly picked up in international headlines, also given it is rare for him to make statements like this.

French President Emmanuel Macron shows no sign of backing down on his bellicose rhetoric related to the war in Ukraine as he said in an interview published over the weekend that at “some point,” Western ground operations in Ukraine may be necessary.

NATO countries are implementing a rotational air defense model stationed in Lithuania in response to calls from the Baltic states to boost Europe's defense capabilities in the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron's words at the start of the week which opened the door to European 'boots on the ground in Ukraine' elicited shock, dismay and caution even from within the Western allies. NATO itself scrambled to assure the world that it has no plans to deploy troops inside Ukraine, with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rejecting the idea in remarks, given it would certainly mean automatic WW3.

THE DOOMSDAY Clock press conference is now underway and it has determined just how close we are to the end of the world.

NATO will launch its largest exercise since the Cold War next week with about 90,000 personnel set to take part in the months-long wargames, the alliance’s top commander General Chris Cavoli has said.

Iran launched a missile attack apparently targeting militant bases in western Pakistan which killed two children, officials in Islamabad said.

EXCLUSIVE: A source inside the US Pentagon has warned the world is on the brink of a major conflict as Iran and its allies continue to launch attacks across the Middle East.

BRITAIN is facing wars in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea in five years but there are still no plans to grow the Army, Grant Shapps said today.

As tensions are soaring in the Middle East due to the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza, US officials are warning that President Biden’s decisions could lead to a major regional war.

THE Gaza crisis could spiral into an all-out world war in six terrifying steps, an ex-Navy chief has warned.

Russia, the United States and China have all built new facilities and dug new tunnels at their nuclear test sites in recent years, satellite images obtained exclusively by CNN show, at a time when tensions between the three major nuclear powers have risen to their highest in decades.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blasted the US for waging a proxy war in Ukraine. The Washington-led North Atlantic alliance has transferred nearly $100 billion in military aid to Kyiv. Lavrov said the White House was controlling Ukraine’s military decisions.