By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press
South Korea's military says it detected North Korea firing several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea. North Korea has launched missiles in two consecutive days. Wednesday's launches came hours after a senior North Korean official issued a statement ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer ties. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan. Seoul says North Korea also fired an additional ballistic missile toward its eastern waters later Wednesday, without giving further details. The South's military was also analyzing a projectile launched from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Tuesday.
President Emmanuel Macron is updating France's nuclear deterrence doctrine as Europe worries about Russia and doubts U.S. protection under Donald Trump. On Monday, Macron will speak at a French submarine base and signal how France thinks about using nuclear weapons. The war in Ukraine and Russia's nuclear threats have shaken Europe's security assumptions. Analysts say some Europeans are looking to France for a backup nuclear guarantee. France is the only nuclear power in the European Union. Macron last laid down policy in 2020 and said France has fewer than 300 warheads. Experts are listening for any stronger promise to protect allies.
The Tomahawk cruise missile has been in the U.S. military's inventory since the 1980s. While slow by missile standards, the cruise missile flies around 100 feet (about 30 meters) off the ground, making it harder to detect by defense systems. The missile also boasts an impressive range of around 1,000 miles and precision guidance systems that make it the go-to weapon for striking targets that are deep inland or in hostile territory. President Donald Trump has hinted that he might give Tomahawks to Ukraine, which could make a key difference for Kyiv in its war with Moscow. While the United States launched Tomahawk missiles almost exclusively from ships or submarines, Ukraine doesn't possess a Navy with ships capable of carrying the 20-foot-long missile.
Outer space has emerged as the world's next battlefield, demonstrated by recent cyberattacks on satellites blamed on Russia. National security officials have said the Kremlin also is seeking to develop a space-based weapon that could knock out American satellites, potentially devastating the U.S. economy while leaving the country vulnerable to military attack. Officials in Washington are taking notice, investing in greater efforts to defend U.S. satellites while countering threats from China and Russia. One example is the U.S. Space Force, created in 2019 and tasked with protecting American interests in space.
Israel struck Iran's state-run television station during a live broadcast, forcing a reporter to run off camera following an explosion, after Iran fired a new wave of missiles at Israel that killed at least eight people. Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of Tehran to evacuate Monday ahead of the strike against the TV station, which the military said provided a cover for Iranian military operations. The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The warning affected up to 330,000 people.
A surprise Ukrainian drone attack that targeted Russian air bases hosting nuclear-capable strategic bombers was unprecedented in its scope and sophistication, and dealt a heavy blow to the Russian military. Ukraine said more than 40 bombers — or about a third of its strategic fleet — were damaged or destroyed Sunday. The Russian military said only several planes were damaged. The conflicting claims couldn't be independently verified. But the bold attack demonstrated Ukraine's capability to hit high-value targets anywhere on Russian territory, dealing a humiliating blow to the Kremlin and inflicting significant losses to Moscow's arsenal in the 3-year-old war.
By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM Associated Press
South Korea's military says North Korea has fired several ballistic missiles into the sea. The launch Monday happened hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills, which the North views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile firings, North Korea's fifth missile launch event this year, were detected from the North's Hwanghae province but gave no further details such as how far they flew. Earlier Monday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries began their drills. The exercises began after the South Korean and U.S. militaries paused live-fire training while Seoul investigates how two of its fighter jets mistakenly bombed a civilian area during a warm-up drill last week.
By ILLIA NOVIKOV and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
Ukrainian officials said Russia had targeted energy facilities with dozens of missiles and drones in a nighttime attack. The barrage hobbled the country's ability to deliver heat and light to its citizens and to power weapons factories vital to its defenses. The overnight onslaught — which also pounded residences and wounded at least 10 people — came days after the U.S. suspended military aid and intelligence to Ukraine to pressure it into accepting a peace deal being pushed by the Trump administration. Also on Friday, the U.S. government said it halted Ukrainian access to unclassified satellite images that had been used to help it fight back against Russia.
By HANNA ARHIROVA, ILLIA NOVIKOV, AAMER MADHANI and TARA COPP Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine and that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia. Putin said during a nationwide TV address that the Russian strike Thursday on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro came in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory this week that used U.S. and British longer-range missiles. Two people were wounded in the attack. Putin declared that Russia would issue advance warnings if it launches more strikes with such missile against Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate to safety. He warned that U.S. air defense systems wouldn't be capable of intercepting Russian missiles.
