People have been flocking to Florida in 2022, which saw the fastest growth compared to any other state over the last year, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: This is the first time Florida has been named the fastest-growing state since 1957.
Mossad director David Barnea said on Thursday Israel has intelligence that shows Iran is secretly planning to soon "widen and broaden" its shipments of sophisticated weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine.
Why it matters: Barnea's warning marks the first time an Israeli official has publicly commented on Iran's support for Russia's war effort.
Admiral Kuznetsov, the flagship of the Russian Navy and the country's only aircraft carrier, caught on fire Thursday, according to Russian state-media.
Why it matters: Accidents have marred the ship since it went under its ongoing overhaul in 2017. It had originally been due to return to service in 2022.
North Korea recently supplied infantry rockets and missiles to a private Russian mercenary company, the Wagner Group, currently deployed in Ukraine as part of Russia's invasion of the country, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.
Why it matters: Kirby said the U.S. currently believes Wagner has deployed 50,000 mercenaries to Ukraine. The arms shipment signals the group is performing an expanded role in the war and is increasingly searching around the world for arms suppliers.
In his first international trip since Russia invaded Ukraine 300 days ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Congress and American people for their steadfast support of his country.
Driving the news: Zelensky told a joint session of Congress that "against all odds and doom-and-gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn’t fall."
Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu notified President Isaac Herzog late Wednesday that he has managed to form a government after 38 days of coalition negotiations.
The big picture: The move, which came 20 minutes before his mandate to form a government was set to expire, buys him more time as he works to get controversial laws his coalition partners have demanded passed ahead of the swearing-in of new ministers, which is expected by early January.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey is increasingly signalingits readiness for a thawing of relations with the Assad regime in Syria.
Why it matters: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, were at one point close allies, but the two leaders have not been in contact since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
Egypt is holding up the implementation of an agreement over two strategic Red Sea islands that paved the way for Saudi Arabia to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, according to four Israeli officials and one U.S. source.
Why it matters: The agreement, which was composed of a series of understandings between the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, was a significant Mideast foreign policy achievement for the Biden administration.
President Biden will announce during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s planned visit to Washington Wednesday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense battery, according to a senior administration official.
Why it matters: While the U.S. and its allies, including France and Germany, have provided various missile defense systems to Ukraine in recent weeks, the Patriot system will be the most advanced sent to the country since the war began.
