According to sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Trump is pressing top American officials to develop plans for attacking Iran that would be “decisive.” The options under development range from striking Iranian military facilities or attempting to overthrow the government with a bombing campaign.

US military personnel in the Middle East and the Iranian government believed Trump was going to order strikes on Iran last week. However, after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he declined to give the order.

An official said that Netanyahu told Trump that Israel was unprepared for an Iranian counterattack. Trump’s advisors also could not give an assurance to the President that the planned attack would cause the Iranian government to fall.

US officials were additionally concerned that the Department of War lacked the necessary military equipment in the Middle East to defend American soldiers from Iranian retaliatory attacks.

“It’s really being negotiated now, the details of it, but essentially it’s total access. There’s no end. There’s no time limit,” Trump said in an interview on Thursday. “We will have everything we want, we’re getting everything we want, at no cost.”

On Wednesday, Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss Greenland. Following the meeting, Trump announced that they had reached the “framework” of an agreement for the Danish colony, without providing details.

A Danish politician told The New York Times that Denmark was willing to give the US sovereignty over small portions of Greenland to build military bases.

A Danish official claimed that the negotiations center on giving the US sovereignty over small areas of Greenland

French, Scandinavian, and other Western European governments have been among the most vocal in declining invitations, citing concerns about the board’s mandate, structure, and potential to undercut established international institutions. France, Norway, Sweden, and Slovenia have announced they will not join at this time, rejecting both the board’s expanded ambition beyond Gaza and the requirement – articulated in draft terms shared with invited nations – to contribute roughly $1 billion for permanent membership status.

Kyle Anzalone | January 20

“[This is] a historic day for sovereignty in Jerusalem,” Ben Gvir said. “Today, these terror supporters are being kicked out along with everything they built. This is what will be done to every terror supporter.”

Aryeh King, the mayor of Jerusalem, made an even more aggressive statement. “God willing, we will expel, kill, eliminate and destroy all UNRWA personnel,” he said.

While Canadian officials told the outlet that such a scenario is “unlikely,” the move reflects growing tensions between the two neighbors, with President Donald Trump having repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the 51st US state. On Monday, he shared an edited photo depicting both Canada and Greenland as American territories.

“The Canadian Armed Forces have modelled a hypothetical US military invasion of Canada and the country’s potential response,” the Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday, citing two unnamed senior officials.

Will Porter | January 21

Jason Ditz | January 20

US envoy Tom Barrack declared the Kurds to have a “great opportunity” to be taken over by the Islamist central government of Syria, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). He assured that the Kurds would definitely be offered “equal rights” under the law in this scenario.

Dave DeCamp

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