The World This Week: Israel v Iran Special

It’s been a week of escalating global tensions. Israel launched a series of targeted strikes on Iran—code-named Rising Lion—aimed at crippling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. Iran has vowed a swift response. In the United States, protests erupted in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement, as federal officers intensified roundups of undocumented migrants—part of President Trump’s broader plan for mass deportations. Meanwhile in Ukraine, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa came under heavy fire. Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults yet, striking the capital with a wave of 315 drones and ballistic missiles. And in Europe, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte delivered a stark warning in London: defense spending is no longer optional—it’s existential.