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War and conflict

War and conflict
The latest news, analysis and opinion on War and conflict. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Students from military schools take part in an “anti-imperialist” protest against the American incursion in Venezuela, in front of the US Embassy in Havana in January. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS
China-Latin America relations

US’ Cuba-China fears, Panama pressure: Latin America relations reads

From Argentina’s shrinking China lifeline to the US’ Cuba worries, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in May 2026.

Cambodia

Cambodia starts UN-backed process for maritime dispute with Thailand

Ukraine war

Major Russian air attack on Ukrainian cities kills at least 18, wounds dozens

United States

Court blocks US military removing transgender troops for now

Appeals court shields current service members from discharge while leaving wider enlisting restrictions in place.

The Pentagon, headquarters of the US military, in Washington. File photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran diplomacy mired in uncertainty as Trump claims Lebanon de-escalation

Israeli leader vows to continue operations in southern Lebanon despite the US president claiming ‘no Troops going to Beirut’.

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Myanmar

Rescuers dig for bodies after Myanmar explosives blast kills at least 38

The incident has cast a spotlight on Myanmar’s largely unregulated mineral industry and Chinese investment in the country’s extractive industries.

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Middle East

Netanyahu orders strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, clouding Iran mediation

Order came a day after Israeli ground forces seized a historic castle, reaching their deepest point in Lebanon in 26 years.

Traffic clogs an exit route as residents flee the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

US says struck Iran sites, Tehran responds by targeting base

Kuwait intercepts incoming drone and missile fire as negotiations to end the Iran war drag on.

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Middle East

Syria says Sharaa holds phone call with Trump

Ahmed al-Sharaa tells the US president that ending economic restrictions is essential to reviving Syria’s economy.

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says US not to be trusted as Trump toughens deal terms

Ceasefire remains elusive as both sides still remain apart on conditions for peace.

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An anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Middle East

Israeli forces capture historic castle in deepest push into Lebanon in decades

Troops take over the medieval fortress of Beaufort, returning to the strategic peak occupied by Israel from 1982 to 2000.

An Israeli flag and a flag of the Golani Brigade raised on Beaufort Castle. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

45 killed in Myanmar’s Shan state after blast at mining explosive storage facility

The village in Namhkam township is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group opposed to the junta.

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Technology

Opinion | For SpaceX, global dominance may not be written in the stars

Space is not an ordinary, commercial, open market but a strategic domain tied directly to sovereignty, security and industrial policy.

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Ukraine war

Russia says Ukraine drone struck Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Kyiv denies being behind the attack, calling the Russian claims ‘yet another propaganda ploy’.

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A view of a spent nuclear fuel storage grounds at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine in March 2023. Photo: TNS
US-China relations

Hegseth at Asia defence gathering, China-EU tensions, Computex

This week: US allies wait to hear from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Singapore, EU works on China trade measures and Huawei announces chip advance. Next week: Computex is held in Taiwan, China reveals PMI, UK foreign minister visits Beijing, and more.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Nato and Romania accuse Russia after drone hits block of flats

Drone strikes a 10-storey building in Galati, causing an explosion and civilian injuries in an apparent spillover of the Ukraine conflict.

United Nations

Israel, Russia hit back after being added to UN blacklist for sexual violence in conflicts

UN documentation of alleged abuses sparks furious denials from both nations.

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Israel-Gaza war

Netanyahu orders Israeli military to seize 70% of Gaza, expanding control

Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 per cent of the tiny coastal strip, bombarded to ruins by war.

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A yellow block demarcates the 'Yellow Line', which has separated the Gaza Strip’s Israeli-held and Palestinian zones since the October ceasefire. Photo: AP
Diplomacy

Opinion | Heroics will only turn middle power dreams into nightmares

Successful middle powers do not defy systemic pressures but recognise structural change early enough to avoid becoming trapped.

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Middle East

Israel launches deadly strike near Beirut as it widens offensive in Lebanon

Escalating hostilities in Lebanon strain a fragile ceasefire ahead of crucial negotiations in Washington.

US, Israel war on Iran

US boasts viable Iran deal: no nuclear weapons, Hormuz open. Will Trump agree?

US president said to be weighing proposed deal as fragile ceasefire holds after renewed strikes and Iranian retaliation.

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A man waves an Iranian flag in Tehran’s Valiasr Square as uncertainty surrounds a proposed peace deal. Photo: EPA
Nato

Germany, Netherlands to set up Nato command centre in Baltics

The centre, known as 1GNC, is a command centre that can control up to 50,000 troops.

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Polish and German soldiers pose outside the Main Command Post at the multinational Nato Corps in Szczecin, Poland in 2016. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Israel declares new swathe of Lebanon ‘a combat zone’, imperilling ceasefire

Israel extends combat zone north in the first such sweeping warning since the April 16 ceasefire.

US, Israel war on Iran

Israel’s Lebanon strikes challenge Trump’s Iran talks amid Hezbollah’s defiance

Israel’s offensive aimed at weakening the group complicates US-Iran peace efforts, analysts say.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran, US reach outline ceasefire deal after latest air strikes: report

US military downs five drones and hits a ground station, triggering Iranian retaliation.

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An anti-US billboard in Tehran depicting US President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump appears to threaten to ‘blow up’ Oman, after question on Iran and Hormuz

Asked if he would accept a deal to allow Iran and US ally Oman to control the strait, Trump said the Gulf state must ‘behave’.

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US President Donald Trump points his finger during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Israel says it killed Hamas’ new armed wing chief in Gaza strike

Mohammad Odeh eliminated after his predecessor was killed in a similar attack this month.

Middle East

Israel pounds Lebanon with heaviest bombing in weeks, expands ground operations

Strikes kill and wound dozens as Israeli forces push beyond the ‘Yellow Line’ in southern Lebanon.

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