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Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Situation Report. We want to begin this week’s edition with an important message in light of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in Utah on Wednesday. Kirk once sat down with John for a lengthy interview. Though he didn’t appreciate all of John’s questions and wasn’t afraid to make that known, he still engaged with John on a range of tough topics. We have to be able to discuss difficult issues without the threat of violence. Civil discourse is vital to democracy. On that note, thanks for reading SitRep and engaging with us.

Here’s what’s on tap for the day: Israel’s expanding regional war, a U.S.-China military video call, and U.S. biker gang members distributing aid in Gaza.

Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Situation Report. We want to begin this week’s edition with an important message in light of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s killing in Utah on Wednesday. Kirk once sat down with John for a lengthy interview. Though he didn’t appreciate all of John’s questions and wasn’t afraid to make that known, he still engaged with John on a range of tough topics. We have to be able to discuss difficult issues without the threat of violence. Civil discourse is vital to democracy. On that note, thanks for reading SitRep and engaging with us.

Here’s what’s on tap for the day: Israel’s expanding regional war, a U.S.-China military video call, and U.S. biker gang members distributing aid in Gaza.

Throughout the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which has fueled tensions across the Middle East, concerns have been raised about the potential for a regional conflict to break out. But in many ways, this is already the reality in the Middle East. And the list of countries Israel has bombed grew this week with a strike in Doha, Qatar, that marked a major escalation in Israel’s war against Hamas.

Since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has conducted military and clandestine operations in multiple countries across the Middle East in addition to Gaza, including Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Qatar. The Israeli military has also been extremely active in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7, conducting ground and air operations amid a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians. The Israeli attacks around the region have ranged from assassinations—including a stunning operation involving exploding pagers in Lebanon—to broader military campaigns aimed at debilitating its adversaries’ capabilities.

Israel has effectively acknowledged that it’s waging war across the region. “In recent days, we have struck in several arenas simultaneously,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday. “Our message is clear: The long arm of the IDF will reach every arena and sever the hands of all our enemies in the Middle East.”

Though Israel’s operations have killed many top leaders of its biggest enemies and left their forces greatly........

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