NYTIMES (Constant Méheut) - Ukraine Is Pleading for Air Defenses. Will the World Listen Anymore?
Western allies are more hesitant to give up interceptor missiles they may need for their own defense as war rages on multiple fronts.
NYTIMES (Eric Schmitt and Jonathan Swan) - Trump Holds Off on Major War Escalation Against Iran as Advisers Raise Concerns
Among the worries is that expanded hostilities could dangerously drain the diminished stockpile of air defense munitions in the Middle East.
AXIOS (Dave Lawler) - Trump says U.S. will bomb Iran today: "They keep playing us for suckers"
President Trump told reporters that the U.S. would hit Iran "hard" again on Wednesday, after conducting strikes on Tuesday evening. The big picture: Trump said Iran had been "playing us for suckers" during negotiations, and the U.S. would be "attacking them very hard." - "We're going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, because you don't turn on your television set, and we'll see what happens with the deal," Trump said. Driving the news: The strikes on Tuesday came in response to a U.S. helicopter being shot down near the Strait of Hormuz. - The U.S. targeted Iranian radar and air defense systems but calibrated the attack so as not to cause any casualties, two U.S. officials told Axios. - Trump said the helicopter…
NYTIMES (Constant Méheut) - How Russia’s Scorched-Earth Attacks Put Ukraine’s Power Grid Near Collapse
Strikes on Ukrainian energy systems have tripled this winter. Continuous repairs and Western aid staved off a total breakdown.