What in the World?

Israeli and allied air defenses destroyed most of the projectiles before they reached their targets, Daniel Byman and Kenneth M. Pollack write.

The protests came two days after the arrival of Russian anti-aircraft defense systems and 100 instructors as part of a defense agreement that Niamey signed with Moscow last December, FP’s Nosmot Gbadamosi writes in Africa Brief.

Meanwhile, Western leaders worried about Trump’s potential return to the White House have been hard at work trying to ensure the resilience and continuity of multilateral alliances, as FP’s Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer wrote in Situation Report earlier this month.

Scholz’s recent trip to China was closely watched, with observers curious whether the chancellor would act in line with the West’s tough approach toward Beijing—or take a softer one, Noah Barkin writes.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has called the bill an instrument of Russian interference, FP’s Alexandra Sharp writes in World Brief.

The sanctions snapped back after Caracas failed to abide by an agreement on conditions for presidential elections scheduled for July, FP’s Catherine Osborn writes in Latin America Brief.

Iran’s actions indicate it wants to avoid a larger regional war. Perhaps Tehran knows that Arab countries have a vested interest in maintaining ties to Israel—and will come to its defense if necessary, David E. Rosenberg details in FP.

As voting gets underway, the question is not whether Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will secure a third term, but by what margin, FP’s Michael Kugelman writes in South Asia Brief.

It was the second time in one week that gravy was delivered to the legislature. The first was a stunt to draw attention to bloated government funding, CTV News Toronto reports.

Scientists estimate the creature was between 72 and 85 feet long, making it perhaps the largest marine reptile to ever live, Reuters reports.