Belgium, Britain, France, and Germany are among European countries on heightened alert after an explosion outside a synagogue in eastern Belgium raised fears of possible terrorism linked to the war involving Iran.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced Wednesday that member nations will release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, the largest coordinated drawdown in the agency’s history, as the war with Iran disrupts global energy supplies.

U.S. forces have struck more than 5,500 targets inside Iran since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, according to an operational update Wednesday from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper.

Three commercial cargo vessels were struck by projectiles early Wednesday in or near the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the growing threat to global shipping lanes as the war between the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies.

Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has called on the Iranian people to prepare for what he described as the decisive stage of their struggle against the Islamic regime, urging citizens to await his “final call” as tensions continue to escalate in the country.

U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying boats near the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday as Washington moved to prevent Tehran from disrupting one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, the Pentagon confirmed.

Iran’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly wounded during the recent war but remains capable of carrying out his duties, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by The Jerusalem Post.

At least six people were killed and five others injured after a passenger bus burst into flames in western Switzerland, with authorities saying the blaze may have been deliberately set.

Iran launched new attacks on Gulf Arab countries Tuesday as strikes that began last week have killed at least seven people and injured more than 120 others, heightening fears among foreign residents, including minority Christians, Worthy News learned.

The American military continues to ramp up its attacks on Iran, 10 days into Operation Epic Fury.

Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women’s soccer players who sought asylum amid fears for their safety if they returned to the Islamic Republic, authorities confirmed.

NATO-linked air defenses intercepted a second Iranian ballistic missile threatening alliance member Turkey on Monday as the United States and Israel rejected Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, amid escalating tensions across the Middle East.

An international law-enforcement operation has led to the arrest of 60 suspects and the rescue of 65 child victims following a year-long investigation across Central America, North America, and the Caribbean.

President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping new strategy to combat drug cartels across the Western Hemisphere, declaring that powerful trafficking networks should be treated as national security threats rather than ordinary criminal organizations.

G7 finance ministers said Monday they will take “necessary measures” to stabilize energy supplies but added there is no plan yet to release strategic oil stockpiles after prices for the vital commodity surged over the weekend to a 45-month high.