“Assessments that Ukraine has reached a turning point in the conflict with Russia may well prove premature. But the towering dome of black smoke that hung over Moscow this week after a Ukrainian drone onslaught showed that Kyiv still has plenty of cards to play, no matter President Trump’s earlier appraisal of its prospects in the war,” the New York Times reports.

“The strikes on Moscow left part of the city’s biggest oil refinery in flames. An immense blast sent the top of a fuel storage vessel soaring into the air — and blew the roof off the idea that Russia could continue to shield Muscovites from the war.”

Bloomberg: Ukraine’s biggest strike on Moscow brings fears of fuel shortage.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked a firestorm of criticism on Friday by declaring “all of Lebanon must burn” after four Israeli soldiers were killed by Hezbollah in the country, Mediaite reports.

“Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a fresh ceasefire, after fighting between the two foes once again threatened to derail a broader diplomatic push to end the war in the Middle East,” the Financial Times reports.

Semafor: US warns Israel against disrupting deal with Iran.

“Former President Barack Obama said it seems like the United States has either returned to the status quo or is ‘worse off’ now than before President Donald Trump launched the war on Iran in February,” NBC News reports.

Said Obama: “We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off.”

New York Times: The costs of the Iran war: thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

“Hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth upbraided his NATO allies and announced a Pentagon review of their performance, the leaders of many European nations were assessing a check list of progress made on security priorities,” Associated Press reports.

“In essence, Hegseth was telling the Europeans things they already know.”

“The list included their hike in defense spending, investment in industry to boost the production of military equipment, best use of lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, and the need to buy or develop drones, air defense systems and long-range weapons.”

CNBC: Hegseth warns NATO allies that some nations will ‘fail’ U.S. defense review.

New York Times: “In this respect, the administration’s contradictions and obfuscations about the status, cost, rationale and resolution of the war reveal something different than officials intend. It’s not just that they appear to be in denial about what the conflict means. It has enabled the rest of the world to clearly see what the White House cannot acknowledge: The United States is no longer the world’s unquestioned hegemon, and the promise of its protection is not absolute. The war in Iran marks the end of any lingering illusions of American omnipotence.”

“Almost every end of empire has been accompanied by a particular kind of wishful thinking — call it self-deception, call it willful misdirection — to process the new reality.”

The Guardian: A president’s wishful thinking gives way to uncomfortable realities.

Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said Friday she was left “stunned” by President Trump reportedly telling an Italian network that she had “wanted a picture with me so badly” at the G7 summit earlier in the week, and that he only said yes because he “felt sorry for her,” CBS News reports.

Said Trump: “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her.”

He added: “She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for ‌her.”

CNN: Italian foreign minister cancels trip to US over Trump’s comments about Meloni.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has set up secretive new cells in Iraq to carry out attacks on Gulf countries that host American forces, bypassing established militia networks to avoid detection,” Reuters reports.

“Iran said ships that cross the Strait of Hormuz need its permission to pass the vital waterway, in a document that sets the stage for future tolling arrangements by requiring them to buy insurance from Tehran,” Bloomberg reports.

“Vessels that cross the Strait of Hormuz will need a mandatory insurance policy that is currently free but could have a cost in the future, the country’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a document on its website.”

CNBC: “Ukrainian forces conducted a large-scale attack against Moscow on Wednesday evening and Thursday, heavily targeting a major oil refinery located on the south-eastern outskirts of the city.”

“Nearly 200 drones were reportedly used in the attack, marking Ukraine’s biggest-ever air raid on Russia’s capital.”

“News that the U.S. and Iran had reached an interim deal may have brought some initial relief to markets, but fresh uncertainty emerged on Friday after planned follow-up talks in Switzerland were called off, underscoring the challenges of turning the agreement into a lasting peace settlement,” CNBC reports.

“Switzerland’s foreign ministry said U.S.-Iran talks scheduled to take place at Bürgenstock on Friday would not proceed as planned.”

NewsNation: What happens now that the US-Iran peace deal has been called off?