Hegseth defends firing of top military officials, hints more may be coming; U.N. expected to vote on dueling Ukraine resolutions; Israeli tanks roll into West Bank for first time in decades.
1. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insists President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of the nation’s senior military officer amid a wave of dismissals at the Pentagon wasn’t unusual, brushing aside outcry that the new administration is openly seeking to inject politics into the military. He also suggested more firings could come. “Nothing about this is unprecedented,” Hegseth told “Fox News Sunday” about Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. being removed Friday night as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The president deserves to pick his key national security advisory team.”
2. On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Monday on dueling resolutions — Ukraine’s European-backed proposal demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from the country and a U.S. call for a swift end to the war that never mentions Moscow’s aggression. The United States pressured the Ukrainians to withdraw their nonbinding resolution in favor of its proposal, a U.S. official and a European diplomat said Sunday. But Ukraine refused, and it will be put to a vote in the 193-nation assembly, two European diplomats said. All spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were private.
3. Israeli tanks moved into the occupied West Bank on Sunday for the first time in decades in what Palestinian authorities called a “dangerous escalation,” after the defense minister said troops will remain in parts of the territory for a year and tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled cannot return. Associated Press journalists saw several tanks move along unpaved tracks into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel. Israel is deepening its crackdown on the Palestinian territory and has said it is determined to stamp out militancy amid a rise in attacks. It launched the offensive in the northern West Bank on Jan. 21 — two days after the current ceasefire in Gaza took hold — and expanded it to nearby areas.
4. Japan and the Philippines agreed Monday to further deepen their defense collaboration and talk about protecting shared military information in the face of mutual alarm over China’s increasing aggressive actions in the region. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, forged the agreements in a meeting in Manila where their concern over China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea was high in the agenda. Japan and the Philippines are treaty allies of the United States, and the three have been among the most vocal critics of China’s assertive actions in the region, including in the contested waters.
5. Senate leaders will hold confirmation hearings this week for a pair of senior Pentagon officials as the chamber continues efforts to get President Donald Trump’s key military leadership into office. On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing for Stephen Feinberg to be deputy secretary of defense, the second-highest official at the department. Feinberg is the co-founder of the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, with a personal net worth in the billions. On Thursday, the committee will consider the nomination of John Pehlan to be Navy Secretary. Like Feinberg, Phelan is the founder of a private investment firm and has no previous military service.
- Security