What We’re Watching: Thai court to decide PM’s fate, Israeli continues firing at Syria, UK’s Starmer in a hole

Thailand's courts will decide whether to oust prime minister

A Thai court will rule Friday on Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s fate, potentially removing her and triggering a parliamentary vote for a new leader. The case is over a call with Cambodia’s leader where Shinawatra appeared critical of Thailand's military as tensions between the two neighboring countries were escalating. It reflects the ongoing clash between the populist Shinawatra family and the military-backed conservative establishment they took power from in the 2023 election.

Israel strikes Syria again

Israeli drone strikes near Damascus killed Syrian soldiers on Tuesday, Syria’s government said. As part of the strikes, an Israeli plane on Wednesday briefly landed on a former air defense base in the Syrian countryside – one that Iran had used during the Assad regime. These offensive maneuvers were the latest Israeli attacks on its neighbor since Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa overthrew the Assad regime in December. The two old rivals continue to hold talks about deescalating tensions.

UK’s Starmer removes another top adviser as storm brews around his premiership

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to remove the top civil servant from his team, the third time in less than a year that he has replaced a senior member of staff. The move comes as the British public grows agitated with his premiership, especially with his failure to cut immigration: data released last week showed that there was a record number of asylum claims over the last 12 months. Immigration has now replaced health as the top policy priority in the country. Starmer’s struggles mean it’s now an open question whether he’ll lead his party at the next election.