Hello, you're listening to the free edition of The World in Brief from The Economist.

As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist or our new podcast subscription Economist Podcast Plus,

you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead,

updated three times a day.

You'll also get access to the rest of our award-winning podcasts.

If you're already a subscriber, visit Economist.com slash The World In Brief.

Or visit the Economist app to start listening. Here's today's free edition. The Economist.

This is the world in brief from The Economist. Our top stories. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the Republican presidential race throwing his support behind Donald

Trump.

Mr. DeSantis, the 45-year-old popular governor of Florida, pitched himself

as Mr. Trump without the chaos, but his campaign struggled to gain momentum.

Having invested heavily in Iowa, he came a distant second to

Mr Trump in the state caucuses on January 15th. He suspends his campaign two days

before New Hampshire goes to the polls. His ex-rivial

hei-hales to the polls. His ex-rival Nicki Haley is hoping to have a strong showing there.

Missile strikes in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen on Saturday risked the widening of the

theatre of war in the Middle East.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an Israeli missile strike in Damascus had killed five of its members.

Lebanese security sources said an Israeli strike there had killed a member of Iran-backed

Hezbollah. A strike by Iran-backed rebels in Iraq wounded some American

soldiers. Iran's president vowed to punish Israel for its strike in Syria. Benjamin Netanyahu publicly sparred with Joe Biden, one of Israel's staunch his supporters during its war in Gaza.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister said he had told Mr Biden during a phone call

...