I - On Defense Podcast

For review:

1. US Seizes Oil Tanker in N. Atlantic Ocean.

2. President Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Wednesday in Paris with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss the U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine.

3. Somaliland in Talks with Israel About Possible Military Base.

4. US Ready to Start Phase 2 of Gaza Peace Agreement.

5. The Lebanese army announced Thursday that it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area in the country’s south between the Israeli border and the Litani River.

For review:

1. At least seven U.S. service members were injured during Operation Absolute Resolve, according to a Pentagon official and a person familiar with the situation. 

The Cuban government said this week that 32 of its officers died in the raid.

2. France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine signed a “Declaration of Intent” on Tuesday to send their forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

3. Israel and Syria on Tuesday agreed during the second day of talks in Paris to create a mechanism that will facilitate de-escalation, diplo...

For review:

1. Former Venezuelan Vice-President (Delcy Rodriguez) sworn in as official President.

2. President Trump: US Not at War with Venezuela.

3. Britain and France on Sunday said they had carried out joint strikes on the Islamic State group in Syria to prevent the Islamist extremists from resurging.

4. A fifth round of talks between Israel and Syria started on Monday in Paris, the first meetings in nearly two months, after progress toward a security arrangement between the two countries stalled.

5. Israel launched a series of airstrikes deep inside eastern and southern...

1. US Raid Captures Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

For review:

1. The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave within 24 hours.

2. Somaliland FM: No Resettlement of Palestinians or Military Bases. 

Somaliland on Thursday officially denied that it had agreed to accept Gazan refugees or allow Israel to establish military bases on its soil in exchange for Israeli recognition.

3. The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada’s 2024 bla...

For Review:

1. Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there, which arrived from the United Arab Emirates. 

2. US Drone Strike on Venezuelan Port.

The drone strike targeted a remote dock on the Venezuelan coast that the US government believed was being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs and move them onto boats for shipping. There were no casualties, according to the sources.

3. The United States is offering Ukraine security gua...

For review:

1. The United States hasn’t given up its pursuit of the massive, rusted oil tanker it chased into international waters near Venezuela last weekend, 

Officials no longer expect the Bella 1 to return to the country to load up with oil as the US military and Coast Guard chase it. The ship is currently empty.

2.  Busy Week: President Trump to Meet with Ukraine President & Israeli PM.

3. Israel on Friday became the first country to recognize Somaliland, a former British protectorate that unilaterally declared independence from formerly Italian-ruled Somalia in 1991.

4...

For review:

1. US Strikes ISIS Militants in Nigeria.

2. Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday accused the United States of committing the “greatest extortion known in our history” at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called over Washington’s seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers.

3. Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the United States was reviving piracy and banditry in the Caribbean Sea by blockading Venezuela and said it hoped that U.S. President Donald Trump's pragmatism would help avoid a disaster.

4. US Coast Guard Still Pursuing...

For review:

1. US Continues Military Build-Up in Puerto Rico.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that at least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, which are used to transport special forces, arrived in the Caribbean theater from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The Journal also reported that C-17 cargo planes from Fort Stewart and Fort Campbell Army bases arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday.

2. Israel reportedly started shipping weapons to the Syrian Druze just days after Syria’s Iran-backed President Bashar al-Assad was ousted a year ago.

3. Turkish Fo...

For review:

1. Israel has reportedly warned the Trump administration that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may be using an ongoing military exercise focusing on missiles as cover to launch an attack on Israel, amid fears that Jerusalem and Tehran are readying for another confrontation.

2. Finland's President (Alexander Stubb): Russia - Ukraine Peace Closer than Any Point in the War

3. US Coast Guard Pursuing 3d Sanctioned Venezuelan Tanker.

4. President Trump Announces New "Trump-Class" Battleship.

The U.S. Navy will buy two new “battleships” as part of the “Golden Fleet” effort, Pr...

For review:

1. US Seizes Second Venezuelan Sanctioned Tanker.

2. US Strikes 70 ISIS Targets in Syria.

The attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, the U.S. officials said. F-16 fighter jets from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery also were used.

3. NBC Report: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present plans for a possible fresh attack on Iran to US President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to Washington. According to the report, Israel is growing increasingly concerned that Iran is rebuilding and even expanding...

For review:

1. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is leaving the possibility of a war with Venezuela on the table.

2. US Secretary of State: We Need to Clarify (ISF) Mandate Before We Can Expect Countries to Contribute Troops.

3. Report: Turkey to Return S400 System to Russia to Allow F-35 Purchase.

4. European leaders on Dec. 19 approved a $105 billion interest-free loan for Ukraine.

5. Potential US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases for Taiwan- estimated $11 billion include:

·        82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), 420 ATACMS systems and other strike weapons, valued at up...

For review:

1. President Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers.

2. Speaking at an annual meeting with top military officers, Russian President Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” by diplomatic means, but he added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”

3. Six Countries Join (Gaza) Board of Peace. The US has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom...

For review:

1. US Agrees to Unspecified Security Guarantees for Ukraine; Talks to Continue.

2.  Estonia Begins Installing Concrete Bunkers on Border with Russia. The initial batch represents the first phase of the Estonian 600-bunker network as part of the Baltic Defense Line project- coordinated with Lithuania and Latvia.

3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday met with the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria and Lebanon Tom Barrack, amid concerns that Israel could launch a major military offensive against Hezbollah if Beirut does not step up its campaign to disarm the terror g...

For review:

1. Joint US-Syrian Patrol Ambushed; Two US Soldiers Killed; President Trump Vows Serious Retaliation.

2. WSJ Report: A US special operations team in the Indian Ocean raided a ship headed to Iran from China last month and seized military-related articles.

3.  The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday issued a warning to residents of the southern Lebanon town of Yanouh ahead of planned airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure, but postponed the strike after Lebanese troops went to search the site.

4. On Friday, Lebanese Officials  received warnings from Arab and international parties that Israel is pr...

For review:

1. US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza.

2. Taiwan’s high-profile Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu made a previously unpublicized visit to Israel recently, three sources familiar with the trip told Reuters, at a time when Taiwan is looking to Jerusalem for defense cooperation.

3. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Thursday that he would travel to Beirut for talks after his Lebanese counterpart had declined a day earlier to visit Tehran.

4. The Un...

For review:

1. Latest in Ukraine/US/European negotiations to end war.

2. A Hamas source told The Times of Israel on Sunday that the group will only agree to give up its weapons through negotiations that result in the establishment of a Palestinian state.

3. Armor Not Dead: Australian Army's 3d Brigade (Armored) Transformation.

The first tranche of the new AS9 Huntsman SP 155mm howitzers is set to reach the 3d Brigade by the end of 2027,.

Other new kit heading the brigade’s way includes M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks, AS21 Re...

For review:

1. Ukrainian President to Meet with E3 Leaders in London to discuss last week's US Negotiations (Miami).

2. US Envoy Kellogg Says Deal Close; Sticking Points include Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant.

3. The Russian and Chinese militaries conducted joint anti-missile drills in on Russian territory in early December as part of scheduled military exercises, China's Defense Ministry said on Dec. 6.

These drills followed joint artillery and anti-submarine exercises that were conducted in the Sea of Japan in August.

4. Hamas is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weap...

For review:

1. Remains of Thai Hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak Returned From Gaza Strip.

2. Israel has told mediators in Cairo that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad know how to reach the remains of Master Sergeant Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in the Gaza Strip, Israeli television reported Friday. 

3. The Israel Defense Forces carried out a wave of airstrikes against what it said were Hezbollah weapons depots in southern Lebanon on Thursday.

4. The head of the US military’s Central Command congratulated Syria’s security forces on Friday for thwarting several weapons shipments to Le...

For review:

1. President Trump: US is Preparing for Land Operations Against Narcotics Manufacturers in Venezuela.

2. US - Russian Talks in Moscow "Useful & Constructive" -  But No Concrete Deal.

3. The Israel Ministry of Defense delivered the first operational Arrow 3 Air Defense System to Germany in a formal ceremony at a German Air Force base near Berlin, Israel’s Ministry of Defense said today. 

4. The Red Cross transferred the body of a presumed hostage from Hamas to Israeli security forces in Gaza on Wednesday evening.

5. The family of Sudthisak Rinthalak, one of t...

For review:

1. President Trump Discusses Venezuela with Key Advisors.

2. Pope Leo XIV arrived Sunday in Lebanon from Turkey, where he opened his first trip as Pope. He is set to wrap up his visit on Tuesday with a prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port blast and a Mass on the waterfront.

3. US Cautions Iraq Against Support to Hezbollah. 

4. Negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine on Sunday focused on where the de facto border with Russia would be drawn under a peace deal.

Representing the US were W...

For review:

1. President Trump: Airspace Above Venezuela Considered To Be Closed In Its Entirety. 

“To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

2. President Zelensky's Chief of Staff Resigns From Corruption Scandal.

Andriy Yermak resigned as chief of staff on Friday after an anti-corruption raid at his home. 

3. Ukraine is sending a high-level delegation to the U.S. on Saturday for more talks on the Trump admini...

For review:

1. US Sec of State: Security Guarantees to Ukraine After Ceasefire.

2. The body of Mr. Dror Or was returned to Israel from Gaza by Palestinian terror groups on Tuesday evening, Israeli authorities announced Wednesday morning.

The bodies of two slain hostages now remain held in Gaza.

3. Israel reportedly conveyed a proposal to Hamas last week that would allow the release of dozens of Hamas fighters believed to be trapped in tunnels in an IDF-controlled area of eastern Rafah, as long as they surrender.

4. Report: Iran Continuing to Fund...

For review:

1. US Official: Ukraine Agrees with Revised 19-Point Peace Deal; President Trump Dispatches Steve Witkoff to Meet With Russian President.

2. European Union lawmakers voted on Tuesday to deepen integration of the bloc’s defense industry with Ukraine. European Parliament legislators voted 457-148, with 33 abstentions, to approve a 1.5-billion euro ($1.7 billion) program, with 300 million euros ($345 million) slated for the Ukraine Support Instrument.

3.  IDF Military Drill Evaluates Readiness After Strike on Senior Hezbollah Official.

4. Gazan terror groups handed over what they said was the body of one of the three remaining deceased hos...

For review:

1. Europe Preparing Counterproposal to President Trump's 28 Point Russia - Ukraine Peace Plan; Talks Occurring in Switzerland & Angola.

2. Estonia still wants to buy six additional M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the US, and possibly more, according to Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.

Estonia Minister of Defense statement: “This is why we are looking for additional systems for the deep strikes. It’s not only HIMARS and it’s not only Chunmoo,” he later added. “It’s also the cruise missiles. It’s loitering munitions. So different types of systems. What will give...

For review:

1. President Trump 28 Point Peace Plan for Russia & Ukraine Released.

2. Initial Reaction

For review:

1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that there will not be a Palestinian state, even at the cost of normalization with Saudi Arabia.

2. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio guaranteed him that Israel’s “qualitative military edge” will remain intact in a phone call following US President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he would sell F-35 warplanes to Saudi Arabia.

3.  IDF-Hamas Combat Along Gaza Strip Yellow Line.

4. US Draft 28-Point Plan to End Russia-Ukraine War. 

A senior White House offi...

For review:

1.  UN Security Council Passes US-Sponsored Gaza Resolution. 

(Russia & China Abstain)

2. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday during his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump that Riyadh wants to join the Abraham Accords, but calls for the need to secure a path towards a two-state solution.

3. Saudi Arabia to Procure F-35 Fighters & M1 Tanks from US.

4. The Israeli Air Force presented an explicit objection to the US’s potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a formal position paper submitted to Isra...

For review:

1. US Defense Secretary Hegseth announced a new military and surveillance campaign in the Western Hemisphere on Thursday, dubbed “Operation Southern Spear,” to pummel “narco-terrorists.”

2. US SOUTHCOM Release: On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. 

3. CNN Report: The UK has stopped sharing intelligence with the US for its campaign against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

4. The U.S. will not be sending military forces to Mexico or undert...

For review:

1. The body of slain hostage Israeli Meny Godard was returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday night, officials confirmed. The bodies of three slain hostages now remain held in the Strip — two Israelis and one Thai national.

2.  US Secretary of State Optimistic About Gaza International Stabilization Force.

3. Indonesia has trained up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks during a planned peacekeeping operation in the war-torn enclave of Gaza, the defense minister said on Friday.

4. US President Donald Trump urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in a p...

For review:

1. US Envoys Visit Israel to Discuss Hamas Fighters Trapped in Rafah Tunnels.

2. France hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris for a meeting on Tuesday, during which French President Emmanuel Macron committed to helping the PA draft a constitution for a future state.

3. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa threw cold water on the prospect of his country joining the Abraham Accords, saying that conditions were premature for talks on a normalization deal with Israel.

4. Houthis Indicate a Halt to Military Operations Against Israel and Red Sea Shipping.

5...

For review:

1. Pakistan said Sunday it was committed to “dialogue” with Afghanistan despite peace talks ending after deadly violence, with Islamabad stressing its security concerns persist.

2. IDF Officer's Body Returned After More Than 11 Years in Hamas Captivity; 4 Hostages Remain.

3. Israel has warned Lebanon’s army that it is not satisfied with the actions taken so far against the Hezbollah terror group, vowing to continue its stepped-up bombing campaign unless the situation changes.

The Israel Defense Forces has recently stepped up these strikes, killing three Hezbollah members in two separate strikes on Saturd...

For review:

1. Secretary of War Hegseth Speech to Defense Industry Leaders.

2. Ukrainian forces continue to stubbornly defend the pocket around Pokrovsk despite relentless Russian assaults, leading to an ever-increasing threat of encirclement.

3.  US to Establish Presence at Airbase in Syria.

4. The US has added the entire text of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war to the UN Security Council Resolution.

5. US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Central Asian, Muslim-majority country of Kazakhstan will be the first country to join the Abraham Acc...

For review:

1. Hamas & PA Agree on Temporary Committee to Manage Gaza.

2. Saudi Arabia Requests Purchase of F-35 Fighters from US. 

The Trump administration is considering a Saudi Arabian request to buy as many as 48 F-35 fighter jets.

3. US President Donald Trump will host Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa for talks on November 10, the White House announced Tuesday.

4. Ukraine General Staff: No Encirclement of Units & Divisions in Pokrovsk.

The important hub in Ukraine’s Donetsk region lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army and has been in...

For review:

1. US Draft UNSC Resolution to Establish Gaza International Stabilization Force.

International Stabilization Force will be in charge of securing the borders with Israel and Egypt, ensuring the safety of civilians and humanitarian zones, and training new Palestinian police officers who it will partner with.

The force’s mandate will apparently include disarming Hamas.

2.  Gaza’s future must be Palestinian-led and avoid any new system of foreign hegemony, Turkey and six of its top Muslim allies said Monday, after talks in Istanbul.

3. IDF said Monday that it killed two H...

For review:

1. President Trump said Friday he is not considering strikes on Venezuela, which fears that a major US military buildup in the region is aimed at regime change in Caracas.

2. President Trump Directs Department of War to Prepare for Action in Nigeria. 

President Trump on Saturday announced the US will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria if its government continues to allow the killing of Christians.

3. Jordan and Germany said on Saturday that the International Stabilization Force expected to deploy in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s pos...

For review:

1. President Trump Meets Chinese President in S. Korea; Discusses Ukraine.

2. President Trump Directs Renewed Nuclear Testing.

3. Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani indicated on Wednesday that Hamas violated the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday when it attacked IDF soldiers- but did not specifically blame Hamas, referring instead to “the Palestinian party.” 

4. Hamas on Thursday returned to Israel the remains of two deceased hostages, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25, with Israeli authorities confirming their identities within hours. 

The remains of 11 deceased hostages are still being held in Gaza.

5. I...

For review:

1. President Trump Meets Japan's Prime Minister; On to S. Korea for Meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

2. Russian President Vladimir Putin received North Korea's top diplomat at the Kremlin on October 27.

North Korean media said Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui discussed "many future projects to constantly strengthen and develop" the bilateral relationship while also passing on leader Kim Jong Un's "brotherly regard" to Putin. 

3. Gaza Ceasefire Holding Despite Violations & Reprisals.

4. Lebanon’s army has blown up so many Hezbollah arms caches that it has run out of exp...

For review:

1. While in Malaysia - President Trump Oversees Peace Agreement Between Thailand & Cambodia; Next Stop Japan.

2. Israel Allows Egyptian & Hamas Search Teams Access Beyond the Yellow Line.

3. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said Friday that Russia, US, & Ukraine are “quite close” to reaching a diplomatic solution to end the war.

4. Russia Tests Nuclear-Powered Skyfall (NATO) Cruise Missile. 

A video released by the Kremlin showed Russian President Putin receiving a report from Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of general staff, wh...

For review:

1. US Secretary of State Visits Israel.

2. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon.

3.  Russia Exercises Nuclear Triad.

4. Latest in US Army Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization.

For review:

1. US Secretary of State Travels to Israel; Far East this week.

2. United States Vice President JD Vance projected confidence on Tuesday that the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was going to last as he paid a visit to a new US-Israel ceasefire coordination center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel.

3. There will be no Turkish troops in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office insisted Wednesday- as part of the planned International Stabilization Force (ISF).

4. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in S. Lebanon.

5. US Sanctions Russian Oil Companies...

For review:

1. Vice President Vance Travels to Israel to Shore Ceasefire Agreement.

2. Ceasefire Status Returns After Two IDF Soldiers Killed in Rafah Leads to Israeli Retaliation.

3. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday told US President Donald Trump to “keep dreaming” if he thinks US airstrikes in June destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities.

4. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would honor the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and have him arrested if he traveled to Canada in an interview published on Friday.

5. Uk...

For review:

1. Pakistan & Afghanistan Agree to Ceasefire.

Security issues are at the heart of the tensions, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militant groups led by the Pakistani Taliban on its soil- a claim Kabul denies.

2. Hamas terror group transferred to Israel two caskets Saturday night which it said contained the remains of two dead hostages held in Gaza. If the bodies are confirmed to belong to hostages, it would mean that the number of bodies of dead captives still held in the Strip would go down to 16, after 28 were there at the...

For review:

1. The military commander of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Muhammad al-Ghamari, has died, the Iran-backed group announced Thursday afternoon. 

The Israel Defense Forces later confirmed that al-Ghamari had been killed during a 28 Aug airstrike in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

2.  US-Led Gaza Coordination Center Operational in Days.

The command center will be led by a US three-star general, at least initially, who has not been identified publicly. The commander will have a foreign deputy, who would be the equivalent of a two-star officer, the officials said. 

3.  US denies Hamas...

For review:

1. Israel To Keep Rafah Crossing Closed & Limit Aid Until Hamas Returns Remaining Hostages.

2. Post Gaza Ceasefire: Hamas gunmen tightened their grip in Gaza on Monday and Tuesday, sources in the Strip said, including carrying out public executions.

Hamas has killed at least 33 people since a ceasefire took effect on Friday in a crackdown on groups that have tested its grip, sources in the strip said.

3. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that supplying U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could end badly for everyone, especially U.S...

For review:

1. 20 Living Hostages Returned to Israel After Two Plus Years of Captivity; 4 of 28 Hostages Bodies Also Returned.

2. President Trump Addresses Knesset.

3. President Trump and Leaders of Egypt, Qatar, & Turkey Sign Peace Declaration.

4. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s success in brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has renewed his hope that Trump can help facilitate a similar agreement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

For review:

1.  Pakistan & Afghanistan Trade Fire on Border Regions. 

2. All of Israel Prepares for the Return of the Hostages (Monday AM).

3. President Trump to Arrive in Israel to address Knesset; Then to Egypt for Summit. 

Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson said on Saturday.

The summit will be attended by more than 20 leaders, including US President Donald Trump, the spokesperson said in a sta...

For review:

1. IDF Withdraws to Yellow Line in Gaza; 72-Hour Clock to Release Hostages Begins. Noon Monday (13 Oct) is the deadline for Hostage Release.

2. US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Israel on Monday morning and address the Knesset (in Jerusalem) before departing that same day.

3. Opposition activist María Corina Machado of Venezuela won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, dashing US President Donald Trump’s hopes of collecting the prestigious award after mediating a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

4. An American military team of 200 people will be deployed in...

For review:

1. President Trump Announces Ceasefire & Hostage Agreement between Israel & Hamas.

Deal to be Signed Thursday in Egypt.

Hostage Release to Begin Saturday.

President Trump to Visit the Region this Weekend.

2. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells the Saudi channel Al-Arabiya that “additional Arab countries will sign peace agreements with Israel if the war in Gaza comes to an end.”

3. The German budget committee approved a long-planned order of advanced Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, greenlighting the €3.75 billion ($4.36 billion) procurement of 20 additional aircraft, designed to the Tranche 5 standard.

4...

For review:

1. "Positive Atmosphere" at First Day of Talks in Egypt.

2. IDF on High Alert for 07 October Anniversary and Holiday Period (Sukkot).

3. Families of hostages held in Gaza urged the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Monday to give the Nobel Peace Prize to United States President Donald Trump this month for his efforts to secure the release of their loved ones. 

4. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 6 that he has "sort of made a decision" on whether to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles. 

"I think I want to...

For review:

1. Negotiations to Enact President Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan Begin Monday in Cairo.

2. The head of Hezbollah said Saturday that Washington’s plan for a ceasefire in Gaza was “full of dangers,” - but said the decision of whether to accept it was ultimately Hamas’s.

3. The IDF says it has intercepted a single missile fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.  There are no immediate reports of impacts, injuries or damage after sirens sounded in parts of central Israel and the southern West Bank.

4. Russian President Putin: Supplying US Tomahawk...

For review

1. Hamas Agrees to Release Israeli Hostages & Hand-over Gaza to Technocrats; Other Plan Details Require Negotiation.

2. IDF to Halt Gaza City Campaign: Will Prepare for Operations to Support Hostages' Return.

3. World Reaction

For review:

1. Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot condemns the deadly attack on Jewish worshippers outside a synagogue in Manchester, which took place on Yom Kippur.

2. Hamas to Submit Amendments to President Trump's 20-Point Plan.

3. Hamas Fires Rockets at Israel on Yom Kippur; IDF Surrounding Gaza City.

4. US to Support Ukraine with Intelligence for Long-Range Targeting.

5. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz & Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban clashed during talks (01 October) concerning EU's strategy to defend itself against the Russian threat and support for Ukraine.

Berlin and Budapest...

For review:

1. US Government shutdown imminent. US Senate to meet Wednesday morning for further round of voting.

2. US Secretary of War Hegseth meets with Senior Military Leaders at Quantico, VA.

3. Israel Agrees to President Trump's 20-Point Gaza Peace Plan; Hamas Response Due Wednesday.

4. A ballistic missile (with cluster bomb warhead) was launched by the Houthis at Israel overnight on Sunday. The missile was intercepted by air defenses, the military said.

5.  President Trump Considers Tomahawk Missiles for Ukraine.

Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles).

6. U...

For review:

1. Iran Snapback Sanctions.

Widespread UN sanctions against Iran return into force for the first time in a decade, after last-ditch nuclear talks with Western powers failed to produce a breakthrough.

2. US 21-Point Plan for Post War Gaza.

3. Around 780,000 Palestinians have so far evacuated Gaza City to the Strip’s south, Israel said Saturday, as the IDF intensified its offensive to defeat the remaining Hamas forces. 

4. As supporters marked the anniversary of Hezbollah's former leader (Hassan Nasrallah), Lebanese media reported Israeli drones flying above the ceremony in Beirut’s sou...

1. The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on Thursday against Houthi military sites in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.

2.  Israeli PM Speech at UN General Assembly.

PM Netanyahu: "You know deep down that Israel is fighting your fight. I want to tell you a secret. Behind closed doors, many of the leaders who publicly condemn us, privately thank us."

3.  US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he was holding intensive talks with Middle Eastern nations on a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal and that Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas were aware of the disc...

News from the UN General Assembly in New York. 

For review:

1. Multiple Countries Recognize Palestinian State at UNGA Summit.

2. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that Hamas must have “no role” in governing Gaza in the future and called on the militant group to hand over its weapons.

3. Hamas has drafted a letter to US President Donald Trump requesting that he guarantee a 60-day truce in Gaza in exchange for releasing half of the remaining 48 hostages, Fox News reported Monday, 

4. France is advancing an initiative aimed at establishing an “International Stabilization Mission” that would replace the IDF in Gaza and work...

For review:

1. IDF Continues Gaza City Campaign; Egypt massing military force on border with Gaza.

2. PA President Abbas to Speak Virtually at UN General Assembly.

3. The Trump administration has told Congress it plans to sell nearly $6 billion in weapons to Israel. The planned package includes 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters, and 3,200 infantry assault vehicles for the Israel Defense Forces, according to a US official.

4.  France, UK, & Germany Reimpose Snapback Sanctions Against Iran (will take effect on September 28).

The European governments have said they will not delay the reimposition of UN sanctions u...

For review:

1. Houthi Drone Hits Hotel in Southern Israeli city of Eilat. Some damage, no injuries. 

2.  IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in S. Lebanon. The strikes had targeted several weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.

3. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results “in the coming days.”

4. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad appeared in a TV interview on Wednesday, his first public appearance since the Israeli strike targeting the terror group’s leaders in Qatar last week. His...

For review:

1. Israeli PM Netanyahu to visit White House on 29 Sep, after scheduled address to US General Assembly.

2. Three IDF Divisions Operating inside Gaza City. 

The military said that the 162nd and 98th divisions were expanding their operations in Gaza City, and in the coming days, a third division, the 36th, would join.

In addition to the Gaza City offensive, the IDF said the 99th Division was conducting defensive operations in Israel’s buffer zone in northern Gaza, while the Gaza Division was operating in the Strip’s south.

3. Spain...

For review:

1. Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week’s IDF strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital.

The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation joint session brought together nearly 60 countries.

2. On Monday, US Secretary of State Rubio met with Israeli PM Netanyahu one-on-one for about an hour and a half before an expanded meeting with aides. He also met Monday with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and President Isaac Herzog.

Secretary Rubio will visi...

For review:

1. WSJ Report: IDF Employed Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles in Doha Strike.

 According to the report, eight F-15s and four F-35s took part in the operation, flying south from Israel over the Red Sea before launching ballistic missiles toward Qatar from the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.

2. President Trump to Meet with Qatari Prime Minister in NYC. US Sec of State Rubio to Visit Israel.

3.  The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed a declaration outlining “tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and th...

For review:

1. IDF Hits Houthi Camps in Sanaa.

2. Indications Point Doha Strike on Hamas Leaders Unsuccessful.

3. Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha on Sunday and Monday to discuss the Israeli attack on the Gulf state’s capital city that targeted Hamas leaders.

4. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday evening that “there will be no Palestinian state,” as he signed an agreement to push ahead with the controversial E1 settlement expansion plan that will cut across West Bank land.

5. IDF expanding operations in preparation of Gaza City c...

1. Israel Strikes Hamas Leaders in Doha.

2. Defense News Top 100 Defense Companies for 2025. 

For review:

1. A drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels evaded Israeli air defenses and smashed into the Ramon Airport terminal in southern Israel on Sunday. The unmanned aerial vehicle struck the passenger terminal at the airport north of Eilat, causing damage, according to airport authorities.

2. President Trump Warns Hamas to Accept Terms for Hostage - Ceasefire Deal.

According to the reported proposal, Hamas would release all 48 hostages, living and dead, on day one, while Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists with blood on their hands, and thousands of other prisoners.

...

For review:

1. President Trump's Executive Order Returns Department of War Title.

2. US special envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly met in Paris with Qatari officials on Thursday to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, though Israeli officials sounded skeptical about progress toward an agreement.

3. Finland is joining a declaration calling for the implementation of a two-state solution to Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. The declaration is a product of an international conference at the United Nations in July, hosted by Saudi Arabia and France.

4. IDF Controls 40% of...

For review:

1. A top United Arab Emirates official warned Israel on Tuesday that annexing the West Bank would cross a “red line” that would “end the vision of regional integration.”

It would foreclose the idea of regional integration and be the death knell of the two-state solution,” Emirati special envoy Lana Nusseibeh told The Times of Israel.

2.  Belgium will recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced Tuesday, adding that sanctions will be imposed on the Israeli government.

Belgium will not ta...

For review:

1. Israel declared on Sunday that Hamas spokesman Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, alias Abu Obeida, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.

2. Russia & China Reject E3 Snapback Sanctions Against Iran.

3. Chinese President XI Jinping hosted more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization- a China-backed initiative given renewed impetus by the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

4. Russia & China Conduct Submarine Patrol in Sea of Japan.

5. EU...

For review:

1. Houthi Prime Minister Reported Killed in IDF Strike. 

Yemen’s Al-Jumhuriya channel and the Aden Al-Ghad newspaper reported that Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli attack on an apartment in the capital Sanaa, 

The IDF assesses that the entire Houthi cabinet — including the prime minister and 12 other ministers — were likely killed in Thursday’s strikes in Yemen, Channel 12 reported Friday, without citing any sources.

2. The notorious spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing in the Gaza Strip was said to have been the target of an Israeli airs...

For review:

1. Report: IDF Strikes Gathering of Houthi Leadership in Sanaa. 

The strike was first reported by the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, and then confirmed by Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Israel Defense Forces, though they did not confirm the targets.

2.  IDF Ground Operation on Syrian Military Installation Near Damascus.

According to a Syrian source who spoke to Al Jazeera, the raid involved four helicopters and two fighter jets, as well as dozens of soldiers.

Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported that Israeli forces had located and confiscated “secret and sens...

For review:

1. Australia expels Iran's Ambassador over connection to antisemitic events.

2. Israeli Defense Minister: IDF Troops Remain on Syrian Side of Mt. Hermon.

3. Lebanon's Plan to Disarm Hezbollah Due on 29 Aug.

4. President Donald Trump is signaling fresh doubts about whether Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Russian President Putin will meet anytime soon. 

“I don’t know that they’ll meet — maybe they will, maybe they won’t,” the President said.

5. Sweden and Thailand finalized an agreement to buy four Gripen E/F fighter jets from Swedish defense firm Saab, with an...

For review:

1. Warning Shots Fired Across Korean DMZ.

2. Israel Strikes Houthis; Destroys Presidential Palace in Sanaa. 

3. Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday and into Sunday- as the IDF increased its troop presence in northern Gaza as part of an offensive aimed at bolstering the army’s control in the area.

4. Report: Possible security deal between Israel and Syria. 

The report said the two sides would agree to the demilitarization of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights; the prevention of the...

1.  Iranian Naval Exercise in Gulf of Oman & Indian Ocean.

2. The Houthis in Yemen take responsibility for carrying out today’s ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel.

3. A Hezbollah weapon depot in southern Lebanon’s Deir Kifa was targeted in an Israeli strike, the IDF says. The military says the site was a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

4. Israeli Defense Minister: If Hamas Does Not Capitulate- Gaza City Will Become Rafah.

5. Israel has approved a $1.5 billion initiative to accelerate the production of main battle tanks and armored support vehic...

For review:

1. Israeli PM to IDF: Shorten Timeline for Seizing Gaza City.

2. Israel to Call up 60k Reservists to Support Gaza City Campaign

The forces included 12 brigade-level teams, each of which has infantry, armored, artillery, and combat engineering forces, along with combat support. In addition, the Gaza Division’s northern and southern brigades — normally tasked with the border — are set to participate in the offensive, bringing the total number of brigades to 14.

3. Russia says it must be part of international talks on Ukraine’s security

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov dismisse...

1. President Trump Hosts Ukraine President - European Leaders at White House.

Hopes of a breakthrough (in Peace) rose after President Trump said he had spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Putin  -- following a "very good" meeting with the Europeans and the Ukrainian president at the White House.

European Leaders who attended: