I - On Defense Podcast

For review:1. The United States struck Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility on Saturday, several media reports claimed, Iranian media said US-Israeli forces attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found that no radioactive leaks had occurred, and nearby residents were not at risk.2. US President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out a ceasefire with Iran, as American officials said more US Marines were headed to the Middle East in a possible sign of a coming ground operation three weeks into the war.3.  US President Donald Trump threatens to “obliterate” Iran's power plants if it doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.4. The Pentagon is reportedly sending the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and the rest of its Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), loaded with elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). This follows reports last week that the America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and its ARG, carrying elements of the 31st MEU, had also begun moving from the Pacific toward the Middle to support ongoing operations against Iran.5. The Israeli Air Force recently struck an Iranian nuclear weapons research and development site in Tehran, the military announced on Saturday, as Israel and the United States continued their operations to eliminate the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.6. Iran was “unsuccessful” in targeting the joint UK-US Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia, a UK official source confirmed on Saturday, a day after the Wall Street Journal reported Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at the base but failed to hit it.The Iranian attack on the Diego Garcia air base — located about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran — indicated Tehran has in its stockpile missiles that can travel much further than it had previously acknowledged.7. A British nuclear-powered submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles has taken position in the Arabian Sea, giving Britain the capability to launch long-range strikes if regional conflict escalates, the Daily Mail reports.Reuters cannot immediately verify the report. The British Ministry of Defense does not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.8. Over 100 people were injured by Iranian strikes in the southern cities of Dimona and Arad on Saturday.Iranian state media said the strikes were targeting Israel's nuclear research facility, located some 10 kilometers (six miles) outside of Dimona and 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) outside of Arad, in retaliation for an alleged US attack on Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility earlier in the day. 9. Hezbollah fired several rockets at northern Israel on Saturday, damaging a number of buildings and infrastructure, as the Israeli Air Force struck targets belonging to the terror group, and soldiers operating in south Lebanon killed gunmen in exchanges of fire.The army announced Saturday that its 162nd Division had completed preparations ahead of deployment in southern Lebanon.If the 162nd is deployed, it would bring the total number of IDF divisions operating in southern Lebanon to five.10. The disarmament proposal presented to Hamas by Gaza ceasefire mediators this month in Cairo envisions all armed groups in the Strip gradually handing over their weapons over the coming months, two Arab diplomats familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Friday.The proposal requires Hamas to — within 90 days — hand over its heavy weaponry, such as missiles and rocket launchers, in addition to maps of its tunnel network.

For review:1. The Israeli Air Force struck Iranian gas infrastructure in the country's south on Wednesday. The strikes targeted Iran's massive offshore South Pars natural gas field. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes on the gas facility, but an Israeli official confirmed the strike was carried out by the IAF.2. US President Donald Trump said early Thursday that he would not allow another Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars natural gas field.3. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said the US would again launch “the largest strike package yet” in the ongoing US-Israeli campaign in Iran, and said Israel's recent strike on an Iranian gas field was a “warning.”“To date, we've struck over 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure,” Secretary Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing. “ 4. Iran can no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.“After 20 days, I can tell you — Iran today has no ability to enrich uranium, and no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” said PM Netanyahu.5. The Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hezbollah targets in response to the Iran-backed terror group's rocker barrage on northern Israel overnight.The IDF also renewed its call for residents of Hezbollah's southern Lebanon heartland to flee northward, and said it would bomb crossings used by Hezbollah to move troops and equipment south over the Litani River, which runs some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the Israeli border.6. Israel reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Thursday, allowing a group of Palestinians wounded in the Israel-Hamas war to leave for treatment after a nearly three-week closure due to the war with Iran.7. The Pentagon plans to ask lawmakers for some $200 billion in supplemental funds to pay for operations in Iran and refill American munition stockpiles, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said today. 8. The U.S. Army has confirmed that its first operational Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon battery is only weeks from full fielding. 

For review:1. Top Iranian official Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight Monday-Tuesday, Israel's military and top leaders announced on Tuesday.The Israel Defense Forces said that the commander of Iran's oppressive Basij force had been killed in a separate overnight strike as well.2. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US would not be fighting Iran for “much longer,” but declined to give a clear timeline, as he disparaged NATO for not doing more to help.President Trump reiterated his disappointment with NATO over its members' refusal to heed the US request to help secure the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz.3. European NATO allies pushed back against demand from President Trump to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force.4. The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it has pushed even more forces deeper into southern Lebanon to create an expanded buffer zone, as Hezbollah attacked towns in northern Israel with rockets and drones.5. Gulf Arab states did not ask the US to go to war with Iran, but many are now urging it not to stop short by leaving the Islamic Republic still able to threaten the Gulf's oil lifeline and the economies that depend on it.6. The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board, US officials said on Tuesday, the 18th day of the war with Tehran.The carrier, America's newest and the world's largest, is currently located in the Red Sea. It is expected to temporarily go to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, the two officials said.7. US President Donald Trump mused over whether he would have the “honor of taking Cuba” on Monday.

For review:1. A missile strike on a house in Baghdad on Tuesday killed two people, with initial reports suggesting they are “Iranian advisers” to Tehran-backed groups, a security official tells AFP.2. Rockets and at least five drones were launched at the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday from areas around the city, Iraqi security sources say, describing the attack as the most intense since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.3. Amid the latest Iranian missile attack on Israel, the military announces that it has launched “extensive” strikes against targets in both Tehran and Beirut.In the Iranian capital, the IDF says it's striking “infrastructure of the terror regime,” while in Beirut it's attacking Hezbollah targets.4. US President Donald Trump's administration is urging US diplomats abroad to push allies to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon-based Hezbollah as terrorist groups, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.5. US efforts to open Strait of Hormuz:Both The Wall Street Journal and Axios reported that President Trump was planning to announce the formation of such a multinational coalition as early as this week. Axios added, citing unnamed US officials, that President Trump was also mulling the option of seizing Iran's key oil depot on Kharg Island -- if Tehran continues to deny oil tankers passage through the strait, a move that would require American boots on the ground.US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC earlier Sunday that he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump had mentioned previously, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait.“It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and that's why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side,” Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said Monday ahead of a meeting of the 27-nation bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels.6. Iran's military apparatus is “in distress” and incapable of launching many missiles at Israel, while members of the country's security forces stay inside for fear of Israeli and US warplanes, according to an assessment reportedly delivered by the IDF intelligence chief to political leaders.7. Iraq's powerful armed group Kataeb Hezbollah said Monday that its senior security commander, Abu Ali al-Askari, had been killed, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.8. A “significant Israeli ground offensive” in Lebanon must be averted since it could have devastating humanitarian consequences, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain say in a joint statement.9. US Navy mine warfare capabilities.10. Lockheed Martin has announced it carried out the first flight test for the Army's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 2 program, the service's initiative at developing a multimode seeker capable of hitting maritime targets on the move. Lockheed's announcement comes shortly after the Army announced its PrSM Increment 1 capabilities, also developed by Lockheed Martin, were used for the first time in combat during the ongoing conflict in Iran. 

For review:1. On Sunday, citing “a senior source close to the new Iranian leader,” Kuwait's Al-Jarida news outlet reported that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been smuggled out of Iran in a secretive Russian operation on Thursday to receive medical treatment in Moscow for injuries sustained in the same airstrikes that killed his father and wife on the first day of the ongoing US-Israeli offensive.2. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran had neither requested a ceasefire nor sought negotiations with Washington.3. Iran's relations with Arab Gulf states will require a “serious review” in light of the US-Israeli war on Iran, limiting the power of external actors so the region can become prosperous, Tehran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia told Reuters on Sunday.Asked if he was concerned that relations would be harmed by the war, Ambassador Alireza Enayati said: “It's a valid question, and the answer may be simple. 4. The Israel Defense Forces' campaign in the joint war with the United States against Iran is proceeding according to plan, and at a faster pace than initially expected, military officials said on Sunday.Despite being apparently ahead of schedule, the military has said it is preparing for at least three more weeks of operations in Iran, as it still has thousands more targets to hit, both in Tehran and in other parts of the country.The IDF is now focusing its efforts on destroying Iran's military industry, according to the officials. 5. US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speak today about the “importance” of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran, the UK leader's office says.6. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denied reports on Sunday that Israel and Lebanon are set to hold direct talks in the coming days amid the fighting with Hezbollah, and demanded that Beirut first act against the terror group on its soil.7. As the United Arab Emirates confronts a large number of attacks from Iran, the small Gulf nation just to Iran's south appears to be sharing less information about how successful its air defenses have been in recent days.8. The Australian government announced on March 10 it would send an E-7A Wedgetail early-warning aircraft to the Middle East and help replenish United Arab Emirates stocks of AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.9. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued a response on March 14 after Iranian politician Ebrahim Azizi called Ukrainian territory "a legitimate target for Iran" in a social media post.Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the threat "absurd" in a statement from a Spokesperson to the media."The Iranian regime has been supporting the murder of Ukrainians for years, by directly sharing drones and technology for Russian aggression against Ukraine," 

For review:1. US President Donald Trump's administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war. Iran, for its part, has rejected talk of a ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, 2. US President Donald Trump says that the United States may carry out more strikes on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub, saying that while Tehran appears ready to make a deal to end the conflict, “the terms aren't good enough yet.”3. President Trump on the Strait of Hormuz: Tthe US “will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline” and “one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait open, safe and free.”Later on Saturday Trump said that “countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — a lot! The US will also coordinate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.4. Hamas on Saturday called on its benefactor Iran to refrain from striking neighboring nations, including Qatar and Turkey, two of the terror group's other leading state sponsors.5. Lebanon was said Saturday to be seeking talks with Israel on ending the renewed flareup between the Jewish state and the Hezbollah terror group, with landmark direct negotiations reportedly expected to be held within days.6. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday his terror group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.7. Israel is planning to launch a “massive” ground invasion of southern Lebanon in order to push the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group away from the border and destroy its weapons stores and positions, US and Israeli officials told the Axios news site on Saturday.8. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on March 13 confirmed his government is holding talks with the Trump administration, in the latest sign that the communist-run nation is open to signing a historic economic deal with the United States.9. The US Navy has prolonged the service life of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) to March 2027.

For review:1. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “wounded and likely disfigured,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a briefing Friday.2. US President Donald Trump announces that American forces “totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island.3. Five US Air Force refueling planes were struck and damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing two US officials.The planes, which were hit during an Iranian missile strike on the Saudi base in recent days, were damaged but not fully destroyed and are being repaired, the Journal says, adding that no one was killed in the strikes.4. All six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed while supporting operations against Iran are dead, the U.S. military said Friday.CENTCOM said the crash in Western Iraq on Thursday followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” and that the other plane landed safely.5. After several statements over the past months and weeks urging Iranians to prepare to take to the streets and seize power from the government once the bombing stops, US President Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged that it will be very difficult for them to overthrow the regime.6. Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday threatened the Lebanese government that Israel would destroy the country's national infrastructure used by Hezbollah if the terror group isn't disarmed, after the Israel Defense Forces struck a bridge that it described as a “key crossing” for the group.7. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped former minister and longtime aide Ron Dermer to handle the Lebanon file for the duration of the ongoing Mideast war, Channel 12 news reported Friday, citing senior Israeli and US officials.Dermer, who served as strategic affairs minister from 2022 until his resignation late last year, will lead talks with the US government regarding Lebanon, the report said.8. The Pentagon's supplemental funding request to replace weapons expended in Iran is expected to involve buying new types of equipment, not just legacy systems, the department's chief financial officer said today.9. On March 4, when a U.S. Navy submarine sunk an enemy combatant ship for the first time since World War II, three Australian submariners were aboard.Two days later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the presence of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) sailors aboard the U.S. submarine when the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was sunk.10. A fire broke out aboard aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) on Thursday, multiple sources confirmed to USNI News.The initial fire has been extinguished, but the crew is still doing damage control, according to a U.S. official. “On March 12, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) experienced a fire that originated in the ship's main laundry spaces,” reads a U.S. Central Command statement posted to social media website X. “The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained. 

For review:1.Two oil tankers were struck in the Gulf, killing one person, as Iran continued its attacks on targets across the region and the IDF reported hitting a “critical” nuclear site near Tehran, amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.2. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public, ostensibly vowed on Thursday to avenge the deaths since the start of the war with the US and Israel, in a statement read out by a presenter on state TV.3. UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a Bahrain-led resolution condemning Iranian attacks on several regional states, while a separate draft resolution introduced by Russia on the wider crisis failed to pass.4. Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday as a diplomatic standoff worsened between the two countries over Spain's opposition to Israeli policies.Israel's embassy in Spain is also run by a charge d'affaires after Israel in May 2024 recalled its ambassador, Rodica Radian-Gordon, in protest of Spain's decision to recognize a Palestinian state.5. Israel and the US appeared Wednesday to be increasingly at odds over the time frame for the war with Iran, with US President Donald Trump saying the conflict would end “soon” as there was “practically nothing left to target” and Israel's defense minister meanwhile insisting there was no time limit to the US-Israeli operation against Iran.6. There is no guarantee that the Iranian people will rise up after Israel “creates the conditions” for them to topple the regime in Tehran, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“You can lead someone to water, you cannot make him drink,” says PM Netanyahu. “We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give them the space needed to take to the streets.”7. The IDF said it continued to strike key strategic targets across Iran, while the US military said it had struck around 6,000 targets since the start of the war. Among the targets hit by US forces were more than 90 Iranian vessels — around 60 ships and 30 minelayers — according to US Central Command, Targets struck by Israel included members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force as well as its drone operations and capabilities.8. At least 25 Iranian attacks have targeted US sites or locations housing American military personnel in the Middle East since the start of the war, according to an AFP analysis.Of Iran's attacks, recorded between February 28 and March 11 at 5 p.m. in Israel, four targeted US embassies or consulates in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.The other 21 Iranian missiles or drone attacks targeted 13 different military sites housing American personnel.9. The US Central Command on Thursday said a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq in an apparent accident involving another tanker.“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely,” CENTCOM said in a statement.10. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday he has warned Lebanon that if it does not stop the Hezbollah terror group's continuing rocket and drone attacks, Israel will “take the territory and do it ourselves.”On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets and around 20 drones at Israel over a period of several hours. The vast majority of the rockets were intercepted or struck open areas. 11. The International Energy Agency agreed Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the effects on energy markets of the war in the Middle East.The Paris-based organization said it will make 400 million barrels of oil available from its members' emergency reserves 

For review:1.The Swedish Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, published its global arms export and import report on Monday, comparing the arms exports of various countries in the years 2016–2020 to 2021–2025.2. Kurdish rebels say they are ready to fight the Islamic Republic, but hope for an uprising before they intervene, with or without US support.3. In a press conference at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday would be “the most intense day of strikes” on Iran. “The most fighters, the most bombers, the most intelligence, more defined and better than ever.”At the same time, he said, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number of missiles Iran has fired over the course of one day in the ongoing campaign.4. The US military said it destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the key waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil shipments travel.“US forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command wrote on X.5. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Tuesday that Israel was not seeking an “endless war” in Iran, while hosting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Jerusalem.While declining to give a timeline for the operation, Mr. Sa'ar said Jerusalem does not aim to continue the conflict indefinitely and would coordinate with Washington on when to end the fighting.6. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday his country would keep fighting as long as necessary, casting doubt on US President Donald Trump's insistence the previous day that the conflict would be over “soon.”And the Islamic Republic's security chief, Ali Larijani, dismissed Trump's “empty” threats, insisting that the people of Iran did not fear them.7. About half of the roughly 300 ballistic missiles Iran has launched at Israel in the current war carried cluster bomb warheads, according to Israel Defense Forces assessments published Tuesday.8. British warplanes have begun “defensive air sorties” in support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and taken out drones elsewhere in the Middle East amid the ongoing war, the UK defense ministry says.More US B-52 bombers landed at the UK air force base in Fairford, in southwestern England, today, AFP witnessed, after a first one landed on Friday.9. Saudi Arabia says that it has intercepted seven ballistic missiles in separate attacks targeting an airbase and its eastern region.10. The IDF says it has launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut's southern suburbs.The strikes come after the military on Tuesday reiterated its warning to evacuate the area, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.

For review:1. Turkey said on Monday that NATO air defenses shot down a second ballistic missile that was fired from Iran and had entered Turkish airspace, warning it will take any necessary steps against threats.2. Turkey deployed six F-16C fighter aircraft to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Monday, defense officials here said.The warplanes were sent as part of a phased approach to enhancing security in light of recent developments in the region, the Ministry of Defense wrote in an announcement.3. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, after an incoming Iranian missile was intercepted in Turkey's airspace.4. The French Navy will send eight frigates and two amphibious assault ships to the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea, joining aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91).5. US President Donald Trump doubles down on his threat to strike Iran with unprecedented force if it stops the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” Trump writes on Truth Social.6. US President Donald Trump said Monday he was “not happy” with the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's next supreme leader, and asserted he had a replacement in mind, without saying who that was.7. Iran's Revolutionary Guards pledge allegiance to the country's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, after he was appointed his father's successor by the Assembly of Experts.“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… is ready for complete obedience and self-sacrifice in carrying out the divine commands of the Guardian Jurist of the time, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei,” the Guards say in a statement.8. President Donald Trump described Iran War as “short term” Monday — suggesting the 10-day conflict could be nearing its end while also warning of intensifying strikes if a key oil route is restricted.9. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it will “determine the end of the war” in the Middle East after US President Donald Trump said the conflict would end “soon.”“It is we who will determine the end of the war,” the IRGC says in a statement.10. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urges Iraq's leadership to keep protecting the US embassy after violent protests over the US-Israeli war on neighboring Iran.In a call with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Rubio “reiterated the importance of the Iraqi government taking all possible measures to safeguard US diplomatic personnel and facilities.11. Another Iranian naval vessel has sought refuge in a neutral port following an expansion of the Iran conflict to the Indo-Pacific and U.S. efforts to target Tehran's naval forces.IRIS Lavan (514) docked at the Port of Kochi following engine troubles, government officials told Indian news outlet Wion.Alongside the now stricken frigate IRIS Dena (75) and currently interned oiler IRIS Bushehr (422), Lavan was a part of Tehran's diplomatic naval mission around the Indian Ocean region. 12. Talks to advance US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war have been on hold since last week when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran.The pause threatens to stall implementation of Trump's flagship Middle East peace initiative.

For review:1. Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was chosen Sunday to succeed him, despite never having been elected or appointed to a government position.A secretive figure within the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the start of the war.2.  US President Donald Trump told The Times of Israel on Sunday that a decision on when to end the war with Iran will be a “mutual” one that he'll make together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.3. Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned on Sunday that there was “no safe place” for the Iranian regime to hide.The military provided details on a strike carried out on Saturday against the newly appointed military secretary to Iran's supreme leader, Abol-hasem Babian, who was appointed last week- was confirmed killed by the IDF.4. Iranian Fars news agency reported that Israel's Saturday strikes hit four oil storage facilities and an oil production transfer center in Tehran and Alborz. Residents reported the smell of burning lingering in the air, with many saying it appeared dark even as the sun rose and rain poured on the city. 5. ·NYT Report:  Iran may be able to access and move highly enriched uranium that had been previously thought to have been buried underground by US strikes on the Isfahan nuclear facility last June.6. ·Emirati officials raged on Sunday over what they called false Israeli media reports claiming that the United Arab Emirates had carried out a military strike on Iran amid the ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic.7. · Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that while it favors a diplomatic settlement to Iran's conflict with the United States, continued attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Saturday.

For review:1. Six top defense contractors have agreed to quadruple production of what President Donald Trump has termed “Exquisite Class Weaponry” following a meeting at the White House on munitions production.Meeting attended by:RTX, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrup Grumman, BAE, L3 Harris, & Honeywell.2. US President Donald Trump said Saturday he ruled out Kurdish involvement in the war with Iran, saying Washington does not want the conflict to become “more complex.”3. The United States has started using British bases for certain operations against Iran during the Middle East war, the UK's government announced on Saturday.Britain's defense ministry said the US had begun using the military sites for “specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region.”4. Israel continued its military campaign against Iran overnight Saturday, striking key missile infrastructure and IRGC aircraft, as Tehran launched repeated salvos of ballistic missiles at Israel and issued new threats against European countries that might join the war.5. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran would continue unabated and that the “moment of truth” was nearing for Iranians to overthrow their government.His comments came as the IDF said it struck Iran's two “most central” ballistic missile sites, and, in an apparent first, oil infrastructure in Tehran.6. Iran's president apologized Saturday for attacks on regional countries even as its missiles and drones flew toward Gulf Arab states, indicating that Tehran's political leadership either cannot or does not seek to exercise full command over Iran's armed forces. On Saturday, Fox News reported that the US was expected to deploy a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East.7. On Saturday, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets and drones from Lebanon at northern Israel, with no reports of injuries.The IDF on Saturday confirmed launching a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern Dahiyeh district, a Hezbollah stronghold.8. says it carried out a targeted strike on key commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.It says the targets were members of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force, the IRGC's extraterritorial arm, who “acted to advance terror plans against the State of Israel and its citizens from Lebanese territory.”9. Helicopter-born Israeli commandos landed deep in eastern Lebanon in an overnight raid aimed at locating the body of missing Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, the military said. The raid was accompanied by heavy Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 41 people, according to local officials. There were no Israeli casualties.The Israel Defense Forces said no findings relating to Arad were discovered during the operation in Nabi Chit. 10. US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Latin American nations to use military power against the “cancer” of drug cartels and offered to support them with US missile strikes targeting narco kingpins.

For review:1. Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days, Rome's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament on Thursday. Crosetto said the deployment would occur in the coming days.2. The Washington Post reported Friday that Russia has been assisting Iran in its war with the US and Israel by providing intelligence on the locations of American military assets in the Middle East. The report cited US officials familiar with the details.3. A massive Israeli strike Friday morning destroyed the underground Tehran bunker of Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which was being used by senior regime officials.4. US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he needs to be “involved” in selecting Iran's next leader, days after Israeli strikes killed the country's longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.5. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set the goal of assassinating Iran's late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, back in November, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday night.6. According to the IDF, more than 550 aerial refuelings have been carried out over the skies of the Middle East since the war began, allowing hundreds of IAF fighter jets to operate in Iran, located over 1,500 kilometers (nearly 1,000 miles) from Israel.7. Iran will target the Israeli nuclear site of Dimona if Israel and the US seek regime change in the Islamic Republic, semi-official ISNA news agency reported Wednesday, citing an Iranian military official.8. Iran said Thursday it had attacked Kurdish forces in Iraqi Kurdistan to prevent them from launching an assault on its western borders, amid reports that such an attack was coming or had even begun.The Iranian claim came as Kurdish officials told The Associated Press and The Washington Post that US President Donald Trump had personally spoken to their leaders in recent days and requested their assistance in the campaign. 9. Israel has been holding its own talks with Iranian Kurdish insurgent groups based in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan for around a year, two Iranian Kurdish sources said, while an Israeli source said talks had been “long-term.”10. The Israel Defense Forces has advanced further into southern Lebanon in recent days.The developments came as Israel appeared to expand its offensive into Beirut's southern suburbs Thursday night, launching a series of strikes on the Hezbollah stronghold, of the densely populated area known as the Dahiyeh, after ordering all residents  to evacuate.11. Hezbollah spent months restocking its arsenal of rockets and drones, using support from Iran and its own weapons factories to prepare for a new war with Israel, six sources familiar with the Lebanese terror group's preparations said.12. Saudi Arabia has intensified direct engagement with Iran to help contain a war in the Middle East, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing several European officialsSaudi officials in recent days have used their diplomatic backchannel to Iran with increased urgency to ease tensions and keep the conflict from worsening, the report said.  It added that several regional and European nations are backing the Saudi efforts, the officials quoted in the report said.13. The Trump administration plans to meet executives from the biggest US defense contractors at the White House on Friday to discuss accelerating weapons production, as the Pentagon works to replenish supplies drawn down by US strikes on Iran and other recent military operations, sources said.Companies including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon and parent RTX, along with key suppliers, have been invited to attend the meeting. 

Operation Epic Fury & Roaring Lion for review:1. Concerning Iran's New Supreme Leader: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that Israel would target whoever leads the Islamic Republic. “Any leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan to destroy Israel, threaten the US and the free world and the countries of the region, and oppress the Iranian people, will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz said in a statement. “It does not matter what his name is or where he hides,” he said.2. An American submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday, the first US sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.3. Within a week, the US and Israel “will have complete control over Iranian skies,” US War Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted on Wednesday during a press conference at the Pentagon alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, exclaiming that Iran was “toast.”4. An Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jet shot down a Russian-made Iranian Yak-130 jet over Tehran on Wednesday, the IDF said, in the first-ever downing of a manned aircraft by an F-35.5. The Israeli Air Force carried out “extensive” strikes against regime targets across Iran overnight and into Wednesday, as the Islamic Republic continued to fire salvos of ballistic missiles at Israeli population centers.6. The US and Israel, in their ongoing airstrikes throughout Iran, are targeting members of the regime's forces that took part in the crackdown on anti-government protesters earlier this year, hoping to make it easier for demonstrators to return to the streets once the bombing subsides, a US official and an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.7. In a televised address, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Wednesday said his terror group's resumption of rocket attacks on Israel this week is a response to Israel's continued presence and airstrikes in Lebanon since the November 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.8. Hezbollah fired on central Israel on Tuesday, the terror group's first long-range attack since the start of the Iran war, as Israeli airstrikes hammered the organization and Israel threatened Iranian officials in Lebanon.Hezbollah fired three rockets toward Tel Aviv and the Haifa area, setting off sirens across central Israel and parts of the north.9. NATO air and missile defense systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran as it headed into Turkish airspace after passing Syria and Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.10. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has told his country's neighbors in the region that he respects their sovereignty after Iran launched a number of airstrikes at Gulf nations in recent days.11. Iranian Kurdish militias have consulted with the United States in recent days about whether, and how, to attack Iran's security forces in the western part of the country, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.The groups have requested US military support, and Iraqi leaders in Erbil and Baghdad have also been in touch with the Trump administration in recent days, they said.

Operation Epic Fury / Roaring Lion for review:1. France plans to send anti-missile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus after a British air base on the island was attacked by drones, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said on Tuesday.2. US President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to sever all trade with Spain after it refused to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran, while also lashing out at Britain for not cooperating more.3. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps senior official said on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, threatening that if any vessels pass through it, Iran “will set those ships ablaze,” state media reported.4. US Navy ships could start accompanying tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to safeguard maritime trade in the region, according to President Donald Trump.  5. The U.S. operation against Iran has hit nearly 2,000 targets over the last 100 hours, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command.6. Israeli Air Force jets on Tuesday destroyed a secret underground site on the outskirts of Tehran where Iran transferred much of its nuclear program after the war with Israel in June, the IDF said.7. Overnight, the Israeli Air Force struck Iran's “leadership complex” in Tehran, the military said Tuesday, saying that around 100 fighter jets dropped over 250 bombs on the complex.8. Israel hacked into Tehran's extensive traffic camera network in order to track the bodyguards of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials ahead of Saturday's assassination of the supreme leader, the Financial Times reported on Monday.9. An Israeli airstrike on Tuesday hit the building of a body tasked with electing Iran's new supreme leader, the IDF's spokesman said, after former leader Ali Khamenei was killed by Israel on Saturday.10. The son of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the front-runner to succeed his father as the Islamic Republic's next head, according to a NYT report that says the senior clerics tasked with choosing the next supreme leader could announce their choice as early as Wednesday morning.11. The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday it had deployed troops deeper into southern Lebanon, beyond the five posts it currently holds.The expanded deployment came after Iran-backed Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones at northern Israel early Monday in response to Israel's killing of the Islamic Republic's supreme leader.12. Syria has reinforced its border with Lebanon with rocket units and thousands of troops, eight Syrian and Lebanese sources said Tuesday.13. Russia, China and Turkey on Tuesday called for an immediate end to the war launched by the US and Israel on Saturday against Iran. 

Operation Epic Fury & Roaring Lion update for review:1. US CJCS: “Our military objectives are clear,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters. “Our mission is to protect and defend ourselves, and together with our regional partners, prevent Iran from the ability to project power outside of its borders and be ready for follow on actions as appropriate.”2. Three US F-15 fighter jets crashed over Kuwait on Monday after they were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a so-called friendly fire incident, the American military confirmed.3. On Monday, President Trump laid out more specific goals for the operation — targeting Iran's ballistic missiles, nuclear program, navy, and support for proxy groups — and said that the largest wave of strikes was still to come. He declined to rule out using ground troops and said that the campaign could last about four weeks.“We haven't even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn't even happened. The big one is coming soon,” President Trump told CNN.4. Israel said Monday that the head of Hezbollah's intelligence arm was killed in an overnight strike and Beirut said it would ban the terror group's military activities, hours after the Iran-backed organization fired rockets and drones at Israel, leading to major retaliatory strikes overnight and throughout Monday.5. Saudi Arabia's state oil giant Aramco shut its Ras Tanura refinery after a drone strike caused a blaze, an industry source said on Monday, after Tehran launched strikes across the region in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.A source familiar with the incident told AFP the blaze had already been extinguished.6. An attack using at least two drones on the US embassy in Riyadh sparked a small fire, a Saudi defense ministry spokesman says in a statement, as Iran presses on with its campaign of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.“The US Embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, according to initial assessments. 7. Britain's Royal Air Force base  in Cyprus was hit by a drone strike overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot authorities and the UK's Ministry of Defense said early Monday.8. France is “ready” to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.His remarks came as key European ally Germany also spoke of readiness to defend its interests against Iranian assaults.

For review:Operation Epic Fury / Roaring Lion Continues.1. Three American soldiers have been killed, and five have been seriously wounded in the ongoing conflict with Iran, the US Central Command said Sunday, announcing the first US casualties in the conflict.2. The United States and Israel clashed with Iran at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Saturday as the United Nations chief led calls for a halt to attacks by either side and a return to negotiations to prevent the conflict from spreading further.3. China, Russia and North Korea condemned the news that Iran's notorious strongman Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed an Israeli airstrike, as did Iranian proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.4. As outlined in its constitution, Iran on Sunday formed a council to assume leadership duties and govern the country, while the process to select a new Supreme Leader begins.The council is made up of Iran's sitting president, the head of the country's judiciary, and a member of the Guardian Council chosen by Iran's Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and settles disputes with parliament.5. Israeli and American authorities spent weeks tracking the movements of senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sharing information that allowed the strikes to be carried out in a surprise daylight attack, according to an Israeli military official and a person familiar with the operation.6. US President Donald Trump threatened early Sunday morning to hit Iran with unprecedented force after Tehran warned it would step up attacks in retaliation for the killing of its supreme leader and fired successive volleys of rockets at Israel for a second consecutive day Sunday.7. Israeli Air Force fighter jets have dropped over 2,000 bombs in strikes against hundreds of Iranian regime targets and military sites since the start of the conflict with the Islamic Republic on Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday.The amount of munitions dropped on targets in Iran over the first 30 hours of the conflict was around half of what the IAF said it used over the entire course of the 12-day war in June 2025.8. The warhead of an Iranian missile hit a site just several dozen meters from the Old City of Jerusalem, and just several hundred meters from the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, during the course of Saturday, police announced on Sunday.9. Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group claims responsibility for firing rockets at northern Israel tonight for the first time since the November 2024 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.10. Lebanese and Arabic news outlets report Israeli strikes in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, after several rockets were fired at northern Israel earlier tonight.Lebanese security sources tell Reuters that at least one target in Beirut's southern suburbs was hit in the strikes.There is no immediate comment from the IDF.11. US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would “be talking” with Iran's leaders at their request, even as he continued to call on “Iranian patriots” to seize the moment created by the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei the previous day and topple the regime.12. Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's National Security Council, is seeking to return to the negotiating table with the United States, less than two days after the start of a coordinated assault on Iran by the US and Israel, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US and Arab officials familiar with the matter.According to the report, Larijani reached out to the US through Omani mediators to see about resuming negotiations.

For review:US & Israel Strike Iran.US: Operation Epic FuryIsrael: Operation Roaring Lion1. US & Israel Strike Iran; Iran's Supreme Leader Dead; IRGC Commander Dead.2. Iran Hits Back at Israel and Six Arab Regional Neighbors.3. World Reaction

For review:1. US President Donald Trump said Friday that he was “not happy” with Iran's conduct in nuclear negotiations after the sides held a third round of talks in Geneva but that he hadn't made a decision on whether to authorize a military strike on the Islamic Republic.2. The United States and Iran made significant progress in talks on Thursday aimed at resolving a longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new US strikes, said mediator Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.3. At least nine American refueling tankers arrived at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport overnight as part of the United States's massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East, according to footage and analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking data.This week, several American refuelers and cargo planes were spotted at Ben Gurion Airport, and 11 F-22 stealth fighter jets — along with accompanying logistical support planes and aircrews — landed at Ovda Airbase in southern Israel.There are now at least 14 US refuelers deployed at Ben Gurion Airport.4. Iran has not allowed the United Nations nuclear agency access to its nuclear facilities bombed by Iran and the United States during a 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the watchdog circulated to member states and seen Friday by The Associated Press.5. The US State Department on Friday authorized non-emergency personnel and the family members of those stationed in Israel to leave the country due to “safety risks,” with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee reportedly telling embassy staff that if they want to leave Israel, they “should do so TODAY.”6. Britain, France, Germany and Poland on Friday warned against non-vital travel to Israel and the West Bank, joining multiple countries, including the US and China, that have issued warnings against travel to the region amid soaring tensions with Iran.7. Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Feb. 26.The exchange comes as talks between Ukraine and the U.S. continue in Geneva, Switzerland, with preparations underway for a new round of trilateral negotiations with Russia that Washington hopes to broker in the coming weeks.Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser, Vladimir Medinsky, said that Russia, in turn, received the bodies of 35 fallen Russian soldiers, Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti reported.8. A drone suspected to be of Russian origin was intercepted by the Swedish Navy some 13 kilometers from France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier anchored in the port of Malmö, according to Sweden's chief of defense.

For review:1. The United States sees evidence that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear program after US-led strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in June, US Vice President JD Vance says.2. US Secretary of State Rubio warns that Iran must negotiate on its missile program, a day after US President Donald Trump alleged Tehran was working on rockets that could hit the United States.3. Iran's foreign minister arrived in Geneva ahead of a third round of crucial negotiations with the US, as American envoy Steve Witkoff demanded that any deal over Tehran's nuclear program remain in effect indefinitely.4. The Australian government has told dependents of its diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two Middle East countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.5. In a clear message to the region emphasizing the strength of their alliance, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to work in lockstep to confront Islamist terrorism, with the Indian leader telling the Knesset in a historic address that his nation stands “firmly” with the Jewish state.6. A Hezbollah official said Wednesday that the Lebanese terror group will not intervene militarily in the event of “limited” US strikes on its backer Iran, but will consider any attack against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “red line.”7. Israel sent an indirect message to Lebanon that it would strike the country hard, targeting civilian infrastructure, including the airport, in the event that Hezbollah gets involved in any US-Iran war, two senior Lebanese officials said Tuesday.8. Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov is scheduled to meet with US Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Geneva on Feb. 26.9. Ukraine supplementing (replacing) understrength frontline ground units with unmanned systems.

For review:1. The next round of talks between the United States and Iran will be Thursday in Geneva, Oman's foreign minister said.2. American refueler and cargo planes were spotted at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday, amid a massive US buildup of military forces ahead of a potential attack on Iran.There was no comment from Israeli authorities regarding the American military deployment at Israel's main civilian airport.3. Bulgaria's Sofia International Airport briefly suspended civilian air operations twice over the weekend while a fleet of American military aircraft staged at the facility, fueling speculation that Washington is positioning forces ahead of a potential strike on Iran.4. US President Donald Trump hits back amid a series of reports that his top general has been warning him against the consequences of a prolonged military campaign against Iran. 5. Another round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine could be held at end of this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff told Ukrainian media on Monday."I think at the end of the week, this week," Kyrylo Budanov told reporters when asked about the next round of talks.6. The Air Force today announced a new agreement with Northrop Grumman to “ramp” production of the in-development B-21 Raider, using $4.5 billion in reconciliation funding to help deliver the bomber by 2027.7. The US Army briefly published and then removed new official images of its Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), offering rare updated views of the system as it nears operational fielding.8. The US Marine Corps has confirmed it will not field the Sig Sauer M7 assault rifle, steering away from a potential adoption in partnership with the US Army.This decision leaves the service operating its M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) due to its proven effectiveness in amphibious deployments.

For review:1. Iran and the United States continued to slide rapidly toward military conflict at the weekend, as hopes faded for a diplomatic solution. Israel and Iran's Gulf neighbors now consider a conflict to be more likely than a settlement.2. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it struck three Hezbollah command centers belonging to the terror group's missile force in the Baalbek area, in eastern Lebanon's Beqaa Valley.3. Officers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have effectively taken charge of Hezbollah in anticipation of a war with the US and Israel, Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya reported Saturday, as Lebanese officials were said to assail the possibility of their country getting dragged into battle.The IRGC officers, some of whom recently arrived in Lebanon from Iran, are tasked with rebuilding Hezbollah's military capabilities.4. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Friday that his terror organization is open to international peacekeeping forces in Gaza, but rejected any interference in the territory's “internal affairs.”5. Estonia has started public procurement of 600 modular bunkers as part of a joint push by the Baltic states to secure their border with Russia and Belarus.6. Germany does not want to pursue nuclear weapons of its own, but is interested in incorporating French and British atomic bombs in a deterrence arrangement reminiscent of NATO's U.S.-based nuclear umbrella, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz.7. France-Germany-Spain FCAS 6th Generation Fighter Dead.8. Shipbuilder Austal Defence Australia has been selected to build 8 x Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels for the Australian military under an approximately $4 billion Australian dollar ($2.82 billion) contract, the company announced today.

For review:1. Iran on Thursday repeated its assertion that no country can “deprive” it of its “right” to nuclear enrichment, as US President Donald Trump continued to send US military assets into the Middle East in what a report called the biggest build-up of American air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.2. WSJ Report: US President Donald Trump is considering launching preliminary limited strikes on Iran with the aim of forcing the Islamic Republic to agree to his demands for a nuclear deal.3. US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday that it must reach a deal over its nuclear program or “bad things” will happen, and appeared to set a 10-15 day deadline before the US might take action.4. Iran tells UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran will consider bases, facilities and assets of the “hostile force” in the region as legitimate targets if it faces military aggression.5. Satellite images show that Iran has recently built a concrete shield over a new facility at a sensitive military site and covered it in soil.In addition, images show that Iran has buried tunnel entrances at a nuclear site bombed by the US during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last June, fortified tunnel entrances near another, and has repaired missile bases struck in the conflict.6. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday issued a sharp threat to Tehran's leaders, should they fire missiles at Israel.“We are prepared for any scenario.” “And one thing is certain — if the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will face a response they can't even imagine.”7. A wave of Israeli airstrikes in several areas of southern Lebanon early Thursday morning targeted Hezbollah weapon depots, missile launchers, and other military sites, the Israel Defense Forces said.8. President Trump Hosts Board of Peace Inaugural Meeting in Washington D.C.

For review:1. US & Iran Talk in Geneva While More US Warplanes Move to Region. The aircraft included F-22, F-35, and F-16 jets. Several refuelers were also spotted on the move, according to social media accounts dedicated to tracking military flights.A US official also confirmed to the Axios news site that more than 50 fighter jets were moved to the region in the past 24 hours.2. Iran says it temporarily closed parts of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The move came as semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported live fire exercises in the vital waterway, through which 20% of the world's oil passes.3. Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. held a new round of trilateral peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 17, as Washington presses for progress toward a deal before summer.A follow-up session is scheduled for Feb. 18. 4. General Atomics' LongShot is aiming to have its first flight test “as early as the end of 2026,” — three years after the company first said tests would begin, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced today.LongShot is an unmanned aircraft system dropped from a bomber or fighter that can launch missiles of its own. It could potentially be useful for both the Air Force and Navy, DARPA says. 5. Australia is one of the pioneers exploring collaborative combat aircraft, or CCAs, as it throws its full weight behind Boeing Defence Australia's MQ-28A Ghost Bat platform.6. The U.S. Air Force said Tuesday it expects its next-generation LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile to reach initial capability in the early 2030s, following a revamp of the over-budget program's acquisition plan set to finish this year.

For review:1. The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday awarded Boeing a sole-source contract for newvGBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs , to replace the munitions used in last June's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.2. Iran launched live-fire naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.The drill, called "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz," was led by the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the supervision of IRGC Commander in Chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour.3.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told U.S. President Donald Trump to make four key demands of Iran in any deal to avert military strikes against the Islamic regime in Tehran.- All enriched uranium must leave Iran.- Iran to have no enrichment capability.- Limits on the range of Iranian ballistic missiles (Range of 300km and under).- Dismantle support/infrastructure for Iranian militia proxies in the Region.4. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation left for the Swiss city after the first round of indirect talks took place in Oman last week. Oman will mediate the talks in Geneva, the IRNA state-run news agency reported on its Telegram channel.Mr. Araghchi is also expected to meet with his Swiss and Omani counterparts, as well as the director general of the U.N.'s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.5. A Republican senator seen as close to US President Donald Trump suggested Monday that an American decision on potential military action against Iran was “weeks, not months” away and opined that it would be a “strategic victory” for the Islamic Republic if its supreme leader isn't toppled amid the current standoff.6. Lebanon's government says its army will have a four-month extendable period to implement phase two of the military's plan to disarm Hezbollah in south Lebanon.Phase two covers an area north of the Litani river.7. The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday evening said that it carried out an airstrike targeting members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in eastern Lebanon, close to the Syrian border.8. A Ukrainian delegation was heading to Geneva on Monday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks with Russian officials, There was no anticipation of any significant progress on ending the war at the Tuesday-Wednesday meeting in Switzerland as both sides appear to be sticking to their negotiating positions on key issues.9. US Secretary of State Rubio sharply criticized the UN for having “virtually no role” in resolving conflicts, and called for global institutions to be reformed.“The United Nations still has tremendous potential to be a tool for good in the world,” he told the Munich conference.“But we cannot ignore that, today, on the most pressing matters before us, it has no answers and has played virtually no role,” he said.10. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced his country is in talks with the United States to buy an additional four F-16 fighter jets on top of the 14 copies already ordered.11. Estonia's arms procurement agency has signed a contract with France and KNDS for the acquisition of 12 additional Caesar self-propelled howitzers.The newly ordered systems are scheduled for delivery later this year.12. The Pentagon, along with the Department of Energy, on Sunday airlifted a small nuclear reactor, the first such transportation as the Trump administration looks to quickly deploy nuclear power across the U.S.The Ward 250 is a 5 megawatt nuclear reactor that could potentially power roughly 5,000 homes, according to the Pentagon. 

For review:1. Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), its escorts and embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 have been tasked from their current position in the Caribbean to the Middle East to support a U.S. naval buildup in the region.2. Asked Friday about potential regime change in Iran, US President Donald Trump said, “it seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” as he confirmed sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East “in case we don't make a deal” with the Islamic Republic.3. US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to intensify the “maximum pressure policy” in order to force Iran to give up its nuclear program, including clamping down on the sale of Tehran's oil to China, according to a Saturday report citing two US officials.4. The US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two US officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.5. The Board of Peace's High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with governing Gaza in place of Hamas cannot enter the Strip if violations of the ceasefire continue.6. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to represent Israel at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC next Thursday.7. The leader of an anti-Hamas militia based in IDF-controlled areas of the southern Gaza Strip said recently that it is working on demolishing the terror group's tunnels, a confirmation that further shows Israel's support for the armed gang.8. A wave of Israeli airstrikes in several areas of southern Lebanon this evening targeted Hezbollah weapon depots and rocket launchers, the military says.9. The governments of Russia and Ukraine confirmed Friday that they would participate in a third round of U.S.-mediated peace talks next week, on Feb. 17 and 18 in Geneva. 10. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio offered a reassuring message to America's allies on Saturday, striking a less aggressive but still firm tone about the administration's intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its priorities.11. Co-development of the French-German-Spanish Next-Generation Fighter (NGF) is almost certainly headed for collapse, with negotiations between Airbus and Dassault halted on the next phase of the project amid a long-running industrial dispute over leadership and workshare, an industry source said today. 12. As part of discussions between Belgium and US giant Lockheed Martin for a potential deal covering 11 additional F-35A fifth-generation fighter jets, Brussels is pushing hard for hefty domestic industrial returns, according to the country's defense minister. 

For review:1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that US President Donald Trump believes the Iranians could be forced to accept “a good deal,” though the premier clarified that he is skeptical of the possibility.2. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday derided a report by the Israel Hayom newspaper that the Islamic Republic had secretly executed thousands of people who participated in protests after telling Washington it would not do so.3. An Iranian state-run TV channel on Thursday broadcast a hit list of seven Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appearing to threaten their assassination.4. Wall Street Journal Report: President Trump Orders Second Carrier Strike Group to Prepare for Deployment.“The order to deploy could be issued in a matter of hours,” the WSJ posited, citing anonymous officials. However, the order hasn't been given and plans can change, it added.5. Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by U.S. troops as part of the war against the Islamic State group, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.The al-Tanf base sits on a strategic location close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. In a statement, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the handover of the base took place in coordination with the U.S. military and Syrian forces are now “securing the base and its perimeters.”6. Ukraine's partners pledged nearly $38 billion in new military aid at the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format on Feb. 12, Ukraine Defense Minister Fedorov said.He added that most of the funding will go toward strengthening Ukraine's air defense systems and expanding its drone capabilities.7. Russia may have lost about twice as many soldiers in Ukraine in December 2025 as the Soviet Union lost during the Soviet-Afghan War, a former British intelligence chief Sir Richard Moore (MI6) said on Feb. 10.8. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 11 that Ukraine has accepted the U.S. invitation to hold a new round of peace talks next week."The American side has proposed a meeting in America, in Miami, next week. And we immediately confirmed it," President Zelenskyy said.President Zelenskyy initially told Bloomberg that the negotiations would be hosted by the U.S. and will occur on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18. He later said there was a chance the meeting could be held in Abu Dhabi, and that Ukraine was willing to attend talks in any location.The talks, however, depend on Russia's agreement to participate, something that Ukraine and the U.S. have not yet received.

For review:1. On the eve of his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump said that the Israeli premier “wants a deal” with Iran, and that the current talks on Tehran's nuclear program show promise.2. Entrances to Iran's Isfahan Nuclear Site Purposely Buried in Preparation of US/Israeli Attack.3. IDF Preparing for Gaza Offensive to Disarm Hamas.Hinting at the military's offensive plans, Defense Minister Israel Katz this month said that Israel was "determined to disarm Hamas, threatening to “dismantle” the terror group if it doesn't agree to lay down its arms.4. Indonesia is preparing for the potential deployment of 5,000 to 8,000 troops to Gaza under US President Donald Trump's peace plan, the country's army chief of staff, Maruli Simanjuntak, said Monday following a security meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta.5. The Israel Defense Forces captured a “senior” member of the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya terror organization during an overnight raid in southern Lebanon, and separately killed two Hezbollah operatives, the military said Monday.According to the IDF, the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya operative was nabbed late Sunday from a building in the Mount Dov area near the border by a special forces unit operating under the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division. 6. Russia cannot launch an attack on NATO this year or next but is planning to increase its forces significantly along the alliance's eastern flank, depending on the outcome of the war in Ukraine, a senior European intelligence official said.7. NATO today announced a command restructuring plan that will see the US giving up leadership of two allied operational-level commands to European senior officers.The US will hand over charge of Joint Force Command Norfolk to the United Kingdom and relinquish leadership of Joint Force Command Naples to Italy, a statement from the alliance said. The statement also noted that Joint Force Command Brunssum will now be led by Germany and Poland on a rotational format.  

For review:1. Iran: Dilution of Enriched Uranium for Sanctions Relief.2. Israeli PM Netanyahu to Visit Washington D.C. on Wednesday. 3. Ukraine and Sweden are discussing the prospect of arming Kyiv with Europe's top air-to-air missile- the Meteor.4. Ukraine and France took a step toward joint arms production on Feb. 9, as Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin signed a letter of intent in Kyiv, Ukraine's Defense Ministry announced.During the meeting, the ministers discussed accelerating the delivery of French Mirage 2000 fighter jets, as well as a record shipment of Hammer air-to-ground bombs. Ukraine and France addressed the supply of long-range weapons, including SCALP missiles. 5. US Warship (USS Cincinnati) Visits Cambodian Port.6. Vietnam's Ministry of Defense has reportedly signed a $250-million contract with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to locally produce the Spike Firefly loitering munition.7. Rafael Systems Global Sustainment (RSGS) announced today it was selected for Phase I of the Army's second Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 interceptor program, joining the pack with Lockheed Martin and the Boeing-Anduril team. 

For review:1. Iran rejected calls by the United States to halt uranium enrichment on its territory during talks in Oman on Friday.A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran told Reuters Friday that while the Islamic Republic would not budge on its right to enrich uranium inside Iran, it was willing to discuss the “level and purity” of enrichment or a regional consortium.2. The Israel Defense Forces said it struck a Hamas arms depot in Gaza City on Friday in response to an attack on troops a day earlier, after issuing an evacuation warning for a residential building for the first time since the start of the ceasefire.3. The United Arab Emirates has drafted plans to build a compound to house thousands of displaced Palestinians in a part of south Gaza under Israeli military control, according to a map seen by Reuters and people briefed on the plans.The planning map shows where the “UAE Temporary Emirates Housing Complex” would be constructed near Rafah.4. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday that Lebanon's army must be given the means to disarm the terror group Hezbollah and replace a United Nations peacekeeping force after its mandate ends this year.“France's vision for Lebanon is that of a strong, sovereign state holding a monopoly on arms,” Barrot told AFP.5. Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev has been shot multiple times in Moscow by an unknown assailant, the Kremlin said on Feb 6.In response to the shooting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed Kyiv for the assassination attempt, accusing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of "provocations aimed at destabilizing the (peace) negotiation process."Ukraine is yet to comment on the shooting.6. US President Donald Trump inked a new executive order today, calling for national production interests to be taken into greater account when the US sells foreign nations weapons, creating a new list of platforms to push on the market, and prioritizing arms sales for countries who invest more in their own defense spending.  7. Singapore is slated join the F-35 operator club once the first of its Lockheed Martin F-35B fighters enter service later this year, becoming the fourth Asia-Pacific nation to fly the fifth-generation fighter.8. The U.S. Army has stood up a rotational force in the Philippines, according to recently released defense media.While details regarding the rotational force's formation date, capabilities and mission remains unclear, the force is headed by a lieutenant colonel and has assigned a liaison officer with Task Force-Philippines. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USNI News.

For review:1. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “should be very worried” in the wake of reports that suggested that planned nuclear talks set for the end of the week were unravelling.A White House official confirmed to The Times of Israel that nuclear talks with Iran would be held Friday in Muscat.2. Iran's army spokesperson said Thursday that the military is ready for a conflict, if that is what the US wants, Commenting on the addition of 1,000 drones to the Iranian military, Iranian Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia said Thursday: “We have always announced that we are ready to confront any option and any scenario that the enemy considers, and if the enemy chooses the option of war, we are ready for any option in war conditions.”3. Trilateral talks between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, with Moscow and Kyiv exchanging hundreds of prisoners of war.4. The ‍US and Russia have agreed to reestablish high level military-to-military ​dialogue, following ‍talks in Abu Dhabi, more than ​four years after suspension, according to the US military.5. The Kremlin said Thursday it regretted the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States, while U.S. President Donald Trump declared he was against keeping its limits and wants a better deal.New START restricted each side to no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads on no more than 700 missiles and bombers — deployed and ready for use.6. Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) will gain internal weapons bays along with an increased wingspan, the global program director announced during this week's Singapore Airshow.Boeing is currently developing the Ghost Bat in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which has ordered seven aircraft for delivery in 2028.7. Two aviation companies under contract to develop armed, unmanned aircraft and control systems for the U.S. Navy teased what they are working on this week during the Singapore Air Show.Anduril's YFQ-44 Fury, under development for the Air Force's CCA program, is in competition with the General Atomics YFQ-42A.The Navy wants its own version of the “uncrewed, modular, interoperable, interchangeable and versatile platforms” that it can field from an aircraft carrier.8. Aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is back at HII's Newport News Shipbuilding division after wrapping up builder's trials, the company said Wednesday.John F. Kennedy, the second in the Ford class of aircraft carriers, is slated to deliver to the Navy in March 2027.

For review:1. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law a massive funding package to end the US government shutdown that began Saturday.2.  A Marine F-35C Lighting II fighter shot down an Iranian military drone that approached a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.The fighter shot down the Iranian Shahed-139 drone on Tuesday after it approached aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.3. Iran and the United States will resume nuclear talks on Friday, Iranian and US officials told Reuters on Monday, and US President Donald Trump warned that with US warships heading to Iran, “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached.4. After Iran expressed its desire to upend reported US plans for nuclear talks later this week, President Donald Trump declines to share the location of the Friday meeting.Asked where the talks will be held, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “all over… There's more than one” location.5. Israel reacted angrily Monday night after the Palestinian technocratic committee replaced its logo with the one used by the Palestinian Authority.6. Gaza's ‌Rafah crossing ⁠with ‌Egypt reopened on Monday ‍for residents to enter and leave, in what is seen as a key move heralding the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan.7. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday rejected calls for a Europe-wide army, warning that it could be “extremely dangerous” as the bloc considers ways to provide its own security.EU Foreign Policy Chief Kallas: "Those who say that we need a European army, maybe those people haven't really thought this through practically. If you are already part of NATO then you can't create a separate army.”8. The Army is aiming to award a contract for its SP Howitzer program by July, a spokesperson from the service's Program Acquisition Executive for Fires confirmed to Breaking Defense today.9.  The US Marine Corps has selected L3Harris as the winner of its Precision Attack Strike Munition (PASM) program, providing a new weapon for use on the AH-1Z helicopter.The contract, worth $86.2 million, will cover delivery of an unspecified number of L3Harris' “Red Wolf” weapons by end of fiscal 2027. 10. Years after announcing a deal, Boeing is ending plans to sell its F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet to Indonesia, the company confirmed today. 

For review:1. According to an Axios report, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar are working to organize a meeting this week between White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials in Ankara, Turkey's capital.2. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that if the US attacks Iran, the hostilities will broaden into a regional conflict.3. An Iranian official on Sunday denied that the country had any plans to carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz this week, amid sky-high tensions in the region.On Friday, the US military issued a statement warning Iran against carrying out such exercises and urging it to avoid “unnecessary risk.”4. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was in Washington, DC, over the weekend for a series of discussions with American defense officials regarding Iran.5. The Rafah Border Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt opened Sunday for a day of systems checks and tests ahead of its expected opening for pedestrians Monday.6.  The Israel Defense Forces launched wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon Friday evening that it said destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure and heavy machinery.7. Ukraine President: Tr-Lateral Meeting in U.A.E. from 4-5 Feb. Neither the Kremlin nor the United States has confirmed the new dates.8.  Russia will unveil its newest multiple launch rocket system, the Sarma, at the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh next month.The 300mm Sarma MLRS, mounted on a 8x8 armored chassis, represents Russia's attempt to field a lighter, more mobile alternative to its existing heavy rocket artillery systems.9. Beijing's newest class of surface combatant achieved operational capability, Chinese military media reported last week.The milestone was unveiled Jan. 22 during a state media report covering the first Type 054B guided-missile stealth frigate Luohe (545).10. Japan and South Korea agreed Friday to resume a joint naval search and rescue exercise that was discontinued in 2017.

For review:1. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 30 rejected the Kremlin's proposal for holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow but signaled readiness for a meeting in a more appropriate format.2. It was Vladimir Zelensky who insisted on a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, not the other way around, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov recalled at a news briefing, commenting on statements from Kiev about its desire to host a Russia-Ukraine summit.3. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, President Trump said he asked Russian President Putin not to fire on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, “and the various towns for a week and he agreed to do that.”4. Satellite images show activity at two Iranian nuclear sites bombed last year by Israel and the United States that may be a sign of Tehran trying to obscure efforts to salvage any materials remaining there.5. US President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed he has had dialogue with Iran, as The New York Times reported he was considering potential raids by American troops on facilities within the Islamic Republic.6. US President Donald Trump said Friday he had given Iran a deadline to make a deal, as Washington moved significant military assets to the Middle East ahead of a potential strike on the Islamic Republic.7. New Zealand has decided against accepting US President Donald Trump's invitation to join his Board of Peace, New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says.8. The US State Department has approved more than $6.5 billion in potential military sales to Israel in three separate contracts, the Pentagon says.The US State Department approved a potential sale of Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.98 billion, and another sale of AH-64E Apache Helicopters for $3.8 billion, the Pentagon says in separate statements.A third military contract was also awarded for $740 million to provide Namer armored personnel carrier power packs & integrated logistics support.9. The Syrian government and Kurdish forces declared a ceasefire deal on Friday that sets out a phased integration of Kurdish fighters into the state, averting a potentially bloody battle and drawing US praise for a “historic milestone.”10. Norway selected Hanwha Aerospace's Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system over prominent Western competitors for its ground-based long-range precision fires system. The 19 billion Norwegian kroner (around $2 billion) deal includes 16 launch systems and an unspecified “larger number of missiles” across three range variants, including the 500-kilometer (310-mile) range. 11. The Senate passed the $838.7 billion fiscal 2026 defense spending bill today, after Democrats and the White House reached a deal to largely avert a government shutdown.

For review:1. US President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday that time was running out for Iran, and that the next potential US attack on the Islamic Republic — if Tehran doesn't make a nuclear deal — would be far worse than the June 2025 strikes. 2. The United States announced on Tuesday that it was conducting an aerial military exercise in the Middle East amid ongoing tensions with Iran.3. Iranian officials issued stark warnings Wednesday against any US strike on the country, with a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader threatening that Tehran would attack Israel in any such event with an “unprecedented” retaliation, including “at the heart of Tel Aviv.”4. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his assertion that Israel will not allow Gaza's reconstruction before terror groups in the Strip disarm, and said Israel would maintain security control over Gaza and the West Bank, in a wide-ranging press conference on Tuesday evening.5.  Israel is preparing for talks with the Trump administration on a new 10-year security deal. In 2016, the US and Israeli governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the 10 years through September 2028.6. Territorial issues over Donetsk are the remaining item that still require a bridging of views at US-mediated talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, describing the issue as "a very difficult one."7. Sweden has had very early discussions with France and the United Kingdom about possible nuclear weapons cooperation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has revealed. No concrete proposals or timelines for any cooperation were outlined, and Kristersson emphasized that talks remain preliminary in early stages. 

For review:1. The body of the final hostage held in Gaza was identified and brought back to Israel on Monday, 843 days after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.Master Sergeant Ran Gvili, 24, a police officer killed fighting the Hamas invaders, had been the last of 251 people kidnapped that day to remain captive, following the return of the rest of the hostages, living and dead, under the current ceasefire. 2. President Trump told Axios in an interview on Monday that the situation with Iran is "in flux" because he sent a "big armada" to the region but thinks Tehran genuinely wants to cut a deal.Sources with knowledge of the situation say Trump hasn't made a final decision. He will likely hold more consultations this week and be presented with additional military options.Those options will be enhanced by the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group to the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln entered CENTCOM's area of responsibility on Monday.3. U.S. officials leading the talks are convinced that Russian negotiators have taken a more pragmatic tone behind closed doors than Moscow's public hardline rhetoric suggests. The next round of talks is expected on Feb. 1.The most difficult issues — Russian demands for Ukrainian withdrawal from parts of Donbas and control of the nuclear power plant— are set to dominate the agenda.4. NATO chief Mark Rutte warned Monday, January 26, that Europe cannot defend itself without the United States.5. Estonia is gearing up to acquire a missile defense system, participating in broader efforts by the Baltic States to boost investments in expanding their air-defense network.6. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has invited seven domestic firms to present autonomous drone concepts designed to operate alongside the British Army's Apache AH-64E attack helicopters.7. Armor Not Dead: Israeli arms developer Elbit Systems has received a $228-million contract to provide its proprietary Iron Fist active protection system for the US Army's Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.

For review:1. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Sunday evening that it was searching for the remains of Master Sergeant Gvili, the last remaining hostage held in the Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line in the enclave's north.2. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced on Sunday that Israel will reopen the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt after it completes a military operation launched Sunday to recover the body of the last deceased hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.3. Commander of the United States Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper was in Israel on Saturday for meetings with senior officials.Admiral Cooper met with IDF Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen also participated in a meeting with the military chiefs.4. Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, , is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger,” its commander said Saturday, as US warships headed toward the Middle East.The IRGC  commander, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, warned the United States and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.”5. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has gone into hiding in a Tehran bunker, according to the opposition-affiliated Iran International news site.According to the report, which cites “information received” by the opposition news site, the Supreme Leader went underground after senior officials assessed an “increased risk of a potential US attack,” as the US moves significant military forces into the region.6. IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo said Sunday that the military is preparing for the possibility that a US strike on Iran could trigger Iranian retaliation against Israel.He added that Israel is also closely watching whether Hezbollah could join a wider confrontation, saying, “We are very alert, very prepared, and ready both in strong defense and in preparing offensive responses.”7. Ukraine and Russia ended a second day of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Saturday without a deal. A UAE government spokesperson said there was face-to-face engagement between Ukraine and Russia - tackled “outstanding elements” of Washington's peace framework.The UAE statement said the talks were conducted in a “constructive and positive atmosphere.8. US Army Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) Program.9. Blackbeard Hypersonic Strike Weapon.

For review:1. Commander of the United States Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper is expected to arrive in Israel on Saturday for meetings with senior officials.2. Air France and Dutch airline KLM have canceled flights to Israel, Dubai and Saudi Arabia until at least Sunday, citing “security tensions in the region” amid concern of renewed conflict with Iran.3. Iran's foreign minister launched a furious tirade on Friday against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the latter commented in Davos that the deadly crackdown on protests in the Islamic Republic showed that if authorities “kill enough people,” they stay in power.4. US - Russia - Ukraine Tri-Lateral Talks in Abu Dhabi.5. Latvia's government has approved the planned purchase of Archer 155 mm self-propelled howitzers for the country's armed forces.6. Pentagon leadership has made “no decision” yet about a potential reorganization that would affect the future of US Africa Command.In December The Washington Post reported that the Defense Department was weighing a significant reorganization of the combatant commands that could see AFRICOM subsumed with US Central Command and US European Command under a new US International Command. 7. The Pentagon's unclassified version of the National Defense Strategy places the homeland as the department's number one priority above the Indo-Pacific.The top four priorities for the Pentagon, as ordered by the NDS, are: Defend the US homeland; Deter China in the Indo-Pacific “through strength, not confrontation”; Increase burden-sharing with US allies and partners; & “Supercharge” the US Defense industrial base8. Armor Not Dead: The Army is rolling out four prototypes of the M1E3 to a platoon this summer — five years earlier than the service initially planned, the Army Chief of Staff said. 

For review:1. Eight prominent Muslim countries jointly announced their decisions to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on WednesdaySaudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will each appoint a representative to sit on the panel of world leaders, their foreign ministers announced in a joint statement.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted US President Donald Trump's invitation to join the Board of Peace, the premier's office announced Wednesday.2. A meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take place on Thursday with “land deals” over Ukraine on the table, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC.3. President Trump: "Concept of a Deal" on Greenland; No Tariffs.4. Germany will finance the delivery of five Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine under a contract signed in December 2025, with the first systems expected to arrive in the coming weeks, Rheinmetall announced Monday.5. Trophy active protection systems will be integrated on the Leopard 2 A8 main battle tanks of Lithuania, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Croatia under a €300 million ($351 million) deal, manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced on Monday.6. The British Army's newly upgraded Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank has undergone and completed crewed live firing, ticking off a key milestone for the £800 million ($1.08 billion) program, expected to eventually deliver 148 vehicles into service.7. House and Senate appropriators have agreed on an $838.7 billion defense topline for fiscal 2026 in a bipartisan deal that would boost defense funds by $8.4 billion over the Pentagon's request.

For review:1. The Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF announced a new four-day truce after a previous ceasefire between government forces broke down. The two sides have been clashing for two weeks, amid a breakdown in negotiations over the implementation of a deal to merge their forces together.2. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “we think we know” where the body of the final hostage, slain Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, is being held in the Gaza StripMSG Gvili, a member of the Yasam police unit, was killed battling terrorists at Kibbutz Alumim on October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza, where it is still being held.3. Several European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to a US military-led coordination center for Gaza, saying it has failed to increase aid flows to the war-shattered enclave or achieve political change, diplomats said.The Civil-Military Coordination Center was established in southern Israel in October under US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. It was tasked with monitoring the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, facilitating the entry of aid, and developing postwar policies for the Palestinian territory.4. US Plans Signing Ceremony for Board of Peace in Davos.5. Israel on Tuesday began demolishing the East Jerusalem headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, with Israeli forces entering the compound with bulldozers and other demolition equipment in the early morning and destroying buildings in what UNRWA called an “unprecedented attack.”6. Iran's foreign minister hit out at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos late Monday for canceling his appearance over a brutal crackdown on recent protests and said the decision was based on “lies and political pressure from Israel.” 7. Wall Street Journal Report: US President Donald Trump is continuing to push his aides to devise what he calls “decisive” military options against Iran, days after he called off strikes against the Islamic Republic.

For review:1. A U.S. military strike in northwest Syria resulted in the death of a leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda who was linked to the ISIS attack that resulted in the death of two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter, the U.S. Central Command announced Saturday.2. President Trump's Board of Peace Invitations Sent: 60 Countries Invited; France Says No.3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday that Turkish and Qatari forces would not set foot in Gaza, days after the White House announced that officials from the countries would sit on a key committee set to oversee the Strip's postwar management.4. U.S. President Donald Trump is also attending in person for the first time since he addressed the forum during his first term in 2020. Alongside President Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are set to attend in person.5. Ukraine's top negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Sunday that talks with U.S. officials would continue at the World Economic Forum opening this week in the Swiss resort of Davos.6. - U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his drive to control Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought "purely of Peace" as the row over the island threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe.The President declined to tell NBC News in an interview whether he would use force to seize Greenland. He did reiterate his threat to hit European nations with tariffs if a deal is not reached.7. A pair of U.S. naval vessels carried out Washington's first reported Taiwan Strait transit of 2026, according to Chinese and U.S. officials.The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command claimed that Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113 ) and Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship USNS Mary Sears (T-AGS 65) transited the strategic strait between Friday and Saturday.8. The U.S. and Japan have pledged to further expand joint training across Japan's southwest region, including the first island chain, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Thursday.In a 50-minute meeting held this week in Washington D.C., the two defense leaders agreed to prioritize several initiatives meant to strengthen the response capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance.  

For review:1. US Announces (Gaza) Board of Peace Executive Committee; Includes Turkey & Qatar.2. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said authorities “must break the back of the seditionists” and blamed US President Donald Trump for “casualties” after the Islamic Republic's bloody crackdown on a protest wave against the country's clerical authorities.3. US President Donald Trump, for the first time, appeared to call on Saturday for the end of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's rule in Iran.“It's time to look for new leadership in Iran,” the President told Politico.4. Mossad director David Barnea was reported to arrive Friday in the US for consultations on Iran's deadly crackdown on protests and a potential American military response.5. Ukraine Delegation Arrives in US to Discuss Peace Agreement. Ukrainian negotiators will meet with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.6. Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks among representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.7. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday reaffirmed that "no intimidation or threat" could influence them following US President Donald Trump's announcement to impose new tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland dispute.8. US Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle: US defense spending needs to be rebaselined to at least 4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product to enable the Navy to meet current readiness demands and to expand its fleet of warships to contend with future threats.9. The first Trump-class Battleship could cost up to about $21 billion if ordered today, with the price inching toward $22 billion if ordered in 2030, according to an estimate put forward by the Congressional Budget Office.

For review:1. US Forces seize 6th sanctioned tanker in Caribbean Sea.2. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.3. US President Donald Trump reportedly informed Iran that he won't be ordering a strike on the country over its deadly crackdown on protesters after the leaders of four Arab countries convinced him to hold off.4. US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday announced the launch of phase two of President Donald Trump's plan for ending the war in Gaza, including the establishment of a new technocratic Palestinian administration for the Strip.5. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded Thursday to President Trump that Ukraine was stalling a peace deal in the country's ongoing war with Russia, saying his country will “never be a stumbling block for peace.”The President told Reuters this week that he believes Russian President Putin is “ready to make a deal,” but “Ukraine is less ready.” The President specifically named Zelensky as the person holding up the negotiations. 6. Moscow agrees with U.S. President Donald Trump's view that Ukraine is holding up a peace deal to end the almost four years of fighting, a Kremlin official said Thursday.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Yes, we can agree with it, it's indeed so.”7. Ukrainian military resistance, with France alone providing two-thirds of Ukraine's intelligence capabilities in the war against Russia.This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, January 15, in his New Year's address to the army at the Istres airbase near Marseille, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.8. The White House meeting to discuss Greenland lasted about an hour. Participating in the meeting were: U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Vivian Motzfeldt.Denmark's Rasmussen described the conversation as “frank but constructive,” The U.S., Denmark and Greenland agreed to establish a high-level working group to try to determine a way forward for the self-governing Danish territory.9. Armor Not Dead: US Army Shows M1E3 Tank Prototype at Detroit Auto Show; A Working Platform to Test Ideas. 

For review:1. Latest on Iran Protests.- Iranian Officials: More Than 2000 Killed in Protests: Iran Blames US and Israel.- Appearing to depart from the notion of negotiating with the Iranian government, US President Donald Trump told protesters in Iran on Tuesday that “help is on its way” and urged them to keep protesting and take control of the country's institutions.- Israeli and Arab officials have suggested the Trump administration hold off on striking Iran for now, believing that the Islamic Republic may not be sufficiently weakened in order for an American attack to topple it. - The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that it remained on alert for possible “surprise scenarios” as anti-government unrest in Iran has prompted the United States to threaten intervention over the killing of protesters.- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party warned on Monday that foreign intervention in Iran could spark wider turmoil in the region.2. The United States accused Russia on Monday of a "dangerous and inexplicable escalation" of the war in Ukraine after Moscow launched new attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, despite ongoing U.S.-led negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.3. Russia and China are increasingly working together in the Arctic, and their presence there will be a growing threat to NATO allies, said Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.4. Vice President Vance & Secretary of State Rubio to Meet with Foreign Ministers from Greenland & Denmark in Washington D.C..

For review:1. US and Jordan Strike ISIS Targets in Syria.2. Human Rights Group: More Than 500 Killed in Iran Protests; President Trump Weighing Military Options.3. Hamas says it has instructed its government agencies to prepare to hand over their powers to the independent committee of Palestinian technocrats that is supposed to administer Gaza under US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan.4. Israel on Sunday carried out major airstrikes against seven Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, using more than 30 munitions in two waves of strikes, the military said.5. A group of European countries, led by Britain and Germany, is discussing plans to boost their military presence in Greenland to show U.S. President Donald Trump that the continent is serious about Arctic security, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday.6. EU countries should weigh whether to set up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe, the bloc's defense chief said Sunday.EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force' of 100,000 troops” as a possible option to better protect the continent.7. The UK Friday earmarked 200 million pounds ($268 million) to prepare British troops to be deployed to Ukraine as part of a “multinational” force if a ceasefire is agreed between Moscow and Kyiv.8.  Armor Not Dead: US Army to Unveil M1E3 Prototype at Detroit Auto Show.

For review:1. Iranian Protests Continue for 13th Day; Spread Across Iran's 31 Provinces.2. During visit to Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has said his country is seeking to open a new chapter in relations with Lebanon, at a time when Lebanon is continuing with plans to disarm Tehran's most potent proxy- Hezbollah.3. Iran's supreme leader signaled Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters after they screamed from windows and marched through the streets overnight, directly challenging US President Donald Trump's pledge to support those peacefully demonstrating.4. Report: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will escape to Moscow if his regime collapses- an intelligence report shared with The Times of Israel says.The Supreme Leader Khamenei, 86, will flee Tehran with his aides and family members if his security forces fail to halt the growing demonstrations or desert his side amid the unrest, the report says.5. Russia fired its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at the western Ukrainian city of Lviv overnight on Jan. 9, the Russian Defense Ministry said, calling the attack "retaliation" for an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, a claim Kyiv has denied.6. The US has seized another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said on Friday.7. The head of NATO's forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the military alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump‘s threats to bring Greenland under US control.8. Lockheed Martin says it delivered 191 F-35 Stealth Fighters in 2025, a record for the program facilitated by a backlog of jets held in storage.

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.But Israel, which maintains a troop presence in a number of key locations in southern Lebanon to defend the border, was skeptical about the Lebanese claim.6. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Raytheon on Wednesday, saying he would cut the defense giant's government contracts if it does not accelerate weapons production and act to rein in stock buybacks.7. USMC has selected a team of Northrop Grumman and Kratos to deliver the service's first batch of drone wingmen, the companies announced today. Under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) program, Northrop will serve as the prime contractor, integrating mission equipment onto Kratos's unmanned XQ-58 Valkyrie 

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, diplomacy and commercial opportunities between the two countries, according to a joint statement from the two countries and the US that was released by Washington.4. Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Paris on Tuesday.5. Israeli military intelligence has warned that Iran is plotting to assassinate Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. According to the Israeli military's assessment, al-Sharaa is facing threats from Iran alongside other hostile actors.6. Iran Warns of Preemptive Strikes Against Imminent Security Threats.7. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited Somaliland on Tuesday for the first official visit since Israel recognized the breakaway state last month, where he met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.8. N. Korea launches 2 x hypersonic missiles into the Sea of Japan. 

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 Lebanon on Monday, which the Israel Defense Forces said targeted buildings used by Hamas and Hezbollah.6.  Azerbaijan's President: No Peacekeeping Force Envisaged (in Gaza). Azerbaijan has no intention of sending a contingent of its troops to take part in peacekeeping operations outside its borders, including in the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, President Ilham Aliyev says.7. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner will take part in a leaders' summit on Ukraine's security guarantees in Paris on Jan. 6, a White House official told the Kyiv Independent.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also attend the summit, the alliance's press service said. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-host the meeting.8. The German military has awarded a 4.2-billion-euro ($4.92-billion) contract to a joint venture between Rheinmetall and KNDS Deutschland for the delivery of 200 Puma infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).9. USAF Designates Northrup Grumman Talon CCA as YFQ-48A.The Air Force in early 2025 dubbed the first round of CCAs, made by Anduril and General Atomics, the YFQ-44A & the YFQ-42A, respectively.

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 blacklisting of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.4. Reuters Report: In the weeks before the Gaza ceasefire on October 10, Israel widely deployed a new weapon: M113 Armored Personnel Carriers repurposed to carry between 1 and 3 tons of explosives.5. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy New Years Address.6. Russian President Putin New Years Address.7. Russia's Oreshnik Missile Fielded in Belarus.The Belarusian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the Oreshnik has a range of up to 5,000 kilometers, or 3,100 miles.8.  China Tests YJ-20 Hypersonic Missile from Type 055-class Destroyer.Along with a 1,500-2000 km range, the YJ-20 has the capability to maneuver upon reentry.