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President Trump Phone Call with Chinese President Xi Jinping + France, UK, & Germany Reimpose Snapback Sanctions Against Iran + IDF Continues Gaza City Campaign; Egypt Massing Forces on Gaza Border + More Sep 20, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

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

The European governments have said they will not delay the reimposition of UN sanctions unless Iran resumes full cooperation with the IAEA and reopens nuclear talks with the United States.

5. President Trump Phone Call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

6. Estonia summoned a Russian diplomat to protest after three Russian fighter aircraft (MIG-31s) entered its airspace without permission Friday and stayed there for 12 minutes, the Foreign Ministry said.

7. China cautioned Papua New Guinea against “undermining” its interests and sovereignty in signing a mutual defense pact with Australia widely seen as a counter to Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific.

8. Breaking Defense Opinion Article by Foundation for Defense of Democracies - Mariam Wahba and Ryan Brobst.

Title: As Beijing beckons, is Washington sleepwalking on Egypt?

Mariam Wahba is a Research Analyst at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Ryan Brobst is the Deputy Director of the Center on Military and Political Power. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Former UK Prime Minister Blair's Plan on Post-War Gaza + US Vetoes UNSC Resolution on Gaza + IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in S. Lebanon + Houthi Drone Hits Hotel in Eilat + More Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

4. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad appeared in a TV interview on Wednesday, his first public appearance since the Israeli strike targeting the terror group’s leaders in Qatar last week. His appearance was the latest sign that the attack had failed to kill the terrorist organization’s leadership.`

5. US Vetoes UNSC Resolution on Gaza.

US Policy Advisor (to UN) Morgan Ortagus: “It (the Resolution) fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimizes the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.”

6. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was set to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in London on Wednesday night- in a last-ditch effort to revive negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

7. Former UK Prime Minister Blair's Plan on Post-War Gaza.

8. Israel’s high-powered laser interception system, dubbed “Iron Beam,” has been declared operational after completing development and final tests, and is set to be delivered to the military by the end of the year, the Defense Ministry and manufacturer Rafael said on Wednesday.

Three IDF Divisions Operating inside Gaza City + China Protests US Army Typhon Mid-Range Capability in US-Japan Exercise + Japan Deploys F-15 Fighters to NATO Bases + More Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

2. Three IDF Divisions Operating inside Gaza City.

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

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

3. Spain appears to have cancelled a €697 million ($823 million) contract for the acquisition of the High Mobility Rocket Launcher System (SILAM), developed from Israeli firm Elbit Systems’ Precise and Universal Rocket Launcher (PLUS) design.

4. Japan is deploying eight aircraft, including four F-15 fighter jets, to bases in the United States, Canada and Europe in an unprecedented mission to support NATO.

5. China urged Tokyo and Washington on Tuesday to withdraw the US-developed Typhon missile system, after it was unveiled in Japan for the first time during joint military exercises. Beijing’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called on the United States and Japan to “promptly withdraw” the missile system.

6. A U.S. and U.K. warship transited the Taiwan Strait last week drawing protests from Beijing, USNI News has learned.

U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) and anti-submarine frigate HMS Richmond (F239) sailed through the strait on Sept. 12, a Pentagon official confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday.

7. Thomas Global Systems has finished delivery of its M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 Immersive Tactical Trainer (M1A2 ITT) to the Australian Army, marking it as the world’s “only full-crew simulator” for the platform.

8. Congressional Republican leaders today put forward a stopgap funding bill to keep money flowing to the federal government through Nov. 21.

Lawmakers face a ticking clock to get the bill through the House and Senate to avert a government shutdown, before federal funding expires on Oct. 1.

Report: IDF Gaza City Ground Campaign Begins + China's 3d Aircraft Carrier Spotted in East China Sea + Sweden to Increase Defense Spending to 2.8% GDP in 2026 + Poland Receives 3d Batch of M1 Tanks + More Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

Secretary Rubio will visit Qatar on Tuesday, the WP reported, citing two American sources.

3. Axios Report: IDF Gaza City Ground Campaign Begins.

Airstrikes in Gaza City intensified on Monday evening local time before Palestinian media began reporting that IDF tanks had entered the city.

4. Sweden to Increase Defense Spending to 2.8% GDP in 2026.

5. Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ has chosen UK's BAE Systems as its technology partner for the planned boost in domestic 15mm ammunition production.

6. Poland Receives 3d Batch of M1 Tanks.

Poland has received 38 new M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks from the US. The shipment included 14 M88A2 Hercules tactical recovery vehicles.

7. China's 3d Aircraft Carrier Spotted in East China Sea. People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier Fujian (018), which has not yet been commissioned, sailed southwest in the East China Sea around 124 miles northwest of Uotsuri Island, according to Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO).

8. Australia will spend 12 billion AUD towards a new defense precinct that will include naval shipyards and AUKUS-related programs in the west of the country.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Henderson Defence Precinct will be critical to Australia’s shipbuilding and sustainment industry, as well as sustainment and maintenance of Australian and allied submarines.

Australia is due to receive three Virginia-class submarines from the United States under AUKUS Pillar 1, before eventually transitioning to five SSN-AUKUS submarines from the early 2040s.

9. US Army revealed Monday that the mid-range missile system (Typhon MRC) is participating in the US-Japan annual bilateral exercise Resolute Dragon. The exercise has more than 19,000 U.S. and Japanese troops focusing on maritime defense and littoral protection operations.

President Trump to Meet with Qatari Prime Minister in New York + WSJ Report: IDF Employed Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles in Doha Strike + Second USAF B-21 Bomber Flies to Edwards AFB for Testing + More Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

3. The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed a declaration outlining “tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, without the involvement of Hamas. 142 voted in favor; 10 against; 12 abstained.

4. The Israel Defense Forces says air defenses successfully downed 2 ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels (Saturday).

5. President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Friday that Syria was negotiating with Israel to reach a security agreement that would see Israel leave areas it occupied after the December overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

6. Denmark plans to buy the French-Italian SAMP/T system to cover the long-range component of the integrated ground-based air defenses the country is building, picking the only European alternative to the U.S. Patriot.

7. Second USAF B-21 Bomber Flies to Edwards AFB for Testing.

8. As Sentinel ICBM program continues delays, USAF may keep the Minuteman III system operating until 2050.

Indications Point that IDF Doha Strike on Hamas Leaders Unsuccessful + Qatar to Host Arab-Islamic Summit to Discuss Response + IDF Hits Houthi Camps in Sanaa + Russian Drones Shot Down; Crash in Poland + More Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. IDF Hits Houthi Camps in Sanaa.

2. Indications Point Doha Strike on Hamas Leaders Unsuccessful.

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

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

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

In total, five IDF divisions are set to participate in the Gaza City offensive.

6. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that enriched nuclear material remained “under the rubble” of facilities damaged during the recent war with Israel.

7. The US Department of Defense announced it would provide the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) a security package worth $14.2 million to help in its new mission to disarm Hezbollah.

The aid package includes shaped and demolition charges, detonating cords, electric and non-electric caps, fuse igniter generators and transportation.

8. NATO allies shot down three Russian drones that illegally entered Polish air space on Wednesday. A senior Army official told reporters on Wednesday that eight other Russian drones crashed after entering Poland.

9. The House passed its version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill today.

The 231-196 vote was split mostly down party lines.

Israel Strikes Hamas Leaders in Doha + Top 100 Defense Companies for 2025 Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

1. Israel Strikes Hamas Leaders in Doha.

2. Defense News Top 100 Defense Companies for 2025.

President Trump Warns Hamas to Accept Terms for Hostage - Ceasefire Deal + President Zelensky Responds to Russian President Putin: "He can come to Kyiv" + Houthi Drone Hits Ramon Airport in S. Israel + More Sep 07, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

In addition, the IDF would call off its conquest of Gaza City and would remain outside the city, according to the report.

The two sides would engage in talks over the end of the war under the personal oversight of President Trump, and the ceasefire would continue as long as negotiations last.

3. Lebanon's cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the Army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the Army had limited capabilities. But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the Army's progress.

4. President Zelensky Responds to Russian President Putin: "He can come to Kyiv."

5. China said Saturday that its military monitored the passage of Australian and Canadian warships through the Taiwan Strait, criticizing their presence in the sensitive waterway as “causing trouble.”

6. Marines from the 3rd Marine Division trained with the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) in recent weeks after the system arrived July 10 in Japan, the Marine Corps said.

7. The Air Force and Sierra Nevada Corporation have started flight tests on the service’s next-generation “doomsday plane.”

Flight tests for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Control, or SAOC, are being held at the Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton, Ohio, the company said in a Wednesday release.

President Trump's Executive Order Returns Department of War Title + Russian President Putin invites President Zelenskyy to Moscow + IDF Controls 40% of Gaza City + US Navy CCA Program + More Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

4. IDF Controls 40% of Gaza City.

In a televised briefing, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that “we hold 40 percent of the territory of Gaza City,” adding that the offensive “will continue to expand and intensify in the coming days.”

5. A drawing outlining a map of Hamas tunnels under part of Rafah was reportedly found in the pocket of Yahya Sinwar, when he was killed in the southern Gaza city last year.

6. Russian President Putin invites President Zelenskyy to Moscow.

Speaking from Beijing on Wednesday, the Russian leader said US President Donald Trump had asked him to hold talks with (President) Zelensky.

“Donald asked me if it was possible to hold such a meeting. I said yes, it is possible. In the end, if Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow. Such a meeting will take place,” Putin said.

7. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Hyundai Rotem have teamed up to integrate, the Israeli Trophy vehicle-protection system on the South Korean K2 Tank.

The agreement includes the Poland-specific K2PL version, following the supply of a 180 K2 tanks deal signed between Poland and South Korea.

8. US Navy CCA Program.

The US Navy has awarded contracts to four major aerospace prime contractors — Anduril, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Atomics — for “conceptual designs” for a carrier-based autonomous combat drone.

German Foreign Minister Diplomacy with India for End of Russia-Ukraine War + Israeli PM: War Entering Decisive Stage + USAF Minuteman III Silo Offline During Transition to Sentinel + US SPACECOM to Redstone Arsenal + More Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

Belgium will not take formal measures, like opening an embassy, until Hamas is disarmed and excluded from any governing role, said the official.

3. Israeli PM: War Entering Decisive Stage.

Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was entering its “decisive stage,” while IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told troops that the Gaza City campaign was already moving forward, that operations would be intensified and expanded, and that the IDF would not accept anything less than the complete defeat of Hamas.

4. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged India to press its close ally Russia to return to peace talks over the war in Ukraine.

5. China today used a military parade to show off a new Air-Launched Ballistic Missile (ALBM) and two new Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), joining a previously shown Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM).

The parade was held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, and was overseen by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and included several invited world leaders- notably Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

6. USAF Minuteman III Silo Offline During Transition to Sentinel.

Statement from Air Force Global Strike Command: “During the transition process, there will be no degradation of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad."

7. US SPACECOM to Redstone Arsenal.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will move the military’s US Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama — undoing a decision by the Biden administration to keep operations in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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