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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.

EU President's Plane Jammed While Landing in Bulgaria + Russia & China Reject E3 Snapback Sanctions Against Iran + Russia & China Conduct Submarine Patrol in Sea of Japan + More Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

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

5. EU President's Plane Jammed While Landing in Bulgaria.

A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident.

6. The US Army has been tasked with standing up a new Joint Interagency Task Force 401 that is expected to give it broader oversight over tech to counter small drones across the Defense community.

7. The Army has given Sikorsky a $43 million contract to modernize the service’s UH-60 Black Hawks with capabilities that will enable the helicopters to carry and launch unmanned aerial systems.

8. USAF CCA update.

What is Europe's "Reassurance Force" for Ukraine? + Houthi Prime Minister Reported Killed in IDF Strike + US to Ban PA President's Travel to UN General Assembly Meeting in September + More Aug 30, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Houthi Prime Minister Reported Killed in IDF Strike.

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

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

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

While the statement did not provide the identity of the targeted terror operative, multiple Hebrew media outlets reported that it was the longtime Hamas spokesman, Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, who is more widely known by his nom de guerre Abu Obeida.

3. US to Ban PA President's (Mahmoud Abbas)Travel to UN General Assembly Meeting in September.

President Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the visa decision and argued that it violated the UN “headquarters agreement.”

4. Forces from the military and Shin Bet security service recovered the body of slain hostage (Ilan Weiss) in an operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

His body was recovered along with the remains of a second hostage, whose name was not immediately published as the identification process was still ongoing.

5. What is Europe's "Reassurance Force" for Ukraine?

6. NATO said all alliance members will spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense this year, the first time for that to happen since the spending target was set more than a decade ago.

7. Poland will increase its defense spending next year (2026) to 4.8 percent of GDP ($55.0 billion), its finance minister said Thursday.

8. Japan’s Ministry of Defense has submitted its budget request of $59.9 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.

Report: IDF Strikes Gathering of Houthi Leadership in Sanaa + IDF Ground Operation on Syrian Military Installation Near Damascus + UNSC Renews UNIFIL For Final Time + USAF Sentinel ICBM Update + More Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

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

Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported that Israeli forces had located and confiscated “secret and sensitive equipment,” citing an unnamed senior Israeli security official.

3. The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously extended “for a final time” a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon until the end of 2026, when the operation will then begin a year-long “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal.”

4. Wall Street Journal Report: The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has been guarded by a 24/7 security detail in recent weeks due to a specific Iranian threat against him.

5. Britain, France and Germany announced Thursday their decision to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The step was announced in a letter to the UN Security Council sent by the European powers as they launched a 30-day process to once again level punitive measures against the Islamic Republic.

6. Sweden and the Netherlands have urged the EU to adopt sanctions on Israel and Hamas over the war in Gaza, including suspending the EU-Israel trade deal.

7. USAF Sentinel ICBM Update.

Israeli Defense Minister: IDF Troops to Remain on Syrian Side of Mount Hermon + Lebanon's Plan to Disarm Hezbollah Due on 29 Aug + China's New Amphibious Warship + More Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

5. Sweden and Thailand finalized an agreement to buy four Gripen E/F fighter jets from Swedish defense firm Saab, with an order value of around ($550 million USD). Deliveries are scheduled between 2025 and 2030.

6. China's New Amphibious Warship.

China launched its fourth Type 075 Amphibious Assault Ship- CNS Hubei.

The Type 075 is built for amphibious landings and can deploy troops via helicopters- as well as offload combat vehicles from its interior.

7. US Navy Vice Admiral Daniel Cheever (Commander Naval Air Forces, Pacific): “We’re dedicated in the Navy to maintain the National Defense Authorization Act [level] of 11 aircraft carriers and nine airwings.“

8. Navy Secretary John Phelan said the Navy established the Naval Rapid Capabilities Office.

The new office will help the Navy identify operational gaps and provide quick solutions, as well as enable the service to respond to emerging threats promptly.

9. Defense Innovation Unit head Doug Beck has resigned, Breaking Defense has learned.

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