I - On Defense Podcast

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 e...

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...

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 Eu...

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 Supr...

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

1. US Raid Captures Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

For review:

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

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

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

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

For Review:

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

2. US Drone Strike on Venezuelan Port.

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

4...

For review:

1. US Strikes ISIS Militants in Nigeria.

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

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

4. US Coast Guard Still Pursuing...

For review:

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

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

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

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

3. Turkish Fo...

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

1. US Seizes Second Venezuelan Sanctioned Tanker.

2. US Strikes 70 ISIS Targets in Syria.

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

4. The Un...

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

1. President Trump Discusses Venezuela with Key Advisors.

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

3. US Cautions Iraq Against Support to Hezbollah. 

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

Representing the US were W...

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

4. Report: Iran Continuing to Fund...

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

For review:

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

2. Initial Reaction

For review:

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

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

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

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

A senior White House offi...

For review:

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

(Russia & China Abstain)

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

5...

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

3.  US to Establish Presence at Airbase in Syria.

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

The force’s mandate will apparently include disarming Hamas.

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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