I - On Defense Podcast

For review:

1. US Secretary of State Visits Israel.

2. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon.

3.  Russia Exercises Nuclear Triad.

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

For review:

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

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

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

4. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in S. Lebanon.

5. US Sanctions Russian Oil Companies...

For review:

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

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

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

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

5. Uk...

For review:

1. Pakistan & Afghanistan Agree to Ceasefire.

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

3.  US denies Hamas...

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

2. President Trump Addresses Knesset.

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

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

For review:

1.  Pakistan & Afghanistan Trade Fire on Border Regions. 

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

Deal to be Signed Thursday in Egypt.

Hostage Release to Begin Saturday.

President Trump to Visit the Region this Weekend.

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

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

4...

For review:

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

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

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

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

"I think I want to...

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review

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

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

3. World Reaction

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

Berlin and Budapest...

For review:

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

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

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

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

5.  President Trump Considers Tomahawk Missiles for Ukraine.

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

6. U...

For review:

1. Iran Snapback Sanctions.

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

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

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

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

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

2.  Israeli PM Speech at UN General Assembly.

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

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

News from the UN General Assembly in New York. 

For review:

1. Multiple Countries Recognize Palestinian State at UNGA Summit.

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

2. Three IDF Divisions Operating inside Gaza City. 

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

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

3. Spain...

For review:

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

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

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

Secretary Rubio will visi...

For review:

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

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

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

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

For review:

1. IDF Hits Houthi Camps in Sanaa.

2. Indications Point Doha Strike on Hamas Leaders Unsuccessful.

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

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

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

1. Israel Strikes Hamas Leaders in Doha.

2. Defense News Top 100 Defense Companies for 2025. 

For review:

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

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

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

...

For review:

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

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

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

4. IDF Controls 40% of...

For review:

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

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

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

Belgium will not ta...

For review:

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

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

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

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

5. EU...

For review:

1. Houthi Prime Minister Reported Killed in IDF Strike. 

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

1. Warning Shots Fired Across Korean DMZ.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For review:

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

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

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

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

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov dismisse...

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

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

European Leaders who attended: