I - On Defense Podcast

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...

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, appear...

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...

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 r...

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...

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 B...

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 R...

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...

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...

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 su...

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 r...

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 Coop...

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 p...

For review:

1. Eight prominent Muslim countries jointly announced their decisions to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Wednesday

Saudi 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...

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 Strip

MSG Gvili, a member of the Yasam police unit, was killed battling terrorists at K...

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...

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 Pol...

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...