I - On Defense Podcast

For review:

1. Hamas negotiators in Cairo this week signaled a willingness to come down from demands they made last month that led to the collapse of hostage talks in Doha. 

Arab mediators passed along the development to Israel, but Jerusalem responded that it is not interested in another partial ceasefire.

2. The IDF on Friday said it destroyed dozens of “terror targets” in its new offensive on Zeitoun on the outskirts of Gaza City. In addition, the IDF said Friday that seven kilometers (4.3 miles) worth of Hamas tunnels in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun were se...

For review:

1. Mossad Chief to Qatar. Mossad Director David Barnea was in Doha on Thursday to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani.  The Mossad Director conveyed to the Prime Minister that Israel was not bluffing with its plan to conquer Gaza, and intends to do so unless there’s progress in the talks to free the hostages.

2. IDF CoS Approved Gaza City Take Over Plan.

3. During a meeting in Beirut with Ali Larijani (secretary of Iran’s top security body), Lebanon' President Joseph Aoun warned against foreign interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs...

For review:

1. Australia will recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday.

2. Israel - Hamas Hostage & Ceasefire Negotiations Could Restart This Week. 

Israel may send negotiators to Doha this week for meetings on a comprehensive agreement for the release of hostages held by Hamas and a ceasefire in Gaza.

3.  New US CENTCOM Commander. 

Incoming Commander US Navy Admiral Brad Copper replaced US Army General Michael Kurilla. 

4.  President Trump to Meet with Russian President Without Ukraine. 

5. Azerba...

For review:

1. Israeli PM explains why recognition of Palestinian Statehood will not bring peace to region.

2. IDF Plan for Gaza City Complete Next Week.

3. Iranian nuclear scientists have been sent into hiding after dozens were killed by Israel during its 12-day offensive against Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile programs in June.

4. Iran has arrested 20 people it alleges are operatives of Israel’s Mossad spy agency in recent months.

5. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the deputy head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog was set to arrive...

For review:

1. Israeli Cabinet Decision: IDF to Take Over Gaza City.

2. President Trump to Meet with Russian President in Alaska (15 Aug).

3. President Trump Oversees Azerbaijan & Armenia Peace Agreement. 

For review:

1. Kadena AB in Japan to inspect all F-15E Eagles after fighter landed w/o landing gear wheel.

2. Gaza Occupation Plan to Israeli Cabinet Thursday.

According to report, in the plan’s first phase, Israel will issue an evacuation notice to the residents of Gaza City to allow time for the establishment of civilian infrastructure in central Gaza, including hospitals and camps for evacuees. 

Israel would then launch a military offensive in the second phase. 

3. Lebanese Cabinet Tasks Army to Control Arms (Disarm Hezbollah).

4. President Dona...

For review:

1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told ministers this week that he will seek cabinet backing for a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.

2. Netherlands & Germany Committed to Send Patriot Systems to Ukraine.

3. President Trump threatens high tariffs/secondary sanctions on buyer's of Russian oil (that economically support Russian war effort).

4. France Continues Development of Archangel SIGINT Aircraft. 

The Archangel is based on the Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X and equipped with Thales’ new-generation payload CUGE (universal electronic warfare capability).

CUGE uses multi-polarization antennas to simultaneously det...

1. Hamas on Saturday said it would not disarm “as long as the occupation exists,” despite announcement from Arab League, urging the terror group to disarm. 

2. The Israel Defense Force defeated Hamas’s Beit Hanoun battalion, the IDF declared on Saturday. The majority of the Hamas gunmen in the Beit Hanoun Battalion were either killed during the fighting or fled.

3. President Trump Announces Submarine Movements- in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.

4. Armor Not Dead: Poland to Procure 180 K2 Tanks from S. Korea...

For review:

1.Arab League Condemns 7 October Attack; Calls for Hamas to Disarm.

 Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration (New York Declaration) Tuesday condemning for the first time Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, and calling on the Palestinian terror group to release all the hostages it is holding, disarm and end its rule of Gaza.

2. Givati Infantry Brigade combat in Northeast Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. 

3. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed in an interview with Fox Radio on Thursday that the Whit...

For review:

1. Ceasefire Between Thailand & Cambodia. After efforts by Malaysia, the United States, and China to bring both sides to the table, the two countries' leaders agreed during talks in Putrajaya, Malaysia to end hostilities, resume direct communications and create a mechanism to implement the ceasefire.

2. Dozens of ministers gathered at a United Nations conference on Monday to urge the international community to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. 

The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025. Hosted by F...

For review:

1. IDF Announces Daily 10-Hour Humanitarian Pauses in Gaza. The  pauses will take place from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. in areas where the IDF is currently not operating with ground troops.

2. As a result of stalled negotiations- Hamas is taking additional precautionary measures to undermine potential efforts by Israeli special forces or others to rescue the hostages. For example, Hamas has reinstated a policy to kill hostages if captors believe that Israeli forces are approaching. 

3. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that recognizing a Palestinian state before it is es...

For review:

1. Iran and E3 Nations (France, Germany, UK) meet in Turkey for nuclear talks.

2. A ballistic missile launched at Israel Friday night by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was intercepted by air defenses, the Israel Defense Forces said.

There were no reports of impacts or injuries in the attack.

3. Israel and Hamas Hostage & Ceasefire Talks Stall: Will Resume Next Week.

4. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday that recognizing Palestinian statehood should be part of a wider plan for lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis, in an apparent...

For review:

1. Syria’s interim government has requested Turkey’s support to strengthen its defense capabilities following sectarian violence over the past two weeks.

2.  US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to recalibrate his policies and embrace a more inclusive approach after a new round of sectarian bloodshed last week, or risk losing international support.

3. Hezbollah has informed Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that it will not surrender its weapons to the government, contradicting previous indications that the terror group was willing to disarm- even if Israel were to wi...

For review:

1. Iran and E3 Nuclear Talks in Istanbul on Friday. Iran, Britain, France and Germany will hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday- following warnings by the three European countries that failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran.

2. Iran could withhold security commitments if European states invoke a UN mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a member of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission said on Monday. In the past, Iran has used the threat of disrupting maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz as a...

For review:

1. Ceasefire in S. Syrian City of Sweida Between Druze & Bedouin.

2. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said elections will be held before the end of the year for the Palestinian National Council, for the first time since 2006.

3. Ukraine proposes new round of peace talks with Russia next week.

4. New Round of EU Sanctions Against Russian Energy. 

5. UK & Germany Sign New Defense Pact.

The new bilateral agreement, referred to as the “Kensington Treaty,” was signed on Thursday in London. It includes a broad range of promises, rangi...

For review:

1. US Army Mid Range Capability Live-Fire During Talisman Sabre '25.  The U.S. Army hit an at-sea target with a Standard Missile 6 fired from its Typhon missile system as part of the Talisman Sabre 2025 exercise in Australia.

The live-fire test is the first time the Army has tested the containerized missile launcher derived from the Navy MK 41 launchers used on warships outside the US.

2. IDF Strikes Damascus in Support of Druze Community.

3. The U.S. State Department has informed Switzerland of delays in the delivery of Patriot air defense s...

For review:

1. No progress on Israel - Hamas Hostage and Ceasefire negotiations.

2. In a meeting in Amman on Sunday with British former prime minister Tony Blair, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas to release the hostages it is holding and hand over its weapons to the PA, stressing that the terror group “will not rule the Gaza Strip” after the war there ends.

3. Israeli jets carried out a wave of airstrikes deep inside Lebanon aimed at stopping  an elite Hezbollah unit from regrouping and rebuilding its strength, authorities said Tuesday.

The s...

For review:

1. Doha Hostage & Ceasefire Talks Stalled.

2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “confident” he will be able to reach a deal to free hostages held in the Gaza Strip, in an interview with US media aired late Saturday.

3. Russian President Putin Supports Zero Enrichment for Iran.

4. A Syrian official and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later Saturday on the sidelines of President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s current visit to Azerbaijan,.

5. Ukrainian security agents have killed a group of Russian spies near Kyiv in anothe...

For review:

1. No significant progress has been made on Hostage and Ceasefire Negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

2. Lebanon's President Aoun: Peaceful Relations but No Normalization with Israel.

Addressing relations with Israel, President Aoun “distinguished between peace and normalization,” according to a statement by his office.

3. US Sec of State Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Meet in Kuala Lumpur. This was their second in-person meeting since Mr. Rubio has become the US Secretary of State. 

4. The United States is selling weapons to its NATO allies in Europe so they can p...

For review:

1. Israeli PM on Hostage & Ceasefire Deal: "Not at any price." 

Israeli PM Netanyahu: “President Trump and I have a common goal. I want to achieve the release of our hostages. We want to end Hamas rule in Gaza. We want to make sure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel anymore.” 

2. Israeli ground troops raided several sites inside Lebanon in recent days, destroying Hezbollah weapon depots and other infrastructure, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

3. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem admitted that the Lebanese terror group drastically underestimated the ex...

For review:

1. During interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed that Israel attempted to assassinate him.

2. IDF Strikes Houthi Ports in Yemen. More than 50 munitions were dropped by IAF fighter jets on the Houthi targets, in response to repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory.

3.  Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats, despite pressure from Lebanon’s Western-backed government demanding the terror group disarm.

4. BBC Report: A senior Hamas commander quoted in...

For review:

1. Israel Sending Team to Qatar for Hostage Talks. However, the Prime Minister’s Office cautioned in a statement that Hamas had suggested several amendments to the proposal, which Israel found to be unacceptable.

According to a source involved in the mediation efforts, Hamas proposed three amendments to the proposed framework.

The source said that Hamas wants the agreement to say that talks on a permanent ceasefire will continue until an agreement is reached; that aid will fully resume through mechanisms backed by the United Nations and other international aid organizations; and th...

For review:

1.  Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace deal with Israel were “premature.”

2.   The IDF carried out an airstrike Thursday in the Lebanese village of Sil, near Beirut, targeting an operative for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the IDF, the target was involved in smuggling weapons and advancing terror plots, acting on behalf of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign arm.

3.  Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog- the International Atomic Energy Agency.  Following a parliament vote on the matter last...

For review:

1. Iranian Foreign Minister: Diplomacy Not Off the Table.  Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it will take time and assurances from the US before Tehran is ready to re-engage in talks on its nuclear program.

2.  US President Donald Trump said Monday he is not holding discussions with Iranian leaders and not offering them anything.

3. Israel & Syria Hold Talks on Security Matters.  The neighboring states have been opposing sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades, including from the 1948 War of Independence through the 1982 First Lebanon War. 

4.  After months of di...