I - On Defense Podcast

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...

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 it...

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....

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 ...

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 ne...

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 ...

For review:

1. President Trump Meets Chinese President in S. Korea; Discusses Ukraine.

2. President Trump Directs Renewed Nuclear Testing.

3. Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani indicated on Wednesday that Hamas violated the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday when it attacked IDF soldiers- but did not specifically blame Hamas, referring instead to “the Palestinian party.” 

4. Hamas on Thursday returned to Israel the remains of two dec...

For review:

1. President Trump Meets Japan's Prime Minister; On to S. Korea for Meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

2. Russian President Vladimir Putin received North Korea's top diplomat at the Kremlin on October 27.

North Korean media said Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui discussed "many future projects to constantly strengthen and develop" the bilateral relationship while also passing on leader Kim Jong Un&a...

For review:

1. While in Malaysia - President Trump Oversees Peace Agreement Between Thailand & Cambodia; Next Stop Japan.

2. Israel Allows Egyptian & Hamas Search Teams Access Beyond the Yellow Line.

3. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said Friday that Russia, US, & Ukraine are “quite close” to reaching a diplomatic solution to end the war.

4. Russia ...

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 plan...

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 C...

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 wo...

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 identi...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

...

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 c...

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 committe...