As Hezbollah’s leader delivered a speech, the IDF carried out a strike in Choukine, southern Lebanon, killing a militant on a motorcycle—the second militant killed in separate Israeli strikes that morning.

Turkey will host a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim nations on Monday to discuss the U.S. Gaza peace plan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced, saying the gathering will “review our progress and consider what we can achieve together in the next phase.”

Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem praised Lebanese President Michel Aoun for ordering the army to respond to Israeli incursions, stating, “The government is responsible for sovereignty, and we will not take orders from anyone” who demands the group’s disarmament.

Israel is reportedly growing increasingly concerned after new intelligence revealed that Hezbollah is rapidly rearming with rockets, anti-tank missiles, and artillery. According to The Wall Street Journal, the group is smuggling weapons through Syrian routes and seaports while also producing some domestically. Despite more than 1,000 Israeli airstrikes and ongoing support for Lebanese disarmament efforts, Hezbollah maintains that its arsenal is essential for defending Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong discussed plans to halt purchases of Russian and Iranian oil with U.S. Treasury Secretary–designate Scott Bessent, signaling a shift away from dependence on those energy sources.

While sources declined to confirm whether Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is a direct target of the impending strikes, one official warned that his time is “running out.” “Maduro is about to find himself cornered and may soon realize he can’t leave the country even if he tries,” the source said. “What’s worse for him is that more than one general is now prepared to capture and hand him over—understanding that it’s one thing to talk about death, and another to see it coming.” View quoted note →

Overnight, Ukrainian drones struck Russian energy infrastructure, successfully targeting the Oryol Power Plant and a major 750kV substation in Vladimirskaya. Footage shows a Ukrainian attack drone hitting the Oryol Power Plant.

According to sources cited by the *Miami Herald*, the Trump Administration has decided to carry out strikes against military installations inside Venezuela—operations that could begin within days or even hours. The planned airstrikes aim to destroy military airbases and ports allegedly used by the Cartel of the Suns, a drug-trafficking organization the U.S. claims is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and operated by senior members of his regime.

An Iranian official remarked, “We spent millions trying to spread Islam in Japan. After six years, only one person converted—and he wasn’t even Japanese.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the House will not reconvene until the government has reopened.

J.K. Rowling criticized Glamour UK for including nine transgender men in its “Women of the Year” list, stating: “I grew up in an era when mainstream women’s magazines told girls they needed to be thinner and prettier. Now, those same magazines tell girls that men make better women than they do.”

The U.S. has reportedly canceled the planned Trump–Putin summit in Budapest following a tense phone call between Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov and the delivery of a hardline Russian memo on Ukraine. According to the Financial Times, the memo detailed Moscow’s “non-negotiable” demands—viewed in Washington as a direct challenge to President Trump’s peace initiative.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that it has deployed its Situational Assessment Team (S-SAT) along with three CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to Grand Cayman, south of Cuba, in preparation for deployment to Jamaica. The units will join the U.S. interagency-led disaster response mission supporting hurricane relief efforts across the Caribbean. The S-SAT is a rapid-response team composed of specialists who provide the SOUTHCOM Commander with immediate assessments of conditions and specific needs during humanitarian assistance or disaster relief operations in the Caribbean and Latin America.

According to an official from the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Trump Administration plans to pay military personnel on Friday using a combination of legislative and Pentagon funds.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump Administration has identified potential targets in Venezuela—including military-controlled airports and ports allegedly used for drug trafficking—in preparation for possible airstrikes. The targets are reportedly intended to send a clear message to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that it is time for him to step down.

Prince Andrew will lose all his royal titles and leave the Royal Residence, Buckingham Palace announced. He will no longer be known as Prince Andrew and will instead be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor amid the fallout from the Epstein scandal.

Trump on Nuclear Test: "They seem to all be nuclear testing. We have more nuclear weapons than anybody, we don't do testing... with others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also."

Israel PM Netanyahu: 'If Hamas continues to violate the ceasefire, we will strike it with powerful blows. Ultimately, Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized. If foreign forces do not do this, we will do it.'

Trump on Russia-Ukraine war: "Sometimes you have to let them fight. Crazy (...) there's not a lot more we can do (...) it doesn't affect China. It doesn't affect us."

Erdogan challenged Merz during their meeting, asking, “Does Germany not see Israeli genocide in Gaza?”