#BREAKING If meeting with Erdogan will serve Syria's interests, I will do so, Syria's Bashar al-Assad says.

"Türkiye is a neighboring country and our relations with it must be normal."

Russian soldier killed by Ukrainian soldier during trench battle.

Greek Army rejected U.S. weapon systems from stockpiles that were to be given free of charge, citing prohibitively high refurbishment costs.

— The Hellenic Navy has turned down four LCS frigates, while the Army rejected 164 Bradley IFVs.

— The Air Force is also expected to decline the offer of C-130-H aircraft.

— These decisions stem from the older versions of the equipment requiring substantial investments to become operational.

Source: Kathimerini

German Tornado aircraft using the Mehrzweckwaffe 1 (MW-1) munitions dispenser with KB-44 shaped charge bomblets for attacking unarmored and lightly armored targets.

A fully loaded MW-1 dispenser can deliver 4,500 KB 44 bomblets.

The MW-1 was phased out after Germany ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2009.

Russian Kh-38ML short-range air-to-surface guided missile strike on Ukrainian target.

The Kh-38ML uses semi-active laser guidance and has a range of about 40 km.

Rare footage of Iranian state security agencies against terror cells of the ISIS, Jaysh al-Adl and other groups.

Interceptions of smuggled cargo with weapons, etc. in the provinces bordering Pakistan and Iraq.

Israeli army has admitted to suffering shortages of tanks and ammunition amid its ongoing offensive in Gaza.

— The admission was made in filings to Israel's Supreme Court.

— Many tanks were damaged during the Gaza war. Ammunition supplies are running low.

— The number of operational tanks is insufficient for current war needs.

Donald Trump picks Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate.

— Vance called Trump "America's Hitler" back in 2016. But now he's one of Trump's most ardent defenders.

— Vance is totally against U.S. aid to Ukraine. He argued that the math doesn't add up for Ukraine to win the war, even with increased U.S. military assistance

"Any person with a brain knows that the conflict in Ukraine will end in negotiations," he said.

"Ukraine is functionally destroyed as a country," he added.

— Vance has been a vocal supporter of Israel.

— He argues that Palestinian civilian casualties are high because "Hamas started the war and now, they hide behind Palestinian civilians."

— He believes that if Israel cannot defeat Hamas, it will undermine trust in Israel's ability to pursue its own national security interests, hampering efforts to foster greater regional stability and cooperation.

Trump's running mate J.D. Vance is REALLY bad news for Ukraine:

Any person with a brain knows that the conflict in Ukraine will end in negotiations. The idea that Ukraine will push Russia back to the 1991 borders is ridiculous, no one really believes in it.

Ukraine is functionally destroyed as a country. The average age of a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer is 43. This is tragic.

It is in America's best interest to recognize that Ukraine will have to cede some territory to the Russians, and we need to end this war.

American authorities should stop the bloodshed, not write more blank checks for war.

Trump's running mate J.D. Vance argues that the U.S. does not have the industrial capacity to support wars in Ukraine, Israel, and a potential conflict with China over Taiwan.

— He says "America has to pick and choose" where to focus its resources.

— Vance warns that if China were to invade and take control of Taiwan, it would cause a "Great Depression" in the U.S. due to Taiwan's dominance in computer chip manufacturing that the American economy relies on.

— To prevent this, Vance says the U.S. needs to ramp up domestic manufacturing of military hardware and become "self-sufficient" rather than relying on Taiwan.

— He believes the U.S. should focus on containing China rather than getting overstretched in Europe.

— Vance criticizes those who want the U.S. to provide "limitless resources" to Ukraine, arguing that the Europeans should take more responsibility for their own defense against Russia so America can concentrate on the China threat.

Ukrainian Abrams tank with a good amount of added armor.

Donald Trump at the US Republican Party convention with a bandaged ear just 48 hours after the assassination attempt on his life.

A senior North Korean diplomat named Ri Il Kyu, 52, defected to South Korea from Cuba in November.

— He was accompanied by his wife and child. Ri is the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016.

— He was a counsellor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba.

— One of his roles was to prevent South Korea and Cuba from establishing diplomatic relations. Ironically, South Korea and Cuba established diplomatic ties in February.

— Ri cited disillusionment with the North Korean regime. He felt his work was unfairly evaluated. A denied request to travel to Mexico for medical treatment was the final trigger for his decision.

Chinese PLA soldiers & Belarus Army forces storm trenches during “Eagle Assault” exercise near the Polish border.

Trump's running mate J.D. Vance on Israel and Hamas:

— You’re never going to defeat the ideology of Hamas, but you can root out those commanders, those final military-trained battalions, and I think you should empower the Israelis to do it.

— Israelis are our allies, let them prosecute this war the way they see fit.

— Our goal in the Middle East should be to allow the Israelis to get to some good place with the Saudi Arabians and other Gulf Arab states.

— There is no way that we can do that unless the Israelis finish the job with Hamas.

Spain national football team after winning Euro 2024:

"Gibraltar est espagnole Marruecos también." (Gibraltar is Spanish, Morocco too.)