Trump’s VP, J.D. Vance, clarified the implications of Trump’s threat to “unleash hell in the Middle East” if Gaza hostages are not freed before he takes office:

1. Allowing Israel to eliminate Hamas’s remaining two brigades in central Gaza and its leadership.

2. Imposing severe sanctions on nations supporting terrorist organizations in the Middle East.

Vance added that Trump’s threat helps advance negotiations, potentially leading to an agreement within a day or two before he takes office.

Israel is investing millions of dollars to build more heavy weapons domestically over growing concerns about its dependence on arms imports from the United States and other Western countries — even as the flow of arms from those countries continues mostly unabated.

But experts say that Israel’s reliance on the one country it turns to most for weapons — the United States — would be hard to shake, especially as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.

In a sign of its burgeoning domestic ambition, Israel’s Defense Ministry said last week that it had signed deals worth about $275 million to produce heavy bombs and raw materials for defense, a major addition to the country’s already sizable arms industry.

Source: Washington Post

As it prepares for more tensions with Israel and the US under Trump presidency, the Iranian military has received 1,000 new drones.

According to Iranian media, the drones have been deployed to various locations in Iran and are said to have high stealth and anti-armour capabilities.

Game changer capabilty: Turkish ANKA III UCAV successfully launched ASELSAN TOLUN munition from its internal weapons bay at 20,000 feet and 180 knots.

This marks the first time a munition has been launched from an internal bay by a Turkish aircraft.

Efforts continue to enable ANKA III to deploy up to 8 TOLUN munitions in a single sortie.

FBI Director Christopher Wray says China’s cyber program has stolen more U.S. personal and corporate data than all other nations combined.

"You have the biggest hacking program in the world by far, bigger than every other major nation combined."

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he plans to “liberate” Puerto Rico from U.S. influence, declaring that “Puerto Rico’s freedom is pending.”

Israeli site Ynet reports that Israel plans to establish two zones of influence in Syria:

The first, 15 km deep, with a permanent Israeli military presence, and the second, 60 km deep, reaching Damascus, under Israeli intelligence control.

NEW: Japan plans to acquire 310 FPV kamikaze drones by 2026, considering Israeli and Australian manufacturers for its first purchase of this kind.

Netenyahu: (on September 18, 2023)

Elon Musk is the "unofficial president" of the United States.

This guy really knows what he's talking about.

He's the Edison of our time.

Los Angeles wildfires are shaping up to be one of the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history, with estimated economic losses between $135 billion and $150 billion.

This surpasses the 2018 Camp Fire’s $12.5 billion (inflation-adjusted) and could amount to nearly 4% of California’s annual GDP.

• Deaths: 24 reported fatalities.
• Destruction: Over 12,000 buildings, including multimillion-dollar homes, destroyed.
• Evacuations: 150,000 residents displaced.

Losses are expected to rise as the fires spread and assessments continue.

Chinese police officer subduing a criminal during a drill.

Poles are tired of seeing young Ukrainian men driving luxury cars or staying in 5-star hotels in Poland, says Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani at Arab Forum in Riyadh:

We dedicate the great victory achieved by the Syrian people:

• To those who lost their lives on the battlefield, silenced while calling for freedom.
• To those who drew their last breaths under torture in Saydnaya and other prisons.
• To those who watched their children’s eyes as they drowned seeking refuge from Assad’s regime.
• To those who faced racism and hardship in host countries, left with no choice but to endure in silence.
• To those who lived in fear of the sky, haunted by the sound of planes and bombings by the criminal regime and its allies.

To all of them, we pledge: this tragedy will not happen again.

Russian soldier shot himself at the last moment to avoid capture by Ukrainian Special Forces in the Kursk region.