Internal Security Forces and UNIT A1 forces are preparing to enter the Ashrafieh neighborhood in the city of Aleppo.

Source: SANA

Macron:

France has decided to vote against the signing of the agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Paris to discuss the U.S. peace plan for Ukraine.

The meeting came after talks with Ukraine and European leaders.

Source: Axios

NOW: Massive protest in Tehran, Iran.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv warns of a potentially significant airstrike on Ukraine that may occur in the coming days.

BREAKING: Gunfire heard in Tehran, Iran during protests.

BREAKING: Trump:

We are going to hit Iran “hard” if they kill rioters.

Trump on Iran:

They’re doing very poorly… I will tell you they’re not doing well.

If they start killing people… we’re going to hit them very hard.

They know, and they’ve been told very strongly… that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell.

Trump on Iran:

Some have been killed by problems of crowd control. We’re watching it very closely.

The crowds are so large there’s been a stampede — three stampedes — and people have been killed in that.

I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that.

Trump to the people of Iran:

You should feel strongly about freedom. There’s nothing like freedom. You’re brave people. It’s a shame what’s happened to your country. Your country was a a great country.

I remember years ago when I was a young real estate developer, friends of mine went to Iran and they did great...

Trump on meeting with Reza Pahlavi:

I’ve watched him and he seems like a nice person, but I’m not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that as President.

I think that we should let everybody go out there and we see who emerges. I’m not sure necessarily that it would be an appropriate thing to do.

Trump on Cuba:

I don’t think you can have much more pressure other than going in and blasting the hell out of the place.

Trump:

I think that Cuba is hanging by a thread. Cuba is in big trouble.

Trump:

We have many yards opening up, and we’re going to be very much back in the shipbuilding business.

And in some cases we’re partnering with South Korea and others initially, because we have to get—you know, we used to make almost a ship a day during World War II, and then we just totally got out of that business stupidly. But we’re back in the shipbuilding business. We have to be.

Trump on Zohran Mamdani:

He’s got a great personality, he’s a nice guy. His policies are not good, but maybe he changes.

US Envoy Tom Barrack:

We issue an urgent appeal to the leadership of the Syrian government, SDF, local authorities in Kurdish-administered areas, and all armed actors on the ground: pause hostilities, reduce tensions immediately, and commit to de-escalation.

Let us prioritize the exchange of ideas and constructive proposals over the exchange of fire. The future of Aleppo, and of Syria as a whole, belongs to its people and must be shaped through peaceful means, not violence.

Syria’s new chapter is one of cooperation, not confrontation. We will reach it together.

NYT: Are there any limits to your powers?

Trump: Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.

NYT reports that the commander of a U.S. MH-47G helicopter was shot in the legs during a raid near Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

The helicopter was hit but stayed airborne; the wounded commander landed, deployed special forces, then flew back to USS Iwo Jima.

80 CAG operators took part; Maduro and his wife were captured after a firefight with Cuban guards.

The commander is hospitalized in Texas; several others were treated and released.

Source: NYT

Asked whether Greenland or NATO mattered more, Trump said “it may be a choice.”

Source: NYT