Israeli crowd celebrate the destruction of southern Lebanese villages with cheers and laughter.

NATO's Rutte:

NATO is a political military alliance. So that's the big difference with China or Russia where one person in the end takes all the decisions.

We are a democratic alliance and a military alliance. And that means that decisions will always be informed by military and political considerations. That's how it works.

Marine Le Pen:

I believe France should withdraw from NATO’s integrated military command.

Putin wants to end the Ukraine war by the end of this year, but only on terms Russia can present as a victory.

Those terms include full control of the Donbas region and broader security guarantees from Europe that would effectively recognize Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine.

Source: Bloomberg

Marco Rubio says decisions on U.S. troops in Europe are not “punitive.”

Marco Rubio:

Iran is trying to create a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, and they are trying to convince Oman to join them in this tolling system.

Marco Rubio:

Some of our NATO allies’ responses to our operations in the Middle East are well documented, and they will have to be addressed.

The Telegraph:

Trump was meant to help India rise by taking a tougher line on China.

Instead, his wars and unpredictability are hurting Narendra Modi’s ambitions of turning India into a global superpower.

The conflict in Iran has hit India hard. The country relies on imported oil, much of it through the Strait of Hormuz, so rising energy prices are weakening growth, fuelling inflation and scaring off investors.

Moody’s has already cut India’s growth forecast to 6pc — well below the 8pc Modi says is needed to make India a developed nation by 2047.

At the same time, Trump has moved closer to China and Pakistan, two of India’s main rivals, undermining years of efforts by Modi to build stronger ties with Washington.

Modi is now scrambling to limit the damage by seeking new energy deals abroad, cutting spending pressures at home and even discouraging Indians from buying gold and travelling overseas.

The crisis has exposed a deeper problem: despite rapid growth, India still lacks the manufacturing power, infrastructure and economic influence to rival China.

Iran destroyed over two dozen US MQ-9 Reaper drones since the war began, causing nearly $1 billion in losses and damaging about 20% of the Pentagon’s prewar fleet.

Source: Bloomberg

Hungarian PM Péter Magyar:

We are not planning to send Hungarian soldiers to Ukraine.

Hungarian PM Péter Magyar:

You know, the territorial integrity of Ukraine was guaranteed in 1994 in the Budapest Memorandum, which of course was signed in Budapest.

And the problem is that the international stage did not really fulfill its task and did not guarantee the integrity and independence of Ukraine.

And now we need a peace agreement. With real security guarantees.

Trump:

Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person.

You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!

IRGC Navy says 35 ships — including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels — safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours under its coordination and security escort.

A German activist who participated in the Sumud Flotilla:

They beat me every day and did not give me any food or water.

Prof. John Mearsheimer:

The UAE by itself is no match for Iran. And in fact, if the UAE were to get into a fight with Iran, I think the Iranians would destroy the UAE as a country.

They'd go after the desalination plants, they'd go after their energy infrastructure. It would be a total disaster for the UAE.

Trump questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after learning the Pentagon had canceled a planned troop rotation to Poland.

Trump asked Hegseth why the deployment was scrapped and said the U.S. should not treat Poland poorly given its strong ties to the White House.

Soon after, Trump announced plans to send 5,000 additional troops to Poland.

Source: WSJ

Hunter Biden says Israeli-linked actors were involved in spreading or sustaining false corruption narratives about him and his father.

Hunter Biden:

The DC elite of the left… they crushed my dad. They — when they saw their chance, they did everything in their power to push him out.

You know why? Because he was never part of that club. He was never part of the Epstein class.

Pakistan’s Army Chief, Asim Munir, has departed for Tehran.

Source: Al Hadath