Decision-making circles in the United States and Israel have moved past diplomacy with Iran, viewing military action as effectively decided, with only the timing still under debate, a Western source familiar with coordination talks told the London-based Iranian opposition outlet Iran International.

Israel is reported to be on full alert and that one scenario under discussion involves waiting for a “spark” to trigger the next phase, such as Iran attempting to fire a first missile toward Israel, which could then be used as justification for launching a far broader and more destructive campaign directed at the regime in Tehran.

“The decision has been made. This will happen. The only question is when.”

Saudi Arabia will not allow the United States to use its airspace or bases for military strikes against Iran, following several meetings this week in Washington with Saudi defense and intelligence officials, a high-ranking government figure from a state within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) told Fox News.

The U.S. Government has now entered its second shutdown in less than a year, as of 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, despite a deal being agreed upon between Senate Democrats and the White House as well as the Senate passing five long-term spending bills, with the exception of Homeland Security, on Friday. Unlike last year’s shutdown, which lasted over 40 days, this shutdown is expected to be brief, with the House set to vote on the five bills immediately after returning to Washington on Monday, though House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether House Democrats will support the bills approved by the Senate.

The U.S. External Office for Venezuela announced Friday that they have now confirmed that interim authorities have released all known Americans being held in Venezuela.

Lots of entirely fake or otherwise false information circulating on social media this morning of explosions in multiple cities across Iran. Besides an explosion earlier today inside an apartment building in Bandar Abbas, Southern Iran, there have no other confirmed explosions or “strikes” anywhere else in Iran.

Three KC-46A “Pegasus” Aerial-Refueling Tankers, GOLD31.32.42, are currently heading westbound across the Mediterranean, returning to Naval Station Rota in Spain, after accompanying a flight of EA-18G “Growler” Electronic-Warfare Aircraft from Morón Air Base to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Several EA-18Gs and a fourth KC-46A, GOLD41, were unable to participate in the crossing after another KC-46A, GOLD71, suffered an emergency on the runway at Morón causing 8 of 10 tires to blowout, with all flights into the base being rerouted to Rota.

A U.S. Air Force C-5M “Super Galaxy” Strategic Heavy-Lift Aircraft is currently heading southeast across Turkey bound for the Middle East, after departing Ramstein Air Base in Germany earlier on Saturday. The C-5M originated from Robert Gray Army Airfield on Fort Hood in Texas, home of the U.S. Army’s 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade which operate the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Anti-Ballistic Missile System.

As part of yesterday’s release of several million pages of documents by the Justice Department under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, multiple email chains between SpaceX founder Elon Musk and convicted sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were revealed, including a conversation from December 2013 in which Musk made plans to visit Epstein on Little Saint James. In one of the emails from late 2012, Musk can be seen asking Epstein: “What day/night will be the wildest party on =our island?”

President Donald J. Trump has reposted a quote on a video he posted earlier which appears to be old footage of security forces on motorcycles at Haft-e Tir Square in the Iranian capital of Tehran, with the quote stating: “The IRGC are in panic mode, fully sh*tting their pants.”