An Afghan official, Fazl Hadi Muslimyar, has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to pressure Pakistan to deescalate after wide ranging strikes against Taliban forces. Taliban forces are also reportedly withdrawing from areas they previously controlled due to the considerable overmatch that Pakistan is exercising over them. This comes after clashes renewed between the two nations over past Pakistani airstrikes inside of Afghanistan.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new temporary flight restriction near Fort Hancock, Texas, which includes all aircraft on the U.S. side of the border, following reports that a U.S. military counter-unmanned aerial system shot down a drone that belongs to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that while military strikes against certain targets in Iran, primarily nuclear and long-range missile sites, remain under consideration by President Donald J. Trump, he and many other officials prefer a diplomatic option and that that if strikes do occur, there is “no chance” that it would result in the United States becoming involved in a years-long, drawn-out war in the Middle East.

“The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight - there is no chance that will happen,” Vance told The Washington Post in an interview as he returned to Washington from an event in Wisconsin on Thursday. He further said during the interview that he still sees himself as a “skeptic of foreign military interventions,” a description he believes continues to apply to President Trump.

While military assets with the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy continue to flow into Europe and the Middle East, as part of the largest regional buildup by the United States since the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi is scheduled to meet with Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials in Washington on Friday for previously unreported talks in an effort to stave off a potential conflict with Iran, sources tell NewsNation.

The U.S. State Department has authorized the departure of non-emergency government personnel and family members of government personnel from the American Embassy in Israel due to safety risks, likely related to tensions with Iran, stating that “Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.”

In an email this morning to embassy staff, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that whoever still wishes to leave Israel, they “should do so TODAY.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is urging citizens in Iran to evacuate the country as soon as possible and while commercial options are still available, citing regional tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, according to Reuters.

The LÉ Samuel Beckett, a Samuel Beckett-class offshore patrol vessel of the Irish Naval Service, struck the side of a canal at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay on the south side of the River Liffey this morning in Dublin, Ireland. The incident occurred during a complicated maneuvering evolution quayside, with the vessel suffering minor damage though no crewmembers were injured, according to the Irish Defence Forces.

Footage credit: @BartGonnissen

Following several more arrivals overnight, a total of around 14 aerial-refueling tankers with the U.S. Air Force are now forward deployed to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, including 9 KC-46A Pegasus and 5 KC-135R/T Stratotankers, who, in the event of strikes against Iran, will support the large number of F-22 Raptors now stationed at Ovda Airbase in Southern Israel.

After seen departing yesterday from Crete Naval Base in Souda Bay, Greece, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and several of her escorts reportedly arrived this morning off the coast of Haifa in Northern Israel, which is likely to be her final position to assist with the Defense of Israel.

Upwards of 14 KC-46A Pegasus and KC-135R/T Stratotankers with the U.S. Air Force seen this morning on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.

With the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and its carrier air wing in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, there are now more than 250 attack aircraft (A-10, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-35) in the Middle East with more than 100 additional attack aircraft spread out across Europe. This is in addition to more than 125 U.S. Air Force KC-135's and KC-46's spread across the region.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has stored highly enriched Uranium at its Isfahan nuclear facility. The revelation comes after an IAEA report was sent to member states and seen by Reuters. Uranium, up to 60% purity rate, close to weapons grade, is reportedly stored at the site. The site was struck during Operation Midnight Hammer last year, but the efficacy of the strikes, as it relates to destroying the complex, has been questioned by many analysts and lawmakers in the months since the strikes.

According to a release from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), the UK has withdrawn its embassy staff from Iran, citing security risks as U.S.-Iran talks continue to merit little success and the U.S. force posture in CENTCOM area of responsibility continues to increase. The embassy continues to run remotely, according to the release.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to coordinate with Israel on the Trump Administration’s 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, Iran, and other issues in the Middle East.

Prior to departing the White House earlier today, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said that there will be additional U.S.-Iran talks today but emphasized his unhappiness with the nature of the Iranian negotiations framework, saying he doesn’t like how they negotiate. When asked about the potential of strikes on Iran, he gave an ambiguous answer, and added that the decision has yet to be made.

In an interesting statement to press outside of the White House earlier, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said that a “friendly takeover of Cuba” is a possibility. Without elaborating on the actual logistics of such a takeover, the president repeated his statement and added that it would be great for Cubans who greatly want to return to their country but can’t due to the current geopolitical dynamic between the U.S. and Cuba’s ruling regime.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. has filed a complaint seeking the forfeiture of the motor tanker Skipper, and it's 1.8M barrel cargo of Venezuelan crude oil, that was boarded and seized on December 10th in the Southern Caribbean for violating sanctions by the U.S. Coast Guard.