The U.S. State department has said that two days of intensive talks between Israeli and Lebanese negotiators will take place next week on the 14th and 15th in Washington. Per the release, “Discussions will build a framework for lasting peace and security arrangements, the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty throughout its territory, the delineation of borders, and creating concrete pathways for humanitarian relief and reconstruction in Lebanon.”

According to a release from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), at the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a strike on a vessel of a designated terrorist organization operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Per the release, 2 narco-terrorists were killed in the strike and 1 survived. Following the strike, SOUTHCOM notified the U.S. Coast Guard to begin search and rescue.

A review of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from MarineTraffic.com over the past 24 hours indicates 0 commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime chokepoints. Prior to the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28th, the average number of vessels transiting the Strait was 130.

The second Baseline 10 and SPY-6 Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to enter the U.S. surface fleet, Ted Stevens (DDG 128), left Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi yesterday for Norfolk, Virginia. She will be commissioned as the USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128) in Alaska later this year.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has been silent on whether or not a response was received last night from Iran, choosing not to speak to reporters on the matter last night when he arrived back at the White House.

Russia’s Victory Day parade took place earlier today without a hitch but absent of armored vehicles and other mobile platforms.

Overnight, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center received a report of an attack on a bulk carrier in the Persian Gulf, 23nm from Doha, Qatar by an unknown projectile. There are no injuries but there was a small fire.

Kuwait's Ministry of Defense announced earlier today that it was responding to "a number of hostile drones in Kuwaiti airspace."

U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC) is hard at work this morning with 13 U.S. Air Force C-17A "Globemaster IIIs" and 2 U.S. Air Force C-5M "Super Galaxy" aircraft active over Europe and the Middle East.

In the last few hours, the Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) air defenses have engaged 2 drones.