As Israel’s ruling party pushes forward with a bill to dissolve the Knesset amid Ultra-Orthodox anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the two frontrunners for prime minister, Naftali Bennett and Netanyahu, remain neck-and-neck, with traders on Polymarket predicting with a slim 40% chance that Bennett will be the next Prime Minister of Israel.

On the first day of the Iran War, the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike on the Tehran home of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views, which was designed to free him from house arrest and place him in a position to take over the country following the elimination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Plans to place Ahmadinejad in power after the weakening of the current Iranian regime had been developed by the Israelis with the knowledge of the United States, and had been briefed to Ahmadinejad, though quickly went awry after the strike on his home, according to the U.S. officials who were briefed on the matter and spoke to The New York Times.

Ahmadinejad was accidentally injured in the Israeli strike on his home, which destroyed a security outpost at the entrance to his street and killed several members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that were holding him hostage, and though he survived, after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan and halted further communication with Israel. He has not been seen publicly since then and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call last night that Israel’s N12 News described as “lengthy and dramatic.” U.S. President Donald J. Trump told the press earlier this week that he would allow 2-3 days for negotiations with Iran to play out. However, both sides continue to struggle to reach agreements on key points of contention.

According to the Jordanian Armed Forces, a drone of unknown origin was shot down over the Jerash Governorate, causing no damages or injuries.

Following the Russian ambassador to the UN’s claim that Ukraine was making preparations to launch drone strikes on Russia-proper from Baltic nations, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte characterized the claims as “totally ludicrous,” during a press conference earlier this morning.

Activity through the Strait of Hormuz appears to have increased over the last 24 hours, according to a visual analysis of automatic identification system (AIS) data available from MarineTraffic.com. Several vessels have transited utilizing the Iranian implemented traffic separation scheme with several more in progress.

Following drone strikes on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Iraqi territories, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denounced the strikes on themselves and their Gulf neighbors and called on Iraq to take action against the threat-actors, likely Iranian-backed militias, responsible for the attacks. So far, the UAE has yet to directly call out Iran for backing the groups that are likely responsible for the most recent tranche of drone strikes on Iran’s Gulf neighbors.

According to a release from U.S. Central Command, since the beginning of the U.S. blockade of vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports, the U.S. has redirected 90 vessels and subjected 4 to disabling fire to ensure compliance with their directives.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump spoke to press on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews before leaving to deliver the commencement speech for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. President Trump made comments on Iran, Taiwan, and noted that he thinks the China-Russia summit is positive.

Former Cuban President Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, has been indicted in a U.S. court, a U.S. official told Reuters. The move is the latest event in the ongoing tensions between the energy-strapped Caribbean nation and the U.S., as U.S. President Donald J. Trump increasingly applies both economic and diplomatic pressure on Cuba.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) from the USS Tripoli (LHA 7) amphibious ready group (ARG) conducted a boarding operation of the Iranian-flagged motor tanker (M/T) Celestial Sea in the Gulf of Oman in support of the U.S. blockade of Iran. Following a search, U.S. forces released the vessel, directing its crew away from Iranian ports. To date, U.S. forces have redirected 91 vessels during the blockade, disabling 4 more.

According to a release from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17), USS Gridley (DDG 101), and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) have now arrived in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility (AOR).

Context:
Amidst rising U.S.-Cuba tensions it’s important to note that the deployment of the Nimitz aircraft carrier was previously announced in late March, as she and her accompanying vessels are set to take part in the latest iteration of the Southern Seas 2026 passing exercises with a number of South American and Caribbean nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Uruguay. Per a SOUTHCOM release from March 23, 2026, she will also make port visits in Brazil, Chile, Panama, and Jamaica, as she circumnavigates the continent of South America.

Israeli Minister of National SecurityBen Gvir is under fire, both domestically and internationally, over a video showing him visiting a detention center where the Gaza Freedom Flotilla members were being held and processed. The video shows him arguing with detainees while also seemingly smiling at the rough handling of many of the detainees. World leaders and decision-makers from nations around the globe, including Italy, the U.S., Qatar, the Netherlands, and others have condemned the video and Minister Gvir himself. Additionally, a number of nations have summoned the Israeli ambassadors in their respective countries over the treatment of flotilla members from their countries.

Iran’s newly formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority has announced a new nominal area of control for the Strait of Hormuz. Per the release, Iran is now claiming that entry and exit points from the Arabian Gulf/Gulf of Oman into the strait are under the jurisdiction of their armed forces. This seemingly includes areas in the sovereign waters of other nations. Iran still maintains that their toll framework for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is in effect and must be adhered to in order for commercial vessels to avoid being targeted.

In a series of photos published by the Nigerian Air Force on April 29, 2026, from a visit to Bauchi Air Base by Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper can be seen in the background inside of an exposed hanger at the base, in the first confirmation last month of American military forces in Nigeria. Interestingly, this picture was taken more than two weeks before U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced its “first” joint counter-terror operation in Nigeria on May 17, 2026.

Credit to @ChrisADayton for discovering the photo on Facebook.