🇸🇴🏴‍☠️🇮🇱⚡- Israel has appointed Michael Lotem to be the official ambassador to Somaliland four months after Israel recognized their state.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Five IDF soldiers were wounded today in southern Lebanon by Hezbollah rocket fire.

🇺🇸⚡️- President Trump approved more H-2B visas for seasonal guest workers after meeting with associates with ties to his businesses, the WSJ reports.

The Trump Admin reversed course earlier this year on cutting these visas and instead brought in the maximum amount of allowed under the law.

🇺🇸🇻🇦⚡️- This reporting from the Wall Street Journal comes amid the feud between MAGA and Pope Leo over the Catholic Church being too lenient on immigration and its denunciation of the Iran War.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Heavy close combat clashes between Hezbollah fighters and IDF soldiers in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Israeli helicopters are evacuating wounded soldiers from southern Lebanon amid ongoing clashes in Bint Jbeil, according to Al Jadeed.

🇺🇸🇭🇹⚡️- US House and Senate have voted to extend Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in the US. The votes were bipartisan.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇱🇧⚡️- Iranian Speaker of Parliament Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf:

"The completion and consolidation of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon will be the result of the resistance and steadfast struggle of the great Hezbollah and the unity of the Axis of Resistance.

The United States must comply with the agreement.

Resistance and Iran are one soul, both in war and in ceasefire.

America should withdraw from “Israel First” mistake."

🇺🇸🇭🇹⚡️- Republican Representative from New York Nicole Malliotakis cites skilled Haitian nursing home staff as the reason she voted to renew Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

Malliotakis joined five other Republicans in voting to renew TPS for nearly 350,000 Haitians currently living in the United States.

🇩🇪🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- “Of course, this comparison is an insult to Hitler.” - Iranian Embassy in South Africa on X.

🇦🇺⚡️- A massive fire broke out at the Viva Energy refinery in Australia, which leaves Australia with only one operating refinery. The refinery processed around 120,000 barrels per day and supplied around 10% of Australia’s fuel supply.

Notably, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already called on citizens to ration fuel amid a global oil shortage following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with officials ruling out intentional malice.

🇺🇸⚡️- "On April 15, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed." - U.S. Southern Command.

🇺🇸🇨🇺⚡️- USA Today quoting a US Officials reports that the US military is planning for a pentagon led operation inside Cuba, for the chance that President Donald Trump gives the order.

🇺🇸🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- "Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice! President DJT" - President Trump via Truth Social.

🇺🇸🇱🇾⚡️- Over the past few days, the US Military has been hosting exercise Flintlock 2026 in Libya, a multinational exercise consisting of over 30 nations, typically hosted within the West African Sahel region. The exercise will see troops from the Tripoli‑based Government of National Unity and Haftar’s eastern Libyan National Army train side by side for the first time.

John W. Brennan, Deputy Commander of the US AFRICOM, stated the goal of the exercise and military cooperation with Libya was the potential for reunification of the 2 factions who have been battling for control over Libya since the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and creating a unified Libyan military. Deputy Commander Brennan also stating "The magnitude of the investment potential is an incentive for a reunification — The stabilization of Libya may also allow for tapping into resources for various industries, especially for high-tech and defense".

Russia has embedded itself within the eastern based Libyan National Army faction by its presence of Russia' Africa Corps (Formally Wagner Group troops), which gave Russia access and influence to Libya, and its oil and was used as a bridging point for its troops in Syria to Russian. Russia also sought to use Libya as a backup location where its troops went after its defeat in post-Assad Syria, and was also reportedly in talks to build a Naval base within Libya after they were asked to leave Russia's only Mediterranean naval base in Syria.

The reunification of Libya and move towards western support could also see diminishing value of Russia's troops and influence in Libya, possibly leading to Russia’s eviction from another country.

🇺🇸⚡️- Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin states, “We want immigration, we want legal immigration… we are a nation of immigrants.”

He then later adds that the deportations of illegal immigrants that came in during the Biden administration are fiscally impossible, effectively rendering the possible limitation of any form of immigration a dead issue.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇴🇲⚡️- Reuters reports that Iran could be willing to allow ships to sail freely through the Oman side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of the proposals it has offered to the United States.