🇺🇸 - The US House Armed Services Committee has already included a 10-year extension to the planned retirement of the B-1B Strategic bomber in the new defence budget, but is now also considering upgrades to make the B-1 nuclear capable again.

The B-1B was originally stripped of its nuclear capabilities to comply with the START I nuclear arms reduction treaty signed with Russia in 1991, where both sides agreed to reduce strategic nuclear weapons. Since the expiration of the New START Treaty in February this year, the US is no longer required to abide by the strategic nuclear arms reductions.

🇵🇸🇮🇱 - The IDF and Muhammad Awda's family have both confirmed the death of Muhammad Awda.

A Hamas source to al-Jazeera had also confirmed the successful Israeli assassination of the Qassem Brigades commander.

🇺🇸 - Amid tension between the US and Cuba, US naval vessels deployed to the Caribbean and its surrounding waters consist of two main groups: the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) carrier group, and the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) Amphibious Ready Group.

The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), which notably took part in the Maduro capture, has stayed in the region since, alongside the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28). Between the group, approximately 4,500 marines and sailors make up the amphibious assault group that has MV-22B Ospreys as well as its own F-35B's as part of a package that specialises in amphibious assaults, like what would be required for Cuba. The USS Iwo Jima recently took part in the Venezuela diplomatic evacuation drills carried out by Marines from the group.

The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) carrier group, while in the region, is notably under-equipped to be a significant asset in an operation against Cuba. The Nimitz only has one destroyer escort, the USS Gridley (DDG-101), instead of the usual two or even three destroyer escorts normally seen for combat deployments, as the destroyers make up the majority of the carrier's defensive layer, as well as a large capacity for offensive guided missile capabilities. The Nimitz is also travelling with half of its usual 4 squadrons of Super Hornet aircraft, its main offensive aircraft, meaning the carrier group's offensive and defensive capabilities are significantly reduced. The USS Nimitz group also hasn't completed Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) to our knowledge, a multi-week training drill required for a carrier group to complete before being eligible for combat tasking. With the combination of no COMPTUEX certification and a limited carrier group footprint, the likelihood of the carrier groups' involvement in a near-future combat operation against Cuba is unlikely. The group would likely need to be reinforced first, then enter a multi-week COMPTUEX drill with its new reinforcements, which would take some time before it's ready and be noticed, or if the ship completed COMPTUEX secretly along its passage around South America, it would risk entering combat operations with limited offensive and defensive capabilities with a ship at the end of its life span.

The USS Nimitz, is scheduled to be decommissioned early next year, as the ship was stationed on the western side of the US (Bremerton, Washington), and being too large to pass through the Panama canal, it had to make a trip around south American on its way to the decommissioning port (Norfolk, Virginia), which is why its *officially* passing through the region, not as part of a specific deployment to the Caribbean.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- A wave of violent Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon over the past few hours.

🇸🇦🇮🇱⚡- "Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman privately told evangelical leader and Trump ally Mike Evans that he was ready to recognize Israel “today,” but that his father, King Salman, remained the obstacle.

“When I talked to the Crown Prince, he told me that he would acknowledge Israel today,” Evans said. “But he said his problem was his father.”

Evans said the Saudi Crown Prince had also been sharply critical of the Palestinians during their private conversation.

“The acrown Prince said, speaking to the Palestinians, they wasted our money,” Evans said. “He said they shouldn’t be attacking Israel. They should be copying Israel.”

Evans also claimed that MBS rejected the idea of dividing Jerusalem into two capitals.

The account could not be independently verified by the Post," - The Jerusalem Post.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- "URGENT WARNING TO RESIDENTS OF LEBANON LOCATED IN THE FOLLOWING VILLAGES AND TOWNS: Kfar Huna, Armati, Malikh, Jarjou, Humin al-Fawqa

-In light of the terrorist Hezbollah party's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully. The Defense Army does not intend to harm you.

- For the sake of your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns by a distance of no less than 1000 meters to open areas.

- Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and their combat means exposes their life to danger!" - Israeli Defence Force.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- "[If a ceasefire deal with Iran is reached] The American fleet of aircraft will be evacuated [from Israel] within 72 hours to bases in Europe, the aircraft will be on standby to return to Ben Gurion Airport if fighting with Iran resumes" - N12, Israeli Media.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- "The edifice of evil that is the Ayatollah regime has been significantly weakened, and its future and stability are shrouded in uncertainty. Its leaders are being hunted down, most of its military capabilities have been destroyed, and its nuclear program has been set back by years; its economy is collapsing, and its citizens have yet to grasp the magnitude of the disaster to which their extremist leaders have led them." - Eyal Zamir, Israeli Chief of the General Staff.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- "Our equation is that if there are drones, we bomb Dahiya. The Americans are preventing this, and they are our partners. If our communities are fired upon, then based on the pattern we’ve established in the past, we’re supposed to evacuate the residents of Dahiya, attack, and flatten it. If there are drones—there will be no people. We are currently in a complex situation with the U.S. in this regard. At the same time, we are committed to defending ourselves by any means necessary. No one is stopping us." - Israel Katz, Israeli Defence Minister.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- In the same meeting, Eyal Zamir, Israeli Chief of the General Staff, released data on operations against Hezbollah:

Since Operation Iron Swords (Started Oct 7, 2023), 8,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed, 2,500 of them since the start of the Iran War (February 28, 2026), and 700 of them since the start of the Ceasefire with Lebanon (April 16, 2026).

ℹ️ #Iran's internet connectivity has now been in a state of restoration for 24 hours. Service remains heavily filtered, with new restrictions on messaging and app stores compared to pre-January. Calls for a free and open internet transcend political divisions and should be heard.

🇪🇸⚡️- Spanish Anti Corruption police have raided the headquarters of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party in Madrid as part of an investigation into illegal financing.

🇺🇸🇴🇲⚡️- President Trump threatens to attack Oman if they don’t behave.

🇺🇸⚡️- The four new Heritage Foundation board members are:

- Yoram Hazony
- Mollie Hemingway
- J.C. Huizenga
- Lawrence Blanford

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- IDF soldier Rotem Yanai was killed by a Hezbollah FPV drone strike in northern Israel today.

🇮🇷⚡️- Three explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Air defense is currently active.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- BREAKING: Initial reports of an exchange of fire by the IRGC Navy and "hostile elements."

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- BREAKING: The U.S. military carried out new strikes on an Iranian military site that posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.

The U.S. military also intercepted and shot down multiple Iranian drones during the strikes.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- "Iran attacked a U.S. navy vessel and commercial ship, the U.S. then responded by attacking a drone launching platform." - Axios.

The IRGC once again attempted to challenge the U.S. blockade, according to local Iranian reports.