🇪🇬⚡- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's schizophrenic foreign policy continues to face questions over its strategic direction. Egypt had been expected to become the fourth signatory to the historic Mecca Agreement defense pact over the weekend, but ultimately withdrew at the last minute, highlighting yet again an inconsistent and often contradictory approach to regional affairs.

One of the main obstacles to Cairo becoming a founding member was its full diplomatic and strong relationship with Israel. Egypt has also sought to avoid taking sides in the growing rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, maintaining close ties with both capitals, particularly the UAE.

During the recent U.S.-Iran war, Egypt played an active military role in support of Emirati airspace security. Cairo and Abu Dhabi have also formed a non-official alliance to combat Muslim Brotherhood influence in the wider region, an alliance that has been at odds with its own self interests at times. For instance, whether that's Egypt's backing of UAE-supported, anti-Islamist commander Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya, while also backing Sudan's Islamist-leaning and Qatari-backed Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. A few months ago, Riyadh asked el-Sisi to close the al-Kufrah supply route for the Rapid Support Forces in southeast Libya–Egypt did, but for a week only.

🇸🇩🇪🇹⚡- BREAKING: The Rapid Support Forces, RSF, have captured Geisan, Ad Damazin direction, southeast Sudan. RSF are continuing their push northwards along Khawr Baba, where heavy fighting remains ongoing.

Note, the announcement of Geisan's capture by RSF media is particularly significant as it effectively reinforces allegations that Ethiopian territory is being used as a staging ground for RSF operations. Unlike the earlier offensive in the Kurmuk area, which also borders South Sudan, Geisan shares a border exclusively with Ethiopia.

Geisan is 60km away from Kurmuk.

🇾🇪⚡- Anti-Ansarullah Yemeni media reports Presidential Leadership Council forces captured a number of Ansarullah soldiers while they attempt to infiltrate Ta'izz, southern Yemen, from the northeast of the city.

🇾🇪⚡- Large-scale Ansarullah drone attack across much of eastern Yemen.

Hostile drones have been spotted over Seiyun and the Wadi Dawan area of the Hadhramaut region. Drones are also operating over the al-Jawf desert (likely to target tribal positions), Shabwah, Ma'rib, and Bayhan al-Qisab.

🇾🇪⚡- Ansarullah has issued evacuation orders for residents in western Ta'izz city, Presidential Leadership Council controlled southern Yemen, to evacuate their homes immediately.

🇾🇪⚡- Presidential Leadership Council forces (the Tihamah Brigades) report shooting down an Ansarullah drone that was attempting to double-tap the Saudi-managed commercial vessel that had been struck in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb earlier today, killing 3-5 crew members, including at least two Pakistanis.

🇾🇪⚡- An unsuccessful assassination attempt on a senior commander of the Shabwah Emergency Forces, pro Presidential Leadership Council forces, in Shabwah, central Yemen.

🇱🇾⚡- For the third time in less than 24 hours, unidentified one-way drones have struck the Zawiya oil refinery, west of Tripoli, northwest Libya.

Much of the Zawiya area is controlled by the local and anti-Dbeibeh al-Far militia, which recently clashed with GNU's al-Silaa (103rd) Battalion.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- Former Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen revealed that Israeli intelligence operatives had visited Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility on multiple occasions to gain a detailed understanding of the site.

🇩🇪⚡- Drone sightings over Hannover International Airport causing a temporary suspension of air traffic at the German airport.

🇩🇪🇺🇦⚡- ZEIT reports that video footage shows the first drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport striking the wing of the parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig Airport before failing to detonate and falling to the ground.

Investigators are treating the incident as a "deliberate attack" rather than a "warning or intimidation attempt."

🇩🇪🇺🇦🇱🇹⚡- Investigators discovered an antenna near Leipzig/Halle Airport that was used to boost control signals and guide the explosive-laden drone towards the parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft.

The drone was equipped with an extended-life battery and was operated via a cellular network, allowing it to be controlled remotely from virtually anywhere in the world.

DNA samples on the drone trace it back to Lithuania.

🇻🇪🇮🇱⚡- After a 17-year break, Venezuela and Israel have restored relations.

🇪🇬🇮🇱⚡- Senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yonatan Urich, has denied that Egypt was one of the two Middle Eastern countries mentioned in a recent bombshell intelligence leak. The leaked report alleged that one regional state had advised another to pursue a policy of false peace with Israel in order to lower Tel Aviv's guard while simultaneously preparing for a future large-scale confrontation.

The controversy has intensified after members of Netanyahu's opposition accused the Prime Minister's Office of deliberately leaking the sensitive intelligence. Although Urich firmly rejected claims that Egypt was one of the countries involved, his response indirectly suggested that the intelligence assessment is authentic and real.

Source: Israeli Channel 11 and Ynet.

As Rerum Novarum initially stated, our assessment remains: Turkey is likely the country to have asked Saudi Arabia to pursue false normalization with Israel, while preparing for a future confrontation.

🇺🇸🇮🇳⚡️- Vivek Ramaswamy’s position in the Ohio governor’s race has deteriorated sharply since March, with Amy Acton now leading him 55% to 47% on Polymarket.

🇺🇸🫏⚡️- After posting a video on social media of harvesting her eggs with her paunchy physique on display, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been confirmed to have broken up with her fiancée, Riley Roberts.

🇺🇸🫏⚡️- DSA candidate for Governor of Wisconsin, Francesca Hong, is severely underperforming in the Democratic primary and is currently losing to establishment-backed David Crowley.

Hong has been lambasted for her previous social media posts in which she called to abolish Thanksgiving, as she claims it is a bastion of White supremacy, in addition to various attacks against White Americans in general.