I - On Defense Podcast

For review: 1. Saudi air defenses intercepted at least two suspected Houthi drones on Saturday morning, according to the spokesman for the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition. 2. Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Saturday reportedly warned the United States and Israel against returning to war, according to a written statement, following threats from Tehran’s foes of a possible resumption of strikes, which a report said could come as early as November 4, the day after the US midterms. 3. US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke on Saturday morning over the phone as the United States laid plans to resume strikes on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported the call, citing people familiar with the conversation, as Trump told reporters in Palm Beach later in the day that the US wanted to destroy up to two more targets in Iran. 4. Iran on Sunday said that any renewed war with the United States or Israel could last longer than the previous round of fighting, warning that US President Donald Trump would not be able to dictate its end. 5. A multi-day ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky ended late Sunday with no violations reported by either side. The truce, announced by US first lady Melania Trump to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations, took effect Tuesday and was extended beyond Oleshky, in the Kherson region, to provide safe passage for humanitarian convoys. 6. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Oct. 30 denied that Moscow seeks to arrange a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky instead of a face-to-face meeting. 7. German tank maker KNDS and Norway’s Ritek have begun producing Leopard 2A8 tanks in Norway, adding a land-based industrial foothold to a security partnership spanning submarines, missiles and military operations in Europe’s north. 8. Hanwha Philly Shipyard has won a $269 million contract to build the Marine Corps’ Landing Ship Medium, according to a Friday announcement from the program’s vessel construction manager.

For review: 1. Pakistan’s military is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation between Iran and the United States, its spokesman said on Friday. Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir— has been to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish officials. Qatari mediators returned Friday to Tehran, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters, after US Vice President JD Vance contacted Mohsen Rezaei, the hardline head of Iran’s National Security Council, whom Washington reportedly sees as the best-placed official to head off renewed fighting. 2. The US military’s top commander overseeing the Middle East met President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to present military options concerning Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and others with direct knowledge of the meeting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine also joined the meeting, at which US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper presented the options, according to the report. 3. As Israel continues to target Hamas operatives in Gaza, the Shin Bet security agency reportedly has been calling members of the terror group ahead of strikes, offering them a choice: Leave their homes and be killed alone, or be killed along with their family members. 4. The State Department announced today that it has approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine. 5. Switzerland narrowed down the choice of the country’s second future long-range air defense system to either Israel’s Barak MX system or the French-Italian SAMP/T NG, while also sticking to plans to buy the United States’ Patriot air-defense system. 6. Nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (K-553), assigned to the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet, launched a RSM-56 Bulava SLBM from the sea of Okhotsk in northwest Russia.

For review: 1. The Houthis reported 12 killed in strikes Thursday on residential areas of western Yemen, which they blamed on Saudi Arabia, while explosions later rocked Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said on Thursday it had intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by the group toward the Saudi capital, soon after fresh explosions were reported there. 2. The United States has informed several unspecified Gulf Arab countries to be ready for a short yet intensive military offensive against Iran following the American midterm elections on November 3, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday evening. 3. US Vice President JD Vance has contacted Iran’s security chief in a bid to revive peace talks that could head off a renewed American assault on the Islamic Republic. VP Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the WSJ reported, in a move that one of the newspaper’s sources said was directed by US President Donald Trump. 4. Russia’s next round of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US could take place in Abu Dhabi after Nov. 4, but Moscow has yet to confirm a date and will not invite European representatives, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said. 5. The leaders of Norway and Finland held a rare call Tuesday with Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine. 6. The United Kingdom plans to reach 3 percent GDP spending on defense by 2030, Chancellor John Healey announced today. In addition, he said that next year’s spending review would spell out exactly how the UK plans to hit the NATO commitment of spending 3.5 percent GDP on defense by 2035, and how the UK will be at 3 percent by 2030.

For review: 1. Top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran on Monday in a bid to de-escalate the Middle East conflict. 2. Qatar’s ruler and the Iranian president discussed the Middle East war and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz during a meeting in Moscow, the emir’s office said Tuesday. 3. A private geospatial intelligence firm said it examined 40 missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq between July 1 and October 19. In every case, the firm found the same pattern of Russian government and military satellites orbiting above the areas for days before and after. 4. The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group has spent three months preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with Israel, after receiving an infusion of cash from Iran, according to Lebanese security personnel briefed on its activities. 5. Albania finalized its participation agreement with the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza over the weekend, with Albanian liaison officers expected to deploy to the region in November, according to a statement from the US-backed Board of Peace. 6. The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a nearly $700 million contract for the production and fielding of a hypersonic missile. The service granted Lockheed the $694 million contract in late September as it moved the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon from prototyping and flight testing to production.

For review: 1. Havana on Friday, October 23, mocked the "desperation" of the United States after it called for Cubans to collaborate with the CIA, as Washington intensifies its pressure on the communist island. 2. Houthi media reported Saturday that Saudi strikes killed 11 people in Yemeni capital Sanaa, shortly after the Saudi-led coalition fighting them said it had intercepted two missiles targeting Saudi cities. 3. Two Iranian officials, one of them a Revolutionary Guards member, confirmed to NYT on Saturday that the Islamic Republic is preparing to target US diplomats and personnel, the newspaper said. The unnamed officials US officials were seen as “fair game” given the number of Iranian officials and their relatives that the US and Israel have killed. 4. US President Donald Trump doubles down on his endorsement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling Israelis he needs to be reelected on Tuesday so that the two leaders can “finish the job” against Iran. 5. Senior Israeli military officials have presented intelligence to their US counterparts that indicates Hamas has no intention of disarming and is instead rebuilding its forces in the Gaza Strip in preparation for possible renewed fighting. 6. Denmark will acquire two types of long-range precision missiles in an effort to “strengthen national and collective deterrence.” The purchases of F-35 Joint Strike Missiles, and ground-launched Anthem cruise missiles, “are a significant step towards making Denmark better able to defend itself,” said Minister of Defence Jeppe Bruus in a statement. 7. China built more than twice the naval tonnage of the United States in the 2024-25 period, narrowing the gap between the two countries’ navies, according to the World Defense Shipbuilding. The combined tonnage of combat ships built by China in the two years through to December 2025 amounted to 636,208 tons, compared to 270,509 tons for the United States.

For review: 1. US SEC of State urged Cubans seeking political change Friday to discreetly cooperate with the CIA. "To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time," Sec of State Rubio wrote in a post on X. 2. The UK is sending military support to Saudi Arabia as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launch repeated attacks on the kingdom. The aircraft will protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure from drones and missiles, the Ministry of Defense said. They will not carry out offensive strikes against Houthi targets. 3. Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Persian Gulf if the United States and Israel attack Iran again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. 4. A US envoy claimed Friday that Washington could strike Iran this weekend, but President Donald Trump appeared to pour cold water on the idea, subsequently telling reporters he was unfamiliar with such plans. 5. Up to 500 Moroccan personnel have undergone training in preparation for deployment with the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, a Board of Peace official told The Times of Israel Monday, as preparations for the multinational force continue despite significant delays in implementing the US-backed Gaza peace plan. 6. French and British air forces have for the first time staged a joint exercise simulating a nuclear strike, the countries’ defense ministries said in a statement Friday. 7. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has mediated a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in and around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast to allow the safe evacuation of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid. 8. The Pentagon and LM announced today they reached a framework agreement covering a decade’s worth of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production and sustainment, potentially inaugurating a transformative deal for the stealth jet’s enterprise. 9. The U.S. Marine Corps stood up its first Medium-range Missile Battalion last week as the service works to integrate longer range and maritime strike capabilities across the force. 10. The U.S. Army’s recently activated a Guam-based air defense battalion meant to protect the island from increasingly advanced air and missile threats fielded by China and North Korea.

For review: 1. Washington has ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the State Department says, as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthis. 2. Yemen's Houthis said that they had neither launched drones towards the Saudi holy city ​of Medina on Wednesday nor conducted military operations towards Saudi ‌Arabia, refuting earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. 3. Turkey’s government has asked parliament to ratify a mutual defense agreement it signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan,. Mirroring NATO’s Article 5, the so-called Mecca Joint Defense Agreement commits the sides to view an armed attack against one as an attack on all three. 4. Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a deal on Wednesday to deepen their defence industry cooperation,. The four countries signed the memorandum of understanding in Doha, building on existing military projects through joint production, technology transfers and more closely integrated supply chains. 5. Turkish spending on platform procurement is projected to increase by 229 percent under the proposed fiscal 2027 budget, said Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz. 6. Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei told visiting Pakistani army chief Asim Munir on Tuesday that Tehran will not allow nuclear material to leave the country, according to state TV, and delivered the message that there would be no talks with Washington until its demands were met. 7. Dozens of Israeli fighter jets and refueling aircraft reportedly flew over Syria and Iraq toward the Iranian border earlier this week, following a flight path resembling an attack on Iran. The aircraft turned around shortly before reaching Iranian territory and returned to Israel, according to an Axios report citing unnamed US and Israeli officials. 8. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin would be ready to resume trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine peace talks after mid-November, at the request of US special envoy Steve Witkoff who met with Putin for around three hours Wednesday. The meeting in St. Petersburg came off the back of Witkoff’s “productive” Tuesday summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway, as the United States seeks to advance proposals to end to the war. 9. Norway is set to begin receiving its 16 South Korean-made Chunmoo rocket artillery systems in 2028, the acting chief of the Norwegian army told Breaking Defense, as the country faces an increasing Russian threat. “Initial capability is expected by 2029 and the operators will be trained in Norway.

For review: 1. The US Military is deploying several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America for training and joint exercises with regional, Fox News confirmed. The deployment involves soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, New York, with the first troops from a roughly 600-soldier battalion expected to deploy to Panama, according to the NYT, which first reported the deployment. Separately, several hundred soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to help staff a new Western Hemisphere military command based in Miami. 2. More than 50 people were killed and over 200 wounded when Yemen’s Houthis hit a military camp in the energy-rich Shabwa province with ballistic missiles, officials and military sources said on Monday. 3. Egypt's top security body said Sunday it has agreed to support close ally Saudi Arabia in the major escalation of fighting between the kingdom and Houthis in Yemen, which has marked the latest front in the Iran war. 4. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir placed the military on its “highest state of alert” ahead of next week’s election and canceled soldiers’ leave, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel’s enemies not to test the country. 5. Ukraine and Russia should focus on ending the war between them, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during his visit to Uzbekistan on Monday. 6. US President Donald Trump said Monday, Oct. 19, that he was willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month, potentially without President Volodymyr Zelensky, while renewing his criticism of Kyiv and suggesting that someone else should negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf. 7. The German Ministry of Defence has formally notified Boeing that it will not be directly procuring the company’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone wingman, as Berlin readjusts plans for a lucrative Collaborative Combat Aircraft procurement. 8. A specialized Army artillery battery focused on the European theater carried out its first test fire of a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile from a Typhon missile system in recent weeks.

For review: 1. Many of the recent drone & missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on Saudi Arabia are based on targeting intelligence provided by the Islamic regime, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. 2. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said on Saturday Egypt would take any measures necessary to defend Saudi Arabia “if requested,” amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom, and parliament announced an emergency session on Sunday. 3. Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the US military’s Central Command, said in a video statement Saturday that “there are reports” that Tehran’s regional proxies were withholding payments to fighters to “funnel money back” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also said the “Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran,” even as at least one tanker was reportedly struck in the key waterway. 4. Four Hamas operatives, including a terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7 onslaught, were killed in recent strikes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military announced Saturday. 5. The U.S. Army laid out its plans to prepare for a prolonged fight in the Pacific along the First Island Chain in the service’s new warfighting guidance released this month. 6. Ukraine is negotiating with its European partners to establish a separate European track for dialogue with Russia aimed at achieving a diplomatic settlement to the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

For review: 1. Iran-aligned Houthi rebels carried out a deadly attack on the presidential Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, the headquarters of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, on Thursday, killing five people, including two members of Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani’s security detail. 2. The United States is considering using its biggest non-nuclear bomb against Iran if US President Donald Trump should decide to renew combat in the war that has hit a deadlock, CNN reported Thursday. 3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Wednesday that he is against a US or Israeli attack on Iran in the coming days, ahead of the Israeli election on October 27. 4. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday told Druze supporters that he spoke with Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa shortly after Israel, citing the need to protect Syrian Druze, bombed government targets in Damascus last year. 5. France will develop a next-generation combat aircraft domestically as a successor to the Rafale, after a joint project with Germany and Spain for a future combat air system collapsed earlier this year, Air and Space Force Chief of Staff Jérôme Bellanger said. 6. US Army is looking to expand its Common Autonomous Multi-doman Launcher (CAML) program by adding a third, light variant in partnership with the Australian military. 7. Lockheed Martin is investing $300 million to expand its plant in Grand Prairie, Texas, which supports all programs across its Missiles and Fire Control business, including the PAC-MSE, THAAD interceptors, the Precision Strike Missile, and the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile.

For review: 1. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed Tuesday it had targeted a Yemeni oil company facility in Sanaa and two sites in other provinces, hours after urging civilians to evacuate the area of the strike in the Houthi-held capital. 2. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford airbase in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 3. Iran is strengthening defenses around its nuclear sites and preparing for possible renewed fighting with the United States, while Iranian officials have warned of possible ground incursions into neighboring countries, The WSJ reported on Monday. 4. The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom have called on the Palestinian Authority to reverse its decision to delay legislative and presidential elections, originally planned for November, until September 2027. 5. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to what he described as an “energy ceasefire,” prompting surprise from Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the announcement was “news” to him. 6. France will begin training Ukrainian pilots on the Rafale fighter jet next month, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said in a parliamentary hearing. 7. The U.S. Army has taken delivery of its first Korean-made mobile tactical cannon less than a year after first issuing a solicitation, service officials said Thursday.

For review: 1. Yemen’s Houthis attacked Riyadh’s international airport with a missile on Saturday, in an attack that Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said killed at least 12 people and injured over 300. 2. Yemeni military forces were advancing against the Houthis in areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Saturday, sources told AFP, but have yet to secure control of the waterway after the government launched an operation to recapture lost territory. 3. Greece has reached a deal with the US worth up to $4 billion for weapons purchases and F-16 upgrades. The package would upgrade older F-16s to the Viper configuration and supply advanced missiles and bombs for the country’s F-16 Vipers, planned F-35 fleet, and Black Hawk helicopters. 4. Lockheed Martin on Friday unveiled PAC-3 Edge, a missile interceptor designed to defend against hypersonic and advanced missile threats.

For review: 1. Two attacks on Riyadh airport killed three Saudi nationals on Thursday, authorities said Friday, as Yemen’s Houthis stepped up missile strikes on the kingdom and tried to shut down its airspace The Iran-backed Yemeni rebels had said Thursday that they struck King Khalid International Airport with two cruise missiles. 2. US President Donald Trump has had the Pentagon draw up new plans for three days of intensive strikes on Iranian military and energy sites, focusing on its missile and drone arsenals, NYT reported on Thursday. 3. US Vice President JD Vance said in an exclusive interview with Reuters that Iran must make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to satisfy US demands and end the countries’ seven-month war, even as Washington was unsure how Tehran makes decisions in negotiations. 4. Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh has informed France that a Palestinian legislative election planned for November 28 will be postponed, possibly until September 2027, because of worsening conditions throughout the Palestinian territories, according to a letter seen by Reuters. 5. President Trump decided to make a diesel fuel deal with Russia after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ignored half a dozen U.S. requests to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, a U.S. official with direct knowledge told Axios. 6. Fielding of the M8 carbine, which appears set to replace Sig Sauer’s M7 as the Army’s standard rifle less than three years after the M7’s initial fielding began, will begin in December with some units at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, company executives confirmed to Military Times Monday. 7. The Pentagon inked a five-year contract with Raytheon for the steady production of ballistic missile interceptors that use force to destroy targets, rather than explosives. The $6.3 billion contract, which provides two additional option years, will see Raytheon provide the Defense Department with a continuous supply of Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptors manufactured primarily in Tucson, Arizona and Huntsville, Alabama. 8. A new U.S. Army multi-domain task force was activated this week with a ceremony at Fort Carson, Colorado. The 4th Multi-Domain Task Force will focus on synchronizing long-range precision fires in the Indo-Pacific region “to deny, disrupt and disaggregate adversary capabilities” and create advantages for other units in the joint force, the Army said in a release.

For review: 1. The Saudi-led coalition, pushing to retake strategic territory seized by the Houthis, said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of the Saudi capital Riyadh. The escalation came after Yemeni government forces, with Saudi-led coalition air support, launched a lightning counteroffensive this week to capture the Red Sea coast around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait shipping route and the city of Mokha. 2. New satellite images show “significant renewed activity” at the underground Minzadehei nuclear facility near Tehran, which the IDF bombed during the war with Iran this year, according to a report published Tuesday by the Institute for Science and International Security. 3. Iran has “lost complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday, adding that Tehran’s economy was “in total and complete freefall.” 4. Lithuania is ready to pay the cost to set up a permanent U.S. military base if Washington should agree to establish one there, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said on Tuesday. The US has kept an armored battalion of almost 1,000 troops there since 2019, in overlapping rotations, meaning the troops arrive and leave every few months. 5. France test-fired an upgraded version of its M51 strategic ballistic missile from a submarine for the first time on Tuesday, a capability demonstration that President Emmanuel Macron called “very important” for the country’s strategic credibility and which he said would be monitored by allies and adversaries alike. 6. Anduril is establishing a new shipyard to manufacture parts for Virginia-class Submarines in Baltimore County, Md., the company and the White House announced today. The new facility, dubbed Arsenal-2, comes with a $6.6 billion investment, including $3.7 billion in private capital and up to $2.9 billion from the Navy. And notably, today’s announcement marks Anduril’s first entry into the supply chain for a major legacy defense program.

For review: 1. The US Air Force has brought home its bombers stationed at a US run military air base in England used to strike Iran following an investigation into a planned terror attack at the RAF Fairford base. 2. The U.S. military is dispatching roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Thursday. It includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. 3. Forces of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen have recaptured several key areas around Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Yemeni officials said Monday. The officials said forces allied with the internationally recognized government have retaken the crucial town of Dhubab just north of the strait. They also captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid. 4. The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen say they struck the international airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, an Aramco refinery and sites across the kingdom’s south. 5. Britain has warned Israel that it could expel 27 Israeli diplomats from the embassy in London if Israel follows through on its decision to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, where 27 British diplomats work, according to an unsourced Ynet report on Monday. 6. The United States is pushing for Ukraine and Russia to hold negotiations at the technical level before the end of the month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 4. 7. German Chancellor Merz has announced a new round of military aid for Ukraine, valued at approximately €1 billion ($1.1 billion), to include turbojet-powered drone interceptors, standoff weapons and space-based technology. 8. Germany plans to stand up its first dedicated drone regiment next year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced. Pistorius said ground forces will begin forming the regiment in 2027.

For review: 1. The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Friday the seizure of two ships bound for Cuba that were illegally carrying thousands of gallons of diesel fuel amid the ongoing fuel blockade to the country imposed by President Donald Trump. 2. Senior Trump administration officials met at Camp David on Friday to discuss the war with Iran and escalating conflict between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government army. 3. Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, with options being considered including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multiple fronts, regional and Western officials told Reuters. 4. The first batch of Taiwan’s new-build Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighter jets have arrived on the island, the country’s military announced today. 5. The U.S. Army on Tuesday signed agreements with Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin, Mach Industries and RTX to create advanced long-range missile prototypes, Redstone Arsenal announced this week.

For review: 1. The United Arab Emirates on Thursday launched investigations into possible “terrorist activity” aboard flydubai FLT FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the copilot stabbed the pilot in an apparent attempt to crash the plane full of Israeli passengers. 2. A Russian strategic bomber crashed Tuesday on a training mission in the country's far east, killing six members of its crew, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry said in a statement that the Tu-95 bomber went down in an unpopulated area in the Amur region, adding that one crewmember survived the crash and was hospitalized with injuries. 3. Iranian officials indicated Wednesday that they have received an official US response to Tehran’s latest proposal to end the seven-month war, which US President Donald Trump had publicly rejected just days earlier. The officials did not say what the response contained, nor whether it was a rejection or not. 4. British police have arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a US-run military airbase in England that was used to carry out strikes on Iran, police said Thursday. 5. Finland celebrated the recent delivery of its first pair of F-35 fifth generation fighter jets today at a special ceremony hosted by the Finnish air force’s Lapland Air Wing. 6. RTX’s unit won a multiyear contract worth up to $24.4 billion to produce Standard Missile-6 interceptors for the U.S. Navy, the service said on Thursday. 7. The U.S. Air Force has ordered four more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, the first under full-rate production, Boeing said Thursday, just weeks after the service declared the aircraft ready for its nuclear missile security mission. 8. Secretary of War Speech to Senior Officers at Quantico

For review: 1. U.K.'s counterterrorism police release five suspects on bail during an investigation into a suspected bomb plot at a U.S.-operated air force base in England. Police confirmed Tuesday that no explosives were found in three vans linked to the suspects, and said the decision to grant bail was grounded in “experience and strategy.” 2. Iran threatened on Tuesday to attack infrastructure around the Middle East, intensifying its rhetoric as it awaits a formal response from Washington on a new plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 3. US President Donald Trump on Monday denied a report that he is prepared to offer Iran sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions by the Islamic Republic. 4. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday pushed for the further implementation of a framework agreement with Israel during his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. 5. The commander of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City early Tuesday, marking the third top commander in the terror group to be killed in recent weeks. 6. Russian special services were behind the fire at a building used by an Estonian military robotics company last month, the government in Tallinn said on Tuesday. 7. Russia plans to spend $202.6 billion, on defense in 2027, around 27% more than the $159.8 billion, originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. 8. The Navy has chosen Boeing over Northrop Grumman to build its sixth-generation strike fighter, dubbed F/A-XX, two sources told Breaking Defense ahead of the formal announcement. The selection locks Boeing in as the sole supplier of sixth-generation fighters for the US. 9. The Defense Department has awarded Raytheon a multiyear contract worth up to $20.7 billion to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs. The Pentagon said the deal will nearly double AMRAAM production.

For review: 1. The U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide the military's Southern Command with police forces, medical personnel and other support units within the next four months, according to an internal Army message reviewed by CBS News. 2. Israel on Sunday gave Dutch diplomats serving in Ramallah seven days to return their Israeli-issued diplomatic credentials, retaliating after a Dutch ban on goods from Israeli businesses in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights went into effect. Their diplomatic privileges granted by Israel will expire at the end of that period, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on X. 3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the UAE today to meet with Emirati President Mohamed Bin Zayed, Channel 12 reports, citing two sources. 4. Iran stood firm Sunday on its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump rejected its proposal. Iran’s plan called for a cessation of all hostilities in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, according to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and fulfilling conditions in the ceasefire deal that fell apart months ago. 5. US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, despite his rejection of a truce proposal put forward by Tehran. 6. British police said on Sunday they had arrested five men on suspicion of “preparing a terrorist act” and offenses under the Explosives Act, and the army was examining several vehicles after security was stepped up at a British air base used by US air forces in southwest England. 7. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said on Saturday that Hamas agreed last year to a roadmap that ultimately includes the establishment of a Palestinian state. In an interview with Qatar’s Al-Araby channel, Hayya was asked about Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm as part of the Gaza ceasefire, but did not directly say whether the terror group would agree to disarm. 8. North Korea test launched a new weapon over the weekend that appears to be a hypersonic missile, according to photos released Tuesday by state media Korean Central News Agency . 9. The first Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 was handed over to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Tuesday. The KF-21 is considered a 4.5-generation fighter jet and will be equipped with a mix of indigenous and Western sensors and weapons in service, including the KGGB precision glide bomb and European MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile.

For review: 1. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit many of his favorite themes in a combative speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, including the threat Iran poses to the world and the Jewish people’s determination to stand up to antisemitism and attempts to annihilate them. 2. In a pre-recorded address played before the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas knocked US President Donald Trump’s administration for preventing him from attending the forum in person for the second year in a row. In his roughly 22-minute speech, Abbas bitterly criticized Israel for its policies against the Palestinians, insisting that Ramallah has completed the reforms demanded by the international community and recommitted to a two-state solution with a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside Israel. 3. US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections. 4. An Israeli official has claimed that another round of strikes against Iran is “only a matter of time,” saying Tehran is racing to reactivate and fortify its nuclear program in anticipation of a possible attack, Saudi news channel Al-Hadath reported on Thursday. 5. China has sent around 1,300 air shipments containing dual-use components for drones and missiles to Iran’s Defense Ministry this year through the end of June, The Wall Street Journal reported. 6. Saudi Arabia intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Thursday that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said were aimed at Taif in western Saudi Arabia and the Yanbu area on the Red Sea. 7. The United States has proposed that the United Arab Emirates host a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia to discuss efforts to ​end their four-and-a-half-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday. 8. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has lobbied U.S. defense leaders to allow the production of PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles in Germany, arguing an additional production site would help alleviate a glaring shortfall in the global supply chain for the vital air-defense weapons.