Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa:

I will open the presidential palace for tourist visits once it becomes a source of decisions that bring good to Syria.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Shaara responds to Israel’s Defense Minister Katz:

His statements are nonsense.

Israelis are the last ones who should be talking.

Their claims are baseless.

Trump’s envoy Witkoff plans to visit Moscow for a meeting with Putin.

Source: Bloomberg

EXCLUSIVE: YPG/SDF has ordered non-Syrian PKK members to leave Syria as soon as possible.

NEW: Zelenskyy meets Saudi Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah.

NEW: The U.S. State Department stated that Rubio and the Saudi Crown Prince discussed Syria and explored ways to promote a stable government.

NEW: The U.S. State Department stated that Rubio reiterated the United States’ firm commitment that any solution to the situation in Gaza must not include any role for Hamas.

NEW: In a meeting with Ukraine’s President Zelensky, Saudi Crown Prince underscored his support for all international efforts aimed at resolving the crisis and achieving peace.

Source: Saudi State News Agency

NEW: U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to build metals refining facilities on Pentagon military bases to boost domestic production of critical minerals and counter China’s dominance in the sector.

An executive order could be signed as soon as Wednesday. Trump also plans to appoint a “critical minerals czar” to oversee the administration’s efforts.

The plan underscores national security concerns, as U.S. military weaponry relies on minerals processed by Beijing.

Source: Reuters

NEW: The Trump administration may resume intelligence and military support to Ukraine if upcoming high-level talks on a potential peace process show progress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. He expressed optimism about todays meeting, hinting at a possible policy shift.

Rubio also said that Ukraine must give up some of the territory seized by Russia since 2014 for any agreement to end the war.

Source: WSJ, Politico

Israel's defence ministry is set to procure 5,000 drones. This has sparked controversy due to the inclusion of Chinese technology. The debate has been sparked by the cybersecurity risks posed by a Hong Kong-based company, Team BlackSheep, which is supplying key components.

Several Israeli companies, including Dronix, Extend and Robotichan, are vying for the contract. Some companies are proposing alternatives using secure digital communications instead of the mandated Chinese analogue systems.

The tender could expand to 20,000 drones and exceed 70 million shekels.

Source: Globe News

European defense stocks, particularly Rheinmetall, Thales, and Leonardo, are experiencing a sharp rally due to increased military budgets. Germany’s commitment to unlocking hundreds of billions of euros for defense is a key driver. Rheinmetall's valuation now competes with luxury brands like LVMH and Birkin bag maker Hermes International.

Source: Bloomberg

Nato has urged the EU and Turkey to improve their relations as US President Donald Trump’s retreat from European security forces the continent’s capitals to rapidly rethink their alliances.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte has privately urged EU leaders to step up engagement with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after years of strained relations, according to officials briefed on his remarks.

Source: FT

About two months ago, YPG/SDF ringleader Mazlum Abdi travelled to Damascus with a US officer to discuss joining the Damascus government, but Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa refused to include the US officer in the talks.

In these initial meetings, Abdi stressed that he was not the decision-maker on the inclusion of SDF-controlled areas in the new Syrian government and that he needed the consent of some parties, or what he called his references.

Al-Sharaa said he could not negotiate or agree with someone who could not make a decision and asked him to go back and consult his references.

Source: Al Jazeera

Situation after the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia.

Russia claims to have shut down 337 drones overnight in all regions.

Trump responds to Doug Ford:

"We don't need your energy."

Trump supports Musk:

"Elon is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!

I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American."

This was the largest drone attack on Russia this year.

Russian MoD claims 337 drones were shot down overnight in the most extensive UAV attack of 2025.

Moscow region: 91 drones
Kursk region: 126
Bryansk region: 38
Belgorod region: 25
Ryazan region: 22
Kaluga region: 10
Lipetsk & Oryol regions: 8 each
Voronezh region: 6
Nizhny Novgorod region: 3

Ukraine launched the record-breaking drone strike on Moscow just before talks with the U.S.