Reports say multiple ballistic missile tests were conducted overnight from different parts of Iran. Some reports claim they were part of a surprise readiness drill by the IRGC Aerospace Force.

DR Congo: US decided to impose sanctions on key mineral smugglers fueling armed conflict in the country’s eastern regions.

When Trump meets Putin in Alaska on Friday, no seasoned Russia experts are expected in the room.

In his second term, Trump has replaced career diplomats with loyalists and gutted the federal workforce, leaving key foreign policy posts unfilled.

Moscow talks have been led by real estate developer Steve Witkoff, a political ally with no foreign policy experience, after veteran Russia and Ukraine specialists were pushed out.

Source: FT

The Israeli military says that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has approved the “main concept” for a new attack plan in Gaza.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Syrian counterpart, the Syrian Defense Minister, and the head of Syrian intelligence in Ankara.

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan on Suwayda:

One of main actors behind this dark picture has turned out to be Israel.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani:

What happened in Suwayda is a fabricated matter by Israel.

President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged violence committed by French troops during Cameroon’s independence war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan:

We are witnessing developments concerning the YPG that we are finding increasingly hard to tolerate. We see that terrorists from Türkiye , Iraq, Iran, and Europe have not left Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan:

The turmoil the YPG is expecting will not happen, and even if it does, it will not produce the outcome they want.

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan:

In Syria, if Türkiye's security demands are not met, we will have no choice but to take action.

US authorities have secretly embedded location trackers in certain high-risk AI chip shipments to catch illegal diversions to China.

Source: Reuters

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan to YPG:

So you’re planning to bring in someone from the region to keep your organization going, even though it would hurt not just the Kurds but all of Syria. Is that really the strategy you want to follow?

Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan to YPG:

We’re not fools.

Just because we invest a lot of goodwill in this process doesn’t mean we don’t see the little tricks you’re trying to pull.

I’m warning you again and calling on you: the position you’re taking is not the right one.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani:

The Druze are part of Syrian society, and there is absolutely no intention to exclude them in any way; this is a claim made by Israel.

Russia says Trump and Putin will discuss “all the accumulated issues” in bilateral relations.

Source: Reuters

Russian Foreign Ministry:

The West's decision to enlarge NATO and to attempt to include Ukraine was one of the key causes of the Ukraine crisis.

Gaza Health Ministry:

In the past 24 hours, 8 people, including 3 children, have died due to famine and malnutrition, bringing the total death toll to 235, including 106 children.

Source: Al Jazeera

Russian Foreign Ministry:

Moscow has not yet received a formal response from Kyiv regarding the initiative to create three working groups for negotiations.

US official to Axios:

If Trump's rhetoric sounds pro-Russian at times, it's because he believes that kind of public messaging will help him get a deal.

Trump is still pissed off at Putin. He's really had enough.

US official to Axios:

Even if the diplomatic efforts fail, Trump will continue selling weapons to NATO countries for Ukraine.