Officials tell Reuters that the Iranian drone shot down earlier today over the Arabian Sea was a Shahed-139 Surveillance Drone, which was downed by an F-35C Lightning ll with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) after approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

Despite attempts to deescalate, the drone continued flying in the direction of the Lincoln “aggressively” and with “unclear intent,” resulting in its shoot down by the F-35C, according to officials with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) who spoke to CBS News.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump meeting in the Oval Office today with Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

Speaking earlier on Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms the shoot down of an Iranian drone that was “acting aggressively” towards the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) today over the Arabian Sea, though states that President Trump remains committed to pursuing diplomacy with Iran. Leavitt also stated that talks between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranians are still scheduled for later this week, despite changes in the format and venue demanded today by Iran.

Today’s meeting between White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Israeli defense and intelligence officials has now concluded, with Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly showing Witkoff the latest intelligence picture as well as the threat posed by Iran to Israel, prior to talks later this week with Iranian officials in Oman or Turkey.

Quoting a defense official at the meeting who spoke to Channel 14: “We warned the Americans that the Iranians will violate any agreement and that there's no point in trying to reach one. Under an agreement, they won't dismantle their nuclear program or missile capabilities, and part of the reasons they're trying to drag things out is likely in order to transfer offensive weapons to hiding places.”

Israel has requested “operational freedom” from the United States to conduct unilateral military action against Iran, as President Donald J. Trump leans towards diplomacy instead of strikes against the Islamic Republic, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

In my opinion, there is almost zero chance that President Trump would give Israel the “green light” to strike Iran if he is actually seriously considering diplomacy, as even if the U.S. didn’t join strikes against Iran, U.S. assets would still be required to defend Israel.

According to a source close to the Trump Administration who spoke to Israel Hayom, President Donald J. Trump remains firm on four goals ahead of this week’s talks with Iran, they include:

- Renunciation of the nuclear program
- Halting the long-range ballistic missile program
- Cessation of funding for proxy organizations across the Middle East
- Proper treatment of demonstrators who participated in protests against the regime in early January

UPDATE: Iranian officials speaking to Al-Monitor have denied reports from earlier today that talks Friday with the United States are on the verge of collapse, stating that, “Both sides are deciding together on the best format and venue,” with “options on the table” including Oman and Turkey.

The Commanding General of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Air Force Gen. Dagvin R. M. Anderson, told reporters today that a small team of military officers have been sent to Nigeria to assist the Nigerian Armed Forces in combating the rising threat of terrorism in West Africa. Today’s announcement follows several missile strikes by the U.S. Navy carried out Christmas Day under orders from President Donald J. Trump against ISIS targets in Northern Nigeria.

Another Iranian drone, possibly a Shahed-129/139, was spotted earlier returning from a mission over the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, close to the last known location of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and her Carrier Strike Group, and near where a second drone was downed earlier today by a U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35C Lightning ll.

President Donald J. Trump told reporters earlier during an event in the Oval Office that negotiations are ongoing with Iran and that they do not want another Midnight Hammer.

“They're all over it, but they are negotiating. They'd like to do something, and we'll see if something is gonna be done. They had a chance to do something a while ago, and it didn't work out, and we did Midnight Hammer. I don't think they want that happening again, but they would like to negotiate. We are negotiating with them right now, yes.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted a photo of the picture and note that was presented to him by President Donald J. Trump during their meeting today at the White House, which says:

Gustavo -

A great honor -
I love Colombia.

Donald J. Trump

Remember when Trump less than a month ago told Petro to “watch his ass” and called him a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” before threatening to kidnap him like Maduro?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday that Ukraine would be designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, following the lead of the European Union.

Last Wednesday, January 28, the Military Gendarmerie of Poland states that a “small toy-like drone” of unknown origin fell onto a military base in Przasnysz, Northern Poland, with the drone seen flying over the base before crashing, after which it was secured and handed over to Military Police. Security officials say that the drone was an “unsophisticated device that was possibly controlled using a mobile phone,” while containing “no recording devices, such as a memory card or SIM card, that could transmit data,” according to Reuters.

Footage showing an interceptor missile fired by a Ukrainian MIM-104 “Patriot” Surface-to-Air Missile System intercepting a Russian short-range ballistic missile during last night’s large-scale attack against Kyiv and other major cities across Ukraine.