According to i24NEWS, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait have secretly told Tehran that they will not allow the United States to use their air bases to launch or support military strikes against targets in Iran.

Tomahawk Land-Attack Missiles (TLAMs) being launched against military and infrastructure targets of the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in western Yemen, by the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS The Sullivans (DDG-68), while she flies her Battle Flag in the Red Sea.

F/A-18E/F “Super Hornets” with Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) launch from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in the Red Sea, for continued strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen.

China yesterday began one of its largest military exercises yet around Taiwan, with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command deploying Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Rocket Forces to “encircle” and “blockade” areas of the island from multiple directions; in what will likely be the first of many such exercises in the next few years, leading up to an eventual invasion of Taiwan. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense reports that upwards of 19 Chinese naval vessels, including the Shandong Carrier Strike Group were detected operating around the island, with several entering Taiwan’s Response Zone.

The Taiwanese Kee Lung-Class Destroyers, ROCS Su Ao (DDG-1802) and ROCS Tso Ying (DDG-1803); as well as the Cheng Kung-Class Frigate, ROCS Tian Dan (PFG2-1110); and the Chi Yang-Class Frigate, ROCS Yi Yang (FFG-939), monitor ships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), including the Shandong Carrier Strike Group, during the ongoing military exercise surrounding Taiwan.

Elements of the Turkish Armed Forces reportedly arrived today at the T-4 Air Base and Palmyra Military Airfield in the Homs Governorate of central Syria, which both were targeted recently by the Israeli Air Force. According to senior Turkish defense officials, S-400 and Hisar-O+ surface-to-air missile batteries will be deployed to the bases alongside long-range strike drones, as Turkey plans to increase strikes against ISIS and to deter further strikes against Syria by Israel.

An infographic made by @Schizointel showing the range of several of Iran’s long-range cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against U.S. Navy and Air Force assets in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. While Iran does posses a handful of missiles and rockets that could reach Diego Garcia, it’s unlikely they would waste them trying to target the airbase, especially considering the response it would bring from the United States.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announces that she has instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the case against Luigi Mangione, who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December in New York City.

The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and several other ships with Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1) spotted earlier today on satellite imagery transiting west through the Sulu Sea in the Philippines, enroute to the Middle East. CSG-1 consists of the Ticonderoga-Class Guided-Missile Cruiser, USS Princeton (CG-59) and the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyers, USS Sterett (DDG-104) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110).

Credit for the satellite imagery goes to @MT_Anderson