According to Axios’ Barak Ravid, U.S. President Donald J. Trump is “seriously considering” Iran’s recent proposal for indirect nuclear talks, through either Oman or other Gulf States. This follows a major buildup of U.S. military forces in the Middle East over the last few weeks, with several surface-to-air missile batteries, two carrier strike groups and a number of long-range strategic bombers having arrived or enroute to the region; as senior officials in the Trump White House are involved in an internal debate, between those who believe a deal is possible and others who support strikes against nuclear facilities in Iran.

The Israel Defense Force has announce an expansion of ground operations in the Gaza Strip, following an extensive wave of airstrikes overnight against Rafah and Khan Yunis; with forces of the 36th “Ga'ash” Division reentering Southern Gaza, advancing towards Rafah.

Democratic Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey set the record yesterday for the longest continuous speech on the Senate floor in history, lasting over 25 hours and beating out the previous record set by Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a segregationist and Southern Democrat, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes to filibuster the advance of the Civil Rights Act in 1957. Bookers speech, in which he spoke about cuts to Social Security, read letters from constituents and took questions from other Democratic Senators, was said to be in protest to U.S. President Trump and actions made recently by the White House.

The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and the remaining ships of Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1), besides the USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), are continuing their journey right now towards the Middle East, clearing the Balabac Strait between Malaysia and the Philippines on Tuesday. The Vinson’s estimated date of arrival in U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) area-of-responsibility is currently between April 11th and the 15th.

Credit for the satellite imagery goes to @MT_Anderson on X.

Politico reports that U.S. President Donald J. Trump has told his inner circle, including several members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will soon be “leaving” to focus on his businesses and to play a less direct role in the Trump Administration. This is despite officials claiming that President Trump remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), though other members of the Administration have become frustrated with his unpredictability and increasingly view him as a political liability in White House.

During last month’s meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan between senior officials of the Taliban Government and a delegation led by U.S. Diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad and Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler, which secured the release of Americans George Glezmann and Faye Hall in exchange for the removal of millions in bounties from three members of the Taliban’s Haqqani Network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister. The Taliban once again pushed the idea of normalizing relations between Afghanistan and the United States, which would see the U.S. recognize the Taliban as the Official Government of Afghanistan as well as the possible reopening of the Afghan Embassy in Washington. Another idea pushed by senior Taliban officials during the meeting included the opening of a Taliban office somewhere in the United States, separate from the Embassy and outside of Washington, which would provide assistance to Afghans in America.

Russian channels are reporting that a Tu-22M3 “Backfire-C” Long-Range Heavy Bomber, which are regularly used by the Russian Air Force for missile attacks against Ukraine, has crashed in the Irkutsk Oblast of Siberia. A search-and-rescue operation for the crew of the bomber is currently ongoing, through it is not known if they were able to bailout before the crash.

In a video statement earlier tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms that ground forces have reentered the Southern Gaza Strip, stating that their goal is to seize the “Morge Axis” which will run between Rafah and Khan Yunis, further separating Southern Gaza from its border with Egypt.

The Israel Defense Force has confirmed that it targeted “remaining military capabilities” tonight at both the T-4 Air Base and Hama Air Base in Central Syria, which included runways, fuel depots and radars, along with additional military infrastructure sites near the capital of Damascus.

Two A-10C Thunderbolt ll Close Air Support (CAS) Aircraft with the U.S. Air Force’s 23rd Fighter Group stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, pictured flying recently over the Middle East.

Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense, Steven A. Stebbins, notified Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today that he has launched an investigation into him and other DoD personnel for last month’s Signalgate, referred to by Stebbins as the “use of an unclassified commercially available messaging application to discuss information pertaining to military actions in Yemen in March 2025.” The Inspector General states that the investigation will take place in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Headquarters in Tampa, Florida, though more locations may be determined throughout the investigation. The Inspector General’s Office requests two points of contact from the Secretary of Defense for the duration of the investigation, a Government employee who is knowledgeable of the subject, and General/Flag Officer who is familiar with the subject and can act as point of engagement with the DoD Office of Inspector General.

The Israel Defense Force and Shin Bet announced earlier in a joint statement, that a precision-airstrike yesterday on a Hamas command-and-control center near Jabalia in Northern Gaza, resulted in the elimination of at least four terror operatives, including Shadi Diab Abd al-Hamid Falouji, a member of Hamas's East Jabalia Battalion who participated in the October 7th massacre in Southern Israel. Palestinian media claimed that the airstrike targeted a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) clinic killing at least 8, with no mention of any members of Hamas.