Israel has carried out several air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, saying it was targeting Hezbollah's drone production. The attack on Thursday night, the eve of Eid Al Adha, one of the most important celebrations in Islam, followed evacuation warnings for several buildings in the area, where Hezbollah is based in the capital. read more
Trump signs ban on travel to US from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. There are an additional seven countries whose nationals face partial travel restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The White House says these "common sense restrictions" will "protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors" read more
The US has vetoed the UN Security Council's draft resolution calling for an "unconditional and permanent" ceasefire in Gaza. The other 14 members voted in favour of the document, which also demanded the release of all hostages and the lifting of humanitarian aid restrictions. The US Ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, said the resolution would "undermine diplomatic efforts" to reach a ceasefire, adding that the UN has not labelled Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Hamas is described as such by the US, UK and the EU.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the secretary of the Navy to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk, according to a defense official. read more
Donald Trump's big, beautiful new plane from the government of Qatar has arrived -- but the US president says it's too big to be his personal perk. read more
I think it's premature to assume he's chickening out...
It's not a matter of, "if". Just, "when".