361: Israeli Commando Raid in Northern Lebanon + US Security Assistance Package to Ukraine Worth $425 Million - Includes 200 Stryker Combat Vehicles + India Procures US-Built MQ-9B Drones + More

I - On Defense Podcast

For review:
1. US CENTCOM Release:
- US Forces assigned to CENTCOM strike ISIS camps in Syria resulting in 35 operatives killed.
- B-52 Stratofortress Bombers arrive in CENTCOM AOR from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota from the 5th Bomb Wing.
2. Israeli Commando Raid in Northern Lebanon.
According Al-Akhbar report, operatives from the Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit captured suspected Hezbollah Naval Official, some 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Israel’s maritime border with Lebanon.
3. IDF captures Syrian man conducting surveillance for Iran.
Israeli commandos recently carried out a raid in southern Syria where they captured a Syrian man who was allegedly carrying surveillance operations on the border on behalf of Iran. The raid in Syria was carried by the Egoz commando unit, along with field interrogators of the Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504.
4. Iran President (Masoud Pezeshkian) says that a ceasefire between Israel and Iranian allies- "could affect the intensity" of retaliation.
5. On the border with Lebanon, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: "with or without an agreement” with Lebanon, restoring security in the north and returning residents to their homes requires pushing Hezbollah north of the Litani River, preventing the terror group from rearming and responding to any activity against Israel.
6. Axios Report: US tells Iran (through Switzerland), "We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one.”
7. US Security Assistance Package to Ukraine Worth $425 Million - Includes 200 Stryker Combat Vehicles.
8. Lithuania provides new military assistance package to Ukraine- including electricity generators, ammunition, and mortar rounds. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry said that the equipment is expected to reach Kyiv this week. Lithuania has already donated 155 mm ammunition, M113 armored personnel carriers, anti-drone systems, and drones this year.
9. North Korea's Foreign Minister visits Moscow.
NK FM Choe Son Hui: “We will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day,” Choe declared in Moscow after talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
10. India Procures 31 x US-Built MQ-9B Drones in deal worth $3.8 billion.
11. India to develop attack submarine fleet.
India is now working on a new class of attack submarines (SSN) after the government approved US$4.8 billion for the construction of an initial two 6,000-ton boats, and that an eventual six SSNs in this class are planned for the Indian Navy.