Explosion rocks Sevastopol, Russians claim they shot down Neptune missile over sea

"Russians in Crimea are claiming to have shot down a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile over the sea near the city of Sevastopol in Crimea are claiming to have shot down a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile over the sea near the city of Sevastopol." Pravada

Ukrainian forces repel enemy attacks in seven sectors

"In the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s Defense Forces have repelled Russian attacks in the Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka, and four more directions." Ukrin

Missile attack on Skadovsk

"High-ranking Russian

officers have been killed as a result of an early morning strike from
HIMARS multiple rocket launchers on the occupied city of Skadovsk in Kherson Oblast. two powerful explosions were heard in the city around 09:30. According to unconfirmed data, the attack hit a temporary deployment point of one of the FSB units. The Russians’ emergency services are currently at the scene." Pravada

Dozens of Hamas terrorists killed in 10-hour battle underground, IDF says

"Israel said it fought Hamas “underground” and captured a key stronghold during a 10-hour battle in which it claims dozens of terrorists were killed.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade took control of a Hamas bunker, known as outpost 17, in west Jabaliya where they battled Hamas and Islamic Jihad “above ground and in an underground route”, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said." MS

Russian vessel with liquefied natural gas suffers breach near Bulgarian coast

"The ferry Slavyanin, sailing under the Russian flag, suffered a hull breach in the Black Sea near the Bulgarian Cape Shabla, informs the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.

The vessel was transporting railroad tank cars with liquefied gas." AP

China's Navy Puts On Show of Force Near Taiwan

"China sailed an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait ....
The Shandong, the second of three carriers operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy, steamed northward through the middle of the strait and prompted Taipei to scramble "appropriate forces" to monitor its movements, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said....the Shandong appeared to partially encircle one of Taiwan's outlying islands following its return from the Pacific exercise." Newsweek

Russian naval captain leaked location of Putin's warship

"Russian naval captain leaked the location of Vladimir Putin’s newest £88 million warship, which allowed it to be destroyed by Ukrainian forces..... a Russian captain sold Kyiv the ship’s coordinates, which was stationed in a shipyard in Kerch......Ermolenko is believed to have sold the ship’s location for around $1,500, having haggled the price up from $1,000." Metro

Japan to be third global military power despite currency devaluation

"While concerns had spread that Japan's

planned defense budget could be affected by the recent currency devaluation of the Yen by an average of 20% since 2022 against other....Following the recent doubling of it’s defense budget cap - from 1% to 2% of GDP - should Japan stick to its current spending plan for the next five years it will have the third largest military in the world, behind the US and China." MS

White House Aides "Simply Cannot Stomach" Biden's Israel Policy, Dissent Memos Leak, Revolt At State Dept

"This week there have emerged reports of scathing 'dissent memos' criticizing White House

Israel policy being circulated, collecting many hundreds of signatures chiefly from among State Department and USAID staff. A primary theme of the pushback and pressure is that President Biden must change course on the Gaza crisis.
Politico obtained and published portions of a memo issued by State Department personnel giving a blistering critique which according to the publication argued that "among other things, the U.S. should be willing to publicly criticize the Israelis." It was issued after the Biden's Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, repeatedly made clear that the US does not back a ceasefire but is only sheepishly calling for brief humanitarian 'pauses'. Politico points out the memo represents a "growing loss of confidence" among Biden's corps of diplomats." ZH