BIG: Starting in 2026, Saudi Arabia will allow the sale and consumption of wine, beer, and cider in about 600 licensed locations, including:

• Five-star hotels and luxury resorts
• Embassies and licensed distributors
• Tourist hubs like Neom, Sindalah, and Red Sea resorts
• Expat residential compounds
• International events like Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup

Spirits over 20% alcohol will remain banned, as will alcohol in public spaces, private homes, retail shops, and for home production.

Source: Wine Intelligence

The closed-door meeting with Syrian delegation was attended by top officials including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, Intelligence Chief İbrahim Kalın and Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries Haluk Görgün.

U.S. lifts most sanctions on Syria after Assad’s fall and rise of a new transitional government.

— Financial and energy restrictions suspended.
— Caesar Act paused for 180 days.
— EU follows with parallel relief.

More than 8 million Syrians were wanted by Assad's intelligence and security services.

Source: AFP

Zelensky:

Look at Belarus - this summer Russia is preparing something there, under the guise of military exercises.

A video was released of Israeli forces arresting and abducting a young Palestinian boy in the West Bank village of Beit Dajan.

Source: Press TV

The meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has concluded.

• Discussions focused on bilateral relations, international sanctions, and Israeli military actions in Syria.

• President Erdoğan stated: “Bright days lie ahead for Syria. Türkiye will continue to support its neighbor across all sectors.”

• President Sharaa expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its critical role in the lifting of Western sanctions.

Source: Official Statement

Trump:

The US Army is actively studying the experience of using drones in the conflict in Ukraine.

🇮🇷 Iran’s nuclear journey—from U.S. support in 1957 to 83.7% uranium enrichment.

A rare Iran-Iraq-Israel prisoner swap is nearing completion, involving an Israeli-Russian academic, Hezbollah members, a Lebanese officer, and an Iranian jailed in Iraq—negotiated via backchannels amid U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.

Rare 3-way prisoner swap in motion:

• Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov may be freed by Iran-backed captors in Iraq.
• In exchange, Israel could release 6 Hezbollah fighters & a Lebanese naval officer.
• A jailed Iranian IRGC member in Iraq is also part of the deal.
• Talks are unfolding amid U.S.-Iran de-escalation efforts, with Gulf states mediating.

Source: Amwaj Media

Massive Russian aerial bombardment with guided bombs hits Ukrainian positions in ruins of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region.

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye & Special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack:

I met with the Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who praised the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on his country.

Lifting sanctions on Syria will help preserve our objective of defeating ISIS.

I reaffirmed to President the United States’ support for the Syrian people after all the years of violence they have endured.

I discussed with the Syrian president and his foreign minister in Istanbul ways to implement Trump's vision for a prosperous Syria.

With Trump retreating from Ukraine support and peace efforts stalling, European leaders are exploring buying U.S. weapons themselves to keep Kyiv armed.

Lacking enough stockpiles or production capacity, Europe is considering rerouting American systems.

Source: Bloomberg

Syrian government military officials and US officials travelled to Deir ez Zour after visiting Hol and Roj Camps.

Syrian and US officials discussed the handover of ISIS prisons to Damascus.

Israeli woman Sofia Emuna protesting aid going to the starving population in Gaza:

You need to destroy their offspring to prevent them from creating more offspring.

82% of Israeli Jews Support Expelling Gazans

A new Haaretz-published poll shows 82% of Israeli Jews back expelling Palestinians from Gaza.

Nearly half support emulating the biblical conquest of Jericho, and 56% favor expelling Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The March survey, conducted for Penn State, marks a sharp rise in support for forced removals since 2003.