🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), there is 33% chance that over 100,000 deaths have resulted from the earthquake in Venezuela based on various factors, including prior earthquakes and the size of the nearby population.

🇧🇫🇫🇷⚡️- Inoussa Traoré, older brother and advisor of Burkina Faso's junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, has petitioned French authorities in order to be granted a visa to receive medical care in France.

His visa application was reportedly filled after Burkina Faso severed diplomatic ties with France.

🇺🇸🇮🇱⚡️- Legendary filmmaker Mel Brooks turned 100 years old today. The WW2 veterans latest and likely final film Spaceballs: The New One, is releasing next year.

🇺🇸⚡️- Elon Musk also celebrated his 55th birthday today.

🇬🇧⚡️- "He [Outgoing Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Kier Starmer] is also understood to be interested in the post of Nato secretary general that falls vacant in 2028 and, while there is no question of making the kind of transactional political “deals” that have – to his cost – never been his strength, he would need some sustained government backing to have any chance of filling it." - The Observer.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- "As part of Operation “End of the Verse,” the IDF has now destroyed the underground terrorist infrastructure of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of the village of Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon.

The tunnel complex, which was over 200 meters long and more than 25 meters deep, contained hundreds of weapons and several launch shafts intended to strike Israeli territory and its citizens.

Israel informed the United States and the U.S. representative in Lebanon in advance of the destruction of the infrastructure.

IDF commanders and soldiers will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon and will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure, remove threats to northern communities, and ensure the safety of Israeli citizens." - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- Multiple Israeli helicopters have landed in the open fields west of Ayta al-Shab, southern Lebanon.

🇾🇪🇮🇱⚡- "The Houthis are using the recent period to conduct missile tests, with the aim of improving their capabilities in this field. It seems that the purpose of these tests is to improve the range and accuracy of the missiles as well," - Israeli Channel 15, citing Western intelligence.

🇾🇪🇮🇱⚡- "It seems that Israel is preparing for a major operation on a distant front, which may include targeted assassinations amidst increasing talk about the renewed capabilities of the Houthis," - Galei Tzahal, IDF Radio.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- Israel’s two experimental (pilot) withdrawal zones are marked in yellow on Rerum Novarum’s map.

The first is located north of the Litani River, around the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Nabatieh direction, and is currently under Israeli control.

The second zone, which is significantly more unusual, lies just south of the Litani River and includes the towns of Froun and Ghandourieh, Chehabiyeh direction. There is little to no IDF presence reported in these two towns, making the entire concept of an “IDF withdrawal” here effectively inapplicable. Approximately 70–80% of the area has been destroyed, with only minimal infrastructure remaining, primarily from Israeli and Hezbollah artillery and rocket fire. It is also widely believed that Hezbollah's Qoussair Battalion is operating in or near Froun.

As a result, the designation of this area as a potential withdrawal zone—despite Israeli forces not having established full control—could provide justification, under the U.S.-mediated framework agreement, for the IDF to "re-enter" the towns should Lebanese Armed Forces fail to dismantle Hezbollah positions.