Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended President Donald Trump’s order to restart U.S. nuclear testing as a responsible step to ensure deterrence, after the U.N. spokesman said tests are not permitted under any circumstances and experts cautioned they would be costly with limited strategic payoff.
- The U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan for Western Sahara as the most realistic path forward, renewing MINURSO for a year with 11 votes in favor and three abstentions, and prompting nationwide celebrations and a statement from King Mohammed VI.
- Turkey’s Defense Ministry confirmed Syrian troops are training in Turkish barracks and 49 Syrian cadets have entered Turkish military academies under a bilateral pact, a step analysts say could reshape Syrian force capabilities and unsettle Israel’s freedom of action in Syrian airspace.
- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed no retreat from placing all arms under state authority, saying the army has submitted an implementation plan with an update due within a week, as Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem urged the government to adopt a timed plan to bolster the army against Israeli incursions reported in the south.
- U.S. officials are pressing partners to assemble an international security force for Gaza that would include vetted Palestinian police and contributions from countries such as Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Turkey, though Israel rejects any Turkish role in deployments inside the enclave.