Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the 36th Division that IDF troops had crossed the Litani River, while the terrorist organization responded by expanding the range of its fire toward Carmiel and Safed. Against the backdrop of the exchanges of fire, concern is growing over a temporary arrangement between Washington and Tehran that would extend the ceasefire by 60 days and allow Hezbollah to regroup.

The main operation is focused on gaining control of the Beaufort ridge and the Wadi Saluki area, which in recent years were considered major Hezbollah activity hubs. The IDF claims terrorist infrastructure was built in the area under Iranian guidance, from which operations against Israel were directed and various attack plans were prepared.

Facing cheap Iranian explosive drones, the US military found itself intercepting targets with missiles costing $1 million apiece. A new Marine Corps exercise reveals the shift in approach: moving to tactical vehicles armed with special proximity-fuse shells, reducing the cost of each shootdown to just a few thousand dollars.

Axios reports that the US president delayed signing the memorandum of understanding with Iran and demanded that his team toughen the clauses dealing with oversight of enriched uranium and the opening the Strait of Hormuz. Senior administration official takes aim at Tehran's communication methods: "It will take a few days to get an answer. They are sitting in caves without email"

Japan’s defense minister rejected Beijing’s claims about Tokyo’s military buildup, and addressed his Chinese counterpart’s absence from Asia’s security summit: “Since World War II, we have upheld international law.” China’s defense minister boycotted the Singapore conference for the second year in a row.