417: US & Russia Establish Goals for Cooperation in Riyadh Talks + IRGC General Threatens Israel with Third Missile Attack + IDF Strikes Weapon Sites in Syria + US Tests Unarmed Minuteman III Ballistic Missile + More

For review:

1. Hamas to release six Israeli Hostages on Saturday.  

2.  IDF Strikes Weapon Sites in Syria. The strikes targeted Syrian tanks used to store weapons, according to the IDF.

3. IRGC General Threatens Israel with Third Missile Attack. “The True Promise 3 will be carried out in appropriate time,” said deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC Brigadier General Ali Fadavi.

4. US & Russia Establish Goals for Cooperation in Riyadh Talks. The two sides agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.

5. US President Trump said he would not oppose the Europeans if they wanted to send peacekeepers to Ukraine to provide security guarantees in the event of a peace deal. "Having troops over there would be fine, I wouldn't object to it at all," President Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.

6. Russian defense companies make comeback at the biennial 2025 IDEX Defense Show in Abu Dhabi- United Arab Emirates. The 2025 IDEX setting is noticeably different from the 2023 edition, when Russian companies were not even listed on the show’s official website. One of the top Russian exhibits is the Kalashnikov Group's Kub-2-E strike drone equipped with guided munitions as part of a drone-swarming concept.

7. UK begins competition for new 5.56mm light machine gun. Named “Project TROUBLER,” the initiative seeks to address capability gaps left by the decommissioning of the L110 A2, a 7.2-kilogram (15.8-pound) machine gun. The new weapon must be lighter and more modern than its predecessor, enhancing the mobility and combat effectiveness of Infantry Soldiers.

8. US Navy continues recovery of the EA-18G Growler that crashed in the San Diego Bay last week. The entire recovery operation could take up to two weeks, according to a US Navy news release. 

9.  US Tests Unarmed Minuteman III Ballistic Missile. A test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for Tuesday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. The missile will likely be visible from Los Angeles and well beyond as is flies on a trajectory to the central Pacific Ocean. The launch might be visible from as far away as Oregon, Nevada, western Utah and Arizona, and northwest Mexico.