Day 202 | US lawmaker blocks $2.8bn arms sale to 'Israel'
Despite an April ceasefire established with Hezbollah, 'Israeli' military strikes targeted multiple towns across southern Lebanon.
On the diplomatic front, a senior Democratic lawmaker in the United States announced plans to place a formal hold on a proposed $2.8 billion bomb sale to 'Israel'.
Concurrently, 'Israel' and Morocco reached an agreement to fully upgrade their diplomatic relations, which includes opening formal embassies and appointing mutual ambassadors.
In regional security developments, Saudi Arabia announced that its forces intercepted a drone launched by the Houthi movement toward the holy city of Makkah.
The Yemeni group denied launching any such attack, characterizing reports of the strike as false.
Following the Saudi statement, several Arab and Islamic countries issued official statements condemning the reported attack on the holy site.
Trump to convene Gulf leaders at UN General Assembly: Axios
- Trump will meet GCC leaders Tuesday at the UN to discuss a postwar Iran strategy.
- The Trump administration plans to finalize its regional framework after midterms following war impacts.
- Invitations may expand to other Arab/Muslim leaders, while no Trump-Netanyahu meeting is scheduled.
US President Donald Trump is expected to host a meeting with leaders from Gulf nations next Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to map out next steps in the war with Iran, three sources with direct knowledge told Axios.
The White House declined to comment on the upcoming session.
The meeting is set to focus on US concepts for a postwar strategy as Trump and his senior team develop a "day-after" plan that officials expect to finalize after the midterm elections.
The US State Department dispatched initial invitations on Wednesday.
Sources indicated the high-level meeting could expand beyond the core Gulf states to include additional Arab and Muslim leaders.
Diplomatic Push
The news of the diplomatic gathering follows statements made by Trump on Wednesday, where he remarked that "hopefully we are towards the end of the war."
Trump again asserted that Iran is seeking to negotiate an end to hostilities, stating that the US heard the stance from Iran directly.
The planned discussions come after Gulf countries hosting US military bases experienced major Iranian missile and drone attacks during the war, alongside severe economic losses stemming from disruptions to oil and natural gas exports.
Participants
Sources confirmed to Axios that Trump plans to meet with leaders or foreign ministers from all six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman.
Concurrently, 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed interest in meeting with Trump while in New York, though an 'Israeli' source confirmed that no meeting between the two leaders has been scheduled.
The setup mirrors actions taken during last year's UN General Assembly, where Trump met with leaders from eight Arab and Muslim countries to outline a draft peace plan for Gaza before presenting it publicly a week later, leading to a war-ending agreement shortly thereafter.
Leaked photos show destruction at US military bases from Iranian strikes: CBS
- Newly released images reveal widespread damage to buildings, aircraft, and vehicles at US bases in the Middle East following Iranian strikes.
- A DoD report documented up to $3.7 billion in lost gear—including nearly 60 aircraft—across eight regional nations.
- Deployed service members disputed War Secretary Pete Hegseth's claims, asserting the strikes were not isolated incidents.
Newly revealed photographs obtained exclusively by CBS News demonstrate extensive destruction to buildings, aircraft, and vehicles at multiple US military positions across the Middle East resulting from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Active-duty service members provided the images under condition of anonymity due to strict media restrictions within the military.
"This is major damage to our bases that hasn't been communicated to the American public," one deployed service member told CBS News. "We're standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face."
At Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia, one photograph depicts a direct hit on a four-engine Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft.
The strike severed the plane's tail from its charred fuselage, which supported a rotating radar system essential for collecting midair intelligence.
Additional imagery from the Saudi base shows hollowed-out buildings and barracks standing adjacent to intact concrete "T-wall" structures.
Undated photo of aftermath following Iranian strike, Prince Sultan AFB, Saudi Arabia
While T-walls were historically deployed as fortifications against grenade and mortar attacks, they proved ineffective against modern aerial assaults.
$3.7B equipment losses
Photos of similar destruction were taken at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for US Army ground troops, armored vehicles, and aircraft located in the desert northwest of Kuwait City.
Undated photo of building damaged by Iranian strike, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
The imagery emerged alongside a new mandatory report to Congress released by the Department of War's inspector general.
The watchdog disclosed equipment losses valued at up to $3.7 billion -including nearly 60 aircraft- and noted that US Central Command documented Iranian strikes on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Oman.
Undated photo of car destroyed during U.S. conflict with Iran, Camp Buehring, Kuwait.
Undated photo of trailers destroyed by Iranian strike, Camp Buehring, Kuwait.
Aftermath of Iranian strike on Camp Buehring, Kuwait, undated photo.
The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment regarding the photographs or report.
Service members rejected language previously used by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who referred to incoming threats as "squirters" getting through defenses following the March 1 attack on Kuwait's Port of Shuaiba that killed six US service members.
"These are not 'squirters' getting through," the deployed service member told CBS News. "We're not defending these bases. We're just watching them get destroyed."
Trump claims US in 'final stages' of Iran conflict
US President Donald Trump claimed that the conflict with Tehran is entering its "final stages", as he alleges that Iran "desperately wants to reach an agreement," making the remarks ahead of a campaign appearance in North Carolina alongside Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley.
Previous day
For coverage of the previous day, visit the link below.
Read more: Day 201 | US expects Saudi East-West pipeline to resume flows within days
