Strait of Hormuz Negotiations: Iran says it’s nearing a final pact with Oman on new shipping lanes, but the Strait of Hormuz will stay effectively closed until the US meets Tehran’s six demands, including compensation for war damage, lifting sanctions and blockades, withdrawing US forces, and ending threats and attacks across Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq; Iran also insists there are no direct US-Iran talks, only messages via intermediaries. Lebanon Border Impact: Israeli warplanes struck an irrigation culvert on the Qasmiyeh-Ras al-Ain canal in southern Lebanon, raising concerns for agricultural infrastructure that supplies water to thousands of hectares of orchards. Regional Security Deal: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the “Mecca” mutual defense pact, framing it as collective defense if any member is attacked. Drug Trafficking Crackdown: Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces foiled an attempt to smuggle about 5,000 Captagon pills to Saudi Arabia via a shipping company, with the investigation continuing to identify others involved. US-Issrael Rift: A reported rift is widening as Washington pushes to wind down fighting across Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, while Israel seeks to preserve freedom to act against Iran if Tehran continues nuclear and missile work. Defense Industry Scandal: A major RTX/Raytheon corruption case is highlighted, involving bribery and contract-price manipulation tied to Middle East defense procurement.