US News

• The Raytheon CEO says it is ridiculous that Joe Biden would cut defense spending. [Link]
• YouTube refused to allow an antiwar vets group to promote its video on the platform. [Link]

China

• The US labeled a Chinese group as a foreign mission and withdrew from an agreement that encouraged cooperation at the local level. [Link]
• A US commander says US troops could be deployed to the Japanese-claimed Senkaku Islands. China also claims ownership of the island. [Link]
• Chinese and US military chiefs held talks on crisis communications. [Link]
• Secretary of State Pompeo announces the US will open an embassy in the Maldives. [Link]

Israel

• A new House bill will force the Pentagon to consider selling bunker-buster bombs to Israel. [Link]
• Trump says he explained ten other Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel. [Link]
• Trump lifts the ban on US taxpayers funding research in Israel’s settlements. [Link]
• The IAEA confirms Iran is building a new nuclear centrifuge facility at Natanz. Israel has recently sabotaged the site. [Link] 

Syria

• The Pentagon disputes a claim from Syrian civilians that two civilians were killed in the Baghdadi raid. [Link]
• Turkey is threatening to reinvade Kurdish Syria if the Kurds are not pushed away from Syria’s border with Turkey. [Link]

Yemen

• The US has carried out at least 181 military operations in Yemen since 2017. [Link]
• Airwars finds the Saudi coalition has been systematically targeting bridges in Yemen. [Link]

Congo

• The Congolese army reported killing 33 militants of the CODECO group. [Link]
• A militant group in the Congo, the ADF, killed 18 civilians and burned down a church. [Link]