The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces told soldiers on Wednesday to prepare for a ground operation in Lebanon. The message went out as Israel continued carrying out the most intensive airstrike campaign against the Hezbollah terrorist group in years.

In a statement shared with Israeli ground troops stationed near the Lebanon border on Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Israeli aerial forces are continuing to strike targets on the other side of the border “both to prepare the area for the possibility of [the ground troops’] entry, and also to continue harming Hezbollah.”

Nearly a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel had displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before the recent escalation. Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Read the full story here›

China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 1980. Beijing said Wednesday’s launch was not directed at any country. The missile landed in the Pacific Ocean.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference in Tokyo the Japanese government had not been notified of the launch in advance by China. According to the local Kyodo news agency, Hayashi said the missile did not pass over Japan and did not damage any Japanese ships.

Former Pentagon official Drew Thompson, who now works at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, wrote on X: “China issued a notice to airmen and mariners that the mock warhead would splash down in the Tahiti Flight Information Region, in French Polynesia‘s EEZ. Something for Macron to consider as China proposes a peace plan for Ukraine.” Read the full story here›

Iran has plans to assassinate former President Donald Trump, according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Trump wrote on X on Wednesday that Iran has already made a move which failed.

“The entire U.S. Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again,” Trump said.

The former president said he now is encircled by “more men, guns, and weapons” than he had ever seen before. He thanked congress members from both political parties for unanimously approving more funding for Secret Service protection. “Nice to see Republicans and Democrats get together on something.” Read the full story here›

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