War Monitor

Despite the poor weather, thousands of people lined the streets of Beirut tonight — many holding Lebanese and Vatican flags — to welcome Pope Leo XIV. This marks his first foreign trip, as well as his first visit to Lebanon since becoming pope in May. https://blossom.primal.net/ced50e57af5fcdd9dcaaf6a58ea9f79b389204bc6117b21880d827a3167c4aa7.mp4

Two oil tankers — the M/T KAIROS and M/T VIRAT — reportedly linked to the so-called “Russian Shadow Fleet,” exploded and caught fire earlier today in the southern Black Sea, shortly after traveling north through the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey. The vessels, bound for the Russian port of Novorossiysk from Egypt, are believed to have been struck by Ukrainian uncrewed surface drones and/or naval mines. According to the Turkish Transport Ministry, all crew members were safely evacuated, and both tankers are expected to sink soon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday defended U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff against claims that he favors Moscow over Kyiv, describing him as “an intelligent man” who accurately represents his nation and president. Putin added that Witkoff is “not overly pro-Russian.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a televised speech: “The resistance movement in the region will continue to grow and must continue generation after generation. Iran stands strong against bullying powers across the world. Such resistance elements are necessary.” https://blossom.primal.net/7329716924ee7bdb8380387ff7fb54747de4919ef14f2bce011d54f06e0b56dc.mp4

Senior Trump Administration officials believe that the leaked October call between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov—Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy adviser—which surfaced yesterday in a Bloomberg report, was likely recorded and passed to the press by a foreign intelligence service. According to the Wall Street Journal, they suspect a European agency intercepted the call by monitoring a phone used by Ushakov.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal — the 29-year-old Afghan national who shot two members of the West Virginia National Guard in Washington, D.C., today — was not only a former Afghan Army soldier but reportedly served in the elite Afghan National Army Commando Corps, a direct-action unit that fought alongside U.S. Special Forces against the Taliban. Fox News further reports that Lakanwal worked with multiple U.S. government agencies in Afghanistan, including the CIA, specifically through the Kandahar Strike Force (KSF), also known as NDS-03. This unit operated outside both U.S. and Afghan military command structures, answering directly to the CIA and conducting covert counterterrorism missions — including night raids and targeted assassinations against Taliban and al-Qaeda personnel. The KSF, along with other CIA-backed paramilitary groups under the National Directorate of Security, became known for high-risk operations often accompanied by accusations of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings against civilians suspected of Taliban loyalty.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, the new U.S. ambassador to Greece, drew attention yesterday at a Thanksgiving event. She is quite a unique figure — having been married for several years to Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California and a major political rival of Trump, and later engaged for several years to Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump. She rose to fame as a Fox News host, where she was accused of sexually harassing male colleagues she worked with, leading Fox to pay $4 million in an out-of-court settlement to those who reported the misconduct. https://blossom.primal.net/80761e8985d9474aa214032e661f9a76faee5a901a4d47e51081f86f1ac4b8dd.mp4

U.S. President Donald J. Trump addressed the nation tonight after the terrorist attack in downtown Washington, D.C., carried out by an Afghan national and critically injuring two members of the West Virginia National Guard. Trump condemned the incident as an “act of terror,” blamed President Joe Biden and his administration for the circumstances that led to the attack, and called for a full review of all Afghan asylum seekers currently in the United States. https://blossom.primal.net/fb83cf71a127fcf04603d5fc3df5f66a6b2c9f7ea54c85e578155825b4fb95e5.mp4

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at 9:15 p.m. ET regarding the shooting near the White House that left two National Guard members injured.

Former President Biden said, “Jill and I are heartbroken that two members of the National Guard were shot outside the White House. Violence in any form is unacceptable, and we must stand together against it. We are praying for the wounded service members and their families.”

Multiple law enforcement officials have told CBS News that the suspect in today’s downtown Washington, D.C. shooting — which targeted two members of the National Guard — has been identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Lakanwal reportedly entered the United States in 2021 under a U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) as part of Operation Allies Refuge, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Elon Musk says he agrees that Charlie Kirk should be named “Person of the Year.”

Cuba on Tuesday accused the United States of attempting to orchestrate a violent overthrow of the Venezuelan government, calling the growing U.S. military presence in the region an “exaggerated and aggressive” threat. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a statement that any U.S. effort to topple President Nicolás Maduro would be extremely dangerous, irresponsible, and a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has requested a briefing on the review of Senator Mark Kelly’s (D-AZ) conduct by December 10.

Finland and Poland have concluded the Northern Strike live-fire exercise at Rovajärvi, just 100 km from Russia. A force of 2,200 troops conducted drills with K9 Thunders, Homar-K systems, M270 MLRS, and more. Notably, Poland’s Homar-K launchers were transported to the exercise aboard Ukrainian Antonov An-124s. https://video.nostr.build/94f27112f63809c365b0d3d39dfd9b4214eb6567c857fcb2a2efca3bfa2985fd.mp4

Trump: "Gobble, I just want to tell you this, very important, you are hereby unconditionally pardoned!" https://video.nostr.build/fb714ee7457836cfceb56237ed367f6978b01b2096967f8187e90832b1131db1.mp4

Trump: "These are two of the largest Turkey’s ever presented to an American president, over 50 pounds each... despite their size, Sec Kennedy has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys." https://video.nostr.build/567a1893240e12e19bc656bf1102a4c1fc3e6947cff63456b6f20eaae738185f.mp4

Trump: "The turkeys being pardoned today go by the names Gobble and Waddle. When I first saw their pictures... I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy, but then I realized I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people." https://video.nostr.build/1c96591d9f46a6092f91998f5368e136644950d4771e47dd8b699f9cff379f16.mp4

President Trump says an investigation found that Biden used an autopen for last year’s turkey pardon. “I’ve determined that last year’s turkey pardons are completely invalid — as are the pardons of nearly everyone else he pardoned, except for ‘Where’s Hunter.’” https://video.nostr.build/e94ca86544892c32a95476a71b399a3daad12be3c4028c48547abf84abf123ac.mp4

🚨Russia is expected to reject the new 19-point cease-fire proposal drafted by the U.S. and Ukraine, indicating the war will likely continue at least through Christmas, sources told the New York Post.