The first round of Iran's presidential elections are underway, with three primary candidates left; two conservatives, and one reformist. Results are still being tallied, but so far it is clear that turnout has cratered, with estimates putting turnout at around the forty percent mark. Depending on the eventual result, it will help to set the stage for how Iran may confront Israel as Israel is gearing up for a potential invasion of southern Lebanon.
The United States has stepped up strikes on the Houthis, claiming to have destroyed over a half dozen drones today. In addition, CENTCOM stated that a "ground control station" was destroyed, a term that they have only used a handful of time when referring to the Houthis, but has now been used twice in under two weeks. It certainly suggests that the United States is increasingly interested in destroying the Houthis' ability to communicate, especially when taking into account recent strikes on their radar systems.
Tensions with Hezbollah remain high, with mutual aerial attacks quite frequent. With time, more and more countries are requesting that their citizens not travel to Lebanon. Jordan was a notable addition today, but countries across the globe have slowly been adding their voices. The United States also recently issued a new travel advisory for Lebanon. All point to higher odds of a full scale war breaking out.
The United States has dismantled the Gaza pier yet again. And yet again, the cited cause has been weather conditions. Earlier assertions by the United States that they wouldn't modify the pier to accommodate rougher weather because they didn't expect challenging conditions after it was destroyed initially ring quite hollow now, as this has now happened a couple of times. This time however is different, with the United States suggesting that they may choose to not reassemble the pier until if and when the United Nations reauthorizes the delivery of aid through through the UN, something which requires Israeli cooperation.