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Afghanistan
Sep 19, 2025 Trump said his administration is working to reclaim Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, linking the move to China's nuclear weapons sites. The base, now under Taliban control, was central to the US war effort before the 2021 withdrawal. (Source: India Today)
Gaza
September 18, 2025 Elements of three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) divisions began to expand operations into Gaza City on September 16, the Israeli military said. The ground offensive is part of Gideon’s Chariots II, the operational name of the assault on Gaza City. The IDF began to prepare the way via airstrikes on high-rise buildings and other sites throughout the first two weeks of September. By mid-September, the IDF said it had already inched forward to control 40 percent of Gaza City. Hamas has turned Gaza City into the largest human shield in history,” IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Defrin said on September 16. Israel’s 98th, 162nd, and 36th Divisions are among the forces taking part in the offensive. All these units have served in Gaza throughout the 23 months of war. The 36th was responsible for cutting Gaza City off from central Gaza in late October 2023. The 98th played a key role in taking Khan Younis and fighting in the suburbs of Gaza City in 2024. The 162nd served for most of the war in every part of the territory and is Israel’s most experienced division at fighting in these urban areas. “The Gaza Division is operating in the security zone along the border facing the western Negev communities and operating in the Rafah and Khan Yunis areas, while the 99th Division is operating in the northern Gaza Strip,” the IDF added on September 16. The IDF says that the Israeli Air Force struck 850 targets between September 9 and 16, including high-rise buildings. Yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Katz said that 25 high-rise buildings had been struck on the eve of the ground maneuver. He has said in the past that the IDF is changing the skyline of Gaza by destroying these buildings. Around 20 of the 48 hostages held in the territory are believed to be alive. CNN reported that the Israeli military estimates that the offensive in Gaza City could take several months. US Secretary of State Rubio landed in Israel on the eve of Israel’s ground push into the center of Gaza City. He said on September 15 that US President Trump “wants to see it [the war] end quickly. And we’d prefer that it end quickly via negotiated settlement so all the fighting can stop, and we can begin the very hard work as an international community - not just the United States - rebuilding Gaza and providing the people of Gaza a much better life, a much better life than what they’ve had under Hamas.” Today, Reuters reported the beginning of a telecom blackout in Gaza as IDF tanks advanced. (Source: FDD's Long War Journal - U.S.)
by Frantzman, author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
September 17, 2025 at 8:37 am At least 108 Palestinians have been killed, and others were wounded or reported missing since dawn yesterday, after a series of heavy Israeli airstrikes and military operations across the Gaza Strip, in what was described as a bloody night. 93 were killed in the north of the strip, nine in the central areas, and six in the south. (Source: Middle East Monitor - based in London, United Kingdom, financed by Qatar)
Kazakhstan
19 September 2025 Yesterday, the leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) convened in Bishkek to push forward an agenda of regional integration, digital transformation, and infrastructural development. The gathering included Prime Ministers and senior officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey, ’among others’. Delegates emphasised the importance of upgrading the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, including its ports and rail networks, to facilitate smoother logistics and stronger trade flows among member states. Efforts to digitalise customs procedures, reducing delays and improving transparency at borders also featured prominently. The meeting spotlighted cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Leaders proposed establishing joint research centres dedicated to these fields. Other areas of focus included trade, investment, energy, agriculture and multilateral cooperation under various OTS bodies, such as the Turkic Investment Fund, the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Turkic States, the Coordination Committee, and the Green Finance Council. Kazakh Prime Minister Bektenov was hosting the meeting in his capacity as a leader within the OTS framework. (Source: commonspace - based in The Hague, the Netherlands „with Astana Times and other agencies”)
Pakistan
(Friday), September 19, 2025 Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have had military ties for decades. Speaking to Geo TV in an interview late yesterday night, Pakistan’s defense minister Asif says his nation’s nuclear program will be made available to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defense pact struck this week. The two countries signed a defense deal Wednesday declaring that an attack on one nation would be an attack on both. ’This is an umbrella arrangement offered to one another by both sides: if there is aggression against either party - from any side - it will be jointly defended, and the aggression will be met with a response.’ The minister added: ’I can say the door is not closed to others.’ The move is seen by analysts as a signal to Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed nation. Asif criticized Israel in the interview for not fully disclosing its suspected nuclear weapons program to the IAEA. Pakistan long has criticized Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, but has not been directly involved in any war against it. Saudi Arabia has long been linked to Pakistan’s nuclear program. Retired Pakistani Brig. Gen.Khan has said Saudi Arabia provided generous financial support to Pakistan that enabled the nuclear program to continue, especially when the country was under U.S. sanctions for years over its pursuit of the bomb. It saw new ones imposed over its ballistic missile work at the end of the Biden administration. Pakistan’s Shaheen 3 ballistic missile, believed to be able to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, has a maximum range of 2,750 kilometers - making it capable of reaching Israel. Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons program to counter India’s atomic bombs. India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the U.S.-published Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. (Source: The Associated Press - U.S.)
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