A second US jet 'crashed' near Strait of Hormuz and F-15E crew member still missing

A-10 Warthog

An A-10 Warthog aircraft reportedly “crashed” near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, though the exact location remains unclear, according to sources briefed on intelligence matters.The pilot was safely recovered. At this time, it's unclear as to whether the aircraft was shot down or suffered mechanical problems that caused it to go down.

In a separate incident involving the downed F-15E fighter jet, the aircraft’s weapons systems officer remains missing. It is not immediately clear whether he was able to eject from the aircraft safely. Let's pray that he's okay and not in enemy hands.

Two rescue helicopters deployed as part of a combat search and rescue mission to locate the missing crew member also came under enemy fire by scumcrumpets with rifles.

Both helicopters sustained damage, and some crew members were reportedly injured, but the aircraft were able to land safely.

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Young woman randomly stabbed to death by lunatic thinking she was a "demon"

Jordanne Drinkwater

Jordanne Drinkwater, 32, a Walmart employee at anArkansas Walmart Superstore, was fatally stabbed during her late-night shift by a man who believed he was killing a "demon" who was stalking him.

Officers from the Conway Police Department arrived within roughly a minute and encountered the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Zeddrick Ross, still armed with a knife. They were dispatched at 10:58 p.m. Tuesday to reports that a man was stabbing an employee at the Walmart Supercenter on U.S. 65, according to police.

The cops issued multiple commands for the man to drop the knife, but he refused to do so and then began to approach an officer. It was a lunatic who brought a knife to a gun fight. The cop shot and missed, but another cop tased the suspect and took him into custody.

Ross is currently being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder at the Faulkner County Detention Center.

Ms. Drinkwater was given emergency aid by police and then by medical personnel but unfortunately died at the scene.

The suspect was taken into custody, booked into the Faulkner County Detention Center where he will await trial and probably not get a death sentence like he gave to Jordanne Drinkwater. Fortunately, nobody else was injured.

Ross did not know Ms. Drinkwater and he wasn't employed at Walmart. Police described the event as a random act of violence, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to the police affidavit, reviewed by Fox News Digital, Ross told a detective he had been pursued by what he described as a "demon" and armed himself with a knife for protection.

Ross said he believed he was confronting that figure when he stabbed Drinkwater multiple times, later telling investigators he realized she did not resemble the person he thought had been following him.

Local liberals may possibly start calling for a ban on knives like the mayor of London did after multiple stabbing took place several years ago. 

The affidavit said that the suspect told police he had stolen the knife earlier and had gone to the store intending to obtain another weapon. An officer who discharged a firearm during the encounter and missed, has been placed on administrative leave in spite of his lousy aim. This, however, is a routine step following an officer-involved shooting, the department said.

According to records from the Independence County District Court, Ross' criminal history includes a 2020 theft misdemeanor charge and conviction and a 2022 obstructing governmental operations in Faulkner County District Court conviction. In 2022, he was sentenced to one year of probation.

Drinkwater, who went affectionately as Puff to friends, was described as an "amazing human being." Sam Slaughter, who knew Drinkwater for nearly 10 years, told KATV that she heard the news of her friend’s death when another friend texted her.

"I called him and I said, ‘You’re kidding. It's not . . . not, not Jordan, not Puff, right? Like, that’s not Puff, right?’ And the world stopped," Slaughter told the outlet.

"I never met somebody as, as, as pure as Jordan. It was just I don’t—I didn’t understand. I still don’t understand why it had to be her. She helped change my entire life for the better—everything from staying sober to the way I think about the world and how it works and not putting more hate into it and just trying to do better. She was an amazing human being. She’s going to be so, so missed."

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POTUS briefed on F-15 pilots

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the downing of an F-15 fighter jet over Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and state media claimed to have shot down a U.S. fighter jet over central Iran. While this is possible, the chances are better that there was a malfunction and the pilots had to bail.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and state media claimed to have shot down a U.S. fighter jet over central Iran, specifically in the mountainous Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.

Initial Iranian reports claimed the aircraft was an F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. However, subsequent photos of wreckage released by Iranian media suggest the aircraft may be an F-15E Strike Eagle, likely from the 494th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath. So it's more likely the IRGC is using propaganda photos and got it wrong.

U.S. officials for weeks have insisted the U.S. and Israel have "complete control over Iranian skies," and recently sent the slower, non-stealthy B-52 bombers into Iran, underscoring how confident they were that Iranian airpower had been nearly eliminated.

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"We are in this military operation . . .  for 32 days," Trump said in an address Wednesday. "And the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat."

"They have no anti-aircraft equipment," Trump added. "Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable." 

Aviation experts say the aircraft seen in the circulating footage appears consistent with an F-15 based on several distinctive features, including its twin vertical tails, wide fuselage, and dual-engine configuration. The F-15s widely spaced engine intakes and rectangular air inlets are also key identifiers that distinguish it from other U.S. fighter jets.

Hopefully, the pilots are in hiding or have been taken in by friendly Iranians. We will likely soon find out.

More to follow from this breaking story.

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Former Biden staffer charged with murdering his girlfriend

Either he's a complete fool, or it wasn't an accident.

A former staffer to former alleged President Joe Biden shot and killed his girlfriend on March 24 in San Francisco. He was arrested the following day. Police arrived around 10:45 pm to discover that Samantha Emge, 22, was suffering from a gunshot wound. She died at the hospital. 

Nation Wood, 25, claims he was dry-firing a firearm, which led to the shooting. He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter (via Fox KTVU):

KTVU has learned that the man charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his girlfriend in San Francisco's Sunset District last week told police he was "dry-firing" a gun that went off and shot her while she was showering.

The suspect, Nation Wood, 25, is out on bail after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins charged him in the March 24 shooting at 22nd Avenue and Santiago Street. A Superior Court judge set Wood's bail at $300,000. Wood pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday.Dry firing a gun is when you pull the trigger of an unloaded firearm. But in this case, the firearm was primed when Samantha Emge, 22, a recent San Francisco State University graduate, was shot and killed.

When the story of the shooting first broke, District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong, a mayoral appointee, had said the discharge of the gun may have been unintentional.

Emge had worked in interior design, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Wood, who had also studied at San Francisco State University, worked in security, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was scheduled to leave San Francisco soon to serve in the National Guard.

He is now out on bail.

A week after the fatal shooting of his 22-year-old girlfriend, Samantha Emge, at their San Francisco Sunset District home, 25-year-old Nation Wood was in court on Wednesday.

"He is on electronic monitoring. His family posted bail. No weapons consent to warrant search and work with pre-trial services. All that he is going to do," said Paula Canny, Wood's attorney.Emge's parents and Nation Wood's dad were present. Wood appeared on Zoom from a hospital mental health unit. His attorney said he was admitted after posting $300,000 bail and is currently under psychiatric evaluation.

"We don't want to further compound this horrible tragedy by him ending his own life, which is what I think he wants to do now," said Canny.

This seems like a tragic accident, but we need more details. Did he forget to check his firearm? Where the hell was he doing this dry-firing exercise? Even if Wood checked and knew it was unloaded, you should not point it in any direction where someone could get shot. 

This is firearm safety 101, which anyone who owns a firearm, or knows anything about firearm safety already knows. Always treat a firearm as if it's loaded. The fact that he dry-fired it and pointed it at his showering girlfriend is just too convenient an excuse. 

I don't believe him . . . do you?

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Hegseth retires Army chief of staff as Pentagon gets house-cleaning

War Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement Thursday in a sweeping leadership house cleaning as the U.S. military remains engaged in combat with Iran.

A senior War Department official told Fox News that the War Secretary called George Thursday and asked for his immediate retirement, saying, "It was time for a leadership change in the Army."

Chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on X, "General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement."

An Army official told Fox News Hegseth did not give George any reason for asking him to step down, but naturally, our hearts go out for him.

George, the Army’s top uniformed officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was nominated by alleged former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023. He had been expected to serve a four-year term through roughly 2027.

Prior to becoming Army chief, George, a career infantry officer with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, served as senior military assistant to former sissy Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022, according to his official biography.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s vice chief of staff, will serve as acting chief, according to a senior War Department official.

Look, this move underscores growing tensions between Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Hegseth recently intervened to remove multiple Army officers from a promotion list after Driscoll refused to do so, an unusual step, and probably a fireable offense.

The disagreement caught the attention of the White House, which reviews senior military promotion lists before they are sent to the Senate, the official said.

And this abrupt removal also marks the latest in a series of high-level military leadership changes under Hegseth, who has moved aggressively to reshape senior ranks for a change where high testosterone men will lead the military.

The shakeups have included the removal or sidelining of several top uniformed leaders across the services, such as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, both of whom were pushed out earlier in the second Trump administration.

Other moves have reached deep into the military’s senior leadership pipeline. Hegseth replaced the Army’s vice chief of staff earlier in 2026 and removed Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short from her role as senior military assistant, installing close allies in key advisory positions.

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Report: AG Pam Bondi Fired

Fox News Digital has been informed by two sources that PresidentTrump had already fired Bondi on Wednesday before he gave his speech on Iran.

Bondi met with the President in the Oval Office Wednesday night ahead of his speech to the nation on the war in Iran, where she reportedly was informed of her ouster, according to two anonymous sources familiar with the meeting. Anonymous, eh? You know what that could mean, but that tends to be more of a Democrat problem than a Republican one.

One of those anonymous sources said that by the time Trump took his place behind the podium for the address, Bondi already lost her job and was on her way back to Florida.

Trump is reportedly considering replacing Bondi with Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin, according to the sources familiar with the matter. Trump held a meeting with Zeldin at the White House Tuesday to discuss wildfire and prevention, where talks of the transition also unfolded, according to an individual familiar with the meeting. This means, of course, that if Zeldin gets the gig, he will likely not be making more appearances on the Gutfeld! Show on Fox News,

That source relayed to Fox News Digital that Zeldin would be a plausible replacement, adding that Trump could change his mind at any point.

Bondi’s firing follows months of fallout from a contentious appearance before the House Judiciary Committee in February. Her performance during the hearing sparked speculation that she might not be in the position for much longer. 

The most explosive moments centered on the DOJ's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and its partial release tied to Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Democrats pressed Bondi on the redactions, arguing that they protected powerful people, including Trump's associates and other elites. They also attacked her for lack of new prosecutions or indictments of named co-conspirators or perpetrators. And also went after her over transparency issues and treatment of survivors, some of whom were at the hearing.

It was her responses to lawmakers' questions whereby she faced criticism over sealed indictments against Democratic lawmakers and the fed's response to protests. Democrats accused her of dodging questions and using the hearing to make political attacks void of clear answers to their questioning.

While the sources intimated that Zeldin could be Trump’s choice to replace Bondi, the president has not announced a decision yet.This story continues to develop.

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Hezbollah terrorists killed, 2 IDF troops slightly wounded in close quarter combat

Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded on Thursday during a close-quarters engagement in southern Lebanon during which the troops killed a Hezbollah terrorist, the IDF said.

The engagement came amid a “targeted ground operation” conducted by the 162nd Division to bolster the military’s forward position in the country, the IDF added.

Soldiers in the area also located "numerous weapons, including rifles, vests, grenades, and additional weapons," the IDF said.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Thursday that there was no end in sight to the war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Katz to Hezbollah chief Qassem: You will 'not live to see' Israel’s full response

Amid the operations, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem that he would not live to see the extent of the “very heavy price” the group would pay for its earlier attacks on Israel during Passover, saying he would be “at the bottom of hell” alongside slain members of Iran and its proxy network.

Katz’s comments came following a Thursday situational assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other top military officials at “the pit,” the IDF’s command center beneath the Kiyra military compound. IDF soldiers are seen operating in southern Lebanon, April 1, 2026.Earlier that morning, military sources said that the IDF had begun demolishing homes in southern Lebanese villages located along the border with Israel.

According to the sources, the houses targeted by the military were used by the Hezbollah terrorist group as bases to launch anti-tank fire and conduct reconnaissance of Israeli forces.The demolitions were being carried out in accordance with orders issued by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who last week instructed the IDF to begin destroying homes and bridges south of the Litani River.

"We have ordered an acceleration in the destruction of Lebanese homes in contact-line villages to neutralize threats to Israeli communities, in accordance with the model of Beit Hanun and Rafah in Gaza," Katz said at the time, adding that the military will continue to allow residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate northward.

IDF in Southern Lebanon April 1, 2026

IDF captures Hezbollah terrorists, sources observe 'low morale' among fightersEarlier, IDF divisions continued their ground incursion into southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday, maneuvering deeper into Lebanese territory, security sources said.

Several Hezbollah fighters were detained as prisoners of war after surrendering to Israeli forces in the past 24 hours, sources added, saying they were transferred over for interrogation.IDF sources observed "low morale" among the terrorists who were captured, most from the capital, Beirut. Other fighters were said to have managed to flee north of the Litani River.Furthermore, the fighters were said to have employed heavy guerrilla warfare, using the demolished homes as hiding spots between rounds of fire aimed at Israeli troops.

Last week, defense sources told The Jerusalem Post that Israel plans to keep “effective control” of southern Lebanon even for an indefinite period after the current war ends, presuming that Hezbollah will not yet have disarmed.

IDF kills over 40 Hezbollah terrorists in last 24 hours

Later on Thursday, the IDF said that it had killed over 40 Hezbollah terrorists and struck dozens of terror infrastructure sites through air, naval, and ground operations in Lebanon.

"In the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force struck dozens of headquarters, weapons storage facilities, launch sites, and anti-tank missile positions. The Israeli Navy also conducted a precise strike targeting a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in southern Lebanon," the military said.

Additionally, ground operations included an offensive from the 91st Division, which killed a Hezbollah terrorist cell in southern Lebanon, soldiers from the 36th Division engaging and killing three Hezbollah terrorists on motorcycles, the 146th Division dismantling over 180 terror infrastructure sites, and the 162nd Division locating numerous weapons.

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Iran strikes tanker off coast of Qatar, and Kuwait Airport and IDF kills 5 in Beirut attack

Iran hit a tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait International Airport early Wednesday as Tehran remained unrelenting in its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors, while acknowledging for the first time that Washington had been in direct contact about a possible ceasefire.

Israel sounded warnings of incoming fire from both Yemen and Iran, while launching its own attacks in Lebanon that killed at least five people.

An airstrike on Tehran appeared to have hit the former US Embassy compound, which has been controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard since the 1979 hostage crisis. Witnesses said buildings outside the massive compound had their windows blown out and that it appears the strike happened inside the walled facility.
A firefighter extinguishes a car at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026.AP

With no sign of the war abating and more than 3,000 lives already lost, US President Donald Trump suggested it could be over within two weeks even as he moved to bring thousands more troops to the region.

No signs of Iran relinquishing grip on Strait of Hormuz shipping

Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war as Iran’s grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and its attacks on regional energy infrastructure have sent gas prices skyrocketing to their highest level since 2022 and caused broad stock market fluctuations.

Iran throttled ship traffic through the strait, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, after it was attacked by the US and Israel on Feb. 28. In peacetime, a fifth of the world’s oil transits the strait and the spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war, trading at more than $104 a barrel.

The US has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, which includes a demand for the strait to be reopened. Iran’s own five-point response includes it retaining sovereignty over the waterway, and Trump on Tuesday suggested that the war could be brought to an end even with Iran still controlling the strait.

The US “will not have anything to do with” what happens in the Strait of Hormuz, instead telling reporters that the responsibility for keeping the vital waterway open would belong with countries that rely on it.
Firefighters and rescue workers work at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026.AP

“That’s not for us. That’ll be for France. That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait,” Trump said.

It was not clear why Trump brought up France, since Europe receives very little oil shipped through the strait, with most going to Asian countries. The president plans a prime-time address on Wednesday.
Push for diplomatic solution showing little signs of progress

Trump, who has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war, added that the US is “finishing the job” in Iran and predicted it will be “maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job.”

Trump has warned that if a ceasefire is not reached “shortly,” and if the strait is not reopened, the US would broaden its offensive, including by attacking the Kharg Island oil export hub and possibly desalination plants.

Thousands of Marines and paratroopers have been ordered to the region in possible preparation for an assault in Kharg, though to reach the island by ship would mean transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, which Iran has threatened to mine.

In an interview with pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the US could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.”

He warned against any attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.”

“We know very well how to defend ourselves,” Araghchi said.
Iran hits tanker off Qatar’s coast and attacks other Gulf states

Qatar was attacked with three cruise missiles early in the day, the Defense Ministry said. The country’s defenses intercepted two but the third slammed into an oil tanker off the coast, the Defense Ministry said. The 21-member crew of the tanker, contracted by state-owned QatarEnergy, were evacuated and no casualties were reported.

Israel’s rescue teams and residents take shelter as sirens sounds next to a site struck by an Iranian missile in Bnei Brak, Wednesday, April 1, 2026.AP

A fully-loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai the day before, one of more than 20 ships attacked by Iran during the war.

In the United Arab Emirates, a person was killed when a drone was intercepted and debris hit him while he was working on a farm in Fujairah, one of the country’s seven emirates.

Bahrain sounded two alerts for incoming missiles, and said an Iranian attack had caused a fire at a business facility.

In Kuwait, the state-run KUNA news agency said a drone had hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a “large fire” that crews were working to control.

Two drones were also intercepted in Saudi Arabia, which has come under repeated Iranian attack, and air raid sirens sounded in Israel though there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Israel hits Iranian fentanyl plant and kills 5 in strikes on Beirut

In Iran, Israel said it had hit a plant producing fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, to allegedly be used in a chemical weapons program. Iran acknowledged the strike on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs” used for medical purposes.

The strike happened Tuesday, both the Israelis and the Iranians said.

Hospitals extensively use fentanyl to treat severe pain. But a small amount of the drug can be fatal.

Two men ride scooters past charred debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026.AP

Both Israel and the United States have alleged in recent years that Iran was experimenting with fentanyl in munitions.

In Beirut, at least five people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said another 21 people were wounded.

Israel invaded southern Lebanon after the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group began launching missiles into northern Israel days after the outbreak of the wider war. Many Lebanese fear another prolonged military occupation.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million displaced, according to authorities. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.
108

In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.

Since the Iran war began, 13 US service members have been killed and 348 wounded, six seriously, according to US Central Command.

More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank.

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Jimmy Talarico refers to Jesus as a "barefoot rabbi" demands federal land leases for abortion in video

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who recently won the Democratic [leftist] nomination for U.S. Senate, once advocated for federal land leases to abortion providers and referred to Jesus as a “barefoot rabbi,” a phrase that appears on his Senate campaign site. 

In a 2022 address delivered at the Texas Democratic [leftist] Convention in Dallas, Talarico, a Presbyterian seminary student and former public school teacher, blended personal stories of resilience with a forceful call for Democrats to confront what he described as an existential threat to democracy. He invoked his experiences teaching on San Antonio’s West Side, his mother’s escape from domestic abuse, and Texas Democratic icons to urge aggressive action against “Trumpism” and “fascism.”

Talarico lambasted national Democratic leaders at the time for what he called a lack of resolve in contrast with Texas Democrats’ scrappiness, exemplified by political figures like former President Lyndon Baines Johnson, state Sens. Barbara Jordan and Wendy Davis, and former U.S. Rep. Robert 'Beto' O’Rourke.

“The Democratic Party is the only thing standing between this country and fascism, yet the most our national party leaders can muster is spineless talking points and soulless fundraising emails,” he said. “National Democrats, you know, the ones who fly into Texas to fundraise and then don’t spend a penny of that money in our state. They don’t know how to fight.”

He urged then-President Joe Biden, whom he said “saved our nation” from President Donald Trump following the 2020 election, to once and for all 'restore its soul by defeating Trumpism.' “We need you and our nation’s leaders to start using every tool in the toolbox to protect our freedom. Lease federal land to abortion providers, declare a public health emergency, impeach justices who lied under oath, prosecute Trump and his fellow insurrectionists, and finally, call the filibuster what it is, a Jim Crow relic that’s standing between the American people and cheap prescription drugs, universal pre-K and a livable planet.”

In his speech, Talarico framed the political fight in explicitly Christian terms, referring to Jesus as “a barefoot rabbi” who gave two commandments: love God and love neighbor. A review by The Christian Post of Talarico’s campaign website found additional references to Jesus as a “barefoot rabbi.”

CP reached out to Talarico’s campaign for comment on Tuesday.

The 2022 speech, which Talarico has echoed in his current Senate campaign materials emphasizing a “top versus bottom” divide and the need to “flip tables” of injustice, has resurfaced following his victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), in the March 3 Democratic primary. He now awaits the winner of the May 26 Republican runoff between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

In a March 13 interview on Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” Trump took aim at Talarico’s campaign, calling the candidate “whacked out with his six different forms of gender.” The president appeared to refer to a 2021 statement by Talarico in which he said God is “both masculine, feminine and everything in between.”

Calling Talarico’s statement an “insult to Jesus,” Trump added, “He is so woke. He’s beyond woke. … When you see what this guy said about gender and about other topics …” While Trump has backed off an earlier pledge to endorse in the May 3 runoff vote between Cornyn and Paxton, he called Talarico’s defeat of Crockett “good news” for either candidate.

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Iran regime running low on missiles with "widespread desertions"

Iranian missile strikes have dropped to their "lowest number" yet over the past 24 hours, as Operation Epic Fury sparks "widespread desertions" among Tehran's fighting force, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday morning.

"The last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran," Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. "Our strikes are damaging the morale of the Iranian military, leading to widespread desertions, key personnel shortages, and causing frustrations amongst senior leaders."

"They will go underground, but we will find them," Hegseth said of the Islamic Republic’s remaining leadership. "We recently destroyed another one of their command bunkers. Leaders forced to flee, no water, no power, no oxygen, no command and control. Their faith in their caves diminishing."

The chaos and confusion inside the regime has allowed U.S. forces to penetrate deeper into Iran, hitting missile systems and other targets based on real-time intelligence. The United States conducted some 200 dynamic strikes through Monday evening, with fighter pilots being fed updated targeting information mid-air. These types of attacks have allowed the U.S. military to take out Iran’s mobile missile launchers and troop formations while they move into place.

"A dynamic target is one that changes while you're in the air because of improved intelligence, 200 dynamic strikes alone, in addition to the pre-planned targets," Hegseth said, confirming that among the targets was an ammunition depot inside Iran’s Esfahan nuclear complex. Trump posted a video of the strike Monday evening on Truth Social, showing 2,000 pound bunker busters hammering the military site.

"The upcoming days will be decisive," Hegseth said. "Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it. Yes, they will still shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down."

Hegseth said that Iran’s remaining leadership would be wise to strike a deal with Trump while the offer remains on the table.

"The new Iranian regime should know that by now this new regime, because regime change has occurred, should be wiser than the last," he said. "President Trump will make a deal, he is willing, and the terms of the deal are known to them. If Iran is not willing, then the United States War Department will continue with even more intensity."

The U.S. military has struck more than 11,000 targets over the past 30 days and is now conducting the first "overland missions" with B-52 bomber planes, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who spoke alongside Hegseth. These missions have allowed U.S. troops "to get on top of the enemy," pressuring regime assets as they move across the battlefield.

Attack helicopters have also joined the fight, bringing "close air support assets into the naval domain," Caine said. These operations have helped sink more than 150 Iranian ships, including all of the Islamic Republic’s advanced Jamaran class frigates, which are designed to destroy submarines from long distances.

"We continue to prosecute our campaign against their defense industrial base at scale," Caine said. "This includes factories, warehouses, nuclear weapons, research and development labs, and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability."

Hegseth said in the press conference that the United States remains focused on opening the Strait of Hormuz but noted that the issue "is not just the United States of America’s problem set."Trump, in a Tuesday morning Truth Social post, said that Western allies like the United Kingdom need to "build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!"

Trump has also recently floated the possibility of seizing Iran’s main oil hub, Kharg Island, and Hegseth indicated those plans could be put into action soon.

"Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground," Hegseth said. "And guess what: There are."

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Trump thinking about leaving NATO: sees it as "paper tiger"

Signaling a seismic shift in the post-World War II global order, President Donald Trump said he is “strongly considering” withdrawing the United States from NATO, delivering one of his clearest warnings that Washington may no longer be willing to underwrite European security without reciprocal support. If this comes to pass, this will render NATO impotent.

Delivered in a characteristically blunt interview with The Telegraph, Trump argued the alliance has become a “one-way street,” with the United States expected to defend Europe while allies decline to support American operations.

The catalyst for this potential divorce is the refusal of European allies to support the U.S.-led effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for 20 percent of the world’s oil, which has been temporarily shuttered by Tehran.

Asked whether he would reconsider U.S. membership after the war with Iran is over, Trump did not hedge.

“Oh yes, I would say beyond reconsideration,” he said. “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”

Trump pointed directly to European reluctance to support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for 20 percent of the world’s oil that has been shuttered by Iran, as evidence that the alliance is failing. He noted that while the United States has “automatically” stood by Europe, including in non-member states like Ukraine, the favor has not been returned.

“They weren’t there for us,” Trump remarked, specifically lambasting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a lack of naval support.

Senior administration officials are now echoing the president’s frustration.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that continued U.S. participation in NATO cannot be taken for granted if allies expect protection while limiting American military flexibility.

“If NATO is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” Rubio said.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth went further, arguing the war has exposed a fundamental imbalance.

“You don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them,” Hegseth stated.

The statements point to a hardening of the administration’s NATO stance. Sources suggest the White House is eyeing a model that would block delinquent or uncooperative members from decision-making and is revisiting plans to withdraw troops from Germany.

As the U.S. and Israel continue air strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, the message from Washington is clear: the era of the American “blank check” for European security is over. If NATO will not serve as a platform for mutual security, President Trump appears ready to walk away from the table entirely.

This move seems to be a long time coming. The U.S. has always carried most of the financial burden for NATO, and even when Trump demanded they pay their share, the treaty nations always got a bargain price for membership compared to the United States.

According to Grok: 

In absolute dollar terms (total defense spending, which funds NATO's real strength): The United States dominates, spending an estimated $980 billion in 2025 — about 62% of all NATO defense spending combined (total NATO ~$1.59 trillion).

Next are Germany ($94 billion) and the UK ($91 billion). All other members are far behind.

I suspect NATO members are quivering in their boots when considering the global implications.

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