EconoTicker

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said it is not currently in a position to evacuate or directly assist U.S. citizens seeking to depart Israel, as travel options remain constrained by the broader security situation.

The embassy urged Americans to make their own security plans and follow official updates, while the State Department has also been urging U.S. citizens in multiple Middle East countries to depart using available commercial options where possible.

Source: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (X).

The Israeli military said alerts that sounded in Jerusalem and parts of central Israel over a suspected “hostile aircraft infiltration” were triggered by a mistaken identification, and an all-clear was issued shortly afterward.

The IDF did not report an impact from that specific alert sequence, describing it as a false identification rather than a confirmed intrusion.

Source: IDF statement (via Israel National News); The Jerusalem Post

Israeli cabinet minister Gila Gamliel (Likud) said Reza Pahlavi is positioning himself to help lead a transitional period and has been working on a structured plan, while stressing that the final decision belongs to the Iranian people.

Pahlavi has publicly outlined transition frameworks in recent interviews and statements, including a roadmap toward a temporary administration, a constitutional process, and elections.

Source: Iran International; i24NEWS; Fox News (via Iran International)

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said it will be closed until further notice due to ongoing regional tensions, adding that it has canceled all regular and emergency consular appointments and will communicate when operations return to normal.

The closure comes amid broader U.S. security precautions across the region as the conflict escalates.

Source: U.S. Embassy Kuwait (X); Reuters

Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said it has detected 101 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 39 drones since the start of the attacks, describing the incoming threats as a sustained wave against Qatari airspace.

The ministry said Qatari forces intercepted 98 ballistic missiles, all 3 cruise missiles, and 24 drones, and also shot down two Su-24 fighter aircraft that it said had approached from Iran.

Source: Qatar Ministry of Defence (statement, via The Peninsula; Anadolu Agency).

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military is conducting “large-scale combat operations” to eliminate what he called “grave threats” posed by Iran, including its missile-related capabilities.

In separate White House remarks, Trump framed the operation as America’s “last best chance” to strike and remove what he described as “intolerable threats” from a “sick and sinister” regime, arguing Iran’s long-range missiles (and any nuclear breakout) would be unacceptable for both the region and the U.S.

He said the mission’s objectives are “clear,” including degrading Iran’s missile capacity alongside other stated goals.

Source: CBS News; Roll Call Factba.se (White House remarks transcript); Associated Press

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Iranian negotiators told the U.S. side in the first round of talks—“with no shame,” in his words—that they controlled 460 kg of 60% enriched uranium, and that they understood it could be enough for “11 nuclear bombs.” Witkoff argued that, under those circumstances, reaching a deal was “practically impossible.”

Witkoff’s remarks reflect his account of the negotiations and have not been independently verified in full through public documentation.

Source: Fox News (interview, via reporting by The Times of Israel); The Washington Post

The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq, as regional security risks rise. In updated advisories, Washington said the ordered departure in Bahrain and Jordan also applies to family members of U.S. government employees.

For Iraq, the State Department said it ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees to leave due to security concerns.

Reuters reported the move is part of broader U.S. precautions at diplomatic facilities across the region amid escalating conflict.

Source: U.S. Department of State (Travel Advisories); Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that U.S. munitions stockpiles—at the “medium and upper medium grade”—have “never been higher or better,” adding the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited supply” and that wars could be fought “forever” using those reserves.

Trump also acknowledged that at the highest-end weapons tier, the U.S. is “not where we want to be,” and said additional high-grade weaponry is stored in other countries.

In the same broadside, he attacked Joe Biden over transferring advanced weaponry to Ukraine and argued he is continuing to rebuild U.S. military capacity, concluding: the U.S. is “stocked” and ready to “WIN, BIG.”

Source: Truth Social (via Business Insider; Newsweek; The Kyiv Independent).

Qatar’s International Media Office (IMO) rejected a Bloomberg report suggesting the country’s Patriot interceptor stockpile is close to running out, saying the Qatar Armed Forces’ inventory “has not been depleted and remains well-stocked.”

The IMO called publishing such information without verification from official sources “deeply irresponsible” and said Doha is reviewing all appropriate options, including legal options, to ensure the misinformation is corrected.

Bloomberg had reported, citing an internal analysis, that Qatar’s Patriot interceptors could be exhausted within about four days if consumption continued at the current pace.

Source: International Media Office of the State of Qatar; Bloomberg

Lebanon’s government announced an immediate ban on Hezbollah’s military and security activities, calling them outside the law and saying the decision of war and peace belongs exclusively to the Lebanese state. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the move also obliges Hezbollah to hand over its weapons and empowers state agencies to prevent any future launches from Lebanese territory.

The decision followed rocket fire claimed by Hezbollah and was quickly followed by Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry reporting at least 52 killed and 154 wounded.

Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc chief Mohammad Raad condemned what he called the government’s “rash decisions,” saying Lebanese expected an official stance condemning Israeli attacks instead.

Source: Al Jazeera; Le Monde; Al-Monitor; The Guardian.

The Israeli military (IDF) said it has confirmed the killing of Abu Hamza Rami, described as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander for the Lebanon sector, in an airstrike on Beirut earlier on Monday.

According to the IDF, Rami was responsible for advancing and carrying out hundreds of attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and had recently been involved in planning operations from within Lebanon, including training and recruiting militants and procuring weapons—claims that remain based on Israel’s account.

Source: IDF statements (via Jerusalem Post, Israel National News, Fox News live coverage).