Evening Brief: US Offers Ukraine 15-Year Security Guarantees, Trump Warns Iran on Nuclear Program, China Launches Live-Fire Drills Around Taiwan

Guard troops deployed nationwide to fight wildfires in California, conduct flood rescues in states including Kentucky, Texas, and Washington, assist recovery after storms in Michigan and Alaska, and support federal law enforcement and crime prevention missions in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Illinois. The surge also included support for President Trump’s inauguration and deployments to the southern border, while Guard units continued routine overseas missions, including a fatal attack on Iowa soldiers in Syria. Lawmakers raised concerns about costs and force readiness, but Pentagon officials said the burden remains manageable and largely reimbursable. STRONGER THAN EVER As we wrap up 2025 take a look at the outstanding achievements by our nation’s warfighters.https://t.co/OZWNI1GAjQ — Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) December 29, 2025 Despite the heavy operational demand, the National Guard met its recruiting goals for the second consecutive year, aided in part by the increased visibility of its expanded mission set.   Mid-air Helicopter Crash in New Jersey Kills Two Veteran Private Pilots Two experienced private pilots were killed Sunday when their helicopters collided mid-air near Hammonton Municipal Airport in southern New Jersey, authorities said. Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71, were flying separate Enstrom helicopters when witnesses saw the aircraft flying close together before crashing into a farm field around 11:25 a.m. local time. Kirsch died at a hospital, while Greenberg was pronounced dead at the scene. BREAKING: Second pilot dies after midair helicopter collision in NJ; victims were close friends pic.twitter.com/64V2ROszMh — Fox News (@FoxNews) December 29, 2025 The Federal Aviation Administration identified the crash as a mid-air collision involving an Enstrom F-28A and an Enstrom 280C, with only the pilots aboard. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are examining the wreckage and pilot communications as part of the investigation, with a preliminary report expected in about 30 days.   Trump Warns Iran on Nuclear Program as Netanyahu Holds Florida Talks US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Iran against rebuilding its nuclear program as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Florida residence for talks on Iran and the Gaza war. Trump said the United States would respond forcefully if Tehran attempts to restore nuclear capabilities, following US strikes in June that he claims destroyed Iran’s enrichment infrastructure. President Trump said that the US would quickly launch new attacks on Iran if it is rebuilding the nuclear program that he struck in June https://t.co/tT4AvPsbEK pic.twitter.com/ZDDBq5yBwY — Reuters (@Reuters) December 29, 2025 The meeting came amid Israeli concerns about Iran’s missile development and as Washington and Jerusalem weigh potential future military action. Trump and Netanyahu also discussed the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, with Trump pushing to move quickly to a complex second phase that would require Hamas to disarm and Gaza to transition to international oversight.   Trump Says US Strike Destroyed Venezuelan Drug Facility in Expanded Campaign President Trump said US forces last week struck and destroyed a large facility in Venezuela linked to drug trafficking boats, marking a potential escalation in his administration’s months-long military campaign against alleged Venezuelan narcotraffickers. Trump made the remarks Friday in a radio interview, saying the strike occurred two nights earlier but offering no details on the location, damage, or casualties. US officials told The New York Times the target was a drug facility inside Venezuela, though the Pentagon and White House declined to comment and the Venezuelan government has issued no response. 🚨 FOX NEWS ALERT: President Trump reveals the U.S. military has carried out a massive strike on drug boats being loaded at a port in Venezuela: “There was a major explosion and the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs… So we hit all the boats and now we hit the… pic.twitter.com/RSH9hoapeD — TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) December 29, 2025 The strike follows at least 29 US attacks since September on small boats Washington claims were operated by “narcoterrorists” off Venezuela’s coast, killing at least 105 people. The campaign unfolds as the United States increases military pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, deploys major naval forces near Venezuela, and faces domestic criticism over the legality and oversight of the strikes.   Hamas Confirms Death of Veteran Spokesman in Israeli Strike Hamas on Monday confirmed that its longtime military spokesman, Hudhayfa al-Kahlout, known as Abu Obeida, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in August, marking the group’s first public acknowledgment of his death. Israel said its forces targeted and killed him on August 31, citing intelligence that identified him as a central figure in Hamas’ media and propaganda operations. The confirmation comes as US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Florida to push forward a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire that began October 10. Hamas announced a new masked spokesman who adopted the Abu Obeida name and reiterated the group’s refusal to disarm despite ceasefire provisions. “We remind the two-billion-strong Ummah that this Arab Muslim people, who have been resisting for over 70 years, are facing genocide, starvation, and displacement before your eyes. What will you say to your Lord?” —Martyr Abu Obaida pic.twitter.com/offeD1fXLw — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) December 29, 2025 The war began with Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel and has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.   Islamic State Clash in Turkey Kills Three Police Officers, Six Militants Islamic State militants clashed with Turkish police early Monday in Yalova province in northwest Turkey, killing three police officers and six militants during a raid, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The shootout occurred in the Elmali district as police stormed a house where the suspects were hiding, part of more than 100 simultaneous counterterrorism operations across 15 provinces. Authorities evacuated women and children from the building before the assault and deployed special forces from neighboring Bursa to support local units. Turkey: During an anti-terror operation that went awry, six ISIS militants were killed early this morning. Three police officers were killed and nine were injured. The operation, which began early this morning and encountered complications, ended just a few minutes ago. pic.twitter.com/ut39rABftL — Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) December 29, 2025 The operation, which began around 2 a.m. local time and ended mid-morning, wounded at least eight police officers and a night guard and led to multiple detentions. Turkish officials said all militants involved were Turkish nationals and vowed to continue nationwide operations against the Islamic State amid heightened security concerns.   Russian Authorities Reopen Mariupol Theater Destroyed in Deadly 2022 Airstrike Russian-installed authorities reopened the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Sunday, more than three years after a Russian airstrike destroyed the building and killed hundreds of civilians sheltering inside. The theater, struck on March 16, 2022 during Russia’s siege of the city, had become a refuge for civilians, with “children” marked outside to signal their presence. An Associated Press investigation later found the attack killed about 600 people, a claim Russia has denied. Russian Drama Theater officially opens in Mariupol almost 3 years after the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ terrorist attack, which killed 14 people and left the building itself destroyed pic.twitter.com/BaeQXF0ZHT — RT (@RT_com) December 28, 2025 The reopening featured a gala concert and drew Russian officials, as Ukrainian authorities in exile condemned the event as an attempt to erase evidence of a war crime. The theater’s restoration underscores ongoing tensions in the Donetsk region, a central and unresolved front in Russia’s war against Ukraine.   China Launches Live-Fire Drills Around Taiwan, Forcing Flight Disruptions China on Monday launched large-scale live-fire military drills around Taiwan, deploying air, naval, and missile forces in what Beijing called a warning against Taiwanese independence and foreign interference. The exercises, conducted in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters and airspace, prompted Taiwan to place its military on high alert and led to widespread flight cancellations affecting more than 100,000 international travelers. China said the drills tested sea-air coordination, precision strikes, and port blockade capabilities, while Taiwan reported dozens of Chinese aircraft, drones, and ships operating near the island. China ‘all-dimensional’ largest live-fire drills to ‘blockade & shield Taiwan from US’ after massive Trump arms deal Army navy air & rockets move in tomorrow in biggest show of force since Taiwan Strait Crisis pic.twitter.com/vvpobgPbXN — RT (@RT_com) December 29, 2025 The drills followed Chinese anger over proposed US arms sales to Taiwan and remarks from Japan about possible involvement in a conflict. Taiwan condemned the exercises as destabilizing and warned of broader regional risks as the drills continue into Tuesday, December 30.   China Hosts Cambodia-Thailand Talks to Shore Up Fragile Border Ceasefire China on Monday brought together the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand in Yunnan province as Beijing moved to mediate a violent border dispute that has killed more than 100 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. The meeting followed a ceasefire agreement signed two days earlier after weeks of fighting, with all sides pledging to maintain the truce, rebuild trust, and restore normal relations step by step. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged both countries to prevent renewed violence and advance regional stability, while Cambodian and Thai officials said they aim to make the ceasefire permanent. A photograph released by Chinese state media captured a carefully choreographed moment: the foreign ministers of China, Cambodia and Thailand linking arms after talks in southwest China. Meeting in Yuxi, in Yunnan Province, the diplomats emerged with a joint statement pledging… pic.twitter.com/ILiGzsh1bM — Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) December 29, 2025 The talks highlighted China’s growing role as a regional diplomatic broker, even as unresolved issues remain, including prisoner repatriation, land mine concerns, and lingering tensions along the disputed border.   Sources: News Agencies