31 October 2025
Israel
The IDF’s top lawyer, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned after a detainee abuse video was leaked. The video shows Israeli troops abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel on July 5, 2024. Major General Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation letter can be found here.
Venezuela
The Trump administration has identified targets within Venezuela that it believes are used to smuggle drugs, including ports, airports and military facilities. Trump and his team are aiming to pressure Maduro to step down. The president has not yet made a decision on going ahead with the strikes.
Hezbollah
Israeli and Arab officials have said that Hezbollah is defying the terms of a ceasefire agreement with Israel and is rearming itself. Intelligence shows that the armed group is restocking rockets, anti-tank missiles and artillery. These actions raise the prospect of renewed war with Israel.
Canada-China
Prime Minister Mark Carney held a bilateral meeting on Friday with the president of China on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Xi invited Carney for a state visit to China and the two have agreed to discuss “sensitivities” in the relationship between the two countries.
Sudan
The RSF paramilitary leader, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, promised an investigation into the civilian killings at the city of el-Fashir. It is reported that over 1,500 civilians were killed, and videos were posted on social media.
Yemen
The UN workers that the Houthis arrested will be tried on allegations that they assisted in Israel’s airstrikes against the Houthis’ leadership on 28 August. The UN denies this claim and accuses the Houthis of impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Russia-Syria
Russia has resumed military flights between the two countries, as relations have thawed. An Il-62 transport plane and an An-124 heavy-cargo jet recently landed at Hmeimim air base in the coastal province of Latakia. Russia’s access to Hmeimim and its naval facility in Tartus came into question after al-Assad fled the collapse of his regime and settled in Moscow last December.
United States
The National Guard has mandated that every state establish quick-reaction forces trained to combat civil unrest and riots. The National Guard will train a contingent of soldiers in a specialized course that includes the proper use of batons, body shields, stun guns and pepper spray. This demonstrates that the Trump administration’s immigration policies of using ICE and the National Guard will continue, if not intensify.
Social media wires
Disturbing video from El-Fashir, Sudan.
Feature Photo: “Nebraska National Guard lined up” – Picryl, 2025
The Wires Brief is a daily breaking news report incorporating wire service news and social media updates. DefRep cannot verify the authenticity of social media reporters nor the accuracy of social media updates.