Long Island Rail workers strike; Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drone warfare; Ebola outbreak in DRC
Drop Site Daily: May 18, 2026
Iran delivers latest proposal to end the war. New official body to manage Hormuz announced by Iran. Trump warns “clock is ticking.” Drone strikes electrical generator in UAE. Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones from Iraq. Three sanctioned tankers breach U.S. Navy blockade. Israel kills at least 37 in Lebanon after “ceasefire” extension. Israeli strike kills Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and his teenage daughter in Lebanon. At least 105 Israeli soldiers wounded in Lebanon in one week as Netanyahu acknowledges unresolved Hezbollah drone threat. Over 19 Palestinians killed, 76 wounded in Israeli weekend strikes on Gaza. Israel kills Hamas military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad and his family in Gaza City strike. Israeli forces intercept Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters. Israel approves conversion of former UNRWA East Jerusalem headquarters into military compound. Trump investment portfolio increases its frequency of trades, FT finds. Long Island Rail Road strike shuts down commuter rail in NYC metro. AIPAC and pro-Israel groups pour $16 million into primary to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky. Venezuela deports Maduro ally Alex Saab to the United States. Ten new suspected Epstein victims come forward in French trafficking investigation. WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern.”
FROM DROP SITE:
From mutual suspicion to political embrace: How the U.S. learned to stop worrying and love Pakistan.
UAE paid $6 million to suppress Ryan Grim’s reporting on ambassador, New York Times reports.
Murtaza Hussain and Sarmad Jawad discuss Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drone warfare strategy.
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Iran and Ceasefire
Iran delivers latest proposal to end the war: The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed in a news conference that Tehran had responded to the U.S.’s latest proposal. Baghaei added that indirect talks are ongoing with the U.S. through Pakistan as the mediator and that Iranian and Omani technical teams met in Oman to negotiate a mechanism for ensuring safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Tasnim news agency, the Iranian response comprises 14 points focused on the talks and confidence-building measures on the part of Washington.
Pakistani interior minister arrives in Tehran to revive stalled U.S.-Iran peace talks: Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a meeting with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and senior officials in an effort to restart stalled peace negotiations. In the meeting on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly told Naqvi that “recent events have shown” U.S. presence in the region ‘not only fails to provide security — it actively creates the conditions for insecurity.”
Iran announces new official body to manage Hormuz: Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, announced on Monday the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz called Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PSGA). A new PSGA social media account said it would provide “real‑time updates on the Hormuz Strait operations and latest developments.” In a subsequent post, PSGA said, “Navigation within the introduced boundaries of the Strait of Hormuz, which were previously determined by the Armed Forces and authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is contingent upon full coordination with these entities, and passage without permission will be considered illegal.”
Trump warns “clock is ticking”: President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post on Sunday that, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
Trump admin to discuss military options: He is expected to convene his national security team in the Situation Room Tuesday to discuss military options following a Saturday strategy session with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, according to Axios.
Trump speaks with Netanyahu: Trump also spoke Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for more than 30 minutes about the possibility of renewed fighting with Iran, according to the Israeli broadcaster Kan.
Iran’s response: Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, responded on state television, saying “Our armed forces’ fingers are on the trigger, while diplomacy is also continuing.”
Drone strikes electrical generator in UAE: A drone strike sparked a fire at an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, according to the UAE Ministry of Defense. Three drones entered the country from the western border, but two were intercepted by UAE defenses. The source of the attack is under investigation, the Ministry said.
Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones from Iraq: Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry announced Sunday that three drones entering the kingdom’s airspace from Iraq were intercepted and destroyed, with spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki warning that Riyadh “reserves the right to respond.”
Three sanctioned tankers breach U.S. Navy blockade: Three empty tankers capable of carrying a combined 1.9 million barrels of Iranian oil slipped through the U.S. Navy blockade in recent days, according to Tanker Trackers. One briefly disabled its AIS tracking, one flew a Russian flag, and a third hugged the Omani coastline to evade detection, the maritime intelligence group claimed on Sunday.
FT: Trump’s $40 billion Hormuz shipping insurance program has paid out nothing two months after launch: The U.S. government’s $40 billion maritime insurance program for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz—announced by President Donald Trump in March and run through the Development Finance Corporation with insurers Chubb and AIG—has not provided a single dollar of coverage in its two months of existence, according to a report by the Financial Times. The program is conditioned on a U.S. naval escort that has never been established, with only two ships escorted through the strait during the short-lived Project Freedom effort in early May.
Iran announces 6,500 arrests for alleged espionage since start of war: Iranian police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan announced Sunday that more than 6,500 people accused of being “traitors and spies” have been arrested since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
Lebanon
Israel kills at least 37 in Lebanon after “ceasefire” extension: Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 37 and wounded 222 on Saturday and Sunday, following the 45-day extension of the ceasefire agreed upon on Friday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. At least 2,988 people have been killed, and 9,210 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Ministry.
Israeli strike kills Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and his teenage daughter in Lebanon: An Israeli guided missile struck an apartment south of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon shortly after midnight on Monday, killing Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Wael Abdul Hali and his 17-year-old daughter Rima, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The strike hit deep in the eastern Beqaa Valley, well beyond the southern border zone where Israeli attacks have been concentrated in recent months.
Israeli strikes kill at least eight on Sunday: Israeli airstrikes struck multiple towns across southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, killing at least three people in Jouaiya near Tyre and bringing the day’s reported death toll to at least eight, with Lebanon’s National News Agency also reporting attacks on Kfarsir, Qusaybah, Tibnin, and Froun in the Nabatieh and Bint Jbeil districts, according to Lebanese state media.
Israeli strikes kill four paramedics in southern Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon’s Sour district Saturday killed three Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee paramedics—Ali Al-Faour, Hadi Kamal, and Moussa Miqdad—in a strike on a site in Dbaal reportedly targeting the home of the organization’s local sector deputy chief, according to L’Orient Today, which also reported that Hilal Mazeh, a rescuer with the Amal Movement-linked Al-Rissala Scouts Association, and his mother Samira Mazeh were killed in a separate strike in Tayr Filsey. Additional strikes were reported in Tayr Debba and other areas of southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon agree on “peace” framework: The U.S. State Department announced Friday that two days of Washington talks between Israel and the Lebanese government produced a negotiating framework aimed at “lasting peace,” mutual recognition of sovereignty, and shared border security arrangements, with a political track set to reconvene June 2–3 and a Pentagon-hosted military security session scheduled for May 29. The parties agreed to extend the April 16 cessation of hostilities by 45 days, though Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least 694 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since that truce began—with the Israeli air force acknowledging it has struck more than 1,100 sites in Lebanon over that period—none of which was addressed in the State Department’s statement.
Hezbollah drone kills Israeli officer and contractor in southern Lebanon: A Golani Brigade platoon commander and a civilian contractor were killed Friday by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon—the seventh IDF soldier and second contractor killed there since the ceasefire began, and the 20th soldier killed since hostilities escalated amid the Iran war.
105 Israeli soldiers wounded in Lebanon in one week as Netanyahu acknowledges unresolved Hezbollah drone threat: The Israeli military reported 105 soldiers wounded in Lebanon over the past week, according to AJ Arabic, with a roadside bomb wounding four more overnight Sunday—one seriously and another moderately—in southern Lebanon. At a Sunday cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the drone threat remains unresolved despite claiming he warned of it six years ago, saying he had convened three meetings in two weeks with “the best minds in the country” and set “no budget limit” on a solution, as former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett renewed his criticism that the government’s failures had turned troops into “sitting ducks.”
Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain discusses the low-cost, fiber-optic drone strategy with Sarmad Jawad here:
Drop Site@DropSiteNews🔺New: Hezbollah recently released footage of what Israeli security officials described as one of the largest and most coordinated drone assaults against Israel to date. Drop Site’s Sarmad Jawad and Murtaza Hussain break down what the videos reveal about the rapid transformation2:41 AM · May 17, 2026 · 81.2K Views11 Replies · 155 Reposts · 645 Likes
Hezbollah claims 339 operations against Israeli forces during ceasefire period, averaging 11 per day, with 250 Israeli casualties: Hezbollah’s military media released a monthly summary Sunday claiming its fighters carried out 339 operations against Israeli forces between April 17 and May 16—averaging 11 per day and peaking at 30 in a single day—with 318 conducted inside Lebanese territory to repel Israeli incursions and 21 targeting sites inside northern Israel, the deepest reaching 15 kilometers. The group claims the operations, which deployed FPV loitering gliders 140 times alongside rockets, drones, artillery, and guided missiles, resulted in more than 250 Israeli soldiers killed or wounded and the destruction or damage of 48 tanks, 30 bulldozers, 18 armored personnel carriers, and one Iron Dome platform.
Palestine
Israel kills 19 Palestinians, wounds 76 in Gaza in weekend strikes: At least 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza during the weekend, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Six Palestinians were killed on Sunday—two in new attacks and four recovered from under the rubble after earlier attacks—and over 19 Palestinians were wounded in attacks throughout Gaza. On Saturday, the Ministry reported that 13 Palestinians were killed and 57 wounded in the past 48 hours due to ongoing Israeli attacks.
Casualty count in Gaza: Over the last 24 hours, six Palestinians were killed and 40 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,769 killed, with 172,704 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 877 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,602, while 776 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israeli strikes on Sunday: Israeli drone strikes Sunday killed Ahmed Abu Asad, Abdul Rahman Muheisen, and Ibrahim Rayyan near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. An Israeli drone killed Abdullah Abu Mustafa in a separate strike near the Rafah garage in Khan Younis, with additional shelling reported across eastern Khan Younis, Al-Bureij camp, and northeast Gaza City, according to Palestine Online. A subsequent evening strike near the Palestinian Broadcasting and Television Authority building in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood wounded nine more, according to WAFA.
Israeli strikes and gunfire kill three Palestinians on Saturday: Israeli aircraft struck a civilian vehicle in Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighborhood Saturday evening, killing Baha Baroud and Abdul Karim Nassar, while a separate airstrike near the Abu Hussein school in Jabalia camp killed Mahmoud Abu Sisi, according to Palestinian Online.
Israel kills Hamas military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad and his family in Gaza City strike: Israel killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the commander of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades and the group’s most senior figure in Gaza, in a Friday evening strike on a residential building and vehicle in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. The strike also killed his wife and daughter and at least four others—including three children—and wounded more than 50 people, 20 of them children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Al-Haddad, known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam” for his operational secrecy, assumed the top Gaza military command after Israel killed his predecessor Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025; he had survived at least six previous assassination attempts.
Gaza man digs through rubble by hand to recover 21 family members killed in 2023 Israeli strike after six months of ceasefire bring no excavation equipment: Mahmoud Khilla, who lost 39 relatives—including 24 children—when Israeli missiles demolished his family’s five-story home in Jabaliya on December 21, 2023, has begun digging through the rubble himself with hammers and shovels after six months of ceasefire failed to bring excavators or equipment into Gaza to retrieve the dead. Eighteen bodies were recovered immediately after the strike, but 21—including Khilla’s wife, children, father, brother, sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews—remain buried, among an estimated 8,500 to 10,000 bodies still entombed beneath the ruins of Gaza, according to a Drop Site News report by Mohammed Ahmed. [Video]
Israeli forces intercept Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters: Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla off the coast of Cyprus. Organizers with the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement on Monday that 52 civilian boats carrying 461 volunteers from 45 countries have been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. Israeli media reported that Israel’s navy will transfer the arrested activists to the Israeli port of Ashdod. More than 50 ships set sail from the Turkish port city of Marmaris on Thursday as part of the flotilla in a third attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Turkey condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, calling the action a “new act of piracy.”
MoH: MRIs no longer available in Gaza: Gaza’s health system is facing a severe collapse in medical imaging services, with 76% of diagnostic equipment destroyed in Israeli attacks and most of the remaining machines operating under extreme strain, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Health authorities say MRI services are no longer available following the destruction of all nine scanners in the Strip, while only five of 18 CT scanners remain functional, far below daily demand. Standard X-ray capacity has also been heavily reduced, with just 33 of 88 machines still in use, many of them frequently breaking down. Israel severely restricts the entry of medicine and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip.
Israel strikes soup kitchen in “serious escalation,” halting aid distribution across central Gaza: Gaza aid coordinator Eyad Amawi warned Sunday of a “serious escalation” after Israeli airstrikes throughout the day killed at least seven Palestinians across Gaza—including a strike on a charitable soup kitchen in Deir al-Balah—while aid organizations have halted meal distribution east of Salah al-Din Road, forcing thousands of displaced families sheltering near Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi camps further west into already overcrowded conditions. “The situation has reached a point where it can’t honestly be described as a ceasefire at all,” Amawi told Drop Site News, calling it “the continuation of the war through different methods, alongside the ongoing siege and pressure on civilians.”
Israel approves conversion of former UNRWA East Jerusalem headquarters into military compound: Israel’s cabinet approved plans Sunday to convert the former UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem into a military compound housing an army museum, Israeli Defense Forces recruitment offices, and Defense Ministry facilities.The approval drew condemnation from Hamas, which called the seizure of the site a violation of international law and UN protections and urged the international community to impose “deterrent sanctions” on Netanyahu’s government.
Palestinian governorate warns of Israeli plan to seize up to 20 historic properties near Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem: Israeli authorities are preparing to approve a plan to confiscate 15 to 20 Palestinian-owned properties in the Bab el-Silsileh neighborhood—one of the main gateways to Al-Aqsa Mosque—including buildings and Islamic endowments dating to the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras, according to Jerusalem’s Palestinian governorate. The move would forcibly displace residents and businesses in what the governorate described as “a dangerous colonial escalation targeting the heart of the Old City.”
U.S. News
By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.
Trump investment portfolio increases its frequency of trades, FT finds: A Financial Times analysis of federal disclosures found that President Donald Trump’s investment portfolio executed more than 3,700 transactions in the first quarter of 2026—averaging a new trade roughly every 9 minutes and 45 seconds during trading hours since January 2025—with the cumulative value of transactions ranging between $220 million and $750 million. Trump’s filings missed the standard 45-day federal disclosure deadline, incurring late-reporting fees, while the Trump Organization and White House deny any conflict of interest, saying the assets are held in a trust managed by Trump’s children and traded through automated discretionary accounts overseen by independent third-party financial firms.
Long Island Rail Road strike shuts down commuter rail in NYC metro: Five unions representing more than 3,500 Long Island Rail Road workers walked off the job shortly after midnight Saturday after years of wage negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority collapsed, shutting down the rail line’s entire service. The LIRR carries an average of 270,000 passengers daily between Long Island and New York City, making it the busiest passenger rail service in the United States; the state comptroller estimates that the strike is costing the region $61 million a day. Bargaining is set to resume Monday after talks ran past 1 a.m. on Sunday without resolution.
China confirms preliminary tariff reduction agreement with U.S.: Beijing and Washington reached a preliminary agreement to establish trade and investment councils and reduce tariffs on specific products “on an equivalent scale,” China’s commerce ministry said. The countries confirmed arrangements for China to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft and General Electric engines, and agreed to work toward resolving non-tariff barriers on agricultural products. These claims contradict President Trump’s claim aboard Air Force One on Friday that “we didn’t discuss tariffs” during his state visit to Beijing. Xi Jinping is expected to make a return state visit to the White House in September, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the two leaders may meet as many as four times this year.
Kataib Hezbollah commander charged in Manhattan: Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a 32-year-old commander of the Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah, was charged Friday in federal court in Manhattan with planning at least 18 attacks against U.S. and Israeli interests in Europe and Canada since late February and plotting to bomb a prominent Manhattan synagogue. The criminal complaint alleges that al-Saadi, who was detained in Turkey and turned over to U.S. authorities, paid $3,000 in cryptocurrency to an undercover FBI officer posing as a Mexican cartel member to carry out the attack on the synagogue in April before the plan was aborted.
AIPAC and pro-Israel groups pour $16 million into primary to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky: AIPAC’s super PAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund have combined to spend more than $16 million to defeat Rep. Thomas Massie in Tuesday’s Kentucky Republican primary—part of more than $32 million in total ad spending that makes it the most expensive House primary on record. Massie, a libertarian-leaning spending hawk who has opposed military aid to Israel and declined to support symbolic pro-Israel resolutions, has responded by introducing a bill to require AIPAC to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Massie’s opponent is former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who also received President Donald Trump’s endorsement and the support of a Trump-connected super PAC that has spent nearly $7 million on the race.
Polls show a competitive race with Gallrein leading by 8 points in one survey and Massie ahead by 1 point in another poll released on Friday.
Republicans oust Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana primary: Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana failed Saturday to advance past the primary, finishing behind Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming, who will face each other in a June 27 runoff. Cassidy’s loss follows years of Republican backlash over his vote to convict President Donald Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial, with Trump calling Cassidy “a disloyal disaster” on the day of the vote and celebrating his defeat online.
California congressional race tests new FEC loophole allowing open campaign-super PAC coordination: State Sen. Scott Wiener, the leading fundraiser in the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th Congressional District, has raised more than $3.5 million in individual donations. A supporting super PAC, Families for an Affordable SF, has poured more than $260,000 into his campaign. The two entities sharing at least four paid staffers who coordinate on canvassing strategy, an arrangement that was illegal before a 2024 Federal Election Commission rule change determined that canvassing does not constitute a “public communication” subject to coordination restrictions. The Campaign Legal Center filed a lawsuit last week challenging the FEC advisory opinion as a “legally indefensible loophole.” The San Francisco Gazeteer has more on this race and this rule change, here.
ICE proposes 387% fee hike for deportation stay applications: ICE published a proposed rule on May 7 to raise the filing fee for Form I-246—the application used to request a discretionary stay of deportation—from $155 to $755, the first adjustment to that fee since 1989, according to reporting from Migrant Insider. The agency acknowledged it cannot model how many people under final removal orders—including the seriously ill, parents of U.S. citizen children, and those with no safe country to return to—will simply stop filing because they cannot afford the fee. The public comment window for the increase closes July 6.
Toddler beaten to death in Florida after ICE deported his mother: Orlin Hernandez Reyes, a 3-year-old U.S. citizen, was beaten to death in Pensacola, Florida by his uncle Samuel Maldonado Erazo—who had been left to care for him after ICE arrested his mother Wendy Hernandez at a traffic stop in Alabama and deported her to Honduras on January 26 without the child. An autopsy of Hernandez Reyes found multiple broken bones, signs of sexual battery, and burns; the coroner ruled the cause of death to be multiple blunt force traumas. A Washington Post investigation of this case is available in full here.
Other International News
How the U.S. learned to stop worrying and love Pakistan: A Drop Site News investigation documents how Field Marshal Asim Munir cultivated his standing as President Donald Trump’s self-described “favorite field marshal” by delivering to Washington what former Prime Minister Imran Khan had refused: drone basing rights, weapons to Ukraine, and a slowdown of Chinese infrastructure investment under CPEC. The investigation features the previously unpublished “cypher,” a diplomatic cable at the center of Imran Khan’s claim that the United States orchestrated his removal from power.” The full examination, from Drop Site’s Waqas Ahmed, Ryan Grim, and Murtaza Hussain is available here.
Venezuela deports Maduro ally Alex Saab to the United States: Venezuela’s immigration authority deported former industry minister Alex Saab—a close ally of ousted President Nicolás Maduro—to the United States on Saturday, classifying him as a Colombian national to circumvent Venezuela’s constitutional prohibition on extraditing its own citizens. Saab was captured in Cape Verde in a controversial U.S.-led operation over money laundering allegations but was released from custody in a December 2023 prisoner exchange that followed an international solidarity campaign. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez fired and stripped him of all posts following Maduro’s ouster and capture by U.S. forces in January.
Israeli forces conduct new incursion into southern Syria’s Daraa countryside: An Israeli force of three tanks and two military vehicles advanced into the Wadi al-Raqad border area of western Daraa countryside on Sunday, conducting sweeping operations near the villages of Maariyah, Abidin, and Jamlah—where a journalist came under fire from Israeli vehicles—before withdrawing through the occupied territories, according to Syrian state media. Additional Israeli tanks reportedly entered the neighboring Quneitra governorate on Saturday. The UN’s deputy Syria envoy, addressing the Security Council on Friday, called Israeli operations a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
Houthis shoot down U.S. Reaper drone: The Houthis in Yemen took responsibility for the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the country’s Marib province on Sunday, local media reported. Separately, a Yemeni civilian was killed when an explosive remnant detonated in the Al-Durayhimi district of Hodeidah Governorate, according to Saba News Agency, an explosion it attributed to remnants of what it described as the “U.S.-Saudi aggression.”
Cuba accuses U.S. of fabricating “fraudulent case” for intervention: Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused Washington on Sunday of manufacturing a pretext for military intervention after Axios reported, citing classified intelligence, that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and discussed plans to use them against the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. military vessels, and Key West, Florida. Rodríguez added that Cuba “prepares itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense.”
Sudanese army recaptures Khor Hassan: Sudan’s army announced Friday it had seized the town of Khor Hassan in Blue Nile state from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North fighters, inflicting heavy personnel and equipment losses. The seizure is part of the army’s broader campaign to retake Kurmuk—a garrison town near the Ethiopian border that serves as a vital RSF resupply corridor and provides access to the Al-Roseires Dam.
Joint U.S.-Nigerian mission kills IS leader, officials say: A joint force of roughly two dozen American and Nigerian Special Operations commandos—including members of Navy SEAL Team—killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s second-highest-ranking leader globally, President Trump announced in a post on Truth Social on Friday evening. Al-Minuki was reportedly killed after the special forces contingent attacked his island base in Lake Chad, though a U.S. airstrike killed him after he refused to surrender, according to three sources speaking to the New York Times.
Militants kill 17 police officers at Nigerian army training school: Separately on Friday, suspected Islamist militants launched a coordinated multi-directional attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School at Buni Yadi in Yobe state, killing 17 police officers undergoing specialized training and an unspecified number of soldiers, according to national police spokesman Anthony Okon Placid.
Schoolchildren abducted in country’s northeast: At least 42 Nigerian schoolchildren were abducted by suspected Islamist militants in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state on Friday. This is the first school kidnapping in Borno since Boko Haram abducted more than 270 girls from Chibok in 2014. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
Ten new suspected Epstein victims come forward in French trafficking investigation: Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau revealed Sunday that roughly 10 previously unknown suspected victims have come forward in France’s human trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network, bringing the total number of suspected French victims who have identified themselves to approximately 20 since Beccuau publicly urged potential victims to speak up in February.
Two campaign staffers killed in Colombia weeks before presidential election, candidate reports: Gunmen on motorbikes shot and killed two men working for the campaign of right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, according to de la Espriella’s office and the country’s citizens’ rights ombudsman. The former reported another attack on its campaign office without providing further details. A presidential election is scheduled for May 31. Abelado de la Espriella, a lawyer, is the highest-profile right-wing candidate in the election and has compared himself to Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele. The race’s frontrunner, Senator Ivan Cepeda, has campaigned on continuing the work done by the country’s left-wing president, Gustavo Petro.
Gunmen kill 10 in attack on central Mexican town: Gunmen killed 10 people—six men, three women, and a child—in an early morning attack in the town of Tehuitzingo in Mexico’s Puebla state on Sunday, federal officials reported, with no suspects immediately identified. The attack in Puebla follows another recent incident where families from rural communities in Guerrero were forced to abandon their homes after attacks linked to the Los Ardillos group.
Two former Sinaloa state officials in U.S. custody: Former Sinaloa public security secretary Gerardo Merida Sanchez, arrested in Arizona on Monday, appeared in Manhattan federal court Friday on charges that he accepted bribes from sons of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in exchange for advance warning of raids on drug labs. Former state finance minister Enrique Diaz separately surrendered to U.S. authorities the same day. Both were charged in an April 29 indictment that also names sitting Governor Ruben Rocha, who stepped aside temporarily on May 2 but has not been detained.
Philippine Senate to consider Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment: The Philippine Senate convened Monday as an impeachment court to try Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces charges of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained wealth, and threatening the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House speaker. Duterte, whose father now awaits trial at the ICC for crimes against humanity during his “war on drugs,” is thought to be a leading contender for the presidency of the country. The proceedings follow the re-emergence of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, also wanted by the ICC, who returned after six months in hiding to cast a decisive vote installing Duterte loyalist Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president and presiding officer of the trial. Delarosa escaped arrest amid gunfire in the Senate on Friday.
Massive Ukrainian drone barrage kills at least five in Russia: Ukraine launched what Russian officials described as one of the largest drone attacks of the war overnight, killing at least five people in the Moscow region and near the Ukrainian border. One Indian national was killed in Moscow, and three others were wounded. Drone debris also fell on the grounds of Sheremetyevo airport without causing damage; the strikes also reportedly hit an oil refinery and two oil-pumping stations in the Moscow region, according to Ukraine’s Security Service. The attacks on heavily defended urban areas in Moscow and critical infrastructure deep in the country are unprecedented and come after months of Ukrainian drone strikes aimed at degrading Russian air defenses across the country.
Taiwan president calls U.S. arms sales “most important deterrent”: Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said Sunday that U.S. arms sales are “the most important deterrent” of regional conflict and instability, pushing back after President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview that a pending $14 billion arms package to Taiwan “depends on China” and described the prospect of ending weapon sales’ to the island’s government as “a very good negotiating chip for us frankly” following Trump’s visit to Beijing.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”: The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in eastern Africa a “public health emergency of international concern” on Sunday. 88 deaths and 336 suspected cases of the disease have been reported primarily in the DRC, though some laboratory-reported cases have reached neighboring Uganda. This outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine or treatment and a fatality rate of up to 50%.
U.S. and eight Latin American nations back Bolivia’s President as protesters demand his ouster: Protests in Bolivia demanding President Rodrigo Paz’s resignation over the impact of the country’s economic crisis on workers continued over the weekend with road blockades that have sparked shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. The U.S. government responded Sunday by voicing full support for Paz, condemning “all actions aimed at destabilizing” his government and warning that the unrest has created a “humanitarian crisis.” Eight Latin American countries—Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru—also issued a joint statement Friday expressing “concern” over the humanitarian situation.
More from Drop Site
USC sold donated bodies to U.S. Navy for use in Israeli military surgical training, investigation finds: An AJ+ investigation, conducted in collaboration with USC student journalists, found that the University of Southern California has been selling donated bodies to the U.S. Navy, where Israeli military surgeons use them for training at a Los Angeles facility, with the bodies sourced largely from UC San Diego donors who had no knowledge their remains could be used for that purpose. Drop Site’s Maysa Mustafa discusses this report with AJ+’s Dena Takuri here.
UAE paid $6 million to suppress Ryan Grim’s reporting on ambassador, New York Times reports: The United Arab Emirates paid reputation management firm Terakeet more than $6 million between 2020 and 2022 to suppress reporting by Drop Site co-founder Ryan Grim, then at The Intercept, about Emirati Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba’s alleged ties to escorts and individuals linked to sex trafficking, according to the New York Times. The Times report says Terakeet responded by creating favorable profiles, editing Wikipedia through anonymous accounts, and flooding the internet with SEO-optimized content that pushed Grim’s 2017 investigation as far back as page five of Google search results by 2023. The Times’s full report, which discusses the use of reputation management firms by Epstein associates, is available here; Grim’s original report on al-Otaiba is available here.
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