Morning Brief: Israel to Seize Gaza City, Armenia and Azerbaijan Set to Sign US-Brokered Peace Deal

· Guy D. McCardle

Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip during the 2023-2025 Gaza War. (Wikimedia Commons)

Good morning. It’s Friday, August 8, 2025, and today’s SOFREP Morning Brief has plenty to unpack. The Pentagon will restore Arlington’s Confederate memorial in a $10 million project, while a Fort Bliss soldier faces espionage charges for trying to pass Abrams tank secrets to Russia. Rheinmetall expands in Virginia, and Lockheed advances the “Golden Dome” missile shield. The US doubles its bounty on Venezuela’s Maduro, Israel moves to seize Gaza City, and Washington pitches a phased Hezbollah disarmament for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Plus, a US-brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal is set for signing, and Japanese warships make a rare New Zealand port call.

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Pentagon to Restore Confederate Memorial at Arlington in $10M Project

The Pentagon will reinstall the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, reversing its 2022 removal under a congressional commission’s recommendation.

A US Army official said Wednesday the restoration will cost about $10 million and take roughly two years, including replacing the base, refurbishing the statue, and adding historical context panels.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the move Tuesday, calling the statue’s removal an act by “woke lemmings” and framing the decision as part of a broader Trump administration initiative to “combat erasing American history.”

The monument, erected in 1914 by Confederate veteran Moses Ezekiel, depicts the American South as a classical female figure alongside sanitized portrayals of slavery and symbols of the “Lost Cause” myth.

The restoration aligns with President Trump’s March executive order

“Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directs federal agencies to restore removed monuments and reverse what it calls partisan reinterpretations of history.

This week, the National Park Service also announced it will reinstall the Albert Pike statue in Washington, D.C., and the Smithsonian said it will revert its presidency exhibit to its 2008 format, removing references to Trump’s impeachments.

Hegseth has previously rolled back other commission-led changes, including renaming Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg (this time honoring World War II hero Pfc. Roland L. Bragg rather than Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg).

The Confederate memorial’s reinstatement comes amid a wider political dispute over how US history and culture should be represented in public institutions.

 

US Soldier Charged with Attempting to Pass Abrams Tank Secrets to Russia

An active-duty US Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, has been arrested on espionage charges for allegedly trying to share classified information about the Abrams main battle tank with Russia.

The Justice Department said 22-year-old Taylor Adam Lee, who held a top-secret security clearance, delivered an SD card containing sensitive material to a Russian government representative and sought Russian citizenship in exchange.

Prosecutors allege Lee met with the Russian contact in July, discussed obtaining a specific Abrams tank component, and later delivered the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso on July 31. He then reportedly texted “Mission accomplished” to the Russian representative.

Lee is also charged under the US Arms Export Control Act.

According to court documents, Lee told the Russian contact that the US was “not happy” with him for exposing weaknesses and that he would “volunteer to assist the Russian Federation” if given the opportunity.

Brig. Gen. Sean F. Stinchon of Army Counterintelligence Command called the arrest “an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our US Army.”

Lee was taken into custody Wednesday morning and appeared in federal court the same day. It is unclear whether he has legal representation.

 

Rheinmetall Expands US Operations with New Virginia Facility

Rheinmetall recently announced that it has leased a nearly 10,000-square-foot (929-square-meter) facility in Merrifield, Fairfax County, Virginia, to house its subsidiaries American Rheinmetall Defense and American Rheinmetall Munitions.

The move places the German defense firm closer to the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, strengthening engagement with US defense and government stakeholders while signaling long-term commitment to US industrial capacity and workforce development.

American Rheinmetall Defense oversees US operations, while American Rheinmetall Munitions focuses on medium- and large-caliber ammunition, fuzing, propellants, and vehicle protection systems.

The company is currently involved in several US military modernization programs, including long-range precision fires, combat vehicles, air and ground defense, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and troop lethality upgrades.

CEO Stephen Hedger said in a statement that the new Washington, D.C.-area offices enhance Rheinmetall’s ability to work closely with key decision-makers, access a strong regional talent pool, and deliver innovation at speed in support of US defense strategy.

 

Lockheed Martin Unveils C2 Prototyping Hub for US “Golden Dome” Defense System

Lockheed Martin recently launched a command and control (C2) prototyping capability to accelerate development of America’s “Golden Dome” — the Trump administration’s planned homeland version of Israel’s Iron Dome air and missile defense network.

Operating from its “Lighthouse” innovation center in Suffolk, Virginia, the secure facility enables classified exercises, live and simulated testing, wargaming, and mission-focused demonstrations involving government, military, and industry partners.

The initiative is designed to integrate battle management, sensor tasking, mission planning, threat evaluation, and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision-support tools across domains from seabed to space.

Lockheed Martin says the environment allows disparate technologies not originally built to work together to be tested and integrated into a cohesive C2 framework.

Golden Dome will be a layered air and missile defense system to counter ballistic, hypersonic, cruise, and autonomous airborne threats before they reach US territory, supported by advanced satellites and early warning sensors.

Earlier this month, the Missile Defense Agency issued a pre-solicitation for the $151 billion SHIELD program to advance Golden Dome, funding AI-enabled detection, weapons development, systems integration, and cybersecurity efforts.

The Pentagon plans to field initial Golden Dome capabilities within three years.

 

US Doubles Reward for Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro to $50 Million

The Trump administration has raised the reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to smuggle fentanyl-laced cocaine into the United States.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the increase Thursday, saying Maduro “will not escape justice” for his crimes.

Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020 on narco-terrorism and cocaine import conspiracy charges.

The US initially offered $15 million for his capture, a figure later raised to $25 million under the Biden administration, matching the reward once placed on Osama bin Laden. Despite international condemnation of his 2024 reelection as fraudulent, Maduro remains in power.

The move comes after a recent US-Venezuela prisoner exchange that freed 10 Americans in Caracas in return for deported migrants being sent to El Salvador. Soon after, Washington allowed Chevron to resume drilling in Venezuela despite previous sanctions.

Bondi told US authorities have seized over $700 million in Maduro-linked assets, including private jets, and traced nearly seven tons of seized cocaine directly to him.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil dismissed the reward as “pathetic” political propaganda, accusing Bondi of deflecting from her own controversies.

The Justice Department continues to pursue Maduro under the Espionage and Arms Export Control Acts, framing the bounty as part of a broader effort to hold him accountable.

 

Israel to Seize Gaza City in New Escalation, Despite Hostage Risks and Humanitarian Crisis

Israel announced early Friday that it will move to take control of Gaza City, escalating its 22-month war with Hamas despite international pressure for a ceasefire and protests from Israelis concerned about the fate of roughly 20 living hostages.

The decision followed an all-night Security Cabinet meeting and falls short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier pledge to seize all of Gaza, which Israel already controls about three-quarters of.

Military Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reportedly warned that occupying Gaza City could endanger hostages and overextend Israeli forces.

Netanyahu said the goal is to remove Hamas, establish a security perimeter, and eventually hand governance to allied Arab forces.

The city remains one of the last major areas not under evacuation orders or converted into an Israeli buffer zone, but militants have repeatedly regrouped there after prior raids.

The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 and abducted 251, has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, displaced most of the population, and pushed the territory toward famine.

On Thursday alone, at least 42 Palestinians were reportedly killed in Israeli strikes and shootings, including 13 in a southern Gaza military zone where United Nations aid convoys and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites have seen repeated chaos and deadly incidents.

Doctors Without Borders accused the GHF aid system, set up by the US and Israel to bypass UN deliveries, of creating “death traps,” citing hundreds of gunshot injuries, including children, during food distribution.

GHF denies the allegations, calling them part of a Hamas-led disinformation campaign.

The UN has rejected claims of widespread aid diversion and says the GHF model forces civilians to risk their lives for food while furthering mass displacement plans.

Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies continue to push for full territorial control, relocation of most Gazans to other countries, and reestablishment of Jewish settlements dismantled in 2005.

Hostage families accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political reasons, warning that further escalation could seal the fate of those still alive in captivity.

 

US Proposes Phased Hezbollah Disarmament and Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon

The United States has reportedly presented Lebanon with a detailed plan to fully disarm Hezbollah by December 31, 2025, in exchange for an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from five positions in the south.

The proposal, delivered by US envoy Tom Barrack and discussed in Thursday’s Lebanese cabinet meeting, also calls for Lebanese Armed Forces control over all weapons, resolution of prisoner issues, and permanent border demarcation with Israel and Syria.

The cabinet approved the objectives but did not debate the full plan.

Hezbollah ministers and allied Shi’ite politicians walked out in protest. Iran’s foreign minister said Hezbollah alone would decide on disarmament.

The four-phase plan begins with a Lebanese decree committing to Hezbollah’s disarmament within 15 days, followed by deployment of Lebanese forces, Israeli withdrawals, prisoner releases, and dismantling of heavy weapons, including missiles and drones.

The final phase would include an international economic conference, backed by the US, Saudi Arabia, France, and Qatar, to support Lebanon’s reconstruction.

The proposal aims to stabilize the fragile ceasefire reached in November 2024, which has been strained by alleged violations from both sides since the October 2023 conflict, when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Hamas during the Gaza war.

The US says urgency is driven by the risk of renewed escalation from ongoing Israeli airstrikes and cross-border operations.

 

Armenia and Azerbaijan Set to Sign US-Brokered Peace Deal at White House

US President Donald Trump announced that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are expected to sign a peace agreement at the White House on Friday, aiming to end decades of conflict.

The deal also includes US agreements with both nations to develop joint economic opportunities in the South Caucasus.

According to US officials, the agreement establishes a key transit corridor linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan region through Armenian territory.

The US would lease rights to develop the route, named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which would eventually carry rail, oil, gas, and fiber optic lines.

Private companies, not the US government, would fund construction.

The accord follows nearly 40 years of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenia and Azerbaijan fought multiple wars since the late 1980s.

Azerbaijan reclaimed the region in 2023, prompting over 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee. Russia, distracted by its war in Ukraine, played no role in the new agreement.

The peace deal would also reopen borders between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey for the first time in nearly four decades, enabling Armenia to access Turkish markets and regional trade routes.

For Azerbaijan, the corridor resolves a long-standing demand for a secure land link to Nakhchivan. For Turkey, it expands influence in the South Caucasus.

 

Japanese Warships Visit New Zealand for First Time in Nearly 90 Years

Two Japanese destroyers, JS Ise (DDH-182) and JS Suzunami (DD-114), arrived in Wellington on Friday, marking the first visit by Japanese warships to New Zealand’s capital since 1936.

The vessels, carrying over 500 crew, sailed in from Sydney alongside New Zealand’s HMNZS Canterbury (L421) as part of an Indo-Pacific deployment.

The stop was ceremonial but underscored Tokyo’s push to deepen military cooperation in the South Pacific.

Japan’s ambassador to Wellington, Makoto Osawa, said the country is expanding defense collaboration with New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Island nations to support a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The visit follows Australia’s announcement that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a major warship contract, described as the largest defense industry deal between the two nations.

New Zealand has also been strengthening its strategic ties in Asia, recently beginning work on a defense logistics agreement with Japan.

The move comes amid heightened regional tensions, with the Pacific increasingly contested by major powers.

Earlier this year, Chinese naval live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea forced flight diversions, raising security concerns in Wellington and Canberra.

While Japanese ships have occasionally visited Auckland, the last in 2016, port calls to Wellington remain rare, reflecting the significance of this deployment in expanding Japan’s defense diplomacy far into the South Pacific.

 

Sources: News Agencies