US Policy in Middle East Must Not Be Subordinate to Israel, Says JD Vance

U.S. Senator JD Vance stated that American foreign policy in the Middle East cannot be subordinate to Israel, emphasizing that U.S. interests should guide Washington's regional approach. Vance suggested that former President Donald Trump was perhaps the only U.S. president in the last 40 years willing to distance himself from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when American interests diverged from Israeli government interests. This statement comes as seven Republicans joined 213 Democrats in passing a resolution aimed at limiting the president's war powers, with specific criticism directed at potential conflict with Iran. The resolution passed with a vote of 220 to 204, though Trump retained veto power.

In other regional developments, Saudi air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a drone attempting to enter the airspace of Mecca, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have shot down a U.S. drone over Qeshm Island. Reports from Iran indicated that U.S. warplanes were flying over Iraq's Erbil province following news of attacks on Iranian opposition party headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Prison Service reported thwarting an attempt to smuggle a significant quantity of suspected dangerous drugs into Eshel Prison using a drone overnight. In Yemen, the Houthi movement claimed to have shot down an F-15 fighter jet during hostile operations in the Marab region, using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile.

U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. military deployed at least 70 advanced air defense missiles, including THAAD systems, during a recent missile attack in Jordan. This extensive use of munitions highlights Iran's enhanced capability to strike U.S. forces and challenge American air defenses, with one official noting the quantity used was comparable to a full week of combat.

In diplomatic news, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke by phone with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam about the situation in Lebanon and the region, with Egypt reaffirming its support for Lebanon's sovereignty and opposing Israeli attacks on Lebanese sovereignty.