This week, the U.S. State Department officially backed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, as additional Israeli troops were deployed into the country, continuing battles with Hezbollah, with the latter calling for a cease fire. In the Indo-Pacific, North Korea said it would bolster its fortifications along its border with the South, and naval clashes between the Philippines and China resumed in the South China Sea. In Ukraine, Russian forces continued their advances in Donetsk, and Ukrainian officials signaled their intentions to engage in a peace summit by the end of the year with the inclusion of Russia.