West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Maj. Gen. James Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, provided an update Monday on their operations in Washington as well as the condition of critically wounded guardsman, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

Wolfe, of Inwood, West Virginia, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, of Webster Springs, West Virginia, were shot – Beckstrom fatally – allegedly by Afghan evacuee Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Bellingham, Washington, on Wednesday as they patrolled outside the Farragut West Metro station not far from the White House.

Morrisey said Wolfe has been upgraded to serious condition, a step down from the previously reported «critical» status.

«I’m not the doctor, and I’m not going to try to pretend to be so,» Morrisey said of speculation about the future of Wolfe’s condition.

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Morrisey said Wolfe’s condition appears to be improving, telling reporters in Charleston that there had been some «positive news» from friends and family in the hospital.

«Andrew was asked if he could hear the nurse who asked the question to give a ‘thumbs up’ and he did respond,» the governor said, calling the soldier’s mother, Melody, «such a positive force» and that she and her husband, Jason’s top request of the public is to continue to offer prayers.

Morrisey said he attended a vigil for Beckstrom in Webster County over the weekend, and traveled to the Eastern Panhandle for a prayer service for Wolfe that was held in Martinsburg, only 80 miles from Farragut Square.

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Seward and Morrisey spent Thanksgiving Day with the National Guardsmen at the Armory. A video from Morrisey’s social media feed indicated he met with personnel at the Washington, D.C., base.

«Every single one of the people there are volunteering,» he said, confirming 170 remain active in Washington.

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National Guard members patrol in Washington, Nov. 27, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He called the attack an «unspeakable evil,» and said West Virginia has not been asked to deploy additional troops beyond the rotations it has been contributing to-date.

«They’re volunteering because they believe in the mission – they want to support the state of West Virginia, and they want to support the country.»

As for the future of the Guard’s activities in the Mountain State, Morrisey said he has been in touch with President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and will defer to them on their processes.

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He underlined, however, that service in the Guard’s Washington mission is all-volunteer.

Of the shooting itself, Morrisey condemned media pundits who have speculated and want to «wrongly go to different places.»

«We’re not going to do that. At this point, that investigation is ongoing. The most important thing I can [say is] the citizens of West Virginia are rightfully angry about what’s happened right now,» he said.

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Maj. Gen. James Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG via DoD)

«Justice must be done in this case. Justice will be meted out.»

Morrisey said he supports Trump’s call for new vetting proposals for «undocumented aliens» and loopholes to be closed in refugee vetting.

Seward said the Guard numbers about 6,000 statewide and that members have been shaken by Beckstrom’s killing and Wolfe’s injuries.

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«When we lose one of our family members, I can tell you that every guardsmen I talk to is grieving,» he said.

President Donald Trump described it as «very important» that «nothing» transpire to derail Syria’s transformation «into a prosperous state.»

The commander-in-chief’s cryptic comments come days after Israel engaged in an operation in Syria.

«The United States is very satisfied with the results displayed, through hard work and determination, in the Country of Syria. We are doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended, which is substantial, in order to build a true and prosperous Country. One of the things that has helped them greatly was my termination of very strong and biting sanctions — I believe this was truly appreciated by Syria, its Leadership, and its People!» the president said in the Truth Social post.

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«It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State. The new President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together. This is a historic opportunity, and adds to the SUCCESS, already attained, for PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST!» Trump added.

The IDF noted last week that troops were wounded during action in Syria.

A post on X explained that «IDF troops conducted an operation to apprehend suspects from the Jaama Islamiya terrorist organization operating in the Beit Jinn area of southern Syria. During the activity, several armed terrorists opened fire at the troops. IDF soldiers responded with live fire, supported by aerial assistance.»

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«As a result of the incident, several reservists were injured and were evacuated to the hospital to receive medical treatment. The operation concluded with all suspects apprehended and several terrorists eliminated,» the IDF post noted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump spoke on Monday.

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport before boarding his plane to Sharm El-Sheikh, on Oct. 13, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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«The two leaders stressed the importance and obligation of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, and discussed expanding the peace agreements,» the office of the prime minister noted on X. «US President Trump invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House in the near future,» another post added.

Quince mil jóvenes congregados en Bkerke, cerca de Beirut y frente al patriarcado maronita, vivaron al anochecer al Papa en la última congregación pública de la jornada. Entre ellos había también delegaciones juveniles sirias e iraquíes. El pontífice los invitó a “cambiar el curso de la historia en un mundo desgarrado por guerras y desfigurado por las injusticias”.

El Papa recorrió en un carrito de golf la plaza entre los vivas, coros y gritos de la muchachada que estuvo horas esperándolo.

Algunos jóvenes leyeron testimonios de su miedo a la guerra, la temida inestabilidad económica y en breves discursos se dirigieron a León XIV. Le hablaron de la devastación que causó la explosión del puerto de Beirut en 2020 (el Papa visitará mañana el lugar antes de partir de regreso a Roma) y de la necesidad que muchos de ellos sienten de emigrar.

El Papa respondió hablando en francés. Dijo que los mensajes de los jóvenes “hablan de valentía en el sufrimiento, de esperanza en la desilusión, de paz interior en medio de la guerra. Son como estrellas luminosas en una noche oscura, en la cual ya vislumbramos el resplandor del alba. En todos estos contrastes, muchos de los aquí presentes pueden reconocer sus propias experiencias, tanto en el bien como en el mal”.

Les recordó también “la historia del Líbano tejida de páginas gloriosas pero también marcada por heridas profundas que tardan en cicatrizar. Estas heridas tienen causas que sobrepasan las fronteras nacionales y se entrelazan con dinámicas sociales y políticas muy complejas”.

El Papa dijo además: “Queridos jóvenes, quizás se lamenten de haber heredado un mundo desgarrado por guerras y desfigurado por injusticias sociales. Sin embargo, en ustedes reside una esperanza que a nosotros adultos parece escapárseles. Ustedes tienen tiempo. Tienen más tiempo para soñar, organizar y realizar el bien. Además les dijo a los jóvenes que tienen el tiempo para cambiar el curso de la historia. La verdadera resistencia al mal no es el mal sino el amor. El Papa los instó a “construir un futuro nuevo, un mundo que sea mejor que el que han encontrado”.

Antes el encuentro con los jóvenes, el Papa presidió en la céntrica plaza de los Mártires de Beirut, un diálogo con los líderes de las dieciocho comunidades religiosas del país. Sobre todo cristianas y musulmanas. León XIV los instó a combatir la intolerancia y la violencia en un país multiconfesional.

Miles de fieles saludaron con entusiasmo al pontífice cuando llego al lugar, desafiando una lluvia torrencial, tras horas de espera. Cristianos y musulmanes lo aclamaron y le lanzaron arroz en señal de bienvenida mientras pasaba el papamóvil.

Algunos comentaron en voz alta en este lugar central de Beirut que es un símbolo de la memoria nacional, que “esta visita nos ha devuelto la sonrisa».

En su intervención el pontífice dijo a la multitud: “Ustedes están llamados a ser constructores de paz, a enfrentar la intolerancia, a superar la violencia y desterrar la exclusión”, dijo el Papa en un país que sigue profundamente dividido.

Uno por uno los representantes de doce comunidades cristianas y cuatro musulmanas se sucedieron en el micrófono y destacaron que la convivencia para exaltar la importancia de la convivencia en el Líbano, que sufrió una gran guerra civil entre 1975 y 1990.

El conflicto generó una situación económica muy difícil en el país. Además hubo una conmoción bélica tras la guerra entre el partido musulmán Hezbollah e Israel, que EE.UU. logró detener con una tregua en noviembre de 2024. Pero la paz no fue alcanzada totalmente y en los últimos tiempos Israel intensificó los ataques en las últimas semanas.

Desde 2019 tras una sucesión de crisis que desembocó en un colapso económico que agravó la pobreza, se aceleró un fenómeno conocido en el país, donde son más los que se fueron a vivir en el exterior, y hoy la población se ha reducido al 8,5 millones de habitantes. Existe el realista temor de que la emigración continúe.

Entre 2012 y 2024, otros 800 mil libaneses, sobre todo jóvenes,, se instalaron en el exterior. Un sacerdote dijo que “estamos lidiando con muchas problemas, económicos, sociales y políticos”, pero invitó a no perder la voluntad de cambiar la situación.