FDD Morning Brief

HEADLINE 1: The U.N. Security Council blessed Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.

HEADLINE 2: Syria opened its first trial over the mass killings of Alawite minorities last spring.

HEADLINE 3: Yee Haw! The State of Texas designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Eran Lahav, the head of the Middle East Department at the David Institute for Policy & Research of IDSF.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Maritime Protection of Taiwan’s Energy Vulnerability" - FDD Memo

"US Military Dominance Is the Backbone of Prosperity" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, The National Interest

"What Washington Should Demand From Riyadh Before Providing the F-35" - Bradley Bowman and Justin Leopold-Cohen, Real Clear Defense

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gaza native who serves as the founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MBS COMES TO TOWN?

HEADLINE 1: The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on over two dozen targets that support Iran’s ballistic missile and drone production networks.

HEADLINE 2: U.S. Central Command provided an update on operational activity in Syria.

HEADLINE 3: Israeli forces dismantled a Hamas network in the West Bank.

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FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow, filling in for Jonathan Schanzer, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior Fellow Sarah Zaaimi.

Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Previewing the Trump-MBS Meeting" - Jonathan Schanzer, Edmund Fitton-Brown, and Bradley Bowman, FDD

"With voting in Iraq complete, government formation begins" - Bridget Toomey, FDD's Long War Journal

"The war against Christians" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times

HEADLINE 1: French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

HEADLINE 2: The Houthis might be hitting pause on their attacks against Israel and Red Sea shipping.

HEADLINE 3: Iran said it dismantled a spy network linked to Israel and the United States.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Adjunct Fellow Seth Frantzman, who serves as senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Featured FDD Pieces

"Tehran’s Crisis is Iran’s Reckoning" - Janatan Sayeh, Real Clear World

"Fifty Years of Gaslighting Israel at the U.N." - David May and Ben Cohen, National Review

"Erhurman’s election a step towards peace, but beware of Ankara’s appetite" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, Kathimerini

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

WHAT HISTORICAL LESSONS MUST SHAPE GAZA'S FUTURE?

HEADLINE 1: Israel is at its wit’s end with the porous Egyptian border.

HEADLINE 2: Israel and Greece wrapped up joint military exercises this week.

HEADLINE 3: Turkey held a terrorist summit in Istanbul on Wednesday.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Hebrew University Professor Netta Barak-Corren.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Learning the Right Lessons From ‘A House of Dynamite’" - Bradley Bowman and David Adesnik, Real Clear Defense

"Iranians Challenge the Regime by Celebrating Cyrus the Great" - Janatan Sayeh and Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD

"The US must not endorse Russia and China’s vision for cybersecurity" - John Yoo and Ivana Stradner, The Hill

HEADLINE 1: Oman’s foreign minister called on countries in the Gulf to engage with…wait for it… Iran.

HEADLINE 2: The U.S. sent a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for the implementation of an International Stabilization Force, or “ISF,” which would operate in Gaza until 2027.

HEADLINE 3: On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that Beirut has no choice but to sit down and talk with Israel.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Analyst Mariam Wahba, whose work focuses on Egypt and minority communities in the Middle East.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Israel 2040: Benny Gantz’s Vision for Security and Cooperation" - FDD Event

"How the U.S. Can Stay Ahead of China in Space" - Jack Burnham and Sophie McDowall, The Cipher Brief

"Aoun’s Push for Talks with Israel Must Overcome Hezbollah’s Ploys" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, This is Beirut

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Manager David May.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

HAMAS IS TESTING THE WATERS

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FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Gadi Ezra, former director of Israel's National Public Diplomacy Unit.

Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Is Trump Getting Played by Xi?" - Matt Pottinger, The Free Press

"Trump rallies the allies to break China’s dangerous mineral, rare earths monopoly" - Elaine Dezenski, New York Post

"How Turkish Arms End Up in African Conflicts" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, Foreign Policy

HEADLINE 1: Israeli forces eliminated three terrorists during a counterterrorism operation in a village called Kafr Qud.

HEADLINE 2: The Trump administration announced a new aid package for minorities in Syria.

HEADLINE 3: Turkish prosecutors filed new charges against Istanbul’s mayor.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Joseph Braude, president of the Center for Peace Communications.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Patient Extremism: The Many Faces of the Muslim Brotherhood" - FDD Memo

"Qatar’s Calculated Bet on the Islamic Republic" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, RealClearWorld

"Iraqi polls grapple with Israeli and Iranian relations as country prepares to vote" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, New York Post