FDD Morning Brief

IS HAMAS SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING THE WAR?

HEADLINE 1: The U.S. government approved a new aid package for Lebanese security forces.

HEADLINE 2: Syria held elections for the first time since Bashar al-Assad’s fall.

HEADLINE 3: Israel intercepted all the boats and there was no violence or bloodshed. But poor Greta Thunberg was grumpy because she wasn’t greeted with hugs and a dance party.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow The Honorable Elliott Abrams, who formerly served as U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela and Deputy National Security Advisor.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces

"Trump will help Ukraine hit Putin where it hurts — to finally end his bloody war" - John Hardie, New York Post

"5 Ways to Curb Iran’s Oil Exports to China" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, The National Interest

"Europe Should Support Moldova Against Russian Meddling" - Ivana Stradner and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Foreign Policy

"Hamas Says 'Yes, But...'" - Elliott Abrams, The Free Press

WHAT CRIMINAL NETWORKS ARE DOING IRANS BIDDING?

HEADLINE 1: German authorities arrested three suspected Hamas operatives one day before Yom Kippur.

HEADLINE 2: Israeli forces dismantled a large rocket cache in the West Bank. 

HEADLINE 3: Israel’s Navy intercepted the flotilla attempting to break the so-called blockade on Gaza. Except, guess what? The navy reports that a bunch of boats didn’t have any aid all.

HEADLINE 4: The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on 21 entities and 17 individuals involved in Iranian weapons procurement networks supporting the regime’s ballistic missile and military aircraft programs. 

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Amotz Eyal, founder and CEO of the Israeli newswire Tazpit Press Service (TPS).

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"The Quiet Return of Hezbollah’s Smuggling Network in Syria" - Ahmad Sharawi, FDD

"Trump Administration Plan for Gaza Puts Unprecedented and Unified Pressure on Hamas" - Aaron Goren, FDD

"8 UN Failures in Yemen" - Bridget Toomey, FDD

"Iran on Your Soil: Tehran’s Global Crime Network Exposed" - The Press Service of Israel

HOW IS QATAR GROWING ITS INFLUENCE IN THE U.S.?

HEADLINE 1: The IDF took out two Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon.

HEADLINE 2: Israeli authorities thwarted an ISIS-linked bomb plot.

HEADLINE 3: The Houthis attacked a Dutch-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with journalist Frannie Block of The Free Press.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Hidden Huaweis" - Nathan Picarsic and Emily de La Bruyère, Real Clear Defense

"The Chance to Save Myanmar" - Dan Swift and Sean Turnell, Foreign Affairs

"FAQ: 5 Things to Know About Israel’s Gaza City Offensive" - Joe Truzman, FDD

"The Middle Kingdom Meets Higher Education" - Craig Singleton, FDD

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE UNITED NATIONS?

HEADLINE 1: U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will travel to Egypt soon.

HEADLINE 2: The mayor of Gaza City reportedly sent a letter to President Trump.

HEADLINE 3: Another Houthi missile fired at Israel out of Yemen. Another Israeli interception.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with former UK Ambassador to Yemen and current FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"5 Recent Instances of Foreign Malign Influence Threatening U.S. National Security" - Mark Montgomery and Max Lesser, FDD

"When Erdoğan Shifted Focus to the Kurds in Syria" - Sinan Ciddi and Ahmad Sharawi, The Jerusalam Strategic Tribune

"Qatar Is Knocking on Canada’s Door" - Natalie Ecanow, FDD

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ERDOGAN COMES TO VISIT?

HEADLINE 1: Italy and Spain deployed navy ships to escort the flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza.

HEADLINE 2: Iran says it obtained a trove of documents about sensitive Israeli sites and nuclear facilities.

HEADLINE 3: Russia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of nuclear power plants in Iran.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Council on Foreign Relations Adjunct Senior Fellow Henri Barkey.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"China Has Weaponized Battery Production Against the United States" - Elaine Dezenski and Josh Birenbaum, The National Interest

"The United Nations is falling apart" - Edmund Fitton-Brown, The Spectator

"Qatar is no Arab Switzerland" - Cliff May, The Washington Times

HOW DID ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL EXPERIENCE THE OCT. 7TH HAMAS MASSACRE?

HEADLINE 1: If you weren’t already worried about the rise of thinking machines, you definitely want to think twice about getting your news from AI chatbots. 

HEADLINE 2: Israel will close the Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan indefinitely.

HEADLINE 3: Hamas-led authorities in the Gaza Strip executed three alleged “collaborators” as they face rising pushback from militias. 

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Arab-Israeli journalist and social activist Yoseph Haddad.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"Will Israel stop the carnage? A brutal occupation won’t work" - Reuel Marc Gerecht, UnHerd

"A Surge in Islamism Widens Rift Between Sudanese Army and Its Regional Allies" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, FDD

"Palestine recognition would reward terrorism and contradict international law" - Irwin Cotler and Orde Kittrie, National Post

ARE TENSIONS RISING IN THE SINAI?

HEADLINE 1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Washington’s help diffusing tensions with Egypt. And man, is that overdue.

HEADLINE 2: Qatar is still making a stink about Israel’s strike in Doha.

HEADLINE 3: As the Gaza City offensive ramps up, Gaza-based terrorists fired two rockets at the southern Israeli city of Ashdod yesterday.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for MENA at the Council on Foreign Relations.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"As Beijing beckons, is Washington sleepwalking on Egypt?" - Mariam Wahba and Ryan Brobst, Breaking Defense

"Africa’s debt collector: China’s shifting role offers US a golden opportunity" - Daniel Swift, The Hill

"'Scientific Malpractice’: Israel Publishes 58-Page Report Dissecting Claims of Famine in Gaza" - David Adesnik, FDD

WHAT HISTORICAL LESSONS FROM PREVIOUS WARS CAN BE APPLIED TO ISRAEL'S CURRENT CONFLICT WITH HAMAS?

HEADLINE 1: Israel’s anti-missile laser system is nearly operational.

HEADLINE 2: Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack at the Allenby border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank.

HEADLINE 3: A Houthi drone evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into a hotel in Eilat.

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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 Executive Director of the Hudson Institute's Public Interest Fellowship Garrett Exner.

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

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"The United States Should be Prudent Regarding al-Sharaa’s Turn" - Jonathan Schanzer and Ahmad Sharawi, The National Interest

"Human Rights Are the Key to a Free Iran" - Janatan Sayeh, RealClearWorld

"US designates 4 Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations" - Bridget Toomey, FDD's Long War Journal

HOW ACCURATE ARE THE CLAIMS OF FAMINE IN GAZA?

HEADLINE 1: The Treasury Department rolled out a fresh batch of Iran sanctions.

HEADLINE 2: In response to Israel's strike against Hamas leaders in Doha, representatives from nearly 60 Arab and Islamic countries convened in Qatar to lash out at Israel.

HEADLINE 3: Israel carried out strikes against Yemen’s Hodeidah Port.

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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 FDD Vice President of Research David Adesnik.

Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Featured FDD Pieces:

"The Saudi-Qatari Competition for Influence in Syria" - Ahmad Sharawi and Natalie Ecanow, The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune

"Three years later, Iran’s freedom martyr Mahsa Amini inspires demands for change" - Rich Goldberg and Benham Ben Taleblu, New York Post

"President Trump, Don’t Settle for Empty Promises on Reindustrialization" - Emily de La Bruyere and Nathan Picarsic, Newsweek

For COGAT statistics on humanitarian aid in Gaza: https://gaza-aid-data.gov.il/mainhome#AidData

WHAT LESSONS HAS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS LEARNED FROM TWO YEARS OF WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS?

HEADLINE 1: Yesterday, the IDF issued evacuation orders for at least three high-rise buildings in Gaza City, including a tower at the Islamic University.

HEADLINE 2: Another Israeli citizen was caught spying for Iran.

HEADLINE 3: Arab countries are considering establishing a joint military force.

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FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Shane O'Connor, a humanitarian advisor to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

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

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Featured FDD pieces:

"Wasn’t Hell Supposed to Break Loose if the U.S. Struck Iran?" - Reuel Marc Gerecht and CFR's Ray Takeyh, The Wall Street Journal

"Lessons from Doha: Eject Hamas now" - Ahmad Sharawi, The Hill

"המבצע הבא בעזה חייב להתחיל במסיבת עיתונאים" - Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, Israel's N12 News

"The art of lying about Israel" - Cliff May, The Washington Times