ISRAEL, QATAR, AND TURKEY

HEADLINE 1: Israel eliminated a top Hezbollah terrorist in Beirut.

HEADLINE 2: Israeli security forces foiled a terror cell in the West Bank city of Nablus.

HEADLINE 3: The Houthis said they shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone.

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FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow provides timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation between Jon Schanzer and Lena Argiri, the D.C. correspondent for Greek Public Broadcasting.

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

TURKEY, GAZA, AND IRAQ

HEADLINE 1: Erdogan’s Hamas clients are also dealing with popular unrest.

HEADLINE 2: The regime in Iran replied to President Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

HEADLINE 3: The United States military continues to hammer the Houthis.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum.

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

U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN MOUNTING GLOBAL THREATS

HEADLINE 1: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unveiled another so-called missile city.

HEADLINE 2: Those Houthi ballistic missile attacks keep on coming.

HEADLINE 3: The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit for the forfeiture of $47 million in proceeds from the sale of Iranian oil.

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FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer and Hudson Institute Adjunct Fellow Garrett Exner who also serves as the executive director of the Public Interest Fellowship.

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

EXPOSING TWO-FACED QATAR

HEADLINE 1: The U.S. Treasury Department issued another round of Iran sanctions.

HEADLINE 2: The Trump administration handed Syria’s new rulers a list of conditions they must meet to finally see some of those sanctions lifted.

HEADLINE 3: Anti-Hamas protests erupted in Gaza yesterday.

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FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer and John Mirisch, who formerly served as the mayor of Beverly Hills. 

Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

TURKEY: AUTHORITARIANS, BAD ACTORS, AND PROTESTS

HEADLINE 1: The U.S. military is beefing up its naval presence in the Middle East.

HEADLINE 2: The debate over the credibility of the Lebanese government is heating up again.

AND HEADLINE 3: Protests are still raging in Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor last week – Turkey’s top opposition leader.

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FDD Senior Vice President Jonathan Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for MENA at the Council on Foreign Relations.

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

REVERSING KISSINGER

HEADLINE 1: The Trump administration issued a new round of Iran-related sanctions yesterday.

HEADLINE 2: Hamas popped off a handful of rockets at Israel yesterday.

HEADLINE 3: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei delivered a speech yesterday to mark the start of the Iranian New Year, Nowruz.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with author Lee Smith, who serves as the media columnist for Tablet Magazine.

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

THE SHIFTING DYNAMICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST: A SPECIAL SITREP EPISODE

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer is joined by former IDF International Spokesperson Jonathan Conricus and U.S. Middle East policy expert John Hannah for a special edition of the FDD Morning Brief. The two will provide Middle East situational updates and analyze the U.S. response to them as the region undergoes tumultuous shifts. 

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

CHINA, RUSSIA, AND THE MIDDLE EAST

HEADLINE 1: The Shin Bet and Israel police foiled a plot to carry out a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.

HEADLINE 2: A former Islamic Revolutionary Guard from Iran gave a rare interview with Israeli media.

HEADLINE 3: Former Israeli hostage Tal Shoham gave an exclusive interview to Fox News.

BONUS HEADLINE 4: A Syrian soldier was killed yesterday by a Hezbollah rocket.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Grant Rumley, who directs The Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East.

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

LEBANON, ISRAEL, AND THE GULF

HEADLINE 1: The IDF carried out a strike in Damascus yesterday.

HEADLINE 2: Qatar is preparing to supply natural gas to Syria.

HEADLINE 3: The United Nations published a report accusing Israel of perpetrating “genocidal acts” in Gaza.

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FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at FDD.

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

Cyber threats are evolving – but U.S. cyber policy coordination is still lagging behind. Four years after the establishment of the Office of the National Cyber Director, the Trump administration has a unique opportunity to establish stronger central coordination and drive meaningful improvements in how the federal government secures and defends cyberspace. How should the administration clarify and reinforce the role of the National Cyber Director? How can the administration create a more structured and accountable interagency cyber community? How can these structures set clearer national priorities and achieve the goals of deterring adversaries and advancing national resilience in cyberspace?

To discuss these issues and more, FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) hosts a virtual conversation with former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis and John Costello, senior advisor to CSC 2.0, an initiative housed at FDD to continue the work of the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission. The conversation is moderated by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of CCTI and former executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission with introductions by Dr. Samantha Ravich, Chair of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.

For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/03/12/coaching-thecyberteam-the-future-of-the-office-of-the-national-cyber-director-and-cyber-governance/