RR The Wire 2230Z November 08, 2023

PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE RR

DTG: 223008Z NOV 23

ICOD: 213008Z NOV 23

CONTROLS: Public Release

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BLUF: WAR CONTINUES IN GAZA AS SUBSTANTIAL CIVILIAN CASUALTIES CONTINUE.

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

European Front: In Germany, the Saxony-Anhalt branch of the far-right (by German standards) Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) political party has been labeled as an extremist group. This designation sets into motion a set of procedures that allows for German law enforcement and intelligence agencies to begin substantial intelligence collection efforts of party members and officials. This move comes one day after the AfD party topped the polls, becoming the most popular political party in this region.

Middle East Front: Yemeni forces reportedly shoot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone. NFI ATT.

Gaza: The UN updates the following casualty figures as of November 5th: In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed as a result of Hamas/Hezbollah attacks, and thousands have been wounded. Allegedly a total of 200 people have been taken hostage (however, many have been killed in airstrikes and some have been released). In Palestine, approximately 9,500 people have been killed, and 23,000 wounded mostly resulting from Israeli airstrikes. Included in this figure are 89 UN aid workers. In addition, 2.2 million Palestinians have no access to food, water, or electricity. Concerning displacement, from October 7th until now, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes.

For Hamas, casualty figures are very difficult to verify. Israel has confirmed that 60 Hamas fighters have been killed, but have referenced potentially thousands more that have been killed without SSE or forensic analysis of remains. Hamas regularly notifies the press of the deaths of fighters, but sometimes references a number without providing names. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has a sophisticated mortuary services division, and regularly releases reliable information on the deaths of militants that is more verifiable. So far, very few Hezbollah casualties have been reported through official channels, but the fighting along the Lebanese border has not been as severe as in Gaza.

South Pacific: Cyberattack causes widespread telecom outage throughout Australia. Reports from the affected telecom provider (Optus) indicate that critical infrastructure was affected severely, in addition to consumer internet connections.

-HomeFront-

PA: Voting machines are currently under investigation as voters reported their votes switching after being cast. The machines were allegedly taken offline following these complaints.

WA: Reports of a suspicious substance found at an election office in Spokane County caused the evacuation of several other election offices. NFI ATT.

TX: This morning explosions and a major fire were reported at a chemical plant in Shepherd, TX. A shelter in place order was issued for the local area, as the fire consumed many hazardous chemicals that were produced by the company such as paint, industrial coatings, and various other HAZMAT that are necessary for POL production facilities. The cause of the incident is not yet confirmed, but the company President stated it likely resulted from a “forklift incident”.

-Analyst Comments-

Removed due to character limit on Buzzsprout.

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Analyst: S2A

END REPORT

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