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July 29, 2025 Syria’s Parliamentary “Elections” Are a Charade Parliamentary elections in Syria will take place in September, Damascus announced on July 27 — but the people will not vote and presidential appointees will choose the winners. Interim President Ahmad... July 25, 2025 Trump Administration Announces New Security Assistance as Ukrainians Face ‘Russian Terror’ Ukraine will be getting more American weapons as it faces escalating Russian aggression. In the latest evidence of a positive but insufficient policy shift, the Trump administration approved four arms... July 25, 2025 U.S. Must Apply Pressure to Prevent Turkish Military Intervention in Syria Syria after Bashar al-Assad is a country in chaos, but that does not mean it cannot get worse. One way that could happen would be a direct Turkish military intervention. Unfortunately, that is exactly... July 22, 2025 Post-12-Day War, Iran Continues To Invest in the Houthis Tehran is still arming the Houthis. Yemen’s National Resistance Forces (NRF), an anti-Houthi coalition, intercepted 750 tons of Iranian weapons en route to the Houthi-controlled port of al-Salif from... July 21, 2025 Lebanese Central Bank Lands a Blow on Hezbollah’s Finances, but It’s Not Enough Lebanon’s Central Bank (Banque Du Liban or BDL) issued a circular on July 15 that effectively banned Lebanese financial institutions from dealing with Al Qard Al Hassan (AQAH), Hezbollah’s de facto... July 18, 2025 Defending Against DeepSeek: Congress’ Federal Firewall A NATO ally has branded China’s AI chatbot as a Trojan horse for Beijing’s spies. The Czech Republic’s [DA1] cybersecurity agency issued a warning on July 10 that led to an immediate ban of... July 17, 2025 Time To End UN’s Anti-Israel and Anti-American Commission of Inquiry All three members of a notoriously anti-Israel and anti-American UN commission resigned in recent days. While a welcome first step, the resignations only take effect after another three months. ... July 17, 2025 U.S. Rail Systems at Risk After Industry Ignored Decades-Old Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities U.S. rail system controls are not safe. While industry slept, security researchers discovered decades ago that hackers can remotely access the radio communications equipment that controls a train’s braking... July 17, 2025 Assad’s Narco-Trade Lives on in Lebanon The Lebanese Army busted a major narcotics factory. On July 13, Lebanese forces raided a facility in Baalbek used to produce the synthetic, amphetamine-like drug captagon. The army dismantled approximately... July 16, 2025 Reversing Previous Restrictions, Washington Allows NVIDIA To Sell Advanced Chips to China The Trump administration is giving China a much-needed boost in the race for artificial intelligence (AI). After a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, the company... July 16, 2025 EU Sanctions Tehran’s Transnational Repression Network Tehran’s global terror apparatus has triggered an important European response. On July 15, the European Union (EU) Council designated the network of narco-trafficker Naji Ibrahim Sharifi Zindashti and... July 16, 2025 Syria Acts To Adhere to Chemical Weapons Convention, While Russia Doubles Down on Non-Compliance Syria has taken key steps to eliminate its chemical weapons assets — but Russia has actually used its own stockpiles against Ukraine. That was the conclusion of the Organization for the Prohibition of... July 16, 2025 The Pentagon Has Given China Access to Its Systems for Over a Decade The Defense Department (DoD) is letting Beijing into its most critical systems — not through a breach, but by design. On July 15, a ProPublica investigation revealed that the DoD has outsourced some... July 16, 2025 Egypt’s Embrace of China Warrants a Harder U.S. Line on Military Aid When Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Cairo on July 9, Beijing framed the visit as a routine bilateral engagement meant to advance its Belt and Road Initiative. The optics were modest: handshakes, vague... July 14, 2025 Putin Hails Alternative To Western Financial System Russian President Vladimir Putin is celebrating the emergence of an alternative to the U.S.-led global financial system. Speaking virtually at the BRICS annual summit on July 6, he boasted that the current... July 11, 2025 FDD Unmasks Iranian Man Behind Crowdfunding Bounty for Trump’s Assassination There’s a crowdfunding effort to encourage the assassination of President Donald Trump, and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has unmasked an Iranian national who helped create it. Thaar[.]ir,... July 10, 2025 Dismissal of Kurdish Concerns Threatens Syrian Unity Deal “One Syria, One Army, One Government,” declared Damascus following a July 9 meeting between Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, and Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Kurdish-led... July 10, 2025 Keep Qatari Money Out of Post-War Gaza Qatar is poised to make a comeback in Gaza. On July 10, Israeli media reported that Israel “tentatively agreed” to allow Qatar to help fund Gaza’s reconstruction once a future ceasefire comes into... July 10, 2025 USDA Releases Plan to Protect U.S. Agriculture From Cyber Threats and Chinese Intrusions Washington is moving to block China and other adversaries from buying U.S. farmland and hacking our food supply. On July 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its National Farm Security... July 9, 2025 Houthis Violate U.S.-Houthi Ceasefire With Deadly Attacks in Red Sea The Houthis “say they will not be blowing up ships anymore,” U.S. President Donald Trump declared when he announced the U.S.-Houthi ceasefire on May 6. Yet the agreement has lasted only two months. On... July 9, 2025 U.S. Cybersecurity at Risk Without Congressional Action Congress has less than 90 days to avert a cybersecurity nightmare. At the end of September, a keystone law enabling information sharing between private companies and government and among private companies... July 9, 2025 Medical Devices Still Vulnerable to Hacking Despite New FDA Guidance Machines such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, and vital signs monitors are the difference between life and death for millions of people, and they are all vulnerable to cyberattack. In its effort to protect... July 9, 2025 U.S. Severs Ties With Mexican Banks Enabling China-Fueled Fentanyl Trade The war on fentanyl is entering a new phase. The U.S. Treasury Department moved decisively on June 25 against several Mexican financial institutions accused of laundering drug money and fueling the fentanyl... July 8, 2025 The Iran-Israel War Returns to the Shadows, for Now The war between Iran and Israel has returned to the shadows. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have resumed attacks against Israeli territory and struck commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Closer to home,... July 7, 2025 Countering China, Washington and Hanoi Sign Preliminary Trade Agreement Fifty years after the last American forces left Saigon, the United States is expanding its ties — economic and military — with Vietnam. On July 2, President Donald Trump announced that the United States... July 3, 2025 ‘Only Encourage the Aggressor’: Trump Administration Pauses Critical Weapons Shipments to Ukraine The Trump administration announced July 1 that it would pause the delivery of needed munitions to Ukraine as the beleaguered democracy continues to defend itself against Russian aggression. The White House... July 3, 2025 U.S. Replaces Comprehensive Sanctions on Syria With More Targeted Tools The United States rolled back decades-old comprehensive sanctions on Syria on June 30, but the story is not as simple as either media reports or the administration itself makes it seem. The executive order... July 2, 2025 Jordanian Basketball Team Boycotts Israel A Jordanian basketball team refused to take the court against Israel at the International Basketball Association (FIBA) World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 29. Though the Jordan Basketball Federation... July 2, 2025 Israeli Companies Under Attack by Hacktivists With Likely Ties to Iran A new anti-Israel hacktivist group called Cyber Isnaad Front (الجبهة الإسناد السيبرانية) claims to have compromised Israeli government, military, and private sector targets. While... July 1, 2025 U.S. Should Promote Security Agreement as Precursor to Israel-Syria Normalization Israel and Syria may be inching toward a breakthrough, with ongoing security discussions signaling the potential for a peace agreement after decades of hostility. According to Israeli sources, talks between... July 1, 2025 FDD Connects Anti-Israel Network on Social Media to Iranian Website, Pro-Regime Actor The “Iran Hayom” network posts anti-Israel propaganda, in Hebrew and English, across X, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, and YouTube. Its name is a play on the widely read Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom,... June 30, 2025 Chinese Scholars Probe for Weaknesses in Western Electricity Grids Chinese academics are taking a keen interest in the vulnerabilities of America’s energy grid. On June 19, the Czech Technical University in Prague published a paper revealing that Chinese scholars are... June 26, 2025 Qatar-Based Group Aligned With Muslim Brotherhood Backs Iran Against Israel A network of Islamist clerics is exploiting the conflict in Iran to push its hardline agenda. Scholars aligned with the pro-Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS)... June 26, 2025 Iran-Based Psychological Operation Sets Saudi Aramco in Its Crosshairs An Iran-based psychological operation that previously tried to demoralize Israelis via social media is now targeting Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, Aramco, by calling for real-world attacks.... June 26, 2025 The Muslim Brotherhood Pledges Support to Iran The Muslim Brotherhood still backs the clerical regime in Tehran. The group’s interim senior official, or acting guardian, Saleh Abdel Haq, sent a letter of support to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei... June 25, 2025 Japan, South Korea Abruptly Pull Out of NATO Summit A subtle rift is emerging between NATO and some of its most trusted Asian partners. The leaders of Japan and South Korea, two of America’s closest treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific, abruptly canceled... June 25, 2025 China Looks to Expand Its Access to London Infrastructure A company with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants to control what comes out of the faucets of millions of Londoners. CK Infrastructure Holdings (CKI), a subsidiary of firm CK Hutchison,... June 25, 2025 Islamic State Resurfaces in Damascus With Deadly Bombing The Islamic State (IS) has returned to the spotlight in Damascus. According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, the group conducted a suicide bombing on June 22 at a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian... June 24, 2025 What Stable Oil Prices Say About Israel’s War With Iran Iran has warned that it could close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints, after the United States joined Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear... June 23, 2025 U.S. Strikes Nuclear Sites, Iran Retaliates With Ballistic Missiles By Ryan Brobst and Bradley Bowman Iran attacked U.S. forces in Qatar with ballistic missiles on June 23, two days after U.S. precision strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran inflicted serious damage... June 23, 2025 Location of Iran’s Highly Enriched Uranium Uncertain — but It Likely Cannot Build Nuclear Weapons Now Iran may have relocated its highly enriched uranium (HEU) — key stocks for fueling a nuclear weapon — to secret sites prior to U.S. or Israeli airstrikes targeting its nuclear facilities. While recovering... June 21, 2025 Iran Flails on the Battlefield but Touts Fake Victories Online By Leah Siskind A missile slowly streaking across the Tel Aviv skyline smashes into a 13-story residential building, which instantly collapses. A devastating attack that never happened. While signs... June 20, 2025 FDD Uncovers Large Iranian Network Impersonating Israelis on Social Media An Iranian social media operation is instructing its audience how to use AI and create fake accounts on X where they pose as Israelis and post demoralizing messages in Hebrew... June 20, 2025 Despite Distancing Itself From Israel, Jordan Still Cooperates With Jewish State Against Iran “Our armed forces are closely watching Jordan. If it takes part in any action, it will be the next target.” So warned the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after Jordan intercepted Iranian... June 19, 2025 As Israel and Iran Exchange Strikes, Qatar Wants Closer Ties With Tehran Qatar’s emir and Iran’s president are becoming friendlier amidst the war between Israel and Iran. On June 18, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a letter from Iranian President Masoud... June 19, 2025 Hezbollah’s Role in the Israel-Iran War Is to Await Iran’s Orders Hezbollah was supposed to be Tehran’s insurance policy if Israel contemplated attacking Iran — the group’s massive arsenal either deterring the Israelis or, failing that, acting as the Islamic Republic’s... June 18, 2025 EU Works to Weave a Tighter Sanctions Net Around Russia. Will the U.S. Follow? ... June 18, 2025 Erdogan Attempts to Rally the Muslim World Against Israel Turkey wants pressure from Muslim leaders to hamstring Israel’s military campaign against Iran. Immediately following Israel’s precision strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, atomic scientists,... June 17, 2025 Iran Launches Counterattacks in Cyberspace Tehran is struggling to hit Israel with its missiles and drones, but Tehran has another arrow in its quiver: cyber and influence operations. Already, attempted attacks against Israeli government websites,... June 17, 2025 Tehran Is Fabricating Data Leaks About Israeli Pilots An alleged hack-and-leak that claims to reveal the names — along with other biographical and professional data — of about 40 Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilots has spread on social media since June 14....

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