Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Trump, hosting Netanyahu, urges end to Gaza war, thinks that is not 'too distant' Egypt submits hostage-ceasefire proposal, Hamas delegation en route to Cairo Hezbollah rocket commander killed in south Lebanon drone strike, IDF says U.S. and Iran to hold high-stakes nuclear talks Iran’s expanded uranium mining hints at much bigger reserves Commentary Magazine’s Seth Mandel: There are no cease-fires in Iran’s global war on Jews Zelenskiy confirms for first time that Ukrainian troops active in Russia's Belgorod region Ukraine aims to 'align' with US on minerals deal in talks this week US energy chief Wright heads to Middle East for nearly two weeks, source says South Korea sets new presidential election for June 3 New York Sun Editorial: Communist China gets a credit downgrade While war rages, Congo's neighbors smuggle out its gold and mineral wealthIn The News
Israel
Israeli soldiers who served in the Gaza Strip said they systematically razed buildings and agricultural fields to create a sprawling buffer zone inside the enclave in the early months of the war, according to a new report from an Israeli rights group, actions the troops described, including in interviews, as lacking a clear rationale. – Washington Post
Families of victims of the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, sued a prominent Palestinian American businessman on Monday, accusing him of supporting Hamas by developing properties that were crucial to the terrorist group’s operations. – New York Times
Israel’s Supreme Court began a hearing on Tuesday into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid to sack the head of the domestic intelligence service amid raucous scenes from shouting protesters that forced the judges to clear the court. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would like the war in Gaza to stop and thinks that will happen relatively soon, as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. – Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Monday to eliminate Israel’s trade surplus with the United States, a move likely to be closely watched by world leaders as President Donald Trump’s tariff policy roils global markets. – Reuters
Shuttered storefronts lined empty streets in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank on Monday, as Palestinians held a general strike demanding an end to the Gaza war. – Agence France-Presse
At least eight of the 24 living Gaza hostages have significant injuries, and five suffer from chronic illnesses or acute allergic reactions, according to a new comprehensive medical report published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
Egypt has reportedly submitted a hostage ceasefire proposal to Hamas, which includes the release of approximately eight hostages in exchange for a ceasefire lasting “between 40 to 70 days,” Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Monday, citing an Egyptian source familiar with the details. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF claimed to have killed Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Eslaih, a member of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, in a strike in Khan Yunis, the military said on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
Security forces arrested a driver and nine passengers on Route 6 near the Ben Shemen interchange after authorities suspected they were planning a terror bombing attack on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
A drone launched at Israel “from the east” was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force Monday evening, the military said. According to the IDF, the drone was shot down before crossing into Israel, and therefore no sirens sounded, “according to protocol.” – Times of Israel
An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah commander responsible for several rocket attacks on northern Israel, the military said Monday. – Times of Israel
Louis René Beres writes: To deal successfully with primal jihadist foes, enemies that seek “power over death,” Israel’s only prudential strategy should be based on deeper understandings of enemy anti-reason. […] Iran and its proxies are apt to act rationally in most military decision-making processes, but even a rare or occasional embrace of anti-reason could prove intolerable and fatal. For Israel, “whisperings of the irrational” should never be underestimated. – Jerusalem Post
Dr. Yaron Friedman writes: While media and politicians praised Qatar, a reporter for Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya criticized the favorable coverage and the praise heaped on the jihadists’ so-called hospitality. But that was only possible through a competing outlet not funded by Qatar. Just how far has Qatar’s influence extended in the Middle East and the West—thanks to its funding—to ensure positive media coverage? Has it reached Israel as well? That may soon be determined in court. – Ynet
Iran
The U.S. and Iran said Monday that they would convene nuclear talks, launching the two adversaries with clashing objectives into high-stakes negotiations. – Wall Street Journal
The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was ready to do all it could to help resolve tensions between the United States and Iran around Tehran’s nuclear programme, as Washington demands Tehran do a nuclear deal with it or be bombed. – Reuters
U.S.-Iran talks to be held on April 12 in Oman will be led by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, Iran’s state media reported on Telegram on Tuesday. – Reuters
Iran is expanding uranium production after indicating that it has significantly higher reserves of the metal than previously estimated, according to the latest nuclear-watchdog data. – Bloomberg
Iran is bolstering its military defense capabilities with the expansion of its Ghadir radar network, which is designed to detect incoming aircraft, missiles, and drones at long ranges, according to open source analysts. – Newsweek
Tehran on Monday urged Paris to explain the arrest in France of an Iranian woman who has been out of reach for weeks, as tensions mount between the two countries. – Agence France-Presse
Iran is allegedly using criminal gangs in Sweden to target Israeli and Jewish interests, CNN reported on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
Seth Mandel writes: As has been proved over and over again, there is no such thing as a peacetime Hamas, and therefore there is no such thing as a peacetime Iranian regime. The war on the Jews continues unabated no matter what else is going on. And why would that be any different from every other expression of Jew-hatred? When the pro-Hamas marchers get their cease-fire, they still march—they just find a new excuse to rant about the Jewish state. All this talk of “permanent cease-fires” misses an important caveat: Cease-fires only apply to some. – Commentary Magazine
Russia & Ukraine
Three days had passed since Russia struck the playground with a ballistic missile, killing 20 people, among them nine children, and injuring 90, in what the United Nations Commission on Human Rights said was the worst attack on juveniles since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. – Washington Post
For three years, Russia’s violent takeover of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant — which President Donald Trump recently said he wants to control — has haunted this city perched on the opposite riverbank, just four miles away. – Washington Post
The Ukrainian Navy patrol boat zipped across the Black Sea, its double-barreled, 25-millimeter machine gun locked on the horizon. The enemy, Russia, was nowhere in sight, yet ever-present. – New York Times
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed for the first time on Monday that Ukrainian troops have been active in Russia’s Belgorod region as they seek to protect Ukrainian towns near the border. – Reuters
President Vladimir Putin still supports the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Russia has not yet been given answers to key questions it has about a truce proposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said on Monday. – Reuters
Ukraine will send a team to Washington this week to move forward with negotiations on a more expansive draft for a minerals deal offered by the United States, the deputy prime minister said on Monday. – Reuters
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that Ukraine had attacked Russian energy infrastructure six times over the previous day, despite a U.S.-brokered moratorium on strikes on energy facilities. – Reuters
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that more countries would get nuclear weapons in the coming years, blaming the West for pushing the world towards the brink of World War Three by waging a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. – Reuters
Andrew Chakhoyan writes: After months of the Kremlin’s repugnant trolling, Trump is rightly “pissed off” at Putin — but actions, not words, are what matter. Moscow can end its criminal war any day by pulling troops back to Russia. If Americans want to be treated with respect, we must stop projecting weakness and offering ourselves up for ridicule. Refusing to accept the Kremlin’s derision or entertain absurd demands isn’t escalation — it’s what national honor requires. – The Hill
Turkey
Turkey’s recent market turmoil will not have a permanent impact on its economy, Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Monday. – Reuters
US President Donald Trump on Monday touted himself as a mediator between Israel and Turkey in their struggle over politically fragile Syria, where both countries are jostling for influence. – Times of Israel
Peter Suciu writes: Turkey has called for Israel to withdraw its forces from Syria, which Ankara has warned is harming stabilization efforts in the region. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has also maintained that his nation wants no confrontation with Israel in Syria. However, deploying the S-400 to T-4, which is located about halfway between the borders of Turkey and Israel, may help matters. – National Interest
Middle East & North Africa
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday will launch a nearly two-week tour of three Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, marking his first visit as a U.S. official to the de facto leader of the OPEC oil producer group, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. – Reuters
A long-delayed railway project to connect Kuwait with other Gulf countries took a step forward on Monday when Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works, Noura Al-Mashaan, signed a contract with Turkish company Proyapi to design the first phase of the plan. – Reuters
Algeria and Mali banned flights to and from each other’s airspace, their governments said on Monday, amid an escalating diplomatic crisis. – Reuters
France and Egypt signed strategic partnership agreements on Monday, in areas covering health, transport and energy, which French President Emmanuel Macron said would help shore up Egypt’s stability amid volatility in the region. – Reuters
Imran Khalid writes: Washington has consistently operated with a reactive Middle Eastern policy that focuses on crisis response instead of proactive event formation. In Syria, the U.S. has an opportunity to transform its past reactive approach to balanced one, combining diplomatic relations with conditional economic aid and defined governance standards provides. – The Hill
Korean Peninsula
The border city of Hyesan once offered a glimpse of a more open version of totalitarian North Korea. It was flourishing in a way that could almost be called capitalist, and residents could easily learn about the outside world in China, located just across a narrow river. – Washington Post
South Korea said on Tuesday that it would hold a snap election on June 3 to choose the successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed last week for his attempt to impose martial law. – New York Times
South Korea’s trade minister said on Tuesday that the government has been considering packages of measures to increase U.S. imports, as he headed to Washington to negotiate over U.S. tariffs. – Reuters
Lami Kim writes: Thus, Seoul’s nuclear ambitions will remain a given for the next five years and beyond. Therefore, the new administration in Washington must establish a clear policy to address this issue. Both President Trump and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy nominee Elbridge Colby have hinted at a willingness to tolerate South Korea’s nuclear armament—a stance that may be pragmatic, if not inevitable. However, whatever course Washington may take, it must ensure that its decision is a well-considered policy based on comprehensive analyses of secondary and tertiary consequences. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
China
Beijing slammed President Donald Trump’s threats to impose an additional 50 percent tariff on China as “blackmail” on Tuesday, ratcheting up the tensions between the world’s two largest economies. – Washington Post
China’s leaders have sent a clear message about the effects of the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs: Things will be painful, but it is nothing that the country cannot handle. – New York Times
Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Tuesday the city would sign more free trade pacts to diversify its risk amid a global trade war triggered by what he called “ruthless” U.S. tariffs that he said were disrupting the world economic and trade order. – Reuters
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday the country had lodged representations with the United States over reports that a Taiwan delegation was in Washington to meet with the Trump administration. – Reuters
China hit back at plans by both major Australian parties to end a lease on a major port after an upcoming election, an issue that threatens to hurt bilateral ties that have only just recovered from years of tensions. – Bloomberg
Editorial: That, at least, is how President Xi and his camarilla seem to view the escalating trade dispute. So rather than reducing to zero their own levies on American imports — as Vietnam’s communist regime reportedly offered as a goodwill gesture — Beijing is looking to double down on the policies that have enabled it to build up its industrial base at the expense of America and the West. How long, though, will they be able to afford this posture of defiance? – New York Sun
Arturo McFields writes: Much remains to be done in areas such as reducing the use of Chinese technology, replacing infrastructure at ports and airports, and halting the massive plundering of strategic minerals such as lithium and copper. Trump’s return brings hope to the Western Hemisphere. It marks the return of a strong US leadership to the Americas. China’s debt trap, bad quality products, unfair trade, exploitation and modern slavery proposals are no longer welcome in Latin America. – The Hill
South Asia
Seven days after an earthquake devastated Turkey in 2023, French volunteers used a suitcase-size radar to locate a survivor under the rubble. It was one of many lives the device helped save in the aftermath of the disaster. – New York Times
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a call on Monday to discuss U.S. tariffs on India and how to make progress towards a “fair and balanced trade relationship,” the State Department said. – Reuters
The operator of online encyclopaedia Wikipedia has challenged a New Delhi court’s order to remove statements from its page that the court said defamed a domestic news website, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday about tariffs, trade relations, immigration and prospects for engagement on critical minerals, the State Department, and Pakistan’s foreign ministry, said in separate statements. – Reuters
Bangladesh’s interim government has formally asked the US to postpone a 37% tariff on the South Asian country for three months as it pledges to increase imports of American goods, including liquefied natural gas and key agricultural commodities. – Bloomberg
Asia
His father was marched to a forest and killed, like so many victims of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Before he was led away, the father told his young son, Uon Chhin, to stand up and speak the truth, even if it might compromise his liberty. – New York Times
Japan’s Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa has been appointed as trade negotiator with the United States, the government’s top spokesperson said on Tuesday. Bilateral discussions on exchange-rate moves will continue to be managed by Japan’s finance minister and the U.S. treasury secretary, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference. – Reuters
Taiwan can have negotiations with the United States at any time on the tariffs issue, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Tuesday, as the island’s stock market steadied having plummeted the previous day on trade fears. – Reuters
Indonesia wants a fair and equal relationship with the U.S., and will pursue diplomacy to address a 32% tariff rate imposed by the Trump administration, President Prabowo Subianto said on Monday, while his ministers are working to finalise its negotiation proposal. – Reuters
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country and Association of Southeast Asian Nations partners will dispatch officials to Washington D.C. for talks following President Donald Trump’s rollout of global tariffs. – Bloomberg
Europe
European Union officials are taking a two-part approach to President Trump’s unfolding trade war, offering to slash tariffs on American-made cars and industrial products even as they prepare to retaliate imminently with wide-ranging levies. – New York Times
King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla arrived in Italy on Monday for a four-day state visit during which the British monarch will address the Italian parliament in Rome. It is the 17th official visit by Charles to Italy and his first overseas trip this year as he continues to undergo treatment for cancer. – Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah held a call on Monday to discuss the situation in Gaza, according to the French presidency. – Reuters
Greenland’s new parliament convened for the first time on Monday after a general election in March, amid repeated expressions of interest by U.S. President Donald Trump to control the semi-autonomous Danish island. – Reuters
Romanian presidential candidate Victor Ponta said on Monday he would stop Ukrainian grain exports via the country’s Black Sea ports if elected to protect local farmer, but pledged to defend neighbouring Moldova in case of a Russian attack. – Reuters
Germany wants the European Union to consider using its most powerful tool to retaliate against US President Donald Trump’s trade war. – Bloomberg
The European Union hasn’t spoken with the Trump administration about any sanctions relief for Russia as part of a ceasefire deal, according to the bloc’s top envoy on the topic. – Bloomberg
A group of human rights lawyers in Great Britain want Scotland Yard to investigate and potentially arrest ten dual-national British and Israeli individuals for serving in the Israel Defense Forces during Israel’s war against Hamas. – New York Sun
Africa
During the 19th century’s Scramble for Africa, European countries raced to secure territory and wealth across the continent. Now, African powers are grabbing resources from a neighbor crippled by infighting and ill-equipped to defend itself. – Wall Street Journal
The morning sun cast long shadows as Abdulilah Mohamed, an elderly resident of Sharg Elnil in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, returned to his family home after fleeing from civil war. – Reuters
Kenya is among those exporters hoping a smaller Trump tariff blow vis-a-vis competitors might help them emerge as winners in the nascent global trade war, but translating the disparity into an advantage will be an uphill struggle. – Reuters
Gunmen have killed at least 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 others over several days of attacks in Nigeria’s northern Plateau state, which has a history of violence between farmers and cattle herders, the national emergency agency said – Reuters
Five local Kenyan officials have been released from captivity, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Monday, two months after they were kidnapped by suspected Islamist gunmen in the northeast of the country. – Reuters
South Sudan said on Monday that a U.S. decision to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese citizens was prompted by Juba’s refusal to admit a deportee with another nationality. – Reuters
The death toll from flooding that cut access to over half of the Congolese capital of Kinshasa reached 33 as authorities raced Monday to evacuate and support hundreds of families trapped in their homes. – Associated Press
The Americas
Canada’s economy was already stumbling a few months ago. Now, it is on the brink of recession because of President Trump’s tariffs. Canada’s economy is starting to shed jobs after months of tariff-fueled anxiety, while the outlook among businesses and consumers has become increasingly dour as one of the U.S.’s largest trading partners braces for more pain to come. – Wall Street Journal
The humanitarian situation in Haiti is dramatically worsening, aid group Save the Children said, with underfunded security forces increasingly overwhelmed by powerful gangs and capital Port-au-Prince on the brink of collapse. – Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday her government would like to avoid imposing tariffs on the United States in response to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plans, though she said they could not be ruled out. – Reuters
In Bolivia’s highland city La Paz, homemaker Angelica Zapata is coming to terms with a new inflation reality as prices rise at the fastest speed in almost two decades, propelled by shortages of fuel and dollars in the Andean country. – Reuters
Costa Rican officials awarded kickbacks to a top government ally using funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), prosecutors alleged on Monday, filing charges against the president and a top minister. – Reuters
Ron MacCammon writes: Venezuela is lost. If we hold firm, it could crack under the weight of its own incompetence and greed. And if it cracks, we must be ready — not just for the flood of people or the power vacuum, but for the opportunity to help Venezuelans reclaim their country from the wreckage. But the U.S. must act now — by maintaining financial pressure, preparing for the fallout and leading a regional response before chaos makes the decision for us. – The Hill
United States
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Monday temporarily blocked a trial judge’s order directing the United States to return a Salvadoran migrant it had inadvertently deported. – New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was not looking at a pause on tariffs to allow for negotiations with trading partners but said he would talk to China, Japan and other countries about the duties. – Reuters
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed Donald Trump to pursue deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members using a 1798 law that historically has been employed only in wartime as part of the Republican president’s hardline approach to immigration, but with certain limits. – Reuters
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated on Monday that his chamber is unlikely to impede the implementation of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. – Reuters
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency staff will be able to access personal information of millions of US union members at the Education Department and the government’s human resources arm under a federal appeals court order. – Bloomberg
Cybersecurity
Canada said on Monday the most popular news account on Chinese social media platform WeChat was pushing false narratives about Prime Minister Mark Carney in a bid to influence the Canadian election campaign. – Reuters
The White House said on Monday it is ordering federal agencies to name chief AI officers and develop strategies for an expansion of the government’s use of artificial intelligence, rescinding Biden-era orders intended to place safeguards on the technology. – Reuters
Google has built a cybersecurity assistant for information security professionals, and now they’re looking for researchers to play with it. – Cyber Scoop
The chief executive of Russian tech company Aeza Group has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of leading a criminal organization and involvement in large-scale drug trafficking. – The Record
Hackers are impersonating Ukranian drone manufacturers and state agencies to infect targeted systems with information-stealing malware, according to new government research. – The Record
Defense
U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who holds a senior position in NATO, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials by the Trump administration, three sources told Reuters on Monday. – Reuters
America’s largest military shipbuilder has signed a deal with a South Korean company that experts say could be a big step in helping the US Navy build new warships to keep pace with rival China in fleet size. – CNN
Marine F-35 and Air Force F-22 pilots operated for the first time last month as a joint fighting force in a digital training simulation that is soon expected to become standard for Marine, Navy and Air Force fighters, according to a release from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. – Defense News