Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel launches strikes, intervenes in sectarian clashes near Damascus US backs Israel's ban on UNRWA Gaza aid operations at World Court Switzerland to enact Hamas ban from May 15 Pentagon chief warns Iran of consequences for supporting Houthis Turkey's Erdogan dismisses Kurdish calls for Syria decentralisation as a "dream" China's top diplomat backs Iran's nuclear diplomacy ahead of US talks AFPC's Lawrence J. Haas: Why Iran won’t come to a deal quickly Ukraine, U.S. sign economic deal for minerals Official: Lebanese army has dismantled over 90% of Hezbollah infrastructure near border North Korea says new bridge to Russia reinforces economic cooperation U.S. Army plans massive increase in its use of drones WSJ Editorial: Finally, a GOP boost for defenseIn The News
Israel
The Israeli military intervened in deadly sectarian clashes near Damascus on Wednesday, launching strikes in support of Syria’s Druze minority as its members battled Sunni Muslim fighters, but also threatening to unravel further the country’s fragile security situation. – Washington Post
Wildfires in Israel caused people to evacuate from communities near Jerusalem and could threaten the city, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday night. He called the blazes, which broke out that day, life-threatening and a “nation danger.” – Washington Post
In the six weeks since Israel resumed its war in Gaza, Israeli forces have dramatically altered its map, declaring about 70 percent of the enclave either a military “red zone” or under evacuation, according to the United Nations, and pushing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into ever-shrinking pockets. – Washington Post
Israel cannot be forced to allow the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA to operate in Gaza, the United States said on Wednesday at a World Court hearing in The Hague. – Reuters
A new Swiss law banning Hamas and related organisations will come into force on May 15, the government said on Wednesday, aiming to prevent the Palestinian militant group from using Switzerland as a safe haven by making entry bans or expulsions easier to arrange. – Reuters
Israel is turning to markets in the Arabian Peninsula and India to boost trade as the government seeks to increase exports from $150 billion to almost $1 trillion over the next 15 years, according to Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat. – Bloomberg
The UK is in talks with France and Saudi Arabia about whether to recognise a Palestinian state at a UN conference in June. But Britain’s foreign secretary David Lammy said on Wednesday that the UK wants recognition to be part of moves towards a two-state solution to the protracted Israeli-Palestinian crisis, rather than a symbolic act. – Financial Times
Two IDF reservists were wounded, one of them seriously, in a roadside bomb attack on Wednesday near the northern West Bank town of Beita, close to Nablus, the military announced. – Times of Israel
The State Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against two Israeli Arabs for attempting to join ISIS, the office said on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post
Isaac Herzog writes: As we mark Israeli Independence Day this year, may we listen closely to this gift of our connection – to the privilege and responsibility we have to continue writing our Jewish story, together. And to the eternal calling to keep fighting for what matters – for our hostages, for our ethical legacy, and for our shared future. I send my deepest personal message of support to each of you, wherever on the globe you may be. May we share many moments of true joy together, and from Jerusalem, I wish you all a Happy Independence Day. – Jerusalem Post
Doron Perez writes: Yet, I take pride in being able to describe our community’s service as a “painful privilege.” Certainly, our pain needs little explanation. But indeed, the privilege lies in knowing that we are not only witnesses to but proactive partners in a generation of true oz, true strength, of standing up for the very best of what Israel and the Jewish world are all about. I call upon all to join me in sharing this vision, and together, we can work toward a better, safer, and stronger Israeli and Jewish tomorrow. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran on Wednesday that it will face consequences for supporting the Houthis, even as the United States has relaunched talks with Iran over its nuclear program. – Reuters
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a senior Iranian national security official on Wednesday that Beijing appreciated Tehran making diplomatic efforts regarding its nuclear programme, ahead of a new round of U.S.-Iran talks on Saturday. – Reuters
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on entities it accused of being involved in the illicit trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals ahead of a new round of U.S.-Iran negotiations on Saturday, as Washington seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran. – Reuters
Experts on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s manipulative atomic weapons bargaining strategy issued a dire warning to team Trump negotiators on how to avoid falling into the trap of former President Barack Obama’s flawed nuclear deal with Iran. – Fox News
Lawrence J. Haas writes: Tehran is facing its own domestic turmoil, and these negotiations could give the regime a timely lifeline. Partly due to U.S. sanctions, Iran’s economy is sliding, potentially threatening the regime’s hold on power. Its currency is collapsing; inflation sits around 40 percent; energy and water shortages are growing more frequent; poverty is rising, and job prospects for Iran’s many young people are poor. […] As it explores the possibility of a deal, Washington must do two things: keep its eye on the sanctions clock and avoid a deal that does more to strengthen the regime in Tehran than serve U.S. interests. – National Interest
Russia and Ukraine
The Trump administration reached a deal Wednesday with Ukraine giving the U.S. access to its mineral wealth, overcoming last-minute haggling that had held up an agreement President Trump had sought to compensate the U.S. for helping Ukraine fight off Russia’s invasion. – Wall Street Journal
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, is forging ahead on a plan to impose new sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas and uranium, as Trump struggles to fulfill his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine. – Wall Street Journal
President Vladimir Putin is open to peace in Ukraine and intense work is going on with the United States, but the conflict is so complicated that the rapid progress that Washington wants is difficult to achieve, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday and underscored Canada’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in achieving lasting peace and security, Carney’s office said. – Reuters
Ukraine’s SBU security agency was responsible for a drone strike on a defence manufacturing facility in Russia, an SBU official told Reuters on Wednesday. – Reuters
Russian drones attacked Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa early on Thursday, killing two people and injuring 15 more, in addition to sparking fires and damaging infrastructure, emergency services said. – Reuters
Programme officials at L3Harris are leveraging the company’s ongoing support of Ukrainian forces to inform development efforts for the US Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) programme. – Janes
David J. Kramer writes: This would fly in the face of a 2018 declaration by then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stating that the “United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law” and “rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.” – Foreign Policy
Syria
Syria’s new leaders have to figure out what to do with thousands of foreign fighters in their ranks, whom many in the country fear and suspect were involved in a recent wave of ethnic killings. – Wall Street Journal
Since Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa seized power in December, hundreds of Alawites have been forced from their private homes in Damascus by the security forces, according to Syrian officials, Alawite leaders, human rights groups and 12 people with similar accounts who spoke to Reuters. – Reuters
Syrian security forces deployed near Damascus to “restore security” on Wednesday, state media reported, following deadly sectarian clashes between government forces and local Druze fighters. – Agence Presse-France
Turkey
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan dismissed demands by Syrian Kurdish groups for Syria to adopt a decentralised system of government, saying these were “nothing more than a dream” and had no place in the neighbouring country. – Reuters
A Turkish court on Wednesday convicted a Swedish journalist of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Joakim Medin was given an 11-month suspended prison term, a media rights group said, but he remains in custody awaiting the outcome of a separate trial on terrorism-related charges. – Associated Press
Ankara on Wednesday issued a call for Israel to immediately halt its aerial operations in Syria, claiming such actions jeopardize fragile efforts toward national cohesion in the country, the Anadolu news agency reported. – Arutz Sheva
Characterizing Turkey as a “potentially threatening regional power” led by a “pro-Hamas” president, a new report from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America released on Wednesday argues that Ankara should not be considered for readmission into the F-35 fighter jet program. – Jewish Insider
Turkey and Greece have concluded a fresh round of talks in Thessaloniki, Greece, as part of the 2025 implementation of bilateral military confidence-building measures (CBMs), aiming to ease longstanding tensions between the two NATO members. – Defense News
Middle East & North Africa
The Trump Organization has agreed to a new Middle East golf course and real estate deal that involves a Qatari government-owned firm, two weeks before President Trump is set to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a state visit. – New York Times
Saudi Arabian officials are briefing allies and industry experts to say the kingdom is unwilling to prop up the oil market with further supply cuts and can handle a prolonged period of low prices, five sources with knowledge of the talks said. – Reuters
Millions of dollars in U.S. grants for Jordan’s largest water desalination project abruptly dried up when President Donald Trump announced sweeping cuts to foreign aid in January. – Reuters
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of Patriot missile systems equipment and support services to Kuwait for an estimated cost of $425 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Algeria’s government proposed a law to streamline military mobilization amid tensions with neighboring countries Morocco and Mali, as well as former colonial ruler France. – Associated Press
The Lebanese army has dismantled “over 90 percent” of Hezbollah’s infrastructure near the border with Israel since a November ceasefire, a security official said Wednesday. – Agence Presse-France
Korean Peninsula
South Korea’s Supreme Court will issue a ruling on Thursday in a case involving presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung, which could disqualify the former opposition party leader from contesting the country’s June 3 election. – Reuters
South Korea’s acting leader Han Duck-soo is expected to resign on Thursday in order to clear a path for him to join the race to become the country’s permanent president, the Yonhap News Agency reported. – Reuters
South Korean prosecutors have indicted former President Yoon Suk Yeol for abuse of authority, Yonhap said on Thursday. – Reuters
North Korea said the construction of a new bridge linking it to Russia is a “significant” development of relations between the two countries, state media KCNA reported on Thursday. – Reuters
South Korea’s exports were unexpectedly resilient in April, buoyed by strong demand for semiconductors despite the drag from U.S. tariffs, although there are signs that global trade tensions have started to impact its key auto sector. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating the nuclear weapon capability of the Korean People’s Army Navy as he saw the first day of weapons firing trials for newly launched multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon (51) reported state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday. – USNI News
China
The volume of Chinese goods packed in containers bound for the U.S. keeps falling as new U.S. tariffs dent demand, with the biggest ocean carriers shifting to smaller ships to move the reduced loads while other companies cancel sailings. – Wall Street Journal
China has signaled that as a nation it is better able to tolerate the pain of a prolonged tariff war than the U.S. But cracks are starting to show, suggesting how deeply that pain is already setting in across its economy. – Wall Street Journal
The United States has approached China seeking talks over President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state media said on Thursday, the latest report of possible moves towards negotiations on the levies. – Reuters
Three Chinese astronauts landed back on Earth on Wednesday after six months on China’s space station. The crew’s landing module came down slowly after separating from the return vehicle, descending on a red-and-white parachute, in Dongfeng, in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region on the edge of the Gobi Desert. – Associated Press
South Asia
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged India and Pakistan to work with each other to de-escalate tensions after last week’s Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, the State Department said. – Reuters
India shut its airspace to Pakistani airlines on Wednesday, the government said, days after its nuclear-armed neighbour banned Indian airlines from flying over its territory following the killing of 26 men in an attack on tourists in Kashmir. – Reuters
The head of the Pakistan-administered region of Kashmir called for international mediation and said on Wednesday that his administration was preparing a humanitarian response in case of any further escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. – Reuters
Asia
Singaporeans need to vote for candidates who have built up trust and close relationships with counterparts in the U.S. and China, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday, urging voters to re-elect his cabinet at a May 3 poll. – Reuters
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is a pragmatic leader whose first term was hampered by the headwinds of global inflation, but whose fortunes rebounded by offering stability against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s volatile diplomacy. – Reuters
Australia needs to defend itself, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday when asked whether Donald Trump’s return as president of the United States meant Australia should review its defence strategy. – Reuters
Some 131 Central Asian migrants who were in the U.S. illegally are being deported to Uzbekistan as part of a deal between the two countries, the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday. – Reuters
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has “potential” trade deals with India, South Korea and Japan as he seeks to convert his tariff policy into trade agreements. – Reuters
The Philippines’ Department of National Defense is reviewing at least 50 security agreements, possibly including those with China, to weed out those that don’t align with national interest. – Bloomberg
Ivan Eland writes: At a minimum, the Japanese and Europeans need to be the first line of defense against their respective potential adversaries, calling on U.S. assistance only in dire circumstances. These countries would be better off being more self-reliant in defense because U.S. assistance has become more tenuous, not only because Donald Trump is president but also because the United States, with a growing $37 trillion national debt, can no longer afford to police the world. – National Interest
Europe
Amid the tributes that flowed in after Pope Francis’ death, a note of reservation stood out: Many Jews in Israel and elsewhere had mixed feelings about the Argentine pontiff. – Wall Street Journal
Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin agreed to create a missile and rocket manufacturing center in Germany. Rheinmetall, Germany’s biggest defense company, said Wednesday that it expanded its existing cooperation with its U.S. peer, with whom it already signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2024. – Wall Street Journal
A man has been charged with a terrorism offense in London after he attempted to enter the Israeli Embassy armed with two knives, the police said on Wednesday. – New York Times
A U.S. private sector delegation, led by a former Trump administration official, is set to visit Greenland this week to explore investment opportunities in the Arctic island’s vast natural resources. – Reuters
The Swiss government suggested holding an optional referendum on the country’s new agreement with the European Union, the cabinet said on Wednesday, making it easier to win support for the deal. – Reuters
Lars Klingbeil, Germany’s next vice chancellor and finance minister, is an experienced Social Democrat lawmaker who has sat in parliament for more than 15 years, but his area of expertise has been in defence rather than finance. – Reuters
Romanians vote on Sunday in a presidential election re-run that could propel ultranationalist George Simion to power, an outcome likely to cause unease in the European Union and NATO and unsettle investors. – Reuters
Belarus on Wednesday released a U.S. citizen who had been jailed on allegations of plotting to assassinate the country’s authoritarian leader, charges his supporters and the U.S. government called bogus. – Associated Press
The European Union is planning to share a paper with the US next week that will set out a package of proposals to kick-start trade negotiations with the Trump administration. – Bloomberg
Estonia may contribute a company of soldiers to a potential peace-keeping mission in Ukraine as part of a “reassurance force” led by the UK and France, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said. – Bloomberg
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Hungary on Wednesday, a day after the Hungarian parliament officially voted to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC). – Arutz Sheva
Africa
The Trump administration’s efforts to significantly broaden the number of countries willing to accept people deported from the United States has found a welcoming partner in the African nation of Rwanda. – Washington Post
Somalia has barred Taiwanese passport holders from entering the country, the self-governing island’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, blaming Chinese pressure on the African country as Taipei forges stronger ties with the breakaway territory of Somaliland. – New York Times
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is setting up a judicial commission of inquiry to establish whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation or prosecution of apartheid-era crimes, his office said on Wednesday. – Reuters
United Nations experts on Wednesday called on Mali to investigate reports of summary executions and enforced disappearances after several dozen bodies were found outside a military camp earlier this month. – Reuters
Sudan’s army leader Abdel Fattah Burhan appointed diplomat Dafallah Al-Haj Ali as acting prime minister on Wednesday, weeks after the army’s recapture of Khartoum. – Reuters
UAE authorities intercepted millions of rounds of ammunition at an airport which were being illegally transferred to Sudan’s army, Emirati state media said on Wednesday in a report that the Sudanese Armed Forces rejected as a fabrication. – Reuters
Five Indian citizens were kidnapped in western Niger during an attack last week by armed men that also killed a dozen soldiers, according to two Nigerian security sources and a statement by Indian state authorities seen by Reuters on Wednesday. – Reuters
Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday in support of the military junta after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing junta leader Ibrahim Traore. – Associated Press
Mai Hassan and Ahmed Kodouda write: Because the conflict is overwhelmingly driven by a struggle over regional power and resources, rather than any larger political vision for the country, it remains likely that alliances will keep shifting, militias will keep defecting, and breakaway groups will keep forming. Sadly, instead of either peace or partition, Sudan’s most likely future is more war. – Foreign Affairs
The Americas
On March 15, Carlos Uzcategui Vielma made a phone call from an immigration detention center in Texas to his partner, Gabriela Mora Méndez, at their home in Venezuela. He told her that he thought he would be deported home to Venezuela that day. – Wall Street Journal
Chilean police forces, aided by the FBI, took down an international gang of thieves that carried out robberies in the United States, authorities said on Wednesday. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is looking to make a trade deal and will visit the White House within the next week. – Reuters
Cuba is pinning its hopes on attracting more visitors from Communist ally China as part of a last-ditch bid to revive a sputtering tourism industry devastated by renewed U.S. sanctions under the Trump administration and a crisis-wracked economy. – Reuters
A global human rights watchdog on Wednesday urged the United States and other governments to bolster their support for people seeking democratic change in Venezuela and to hold President Nicolás Maduro accountable for the crackdown on dissent he intensified after the country’s presidential election last year. – Associated Press
Rebel groups in Colombia are using apps like Facebook and Tik Tok to recruit children and young adults, and social media companies must do more to moderate content, the United Nations says. – Associated Press
President Donald Trump won’t succeed with his stated ambitions to expand US territory, according to Mark Carney, Canada’s newly-elected prime minister. – Bloomberg
United States
President Trump insisted in a television interview that the man his administration mistakenly sent to a Salvadoran prison has the letters and numbers “MS-13” tattooed on his knuckles, as a judge in Maryland presses ahead with an inquiry into what the administration has done to seek the man’s return. – Wall Street Journal
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released from U.S. immigration custody on Wednesday, after a judge ruled he should be free on bail to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to deport him over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests. – Reuters
A United Nations watchdog organization is calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take action against an appointee of the international body whose second term is set to begin on May 1. – Fox News
A group of more than 20 Senate Republicans led by Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) is set to introduce legislation on Wednesday that would strip U.S. funding from any United Nations agency that takes action to expel, downgrade, suspend or restrict Israel’s participation. – Jewish Insider
Cybersecurity
Spain’s grid operator denied on Wednesday dependence on solar power was to blame for the country’s worst blackout, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez came under increasing pressure to explain what went wrong. – Reuters
An Israeli private investigator wanted by the U.S. for allegedly carrying out a “hacking for hire” campaign at the behest of an ExxonMobil lobbyist lost his fight on Wednesday against extradition from Britain. – Reuters
Microsoft pledged Wednesday to fight any U.S. government order to halt data center operations in Europe as it sought to soothe concerns among European customers that trans-Atlantic tensions would lead to service disruptions. – Associated Press
North Korean nationals have infiltrated the employee ranks at top global companies more so than previously thought, maintaining a pervasive and potentially widening threat against IT infrastructure and sensitive data. – Cyberscoop
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urged Congress on Tuesday to reauthorize a 10-year-old law that encourages businesses to share information about ongoing cybersecurity threats with the federal government. – The Record
Defense
The U.S. Army is embarking on its largest overhaul since the end of the Cold War, with plans to equip each of its combat divisions with around 1,000 drones and to shed outmoded weapons and other equipment. – Wall Street Journal
The Marine Corps’ stand-in forces need to possess physical toughness and a natural inquisitiveness in order to succeed, Marine Corps Special Operations Command leaders said Tuesday at an annual defense conference. – Defense News
Marines are fielding a host of options for knocking down airborne threats, from small drones to cruise missiles. Still, what they need is a way to handle potential drone swarms, service officials said. – Defense News
US electronic measurement equipment manufacturer Keysight Technologies Inc has been awarded a contract for a new radar and electronic support measures (ESM) test system for NATO’s Naval Forces Sensor and Weapons Accuracy Check Sites (FORACS). – Janes
While Ansar Allah (commonly known as the Houthis) remains a threat in the Red Sea region, US operations there have reduced attempted missile and drone attacks, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). – Janes
Editorial: The GOP is taking a wise approach: betting on a mix of new technology paired with more ships, aircraft and conventional power. Artificial intelligence may be essential for modern warfare, but as U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. Sam Paparo told Congress recently, “you cannot AI your way out of a material deficiency.” This defense rebuild is one reason the reconciliation bill is a no-fail mission for Republicans. Success would be a message to adversaries—who think Washington is decadent and dysfunctional, sometimes with reason—that you can’t count America out. – Wall Street Journal