Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel finds large troves of Russian arms in Hezbollah's hands Israel urges UN to push Iraq to take ‘immediate action’ against Iran-backed militias New York Sun Editorial: A shocking move by Pope Francis Hezbollah rocket sparks air raid sirens, fire in central Israel; 5 hurt, 1 seriously Netanyahu says Israel's October attack hit a component in Iran nuclear programme American families sue Iran over Hamas attack Canada foils Iranian plot to assassinate pro-Israel human rights lawyer Russia says U.S. adding ‘fuel to the fire’ by letting Ukraine use ATACMS Lebanon, Hezbollah agree to US proposal for ceasefire with Israel, Lebanese official says Bloomberg’s Karishma Vaswani: A mass killing tests China's crime narrative Hong Kong sentences 45 pro-democracy leaders to prison terms of up to 10 years US hits Israeli settler group with sanctions over West Bank violenceIn The News
Israel
As Israel advances its invasion of southern Lebanon, its troops are finding large troves of Russian weapons, confirming longstanding suspicions in Israel that Hezbollah is enhancing its fighting capacity with the help of sophisticated Russian arms. – Wall Street Journal
Members of the United Nations Security Council called on Monday for a surge in assistance to reach people in need in Israeli-besieged Gaza, warning that the situation in the Palestinian enclave was getting worse. – Reuters
Nearly 100 trucks carrying food for Palestinians were violently looted on Nov. 16 after entering Gaza in one of the worst aid losses during 13 months of war in the enclave, where hunger is deepening, two U.N. agencies told Reuters on Monday. – Reuters
The only alternative to the U.N. Palestinian relief agency in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, its chief said on Monday, repeating calls for states to resist an Israeli ban. – Reuters
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday called on the UN Security Council to pressure Iraq’s government to end attacks by Iran-backed paramilitaries against Israel. – Agence France-Presse
IDF troops, using drones, located two Hamas terrorists who were entering an underground shaft in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
After rocket sirens sounded across central Israel on Tuesday morning, including localities such as Herzliya and Netanya, five rockets were detected crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, the IDF reported. – Jerusalem Post
The US believes the Israeli government has taken additional steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, though the State Department said it’ll take time to see the actual realization of those improvements. – Jerusalem Post
Israel has offered five million shekels and safe passage out of Gaza for any Palestinian who provides the IDF with information about the location of the hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a closed-door session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, a source confirmed to The Jerusalem Post. – Jerusalem Post
Authorities in the City of Milano issued an expulsion order against Mohammad Hannoun, a designated Hamas official blacklisted by the US and Israel. – Jerusalem Post
Speaking nearly two weeks after the US election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly criticized the Biden administration’s judgment and policies at major junctions in Israel’s ongoing war against Iran and its proxies. – Times of Israel
Officials in the Gaza Interior Ministry, controlled by Hamas, reported that more than 20 local residents were killed in a crime prevention operation carried out by Palestinian security forces in cooperation with tribal committees. – Arutz Sheva
Editorial: It is doubling disappointing, then, when the Pope turns on Israel. He hasn’t called for an investigation into whether genocide is being attempted by Israel’s enemies. Then, too, there is the Jewish state’s stewardship of the Christian holy places. In 2016 the pontiff visited the Great Synagogue at Rome and called the Jews “our elder brothers and sisters in the faith.” What has happened to that fraternal spirit? – New York Sun
Editorial: We should be able to agree that acts of violence – whether it be a flair hurled at the prime minister’s home or the verbal violence of calling Israel’s leader “Satan” or the protesters on Kaplan Street “traitors” – are beyond the norms of a society whose country is fighting for its survival. Herzog pleaded on Sunday that “the flames must not be allowed to escalate.” We all know all too well exactly where that could lead. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
New EU and British sanctions are based on false claims of missile transfers to Russia and are “unjustified”, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Companies from Iran, Israel, China, Russia and the United States will showcase military equipment at an arms expo in Hanoi in December, Vietnam’s defence ministry said on Tuesday, a rare case of geopolitical rivals exhibiting their wares together. – Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel’s air attack on Iran last month hit an element of Tehran’s nuclear programme while degrading its defence and missile production capabilities. – Reuters
In this attack, the Iranian hacker group sent an email titled “Israel’s International Tourism Program,” encouraging recipients to click on a link that launches a “phishing” attack aimed at infiltrating organizational computer networks, spying, and taking control. – Jerusalem Post
Families of American victims of the October 7 massacre and those killed in the Israel-Hamas War sued Iran for its part in supporting the deadly attack. – Jerusalem Post
Iran allegedly planned to assassinate Canadian human rights activist Irwin Cotler, but the plot was foiled by Canadian law enforcement, The Globe and Mail reported on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
Russia & Ukraine
The Biden administration’s authorization for Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with U.S.-supplied missiles will inhibit Moscow’s supply of troops and equipment to the front lines—but critics say the decision is too late for a big impact on the battlefield. – Wall Street Journal
Russian officials on Monday furiously condemned President Joe Biden’s decision to permit Ukraine to use American longer-range missiles for limited strikes inside Russia, even as Russian missiles killed at least 21 people inside Ukraine in a pair of attacks. – Washington Post
The leader of the Moscow-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia resigned on Tuesday after a deal allowing for the expansion of Russian business in the republic led to mass protests and the opposition seizing government buildings. – Reuters
Changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine have been drawn up and will be formalised as necessary, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, signalling again Moscow’s concern over the latest U.S. decision on missile strikes from Ukraine. – Reuters
A Russian missile attack killed 10 people and wounded 44 in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday, local governor Oleh Kiper and national police said. – Reuters
Ukraine marked 1,000 days on Tuesday since Russia’s full-scale invasion, with weary troops battling on numerous fronts, Kyiv besieged by frequent drone and missile strikes, and officials preparing for Donald Trump to reclaim the White House in January. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the eastern frontline towns of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk on Monday, areas where Russia has been making steady advances to close in on the two logistics centres. – Reuters
Satellite images show major expansions at five complexes where Russia has made solid-fuel missile engines, indicating the Kremlin plans to significantly boost missile production as it pursues its war in Ukraine, according to a European researcher. – Reuters
Marc Champion writes: No matter how galling politically, the Biden administration and other NATO allies should be doing all they can to prepare for and, in reality, help Trump. They need to change the dynamics on the battlefield sufficiently that the next US president is dealt the hand he needs to win a genuine peace. That won’t represent the Kremlin’s strategic defeat, because it was never going to. It could, though, force Putin to accept a cease-fire that leaves Ukraine independent and secures against further invasion. – Bloomberg
Carol R. Saivetz writes: If, however, the war drags on, the alliance between Russia and North Korea could grow stronger, unnerving Seoul and Beijing, as well as the United States. As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote, “These deepening military and economic ties between a reckless Russia and an emboldened North Korea don’t just threaten Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, they are deeply dangerous for global security.” – National Interest
Hezbollah
Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire with Israel with some comments on the content, a top Lebanese official told Reuters on Monday, describing the effort as the most serious yet to end the fighting. – Reuters
A woman was killed and several other people were wounded on Monday when a rocket struck a building in a northern Israeli town, Israel’s ambulance service said. – Reuters
Neville Teller writes: The idea is to provide an early foreign policy win to the president-elect as he assumes office. Two days later, sure enough, Reuters reported that the US ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson, had submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon’s speaker Berri. As the saying goes: “Half a loaf is better than no bread.” If the half-loaf includes an end to Hezbollah’s missiles and its troops being removed north of the Litani River, then it is a compromise worth accepting. – Jerusalem Post
Turkey
The United States warned Turkey on Monday against hosting Hamas leadership, saying Washington does not believe leaders of a terrorist organization should be living comfortably. – Reuters
A Turkish diplomatic source dismissed on Monday reports that Hamas had moved its political office to Turkey from Qatar, adding that members of the Palestinian militant group only visited the country from time to time. – Reuters
Doctors, nurses and an ambulance driver are among 47 people on trial accused of causing the deaths of 10 infants as part of an alleged scheme to defraud Turkey’s social security system. – Associated Press
Lebanon
An airstrike killed five people in central Beirut, and rockets fired from Lebanon killed one person in northern Israel and caused several injuries in a Tel Aviv suburb, amid a continuing U.S. push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah militants. – Wall Street Journal
Lebanon has submitted a written response to a U.S. truce proposal, a Lebanese official source and Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed said on Monday. – Reuters
Recent airstrikes carried out by Israel in Lebanon hit near the country’s Parliament building, as well as the country’s U.N. (United Nations) headquarters this week. – Newsweek
Middle East & North Africa
Jordan’s King Abdullah opened a newly elected parliament with a larger contingent of Islamists on Monday, giving a speech that took a firm line towards Israel in a sign of political unease in the U.S. ally which has a large Palestinian population. – Reuters
A vessel 60 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s Aden reported on Monday a missile splashing into the sea in its close proximity, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. – Reuters
The Houthis, who launched a number of maritime attacks in solidarity with Hamas, have now started emailing private companies threats, Der Spiegel reported on Monday. – Jerusalem Post
The Russian army has increased its presence in the Syrian Golan Heights, near the border between Syria and Israel, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported on Monday evening. – Arutz Sheva
Elizabeth Dent and Grant Rumley write: One way to do this is to share more of the crown jewels of U.S. technology. If countries demonstrate a willingness to protect their own technological information as well as Washington’s, the United States should lean forward and provide them the means to advance their own industries and economies. The future of U.S. relationships will require that it focus on balancing risk mitigation rather than defaulting to risk aversion. – Washington Institute
Korean Peninsula
South Korea’s main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was indicted on Tuesday on charges alleging he used more than 100 million won ($71,900) of public funds for personal purposes when he was a governor, Yonhap News Agency reported. – Reuters
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said on Monday he is “strongly confident” the South Korea-U.S. alliance will continue to thrive under the incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Donald Trump. – Reuters
The United States said on Monday it was Russia that is escalating the conflict in Ukraine by deploying North Korean troops, after the Kremlin warned that Washington would deepen its involvement in the war by allowing Kyiv’s forces to strike far into Russia with U.S.-made weapons. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia’s natural resources minister Alexander Kozlov on Monday, state media KCNA reported, in the latest sign of growing ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. – Reuters
The South Korean government “will never sit idle,” Seoul’s ambassador to London has said, as the U.S. ally worries that North Korean troops deployed alongside Russian forces against Ukraine could accrue valuable combat experience far from the Korean Peninsula. – Newsweek
China
Chinese equities are in for another volatile year as markets weigh the impact of Beijing’s seesawing stimulus against the potential threat posed by U.S. trade policy. – Wall Street Journal
Chinese and Russian foreign ministers discussed bilateral ties, the conflict in Ukraine and the situation on the Korean Peninsula on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Brazil, the foreign ministries of both countries said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and Mexico should continue to enhance exchanges, renew friendship, and make good use of the highly complementary nature of the two economies, Chinese state media reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned at the Group of 20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro that artificial intelligence should not be a “game of rich countries and the wealthy,” state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. – Reuters
China’s relationship with Australia has achieved a turnaround and the two countries are maintaining a positive momentum of development, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. – Reuters
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he wanted a strong and durable relationship with China Monday as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil. – Associated Press
Karishma Vaswani writes: And some brave citizens do protest. The China Dissent Monitor, a database assessing the number of demonstrations every year, has documented more than three dozen types of dissent. These range from physical in-person protests, to those expressed through art, non-cooperation, cyber dissent, and contentious petitioning or lawsuits. Many are over economic grievances, like property and job-related issues. Such independent windows into the party’s opaque world challenge the narrative that citizens are satisfied with their government. China’s citizens aren’t that different from the rest of us. Sweeping problems away isn’t a long-term solution. – Bloomberg
South Asia
The authorities in New Delhi closed schools and urged people to stay indoors as toxic smog, which has plagued neighboring Pakistan for weeks, choked India’s capital in what officials called a medical emergency. – New York Times
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus hopes ties with the U.S., the biggest buyer of Bangladeshi clothes, will strengthen despite strong criticism from President-elect Donald Trump on violence against minorities in the Muslim-majority nation. – Reuters
Britain will restart talks with India on a free trade deal in the new year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Monday, following a months-long pause in negotiations due to elections in both countries. – Reuters
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday in Rio de Janeiro, a statement from his ministry said on Tuesday, during which he called for the resumption of direct flights between the two countries. – Reuters
Pakistani security forces raided a militant hideout in northwest Pakistan on Monday, sparking an hourslong shootout in which at least 10 insurgents were killed and several others were wounded, police said. – Associated Press
Asia
A Hong Kong court on Tuesday sentenced 45 pro-democracy leaders, the city’s most prominent activists among them, to prison terms ranging up to 10 years. None received sentences of less than four years and two months. – Washington Post
Leaders of the world’s biggest economies must send a clear signal on the need to tackle global warming, COP29 climate summit host Azerbaijan said on Monday. – Reuters
Legislation that strengthens existing espionage laws and introduces new offences passed a first legislative hurdle in New Zealand on Tuesday. – Reuters
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had a phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, her office said on Tuesday, during which they both pledged to support each others’ administrations. – Reuters
The president of Vanuatu, Nikenike Vurobaravu, signed an order to dissolve the Pacific island nation’s parliament on Monday, Vanuatu broadcaster VBTC reported. – Reuters
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders rallied in front of parliament on Tuesday in one of the country’s largest ever protests to oppose a bill, which opponents say seeks to dilute the rights of Maori and threatens to set race relations back decades. – Reuters
Europe
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that U.S. Joe Biden’s administration made a “good decision” by allowing Ukraine the use of U.S.-made weapons to strike inside Russia. – Reuters
The European Union is planning to compel Chinese companies to transfer technology to European businesses in return for EU subsidies, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing two senior EU officials. – Reuters
European Union foreign ministers on Monday rebuffed a proposal to suspend political dialogue with Israel put forward by the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, who cited concerns about possible human rights violations in the war in Gaza. – Reuters
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday he would discuss the delivery of dual-use goods with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, following a report that a Chinese factory is producing military drones for Russia. – Reuters
Romania and Bulgaria will fully join Europe’s open-borders Schengen area from January 2025 after a crucial meeting in neighbouring Hungary on Friday, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday. – Reuters
The three Austrian parties in the so-called “sounding out” phase of talks on forming a new government have agreed to launch full-scale coalition talks, conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who is leading the process, said on Monday. – Reuters
Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday that a U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia may be a decisive moment in the war. – Reuters
Hungary’s foreign minister lashed out on Monday at U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to authorize Ukraine to use missiles supplied by Washington to strike deeper inside Russia, saying the move could serve to escalate the war and threaten the outbreak of a global conflict. – Associated Press
Sweden and Finland, which recently gave up neutrality and joined NATO following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sent out updated civil preparedness guides on Monday with instructions how to survive in war. – Associated Press
Demonstrators in Georgia’s capital have set up tents on a central thoroughfare and vowed Monday to stay around the clock to demand new parliamentary elections in the country. – Associated Press
Isabel Schatzschneider writes: These countries have long depended on their fossil fuel resources, but as the market shifts towards greener alternatives, they are keen to diversify into other areas. ADNOC has gained a head start by grabbing hold of Covestro’s innovative sustainable chemicals business, but others are bound to follow. Now, Europe must prepare to deliver. We must heed the urgent warning of the German government’s collapse, else other governments will crumble—taking Europe’s collective economy with them. Our future depends on our ability to adapt and unite, harnessing our potential to lead the world into a cleaner and greener future. – Newsweek
Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on police to “ensure that lives are not put at risk” in operations to flush out hundreds of people accused of illegal mining who are hiding more than a mile underground in an abandoned mine shaft. – Washington Post
An Australian mining company said it would pay the military government of Mali $160 million after the authorities detained three of its executives for over a week in a dispute about taxes. – New York Times
A likely absolute majority for President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s Pastef party in Senegal’s legislative election would empower him to pursue his ambitious 25-year agenda, though his first challenge will be coming up with a budget amid a fiscal crisis. – Reuters
Somaliland opposition leader Abdirahman Cirro has won the presidential election in the breakaway Somali region, beating incumbent Muse Bihi Abdi, news outlet Garowe Online reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
The U.S. special envoy to Sudan travelled to the African country for the first time on Monday to seek an increase in the flow of aid to millions of people in need and an end to a devastating war. – Reuters
Russia on Monday vetoed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution that called on Sudan’s warring parties to cease hostilities immediately and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. – Reuters
The new prime minister of Mauritius has announced an audit of the public finances days after his coalition won a resounding election victory, casting a shadow over the accuracy of previous government data. – Reuters
The Americas
Argentine President Javier Milei is a star among President-elect Donald Trump’s closest aides, a self-described anarcho-capitalist with wild hair and a bromance with Elon Musk. Now, Milei has a big ask—billions of dollars in loans to jump-start a capitalist makeover of his country. – Wall Street Journal
Now, with President Nicolás Maduro accused of stealing the election and his government threatening her capture, María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s wildly popular opposition leader, has gone into hiding — alone. – New York Times
The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service will restart flights within Haiti on Wednesday after around a week’s hiatus and resolving regulatory issues, according to a statement from the U.N. World Food Programme, which manages the service. – Reuters
A court in El Salvador on Monday ruled to bring a former president and retired military officials to trial for their alleged roles in the prominent murder of six Jesuit priests and two collaborators during the country’s civil war 35 years ago. – Reuters
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena was in stable condition on Monday evening after being hospitalized while attending the G20 summit in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, the hospital said. – Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with both outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden as well as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil on Monday. – Reuters
Ecuador’s government declared a 60-day national emergency due to raging forest fires made worse by a severe drought, risk management officials said on Monday. – Reuters
Gordon G. Chang writes: Yet trade will not be enough to take back the region from China. After all, Peru, now firmly in Beijing’s orbit, is one of the three countries in South America that is a party to a free-trade agreement with the United States. Trade, however, is an important start. “Tariff Man” Trump said during the campaign that he would raise levies on all goods coming into the U.S. On the contrary, it’s time for the new president to decrease tariffs on products from the region, to tie it to America’s economy instead of China’s. – Newsweek
United States
President Joe Biden, on one of his last days headlining an international summit, attempted to shore up support for Ukraine’s war against Russia and pressure Hamas to accept a cease-fire deal with Israel, hoping to put two of his biggest foreign policy crises on a better footing before leaving office. – Washington Post
The U.S. Senate is due to vote on Wednesday on legislation that would block arms sales to Israel, backed by lawmakers who say Israel is obstructing aid shipments desperately needed by Palestinian civilians in Gaza. – Reuters
The United States imposed sanctions on Monday on Israeli settler group Amana, accusing the organization of helping perpetrate violence in the occupied West Bank, which has seen a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians. – Reuters
Leaders of the world’s 20 major economies called for a global pact to combat hunger, more aid for war-torn Gaza and an end to hostilities in the Mideast and Ukraine, issuing a joint declaration Monday that was heavy on generalities but short of details on how to accomplish those goals. – Associated Press
Michael Makovsky and Blaise Misztal write: Perhaps the expiration date of Mr. Biden’s policy is already dawning on the president. The State Department last week determined that it won’t carry out its threat made in a letter to Jerusalem last month to improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip or else be subject to an arms embargo. The administration should now go a step further: providing Israel with the weapons it needs to defeat the Iranian axis that threatens the free world. – Wall Street Journal
Cybersecurity
A U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee overseeing technology issues will hold a hearing Tuesday on Chinese hacking incidents, including a recent incident involving American telecom companies. – Reuters
A German court said on Monday that Facebook users whose data was illegally obtained in 2018 and 2019 were eligible for compensation. – Reuters
A Russian man who allegedly served as an administrator of the Phobos ransomware that’s extorted millions of dollars from more than a thousand victims is in U.S. custody, the Justice Department said Monday. – CyberScoop
Akira, a ransomware-as-a-service gang with a growing profile in the cybercrime underworld, has published a record number of new victims to its darknet leak site in a single day, with 35 published on Monday as of writing, and more apparently still being added. – The Record
Bina Venkataraman writes: But the level of attention and care I saw innovators putting into designing AI systems to help human medics made me long for a day when people and machines might just work in tandem to save more lives. If I’m ever unlucky enough to be in a disaster, I would welcome those robots’ help. – Washington Post
Defense
The Pentagon on Monday announced a new hypersonic testing partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom, an agreement focused on improving facilities and information sharing across the three countries. – Defense News
The Defense Department, in its seventh year conducting a full audit, has made progress toward a clean audit but has yet to pass across the board. – Defense News
The new director of the Defense Department’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is scheduled to meet with lawmakers in closed-door and open sessions Tuesday to discuss his organization’s activities investigating “unidentified anomalous phenomena” that have raised national security concerns. – DefenseScoop