Fdd's overnight brief

Israel

A detachment of Israeli engineering troops was demolishing tunnels behind the withdrawal line in Gaza last month when Hamas militants sprang from a hidden shaft, fired an antitank missile toward their excavator and killed two soldiers. – Wall Street Journal

The body of the last dead American hostage in Gaza was returned by Hamas after more than two years, marking the close of a painful chapter for U.S. families whose relatives were taken by the militant group. – Wall Street Journal

The detention of the Israeli military’s former chief legal officer, who was arrested on Sunday, has been extended until Friday, a police source told Reuters on Wednesday. – Reuters

Israel received the remains of another hostage from Gaza on Wednesday, the prime minister’s office said, after Hamas’ armed wing transferred a body found near Gaza City to the Red Cross. – Reuters

The United States will share a draft resolution on President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza with the 10 elected members of the United Nations Security Council later on Wednesday, a U.S. official said. – Reuters

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on Thursday that the militia group had “a legitimate right to resist (Israeli) occupation”, adding that it would support the Lebanese army. – Reuters

Hamas said it would consider giving up missiles and rockets as part of a ceasefire with Israel, a sign the group is prepared to make further concessions toward the US-brokered roadmap for peace. – Bloomberg

Freed hostage Rom Braslavski revealed in clips of an interview aired on Wednesday that Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists who held him captive in Gaza repeatedly sexually assaulted and tortured him. – Times of Israel

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz convened meetings in New York this week with counterparts on the Security Council, along with envoys of other missions representing key stakeholders in Gaza, to rally support for a resolution that the Trump administration is looking to pass on establishing the International Stabilization Force to secure the Strip. – Times of Israel

Ron Dermer is slated to step down from his position as strategic affairs minister next week, handing over some of his responsibilities to Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, an Israeli official and a second source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Wednesday. – Times of Israel

The United States has pressured Israel to allow 100 to 200 Hamas operatives holed up in a tunnel network on the Israeli-controlled side of the Yellow Line in southern Gaza’s Rafah to leave safely, according to a Middle Eastern diplomat who spoke to The Times of Israel on Wednesday. – Times of Israel

Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon laid out Israel’s cautious support for the resolution put forward by the US regarding the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, noting, however, that the force should not become another “UNIFIL,” in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post

“I don’t think Hamas will volunteer to put aside its weapons; without weapons, there is no Hamas,” MK Avi Dichter said on Wednesday at a Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) conference on the future of Israel and Gaza. – Jerusalem Post

The IDF killed a Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist, Hussein Jaber Dib, on Wednesday in southern Lebanon, the military said. – Jerusalem Post

The IDF published a collection of various intelligence documents on Monday containing evidence of Hamas’s connection to Iran, to UNWRA, and Al Jazeera, as well as the terror organization’s actions at the deliberate “deepening [of] civilian suffering.” – Jerusalem Post

IDF soldiers killed two terrorists in the central Gaza Strip who were attempting to cross the Yellow Line and approach troops stationed in the area, the military said on Wednesday. – Jerusalem Post

The Knesset plenum on Wednesday decisively rejected a bill that sought to revoke voting rights in general elections from individuals who do not enlist in the military or perform national service. – Arutz Sheva

Nira Broner Worcman writes: We have photos, testimonies, museums, films, and archives – and yet we repeat the same moral error, fully aware of the abyss it heralds. Every omission, every relativization, every silent applause for the terrorists brings us closer to the normalization of evil, making the repetition of the tragedy not only possible but predictable. The State of Israel emerged as a historic response to the Holocaust, offering a safe haven to Jews and preserving the memory of a tragedy that must never be repeated. It is not history that has failed to teach us. It is we who refuse to learn. – Jerusalem Post

Natalia Cuadros writes: Israel must speak with the clarity others have lost: those who choose Iran, Hezbollah, and the Brotherhood cannot choose peace. The world’s mistake from Lebanon to Nigeria has always been to believe that those who kill their own will stop at borders. They never do. Al-Burhan has already tested the world’s patience. He defied the Quad, rejected every ceasefire, and aligned with Tehran. His next defiance could come at Israel’s expense. If the West will not act, Israel must lead. Because in this new shadow war, the first line of defense for civilization begins on the shores of the Red Sea. – Jerusalem Post

Russia and Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his top security officials to draw up plans for potential nuclear weapons testing should President Trump follow through on his suggestions that the U.S. resume testing its nuclear arsenal, in a fresh sign of the faltering relationship between the two leaders. – Wall Street Journal

Ukraine struck Russia with at least 75 drones on Thursday, sparking a fire in an industrial area of the southern city of Volgograd, killing at least one and halting dozens of flights across the country, Russian officials said. – Reuters

Russia said on Wednesday that its forces were advancing north inside Pokrovsk in a drive to take full control of the Ukrainian city, but the Ukrainian army said its units were battling hard to try to stop the Russians from gaining new ground. – Reuters

Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse has suspended fuel exports, while the local oil refinery halted processing crude following November 2 Ukrainian drone attacks on its infrastructure, according to two industry sources and LSEG ship tracking data. – Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his top officials on Wednesday to draft proposals for a possible test of nuclear weapons, something Moscow has not done since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. – Reuters

Editorial: Some in the Trump Administration say Ukraine is losing the war as a way to justify ending U.S. support. But Ukraine isn’t losing, as its strikes inside Russia show. Kyiv is forcing Mr. Putin to make uncomfortable choices about which military and energy targets to protect. That pressure is what’s needed to force the Russian dictator to the negotiating table. – Wall Street Journal

Jillian Kay Melchior writes: Now is the time to study how war is changing. British intelligence recently reported that North Korean soldiers are operating reconnaissance drones to support Russian attacks in Ukraine. Recent Russian and Chinese joint exercises have included drone and counter-drone elements. Russia is making Iranian-style long-range drones deadlier. If the West doesn’t learn the lessons of drone warfare from Ukraine now, it may have to learn them the hard way later. – Wall Street Journal

Stephen J. Blank writes: Ukrnafta’s turnaround, from a vehicle for enriching the few to a profitable, Western-standard company generating billions for Ukraine’s defense, demonstrates that reform-driven investment can help Ukraine while serving US interests. The question is whether American companies will lead the transformation or cede the opportunity to China and others who do not share the West’s values or interests. When Ukraine adopts American business standards and opens its markets to US companies, supporting that transformation is not foreign aid; it is sound policy. – Center for European Policy Analysis

Turkey

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey had entered a “new phase” in efforts to end Kurdish militant violence and signalled he was open to the idea of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan addressing lawmakers. – Reuters

Turkish Airlines has reached an agreement with GE Aerospace to procure engines, spare engines, and engine maintenance services for 75 B787 planes that it is buying from Boeing, the company said. – Reuters

Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency chief met Hamas’ negotiating team head Khalil Al-Hayya on Wednesday and they discussed the path to be followed in implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire plan, Turkish security sources said. – Reuters

Turkey will hold another round of meetings with defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. to resolve a price dispute over new multibillion-dollar F-16 fighter jet orders, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg

Korean Peninsula

North Korea slammed the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for imposing sanctions that “antagonise” it, and vowed to respond correspondingly, state media KCNA said on Thursday. – Reuters

Authorities in South Korea fear seven people were trapped on Thursday after the collapse of a large structure at a power station in the city of Ulsan, the Yonhap News Agency said, although two others were pulled from the rubble. – Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a state funeral for the country’s longtime ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong Nam, who died this week at age 97. – Associated Press

North Korea condemned recent US sanctions imposed on its bankers, characterizing them as proof of US hostility and warning that such pressure won’t help resume dialogue between the two nations. – Bloomberg

South Asia

Millions of people in the eastern Indian state of Bihar will begin voting Thursday in the country’s largest state election of the year, a closely watched political test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. – Washington Post

The total area of land in Afghanistan on which opium poppy is grown shrank 20% this year, according to a U.N. estimate issued on Thursday, a further drop since farming of the raw material for heroin collapsed in 2023 after the Taliban banned it. – Reuters

Germany has offered cash to Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan if they give up efforts to enter Europe’s biggest economy under a resettlement programme, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Wednesday. – Reuters

Some residents in northern Afghanistan called on Wednesday for the Taliban government to help rebuild and restore a historic mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif that was damaged in a powerful earthquake. – Reuters

India is repatriating on Thursday the first batch of hundreds of its nationals who last month fled to Thailand from Myanmar, where most had been working at a notorious center for online scams. – Associated Press

Sadanand Dhume writes: Will all this last? It’s impossible to say for certain, but Pakistan has a history of promising the U.S. more than it can deliver. Pakistan’s deep ties with China place natural limits on how much Islamabad can do for the U.S. Should Field Marshal Munir fail to live up to Mr. Trump’s expectations, or should the U.S. return to its traditional orientation of viewing India as a bulwark against Chinese expansionism, the Trump-Munir bromance could easily fall apart. – Wall Street Journal

Europe

The French government moved to temporarily suspend Shein’s website after authorities discovered sex dolls resembling children and weapons were being sold on the e-commerce giant’s platform. – Wall Street Journal

EU climate ministers agreed a 2040 climate change target in the early hours of Wednesday after watering down the goal in last-minute negotiations, as they raced to clinch the deal before the U.N. COP30 summit in Brazil. – Reuters

The new U.S. ambassador to Denmark, a PayPal co-founder and longtime friend of Elon Musk, assumed office on Wednesday amid unprecedented tensions between the NATO allies as President Donald Trump seeks control of semi-autonomous Greenland. – Reuters

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called on China to stop its economic support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to join European and U.S. efforts to pressure President Vladimir Putin into a ceasefire during a Tuesday interview. – Reuters

Latvian lawmakers on Wednesday postponed a vote to quit a European treaty aimed at combating violence against women until after a parliamentary election in October next year, a move welcomed by the prime minister who opposes leaving the accord. – Reuters

Belgium called an emergency meeting of key government ministers and security chiefs for Thursday after drone sightings forced closures of airports and a military air base on Tuesday evening in what the defence minister called a coordinated attack. – Reuters

President Vjosa Osmani has nominated former parliamentary speaker Glauk Konjufca as Kosovo’s next prime minister to try to avert a snap election, despite resistance to his candidacy by opposition parties. – Reuters

More than 10,000 of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s supporters rallied in the capital Belgrade on Wednesday to back the populist’s policies after a year of anti-government protests. – Reuters

The European Union has established a “special channel” of communication with Chinese authorities to secure the flow of rare earth materials vital for EU industries, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Wednesday. – Reuters

A French man rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on Oleron island off France’s Atlantic coast on Wednesday, injuring five people and shouting “Allahu Akbar” when arrested by police, officials said. – Reuters

A man suspected of promising to get weapons for an attack on Jewish targets in Germany was arrested Wednesday in Denmark, Germany’s top prosecutor said. – Associated Press

A leading Norwegian public transport operator has said it will introduce stricter security requirements and step up anti-hacking measures after a test on new Chinese-made electric buses showed the manufacturer could remotely turn them off. – Associated Press

The European Union must provide a “credible” funding commitment to Ukraine in order to unlock fresh International Monetary Fund money for Ukraine, the EU’s economy chief has said, as the country’s lenders race to avoid a financing crunch in Ukraine. – Bloomberg

German lawmakers approved more than €1.9 billion ($2.2 billion) in new defense procurements as part of a sweeping overhaul of its armed forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. – Bloomberg

UK police are urgently searching for a second foreign offender accidentally released from prison last week, the latest error that risks becoming a political storm for Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. – Bloomberg

The EU is preparing to further tighten visa rules for Russian citizens, effectively ending the issuance of multi-entry Schengen permits in most cases, three European officials told POLITICO. – Politico

The team-up between Leonardo and Rheinmetall to fulfill a huge vehicle order for the Italian army has received its first contract, the manufacturers said on Wednesday. – Defense News

The Americas

President Trump has recently expressed reservations to top aides about launching military action to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, fearing that strikes might not compel the autocrat to step down, according to U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations. – Wall Street Journal

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is pressing charges against the man who groped and tried to kiss her as she greeted people outside the presidential palace this week, she said Wednesday, sending a message in a country where women routinely face such abuse. – Washington Post

The U.S. expressed condolences to Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state for the four police officers killed in a raid that left over 100 people dead last week, while also offering any support needed, a letter seen by Reuters from a U.S. government official to Rio’s security head showed. – Reuters

Bolivia’s Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of former president Jeanine Anez on Wednesday, ending several years of detention linked to legal proceedings stemming from her interim administration in 2019, Justice Romer Saucedo said. – Reuters

Top Trump administration officials briefed a small group of congressional leaders Wednesday on the growing military campaign to destroy alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the waters off South America, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes. – Associated Press

Interpol and partners launched a global law enforcement effort Wednesday aimed at dismantling criminal networks behind illegal logging, timber trafficking and gold mining, which drive large-scale deforestation and generate billions in illicit profits each year. – Associated Press

Arturo McFields writes:  Venezuela is ready for the day after Maduro. The Latin American country is not Afghanistan or Libya. In Venezuela, there is a president-elect (Edmundo Gonzalez) and a unifying leader (Nobel Prize Winner Maria Corina Machado). Venezuela is ready to rebuild its economy, restore democracy and renew hope for a brighter and better future. – The Hill

Ryan C. Berg writes: Trump is right to understand that something different, novel, and unprecedented must be tried against Maduro, even if that something is not a full-blown ground invasion and its attendant risks that most Americans would rightly oppose. Now that the southern Caribbean deployment has reached record numbers, aiming for regime collapse appears to be a middle ground strategy with some chance of success and acceptable risks to the United States. – Foreign Policy

Cybersecurity

Automakers around the world and their suppliers have begun scaling back production after a dispute over a Chinese-owned chipmaker in the Netherlands led to a shortage of the semiconductors needed to power the systems in vehicles. – New York Times

Federal agencies would be required to report artificial intelligence-related layoffs to the Department of Labor under a new bill from a bipartisan pair of senators. – Fedscoop

A Commerce Department office should investigate Chinese government-connected products in more than a dozen emerging industries for security threats, a group of House GOP committee leaders said in a letter they released Wednesday. – Cyberscoop

When a pair of high-profile internet outages took down large chunks of the internet last month, the events briefly brought hundreds of organizations to a near-halt and prevented millions of users from accessing core services for everyday business needs. – Cyberscoop

Congressional leaders are pressing federal agencies to provide more information on their plans to compete with China on a range of tech and cybersecurity issues, including a strategy for promoting American 6G telecommunications infrastructure and limiting Chinese tech in US supply chains. – Cyberscoop

Researchers have uncovered a cyber-espionage campaign that hides malicious tools inside widely used software products known as virtual machines — a tactic that shows how hackers are innovating to bypass common security defenses. – The Record

State-backed hackers are for the first time deploying malware that uses large language models during execution, allowing them to dynamically generate malicious scripts and evade detection, according to new research. – The Record