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Gallant reveals document from top Hamas commander warning Sinwar of dire losses Foreign Policy’s Steven A. Cook: A cease-fire in Gaza wouldn’t end Israel’s wars UK summons Iranian charge d'affaires over transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia Meet Margarita Simonyan, queen of Russia’s covert information wars The Hill’s Mark Temnycky: NATO: Call Russia’s bluff and let Ukraine strike back US sanctions Lebanese network over alleged oil, LPG smuggling for Hezbollah U.S. releasing $320 million in military aid to Egypt amid Gaza war Islamists gain in Jordan, reflecting public anger over Gaza war North Korean missiles rain down on Ukraine despite sanctions Beijing kicks off annual defence forum amid multiple regional disputes Britain orders public inquiry into 1989 murder of Northern Irish rights lawyer Feds increase security for Jan. 6 in effort to prevent Capitol attack repeatIn The News
Israel
An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday killed at least 18 people, Palestinian officials said, at a school turned shelter in the Gaza Strip that Israel said Hamas used as a command post, and a United Nations agency said six of the dead were its employees. – New York Times
Israeli forces killed at least six Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, as troops continued an extended operation against militant groups in the territory, the military said. – Reuters
The Palestinian Hamas group said on Wednesday that its negotiators reiterated its readiness to implement an “immediate” ceasefire with Israel in Gaza based on a previous U.S. proposal without new conditions from any party. – Reuters
As many as 350,000 of his fellow Israelis are in similar positions, putting family obligations, work and studies on hold to help wage the campaign in Gaza, or fend off aerial attacks from Iran-backed Hezbollah to the north. – Bloomberg
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, acting at the behest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to open a criminal probe into the premier and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant regarding the Gaza war in an effort to circumvent a pending request for the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against the pair, according to an Israeli television report Wednesday. – Times of Israel
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday revealed a document he said was written by the former commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade in southern Gaza, Rafa’a Salameh, and addressed to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Muhammad, in which the commander described the “difficult situation” in which the terror group had found itself. – Times of Israel
Hamas said Wednesday that its negotiation team, led by Khalil al-Hayya, met Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to discuss the latest developments in Gaza. – Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf during a meeting on Wednesday that he would expedite a planned law facilitating sweeping exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox community from mandatory military service, according to Hebrew media reports. – Times of Israel
Steven A. Cook writes: The apparent support for a cease-fire articulated by Iranian diplomats at the United Nations is an effort to save Hamas—a principal proxy. For Tehran, a possible cease-fire is not a means to a more stable region but rather rationalizing assets to continue the fight. In the long war Iran is waging, its leaders believe they can afford to be patient and flexible, demonstrating pragmatism in one realm (a cease-fire) while continuing to destabilize other areas. A cease-fire in Gaza is thus tactical, meaning that the war against Israel will continue. – Foreign Policy
Iran
Britain’s foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires, the country’s most senior diplomat in London, over the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia. – Reuters
Iran’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Tehran had not delivered any ballistic missiles to Russia and sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and three European powers would not solve any problems between them. – Reuters
A Russian cargo ship suspected of carrying Iranian ballistic missiles for Moscow’s war against Ukraine was seen at a Russian port on the Caspian Sea a week ago, satellite imagery shared with CNN shows. – CNN
Iranian cyberattacks on Israel have surged in the wake of the October 7 onslaught by the Iran-backed terror group Hamas, and as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage, cybersecurity analysts warn these digital incursions will continue regardless of any ceasefire or de-escalation in the Gaza Strip. – Times of Israel
Alex Wintour writes: The fourth explanation, a variation of the third, is that Pezeshkian is, as is commonly alleged, not in charge of Iran’s foreign and defence policy even if this renders him powerless to implement his new economic policy that is so dependent on Iran breaking out of the sanctions cage. The true foreign policy power brokers in Iran are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Either way, less than 42 days after Pezeshkian’s confirmation by parliament, Iran and the west are back on the familiar treadmill of sanctions and counter-sanctions. – The Guardian
Hriday Sarma writes: The broader implications of this diplomatic outreach are profound. If India steps into the role that Iran envisions for it, there could be a shift in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. A more active India in the region could serve as a moderating force, potentially deescalating tensions and paving the way for negotiations. – Jerusalem Post
Russia & Ukraine
Moscow’s forces are targeting the Ukrainian logistics center of Pokrovsk and trying to seize the high ground in Chasiv Yar. Capturing those two cities would put Russia in position to try to take the rest of the eastern Donetsk region, which President Vladimir Putin has declared part of Russia. – Wall Street Journal
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signaled Wednesday that the West is considering allowing Kyiv to strike deeper inside Russian territory with Western-made weaponry, as Russia adds Iranian ballistic missiles to its arsenal. – Wall Street Journal
Margarita Simonyan says she takes her orders directly from the Kremlin in what she describes as a covert “guerrilla” information operation against the United States. Speaking on state television on Sunday night, she taunted Washington over its efforts to shut down RT’s campaign and contradicted previous Kremlin denials of foreign influence operations. – Washington Post
Ukrainian diplomats and activists in Canada on Tuesday urged the Toronto International Film Festival to cancel further screenings of a documentary portraying Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, claiming the film serves as “Russian propaganda.” – Reuters
Russia said on Wednesday that its partnership with China was not aimed against third countries but the two powers could “combine potential” if faced with a threat from the United States. – Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday a “victory plan” he wants to present to U.S. President Joe Biden this month would strengthen Kyiv and have a “psychological” impact that could push Russia to end its war diplomatically. – Reuters
The economic damage from Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s mainly agricultural Kursk region is estimated at almost $1 billion, with more than 150,000 people evacuated since the start of the incursion, the regional governor said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The Kremlin told the West on Wednesday that any decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range Western missiles would deepen what it called the direct involvement of the U.S. and Europe in the war and would trigger a response from Moscow. – Reuters
Russia should clearly state its willingness to use nuclear weapons against countries that “support NATO aggression in Ukraine”, according to an influential foreign policy hawk who is pressing President Vladimir Putin to adopt a more assertive nuclear posture towards the West. – Reuters
The United States and Britain pledged nearly $1.5 billion in additional aid to Ukraine on Wednesday during a visit to Kyiv by their top diplomats as Ukrainian officials renewed their pleas to use Western-provided missiles against targets deeper inside Russia. – Associated Press
Mark Temnycky writes: Ukraine is a country at war. Ukrainian authorities cannot adequately protect their compatriots if they are unable to strike against Russian projectiles fired on civilians. Lifting defense restrictions will allow Ukrainian authorities to take proper courses of action to protect their citizens, and limit Russia’s ability to orchestrate future attacks on Ukraine […]Ukraine should be allowed to do everything possible that would limit the loss of Ukrainian lives. Allowing Ukraine to strike Russian military targets will save countless Ukrainian lives and help bring a swifter end to the war. It is time for all NATO members to lift the restrictions and let Ukraine strike back. – The Hill
Hezbollah
The Biden administration on Wednesday issued sanctions on a Lebanese network it accused of smuggling oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help fund the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. – Reuters
An Israeli reservist soldier was wounded in a Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile attack from Lebanon on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said. – Times of Israel
Avi Ashkenazi writes: Nasrallah has suffered several painful blows in recent days. The Israel Air Force has carried out over a hundred strikes in Lebanon since last Wednesday. The IDF has been systematically targeting Hezbollah’s launchers in Lebanon, causing severe damage to the organization’s arms depots. Thanks to Israel, Hezbollah has gone from a well-organized, trained army to an organization struggling to maintain a structured system. – Jerusalem Post
Turkey
The opening of Turkey’s first nuclear plant has been delayed after Germany’s Siemens Energy, withheld key parts, prompting Russia’s Rosatom, the builder and owner, to buy them in China, the Turkish energy minister said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Turkey is interested in an offer from Tripoli to carry out energy exploration offshore Libya, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Turkey said it condemned this week’s signing of a roadmap to boost two-way defence co-operation between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus – Reuters
Saudi Arabia
The Australian is among thousands of expatriates hired to turn the monumental visions of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman into reality. Neom, his signature initiative, markets itself as “the land of the future, where the greatest minds and best talents are empowered to embody pioneering ideas.” – Wall Street Journal
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman discussed cooperation in several sectors including energy, investment and trade in a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported. – Reuters
The U.S. government is considering allowing Nvidia to export advanced chips to Saudi Arabia, which would help the country train and run the most powerful AI models, Semafor reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. – Reuters
Middle East & North Africa
The Biden administration on Wednesday notified Congress that it was releasing $320 million in military aid to Egypt conditioned on the country’s human-rights record, in a signal of Cairo’s increasing importance to the U.S. approach to the war in neighboring Gaza, according to U.S. officials. – Wall Street Journal
An Islamist party that made opposition to the Israeli invasion of Gaza the centerpiece of its campaign scored a significant success in elections in Jordan, results released in the kingdom on Wednesday showed, giving the Muslim Brotherhood a bigger foothold in Jordan’s Parliament. – New York Times
Libya’s rival factions made progress on talks over the central bank crisis and will continue discussions on Thursday to reach a final agreement, the UN Libya mission said on Wednesday, in a bid to defuse a crisis that has slashed oil output and exports – Reuters
Algerians expected an uneventful election that would bestow President Abdelmadjid Tebboune a second term. Instead, they got the president himself calling into question the vote count and legal challenges from his opponents alleging fraud. – Associated Press
Tunisian authorities arrested four people after the state railway company mistakenly flew the Turkish flag instead of the national one, as efforts are stepped up to enforce ultra-patriotic fervor ahead of October elections. – Bloomberg
Alannah Travers writes: The international community has contributed vast sums to UNITAD and cannot now wash its hands of Iraq; continued oversight and support is essential to ensure that the momentum toward justice is not lost, starting with an acknowledgement of where UN work has failed, and following up by providing the necessary support and oversight to ensure that justice is finally served and both sides immediately stop playing survivors off against the other. – Washington Institute
Korean Peninsula
North Korea has continued to supply advanced short-range ballistic missiles to Russia in defiance of sanctions meant to prevent Pyongyang from developing such weapons and Moscow from importing them, according to a report by a weapons research group. – New York Times
In the past two weeks, South Koreans have been shocked to find that a rising number of young men and teenage boys had taken hundreds of social media images of classmates, teachers and military colleagues — almost all young women and girls, including minors — and used them to create sexually exploitative images and video clips with deepfake apps. – New York Times
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, the first such launch in more than two months. – Reuters
There are two Koreas, North and South. But there’s also more than one South Korea, with the nation split into camps with polar opposite views on the danger posed by the nuclear-armed neighbor to the north. – Associated Press
China
But sewn into the lining of the bags was more than two kilos, or 4.5 pounds, of methamphetamines, Chinese authorities say. Instead of a resort in Australia, Ms. Hunt landed in a Chinese prison, sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve. Ms. Hunt’s sentence, handed down in 2017, was later commuted to life. – New York Times
For decades, the United States has been the top choice for young Chinese people seeking educational opportunities. Until the coronavirus pandemic, some 80 percent of them eventually went back to China because their country offered more opportunities. – New York Times
China is concerned about the United States’ manipulation of Hong Kong issues and suppression of its development, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China’s vice foreign minister and his Philippine counterpart have had a “frank and in-depth” exchange on sea-related issues, in particular the issue of the disputed Sabina Shoal, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China will kick off its biggest annual military diplomacy event on Thursday, seeking to expand the country’s outreach to the Global South amid simmering regional tensions in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. – Reuters
At least three top investment bankers from different securities firms have been detained by Chinese authorities since August, sending a chill through the industry. – Bloomberg
James Crabtree writes: Tariffs on the scale planned by Trump might persuade Beijing to rethink elements of its strategy, but measures by the likes of Chile or Indonesia are much less likely to do so. This leaves Xi facing an awkward choice: China can aim to win even more friends in the developing world and act as a leader of the global south, or it can plow forward with an economic plan that heavily refocuses its export-based growth model on advanced manufactured wares. But it is going to be exceptionally hard to do both. – Foreign Policy
South Asia
More than a year after it became an open war zone, deadly ethnic violence has resurged this month in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. The local authorities have reimposed a curfew and an internet blackout as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government struggles to quell the unrest. – New York Times
Bangladesh has ramped up vigilance at its border with Myanmar, with at least 18,000 Rohingya Muslims crossing over in recent months to escape escalating violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, officials in Dhaka said. – Reuters
Not one of the 38 contenders in Sri Lanka’s presidential election this month is a woman, a stark contrast in the Indian Ocean island where women make up more than half the voters and the workforce. – Reuters
Gunmen opened fire on a polio vaccination team in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing one of those handing out doses and one policeman escorting him, police said, in an attack later claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. – Reuters
Several lawmakers and leaders of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party arrested after a rally they held to demand his release have been charged with terrorism offences, according to police on Wednesday. – Reuters
Sadanand Dhume writes: For the U.S., and the West more broadly, India would be a more desirable partner—both as a market and potential counterweight to China—if it could increase the proportion of its population able to afford cars, cappuccinos and international flights. Yet to do so, India must first treat such people as assets to be cultivated, not scorned. – Wall Street Journal
Asia
Australia will strip military awards from a group of war veterans over allegations those under their command committed war crimes in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday. – Reuters
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is in talks with Myanmar’s ruling junta, its armed opponents and its neighbours to provide cross-border humanitarian assistance into the war-torn country, its chief said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Anti-war groups protested outside a defence exhibition in Australia’s second-largest city of Melbourne for a second day on Thursday, after violent clashes between police and protesters on Wednesday injured several officers. – Reuters
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party unveiled on Thursday a list of nine candidates for its Sept 27 election to replace outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as leader of the party that has governed for most of the last seven decades. – Reuters
The Philippines will stick to its position on Sabina Shoal, it said on Thursday, even while exploring ways to ease tension in the area during “frank and candid” talks with China on managing disputes in the key waterway of the South China Sea. – Reuters
India and China discussed early resumption of direct passenger flights between their two countries, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Thursday. – Reuters
Europe
Germany’s Foreign Ministry took a swipe at former president Donald Trump on Wednesday after the Republican candidate tore into Germany’s decision to phase out fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy during Tuesday night’s televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. – Washington Post
Kosovo announced the indictment of 45 suspects on terrorism charges on Wednesday, almost a year after ethnic Serb gunmen stormed a north Kosovo village and battled police in a shootout that left four people dead including a police officer. – Reuters
Britain announced on Wednesday a public inquiry into the 1989 murder in Northern Ireland of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, whose death remains a lightning rod for anger over state collusion with pro-British paramilitaries. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with senior Polish government officials on Thursday to discuss support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia and deepening U.S. defense cooperation with Warsaw. – Reuters
All three candidates running to become the next secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a 56-nation club headed by Britain’s King Charles, said on Wednesday they supported reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism. – Reuters
An appeals court in Serbia on Wednesday overturned an earlier court ruling that a prominent critic of the authoritarian government in Belarus should be extradited to that country, and said that the case must be retried. – Associated Press
French authorities foiled three plots to attack the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities that hosted the summer events, the national counterterrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday. – Associated Press
Estonia’s top defense official called on NATO to improve air defense for member states bordering Russia amid a critical shortage of long-range anti-missile capabilities across the alliance. – Bloomberg
Croatia will host a summit in Dubrovnik at the beginning of October that will bring together Ukraine and the countries from southeastern Europe, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Wednesday in Kyiv. – Bloomberg
An Israeli film festival in France scheduled for this week was canceled after organizers and staff were subject to pressure and even threats from anti-Israel activists, French news site 20 Minutes reported. – Arutz Sheva
Africa
The United States supports creating two permanent United Nations Security Council seats for African states and one seat to be rotated among small island developing states, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield will announce on Thursday. – Reuters
Among the dozens of Wagner mercenaries presumed dead after a lethal battle with Tuareg rebels during a desert sandstorm in Mali in July were Russian war veterans who survived tours in Ukraine, Libya and Syria, according to interviews with relatives and a review of social media data. – Reuters
A Nigerian judge on Wednesday granted bail to 10 people charged with treason and conspiring to incite the military to mutiny following last month’s protests against a cost of living crisis. – Reuters
Burkina Faso’s prime minister said on Wednesday scores of civilians killed in an attack by Islamist militants while digging defensive trenches on army orders had not been adequately protected. – Reuters
The Sudanese government accused the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday of providing weapons to its rival paramilitary force and prolonging the 17-month war. The UAE called the allegations “utterly false” and “baseless” and accused the government of refusing to negotiate peace with its enemy. – Associated Press
Islamic State in Somalia, the global terrorist group’s affiliate in the Horn of Africa, has grown in influence through its ability to mobilize funds for disbursement to the network on the continent, according to the International Crisis Group – Bloomberg
The Americas
U.S. law-enforcement officials had watched with alarm the spread of a Venezuelan gang known for dismembering rivals from Chile to Colombia. But the gang, known as the Tren de Aragua, seemed contained in Latin America. – Wall Street Journal
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government will not take into account a parliamentary vote to recognise Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as winner of a disputed presidential election, the premier said. – Reuters
Argentine protesters clashed with police outside the country’s Congress on Wednesday, after lower house lawmakers voted to block a planned hike to pensions that had been opposed by right-wing libertarian President Javier Milei. – Reuters
A global human rights watchdog on Wednesday called on Latin American governments to improve protection schemes, grant legal status and reverse “onerous visa requirements” for millions of Haitians and Venezuelans who have struggled to find work, access to health care and education in South American host countries, forcing them to increasingly seek asylum in the United States. – Associated Press
Venezuela is proposing to cut ties with Madrid after the Spanish congress voted to recognize Edmundo González, the opposition leader who challenged Nicolás Maduro in the July election, as president-elect of the Latin American nation. – Bloomberg
North America
A coalition of Canadian business groups is calling on the country’s Liberal government to intervene to head off a potential strike by Air Canada pilots as soon as next week. – Wall Street Journal
Mexico’s sweeping judicial overhaul passed in the Senate earlier on Wednesday could have significant implications for the nation’s sovereign credit rating, Moody’s Ratings warned in a report. – Reuters
Justin Trudeau may survive as Canada’s prime minister into next year, political analysts say, even though his minority Liberal government is more vulnerable after a small left-wing party withdrew a pledge to support it on key votes. – Reuters
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair cast doubt on the idea of an “Asian NATO,” saying that any US-led military alliance in the region would look different due to the diverse strategic interests there. – Bloomberg
United States
Tuesday’s televised clash between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump drew 67.1 million live viewers, according to Nielsen, outdrawing Mr. Trump’s debate in June with President Biden by 31 percent. – New York Times
The federal government will dramatically increase security protections for the joint session of Congress where lawmakers count states’ electoral votes, an escalation of government-wide efforts to prevent a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the Secret Service said Wednesday in a statement provided to The Washington Post. – Washington Post
The U.S. has imposed visa restrictions on senior officials at a European charter flight company for “facilitating irregular migration” through Nicaragua as the Biden administration seeks to curb what it called a growing trend. – Reuters
A group of about three dozen state and local election officials on Wednesday raised serious concerns about the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver millions of ballots for the 2024 presidential election. – Reuters
New York City’s Noguchi Museum said on Wednesday it fired three employees after they violated its updated dress code by wearing keffiyeh head scarves, which have become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause. – Reuters
A majority of Democratic U.S. House of Representatives members on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to use his executive powers to end a tariff “loophole” for low-value packages that they say are being exploited by Chinese e-commerce firms and fentanyl traffickers. – Reuters
Cybersecurity
U.S. authorities said on Wednesday they had seized more than 350 websites selling gun silencers and parts from China used to covert semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic machine guns. – Reuters
A federal judge has blocked Utah from enforcing a new law aimed at protecting the mental health of young people by requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and impose restrictions on minors’ accounts. – Reuters
Australia said it will fine internet platforms up to 5% of their global revenue for failing to prevent the spread of misinformation online, joining a worldwide push to rein in borderless tech giants but angering free speech advocates. – Reuters
A Belarus Defense Ministry official has accused the once wildly popular mobile game Pokémon Go of being an instrument of Western intelligence. – Politico
Defense
A former CIA officer was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in prison after pleaded guilty to spying for China, the U.S. Justice Department said. – Reuters
The Pentagon’s rare move to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East over the past several weeks has now finished, as the USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading home, according to U.S. officials. – Associated Press
The House Oversight Committee says is aware of a machine operated by a Chinese military company that is in use at the nation’s most secretive government laboratories. – Fox News
Douglas London writes: For those who argue that leadership decapitation has made us safer, I wonder if their sentiments aren’t perhaps influenced by how desensitized Americans have become to the now normalized changes to our daily lives required to defend against terrorism. But as I’m reminded every time I go to an airport or attend a public event, as Taylor Swift fans are now painfully aware, it sure doesn’t feel any safer. – The Hill
Faine Greenwood writes: Under international humanitarian law’s principle of distinction, combatants must distinguish themselves from civilians—but unlike manned aircraft, drones are too small to carry marks visible from the ground, and they can’t respond to radio checks. We need better solutions to avoid these cases of mistaken identity. – Foreign Policy