FDD Morning Brief

HEADLINE 1: After taking a beating during the 12-day war, Iran is back to building up its ballistic missile arsenal.HEADLINE 2: Israeli authorities raided a vacant United Nations Relief and Works Agency facility in East Jerusalem.HEADLINE 3: The IDF discovered three crude rockets in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with activist, actress, and New York Times bestselling author Noa Tishby.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"The Widening Gulf Between Iran and the Gulf" - Behnam Ben Taleblu and Norman T. Roule, FDD's Foreign Podicy"Al Jazeera’s Academic Arm Platforms Hamas Denialism and Anti-Israel Propaganda" - Toby Dershowitz, FDD Insight"Anti-Israeli Countries’ Attempt To Ban Israel From Eurovision Song Contest Falls Flat — With Help From Germany, Austria" - David May, New York Sun

Michal Cotler-Wunsh, former Member of Israel's Knesset and CEO of the International Legal Forum, shares her insights on combating antisemitism and public diplomacy. She discusses her role as a Special Envoy, achievements in global anti-Semitism guidelines, and the challenges of renewed Israeli political debates. Cotler-Wunsh emphasizes antisemitism as a uniting threat across ideologies and examines tensions in Israeli military and political leadership. Lastly, she delves into the debate surrounding Israel's strategic independence in the upcoming U.S.-Israel MOU discussions.

HEADLINE 1: Yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing will provide $100 million to help with reconstruction and ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza.HEADLINE 2: The Pentagon deployed a new type of drone to the Middle East.HEADLINE 3: Iraq added Hezbollah and the Houthis to its asset freeze list.--FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow analyzes the latest headlines, followed by a pre-recorded conversation between Jon Schanzer and FDD Director of Impact and AI Research Fellow Leah Siskind.Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"America needs to stop being naive in Gaza" - Bonnie Glick, Washington Reporter"China’s Influence Operation in US Education Was Supposed To Be Shut Down, But Did Closing the Confucius Institutes Only Make It Stronger?" - Jennifer Richmond, The Washington Free Beacon"Is Qatari Money Corrupting American Education?" - Natalie Ecanow, Townhall

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SOUTHERN YEMEN?HEADLINE 1: Saudi Arabia is providing the Palestinian Authority with a $90 million grant.HEADLINE 2: Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in two separate attacks yesterday.HEADLINE 3: The IDF raided the offices in Ramallah and Hebron of an organization called the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.---FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow, filling in for Jonathan Schanzer, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Southern Transition Council Special Representative Amr Al-Bidh.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief---Featured FDD Pieces: "Trump is right to crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood" - Edmund Fitton-Brown, The Spectator"Japan Has Changed How the World Must Think About Taiwan" - Craig Singleton, The New York Times"Africa 2025: Things Fall Apart" - Clifford D. May, Foreign Podicy

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dana Stroul, who serves as Director of Research and Shelly and Michael Kassen Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

HEADLINE 1: Anyone heard of Binance? It's the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange — and it may well have facilitated $1 billion in transactions for Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations — that’s billion with a “b.”HEADLINE 2: The Palestinian economy is on the brink of collapse.HEADLINE 3: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or “GHF,” is wrapping up its operations in Gaza. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"Iran Drops the Façade of Tolerance Toward Persian Jews" - Janatan Sayeh, National Review"Reconstructing Gaza: The devil is in the detail" - Ben Cohen, JNS"Oy, There's Too Much News" - The Commentary Magazine Podcast feat. Jonathan Schanzer

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with former UK Ambassador to Yemen and current FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

WHAT CAN ISRAEL EXPECT FROM ITS NEIGHBORS?HEADLINE 1: The IDF carried out strikes against several Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in south Lebanon.HEADLINE 2: Israeli prosecutors charged seven men suspected of smuggling arms from Syria into Israel.HEADLINE 3: Israeli prosecutors charged seven men suspected of smuggling arms from Syria into Israel.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with former Israeli acting National Security Advisor BG (Res.) Prof. Jacob Nagel. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"New York, New York, it’s a socialist town" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times"Trump’s Gaza peace plan is doomed — unless he shuts down terror-boosting UNRWA" - Enia Krivine and Richard Goldberg, New York Post"Is Iran Unraveling?" - Mark Dubowitz, The Iran Breakdown

HEADLINE 1: The U.N. Security Council blessed Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.HEADLINE 2: Syria opened its first trial over the mass killings of Alawite minorities last spring.HEADLINE 3: Yee Haw! The State of Texas designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Eran Lahav, the head of the Middle East Department at the David Institute for Policy & Research of IDSF.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"Maritime Protection of Taiwan’s Energy Vulnerability" - FDD Memo"US Military Dominance Is the Backbone of Prosperity" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, The National Interest"What Washington Should Demand From Riyadh Before Providing the F-35" - Bradley Bowman and Justin Leopold-Cohen, Real Clear Defense

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gaza native who serves as the founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief