FDD Morning Brief

SOCIOECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REALITIES IN ISRAEL POST-OCTOBER 7HEADLINE 1: The Palestinian Liberation Organization Central Council held a two-day meeting this week.HEADLINE 2: Iran may be operating a new, deeply buried tunnel and an expanded security perimeter near the Natanz nuclear site.HEADLINE 3: Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is open to normalizing ties with Israel.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Reichman University lecturer Rachel Gur, who formerly served as deputy CEO of Lobby 99.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

SANCTIONS, ILLICIT FINANCE, AND THE IRANIAN PEOPLEHEADLINE 1: Egypt and Qatar reportedly tabled a new ceasefire proposal.HEADLINE 2: Another day, another round of Iran sanctions.HEADLINE 3: Egypt and China kicked off their first-ever joint air force exercise.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Saeed Ghasseminejad, senior Iran and financial economic advisor at FDD.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

SANCTIONS, TARIFFS, AND MOREHEADLINE 1: Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Hamas leaders over the weekend. HEADLINE 2: The U.S. and Iran held a second round of nuclear talks in Rome.HEADLINE 3: Hamas launched a deadly attack against Israeli troops in northern Gaza.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Juan Zarate, former deputy national security advisor for combating terrorism under George W. Bush and chairman and co-founder of FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

MORAL COURAGE IN THE WAKE OF OCTOBER 7HEADLINE 1: Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in Moscow yesterday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.HEADLINE 2: Hamas is on the verge of bankruptcy.HEADLINE 3: The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the International Bank of Yemen.HEADLINE 4: Lebanese forces detained multiple people who fired rockets into Israel last month.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with actress and producer Debra Messing, who has used her platform to stand with Israel and against antisemitism in the wake of October 7, 2023.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

CAN THE UNITED STATES SUSTAIN SIMULTANEOUS MILITARY SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, UKRAINE, AND TAIWAN?HEADLINE 1: Jordan arrested 16 people linked to the Muslim Brotherhood who were involved in a plot to undermine Jordan with targeted attacks.HEADLINE 2: The European Union announced a new aid package for the Palestinian Authority. HEADLINE 3: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says 2025 is the year that the Lebanese Armed Forces must gain a monopoly of arms in his country.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ryan Brobst, a senior research analyst at FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

IRAN, OMAN, AND THE UNITED STATESHEADLINE 1: The IDF struck a Hamas command center inside Gaza’s al-Ahli hospital.HEADLINE 2: Syrian President Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani was on a charm offensive this weekend. Yes, I still called him by the name he used when he was openly leading an Al-Qaeda affiliate group.HEADLINE 3: The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are reportedly planning to sign a nuclear energy cooperation agreement.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz, who hosts FDD's brand-new podcast, The Iran Breakdown.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

LEBANON, ISRAEL, AND THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE EASTHEADLINE 1: The Trump administration rolled out another round of Iran sanctions.HEADLINE 2: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a wanted man in Argentina.HEADLINE 3: Israeli and Turkish officials met in Azerbaijan to discuss Syria.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Carine Hajjar, an opinion and editorial writer and Editorial Board member at The Boston Globe.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

JERUSALEM, ANKARA, AND WASHINGTONHEADLINE 1: Hezbollah may be using maritime routes to smuggle weapons into Lebanon.HEADLINE 2: Iran has been recruiting Swedish criminal gangs to target Jews and Israelis.HEADLINE 3: Protests erupted in Egypt against President Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Erick Stakelbeck, a bestselling author and host of "Stakelbeck Tonight" and "The Watchman" on TBN. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

A VISION FOR YEMEN'S FUTUREHEADLINE 1: In June 2021, Hamas asked Iran for $500 million to help fund the destruction of Israel.HEADLINE 2: On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that the regime in Iran hired a Georgian drug trafficker to assassinate a rabbi in Azerbaijan. HEADLINE 3: The United States has sent another THAAD air defense system to Israel.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Atef, a former Yemeni diplomat who now serves as the U.S. representative of the Southern Transitional Council. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

MAXIMUM PRESSURE ON THE REGIME IN IRAN + MAXIMUM SUPPORT FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLEHEADLINE 1: On Wednesday, the IDF struck what it described as “remaining military capabilities” that belonged to the former Bashar al-Assad regime.HEADLINE 2: The IDF is establishing a new security corridor in southern Gaza.HEADLINE 3: Russia and Iran’s deputy foreign ministers spoke with each other about Iran’s nuclear program.HEADLINE 4: The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a network of Houthi financiers and procurement operatives.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Emily Schrader, an Israeli journalist, author, and activist who serves as a news anchor at ILTV News.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief