FDD Morning Brief

Three years after October 7 | feat. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus

Headlines: Israel decided to downgrade the UK’s consulate in Jerusalem, but stopped short of fully closing the diplomatic post. Taiwan has its sights on $130 billion worth of domestic infrastructure projects and the government in Taipei wants Saudi Arabia to pitch in. Rumors are swirling that Syria may be gearing up to help Saudi Arabia fight the Houthis. Iran allegedly transferred $200 million to Hezbollah last month to distribute to Lebanese families displaced during the war with Israel. I am not sure I buy it. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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This all-female IDF tank unit battled Hamas on October 7 | feat. Karni Guez

Headlines: The Houthis aren’t slowing down their offensive and continue to do damage in Saudi Arabia. Representatives from the Mecca pact — Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan — met in Riyadh. The Norwegian Parliament is considering a proposal to create an independent list of designated terrorist organizations. Iran’s interior minister was in Doha yesterday for meetings with Qatari officials. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a pre-recorded conversation between Jon and Karni Guez, a former IDF commander who led her all-female tank unit into battle on October 7. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

47 years of war with Iran | feat. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Headlines: Members of the Mecca defense pact are planning to meet in Riyadh today. Yesterday, Yemeni forces launched a military campaign to retake territory seized by the Houthis. The IDF went after another Hamas leader over the weekend. The U.S. Treasury Department took action against a Hamas financing network that’s funneled over $2 million to the terror group through sham charities and cryptocurrency channels. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a pre-recorded conversation between Jon and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA). Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Beirut battles for its future | feat. Ronnie Chatah

Headlines: The Trump administration overrode the human rights conditions on $320 million worth of military aid to Egypt. American troops are officially out of Iraq. The Trump administration is going after a Russia-linked shadow banking network that helps Iran evade sanctions. Syria is now eligible to purchase American weaponry. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ronnie Chatah, host of The Beirut Banyan. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Is the UN rotten beyond reform? | feat. Ambassador Jeff Bartos

Headlines: Iran’s currency plummeted to a new low yesterday. We’re talking over 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar. Iran is reportedly offering cash rewards for anyone who captures or kills an American soldier. Israel eliminated the leader of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade yesterday. The U.S. is set to withdraw all remaining forces from Iraq today and hand security over to Baghdad. A flydubai flight headed to Israel from Dubai was emergency diverted to Saudi Arabia due to a violent incident in the cockpit which is now being investigated as a potential terror attack. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ambassador Jeff Bartos, the U.S. representative for UN management and reform. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Lebanon's sovereignty paradox | feat. Bilal Saab

Headlines: The internationally recognized government in Aden says it killed or injured 2,316 Houthis over the last 72 hours. Iran’s Rev Guards said yesterday that they seized an American submarine drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Turkey continues to explore ways to get back into the F-35 club. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said this weekend that Israel cannot break the resistance in Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Bilal Saab, senior managing director of TRENDS US. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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The Divided Nations | feat. Ben Cohen

Headlines: China has reportedly sent tons of dual-use components to Iran for use in missiles and drones. Iran is once again threatening to attack its neighbors, this time going after regional airports. Turkey agreed to withdraw from a military base in northern Iraq, handing control back to Baghdad. In exchange, Iraq committed to crack down on armed groups that Ankara considers a threat — namely, groups connected to the Kurdistan Workers Party, otherwise known as the PKK. I mentioned the Saudis just a few minutes ago. And those missiles that were shot down. As it turns out, it was the Greeks who shot down at least one ballistic missile and one drone over Saudi Arabia. And guess what? They did so using the American-made Patriot air defense system. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Fellow Ben Cohen. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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The Houthis' Saudi siege | feat. Edmund Fitton-Brown

Headlines: The UK has agreed to help Saudi Arabia fight the Houthis by providing aerial refueling services to Saudi planes for the next few weeks. The Trump administration is reportedly setting up a multi-billion dollar investment fund to help repair the energy infrastructure destroyed by Iran in the Persian Gulf. In an exclusive for The New York Times, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi laid out his plan to disarm Iran-backed Iraqi militias. Israeli troops conducted multiple counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samariah during the Yom Kippur holiday on Monday. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

China steals America's AI edge | feat. Leah Siskind

Headlines: The State Department approved the potential sale of dozens of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia yesterday. French President Emmanuel Macron met with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun yesterday as part of a broader effort to raise funds for the Lebanese Armed Forces, or “LAF.” The Trump administration sanctioned members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, denying them visas to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week. Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties following a meeting between their foreign ministers on Wednesday. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD AI Fellow Leah Siskind. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Tehran squeezes Riyadh | feat. Bernard Haykel

Headlines: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is in Beijing today to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. A Russian bank just got dinged by the US Treasury for laundering dirty Iranian money. Malaysia seized three shipping containers headed for Israel as they transited through a major Malaysian port. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Bernard Haykel. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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The truth about America's munitions crisis | feat. Mark Cancian

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

25 years after 9/11 | feat. Bruce Hoffman

Headlines: The Houthis seized the Yemeni port of Mokha yesterday, days after launching a combinedballistic missile and drone attack in Saudi Arabia. President Trump warned that the U.S. could strike Pickaxe Mountain — the deeply buried, hard-to-reach nuclear facility in central Iran near Natanz. Algeria severed diplomatic ties with the UAE, citing quote “provocative or hostile” actions. Iran’s Basij force is reportedly tightening its grip over the country under the direction of its returning commander, Hossein Taeb. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman of the Council on Foreign Relations. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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The beauty queen of wartime Jerusalem | feat. Swell Ariel Or

Headlines: Yesterday, the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia, setting oil facilities on fire and wounding at least 73 people. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has just sounded the alarm on Iran's nuclear program. Rafael Grossi says Tehran still won't cooperate with inspectors and has cut off access to all its declared nuclear sites. London has just announced that it is banning all trade with West Bank settlements. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli actress Swell Ariel Or, star of Netflix's "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem." Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

The FBI's war on terror financing | feat. Lara Burns

Headlines: Russia is helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles. Remember the Gaza flotilla? Well, it’s back. Leaders from the so-called “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” said the group is planning to set sail once again and arrive in Gaza by October. Declassified Canadian intelligence indicates that Ottawa awarded an Iranian agent over $2 million in government contracts. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Lara Burns, retired FBI Special Agent and head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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The ABCs of foreign funding in K-12 | feat. Brandy Shufutinsky

Headlines: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun petitioned Greece to help implement a future peace agreement with Israel, which would see the Lebanese Armed Forces, or “LAF,” disarm Hezbollah and deploy to areas of south Lebanon as Israel gradually withdraws from them. Israel will build a multi-tier air defense system to defend Greece against drones, ballistic missiles, and other aerial threats. The Houthi terrorist group in Yemen is deepening its ties with Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Brandy Shufutinsky, director of FDD’s Education and National Security Program. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Israel's post-October 7 election | feat. Yohanan Plesner

Headlines: USAID, the US Agency for International Development,released a new report on Friday, confirming what we already knew — namely, that UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, is infested with Hamas terrorists. A retired Shin Bet official named Adi Rotemhas come out of the shadows to confirm reports that Israel held direct talks with Hamas in 2024. Donald Trump announced a major oil deal with Venezuela just before the weekend. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

The Israel-Turkey collision course | feat. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak

Headlines: Kuwait and Pakistan signed a military cooperation agreement yesterday, building on a deal signed in 2023. The IDF is poised to surge troops into the West Bank as violence over there continues to escalate. Iranians this week rushed to stock up on fuel and food in anticipation of supply shortages. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with world-renowned Turkey scholar Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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Economic D-Day against Tehran | feat. Miad Maleki

Headlines: China blasted the United States after the Trump administration rolled out Operation Economic Outcast, its new pressure campaign to completely isolate Iran from the global economy. Let’s stick with Iran, shall we? Iran and Oman are considering establishing a joint shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Military officials from Uganda and Burundi visited Israel last week to discuss troop deployments to Gaza. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Miad Maleki. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

The elusive exit from the Iran war | feat. Jonathan Tobin

Headlines: Some mixed messages out of Iran’s rump regime. We’ve got President Masoud Pezeshkian saying that a new MOU is the best way out of the war. He warned that the country’s economy is in a downward spiral. And he’s not wrong. Reports over the weekend suggest that the regime may now ban all contact with foreigners. Four kites out of Gaza drifted over Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The last time kites flew over the territory, they were either on fire or contained explosives. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Jonathan Tobin, editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS). Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

Syria's Russian reconstruction | feat. Anna Borshchevskaya

Headlines: The Trump Administration sanctioned the International Criminal Court’s president and top lawyer over their egregious, corrupt, politicized conduct. The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade and financial transactions with Iran after Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at the gulf country on Tuesday. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency began excavating a suspected secret nuclear site run by the former Assad regime in Syria. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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