FDD Morning Brief

SHOULD ISRAEL PARDON BIBI? HEADLINE 1: The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. HEADLINE 2: Israeli and Taiwanese officials recently conducted a series of secret meetings. HEADLINE 3: The U.S. and Israel wrapped up joint naval exercises yesterday. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Aviva Klompas, co-founder and CEO of Boundless. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Trojan Horse: China's Auto Threat to America" - Elaine Dezenski, Congressional Testimony "Fight To Keep China Out of U.S. K-12 Classrooms Comes to Congress" - Jennifer Richmond, FDD "A Free Venezuela Elevates U.S. Energy Security" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, RealClearWorld

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

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Michal Cotler-Wunsch, CEO of The International Legal Forum (ILF) and former Member of Israel's Knesset (Parliament). Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

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 — a nd 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

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MBS COMES TO TOWN? HEADLINE 1: The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on over two dozen targets that support Iran’s ballistic missile and drone production networks. HEADLINE 2: U.S. Central Command provided an update on operational activity in Syria. HEADLINE 3: Israeli forces dismantled a Hamas network in the West Bank. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow, filling in for Jonathan Schanzer, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior Fellow Sarah Zaaimi. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Previewing the Trump-MBS Meeting" - Jonathan Schanzer, Edmund Fitton-Brown, and Bradley Bowman, FDD "With voting in Iraq complete, government formation begins" - Bridget Toomey, FDD's Long War Journal "The war against Christians" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times

HEADLINE 1: French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. HEADLINE 2: The Houthis might be hitting pause on their attacks against Israel and Red Sea shipping. HEADLINE 3 : Iran said it dismantled a spy network linked to Israel and the United States. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Adjunct Fellow Seth Frantzman, who serves as senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces "Tehran’s Crisis is Iran’s Reckoning" - Janatan Sayeh, Real Clear World "Fifty Years of Gaslighting Israel at the U.N. " - David May and Ben Cohen, National Review "Erhurman’s election a step towards peace, but beware of Ankara’s appetite" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, Kathimerini

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

WHAT HISTORICAL LESSONS MUST SHAPE GAZA'S FUTURE? HEADLINE 1: Israel is at its wit’s end with the porous Egyptian border. HEADLINE 2: Israel and Greece wrapped up joint military exercises this week. HEADLINE 3: Turkey held a terrorist summit in Istanbul on Wednesday. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Hebrew University Professor Netta Barak-Corren. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Learning the Right Lessons From ‘A House of Dynamite’" - Bradley Bowman and David Adesnik, Real Clear Defense "Iranians Challenge the Regime by Celebrating Cyrus the Great" - Janatan Sayeh and Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD "The US must not endorse Russia and China’s vision for cybersecurity" - John Yoo and Ivana Stradner, The Hill

HEADLINE 1: Oman’s foreign minister called on countries in the Gulf to engage with…wait for it… Iran. HEADLINE 2: The U.S. sent a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for the implementation of an International Stabilization Force, or “ISF,” which would operate in Gaza until 2027. HEADLINE 3: On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that Beirut has no choice but to sit down and talk with Israel. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Analyst Mariam Wahba, whose work focuses on Egypt and minority communities in the Middle East. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Israel 2040: Benny Gantz’s Vision for Security and Cooperation" - FDD Event "How the U.S. Can Stay Ahead of China in Space" - Jack Burnham and Sophie McDowall, The Cipher Brief "Aoun’s Push for Talks with Israel Must Overcome Hezbollah’s Ploys" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, This is Beirut

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Manager David May. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

HAMAS IS TESTING THE WATERS -- FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Gadi Ezra, former director of Israel's National Public Diplomacy Unit. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Is Trump Getting Played by Xi?" - Matt Pottinger, The Free Press "Trump rallies the allies to break China’s dangerous mineral, rare earths monopoly" - Elaine Dezenski, New York Post "How Turkish Arms End Up in African Conflicts" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, Foreign Policy

HEADLINE 1: Israeli forces eliminated three terrorists during a counterterrorism operation in a village called Kafr Qud. HEADLINE 2: The Trump administration announced a new aid package for minorities in Syria. HEADLINE 3 : Turkish prosecutors filed new charges against Istanbul’s mayor. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Joseph Braude, president of the Center for Peace Communications. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Patient Extremism: The Many Faces of the Muslim Brotherhood" - FDD Memo "Qatar’s Calculated Bet on the Islamic Republic" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, RealClearWorld "Iraqi polls grapple with Israeli and Iranian relations as country prepares to vote" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, New York Post

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Robert Satloff, the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

WITH FRIENDS LIKE QATAR, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES? HEADLINE 1: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up his tour of the Gulf with a trip to Oman. HEADLINE 2: The warring Hamas and Fatah factions convened for discussions in Egypt yesterday to talk unity. HEADLINE 3: Back to Turkey, where the country has renewed military deployment mandates for Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with writer and Middle East analyst Eitan Fischberger. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Georgian Dream’s Power Grab Sets Stage to Outlaw Opposition" - Keti Korkiya, FDD Policy Brief "The UN Cybercrime Treaty: A Trojan Horse for Suppressing Dissent" - Ivana Stradner and Emily Hester, FDD Memo "To Preserve the Gaza Deal, Keep Qatar at Arm’s Length" - Natalie Ecanow, FDD Policy Brief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who previously held various positions within the Palestinian Authority. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- HEADLINE 1: Hamas’s base of operations in Turkey is reportedly growing. HEADLINE 2: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani slammed Israel for committing genocide and violating the ceasefire in Gaza. Did he mention Hamas’s October 7 massacre? Nope. HEADLINE 3: The new Syrian regime seized a massive haul of captagon pills. BONUS HEADLINE 4: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad yesterday. -- Featured FDD Pieces: "5 Ways the United States and Europe Must Help Ukraine Now" - RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, FDD Insight "How the Muslim Brotherhood Built a Media Empire" - Mariam Wahba, The Free Press "The New Middle East and the Challenges to Israel" - Jonathan Schanzer, Commentary

WHAT ARE THE TALKING POINTS OF THE NEW REGIME IN SYRIA? FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

DO THE HOUTHIS STILL POSE A CONSIDERABLE THREAT TO ISRAEL AND THE REGION? HEADLINE 1: The Houthis announced the untimely passing of their military chief of staff, Muhammed al-Ghamari. HEADLINE 2: Iranian oil tankers briefly came back online this week. HEADLINE 3: Iran convicted two French citizens of espionage. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Analyst Bridget Toomey, whose research focuses on the Houthis and Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "50 Years of Anti-Zionist Propaganda: Why the UN’s ‘Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People’ Must Be Dismantled" - Ben Cohen and David May, FDD Memo "The news from Gaza" - Cliff May, The Washington Times "Buying the Hatchet" - Ahmad Sharawi, Foreign Policy

IS THE GAZA WAR OVER? -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Nadav Eyal, an award-winning Israeli journalist affiliated with Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynetnews. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief