FDD Morning Brief

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

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