The President's Daily Brief - August 9th, 2024: Israel's Red Line Warning, Chaos In Russia, & Explosive Cartel Drones At US Border

Episode Date: August 9, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     Israel is warning Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah that they will suffer a devastating and disproportionate military response if any Israeli citizens are targeted in the militant group’s planned retaliation. The latest on Ukraine’s surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, as Kyiv’s forces continue to gain ground in the unprecedent offensive. An alarming report from the U.S. southern border warns that warring drug cartels are increasingly flying drones packed with explosives just two miles from Arizona’s border with Mexico. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, pro-Palestinian protesters continue to wreak havoc in New York City, with a group recently vandalizing the home of an official at Columbia University, painting symbols associated with Hamas and accusing the school of brutalizing demonstrators. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Friday, 9 August. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, Israel is sending a clear message to Hezbollah as they brace for retaliatory strikes from both the militant group and Iran,

and the message is, if you kill any Israeli civilians, you will pay a, quote, disproportionate price. Later in the show, we'll have the latest on Ukraine's surprise invasion of Russia's Kirstk region as Keeb's forces continue to gain ground in the unprecedented offensive. Plus, an alarming report from the U.S. southern border warns that warring drug cartels are increasingly flying drones packed with explosives just a couple miles from Arizona's border with Mexico.

And in today's back of the brief, pro-Palestinian protesters continue their gormless, uninformed behavior in New York City, with a group recently vandalizing the home of an official at Columbia University, painting symbols associated with Hamas and accusing the school of brutalizing demonstrators. Apparently, the saying is true. You can't fix stupid. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin in the Middle East, where Israel is warning Iran's Lebanese proxy, Khazbalah, that they will suffer a devastating and disproportionate military response, if any Israeli citizens are targeted in the militant group's planned retaliation over the recent death of their senior commander in Beirut.

Two anonymous Israeli officials told Axios that they issued the warning because leaders in Jerusalem are looking to avoid an all-out war with Hasbullah in Lebanon. The statement is meant to draw a clear line to define what would compel Israel to escalate the conflict. The statement coincided with reports that Hasbullah appears increasingly said to act against Israel, independent of Iran, which is also preparing retaliation options over the death of Hamas political chief Ishmael Hanye last week inside Tehran. Now, just to be clear, Hezbollah, a proxy built, resourced, and maintained by the Iranian regime,

does nothing independent of the Iranian regime. What's happening is an attempt to make it seem that Hezbollah's actions might not have anything to do with the wishes of Iran. According to a report from CNN on Wednesday evening, citing sources familiar with current intelligence, Hezbollah is moving at a much faster base than Iran in readying an attack. It's not clear to what degree Hasbullah is still coordinating their response with Iran, as both sides reportedly had disagreements over how to proceed. Once again, if Iran told Hezbollah not to retaliate, then Hezbollah would not retaliate.

This is just more window dressing, as it were, to get it. Iran the ability to carry out their desires through their proxies without taking direct responsibility. At some point, after all these years, you would like to think that the international community and the media would catch on to the Iranian regime's strategy. But frankly, the international community and media are either too stupid or complacent to figure this out. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah continues to vow severe retaliation, quote, regardless of the consequences. over both the Israeli airstrike in Beirut last Tuesday and Harnier's death last Wednesday in a suspected Mossad bombing. A Lebanese newspaper with close ties to Hezbollah's leadership claimed this week that the

terror group will likely target Tel Aviv as part of their response. The article suggests that the group may plan to attack IDF or Mossad headquarters, which are both situated in major population centers in Tel Aviv. The article notes that civilians may be injured or killed in such a strike, but argued Hezbollah had justification because Lebanese civilians were killed in last week's strike in Beirut. Israeli officials have reportedly communicated their concerns to the U.S. that errant missiles targeting military installations could miss and hit civilians. They noted that Hezbollah's rocket fire since the 7 October attacks from Hamas has often been wildly inaccurate, sometimes with deadly consequences, such as the rocket attack in the Golan Heights last month,

that struck a soccer field, killing 12 children. But there are even more serious concerns about the prospect of Hasbullah launching long-range surface-to-surface missiles. Those carry large warheads that can cause much greater damage and casualties than the group's traditional rockets. But, as we've been discussing this week, nailing down the timing of a response from either Hezbollah or Iran continues to prove difficult. The prolonged weight, according to the Hezbollah chiefs,

is part of their retaliatory strategy against Israel. Nasrallah said, quote, the fact that Israel is waiting for the response for a week is part of the punishment because it's also a psychological war that influences morale, end quote. Western officials said Hezbollah will likely act in the coming days, adding that they still expect an Iranian retaliation to follow. On that front, however,

it appears an international pressure campaign on Iran by both allies and adversaries is causing the Islamic regime's leaders to at least rethink their retaliatory strategy. As we discussed on yesterday's PDB, Russia, along with Iran's regional neighbors, have all urged the Islamic regime to practice restraint and ensure their response is measured and contained, though it remains unclear to what degree this has shifted Iran's plans. In Israel, the Security Cabinet convened on Thursday night to continue organizing their defensive preparations. The IDF has been placed on, quote, high alert and is coordinating with the U.S. military on how best to intercept incoming projectiles. Officials have said they're confident

that their air defenses and coalition of allies can withstand any attack from Iran and their proxies. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel was, quote, prepared for defense as well as offense. All right. Coming up next, we'll have the latest on Ukraine's surprise invasion of of Russia's cursed region, as Keeves' forces continue to gain ground. Plus, an alarming report from the U.S. southern border warns that warring drug cartels are increasingly flying drones packed with explosives just a couple of miles from Arizona's border with Mexico. I'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new Elixir Collection, featuring three perfume

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Adelante! Welcome back to the PDB. I want to turn to the latest developments out of Russia, where Ukrainian forces continue to gain ground following their surprise incursion on Tuesday into Russia's Kursk region, marking the largest such operation since the war began. Ukraine's incursion is unprecedented in its scale

with the current assault, involving approximately 1,000 troops from elite Ukrainian brigades. It appears designed to bring the war home to Russia and has already forced the Kremlin to divert Russian troops from the 600-mile front line. Videos posted on social media purportedly show Ukrainian forces leveraging Western donated military equipment, such as U.S. and German-made armored fighting vehicles

to facilitate their movements. Now, Keev is also reportedly requesting U.S. permission to use long-range tactical ballistic missiles to target Russian airfields as they continue the assault. Keev's forces have nearly gained full control of Sudzha in Kursk, according to the Russian telegram channel Riber, which was founded by a former employee of Russia's defense ministry. The Ukrainian military reportedly seized the Tsudza gas measuring facility, a critical piece of infrastructure that facilitates the flow of Russian gas into Europe. Now, while Ukraine has gained ground, reports of how much land they've seized, well, they vary

widely. An anonymous advisor to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy claims Ukrainian forces seized about 38 square miles of Russian territory. Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, claims Ukrainian forces advanced as much as nine miles into Russian territory. But the Kremlin, without evidence, claimed Thursday that Ukraine's advancement had been thwarted. Both the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Federal Security Service have stated that they are still actively working to counter-Ukrainian units in several districts within the Kursk region.

Ukrainian officials remained silent on the operations, including President Zelensky, who's kept his comments guarded. On Thursday, Zelensky praised his armed forces for its ability to, quote, surprise its adversaries. though he made no direct reference to activity in Kursk. Zelensky added, quote, Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done, end quote. The invasion has reportedly put significant pressure on Russian President Putin. In response to the forced displacement of residence,

Putin announced a one-time payment of 10,000 rubles, that's approximately 115 U.S. dollars, acknowledging Ukrainian advancement. But the Kremlin's attempts to downplay the situation, have been met with growing discontent from Russian officials and military bloggers who say the military, the Russian military, has lost control of the situation. A Russian general and Putin ally, who commands a special forces unit fighting in Kursk, broke from the Kremlin line on Thursday, saying Ukraine's invasion succeeded because Moscow, quote, had neither forces nor means nor resources

to stop them. He also confirmed the deaths of Russian troops in the offensive, and that's a rare admission, considering Moscow rarely comments on its war casualties. Reports from Russian military bloggers suggest Moscow is scrambling to draft and reinforcements to Kyrrask as Ukrainian forces advance. They're assembling a force of some 2,000 troops, transferring some from its Belgarod region, and redeploying Wagner Group mercenaries to Kursk from their mission in the U.S. Africa. The exact objectives of Ukraine's incursion remain unclear, but analysts suggest that it could

be aimed at gaining leverage in future negotiations. All right, shifting gears to some alarming news from the U.S. southern border. Cartel-operated drones packed with explosives are increasingly flying near Arizona's border with Mexico, an internal bulletin circulated by the U.S. Border Patrol's Euma sector intelligence unit this week warned that the increased drone activity is part of an ongoing war between cartels in Senoito Mexico, which sits just two miles from the U.S. Mexico border, that's according to an exclusive report from the New York Post. Members of the notorious Ciloloa cartel are apparently using the drones to drop explosives on members of their rival cartel, Los Palones.

The bulletin added that the fighting is often intense, and there have been other confrontations. between the rival cartels along the border. The revelation follows congressional testimony in March by Air Force General and acting NORAD commander Gregory Gioad, who said that cartels and human smugglers have significantly stepped up their use of unmanned aircraft systems to surveil agents along the border. When asked about the frequency of drone encounters, General Gioch estimated that more than 1,000 drone incursions likely occur each month, more than 1,000 each month, more than 1,000 each

month. Defense hawks in the Senate have been sounding the alarm on the increase of drone incursions into U.S. territory for months pushing for legislation to counter the growing national security threat. Congressional Republicans in particular are concerned that the drone threat is largely being ignored by the Biden administration. Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa recently introduced an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that would force the Pentagon to take countermeasures against any unmanned aircraft entering U.S. domestic airspace. Reacting to the report from the Post, Ernst said, quote, On border czar Kamala Harris's watch,

murderous drug cartels are controlling the southern border and using drones for turf war attacks within miles of the United States. These thugs must be held accountable. That's why I'm equipping the Pentagon to respond to these incursions by any means necessary. While the House passed the annual defense bill in June, it has not yet been taken up by the Senate. To be clear, this is not a purely partisan issue. The top Democrat and Republican serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee wrote a joint op-ed back in April, warning that America's lack of adequate drone detection capability remains a huge

national security vulnerability. They noted that the U.S. still largely relies on early warning radars from the Cold War that are unable to detect, identify, and track small aircraft at both high and low altitudes. The pair wrote, quote, we can hardly track anything other than commercial aircraft. Almost none of our domestic military bases have the sensors to identify small drones, end quote. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, pro-Palestinian protesters continue to wreak havoc in New York City, with a group recently attacking. the home of an official at Columbia University, accusing the school of brutalization against demonstrators. We'll have the latest on that when we come back.

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anti-Israel vandals targeted a top Columbia University executive's Brooklyn apartment building early Thursday, drawing hateful symbols splashing red paint and reportedly and bizarrely, unleashing live crickets. And no, I'm not making that up. The vandals, who remain. anonymous, targeted Cass Holloway, Columbia University's chief operating officer. Now,

Holloway has been connected to the rising tensions on campus after the university allowed police to arrest pro-Palestinian students during anti-Israel protests earlier this year, which plagued the spring semester. On Thursday, vandals shattered a glass door to gain entry to the building's lobby. Oh, they broke into the building where they released crickets and plastered posters featuring Holloway's name and photograph. These posters criticized his actions during the protests. Additionally, the building's exterior was vandalized by inverted red triangles, a symbol associated with Hamas terrorists. A letter left at the scene accused Holloway of brutalization and endorsing the mistreatment of students, protesting the, quote, genocide of Palestinians, adding that the

memory of the bugs would linger long after they were gone. good God, we do live in stupid times. The New York City police were alerted around 3 a.m. And collected evidence, including a can labeled live insects. Holloway was not home at the time of the vandalism, and the act has not been classified as a hate crime. Of course not. Anti-Semites appear to be immune when it comes to labeling. The actions of the anti-Israel vandals are reminiscent of another incident involving red paint at the homes of Jewish executives of the Brooklyn

a museum in June. Separately, pro-Palestinian protesters garnered attention last month by releasing crickets. What is it with them in crickets and maggots? Oh, don't forget the maggots. Inside the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Congress. A representative from Columbia University stated that the school strongly disapproves of any acts of vandalism, threats, or personal attacks, and considers them completely unacceptable. where you kind of made your bed and now you're sleeping in it. Police are currently canvassing for a surveillance video to identify the perpetrators, but let's be realistic.

Don't expect any action to be taken against the protesters and vandals. In New York City, apparently, being impressionable, anti-Semitic, and useful idiots for Hamas is perfectly acceptable. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, 9 August. If you have any questions or comments, please, reach out to me at PDB. at thefirstTV.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member

of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. It is a very simple process. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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