The President's Daily Brief - January 17th, 2024: Israel’s Endgame, Yemen Strike, & Europe on Edge

Episode Date: January 17, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: • We start with the latest developments from Gaza. Israel's government hints at the conclusion of military actions in the southern region as internal disagreements surface within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet. • The United States executes targeted strikes on Houthi forces in Yemen in retaliation for the recent militant attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. • A pivotal moment for North Korea as Kim Jong Un enacts significant constitutional changes, formally abandoning the long-held goal of reunification with South Korea. • In today’s Back of the Brief, leaked war plans published in Germany suggest that Europe is preparing for Russia to expand its war in Ukraine and attack NATO countries—potentially setting off a third world war. 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

This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord, paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic like a lingering touch, solar elixir, a radiant expression of joy, ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power. Find your euphoria. Discover the Euphoria Elixir Collection by Calvin Klein. This podcast is sponsored by Blackout Coffee. Start your day off right with a piping hot cup of American-made blackout coffee. I don't even know if people say piping hot anymore.

It's family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first purchase. It's Wednesday, January 17th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, an update on the war in Gaza, as the Israeli government begins signaling that operations in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave are nearing an end, and divisions begin to emerge inside Prime Minister Netanyahu's war cabinet.

Later in the program, the U.S. launches new strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, after Iranian-backed militants strike yet another commercial vessel in the Red Sea. Plus, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un announces a major change to his nation's constitution, eliminating the idea of reunification with South Korea. 2024 is kicking off in a turbulent fashion. Finally, in today's back of the brief, leaked war plans published in Germany suggests that Europe is preparing for Russia to expand its war in Ukraine and attack NATO countries, potentially setting off a third world war. Did I mention 2024 is already looking like

we should just put it away and skip ahead to 2025. But first up, the PDB spotlight. Israeli defense minister Yovgala is signaling that Israeli defense forces are preparing to de-escalate their military operations in the southern Gaza Strip. This would be similar to the recent drawdown in northern Gaza, which Israeli forces now feel they've brought under control. The defense minister didn't give many details on the withdrawal timelines for troops and equipment, but made it clear that a ceasefire is still not on the table. Instead, he emphasized that the continuation of military pressure on Hamas is a strategic measure to ensure the release of over 100 hostages. Galat also declared that the offensive against Hamas leadership would

persist, labeling them as the, quote, head of the snake, with several key figures believed to be in Conunis in southern Gaza. Meanwhile, as things appear to be winding down on Israel's southern border, tensions are escalating along Israel's northern frontier. In response to an anti-tank missile strike from Lebanon that resulted in Israeli civilian deaths, the IDF carried out extensive strikes in the Wadi Saluki area of southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah's military infrastructure. structure. These strikes involving fighter jets and artillery penetrated deeper into Lebanese territory than usual. Now, on Israel's political front, which is obviously important to watch, discord appears to be servicing within the country's war cabinet. Reports from the Wall Street Journal

suggest a public rift is growing between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galat on at least two critical issues. The potential for negotiations to resolve the conflict and release hostages and the future governance of Gaza. The defense minister has openly advocated for Palestinian self-governance and the establishment of a multinational task force, including U.S., European and Middle Eastern partners, to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. However, Netanyahu has yet to propose a post-war governance plan for Gaza and continues to oppose any scenario that would put the Palestinian authority in a position of governance in Gaza. All right, coming up after the break, U.S. officials are confirming new strikes on Houthi militants,

hitting a cache of the Yemen-based group's anti-ship missiles. Then later, North Korea announces a major shift in policy, saying it will no longer seek reunification with the South. I'll be right back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion-dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.

Welcome back. The U.S. carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Tuesday against the Iranian-sponsored Houthi militants in Yemen as the group continues their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Officials with the U.S. Central Command said they successfully destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles that were being prepared for launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. It was the third offensive strike by the U.S. against Houthi militants in Yemen since January 11th, and came after officials determined the missiles posed an imminent risk to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region, according to Reuters. The strike indicates that the U.S. has radically shifted its posture towards the Iranian proxy group in Yemen and will now proactively target Houthi military threats as they emerge. As we've been discussing on the PDB, Houthi attacks in the Red Sliq's.

have continued despite the U.S. and Britain's aerial bombardment of Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen just this last Thursday and Friday. On Monday, Houthi militants struck a U.S. owned container ship with an anti-ship ballistic missile and the first successful attack by the Houthis on a U.S. maritime asset, and that followed an attempted strike on the Navy Destroyer USS Laboon on Sunday, which was thwarted by U.S. fighter aircraft. The Houtis struck again on the U. Houtis struck again Tuesday, successfully hitting the Greek-owned bulk carrier Zografia, which was heading to Israel from Vietnam, causing minor damage. The ship was reportedly empty of cargo at the time, and the 24-man crew was unharmed. The relentless attacks continue to cause major disruptions to the Red Sea

shipping channel, which accounts for roughly 15% of all global shipping traffic. The Wall Street Journal exclusively reported on Tuesday that oil giant shell, which is a spend all of its shipments through the Red Sea indefinitely. Now, the U.S. is making some progress, however, in their efforts to disrupt the flow of weapons from the Iranian regime to their proxy group, the Houthi militants. U.S. Central Command revealed on Monday that they had seized advanced Iranian-manufactured ballistic missile and cruise missile components from a dow or a sailboat during an operation on January 11th near the coast of Somalia. Officials said in a statement, and quote, initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis

to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea, end quote. Now, tragically, two U.S. Navy SEALs involved in the operation were lost at sea and are still missing. Unsurprisingly, Iran continues to deny providing weapons to the Houthi militants while maintaining that the earth is flat. I want to turn our attention now to the volatile situation on the Korean peninsula, where a North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un continues to escalate tensions with South Korea and the U.S. During a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly on Tuesday, Kim called for the DPRK's Constitution to be rewritten, to classify South Korea as their primary foe, and to formally end any diplomatic efforts aimed at future

reunification with their southern neighbor. The move breaks with decades of international precedents, regarding Korean relations and the pursuit of reunification. To that end, North Korea officially abolished several key government agencies that handled relations with South Korea, including the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau, and the International Tourism Administration. So, good luck getting a refund on your prepaid holiday to Pyongyang.

Kim had previously vowed never to reunify with South Korea, Korea and reclassified them as a separate enemy state during a year-end meeting with military leaders. He claims that South Korea, with the backing of the U.S., of course, is seeking to destabilize and ultimately collapse in North Korean regime in order to pursue reunification by absorption. Kim said Tuesday that, quote, it is the final conclusion drawn from the bitter history of the inter-Korean relations that we cannot go along the road of national restoration and reunification together, end quote. In his remarks, Kim hurled insults at South Korea, calling them top-class stooges of global powers

like the U.S., although, to be fair, he did say top-class stooges. He added that the North should prepare for completely occupying, subjugating, and reclaiming South Korea if war breaks out on the peninsula. Furthermore, he ordered the destruction of a monument in Pyongyang dedicated to reunification, saying the North must, quote, completely. completely eliminate such concepts as reunification, reconciliation, and fellow countrymen from the national history of our republic. The North Korean dictator also, once again, promised to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea and the U.S. if they came under attack. Kim said, quote, we don't want war, but we have no intention of avoiding it.

This dude is seriously playing hard to get. The intense rhetoric comes at a time of incredibly high tensions in the region. On Monday, North Korea successfully test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile, outfitted with a hypersonic warhead, and this followed several ICBM test launches by the regime in December. Now, it also comes, as North Korea's foreign minister leads a delegation this week to Russia to further deepen their military relationship. The foreign minister met with Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday,

and Lavrov reportedly said that he highly appreciates North Korea's support. of their war effort in Ukraine. As discussed previously, intelligence indicates that North Korea has been supplying Putin's diminished military with munitions and ballistic missiles that have already been used against civilians in Ukraine. All right.

Coming up, Leakes documents from the German Ministry of Defense show the nation is preparing for a potential showdown with Russia in the coming months. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, I wanted to take a look at some classified German Ministry of Defense documents that were recently leaked to the German newspaper build. The documents suggest that Europe is preparing for a scenario where Russian President Putin would widen his country's conflict in Ukraine and threaten NATO nations this year, a move that would, of course, potentially ignite a Third World War.

The documents outlined several alarming scenarios, and the one that's gained the most attention has been termed Alliance Defense 2025. The stage, according to the scenario, would start being set for this hypothetical conflict this February, with Russia mobilizing an extra 200,000 soldiers for a spring offensive against Ukrainian forces. According to this scenario, by July, a concerning situation could escalate, with Russia possibly initiating hostilities in the Baltics. The strategy involves launching severe cyber attacks and fostering unrest among Russian nationals in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The classified documents suggest, again in this scenario, that President Putin could use

the unrest as a pretext to initiate a large-scale military exercise projected to involve around 50,000 Russian troops in Western Russia and Belarus. This maneuver is reminiscent of the tactics that Russian employed before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. By January 2025, according to the documents, Russia would accuse Western allies of conspiring against Putin's regime following a UN Security Council meeting and would begin marshalling forces in the Baltics and Belarus by March 2025 for a direct confrontation. Now, this would all culminate in May 2025 when NATO would be forced to implement what the documents

call measures for credible deterrence. That's essentially fancy talk for actions to prevent further Russian advances and direct military engagement between Western and Russian forces. Now officials from the German Defense Ministry have refrained from commenting on the specific scenarios described in the document, and in a dismissive response, Moscow has labeled the concerns highlighted in the leaked documents as complete nonsense. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 17 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.