The President's Daily Brief - June 20th, 2024: Israel's War Alert, Red Sea Terror, & Ukraine's Grim Reports

Episode Date: June 20, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We’ll look at the growing tension between Israel and Hezbollah as Israel’s foreign minister warns of “all-out war” with the Iranian-backed group after Hezbollah released what it claimed were videos of sensitive Israeli military sites and civilian areas. An update on the situation in the Red Sea, where Houthi militants continue to terrorize commercial shipping, sinking a second bulk carrier since launching their campaign last year. A disturbing report out of Ukraine, where officials accuse the Russian military of ordering the beheading of Ukrainian prisoners. In today’s Back of the Brief, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are having a grand old time in Pyongyang, exchanging gifts and taking turns joyriding in a brand-new Russian-made limousine. I’ll have all the details on that.   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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Let's get briefed. We'll start things off with the escalating situation between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel's foreign minister warned this week of, quote, all-out war with the Iranian-backed group after Hezbollah released what it claimed were videos of sensitive Israeli military sites and civilian areas. Later, we'll return to the Red Sea, where Houthi militants continued to terrorize commercial shipping, sinking a second bulk carrier since launching their campaign last year. Plus, a disturbing report out of Ukraine where officials accused the Russian military of ordering the beheading of Ukrainian prisoners.

And in today's back of the brief, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un of North Korea are having a grand old time in Pyongyang, exchanging gifts and taking turns joyriding in a brand-new Russian-made limousine. Well, that sounds like the perfect date night. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll kick things off today in the Middle East, as fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon escalates, and the region worries about a full-scale conflict. Israeli leaders warned the Lebanon-based terror outfit on Tuesday that if they continued their

attacks, they faced the imminent prospect of, quote, all-out war. The warning came after Hezbollah released nine minutes of drone footage, showing Israeli military and civilian locations inside of Israel, and not so veiled threat that Hezbollah is willing to expand their operations to target highly populated residential areas in Israel, according to a report from CNN. The video was a disturbing show of Hezbollah's aerial capabilities, and analysis revealed the drone traveled freely through Israeli airspace in broad daylight on a mission that appeared to either last several hours or was taken over multiple days. Officials with the terror group suggested more surveillance videos would soon be released, calling Tuesday's footage the, quote,

first episode. While the footage included numerous sites, it had a particular focus on the northern Israeli city of Haifa, with the video lingering on malls and high rises. The mayor of Haifa described the footage as a form of psychological terrorism and demanded that the Israeli military draw up plans to defend the city and eliminate the northern threat. It appears that leaders in Jerusalem are largely on the same page. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Tuesday they, quote, we are getting very close to the moment of deciding to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely beaten, end quote.

His statement was followed by an announcement from senior commanders in the IDF, that the military had approved operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon and increased the readiness level of their troops in the north. While the approval does not necessarily mean war is around the corner, well, it does suggest that Israel believes they have largely run out of options to contain the threat in Lebanon. As a reminder, Iranian-backed Hasbara militants began firing rockets into Israel's northern territory from across the border in Lebanon following the 7-October Hamas.

attacks, and they've been exchanging near daily cross-border fire with Israel ever since. The fighting has rapidly intensified over the past few weeks, and there's no sign that the escalation will end anytime soon. Officials from the U.S. and Western allies have been voicing their concerns in recent weeks that the fighting risked devolving into a full-scale conflict, and it appears now that those fears may come to pass. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Jov Ghan told officials in the Biden administration that while they were committed to a diplomatic solution, Hezbollah's aggression was making that increasingly difficult. Jonathan Conrhus, a national security expert and former ID of spokesman, told Fox News,

quote, What this means is another step towards a significant escalation. What it means is that Israel is signaling to the world that patience is running thin and that it needs to take action in order to bring security to Israeli civilians. and quote. Hasbullah, for their part, appears almost eager for a larger conflict. Just last week, following the death of a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli air strike, their leadership vowed to ratchet up their attacks on Israel. On Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened that if Israel moves towards an open war, their militants will mobilize attacks on Israel by land, air, and sea, adding mysteriously that the, quote, situation in the Mediterranean

will change completely, end quote. The Hezbollah leader said that no location in Israel would be safe, and even when as far as to threaten Cyprus, an island country in the Mediterranean, being used to help get aid into Gaza. So far, the fighting along Israel's northern border has resulted in at least 10 civilian deaths for Israel, while at least 337 members of Hezbollah

have been killed in the skirmishes. It's also forced more than 100,000 Israelis, to evacuate their homes in the north. All right. Coming up after the break, Houthi rebels are still at it in the Red Sea, sinking a second bulk carrier since they launched hostilities last year.

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using a drone boat laden with explosives. The initial explosion reportedly killed a crew member who hailed from the Philippines, an official said on Tuesday that it appeared the vessel had sunk, according to a report from the Associated Press. It marks the second time the Houthis have successfully sunk a cargo vessel since they began their campaign targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea in the wake of the 7 October Hamas attacks. Back in February, the group hit the cargo ship Rubimur with a barrage of missiles, causing extensive damage and forcing the crew to evacuate. It later sank. The latest incident also marked the fourth death of a sailor during Houthi attacks. Back in early March, the group hit a Liberian-owned bulk carrier with a ballistic missile,

killing three sailors and injuring four others. While the U.S. military has yet to comment on the incident, officials with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center warned other sailors in the region to be on high alert for additional attacks. A coalition of leading shipping industry groups also condemned the attack and called on the international community to take comprehensive action to stop the Houthis. Now, if recent history is anything to go by, there's a little reason to think Western efforts will slow down the attacks in the Red Sea. The U.S. and British military carried out another wave of airstrikes targeting six Hootie targets in Yemen on the 7th of June. That followed a massive aerial operation in Yemen by the U.S. and UK on the 30th of May that hit 13 Houthi-controlled

targets inside Yemen. U.S. military officials said the airstrikes took out eight unmanned aerial attack drones and several missile launchers while also neutralizing a number of militant fighters. But the strikes appear to have done little to deter the Houthi's aggression. as they've obviously continued their attacks. The U.S. also launched Operation Prosperity Guardian back in December, along with the coalition of allies, to patrol the waters of the Red Sea and to provide a degree of security to international shipping vessels.

Now, that strategy has also faced criticism for being ineffective, allowing the Houthis and their backers in Iran to continue wrecking havoc in the region. With Israeli operations ongoing in Gaza, and no ceasefire deal on the horizon, we expect the situation in the Red Sea will only continue to intensify. All right, shifting our attention to Eastern Europe. We've got some fairly grim news coming out of Ukraine. Kiev is reportedly investigating the suspected beheading of one of its servicemen captured by Russian forces in the occupied Eastern Densk region. The Ukrainian general

prosecutor's office announced the probe on Tuesday, potentially marking a new level of in the ongoing conflict. The Ukrainian Public Broadcasting Agency reports that Prosecutor General Andrei Koston accused Russian generals of ordering troops not to take Ukrainian soldiers as prisoners, but to kill them with inhumane methods, including decapitation. Kostin's allegations follow information revealed during aerial reconnaissance where a damaged armored vehicle containing what was believed to be

the severed head of a Ukrainian defender was discovered. Coston condemned these acts on Facebook, describing them as, quote, horrifying evidence of Russia's criminal policy aimed at the extermination of Ukrainians. And he added that Ukrainian security services have initiated an investigation to uncover the full details. Now, this is not the first time that there have been accusations of war crime hurled at Russia since the full-scale conflict started back in February of 2022. This latest incident adds to a long, list of purported atrocities that Keeve claims have been committed by Russian troops. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukraine has documented nearly 130,000 war crimes

committed by Russian forces. The alleged crimes range from torture to sexual assault and the deliberate targeting of civilians. Now, some of these charges have been echoed by organizations such as the International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. The UN report in October, found that Russian forces conducted indiscriminate attacks in Ukraine using explosive weapons, resulting in civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The report also confirmed that Russian authorities has engaged in widespread and systematic torture in detention facilities. As we've previously reported, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Putin, as well as the country's Commissioner for Children's Rights, on charges of

unlawfully deporting children from occupied areas of Ukraine into Russia. However, the UN report, well, it does cut both ways. It also noted that Ukrainian authorities had committed human rights violations of their own against individuals suspected of collaborating with Russian forces. All right, coming up. We'll take a look at Putin's visit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, as the pair engage in the customary exchange of gifts, which is not as easy. as it sounds, given that Poden is notoriously difficult to shop for.

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In today's back of the brief, a luxurious gift exchange, including a Russian-made limousine, a T-set, and artwork. It's not Christmas, but rather a customary exchange between Russian President Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to showcase how close their working relationship has become. As noted yesterday, it was all business when Putin first arrived in Pyongyang, the two leaders held a meeting focused on continued cooperation, particularly in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both countries, facing international sanctions, have strengthened their ties to each other, with North Korea reportedly supplying Russia with military equipment, hardware, and munitions for use on the battlefields in Ukraine. The two also signed

an agreement to support each other against external aggression and discussed plans for future meetings, with Putin inviting Kim to Moscow for their next summit. Well, that's nice. But once the business was done and the plans were made to support each other's despotic ways, well, it was party time in Pyongyang. Now Putin presented Kim with a Russian-made luxury orris limousine. According to Putin's aide, Yuri Ushikov, this follows a previous gift of an or a sedan to Kim in February. The gift, although certainly thoughtful, violates UN sanctions on the export of luxury goods.

to North Korea. Now, to be fair, I'm sure that if Putin knew he was violating a UN sanction, he never would have done it. A video broadcast by Russian State TV shows Putin taking the driver's seat of the black armored orris, his official presidential vehicle on Russia, by the way, with Kim, seated shotgun while sipping on gin and juice and listening to some sick beats. The two take the limo for a spin through a park area before coming to a halt. Kim, known to be a car, enthusiast was then shown driving Putin back. It was noted that Putin exited the vehicle wearing Kim's letterman's jacket, a sure sign that the relationship is moving into the going steady phase. The Russian leader also presented Kim with a T-set and an Admiral's Dirk, a type of ceremonial dagger.

Ushigov described the T-set as, quote, very beautiful, according to Russia's T-State news agency, and one hopes the T-set included matching doilies. Now, in return, Kim had a few surprises for Putin. Oh, this story just keeps getting more precious. The Russian president will be going home with various pieces of artwork featuring Putin's own mug, including busts of himself. Putin's aid referred to the craftsmanship of the North Korean artwork as, quote, a rather skillful.

Putin is said to particularly, like the velvet painting of himself, seated at a card table playing poker with a bunch of dogs. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bull. for Thursday, 20 June. As always, if you want to listen to the show ad-free, well, be sure to check out our premium membership at PDBPremium.com. And of course,

don't forget to check out our extended weekend version of the PDB, the PDB Situation Report. The show is chock full of news, insight, and excellent guests. It's a tantalizing news buffet without the sneeze guard, all in full-color moving pictures

with stereo sound. New episodes of the Situation report are available every Friday evening at 10 p.m. Eastern on the first TV, as well as on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief, and of course all the usual podcast platforms. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.

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