The President's Daily Brief - June 27th, 2024: US Warns Hezbollah, Zelenskyy's Frontline Visit, & Kim’s Missile Failure

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We have the latest on the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. As Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with American counterparts, the US has issued a stern warning to the terror group: Don’t assume that Washington can stop Israel from attacking you. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops on the front lines this week, announcing a shakeup in his military’s leadership due to the poor performance of one of his key commanders. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is making headlines again, as a suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded mid-flight on Wednesday, according to South Korea’s military. And in today’s Back of the Brief, Evan Gershkovich, Wall Street Journal journalist and the first American arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, began his trial this week. We’ll have 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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We'll start today with the latest on the situation between the United States. between Israel and Hezbollah. As Israeli defense minister, Jov Gawlint, meets with American counterparts, the U.S. has issued a stern warning and rather unusual warning to the Iranian-backed Khazbollah, in essence, saying, don't assume that Washington can stop Israel from attacking you. Later, President Zelensky visited Ukrainian troops on the front lines this week, announcing a shake-up in his military's leadership due to the poor performance of one of his key commanders. Plus, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is making headlines again, and frankly nobody enjoys making headlines more than Kim Jong-un, as a suspected hypersonic missile launched by North

Korea exploded in mid-flight on Wednesday. That's according to South Korea's military. And it's days back of the brief. Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal, journalist and first American arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, began his trial this week. We'll have the details on that. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll kick things off today with the latest on the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S. issues an unusual but ominous warning to the Iranian-backed militants. As we've regularly discussed on the PDB, fighting along Israel's northern border with Hezbollah

and Lebanon has intensified in recent weeks, and Israel indicated just last week that if Hezbollah continues their attacks, they're prepared to escalate into an all-out war. Well, thanks to our friends at Politico, we're now learning that senior U.S. officials have since sent a warning to Hezbollah through intermediaries with a clear but unusual message. Don't assume that the U.S. can hold Israel back from mounting an invasion of Lebanon. The message was passed along indirectly, as Hezbollah's status as a designated terrorist organization prevents one-on-one diplomacy. Officials in the Biden administration, are apparently hoping that the message will encourage the Iranian-backed militants to back off, but frankly, there's little evidence that Hezbollah's leaders are open to de-escalation.

Despite Israel's stated support for a diplomatic solution, Hezbollah has vowed in recent weeks to continue their attacks on Israel until there's a ceasefire in Gaza. This possible last-ditch hail-Mary of a message comes as many U.S. officials appear resigned to the fact of a wider conflict in the North is now inevitable. That's according to the report from Politico. In an address on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the intense phase of the war against Hamas was beginning to wrap up and that the military was preparing to shift their primary focus to Lebanon. With a potential wider conflict looming, however, there have been questions about what kind of role the U.S. will continue to play regarding military support for Israel.

Following Netanyahu's speech, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that the U.S. would have a much harder time defending Israel in a full-blown conflict with Hezbollah due to the short range between Lebanon and Israel, adding that he fears Hezbollah could overwhelm Israel's Iron Dome air defense system. On Tuesday, Israeli defense minister Yov Golan was in Washington to meet with leaders at the Pentagon, where he urged the U.S. to continue helping Israel repel the forces of Iran and their terrorist proxies. Gallant said, quote, today we are at a crossroads that will impact the entire Middle East. I'm here to discuss the ways to achieve our common goals, ensuring the security of the state of Israel, and projecting the powerful ties between our countries.

Gallant added that Iran remains the, quote, greatest threat to the future of the world, and time is running out. We should note that while the U.S. has not made any official statements, CNN reported last week that senior U.S. officials have already told Israeli leaders that the U.S. is ready to back Israel and offer security assistance in the event of a full-scale war with Hezbollah. Now, the threat of a wider war aside, Gallant's trip also revealed another potential rift at the highest levels of leadership within Israel. Gallant appeared to take a swipe at Netanyahu during his visit over the Prime Minister's public

accusation last week that the U.S. was actively withholding military aid. As we discussed last week, the allegations sparked both confusion and anger inside the White House and led to the U.S. canceling a planned meeting between senior Israeli and U.S. officials this week on Iran's nuclear program. Remarking on the public dispute, and Gawlant said, quote, In every family, and we consider the American people our family, disagreements may arise, yet, like all families, we discuss our disagreements in house and remain united, end quote. Netanyahu's allies took it as a thinly veiled critique of the prime minister's choice to air his grievances publicly. Media outlets in Israel cited an unnamed source close to the prime minister as saying,

quote, when the disagreements aren't resolved for many weeks in private rooms, the prime minister of Israel needs to speak openly to bring what the fighters need, end quote. Now, as a reminder, the Biden administration has reiterated that only one shipment of 2,000 pound bombs was currently frozen and under review due to concerns around civilian casualties, and that all other weapon shipments were moving as planned. All right, coming up after the break, President Zelensky visits Ukrainian troops and announces a leadership shakeup due to poor performance on the front lines. And North Korean leader Kim Jong-un once again rattles a Far East with a failed hypersonic missile test. I'll have those stories when we come back.

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Welcome back. Shifting gears to the war in Eastern Europe, Ukrainian President Zelensky revealed during a speech on Tuesday that he recently fired a top Ukrainian commander amid mounting internal discord within the military. Zelensky said that on Monday, he replaced the commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Yuri Sotel, who had been over seeing the strategic planning of military operations for Keev. While Zeletsky did not elaborate during his speech as to why he gave Soledl the boot, anger has reportedly been building inside the military against the commander for some time, that's according to NBC News, that anger spilled into public view over the weekend as the chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov Brigade Bogdan Klovich published an open

letter, alleging Sotel had failed at his job and was responsible for serious military setbacks and massive troop losses. In the statement, Kortovich said that Sotel has, quote, killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general, end quote. Okay, so not exactly sugarcoding it. While he does not directly name Sotel in the letter, he says, quote, all the military personnel now understand who I'm talking about because 99% of the military hate him for what he does, end quote. The Azov brigade leader said he had directly contacted Ukraine's State Bureau of investigation and provided evidence to back up his claims that Sotl is responsible for war crimes for getting scores of Ukrainian soldiers killed. A media outlet in Ukraine subsequently confirmed that

a criminal complaint has been filed against Sotel and that Krodovic is willing to testify against him. Krodovich added that he does not care if officials in Kiv open a retaliatory investigation against him. He said, quote, what I do care about is that combat battalion and brigade commanders are put on trial for losing an observation post, but a general is not put on trial for losing regions, dozens of cities, and thousands of soldiers. Sotl is being replaced by Brigadier General Andri Natov, who the Azov leader called a, quote, very worthy officer. Amid the reshuffling, Zelenskyy made a trip on Wednesday to Ukraine's front lines alongside Brigadier General Mattov, visiting troops serving in the Eastern Denezk region, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The region has been pounded by persistent Russian aerial and ground assaults, as Moscow's forces try to gain ground against outgunned and exhausted Ukrainian troops. Putin still reportedly feels that he has the upper hand on Ukraine, as much of the recently approved Western military aid has still not made it to the front lines. While touring the area, Zelensky hinted at the discord within the military. He emphasized the need for senior officials in Kiev to personally visit front line areas to maintain their perspective regarding the war. Zelensky said, quote, I was surprised to learn that some relevant officials have not been here for six months or more. There will be a serious conversation, he said, and I will draw appropriate conclusions regarding them,

end quote. Okay, moving on to the Korean Peninsula, where Kim Jong-un is once again spooking his neighbors, this time with a hypersonic missile launch on Wednesday. This new launch comes in a time of heightened tensions and as North Korea, Korea protests the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier for joint military drills with South Korea and Japan. Now, this most recent missile launch met an unexpected end with a mid-air explosion off the country's east coast. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missile traveled roughly 155 miles before the failure, attributing it to potential combustion issues, evidenced by

an abnormal amount of smoke observed during the launch. Now, I'm no rocket scientist, but yeah, That sounds about right. North Korea's missile launch has drawn strong condemnation from senior diplomats of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, who denounced it as a violation of UN resolutions. Well, that should do it. This test, North Korea's first since 30 May, when Kim Jong-un oversaw the firing of nuclear-capable multiple rocket launchers, raises concerns about the regime's continued pursuit of an advanced weapons program. North Korea's weapons test and ongoing psychological warfare, including its launch of thousands of balloons into South Korea filled with trash and poop, have escalated tensions in recent weeks and prompted South Korea to initiate live fire exercises along the contentious Western

Sea boundary, signaling a departure from the 2018 military agreement. Additionally, South Korea and the U.S. conducted joint drills involving around 30 aircraft, including F-22 rapid, as the USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived in the region to participate in the trilateral South Korea-U.S.-Japan drill dubbed Freedom Edge. North Korea's pursuit of hypersonic missile technology has been a growing concern, of course, since 2021, with the regime actively testing these advanced weapons that can evade existing defense systems. The recent failed launch of a solid-fueled hypersonic missile, a type particularly difficult to detect compared to liquid-fueled variants, further underscores this escalating threat. The situation is likely to only get more concerning

as the relationship between Russia and North Korea expands, with North Korea providing Putin with munitions and missiles, and Putin, worryingly, providing weapons technology support to North Korea. All right, coming up next, the espionage trial of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gerskovich began today in the courtroom in Russia. We'll have the details on that in today's back of the brief. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, Evan Gerskovich, the first American journalist to face espionized charges in Russia since the Cold War began his trial on Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal reporter appeared in a Russian courtroom's class cage with his head recently shaved. Gershkovich was arrested back in March of 2023, while reporting in Russia and has been

accused without evidence of spying for the CIA, charges that Gershkovich, the U.S. government, and the Wall Street Journal have all strongly and consistently denied. The espionage trial of Gershkovich commenced under a veil of secrecy. The courtroom briefly opened to the press to snap some photos before being swiftly closed for the remainder of the proceedings. Despite facing the gravity of a potential 20-year sentence, Gerskiewicz maintained a composed demeanor, even offering smiles to the cameras at times. The next hearing is scheduled for August 13th, with the trial expected to drag on for months. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says the U.S. certainly doesn't expect Gershkovich to have,

quote, a free and fair trial given that these are charges that never should have been brought in the first place. And, of course, he didn't say it, but also given that it's taking place in Russia. President Biden has pledged that his administration would make every effort to secure his release, but so far nothing has come of that promise. Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker criticized Russia and President Putin for using Gers, Gershkovich, as well as imprisoned U.S. citizen Paul Weillan, as bargaining chips in a geopolitical game, saying it's jarring to see another American in, quote, yet another courtroom for a sham trial held in secret and based on fabricated accusations, end quote.

Gershkovich's case echoes a familiar pattern of Americans unjustly detained in Russia. Paul Weillan, a former U.S. Marine, was sentenced to 16 years in June 2020 on dubious espionage charges. The U.S. government has consistently maintained his innocence and declared him wrongfully detained. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, 27 June. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And as you may have heard on the street, to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. And of course, don't forget, as if you could, every one, weekend, it's the extended version of the PDB. We call it the PDB Situation Report. It's chock full of

excellent guests, news, analysis, and it's all filmed in exciting full-color Panavision with the majesty of stereophonic sound. Doesn't that sound exciting? It does. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.