The President's Daily Brief - June 4th, 2024: Netanyahu's Crossroads, Ukraine’s Global Reach, & Biden's Border Move

Episode Date: June 4, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself at a crossroads, feeling the pressure on both the international and domestic fronts to act on the proposed peace deal announced by the Biden Administration.   We examine how the war in Ukraine has gone global, with new video revealing that Ukrainian special forces are striking Russian targets across the globe, most recently in Syria.   President Biden is apparently getting tough on the border—at least he wants us to think so—revealing an executive order that would halt asylum requests after border crossings reach a certain threshold.   In today’s Back of the Brief, the race to succeed the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has officially begun, with one of America’s old nemeses becoming the first to throw his hat into the ring. 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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I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Today, we'll start things off in Israel, where Prime Minister Netanyahu finds himself at a crossroads, feeling the pressure on both the international and domestic fronts to act on that proposed peace deal announced by the Biden administration. Now, frankly, it's still unclear if it's a deal proposed by the Israelis as Biden described it the other day, or if it's a U.S. proposal, as Democrats referred to it as the Biden peace proposal. Hmm. Later in the show, we'll examine how the war Ukraine has gone global, with new video revealing that Ukrainian special forces are striking

Russian targets in Syria. Plus, President Biden is now pitching himself as Action Jackson on the U.S. southern border, revealing an executive order that would halt asylum requests after border crossings reach a certain threshold. Seems to me that perhaps the horse has already left the barn, but I suppose that any action is better than none. Finally, in today's back of the brief. The race to succeed the late Iranian president, Ibrahim Reisi, has officially begun, with one of America's old nemesis becoming the first to throw his hat in the ring. Okay, fair enough. I don't think he wears hats. I honestly can't see this fellow in a fedora or a pork pie chapeau. But we'll play Name that nemesis later. First, today's PDB spotlight.

Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to face mounting pressure over the ceasefire agreement publicly touted by President Biden last week, and that pressure seems to be coming from all sides. Although the deal has reportedly already been agreed to in theory, Netanyahu appears to be keeping his options open. During a closed-door session of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, the Prime Minister reportedly told lawmakers that Biden left significant gaps in his announcement. He said that in the Biden proposal, there are built-in measures to ensure that all sides are upholding the deal before it progresses to the next stage, adding, quote, we reserve their right to return to war, according to media accounts. It's unlikely that those, quote, built-in measures

will be enough to satisfy Netanyahu's right-wing colleagues, two of whom are threatening to quit should the Prime Minister go ahead with any ceasefire proposal. The Finance Minister and the National Security Minister said they were opposed to striking any deal before Hamas was destroyed. Their withdrawal from the governing coalition would lead to a collapse of the current Israeli government and an end to Netanyahu's tenure as Prime Minister.

The political wrangling comes as Netanyahu faces increasing protests by Israeli citizens. According to reports, more than 120,000 protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv over the weekend, demanding a hostage deal and also calling for new elections. Dozens of police officers and protesters were injured during the demonstrations. Now, as if Netanyahu didn't already have enough pressure on him, the Israeli defense forces made a grim announcement on Monday, confirming the deaths of four more Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. IDF spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, stated that the military could not immediately

confirmed the circumstances of the deaths, but said that a full investigation would be conducted. The IDF estimated that the four were killed together in Khan Yunus several months ago, while being held by Hamas terrorists and during IDF operations in that city. And there's something else worth keeping an eye on. Early on Monday, Syrian state media reported that a number of people were killed in an Israeli air attack targeting sites in the vicinity of the Syrian city of Aleppo. That's the second reported attack on the country in less than a week. According to Iran's semi-official news agency, CNN, amongst those killed, was an Iranian Revolutionary Guards advisor. The outlet identified the officer as Saeed Abjar without giving his rank.

It's a bit reminiscent of the April 1st air strike that flattened a building in the Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, where two senior Revolutionary Guard generals were killed. that, of course, wound up kicking off a dramatic back and forth between Iran and Israel. All right, coming up after the break, Ukrainian special forces are taking their war overseas, targeting Russian mercenaries in the Middle East and Africa. Then, we'll turn to Washington, where President Biden is set to announce a new executive order that he claims would shut down the border. I'll be right back.

Welcome back. The Putin regime is suffering some setback. against Kiev's military forces, but not in Ukraine. Reports are that the Ukrainian military has set their sights on Russia's vast international military network. Anonymous officials within Ukraine's military intelligence directorate confirmed Monday that they're actively partnering with Syrian rebels to destroy Russian mercenary units in Syria. In footage leaked to the Kiev Post, which is reportedly from March,

Ukrainian special forces can be seen successfully targeting Russian checkpoints, strongholds, foot patrols, military vehicle columns, and convoys of military equipment in the Golan Heights region of Syria, according to the report from the Kiev Post. Russian forces allied with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad have long been concentrated in the Golan Heights as fighting continues between loyalists and the Syrian opposition. Thousands of Russian troops and mercenaries are now essentially permanently deployed in the country, which they initially entered back in 2015 to support. Assad's embattled regime. Since the war began in Ukraine, the Putin regime has been relocating

troops and equipment from Syria to Ukraine to bolster their ranks. They have also leveraged to their presence in the region to recruit Syrian mercenaries to send to Ukraine. Russia has reportedly set up multiple recruitment centers inside Syria, where the mercenaries are issued Russian passports and then integrated into the Russian military. Sources inside Ukraine's military intelligence directorate told the Keev Post that since the beginning of the year, their forces, alongside Syrian rebels, have successfully destroyed numerous Russian military facilities in the country, significantly disrupting their activities. They've kept up a constant barrage of attacks using rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosives and mortars, making it difficult for the Russian

military and mercenaries to regroup. As a reminder, a Washington Post report from last year revealed Ukrainian President Zelensky had previously explored covert operations in Syria less than a year into the war, but ultimately halted the plans over concerns about escalation in the Middle East. Officials with Ukrainian Special Forces also revealed Monday, they are continuing their campaign against pro-Kremlin Wagner group mercenaries in Sudan. As you may recall, Ukrainian officials all but confirmed last September that they were behind a series of drone strikes and ground attacks against Wagner-backed militias near Sudan's capital. The group, which played a key role in Putin's initial invasion of Ukraine, has long been working to expand Russia's foothold in Africa. In other videos released to the Kiev

Post, Ukrainian special forces can be seen interrogating captured Russian mercenaries from Sudan who admit to being part of a Kremlin-backed effort to overthrow the local government. The overseas campaign marks a major expansion of Kiev's theater of war against Moscow and appears designed to impose significant costs on Russia's military network as Putin attempts to advance in Ukraine's northeast. Okay, shifting gears, the Biden administration is poised to unveil an executive order that would temporarily close all border crossings if immigration continues to surge. Officials with the White House said President Biden would make the announcement at an event with border city mayors on Tuesday. Now, one could make the argument that the announcement is an

election-year consideration meant to bolster his credentials regarding the ongoing immigration crisis. One could make that argument. According to officials briefed on the plan, the executive order will allow Biden to close the U.S.-Mexico border entirely if daily crossings exceed 2,500 people per day, and that's according to our report from the Associated Press. If true, the plan is even more aggressive than previously thought. Early reports indicated the daily cap on crossings would be put at 4,000. We should note, however, that the reports have not been officially confirmed. And a few sources said the cap could be as low as 1,500 crossings per day. They're all over the map here. But here's a thought. How about zero? Close the border until you get the immigration policy sorted out. Enforce a

secure border. I know. It's a radical concept. One that only every other country on the employees. Whatever the final number, it will mark the first comprehensive executive action that President Biden has taken to address the border crisis since taking office. With the election fast approaching, Biden has faced pressure from his Democrat allies to take meaningful action as they point to polling in swing states showing Republicans outperforming Democrats on the border issue. Still, the plant cracked down may leave many Americans wondering why this action wasn't taking And earlier, you think? The executive action contradicts claims that President Biden made back in January when he said, quote, I've done all I can do to secure the border. While urging Congress to take up

legislation, Republican leaders had countered that sweeping legislation was unnecessary, as Biden always had the power to unilaterally crack down on border crossings using executive authority, despite his claims to the contrary. Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, lambasted the proposed action on Sunday as, quote, too little too late, accusing President Biden of shameless political pandering ahead of the November elections. Well, Johnson said, quote,

he's trying to desperately show the American people that he wants to address the issue that, well, he himself created. They did it intentionally. It's had catastrophic effects upon our country that will be living with for decades to come. The only reason he's doing that is because the polls say that it's the biggest issue in America. end quote. Well, congratulations, Speaker Johnson. You're the winner of today's PDB statement of the obvious award.

As of May, Border Patrol is averaging roughly 3,800 apprehensions per day, meaning that the executive order would have an immediate impact on crossings and migrants' ability to seek asylum. We should also note that the number of daily apprehensions is relatively fluid and was as high as 8,000 apprehensions per day, as recently as December. As we've previously discussed on the PDB, much of the current decline in daily crossings can be linked to increased enforcement action by Mexico's government. The situation remains delicate, however, and U.S. officials fear crossings could once again spike if Mexico can't sustain its efforts. As a reminder, this year is still on track to break records in terms of illegal border crossings, with more than two million expected to be logged by years.

year's end. All right, coming up in today's back of the brief, Iran is set to hold an election next month to choose a successor for the late President Ibrahim Reisi. And surprise, the first person to announce his candidacy is a longtime adversary of the United States. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, the race to succeed the late Iranian President Abraham Reisi is underway, and the first candidate to make it official is an old familiar name, that irascible hardliner himself, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. For those of you who were around during the Bush and Obama administrations, you should remember Ahmadinejad for being a constant thorn in Washington's side during his first presidency between 2005 and 2013. During his term, he faced significant international scrutiny and an

avalanche of sanctions from the West as a result of Iran's nuclear program. and his aggressive rhetoric. But Ahmadinejad was arguably most notable for presiding over Iran during a particularly difficult time for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. Throughout his time in office, Iraqi insurgent groups supported heavily by Iran's Quds Force made extensive use of IEDs.

The explosives wrecked havoc throughout the country with one 2012 report indicating that around 33,000 American troops were killed or injured. injured by IEDs. It's not hyperbole to say that the blood of 30,000 plus American soldiers is on Ahmadinejad's hands. In a completely pathetic and hollow statement, following his registration for the upcoming election, the former Iranian president pledged, quote, constructive engagement with the world. Yeah, okay. But internal disputes and politics inside Iran may well keep this tool from replacing the deceased butcher of Tehran. Ahmadinejad's decision to re-enter the

the political fray is frankly unwelcome news, not just for those in the West, but apparently for the Iranian regime as well. As it turns out, he's not particularly popular among the ruling elite, and his candidacy is seen as a direct challenge to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, with whom he's butted heads before. During a previous unsuccessful candidacy in 2021, Ahmedinjad's then-presidential bid was labeled as, quote, harmful for the country by Hamini. Ultimately, the 12-member Guardian Council, overseen by the Supreme Leader, barred Ahmadinejad from running. He's not the only candidate now to announce in recent days. No worthy contenders, like former Parliament Speaker Ali Larajani and former Iranian Central Bank Chief, Abdul Nasir Hamati, are also vying for the spot.

As the presidential race unfolds, the outcome will undoubtedly have significant implications for Iran domestically, although, as we've previously reported, it's unlikely to have a major impact on the regime's foreign policies. As we've discussed, all the major decisions, while they rest with the Supreme Leader, Chamini. The election is set for June 28, and I'm sure we'll be talking about it further here on the PDB. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, June. If you fancy an ad-free PDB experience, you can become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

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