The President's Daily Brief - October 17th, 2024: Israel’s Target List, North Korea’s Failures, & China’s Taiwan Tensions

Episode Date: October 17, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Breaking reports reveal that Israel has finalized its target list for a retaliatory strike against Iran, with the country’s defense minister vowing precise and deadly action. Updates on North Korea’s alleged involvement in the war in Ukraine, including reports of Pyongyang's forces deserting the frontlines shortly after arriving. China's massive military exercises around Taiwan, where a record-breaking number of aircraft were deployed. And in today's Back of the Brief: FEMA temporarily halted aid efforts in North Carolina due to threats from an armed militia, but the situation may not be as it first appeared. 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]  Blackout Coffee: https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your morning off to a great start with the delicious taste of Blackout Coffee. Now, Blackout Coffee is a family-owned American business, and they are all about premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, use promo code PDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Thursday, 17 October. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage.

Let's get briefed. Coming up on today's show, new reporting indicates that Israel has finalized its target package for a retaliatory strike against Iran, with the nation's defense minister promising that the retaliation will be precise and deadly. Later in the show, we'll have the latest on North Korea's alleged entrance into the war in Ukraine, with reports that a number of Pyongyang's forces deserted the front lines shortly after their arrival. Plus an update on China's large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, where reports indicate a record-breaking number of aircraft were deployed. And in today's

back of the brief, FEMA briefly paused aid in North Carolina in the U.S. after its workers reportedly received threats from an armed militia. Well, as is often the case, the reality of the situation didn't actually quite match up to the breathless hyperbole of the social media build-up. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin with Israel, which is reportedly set to unleash their retaliation against Iran. Senior officials with the Israeli military reportedly finalized their plans on Wednesday and presented a list of targets to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Jove Gallant, who have promised a, quote, precise and deadly response. over Terran's ballistic missile attack earlier this month.

Sources who spoke with the Times of Israel said, quote, the targets are clear and now it's a matter of time. Israeli officials are now conducting what is described as, quote, sensitive coordination with other countries in the Middle East, the final step before giving the green light. While we still don't know exactly when Israel will choose to strike, U.S. officials told CNN Wednesday that it will come ahead of the U.S. presidential election, which is less than three weeks away, of course. Now, as far as the U.S.

is concerned, officials still reportedly remain in the dark on details. Sources said that while Israel has described its general attack plans to the U.S., they have not disclosed their final target package to the Biden administration. And frankly, that's not surprising, given that on Monday, officials at the White House leaked details about a recent conversation between Netanyahu and President Biden, claiming that Netanyahu gave assurances that Israel will not strike nuclear or oil facilities inside Iran, something that the White House has been intensely lobbying against. Instead, unnamed U.S. officials said Israel will limit their response to hitting Iranian military and intelligence targets. Now, it all may have been an attempt by the Biden administration

to try and box Israel in, though that remains unclear. After the leak, Netanyahu's office issued a vague statement saying that while they respect the White House concerns, their final target package would be based solely on Israel's national security interests. It's also worth noting that one of the Israeli sources who spoke to the Times of Israel said, quote, the targets could change at the 11th hour, end quote. Now, of course, that leaves the door open for an Israeli response that strikes at the heart of Iran's energy infrastructure, something that could significantly cripple the regime financially and further erode their public support among Iranians. Still, other sources have said Israel will likely stick to military targets

in order to avoid any appearance of political interference in the U.S. presidential election. Unnamed White House officials described Netanyahu to CNN as a political animal who is deeply attuned to American politics and wants to ensure that there is no blowback. it all sounds like wishful thinking from the White House as opposed to solid intel that they've gleaned from the Netanyahu administration. But that's just me sounding churlish. Netanyahu is also trying to thread the political needle with the U.S. in terms of continued military support. Netanyahu's softening stance on retaliation was apparently a key factor in the U.S. deciding on Sunday to send Israel an advanced air defense system known as a terminal high-altitude

area defense battery, or VAD for short, along with roughly 100 American soldiers to operate it. The system will provide Israel with a more comprehensive, multi-layered shield against potential missile and drone attacks, which they will, frankly, likely need following their response to Iran. The former head of the Israeli air defense warned earlier this week that once Israel launches their retaliation, Iran is expected to respond with an even larger aerial bombardment. He said the THAAD system will be critical in such a scenario as their Iron Dome defense systems could become overwhelmed. All right.

Coming up after the break, reports of North Korean forces deserting in Ukraine. And China deploys a record number of aircraft near Taiwan in their latest military exercises. I'll have those stories when we come back. Welcome back to the PDB. I want to turn back to the war in Ukraine, where, it appears Russia's attempt to bolster their frontline forces with North Korean troops is already suffering some setbacks. As we reported on yesterday's PDB, an anonymous Western diplomat told the Kiev Independent on Tuesday that the Hermit Kingdom has sent some 10,000 infantry

troops to Russia for training with an eye on deploying the forces to the front lines in Ukraine by the end of the year. But we are learning that some North Korean troops have all the already been deployed inside Russia's Kersk region, which is partially occupied by Ukrainian forces, with unexpected results. According to a Newsweek report, 18 North Korean troops, who were deployed just four miles from the border with Ukraine, deserted shortly after arrival. Ukrainian intelligence officials said the Russian military is now frantically searching for the missing North Korean troops. Yeah, I'll bet they are, while field commanders attempt to hide the embarrassing incident from their higher-ups in Moscow, who I'm sure listened to the PDB, and so, hey, the jig's up.

The news follows reports from earlier this month that six North Korean military officers were recently killed in a Ukrainian missile attack in the Russian-occupied Denedzegovine. Separately, Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed Wednesday that North Korean troops are now a major part of the Kremlin's wartime strategy. Oh, good. Sources told Politico that most of the North Korean battalions are still a new. undergoing training, but will soon be integrated into the Russian military and likely be ready for the front lines soon. Now, being pragmatic, imagine if you're a North Korean soldier, living under

the thumb of a progressive regime where poverty and malnutrition are the norm, and your chances for a better life are somewhere between zero and, well, let's say zero. And then, well, just when life seems not so rosy, you're put on a plane and sent to Russia as part of a bizarre gift exchange between bromance partners Kim Jong-un and Putin, and you're expected to then take part in Putin's meat grinder offensive inside Ukraine. Okay, so have I done a okay job setting the scene? My point being, but we may well see entire battalions of North Korean soldiers opting to desert in an attempt to make their way to the West, which, of course, would be a complete intelligence coup for the West, not to mention the obvious propaganda value and the embarrassment to Putin and his minions.

But for the time being, until the North Koreans abandoned ship en masse, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warned Wednesday that Ukraine is now essentially fighting against two states, saying, quote, the coalition of criminals, together with Putin, currently includes North Korea. This is the participation of the second state in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia, end quote. Well, of course, not to forget Iran and China, they're also part of Putin's small stable of comrades in arms. The deployments represent a significant escalation in North Korea's involvement with the war. Over the past two years, the Kim regime has, of course, regularly resupplied Russia with various munitions, including missiles, which was already troubling enough to Ukrainian leaders and Western.

allies. But the belligerent powers signed a landmark mutual defense pact in June, which formalized this military alliance and promised even deeper cooperation. The deal now is apparently bearing fruit for the Putin regime, which is running desperately short on manpower as the fighting grinds on across multiple fronts. Unsurprisingly, the Kremlin has denied the reports as, quote, fake news. All right, shifting to Taiwan, where a new report from the country's defense ministry reveals that China's recent war games involved more aircraft than previously spotted, marking the largest single-day show of force against the self-governing island. The surprise drill came ahead of Chinese President

Xi Jinping's rare visit to Fujun province just across the Taiwan Strait. As we've been tracking on the PDB, the war games followed a National Day speech last week by Taiwan's president Li Ching-Duh, whose pro-independence remarks were swiftly condemned by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the PLA. The PLA labeled the speech as, quote, separatist, asserting that any move toward Taiwanese independence challenges China's sovereignty. In response, China deployed 125 military aircraft around Taiwan in a surprise exercise dubbed Joint Sword 2024B, according to early Monday reports from the country's Defense Ministry. However, in a Tuesday update, the Defense Ministry revealed that the number of Chinese military aircraft was actually 153. Of those aircraft, 28 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait,

and that's a longstanding but unofficial buffer between the two sides. Other areas, affected by the military aircraft incursions, included waters off Taiwan's southeastern coast, where a major air base is located, and the southwest near the Taiwan-controlled Pratis Islands in the northern part of the South China Sea. Also involved in the exercise were 14 Chinese Navy ships, including the Launing aircraft carrier and 12 Coast Guard vessels spotted in the region. This unprecedented display of military strength effectively encircled Taiwan, signaling China's readiness to impose a blockade if necessary. Taiwan's premiere, Zhou Zheng Tai stated, quote, any drills without prior warning will cause great disturbance to peace

and stability in the entire region, end quote, well, he's not wrong. The Pentagon labeled the drills as, quote, irresponsible, disproportionate, and destabilizing, a stance echoed by Taiwan's government, which emphasized that China's aggressive actions have only bolstered global support for the island. Additionally, during Monday's tension, Taiwan's justice ministry revealed a wave of disinformation from, quote, overseas hacking armies, who could they be, spreading false reports about Taiwan's military response and disruptions to energy shipments. The ministry described these efforts as, quote, cognitive manipulation aimed at sowing confusion and weakening the self-governing

island's defense posture. Although President Xi Jinping refrained from commenting on the exercises during his Wednesday visit to Fujun, which again is the province that faces Taiwan, the timing underscored the significance of the war games. For background, Xi has kept a low profile over the past year, limiting public appearances. However, his presence is seen as a show of power following Monday's war games, reiterating his administration's priority of bringing Taiwan back under Chinese control. Meanwhile, President Li Qingda's administration has made it clear that any reunification efforts will be rejected while asserting Taiwan's independence against. against the looming threat of Chinese aggression.

Okay, coming up in the back of the brief, FEMA halted relief efforts in North Carolina after threats from an armed militia. But now, a local sheriff is disputing those claims. I'll be right back. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home

and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more. and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. In today's back of the brief, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, temporarily halted hurricane recovery efforts

in parts of North Carolina over the weekend, citing safety concerns after reports hit social media and subsequently were replayed by news outlets and politicians that an armed militia was hunting government workers. As we previously reported on the PDB, Hurricane Halene left a path, of destruction across the southeast late last month, leaving FEMA to clean up down power lines and waterlogged towns. However, in recent developments, rather than just grappling with natural

disaster recovery, FEMA has also been confronting a flood of online misinformation. According to the Washington Post, FEMA instructed federal responders in Rutherford County to, quote, stand down and evacuate immediately on Saturday. This directive came after an email from a U.S. Forest Service official reported that National Guard troops encountered trucks of, quote, armed militia claiming they were out hunting FEMA, end quote. Now you think you'd want to corroborate that immediately. The situation came to a head when 44-year-old William Jacob Parsons walked into a gas station and allegedly declared that he would, quote, go mess up some FEMA personnel, end quote. Well, he sounds stable. Parsons armed with an AR-style rifle and,

two handguns, was arrested later Saturday night by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. It was then confirmed by the Sheriff's Office that there was no indication of truckloads of armed militiamen, just Parsons, acting alone, mixed with some online conspiracy theories. Still, the perceived threat was enough to disrupt FEMA's door-to-door recovery operations in Rutherford County. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, alongside FEMA, condemned the spread of misinformation, emphasizing danger posed by false claims and undermining recovery efforts, stating, quote, we know that significant misinformation online contributes to threats against response

workers on the ground, and the safety of responders must be a priority, end quote. Now, despite the misinformation, FEMA remains committed to aiding the region. As of 14 October, the agency had distributed over $96 million in aid to over 75,000 households affected by Hurricane Helene. FEMA has also launched a dedicated page to debunk these false claims and reassure the public that their recovery work continues. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, 17 October. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at thefirsttv.com.

And to listen to the show ad-free, should you be interested in an ad-free experience, well, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by simply visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Lots of places can expose you to identity theft. Oh, no.

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