The President's Daily Brief - October 26th, 2023: Gaza Invasion Postponed, Iran’s Fingerprints, Newsom's Beijing Surprise

Episode Date: October 26, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We discuss Israel's decision to postpone its anticipated Gaza invasion at the U.S.'s request, and the measures the U.S. is taking to bolster its regional air defenses. We reveal the Pentagon's disclosure on the injuries sustained from the recent drone strikes targeting U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. Fresh intelligence points to Hamas fighters receiving training in Iran ahead of their October attack on Israel. As tension rises, we uncover the intensified smuggling operations by Iran and its allies, aiming to arm Palestinian territories through methods like drones and covert flights. In our Back of the Brief segment, the race for Speaker of the House concludes, and California Governor Gavin Newsom makes a surprise visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 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's stage. Let's get briefed. We start by discussing Israel's decision to postpone its anticipated Gaza ground operation, reportedly at the request of the U.S. government, as the U.S. moves rapidly to strengthen its regional air defenses. Additionally, the Pentagon has now disclosed the severity of injuries suffered by U.S. military

personnel as a result of recent drone strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. regular listeners will know that Iranian proxies have been carrying out these drone and missile strikes for the past couple of weeks. Later in the program, we'll examine new intelligence that suggests Hamas fighters trained in Iran before launching their 7 October assault on Israel. And meanwhile, as the Hamas terrorists sprays for an IDF incursion into Gaza, Iran and its allies escalate their efforts, smuggling arms into the West Bank through various methods, including drones, land routes, and covert flights. And finally, we've got two stories in our back of the brief segment. The race for Speaker of the House reaches its conclusion, and California Governor Gavin Newsom makes an unexpected Beijing

vision to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Politics being what they are, you can guarantee that Newsom ran this trip past the White House to ensure he had the presidents and likely the DNC's blessing for such a high-profile foreign excursion. It's almost like the party wants a backup plan in the event that President Biden opts out, I mean, a plan that wouldn't include elevating the VP to the top of the ticket. But first, our PDB spotlight. The world has been waiting for Israel's anticipated ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, and it looks like the weight will continue. Israel has responded to a U.S. request that the IDF delay its planned ground operation. U.S. officials and experts familiar with Israeli plans confirm this.

Now, there are several reasons for this delay. One would be diplomatic efforts, mostly involving the Qatari government that aim to free more hostages held by Hamas. while at the same time the UN, Israel, various NGOs in the U.S. work with regional partners to attempt to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Gaza residents. However, the main reason for the postponement is the Pentagon's deployment of nearly a dozen air defense systems across the Middle East. These systems will go to Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to protect U.S. troops from potential missile threats. And where, you ask, would those

threats be emanating from? Well, if you said Iran in their various proxies, congratulations. U.S. officials have persuaded the Israelis to postpone the invasion until these air defenses are in place, and that could be, possibly, by the end of this week. So why the sudden need for enhanced air defenses? Again, all you regular listeners of the PDB know about the recent surge and drone and missile attacks targeting U.S. troops in the Middle East. Over the past week, there have been more than a dozen such attacks in Iraq, Syria, and above the Red Sea. Until now, defense officials have remained tight-lipped about these strikes. However, new details reveal these attacks were graver than initially reported. In just the past week, over 30 U.S. troops.

sustained injuries, about two dozen in Syria and ten in Iraq, and an American civilian contractor passed away from a cardiac incident during an emergency shelter directive. That the various attacks have been carried out by Iranian proxies, with Iran's blessing, has now been confirmed by the Pentagon. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Reiter stated, quote, were witnessing the potential for a more aggressive stance against U.S. forces and personnel in the imminent future. This threat, he said, isn't just from Iranian proxies, but directly from Iran itself. As tensions escalate in the region, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has warned that the U.S. will respond, quote, swiftly and decisively to any assaults on American forces, whether from Iran

or its proxies. And President Biden, during a joint press conference yesterday with the Australian Prime Minister, stated that he has, quote, warned Iran's Ayatollah. His exact words were, quote, My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared, end quote. Okay. Well, here's my question. How many attacks against U.S. troops by Iran would constitute a sufficient number of attacks to warrant an actual response from the U.S. government?

I mean, by most accounts, there have already been 14 drone and missile systems. strikes on U.S. facilities and personnel since the 7 October Hamas rampage, and that has resulted, according to the Pentagon, in 30 U.S. casualties. And we're not even discussing here the 30-plus U.S. citizens slaughtered by the Iranian-sponsored Hamas that kicked off this latest conflict. Apparently, 14 attacks and 30 casualties doesn't warrant a response. President Biden basically said, keep it up, bub, and at some point, we'll receive. respond. Not a joke. Obviously, everyone is concerned about a widening conflict, and really, by widening, we mean a direct confrontation with Iran. But Iran is the responsible party here.

They are the ones, through their actions and those of their proxies, seeking the destruction of Israel and the continued destabilization of the region. And last time we checked, they were still busy attempting to become a member of the Nuclear Weapons Club. Now, reasonable people can all agree that escalating the conflict is bad. But reasonable people can also, perhaps, agree that Iran is not going to change their behavior. They will continue to seek the destruction of Israel, and at some point, they will announce that they have successfully developed their nuclear weapons capability. At that point, the same reasonable people can agree that the situation. The situation will be infinitely worse. With international pressure building on Israel to back off the planned

ground incursion designed to destroy or at least significantly degrade Hamas for years to come, the White House, the UN, and all the ceasefire proponents are simply just kicking the can down the road. Look, you can talk about a two-state solution. It's been discussed many times before. You can certainly empathize with the office. apply to the Gaza residents. But if you think any solution can be reached that would bring stability to this conflict for the long term, while Iran continues to pull the strings and Hamas continues in its present form, well, that's putting hope and feelings ahead of reality. And when it comes to the Middle East conflict, reality is always going to trump your hopes and feels. Coming up next,

We're going deeper on Iran. New details have emerged about Hamas fighters receiving intensive combat training in Iran before their brutal October attack on Israel. Plus, we uncover the intricate smuggling operations by Iran and its allies to arm Palestinian territories. But before we go to break, I just wanted to say thank you to all the PDB listeners. Those of you who have been with the podcast since the beginning and those of you new to the brief. It is extremely gratifying to see the tremendous response of the programs receiving. Look, the world is a complex and rather messy place. I think we can all agree on that.

We're just trying to sift through everything and bring you the key issues, developments, and concerns, and deliver that information to you as quickly and efficiently as possible. As someone who's worked in operations, intelligence, and security, all my adult life, I'm honored to play a role in bringing you the PDB, and I appreciate you taking the time to tune in. I'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents,

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It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full-price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Seeful terms at mintmobile.com. Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. Today, there's an increasing body of evidence pointing directly to Iran's involvement

in the October 7th Hamas attacks on southern Israel, resulting in the brutal and tragic loss of 1,400 lives. According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, U.S. intelligence reports indicate that in the weeks preceding the devastating Hamas attacks, hundreds of fighters from the Palestinian Islamist militant group underwent specialized combat training in Iran. Now, this doesn't appear to be some clandestine operation. It was also attended by a number of high-ranking Palestinian officials. And, well, here's a surprise, also the commander and officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Kuds Force.

To give some perspective, about 500 militants hailing not just from Hamas, but also Palestinian Islamic Jihad, actively participated in these training exercises in September in Iran, all under the guidance of the officers from the Quds Force. For those unfamiliar, the Quds Force is an elite faction within Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Their scope of work spans intelligence, specialized operations, and at times they even direct military campaigns, across the Middle East. The Quds Force, along with its parent entity, the IRGC, holds a designation of a terrorist organization by a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. Now, while there have been prior rumblings of Iran's support in the Israel-Humas conflict, many of those rumblings emanating from right here at the PDB, with Hamas officials openly praising Iran's backing post-the-attacks,

this new revelation, this new intelligence, if substantiated, showcases the most direct evidence of Iran's hand in the brutality witnessed on October 7. Now, Iran's support for Hamas goes beyond training. There's, of course, the financing, there's resources, technical support, and as evidence shows, the continued arming of Hamas with a variety of weapons and ammunition. Gaza itself poses a considerable challenge for,

weapon smuggling due to its very, very small border with Egypt. It's only about an eight-mile border, and that's under strict surveillance. So Iran has had to find alternative routes. So before the events of October 7, Iran and its allies ramped up their efforts to push weapons into another part of the Palestinian territories, the West Bank. Interestingly, the majority of Iranian arms destined for Palestinians end up in the West Bank. This area is shares a near 100-mile border with Jordan, a boundary that's notably easier to breach. Now, our friends at the Wall Street Journal have done some very good reporting on this topic. Tehran, with the help of local terror outfits and militias, has carved out a land passage across

Iraq and Syria, leading straight into the West Bank through Jordan. The cash of weapons smuggled through Jordan is extensive. Over the years, Jordanian officials have found everything from just handguns, pistols, assault rifles, to Iranian versions of U.S. crafted Claymore mines, TNT, and other explosives. Understandably, Jordan's government is less than pleased. The notion of Iran supplying West Bank insurgents through Jordanian territory threatens to damage its diplomatic ties with Israel. Yet these land routes are just one method used by Iran to put weapons in the hands of their terrorist proxies. Recently, the Iranians have turned to drones as a covert transportation method.

Jordanian authorities assert that these commercial drones, which can be easily bought online, have the capacity to transport small arms, including assault rifles and grenades, and their small profile makes them virtually undetectable. And finally, aircraft, well, they play a role as well. As an example, after a severe earthquake hit Turkey in Syria in February of this year, Iranian officials reportedly used one of its airlines to ferry substantial weapon halls to Syria, all while masquerading as aid missions. You might want to remember that example for the next time you're told that billions of dollars

in unfrozen Iranian assets are earmarked for humanitarian aid only. I mean, one man's medicine is another man's ammunition. Coming up in the back of the brief, The race for Speaker of the House comes to a less than dramatic conclusion, and California Governor Gavin Newsom steps onto the world stage with a surprise trip to Beijing. I'll be right back. Welcome back. The race to decide who would wear the crown as the new Speaker of the House is wrapped up.

I don't actually know if they get a crown or not. Actually, maybe a fez. That would look sharp. On Wednesday, Republicans, with a solid vote of 220 to 209, elected Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson to take up the gavel. Now, if the name Mike Johnson has you scratching your head thinking, I'm sorry, who? Trust me, you're in good company. I had the exact same question. So I did what any resourceful former CIA ops guy would do.

I googled him. What I discovered is that Johnson is a constitutional scholar and a solidly, conservative member of Congress. However, his political resume is relatively short. He was first elected to the House in 2017, hardly what you would call a veteran, and before that, he only had a brief two-year stint in the Louisiana State Senate. Since arriving on the scene in D.C. though, he's risen through the ranks. He now sits on the Judiciary Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and the newly established Select Committee on the weaponization of the federal government. Interestingly, it appears that his relatively low profile might have worked in his favor.

It seems that the Republican caucus was eager to sidestep both the controversial hard-right bomb throwers and the longstanding establishment names tied to the McCarthy group. And while there's no doubt, based on his voting record, that Johnson is a confirmed conservative, he apparently was more palatable to the centrist Republican members than the likes of, say, Jim Jordan. Now, the liberal media, they've taken no time at all in circulating coordinated talking points, the key one being to refer to Johnson as an election denier. Now, it is true that Johnson crafted legal arguments in the aftermath of the election that used creative thinking to find a loophole for former President Trump to stay in the game.

And Representative Matt Gates, who spearheaded, and Representative Matt Gates who spearheaded the removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which then led to the 22 days of GOP chaos, has referred to the new speaker as Maga Mike Johnson. That, I suspect, is a title that the Democrats will no doubt toss around very happily. Now, bottom line, if the Republicans have any interest in winning in 2024, they now have to put this disarray behind them, and they have to prove to the voters that they can actually legislate and accomplish meaningful tasks for the American people. And finally, I feel like I'd be remiss not to touch on California Governor Gavin Newsom's trip overseas. On Wednesday, the Democratic governor had an unexpected face-to-face meeting with China's top

leader Xi Jinping. Their conversation was centered on two main topics, climate issues and the export of fentanyl. While on his week-long China journey, Governor Newsom is advocating, for stronger climate collaboration. The idea that Xi's regime, though, will actually do anything meaningful regarding climate collaboration is laughable. They're too busy building new coal plants and digging up critical minerals around the globe.

But the conversation plays well in the newspapers for Newsom and with a Democratic base. Reflecting on their fentanyl discussion, Newsom labeled it as, quote, remarkably positive. Well, here at the PDB, we're going to use our formidable research department to benchmark the current China-related fentanyl activity, and then we'll track those metrics over the course of the year to see just how much change comes from Newsom's remarkably positive discussion. It's worth noting that this is the governor's second trip overseas in his many weeks.

Just last week, he was in Israel, engaging with its leadership. Now, this may be obvious. I am quite skilled with statements of the obvious, but Newsom's high-profile global excursions aren't happening just because Governor Gavin is keen to make the world a better place. While the DNC would never admit it, and the White House is adamant that it's all about Biden and Harris for 2024, the search is on for a legitimate backup plan, and a key box to tick when throwing your hat in the ring is foreign policy. So expect Newsom to make hay out of his overseas schmoozing just to demonstrate that he's got the international chops. And that, my friends,

is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, 26 October. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.