The President's Daily Brief - October 7th, 2024: Terror Rampage Anniversary, Iranian Assassinations, & UK’s Island Controversy

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Today marks the one-year anniversary of Hamas's deadly terror rampage across southern Israel. We revisit that fateful day and examine how the situation has evolved over the past year. Later in the program, we dive into a new Reuters investigation exposing Tehran's campaign of targeted hits and kidnappings in the West—33 assassination or abduction attempts linked to Iran since 2020, targeting Israeli and Western figures in Europe and the U.S. Then, we turn our attention to the Indian Ocean, where the United Kingdom's decision to cede sovereignty over a small cluster of islands could have significant geopolitical implications. And in today’s Back of the Brief, yet another major hurricane is closing in on Florida as communities across the Southeast continue grappling with the devastation left by Hurricane Helene. 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]  Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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southern Israel. In today's spotlight, we'll take a look back at that fateful day and examine where things stand a year later. Later in the program, we'll look at a new Reuters investigation, exposing Tehran's campaign of targeted hits and kidnappings in the West. 33 assassination or abduction attempts linked to Iran since 2020, targeting Israeli and Western figures in Europe and the U.S. Then we'll turn our attention to the Indian Ocean, well, you don't hear that said very often,

where the United Kingdom's decision to cede sovereignty to a small cluster of islands could have major implications. And in today's back of the brief, yet another hurricane is closing in on Florida, as communities across the southeast are still grappling with the devastation left by Hurricane Halene. We'll look at the storm and where it appears to be heading. But first, today's PDB spotlight. It's a bit hard to believe, but exactly one year ago today, Palestinian militants, primarily from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, launched an unprecedented, brutal, medieval attack on southern Israel. The assault began just before daybreak on Saturday during the Jewish Sabbath, when terrorists inside Gaza fired

a barrage of rockets into southern Israel. Now, the rockets served as cover for a ground assault dubbed by the terrorists Operation Al-Aqsa flood. Militants launched drone strikes on border surveillance stations, followed by using heavy explosives and vehicles to create dozens of breaches in the security fence. Approximately 1,200 terrorists. then poured out of Gaza, not only on foot, but also in trucks, motorcycles, even hang gliders. They were armed with automatic weapons, grenades, and anti-tank launchers. The gunmen reached dozens of locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and kibbutzs, some up to 15 miles from the Gaza border. Wherever they went, they indiscriminately killed civilians,

men, women, children, the elderly. The level of barbarity was, at the time, unimilarity. Some of the violence was even captured by the terrorists using GoPro-style cameras, with many streaming their acts live on social media. Perhaps most infamously, the terrorists targeted the Supernova Music Festival, taking place in a field several miles from the border. According to Israeli reports, 270 people were killed at the scene. Caught off guard by the attack, Israel's military scrambled to respond, taking precious hours to organize.

Gun battles continued long into nightfall, with militants holding hostages and standoffs in two towns. In a third town, militants occupied a police station, which Israeli forces struggled to reclaim until Sunday morning. When the bloodshed had ended, over 1,200 men, women, and children were dead. Another 251 were abducted by Hamas and other Palestinian terror and criminal groups, with around 100 still now being held in Gaza, although, only about 65 are believed to be still alive. In retaliation, the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Gaza the following day, with Prime Minister Netanyahu declaring, quote, Israel is at war with Hamas. Now, it's clear that the 7 October attacks have also been catastrophic, of course,

for the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, not that Hamas is concerned with civilian casualties. Hamas leadership has referred to dead Palestinians as essentially a necessary result, of Hamas's actions and objectives. The current death toll among Palestinians, as reported by the Hamas-controlled health ministry, stands in over 41,000 with over 96,000 injured. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, that's the agency responsible for coordinating humanitarian relief, estimates that approximately 1.9 million people, that would be about 90% of Gaza's population, have been displaced at least once. over the past year of war. The conflict has severely damaged Gaza's infrastructure, with about

60% of residential buildings affected, and around 80% of commercial properties impacted. Only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain operational. In the days following the October 7th attacks, more terrorist groups, oddly associated with Iran, joined the fray. On October 8th, Chesbalah and Lebanon began firing rockets and artillery shells into northern Israel, and those attacks, of course, continue. By October 17th, Iraqi and Syrian militias started striking U.S. interests in the region, ultimately costing three American lives at a U.S. outpost in Jordan. On October 19th, Houthis in Yemen launched cruise missiles and drones toward Israel, later turning their focus to civilian shipping in the Red Sea, seriously disrupting,

as they still do to this day, international trade. And what do all these groups have in common? Well, you ask yourself, they're all. all funded, trained, and resourced by the Iranian regime and its Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. Oh, and speaking of Iran, coming up after the break, we'll look at a Reuters report on 33 Iranian-linked assassination attempts in the West, and later, the UK's decision to cede sovereignty over key Indian Ocean Islands. I'll have those stories when we come back.

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with brazen assassination attempts and kidnappings. A Reuters investigation has uncovered at least 33 covert plots all linked to the Islamic Republic since 2020 as Iran takes its shadow war beyond the Middle East. Iran is accused of orchestrating these plots using proxies, of course, and hired hitmen to mask its involvement. One incident involved a foiled plan to attack a Jewish center in Athens back in last year of 2023. Greek authorities, with assistance from Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, dismantled the plot, arresting two Pakistani nationals who had allegedly

been recruited by an individual named Syed Fakhur Abbas. He's a Pakistani operative based in Iran. Greek investigators revealed that Abbas offered his recruits up to 15, thousand euros for each kill, instructing them to bomb or set fire to the building. In a WhatsApp message, Abbas chillingly advised, quote, do the job in a way that does not leave any room for complaints by them, suggesting the involvement of, quote, secret agencies. Despite their denials, Mossad claims the plot fits a pattern of Iran-linked operations, non-Iranian hitmen, Israeli or Jewish targets, and covert communications through shadowy intermediaries. Both suspects now face terrorism-related charges, while Abbas wanted for murder in Pakistan,

while he remains at large in Iran. The Athens plot is just one in a growing series of aggressive tactics by Tehran, utilizing proxies to plot assassinations of senior U.S. officials, including former President Trump, as well as outspoken critics of the Iranian regime, like dissident Iranian American journalist to Masi Al-Linajad. Al-Nijad told Reuters, quote, we don't feel safe anymore. After a man with an AK-47-style rifle appeared outside her Brooklyn home in an assassination attempt allegedly ordered by Iran, carried out by an Eastern European organized crime group in 2023. Tehran's strategy of outsourcing violence to organize criminals and hitmen has left a trail of victims, while its government, as you would assume, has denied any role.

The Iranian regime's UN mission called the allocations, quote, fabrication. So, okay. As Israeli intelligence chief David Barnier noted last year, the Islamic Republic's increasing reliance on proxies to, quote, orchestrate, mastermind, and direct operations is part of a broader strategy to obscure its involvement while intensifying its covert war in the West. Okay, moving on to the Indian Ocean. The UK, in a historic shift, announced it will relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after more than four. 50 years of negotiations. The deal revealed in a joint statement by UK Prime Minister Kirstarmer and the Mauritius Prime Minister signals the end of Britain's direct control over one of its last

colonial territories. The agreement includes the key atoll of Diego Garcia, which hosts a U.S. military base that's vital for operations in the Indian Ocean. Despite the handover, the base will continue to operate under joint U.S.-UK. control for at least 99 years. guaranteeing security amid, of course, rising geopolitical tensions. In their joint statement, the U.K. and Mauritian leaders emphasize the treaty is a, quote, demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law, and quote, adding both sides are committed to ensuring the operations of the Diego Garcia base. The U.K. and Mauritian leaders described the agreement as, quote,

a demonstration of our enduring commitment for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law. The deal is still pending final treaty arrangements. Now, President Biden, remember him? Well, he welcomed to the deal, calling it, quote, a historic achievement that underscores diplomacy's role in resolving disputes while maintaining critical military assets. Biden emphasized that Diego Garcia, quote, plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security, end quote. However, not everyone shares this outlook.

Some in the UK, including conservative leadership candidate Tom Tuganhat, criticized the move, describing the agreement as a, quote, disgraceful retreat that risks undermining Britain's strategic interests. Adding fuel to the fire, no, here we go. Argentina ceased on the moment to restate its claim over the Falkland Islands, with foreign minister Diana Mondino vowing to, quote, recoverful sovereignty over the territory. Now, the Falklands have long been a source of tension between Argentina and the UK, culminating, of course, in the 1982 Falkland Islands War, which saw British forces defend the islands, despite hundreds of deaths. In response to Argentina's provocative remarks, British forces in the Falklands

have been on high alert. A team of British soldiers has been mobilized at R.A.F. Mount Pleasant, the primary British military base in the Falklands, to prevent any symbolic Argentine incursions, such as planting a flag on West Falkland. British military redness in the islands, well, it's not something new. In 2015, 20 British Special Boat Service SPS members conducted an unopposed landing on West Falkland to test defenses. While full invasion does seem unlikely, concerns grow over weakened maritime defenses. Once patrolled by destroyers and frigates, the Falklands are now guarded by just one offshore British patrol vessel. Despite these concerns, Falkland Islands Governor Allison Blake reassured residents affirming the UK's quote,

unwavering commitment to defend the islands. Yeah, you know, I was thinking just the other day that we didn't have enough conflicts in the world at the present time. Hmm, how about a Falkland Islands conflict to add to the mix? Hopefully not. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, another major storm is closing in on Florida's Gulf Coast, while communities across the southeast, of course are still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Stay with us. If you're chasing data down instead of seeing it in one place, you need the Intuit ERP. Intuit Enterprise Suite. All your data in one place with built-in AI for real-time insights.

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warned Sunday that Milton is rapidly strengthening and poses life-threatening to the region. Milton's approach comes less than two weeks after Category 4 Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeast, killing 25 people in Florida and over 220 across multiple states. Residents say the landscape is forever changed by that storm's surge. For some perspective, Helene brought catastrophic flooding, washing out roads, dumping more than 40 trillion gallons of rain, that's enough to fill 60 million Olympic-sized swimming pools over the last week. Recovery efforts are ongoing, with 75 missing person cases prompting the involvement of the FBI

and the Department of Homeland Security. Pinellas County in Florida, one of the hardest hit areas by Helene is still dealing with flooded roads, collapsed infrastructure, and power outages plaguing thousands. The arrival of another storm so soon threatens to worsen these efforts, of course, as volunteers and emergency personnel continue to assist with rescues in areas still inundated by floodwaters. The NHC forecast at Milton will strengthen into a major hurricane with winds exceeding 111 miles per hour, that would be a category three, before a landfall on Florida's west coast. Heavy rainfall is expected to begin Monday with up to 8 inches of rain forecast for the region, accompanied by dangerous storm surges and flash flooding.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expanded an emergency declaration to include 51 counties, urging residents to finalize hurricane preparedness. plans, stating, quote, there's no scenario where we don't expect significant impacts. Relief organizations like the Red Cross and national voluntary organizations active in disaster are calling for donations to aid those affected by Helene and soon Milton. As Florida residents prepare for the impending storm local authorities are urging residents to stock up on essentials like food, water, and fuel. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief. for Monday, 7 October. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.

And, of course, to listen to the show ad-free, should you be interested in an ad-free experience, well, simply become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. See, I told you it was very simple. I'm Mike Baker. And I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings.

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