The President's Daily Brief - October 8th, 2024: Israel Crushes Hezbollah’s Arsenal, Ukraine Strikes Russia’s Economy, & Karachi Blast Targets Chinese

Episode Date: October 8, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We’ll start things off with Israel’s aggressive assault on Hezbollah, wiping out 50% of its missile stock through airstrikes and ground incursions in southern Lebanon. Despite this success, Hezbollah still poses a major threat. We’ll explore what remains of its deadly arsenal. Later, Ukraine targets the Russian economy with major strikes on oil depots and shipment hubs, aiming to deal a significant blow to Moscow’s finances. Plus, a Pakistani separatist group claims responsibility for a deadly bombing outside Karachi’s airport, specifically targeting Chinese nationals, killing two and injuring several others. And in today’s Back of the Brief, an incredible story of survival: A Yazidi woman, kidnapped and trafficked by the Islamic State nearly 10 years ago, has been rescued from Gaza in a joint operation by Israel, the U.S., and international forces. 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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Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off with Israel's aggressive assault on Hezbollah, wiping out approximately 50% of its missiles and rockets through air strikes and focused ground incursions in southern Lebanon. Now, despite the success, Hezbollah remains a significant threat. We'll take a look at what's left in their deadly arsenal.

Later in the program, Ukraine sets its sights on the Russian economy, launching major strikes on oil depots and shipment hubs in a bid to hit Moscow in its wallet. Plus, a Pakistani separatist group is claiming responsibility for a deadly blast outside Karachi's airport that specifically targeted Chinese nationals, killing two workers and injuring several others. And in today's back of the brief, we have an incredible story of survival, a Yazidi woman, kidnapped and trafficked by the Islamic State, has been rescued from Gaza nearly 10 years, 10 years after her abduction. But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to begin today with a look at the state of Hezbollah and their remaining military capabilities in the wake of Israel's

campaign in Lebanon. Just three weeks since Israel turned their sights on the Iranian-backed Khazbullah militants, the group has seen their leadership ranks, well, virtually eliminated, and their weapons stores significantly degraded. But the group's arsenal, which prior to the conflict, included some 150,000 to 200,000 rockets and missiles, was estimated to be the largest stockpile of weapons in the world by a non-state actor. So, how much damage has Israel done? Over the past three weeks, Israel has struck several thousand Hezbollah targets. inside Lebanon, destroying, quote, tens of thousands of rockets, that's according to IDF sources, who spoke with all Israel news. Additionally, since Hezbollah began attacking Israel in the wake of

last year's 7 October attacks by Hamas, Israel has shot down some 10,000 rockets and missiles fired by the militants. All told, U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials estimate that they have destroyed upwards of 50 percent of Hezbollah's missiles and rockets. Now, that is an impressive feat, but analysts warn that the threat is far from contained, with Hezbollah still possessing anywhere between 60,000 and 100,000 rockets and missiles, some with the ability to reach deep into Israeli territory. These include thousands of long-range unguided rockets, unguided ballistic missiles, and guided ballistic missiles.

As for their personnel, well, it's estimated that they still have somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 members. though that's unclear how many of those are actually full-time fighters. Some 1,500 fighters were said to be injured and taken out of commission by the exploding pagers and handheld radio attacks that kicked off Israel's current campaign on 17 September. They've also lost most of their senior leadership to Israeli airstrikes, including their longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Dr. Matthew Levitt, a former FBI counterterrorism official and Hezbollah expert, recently explained that while, quote,

Hezbollah, the jewel in the crown of Tehran's axis of resistance, no longer exists as we knew it, they still represent a, quote, potent threat to Israel and the West. Levitt continued, quote, Hasbola is not dead, but it is not likely to ever be the same organization that it was just a couple of weeks ago. Younger fighters will be promoted,

but it will take time for them to accumulate the experience that their predecessors possessed, end quote. Now, Levit argues that whether or not Hezbollah can rebound from Israel's campaign comes down to how swiftly their backers in Iran can restock Hezbollah's sophisticated arsenal. Following their rapid degradation by Israel, Levitt's bigger fear is the threat that Hezbollah's fighters could pose outside of Lebanese borders. Hezbollah maintains an active network of sleeper cells throughout the world, and that includes in the U.S., and they are positioned to carry out attacks once activated.

Leavitt points to the case of a Hezbollah operative arrested in New York back in 2017, who was part of an elite covert unit within the terror group. When asked by investigators, what circumstances would prompt Hezbollah leadership to order an attack, that operative reportedly responded that either the assassination of Hassan Lassarala or a war between Israel and Iran. Leavitt said, quote, in other words, a situation just like the one we are experiencing. And on that comforting bit of news, coming up next, Ukraine targets Russia's economy with major strikes on oil depots, while a Pakistani separatist group claims responsibility for a deadly blast in Karachi,

killing two Chinese workers. I'll have those stories when we come back. Welcome back to the BDB. I want to turn our attention to the war now in Eastern Europe. I mean, really, can you swing a dead cat without hitting a war anymore? where Ukrainian forces are intensifying their attacks against Russian oil depots and shipment hubs as they take aim to strike a significant blow to Moscow's finances. Officials with the Ukrainian military confirmed Monday that a swarm of attack drones

had struck a critical oil depot in Crimea that serves as the largest petroleum transshipment hub in the region. The attack triggered a large fire which Russian authorities attempted to play down as a, quote, technical error. Nothing to see here, folks, according to a report from the Kiev Post. In a statement, Ukraine's general staff said, quote, Ukrainian missile units, working with other defense forces, carried out the operation as part of an ongoing effort to weaken Russia's military and economic infrastructure, end quote. In addition to the oil facility in Crimea, reports suggest two nearby military bases were also hit by the Ukrainian drone attack on Monday. Ukrainian forces renewed their targeting of Russia's energy infrastructure last Thursday with a drone attack on a fuel storage base

in Russia's central Voronish region. The attacks on critical Russian infrastructure, Thomas, reports emerge that Russia's economy is in much worse shape than it appears, with analysts saying that Moscow cannot financially sustain their war in Ukraine for much longer. That's according to our report by fortune. An exclusive analysis by Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist and former senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, estimates that Russia's economy is already near stagnation, in large part, due to Western sanctions stemming from Putin's invasion of Ukraine, that have reduced Russia's GDP by 2 to 3 percent each year since 2022. Now, that's a major problem, as you might suspect, given that the Kremlin intends to spend roughly $190 billion, or 10% of its GDP on the war effort this year. Aslund says Russia is running out of places to cut spending

to sustain such high levels of defense expenditures. With much of their assets frozen in Europe, the Kremlin has limited their annual budget deficits to just 2% in an attempt to preserve Russia's currency reserves. Still, Russia's national wealth fund has been reduced to $55 billion as of March 24. If current trends hold, that fund will be depleted sometime next year. This is why, according to Aslan, the Kremlin has signaled in leaked documents their intention to end the war by late 2025. Russia's domestic situation is so dire, he argues, that the West could easily tip the scales in Ukraine's favor if the will existed. Aslung claimed, quote, Ukraine could win the war if it had an additional $50 billion per year, as well as a green light,

two bomb military targets inside Russia, end quote. All right, moving on to Pakistan, where a late-night bombing in Karachi on Sunday, claimed by a separatist militant group, targeted a convoy carrying Chinese nationals, killing two workers and injuring eight others, including police officers. This attack is the latest in a string of deadly assaults, on Chinese nationals in Pakistan, where thousands are engaged in the China-Pakistan economic corridor. That's a crucial part of Beijing's multi-billion dollar belt and road initiative in that country. Now, while the initiative aims to transform Pakistan's infrastructure with roads and power plants and

ports and, of course, also cement China's influence in the country, it has also made Chinese nationals prime targets for the Baloch Liberation Army, or the BLA, The terror group of roughly 3,000 fighters view these projects as an encroachment in Balochistan. That's a region in Western Pakistan, rich in oil and mineral resources, but home to a marginalized ethnic minority by the central government. The BLA repeatedly warns Chinese workers to leave the area, often reinforcing those threats with actual attacks. On Sunday, the convoy included workers from the Port-Kasim Electric Power Company,

and that's a frequent target of the BLA. as a convoy left the Karachi airport, a suicide bomber, carried out the targeted attack, killing two Chinese nationals and wounding others, including police officers. The blast also caused Pakistani casualties, though the exact number remains unclear. Video footage broadcast on Pakistani news channels showed thick black smoke rising from the scene with several cars set ablaze. Counterterrorism officials in Karachi launched an investigation into how the suicide bomber bypassed security at the country's largest airport.

The Chinese embassy in Islamabad swiftly confirmed the casualties condemning the attacks as terrorism, while Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced it as, quote, a heinous act. Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif took to X, calling the attackers in a post, quote, enemies of Pakistan. The BLA's spokesman, Junaid Balok, emphasized on Monday that the bombing was a direct direct message to China opposing its involvement in Balochistan. This incident follows a spate of BLA attacks in August that left over 50 dead, emphasizing the threat to Chinese-funded projects. Other attacks include a 2021 bombing that killed nine Chinese workers and a 22 university attack that left three Chinese teachers dead. This bombing casts a shadow over the upcoming Shanghai

Cooperation Organization Summit. which is set to gather officials from several countries, including China and Russia, later this month. The attack raises concerns about Pakistan's ability to safeguard foreign nationals, particularly as the country prepares to host a high-profile event aimed at countering Western influence. All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, an incredible story of survival. A Yazidi woman, kidnapped by ISIS nearly 10 years ago, has been rescued from Gaza in a joint operation by Israel. the U.S. and international forces. I'll be right back.

How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount? New vehicle discount. Storage discount. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. In today's back of the brief, a remarkable story of survival,

as 21-year-old Fozia Amin Sido has been rescued from Gaza after years of captivity. Now, Fozia's harrowing journey began back in August of 2014 when ISIS seized the Sinjar region in northern Iraq. The terror group executed thousands of Yazidi men and boys, members of a Kurdish-speaking religious community, while subjecting the women and girls to horrific sexual violence. Over the years, Fosia was trafficked through various countries and during, as you might imagine, unimaginable conditions. She was held in the notorious household refugee camp in Syria before being smuggled to Turkey, and by 2020, she had been trafficked to Gaza, where she was held by Hamas.

When the Israel-Khamas war broke out last year following Hamas's 7 October attacks, Fuzia's escape became possible after her captor died in Rafa. The Israel Defense Forces, the IDF claims the death of her captor came via coordinated strikes. with the assistance of a non-governmental organization worker, Fosia fled to safety. She described her rescue, starting stating, quote, from there American officials took me and helped me return to Baghdad, end quote. Now, Hamas, as you might not be surprised by, disputes this account, claiming that Fosia, well, she moved to Gaza willingly with her Palestinian husband's family.

Oh, the group insists the IDF is promoting, quote, a false narrative. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while not mentioning Israel's involvement, confirmed Fulzia's rescue after months of coordination between Iraqi, American, and Jordanian officials. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department confirmed its role in assisting her evacuation, with spokesman Matthew Miller stating, quote, the recent death of her captor in Gaza allowed her to escape, end quote. Fuzia's attorney emphasized ongoing efforts to locate and rescue the up to 2,500 Yazidi-Wil, women and children still missing since the August 2014 ISIS attack on Sinjar.

While Fosia's journey to freedom is a victory, the search for the many others still in captivity, of course, continues. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 8 October. Now, if you have any questions, comments, or even humorous anecdotes, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And, well, according to Scuttlebutt on the street, there is a way for you to satisfy that ad-free itch. It's simple.

To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the president's daily brief, simply by visiting pdbpremium.com. See, I told you it was simple. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe. Stay cool. You're great at protecting your data,

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