The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 17th, 2025: Trump Calls Off Strike On Iran & Hamas Struggles To Pay Fighters

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   President Trump has called off U.S. support for an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program.    Later in the show—Hamas isn’t just losing ground on the battlefield. The group is reportedly in financial freefall, struggling to pay its fighters as war costs mount.   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. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://TryBeef.com/PDB for 2 free Flat Iron steaks with your first box over $250 Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking to diversify your savings, we'll schedule a free consultation with Birch Gold Group, the precious metals specialist. Look, just text BDB to 989-898 and you'll receive a free no-obligation information kit and learn how to convert an existing IRA or a 401k to a gold IRA. Again, text BDB to the number 989-898. It's Thursday the 17th of April. Welcome to the BDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off today with new reporting on a major decision from President Trump. A planned Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities was reportedly scrapped after top U.S. officials raised doubts,

preferring instead to try and reach a deal with the Mullahs on their nuclear program. Later in the show, Hamas isn't just facing military losses in its war with the war. Israel, the group is reportedly in a cash crunch struggling to pay its fighters. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Well, it turns out the U.S. came closer to a potential war with Iran than many realized. According to the New York Times, President Trump recently put the brakes on a planned Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear program after a fierce internal debate within his own administration. The strike, which could have been launched as soon as next month, would have required significant U.S. military support, and for a while, it looked like Washington might provide it.

Let's start with what Israel had in mind. According to the report, officials in Tel Aviv had drawn up plans for a multi-phase attack aimed at setting back Tehran's nuclear ambitions by a year or more. Initially, they hoped to bear air strikes with commando raids on underground nuclear sites. But when it became clear that the commando teams wouldn't be ready in time, Israel pivoted to a broader bombing campaign, one that would have required American aircraft, intelligence, and logistics in order to be successful. And here's where the U.S. comes in. As we've been reporting here on the PDP, U.S. military assets have been building up across the region for weeks. A second aircraft carrier, missile defense systems, and long-range B-2 bombers were deployed to Diego Garcia, moves that were publicly framed,

as part of the ongoing conflict with the Houthis in Yemen. But privately, officials now say that the firepower was also about preparing for a potential operation against Iran. Even basing U.S. fighters in Israel was reportedly under consideration. The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, was dispatched to Jerusalem to sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the head of Mossad. They discussed various options, including not just direct strikes but covert sabotage operations and tighter sanctions enforcement. But as planning progressed, reportedly cracks began to show inside the Trump administration. Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, the DNI, presented a new intelligence assessment, warning that military action

could spiral into a broader regional war. Her concerns were echoed by top officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth, and the Vice President J.D. Vance. Even National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, normally one of the most hawkish voices on Iran, began questioning whether the Israeli plan could work without massive U.S. involvement. Ultimately, President Trump decided to hold off. According to the Times, he informed Netanyahu during his visit to Washington that the U.S. would not support an attack, at least not while Iran has signaled a willingness, as limited as it may be, to negotiate.

The White House is now pursuing a short-term diplomatic window with the United States. Tecran to reach a new nuclear agreement. But while Trump has chosen diplomacy, at least for now, he hasn't ruled anything out. After the Netanyahu meeting, he told reporters, quote, if it requires military, we're going to have military. Israel will obviously be the leader of that, end quote. In the meantime, U.S. intelligence and military officials are continuing to work with Israel to weigh other options, including covert action. So the message from the White House, Well, it's that talks are happening, but time is limited, and the military option is still on the table. Coming up next, reports say Hamas is broke and struggling to pay its operatives, adding a financial crisis to its lengthy series of military setbacks.

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The effects are rippling across the enclave. According to Arab, Israeli, and Western officials, salary payments have ceased entirely for many of the Hamas members. At the same time, senior operatives, including those in the political wing, received only half pay during Ramadan last month. Rank and file terror operatives have been hit the hardest, reportedly averaging around just $200 to $300 per month, complicating recruitment efforts and weakening internal cohesion. This financial unraveling comes after years of stockpiling resources. Before launching the 7 October 23 terror attacks on Israel, Hamas relied heavily on a mix of foreign aid, most notably $15 million in monthly cash deliveries

from Qatar, and domestic income streams that included taxes on commercial goods, customs duties, and the resale of humanitarian aid that it had seized or stole or imported. It also drew support from fundraising networks, stretching as far as West Africa, South Asia, and even the UK, with much of its financial reserve reportedly held in foreign accounts. Well, much of it was pilfered by the top Hamas officials over the years and stuffed in their pockets and their foreign accounts. In recent weeks, the IDF has said it killed a prominent money changer and several senior Hamas figures involved in salary distribution. Intelligence officials report that many others have been forced into hiding, disrupting the terror groups, courier,

and checkpoint systems that Hamas historically used to pay its fighters. As one open source researcher focused on Gaza's economy, put it, quote, even if they sit on large amounts of cash, their ability to distribute it would be very limited right now. Any attempts to move money through physical means could now, of course, draw direct Israeli retaliation via airstrike. In response, Hamas has turned to more desperate tactics in the early weeks of the war.

The group reportedly seized up to $180 million from local banks in Gaza, including the Bank of Palestine, and began imposing new fees on Gaza merchants, customs charges on imports, and selling off humanitarian goods that it intercepted. But those measures, well, offered only temporary relief. During January's ceasefire, Hamas was able to slightly replenish its financial reserves when aid deliveries resumed. That window closed in March, when Israel sealed Gaza's borders and imposed tighter controls on humanitarian shipments. As we discussed on today's BDB, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz confirmed this week that Israel is pursuing a new aid distribution mechanism designed to bypass Hamas entirely by working with

vetted civilian partners. Katz defended the blockade as a necessary measure to break what he described as Hamas' model of monetizing humanitarian aid to fuel its war machine. That monetization, according to Israeli officials, has become so central to Hamas' economic model, that military planners are now reevaluating how aid is screened, not just for security risks, but also for resale value. Even with an estimated $500 million stashed somewhere in Turkey, and as much as $3 billion, believed to still be circulating inside Gaza, the group's access to those funds has been sharply curtailed. The consequences are already taking shape, as the IDF presses deeper into Gaza and anti-Hamas demonstrations surface in some areas,

intelligence officials say the financial strain is accelerating a slow disintegration of Hamas's internal command and control. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday the 17th of April. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at at thefirsttv.com. And as four out of five doctors will tell you to listen to the show ad-free, Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, well, stay informed. Stay safe.

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