The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 18th, 2024: Syrian Rebels Disband & Iranian Nationals Charged Over Deadly Jordan Drone Strike

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, the leader of the rebel opposition that overthrew Syria’s Assad regime has announced plans to disband their militant militias and form a new national army, as they work to consolidate their power and distance themselves from their radical past. Then, the U.S. Justice Department has charged two Iranian nationals in connection with a fatal drone strike in Jordan earlier this year that killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens.  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 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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that. It's a lot of years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-88621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Wednesday, 18 December. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. Okay, it's the late afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, the leader of the rebel opposition that overthrew Syria's Assad regime has announced plans to disband their militant militias and form a new national army as they reportedly work to consolidate their power and, at least on paper, distanced themselves from their radical past. Then, the U.S. Justice Department has charged two Iranian nationals in connection with a fatal drone strike in Jordan earlier this year that killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more. But first, our afternoon spotlight,

We'll begin with an update out of Syria, where the new regime replacing deposed dictator Assad is beginning to take shape. After establishing a transitional government in the immediate wake of Assad's ouster, the rebels are now moving to further consolidate their power and establish institutions that are built to last. On Wednesday, Abu Muhammad Al-Jolani, leader of the top rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is known as HTS, announced that Syria's rebel factions will be bandit and their fighters will be trained to join a new national army under the direction of the defense ministry. The decision to dissolve the rebel groups is largely a strategic play aimed at easing international restrictions on their new transitional government. As we've discussed here on

the PDB, HTS, a former arm of al-Qaeda that used to be called the Neusher Front, is a U.S. and EU designated terror organization. While they've since tried to position themselves as moderates, the terror designation and the sanctions that come with it, could significantly impede their plans to reform and rebuild Syria. Al Jolani said Tuesday, quote, we have to adopt a state mentality, not an opposition mentality, end quote. He called for international sanctions against Damascus to be lifted, so refugees displaced by the civil war can return home.

Separately, he spoke of the need to restore relations with the U.K. and U.S. Despite skepticism in the West about HTS's ability to de-radicalize after their sweeping victory over Assad, leaders in the U.S. and Europe have sought to directly engage with serious transitional government. On Monday and Tuesday, officials from France, Germany, and the U.K., all traveled to Damascus for meetings for the country's new rulers, and officials in the U.S. have also reportedly been in direct contact with HTS leaders. The EU, meanwhile, announced on Tuesday, day, plans to reopen its delegation in Damascus. Western powers are still reticent to lift sanctions, however, with most advocating a wait and sea approach with regards to HTS and Al Jolani. They hope to

see Al Jolani institute more comprehensive reforms to prove the group's rhetoric is actually sincere. For now, Al Jolani appears focused on consolidating the rebel's power. Analysts from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said, in addition to distancing the transitional government from the radical past of the coalition, the move to dissolve the rebel groups serves to swiftly monopolize power in the hands of the state. Al Jelani has also framed it as a way to build unity among Syria's many ethnic factions. Speaking with leaders from the country's Dru's minority on Tuesday, Al Jolani declared that, quote, Syria must remain united. There must be a social contract between the state and all religions to guarantee social justice.

end quote. Now, as an aside, we should also note that to further distance himself from his terrorist past, Al-Jalani has recently reverted to going by his birth name, Ahmed al-Shahra. Al-Jalani was his assumed name as an Islamist fighter for al-Qaeda, ties that he claims to have renounced. Last week, the rebels named Muhammad al-Bashir, who previously ran parts of northern Syria on behalf of HTS as the new caretaker prime minister, but he's only expected to serve in that position until March when the rebels hoped to establish a more permanent government. Coming up, the U.S. Justice Department has charged two Iranian nationals in connection with a fatal drone strike in Jordan earlier this year that killed three U.S. service members and injured dozens more. I'll be right back.

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Kayak, got that right. Hi, this is Alex Goldmark from NPR's Planet Money. really excited for you to listen to the Planet Money audiobook. It's a smart, fun guide to how economics affects every facet of your life, written and read by the hosts of the podcast. Come explore the hidden world of economics. The Planet Money audiobook is out now on Spotify or wherever audiobooks are sold. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. The Justice Department announced charges on Monday against two men accused of illegally exporting sensitive technology to Iran, which was used in the deadly January drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.

The strike killed three American soldiers and injured over 40 others, making it the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in the region this year. The DOJ confirmed that the first defendant, a naturalized U.S. citizen employed at a Massachusetts semiconductor firm, was arrested here in the States. Meanwhile, the second defendant, who runs a Tehran-based company linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps of the I. IRGC was detained in Italy, where U.S. authorities are actively pursuing his extradition. Justice Department officials revealed that FBI specialists traced the drone's navigation system

to the Tehran-based company, which allegedly acquired components and technology through the first defendant using a Swiss front company. The charges include violations of U.S. export control laws, with the second defendant also accused of conspiring to provide material support to Iran. Massachusetts top federal prosecutor Joshua Levy emphasized the case as significance, warning that the diversion of American technology into hostile hands is no longer a hypothetical threat. Well, to be fair, it hasn't been a hypothetical threat for decades. Prosecutors alleged the second defendant's company maintain deep ties to the Iranian regime and facilitated the Revolutionary Guard Corps' acquisition of advanced navigation systems,

an assertion that bolsters the broader narrative of Iran's growing technological capabilities. The one-way attack drone targeted Tower 22, a U.S. logistics base, near the volatile Jordan-S.-Syria-Iraq border, housing roughly 350 military personnel at the time of the attack. The U.S. blamed the Islamic resistance in Iraq. It's a web of Iran-backed militias for the strike. It's important to note that the drone was likely mistaken at the time, as it was a war on was incoming for an expected U.S. drone returning to the base about the same time, evading detection and blasting the living quarters with devastating impact. Following the attack, the U.S.

conducted a wave of retaliatory airstrikes on 85 sites across Iraq and Syria tied to Iran's IRGC and its proxies. While the indictments attempt to hold the pair accountable, they also expose weaknesses in U.S. export control enforcement and emphasize the broader strategic challenges that Washington faces in countering Iran's paramilitary network and regional influence. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin, albeit a little bit late, for Wednesday, 18 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And for those of you pursuing an ad-free lifestyle, well, we're here to help. You can do that just by becoming a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com.

Couldn't be any simpler. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill? Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot.

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