The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 9th, 2024: Iraq Threatens To End US-Led Coalition & US Doubts Israel Can Vanquish Hamas

Episode Date: February 9, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Iraq has condemned the latest U.S. strike within their borders and said the action may cause them to accelerate the removal of U.S-led coalition forces from the country. A briefing from U.S. intelligence officials to lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week has raised doubts about whether Israel can achieve their stated objected of eliminating Hamas. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world state. Let's get briefed. First up, Iraq has condemned the latest U.S. strike within their borders and said the action may cause them to accelerate the removal of U.S.-led coalition forces from the country. Also, a briefing from U.S. intelligence officials to lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week has raised doubts about whether Israel can achieve their stated objective of eliminating Hamas. But first, our afternoon spotlight. We begin in Iraq with the fallout from a U.S. retaliatory drone strike on Wednesday against the commander of Iraq's largest Iranian-backed militant group.

In the latest sign that relations between the U.S. and Iraq are straining, leaders in Baghdad condemned the action on Thursday as a violation of their nation's sovereign borders. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed al-S. Sudani said repeated U.S. strikes against Iran-backed groups in the region since since, the start of the new year are pushing the Iraqi government to accelerate the end of the U.S. troop presence in the country, that's according to a Wall Street Journal report. A spokesman for Sudani said in a statement Thursday, quote, The American forces have carried out a clear-cut assassination operation by launching an airstrike in the midst of a residential neighborhood in the capital Baghdad in a manner that disregards the lives of civilians and international laws, end quote.

Now, maybe during their next press conference, the Iraqi spokesman can discuss the dozens of missile and drone attacks launched inside Iraq against U.S. and coalition forces by the Iranian-backed militias that make up Iraq security forces. I'm sure there's bound to be a violation or two of international law somewhere in those attacks. The latest U.S. military action killed a senior member of the Iraqi militia group Katai Bahzbollah, a man who was responsible for directly planning attacks on U.S. forces throughout the region, including the attack that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan. We should note, officials at the Pentagon reportedly waited for more than a week to carry out the strike,

seeking an opportunity that would limit the risk of civilian casualties. Still, Sudanese spokesman said that the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, quote, has become a factor for instability and threatens to entangle Iraq in the cycle of conflict. He added, The International Coalition is completely overstepping the reasons and objectives for which it is present on our territory. And the spokesman then added also, we don't really want the U.S. and coalition forces to leave, but the Iranian regime is insisting. Okay, yes, I made up that last quote. Sorry. The U.S. military footprint in Iraq has been relatively small since the formal departure of U.S. combat forces in 2011.

The current coalition was formed in 2014 in response to the rise of the Islamic State or ISIS in the Middle East. At present, around 2,500 American troops are stationed in Iraq, mainly around Baghdad. The forces aid the Iraqi government with countering terrorism, particularly the remnants of ISIS. Their presence is also part of a strategic play to counter Iranian influence within Iraq's Shiite majority. As Iranian-backed groups continue to destabilize the region, triggering additional U.S. responses, the relationship between Washington and Baghdad has become strained, which of course is the point of the Iranian-backed groups. A U.S. drone strike in Baghdad against an Iranian-backed militia leader on January 4th prompted an initial rebuke from Sudani. In the weeks that followed,

Sudani declared that Iraq no longer needed the U.S.-led military coalition and initiated conversations with officials in Washington for a phased withdrawal of the remaining forces. While no deadline for the removal of U.S. forces has been set, it appears the latest U.S. military strike may accelerate the proceedings. Now, the situation is further complicated by the fact that many of the Iranian-backed militias in America's crosshairs are also part of Iraq's security establishment. Furthermore, despite the counter strikes, militias continue. On Wednesday, Iraqi militants targeted U.S. troops at a base in eastern Syria with a drone attack. On Thursday, an unnamed U.S. official, told the Wall Street Journal that while the U.S. respects Iraq's borders, we cannot let the targeting

of U.S. troops go unanswered. The official said, quote, we strongly urge the Iraqi government to take action against these groups, who the officials said are drawing Iraq into violent conflict. So once again, Iran is managing to accomplish its objectives through the use of its proxy network. Whether we're talking about the Iran-backed Houthis destabilizing international shipping and commerce, or Hamas's attacks on 7 October that kicked off the current Israel-Hamas conflict, or Iran's proxies targeting U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria in an effort to reduce U.S. and coalition presence and influence, the Iranian regime and its IRGC are doing all of this while remaining basically unscathed.

As with Hamas' disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza, the Iranian regime is perfectly happy to pursue its objectives, as long as the only ones in the crosshairs are their proxy groups. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss a recent U.S. intelligence briefing to members of Congress that raises doubts about whether Israel can achieve their stated objective of eliminating Hamas. I'll be right back.

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of completely eliminating Hamas. U.S. intelligence officials briefed members of Congress this week on Israel's progress against the terrorist group in Gaza, saying that while the IDF has significantly degraded Hamas's fighting capabilities, they were not close to achieving their operations. aim of eradicating the Iranian-backed militant group. That's according to an exclusive New York Times report. During the closed-door intelligence briefing, officials said the Biden administration has privately raised doubts to Israeli leaders about the practicality of their strategy of, quote, total victory. They suggested it was unrealistic due to the fact that Hamas operates from tunnel networks like a

guerrilla force. Intelligence officials reportedly suggested that weakening the group's combat strength was a more attainable objective. As we discussed yesterday on the PDB, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu recently rejected Hamas's latest list of demands in their ceasefire counterproposal, calling it delusional. The militant group was seeking a 45-day pause to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences,

as well as the removal of Israeli forces from key areas of Gaza. The militants also sought the start of a massive humanitarian and rebuilding effort, Hamas demanded the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners convicted and held in Israeli prisons, and with the caveat that Hamas could specify at least 500 of those individuals to be included in the release. Netanyahu said it was a clear play by Hamas to end the war on their own terms. He instead vowed total victory over the terrorist group, which he claimed was possible within a matter of months. Netanyahu said, quote, there is no other solution, but a complete and final victory.

If Hamas will survive in Gaza, it's only a question of time until the next massacre, end quote. The U.S. intelligence assessment appears less rosy. While Israel has claimed that they have eliminated up to two-thirds of Hamas' fighting force, American officials say that number is likely significantly lower, estimating that only a third or so of Hamas fighters have been killed. They also reportedly stressed that counting losses does not necessarily give an accurate picture, as new members are being radicalized all the time amid Israel's operations in the region. We should note, prior to the Israel-Hamas conflict, the number of Hamas fighters was estimated to be

anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000. U.S. officials are pushing Israel to adjust their strategy and agree to a ceasefire in Gaza to secure the release of hostages and allow humanitarian aid into the region. Following Netanyahu's remarks regarding Hamas's ceasefire counteroffer, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized Israel over their current strategy in a sign of the Biden administration's growing dissatisfaction with Netanyahu, not to mention the Biden administration's growing concern that they might be losing their Arab American and youth voter base heading into the November election. Look, make no mistake that part of the reason for the White House's pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire is the growing dissatisfaction among Arab American and young voters with the

conflict. Democratic strategists are staring at poll numbers in places like the swing state of Michigan and are concerned that too much overt support for Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas will translate into a problem come election day. Of course, the administration would explain their actions differently. Secretary of State Blankin said, quote, Israelis were dehumanized in the most horrific way on 7 October. Thus, hostages have been dehumanized every day since. But that cannot be a license. to dehumanize others, we cannot, he said, we must not, lose sight of our common humanity, end quote. Well, that's true, of course. But we must also not lose sight of the fact that domestic politics and poll numbers shouldn't drive the country's national security and foreign policy decisions.

And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, 9 February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with Visible. It's one-line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot. Powered by Verizon for $25 a month, taxes and fees included. Plus, for a limited time, new members pay just $20 a month for one year on the Visible plan,

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