The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 5th, 2024: North Korean Missiles For Moscow & Iran Rounds Up Bombing Suspects

Episode Date: January 5, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     A look at the latest intelligence regarding Russia’s use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine, and the Putin regime’s plans to source additional munitions and missiles from Iran. Iran says they have begun arresting suspects linked to the deadly suicide attack by ISIS that left more than 80 dead and nearly 300 injured. 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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It's Friday, January 5th. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll begin with the latest intelligence regarding Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine. And, since despotic regimes need to stick together, we'll look at Putin's plans to source additional munitions and missiles from Iran. And on the topic of Iran, Iranian officials say they've begun arresting suspects linked to the deadly surrogens. suicide attack by ISIS that left more than 80 dead and nearly 300 injured. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Vladimir Putin's increasingly desperate need for munitions and manpower to maintain his war in Ukraine continues to draw Russia closer to North Korea and Iran. White House National Security

Council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that for the first time, the Putin regime has lobbed North Korea and made missiles into Ukraine. The first missile was launched on December 30th, but reportedly missed its target and landed in an open field. Days later, during Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities on January 2nd, the regime reportedly also used North Korean ballistic missiles as part of the hundreds of missiles they launched into Ukraine during that deadly assault. Russian missile strikes on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities have killed an estimated 90 civilians since December 29th and left more than 400 injured. Kirby said at the Thursday press briefing, quote, due in part to our sanctions and export controls, Russia has become increasingly isolated on the

world stage, and they've been forced to look to like-minded states for military equipment. As we've been warning publicly, one of those states is North Korea, end quote. We should note, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is not walking away empty. he handed from this transaction. I mean, seriously, what kind of dictator would he be if he didn't insist on something dastardly in return for his missiles and munitions? So the tit for tat here is that North Korea is receiving technical assistance from the Russians for their own ballistic missile and spy satellite programs. Additionally, as part of Russia and North Korea's expanding defense partnership, White House officials expect that North Korea will receive fighter aircraft,

surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, and ballistic missile production equipment from the Putin regime. It's a situation that suggests the already freight relations on the Korean Peninsula will only continue to deteriorate in 2024. Now, the revelation comes as a U.S. intelligence assessment released Thursday, says Russia is also preparing to close a deal with Iran for the purchase of short-range ballistic missiles, although, reportedly, the deal is not yet finalized. Iran, like their North Korean counterparts, have already been providing Russia with large quantities of munitions

for their struggling war effort in Ukraine. In addition, Iran has provided significant numbers of drones that the Russian military is deployed during the conflict that is about to enter its third year. Kirby used the Thursday press briefing to make another plea to Congress to approve an aid package for Ukraine worth tens of billions of dollars, that has been trapped in a deadlocked Congress since November.

Kirby said, quote, Russia is relying upon its friends to be able to restore its military stockpiles and enable its war against Ukraine. Iran and North Korea are standing with Russia. Ukrainians deserve to know that the American people and this government will continue to stand with them, end quote. It's worth noting that it's not just missiles and munitions that are desperately needed by Putin. A U.S. Intelligence Report released in December estimated Russia had lost a shocking 87% of the ground troops that they began the war with, or roughly 315,000 personnel.

Russia has not addressed the latest casualty figures, but as previously claimed, that the West greatly exaggerates these numbers. Regardless, the losses have forced Russia to take extraordinary measures to sustain their troop numbers, including conscripting at least 100,000 prisoners. On Thursday, Putin took another unprecedented step, announcing that any foreign nationals that fight in Ukraine for Russia will be granted Russian citizenship for themselves and their families. All right. Coming up after the break, Iran says they have begun arresting suspects linked to the deadly suicide attack by ISIS on Wednesday. They left more than 80 people dead. I'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Ultima Replenisher. Health is all about balance, like a salad with fries. So why not have balance in your hydration? With six essential electrolytes and no junk, Ultima provides balanced hydration you can enjoy every day.

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ISIS claimed terrorist attack at the burial site of Qasem Soleimani on Wednesday, which killed 84 people and left nearly 300 injured. Iran's interior minister, Ahmed Vahidi, told state TV on Friday that authorities had rounded up a number of suspects linked to the attack. The update came as mourners poured into the Iranian city of Kerman to pay their respects to the fallen victims of the attack, with crowds heard chanting revenge, revenge, death to America, and death to Israel. Apparently, they just couldn't bring themselves to say death to ISIS. Again, the Iranian regime never misses an opportunity to blame the great Satan and Israel for whatever ails them. Interior Minister Vahidi said, quote, our country's capable intelligence agencies have found very good clues regarding elements

involved in the terrorist explosions in Kermin and a section of those who had a role in this incident have been arrested, end quote. He did not provide further details, but Deputy Interior Minister Majid Miramadi added that the arrests have been carried out in five cities across five provinces in Iran, and that they will be providing greater details on the suspects in the hours and days ahead. While there was intense speculation about who was behind the attack in the immediate aftermath, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombings in a telegram post on Thursday morning. In the attack, two militants wearing suicide vests approached a crowd and detonated their explosives near the grave of Soleimani. ISIS called the suicide bombing a, quote, dual martyrdom operation.

Despite the fact that ISIS has taken credit for the bombing and has carried out similar attacks, over the past few years, members of the Iranian regime continue to use the attack as an opportunity to stoke regional hatreds, pointing the finger at Israel and the U.S. Major General Hosan Salami of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, claimed Friday that, quote, the ISIS terrorists are only acting as agents for America and Israel. He added, I have no idea what I'm spewing here, but hey, it sounds pretty good, huh? Okay, the last part there was a made-up quote. That came on the heels of a speech by Iranian President Ibrahim Reisi on Thursday,

promising regrettable and severe punishment for Israel. The Israeli military, focused on their operations in Gaza, have not publicly commented on the attack inside Iran. U.S. officials have rejected any claims, pinning responsibility on America or Israel, pointing to the admission by ISIS. And that, my friends, is the PDB, afternoon bulletin for Friday 5 January. 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.