The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 8th, 2024: Hezbollah Commander Liquidated & China's Corruption Crackdown

Episode Date: January 8, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: We dissect Israel's strategic and high-profile strike against Hezbollah, which resulted in the death of a high-ranking commander from the group's elite special operations unit, escalating regional tensions. We delve into the recent US Intelligence Assessment that has brought to light significant corruption within China's armed forces, prompting a major purge of the People's Liberation Army.   Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.   Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Shop Ultima on Amazon or in store at Target and Whole Foods Market. It's Monday, January 8th. 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 this afternoon with Israel's latest high-profile strike on the Iranian-backed Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, eliminating a top commander from the group's elite special operations unit. Also, a recent U.S. intelligence assessment exposes extensive corruption within China's armed forces, leading to a sweeping purge within the People's Liberation Army, the PLA. But first, our afternoon spotlight.

This morning, we reported on fears that Israel's ongoing conflict with Hezbollah along its border with Lebanon could expand into a full-blown war. Well, that concern just took one step closer to becoming a reality today. In a significant escalation, an Israeli strike on South Lebanon today claimed the life of a senior commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan force. The target of the strike has been identified as Wissam Altawil, the deputy head of a unit within the Radwan force. Reports indicate that he and another Hezbollah fighter were killed when their car was hit in a strike on the Lebanese village of Majdal-Salem, some three and a half miles from the Israeli border. This is the most high-profile

strike against the Hezbollah target since the war began following Hamas's attacks on 7 October. One security source told Reuters, quote, this is a very painful strike, while another predicted things will flare up now. So what is the Rodwan force? Well, think of them as Hezbollah's equivalent of the Green Beret, essentially the terror group's special forces. They're known for their advanced training, reportedly, no surprise, provided by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. Now, their primary role is, as the name would imply, conducting special operations. They have been active in various conflicts across the region, notably in Syria, supporting the Syrian government. Their involvement underscores their strategic significance to Hezbollah's

military and political aims, which also means Iran's military and political aims. Since the cross-border shelling began, following Hamas' attacks on Israeli territory on October 7th, Israeli bombardment has killed over 130 Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, with an additional 19 casualties in Syria. This weekend marked a significant surge in hostilities. Hezbollah militants in Lebanon fired around 40 rockets into Israel, one of the largest strikes since the war commenced, damaging a key air base in northern Israel.

This prompted the Israeli military to strike several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including military sites and terrorist infrastructure. Now, there's another complication here that should be discussed when it comes to possible escalation, and that's the Lebanese armed forces, the Lebanese government's official military, which is trained and equipped by the United States. The Israelis have repeatedly attacked positions of this U.S.-backed force, since October 7th, including with small arms, artillery fire, drones, and helicopters. Now, that has caused alarm within the Biden administration and led to sharp rebukes from top

U.S. officials to Israeli leadership. Of course, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in the Middle East today to prevent this all from blowing up into a larger regional war. While ahead of meetings with Blinken, the Israeli government did indicate that they may be scaling back their operations in Gaza, the northern border with Lebanon is a different matter altogether. All right, coming up after the break, a recent U.S. intelligence assessment exposes corruption within China's armed forces, which left Chinese rockets filled with water instead of fuel. Now, I'm no rocket scientist, but that doesn't sound like the proper way to treat your missile. I'll be right back.

that always clicks and clicks and clicks. For kids who love to save the day, choose a Lego set, a gift that always clicks. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. In an extremely interesting revelation today, a Bloomberg report on a U.S. intelligence assessment has detailed the extent of corruption within China's armed forces, a crisis for President Xi Jinping that has left Chinese missiles filled with water instead of fuel. First, a little background on this story since we haven't updated you on it for a while. In late December of last year, China appointed a new defense minister, Admiral Dong Jun,

formerly the commander of the PLA Navy. He stepped in for Li Shang Fu, the previous defense minister, who had vanished two months prior without any explanation. The shakeup didn't end there. On the same day, nine senior military officials were ousted from their positions in the National people's Congress, China's principal legislative body. This is a clear signal that these individuals might soon face criminal charges. Now, the purge is not just a small reshuffling. It's historic. It's being called the largest in the PLA's history, drawing parallels to drastic measures taken by historic figures like Stalin or Mao. So why this sudden and severe crackdown? Well, that was a matter of speculation, until now. U.S.

intelligence, per the Bloomberg report, suggests President Xi Jinping's drastic measures stem from the discovery that corruption was severely undermining efforts to modernize the armed forces, thereby casting doubt on China's military readiness. Reports indicate the scandal includes instances as egregious as missiles being filled with water instead of fuel, and newly built missile silos in Western China equipped with malfunctioning lids, compromise. their launch capabilities. Although, to be fair, if the rockets are filled with water instead of fuel, it doesn't much matter whether the silo lids are working. Again, not a rocket scientist. This corruption has not only undermined the confidence in the PLA's capabilities, especially within the rocket force,

but has also derailed some of she's key military modernization goals. Over the last six months, the anti-graft campaign has swept up more than a dozen high-ranking defense officials, marking what might be the most extensive crackdown on military corruption in China's history. Now, the fallout from this is significant, suggesting that the state of readiness and the reliability of the Chinese military might not be as formidable as previously believed. With China's leader Xi reportedly taking some criticism from party elders last year as a result of problems within the economy, he can ill afford taking the heat for corruption within the military and questions over. the actual strength of the PLA. That in part explains she's swift moves to oust various officials

deemed at fault, or at least deemed expendable. He needs to be seen as taking aggressive action in order to avoid any weakening of his grip on authority. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 8th 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 tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this,

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