The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 17th, 2024: Netanyahu Dissolves War Cabinet & A Look At Global Nuclear Proliferation

Episode Date: June 17, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    We’ll have two major updates out of Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially dissolved the war cabinet and criticized the recently announced “tactical pause” of Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza. An international nuclear watchdog has released a major report revealing that the number of operational nuclear warheads has seen a dramatic increase in recent years as global conflicts mount, with China and Russia’s activity proving particularly alarming. 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 PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Group. Protect your retirement assets during difficult financial times. Speak with the experts at Patriot Gold. They've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Monday, 17 June. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. First, We'll have two major updates out of Israel, where Prime Minister Netanyahu has officially dissolved the war cabinet and criticized the recently announced tactical pause of Israel's offensive in southern Gaza. Also, an international nuclear watchdog has released a major report revealing that the number of operational nuclear warheads has seen a dramatic increase

in recent years as global conflicts mount, with China and Russia's activity, proving particular alarming. And here's our afternoon spotlight. It appears divisions are beginning to widen inside Israel's halls of power regarding the conflict in Gaza, as Prime Minister Netanyahu reshuffles Jerusalem's wartime leadership. The Israeli leader moved to officially dissolve his war cabinet on Monday, a little over a week after Netanyahu's chief political rival, Benny Gantz, opted to resign from the body. Resisting pressure to replace Gantz with a member of his first, our right governing coalition, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvur, Netanyahu chose instead to formally close the door on the War Cabinet, that's according to a report from CNN.

Set up just five days after the 7 October attacks, the War Cabinet had functioned for eight months as the primary decision-making body overseeing Israel's military operations and had helped unify leaders in Jerusalem and the public behind the war effort. It included Netanyahu, Gans, Defense Minister Yov Golan, as well as two observers, Ron Dermar and Gaddi Eisencott. After the departure of Gantz and Eisencott, members of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition pushed for the inclusion of Ben Gver or others from their ranks, who had been excluded from the war cabinet in the early days of the conflict at the behest of Benny Gantz. Officials, familiar with the matter, however, told CNN that Netanyahu feared that allowing

Ben-Gaver into the War Cabinet, who advocates a more aggressive Israeli posture in the war, would risk further straining ties with the Biden administration, which has been pressuring Israel to agree to a ceasefire. On the other hand, an outright rejection of Ben-Gvur may have risked inflaming tensions within Netanyahu's already fragile coalition. Van Gvur and his allies have threatened to topple the coalition if Netanyahu agrees to U.S. attempts to establish a permanent ceasefire. fire. By dissolving the war cabinet, Netanyahu appears to have, well, for the time being anyway, dodged both bullets. Decision-making will reportedly move back to Israel's main 12-member security cabinet, with senior officials telling CNN that Netanyahu, quote, will hold smaller forums on

sensitive matters. It's unclear how much of the decision-making will happen in those smaller forums and who will be included, as opposed to the wider security cabinet, which includes, among others, Ben Gver, Gallant, and Foreign Minister Israel Cats. The growing divisions within Israel's leadership were already on full display on Monday, following an announcement by the IDF on Sunday that they would be instituting a tactical pause in the Southern Gaza Strip to allow the delivery of more humanitarian aid. As we discussed this morning, the pause began in the Rafa area at 8 a.m. local time and remained in effect until 7 p.m.

Officials said the 11-hour pauses would take place every day until further notice. Now, it's important to note that the pause is only in effect in a particular stretch of territory that allows for the movement of aid from Israel into Gaza. It doesn't impact the majority of the Gaza Strip. It's also unclear, just how effective the distribution of aid to the civilian population is once resources actually get into the enclave. Well, National Security Minister Benkever lashed out over the decision, saying that whoever decided on the policy, quote,

at a time when the best of our soldiers are falling in battle, is evil and a fool who should not continue to be in his position, end quote. It appears that Netanyahu may agree. Reports indicate that the prime minister was irritated upon hearing the news, also suggesting he was not involved in that particular decision. An unnamed Israeli official told reporters on Sunday, they, quote, When the Prime Minister heard the reports of an 11-hour humanitarian pause,

in the morning, he turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this was unacceptable to him. Later in the day, Israeli media quoted Netanyahu as saying, quote, we have a country with an army, not an army with a country. Netanyahu reportedly received assurances that there's no fundamental change in the military's strategy regarding Gaza and that operations against Hamas's remaining battalions in Rafah continue. Still, the episode is just the latest to highlight the precarious position that Netanyahu finds himself in. Coming up after the break, an international nuclear watchdog has released a concerning report, revealing that the number of operational nuclear warheads has seen a notable increase in recent years, as global conflicts mount with China

and Russia's activity proving particularly alarming. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice.

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On Monday, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, otherwise known as Cypry, released its annual report stating that the world's nine nuclear arms states continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals. The report reveals that despite the global total of nuclear warheads decreasing, as Cold War era weapons are dismantled, the number of operational warheads has seen an increase. Cypry reports a total of around 12,000 warheads globally as of January 24. Of those, around 9,500 are in military stockpiles with around 2,100 in a state of high operational alert. Now, most of these belong to the U.S. in Russia. They account for nearly 90% of all nuclear weapons. However, for the first time,

China is said to have warheads on high operational alert as well. China is believed to have expanded their stockpile from 410 to about 500 operational warheads in 2023. The report predicts that by 2030, China's active intercontinental nuclear missile arsenal could potentially rival those of the U.S. and Russia. Speaking of Russia, Putin has reportedly deployed 36 more warheads with operational forces in 2023 compared to the previous year. During the course of Putin, 's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russia has, of course, made threats regarding the use of nuclear weapons. They conducted tactical nuclear drills near Ukraine just this May.

Additionally, there were several public claims in 2023 that Russia had deployed nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. And shifting to North Korea's outlook, that country's arsenal has grown to approximately 50 warheads, with enough fissile material for up to 90 more. In 2023, North Korea conducted tests of short-range ballistic missiles and developed new land-attack cruise missiles. The country has been focused on improving the reliability, accuracy, and range of its missiles, potentially increasing the threat that they pose to regional adversaries. The country's nuclear activities are deeply intertwined with its military strategy, serving both as a deterrent and as a tool for diplomatic leverage.

Israel is another standout in today's Cypri report. The nation has never officially acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons, however, it is widely believed to maintain a significant nuclear arsenal. Recent developments suggest that Israel is actively modernizing its nuclear capabilities. One key aspect of this modernization is the upgrading of its plutonium production reactor at Dimona. This facility, which has been operational since the 1960s, continues to play a crucial role in Israel's nuclear program. Cypry's report underscores the escalating global arms race and the need for renewed efforts in nuclear arms control and disarmament to mitigate these rising threats. And of course, there's the question of Iran's nuclear program. As noted on the PDB, Intel reporting indicates that Iran has expanded its stockpile of

60% enriched uranium, putting it in a position to quickly enrich that material to the required 90% weapons-grade uranium. The reality is that the West lacks quality, insight, and intelligence into the Iranian regime's current efforts and assessments of a breakout time for Iran to become a member of the nuclear club, while they vary from weeks to months. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 17 June. have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And of course, if you want to listen to the show ad free, be sure to check out our premium membership at PDB premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe.

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