The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 13th, 2023: Hospital Siege & Syrian Strikes

Episode Date: November 13, 2023

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Israel closes in on Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza City, as intense fighting rages in the surrounding area. The hospital is believed to house large facilities and tunnel networks underneath that serve as an unofficial headquarters for Hamas leadership.     U.S. escalates response to attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria, striking two facilities in eastern Syria, likely killing or injuring several militants.     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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You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. It's Monday, November 13th. And welcome to the first edition of the PDB afternoon bulletin. This is where we'll provide some critical updates regarding the most important stories that are on our radar. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll pick up this afternoon in Gaza City, where Israel is exerting pressure on Hamas

to give up its stronghold inside Al-Shifa Hospital amid intense conflict in the surrounding area. We'll explain why this hospital is believed to be at the same. center of Hamas's operations and the precarious situation that's unfolding there. We'll also turn our attention to Syria, where the U.S. has conducted another round of airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups who continue to attack U.S. and coalition forces in the region. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Israeli forces closed in on Gaza City's largest hospital on Monday, the sprawling Al-Shefa

medical center, amid continued clashes between IDF, forces and Hamas militants in the surrounding area. The hospital has quickly become a focal point of the war and ongoing humanitarian crisis. Israel believes a hospital is a key tool in Hamas' strategy, accusing the terrorist group of using the roughly 650 patients still trapped inside as human shields and leveraging their plight to paint Israel as inhumane. Israeli and U.S. intelligence suggests that Al-Shefa Hospital is a command center, a key command center for Hamas, serving as a de facto safe zone and unofficial headquarters for the group's military leadership. They also fear that militants may be holding a number of the hostages taken on the 7 October attacks inside the hospital. Now, to make an

already bad situation worse, Hamas is believed to control a vast complex of underground facilities and tunnels at Al-Sheifa, complicating the IDF's ability to enter the hospital without risking the lives of civilians inside. The hospital suspended operations over the weekend after running out of fuel amid the current ban on imports in Gaza. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that IDF forces offered fuel to keep hospital systems running. Israeli troops delivered containers of fuel within 1,000 feet of the hospital entrance Sunday, but said that Hamas militants prevented hospital staff from retrieving the containers. Hospital staff, whose relationship with Hamas is complicated at best, said it was too unsafe to retrieve the fuel, and claimed that the amount

provided was insufficient to keep the hospital running for more than 30 minutes. An anonymous Israeli official countered that the fuel could have sustained operations for several hours as only the emergency department is currently being used inside the hospital. Now, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht stated that the IDF is working hard to avoid a further deterioration of the situation at Al-Shefa and said that the goal is for Hamas militants to come out and surrender. Hamas, however, has other ideas. They suspended talks to swap hostages with Israel on Sunday and appear resolved to keep their hold on the facilities at Al-Shefa. Meanwhile, the situation inside the hospital is reportedly dire.

Medical supplies, water, and food are dwindling for the civilians trapped inside. Some unconfirmed reports say that 32 patients have died since Saturday, including three babies due to the lack of fuel, two power incubators in the hospital's intensive care unit. Israeli officials have communicated with staff inside the hospital, telling them that patients can safely evacuate through the east side of the facility. Again, hospital staff responded that they believe the current environment is too unsafe for evacuations, particularly for those in critical condition. Now, again,

the Israeli military spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, said that they have made efforts to evacuate the 36 babies that reportedly remain inside al-Sheifa, but said, quote, Hamas is meddling in this. He believes Israel needs a third party to step in and provide relief. Israeli forces reach the main gates of Al-Shefa on Monday, and according to local reports, fighting outside the hospital remains intense. Look, the bottom line here is that Hamas is doing what Hamas has always done. They use the residents, the civilians of Gaza, as human shields. And those patients in Al-Shefa are trapped because Hamas wants them trapped.

Those patients have basically become another batch of hostages being used. used as leverage by the terrorist organization. Coming up after the break, the United States conducted airstrikes against Iranian-backed proxies in eastern Syria late Sunday, marking the third response by the U.S. to targeted attacks on troops in the region. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. In the latest retaliation for what has become a daily barrage of rocket and drone attacks

against American forces in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. U.S. struck two facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, and its proxies in eastern Syria on Sunday. The strikes likely killed or injured an undisclosed number of Iranian-backed militia members. Now, these latest strikes marked an escalation in the Biden administration's response to the ongoing assaults on U.S. troops. It followed criticism that previous actions did not go far enough to deter the provocations from militant groups. The Biden administration had been reluctant to approve more aggressive response options devised by the Pentagon, fearing such retaliations could spark a wider regional conflict with Iran.

As we recently discussed on the PDB, the U.S. military launched airstrikes just last Wednesday on November 8th, on a weapon storage facility in eastern Syria used by the militant groups and also by Iran's IRGC. That was the second official response by the U.S. to provocation. from Iranian-backed militants following an initial counter-strike targeting facilities again in Syria on October 26th. Now, those first two strikes by the U.S. did nothing to deter Iran and its proxies. This third round of airstrikes carried out Sunday night by the U.S. targeted training facilities and munitions stores in Abu Qomal and a safe house used as a command center for militant groups in eastern Syria. Less than a dozen militia members who are believed who have been present during the airstrikes

were likely killed or injured, though intelligence cannot yet confirm those figures. The Pentagon did confirm, however, on Sunday that militant groups have now launched 48 attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17th. That's resulted in injuries to at least 56 U.S. service members. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated. that the U.S. will do whatever it takes to defend its personnel from these attacks and defend its interests in the region. We will likely learn very quickly if this latest effort by the Biden administration actually deters further missile and drone attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities. If the proxy groups continue their attacks, President Biden has a difficult decision to make. While nobody, other than

the Islamic extremists, want a broader regional conflict, Iran's continued aggression and targeting of U.S. personnel cannot go unpunished, and at some point that punishment is going to have to be sufficient enough to actually serve as deterrence. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 13 November. If you have any questions or comments, 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. Hey, honey, it's mom. Did you know if we switched to Verizon, we can get four phones for $0,

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