The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 18th, 2024: Moscow Issues Warning Over U.S.-Made Missile Strikes & Hamas Finds A New Home

Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gold Group. Protect your retirement assets and your future. Give the folks over at Patriot Gold a call today. Now, they've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. Go think about that, huh? Go to Patriot Group.com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Monday, 18 November. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin.

Starting point is 00:00:39 I'm Mike Baker. your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, Moscow is reacting to the news that the Biden administration has granted permission to Ukrainian forces to strike targets inside Russia's Kursk region with long-range American munitions. We'll have the latest comments from the Kremlin, and in case you're wondering, the Kremlin's comments, well, they're not particularly supportive of the U.S. decision. Later in the show, a week after being booted by Qatar, the leaders of Hamas have found a new home. Oh, look at that. They're settling in already. Setting up shop in the nation of Turkey, which, of course, is a member of NATO. Well, you can always count on Turkish leader Erdogan to play

Starting point is 00:01:22 both sides of any game. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Moscow is reacting sharply to reports that the Biden administration has given Ukraine the green light to target deep inside Russian territory with U.S. supplied long-range missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, told reporters, quote, it's obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps, and they've been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict, end quote.

Starting point is 00:01:55 Well, for that statement, Peskov wins today's PDB lack of self-awareness award. It's almost like he imagines that Russia is the victim in this conflict. While President Putin has yet to comment on the administration's decision, he warned back in September, that allowing Ukraine to target Russia would significantly raise the stakes, and that it would signal that NATO countries are at war with Russia. Well, clearly, as we already know, Putin himself lacks both self-awareness and any sense of irony.

Starting point is 00:02:24 What raised the stakes in this conflict is Putin's decision to invade a sovereign nation. Back in September also, Putin reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to use nuclear weapons if it sees a threat to its sovereignty. Kiev has also weighed in on the news, with Ukrainian President Zelensky delivering a measured yet pointed response. In a Sunday evening address, Zelensky said, quote, today, there's a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions, but strikes are not carried out with words. The missiles will speak for themselves, end quote. The Biden administration's move was also hailed by some of the U.S. as NATO allies, including Poland. the Polish president declared that the White House decision could be a decisive moment in the war.

Starting point is 00:03:12 As we reported this morning, the Biden administration has reversed a longstanding U.S. policy restricting the use of attack arms, tactical ballistic missiles with a range of approximately 190 miles. Under the new policy, Kiev's forces will be permitted to strike deeper into Russian territory, a significant shift from the previous rules, which only allowed targeting Russian troops, placed just across the border. The administration's decision may have the follow-on effect of clearing the way for Britain and France to also provide similar weapons for strikes into Russia. According to U.S. officials, Biden's decision was almost entirely triggered by the entry of North Korea

Starting point is 00:03:53 into the conflict. Ukraine will likely initially use the missiles in the Kursk region, where they're currently facing approximately 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops. sources told Reuters that Ukraine could carry out the first strikes using attackums in the coming days. Now, Biden's decision comes as Moscow's forces continue to slowly push the Ukrainian army backward in the Eastern Denebsk region. Putin's military has also conducted a devastating aerial campaign against civilian areas in Ukraine, with a specific focus on energy infrastructure as winter settles in. Most recently, a Russian ballistic missile hit a residential.

Starting point is 00:04:34 neighborhood in Odessa, setting a building a light and killing at least 10 people and wounding another 43. Coming up next, senior members of Hamas have found a new host, just days after being bounced from Qatar. I'll have those details after the break. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. As discussed here on the PDB, Hamas's leadership was booted from Qatar earlier this month following Doha's decision to end mediation efforts in the terror group's war with Israel, raising questions about the Iranian-backed organization's relocation plans. Hamas senior leaders had been living the good life in Qatar, relaxing in the luxury that their billions of dollars stolen from the residents of Gaza has afforded them. The Qatari decision came after the U.S. requested Qatar expel Hamas leaders on 8 November,

Starting point is 00:05:28 citing the group's refusal to engage in a proposed hostage deal and the execution of six capital. including an American citizen. An American source confirmed that Doha told Hamas, quote, You are not welcome here. The next day, Qatar announced it had halted its mediation efforts. However, according to an Arab diplomat who spoke to the Times of Israel, Doha asked Hamas leaders to leave the country back in late October, frustrated by both sides' unwillingness to negotiate seriously,

Starting point is 00:05:57 though no timeline was mentioned. The diplomat emphasized that Qatar's expulsion of Hamas was not necessarily permanent, but contingent on a renewed commitment to talks. Doha, which has hosted a Hamas office since 2012, framed its decision as a response to the lack of good faith in negotiations from both Hamas and Israel. Cutter's move underscores a growing disarray within Hamas leadership. The death of Yaya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza back in mid-October, added, of course, to the instability. While the U.S. had hoped Sinwar's elimination would open pathways for a ceasefire, Arab mediators in Qatar and Egypt expressed skepticism.

Starting point is 00:06:40 The two countries argued that his absence creates a leadership vacuum, complicating any meaningful negotiations with Israel. Meanwhile, Jerusalem has resisted calls for an open-ended ceasefire, citing concerns about leaving Hamas in power in Gaza, thus maintaining the threat to Israel. As Hamas' leaders began packing their bags, Turkey emerged as their primary resettlement spot. The terror group's senior leadership and their families have relocated to Ankara, a move likely to strain Turkey's relations with the Biden administration. Washington has explicitly warned allies against hosting Hamas, and President-elected Donald Trump is expected to uphold this firm stance when he takes office in January. Turkey's support for Hamas is, well, neither new nor subtle. Turkish

Starting point is 00:07:29 President Erdogan has consistently framed the group as a legitimate representative of Palestinian interests, rejecting international designations of Hamas as a terrorist organization. Aside from all their other past terrorist activities, apparently Hamas's 7 October slaughter of Israelis, well, that doesn't qualify as an act of terrorism in Erdogan's worldview. In March, Erdogan stated, quote, no one can make us qualify Hamas as a terrorist organization during a speech in Istanbul, underscoring Ankara's unwavering backing. Erdogan's rhetoric is further backed by symbolic gestures. In August, following the elimination of Hamas political bureau leader Ishmael Hanyi,

Starting point is 00:08:12 Erdogan declared a national day of mourning. The Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, of all places, marked the death by lowering its flag to half-mast, a provocative move, to say the least, reaffirming Turkey's alignment with the terror group. Ankara's role in hosting Hamas leadership could signal they shift in regional dynamics, as Qatar and Egypt have stepped back, frustrated by the inflexibility of both Hamas and Israel, and that could leave Turkey in a more prominent position to mediate future negotiations. While mediators debate the merits of continued dialogue, the absence of centralized leadership in the terror group and the diplomatic void left by Qatar

Starting point is 00:08:54 suggests a comprehensive resolution remains elusive. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for more. Monday, 18 November. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please, reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And of course, as you've probably already heard from Office Scuttlebut, to listen to the show ad free, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.

The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 18th, 2024: Moscow Issues Warning Over U.S.-Made Missile Strikes & Hamas Finds A New Home

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.