| Middle East → Over the weekend, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) released video footage of two Israeli hostages, both young men, who are severely emaciated and being held in tunnels in Gaza. The videos have sparked outrage in Israel. In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office issued a statement on Monday that the IDF would “occupy all of the Gaza Strip,” including areas previously avoided to safeguard the remaining hostages. The day prior, over a dozen high-ranking former Israeli security officials published a joint message calling for an end to the war and a complete, one-time release of the hostages. This public opposition to Netanyahu is something to watch. Wide swaths of Israeli society have protested against Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war for months, though dissent from the military and intelligence establishment has, until now, been largely expressed by individual leaders like Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, rather than a cohort of senior past/present officials. The statement may be an indication that the Israeli security establishment is attempting to apply public pressure on Netanyahu to abandon the desires of his right flank. Notably, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have been supportive of Gaza re-annexation since before October 7th. → The US and Israel are reportedly pushing for an “all or nothing” strategy, in contrast to earlier efforts which focused on phased deals in the Gaza ceasefire talks. US Envoy Steve Witkoff visited the region this weekend, meeting with hostage families and visiting the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Gaza. The humanitarian situation is expected to be a part of any upcoming peace talks. International Affairs → President Trump stated on Tuesday that he would increase the existing 25% tariff on Indian goods following disputes over India’s purchase of Russian oil. These tariffs are slated to begin on Thursday, August 7. In a social media post, President Trump claimed that India’s purchase of Russian energy was enabling Russia to continue its war in Ukraine. India and China are currently the largest customers of Russian oil. → On Tuesday, the Turkish parliament created a commission to “oversee the disarmament” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). A small number of PKK fighters laid down their weapons last month after Devlet Bahceli, Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, who Turkish media describes as “pro democracy,” presented a peace deal. Joining the commission is the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, which will represent PKK interests. → On Tuesday, the UK and France ratified a treaty under which the UK will return illegal migrants to France, while the UK will accept a lesser number of asylum seekers with connections to British citizens. Over the last several weeks, there have been protests in the UK against a wave of migrants entering the country on small boats. Prime Minister Starmer’s popularity has recently fallen as a result of the controversy. London is also instituting a plan to restrict the ability of smugglers to advertise on social media. Even when fully implemented, this plan will remove only a fraction of the estimated 35,000 annual illegal migrants. → An 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in far eastern Russia on July 31. No major damage was reported, though the earthquake led to a series of tsunami warnings. The earthquake also may have induced the eruption of the Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka, Russia for the first time in 600 years, according to Russian state media. → Late last week, President Trump stated that Friday, August 8 is the new deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine, though the Trump administration has expressed frustration that Putin has not made sufficient diplomatic efforts. The following day, Putin announced the development of a new military capability — a hypersonic missile potentially capable of evading Ukraine’s interceptors. US Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Russia later this week to push Putin towards a ceasefire. |
| Resources: US Department of State Travel Advisories CISA: nation-state cybersecurity threats and other resources for cybersecurity matters. Check out our newly enhanced media hub. See Interfor’s analysis of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan here. See our most recent talk on the rise of ideological violence in the United States and how corporate security professionals are meeting the challenge, featuring former Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Mark Sullivan. Our latest analysis looks at the Israel-Iran conflict; beyond the headlines. See also our second interview with Tom Hardin, one of the most active informants in securities fraud history. |
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