| Middle East → The U.A.E.-backed Southern Transitional Council (S.T.C.) in Yemen began an offensive on the southwestern province of Abyan. The province is a key land bridge between Yemen and Oman. Saudi Arabia has been making diplomatic overtures to de-escalate a dispute between the S.T.C. and the internationally recognized government in the south. The Saudi-backed government has been pursuing a plan to reconcile with the Houthis in the north and reunify the country. The S.T.C., on the other hand, may wish to declare independence for South Yemen and resume hostilities with the Houthis. Recent events in Yemen show the U.A.E. again choosing sides against the Saudis in its foreign policy (Sudan being the other recent example). Emirati support for the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.) in Sudan and the S.T.C. in Yemen is not just a move against the Saudis; it also obstructs U.S.-supported and mediated peace talks in both countries. In Sudan, the U.A.E. supports the R.S.F. primarily out of economic interest – the U.A.E. is the primary trading hub for gold mined in R.S.F.-controlled territory. In Yemen, however, the U.A.E. seems to be opposing a larger Saudi policy shift toward rapprochement with Iran and its proxies. Some analysts have even characterized the recent S.T.C. push as a significant realignment of U.A.E. foreign policy toward Israel, given Israel’s shared interest in seeing the Houthis defeated rather than integrated. → On Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces killed Raed Saad, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza. The Trump administration is reportedly investigating whether the strike violated the ceasefire, though Israeli officials downplayed tensions with President Trump. Israel is currently in talks with the U.S. and partner Arab states to implement Phase 2 of the ceasefire. Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to Florida to meet with President Trump on December 29. International Affairs → On Sunday, two gunmen opened fire on a Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia, killing 15 and injuring at least 27 in the largest terror attack Australia has seen since 1996. The gunmen have been identified as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram. The Bondi incident is the latest in a string of deadly antisemitic attacks around the world, which have accelerated since 2023. The Australian Security Intelligence Organization investigated Naveed Akram for Islamic State ties in 2019 but closed the investigation, citing a lack of evidence of radicalization. Police found Islamic State paraphernalia and improvised explosive devices in one of the suspect’s vehicles, near the site of the attack. → On Saturday, a shooter killed two U.S. servicemen and one civilian translator in Syria. President Trump accused the Islamic State of being involved, though they have not claimed responsibility for the attack. The U.S. has approximately 1,000 troops stationed in Syria. Last month, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa joined the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State as part of an overarching strategy to combat terrorism in Syria. However, the new Syrian government has struggled to consolidate control amid continuing sectarian violence, complicating al-Sharaa’s efforts to gain favor with Western powers. → Blaise Metreweli was inaugurated as the new head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, on Monday. She described Russia as an “acute threat” to the U.K. and the West, citing their widespread use of cyber tactics and disinformation. She underscored the need for intelligence agencies to harness the power of AI to confront the changing threat environment. → On Friday, a JetBlue passenger aircraft nearly collided with a U.S. Air Force (U.S.A.F.) jet near the Venezuelan coast. The JetBlue pilot claims that the U.S.A.F. jet did not have its transponder on, which would have served to enable nearby aircraft to avoid its flight path. The Air Force currently has resources deployed in the Caribbean as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against drug traffickers operating out of Venezuela. → On Monday, Ukraine disabled a Russian submarine in the Black Sea in an underwater drone attack. Russian authorities denied that the Ukrainian drone was successful in damaging the submarine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reached an agreement with European leaders to establish a European-led force to provide security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia. Zelenskyy stated this week that he believes diplomatic negotiations are progressing well. U.S. → On Saturday, an unidentified gunman attacked a classroom at Brown University, killing two students and injuring at least nine others. A manhunt for the shooter is underway. The university canceled classes and exams for the rest of the semester. |
| Resources: US Department of State Travel Advisories CISA: nation-state cybersecurity threats and other resources for cybersecurity matters. |
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