| Middle East → On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with President Trump in Washington DC to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza, among other topics. President Trump reportedly stated that his plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza was back on the table with regional support. Both leaders maintain that relocation would be voluntary, though the plan is still criticized as a displacement scheme by opponents. Still, Israel and Hamas appear deadlocked over the current ceasefire proposal, with the key disagreement being over whether it will lead to a permanent end to fighting. Interfor Analysis: Trump’s team has repeatedly suggested that a ceasefire was around the corner in recent days. Clearly Trump hopes to pressure Netanyahu to move toward a ceasefire, but that will only take the process so far if Hamas remains resistant to a temporary agreement. Trump and Netanyahu also reportedly discussed Iran, the potential for diplomacy, and prospective further military action, should that diplomacy fail. As with Hamas in the Gaza negotiations, much depends on whether or not Trump believes Iran is making a good faith effort in negotiations, and Netanyahu, very likely, will try to shape that perception. → On Sunday night, the IDF carried out strikes in Yemen, targeting Houthi ports and power stations. According to the IDF, all targets were used by the Houthis to transfer weapons and attack Israel and global shipping. In response, the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles at Israel. |
| International Affairs → The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) will begin handing over weapons in northern Iraq on Friday, in accordance with their peace deal with Turkey. In May, the PKK decided to disband and end their decades-long struggle against the Turkish government. The disarmament process is expected to take between 2-5 months. → President Trump told Ukrainian President Zelensky that he was open to sending more weapons to Ukraine in a phone conversation between the two leaders on Friday. This follows reports that the Pentagon had suspended some material support to Ukraine, citing depleting US stockpiles of certain weapons. The Pentagon is still undergoing an internal capabilities review. Additionally, Ukraine-Russia peace talks have reportedly made little progress, with President Trump expressing his public disappointment. It remains to be seen what material support President Trump will actually provide. There is also reportedly a push for Europe to provide military equipment as well. → At the BRICS annual summit this weekend, member countries condemned US tariffs policies and the US strike on Iran, though they stopped short of naming President Trump. In response, President Trump posted on Truth Social that all BRICS-aligned countries would be levied with an additional 10% tariff. While the social media post is not an official policy, several key members of BRICS have been at odds with Trump in recent months, including Russia, Iran, and China. United States → On July 4th, central Texas was hit with a deadly flood, killing over 100 people with approximately 23 still missing. Of those killed, 28 were children staying a summer camp. State and federal agencies are still conducting search and rescue missions. The high death toll has prompted criticism from some lawmakers that alerting systems for natural disasters are inadequate and unsafe. |
| 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 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. |
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