| Middle East → On Sunday, the IDF carried out an airstrike in Beirut, killing Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s military chief of staff. Over the past several weeks, Israel has escalated its military activity in Lebanon, claiming that the Lebanese Army’s failure to disarm Hezbollah poses a threat to Israeli security. In response, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on the UN and ceasefire partners to uphold their commitments and stop Israeli attacks. → Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Washington visit last week led to a number United States-Saudi agreements and plans. President Trump confirmed that he would strengthen military cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through weapons sales and designation as a major non-NATO ally. Saudi Arabia will receive F-35s, which have historically not been sold to regional powers other than Israel, and 300 tanks. Notably, the U.S. also announced plans to work toward an agreement with Saudi Arabia to support the development of a civilian nuclear program in the Kingdom. No significant progress toward adding KSA to the Abraham Accords was reported, owing to a lack of progress on an “irreversible pathway” to a Palestinian state (the key Saudi demand in exchange for normalizing ties with Israel). The Trump team has clearly decided to prioritize the United States-Saudi relationship and to empower the Saudis as a regional actor, with or without a quid pro quo. Moreover, Trump’s rejection of a reporter’s question about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi shows that the White House is not interested in reprimanding MbS for human rights concerns or a lack of political freedoms in the Kingdom. Going forward, we are looking to see if Trump will successfully pressure the Israelis to make concessions on some discussion of Palestinian statehood to facilitate the normalization of ties to KSA, or if the Saudis will eventually look at all the support Trump has given them and decide to join the Abraham Accords without progress toward a Palestinian state. We also assess that this visit and the announcements that came from it could increase rivalry tension between KSA and the UAE. The UAE saw its own F35 deal with the U.S. nixed in 2022 due to concerns about Chinese technology partnerships in the Emirates (notably the Defense Intelligence Agency reported similar concerns around the sale of F35s to the Saudis). The Saudis are also suddenly attracting more foreign investment and partnerships, an area where the UAE previously dominated. → On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order initiating the process of designating chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as a terrorist organization. The order accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of aiding in the October 7th attack on Israel, arming Hamas, and targeting U.S. allies. International Affairs → On Sunday, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced that Japan was working to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on an island off the Taiwanese coast. Koizumi claimed that the missiles would act as a deterrent against military attacks on Japan’s mainland. However, China reportedly accused Japan of the opposite, claiming that it is stoking “regional tension and [provoking] military confrontation.” On the heels of worsening bilateral tensions, President Trump announced plans to visit to the region in April, during which he will meet with President Xi Jinping. → On Tuesday, the European Union (EU) voted to expand defense investments in Ukraine by approximately $1.7 billion. Lawmakers claim that supporting Ukrainian defense innovation will safeguard Europe from Russian aggression and indicates that the EU is attempting to depend less on the U.S. for military protection. EU defense contractors will be able to apply for tax breaks and incentives to contribute toward Ukraine’s defenses. → Over the weekend, the United States and Ukraine discussed President Trump’s 28-point peace plan, which some have criticized for being too deferential toward Russia. The plan reportedly requires Ukrainian territorial concessions and a NATO commitment to never admit Ukraine. After the latest meetings, Ukrainian representative Oleksandr Bevz claimed that they were making significant progress on all issues except whether either party will be required to concede territory gained during the war. → The US designated Cartel de los Soles, an umbrella organization for criminal activities linked to Venezuelan President Maduro, as a terrorist organization. The group is comprised of politicians and high-ranking military members who have profited off of the drug trade, illegal mining, fuel trafficking, and other activities. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed that the designation would enable the U.S. to explore further military options against Venezuela. → The French government is investigating criminal complaints against X’s Grok chatbot for alleged Holocaust distortion. Grok has previously been accused of producing antisemitic content, with some users reporting praise of Adolf Hitler. French authorities are treating the matter as illegal online content and “incitement to racial hatred.” US → Two men, Gavin Weisenburg and Tanner Thomas, from Texas were charged with “conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country” and “producing child pornography.” The men are accused of plotting to fly to Gonave, a Haitian island, murder all male residents, and take women and children as sex slaves. The men allegedly joined the North Texas fire department and the United States Air Force, respectively, to train for the planned coup. Weisenburg and Thomas’ attorneys deny these claims. |
| Resources: US Department of State Travel Advisories CISA: nation-state cybersecurity threats and other resources for cybersecurity matters. |
To find out more, please reach out to info@interforinternational.com
Related Blog
VIEW ALL
Geopolitics. Global Security, & Current Events
Interfor International‘s Weekly Security Digest – December 9, 2025
Geopolitics. Global Security, & Current Events
Interfor International‘s Weekly Security Digest – December 2, 2025
Geopolitics. Global Security, & Current Events
Interfor International‘s Weekly Security Digest – November 25, 2025