FDD Morning Brief

Headlines:The UAE and Saudi Arabia both struck Iran during the latest round of conflict.Operation Economic Fury continues apace.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Qatar’s Minister of State for Defense Affairs in Doha.Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow defense systems have been working overtime but, after weeks — if not months — of speculation, the chair of Israel’s Rafael defense firm asserted that the country is not short of missile interceptors.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Andrew Fox of the Henry Jackson Society.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with a group of Hamas officials in Ankara over the weekend.The New York Times reported over the weekend that Russia is shipping drone components to Iran through the Caspian Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.The Wall Street Journal ran an exclusive on Saturday detailing how the Israelis set up a secret military post in Iraq that hosted special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli Air Force.With elections slated for the fall, a heated political debate is erupting in Israel over Hamas and the October 7 attack.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The Iranian regime and the United States traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz last night.The Trump administration issued another batch of sanctions as part of Operation Economic Fury.Reports yesterday suggested that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked the United States from using their bases and their airspace after President Trump announced Project Freedom.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claims he met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei — but it’s unclear if and when that meeting took place.An Israeli strike in Gaza killed the son of Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Norman Roule, former National Intelligence Manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and current Non-Resident Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Reports broke suggesting that U.S. intelligence indicates Iran would need about nine months to a year to build a nuclear bomb.The United States, in partnership with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar proposed a UN Security Resolution to defend freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.The United Arab Emirates came under attack on Monday and again yesterday. These were the first attacks on the UAE since the ceasefire took hold last month.--FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation between guest interviewer Cliff May, FDD Founder and President, and Eugene Kontorovich, Executive Director of George Mason University Scalia Law School’s Center for the Middle East and International Law.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Hezbollah has been deploying a new category of drone that the IDF has struggled to counter.OPEC+, the broader alliance of oil-producing nations that includes OPEC members and additional producers like Russia, met on Sunday and agreed to bump up oil production by 188,000 barrels a day starting in June.U.S.-Iran negotiations hit another wall this past weekend.--FDD Turkey Program Director Sinan Ciddi fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines: The Global Sumud Flotilla is back — this time without Greta Thunberg.Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei released a written statement yesterday to mark National Persian Gulf Day. Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reportedly signed a letter of intent with Volkswagen to acquire one of VW’s factories in western Germany.FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with FDD Research Fellow Max Meizlish.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The United Arab Emirates announced that it’s leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.Tensions are brewing between Israel and Ukraine over allegations that Israeli authorities are allowing vessels carrying “stolen” grain to dock at Haifa port.Earlier this week, Israeli journalist Amit Segal posted a few paragraphs on X explaining that, according to his sources, Qatar is cutting off Hamas. No more money, no more hosting.--FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation between Jon and FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:An attempt on the life of the president of the United States on Saturday night.The talks scheduled between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States over the weekend didn’t happen. A serious exchange of hostilities over the weekend between Israel and Hezbollah over there in the Land of the Cedars.Security services in Israel busted a Hamas financing cell in the West Bank and Gaza.The political pair of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid are teaming up again for another run in Israel. FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Roy K. Altman, federal judge and author of the upcoming book, Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Israeli authorities charged two IDF Air Force mechanics with spying on behalf of Iran.France is getting feistier, threatening to impose sanctions on Israel if Jerusalem doesn’t change course in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.President Trump attended a meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors at the White House yesterday.A couple of announcements out of Washington relating to those nasty Iraqi militias. First, a 10 million dollar bounty on Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji of the group known as Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, or KSS.The city of Islamabad is reportedly still on a high security alert, as the Pakistani government continues to prepare for another round of talks between the United States and Iran.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD's Hussain Abdul-Hussain.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:At least two maritime vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.The Treasury Department issued a fresh batch of Iran sanctions, this time targeting Iranian missile and drone procurement networks.The UAE government dismantled an Iran-linked terrorist cell that was allegedly planning terrorist attacks and sabotage operations in the country.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Bernard Haykel.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The U.S. negotiation team is heading to Islamabad for round two of U.S.-Iran talks, and they’re opening under considerably worse conditions than round one.Egypt is working with Pakistan on lasting U.S.-Iran peace, says Egypt's Foreign Minister.Sudan enters its fourth year of war amid the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis.--FDD Research Analyst Mariam Wahba fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Ambassador Alberto Fernandez, vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:A ten-day ceasefire is now in effect in Lebanon.The Treasury Department issued a fresh batch of sanctions targeting a network of people, companies, and ships involved in illicitly smuggling Iranian oil.A group of U.S. senators sent a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asking him to explain why the Trump administration dropped a criminal case against Turkey’s Halkbank.Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, met with a pair of Kurdish leaders yesterday to discuss the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces — or SDF — into Syria’s state forces.Word on the street is that there was meeting between the U.S. and Hamas in Cairo earlier this week.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States and chairman of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Lebanon and Israel held direct talks for the first time in decades.The Trump administration is gearing up for its blockade of Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf.There are plans for new ceasefire talks in Islamabad.The UK and France are planning to host virtual talks to iron out a strategy for securing the Strait of Hormuz.A defense cooperation memorandum of understanding between Italy and Israel that’s automatically renewed every five years since 2005 expired on Monday. Yesterday, Rome announced that it’s ending the agreement amidst the ongoing war in the Middle East.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with David Adesnik.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Miad Maleki.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:The IDF said it eliminated Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem’s personal secretary in a strike near Beirut.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Beirut isn’t going to let any other government negotiate for a ceasefire on its behalf.The Trump administration is reportedly considering moving troops out of NATO countries after several of them hamstringed American efforts in Iran.Iran continues to strangle the Strait of Hormuz.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP episode of the FDD Morning Brief featuring FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus and FDD CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman.They examine the implications of the ceasefire and negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Headlines:Yesterday, the IDF said it completed the deployment of ground troops to a so-called anti-tank line in south Lebanon.An American journalist kidnapped in Iraq last week is on her way home.A firefight broke out adjacent to the Israeli consulate in Istanbul yesterday.Massive explosion at the Panama Canal yesterday.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with NUFDI Research Director Khosro Isfahani.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Today's headlines:The regime in Tehran somehow managed to shoot down an American F-15 fighter jet over the weekend.The aviators from that downed F-15 are both ok.Donald Trump’s Truth Social post yesterday seems to suggest that the April 6 deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz has been extended until tomorrow night.The internet blackout continues inside Iran. The war in Lebanon continues. Tough day in Israel yesterday, with a building in Haifa absorbing a direct hit from a ballistic missile, while cluster munitions also hit dozens of locations across central Israel. Turkey is somehow getting its oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz. Featured FDD piece: "Islamist Turkey: A Base for Muslim Brotherhood Jihadism" - FDD Memo, Sinan Ciddi and William DoranFDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Freedom House's Yana Gorokhovskaia.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Today's headlines:Turkey is working with Iranian authorities to secure permission for 11 Turkish-owned ships to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.Israeli forces eliminated the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front.The International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank are joining forces to coordinate a response to the ongoing war with Iran.Featured FDD piece: "Islamist Turkey: A Base for Muslim Brotherhood Jihadism" - FDD Memo, Sinan Ciddi and William Doran--FDD Turkey Program Director Sinan Ciddi fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with world-renowned Turkey scholar Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak.

Today's headlines:Trouble continues in the Strait of Hormuz.Kosovo announced that it plans to deploy troops to the U.S.-backed international stabilization force for Gaza.The Iranian ambassador is still in Lebanon, and the Lebanese government is still effectively beholden to Hezbollah.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi wants President Trump to end the war.--FDD Research Analyst Mariam Wahba delivers headlines ahead of a conversation between FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer and "Oh My World!" host Hagar Chemali.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow Major General (Ret.) Amir Eshel.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Today's headlines: U.S.-Israeli air superiority continuesIranian air defenses remain downIsrael eliminated the head of Iran’s navyThe Islamic Republic is preparing for a ground warU.S. President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for the regime to make a dealBeirut declared Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon persona non grata and instructed him to leave the countryHezbollah continues to batter northern Israel with rocketsThe U.S. embassy in Iraq told American citizens to leave Iraq immediatelyIDF chief of staff informed the cabinet that the army could collapse on itself if the war continues at this pace due to manpower shortages--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ilan Berman, Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with former U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Adjunct Senior Fellow Peter Doran, who authored the FDD Monograph "Winning the Race of the Red Queen: How U.S. Sanctions Can Outpace Russia’s Evasion."They discuss how Russia and Iran have adapted to U.S. sanctions, why economic pressure often falls short, and what it will take for Washington to regain the upper hand.Learn more: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Distinguished Fellow Lewis Libby.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special FDD Morning Brief SITREP featuring FDD experts RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Jonathan Hessen.They examine the tactical picture in Iran, the threat to the Strait of Hormuz, and what states could become key players in the conflict.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Einat Wilf, chair of the Knesset's Oz Party.They assess public sentiment in Israel, the danger of leaving the Islamic Republic weakened but intact, and why the fight against the regime’s ideology could define the region’s future.Learn more: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

THE WAR IN IRAN IS TESTING THE GULF---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP episode of the FDD Morning Brief featuring Ebtesam AlKetbi of the Emirates Policy Center and FDD Senior International Fellow Eyal Hulata.They examine how Operation Epic Fury is impacting Gulf countries.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

THE MILITARY PARTNERSHIPS FUELING EPIC FURY---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus and Bradley Bowman. They examine the U.S.-Israel military synchronization powering Operation Epic Fury as it unfolds.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts Janatan Sayeh and Cameron McMillan.They provide timely situational updates and analysis on the evolving war with Iran and the military dimensions of Operation Epic Fury.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

ERDOGAN'S NEO-OTTOMAN AMBITIONSHEADLINE 1: The Palestinian Authority is still paying money to terrorists.HEADLINE 2: The Trump administration continues to heap financial pressure on Iran.HEADLINE 3: A construction project in Gaza seems to be in the works.---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Turkey Program Senior Director Sinan Ciddi.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief---Featured FDD Pieces: "Georgia is becoming Iran’s sanctions evasion hub" - Keti Korkiya, The Hill"The US should stop indulging Hungary and Slovakia" - Ivana Stradner and Dalibor Rohac, Washington Examiner "Saving the European-American marriage" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times

HEADLINE 1: Iran wants to buy anti-ship missiles from China.HEADLINE 2: India's prime minister touched down in Israel today.HEADLINE 3: In case you missed it, Syria recently transferred thousands of ISIS prisoners to Iraq. --FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Erin Molan, former television presenter for Sky News Australia and host of The Erin Molan Show.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"What if the Iranian Regime Is Stronger Than Trump Thinks?" - Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, The New York Times"How Did the United States End Up on the Same Side as the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen?" - Bridget Toomey, FDD Insight"The Islamic Republic’s Weaponization of Global Terror" - Mark Dubowitz and Edmund Fitton-Brown, The Iran Breakdown

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

AN ANCIENT CITY'S MODERN DIVIDE HEADLINE 1: Iran and Russia held joint naval exercises in and around the Gulf of Oman.HEADLINE 2: The European Union officially designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.HEADLINE 3: Israel carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the town of Hebron this week.---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Yishai Fleisher, who serves as the international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief---Featured FDD Pieces:"Europe Looks to Israeli Tech to Defend Tanks" - Brad Bowman and Justin Leopold-Cohen, Real Clear Defense"Free Jimmy Lai!" - Cliff May, The Washington Times"Ukraine, four years in" - LinkedIn Newsletter: This Week at FDD

HEADLINE 1: More countries are planning to contribute troops to the International Stabilization Force in Gaza.HEADLINE 2: The Lebanese government provided an update on disarming Hezbollah.HEADLINE 3: Qatar is taking some heat right now from an unlikely place: the Israeli left.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Andrew Tabler of The Washington Institute.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"Allies, Adversaries, and the Axis" - Bradley Bowman and LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, Foreign Podicy"Did Iran Use Chemical Weapons on Protesters?" - Andrea Stricker (writing with Gregory D. Koblentz), The National Interest"Trump could be missing the opportunity to rebuild the Navy efficiently and quickly" - RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, New York Post

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steve Hayes, CEO and editor of The Dispatch.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

HEADLINE 1: The United States smuggled thousands of Starlink internet terminals into Iran.HEADLINE 2: Remember the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? A security firm based in North Carolina called UG Solutions helped secure the group’s aid distribution sites. Well, UG Solutions might be coming back.HEADLINE 3: Israel successfully completed new tests with its David’s Sling missile defense system.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gaza native who serves as the founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"Egypt Tests Trump’s Pledge to Defend Persecuted Christians" - Mariam Wahba, Newsweek"A few words of advice on Iran and Gaza" - Cliff May, The Washington Times"Al Jazeera Centre for Studies: Academic Veneer Normalizing Terrorism" - Toby Dershowitz and Qatar expert Eitan Fischberger, FDD Insight

HEADLINE 1: Turkish forces aren’t leaving Syria anytime soon.HEADLINE 2: Israel indicted two more individuals for allegedly spying on behalf of Iran. HEADLINE 3: Indonesia is planning to participate in the International Stabilization Force in Gaza.--FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/--Featured FDD Pieces:"Whither the Hamas solidarity movement?" - Ben Cohen, JNS"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Houthis But Were Afraid to Ask" - Cliff May and Edmund Fitton-Brown, Foreign Podicy"Weaponized Mass Migration" - RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA Iranian-targets officer and current FDD resident scholar.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

HEADLINE 1: Even with talks this weekend, Iran continues to escalate in the Middle East.HEADLINE 2: Israel continues to even the score from October 7.HEADLINE 3: And I really don’t like this: Egypt and Turkey signed a military cooperation agreement in Cairo.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former senior advisor to the Palestinian Authority.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/--Featured FDD Pieces:"Should Western Tech Giants Partner With Pro-Hamas Network Al Jazeera?" - Toby Dershowitz and Asher Boiskin, The Cipher Brief"Why Is the Trump Administration Wiring Venezuelan Oil Revenue to Qatar?" - Natalie Ecanow, The Dispatch"Sudanese Army Breaks Key Siege as U.S. Leads Humanitarian Aid Push" - Mariam Wahba, FDD Policy Brief

HEADLINE 1: UNRWA is back in the news. And that’s generally not a good thing for the UN’s most corrupt agency.HEADLINE 2: Earlier this week, the IDF dropped some sort of non-toxic chemical substance near the Blue Line. The Israelis have been consistently clearing greenery to ensure unhindered lines of sight. UNIFIL was outraged.HEADLINE 3: Lebanon’s army chief headed to Florida this week for meetings with his American counterparts.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli journalist and "The War of Return" co-author Adi Schwartz.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief--Featured FDD Pieces:"After Erdogan: Who Will Control Turkey?" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, FDD Memo"Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias" - FDD Event"Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: February" - FDD Experts

IS THIS THE END OF UNRWA? HEADLINE 1: The Islamic Republic of Iran has designated every European military as a terrorist organization. HEADLINE 2: Looks like the EU Commission has fired a senior official after a scandal involving Qatari influence and lavish gifts.HEADLINE 3: Hamas claims that it has killed several members of Israel-backed paramilitary groups operating in Gaza.HEADLINE 4: The Israelis have opened up the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza after a year of keeping it closed.HEADLINE 5: The government of South Africa and Israel are engaged in a nasty diplomatic spat right now. ---FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA).Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

HEADLINE 1: Turkish authorities detained six people suspected of spying for Iran.HEADLINE 2: The Saudis are in town, led by the crown prince’s brother.HEADLINE 3: South Africa reportedly is moving ahead with investigations into naval drills that took place in early January.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi.For all past episodes: https://bit.ly/3LENwPr--Featured FDD Pieces:"Iran Protests Highlight South Africa’s Broken Moral Compass" - David May, The Algemeiner"Two Bad Apples Threaten to Spoil the Gaza Board of Peace" - Natalie Ecanow and Sinan Ciddi, National Review"In the Eye of the Storm" - Mark Dubowitz and Rich Goldberg, The Iran Breakdown

HEADLINE 1: A delegation of Hamas officials arrived on Monday in…wait for it…Turkey.HEADLINE 2: This is not a parody: Hamas wants to be part of Gaza’s new government.HEADLINE 3: The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Middle Eastern waters yesterday.AND BONUS HEADLINE 4: The IDF is still hammering Hezbollah in Lebanon.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams, who formerly served as U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela.For all past episodes: https://bit.ly/3LENwPr--Featured FDD Pieces:"Israel’s hostage agony finally ends — but its Gaza mission is far from over" - Mark Dubowitz, New York Post"Iranian Influence Operation Floods X With Anti-Protest Messaging" - Max Lesser and Maria Riofrio, FDD Policy Brief"Why Is Saudi Arabia Abandoning Peace?" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, The National Interest

FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a pre-recorded conversation between Jonathan Schanzer and Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum.For all episodes: https://bit.ly/4qHfzNp

IS VENEZUELA CHINA'S REALITY CHECK? HEADLINE 1: Israel banned 29 Turkish individuals from entering the country.HEADLINE 2: Iran is reportedly turning to cryptocurrency to resuscitate its economy.HEADLINE 3: The Treasury Department slapped sanctions on a network of nonprofits tied to Hamas.HEADLINE 4: Israel is still schwacking Hezbollah in Lebanon.-- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Craig Singleton, senior director of FDD’s China Program.Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief-- Featured FDD Pieces: "Over the Barrel of a Gun: Syria’s Deal With the SDF" - Ahmad Sharawi, Real Clear World"The mission behind Trump’s Board of Peace is simple — and critics keep getting it wrong" - Jonathan Schanzer, New York Post"Assessing the China-Russia Threat Nexus in Technology and Information Warfare" - Craig Singleton, David Shedd, Ivana Stradner, and William Evanina, FDD Event

HEADLINE 1: Israel began demolishing UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem.HEADLINE 2:  U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who also serves as Trump’s Syria envoy, thinks that things are going well in Damascus. HEADLINE 3: The IDF began a sweeping counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Hebron.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli American journalist Emily Schrader.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/--Featured FDD Pieces:"Persian Puzzles" - FDD's Foreign Podicy"As Iran’s uprising intensifies, Israel cannot afford to sit this one out" - Saeed Ghasseminejad and Navid Mohebbi, Ynetnews"Canada’s Bet on Beijing Puts USMCA at Risk" - Elaine Dezenski and Susan Soh

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for MENA at the Council on Foreign Relations.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/