4:00 PM ET, Friday, December 1, 2023
The Cipher Brief curates open source information from around the world that impacts national security. Here's a look at today's headlines:
THE TOP STORIES
Israel Reportedly Tells Arab States it Wants Buffer Zone on Palestinian Side of Gaza Border. Israel has reportedly told several Arab states that it wants to establish a buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the Israel-Gaza border as part of plans for the territory after the war with Hamas. A senior regional security official said Israel wants the buffer zone “to prevent any Hamas or other militants from infiltrating or attacking Israel” from Gaza. Ophir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters that the plan is part of a “three-tier process” on a post-Hamas Gaza, which includes the elimination of Hamas; the demilitarization of Gaza, which could include the buffer zone; and the de-radicalization of Gaza. Falk did not comment on whether those plans were shared with international partners. An Israeli security source added that the size of the potential buffer zone is still “being examined.”
Regional sources said Israel informed Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates about the plan. The sources said Saudi Arabia was also informed, though it is unclear how Riyadh was told about the plan since Saudi Arabia and Israel don’t have ties and the kingdom halted the U.S.-mediated normalization process after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The sources said Non-Arab Turkey was also informed. The governments of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan did not comment on the matter.
The plan does not indicate that Israel is seeking an imminent end to its offensive against Hamas, but it signals that Israel is engaging beyond established Arab mediators, like Egypt and Qatar, on what a post-war Gaza will look like. Several Arab states have expressed concerns about any dispossession of land for Palestinians in Gaza after the conflict. The U.S. has likewise voiced opposition to any plan to reduce the size of Palestinian territory. Sources said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the buffer zone in their meeting on Thursday. Reuters Times of Israel
SpaceX Launches First South Korean Spy Satellite. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched South Korea’s first spy satellite on Friday. The rocket launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX ended the livestream of the mission shortly after liftoff and recovery of the rocket’s core stage booster without showing the satellite deployment. A spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program said the satellite has a telescope with electro-optical/infrared sensors. The DongA Ilbo newspaper previously reported that the satellite can identify objects as small as 12 inches. South Korea has contracted SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025 as part of efforts to achieve 24-hour surveillance of the Korean peninsula. The satellites also aim to bolster Seoul’s independent intelligence gathering capabilities. The South Korean satellite launch comes shortly after North Korea claimed it placed its own reconnaissance satellite into orbit. Pyongyang has yet to officially release imagery from the satellite, so it is unclear what its full capabilities are, though analysts expect it has a rudimentary optical system that takes images with lower resolution than commercial satellites. Bloomberg Reuters
Ukraine Appoints New Cyber Defense Official. The Ukrainian government has appointed Yurii Myronenko to be the new head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, an agency responsible for the national cyber security system. Myronenko replaces former chief Yurii Shchyhol, who was charged with embezzling state funds. Myronenko has an education in international economics and management with experience commanding a drone unit fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, defending Kyiv as part of the Territorial Defense Forces, and working in the financial, transport, chemical, and energy industries. Myronenko has pledged to present a plan for the further development of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection after being directed by Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to conduct an audit of the agency’s work. Kyiv Independent
E.U. Increases Imports of Russian Nuclear Fuel and Services. The E.U. has increased imports of Russian nuclear fuel and services for the bloc's Russian-designed reactors to the same levels it had before the war in Ukraine, Euratom Supply Agency (ESA) reports. These kinds of imports are not subject to EU sanctions, though the bloc is trying to reduce its dependence on Moscow. Its overall imports from Russia's nuclear energy industry remained stagnant last year despite the rising demand for nuclear power driven by high energy costs and a drive to cut down on carbon emissions. E.U. countries are now discussing a European Commission proposal for the 12th round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Sources say that the proposal does not include sanctions on Russia's nuclear energy industry. Reuters
ISRAEL AND HAMAS WAR
Renewed Gaza Fighting Kills Scores. Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza on Friday after talks to extend a truce with Hamas collapsed. Gaza health officials reported 184 people had been killed and dozens had been wounded in air strikes. There were also reported rocket launches from Gaza into southern Israel. Israel and Hamas accused each other of disrupting negotiations to extend their ceasefire. The White House specifically blamed Hamas, saying that the group failed to produce a new list of hostages to release leading to the breakdown of talks. Reuters CNN Wall Street Journal
Three Killed in Lebanon as Israel, Hezbollah Hostilities Resume. Lebanon’s state news agency reports that Israeli shelling in south Lebanon killed three people on Friday, as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended and fighting resumed at the Israeli-Lebanese border. Local Lebanese officials said two civilians were killed in the town of Houla, while one was killed in the village of Jebbayn. Hezbollah said one of its fighters was killed in the attack. It also said it carried out five attacks on Israeli military positions along the border. The Israeli army said its artillery struck a “terrorist cell” and sources of fire from Lebanon. The army also said its air defenses intercepted two rockets launched from Lebanon, which triggered air raid sirens in northern Israel. A spokesperson for the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIUFIL) told Reuters that shelling hit close to its headquarters in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Naqoura. Reuters
Blinken Discusses Future of Gaza with Arab Leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he met with officials from Arab states to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip and how to create a “durable, lasting and secure peace” in the territory. A senior State Department official said that Blinken met with the foreign ministers from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, and representatives of the Palestinian Authority to discuss the matter on the sidelines of the COP28 U.N. climate conference in Dubai. Reuters PBS
THE UKRAINE UPDATE
Ukrainian Intelligence Detonates Explosives on Railway in Russia’s Siberia. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detonated explosives on a key railway line in Russia’s far eastern Buryatia republic, according to Ukrainian media reports citing security sources. This marks the second alleged SBU operation on the Baikal-Amur railway line. The incidents appear to show Kyiv's ability to conduct sabotage attacks deep inside Russia in order to disrupt Russian logistics. A source said the explosives were detonated as a freight train crossed the Chertov Bridge. Russian investigators have said that the train was blown up in a "terrorist act.” The train was using a backup railway line after the earlier alleged SBU operation on the railway line a day earlier caused trains to be diverted. Reuters Kyiv Independent
Ukraine Develops New Electromagnetic Warfare Systems. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk said on Friday that new Ukrainian-made electromagnetic warfare systems to protect soldiers from radar-guided weapons and drones were successfully tested and have been recommended for use. One of the systems is specifically designed to counter all kinds of Russian drones, suppress satellite navigation signals, and create a variety of false signatures. Another two systems are reportedly being tested to counter Russian Lancet and FPV drones. The report on the new drones comes as Ukraine moves to bolster its domestic defense industry amid concerns about future Western military aid. Last month, state-owned Ukrainian Defense Industry announced the mass production of one-way attack drones with a range of 1,000 kilometers. Kyiv Independent
U.S. Sanctions Shipping Companies Helping Russia Circumvent Oil Price Cap. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned three shipping companies for transporting Russian oil above the $60 price cap imposed by the U.S. and its allies. The sanctions targeted United Arab Emirates-registered Sterling Shipping Inc. and Streymoy Shipping Ltd, as well as Liberia-based HS Atlantica Ltd. The sanctions come as the Financial Times reported on November 14 that the vast majority of Russian oil was selling above its price cap. According to officials, the cap was initially successful but Russia has since found ways to avoid it, such as by forgoing Western shipping services and insurance and using aging tankers to transport oil. Kyiv Independent
Kremlin says Russia Assumes Western Sanctions to Last for Years. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia has “no doubt” that sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine “will last for many years.” However, Peskov expressed confidence that Russia can weather the sanctions, asserting that the “American-centric world is ending” as “the world economy is not limited to the U.S.” Russia has worked to find ways to circumvent sanctions and is turning to other markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America to compensate for the decline in trade with the West. Peskov’s remarks came after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt said that Washington aims to cut Russia’s oil and gas revenues in half by the end of the decade. Reuters
Slovak Truckers Blockade Crossing with Ukraine. Slovak truckers started blocking Slovakia’s main border crossing point with Ukraine on Friday. The Slovak truckers joined Polish truckers and farmers who have blockaded crossings between Poland and Ukraine since November 6. Both Slovak and Polish truckers have argued that they are at a disadvantage to Ukrainian companies offering transport services in the E.U. at lower prices and are demanding the bloc reinstate a permit system for truckers engaged in Ukraine-E.U. trade, with exemptions for military and humanitarian aid deliveries. Slovakia’s Union of Slovak carriers (UNAS) chief Stanislav Skala told reporters that they will only allow four trucks through the border every hour. Military supplies, humanitarian shipments, perishable goods, and animal deliveries would be allowed through. In response to the blockade, Ukrainian truckers have said that they will go on a hunger strike if easing of the roadblock is not met. Ukrainian trucker Roman Vlasiuk said that seven trucks per hour should be allowed to cross and then be increased to 14, adding that thousands of trucks are being held up at the border. The E.U.’s transport ministers are meeting on Monday and are expected to discuss the issue. Reuters Bloomberg Barrons Kyiv Independent
THE CYBER AND TECH RUNDOWN
U.S. Sanctions North Korean Hackers. The U.S. partnered with several Pacific nations to sanction North Korea’s Kimsuky cyber espionage group. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said the measures are part of efforts to curb North Korea’s “illicit revenue generation and weapons proliferation.” U.S. officials say Kimusky has conducted intelligence-gathering activities within North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), its primary foreign intelligence service, since 2012. The group is accused of launching spear-phishing attacks targeting people in governments, research centers, think tanks, academic institutions, and news organizations. South Korea has blamed the group for a breach of the internal network of the South Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in 2021. The Record
Critical Infrastructure Grappling with Ransomware Attacks. Axios reports that U.S. critical infrastructure is increasingly being targeted by ransomware attacks. Recent attacks have targeted and disrupted hospitals, water districts, and financial services. Allan Liska, a ransomware expert at Recorded Future, told Axios that in 2023, there were 317 reported ransomware attacks on healthcare entities and 243 on schools, surpassing last year’s 245 attacks and 189 incidents, respectively. Efforts by the federal government to address the issue will take years to yield needed results. Cyber incident reporting laws have yet to go into effect, cyber funding measures that have already been implemented have only recently started allocating money, and investigations into past attacks often take years before enough evidence is gathered for arrests. Targets are also slow to adopt new cybersecurity tools and sometimes do not report ransomware attacks they have faced. Organizations can still practice basic cyber hygiene, like multi-factor authentication and security patching, as investments slowly pay off. Axios
China-Based Hackers Target Uzbekistan Government, South Koreans. Hackers believed to be based in China are targeting the Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and people in South Korea with a new strain of malware called SugarGh0st, according to a new report from Cisco. The report says that a Chinese-speaking threat actor began attacking targets with the new malware in August. Researchers said they discovered four samples so far, including one sent to users in Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once the sample is opened, it drops a decoy document claiming to be about an investment project with content about a presidential decree on technical regulation. The researchers found three more documents supposedly being used as decoys that were all written in Korean. Researchers believe the hacker behind the campaign is based in China because two of the decoy files were last modified by names written in Simplified Chinese. The malware used in the attacks is believed to be a variant of Gh0st RAT, a malware developed by a Chinese group and released to the public in 2008. Gh0st Rat has been used by a range of advanced persistent threat (APT) groups in attacks on diplomatic, political, economic, and military targets across the globe. New variants of the malware continue to pop-up, which are used by Chinese-speaking hackers for surveillance and espionage attacks. The Record
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
Asia and Oceania
China, India Hold Talks Over Himalayan Border Tensions. China and India held their 28th round of diplomatic talks on Himalayan border issues. Senior officials said both sides sought to “turn the page” on prolonged tensions over the disputed border. China’s foreign ministry said the talks were “comprehensive, in-depth and constructive” and affirmed there is “positive progress” being made in negotiations. The two sides agreed to hold the 21st round of commander-level talks sooner after discussions over “complete disengagement” along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh were tabled. Both sides will continue dialogue through military and diplomatic channels to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas. South China Morning Post
Europe
Russia Takes Over St Petersburg Airport from German, Gulf Investors by Decree. Russia President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that places St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport under the temporary management of a Russian holding company. The rights of German airport operator Fraport, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority, and a consortium of other investors are to be transferred to Russian hands, while Russian shareholders will retain their rights. The foreign shareholders can have their rights restored after they apply and come to corporate agreements in compliance with Russian laws on foreign investment. The Russian government will not own the new holding company but will appoint its chief executive. Russia has placed the assets of several Western companies under “temporary management” as they exit Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Reuters
Russia’s Navalny Faces New Charges. Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is facing new criminal charges against him under Article 214 of the penal code. Navalny is already serving over 30 years in a penal colony and has spent much of the last two years in solitary confinement on charges including extremism and many misdemeanors. Navalny’s political opposition movement was outlawed as part of a crackdown on Russian dissent, with key figures being jailed or fleeing abroad. Navalny denies all charges and asserts they are politically motivated and designed to silence his criticism of the Kremlin. Reuters
Africa
Biden Meets Angola President at White House, Pledges Reciprocal Visit. President Joe Biden met with Angolan President Joao Lourenco at the White House on Thursday. The two leaders discussed cooperation and investment in areas like solar energy and infrastructure development. Regarding space issues, Angola, which has a satellite program that has received support from Russia, signed the Artemis Accords, a pact that aims to shape space exploration rules. Biden said during his meeting with Lourenco that he will visit Angola, saying, “I have been there and I will be back.” He did not specify when the trip could take place, and the White House did not provide additional information. Biden has been criticized for not visiting Africa despite saying at the U.S.-Africa summit last December that he would do so in 2023. African leaders have said they are concerned the continent is being overshadowed by other issues like Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East. Reuters Associated Press The White House
The data cutoff for this product was 3:30p.m. E.T.
Ethan Masucol, Ryan Simons, Leighton Durham, and Tiffany Krueger contributed to this report.
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