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5:30 PM ET, Monday, November 27, 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

Pentagon says Somali Pirates Likely Behind Attempt Hijacking of Tanker Off of Yemen.  The Pentagon said on Monday that the attempted hijacking of the tanker Central Park in the Gulf of Aden was likely carried out by Somali pirates, not Yemen’s Houthis.  Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder confirmed that the five armed men who attempted to seize the tanker were Somali and that it was a “piracy related incident.”  However, he noted that the U.S. has not ruled out a Houthi connection to the attack.  The U.S. Navy thwarted the attempted seizure of the tanker and detained the attackers.  After the assailants were captured, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen towards the Central Park and the U.S. warship Mason, which was responding to the attempted hijacking.  Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Houthis for the incident, but the group did not acknowledge either the attempted seizure or missile launches.  The attempted seizure of the Central Park comes after a separate container ship owned by another Israeli billionaire was attacked on Friday by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean.  The Houthis also seized a transport ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen earlier in November.  Reuters Al Jazeera

Suspect in Shooting of Palestinian American Students Pleads Not Guilty.  The suspect in the shooting of three Palestinian American students in Burlington, Vermont on Saturday has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second-degree murder and was ordered by a judge to be held without bond.  The suspect, Jason Eaton, has been held at a county jail since his arrest on Sunday.  Authorities are investigating if the shooting was a hate crime.  Police say the victims were wearing keffiyeh and speaking Arabic when they were attacked by Eaton, who allegedly fired on them without speaking and then fled.  The three victims remain hospitalized.  The shooting comes amid a rise in anti-Islamic and antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.  Reuters

ISRAEL AND HAMAS WAR

Israel, Hamas Extending Ceasefire by Two Days.  Qatar announced that Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the ceasefire in Gaza for two days.  The head of Egypt’s State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, later said that the extension agreement will have Hamas release 20 more Israeli women and children it is holding hostage in Gaza over the next two days in exchange for the freeing of 60 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.  Israel did not immediately comment on the matter, but a White House official confirmed the extension.  Hamas has released 69 hostages, including both Israelis and non-Israelis, since Friday.  In the latest release, Israel’s military said Hamas freed 11 hostages under the terms of the original ceasefire.  Israel has released over 100 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in the exchange.  A senior U.S. official said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will again visit Israel, as well as the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates, this week to discuss the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, getting more aid distributed in the territory, and the future of Gaza.  Reuters Wall Street Journal CNN NPR

U.N. Chief Warns that Extended Ceasefire Not Enough to Fulfill Gaza Aid Needs.  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas offered “a glimpse of hope and humanity,” but warned that it was not enough to meet aid needs within Gaza.  Guterres told reporters that he hoped the two-day extension would allow for more aid to be distributed in Gaza but noted that “it will be impossible to satisfy all the dramatic needs of the population” in that time period.  He also called on Hamas to immediately release all hostages it is holding in Gaza without any conditions.  Earlier on Monday, Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that negotiations must continue with the eventual aim of establishing a full humanitarian ceasefire.  The U.N. has accelerated its delivery of aid into Gaza over the last four days during the temporary ceasefire.  Aid has been sent into Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.  The U.N. is pressing to send aid through other border crossings, such as Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing.  Reuters U.N. News

Arab States, E.U. Agree on Need for Two-State Solution. Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain that a two-state solution is needed to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that all E.U. members and almost all other attendees at the meeting of Mediterranean nations in Barcelona agreed on the necessity of a two-state solution.  He also said that the Palestinian Authority should rule Gaza, calling it the only “viable solution” to future leadership of the territory, replacing current Hamas rulers.  Borrell said the Palestinian Authority must hold elections as soon as possible to cement its legitimacy and improve its functioning and called on the international community to support it.  Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that the administration of Gaza after the Israel-Hamas conflict should view the West Bank and Gaza as one entity and that the Palestinian people should have the freedom to choose who rules them.  Reuters

U.S., Allies Establish Task Force to Curb Hamas Funding.  The U.S. announced on Monday that it has formed an international task force with the U.K., Israel, and other allies aimed at cutting financial support to Hamas and bolstering anti-terrorism efforts.  The U.S. Treasury Department said the task force will enhance sharing of financial intelligence on terrorist-financing and coordinate on best practices and opportunities for actions to counter money flows for Hamas and other terrorist groups.  The task force will also strengthen relations between financial intelligence units, public authorities, and the private sector to counter terror threats.  The U.S. has already imposed several rounds of sanctions targeting Hamas’s investment portfolio since the group’s October 7 attack on Israel.  Reuters

THE UKRAINE UPDATE

Ukraine Launches Program for Demining Startups.  Ukraine’s Economy Ministry on Monday launched an accelerator program in cooperation with the Kyiv School of Economics for startup companies focused on humanitarian demining.  The accelerator will support participating startups with business development skills, industry expert mentorship, and access to a training ground to test technologies.  The Ukrainian government estimates that nearly one-third of Ukraine’s territory has been mined since the start of Russia’s full invasions last year, putting around 6 million at risk.  Kyiv Independent

Germany Provides 300 Million Euros in Support to Ukraine’s Power Grid.  Germany’s Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaegera announced on Monday that Berlin is providing 300 million euros ($328.4 million) in support to Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo to help repair and modernize Ukraine’s energy grid.  Ukraine is racing to repair and strengthen its energy systems in preparation for Russian attacks in the coming winter months.  Kyiv Independent

Turkey’s Military-Linked Exports to Russia Soar. Turkey’s exports to Russia of civilian goods used by the Russian military have soared this year.  Customs data shows that in the first nine months of 2023, Turkey reported $158 million worth of exports of 45 civilian materials the U.S. has listed as “high-priority” — including microchips, communications equipment, and parts like telescopic sights — to Russia and five former Soviet countries suspected of being intermediaries for Moscow.  This marks a tripling in exports recorded over the same period in 2022.  Turkey’s imports of these high-priority goods from G7 countries is also up to nearly $500 million so far this year, marking an over 60 percent increase compared to the same periods between 2015 to 2021.  Experts say this trade is growing due to regulatory gaps between U.S. export controls and E.U. enforcement.  The U.S. and Europe have called on Turkey to take steps to limit this trade to stop the flow of critical equipment for Russia’s war machine.  Brian Nelson, U.S. Treasury under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will visit Istanbul and Ankara this week to discuss efforts to disrupt and prevent this trade activity.  Financial Times

THE CYBER AND TECH RUNDOWN

CISA, UK Cybersecurity Agency Announce Guidelines for AI Developers.  The U.S., Britain, and 17 other countries have released voluntary cybersecurity guidelines for developers of new AI systems.  CISA and the UK’s National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) developed the guidelines to enhance security as AI systems are designed, developed, and put into practice.  The “secure by design” framework was arrived at in cooperation with multiple industry experts as well as government ministries and international agencies.  The NCSC noted that the guidelines will assist developers as they make cybersecurity decisions at each stage of development, including original systems as well as those built on existing tools and services.   NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron noted the significance of the guidelines “in shaping a truly global, common understanding of the cyber risks and mitigation strategies around AI to ensure that security is not a postscript to development but a core requirement throughout.”  TechMonitor Reuters

Alibaba Closes In-House Quantum R&D Lab; Donates Gear to Zhejiang University.  China’s Alibaba technology conglomerate has removed a quantum computing laboratory from its research academy and donated related equipment to Zhejiang University.  An Alibaba Damo Academy spokesperson said its technology research would be focused on leadership in the AI sector.  The academy, which was established in 2017, has 16 laboratories, including concentrations in AI, autonomous driving, and semiconductor R&D.  Reuters reports that staff impacted by the move may be offered roles in Zhejiang University’s quantum research.  Alibaba began investment in quantum research in 2015, when it joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences in creating a quantum computing lab in Shanghai.  Reuters South China Morning Post

Netherlands Approves China-Owned Nexperia’s Takeover of Chipmaker Nowi.  The Netherlands has approved China-owned Nexperia BV’s acquisition of Netherlands-based chipmaker Nowi Energy BV.  The Netherlands has been probing the acquisition for months on national security grounds.  Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Micky Adriaansens said in a letter to parliament that the takeover was approved since it was deemed not a threat to national security because Nowi’s technology is not dual-use.  Nowi produces small chips that help power generation on devices through energy harvesting.  The move demonstrates that despite Dutch coordination with the U.S. on restricting exports of chip technology to China, the Netherlands remains open to certain semiconductor business with Beijing.  Adriaansens noted that there are still areas where the Netherlands needs to be “extra a;ert” about, including “photonics, quantum, radio technology, sensor technology and chips.”  Bloomberg

Foxconn Investing $1.5 Billion in India Operations Expansion. Taiwan's Foxconn will invest $1.5 billion to expand its operations in India. The company did not provide further details on its expansion plans.  Foxconn is the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics and is a critical supplier of Apple.  Foxconn has been rapidly expanding its presence in India with  investments in manufacturing facilities in the south of the country.  A company executive siad that Foxconn intends to double investment in India by 2024. The company's Chairman Liu Young-way said in an earnings briefing in August that he sees a lot of potential in the Indian market, adding that "several billion dollars in investment is only a beginning.”  Reuters 

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Asia and Oceania

German Air Force Planning Major Asia-Pacific Tour in 2024.  The German Air Force is planning an exercise tour through the Asia-Pacific region in summer of 2024, accompanied with aircraft from France and Spain.  The deployment is expected to include eight German and four Spanish Eurofighters, 12 German Tornados, six French Rafales, four German and four French-Spanish A400Ms, and four German A330s. Parts of the formation are expected to take part in the Hawaii-based Rim of the Pacific exercises (RIMPAC) in late July.  Inspector of the German Air Force Lt. Gen Ingo Gerhartz said that the deployment will be “much, much bigger” than the German Air Force’s initial exercises in the Asia-Pacific in 2022.  The deployment next aims to support Berlin’s efforts to help stabilize the region, counter China’s influence, and free up the U.S. forces to focus on Europe.  German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month that Berlin recognizes that “the region’s interests touch on ours, at least, or even are the same as ours… We are coming to stay.”  Defense News

Japan, Vietnam Upgrade Ties to Highest Level.  Vietnam and Japan officially upgraded their relations to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" during a visit by Vietnamese president Vo Van Thuong to Tokyo. The new level of ties underlined Vietnam's increasingly strategic role as an important link in global supply chains in the midst of trade tensions between China and the West.  The elevation of ties with Japan follows shortly after Vietnam upgraded relations with the U.S. in September, when Washington and Hanoi signed multiple cooperation agreements in areas including semiconductors and critical minerals. Vietnam has also designated China, India, Russia, and South Korea as comprehensive strategic partners.  Reuters

North Korea Deploys Troops, Weapons to Previously Shut Border Posts. North Korea appears to have deployed soldiers and weapons to guard posts near its border with South Korea that were shutdown in a 2018 deal with Seoul.  South Korean military officials said they spotted activity near the posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMNZ) since last week. Images provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry showed soldiers outside of small posts inside the DMZ setting up various weapons.  Tensions between the two Koreas have been rising following Pyongyang’s recent spy satellite launch.  Bloomberg

Europe

Romania to Spend $2 Billion on Short-Range Air Defenses.  The Romanian government is asking for bids from defense manufacturers for short-range air defense systems costing up to $2.1 billion.  The Romanian Ministry of Defense published a notice earlier this month seeking short-range air defense and very short-range air defense systems known as SHORAD and VSHORAD.  Previously, Bucharest had purchased the U.S. Patriot system for its longer range air defense requirements. All air and missile defense systems will be connected to the NATO-wide network known as the alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense concept. Several different companies are expected to bid on the contracts including pan-European missile maker MBDA and Israel’s Rafael.  Defense News

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Ethan Masucol, Ken Hughes, Ryan Simons, and Leighton Durham contributed to this report. 

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