5:30 PM ET, Monday, November 6, 2023
The Cipher Brief curates open source information from around the world that impacts national security. Here's a look at today's top headlines:
ISRAEL AND HAMAS WAR
Gaza Officials Report Death Toll over 10,000. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 10,022 Palestinians and injured over 25,000 more since the Hamas attacks on Israel. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated calls for a ceasefire to end the “nightmare” in Gaza, which he said is “becoming a graveyard for children,” referencing the thousands of reported children casualties in the territory. He highlighted concerns that Israeli attacks are hitting civilian and U.N. facilities, while adding that Hamas uses civilians as “human shields” and continues firing rockets into Israel. Guterres also urged for Hamas to release all hostages. President Joe Biden held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the conflict. The White House said Biden reiterated support for Israel while emphasizing the need to protect Palestinian civilians, suggesting potential “tactical pauses” in Israeli attacks for humanitarian reasons and for hostage negotiations. Israel’s military says it has lost 31 troops in ground assaults in Gaza. It also said it's “closing in on” Hamas, having isolated northern Gaza and readying itself to target the militant group’s tunnel network. Associated Press Al Jazeera CNN Reuters
Israel says Four Palestinian Militants in the West Bank Killed. Israeli security forces say they killed four Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank. Israel's military and police said the four were part of a West Bank cell which was behind multiple shooting attacks and directed by Hamas. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the four were killed in the western West Bank city of Tulkarm after Israeli forces opened fire on their car. In a separate incident, an 18-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Also, an Israeli border police officer was killed in Jerusalem earlier after she was stabbed by a 16-year-old Palestinian, according to police. Reuters
Israeli Finance Minister Calls for West Bank ‘Security Zones’ to Keep Palestinians Away. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday called for security zones to be established around Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move would deny Palestinian farmers access to their olive crops during harvest season, during which Palestinians and Jewish settlers have often clashed. Smotrich, a hardline religious-nationalist, said the zones to keep Palestinians away will better protect the settlements. He added that Palestinian farmers be given compensation for their crops. He made the suggestions in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Reuters
Hamas Fires Rockets from Lebanon Into Israel. The Lebanon branch of Hamas’s armed wing Qassam Brigade said it fired 16 rockets from southern Lebanon into northern Israel on Monday. The group said it targeted the northern Israeli city of Nahariya and the southern outskirts of the city of Haifa in retaliation for the “massacres and its aggression against our people in Gaza.” Israel later said its fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in response and warned of further “significant” retaliation if attacks continue. Al Jazeera Associated Press Reuters
Britain Withdraws Some Embassy Staff from Lebanon. The British Foreign Office announced that it is temporarily withdrawing some staff from the British embassy in Lebanon. It is also calling on British nationals to leave Lebanon as soon as possible while they still can. This announcement comes amid concerns over the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the region and heightened tensions with Hezbollah. Reuters The Guardian
France to Provide Lebanese Army with Armored Vehicles. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the France is sending dozens of armored vehicles to the Lebanese army. Lecornu, who announced the deliveries after a trip to Lebanon, said the vehicles will help the Lebanese army carry out patrol missions and support the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country. This announcement comes amid concerns over the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the region and heightened tensions with Hezbollah. Reuters
Houthis Launch More Drones at Israel. Yemen’s Houthis launched a new batch of drones towards Israel on Monday, according to local media. The Houthis said the drones were launched at “varied and sensitive” targets. The drone launches reportedly led to the halting of movement at targeted bases and airports. Reuters
Rafah Crossing Reopens for Limited Evacuations from Gaza. Dozens of foreign passport holders and some medical evacuees passed through the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt on Monday as evacuations resumed after a two-day suspension. The Gaza border authority had said that Egyptians and foreign citizens on pre-approved lists would be allowed through the crossing, which is the only exit from Gaza that does not border Israel. Passage of foreign nationals and injured Gazans had been stopped on Saturday after an Israeli strike on an ambulance in Gaza, according to Egyptian officials. Roughly 80 dual nationals and 17 medical evacuees had left to Egypt through Rafah on Monday, while 48 aid trucks crossed into Gaza. Egypt has previously sought safety guarantees for ambulances in the area. "Any effort to get convoys of ambulances carrying wounded to Rafah crossing must be accompanied by ICRC and UN vehicles to protect them and so they don't get bombed as happened with the last convoy," said the Hamas-run government media office. Reuters
South Africa Recalls Diplomats from Israel. South Africa is recalling diplomats from Israel in order to reassess its relationship with the country and “signal” concern over civilian casualties in Gaza. South Africa has backed the Palestinians in the past, comparing their struggle to its own under the apartheid regime that ended in 1994. Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, said the recalling of the diplomats was a "normal practice" aimed at reassessing future Israeli-South African ties. Reuters BBC Al Jazeera
Iran’s Raisi to Visit Saudi Arabia. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is traveling to Saudi Arabia on Sunday for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Riyadh. Iranian state news reported that “Palestine will be discussed” at the gathering. Raisi will be the first Iranian head of state to visit Saudi Arabia since the China-brokered rapprochement deal between Tehran and Riyadh in March. Reuters
THE UKRAINE UPDATE
Ukraine’s Top General’s Aide Killed by Explosion at His Home. Major Hennadii Chastiakov, an aide to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was killed by an explosive device that detonated in his home. Zaluzhnyi and Ukrainian media said Chastiakov was killed by an explosive that was present in a gift he received for his birthday. Chastiakov’s 13-year-old son was seriously injured in the explosion and is currently receiving medical care. Kyiv Independent
Ukraine Projects Major Domestic Defense Boost, Confirms Mass Production of Long-Range One-Way Drones. Ukraine is mass producing one-way kamikaze drones with a reported range of 1,000 kilometers, or around 620 miles. Herman Smetanin, the head of the state-owned Ukrainian Defense Industry, formerly known as Ukroboronprom, said foreign partners are supporting production and that the Ukrainian military is already ordering the drones for operations. The Ukrainian Defense Industry first said in January that it was developing the drone. Separately, Smetanin added that part of the Ukrainian Defense Industry’s 2024 budget will go towards developing ammunition production capabilities. He also said that Ukraine is planning on increasing overall defense production by 62% by year-end compared to last year and that Kyiv is committing seven times more money to develop its defense industry next year than in 2023. Kyiv Independent Newsweek Reuters
French Arms Manufacturer Signs $38 Million Contract with Ukraine’s Military. France's oldest arms manufacturer Verney-Carron has signed a 36-million-euro ($38.6 million) contract to provide Ukraine with weapons. Verney-Carron is set to supply 10,000 assault rifles, 2,000 sniper rifles, and 400 grenade launchers to Ukraine. The deliveries will be spread over 10 months to allow the company to adapt its manufacturing process to produce the equipment needed to fulfill the order. Verney-Carron is most well-known for producing shotguns for hunting and rubber bullet guns used by French riot police. The company joins a growing list of French companies that are supplying arms to Ukraine. Kyiv Independent
Nearly 130 U.K. Companies Admit to Breaching British Sanctions Against Russia. The Financial Times reports that 127 U.K. companies admitted to breaching British sanctions against Russia as of May 17, according to a freedom of information request submitted to the U.K. Treasury. Businesses that voluntarily admit breaches and cooperate with investigations can potentially reduce government penalties. The U.K. has sanctioned over 1,600 individuals and entities since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including over two dozen banks and over 100 oligarchs. A source close to the Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which is responsible for monitoring sanctions breaches, noted that the unit is working to ensure it doesn’t “unduly penalize honest mistakes” and considers sincere efforts and checks to mitigate breaches. Lack of transparency regarding beneficiaries of companies and Russian shares in shell companies complicate efforts to adhere to sanctions. Many Kremlin-backed oligarchs had long-standing ties to Britain with the so-called “golden visa” scheme, which allowed them to buy the right to hold property in the U.K. and invest in British companies. Britain scrapped the golden visa scheme shortly before the Ukraine war started. Financial Times Kyiv Independent
Former Wagner Fighters Reportedly Training with Chechen Forces. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday that a large group of former Wagner Group mercenaries have started training with Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces. He said that he is “confident that in the upcoming battles they will fully live up to their reputation,” without specifying what conflict he was referring to. It is unclear how many former Wagner fighters were participating in the training or if they would join the Chechen forces after the drills. Russia has gradually brought Wagner fighters under state control following the death of Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin, forcing them to join regular Russian forces or other groups closer to the Ministry of Defense. Reuters RFE/RL
CYBER AND TECH RUNDOWN
U.S. Navy Considers 3D Printing for Submarine Industry. The U.S. Navy is increasingly relying on additive manufacturing to 3D-print parts for submarines. It has so far been used for small repairs at sea but could soon be used to produce standard components for new-construction submarines, which could help deliver submarine orders on time. The Navy is reportedly working to develop metal additive manufacturing technology and capacities for this effort. C4ISRNET
Spike in Jupyter Infostealer Infections. VMware’s Carbon Black Threat Analysis Unit reported on Monday that it has seen an increase in infections involving the Jupyter infostealer malware over the last two weeks. The malware allows hackers to steal credentials and exfiltrate data. It is delivered through malicious websites and ads, drive-by downloads and phishing emails. Carbon Black said in most recent incidents, the Jupyter infostealer was particularly used in attacks targeting the education and healthcare sectors. The Record
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
High-Level Delegation to Visit Australia for AUKUS Talks. The U.S. is sending a high-level delegation to Australia this week for talks on the trilateral AUKUS partnership. The delegation will be led by Mara Karlin, the acting deputy under secretary of defense for policy. She said she will be joined by representatives from the U.S. State Department, the White House’s National Security Council staff, the Energy Department, and several Pentagon offices. Karlin said that during the talks, the Submarine Executive Group will meet to review “Pillar One” of the partnership, which aims to sell U.S. nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarines to Australia. The Advanced Capabilities Executive Group will also meet to review progress on “Pillar Two” to facilitate defense technology sharing. Reuters
Pro-West Moldovan President’s Party Largely Wins Local Elections, Sees Losses in Big Cities. Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s pro-European, ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) largely won local elections but failed to win mayoral seats in big cities and the capital Chisinau. The PAS won over 40% of votes for mayors, city councilors and local councils. Moldovan authorities had accused Russia of trying to influence the elections, including by committing millions of dollars for voter bribery efforts and financing of the pro-Russian Chance Party, which was barred from participating in the vote. Moldovan authorities said they also found evidence of an plans for a coup attempt led by pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor. Despite the PAS party’s losses in some major urban areas, it said the election showed Moldova’s “pro-European choice has won confidently across the whole country.” Moldova’s presidential election is set for November 2024. Reuters ABC News
Blinken Confident On Sweden’s Nato Membership Bid After Turkey Visit. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was convinced that there would be progress on Sweden's NATO membership bid following talks with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted the bill ratifying Sweden's membership into NATO to parliament on Monday after delaying the move for months. The bill must be approved by parliament's foreign affairs committee and then pass a vote by the full general assembly. President Erdogan would then sign it into law. "I would expect that we'll see that come to fruition," Blinken said, adding that there was "a shared commitment" by Ankara and Washington to make sure that Sweden joins the alliance. Reuters
The data cutoff for this product was 8:00a.m. E.T.
Ethan Masucol and Ryan Simons contributed to this report.
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