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4:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Daily national security briefings aren’t just for the president anymore. The Cipher Brief uses AI partnered with human analysis and expert perspective to keep you up-to-date on national security news from around the world. 

Here’s what’s happening now:

THE TOP STORIES

Cargo ship hijacked off Somalia raises concerns of renewed Red Sea piracy.  The Spanish Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that a ship sailing off the coast of Somalia was hijacked by unknown raiders, fueling fears that pirates are returning to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.  A Spanish naval vessel reportedly rushed to check on the Maltese-flagged vessel Ruen on Friday after reports that it had been hijacked, but later ruled the matter under control.  However, the Spanish defense ministry has since said that the Ruen had indeed been hijacked.  It did not specify who the hijackers were.  The E.U.’s Naval Force later confirmed the Ruen was hijacked and is now off the coast of Somalia.  It said one of the ship’s 18 crew members had been evacuated to an Indian naval ship for medical care.  The E.U. Naval Force likewise did not say who the hijackers were.  Some maritime security sources said that the incident is likely the first hijacking of a merchant ship by Somali pirates since 2017. If correct, the pirates may have been encouraged by a relaxation in security or are taking advantage of the chaos caused by attacks from Yemen’s Houthis. A senior European diplomat said that the increase in Somali piracy coinciding with Houthi attacks might not be a coincidence, suggesting that allegiances might be shifting in the lawless region.  Associated Press Reuters

Ukraine military proposes mobilization of 450,000-500,000 new soldiers.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy said on Tuesday that the military has proposed mobilizing 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces, which would mark a substantial step in Kyiv’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion.  Zelensky said in November that he instructed the Ukrainian military leadership to develop a new mobilization plan.  He added that any plan must also address rotation, demobilization, and troop morale.  Regarding costs, he said the mobilization could cost around $13.4 billion.  He also noted that he will not support the mobilization of women.  Both Ukraine and Russia closely guard information about the size of their militaries.  Russia said on Tuesday that it aimed to expand its military to 1.5 million personnel.  Kyiv Independent Reuters

ISRAEL HAMAS WAR

Israel’s Herzog signals readiness for new Gaza pause, hostage release.  Israeli President Isaac Herzog told visiting ambassadors on Tuesday that Israel was prepared to establish another humanitarian pause to release more hostages and allow for additional human aid readiness to enter Gaza. Herzog, whose position is relatively ceremonial, added that the responsibility for the situation and decision lies with Hamas leadership.  A Hamas official reportedly told Qatari and Egyptian officials that the group would only agree to a new hostage release if it can unilaterally select the hostages to be freed and Israel agrees to release several longtime Palestinian prisoners.  A source briefed on diplomatic efforts for a new deal to release hostages in Gaza said that talks between Qatar’s prime minister and the heads of Israel’s Mossad spy agency and the CIA in Warsaw were positive, but there are no expectations for an imminent deal.  The office of Israel’s prime minister and the CIA did not comment on the report.  Reuters Reuters 

Gaza Health Ministry claims Israel detaining 93 healthcare workers.  Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the Israeli military is holding 93 healthcare workers in detention.  The ministry claimed that the healthcare workers are being held “in inhumane conditions, under interrogation under torture, starvation, and extreme cold.”  The ministry previously said Israeli forces stormed the Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza and detained employees.  An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said that those suspected of being involved in terrorist activity are detained for questioning and maintained that such detentions are in line with international law.  The IDF said it detained around 90 people suspected of being members of Hamas when it encircled the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, which it accused Hamas of operating out of.  The Washington Post could not immediately independently verify claims from the GAza Health Ministry and IDF.  Washington Post

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin urges deterrence against ‘future Houthi aggression.’  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged countries to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea and work to “deter future Houthi aggression” with “collective action.”  His comments came on a trip to Bahrain a day after the U.S. announced a multinational initiative called Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect shipping in the Red Sea.  Houthi militants have said the force will not deter them from launching future attacks, which they say are in protest of Israeli military actions in Gaza.  Washington Post

THE UKRAINE UPDATE

Zelensky confident in aid from U.S. and E.U.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he remains confident that the U.S. will approve new aid to support Ukraine.  While new assistance has been stalled in the U.S. Congress, Zelensky said negotiations are ongoing and he is “certain” that Washington “will not betray” Kyiv by withholding funding.  He also said he expects the E.U. to approve 50 billion euros in aid soon, which Hungary has blocked.  Reuters Associated Press

Zelensky dismisses speculation of rift with army chief.  Zekensky also dismissed any suggestions that he has a tenuous relationship with army chief Valery Zaluzhny.  However, he did not offer full support to the top general by asserting that he still wanted to see “very concrete things on the battlefield” from the Ukrainian military leadership. His comments come after weeks of public speculation that a rift was forming between the two leaders after Kyiv’s counteroffensive failed to liberate more significant parts of Russian-occupied territory.  Reuters

Former Russian soldier wants to testify to the ICC on war crimes.  Igor Salikov, an alleged former Russian soldier who is in the Netherlands seeking asylum, is reportedly wanting to testify to the International Criminal Court about war crimes he witnessed in Ukraine while in the Russian military. Salikov claims to have been a member of the Russia-supported forces in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine since 2014.  He also claims to have worked as an instructor for the Wagner Group.  Ukraine’s top war crime prosecutor Yurii Belousov said that Salikov has been in touch with Ukrainian lawyers for more than six months and has already provided testimony about Russia’s invasion and war crimes committed by Russian troops.  ABC News Associated Press Reuters

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Asia and Oceania

China holding naval drills in Yellow Sea after joint air patrol with Russia.  China’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that a navy fleet from China’s People’s Liberation Army Northern Theater Command has been holding “multiple days of continuous at-sea training” in the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean peninsula.  The ministry said the fleet included a guided missile-destroyer and three frigates with air defense and anti-submarine missiles and that the ships engaged in exercises on missile and naval gunfire, air and marine defense, and reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance.  The ministry did not say exactly where the exercises were happening or how long they have been going on.  The drills came days after South Korea and Japan said they scrambled fighter jets in response to a joint air patrol by China and Russia in the Sea of Japan.  South China Morning Post 

Chinese and Russian premiers meet, pledge to increase energy and economic cooperation.  Chinese Premier Li QIang met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing on Tuesday for the annual meeting between the two heads of government.  Chinese state media reported that Li said China and Russia will increase economic and energy cooperation and bring “stability and positive energy” to the world.  Russia’s government reported that Mishustin said relations between Moscow and Beijing are at their “highest level.”  He also noted that 90 percent of bilateral deals will be settled in either roubles or yuan this year and that he hopes economic cooperation will advance to the “next level” in the future.  Li and Mishustin signed a joint communique on several cooperation documents after meetings on energy and investment, including on projects in Russia’s Far East and China’s northeastern region.  Mishustin is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.  South China Morning Post 

Africa

U.N. Security Council to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Congo.  The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve a resolution to wind down its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as MONUSCO. The peacekeeping mission began in 2010, but has become increasingly unpopular due to what critics say is its failure to protect civilians against militia groups.  In September, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi spoke to the U.N. General Assembly about fast tracking the withdrawal of troops.  France 24 Reuters

Sudanese army announces troop withdrawal from Wad Mani.  The Sudanese army announced on Tuesday that their forces have withdrawn from their positions in Wad Mani city. The army’s reported withdrawal came after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces took over the city, which was packed with thousands of displaced people and served as an aid hub.  Reuters

THE CYBER AND TECH RUNDOWN

Intelligence, Homeland Security reports trace foreign influence ops in 2022 elections.  A heavily redacted report on the 2022 midterm elections issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) indicates that Russian operatives and proxies attempted to tarnish the Democratic Party as well as erode voter confidence in the electoral process.  The goal of the operation was, at least in part, to weaken U.S. popular support for Ukraine.  China also was behind a small number of influence operations targeting unidentified midterm races, signaling Beijing’s greater willingness to meddle in U.S. domestic election politics than in the past.  The report contains few specific details but describes operations that are largely unsophisticated and of doubtful effectiveness.  The influence operations included covert use of social-media accounts and proxy websites, online influencers, and public relations firms.  A recurring theme was amplifying narratives depicting a divided America.  A separate examination of foreign information operations during the 2022 elections by the Justice and Homeland Security departments concluded that no voting systems were compromised by hackers.  The report specified that "there is no evidence that this activity prevented voting, changed votes, or disrupted the ability to tally votes or to transmit election results in a timely manner.”  Wall Street Journal Reuters The Record

FBI source aided takedown of AlphV websites in multinational operation.  The FBI used a “confidential human source” to help penetrate the AlphV/Blackcat ransomware gang, leading to the takedown of the group’s darknet websites.  Details of the operation were included in an FBI search warrant unsealed on Tuesday.  The seizure of the ransomware gang websites was the result of a multinational law enforcement operation involving agencies from the U.S., Britain,  Denmark, Germany, Spain and Australia.  The Justice Department announced after the seizure that the FBI has offered a ransomware decryption tool to more than 500 targeted entities globally to help them restore encrypted systems.  In the course of the investigation, the FBI was able to identify and collect 946 public/private key pairs used by the ransomware group.  The FBI used the key pairs to seize the “Blackcat-linked victim communications sites, leak sites, and panel sites” hosted on the Tor network.  The Justice Department noted that the AlphV/Blackcat gang has targeted more than 1,000 computer networks around the world, “including networks that support U.S. critical infrastructure.”  The Record BleepingComputer Reuters TechCrunch Axios

Chinese spaceplane releases six unidentified objects into orbit.  China’s “Shenlong” (Divine Dragon) reusable spaceplane, which was launched last week, has released six unidentified objects into orbit.  According to amateur satellite trackers, one of the objects, tracked as Object A, appears to be emitting signals like those from objects the Shenlong has released on previous missions.  Two other objects, tracked as D and E, appear to be emitting idle "placeholder" signals with no data accompanying them.  Scott Tilley, a satellite tracker and amateur astronomer, told Space that “this iteration of the Chinese space plane mission launched into a similar orbit as the last two but operationally it is exhibiting different radio behavior than before.”  Tilley added that continued observation should focus on possible “close encounters between Object A and Objects D and E.”  On two earlier missions, the Shenlong spaceplane released a small unknown object into orbit, possibly a service module to practice placing payloads into orbit, or a small satellite used to monitor the spaceplane.  Space TheDrive

Egypt among targets in Iran-linked espionage ops against telecommunications firms.  A group linked to Iran’s intelligence service, tracked as MuddyWater, has been targeting telecommunications operations in Egypt, Sudan, and Tanzania.  Marc Elias, a Symantec threat intelligence analyst, said there is a high likelihood that the goal of the hacking activity in November against telecommunications companies was cyberespionage.  However, there is no evidence that the hackers were able to extract data during the operations.  Symantec also could not rule out that MuddyWater was staging “disruption” attacks as part of the campaign.  Elias noted that Egypt stood out among the targeted countries because of its border with Gaza and Israel and its involvement in humanitarian efforts connected with the Hamas-Israeli conflict.  Symantec said the hackers used a PowerShell launcher from a new toolset researchers dubbed MuddyC2Go, which can lead to remote access to a targeted system.  MuddyWater also has made use of SimpleHelp, a legitimate remote control and management software that, if installed on a targeted device, can enable threat actor access at any time, even after a reboot.  In line with its cyberespionage mission focus, MuddyWater has a long-standing interest in foreign telecommunications systems, according to researchers.  The Record

The data cutoff for this product was 2:30p.m. E.T.

Ethan Masucol, Ken Hughes, Leighton Durham, and Ainsley Brown contributed to this report.

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