ISRAEL’S SECOND TRUCE? As Israel’s military continued pounding Gaza with airstrikes today, Israeli President ISAAC HERZOG said the country is ready for another temporary pause in fighting if the right deal is reached. "Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages," Herzog’s office said in a readout, per Reuters’ DAN WILLIAMS. Herzog’s role as president is largely ceremonial, though, and other top Israeli officials haven’t signaled that they’re ready to pause the ground operation again, like they did last month in conjunction with the initial hostage deal. Meanwhile, the situation in the Gaza Strip becomes increasingly dire for residents every day due to a lack of food and housing. Nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to Gaza health authorities. $2M MISSILE VS $2K DRONE: As American warships rack up kills against Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea, Pentagon officials are increasingly alarmed at the growing cost of keeping U.S. vessels safe, our own LARA SELIGMAN and yours truly report. U.S. Navy destroyers have shot down more than 38 Houthi drones and multiple missiles in the Red Sea over the past two months, as the Iran-backed militants have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels moving energy and oil through the world’s most vital shipping lanes. On Saturday alone, the destroyer USS Carney intercepted 14 one-way attack drones. Houthi leaders have said the attacks are a show of support for Palestinians, and that they won’t stop until Israel halts its operations in Gaza. Three other DOD officials said the cost of using expensive naval missiles — which can run up to $2.1 million a shot — to destroy unsophisticated Houthi drones, estimated at a few thousand dollars each, is a growing concern. “The cost offset is not on our side,” a DOD official told Lara. ALL ABOARD: Nineteen nations have signed on to a new international maritime task force focused on countering Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea — but most of them don’t want to put their names to the move, a senior administration official told Lara. Only nine nations have announced that they will participate with the U.S. in the task force, which was announced by Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN on Monday following a fresh wave of attacks. A number of European partners are on the list, including the United Kingdom and Norway, but only one Gulf nation: Bahrain. Other Arab nations have signed on, according to the administration official, but they did not want to go public. The situation is complicated because of the perception that the task force is designed to protect Israeli-linked commercial vessels, explained one DOD official. Another sticking point for the Saudis, in particular, is the potential to derail ongoing talks with the Houthis for a permanent cease-fire in Yemen. The administration official did not specify which anonymous countries are participating. GOOD NEWS FOR CONGO: The Biden administration is increasingly confident that a pact it brokered to de-escalate fighting in eastern Congo will hold through the country’s elections — a key step toward preventing a larger conflict between Congo and Rwanda, our own ERIN BANCO reports. Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed rebels have clashed in eastern Congo with increasing frequency since May, worrying U.S. officials that the violence would lead to a direct confrontation between the two countries. Over the last month, top officials from the National Security Council and the intelligence agencies helped broker a series of agreements that led to a pause in fighting. U.S. intelligence shows forces aligned with both sides are broadly adhering to those commitments, officials told Erin. Rwanda-backed rebels have pulled back their offensive equipment from some of their previously held positions and Congolese forces have grounded their drones. As a result, the administration expects the armistice to stay in place until after the Congolese elections on Friday and through until at least Dec. 28, the date agreed upon by both countries, two U.S. officials told Erin. ‘NIGHTMARE’ IN SUDAN: More than 300,000 people have fled Wad Madani in the heart of Sudan after the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which has been engaged in a civil war with the country’s military, took the city this week. “We are very concerned about the potential humanitarian consequences as more people are displaced,” SOFIE KARLSSON, spokesperson for the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told The Washington Post’s KATHARINE HOURELD. The RSF entering the city is a major win for the group, which has racked up victories such as capturing four out of five regional capitals in the western region of Darfur, per the Post. BIBI’S UNLIKELY WINGMAN: Senate Democrats are being lobbied to support Israel’s military operation by an unexpected figure: YAIR LAPID, Israel’s opposition leader and former prime minister, who has spent his career trying to vanquish BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. In a series of phone calls with left-of-center American lawmakers since the Hamas attack, Lapid has conveyed resolute support for the Netanyahu-led government’s strategy in Gaza, our own ALEXANDER BURNS reports. There has been no second-guessing of the war cabinet or quiet sniping at Israel’s unpopular right-wing administration. Some who know Lapid, who served as Israel’s interim leader for the final six months of 2022, have been struck by his formality on the phone — and the absence of the lively and confiding mien that American Democrats can find disarming. “Despite his deep, historic misgivings about Netanyahu, he wanted to make clear that there was real unanimity of purpose when it comes to the campaign in Gaza,” Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), a top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Alex. “He was delivering a message about the imperative of defeating Hamas.” IT’S TUESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and mberg@politico.com, and follow us on X at @alexbward and @mattberg33. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.
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