| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  The deadly terror attack in Moscow by ISIS-K, an offshoot of the ISIS terrorist organization with roots in Iraq, shows that the group as a whole is resurging and stronger than ever, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said. | Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images | With help from Nahal Toosi and Eugene Daniels Subscribe here | Email Matt| Email Eric The Islamic State’s growing power, recent conflict in the Red Sea and heightened tension between Washington, Iran and Iraq have all been directly caused by the war in Gaza, according to Iraqi Foreign Minister FUAD HUSSEIN. Before digging into our fair share of shorba and knafeh, NatSec Daily sat down with the Baghdad official at his country’s embassy in Dupont Circle on Tuesday night, along with Iraqi Ambassador NAZAR AL KHIRULLAH and a small group of journalists. “The war in Gaza has got different dimensions: local, national, regional and international,” the foreign minister said. “These are the facts and the results of the war in Gaza.” We had time to digest his thoughts, doled out over two hours, during Iftar, the special dinner in observance of Ramadan. Here are the main takeaways: On Israel’s war in Gaza: Hussein met with national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN and Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN among other top U.S. officials during his visit to Washington. In all his meetings with Western officials — Hussein didn’t specify who — he has asked them to use their leverage against Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. “We are asking them to put pressure on Israel to stop this war and allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza,” the foreign minister said. Pressed by NatSec Daily on how Baghdad wants Washington to use its power, Hussein wouldn’t go into details: “I'm not here to put pressure on the United States,” he said, adding that he’s having similar conversations with European countries. “There's more channels to talk to the Israelis so that they can stop the war,” the foreign minister said. But the U.S. undoubtedly has the most sway over how Netanyahu acts, and Iraq has personal interest in seeing the fighting come to an end. If it continues, possibly with a front opening up involving Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, the foreign minister is concerned that his country could be dragged into a wider war. There are different forces, including groups in Iran, who want the war in Gaza to continue: “Imagine that countries will attack each other — I’m really worried about the region,” he said. On the ISIS-K attack: The deadly terror attack in Moscow by ISIS-K, an offshoot of the ISIS terrorist organization with roots in Iraq, shows that the group as a whole is resurging and stronger than ever, Hussein said. “They reached Moscow, so that means they can reach anywhere,” he said, calling the Islamic State an international organization and warning that more offshoots could be created. The Biden administration is worried too, having said that they’re vigilantly monitoring the group’s actions. Hussein’s visit coincided with Iraqi officials’ fourth round of talks with American officials this week about the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, which are intended to focus on the future of the U.S.-led coalition to combat ISIS and a military transition. Earlier this year, Iraqi Prime Minister MOHAMMED SHIA’ AL-SUDANI privately told U.S. officials that he wants to negotiate keeping U.S. forces in the country — who are there to help battle the Islamic State — despite saying he would begin removing them. While the security situation in the region worsens, Hussein said it’s “up to the politicians to decide” the future of American troops there. But, he added, “this is the most important part” of discussions.
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Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | MAY DAY? U.S. officials believe they’ve helped delay a potential Israeli military campaign in the crowded southern Gazan city of Rafah until at least May, our own NAHAL TOOSI writes in. Some of the lag is due to logistical reasons. Israel is still conducting operations in Khan Younis, and its troops do not yet appear positioned in a manner suggesting that a Rafah operation is imminent. That said, U.S. officials have raised numerous questions to the Israelis over the feasibility of their current Rafah plans, while Egypt, too, is posing objections. And the Israelis appear willing to listen. After Israeli Defense Minister YOAV GALLANT’s “constructive discussions” with top U.S. officials in Washington this week, Netanyahu’s office “has said they’d like to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah,” a U.S. official told our own EUGENE DANIELS. “We are now working with them to set a convenient date.” The White House seems optimistic about the implications for Rafah: “Despite the drumbeat on Rafah, it’s clear we have some time to work this through,” a senior Biden administration official told Nahal. Nahal’s take: The Biden administration wants to de-escalate the war in any way it can without leaving Hamas in power in the Gaza Strip. Convincing Israel to hold off on Rafah is just one piece of that effort. It gives the U.S. time to persuade the Israelis to consider options to dismantle Hamas other than a massive ground invasion of Rafah, which could lead to numerous civilian casualties if undertaken now. It also gives Israel and the U.S. time to improve humanitarian conditions elsewhere in Gaza. That could lead many of the more than 1 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah to leave the city, making any future Israeli operation less bloody. HEZBOLLAH STRIKES: Speaking of escalation with Israel, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel today, killing at least one person, The New York Times’ CASSANDRA VINOGRAD and HWAIDA SAAD report. The militant group said the deadly attack was in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed seven medics in southern Lebanon overnight. Israel’s military said it was targeting a “significant terrorist operative.” Worries of a wider war aren’t going away anytime soon, and Israeli officials say they’re ready for any possible escalation: “There are always preparations because we need to be ready and not caught unprepared,” FLEUR HASSAN-NAHOUM, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, told NatSec Daily when asked about the threat Hezbollah poses. ISRAEL PROMISES PIER SECURITY: Israel has agreed to provide a “security bubble” for the temporary pier the U.S. hopes to build in the Gaza Strip as a solution to the territory’s humanitarian crisis, our own LARA SELIGMAN reported last night. According to officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive and still not finalized plans, the Israel Defense Forces would protect the U.S. personnel building the pier as well as the individuals involved in offloading and distributing the aid. The IDF would also be responsible for physically securing the pier to the beach. The tentative pledge from the Israeli government to secure the port comes as tensions between the Biden administration and the Israeli war cabinet have mounted in recent days over the U.S. decision not to veto a cease-fire resolution at the U.N. Security Council. SEIZING ASSETS UPDATE: Ukraine is pushing for another $5.4 billion from the proceeds generated by frozen Russian assets that the EU has decided to withhold from Kyiv, our own GREGORIO SORGI reports. Euroclear, the body holding the vast majority of Russia's central bank assets in Europe — immobilized by sanctions when Moscow invaded Ukraine over two years ago — has been allowed to retain the profits accrued from investing them in 2022 and 2023 rather than use the cash to support Ukraine's war effort. The $5.4 billion in profits from these two years “amount to one year of an IMF program, so it’s a lot of money,” OLENA HALUSHKA from the pro-Kyiv lobby group International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, told our colleagues. With Ukraine desperately in need of cash for ammunition, the European Commission this month proposed to use 90 percent of the proceeds of frozen Russian assets held in Europe to buy weapons for Kyiv. There has also been more and more talk in Washington about using Russian assets, coming from top officials including Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN and SecState Blinken. IT’S WEDNESDAY. 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 mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @alexbward, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | | FACIAL RECOGNITION IN GAZA: Israel is using an expansive facial recognition program in the Gaza strip as it looks to conduct mass surveillance of Palestinians in the territory, according to The New York Times’ SHEERA FRENKEL. It would be the first time A.I.-driven facial recognition technology is being used in an active conflict. The experimental program, Frenkel writes, has been used to secretly collect and catalog the faces of Palestinians in the territory. It has also prompted arrests of individuals on Israel’s watchlists. The use of this program has come as facial recognition technology becomes ubiquitous around the world. Authoritarian states have used the technology to target dissidents and monitor ethnic minority groups. An Israeli army spokesperson declined to comment to the Times on activity in Gaza, but said the military “carries out necessary security and intelligence operations, while making significant efforts to minimize harm to the uninvolved population.” He added, “Naturally, we cannot refer to operational and intelligence capabilities in this context.” Read: China targeted European lawmakers with cyberattacks, Washington says by our own STUART LAU and PAUL DE VILLEPIN
| | DON’T SEND TROOPS TO UKRAINE: Hungarian Foreign Minister PÉTER SZIJJÁRTÓ said sending NATO troops to Ukraine would be “really dangerous” and would “bring the risk of a world war closer,” our own CLAUDIA CHIAPPA reports. “The terrifying risk of a third world war is approaching,” Szijjártó told Russian state-run news agency TASS in an interview published today. “Therefore, we will always call on all our allies and colleagues to refrain from any actions or statements that could bring the risk of a world war closer.” Budapest has stuck more closely with Moscow than any other European Union or NATO member, with Hungary repeatedly opposing sending more money and weapons to Kyiv. Szijjártó’s remarks come after French President EMMANUEL MACRON said last month that Western ground troops in Ukraine should not be “ruled out.” The comments sparked immediate pushback from most NATO allies — though not all European leaders condemned his message, as loyal NatSec Daily readers will remember.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | FIRST IN NASEC DAILY — PUSH TO CONFIRM CHOLLET: Nearly 60 national security leaders urged senators this week to confirm DEREK CHOLLET, President JOE BIDEN’s pick to be the Pentagon’s next undersecretary for policy. The letter, signed by former officials including defense secretaries LEON PANETTA and CHUCK HAGEL, national security adviser STEPHEN HADLEY and deputy director of the CIA MICHAEL MORELL, was sent to Senate Armed Services Chair JACK REED (D-R.I.), ranking member ROGER WICKER (R-Miss.), and other members of the committee on Monday. “As the United States and our allies face new threats from China and Russia, as well as growing instability in the Middle East, the Senate must ensure that the Department of Defense has the personnel it needs to implement U.S. policy and protect U.S. interests around the world,” the letter argues. Chollet has faced a tough road to confirmation over the past year, with Republicans picking fights over the administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and contentious abortion policies. Only last month, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) sent a letter to SASC leaders pushing them to oppose Chollet’s bid. The challenge to confirm him comes as the Biden administration struggles to push through its remaining nominees for top civilian jobs. The departure of Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy SASHA BAKER this week adds urgency to Chollet’s situation. On Monday, Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN said the delay comes at a “critical moment for U.S. defense policy” and that the Pentagon “needs a confirmed principal adviser in this critical role.”
| | ANOTHER STATE DEPARTURE: Another State Department staffer, this one focused on human rights in the Middle East, has resigned in protest of the Biden administration’s policy toward the Israel-Hamas war, WaPo’s HANNAH ALLAM and JOHN HUDSON report. ANNELLE SHELINE, a foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said her work promoting human rights and other foreign policy priorities are being undermined by the U.S. government’s continued support for Israel. She added that she felt attempts to raise concerns internally with dissent cables and at staff forums were pointless “as long as the U.S. continues to send a steady stream of weapons to Israel.” “I wasn’t able to really do my job anymore,” Sheline said. “Trying to advocate for human rights just became impossible.” Sheline’s departure is the most prominent one since JOSH PAUL, an official formerly with the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, left at the outset of the war. State Department spokesperson MATTHEW MILLER told reporters today that Sheline was halfway through a two-year fellowship and opted not to return for her second year. MADURO’S OUTBURST: Venezuelan President NICOLAS MADURO unexpectedly assailed the European Union’s top diplomat on state television yesterday, as his country’s socialist regime faces sharp scrutiny from international observers ahead of elections later this year, according to our own ELENA GIORDANO. “Europe’s colonialist vision of Latin America is alive,” Maduro said during a public event on Tuesday, according to Venezuelan news outlet El Universal. “JOSEP BORRELL, for example, is a racist, he is a colonialist, he is a warmonger. He is a guy who supposedly comes from the left, all these people have a colonialist, contemptuous vision of ours, they look down at us.” Maduro did not specify what prompted his tirade against Borrell, but the remarks come as the embattled Venezuelan leader faces intense pressure to respect the rights of opposition parties and candidates ahead of the elections in July. Venezuela’s government has barred the opposition’s main presidential candidates, MARIA CORINA MACHADO and CORINA YORIS, from appearing on the ballot against Maduro and token candidates. Read: Ireland to intervene on South Africa’s behalf in ICJ genocide case against Israel by our own DENIS LEVEN
| | | |   | | | | | — The Center for a New American Security tapped WILL HARWOOD as its new comms director. He previously served as head of communications and public affairs for Lidl U.S.
| | — RAND Corporation: Improving the security of soft targets and crowded places — ANSHEL PFEFFER, The Atlantic: BENJAMIN NETANYAHU is Israel’s worst prime minister Ever — ANDRIY YERMAK, The Wall Street Journal: The oil weapon against Moscow
| | — Center for a New American Security, 8 a.m.: Forging a new era of U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9 a.m.: U.S.-China scholarly recoupling: the path forward — Foreign Policy and the Special Competitive Studies Project, 10 a.m.: The AI Era of intelligence," part of its "promise over peril" series — Heritage Foundation, 10 a.m.: The American case for Taiwan — Defense Priorities, 10 a.m.: Houthi conundrum: Defend, degrade, or defer — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1 p.m.: Chinese assessments of artificial intelligence safety — SETA Foundation, 1 p.m.: The U.S. policy on Israel in an election year — Aspen Institute and Columbia University's Institute of Global Politics, 1:30 p.m.: Artificial intelligence's impact on the 2024 elections — Middle East Forum, 2:30 p.m.: A briefing on Iran, focusing on "Iran's proxy wars in the Middle East and against the West," and "the importance of countering extremism” — George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, 6:30 p.m: Persistent intelligence challenges: from page to practice — New America, 7 p.m: The international obligation to counter gender apartheid in Afghanistan — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 7 p.m.: On the frontier of U.S.-Japan tech collaborations Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who doesn’t deserve to indulge in the delicacy that is knafeh, ever. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who probably makes the most delicious shorba. CORRECTION: Tuesday’s newsletter misstated State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller’s comments about Israel on Monday.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.
Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
