Iran Is ‘Fulcrum Of Mideast Violence’ As Its Terror Proxies Ramp Up

THURSDAY PDB – Iran, the fulcrum of Mideast violence. No one has taken responsibility for the explosions Wednesday that killed more than 100 Iranians at a memorial for terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani, and it could be an act of domestic terrorism. The Tehran regime has many internal enemies, including Sunni Islamist groups that specialize in mass-casualty attacks.

Hezbollah chief vows ‘response and punishment' after killing of senior Hamas leader in Lebanon. Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah made the threat a day after the death of senior Hamas leader Saleh Arouri in a suspected Israeli drone strike in a Beirut suburb.

BIDEN, DO SOMETHING! – Drone attack leaves 82nd Airborne pilot critically injured with head injury. CW4 Garrett Illerbrunn was flown to Germany for treatment after he was critically injured by shrapnel in the Christmas day attack.

ALL TALK, NO WALK – US, allies promise larger military response if Red Sea attacks persist. A coalition of 13 nations warned of increased military response if Iran-backed Houthi assaults on commercial ships continue.

Sooner or later the U.S. and its allies will have to reestablish deterrence if they want a more stable Middle East, and that means dealing with Iran.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:

ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR

The ‘CEO' of Hamas who found the money to attack Israel. When Zaher Jabarin ran a Hamas cell in the 1980s, he borrowed cash from his mother to buy weapons. Now, he oversees a financial empire that the U.S. estimates is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and funds Hamas's operations against Israel.

POLITICS

BIDEN WEAKNESS IS GUTTING IT – Pompeo claims Biden administration has ‘accelerated the rate of decay' in US deterrence. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that Joe Biden has “accelerated the rate of decay” of U.S. deterrence.

Former Guard official says Army retaliated for his account of Jan. 6 delay. Col. Earl Matthews, a former lawyer for the D.C. National Guard, said in a complaint that he was punished for contradicting the testimony of two generals.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

GOING TO SUPREME COURT – West Point can continue considering race as part of admissions during ongoing legal battle. A federal judge on Wednesday ruled the U.S. Military Academy can continue to consider race as a factor for admissions, denying a request for a preliminary injunction from the same group that won the landmark Supreme Court case that gutted affirmative action.

IT SHOULD BE DUMPED – NO TAXPAYER-FUNDED ABORTIONS OR ABORTION TRAVEL – Abortion access policy could be dumped, former Pentagon leader warns. The man who helped implement the military's abortion access policy said it could be rescinded by a GOP administration next year.

Arkansas Air Guard wing commander resigns over abortion policy. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Col. Dillon Patterson, a career drone pilot, and committed Christian, resigned over his opposition to the Pentagon's abortion travel policies.

CHINA THREAT

Carrier USS Carl Vinson sails with Philippine navy in South China Sea. The Vinson (CVN-70) began drills in the South China Sea with the Philippine Navy on Wednesday to deter increasingly belligerent Chinese Navy.

Taiwan reports China sent 4 suspected spy balloons over the island. Taiwan's Defense Ministry says China sent four balloons over the island, three of which passed near a key air force base.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest release so far.

Unknowns about Ukraine gear accountability revealed in watchdog report. An early report illustrates the severe limitations of early accountability measures in tracking and monitoring gear donated to Ukraine.

Ukraine Marines recount deadly mission to free towns east of Dnieper River. On the morning of his first crossing of the Dnieper River — where his unit was being sent in a desperate effort to claw back occupied land from Russia — the 21-year-old Ukrainian marine woke up “ready to die.”

The war in Ukraine is not a stalemate. Last Year's Counteroffensive Failed—but the West Can Prevent a Russian Victory This Year.

Russia moves forward with plans to buy Iranian ballistic missiles. Moscow in recent weeks has also begun receiving ballistic missiles from North Korea.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

South Korea, US conduct week-long firing drills near North Korea border. South Korean and U.S. troops conducted joint combat firing drills with heavy weapons, as Pyongyang lambasted the allies for dangerous moves pushing the region to the brink of “an inferno of nuclear war.”

SPACE THREAT

Rocket Lab signs $515M satellite contract with mystery government agency. One of the most prolific rocket launch providers in the world secured what may be its largest contract ever.

US POWER OVERSEAS

USAF proposes upgrades on Guam to host dozen Singaporean F-15s for training. Andersen Air Force Base on Guam is preparing for potential infrastructure upgrades to host up to 12 Singaporean F-15 fighters, following a 2019 agreement between the two nations.

US seeks drone bases in coastal West Africa to stem Islamist advance. The U.S. is seeking to base military drones along the West African coast in an urgent effort to stop the spread of al Qaeda and Islamic State in the region.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

European nations team up to buy Patriot missiles in $5.5 billion deal. A coalition of European states have jointly ordered up to 1,000 Patriot air defense missiles amid a renewed wave of Russian airstrikes against major Ukrainian cities.

US MILITARY

New in 2024: Marine amphibious combat vehicle variants will arrive. The command and control and 30 mm-equipped versions will be ready for unit testing this year.

Air Force gives Raytheon $345 million to build 1,500+ new ‘StormBreaker' guided bombs. The contract is to build more Small Diameter Bomb II/GBU-53/B munitions—called ‘StormBreaker' —for the Air Force, Navy, and Foreign Military Sales users.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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