October 22nd, 2024: How the IDF Flushed Out Sinwar, Iranian Spy Ring Exposed, & Chaos in Cuba
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It's Tuesday, 22 October. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. Coming up on today's show, for nine months, Yaya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the deadly 7 October attacks, evaded capture, hiding in Gaza's vast tunnel network,

But now, in the aftermath of his death, we're learning how Israeli forces finally flushed him out of the tunnels. Later in the program, Israeli authorities have arrested seven citizens for leaking military secrets to Iran, dismantling a spy ring that had reportedly been active for two years.

Plus, Cuba faces growing political unrest as Hurricane Oscar's aftermath leaves the island dark in the midst of ongoing countrywide power outages. And in today's Back of the Brief, things got tense during King Charles' visit to Australia when an indigenous lawmaker crashed a royal reception and accused the monarchy of genocide. We'll have the details concerning the royal kerfuffle.

But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll begin with an update on the death of Hamas leader and 7 October mastermind Yahya Sinwar, as new details emerge about how Israel's military operations in Gaza managed to force the terror leader out of the safety of his tunnels and into the open.

According to an exclusive report compiled by the Wall Street Journal, Sinmar's death on October 16th was the culmination of one of the biggest military and intelligence operations ever executed by Israel, which was spearheaded by Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet, and carried out by the Israeli military with assistance from U.S. intelligence agencies.

Shortly after Sinmar disappeared into Hamas's labyrinth of tunnels in Gaza following the 7 October attacks, Israeli forces began systematically searching and destroying strategic tunnel complexes in an effort to flush out the terror chief.

Shin Bet agents worked with the military to determine potential locations where Sinwar might be hiding with the hostages, while the CIA established a task force focused solely on Sinwar, which shared critical intelligence with the Israeli military. Further intelligence was gleaned from interrogations of Palestinians with ties to Hamas in Gaza, along with materials from Hamas command posts that Israel seized in the early days of the war.

In December, Israeli forces finally closed in on Sinmar's underground home in Kan Yunis in southern Gaza. Israeli forces had to fight their way in but eventually breached the subterranean compound. They found safes holding the equivalent of $1 million US dollars, as well as a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee, which is evidence that Sinmar fled just before IDF troops arrived. According to the Wall Street Journal's report,

Israeli officials soon came to understand that some tunnels were more important to Hamas than others as they housed underground command centers and formed links with strategic sites throughout Gaza. The IDF determined that if they could locate these critical sites, they would likely find Sinwar. Israeli forces discovered another underground Hamas stronghold in March connected to Sinwar, though the hunt for the terror leader reportedly stalled in the spring.

Sinmar maneuvered around Israel's sophisticated intelligence apparatus by using rudimentary, untraceable communications that made his location difficult to pinpoint. He would reportedly use aliases and codes in his communications, which relied on relaying a mixture of written notes and audio files through a small circle of trusted confidants.

It was through these messages that Sinwar repeatedly refused a hostage deal with Israel, telling mediators in Egypt and Qatar that Hamas had the upper hand and the continued death of Palestinian civilians would turn the international community against Israel. Again, Sinwar was the individual, the Hamas leader, who referred to dead Palestinians as necessary sacrifices.

By all accounts, Sinwar was hoping that Iran would eventually enter the conflict and trigger a larger regional war against Israel. While Israel continued to hunt Sinwar, forcing him to retreat to an ever-smaller array of tunnels in the southern city of Rafah, Sinwar refused multiple offers from mediators to escape Gaza alive in exchange for allowing Egypt to negotiate a hostage exchange with Israel.

Then, in early September, IDF troops tragically recovered the bodies of six dead hostages inside a tunnel that they raided in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah. The IDF discovered traces of Senwar's DNA inside a room in the tunnel that had a couch and a TV.

Officials determined that the six hostages who were executed by Hamas before Israeli troops arrived were likely being used by Sinmar as human shields to prevent Israel from striking his location.

Officials said the hostages, who horrifically survived for months on just energy bars, were killed because they were too weak to be moved with Senoir. The grisly discovery suggested to the IDF that Senoir could not be far from the site of that tunnel.

Israel's successful disruption and destruction of the tunnel networks used by Sinmar eventually forced the terror leader to go above ground, finally making him vulnerable to Israeli troops. Though his exact location remained unknown, the IDF deployed forces in Rafah to hunt him down, now that he was flushed from the underground labyrinth.

Then, on October 16th, IDF troops patrolling Rafah's Tal Sultan neighborhood came upon Senwar and a small group of militants in a chance encounter, leading to a firefight that finally terminated the 7 October architect. Alright, coming up after the break, Israeli authorities dismantle an Iranian spy ring, and Cuba faces political unrest as Hurricane Oscar's aftermath leaves the island in an ongoing blackout.

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Sticking with Israel, authorities have broken up a major espionage operation orchestrated by the Iranian regime to infiltrate Israeli intelligence and military. Israeli police and officials with Shin Bet revealed Monday that they recently arrested a network of Israeli citizens spying on behalf of Israel's top adversary, providing the Iranian regime with intelligence regarding key military bases and energy infrastructure.

Investigators said the network had been operational for roughly two years and had carried out some 600 tasks, according to a report from The Guardian. The group reportedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and cryptocurrency transfers from Russian intermediaries as payment for their subversive activities.

The Israeli police said in a statement Monday, "...the scale and severity of these acts are among the most dangerous security breaches that Israel has faced. The suspects acted knowingly, driven by financial greed, and compromised the safety of Israel and its citizens."

The seven suspects, who include two minors, worked with two Iranian operatives using aliases, who instructed them to conduct surveillance of both individuals and strategic sites, including the IDF's headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David airbases. It's worth noting that both of those airbases have been targeted by Iran's proxy Hezbollah, as well as by Iran and themselves during their ballistic missile attack back in early October.

Three of the suspects were reportedly arrested while conducting surveillance on an Israeli citizen a little over a month ago who was thought to be the target of an Iranian attack. The suspects had extensive documents on them at the time of their arrest, which led to the unmasking of the spy ring.

The suspects are described as Jewish immigrants from Azerbaijan. Some of them are related, and they were living in the Haifa area of northern Israel. They're expected to be charged with helping an enemy in wartime. Authorities said, quote, the network members were aware that the intelligence they provided compromised national security and could potentially aid enemy missile attacks. The network conducted extensive reconnaissance missions on IDF bases nationwide, focusing on Air Force and Navy installations,

ports, iron dome system locations, and energy infrastructure." The revelation follows the arrest of an Israeli businessman in September who is accused of plotting with Iranian agents to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Golan, or Shin Bet-Head Ronan Barr.

And, of course, we also reported on the PDB the case of an Israeli man who was recently indicted for plotting with Iran to assassinate an Israeli scientist in exchange for $100,000. The cases underscore the internal threats facing Israel from Iran and their regional allies as they continue military operations against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Hamas. Hmm, there's a common thread here running through all of this, if I could just figure it out.

Israel's state attorney indicated Monday that there are additional cases of Iranian espionage under investigation that have yet to be publicly disclosed. Okay, turning to Cuba, where widespread blackouts have driven frustrated residents into the streets, protesting the communist government's handling of essential services. The crisis deepened as Hurricane Oscar, now a tropical storm, swept across the island's east coast, further straining Cuba's already fragile energy system.

Before Category 1, Hurricane Oscar struck on Monday, Cuba's power grid was already on the brink of failure, strained by outdated infrastructure, fuel shortages, and poor maintenance. When one of the country's largest power plants failed on Friday, it plunged the island's more than 10 million residents into darkness.

The situation has worsened, now entering day five, with disconnections from the national grid leaving Cuba on the verge of collapse. This blackout is Cuba's worst since Category 3 Hurricane Ian in 2022, when it took days to restore power.

The effects of Hurricane Oscar exasperated the crisis, causing further damage. As of Sunday, Cuba was operating on just 370 megawatts, far below the 3 gigawatts typically needed. Now, frustration has boiled over in Cuba, sparking protests across the island, and have

in Havana's most populous neighborhood, Santos Suarez. Independent media, okay, well, the word independent, that's a relative term, I suppose, but independent media like the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Peace circulate videos on social media of protesters confronting authorities to the sound of clanging pots and pans, which has become the symbol of dissatisfaction with the communist government's handling of the power crisis. Well, while quaint and certainly noisy,

I don't think banging pots and pans together are going to change the regime. I mean, it didn't work for the Venezuelans, who are still stuck with Maduro. Protesters, who say they also have no access to water, are blocking traffic with garbage, demanding attention. In some areas, the government cut off internet to limit the spread of demonstrations, but the move failed to stop unrest from spilling into the streets.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel responded with a warning, vowing a crackdown on any, quote, vandalism or, quote, disturbing the tranquility of public order. Ah, the peaceful and idyllic tranquility of public order in a communist regime. Well, that's certainly something to aim for.

In a televised meeting, Diaz-Canel reassured citizens that their concerns would be addressed but warned that those provoking unrest would face Cuba's revolutionary laws. For background, the communist government's dissent crackdowns became a recurring theme since early July 2021, when tens of thousands protested against food and medicine shortages, restricted COVID-19 measures, and blackouts, a demand that's echoed today.

To quell protests, Diaz-Canel enacted emergency measures such as suspending schools and shutting down state workplaces. Now, despite his efforts, protests are growing in size and intensity. The communist government, and here's a surprise, they blame the international community for the weak failing energy grid, citing sanctions on the country. So it's the international community's fault.

On Sunday, Cuba's energy minister offered a glimmer of hope, stating that power could be restored by Tuesday. However, the minister admitted that Hurricane Oscar's impact on power plants in the country's east will complicate recovery. Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Russia have offered to assist grid stability efforts. Small pockets of Havana have seen electricity restored, but most of the capital does remain in darkness.

All right, up next in the back of the brief. Tensions flared during a visit to Australia by King Charles when an indigenous lawmaker interrupted a royal reception and accused the monarchy of genocide. Well, well, frankly, one does tend to frown upon that sort of thing at a royal reception. I'll have the details after the break.

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In today's Back of the Brief...

Indigenous Australian Senator Lydia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for King Charles III after accusing the British Crown of committing genocide against Australia's indigenous people, shouting, quote, this is not your land and you are not my king, end quote.

Thorpe's protest is part of a long-standing grievance over the absence of a formal treaty between British colonizers and indigenous Australians. Now, no treaty was ever struck, and in 1999, Australians voted in a referendum to retain Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Many indigenous activists, including Thorpe, view a potential treaty as essential to addressing historical injustices.

Thorpe escalated her protest, shouting, quote, You committed genocide against our people. Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty. End quote. Throughout her outburst, and as she was removed, Charles remained composed, quietly conversing with the Australian prime minister. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, who has publicly expressed support for Australia becoming a republic,

suddenly referenced this issue in his speech, stating, quote, you have shown great respect for Australians, even during times when we have debated the future of our own constitutional arrangements, end quote. Albanese has ruled out holding a referendum on the Republic during his current term, but many speculate that the debate will resurface if his Labour Party is re-elected.

While Thorpe's protest was the most dramatic moment of the event, other signs of discontent were evident. Notably, all six Australian state governments declined invitations to the reception, signaling their support for an Australian head of state and growing Republic sentiment across the country. Charles, meanwhile, adopted a diplomatic tone, beginning his speech by praising the indigenous welcome and paying respects to the traditional custodians of the land.

This visit, which is Charles' 17th to Australia, but his first as king, really did little to temper the ongoing debate over whether Australia should become a republic.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, 22 October. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And as you've probably heard from family and friends, to listen to the show ad-free, well, it's simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by simply visiting pdbpremium.com. See, I told you it was simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then...

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