Threats
Today's D Brief: Biden pushes Israel-Gaza ceasefire; More border time for Guardsmen?; Afghanistan pullout, 20% complete; CIA to stop faxing; And just a bit more.
By Ben Watson
May 19, 2021 10:33 AM ET
The D Brief
Israel/Gaza latest: U.S. President Joe Biden expects “a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire,” he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call this morning, according to the White House. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning Israeli officials are indeed looking into “the conditions” for a possible ceasefire with Hamas.
ICYMI: Biden also called Netanyahu on Monday and — according to the New York Times — explained “that he could fend off criticism of [Israel’s] Gaza strikes for only so long, according to two people familiar with the call.” Similarly, according to the Associated Press, Biden and his team of advisors have “made the calculation that Israelis will not respond to international resolutions or public demands by the U.S. and that its greatest leverage is behind-the-scenes pressure.”
For his part, Netanyahu doesn’t seem keen on easing Israel’s airstrikes against alleged Hamas locations, and Israeli strikes have now extended to southern Gaza, AP reports from Gaza City.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/05/the-d-brief-may-19-2021/174148/
