‘FOLKS, THERE’S A LOT WE’RE DOING’: In remarks to members of the Jewish community yesterday in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, President Joe Biden said there is a lot going on behind the scenes to rescue 17 or more U.S. citizens believed to be held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
“Folks, there’s a lot we’re doing — a lot we’re doing. I have not given up hope on bringing these folks home,” Biden said. “We’re working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts.”
But Biden said there’s little more he can say in public. “Now, the press are going to shout to me … ‘What are you doing to bring these — get these folks home?’ If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to get them home.”
“You know, you can see the pain in some of your faces as I walked into this room,” Biden said. This attack was a campaign of pure cruelty — not just hate, but pure cruelty — against the Jewish people. And I would argue it’s the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust — the deadliest day since the Holocaust, one of the worst chapters in human history.”
ISRAEL WAR: BIDEN DESCRIBES ‘CONFIRMED PICTURES OF TERRORISTS BEHEADING CHILDREN’
22 DEAD, 17 MISSING: The White House says it still doesn’t have a firm number on how many U.S. or dual citizens have fallen victim to Hamas terrorism. “We know that, so far, 22 Americans lost their lives and 17 remain unaccounted for,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters yesterday. “We know that these numbers are likely to increase in the days ahead.”
“Our message to all these families affected is that, you know, we’re with you; we’re grieving with you; we’re sorrowful with you; we’re worrying with you,” said NSC spokesman John Kirby. “And we’re going to do everything we can, particularly for those who don’t know where a loved one is, to find out where they are and to get them home with you where they belong.”
“Now, of course, the Israelis have a very robust hostage recovery capability of their own. Sadly, they have been forced to perfect that particular kind of capability, but we also have a lot of know-how, too. And we’re offering to share that with the Israeli Defense Forces,” Kirby said. “I think we all need to steel ourselves for the very distinct possibility that these numbers will keep increasing and that we may, in fact, find out that more Americans are part of the hostage pool.”
ALL WE KNOW ABOUT THE AMERICANS KILLED AND CAPTURED BY HAMAS
BIDEN: ISRAEL MUST ABIDE BY ‘RULES OF WAR’: Biden said he has been in constant contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the Saturday attack and has assured him America’s commitment to Israel’s security and the safety of the Jewish people is “unshakeable.”
But as Israel amasses tanks and thousands of troops on the border with Gaza, Biden said it’s important that innocent civilians not be targeted. “I’ve known Bibi for over 40 years in a very frank relationship. I know him well, And the one thing that I did say is that it is really important that Israel, with all the anger and frustration that exists, is that they operate by the rules of war — the rules of war. And there are rules of war.”
Under international law, collective punishment of a civilian population is considered a war crime, and the U.S. is seeking a way for at least some of Gaza’s two million residents to leave before Israeli troops enter to battle Hamas terrorists.
In a televised address last night, Netanyahu promised to “crush and destroy” Hamas, adding, “Every Hamas member is a dead man.” Israel has said it will not supply electricity, water, or fuel to Gaza until all hostages are freed.
“We support safe passage for civilians. The civilians are not to blame for what Hamas has done. They didn’t do anything wrong. And we continue to support safe passage,” Kirby said. “I don’t have an announcement to make today, I can’t tell you a specific route or a corridor, I just want to make it clear that we are actively working on this with our Egyptian and our Israeli counterparts.”
“Civilians are protected under the laws of armed conflict, and they should be given every opportunity to avoid the fighting,” Kirby said.
NO ‘INDICATIONS’ ISRAEL FACES NEW ATTACKS FROM ADVERSARIES, TOP US GENERAL SAYS
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HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds an 8:45 a.m. news conference at the conclusion of today’s meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium. Livestream at https://www.defense.gov.
ALSO TODAY: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel, arriving this morning in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. Blinken is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his security Cabinet, and President Isaac Herzog.
Blinken is also expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow in Jordan.
DEADLOCK OVER HOUSE SPEAKER: Republican House members met behind closed doors yesterday and nominated Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) to succeed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House.
But what appeared to be an agreement to support whoever got the most votes in a secret ballot broke down almost immediately when some House members said they wouldn’t vote for Scalise.
“I plan on voting for Jim Jordan on the floor,” said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). “I have been very vocal about this over the last couple of days. I personally cannot in good conscience vote for someone who attended a white supremacist conference and compared himself to David Duke.”
“We came out of our conference with 110 votes for Steve Scalise that he can take to the House floor. He needs 217,” said Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) on CNN. “There are a lot of members who are undecided. I’m one of them. There are those that are absolutely opposed. He’s going to have to make the case as to how he can pull the conference together after what has been a traumatic time in chaos on Capitol Hill.”
“It would just be a question of whether this eight or so, gang of eight, if you will, throw their support for Scalise, enough to give him 217,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Fox. “We don’t want to do … the charade that was done last time because, if anything, this projects weakness to the world. And it’s the last thing we need to be showing is that democracy can’t function. And we need to govern.”
EGYPT GAVE ISRAEL WARNING ABOUT HAMAS ATTACK, MCCAUL SAYS
‘BS. ANYBODY WITH A BRAIN KNOWS IRAN IS BEHIND THIS’: Democrats and Republicans emerged from a closed-door briefing with divergent views on the Biden administration’s claim that it lacks evidence that Iran was directly involved in the planning and execution of Saturday’s terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.
“There is no indication, as of right now, that Iranian leadership were directly puppeteering this attack,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), while Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said the administration’s in denial. “I heard that in there. They’re not sure of Iran’s role. BS. Anybody with a brain knows Iran is behind this. … It’s clear as day that Iran made this possible.”
“I don’t think the gap is very broad here. We all know and understand, even in public outside of the intelligence, that Hamas is a franchise of Iran,” said Turner, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “They supplied them the rockets, the munitions, the training.”
“I’ll tell you what I think, which is that we are making way, way too much over the statements of a bunch of members of Congress who don’t know, who don’t have access to the kind of intelligence that the chairman and I do,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said in a joint interview with Turner.
“But this is a sort of fog of war situation. We are getting conflicting reports,” Himes said. “We know that for decades, Iran has provided weaponry, financial support, and all sorts of other support to Hamas. So, of course, their hands are not clean here.”
NO ‘INDICATIONS’ ISRAEL FACES NEW ATTACKS FROM ADVERSARIES, TOP US GENERAL SAYS
SECOND CARRIER WEEKS AWAY: The White House has confirmed that a second aircraft carrier strike force will soon depart for Europe but said there has been no decision yet on whether it will join the carrier strike force in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel.
“The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and her strike group will be departing on a pre-scheduled, long-scheduled deployment to the European Command area of responsibility,” said spokesman John Kirby. “They’ll start that deployment in the coming week or so. They will be going initially across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean, where they will be available if needed.”
The Eisenhower could join the USS Gerald R. Ford to increase the combat capability aimed at deterring any expansion of the war in Israel, but for now, that’s just a contingency option. “No operational decisions like that have been made,” said Kirby, “but she will be heading in that direction, her ships will be with her, and she certainly will be an available asset if needed.”
AMID HEZBOLLAH CONCERNS, WATCH FOR ANY MOVEMENT OF 26TH MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Egypt gave Israel warning about Hamas attack, McCaul says
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Armed Services senators press Austin to send spare Iron Dome batteries
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Leaders of Iran and Saudi Arabia hold first-ever phone call, pledging united support for Palestinians
Washington Examiner: All we know about the Americans killed and captured by Hamas
Washington Examiner: No ‘indications’ Israel faces new attacks from adversaries, top US general says
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Biden describes ‘confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children’
Washington Examiner: Israel war: NATO warns Iran not to expand Hamas conflict
Washington Examiner: Israel war: General says IDF ‘not being surgical’ in Gaza as Egypt slams door on Palestinian refugees
Washington Examiner: Israel war: Benjamin Netanyahu forms unity government in wake of Hamas attacks
Washington Examiner: Amid Hezbollah concerns, watch for any movement of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Washington Examiner: Israel war: US assisting in hostage recovery efforts
Washington Examiner: Biden’s $6 billion Iran prisoner swap deal under harsh spotlight amid Israel war
Washington Examiner: Biden administration announces new aid for Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Israel war: Qatar is vital supporter of Hamas terrorism
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Erdogan’s love for Hamas threatens Israel
AP: As strikes devastate Gaza, Israel says it’s preparing for possible ground assault
Marine Corps Times: Marine unit leaves Kuwait exercise early because of ‘emerging events’
Washington Times: Focus On Israel-Gaza War Raises Fears Of China Attack On Taiwan
Reuters: Iran President, Saudi Crown Prince Speak For First Time Since Ties Restored
Washington Post: U.S. intensifies push to use Moscow’s $300 billion war chest for Kyiv
Military.com: Pentagon Can Provide Military Aid To Both Ukraine And Israel At The Same Time, Defense Secretary Says
Reuters: Denmark, Netherlands, US Spearhead Creation of Future Ukraine Air Force
Defense News: Belgium Agrees to Send F-16s to Ukraine, But Not Before 2025
AP: U.S. Aircraft Carrier Arrives In South Korea As North’s Leader Kim Exchanges Messages With Putin
The War Zone: Mysterious Sidewinder Air Defense Systems Headed for Ukraine
DefenseScoop: JCO Aims to Shoot Down Up to 50 Drones in Counter-Swarm Demo
Air & Space Forces Magazine: SDA Director Says He’s Willing to Be the ‘Bad Cop’ to Challenge Pentagon Bureaucracy
SpaceNews: US to Pursue Stronger Collaboration with Allies in Military Space Programs
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Two-Star Charged with Sexual Assault
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Why Recruits Now Deadlift to Join the Air Force
Air & Space Forces Magazine: 13th AWACS Jet Flies West to Boneyard, Last of 2023 Divestments
Calendar
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 12
8:45 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin news conference at the conclusion of the the two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Applying an Irregular Warfare Lens to Outer Space,” with Col. El Gardner, director of strategy, policy, and plans at U.S. Space Force; Dean Cheng, senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies; John Klein, faculty member at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute and author of Fight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Space; Franco Ongaro, chief space business officer at Leonardo S.p.A; Theresa Hitchens, reporter for space and Air Force at Breaking Defense; and Audrey Schaffer, vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot Aerospace and former White House space policy official https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/applying-an-irregular-warfare-lens-to-outer-space
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Association of the U.S. Army and Center for Strategic and International Studies “Strategic Landpower Dialogue,” with Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific https://www.csis.org/events/strategic-landpower-dialogue
10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Israel at War: Hamas Attack on Israel,” with Danny Citrinowicz, research fellow, Institute for National Security Studies; Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security Program at CNAS; Carrie Cordero, Robert M. Gates senior fellow at CNAS; and Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer, CNAS https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-israel-at-war-hamas-attack-on-israel
10 a.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum: “Will Hezbollah and Iran Expand War to Israel’s North?” with David Schenker, WINEP senior fellow; Hanin Ghaddar, WINEP senior fellow; former Israeli Defense Forces deputy chief of staff retired Maj. Gen. Yair Golan; and Farzin Nadimi, WINEP senior fellow https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute in-person discussion: “The Future of the U.S.-Finland Alliance,” with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen; and Peter Rough, director of Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia. https://www.hudson.org/events/finnish-foreign-minister
11 a.m. 37th and O St. NW — Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service Center for Contemporary Arab Studies discussion: “Gaza and Decolonization: Human Rights are Not Enough,” with Neve Gordon, professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London https://georgetown.zoom.us/webinar/register
11 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “Poland’s election and the direction of democracy in Central Europe,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, fellow at the Atlantic Council; Milan Nic, senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations; Adam Traczyk, director of More in Common Poland; Anna Grzymala-Busse, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe; and Constanze Stelzenmuller, director of the Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe https://www.brookings.edu/events/polands-election
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 13
4 p.m. South Bend, Indiana — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gives a lecture at the University of Notre Dame titled “Religious Liberty, Courage and the Necessity of Leadership.” Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@NotreDameCCCG
MONDAY | OCTOBER 16
9:30 a.m. 1400 K St. NW — Center for Nonproliferation Studies in-person and virtual panel discussion: “The Nonproliferation Implications of a U.S.-Saudi Arabia-Israel Deal,” with Aziz Alghashian, researcher and fellow, SPD Project; Eric Brewer, deputy vice president, NTI; Chen Zak Kane, Middle East nonproliferation program director, CNS; Barak Ravid, political reporter, Axios; and moderator Ellen Knickmeyer of the Associated Press https://middlebury.zoom.us/webinar/register
MONDAY | OCTOBER 23
4:30 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute book discussion: Riding the Tiger: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the Uses of War, with author Leon Aron, AEI senior fellow; and Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies, AEI https://www.aei.org/events/vladimir-putins-russia
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Every Hamas member is a dead man.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised address Wednesday evening.
