Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at an alleged Israeli intelligence leak, the final stretch of the U.S. campaign season, and Moldova’s presidential election results.
Intelligence Leak
Authorities are investigating Eliezer Feldstein, a top aide in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, for allegedly leaking classified intelligence to foreign media that may have damaged Israel’s ability to free Hamas-held hostages in Gaza. Israeli authorities believe that around 60 living hostages remain in the enclave along with the bodies of roughly 35 others.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at an alleged Israeli intelligence leak, the final stretch of the U.S. campaign season, and Moldova’s presidential election results.
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Intelligence Leak
Authorities are investigating Eliezer Feldstein, a top aide in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, for allegedly leaking classified intelligence to foreign media that may have damaged Israel’s ability to free Hamas-held hostages in Gaza. Israeli authorities believe that around 60 living hostages remain in the enclave along with the bodies of roughly 35 others.
According to a gag order that an Israeli court loosened on Sunday, information taken from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and “illegally issued” may have damaged Israel’s ability to free the captives.
The documents, first published in the Jewish Chronicle and the German newspaper Bild in early September, detailed a Hamas plan to smuggle senior militant leaders and Israeli hostages through the Philadelphi Corridor to Egypt, where they would then be transferred to Iran. The documents also claimed that Hamas was trying to manipulate the Israeli public to draw out the negotiations.
However, Israeli opposition lawmakers have condemned the alleged intelligence leak as a ploy by Netanyahu to thwart cease-fire talks. The prime minister’s office leaked “faked secret documents to torpedo the possibility of a hostage deal—to shape a public opinion influence operation against the hostages’ families,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said. A spokesperson with Netanyahu’s office downplayed the leak, saying the possibility that it impacted negotiations was “ridiculous.”
Netanyahu has been accused of repeatedly thwarting potential truce agreements with eleventh-hour demands, with some saying an end to the conflict would force the prime minister to hold new elections. Netanyahu has denied these allegations.
Yet on Sept. 2, just days before the Jewish Chronicle and Bild published the secret documents and one day after an autopsy determined that six Israeli hostages had recently been shot to death by their captors in a Gaza tunnel, Netanyahu presented a new condition to truce talks that put peace efforts in limbo: Israel’s permanent presence in the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent weapons smuggling. Hamas maintains that any permanent cease-fire deal must include the complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the enclave.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Sunday that it launched a ground raid into Syria “in recent months,” marking the first time in the past year that its troops have operated on Syrian soil. Israeli officials did not specify when the offensive occurred; however, they did say that Israeli forces captured Ali Soleiman al-Assi, a Syrian citizen whom the IDF said is tied to Iranian networks and who allegedly targeted the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Syrian authorities have not yet confirmed the announcement.
Today’s Most Read
The World This Week
Tuesday, Nov. 5: The United States holds a presidential election.
Palau holds a general election.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosts NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hosts Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Wednesday, Nov. 6: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov begins a two-day trip to Kazakhstan.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hosts French Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Friday, Nov. 8: Hungary hosts an informal summit with European Union leaders in Budapest.
Indonesia and Russia conclude five-day joint naval exercises.
Sunday, Nov. 10: Mauritius holds parliamentary elections.
Monday, Nov. 11: The United Nations climate change conference kicks off in Azerbaijan.
What We’re Following
Campaign stops. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are taking advantage of the final few campaigning hours left before Election Day on Tuesday.
Harris spent much of her time this weekend in Michigan, a swing state with a large Arab American population. In her opening remarks at Michigan State University on Sunday, she vowed to end the war in Gaza and be a “president for all Americans.” She also made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside comedian (and Harris impersonator) Maya Rudolph to tell voters to “keep calm-ala and carry on-ala.”
Meanwhile, Trump flew to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia this weekend, where he touted unsubstantiated voter fraud allegations, suggested that he wouldn’t mind if an assassination attempt shot reporters while trying to get to him, and defended himself from accusations of misogyny despite chuckling when one of his rally attendees made a crude joke (falsely) implying that Harris had been a prostitute.
For more up-to-date analysis and expert commentary, follow FP’s live coverage.
Pro-Western victory. Incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu won reelection on Sunday with roughly 54 percent of the vote, the country’s election commission confirmed on Monday. The pro-Western leader’s success directly counters alleged pro-Russian efforts to pull the Eastern European nation closer into Moscow’s orbit. Opposition candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo campaigned on stronger ties with the Kremlin to better protect the country’s security.
Sandu’s victory also follows the narrow passage of a referendum that will enshrine future EU membership into the country’s constitution. Sandu has accused Russia of foreign electoral interference, but Moscow has denied such claims.
“It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you’ve faced in this election,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X, referring to the interference allegations.
Deadly eruptions. A series of volcanic eruptions on the Indonesian island of Flores on Sunday killed at least 10 people, authorities said on Monday. Smoke rising from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki rose to nearly 885 feet, and the eruption triggered more than a dozen earthquakes. Around 10,000 people across 10 Indonesian villages have been affected.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has erupted 43 times since late October, which the head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency has called a “significant increase” in activity. The country’s volcano alert status remains at its highest level, as experts expect more earthquakes to come.
Odds and Ends
Those hoping to toss coins into Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain must settle for throwing them into a makeshift wooden pool instead. As the 18th-century fountain undergoes maintenance, local officials are encouraging tourists to have patience and throw their money into an unadorned, plywood box. Legend has it that tossing a coin into the Baroque landmark’s waters will ensure that the thrower returns to the Eternal City. But according to one recent traveler, some tourists are not trusting the temporary pool setup and are launching their money over the construction site’s fencing instead.
The post Alleged Israeli Intelligence Leak Could Hinder Hostage Release Talks appeared first on Foreign Policy.
