SitRep: Washington’s Plan to Hack Moscow; Turkey Accuses U.S. of Supporting ISIS

Hack back. The White House is attempting to wrap up deliberations over how to respond to Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to a scoop from the Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima. The response will reportedly include sanctions as well as covert cyber operations that won’t be made public (at least until someone leaks the details…).

White House officials say they’re trying to craft their response to the hacking in a way that would make it hard for the incoming Trump administration to walk them back. Part of the trick is finding the authorities for imposing new sanctions — President Obama may have to declare election systems a piece of critical infrastructure in order to sanction Russia under a 2015 executive order allowing penalties against hackers who attack American critical infrastructure.

According to the story, one of the worries from inside the Obama administration is that “the Trump transition team has not yet had extensive briefings with the White House on cybersecurity issues, including the potential use of the cyber sanctions order. The slow pace has caused consternation among officials, who fear that the administration’s accomplishments in cyber­­security could languish if the next administration fails to understand their value.”

One more time. The Obama administration will deliver what is expected to be it’s final word on the eternally frustrating peace process in the Middle East on Wednesday, when Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a highly anticipated speech at 11:00 a.m. The speech, coming less than a month before president Obama leaves office, will also address Friday’s vote at the U.N. where the United States broke with longstanding diplomatic practice of shielding Israel from international condemnation by abstaining on a resolution that called Israel’s practice of building new settlements in occupied territories illegal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides “are confident the Trump administration will likely ignore any Obama principles and pay no heed to the U.N. resolution,” Reuters notes, “but they fear Kerry’s remarks will put Israel on the defensive and prompt other countries to apply pressure.” Netanyahu called the resolution “shameful” and accused Washington in being an active partner in shaping the document. On Tuesday, his spokesman went further, claiming to have “ironclad information” that shows the Obama administration “helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage,” David Keyes said. “We’re not just going to be a punching bag and go quietly into the night.”

Washington to Raqqa. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again accused Washington and its allies in the anti-Islamic State coalition of providing support for the terrorist group, as well as Kurdish militants fighting the Turkish government in southern Turkey. Speaking on Tuesday, Erdogan said Washington is “giving support to terrorist groups including Daesh,” and the Kurdish YPG and the PYD. “It’s very clear,” he said. “We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos.”

“That’s just ludicrous,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday. “I don’t know where that comes from.” Moscow and Ankara have agreed on a proposal that would establish a new ceasefire in Syria, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency said Wednesday, and are trying to get it in place by midnight Wednesday. The United States won’t be a part of their ongoing discussions on a broader ceasefire, officials said.

Good morning and as always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national  security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

Hacking

Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against three Chinese financial traders whom they accuse of making $4 million off hacking into big-name American law firms, according to the Wall Street Journal. The indictment claims that Iat Hong, Bo Zheng and Hung Chin used their access to the firms’ email accounts in order to get a heads up on companies about to announce big acquisitions. The men then allegedly purchased shares in the publicly traded firms and profited off their insider knowledge. The U.S. is seeking the extradition of one of the accused, Iat Hong, from Hong Kong. China, however, has been historically reluctant to extradite its citizens to the United States.

North Korea

A senior North Korean diplomat at the country’s embassy in London shocked the world when he jumped ship and defected earlier this year. Now, Thae Yong-ho is talking to the press. Yonhap News Agency reports that Thae said he believes Kim Jong Un wants his nuclear program completed by the end of next year. He said the North now feels the wind at its back with the departure of leaders it disliked in the United States and South Korea and may try to negotiate with the new administrations in both countries. Nonetheless, Thae said that North Korea won’t ever give up its nuclear weapons and will seek recognition of its status as a legitimate nuclear weapons state.

Estonia

John McCain is urging the Defense Department to permanently station American troops in Estonia in order to reassure the Baltic country of U.S. support. At the moment, U.S. troops are only in the country on a rotational basis. The call comes amid doubts about U.S. security guarantees to allies under the incoming Trump administration. During the presidential campaign, Trump suggested he might not honor America’s treaty obligations under NATO to come to Estonia’s defense in the event of a Russian invasion.

Syria

Russia is reacting strongly to the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, lashing out at a provision inserted by Congressional Syria hawks giving the president the authority to transfer man-portable air defense systems to Syrian rebels if he’s so inclined. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighting ISIS tell Reuters they’d sure appreciate getting some of the weapons The Obama administration, however, has consistently opposed sending the shoulder-fire anti-aircraft systems to rebels. Nonetheless, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labeled the passage of the bill “a hostile act” and a threat to Russian aircraft.

Afghanistan

Some of Afghanistan’s neighbors are meeting in Moscow and sounding the alarm about the growth of the Islamic State in the country. Reuters reports that China and Pakistan, along with Russia, issued a statement that “expressed particular concern” about the jihadist and the “deterioration of the security situation” in Afghanistan and recommended taking some Taliban figures off the sanctions list. The U.S. and Afghanistan have accused Russia of cozying up to Taliban.

Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says his country should have the Islamic State defeated in about three months. The optimistic statement comes as Iraqi forces are currently bogged down in house-to-house fighting in Mosul attempting to clear the city of fighters from the group — an assault that’s proven costly in Iraqi casualties. Islamic State fighters have also been carrying out diversionary attacks in areas outside of Mosul, launching raids in Kirkuk and Gogjali.

Photo Credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images