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USA
U.S.: White House Aware Of Russian Spies Since February July 9, 2010
An unnamed White House official said U.S. President Barack Obama was informed of the Russian spy case on June 11, before any arrests were made, and that some White House officials had been briefed on the case as early as February, AP reported July 9. The official said the idea of a spy swap was already considered June 11, including exactly who the United States would ask Russia to release, along with other options.

U.S.: Alleged Al Qaeda Members Charged For U.S. Plot July 7, 2010
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against five alleged members of an al Qaeda plot to attack targets in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a July 7 statement from the department’s press office. The indictment, unsealed in the New York Eastern District Court, said a plot against New York’s subway system uncovered in September 2009 involving Colorado resident Najibullah Zazi was directed by al Qaeda’s senior leadership in Pakistan, the statement said. The plot was also related to another plan to use Western al Qaeda operatives to attack the United Kingdom. The five members involved, Adnan El Shukrijumah, also known as “Hamad,” Adis Medunjanin, also known as “Mohammad,” Abid Naseer, Tariq Ur Rehman, and a fifth defendant known by the names “Ahmad,” “Sohaib” and “Zahid,” have been indicted on several counts of terrorism, the statement said. According to the indictment, the plot involving Zazi was orchestrated by then-leaders of al Qaeda’s external operations program dedicated to terror attacks in Western countries.

U.S.: Bin Laden's Aide Pleads Guilty July 7, 2010
A Sudanese man who protected Osama bin Laden and helped him escape American forces in Afghanistan pleaded guilty at a Guantanamo Bay tribunal on July 7, Reuters reported. Ibrahim al Qosi pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired with al Qaeda and provided material support for terrorism, according to Guantanamo court spokesman Joe DellaVedova. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug.

EUROPE
EU: Financial Data Sharing With U.S. Approved July 8, 2010
The European Parliament approved a deal July 8 to share financial data in suspected terrorism cases with the United States, AP reported. The agreement was adopted after U.S. officials addressed privacy concerns by agreeing to provide European authorities with the reasons for their suspicions, grant legal redress in U.S. courts if information is abused, and correct inaccurate data. The agreement, adopted by a 484 to 109 vote with 12 abstentions, will go into effect on Aug. 1.

RUSSIA
U.S.: Death of a Russian Defector
Russia: A Reshuffling in the Interior Ministry | STRATFOR
Georgia: Tbilisi's Dilemma | STRATFOR
Russia: Moscow Open To Normal Relations With Georgia July 8, 2010
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is open to normal contacts with Georgia in order to encourage interaction between the countries’ populations, despite the current absence of diplomatic relations, Itar-Tass reported July 8. As an example, Lavrov said Russia has opened the Upper Lars border crossing. Lavrov also called on the Georgian government to normalize relations with regional ethnic groups including the Ossetians, Abkhaz, Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

IRAN

Iran: Senior IRCG Commander Sent To Lebanon - IDF July 7, 2010
A senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp has been sent to Lebanon to oversee the operations of Hezbollah on behalf of Iran, The Jerusalem Post reported July 7, citing an unnamed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official. Hossein Mahadavi is a senior officer in the Quds Force, which is responsible for the IRGC’s overseas operations. Mahadavi is believed to maintain an office in Beirut.
Iran: Opposition Leader Criticizes Ahmadinejad July 7, 2010
Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for dismissing U.N. sanctions and said that Ahmadinejad should be truthful about the negative impact the sanctions will have on the Irans economy and people, AFP reported July 7. He also suggested that scaling back the responsibilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would decrease corruption.

U.S.: Irish Firm Charged With Illegal Exports To Iran July 7, 2010
Irish trading company Mac Aviation Group and its officers have been charged by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. with illegally exporting aircraft components to Iran, according to a statement by the U.S. Justice Department released July 7. The company bought the parts from U.S. firms and illegally exported them to Iran. The group had previously been charged with two counts of conspiracy, 19 counts of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Iranian Transactions Regulations, four counts of false statements and forfeiture allegations in July 2008.

IRAQ

NSTR

ISRAEL
Palestinian Territories: International Flotilla Planned July 8, 2010
A Gaza-bound flotilla, with vessels from Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia and Turkey, is due to set sail in August, The Jakarta Post reported July 8, citing an Indonesian member of the fleet. Medical Emergency Rescue Committee Director Jose Rizal Jurnalis said his committee will purchase a Phinisi passenger vessel that will join the flotilla. Volunteers and others will travel on that ship, he said. Setting sail from Jakarta, the ship will stop in Medan, Indonesia; Thailand; Colombo; Bombay; Muscat, Oman; Yemen; and the Suez Canal before reaching Gaza. Indonesian Institute of Sciences security researcher Rifqi Muna said the flotilla is more of a political mission, rather than a humanitarian one.

Israel: Evidence Of Hezbollah Buildup Declassified July 7, 2010
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Command declassified visual evidence of Hezbollah’s buildup in nearly 200 southern Lebanese villages, The Jerusalem Post reported July 7. An IDF delegation was sent to show the evidence to the United Nations and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. The IDF estimates there are around 20,000 Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. A senior IDF source said there has been no indication that Syria, Lebanon or Hezbollah plan to attack Israel, Voice of Israel reported. The unnamed official added that he had no information suggesting that Syria had acquired an advanced radar system.

Israel: U.S. Iraq Withdrawal May Spark Hostilities - PM July 7, 2010
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said July 7 that the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq has the potential to spark renewed hostilities on Israel’s eastern border, and that any potential peace deal with the Palestinians must allow Israel to make security arrangements to defend against an attack from the east, Haaretz reported. Netanyahu, speaking following a meeting in Washington with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said any final status agreement with the Palestinians must take renewed hostilities on Israel’s eastern border into account.

Israel: Gaza Crossings To Be Partially Opened July 8, 2010
Israel is due to partially open two crossings into the Gaza Strip on July 8 to allow the transfer of aid, Qatar News Agency reported, citing a Palestinian crossings official. About 150 trucks with goods for the commercial and agricultural sectors are expected to go through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the strip’s southern region, the official said, while 41 trucks of aggregate for United Nations Relief and Works Agency projects will be delivered by way of the Karni crossing in the north end.

Israel: Inquiry Criticizes Flotilla Raids Planning July 8, 2010
An army inquiry into the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla criticized the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) planning but did not single out any military officials, Ynet reported July 8. The inquirys report said there was a lack of coordination between forces involved in the raid, mishaps in planning and failure to make use of available intelligence. The report said the military planners thought IDF forces would only face low-level violence.

Israel: Libyan Aid Ship Likely Blocked July 10, 2010
Diplomatic efforts have likely prevented a Libyan aid ship from attempting to breach Israels blockade of the Gaza Strip, AFP reported July 10, citing Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has spoken several times with the foreign ministers of Greece and Moldova regarding the matter and the ministry believes that due to these talks the ship will not reach Gaza. Haaretz newspaper reported on its website that Israel’s U.N. ambassador sent a letter to U.N. chief Ban Ki Moon asking the international community to intervene.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan: Senior Police Intelligence Chief Killed July 8, 2010
Mohammad Gul, the police intelligence director for the western Kabul zone, was killed outside his home near Kabul, Afghanistan, AP reported July 8. A bodyguard also died. Gul faced an ambush the night of July 7 as he returned from his office, police said. Gul was over the prevention of terrorist attacks and the apprehension of suspected militants, Kabul’s criminal investigations chief, Abdul Ghfar Sayed Zada, said.

Afghanistan: $3 Billion In Materiel To Be Delivered July 8, 2010
The United States plans to deliver $3 billion in equipment to fight Afghan Taliban-made crude bombs, Ashton Carter, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said on July 8, AFP reported. The effort will at least double the current capacity to fight improvised explosive devices (IED), Carter said. Tethered surveillance blimps, heavily armored vehicles and detection machinery like robots and mine detectors will arrive in coming months, he said. Some 1,000 counter-IED experts, including lab technicians and law enforcement officials, will arrive with the materiel. The coalition will share the equipment with Afghan forces. The IEDs frequently include ammonium nitrate fertilizer that is produced in Pakistan and brought across the border, according to Carter. The devices are built in both countries, he said.

Afghanistan: U.S. Plan For Village Defense Forces Resisted July 10, 2010
Gen. David H. Petraeus has met resistance from Afghan President Hamid Karzai over an American plan to assist Afghan villagers in fighting the Taliban on their own, The Washington Post reported July 10. Karzai renewed his objections to the plan in a meeting with Petraeus last week, saying he was wary of creating “a force that will be viewed as a private militia.” Recruiting villagers into local defense programs is a key part of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan. A plan for local defense forces was expected to be endorsed July 8.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Dispatch: Mexican Cartels' Money Movement | STRATFOR

Mexico: Small Plane Carrying Local Officials Crashes July 7, 2010
A small six-seater airplane carrying a state minister and a mayor from northern Mexico crashed in flames over a dam on July 7, Reuters reported. Coahuila state Minister for Public Works Horacio del Bosque and Piedras Negras Mayor Jose Manuel Maldonado were on board the plane. The cause of the crash is unknown.

Venezuela: Terror Suspect Extradited To Cuba July 7, 2010
Venezuela extradited Francisco Chaves Abarca to Cuba, where he is accused of having connections with Cubas most wanted man, Luis Posada Carriles, and will stand trial for a series of bombings, AP reported July 7. Venezuela President Hugo Chavez said Venezuelan authorities believe Abarca was conspiring with opposition groups in Venezuela to cause violence before congressional elections in September.

Colombia: Fate Of FARC Leader Unknown July 8, 2010
There is currently no information about the fate of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) head Alfonso Cano, Colombian Armed Forces Commander Gen. Freddy Padilla de Leon said in a July 8 army press release. Padilla de Leon was responding to earlier media reports that Cano had been killed in a Colombian military operation.

Mexico: Elected Officials Receive Death Threats July 8, 2010
At least two winning candidates in Mexico’s July 4 elections have received threats saying they will be killed if they take office, CNN reported July 8, citing a statement from a state leader of Mexico’s ruling National Action Party (PAN). PAN representative Victor Salas said the president-elect of Jose Azueta municipality of Veracruz state, Agusti Martinez Ganboa, and Gabriel Lagunes Lagunes, the president-elect of Soledad de Doblado municipality of Veracruz state, received the death threats.

Ecuador: Government To Nationalize Oil Fields Without Investment July 8, 2010
Ecuadorian Natural Resources Minister Wilson Pastor said that the government will take control of the country’s oil fields if foreign companies decide not to invest further, El Universo reported July 8. Pastor said that nationalized fields would be administered by state-run oil firms Petroamazonas and Petroecuador, adding that his statements were intended to spur investment.

MISC

South Korea: The U.N. Response to the ChonAn Incident | STRATFOR

Agenda: With George Friedman | STRATFOR

Spies and Canadian Passports