ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - January 2, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - January 2, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• BRICS Welcomes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE
• South Korean Opposition Leader Lee Jae-Myung Hospitalized After a Stabbing Attack
• Venezuela Orders Rival Military Exercises Near Guyana After British Military Mission Through January 5, 2024

BRICS Welcomes 5 New Members

The upcoming BRICS summit in Russia witnesses the expansion of its membership to include five new nations — Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — in addition to the original five members. Argentina, under its new President Javier Milei, has decided to withdraw from joining BRICS, viewed as a strategic move to continue supporting existing bilateral ties.

South Korean Opposition Leader Lee Jae-Myung Hospitalized After a Stabbing Attack

South Korean opposition party leader Lee Jae-Myung has sustained injuries after being stabbed on the left side of his neck during a visit to the port city of Busan. Lee was admitted to Pusan National University Hospital 20 minutes after an unidentified man attacked him with a knife. The hospital has confirmed that the injuries are not life-threatening. Current South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has condemned the attack. Lee, who lost to Yoon in the highly competitive 2022 Presidential Race, is widely expected to run again in 2027.

Venezuela Orders Rival Military Exercises Near Guyana After British Military Mission Through January 5, 2024

On December 28, 2023, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered thousands of troops to conduct military exercises near the border with Guyana. The exercises are in response to "the provocation and threat of the United Kingdom against peace and the sovereignty" of Venezuela after the UK sent a warship to Guyana. The British ship will not dock in Guyana but will remain in its waters until around January 5. The ship was redeployed to Guyana, specifically after President Maduro held a referendum in December 2023 on invading the Essequibo region of Guyana, which Venezuela considers its territory. Since the referendum, both Guyana and Venezuela have agreed not to settle the dispute with violence. However, Maduro's opponents argue he is using the threat of an invasion as a political stunt ahead of elections sometime in 2024.