ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 30, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - March 30, 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

• Syria Accuses Israel After Strikes Kill More than 40 Near Aleppo
• Labor Union in Argentina Announces Nationwide Strike on April 3 After President Milie's Threat of Government Job Cuts
• Ethiopia Experiences Nationwide Blackout

Syria Accuses Israel After Strikes Kill More than 40 Near Aleppo

Israeli strikes on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo reportedly killed at least 42 civilians and Syrian military personnel early on Friday. Syria's defense ministry said that the airstrikes coincided with drone attacks by "terrorist organizations.'' According to sources, a Hezbollah weapons warehouse in the Jabrin area near Aleppo International Airport was hit and Syrian air defense forces facilities in Al-Saferah were also targeted.

Labor Union in Argentina Announces Nationwide Strike on April 3 After President Milie's Threat of Government Job Cuts

The powerful ATE labor union announced a nationwide strike on April 3, in response to a pledge by President Javier Milei to cut 70,000 public sector jobs. Details of the strike were not announced; other than that, it would also include protests. The job cuts are significant and could harm President Milei's popularity, which has remained relatively steady despite a series of austerity measures that have drastically increased inflation, poverty, and unemployment. International economists largely back Milei's policy of cutting spending and have been able to reign in years of high inflation. However, the policies do increase inflation and unemployment, which Milei argues is only temporary. Protests and continued economic hardship could turn the local population against Milei before the economic benefits emerge. Milei has also faced several legal and political obstacles to his measures. Milei has little backing in Congress, which has led him to cut spending by decree, some of which have been rejected by the courts.

Ethiopia Experiences Nationwide Blackout

On March 28, Ethiopia experienced a nationwide blackout for several hours, including in the capital Addis Ababa. The outage began in the afternoon and lasted for approximately two hours, according to officials from the state-owned energy company Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP). While power has since been restored, emergency personnel have launched an investigation into the cause of the blackout. Some reports indicate that the nationwide outage was caused by a system failure.