ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - April 12, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - April 12, 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

• U.S. Officials Expecting Iranian Retaliatory Strike on Israel
• Ukraine Passes New Mobilization Law
• Houthis Claim to Target Four Vessels in Gulf of Aden

U.S. Officials Expecting Iranian Retaliatory Strike on Israel

On April 10, U.S. officials claimed that an attack on Israel by Iran or its proxies was imminent following last week’s Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. For days, Tehran has threatened retaliation for the strike, which killed several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders. Some Iranian officials continue to stress the importance of so-called strategic patience in deciding when and where to strike. Instead of risking further escalation through a direct strike on Israel, Iran could instead use its proxies such as Hezbollah, Iraqi Shi’a Special Groups, or the Houthi Movement to attack Israel or its regional interests in the coming days or weeks. IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri also claimed that his forces could close the Strait of Hormuz in response to any further attacks by Israel, which would have far-reaching disruptions on the global oil trade.

Ukraine Passes New Mobilization Law

On April 11, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada passed the mobilization bill that has been under consideration for several months. President Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to sign the legislation soon, which will enter into effect thirty days after his signature. The bill updates the legal framework surrounding mobilization to clarify what a Ukrainian citizen can expect when they receive mobilization orders. The bill has gone through several previous iterations. Since February, the Verkhovna Rada has stripped several of the more controversial provisions from the bill so they could be voted on as separate pieces of legislation. For example, in April, President Zelensky signed three separate laws that were previously included in the mobilization bill; one lowering the conscription age to 25, one introducing an electronic register for conscripts, and one eliminating the "partially eligible" mobilization status.

Houthis Claim to Target Four Vessels in Gulf of Aden

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed to have targeted four vessels in the Gulf of Aden using drones and missiles, including one US warship. One day earlier, the US military reported shooting down an anti-ship ballistic missile possibly targeting the commercial vessel MV Yorktown. No casualties or damage to ships were reported as a result of the Houthi attacks.