ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - December 18, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - December 18, 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

• NATO Takes Over Coordination of Ukraine Military Aid from the United States
• Ukraine Assassinates Russian General in Moscow
• Ceasefire Agreement Expected Between Israel and Palestinian Territories

NATO Takes Over Coordination of Ukraine Military Aid from the United States

The NATO alliance has reportedly taken over control of coordinating Western military support to Ukraine from the United States. In July 2024 Western leaders agreed NATO would assume responsibility for coordinating military support for Ukraine to safeguard the assistance from the possibility of a future Trump administration. The new NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) center, located in the German city of Wiesbaden, will now be responsible for organizing Western support for Ukraine.

Ukraine Assassinates Russian General in Moscow

Ukraine assassinated Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces (NBC), in a bombing at a residential block in Moscow. On December 16, Ukraine had charged Kirillov in absentia, saying he was "responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons" against Ukrainian forces. The assassination demonstrates Ukraine's ability to conduct covert operations deep inside Russia.

Ceasefire Agreement Expected Between Israel and Palestinian Territories

Several senior Palestinian and Israeli officials reportedly confirmed that a ceasefire agreement will likely be reached in the Gaza Strip in the coming days. Some media outlets have indicated that the proposed truce includes a number of phases, the first of which would last from six to eight weeks and see approximately 30 hostages released in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. However, it should be noted that Hamas recently warned that a deal could only be reached if Israel “stops setting new conditions.”