ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - February 19, 2025

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - February 19, 2025

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., Russia Delegations Conduct Talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Israeli Military Maintains Five Positions Inside Lebanon Following Withdrawal Deadline
• U.S. Removes “No Independence” Statement

U.S., Russia Delegations Conduct Talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

On February 18, 2025, Russian and American officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The delegations—led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov—agreed to appoint representatives to begin the negotiation process and partially restore diplomatic relations by restoring embassy staffing levels for further diplomatic missions. Speaking after the discussions, Rubio said he considered Russia to be serious about pursuing an end to the conflict. The leaders have reportedly proposed a three-stage peace plan, including a ceasefire, presidential elections in Ukraine, and signing a final agreement.

Israeli Military Maintains Five Positions Inside Lebanon Following Withdrawal Deadline

On February 18, 2025, the deadline for Israel withdrawing from Lebanon, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) removed the bulk of its troops from the country. However, Israeli officials announced that some troops would remain on five unpopulated hilltop outposts along the border in Lebanese territory for an indefinite amount of time to address “any violation” of the ceasefire by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, transportation officials have announced that Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) will halt all flight operations between 12:00 and 4:00 PM local time on February 23, 2025, during the funeral of former Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah.

U.S. Removes “No Independence” Statement

The U.S. Department of State removed a statement on its fact sheet that says “it does not support Taiwanese independence.” The State Department fact sheet on U.S.-Taiwan relations continues to state U.S. opposition to any unilateral changes to the status quo from either China or Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy that rejects China's sovereignty claims. The updated version of the fact sheet has added a reference to Taiwan’s cooperation with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development project, and it also updated the U.S. approach to supporting Taiwan’s international participation.