Four wounded in Tel Aviv attack; NATO mobilizes to protect undersea cables

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — JAN 22 2025

Today’s email brings you news from Israel and NATO in the Baltic.

1 - ISRAEL

1 thing to know

Four people were wounded in an attack in Tel Aviv yesterday.

The context 

The attacker was identified as Abdelaziz Kaddi, a Moroccan national with a US green card. He was shot dead at the scene by armed citizens. All four of the victims are expected to recover, though two are injured more heavily.

Kaddi entered Israel on January 18 with a tourist visa. He was initially flagged as a security concern at Ben Gurion Airport and questioned. Despite concerns, he was allowed entry into Israel. The Shin Bet (Israel's security agency) is investigating why he was permitted to enter.

More from the region

• The three women recently returned to Israel by terrorist group Hamas have revealed that they were held in UN shelters for part of the time they were in Gaza, providing more evidence of UN groups working alongside terrorist organizations.

• US President Trump removed the Biden-imposed sanctions against Israel’s West Bank, which targeted individuals in Israel’s West Bank.

• Trump also removed all the Biden-era restrictions on the sale of US weapons to Israel, including a restriction on the sale of 2000-pound bombs to Israel.

• Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and IDF Southern Command leader Yaron Finkelman have announced their resignation from the military because of failures that lead to the October 7, 2023 massacre. 

• Israel has begun an operation in the West Bank called Iron Wall. (More on that tomorrow.)

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TECH SPOTLIGHT: M72 LAW

The M72 LAW is a lightweight, one-shot 66 mm rocket launcher designed for infantry to target armored vehicles. Developed by the U.S. in the 1960s, it weighs around 5.5 lbs and has a length of 25 inches when unarmed.

The weapon fires a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead with a penetration of up to 12 in of armor. It has an effective range of 200 meters and a muzzle velocity of 145 m/s (480 ft/s). Despite modern advancements in armor causing it's effectiveness to decrease, it's still used by militaries across the globe.

What it’s used for

The M72 LAW has been used by over 40 countries, including the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ukraine. It has seen action in numerous conflicts, including the Vietnam War, Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, and Iraq War. It's most recent uses have been in the Russian war against Ukraine, and in the Israel-Hamas war.

2 - RUSSIA

1 thing to know

NATO has launched a initiative in the Baltic Sea to protect undersea infrastructure.

The context

NATO launched the "Baltic Sentry" initiative to counter growing threats to critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea following recent damage to power cables and pipelines. The operation builds surveillance with warships, patrol aircraft, drones, and integrated maritime monitoring with regional countries like Finland, Estonia, and Sweden.

Russia has not been explicitly accused, but NATO has expressed concerns about Moscow's "shadow fleet" and rising tensions since the invasion of Ukraine. The program aims to detect and respond to incidents and anomalies, such as ships towing anchors suspiciously, and then directly intervene, or re-direct to local authorities.

More from the region

• Three alleged sabotage operations damaged internet and electricity cables in the last month, in part prompting NATOs response

• Multiple cables were also severed in November 2024

• Last year, NATO opened its Maritime Centre for Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) in London, which is attempting to map all critical underwater infrastructure and find weak spots

P.S. If you have a source, tip, or piece of information we missed, please reply to this email and tell us about it. Thank you!