They will be just about it's. Wednesday, November 22. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed.

Rumors are swirling in Washington that Iran is planning to arm Russia with a fresh batch of short range ballistic missiles to use in Putin's war with Ukraine. Plus, I'll give you an update on the Israel Hamas hostage deal, including when it's set to start and who's expected to be released. But first, our afternoon spotlight. It appears the Putin regime is about to have their Dwindling missile supplies restocked by their good friends in the Iranian government and the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC white House spokesperson, John Kirby, said Tuesday that intelligence indicates Iran is preparing to send advanced short range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, in a sign that the already cozy relationship between the two regimes is blossoming into something more than just a summer romance.

Officials said they are closely monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action as needed, though it's anyone's guess as to what that action or response might look like. The Iranian regime has already been supplying the beleaguered Russian military with drones, guided aerial bombs, and artillery munitions for use against Ukraine. Kirby warned that Iran is now, quote, preparing to go a step further in its support for Russia, end quote. Iran, however, as you might guess, is not bailing out the Russian military for free. In return for the short range ballistic missiles, russia is offering iran unprecedented defense cooperation in the form of air defense systems and military electronics.

They will also reportedly help Iran with their own missile program and aid the regime's satellite collection capabilities. The latest military arrangement comes amid reports that Iran is also looking to purchase Su 35 fighter jets, attack helicopters, radar, and other military hardware from the Putin regime. Now, despite what Putin might say about the state of his military, the almost two year long war with Ukraine has forced the Russian government to seek out military resources, particularly missiles, from their allies, in order to prolong the conflict in Ukraine. As we've covered here on the PDB, russia has been receiving missiles from North Korea in exchange for their help launching a spy satellite into orbit, and North Korea succeeded in that endeavor yesterday. The North Korean regime, like the Iranians, have also been sending shipments of ammunition and artillery shells to Putin's front lines in Ukraine.

Now, if the weapons dealing between these repressive regimes wasn't troubling enough, we're now learning that the activity also extends to Iran's proxies in the Middle East. White House officials confirmed on Tuesday reporting that the Wagner Group, russia's paramilitary organization, plans to provide air defense systems to Hezbollah in Lebanon. This was the first official confirmation of these rumors, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal in early November. Officials said that the air defense systems have not yet been delivered to the Iranian backed militants, but confirmed the Wagner group was acting on orders from the Putin regime. The Russianmade SA 22 surface to air missile system could be used by Hezbollah, of course, to take down Israeli drones and aircraft.

Now, as we've previously discussed on the PDB, putin is farming this task out to the Wagner group in an effort to claim that Russia is not directly implicated in the Israel Hamas conflict by the international press. However, not even the most naive among the international press would attempt to claim that the Wagner group is independent from the Russian government. So, in reality, the headline should read, putin Plans to Provide the Iranian backed Hezbollah with Air Defense Systems in a continuing effort to Destabilize the region and curry favor with the Iranian Regime. There, there's your headline. Coming up after the break, an update on the Israel Hamas hostage deal and why some members of the Israeli government opposed it.

I'll be right back. Welcome back. I wanted to provide an update on the Israel Hamas hostage deal as new details have become available. As I noted in this morning's PDB, the Israeli government approved a deal earlier today that will see the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas during a four day ceasefire expected to begin tomorrow morning. So here's some of the details.

Each night over the next four nights, roughly a dozen Israeli hostages will be set free by Hamas, totaling 50 hostages. In return, Israel will release 150 Palestinian detainees and permit the passage of 300 aid trucks into Gaza Daily, providing much needed assistance to Palestinian civilians. In addition, that four day lull in the hostilities could extend further one additional day for every ten hostages released. But there's a caveat. Should Hamas instigate any aggression in this period, israel retains the right to retaliate and reinitiate military actions.

Now, at this point, exact details on the identities of those being released are unknown, though it's anticipated that the majority will be women and children. Now, notably, there's word from an American official that three US. Citizens are likely to be amongst the first expected to be freed, including two women and a young girl named Abigail, who just turned four on Friday. The hostage release is slated to start 24 hours after the agreement has been approved by all parties, meaning that the cessation of combat activities could should begin on Thursday morning. Now, this deal has garnered the support of a majority within Netanyahu's cabinet and the Israeli security apparatus.

However, it wasn't as easy a sell as you might imagine, and it has its tractors in some corners of the Israeli government. Israel's National Security Minister said that while it was obviously a good thing that some of the women and children would be returning home, israel has a moral duty to ensure the return of all the hostages, and that seeing the return of only some of them played into the hands of Hamas. He added that this was a time to keep placing military pressure on Hamas and finish the job, adding that Israel was making the same mistakes it had made in the past. All right, well, this is an example of two things being true at the same time. It is extremely good news that some of the hostages will be released and that a cessation and fighting can allow for additional aid delivery.

And some we spite for residents caught up in the conflict. At the same time, this days long pause as noted by the National Security Minister, is not good from an operational standpoint for the IDF. Hamas will not use the break in fighting to engage in community goodwill. They will use the time to regroup, resupply, and better prepare for further action. And that my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 22 November.

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me at pdb@thefirstv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Just about.