Good Morning. 

North Korea rejects personal diplomacy with US, Xi pushes for Taiwan reunification before China's National Day, Meta is fined €91M for plaintext password storage, Taiwan jails ex-air force instructor for spying for China, and the UN extends a multinational police force for Haiti for another year.

Let’s dive in.

— 🐈‍⬛ Acoustic Kitty

Israel Prepares for Imminent Ground Invasion of Lebanon

• Israel informs U.S. of plans for a limited ground operation in Lebanon, focusing on clearing militant infrastructure along the border.

• The planned campaign is expected to be smaller in scale than Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah.

• Israeli forces have already conducted limited raids in Lebanon, according to an anonymous Israeli source.

Counterterrorism

• North Korea rejects personal diplomacy with U.S. ➚

• Taliban claims gains against IS-K in Afghanistan, alleges militants crossed from Pakistan. ➚

• Russian PM to meet Iranian president in Tehran. ➚

Military & Defense

• Xi pushes Taiwan reunification before China's National Day. ➚

• U.S. deploys thousands more troops to Middle East. ➚

• Hezbollah vows to fight on after leader's death. ➚

• U.S. military criticizes Russian fighter jet's unsafe maneuver near Alaska. ➚

• Lithuania refers Belarus to ICC over alleged crimes against humanity. ➚

• Biden approves $567M in defense support for Taiwan. ➚

Cybersecurity

• Meta fined €91M for plaintext password storage. ➚

• Global news agency AFP hit by cyberattack. ➚

• White House and ODNI officials urge more disruptions against ransomware gangs. ➚

Counterintelligence & Espionage

• Taiwan jails ex-air force instructor for spying for China. ➚

Transnational Organized Crime

• UN extends Haiti police force, may convert to peacekeeping mission. ➚

• "Pig butchering" scams spread globally from Southeast Asia origins. ➚

• Italian police arrest 19 in mafia-linked Milan soccer fan probe. ➚

• Peru declares emergency amid rising organized crime concerns. ➚

The America Builds podcast sits at the nexus of national security, technology, and venture capital. Hosts Will Allen and Hayley Menser interview the brilliant operators and investors pushing the boundaries of frontier technology.