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The scandal that brought fame to the Watergate Hotel in Washington wrapped up almost exactly 50 years ago. This week, a new one involving a different world leader unfolded — admittedly with lower stakes. But it’s still juicy.

Residents in the hotel have been up in arms about Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU staying there, a historic residence known for its high-class inhabitants who prefer to keep it low-key. But the complex has been the talk of the town this week, at first because of the intense security snarling traffic, and then ramping up after protestors dumped piles of bugs on a dining room table in the prime minister’s apartment.

The bug controversy, criticism from Democratic lawmakers about his address to Congress on Wednesday, and mass protests at Union Station is creating an antagonistic backdrop to Netanyahu’s high-level talks this week: He meets with President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS today before flying to Florida to meet with DONALD TRUMP on Friday.

For those in the hotel, the visit is much more personal: “The Secret Service should not have put a war criminal in a residential area,” said ARLENE HALFON, who has lived at the Watergate for 18 years. “They knew they were causing a bad situation and they did it anyway.” The International Criminal Court has accused Netanyahu and Defense Minister YOAV GALLANT of war crimes in Gaza, charges they’ve vehemently denied.

Halfon, a Jewish peace advocate, put it simply: Netanyahu’s stay has been “a pain in the ass.” Her hospice workers and health aides have had trouble getting through security, and she missed scheduled medical tests.

One hotel worker told NatSec Daily that he wasn’t surprised the bug incident happened, given that the security screening “hasn't been that intense,” adding: “Bags were searched, but people without bags were free to get in.”

We spoke with six people who work and live in the complex, most granted anonymity to speak candidly about their frustration.

The Watergate’s inhabitants were given a one-day heads up that there would be heightened security at the complex this week, residents said. The fencing and barricades outside the hotel won’t come down until Sunday due to an extension of the prime minister’s stay, building management told residents today in a notice.

In nine years living there, “this is nothing like I've ever experienced before,” said LISA-JOY ZGORSKI.

“It's easier to be accepting of an inconvenience when you know 28 heads of state are contemplating some of the big global issues of our day … rather than one super controversial one,” she said, referring to the NATO summit two weeks ago.

Some changes causing frustration this week: Residents have been denied access to their complexes at various points with no advance notice, a burden especially to those who use wheelchairs or other assistance to move around. Mail delivery has been disrupted due to the security barriers outside the complex. Businesses in the hotel have lost foot traffic due to the security. Patrol boats cruise the Potomac behind the hotel. Road traffic is a nightmare.

Washingtonians are familiar with the trials and tribulations when world leaders come to town, but Netanyahu’s visit has been more than security and motorcades — residents feel they’re in the middle of a heated political debate over how to treat a controversial world leader who was guaranteed to bring unwanted attention and security risks.

Private businesses, of course, can invite guests as they please. But some Watergate residents said they want to know why the hotel agreed to host Netanyahu and how the hotel plans to account for disruption to residents’ lives and the city.

The Watergate Hotel and a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington didn’t respond to NatSec Daily’s request for comment.

The Inbox

HOSTAGE BODIES RECOVERED: The Israel Defense Forces today said it recovered the bodies of five people killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

The discovery comes as an Israeli negotiating team delays its trip to Qatar and as a deal to release remaining hostages continues to elude the best efforts of the U.S., Qatar and other regional brokers, The Washington Post’s MAHAM JAVAID and SUSANNAH GEORGE report.

Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip show no signs of slowing down. Israeli forces advanced further into southern Gaza today, per Reuters’ NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI. Tanks are operating in central Rafah and airstrikes and shelling killed 30 Palestinians, according to local officials.

MORE MONEY TO HAITI: The Kenyan-led mission to quell violent gangs who have run rampant in the capital needs an increase in funding soon to be successful — and not from the U.S. government, the region’s top U.S. official told a small group of reporters.

The Biden administration is asking potential donors to “step up in a more substantial way to fund this effort, and we need to see other developed countries stepping forward with major contributions financially,” Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs BRIAN NICHOLS said in a video call Wednesday afternoon, calling the effort “vital.”

The U.S. has dedicated some $300 million to the mission, sending weapons and vehicles and building a base for the forces headed there. But “what we need is the financial resources to staff a larger force and to make sure that this operation continues through the elections and seeding the new government in Haiti as intended,” Nichols added.

When NatSec Daily asked if more money is needed for the mission now, Nichols said: “Not right this moment, but soon.” It’s unclear who the U.S. has asked, but nations like Canada — which are training troops for the mission — could step up.

If DONALD TRUMP and running mate Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio) win office in November, there’s a chance they could pull U.S. support from the mission due to their isolationist tilt. Asked about the possibility, Nichols reiterated that State continues to “urgently engage our partners around the world to stress the importance of their making important contributions.”

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ELECTION 2024

HARRIS HITS HAMAS, PROTESTORS: Harris today condemned protestors’ actions at Union Station in Washington following Netanyahu’s address to Congress, noting “despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric.”

“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” she said in a statement, as our own MYAH WARD reports.

In addition to the graffiti, she also blasted the protestors for burning the American flag: “It should never be desecrated in that way. I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Anti-semitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.”

Harris’ comment comes as the vice president is faced with the political challenge of defining herself on one of the most delicate foreign policy issues, while Biden remains in the White House trying to finalize a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.

SHALOM BIBI: One day before his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump called on Israel to swiftly secure the return of hostages in Gaza and end its war against Hamas during an interview today with Fox & Friends.

“I want him to finish up and get it done quickly,” Trump said. “They are getting decimated with this publicity.”

“Israel is not really good at public relations, I’ll tell you that,” Trump added.

It’s not Trump’s only Middle East declaration of note. On Truth Social, the Republican nominee wrote that America should “[wipe Iran] off the face of the Earth,” if Tehran succeeds in assassinating Trump. CNN reported earlier this month that U.S. intelligence learned of an Iranian plot to kill Trump in retaliation for a January 2020 airstrike against Iranian Gen. QASSEM SOLEIMANI.

Keystrokes

PAGING CROWDSTRIKE: Rep. NANCY MACE wants answers directly from CrowdStrike’s CEO on how the history-making IT outage last week happened — and how it can be prevented in the future, our friends at Morning Cybersecurity scoop (for Pros!).

In a letter sent Wednesday night, the South Carolina Republican — who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee — requested that CrowdStrike CEO GEORGE KURTZ formally brief the full House Oversight Committee on the outage “as soon as possible.”

Mace pointed to concerns, as detailed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, that hackers and other malicious actors are looking to take advantage of the situation for phishing attacks. “It would be difficult to overstate the extent to which CrowdStrike’s error … has affected our nation and the world,” she wrote.

Earlier this week, the Republican leaders of the House Homeland Security Committee also sent Kurtz a separate letter asking that he testify before the panel on the outage.

DPRK HACKER INDICTED: Federal prosecutors in Kansas indicted a North Korean hacker for conspiring on an attack against U.S. hospitals, our own JOSEPH GEDEON reports. RIM JONG HYOK is charged with laundering ransom money from a cyberattack on healthcare providers to fund further cyberattacks against the United States.

The Complex

BOMBER BLUSTER: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN confirmed today that Russian and Chinese bombers came strikingly close to U.S. airspace during a recent joint mission near the coast of Alaska, our own PAUL McLEARY reports.

The unprecedented exercise forced the U.S. and Canada to scramble F-35, F-16 and F-18 fighter planes to shadow the bombers. It marked “the first time that we’ve seen these two countries fly together like that,” Austin told reporters at the Pentagon. “I think the closest point of approach was about 200 miles off of our coast.”

Writing on X, Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska) said the “unprecedented provocation from our adversaries” proves why the U.S. needs to maintain an air force presence in the state.

Europe is also making bomber moves. As our own STUART LAU reported Wednesday, Europe is flying warplanes to Japan in an effort to keep an eye on Russia and China.

DRONES OVER ROMANIA: Russia launched 38 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight, three of which strayed into Romania's airspace, our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA reports.

Ukraine's air-defense systems managed to shoot down 25 of the drones, the Ukrainian air force said today. Three of the Shaheds crossed the border into Romania, on the border of Ukraine’s Odesa region, which was heavily bombed overnight, the air force said.

Romanian Foreign Minister LUMINIŢA ODOBESCU condemned the strikes, adding "Debris has been found on Romanian territory. We have informed and are coordinating with our allies on this matter.”

On the Hill

ISRAEL’S WEAPONS PUSH: Israel is privately pressuring the White House and U.S. lawmakers to greenlight weapons shipments, our own JOE GOULD and ERIN BANCO report.

The delegation traveling with Netanyahu to Washington this week is circulating a list among lawmakers and senior officials that lays out weapons systems it wants fast-tracked. Israeli representatives passed the list to members of Congress Wednesday following Netanyahu’s speech, according to a person familiar with the list.

The fact that Israel is pushing for the weapons now indicates that it is attempting to solidify the transfers and bolster its stockpiles before the U.S. election in November. It’s unclear how Harris and Trump would handle such requests if elected. But Israel is motivated to seek immediate approval from the current administration, which has consistently supported its military goals against both Hamas and Hezbollah.

FOREIGN FUNDING: The Senate appropriators today backed a $61.6 billion measure to fund the State Department and foreign aid programs for the upcoming fiscal year, our own JENNIFER SCHOLTES reports (for Pros!).

Under the bill, approved in a 27-2 vote, State and the U.S. Agency for International Development would receive $12.2 billion in fiscal 2025, a 3 percent increase over current funding. Another $9.5 billion would go to international development programs, along with $9.7 billion for global health efforts and $8.9 billion for humanitarian assistance programs.

Broadsides

RUSSIA’S FALSE FLAG: An investigation from The Associated Press presents new evidence that Russia may have intentionally exploded one of its own barracks housing Ukrainian prisoners of war in order to accuse Ukraine of attacking its own men.

Russian guards moved the prisoners to hastily- built buildings within a prison colony two days before the July 29, 2022 attack that killed more than 50 Ukrainians. The guards also began wearing bulletproof vests and dug trenches for themselves around the building, which was detached from the other structures in the prison colony, AP reports. Survivors were also isolated from the other prisoners and some recounted hearing Russians laughing and tossing rags into the fire once the explosion broke out.

Russia accuses Ukraine of conducting the attack, but an investigation from the independent Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine concluded that Russia was responsible.

OLYMPIC SPIN: Russia is casting its exclusion from this year’s Olympic Games as another flashpoint in its showdown with the West, The New York Times’ VALERIE HOPKINS reports.

Transitions

— Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations MARTIN INDYK died today at the age of 74, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy announced today. The Australian-born American diplomat, who served as the Washington Institute’s founding executive director, served in a variety of Middle East policy roles in the Clinton administration.

— The United Kingdom appointed JAMES HOOLEY to be London’s next ambassador to Cuba. Hooley was the head of the political section at the British Embassy in Washington from 2017 to 2022.

— Kenyan President WILLIAM RUTO nominated DOUGLAS KANJA as the head of Haiti’s police. The appointment comes as Kenyan police lead a multinational support mission to support Haiti’s beleaguered government in its fight against gangs.

What to Read

— ELLINA, POLITICO: Invisible and powerful: How Russian women are protesting

— ELIAN PELTIER, The New York Times: A military leader to his people: ‘Fight or you disappear’

— JOBY WARRICK and SOUAD MEKHENNET, The Washington Post: Sanctions crushed Syria’s elite. So they built a zombie economy fueled by drugs.

Tomorrow Today

— Center for Strategic and International Studies, 8 a.m.: Gaza's water crisis - what can be done? 

— The Henry L. Stimson Center, 9 a.m.: Unpacking ASEAN’s relationship with Myanmar.

— Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9:30 a.m.: Book discussion about “The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan.”

— Brookings Institution, 10 a.m.: How strong is China’s Navy?

— The Hudson Institute, 11 a.m.: Breathing new life into U.S. policy on North Korean human rights.

— The Women's Foreign Policy Group, 12 p.m.: Aspirations for Mexico's first woman president: A roundtable conversation with Mexican women journalists & policymakers.

— Politics and Prose Bookstore, 7 p.m.: Book discussion about “Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.”

Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who always has bugs in her apartment.

Thanks to our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who is incredible at pest control.