Today's Headlines and Commentary

The vote count on the “greferendum” is in, and Greek citizens have decisively voted "no" (or "oxi"). Despite the potential for exorbitant fallout, the Greeks rejected the terms of an international bailout that would have required considerable further austerity, reports the New York Times. The controversial Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis abruptly announced his resignation earlier today in an effort to help Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reach an agreement with creditors. The European Central Bank will meet today and decide on whether to freeze the emergency central bank line that had been giving cash to Greek banks. Anxiety over possible consequences of “grexit” is affecting markets around the world, with Wall Street stocks down more than 0.5 percent.

Yemen’s exiled government has suggested a possible deal on a humanitarian ceasefire that would run through the Muslim Eid al Fitr holiday, ending on July 20. Reuters notes that Saudi-led forces have demanded guarantees that the Houthis will not use the pause to keep advancing on areas held by forces loyal to exiled President Hadi in south and eastern Yemen. Even so, violence in Yemen has continued despite hopes of a ceasefire for the holy month of Ramadan, with Saudi-led air strikes in northern Yemen killing at least 30 civilians yesterday.

President Obama is scheduled to make a rare trip to the Pentagon today for a briefing on ISIS before speaking to the public and press about the status of the group’s gains in recent months.

As for some of the likely topics of discussion, we can probably hazard a few guesses. For starters, on Sunday, the American-led coalition conducted a series of airstrikes targeting the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria. The AP reports that the attack, which killed at least 10 militants and injured many more, represents one of the largest operations carried out in Syria to date.

Meanwhile in Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition conducted 12 airstrikes that struck an ISIS tactical unit, a mortar system, an ammo bunker, and various other buildings. An Iraqi fighter jet accidently dropped a bomb over Baghdad killing at least 12 civilians, according to Al Jazeera. The mishap occurred in eastern Baghdad as the jet was returning to its base.

ISIS suicide bombers struck the Iraqi town of Baiji on Sunday, driving back the Iraqi government and Shiite militia forces that had formerly held control of the city. Baiji is home to Iraq’s largest oil refinery and, Reuters writes, has become a focal point of fighting over the last year. The AP also notes that ISIS militants’ attack on a major power plant in northeastern Syria, severely damaging infrastructure and causing several deaths.

In an ISIS-made video entitled “They Are the Enemy, Beware of Them,” the group shows the murder of two young men from a grassroots NGO who document Islamic State atrocities in Raqqa. The Daily Beast tells us that the men were forced to confess to spying on the Islamic State’s activities in northern Syria, after they paid for photograph evidence of ISIS atrocities. One of the men was captured as he was encrypting the latest material, while the other apprehended in his home. The video of the executions comes one day after the group released footage of the execution of 25 Syrian soldiers who were captured in the UNESCO world heritage site of Palmyra last month.

The Daily Beast reports on Umm Sayyaf’s role in facilitating the inner workings of ISIS, revealed over the course of her ongoing interrogation. Though she did not have a commanding role in the organization, Umm Sayyaf’s revelations have nevertheless helped “pull back the curtain” on the functioning of the extremist group. According to two officials, Umm Sayyaf’s questioning has proved so valuable to the United States' efforts against ISIS that the military is seeking to prolong her interrogation for several more weeks.

Back in the United States, a few people are asking, "is the increased threat alert around holidays just the new norm?" With the threat of terrorism shifting from large, orchestrated attacks to harder-to-track lone wolf missions, USA Today explains increased the security measures taken by law enforcement around the country on holidays, especially in big cities like New York and Washington, D.C.

And, the Washington Post reminds us that tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of the London train station bombings that killed 52 people. The United Kingdom has cracked down on terrorism laws, yet many Brits seem to believe that radicalization and alienation has intensified since the attack. “Jihadi John,” the famous ISIS executioner, al Shabaab’s British leaders, and the many men, women and children who have left for Syria all shed light on the extent of the challenges the government faces when confronting the threat of terrorism.

On Sunday, a British man was photographed with an ISIS flag draped over his shoulders near Big Ben. It didn’t take long for critics to vocalize their concern over the police’s refusal to arrest him. The U.K. Metropolitan police issued a statement confirming that the man had been seen by authorities but maintained that “it is not a criminal offence to advocate the creation of an independent state.” The Guardian has the story.

It’s one day before the revised deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran, and according to Secretary of State John Kerry, negotiations “could go either way.” The AP tells us that, as of Saturday, an agreement has been drafted on the “contentious” matter of sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for limitations to the nuclear program. Reuters examines the remaining sticking points for negotiations, particularly the possible lifting of sanctions over Iranian ballistic missiles and relief from an arms embargo. The news agency also reports on the tense environment in Vienna as talks progress, noting the difficulties of not only negotiators but reporters as well: “How many ways can you say ‘inched towards a deal’?”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Iranians are sharply split over whether to welcome or revile a possible nuclear deal. The Journal also has a story on Iranian oil exporters’ plans for a rapid post-deal boom in Iranian crude exports, which might push the nation into a confrontation with Saudi Arabia over restoring OPEC production quotas. Nuclear inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency are also readying their equipment to move quickly in the event of a deal, the New York Times writes.

DefenseOne explains how the rise of ISIS has affected Iran’s political calculus and pushed the Iranian government toward a deal. Besides the Iranian economy’s pressing need for sanctions relief, collaboration with the United States against ISIS would be a great help to Iran in the chaotic Middle East region.

Jordanian state media have announced the arrest of a terrorist suspect carrying 99 pounds of explosives. The AP reports that the suspect has ties to an Iranian-backed group, though Jordan provided no further information.

Egypt continued airstrikes over the weekend in response to attacks on military checkpoints by an Egyptian group affiliated with ISIS. Al Jazeera reports on the Egyptian military’s declaration that airstrikes in the Sinai Peninsula killed 25 members of the militant group, known as Sinai Province. On Friday, the group had also claimed responsibility for rocket attacks fired into southern Israel, possibly in connection with its clashes with Egyptian security forces.

As Egypt attempts to crack down even further on extremism in the wake of violence in the Sinai, a proposed law would criminalize journalists’ publication of terrorism statistics that contradict official government numbers. The Guardian notes that Egypt’s defense minister has justified the law on the grounds that “the government has the duty to defend citizens from wrong information.”

Tunisia has declared a state of emergency in response to the recent terrorist attack on a beach and hotel in Tunis, which killed more than 30 tourists. The New York Times notes that a state of emergency was imposed during the Arab Spring uprising in Tunisia and was only lifted last year. Over at the New York Review of Books, Hugh Eakin ponders Tunisia’s seemingly paradoxical status as both “the Arab world’s most promising and ambitious new democracy” and a breeding ground for high numbers of violent extremists.

Over the last two days, Boko Haram has perpetrated a series of devastating attacks across Nigeria. Sunday saw a suicide bombing at a church in the country’s northeast, while bombs in the central Nigerian city of Jos killed 44 people and wounded 67 others on Monday. The bombs detonated at a mosque and a crowded restaurant. According to the Wall Street Journal, the death toll from Boko Haram’s recent string of attacks has now risen to over 200. Nigerian daily Vanguard suggests that the violence may increase pressure on newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari to crack down on the militant group.

Taliban fighters battled for control of security checkpoints near Kabul this weekend, killing at least 24 members of the Afghan police. Four policemen were also killed in fighting with the Taliban in the southeastern province of Paktika. As the violence unfolded, Reuters writes, the Afghan parliament once again failed to confirm a new defense minister. The post has now been vacant for nine months.

Reporting on a NATO investigation into last week’s chaotic confrontation between U.S. soldiers and a Kabul crowd, the New York Times writes that no civilians were wounded by U.S. fire and that, according to the investigtion's findings, the soldiers displayed “admirable restraint” in the face of provocation.

As the Pakistani military continues its campaign against militants in the country’s remote northwestern regions, the Washington Post brings us news of a major victory for the Pakistani military in the Shawal Valley. The military has declared the valley, along the border with Afghanistan, to be nearly cleared of militant fighters.

Meanwhile, Reuters writes that---in a rare display of unity---Pakistan and India will soon begin the process of joining a Chinese and Russian security bloc. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which also includes several Central Asian former Soviet republics, was originally formed to combat threats of terrorism and drug trafficking, but has since expanded to include economic and broader regional security concerns.

The Hill reports on the state of the NDAA as the House and Senate attempt to reconcile their versions of the bill. The House bill would strengthen restrictions on detainee transfers from Guantanamo, whereas the Senate bill would allow restrictions on transfers to stateside prisons to be dropped if Congress could approve a White House plan for Gitmo’s closure.

The Guardian informs us that over 90 Britons signed an open letter to President Barack Obama that requests the release of Guantanamo detainee Shaker Aamer, who is British. The signatories include several Members of Parliament.

Over the weekend, Der Spiegel provided a rundown of Wikileaks’ recent reveal of documents detailing the further extent of NSA surveillance in Germany. The story also reports on CIA surveillance of Spiegel as a component of an overseas leak investigation, suggesting that the Obama administration’s aggressive approach to government leakers may stretch beyond U.S. borders.

Wikileaks also released documents describing NSA surveillance of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, her staff, and a number of other high-ranking Brazilian officials, the Hill tells us. Initial allegations of U.S. spying on Brazilian officials have provoked outrage within Brazil in the past. The BBC has more.

On Friday, France denied a request for asylum from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape charges. Assange promptly denied any filing of a formal asylum request, clarifying that the open letter he recently published in Le Monde---in which he requested asylum from France as a “humanitarian and symbolic gesture”---was not actually meant as a plea for protection. The Guardian has more.

The Italian company Hacking Team has itself been hacked, with information posted to the official Hacking Team Twitter on the company’s sales of surveillance software to various governments. (The Tweets have since been removed.) The data obtained in the hack reportedly also contains emails suggesting governments’ use of the software to spy on “activists and journalists,” the BBC writes. The governments who appear to have purchased the surveillance software include Egypt, Sudan, Kazakhstan, and Chile.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence recently approved legislation that would require social media sites to report content posted by suspected terrorists to the federal government. The Washington Post quotes an anonymous committee aide as suggesting that, though sites like Twitter have been vigilant in taking down extremist posts, the government may wish to have access to such posts before they are removed in order to better combat the threat of terrorism.

The Military Times reports on a little-known legal doctrine that prevents active-duty service members from suing the military for damages that stem from activities related to their service. Within a year, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to hear a case that offers an opportunity to overturn the doctrine, which has repeatedly been used to shield the military from lawsuits over even the most “egregious errors.”

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, in which roughly 7,000 Bosniaks were killed during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The Guardian reports on new evidence that British, French, and U.S. forces had agreed to cede Srebrenica to Serbian forces prior to the city’s fall, despite concerns over the possibility of genocide or ethnic cleansing.

Parting Shot: “If we go to war with Iraq, we’ll be there for the next 30 years.” So warned former Senator and newly-minted presidential candidate Jim Webb… in 2002. Check out the prescient op-ed here.

ICYMI: This Weekend, on Lawfare

Cody posted the Lawfare Podcast, this week including audio from the recent Brookings Debate on a pressing question: Should the United States put boots on the ground to fight ISIS?

For this week's Foreign Policy Essay, Stephen Watts and Sean Mann provide a picture of "Afghanistan After the Drawdown."

Bruce Schneier discussed Wikileaks’ release of several summaries of NSA intercepts of German communications, including a spreadsheet of targets that offers “a glimpse into the bureaucracy of surveillance.”

Aaron Zelin provided a translated article by Dr. Abdallah bin Muhammad al Muhaysini, titled “The Fifth of Ramadan.”

Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.