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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH TENSIONS
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah warned of a war “without rules or ceilings” in the event of a full-scale Israeli offensive against the group. Hassan Nasrallah also threatened that Cyprus, which has a bilateral defense cooperation agreement with Israel, could become a target if it allowed Israel to use its territory in a potential conflict. Cyprus’s president said in response yesterday evening, “Cyprus remains uninvolved in any military conflicts.” Peter Beaumont and Helena Smith reports for The Guardian; CNN reports.
“Operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved” by top Israeli generals on Tuesday, the IDF said, following the recent intensification of cross-border fighting with Hezbollah. Separately, Hezbollah yesterday announced the deaths of three fighters and said it had fired dozens of rockets and shells at Israeli forces in response. Emanuel Fabian reports for The Times of Israel; Rory Jones reports for the Wall Street Journal;
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly clashed with his coalition partners yesterday. In a statement, Netanyahu demanded that they “get a hold of themselves” and “put aside all extraneous interests” to focus on the war. The New York Times reports.
Israeli officials held a secret meeting in Qatar earlier this week to try bridge the gap between the U.S.-backed ceasefire deal and Hamas’s requested amendments, the Saudi-owned Elaph news outlet reported. Citing an unnamed official familiar with the negotiations, Elaph reported that the meeting focused largely on fine-tuning technical details, such as the number of living hostages that will be released in the first phase, and how long it will last. The Times of Israel reports.
Israel cannot defeat Hamas without installing a new administration in Gaza, the IDF’s chief spokesperson said yesterday. “The idea that it is possible to destroy Hamas, to make Hamas vanish — that is throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, adding, “If we do not bring something else to Gaza, at the end of the day, we will get Hamas.” Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The U.S. military’s floating pier in Gaza is expected to resume operations today, according to two U.S. officials. The pier was re-attached to the shore yesterday after being removed last Friday due to poor weather conditions, the officials said. Reuters reports; Hayley Britzky and Natasha Bertrand report for CNN.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A new agreement reached by Russia and North Korea requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war, North Korean state media reported today. South Korea has condemned the agreement and said it will reconsider its policy of limiting its support to Ukraine to non-lethal supplies. Tong-Hyung reports for AP News.
Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi yesterday following his visit to Pyongyang. Putin signed a series of deals with his Vietnamese counterpart, including agreements to further cooperation on education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration, and health. His two-day visit has drawn criticism from the United States. Aniruddha Ghosal reports for AP News; Helen Regan reports for CNN.
The Chinese coast guard boarded Philippine navy vessels and damaged and confiscated equipment this week, severely injuring one sailor, the Philippines announced yesterday. The United States shares a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, and has stressed that an armed attack on Philippine military vessels or personnel in the South China Sea would trigger a U.S. military response. The U.S. military said yesterday it is watching the situation “very closely.” Sofia Tomacruz and Rebecca Tan report for the Washington Post; Nectar Gan and Kathleen Magramo report for CNN.
U.S. Central Command said yesterday it had conducted an airstrike in Syria that killed a senior official in the self-styled Islamic state group. “His death will disrupt ISIS’s ability to resource and conduct terror attacks,” CENTCOM said in a post on X, adding, “There is no indication any civilians were harmed in this strike.” Reuters reports.
Iran condemned Canada’s listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization as “an unwise and unconventional politically-motivated step,” a foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency today. Reuters reports.
Russia said yesterday it is awaiting a U.S. response to its proposals for a possible exchange of prisoners, an apparent reference to U.S. citizens detained in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. The State Department declined to comment. Ann M. Simmons reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Russia yesterday accused France of triggering instability in the Caucasus after Paris agreed to sell its Caesar artillery weapons to Armenia amid growing tensions with Azerbaijan. “Paris is provoking another round of armed confrontation in the South Caucasus, and they are doing it in different ways. This [sale] is another step,” Russian media quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying. Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana and Gabriel Gavin report for POLITICO.
At least five people were killed yesterday in the bombardment of a town in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province, an army spokesperson said, accusing the M23 rebel group of the attack. Yassin Kombi reports for Reuters.
Mass protests have erupted in parts of Kenya over proposed tax hikes, resulting in at least 283 arrests since Tuesday, according to civil society groups. Nimi Princewill reports for CNN.
Somalia’s government has asked African peacekeepers to slow their withdrawal and warned of a potential “security vacuum,” with neighboring countries concerned that resurgent al Shabaab militants could seize power. Abdi Sheikh, Aaron Ross, and Giulia Paravicini report for Reuters.
Gang violence in Haiti has displaced nearly 580,000 people, according to a new report from the U.N. migration agency. Evens Sanon and Coral Murphy Marcos report for AP News.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Louisiana has ordered every public school classroom up to university level to display the Ten Commandments, an unprecedented measure civil rights groups say they will challenge. In a joint statement, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, and two other groups said the law was “blatantly unconstitutional.” Max Matza reports for BBC News.
A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation met with the Dalai Lama yesterday at his residence in India’s Dharamshala. The visit sparked anger from China, which views the exiled leader as a dangerous separatist. The lawmakers said a key focus of their visit was to underscore the Resolve Tibet Act, passed by Congress last week, which aims to encourage dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials. Ashwini Bhatia and Krutika Pathi report for ABC News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
A Russian-American woman arrested in January while visiting family in Russia went on trial for alleged treason today. Russian authorities have accused her of fundraising to send money to the Ukrainian military. Ksenia Karelina’s trial will be held behind closed doors, and she faces a sentence of 12 years to life if found guilty. Reuters reports; Christian Edwards reports for CNN.