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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 CONFLICT
Israel’s security cabinet will vote today on its response to Iran’s missile attack, an Israeli official told CNN. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had earlier said that the retaliation would be “powerful, precise, and above all–surprising.”
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister said today that contacts were underway between the United States and France with the aim of reviving a ceasefire.There was no immediate comment from Washington or Paris. James Mackenzie and Timour Azhari report for Reuters.
Israeli airstrikes killed five health workers in Lebanon, authorities said today. At least 115 health workers have been killed in total since Israel escalated its strikes on Lebanon last month. BBC News reports.
Israel’s military said it killed two Hezbollah military commanders, while Syrian state media also reported that Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Syria. NBC News reports.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran. “On Lebanon, the President emphasized the need for a diplomatic arrangement to safely return both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides” and told Netanyahu to “minimize harm to civilians,” the White House said in a readout. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
In the same call, Biden also spoke with Netanyahu about “the urgent need to renew diplomacy to release the hostages held by Hamas.” Additionally, the two leaders “discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the imperative to restore access to the north, including by reinvigorating the corridor from Jordan immediately.”
Israel must urgently address the “catastrophic conditions” in Gaza, Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the U.N. Security Council yesterday. Separately, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that the humanitarian situation in Gaza “has been the subject of some very urgent discussions” between Israel and Washington. Alex Stambaugh reports for CNN; Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza killed at least 13 people yesterday, Palestinian medical officials said. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Swedish police said today that “they were investigating a shooting near an Israeli target in the city of Gothenburg, which the national broadcaster said was a unit of Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.” No injuries were reported. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Over 2,000 Turkish citizens and some foreign nationals started boarding a Turkish military ship yesterday, fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday as part of a diplomatic tour aimed at shoring up relations with Tehran’s Arab neighbors. “I hope that these consultations can lead to better conditions for Palestine and Lebanon and establish peace in the region,” Abbas Araghchi said. Ben Hubbard reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Montana’s Attorney General is defending 41 counts of professional misconduct in a Montana Supreme Court hearing that began yesterday and could lead to the loss of his law license. Amy Beth Hanson reports for AP News.
North Carolina lawmakers passed legislation yesterday that will make it easier for residents affected by Hurricane Helene to vote. The most heavily affected areas of the state are deeply Republican. Gram Slattery, Steve Holland, and James Oliphant report for Reuters.
Voting rights groups have asked a federal judge to extend Florida’s voter registration deadline, citing hurricane disruption. Luc Cohen reports for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
Harris’ campaign office in Arizona was damaged by gunfire for the third time in less than a month on Sunday, Tempe Police Department told the media yesterday. The shootings come as U.S. police are on alert for political violence. Fritz Farrow reports for ABC News.
The Biden administration imposed visa bans on former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, his vice president, and their immediate family members yesterday over corruption. AP News reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London today ahead of meetings with the German Chancellor and Italy’s prime minister later this week. It follows the postponement of a planned summit of Ukraine’s main allies in Germany because Biden was unable to join. Miranda Murray and Sabine Siebold report for Reuters.
North Korean military engineers have been deployed to help Russia target Ukraine with ballistic missiles, senior officials in Kyiv and Seoul said, adding that North Koreans operating in occupied areas of Ukraine have already been killed. Emma Graham-Harrison and Justin McCurry reports for the Guardian.
Russia’s ability to coordinate units in Ukraine has been impeded by the Russian internet regulator’s Tuesday ban of the Discord chat program, which the Russian military had been using as one of its main communication systems. Mary Ilyushina reports for the Washington Post.
African women recruited to work in Russia were duped into assembling Iranian-designed attack drones for use in Ukraine, according to an AP News investigation. Emma Burrows and Lori Hinnant report.
European Union envoys agreed to contribute up to €35 billion euros ($38bn) to the planned G7 loan to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian central bank assets, the Council of the EU said in a statement yesterday. Julia Payne reports for Reuters.
A Ukraine drone attack struck an important arms depot inside Russia, Ukraine’s military said yesterday. Russia declared a local emergency in the area of the alleged strike. Hanna Arhirova reports for AP News; Reuters reports.
A Russian missile strike hit a civilian container ship yesterday at a port in Ukraine’s Odesa region, killing seven, local officials said. Paul Kirby reports for BBC News.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban received a hostile reception at the European parliament yesterday, with some MEPs singing a World War II Italian anti-fascist resistance song after Orban finished his speech. Jenny Gross reports for the New York Times.
A jailed leader of a prominent Russian independent election watchdog appeared in court yesterday as his trial continued on charges of undertaking the work of an “undesirable” organization. AP News reports.
The leader of the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces yesterday accused Egypt of involvement in airstrikes on the group’s troops. He also accused Cairo of training and providing drones to Sudan’s army. Egypt has denied the allegations. Reuters reports.
Several Irish senators yesterday declared they are “not spies,” amid reports of Russian interference in Ireland. Aoife Moore reports for BBC News.
China “has no right to represent Taiwan,” Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said today, delivering forceful remarks on the island’s National Day. Katrina Northrop reports for the Washington Post.