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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
An Israeli attack in central Beirut yesterday killed at least 22 people and injured 117, the deadliest strike on the city since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah first launched its rocket attacks on northern Israel. The IDF did not issue a warning, as it often has before other attacks. The Washington Post reports; BBC News reports.
The Lebanese government has asked the ministry of foreign affairs to call for a U.N. Security Council to vote on a resolution asking for an immediate and full ceasefire. Carine Torbey reports for BBC News.
Israeli forces fired at a watchtower used by U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon today, injuring two peacekeepers, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said. It marks the third day in a row that peacekeepers have reported Israeli fire at their positions. A senior Hezbollah official was reportedly the target of Israel’s strike, but sources say he survived. Human Rights Watch has called for a U.N. inquiry into the attack. Timour Azhari and Ari Rabinovitch report for Reuters; the Guardian reports.
UNIFIL has relocated 300 peacekeepers to larger bases due to safety concerns, the mission’s chief told the U.N. Security Council yesterday. Chantal De Silva reports for NBC News.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Taoiseach Simon Harris, Ireland’s prime minister, described Israel’s attack on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon as an “extraordinarily concerning development” and a breach of international law. Italy’s defense minister also said Israeli forces had acted illegally. Caitriona Perry reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Iran is threatening in secret diplomatic channels to target Arab Gulf states and other U.S. Middle East allies if their territories or airspace are used in Israel’s retaliatory attack, Arab officials said. Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, and Qatar have already refused to allow Israel to use their airspace for any attack. Summer Said, Nancy A. Youssef, and Omar Abdel-Baqui report for the Wall Street Journal; Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi, and Pesha Magid report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved closer to an understanding on the scope of Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran during their Wednesday call, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios. An Israeli official said the current plans are still more aggressive than the White House would like. Barak Ravid reports.
The United States still believes that Iran has not decided to build a nuclear weapon, two U.S. officials told Reuters. Phil Stewart and Jonathan Landay report.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
“Relentless” Israeli attacks on Gaza medical workers and healthcare facilities amount to war crimes and extermination, U.N. investigators said yesterday. The report said the Israelis had imposed “collective punishment” on Palestinians in relation for the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
The IDF said it killed the head of the Islamic Jihad militant group’s network in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, adding that a second militant was also killed. The group did not immediately comment. Chantal Da Silva reports for NBC News.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Yemen’s Houthis attacked a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker yesterday in the Red Sea, authorities said. No injuries were reported. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Judge Tanya S. Chutkan yesterday approved a limited release of evidence in former President Trump’s election interference case. The unsealed material will be redacted and is unlikely to contain significant new revelations. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
TD Bank pleaded guilty yesterday to federal money laundering charges, agreeing to pay over $3 billion in fines for knowingly enabling drug traffickers and other criminals to open accounts and transfer money. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.
An appeals court yesterday heard arguments in a challenge that could end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals “Dreamers” program (DACA). Miriam Jordan reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday rejected a voting rights group’s request for an extension of the voter registration deadline in Georgia following Hurricane Helene. Juliann Ventura reports for The Hill.
New York Police Department Commissioner Tom Donlon is expected to step down in the coming days, after less than a month in the role, amid a sprawling corruption scandal surrounding Mayor Eric Adams. It is not yet known who will replace him. Michael Gartland reports for POLITICO.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
September was Russia’s deadliest month of the war so far, with its eastern Ukraine offensive pushing the total number of Russian troop casualties to more than 600,000, senior Pentagon officials said on Wednesday. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.
The U.K. did not lift restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles after Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a spokesperson said yesterday. Eleni Courea reports for the Guardian.
Ukraine’s parliament approved the country’s first major wartime tax increases yesterday in an attempt to shore up its finances as war with Russia drags on. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters.
A Ukrainian journalist captured by Moscow while reporting from east Ukraine has died in Russian detention, Ukrainian officials said yesterday. The Guardian reports.
Ukrainian drones attacked a Russian military airbase in North Caucasus yesterday, triggering a local evacuation, according to Russian media. Reuters reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Somalia said it welcomed Egypt’s offer to deploy peacekeeping troops to the nation as part of a stabilization force when the African Union mission currently stationed there disbands in December. Omar Faruk reports for AP News.
Gunmen killed at least 20 people and injured six at a coal mine today in Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan, police said. No group has claimed responsibility at the time of writing. Nick Marsh reports for BBC News.
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a visit to Turkmenistan today, speaking at an international forum with Central Asian leaders and Iran’s President. AP News reports.
South African prosecutors say they will not charge President Cyril Ramaphosa over the controversial farm theft scandal revealed over two years ago. Wycliffe Muia reports for BBC News.
Haitian armed gangs are recruiting starving children to fight security forces, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.