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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. military struck five underground weapons facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis yesterday, an attack that could also serve as a warning to Iran. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that President Biden had ordered the strikes to “further degrade the Houthis’ capability.” John Ismay reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
Israeli forces fired at a U.N. peacekeeping position in southern Lebanon yesterday, damaging a watchtower, the U.N. said. Israel’s foreign minister said the country had “no intention” of harming UNIFIL, accusing Hezbollah of using UNIFIL personnel as human shields. Alex Stambaugh and Richard Roth report for CNN.
The Lebanese foreign ministry yesterday said it filed a fresh complaint at the U.N. Security Council, accusing Israel of violating Lebanon’s territorial sovereignty and repeatedly targeting Lebanese army positions, aid groups, and civilians since Oct. 3. Rachel Pannett, Leo Sands, and Vivian Ho report for the Washington Post.
Syria’s military said that Israel wounded two civilians and damaged a military post in a strike early today in the coastal city of Latakia, around 60 miles north of the Lebanese border. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
There has been “some improvement” in food aid delivery to northern Gaza in recent days, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said yesterday, a day after the United States threatened to withhold military aid to Israel if it failed to allow more aid into Gaza. There was no official response from the Israeli government. Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports for the New York Times.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is weighing presenting a post-war Gaza plan based on ideas developed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates, U.S. officials say. Several White House and State Department officials are concerned that it would marginalize the Palestinian Authority president and government. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had hoped the Gaza war would fade in the final weeks of the presidential race, but fresh Israeli military offensives are making that impossible, U.S. officials and campaign aides say. John Hudson, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Mohamad El Chamaa and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza City today, medics said, while Israeli forces sent tanks into Jabalia in the north. Elwely Elwelly and Maya Gebeily report for Reuters.
Palestinians are facing a spike in Israeli demolition orders in East Jerusalem, a BBC investigation has found. Wyre Davies reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Egypt’s president yesterday replaced his powerful spy chief who had played an instrumental role in brokering Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations. The former intelligence chief had built trusted relationships with U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials, as well as Hamas leaders. Jared Malsin and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
A federal judge yesterday halted an Alabama state program aimed at removing noncitizens from voter rolls, holding that it violated a federal statute preventing systemic changes to voter lists too close to the election. David Nakamura and Patrick Marley report for the Washington Post.
The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled yesterday that felons who have finished their sentences will be able to vote in the election, potentially enabling thousands of Nebraskans to cast their ballot. Praveena Somasundaram reports for the Washington Post.
A Georgia judge yesterday issued a sweeping ruling that invalidated multiple new rules governing elections in the state, describing them as “illegal, unconstitutional and void.” Nick Corasaniti and Johnny Kauffman report for the New York Times.
Two Republican election officials said in a lawsuit filed earlier this month that they will not certify the results of the election in a rural Virginia city unless the ballots are hand-counted. Olivia Diaz reports for AP News.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Special counsel Jack Smith said in a new filing that a Supreme Court ruling tossing an obstruction count against some Jan. 6 defendants does not help Trump, and that the former President can still be charged with obstruction. Spencer S. Hsu and Perry Stein report for the Washington Post.
Two key prosecutors in Trump’s classified documents case have left their roles in Smith’s office, a tacit acknowledgement that any trial will not happen for many months, sources said yesterday. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.
A prosecutor overseeing Trump’s election interference case in Georgia asked an appeals court on Tuesday to restore six charges against the former president following an earlier decision that the charges were not specific enough. Danny Hakim and Richard Fausset report for the New York Times.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Cybersecurity Association of China yesterday recommended Intel products sold in China for a security review, alleging that the U.S. chipmaker poses “serious risks” to the country’s national security. Dylan Butts reports for NBC News.
U.S. federal prosecutors yesterday charged two Sudanese brothers with running one of the most prolific cyberattack-for-hire gangs, which previously attacked Microsoft, OpenAI, and PayPal. Joseph Menn reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A Florida man was arrested yesterday for verbally intimidating and deliberately driving his car toward utility workers restoring power in Hillsborough County, Florida, following Hurricane Milton. T. Michelle Murphy reports for ABC News.
A former Mexican public security official was sentenced yesterday to more than 38 years in U.S. federal prison for accepting millions of dollars in bribes to allow narcotics traffickers to operate with impunity. Shayna Jacobs and Mary Beth Sheridan report for the Washington Post.
Defense contractor RTX, formerly known as Raytheon, will pay more than $950 million to resolve charges involving inflated federal contracts and bribery of a Qatari official, the Justice Department announced yesterday. Eva Dou reports for the Washington Post.
A sitting New Hampshire Supreme Court justice was charged yesterday with two felonies and five misdemeanors over allegedly trying to interfere with a criminal investigation into her husband. Steve Leblanc reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
President Biden yesterday announced a $425 million aid package for Ukraine, ahead of a trip to Germany tomorrow expected to focus on securing Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times; Michelle Stoddart reports for ABC News.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India yesterday of making a “massive mistake” if Delhi was behind the death of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada. Trudeau also alleged in the hearing that Canada’s Conservative Party could be involved in foreign interference. Nadine Yousif and Nikita Yadav report for BBC News; David Ljunggren reports for Reuters.
French cement-maker Lafarge will face trial in France today over its Syrian subsidiary’s alleged involvement in financing terrorism and breaching European sanctions. Dominique Patton, Sudip Kar-Gupta and John Revill report for Reuters.