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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Despite hopes for a de-escalation in the Israel-Hamas war following Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, fighting continued over the weekend, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the military will “continue forward until the end” and Hamas vowing that Sinwar’s killing changes nothing. Eugenia Yosef reports for CNN; Liam Stack, Aaron Boxerman, Bilal Shbair, and Jim Tankersley report for the New York Times.
A total of 87 people were killed or missing and another 40 wounded following a Saturday Israeli missile attack on the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said yesterday. It marks one of the highest casualty tolls in months. The Israeli military said it is investigating the incident. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
Hamas will choose its new leader soon, a senior Hamas official told BBC News. Rushdi Abualouf reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden told reporters during his visit to Berlin on Friday that Sinwar’s death is a chance to “seek a path to peace,” but acknowledged that a ceasefire will be harder to achieve in Gaza than in Lebanon. Biden also indicated he plans to send Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel this week to discuss the way forward in the war. Aaron Gilchrist reports for NBC News; BBC News reports.
The THAAD missile defense system sent by the United States to Israel is “in place” and ready for use, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today. Natasha Bertrand reports for CNN.
The U.S. Justice Department last week indicted two Sudanese brothers linked to an Oct.7 cyberattack on Israeli warning systems. Michael Schwirtz reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Keir Starmer, and Germany’s Olaf Scholz on Friday discussed the implications of Sinwar’s death for the Gaza war. Tensions between Israel and Europe remain high, with Israel’s foreign minister announcing he is taking “legal and diplomatic measures” against Macron’s decision to ban Israeli companies from an arms fair in Paris. BBC News reports; Jennifer Rankin reports for the Guardian.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT — U.S. RESPONSE
U.S. officials are concerned about a potential security breach after two alleged intelligence documents about Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran were published by an Iran-affiliated Telegram account on Friday. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
A drone from Lebanon’s Hezbollah struck near Netanyahu’s private residence in coastal Israel on Saturday, his office said. Netanyahu and his wife were not at home at the time. Liam Stack reports for the New York Times.
Israel launched airstrikes across Lebanon, including on Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah’s financial operations, including the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Washington Post reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Secretary Austin said on Saturday that the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon was “far too high,” adding that he would “like to see Israel scale back some of the strikes it’s taking, especially in and around Beirut.” Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein will hold talks with Lebanese officials in Beirut today on conditions for an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. The talks follow reports that Israel gave Washington a document last week outlining its conditions for ending the war in Lebanon. Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily report for Reuters; Barak Ravid reports.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Iran has written to the U.N. nuclear watchdog to complain about Israel’s threats against its nuclear sites, a foreign ministry spokesperson said today. Reuters reports.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Elon Musk promised on Saturday to give $1 million daily in a lottery for swing-state voters who sign a petition by his super PAC’s voter recruitment drive. Legal experts say the strategy runs counter to a federal prohibition on tying monetary rewards to voter registration status. Mariana Alfaro reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Trump used the Secret Service as his “personal government ATM” by overcharging the agency at his chain of hotels, according to a report released Friday by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Andrew Solender reports for Axios.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
U.S. and Canadian warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait yesterday, a week after China’s massive war games. AP News reports.
The U.S. State Department on Friday approved a $360 million sale of tactical missiles to Japan. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Secretary Austin is meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine today to discuss Ukraine’s weapons needs and ensuring continuity in post-election U.S. support. Natasha Bertrand reports for CNN.
South Korea’s foreign ministry today summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul to protest what it says is the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia for use in Ukraine. Hyunsu Yim and Hyonhee Shin report for Reuters.
France’s foreign minister on Saturday pledged support for Ukraine’s “victory plan” aiming to end the war with Russia, saying he will try to “rally the greatest number possible of countries around it.” Samya Kullab reports for AP News.
Western financial institutions announced last week that they will back a more than $400 million (USD) telecom deal for Ukraine, the largest investment in its private sector since Russia’s invasion. David L. Stern reports for the Washington Post.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A Libyan national allegedly planning a firearms attack on the Israeli Embassy in Berlin with suspected ties to the self-styled Islamic State was arrested in Germany Saturday, the country’s authorities said yesterday. AP News reports.
The U.N. Security Council voted Friday to expand the arms embargo in Haiti to all types of weapons and ammunition, amid concerns about high levels of gang violence in the country. Edith M. Lederer reports for AP News.
A man accused of trying to breach security at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s office was arrested in Tokyo on Saturday, local police said. River Akira Davis and Hisako Ueno report for the New York Times.
Yesterday’s Moldova referendum on whether to declare EU membership a “strategic objective” hangs in balance at an almost even split with 98% of votes counted. The country’s pro-Western president denounced the result as the product of foreign interference. Andrew Higgins reports for the New York Times.
Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general accused of playing a role in the kidnappings and torture of activists, was inaugurated as Indonesia’s new president yesterday. Niniek Karmini reports for AP News.
A prominent Mozambique opposition lawyer and senior opposition official were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Saturday. AP News reports.