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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
NATO countries will provide Ukraine with urgently needed air-defense systems, President Biden said yesterday at a summit marking the 75th anniversary of the bloc, even as the alliance stops short of offering Kyiv concrete advances toward membership. Missy Ryan, Michael Birnbaum, Emily Rauhala, and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post.
U.N. Security Council members confronted Russia yesterday over a hypermissile attack on Monday that struck Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital. Russia’s ambassador reiterated Moscow’s denials of responsibility for the hospital attack, insisting it was hit by a Ukrainian air defense rocket. A U.N. assessment yesterday found there was a “high likelihood” a Russian missile hit the hospital. Jennifer Peltz reports for AP News; CNN reports.
Russia is unlikely to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in the coming months as its forces struggle to counter Ukrainian defenses that are now fortified with Western munitions, U.S. officials say. Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
Ukraine is planning to increase pressure on the Biden administration to lift all restrictions on using U.S.-supplied weapons inside Russia. In particular, Ukrainian officials are seeking to expand the use of longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, which are already being used in Crimea, to hit inside Russia. Erin Banco and Alexander Ward report for POLITICO.
Russia has promised an early release of all Indian citizens in its military, India’s foreign ministry announced at the end of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow. Delhi has been seeking the release of Indians who say they were lured to Russia on the promise of non-combat jobs, but were later forced into active combat. Meryl Sebastian reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
An Israeli airstrike near a school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering killed at least 25 people and injured more than 50 outside of Khan Younis yesterday, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The death toll is expected to rise. The Israeli military said the strike was targeting a Hamas member who took part in the Oct. 7 attacks and that it was “looking into reports that civilians were harmed.” Liam Stack and Anushka Patil report for the New York Times.
A delegation of senior Israeli officials led by Mossad head David Barnea will travel to Qatar today for further negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, two sources say. The Israeli security chiefs are also expected to meet with C.I.A. director Bill Burns and Qatar’s prime minister. Burns also met with Egypt’s president yesterday to discuss the negotiations. The New York Times reports.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved a plan yesterday to start drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, a move likely to further strain relations within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The U.S. Gaza aid pier will be reinstalled today to be used for several days ahead of its permanent removal, several U.S. officials said. The goal is to transport any aid piled up in Cyprus and on the floating dock offshore onto the beach in Gaza. Once that operation is cleared, the U.S. military will dismantle the pier and depart, the officials said. Lolita C. Baldor reports for AP News.
Iran is attempting to covertly stoke protests in the United States related to the Gaza war by posing as activists online and providing financial support to protesters, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said yesterday. Katie Bo Lillis reports for CNN.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A U.S. marshal shot a suspected carjacker last week while protecting Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s home, according to a charging document recently unsealed in federal court in Washington. The man fled the scene and was later arrested at a hospital. Alyssa Lukpat reports for the Wall Street Journal; Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
Two Democratic senators asked Attorney General Merrick Garland in a letter last week to appoint a special counsel to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possible tax law and ethics violations. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) pointed to public reports over the last year which found Thomas did not disclose multiple luxury trips and gifts. Lauren Sforza reports for The Hill.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A court in Moscow has ordered Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, to be arrested in absentia and added to an international wanted list, her spokesperson said yesterday. The Basmanny District Court in Moscow has accused Navalnaya, who lives outside Russia, of “participation in an extremist organization.” Radina Gigova reports for CNN.
U.S. officials say they have taken action against an AI-powered information operation run from Russia. The fake accounts on X, run by “bots,” were designed to spread Russian propaganda and pro-Russian story lines. U.S. officials described the operation as part of an ongoing effort to sow discord in the United States. Mike Wendling reports for BBC News; Eric Tucker reports for AP News.
Pakistan has legally authorized its army-run spy agency to intercept telephone calls and messages, a move that strengthens its already powerful role in the nation’s politics. The opposition party opposed the move in parliament. Asif Shahzad reports for Reuters.
Uganda is supporting M23 rebels fighting across its border in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, U.N. experts say, warning that the growing crisis “carried the risk of triggering a wider regional conflict.” Lucy Fleming and Didier Bikorimana report for BBC News.
Former French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was charged with witness tampering in her husband Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign case. The witness involved accused the former French president of receiving millions in illegal campaign finance from the regime of then-Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi. NBC News reports.
China and Bangladesh reaffirmed bilateral relations during a visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing yesterday. Hasina met her Chinese counterpart and oversaw the signing of 28 agreements, mostly covering trade and investment. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH TENSIONS
Two Israelis were killed by a Hezbollah rocket attack fired at the Golan Heights yesterday, Israeli police said. The Lebanese group said it retaliated after a former bodyguard of its leader was killed in an Israeli strike in Syria. Tala Ramadan and Steven Scheer report for Reuters.