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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah yesterday traded some of their heaviest cross-border air attacks in months. After Israel launched what it called a pre-emptive strike against a major Hezbollah attack on Israeli territory, Hezbollah said it later fired its own barrage as retribution for Israel’s killing of its senior commander Fuad Shukr in July. Both sides claimed victory and quickly used the language of containment, though analysts say tensions could still escalate further. Gabby Sobelman, Aaron Boxerman, and Hwaida Saad report for the New York Times.
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah yesterday said that the group targeted an Israeli military base in Glilot, near Tel Aviv, and that if Hezbollah had succeeded in attacking the base, it would not seek further revenge for Shukr’s assassination. If it turned out to have been a failure, he added, then Hezbollah reserved the right to respond at later date. Aaron Boxerman reports for AP News.
Israel’s military spokesperson said Hezbollah’s attack had failed to strike any IDF bases. “Contrary to Hezbollah’s claims, there were no hits on IDF bases, not in the north, and not in central Israel,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. Johnatan Reiss reports for the New York Times.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli leaders that Washington would consider pre-emptive action against Hezbollah justified, but warned against using the opportunity to hit a broader range of targets. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas yesterday said it rejects new Israeli conditions put forward in Gaza ceasefire talks, casting further doubt on the chances of a breakthrough. A key sticking point in the talks remains Israel’s presence in the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border. Reuters reports.
Israeli strikes across Gaza yesterday killed at least 20 people, according to Gaza civil defense authorities. It followed Israeli airstrikes on Saturday that health workers said killed at least three dozen Palestinians in southern Gaza. Samy Magdy and David Rising report for AP News; Anushka Patil reports for the New York Times.
A 10-month-old baby in Gaza has been partially paralyzed after contracting polio, according to the U.N., marking the first case of polio the territory has registered in 25 years. Type 2 poliovirus was detected in samples collected from wastewater in the territory in June. Yolande Knell and Lucy Clarke-Billings report for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Britain’s Attorney General has intervened in the Foreign Office’s decision over whether to ban U.K. arms sales to Israel. Sources say Richard Hermer told officials he will not approve a decision to ban some weapons sales until they can definitively say which could be used to break international humanitarian law. Kiran Stacey reports for the Guardian.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Iran does not seek to increase Middle East tensions, the country’s foreign minister told his Italian counterpart, adding that its response to the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran would be “definite and calculated.” Reuters reports.
HOUTHI ATTACKS
The Greek-flagged tanker Sounion has been on fire since Aug. 23 after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis with no obvious signs of an oil spill, E.U. Red Sea naval mission Aspides said in a post on X today. Ahmed Elimam, Nur-Azna Sanusi and Adam Makary report for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 115 prisoners of war each on Saturday, the first such swap since Kyiv launched a surprise offensive into Russia’s Kursk region this month. The United Arab Emirates had assisted in facilitating the prisoner swap, which took place on Ukraine’s Independence Day. Joshua Posaner reports for POLITICO.
Ukrainian forces have captured over 240 Russian soldiers since their Kursk incursion, according to analysis by Sarah Cahlan, Evan Hill, Imogen Piper, Isabelle Khurshudyan and Anastacia Galouchka for the Washington Post.
A British safety advisor working for Reuters was killed and two journalists were injured on Saturday after a Russian strike on a hotel in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian shelling killed six people in Russia’s border region of Belgorod, local officials said. Niamh Kenned, Lauren Kent, and Maria Kostenko report for CNN; Carlo Boffa reports for POLITICO.
The Pentagon on Friday announced a new military aid package worth $125 million for Ukraine, including air defense munitions, artillery ammunition, and counter-drone systems. Separately, U.S. officials said the Biden administration is still debating whether to help Kyiv hold or even expand the territory it now occupies in Kursk. Lolita Baldor and Matthew Lee report for AP News; Karen DeYoung, Alex Horton, and Isabelle Khurshudyan report for the Washington Post.
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on over 400 individuals and firms for aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine. The sanctioned entities include technology and defense companies based in Russia, as well as Chinese firms involved in shipping technology to Russia. China yesterday expressed its opposition to the sanctions, saying it would adopt necessary measures to safeguard its businesses. Simon Lewis and David Lawder report for Reuters.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
A group of Iranian hackers targeted officials associated with President Biden and former President Trump over WhatsApp, according to a Friday statement by Meta. Members of the hacking group, known as APT42, posed as support agents for tech companies and attempted to phish political and diplomatic figures. Jalen Beckford reports for CNN; Jonathan Vanian reports for CNBC.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said former President Trump would likely veto a federal abortion ban as president if one landed on his desk. “He said that explicitly that he would,” Vance told Kristen Walker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” David Cohen reports for POLITICO.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A Tennessee man was charged on Friday with threatening President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Obama, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz. The man had threatened to assassinate the three leaders multiple times over posts on X in July. Tara Suter reports for The Hill.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
French authorities arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at Le Bourget Airport on Saturday. Officials claim that Durov, a Russian-French billionaire, was detained for failing to prevent criminal activities from taking place on Telegram. Thomas Mackintosh and Will Vernon report for BBC News.
Two vehicles parked outside a synagogue exploded in a French town on Saturday, in what prosecutors called an act of terrorism. A suspect has been arrested. Lynsey Chutel reports for the New York Times.
German police on Saturday detained a man who confessed to stabbing three individuals and injuring eight at a Friday festival in Solingen. The suspect, 26, is a Syrian man who migrated to Germany in 2022 and has potential links to the self-styled Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Tom Sims and Rene Wagner report for Reuters; Al Jazeera reports.
Nicolás Maduro has yet to provide the “necessary public evidence” to prove he won in Venezuela’s July presidential election, E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Saturday. The comment follows the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice’s earlier declaration of Maduro’s victory. Megan Janetsky reports for AP News.
Gunmen have killed at least 22 people in Pakistan’s south-west Balochistan after forcing them out of their vehicles and checking their identity, officials say. The Baloch Liberation Army militant group has claimed responsibility. BBC News reports.