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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel’s military launched raids and airstrikes in the occupied West Bank today in an unusually wide-scale operation, killing at least nine people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the military had started an operation to thwart terrorist groups and that some residents of the territory may need to evacuate. Gabby Sobelman and Victoria Kim report for the New York Times.
Israeli, U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators were meeting in Doha today for “technical/working level” talks on a Gaza ceasefire, a source told Reuters.
Israeli forces rescued a hostage from a tunnel in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said yesterday. Farhan al-Qadi, 52, is a member of Israel’s Bedouin Arab minority, and the eighth hostage to be rescued alive since the Oct. 7 attacks. Two senior Israeli officials said he appeared to have been found by chance during an Israeli operation to capture a Hamas tunnel network. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
The U.N. haltingly resumed its humanitarian operations in Gaza yesterday, U.N. officials said, after the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Deir al-Balah, its main logistics hub in the territory. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
Israeli far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested in an interview that he would like to build a synagogue at Jerusalem’s disputed Al Aqsa Mosque, drawing domestic and international condemnation. Amelia Nierenberg, Gabby Sobelman, and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
The United States’ top general said on Monday that the near-term risk of a wider regional war has eased somewhat after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged fire without further escalation. Phil Stewart reports for Reuters.
An Israeli drone strike on a car passing through a Syrian checkpoint near the border with Lebanon today reportedly killed three Palestinian fighters and a Hezbollah member. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said the country’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is part of a larger plan to end the war. Speaking at a news conference, Zelenskyy said he has no intention of permanently annexing the region, and will present his plan to end the war to President Biden this fall. “The main point … is forcing Russia to end the war,” he said. Lizzie Johnson and Serhiy Morgunov report for the Washington Post.
Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine had captured almost 600 Russian servicemen during its Kursk operation, disclosing that figure for the first time. He also said Ukraine had taken control of 100 settlements. The Guardian reports.
Russia launched a fresh wave of missiles and drones across Ukraine for a second day yesterday, killing at least five people and damaging infrastructure in multiple regions. Zelenskyy said some were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets. Illia Novikov reports for AP News.
Ukraine’s F-16s are reportedly fighting with help from a U.S. Air Force electronic-warfare unit. Meanwhile, Ukraine says it has developed a new long-range weapon, known as the Palianytsia, to strike deep into Russia without asking permission from Western allies. Audrey Decker reports for DefenseOne; Hanna Arhirova reports for AP News.
U.N. nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi said after visiting Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant yesterday there was a serious risk of a nuclear accident. Meanwhile, Russia today claimed it had defused unexploded U.S.-supplied munitions fired by Ukraine just 3 miles from the plant, and said it wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency to take a “more objective and clearer” stance on nuclear safety. Reuters reports.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council today at Kyiv’s request, a NATO spokesperson said yesterday. The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level. Reuters reports.
China yesterday called U.S. sanctions imposed on its companies last week over the Ukraine war “illegal and unilateral” and “not based on facts.” Antoni Slodkowski reports for Reuters.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran’s supreme leader yesterday suggested his country would pursue nuclear negotiations with the United States, saying there was “no barrier” to discussions with the “enemy” in a video broadcast on state television. Eve Sampson reports for the New York Times.
A U.N. Security Council committee is considering sanctioning two generals with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. It would be the first U.N. sanctions imposed over Sudan’s current war. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
South Korean authorities today called on Telegram and other social media platforms to help them to delete and block sexually explicit deepfake content. It follows domestic reports that sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women were rampant in Telegram chatrooms, and the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France for alleged complicity in criminal activity. Hyunsu Yinm reports for Reuters.
Government officials in Brazil said they suspect “criminals” are responsible for the record number of fires across São Paulo state. Four people have been arrested. Vanessa Buschschlüter reports for BBC News.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador yesterday announced his government was “pausing” relations with the U.S. Embassy in response to criticism by the U.S. ambassador of his proposed judicial overhaul. Simon Romero and Emiliano Rodriguez Mega report for the New York Times.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan began his second day of meetings with top Chinese officials in Beijing today. Topics of discussion reportedly include the Middle East, Ukraine, Taiwan, and combating fentanyl trade. Trevor Hunnicutt and Antoni Slodkowski report for Reuters.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Special counsel Jack Smith yesterday filed a superseding indictment in the election interference case against former President Trump, narrowing the prosecution’s approach but maintaining all charges after the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance yesterday accused it of being “an effort to influence the election.” , , , and report for CNN ; Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch report for Reuters.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The defendants in Arizona’s fake electors prosecution are citing an unusual state law to urge the state’s Attorney General to throw out the case. The law was designed to stop prosecutors from bringing “flimsy” politically motivated cases. Betsy Woodruff Swan reports for POLITICO.
The first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to over four years in prison. Michael Sparks, 47, who was convicted of civil disorder, disorderly conduct, and other charges in March, was sentenced to 53 months in prison and a $2,000 fine. Mike Wendling reports for BBC News.
A federal judge in Texas on Monday temporarily blocked the Biden administration citizenship pathway for migrant spouses, granting a request from 16 Republican-led states. The order effectively halts the program, which opened just last week. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports for CBS News.
Chinese government-backed hackers penetrated at least two major U.S. internet service providers over the past several months to spy on their users. The hacks are particularly concerning because their targets are believed to include government and military personnel, as well as groups of strategic interest to China. Joseph Menn reports for the Washington Post.
A newly released government watchdog report found that President Biden authorized the construction of the Gaza aid pier despite officials warnings that weather challenges and security problems would hinder the aid effort. USAID officials had also warned that the pier would detract from efforts to reopen land crossings into Gaza. Oren Liebermann reports for CNN.