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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-IRAN DEVELOPMENTS — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden yesterday said that he does not support any potential Israeli retaliatory strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Israel “has the right to respond, but they should respond proportionally,” he said. Max Matza reports for BBC News.
The White House is working to limit the Israeli response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Tuesday. Israel does not feel the need to respond in an immediate and significant way, U.S. officials say, citing conversations with Israeli officials. Yasmeen Abutaleb, John Hudson, Karen DeYoung and Michael Birnbaum report for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
An Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed six people and injured seven others today, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, the second and deadliest strike in the capital since hostilities began last October. The strike hit the office of the Islamic Health Authority, a health services institution operated by Hezbollah. The IDF said the strike was “precise.” The Washington Post reports.
Israel’s military said yesterday that eight of its soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon. Five had been engaged in “close-range engagements” with Hezbollah, the military said. Separately, the military said it killed 15 Hezbollah members today. Euan Ward, Liam Stack, Farnaz Fassihi, Matthew Mpoke Bigg, and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times; Timour Azhari and Ari Rabinovitch report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli airstrikes and a ground operation targeting Khan Younis killed at least 51 people and injured 58 on Tuesday night, the Hamas-run health ministry said. Separately, at least eight people were killed and several injured by Israeli bombardment of an orphanage building housing displaced civilians near Gaza City, the orphanage said. Across the enclave, the Israeli military said it had bombed four school buildings during the day, which the Palestinian Civil Defense said killed 23 people. Frances Mao reports for BBC News; Anushka Patil reports for the New York Times.
Israel has banned U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres from entering the country. Israel’s foreign minister said Guterres failed to “unequivocally condemn Iran’s criminal attack on Israel” and “does not deserve to set foot on Israel’s soil.” Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO.
The Israeli military said today it killed the head of the Hamas government in Gaza and two other Hamas leaders in a strike approximately three months ago. Mithil Aggarwal and Rebecca Emery report for NBC News.
Preparations are underway for a second round of polio vaccinations in Gaza, which is expected to start in mid-October, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Hamas has been let down by its Arab neighbors in the wake of Oct. 7, a senior official said, adding that Iran “was maybe the only country…supporting the resistance.” Keir Simmons reports for NBC News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from the key front-line town of Vuhledar, military officials said yesterday. Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab report for AP News.
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday approved a new law giving criminal defendants and suspects immunity if they join the army. The new rule is expected to see an additional 20,000 men under investigation or awaiting trial be freed to join the front lines. Francesca Ebel and Natalia Abbakumova report for the Washington Post.
HOUTHI ATTACKS
Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have launched a drone attack on the Tel Aviv area overnight. The Israeli military said one drone was intercepted and the second fell into an open area, with no injuries reported. CNN reports.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Former President Trump appeared indifferent as rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, telling an aide “So what?” even after learning security measures were being taken to protect his vice president, prosecutors alleged in a new court filing today. Spencer S. Hsu, Josh Dawsey, Tom Jackman and Amy Gardner report for the Washington Post.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Federal authorities have charged 68 members of a California-based white supremist neo-Nazi street gang with crimes in a bid to dismantle the organization. Christal Hayes reports for BBC News.
Prosecutors told a federal court yesterday that it’s “possible” New York City Mayor Eric Adams will face further charges, and that charges against others are “likely.” Jason Beeferman reports for POLITICO.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
The CIA yesterday announced a new initiative aimed at recruiting informants in China, Iran, and North Korea, expanding what it says has been a successful effort to enlist Russians. Jonathan Landay reports for Reuters.
U.S. authorities have charged five Chinese nationals, who were students at Michigan University, with lying and trying to cover their tracks about a trip to a remote Michigan military site. The FBI said there have been instances of college students from China taking photos of vital U.S. defense sites. Ed White reports for AP News.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Three men have been arrested in connection with two explosions that occurred near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen yesterday. According to police, the suspects were Swedish. Claire Moses and Yan Zhuang report for the New York Times.
Six migrants died after soldiers in Mexico opened fire on a vehicle carrying a group of 33 people who were traveling in the south of the country on Tuesday. The Mexican defense ministry said another 10 migrants were injured in the incident. The soldiers have been removed from duties pending an investigation. Rob Corp reports for BBC News.
Four Russian journalists went on trial in Moscow yesterday, accused of working for an anti-corruption group founded by the late Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, which authorities designated an extremist organization in 2021. Dasha Litvinova reports for AP News.
China’s Coast Guard claimed it entered the Arctic Ocean for the first time as part of a joint patrol with Russia, the latest sign of increased bilateral coordination in a region where Beijing has long aimed to expand its footprint. Simone McCarthy reports for CNN.
Singapore’s former senior cabinet minister Subramaniam Iswaran was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to accepting gifts while in public office and obstructing the course of justice. Suranjena Tewari reports for BBC News.
Four Iraqi soldiers were killed yesterday and several others wounded in an ambush by the self-styled Islamic State group, Iraq’s interior ministry said. Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Stella Martany report for AP News.
An unexploded U.S. bomb from World War II that had been buried at a Japanese airport exploded yesterday, causing a large crater and flight cancellations but no injuries, Japanese officials said. An investigation is underway to determine what caused the sudden detonation. CNN reports.
The U.K. has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of dispute over Britain’s last African colony. Haroon Siddique reports for the Guardian.