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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Trump said on Friday that “Israel is very happy” with the new plan to begin disarming Hamas and for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. However, the Israeli government circulated comments on Friday, attributed to a “diplomatic official,” insisting on “genuine” disarmament by Hamas before Israel would withdraw from the “current yellow line.” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the plan “unacceptable” on social media. A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told Reuters yesterday that Israel had expressed serious concerns to the United States on the disarmament plan. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times; Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Steven Scheer report; Sam Mednick reports for AP News.
Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza and destroyed two warehouses near a hospital that were said to be storing medicine, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza. The Israeli military said it had struck a Hamas hideout near the hospital, which the group used to store weapons. Other sites in Gaza that it said were used by Hamas to store arms were also struck, a military statement said. Mahmoud Issa and Alexander Cornwell report for Reuters.
Israeli strikes yesterday killed at least 18 Palestinians in Gaza, medics said. Israeli warplanes hit Gaza city in the north, the central city of Deir al-Balah, and the southern area of Khan Younis, causing the biggest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Steven Scheer report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR
The United States struck a family home on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Thursday, according to an analysis of videos and satellite imagery by weapons experts and the New York Times. Iranian officials said the strike killed a husband and wife, and their two-year-old son. The size of the crater and munitions fragments appear to show the weapon used was a 2,000-pound bomb called a Mark 84, one of the largest conventional bombs used by the U.S. military. U.S. Central Command said it was looking into reports of civilian casualties. Christiaan Tribert, Sanjan Varghese, and Christoph Koettl report.
The Iranian army said Friday that it had launched attacks on U.S. military targets at the Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. A U.S. Defense Department official confirmed that Iran had launched multiple projectiles, but said that there was no major impact on U.S. military bases in the region. The Kuwaiti military said it had destroyed multiple drones in its airspace. Qasim Nauman and Euan Ward report for the New York Times
A U.S. official told Axios on Friday that Trump was seriously considering launching attacks against energy targets in Iran in the next few days. Trump alluded to the potential attack during a cabinet meeting on Friday, saying “well we’ll be hitting them very hard and, you know, at some point they’re going to say, we just can’t take it anymore.” By Saturday, Trump had changed track, announcing that he had called off a potential attack on Iran due to progress in negotiations between the two nations. Trump added that Iran and “other Middle Eastern Countries” had asked the United States to hold off on an attack as “the perimeters of a deal had been agreed to.” Barak Ravid reports; George Moriarty and Donica Phifer report for Axios.
According to two U.S. officials, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman spoke to Trump on Saturday and expressed concern about the potential escalation, asking for clarity about the plan of action. Another source said MBS urged Trump to refrain from launching the strikes. Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
Trump told reporters last night that talks with Iran would begin today, but declined to disclose where negotiations would take place or who would be involved. Steve Holland, Menna Alaaledin, and Yasmine Ghania report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – YEMEN
Yemen’s Houthi-run maritime coordination body said on Saturday that it did not plan to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The statement follows a Reuters report last week, citing regional sources, that the Houthis were considering imposing fees and had discussed the idea with Iranian officials in July. Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The scope of cyberattacks on U.S water systems has grown to include at least seven states, including Minnesota and Michigan, and may be far wider, officials and experts have warned. Officials said that Iran is the top suspect, but that the assessment remained preliminary and had not yet established definitive forensic proof. In response to a question about Iran’s possible involvement, Trump said on Friday, “I think Minnesota is behind it,” adding “I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack.” Dustin Volz and Ernesto Londono report for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
“We have not agreed to that,” Trump told his cabinet on Friday when asked about an agreement which would allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles. Trump added, “It is a hard thing to give away that kind of technology” because of the risk that “those people you give the technology, they could someday turn on you.” Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.
Russian strikes overnight on Friday killed at least nine people in Kyiv and injured 30. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that only one of the 27 ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv and other cities had been shot down “because there are no interceptors for the Patriot systems.” Constant Meheut reports for the New York Times.
Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least eight people in Russian regions overnight on Saturday, hitting targets including a warehouse belonging to the Russian online retailer, Wildberries, regional officials said. Reuters reports.
The Pentagon is giving up leadership of the U.S.-led NATO command in Germany that coordinates military aid to Ukraine, according to a U.S. official and three other sources. The sources added that another NATO member will take over running the Security Assistance Group, with the transition of leadership likely to take up to a year. Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch report for POLITICO.
A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed at least three people and injured 21 others in Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities said. Russian war bloggers, without citing any evidence, blamed Ukraine for the attack. Kyiv did not immediately comment. Andrew Osborn reports for Reuters.
WEST BANK VIOLENCE
Israeli forces shot and wounded at least one Palestinian and arrested at least three as more than 100 Israeli settlers marched towards the village of Tal on Friday, residents said. As the settlers marched, a Reuters correspondent saw some of them stealing goods from at least one Palestinian building. Israeli soldiers followed behind, not intervening. Pesha Magid reports for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Spanish authorities said on Saturday that they were installing a floating barrier near a sea wall between Morocco and Ceuta, following the arrival of tens of thousands of people into the territory last week. Spain’s Interior Ministry said that at least 48,300 of roughly 50,000 people who entered from Morocco had been returned there by late Friday afternoon. Spanish authorities in Ceuta said at least 72 people died trying to enter the city. Lynsey Chutel reports for the New York Times; Sunam Naishadham reports for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The United States and Japan last week jointly intervened in currency markets for the first time in over a decade to support the weakening yen, as its sharp decline raised concerns about market instability and broader economic risks. Joe Rennison and Kiuko Notoya report for the New York Times.
“Our cooperation with the United States may be far closer than many people imagine,” Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters on Friday. “We continue to enhance our defensive combat capabilities through military exchanges and cooperation with the [U.S.] Pacific Command at all levels.” Yimou Lee reports for Reuters.
Trump said on Friday that the U.S. campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court was intended to defend Netanyahu and others from prosecution, not himself. “There’s no information that they’re after me,” Trump said. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the cabinet that five countries had announced plans to quit the ICC since the U.S. campaign was launched last month. Steve Holland and Simon Lewis report for Reuters.
Mauricio Claver-Carone, an unofficial adviser to the Trump administration who has played a leading role in shaping U.S. Venezuela policy, told Reuters on Friday that he is no longer overseeing the portfolio. He said his departure was voluntary, though multiple sources have said he was forced out in recent weeks. The State Department said that Claver-Carone is “a private citizen who does not currently have an official role” and “any insinuation that he is being forced out of any formal role is inaccurate.” Sarah Kinosian, Gram Slattery, and Matt Spetalnick report.
U.S-backed talks between Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s government and some political opposition began on Saturday. The talks will exclude Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Opposition representative Dinorah Figuera said the process aims to establish the foundations to call for an election by December. Vera Bergengruen and Kejal Vyas report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Capital One said it closed more than 300 Trump Organization-affiliated accounts in 2021 after an anti-money laundering review identified transaction patterns that raised concerns, according to a court filing on Friday. The Trump Organization and Eric Trump have sued the bank, alleging political “debanking,” but Capital One argues the claims are unsupported and is seeking dismissal of the case. Kenrick Cai reports for Reuters.
The Justice Department subpoenaed a freelance reporter for the New York Times in February to identify sources for a story about a failed 2019 Navy SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea. The DOJ has so far refused to withdraw its subpoena, despite the reporter’s efforts to challenge it. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, confirmed in writing last night that the Justice Department would abandon elements of the settlement reached with Trump to resolve his lawsuit against the IRS. Blanche posted two documents on social media: a signed memo in which he said the DOJ was formally rescinding an order that created the so-called “anti-weaponization fund” and an unsigned statement in which the agency clarified the terms of the IRS protections. The announcement appears to clear the way for Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to approve Blanche as attorney general on Tuesday at a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Michael Gold, Andrew Duehren, and Hari Raj report for the New York Times; Chris Marquetter reports for POLITICO.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Trump on Friday filed his notice to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that his IRS lawsuit settlement lacked legal basis and may have involved court manipulation. Danny Nguyen reports for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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