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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
An Israeli intelligence commander, who critics say played a key role in failing to prevent the Oct. 7 attacks, is resigning, Israel’s military told CNN. Yossi Sariel is the second high-profile military official to resign over Oct. 7, after the head of military intelligence resigned in April. Jennifer Hauser and Lauren Iszo report; Dov Lieber reports for the Wall Street Journal.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
International condemnation grew yesterday of a deadly Israeli strike on a school that the U.N. aid agency for Palestinians said killed six of its staff members. Britain’s Foreign Secretary called the deaths of the U.N. workers “appalling,” while Qatar’s government called the strike a “horrifying massacre.” Liam Stack and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
Details are emerging of an apparent Israeli raid on a “Hezbollah missile production facility” in Syria. Israel has not commented on the operation, which U.S media say took place earlier this week. Syrian state media reported that 18 people were killed on Monday in the raid, with several dozens injured. Thomas Mackintosh reports for BBC News; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed three people overnight, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported. AP News reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
President Biden is poised to approve Ukraine’s use of long-range Western weapons in Russia, as long as it does not use U.S.-weapons, European officials say. The issue will be high on the agenda as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer makes his first official visit to Washington today. David E. Sanger, Helene Cooper, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday repeated his warnings about the West using long-range weapons to target Russia, saying Moscow would take “appropriate decisions” if NATO allowed Kyiv to strike inside Russian territory. BBC News reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced yesterday that Russia had launched a counteroffensive in Ukrainian-controlled areas in Kursk. The counteroffensive had long been expected and was planned for, Zelenskyy said. Anastacia Galouchka and Lizzie Johnson report for the Washington Post.
Three Red Cross workers were killed and two wounded yesterday when artillery fire struck an aid distribution site in Donetsk, the aid organization said. Eve Sampson reports for the New York Times.
Zelenskyy said yesterday that a Russian missile struck a cargo ship in the Black Sea that was ferrying wheat to Egypt. Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Andrew E. Kramer, and Maria Varenikova report for the New York Times.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Federal authorities are preparing to file criminal charges over Iran’s alleged hack and leak attack against former President Trump’s campaign, sources say. It was not immediately clear when the charges will be announced or whom they will target. Josh Dawsey and Devlin Barrett report for the Washington Post; Eric Tucker reports for AP News.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
The Judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against Trump and others yesterday dismissed three counts in the indictment, including two counts brought against Trump, saying that they exceed the state’s jurisdiction. Judge McAfee allowed the rest of the case to move forward, including eight charges against Trump, out of the original 13. Kate Brumback reports for AP News; Max Matza reports for BBC News.
New York’s highest court yesterday rejected Trump’s appeal to lift the gag order in his hush money case. The ruling means Trump has exhausted his last option to dismiss the order, which bars him from commenting on prosecutors and court staff until his sentencing in November. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.
A federal appeals court rejected Trump’s request to halt post-conviction proceedings in his hush money case, leaving Trump’s sentencing on track for after the November election. Michael R. Sisak reports for AP News.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A pro-Israel rally in a Boston suburb turned violent yesterday when a passerby was shot after confronting a group of demonstrators, authorities said. AP News reports.
In a blow to the Newsmax network, a judge ruled yesterday that Smartmatic’s case over 2020 election lies will head to trial this month. Marshall Cohen reports for CNN.
The Justice Department yesterday charged two men with assaulting a New York Times photographer on Jan. 6, 2021, accusing them of assaulting her, stealing her camera, and unlawfully entering the Capitol. Michael D. Shear reports for the New York Times.
A former CIA officer who spied for China has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, the Justice Department said. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, received bribes in exchange for providing Chinese security officers classified material, according to his plea agreement. Josh Campbell reports for CNN.
New York Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban yesterday announced his resignation, about a week after his electronics were seized in an ongoing federal investigation into alleged corruption. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.
Federal judiciary leaders have asked Congress to weigh impeaching a federal judge in Alaska for alleged sexual misconduct. Tobi Raji and Ann E. Marimow report for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
The United States will withdraw most troops from Iraq over the next two years but leave a small force in the northern Kurdistan region, U.S. and Iraqi officials say. Mustafa Salim, Missy Ryan, and Abigail Hauslohner report for the Washington Post.
The United States announced sanctions on 16 officials closely aligned with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following his disputed election victory. Vanessa Buschschlüter reports for BBC News.
The U.S. and Chinese militaries are taking steps to revive diplomatic talks after a two-year freeze in relations, as they seek to dial back the risk of confrontations amid tensions over the South China Sea and Beijing’s support of Russia. Brian Spegele and Chun Han Wong report for the Wall Street Journal.
The United States has approved $165 million in weapons sales to Israel for delivery in 2027, the State Department announced yesterday. Tara Copp reports for AP News.
The United Arab Emirates would seek to revive a multi-billion dollar U.S. deal for F-35 warplanes and armed drones if Trump wins the presidential election, sources told Reuters. Alexander Cornwell reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Mexico’s states yesterday approved an amendment to the Constitution that would create the most far-reaching judicial overhaul ever attempted by a large democracy. The measure, championed by Mexico’s President, would mean voters elect judges at every level, drastically restructuring the third branch of the government. Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, James Wagner and Alan Yuhas report for the New York Times.
Senior Russian security official Sergei Shoigu held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to Pyongyang today, Russian news agencies said. Reuters reports.
North Korea today revealed a weapons-grade uranium-manufacturing site for the first time. Choe Sang-Hun reports for the New York Times.
Russia revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats it has accused of espionage. The U.K. foreign office has not commented at the time of writing. Hafsa Khalil reports for BBC News.
A 27-year-old Syrian national “suspected of radical Islamist views has been arrested over a plot to kill German soldiers with machetes in the Bavarian town of Hof,” prosecutors said today. Reuters reports.
Senegal’s President yesterday dissolved the opposition-led parliament to call a snap legislative election for Nov. 17, six months after he was voted in. Monika Pronczuk and Babacar Dione report for AP News.
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