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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
The Israeli military left the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura yesterday and will continue to withdraw “until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely,” U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said yesterday after arriving in Beirut. The Washington Post reports.
The Biden administration will divert $95 million in military aid allocated for Egypt to Lebanon, according to a document seen by Reuters yesterday. Patricia Zengerle reports.
SYRIA
Iranian forces have largely withdrawn from Syria after the Assad regime’s collapse, losing a key land bridge to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, U.S., European, and Arab officials say. Lara Seligman, Jared Malsin, Benoit Faucon, and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal.
SYRIA — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The U.S. Treasury Department yesterday issued a six-month general license authorizing certain types of transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales. Fatima Hussein and Kareem Chehayeb report for AP News.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to “significantly” expand its work in Syria beyond an initial $100 million program, the organization’s president said yesterday. Riham Alkousaa reports for Reuters.
Turkey is ready to “swiftly” step in if Syria breaks up, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday. Sasha Schroeder reports for POLITICO.
Turkey and Qatar will provide Syria with two electricity-generating ships to boost energy supplies, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted an official as saying today. Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The new House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), plans to progress legislation this week to sanction the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. Brad Dress reports for The Hill.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday called for a final push for a Gaze ceasefire before President Biden leaves office. James Mackenzie and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The United Arab Emirates has discussed with Israel and the United States participating in post-war Gaza’s administration until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge, sources say. Alexander Cornwell reports for Reuters.
The Palestinian WAFA news agency reported multiple Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank following yesterday’s killing of three settlers. Max Saltman, Mike Schwartz, and Irene Nasser report for CNN.
Israeli forces on Sunday opened fire on a U.N. World Food Programme convoy in Gaza in a “horrifying incident,” the agency said yesterday. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg arrived in the Yemeni capital yesterday in a bid to quell regional tensions, his spokesperson said. Emma Farge and Mohammed Ghobari report for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party yesterday, blaming party infighting. Trudeau said he would stay in post until a new leader is chosen. Mike Wendling, Nadine Yousif, and John Sudworth report for BBC News.
South Korean police and investigators are considering arresting members of impeached President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s security staff if they forcefully obstruct efforts to detain Yoon, a police officer said. Kim Tong-Hyung reports for AP News.
Taiwan is investigating whether a China-linked ship damaged one of the island’s undersea internet cables last Friday, the island’s coast guard said yesterday. Meaghan Tobin, Muyi Xiao, and Amy Chang Chien report for the New York Times.
Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations with Paraguay yesterday following Paraguayan President Santiago Pena’s expression of support for Venezuela’s opposition. Mayela Armas and Daniela Desantis report for Reuters.
Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy went on trial yesterday over allegations that then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi illegally financed his successful 2007 presidential bid. Nicolas Vaux-Montagny and Sylvie Corbet report for AP News.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. military sent 11 Yemeni Guantánamo Bay prisoners to Oman yesterday, the Pentagon announced. None had been charged during their two decades of detention. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday found Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court over his failure to turn over assets and information to Georgia poll workers he defamed. Zoë Richards, Adam Reiss, and Dareh Gregorian report for NBC News.
Minneapolis city leaders yesterday agreed to a police accountability plan with the Justice Department aimed at curbing excessive force and racial discrimination. David Nakamura reports for the Washington Post.
Two U.S. citizens filed a complaint against President Nicolás Maduro in a Miami federal court yesterday, seeking damages under the Anti-Terrorism Act over alleged torture by Venezuelan security officials. Joshua Goodman reports for AP News.
Thousands of LGBTQ+ U.S. military veterans discharged under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy could soon access their benefits more easily under a proposed legal settlement with the Pentagon. Matthew Mosk, Jim Axelrod, and Jessica Kegu report for CBS News.
The CIA monitored Mexican-American and Puerto Rican civil rights activists in the 1960s and 1970s, documents released in late December at the request of Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) show. Russell Contreras reports for Axios.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Trump’s lawyers asked a judge to block the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report on federal investigations into the President-elect, a letter filed yesterday shows. Tierney Sneed reports for CNN.
The judge overseeing Trump’s hush money case yesterday rejected a bid from Trump’s lawyers to delay his sentencing, which is scheduled for later this week pending an appeal. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
China’s largest EV battery manufacturer and largest tech firm will be designated as Chinese military companies in the United States from June 2026, the Defense Department announced yesterday. Ellen Nakashima and Cate Cadell report for the Washington Post.
President Biden yesterday met with exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who is recognized by the United States as the winner of the country’s July presidential election. Julie Turkewitz reports for the New York Times.
The United States yesterday accused Russia of funding the two warring parties in Sudan, an apparent step up from its previous assertion that Moscow was playing both sides to advance its political objectives. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
Trump yesterday said he would replace the head of the National Archives, the agency that previously alerted the DOJ about problems with Trump’s handling of classified documents. Will Weissert reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed yesterday its forces had seized control of the town of Kurakhove, advancing toward a key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, Ukraine. The Ukrainian military has not acknowledged Russia’s claim. Marc Santora reports for the New York Times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday claimed that nearly 15,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the Kursk region. He did not offer proof of the figures quoted. Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar report for Reuters.
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