Early Edition: October 28, 2024

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT

Israel fired a barrage of “precise strikes on military targets” in Iran on Saturday local time, in retaliation for Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack on Israel. The attacks, launched from Iraqi airspace, hit air-defense systems around Iranian energy sites, killing four Iranian troops, according to Iranian and Israeli officials. Israel also hit weapons production sites, crippling a critical component in Iran’s ballistic missile program, Israeli sources said. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman report for the New York Times. 

Israel notified Iran of the general targets of its retaliatory airstrikes in advance and warned Iran not to respond, in an attempt to prevent a wider escalation, sources say. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Israeli and Iranian authorities seemed to adopt a measured tone in response to Saturday’s strikes, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating the attack “achieved all its objectives,” and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian saying that Tehran will respond “appropriately” but does not “seek war.” Isabel Kershner, Farnaz Fassihim, Hiba Yazbek, and Michael Levenson report for the New York Times. 

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT — U.S. RESPONSE

President Biden on Saturday said he hopes Israel’s attack on Iran will mark “the end” of the countries’ cycle of escalation. The White House previously expressed support for the attack, calling the strikes “targeted and proportionate.” Emma Graham-Harrison reports for the Guardian; Peter Baker reports for the New York Times.

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT — REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

Iraq complained to the U.N. Security Council about Israel’s use of its airspace to attack Iran ahead of the body’s planned meeting later today to discuss Israel’s attack. The Guardian reports; Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed” by Israel’s attack on Iran, calling for “all acts of escalation” to stop. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

The Israeli government’s “policies and practices in northern Gaza” could amount to “atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also warned on Saturday that the “entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying.” Michael Crowley and Nick Cumming-Bruce report for the New York Times; Karem Khadder and Vasco Cotovio report for CNN. 

The U.K. will consider providing intelligence gathered from surveillance flights over Gaza to the International Criminal Court if requested, the U.K. ministry of defense ministry said. Jonathan Beale and Thomas Mackintosh report for BBC News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday killed approximately 70 people, with Israel’s offensive in the north showing no signs of abating despite renewed ceasefire talks. Bethan McKernan reports for the Guardian.

The Israeli military today said it captured around 100 suspected Hamas militants during a Friday raid on one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza. Gaza health officials and Hamas previously denied any militant presence there. Nidal Al-Mughrabil reports for Reuters.

Egypt yesterday proposed a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the release of four hostages and delivery of aid to Gaza, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said. Ami Bentov, Samy Magdy, Tia Goldenberg, and Joseph Krauss report for AP News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and seven foreign counterparts warned Netanyahu the actions of his far-right finance minister may cause an implosion of the Palestinian economy and risk further destabilizing the region. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR 

An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed eight people and wounded 25, the country’s health ministry said yesterday. Israel did not immediately comment, but yesterday said it was carrying out “targeted ground raids.” Matthew Mpoke Bigg reports for the New York Times.

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

China-affiliated hackers sought to access the phones of campaign staffers for former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris and collected audio from the phone calls of U.S. political figures. Joseph Menn, Josh Dawsey, Ellen Nakashima, Perry Stein, and Yasmeen Abutaleb report for the Washington Post.

Elon Musk’s super-PAC awarded two more $1 million prizes in its lottery for registered swing voters on Thursday night, despite warnings from the Justice Department that the giveaway could violate election laws. Perry Stein, Trisha Thadani, and Amy B Wang report for the Washington Post.

The U.S. federal intelligence authorities are seeing a rise in online discussions among extremists preparing for an imminent “civil war,” a Department of Homeland Security report shows. Betsy Woodruff Swan reports for POLITICO.

An appeals court ruled on Friday that a Mississippi law requiring election officials to count mail-in absentee ballots received after Election Day violates federal law. Isabelle Taft reports for the New York Times.

A Georgia appeals court refused to expedite the review of a Republican challenge to result certification deadlines, with the lower court’s order mandating county officials to certify the results set to remain in force during the election period. Kate Brumback reports for AP News. 

In a Sunday decision, an appeals court refused to reinstate Virginia’s voter purge program which would automatically cancel voter registrations of suspected noncitizens. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.

OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

The U.S. Navy apologized for its bombardment of a native Alaskan community 142 years ago. Johnny Diaz reports for the New York Times.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Several thousand North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia’s western Kursk region, where they are expected to participate in an upcoming counteroffensive aimed at expelling Ukrainian forces, sources say. Michael Schwirtz, Julian E. Barnes, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy has declined a visit by Secretary-General Guterres after he attended a BRICS summit in Russia last week, according to a source. Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News. 

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’s (RSF) attacked a village on Friday, killing at least 124, activists say. It marks one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s ongoing civil war. Nafisa Eltahir and Khalid Abdelaziz report for Reuters.

International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan allegedly tried to suppress a sexual misconduct complaint against him by urging the complainant to disavow her claims. Khan has denied the reports. Harry Davies and Robert Flummerfelt report for the Guardian.

A judge presiding over the prosecution request for a Netanyahu arrest warrant has been replaced on health grounds, the ICC said on Friday. The move could lead to further delays in the proceedings. Stephanie van den Berg reports for Reuters.

One person was killed and at least 30 injured after a truck hit a bus stop near an Israeli military base north of Tel Aviv. The authorities say they are investigating the incident as a suspected terror attack. Lucy Williamson reports for BBC News.

Japan faces political uncertainty after the Liberal Democratic Party yesterday lost its parliamentary majority in the lower house for the first time in 15 years. Helen Regan and Yumi Asada report for CNN.

Georgia’s president yesterday called for people to protest the results of Saturday’s disputed parliamentary election, in which the electoral commission said the ruling pro-Russia party won. Monitors observing the count reported significant irregularities. Felix Light and Lucy Papachristou report for Reuters.

Satellite images show major expansion at a Russian site used for bioweapons development during the Cold War. Joby Warrick and Jarrett Ley report for the Washington Post.

The post Early Edition: October 28, 2024 appeared first on Just Security.