Tuesday Briefing: An Israeli warning to Hezbollah

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December 12, 2023

By Jonathan Wolfe

Good morning. We’re covering an Israeli warning to Hezbollah and Russia’s escalating attacks on Ukraine.

Plus, the debate over who’s a “colonizer.”

Smoke rose above the outskirts of Yaroun, a Lebanese village near the border with Israel, on Sunday. Hassan Ammar/Associated Press

Israel says attacks at the Lebanese border ‘demand’ a response

Top Israeli officials have warned that increased Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel carried out from Lebanon could prompt a powerful response, as Israeli troops waged street battles against Hamas in Gaza.

“Heightened aggression and increased attacks by Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Israel demand of Israel to remove such a threat,” Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and former defense minister, told the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, in a phone call, according to a statement by Gantz’s office. That echoed remarks made a day earlier by the chief of staff of Israel’s military, who said that continued violence by the militia risked pushing his forces to make a “very clear change” in the confrontation. Follow our live updates.

In Gaza, the Israeli military said it had taken control of the area surrounding the former headquarters of Hamas in Gaza City, and that its forces were engaged in intense battles in three areas where it said the group still had “strongholds.”

Those include regions in the south where the U.N. has warned of a humanitarian disaster, raising fears of a potential mass displacement into Egypt.

On the ground: The Israeli military now controls the area in Gaza City surrounding Palestine Square, home to the headquarters for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in the enclave, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the military’s chief spokesman. Israeli forces are now focused, he said, on fighting in three areas: Jabaliya and Shajaiye in northern Gaza, and Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza.

No end in sight: Israel, under international pressure to wind down its campaign in Gaza, is resisting setting a deadline for ending the war.

Destroyed houses in Kyiv after Russian shelling, yesterday. Roman Pilipey/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Russia targets Kyiv as Zelensky heads to the U.S.

The Russian military targeted the Ukrainian capital yesterday with the most intense salvo of ballistic missiles in months. The attack came as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, traveled to Washington on an urgent mission to press for continued U.S. military aid.

Hours earlier, a video circulated of President Vladimir Putin sipping champagne in Moscow and celebrating waning Western support for Kyiv. He declared that Ukraine had “no future.”

Context: Russia has ramped up its attacks on Kyiv over the last few weeks, including with a wave of drone attacks and strikes using its bomber fleet. Britain’s defense intelligence agency said the attacks were “probably the start of a more concerted campaign by Russia aimed at degrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”

What’s next: Zelensky is scheduled to meet with President Biden and congressional leaders today. With Biden’s request for additional funding for Ukraine stalled in Congress, American assistance is now in doubt.

Filipino fishermen received fuel from a Philippine government boat near the Scarborough Shoal on Saturday. Camille Elemia for The New York Times

An up-close look at how China controls the seas

After several maritime clashes with Chinese vessels in recent months, the Philippines invited journalists on one of its ships, which provides fuel to Filipino fishermen in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

Over the weekend, The Times documented clashes with Chinese vessels in long standoffs that left Philippine boats severely damaged.

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Around the World

Sultan Al Jaber, the Emirati oil executive who is leading the talks in Dubai, addressed the U.N. Climate Summit yesterday. Rafiq Maqbool/Associated Press

Other Big Stories

A Morning Read

William Fry

Mathematicians have discovered an “einstein,” a unique shape that can tile an infinite flat surface in a pattern that does not repeat. Since then, do-it-yourselfers have found ingenious ways to put it to use. Take a look at these creative renditions.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

Photo illustration by Rebecca Chew

Who’s a colonizer?

The colonial era entered its death throes after World War II, when dozens of states in Asia and Africa threw off the European colonial leaders who had exploited local lands and their inhabitants for economic gain.

More than a half-century later, a broad battle over colonialism and its legacy has restarted. Most recently, pro-Palestinian protesters have denounced a “settler colonial” Israel, with Palestinians cast as the dark-skinned Indigenous people and Israelis as white oppressor interlopers.

My colleague Roger Cohen explored the term “colonizer” and how — in debates from Israel to Africa to America — it has become a powerful accusation.

Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Cook: The writer Nik Sharma reimagines the spiced Indian omelettes his mother used to make with this Bombay frittata.

Read: “Airplane Mode” takes a lively and sometimes ruthless look at who gets to travel.

Watch: Two new documentaries about cults manage to humanize cult members and even leaders.

Reinvigorate: Sign up for Well’s six-day energy challenge.

Play Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Jonathan

P.S. Amanda Taub, who writes The Interpreter newsletter, wrote about her six-part series on women in India.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter incorrectly referred to Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher and an outfielder. He is a designated hitter, not an outfielder.

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