Monday Briefing: Israel weighs a response to Iran

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April 15, 2024

	By Amelia Nierenberg

Good morning. We’re covering Israel’s deliberations after Iran’s overnight barrage.

Plus, unorthodox efforts to save Australian species.

An Israeli home where a 7-year-old girl was injured by shrapnel. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

Israel weighs a response to Iran

Calm mostly prevailed in Israel yesterday after Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at the country overnight. Nearly all were intercepted, Israeli military officials said, and those that made an impact caused only minor damage.

Here are the latest updates, and here is a summary of what we know.

Iran’s expected response to Israel’s recent strike on the Iranian Embassy complex in Syria — which killed several of Iran’s top commanders — was its first direct attack on Israel after decades of shadow warfare.

Iran seems to want to de-escalate. It targeted only military sites and advertised the attack in advance — which analysts described as an effort to avoid casualties. Iran has also signaled that it would not strike further unless attacked.

Now, the focus is on Israel. The strikes shook its assumptions about Iran, undermining its long-held calculation that its foe would be best deterred by greater Israeli aggression. Yesterday, the Israeli war cabinet met to discuss possible responses, and the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said that the country’s confrontation with Iran was “not over yet.”

Two Israeli officials said some war cabinet members had urged a retaliatory strike, but that was called off after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke by phone with President Biden.

Details: The U.S. said it had shot down dozens of the Iran-launched drones and missiles. So did Britain and Jordan, which said it acted in self-defense. One person, a 7-year-old girl, was seriously wounded by missile fragments.

On the ground: Explosions illuminated the night sky as Iran’s missiles were intercepted. See a video.

A memorial in Sydney, Australia. Dean Lewins/Australian Associated Press, via Reuters

Australia reels after deadly attack

The Australian police have yet to determine a motive for the stabbing attack in Sydney that left six people dead on Saturday. A police officer also killed the attacker.

The police said the assailant had a history of mental illness. At an upscale suburban mall near the famous Bondi Beach, he stabbed nearly 20 people, including a 9-month-old girl. The girl’s mother was one of the victims.

The attack has left many questioning how a tragedy of this magnitude could occur in Australia, a country known for its relative safety. The rampage was the deadliest act of mass violence in the country since 2017.

All but one of the victims were women, creating what a police official said would be an “obvious” line of inquiry: “I think anyone seeing that footage can see that for themselves,” she said.

The attacker: The police said that his family, who were not in regular communication with him, contacted the authorities after recognizing him on television broadcasts.

Donald Trump intends to make the trial into a political triumph. Pool photo by Mary Altaffer

Donald Trump’s hush money trial begins

The jury selection for Donald Trump’s first criminal trial begins today in New York. To win an acquittal, the former president may testify to personally persuade the jurors of his innocence.

Prosecutors say that Trump falsified records to cover up a sex scandal, and are armed with insider witnesses and a jury pool drawn from one of the country’s most liberal counties. Trump and his lawyers know that his chances in the courtroom are dicey — they have privately conceded that a jury is unlikely to outright acquit him, my colleagues report.

Still, he will aim to spin any outcome to his benefit and, if convicted, to become the first felon to win the White House. Trump and the Republican Party have made the trial a staple of his campaign fund-raising, and he will essentially bring his campaign to the courthouse.

For more: Sign up for Trump on Trial, our newsletter tracking his trials in New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

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Thousands of residents of Myanmar fled to Thailand. Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

While in captivity, Saratu Dauda converted to Islam. She changed her first name to Aisha. Taiwo Aina for The New York Times

A decade ago, the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in Nigeria. Many are still missing, and kidnappings in the West African country have only proliferated.

Saratu Dauda was captured in 2014 at age 16, and spent nine years in captivity. Read her story.

The Australia Letter: The University of Melbourne is trying to facilitate conversations between Indigenous authors and the publishing industry.

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

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Photo illustration by Lauren Peters-Collaer

Saving species by assisting evolution

Habitat degradation, invasive species, infectious diseases and climate change have given Australia one of the worst rates of species loss in the world. In some cases, scientists say, the threats are so intractable that the only way to protect Australia’s unique animals is to change them.

It is an audacious concept, and one that challenges a fundamental impulse to preserve wild creatures as they are. Using techniques such as crossbreeding and gene editing, scientists are altering the genomes of vulnerable animals, hoping to arm them with the traits they need to survive.

Matt Taylor-Gross for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Cook: Bacon and egg don is a comforting Japanese-inspired breakfast.

Read: In “The Garden,” nefarious things are afoot at a gothic maternity hospital.

Travel: Plan an accessible road trip.

Indulge: Use an excellent ice cream scoop.

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

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

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