Monday Briefing: A deadly strike on the Israel-Lebanon border

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July 29, 2024

	By Whet Moser

Good morning. We’re covering a deadly attack on the Israel-Lebanon border, Venezuela’s presidential election and the Paris Olympics.

Plus, Melinda French Gates enters the political fray.

The site of a rocket strike at a soccer field in the Golan Heights yesterday. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

Fears of war between Israel and Lebanon after a deadly strike

Western diplomats were scrambling to prevent a surge of fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border after a rocket from Lebanon killed at least 12 children and teenagers at a soccer field in an Israeli-controlled town on Saturday.

It was the deadliest assault on Israeli-controlled territory since Israel and Hezbollah began exchanging missile and rocket fire in October, and Israel retaliated early yesterday with strikes across Lebanon. The Israeli response was short of a major escalation, but fears remained that the fallout from the rocket launch would lead to all-out war.

A spokeswoman for the National Security Council said in a statement that Hezbollah had organized the attack. U.S. officials asked Lebanon’s government to relay a message to Hezbollah to show restraint in the face of a further Israeli response, according to Lebanon’s foreign minister. Hezbollah denied that it was responsible.

For now, Israeli officials say that they are still open to a diplomatic resolution. A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday that a full-scale war could still be averted through the enforcement of a never-implemented U.N. resolution from 2006 that would create a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon.

Related: Negotiators from Israel, Qatar and the U.S. met in Rome to resume talks over a cease-fire in Gaza that had stalled over key issues, particularly the extent to which Israeli forces would remain in Gaza during a truce.

A polling station in Caracas yesterday. Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times

Venezuelans vote in a pivotal election

Over a generation, the Venezuelan socialist movement known as Chavismo has shattered the country’s democracy, decimated the economy and created one of the largest migrant crises in the world. In an election yesterday, the movement faced a robust challenge.

Nicolás Maduro, the president and the successor to the movement’s founder, Hugo Chávez, has a long history of crafting elections in his favor. His opponent is a former diplomat, Edmundo González, who is essentially the surrogate candidate for María Corina Machado, a hard-charging former lawmaker who was barred from the election.

Campaign events held by Machado have taken on the feeling of mass pilgrimages, and polls show high enthusiasm for González. But the outcome of the election is anyone’s guess, and the entire nation is on edge. Results could come as soon as this morning, but probably much later.

Secret Service snipers at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa. Eric Lee/The New York Times

Texts show when officers spotted Trump’s would-be assassin

At 4:26 p.m., nearly 100 minutes before former President Donald Trump was almost assassinated on July 13, a local countersniper who was leaving his security detail shift texted his colleagues about a young man sitting on a picnic table: “He knows you guys are up there.”

The message, obtained exclusively by The Times, revealed that law enforcement was aware of the would-be assassin about half an hour earlier than previously known.

At 5:38 p.m., pictures of the man, Thomas Crooks, were shared in a group chat, and another text went out among the officers: “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”

The aftermath of a strike on Kyiv’s main children’s hospital this month. Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

U.S. Politics

Olympics

Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky, who won bronze, after the 400-meter freestyle final. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Simone Biles during her floor exercise in Paris yesterday. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Simone Biles sacrificed mind and body for gymnastics, competing under psychological torment as a sexual assault survivor and with physical pain that made her feel as if she would need a wheelchair by the time she turned 30.

It all culminated with a mental block that largely drove her out of the 2021 Olympics. But at 27, after much contemplation and weekly therapy, she’s back in the Olympics and confident in herself. Yesterday, she had an injury scare but posted a superb all-around score.

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

Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times

Melinda French Gates’s new urgency around giving

Melinda French Gates shocked the philanthropic world in May when she left the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has given away $80 billion since 2000. She also entered the political fray, saying she would focus her resources on supporting women’s rights, including abortion rights.

French Gates told us that she didn’t realize that she could bring a woman’s perspective to the foundation’s work until 2010, as a result of years of conversations she’d had with women in the field when men weren’t around.

“I realized, if they’re willing to have these courageous conversations with me, I need to bring that deeply into the work,” she said. Convincing the men she worked with, however, took time. Read more in our interview.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Cook: Creamy coconut-lime rice with peanuts is easy, light and hearty.

Read: These three steamy historical romances are vacation-ready.

Watch: “Only the River Flows” is an existential Chinese police procedural.

Travel: Four locals gave us recommendations for Tasmania.

Wear: The high-horology brand Girard-Perregaux recreated its sleek ’70s LED watch.

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

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

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