Friday Briefing: Israel bombards Hezbollah

September 20, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon and a new poll on the U.S. presidential campaign.

Plus, how Russian-Ukrainian couples are navigating the war.

A man carrying a yellow flag stands at the front of a crowd. He holds his palm to his forehead and looks distraught.

A Hezbollah supporter at a funeral for four people killed in the pager attacks. Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times

Israel bombarded Lebanon after Hezbollah leader vowed retaliation

Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes across southern Lebanon yesterday, one of the most intense bombardments in the country this year.

The strikes came hours after Hezbollah’s leader vowed that “retribution will come” to Israel for the explosions of Hezbollah members’ hand-held devices. At least 37 people were killed and more than 2,900 others injured in those explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here’s the latest.

In his televised speech, the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said, “Indeed, we have endured a severe and cruel blow.” He also warned that Israel would “face just retribution and a bitter reckoning.”

Shortly after he spoke, the Israeli military carried out more than 70 airstrikes across southern Lebanon, according to three senior Lebanese security officials.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any role in the explosions, but a dozen current and former defense and intelligence officials who were briefed on the attack involving pagers on Tuesday said the Israelis were behind it.

An elaborate ruse: The operation was complex and long in the making, according to the officials. Israel established a shell company posing as an international pager producer which began shipping to Lebanon in the summer of 2022. These pagers contained batteries laced with an explosive. Read the full story behind the Israeli operation.

Kamala Harris speaking at a lectern in a light blue jacket.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times

New polls show the race is still a tossup

Vice President Kamala Harris impressed voters in her debate with Donald Trump, but a new set of polls released yesterday showed she has failed so far to gain a decisive advantage.

In a national poll conducted over the week after the debate, Harris and Trump were tied among likely voters at 47 percent each. In a separate poll of Pennsylvania, Harris holds a four-point edge, 50 percent to 46 percent. My colleague Nate Cohn writes that the polls may also point to a declining Trump edge in the Electoral College.

More on the U.S. election

Americans head to the polls in less than 50 days.

Harris will appear with Oprah Winfrey at a campaign event in Michigan, leveraging one of her most influential supporters to reach out to voters.
The “Uncommitted” group of Democrats that protested President Biden’s support of Israel announced that it would not endorse Harris.
Tim Walz is preparing for a vice-presidential debate by having Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, play the role of JD Vance.

Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.

A soldier wearing protective gear escorts an elderly woman and others outside a building.

Ukrainian authorities evacuated the residents of the bombed nursing home. This image was released by Ukraine’s Emergency Service. Ukraine's Emergency Service, via Associated Press

Ukraine said Russia bombed a nursing home

At least one person was killed and 12 others were injured yesterday when a Russian-guided aerial bomb hit a nursing home for older people in the city of Sumy, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said.

A series of air attacks in recent weeks have targeted Sumy, which the Ukrainian Army has used as a base to launch assaults across the border into the Kursk region of Russia.

What does “long range” mean? Much of the discussion about arming Ukraine has revolved around whether the U.S. would send “long range” weapons — a term with no real military definition. My colleague John Ismay took a closer look at the advanced weaponry.

MORE TOP NEWS

A woman sweeps a street that is covered in downed tree branches.

Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

China: Tropical Storm Pulasan made landfall near Shanghai, halting trains, grounding ferries and bringing the risk of floods and landslides.
Middle East: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said that the kingdom would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Diplomacy: The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory” within a year.
Britain: Multiple women have accused Mohamed al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, of rape and sexual assault, according to a BBC documentary.
Climate: Governments worldwide want the E.U. to suspend a law aimed at protecting endangered forests that would also affect billions of dollars in traded goods.
Venezuela: The opposition leader Edmundo González said he was forced to sign a document recognizing Nicolás Maduro as the election winner before he could flee to Spain.
Brazil: Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, used a technical maneuver to restore service for many Brazilians after a court blocked it.
West Africa: Days after Islamist rebels killed at least 50 members of Mali’s armed forces, the military has sought to hide the true extent of the carnage.
Bosnia: The Vatican has authorized public worship at a shrine in a village where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared.

Business and The Economy

Inflation: The Bank of England held off on cutting rates but signaled that it was on the path to lower them.
Manufacturing: Chinese automakers are moving production to Europe as a way to avoid tariffs.

Sports

Soccer: At 14, Arsenal’s Max Dowman has become the youngest UEFA Youth League goal scorer.
Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton has called out the F.I.A. president for what he believes are “very stereotypical” comments on foul language.
Golf: Can a reimagined Cobbs Creek course fulfill its promise?

MORNING READ

A couple walking along a curved roadway dashed with snow, a view of Kyiv’s riverside on a gray day behind them.

A Ukrainian-Russian couple in Kyiv. Laura Boushnak for The New York Times

Ukrainian-Russian couples have long been common: Many met at work, or online, or on summer trips as teens. But Russia’s invasion has upended their lives. Now, they are grappling with stigma, separation, legal troubles and a reappraisal of their identities.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A person walking in a street past other people and a green-and-black car. The person is wearing a bedazzled white top and a tulle skirt, long white gloves, white stockings and white heels.

Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times

Dressing gracefully: The outfits on and off the catwalk at London Fashion Week felt a bit more mature. Take a look.
Ibrahim Mahama: The Ghanaian artist uses discarded material in installations that evoke a future possibility. African art leaders have noticed.
Weird voices: If mainstream American movies are to have a future, they will have to include unusual voices, like David Lynch’s.
A bold take on a classic: Hermès’s latest iteration of the Birkin bag is encrusted with almost 3,000 gems.

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

On a stage lit by purple lights, a drag queen in a gold gown strikes a pose surrounded by dancers.

The French drag queen Le Filip. Valentin Folliet

French drag is here to stay. And slay.

When drag queens performed at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, it was a sign of just how prominent the art form had become in France.

The moment turned sour, however, when some people saw the performance as a mockery of the Last Supper, or as even a satanic display. The drag queens were accused of insulting Christianity, and they suffered harassment and death threats.

But answering hatred with glitter is a time-honored drag tradition, one that “Drag Race France Live,” France’s answer to “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” is keeping alive in a new stage spectacle that premiered this week.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Roasted cauliflower with cucumber, tomato, parsley and tahini sauce on pita.

Christopher Simpson for The New York Times

Cook: A hot sauce-spiked tahini lends creaminess and heat to this cauliflower shawarma.

Travel: We have tips to help you enjoy 36 hours in Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city.

Watch: Brad Pitt and George Clooney play underworld fixers in “Wolfs.”

Train: These six exercises will help you move easier.

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

That’s it for today. See you next week. — Gaya

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