Wednesday Briefing: An Israeli airstrike in Syria

October 9, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering an Israeli strike in Syria and Donald Trump’s secret contacts with Vladimir Putin.

Plus, revisiting Oppenheimer’s Communist ties.

A large crane next to a damaged building.

A residential building on the western outskirts of Damascus, Syria, yesterday. Firas Makdesi/Reuters

Israel targeted a Hezbollah official in Syria

Israel launched airstrikes yesterday on a residential building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to two Israeli officials who spoke anonymously. The attack, which landed near the Iranian Embassy, was an attempt by the Israeli military to assassinate a ranking Hezbollah official involved in weapons smuggling, they said.

Syria’s state news agency said that the rockets had killed seven civilians, including women and children, citing a military source. It was not clear if the targeted official was among the dead. The Iranian Embassy in Damascus said that no Iranian citizens had been killed or wounded. It was not immediately clear if the strikes were part of Israel’s promised retaliation for Iran’s launch of some 200 missiles at Israel last week.

Lebanon: Israel said it sent more soldiers into southern Lebanon yesterday, signaling that it could be ramping up its ground invasion. Here’s what we know.

Gaza in ruins: Much of the enclave is unrecognizable after Israel’s relentless military campaign. This is what it used to look like.

Iran’s nuclear sites: There is a rising call in Israel — echoed by some in the U.S. — to target Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But some Israeli officials have their doubts that’s even possible.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin walking together with a group of people behind them.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018. Doug Mills/The New York Times

A new book says Trump covertly stayed in touch with Putin

Donald Trump secretly spoke with President Vladimir Putin as many as seven times after leaving office, according to a new book by the journalist Bob Woodward. The book also reports that Trump, while still in office during the pandemic, quietly sent Putin what were then rare Covid-19 test machines for personal use.

The disclosures in “War,” Woodward’s book, raise new questions about Trump’s relationship with the Russian leader just weeks before the U.S. election. Trump’s campaign dismissed Woodward’s book.

Polls: Harris holds a slim lead nationally over Trump, according to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll. Voters are also more likely to credit Harris, a sitting vice president, with representing change. If this continues, my colleague Adam Nagourney said, it’s a big deal: There are few forces more powerful in presidential elections than voters’ desire for change.

More on the U.S. election

Americans head to the polls in less than a month.

In her “60 Minutes” interview, Harris remained in control of her message but avoided repeated pushback.
Uncommitted, a national group of activists protesting President Biden’s Middle East policy, took a big step toward encouraging its supporters to back Harris, but stopped short of an open endorsement.

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

People clap and high-five in celebration outdoors. Many are wearing colorful saris.

Supporters of the opposition Congress Party celebrating yesterday in Kashmir. Farooq Khan/EPA, via Shutterstock

India’s voters had more surprises for Modi

Two closely watched elections ended with mixed results for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the northern state of Haryana, the results announced yesterday for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party were surprisingly good, despite the heavy favor there for the opposition Congress Party. In Jammu and Kashmir, though, Congress and its allies won overwhelmingly, foiling Modi’s attempt to assert dominance in the contested territory.

The elections were the first test of Modi’s poll power since his party’s shocking loss of its majority in national elections this summer.

MORE TOP NEWS

Piles of debris lay in a street. Military personnel walk through a path between the debris.

Debris from Hurricane Helene that hit Florida less than two weeks ago as Hurricane Milton barrels towards the state’s gulf coast. Zack Wittman for The New York Times

U.S.: Millions of people on Florida’s Gulf Coast fled their homes ahead of Hurricane Milton in what could be one of the largest evacuations in state history.
Science: John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton received the Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering A.I. research.
France: A no-confidence vote against the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier was handily defeated. But there is more drama to come.
Ukraine: Russian troops entered Toretsk, a strategic hilltop city in the Donetsk region.
Mexico: A betrayal has ripped apart one of the country’s most powerful cartels and ignited a war between rival factions.
China: Beijing said it would impose temporary penalties on brandy from Europe and was mulling broader tariffs on European goods.
U.N.: An official secretly took $3 million in gifts from a businessman to whom he steered the organization’s funds, a court ruled.
Flight: The Australian airline Qantas apologized after a flight from Sydney to Tokyo featured an R-rated movie with nudity shown on every screen.
Espionage: Russian intelligence agents are on a mission “to generate mayhem on British and European streets,” Britain’s spy chief said.

Sports

Soccer: Manchester United is having a rough time. For many, the natural move is to blame the manager. So we looked at who else could take over.
N.F.L.: After five games of the 2024 season, The New York Jets fired the head coach Robert Saleh.
Tennis: The Athletic reports on a “messy and uncertain” day at the Shanghai Masters.

MORNING READ

Left image, new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan, center front, with his cabinet. The image on the right is edited. Jiji Press, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, Prime Minister's Office of Japan website

The Japanese prime minister’s office admitted they slightly altered a photo of cabinet ministers after some of them looked (equally slightly) disheveled. The episode provided political fodder for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s critics and highlighted the country’s generally high standard of dress. See if you can spot the difference above.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Marcella Townsend smiles as she poses for a portrait. She is wearing a white collared shirt.

Doctors used placenta-derived grafts on Marcella Townsend’s face. Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times

A rarely used tool: Research has found that human placentas can help heal wounds and burns. So why do we throw them away?
A matter of taste: Opinions abound on the best way to customize a Diet Coke, from protein shakes to pickle juice.
Move over, espresso martini: To get give your cocktail a caffeine kick, use cold brew for a non-alcoholic coffee tonic or a rich caffé amaro.

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

Oppenheimer gestures at a large photo of an atomic bomb explosion, as two men in suits and one in a military uniform look on.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Revisiting the Oppenheimer case

The F.B.I. investigated the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer for his Communist ties more than 80 years ago. Now, the question is coming up again.

Four historians have argued that he was not just a Communist ally, but also a full-blown member of a secret unit when he taught at Berkeley, citing letters and espionage files. In sharp disagreement is Kai Bird, co-author of the biography of Oppenheimer on which Christopher Nolan’s titular film is based. Read more.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times

Bake: Cardamom gives this pumpkin muffin an extra warm, peppery flavor.

Cook: Our latest cookbook collects 100 dishes you can make in as little as 10 minutes.

Watch: Ali Wong’s Netflix special “Single Lady” is a juicy, aspirational portrait of celebrity singlehood that exudes optimism.

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

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

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