Friday Briefing: Israeli forces to stay in Syria for now

December 13, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering the latest in Syria and an interview with a reclusive Taliban leader.

Plus, British pubs are scrambling for Guinness.

Military vehicles and soldiers move on a dirt road in between barbed-wire fences, with barren hills in the background.

Israeli vehicles at the border between Israel and Syria yesterday. Atef Safadi/EPA, via Shutterstock

Israel said it will stay in claimed Syrian territory

As countries in the Middle East and beyond worked out how to respond to the fall of the Assad government, Israel said that its military would stay in Syrian territory it had seized until “a new force” was established that met its security demands. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli soldiers would deploy “temporarily,” but he did not give a timeline for their departure.

The Israeli military has mostly deployed in a 155-square-mile zone that was intended to be a demilitarized area monitored by U.N. peacekeepers. But soldiers have also taken up positions deeper inside Syrian territory, according to Israeli officials. Any deal between Israel and the Islamist rebels who led the offensive in Syria appears distant, given their mutual animosity.

Other developments:

U.S. diplomacy: Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jordan yesterday before leaving for Turkey, where he will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Missing American: A foreign man who had been imprisoned under the Assad government appears to have been found.

Seeking justice: The fall of Syria’s government has reinvigorated a long push for justice over crimes committed by the Assad regime, but there is frustration that former President Bashar al-Assad may not stand trial.

Mood in Aleppo: In the northern Syrian city, exiled residents celebrated as they returned home.

A portrait of Massad Boulos sitting in a blue suit, wearing glasses and crossing his arms.

Massad Boulos in Detroit in October. Nick Hagen for The New York Times

Trump picked a truck salesman to be Middle East adviser

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East adviser, Massad Boulos, has enjoyed a reputation as a billionaire mogul. He told a reporter in October that his business was worth billions. Trump has referred to him as a “dealmaker.”

But Boulos has spent the past two decades selling trucks and heavy machinery in Nigeria for a company that made a profit of less than $66,000 last year, records show. There is no indication that Boulos, a Lebanese-American whose son is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany, is a man of significant wealth as a result of his businesses. He said last week that he hasn’t been to the Middle East in years. Confusion over his background raises questions about how thoroughly Trump’s team vetted his picks.

More on U.S. politics

President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 convicted of nonviolent crimes in the largest grant of presidential clemency in a single day.
Trump promised to start pardoning nonviolent participants in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol during the “first hour” he returns to office.
Here’s the latest on the next U.S. administration and a list of Trump’s cabinet picks so far.

A portrait of Mullah Osman, partly shadowed, standing between white rough gravestones.

Mullah Osman Jawhari Bryan Denton for The New York Times

How the U.S. created a deadly enemy in Afghanistan

In 2008, 150 insurgents overran an American base in a tiny Afghan village. Nine U.S. soldiers were killed and two dozen wounded in what came to be known as the Battle of Want. Azam Ahmed, a former Kabul bureau chief, interviewed the Taliban commander who led the assault: Mullah Osman Jawhari.

When the war started, the people in Mullah Osman’s valley believed in a future promised by the U.S. There were no Taliban there. Then, U.S. airstrikes began killing innocent people. Taliban recruitment picked up, Mullah Osman said. The Americans turned allies into enemies. Read the full story here.

Behind the story: This is how Azam made contact with Mullah Osman and what he learned as the commander took him to the village and walked him through the battle.

MORE TOP NEWS

The 38th Separate Marine Brigade in Ukraine last month. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Ukraine: Russia is pushing toward Pokrovsk, a strategic city for Ukraine’s army that has important rail and road connections.
E.U.: The European Central Bank lowered interest rates, the fourth cut this year amid growing concerns that the region’s economic outlook is darkening.
Argentina: President Javier Milei has been praised inside and outside the country for reining in inflation. But his policies have inflicted widespread hardship.
South Korea: A father’s 25-year search for his missing daughter made him a tragic national symbol of unwavering parental devotion.
Style: Chanel has named Matthieu Blazy as its next artistic director. He will be in charge of all fashion, couture and accessories.
Media: BuzzFeed reached a deal to sell the company behind the interview show “Hot Ones” for $82.5 million.

Sports

A man in a plaid jacket in front of a microphone.

Joseph Prezioso/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Football: This is why Bill Belichick abandoned hopes of landing an N.F.L. job and his pursuit of a wins record.
Soccer: Brighton & Hove Albion have been fined for breaching the Premier League’s youth development rules.
Chess: Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest world champion in history at the age of 18.

MORNING READ

A bartender pours a pint of Guinness beer.

Hollie Adams/Reuters

It’s the most wonderful time of year — unless you run a pub in Britain and your customers want a pint of Guinness. Distributors have reportedly been allocating less of the stout than usual to prepare for the seasonal surge in demand, leaving British pubs scrambling.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Chief enlightened officer: A growing cottage industry is dedicated to the theory that psychedelic drugs can improve business leadership.
An uncomfortable talk: More adolescents than ever are watching pornography. What’s needed, researchers say, are frank conversations and “porn literacy.”
The next Emcee: Making his Broadway debut in “Cabaret,” Adam Lambert is reveling in what he calls “a thinking piece of musical theater.”

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

A man in a suit stands facing a closed round door in a room with several plants and a large vanity.

Netflix

Love may be blind. Labor isn’t.

You may not be able to protect somebody from heartbreak, but you might be able to protect that person from being exploited by his or her boss.

After several contestants on the Netflix reality show “Love Is Blind” came forward with objections to the restrictions outlined in their contracts, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint classifying them as employees. The move opens the door to possible unionization. It is one of the labor board’s first forays into reality television, and could have ripple effects across the industry. Read more here.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: This is how you make perfect instant ramen.

Compliment: Never underestimate the power of telling strangers that they look nice. Try it.

Drink: These 12 younger wines were our critic’s favorites this year.

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

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

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