Monday briefing: U.S. leads strikes in the Middle East

Also, devastating wildfires in Chile and Ukraine's implacable foe.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 5, 2024 By Daniel E. Slotnik Good morning. We're covering a weekend of U.S.-led strikes in the Middle East, devastating wildfires in Chile and Ukraine's implacable foe. I'd also like to say hello. I'll be writing this newsletter for the next few months, and I'm excited to explore the day's news with you. Houthi tribesmen near Sana, Yemen. Khaled Abdullah/Reuters U.S. hit targets in the Middle East The U.S. launched scores of strikes against Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East over the weekend. The latest one came yesterday in Yemen, where the U.S. military said it had destroyed an antiship cruise missile that belonged to Houthi militants. The U.S. and Britain hit 36 Houthi targets in northern Yemen on Saturday, a day after the U.S. carried out attacks on more than 85 targets in Syria and Iraq. U.S. officials said that the strikes were carefully calibrated to avoid setting off a direct confrontation with Iran and that they hampered the militias' ability to hit U.S. forces. But the attacks risk the kind of escalation of hostilities that President Biden has sought to avoid since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October. Background: The U.S.-led air and naval strikes began last month in response to Houthi drone and missile attacks that have upended commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November. The weekend's retaliation made good on President Biden's promise to respond to a recent drone attack that killed three American soldiers at a remote outpost in Jordan. Context: The strikes took place as Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East to push for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and to secure more humanitarian aid for the battered enclave. The fires swept through central Chile's coastal hills. Cristóbal Olivares for The New York Times Wildfires on Chile's coast killed at least 112 Officials said on Sunday that at least 112 people had been killed and hundreds were missing after wildfires ravaged entire neighborhoods on Chile's Pacific coast. The destruction began on Friday, when dozens of fires burned across central and southern Chile, amid what officials said were higher-than-normal temperatures for this time of year. "We're standing before a tragedy of immense proportions," President Gabriel Boric said, adding that he expected the number of dead to "go up significantly." Context: The cyclical climate phenomenon known as El Niño has exacerbated droughts and high temperatures through parts of South America, creating conditions that experts say are ripe for forest fires. Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have also struggled recently to contain wildfires. Quotable: "It was more like a nuclear bomb than a fire," said one man whose home was destroyed. Ukrainian soldiers in Vuhledar, a Russian target in eastern Ukraine. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Ukraine resists a relentless foe Ukrainian soldiers are outmanned, outgunned and fighting to hold on at the eastern front line against Russian forces that "do not stop," as one Ukrainian lieutenant put it. Russia's attacks seek to overwhelm the Ukrainians with sheer mass. Even so, the price has been steep: More than 13,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in two months of operations aimed at capturing the ruined Ukrainian city of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region, with only marginal gains. Related: U.S. senators released a plan yesterday for Ukraine funding tied to an immigration crackdown, but the bill faces long odds in a deeply divided Congress. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Europe News In a landmark shift for Northern Ireland, the new leader is a member of Sinn Fein, a party with ties to the Irish Republican Army. German officials are preparing for decades of confrontation with Russia by pushing a military buildup, though the public remains unconvinced. The accidental death of a cat kicked off a national outcry in Russia and provided people with a rare chance to vent publicly. Around the World Li Gang/Xinhua, via Getty Images China has doubled its nuclear arsenal as part of an effort to use atomic weapons to intimidate and subjugate adversaries. Senegal's president canceled a national election. Critics called the move a coup. El Salvador voted for its next president. Nayib Bukele, the incumbent, is set to win, even though scholars say he is violating the Constitution by seeking a second term. Kenya's government will ignore a court decision and move ahead with plans to deploy 1,000 police officers in Haiti. Other Big Stories Loren Elliott for The New York Times An atmospheric river pummeled California with unrelenting rain and severe winds yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. The world is starting 2024 on an optimistic economic note, and the surprising strength of the U.S. stands out. The Grammys Taylor Swift won her fourth album of the year award, more than any other artist, for "Midnights." Women dominated the awards, with Grammys going to Victoria Monét, SZA, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, and boygenius, a supergroup made up of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. The show featured memorable performances by SZA, Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Wonder and Tracy Chapman in a duet with Luke Combs. At 80, Joni Mitchell made her Grammy's debut. Here's what the artists wore on the red carpet. From Opinion The MAGA movement's turn against Swift and Travis Kelce is "par for the course," David French writes. (Maureen Dowd imagines what Donald Trump might think about Swift, Kelce and the Super Bowl.) David Wallace-Wells writes that the spike in measles cases in Europe shows that "even somewhat imperceptible declines in vaccination coverage can open up once-unthinkable vulnerabilities — and not just for measles." Jessica Grose wonders if "the beauty premium" makes it harder to find useful cooking videos on social media. A Morning Read Ben Hubbard/The New York Times The Karapirli family's dream apartment became a death trap after a powerful earthquake leveled their building in southern Turkey one year ago. For Ibrahim Karapirli; his wife, Pinar; and their twin toddlers, Elcin and Eray, the past year has been a painful quest to cobble together a new life, piece by piece, trauma by trauma. Lives Lived: Hage Geingob was a prominent figure in Namibia's struggle for independence from apartheid-era South Africa, and he became the country's president in 2015. He died yesterday at age 82. SPORTS NEWS Missing the point: Financial rules shouldn't be blamed for soccer clubs not spending big. Fulfilling a childhood dream: A switch to Ferrari excites Lewis Hamilton. Relentless investments in sports: Saudi Arabia was close to a deal to host the W.T.A. Finals. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. ARTS AND IDEAS Andrew B. Myers for The New York Times Better grieving for pets Losing a beloved pet can feel like losing a family member. Now, bereaved pet parents in the U.S. have access to more support than they did in the past. About 62 percent of Americans own a pet, and recent studies found that almost one in five American households adopted a dog or a cat between March 2020 and May 2021, coinciding with the pandemic lockdown. But dogs and cats, like many other pets, have much shorter average life spans than those of their human owners. When losing their pets, owners face a society that might not understand, and that might even minimize, their grief. Now they can turn to bereavement groups, counselors and other forms of support. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Nico Schinco for The New York Times Cook: Patty melts have very few components, but when combined correctly the result can be sublime. Visit: In the Yukon, minus 35 is swimsuit weather. Read: "The Holocaust: An Unfinished History" seeks to rescue the hard facts of historical research from the blur of common clichés. Watch: "Dario Argento Panico" delves into the singular life and oeuvre of the Italian filmmaker. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Have a great day, and see you tomorrow. — Dan P.S. The Times redesigned its byline pages to provide more information about our journalists. You can reach Dan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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