Monday Briefing: Tensions rise between Israel and Lebanon

Plus, the latest from the Olympic Games.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 29, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, and the Olympic Games. Plus: When the customer isn't always right. People near a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled town of Majdal Shams, a day after a rocket from Lebanon struck the site on Saturday.  Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times Tensions rise between Israel and Lebanon Western diplomats have scrambled to prevent a surge of fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border after a rocket from Lebanon killed at least 12 children and teenagers on Saturday at a soccer field in a Druse Arab town in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel blamed Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese group that has been attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas, for the attack. Hezbollah has denied responsibility. 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. 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. On the ground: A stunned hush of collective mourning fell over the town of Majdal Shams after the attack. "We are still in the nightmare," one resident said. Related: Negotiators from Israel, Qatar and the U.S. met in Rome to resume talks over a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip that had stalled over key issues, particularly the extent to which Israeli forces would remain in the territory during a truce. "No, I haven't changed," former President Donald J. Trump said at a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minn., on Saturday. Doug Mills/The New York Times Democrats and Republicans amp up their attacks At a rally in Minnesota on Saturday night, Donald Trump made it clear that he has jettisoned the appeal for national unity he'd made after surviving an assassination attempt two weeks ago. "I haven't changed," he said. "Maybe I've gotten worse." He later called Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, "evil," "unhinged" and "sick." Here's the latest from the presidential race. Trump's remarks came as Democrats adopted a line of attack pioneered by Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota: Trump and Senator JD Vance, his vice-presidential pick, are "weird people." Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, said Trump was getting "older and stranger," while Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, called Vance "weird" and "erratic." Separately, the Harris campaign announced that it had raised $200 million in the week since President Biden dropped out of the race. Two-thirds of that sum came from first-time donors, according to the campaign. But a spokesman warned that the race would be "very close," and Harris herself said that Democrats were the "underdogs." Harris's running mate: The vice president is considering several men who, like her, served as state attorneys general. Culture: If elected, Harris would be the first Asian American president, a milestone for a complex identity. Simone Biles after competing on the balance beam at the Olympic Games in Paris yesterday. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times At the Olympics in Paris On the second day of the Olympic Games, the American gymnast Simone Biles made a stunning return with a dazzling beam routine — even after an early injury scare, which her coach Cecile Landi characterized as "just a little pain in her calf." See the best pictures from the day, the latest news and the results so far. Later, in men's basketball, Team USA dismantled Serbia, 110-84. It was the perfect start to the U.S.'s bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal. The U.S. women's soccer team beat Germany, 4-1, to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. In the closing hours of the day, eyes turned to the swimming pool. Adam Peaty of Britain was denied a third consecutive gold in the 100-meter breaststroke by Nicolò Martinenghi of Italy, while Léon Marchand of France set a new Olympic record in the 400-meter individual medley. Ariarne Titmus of Australia also won gold in the 400-meter freestyle. Opening ceremony controversy: Was a performance featuring drag queens supposed to parody "The Last Supper"? For more: Check out the best looks from the opening ceremony and our critic's exploration of the history of the Parade of Nations as the world's costume party. In other news from the Games: Gymnastics: Sunisa Lee may debut a difficult new element in her uneven bars routine. If she does, it will be named after her. Men's basketball: South Sudan, the event's fairy-tale team, came back from 19 points down to beat Puerto Rico. Triathlon: Training was canceled because of pollution in the Seine. MORE TOP NEWS Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times Venezuela: Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian president, was re-elected, according to the country's election authority. The voting was riddled with irregularities. Trump assassination attempt: Messages obtained exclusively by The Times reveal that law enforcement was aware of the gunman about half an hour earlier than previously known. Ukraine: The country's military is preparing to deploy F-16 jets for the first time this summer. Russia: Its forces have made rapid gains in the eastern Donetsk region and have gotten better at identifying weak spots in Ukraine's front line. Bangladesh: A digital yearbook of the dead has put names and faces to those killed in recent protests. Libya: Twelve officials who were responsible for managing the country's dams were convicted and sentenced for their roles in a flood that killed thousands of people. Japan: A joint force with the U.S. will answer to the American commander in the Indo-Pacific, top officials said. Health: A blood test accurately diagnosed Alzheimer's 90 percent of the time, which would make it more reliable than primary care doctors' interpretation of cognitive tests and CT scans. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Manchester United is under pressure after Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro were forced off by injury in the preseason defeat to Arsenal in Los Angeles. Espionage: Drones at Olympic training sessions may be new, but spying in soccer is old business. Formula 1: At the Belgium Grand Prix, Mercedes had a bittersweet victory, and Ferrari lacked pace. MORNING READ Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times Japan has an extreme service culture — historically, the customer is always right. But there is a growing sense among company officials, labor unions and even the government that customers have finally gone too far. "The mind-set has changed," one member of Parliament said. "Now fewer business operators think the customer is a god." Lives lived: The prolific Irish writer Edna O'Brien, who wrote dozens of novels and short-story collections over almost 60 years, died on Saturday at 93. CONVERSATION STARTERS Talking apes: After analyzing decades-old videos of captive chimpanzees, scientists concluded that the animals could say the word "mama." Transported: To make a children's book about a school bus, the illustrator Loren Long built a little world for it. Learning process: Google taught an A.I. program to do math at a medal-winning level. ARTS AND IDEAS Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times 'I don't need my name on the side of a building' 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 The Times that she hadn't realized that, as a woman, she might bring a unique insight and perspective into the world until around 2010, when she looked back on the years of conversations she'd had with women during field visits 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. But convincing the men she worked with took time. Read more in our interview. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS 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. Adapt: Train your body to better handle high temperatures. Select: How to pick the sweetest watermelon every time. Recall: Take our news quiz. 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. See you tomorrow. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. 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. 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