Monday Briefing: Israel and Hezbollah move to de-escalate

Plus, Finland's sauna diplomacy

View in browser|nytimes.com August 26, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering attacks by Israel and Hezbollah and a deadly stabbing in Germany. Plus: Finland's sauna diplomacy. A building in northern Israel damaged during a Hezbollah attack. Ammar Awad/Reuters Israel and Hezbollah moved to talks of containment After Israel's military and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah fired back and forth over the weekend in one of the largest cross-border barrages since the war in Gaza began, both sides quickly claimed victories of sorts. By yesterday morning, the two sides were employing the language of containment. Hezbollah announced that it had completed the "first stage" of its attack to avenge the assassination of a senior commander, Fuad Shukr, and appeared to be calling it a day. Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said that he had spoken with the U.S. secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, and that they had "discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation," according to a statement. But tensions are still high in the Middle East, and escalation remains a possibility, experts say. The Israeli military said it was continuing to strike Hezbollah launchers in southern Lebanon. And Iran, Hezbollah's patron, has made unresolved threats toward Israel, which it blames for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of its ally Hamas, while he was in Tehran. For more: For now, the exchange of attacks fell short of the major escalation that many had feared after Shukr was killed. This timeline shows how the attack unfolded. Elsewhere in the war: In a show of support for Israel and an attempt to deter Iran, the U.S. has steadily moved Navy forces to the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier groups and a guided-missile submarine. Israel's hunt for Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, has been like chasing a ghost. His ability to manage a military campaign while evading capture or death has denied Israel a major victory. Palestinians fled Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza after the Israeli military again ordered people to "immediately" leave parts of Deir al-Balah. Officers leading the suspect in a stabbing attack in Germany to his arraignment yesterday. Ronald Wittek/EPA, via Shutterstock Stabbing in Germany may be linked to the Islamic State A stabbing attack on Friday that left three people dead at a local festival in the western German city of Solingen is being treated as terrorism, German prosecutors said. The suspect in the attack, a 26-year-old man from Syria, was living in a refugee shelter a few hundred yards from where it took place, the police said yesterday. He was wearing bloodstained clothes when he turned himself in late on Saturday night. The federal prosecutor's office said it believed the suspect had joined the Islamic State "at an undeterminable" time before the attack. Context: The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is poised to make significant gains in three state elections next month, was quick to react. Before the suspect's identity was confirmed, one of the party's leaders called for changes to "migration and security policy." In France: A suspect has been detained in connection with an attack on a synagogue in southern France on Saturday morning. It is being investigated as a terrorist act, the authorities said. 🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024 The presidential election is less than 80 days away. This is what we're watching. Vice President Kamala Harris raised $82 million during the Democratic convention. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Democrats announced a flood of donations After a mostly quiet weekend on both sides, Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign said that $82 million poured in during the Democratic National Convention last week. After Harris's speech on Thursday night, her campaign had its "best fund-raising hour since launch day," the campaign's chair said. Here's the latest. As Harris's campaign flaunted its growing war chest, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican Party's vice-presidential nominee, took aim at two of the Democrats' leading lines of attacks. He denied that tariffs imposed under former President Donald Trump had raised prices for Americans, though data shows they did, and maintained that they had brought a significant number of jobs back to the U.S., though data shows they didn't. Here's what else to know: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential bid and endorsed Donald Trump. Democrats are walking a harder line on immigration than they have in decades. How Vance, who was loosely raised as an evangelical Christian, became a Catholic. Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us and we'll find the answers. Stay up-to-date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | The "Run-Up" podcast | On Politics newsletter MORE TOP NEWS Alessandro Fucarini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Italy: The authorities opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian, a luxury yacht. Telegram: Pavel Durov, the top executive of the messaging app, was detained in France on charges related to the spread of illicit material on the platform, according to French news reports. Nepal: A bus carrying Indian tourists plunged into a river, killing at least 27. U.S.: The number of asylum seekers has dropped 50 percent since June, after an executive order from President Biden. Migrant activists say too many people are being weeded out. Iceland: One person has died, one person was injured and two people were trapped after an ice canyon wall collapsed during a group tour of a glacier. Pakistan: At least 37 people, including a dozen who were returning from a religious pilgrimage in Iraq, died in two unrelated bus crashes in Pakistan, officials said. Business: 7-Eleven is a cornerstone of Japanese culture. A takeover attempt by a Canadian company has met resistance. Space: NASA extended the stay of astronauts on the International Space Station by months after deciding that they could not return on Boeing's troubled Starliner. Hawaii: Tropical Storm Hone could bring flooding to the state — and could also heighten the risk of fires. Cambodia: In the countryside, where most Cambodians live, a bus serves as a mobile history museum about the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge. North Korea: The DMZ is an unhealed wound between North and South Korea, littered with land mines and sealed by razor wire. The area is also an excellent source of honey. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Napoli has reached an agreement with Manchester United to sign midfielder Scott McTominay. Formula 1: Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix and narrowed the series lead for Max Verstappen. Style: Stone Island, a high-end Italian clothing brand, has become a must-have for soccer coaches, players and fans. Tennis: How a public court in Florida made Coco Gauff a Grand Slam champion. MORNING READ Edu Bayer for The New York Times On the luxurious Spanish island of Ibiza, wealthy tourists frolic at beachfront hotels and glittering dance clubs. But teachers, firefighters and police officers can't find a place to live — and some essential workers have little choice but to live in tents or recreational vehicles. CONVERSATION STARTERS Class of 1999: Twenty-five years on, these eight comedies, dramas and more have attained classic movie status. Solving real mysteries: Investigators explain how they crack decades-old murder cases, even when they have been dormant for decades. Leaving home: Elon Musk is moving X to Texas from San Francisco, the birthplace of the company when it was called Twitter. City officials said "good riddance." ARTS AND IDEAS Justin T. Gellerson for The New York Times The Diplomatic Sauna Society Some diplomats meet for martinis. Others mingle at state dinners or casual receptions. The Finns — who have 5.5 million people and around three million saunas — strip off and assemble in the sauna. "We have a golden rule that whatever happens in the sauna stays in the sauna," said Mikko Hautala, the ambassador of Finland to the U.S. "We try to make sure there is full trust and confidence." For the past 16 years, Finnish diplomats in Washington have invited influential people to experience the sauna together as a means of networking. The Diplomatic Sauna Society, as the gatherings are now called, is now a coveted invitation. (Similar setups exist in Finnish embassies around the world, including in Berlin and London.) We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Simon Andrews. Cook: Make a dazzling — and gluten-free — vegetarian lasagna. Plan: Sifnos, Milos and Serifos might be the most scenic of the Greek islands. Read tips from locals. Read: The children's book "Impossible Creatures," by the academic Katherine Rundell, has been a runaway success in Britain. Watch: The new Taiwanese series "Zero Day" imagines how China could mount a blockade. 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. 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. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018