Wednesday Briefing: Iran fires 180 missiles at Israel

Plus: In a lawsuit, words matter.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 2, 2024 By Justin Porter Good morning. We're covering Iran firing missiles into Israel and the U.S. vice-presidential debate. Plus: In a lawsuit, words matter. Israel's air defense system intercepted many of the Iranian missiles, the military said. Amir Cohen/Reuters Iran launched about 180 missiles at Israel Iran fired several waves of ballistic missiles at Israel yesterday, raising the likelihood of a direct all-out war between two of the Middle East's most powerful militaries. There were no reports of casualties in Israel. A Palestinian man was killed by falling shrapnel in the occupied West Bank. Iran fired about 180 missiles during its assault, the Israeli military said. Many of the missiles were intercepted by the country's air defense system, while some fell in central and southern Israel. The U.S. said that its naval destroyers also assisted in shooting down inbound missiles. "Iran made a big mistake tonight — and it will pay for it," Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, said in a statement yesterday. He vowed to strike back. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's top military officer, said on state television that the missiles had targeted three military bases and the headquarters of Mossad, Israel's intelligence service. He said that Iran deliberately did not attack civilian targets and infrastructure. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps said that the attack was in retaliation for recent assassinations: Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in July in Tehran, and Israel killed Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, last week. Analysis: The damage Israel has inflicted on Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia, has stripped Tehran of much of its deterrence against a wider Israeli attack, security experts and former officials said. In Lebanon: Minutes after the missile attack, the Israeli military said in a statement that it was striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Lebanese health officials said that 55 people had been killed and 156 wounded across the country yesterday. Here's a map of Israel's invasion. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Senator JD Vance of Ohio both had their mics cut at one point during the vice-presidential debate. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Vance and Walz face off for the first time Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota clashed in a vice-presidential debate that pitted Vance's well-honed, television-friendly style against Walz's aw-shucks approach that was at times nervous and halting. The two candidates juggled detailed questions on foreign policy, climate change and immigration during the first half-hour. Neither candidate seemed to land the kind of viral knockout blow that could make a debate memorable, but they both generally accomplished the golden measure of a vice-presidential debate: Do no harm to your running mate. More on the U.S. election Americans head to the polls in less than 40 days. We tracked the candidates' speaking time, breaking it down by issues and measuring how many minutes each side spent on the attack. The presidential election will occur as North Carolina recovers from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Officials are starting to make plans for how it will all work. Donald Trump made a false claim about the Biden administration's response to the disaster in Georgia, claiming that the state's Republican governor was "having a hard time getting the president on the phone." Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we'll find the answers. Stay up to date: See our poll tracker. Listen to "The Run-Up" podcast. Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. Striking workers at the port in Newark. Bryan Anselm for The New York Times Port workers went on strike in the U.S. For the first time in nearly 50 years, port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts of the U.S. went on strike, a move that will cut off most trade through some of the busiest U.S. ports and could send a chill through the economy. Members of the International Longshoremen's Association union, which represents roughly 45,000 workers, started setting up pickets after 11th-hour talks failed over an agreement on wage increases and the use of new technology in the ports. Experts say that a short strike would cause little lasting damage but that a weekslong stoppage could lead to shortages, higher prices and even layoffs. MORE TOP NEWS President Claudia Sheinbaum with the presidential sash during her inauguration on Tuesday in Mexico City. Luis Antonio Rojas for The New York Times Mexico: Claudia Sheinbaum was inaugurated yesterday as the first woman to lead the country. Ukraine: Russian forces moved into part of Vuhledar in southern Ukraine. The loss of the town would represent a strategic loss for Ukraine and strengthen Russian supply lines. New York City: Timothy Pearson, one of Mayor Eric Adams's closest aides and confidants, resigned. Pope Francis: On a visit to Belgium, the pope drew attacks over clergy sexual abuse, the role of women in the church and his stance on abortion. China: A U.S. Treasury official will call for greater transparency over emergency currency "swap" loans to struggling countries by China's central bank. WikiLeaks: In his first public remarks since being released, Julian Assange said that his imprisonment had set a dangerous precedent. Taiwan: Typhoon Krathon barreled toward the southwest, forcing authorities to ground some domestic flights and close schools and offices. Technology: SoftBank's Masa Son is poised to take a stake in OpenAI. SPORTS NEWS Juan Soto and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in May. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Baseball: The Athletic looked at the fatal flaw of each World Series contender. Football: A two-way sensation is a Heisman Trophy front-runner. Soccer: London has several major clubs. Why does Paris have only one? MORNING READ Jimmy Carter at his home in Plains, Ga., in 2017. Dustin Chambers for The New York Times Jimmy Carter turned 100 yesterday, making him the longest-lived U.S. president in history. But he holds another, less noticed distinction: the most prolific author of any president in a century. Carter has written or co-written 32 books, 20 of which became Times best sellers. CONVERSATION STARTERS Extra-large lambs: A rancher was sentenced to prison for illegally importing tissue from protected sheep to create a giant hybrid species that he could sell at premium prices. Food voyage: They say sea urchins are an aphrodisiac. One writer went diving in California to see if they could fix her love life. Home Kitchen: A Michelin-starred chef in London is employing people on the edge of homelessness as chefs, servers and cocktail makers. ARTS AND IDEAS Richard Gadd, left, as Donny and Jessica Gunning as Martha in "Baby Reindeer." Ed Miller/Netflix, via Associated Press In 'Baby Reindeer' lawsuit, words matter "Baby Reindeer," the award-winning Netflix show that follows a comedian dealing with a stalker, begins with a statement: "This is a true story." A defamation lawsuit against Netflix may boil down to the semantics of that line. Fiona Harvey has claimed to be the inspiration for the show's stalker, Martha Scott, and sued Netflix. She said she had experienced panic attacks and faced abuse since the show was released in April. The show does not identify Harvey as the inspiration behind Martha, but according to the lawsuit, online sleuths quickly found Harvey using old social media posts and inundated her with threatening messages. The show's creator, Richard Gadd, has said the story is based on his own real-life experience with a stalker. Netflix has defended the series and its depiction of Gadd's experience. Harvey's lawyer said a trial would "vindicate her rights and mistreatment by Netflix." 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 Bake: This challah recipe is ideal for first-time bread bakers. Read: The finalists for this year's National Book Award in the U.S. were announced yesterday. Salman Rushdie's "Knife" and Diane Seuss' "Modern Poetry" are among the honorees. Design: Whether you're looking for an accent lamp or a subtle strip light, Wirecutter has rounded up five easy smart lighting options. 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. — Justin P.S. The word "" appeared for the first time in The Times yesterday. Reach Justin 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. 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