Wednesday Briefing: Israel targeted a Hezbollah official in Syria

Also, a new book says Trump covertly stayed in touch with Putin

View in browser|nytimes.com October 9, 2024 By Jonathan Wolfe Good morning. We're covering an Israeli strike in Syria and the latest in the U.S. presidential race. Plus: France's most lauded and reviled writer. A forensic team checking a damaged building in Damascus, Syria, yesterday. Louai Beshara/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Israel targeted a Hezbollah official in Syria Israel carried out airstrikes on a residential building in Damascus, Syria, in an attempt to assassinate a Hezbollah official involved in weapons smuggling, according to two Israeli officials. The building was near the Iranian Embassy in the Mezzeh district of Damascus, a highly fortified neighborhood that houses embassies and security structures, Syria's Defense Ministry said. Seven people were killed and 11 others injured in the strikes, including children, the ministry said. It was not clear if the targeted official was among the dead. The Iranian Embassy in Damascus said that no Iranian citizens had been killed or wounded. And it was not immediately clear if the strikes were part of Israel's promised retaliation for Iran's launch of some 200 missiles at Israel last week. Lebanon: Israel pounded the Beirut strongholds of Hezbollah and sent more soldiers into southern Lebanon yesterday, signaling that it could be ramping up its ground invasion. In an attack of its own, Hezbollah fired 180 "projectiles" into Israel, according to the Israeli military, which said most were intercepted. Benjamin Netanyahu: In a video message, Israel's prime minister appeared to confirm in a video message that Israeli airstrikes outside Beirut last week had killed the presumed successor of Hezbollah's assassinated leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Gaza in ruins: Much of the enclave is unrecognizable after Israel's relentless military campaign. This is what it used to look like. Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018. Doug Mills/The New York Times A new book says Trump covertly stayed in touch with Putin Donald Trump secretly spoke with President Vladimir Putin as many as seven times after leaving office, according to a new book by the journalist Bob Woodward. The book also reports that Trump, while still in office during the pandemic, quietly sent Putin what were then rare Covid-19 test machines for personal use. The disclosures in "War," Woodward's book, raise new questions about Trump's relationship with the Russian leader just weeks before the U.S. election. Trump's campaign dismissed Woodward's book. More on the U.S. election Americans head to the polls in less than four weeks. Harris holds a slim lead nationally over Trump, according to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll. Harris, in a blitz of interviews, pitched a proposal to help people raising children while also caring for aging parents. Uncommitted, a national group of activists protesting President Biden's Middle East policy, took a big step toward encouraging its supporters to back Harris, but stopped short of an endorsement. Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars on anti-transgender ads in an attempt to help them win over suburban female voters. Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we'll find the answers. Prime Minister Michel Barnier of France. Yoan Valat/EPA, via Shutterstock France's government survived a no-confidence vote A no-confidence vote against the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier of France was handily defeated yesterday. An alliance of left-wing lawmakers known as the New Popular Front tried to topple Barnier by bringing the vote. The outcome was not a surprise, but it signals a treacherous road ahead for the country's divided legislature. Barnier will face another crucial test in the coming weeks as he tries to pass a budget to rein in France's ballooning deficits. MORE TOP NEWS Zack Wittman for The New York Times U.S.: Millions of people on Florida's Gulf Coast fled their homes ahead of Hurricane Milton in one of the largest evacuations in state history. Science: John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering A.I. research. Espionage: Russian intelligence agents are on a mission "to generate mayhem on British and European streets," Britain's spy chief said. Ukraine: Russian troops entered Toretsk, a strategic hilltop city in the Donetsk region. China: Beijing said it would impose temporary penalties on brandy from Europe and was mulling broader tariffs on European goods. Mexico: A betrayal has ripped apart one of the country's most powerful cartels and ignited a war between rival factions. Brazil: The country lifted its ban on the social network X after its owner, Elon Musk, capitulated in his fight with the country's Supreme Court. U.N.: An official secretly took $3 million in gifts from a businessman to whom he steered the organization's funds, a court ruled. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Manchester United is having a rough time. For many, the natural move is to blame the manager. So we looked at who else could take over. N.F.L.: After five games this season, the New York Jets fired Robert Saleh as head coach. Tennis: The Athletic reports on a "messy and uncertain" day at the Shanghai Masters. MORNING READ Bettman/Getty A group of historians and a top biographer are squaring off over J. Robert Oppenheimer's Communist ties. Some have argued that he was not just a Communist ally, but a full-blown member of a secret unit when he taught at Berkeley. Others see in his tangled life a middle path, in which the superstar of science was, and was not, a true Communist at the same time. CONVERSATION STARTERS Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times Healing wounds: Marcella Townsend was unrecognizable after a propane explosion. A placenta restored her face. Famous read: In a new memoir, Elvis Presley's daughter and granddaughter take turns exploring a messy legacy. Art or trash? Two beer cans were displayed in a Dutch museum. Then they were accidentally thrown out. ARTS AND IDEAS Antoine d'Agata/Magnum, for The New York Times The author both lauded and reviled in France Opinions of Michel Houellebecq — arguably the most important French writer of the past quarter-century — are divided, to put it mildly. He has been called controversial, Islamophobic and misogynistic, but also unprecedented, daring and brilliant. Many of his characters and the views they express are shocking, but they also reflect real people. In essence, Houellebecq holds up a mirror to a world we would rather not see. In his new book, "Annihilation," a family and a society are on the verge of collapse. Our critic Dwight Garner wrote that Houellebecq's writing in the book was slack, as if his heart wasn't in it. Houellebecq, who is 68, has said that it is his last novel. "I hope that's not so," Dwight wrote. "This is no way to say goodbye." Read our full review. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Cook: Serve this sheet-pan feta with chickpeas and tomatoes with pita, salad greens or hummus. Read: Aaron Robertson's new book explores the history and meaning of utopian communities for African Americans. Watch: The Spanish-language "La Máquina" is a starry Mexican boxing drama. Listen: Here's a soundtrack for the High Holy Days. 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. — Jonathan Reach Jonathan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Gaya Gupta contributed to this newsletter. 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