Friday Briefing: Israel’s plans in Syria

Plus, the biggest job in fashion

View in browser|nytimes.com December 13, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering the latest in Syria and pardons from President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump. Plus: British pubs are scrambling for Guinness. Along the border between Israel and Syria yesterday. Atef Safadi/EPA, via Shutterstock Israeli troops will remain in seized Syrian territory As the allies and adversaries of Syria reckon with how to respond to its change of government, Israel said that its military would stay in seized Syrian territory until "a new force" was established that met Israeli security demands. Here's the latest. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that the sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria had created a vacuum on the border with Israel, and that it "will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities." The deployment would be temporary, he said, but he did not give any clear timeline for the soldiers' departure. The Israeli military has mostly deployed in a 155-square-mile zone that was intended to be a demilitarized area monitored by U.N. peacekeepers. But soldiers have also taken up positions deeper inside Syrian territory, according to Israeli officials. Any deal between Israel and the Islamist rebels who led the offensive in Syria appears distant, given their mutual animosity. Related: Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jordan yesterday before leaving for Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The changes were "a time of promise but also peril for Syria and its neighbors," Blinken said. An American who was imprisoned under the Assad government appears to have been found. The fall of Syria's government has reinvigorated a long push for justice over crimes committed by the previous regime, but there is frustration that former President Bashar al-Assad may not stand trial. Demonstrators outside the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv yesterday. Stoyan Nenov/Reuters Hopes rise for a truce in Gaza After months of stalled negotiations, cease-fire talks for the Gaza Strip are picking up steam. The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met yesterday with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, and his top security and policy chiefs. Sullivan said afterward that his goal was to be able to close a deal between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza and for the release of hostages held there "this month." But analysts — and Sullivan himself — cautioned that a deal was not yet sealed. Over the past year, repeated rounds of talks have seen hopes rise only to be dashed days later, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the impasse. "America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances," President Biden said. Eric Lee/The New York Times A rush of presidential pardons President Biden said that he was commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes in a sweeping act of clemency during his final weeks in office. The number of commutations was the highest by a president in a single day, the White House said. In an interview with Time magazine, which named him as its person of the year for the second time, President-elect Donald Trump promised to start pardoning nonviolent participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol during the "first hour" he returns to office. In other U.S. politics news: Confusion over the background of Trump's incoming Middle East adviser, Massad Boulos, has raised questions about how thoroughly Trump's team vetted his picks. Here's the latest on the next U.S. administration and a list of Trump's cabinet picks so far. MORE TOP NEWS Alessandro Di Meo/EPA, via Shutterstock Italy: With Germany and France mired in crisis, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looks like a haven of stability. Afghanistan: How the U.S. lost its way and created the enemy it feared most. (For more, read how our correspondent reported this story.) Ukraine: Russia is pushing toward Pokrovsk, a strategic city for Ukraine's army with important rail and road connections. E.U.: The European Central Bank lowered interest rates, the fourth cut this year amid growing concerns that the region's economic outlook is darkening. Travel: As of Jan. 8, an electronic travel authorization will be required for visitors to Britain from dozens of visa-exempt countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Argentina: President Javier Milei has been praised inside and outside the country for reining in inflation. But his policies have inflicted widespread hardship. Media: BuzzFeed reached a deal to sell the company behind the interview show "Hot Ones" for $82.5 million. Antiques: Sotheby's is selling a stone version of the Ten Commandments that the auction house says dates to A.D. 300-800. Experts have questions. Crime: New details are emerging about the increasing isolation and disillusionment with "a capitalist society" by Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the assassination of a health care executive. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Brighton & Hove Albion have been fined for breaching the Premier League's youth development rules. Chess: Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest world champion at age 18. MORNING READ Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters It's the most wonderful time of year — unless your customers want a pint of Guinness. Distributors have reportedly been allocating less of the stout than usual to prepare for the seasonal surge in demand, leaving British pubs scrambling. "To be honest, I thought it might have been a P.R. thing," Tommy McGuinness, the manager of The Marquis, a pub in London, said of the rumors that taps were running dry. "Turns out, it's real." CONVERSATION STARTERS Female facial hair: Is it the last taboo in women's beauty? A missing daughter: His child disappeared in 1999. He couldn't let it go. Chief enlightened officer: A growing cottage industry is dedicated to the theory that psychedelic drugs can improve business leadership. Hot food in the fridge: You may have heard that it's unsafe. That's not necessarily true. ARTS AND IDEAS Carmine Romano for The New York Times The hottest job in fashion After six months without an artistic director, Chanel, the second largest luxury fashion brand in the world, has named a new designer: Matthieu Blazy, formerly of Bottega Veneta. Blazy will be in charge of all fashion, couture and accessories for Chanel, creating 10 collections a year. He will make his debut next October during the Paris shows. The appointment represents the biggest change in what has been the most disruptive year in fashion in decades, with seven other fashion houses naming new designers. Read more about him. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: Spoil someone you love with Yotam Ottolenghi's sticky toffee pudding. Read: Tour Chicago through its literary output. Boost: Don't underestimate the simple power of complimenting a stranger. Relinquish: Some people respond to holiday stress by adopting a Marie Kondo approach. Refresh: Brushing your teeth is more complicated than you think. 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 P.S. New York Times bureau chiefs around the world spoke about their reporting on a year of elections. 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