Wednesday Briefing: Israel struck sites across Syria

Plus, the latest from Gaza

View in browser|nytimes.com December 11, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering a wave of attacks on Syria and the latest from Gaza. Plus: A group of nuns fight back. Syrian naval ships destroyed in an Israeli attack on the port city of Latakia. Aaref Watad/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Israel struck sites across Syria Since Sunday, when it became clear that Syria was undergoing a historic change of regime, Israel has waged a sweeping aerial campaign. At least 350 airstrikes have leveled military assets across the country, taking out the Navy, fighter jets, drones, tanks, air-defense systems, weapons plants and other supplies, according to the Israeli military. Israeli ground forces have also made their first overt entry into Syrian territory in more than 50 years. The U.N. special envoy for Syria called on Israel to halt its military operations. Israeli military officials characterized the operations as defensive, saying it was striking suspected chemical weapons stockpiles to prevent them from falling "into the hands of extremists." The rebel group that led the toppling of the president, Bashar al-Assad, was formerly linked to Al Qaeda and is still designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the U.N. Even as rebels try to build a government after taking Damascus, armed groups with competing interests are still fighting for territory and power. In northern Syria, fierce fighting took place yesterday between rebels supported by Turkey and Kurdish forces backed by the U.S. Here's what else to know: The rebel alliance forming an interim government appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as prime minister. The alliance said it would hunt down and punish senior officials of the Assad regime who are implicated in torture and other abuses. President-elect Donald Trump vowed a hands-off approach to the changes in Syria. "This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved," he wrote on social media. Our correspondent toured Assad's monumental palace in Damascus. "It is wrecked now, but we want to fix it," a fighter said. The Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip after Israeli troops raided it in November 2023. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A Gazan hospital in peril Dozens of wounded patients in the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip are in danger of dying because of a dire absence of basic supplies like food and water, local health authorities said. "The humanitarian situation inside the hospital has become extremely dangerous, as the wounded lack basic needs," the health ministry in Gaza said, calling on the international community to intervene "to save the lives of these patients." The Israeli military has continued intense airstrikes and operations in northern Gaza over the past several weeks, in an effort to stamp out what it has called a Hamas resurgence. On Monday night, 25 people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Beit Hanoun, a town in northern Gaza, a spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense emergency service said. Context: Since the renewed Israeli offensive in northern Gaza began, the U.N. has repeatedly warned of catastrophic living conditions and the risk of famine for some 400,000 civilians there. In Israel: Eight years after the police started investigating him, and four years after his trial began, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, took the stand on corruption charges for the first time. Here's our breakdown of the case. Luigi Mangione was taken to the Blair County Courthouse, in Hollidaysburg, Pa., yesterday. Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times A suspect in the killing of a C.E.O. will fight extradition A suspect in the assassination of the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in Midtown Manhattan will fight extradition to New York to face murder charges, potentially keeping him in custody in Pennsylvania, his lawyer said. The suspect, Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged late Monday in Manhattan with second-degree murder, forgery and three gun charges. He saw the killing as a "symbolic takedown," according to a New York Police Department internal report that detailed parts of a three-page manifesto found with him at the time of his arrest in Altoona, Pa. Brian Thompson, the executive, was laid to rest this week at a private funeral service in his Minnesota hometown. He was a devoted father and committed to his career, friends and family said. On the ground: As he arrived at his extradition hearing yesterday in Hollidaysburg, Pa., near Altoona, Mangione struggled against officers, shouting to reporters, "That's completely out of touch, and an insult to the intelligence of the American people." It wasn't clear in the moment what he was referring to. More on the suspect: He was an Ivy League tech graduate who had suffered physical and psychological pain in recent months. MORE TOP NEWS Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology via Associated Press The Philippines: Nearly 90,000 people on the central island of Negros were ordered to evacuate after a volcano erupted. Ukraine: The Biden administration transferred $20 billion to the country in the form of a loan that will be repaid using interest earned from Russia's frozen central bank assets. U.S.: Pete Hegseth's path to secretary of defense just got easier. A holdout senator said she wouldn't stand in his way, and hinted at being pressured by Trump supporters. France: Bernard Arnault, the head of the luxury goods company LVMH, squared off with a documentary maker in a corporate espionage case. Climate: Wildfires and thawing permafrost are causing the Arctic to add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere for perhaps the first time in thousands of years. South Korea: Lee Jae-myung, the main opposition leader, is leading efforts to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. He could also end up leading the country. The Netherlands: The police said three people were arrested in connection with an explosion at a building in The Hague last weekend that killed at least six people. Rwanda: A court in Paris has found a writer and his publisher guilty of denying the 1994 genocide, apparently a first under French law. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: FIFA, the sport's governing body, is expected to confirm today that Saudi Arabia has secured the men's World Cup in 2034 — despite criticism from human rights groups. Football: The Olympic discus champion Roje Stona has been recruited for the N.F.L.'s 2025 International Player Pathway program. Formula 1: Carlos Sainz's chapter with Ferrari closed with gratitude and one final moment on the podium. MORNING READ Ana Maria Arevalo Gosen for The New York Times The Poor Clares of Belorado, a group of nuns in northern Spain, are digging in their heels in a battle of wills over real estate with the Catholic Church. The Vatican had excommunicated the sisters, and a local archbishop had threatened them with eviction. Their disinclination to leave their convents has effectively turned them into squatters. Lives lived: Nikki Giovanni, a writer, poet and prolific star of the Black Arts Movement who tackled race, politics, gender, sex and love in America, died at 81. (See her life in pictures.) CONVERSATION STARTERS Enough scruff: Whether on Prince William, JD Vance or Jacob Elordi, facial hair gets people talking. Blame the parents: A decade after it was published, a book on parenting is making people rethink their family dynamic. A last luminary: In 1958, a photographer gathered 58 jazz notables for a group portrait. Just one remains. ARTS AND IDEAS Federico Rios for The New York Times How Netflix brought a magical town to life The town of Macondo — the imaginary setting for Gabriel García Márquez's novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" — never existed. It was never supposed to. And yet, here it is. In a rambling field outside the Colombian city of Ibagué, Netflix built the town from the ground up for the first screen adaptation of the novel. Real birds nest in its trees, and dogs wander its narrow streets. Here's how they did it. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Kelly Marshall for The New York Times Cook: Load up focaccia or flatbread with dazzling toppings. Train: These tips can help you optimize working out in cold weather. Watch: Our critic recommends "Oh Canada," a meditative drama starring Jacob Elordi and Richard Gere. Discover: Here are our favorite cookbooks of 2024. 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. 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