Netanyahu says Israel is winding down its Gaza operations. But he warns a Lebanon war could be next
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down. He says that could set the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The comments Sunday threatened to further heighten the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah at a time when the two enemies appear to be moving closer to war. Netanyahu also signaled that there is no end in sight for the grinding war in Gaza. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Gaza war. The Israeli leader spoke in a lengthy TV interview.
An Israel offensive into Lebanon risks an Iranian military response, top US military leader says
ESPARGOS, Cape Verde (AP) — The top U.S. military officer says that an Israeli military offensive into Lebanon will risk an Iranian response in defense of Hezbollah, triggering a broader war that could put U.S. forces in danger. Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Iran “would be more inclined to support Hezbollah.” He says Tehran supports Hamas, but gives greater backing to Hezbollah “particularly if they felt that Hezbollah was being significantly threatened.” Brown spoke to reporters as he traveled to Botswana for a meeting of African defense ministers.
Millions swelter as temperatures soar across the US, while floodwaters inundate the Midwest
Millions of Americans sweated through yet another scorching day, while floodwaters forced evacuations in parts of the Midwest, including a town in Iowa whose own water-level gauge was submerged. One person was killed during flooding in South Dakota, the governor said. From the mid-Atlantic to Maine, across the Great Lakes region, and throughout the West to California, public officials cautioned residents about the dangers of excessive heat and humidity. In Oklahoma, the heat index — what the temperature feels like to the human body — was expected to reach 107 degrees on Sunday. The National Weather Service warned of the potential for rare tornadoes in the Northeast later Sunday.
Gunmen kill 15 police officers and several civilians in Russia’s southern Dagestan region
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities say more than 15 police officers and several civilians, including an Orthodox priest, have been killed by armed militants in the southern republic of Dagestan. They say the gunmen opened fire on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police post in two cities Sunday. Gov. Sergei Melikov announced the numbers of dead in a video statement early Monday. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee describe the attacks in the predominantly Muslim region with a history of armed militancy as terrorist acts. The governor says six of what he called “bandits” were “liquidated.” Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were declared days of mourning in the region.
‘Hamster’ crypto craze has taken Iran. It highlights economic malaise ahead of presidential election
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Cab drivers and bikers at red lights in June in Tehran tap away furiously on their mobile phones, ignoring police officers. Some pedestrians do the same. They all believe they could get rich. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Iran’s economy remains hobbled by Western sanctions, stubbornly high inflation and a lack of jobs. And after years of hearing about bitcoin, Iranians are now piling into this app, hoping it might one day pay off.
In one affluent Atlanta suburb, Biden and Trump work to win over wary Georgia voters
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Georgia is the election battleground that yielded the closest margin of any state in the 2020 election between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump. It became the epicenter of Trump’s efforts to overturn Biden’s election. Now the two will meet there Thursday for their first general election debate in their rematch. Georgia will test which man can best assemble a winning coalition despite their respective weaknesses. Many voters say they’re dispirited by the Trump-Biden rematch. Some once-solid Republicans don’t want to vote for Trump. For Biden, the challenge is replicating the coalition that delivered his razor-thin margin. Some Black and young voters could defect from the Democratic incumbent.
Prosecutors in classified files case to urge judge to bar Trump from inflammatory comments about FBI
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — The federal judge presiding over the classified documents prosecution of Donald Trump is hearing arguments on whether to bar the former president from public comments that prosecutors say could endanger the lives of FBI agents working on the case. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team says the restrictions are necessary in light of Trump’s false comments that the FBI agents who searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022 for classified documents were out to kill him and his family. Trump’s lawyers say any gag order would improperly silence Trump in the heat of a presidential campaign in which he is the presumptive Republican nominee.
New mom who delighted in her daughter is among the dead in Arkansas grocery store shooting
A new mom reveling in her daughter’s development was among four people shot and killed when a gunman opened fire at an Arkansas grocery store. Callie Weems’ mother, Helen Browning, says her daughter died in the shooting Friday in the city of Fordyce. Browning says Weems had a 10-month-old daughter who was a constant source of entertainment and wonder. In all, 15 people were wounded in the attack, including the alleged gunman. It’s at least the third mass shooting at a grocery store in recent years. A gunman in Buffalo, New York, killed 10 people at a store in 2022. That was about a year after a store shooting in Boulder, Colorado.
Change in wind direction prompts worry about more North Korean trash balloon launches toward South
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is monitoring an expected change in the wind direction on Monday that could allow North Korea to send more trash-carrying balloons across their heavily armed border, in their latest bout of tit-for-tat psychological warfare. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that the military is closely monitoring North Korean moves because northerly or northwesterly winds, favorable for North Korean balloon launches, are forecast. North Korea threatened Friday to retaliate after a South Korean activists’ group sent balloons carrying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.
Some visitors to Israel have a new stop on their tours: Hamas’ destruction in the south
KIBBUTZ NIR OZ, Israel (AP) — A new kind of tourism has emerged in Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault. One visitor from the United States says standing at one site helped her understand the enormity of loss of life. Some residents see the importance of having strangers come and witness. But as they look to a future beyond the visitors, some residents hope that memorials will be built outside their communities. One says, “Our cemetery is full. Isn’t that memorial enough?”
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