World Briefing: September 21, 2024
It’s just 44 days before one of the most consequential elections in modern U.S. history with Vice-President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump running neck to neck in polls. Early voting has already begun in some states. Trump’s vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, has blamed the two assassination attempts on the former president on rhetoric whipped up by the left and called on them to tone it done. The allegation has been dismissed by Democrats. Meanwhile, the AP reported that Republican activists in swing states say they have seen little sign of the teams tasked with knocking on doors and turning out infrequent voters on behalf of Donald Trump, raising concerns about the party’s presidential nominee relying on outside groups for an important part of his campaign operations.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified overnight, with both sides carrying out large cross-border strikes. Lebanon-based Hezbollah launched 150 rockets into Israel, according to the IDF, in what it said was retaliation for recent attacks targeting it. Some reached further than south than in previous strikes and damaged homes. Israel carried out air strikes on targets in southern Lebanon and said it had destroyed thousands of Hezbollah's rocket launchers. Meanwhile, the funeral of a senior Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli strike is being held in Beirut. The UN has warned the region is "on the brink of imminent catastrophe" as fears of an all out war grow - BBC
Israel’s military raided the office of the influential Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday and ordered its closure for 45 days, the latest move in Israel’s effort to clamp down on the channel. The raid illustrated that Israeli authorities were prepared to take far-reaching action to undermine the channel, which is based in Qatar and has provided extensive coverage of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. In the early hours of Sunday, a group of Israeli soldiers forcibly entered Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah and told Walid al-Omari, the local bureau chief, that he and his staff should leave immediately. When Mr. al-Omari asked why the Israeli forces were closing the office, one of the soldiers told him to contact the commander of the Israeli military in the West Bank for more details. Al Jazeera broadcast the initial minutes of the raid live. Military documents shared with reporters by Mr. al-Omari and reviewed by The New York Times showed that the soldiers had seized dozens of items from the office, including computers and cameras. The Israeli military said in a statement that it had closed the offices following a “directive of the political echelon,” without stating who within the government ordered the office’s closure. The military also cited a legal opinion and “an up-to-date intelligence assessment” that it said had determined that “the offices were being used to incite terror” and “to support terrorist activities.” It did not provide further details on that assessment. Al Jazeera called Israel’s allegations “unfounded” and condemned the raid on its office, saying it was “an affront to press freedom and the very principles of journalism.” - NYT
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's hard-won new government faced pressure from day one Sunday as threats of a no-confidence motion in parliament multiplied. The long wait for a functioning government after President Emmanuel Macron called a snap general election ended after 11 weeks late Saturday with his appointment of a cabinet marking a clear shift to the right. Opposition politicians from the left have already said they will challenge Barnier's government with a no-confidence motion, with far-right politicians also slamming its composition - France 24
Russian military strikes hit high-rise apartment buildings in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, leaving dozens wounded in a second consecutive nighttime attack this week. The bombs fell late on September 21 on the district of Shevchenkivskiy, north of the city center, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said. Nine residential buildings sustained varying degrees of damage, he added. - RFE/RL
A mass shooting killed four people and wounded 18 others in a popular nightlife area in Birmingham, Alabama, with many of the victims caught in the crossfire, police said early Sunday. Authorities asked the public for tips as they searched for the shooters. The shooting happened shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday in Five Points South, a district filled with entertainment venues, restaurants and bars that is often crowded on weekend nights. Multiple suspects pulled up in a vehicle, got out, fired shots, got back in the vehicle and fled, Police Chief Scott Thurmond said at a news conference Sunday morning. He described the shooting as possibly “a hit” conducted in exchange for payment. - AP
