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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Lebanon: “Seven Hamas members were killed in the explosion earlier today in a suburb of Beirut, according to Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. That total includes senior Hamas political leader Saleh al-Arouri. Among the six others Haniyeh identified were two commanders of Hamas’ military wing, Samir Fendi and Azzam al-Aqra.”
* In Ukraine: “Ukraine’s two largest cities were hit by a new wave of deadly Russian attacks Tuesday, after President Vladimir Putin began the New Year with a vow to intensify the most aggressive campaign of strikes since the war began almost two years ago. The Russian assaults over the winter holiday period were likely to further strain Ukrainian defenses, which are already depleted and facing doubts about continued supplies of military aid from its Western allies.”
* The latest on the Japanese earthquakes: “A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan, leaving at least 55 people dead and damaging thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats, with officials warning people in some areas on Tuesday to stay away from their homes because of a risk of more strong quakes.”
* In Israel: “In a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the Israeli Supreme Court said [Monday] that it has the power to intervene when the Legislature exceeds its authority. With a 12 out of 15 majority, the Supreme Court ruled it can strike down a law that deviates from the constitutional mandate of the Knesset.”
* In the Red Sea on New Year’s Eve: “A clash between Iranian-backed Houthi fighters who were attacking a commercial freighter and U.S. Navy helicopters responding to the ship’s distress call ended on Sunday morning with the killing of all the crew members on three Houthi boats, the Pentagon said, a sharp escalation of violence at a moment when the White House is considering direct strikes on Iran’s proxies in the Middle East.”
* An unexpected development in Ohio: “Splitting from other GOP governors on the issue and spurning his fellow Republicans in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill on Friday that would ban gender-affirming care for trans minors and prevent trans girls from participating in girls sports.”
* A welcome development in Iowa: “A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of an Iowa law that bans some books from school libraries and forbids teachers from raising LGBTQ+ issues. Judge Stephen Locher’s preliminary injunction halts enforcement of the law, which was set to take effect Monday but already had resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from Iowa schools.”
See you tomorrow.