Explosions in Iran, Lebanon Raise Fear of Regional Escalation in Israel-Hamas War |
Explosions today at a ceremony marking four years since the killing of a senior Iranian commander killed (AP) at least 73 people and wounded more than 170 others, Iranian state-run media reported. They come a day after (WaPo) a blast in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, killed a senior political leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, which the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has blamed on Israel. Both events have triggered fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could expand beyond the Gaza Strip.
While Israel did not publicly claim responsibility for yesterday’s blast near Beirut, a U.S. defense official told reporters that Israel was responsible and French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to refrain from escalation (Le Monde, AFP) in Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have been trading strikes across the Israel-Lebanon border since October 7, and Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah warned Israel (WaPo) in August that a strike inside Lebanon’s border would invoke a strong reaction.
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“It's difficult to assess exactly how Hezbollah will respond [to the Beirut killing], but it will likely retaliate in a manner that is at once an escalation that matches the scope of the Israeli assassination and restores the balance of deterrence, but also one which remains at a sub-threshold level, i.e. short of all out war,” Cardiff University’s Amal Saad posts.
“Iran has multiple foes who could be behind [today’s] assault, including exile groups, militant organizations and state actors. Iran has supported Hamas as well as the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels,” the Associated Press’s Jon Gambrell writes.
Read the full suite of Foreign Affairs and CFR.org resources on Israel and the current conflict.
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China’s BYD Surpasses Tesla as Top Quarterly Seller of Electric Cars |
In the last quarter of 2023, Chinese auto firm BYD sold more electric vehicles (CNN) than U.S. company Tesla, according to a stock filing. Both companies hit record-level sales last quarter. China’s growth comes as the country has invested heavy government support for its electric car industry, and automakers have been seeking overseas buyers amid a domestic growth slowdown.
Vietnam: A trial of the country’s former health minister and thirty-seven others accused of involvement in a scheme to sell overpriced COVID-19 test kits began in Hanoi (AFP).
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Bangladeshi Armed Forces Deploy Across Country Ahead of Election |
Security forces deployed today (PTI) ahead of the country’s general election this Sunday that has seen high tensions and the main opposition party pledge to boycott. The Army will be on duty to ensure a peaceful election through January 10. For The Water’s Edge blog, CFR expert James M. Lindsay previews Bangladesh’s election and nine others to watch in 2024.
India: The Supreme Court ruled against (FT) intensifying an investigation into the conglomerate owned by Gautam Adani, a businessman with long-standing ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country’s opposition had sought to make the probes into the group’s business dealings an election issue. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
U.S. Prosecutors Unveil Accusation Senator Bob Menendez Took Bribes to Help Qatar |
Court documents unsealed yesterday detailed allegations that Menendez (D-NJ) tried to conceal the nature (WaPo) of payments he took to help broker a real estate deal between a New Jersey developer and a fund linked to Qatar, while also supporting positions favorable to Qatar in his role as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez was previously charged with conspiring to act as a foreign agent for Egypt. He has denied any wrongdoing (CNN), and his attorney says that the government lacks proof.
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Sierra Leone Authorities Charge Twelve People With Attempting Coup |
A member of former President Ernest Bai Koroma’s security detail was among those charged (Reuters) and arraigned, Sierra Leone’s information ministry said yesterday. Authorities said they were connected to the storming of an army barracks that was meant to overthrow the government in November. The ministry said that it expects to charge even more suspects in the coming days.
Egypt/Ethiopia/Somalia: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged support for Somalia (BBC) after Ethiopia signed a deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland that grants it port access to the Red Sea.
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EU Adds Russian Diamond Giant to Sanctions List |
Assets of Russian state-controlled mining company Alrosa and its CEO Pavel Marinychev in the European Union (EU) will be frozen (FT) and Marinychev will be banned from traveling to Europe in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The United States took similar measures against the company in April 2022. This In Brief by CFR’s Jonathan Masters looks at how frozen Russian assets could help pay to rebuild Ukraine. United Kingdom: Thousands of junior doctors from the National Health Service (NHS) began a six-day strike (BBC) calling for higher pay today. The work stoppage is due to be the longest strike in NHS history. |
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IMF to Renegotiate Loan Program With Argentina Under New Government |
A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will arrive (Buenos Aires Herald) in Buenos Aires tomorrow for talks with the newly inaugurated Javier Milei government to renegotiate the country’s deal with the bank, a presidential spokesperson said yesterday.
U.S./Colombia: The brother of prominent leftist Colombian Senator Piedad Córdoba pleaded guilty (AP) to federal U.S. drug charges yesterday. Álvaro Córdoba was extradited to the United States in January 2023.
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U.S. to Reopen Four Crossings on Border With Mexico |
Washington had closed (Reuters) the crossings last month as U.S. authorities struggled to cope with large levels of undocumented migrants arriving at the southern border, but Mexico has since then stepped up its immigration enforcement, with migrant arrivals declining by the end of December. U.S. lawmakers are currently debating potential new steps in migration enforcement as part of a deal that would also extend war funding for Israel and Ukraine.
This Backgrounder by Amelia Cheatham, Claire Klobucista, and CFR’s Diana Roy explains how U.S. Customs and Border Protection works.
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