A senior State Department official has rejected Israeli criticism regarding U.S. assistance to the Lebanese armed forces, as well as the Israeli demand to condition the aid on the Lebanese government acting against Hezbollah’s precision missile factories.
Why it matters: The U.S. gives the Lebanese army around $105 million a year and supports it with training and equipment. Israel is concerned that the Lebanese army is infiltrated by Hezbollah and that any U.S. assistance to the Lebanese army will end up in the terror organization’s hands.
Suspected Chinese hackers breached an influential trade group earlier this year as U.S.-China trade negotiations began to boil, according to a report by Reuters.
Why it matters: The targeted trade group, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), has aided Trump administration officials in organizing events at manufacturing plants across the country, promising to rebuild factory jobs in the U.S.
The Israeli military and militants in the Gaza Strip exchanged fire on Wednesday, beginning a second day of fighting after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The death of Bahaa Abu el-Atta has set off the heaviest fighting in months — and Israel's targeting of the Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed group, comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to paint Iran as Israel's primary nemesis in the region.
Hong Kong closed all schools including kindergartens Wednesday as protests paralyzed the city for a third day, the BBC reports.
What's happening: Many business and some public transport services also closed as riot police clashed with some protesters in parts of the Asian financial hub, Reuters notes.
Many believed this would be the year that a Western team finally won the League of Legends World Championship, but it wasn't meant to be. China-based FPX beat European-based G2 in Paris to claim the $1 million prize.
The backdrop: "A European team hasn't won finals since 2011, which wasn't a truly global event," writes WashPost's Matt Vella. "In the years following, Korean teams dominated — until 2018 when a Chinese team took the top spot."
The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that all European Union member states must label goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights — identifying them as products from an Israeli settlement.
Why it matters: The court’s decision could have a big influence on Israeli trade with the EU — and on U.S. trade with the continent. Israel asked both the Trump administration and Congress to put pressure on the EU not to implement the ruling.
There was a major escalation in Gaza overnight after Israel killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander in an airstrike early Tuesday. In retaliation, the PIJ launched dozens of rockets on cities in southern and central Israel including Tel Aviv.
Why it matters: This is the first time in several years that Israel engaged in targeted killing against a senior commander in one of the terror organizations in Gaza. Israeli officials believe the situation will further escalate in the next few hours and several days of fighting in Gaza is expected.
