The Biden administration pressed the Lebanese government to criticize Hezbollah’s attempt to send drones to an Israeli natural gas rig in the Mediterranean and to commit to resolving the maritime border dispute with Israel only through negotiations, sources briefed on the issue told Axios.
Why it matters: The U.S. is concerned Hezbollah's actions will sabotage its efforts to broker a deal between Israel and Lebanon on the maritime border by September.
Sudan’s military leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan signaled in a speech on Monday that for the first time since last year’s coup, he might be willing to return some authority to a civilian government — comments the country's main civilian political bloc rejected as a "tactical retreat."
The big picture: Burhan is facing growing pressure from anti-military protesters and the international community to restore the civilian government.
White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk traveled to Saudi Arabia today to make the final preparations for President Biden's visit to the kingdom planned for July 15, four sources briefed on the trip told me.
Why it matters: Biden's trip, which will reset his administration's relations with the Gulf kingdom, is seen as diplomatically and politically sensitive. He is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman while there.
Israeli and Palestinian officials separately protested in private to the Biden administration over its statement about the investigation into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, according to three U.S. and Israeli officials.
Driving the news: The State Department on Monday said that based on the investigations done by Israeli and Palestinian officials, it was "likely" Abu Akleh was killed by unintentional Israeli fire, but the ballistics test of the bullet removed from the Al Jazeera journalist's body was inconclusive.
Domestic U.S. and British security heads warned business leaders Wednesday about Chinese government spying aimed at stealing intellectual property from Western tech companies.
Driving the news: FBI director Christopher Wray and MI5 director-general Ken McCallum appeared together at MI5 headquarters in the U.K. to warn of espionage campaigns from Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reports.
TikTok and Instagram influencers are increasingly transforming the way readers find the next great read by writers of color.
The big picture: Worldwide book sales grew during the pandemic. BookTok and Bookstagram — the monikers and hashtags for reading accounts and posts on social media — are major drivers, according to analysts and publishers.
Two of the U.K.'s top Cabinet ministers resigned in quick succession Tuesday in protest of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of misconduct allegations against a Conservative Party lawmaker.
Why it matters: Johnson's premiership is on the brink of collapse. He survived a no-confidence vote last month over lockdown-breaking parties that have severely damaged his popularity, but will now face new pressure to resign.
WNBA star Brittney Griner appealed to President Biden to help her and other American detainees in Russia in a handwritten letter that was delivered to the White House on Monday morning.
Driving the news: Griner has been detained in Russia since February after authorities claimed that they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.
