Axios

Israel launched a ground operation into southern Lebanon early on Tuesday local time, the IDF said in a statement.

Why it matters: Just days after killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel is launching a dangerous new phase of its escalating conflict with the militant group by undertaking its first ground invasion of Lebanon since 2006.

The U.S. Defense Department is doubling down on drone-neutralizing technologies in its latest version of Replicator, which quietly rolled out Monday morning.

Why it matters: The initiative is the clearest sign of Pentagon priorities.

• Unmanned aerial systems are killing and maiming scores of people across the world, eluding even the most sophisticated air defenses.
• Exchanges in Eastern Europe dominate headlines. But just months ago an attack drone hit Tower 22, a desert installation in Jordan, killing three U.S. troops and injuring dozens more.
• Meanwhile, the Navy expended more than $1 billion in precious munitions dealing with Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Biden officials touted tens of thousands of deportations under harsh asylum restrictions from June ahead of a new move to keep those measures in place longer.

Why it matters: Former President Trump has made immigration central to his reelection bid, and this move all but guarantees the restrictions will remain in place through the election.

Something remarkable is underway in the world's second-largest economy: China's government has embarked on an all-out effort to reverse faltering economic growth and financial markets are cheering the move.

Why it matters: Signs of economic deterioration in China have been building over the past year. The slew of policies unveiled in recent days show how far officials are willing to go to maintain China's strength in the global economy.

Austria's Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl hailed a "new era" after preliminary results showed Sunday that the FPÖ had become the first far-right party to win in the country's parliamentary election since World War II, per EuroNews.

The big picture: Although the FPÖ's win reflects a growing trend across Europe that's seen voters lean toward anti-immigration, populist parties, the party is unlikely to form a coalition government as required by Austrian law.

Tensions in the Middle East following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah are spiraling and tipping toward what the Biden administration has feared for months: a broader regional war.

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, September 29.

The Israeli Air Force conducted an airstrike on the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Sunday, two Israeli officials told Axios.

Why it matters: The Israeli officials said the strike was in retaliation for at least two attacks the Houthis launched against Tel Aviv over the past two weeks using long-range ballistic missiles.

Vice President Harris is backing President Biden's diplomacy-focused strategy in the Middle East as the region moves closer to a wider war — a contrast to the more aggressive strategy Donald Trump is urging.

• "She is still the sitting vice president and stands by the administration's policies in the Middle East," a Harris aide said in a statement.

Why it matters: Harris will confront multiple hot wars around the globe if she wins in November, and has shown little daylight between herself and Biden on foreign affairs — except for an occasional nod toward those protesting Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza.