Israel, Lebanon: The pita of war
Also: NATO, Australia, the UK, Mauritius, and Somalia.
The five things you need to know today:
ISRAEL. LEBANON. A ceasefire is violated after the first day.
NATO. Suspected sabotage and an Article 5 warning.
AUSTRALIA. As Canberra bans social media for teens, Zuckerberg meets Trump.
BRITAIN. MAURITIUS. Starmer’s bad deal threatens to become worse.
SOMALIA. Another restive region threatens to break away.
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ISRAEL. LEBANON. The pita of war
A ceasefire is violated after the first day.
Israeli tanks and fighter jets attacked targets in Southern Lebanon Thursday after claiming Hezbollah had violated a ceasefire deal that began the day before. Benjamin Netanyahu warned of an "intense war" in case of further violations.
INTELLIGENCE. If Liz Truss was outlasted by a lettuce, the truce was outlasted by a warm falafel. Whoever was to blame and why, it’s unlikely the ceasefire won’t be broken again, and unlikelier still there’ll be real appetite for a similar deal in Gaza, which Joe Biden has as his next objective and Netanyahu says he’s ready for. As Egyptian negotiators prepare for talks with Israel and Hamas, the fighting in Gaza continues, with another 26 deaths reported overnight.
FOR BUSINESS. Broken truces can sometimes hold. Moody's and Fitch have both expressed cautious optimism. Local markets, while slightly down, have shrugged. But military strategists are less sure, with Israeli officials placing success at only 50/50. UN-brokered ceasefires in the 1960s and 1970s failed to bring a lasting peace to Israel and Egypt. Only the comprehensive Camp David Accords in 1978, followed by a treaty in 1979, brought enduring stability.
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NATO. Nein to five
Suspected sabotage and an Article 5 warning.
Russian sabotage might ultimately lead to NATO invoking its mutual defence clause, Germany's intelligence chief said. Denmark's largest mobile network failed Thursday. Investigations continued into a crashed cargo plane in Lithuania.
INTELLIGENCE. Copenhagen had restored some services by Thursday night. Intentional sabotage has so far not been suggested. Vilnius