Thursday Briefing: A fragile cease-fire in Lebanon
Good morning. We’re covering the first day of a cease-fire in Lebanon and Donald Trump’s new envoy to Russia and Ukraine. Plus, a post-election Thanksgiving.
A fragile peace began in LebanonThe Lebanese Army said yesterday that it was sending more forces to southern Lebanon to support a U.S.-backed cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah as it began to take hold. Thousands of displaced people began to return to areas ruined by Israeli strikes. Bumper-to-bumper traffic jammed roads leading out of Beirut as people sought to make their way back to southern towns and villages. Israel’s military warned civilians against immediately returning to some areas and declared a curfew over much of southern Lebanon that was scheduled to end today. Many questions remain about the truce’s durability, which was underscored by the Israeli shelling of two villages in southern Lebanon, Khiam and Kfar Kila. Israel’s military said its soldiers opened fire after identifying a vehicle in “a zone prohibited for movement.” Here’s what else to know about the deal. Analysis: After 13 months of war, Hezbollah will struggle to convince anyone, other than its most fervent loyalists, that its acceptance of a cease-fire is not a defeat, Ben Hubbard writes. Gaza: The Israeli military struck dozens of sites that it said were Hamas military structures, killing at least 33 people, according to the Gazan health ministry.
Trump chose a Ukraine-Russia envoyPresident-elect Donald Trump said yesterday that Keith Kellogg, a retired general who served in his first administration, would be his special envoy to Russia and Ukraine. In the newly created position, Kellogg would be likely to play a crucial role in Trump’s effort to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine. Trump has wrapped up most of his cabinet picks after announcing his choices for top trade negotiator and for the head of the National Economic Council, roles that will be crucial to his plans of imposing heavy tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico and China. Jamieson Greer, who is a lawyer and a former Trump official, is his pick for U.S. trade representative. Here is the list of nominations so far. Analysis: There are two presidents leading the country, Peter Baker writes: one officially, the other unofficially — and each in a different direction. World leaders are calculating whether it makes more sense to try to get something done with the outgoing leader, or to brace for his successor.
Three Americans were freed in a prisoner swap with ChinaThe Biden administration negotiated a prisoner swap with China for the release of three American men, including one who had been an F.B.I. informant, U.S. officials said. The three men — John Leung, Kai Li and Mark Swidan — were on planes to the U.S. yesterday. The swap has been in the works for months and involves the release of at least one Chinese prisoner in the U.S. China, which does not typically do prisoner swaps, may be signaling to Trump about the possibility of making important concessions, an expert said. |
