Israeli strikes hit Beirut as key route out of Lebanon cut off | First Thing

Israel has ordered people in 20 more towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately. Plus: the future of the death penalty in Japan

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As Hezbollah continued to attack northern Israel, the Israeli military launched a series of strikes on southern Beirut in one of the most intense bombardments on the city since the campaign began last week. The New York Times and Axios have reported that Hashem Safieddine, the most likely candidate to replace Hassan Nasrallah as leader of Hezbollah and the head of its executive council, was the target of the strikes.

The first airstrike by an Israeli jet in the West Bank since the second intifada: In addition to the attacks in Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Tulkarm in the West Bank killed at least 18 people, including two children. The Israeli military claimed the airstrike killed a local Hamas leader.

One year after the 7 October attacks: After a year of war, Israel is facing mounting diplomatic isolation. Pew Research found in May that although most Americans still sympathised with Israel, those under 30 did not, and seven in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents had little or no confidence in the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

How will Israel respond to Iran? The former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has predicted Israel is likely to mount a large-scale airstrike against Iran's oil industry and possibly a symbolic attack on a military target related to its nuclear program.

Who else is campaigning for Harris? Liz Cheney, one of Donald Trump's most prominent conservative critics, spoke to undecided voters in Ripon, Wisconsin, on Thursday, asking them to reject the depraved cruelty" of Trump. Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen has endorsed Harris, calling Trump the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime".

What is Tim Walz up to? In a final push to engage Muslim voters before the election, Walz joined a virtual summit hosted by a Muslim advocacy group and called for an end to the war in Gaza. He pledged that if elected, the Harris administration would work side by side" with Muslim Americans.