Morning Briefing: Oct. 31, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including Israel claiming to have killed the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, US President Joe Biden calling Trump supporters "garbage" but later denying it, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief condemning an Israeli attack that killed dozens in northern Gaza.

TOP STORIES

• Israel claims to have killed deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in Lebanon strike

The Israeli army claimed to have assassinated the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi, in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.

A military statement said Shahadi was killed in a strike in Nabatieh based on precise intelligence information.

The army claimed that Shahadi was responsible for carrying out several attacks against Israel.

• Biden said to label Trump supporters ‘garbage,' but president denies it

Criticizing racist remarks made at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s massive New York rally, US President Joe Biden seemed to label Trump’s supporters “garbage,” a charge the White House immediately denied.

Condemning a racist joke at Trump’s Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden, Biden told a group of Latino supporters in a Tuesday video call: “Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community.”

“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage,” he added, stressing that Puerto Ricans are "good, decent, honorable people."

• EU foreign policy chief condemns Israeli attack that killed dozens in northern Gaza

The European Union’s foreign policy chief condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza after an Israeli army attack reportedly killed at least 100 Palestinians in the Beit Lahiya area.

"The images from Beit Lahiya in #Gaza are horrifying. At least 100 people have been killed in another IDF (Israeli military) attack," Josep Borrell said on X.

"We will not stop condemning this and calling for accountability," he said, adding the principles of proportionality and the protection of civilians were being "brutally disregarded."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The Arab League announced that it will be holding an emergency session Thursday to address Israel's decision to block the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in Palestinian territories.
• The EU’s foreign policy chief said "Türkiye is a candidate country whose geopolitical relevance has increased much more in the current circumstances."
• The death toll rose to 95 in catastrophic flooding in eastern Spain, the country’s public broadcaster RTVE reported.
• US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged North Korea to withdraw troops from Russia.
• At least 30 people were killed and several injured in three Israeli attacks in eastern Lebanon, according to officials.
• The White House urged Israel to pause implementation on a pair of just-passed laws that would severely restrict the operations of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel’s attack on a residential building in the Gaza Strip that killed nearly 100 people.
• Former US President Donald Trump pledged to end the "suffering and destruction" in Lebanon if he is elected to the White House.
• The UK Treasury chief unveiled Labour’s fiscal strategy for the coming years, committing to tax increases aimed at raising £40 billion ($52 billion) annually and pledging record investment in the National Health Service (NHS).
• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing to discuss a variety of bilateral and regional issues, including the Ukraine war, state media reported.
• The building of Ukraine's General Staff in Kyiv was damaged in Russia's overnight airstrike, said former lawmaker Ihor Mosiychuk.
• The US conducted airstrikes against several Daesh/ISIS camps in Syria, killing as many as 35 operatives, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
• France strongly condemned Israel’s attack on a residential building in Gaza that killed almost 100 people, according to an official statement.
• At least seven people have been killed and one went missing as Typhoon Trami hit the southern Chinese island province of Hainan.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Western efforts to isolate his country and defeat Moscow in the ongoing Ukraine war have increased “tenfold.”
• At least 102 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 43,163, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.
• With 20 fresh casualties, the death toll from Tropical Storm Trami climbed to 145 as a new storm intensifies into a super typhoon.
• Russia claimed that it took control of a settlement in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

SPORTS

• Spanish football leagues to observe minute's silence for Valencia flood victims

The Spanish football leagues – top-tier La Liga EA SPORTS and second-tier La Liga HYPERMOTION – will observe a minute of silence this weekend to commemorate those killed by floods in Valencia, the organizers said.

In a statement, La Liga expressed its condolences and solidarity with the families of the flood victims and the missing.

Catastrophic flooding in Spain’s eastern Valencia region has left 63 people dead, according to provisional data from the country’s Interior Ministry.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US has provided $17.9B in military aid to Israel since October 2023: Report

The US has provided $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, a report revealed.

The report, titled “United States Spending on Israel’s Military Operations and Related U.S. Operations in the Region, October 7, 2023 – Sept. 30, 2024,” prepared by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, shows extensive support for Israel’s operations and bolstering the US presence in the Middle East.

The report details that the US provided Israel with $6.8 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF), $5.7 billion for missile defense systems like Iron Beam, $1 billion for heavy weaponry and $4.4 billion to replenish US weapons stocks transferred to Israel.

• US sanctions 275 individuals, entities for supplying Russia with advanced tech

The US Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on a total of 275 individuals and entities involved in supplying Russia with advanced technology and equipment.

The sanctions also target domestic Russian importers and producers of key inputs and other materiel for Russia’s military-industrial base, it said in a statement.

"The United States and our allies will continue to take decisive action across the globe to stop the flow of critical tools and technologies that Russia needs to wage its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine," said Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo.