1 Israel And Lebanon Agree To Put Ceasefire In Place
Israel and Lebanon agreed yesterday to implement a formal ceasefire, though the agreement comes with a critical condition: it will only take effect once Hezbollah fully stops firing and withdraws its operatives from southern Lebanon. The joint statement, issued after U.S.-mediated talks in Washington, marks the first formal diplomatic agreement between Israel and Lebanon since their relationship fractured during and after the Iran conflict. The two sides, which do not have diplomatic relations, agreed to create "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of territory and exclude all non-state actors, including Hezbollah. Earlier yesterday, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops during the same period. The deal addresses a persistent complication for the broader U.S.-Iran negotiations, where Iran had long demanded that any ceasefire cover Lebanon as well as the strait.
2 Iran Conflict: House Passes Symbolic War Powers Resolution Over Republican Leaders' Objections
The House passed a war powers resolution yesterday directing President Trump to end U.S. military involvement in Iran without congressional authorization. It was the first successful bipartisan rebuke of the administration's handling of the three-month-old conflict. The vote was 215-208, including four Republicans who crossed over to vote yes: Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The concurrent resolution, led by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, would require Trump to terminate U.S. armed forces involvement in hostilities against Iran unless Congress passes a formal declaration of war or a specific authorization for the use of military force. The resolution is largely symbolic, as a concurrent resolution does not carry the force of law and is not presented to the president or subject to veto. A White House official brushed off the outcome, saying it "was driven by absences" among Republicans, though even with full attendance the math would still have favored passage.
3 There's A Possible Flesh-Eating Screwworm Case In Texas
A flesh-eating New World screwworm was found in Mexico just 25 miles from the U.S. border last week, the closest the parasite has come to American soil since at least last September, the USDA said. The case involved a 5-year-old goat in Mexico's Coahuila state, which shares a border with southwestern Texas. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins called it "a very, very serious threat to our livestock." At least 26,216 cases have been tracked across Mexico, with more than 2,700 still active. The USDA later reported a possible Texas case in La Pryor, a small community about 50 miles from the border, with samples sent to a federal lab for confirmation. Screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, and an outbreak could cost the Texas economy alone an estimated $1.8 billion.