Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah and the devastation of Helene in the southeast: morning overview

Israel’s recent attacks on Hezbollah reveal weaknesses in Iran’s proxy strategy. Communities from Florida to North Carolina are grappling with the devastation caused by Helene. And Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens delivers an outstanding performance in Week 4 of the NFL season.

This is what you should know today.

Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah reveal weaknesses in Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’

Within weeks, Israel has delivered devastating blows to Iran’s main proxy, Hezbollah. Air strikes continued over the weekend, destroying several weapons depots. And on Saturday, Israel announced that its forces had killed Hezbollah’s powerful and longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Earlier this month, Israel also sabotaged the group’s communications and eliminated several senior figures.

For Iran, Hezbollah should be the cornerstone of its strategy to outflank superior opponents like Israel with armed proxies. In addition to Hezbollah, Iran equipped groups in Gaza, Iraq, Syria and Yemen with an arsenal of rockets and missiles in the hope of steadily weakening Israel and the United States

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign in Here to get it in your inbox.

But Iran’s strategy, dubbed the “Axis of Resistance,” underestimated how Israel would respond to the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack and Hezbollah’s subsequent cross-border rocket fire. Tehran also overestimated the strength of its proxy network, former intelligence officers and counterterrorism analysts said.

“Essentially their entire calculation is in smithereens,” said terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman. “For Israel, this is a stunning turnaround from the events of almost a year ago.”

Israel’s recent attacks have not only exposed the weaknesses of Iran’s proxy strategy; It has also presented Tehran and Hezbollah with a vexing question. How – and when – should they strike back as promised without suffering further setbacks?

Read the full story here.

More reporting on the Middle East conflict:

• Who is the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela”? What you should know: Marwan Barghouti, the imprisoned figure many hope can unite a physically and politically divided people.

Helene leaves a trail of destruction in the southeast

Helene’s devastation became more visible over the weekend, with residents in the southeast suffering the effects of the storm. Flooding, road closures and power outages continue to occur in the worst affected areas.

In North Carolina, at least 30 people died in Buncombe County, Sheriff Quentin Miller said. Many Asheville residents were without water, electricity and gas and said they expected it to stay that way for weeks. Efforts are underway in Tennessee to find people who went missing due to cell phone and other communications outages. More than 150 people were missing, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Sunday. In Florida, at least 190 people had been rescued after the hurricane, according to a Sunday update from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. Former President Donald Trump is expected to visit hard-hit Valdosta, Georgia, where at least 17 people died in the storm today.

NBC News reporters are on the scene talking to officials and residents about what comes next. Follow our live blog for updates.

Highlights from Week 4 of the NFL

Baltimore running back Derrick Henry set the tone for the Ravens’ Sunday Night Football game against the Buffalo Bills, capping an exciting day full of excitement and outstanding performances. NBC News sports team A look back at the highlights of the fourth week of the 2024 season.

The previously undefeated Buffalo Bills never suffered a primetime loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Now only the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks are undefeated a month into the NFL season. Kansas City got to 4-0 by rallying from a 10-point deficit to beat Los Angeles. Minnesota (4-0) took a 28-0 lead and then held on tight to outscore Green Bay 31-29. Seattle (3-0) will fight to remain undefeated in today’s game against the Detroit Lions.

🙌 Kansas City won its fourth straight game and started a thrilling fourth straight game by defeating the Charges 17-10 in Los Angeles. All four of the Chiefs’ wins were by seven points or less. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 19 passes to seven different receivers for 345 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Tight end Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 89 yards. And all without wide receiver Rashee Rice, who left the game in the first half with a leg injury.

👑 The Washington Commanders are the surprise leader in the NFC East at 3-1 after Sunday’s 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. All credit goes to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who continued his record-breaking start to his professional career.

⚡ Derrick Henry ran 87 yards untouched on the Baltimore Ravens’ first play of the game on Sunday night. Henry set a new franchise record for longest run and set the tone for the entire game, in which the Ravens were in complete control against the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills.

Politics in brief

On the campaign trail: After a slow start this summer, it’s former President Donald Trump “Double-timing” his campaign plan. At a rally yesterday in Pennsylvania, he said accused personal attacks at Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “mentally disabled” and suggesting she should be “prosecuted” for her actions related to the southern border. Harris, speaking in Las Vegas, hours after Trump falsely claimed she wanted to legalize fentanyl, said she would “double” the Justice Department’s resources. to take action against cartels and stop the flow of drugs into the country.

Compensation: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a handful of bills last week related to efforts to provide race-based reparations to the state’s Black residents and their descendants. Proponents hope for a larger investment were bitterly disappointed.

Want more political news? Sign up for From the Politics Desk to receive exclusive reporting and analysis in your inbox every weekday evening. Subscribe here.

read all about it

• Kris Kristofferson, the country music star and actor who starred in “A Star Is Born,” died at the age of 88.
• A right-wing extremist party founded by former Nazis took first place in the election in Austria on Sunday, but faces a difficult path to forming a governing coalition.
• A shocking final piece of news and a foreboding incident just days before the ill-fated journey were among the most important revelations from two weeks of testimony as part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Titan underwater investigation.
• Residents of an entire county in Georgia, 93,570 residents, were asked to seek shelter on site following a fire and sustained chemical release at a plant in Atlanta.

Personnel selection: At the age of 11, she dreamed of a career in politics. Now she’s ready to make history in Congress.

Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride is, in a word, a nerd. She says random little things. Within the first 60 seconds of meeting her, she told me that the ballroom of the Hotel Du Pont in downtown Wilmington, where I was staying, was the site of Joe Biden’s election night party when he won his first Senate race in 1972 won. She has a poster of Lizzie McGuire’s cartoon alter ego at her campaign headquarters because the film’s theme song, “What Dreams Are Made Of,” “has been stuck in my head for 20 years straight.”

She has a strong chance of winning Delaware’s only House seat in November, and if she does, she will become the country’s first openly transgender member of Congress. However, McBride doesn’t talk much about her potential historic premiere. Rather, she wants to bring about real change in a “dysfunctional” Congress. Those closest to her believe she can. — Jo YurcabaNBC OUT reporter

NBC Select: Online shopping, simplified

Not all household messes are easy to clean up – but they’re certainly not impossible. Here is How to Remove Pet Stainssaid the owners of the cleaning company. And that is The Best Way to Clean (and Season) a Cast Iron Skillet.according to culinary experts.

Sign up for The Selection Newsletter with practical product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales every week.

Thank you for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you are a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. You can log in Here.