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Israel strikes Beirut, Meta settles with Texas, and the death of a key Hamas leader

 
Today's international story

Israel confirms strike in Beirut against Hezbollah 

What happened
The Israeli military on Tuesday announced it carried out a missile strike against a Hezbollah commander in suburban Beirut. The attack is believed to be retaliation for a rocket launch from Lebanon that killed at least a dozen children this week in the Druze Arab village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the incident. 

Who said what
The attack on Majdal Shams "crossed a red line," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. Israel and Hezbollah militants have been "exchanging near-daily strikes for the past 10 months against the backdrop of the war in Gaza," the Associated Press said. Those volleys have largely been kept at a "low level that would not escalate into full-on war." The intended target of Tuesday's strike was Fuad Shukur, a "senior Hezbollah official and close adviser to Hassan Nasrallah, the group's secretary general," The New York Times said. It is unclear whether Shukur survived.

What next?
Diplomats have scrambled to "fend off" any escalation into a full war between the neighboring states, The Washington Post said. Intensified violence along Israel's border with Lebanon is not "inevitable," American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said to reporters on Tuesday. However, "if Israel is attacked, yes, we will help Israel defend itself," he added. "We have been clear about that from the very beginning." 

 
 
Today's legal story

Meta agrees to $1.4 billion settlement with Texas

What happened
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and other popular social networks, agreed on Tuesday to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over the company's since-discontinued use of facial recognition software that collected users' data without permission.

Who said what
The "historic settlement" shows Texas' "commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans' privacy rights," Paxton said in a statement. Meta is "pleased to resolve this matter" and looks forward to "exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers," said a company spokesperson to Politico.

What next?
Meta is currently facing multiple lawsuits from various states over its products' allegedly harmful effects on children. Paxton's office is moving forward with a similar biometric-based lawsuit against Google's parent company, Alphabet.

 
 
Today's HAMAS Story

Hamas leader killed while visiting Iran

What happened
Ismail Haniyeh, one of the most senior Hamas members, was killed at his residence in Tehran in a raid by Israel, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hamas.

Who said what
The Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza said that Haniyeh was "killed in a treacherous Zionist raid." Haniyeh had taken part in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said. Most Hamas leaders "keep a low public profile," said the BBC. Others have spent "much of their lives evading assassination attempts by Israel." The "targeting of two senior leaders of two Iran-backed groups" within just hours "would be an audacious escalation in the region," The New York Times said, referring to the strike on Hezbollah's leader Fuad Shukur.

What next?
Israel is yet to issue a statement but said it does not respond to reports in the foreign news media.

 
 

It's not all bad

The Florida grasshopper sparrow population has made a remarkable rebound, with 1,000 birds bred under controlled conditions released in less than a decade. This program "diverted the extinction" of the species, Adrienne Fitzwilliam, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said to The Guardian. In one habitat where 11 breeding pairs once lived, there are now 40, showing that released birds "successfully survive, breed and raise young in the wild, which is a huge success," Fitzwilliam said. 

 
 
Under the radar

Gen Z is embracing underconsumption

Gen Z TikTokers are touting underconsumption, a trend that encourages people to make fewer purchases and hold onto older items for longer. This push toward saving money is likely a reflection of current economic struggles. Plus, an interest in the environment is driving sustainability efforts. But overconsumption and underconsumption are often at odds on social media, with the drive to save battling the drive to buy the newest thing. 

This movement to stop unnecessary spending is in direct opposition to previous trends. TikTok has "turned almost everything into an opportunity for consumerism," said Laura Capon, a beauty journalist, to Business of Fashion. "Even going for a walk is a shopping experience." From Stanley cups to skincare essentials, influencers are always pushing the next best thing. On social media, trends in fashion, beauty and lifestyle are in constant flux, putting pressure on consumers to keep up.

But overconsumption has its limits, and Gen Z is "feeling the high cost of living," Holly O'Neill, the president of retail banking at Bank of America, said to Fortune. "They know they need to set a budget, and they know they need to find ways to cut back." As a result, underconsumption is making the rounds. 

At the center of the underconsumption trend is the "principle of mindful consumption," said Sustainably Influenced. This "involves being deliberate about what and when to buy."

"Pushing back against unseemly excess is a sort of course-correction for consumers who feel jaded by influencers' ongoing promotion of products and displays of their own wealth," said Business of Fashion.

 
 
On this day

July 31, 2006

Cuban leader Fidel Castro transferred power to his brother Raúl Castro amid a series of ongoing health problems. Fidel had ruled Cuba since 1959, and his stepping aside marked the beginning of a new era in the Communist country. Fidel died in 2016 while Raúl ruled Cuba in various capacities until 2021. 

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

The New York Post celebrates Simone Biles being crowned as the "most decorated" American gymnast of all time. "After a challenging journey, US women stick the landing," says The Washington Post. Israeli jets have "hit Lebanon," says The New York Times, "heightening fears of a full-blown war." Israel's separate assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is also "likely to heighten regional tensions," adds The Wall Street Journal. Houston Chronicle looks closer to home, forecasting that CenterPoint energy's customers are likely to "foot the bill" as it recoups its Hurricane Beryl costs.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Out of hot water

A "one-in-30-million crustacean" was rescued from a Red Lobster kitchen earlier this month after a "delivery mishap" almost resulted in the animal becoming "someone's seafood supper," the Daily Mail said. A staff member at the Pueblo, Colorado, restaurant noticed the creature's "unusual pumpkin hue," which is caused by a rare genetic mutation. After being spared a plunge into boiling water, the lobster was given the name Crush and is now "living it up as the star attraction" at Denver's Downtown Aquarium.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Peter Weber and Adrienne Wyper, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: AFP via Getty Images; Brandon Bell / Getty Images; AFP via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images