Five Things to Know, Aug. 26, 2024
1. North Korea’s leader recently oversaw the test of several domestically produced military drones, including one that struck a target that appeared to resemble the South’s main battle tank, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kim Jong Un and several senior government officials observed the drones identifying and destroying targets after taking flight at preset altitudes on Saturday in an undisclosed location, KCNA reported Monday. North Korea must create more “suicide drones of various types” and use them in infantry and special operation units, Kim reportedly said during the demonstration.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday condemned Russia’s overnight and early morning barrage on his country as “vile” and said it involved over 100 missiles of various types and about 100 “Shahed” drones. Ukraine’s leader said there were deaths and dozens of injuries and that the attack caused a lot of damage to Ukraine’s energy sector. “Like most previous Russian strikes, this one was just as vile, targeting critical civilian infrastructure. Most of our regions — from the Kharkiv region and Kyiv to Odesa and our western regions,” Zelenskyy said.
3. Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah attack. The militant group responded that it had fired hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month. Both sides then appeared to pull back, signaling there would be no immediate further escalation, but the situation remained tense. The exchange came as Egypt hosted high-level talks aimed at a cease-fire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which diplomats hope will tamp down regional tensions.
4. The third annual 13 Souls Memorial Run/Walk/Ride was held Saturday in Simi Valley, honoring the servicemembers who were killed in an attack by suicide bombers three years ago in Afghanistan. The blast at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021, killed 11 U.S. Marines, a sailor and a soldier, who were screening the thousands of Afghans frantically trying to get onto one of the crowded flights leaving the country after the Taliban takeover. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
5. Deep in the outback, a flurry of construction by Australia and the United States is transforming this once quiet military installation into a potential launchpad in case of conflict with China. Runways are being expanded and strengthened to accommodate the allies’ biggest airplanes, including American B-52 bombers. A pair of massive fuel depots is rising side by side to supply U.S. and Australian fighter jets. And two earth-covered bunkers have been built for U.S. munitions.