News Wrap: Israel strikes Hezbollah HQ in Beirut

In our news wrap Friday, Israel struck Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut and flattened several residential buildings, New York Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges in federal court and the Justice Department charged three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for the suspected hacking of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Geoff Bennett:
The day’s other headlines start in the Middle East, where Israel says it struck Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut. Massive blasts shook the city just before sunset, flattening several residential buildings. The death toll was not immediately clear.
The “News Hour” is told that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the strikes. Nasrallah’s condition is unknown, though an Israeli official tells the “News Hour” that they believe he was at the site.
Ali Rogan has more.
Ali Rogin:
In Southern Beirut today, multiple massive explosions, then thick plumes of smoke that engulfed parts of the Lebanese capital.
Lebanese media reported that six high-rises were bombed, leveled and reduced to rubble. Israel called it a precise strike targeting Hezbollah headquarters, which it said was built under residential buildings in the densely populated Dahiye suburb of Beirut.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:
Here’s the truth. Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. Israel has made peace and will make peace again.
Ali Rogin:
The strikes coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He justified Israel’s attacks in Lebanon that have reportedly killed over 700 people this week, even as dozens of diplomats staged a walkout opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
Benjamin Netanyahu:
As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice. They endanger their own people. They put a missile in every kitchen, a rocket in every garage.
Ali Rogin:
A source familiar tells the “News Hour” the strikes targeted Hezbollah’s General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah, who has been its leader for over three decades. Nasrallah joined the ranks of Hezbollah in his 20s, working his way up under the mentorship of Hezbollah co-founder Abbas al-Musawi, who was assassinated by Israel in 1992.
Today, Beirut reels under the shock of what was the biggest attack on the city in years.
For the “PBS News Hour,” I’m Ali Rogin.
Geoff Bennett:
Also today, New York Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges in federal court. He’s accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and gifts from Turkish nationals in exchange for using his position to help Turkey’s interests.
Adams did not speak on his way into the Manhattan courthouse, but flashed a thumbs up to the crowd. His lawyer said he will file a motion next week to request that the charges be dismissed. Adams was released after the hearing. He has said he won’t resign and will continue to conduct city business as usual.
Vice President Kamala Harris is making her first visit to the nation’s southern border today since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee. She touched down in Arizona this afternoon and is set to give remarks later in Douglas, Arizona, near the border. Harris lags behind her rival, Donald Trump, when it comes to voters’ trust on the issue of illegal immigration and is looking to close that polling gap.
For his part, the Republican nominee was in Michigan today to deliver remarks, according to his campaign, focused on manufacturing and the economy.
The Justice Department has charged three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for the suspected hacking of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. According to a 37-page indictment, the men allegedly engaged in a wide-ranging hacking campaign starting in 2020 that targeted U.S. officials, journalists, and campaign staff. The goal was to damage confidence in the U.S. democratic process. The men are charged with 18 counts, including wire fraud and identity theft.
Speaking to reporters today, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the attacks point to the increased threat posed by Iran, plus Russia and China.
Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General:
These authoritarian regimes, which violate the human rights of their own citizens, do not get a say in our country’s democratic process. The American people and the American people alone will decide the outcome of our country’s elections.
Geoff Bennett:
Last month, the Trump campaign said it had been hacked by Iranian Actors and that sensitive internal documents had been stolen and distributed. The three men charged today all live in Iran and are unlikely to ever face a trial in the U.S.
On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed to close out the week. The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 130 points to end at a new all-time high. The Nasdaq lost ground, giving back about 70 points on the day. The S&P 500 also ended lower, but just barely, slipping about seven points.
And a venerated star of the stage and screen has died. Dame Maggie Smith, one of the greatest of her generation, won two Oscars, four Emmys and a tony and played roles many generations will remember.
Maggie Smith, Actress:
I’m so looking forward to seeing your mother again. When I’m with her, I’m reminded of the virtues of the English.
Actor:
But isn’t she American?
Maggie Smith:
Exactly.
I saw you drooling over her pearls.
Geoff Bennett:
For nearly 70 years, Dame Maggie Smith enchanted audiences with her signature mix of quick-witted comedy and English elegance.
Maggie Smith:
There never is anything personal between us, is there? Or is that getting too personal?
Geoff Bennett:
Prolific and preeminent, she took on a truly impressive range of roles. Smith started her career in the theater, working on Broadway, the West End, and at the Royal Shakespeare Company, to great acclaim.
Yet she wasn’t as widely known until she took on two megastar roles in the 2000s, first as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” franchise.
Maggie Smith:
Well, thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley.
Geoff Bennett:
And later as the sharp-tongued Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey,” the enduringly popular PBS series.
Maggie Smith:
I don’t even know what that means, but it sounds almost as peculiar as you look.
Geoff Bennett:
Earlier in her career, she won an Academy Award for her performance as a Scottish school mistress in 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.”
Maggie Smith:
I am a teacher first, last, always.
Geoff Bennett:
The win was a first in her career with no shortage of accolades, including Tonys, Emmys, BAFTAs, and a second Oscar.
Maggie Smith:
I just really can’t believe it.
Geoff Bennett:
Smith belonged to a generation of British stars like Judi Dench, who later in life cheekily called themselves the dames.
Maggie Smith:
You can swear more, yes. Just try and do it privately.
Geoff Bennett:
This dame was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1990.
Man:
Dame Maggie Smith.
Geoff Bennett:
Maggie Smith was 89 years old.