Today's Headlines and Commentary

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has intensified. The AP reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Israel should prepare itself for a drawn-out conflict, and that he has no immediate plans to end the violence. The BBC, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post all cover the most recent violence, including destruction of the home of Hamas’ top political leader. The Post tells us that this morning marked some of the “heaviest bombardments” of Gaza by Israeli missiles since the conflict began.  Meanwhile, the Times walks us through the Gaza tunnels, some which reach far into Israeli territory. The current Israeli offensive seeks to destroy the Hamas-controlled tunnels.  And David Ignatius pens an opinion piece over at the Post, arguing that Secretary of State Kerry has handled the Israel-Hamas conflict particularly poorly. The Daily Beast profiles the Islamic Caliphate, formerly known as ISIS. The piece identifies locales where the group is most powerful, and discusses if and how ISIS can continue to hold on to power in parts of Syria and Iraq. Reuters has a special report looking at where and how Ukrainian’s separatist rebels are getting their weapons. The story presents strong evidence of a large and steady flow of weapons into Ukraine from Russia. The Times explains that yesterday the U.S. and Europe agreed to “sharply” escalate sanctions against Russia, amidst growing worries that Russia is increasing its role in the Ukrainian conflict. As for the United States, the Times informs us that it claims Russia has violated an arms control treaty by “testing a ground-launched cruise missile." The allegation is the most serious one that the Obama administration has leveled against Russia, and only adds to the increasingly strained relationship between the two countries. The Post looks at the final stages of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan. The piece highlights an elite squad of paratroopers that hopes to take out a few more Taliban targets before leaving the country for good. Reuters reports that Libya is “sliding into chaos." Violence between rival militias has spread across the country, and yesterday a fuel depot in Tripoli was set ablaze, burning out of control spreading disorder across the capital. The Al Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt have been denied a presidential pardon. The Huffington Post has the story. The Chinese government has announced an investigation of the former head of domestic security, Zhou Yongkang. The Times calls the move President Xi Jinping’s “most audacious move yet to impose his authority by targeting elite corruption.” Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.