News Wrap: Top Hamas leader killed in suspected Israeli drone strike in Lebanon

Amna Nawaz:

Hamas confirms tonight that one of its top leaders has been killed in Lebanon, possibly signaling an escalation of the Israel-Hamas war beyond Gaza. He's identified as Saleh Arouri, who headed Hamas operations in the occupied West Bank.

Geoff Bennett:

Hamas officials say he and six other militants died in an explosion today in Beirut. Lebanon's state news agency reports they were in a building that was hit by an Israeli drone attack.

Hezbollah, a Hamas ally and militant group also backed by Iran, called it a dangerous development and vowed to retaliate.

Amna Nawaz:

News of the Arouri's death came as Hamas insisted again that no additional hostages will be released until there is a complete cease-fire in Gaza.

Meantime, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported an airstrike blasted its headquarters in the Gazan city of Khan Yunis, killing five people. They were among thousands of refugees sheltering there.

Abed Al Malik Al-Madhoon, Displaced Gazan (through interpreter):

We are civilians of the Red Crescent. We are displaced from Gaza City. We escaped with our children from death to the south, as it's supposed to be safe. They are liars. There is no safe place in all of Gaza.

Geoff Bennett:

Overall, Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry reported 200 people were killed in the latest 24-hour period, putting the overall death toll above 22,000.

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines, former President Trump formally appealed to the Supreme Court of Maine, asking to be restored to the state ballot. The Democratic secretary of state had ruled that he violated a constitutional ban on insurrectionists holding office. The Colorado Supreme Court has issued a similar ruling, and Mr. Trump is expected to appeal that to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Russia fired hypersonic missiles at Ukraine's two largest cities today in a stepped-up winter assault. The attacks killed five people and injured at least 130. Both Kyiv and Kharkiv were targeted by missiles that can travel at 10 times the speed of sound. Air defenses shot down many of them, but falling debris caused widespread damage.

The death toll from powerful earthquakes in Western Japan has climbed to at least 55. Aerial video showed the scope of the damage from the quakes and a fire in Ishikawa prefecture. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed. Japan's prime minister said it's a tremendous loss.

Fumio Kishida, Japanese Prime Minister (through interpreter):

I have received reports that very large-scale damage has been confirmed so far, including numerous human casualties, building collapses and fires. As for the power outages, water outages and communication disruptions that are currently occurring, workers have been on site and are in the process of restoring them.

Amna Nawaz:

Rescue teams still haven't been able to reach some of the hardest-hit areas due to blocked or damaged roads.

In South Korea, the leader of the main opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, is recovering after he was stabbed in the neck today. Police say an unidentified man asked for an autograph, then lunged at Lee with a knife before being tackled and arrested. It happened in the city of Busan. Authorities say they are still investigating a motive.

Heavy downpours have inundated parts of eastern Australia with two months' worth of rain in just three days. Queensland and New South Wales have gotten the worst of it. Officials there are urging people in low-lying areas to move to higher ground. The relentless rains have cut off roads and flooded fields, and another 14 inches of rain is expected over the next 24 hours.

Back in this country, federal prosecutors have fleshed out their bribery allegations against New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. A revised indictment filed today says Menendez took bribes to induce a member of Qatar's royal family to invest millions in a real estate project. The veteran Democrat has pleaded not guilty in the case. On

Wall Street, stocks began the new year by giving back some of last year's gains. The Dow Jones industrial average nudged 25 points higher to close at 37715. But the Nasdaq fell 245 points, or 1.6 percent, and the S&P 500 slipped 27 points.

And a passing of note. Health care reformer Dr. Sidney Wolfe died Monday in Washington of brain cancer. For more than 40 years, he ran the Health Research Group for the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. During that time, he focused on exposing ineffective, dangerous and overpriced drugs. Dr. Sidney Wolfe was 86 years old.