U.S. forces carried out an airstrike in Iraq on Tuesday night, targeting unspecified “combatants” attempting to launch a one-way attack drone, officials said.
Washington
U.S. military launches first airstrike in Iraq in months
U.S. officials said the airstrike happened in Musayib, a town south of Baghdad, but disclosed few other details. A defense official said in a brief statement that “based on recent attacks in Iraq and Syria,” U.S. military officials assessed that the activity constituted a threat to American and coalition forces. Like some others, this official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation.
“This action underscores the United States’ commitment to the safety and security of our personnel,” the statement said. “We maintain the inherent right to self-defense and will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”
A second defense official said the airstrike followed three attacks on U.S. forces in recent days. On Thursday, two rockets targeted al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and another struck on or near a U.S. outpost in Syria, the official said. The following day, two additional rockets targeted the facility in Syria, Mission Support Site Euphrates. No damage or injuries were reported in any of those incidents, the official said.
U.S. officials have long feared that Israel’s war in Gaza could spill over into other parts of the Middle East, where Iran enjoys considerable influence.
Tuesday’s airstrike, reported earlier by Reuters, follows a spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian-backed group in Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, Israel carried out an airstrike in a busy neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut, saying it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for an attack Saturday that killed 12 children in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The Lebanese Health Ministry said the attack killed a woman and two children. Hezbollah denied it was responsible for the weekend attack.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking to reporters after meeting with officials in the Philippines on Tuesday, expressed hope for a diplomatic resolution to avoid a full-blown conflict but said the United States will defend Israel if it is attacked by Hezbollah. “We’ve been clear about that,” he said.
In the weeks after Hamas-led militants launched a deadly cross-border attack into Israel on Oct. 7, spawning the ongoing war in Gaza, other militant groups backed by Iran started attacking U.S. military positions in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, linking their violence to Washington’s support for Israel. The militias in Iraq and Syria, along with the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza, are all part of the same network and are provided weapons and training by Iran, U.S. officials have said.
In February, after at least 165 attacks on U.S. forces, the Biden administration approved airstrikes in response to, and to avenge, the deaths of three U.S. soldiers killed in a one-way drone strike on their base in Jordan.
Tuesday’s airstrike in Iraq occurred as U.S. and Iraqi officials negotiate a possible withdrawal of at least some of the approximately 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq. An additional 900 troops are based in Syria, with a mission to counter the Islamic State, and are reliant on personnel in Iraq for logistical help.
Washington
Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington and More Celebrate Opening Night of The Whoopi Monologues
Kara Young, Dominique Fishback, Kecia Lewis, Kerry Washington and Danielle Pinnock
(Photo by Sergio Villarini for Broadway.com)
The Whoopi Monologues opened on July 13 at Lincoln Center Theater’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, reimagining Whoopi Goldberg’s 1984 one-woman show as an ensemble piece. The cast, which features Kerry Washington, Kara Young, Dominique Fishback, Kecia Lewis and Danielle Pinnock, assembled on opening night to serve red carpet glam. Cedric The Entertainer, Don Cheadle, Angela Bassett, Ana Navarro and Goldberg herself also turned up in their finery. Scroll down for some hot shots of the stars in attendance and check out the full gallery below!
Get Tickets to The Whoopi Monologues!
Diyar Guldogan
14 July 2026•Update: 14 July 2026
A US Air Force helicopter made a precautionary landing in northwest Washington, DC late Monday, local media reported.
The incident occurred at approximately 9.25 p.m. (0125GMT Tuesday) when a UH-1N Huey helicopter assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland landed along Foxhall Road near Whitehaven Parkway NW, close to the Georgetown Reservoir.
All four crew members who were on board are safe, according to media reports.
Maintenance personnel and law enforcement officials remained at the scene into the early hours of Tuesday as authorities assessed the aircraft and investigated the circumstances surrounding the landing.
See what a ‘super’ El Niño could bring
USA TODAY Network reporter Brandi D. Addison breaks down what a strong El Niño could mean for weather patterns across the country.
It may be the middle of July, but the Old Farmer’s Almanac is already looking ahead to the fall with cooler temperatures ahead.
The Almanac, which has been one of the most trusted weather prediction sources for more than two centuries, recently released its fall forecast, showing a wide range of weather throughout the United States.
But what about in the Washington DC region? Here’s what the Almanac says.
What is the fall weather forecast in the Washington DC area?
DC sits along the Almanac’s Atlantic Corridor, and that region should expect a “cool, dry” fall, according to the forecast.
“Expect cooler and wetter conditions than usual this fall,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac says. “Below average temperatures are forecast, along with an uptick in precipitation over traditional averages.”
Last year, DC received 6.53 inches of rain during September, October and November — significantly lower than the city’s 30-year average of 10.50 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
September’s average temperature was 72.2 degrees, with October at 60.3 and November at 49.9 degrees. The season had an average temperature of 60.8 degrees, slightly below the 30-year average of 61.0 degrees.
What does the Farmer’s Almanac say about winter in Washington DC?
In its long-range forecast, the Almanac forecasts above average temperatures this winter in DC with snowfall below normal.
“The coldest periods will occur in mid- to late-December and early and late January,” it says. “The snowiest periods will be in late December, early January, and late February.”
The Old Farmer’s Almanac says it is 80% accurate, but a 2017 University of Illinois study found it to be just 52% accurate.
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