The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
Trump names hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his nominee to head US Treasury
WASHINGTON — US President-elect Donald Trump names billionaire Scott Bessent as his Treasury secretary, choosing the hedge fund manager to help execute an agenda promising tax cuts and tariffs.
Bessent, who is chief executive officer of Key Square Group, has called for an extension of tax cuts from Trump’s first term, wants to reassert American energy dominance, and believes it is necessary to deal with the budget deficit.
“Scott is widely respected as one of the world’s foremost international investors and geopolitical and economic strategists,” Trump says in a statement.
“He will help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States, as we fortify our position as the world’s leading economy,” he says, adding Bessent will also help “reinvigorate the private sector, and help curb the unsustainable path of federal debt.”
The nomination of Bessent — who recently served as an economic advisor to Trump — will put him at the forefront of rolling out the president-elect’s economic plan, from seeing tax cuts through Congress to managing ties with countries like China.
The position carries influence over both domestic and international policy.
Bessent, who is from South Carolina, attended Yale University and served as chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, the macroeconomic investment firm of billionaire George Soros.
In 2015, he raised capital, including $2 billion from Soros, to start his own hedge fund.
IDF says Hezbollah fired some 80 rockets from Lebanon at north on Friday
Hezbollah fired some 80 rockets from Lebanon that crossed into northern Israel on Friday, according to an IDF tally.
Fresh Israeli strikes reported in southern Beirut suburbs after IDF evacuation orders
Lebanese media report fresh IDF strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, shortly after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for three buildings in the area.
The IDF struck several Hezbollah sites in Beirut earlier today.
Report: Recent IDF strike in Syria killed senior Hezbollah commander behind deadly 2007 attack on US troops
A recent IDF airstrike in Syria killed a senior Hezbollah commander who helped plan a deadly attack on US soldiers in Iraq in 2007, NBC News reports, citing a senior US defense official.
Ali Mussa Daqduq played a key role in the Karbala raid in which terrorists disguised as an American security team entered a base before opening fire and killing five US soldiers.
He was subsequently captured by US forces but later released by the Iraqi government following the American military withdrawal.
NBC says it’s not clear yet when the IDF strike that killed Daqduq took place.
שלושת הפעילים מחיזבאללה על פי ההערכות נהרגו בתקיפה הישראלית אתמול בקוניטרה בדרום סוריה. אחד מהם הוא חסן עלי דקדוק בנו של עלי מוסא דקדוק, בכיר חיזבאללה ששמו הוזכר בעבר כמי שאחראי על הפעילות של יחידת "תיק הגולן" בדרום סוריה. https://t.co/ZFc994jWxz pic.twitter.com/oGAWmlHP8p
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) December 9, 2023