News Wrap: U.S. unsure of true scope of China’s cyberattack on communication firms

Amna Nawaz:

The day’s other headlines start with more on the Chinese hack of American telecommunications firms earlier this year.

Officials with the nation’s cyber defense agency and the FBI tell the “News Hour” that after seven months of investigating, they still don’t know the true scope of China’s cyberattack. The officials also said the hack is ongoing and that there’s no evidence the Chinese actors have been kicked out yet.

They found that the hackers mostly stole phone metadata from a large, but unspecified group of Americans. Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner recently called this the worst telecommunication hack in U.S. history.

To the Middle East now, where the limits of a shaky cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah are being tested with new violence and new threats. Since last week’s truce went into place, both sides have claimed violations by the other. Hezbollah’s Monday attacks into an Israeli border area were met by an Israeli response, airstrikes that killed at least 11 people in Lebanon.

Israel’s defense minister told troops that, if the cease-fire broke, Israel wouldn’t limit its strikes to Hezbollah, saying — quote — “There will no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon.” In a meeting with his Cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the cease-fire doesn’t mean that Israel will sit idly by.