Iran Attacked Israel With Waves of Missiles

Also, Tim Walz and JD Vance will face off tonight in a debate. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.

Iran fired roughly 180 ballistic missiles at Israel today, forcing millions of Israelis into bomb shelters and raising the likelihood of an all-out conflict between two of the most powerful militaries in the Middle East.

Here’s the latest.

The barrage began just hours after Israel invaded southern Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah, a close ally of Iran. Many of the missiles were intercepted by Israel’s air defense system, while some fell in central and southern Israel, Israeli officials said. One death, of a Palestinian man in the West Bank, has so far been reported.

U.S. officials said that American naval destroyers helped Israel shoot down several incoming missiles. Based on initial reports, Israel “effectively defeated this attack,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The region is now on edge, waiting for Israel’s next step. Israeli officials said the country would respond in a way and at a time of its choosing, and Iran said it would fire more missiles if Israel counterattacked. American officials said the U.S. would help defend Israel and warned that a direct attack would “carry severe consequences.”

Separately, at least six people were killed and several others injured in a shooting in Tel Aviv that officials called a terror attack.

It’s debate night for the would-be V.P.s

Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, and JD Vance, his Republican counterpart, will face off tonight in a debate that might be the best remaining chance for the Harris and Trump campaigns to reach tens of millions of voters.

You can watch it here live, at 9 p.m. Eastern, with analysis from dozens of my colleagues. It’s being hosted by CBS, which is testing a new way to offer real-time fact-checking.

Vance and Walz are veterans, proven debaters and quick-witted communicators who talk up their Midwestern roots. But unlike Vance, Walz has not faced many tough questions so far, our politics reporter Kellen Browning said: “It will be interesting to see on a bigger stage if he is able to stand up to the scrutiny.”

On the campaign trail

The presidential election is 35 days away.

• Walz said he was in Hong Kong during the deadly crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989. It’s not true.
• Donald Trump has taken his doomsday prophesying to a new extreme, in an effort to stir up his base.
• The businessman Mark Cuban went on our podcast, “The Run-Up,” and explained his support for Kamala Harris.

Your questions:

We asked readers what they’d like to know about the election. For today, my colleagues Lily Boyce, Jon Huang and Blacki Migliozzi built a tool that answers a question several of you had.

“Ignoring swing states, how many electoral votes are Kamala Harris and Trump expected to receive?” — Erin South

Answer: Harris is currently expected to secure at least 225 electoral votes from states that are solid or most likely leaning her way, versus 219 for Trump. This tool explains each candidate’s paths to victory.

You can send questions to us here.

Rescuers are pushing through Helene’s debris

Ninety-two search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the North Carolina mountains today, searching for missing people and rushing supplies to communities in dire need of food, water and power after Hurricane Helene. More than 130 people across six states have died, and the toll was expected to rise.

Access has been challenging because many of the roads across southern Appalachia were flooded, destroyed or blocked. In some areas, power was scarce after flooding submerged electrical substations.

Mexico’s first female president took office

Claudia Sheinbaum was inaugurated today as the first woman and first Jewish person to lead Mexico in the country’s more-than-200-year history. She is a climate scientist, a former mayor of Mexico City and a leftist who has promised to continue the legacy of her predecessor and mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Here’s what else to know about her.

More top news

• Labor: President Biden, who has said he would not force striking dockworkers back to work, urged the alliance representing port employers to present a fair offer.
• Health: Breast cancer rates have increased among younger women.
• Ukraine: Russia is on the brink of taking the town of Vuhledar, another step toward the key transit hub of Pokrovsk.
• Environment: Biden is set to sign a bill that would weaken federal environmental reviews for certain semiconductor manufacturing projects.
• Tech: SoftBank’s Masa Son is poised to take a stake in OpenAI.
• U.S.: A rancher was sentenced to six months in prison for using parts from protected wildlife to create a giant hybrid species of sheep.

TIME TO UNWIND

A new class of MacArthur ‘genius’ grant winners

Every year, the MacArthur Foundation surprises a small group of accomplished artists and intellectuals with a no-strings-attached stipend of $800,000 that is commonly called the genius grant. This year’s winners included two evolutionary biologists, an astronomer, a pioneering alternative cabaret star and a co-creator of “Reservation Dogs.”

In other prize news, the National Book Award finalists were announced.

Jimmy Carter is 100

When Jimmy Carter entered hospice care last year, his family and friends thought he had only days to live. Today, more than 19 months later, he became the first president in American history to turn 100 years old.

The last chapter of Carter’s story has been one of astonishing resilience. The peanut farmer turned global statesman has beaten brain cancer, bounced back from a broken hip and outlived his political contemporaries.

Another distinction: He has written 20 best-selling books, far more than any other modern president.

Dinner table topics

• Happy house of horrors: On an island in Finland, macabre jokes about the end of the world are built into a comfortable cabin.
• Primrose Hill: At a fancy London restaurant, almost every member of the staff has been homeless.

• Reflections on Charlie Hustle: Pete Rose died yesterday at 83. Our columnist called him “the saddest baseball story I ever covered.”
• A panda or a dog in disguise? Zoos around the world have occasionally used a little dye, or just brazenness, to pass off one animal as another.

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

Cook: Have you tried a grilled peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich? It’s glorious.

Watch: Stream these movies and TV shows before they leave Netflix this month.

Read: Ina Garten’s new memoir is one of October’s most anticipated books.

Serve: Tennis is a great way to get to know your neighbors — and yourself.

Consider: Dermaplaning is an effective way to remove peach fuzz. But there are risks.

Travel: These are Wirecutter’s favorite carry-on suitcases.

Compete: Take our quiz to see how many hidden book titles you can uncover.

Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here.

ONE LAST THING

Chicken tenders turned 50 this year

It might be hard to imagine or remember, but there was a time before chicken tenders conquered America — before they were sold in every cafeteria, ballpark and airport in the country. The breaded and fried tenderloins, which are now an icon of the country’s unpretentious taste, turned 50 this year.

My colleague Pete Wells explained the charming origin story of chicken tenders, which were invented in 1974 at a Greek-owned family restaurant in Manchester, N.H. Or at least that’s how people in Manchester tell the tale.

Have a triumphant evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor today.

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.