In the coming week, rising Mideast tensions spur a new round of U.S. diplomacy.

The consumer electronics show in Las Vegas spotlights AI and war.

And the U.S. Congress is back in session with the government's shutdown looming.

It's January 4th, 2024 in time for the world next week. I'm Bob McMahon.

And I'm Carl Ann Robbins.

Carla, first off, welcome to 2024.

It's already feels like a burdensome year, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

While we have been away, the world

has not stopped turning and churning in turmoil. There is a conflict continuing in Gaza now,

three months or so already since October 7th. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is traveling

to Israel for a fifth time since October 7th, and he has plans to visit other parts of the region.

The most recent big news out of the region was the fatal drone strike on Hamas leader Saleh Aaruri

in Beirut. What sort of U.S. messaging can we expect?

Well, Bob, happy new year, and unfortunately the news in the Middle East is as grim, and if possible, even more disturbing as it was in the old year.

So the latest developments as of Thursday morning when we're taping this is on Tuesday there was an explosion in a Beirut suburb killing Al-Aroori, who was the deputy Hamas minister.

And he was the group's key liaison with Iran, and everyone is

attributing this to the Israelis. They haven't claimed responsibility, but they're already taking

something of a victory lap on it. Then on Wednesday, there were two explosions in Iran, which

left scores of people dead. And the Israelis have a long history of assassinations in Iran,

nuclear scientists, blowing up missile facilities.

But even Iran's supreme leader who issued a statement and was threatening or response, he blamed the attack on malicious and criminal enemies.

But he really stopped short of naming the Israelis.

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