A key senior Hamas leader killed in an attack in Beirut.

His death now raising fears of a potential escalation in the region, which could expand

into a wider war that Israel has so far avoided.

Plus, three years after rioters storm the Capitol, Donald Trump

further cements his dominance among Republicans. What brand new polling is revealing about

the GOP's increasing loyalty to Trump and their thoughts about the legitimacy of President Joe Biden's election win. And also ahead, hours from now, House Speaker Mike Johnson and 60 Republicans will head to the southern border as Senate negotiations resume. We'll bring in the latest on where those talks now stand.

Good morning and welcome to way too early on this Wednesday, January 3rd.

I'm Jonathan Lemire.

Thanks for starting your day with us.

We've got a lot of news to get to this morning. We'll begin overseas, where Hamas is now blaming Israel for the death of one of its leaders,

who was killed in an explosion in Lebanon yesterday. What appeared to be a drone strike happened

in a densely populated stronghold of Hezbollah.

The man who was killed was second in command of Hamas's political office.

Hamas claims that six other leaders were also killed in that strike.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but says it is in a state of high readiness for any scenario.

This, as the leader of Hezbollah, is vowing to strike back. Meanwhile, one Israeli and two U.S.

officials tell Axios that Israel was indeed behind the strike. NBC News has not verified that report.

Now, Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began.

Experts say that yesterday's drone strike will likely be perceived as a warning to Iran, and

any retaliation could certainly lead to a broader conflict throughout the region.

Now, this comes as Israel's war cabinet has canceled its meeting on post-war plans.

Yesterday, government officials were expected to discuss what Gaza should look like once Israel

...