QUICK HITS

1 Deaths in Afghanistan: Two U.S. service members were killed Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said without providing more details. The statement said the cause of the crash is under investigation but that preliminary reports do not indicate it was caused by enemy fire. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the helicopter in eastern Logar province. The U.S. said this is false.

2 No new government: Benny Gantz, the chief political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says he has failed to form a new government before a looming midnight deadline, increasing the likelihood of a third election in a year. Israel’s parliament now will have 21 days to come up with a candidate who could command a majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat house.

3 California cutoff: Pacific Gas & Electric Co. turned off electricity Wednesday for about 120,000 people in northern California to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires. The utility originally said about 375,000 people would be affected but lowered the number after some areas got rain or increased humidity.

4 Hong Kong protests: Hong Kong schools reopened Wednesday after a six-day shutdown, but students and commuters faced transit disruptions as the last anti-government protesters remained holed up on a university campus, surrounded by police. Officials warned protesters not to disrupt elections scheduled for the weekend.

5 Israel retaliates: Israel said it struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday in a“widescale” operation in response to rocket fire on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights the day before. A U.K.-based war monitoring group said the strikes killed at least 23 people, including 15 non-Syrians.