Monday, June 16

The conflict between Israel and Iran has reached its fourth day, and the strikes show no signs of slowing down.

Israel was the first to strike on Friday, hitting at least 100 nuclear sites and military bases across Iran with over 200 fighter jets. The attacks also killed several important Iranian generals, as well as various scientists that have been working towards nuclear advancements in Iran.

Iran struck back hard, though, bombarding Israel with drone attacks and missile strikes. Most of them were taken down by the United States and Israel's Iron Dome defense system, but some strikes managed to make it through into more populated areas.

Then, early on Sunday morning, both countries sent strikes at each other again, beginning in the hours before dawn and continuing into the afternoon. Israel hit over 80 nuclear sites and fuel depots across Iran, including the country's defense ministry headquarters in the capital of Tehran, while Iran struck dozens of different areas across Israel with over 200 missiles. No deaths were reported in Iran from the attacks, but at least 78 people were killed by Israeli strikes on the first day of fighting. Meanwhile, at least 13 people were killed in Israel, and hundreds of others have been injured.

While Israel began the attacks with confidence, Iran has showed to be stronger than Israel expected, and while they took out several Iranian higher-ups, they have struck back hard. Iranian missiles, unlike many others, have been able to get by Israel's defenses, and they have done significant damage to Israel in their retaliations.

This comes just as the United States has been getting close to achieving a nuclear deal with Iran, hoping to eliminate the threat of Iran gaining nuclear weapons. Now, Israel is striking specific nuclear sites across Iran, achieving the same goal as the United States but using force. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that they will not stop until Iran's nuclear program is completely destroyed, but he has established that it could be weeks before that goal is achieved.

Upcoming Events:

• International Day of Family Remittances (Monday, June 16)

• World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (Tuesday, June 17)

• Sustainable Gastronomy Day (Wednesday, June 18)

• International Day for Countering Hate Speech (Wednesday, June 18)

• World Refugee Day (Friday, June 20)

• International Day of Yoga (Saturday, June 21)

• Summer Solstice (Saturday, June 21)

Fact of the Day: Glass sponges can live for 15,000 years. This makes them one of the longest-living organisms on Earth.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. (Hillary Clinton)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Progeny (noun, PRAH-juh-nee) - Progeny refers to the child or descendant of a particular parent or family. Progeny can also refer to the offspring of an animal or plant, or broadly to something that is the product of something else. The plural of progeny is progeny.

In a Sentence: Many Americans are the progeny of immigrants.