Saturday, June 14

The tension between Israel and Iran has escalated into a serious conflict, with both sides striking each other multiple times through yesterday and today.

Israel was the first to strike, hitting targets across Iran on Friday morning. They specifically targeted nuclear facilities and other areas with military purposes, killing important generals and scores of scientists, especially in the nuclear field. Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility was also hit, which is the country's largest uranium enrichment facility-- a crucial process that is used to make nuclear weapons. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the initial attacks used over 200 fighter jets that hit at least 100 locations, and they established that they do not expect this conflict to be resolved in one day.

Ahead of Iran's retaliation, Israel declared a state of emergency, shutting down schools, hospitals, and airports, and Iran struck back hard. Iran sent over 100 drones into Israel within a few hours of the preliminary attacks, along with ballistic missiles later in the day.

Unlike their attacks on Gaza, which hit major areas, Israel confined their strikes on Iran to military and nuclear facilities, avoiding hitting large population centers. Despite that, at least 78 people were killed, and over 300 civilians were injured by blasts and falling debris. However, Iran did the opposite, targeting drone attacks towards some of Israel's most populated areas. The IDF has been working with the assistance of the United States to take down these drones.

Before the Israeli strikes, United States President Donald Trump said that they did not want Israel to strike Iran, as it would affect their ongoing negotiations with the Middle Eastern country. Nevertheless, the United States confirmed after the strikes that they knew about the upcoming attack, but denied any involvement in the planning or execution of the strikes.

Additionally, after the attacks, Trump called them "successful" and has confirmed that he believes Israel's attacks on Iran could help his negotiations over a nuclear deal with Iran. Currently, Iran is trying to create nuclear weapons, and they have been working on all sorts of aspects of the process like uranium enrichment. However, the US has been unhappy about this, and they have been seeking to strike a deal that will halt Iranian nuclear advancements in exchange for lifting trade embargoes on the country, boosting Iran's economy while protecting their nuclear interests.

Now, it is yet to be seen how this conflict plays out. Iran and Israel seem like they are set for a tense, violent time ahead, and the United States has put thier support behind Israel and instructed Iran to quickly agree to a nuclear deal.

Fact of the Day: Someone left a family photo on the Moon. When Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke landed on the Moon in 1972, he decided to leave behind a photo of him, his two sons and his wife. The photo remains on the Moon to this day. 

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Don't let the sadness of your past and the fear of your future ruin the happiness of your present. (Unknown)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Rambunctious (adj, ram-BUNK-shuss) - Rambunctious describes someone or something showing uncontrolled exuberance.

In a Sentence: On my first day of student teaching, I was tasked with managing a class of rambunctious youngsters.