Tuesday, September 24

At least 492 people are dead in the latest round of intense strikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah and Israel trade heavy fire at the border.

Israel and Hezbollah experienced some serious conflict earlier in the week, sparking fears of an all-out war on the way. You can read more about the initial conflict here.

Following Israel's electronic device explosions last week, Israel struck Lebanon again on Friday, killing a chief Hezbollah military commander, several operatives, and numerous civilians in an airstrike. Hezbollah replied by launching around 150 rockets and missiles towards northern Israel on Sunday, forcing locals into bomb shelters and bombarding the area with explosions. Many of the incoming projectiles were blocked by Israel, but a second round of over 250 rockets came down on the same region on Monday. Schools were forced to shut down and businesses closed for the day as well. Israel promised a strong retaliation, as they would not back down from a fight with Hezbollah.

On Monday, Israel hit over 1,600 targets relating to Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon, taking down missiles, drones, and more weapons. Numerous targets were deep inside residential areas, and while Israel told residents to evacuate ahead of time, many people were not able to or refused to leave. Other targets also included hospitals, medical centers, and schools.

Highways leading out of southern Lebanon were jam-packed with evacuees scrambling to get out of the region before Israel struck their targets. 492 people were killed in the attacks, including 58 women and 35 children, and injured at least 1,650 others.

Israel has confirmed that they will not stop now-- the country's military is already planning for another round of attacks on more Hezbollah operatives and bases in Lebanon this week. They have told all residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately, and Israel will let them know when it will be safe to return to their homes.

Locals, experts, the United Nations, the European Union, and other governments all fear that this conflict could rapidly escalate into a full-blown war, as Hezbollah strongly supports Hamas in Gaza and Israel continues to retaliate to Hezbollah's attacks. However, a situation like that would certainly have a major impact on the civilian population of Lebanon, as it has done to Gaza-- over 41,400 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas War, and a total of 1.7 million people have been displaced.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Farmers in South Dakota are allowed to set off fireworks or explosives to protect their sunflower crops, as long as the blasts are at least 660 feet away from the nearest church, home, or schoolhouse.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Every successful person has a painful story. Every painful story has a successful ending. Accept the pain and get ready for success. (Unknown)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Rue (verb)- To rue something is to feel penitence, remorse, or regret for it. Rue is often used in the phrase "rue the day."

In a Sentence: I rue the day I signed that infernal contract.