Wednesday, October 2

The United States Vice Presidential Debate took place last night, with Democratic nominee Tim Walz facing off against Republican nominee JD Vance in an intense debate. Look out for a deep dive article by Mihir Gupta coming later this week on the political event.

Iran fired over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel yesterday as the tension between the two Middle Eastern powers finally snapped, and it could break out into an all-out war across the region.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United States had warned Israel of a possible incoming attack from Iran, and that attack finally came on Tuesday evening. Hundreds of missiles were fired from Iran towards Israel, sparking air raid sirens across the country. Thousands of people were forced into underground shelters, and meetings were initially restricted for a short period of time until the attack had come to an end. Israel's intricate defense system, along with the help of the US Navy, took down most of the missiles, avoiding major damage. Nonetheless, several missiles were not intercepted, leading to large explosions on the ground. One person, a Palestinian, was killed in the West Bank after being hit by falling debris from a missile explosion, but there were no other fatalities from the strikes.

However, just before the strikes on Israel, a shooting took place in Tel Aviv, Israel's second-most populous city. Six people were killed and at least 17 others were injured after two gunmen fired into a crowd at a train station in the city. The gunmen have been considered as terrorists and were killed on the spot by local police.

Later, soon after the missiles struck Israel, they quickly responded with multiple strikes on Hezbollah operations centers in Beirut, adding onto the damage they had done earlier in the day; on Tuesday afternoon, several strikes hit southern Lebanon before the Iranian missiles were launched, killing 55 people and injuring over 150 others.

This comes just after Israel began a ground invasion of Lebanon on Tuesday morning following extreme tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed organization centered in Lebanon. Hezbollah supports Hamas in their war against Israel in Gaza, which is what began the initial conflict between the two. After Israel and Hezbollah traded fire, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah was killed in a recent airstrike on the organization's primary headquarters in Beirut, sparking yesterday's attacks. In addition, tensions between Israel and Iran have been rising recently, ever since the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike on Tehran, the capital of Iran.

Israel has promised these attacks will not go unnoticed, and they have confirmed that a strong response is on the way. While the United States has said that they are working to find a peaceful solution before the conflict breaks out into an all-out Middle Eastern war, they have also stated that they strongly support Israel in this fight against Iran, and will take necessary action to defend the country from incoming attacks if needed. Over 40,000 US troops are currently stationed in the area, and the Pentagon has stated that they plan to send thousands more in the coming days.

The entire world is now waiting and watching until Israel executes their response to Iran's strikes, which is sure to be a massive retaliation.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): While the Nile River is well-known as the world's longest river, at 4,132 miles long, do you know the world's shortest river? The Roe River, located next to the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana, is a mere 201 feet-- it has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest river in the world.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Patience and silence are two powerful energies. Patience makes you mentally strong. Silence makes you emotionally strong. (Unknown)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Chthonic (adj)- Chthonic means "of or relating to the underworld." It is used as a synonym of infernal.

In a Sentence: Cleo compared entering her brother's basement bedroom to a descent into chthonic regions: it was dark and odd-smelling, and she was a little frightened of what she might find there.