Israeli military attacks over 300 anti-Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

Israel attacks Lebanon: Early this morning, the Israeli military attacked over 300 locations across Lebanon, targeting militants from the terror group Hezbollah. The attacks killed at least 100 people and wounded over 400. Lebanese authorities say this was the deadliest day in the country since the wave of fighting began last October.

Yesterday, Hezbollah fired 150 rockets, drones and missiles into northern Israel in a particularly aggressive show of force that it said was retaliation for Israel's killing of 61-year-old Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil on Friday, along with 10 other Hezbollah-linked militants.

Before his death, the US State Department had placed a $7 million bounty on Akil, partly for his role in the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut and in the American hostage-taking.

Previously, there had already been an attack last Tuesday, presumably linked to Israel, in which thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing twelve people (mainly Hezbollah members, but also two small children) and injuring numerous others.

“A day after those deadly explosions, more detonations occurred in Beirut and parts of Lebanon on Wednesday – including several blasts heard at a funeral in Beirut, where three Hezbollah members and a child were killed in Tuesday's blasts,” the Associated Press reports, noting that at least 25 other people were killed and more than 600 injured.

“We are at the beginning of a new phase of the war,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday.

Trump’s successes in Arizona: New survey from The New York Times/Siena College notes that Republican candidate Donald Trump was able to increase his lead slightly in Arizona, while maintaining his lead in Georgia. Both states were won by Joe Biden in 2020. Which swing state is currently in focus? Traditionally Republican North Carolina, where Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is narrowing the gap to her opponent.

Arizona is particularly interesting because Harris appears to have a problem with Latino voters. The same poll from August found Harris ahead by five percentage points. It is the Latinos who appear to have turned away from Harris, “though a significant number – 10 percent – said they were now undecided,” reports the Just. Interestingly, despite Trump's lead, Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego is doing well in the polls, suggesting that quite a number of voters may split their votes this time around.

Scenes from Lisbon: Some softcore pronatalism from Lisbon airport. If you didn't travel with a stroller, you can borrow one there for free (and leave it at your gate when boarding). If you're traveling with a small child, you can go through special expedited customs, security, and passport checks. In fact, people are kind of sweetly offended when you not Take them at their word; it is culturally important to put families first. Having traveled through Portugal and Cape Verde (formerly a Portuguese colony), I am grateful for the small efforts this culture makes to make everyday life easier for families with young children.

FAST HITS

• On the disappearance of religion/faith from elections.
• “A House committee investigating threats from China argued in a report released Monday that U.S. government research funding helped advance Chinese technologies for military applications, strengthening a potential U.S. national security rival,” reports The New York Times.
• It could just be that I was offline for too long, on vacation, and that I missed a lot of the analysis. But is anyone else a little worried about the relative calm after a second Attack on Donald Trump? The potential assassin Ryan Routh does not seem to be as ideologically inclined as one might expect. He is motivated more by the war in Ukraine than by domestic politics.
• In case you missed it: Zach Weissmueller and I speak Gender QueerBook bans and school curricula with Erika Sanzi.

• Did you know that selling raw milk across state lines is illegal? I didn't know until I read this. You can find more information on each state's laws here.
• American taxpayers have to pay for… COVID tests? Does anyone even do that anymore?
• Speaking of which, in the competition for the worst headline I've ever seen: “Public health officials should have been talking about their sex parties all along.” I don't want to know about the lust of bullies and think the architects of COVID policy should be held accountable for their misconduct.
• “Sometimes the best thing parents can do is nothing,” writes Russell Shaw in The Atlanticand argues that parents can and should step back to improve their children's (and their own) development.
• Paglia rarely misses:

Camille Paglia explains the fundamental contradiction of modern liberalism pic.twitter.com/8gn4eioLq2

— Jash Dholani (@oldbooksguy) 22 September 2024

In many ways, Mark Robinson is the most American politician of all. A stone cold pervert with no social awareness whatsoever and a hugely unearned ego. Extremely racist in a way that makes no sense at all. Addicted to hardcore pornography. Like it or not, he is our avatar.

— America's Lounge Singer (@KrangTNelson) 19 September 2024