What's happened
Intense military operations continue as Israel responds to Iranian missile attacks and escalates its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The conflict has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with over 41,000 Palestinians reported killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. The situation remains volatile as international leaders call for restraint.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to the New York Times, 'Iran's supreme leader vowed... that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel,' highlighting the potential for a broader conflict. Meanwhile, SBS reports that 'Lebanon says an Israeli strike has cut off the main international road to Syria,' indicating the strategic implications of the military actions. The Guardian notes that 'more than 70 people have been killed in a series of intensive ground operations and airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces in southern Gaza,' underscoring the humanitarian toll of the conflict. Politico adds that 'the Israeli military has attacked hundreds of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon,' suggesting a sustained military campaign against Iranian proxies.
How we got here
The conflict escalated following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in significant casualties. Israel's military response has targeted both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, leading to a broader regional confrontation involving Iranian-backed groups.
More on these topics
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament.
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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Hassan Nasrallah is the third and current Secretary General of the Lebanese political and paramilitary party Hezbollah since his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was assassinated by the Israel Defense Forces in February 1992.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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The Israel Defense Forces, commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal, are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force, and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.
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Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and represented Delaware in the United States Senate
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei is a Twelver Shia Marja' and the second and current supreme leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989.