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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 22, 2024

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There was a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Golan heights about 45 minutes ago. I don’t think it was that large overall, but one of the rockets hit a school soccer practice. Mass casualties confirmed, including at least four dead children. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been pulled into an emergency security meeting due to the incident. My gut tells me the response will be severe and that this will trigger a war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has already been brewing for some time.

Edit (7:30 PM GMT) Israeli media is reporting that Prime Minister Netanyahu has received approval from the United States for a major operation against Hezbollah.

Edit 2 (8:00PM GMT) Israeli authorities are saying at least 10 dead.

Edit 3 (8:47PM GMT) Massive GPS jamming occurring throughout the Mediterranean

Edit 4: (10:23PM GMT) Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed condolences to the Druze community, dates that the attack “will not pass on silence”

Edit 5 (4:43AM GMT) Unconfirmed reports in Lebanese media of Israeli air strikes in Lebanon.

Edit 6 (5:10 PM GMT) Confirmed IAF air strikes on Lebanon occurring now.

Edit 7 (7:32 PM GMT) Israeli drones are airborne over Beirut. Israel is calling up medical volunteers to surge staff to hospitals in northern Israel in anticipation of large volumes of casualties.

Edit 8 (8:02 PM GMT) Municipal officials in Western and Northern Galilee regions are ordering residents into shelters

Edit 9 (3:04PM GMT) The Israeli Cabinet has given Prime Minister Netanyahu authorization for a strike on Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

I think there should be a major news story every time civilians are killed in Palestine. Israel is blasting away with airstrikes and plays victim when a few fireworks get shot back.

Israel doesn't want to get involved in Lebanon. Their military is tired after trying to control Gaza for 9 months. They are getting pulled into their nightmare situation, in which they have 7 million Palestinians and 5.5 million Lebanese to subjugate. That is more than half of the population of Iraq in 2003. The non ultra-orthodox jewish population of Israel is less than the population of Denmark or Wisconsin. The current war isn't going to end because they fundamentally can't subjugate that many people. They are stuck in the same situation Rhodesians were stuck in during the 70s and the French were stuck in during the 50s in Algeria.

They can kill people, they can arrest people, but there are simply will be more people.

Israelis killing Palestinians in Gaza is a "dog bites man" tier occurrence now. There's no way it can be a major news story every time it happens.