Airstrike Exchange

Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel boiled over yesterday morning.

Hezbollah––the (lengthy-to-describe) Lebanon-based, Iran-backed, Hamas-allied militant group––had reportedly planned a rocket attack on northern Israel in retaliation for the assassination of its top commander last month. Israel says it learned of the attack and blunted it, striking thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers so that “fifty percent, maybe two-thirds” of their rockets didn’t liftoff.

Still, each side landed hundreds of blows, marking the heaviest exchange of airstrikes during a months-long back-and-forth. By mid-morning, skies had quieted, and Hezbollah’s leader said its successful attack was over. Israel reported killing three Hezbollah fighters and sustaining “very little” home front damage.

The morning’s conflict added fuel to fears of a regional war, but by afternoon, both sides had seemed to step back, avoiding escalation.

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Verse to consider when you’re stuck in a cycle of retaliation and escalation… “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.”
Proverbs 15:1 (CSB) (read full passage)