Good morning. We're covering Israel's strikes in Lebanon — plus, Mayor Eric Adams, the Chinese economy and a banana aficionado.
The Hezbollah frontIsrael is now at war on its western and northern borders as a tense stalemate with Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon, has escalated into open conflict. The current clash goes back a year. Hezbollah started firing missiles into Israel in solidarity with Hamas the day after Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel. A year of back-and-forth bombings between Hezbollah and Israel followed. Yesterday, Israel struck more than 1,300 sites across Lebanon. More than 490 people died in the attacks. Since Israel sent troops into Gaza to fight Hamas, analysts and officials have warned that the war could spiral into a regional conflict. Hamas is part of a network of anti-Israel groups backed by Iran that spans the Middle East. That network includes Hezbollah. The airstrikes over the past few days, in retaliation for Hezbollah's own attacks, move Israel closer to an all-out war in the region against Iranian proxies. Today's newsletter will explain what led to the strikes, what's happening now and what might come next. Year of escalation
Hezbollah is a large paramilitary group that says it wants to destroy Israel and curb U.S. influence in the Middle East. The group, founded during Israel's war in Lebanon in the 1980s, is also a powerful force in Lebanese politics and essentially runs part of Lebanon. It has spent much of its four-decade history attacking Israel, Israel's allies and other targets around the world, including a Jewish cultural center in Argentina in 1994. Hezbollah first gained international notoriety in 1983, when it blew up the American embassy in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, and later American and French barracks there. Since the Oct. 7 attack, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated:
The cycle is familiar. Israel and Hezbollah each claim that its attacks are meant to get the other to back down from a war. Instead, the strikes lead to further escalation. What's next
Israel and Hezbollah have not fought an all-out war since 2006, when Israel invaded Lebanon. More than 1,000 Lebanese and 150 Israelis died. Israel claimed that it won that war, but it did not appear to have much long-term effect on Hezbollah's operations. How would Israel fare in a full war against Hezbollah today? It has already hurt Hezbollah's leadership with the recent airstrikes and pager attacks. But Israel is also fighting in Gaza and the West Bank, where the military has supported Israeli settlers. For a ground war in Lebanon, Israel may have to call up tens of thousands of reservists, many of whom are already exhausted from fighting elsewhere. "On the one hand, it is one of the best-equipped militaries in the world," my colleague Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief, told me. "On the other, it is stretched thin." Yet Israeli leaders might have the public's support. Recent polling suggests that a small majority of Israelis back a broader war against Hezbollah. "The displacement of so many Israelis from northern Israel is considered a kind of loss of sovereignty," Patrick told me. And since Hezbollah does not appear willing to back down from its attacks in support of Hamas, the chances of further escalation remain high. More on the Middle East
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"My default mode of being alive is 'What is that banana?'" Gabriel Sachter-Smith told The Times. Sachter-Smith, 35, has identified some 500 varieties on expeditions around the world. His travels have introduced him to bananas that are egg-shaped and orange, a foot long and pale yellow, and sausage-stubby and green. More on culture
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Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were habitual and halibut. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com.
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Un reportero catalán en San Isidro:Las Ventas virtuales
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Cuando este reportero se encaminaba a la estación de tren de Sants,
escuchaba por la radio una tertulia de RAC-1 (independentistas de pro, la
mayoría) en l...
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