Fighting Between Israel and Hezbollah Is Reaching New Heights, but Is It a War?

What's Happening

International

Fighting Between Israel and Hezbollah Is Reaching New Heights, but Is It a War?

What's going on: After a weekend of escalating violence, the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Monday that it said targeted over 800 Hezbollah positions and military infrastructure in Lebanon. The Lebanese Health Ministry said those strikes killed more than 490 people, including dozens of women and children, and injured more than 1,600 others. Lebanese officials did not specify how many of the casualties were Hezbollah fighters or civilians. Thousands of residents in southern Lebanon fled amid reports that the Israeli government sent audio and text messages telling them to evacuate. The Israeli military said the Iranian-backed militia was storing weapons in civilian buildings and homes. Hezbollah responded with its own strikes, but Israel’s defense system intercepted many of them.

What it means: Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in on-and-off fighting for several decades, but yesterday marked the deadliest day of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in nearly 20 years. Fighting, which ramped up last week, continues to escalate, but neither side is calling it a war. According to The Associated Press, both may be avoiding the term to prevent triggering a wider conflict or to avoid blame if the violence worsens as they pursue their military objectives. Hezbollah wants to pressure Israel into agreeing to a cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza, while Israel wants to ensure that displaced Israelis can safely return to their homes in the north along the Lebanese border. However, experts warn that Israel’s amplified tactics against Hezbollah threatens to destabilize the region, and that little can be gained if Israel’s military continues to simultaneously fight in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Related: The US Is Sending More Troops to the Middle East Amid the Escalation (USA Today)

US News

Will Diddy's Arrest Spark a #MeToo Movement in the Music Industry?

What's going on: As Sean “Diddy” Combs faces allegations of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, activists and survivors of sexual violence hope the case could be a pivotal moment for the music industry. Combs’s prosecution is the most significant sexual misconduct case in the music world since R. Kelly. Despite some high-profile accusations against people like Russell Simmons, Ryan Adams, and Marilyn Manson, the industry has largely skirted the #MeToo reckoning that reshaped Hollywood, politics, and media. A 2018 survey conducted by the Music Industry Research Association revealed that 72% of female musicians faced gender discrimination, and 67% reported experiencing sexual harassment. Now, many hope the case against Combs leads to actual change within the music industry.

What it means: The unfolding case against Combs, who could face up to life in prison, threatens to upend an industry notorious for its lavish and largely unchecked culture. As The New York Times highlights, the industry remains largely controlled by men. Women of color have raised allegations of misogyny in the music business for years, often going unheard. That’s especially true of Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie who alleged that he abused her. The pair settled out of court, but Cassie was not openly believed until irrefutable video evidence emerged. Meanwhile, Combs’s extensive and extremely famous network is now under intense scrutiny, raising questions about potential accomplices or victims involved in his alleged criminal enterprise.

Related: What Happens With Combs’s Music Now? (Time)

Politics

US To Seek Attempted Assassination Charge in Trump Golf Course Incident

What's going on: Federal prosecutors said they will pursue an attempted assassination charge against the man accused of lurking with a gun while former President Donald Trump golfed in Florida last week. Prosecutors presented evidence, including a handwritten note from the suspect that read in part: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you.” Investigators said the 58-year-old man spent a month surveilling the golf course, before choosing to position himself near the sixth hole with a semiautomatic rifle. Investigators found his fingerprint on the weapon, along with a handwritten list of Trump’s scheduled appearances, multiple cellphones, gloves, and a passport in his SUV, according to prosecutors.

What it means: This case further exposes significant security lapses within the Secret Service’s protocols and raises questions about accountability. While Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after the attempt on Trump’s life in Pennsylvania, the agency has only faced further scrutiny after what happened in Florida. Both incidents are expected to come up later this week when a House task force investigating the first attempted assassination holds a hearing. In the meantime, the House unanimously approved a bill to bolster Secret Service protection for major presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Related: Trump Tells Women They Won't "Be Thinking About Abortion" If He Wins (WSJ gift link)

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this newsletter stated that the Israeli military had not provided evidence of Hezbollah storing weapons in civilian buildings. Early Tuesday morning, the IDF released photos it said showed Hezbollah munitions in Lebanese homes, although their authenticity hasn’t been verified. We failed to include that development in the newsletter before it reached your inbox.

Your Political Briefing

The week in political chaos.

The horse race: The latest poll from The New York Times and Siena College show former President Donald Trump is leading against VP Kamala Harris in Arizona and Georgia — a key swing state he lost in 2020. Meanwhile, Harris has narrowed the gap with Trump in North Carolina. The poll results are within the margin of error.

Down ballot: Control of the Senate next year could come down to one state: Montana. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is the last Democrat to hold a public office in the state, which Trump won by 16 points in 2020. It’s set to be the most expensive Senate race of the year as Democrats pour in over $152 million.

Melania watch: Who wrote Melania Trump a check for six figures? The unusual payment she received for a rare appearance at a GOP fundraiser is raising eyebrows.

Overheard on the trail: “We can’t afford four more years of this” — Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), accidentally finding a way to get on the same page with Republicans during a gaffe at a rally.

Tell Us

VP Kamala Harris recently raised four times more in donations than former President Donald Trump. Do you donate to political campaigns?

Extra Credit

Read

If you loved Little Women, consider putting Coco Mellors’s Blue Sisters at the top of your reading list. The family drama follows, you guessed it, sisters. Specifically Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky Blue, who are shocked to learn that their parents are selling their childhood home just a year after their sister Nicky’s tragic death. Now, they have to face their grief by cleaning out the family’s Upper West Side apartment, where Nicky lived in adulthood. Expect bingeable, alternating chapters and a well-rounded perspective on grief, addiction, and complicated family dynamics.

Game Time

Start your Tuesday off right with Typeshift, a fun new game that challenges you to create words from a set number of letters. Warning: It’s very addicting. Start playing.