Israel Strikes Hezbollah

Plus, forest rescue.

August 27, 2024

The Flag

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:

  • US: Trump visits Arlington Cemetery to mark Afghanistan withdrawal anniversary (The Hill)

  • World: France's Macron says no political motive behind Telegram CEO's arrest (Reuters)

  • Business: Canada to slap 100% tariff on Chinese EVs just as BYD preps for market debut (Electrek)

  • Technology: Apple sets iPhone 16 event for September 9 (TechCrunch)

  • Sports: Fanatics names Marvin Harrison Jr.'s father in refiled lawsuit (ESPN)

And of course, some good news: 6-Year-old Boy Found in the Forest After 150 Searched for Five Days.

POWERED BY MONEY

Safeguarding your retirement with a Gold IRA can help you shield your wealth from market shifts, economic uncertainty, and inflation. And with gold’s value projected to increase in 2024, now is a good time to invest. Planning for retirement involves more than saving, so fortify your portfolio with gold today and plan for a better tomorrow.

Left: Crime Is Down. Kamala Is Up, John Pfaff, The New Republic

Right: Democrats Put On the Fakest Show on Earth at DNC, Miranda Devine, New York Post

Right: RFK Jr. and Liberal Tears, Earick Ward, American Thinker

Right: Two publications That Might as Well Be Run by the DNC, Becket Adams, National Review

MIDDLE EAST

Israel Strikes Hezbollah

Today’s Top Story: Over the weekend, Israel launched “preemptive strikes” against Hezbollah in Lebanon after the Iran-backed group vowed retaliation for the killing of its top commander, escalating months of hostilities that have raised fears of regional conflict. Hezbollah responded by launching drones and rockets, but Israel claimed to have intercepted them all.

Reporting from the Left: Israel and Hezbollah step back from the brink of wider war — for now (CNN)

Reporting from the Right: Israel and Hezbollah exchange rocket fire as tension in the region continues (Washington Examiner)

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Peace Looking Unlikely

The Top Argument From The Left: With Israel’s attack on Lebanon, the prospect of peace is moving even further out of reach, Simon Tisdall, The Guardian: “The renewed violence, which appears to have abated quickly but could plainly flare up again at any moment, represents a potentially serious setback for international peace efforts. … Ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in recent days have reportedly killed dozens more people. … The fear today, as in the past, is that all these bitter conflicts will merge together into one huge regional conflagration drawing in other Iranian proxies in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and forcing, in turn, a military response from the US and its allies… The ultimate nightmare is that Iran itself will directly confront Israel (or the other way around). … Opponents and critics accuse Netanyahu, with some justice, of blocking a Gaza deal in his unrealistic pursuit of ‘total victory’ – and deliberately stoking an expanded conflict to aid his political survival. … What is Netanyahu’s plan? Does he have one? Because his governing majority in the Knesset, and his own position as premier, depend on the support of a handful of extremist religious and Jewish nationalist ministers and deputies, and because he could face jail on corruption charges once he is out of power, opponents say Netanyahu has no interest in peace on any front.”

Honorable Mention #1: After Risky Face-Off, the Middle East Is Back to ‘Normal’, Ethan Bronner, Bloomberg.

Honorable Mention #2: Israel and Hezbollah have good reason to avoid war – but it remains possible, Julian Borger, The Guardian.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Regional Dominance Within Reach

The Top Argument From The Right: Israel’s strikes on Lebanon bring Jerusalem one step closer to regional dominance, Jake Wallis Simmons, The Spectator: “As the dust literally settles across southern Lebanon in the aftermath of the Israeli airstrikes, we are starting to see an answer to the question of whether this will be the escalation that leads to all-out war. Hezbollah has declared an end to the first phase of revenge for Israel’s assassination of its most senior military commander Fuad Shukr, who masterminded the killing of 241 marines and 58 French soldiers in 1983, in Beirut last month. Its planned attack on the headquarters of Mossad and Unit 8200, Israel’s fabled military intelligence directorate, has been averted. Casualties appear to have been very limited. Jerusalem’s spy chiefs have flown to Cairo to continue the hostage negotiations, which have not been derailed. For all Hezbollah’s insistence to the contrary, this round of violence looks like another major Israeli win. … A satisfying picture is emerging. Hezbollah has been chastened and degraded, internecine political tension is rising in Lebanon and the Israeli deterrent has been further restored. This piece of brinkmanship by Jerusalem was painstakingly calibrated to give Hezbollah a slap across the chops without triggering a war. So far, it looks to have achieved this objective.”

Honorable Mention #1: Israel Stymies Hezbollah’s Attack, The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal.

Honorable Mention #2: Iran and Hezbollah don’t want a war with Israel, Jonathan Spyer, The Spectator.

FLAG THIS

Israelis Distrust Military and Political Leadership

Polling from July by the Jewish People Policy Institute, which surveyed 816 Israelis, revealed significant distrust in both military and political leadership. 55% of respondents do not trust the army's senior leadership, while only 26% trust the government, with 74% expressing low or somewhat low trust. Confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is similarly low, with 71% expressing very low or somewhat low confidence, contrasted with just 27% who still hold high or moderately high confidence in him (Middle East Monitor).

Do you believe it is likely for a wider conflict to occur in the Middle East?

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WATERCOOLER

Krakatoa Explodes, Quick Clean, One Area

On This Day in 1883, one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history occurs on Krakatoa (also called Krakatau), a small, uninhabited volcanic island east of Sumatra and west of Java, on August 27, 1883. Heard 3,000 miles away—and believed to have produced the loudest sounds in human history—the explosions threw five cubic miles of earth 50 miles into the air, created 120-foot tsunamis and killed 36,000 people.

Today I learned eleven U.S. states have just one area code.

POWERED BY MONEY

Safeguarding your retirement with a Gold IRA can help you shield your wealth from market shifts, economic uncertainty, and inflation. And with gold’s value projected to increase in 2024, now is a good time to invest. Planning for retirement involves more than saving, so fortify your portfolio with gold today and plan for a better tomorrow.

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