So it was said, so it was done. At 8:00 a.m. Lebanese time, the ceasefire agreed upon by Israeli, Lebanese and Hezbollah leadership began after 34 days of bitter conflict. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 demands a complete end to hostilities, an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces in Lebanon, full control of Lebanese forces in by the Government of Lebanon, and the strengthening of UNIFIL to a possible 15,000 soldiers. The longevity of the ceasefire, however, has been called into question since it was agreed upon over the weekend. It would be a mistake to claim that a turbulent cease-fire is better than the attacks that had been going on but to proclaim it as an overall victory would be very short sighted indeed. (continued on pg. W3…)

After waking up this morning to the news that 8,000 Israeli troops have entered Lebanon in a massive new ground attack, I realized things were definitely going to get a lot worse long before they get better. This was followed by Hezbollah responding by firing 190 rockets into Northern Israel (including their furthest strike yet, hitting the southern Israeli town of Belt Shean). Is this a sign of the end of the world as predicted by evangelical Christians and, well, extremists on all sides? (continued on pg. W2…)

As someone who isn’t particularly well versed in the history that is behind the current conflict between Israel and Hezbullah, I wasn’t planning on commenting on the issue until a later date. I have been following what has transpired in recent weeks via the regular news outlets but feel my knowledge of the region lacks a certain big picture understanding that can only be found with oodles of research and attention to first hand testimonials. What did Hezbollah expect when they first attacked the Israeli forces and took their hostages? (continued on pg. W1…)