Mike Baker

What we're seeing is a sustained high-volume air campaign aimed at squarely at Hezbollah's command centers and military infrastructure.

The Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese health ministry says at least 112 people have been killed, though those numbers haven't been independently verified.

However, Reuters confirms that hospitals do appear to be under visible strain.

Now, here's what stands out about the timing of these strikes.

Because all of this is happening as Hezbollah has reportedly paused its attacks.

According to multiple reports, the Iran-backed terror group stood down under what it believed was a two-week ceasefire tied to the broader U.S.-Iran agreement.

In fact, it ties directly into something we've been discussing here on the podcast, this growing confusion over what the ceasefire actually covers.

Because the U.S., Iran, and Israel have all been describing the terms of the ceasefire differently, particularly when it comes to whether Lebanon is included.

But Israel has made its position very clear.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says the ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Lebanon and that operations against Hezbollah will continue regardless.

And that contradicts what we were hearing from the Pakistani Prime Minister, who was acting as an intermediary in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks and indicated that Lebanon would, in fact, be included in the agreement.

Regardless of who had the right interpretation, from Hezbollah's perspective, Israel's actions are a violation of the ceasefire.

The terror group is calling the strikes, quote, barbaric aggression.

Oh, well, that's coming from the group responsible for the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 Americans and 58 French.

And of course, they also took the CIA station chief, William Buckley, off the streets in Beirut.

torturing him and eventually killing him after 14 months in captivity.

Of course, then there was the Kobar Towers bombing, not to mention various hijackings and embassy bombings, and years of rocket attacks on Israel, including in support of the Hamas brutalities on 7 October 2023.

Well, I guess that does make them qualified to talk about barbaric aggression.

A senior Hezbollah lawmaker is warning that the Israeli attacks are a, quote, grave violation of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, adding that there will be, quote, repercussions for the entire agreement if they continue.

Now, what those supposed repercussions will be is anyone's guess.