Israel, Lebanon and Hizb'Allah.

[Workingman]

Israel is hitting south Lebanon and Hizb'Allah (it's real name) sites. It, Hizb'Allah, is said to have 150,000 rockets capable of hitting all of Israel, some are precision weapons.

Where the hell is this all going? War!

If the sides do not talk, and the rockets keep coming, it is likely that Israel will hit Iranian nuclear sites before it is hit itself. Russia will back Iran and the West will back Israel. Ukraine will look like a garden party. What will China do? Israel and Iran are both suspected of having independent nuclear weapons not controlled by outside forces. The danger is that they might use them.

I know that the hawks see this as weakness but the sides do have to talk. The nuclear Doomsday Clock now sits at 80 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been. We need to watch out.

[Kaz]

My new niece is Lebanese/Canadian and still has a grandmother and various other family members in Lebanon. As of yesterday she is unsure of their safety

[Workingman]

My French / Lebanese neighbours have family up near Tripoli and are desperately worried. They are hoping for the mooted EU / UK evacuation to begin to Cyprus or Turkey. Some of them have joint citizenship going back years when France administered part of it.

[cromwell]

In the early 1970s some firms were runing package holidays to the Lebanon. Those days seem an awfully long time ago now.

[Workingman]

Beirut was once known as something like the "Paris of the Med". Some of the forces stationed on Cyprus would take long weekends there by ferry. It looks like the only trips nowadays are RAF evacuation flights.

[Kaz]

Sad news - our niece’s best friend (she was at the wedding in Canada, Doreen loved her) has lost a cousin and the cousin’s little girl in a bombing raid

[TheOstrich]

Sad news - our niece’s best friend (she was at the wedding in Canada, Doreen loved her) has lost a cousin and the cousin’s little girl in a bombing raid

The Israelis have a lot to answer for, Kaz .....
Whether they ever will is another matter.

[Workingman]

Since its inception in 1948 Israel has been unaccepted by its Arab neighbours. It has been invaded and faced wars - 1948; 1956, Suez; 1967, Six day; 1973. Yom Kippur.

Iran, and others, vow to wipe it from the face of the Earth, yet it is the bad guy?

Imagine what the UK would do if Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, the Low Countries, Denmark and Scandinavia. were determined to end us. It was once the case. Would we roll over? I guess not.

Liz 1 said "No" and so do I.

IMHO Israel has every right to defend itself from whatever enemy it faces. However, I do agree that a Palestinian state needs to created.

Kaz, I am so sorry.

[Kaz]

Sad news - our niece’s best friend (she was at the wedding in Canada, Doreen loved her) has lost a cousin and the cousin’s little girl in a bombing raid

The Israelis have a lot to answer for, Kaz .....
Whether they ever will is another matter.

Absolutely.

[Kaz]

Thank you Frank, but I disagree that their current actions are defensive