2000 Lives In Lebanon

While the president fist-pumped the crowd at UFC 307 in Miami, the United States war with Iran entered one of its most dangerous phases yet. Peace talks in Islamabad collapsed after 21 hours of face-to-face negotiations. The sticking points: Iran's nuclear stockpile and control of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington walked out. Hours later, riding back to his Doral Resort after midnight, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy would blockade the Strait of Hormuz entirely, threatening to interdict every vessel that has paid a toll to Iran and warning any country that assists Iran with a 50 percent tariff.The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 percent of the world's oil. Oil has already spiked past $100 a barrel. The New York Times editorial board catalogued four concrete losses for American national interests since the start of this conflict: Iran now controls the strait in a way it never could have imagined before, more than a quarter of America's Tomahawk missile inventory has been depleted and will take years to restore, and the diplomatic coalition needed to resolve the situation is unraveling. The president called it a total victory.What is not in any of the headlines from Islamabad is Lebanon. When the ceasefire was announced, Netanyahu's office made it explicit: Lebanon is not part of the deal. Israel has continued its air and ground campaign throughout the entire negotiation period. The first day of the ceasefire was one of the deadliest days in Lebanon in recent memory. More than 300 people were killed in a single day of Israeli strikes. At least 165 children and 250 women have been killed across this campaign. In the village of Srifa, the Said family had gathered to bury their father when a strike hit their home. Seven-year-old Aline survived. Her one-and-a-half-year-old sister Talin did not.Iran has demanded any peace agreement include a Lebanon ceasefire. Israel has refused. The United States is siding with Israel. Lebanon has no seat at any table. Today on the Ignition News, we ask you to hold all of it at once: the geopolitics, the global economy, and a baby named Talin carried out in a green cloth. That is the war. Not the posts. Not the fist pumps.We challenge you to learn more about Lebanon and the history of this conflict. It is by seeing clearly what is happening that we have any hope of stopping it.Stay lit.