Happy Friday, Panthers! Welcome to the most stressful time of the year, Major League Baseball opening week. While lineups are being set and pitchers are warming up, make sure to support your team this season. While you are screaming at your TV, go check out this week’s KICs. This week we have Israel expanding attacks on Hezbollah, stories emerging from airport collisions in New York, Atlanta TSA lines getting out of control, and the US seeking political surrender from Hamas after announcing a new Gaza plan.
World – Israel expands attacks against Hezbollah
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia, fired rockets into Israel earlier this month. Since these attacks, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon this March.
On Sunday, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the chief of the general staff, approved plans to advance attacks against Hezbollah. An Israeli air strike also damaged the Qasmiye bridge near the city of Tyre. Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun called the attacks a “prelude to a ground invasion” and said he believed they were part of an expansion of Israel in Lebanese territory.
Lebanon’s government has now vowed to disarm Hezbollah. Despite this, the group has refused to discuss the future of their weapons.
National – Stories emerge from airport collision in New York as officials instigate cause
At New York’s LaGuardia Airport, an Air Canada plane collided at high speeds with a fire truck. Due to the high speed, the pilots were killed and a flight attendant was hurled out of the aircraft, while passengers had to make their escape with their own hands.
The passengers tore open the emergency exit doors and jumped onto the plane’s wings then helped catch the other passengers. Some were bleeding or had head wounds. Roughly 40 passengers and the crew members from the Montreal regional jet and two people from the fire truck were sent to hospitals. Some had serious injuries, but Monday morning, some were released and others walked away without treatment.
Air traffic controllers were not impacted by the government shutdown that caused long delays at airport security checkpoints in recent days which were affected by recent shutdowns. There were 1,636 runaway incursions as of last year from FAA statistics.
State – Atlanta TSA lines have gotten out of hand
Atlanta TSA lines have gotten increasingly longer with the recent shortage of staff. They are leaving primarily because they have been working without pay since mid-February.
The White House has sent various agents from the ICE and HSI organizations to various airports to help with security operations. Though, wait times have still reached incredibly high numbers. The lines are described to be snaking out of the doors during the morning.
The airport’s official wait-time website was even shut down momentarily due to the extreme times. The Hartsfield-Jackson Airport has started advising people to arrive four hours before their departure time.
Politics – US seeks Hamas political surrender after announcing a new Gaza plan
United States envoys have given written demands for the total dismemberment of Hamas and allied Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip. This is a plan for a total ‘political surrender.’
The document was presented by US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” in mid-March. It proposes a controversial US vision for the enclave, as Israel’s war continues to ravage the territory. Thousands are missing under rubble and presumed dead.
Under the US framework, Israeli troops will leave the enclave and begin reconstruction only after Gaza troops lay down their weapons. On Tuesday, Nickolay Mladenov urged Palestinian forces to agree “without delay.”