In the space of a few days, the focus of Israeli military operations appears to have shifted decisively from Gaza in the south to Lebanon in the north.
A dizzying escalation between Israel and Hezbollah began last week with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies and culminated in a ferocious Israeli bombardment of alleged Hezbollah military targets, killing hundreds of people.
With Iran’s support, the Lebanon-based Shia militia has conducted a background conflict with Israel since the 1980s. Is this the intensification that finally signals all-out war?
International security correspondent Jason Burke reflects on a crisis shaped by 40 years of shadow sparring, while defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh says it’s difficult to see who would emerge victorious from a ground war – but neither side appears willing to back down.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
1
Spotlight | The brutal truth behind Italy’s migrant reduction
A Guardian investigation reveals EU money goes to forces involved in abuse, leaving people to die in the desert and colluding with smugglers
2
Technology | Why aren’t humanoids in our homes yet?
The development of robots is dogged by technical and safety challenges. But the dream of a multipurpose domestic droid lives on, writes Victoria Turk
3
Feature | An Israeli and a Palestinian discuss 7 October, Gaza – and the future
Could Couples Therapy’s Orna Guralnik and former participant Christine try to understand one another without the conversation breaking down?
4
Opinion | Zelenskyy needs Biden to back his plan to win peace
In besieged Kharkiv, Timothy Garton Ash saw how Ukraine is approaching a perilous moment. To turn the tide, it needs to decisively knock back Russia
5
Culture | Chappell Roan on sexuality, superstardom and the joy of drag
She’s gone from obscurity to the A-list, but not without struggle. Kate Solomon talks to the singer about teenage angst and her queer inspirations
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What else we’ve been reading
In a fascinating feature for the Observer, Amelia Abraham looked at the rise of “divorce regret”. Almost half of marriages in the UK end in divorce, but between 10 and 15% of couples reconcile after they separate and about 6% of couples marry each other once again. Abraham spoke to couples who have reunited. As one interviewee told her, having remarried following a five-year break in his relationship: “After time apart, it felt as if we were marrying more as the people we actually are, rather than the people we thought we should be.”
Clare Horton, assistant editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Are the world’s oldest people really that old?
• Video | Pesto the 22.5kg penguin chick set to shed weight after going viral
• Gallery | Subversive travel snaps from pioneering photographer Luigi Ghirri
• Interactive | US presidential polls tracker: latest national averages
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