Hamas leader Sinwar is dead

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the man behind the the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks into Israel, has been confirmed by Israel officials.

Those raids killed about 1,500 Israelis – most of them civilians – and prompted a military attack into Gaza that has resulted in over 30,000 Palestinians – most of them civilians – killed and perhaps as many as 2 million displaced.

According to the Associated Press, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his nation has “settled its account” with Sinwar but that “our war has not yet ended.”

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in a related conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, with over 2400 people killed by air strikes and shelling.

U.S. bombers attack militia bases in Yemen

American warplanes – including the B-2 stealth bomber – on Wednesday attacked five underground weapons depots in Yemen, an area controlled by the Houthi militia supported by Iran.

The New York Times said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said that President Joe Biden had ordered the strikes to “degrade” the ability of the Houthis to attack ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, including oil tankers.

“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened or fortified,” Austin said in a statement late Wednesday night. “The employment of U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrate U.S. global strike capabilities to take action against these targets when necessary, anytime, anywhere.”

Dodgers beat Mets 10-2; lead NLCS 3-1

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a three games to one lead over the home New York Mets on Thursday night as they posted a 10-2 victory.

With a victory in Game Five on Friday, the Blue Crew would win the National League pennant and advance to the World Series against the winner of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians.

(In that series, the Yankees lead two games to one; the Guardian won on Thursday 7-5 in 10 innings).

Weather: Cooler, then warmer

Conditions in our West Orange County area will bump up and down into the weekend. The forecast for Friday is for a daytime high of 74 with an overnight low of 55. The skies will be partly cloudy with a 7 percent chance of rain. Saturday and Sunday will be sunny and warm to 77 (56) and 81 (59). then cool to 79 (59) with the return to partly cloudy skies on Monday.

Great Thoughts

“The difference between fiction and reality is that people expect fiction to make sense.”

– Brad Thor, novelist