IDF aircrafts carried out strikes against Hezbollah observation posts near Israel’s northern border early Wednesday morning in response to fire from Lebanon toward IDF troops. “During operational activity in northern Israel [Tuesday] night, shots were fired from Lebanon toward IDF troops,” the IDF spokesperson stated. “We responded with fire, and our aircraft struck Hezbollah observation posts near the border.” “This is a severe event and we remain ready to combat any threat to our borders. The IDF holds the Lebanese government responsible for all events stemming from Lebanon. We view this incident with great severity.

Federal authorities on Saturday forced demonstrators away from a plaza near a federal building as dueling demonstrations in Portland by right-wing and left-wing protesters turned violent. The area includes county and federal buildings and has been the site of numerous recent protests. Department of Homeland Security officers moved through the plaza across from an 18-story federal building. A federal courthouse is also near that area. The demonstration began at about noon near the Multnomah County Justice Center in Oregon’s biggest city, local media outlets reported. Demonstrators hurled rocks and other items at each other and got into fights. Streets were blocked amid the mayhem.

COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday. “The case numbers suggest the problem is far from solved,” said Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago, who specializes in long-term care. She was not involved with the study. Long-term care facilities account for less than 1% of the U.S. population, but more than 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The situation is a politically sensitive issue for President Donald Trump, who is scrambling to hold on to support from older voters as polls show disapproval of his administration’s response to the pandemic.

Rep. Ilhan Omar is about to learn whether voters in her Minneapolis-area congressional district support the mix of confrontational, anti-Trump progressivism and celebrity that she brings to the job. Omar, the first Somali American and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, is facing a surprisingly well-funded challenger in Minnesota’s Democratic primaries on Tuesday. Antone Melton-Meaux, a Black lawyer and mediator, raised millions of anti-Omar dollars to fill mailboxes and flood airwaves. His “Focused on the Fifth” message has portrayed Omar, a member of “The Squad” of four progressive female lawmakers, as out of touch with the 5th District.

Riverdale Nursing Home in the Bronx appears, on paper, to have escaped the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, with an official state count of just four deaths in its 146-bed facility. The truth, according to the home, is far worse: 21 dead, most transported to hospitals before they succumbed. “It was a cascading effect,” administrator Emil Fuzayov recalled. “One after the other.” New York’s coronavirus death toll in nursing homes, already among the highest in the nation, could actually be a significant undercount. Unlike every other state with major outbreaks, New York only counts residents who died on nursing home property and not those who were transported to hospitals and died there.

The IDF has confirmed that they have conducted airstrikes in Syria, saying they were in response to the attempted attack along the border last night. The IDF says in a short statement “Last night, IDF troops thwarted an attempt to place an improvised explosive device (IED) on the southern Golan Heights. In response, a short while ago, IDF fighter jets, attack helicopters and aircraft struck military targets in southern Syria. The IDF says it targeted Syrian army observation posts, intelligence gathering equipment, anti-aircraft cannons and command-and-control infrastructure. YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be dded to an official YWN WhatsApp Group.

A Florida teen was identified Friday as the mastermind of a scheme earlier this month that commandeered Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls and scammed people around the globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin. Two other men were also charged in the case. Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested Friday in Tampa, where the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office will prosecute him as an adult. He faces 30 felony charges, according to a news release. Two men accused of benefiting from the hack — Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor Regis, U.K., and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando — were charged separately in California federal court.

A positive coronavirus test in a New York City school will trigger a two-week classroom shutdown under a reopening plan announced by the nation’s largest public school system. If there is a single confirmed case, the entire classroom will self-quarantine for 14 days and receive instruction remotely under the plan released by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday. If there are two confirmed cases in different classes, the entire school building will shut down while contact tracers investigate. “We are doing everything in our power to keep kids healthy while ensuring they are getting the education they deserve,” de Blasio said. “These rigorous test and trace protocols will keep our students and staff safe as we start off this new school year.” New York Gov.

As Belgium implements new restrictions to stem the tide of a soaring rate of coronavirus infections, the province of Antwerp has instituted even more stringent restrictions due to the particularly high rate of infections in the area, with 55% of all new infections in Belgium in the Antwerp district. Provincial officials in Antwerp, Belgium’s most populous province, are imposing a curfew on the province, barring all residents from leaving their homes from 11:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Cafés and restaurants must close their doors by 11 p.m. Customers at cafés and restaurants must register their names and contact information before eating and 1.5 meters must be maintained between customers.

A 25-year-old seeking a New York driver’s license with a nonbinary gender identity marker of “X” sued the state in federal court Tuesday. The lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal on behalf of Sander Saba challenges the state policy limiting gender identity on licenses to either male or female. Saba, a nonbinary transgender New York City resident, said the current policy is discriminatory. “Just knowing that my identity is not recognized by the state weighs on me,” Saba said in a phone interview. The recent law school graduate said presenting an inaccurate license at a bar, a bank or at school can be “stressful, complicated and confusing.” The lawsuit filed in federal court in New York City names Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the commissioner of the state Department of Motor Vehicles as defendants.