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
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
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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