Rockets hit near Tel Aviv as Gaza death toll rises | Reuters

To the surprise of no one, the violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories has risen over the last few days. Basically, this has been set off by the Israelis assassinating Hamas military commander Ahmed Al-Jaabari in an air strike on Wednesday. The Israelis were also using their technological superiority to shell targets all over Gaza in precision strikes from the air, sea, and land. This prompted Palestinian militants to begin firing hundreds of rockets into Israel (many of which have been intercepted by Israel's missile defense system) leading to the deaths of at least three Israelis. I don't know what the solution there is, but I really and truly feel for the innocents who are being impacted by this violence. Combine the violence here with what's happening in Syria and the prospect of Muhammad Morsi and Egypt's new Islamist government entering the conflict in support of the Palestinians and you could be looking at a full-scale regional war with global consequences...it's pretty scary stuff.