Daily News Lesson

SHOW ALL

Sept. 19, 2024, 1:27 p.m.

Lebanon rocked by 2nd wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah with civilian casualties

SUMMARY

For the second time in as many days, there was an unprecedented attack on Hezbollah, a militant political organization in Lebanon. Tuesday, pagers exploded. Wednesday, it was two-way radios. At least 20 more people died and hundreds injured on top of at least 12 killed and nearly 3,000 wounded on Tuesday. Israel is assumed to have infiltrated supply chains to implant explosives in the devices.

UPDATE: Watch News Hour's Hezbollah leader says Israel crossed a line and vows revenge for pager, radio attacks for the latest developments in the attacks.

Directions: Watch the video and answer the discussion questions below. You may want to stop the video at the 3m:17s mark for the sake of time or view the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

  1. Who are the individuals and groups featured in this story?
  2. What are some details of what happened regarding the pager and walkie talkie attacks in Lebanon? What is known about civilian casualties?
  3. Why might members of Hezbollah have been targets for the attack?
  4. When and where did the attacks occur?
  5. How have Israel, the U.S. and Hezbollah responded to the attacks? (story update with Hezbollah's reaction)

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What do you think will happen as a result of the attacks in Lebanon?

Media literacy: What do you know about the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Study? How could you find out if you're not sure? Who else would you like to hear from in this story?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do:

*Learn more about the history of Hezbollah using this Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) resource and the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using this timeline from CFR Education.

This story provides history on the conflict dating back to the end of the 19th century.

Then watch the video featuring CFR's Adam Segal, director of CFR's Cyberspace Policy Program, about how the pager attacks could have happened.

*Learn more about the history of the conflict and fears of a wider regional war with this Frontline video, Israel's Second Front.

Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources.

Recent Daily News Lessons

surveillance

Daily News Lesson

Police say Flock cameras help solve crimes, but critics call them an invasion of privacy

Dozens of cities have cancelled their contracts with Flock after significant backlash followed a series of law enforcement errors

wildfiress-e1784233815803

Daily News Lesson

The health risks of wildfire smoke across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic

Learn about the dangerous wildfire smoke blanketing wide regions of the U.S.

future

Daily News Lesson

National Youth Poet Laureate Daniel Umemezie on using his words to bridge worlds

Learn about a National Youth Poet Laureate committed to inspiring other young creatives

Screenshot 2026-07-16 at 10.42.10 AM

Daily News Lesson

'Post-literate age': Why fewer Americans are reading for pleasure

Discuss why reading habits have changed among students, with growing concerns that this notable decline may extend to the general population

SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

PBS News Hour Classroom

Copyright © 2025 News Hour Production LLC. All Rights Reserved

Illustrations by Annamaria Ward