Today on NOW and NEXT:

We are joined by (Ret) RCAF Major-General and former NORAD Director of Operations  Scott Clancy and Phil Gurski, President and CEO Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting and former Strategic Analyst at C-SIS.

As we record this episode, it is the deadliest day of bombardment in Lebannon in nearly thirty years as Israel and Hezbollah trade missile fire. The heavy fire exchange comes less than a week after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded. At least 20 were killed and as many as 450 were injured. Israel's being blamed for the attack, Israel hasn't confirmed nor denied responsibility.

The regional war only seems to be escalating. What will it mean in the Middle East? What role will the U.S. and the Saudis play in resolving the crisis? And what effect could the Hamas-Israel-Hezbollah war have on the U.S. Presidential Election?

The U.N. special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasscharet, said in a post on X that "with the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer".