Israel pushed deeper into Lebanon today as the Israeli army expanded its ground offensive against Hezbollah militants. Host Marco Werman gets an update from the BBC's Richard Miron, who is near the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Correspondent Kate Seelye reports on the growing support for Hezbollah among the Shia Muslims of southern Lebanon.

Host Marco Werman speaks with Boston Globe reporter Thanassis Cambanis who got a rare inside look at Hezbollah operations and the strategies behind their battle with Israeli forces.

Host Marco Werman speaks with Vali Nasr, author of the book "The Shia Revival." Nasr argues that the political landscape of the Middle East is changing as Shia Muslims, like Hezbollah's militants, become more prominent in the region. Most of the Middle East is politically dominated by Sunni Muslims. Two big exceptions are Iraq and Iran.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro announced that he's undergone surgery to stop intestinal bleeding and temporarily ceded power to his younger brother Raul. But there's speculation that Castro could be seriously ill. The World's Ruxandra Guidi reports on what Cuba's future might be after Castro.

Host Marco Werman speaks with the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana about Raul Castro, Fidel's brother and Cuba's temporary leader.

Where in the world will we go today?

This year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival features a play that weaves together the on-line writings of several British bloggers. The World's Technology Correspondent, Clark Boyd, met the producers of the play during rehearsals in London.

The answer today is Saint Petersburg, Russia. Host Marco Werman speaks with Galina Stolyarova, a reporter for the Saint Petersburg Times newspaper, about the theft of 5 million dollars' worth of art from the Hermitage Museum. Officials there say more than 200 items, including jewelry and silverware, were stolen from the museum's storage rooms.