Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Update Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
Smoke rises over Beirut’s southern suburbs and their surroundings after strikes, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon on Oct. 3, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 04 October 2024
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Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
  • Israel’s military said Thursday it had hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital
  • Hezbollah also carried out new strikes, targeting what it called Israel’s “Sakhnin base”
  • More than 1.2 million Lebanese displaced, 2,000 killed by Israeli attacks

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: An Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Lebanese capital has killed nine people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the Hezbollah militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of Beirut.
There was no warning before the strike late Wednesday, which hit the building close to the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Hezbollah’s civil defense unit said seven of its members were killed.

HASHEM SAFIEDDINE

An Israeli strike on Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on social media platform X early on Friday, citing an Israeli source.
Safieddine is the man widely regarded as the heir of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Reuters could not confirm the information in the social media post and there was no immediate official statement from any side.

ISREAL IN GAZA, LEBANON
Israel is also conducting a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah, while also conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said nine soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel declared war on the militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials. Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

IRAN’S WARNINGS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking in Doha, said Tehran would be ready to respond and warned against “silence” in the face of Israel’s “warmongering.”
“Any type of military attack, terrorist act or crossing our red lines will be met with a decisive response by our armed forces,” he said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani called for serious ceasefire efforts to stop what he called Israel’s aggression.
The Lebanese border front opened after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Oct. 8 in support of Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza. Iran’s other regional allies — Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq — have also launched attacks in the region in support of Hamas.
More than 300 of the more than 1 million Lebanese displaced have taken shelter in a Beirut nightclub, once known for hosting glitzy parties and where staff are now using their guest-list clipboards to register residents.
“We’re trying to keep strong,” said Gaelle Irani, who was formerly in charge of guest relations.
“It’s just overwhelming. So overwhelming and sad. But just as this was a place for people to come enjoy themselves, it’s now a place to shelter people and we are doing everything we can to help and be there for them.”


Trump says US will stop bombing Houthis after agreement struck

US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House.
US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House.
Updated 40 min 7 sec ago
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Trump says US will stop bombing Houthis after agreement struck

US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House.
  • “They said please don’t bomb us any more and we’re not going to attack your ships,” Trump said
  • There was no immediate response from the Houthis

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen after the Iran-aligned group agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.
In an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump announced the Houthis have said that they no longer want to fight but did not elaborate on the message.
“They said please don’t bomb us any more and we’re not going to attack your ships,” Trump said.
There was no immediate response from the Houthis.
The Houthis have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea since Israel began its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The US president said Washington will take the Houthis’ word that they would not be blowing up ships any longer.
Tensions have been high since the Gaza war began, but have risen further since a Houthi missile landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Monday.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on the Houthis after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel.


The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding

The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding
Updated 06 May 2025
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The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding

The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding
  • The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists
  • Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday

AMMAN: Search and rescue teams recovered the bodies of a Belgian mother and her son on Monday in Jordan, police said a day after the woman and her three children were reported missing in flash flooding. The other two children were found alive.
Sunday’s flooding in southern Jordan also led to the evacuation of hundreds of tourists from the Petra archaeological site, the country’s main tourist attraction.


The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists who had been on an adventure trip in Wadi Al-Nakhil when they were caught up in the flash flood, Ma’an district local governor Hassan Al-Jabour told state media broadcaster Al-Mamlaka TV.
Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday. Rescue crews located two of the children alive late Sunday, Al-Jabour said. The search and rescue operation was suspended at about 2 a.m. because of the complicated weather conditions and terrain. The bodies of the woman and her son were found Monday morning after the search resumed, he said.
Further details about the family and the ages of the children weren’t immediately available.
Jordan often experiences flash flooding as heavy seasonal rains send torrents of water through dry desert valleys. At least three people died in 2021 when floodwaters swept away their car, while more than 30 people in the Dead Sea region and other parts of Jordan were killed in flash flooding in 2018.


UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister

UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister
Updated 06 May 2025
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UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister

UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister
  • Leaders examined the strategic relationship between Ankara and Abu Dhabi

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Qasr Al-Shati palace in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

They examined the strategic relationship between Ankara and Abu Dhabi, seeking ways to enhance it according to their mutual interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.

Sheikh Mohamed and Fidan discussed regional and international issues, highlighting developments in the Middle East. They stressed the necessity of fostering regional peace and stability in a way that benefits all nations.

The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the deputy chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al-Nahyan, the adviser to the UAE president; Ali bin Hammad Al-Shamsi, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council for National Security; and Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, the minister of state.


Emir of Qatar discusses ties in phone call with India PM Modi

Emir of Qatar discusses ties in phone call with India PM Modi
Updated 06 May 2025
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Emir of Qatar discusses ties in phone call with India PM Modi

Emir of Qatar discusses ties in phone call with India PM Modi
  • The leaders shared perspectives on regional and international developments of mutual concern

LONDON: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone call on Tuesday.

The leaders discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between Doha and New Delhi. They also shared perspectives on regional and international developments of mutual concern, according to the Qatar News Agency.

Sheikh Tamim visited India last February to enhance bilateral collaboration between the two countries in areas such as trade, investment, energy, and finance.


UN urges probe into 'disturbing' video of abducted Libyan MP

UN urges probe into 'disturbing' video of abducted Libyan MP
Updated 06 May 2025
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UN urges probe into 'disturbing' video of abducted Libyan MP

UN urges probe into 'disturbing' video of abducted Libyan MP
  • UNSMIL said it was “alarmed” by Ibrahim el-Dirsi’s “enforced disappearance”
  • It described circulating images of his detention as “disturbing“

TRIPOLI: The UN mission in Libya on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into images of an abducted member of the country’s eastern-based parliament that showed signs of torture.
In a statement, UNSMIL said it was “alarmed” by Ibrahim el-Dirsi’s “enforced disappearance” and described circulating images of his detention as “disturbing.”
Dirsi, a member of the Libyan house of representatives, was kidnapped in May 2024 in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city which he represents.
The North African country has been mired in unrest since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains split between the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, and a rival eastern administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
On Monday, Libya’s Al-Ahrar TV aired photos and a video showing Dirsi, apparently in a prison cell, wearing only shorts and chained with a padlock around his neck.
UNSMIL said it had asked UN digital forensic experts to verify the footage’s authenticity.
Tripoli’s GNU described the conditions in the images as “degrading, shocking and inhumane.”
It criticized the “so-called General Command,” referring to Haftar’s forces, after the video appeared to show Dirsi pleading for forgiveness.
The pro-Haftar Al-Masar TV channel quoted lawmakers as saying the images were “fabricated” and “produced using artificial intelligence.”
The eastern-based interior ministry blamed “unidentified criminals affiliated with a gang,” saying the case was under “thorough investigation.”
UNSMIL also condemned “widespread and systemic abuses in detention facilities by law enforcement and security actors in Benghazi, Tripoli, Sabha, and other locations across Libya.”
It said “arbitrary detentions, abductions, torture, enforced disappearances and deaths in custody are serious human rights violations and may constitute international crimes that can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.”
“Libyan authorities must ensure these practices immediately cease and that perpetrators are brought to justice,” the statement added.
In 2019, Siham Sergewa, another representative in Benghazi, was abducted from her home shortly after criticizing Haftar on television. She remains missing.