The Albany Gazette - Lebanon says three killed in Israeli strikes

NYSE - LSE

RBGPF	1.9%	69.89	$
CMSD	-0.47%	21.16	$
CMSC	-0.31%	21.275	$
BCE	-0.43%	23.49	$
BCC	-1.38%	79.94	$
AZN	-2.04%	166.27	$
GSK	-1.24%	51.43	$
RIO	-2.02%	104.7	$
RYCEF	1.65%	21.15	$
JRI	-0.32%	12.44	$
RELX	-1.53%	35.34	$
VOD	-1.19%	15.94	$
BP	-0.85%	42.5	$
BTI	1.69%	57.44	$
NGG	-0.79%	80.53	$

Lebanon says three killed in Israeli strikes

POLITICS 14.08.2024

Lebanon says three killed in Israeli strikes / Photo: Kawnat HAJU - AFP

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes killed three people in the country's south on Wednesday, with Hezbollah announcing two of its fighters among the dead, the latest cross-border violence amid fears of a full-blown regional war.

Text size:

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Hamas ally, has traded near daily fire with the Israeli army since the Palestinian militant group's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel which triggered the Gaza war.

Ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel are set to resume on Thursday in Qatar, with top diplomats scrambling to avert wider conflict after Iran and Hezbollah vowed revenge for recent high-profile killings.

The Lebanese health ministry said in a statement that an "Israeli enemy" strike on the southern town of Marjayoun killed two people and wounded four others, noting the toll was provisional.

The official National News Agency said an "enemy drone targeted a car" in the town square, a usually busy area home to shops.

The health ministry also said one person was killed and another wounded in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon's Blida village.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force had "struck Hezbollah military structures" including in the Blida area.

It later added that Israeli aircraft "eliminated two Hezbollah terrorists" in the Marjayoun area. The pro-Iranian movement also announced on Wednesday evening the death of two of its fighters in Israeli fire.

Lebanon's health ministry earlier reported that an "Israeli enemy" strike in Abbassiyeh, near the southern city of Tyre, wounded 17 people, including two teenagers and an eight-year-old girl, with four people in "critical" condition.

Hezbollah said it launched "volleys of Katyusha rockets" at Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel in response to the Abbassiyeh strike. The Israeli army said "a number of projectiles" from Lebanon fell in "open area" without causing injuries.

The Iran-backed group claimed a number of other attacks on Israeli troops and positions on Wednesday, including with "explosive-laden drones".

The violence since October has killed some 571 people in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including at least 118 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, 22 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed, according to army figures.

As part of efforts to de-escalate the situation, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne is set to visit Beirut on Thursday, diplomatic sources said, on the heels of a visit Wednesday by US envoy Amos Hochstein.

(Y.Harris--TAG)

Featured

Brazil sues Discord for $100 mn in child safety case

The Brazilian government on Wednesday said it was suing the Discord messaging platform for nearly $100 million in damages over its alleged failure to protect children from harmful content and demanded it adopt stronger safeguards.

US general visits Colombia to discuss war on drugs

The head of US Southern Command visited Colombia on Wednesday to discuss joint operations against narco-traffickers with the administration of new right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella, an ally of President Donald Trump.

Alberta NDP Urges Smith to Postpone Separation Vote Amid Trade War

Alberta’s opposition leader is urging Premier Danielle Smith to cancel or postpone a provincial referendum on separation from Canada, arguing that holding the vote during an active trade war with the United States undermines national unity. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi criticized the timing as political pandering, while Smith’s office defended the Oct. 19 date as a response to citizen petitions.

US designates UK-based Palestine Action as foreign 'terrorist group'

The United States on Wednesday named the UK-based Palestine Action group, which has been banned by the British government, as a "specially designated global terrorist" organization.