International

Israel hits Hezbollah targets after football pitch attack kills 12

Published

4 months ago

July 28, 2024

Israel hits Hezbollah targets after football pitch attack kills 12

Israel’s air force says it has hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after 12 children and young adults were killed in a rocket attack while playing football in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israel has blamed the Lebanese militant group for Saturday’s attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, but Hezbollah has strongly denied any involvement.

Early on Sunday, the IDF said it had conducted air strikes against seven Hezbollah targets “deep inside Lebanese territory”. It is unclear whether there were any casualties.

The rising tensions have the potential to trigger an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, whose forces have regularly exchanged fire since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October.

Saturday’s attack at the town’s football pitch was the deadliest loss of life on Israel’s northern border since the war began on 7 October.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had immediately vowed retaliation against Hezbollah, saying the group would “pay a heavy price”.

Hours later, the Israeli Air Force said it had struck “terror targets” including “weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure” overnight.

A UN statement said “maximum restraint” was crucial by all parties, with the risk of a wider conflict that would “engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief”.

Hezbollah spokesman Mohamad Afif denied responsibility for the attack, and the BBC is trying to verify reports that the militant group told the United Nations that the explosion was caused by an Israeli interceptor rocket.

Israeli authorities said all of those killed were between the ages of 10 and 20, although Israeli media reports that some were younger.

Verified video shows crowds of people on a football pitch and stretchers being rushed to waiting ambulances.

READ ALSO:

Majdal Shams is one of four villages in the Golan Heights, where about 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking Druze religious and ethnic group live.

Before reports of the strike’s impact emerged, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for four other attacks.

One was on a nearby military compound on the slopes of Mt Hermon, which lies on the border between the Golan Heights and Lebanon. The base is around 3km (2 miles) from the football pitch.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, who visited the scene of the attack, accused Hezbollah of “lying and denying responsibility for the incident.”

He said that the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 “owned exclusively by Hezbollah”.

“Our intelligence is clear. Hezbollah is responsible for the murder of innocent children,” he said, adding that Israel was preparing to retaliate.

Although Israel and Hezbollah regularly trade fire and have both suffered casualties, since October, both sides have refrained from actions which could escalate into a broader war in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on a visit to the US, is returning home early.

In an angry statement, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the leader of the Druze community in Israel, said the “horrific massacre” had crossed “every possible red line”.

“A proper state cannot allow continuous harm to its citizens and residents. This has been the ongoing reality in the northern communities for the past nine months,” he added.

READ ALSO:

Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israel’s Channel 12 news: “We are facing an all-out war.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the incident a “terrible and shocking disaster” and said that “the state of Israel will firmly defend its citizens and its sovereignty”.

Lebanon’s government also issued a rare statement in response, saying it “condemns all acts of violence and aggression against all civilians and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts.

“Targeting civilians is a flagrant violation of international law and goes against the principles of humanity,” the statement added.

The US and EU have also condemned the attack.

UN envoy Tor Wennesland denounced the incident and urged restraint from all sides.

“The Middle East is on the brink; the world and the region cannot afford another open conflict,” he wrote on X.

Most Druze live in northern Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. In Israel, they have full citizenship rights and comprise about 1.5% of the population.

Those living in the Golan were offered Israeli citizenship when the region was annexed from Syria in 1981, but not everyone accepted.

Druze in the Golan can still study and work in Israel, though only those with citizenship can vote.

Male Israeli Druze are required to serve in the army. They are the largest non-Jewish group in the IDF.

The vast majority of the international community does not recognise Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench

Israel hits Hezbollah targets after football pitch attack kills 12

BBC

International

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

Published

12 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

Two employees of Givaudan sense colour, a factory known for making colourings for beverages, located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US) were killed in an explosion that took place at the company’s facility.

The factory reported that the incident which took place on Tuesday, November 12 in the afternoon have also destroyed buildings around the company.

READ ALSO:

Louisville Mayor, Craig Greenberg stated that firefighters managed to rescue and evacuate numerous individuals from the site, including some who sustained life-threatening injuries.

He also confirmed that all employees present at the plant during the explosion have been accounted for.

Earlier reports indicated that at least 11 workers were hospitalized.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

International

Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

Published

19 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Alejandro Arcos

Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

German Reyes, a local security official in Chilpancingo, Mexico has been arrested for the murder of the city’s mayor, Alejandro Arcos.

The Mexican authorities announced his arrest via a statement on Tuesday, November 12.

The Mayor was killed in the month of October as security officials discovered his lifeless body in his pick-up truck with his head chopped off and placed on his body.

The brutal killing and decapitation of Mayor Alejandro Arcos, which occurred just days after he assumed office, stunned the nation.

Guerrero prosecutors confirmed the detention of the security official who was identified as German ‘N,’ in line with Mexican practice of withholding the full names of suspects.

However, a local government official later identified him as German Reyes, who was the security chief for Chilpancingo, a city of around 280,000 residents in southwestern Mexico prior to his arrest.

READ ALSO:

“The Guerrero prosecutor’s office, the Mexican army and the National Guard, arrested a man for the crime of qualified homicide in Chilpancingo,” the statement said.

The arrest seems to provide more proof of the extensive infiltration of organized crime in local governments across large parts of Mexico, as well as the corruption among local officials.

Reyes had a lengthy career in Mexico’s military, according to his public profile.

Further reports by the police revealed that the Mayor had prior to his death, left Chilpancingo in his truck without a driver or security detail, heading toward the nearby town of Petaquillas, Mexico.

Local media also suggested that Arcos had met with members of Los Ardillos, a criminal group operating in Guerrero, Mexico.

Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

International

COP29: Islamic bank supports WHO Impact Investment with $10m

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2024

Trends Admin

COP29: Islamic bank supports WHO Impact Investment with $10m

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has committed a $10 million grant to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP), bolstering its mission to strengthen primary healthcare systems worldwide.

Announced on November 12, 2024, during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, the grant highlights IsDB’s dedication to enhancing health resilience and climate adaptation in low- and middle-income countries.

In a statement on Tuesday, IsDB described HIIP as a groundbreaking partnership among Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), WHO and nations seeking robust health and climate solutions.

“This initiative focuses on the investment in essential, climate and crisis-resilient primary health care services and systems,” the bank stated, emphasizing the aim to reinforce the health system, especially in low- and middle-income countries and in underserved communities, ultimately aiming to foster resilience against emerging health threats and climate challenges.

Fifteen countries are identified as part of phase one of the Health Impact Investment Platform: Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia Guinea Bissau .

Other countries included Jordan, Maldives Morocco, Senegal, South Sudan, The Gambia, Tunisia and Zambia.

Supporting WHO’s technical assistance goals

The $10 million grant will specifically support the technical assistance that WHO provides to countries around the world to assess investment needs and to design the most impactful health projects.

READ ALSO:

“These projects will serve as the foundation for co-investment by the MDBs, ensuring that resources are directed toward areas with the greatest potential for positive health outcomes,”IsDB added.

Over the next four years, WHO aims to strengthen climate resilience as part of its Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which includes implementing national climate adaptation plans and making 10,000 health facilities fully operational, including solar-powered electrification.

Unlocking $500m in health investments across the region

In addition to the $10 million grant, IsDB’s contribution is projected to unlock at least $500 million in health investments across the region.

“This collective goal is part of a broader effort to mobilize a total of US$ 1.5 billion in concessional loans and grants, focusing on critical areas, this way addressing national health priorities.”

Advancing health resilience, leadership statements

IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser said, the Islamic Development Bank is proud to support the Health Impact Investment Platform as part of our unwavering commitment to advancing universal health coverage and resilience in our Member Countries.

“These Multilateral Development Banks and WHO partnerships enable us to scale up primary health care where it is needed most, creating a stronger foundation to withstand future crises and addressing the pressing health challenges of today.”

“Together, we are fostering a healthier, more equitable future for communities across the globe,” he said.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that low- and middle-income countries need access to sustainable financing to strengthen their health systems through primary health care, to make them both more resilient to pandemics and more equitable in delivering essential health services.

“The Health Impact Investment Platform combines WHO’s public health expertise and on-the-ground presence with the resources and financing expertise of the Islamic Development Bank and other multilateral development banks. By working together, we can make a significant difference in improving health outcomes and creating a healthier future for all.”

The IsDB, along with its partners, remains committed to fostering partnerships that will advance healthcare and improve quality of life globally.