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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your worldwide news update.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said Sunday Israeli airstrikes have killed dozens of people in Lebanon's south as Hezbollah also confirmed the death of another high-ranking official. AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports. Shortly after the consecutive strikes on Ain el-Delb, east of Sidon, rescuers came with excavators to search through the rubble. Separately, Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israeli strikes in the northern province of Baalbek Hermel killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more. Meanwhile, Israel's military has said dozens of Israeli aircraft have struck Houthi targets in Yemen. Fire and plumes of smoke could be seen in the air over Hodeida after the strikes. The strikes in Yemen and Lebanon came as Hezbollah confirmed the death of Nabil Kaouk, the 7th senior Hezbollah leader slain in Israeli strikes in little over a week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the appointment of a former rival, Gideon Saar, as a member of his cabinet, expanding his coalition and strengthening his hold on office. I'm Karen Chammas. U.S. President Joe Biden said Sunday he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and believes an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided. "It has to be. We really have to avoid it. We've already taken precautions relative to our embassies and personnel who want to leave, and - but we're not there yet, but we're working like hell with the French and many others ..." The Iran-backed Hezbollah has sustained a string of deadly blows to its command structure, including the killing of its overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as part of a wave of increasingly brazen Israeli strikes meant to undercut the group's capacity to attack its territory. This is VOA News. Officials said Sunday the death toll from Hurricane Helene is at least 84, with dozens of deaths in the U.S. state of North Carolina, as rescue efforts continue. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says the state is hard at work getting food and water to hundreds of thousands of people trapped by Hurricane Helene in the mountains even as rescue efforts continue. "... a lot of people who are concerned about relatives and friends that they cannot get in touch with." He says they are trying to get cell phone communications up. "We know that a lot of these people are just simply out of communication and are OK." Nearly 300 roads remain closed. At least 45 out-of-state search-and-rescue teams joined 500 National Guard troops in both rescues and air dropping food and water. I'm Julie Walker. The United Arab Emirates said early Monday the residence of its ambassador in Khartoum was attacked by a Sudanese military aircraft, condemning it as a, quote unquote, "heinous attack." The Sudanese army has repeatedly accused the UAE of providing weapons and support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan's 17-month-old war. Both the U.S. Republican and Democratic vice presidential nominees have been preparing for their debate that will be hosted by CBS News Tuesday in New York. VOA's Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance recently shared what his primary message to voters will be when he debates Democratic rival Tim Walz on Tuesday. "The team that actually has a plan is the team of Trump-Vance." Republican representative Tom Emmer has been helping the Ohio senator prepare. Emmer appeared Sunday on ABC's "This Week" show. "Tim Walz is just gonna try and deflect and go into this folksy whatever. He'll hold him accountable." The Minnesota governor has also been reportedly sharpening his debate skills. Reproductive rights will probably be one of Walz's strongest lines of attack against Vance, says John Mark Hanson, political science professor at the University of Chicago. He spoke with VOA via Skype. "Vance may be pressed on whether as President Trump would sign an abortion ban." Voters who tune in Tuesday could get a sense of whether the vice presidential nominees provide them with a sense of comfort. But unless there is some kind of meltdown, Hanson says it is not likely that debate will move the presidential race's needle. Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Washington. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |