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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your worldwide news update.
Israel's military says four soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on an army base Sunday evening. It's the deadliest Hezbollah strike since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah earlier claimed responsibility and called the attack retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut on Thursday that killed 22 people. Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire almost daily in the year since the war in Gaza began and fighting has escalated. Israel's prime minister is urging U.N. peacekeeping forces to leave war-torn parts of Lebanon as Israel continues targeting Hezbollah. VOA's Arash Arabasadi has the story. In recent days, Israeli strikes injured five U.N. peacekeepers known as UNIFIL in parts of Lebanon where strikes across the country have killed 1,400 people as of September, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq: "The safety and security of U.N. personnel and property must be guaranteed and the inviolability of U.N. premises must be respected at all times." Israel has made clear in public statements that it's not targeting attacks on the Lebanese people or UNIFIL but rather Iran-backed Hezbollah. Following news of the injuries to U.N. peacekeepers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both issued an apology and a warning. "It is time you take UNIFIL out of Hezbollah strongholds and combat areas. Your refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages in the hands of Hezbollah. It endangers them as well as our soldiers." Parts of Lebanon have now been reduced to rubble and dust following Israeli strikes. Arash Arabasadi, VOA News. This is VOA News. Iran is warning and has no red-line as a report emerges about Israel's plan to respond to attacks. Reuters correspondent Diane To reports. The barrages by Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah triggered sirens across northern Israel overnight and early Sunday morning. The Middle East is bracing for further escalation as Iran's foreign minister warned in a social media post on Sunday that, quote, "We have no red-lines in defending our people and interests." It follows a report by NBC that Israel may be looking to target Iranian military and energy infrastructure in its potential response to Iran's attack this month. NBC was citing unidentified U.S. officials in its report. Iran's attack on October 1 was launched in retaliation for Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Reuters correspondent Diane To. U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday surveyed the damage from Florida's Hurricane Milton. Reuters correspondent Zachary Goelman has more. Milton is being blamed for 17 deaths and was the second powerful storm to batter the low-lying coastal state in two weeks. "Entire neighborhoods were flooded and millions, millions were without power." Biden said that such disasters were calls for unity. "In moments like this, we come together to take care of each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans." That was the political message carried by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for the White House, as she campaigned on Sunday in North Carolina, a state slammed by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago. Her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, is among those who amplified falsehoods in the form of conspiracy theories. Reuters correspondent Zachary Goelman. North Korea has said its frontline army units are ready to launch strikes on South Korea. AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports. The announcement by the North has ramped up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones and dropped leaflets over its capital Pyongyang. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened. North Korea has accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again. I'm Karen Chammas. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |