Israeli strikes kill 18 in Lebanon as bombardment intensifies in south
Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 20 others on Tuesday, according to Lebanon's official sources, as Israel intensified its bombardment campaign across southern Lebanon.
Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israel launched about 33 airstrikes on southern Lebanon within an hour on Tuesday.
Early Tuesday, Israeli strikes on a town in the western Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon killed 11 people, including two girls and a woman, and wounded 15 others, including a child, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, which said rescue operations were still ongoing.
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli strike on a house in Maarakeh killed one person and wounded several others, while a drone strike on a vehicle in Khirbet Selm in southern Lebanon killed another person, according to the NNA.
Lebanon's Health Ministry also said an Israeli strike on the town of Srifa in the Tyre district in southern Lebanon killed a paramedic from the Islamic Risala Scout Association and wounded two other paramedics.
Separately, four people were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli airstrike targeting the cemetery area of the southern town of Kfar Remmen on Tuesday afternoon, the NNA reported.
Israeli PM says troops deepening operation in Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that large Israeli ground forces were "deepening" their operation in Lebanon, and seizing "dominating areas."
In a video statement at the beginning of his Security Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the expanded operation aims to fortify what he described as a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon, along Israel's northern border.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is operating with large forces on the ground and seizing dominating areas," Netanyahu said.
He added that Israel was carrying out what he called a major effort to develop "creative and innovative" solutions against Hezbollah's explosive drones, which have killed and wounded Israeli troops during the fighting.
5 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike in C. Gaza Strip: sources
Five Palestinians were killed Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian security and medical sources.
Security sources said that Israeli drones targeted a group of Palestinians as they attempted to confront a group working with the Israeli army who were trying to raid several homes east of the Maghazi camp.
Medical sources told Xinhua that the bodies of five victims and several wounded individuals arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah following the airstrike.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Several Palestinian groups operate in cooperation with the Israeli army in areas under Israeli control in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip. Their members frequently advance into certain areas, leading to clashes with armed members of Palestinian factions.
Gaza-based health authorities reported on Tuesday that hospitals in the enclave received six dead and 34 wounded in the past 24 hours.
School bus, train collision kills 4 in Belgium
Four people were killed on Tuesday morning after a school bus rammed into a train at a crossing in the city of Buggenhout, the East Flanders province of Belgium, local media reported.
The crash occurred at around 8:15 a.m. (0615 GMT) at a level crossing on Station Street. Rail traffic between Dendermonde and Londerzeel was completely suspended following the collision, and replacement buses were arranged for passengers.
The bus was carrying seven students from a secondary school for special education, a chaperone and a driver. Belgium's Federal Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke told media that two teenagers, the driver and the chaperone were killed.
Infrabel, Belgium's railway infrastructure manager, said the warning lights at the crossing were red and the barriers were down when the collision took place.
"This was a very violent impact with extremely serious consequences," Infrabel spokesperson Thomas Baeken said, adding that the train driver had attempted to apply the emergency brake.
The exact circumstances of the crash are under investigation.
3 killed, 3 injured in S. Korea's overpass collapse
Three people were killed and three others were injured in South Korea's overpass collapse accident, Yonhap news agency said Tuesday.
A section of the upper deck collapsed at the overpass demolition site in Seoul at around 2:33 p.m. local time (0533 GMT).
Two men in their 50s and 60s, presumed to be demolition workers, were crushed to death under the falling debris.
Among the four injured, a man in his 50s who was pulled out after being trapped under a vehicle was rushed to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and was confirmed dead later.
The remaining three men in their 30s, 40s and 50s suffered injuries to their backs, heads and ribs.
Out of the 12 people present at the scene at the time of the accident, the other six managed to evacuate in advance.
Iran's president reaffirms commitment to diplomacy to end regional tensions
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed Tehran's commitment to diplomacy to end tensions in West Asia, according to statements published on his office's website on Tuesday.
In phone calls with his Egyptian, Turkish, Qatari and Omani counterparts, Pezeshkian expressed Iran's readiness to achieve an "honorable framework" to end the war with the United States and Israel, adding that Iran has proven its sincerity in dialogue.
He said serious and expert-level efforts are underway to finalize draft documents for a "comprehensive and fair" agreement.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed the need to strengthen Muslim unity and expressed decisive support for ongoing talks. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani hoped for a final agreement and pledged continued mediation efforts. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the ongoing talks, and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said reaffirmed his country's commitment to constructive consultations.■
