Israel says destroyed Hezbollah tunnel network in S. Lebanon
Israel's military said on Thursday it had destroyed more than 2 km of underground Hezbollah infrastructure at the Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon, after taking control of the area above and below ground.
The military said the network contained a command complex, weapons stores and living quarters, as well as dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles and drones, anti-tank missiles, mines and explosives.
It said the tunnels had been built over two decades with Iranian funding and included a command center belonging to Hezbollah's Badr unit, a major regional military division responsible for southern Lebanon's territory north of the Litani River up to the Sidon area.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the Israeli announcement.
WTI oil price tops 100 USD amid ongoing Middle East conflicts
The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for October delivery topped 100 U.S. dollars per barrel on Thursday morning as conflicts in the Middle East continue.
The WTI for October delivery hit 100.88 dollars per barrel at one point, up 4.83 dollars or 5.03 percent from the settlement price on Wednesday. This marks the highest level of front-month WTI crude oil futures since May 20.
Meanwhile, Brent crude for November delivery rose to 105.84 dollars per barrel before paring gains slightly.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that top White House advisors discussed the possibility with U.S. President Donald Trump that the war with Iran could last through the end of his second term in January 2029. Trump, however, said Wednesday that the war will end "immediately" after the midterm elections in November.
Ebola spreads to new province in DR Congo
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to the northwestern province of Sud-Ubangi after a case was confirmed, local authorities said Thursday.
Sud-Ubangi does not border any of the six provinces where confirmed Ebola cases had previously been reported, namely Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and Bas-Uele. Authorities have not disclosed the source of the infection or any known epidemiological link to the existing outbreak.
According to the latest official figures, the DRC had recorded 6,843 confirmed Ebola cases as of Sept. 8, including 3,310 deaths and 1,611 recoveries, with the case fatality rate standing at 48.4 percent.
The current outbreak, declared in May, has become the country's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.
5 killed, 87 missing as vessel burns near Philippines' Palawan
At least five were killed, and 87 remain missing after a vessel caught fire on Wednesday off the waters of a tourist hotspot in Palawan Province of the Philippines, said the local coast guard on Thursday.
The fire broke out Wednesday evening aboard the vessel, which was carrying 117 passengers and 17 crew members, about 1.2 nautical miles off the coast of Coron Municipality, the local coast guard said, adding that 42 people were rescued.
Video footage shared by the coast guard on social media captured the vessel completely engulfed by fire.
The vessel departed from Manila and was bound for Coron when the fire broke out, according to local media reports. Search and rescue operations remain ongoing. Enditem
