A search and rescue mission involving ground, air, and maritime resources from the US, Morocco and other countries is underway for the service members, Africom said.
Just nowGrace Eliza GoodwinUniversal Images Group via Getty ImagesThe surroundings of Tan Tan, Morocco, which is near where the Americans went missingTwo US service members have gone missing during military exercises in Morocco, the US African Command (Africom) has said.Officials said they were last seen on Saturday near ocean cliffs in the vicinity of the Cap Draa Training Area, which is close to the city of Tan Tan in Morocco.Initial reports indicate the missing soldiers, who were participating in African Lion 2026, an annual joint training exercise, may have fallen into the ocean, a US defence official told the BBC.A search and rescue mission involving ground, air, and maritime resources from the US, Morocco and other countries is underway for the service members, Africom said. "The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing," Africom said in a statement released on Sunday. "Our focus is on the service members involved and their families."Authorities believe the incident was an accident and was not an act of terrorism or kidnapping, a US official told the BBC. The soldiers were reported missing after they failed to return to the training area, and US and Moroccan forces then launched a search, the official said. African Lion is an annual joint exercise designed to strengthen operations between US forces, Nato allies, and African nations. It is the continent's largest annual joint military exercise, and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia. It focuses on all-domain operations, crisis response, and multinational coordination to enhance regional security and prepare for emergencies. The exercise, which involves 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries and more than 30 US-based industry partners, is scheduled to run from 27 April to 8 May.
2 hours agoHugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent, BeirutReutersThe Israeli military says it struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon on TuesdayTwo successive Israeli air strikes on a building in southern Lebanon have killed five people, including three emergency workers, Lebanese officials say, in what the country's prime minister has described as a "war crime".The Lebanese health ministry said the three members of the Lebanese Civil Defense, a state-run emergency service, had been sent to rescue those wounded in the first strike in the town of Majdal Zoun on Tuesday. They were trapped under rubble caused by the second strike and later confirmed dead.The ministry did not identify the two other fatalities. Two Lebanese army soldiers were also wounded in the attack.The Israeli military has been approached for comment.It has previously failed to explain attacks on health professionals while they were on rescue missions. The tactic, known as "double tap", sees an initial attack followed by a second or more - often hitting civilians and rescuers. It has been used by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza.Human rights groups say deliberate attacks on health workers could constitute a war crime.The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah - the Lebanese militia and political party that is funded and armed by Iran - started on 2 March after the group fired rockets into Israel, which responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.Since then, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 103 health professionals, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but says the number includes at least 270 women and more than 170 children.Two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in Israel, while 16 Israeli soldiers and one civilian have been killed in Lebanon, Israeli authorities say.ReutersMore than one million people have been displaced by the war in LebanonLast month, the BBC spent several days with the Tyre-based Lebanese Civil Defense team that was attacked on Tuesday to report on the risks emergency teams in Lebanon face amid constant Israeli attacks. The three rescue workers killed on Tuesday were Hussein Ghadbouni, Hussein Sati and Hadi Daher.The strike happened amid a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has led to a reduction in the hostilities but has failed to completely stop the war, particularly in southern Lebanon. Israel says its actions in Lebanon are in response to what it describes as violations of the deal by Hezbollah, which was not involved in the agreement but had indicated it would abide by its terms if the ceasefire was respected by Israel.The text of the deal gives the Israeli military the "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks" - phrasing that is broad enough to justify any action it takes.Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the "targeting" of the rescuers was a "war crime perpetrated by Israel", condemning Israel's "ongoing violations of the ceasefire".A 5 to 10km-deep strip along the border, amounting to about 5% of Lebanon's territory, remains under Israeli occupation, with Israeli officials saying they aim to create a security buffer zone to protect the country's northern communities.The Israeli military has also continued its air strikes and said it had hit Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing "three Hezbollah terrorists" who had attacked its soldiers. A day earlier, it also hit the eastern Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah has a strong presence and part of its arsenal is located.Hezbollah, meanwhile, says it is responding to what it describes as multiple Israeli violations of the deal, and has carried out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israel. An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Lebanon in a drone attack on Sunday, while
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