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Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill 22 people, health ministry says
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15 minutes agoDavid GrittenEPAThree cars were reportedly targeted by Israeli drones on the coastal highwayTwenty-two people including eight children have been killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry says, as the war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah continues despite a ceasefire.Eight people died when drones targeted three vehicles on the coastal highway in the Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat areas, around 20km (12 miles) from the capital. Four others were killed in strikes on cars further south, in the city of Sidon and the towns of Maaliyeh, Chaaitiyeh and Naqoura. In a later update, officials said Israeli strikes killed six people in the village of Arab Salim, three people in Roumine and one person in Harouf. The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers in several areas on Wednesday.The military also told residents of nine towns and villages in the south to evacuate, warning that it intended to act forcefully against Hezbollah in the vicinity.Hezbollah said its fighters had attacked Israeli troops operating in several areas in southern Lebanon with attack drones, rockets and explosive devices. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) meanwhile said it was "increasingly concerned" about the activities of Hezbollah members and Israeli soldiers near UN positions in southern Lebanon, including "the increased use of drones, which has resulted in explosions in and around our bases and put peacekeepers at risk".The ministry accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting the paramedics in what it called a "blatant violation of international humanitarian law" while they carried out a rescue mission in response to an earlier attack that killed one person.On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it struck what it described as a "terrorist" in the Mayfadoun area, south of Nabatieh, and insisted the paramedics were not the target."The objectives of the strike were not achieved in the initial strike, and therefore, the terrorist was struck again in order to remove the threat," it said. "It should be emphasized that the strike was directed solely at a terrorist, and not toward rescue personnel."The military also said a strike in the Kfar Dounine area on Monday night that reportedly killed six people in a house, including a child, his father and his aunt, had targeted a Hezbollah operative who was carrying out an artillery attack on Israeli soldiers.ReutersA funeral was held in Sidon for the two paramedics who were killed in an Israeli strike on TuesdayThe Lebanese health ministry says more than 400 people have been killed across the country since the ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump almost a month ago.More than 10,600 homes have also been damaged or destroyed over the same period, according to the country's National Council for Scientific Research.Israel has intensified its air and artillery strikes in recent days, particularly in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure.Hezbollah has carried out drone, rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli troops occupying parts of southern Lebanon and on communities in northern Israel.On Thursday, Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to hold a third round of direct talks in Washington to try to find a way to stop the fighting.In a letter released on Tuesday, Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem dismissed those efforts and said his group would "not abandon the battlefield".The conflict started on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, and Israel responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.At least 2,896 people have been killed in Lebanon since then, according to the health ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.Israeli authorities say 18 soldiers and four civilians have been killed ove
3 hours agoDavid GrittenEPAIsraeli air strikes have killed at least 10 people in southern Lebanon, state media say, where a ceasefire has failed to stop the war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.Overnight, six people were killed and seven others were injured when a house in Kfar Dounine was hit, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).On Tuesday afternoon, Lebanon's health ministry said two paramedics from the state-run Lebanese Civil Defense emergency service were killed and a third was injured in an Israeli strike on Nabatieh, as they carried out a mission in response to an earlier attack that killed one person.The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed "sadness and regret at the killing of two Civil Defence members" in Nabatieh - who were identified as Hussein Jaber and Ahmad Noura - and emphasised that "the continued Israeli aggression hinders efforts to restore calm".The health ministry accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting the paramedics."This targeting constitutes further evidence of the Israeli enemy's blatant violation of international humanitarian law and its full disregard for all international norms," it said.The ministry said on Monday that 108 emergency medical services and healthcare workers had been killed in Lebanon during the war, with more than 140 Israeli attacks recorded on ambulances and medical facilities.NNA also reported that a Syrian man was killed and his wife was wounded when an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle they were riding on a road in the Tayr Debba area on Tuesday.The Israeli military said it struck a suspect who was fleeing after what it described as an unsuccessful attempt to launch a surface-to-air missile towards one of its aircraft.Hezbollah fighters had also launched explosive-laden drones towards Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon without causing any casualties, it added.Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli troops in Naqoura, Bayada and Houla in southern Lebanon with drones, as well as a soldier in Kibbutz Manara in northern Israel.The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on southern Lebanon in recent days.It has said it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, accusing the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group of violating the US-brokered ceasefire deal agreed by the Israeli and Lebanese governments in April.In response, Hezbollah has carried out rocket and drone attacks on communities in northern Israel and against Israeli troops occupying parts of southern Lebanon.Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to meet again in Washington on Thursday to try to find a way to end the war.The conflict started on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, and Israel responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.At least 2,869 people have so far been killed in Lebanon, including at least 380 since the ceasefire came into force, according to the Lebanese health ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.Israeli authorities say 18 soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period.
8 hours agoAleks PhillipsandSarah Rainsford,Southern & Eastern Europe correspondent, Granadilla, TenerifeGetty ImagesAmbulances took the five French passengers to a hospital in ParisA passenger of a cruise ship that was struck by an outbreak of hantavirus has shown symptoms of the disease while being repatriated to France, the country's prime minister has said.Sébastien Lecornu said the French national developed symptoms while on a chartered flight from Tenerife to Paris, and so all five evacuated from the MV Hondius had been "immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice".Three passengers have died after travelling on the ship, two of whom were confirmed to have had the virus.After the French flight touched down at Le Bourget Airport, officials wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) could be seen meeting them on the tarmac. Ambulances then took them to the Bichat hospital in the French capital.There, they will be quarantined for 72 hours and given a full assessment, before being sent home to self-isolate for 45 days, France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement.Fourteen Spanish nationals flown from Tenerife to Madrid now face mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in the Spanish capital. A plane carrying 26 passengers and crew - including eight Dutch nationals - has arrived in the NetherlandsFlights for Turkish, US and Irish citizens were also scheduled on Sunday.A total of 18 people - all of the Americans and one British national who resides in the US - are in the group bound for the US, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said at a news conference.ReutersPPE-clad officials were waiting for the French nationals when they arrived at Le Bourget AirportSpain's Health Secretary Javier Padilla said more than 90 of the 150 passengers and crew of the Hondius will have been sent home by the end of Sunday. A flight to Australia is expected on Monday.The cruise ship dropped anchor in the port of Granadilla earlier on Sunday, and medical teams went aboard at around 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT).This began the carefully choreographed process of removing those aboard and repatriating them devised by the Spanish government and the World Health Organization (WHO).Passengers could be seen from afar wandering around on the deck of the ship, or at the windows, all in white medical face masks, as the first evacuations took place on Sunday morning.Several sat socially distanced on the first evacuation boat, filming and taking photos as they approached land, where they were met by officials in white protective suits.While being couriered to the airport, some British passengers - clad in blue PPE - waved and gave thumbs up as they drove past the assembled media.Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.Two British men with confirmed cases are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa.A third Briton is being treated for a suspected case on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, onto which British Army medics parachuted with fresh supplies to treat him.Once all the passengers and crew have disembarked, the Hondius will continue on to the Netherlands, where the body of one of the passengers who died and their belongings will be disinfected before being removed.
6 minutes agoGeorge WrightReutersThe strike on Saksakiyeh also injured 15 people including three children, the Lebanese ministry saidThirty-nine people have been killed in another day of intense Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the country's health ministry said.One Israeli strike on the southern town of Saksakiyeh killed at least seven people, including a child, the ministry said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been targeting Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and was "aware of reports regarding harm to uninvolved civilians".Israeli forces and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire since US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between the governments of Israel and Lebanon on 16 April.Most of Israel's air strikes have hit southern Lebanon, with the military saying it is striking infrastructure and people linked to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political party.On Saturday, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes across the south, including in Saksakiyeh.The health ministry said that raid "resulted in an initial toll of seven martyrs, including a girl, and 15 wounded, including three children".The IDF said it struck "Hezbollah terrorists operating from within a structure used for military purposes" in the area."Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians as much as possible, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance," it said. Details of the incident are under review, it added.The Lebanese health ministry reported that another Israeli strike on a motorbike in Nabatieh hit "a Syrian national and his 12-year-old daughter"."After they managed to move away from the site of the first strike, the drone attacked a second time," killing the father, the ministry said, adding the drone then targeted the girl "directly for a third time".The girl was undergoing life-saving surgery, it added.Meanwhile Hezbollah targeted northern Israel with a drone, which the Israeli military said wounded three soldiers.According to Lebanon's health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed more than 120 people across the country in the last week, including women and children. The ministry does not distinguish combatants from civilians.The Israeli military also occupies a strip of Lebanese land along the border, and officials say the aim is to create what they describe as a Hezbollah-free security zone to protect Israel's northern communities.In those areas, entire villages have been destroyed, in actions similar to the ones deployed by the Israeli military in Gaza. Rights groups say some cases could amount to war crimes.Hezbollah, meanwhile, has carried out attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and northern Israel with rockets and drones.The group said it targeted northern Israel with a drone on Saturday in response to continued Israeli attacks.The Israeli military said it had identified "an explosive drone launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation" near the border in the north. It said three army reservists were injured in the attack, one of them seriously.Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire ending a previous conflict in November 2024, after which Israel carried out near-daily attacks on targets and people it said were linked to Hezbollah.After the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February and killed Iran's supreme leader, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation on 2 March.In response, Israel bombarded Lebanon with air strikes. Israeli forces re-entered southern Lebanon in early March, where they have destroyed villages and remained occupying 10km (6.2 miles) of Lebanese territory.A total of 2,795 people have been killed in Lebanon since 2 March, according to the Lebanese health ministry.Israeli authorities have said that 17 soldiers and one civilian have been killed in southern Lebanon, along with two civilians in northern Israel.
'We just hit somebody' - Frontier Airlines plane kills runway trespasser at Denver airport1 hour agoGrace Eliza GoodwinGetty ImagesThe moment after a Frontier Airlines plane killed a person who was on a runway after jumping a perimeter fence at Denver International Airport on Friday night is captured in air traffic control audio. "We just hit somebody," the pilot tells the control tower after halting Flight 4345's take-off. "We have an engine fire."Smoke could be seen in the Airbus A321's cabin, but Denver Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire. All 224 passengers on board were evacuated by inflatable emergency slides as a matter of precaution, Frontier said. "We are deeply saddened by this event," the airline added. Twelve passengers aboard the plane reported minor injuries from the incident, the airport said. Five of the injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, according to airport authorities. Their conditions were unclear.The Frontier Airlines flight was taking off for Los Angeles International Airport at around 23:00 local time (06:00 BST) when it hit the individual, authorities said. The unnamed individual had after leapt over a perimeter fence two minutes before the impact, said the carrier.An air traffic controller had just told the Frontier pilot they were clear for takeoff and wished them a good night.After a short pause, the pilot called back to the tower, according to air traffic control audio."We're stopping on the runway," the pilot tells the tower, adding that the plane just hit someone."There was an individual walking across the runway, " the pilot says. "We have 231 souls on board," he adds, including seven crew members. The plane was moving at a "high speed" at the time, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. "Late last night, a trespasser breached airport security at Denver Int'l Airport, deliberately scaled a perimeter fence, and ran out onto a runway," Duffy said in a statement. "No one should EVER trespass on an airport," he added.Commercial airliners typically take off at speeds between 150 and 180mph (240–290 km/h).The trespasser is not believed to be an airport employee, Denver International Airport (DIA) said. "The airport has examined the fenceline and found it to be intact," DIA said in a statement. Smoke in the cabin can be seen on photos and video shared by one of the passengers.Passenger Jose Cervantes told an affiliate of the BBC's US partner CBS that he heard a thud and then "I just see the right wing just on fire and like, it's exploding"."I thought I was going to burn to death," he added. "You know, when I just saw the fire and the smoke, I just thought I was going to burn."After evacuating the plane, the passengers were bused back to the terminal as emergency crews responded to the scene, DIA said. The majority of the passengers have since left Denver on a new Frontier flight, the airport said. The runway was closed while the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation."We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved," DIA said.
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