United News of Bangladesh

Israeli air strikes across Lebanon have killed at least 123 people and wounded hundreds this week, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, as fighting intensifies along Israel’s northern front with Hezbollah. The ministry said the death toll from Israeli attacks since Monday has risen to 123, with at least 683 others injured. Lebanese state media reported that Israeli warplanes launched fresh strikes early Friday on several towns in southern Lebanon, including Srifa, Aita al-Shaab, Touline, as-Sawana and Majdal Selem. Another air strike hit the eastern town of Douris at dawn, while Israel also targeted Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah. Israeli forces also carried out raids around Sidon, the largest city in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least five people were killed and seven injured in the attack. As the violence escalated, Hezbollah warned Israeli residents living within 5 kilometres of the border with Lebanon to leave the area. The warning came shortly after Israel urged residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, triggering a mass exodus from the densely populated Dahiyeh district where about half a million people live. The Israeli military said it has carried out at least 26 rounds of strikes in the area, claiming the attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including an executive headquarters and a drone storage facility. Hezbollah said Israel’s attacks on Lebanese territory and civilians would not go unanswered. The group said its fighters launched several attacks early Friday on Israeli ground forces that had entered Lebanese territory. According to Hezbollah, its fighters targeted Israeli troops near Maroun al-Ras and Kfar Kila inside Lebanon. It also claimed attacks on Israel’s Yoav military camp in the occupied Golan Heights and a naval base in Haifa. There were no immediate reports of casualties from those attacks. The Israeli army said it would not evacuate its border towns and has sent more troops into Lebanon, describing the move as necessary to protect nearby Israeli communities. Meanwhile, thousands of Lebanese civilians have fled their homes after Israeli evacuation warnings. Many displaced families have taken shelter on beaches and in temporary locations across Beirut. Aid groups warned that the humanitarian situation is rapidly worsening as shelters struggle to accommodate the large number of displaced people. The United Nations human rights chief expressed concern over Israel’s large-scale evacuation orders in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, saying the mass displacement raises serious questions under international humanitarian law. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the evacuation orders have affected vulnerable groups including the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities. The Lebanese Red Cross has been helping evacuate patients from hospitals in affected areas. The latest escalation comes as fighting between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah has intensified amid the wider regional conflict involving Iran.   With inputs from ALJAZEERA

Iran has dismissed reports of renewed nuclear negotiations with the United States as Israeli strikes continue across Lebanon and Iran. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, denied claims in US media that Tehran had made a fresh push for talks. He said Iran will not negotiate with the US at present as the country is defending itself and that its armed forces did not initiate the conflict. Trump, who a day earlier had encouraged Iranians to “take over” their government, signaled Sunday that he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership, reports AP. A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry told Al Jazeera that the country attempted diplomatic engagement twice: during the interrupted 2025 negotiations and again now, while facing renewed US-Israeli attacks. Iranian retaliatory strikes have hit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beit Shemesh, killing at least nine in central Israel. Israel announces ‘offensive campaign against Hezbollah’ The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said in a meeting following Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel, “We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah.” Lebanese authorities reported that Israeli air attacks on the country have so far killed at least 31 people and wounded 149 others. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Israeli air attacks hit the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon, leaving 20 dead and 91 wounded in the capital’s suburbs and 11 dead and 58 wounded in the south. Israel launched the strikes after Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, widening the conflict triggered by joint US-Israel attacks on Iran. Forced displacement threats from Israel have caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in southern Lebanon. Trump said US attacks on Iran will continue until all Washington’s objectives are achieved and vowed to avenge the deaths of three American soldiers. Iran has continued strikes on US assets across the Gulf, killing one person in Bahrain, with Iraq and Kuwait also reporting Iranian raids following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and up to 40 top officials. US embassy in Kuwait warns of ongoing missile and drone threats The US embassy in Kuwait said there is a “continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks” over the country. “The US Embassy in Kuwait urges US citizens in Kuwait to shelter in place, review security plans in the event of an attack, and to stay alert in case of additional future attacks,” it said in a statement, adding that embassy personnel are sheltering in place. Two killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s Sanandaj The Iranian Fars news agency reported that at least two people were killed in an “enemy attack” on the central city of Sanandaj. It said the city was targeted by enemy missiles, destroying several residential buildings near the police station. The Tasnim news agency said US and Israeli forces dropped six missiles on different parts of the city, including densely populated neighbourhoods. Footage verified by Al Jazeera showed fire and huge clouds of smoke in the sky during one attack. Trump has turned ‘America First’ to ‘Israel First’, Larijani says Larijani said in a post on X that Trump has plunged the Middle East into chaos with his “delusional fantasies and now fears more American casualties.” He added, “He turned his self-made ‘America First’ slogan into ‘Israel First’ and sacrificed American soldiers for Israel’s power-hungry ambitions.” He said it is American soldiers and their families who will pay the cost, adding that Iran will continue to defend itself. Oil prices soar, stock markets fall amid regional conflict Crude oil prices rose sharply while stocks fell as investors weighed the fallout from US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Brent crude rose as much as 13 percent in Asia on Monday morning before stabilising, with the international benchmark up by about 5 percent at $76.48 per barrel as of midday Tokyo time. Asian stock markets opened lower, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and Japan’s Nikkei 225 down about 2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. In the US, stock futures fell significantly outside regular market hours, with futures tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both down about 0.7 percent, signalling a volatile day ahead on Wall Street.

Israeli jets struck Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones on a military base near Haifa in northern Israel. Hezbollah said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The group described it as a move to defend Lebanon and its people. The Israeli military responded with air strikes across southern Beirut, southern villages, and the Bekaa Valley. It said it targeted senior Hezbollah members and warned residents in more than 50 areas to evacuate. Lebanese authorities have expressed concern over rising tensions. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the Hezbollah attack “irresponsible” and said it puts Lebanon’s security at risk. Hezbollah operates independently from the Lebanese government and has been weakened by a 2024 war with Israel. Experts say it is unclear how much damage the group can inflict on Israel now. The escalation comes amid ongoing regional tensions involving the United States, Israel, Iran, and their allies.   With inputs from BBC