TEHRAN: Iran on Friday reported its highest number of new coronavirus infections in more than a month as it warned of clusters hitting new regions.
The Islamic republic has struggled to contain the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease since its first cases emerged in mid-February.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 2,102 new cases were confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall total to 116,635.
That figure is the highest Iran has announced for a single day since April 6.
Jahanpour said the virus had claimed another 48 lives over the same period, raising the overall death toll to 6,902.
The southwestern province of Khuzestan remained “red” — the top level of Iran’s color-coded risk scale.
Several more provinces could be added to that level of alert, he said.
“Other provinces that we may see rising infections in are Lorestan, Sistan and Baluchistan, and East Azerbaijan,” Jahanpour said in televised remarks.
The spokesman issued what he called a “warning” to residents of the provinces to observe health protocols.
Lorestan lies in western Iran, East Azerbaijan in the northwest, and Sistan and Baluchistan in the southeast bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Jahanpour had said on Thursday that North Khorasan province in the northeast may also be close to “critical condition.”
Khuzestan is the only province so far where authorities have reimposed stringent measures like shutting businesses after a countrywide relaxation in April.
Iran stopped publishing provincial figures for the coronavirus last month.
Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 91,836 have recovered and been discharged.
Experts both at home and abroad have voiced skepticism about Iran’s official figures, saying the real toll could be much higher.
Iran reports 2,102 new virus cases, highest in over month
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Iran reports 2,102 new virus cases, highest in over month
- Iran stopped publishing provincial figures for the coronavirus last month
- Experts both at home and abroad have voiced skepticism about Iran’s official figures, saying the real toll could be much higher
Israel army issues new evacuation warnings in Lebanon
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon on Tuesday, including a warning for residents in two southern Beirut neighborhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of imminent military action.
“Urgent warning to the residents of Lebanon, specifically in the villages which names are shown. For your safety you must evacuate your homes immediately,” said a statement by the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on Telegram, which listed 50 locations.
Many of the locations were across the south of Lebanon, which Israel regularly targets with the aim of hitting Hezbollah infrastructure.
“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future,” he told the residents of southern Beirut neighborhoods Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik in another evacuation warning.
Lebanon’s government on Monday took the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah’s military and security activity, prompting the Iran-backed group to lash out at the decision.
Hezbollah is represented in both the government and parliament, and the move came hours after it announced it had launched rockets and drones toward Israel early Monday to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks.
Israel bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs and dozens of villages in south Lebanon on Monday in response, vowing to make the group pay a “heavy price.”
The Lebanese health ministry said the strikes killed at least 31 people and wounded at least 149.
