Israeli strike on Lebanese house kills five: state media

Smoke billows above buildings following an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese border village of Majdal Zoun on March 9, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
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Updated 10 March 2024
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Israeli strike on Lebanese house kills five: state media

  • The fighting is mainly along border regions but fears have grown of a broader conflict in Lebanon

BEIRUT: At least five people were killed Saturday, four from the same family, and nine wounded in an Israeli strike on a house in southern Lebanon, the country’s official National News Agency reported.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and Israel have traded deadly cross-border fire on a near-daily basis since war broke out in October between Israel and the Gaza militant group Hamas, a Hezbollah ally.
“The attack against a house in the Khirbet Selm area killed a family of four,” a couple and their two children, and one other person, the NNA said, adding that the mother was also pregnant.
The strike demolished the house, wounding at least nine others who lived nearby, it said.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October at least 312 people, mainly Hezbollah fighters, and 56 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally.
The fighting is mainly along border regions but fears have grown of a broader conflict in Lebanon.
Last Tuesday, a Lebanese couple and their son were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the southern border village of Hula.
In Israel, at least 10 soldiers and seven civilians have been killed.
The Hamas attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign to destroy Hamas has killed 30,960 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry.

 


Egypt coordinates with Greece to return victims of migrant boat, warns against irregular routes

Updated 1 min 12 sec ago
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Egypt coordinates with Greece to return victims of migrant boat, warns against irregular routes

  • Egypt said 14 nationals were among the 34 migrants who died when a boat sank en route to Greece on 7 December

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has instructed the Egyptian embassy in Athens to step up coordination with Greek authorities, Ahram Online reported on Tuesday. 

The ministry said 14 Egyptians were among the 34 migrants who died when a boat sank en route to Greece on 7 December.

The move aims to support survivors and expedite the repatriation of the victims’ bodies once legal procedures are completed.

The ministry added that the embassy has been in contact with the families of those who died to arrange the transfer of the remains back home.

Offering its condolences to the victims’ families, the ministry renewed its warning to citizens about the risks of irregular migration, urging Egyptians to safeguard their lives by using legal and regulated travel channels.

Egypt has intensified its efforts to curb irregular migration since launching a national strategy in 2016, with officials stressing that the country will not be used as a transit route to Europe.

Authorities say no migrant boats have departed from Egyptian shores since the strategy was introduced, despite Egypt hosting nearly 10 million foreign nationals, including refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants from 133 countries.

The approach has continued to evolve over the years, most recently with the adoption of the 2024–2026 national action plan by the National Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons.

Earlier initiatives have also supported these efforts, including the 2019 “Lifeboats” programme, which allocated EGP 250 million to create job opportunities in villages considered most vulnerable to irregular migration.

Egypt’s measures have drawn international support, with the European Union pledging €200 million in grants in March 2024 to bolster border management, search-and-rescue capabilities, and efforts to combat migrant smuggling.