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Senior diplomats from the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Italy will meet on Thursday in Paris to discuss the spiraling tensions in the Middle East, sources said on Wednesday.
The meeting will take place as fears grow of an all-out war engulfing the region, with conflict raging in Gaza and after two days of exploding pagers and other devices in Lebanon, an unprecedented attack Hezbollah has blamed on Israel.
Full StoryThe Israeli military said on Thursday it struck six Hezbollah "terrorist infrastructure sites" and a weapons storage facility in southern Lebanon overnight, as fears grew of a full-blown war.
The air force "struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure sites in the areas of Chihine, Taybeh, Blida, Mays al-Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam in southern Lebanon," a military statement said.
Full StoryThe White House has warned all sides against escalation in the Middle East after two days of blasts in Lebanon, widely attributed to Israel, on hand-held devices targeting militant group Hezbollah.
"We still don't want to see an escalation of any kind. We don't believe that the way to solve where we're at in this crisis is by additional military operations at all," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
Full StoryTurkey on Thursday accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in Gaza to Lebanon, terming as "alarming" a wave of deadly explosions that swept though Hezbollah strongholds.
"The escalation in the region is alarming," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on state-run TRT television. "We see Israel mounting its attacks towards Lebanon step by step."
Full StoryJapanese firm Icom said Thursday that it had stopped producing the model of radios reportedly used in recent blasts in Lebanon around 10 years ago.
"The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company," Icom said in a statement.
Full StoryGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday called for restraint in the Middle East after a second deadly wave of unprecedented device explosions at Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.
"I warn all sides against further escalation," Baerbock wrote on social media platform X. "Strikes and counterstrikes do not bring the region one millimeter closer to peace".
Full StoryHezbollah was in disarray on Thursday after a second wave of deadly explosions swept through its strongholds across Lebanon, putting pressure on its leader to exact revenge for the operation it blames on Israel.
The attack killed 37 people in two days, including two children, and wounded more than 2,931 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.
Full StoryA preliminary investigation has found hundreds of pagers that exploded across Lebanon, killing at least 12 people and wounding up to 2,800, had been booby-trapped, a security source said Wednesday.
"Data indicates the devices were pre-programmed to detonate and contained explosive materials planted next to the battery," the official told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Full StoryThe U.N. human rights chief is calling for an independent investigation into mass explosions from detonating pagers in Lebanon and Syria.
Volker Türk said in a statement Wednesday that “the fear and terror unleashed is profound” and urged world leaders to step up “in defense of the rights of all people to live in peace and security.”
Full StorySayyed Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, said Wednesday that the group will respond to Tuesday's pager explosion attack with “special punishment."
The group is in a “new confrontation with the enemy," Safieddine said.
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