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Israel strikes on Lebanon kill 40 people around Baalbek, health ministry says
Israeli strikes on Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley killed 40 people and wounded 53, the health ministry said. The Israeli military did not comment.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed 40 people around the eastern city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, according to the country’s health ministry, and at dusk more strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, Reuters reported.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have exchanged fire for over a year in parallel with the Gaza war but fighting has escalated since late September, with Israeli troops intensifying bombing of Lebanon’s south and east and making ground incursions into border villages.
Israeli strikes on Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley killed 40 people and wounded 53, the health ministry said. The Israeli military did not comment.
Israel has repeatedly battered strongholds of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.
The Israeli military ordered residents in the southern suburbs to evacuate several locations on Wednesday. Two waves of bombing followed, one late Wednesday and another early Thursday.
Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV reported there were at least four strikes on Thursday. There was no immediate report of casualties or details on what was hit.
Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem on Wednesday said he did not believe that political action would bring an end to hostilities, read the report.
He said there could be a road to indirect negotiations if Israel stopped its attacks.
“When the enemy decides to stop the aggression, there is a path for negotiations that we have clearly defined – indirect negotiations through the Lebanese state and speaker (of parliament Nabih) Berri,” Qassem said.
U.S. diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which included a 60-day ceasefire proposal, faltered last week ahead of the U.S. election on Tuesday in which former President Donald Trump recaptured the White House.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the last year, the vast majority in the past six weeks.
Lebanese rescuers scoured a destroyed apartment building in the town of Barja, south of Beirut, for bodies or survivors after an Israeli strike on Tuesday evening killed 20 people there, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
Moussa Zahran, who lived on one of the upper floors of the building, returned to sift through the ruins of his home. His burned feet were wrapped in gauze and his son and wife were in hospital after being wounded in the strike.
“These rocks that you see here weigh 100 kilos; they fell on a 13-kilo kid,” he said, referring to his son and the apartment wall that collapsed on him during the strike.
It was not clear whether the strike targeted a member of Hezbollah. There was no evacuation warning ahead of the air raid.
Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had fired missiles at an Israeli military base near Ben Gurion Airport. Israeli media reported a rocket had landed near the airport.
Later, the Israeli military said dozens of projectiles had crossed into Israel from Lebanon, some of which were intercepted, Reuters reported.
Efforts to bring a diplomatic end to the conflict have stalled. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday appointed Israel Katz as defence minister, who vowed to defeat Hezbollah so people displaced from northern Israel could return home.
Berri – a Hezbollah ally and diplomatic interlocutor – met the U.S. and Saudi ambassadors to Lebanon on Wednesday to discuss political developments, his office said, without providing further details.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, meanwhile, congratulated the U.S. president-elect.
Netanyahu hailed Trump’s election, while senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump would be tested on his statements that he can stop the Gaza war in hours as president.
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Afghan motorcyclist completes six-month journey across all 34 provinces
He said the country’s improved security was the key factor that enabled him to undertake the nationwide tour.
An Afghan traveler has completed a six-month motorcycle journey across all 34 provinces of the country, a trip he said was inspired by his passion for exploring Afghanistan’s diverse cultures and traditions.
According to the Ministry of Information and Culture, Sayed Sajjad Sadat, a resident of Herat originally from Ghazni province, traveled through all 34 provinces and visited more than 80 districts before concluding his journey in Logar province.
Sadat said the purpose of his trip was to meet people from different ethnic communities, learn about their customs, traditions, and cultural heritage, and help promote a better understanding of Afghanistan’s diversity.
He said the country’s improved security was the key factor that enabled him to undertake the nationwide tour.
Sawab Jan Islamyar, Director of Information and Culture in Logar, praised Sadat’s initiative, saying the journey demonstrates that visitors can travel across Afghanistan to experience its natural landscapes, historical landmarks, and rich cultural heritage.
He added that the prevailing security situation has created opportunities for both domestic and international tourists to visit different parts of the country with confidence.
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UNOCHA warns of deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as funding gap widens
UNOCHA reiterated that sustained international support is critical to preventing further deterioration of living conditions for vulnerable families across Afghanistan.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan has warned that millions of Afghan families are facing increasingly difficult survival choices amid a severe funding shortfall in humanitarian assistance.
In a statement shared on social media, UNOCHA said that for many Afghans, “staying when food is no longer guaranteed” means being forced into “impossible choices,” including deciding between eating today or saving food for tomorrow, and choosing between buying medicine or bread.
“Support today means survival tomorrow for millions of Afghan families,” the agency said, emphasizing the urgent need for continued international assistance.
According to UNOCHA, the 2026 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is currently only 17 percent funded. Out of the $1.71 billion required, just $292 million has been received so far.
The agency warned that the significant funding gap is limiting the ability of humanitarian partners to respond to growing needs across the country, where millions remain dependent on aid for basic survival.
UNOCHA reiterated that sustained international support is critical to preventing further deterioration of living conditions for vulnerable families across Afghanistan.
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Senior Afghan delegation travels to Iran for funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The visit comes as Iran prepares what officials have described as the largest state funeral in the history of the Islamic Republic.
A senior Afghan delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has travelled to Iran to attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to sources, the delegation includes Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Zakir Jalali, Director General of the Second Political Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Azam, head of Baradar’s office, and Haji Hikmat, head of the economic department of the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.
The visit comes as Iran prepares what officials have described as the largest state funeral in the history of the Islamic Republic. The six-day funeral, spanning multiple cities in Iran and Iraq, follows a months-long delay after Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli strikes on February 28 during the Iran-Israel conflict.
Ceremonies are set to begin at Tehran’s Mosalla prayer complex before a major funeral procession through the capital. The events will then continue in the holy city of Qom, followed by ceremonies in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei is scheduled to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
Iranian authorities expect millions of mourners to participate in the ceremonies, with Tehran’s mayor estimating that around 20 million people could attend the main funeral procession in the capital. Extensive security and logistical measures have been put in place, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other security forces overseeing crowd management.
Several foreign delegations are expected to attend the funeral, including an official delegation from Pakistan, while the participation of other regional and international leaders is still being confirmed.
The Afghan delegation’s attendance underscores the continued diplomatic engagement between Kabul and Tehran, which have maintained regular high-level contacts on political, economic and regional issues. No details have been announced regarding any bilateral meetings between Afghan and Iranian officials during the visit.
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