Beirut, September 21 (RHC)--Tension in Lebanon reached a new high on Friday, when the Israeli occupation forces launched a missile strike against residential areas in southern Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
According to the Lebanese media Al Mayadeen, the assault on the southern suburb of the city left a preliminary toll of 11 dead, while 66 were injured, nine of them in critical condition.
This represents a significant increase over the initial data provided by the Emergency Operations Centre of the Lebanese Ministry of Health. In an earlier report issued this Friday, the entity had reported a balance of three dead and 17 wounded as a result of the attack.
An Israeli F-35 aircraft reportedly carried out a second attack using two missiles. The shelling caused massive destruction in a residential area near the Al-Qaim mosque in Dahye, Beirut.
The Lebanese Minister of the Interior ordered a security cordon at the site of the Israeli attacks on the southern suburb of Beirut.
Israeli sources, quoting an occupation official, declared: "There are currently no red lines and the objective is to persecute Hizbullah." The same official added that the attacks were being targeted, targeting high-ranking resistance commanders. «We are waiting and preparing for a response from Hezbollah, all options are on the table», he warned.
Initial reports from local sources indicate that numerous civilians, including women and children, were in the building targeted by the Israeli F-35 attack. Witnesses report that several buildings collapsed, with families still trapped under the rubble.
According to al-Mayadeen, the Lebanese Civil Defence requested the evacuation of the site of the collapsed building in the Al-Qaim area, in the southern suburb of Beirut.
In response to these events, Hizbollah issued a statement: In support of our strong Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in response to the attacks by the Israeli enemy on strong southern villages and safe homes, On Friday, the main intelligence headquarters in the northern region, responsible for the killings at the Mishar base, were AGAIN bombed by Islamic Resistance fighters with Katyusha rockets.»
International analysts and observers warn that, given the level of escalation and statements by both sides, war seems inevitable at this point.
President Nicolas Maduro talks with UN Secretary-General about attacks against Venezuela
Caracas, September 21 (RHC)-- The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, held a telephone conversation on Friday with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. The Venezuelan leader addressed the global political situation, especially that of Venezuela, following the attempts at destabilization and conspiracies promoted from U.S. territory.
Through his channel of Telegram, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Yvan Gil, through an official statement informed that the national president “You have today held a friendly and fraternal conversation (…) after the attempts at destabilization and conspiracies promoted from American territory, with the satisfaction of your government, Flagrantly violating international law and the Charter of the United Nations, supported by the extremism of the Latin American and European ultra-right, which, fortunately, have been contained and neutralized thanks to the action of the Venezuelan democratic institutions.”
The statement points out that President Maduro has warned about attempts at foreign aggression, through the hiring of mercenaries to invade the country and attempts at assassination.
The Secretary-General said that the UN has been against the implementation of regime change policy anywhere in the world, as well as any action to intervene in domestic affairs affecting sovereignty.
Both parties agreed to maintain communication at the highest level between Venezuela and the UN General Secretariat, which must address the major challenges facing the organization in a global scenario.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
