Ahmedabad under tight security cordon for India-Pakistan cricket match
Ahmedabad (PTI): Security has been tightened in Ahmedabad and at the Narendra Modi Stadium in view of the India-Pakistan World Cup match on Saturday with the police heads of various units across Gujarat being on "alert mode" to keep a close watch on anti-social elements and sensitive areas to avoid any untoward incident, officials said.
The match is scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's largest cricket stadium, between 2 pm and 10 pm.
More than 6,000 personnel of the Gujarat police force along with those of the National Security Guard (NSG), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), among others, have been deployed in the city and at the stadium located in Motera area.
Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay said during his media briefing on Friday that the overall security set-up has been divided into five key pillars - security for stadium and spectators, traffic and parking arrangement, security for the cricket teams, close watch on anti-social elements and making sure that no untoward incident takes place in the entire state.
Various units of police across Gujarat have been instructed to remain on alert mode to keep a close watch on anti-social elements and sensitive areas to avert any untoward incident during and after the match, an official said.
Different security agencies such as Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), city crime branch, and Special Operations Group (SOG) have been roped in to deal with anti-social elements and terrorists, he said.
At the same time, the units of Gujarat police across the state have been directed to be on alert mode after 8 pm tomorrow, as the match ends at 10 pm on Saturday. State Reserve Police (SRP) units remain on "alert position" for a quick deployment in case of an emergency, officials said.
Four senior IPS officers and 21 deputy commissioner of police (DCP) rank officers have been deployed supervise and guide the personnel, they said.
Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police G S Malik said though the city has never witnessed communal violence during cricket matches played in the city in the past 20 years, security forces were deployed in several communally-sensitive areas as a precautionary measure.
To respond to any chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies during the match, teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and NDRF will also be deployed in the city.
Earlier this week, the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested a man for allegedly sending an email threatening attack on the Narendra Modi Stadium. The accused had allegedly sent an email claiming that there will be a blast in the stadium.
Last month, the Gujarat Police registered an FIR against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), for threatening to turn the Cricket World Cup, unveiled on October 5 at Narendra Modi stadium, into "World Terror Cup".
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
