India sending more relief, humanitarian materials to explosion-hit Lebanon
United Nations: India is sending more relief and humanitarian materials, including medicines and foodstuff, to Lebanon after a massive explosion last week devastated parts of Beirut, killing more than 160 people and injuring 6,000 others.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti offered deep condolences on behalf of the Government and people of India to Lebanon on this terrible human tragedy".
"We are shocked by the loss of human lives and the widespread destruction this has caused in Beirut. We pray for strength to families to overcome their great loss, Tirumurti said on Monday at a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon.
Tirumurti said India just recently sent Lebanon essential medical items to combat COVID-19.
We are immediately sending more relief and humanitarian material of medicines, foodstuff and other essential items to do whatever we can to alleviate the difficulties on the ground. We are discussing with the Government of Lebanon on how we can contribute further, he said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also paid condolences to the families and loved ones of at least 160 people who were killed, and wished a full recovery to about 6,000 others injured in the explosion on August 4, which sent shockwaves across the bustling city of Beirut, bursting? out windows and shaking buildings.
Tirumurti recalled that he had paid an official visit to the beautiful city of Beirut last year, and said it is difficult for him to imagine that this vibrant and bustling city has been affected by the blast. I admire the resilience of the people and the dedication of the rescue workers to cope with this tragedy, he said.
India has had traditionally close and historical relations with Lebanon, including through Indian peacekeepers in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Tirumurti said, adding that I would like to express our solidarity with Lebanon at this juncture.
Guterres said almost a week after the blast, many people remain missing. Buildings were damaged for miles around the city of Beirut after 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilisers, stored at the port for six years, reportedly caused the explosion.
A plane carrying 20 tonnes of World Health Organisation health supplies landed in Beirut on Wednesday to cover 1,000 trauma interventions and 1,000 surgical interventions for people suffering from injuries and burns as a result of the blast.
Further, within hours of the blast, the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon released USD 9 million from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund to address immediate needs. Last Friday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator released a further USD 6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund.
UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said the devastating impact of last week's tragedy makes it imperative for the international community to stand beside the people of Lebanon who have generously hosted thousands of refugees for years.
"We must respond by providing the necessary humanitarian assistance to alleviate the immediate suffering and to support the Lebanese people as they embark on the road to recovery. The needs are enormous and great.
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3 US troops killed, 5 seriously wounded during Iran attacks, military says
Washington (AP): Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during the US attacks on Iran, the military said Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that has sparked retaliation from the Islamic Republic.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when and where they occurred. The statement said “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions” and were going to return to duty.
Central Command described the situation “as fluid” and said it would withhold the identities of the service members who were killed for 24 hours after their families were notified.
The US military also denied Iranian claims that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck with ballistic missiles, saying on X that the “missiles launched didn't even come close.”
President Donald Trump had warned that American troops could be killed or injured in the operation.
“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,” the Republican president said in a video address released early Saturday. “That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now. We're doing this for the future.”
Following the US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other leaders, Iran's counterattacks have struck US bases in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened to launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever targeting Israeli and American military installations.
Before the strikes, Trump had built up the largest US military presence in the Middle East in decades. The arrival of the Lincoln and three accompanying guided-missile destroyers at the end of January bolstered the number of warships in the region.
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers later were dispatched from the Caribbean Sea to head to the Middle East.
The Ford was part of the US raid in Venezuela that captured leader Nicolás Maduro, who was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges. The operation in January claimed no American lives but left seven US troops with gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related injuries.
One of those injured received the Medal of Honor during Trump's State of the Union address last week. Trump said Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover piloted the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter that descended on the “heavily protected military fortress” where Maduro was staying.
Trump has launched several military operations during his second term, including strikes on members of the Islamic State group in Syria in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two US troops and an American civilian interpreter in December.
The US military has also struck IS forces in Nigeria, after Trump accused the West African country's government of failing to rein in the targeting of Christians.
