Israel 'regrets' Russian aircrew death in Syria: Netanyahu
Jerusalem, Sep 19 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin to convey Israel's condolences to the death of Russian aircrew shot down by Syrian forces during an Israeli airstrike.
The phone talk came after Syrian air defense missiles shot down a 15-crew Russian plane amidst an Israeli air raid on the Syrian city of Latakia, according to Israeli and Russian officials.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military said its airstrike, carried out by four Israeli F-16s, was aimed to halt "accurate and lethal weapons" from Iran to the militia of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"The prime minister expressed his regret over the death of the Russian soldiers and said that Syria was responsible for the loss of the plane," the Israeli PM's Office said in a statement.
During the talk, Netanyahu stressed the importance of the ongoing military coordination between Israel and Russia over their moves in Syria in the past three years, which "succeeded in preventing many losses on both sides," the statement said.
Netanyahu told Putin that Israel is "determined to stop Iran's military buildup in Syria and the attempts by Iran, which calls for the destruction of Israel, to give Hezbollah lethal weapons against Israel."
Netanyahu also said Israel is prepared to share with Russia all the information it has collected on the accident and offered to dispatch to Moscow the Israeli air force commander to provide details from an investigation launched by the air force.
The statement did not elaborate on Putin's remarks during the talk. Putin and Netanyahu have held regular meetings to coordinate their moves in the war-torn country.
Israel has carried out some 200 airstrikes over the last 18 months, claiming that the attacks aimed to prevent Iranian weapons convoys and stop Iran from establishing a military foothold in Syria.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
