Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Beirut strike, Israel's military says
Tel Aviv (AP): The Israeli military said Saturday that it killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah group, in a strike in Beirut on Friday.
The military said that it carried out a precise airstrike while Hezbollah leadership met at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut.
Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders, were also killed in the attack, the Israeli military said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said that 6 people were killed and 91 injured in the strikes on Friday, which leveled six apartment buildings.
Nasrallah has lead Hezbollah for more than three decades. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
Israel maintained a heavy barrage of airstrikes against Hezbollah on Saturday, as Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets toward Israel.
The Israeli military said it was mobilizing additional reserve soldiers as tensions escalate with Lebanon. The military said Saturday morning it was activating three battalions of reserve soldiers, after earlier sending two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to train for a possible ground invasion.
On Saturday morning, the Israeli military carried out several strikes in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel and the Israel-occupied West Bank.
In Beirut's southern suburbs, smoke rose and the streets were empty after the area was pummeled overnight by heavy Israeli airstrikes. Shelters set up in the city center for displaced people were overflowing. Many families slept in public squares and beaches or in their cars. On the roads leading to the mountains above the capital, hundreds of people could be seen making an exodus on foot, holding infants and whatever belongings they could carry.
At least six people were killed and 91 were wounded in the strikes against the Hezbollah on Friday, Lebanon's health ministry said. It was the biggest blast to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year and appeared likely to push the escalating conflict closer to full-fledged war. At least 720 people have been killed in Lebanon during the week, according to the Health Ministry.
The death toll is likely to rise significantly as teams comb through the rubble of six buildings. Israel launched a series of strikes on other areas of the southern suburbs following the initial blast.
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Hundreds pay homage to lorry driver Arjun, killed in Karnataka landslide
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): Hundreds of people queued for hours to pay their last respects to Kerala lorry driver Arjun when his mortal remains were brought to his native village Kannadikkal in this district on Saturday morning.
Arjun, along with his vehicle, went missing in a river following a massive landslide that had rocked Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka in July.
The body of the deceased youth and his lorry were recovered on Wednesday from the river, more than two months after the disaster, through a massive search mission.
Emotional scenes were witnessed as the ambulance carrying the mortal remains of the youth entered Kannadikkal village, with his friends, neighbours, and fellow drivers bursting into tears.
As the motorcade passed through the area, many people waiting on both sides of the road were visibly struggling to hold back their tears.
People from all walks of life gathered at Arjun's house when his body was placed there for public homage.
"We believed till some days back that Arjun was alive and might be under treatment somewhere and he would come back...and never expected that his return would be in this form," a teary-eyed woman, who is Arjun's neighbour, said.
Forest Minister A K Saseendran, Lok Sabha MP M K Raghavan, MLA K K Rema were among other officials who visited the house of Arjun to pay their last respects.
An emotional Saseendran said he had never seen such a huge crowd coming to bid a tearful adieu to a person in recent times.
Raghavan said the entire state and its people had stood together to find Arjun and the 71-days-long rescue mission was rare in the history of the country.
He also thanked the Karnataka government for their support to recover the mortal remains of the missing lorry driver.
The July 16 landslide on National Highway 66 claimed the lives of eight people in Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district.
With the recovery of Arjun's body, the death toll had gone up to nine, authorities said.
The search operations, started soon after the landslide, were halted on July 28 due to adverse weather conditions, high river currents and other factors.
