Bhatkal: Volunteers of several organizations come together for solidarity march for Pulwama martyrs
Bhatkal: Volunteers and Members of several local organizations and institutions of Bhatkal joined a candle march organized in solidarity with the martyred soldiers of Pulwama attack.
The candle march which was organized by a bunch of Muslim youngsters of the town, was also participated by people of different communities and religions, loudly sending out the message of unity among the citizens of the country irrespective of religion and communities when it comes to issues like this.
The march began from Bhatkal Inspection Bungalow (IB) with over 200 youngsters accompanied by senior members and personalities of the town, marching silently towards Shamsuddin Circle with candle, torches and placards in hands, expressing their solidarity with the CRPF soldiers and their families.
The candle march dispersed at the same venue (Bhatkal IB), after marching across Shamsuddin circle, with three briefs speeches by prominent speaker.
Ex-Serviceman and currently an officer in Bhatkal Fire Department, Nazeer Ahmed Attar, said “We can’t do much for the soldiers from here, we can’t go and take their revenge. The least we can do is expressing our solidarity with them and to acknowledge the sacrifices they have made while serving us”.
“Wherever we see a soldier, we should respect them, we should take care of little things and make sure we don’t cause inconvenience to them, this is the least we as citizen can do in return for what they are doing for us”. He added.
JCI Bhatkal member Suresh Poojary, condemned the attack and advised youngsters to remain united in situations like this, and refrain from blaming one or the other community merely because the attackers belonged to that particular community, as terrorism cannot be attributed to any religion.
Former Majlis-e-Isah wa Tanzeem General Secretary, Dr. Haneef Shabab, lauded the efforts of youngsters of bringing several organizations and communities together for the solidarity march, and said “From what we have seen these youngsters do today, we can figure out that the future of the nation is in right hands, and that this kind of unity will not allow any external forces to come and divide us”.
Among major organizations that participated in the march were, SIO, PFI, JCI, members of Rotary club and others.
Prominent Businessman Qamar Sada, Social Worker Nazeer Kashimji, Misbah-ul-Haq Shaikh, Suresh Poojary and others were present during the march.
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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.
