Diplomats stage walkout during Netanyahu's UN speech amid Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon
New York: Scores of diplomats walked out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, protesting Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza and recent airstrikes in Lebanon.
As Netanyahu took the podium, several diplomats exited the hall, prompting the presiding official to call for "order, please" while the Israeli leader began his speech. This incident occurred shortly after a senior Hamas official called on world leaders to boycott Netanyahu’s address.
During his speech, Netanyahu affirmed that Israel’s military would continue striking Hezbollah militants in Lebanon “with all our might,” despite ongoing efforts by the US, European allies, and several Arab nations to broker a three-week cease-fire. His arrival in New York coincided with intensified international appeals for cease-fires in both Gaza and Lebanon, as global leaders warned of the growing threat of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up its offensive on Hezbollah’s strongholds in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. The latest airstrikes, which began last night, resulted in thick plumes of smoke and panic in densely populated civilian areas, further escalating fears of widespread devastation.
The Gaza attacks, now nearing its one-year mark, has left the territory in ruins. Over 42,000 people have been killed, and nearly the entire population has been displaced multiple times. In northern Gaza, residents are grappling with severe food shortages as relentless airstrikes have destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure.
Mass walkout of UN delegates at the UNGA as diplomats exit the assembly in protest of Netanyahu’s address pic.twitter.com/oJGWZHyUFF
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
