Israeli drone strike kills five, including three children, in southern Lebanon
Beirut (AP): An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed five people Sunday, including three children, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said four of the killed, the three children as well as their father, held US citizenship.
Two others were wounded, including the mother in the family.
Officials at the US Embassy in Beirut could not immediately be reached for comment.
Since a ceasefire agreement was reached in November to end Israel's monthslong war with the Hezbollah group, Israel has continued to strike southern and eastern Lebanon almost daily.
Under the Washington-brokered ceasefire, both the Hezbollah group and Israel were supposed to withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon and halt strikes against each other. Israeli forces have continue to occupy five Lebanese hilltop points by the border.
Lebanese officials have warned that the ongoing strikes risk the country's recent efforts to disarm the group and further worsen its shaky security situation. Hezbollah has maintained that it no longer has a military presence south of the Litani River, and has refused to speak of disarmament without Israel stopping its attacks and withdrawing from southern Lebanese territory.
President Joseph Aoun, who earlier landed in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, condemned the strike and called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop. Aoun, alongside the Lebanese government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, endorsed an agreement last month that would gradually disarm Hezbollah.
“There is no peace above the blood of our children,” said Aoun in a statement from his office.
The monthslong war between Hezbollah and Israel killed some 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced residents across southern and eastern Lebanon.
Prime Minister Salam, who like Aoun, vowed upon his appointment earlier this year to disarm all non-state groups, said the strike was a “message of intimidation targeting our people returning to their villages in the south.”
“The states sponsoring the cessation of hostilities agreement must exert maximum pressure on Israel to immediately halt its attacks, withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories, and release prisoners,” said Salam in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Hezbollah officials say the ongoing strikes justify their refusal to give up their arms, and claim that the ceasefire agreement and monitoring mechanism with the United States, France, and United Nations peacekeeping forces is ineffective.
“They have proven once again that resorting to official protection under international auspices has not provided them with security and stability,” said Hezbollah parliamentarian Hassan Fadlallah. “All these attacks and killings perpetrated by the enemy will not push our people to abandon their land and rights, and they will only strengthen the people of the south's adherence to the option of resistance.”
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Budget to bolster India's global image as attractive investment destination: Shah
New Delhi (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Budget announced on Sunday "turbocharges the momentum" to bolster India's position on the global stage as the most attractive investment destination for a wide range of sectors, from traditional to the new-age ones.
"From manufacturing to infrastructure, from health to tourism, from rural areas to AI, from sports to pilgrimage sites, #ViksitBharatBudget is a budget that empowers the dreams of the youth, women, and farmers of every village, every town, and every city, enabling them to realize those dreams," Shah said in a series of messages on 'X'.
Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nirmala Sitharaman for "resounding reaffirmation" of the government’s commitment to drive growth and development with fiscal prudence, Shah said the budget fulfils the target of keeping the fiscal deficit below 4.5 per cent.
Shah said the Budget reflects the vision of a developed India by 2047 and the roadmap for the next 25 years.
"Through the Budget 2026-27, Prime Minister Modi Ji has proven that Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat is not just a slogan, but the resolve of our government. This budget not only provides a clear blueprint for empowering every sector, every class, and every citizen, but also offers a grounded vision to encourage it, which will support it at every step. #ViksitBharatBudget is a vision for building an India that leads in every field in the world," he said.
Shah said a historic decision has been taken in the Budget to launch the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Yojana in the direction of realising Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Gram Swaraj.
"This will strengthen the rural economy and provide new support to weavers, farmers and the handloom industry," he said.
The Union home minister said the decision to benefit three crore farmers through the Coconut Promotion Scheme in coastal areas, promote production and export of cashew and coconut, and conserve sandalwood clearly demonstrates that Prime Minister Modi is fully committed to the prosperity of farmers and to making agriculture a profitable enterprise.
"A visionary decision has been taken in the #ViksitBharatBudget to increase farmers' income through livestock. Increasing the number of veterinarians, expanding veterinary centers and training centers will strengthen the livestock-based economy," he said.
"#ViksitBharatBudget will give unprecedented momentum to connectivity in India. Seven high-speed rail corridors announced today aimed at supercharging inter-city connectivity and slashing down travel time across key economic and population centres of our country," he said.
Shah said decisions such as providing credit-linked subsidies for the dairy and poultry sectors, developing 500 reservoirs to promote fisheries, and providing access to global markets will prove to be milestones in the direction of the Modi government's resolve to increase farmers' income.
"#ViksitBharatBudget embodies Bharat as a nation forging its new identity as an emerging economic power center with resolute trust in its own strengths. Post covid, PM @narendramodi Ji's visionary economic policies have fuelled the Indian economy. #ViksitBharatBudget turbocharges the momentum to bolster India's position on the global stage as the most attractive investment destination for a wide range of sectors, from traditional to the new-age ones," he said.
