Israel hits Hezbollah site in Beirut after warning residents to flee
Israeli fighter jets struck
Beirut
's southern suburbs on Sunday, marking the third attack on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November.
The strike, which came about an hour after a warning was issued, targeted
Hezbollah
facilities in the Hadath area, the
Israeli military
said. Residents were urged to move at least 300 meters away from the site before the attack.
Fighter jets were heard flying over parts of the Lebanese capital before the strike. Gunfire was shot into the air to warn residents to evacuate, causing panic among families.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike and called on the United States and France to pressure Israel to halt its attacks, warning that continued Israeli actions could destabilise the region.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
3 Reasons to Plug This Into Your Home Today
elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill
Learn More
Undo
UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis also voiced concern, saying the strike had "generated panic and fear of renewed violence" and urged all sides to avoid undermining the fragile ceasefire.
This latest attack follows earlier Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 28 and April 1. The April 1 strike, which was unannounced, killed four people, including a Hezbollah official.
Hezbollah's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem warned that the group might take further action if Israeli attacks continue and Lebanese authorities do not intervene. He also reaffirmed that Hezbollah fighters will not disarm as long as Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon and continue violating Lebanese airspace.
Under the US-brokered ceasefire that ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel was supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January, while Hezbollah agreed to end its armed presence south of the Litani River.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Netanyahu brands Australian PM Albanese 'weak' over Palestinian state recognition
MELBOURNE: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday brushed off accusations from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that the Australian leader is a weak politician who had betrayed Israel by recognising a Palestinian state. Netanyahu's extraordinary public rebuke came after an August 11 announcement by Albanese that his government's recognition of a Palestinian state will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The announcement was followed by tit-for-tat cancellations of Australian and Israeli visas. History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews, Yetanyahu posted on social media Tuesday. Albanese responded pointedly Wednesday: I treat leaders of other countries with respect. "I engage with them in a diplomatic way. I don't take these things personally", Albanese said. Increasingly there is global concern because people want to see an end to the cycle of violence that we have seen for far too long. That is what Australians want to see as well.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Karoline Leavitt rants American ‘mass media' is casting Trump's Russia deal in poor light
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt came out swinging during her latest briefing, accusing reporters of deliberately trying to undermine President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP) 'All weekend, following those historic U.S.-Russia bilateral talks, we listened to clueless pundits on television trying, but failing, to claim that the president had failed,' she told the reporters. 'The so-called experts in the foreign policy establishment, whose record is nothing but endless wars, trillions of wasted taxpayer dollars and dead Americans, have the nerve to try and lecture President Trump, who has solved seven global conflicts in seven months, about peace.' ALSO READ| TikTok ban update: Trump and White House make big move; positive news for fans Her remarks followed Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Russian leader was given rare honors, including a red carpet welcome and a ride in the presidential limousine. But even after three hours of talks, Trump did not secure the ceasefire he had hinted at in advance. Nor did he impose the 'severe' sanctions on Russia that he had suggested were possible. Leavitt defended the outcome, she described it as a 'listening session' to set the stage for further negotiations. That follow-up took place on Monday in Washington, where Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from France, Britain, Italy, Germany, NATO, and the EU. Trump's allies in Congress quickly seized on the momentum On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers Andy Ogles and Marlin Stutzman formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table. Trump has said he is working toward a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Notably, Russia made clear that NATO's involvement in Ukraine remains a red line. 'We reaffirm our repeatedly stated position of categorical rejection of any scenarios that envisage the appearance in Ukraine of a military contingent with NATO countries, which is fraught with an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences,' the Russian foreign ministry said Monday, per The Daily Beast. ALSO READ| Fox News reporter brutally reviews Trump-Putin summit; says Kremlin boss 'came in and steamrolled' POTUS However, Leavitt argued that the media is doing everything it can to cast Trump's effort in a negative light. 'This is why Americans' trust in the mass media is at a lowest point in more than five decades,' she told the briefing room.
The Wire
an hour ago
- The Wire
Facing US Indictment, Adani Group Has Launched a Massive Lobbying Campaign
On November 20, 2024, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment against the Adani Group, charging its chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and other senior executives with orchestrating a 'massive bribery scheme' to win energy contracts in India. This event changed the dynamics of the Adani Group's newly initiated lobbying efforts in the US. From a modest commercial lobbying exercise, it turned into a targeted lobbying effort with two of most renowned legal and lobbying firms brought on board for what appears to have been a crisis management campaign. An analysis of federal lobbying disclosures from 2023 to 2025 reveals a distinct three-phase strategy, providing a timeline of Adani's response to escalating US legal and regulatory pressure. This data has been made available by OpenSecrets, a US-based research group tracking money in US politics and its effect on elections and public policy. The Adani Group has called the charges in the DOJ indictment 'baseless' and denied them. The group said in a press statement on November 21 that it has always upheld and is steadfastly committed to 'maintaining the highest standards of governance, transparency and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions of its operations.' Phase 1, 2023: The beginning, modest commercial lobbying Throughout 2023, the Adani Group's lobbying footprint in Washington D.C. was minimal and focused on business objectives. The total lobbying expenditure for the year was only $40,000. This effort was run entirely in-house by its subsidiary, Adani Solar USA, with a single registered lobbyist, Anurag Varma. The group's stated aim was to engage with a range of government bodies, including the Department of Commerce, Department of State, Export-Import Bank of the US, National Security Council and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. The focus, then, was on commercial interests related to the company's solar business and general trade issues. The main player managing this was Varma, who has extensive experience in lobbying in the US. He has been hired by Indian and Indian-American players – including the Indian government – wanting to advocate for their causes in Washington since the 1990s. Phase 2, late 2024: The indictment and immediate reaction The unsealing of the DOJ indictment in November 2024 triggered an immediate strategic shift in Adani's approach to Washington. In a rapid response to the indictment, the very next day, on November 21, 2024, Adani hired a major law and lobbying firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. While the firm's official registration cited lobbying on "Issues related to the supply chain", the timing, immediately following the indictment, made it clear that it was likely a response to the legal crisis the company was facing. With the hiring of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Adani's lobbying team expanded to five individuals, four of whom were "revolving door" profiles, meaning people with extensive prior government insider experience. Notably, the team included former Member of Congress Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The group's total lobbying spending for 2024 nearly doubled, going up to $70,000, with an additional $20,000 paid to Akin Gump. Also, its list of lobbying targets grew to include the White House. This marked an escalation from commercial advocacy to the quest for high-level political influence. Phase 3, 2025: The crisis campaign involving high-profile law firms The first half of 2025, according to the group's filings, saw Adani's crisis-response apparatus grow, with a massive surge in spending and the hiring of elite legal defence firms, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. Lobbying expenditures exploded to $150,000 in just the first six months of 2025, more than doubling the spending of the entire previous year. The number of lobbyists engaged went up to eight. Source: Data made available by OpenSecrets This hints towards a shift to legal defence. The focus of the lobbying effort moved directly to Adani Green Energy, the subsidiary at the heart of the bribery allegations. On January 20, 2025, Adani Green Energy retained two of the US's most powerful law firms for white-collar defence: Kirkland & Ellis and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. The registration forms for both firms were direct, stating they were hired to lobby on "Green energy issues and related criminal and civil matters." This explicitly connects their work to the DOJ case in the Eastern District of New York, and marks the final shift from commercial promotion to legal defence and high-level lobbying. The new lobbying team included top-tier legal talent such as William Burck, a former deputy counsel to the US president and now a lobbyist at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. The main target, with the new legal teams in place, is solely the Department of State. All the other government agencies it had said it was engaging with in previous years' filings no longer found a place. Given the international nature of the bribery allegations and the involvement of foreign officials, the State Department is a critical agency for the company to engage with as it navigates its defence in the US criminal case. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan's and Kirkland's lobbying, according to their filings, covers Energy/Nuclear, lobbying related to Law Enforcement/Courts/Judges/Crimes/Prisons and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties with the State Department for the Adani Group. The move from multi-agency efforts to just the State Department suggests that the main target of the efforts is the indictment. Lobbying activities Year Total Spending Key Firms Hired Key Agencies Lobbied Stated Purpose / Context 2023 $40,000 Adani Solar USA (in-house) Dept of Commerce, Dept of State, National Security Council, Export-Import Bank Promoting its solar business and general trade issues. 2024 $70,000 Akin, Gump Dept of Commerce, Dept of State, National Security Council, White House Officially for 'supply chain issues,' but hired the day after the DOJ indictment. 2025 (first half) $150,000 Kirkland & Ellis, Quinn, Emanuel Dept of State Explicitly for 'related criminal and civil matters' in response to the indictment. Source: Data and filings made available by OpenSecrets The federal lobbying records illustrate a clear and reactive strategy. The Adani Group's engagement in Washington transformed from a low-level commercial effort into a high profile legal and lobbying operation in a direct response to the US criminal investigation. The timeline and expenditure increase, hiring of elite law firms specialising in government connections including one with a former 'Deputy Counsel to the President, Special Counsel to the President, Deputy Staff Secretary' as the main lobbyist, along with the explicitly stated purpose of lobbying on "criminal matters" all point to a concerted campaign to manage the legal and reputational fallout from the DOJ indictment.
