The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah regretted the death of its spokesman, Mohamed Afifi, in a bombing of Israel on Sunday against the headquarters of the Baath Arab Socialist Party in Beirut, the first time in a month that the Israeli army directly attacks the Lebanese capital.

Hizbulá praised Afifi as a “leader” in his role as a media spokesman and said that he joined his comrades and his “father” as a “martyr”, Hasán Nasrala, the top person responsible for the political and military formation of the movement, who died in another bombing in Beirut in September, according to a statement from the group released on Sunday night.

Afifi was among the dead in the attack

The general secretary of the Baath Arab Socialist Party in Lebanon, Ali Yusef Hegazy, confirmed that Afifi was identified as one of the seven dead in the Israeli attack on the headquarters of his formation in Beirut, in a television intervention on the Al Mayadin channel.

The bombing destroyed the headquarters of the Lebanese branch of the Pan-Araba party that maintains power in Syria with Bashar Al Asad.

For its part, the Islamist organization Hamas regretted the death of Afifi in a statement in which it highlighted his “bold media appearances” from Dahye, the suburbs south of Beirut under constant Israeli attacks, and said that it was “a voice of strong and defiant resistance that disturbed the (Israeli) occupation.”

The attack occurred in the Beirut neighborhood of Ras al Nabaa, a peripheral area in the south of the capital considered part of its metropolitan area.

On Sunday afternoon, another Israeli bombing hit the center of the Lebanese capital again, in an unusual day with attacks beyond the Dahye, a daily siege target.

Israel detects the arrival of 60 projectiles from Lebanon

The Israeli Army detected the arrival of at least 60 projectiles launched between the morning and afternoon of Monday, which it attributed to the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah, and indicated that most of them were intercepted.

“At 3:00 p.m. (13 GMT), approximately 60 projectiles fired by the terrorist organization Hezbulá crossed from Lebanon to Israel today,” the military body reported in a statement.

Israel’s Emergency Service, the Maguen David Adom (MDA), reported that two women, aged 34 and 65, were injured by the remains of these devices after being intercepted by the Israeli air defense system.

The Army also announced today the destruction of a Shiite arsenal and a tunnel in a mountainous area of southern Lebanon.

In the same statement, he detailed that militants of Hizbulá planned attacks against Israel from that place located in southern Lebanon – whose name was not specified.

Balance of the war between Israel and Hezbullah

More than a year of fire exchange between Israel and Hizbulah around the border with Lebanon has ended the lives of almost 3,500 people in this country, most of them since the Israeli Army intensified its bombing campaign on September 23. The armed forces estimate that about 2,500 were militiamen of the Shiite group.

On the Israeli side, 76 people have died from attacks launched from Lebanon, of which 45 were civilians (6 of them foreigners). In addition, 42 soldiers have died in combat in the south of the neighboring country, where they have maintained a land invasion since last October 1.

Israel confirms that a “precise” bombing in Beirut

The Israeli Army confirmed that it killed Hezbulah spokesman Mohamed Afifi in a “precise” bombing on Sunday in Beirut, who was condemned by Iran and the Lebanese Shiite group.

Afifi was in direct contact with senior officials from Hezbula to carry out “terrorist activities” of the group against Israel, according to a statement from the Israeli Army released early Monday morning.

He points out that Afifi directed Hezbullah’s operations from the field to promote the “propaganda and psychological terror campaign” of the Shiite movement, and accuses him of “glorifying” and “inciting” “terrorist activities” against the State of Israel.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, asked this Sunday to the leaders of the G20, who meet from today in Rio de Janeiro, to “take a step forward” for peace in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan.

The G20 countries exert a “huge diplomatic influence” and “must use it to address the main global problems. First of all, peace” because while “the wars continue, people are paying a horrible price,” he said at a press conference in Rio.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed his “concern” about the state of negotiations at the Baku climate summit (COP29) and demanded “leadership” and “commitment” from the G20 countries to achieve a “satisfactory result.”

Regarding Donald Trump’s return to the Presidency of the United States, he assured that the “best possible response” is to “strengthen multilateralism.”

Guterres asks the G20 to “take a step forward” for peace

Guterres asked the G20 heads of state and government to address the major ongoing conflicts, something that Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the forum until November 30, has categorically rejected.

Brazil maintains that the G20 emerged as an economic coordination mechanism and, for this reason, is not the appropriate instance for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, something that, in its opinion, is the responsibility of the UN.

In fact, the Brazilian Presidency has organized three plenary sessions for the G20 summit on how to eradicate hunger in the world, the reform of international institutions and a final one on energy transition and sustainable development.

However, Guterres urged the G20 to “take a step forward for peace,” specifically in Gaza and Lebanon, the subject of bombing and invasions by the Israeli Army, as well as in Ukraine, under Russian fire for about three years, and Sudan.

In addition, asked about how the international community should be organized in the face of the possibility of Trump moving away from global agreements, such as climate agreements, Guterres said that “the most important thing is to recognize the importance of multilateralism” and “strengthen” its institutions.

Concern about COP29

At his press conference, the UN Secretary General also referred to the climate summit being held in Baku.

“I am concerned about the state of negotiations at COP29. Countries must agree on an ambitious climate financing target that is equal to the magnitude of the challenge facing developing countries,” Guterres said at a press conference on the eve of the G20 meeting.

He acknowledged that the negotiations are “far” from coming to fruition and warned that not reaching a consensus would have “negative” consequences for COP30, which will be held in 2025 in the city of Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon.

In this context, he recalled that the G20, which brings together the most powerful economies on the planet, are responsible for “80% of global emissions” polluting and, therefore, “must lead by example.”

In this way, he considered that “all G20 countries must make an additional effort” in their climate goals and gave as an example of a “good start” the recent announcements of “Brazil and the United Kingdom”, both members of the G20.

Guterres also firmly defended the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which he referred to as the ideal way to “confront the tremendous inequalities and injustices that exist in the world.”

The G20 is made up of Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia, South Africa and Turkey, in addition to the European Union and the African Union.

At least 10 newborns have died following a fire in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi, India, which was attributed to a faulty oxygen machine, authorities reported on Saturday, adding that 39 babies were rescued.

“Unfortunately, 10 infants have died,” said Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, regarding the fire that occurred on Friday night.

The fire started at 10:30 PM (17:00 GMT) at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical University in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The rescued babies, all only a few days old, were moved to another area of the hospital for treatment.

Dr. Narendra Senga, the director of a medical faculty attached to the hospital, also confirmed the death toll of 10 infants.