International

The death toll from Israel’s attacks in Lebanon exceeds 2,000

More than 2,000 people have died and more than 9,500 have been injured by the attacks that Israel has launched against different parts of Lebanon in almost a year, although the vast majority of the victims have occurred in about two weeks after the start of the massive campaign of Israeli bombings.

According to a report by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers published on Friday, the number of victims increased after Israel launched a total of 153 attacks against different parts of Lebanon, mainly in the south, east and southern suburbs of Beirut known as the Dahye.

Israel intensifies its bombings against Beirut

In the early hours of Friday, Israel bombed several targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where the intensity of the attacks caused the collapse of several buildings.

One of those targets, according to the Hebrew press, has been the candidate for leader of the Shiite group Hezbulá, Hashem Safi al Din.

The newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’ assured that the Israeli aviation intended to end the life of the clergyman, probable successor to the top leader of Hezbullah, Hassan Nasrala, who died a week ago in another Israeli bombing in Beirut.

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Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’, specified that among the targets of this morning’s attacks was again a bunker in Hizbulá used by senior officials.

According to the state media, the Israeli aviation used vacuum and anti-bunker bombs during the campaign, and also reached other points on the outskirts of Beirut outside the Dahye.

Several collapsed buildings

The strong wave of bombings, which resounded throughout the capital, caused the collapse of a police station, a supermarket and other buildings on the outskirts of the capital’s Dahye, an important stronghold of Hezbulah, reported the National News Agency of Lebanon (ANN).

Israel and Hezbullah have been facing each other since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, but violence increased to an unprecedented level about ten days ago, when Israeli forces began a massive bombing campaign that has devastated towns and entire towns.

In this context, for a week, the Dahye has been the target of intense waves of air strikes almost daily.

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Two Israeli soldiers die in a drone attack

On the other side of the border, two Israeli soldiers died this Friday in northern Israel by the attack of a drone “launched from the east,” a statement that the Israeli Army usually uses when referring to projectiles fired by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq.

The deceased are Sergeant Daniel Aviv Haim Sofer and Corporal Tal Dror, both 19 years old, according to the armed forces in a statement this afternoon.

Israel orders the evacuation of 36 villages in southern Lebanon

Meanwhile, in the south, the Israeli Army ordered this Friday the immediate evacuation of 36 villages, under the premise that “Hizbulah’s activities force the armed forces to act” and anticipating a new wave of attacks against them.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River, save your lives,” Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement.

The Awali River, towards which the armed forces directed the Lebanese population, is located almost 50 kilometers from the Tyre region, where most of the villages called to evacuate are concentrated.

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Adraee warned that “anyone who is close to members, facilities and combat means of Hezbulá puts their life in danger,” as well as that any home that has served the objectives of the Shiite group will be a target of the Israeli fire.

“Be eare, you are forbidden to head south. Any direction to the south can expose you to dangers,” he added.

In addition, the Israeli Army detected the launch of about 100 rockets from Lebanese territory throughout the morning that it attributed to the Shiite group Hezbulá.

A bombing cuts the road that connects Beirut with Damascus

Since the beginning of hostilities, Israel’s attacks have killed almost 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million to leave their homes, mainly in the south and east of the Mediterranean country.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that 235,000 Syrians and Lebanese have arrived in Syria in less than two weeks from Lebanon by land in their flight from Israeli bombings.

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This Friday, an Israeli bombing hit an area near the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, cutting on the Lebanese side the road that connects Beirut with Damascus through which tens of thousands of people are fleeing to Syrian territory.

“The enemy’s fighter jets attacked the Masnaa area, which caused the international road to be cut,” reported the Lebanese National News Agency (ANN).

The Israeli Army confirmed this morning the bombing against “infrastructure sites adjacent to the Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon.”

For its part, local television Al Manar, belonging to the Lebanese Shiite group Hizbulá, broadcast a video of the attacked point in which large gaps and significant destruction can be seen on the target road of the bombings.

The representative of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, assured EFE that the attack near the crossing is “unacceptable” and a “real shame.”

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Syria is the only land supply route for Lebanon, which also has only one operating airfield throughout the country, the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, in whose vicinity several missiles have already fallen in recent days.

Iranian Foreign Minister travels to Beirut

In the midst of Israeli bombing, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reaffirmed his support for Lebanon on Friday during a meeting in Beirut with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who also informed that Tehran will start a diplomatic campaign with this objective.

“Iran will launch a diplomatic campaign to support Lebanon and request a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,” said the head of Iranian diplomacy during the meeting, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Government.

Araqchi arrived in Beirut in the midst of an intense campaign of Israeli bombing against the bastions of its great Lebanese ally, the Shiite group Hezbula, and one week after the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrala, in an unprecedented bombing of the capital’s suburbs.

The head of Iranian diplomacy is also scheduled to meet this Friday with the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, another key ally of Hezbulah, although it is unknown if he will be able to meet directly with representatives of the armed movement.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.