Israel dragged region into escalation to cover its failures: Syria’s top diplomat
Bassam Sabbagh, Syria’s foreign minister, has told the UN General Assembly in New York that “in an attempt to cover the failure of its war against the Palestinian people”, Israel has chosen to drag the whole region into a serious escalation by attacking Lebanon.
Israel is “benefitting from immunity, impunity and unlimited support provided by certain countries, in particular the United States, in a clear case of hypocrisy and double standards”, he said.
Sabbagh also said the Israeli military operation to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was “cowardly” and “traitorous”.
Lebanon coordinates DNA tests to identify missing in Israel raids
Lebanese authorities have urged the families of people who went missing in Israeli raids to submit their DNA samples at specialised centres to identify the remains of their loved ones.
“To help families of those who went missing following the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and to make the process of identifying victims and their remains smoother,” families should head to centres affiliated with the judicial police “to conduct DNA tests”, the police said in a statement.
For the past week, Israel has heavily bombed the country’s east, south and southern Beirut suburbs, killing hundreds of people and displacing up to one million. On Saturday, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said bodies and body parts were still under the rubble.
Social media users have, meanwhile, called for help to find missing relatives.
Israel’s Gallant says ‘next phase in war against Hezbollah to begin soon’
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has further indicated that Israel is expected to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon. “The next phase in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” Gallant told mayors of Israeli northern border communities.
“It will be a significant factor in changing the security situation and will allow us to complete the important [mission] of returning the residents to their homes,” he said.
