World Briefing: October 4, 2024
Apparent Israeli bombing has caused large explosions just outside Beirut's international airport during a further night of air strikes targeting Hezbollah in the city. It is not clear what was the target, but the airport borders the Dahieh area - Hezbollah's stronghold in the capital. Elsewhere, the Lebanese army said two of its soldiers had been killed in the country's south as Israeli forces pressed on with their invasion against Hezbollah and ordered another 20 towns and villages to evacuate. The Israeli military has not commented, but did say its troops had killed Hezbollah fighters near the border. Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli troops on both sides of the frontier. - BBC
Palestinian health officials say at least 18 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a cafe in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities confirmed earlier that they had used jets to bomb the city of Tulkarm, and had killed the local head of Hamas and a number of other members of the group. The IDF has carried out dozens of strikes in the West Bank in the past year, but normally uses drones or helicopters. The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank says 700 people have been killed there since the 7 October attack sparked the war in Gaza. - BBC
Former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to ceasefire with Israel shortly before he was assassinated by Tel Aviv, says Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib, adding, "We informed US and French representatives about the decision" - TRT
Russia has reportedly ordered its citizens to immediately leave Israel after Israeli airstrikes attacked the vicinity of Russia's Khmeimim base in Syria. In light of the extremely tense situation in the region, the Russian ambassador in Tel Aviv recommended that citizens in Israel consider leaving the country "while such opportunities exist." He said this in an interview with TASS. About 1.5 million Russians live in Israel.
The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports reached a deal Thursday to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The temporary end to the strike came after the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement on wages, the union and ports said in a joint statement.
A probe by forensic police has concluded that a gas leak was the cause of the bus fire tragedy in Thailand that claimed the lives of 20 students and three teachers on Tuesday. An initial investigation found the gas leak occurred at the front of the bus. The inspection found no evidence of a front tyre explosion, as previously reported, he said, adding that the bus's front-wheel shaft was broken and showed signs of scraping against the road surface - Bangkok Post
Cambodian authorities have arrested and charged an award-winning journalist in apparent reprisal for his investigative journalism, Human Rights Watch said today. Mech Dara, 36, had recently reported on human trafficking and cybercrime that was critical of the government’s role. Military police arrested Dara on September 30, 2024, while he was in his car with his family in an expressway toll line heading to Phnom Penh. A court charged him with inciting social unrest under articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code. Prior to his arrest, government-aligned media had labeled his recent social media posts concerning a quarry excavation as “fake news.” Local authorities had accused Dara of wanting to “cause social disorder and confusion” and called on the Information Ministry to take legal action against him. “Arresting the award-winning journalist Mech Dara on bogus charges shows that the Cambodian government is determined to stamp out all that remains of independent media in the country,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Cambodian authorities should be investigating the cyber-scam centers and other corruption uncovered by journalists and rights groups, instead of cranking up their assault on freedom of expression and the media.”
A hacking group tied to Russian intelligence has been disrupted, Microsoft and U.S. authorities said on October 3. American officials say the group tried to break into the computer systems of former U.S. military and intelligence staff as well as NGOs, U.S. companies, and others. A U.S. court unsealed documents authorizing Microsoft and the Department of Justice to seize more than 100 website domain names associated with the hacking group, known as the Callisto Group of Star Blizzard. “This seizure is part of a coordinated response with our private sector partners to dismantle the infrastructure that cyberespionage actors use to attack U.S. and international targets,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. - RFE/RL
