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Hezbollah, Israel exchange heavy fire in ‘new phase’ of fighting
By Timour Azhari and Miro Maman
BEIRUT/HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) -Hezbollah and Israel exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, as the Lebanese militant group sent rockets deep into northern Israeli territory after facing some of the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict.
Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem told mourners at the funeral of one of the group’s commanders killed last week in Beirut: “We have entered a new phase, the title of which is the open-ended battle of reckoning.”
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said operations would continue until it was safe for evacuated people on his side of the border to return – also setting the stage for a long conflict as Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to fight on until a ceasefire in the parallel Gaza war.
Israel’s Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement the military was well-prepared for the next stages of fighting, which were coming in the next few days, but did not say what this would entail.
“We will do whatever it takes to removes threats against Israel,” Halevi said in a televised statement.
The conflict – which has escalated sharply in the past week – has raged since Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel, saying it was acting in support of Palestinians facing an Israeli offensive further south in Gaza.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded. The attack was widely blamed on Israel, which has not confirmed or denied responsibility.
The following day, Israel launched its heaviest bombardment of Lebanon yet.
On Friday an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb targeted senior Hezbollah commanders in an attack that killed 45 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Hezbollah said 16 members of the group were among the dead, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and another commander, Ahmed Wahbi.
In a further intense bombardment on Saturday the Israeli military said it struck around 290 targets, including thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels.
“In recent days we have inflicted a series of blows on Hezbollah that it never imagined,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement. “If Hezbollah has not understood the message, I promise you, it will understand the message.”
SIRENS SOUND, SCHOOLS CLOSED
Speaking at Aqil’s funeral on Sunday, Hezbollah’s Qassem said Israel was seeking to paralyse the group, but would not succeed.
Qassem said Israel’s escalation of the conflict would lead to further displacement of its own citizens.
Israel has closed schools, restricted gatherings in the north and ordered hospitals there to move patients and staff to protected areas – many have secured or underground facilities designed to withstand rocket fire.
Air raid sirens sounded constantly in Israel on Sunday. About 150 rockets, cruise missiles and drones were fired at Israel overnight and into Sunday, most of which were intercepted by air defences, the military said.
Several buildings were struck, including a house badly damaged near the city of Haifa. Rescue teams treated wounded but there were no reports of deaths. Residents had been instructed to stay near bomb shelters and safe rooms.
Hezbollah said it hit a barracks and another Israeli position with squadrons of attack drones and also launched rockets at military-industrial facilities in an “initial response” to the device attacks last week.
An official in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a grouping of Iran-backed armed factions, said they launched cruise missile and explosive drone attacks at Israel at dawn on Sunday as part of “a new phase in our support front” with Lebanon.
“Escalation in Lebanon means escalation from Iraq,” the official said.
‘IMMINENT CATASTROPHE’
The U.N. special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasscharet, said in a post on X that “with the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer”.
Lebanon’s top Christian cleric, Bechara Boutros al-Rai, said in his Sunday sermon that Lebanon was “deeply saddened” by the casualties among civilians and within Hezbollah in the attacks of the past week, in a rare condolence message by a Christian leader to the group.
“We direct an appeal to the (United Nations Security Council) to put an end to this war by all available means,” Rai said.
Tens of thousands of people have left their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in October.
The Gaza conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 41,300 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, and laid waste to the enclave.
By Fedja Grulovic
TRUSINA, Bosnia (Reuters) – Women sat on the ground in tears in the Bosnian village of Trusina on Sunday as an excavator dug through the remains of their homes that were destroyed in the country’s deadliest floods in years.
A flash flood swept through the Jablanica area, southwest of Sarajevo on Friday, killing at least 15 people, the cantonal government said, and the search for those missing continued on Sunday.
In Trusina, no people were reported to have died, but houses, orchards and gardens were devastated.
“It is difficult to believe that an orchard, garage, car and another smaller house was here,” Duda Sutlic said “Everything disappeared in 10 minutes.”
“I was happy here. I had a life and I worked hard. Today I have no strength. All we have left now are our pensions – 500 marka ($282.21).”
A meteorologist Nedim Sladic told N1 TV that in under six hours, the region around Jablanica received as much rain as usually falls in three or four months.
Ecologists say the floods in Bosnia have been particularly damaging because years of neglect of river beds, deforestation and uncontrolled construction and exploitation of wood and stone have aggravated the impact of climate change.
Other parts of Europe have also been hard hit by flooding as well as extreme heat and wildfires.
“Everything that my father created and that I have created after him disappeared in 30 minutes,” Admir Poturovic, another resident of Trusina said.
“But life goes on. One has to move on” he said.
($1 = 1.7717 marka)
Stock Markets
OceanaGold’s Waihi North and Macraes Listed as Proposed Projects Under the Fast-track Approvals Bill in New Zealand
VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – OceanaGold (OTC:) Corporation (TSX: OGC) (OTCQX: OCANF) (“OceanaGold” or the “Company”) welcomes the inclusion of projects at both our Waihi and Macraes mines in the list of proposed projects under the New Zealand Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill for regionally and nationally significant infrastructure and development projects.
Yesterday, the New Zealand Government released the names of 149 Listed Projects that will be eligible to apply for approvals through processes under the proposed Fast-track Approvals Act. Included in the list was the Waihi North Project, which includes the highly prospective Wharekirauponga (WKP) proposed underground mine, as well as the Macraes Phase 4 Project, a mine extension permit.
Gerard Bond, President & CEO of OceanaGold, said “I am delighted to see both of our projects on the list for consideration under the new Fast-track Approvals Bill. We welcome a clear and timely regulatory process in New Zealand which supports the development of projects that can provide economic benefits while respecting important environmental, cultural and social protections. Expediting the permitting of our projects will preserve the jobs of 1,000 employees we have in New Zealand, provides new jobs and will deliver wider economic benefits for the local communities and the country.”
The Fast-track Approvals Bill is expected to be passed into law later this year, allowing listed projects to apply directly to a Government-appointed expert panel for final decision.
www.oceanagold.com
About OceanaGold
OceanaGold is a growing intermediate gold and producer committed to safely and responsibly maximizing the generation of Free Cash Flow from our operations and delivering strong returns for our shareholders. We have a portfolio of four operating mines: the Haile Gold Mine in the United States of America; Didipio Mine in the Philippines; and the Macraes and Waihi operations in New Zealand.
Cautionary Statement for Public Release
Certain information contained in this public release may be deemed “forward-looking” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information relate to future performance and reflect the Company’s expectations regarding the generation of free cash flow, execution of business strategy, future growth, future production, estimated costs, results of operations, business prospects and opportunities of OceanaGold Corporation and its related subsidiaries. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “estimates” or “intends”, or stating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements and information. They include, among others, the accuracy of mineral reserve and resource estimates and related assumptions, inherent operating risks and those risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent Annual Information Form prepared and filed with securities regulators which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com under the Company’s name. There are no assurances the Company can fulfil forward-looking statements and information. Such forward-looking statements and information are only predictions based on current information available to management as of the date that such predictions are made; actual events or results may differ materially as a result of risks facing the Company, some of which are beyond the Company’s control. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release is based on reasonable assumptions, readers cannot be assured that actual outcomes or results will be consistent with such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The information contained in this release is not investment or financial product advice.
Stock Markets
Thousands stage pro-Palestinian protests worldwide, on eve of Oct 7 attack that triggered Gaza war
PARIS (Reuters) – Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in cities around the world on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Demonstrations were held in major cities from Jakarta to Istanbul to Rabat, and followed protests on Saturday in major European capitals as well as Washington and New York.
“We are here to support the Palestinian resistance,” said protester Ahmet Unal in Istanbul, where thousands assembled.
In Paris, the Jewish community gathered on Sunday to mark one year since the attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, when militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and laid waste to the enclave.
Israel launched air attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight and early on Sunday, the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel sharply escalated its campaign against Iranian-backed group Hezbollah last month.
In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, at least 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Sunday morning near the U.S. embassy demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel.
In Sydney, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary, chanting and waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags amid a heavy police presence.
One person was arrested for waving an Israeli flag with a swastika in the middle of it instead of the Star of David.
In Rabat, thousands of Moroccans marched, calling for a halt to the violence in Gaza and Lebanon, in one of the largest protests in the country since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Protesters demanded an end to Morocco’s diplomatic ties with Israel, chanting “no to normalisation, Palestine is not for sale,” referring to Morocco’s establishing of diplomatic relations with Israel.
Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has prompted some of the biggest global demonstrations in years, including in the U.S., which saw weeks of pro-Palestinian college campus encampments.
Advocates have raised concerns over antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric in some protests and counter-protests related to the conflict. Rights advocates have warned about rising threats against Jews and Muslims around the world.
The United States and other allies have supported Israel’s right to self-defence, but Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas.
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