Israel bombed central Beirut in the early hours of Thursday, killing at least six people following a day in which Israeli and Hezbollah troops clashed at close range in southern Lebanon. Three missiles also hit the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week, and loud explosions were heard.
Bombings are still continuing in Lebanon with health officials saying that many people have been injured following Israel’s strikes. An American from Dearborn, Michigan, was also killed in Lebanon in an Israeli airstrike, according to the man’s daughter. Democratic US Representative Rashida Tlaib’s office said it was in touch with Kamel Ahmad Jawad’s family. It further added that he was the Palestinian American congresswoman’s constituent and a US citizen.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington DC and India, while calling for restraint by all concerned and protection of civilians, advised all its nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. Meanwhile, the conflict has increased the risk of trade disruptions, as Hezbollah shares close ties with the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are accountable for the majority of the attacks on ships traversing the Red Sea route.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned Israel of a very strong reaction if there’s any further escalation by the Israel against it and has sought to rally Asian countries behind Tehran’s back as Pezeshkian visited Qatar on Wednesday. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday and discussed bilateral cooperation. In a post on X, Jaishankar said, ‘A great meeting with NSA @JakeSullivan46. As always, a productive conversation on bilateral cooperation and good insights into global politics’.
Jaishankar also met Assistant to the US President and National Security Advisor to US Vice President, Phil Gordon. Sharing details about his meeting with Gordon, Jaishankar in a post on X said, ‘Good to see @PhilGordon46 during my Washington visit. Appreciated the conversation on our bilateral ties and various global developments’. Gordon said that he and Jaishankar took stock of important progress made in the bilateral ties, including growing defence and technology cooperation.
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