Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv today, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon after intercepting the attack. This marks Hezbollah’s first claimed ballistic missile strike since the conflict with Israel began, following Hamas' October 7 assault. Hamas had repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv during the early months of the war.

Lebanon: Israeli Strikes Kill 568, Cause 'Carnage', Khamenei Warns Israel Over Attacks

An Israeli airstrike targeted Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut, near Al-Qaem mosque, according to a Lebanese security source. The series of four bomb strikes resulted in five deaths, including children and civilians, and left 17 others wounded. Among the dead is Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force commander, Ibrahim Aqil, reportedly the group’s second-in-command after Fuad Shukr, who was killed in a previous Israeli strike in July. While the Israeli military claims it conducted a “targeted strike,” the exact target remains unclear.

Lebanon: Aftermath Of Israeli Airstrike In Beirut Causes Widespread Destruction

Israel’s defense minister has declared a “new phase” in the war, following reports of an Israeli attack that triggered explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon. With tensions escalating, the prospect of full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah looms larger than ever. Hopes for a diplomatic resolution are fading as Israel looks to alter the status quo in the north, where cross-border clashes have intensified since Hezbollah's attacks on October 8, just a day after the war began with Hamas.

Lebanon Pager Explosion: Israel Declares New Phase In War, Hezbollah Vows Retaliation

China on Sunday said it will take 'necessary measures' to respond to the US blacklisting of Chinese companies over their alleged role in abuses of Uyghur people and other Muslim ethnic minorities.

The Commerce Ministry said the US move constituted an 'unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and a serious breach of international economic and trade rules'.

"China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard Chinese companies' legitimate rights and interests,"&nbsp;the ministry's statement said.

No details were given, but China has denied allegations of arbitrary detention and forced labour in the far western region of Xinjiang and increasingly responded to sanctions against companies and officials with its own bans on visas and financial links.

The US&nbsp;Commerce Department said in a statement on Friday that the electronics and technology firms and other businesses helped enable 'Beijing's campaign of repression, mass detention and high-technology surveillance' against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

The penalties prohibit Americans from selling equipment or other goods to the firms. The United States has stepped up financial and trade penalties over China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, along with its crackdown on democracy in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

The Chinese government since 2017 has detained a million or more people in Xinjiang. Critics accuse China of operating forced labor camps and carrying out torture and coerced sterilisation as it allegedly seeks to assimilate Muslim ethnic minority groups.

The US Commerce Department said 14 companies were added to its Entity List over their dealings in Xinjiang, and another five for aiding China's armed forces.

"The Department of Commerce remains firmly committed to taking strong, decisive action to target entities that are enabling human rights abuses in Xinjiang or that use US&nbsp;Technology to fuel China's destabilising military modernisation efforts," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement posted on the department's website.

(With inputs from agencies)

China on Sunday said it will take 'necessary measures' to respond to the US blacklisting of Chinese companies over their alleged role in abuses of Uyghur people and other Muslim ethnic minorities.

China on Sunday said it will take 'necessary measures' to respond to the US blacklisting of Chinese companies over their alleged role in abuses of Uyghur people and other Muslim ethnic minorities. The Commerce Ministry said the US move constituted an 'unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and a serious breach of international economic and trade rules'. "China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard Chinese companies' legitimate rights and interests," the ministry's statement said. No details were given, but China has denied allegations of arbitrary detention and forced labour in the far western region of Xinjiang and increasingly responded to sanctions against companies and officials with its own bans on visas and financial links. The US Commerce Department said in a statement on Friday that the electronics and technology firms and other businesses helped enable 'Beijing's campaign of repression, mass detention and high-technology surveillance' against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The penalties prohibit Americans from selling equipment or other goods to the firms. The United States has stepped up financial and trade penalties over China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, along with its crackdown on democracy in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong. The Chinese government since 2017 has detained a million or more people in Xinjiang. Critics accuse China of operating forced labor camps and carrying out torture and coerced sterilisation as it allegedly seeks to assimilate Muslim ethnic minority groups. The US Commerce Department said 14 companies were added to its Entity List over their dealings in Xinjiang, and another five for aiding China's armed forces. "The Department of Commerce remains firmly committed to taking strong, decisive action to target entities that are enabling human rights abuses in Xinjiang or that use US Technology to fuel China's destabilising military modernisation efforts," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement posted on the department's website. (With inputs from agencies)

China vows retaliation after US blacklists companies

Saudi Arabia has promised &quot;urgent&quot; action to resolve the plight of some 2,500 Indian workers stranded without money in the kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs. 
 
Labour minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani issued orders to allow the Indian workers &quot;to immediately transfer their kafala (sponsorship) and renew their residencies,&quot; the Okaz daily reported on today. Haqbani&#39;s orders also ease restrictions on workers leaving the kingdom, Okaz quoted ministry official Abdullah al-Alyan as saying. 
 
The kafala system, applied on foreign workers in Gulf countries, restricts most employees from moving to a new job without their boss&#39;s consent before their contracts end, leaving many trapped. It has been criticised by rights groups as a form of bonded labour or even slavery. 
 
Alyan&#39;s announcement comes as India&#39;s minister of state for foreign affairs, VK Singh, arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah today, after New Delhi said it was negotiating to repatriate thousands of migrant workers who have lost their jobs and were left with no money to return home. 
 
Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs. 
 
Some of them have been forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, according to officials. But Alyan did not mention thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as &quot;rumours&quot; that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Alyan said the &quot;immediate and urgent action&quot; was to resolve the issues of &quot;2,500 Indian workers from Saudi Oger who have faced difficulties due the delays in their salaries&quot; and cut-offs in electricity and food supplies from their camps. 
 
Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries. 
 
Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon&#39;s billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies. It employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities. 
 
(AFP)

But Alyan ignored thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as "rumours" around 10,000 starving Indian workers

Saudi Arabia has promised "urgent" action to resolve the plight of some 2,500 Indian workers stranded without money in the kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs. Labour minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani issued orders to allow the Indian workers "to immediately transfer their kafala (sponsorship) and renew their residencies," the Okaz daily reported on today. Haqbani's orders also ease restrictions on workers leaving the kingdom, Okaz quoted ministry official Abdullah al-Alyan as saying. The kafala system, applied on foreign workers in Gulf countries, restricts most employees from moving to a new job without their boss's consent before their contracts end, leaving many trapped. It has been criticised by rights groups as a form of bonded labour or even slavery. Alyan's announcement comes as India's minister of state for foreign affairs, VK Singh, arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah today, after New Delhi said it was negotiating to repatriate thousands of migrant workers who have lost their jobs and were left with no money to return home. Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs. Some of them have been forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, according to officials. But Alyan did not mention thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as "rumours" that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Alyan said the "immediate and urgent action" was to resolve the issues of "2,500 Indian workers from Saudi Oger who have faced difficulties due the delays in their salaries" and cut-offs in electricity and food supplies from their camps. Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries. Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon's billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies. It employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities. (AFP)

Saudi vows 'urgent' action for stranded Indian workers

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