A fierce exchange of fire broke out between Hezbollah and the Israeli army along the border area between Lebanon and Israel, involving heavy machine gun fire, artillery and missile shelling, as well as airstrikes, Lebanese military sources told the media.

According to the anonymous sources, there are no reports of casualties yet, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Israeli drones and warplanes launched nine raids on seven towns and villages in southern Lebanon and three raids on areas in Hermel, Al-Qasr, and the Matraba crossing on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the east of the country, said the sources.

“The Lebanese army positions monitored the launch of about 50 surface-to-surface missiles from the Lebanese side to Israel in three separate batches, and the Israeli Iron Dome missiles intercepted some of them,” the sources added.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced on Friday the targeting of Israeli positions in the Western Galilee with Katyusha missiles and the positions of Al-Raheb, Al-Marj, Bayad Blida, and Al-Samaqa.

The party said it fired an air defence missile at an Israeli warplane flying in the airspace of the western region of the south, causing the plane to redirect towards the airspace of occupied Palestine.

A state of anticipation and caution prevails in Lebanon following Israel’s attack on Dahieh in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday, killing a Hezbollah senior military commander, Fouad Shokor, and seven civilians.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has threatened a definite and painful response to the Israeli raid at the appropriate time and place. AGENCIES

After the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, there are reports that the Israel intelligence agency, Mossad, used the services of its Iranian agents.

As per reports in Hebrew media, the members of the elite Ansar al-Mahdi unit of the Iranian army, Islamic Red Guards Corp (IRGC), were hired by Mossad to execute Haniyeh.

According to reports, the original plan of Mossad was to kill Haniyeh during his visit for the funeral of the then-Iranian President Ebrahim Rasi in May this year. However, it was called off due to certain difficulties.

Meanwhile, sources in Israel’s Defense Minister’s office told IANS that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were prepared for any counter-attack from Iran and its proxies against the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The sources said that IDF has strengthened the Israel borders in both south and north of the country to prevent any probable attempts from Hamas, Hezbollah or Houthis.

Arab media outlets quoted that the murder of Haniyeh, allegedly by hired agents of the country’s elite members, has shocked the Iranian regime. According to information available, Iran’s intelligence agency has already commenced a crack down on those who were used by Mossad to execute the high profile Hamas leader. AGENCIES

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has condemned South Korean media outlets for “fabricating” the scale of damage caused by recent floods in his country, the state media reported on Saturday, in his first public reaction to the South over the downpours.

In a sharp-tongued message, Kim called South Korea an “unchangeable enemy” but made no response to Seoul’s latest offer of humanitarian aid over the flood damage.

The North’s border city of Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Phyongan Province were recently pummeled by heavy rains. South Korean media outlets have reported that the number of those who died or went missing could exceed about 1,000, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Kim accused South Korea of having a “wicked” purpose to tarnish North Korea’s image and staging a slanderous propaganda campaign against his country, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting KCNA.

“The enemy’s garbage media speculated that casualties in the affected areas would exceed 1,000 or 1,500 and has been spreading fabricated news reports that several helicopters on a rescue mission appear to have fallen,” Kim was quoted as saying by the report. “The enemy is an unchangeable enemy.”

His message came as Kim visited a helicopter unit engaged in a rescue operation on Friday to encourage troops.

Kim’s hostile stance against Seoul raised the possibility that Pyongyang is unlikely to accept South Korea’s proposal for aid. On Thursday, the government proposed humanitarian aid to North Korea over the flood damage, saying that it expects North Korea’s swift reaction.

North Korea has not responded through an inter-Korean liaison communication channel since then.

Kim guided an operation Sunday to rescue around 5,000 isolated residents in the flood-hit areas of Sinuiju and Uiju County. North Korea has said the downpours left more than 4,100 houses and nearly 3,000 hectares of farmlands submerged. But it did not disclose details about casualties.

North Korea convened an emergency politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea earlier this week to discuss ways to cope with the flood damage.

At a year-end party meeting last year, Kim defined inter-Korean ties as those “between two states hostile to each other” and said there is no point in seeking reconciliation and unification with South Korea. AGENCIES

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati cautioned that the regional situation may face escalation and potentially lead to spillover risks.

Mikati made the remarks during his visit to the Lebanese army headquarters to mark the 79th Army Day, which falls on August 1 each year, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to a statement issued by his office, Mikati pointed to the “worrying regional developments that signal an increase in the level of danger and its expansion from one region to another” during the visit.

“Our people in the south, the Bekaa, and in the southern suburb of Beirut, are still facing Israeli attacks that have left hundreds of martyrs and wounded, citizens, soldiers and resistance fighters, and displaced families who lost their homes and their properties were burned,” said the prime minister.

“We affirm our right to defend our land, sovereignty, and dignity by all available means, and there is no hesitation in this option, no matter how great the sacrifices are,” he added.

Mikati noted that “we have informed our sister and friendly countries that we are advocates of peace and not war, and we seek permanent stability by recovering the occupied parts of our dear south.”

Tensions escalated along the border region between Israel and Lebanon as an Israeli drone fired on Tuesday evening three missiles at a position near the Shura Council of Hezbollah in Dahieh in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Fouad Shokor, Hezbollah’s top military commander, and seven civilians.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has threatened a definite and painful response to the Israeli raid at the appropriate time and place. AGENCIES

An offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck Surigao del Sur province in the southern Philippines on Saturday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported.

The institute said the quake, which occurred at 6:22 a.m. local time, hit at a depth of 9 km, about 66 km northeast of Lingig, a coastal town, Xinhua news agency reported.

The tremor was also felt in many provinces in the Mindanao region, including Agusan del Sur, Davao de Oro, Davao City, Davao Occidental, and even some areas in the central Philippines.

The institute said the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks but will not cause damage.

The archipelagic Philippines has frequent seismic activities due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. AGENCIES

A man died in a targeted shooting in Melbourne’s west after which Australian police have commenced an investigation.

At approximately 9:10 p.m. local time on Friday, emergency services were called to Tenterfield Drive in Burnside Heights, following reports of a man suffering a gunshot wound outside a property, Xinhua news agency reported.

Victoria Police confirmed that the 34-year-old victim from Wallan was declared dead at the scene.

“The exact circumstances surrounding the death are yet to be determined at this stage, however, police do not believe this was a random attack,” the authority noted.

With the suspect still at large, the police force has urged members of the public to provide related information as soon as possible.

A witness was quoted by local media the Australian, saying that the shooter approached the man on foot and fired multiple bullets before driving off.

Burnside Heights is around 20 km north-west of Melbourne’s central business district. According to Australia’s 2021 Census, the suburb has a population of 6,377. AGENCIES

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the recent US position on Venezuela’s elections was “reckless” and renewed his call for the international community to avoid interventionism.

In his daily press conference, the Mexican president said that statements like the one made by the United States on Thursday do not help resolve electoral disputes in Venezuela, Xinhua news agency reported.

“It is reckless,” Lopez Obrador said when asked by a journalist whether the statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken could worsen the situation in the South American country.

On Thursday, Blinken claimed that opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received the most votes in the July 28 elections.

The Mexican president reiterated his call for “no interventionism” from the international community and organisations.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council declared Nicolas Maduro as the president-elect on Monday for the 2025-2031 term, following the elections held on July 28. AGENCIES

The Portuguese government announced that it has greenlit a series of significant investments by Redes Energetics Nacionais (REN) aimed at extending and developing the National Transmission Network (RNT).

The approval, announced in a statement by Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graca Carvalho on Friday, underscores the country’s commitment to enhancing its energy infrastructure and promoting sustainability, Xinhua news agency reported.

The specific investment plan by REN includes the creation of grid connection capacity in the high-demand area of Sines and reinforcements to integrate a photovoltaic plant into the grid.

Additionally, the development of the RNT in the northeast of the country will focus on integrating renewable energy sources and supplying new very high-voltage grid infrastructure.

The minister emphasised the strategic importance of these investments, noting that they serve as a “sign of encouragement” to both domestic and international companies looking to invest in Portugal.

“We want to encourage companies, both domestic and foreign, to invest in our country and contribute to building a more sustainable future,” she stated.

The move aligns with Portugal’s broader energy strategy to foster renewable energy integration and infrastructure development, positioning the country as a leader in sustainable energy solutions in Europe. AGENCIES

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management on Saturday dispatched a working team to southwest China’s Sichuan Province to guide rescue efforts after a flash flood and mudslide.

The ministry said it has also sent 268 people and 65 vehicles from the Sichuan Fire and Rescue Department and 55 people and 35 sets of equipment from China Anneng Construction Group Co., Ltd. to help in the rescue efforts, Xinhua news agency. reported

Two people were killed, eight injured, and 12 others were missing after a flash flood and mudslide took place early in the morning on Saturday in Ridi Village, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

A tunnel bridge collapsed during a flash flood and mudslide. The collapse caused three vehicles to fall, carrying six people. One person was rescued, and five others remained missing as of 11 a.m. local time Saturday, local authorities said.

The bridge connecting two tunnels on an expressway collapsed at around 3:30 a.m. at the section between Kangding City and Luding County of the Ya’an-Kangding expressway, according to the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s publicity department. AGENCIES

Slovakia expects the European Commission (EC) to defend the interests of European Union (EU) member states in an oil transit dispute with Ukraine, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said.

Blanar made the remarks in a Facebook post in response to a letter sent by the EC to him and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto over the oil transit dispute, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said on Friday that at the same time, his country won’t wait and is looking for other solutions if the commission doesn’t act.

“We have received a letter from Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis regarding the halted oil supplies via Ukraine,” Blanar added.

Slovakia and Hungary have been accusing Ukraine of violating an agreement between the EU and Ukraine after it recently stopped the oil transit of the Russian company Lukoil through the Druzhba pipeline to the two EU countries.

Slovakia’s Economy Ministry said last month that oil deliveries from Lukoil had stopped flowing to the country via Ukraine following the company’s inclusion on a Ukrainian sanctions list in June.

The agreement between the EU and Ukraine stipulates that the transit of energy products to the EU must not be hindered. Slovakia and Hungary have appealed to the EC to intervene.

On Thursday, the EC said that oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary are not in immediate danger as a result of Ukrainian sanctions against Lukoil.

Blanar said on Friday that the EC is postponing a decision on Slovakia’s request to use the options of the agreement. It has also sent further questions to Slovakia, which the Economy Ministry answered and sent back to Brussels.

On Friday, Dombrovskis said on social media platform X that he had spoken to Szijjarto to get more details on energy supplies to Hungary. AGENCIES