- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
- Fry homers as Guardians down Tigers to stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Japan PM presses China's Li on airspace intrusion
- In Trump 'Truths,' conspiracies, attacks -- and doubts about the election
- How Sebastian Stan found a 'relatable' Trump for 'The Apprentice' biopic
- Panama's water wheel trash collector keeps plastic at bay
- It's still 'the economy, stupid,' says US political guru Carville
- Five key dates in the history of the America's Cup
- Zelensky to meet Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
Lebanon's Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel after commander's killing
Lebanon's Hezbollah said it launched more than 200 rockets and explosive drones Thursday at Israeli military positions as tensions have soared amid the almost nine-months-old Gaza war.
The Iran-backed militant group said its latest attack, which followed the launch of over 100 rockets the previous day, was in response to Israel's killing of a senior Hezbollah commander.
Israel did not report any deaths in its northern border area, where most communities have been evacuated, but quickly said it had responded with air strikes on targets in southern Lebanon.
Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, have exchanged near daily cross-border fire since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, stoking fears that the clashes could escalate into a new all-out war.
The Israeli military said its forces were "striking launch posts in southern Lebanon" after "numerous projectiles and suspicious aerial targets crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory", most of which were intercepted.
It said "fires broke out in a number of areas in northern Israel" following the attacks.
Israel on Wednesday killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Mohammed Naameh Nasser, near the Lebanese coastal town of Tyre.
A source close to the group described Nasser as the "Hezbollah commander responsible for one of three sectors in south Lebanon".
Hezbollah said that "as part of the response to the... assassination carried out by the enemy" it had fired "more than 200 rockets of various types" and "a squadron of explosive drones" at Israeli bases including in the annexed Golan Heights.
Air raid sires blared across northern Israel in the morning, and an AFP correspondent witnessed rockets crossing the frontier that were intercepted by Israeli air defences.
- Gaza war grinds on -
The Gaza war broke out after Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza including 42 the army says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,953 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, have exchanged near daily cross-border fire since the Gaza war erupted, stoking fears of an escalation.
The border clashes have killed at least 496 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also including 95 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that "we're very worried about the escalation of the exchange of fire".
He warned of the potential risks to the region "as a whole if we were to find ourselves in a full fledged conflict".
The Gaza war has raged on, and gun battles, air strikes and artillery shelling rocked Gaza City for an eight day as thousands of Palestinians joined an exodus of far-southern areas near Egypt after an army evacuation order.
Long-stalled efforts towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal regained some momentum after Hamas said late Wednesday it had sent new "ideas" to mediators and Israel confirmed it was "evaluating" them.
The Israeli military said its troops are fighting militants in the streets of Gaza City and destroying their infrastructure, tunnel shafts and weapons depots.
Troops over the past day "destroyed tunnel routes in the area and eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters combat with tank fire, and in aerial strikes," said the military.
Fears of renewed heavy fighting have also surged in Gaza's southern areas near the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah after the military on Monday issued a sweeping evacuation order that the UN said impacted 250,000 people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the army will destroy Hamas and bring home the remaining hostages.
The United Nations has long urged a ceasefire, and its humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, this week again called for an end to the "maelstrom of human misery".
burs-tw/fz/ami
P.Santos--AMWN