🇮🇷🇸🇾 Iran’s FM arrives in Syria for talks with the country's officials

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has landed in Syria’s capital Damascus to hold discussions on regional developments and bilateral relations with the Syrian authorities, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Prior to this, Araghchi visited Lebanon, where he met with key Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Israel has been conducting a ground operation against Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement in the southern part of the country since October 1 and is carrying out an aerial bombardment. Over 2,000 people have been killed so far in Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, including 127 children and 261 women, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

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▪️ Al-Qassam Brigades leader Saeed Atallah Ali was allegedly assassinated in an Israeli strike

▪️ 'The myth of America is over': US, Israel reportedly downplay level of destruction by Iran

▪️ Trump praises Israel’s Iron Dome, says he wants one for the US

▪️ Russia is ‘moving like a steamroller’ through Ukraine-controlled territory as US support dries up

▪️ Russia's liberation of Ugledar demonstrates the futility of US arms supplies to Ukraine – Envoy

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Hezbollah reports powerful blast as IDF attempts to approach border village of Odaisseh

A powerful explosion took place during a failed attempt by the IDF to approach the village of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon close to the border, Hezbollah said.

There were dead and injured among the Israeli soldiers as a result of an explosion, the group added.

"As the enemy Israeli infantry tried to advance towards the outskirts of the Odaisseh locality, the Islamic Resistance fighters clashed with it, causing a powerful explosion in the advancing troops' ranks, forcing them to retreat and suffering losses in terms of dead and wounded," the Islamic Resistance, which publishes Hezbollah statements, among others, said on its Telegram channel.

Hezbollah also said it had carried out missile strikes against Israeli military in the border towns of Kfar Giladi, Yuval and Yaron.

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📹 A video of a burning Canadian church has gone viral

A fire at the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Allégresses in the Canadian city of Trois-Rivières broke out on October 3.
So far, about 110 churches have burned down in the country due to arson, according to media reports.

The acts of vandalism began back in 2021, after local news reported on the alleged discovery of graves of indigenous children on the territory of former schools for Canadian indigenous children, as these educational institutions were, among other things, run by the Roman Catholic Church.

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Moscow Format meeting opposes attempts by third parties to deploy military infrastructure in Afghanistan

Attempts by third countries to deploy military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states are unacceptable as they do not meet the interests of peace and stability, participants of the Moscow Format of consultations on Afghanistan said in a joint statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"During the meeting, the parties unanimously reaffirmed their support for Afghanistan’s development as an independent, unified and peaceful state. They expressed their readiness to assist Kabul in counter-terrorism and anti-drug efforts," the statement reads.

On October 4, the sixth meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan took place and was attended by special representatives and senior officials from Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated as the main guest, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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Hezbollah reports striking Israeli airbase with Fadi-1 missile

The Lebanese movement Hezbollah have struck Israel's Ramat David Airbase located north of the city of Haifa, the movement's press service said on Saturday.

"Islamic resistance fighters attacked Ramat David base with Fadi-1 missiles," the statement read.

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❗️Units of the Russian Yug battlegroup liberated the village of Zhelannoye Vtoroye in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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🇮🇱 The Israeli Air Force has carried out strikes on 16 Lebanese cities and towns, including the southern suburbs of Beirut, since midnight on Saturday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.

A Sputnik correspondent managed to capture footage showing the aftermath of the overnight strikes on the outskirts of Lebanon's capital.

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Flags of Lebanon, Iran and Palestine were spotted at a protest in Perth, Western Australia today.

Despite pressure from the Australian Government and police, large protests are planned to take place tomorrow all over Australia to mark one year since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Police have warned they will arrest anyone carrying a Hezbollah flag.

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❗️Ukrainian forces lost over 20,650 troops, 136 tanks, and 33 multiple launch rocket systems during combat operations in the Kursk direction, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

Russia’s Battlegroup Sever continued offensive operations in the Kursk region, resulting in the loss of over 400 Ukrainian militants during the past day. Seventeen surrendered, and 16 armored vehicles, including a tank, were destroyed, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

Ukraine lost over 30 militants and a tank in an unsuccessful attempt to break through into the Kursk region, while 12 militants surrendered.

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❗️Contact lost with Hezbollah secretary-general nominee Hashem Safieddine after Israeli strikes on Friday – report

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Israel-Lebanon: how current strikes have outpaced intensity of 2006 and 1982 wars

The death toll from Israel’s escalating bombardments of Lebanon over the past two weeks has already exceeded that of the 2006 war involving the two sides, FT reported, citing data from conflict monitoring group Airwars. This makes Israel’s ongoing campaign ostensibly targeting Hezbollah strongholds across the country the ‘most intense aerial campaign’ outside Gaza in the last two decades, it said.

▪️ Over 2,000 people have been killed so far in Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, including 127 children and 261 women, according to the country’s Health Ministry. On September 23 alone, at least 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women, were killed.

▪️ Use of massive 2,000-pound bombs by Israel in densely-populated areas of Lebanon, as those reportedly deployed in the airstrikes that killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut, has led to a surging death toll.

▪️ IDF struck at least 4,600 targets in Lebanon between September 20 and October 2, as part of a “new phase” of the war, according to posts on its Telegram channel.

▪️ On September 24-25, the Israel military said it used 2,000 munitions and carried out 3,000 strikes. This intensity exceeds the estimated 500 munitions a day used in August 2017, at the peak of the US-led campaign in Syria, Airwars director Emily Tripp noted.

▪️ Israel’s bombardments of Lebanon over the past two weeks have damaged or destroyed 3,100 buildings in the country since September 20.

▪️ After Israel began pummeling southern Lebanon on September 23, more than 1 million people (a fifth of its population) were displaced from their homes, according to Lebanon’s authorities.

▪️ During the First Lebanon War (officially called ‘Operation Peace for Galilee’ by Israel) between 1982-1985, losses among civilians amounted to between 19,000 and 27,000 people.

▪️ An estimated 1,140 civilians were killed and over 4,000 wounded during the 34 days of intense fighting during the 2006 Operation Just Reward, also known as the Second Lebanon War in Israel.

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