By Laila Bassam and Humeyra Pamuk

BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israel launched an airstrike on Wednesday on the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon, killing the mayor and at least five others.

The attack raised fears that Israel’s expanding air campaign, designed to crush Iran-backed Hezbollah, could increasingly include public officials and buildings, which so far have been spared.

Debris lies at a damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmad Al-Kerdi
© Thomson Reuters

Lebanon’s Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack on the provincial capital, saying it “intentionally targeted a meeting of the municipal council to discuss the city’s service and relief situation.”

It was the most significant Israeli hit yet on a Lebanese state building since it launched its offensive two weeks ago and came despite U.S. concerns about rising death tolls and fears of all-out war in the region.

Rubble lies at a damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmad Al-Kerdi
© Thomson Reuters

The health ministry said six people had been killed, with the interior minister confirming the death of the mayor.

After Israel first issued an evacuation notice for Nabatieh, a city of tens of thousands of people, on Oct. 3, a Reuters reporter called Mayor Ahmed Kahil to ask if he would leave. He said he would not.

Israel’s military said on Wednesday it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the Nabatieh area and dismantled underground infrastructure, while its navy also hit dozens of targets in southern Lebanon, in cooperation with troops on the ground.

Israel is now battling Tehran’s allies Hezbollah in south Lebanon and in the capital Beirut and the Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza. It is also preparing to retaliate for an Iranian missile attack on Oct. 1, following a similar large-scale operation in April.

Rubble lies at a damaged site in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmad Al-Kerdi
© Thomson Reuters

Options include an attack on the Islamic Republic’s oil facilities, a move that would hammer Iran’s economy and raise global oil prices, or its nuclear facilities.

Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon October 16, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
© Thomson Reuters

LOW PROBABILITY OF ATTACK ON NUCLEAR SITES

The probability of an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites remains low but any potential damage would be “quickly compensated,” state atomic energy agency spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Wednesday, according to semi-official Nournews.

“We have always taken these threats seriously. We have planned in a way that if they commit any stupidity, the damages would be minimal,” Kamalvandi said.

Earlier on Wednesday, at least one Israeli airstrike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, Reuters witnesses said.

Reuters witnesses heard two blasts and saw plumes of smoke emerging from two separate neighbourhoods. It came after Israel issued an evacuation order early on Wednesday, which mentioned only one building.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the U.S. had expressed its concerns to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration on the recent attacks on Beirut.

The last time Beirut was hit was on Oct. 10, when two strikes near the city centre killed 22 people and brought down entire buildings in a densely populated neighbourhood.

The Israeli military has in recent weeks carried out strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, the stronghold of Hezbollah, without advance warnings, or with a warning for one area while striking more broadly.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had targeted an underground Hezbollah weapons stockpile in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.

“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including advancing warnings to the population in the area,” the Israeli military said.

Hezbollah has not yet commented.

NO SIGNS OF CEASEFIRE

Some Western countries have been pushing for a ceasefire between the two neighbours, as well as in Gaza, though the United States says it continues to support Israel and was sending an anti-missile system and troops.

Natanyahu and his far-right government has rejected ceasefire calls and has vowed to crush Hamas and Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s Mikati on Wednesday also appeared to cast doubt on diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.

“What can deter the enemy (Israel) from its crimes, which have reached the point of targeting peacekeeping forces in the south? And what solution is hoped for in light of this reality?,” he said in a written statement.

Since Israel began its ground incursion, UNIFIL positions have come under fire and two Israeli tanks burst through the gates of one of its bases, the U.N. says. Five peacekeepers have been injured.

European Union countries that contribute have no intention of pulling back despite Israeli calls to do so, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.

Sixteen EU countries, including Austria, contribute to UNIFIL and the recent incidents have sparked widespread alarm among European governments.

Israel says it intends to push back Hezbollah and allow the safe return of tens of thousands of Israelis to their homes in northern Israel.

Israeli operations in Lebanon have killed at least 2,350 people over the last year and left nearly 11,000 wounded, according to the health ministry, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced. The U.N. says a quarter of the country is under evacuation orders.

The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but includes hundreds of women and children.

Around 50 Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in the same period, according to Israel.

(Reporting by Laila Bassam and Timour Azhar in Beirut, Humeyra Pamuk in Washington and Andrew Gray in Brussels; Writing by Lincoln Feast and Michael Georgy; Editing by Stephen Coates, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Sharon Singleton)

North Korea has said that its troops stationed at the border with South Korea are combat-ready after tensions between the two neighbors escalated.

Ekwutosblog gathered that Pyongyang accused Seoul of recently flying drones over its airspace, dropping leaflets denouncing the propaganda regime in the North. South Korea has not commented on its neighbor’s claims.

In a statement, North Korea’s Ministry of Defense ordered its border troops to be ready to “open fire.”

This announcement comes as North Korea has blown up the routes connecting the two countries. South Korea’s Ministry of Unification deemed the action “abnormal” and said it violated bilateral agreements aimed at reducing tensions between the two nations.

Last week, Pyongyang said that it would block all roads and railways connecting the two countries following South Korea’s joint military exercises with the United States.

Kim Jong Un also revealed plans to amend the constitution to formally designate South Korea as a sworn enemy.

Afuel tanker exploded overnight in northern Nigeria as it was surrounded by a crowd of people who had rushed to the scene of an accident to collect leaking petrol.

At least 94 people were burnt to death as fire engulfed the overturned vehicle, which had crashed, the police told the BBC.

Fifty others injured in the explosion have been taken to hospital in the nearby town of Ringim in Jigawa state and are in a critical condition.

Officers had warned people not to approach the tanker after the accident late on Tuesday night, but they were unable to contain the growing crowd, police spokesman Lawal Shiisu Adam said.

“We tried our best to stop people going to the vehicle to get petrol but despite cordoning the area we were overpowered and as people were scooping fuel, fire erupted,” he told the BBC.

The crash happened in the town of Majia in the northern state of Jigawa at around 23:30 local time (22:30 GMT), he said.

“The fuel tanker was coming from Kano and heading to Nguru in Yobe state when the driver lost control of the vehicle.”

The driver, who was not injured, has been taken into custody while the police conduct an investigation.

A distressing video has been shared on social media showing the moments after the fire erupted.

“Fire service and other emergency units rushed to the scene to help after the incident,” Mr Adam said.

Many of the victims were burnt beyond recognition. The bodies have been covered by tree branches to shield them from onlookers.

A mass burial was planned for later on Wednesday, Mr Adam said.

Fuel tanker explosions and accidents are common in Nigeria – often caused by the poor state of roads and badly maintained vehicles.

In September, 59 people died in Nigeria’s Niger state after a fuel tanker collided with a lorry carrying passengers and cattle.

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