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The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in several south Lebanon towns Wednesday, and accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities close to the border. The Israeli military has kept up frequent air strikes in Lebanon in spite of a ceasefire sealed last November that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah.The latest raids came a day after 13 people were killed in a strike that Israel said had targeted Hamas members in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon — the deadliest attack since the truce came into effect. Israel's military said Wednesday that it had struck "several weapons storage facilities belonging to Hezbollah's rocket unit in southern Lebanon", calling such sites "a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon". It had previously warned residents to evacuate the area around sites in the southern Lebanese towns of Deir Kifa, Shehur, Ainata and Tayr Felsay.Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) later said raids hit all four locations. In Deir Kifa, Lebanese soldiers deployed near the targeted building, which collapsed after the strike, an AFP correspondent saw. An AFP journalist in Tayr Felsay saw fireballs and smoke erupt after the raid there. In its evacuation warnings on X, the Israeli military had said it would strike Hezbollah "military infrastructure... in response to Hezbollah's prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area".In a subsequent statement, the military singled out the town of Beit Lif, just a few kilometres from the Israeli border. It accused Hezbollah of rebuilding "dozens of fighter infrastructure sites in the area of the village, including headquarters and weapons storage facilities", some inside civilian homes.Lebanon says Israel is violating the truce with its strikes, and by maintaining troops in five areas of the country's south. Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli attacks, Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, but the fighter group has rejected the idea of handing over its weapons.Earlier Wednesday, Lebanon's health ministry said one person was killed and 11 others wounded in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in south Lebanon's Tiri that Israel said killed a Hezbollah fighters. The NNA reported that the man killed worked for the local municipality, and said the strike took place as a university bus carrying students passed by, wounding some on board. On Tuesday, Israel said it struck a Hamas training compound in south Lebanon's Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp. The Palestinian fighter group denied it had military installations in Lebanon's refugee camps and called Israel's claims "lies".

Poland said Wednesday it would close the last Russian consulate in its territory and deploy thousands of soldiers to protect infrastructure in response to a railway explosion it blames on Moscow. Poland, a major ally in Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion, says two Ukrainians collaborating with Moscow perpetrated the weekend blast on the Warsaw-Lublin line, which connects Warsaw to the Ukrainian border.Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said at a news conference that the first response would be to close Russia's last operating consulate in the northern city of Gdansk. Warsaw has previously closed Russian consulates in Krakow and Poznan over sabotage acts. "It was not only an act of sabotage but also an act of state terrorism," Sikorski told lawmakers.Moscow denies responsibility for sabotage, citing "Russophobia", and said it would likewise limit Poland's diplomatic and consular presence in Russia. Sikorski said he would ask other EU nations to limit Russian diplomats' travel in the 25-nation Schengen free-travel area. There has been a wave of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks in Poland and other European nations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said up to 10,000 soldiers will be deployed to help protect critical infrastructure such as railways. The Polish army chief of staff, Wieslaw Kukula, speaking to reporters alongside the defence minister, warned that the upcoming long winter nights and Christmas period could be perceived by Poland's enemies as a good time for sabotage.A special app is planned for citizens to report suspicious situations. Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesperson for Poland's minister in charge of intelligence services, said that in addition to the two main Ukrainian suspects who have fled to Belarus, several other people had been detained over the railway blast. A spokesperson for Polish prosecutors, Przemyslaw Nowak, said a prosecutor signed a decision to charge in absentia the two Ukrainian men — named as Oleksandr K and Yevhenii I — for sabotage on November 15 and 16 on orders of Russian intelligence.Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about the threat and agreed on cooperation between special services and state railways, plus the need to identify collaborators. The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the attack highlighted risks to European rail infrastructure essential to move military equipment and troops fast.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he thought Thailand and Cambodia were "going to be fine" after he sought to mediate a flare-up in their border dispute, but the Thai leader continued to demand an apology from Phnom Penh. Thailand this week suspended a US-brokered ceasefire deal and demanded an apology over allegations that Cambodia had laid fresh landmines that injured Thai soldiers, which Cambodia denies.Long-running tensions over a disputed border between the two Southeast Asian nations erupted into five days of fighting in July, when at least 48 people were killed and an estimated 300,000 temporarily displaced, before Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim brokered the ceasefire."I spoke to the prime ministers of both countries and they’re doing great. I think they’re going to be fine," Trump told reporters on Friday evening. But Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that Bangkok would not adhere to the agreement until Cambodia admitted its violation and issued an apology for the latest incident.Anutin posted on Facebook after speaking to Trump and Malaysia's Anwar that Thailand has the right to take any action necessary to protect its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people and property from foreign threats. He said he asked Trump and Anwar, who has been a mediator in the dispute, to tell Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to abide by the agreement and not to interfere in the removal of mines.Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Saturday that Phnom Penh would continue to implement the deal and hoped both sides would continue to work together in accordance with the agreed principles and mechanism. Trump also engaged with Malaysia on Friday, a White House official said.Anwar posted on X that Cambodia and Thailand were ready to "continue choosing the space for dialogue and diplomatic efforts as an effective path to resolution."

Qatar Charity has announced the arrival of a new batch of Qatari relief aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, in support of the brotherly Palestinian people.In a statement, Qatar Charity said the shipment includes 2,790 shelter tents in addition to essential humanitarian supplies, provided by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Charity, and the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS).**media[379092]**The organisation explained that this batch comes as part of the ongoing aid efforts previously dispatched under the maritime bridge established by Qatar. It reflects Qatar's swift response to urgent humanitarian needs and its continued commitment to alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

Thailand and Cambodia on Sunday signed a joint declaration on a peace deal, marking a formal step toward halting hostilities and restoring peace along their disputed border. The agreement was signed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, which began today, according to the Malaysian news agency (BERNAMA). The signing was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in his capacity as ASEAN Chair, and United States President Donald Trump, BERNAMA reported. The declaration reinforces the ceasefire understanding reached in July following talks between the two countries. It also formalises the establishment of an ASEAN Observer Team to monitor compliance and prevent renewed clashes in the border zones. The peace deal marks a milestone in ASEAN's regional diplomacy, reflecting the bloc's commitment to conflict prevention, stability and cooperation under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship, with its theme of "Inclusivity and Sustainability". Malaysia, as this year's ASEAN Chair, is hosting the 47th ASEAN Summit from Oct. 26 to 28 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

EU Entry/Exit System to be rolled out over six monthsPassport stamping to be replaced by digital recordsEU seeks tighter border controls amid immigration pressuresEuropean Union member countries began rolling out a new entry and exit system on Sunday at the bloc's external borders, electronically registering non-EU nationals' data.The Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated system that requires travellers to register at the border by scanning their passport and having their fingerprints and photograph taken, will be introduced over six months.The move is aimed at detecting overstayers, tackling identity fraud and preventing illegal migration amid political pressure in some EU countries to take a tougher stance."The Entry/Exit System is the digital backbone of our new common European migration and asylum framework," European Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said in a statement.Non-EU citizens will have to register their personal details when they first enter the Schengen area - all EU member countries apart from Ireland and Cyprus, but including Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.Subsequent journeys will only require facial biometric verification.The system should be fully operational, with passport stamping replaced with electronic records, on April 10, 2026."Every third country national who arrives at an external border will undergo identity verification, security screening, and registration in the EU databases," Brunner said.At the Bajakovo border crossing between Serbia and neighbouring Croatia, a EU member state, hundreds of people, many of them Serbians, queued in their cars on Sunday for around 20 minutes before entering booths for fingerprinting and face scanning."There are five lanes open, so it took us about 20 minutes in line and about two minutes (in the booth) for each of the five of us from the car," said Dalibor Vranic, from Serbia.For British travellers using the Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone or Eurostar terminal at London's St Pancras International, the process takes place at the border before they leave the UK.At Dover and the Eurotunnel terminal, only freight and coach traffic was subject to EES checks from Sunday.Passenger vehicle checks will follow in November at Dover and by the end of the year at Eurotunnel, while the Eurostar at St Pancras was gradually introducing the new process, starting with some business travellers from Sunday."The UK and EU have a shared objective of securing our borders and these modernisation measures will help us protect our citizens and prevent illegal migration," British Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris said.

Saudi Arabia expressed concern over the tensions and clashes taking place in the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for restraint, avoiding escalation, and embracing dialogue and wisdom, which would help reduce tensions and maintain the security and stability of the region.The ministry affirmed its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability, and its continued commitment to ensuring security in order to achieve stability and prosperity for the Pakistani and Afghan people.