Clashes continue in Lebanon despite Israel and Hezbollah accepting US partial ceasefire plan

-
By Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily and Hatem Maher Reuters | Posted by TOE Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of people and inflamed the broader U.S.-Israeli ‌war with Iran. According to Lebanon’s embassy in Washington, the agreement would not end the conflict in that country. But it calls for Israel ‌to refrain from strikes on Beirut and its suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iran-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel. Hostilities in southern Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March, continued on Monday ​evening. Early on Tuesday, the Israeli military said that it intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, and that no injuries were reported. U.S. President Donald Trump, who first announced the agreement, said Hezbollah, through intermediaries, had pledged not to attack Israel. No U.S. presid...
Post a Comment

Russia launches first rocket from repaired Baikonur launch pad

-

 Russia launched a Soyuz rocket from a repaired launch pad ‌at its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on ‌Sunday, restoring its capability to fly to the International Space ​Station for the first time since the launch pad was damaged last year.

At 1200 GMT, a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft ‌lifted off and ⁠was placed into orbit, Russia’s space agency said. The spacecraft is expected to ⁠dock with the International Space Station on March 24.

The launch pad had been out of commission ​since it ​was badly damaged ​in November when a ‌Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut on board blasted off. No one was hurt and the crew safely reached the space station, but the incident deprived Russia ‌of its sole means ​of sending crew or cargo ​back to the ​ISS for months.

While Russia has other ‌cosmodromes on its own territory ​and Baikonur ​has other launch sites, the damaged launch pad was the only one able to handle ​the Soyuz ‌rocket that carries crew capsules and Progress ​cargo vehicles to the ISS.

SOURCE: Reuters and agencies



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/e3AcgLz

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

-
Image
A5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor was part of a series of aftershocks following Friday’s devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which resulted in the collapse of numerous buildings and significant infrastructure damage. The death toll has risen to over 1,600, with more than 3,400 individuals reported missing; these numbers are expected to increase as rescue operations continue. Foreign rescue teams and supplies arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to help the impoverished country cope with an earthquake that killed over 1,600 and left many near the epicentre scrambling for help without proper equipment. The 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, jolted the Southeast Asian nation on Friday, leaving 1,644 people dead, 3,408 injured and 139 missing, the military government said. India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar’s neighbours that have sent relief ...
Read more

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’

-
By James Mackenzie Reuters  Israeli officials and media reacted with satisfaction on Monday after a  long-expected missile attack  by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by pre-emptive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel seemed content to let Sunday’s attack, in retaliation for the  killing of a senior Hezbollah commander  in Beirut last month, count as settled for the moment. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a “crushing blow” from the Israeli strikes but that a longer lasting solution was still needed. “The current situation is not sustainable,” he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. “Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory.” Hopes that children might return for the start of the ...
Read more