❗️Russia strongly condemns Israel’s attack on Lebanon - Russian MFA

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Israeli authorities to:

🔸 Immediately cease hostilities;

🔸 Withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory;

🔸 Engage in a genuine search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict.

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🇨🇳🎈Thousands of balloons donned the sky over Tiananmen Square in China's capital, Beijing, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

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Israel’s attack on Lebanon – expert weighs in on possible further scenarios

Israel’s just-announced military operation in Lebanon is yet another effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to expand the war” in Gaza, Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government at Georgetown University Qatar, told Sputnik.

Netanyahu is “expanding the war for a number of reasons” related to the fact that he has been “empowered and emboldened by a series of intelligence successes”, Kamrava said.

Possible scenarios of the Israeli operation may include:

🔸 “An expansion of the conflict to the extent that it will involve Iran”

🔸 If Iran “does attack Israel, then of course, the US will get involved”

🔸 Netanyahu pulls back

🔸 Besides the US, other countries could be involved in the conflict, including France, Egypt and Qatar

So far, the Jewish state “has had complete impunity”, and that one of the reasons for it is Iran “has withheld its fire” and “has not fallen into the trap of expanding the [Gaza] war", the analyst noted.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on October 1 launched what they called “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Operation Northern Arrows came after hours of Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire across the border, which killed 95 people and injured 172 more, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

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🐾 🚔Paw Patrol on duty

While the Chinese celebrate the 75th anniversary of PRC's foundation, stylish dog patrols keep order on the streets of Shanghai.

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❗️The Israeli army is mobilizing four reserve brigades and additional forces to tackle the northern front, the IDF statement said.

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⚡️ US Embassy in Jerusalem put American government employees in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza in shelters

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❗️The US believes Iran is preparing to attack Israel with missiles soon, CNN reported, citing a White House official.

"The US had warned Israel of a planned Iranian missile attack," an IDF spokesman said.

Iran has not commented on the statements yet.

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Footage from a different angle of the aftermath of the Israeli strikes that hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, provided by Sputnik's correspondent.

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