An explosion involving unexploded ordnance killed a student and injured 24 others during a school trip in northern Israel on Monday, officials said, as tensions continued across the Middle East.
Iran again denied involvement in a suspected attempt to attack a U.S.-run military airbase in England. Meanwhile, Saudi forces responded to a drone and cruise missile attack on the kingdom launched from Yemen, according to state-run media, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels said airstrikes on two districts in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and in the country’s north killed 10 people and wounded 19 others.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Read our full coverage here.
Cluster munition detonates during school outing in Israel
An unexploded munition detonated during a school trip along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon on Monday, killing a teenage boy and injuring 24 others, Israeli authorities and rescue workers said.
The Israeli military said the munition was believed to belong to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. An initial examination of the scene indicated it had been left in the area, the military said.
Local officials said the students were on an annual school trip. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the blast was under investigation.
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said two people were seriously injured.
Iran denies involvement in military airbase incident in England
Iran’s ambassador to Britain on Monday again rejected allegations of Tehran’s involvement in an incident at a U.S.-run military air base, urging British authorities to provide evidence supporting their claims, state-run IRNA reported.
Ambassador Ali Mousavi made the remarks during a meeting with Stephen Doughty, Britain’s minister for the Middle East, at the Foreign Office in London. Mousavi told Doughty that Iran had no involvement in the Sept. 27 incident at RAF Fairford and reiterated Tehran’s willingness to cooperate with British authorities in the investigation.
The meeting came as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident was “almost certainly” directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
“We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” he told lawmakers Monday.
Police have arrested seven men in the investigation into the alleged plot on the airbase, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran, but all have been released on bail and no one has been charged.
Saudi forces respond to attacks from Yemen
Saudi state-run media say their forces have responded to attacks on the kingdom, but gave no further details.
The report came after Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry and the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency said airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, and in the northern province of al-Jawf killed 10 people and wounded 19 others.
The rebels’ media center blamed Saudi Arabia for the Sanaa strikes, which came as the Houthis continued to fire missiles and drones toward the kingdom’s airports. Repeated rebel attacks on King Khalid Airport in the capital, Riyadh, have killed at least 14 people, wounded at least 320 others and caused the facility to close temporarily.
Saudi authorities are investigating the failure by air defense systems to respond to the missiles that hit King Khalid Airport, which is in one of the most secure areas in the kingdom.
Two regional officials said Monday an initial probe showed the Houthis had first fired multiple drones to pave the way for a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the media.
One official said the probe also wants to know why there was no early warning of the attack, since the Houthi missiles and drones traveled over 1,000 kilometers to reach Riyadh.
__ By Samy Magdy in Cairo
Indian sailors missing after drone hits tanker
India’s Foreign Ministry said Monday two Indian seafarers are missing after a drone struck the MT Petro Dolphin in the Strait of Hormuz area. The commercial tanker had 11 Indian sailors on board when it was hit Sunday, the ministry said.
A second vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera, was struck by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire on board, but all 11 Indian sailors on the tanker were safe, the ministry said.
At least three vessels were attacked by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to reports issued Monday by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center. But it was not clear if those reports included the vessels carrying the Indian sailors.
EU to step up support
for Lebanese army
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday a new support mission to Lebanon will help train the country’s army and security forces “to strengthen territorial control, border security, and internal security.”
She told a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg the new mission would strengthen EU support of Lebanese efforts to restore the government’s full sovereignty and build stability. She described the mission as “a major update of our security ties.”
The mission follows long-serving U.N. peacekeepers leaving at the end of the year.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
By The Associated Press
