International
Iran warns that it will hit Israel’s energy industry if it attacks it
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned this Friday that it will hit Israel’s energy industry if it is attacked by that country, which in turn has promised revenge for the Iranian missile bombing on Tuesday night.
“If the Zionist regime makes a mistake, we will attack all its energy sources, stations, refineries and gas fields,” said the deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, in statements collected by media such as Dideban.
“The Zionist regime has only three power plants and a few refineries, but Iran is a huge country,” Fadavi said.
The threats of the elite Iranian military corps occur amid speculation about the possible Israeli retaliation against Iran and the oil sector is one of the possible targets for the economic damage it would cause it, according to Israeli media.
The attack against Israel was “the least of punishments”
Tehran (EFE).- The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, said on Friday that the attack against Israel was “the least of the punishments for the Israeli aggression.”
Khamenei today led a collective prayer in tribute to the murdered leader of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah Hassan Nasrala, in which he assured that “the brilliant action of our armed forces a couple of nights ago was completely legal and legitimate,” in reference to the 200-missile attack on Tuesday night against Israel.
“What our military forces did was the least of the punishments for the aggression of the Israeli regime,” Iran’s highest political and religious authority said at the mosque of Imam Jomeiní in Tehran, where thousands of faithful gathered.
“Every blow to the Zionist regime is a service to all humanity,” he said.
Call for Islamic unity and criticism of the United States
The religious remarked that “every nation has the right to defend its country and territory against the aggressor.”
In this sense, he called on the Muslim world to unite before the enemy, “whose policy is divide and you will defeat.”
“The policy of the Koran is that Muslim nations must be united,” while stressing that the “enemy of Iran is the enemy of Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Yemen.”
Khamenei reiterated that Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 was legitimate.
“The Al-Aqsa storm was a legal and international measure and a legitimate right of the Palestinians,” who in their opinion have “the right to face any enemy who has destroyed their home and their life.”
And in reference to the murders of Nasrala and an Iranian general a week ago in Beirut, he warned that “Hezbulah and his heroic leader and martyr are the essence of Lebanon’s historical virtues and identity.”
He also pointed to the United States as guilty of tensions in the Middle East.
“The United States seeks control of the region’s resources through the Israeli regime,” he said.
First collective prayer in 4 years
After the speech, the Iranian supreme leader proceeded to direct his first collective Friday prayer since 2020, when he did so after the death of Qasem Soleimani, former general at the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force, murdered by the US in Iraq.
Tuesday’s bombing was the second Iranian missile attack against Israel, since last April it attacked its territory for the first time with another series of missile and drone bombings in response to the death of seven soldiers at the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
After the attack, Israel has assured that it will respond, to which Iran has in turn said that it will reply more strongly.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
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