15 Killed in Iraq Gas Cylinder Blast

Workers manually box medicines at the State Company for Drugs Industries factory in Samara, Iraq. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily
Workers manually box medicines at the State Company for Drugs Industries factory in Samara, Iraq. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily
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15 Killed in Iraq Gas Cylinder Blast

Workers manually box medicines at the State Company for Drugs Industries factory in Samara, Iraq. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily
Workers manually box medicines at the State Company for Drugs Industries factory in Samara, Iraq. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily

Fifteen people were killed in a gas cylinder explosion in a residential area in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya, the civil defense said on Friday.

A rescue operation lasting 17 hours had now ended, the civil defense added, according to Reuters.

Earlier on Friday, Haval Abubaker, the governor of Sulaimaniya province, announced three days of mourning.

Civil defense firefighters managed to contain the fire that broke out in a residential area after the gas cylinder exploded on Thursday. The fire damaged several houses and destroyed at least five vehicles, police said.

Police officers said at least three houses were completely destroyed by the explosion of a cooking gas cylinder that was installed on the rooftop of one of the homes.



Israeli Jets Attack Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings to Stop Arms Smuggling

 Lebanese army members stand near rubble at a damaged site after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in the Lebanese village of Khiam, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand near rubble at a damaged site after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in the Lebanese village of Khiam, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Jets Attack Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings to Stop Arms Smuggling

 Lebanese army members stand near rubble at a damaged site after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in the Lebanese village of Khiam, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand near rubble at a damaged site after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in the Lebanese village of Khiam, December 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli jets struck seven crossing points along the Syria-Lebanon border on Friday, aiming to cut the flow of weapons to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.

Israeli troops also seized a truck mounted with a 40-barrel rocket launcher in southern Lebanon, part of a haul from various areas that included explosives, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 automatic rifles, the military said.

The commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, said Hezbollah was trying to smuggle weapons into Lebanon to test Israel's ability to stop them.

"This must not be tolerated," he said in a statement.

Under the terms of a Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement, Israel is supposed to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in phases while unauthorized Hezbollah military facilities south of the Litani River are to be dismantled.

However, each side has accused the other of violating the agreement, intended to end more than a year of fighting that began with Hezbollah missile strikes on Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, from Gaza.

On Thursday, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon called for Israeli forces to withdraw, citing what it said were repeated violations of the deal.

Israel, which destroyed large parts of Hezbollah's missile stocks during weeks of operations in southern Lebanon, has said it will not permit weapons to be smuggled to Hezbollah through Syria.

Israel has also conducted attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen in recent days and pledged to continue its campaign against Iranian-backed militant groups across the region.