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Rescue Ship Picks Up 128 migrants Off Libya Coast

SOS Mediterranee team trying to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. (SOS Mediterranee Twitter account)
SOS Mediterranee team trying to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. (SOS Mediterranee Twitter account)
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Rescue Ship Picks Up 128 migrants Off Libya Coast

SOS Mediterranee team trying to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. (SOS Mediterranee Twitter account)
SOS Mediterranee team trying to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. (SOS Mediterranee Twitter account)

The rescue ship “Ocean Viking” rescued on Saturday 128 men, women and children from an overcrowded inflatable boat off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean

The humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranee, which operates the rescue ship, tweeted that two people were found deceased on the overcrowded rubber boat.

“Due to the extreme weather conditions, we were only able to recover one of the bodies,” it added.

The boat was on its way to Sicily, Italy, according to the VesselFinder vessel tracking website.

Most migrants leave from Libya in unfit boats to sail off the coast of North Africa, attempting a hazardous Mediterranean crossing to try and enter Europe through Italy.

The Italian Interior Ministry has recorded the arrival of 6,500 migrants by boat so far this year, up from 6,180 during the same period in 2021.

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Arab World

Russia Says Strike that Wounded TV Crew in Lebanon Not 'Accidental'

A man stands by a damaged car, at the site of a drone strike targeting a car in Ramlet al-Baida at Corniche Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
A man stands by a damaged car, at the site of a drone strike targeting a car in Ramlet al-Baida at Corniche Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
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Russia Says Strike that Wounded TV Crew in Lebanon Not 'Accidental'

A man stands by a damaged car, at the site of a drone strike targeting a car in Ramlet al-Baida at Corniche Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Greco
A man stands by a damaged car, at the site of a drone strike targeting a car in Ramlet al-Baida at Corniche Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Russia on Thursday condemned an airstrike that wounded a TV crew from state-run RT in Lebanon as not "accidental", amid ongoing Israeli strikes and ground operations in the south of the country.

Video agency Ruptly -- a subsidiary of RT -- posted footage showing an explosion and plumes of smoke rising through the air metres behind RT's reporter, who was wearing a bulletproof vest with a sign "Press" on it as he delivered an on-air report.

The reporter and a cameraman "were injured in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon, while they were reporting," Ruptly said on Telegram, adding both were "conscious and receiving medical attention".

"Given the killing of 200 journalists in Gaza, today's events cannot be called accidental," the Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram, without naming Israel.

"The rocket hit not a 'critical strategic military facility,' but rather the location of a report," Zakharova added.

The Russian embassy in Lebanon said that "attacks on media workers on editorial assignments are unacceptable" and called for an "appropriate investigation" into the incident.

The Israeli military said it had in recent days "targeted Litani River crossings that Hezbollah used for both terrorist movement and to transfer thousands of weapons, including rockets and rocket launchers".

"In footage released in the past few hours, a journalist is seen at the 'Qasmiya' crossing. An explicit warning had been issued regarding this area," the Israeli army said in a statement.

"The crossing was struck after sufficient time had passed since warnings," the IDF added.

A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said last month, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths.

The Israeli military regularly says it "has never and will never deliberately target journalists".

Arab World

IMF Team in Paris Meeting with Lebanese Authorities on Iran War's Impact

People carry national flags as they hold a moment of silence marking the one-year anniversary of Beirut's port blast, near the site of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
People carry national flags as they hold a moment of silence marking the one-year anniversary of Beirut's port blast, near the site of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
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IMF Team in Paris Meeting with Lebanese Authorities on Iran War's Impact

People carry national flags as they hold a moment of silence marking the one-year anniversary of Beirut's port blast, near the site of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
People carry national flags as they hold a moment of silence marking the one-year anniversary of Beirut's port blast, near the site of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

A team of International Monetary Fund officials is in Paris this week for meetings with Lebanese authorities on an initial assessment of the Iran conflict and its impact on Lebanon, IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack told reporters on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Kozack said the conflict was compounding a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and exacerbating the country's already fragile macroeconomic situation, as well as resulting in infrastructure damage.

She said Lebanese authorities had shown their commitment to continuing discussions on comprehensive reforms despite the significant impact of the Iran conflict.

Arab World

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Killed Four

Palestinian policemen inspect a vehicle in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, March 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian policemen inspect a vehicle in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, March 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Killed Four

Palestinian policemen inspect a vehicle in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, March 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinian policemen inspect a vehicle in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, March 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli airstrikes killed four people on Thursday, in the latest violence to hit the war-shattered Palestinian territory despite the ceasefire.

It came as Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened for a limited number of people, for the first time since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran at the end of February.

The civil defense agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, said strikes in two neighborhoods of Gaza City killed a total of four people.

Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City said it received two bodies following an Israeli strike on the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City.

Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital said it had also received two bodies following an Israeli drone strike on the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

When asked by AFP about the two incidents, the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.

In a separate statement, the Israeli military said it had struck and killed Muhammad Abu Shaleh, the military intelligence commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade.

It said Shaleh had "operated in violation of the ceasefire agreement to rehabilitate the organization's capabilities in the Gaza Strip and planned to carry out terror attacks against Israeli army troops and the State of Israel."

Violence has persisted in Gaza despite a ceasefire which came into effect on October 10, with both Israel and Hamas regularly accusing each other of violations.

On Sunday, Gaza's Hamas-run interior ministry said an Israeli airstrike on a police vehicle killed nine officers, with the civil defense reporting another four people killed in an earlier strike.

Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, says at least 677 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the truce.

The Israeli military says at least five of its soldiers have been killed in the same period since October 10.