On Wednesday, at least 20 people were killed and over 450 injured in an attack in Lebanon, according to reports. The Metro mentions that “first pagers explode, then radios” and that “walkie-talkies blew up” the following day. Meanwhile, The Guardian covers the aftermath of a 10-year-old girl’s funeral who was killed during the pager explosion, adding that international observers are now warning of potential war crimes being committed due to the explosion of communication devices. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for restraint from both Hezbollah and Israel.
Reported as a “walkie talkie blitz” by The Daily Telegraph, it includes Israeli claims for a new phase of war after being blamed for it. Hundreds of the devices exploded during the funeral for Hezbollah combatants. Israel’s defence minister reportedly said the country was focusing its military on the Lebanese border for a “new phase” of war after last year’s attack by Hezbollah on 7 October. Conservatives’ James Cleverly according to The Daily Express, hold Sir Keir Starmer responsible for the deaths of 29 migrants who drowned in the Channel since he took power.
In other news, The Times reports that Hezbollah, tagged as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the U.K., has sworn to retaliate against Israel and launch missiles into the country. Off-lead for The Times is the report of the BBC exclusive on the salary of Sir Keir Starmer’s staff Sue Gray, who earns more than the prime minister. The paper has reported that Ms Gray is facing backlash over this.
Other news includes a report in The Financial Times that companies will be able to keep new hires on probation for up to six months after a government compromise. Labour had promised to introduce basic individual rights from day one, according to the manifesto, scrapping the existing two-year qualifying period for protection against some forms of unfair dismissal and a one-year wait for parental leave. Finally, according to The Daily Star, the Prime Minister received more than £100,000 of “freebies gifts and tickets” making it “more than any other party leader in recent times
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