The Israeli army says airstrikes on houses in Lebanon in which "Hezbollah hid weapons" are imminent, as it warned attacks on the armed group would deepen. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks. Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken office as president, promising change and to oversee a “cleaner” politics.
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Today, Iran's guards ban communications devices after pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah. As Israel warns the airstrikes on houses with Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon are imminent. And Sri Lanka's new Marxist-leaning president is sworn in, promising cleaner politics and economic reform. It's Monday, September 23rd. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Tara Oakes in Liverpool. We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purpose, such as those used to store weapons to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety. Israel's military spokesperson Daniel Hagari were the message for Lebanese civilians. Israel's launched its heaviest wave of airstrikes against Iran backed Hezbollah in nearly a year. Nultaneously targeting Lebanon's south, eastern Bekar Valley and northern region, near Syria. As by reporters about a possible Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon, Hagari said, "We will do whatever is needed," to return evacuated residents back to their border homes in northern Israel. In response, Hezbollah sent rockets deep into northern Israeli territory over the weekend. That's Iranian President Massoud Pizeshkian, visiting people who were injured in last week's explosions in Lebanon. Some patients have been transferred to hospitals in Tehran for medical treatment. After thousands of pages and walkie-talkies used by Iran's Hezbollah allies blew up last week, Reuters' exclusive reporting has revealed that Iran's elite revolutionary "guard corps" has ordered all of its members to stop using any comms' devices. A security official said an operation is underway to inspect all the revolutionary guard's devices due to concerns about Israeli infiltration. Most devices are homemade in Iran or imported from China and Russia. Back in Lebanon itself, a funeral for a top Hezbollah commander. Hezbollah operations commander Ibrahim Akil was killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on Beirut. The U.S. says Akil was involved in the Beirut truck bombings that struck the American embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in 1983. Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting until a ceasefire and Gaza is reached. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is spilling over into financial markets. Common Cremens has more. Oil prices are climbing on concerns the violence in the Middle East could curtail regional supply. The fear is that the hostilities could drag in OPEC producer Iran. Brent traded near $75 a barrel after rising 4% last week, while West Texas' intermediate was close to $72. Concerns over future demand have hung over the price of oil, but the Fed's jumbo rate cut last week has helped sentiment. You can hear all about that rate cut and what it means for you on the latest episode of my podcast, Reuters econ world. It's out on Reuters.com, the Reuters app, or wherever you get your podcasts. And in the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops have raided Al Jazeera's Ramallah Bureau ordering it to close. The Qatar headquarter channel aired live footage of Israeli troops entering the offices with their weapons drawn and handing over an order to shut down operations for 45 days. Vice President Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in an NBC News poll released on Sunday. That was helped by a leap in her approval rating in the survey, which was 48% of a registered voters surveyed compared to 32% in July. This has urged her Republican rival to accept a proposal for a second TV debate later next month. Trump has so far refused. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Shultz's Social Democrats have narrowly fought off the far right in a regional election. The SPD won almost 31% of the vote in the eastern state of Brandenburg, but that was only slightly ahead of the far right AFD on 29.2%, according to provisional official results. Elon Musk appears to have given in to key demands from Brazil's Supreme Court in the battle over the platform X, which has been blocked there. The firm's lawyers now say it will comply with demands to appoint a legal representative in the country. The court has given X five days to file the documentation. Sri Lanka's new president, Anura Kamara Disanayaka, bound to clean up politics and revive the country's economy. The Marxist-leaning politician won the weekend's vote with a promise of change. There were celebrations on the streets, but Sri Lanka has gone through a severe economic crisis and investors worry about Disanayaka's desire to revisit the terms of the country's IMF bailout. Adita Jayasinga is in Colombo. So the key message that he is delivering, very interestingly, is that, look, I am going to take the democratic path here, right, which is actually really difficult for him because he is now a president but holds only three seats in Parliament. So earlier today, the Prime Minister resigned, which means the cabinet that was under the former president now stands dissolved. Does this mean now call an election? Yes. I am definitely thinking that we will see him seek a fresh mandate. He has said this multiple times during his campaign. So he has a very tight deadline in terms of getting all of this stuff done this year. This is going to be, I think, where we're going to see some interesting maneuvers from his end where he has to establish a Prime Minister, a cabinet and some form of interim government and then look for general elections. So there's going to be a lot of excitement in Sri Lanka for months to come. How significant is his victory for Sri Lanka? So one of the political analysts that I spoke to yesterday actually described it as a revolutionary because when you look at the Sanhaka's lineage, he comes from a small farmer family. He does not come from the power circles of Colombo. They will now be very high expectations from the people who have placed their faith in him to deliver on economic prospects quite quickly and to improve living standards, reduce taxes. Swifties are used to paying eye-popping prices for concert tickets, but Russian fans face other challenges in their quest to catch a superstar on tour. Many Western performers have shunned the country after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Traveling to the West is complicated and requires visas, clever flight combinations, time and money. That's 22-year-old Artem. He and his friend Eliza Vetta had to travel separately in July to attend a concert in Germany. He applied for a visa in Italy and flew there first while Eliza Vetta made a stopping grease with her family before the pair met up for the concert in Gelson-Keshen. Despite the long itinerary, Eliza Vetta there sang the trip was a dream come true. And finally today, applause as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro oversee the signing of a sister state agreement between Pennsylvania and Ukraine's Zaparija region. In our recommended read today, find out how Zelensky has arrived in the U.S. to set out a victory plan for the war with Russia. He's in the U.S. to attend the UN General Assembly, and you can hear more about what's expected from that in our weekend episode. There's a link to both in the pod description. For more on all of our stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. And to never miss an episode, subscribe on your favourite podcast player. We'll be back tomorrow with our Daily Headline Show. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]
