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Iran threatens Israel, US with ‘crushing response’ over attack [Video]

Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies.Related video above: Israel completes ‘precise’ airstrikes on Iran (10/26/24)Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its Oct. 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people.Any further attacks from either side could engulf the wider Middle East already teetering over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon into a wider regional conflict just ahead of the U.S. presidential election this Tuesday.”The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khamenei said in video released by Iranian state media.The supreme leader did not elaborate on the timing of the threatened attack, nor the scope. The U.S. military operates throughout the Middle East, with some troops now manning a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, battery in Israel.The 85-year-old Khamenei had struck a more cautious approach in earlier remarks, saying officials would weigh Iran’s response and that Israel’s attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed.”But efforts by Iran to downplay the attack faltered as satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed attacks damaged military bases near Tehran linked to the country’s ballistic missile program, as well as damage at a Revolutionary Guard base used in satellite launches.Iran’s allies, called the “Axis of Resistance” by Tehran, also have been severely hurt by ongoing Israeli attacks, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran has long used those groups as both an asymmetrical way to attack Israel and as a shield against a direct assault. Some analysts believe those groups want Iran to do more to back them militarily.Iran, however, has been dealing with its own problems at home, as its economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions and it has faced years of widespread, multiple protests.Khamenei on Saturday met with university students to mark Students Day, which commemorates a Nov. 4, 1978, incident in which Iranian soldiers opened fire on students protesting the rule of the shah at Tehran University. The shooting killed and wounded several students and further escalated the tensions consuming Iran at the time, which eventually led to the shah fleeing the country and the 1979 Islamic Revolution.The crowd offered a raucous welcome to Khamenei, chanting: “The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader!” Some also made a hand gesture given by the slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2020 in a speech in which he threatened that American troops would “return in coffins.”Iran will mark the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis this Sunday, following the Persian calendar. The Nov. 4, 1979, storming of the embassy by Islamist students led to the 444-day crisis, which cemented the decades-long enmity between Tehran and Washington that persists today.

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The Israeli military has launched waves of deadly airstrikes across Lebanon and Gaza, killing at least 24 people in Lebanon’s northeast [Video]

Israel launched dozens of intense airstrikes across Lebanon’s northeastern farming villages on Friday, killing at least 52 people and wounding scores more, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.In central Gaza, Palestinians recovered the bodies of 25 people killed in a barrage of Israeli aerial attacks that began Thursday, hospital officials said.The latest violence comes against the backdrop of the Biden administrations renewed diplomatic push, days before the U.S. election, to reach temporary cease-fire deals. Israel has stepped up its offensive against Hamas remaining fighters in Gaza, pulverizing areas in the north and raising fears of worsening humanitarian conditions for civilians still there.In Lebanon, Israel in recent weeks has broadened its strikes to bigger urban hubs, like the town of Baalbek, home to 80,000 people, after initially targeting smaller border villages in the south, where Hezbollah conducts operations. Iran-backed Hezbollah doubles as a major political party and provider of social services in Lebanon.Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles from Lebanon into Israel in solidarity with Hamas immediately after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. The yearlong cross-border fighting boiled over to full-blown war on Oct. 1, when Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon for the first time since 2006.In Lebanons Bekaa Valley where small villages, olive groves and wineries nestled between the country’s mountain ranges had largely been spared the worst of Israeli bombardment until last month Israel conducted a series of heavy airstrikes Friday, killing at least 52 people, driving more families to flee with whatever they could carry and sending thick plumes of smoke over the horizon.Intensified Israeli airstrikes on and around the northeastern city of Baalbek after Israel issued evacuation orders this week have prompted 60,000 people to flee, emptying nearby villages, said Hussein Haj Hassan, a Lebanese lawmaker representing the region.Rescuers searched for survivors after airstrikes killed nine people and brought down a building that had housed 20 people in the town of Younine. Further Israeli strikes killed 12 people in the town of Amhaz and 31 others across at least a dozen villages in Lebanon’s northeast, bringing the total death toll to 52, the Health Ministry said. The bombardment left 72 people wounded, the ministry added.There was no immediate comment from Israel on the deadly strikes.In Lebanons capital, Israeli planes pounded the southern suburb of Dahiyeh overnight and early Friday for the first time in four days, spreading panic after a rare lull. The Israeli military, which warned residents to evacuate at least nine locations in Dahiyeh, said it hit Hezbollah weapons manufacturing sites and command centers.There were no reports of casualties from Dahiyeh, where fears of Israeli bombings drive a mass outflow of residents each night.Bulldozers rumbled through clouds of dust and smoke Friday, clearing rubble from the pulverized roads where Israeli warplanes had reduced dozens of buildings to their skeletal remains.Formerly home to families and businesses, mid-rise apartment blocks were left open to the breeze, walls blown off and furniture buried. Hezbollah supporters in several locations raised the groups bright yellow banner atop the rubble.Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted last year, more than 2,897 people have been killed and 13,150 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reports, not including Friday’s rising toll. Health authorities say that a quarter of those killed were women and children.Overall, U.N. agencies estimate that Israels ground invasion and bombardment of Lebanon has displaced 1.4 million people. Residents of Israels northern communities near Lebanon, roughly 60,000 people, have also been displaced for more than a year.Hezbollah has continued firing rockets into northern Israel, with projectiles launched from Lebanon on Thursday crashing into agricultural areas and killing seven people, including four Thai farm workers.Israel is also pressing on with its bombardment of Gaza on Friday, where a barrage of airstrikes hit central Gazas Nuseirat refugee camp and killed at least 21 Palestinians including an 18-month-old and his 10-year-old sister according to health officials at the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.Israeli strikes also hit a motorcycle in Zuwaida and a house in Deir al-Balah, killing four more people, hospital officials said, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza to 25 on Friday.Israel said it targeted Hamas infrastructure and a militant operating near the Nuseirat refugee camp but did not comment on the strikes outside the camp. It said it was aware of reports of civilian casualties and was investigating. In a separate announcement, the army said an airstrike on a vehicle in Gazas southern town of Khan Younis killed a senior member of the Hamas political bureau, Izz al-Din Kassab, and his assistant, Ayman Ayesh.Hamas confirmed the death of Kassab, who was not well known to the public. Israel alleged he was a coordinator between militant groups in Gaza.As U.S. diplomats left the region this week after a flurry of meetings with Israeli officials, there were no signs of a breakthrough on a cease-fire in either Lebanon or Gaza.Hamas on Friday doubled down on its longstanding demands for a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, saying Israel offered only a temporary pause in the war and an increase in aid shipments in the latest negotiations. There was no immediate comment from Israel.The proposals do not meet the comprehensive needs of the Palestinian people in terms of security, stability, relief, and reconstruction, said senior Hamas official Bassem Naem, speaking first to the Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV before confirming the groups position to The Associated Press.Israels blistering war in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and took some 250 hostages back to Gaza.Health officials inside Hamas-run Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of the dead in the enclave are women and children.Israeli forces have recently shifted their attention to Hamas militants that they say have regrouped in northern Gaza, renewing an offensive that has trapped tens of thousands of people under intense bombardment without enough food or water.Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly delayed an emergency polio vaccination campaign, which the World Health Organization announced it planned to finally launch on Saturday but only in Gaza City. Towns further north, like Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, remain inaccessible as Israel tightens its siege.The U.N. and other humanitarian organizations warned on Friday that the situation unfolding in north Gaza is apocalyptic, citing Israels denial of humanitarian aid to the area, military raids on hospitals, air strikes on shelters and obstruction of Palestinian rescue teams who struggle to help survivors after Israeli attacks.___Associated Press writers Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok, Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Edith Lederer in New York and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

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Feds choose winning bids for Gulf of Maine’s offshore wind lease [Video]

The U.S. government chose winning bids Tuesday to develop wind power off New England in the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic coast.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a lease sale and selected nearly $22 million in winning bids for four lease areas from two firms. The sale is a major step toward accelerating President Joe Biden’s goal of dramatically expanding offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.Environmentalists praised the lease sale, though commercial fishermen who have questioned the expansion of offshore wind said they remain opposed. The lease areas are in the Gulf of Maine, which is a critical fishing ground for the U.S. lobster industry.The awarding of the leases is a critical step in our fight against climate change, said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.”Together, we can create good paying jobs, build a domestic supply chain, and ensure that the momentum of this offshore industry continues for generations to come,” Haaland said in a statement.Two of the leases went to Avangrid Renewables for areas about 35 miles (55 kilometers) from Massachusetts. The other two leases went to Invenergy NE Offshore Wind for areas about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Massachusetts. The four areas combined are more than 625 square miles (1,600 square kilometers).The leased areas have the potential to power more than 2.3 million homes, the Interior Department said in a statement.Avangrid said in a statement that the leased areas will enable the company to progress floating wind technology. The next generation of offshore wind development is increasingly taking place in deep waters, the company said.Avangrid is a joint owner, along with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, of the Vineyard Wind project, a 62-turbine wind farm under construction 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the coast of Massachusetts.Securing these lease areas provides a unique opportunity to advance our growing business at a significant value, and reinforces our unwavering commitment to helping the New England region meet its growing need for reliable, clean energy,” Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra said in a statement.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had planned a floating offshore wind sale off Oregon for this month, but it was postponed amid lack of bidder interest and opposition by the governor.The Maine Lobstermen’s Association, a major commercial fishing trade group that has pushed back against expanding offshore wind power, characterized the lease sale as another dangerous step toward the industrialization of one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems.The association said no part of the Gulf of Maine is appropriate for offshore wind. But Conservation Law Foundation and other environmental and renewable energy groups said expanded wind power off New England is critical in the era of climate change.The Gulf of Maine lease sale is a pivotal step in our clean energy transition and for the region to significantly reduce climate-damaging emissions, said Kate Sinding Daly, senior vice president for law and policy at Conservation Law Foundation.Related content:

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Saints look to draw momentum from Carrs return and end six-game losing skid in rematch vs. Panthers [Video]

Things may be starting to look up for the New Orleans Saints following a six-game losing streak.Not only are the Saints expected to get a jolt from the return of veteran quarterback Derek Carr, who has been out since Week 5, but they have a chance to get back on track against the NFL-worst Carolina Panthers (1-7) on Sunday.While the Saints (2-6) certainly dont resemble the world beaters they looked like in the season opener when they ran out to a 30-0 second-quarter lead and trounced the Panthers 47-10 at the Superdome, they seem to have Carolinas number. The Saints are 3-0 against Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and have won the last two games by a combined 59 points.Saints coach Dennis Allen said his teams dominant Week 1 win means nothing heading into this week.Zero, Allen said. That game was eight weeks ago. It matters what we do this week in practice. It matters what we do in the game.The Panthers havent shown much improvement on either side of the ball under first-year head coach Dave Canales. Only three teams have surrendered more points through eight games in the Super Bowl era, and the offense remains near or at the bottom of the league in most statistical categories.Carr, who completed 19 of 23 passes for 200 yards and threw first-half touchdown passes in the first matchup, will look to exploit Carolinas leaky secondary that has allowed 17 TD passes tied for the most in the league.But he is trying to avoid the temptation to take on an outsized role in an offense that is desperate to emerge from its recent rut.I am no savior, Carr said. I am here to be a great leader and to be a great teammate and do my job to the best of my ability. Do I feel confident in what I can do? Absolutely. Young gets the nod againThe previously benched Young will make his second straight start with 37-year-old Andy Dalton still recovering from a sprained right thumb he sustained in a car crash last week.The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft is 2-17 as an NFL starter and has more interceptions than touchdown passes during his brief, disappointing career. Although trade rumors continue to swirl around Young, the Panthers dont appear interested in moving on from him at this point.Im excited for Bryce to have another opportunity to build on the things (and) continue to just grow and get that experience that is invaluable to be on the field, to be calling the plays and doing it, Canales said. Carr repairedCarr said pain wasnt his big issue the past three weeks.His strained oblique was simply too weak to allow him to maintain proper throwing mechanics. At first, the recipe for recovery was rest, meaning he couldnt even pick up his kids, which he said was probably the hardest part.There was literally nothing that I could do but wait and let it heal, Carr said.During the past couple of weeks, he has gradually ramped up throwing in an effort to avoid a setback. Replacing JohnsonThe Panthers traded No. 1 wide receiver Diontae Johnson to Baltimore earlier this week and will lean heavily on rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker moving forward. Theres a chance that veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen will be back in the lineup this week after missing the last five games with a hamstring injury.Legette said Young showed more trust in Coker and him last week against Denver by throwing the ball up and allowing them to make plays. Legette and Coker both caught TD passes in Carolinas 28-14 loss to the Broncos.I definitely trust (Xavier); I trust all of our receivers, Young said. In this league, its a lot of bang-bang plays, a lot of tight windows and tough throws.Secondary adjustmentsSaints defensive back Alontae Taylor, who has spent much of the past two seasons transitioning from cornerback to nickel back, appears likely to return to defending the perimeter this week.Thats partly because its not clear if cornerback Marshon Lattimore will be able to return from a nagging hamstring injury.Im back at home, I guess you could say, Taylor said. But Im really trying to figure out what can I do to maybe give us a better chance of winning games.With cornerback Paulson Adebo out for the season because of a broken leg and Lattimore struggling with his injury, Taylor is now one of the more experienced and prominent defensive backs in the lineup.I think the best thing I can do is just continue to fly around, Taylor said. I have to make sure I give a better example to the younger guys and lead them in the best way possible.Brooks to make his NFL debut?The Panthers have been cautious in bringing along rookie running back Jonathan Brooks, their second-round draft pick, as he recovers from a torn ACL sustained last year at Texas.But theres a possibility that Brooks could make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Saints.Brooks would bring a home-run threat to the Panthers backfield they are currently missing. Chuba Hubbard has been solid, reliable and arguably the teams most productive player this season.Yet Brooks offers an explosive style that could lead to some big plays.