The Lebanese army says that three soldiers have been killed after a military vehicle was hit by an Israeli air strike. Near the border, UN peacekeepers say their watchtower was bulldozed by the Israeli army. Also in the programme: Moldova takes part in presidential elections, and also decides on the country's relationship with the European Union; Cuba - already suffering power blackouts - braces itself for a storm that could hit the island's main electricity generators: and what Japan's doing about its abandoned homes. (Photo shows Lebanese army soldiers and people stand at the site of an Israeli strike in the town of Baaloul, Lebanon October 19, 2024. Credit: Abou Taleb Maher/Reuters)
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Hello, welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.
Coming to you live from London, I'm Paul Henley.
We start in Lebanon, where the army says three of its soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon in a single Israeli airstrike.
Lebanon's US Funded army has tried to stay out of the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant told his troops that Israel was destroying Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and that the attacks would continue.
They are continuing at the moment.
The BBC's Jonathan Head is in Beirut and I asked him shortly before we came on air about those Lebanese army deaths.
First, we haven't been told much in terms of detail.
There's simply been a statement from the army saying that these three soldiers were in a vehicle going between two small villages very close to the border with Israel when they were hit by an Israeli airstrike and killed them.
I assume their vehicle was completely destroyed.
And we've seen quite a number of vehicles targeted by the Israelis in this campaign when they're after an individual.
We don't know why they would go after a Lebanese military vehicle.