SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea, according to its neighbors. The launch happened Thursday from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff detected it around 5 p.m. and have increased surveillance, coordinating with the U.S. and Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the missile landed in waters off North Korea’s east coast, with no reports of it reaching Japanese territory. The launch comes just days before the U.S. and South Korea begin annual military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.
MEXICO CITY – Mexican officials say a social media influencer was killed by a gunman during a livestream in the violence-torn state of Sinaloa. Wednesday’s statement underscores violence against social media personalities in the Latin American nation. César Gastélum, the social media influencer, was killed on Tuesday night. A video of the moment of his death was viewed by The Associated Press. It shows him with two other men in the parking lot of a Kentucky Fried Chicken when two men pull up on a motorcycle. One is seen pulling out a gun and shooting Gastélum. The attackers then flee the scene.
BEIRUT – The Israeli military says two soldiers have died in an explosion in southern Lebanon. This marks the first Israeli deaths since a truce with Hezbollah began in June. Four other soldiers were seriously wounded. The explosion occurred in the village of Majdal Zoun, and the cause is under investigation. Israeli forces launched strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, accusing Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire. Talks between Lebanese and Israeli negotiators in Rome were cut short due to the escalation. The discussions focus on Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
KYIV, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine has hit more oil facilities deep inside Russia. The attacks are part of Kyiv’s effort to undermine Moscow’s wartime economy. Ukrainian forces targeted refineries in Bashkortostan and the Yaroslavl region. They also hit Russian military patrol boats in the Black Sea. Meanwhile, Russian drone and glide bomb attacks across Ukraine killed at least three civilians and wounded 22 others. Zelenskyy is urging his allies to supply interceptor missiles to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses. Analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin appears determined to exhaust Ukraine through sheer numbers, believing time is on his side in the 4-year-old full-scale invasion.
– The Associated Press
