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Thailand Says Hezbollah Rocket Fire Killed Four Nationals, Israel Expresses Condolences
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand Maris Sangiampongsa addresses the “Summit of the Future” in the General Assembly hall at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 23, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/David Dee Delgado
Four Thai nationals were killed and one was injured in northern Israel by rocket fire from the terrorist group Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Friday.
“I am deeply saddened to learn about the four Thais killed and one injured from rocket fire close to the town of Metula near the Israeli-Lebanese border,” Maris wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “I instructed our Embassy in Tel Aviv last night to extend every and all assistance to the injured and families of the deceased, and extend my profound condolences to them for their immense loss.”
On Thursday, rocket barrages from Iran-backed Hezbollah into northern Israel killed seven people and wounded several more. One incident in Metula, which is largely evacuated due to the ongoing conflict, killed farmer Omer Weinstein and four of his foreign workers. According to Israeli media, the workers were identified as Kawisak Papanang, Akaphon Wanasai, Thana Tijantak, and Prayat Pilatram.
In a second incident on Thursday, a 60-year-old and her 30-year-old son were killed in an olive grove near Shfaram from a Hezbollah rocket.
Thursday was not the first that Thai nationals have been hurt by Iran-backed terrorists’ war against Israel.
Last year, 46 Thais were among the 1,200 people killed when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists perpetrated their Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel from neighboring Gaza, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Among the more than 250 people kidnapped as hostages by Hamas terrorists during their onslaught, 30 were Thai nationals. Six are believed to still be in captivity, according to Thai authorities.
About 30,000 Thai nationals worked in Israel before the conflict, mostly in the agriculture sector. They made up one of the largest groups of migrant workers in the Jewish state.
Israel responded to the Hamas-led attack with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza.
In recent months, however, the Israeli military has turned more of its attention northward to Hezbollah, which over the past year, since Hamas’s invasion, has been firing drones, missiles, and rockets at northern Israel almost daily from its stronghold in Lebanon.
About 70,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate their homes amid the relentless Hezbollah attacks. Israel has vowed to do whatever is necessary, including military action, to ensure its displaced citizens can return to their communities. In recent weeks, Israel has significantly degraded Hezbollah’s rocket and missile stockpiles and killed much of its leadership.
“Thailand continues to strongly urge all parties to return to the path of peace, in the name of the innocent civilians gravely impacted by this prolonged and deepening conflict,” Maris wrote in his social media post.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz extended his condolences to Thailand for the killing of four of its nationals, adding that Israel was determined to combat Hezbollah and its chief backers in Iran.
“I wish to extend my personal and heartfelt condolences to the Government of Thailand, to the Thai people, and especially to the families of the four workers from Thailand who were brutally murdered yesterday by the Hezbollah terror organization near the northern Israeli town of Metula,” Katz posted on X/Twitter.
“Hezbollah-Iranian terrorism knows no limits and harms Israelis and civilians from all over the world alike,” he added. “Israel will continue to fight the world’s fight against Iranian-led terrorism and Israel will win it.”
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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Melbourne Police Investigate Wave of Antisemitic Attacks, Including Synagogue Arson
Illustrative. Vandals defaced the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia on June 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – A wave of antisemitic incidents across Melbourne is under urgent investigation by Victoria Police, after a synagogue was set alight, a Jewish-owned restaurant targeted by protesters, and a third attack saw multiple cars torched at a business in the city’s northeast.
The third incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at a business on Para Road in Greensborough. Offenders set fire to three vehicles and sprayed graffiti on both the cars and a nearby building wall. One car was destroyed, and two others sustained moderate damage.
“There were references of antisemitism in the graffiti,” Dunstan confirmed, adding that the business had previously been linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
While police say no direct link between the three incidents has been established yet, they are not ruling out the possibility of coordination.
The attacks began Friday night, when a man was seen pouring a flammable liquid on the entrance of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and setting it alight around 8 p.m., while around 20 people were inside for Shabbat services. Worshipers quickly evacuated through the back, and the fire was contained to the front of the building. No injuries were reported.
Police have released an image of a suspect believed to be in his 30s, of Caucasian appearance, with a beard and long hair.
Just hours after the synagogue arson, a protest of around 70 people moved through Swanston Street before a smaller group gathered outside Miznon, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD, chanting offensive slogans. One man was arrested and later released on summons for hindering police.
In response to the series of attacks, federal agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) have joined the investigation.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. “Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate. Any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism. There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is.”
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Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.
“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.
The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
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