Thais killed near Israel-Lebanon border, Israeli jets pound Beirut suburbs

Beirut
Four Thai agricultural workers have been killed in Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel, as the Israeli military hit Lebanon’s capital with multiple air strikes.
Posting on social media platform X on Friday, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths close to the town of Metula on Thursday, adding that another Thai citizen was injured.
“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 added.
Israeli medics said late on Thursday that three Israeli civilians were also killed in the rocket barrages from Lebanon, the deadliest cross-border attacks since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in August.
An estimated 30,000 Thai nationals live in Israel, where salaries are much higher than in the Southeast Asian country.
Thai nationals in Israel have been hit since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza last October. More than two dozen Thais were believed to have been captured during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that month, and 23 were released from captivity during a brief truce in November 2023.