Israel has launched one of its most intense aerial assaults on southern Lebanon since a truce halted last year’s war with Hezbollah, according to Lebanese officials and the Israeli military.
Air strikes on Thursday targeted several locations across the Nabatieh region, around 12km (7 miles) from the Israeli border. At least one person was killed and eight others injured, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Thick plumes of smoke rose from the bombed hilltops as residents fled the affected areas.
The Israeli army said its warplanes struck a “Hezbollah infrastructure site”, but gave no further details. The claim could not be independently verified.
There was no immediate response from Hezbollah, which had previously said it withdrew its fighters from the border following the United States-brokered ceasefire.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said in a short post on X that he was closely monitoring the situation in southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes hit the region.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attacks. In a statement on X, he said: “All Israeli violations of UN Resolution 1701 and ceasefire agreements must come to an end. The Lebanese government has not – and will not – stop pushing for Israel’s full withdrawal from our territory.”
الدبشة pic.twitter.com/o54o2MwjX0
Although the truce officially ended hostilities, sporadic cross-border attacks have continued. Israel has regularly broken the truce and carried out air raids across southern Lebanon, also hitting Hezbollah-controlled neighbourhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah and other armed groups are not permitted to operate or store weapons south of the Litani River, while Israel is required to withdraw from southern Lebanon and allow the Lebanese army to deploy in the region. However, both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement.
Israel still occupies five strategic hilltops along the border. While rockets have been fired into Israel from Lebanese territory on two separate occasions, Hezbollah has denied involvement.
The recent escalation marks a sharp intensification of the conflict, rooted in Hezbollah’s support for Hamas during Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
Pakistan’s military said on Thursday morning that the country’s air defence system had brought down 25 Indian drones overnight over some of the country’s chief cities, including Lahore and Karachi. At least one civilian has died, and five people were wounded, it said.
India’s Defence Ministry confirmed hours later that it had targeted Pakistan’s air defence radars and claimed that it was able to “neutralize” one defence system in Lahore. It said Pakistan had attempted to attack India and Indian-administered Kashmir with drones and missiles overnight, but that these had been shot down.
The drone attacks represent the latest escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours, a day after India launched deadly missile strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing at least 31 people, according to Islamabad. Those were the most extensive Indian strikes ever on Pakistan outside the four wars that they have fought. Heavy artillery shelling from both sides overnight caused border communities in the disputed Kashmir region to flee.
Simmering tensions erupted on April 22 after gunmen killed 25 tourists and a local pony rider in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for backing fighters who claimed the attack. Islamabad has denied any involvement.
Here’s what we know about the latest escalation of drone attacks:
What happened?
In a briefing on Thursday, Pakistani army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said the country came under attack from a wave of drones overnight, targeting many of the most populated cities, including Karachi and Lahore.
Pakistan’s air defence system intercepted and brought down these drones, he said. Pakistan’s military said 25 such drones were jammed and shot out of the sky.
The falling debris killed one civilian and injured another person in the southern Sindh province, while an additional drone targeted and wounded four soldiers in a military installation in Lahore, Chaudhry said in the news briefing. Partial damage to “military equipment” was recorded in that latter incident.
Chaudhry described the drone attacks as an act of “naked aggression” and a “serious provocation”, and pledged that Pakistan was ready to retaliate.
“It appears that India has apparently lost the plot and, rather than going on a path of rationality, is further escalating in a highly charged environment. Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully vigilant to any type of threat,” he said.
People gather outside a street near the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after an alleged drone was shot down in Rawalpindi on May 8, 2025. Pakistan’s military said it shot down 25 Indian drones across the country on May 8, including some that fell near sensitive military installations [Aamir Qureshi/AFP]
What has India said?
Hours after the drone attacks, India accepted responsibility – but insisted it had been provoked.
On the night of May 7-8, India’s Ministry of Defence said, Pakistani forces attempted to “engage a number of military targets” in multiple areas in northern and western India and Indian-administered Kashmir using “drones and missiles”. These were shot down by India’s air defence systems, the ministry said.
“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan,” the ministry’s statement said. “It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.”
Pakistan has not commented on Indian claims that it attempted to strike India with drones and missiles.
A picture taken on June 21, 2011, at the Bourget airport on the second day of the International Paris Air Show, shows an Israeli UCAV IAI Harop drone [Pierre Verdy/AFP]
Where were the drones in Pakistan brought down?
In his briefing, Pakistan army spokesperson Chaudhry said drones either attacked or were shot down in the following locations:
Lahore: The capital of the eastern Punjab region, and Pakistan’s second-largest city of 14 million people. Local police official Mohammad Rizwan told reporters a drone was downed near Walton Airport, an airfield that the Pakistani military manages and uses for radars. The airport also has training schools.
Gujranwala: The fourth-largest city in Punjab, with a population of 2.5 million people.
Chakwal: Also in the Punjab region, with a population of about 1.5 million.
Rawalpindi: The city in Punjab is home to the headquarters of Pakistan’s powerful military. The city has a population of close to 6 million people.
Attock: Close to the capital, Islamabad, Attock is a cantonment city with a population of 2.1 million.
Nankana Sahib: The Punjab city has a population of just more than 100,000 but enjoys far greater significance than that number suggests: It was the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and is one of the holiest sites of the faith.
Bahawalpur: Also in Punjab, it has a population of nearly one million.
Miano: A town in Sindh province, housing a major oil field.
Chor: A small town in the Umerkot district of the southeastern province of Sindh.
Ghotki: A city in northern Sindh known for its date palms, with a population of about 120,000.
Karachi: Pakistan’s most populous city of 20 million people is based in Sindh.
Which cities did India claim Pakistan was targeting?
India said Pakistani missiles and drones attempted to strike 15 cities and towns but that all were brought down.
Awantipora: A town of 12,000 people, on the Jhelum River in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Srinagar: The biggest city in the Kashmir valley, Srinagar has a population of 1.2 million people.
Jammu: The winter capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, it has a population of 500,000 people.
Pathankot: Also in Indian-administered Kashmir, Pathankot is a major nerve centre of the Indian army’s operations. It is home to the largest military base in Asia.
Amritsar: The city in India’s Punjab state has a population of 1.1 million and is home to the Golden Temple, one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines.
Kapurthala: A smaller town of 100,000 people in Indian Punjab.
Jalandhar: Right next to Kapurthala, Jalandhar has a population of nearly 900,000.
Ludhiana: The most populous city in Indian Punjab is home to 1.6 million people.
Adampur: The Punjab town is tiny, with just 20,000 people. But it is home to India’s second-largest air force base.
Bhatinda: The city in Indian Punjab has a population of nearly 300,000.
Chandigarh: The capital of both Indian Punjab and the neighbouring state of Haryana, Chandigarh has a population of just more than one million.
Nal: A tiny town near the India-Pakistan border in the desert state of Rajasthan, it is home to a civilian airport and an air force base.
Phalodi: A city of 66,000 people in Rajasthan, Phalodi is famous for its salt industry.
Uttarlai: A small village in Rajasthan that is home to an air force station.
Bhuj: A city of 190,000 people, Bhuj is in Gujarat, the western state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What drones were used in the attack on Pakistan?
Chaudhry, the Pakistani military spokesperson, identified the Indian projectiles as Harop drones.
Harop drones are a form of what are known as loitering munitions, and are developed by the Israeli government’s primary aviation manufacturer and supplier, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Loitering munitions are usually remotely controlled unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) designed to hover in the air after being deployed, waiting for a precise target to be exposed before they crash into it and self-detonate.
They are not meant to survive a confrontation, and so are also known as suicide drones or kamikaze drones.
The IAI Harop is reputed to be one of the deadliest drones because it combines ordinary UAV and missile capabilities. Spanning two metres (6.6ft) in length, the vehicle is small enough to bypass most aircraft detection systems. It can fly over a range of 200km (120 miles) and is programmed for about six hours of flight. The drone can return and land at its launch base if it fails to engage a target.
The Indian Armed Force (IAF) is one of Israel’s biggest clients for drones. Between 2009 and 2019, India bought at least 25 Harop drones, with a single sale of 10 units costing $100m, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.
India’s fleet also includes Searcher and Heron drones, similarly manufactured by the IAI. Searchers are typically used for reconnaissance missions, while the Heron has similar missile capabilities to the Harop.
Why are the drone attacks on Pakistan significant?
Multiple drones breaching Pakistan’s airspace, hovering in the country’s most populous regions, and managing to attack a military location imply that India has the capabilities to breach Pakistan’s air defence and strike its most crucial nerve centres.
The attacks, according to the Pakistani army, were an “extreme act of provocation” that could lead to a major escalation of violence between the two nuclear powers.
Additionally, the drone breach poses a potential threat to civil aviation safety in Pakistan.
The country’s civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended operations in four airports on Thursday, before lifting the restrictions: Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Islamabad International Airport, and Sialkot International Airport.
What’s the wider context?
Kashmir, famed for its picturesque lakes, meadows and snow-capped mountains, is at the heart of tensions between the two countries.
India and Pakistan both administer parts of it, as does China. But India claims all of it, and Pakistan claims Indian-administered Kashmir, too. Three of the four previous India-Pakistan wars have been over Kashmir, which spans 22,200 sq km (8,570 square miles).
India has for years blamed Pakistan for supporting, arming, and training armed groups seeking secession from India. Pakistan has insisted it provides only moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir’s separatist movement.
New Delhi blamed April’s attack on an obscure group, The Resistance Front (TRF), and claimed it was Pakistan-backed. Islamabad, however, has denounced the attacks and denied involvement, calling for a “transparent, credible, impartial” investigation into the incident.
Cardinals are in the Sistine Chapel for the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope, following two votes so far that have ended with black smoke – a signal that no new pope has been elected.
Thursday’s voting has been highly anticipated, as the previous two popes were both announced on the second day of the conclave.
Here is what we know about what the cardinals do all day:
How many cardinals have gathered in the Vatican?
Out of 252 cardinals, only those less than the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the papal conclave.
Currently, 135 cardinals meet this criterion. However, two have chosen not to travel to Rome, citing health issues, and bringing the number of confirmed voting participants to 133.
A two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new pope; that’s 89 votes out of the 133 eligible cardinals. If no candidate reaches that threshold, another vote is held. After each round, ballots are burned.
If black smoke appears from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel, it means no pope has been chosen. White smoke signals the Catholic Church has a new pontiff.
“In the past, fresh straw was used to produce white smoke, and water was added to produce black smoke,” Father Francis Lucas, a Catholic priest and executive director of the Catholic Media Network, told Al Jazeera.
“However, this sometimes resulted in grey smoke, which led to confusion. Now, chemicals are added to ensure the smoke is distinctly black or white,” he added.
What’s the voting process in the papal conclave?
Voting after the first day occurs a maximum of four times per day: Twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon
Each cardinal receives a ballot marked “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) and writes in their chosen candidate. They are not permitted to vote for themselves.
They then fold the ballot, hold it up for visibility and carry it to the altar, where a chalice covered by a plate awaits. One by one, the cardinals approach the altar before Michelangelo’s Last Judgement, swear an oath and place their votes in the chalice.
According to Vatican News, each cardinal says aloud, in Italian:
“Chiamo a testimone Cristo Signore, il quale mi giudicherà, che il mio voto è dato a colui che, secondo Dio, ritengo debba essere eletto.”
“I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God.”
Each cardinal places his ballot on a plate, uses it to drop the vote into the chalice, bows towards the altar and then returns to his seat.
Cardinals who are present but unable to walk to the altar due to illness give their folded ballot to one of the scrutineers – a number of cardinals chosen to oversee the voting.The scrutineer brings it to the altar and deposits it in the same manner, without reciting the oath again.
No one except the cardinals is permitted inside the chapel during the conclave. Outside the chapel, there are others involved in the process, such as personnel handling logistics and security, cleaners, medical support staff and other clerics in supporting roles. About 100 additional people have taken the oath of secrecy over and above the voting cardinals.
Italian Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, centre, takes an oath at the beginning of the conclave to elect the next pope in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Monday, April 18, 2005 [File: Osservatore Romano/AP]
What do the cardinals do when they’re not voting?
Conclaves are inherently secretive, but experts say some information is available about what happens when the cardinals are not voting.
“In the course of the days of the conclave, they will move by charter bus around St Peter’s to the Sistine Chapel, enter and have the morning vote,” Steven P Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union, a Catholic graduate school of theology in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, told Al Jazeera.
“They will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae (Latin for Saint Martha’s House, the Vatican guesthouse) and have their midday meal, take their midday nap, and then return for the evening vote (to the Sistine Chapel). And then back again (to the Domus Sanctae Marthae) for a nighttime meal,” he added.
“The Church emphasises that the conclave is a spiritual and sacred process, not a political one,” Father Francis Lucas said.
Some experts argue that most of the social activities and reflections on the previous vote might take place during their time in Saint Martha’s House.
“One imagines that it is in the cafeteria at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where people do eat cafeteria style, they put food on their own trays and that sort of thing,” Millies said.
“There is a lot of time over meals and informal conversations for the cardinals to decipher the meaning of what just happened in the last vote and to try to figure out where their support might go best. This is where coalitions and alliances are made,” he added.
“That doesn’t exclude the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but there certainly is a certain amount of negotiation, alliance-making, shifting alliances, those kinds of things that will happen in those spaces too,” he explained.
What are the food and lodgings like?
According to reports, food is not great during the Conclave.
“The food is pretty ordinary, pasta, soup and fruit, which is how Francis wanted it,” a Vatican insider who has eaten there told the UK’s Times newspaper.
While food during the papal conclave has traditionally been a plain affair, Francis, known for his focus on simplicity and humility, has been partly blamed for the further decline in quality, according to a report by The New York Times. Some cardinals have complained about bland vegetables and uninspired pasta dishes.
“You don’t eat very well,” Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi of Italy, a supporter of Pope Francis, told The New York Times.
After his election, Pope Francis broke with more than a century of Vatican tradition by declining to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Instead, he chose to live in a simple suite at Santa Marta (Saint Martha’s), where the voting cardinals are currently lodging.
“This room where we are now was a guest room,” Pope Francis said in an interview.
At least 40 pro-Palestinian student protesters were detained at a demonstration inside a library at Columbia University in New York, where activists continue to demand that the college divests from Israel over the war in Gaza.
United Nations experts have demanded action to avert the “annihilation” of Palestinians in Gaza, after rescuers said Israeli strikes across the territory killed dozens of people.
A planned expanded offensive revealed by the Israeli military has drawn international condemnation, after UN agencies previously warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian territory, already devastated by 19 months of war.
More than 20 independent experts mandated by the UN’s Human Rights Council , said on Wednesday that the world faced a “stark decision” to “remain passive and witness the slaughter of innocents or take part in crafting a just resolution”.
The experts implored the international community to avert the “moral abyss we are descending into”.
Israel’s broader offensive, approved by its government amid a two-month aid blockade on Gaza, would include displacing “most” of its residents, the military has said. The plan proposes seizing Gaza, holding on to captured territories, forcibly displacing Palestinians to southern Gaza and taking control of aid distribution along with private security companies.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called the situation in Gaza “the most critical we have ever seen”.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Madrid would present a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly aimed at “proposing urgent measures to stop the killing of innocent civilians and ensure humanitarian aid” in Gaza.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank was “increasingly intolerable”.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Brussels had made an offer to Israel “to distribute the humanitarian aid if they don’t trust the other actors there”.
More than a dozen Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza on Thursday, after 100 people were killed on Wednesday.
A significant number of those killed and injured in Gaza City on Wednesday were children, rescuers said.
Meanwhile, the World Central Kitchen (WCK), which ran one of the last bakeries still operating in Gaza, has announced it no longer has the supplies to cook meals or make bread in Gaza.
Canadians have spent winter in Florida, trading the chilly weather for the Sunshine State’s sunny beaches and paying a premium at restaurants and hotels that welcome Canadian visitors.
Some Canadians are unsure about spending money in the United States because of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and actions toward Canada. Trump has repeatedly proclaimed that Canada should become the 51st state in the US, referred to former prime minister Justin Trudeau as a “governor,” and imposed significant tariffs.
Canadians responded, “Excuse-moi”? and the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected on April 28. Additionally, many Canadians reportedly abandoned their Florida travel plans, according to a congressman in the state.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer claimed he had heard from friends in Boca Raton, Florida, that many Canadians are avoiding visiting the state because of Trump’s actions in an interview with Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, on May 1. Have you noticed a decline in Florida’s tourism from Canada, Blurb asked Moskowitz?
According to Moskowitz, “The travel data is showing 80% less than what we’re seeing.”
His spokesman Christopher Bowman said Moskowitz referenced an April 2 report from WPTV, the NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, when we asked for comment from the Moskowitz team. According to the WPTV report, “Airline reservations from Canada to Florida have decreased by 76 percent in April from April 2024.”
OAG, an aviation company, was mentioned in the WPTV report. The company claimed in a blog post that April bookings for the US-Canada market as a whole had decreased by 75.7 percent from March 2024. Florida-specific numbers were not reported.
OAG claimed that the nationwide decline “proves that travelers are hesitant to make reservations, likely as a result of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the broader trade dispute.”
Other sources of data indicated a decline in Canadian travel to Florida, but much less than the 80% Moskowitz cited.
According to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism arm, more Canadians traveled to Florida by air (2. m) than by road (2 m).
Canadian tourism has decreased, but the full picture is not yet available.
Visit Florida announced that it won’t be able to access state-wide visitor data for the first quarter of 2025 until May 15. About 3.27 million Canadians visited Florida in 2024, or about 2% of all visitor numbers.
In February and January, according to the office of Governor Ron DeSantis, there was a “0.5 percent increase in Canadian air visitation” in Florida compared to the same months in 2024.
According to industry representatives, there have been decreases in airports and aviation firms.
Between May and August, there were 698, 000 scheduled airline seats, or seats made available by airlines, between Canada and Florida, according to OAG Chief Analyst John Grant. “That now stands at 628, 000, so a reduction of 10 percent”, he said. He noted that anyone who has booked a flight between Canada and the US is included in his company’s data, making a traveler from China, for instance, who travels via Vancouver to Denver.
According to Courtney Miller, the founder of the aviation data firm Visual Approach Analytics, the number of seats on Canadian airlines in Florida has decreased by 13 percent for May and by 10 percent for June compared to the same time period in 2024.
Miller said, “I have not seen any data that suggests 80%.” “We are seeing no more than 25% decline in overall Canadian travel to the US,” the report states.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Orlando International Airport, two Florida airports, both of which had the lowest monthly arrivals from Canadian airlines, were 20 and 12 percent lower from January to March 27, according to a Visual Approach Analytics analysis.
Travel is declining in other Florida counties as well. According to the analysis, Fort Myers and Palm Beach are both down 30% and 43%, respectively, compared to April schedules as they were before January 1, 2025.
A representative from Miami International Airport reported to PolitiFact that Canada’s arrivals dropped by 5.9% between January 1 and April 23.
There is also a decline in road travel between Canada and the US, according to national data.
In March 2025, according to US Customs and Border Protection data, 4.1 million people crossed the northern border, down from 4.9 million the previous year, or 17.4%, a decrease. The traveler(s) entering the US as tourists are not specified in the data.
Richard Clavet, the long-time motel and hotel owner of Hollywood, Florida, claimed Canadians have gathered at his properties for years to enjoy their hot dogs on Friday nights. Beginning in February, Cavet claimed to see a decrease in Canadian visitors.
Clavet, a native of Quebec, said that “a lot of them were blaming it on the political situation.” They objected to Trump’s treatment of their prime minister. Many of them cancelled because they wanted to boycott the US and make a statement.
According to Clavet, there are now 50% less Canadians staying at his properties than they did last winter.
Canadians typically book their next year in advance, but this year, Clavet said, this hasn’t happened.
They want a piece of the sun that is safe and the weather is perfect, according to Clavet, who has been working on it for years. I had a great time dealing with Canadians, and I hope they’ll return.
Our decision
According to Moskowitz, Florida’s tourism industry has declined by 80%.
His office cited information from an OAG-cited TV report. According to the company, April airline bookings for the US-Canada market overall decreased by 75.7 percent from 2024. Florida-specific numbers were not reported.
Other sources of data show a decline in Florida’s tourism from Canada, but not significantly less than Moskowitz’s estimate. For instance, Florida’s airports individually reported declines of between 6 and 43 percent over the past few months.
