Ninth-grade student Elazar Yair Vilensky killed by unexploded device in northern Israel | LIVE BLOG
His family described him, the youngest of five siblings, as a boy who truly loved life, “smart and intelligent, full of joy, a beloved and good friend with his whole future ahead of him.”
One teenager was killed, 24 others have been injured, and 2 are in serious condition following an explosion involving a school group on a field trip between Manara and Yiftach in northern Israel. Police Commissioner Daniel Levi said initial findings indicate the blast involved unexploded ordnance left over from the war with Hezbollah. The teens had apparently picked up and photographed the explosive device before it went off. The commissioner said the trip appeared to have the necessary approvals, but police were checking whether all procedures were followed. Levi added that he would likely direct authorities, in coordination with the IDF, to curtail or halt field trips in the area in the coming days while risks to children are reassessed. Israel’s Education Ministry has already announced the cancelation of all school field trips planned for the northern region over the next two days following the deadly blast.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation into air defense system failures following the deadly Houthi attacks on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, which killed at least 13 people and wounded over 300. This comes as media reports of loud booms being heard over Riyadh overnight. Saudi officials alerted residents to take shelter due to a ‘potential hostile threat.” READ MORE FROM MONDAY
Elazar Yair Vilensky, a ninth-grade student at the ORT Ma’alot Yeshiva High School, was killed by an unexploded Hezbollah device in northern Israel
According to the Ma’alot-Tarshiha Municipality, Elazar Yair Vilensky was the student killed in an accident during a school trip in northern Israel on Monday.
His family described him, the youngest of five siblings, as a boy who truly loved life, “smart and intelligent, full of joy, a beloved and good friend with his whole future ahead of him.”
The municipality said it is continuing to support the families affected, that social services and educational-psychological teams are offering emotional assistance to students, families and educational staff, and that it prayed for the full and speedy recovery of the injured.
12 commercial ships attacked near Strait of Hormuz in one week, UKMTO warnings show
Twelve attacks on commercial vessels were reported in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf between October 5 and 11, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warnings.
The attacks peaked on October 11, when six vessels, five tankers and a container ship, were reported struck in the strait and near Oman’s Sohar anchorage, and because several incidents were reported only after they occurred, initial assessments did not capture the full number.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) kept the strait’s threat level at SEVERE, its second-highest classification, said deliberate hostile action was highly likely, and warned that attacks were spreading to vessels at anchor in the Persian Gulf.
The UAE’s Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways will suspend flights to Riyadh and Dammam, with the former additionally canceling flights to Jeddah
Etihad Airways says it will cancel the flights until October 19.