03102024-TTC-01.qxd 10/3/2024 12:29 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 274 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 VP DEBATE: JD VANCE REFUSES TO SAY TRUMP LOST IN 2020 WORLD /thetribunechd HEARING ON HOUSE ARREST OF MIRWAIZ TOMORROW J&K ANIL AMBANI TO SET UP EAM: FORWARD DEPLOYMENT 1,270 MW PROJECTS IN OF MILITARIES AT LAC MUST BHUTAN BUSINESS BE ADDRESSED BACK PAGE thursday | 3 october 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com IsraeliforcesbattleHezbollah in Lebanon, report 8 deaths Fear of wider war mounts | India calls for restraint by all sides Deir al-Balah, October 2 Israel on Wednesday said eight of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon as troops battle Hezbollah militants on the ground after the start of an Israeli incursion into that country. The region braced for further escalation as Israel vowed to retaliate for Iran’s missile attack a day earlier. Addressing the nation, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the slain soldiers and said, “We are in the middle of a tough war against Iran’s axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us… but this will not happen. Together we will defeat the enemy.” The soldiers were killed in two separate events, military officials said. In Gaza, where the yearlong war that triggered the widening conflict rages on with no end in sight, Israeli ground and air operations in a hard-hit city killed at least 51 persons, including women and children, Palestinian medical officials said. Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza a year after Hamas’ October 7 Director of Comm shunted out from PunjabCM’soffice CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government has removed the Director of Communication, Navneet Wadhwa, from the office of CM Bhagwant Mann. “Wadhwa completed his term and we didn’t want to continue with his services,” a spokesperson said. — TNS Strategist Kishor floats Jan Suraaj Party in Bihar NEW DELHI: Political strategistturned-activist Prashant Kishor on Wednesday announced the launch of his political outfit Jan Suraaj Party, in a muchanticipated move by which the I-PAC founder hopes to take the political landscape in Bihar by storm. INSIDE Pallbearers carry the casket of Israeli Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, who was killed fighting in Lebanon. REUTERS attack ignited the war. The escalation on multiple fronts has raised fears of a wider war in West Asia that could further draw in Iran — which backs Hezbollah and Hamas — as well as the US, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel. Hezbollah, widely seen as the most powerful armed group in the region, said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in two places inside Lebanon near the border. The Israeli military said ground forces backed by airstrikes had killed militants in “closerange engagements” without saying where. The military also announced that a soldier — a 22-year-old captain in a commando brigade — was killed in combat in Lebanon, the first such death since the start of the latest operations. Israeli media reported infantry and tank units operating in southern Lebanon continued on page 8 Modi, Shah missing in last leg of Haryana campaign Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP’s chief strategist and Home Minister Amit Shah are conspicuous by their absence in the last leg of the campaign in the pollbound Haryana. Both leaders did not address any rally today, and also have nothing scheduled for tomorrow, the last day for campaigning for the October 5 Assembly elections. Modi held his fourth and last rally yesterday at Palwal, while Shah held his last three rallies in the state on September 29. In the absence of Modi and Shah, other senior leaders, includ- RAHUL, RAJNATH IN M’GARH TODAY ■ Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will hold poll rallies in Nuh and Bhawaria (Mahendragarh) on October 3 ■ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a rally in Mahendragarh, while Nitin Gadkari will spice up the poll campaign in Kalayat (Kaithal) ing Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, are holding fort for the saffron party. Modi held just four rallies in the poll-bound state. This is in sharp contrast to the 10 election rallies addressed by him in the 2014 Assembly poll and seven in the 2019 Assembly poll. Terming the development “surprising”, a senior BJP leader said like senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, both Modi and Shah too should have organised rallies or road shows on the last two days of canvassing to boost the BJP campaign against the backdrop of the party facing antiincumbency. “In almost all recent parliamentary and state Assembly elections, the latest being in Karnataka, Modi was in campaign mode till the last moment,” the BJP leader said, adding that the presence of big leaders in continued on page 8 Change Punjab approach: Jakhar to Modi Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 2 Known for speaking his mind, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar is learnt to have told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah that there was a need to change the BJP’s and Centre’s approach to c m y b Seeks to be relieved as state BJP president issues concerning the state. He also said sentimental matters involving Punjabis must be addressed on priority. In his recent meetings with the PM and Shah here, Jakhar is learnt to have conveyed his intention not to continue as the state chief citing inability to bring about changes in the party’s and Centre’s outlook towards the state. “Nazariya badalney ki zaroorat hai, nazaarey apney aap badal jayenge (It is important to change the outlook towards Punjab, the sit- uation will change on its own),” Jakhar is learnt to have told the top BJP brass pressing for urgent redressal of farmers’ issues and review of current strategy to grant frequent paroles to rape and murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Jakhar has long demanded continued on page 8