JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli security official on Wednesday confirmed responsibility for overnight airstrikes in Syria, saying the air force had hit a series of targets involved in Iranian arms transfers to the Hezbollah militant group.

Russia had criticized the airstrike, saying it endangered civilian flights. The comments highlighted the increasingly tense relations between Israel and Russia, which have grown strained since the September downing of a Russian plane by Syrian forces responding to another Israeli raid.

New Delhi, December 26; GANASHAKTI: The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) strongly condemns the thrashing of a disabled youth by a BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh.

The beating up of the youth merely because he did not subscribe to the BJP’s ideology and voiced his opinion openly, is a reflection of the times that we are living in – in a climate of increasing intolerance and hate. By this wanton act they have made it abundantly clear that anyone challenging their views and defying their diktats will be “punished”.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) BJP president Amit Shah Wednesday appointed the party's in-charges for the Lok Sabha polls for 17 states, drafting in Union minister Prakash Javadekar for steering the campaign in Rajasthan and Thawarchand Gehlot, another minister, for Uttarakhand.

Govardhan Jhadapia, a Gujarat leader, Dushyant Gautam, who is a party vice president, and Narottam Mishra, who is from Madhya Pradesh, will be in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, politically most crucial state, where the BJP is likely to face a tough challenge from a prospective alliance of the SP and the BSP.

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; 26 Dec 2018; AA: The ground-breaking ceremony for a Turkish-sponsored irrigation project in Northern Cyprus was held on Wednesday.

The project -- which consist of a 5.7-kilometer (3.5 mile) tunnel for supplying water to farmlands -- is being added to current water supply facilities from Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Nagpur, Dec 26 (PTI) RSS-backed Marathi daily 'Tarun Bharat' came down heavily upon the Shiv Sena Wednesday for using the slogan 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why the Uddhav Thackeray-led party did not quit the coalition government if that was the case.

It said the Sena was criticising the BJP constantly despite being part of BJP-led coalitions in Maharashtra and the Centre.

Bhopal, Dec 26 (PTI) A Congress worker on Wednesday wore shoes after 15 years, fulfilling the vow he had taken when the party lost power in Madhya Pradesh.

Durgalal Kirar, hailing from Rajgarh district, had vowed in 2003 that he would not wear shoes until the Congress returned to power.

He put on shoes Wednesday here in the presence of Chief Minister Kamal Nath and senior leader Digvijay Singh.

The Congress came to power in the state in the last month's Assembly elections, ending the BJP's reign.

Madurai, Dec 26 (PTI) Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has said it was "very difficult" to predict the country's next Prime Minister in view of the current political situation.

Noting that he was "not focussed" on politics, the 53-year-old yoga guru said he would not support or oppose anyone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Talking to reporters at the airport here Tuesday, Ramdev said, "We can't say who will become the next prime minister (after the 2019 general elections)."

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) A 13-year-old girl, a daughter of a rickshaw puller, was allegedly raped by a man in Madhu Vihar area of Dwarka district, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when the minor stepped out of her house for some work, they said.

The victim told police that while she was on her way, she was stopped by the accused on the street who forcefully took her to a secluded home in the same locality and raped her, a senior police officer said.

KANPUR: Two touts were arrested with dozens of reservation tickets here on Tuesday. The Railway Police Force team confiscated 15 reservation tickets, 20 thousand cash, 30 e-ticket, one laptop and three mobiles from their possession.

Mumbai, Dec 25 (PTI) At least 12 people were injured when they were attacked by a group of persons during a prayer meet in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, police said Tuesday.

The victims were attending the Sunday Mass at the residence of Bhimsen Chauhan in Kolhapur's Kowad village, located on the Karnataka border, when the incident happened around noon, a police official said.

A group of 10-15 men armed with swords, iron rods and glass bottles reached the residence on motorcycles and attacked the congregation, he said.

Washington, Dec 25 (PTI) Bored at the White House on Christmas Eve, a lone Donald Trump spent the day slamming his critics, as the government entered its third day of partial shutdown initiated by a rift with Democrats over the President's long-promised wall along the US-Mexico border.

President Trump, who has cancelled his trip to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, said he was "all alone" in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come to the negotiating table to end the partial government shutdown.

DAMASCUS, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian air defenses intercepted an Israeli missile attack that targeted areas in the western countryside of the capital Damascus on Tuesday evening, the state TV reported.

Citing a military source, the state TV said the air defenses intercepted most of the Israeli missiles before reaching their targets, adding that only a weapon depot was damaged and three soldiers were wounded.