News Mania / Piyal Chatterjee / 7th October 2024
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 assaults that started its war, Israel targeted areas in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Israel’s defense minister also said that all options were open for reprisal against Iran, the country’s bitter nemesis.
Hezbollah rockets that were fired late on Sunday managed to get past Israeli air defense systems and land in Haifa, the third-largest city in Israel. According to police, this resulted in structural damage. Ten individuals were reported injured by missile strikes in Haifa and Tiberias by Israeli media.Hezbollah claimed to have fired a volley of “Fadi 1” missiles towards a military installation south of Haifa.
In the most intensive shelling of the Lebanese capital since Israel drastically increased its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israeli air raids pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday.
According to the Israeli military, fighter jets attacked Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters and weapons storage sites in Beirut. It said that Hezbollah in the Beqaa region and southern Lebanon was also the target of strikes.Attackers led by Hamas fired rockets into Israel from Gaza during the beginning of last year’s Oct. 7 hostilities.
According to Israeli sources, 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were held captive during that day’s Hamas attacks. They incited an Israeli attack in Gaza that, according to Palestinian health authorities, has killed almost 42,000 people and completely destroyed the heavily populated coastal territory.
After protests in the major European cities of Washington and New York on the eve of the anniversary, pro-Palestinian activists staged protests against Israel all over the world, from Jakarta to Istanbul and Rabat.
Last week, Iran launched a missile attack on Israel in retaliation for its activities in Gaza and Lebanon, where terrorists from Hamas and Hezbollah support Tehran as part of the so-called Axis of Resistance. Fearing that tensions might spiral out of control and result in a full-scale regional confrontation, Israel, whose stated goal is the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to their homes in northern Israel, pledged vengeance.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Sunday that although Israel was closely collaborating with its longstanding partner, the United States, it will make its own decisions on how to respond to Iran.
President Joe Biden stated last week that Israeli strikes against Iran’s oil facilities were being considered, despite the fact that the United States has stated that it would not approve strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Israel launched ground operations in Lebanon, rejecting a request for a truce endorsed by the United States.
In response to Israel’s intense bombardment there on Sunday, the U.S. government stated that while military pressure can facilitate negotiation, it can also result in errors in judgment.
Over the weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that arms sales to Israel had to be halted. Israel claimed that such a move would benefit Iran.According to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, Israeli airstrikes on Sunday struck a mosque and a school in the Gaza Strip that were providing shelter to displaced people, resulting in at least 26 fatalities and 93 injuries. According to the Israeli military, “precise strikes on Hamas terrorists” were carried out.
The United Nations’ refugee head said on Sunday there were “many instances” where Israeli airstrikes have breached international law by destroying civilian facilities and killing civilians in Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities claim that civilians have been targeted, while Israel maintains that it targets military capabilities and takes precautions to reduce the possibility of injury to civilians. Hezbollah and Hamas are accused by Israel of concealing among civilians, an accusation they both refute.
