View of buildings damaged in an Israeli attack on the Lailaki and Haret Hireik neighborhoods in the Dahieh area of Beirut, Lebanon, October 1, 2024.
Hassam Shubaro | Anadolu | Getty Images
Israel on Saturday attacked an alleged Hezbollah weapons facility south of Beirut after Lebanese militants fired rockets into northern Israel, and a spokesman said a drone fired at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s villa. announced that it had been done.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not at the scene at the time, so it was not immediately clear whether the building was hit. But he described it as an assassination attempt by “Iran’s Hezbollah proxy” and called it a “grave mistake” as Israel prepares to retaliate for Iran’s missile barrage earlier this month.
The airstrikes were carried out by medical workers and Hamas media in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been fighting for more than a year to eradicate Palestinian insurgents, and Israeli artillery fire killed more than 100 people across the coastal enclave. reported that three hospitals had been under siege. .
Promises made by Israel and its enemies Hamas and Hezbollah keep fighting My expectations have cooled down with the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar Wednesday’s agreement could lead to a ceasefire between Gaza and Lebanon and prevent further escalation in the Middle East.
Officials, diplomats and other sources say as the U.S. election approaches, Israel I’m looking for The aim is to step up military operations to protect borders and prevent rivals from regrouping.
On Saturday, Israeli military planes dropped leaflets over southern Gaza with a picture of Sinwar and the message: “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza.”
Israeli forces launched an airstrike late Saturday on a multi-story building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahya, killing at least 73 people and wounding dozens, medical officials and Hamas media said.
Israeli officials say the Israeli military is confirming reports of casualties from airstrikes in northern Gaza, adding that preliminary investigations suggest the numbers are exaggerated and inconsistent with information received. Ta.
On Beirut’s southern outskirts, Israel carried out heavy attacks in several locations, leaving thick smoke hanging over the city into the evening.
According to the Israeli military, the attack targeted “a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters command center.”
Witnesses said Israel issued evacuation orders for four separate neighborhoods within the suburb, asking residents to stay 500 meters (yards) apart, and carried out strikes in other areas as well.
Tens of thousands of people have fled the southern suburbs, a densely populated area that once housed Hezbollah offices and underground facilities, since Israel began regular attacks about three weeks ago.
Hezbollah Secretary-General killed in Israeli airstrike on September 27th Hassan Nasrallahand a nearby strike killed other top figures in the Iranian-backed group.
US I want it U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he expected Israel to scale back some of its attacks in and around Beirut.
A new area appears
Earlier on Saturday, two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike while driving on a Lebanese main road near the Christian-majority town of Jounieh. The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident.
At least four people were killed in another airstrike in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, health officials said. One of them was the mayor of a nearby town. second mayor It’s going to get killed this week.
One person was killed and at least nine others injured in a series of Hezbollah rocket volleys in Israel, Israeli emergency services said.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the drone strike that targeted Netanyahu’s home in the northern Israeli town of Caesarea, but the prime minister said it was aimed at killing him and his wife.
The conflict over the past year has led to direct confrontation between Iran and Israel, including missile attacks on Israel in April and October 1.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to respond to the October ballistic missile attack.
“I want to say to Iran and its agents of the axis of evil: Anyone who seeks to harm the Israeli people will pay a heavy price,” he said in a statement after the Caesarea attack.
“We have already responded to the Israeli regime, and the actions in question were carried out by Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a statement.
deadlock in negotiations
Hezbollah has been in a gunfight with Israel since Israel’s war with Iran-backed Hamas began in Gaza last October. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired about 200 projectiles on Saturday alone.
Nearly three weeks ago, Israel launched a ground offensive into Lebanon with the aim of stabilizing border areas for civilians fleeing fighting.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had destroyed tunnels and underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon. It also announced on Friday that it had killed a Hezbollah deputy commander in the Bint Jubail region.
The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the death of a Hezbollah detainee in Lebanon, according to Israeli media.
More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since October 2023, most in the last month, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, and 59 people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, according to Israeli authorities. .
Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages in the attack that sparked the war, according to Israeli tallies. More than 42,500 people have been killed in Israel’s military response, according to Palestinian officials.
Israeli military attacks have left most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people homeless. widespread hunger and destroyed hospital and school.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that oversees the administration of the Palestinian territories, has stepped up aid deliveries to Gaza under international pressure. Israel and the United Arab Emirates airdropped aid into southern Gaza on Saturday.
Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, said Mr. Sinwar’s death opened the door to a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement to release the remaining hostages.
Negotiations for such a deal have been stalled for weeks. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been leading the diplomatic effort, is scheduled to visit Israel on Tuesday as part of a regional tour, Axios reported on social media platform X.