Early on Monday, authorities reported that rockets launched by Hizbullah, an Iranian-supported organisation and ally of Hamas, had struck Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city. As per local media, the attack coincided with the first-year commemoration of the Gaza war and resulted in 10 casualties in northern Israel.
The Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which is currently in conflict with Israel in Gaza, confirmed that their objective was an army base situated to the south of Haifa. The weaponry used was identified as “Fadi 1” missiles.
According to media reports, twin rockets descended upon Haifa, located on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, whilst an additional five struck Tiberias, located 65km (40 miles) away. The police have confirmed that this has resulted in infrastructural damage and minor injuries, requiring some individuals to seek medical attention.
In response, Israel deployed fighter plane strikes against the Hizbullah’s intelligence offices in Beirut, targeting their intelligence facilities, leadership strongholds, and other significant infrastructure.
At the same time, the Israeli military commenced both air and ground assaults, thought to be the largest in recent months, in Gaza. This highlights the complications that come with defeating Hamas, particularly one year after their attack on Israeli soil that resulted in 1,200 casualties.
Monday saw Israel commemorating the first anniversary of the Hamas attack that provoked a war which incited global protests and ran the risk of escalating into a much larger conflict in the Middle East. Early morning ceremonies and protests erupted across Jerusalem and southern Israel, marking the time when Hamas militants began rocket attacks last year on October 7th.
The previous year’s attack resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and the capture of around 250 hostages who were taken to Gaza, as per Israeli data. This attack is acknowledged as one of the worst security breaches for Israel, a nation that prides itself on its powerful military.
Palestinian health authorities report that Israeli offensives in the Gaza Strip have claimed close to 42,000 lives, decimated the densely inhabited coastal territory and dislocated the majority of the 2.3 million residents. The fatalities were primarily civilians, encompassing women, children, and the elderly, who were killed in their homes, on the streets, and even at an outdoor music event – in addition to soldiers stationed at military bases near the Gaza border. Global protests condemning Israel’s actions are anticipated.
Israeli forces continue to exert pressure in Gaza as they aim to dismantle the rule of Hamas in the region and destroy its military prowess, with over 101 hostages still held captive. However, the conflict has been progressively moving northwards to Lebanon, where Hizbullah and Israeli forces have been engaging in fire exchange. This began with Iran-backed Hizbullah expressing their solidarity for Hamas vis-à-vis a missile onslaught.
What initially started as small-scale daily conflicts has developed into severe bombardments of Hizbullah’s strongholds in Beirut and ground invasions into borders villages. The Israeli offence, which in the past fortnight has claimed over a thousand lives, has caused a massive exodus from Southern Lebanon, displacing over a million people.
In recent months, Israel has executed a slew of assassinations, killing several Hizbullah and Hamas leaders, subsequently reinstating a sense of safety amongst Israelis. However, this also elicited unprecedented missile strikes from Iran, escalating concerns regarding a potential regional conflict with a dominant adversary. While Israel remains unresponsive to Iran’s second missile onslaught on October 1st, it has pledged a severe retaliation. – Reuters and Bloomberg
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