top of page
Search
Writer's pictureThe San Juan Daily Star

On eve of Oct. 7 anniversary, Israel strikes Gaza and Lebanon



Smoke rises over the city after multiple Israeli airstrikes targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (Diego Ibarra Sánchez/The New York Times)

By Vivek Shankar, Hiba Yazbek and Adam Rasgon


Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday targeted a mosque and a school-turned-shelter, the military said, as Israel pressed on with bombing campaigns in northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iranian-backed proxies.


The military said it had struck the buildings in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah early Sunday, describing the two locations as Hamas “command and control centers” nestled among civilians, without providing evidence of its claims. The Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, said 26 Palestinians had been killed and dozens more were wounded.


Sunday’s strikes come on the eve of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks as the region braced for Israel to hit back directly at Iran for its barrage of ballistic missiles last week.


Early Sunday, the Israeli military issued a map appearing to label nearly all of northern Gaza as an evacuation zone, saying this was in preparation for “a new phase” in the war. That came hours after Israeli warplanes attacked Jabalia, in the northern part of the enclave. The Israeli military said it had surrounded an area where it had identified Hamas fighters and “efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities.”


Israeli airstrikes also hit just south of Beirut overnight, sending an orange fireball and thick black smoke into the sky above the Lebanese capital. The attack came less than an hour after the Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings for parts of the area known as the Dahiya, where Hezbollah holds sway and where heavy bombardment in recent days has already forced many residents to flee. It also ordered the residents of 25 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate and head north.


In Israel, two surface-to-surface missiles fired from Lebanon set off sirens in towns up to 50 miles south of the Lebanese border. The missiles were intercepted by Israel’s air defenses, its military said.


The escalating fighting has raised fears of all-out war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas. Last week, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in retaliation for assassinations — and Israel has vowed to respond.


Here is what else to know:


— Weapons for Israel: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that shipments of weapons to Israel that could be used in Gaza should be halted.


— Israel’s preparation: Lessons learned from a 2006 invasion of Lebanon have guided Israel in its current one. Security experts say a political deal is needed to restore calm.


— Iranian commander: Members of the Iranian news media are asking: Where is Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, the country’s top general and the commander in chief of its elite Quds Force? The concerns about Ghaani followed reports in some Israeli and Arab news media Saturday that he was either killed or injured in one of Israel’s recent attacks on Beirut.

7 views0 comments

Comentários


bottom of page