Tel Aviv [Israel], October 25: Israel steps up campaign in northern Gaza, conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon escalates amid risk of violence spilling over into Syria.
At least two people were injured by a rocket attack from Lebanon on the northern Israeli city of Nahariya on October 24, The Times of Israel reported . The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said more than 50 rockets were fired, some of which impacted the country. The attack came a day after Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group , said it had escalated its attacks on Israel.
Violence escalates
Hezbollah said it attacked an Israeli military facility on the outskirts of Tel Aviv with "precision-guided missiles that hit their targets," while the IDF said it intercepted two projectiles and that there were no casualties or damage to any military facilities. Air raid sirens sounded across central and northern Israel for a second day in a row, prompting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to briefly delay his departure from the country on October 23.
In a statement released on October 24, the IDF said it had raided several Hezbollah weapons production facilities in the Dahiyeh area south of Beirut (Lebanon). Lebanese media reported that Israel carried out at least 17 raids overnight, leveling six buildings in the area and making it the "most violent attack since the start of the war."
In the Gaza Strip, the IDF said a "large number" of Palestinians had evacuated from the north, but did not provide a figure. According to CNN, Israeli forces continued to intensify their operations yesterday in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza and claimed to have killed dozens of Hamas members and arrested more than 200 terrorism suspects. Meanwhile, medical experts and Gaza residents said 42 people were killed on October 23 due to the intensified Israeli attacks.
Risk of worse
Worryingly, the violence spreading to Syria is alarming and could worsen, affecting international peace and security, UN special envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on October 23. "The flames of conflict are burning fiercely in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, and in Lebanon. The heat is also spreading to Syria," he warned. The Syrian Defense Ministry accused Israel of airstrikes on Damascus and Homs on October 24, killing one Syrian soldier and wounding seven others. Israel has not commented on the incident.
Syria also saw another round of violence, when Türkiye launched airstrikes on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the country and Iraq on October 23. Turkey accused the PKK of carrying out a terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries in Ankara earlier that day, killing five people and wounding 22. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the airstrikes killed 12 civilians and injured 25. Türkiye has not commented on this information.
Another tense development is that Israel is considering how to respond after being attacked by Iran with a massive missile attack on October 1. The Guardian newspaper yesterday quoted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as saying that the plan to strike Iran would "make the world understand the military potential of Israel". Iran had previously threatened to retaliate more strongly if Israel attacked.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper