Published: 10 October 2024
Last updated: 10 October 2024
Israel continues to face a multi-front war with heavy fighting on the Lebanese border and in Gaza, and retaliation is expected after a missile attack from Iran on central Israel last week.
On the Lebanese border
- Hezbollah is continuing to fire heavy barrages of rockets into Israel. Two Israelis were killed in the northern town of Kiryat Shmona and six were injured by rocket debris in Haifa.
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed directly to the people of Lebanon in a video published on Tuesday, telling them to turn against the Iran-backed Shia group Hezbollah or risk destruction on the scale of Gaza. The Israeli military said it deployed a fourth division in southern Lebanon and that operations have expanded to the west, but its focus still appears to be a narrow strip along the border.
- A Hezbollah leader has endorsed the possibility of a ceasefire for the first time. Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said Hezbollah supports the political efforts led by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to achieve a ceasefire. Qassem has been nicknamed “the last survivor” as Israel is believed to have killed other possible successors to assassinated leader Nasrallah. Hezbollah has still not announced a successor to Nasrallah.
Against Iran
- Following Iran’s missile attack on Israel last week, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned Israel will retaliate with a “deadly, pinpoint accurate, and most importantly, surprising” attack on Iran. Nuclear and oil installations have been suggested as likely targets for an Israeli response.
- US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday expressing concerns that a heavy Israeli response will aggravate regional war.
In Gaza
