Israel has escalated its military operations on two fronts with heavy bombing raids and mass evacuation orders in southern Lebanon and Gaza.
This came as officials issued new threats of a retaliatory strike against Iran before the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Health workers in Gaza said that at least 26 people had been killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a mosque in central Gaza early on Sunday, October 6, 2024.
Local aid workers said that the mosque, which was near al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, had housed people who had been displaced in earlier bombing raids. The Israeli military claimed that the mosque had been a Hamas command post.
Israeli forces issued a new blanket evacuation order for all of the northern Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain, as a military spokesperson declared a new phase of the war against Hamas.
Meanwhile, Israeli jets launched airstrikes on the Dahiyeh neighbourhood of southern Beirut.
Israeli attacks in the area, which is a stronghold for the Shia militia Hezbollah, have continued at such a high pace that rescue workers have been unable to access the area for days.
Also, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee issued new evacuation alerts for residents of about 25 areas in southern Lebanon, calling on them to head immediately to the north of the Awali river.
Houla, Meiss el-Jabal and Bilda are among the villages told to evacuate.
“Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations or weapons is putting his life in danger. Village residents, you must evacuate your homes. We will inform you of the appropriate and safe time to return to your homes.”
Avichay Adraee
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops near the Lebanese border on Sunday for the first time and declared that Israel would emerge victorious in the conflict
Netanyahu visited troops from the 36th division, one of two divisions sent along the Lebanese border for combat operations.
The Israeli Prime Minister expressed his condolence to the families of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon.
“We’re in the heat of a gruelling war against Iran’s axis of evil, aimed at destroying us. That will not happen, because we shall stand together, and with God’s help, we shall emerge victorious together.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel said that dozens of its soldiers have been injured in Lebanon in the last week of combat, while Hezbollah claimed to have killed 20 soldiers over this weekend.
The number of dead has not been confirmed by Israel.
Israel Preparing For October 7 Commemoration
Israel is preparing October 7 commemorations, with the President, Isaac Herzog, planning to conduct a three-day tour of the border communities along Gaza, beginning at the site of the Nova music festival near the Re’im kibbutz, where 364 people were killed during the Hamas attack.
According to reports from an Israeli newspaper, Israel’s military anticipates possible long-range rocket fire from the Gaza Strip ahead of the anniversary of the October 7 attacks.
“The Southern Command is prepared in defence and attack for several scenarios during the coming month, along with allowing memorial events in the [Gaza border communities] to be carried out safely,” the IDF said in a statement seen by the newspaper.
Military sources told the newspaper that it is bolstering its defences along the Gaza border and in the Netzarim Corridor area in the Strip’s centre, where the IDF maintains a semi-permanent presence, in anticipation of possible attacks.
The IDF added that it is also coordinating with police and medical services in Israeli border towns.
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