Tuesday, October 31, 2023

IRAN NEEDS TO BE REDUCED TO RUBBLE

Iran boasts its proxies 'won't stay silent' and hints of war across the region as Tehran-backed Huthi rebels fire drones into Israel from Yemen and pledge allegiance to the Hamas 'axis of resistance'

Huthi rebels said they fired a series of drones towards Israeli city of Eilat

By Rachael Bunyan

Daily Mail

Oct 31, 2023

Iran today boasted its powerful proxies 'won't stay silent' and hinted the fighting between Israel and Hamas could engulf the Middle East after the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels fired drones into the Jewish state from Yemen.

The Huthis, who seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the country, said they fired a series of drones towards the Red Sea city of Eilat this morning in retaliation to Israel's war against Hamas.

'These drones belong to the state of Yemen. We are fighting with words and drones,' Abdelaziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Huthi government, said.

The addition of yet another Iran-backed group fighting against Israel marks a terrifying escalation in the war and heightens fears the fighting in Gaza could engulf the Middle East.

It means that Israel is facing attacks by Tehran-backed groups from every direction - from Hamas to its east, Hezbollah terrorists from the north in Lebanon, Syria's National Defence Forces to the west and now Yemen's Huthis from the south.

And adding yet more fuel to the fire, Iran today warned the situation in the Middle East could 'get out of control' if a ceasefire isn't reached and said it was 'natural' for Tehran-backed groups like Hezbollah and the Huthis to attack Israel.

'It is natural that the resistance groups and movements do not remain silent against all these crimes' committed by Israel, Iran's top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Amir-Abdollahian said during a visit to Qatar.

'They will not wait for anyone's advice, therefore we need to use the last political opportunities to stop the war,' he said, warning of a wider spillover if no ceasefire is reached.

Habtour meanwhile boasted the Huthis are 'part of the axis of resistance' against Israel, referring to Iran and the Tehran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been clashing with Israeli forces on the northern border.

The Huthis, who seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the country, said they fired a series of drones towards the Red Sea city of Eilat

Israeli army tracked medical vehicles move along a road near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona close to the border with Lebanon on Tuesday amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel

Israeli military forces operate near the Israel-Gaza border in Israel on Tuesday

An Israeli army soldier puts on his helmet as he mans a turret in an armoured tracked vehicle is deployed at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Tuesday

Huthi fighters gather to discuss manoeuvres as they hold Palestinian flags aloft

A Huthi fighter fires an RPG grenade from the back of a motorcycle. Abdelaziz bin Habtour, prime minister of the Huthi government, boasted that they are 'part of the axis of resistance'

Air sirens blared across Eilat today amid warnings of a 'hostile aircraft' soaring towards the city, sending terrified residents of the popular tourist resort running for shelter.

The Israeli military said its forces intercepted a missile over the Red Sea with their 'Arrow' aerial defence system and shot down what appeared to be a drone near Eilat. The IDF added neither entered Israeli airspace and 'there is no threat in this region and no danger'.

It did not say who launched them, but earlier this month, a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched toward Israel by Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Six people were lightly injured in neighbouring Egypt when debris hit a building in the Sinai resort of Taba, just across the border from Eilat, the Egyptian army said at the time.

And on October 19, the US Navy said it shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and 'several' drones that had been fired by the Huthis, possibly at Israel.

The rising number of attacks on Israel by the Huthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, comes amid heightened fears the Israel-Hamas conflict will engulf the Middle East in an all-out war.

Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip relentlessly since gunmen from Hamas stormed across the border on October 7 and slaughtered more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.

Since then, more than 8,300 people have been killed, many of them children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, an impoverished slice of land which is home to 2.4 million people.

The war has also threatened to ignite even heavier fighting on other fronts, especially as Iran, which financially and militarily backs Hamas has loyalists and proxy fighters in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which has a massive arsenal of long-range rockets, has traded fire with Israel along the border on a near-daily basis and hinted it might join the war if Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas.

Civil defense teams conduct operations with the help of civilians at the scene after an Israeli airstrike caused destruction in Rafah, Gaza, on Tuesday

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, on Tuesday

And Israel and the US have struck targets in Syria linked to Iran, which supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran and Hezbollah that they will pay a 'high price' if they enter the conflict and join Hamas in its war against Israel.

'Don't test us in the north. Don't make the mistake of the past. Today, the price you will pay will be far heavier,' Netanyahu threatened Hezbollah and Iran, referring to Israel's 2006 war with terror group.

Hezbollah terrorists have vowed to 'respond' to any move by Israel to invade Gaza with the group's chief saying they are 'fully prepared' to fight alongside Hamas, raising already heightened fears of an all-out conflict.

An Israeli army armoured tracked vehicle moves near a stationed artillery howitzer at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Tuesday

An Israeli tank is seen pushing through Gaza amid Israel's ground invasion on Tuesday

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers fire a 155 mm howitzer at an undisclosed location near the border with Gaza, southern Israel on Tuesday

Israeli forces entered Gaza on tanks in the fourth night of major ground operations inside northern Gaza overnight

A Palestinian man from al-Badrasawi family carries the body of his child who was killed in Israeli strikes, at Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday

In the occupied West Bank, where Israeli-Palestinian violence has also surged, the army demolished the family home of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official exiled over a decade ago. Ali Kaseeb, head of the local council in the village of Aroura, said the home had been vacant for 15 years.

The regional violence comes as Israel said its forces battled Hamas gunmen inside the terrorists' vast tunnel network beneath Gaza and struck 300 targets overnight.

The tunnels are a key objective for Israel as it expands ground operations inside Gaza to wipe out Hamas following its gun rampage three weeks ago that killed over 1,400 people.

In the fourth night of major ground operations inside northern Gaza, the army said it hit around 300 targets including missile and rocket launch posts and 'military compounds inside underground tunnels' belonging to Hamas terrorists.

In response, Hamas gunmen attacked Israeli forces with machine gun fire and anti-tank missiles. 'The soldiers killed terrorists and directed air forces to real-time strikes on targets and terror infrastructure,' the IDF said.

The fighting came after Netanyahu on Monday evening slapped aside a call from 120 countries for a sustained humanitarian truce, saying such a ceasefire would be 'surrendering' to Hamas.

'This will not happen,' the premier said, vowing Israel would 'fight until this battle is won'. 'Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas,' he said.

But Israel's withering airstrikes have continued to obliterate entire neighbourhoods across the densely populated territory, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Exhausted Palestinians desperately searched through the rubble of their homes for loved ones across Gaza this morning, their screams piercing the air as they found the lifeless bodies of their children, wives and parents.

In the three weeks since Israel began its ruthless aerial bombardment, thousands of homes have been destroyed across the 25-mile enclave and 8,525 Palestinians killed, including 3,542 children.

The aerial bombardments have been followed by a large-scale ground offensive inside Gaza.

On Monday, witnesses said Israeli forces targeted Gaza's main north-south road on Monday and attacked Gaza City from two directions. They said they saw 'dozens' of Israeli tanks operating on the southern outskirts of Gaza City.

Israeli soldiers jump from an armoured personnel carrier (APC), amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the border between Israel and Gaza Strip in Israel on Tuesday

Israeli soldiers aboard armored personnel carriers (APC) on patrol at a main road near the town of Kiryat Shmona, near the Israel-Lebanon border in Israel on Tuesday

Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said ground operations are focused on northern Gaza, including Gaza City, which he said was the 'center of gravity of Hamas.'

'But we also continue to strike in other parts of Gaza. We are hunting their commanders, we are attacking their infrastructure, and whenever there is an important target that is related to Hamas, we strike it,' he said.

Conricus said some 800,000 people have heeded the Israeli military's orders to flee from the northern part of the strip to the south. But tens of thousands of people remain in and around Gaza City, and casualties are expected to mount on both sides as the battle moves into dense, residential neighbourhoods.

The mounting death toll has drawn calls from the U.S., Israel's top ally, 120 governments and the UN for a pause in fighting to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the enclave.

'Nearly 70 percent of those reported killed are children and women,' said Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. 'This cannot be 'collateral damage'.'

On Monday, the UNRWA said the limited number of aid trucks entering Gaza was insufficient to meet the 'unprecedented humanitarian needs' and civil order has broken down with people storming UN warehouses in search of food.

That has put four U.N. aid distribution centres and a storage facility out of action, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday.

'It's a disaster on top of a disaster. Health needs are soaring and our ability to meet those needs is rapidly declining,' World Health Organization regional emergencies chief Rick Brennan said, reiterating international calls for a ceasefire to enable a larger humanitarian operation.

A LOOK AT WHERE 1,400 ISRAELIS WERE SLAUGHTERED ON OCT 7

Mapping the Hamas slaughter: Israel unveils chilling interactive guide showing where all 1,400 victims of October 7 massacre were killed

Map uses red dots to represent the victims, and black for those taken hostage. It brings home the sheer scale of the terror attack launched by Hamas on Oct. 7

By Chris Jewers

Daily Mail

Oct 31, 2023

Israel has unveiled an interactive map (pictured) showing where all the more than 1,400 victims of the October 7 Hamas terror attack were killed

Israel has unveiled an interactive map showing where all the more than 1,400 victims of the October 7 Hamas terror attack were killed.

The map also shows the points in southern Israel where more than 240 people were kidnapped. They are currently being held hostage inside Gaza.

It also has labels showing where specific massacres occurred, such as the Re'im Music Festival Massacre, the Be'eri Massacre and the Kfar Aza Massacre, as well as the siege of Sderot which saw a two-day battle between Hamas and security forces.

Using red dots to show where an individual was killed by the Hamas terrorists and black dots to represent kidnap victims, the interactive brings home the sheer scale of the terror attack launched across southern Israel and the Gaza border region.

The dots are mostly grouped in and around the kibbutzim closest to the Gaza border, across which hundreds of Hamas fighters poured on October 7.

Israel's official X (Twitter) account shared the map with its followers on Tuesday, saying that it 'provides a comprehensive representation of the atrocities committed by Hamas on that day.' It urged people to visit the website and 'pay tribute to the victims and their families whose lives have been destroyed.'

Re'im Music Festival Massacre & the Be'eri Massacre

One of the most densely concentrated points on the map - titled 'Mapping the Massacres' - is at the site of the Re'im Music Festival Massacre, just 3 miles from the Gaza Border.

The map says in the attack, 'Hamas militants blocked all roads exiting the festival, forcing attendees to scatter across the eastern fields.'

Festival goers who attempted to leave the site in their cars were met with Hamas road blocks. The gunmen opened fire, killing drivers and passengers.

Some of the red dots are along the roads running to and from the festival site, representing where these people were killed.

But most are clustered in the fields around the site, where the revellers attempted to escape and hide from the terrorists who opened fire as they ran.

One of the most densely concentrated points on the map - titled 'Mapping the Massacres' - is at the site of the Re'im Music Festival Massacre, just 3 miles from the Gaza Border

The abandoned site of the desert music festival which was attacked by Palestinian terrorists near Kibbutz Re'im in the Negev desert is seen on October 10

Among the dozens of red dots scattered across the region is one representing Shani Louk (top-left), a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped by the terrorists and on Monday tragically confirmed by her grieving family

Shani Louk's remains were found Monday, with her sister Adi voicing her 'great sorrow' as she shared news of her death on social media

Many people were hunted down and killed in the fields, while others hid.

'Those who scattered into the fields scrambled under cactus scrub and bushes, covered themselves with sand, or pretended to be dead,' the interactive says.

'They were relentlessly hunted for hours, shot at with live gunfire and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and watched helplessly as people were killed or dragged away by armed captors.'

Among the dozens of red dots scattered across the region is one representing Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped by the terrorists and on Monday tragically confirmed by her grieving family.

She was 'tortured and paraded around Gaza,' according to Israel's foreign ministry.

Her remains were found Monday, with her sister Adi voicing her 'great sorrow' as she shared news of her death on social media.

Less than two miles north of the festival site is Be'eri kibbutz, the location of the Be'eri Massacre, where more than 130 residents were brutally killed by Hamas.

The map says that Israeli officials and journalists have been able to piece together the events of October 7 using WhatsApp messages and CCTV footage.

It explains that around 90 armed terrorists made their way into the community at around 6am and began executing civilians from vehicles.

Victims of the Be'eri Massacre included a British-born Lianne Sharabi and her two teenage daughters - Noiya, 16 and Yahel, 13

An Israeli flag is seen outside a destroyed home in Be'eri

The inside of a blood splattered kindergarten in Be'eri is seen in the aftermath of the attacks on the kibbutz

They then spread out into the kibbutz, killing more residents and throwing Molotov cocktails at homes, setting them on fire with people still trapped inside.

Victims of the Be'eri Massacre included a British-born born Lianne Sharabi and her two teenage daughters - Noiya, 16 and Yahel, 13.

Lianne's parents revealed on Monday that the bodies of the family were found 'all cuddled together' in their home in the kibbutz. 'Lianne was doing what a mother would do - holding her babies in her arms,' Gill and Pete Brisley told the BBC.

'A small comfort but a comfort nevertheless,' she added.

Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza and Alumim

Similar scenes unfolded simultaneously in other kibbutzim, such as Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, Alumim - which are all less than two miles apart from each other and are also set mere miles from Gaza and directly in the path of Hamas.

Infact, Nahal Oz is less than a mile from the border fence. Roughly 100 terrorists invaded the small community, massacring its residents and killing whole families.

IDF forces arrived at the kibbutz in significant forces, leading to a 12-hour battle with Hamas gunmen. Black dots of the map show several residents were kidnapped.

The nearby Nahal Oz military base was also attacked by over 40 Hamas fighters. The map says they carried out a 'meticulously orchestrated' assault with firearms, grenades, drones, killing guards and capturing six female soldiers.

Among the victims was Nathanel Young, a 20-year-old British-Israeli soldier.

Among the victims at the Nahal Oz military was Nethanel Young, a 20-year-old British-Israeli soldier who had travelled to Israel to join the army

Young, from London, was a soldier in the 13th Battalion, according to the IDF

Personal belongings lie among the debris of a house destroyed during the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip on October 18

IDF soldiers move through neighborhoods destroyed by Hamas militants after they attacked this kibbutz days earlier near the border of Gaza on October 15, 2023 in Kfar Aza

Ori Megidish, who was rescued from Gaza by IDF soldiers on Monday, was also kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base.

In Kfar Aza, the gunmen set fire to homes to force residents inside to come out.

Omar Barak, a 24-year-old Israeli officer, said of the residents that 'many preferred to die in the fires ... than be killed by the terrorists.'

The map says over 70 Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz, and 'mercilessly killed and mutilated residents including about 40 children.

'The horrific scenes, which included many beheadings, were such that journalists worldwide described unparalleled levels of brutality they only thought possible in old times of pogroms,' the interactive map adds.

As Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza were attacked, so too was Kibbutz Alumim. There, the community's security team halted the terrorists' advance, but were unable to stop them from targeting foreign workers from Nepal and Thailand.

The militants were eventually 'neutralised' by IDF helicopters.

Nir Oz Massacre

Dozens were killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz, too, with the Hamas terrorists attacking people in the fields and encircling the settlement, before breaching its security perimeter.

'Armed with extensive ammunition, assault rifles, RPGs, grenades, and explosives, they launched an onslaught, decimating entire families, including the elderly and children,' the interactive map says.

Among the victims was an 80-year-old grandmother Carmela Dan and her 13-year-old autistic granddaughter Noya.

Dozens were killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz (pictured) with the Hamas terrorists attacking people in the fields and encircling the settlement, before breaching its security perimeter

Residents of the Nir Oz kibbutz fought to hold off the Hamas militants, enduring over 10 hours of fighting without outside help

Among the victims in Nir Oz was an 80-year-old grandmother Carmela Dan and her 13-year-old autistic granddaughter Noya (pictured top-left)

Yochved Lifshitz was among the people kidnapped from Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists. She was later released, and is one of only five people freed from Gaza

Among the victims was an 80-year-old grandmother Carmela Dan and her 13-year-old autistic granddaughter Noya (pictured)

Hadas Calderon is overcome by emotion in the ruins of her mother's home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, Monday, October 30

Their bodies were found on October 19, just days after author JK Rowling had published a photo of Noya after learning she was a Harry Potter fan.

But the map also shows that the small community had a high concentration of kidnapping victims too, perhaps higher than any other single location.

Among them was Yochved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, who have since been released from Gaza by Hamas - two of the just five people to have been freed.

Residents of the kibbutz fought to hold off the Hamas militants, enduring over 10 hours of fighting without outside help.

Sderot & Netiv HaAsara

Other significant clusters of red dots on the map are seen in the city of Sderot (which at its closest point is less than a mile from Gaza) and Netiv HaAsara.

Sderot was the site of an intense battle after Hamas fighters rose into the city on the back of pick up trucks and laid siege to and seize the local police station.

Home to 30,000 people, it was one of the first settlements to come under attack by the Hamas gunman, who moved through the city shortly after dawn.

They killed around 30 people in the city, including many security personnel.

Harrowing footage of the assault captured by survivors emerged days after, showing how the heavily armed assailants rode into the city and killed dozens of civilians.

Netiv HaAsara, a moshav five miles north-west, was the site of another massacre.

Hamas terrorists went house-to-house killing residents, with gunmen specifically targeting the village's rapid response team, hindering the community's defence.

At least 20 people were killed in the moshav.

Other significant clusters of red dots on the map are seen in the city of Sderot (which at its closest point is less than a mile from Gaza)

The city of Sderot was one of the first settlements to come under attack by the Hamas terrorists, who moved through the city on Saturday morning in white pick-up trucks (pictured)

In total, more than 1,400 people died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians.

In response, Israel has unleashed an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza, in which more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and minors, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday.

The figure is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Israel's military said on Monday that special forces rescued one of the estimated 240 captives seized by Palestinian militants during the wide-ranging assault. It said Private Ori Megidish, 19, was 'doing well' and had been reunited with her family.

Gaza's humanitarian crisis, meanwhile, continues to worsen.

IDF CONTINUES TO OPERATE INSIDE GAZA ON DAY 25 OF THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Top Hamas commander killed as Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza

IDF: Nasim Abu Ajina directed Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians in Kibbutz Erez and Netiv Ha'asara • Israeli forces hit over 300 Hamas targets during the past 24 hours.

By Joshua Marks

JNS

Oct 31, 2023

The IDF claimed that Ibrahim Biari (pictured in image supplied by IDF), the commander of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion who they say was one of the leaders behind the October 7 massacre in Israel, was killed in the intense blast

Commander of the Southern Command assessing the situation in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
Israeli troops on the ground in Gaza, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli tank at a staging area near the Lebanese border, Oct. 30, 2023. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90.
An Israeli soldier on a tank during expanded ground activities in the Gaza Strip. Credit: IDF.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Ashdod Naval Base, Oct. 29, 2023. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO.

Israel struck over 300 Hamas targets and killed “numerous” terrorists in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, including a senior commander, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday morning.

Among the sites targeted were underground anti-tank missile and rocket launching positions and military compounds, according to the IDF.

Nasim Abu Ajina, commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas’s Northern Brigade, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday. According to the IDF, Abu Ajina directed the Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians in Kibbutz Erez and Netiv Ha’asara. He previously commanded the Hamas Aerial Array and participated in the development of the terrorist organization’s drones and paragliders.

“His elimination significantly harms the efforts of the Hamas terrorist organization to disrupt the IDF’s ground activities,” according to the Israeli military.

Israeli ground forces also engaged and destroyed terrorist cells, as well as providing real-time direction for airstrikes on Hamas forces and infrastructure.

Commander of the Southern Command assessing the situation in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
Israeli troops on the ground in Gaza, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli tank at a staging area near the Lebanese border, Oct. 30, 2023. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90.
An Israeli soldier on a tank during expanded ground activities in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Ashdod Naval Base, Oct. 29, 2023. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO.
Israeli forces prepare for ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli soldier during morning prayers near the border with Lebanon, Oct. 25, 2023. Photo by Michael Gil

IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 30, 2023.
Israeli troops on the ground in Gaza, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli tank at a staging area near the Lebanese border, Oct. 30, 2023. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90.
An Israeli soldier on a tank during expanded ground activities in the Gaza Strip. Credit: IDF.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Ashdod Naval Base, Oct. 29, 2023. Photo by Kobi Gideon

Israeli forces have been conducting “fierce battles” against Hamas “deep in the Gaza Strip,” in recent hours, the IDF announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite the IDF’s ground operation in Gaza, rocket fire from the Strip was ongoing, triggering sirens in Israeli border communities multiple times overnight Monday and on Tuesday morning. Rocket barrages were fired at central Israel on Tuesday afternoon.

The military on Tuesday released a radio recording of the head of IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, telling troops operating in Gaza that there can be “no result other than victory.”

“Southern Command stations, commander is speaking. We are launching an attack on Hamas and the terror groups in the Gaza Strip. Our goal is one: victory. No matter how long the fighting takes, how difficult, there is no other result but victory,” said Finkelman.

“We will fight professionally and powerfully in light of the IDF values we were raised on. Chief among them is sticking to the mission and striving for victory. We will fight in the alleys, we will fight in the tunnels, we will fight where necessary. We will strike the terrible enemy that stands before us,” he continued.

“My brothers in arms, the residents of Be’eri, Sderot, Nir Oz, Kfar Aza, and the western Negev communities, and with them the entire nation of Israel, are all looking at us now. Like me, they also trust you and believe in you. You are the generation of victory,” said Finkelman. “Get to your tasks, hit the enemy. Out.”

IDF fighter jets hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

On the northern frontier, IDF fighter jets struck multiple Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight Monday.

Commander of the Southern Command assessing the situation in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
Israeli troops on the ground in Gaza, Oct. 30, 2023. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli tank at a staging area near the Lebanese border, Oct. 30, 2023.
An Israeli soldier on a tank during expanded ground activities in the Gaza Strip. Credit: IDF.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Ashdod Naval Base, Oct. 29, 2023. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO.
Israeli forces prepare for ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli soldier during morning prayers near the border with Lebanon, Oct. 25, 2023. Photo by Michael Giladi/Flash

Israel has been engaging with terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Judea and Samaria since declaring war on Hamas following the terror group’s Oct. 7 pogrom in the western Negev that killed at least 1,400 people and wounded over 5,000. More than 200 people were taken back to Gaza by the terror group as hostages.

Iranian terror proxies attack US forces in Iraq, Syria

Iranian terror proxies have also been attacking U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria. At least 24 drone and rocket attacks have occurred in recent days, including three on Monday, Voice of America reported, citing U.S. defense officials.

U.S. forces at a base near al-Shaddadi in northeastern Syria were attacked on Sunday.

No casualties were reported in any of the attacks, but dozens of U.S. military personnel were reportedly injured.

The United States blames Iranian proxy groups for the attacks.

“We know that these are Iranian-backed militia groups that are supported by Iran and, of course, we hold Iran responsible for these groups,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said last week.