Israeli military on high alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary

The Israeli military is on high alert today amid fears of new attacks coinciding with the anniversary of last year’s unprecedented Hamas assault in southern Israel. 

 

Concurrently, the Israeli government is preparing retaliatory measures against Iran, following the launch of approximately 200 missiles by the Islamic Republic towards Israeli territory earlier this week, after the deaths of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip continue, with civil defense officials reporting at least 24 fatalities and numerous injuries following a bombing raid on an Islamic mosque converted into a shelter for internally displaced persons.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, head of the Israeli Defense Forces, expressed determination to maintain “continuous” strikes against Hezbollah, which has faced extensive military operations since late September. “This week, we remember the anniversary of the war and the attack on October 7, 2023. We are prepared to increase our forces ahead of this day,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, without elaborating further.

In a message marking the anniversary, Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the “permanent threat” posed by Iran and its “terrorist proxies,” who are “determined to destroy our only nation-state.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address the nation on Monday to mark the anniversary of the attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas assault resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people on the Israeli side, predominantly civilians, according to a count by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli data. Of the 251 individuals taken hostage that day, 97 remain captive in the Palestinian enclave, with 64 believed to be alive and 33 declared dead by the Israeli military.

Following the barrage of missiles launched by Iran on Tuesday, an Israeli military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the army is “preparing a response.”

“Iran has already launched hundreds of missiles against our territory twice… Israel has a duty and right to defend itself and retaliate against these attacks, and that is what we will do,” Netanyahu stated. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned from Damascus that “for every action, there will be a reaction, proportional and similar from Iran,” if not “even stronger.”

According to Iran, the roughly 200 missiles fired on Tuesday were “legitimate” reprisals for the assassinations of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah Secretary-General, in an airstrike on September 27 in a southern Beirut suburb, and Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, in an explosion in Tehran on July 31 attributed to Israel.

Iran had previously launched a direct attack against Israel—the first in its history—on April 13, firing hundreds of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles in retaliation for a deadly bombing that devastated its embassy in Damascus, also attributed to Israel.

U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel not to target Iranian oil facilities, while former President Donald Trump, a Republican candidate for his succession, asserted that Israel should strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

Following claims of weakening Hamas in its ongoing operations in the besieged Gaza Strip, Israel shifted its focus to the northern front along the Lebanese border in mid-September, where Hezbollah opened a front to support the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 8, 2023. The Netanyahu government states it will end the rocket and missile launches from Hezbollah, allowing the safe return of tens of thousands of internally displaced residents of northern Israel.

Since September 23, Israeli armed forces have intensified airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and other areas, before launching ground operations on September 30.

Last night, the Lebanese National News Agency ANI reported five new bombings in a southern suburb and its surroundings, including three “very intense” strikes shortly after the Israeli military ordered civilians to evacuate from the Hezbollah stronghold.

The Israeli military confirmed it is “targeting terrorist objectives,” specifically Hezbollah facilities in this area of Beirut, via Telegram. Agence France-Presse correspondents reported hearing powerful explosions in southern sectors of the city and its outskirts for over two hours.

One eyewitness near Sabra in the southern district observed dozens of people fleeing with few belongings against a backdrop of explosions.

Hezbollah claimed that “a group of enemy soldiers attempted to infiltrate… into Blida,” but that its fighters targeted them “with artillery fire,” forcing them to retreat.

The Israeli military asserts that since September 30, it has “eliminated approximately 440 terrorists,” including “30 commanders” of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Friday, Israel bombarded the southern districts of Beirut, allegedly targeting the headquarters of Hezbollah’s intelligence service, where Hashem Safieddine, a potential successor to the deceased party leader Nasrallah, was believed to be present. A Hezbollah spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that contact with Safieddine “was lost” since Friday.

According to Lebanon’s disaster management agency, over 2,000 people have been killed in the country since October 2023, with more than a thousand of those since September 23. The Lebanese government estimates that at least 1.2 million citizens have been displaced.