Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has reiterated that there will be a response to recent Iranian missile attacks. The preparations were underway. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues attacks in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that there will be a response to the recent Iranian missile attack. He did not comment on the timing or nature of the reaction. “No country in the world would accept such an attack on its cities and citizens,” he said.
“Israel has the duty and the right to defend itself,” Netanyahu said in a speech at military headquarters in Tel Aviv. The military is “in the midst of planning a response” that will be “significant,” the Times of Israel reported.
More attacks against Hamas and Hezbollah
Meanwhile, Israel's army continues to carry out heavy attacks against pro-Iranian militias in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. In Lebanon, “terrorist targets” in the area of the capital Beirut are currently being bombed in the fight against Hezbollah, the army announced last night without giving any details.
Before the renewed bombings in the Beirut area, the Israeli army had asked residents of certain buildings in a southern suburb to evacuate. The dpa news agency reported more than 20 serious attacks. Apparently a weapons depot near the airport was hit. The explosions could be heard all over the city.
According to the army, Hezbollah had previously fired on Israel again. After sirens sounded shortly after midnight in the area of the town of Kiriat Shmona in northern Israel, around 30 projectiles were identified that had penetrated Israeli territory. Some were intercepted, others fell. The militia had previously fired around 130 missiles towards Israel. The military's information could not initially be independently verified.
Two command centers of the Islamist Hamas were also attacked in an area in the center of the Gaza Strip, it said. One was in a former school, the other in a former mosque. According to Palestinian information, more than 20 people were killed in the attack on the mosque, which was used as an emergency shelter. Many more were injured, said a spokesman for the civil defense in the Gaza Strip.
Macron calls for a stop Weapons deliveries
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously called for arms deliveries to Israel to be stopped. The priority is to return to a political solution and stop arms supplies for the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Macron said on France Inter radio station. France will not supply any weapons. Netanyahu sharply criticized Macron and called it a “disgrace.”
There are fears that the entire region could become embroiled in a serious war. The commander of US troops in the Middle East, General Michael Erik Kurilla, has arrived in Israel to consult with military officials as the Israeli army prepares, the Times of Israel reported. The USA is Israel's most important ally.
Protests in Israel
Shortly before the first anniversary of the Hamas massacre on October 7th, thousands of people in Israel demonstrated again for a deal with Hamas for the release of the remaining hostages. Many participants fear that the fate of the hostages will be forgotten in view of the fighting in Lebanon. The rallies were not as large as usual because there are restrictions on gatherings in many places due to the security situation.
Relatives of the hostages accuse Netanyahu of sabotaging a deal with Hamas and bowing to the demands of his ultra-religious and far-right coalition partners. These are against concessions to the Islamist organization. Netanyahu depends on them for his political survival.
