Six consecutive Israeli raids hit the southern outskirts of Beirut, considered Hezbollah’s stronghold. This was reported by Lebanese news agencies.
The action is bloodier on the anniversary of the outbreak
On one side of the fence the commemoration of the victims began, while on the other Hamas, following a symbolic script, launched four rockets from the south of the Strip towards the southern Israeli communities. This action bears the signature of Yahya Sinwar, confirmed alive by a Saudi report. Later in the morning, a barrage of M90 Maqadmeh rockets was fired from Gaza at Tel Aviv, much smaller than the 5,000 bombs dropped on Israel on October 7, 2023, but symbolic for Hamas. Khaled Meshaal, a refugee in Qatar, declared that that attack brought Israel back to square one, aligning himself with Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, who reiterated how the Al-Aqsa operation brought the Zionist regime back to 70 years ago. The Al-Qassam brigades claimed responsibility for firing the M90 rockets, while Hezbollah, from Lebanon, said it would continue to fight Israel, calling it a cancerous entity that must be eliminated, and continued to fire rockets into northern Israel. Yemen’s Houthi group also launched a surface-to-surface missile, setting off sirens in Tel Aviv and other central locations in the country.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, during a meeting to commemorate the event, proposed renaming the war against Hamas and Hezbollah as the “War of Rebirth”, replacing the current name “Iron Swords”. He declared that this is a war for Israel’s existence and that the counterattack against the axis of evil, represented by Iran, is essential to ensuring the country’s security and future. During the meeting, Netanyahu lit a candle in memory of the victims, followed by a minute of silence and prayers. The Families Forum underlined that there can be no rebirth without the return of all the hostages.
From the United States, Matthew Miller of the State Department said that the American administration does not favor a unilateral Israeli ceasefire, but rather an agreement with Hamas that includes the release of the remaining 101 hostages. President Biden and first lady Jill also participated in a candle lighting ceremony.
Despite the commemorations, the IDF military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah did not stop. Little has emerged about plans for possible intervention against Iran, but Tehran has let a nuclear threat percolate, arguing that while it respects Islamic principles prohibiting the construction of nuclear weapons, Iran might reconsider its policy if it were necessary to protect your people. In the evening, the IDF launched an attack with 100 aircraft against more than 120 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, continuing raids also in the southern area of Beirut, where the Shiite group’s command centers are located. Finally, a warning was issued to Lebanese civilians north of Sidon to move south, as the Israeli Navy plans to operate against Hezbollah from the sea. Hezbollah has accused Israel of using UNIFIL as human shields, declaring that their fighters will not attack the IDF if protected by UN positions near a Lebanese border village.