JERUSALEM: Two civilians were killed in northern Israel on Sunday after an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit their home in a town near the border, raising fresh fears of a second front erupting against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The deadly attack came on the 100th day of a conflict between Israel and Hamas that has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, devastated vast Gaza, driven some 85% of its 2.3 million people from their homes and pushed a quarter of the population into starvation. .
The war was sparked by a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 in southern Israel in which the terrorists killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages, about half of whom are still in custody.
Tensions are high across the region, with Israel trading almost daily with Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group, Iran-backed militias attacking US targets in Syria and Iraq, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting international shipping, drawing a wave of US airstrikes last week.
Sunday’s missile attack came a day after the Israeli military said it had killed three terrorists who had crossed into Israel from Lebanon and attempted to carry out an attack.
The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said that his group will not stop until a ceasefire is implemented for Gaza.
The deadly attack came on the 100th day of the war between Israel and Hamas. AP
“We continue, and our front lines inflict losses on the enemy and put pressure on the displaced,” Nasrallah said in a speech, referring to the tens of thousands of Israelis who have fled the northern border area.
The unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza has led South Africa to file genocide charges against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Israel strongly denies the accusations and has vowed to continue its attacks despite a court in The Hague issuing an interim order for them to stop.
“No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday afternoon, referring to Iran and its allied militias.
Anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon hit and killed two Israelis. AFP via Getty Images
Israel also vowed to return more than 100 hostages still being held in Gaza as its leaders faced mounting protests from their families, including a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv that began Saturday evening and drew tens of thousands of supporters.
Israeli forces only managed to rescue one hostage, while more than 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Hamas says no more hostages will be released until Israel ends its offensive.
FEAR OF THE SECOND FRONT
Israel and Hezbollah have been careful not to allow their back-and-forth to erupt into a full-scale war on a second front.
But they have come close several times – most recently after an air strike that killed a top Hamas official in Beirut on January 2. Hamas and Hezbollah both blamed Israel for the attack. The latest attacks on Israel, including the deaths of two civilians on Sunday, raise the possibility of new Israeli retaliation.
Hezbollah said that the group will not stop fighting until a ceasefire is implemented for Gaza. AP
The missile hit a house in the northern Israeli town of Yuval, killing a man in his 40s and his mother, in her 70s, Israeli rescuers said.
Although Yuval was one of more than 40 towns along the northern border evacuated by the government in October, Israeli media reported that the family lived in the area because they worked in agriculture.
More than 115,000 Israelis have been displaced from northern Israel due to ongoing tensions. In Israel, 12 soldiers and seven civilians were killed by a rocket launch from Lebanon, and more than 170 were injured. Hezbollah has reported at least 150 fighters and 20 civilians killed in almost daily fighting.
Israel War Update
Get the most important developments in the region, globally and locally.
The deadly attack came hours after the army said it killed three terrorists who entered the disputed Israeli-held area of the Golan Heights.
A group called the Islamic Glory Brigade claimed responsibility for the infiltration. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the statement, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese branch of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad all said the group was not affiliated with them.
Since October, more than 2,000 rockets and 350 drones have been launched from Lebanon, according to Israel.
Tensions have also spilled over into the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinian health officials say nearly 350 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids and other violent confrontations throughout the war.
On Sunday, the Israeli military said troops opened fire after a Palestinian car drove through a military roadblock in the southern West Bank and an assailant opened fire on soldiers. Palestinian health officials said two Palestinians were killed.
US PROTECTS ISRAEL FROM CALL FOR PROSPERITY
Israel is also under increasing international pressure to end the war in Gaza, but has so far been shielded by US diplomatic and military support. Israel argues that any ceasefire would hand a victory to Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is determined to destroy Israel.
Thousands took to the streets of Washington, London, Paris, Rome, Milan and Dublin on Saturday to demand an end to the war. Protesters gathered at the White House holding signs criticizing President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Israel.
Israeli soldiers walk past a house destroyed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14. 2023. AP
In recent weeks, Israel has scaled back operations in northern Gaza, the initial target of the offensive, where weeks of airstrikes and ground operations have left entire neighborhoods devastated. Netanyahu said there were no immediate plans to allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes there, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the issue during a visit to the region last week.
Meanwhile, Israel has launched a major operation against the southern city of Khan Younis and a refugee camp built in central Gaza.
“No one can move,” said Rami Abu Matouq, who lives in the Maghzai camp. “Warplanes, snipers and gunfire are everywhere.” He said several buildings had been hit by airstrikes and gunfire over the past two days but no one could reach them to try to rescue survivors.
ISRAEL’S EYES AVOID ATTACKING
Netanyahu said Israel would eventually have to move further south and take control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, which Israeli officials say is still used by Hamas to smuggle in weapons.
Egypt, which in recent years has strengthened the border, demolished tunnels and created a buffer zone, insists it has full control over the border and says any such operation must be considered in light of agreements reached with Israel and the United States.
Areas in and around the border town of Rafah are also teeming with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled other parts of Gaza and are crowding into overflowing UN-run shelters and tents.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that hospitals had received 125 bodies in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 23,968. The ministry did not distinguish between civilians and fighters but said about two-thirds of the dead were women and minors. It said more than 60,000 people had been injured.
Less than half of the region’s 36 hospitals are still partially functional, according to the UN humanitarian office. It says widespread fighting and Israeli blockades have made it difficult to deliver much-needed food, water and other aid. US pressure on Israel to facilitate delivery has met with little success.
Israel says Hamas is responsible for the high civilian casualties, saying its fighters use civilian buildings and launch attacks from densely populated urban areas.
The military said 188 soldiers had been killed and 1,099 wounded since the start of the ground offensive.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
