Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Syria and Lebanon Sunday evening, affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran's IRGC forces.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the operations through posts on X, claiming that they had struck Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon.
The attacks came only hours after Hezbollah announced that its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah would deliver a speech this Friday.
They first teased the news with a 10-second video, in which a figure resembling Nasrallah is seen walking past a Hezbollah logo on a wall. The mysterious clip went viral as viewers tried to decipher it.
Speculation is rife that Nasrallah's upcoming speech may involve some kind of declaration of war against Israel.
Hezbollah, backed by the regime in Iran, boasts an extensive stockpile of rockets, which makes it a far more formidable military force compared to Hamas.
On Sunday, before Israel confirmed striking Syria and Lebanon, reports had emerged that Hezbollah rockets had breached Israel’s missile defense system (Iron Dome), hitting a residential building in northern Israel.
The Biden administration has been trying hard to prevent a broader conflict, which would force it to enter yet another war in the Middle East exactly one year before the 2024 elections.
Critics of Biden’s foreign policy maintain that his reluctance to act tough (against Iran, in particular) would make the situation even more difficult for the US.
“What we need to do is send a clear and forceful message,” said Senator Tom Cotton on Sunday, “whether it’s striking IRGC officials in Syria or in Iraq, or striking directly at Iranian facilities inside Iran to make it clear that we won’t tolerate attacks on Americans throughout the region by Iranian proxies.”
Last week, the Pentagon revealed that American troops in Syria and Iraq had come under repeated attacks from Iran proxies in the week between 17 and 24 October.
Senator Cotton told Fox News that the Biden administration should learn from Donald Trump in assassinating Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.
“If we don’t do something like that,” he warned, “these attacks are going to continue until Americans are killed.”
Iranian officials have become increasingly boastful since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,400 and taking more than 200 hostage.
On Sunday, Iran's President, Ebrahim Raisi, took a typically brazen line, suggesting that Hamas forces were repelling the Israelis in Gaza –and that would be “a defeat heavier than the initial one for Israel.”
Reports from northern Gaza described fierce air and artillery strikes Sunday evening, affecting areas near Gaza City's Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported receiving warnings from Israeli authorities, urging the immediate evacuation of Al-Quds hospital, which currently shelters approximately 14,000 people.
International organizations say Gaza is facing an acute humanitarian crisis. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that "many more will die" in Gaza if the Israeli bombing and siege continues.
Calls for a humanitarian ceasefire have intensified in the past week. But Israel has rejected all such calls and announced that its ground operation would continue unabated.
Hamas officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have so far killed more than 8,000 Palestinians, at least half of them women and children. These numbers cannot be independently verified.
The situation is dire as basic necessities like water and food have been cut off from the densely populated enclave of 2.2 million. Israel has allowed limited aid to enter in the past few days.
On Sunday, another 33 trucks were let in, containing water, food and medicine. But the humanitarian workers on the ground say the aid received so far falls desperately short of needs.