Gaza war: Hezbollah strikes Haifa, escalating tensions on October 7 anniversary
By Ezekiel David
On Monday morning, Israeli police reported that rockets launched from Hezbollah struck Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, resulting in injuries and property damage.
Israeli media indicated that at least ten individuals were injured in the northern part of the country, coinciding with the first anniversary of the Gaza war, which has seen escalating violence across the region.
Hezbollah, a militant organisation supported by Iran and affiliated with Hamas, the Palestinian organisation, took credit for firing a barrage of “Fadi 1” missiles towards a military installation south of Haifa. Two missiles struck Haifa, located on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, according to reports, while five more rockets were directed at Tiberias, which is about 65 kilometres (40 miles) distant.
Authorities confirmed that some buildings sustained damage, with minor injuries reported among civilians, prompting several individuals to be transported to nearby medical facilities.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Hezbollah’s Beirut Intelligence Headquarters as payback. The militant group’s command centres, numerous infrastructure locations, and intelligence-gathering assets were the targets of these airstrikes, the military confirmed. Israeli bombers bombed Hezbollah weapon storage facilities in the Beirut region over several hours, causing follow-up explosions that suggested ammunition were present.
The IDF also reported airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, which included assaults on weapons storage sites, infrastructure, command centres, and missile launchers. The Israeli military accused Hezbollah of intentionally placing its command centres and weaponry within residential areas of Beirut, thereby endangering civilian lives.
Israelis marked the anniversary of the Hamas attack that started the current war, which has provoked enormous demonstrations around the world and runs the risk of worsening regional tensions, as the fighting grew more intense. In Jerusalem and southern Israel, celebrations and protests began at precisely 6:29 a.m., the hour that Hamas militants launched rockets into Israel on October 7, 2022. According to Israeli estimations, this first attack claimed the lives of about 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 others to Gaza.
Following the Hamas attack, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza that has resulted in substantial damage and casualties; Palestinian health officials have reported that approximately 42,000 people have died in the heavily populated coastal enclave. In anticipation of possible Palestinian retaliation on the anniversary of the October 7 bombings, which marked a turning point in the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli security forces raised statewide alert levels on Monday.
The shock offensive by Hamas was a significant security lapse for Israel, a nation historically recognised for its robust military capabilities. The ongoing conflict between Hamas and the Israeli government, along with Israel’s aggressive military response, has contributed to instability across the Middle East, drawing international condemnation due to the scale of casualties and destruction.
Israel has carried out a number of targeted operations against Hezbollah and Hamas, including the well-publicized killings of prominent figures connected to Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.” The Houthi movement in Yemen and other armed organisations in Iraq that oppose US and Israeli interests in the area are also part of this coalition.
After Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike, Iran’s Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani visited Lebanon. Since the latest explosions in Beirut, Qaani has apparently gone missing. According to sources, Qaani was present when an attack against prominent Hezbollah figure Hashem Safieddine occurred in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Focus of the confrontation has increasingly shifted to Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been launching rockets in support of Hamas since October 8, intensifying gunfire between Israeli soldiers and the group. Startled by small-scale skirmishes, the fighting has grown to include massive bombardments of Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut and ground offensives in border communities with the goal of neutralising Hezbollah forces and allowing tens of thousands of Israelis who have been evacuated from northern Israel to return.
Over a million people have reportedly been forced to flee their homes in southern Lebanon as a result of Israeli military operations that have killed over 1,000 people in the last two weeks. The escalation of hostilities has sparked worries about Iran and the United States possibly getting involved in a larger regional conflict, especially since Iran attacked Israel with missiles in retaliation for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, where Tehran’s allies Hamas and Hezbollah still operate.
Amid worries that the growing tensions could spiral into a full-scale regional conflict that might involve the United States, Israel has reaffirmed its commitment to guaranteeing the safe return of its residents to their homes in the north while preparing for any punitive steps.