Israel has not commented on the attacks that killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days but has said it will widen the scope of its war in Gaza to include the Lebanon front.

“Such terrorist acts, that are undoubtedly due to the desperation and successive failures of the Zionist regime, will soon be met with a crushing response from the resistance front,” Guards commander General Hossein Salami said in a message to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, quoted by state media.

The resistance front led by Iran includes Tehran-backed groups across the Middle East, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, and Shiite armed groups in Iraq as well as Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In April, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, after it bombed an annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.

Most were intercepted by allied air forces or Israel’s own air defenses.

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Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading near-daily cross-border fire, with the Lebanese militant group saying it is acting in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the ongoing war in Gaza.

“We have enough forces to deal with Gaza and we should concentrate on what is going on in the north,” Gantz said, speaking in Washington at a Middle East forum where he also said Iran and its proxies were “the real issue.”

“The time of the north has come and actually I think we are late on this,” the former army chief and centrist politician added.

Gantz said Israel had made a mistake in evacuating much of the north of the country as hostilities with Hezbollah flared following the October 7 Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war.

“In Gaza, we have crossed a decisive point of the campaign,” he said. “We can conduct anything we want in Gaza.”

“We should seek to have a deal to get out our hostages but if we cannot in the coming time, a few days or few weeks, or whatever it is, we should go up north.”

“We are capable of… hitting the state of Lebanon if needed,” he said.

“The story of Hamas is old news,” he added, saying instead that “the story of Iran and its proxies all around the area and what they are trying to do is the real issue.”

Gantz left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government in June over its lack of a post-war plan for Gaza.

The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, including some hostages killed in captivity, official Israeli figures show.

Militants seized 251 hostages during the attack, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has so far killed at least 40,972 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The UN human rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also referred to the situation on the Lebanese border Sunday during a tour of the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, telling troops “we are preparing for anything that may happen in the north.”

“The shift of the center of gravity can happen quickly and can also involve you in a short period of time,” Gallant said, according to a statement issued by his office.

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A Russian barrage hit Ukraine with more than 100 missiles and around 100 drones, including in its western regions, killing at least four people and targeting its energy infrastructure.

During the attacks, the Polish airspace was violated by an object entering from Ukraine, Poland’s army general said.

“We are probably dealing with the entry of an object on Polish territory. The object was confirmed by at least three radiolocation stations,” Operational Commander of the Armed Forces General Maciej Klisz told reporters.

“It is clear from its characteristics that the object is not a missile, it is not a hypersonic, ballistic, or guided missile,” Klisz added.

The army said it was conducting searches for what was “probably an unmanned aerial vehicle” around 30 kilometers (18 miles) into Polish territory from the Ukrainian border.

“There was full readiness to neutralize this object,” army command spokesman Jacek Goryszewski said.

According to him, “it is highly likely that it could have been a Shahed-type drone” of Iranian design, used by the Russian army.

“But this has to be verified,” he told AFP, adding that it could not be ruled out that the drone had already left Polish territory.

Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged European nations to help down drones and missiles over Ukraine.

“In our various regions of Ukraine, we could do much more to protect lives if the aviation of our European neighbors worked together with our F-16s and together with our air defense,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.

In March, Poland reported a breach of its airspace by a Russian cruise missile, demanding an explanation from Moscow.

A similar incident occurred on December 29, 2023, when a Russian missile penetrated Polish airspace for several minutes before returning to Ukraine.

In November 2022, two people were killed when a Ukrainian air-defense missile fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, close to the Ukrainian border.

The post Poland Says Ukraine-Bound Russian Shahed Drone Likely Entered Airspace appeared first on The Defense Post.

Ahmadreza Afshari of the IRGC’s “aerospace advisory forces” in Syria was “martyred because of injuries caused by aerial bombardment,” Guards’ chief Hossein Salami said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

The colonel was transferred from Syria to Iran for treatment following the air strike, the statement said, indicating the incident occurred two to three weeks ago.

In late July, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said an air strike killed three pro-Iran fighters in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, where Iran wields significant influence.

The area is regularly targeted by Israel and sometimes by the United States.

Responsibility for the strike was not immediately claimed.

A spokesman for the US-led military coalition formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State jihadist group said at the time that “neither the coalition nor US forces carried out overnight strikes in Deir Ezzor.”

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria, a key ally of the Islamic Republic.

Regional tensions, already heightened by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, intensified further following the July 31 killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh during a visit to Tehran.

Iran blamed Israel for the death of Haniyeh and vowed to avenge it.

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military which has links to Tehran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East, played a key part in the Islamic Republic’s first direct attack on Israel in April.

Iranian state TV on Friday said that “a large number of new anti-ship cruise missiles were added to the IRGC naval forces by the order of the Guards chief.”

The missiles “have new capabilities” with “high-explosive warheads and being untraceable,” it added.

According to the report, a total of 2,654 military systems including long-range and medium-range missiles, drones for combat and reconnaissance, and electronic warfare units were added to the Guards’ naval forces.

IRGC chief General Hossein Salami, speaking at an event where some of the new weapon systems were showcased, stressed the importance of being able to “stop the enemy from afar.”

“If we cannot engage with the enemy in the depths of the sea and oceans at any desired point and stop the enemy from afar, we will naturally have problems at our national borders,” he said.

“In today’s world, one must either be strong in order to survive and be safe, or surrender. There is no middle way.”

The unveiling of the weapons came as the region, already affected by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since early October, was on high alert after Iran and its allies vowed retaliation for the killing last week of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Israel, blamed by the Palestinian militant group, the Islamic Republic, and others for the attack, has not claimed responsibility for it.

Following Haniyeh’s killing, Iranian officials and military commanders have promised to take action against Israel, while calls for regional de-escalation have grown.

On Thursday, Iran’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, told AFP that Israel had committed “a strategic mistake” and should “pay a price” for the Tehran attack.

Iran backs Hamas and has repeatedly hailed the group’s October 7 attack that triggered the Gaza war while denying any direct involvement.

A series of tit-for-tat escalations since the start of the war, which has drawn in Iranian allies in Lebanon, Yemen, and other parts of the Middle East, led to Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April.

The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,699 people, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

The post Iran Says Guards Navy Gets ‘Large Number’ of New Missiles, Drones appeared first on The Defense Post.

The deployment is part of “force posture changes in the region to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies,” US Central Command said on social media, without specifying the number or exact location of the planes.

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Aug. 8 as part of U.S. force posture changes in the region to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies. pic.twitter.com/BuuzbUHu9s

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 8, 2024

The Pentagon said last week that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered assets including additional warships and a fighter squadron to the region.

Seven American personnel were wounded in a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this week that Washington blamed on an Iran-backed militia group.

And Tehran and its allies are expected to launch an attack on Israel in retaliation for the killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah figures in strikes last week either blamed on or claimed by Israel.

The killings are among the most serious in a series of tit-for-tat attacks that have heightened fears of a regional conflagration stemming from the Gaza war.

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Israel was “determined to defend” itself following threats of retaliation after its killing of a top Hezbollah commander and following the death of Hamas’ former chief Ismail Haniyeh.

“We are continuing forward to victory,” the premier told new recruits at the Tel Hashomer military induction in Tel Aviv.

“I know that the citizens of Israel are concerned, and I ask one thing of you: be patient and level-headed.

“We are prepared both defensively and offensively. We are striking our enemies and are determined to defend ourselves.”

Israel claimed the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week. It has not commented on the death of Haniyeh in Tehran.

However, both Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s assassination and, along with Iran-linked Lebanese group Hezbollah, threatened reprisals.

Separately, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told reporters, “This country is able to defend itself, and of course, both in ways which our enemies have seen, but also in ways they have not seen.”

He added: “We know how to deal with this Iranian menace… together with our allies, we are able to stand up to them.”

Netanyahu was speaking 10 months after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli soil that resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.

The post Netanyahu Says Israel ‘Striking Enemies’ as Attack Expected appeared first on The Defense Post.

The rocket fire is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq, which hosts American troops as well as personnel from the US-led coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group.

“There was a suspected rocket attack today against US and coalition forces” at the base, a US defense spokesperson said. “Initial indications are that several US personnel were injured.”

“Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment” and updates will be provided as more information becomes available, the spokesperson added.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack, the White House said.

“They discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing,” it said in a statement.

An Iraqi military source had earlier said that multiple rockets were fired at the base, with some landing inside it and another hitting a nearby village but not causing damage.

A commander in a pro-Iran armed group told AFP that at least two rockets targeted the base, without saying who had carried out the attack.

Another source in the group and a security source confirmed an attack occurred.

Such attacks were frequent early in the war between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants in Gaza but since then have largely halted.

The latest rocket fire comes as fears grow of an attack by Iran and its allies on Israel in retaliation for the killing of top Hamas and Hezbollah figures in strikes last week either blamed on or claimed by Israel.

Series of Attacks

The killings, with both Iran and Hezbollah vowing retaliation, are among the most serious series of tit-for-tat attacks that have heightened fears of a regional conflagration stemming from the Gaza war.

The Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, which also includes Iraqi groups and Yemen’s Huthis, have already been drawn into the nearly 10-month war.

Monday’s rocket attack occurred after US forces carried out a strike last week on combatants who were attempting to launch drones that were deemed a threat to American and allied troops, a US official said.

The strike, which Iraqi sources said left four killed, was the first by American forces in Iraq since February.

There have been two recent attacks targeting bases hosting US and allied forces in Iraq — on July 16 and 25.

Prior to that, US troops in Iraq and Syria had not been targeted since April. But attacks against them were much more common in the first few months of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, when they were targeted more than 175 times.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of pro-Iran groups, claimed the majority of the attacks, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In January, a drone strike blamed on those groups killed three US soldiers at a base in Jordan. In retaliation, US forces launched dozens of strikes against Tehran-backed fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Baghdad has sought to defuse tensions, engaging in talks with Washington on the future of the US-led coalition’s mission in Iraq, with Iran-backed groups demanding a withdrawal.

The US military has around 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria.

The post US Personnel Injured in Rocket Attack on Iraq Base appeared first on The Defense Post.

“There has to be a military response to these crimes, which are shameless and dangerous, and constitute a major escalation by the Israeli enemy,” Abdul Malik al-Huthi said in a televised speech.

The Yemeni rebels have been launching drones and missiles at shipping in the Red Sea since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.

Last month, a deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv prompted Israeli air strikes on Hodeida, impoverished Yemen’s lifeline port, that killed nine people and triggered a massive inferno.

The rebel leader described the killing of the Hamas chief as “a flagrant violation of all norms and principles.”

He also condemned the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr on Tuesday in a Beirut strike claimed by Israel.

The post Houthi Rebels Vow ‘Military Response’ After Hamas Chief Killed appeared first on The Defense Post.

Haniyeh’s killing came after Israel on Tuesday struck a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, killing a senior commander of the Iran-backed group it said was responsible for a weekend rocket attack on the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.

“Brother, leader, mujahid Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the movement, died in a Zionist strike on his headquarters in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new (Iranian) president,” the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also announced the death, saying Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was “hit” and he was killed along with a bodyguard.

“The residence of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political office of Hamas Islamic Resistance, was hit in Tehran, and as a result of this incident, him and one of his bodyguards were martyred,” said a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Sepah news website.

The Guards said the cause of the incident was not immediately clear but it was “being investigated.”

Haniyeh had traveled to Tehran to attend Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The Israeli army declined to comment on foreign media reports.

‘Axis of Resistance’

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas and bring back all hostages taken during the October 7 attack, which sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,400 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which does not provide details on civilian and militant deaths.

Regional tensions have soared since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, drawing in Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.

Haniyeh was elected head of the Hamas political bureau in 2017 to succeed Khaled Meshaal.

He was already a well-known figure having become Palestinian prime minister in 2006 following an upset victory by Hamas in that year’s parliamentary election.

Considered a pragmatist, Haniyeh lived in exile and split his time between Turkey and Qatar.

He had traveled on diplomatic missions to Iran and Turkey during the war, meeting both the Turkish and Iranian presidents.

Haniyeh was said to maintain good relations with the heads of the various Palestinian factions, including rivals to Hamas.

He joined Hamas in 1987 when the militant group was founded amid the outbreak of the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation, which lasted until 1993.

Hamas is part of the “axis of resistance,” Tehran-aligned groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen arrayed against arch-foe Israel.

Iran has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

It has hailed Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel but denied any involvement.

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