Israel continued to pound the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on the fifth day of a brewing Middle East conflict that may have already drawn in Lebanon and Syria.
On Oct. 11, Israel shelled positions in southern Lebanon in what it said was retaliation for rockets fired earlier by Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shiite terrorist group.
According to Hezbollah, the rocket barrages were a response to earlier cross-border shelling by Israel that killed three of its members on Oct. 9.
The terrorist group has pledged to answer every Israeli attack on Lebanese territory with a “decisive” response.
Israel also accused Hezbollah of using anti-tank fire to target Israeli army positions near the border.
Hezbollah, for its part, posted video footage purporting to show an Israeli tank being destroyed in a cross-border artillery strike.
The ongoing violence comes five days after Hamas, a Gaza-based terrorist group, carried out a deadly raid into Israel that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead.
Hezbollah, which fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006, has voiced its support for Hamas’s attacks.
Hezbollah is closely linked to Iran—Israel’s archfoe in the region—which has also praised the Hamas operation but insists it wasn’t involved.
On Oct. 9, Israeli helicopter gunships struck areas near the Lebanese border, including positions inside Lebanese territory.
The Israeli attack came after gunmen attempted to infiltrate Israel from southern Lebanon.
Several gunmen were reportedly killed in the incident, which was later claimed by Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based Palestinian terrorist group.
According to Israel’s military, three Israeli soldiers—including a deputy commander—were killed in the encounter.
Israel invaded southern Lebanon in 1978, 1982, and 2006.
Alleged Salvo From Syria
Syria, which has remained in a state of war with Israel since the latter’s establishment in 1948, may also end up being pulled into the fray.On Oct. 10, Israel said that it shelled positions in Syria after rockets were allegedly fired at Israel from inside Syrian territory.
According to Israel’s military, the rockets landed in unpopulated areas without causing human or material damage.
In response, Israel fired an unspecified number of artillery rounds “toward the origin of the launching in Syria.”
Officials in Syria, which is home to numerous armed terrorist groups (several of which are opposed to Damascus), have yet to respond to the allegations.
In recent years, Israel has carried out frequent strikes on Syrian territory.
Israel claims that the strikes are aimed at Iranian military personnel who have been operating in Syria—an Iranian ally—since 2015.
In February, an Israeli rocket attack on a site near Damascus reportedly killed several Iranian military experts.
Israel has also targeted Hezbollah terrorists operating in Syria, along with Syrian army positions and Aleppo’s international airport.
Since 1948, Israel has fought three major conflicts with Syria.
After Hamas carried out its cross-border raid, Damascus was quick to voice its support for the operation.
Egypt Fears Influx From Gaza
In response to Hamas’s deadly cross-border raid, Israeli warplanes have continued to pound the Gaza Strip, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.On Oct. 11, Gaza’s health ministry said that 1,055 Palestinians had been killed—and more than 5,000 injured—by ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has remained under a crippling blockade—by air, land, and sea—imposed by the Israeli and Egyptian authorities.
Governed by Hamas since 2006, the coastal enclave shares a 7 1/2-mile-long border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
According to the United Nations, 800 Palestinians departed Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Oct. 9.
The next day, Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, advised frightened Gazans to flee to Egypt en masse through the Rafah crossing.
Hours later, Mr. Hecht’s office issued a “clarification,” stating: “The Rafah crossing was open yesterday; now it is closed.”
Soon afterward, the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing came under intense Israeli bombardment, leading to its indefinite closure.
Egypt, for its part, now fears a mass influx of fleeing Gazans into the Sinai Peninsula.
Cairo has reportedly called on Israel to provide safe passage for Gazan civilians rather than encouraging them to enter Egyptian territory.
On the evening of Oct. 10, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi reiterated calls for a negotiated solution to the crisis, describing the situation in Gaza as “extremely dangerous.”
Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979, becoming the first Arab country to do so. Since then, it has played a mediating role between Israel and Palestinian factions.
