Israel continues to retaliate
USA warns Iran against intervening in Gaza
October 10, 2023, 6:20 a.m
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The terrorist attacks by the Islamist Hamas could soon be followed by an Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. This is indicated by a massive mobilization of the Israeli military. Meanwhile, the US is sending a warning to Hamas supporter Iran.
Israel continued its retaliatory attacks on the Gaza Strip overnight. Air alerts were also raised on Israeli territory near the border. According to the Israel Defense Forces, more than 200 targets in the Gaza Strip were attacked overnight. The targets are said to have been a weapons depot in a mosque and a high-rise tower. The Israeli military spokesman said that the troops had regained control over the communities in southern Israel, but that isolated clashes continued.
Palestinians reported receiving phone calls and voice messages from Israeli security officials asking them to leave areas in the north and east of the Gaza Strip because the army was operating there. The violence has cost more than 1,500 people their lives since Saturday. Israeli television channels reported that the death toll from the Hamas attack had risen to 900 Israelis, with at least 2,600 injured and dozens captured. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, at least 687 Palestinians have been killed and 3,726 injured in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday.
Israel’s response to mobilize 300,000 reservists in just two days has fueled speculation of a ground attack on the Gaza Strip. “We have never called up so many reservists on such a scale,” said the top military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “We’re going on the offensive.”
The government in Washington, which provides Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid annually, said the United States would send new shipments of air defense systems, ammunition and other security assistance to Israel. The prospect of escalating fighting worries the international community. The top general of the United States warned Iran against interfering in the crisis and said he did not want the conflict to expand.
Iran, which has made no secret of its support for Hamas, welcomed the weekend attack but denied any involvement. “We want to send a very clear message. We don’t want the conflict to escalate, and we want Iran to hear that message loud and clear,” said Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The “Wall Street Journal” However, citing senior members of Hamas, reported that Iran had organized the attack on Israel together with the Islamist Hamas and finally approved it last Monday. Accordingly, officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been planning the major attack together with Hamas in Beirut since August.