Israeli soldiers fought to repel Hamas militants Sunday and Israel and the Lebanese militant Hezbollah exchanged fire, raising the prospect of a broader regional conflagration a day after the unprecedented surprise attack on southern Israel by Palestinian militants that killed at least 250 and left
"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
“Permission [to fight] has been granted to those who are being fought, because they were wronged, and indeed God is capable of granting them victory.
“On the path to liberate the remaining part of our occupied Lebanese land and in solidarity with the victorious Palestinian resistance and the steadfast and heroic Palestinian people, the groups of the martyr commander Hajj Imad Mughniyeh in the Islamic Resistance carried out an attack this Sunday, on October 8, 2023, targeting three Zionist occupation sites in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms region. These sites include the radar site, Zabdin site, and Ruwaisat site, using a significant number of artillery shells and guided missiles, resulting in direct hits on these sites. Victory comes only from God, the Almighty, the Wise.”
Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets and shells on Sunday at three Israeli positions in a disputed area along the country’s border with Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The situation is potentially more volatile now, with Israel’s far-right government stung by the security breach and with Palestinians in despair over a never-ending occupation in the West Bank and suffocating blockade of Gaza.
Video provided by Barzilai Medical Center showed a large hole punched into a wall and chunks of debris scattered on the ground of what appeared to be an empty room and a hallway.
The shadowy leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, said the assault was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, and a series of recent incidents that have brought Israeli-Palestinian tensions to a fever pitch.
Over the past year, Israel’s far-right government has ramped up settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settler violence has displaced hundreds of Palestinians there, and tensions have flared around the Al-Aqsa mosque, a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.
Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre, Julia Frankel and Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Issam Adwan in Rafah, Gaza Strip; and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.
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