Israel launched ground operations and carried out airstrikes in a hard-hit city in southern Gaza overnight, killing at least 51 people, including women and children, Palestinian medical officials said Wednesday.
Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza nearly a year after Hamas’ October 7 attack ignited the war in the Palestinian territory, and even as attention has shifted to Lebanon and Iran. Israeli ground troops have carried out incursions into Lebanon against Hezbollah, and Tehran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles on Israel late Tuesday.
The escalation on multiple fronts has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could draw in Iran â which backs Hezbollah and Hamas â as well as the United States, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel.
Hezbollah, widely seen as the most powerful armed group in the region, said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in two places inside Lebanon near the border. The Israeli military said ground forces backed by airstrikes had killed militants in âclose-range engagementsâ without saying where.
The military also announced its first combat death since the start of the latest operations, saying a 22-year-old captain in a commando brigade had been killed in combat in Lebanon.
The Israeli military has warned people in around 50 villages and towns to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands have already fled their homes as the conflict has intensified.
Meanwhile, Israel lashed out at the United Nations on Wednesday, declaring Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres persona non grata, or banned from entering the country. Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused him of failing to unequivocally condemn the Iranian attack.