Israel Strikes Targets in Lebanon and Gaza Ahead of October 7 Anniversary

Israel struck targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ahead of the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks that triggered the war, Reuters reported. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that all options remained open for retaliatory actions against arch-enemy Iran.

Late Sunday, Hezbollah rockets breached Israeli air defense systems and landed in Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, causing damage to buildings and injuring 10 people, according to police and local media reports. Israeli airstrikes in response hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, marking the most intense bombing of the Lebanese capital since Israel escalated its campaign against Hezbollah last month.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence headquarters and weapons depots in Beirut, as well as targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for striking a military facility south of Haifa, using a volley of its Fadi 1 missiles.

The airstrikes came amid mounting tensions ahead of the anniversary of the October 7 attacks last year, when Hamas-led militants launched a series of rocket strikes from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli data. The attack triggered an Israeli offensive that devastated Gaza and killed nearly 42,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

On the eve of the anniversary, pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held worldwide, from Jakarta to Istanbul and Rabat, following similar rallies in major European capitals, Washington, and New York on Saturday.

Last week, Iran launched a missile strike against Israel in response to its operations in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, where Hezbollah and Hamas militants, key allies of Tehran in the so-called "Axis of Resistance," have come under Israeli fire.

Israeli Defense Minister Gallant said that Israel would independently decide on how to respond to Iran, despite close coordination with the United States. "Everything is on the table," Gallant told CNN. "Israel has the capability to hit targets both near and at a great distance — we have proven this."

The U.S. has urged restraint and has not supported Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, President Joe Biden stated last week that Israeli attacks on Iranian oil facilities were under discussion.

Late on Sunday, Israel issued new evacuation orders for residents of south Beirut, as it declared three more areas on its northern border closed military zones in addition to more than five areas closed last week as military staging areas.

An Israeli strike on the mountainous city of Kayfun in central Lebanon killed six people and injured 13 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Another strike on the nearby town of Kmatiye killed six others, including three children, and injured 11.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 26 people were killed and 93 injured when Israeli airstrikes targeted a mosque and a school sheltering displaced people, according to the Hamas government media office in Gaza. The Israeli military said it carried out "precise strikes against Hamas terrorists."

Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddin was targeted by Israeli strikes in southern Beirut last week, and his fate remains unclear. He is considered a likely successor to leader Syed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli attack last month.

The commander of Iran's Quds security forces, Esmail Kaani, has not appeared since Israeli strikes on Beirut late last week, according to two senior Iranian security officials.

The conflict, which began with cross-border strikes by Hezbollah in solidarity with Hamas, has escalated sharply in recent weeks. More than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in nearly a year of fighting, most in the past two weeks, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

"Last night was the most violent of all the previous nights," said Hanan Abdullah, a resident of the southern suburbs of Beirut. "There were dozens of strikes —we couldn't count them all —and the sounds were deafening."

The U.S. government responded to the bombings, stating that military pressure could foster diplomacy but could also lead to miscalculations. French President Emmanuel Macron urged for a halt in arms supplies to Israel, a move that Israeli officials said would serve Iran’s goals.

The UN refugee chief condemned the bombings, citing “numerous cases” of Israeli airstrikes violating international law by hitting civilian infrastructure and killing civilians. Israel, which claims it is targeting military capabilities, accuses both Hezbollah and Hamas of using civilian populations as shields — a charge both groups deny.

The conflict has left the region on the brink of a full-scale war, as Israel promises to take further measures to ensure the safety of its northern border and achieve its strategic objectives.