Israel on October 7 marked the somber anniversary of the Hamas attack on the Jewish state that killed more than 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages as the Israeli military continued its massive air strikes on Beirut and its incursion in southern Lebanon that aims to destroy the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog led a national moment of silence at 6:29 a.m., the time the attack started, at Kibbutz Reim, the site of the Nova music festival where hundreds of mostly young revelers were killed by gunmen from Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union.
The Israeli military said that during the ceremony led by Herzog, four projectiles were launched from Gaza toward the same Israeli communities targeted at the start of last year’s attack. The military said the ceremony was not disrupted.
In Jerusalem, relatives of some 100 hostages still in Hamas captivity, many of whom are believed dead, gathered outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and stood in silence as a siren wailed in a gesture of protest against what relatives say is the failure of the government to secure their loved ones’ release.
Following the October 7 attack, Israel launched a military assault on Gaza that has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas.
The Israeli military said on October 7 that over the past year, it has bombed more than 40,000 targets in Gaza, found 4,700 tunnel shafts and destroyed 1,000 rocket launcher sites.
The conflict in Gaza is still raging while Israel is now fighting on a second front in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.
Early on October 7, Hezbollah, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, fired rockets into the north Israeli cities of Haifa and Tiberias, causing damage and some minor injuries, Israeli police said.
The European Union has blacklisted Hezbollah’s armed wing but not its political unit, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament.
Israel in recent weeks has been bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs and has staged a ground incursion into south Lebanon in its drive to wipe out Hezbollah’s capabilities and leadership.
The Israeli campaign on Hezbollah prompted the group’s patron, Iran, to respond by attacking the Jewish state with a large wave of rockets that were largely shot down by Israeli air defenses without causing substantial damage, but the attack renewed fears of a a larger regional conflict.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on October 6 threatened Iran that it might eventually find itself looking like Beirut or Gaza — which has also been battered over the past year — if Tehran attempts to further harm Israel.
“The Iranians did not touch the air force’s capabilities. No aircraft were damaged, no squadron was taken out of order,” Gallant said in reference to the Iranian missile strike, which caused few injuries and slight damage to two air force bases.
“Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at [Israel’s operations] in Gaza and Beirut.”
Israel earlier said it conducted a series of “targeted strikes” on “weapons storage facilities” and infrastructure sites that belong to Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency said Hezbollah’s stronghold in the area was hit by more than 30 strikes. A petrol station and a medical supplies warehouse were hit by the air raids.
Video footage showed huge flames and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky as residents fled their homes in panic with explosions echoing in the background.
Many observers said the attacks were the strongest yet of Israel’s recent air strikes.
Israel has bombed Beirut’s suburbs for days, killing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and possibly his potential successor, Hashem Safieddine.
Security sources have said Safieddine had been out of contact since October 4 after an Israeli air strike near Beirut’s international airport that was reported to have targeted him. Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine.
Israel says Nasrallah was killed in a strike on the group’s central command headquarters in Beirut on September 27.
Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters on October 6 that Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force — the overseas arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — also had not been heard from in recent days since traveling to Lebanon.
Statements on October 6 out of the United States — Tel Aviv’s most important ally — indicated some frustrations with the scope of Israel’s military action.
“Military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said Washington supported Israeli actions in going after extremist elements but added that U.S. leaders but did not approve of the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
Israel says the attacks on Hezbollah are aimed at enabling the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last October.
