‘Dragged Into Multi-Front War’: Hezbollah Rains Rockets Overnight Across Israel, Iran Denies Blast In Isfahan | Watch

A year after the Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel’s third-largest city, Haifa, as the Jewish country poised to expand its offensive into Lebanon on Monday. This attack on Israelis came as the country held ceremonies and protests to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack as the Gaza conflict has spread across West Asia and raised fears of a regional war.

‘A multi-front war’

Amid escalating tensions in the region, reports emerged about an explosion near Iran’s Isfahan. However, Iranian officials from the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base denied, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, reports of explosions, Ynet reported.

“Tomorrow marks a year since Hezbollah dragged the region into a multi-front war and began their constant attacks on Israeli civilians. Less than an hour until October 8, Hezbollah launched a number of projectiles toward central Israel,” the Israeli Defence Forces said in a post on X.

‘Fadi 1 missiles’

Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally in Lebanon of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with “Fadi 1” missiles and launched another strike on Tiberias, 65 km away. The armed group later said it also targeted areas north of Haifa with missiles.

Israel’s military said around 190 projectiles had entered Israeli territory on Monday. There were at least 12 injuries. Israel’s military said the air force was carrying out extensive bombings of Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and two Israeli soldiers were killed, taking the Israeli military death toll inside Lebanon to 11. Meanwhile, some 2,000 Lebanese have been killed since Hezbollah began firing at Israel a year ago in solidarity with Hamas.

Ground Offensive

The Israeli military has described its ground operation in Lebanon as “localized, limited and targeted,” but it has steadily increased in scale beginning last week. Israel’s superpower ally, the United States, believes the Lebanon ground operation continues to be limited, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

On Monday, Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump, who is running against Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election, all held events to mark the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Spiraling conflict

On Monday, Israel within the space of an hour carried out air strikes on 120 targets in southern Lebanon, including against Radwan special forces units, Hezbollah’s missile force and its intelligence directorate. This operation follows a series of strikes aimed at degrading Hezbollah’s command, control and firing capabilities.

The spiraling conflict has raised concerns that the United States and Iran will be sucked into a wider war in the oil-producing region. Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel on Oct. 1. Israel has said it will retaliate and is weighing its options. Iran’s oil facilities are a possible target.

An Israeli military statement said five rockets were launched towards Haifa, a major Mediterranean port, from Lebanon and interceptors were fired at them. The statement said 15 other rockets were fired at Tiberias in northern Israel, some of which were shot down. Israeli media said five more rockets hit the area later.

A surface-to-air missile fired at central Israel from Yemen was also intercepted, the military said. The Iran-backed Houthi movement, which controls northern Yemen, has attacked Israel during the past year in what it says is solidarity with Palestinians under attack in Gaza. Hamas, which triggered the Gaza war with its surprise attack on Israel one year ago, said it targeted Israel’s commercial capital, Tel Aviv, with a missile salvo.

(With agency inputs)