Israel pounds Gaza and Lebanon after Iran strikes

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that Israel's attack on the Islamic republic "should neither be exaggerated nor minimised." [AFP] Israel bombarded Hezbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, with no respite in the conflict one day after its strikes on Iran raised fears of a broader war. The Israeli military said it had killed 70 Hezbollah fighters and struck 120 targets in southern Lebanon and carried out "precision strikes" on weapons factories and storage facilities in the Iran-backed group's southern Beirut stronghold over the past day. In Gaza, it said, it had eliminated "40 terrorists over the past day". Correspondents and witnesses in Gaza confirmed that the north of the Palestinian territory had been hit. The ongoing fighting came as Israel marked the first anniversary under the Hebrew calendar of Hamas's bloody cross-border attack on October 7 last year. Following Saturday's Israeli air strikes, which killed at least four soldiers, Iran said it had a "duty" to respond, but its military said it was prioritising a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also seemed to indicate that Israel was done striking Iran, saying the attack on Saturday was "precise and powerful, achieving all of its objectives". In Gaza, which UN human rights chief Volker Turk says is facing its "darkest hour", Israeli forces are again carrying out a ground and air campaign in the north that they say aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Hamas's October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. At least 42,924 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have since been killed in the Israeli offensive on Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry, which the UN considers reliable. The war has since drawn in Iran-backed groups across the region, most notably Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a major aerial campaign and ground incursions since late September. Smoke hung over the suburbs of Beirut after overnight strikes, which came after the Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings. The Lebanese news agency reporting bombing in the southern cities of Tyre and Nabatiyeh. The war has left at least 1,615 people dead in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, though the real number is likely to be higher due to gaps in the data. The Israeli military said four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, bringing to 36 the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of ground operations on September 30. World powers had called Saturday for Iran and Israel to step back from the brink of all out war after a night of Israeli strikes targeting Iranian missile factories and military facilities. Iran has played down the significance of the strikes, insisting that only a few radar systems were damaged, and the United States has warned Tehran not to respond. On Sunday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to social media to say that the attack "should neither be exaggerated or minimised." In his post, Khamenei said Iran should make Israel "understand the strength, will, and initiative of the Iranian nation and youth." Earlier, the armed forces general staff had said that while it was "reserving its legal and legitimate right to respond at the appropriate moment, Iran is prioritising the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon." Yet despite Netanyahu's remarks that the strikes had achieved Israel's objectives, other Israeli figures struck a sharper tone. Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir described the strikes as an "opening blow" and opposition figure Yair Lapid said: "We could and should have made Iran pay a much heavier price."Israel says it carried out the strikes against its arch foe in response to an October 1 attack, when Iran fired around 200 missiles in only its second ever direct attack on Israeli territory.Most of those missiles were intercepted but one person was killed. Saturday's response was the first avowed Israeli attack on Iran, although an April 19 attack that was never claimed was widely attributed to Israel. The Israeli strikes were condemned by most of Iran's neighbours, and many countries called on one or both of the antagonists to show restraint. US officials said there had been no direct American military involvement in Israel's strikes, which they said were carried out in self-defence.

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