Israeli forces carried out ground attacks and airstrikes Monday in the southern Gaza Strip, while attention also focused on Israel’s border with Lebanon and the potential for escalation in clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.
Israel’s military said its Gaza operations included fighting in Rafah and Khan Younis, as well as airstrikes targeting about 35 Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip during the past day.
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli strike Monday killed two people and injured three others, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in intensified fighting along the border since the start of the war in Gaza in October, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his forces would ensure Hezbollah “pays a price” in response to a rocket attack Saturday that originated in Lebanon and struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The attack killed 12 children.
Concerns about a possible Israeli retaliatory attack prompted several airlines to cancel flights in and out of Beirut.
The United States and Israel have blamed Hezbollah for the deadly rocket attack, but the militants have denied responsibility.
The war in Gaza began with the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel in which the militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 39,300 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza which does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its count.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
