Israel attacks Gaza and Lebanon after attack by Iran

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Israel bombed Hezbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, without any pause in the conflict a day after attacks on Iran raised fears of a wider war.

The Israeli army said it had killed 70 Hezbollah fighters, hit 120 targets in southern Lebanon and carried out “precision strikes” in the past day on weapons factories and storage facilities in the Iranian-backed group’s southern stronghold in Beirut.

In Gaza, it said, it had eliminated “40 terrorists” in 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 in the Hebrew calendar of Hamas’ bloody cross-border attack on October 7 last year.

After Saturday’s Israeli airstrikes, which killed at least four soldiers, Iran said it had a “duty” to respond, but the military said it was prioritizing a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appeared to signal that Israel was done attacking Iran, saying Saturday’s attack was “precise and powerful and achieved all its objectives.”

In Gaza, which UN human rights chief Volker Turk says is facing its “darkest hour,” Israeli forces are conducting another ground and air campaign in the north that they say aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Hamas’ attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

At least 42,924 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have since been killed during Israel’s offensive on Gaza, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-ruled territory, which the UN considers reliable.

Since then, the war has attracted Iranian-backed groups across the region, most notably Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a major air campaign and ground incursions since late September.

Smoke hung over the outskirts of Beirut following overnight strikes, which came after the Israeli army issued new evacuation warnings.

The Lebanese News Agency reported bomb attacks in the southern cities of Tire and Nabatiyeh.

The war in Lebanon has killed at least 1,615 people since September 23, according to an AFP count based on official figures, although the actual number is likely higher due to gaps in the data.

The Israeli army said four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers since the start of ground operations on September 30 to 36.

World powers on Saturday called on Iran and Israel to step back from the brink of all-out war, after a night of Israeli attacks on Iranian missile factories and military facilities.

Iran has played down the significance of the attacks, emphasizing that only some radar systems were damaged, and the United States has warned Tehran not to respond.

On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on social media that the attack “should neither be exaggerated nor minimized.”

In his post, Khamenei said Iran must make Israel “understand the strength, will and initiative of the Iranian nation and youth.”

Earlier, the Armed Forces General Staff had said that while Iran “reserves its legal and legitimate right to respond at the appropriate time, it is prioritizing the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.”

But despite Netanyahu’s comments that the attacks had achieved Israel’s objectives, other Israeli figures took 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 have made Iran pay a much higher price.”

Israel says it carried out the strikes on its arch-enemy in response to an Oct. 1 attack, when Iran fired about 200 rockets 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 overt Israeli attack on Iran, although an April 19 attack that was never claimed was widely blamed on Israel.

The Israeli attacks were condemned by most of Iran’s neighbors, with many countries calling on one or both opponents to show restraint.

U.S. officials said there was no direct U.S. military involvement in the Israeli attacks, which they said were carried out in self-defense.