51 killed in Israeli operation on southern Gaza
A damaged school building is seen after it was hit in Iran's missile attack in Gedera, Israel, on Wednesday
Deir Al-Balah: Israel launched ground operations and carried out airstrikes in a hard-hit city in southern Gaza overnight, killing at least 51 people, including women and children, Palestinian medical officials said Wednesday.
The Israeli military said eight soldiers were killed in combat operations in Lebanon on Wednesday, marking the first losses since its forces crossed the border to target Hezbollah
Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza nearly a year after Hamas' October 7 attack ignited the war in the Palestinian territory, and even as attention has shifted to Lebanon and Iran. Israeli ground troops have carried out incursions into Lebanon against Hezbollah, and Tehran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles on Israel late Tuesday. The escalation on multiple fronts has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could draw in Iran — which backs Hezbollah and Hamas — as well as the United States, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel. Hezbollah, widely seen as the most powerful armed group in the region, said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in two places inside Lebanon near the border.
The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to have been defeated and ineffective, US President Joe Biden said, hours after Tehran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel.
The Israeli military reportedly said there was no news of injuries from the attack.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said, “At my direction, the United States military actively supported the defence of Israel. We are still assessing the impact but, based on what we know, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective and this is a testament to Israeli military capability… (It is) also, a testament to intensive planning (between) the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against a brazen attack.”
The External Affairs Ministry said it is closely monitoring the rise in tensions after Iran fired hundreds of missiles at Israel on Tuesday.
India on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in West Asia and called for restraint by all parties, even as it urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Iran.
Iranian authorities described the missile strikes as a response to Israeli attacks on people in Gaza and Lebanon, and the assassination of top leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said that he was barring the United Nations secretary-general from entering Israel, accusing him of being biased against the country.