Events in Israel: what is known so far
On the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched a massive air and land attack on the state of Israel in several places. The head of Hamas’ armed wing, Muhammad al-Deifa, said that his militants had launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. According to him, these actions are intended to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The Palestinians fired 2-3 thousand rounds into Israel. missiles and simultaneously seized 7 communities in the south.
In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the mobilization of reservists and the launch of the Iron Swords counterterrorism operation. For the first time in 50 years, the government introduced martial law in the country.
The IDF actively used aviation to attack Palestinian command posts. Also, the cleansing of Hamas-occupied communities has begun.
In addition, there is a great threat that Shiite Hezbollah could attack Israel from the north, as its main partner and supplier, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), has called on jihadists to “liberate Jerusalem.”
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the successful completion of the first stage of the war with Palestine and explained what the army’s further actions would be.
On the morning of October 8, the Saudi television channel Al Arabiya published the losses of both Palestinians and Israelis during the first day of the renewed military conflict. According to the channel, Israel lost 300 people killed and at least 1,600 wounded. The number of casualties from the Palestinian-inhabited Gaza Strip is 232 killed and 1,627 wounded.
On October 8, Israeli troops claimed that Lebanon had attacked their territory, so the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked back. In particular, Israeli aviation struck a complex belonging to the head of Hamas’s intelligence.
Militants of the Lebanese military-political organization Hezbollah shelled Israeli positions on the border with the disputed Golan Heights and supported Hamas in its operation against Israel.
Hamas’ attack on Israel is aimed at diverting the world’s attention from what Russia is doing in Ukraine, said Gennadiy Khazan, president of the All-Ukrainian Aviation Organization “Association of Private Pilots and Aircraft Owners.”
It became known that a police officer opened fire on tourists from Israel in Egypt: three people were killed and another person was wounded in Alexandria. In a report, Extra News, which reportedly has close ties to Egyptian security services, published a statement by an anonymous Egyptian security official who said that one person was wounded and two Israelis and an Egyptian citizen were killed in an attack at the site of Pompeii’s Pillar in Alexandria. An anonymous official allegedly reported that the attacker had been detained.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced that they had attacked Lebanon with artillery in the morning. It is noted that this was preceded by mortar attacks from Lebanon.
“The Israel Defense Forces have taken preparatory measures for this type of possibility and will continue to operate in all regions and at all times to ensure the safety of Israeli civilians,” the statement said.
