“Hezbollah is attacking Lebanon, dragging it into a war from which it has no benefit but in which it risks great losses,” said an Israeli army spokesman on Sunday, October 22, during an intervention on the social network X (formerly Twitter). . “Is the Lebanese state really willing to endanger the rest of Lebanese wealth and sovereignty for the benefit of the terrorists in Gaza, the Islamic State of Gaza?” asked Jonathan Conricus after renewed exchanges of fire between Israel and the Shiite group in the border area between the two countries .
On both the Israeli and Lebanese sides, towns near the border are being emptied of their residents who fear a conflagration in the region, two weeks after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. According to Lebanese authorities, nearly 4,000 people from the south of the country flocked to the coastal city of Tire and found shelter in public schools or with their relatives. Follow our live stream.
• Israel attacks a mosque in the West Bank. Israel, which is at war with Hamas, claimed to have killed “terrorists” in an airstrike who were taking refuge in an underground passage at the Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. According to her, the mosque served as a “command center for planning attacks.” According to the Jenin Red Crescent, one person died and three others were injured in the attack. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, dozens of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army or colonies in the occupied West Bank following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by the Gaza-ruling Islamist group.
• Israel increases its attacks on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announced on Saturday evening that it would intensify its attacks on the Gaza Strip in preparation for a ground offensive on the Palestinian enclave. “From today we will increase attacks on the Gaza Strip,” Israeli army spokesman General Daniel Hagari warned on Saturday. The aim is to “reduce the risks for our armed forces in the next steps”. Conflict. The Israeli army has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers along the borders of this cramped area, home to 2.4 million Palestinians. According to the Hamas government ruling in the Gaza Strip, at least 55 people were killed in the area on Saturday night. No on-site source or image can support this assessment.
Two airports in Syria affected. According to Syrian state media, citing a military source, Israeli attacks have paralyzed Syria’s two main airports, in Damascus and Aleppo. At the Sana agency, this source spoke of “an airstrike on Damascus and Aleppo international airports, in which one employee died at Damascus airport and another was injured.” “Material damage to the airport’s runways has resulted in them being out of service,” it added. The “simultaneous” attacks came “from the direction of the Mediterranean west of Latakia and the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan,” the military source added.
The United States is increasing its military presence in the region. Due to “recent escalations by Iran and its affiliated forces,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the deployment of multiple missile defense systems “across the region,” without specifying the exact location, as well as placing them in a “state of preparedness.” of additional military resources, without specifying their number. “These actions will strengthen regional deterrence efforts, increase the protection of U.S. forces in the region and contribute to the defense of Israel,” he said. After the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7th, the USA had already sent two aircraft carriers and their escort ships to the eastern Mediterranean.