The Iran-backed group from Lebanon, Hezbollah has said it has fired dozens of rockets at Israel spurring tensions in the Middle East. The development comes as Iran and its allies blamed Israel for the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Fear of a regional war is at an all-time high as Iran vowed revenge against Israel while the United States said it would move warships and fighter jets to the region. Western governments also called on citizens to leave Lebanon and airlines cancelled flights.
The US embassy in Beirut urged its citizens to leave the country on “any available ticket” which followed a similar warning from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.
BREAKING Hezbollah says it has launched dozens of rockets at Israel pic.twitter.com/uO0Av1mM8V
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 3, 2024
Iran and its “axis of resistance” vowed vengeance after the killing of Haniyeh this week in Tehran which came just hours after the assassination of Hezbollah’s military chief in Beirut.
On Saturday, Israel again traded fire with Hezbollah, carried out a deadly raid in the occupied west bank, and struck a school compound in Gaza City in an attack that the Hamas-ruled territory’s civil defence agency said killed at least 17 people.
Haniyeh was buried on Friday in Qatar, where he had been based. Israel, which has been blamed by Hamas, Iran and others for carrying out the attack did not comment directly on it.
Iran said that it expects Hezbollah to hit deeper inside Israel and no longer be confined to military targets.
Speaking on the situation in the Middle East, the Pentagon said it was bolstering its military presence in the region to protect US personnel and defend Israel.
