Hezbollah claims to have fired 62 rockets at a key Israeli observation site as an “initial response” to the assassination of Hamas's deputy leader this week.
With increasing tensions in the Middle East Israel As the war in Gaza continues, there are still fears that the conflict could spread to more Western commercial ships, with Iran warning of an “all-out battle with the enemy.”
On Saturday morning, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said it had struck a high hilltop that Israel relies on for “air surveillance” and “air control.”
Sirens sounded across northern Israel, and the army said that “about 40 launches were identified from Lebanon towards the Meron area in northern Israel,” although there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Hezbollah said The death of Saleh Al-Aroui — the founder of Hamas' military wing who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in a Beirut suburb on Tuesday — will not go unanswered.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that “silence” would make all of Lebanon vulnerable to more attacks.
Analysts believe the Israeli drone strike could be a message to Hamas's ally, Hezbollah, that even its main stronghold in the suburb is not beyond Israel's reach.
Danger on shipping routes
Meanwhile, with concerns growing over key shipping routes as Iran's allies attack ships, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed on Saturday to reach the “enemy.”
IDF forces operate in a location called Gaza. Photo: Israel Defense Forces
British Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has since said that attacks on Red Sea shipping routes could affect the British economy.
Asked whether attacks by Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen could mean prices in the UK would rise, Hunt told the BBC: “It could have an impact and we will be monitoring that very carefully.”
British maritime security company Ambrey said on Saturday that it had received a report about a maritime security incident in the Bab al-Mandab region of the Red Sea.
Without going into details, crews were advised to reduce deck movements to a minimum, and for only the essential crew to be on the bridge.
Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami did not name a specific enemy in his speech, but 22 countries – including the UK – have agreed to join the US-led coalition to protect trade routes in the Red Sea.
As the conflict has made Red Sea routes more dangerous, many shipping companies have turned to the longer and more expensive route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
“We need to defend our national interests wherever they extend,” Salami said in a televised speech.
“It would be harmful for the enemy to be found at a close or half-distance distance. They should stay away from this area.”
According to Iranian media, the Iranian warship “Alborz” entered the Red Sea earlier this month to secure shipping routes.
Talks in Türkiye
As neighboring countries continue to criticize Israel, a Turkish court on Friday decided to formally arrest 15 people and deport eight others suspected of being linked to Israeli intelligence.
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Israel outlines post-war Gaza plan
According to state broadcaster TRT Haber, they are also suspected of targeting Palestinians living in Turkey.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken He arrived in Türkiye on Friday In the first stop of his tour of the region, he is expected to hold talks on Gaza with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Gaza may remain under Israeli “security control.”
Israel continues to bomb Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas attack, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 240 hostages were taken to Gaza.
Israel believes 129 hostages are still there, while the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says the attack killed 22,722 Palestinians – 122 of them in the past 24 hours.
Much of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed, with UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths warning on Friday that the Strip had become a place of “death and despair.”
