&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "Israel eliminates Hezbollah member in Golan Heights and airstrikes in Syria | world news")
Israel's military said it had eliminated a Syrian member of Hezbollah who was spreading intelligence against Israel in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, while Syrian media reported on Thursday that Israeli airstrikes had hit targets in Syria.
Israel, which has been carrying out attacks against Iranian-linked targets in Syria for years, has intensified its operations since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israeli territory by the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas, which triggered Israel's war in Gaza.
Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp
Israel has stepped up retaliation for Hamas attacks, sending troops into Lebanon and conducting airstrikes in Iran, Yemen and Syria in search of Iranian-backed militants, raising fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East that could draw Iran in. and the United States.
Ground clashes between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah broke out along Lebanon's mountainous southern border on Wednesday as the Middle East remained on high alert awaiting Israel's response to an Iranian missile attack. last week.
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday about possible Israeli retaliation against Iran, which both sides described as positive.
The two leaders discussed Israel's plans in a 30-minute call, and Biden called on Netanyahu to reduce civilian casualties in Lebanon, the White House said.
Israel has vowed to make arch-enemy Iran pay for its missile strikes, which caused little damage, while Tehran said any retaliation would cause massive destruction, raising fears of wider fighting in the oil-producing region.
Biden made comments last week discouraging Israel from attacking Iran's oil fields and saying he would not support Israel in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.
Attack in Syria
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it has eliminated Adham Zahout, a member of Hezbollah's Golan terrorist network, in Syria's Quneitra area.
The IDF said Zahout's role was to relay information from Syrian government sources to Hezbollah and to pass on intelligence gathered to the Syrian front to facilitate operations against Israel in the Golan Heights.
In the 1967 war in the Middle East, Israel captured the Golan Heights and annexed the area, which is not recognized by most countries.
Syrian state TV said on Thursday that Israel carried out airstrikes against an industrial facility in the Syrian city of Homs and a military facility in the countryside near the city of Hama, causing “some material damage.”
A car factory in Homs was targeted and set on fire, Syrian TV reported, citing Amer Khalil, director of the industrial unit.
An explosion was also heard in the Syrian city of Daraa and was being investigated, state media reported.
The Israeli military said Wednesday it intercepted a drone that approached Israel over the Red Sea but did not enter Israeli territory, while the Iraqi Islamic Resistance said it was targeting Eilat, Israel.
The Biden-Netanyahu talks were “direct and very productive,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters, acknowledging that the two leaders had differences. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters that the two made a positive decision and we appreciate the support from the United States.
Relations between Biden and Netanyahu are strained over the Israeli leader's handling of Gaza and Lebanon. The United States tried to prevent the escalation of hostilities and was unable to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
Some analysts said Israel would likely respond to the Oct. 1 Iranian attack by targeting Iranian military facilities, especially those that manufacture the ballistic missiles used in the attack. It could also destroy Iran's air defense systems and missile launch facilities.
In a video released by Israeli media on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant reiterated plans for a lethal strike against Iran. “Our strike will be fierce, precise and above all surprising,” he said.
Although the conflict has intensified, a 21-day ceasefire proposed by the US and France last month between Israel and Hezbollah “is still on the table,” the top UN official in Lebanon said on Wednesday.
Israel's bombing of Lebanon killed more than 2,100 people, the majority in recent weeks, and forced 1.2 million to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese government.
Israel says it has no choice but to attack Hezbollah so that thousands of Israelis fleeing under Hezbollah rocket fire can return home.
Hamas attacks a year ago killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli data. The Gaza Health Ministry says around 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced and much of the enclave has been destroyed.
(Only the title and image for this report may have been reworked by the Business Standards team; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a distributed feed.)
