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While Israel has amassed tanks and troops around the Gaza border to the south, rocket fire and shelling incidents on its northern borders with Lebanon and Syria have multiplied since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Amid fears of a renewed uprising in the West Bank, security experts are questioning Israel’s ability to respond to simultaneous, multi-pronged attacks and threats on different fronts.
As Israel ordered an unprecedented evacuation of northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive, Hezbollah on Friday said it was “fully prepared” to join its ally Hamas in the war against Israel “when the time comes for action”.
The declaration by Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem came as an Israeli shell on Friday landed in a gathering of international journalists across its northern border in Lebanon, killing one journalist and wounding six others. The latest shelling came after days of limited tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
As Qassim was addressing a rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was in Lebanon meeting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Iran, which financially and militarily backs Hezbollah and Hamas, has been calling on allies and regional Arab nations to form a united front against Israel over the past few days.
With Palestinian groups in the occupied West Bank calling for an uprising against Israel, clashes erupted on Friday in several cities – including Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarem and Hebron – resulting in at least nine Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel that “new fronts” might be opened against the country unless it stops bombing Gaza.
It’s a warning that security analysts have been considering since October 7, when an Israeli ground…
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