by Troy O. Fritzhand – algemeiner.com
While the world shifted its attention to Israel’s potential retaliation against Iran for its massive attack on the Jewish state over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued its fight with Hamas to the south and Hezbollah to the north.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit released a statement on Monday afternoon reporting that four soldiers were wounded by an explosion the prior night near Israel’s northern border, which Hezbollah terrorists have been targeting daily from their home base of Lebanon since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.
“During an operational activity in the border area in the north of the country last night, an IDF soldier was seriously injured, two IDF soldiers were moderately injured, and another soldier was slightly injured by an explosion of unknown origin,” the statement read. “The incident is being investigated.”
The soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital, and their families were informed of the situation.
Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for planting an explosive device near the border, saying it exploded when the IDF soldiers were close and was monitoring Israeli troop movements.
Tensions have been escalating between Israel and Hezbollah for months, fueling concerns that the war in Gaza — the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, to Israel’s south — could escalate into a regional conflict.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have been forced to flee their homes in northern Israel due to constant Hezbollah attacks.
News of the latest attack in northern Israel came about a week after the IDF pulled most of its troops out of southern Gaza “to recuperate and prepare for future operations” and at a time when foreign news reports said that Hamas was slowly regaining civilian control over parts of Gaza that were still habitable.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, where the IDF finished the bulk of its operations some months ago, reports have indicated Palestinian terrorists have regained a level of control in places such as the Jabaliya market, where last week rockets were launched targeting a kibbutz in Israel.
Concerns of Hamas regaining territory, coupled with the terrorist group’s resistance to a ceasefire deal that releases all the hostages it seized on Oct. 7, have led Israeli leaders to push for reentering areas in Gaza the army already left, and to continue to expand the fighting in Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold.
Due to the situation, some fighting units have returned to Gaza. IDF Chief Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Sunday that the military was “calling up approximately two reserve brigades for operational activities on the Gazan front.”
The latest developments in Gaza and northern Israel came amid fallout from Hamas and Hezbollah’s main international sponsor, Iran, launching an unprecedented direct attack against the Israeli homeland on Saturday. Israel, with the help of allies including the US, repelled the massive Iranian drone and missile salvo. World leaders, especially in the US and Europe, have been urging Israel to show restraint in its response and to de-escalate tensions.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, which provides the Islamist terrorist groups with weapons, funding, and training.
With so much global focus now on Iran, Israel assured the public it has not forgotten about the war in Gaza.
“Even while under attack from Iran, we have not lost sight, not for one moment, of our critical mission in Gaza to rescue our hostages from the hands of Iran’s proxy Hamas,” Hagari said.
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I wiill say, the resilience of Israelis is amazing. No other people on Earth is quite like this. Living in the shadow of danger on every border but still being the happiest people or the fourth happiest people, depending on how they are surveyed. That says something.
..:All our brothers and sisters in our Holy Land – it’s time to end this all with Am Yisrael’s everlasting victory, i.e., the Geulah Sheleima!!
Long overdue…