Middle East conflict
Israel bombs Hamas command centers

Lebanon, Beirut: A man rides his scooter over the rubble of destroyed buildings hit by Israeli airstrikes
© Hussein Malla/AP/DPA
The Israeli military has again attacked targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. In Tel Aviv, thousands demonstrated for the release of the kidnapped hostages.
As Israel’s army prepares to retaliate against Iran’s missile attack, it leaves the… Lebanon and the Gaza Strip continue to launch violent attacks against pro-Iranian militias. In Lebanon, the air force carried out “a series of targeted attacks” on a number of Hezbollah’s weapons depots and “terrorist infrastructure facilities” in the area of the capital Beirut during the night, the army announced in the morning. Several measures had previously been taken to reduce the danger to civilians.
The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that Israeli warplanes carried out “four very violent attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut and one attack on the Schweifat area.” The Hezbollah militia had said the evening before that it had lost contact with its leading commander Hashem Safieddin, who was seen as a possible successor to the slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. The information could not initially be independently verified.
The Israeli army previously announced that it had also attacked two command centers of the Islamist Hamas in an area in the center of the Gaza Strip. One was in a former school, the other in a former mosque. The Israeli army said that before these “precise” attacks, the armed forces had taken numerous measures to reduce the danger to civilians. According to Arab reports, there were at least 24 dead and dozens injured in the area. Neither the Arab reports nor the Israeli army’s information could initially be independently verified.
Macron calls for a stop to arms sales to Israel
French President Macron called for a stop to the supply of weapons to Israel in view of the Gaza war. The priority is to return to a political solution and stop arms supplies for the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Macron said on France Inter radio station. France will not supply any weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promptly criticized Macron sharply and called it a “disgrace.”
While Western leaders like Macron have called for arms embargoes against Israel, Iran is not imposing such an embargo on Hezbollah or the Houthi militia in Yemen, for example, Netanyahu said, adding, according to his office: “Israel will win with or without their support.” . As his country fights “the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should stand firmly with Israel.”
As the French television station BFMTV reported after the Macron interview, citing the presidential palace, France will continue to supply Israel with defense equipment, especially for missile defense. The Times of Israel quoted a statement from the French presidential palace saying Macron “supports Israel’s security.” It was said that Iran or one of its proxies would not be allowed to attack Israel.
Netanyahu announces response to Iran’s missile attack
Netanyahu reiterated that there will be a response to the recent Iranian missile attack. He did not comment on the timing or nature of the reaction. “No country in the world would accept such an attack on its cities and citizens,” he said. “Israel has the duty and the right to defend itself,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the military headquarters in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. The military is “in the midst of planning a response” that will be “significant,” the Times of Israel reported. There are fears that the entire region could become involved in a serious war.
The commander of US troops in the Middle East, General Michael Erik Kurilla, has arrived in Israel to consult with military representatives during the Israeli army’s preparations, the Times of Israel reported. The USA is Israel’s most important ally. Meanwhile, the army and Hezbollah continue to attack each other in Lebanon. The explosions from the renewed Israeli attacks in the Beirut area could be heard throughout the city, a dpa reporter described. The army accused Hezbollah of deliberately hiding weapons production facilities and weapons under residential buildings “in the heart” of the capital, thereby endangering civilians in the area.
According to the army, the militia had previously fired on Israel again. In the Kiriat Shmona area in northern Israel, around 30 projectiles were identified that had penetrated Israeli territory. Some were intercepted, others fell. The militia had previously fired around 130 missiles towards Israel. This information from the Israeli military could not initially be independently verified.
“We must continue to put pressure on Hezbollah and inflict further and continuous damage on the enemy, without concessions and without respite for the organization,” said Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi. Israel fears that in the event of a ceasefire, the Hezbollah militia could recover from recent heavy blows and regroup. It wants to drive the militia from the border so that the approximately 60,000 Israelis who were evacuated from there can return.
Thousands demonstrate again in Israel for hostage deal
Shortly before the first anniversary of the Hamas massacre on October 7th, thousands of people in Israel demonstrated again for a deal with Hamas for the release of the remaining hostages. Many participants fear that the fate of the hostages will be forgotten in view of the fighting in Lebanon. The rallies were not as large as usual because there are restrictions on gatherings in many places due to the security situation.
“One year and they are still not here,” read one poster at the rally in Tel Aviv. Relatives of the hostages accuse Prime Minister Netanyahu of sabotaging a deal with Hamas and bowing to the demands of his ultra-religious and far-right coalition partners. These are against concessions to the Islamist organization. Netanyahu depends on them for his political survival.
On October 7, 2023, terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages to Gaza. This was the trigger for the war. Since then, around 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. The number does not distinguish between fighters and civilians and is difficult to verify.