War in the Middle East
Israeli army spokesman: Hamas headquarters stormed
Smoke rises over Khan Yunis after Israeli attacks. photo
© Mohammed Dahman/AP/dpa
The armed forces are currently concentrating on the south of the Gaza Strip: That is where they claim to have found Hamas headquarters. Their leader is also said to be hiding in the tunnels.
The Israeli army says it has taken over the headquarters of the Islamist Hamas in Khan Yunis in the south of the country Gaza Strip stormed. The terrorist organization’s intelligence headquarters was also located there, said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari. The information could not be independently verified.
Israel suspects that the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Jihia Sinwar, is hiding in the underground tunnels under Khan Yunis. The armed forces are currently intensifying the fight against Hamas, concentrating primarily on the south of the coastal area and the central Gaza Strip.
In the north of the sealed-off coastal strip, Israel’s army says it is in the process of exercising complete control over the area. The operation there is currently focused on the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the city of Gaza, the Tufah district, explained army spokesman Hagari. On Saturday, the army also ended a large-scale attack on Hezbollah militia targets in Lebanon on Israel’s border with Lebanon, it said. Three “terrorist cells” were eliminated. The army will continue to attack Hezbollah military positions in southern Lebanon.
Several rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel
“The southern region of Lebanon will not return to what it once was,” Hagari continued. During the course of Saturday, several rockets were detected from Lebanon to Israel. 80 percent of Hezbollah’s rockets fell on Lebanese territory. This, too, could not be independently verified.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel’s army and Hezbollah on the border. There were deaths and injuries on both sides. It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006. Hezbollah has connections to Hamas in Gaza, but is considered more powerful. It is also considered the most important non-state ally of Israel’s arch-enemy Iran.