A year after the Hamas attack, the head of government is confident of victory. So far he has not achieved any of the war goals he set out. Rather, Israel is fighting on more and more fronts.
A year after the massacre on October 7th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared confident of victory. “Together we will continue to fight, and together – with God’s grace – we will win,” he said in a video message. At the same time, the Shiite militia Hezbollah fired around 190 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on the anniversary of the attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremists, according to the Israeli armed forces. The Israeli Air Force, for its part, said it carried out dozens of attacks on targets in Lebanon.
“We have set the war goals and we are achieving them,” promised Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. These are: to break Hamas’ rule, to bring all hostages home, to make any future threat from the Gaza Strip impossible and to enable the safe return of residents of the south and north to their homes.
After a year of war with almost 42,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip and growing international criticism of Israel’s harsh actions in the coastal strip – and now also in Lebanon – none of the war goals mentioned by Netanyahu have yet been completely achieved.
Grief and anger at the commemoration of massacres in Israel
People in Tel Aviv remembered the victims at events marking the first anniversary of the worst massacre in the history of the State of Israel. Many people cried at a gathering of relatives in Jarkon Park, holding each other’s arms and carrying photos of those killed and abducted. Balloons were raised for the approximately 100 Israelis still held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of people repeatedly shouted the word “achshav”, which means “now” in Hebrew and stands for the immediate release of those abducted. However, there have been repeated calls for an investigation into how the security forces could have been taken by surprise. Prime Minister Netanyahu was accused of having prevented a ceasefire in the Gaza war and thus the release of the hostages.
Israel imposes blockade on southern coast of Lebanon
Ahead of the planned naval deployment, Israeli forces imposed a blockade on Lebanon’s southern Mediterranean coast. A statement published in Arabic warns civilians not to stay on beaches or go out to sea in boats because the Israeli navy is planning combat operations there. Staying on the beach or at sea is “life-threatening” for the time being, the military said on Platform This section to the de facto border with Israel is around 60 kilometers long.
Media: Hezbollah fires rockets at military base near Mossad headquarters
According to media reports, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on a military base near the headquarters of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad. The attack was on the base of the telecommunications intelligence unit Unit 8200 near Tel Aviv, the newspaper “The Times of Israel” reported. The base is next to the Mossad headquarters. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, five rockets were fired in the attack. Some were intercepted, others fell in open areas.
Harris gives evasive answer to question about Netanyahu
Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris avoided a clear answer when asked about the reliability of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. “I think, with all due respect, the better question is: Is there an important alliance between the American people and the Israelis? And the answer to that question is yes,” Harris said on the political show “60 Minutes” when asked : “Do we have a really close ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu?” Harris said the U.S. government’s work with Israel’s leadership at the diplomatic level is “an ongoing effort to clarify our principles.” She added that Israel has the right to defend itself. But it depends on how Israel does it. “Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war must end.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.