Hours after the start of the surprise attack on Israel with thousands of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and the infiltration of Palestinian fighters, a minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government warned that the war could become much larger.
Hamas attack on Israeli territoryPhoto: Ahmad Gharabli / AFP / Profimedia Images
“There is a reasonable chance that the incident in the south is a mere distraction for the war in the north,” an Israeli minister told online publication Ynet.
“It could be a distraction for a much more painful blow in the north”
“It is not impossible that the IDF (Israeli army) will be drawn to the south in order to deliver a stronger and more painful blow to the north,” he added.
“What is happening appears to be a strategic event planned and directed by Iran. This is a situation that Israel has not been in for decades,” the Israeli minister also said.
The reference to the “north” is one in Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates, a group that issued a statement on Saturday saying that it is closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and that it is in “direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”.
The statement said the attack from Gaza is “a decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel.”
Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite political and militant group that has fought in several conflicts with Israel. The group also has strong ties to Iran.
An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei congratulated Palestinian fighters for launching the biggest attack on Israel in years, the semi-official ISNA news site reported.
“We congratulate the Palestinian fighters. We will be with the Palestinian fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem,” said Rahim Safavi.
The Hamas attack appears to have taken Israel by surprise
The Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined armed fighters who crossed the border fence with a massive barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
The attack launched by Hamas appears to have taken Israel by surprise, with some saying it was a massive failure by Israeli intelligence.
Warning sirens sounded in southern and central Israel, including Jerusalem, and the Israeli army announced it was on war footing and mobilizing reservists.
The Israeli military has begun striking Hamas targets and the response to the attack is expected to be devastating.
“We are at war and we will win!” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message to Israelis.
