As Israel’s war on Gaza continues into its 10th month, fears of a regional escalation are growing, with attacks in Lebanon and the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in recent days.
Haniyeh was assassinated in the early hours of Wednesday in the Iranian capital Tehran, according to a statement by the Palestinian group Hamas, which blamed Israel for his death.
The attack comes less than 24 hours after at least three people were killed and 74 injured in an Israeli strike in Beirut. Among the dead was senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr.
Since October 7, Israel has been responsible for more than 17,000 attacks in the Middle East.
Where did Israel attack in the Middle East?
According to an analysis of data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) Project, Israel has been responsible for 17,081 incidents of air/drone strikes, bombing/missile attacks, remote explosives, and property destruction in five countries – Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and the occupied Palestinian territories – since October 7.
The majority of attacks took place in Palestinian territory, specifically in the Gaza Strip, with 10,389 incidents representing more than 60% of the total attacks.
Israel carried out 6,544 attacks against Lebanon (38%), followed by Syria with 144 recorded incidents.
Cross-border attacks in Lebanon
Since October 8, when Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian people, Israel has attacked it nearly four times more, with more than 6,544 attacks along the 120 km border and further north of the country, killing more than 590 people.
The latest attack in Lebanon on Tuesday was described by the Israeli military as a “precision strike” on Shukr, in a southern suburb of Beirut.
Three civilians were killed and 74 injured in the attack, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israeli officials said it was a response to an attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children and youths on Saturday. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack.
Attack on Syria
Israel has been responsible for more than 144 armed incidents in Syria since October 7, killing more than 260 people.
It has dramatically increased the frequency and intensity of its attacks since the start of its war on Gaza, targeting Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Syria, particularly around the capital, Damascus.
In April, Israeli fighter jets destroyed the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, killing seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals who led the elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.
Days before the attack on the Iranian consulate, the Israeli army launched massive strikes on the Aleppo province in northern Syria, killing at least 40 people, most of them soldiers.
Attacks on Iran
In April, Iranian air defense systems were deployed in several regions of the country after reports of explosions near the airport in Isfahan province, following escalation of tensions with Israel following the latter’s attack on the Iranian consulate building on April 1.
Iran’s Fars news agency said “three explosions” were heard near the city of Qahjavarestan in Isfahan province, close to the province’s airport and an army airbase. Isfahan, located in central Iran, is home to the country’s uranium conversion plant in the southeastern Zerdenjan region. In addition, the Natanz uranium enrichment site is also located in the province.
US media reported that senior US officials told them that Israeli missiles had struck an Iranian site.
Attack on Yemen
Last month, the Israeli military struck the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah in Yemen in response to attacks by the Houthi group, killing six people.
The Israeli airstrikes came a day after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the southern Israeli port of Eilat that killed one person in Tel Aviv and wounded 10 others.
The Israeli airstrikes mark Israel’s first known direct attack on the Houthis since the start of the Gaza war.
