Gaza: flashpoint for regional war?
As Israel intensifies air-strikes in the Gaza Strip, a northern front appears to be opening in the war. Escalating cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces have led to the displacement of over 4,200 people in south Lebanon, and authorities have designated some 100 kilometers of the border with Israel a military zone. Inhabitants pf the border region have retreated deeper into Lebanese territory to avoid entanglement in the ongoing skirmishes. In the southern port city of Tyre, authorities have converted three school facilities into makeshift refuges for the displaced. (Jurist)
Israel has meanwhile ordered more than 20,000 residents of the northern city of Kiryat Shmona to evacuate in response to Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanese territory. (Jurist)
Following several drone strikes on US military bases and outposts in Iraq and Syria over the past days, injuring several service members, the US carried out air-strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guards positions in eastern Syria Oct. 26. (Military Times, ABC)
The drone strikes came after Israeli forces struck targets in Syria last week. The Israeli strikes reportedly hit the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but Iranian-aligned forces were presumably targeted.
The Pentagon also confirmed Oct. 19 that the destroyer USS Carney in the Red Sea intercepted multiple missiles fired north toward Israel, presumably by Houthi insurgents in Yemen. (Military Times)
Amid all this, the Iranian military announced that it will launch large-scale maneuvers this week, involving infantry, air and naval forces. (Maan News Agency)
UN General Assembly calls for humanitarian truce in Gaza
The United Nations General Assembly on Oct. 26 voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The 193-member body passed the resolution, sponsored by a group of 22 Arab countries, by a margin of 120 to 14, with 45 countries abstaining. The United States and Israel voted no. The resolution, drafted by Jordan, did not mention Hamas, but called for all parties involved to comply with international law. An amendment proposed by Canada that called for explicit condemnation of Hamas failed to get the needed two-thirds support. This is the UN’s first formal response to the conflict after the Security Council failed on four occasions to reach a consensus. (Jurist, Al Jazeera, ToI)
More US air-strikes on Syria
Two US F-15 fighter jets conducted an air-strike on a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, the Pentagon announced Nov. 8. (CNN)