Tensions in the Middle East escalated on Saturday as Iran and its allies prepared to respond to the death of Hamas’s leadership head, which was attributed to Israel and raised the possibility of a regional conflict.
The United States, an ally of Israel, announced that it would send fighter jets and warships to the area, and airlines canceled flights as Western nations urged their citizens to evacuate Lebanon, home of the potent Hezbollah movement, which is supported by Iran.
This week, Iran and the so-called “axis of resistance” have vowed to exact revenge for the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah’s military chief in Beirut, which came just hours after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have been engaged in a nearly 10-month-long battle in Gaza, which has already attracted forces backed by Iran from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged gunfire once more on Saturday. Israel also carried out a fatal assault in the occupied West Bank and attacked a school complex in Gaza City. According to the civil defense service of the Hamas-ruled region, at least 17 people were killed in this strike.
In recent weeks, several Gazan schools that were converted into shelters for displaced people have been targeted; Israel maintains that the buildings were utilized by terrorists. Hamas refuted the claim that it uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
On Friday, Haniyeh was laid to rest in his home country of Qatar. Israel has not immediately responded to accusations that it carried out the strike made by Iran, Hamas, and other groups.
Iran declared on Saturday that it anticipates Hezbollah to move beyond military targets and strike more inside Israel.
In order to defend Israel and safeguard US people, the Pentagon announced that it was increasing its military presence in the Middle East.
It stated that a new fighter squadron, more cruisers and destroyers equipped to defend against ballistic missiles, and an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln would all be sent out.
Reporters questioned US President Joe Biden at his Delaware beach house about whether he thought Iran would step down.
“I hope so,” he said. “I don’t know.”
Soon after, Hezbollah announced it had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at the northern Israeli settlement of Beit Hillel.
They said it was in response to an Israeli attack on Kfar Kela and Deir Siriane in southern Lebanon which, it said, had injured civilians.
Earlier Saturday, Hezbollah announced the deaths of two of its fighters, including a 17-year-old from Deir Siriane.
