Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has promised a “striking” response to the ongoing Israeli military actions. The statement comes after a dramatic escalation, including an Israeli commando raid in Lebanon, and comes just days before the US presidential election, in which Washington is Israel’s primary military supporter.
“Both the enemies of the United States and the Zionist regime should know that they will certainly receive a strong response,” he declared, referring to Iran-aligned groups throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and factions in Yemen and Syria. ,
Exacerbating these tensions, Kamal Kharrazi, a top adviser to Khamenei, pointed to Iran’s nuclear capability and suggested that Iran might reconsider its nuclear policy if it faced an existential threat. “If an existential threat arises, Iran will revise its nuclear doctrine, we have the capability to produce weapons and we have no problems in this regard,” Kharrazi told Lebanese media.
The latest confrontation began with a missile attack by Iran on October 1, which Israel responded to with a bombing campaign targeting Iranian military installations on October 26, which reportedly killed four Iranian soldiers. Israel claims the airstrikes caused significant damage to Iran’s missile and air defense capabilities, while Iran has vowed retaliation.
Commandos target Hezbollah in Lebanon
In a separate operation, Israeli naval commandos captured a Hezbollah terrorist in Batroun, Lebanon. The detainee, reportedly a senior operator undergoing maritime training, is now in Israeli custody.
“A senior Hezbollah operative, who acts as an expert in his field, was arrested,” the Israeli military said, quoting news agency AFP. “The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated.”
Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati, have condemned the raid, with Mikati instructing the Foreign Ministry to file a complaint with the United Nations. Both the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers have launched investigations into the incident.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens
As violence continues to escalate, conditions in Gaza are worsening. Six people, including four children, were injured in a missile attack on a polio vaccination center in northern Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned the attack on the Sheikh Radwan Health Center as “deeply worrying”.
Israel’s military reported killing dozens of militants in the Jabaliya area as their operation continued. Civilian casualties continue to rise, with Gaza’s health ministry reporting more than 43,000 deaths since the resumption of hostilities, although these figures are denied by Israeli sources.
Tension on Israel’s northern border
In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes have intensified, killing nearly 2,000 and displacing thousands, as Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets into Israeli territory, including attacks on military sites near Haifa and Tel Aviv. In response, the US deployed B-52 bombers to the region, in hopes of preventing further escalation of tensions with Iran.
A US official warned Tehran that Washington may not be able to restrain Israel in the event of another Iranian attack. The official reportedly said, “We told the Iranians: We will not be able to stop Israel.”
