Israel prepares for two-front war? Israeli army evacuates residents near Lebanon border after Hezbollah attack

As the world’s focus has mainly been on the ongoing war in Gaza, Israel may be in the midst of preparing for a two-front war. The Israeli army on Monday (Oct 16) said that they activated a plan to evacuate residents next to Lebanon a day after exchangeof fire with Hezbollah which has since led to the death of one civilian and wounded three others.

The focus has also shifted to the West Bank where Israel’s devastating bombing campaign on Gaza in retaliation to the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ attack on southern Israel has fuelled deadly violence sparking concerns that it could also erupt into another front in the war.

Israel-Lebanon tensions

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The Israeli military said that they have activated a plan to evacuate residents within a two-kilometre zone of Lebanon. This comes a day after at least one civilian was killed and three others were injured after Iran-based Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched missiles at a northern Israeli border village.

The plan involves the evacuation of 28 Israeli settlements in the northern part of the country, the residents of which will be moved to state-subsidised guest houses, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the ministry of defence, in a statement.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, on Sundaythat Israel is not interested in having a war on its northern frontier with Lebanon.

The heavily armed Iran-backed group had also attacked five Israeli outposts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area on Saturday (Oct 13) and said that it was “fully prepared” to join the militant group Hamas in the war when the time isright.

West Bank violence

According to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, at least 58 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,100 have been injured since Saturday (Oct 7) – after Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack on Israel – in clashes with Israeli troops, arrest raids and attacks by Jewish settlers.

Meanwhile, the IDF, on Monday (Oct 16) said its troops have arrested 360 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including 210 affiliated with Hamas, since the beginning of the war with the Palestinian militant group in Gaza.

The Israeli military claims that 20 Hamas members were arrested last night alone and seized weapons and military equipment from one of the detainees in the village of Kafr Qallil.

There have been multiple reports of clashes erupting between the Israeli army and Palestinians in the West Bank in recent days, particularly since the war between Hamas and Israel began. The United Nations has also called the past week the deadliest for West Bank Palestinians since at least 2005.

11 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since Oct 7: PSJ

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PSJ), on Monday, claimed that Israel air strikes in Gaza since the beginning of the war havekilled 11 Palestinian journalists and injured over 20 others, reported the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

According to PSJ, two journalists are missing and 50 main and branch offices of media centres were bombed amid the ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. The group has also claimed journalists were “beaten, detained, and prevented” from covering violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, reported the Palestinian news agency.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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