On October 1, 2024, the Laylaki and Haret Hireyk neighborhoods in the Dahieh region of Beirut, Lebanon, experienced significant building damage due to Israeli attacks. According to Israeli authorities, these strikes targeted what they identified as Hezbollah arms facilities in southern Beirut. The assault followed Hezbollah launching rockets into northern Israel and allegations of a drone being directed towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s holiday residence. Netanyahu was not present during the incident, and the status of the building remained unknown. He condemned the act as an assassination attempt by “Iran’s proxy Hezbollah” and labeled it a “grave mistake,” particularly as Israel prepared for retaliation against an Iranian missile barrage earlier in the month.
In Gaza, medics and Hamas media reported that over 100 people had been killed due to Israeli bombings as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group intensified. This confrontation has been ongoing for over a year. Amidst the violence, both Israel and its adversaries, Hamas and Hezbollah, have pledged to continue fighting, dampening hopes for a cessation of hostilities following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
With upcoming U.S. elections, Israel is reportedly aiming to solidify strategic gains through increased military operations to secure its borders and prevent adversarial regrouping. On the same day, Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, featuring Sinwar’s image with the message, “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza.”
Subsequently, Israeli attacks on a multi-story building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya resulted in at least 73 fatalities and multiple injuries, according to medics and Hamas media. The Israeli military was investigating reports of casualties, suggesting the figures might be inflated based on initial evaluations.
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, Israeli forces executed heavy strikes at several locations, producing extensive smoke plumes above the city by evening. The Israeli military cited multiple Hezbollah weapons storage sites and an intelligence command center among their targets. While evacuation orders were issued for four neighborhoods, residents noted strikes occurring in additional areas.
Significant population displacement has occurred in the southern suburbs, once densely populated and a known location for Hezbollah offices and underground activities, following Israeli strikes over the past three weeks. An Israeli air assault on September 27 eliminated Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, with additional strikes targeting other prominent figures within the Iran-backed group.
The United States, through Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, has expressed a preference for Israel to reduce some of its strikes near Beirut.
Earlier the same day, an Israeli strike claimed two lives on Lebanon’s main highway near the predominantly Christian town of Jounieh. The Israeli military launched an investigation into the occurrence. Another strike in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley caused four fatalities, including a town mayor, marking the second such death that week. Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel resulted in one casualty and nine injuries.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the drone attack allegedly targeting Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea, which Netanyahu described as part of an assassination attempt on himself and his wife. Over the past year, the conflict has resulted in direct confrontations between Iran and Israel, including missile strikes on Israel in April and October 1. Netanyahu vowed a strong response to the October attack, asserting that any harm to Israeli civilians by Iran or its allies would incur severe repercussions.
Hezbollah has been engaging in reciprocal fire with Israel since the Israel-Iran-supported Hamas conflict began in Gaza last October. On the latest Saturday, Hezbollah launched approximately 200 projectiles, as claimed by the Israeli military. Nearly three weeks prior, Israel initiated a ground operation in Lebanon, aiming to stabilize the border area for displaced Israeli citizens. Israeli forces reported the destruction of tunnel shafts and underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon and announced the killing of Hezbollah’s deputy commander in Bint Jbeil.
An Israeli inquiry is underway regarding the death of a Hezbollah detainee in Lebanon. Since October 2023, Lebanon’s health ministry reports over 2,400 deaths, primarily in recent months, while Israeli authorities record 59 deaths in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. In the initial attack sparking the conflict, Hamas-led militants killed approximately 1,200 individuals and captured 250 hostages, as per Israeli reports. Gaza’s health officials indicate that Israel’s military response has resulted in over 42,500 Palestinian fatalities.
The Israeli offensive has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, leading to widespread hunger and extensive destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. COGAT, the Israeli military body managing the Palestinian Territories, has increased aid deliveries to Gaza under international pressure. Humanitarian efforts saw Israel and the United Arab Emirates execute an aid air drop into southern Gaza.
Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have suggested Yahya Sinwar’s death could offer a chance to negotiate a truce in Gaza and secure hostage releases. However, these negotiations remain stalled. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, spearheading diplomatic efforts, is anticipated to visit Israel as part of a regional tour, as reported by Axios.
