As fears grow of a broader conflict in the Middle East, Israel may retaliate against Iran “in the next few days” in response to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack last week, a retired Israeli general said.
Israel, which is marking one year since the deadly attack by the Iran-backed Hamas movement on October 7, 2023, vowed that it would respond to Tehran’s missile barrage starting on October 2.
“I think that if there is no real change, Israel will probably retaliate in the next few days,” Giora Eiland, a retired major general in the Israel Defense Forces, said in an interview with Mercedes Stevenson. Western bloc Which was broadcast on Sunday.
Eiland said Israel may not necessarily go after Iran’s “well-protected” nuclear facilities, but added: “Israel could cause real significant damage to Iran if we attack other potential targets.”
Israel is on high alert with the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack launched by gunmen led by Hamas, which resulted in the killing of 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and the kidnapping of 250 others.
This attack sparked the conflict in Gaza, which has been subjected to heavy bombardment over the past year, killing 41,000 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, and displacing most of the Strip’s population of 2.3 million.
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At the same time, Israel is also waging a new battle in Lebanon against the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
Eiland said that Israel must work to reach a political solution in both Gaza and Lebanon.
“Israel cannot tolerate a situation where very powerful military forces – Hamas, Hezbollah or others – with a lot of Iranian weapons, technology and other destructive capabilities are or are standing near Israel,” he said.
Canadian Ambassador: Military evacuation from Lebanon is a “last resort”
In recent weeks, Israel’s focus has shifted to Lebanon, where air strikes have given way to a rapidly expanding ground incursion against Hezbollah militants who have fired rockets into Israel since the start of the Gaza conflict.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah rose after a deadly wave of bombings across Lebanon last month killed dozens of people and wounded thousands, including many Hezbollah members.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the remote attack. But Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its responsibility.
Canada’s ambassador to Lebanon, Stephanie McCollum, said that “the situation remains volatile” and that violence in the country had escalated in the past week.
“The Lebanese people cannot tolerate further escalation,” McCollum told Stevenson in an interview with Fox News. western bloc, He urged a halt to the escalation
“The damage is huge. Many innocent lives have been lost, many people have been injured. We are seeing hundreds of thousands, up to a million displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance.”
Canada urges its citizens and permanent residents to leave Lebanon by commercial means.
Between Friday and Sunday, the federal government allocated about 900 additional seats on commercial flights out of Lebanon to get Canadians out of the country. More than 340 Canadians departed on government-booked flights last week.
“This is a very violent and volatile situation and we don’t want Canadians to get caught up in it,” McCollum said.
If necessary, the Canadian Armed Forces are also preparing for military-assisted evacuations, but McCollum said this is an “option of last resort.”
“We have a plan. It is a multi-faceted plan. It allows a variety of options depending on the circumstances, but it is always a plan of last resort.
“What we’re saying to Canadians is that you shouldn’t rely on a plan of last resort. You should leave now while trade options are available before things get worse.
– With files from Sean Boynton of Global News and The Association Press
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