On October 6th, we addressed the ongoing situation in the Middle East following a disturbing wave of violence. Early reports indicate that Israeli forces conducted assaults on a mosque and a school in central Gaza, resulting in at least 24 fatalities and leaving 93 others injured. These tragic events unfolded between the evening of October 5th and the early hours of October 6th, during a significant escalation of airstrikes in southern Beirut, Lebanon, where Israeli forces reportedly executed at least 25 strikes.
According to sources from the Palestinian News Agency and Al Jazeera, the mosque that came under attack was situated near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, which has been providing refuge for displaced Palestinians. Alarmingly, a considerable number of the victims were children, many of whom sustained severe injuries.
The Israeli military reported that on October 6th, it carried out targeted operations against two command centers belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. Notably, one of these centers was located in a school, while the other was within a mosque.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese news channel Al-Manar highlighted that from the evening of October 5th to the morning of October 6th, various neighborhoods in southern Beirut and areas adjacent to Beirut International Airport were subjected to artillery fire. Key targets included a gas station and a warehouse containing medical supplies. Observers noted that this barrage represented one of the most intense nighttime assaults the region has experienced recently.
In retaliation to the Israeli actions, Hezbollah declared a series of military moves against Israel from the evening of October 5th to October 6th, focusing on locations near the Lebanese-Israeli border, including an attack on the Manara settlement and other Israeli positions.
The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that on the morning of October 6th, Hezbollah launched approximately 30 rockets into northern Israel, with some reportedly intercepted. On October 5th, around 150 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel.
CNN reported IDF spokesperson Hagari’s statement that over 2,000 Hezbollah targets—including weapons facilities, military installations, and underground bases—have been neutralized, and around 440 Hezbollah personnel, including roughly 30 commanders of various ranks, have been killed.
Hagari emphasized that Israel is conducting “limited, localized, and targeted strikes” in southern Lebanon, aiming to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure in border areas that’s essential for allowing northern Israel residents to safely return to their homes. He indicated that any decision to escalate military operations in southern Lebanon would depend on the evolving situation, with plans to wrap up these efforts in the following weeks.
Furthermore, Reuters reported that sources within Lebanese security agencies have noted that Hezbollah senior official Hashim Safieddine has been missing since the Israeli strike on Beirut International Airport on October 4th. Safieddine is considered a potential successor to Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, who has recently been reported killed in an attack. There has been no comment from Hezbollah concerning this development.
Lastly, The Washington Post uncovered intriguing details about an explosion involving a Lebanese pager, revealing that Israel started supplying Hezbollah with pagers embedded with “stealth” explosives back in 2015 and has been monitoring their communications since. The pager that detonated on September 17th was reportedly designed and assembled by the Israeli Intelligence and Special Operations Agency (Mossad). The explosives within these devices were skillfully concealed, making detection through disassembly or X-ray scanning exceptionally challenging.
