Khamenei Declares Hamas Resilience Amid Leadership Loss and Ongoing Conflict
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently declared that despite the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the group designated as a terrorist organization by both the US and EU will continue to thrive. In a statement made on October 19, Khamenei described Sinwar's passing as a painful loss for the so-called 'Axis of Resistance,' a coalition of Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, which includes Hamas.
Sinwar's death, which was confirmed on October 17 by a senior Hamas official, followed the significant attack orchestrated by him on October 7, 2023, targeting Israel, which sparked the current war in Gaza. Khamenei emphasized that, regardless of the challenges posed by the loss of key figures, the struggle of the Axis of Resistance would persist.
The humanitarian toll in Gaza has escalated, as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 21 individuals, including children, on October 19, according to Palestinian health officials. Among the dead, ten were killed in central Gaza when aerial bombardment struck a residential area in Zawayda, as reported by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Another attack in the Maghazi refugee camp resulted in the deaths of eleven family members, highlighting the ongoing devastation.
Simultaneously, tensions flared on the Israeli side, with a drone targeting the house of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea on October 19. Thankfully, no casualties were reported as neither Netanyahu nor his wife were present. This incident came amid alerts of incoming fire from Lebanon.
In Lebanon, two individuals were killed during an Israeli strike in Jounieh, situated north of Beirut, an area that had previously remained unscathed since the escalation of violence between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah last year.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified its military actions against Lebanon, including cross-border incursions and strikes on locations beyond Hezbollah's traditional strongholds. Hezbollah, designated a terrorist organization by the US, enjoys a significant political presence in Lebanon through its political wing, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament, while the group maintains control over southern areas bordering Israel.
The current hostilities underscore the precarious situation in the region, with both Palestinian territories and Israel suffering significant losses amid escalating military operations.
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