Israel Cabinet To Decide On Attacking Iran As Gaza Strike ‘Kills 28’
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s Security Cabinet was due to authorize the prime minister and defense minister to respond to last week’s Iranian missile attack while Israeli forces struck Gaza in an attack that allegedly killed dozens.
The Security Cabinet’s meeting came as an Israeli strike “killed at least 28 people” and injured some 54 others in the Rafidah school of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, said the Palestinian Red Crescent. Those figures could not immediately be verified.
The Israeli military said it targeted “terrorists” inside the building after Israel was attacked by Hamas rockets on the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were also expected to order a retaliation to last week’s Iranian missile attack. The Security Cabinet was due to vote on the issue Thursday.
Jerusalem has vowed a significant retaliation for Tehran’s second-ever direct attack on the Jewish state, in which some 200 rockets were fired in two waves on October 1.
The Israeli military, backed by the United States and Jordan, shot down most of the missiles, but a Palestinian man from Gaza was struck by missile debris and died near Jericho in the Jordan Valley, officials said. Additionally, military sites reportedly suffered damage.
POWERFUL RESPONSE
On Wednesday, Gallant reportedly said Israel’s response “will be powerful, precise and above all—surprising,” adding that “the Islamic Regime will not understand what happened and how it happened.”
He was due to unveil plans during the Security Cabinet meeting. It came after U.S. President Joe Biden held a “direct,” 30-minute phone call with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu — their first conversation in weeks, the White House confirmed.
Washington has expressed concern that Israel will hit nuclear sites, but Jerusalem has publicly declined to rule out anything. Tehran has threatened with a brutal retaliation if Israel attacks Iran, but the Israeli military seemed undeterred by these threats.
As preparations for attacking Iran were underway, Israel also further extended the ground operation in Lebanon, where it battles Hezbollah fighters.
The United Nations claimed that two of its peacekeepers were injured when an Israeli tank fired at its headquarters in southern Lebanon.
The U.N. also said Israeli soldiers fired on another of its positions, damaging vehicles and communications.
There was no immediate response from Israel, but the government has expressed concerns about at least some U.N. personnel working with “terrorists,” including in Gaza.