Netanyahu Declares ‘Multi-Front War’ with Iran Already Underway

Israel is already engaged in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated during a Cabinet meeting on Sunday. This statement comes as the United States and its allies gear up to defend Israel against a likely counterattack and prevent a broader regional conflict.

Tensions have escalated following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the recent killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel for these incidents and threatened retaliation. Hamas has indicated it has begun discussions to select a new leader.

Netanyahu affirmed Israel’s readiness for any scenario. Meanwhile, Jordan’s foreign minister made a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation. “We want the escalation to end,” Ayman Safadi said. The Pentagon has also moved significant assets to the region.

“We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over,” White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC.

In Israel, residents prepared bomb shelters, recalling Iran’s unprecedented direct military assault in April following a suspected Israeli strike that killed two Iranian generals. Israel reported that almost all the drones and ballistic and cruise missiles were intercepted.

On Sunday, a stabbing attack near Tel Aviv resulted in the deaths of a woman in her 70s and an 80-year-old man, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service. Two others were wounded. Police reported that the attack was carried out by a Palestinian militant, who was subsequently “neutralized.”

In Gaza, the Health Ministry reported that at least 25 people were killed and 19 others injured when Israel struck two schools in Gaza City. AP video footage showed at least one child among the dead. Israel’s military, which frequently accuses Palestinian militants of using civilian areas for cover, stated that it had targeted Hamas command centers.

“As you can see, there is no equipment to recover the injured. Rescuers are digging with their hands,” said Yusuf Al-Mashharawi.

Earlier, Israeli strikes killed at least 18 people. One strike hit a tent camp for thousands of displaced Palestinians in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, killing four people, including one woman, according to the Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it targeted a Palestinian militant in the strike, which caused secondary explosions, indicating the presence of weaponry in the area.

The hospital in Deir al-Balah is the main medical facility operating in central Gaza, as many other facilities in the territory are no longer functional. A separate strike on a home near Deir al-Balah killed a girl and her parents, according to the hospital.

Another strike flattened a house in northern Gaza, killing at least eight people, including three children, their parents, and their grandmother, the Health Ministry reported. Additionally, three people were killed in a strike on a vehicle in Gaza City, according to Civil Defense first responders.

Palestinian militants in Gaza fired at least five projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, causing no casualties or damage, the military said. Later, the military advised residents in some parts of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis to evacuate.

The Health Ministry also reported that an Israeli strike on Saturday at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed at least 16 people. Israel’s military said it targeted a Hamas command center.

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack into Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 people hostage.

Israel’s massive offensive in response has resulted in at least 39,580 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Heavy airstrikes and ground operations have caused widespread destruction and displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, often multiple times.

Hezbollah and Israel have continued to exchange fire along the Lebanon border since the war began, with increasing severity in recent months. The Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike targeted a house in Beit Leef, and the Lebanese Health Ministry stated that two people were critically wounded.

Hezbollah claims its actions are intended to relieve pressure on its fellow Iran-backed ally, Hamas. A growing number of countries, including the U.S., are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon following last week’s killing of a senior commander.