In an ongoing conflict in the Middle East region, the Lebanese military, led by Hezbollah, has fired over 65 rocket missiles in Northern Israel within an hour earlier on Wednesday. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed this large-scale attack struck in the Galilee Panhandle region in Northern Israel and said that some rockets were intercepted while others hit open areas. 

The attack has hugely impacted Northern Israel, especially in the city of Kiryat Shmona, causing damage to the locals. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has accepted the attack, asserting that it was for the Israeli military positions in response to the Israeli Defense Forces actions in Southern Lebanon. 

Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon 

Earlier on Monday, there have been significant escalations between Israel and Lebanon. An Israeli airstrike southern Lebanon killed two people in a car in the southern coastal town of Naqoura, including a UN contract worker. This strike was part of the broader exchange of missiles between Israel and Hezbollah. 

However, it was not clear why it had been targeted. 

Israeli Launches Attack Ahead of a Polio Vaccination Camp by the WHO in Gaza 

Earlier this Saturday, Israel also launched several rocket missiles on Gaza ahead of the polio vaccination campaign by the WHO. The Israeli strike killed at least 48 people in the Gaza Strip. The missiles reportedly attacked the central and southern areas of the enclave ahead of the planned polio vaccination campaign. Despite the conflict, the United Nations has managed to surpass its initial targets of reaching 180,000 children so far. 

The United Nations has planned to vaccinate approximately 640,000 children in Gaza against polio during the eight-day pause in fighting between Israeli and Hamas territories. 

In a statement, the Israeli military said that it’s still undergoing various operations in the southern and central Gaza strip. They said that the troops killed terrorists and dismantled military infrastructure in Gaza City.  

US Charges Hamas with Terrorism Over October 7 Attack on Israel 

Additionally, the United States has charged Hamas with a raft of “terrorism” offenses, as revealed in federal court documents unsealed on Tuesday. The complaint was originally filed in February, with names as Hamas defendants including chief Yahya Sinwar, as well as Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammad Deif, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal , and Ali Baraka. 

The complaint also accused Iran and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah of supporting, supplying, and training Hamas members. 

As per the US Attorney General Merrick Garland, “The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’s operations. These actions will not be our last.” 

“Yahya Sinwar and the other senior leaders of Hamas are charged today with orchestrating this terrorist organization’s decades-long campaign of mass violence and terror, including on October 7^th,” he further added. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli and Hamas war has so far claimed the lives of at least 40,819 people in Gaza. As per the UN rights office, most of them are women and children. 

Notably, on October 7, 2023, Hamas, along with several other Palestinian militant groups, launched coordinated attacks on Southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. This was the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab Israeli war.