Israel strikes Lebanon’s Beirut, Gaza in retaliation for drone attack on Netanyahu’s home, northern assault

After the Lebanese armed group fired rockets into northern Israel and launched a drone attack at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home, the country struck what it said were Hezbollah arms facilities in southern Beirut and Gaza on Saturday.

Notably, Netanyahu was not in the building at the time of the attack, and it was not immediately clear if it was hit. However, the Israeli PM has described the attack as an assassination attempt by "Iran's proxy Hezbollah" and called it a "grave mistake". Israel is already preparing to retaliate for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.

In Gaza, officials and Hamas media reported that the Israeli bombardments has resulted in over 100 fatalities and a siege around three hospitals had tightened. Israel has been trying to root out the Palestinian militant group off Gaza for more than a year now.

The vows by Israel and its adversaries, Hamas and Hezbollah, to continue the conflict have dampened the hope that the demise of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday could pave the way for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, thereby averting further intensification in the Middle East.

Reuters, citing officials, diplomats and other sources said that with the US elections approaching, Israel is seeking to use intensified military operations to try to shield its borders and ensure its rivals cannot regroup.

On Saturday, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over southern Gaza with a picture of Sinwar and the message: "Hamas will no longer rule Gaza".

Israeli strikes later on Saturday on several houses in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya killed at least 73 people and wounded dozens, Hamas media said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Beirut's southern suburbs, Israel carried out heavy strikes on several locations, leaving thick plumes of smoke hanging over the city into the evening.

The strikes targeted "a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters command centre", Israel's military said.

Israel had issued evacuation orders for four separate neighbourhoods within the suburbs, urging residents to get 500 metres (yards) away, but carried out strikes in other areas as well, witnesses said.

Tens of thousands of people have fled the southern suburbs - once a densely populated zone that also housed Hezbollah offices and underground installations - since Israel began regular strikes there about three weeks ago.

An Israeli air attack on September 27 killed Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and strikes nearby have killed other top figures from the Iran-backed group.

The United States would like to see Israel scale back some of its strikes in and around Beirut, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

The conflict over the past year has caused direct Iranian Israeli confrontations, including missile attacks on Israel in April and on October 1.

Netanyahu has vowed to respond to the October ballistic missile attack.

"I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil: Anyone who tries to harm Israel’s citizens will pay a heavy price," he said in a statement following the Caesarea attack.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a statement: "We have already responded to the Israeli regime, and the action in question has been carried out by Hezbollah in Lebanon."