Israeli Military Strikes Gaza After Border Violence

Tire smoke lit by Palestinian demonstrators (AP)
Tire smoke lit by Palestinian demonstrators (AP)
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Israeli Military Strikes Gaza After Border Violence

Tire smoke lit by Palestinian demonstrators (AP)
Tire smoke lit by Palestinian demonstrators (AP)

The Israeli military said it launched an air strike on Gaza Friday, following violence at a border rally in which health officials said multiple Palestinians were wounded.

The strike was the first since early July, when Israel responded to rocket fire from Gaza launched after its deadliest Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank in years.

The army said it hit "a military post belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the northern Gaza Strip."

A military spokesman said the air strike hit an area where Palestinians had gathered earlier Friday, near the permanently closed Karni crossing.

A security source in the Palestinian territory told AFP that Israel "bombed a resistance observation post east of Gaza City," requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly to the media.

There were no immediate reports of injuries resulting from the air strike.

Earlier Friday, an AFP journalist at the protest saw Palestinians throwing rocks and explosives towards Israeli forces, across the frontier, and two demonstrators with gunshot wounds.

Plumes of black smoke filled the area after Palestinians set tyres ablaze.

Twelve Gazans were wounded at various rallies along the border, the territory's health ministry said.

The Israeli military said "several explosive devices and grenades" were hurled at soldiers, none of whom were hurt.

The air strike comes after an explosion killed at least five Gazans during a border rally on Wednesday.

A bomb which may have been a hand grenade detonated while being carried by a protester, a witness told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Militant Hamas group seized control of Gaza in 2007 and Israel has since imposed a crippling blockade.

There have been multiple wars fought between Gaza-based militants and Israel in recent years.

At least 34 Palestinians and one Israeli were killed in five days of cross-border exchanges in May.



US Not Expecting Surge in Attacks on Troops in Iraq, Syria, Defense Secretary Says 

Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)
Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)
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US Not Expecting Surge in Attacks on Troops in Iraq, Syria, Defense Secretary Says 

Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)
Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)

Despite a spike in tensions in the Middle East, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday he did not currently expect Iran-backed militias to step up attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, as they have in the past.

The United States on Tuesday carried out a strike in Iraq that US officials described as self-defense, one of a series of high-profile attacks in the region over the past day that also included an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was also assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday morning.

"I think, quite frankly, I don't see a return to where we were several months ago, not yet," Austin told reporters as he departed the Philippines.

Between Oct. 7 and February, US troops were attacked over 160 times in Iraq and Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones, prompting the United States to mount several retaliatory attacks.

The deadliest attack was in late January, when an Iranian-made drone killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens more near the Jordan border.

Since then, there had been a lull in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria. But last week, multiple rockets were launched toward Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase housing US-led forces, US and Iraqi sources said. US officials said none had hit the base, and no damage or casualties were reported.

"The safety and protection of our troops is really, really important to me. That's why, you know, you saw us take some measures to protect ourselves here," Austin added.

Asked if the recent attacks on US forces were connected to rising tensions between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel, Austin said: "I think it's all connected."

Haniyeh's assassination drew threats of revenge on Israel and fueled further concern that the conflict in Gaza could be turning into a wider Middle East war.

Although the attack was widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said merely that Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran's proxies over the past few days.

Asked about the killing, Austin said he had heard the reports but did not have any information to provide.