Iraq Worried Israel May Target Pro-Iran Group That Abducted Israeli Citizen

Iraq is reportedly growing concerned about the possibility that Israel will launch airstrikes on its soil against Iran-backed radical Kataeb Hezbollah that Jerusalem accuses of being behind the abduction of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in Baghdad in March, an Iraqi political source said Thursday. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source told the London-based, Arabic-language independent news site Elaph on Thursday that “anxiety started spreading in Iraq” following Netanyahu’s announcement and that there were growing fears about the possibility of Israel launching airstrikes on Kataeb Hezbollah targets and positions in Iraq.  

The source told Elaph he was surprised the abduction was not discussed when Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani presided over a meeting with the Ministerial Council for National Security on Wednesday and that no government position was offered. Kataeb Hezbollah spokesman Ali Al-Askari issued a statement on telegram on Thursday that appeared to deny his group’s responsibility for Tsurkov’s fate. Referring to her as “a captive Israeli security agent,” he said her presence in Iraq was a “very troubling indicator.” He added that Iraq’s “relevant security agencies should expose the networks linked to [Israel],” who, presumably, facilitated Tsurkov’s entry in Al-Askari’s version of events, “and bring them to justice.”  

Al-Askari concluded by saying that “Kataeb Hezbollah will work tirelessly to find out the fate of the Zionist hostage or hostages in Iraq, in service of the general public, and to discover more about the intentions of the criminal gang which facilitates their movements in a country…that prohibits and criminalizes any relationship [with Israelis].”  

Israel and the Palestinian Territories 

Hamas Claims String of Attacks Against Israelis 

In a rare move, the spokesman for the military wing of Hamas said Thursday that the terror group was directly responsible for a recent string of deadly attacks in Israel and the West Bank. 

In a statement on Telegram, Abu Obaida said the terror shooting near the West Bank settlement of Eli on June 20, which left four Israelis dead, was carried out by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in response to a deadly Israeli military raid in the city of Jenin two days prior. Initially, Hamas only confirmed that the two gunmen were affiliated with the terror group, without taking responsibility.

Abu Obaida said a car-ramming and stabbing terror attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, which left seven Israelis wounded, several of them seriously, was also carried out by the group. The terrorist was initially only identified as a member of Hamas. Earlier Thursday, the al-Qassam Brigades also claimed responsibility for a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim, which left an Israeli soldier dead.

Abu Obaida said the attacks in Tel Aviv and Kedumim were carried out in response to a major Israeli operation in Jenin earlier this week, during which at least 12 Palestinian gunmen were killed. “When the al-Qassam Brigades said that Jenin was not alone, it was well aware of what it was saying,” Abu Obaida said in the statement. He said the attacks “reaffirm the readiness of al-Qassam… to respond to aggression on any part of our land and holy sites.”  

Hamas’s military wing has rarely issued statements taking responsibility for attacks in recent years, ostensibly to avoid retaliation by Israel, though Jerusalem has often accused it of orchestrating attacks. Generally, even when avowed Hamas members committed attacks, the terror group praised rather than claimed the killings. Israel has not directly blamed Hamas for the three attacks it claimed on Thursday. 

Israel Withdraws Troops from Militant Stronghold in Jenin, Warns Raid is Not Isolated

The Israeli military withdrew its troops from a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, ending an intense two-day operation that killed at least 12 Palestinians, drove thousands of people from their homes, and left a wide swath of damage in its wake. One Israeli soldier was also killed. The army claimed to have inflicted heavy damage on militant groups in the Jenin refugee camp in an operation that included a series of airstrikes and hundreds of ground troops. But it remained unclear whether there would be any long-lasting effect after nearly a year and a half of heavy fighting in the West Bank.  

Ahead of the withdrawal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out similar operations if needed. “At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off,” he said during a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin. “We will eradicate terrorism wherever we see it and we will strike at it.” 

The Jenin raid was one of the most intense Israeli military operations in the West Bank since Palestinian militant factions launched the bloody wave of years-long terrorism that became known as the Second Intifada almost two decades ago. 

Israel struck the camp, known as a long-time bastion of Palestinian militants, early Monday in an operation it said was aimed at destroying and confiscating weapons. The Israeli military said it had confiscated thousands of weapons, bomb-making materials, and caches of money. Weapons and weapons-manufacturing laboratories and facilities were found in militant hideouts and civilian areas alike, in one case beneath a mosque, the military said.  

Lebanon 

Missile Fired at Israel from South Lebanon, Israel Retaliates

Israeli forces shelled a southern Lebanese border village on Thursday after several explosions were heard in a disputed area where the borders of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel meet. A Lebanese military official who spoke anonymously because of not being cleared to provide information to journalists said one rocket was fired toward Israel from the border town of Kfar Chouba and that Israeli forces responded with two rocket attacks.  

The Israeli military confirmed that it had shelled Kfar Chouba. It said later Thursday that it had identified the incoming projectile as an anti-tank missile fired near Ghajar, with some fragments landing in Lebanon and others inside Israeli territory. It was unclear who fired the rocket from Lebanon. The Lebanese army did not immediately comment on the explosions. 

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it could not verify that rocket fire caused the explosion but that the sounds were “consistent with a possible launch.” UNIFIL sent peacekeepers to investigate what happened while the head of the mission spoke to both Lebanese and Israeli authorities to ease the situation. “This incident comes at a sensitive time and in an area that has already experienced tensions earlier this week,” UNIFIL said in a statement. “We urge everyone to exercise restraint and avoid any action that could cause further escalation.”  

Minutes after the explosions, Hezbollah issued a statement about Israel’s wall in the village of Ghajar. The village is split into Lebanese and Israeli sides along a border known as the blue line that was demarcated after Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.

Hezbollah Removes Military Post on Israeli Side of Border

Hezbollah dismantled one of two military posts built inside Israeli territory, Israeli officials said on Sunday, amid growing international pressure exerted on the Lebanese government to resolve the issue. 

The tents were put up on the Israeli side of the blue line separating the two countries, but they remained on the Lebanese side of the border fence. At least one of the posts set up inside tents in the Mount Dov area is still standing. 

This past week, the U.S. and several European countries have pressured the Lebanese government to intervene in the issue and prevent an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. 

The group has provided no confirmation of whether it removed its outpost. The head of the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro “continues to be in direct contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line to resolve the situation of the tents,” UNIFIL said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. 

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohammed Raad said Saturday that the tents are in Lebanon. He added, referring to Israel: “You cannot remove two tents because there is resistance and strong men in this country.” 

Syria 

Israel Conducts Airstrikes in Syria

On Sunday, Syria said it repelled a missile salvo from Israel. Syrian state media said air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles across central parts of the country, downing most of them. A Syrian army statement said missiles that flew over parts of Lebanon’s capital Beirut hit locations in the vicinity of the city of Homs, resulting only in material damage.  

Syrian air defenses activated and fired a salvo of missiles at the attacking Israeli jets. One of these missiles overshot and entered Israeli airspace. After a mid-air explosion heard across Israel, remnants of the Syrian missile landed in Rahat, a town some 180 km (110 miles) south of the armistice line between the countries, Israeli police said. There was no word of any casualties. An Israeli military spokesperson said warplanes struck targets, including a Syrian air defense battery from which an anti-aircraft missile was launched toward Israel.  

A second Israeli airstrike this week occurred on Thursday, with Israeli jets striking an arms depot in Damascus belonging to Iranian-affiliated militias. According to Israeli media, however, Syria failed to activate its air defenses this time.  

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