As fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East grow, Israel could hit Iran “in the next few days” in response to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack last week, a retired Israeli general said.
Israel, marking a year since the October 7, 2023 massacre by the Iran-backed Hamas group, has vowed to retaliate against Tehran’s missile attack since Oct. 2.
“I think that if there is no real change that can happen, then Israel will go back in the next few days,” said Giora Eiland, the chief general of the Israel Defense Forces, in an interview with Mercedes Stephenson. West Block that broadcast on Sunday.
Eiland said Israel would not go after Iran’s nuclear facilities, which are “well-secured,” but added: “Israel would cause a lot of damage to Iran if we attacked other potential sites.”
Israel is on high alert as it marks one year since an October 7 attack by Hamas-led forces killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 250 others.
That attack sparked conflict in Gaza, which was hit by heavy bombing last year, killing 41,000 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and leaving most of the area’s 2.3 million people homeless.
Meanwhile, Israel is also fighting a new war in Lebanon with the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
Eiland said Israel should work to reach a political solution in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Israel cannot tolerate a situation where the most powerful forces – Hamas, Hezbollah or others – enjoy a lot of Iranian weapons, technology and other destructive capabilities sitting or standing next to Israel,” he said.
Military withdrawal from Lebanon ‘last resort’: Canadian ambassador
In recent weeks, Israel has focused on Lebanon, where airstrikes have opened the door to attacks by Hezbollah fighters who have fired rockets into Israel since the Gaza conflict began.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated after a deadly wave of bombings in Lebanon last month in which explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies killed scores of people and injured thousands, including many members of Hezbollah.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the remote attack. But Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Canada’s ambassador to Lebanon Stefanie McCollum said the “situation is still volatile” and violence in the country has escalated in the past week.
“The people of Lebanon will not be able to continue growing,” McCollum told Stephenson West Block, encouraging descent.
“There is a lot of damage. Many innocent lives were lost, many people were injured. You see hundreds of thousands, up to a million displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance.”
Canada has been urging citizens and permanent residents to leave Lebanon for commercial purposes.
Between Friday and Sunday, the federal government reserved about 900 more seats on commercial flights out of Lebanon for Canadians to leave the country. More than 340 Canadians traveled on government-booked flights last week.
“This is a very tense, violent situation and we don’t want Canadians to be stuck in it,” McCollum said.
If necessary, the Canadian Armed Forces are also preparing to withdraw troops, but McCollum said that is “a last resort.”
“We have a plan. It is a multi-faceted process. It allows for different options depending on the situation, but it is always the last plan.”
“What we are saying to Canadians is that you should not rely on that last system. You should go now while commercial options are available before it gets worse. “
— via files from Global News’ Sean Boynton and The Association Press
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