As fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East grow, Israel could strike back at Iran “in the next few days” in response to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack last week, a retired Israeli general said.
Israel, which is marking one year since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Iran-backed Hamas group, has already vowed that it will retaliate to Tehran’s barrage of missiles from Oct. 2.
“I think that if no real change might occur, then Israel will probably strike back in the next few days,” Giora Eiland, retired major general of the Israel Defense Forces, said in an interview with Mercedes Stephenson on The West Block that aired Sunday.
Eiland said that Israel might not necessarily go after Iran’s nuclear facilities, “which are well-protected,” but he added: “Israel can cause real significant damage to Iran if we attack other possible targets.”
Israel is on high alert as it marks one year since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas-led militants that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250.
That attack triggered the conflict in Gaza that has come under heavy bombardment over the past year, with 41,000 Palestinians dead according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and most of the territory’s 2.3 million people displaced.
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Meanwhile, Israel is also waging a new fight in Lebanon against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Eiland said Israel should work towards reaching a political solution in both Gaza and Lebanon.
“Israel cannot bear a situation where very, very strong military forces – Hamas, Hezbollah or others – that enjoy so much Iranian weapons, technology and other devastating capabilities are sitting or standing so close to Israel,” he said.
Military evacuation from Lebanon a ‘last resort’: Canadian ambassador
In recent weeks, Israel’s focus has shifted to Lebanon, where airstrikes have given way to a fast-expanding ground incursion against Hezbollah militants who have fired rockets into Israel since the Gaza conflict began.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah mounted after a deadly wave of bombings across Lebanon last month in which explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of people and wounded thousands, including many Hezbollah members.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the remote attack. But Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Canada’s Ambassador to Lebanon Stefanie McCollum said the “situation remains volatile” and violence in the country has escalated in the last week.
“The people of Lebanon can’t take any more escalation,” McCollum told Stephenson on the West Block, urging for de-escalation.
“The damage is significant. Too many innocent lives lost, so many people injured. You’re seeing 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 by commercial means.
Between Friday and Sunday, the federal government had reserved about 900 additional seats on commercial flights out of Lebanon to get Canadians out of the country. More than 340 Canadians left on government-reserved flights last week.
“This is a highly volatile, violent situation and we don’t want Canadians stuck in it,” McCollum said.
If needed, the Canadian Armed Forces are also preparing for military-assisted evacuations, but McCollum said that is “an option of last resort.”
“We do have a plan. It’s a multifaceted plan. It allows for a variety of options depending on the circumstance, but it’s always a plan of last resort.”
“What we say to Canadians is you shouldn’t be counting on that plan of last resort. You should be leaving now while commercial options are available before it gets any worse.”
— with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton and The Association Press
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