Israel unleashed a series of pre-dawn airstrikes against military sites in Iran on Saturday, saying it targeted facilities used to make the missiles fired at Israel and surface-to-air missile locations. The attack risks pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East , where militant groups backed by Iran — including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — are already at war with Israel . Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the total toll over the past year is over 2,600 killed and 12,200 wounded.
The fighting in Lebanon has driven 1.2 million people from their homes , including more than 400,000 children, according to the United Nations children’s agency. Israeli strikes have killed much of Hezbollah’s top leadership since fighting ramped up in September.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and civilians. The Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023, blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.
Here's the latest: APIA, Samoa — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond to Israeli airstrikes and urged all sides to show restraint. His comments at the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa came after Israel attacked Iran with a series of pre-dawn airstrikes Saturday in what it said was .
