TEL AVIV — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a broad campaign of targeted air and ground strikes late Monday and early Tuesday, responding to a marked escalation in hostilities by Iranian-backed terror networks operating along Israel’s southern and northern borders. The offensive, the most extensive since the October 7th massacre, signals a determined effort by Israel to restore deterrence and protect its population amid a surge in cross-border attacks from Gaza and Lebanon.
Military sources confirmed that the wave of strikes, coordinated with intelligence and operational direction at the highest levels of Israel’s defense establishment, targeted a series of facilities used by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah — all of which receive strategic, logistical, and financial support from Iran. The IDF focused its initial response on rocket launch sites, weapons depots, and command centers, as well as the sophisticated tunnel infrastructure beneath key urban centers in Gaza. Parallel operations on the northern front hit military posts and arms transfers along the Lebanon border.
The Israeli government emphasized that this campaign is a defensive necessity rather than retaliatory action, aiming to neutralize imminent threats directed at Israeli civilians. Officials cited a dramatic increase in the frequency and range of rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities since the start of the year—a campaign orchestrated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with Hezbollah intensifying hostilities from Lebanon. Over the past two weeks, advanced munitions believed to have originated from Iran have been discovered not only in Gaza but also near the Golan Heights and in areas controlled by Syrian and Lebanese proxies.
The October 7th Attack and Its Aftermath
The trauma of October 7, 2023—when Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust by killing more than 1,200 Israelis during coordinated attacks—remains a defining factor in Israel’s security posture. The atrocity featured systematic executions, sexual assault, torture, and the forced abduction of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. The IDF maintains that these acts underscore the fundamental moral and legal distinction between Israel’s efforts to free innocent hostages and the deliberate brutality of Iranian-backed terror groups.
Ongoing hostage crisis negotiations further complicate the military and political context. Israeli officials have repeatedly insisted that any exchange of prisoners must reflect the innocence of abducted civilians as opposed to the criminality of convicted terrorists. This principle has guided Israel’s policies through months of indirect negotiations brokered through international channels.
Operational Scope and Civilian Protection
According to IDF spokespersons, every air and ground operation is preceded by advance warnings and the creation of humanitarian corridors, whenever feasible, in accordance with Israeli doctrine aimed at minimizing harm to Gaza residents. Yet, Israeli officials accuse Hamas of embedding military resources in residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools, deliberately using the population as human shields in violation of international law.
This tactic, Israeli sources contend, presents unique operational challenges but has done little to deter the drive to dismantle Hamas’s capacity to wage war. In Tuesday’s strikes alone, the IDF eliminated several known terror operatives involved in planning and executing rocket attacks on Israeli civilian centers. Subsequent reports indicated significant damage to underground military infrastructure that enables the sustained flow of Iranian arms into Gaza.
Northern Front and Wider Regional Risk
Simultaneously, Israel’s northern border with Lebanon has become a new flashpoint in the conflict. Hezbollah, acting under Iranian direction, has unleashed frequent missile and anti-tank missile barrages at Israeli towns, resulting in mass evacuations and serious disruptions to life in northern Israel. The IDF has responded with precision strikes on Hezbollah launch sites, command outposts, and suspected weapons convoys moving south from Syria.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that any escalation by Hezbollah or Iranian-backed militias operating within Syria would trigger a proportional and immediate military response from Israel. The threat of a wider regional conflict remains acute; Western intelligence assessments suggest that Iran could seek to open additional fronts through its proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, increasing pressure on Israel’s defenses and potentially destabilizing the Middle East further.
Iran’s Strategic Calculations
Israeli military and intelligence leaders point to overwhelming evidence that Iran remains the organizing force behind this new wave of violence. Since the start of the current war, Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has facilitated the transfer of advanced weaponry, including precision-guided rockets and drones, across multiple channels insulated by local militias. This support has sharply increased the capability of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to threaten Israeli territory and civilian infrastructure.
Officials in Jerusalem insist that Israel’s current wave of strikes is also a clear message to Tehran: continued escalation by its proxies is intolerable and will be met with forceful consequences. In closed-door briefings, senior sources argued that allowing these groups to operate unchecked risks undermining regional stability, stalling further normalization efforts under the Abraham Accords, and emboldening extremist factions across the region.
Diplomacy, International Backing, and Regional Dynamics
The new campaign has been launched in close coordination with the United States, Israel’s closest strategic ally. Direct communications between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have underscored American backing for Israel’s right to self-defense. The White House has expedited military aid packages and provided diplomatic support at the United Nations, urging all parties to exercise restraint while affirming Israel’s security prerogatives.
European governments, meanwhile, have expressed conditional support for Israel’s operations, urging measures to limit civilian suffering while acknowledging the scale and severity of terror threats facing Israel. Regional stakeholders—especially moderate Arab states party to the Abraham Accords—have called for increased humanitarian assistance for Gaza residents and for a sustainable security arrangement in the region.
Humanitarian Realities Amid Ongoing Conflict
Amid the military campaign, Israeli authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating humanitarian aid for Gaza, distinguishing between their defensive operations and the consequences of Hamas’s tactics. Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported that as corridors open, medical supplies, water, and food shipments are reaching Gaza residents who are not directly impacted by Hamas military operations.
Officials highlight the stark difference between Israel’s actions and those of terror networks, which routinely exploit humanitarian crises for strategic gain. Evidence continues to emerge of Hamas diverting aid and using civilian infrastructure as shields for military assets. Israel has called upon the international community to recognize these violations and pressure Hamas to disengage from tactics that endanger innocents.
Looking Forward: Israel’s Commitments and Challenges
Multiple Israeli military officials have signaled that the current operations are likely to continue for days or weeks until the Iranian-backed terror infrastructure is significantly degraded. The objectives, as articulated by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, are clear: “We will secure our borders, protect our citizens, and ensure that the atrocities of October 7th are never repeated.”
International observers warn that each escalation increases the risk of a wider regional conflict. Israel’s leadership remains steadfast, however, arguing that tolerance of Iranian-backed terror would only embolden further violence against the Jewish state and derail prospects for regional peace.
The stakes—marked by the shadow of past massacres, the persistence of the hostage crisis, and the continual threat of proxy warfare—remain existential for Israel. Its leadership, military, and public appear united in conviction that regional stability, as well as Israel’s democratic future, hinges on absolute clarity in confronting and defeating the terrorist alliances orchestrated by Iran.
The coming days will test not only Israel’s military resolve but also the capacities of regional actors and the international community to uphold the postwar order and deter the resurgence of state-sponsored terror. For now, Israel’s wave of strikes stands as a resolute declaration: the war imposed by Iran and its proxies will not erode Israel’s right—and ability—to defend its people and its future.
