IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Saturday that the"dismantling of Hamas' military infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip has been completed."
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Hagari outlined in the statement how Hamas operates throughout the region, utilizing civilian infrastructure and an uninvolved population. He announced that the dismantling of Hamas consists five objectives: targeting commanders, purging the area of terrorists, gathering intelligence, locating and destroying rockets, and eliminating the subterranean capabilities.
The IDF announced Saturday the death of a Nahal Brigade officer Lt. Col. Roee Yohay Yosef Mordechay who was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip over the weekend.
Mordechay, 31, from Tel Aviv was appointed to be the next commander of Nahal’s 50th Battalion before he was killed. His death raises the toll of fallen troops in the ground offensive to 176.
Another soldier of the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion was seriously wounded in the same battle, the IDF says.
IDF announced on Saturday the completion of a widespread attack in Lebanese territory following rocket fire towards Israel. Fighter jets targeted two military facilities belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah, described by the military as "significant assets". One of them served as a ground-to-air missile unit for the terror group.
The Israeli Air Force and additional IDF forces also struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. According to the IDF, among the targeted sites were terror infrastructures, a terrorist cell, a launch site, and an operational command post.
Rocket sirens sounded throughout communities in northern Israel on Saturday following the IDF's attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The military also reported a suspected enemy aircraft infiltrated Israel's airspace, and announced the incident was concluded shortly after.
Iran-backed terror organization Hezbollah took responsibility for a heavy rocket volley aimed at northern Israel on Saturday.
“We launched 62 missiles, this is the first response to the crime of assassinating the great leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut,” the terror organization said in a statement.
Sirens sounded in northern Israeli cities on Saturday including Shtula, Abirim, Netu’a, Karmiel, Safed, and others following alerts of an enemy aircraft infiltrating the country's airspace.
At least 40 rockets were fired toward northern Israel in a volley, aimed at the Galilee and Golan Heights. According to reports, some missiles hit Mount Meron while others were intercepted. Following the volley, the IDF reported it struck a terrorist cell that took part in the launches.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Friday that IDF forces "continue to fight throughout the Gaza Strip and employ the most appropriate operational method in every area of the Strip."
Hagari also referred to the IDF’s establishment of the investigative committee for Hamas’ attack on October 7, on which IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said, "Our goal is to constantly improve, learn lessons from the fighting, and minimize casualties to our forces. Operational investigations are a part of the IDF's core and are part of the military’s genetic code."
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said Saturday that Gaza has become "uninhabitable" due to Israeli attacks since the outbreak of the war on October 7. "Three months since the horrific 7 October attacks, Gaza has become a place of death and despair,," Griffiths said.
Scottish First Minister Hamza Yousaf urged the British government on Saturday to act to stop Israel's "indiscriminate attacks" in the Gaza Strip. According to him, "the UK government’s refusal to do so is shameful. It’s time for the UK to make it clear to Israel that its actions in Gaza have gone far beyond a legitimate response to Hamas’ attack on October 7."
First published: 08:25, 01.06.24