Iranian General Vows to ‘Obliterate All the Zionists’

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard general threatened to “obliterate” Zionists during a funeral service in Tehran.

Gen. Ali Fadavi, a deputy commander in chief of the Guard, made the threat as the Iranian regime waits for the expected retaliation by Israel over the Oct. 1 attack, which saw the country fire hundreds of missiles into Israel.

“That land is a small land. It’s not even as big as one of Iran’s small provinces,” Fadavi said at the funeral for a general killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “If we will, we can obliterate all the Zionists.”

Iranian officials routinely refer to Israelis as “Zionists.”

The threats from this senior Iranian military figure came as the deadly conflict continued to take its toll in the past 24 hours, with an Israeli airstrike on Monday hitting an apartment building in northern Lebanon, killing at least 21 people, including women and children, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. The attack occurred in the village of Aito, a predominantly Christian area far from Hezbollah’s main zones of influence in the south and east.

The Israeli military has not commented on the incident, and the target remains unclear.

Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip also killed at least 15 people overnight on Monday, including six children and two women, according to Palestinian medical officials.

In northern Gaza, where Israel has been conducting an air and ground campaign in Jabaliya for over a week, residents reported that many families remain trapped in their homes and shelters amid the ongoing conflict.

In the past year, Iran-backed Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history, killing some 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. Nearly 100 people remain in captivity, less than 70 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel subsequently launched its military operation in Gaza, killing some 42,000 Palestinians so far, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Local health officials don’t differentiate between civilians and fighters but say many of those killed were women and children.

In a show of solidarity with Hamas, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been engaged in cross-border exchanges of fire with Israel for the past year. The situation has intensified recently, with Israel ramping up its military actions against Hezbollah with Iran becoming directly involved after firing hundreds of missiles at Israel in the past weeks.

This escalation marks a significant increase in regional tensions, as both sides continue to engage in retaliatory strikes along the Israel-Lebanon border. The ongoing conflict adds to the broader instability in the region as multiple groups engage in hostilities.

Sirens Sound Across Northern Israel Amid Rocket Fire from Lebanon

Sirens warning of incoming rocket fire were heard across northern Israel, including in Haifa and nearby communities such as Wadi Ara and Karmiel, early on Tuesday morning. The Israeli military reported that two projectiles were launched from Lebanon, but both were successfully intercepted by the air force. This escalation follows repeated rocket attacks by Hezbollah on Haifa in recent days, heightening tensions in the region. The situation remains volatile as Israel continues to face threats from its northern border.

Criticism Grows Over Attacks on U.N. Peacekeepers

Criticism intensified Monday after repeated attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, with five peacekeepers wounded since Israel began its ground campaign against Hezbollah militants. Most of the attacks have been blamed on Israeli forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged U.N. peacekeepers to temporarily vacate the area. The European Union condemned the attacks and rejected Israeli claims that the U.N. presence was obstructing military operations. Israel’s defense minister vowed a strong response to a Hezbollah drone attack that killed four soldiers.

Netanyahu promises to ‘Strike Hezbollah Without Mercy’

Israel’s Prime Minister has responded to Sunday’s drone attack that killed four Israeli soldiers by saying “We will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon—including Beirut.”

He was speaking while visiting the site of the attack, which also injured 60 according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), at the Golani Brigade Training Base north of Tel Aviv, about 40 miles from the Lebanese border.

In the video released on Monday by the country’s government press office, Netanyahu also said “Together with the entire nation, I pray for their quick recovery … We are continuing to fight. We are paying a painful price, but we have considerable achievements which we will continue to make.”