Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Iran on Sunday, October 6, that it might end up looking like Gaza or Beirut if the Islamic republic was considering an attempt to harm Israel.
"The Iranians did not touch the air force's capabilities – no aircraft was damaged, no squadron was taken out of order," Gallant said in a statement, referring to Iran's recent missile strike on Israel that hit two bases of the Israeli air force. "Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at (our achievements) in Gaza and Beirut."
Iran last Tuesday launched around 200 missiles in its second direct attack on Israel, in what it said was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-aligned militant leaders in the region, along with a general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Ever since, Israel has said that it will respond to Iran's attack.
On Sunday, Iran's aviation body announced the cancelation of flights again at some of the country's airports, citing "operational restrictions," state media reported as Israel vows to retaliate for an Iranian missile strike.
Because of those restrictions, "the flights at some airports of the country will be canceled from 21:00 tonight, Sunday, October 6, until 6:00 am tomorrow, October 7," according to IRNA state news agency citing Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation spokesperson, Jafar Yazarloo.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised European airlines to avoid Iranian airspace until October 31, with the situation under ongoing review.
Gaza's civil defense agency said on Sunday that Israeli air strikes in Jabaliya killed at least 17 people as Israeli forces said they had surrounded the area to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
The Israeli military said Sunday its forces surrounded the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza in response to indications that Hamas was rebuilding despite nearly a year of strikes and fighting. "The troops of the 401st Brigade and the 460th Brigade have successfully encircled the area and are currently continuing to operate in the area," the military said in a statement on Sunday.
It cited intelligence suggesting the "presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Jabaliya... as well as efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area." Israeli aircraft struck "dozens of military targets" in support of ground troops, it said.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's official National News Agency said Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold was hit by more than 30 strikes, with a petrol station and a medical supplies warehouse also hit.
Israel's military said it struck weapons storage facilities and infrastructure while taking measures "to mitigate the risk of harming civilians." Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to troops along the northern border, his office said, nearly a week after the army launched a ground operation inside Lebanon.
Following a year of fighting after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, large swathes of Gaza have been reduced to rubble as the Israeli army aimed to completely destroy the militant group.
But in recent months, troops have returned to several areas across the Palestinian territory where they had previously conducted operations against Hamas, only to find militants regrouping.
Hamas-run Gaza's civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said multiple strikes rocked Jabaliya overnight. "There are 17 martyrs, including nine children, in Israeli air strikes in Jabaliya," he said.
Israeli forces have regularly targeted Jabaliya since the Gaza war began, displacing most residents. The military said it was also expanding the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi along the coastline in southern Gaza.
"For this purpose, two humanitarian evacuation routes from northern Gaza have been reopened: one along the Salaheddine road and the other along the Al-Rashid coastal road," the military said. Gaza's civil defense agency meanwhile said an Israeli air strike on a mosque-turned-shelter on Sunday in central Deir al-Balah killed 26 people. Israel's military said it had targeted Hamas militants.
"The number of martyrs brought to hospitals as a result of the occupation's targeting of displaced people in the Ibn Rushd school and Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque reached 26, with several more wounded," a health ministry statement said. Israel's military said it had "conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control center" at the mosque.