Israel's defense minister warned on Wednesday that his country's retaliation for a recent Iranian missile attack will be "lethal" and "surprising," while the Israeli military pushed ahead with a large-scale operation in northern Gaza and a ground offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah militants.
"They won’t understand what happened and how. They will see the results," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during a speech to troops. "Whoever strikes us will be harmed and pay a price."
Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel on October 1 which the United States helped fend off. US President Biden has said he would not support a retaliatory strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Biden held their first call in seven weeks, with a White House press secretary saying the call included discussions on Israel's deliberations over how it will respond to Iran's attack.
The Israeli operation in northern Gaza also left dozens of people dead and threatened to shut down three hospitals over a year into the war with Hamas, Palestinian officials and residents said on Wednesday.
The continuing cycle of destruction and death in Gaza, unleashed by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, comes as Israel expands a weeklong ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and considers a major retaliatory strike on Iran following Iran’s Oct. 1 missile barrage.