«The Islamic Resistance confirms its continued destruction of enemy strongholds,» the Iraqi militia coalition said.
With the war in the Gaza Strip beginning a new phase after Israeli forces entered the southern city of Rafah, a coalition of Iraqi militias claimed six missile and drone strikes in one day against Israel and threatened to further escalate their offensive.
The attacks were claimed Thursday by a coalition of militias known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and involved the alleged targeting of Israel’s Nevatim Air Base in Beersheba, the southern port city of Eilat, the Ashkelon oil terminal, a base in the northern border town of Elifelet, a platform in the Leviathan offshore gas field and the Ovda Air Base. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately report on the purported strikes.
The attacks were said by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to have been conducted «in continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation, in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly.» The coalition also asserted that «the Islamic Resistance confirms its continued destruction of enemy strongholds.»
The strikes came as part of an ongoing campaign launched by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and other factions of the Iran-aligned «Axis of Resistance» against Israel since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led an unprecedented surprise attack.
As Israeli troops continue to battle the group seven months later, the IDF announced on Monday the beginning of joint aerial and ground operations against the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a bid to uproot Hamas’ presence and dismantle suspected cross-border arms smuggling operations.
The Israeli operations began despite protests from U.S. officials who cited humanitarian concerns over an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians believed to be taking shelter in Rafah. With IDF activities underway, U.S. President Joe Biden has suspended one shipment of offensive weapons and has threatened to withhold further military assistance if an all-out offensive began.
As Israel continues to face hostile fire from multiple fronts, Iraqi militias accused the country of conducting an airstrike on a media and cultural center on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Wednesday. The IDF has neither confirmed nor denied its role in the strike, but reports of Israeli involvement, which would mark the latest episode in a years-long campaign of Israel targeting Iran-linked targets in Syria, drew strong reactions on the ground.
