Israel launched airstrikes on targets in Gaza and the Palestinian enclave’s north early Wednesday, hours after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel, marking a sharp escalation of violence between the two sides. The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas militants and Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, which came in response to an Israeli airstrike on a target in Syria believed to be linked to the IRGC. Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, also threatened retaliation against Israel for the strikes. The violence came amid heightened tensions in the region, with Israel and Iran engaged in a shadow war that has seen a series of attacks and counterattacks in recent months.
