Israel bombs Yemen and kills Hamas leaders in Lebanon as war expands

Israel has carried out airstrikes on targets in Yemen and also killed the leader of Hamas in Lebanon in the latest escalation of the Middle East war. According to Israeli officials, the attacks in Yemen targeted the port city of Hodeidah in response to recent Houthi attacks on Israeli targets. Meanwhile, Hamas said Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, the group's leader in Lebanon, was killed in an attack “on his home in Al-Bass camp in southern Lebanon.”

In Yemen, the town of Ras Isa was also a target, the BBC reported, citing Israeli attacks on power plants in the country. According to the Yemeni Ministry of Health, four people died and 29 were injured in the Israeli attacks.

Israel continues to bomb Lebanon with air strikes. After killing the leader of Hezbollah and other senior officials of the organization last week, it has now also killed the leader of Hamas in the country. These attacks were seen as a possible catalyst for Iran's more direct involvement in the war, potentially leading to a disruption in oil supplies.

On Sunday, Israel also attacked a residential building in the middle of Beirut, killing three leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. According to Lebanese authorities, at least 105 people were killed and 359 people were injured in Israeli attacks on Sunday.

This latest escalation will not be the last, Israel's defense minister signaled this weekend when he said the IDF would actually expand its offensive in the north, where Israel borders Lebanon. “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is currently conducting an operational situation assessment regarding the expansion of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) activities in the northern arena,” Gallant’s office said, according to Reuters.

“We must continue to hit Hezbollah hard,” Israel’s military chief of staff said, meanwhile, suggesting there was no prospect of a quick end to hostilities. This means that the risk of an interruption in the supply of oil flows remains, but is likely to remain as subdued as it has been since the end of 2023.

Back then, after three months of fighting between Hamas and the IDF, the flow of oil remained uninterrupted, reassuring traders. This year, the calm continued and Iran chose to remain restrained despite the heated rhetoric following Israeli attacks on Iranian territory, the most notable of which ended with the assassination of the Hamas leader in Tehran.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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