Major military action from Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and the Islamic Republic’s other regional allies, the so-called Axis of Resistance, is widely expected.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, repeated his warning to Iran and its proxies on Monday, saying Israel was determined to “stand against them on every front and in every arena – near and far. Whoever seeks to harm us will pay a very heavy price.”
But the fears of escalation come after a decades-long shadow war between the regional arch foes of Israel and Iran that broke into the open during the events that followed Oct 7.
Here are key events of the last 10 months:
Oct 7 2023
Hamas gunmen storm into southern Israel from Gaza and rampage through communities, killing 1,200 people and dragging some 250 hostages back into the Strip. Iran voices its support for its Palestinian proxy.
Oct 8 2023
Israel declares war against Iran-backed Hamas and begins retaliatory strikes on the densely-populated territory along with a total siege of the coastal enclave. Iran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, begins cross-border shelling attacks against northern Israel that continue throughout the war, drawing Israeli counter-strikes and displacing nearly 200,000 civilians on both sides.
Oct 13 2023
Israel tells the one million residents of Gaza City to move south. Over the course of the next weeks Israel will evacuate most of northern Gaza, beginning a process that will uproot nearly the entire population of Gaza.
Oct 19 2023
A US navy warship intercepts missiles and drones launched from Yemen over the Red Sea in the direction of Israel. It marks the beginning of sporadic long-range attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Israel and against commercial shipping in the Red Sea shipping in “solidarity” with Hamas
Oct 27 2023
Israel launches its ground offensive in Gaza which will leave 39,600 Palestinians dead and displace over two million, according to local authorities, as the war drags on for 10 months.
Nov 3 2023
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, makes his first highly-anticipated speech since Oct 7. He threatened to open a new front in the conflict if Israel did not stop its war in Gaza.
Jan 11 2024
US and British warplanes, ships and submarines launch dozens of airstrikes across Yemen in retaliation against Houthi forces for their attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Houthis vow to continue their attacks.
April 1 2024
Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus is hit by a suspected Israeli air strike that kills several officers of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including a top general. It marks an unprecedented escalation by Israel against Iran and sparks furious promises of revenge from the Islamic Republic.
April 13 2024
Tehran responds by firing 300 missiles and drones at Israel in Iran’s first direct attack on its greatest enemy. Most are intercepted with the help of the US, UK and other allies and no one is killed.
April 19 2024
Several drones and missiles target a military base in the central Iranian city of Isfahan in what is widely presumed to be a retaliation, albeit limited, by Israel. Iran reports no casualties.
July 19 2024
Houthis claim deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv and vow to carry out more, leading Israel to strike the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah a day later, the first attack on Yemen soil since Oct 7.
July 27 2024
A Hezbollah rocket strike on the town of Majdal Shams in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights kills at least 12 children and teenagers. Hezbollah issue a rare denial of any responsibility for the attack.
July 30 2024
An Israeli strike on Beirut kills a top Hezbollah military commander, Fuad Shukr, who Israel claims was behind the Golan Heights attack. Israel later calls it a “clear message to those “who harm us”.
July 31 2024
Hours after the Beirut strike, Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas, is killed in a suspected bomb explosion inside his Tehran guesthouse. Iran and Hezbollah accuse Israel, but Israel neither confirms nor denies its involvement.
Aug 1 2024
Tehran stages a mass funeral for Haniyeh as huge crowds weep and Supreme Leader Khamenei prays over his coffin as Iranian officials ramp up their threats towards Israel. The same day, Israel confirms it killed Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’s military wing, whom it calls Osama Bin Laden of Gaza, in an air strike in July.
Aug 4 2024
Mr Netanyahu says Israel is already in a “multifront war” as it braces for a retaliatory attack from Iran and its proxies. The US, UK and other allies move military assets to the Middle East, and countries call their citizens home from Lebanon and Iran