The day after militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, the two sides were engaged in all-out war, with at more than 1,100 dead — least 700 in Israel and 424 in Gaza, officials said.
Three sources familiar with a phone briefing of U.S. legislators late Sunday said they were told that at least four Americans have been killed in the Hamas attacks and that the number would most likely rise.
Calling it a sign of the U.S.’ “ironclad support” for Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. armed forces were moving an aircraft carrier strike group and military aircraft closer to Israel.
Earlier in the day, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group fired dozens of rockets and shells at Israeli positions in a disputed area in the north. Hezbollah said it did so in solidarity with Hamas. Israel returned fire.
A growing number of voices said Iran’s influence in the surprise attack was apparent. Three former senior intelligence officials and a former senior military officer said elements of the attack — using speed boats, taking hostages, and swarming the enemy — showed signs of an operation planed by Iran or its proxies.
A senior Israeli diplomatic source said the nation was not concerned about the possibility of direct war with Iran.
Among those attacked on the ground during Hamas’ initial offensive were attendees of a trance music festival near Gaza. A nongovernmental rescue organization in Israel estimated that 260 people were killed at or near the Supernova two-day party.