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(AP) — Israel’s defense minister warned on Wednesday that his country’s retaliation for a recent Iranian missile attack will be “lethal” and “surprising,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden held their first call in seven weeks.
“Our strike will be lethal, precise and above all, surprising. They won’t understand what happened and how. They will see the results,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during a visit Wednesday to an intelligence unit.
“Whoever strikes us will be harmed and pay a price,” he added.
Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel on Oct. 1 in an escalation of the conflict between the two countries. Israel has been discussing how to respond to the Iranian attack, which the United States helped fend off. Biden has said he would not support a retaliatory strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program.
Against the backdrop of fighting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden held their first call in seven weeks Wednesday, Netanyahu’s office said.
In northern Gaza, there was heavy fighting in Jabaliya, where Israeli forces have carried out several major operations over the course of the war and then returned as militants regroup. The entire north, including Gaza City, has suffered heavy destruction and has been largely isolated by Israeli forces since late last year.
A rocket fired from Lebanon killed two people in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, and another six were stabbed and wounded in the city of Hadera Wednesday. Police said the attacker was “neutralized,” and later clarified he had been arrested.
Hezbollah claimed the strike on Kiryat Shmona, saying it targeted “a gathering of enemy forces.” Ofir Yehezkeli, the town’s acting mayor, said the two killed were a couple walking their dogs.
