Israeli attacks in central Gaza are intensifying as Israel awaits retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah which are now considered a given after yesterday’s speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who said that the Lebanese pro-Iranian armed group and the Iran is “obliged to retaliate” against Israel, “whatever the consequences”.

At least five major attacks have occurred in just a few days in the city of Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip alone including other attacks in other parts of the central region, including Nuseirat, the eastern part of the central region.

After yesterday’s drone attack by Hezbollah against Israel, its fighters Hamas targeted Israeli tanks in the southern town of Rafah with rockets and bombs as Israeli forces focus on central Gaza and the eastern areas of Khan Younis.

For their part, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian near Toumbas and shot and wounded three more young Palestinians during a raid in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus.

Palestinian armed groups and Israeli forces also clashed along the Netzarim Strip south of Gaza City on Tuesday, with the Israeli Air Force carrying out strikes as Hamas and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fighters fired rockets.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project, two US-based think tanks, also report that Palestinian fighters in Rafah are using rockets, mortars and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against Israeli tanks.

Several Israeli soldiers were injured by an anti-tank guided missile fired by Palestinian militants in East Rafah, ISW and CTP also said in their latest joint report.

Calls for de-escalation are growing

At the same time, efforts to de-escalate the tension in the region are intensifying. THE King Abdullah II of Jordan‘ spoke by phone with the leaders of Egypt, France, Canada and Italy on Tuesday, calling for intensified efforts to “ensure security and stability” in the Middle East, according to statements by the Royal Hashemite Court.

The calls came as tensions rise in the Middle East, with Iran insisting it will retaliate against Israel over the killings of Hamas’s Haniya in Tehran and Hezbollah’s Shukr in Beirut.

In separate talks with the French President Emmanuel Macron, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Italian prime minister Georgia Meloni, the king stressed “the need to step up efforts to ensure security and stability in the region,” it said.

“There should be no escalation that would lead anyone to an armed conflict. We are conducting intensive diplomatic efforts, together with our allies and partners,” to prevent this and “sent the message directly to Iran. We sent the message directly to Israel,” insisted US foreign policy chief Anthony Blinken during a joint press conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Australian counterparts.

THE Israel’s Energy Minister, Eli Cohen, stated on his part that Israel must act strongly against Lebanonas Hezbollah continues to pound Israel with escalating drone and missile attacks.

“A clear message needs to be conveyed here. Anyone who harms Israel will pay a heavy price. Look at Gaza,” Cohen told the Israeli news website Ynet.

“As far as I’m concerned, the political hourglass is over,” he added.

Cohen also said Israelis in the north should not “panic” about the volatile security situation, saying many were still going out and enjoying their “summer vacation.”