One year on, Israel remembers its victims and intensifies airstrikes

Attacks on Lebanon and Gaza escalate on eve of 7 October memorials

- Andrew Roth

Israel will hold memorials for the first anniversary of the 7 October attacks today as the war it launched in response escalated on two fronts amid the growing possibility of a retaliatory airstrike against Iran.

The Israeli military launched heavy bombing raids and issued mass evacuation orders in southern Lebanon and Gaza as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited troops near the Lebanese border for the first time and declared that Israel would "emerge victorious" in the conflict.

The overnight strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs marked the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel sharply escalated its campaign against Hezbollah last month.

As Israelis across the country prepared to mark one year since Hamas launched its devastating attack, a region that has slid into unprecedented crisis was on high alert.

In Israel, the authorities said they were on the lookout for attacks timed to coincide with the anniversary after a gunman opened fire on pedestrians in a central bus station in a city in the Negev desert, killing one and wounding 10 in the second attack in the last week.

In Iran, airports announced that they would cancel all flights from 9pm until 6am, a potential indication that Tehran believes Israeli jets could strike in a raid targeting Iranian military, oil or even nuclear production.

Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against Iran for a recent ballistic missile strike on Israel but said that he would choose the time and place. The White House has pleaded with him not to cross red lines that could send the region further into an all-out war.