As Israel targets new Hezbollah leader and Ayatollah in Iran tells crowd October 7 massacre was 'legitimate'... how Benjamin Netanyahu could exact revenge for attack

As Israel descends into a terrifying spiral of blows against Iran and Hezbollah, the federation is faced with a bid of choices arsenic they determine their program of retaliation.

Benjamin Netanyahu has intensified his attacks connected Lebanon, with the latest Israeli bombings flattening buildings successful Beirut's confederate suburbs. They launched the heaviest aerial strikes connected Beirut truthful acold with dozens reportedly near dormant crossed Lebanon successful the past days.

An Israeli subject spokesperson said that Israeli forces person killed astir 250 Hezbollah fighters, including a fig of battalion and institution commanders, since the commencement of a crushed cognition successful Lebanon.

And connected the different broadside of the borderline Iran’s Supreme Leader provoked the Jewish federation arsenic helium described past year's October 7 Massacre arsenic 'legitimate' successful a code wherever helium held the tube of a rifle.

So however volition Israel onslaught next, and however acold volition they spell to deed successful their adjacent attacks? MailOnline looks into their 3 main options:  

LOW RISK: CONVENTIONAL TARGETS AND CYBER ATTACKS

Hitting accepted subject targets is seen arsenic the safest mode for Israel to ­effectively nonstop revenge, according to analysts.

These see radar and aerial defence sites, rocket motorboat facilities and Iranian ­Revolutionary Guards Corps bases, arsenic good arsenic different infrastructure.

Attacking these targets would service the dual intent of degrading Iran’s capableness to motorboat further strikes and underscoring Israel’s willingness to prosecute successful an equipped struggle to support itself. 

Meanwhile, a campaign of cyber oregon covert sabotage operations – which could see attacks akin to the 1 that saw thousands of Hezbollah communications devices detonate – remains an option.

MEDIUM RISK: OIL AND GAS FACILITIES

As the 3rd biggest subordinate successful the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iran relies heavy connected exports of crude lipid and gas. 

It presently produces much than 3 cardinal barrels a day, which means a consolidated battle connected 1 oregon much of its captious refineries and terminals could person important consequences.

HIGH RISK: NUCLEAR FACILITIES AND TOP IRANIAN OFFICIALS

While Joe Biden has spoken against targeting Iran’s atomic facilities, respective influential Israeli figures are successful favour of specified a move. 

Iran’s lone functioning atomic powerfulness plant, Bushehr presents 1 imaginable target. But Israel would beryllium much apt to absorption connected uranium enrichment plants deemed captious to the improvement of atomic weapons.

Another devastating but risky attack could beryllium to people cardinal figures connected Iranian soil, from Islamic Revolutionary Guard commanders and politicians up to and including president Masoud Pezeshkian – oregon adjacent Supreme Leader ­Ayatollah Khamenei.

Israel appears to person powerfully considered specified an option. Benjamin Netanyahu has fixed thinly veiled threats that Tehran’s leaders could beryllium assassinated the aforesaid mode those successful complaint of Hamas and Hezbollah person been.

Israel targets caller Hezbollah person successful caller Beirut onslaught ...as Ayatollah successful Iran tells assemblage October 7 massacre was ‘legitimate’

By Andy Jehring and Natalie Lisbona

Israel targeted the ‘new’ Hezbollah person successful a monolithic onslaught connected Beirut little than a week aft eliminating his predecessor.

A elder Israeli authoritative confirmed to the Mail that they attempted to instrumentality retired Hashem Safieddine connected Thursday.

They pounded the panic group’s quality quarters successful the Hezbollah-dominated confederate suburb of the Lebanese capital, believing helium was inside.

In scenes hugely reminiscent of the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, explosions rocked the metropolis arsenic the IDF went aft the antheral acceptable to regenerate him.

Last nighttime Israeli quality operatives were moving to corroborate if they had killed him on with different members of the extremist group’s enactment council.

It came arsenic Iran’s Supreme Leader yesterday described Hamas’ October 7 massacre of 1,200 Jews arsenic a ‘legitimate’ act.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed the barbaric slaughter and rape was done successful self-defence against ‘bloodthirsty’ Israelis arsenic helium led Friday prayers astatine the Grand Mosalla mosque successful Tehran. He held the tube of a firearm arsenic helium spoke to a assemblage of tens of thousands.

Khamenei past led Friday prayers successful January 2020 aft Iran fired missiles astatine a US subject basal successful Iraq successful effect to a onslaught that killed Revolutionary Guards commandant Qasem Soleimani successful Baghdad.

Former Hezbollah person Nasrallah’s assemblage has been temporarily buried successful a concealed determination implicit fears his ceremonial volition besides beryllium hit, it emerged yesterday. A memorial is expected successful Tehran.

The latest onslaught successful Dahieh is simply a abbreviated region from the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport which is the main way retired for civilians.

There are fears that it could unopen immoderate time leaving those near successful Lebanon trapped. Thousands of Britons stay successful Lebanon, with the subject connected standby successful Cyprus to evacuate them if civilian routes adjacent down.

Another formation touched down successful Birmingham connected Thursday arsenic the UK Government said it has chartered much planes to get radical out. So acold 3 person near Lebanon. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: ‘The concern is volatile. Flights are constricted but seats are available.

‘British nationals who privation to permission should registry their beingness present to person details connected however to petition a seat.’

The Israeli subject expanded its evacuation orders yesterday calling connected civilians successful 37 towns and villages successful confederate Lebanon to flee. Families were told to caput northbound of the Awali River to ‘save your lives’.

‘The IDF does not mean to harm you, truthful for your ain information you indispensable evacuate your homes immediately,’ said Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic connection spokesman. ‘Anyone who is adjacent Hezbollah elements, installations, and combat instrumentality is putting his beingness astatine risk.

‘Any location utilized by Hezbollah for its subject needs is expected to beryllium targeted.’

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and much than 20 injured connected Thursday successful a drone onslaught by an Iraqi militia connected a subject basal successful the Golan Heights, adjacent the border.

In his sermon yesterday, Khamenei said ‘the Palestinians were right’ to motorboat the unprecedented October 7 onslaught connected Israel, calling it ‘a logical and legal’ action. He said Iran-backed equipped groups – Hamas and Hezbollah – ‘will not backmost down’.

The Iranian person said Israel was a ‘malicious regime’ which has ‘only kept itself lasting by the injection of American support.’

Meanwhile the IDF claims its forces had killed 250 Hezbollah fighters during the past 4 days aft launching crushed operations successful confederate Lebanon.

It besides said it killed Hezbollah communications commander, Muhammad Rashid Skafi, successful strikes connected Beirut.

Skafi was ‘a elder Hezbollah violent who was liable for the communications portion since 2000’ and was ‘closely affiliated’ with high-up Hezbollah officials, it said.

Iran has said it volition backmost efforts for a ceasefire successful Lebanon provided they it is simultaneous with 1 successful the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the connection connected a solidarity sojourn to Lebanon yesterday.

‘We enactment efforts for a ceasefire connected the information that it would beryllium acceptable to the Lebanese people, acceptable to the resistance, and thirdly, it would beryllium synchronized with a ceasefire successful Gaza,’ helium said.

Iran’s astir elder diplomat besides said his beingness successful Beirut ‘in these hard circumstances’ was the champion grounds that Iran stood by Lebanon and supported the Shi’ites.

‘The Palestinians were right’ to motorboat the unprecedented October 7 onslaught connected Israel, Khamenei stated, calling it ‘a logical and legal’ action.

Speaking successful beforehand of tens of thousands astatine a mosque successful the superior Tehran, Khamenei said Iran-backed equipped groups successful the Middle East - Hamas and Hezbollah - ‘will not backmost down’ adjacent aft Israel precocious killed a spate of violent leaders.

Speaking of Iran’s aggregate rocket onslaught connected Israel this week, helium added: ‘What our equipped forces did was the minimum punishment for the crimes of the usurping Zionist regime.’

The Iranian person said Israel was a ‘malicious regime’ which has ‘only kept itself lasting by the injection of American support.’

He said the authorities of Israel ‘will not past long.’

Lebanese authorities accidental implicit 1.2 cardinal Lebanese person been displaced and astir 1,400 radical killed successful the past 2 weeks.

‘Roads are jammed with traffic, radical are sleeping successful nationalist parks, connected the street, the beach,’ said Mathieu Luciano, the International Organization for Migration’s bureau caput successful Lebanon.

Israel struck Lebanon’s Masnaa civilian borderline crossing with Syria connected Friday morning, aft accusing Hezbollah of utilizing it to transport subject instrumentality into Lebanon.

The onslaught deed wrong Lebanese territory adjacent the borderline crossing, creating a 12ft wide crater, according to Lebanon’s transport minister.

Thousands of civilians had been utilizing the crossing to fly from Lebanon into Syria.