据报道，以色列在两天内袭击了四个不同国家的目标，扩大了针对伊朗盟友的域外活动范围。
以色列军队公开声称周末在叙利亚和巴勒斯坦控制的加沙地带发动了袭击，并被指责在黎巴嫩和伊拉克实施了另外两次行动。随着关于该地区发生的事情的报道出现，以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡暗示他的国家正在国外进行努力，并在周一的规划会议上表示，“我们将深化我们的根基，打击我们的敌人。”
以色列经常指责伊朗试图在整个中东地区建立前沿基地，在那里，由于与巴勒斯坦人长达数十年的领土争端和其他利益冲突，大多数阿拉伯国家尚未正式承认以色列。
以色列传统上对其国际行动保持沉默，但越来越多地公开其一些努力，尤其是在叙利亚，美国国务卿麦克·庞贝周日表示，他支持“以色列保护自己免受伊朗革命卫队威胁的权利&采取行动防止对以色列资产的迫在眉睫的袭击。”这位美国高级外交官说，内塔尼亚胡表示，“以色列将袭击威胁以色列的IRGC目标，无论它们位于何处。”
8月26日，黎巴嫩什叶派穆斯林真主党运动成员在贝鲁特南部Ghobeiry社区举行的葬礼上，抬着他们在以色列对叙利亚的袭击中丧生的战友的棺材。强大的伊朗支持的准军事组织已经与以色列打了两场战争和各种小冲突。
法新社/盖蒂图片社
这条推文是在以色列周六在叙利亚西南部村庄阿克拉巴开展首次对外行动后一天发布的，此举阻止了以色列军方声称的第二天“对以色列的多起无人驾驶杀手的悬而未决的大规模袭击”据说目标是伊朗革命卫队圣城精锐部队成员和黎巴嫩什叶派穆斯林真主党联盟成员。
叙利亚国防部周六报告称，“以色列的侵略”来自被占领的戈兰高地，声称大部分来袭导弹已被拦截。以色列军方周日称，他们杀死了两名“黎巴嫩什叶派民兵”特工，给他们起名，并张贴了据称去伊朗旅行的照片，据说他们在那里接受了“无人机操作训练”
也是在周日，真主党秘书长哈桑·纳斯鲁拉宣布，两架满载炸药的以色列无人驾驶飞机在贝鲁特南部坠落，当时他们试图在该组织支持的城市的一部分执行“自杀任务”。与此同时，在以色列北部，内塔尼亚胡辩称，是伊朗和真主党试图使用这种致命的无人武器，并为他的叙利亚袭击辩护，称“如果有人起来杀你，先杀了他”
几小时后，黎巴嫩国家通讯社报道说，以色列战机袭击了民族主义解放巴勒斯坦人民阵线——库萨亚东部总指挥部的阵地。据报道，该组织也与伊朗有联系，并以高射炮还击，这将是自真主党和以色列2006年交战以来，涉及两国的最严重的一次交战。
同一天，黎巴嫩总理萨阿德·哈里里接到庞贝的电话，庞贝“强调必须避免任何升级，并与有关各方合作，防止局势进一步恶化”，因为哈里里“强调黎巴嫩对国际决议义务的承诺”，并指出“以色列继续违反这些决议的危险”。黎巴嫩总统米歇尔·奥恩星期一会见了联合国黎巴嫩问题特别协调员扬·库比斯，称以色列在贝鲁特和库萨亚的行动是“宣战”
据美联社报道，该声明呼应了伊拉克强大的法塔赫联盟的言论，该联盟称在边境城镇卡因发生的杀害一名民兵指挥官的单独袭击是“向伊拉克及其人民宣战”。声明将此次袭击归咎于以色列，据信是一系列此类袭击中的最新一起目标是与民众动员部队(一个主要由什叶派穆斯林组成的民兵团体)有关的地点，该团体与伊拉克武装部队合并，但也与伊朗有联系。
伊拉克国防部发言人塔希恩·卡法吉周一在接受一家附属于准军事部队的媒体采访时警告称，“我们不会允许安全部队或民众动员部队遭受任何侵略”，但他指出，“调查仍在进行中。”
8月26日，伊拉克首都巴格达南部的中心圣地纳杰夫，伊拉克什叶派穆斯林什叶派穆斯林民众动员部队成员抬着他们同志的棺材参加葬礼。这位伊拉克战士在无人驾驶飞机袭击中丧生，这次袭击被广泛认为是以色列针对伊拉克与伊朗有关联的团体的最新行动。
海德尔·哈姆达尼/法新社/盖蒂图片社
随着身份不明的团体从加沙向以色列发射三枚火箭弹，其中两枚据称被铁穹防御系统拦截，暴力事件也在以色列自己有争议的边界附近爆发。作为报复，以色列对巴勒斯坦逊尼派伊斯兰组织哈马斯的阵地发动空袭。
随着地区紧张局势的爆发，以色列领土政府活动协调员卡米勒·阿布-鲁昆少将在其脸书页面上向巴勒斯坦团体发出警告，警告说，“远近的敌对分子企图挑起战争，正在把你拖入暴力，破坏你家的稳定和安全。”耶路撒冷邮报。
他声称巴勒斯坦激进组织伊斯兰圣战组织“为伊朗服务，一次又一次地制造不稳定，损害该地区的安全。”他补充道:“你才是要承受后果的人。”
尽管以色列和伊朗长期不和，但自美国去年决定退出2015年核协议并对伊朗实施自封的“最大压力”制裁以来，双方的不和加剧了。美国一直在努力建立一个多国海上安全组织，尽管以色列表示了兴趣，但只有英国、巴林和澳大利亚表示了兴趣正式加入联盟。
ISRAEL APPEARS TO ATTACK FOUR COUNTRIES IN TWO DAYS, BOMBING IRAN'S ALLIES ACROSS MIDDLE EAST
Israel has reportedly struck targets in four different countries within the span of two days as it broadened the scope of its extraterritorial activities against allies of Iran.
Israeli forces openly claimed attacks over the weekend in Syria and the Palestinian-administered Gaza Strip and were blamed for two more operations in Lebanon and Iraq. As reports of what occurred across the region emerged, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at his country's ongoing efforts abroad, telling a Monday planning meeting that "we will deepen our roots and strike at our enemies."
Israel has often accused Iran of attempting to set up forward bases across the Middle East, where most Arab nations have not formally recognized Israel due to its decades-long territorial dispute with Palestinians and other clashing interests.
Israel has traditionally maintained silence over its international operations, but has increasingly opened up about some of its efforts, especially in Syria, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday he supported "Israel's right to defend itself from threats posed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps & to take action to prevent imminent attacks against Israeli assets." The top U.S. diplomat said Netanyahu stated "Israel would strike IRGC targets threatening Israel, wherever they are located."
Members of the Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement carry the coffin of their comrades, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Syria, during the funeral in the Ghobeiry neighborhood of southern Beirut on August 26. The powerful Iran-backed paramilitary group has fought two wars and various skirmishes with Israel.
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The tweet came a day after Israel's first foreign operation Saturday in the southwestern Syrian village of Aqraba, preventing what Israel's military claimed the following day to be "a pending, large-scale attack of multiple killer drones on Israel." The targets were said to be members of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force and members of Lebanon's allied Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense reported Saturday "an Israeli aggression" coming from the occupied Golan Heights, claiming much of the incoming missiles had been intercepted. Israel's military said Sunday it killed two "Lebanese Shiite militia" operatives, naming them and posting pictures of an alleged trip to Iran, where they were said to have received "drone-operation training."
Also on Sunday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced two explosive-laden Israeli drones had fallen over southern Beirut as they attempted to conduct a "suicide mission" in a part of the city his group enjoys support. Meanwhile, in northern Israel, Netanyahu argued it was Iran and Hezbollah that had tried to employ such deadly unmanned weapons, justifying his Syria attack by saying that "if someone rises up to kill you, kill him first."
Hours later, Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli jets struck positions of the nationalist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command in eastern Qusaya. The group, which also has ties to Iran, reportedly responded with anti-aircraft fire in what would be one of the most serious engagements involving the two countries since Hezbollah and Israel fought in 2006.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri received a call that same day from Pompeo, who "stressed the need to avoid any escalation and to work with all parties concerned to prevent any further deterioration" as Hariri "emphasized Lebanon's commitment to the obligations of international resolutions" and noted "the dangers of continuing Israeli violations" of these resolutions. Lebanese President Michel Aoun met Monday with the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis, calling Israel's moves in Beirut and Qusaya "a declaration of war."
The statement echoed the words of Iraq's powerful Fateh Alliance, which called separate strikes that killed a militia commander in the border town of Al-Qaim "a declaration of war on Iraq and its people," according to the Associated Press. The statement attributed the strike to Israel and is believed to be the latest in a series of such attacks targeting sites associated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, a mostly Shiite Muslim collective of militias that are integrated with the Iraqi armed forces but host ties to Iran as well.
Speaking Monday to a media outlet affiliated with the paramilitary forces, Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesperson Tahseen al-Khafaji warned Monday that "we will not allow security forces or the Popular Mobilization Forces to be subjected to any aggression," but noted that "investigations are still underway."
Members of the Iraqi Shiite Muslim Al-Hashed Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) carry the coffin of their comrade during his funeral procession in the central shrine city of Najaf south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, August 26. The Iraqi fighter was killed in a drone attack in what was widely believed to be the latest Israeli operation against Iran-linked groups in Iraq.
HAIDAR HAMDANI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Violence also erupted closer to Israel's own disputed borders as unidentified groups fired three rockets into Israel from Gaza, two of which were reportedly intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system. Israel retaliated by launching airstrikes on positions on Hamas, the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group in charge of the territory.
As regional tensions flared, Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major General Kamil Abu-Rukun issued a warning to Palestinian groups on his Facebook page, warning that "hostile elements near and far, attempting to ignite a war, are dragging you into violence and destroying the stability and security of your home," as quoted by the Jerusalem Post.
He claimed that Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad "is in the service of Iran, is causing destabilization again and again and harming the security of the area." He added: "You are the ones who will suffer the consequences."
While Israel and Iran have long been at odds, their feud has worsened since the U.S.' decision last year to leave a 2015 nuclear deal and impose a self-styled "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The U.S. has struggled to establish a multinational maritime security group and though Israel has expressed interest, only the United Kingdom, Bahrain and Australia have officially signed on to coalition.
