Ahead of Passover, Israel faces multi-front threats. This is clear from how pro-Iranian media is covering the current war on Israel being waged by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups. For instance, in several reports at Al-Mayadeen a number of trends can be seen.
The Gaza Hamas front
First of all, there is an interview that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh gave to Turkish media. I it is highlighted by Al-Mayadeen because of its messaging. Hamas’ leadership visited Turkey over the weekend to cement ties with Ankara and get more support. Haniyeh said in his interview that "if the enemy decides to go to Rafah, our people will not raise the white flag, and the resistance is ready to defend itself." He also said that Israel has not agreed to a ceasefire or to start the war. He appeared to claim there would be no hostage deal. Hamas has stalled on a deal for months. Hamas is hosted by US ally Qatar, which the US and Israel rely on to broker the hostage talks.
Hamas leadership in Doha is now indicating how closely they coordinate with Hamas leadership in Qatar on discussions about Rafah and the “day after” in Gaza. “Regarding the issue of the day after the war in Gaza, and who will assume governance of the Strip, Haniyeh reaffirmed the need for ‘the management of the Gaza Strip to be carried out with Palestinian will,’” the report said.
The northern Hezbollah front
In Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to say it is carrying out precision strikes on Israel. Hezbollah has increasingly said it is targeting Israeli military sites. For instance, last week, the group claimed to target an IDF division and brigade headquarters. It also claimed to target the IDF in the village of Arab al-Aramshe, wounding 14 soldiers. Over the weekend, Hezbollah said that it had “targeted a building used by Israeli occupation soldiers in the ‘Shomera’ colony with appropriate weapons,” according to al-Mayadeen. This is the wording that Hezbollah uses. It claims to use proportional responses to attack Israel using specific weapons, as opposed to arbitrary attacks.
In addition, Hezbollah said on April 20 that “the resistance announced that it had targeted two buildings used by Israeli occupation soldiers in the ‘Matula’ settlement, and two others in the ‘Shlomi’ settlement, with appropriate weapons.” In another statement, Hezbollah claimed it targeted a Humvee using an anti-tank guided missile. “Hezbollah [also] destroyed the spy equipment in Hanita,” Al-Mayadeen reported.
The West Bank front
In recent days, there have been increased clashes in Tulkarm and Hebron in the West Bank. Hamas and other groups are seeking to increase tensions before Passover. According to an Al-Mayadeen report, two Palestinians were killed in a village northeast of Hebron. The report accused the IDF of using live fire. It is part of a wider attempt to inflame the West Bank on the eve of Passover.
This is a pattern for Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and related groups. They often exploit Jewish holidays to create increased tensions. For instance, Hamas carried out its attack on Simchat Torah on October 7. It is likely there will be more escalation over Passover on the multiple fronts that pro-Iran groups have opened to attack Israel.