Headline: Tensions Escalate in Mideast as Israel and Iran Exchange Fire

Subheading: As Iran Fires 200 Missiles at Israel, Netanyahu’s Office Says Israel Will Decide How to Respond, Not the US

Article:

Tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate as Israel and Iran exchanged fire, with Hezbollah joining in the fray. The crisis began on October 1, when Iran launched a volley of around 200 missiles at Israel in response to an Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian general Abbas Nilforoushan.

Israel has vowed to respond to the attack, but on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office seemed to shift its tone, saying that Israel will decide how to respond, not the United States. The comments came as a top Iranian commander, Esmail Qaani, attended the funeral for Nilforoushan, dispelling rumors that he had been killed in an Israeli strike.

The escalation comes as UNICEF and the World Food Programme called for more funding to address "increasing" needs in Lebanon, where at least 1,315 people have been killed and 690,000 displaced since Israel escalated its bombing last month. The war in Lebanon has also led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people, with UNICEF and the World Food Programme warning that the situation is critical.

In Gaza, the situation is just as dire. The Israeli military has continued its bombardment, killing 42,344 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN has described the figures as reliable, and the International Committee for the Red Cross has warned that "northern Gaza families are facing unimaginable fear, loss of loved ones, confusion, and exhaustion".

As the death toll mounts, international leaders are calling for restraint. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country is the second-biggest contributor of UNIFIL peacekeepers, lashed out at the Israeli attacks, calling them "entirely unjustified". The UN Security Council has also expressed "strong concerns" over peacekeepers being wounded in Lebanon.

As the situation continues to deteriorate, one thing is clear: the road to peace in the Middle East is long and fraught with danger. But as the international community stands united in its call for an end to the violence, the onus is on Israel and Iran to de-escalate the situation and find a peaceful resolution.

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