On October 5, the China News Service reported ongoing assaults by Israel on both Lebanon and Yemen from October 4-5. In response to the escalating conflict, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared on October 4 that Iran would continue to retaliate against Israel when deemed necessary. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden held a press conference at the White House on October 4, where he expressed his intent to persuade Israel to refrain from targeting Iranian oil fields and nuclear facilities.

According to reports from AFP and Russia’s Sputnik, Israel has intensified its attacks on Hezbollah to unprecedented levels. In the early hours of October 3-4, Israel launched extensive airstrikes across various locations in Lebanon. Following this, on October 4-5, two additional airstrikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut.

On October 4, the Israel Defense Forces announced that around 250 Hezbollah members had been killed since the beginning of their “limited ground operations” in southern Lebanon, during which they targeted over 2,000 military objectives. Responding on the morning of October 5, Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli forces advancing towards the Lebanon-Israel border, resulting in casualties among Israeli soldiers.

Additionally, on October 4, Israel issued new evacuation orders, increasing the number of Lebanese communities under evacuation to 87. Local media reported a sharp rise in civilian casualties, overwhelming hospitals in Beirut.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the civilian casualties from Israel’s airstrikes in Lebanon, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.” UNICEF has urged an immediate ceasefire, highlighting that at least 127 children have lost their lives in the violence over the past year, with more than 100 of those deaths occurring in just the past 11 days. Furthermore, the UN Women’s Agency reported that 297 women have died in Lebanon in the last year due to the ongoing “cycle of violence.” The World Health Organization announced on October 4 that the first flight carrying medical supplies had arrived in Beirut, sufficient to treat thousands of injured individuals, with two more flights planned for additional emergency aid.

On October 4, Khamenei presided over a ceremony in Tehran to honor Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, stating that Iran’s recent missile strikes on Israel were merely “the minimum punishment.” He asserted that Iran would continue such actions if necessary. On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Lebanon to meet with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, reaffirming Iran’s unwavering support for Lebanon in its “resistance against Israeli aggression.”

Reports from the Associated Press and Bloomberg noted that Biden made a rare appearance at the White House press briefing on October 4, confirming that Israel would respond to Iran’s attacks in some capacity. He reiterated his goal of persuading Israel to avoid striking Iranian oil fields and nuclear facilities in an effort to prevent a larger conflict in the Middle East. When questioned about potential new sanctions against Iran, Biden indicated that “comprehensive considerations” were underway.

On October 4, the Houthi movement in Yemen claimed that U.S. and British aircraft conducted multiple strikes on the capital, Sana’a, totaling four attacks, along with seven in Al Hudaydah Province and one in Dhamar Province. Houthi-controlled Masirah TV reported eyewitness accounts of bombings in central Sana’a and at Al Hudaydah International Airport. Later in the day, Reuters reported that the U.S. military had admitted to executing 15 airstrikes against Houthi targets within Yemen.