March 22: IDF chief: Fight with Hezbollah ‘only just begun’; spokesperson: War to go on several more weeks

In first, Iranian missile launched at northern Israel appears to land in Lebanon — IDF

The ballistic missile Iran launched at northern Israel half an hour ago apparently struck Lebanese territory, according to military assessments.

It apparently marks the first time that an Iranian ballistic missile has hit Lebanon during the current war.

It is unclear if Iran was aiming for Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon or for a target in Israel.

Saudi Aramco boss said to pull out of major energy conference due to Iran war

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser has canceled his planned appearance at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas, to remain in Saudi Arabia because of the Iran war, an industry source tells Reuters.

Nasser, who has been CEO of the world’s top oil exporter for more than a decade, is usually one of the headline speakers at the conference, one of the energy industry’s biggest events.

CERAWeek, organized by S&P Global, which begins tomorrow, draws top executives, government officials, and policymakers from around the world to discuss the global energy market outlook.

Nasser’s withdrawal highlights the scale of the challenge he faces in dealing with the Iran crisis.

He will also not provide a recorded video message for the CERAWeek conference, the source says, adding that the event’s organizers have been notified.

The war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has upended global markets and spurred Iranian strikes across the Gulf that have effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz and targeted Gulf energy infrastructure, including Aramco’s.

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah, CEO of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, will also not attend the Houston gathering, but he will join a Tuesday session at the conference virtually from Kuwait, a separate source says.

To bypass the strait, Aramco is piping millions of barrels per day of crude from its east coast to its west coast. It has cut oil output by about 2 million bpd from two fields, Reuters has reported.

Abu Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala is also unlikely to have any representatives at the event, a source familiar with the matter says.

It is not immediately clear if Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of the UAE’s oil company ADNOC, will attend in person. He is listed as a speaker on the event website. ADNOC does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

No injuries reported following latest Iranian missile attack

No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, the 10th since this morning.

The missile, which triggered sirens in northern border communities, was likely intercepted according to initial military assessments.

The previous missile fired at northern Israel, in the ninth attack of the day, struck an open area.

New Iranian missile attack on northern Israel detected, sirens set to sound again

Shortly after telling civilians they can leave bomb shelters, the IDF detects another ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound again in northern Israel in the coming minutes.

No injuries or direct impacts reported in latest Iranian missile attack

No injuries or direct impacts are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the ninth since this morning.

The missile triggered sirens in northern border communities.

7 IDF soldiers lightly wounded today in Lebanon, northern Israel

Seven IDF soldiers were lightly injured in a number of incidents in southern Lebanon and northern Israel today, the military says.

According to the IDF, four troops were hurt in a safety-related incident during operations in southern Lebanon this evening.

In another incident earlier in southern Lebanon, a soldier was injured by a Hezbollah drone that impacted near Israeli forces, the military says.

Additionally, the IDF says that two more troops were hurt in a “work accident” in northern Israel.

All seven were taken to hospitals in good condition, and their families were notified.

US embassy offers busing to Amman airport for citizens seeking to leave Israel

The US embassy in Jerusalem is offering bus transport to the Amman International Airport for American citizens seeking to leave Israel during the war with Iran.

The bus service, announced today, will begin tomorrow and cross into Jordan via the Sheikh Hussein Border Crossing in northern Israel, the embassy says. Buses will leave from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and travelers are responsible for booking their own flights from Amman.

The bus service comes as steep restrictions have been put into effect limiting air travel out of Ben Gurion Airport, and as several Iranian missile attacks have hit Israelis cities, injuring scores of people.

Iranian missile attack detected, sirens set to sound in northern Israel

After a lull of nearly five hours, the IDF has detected a new Iranian ballistic missile attack.

Sirens are expected to sound in northern Israel in the coming minutes.

EU’s top diplomat spoke with Iran’s foreign minister, official says

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today, an EU official tells Reuters.

Kallas also held separate calls with counterparts from Turkey, Qatar, and South Korea “on the war in the Middle East, attacks on energy infrastructure, and the urgent need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” the official says.

“These engagements were part of the EU’s ongoing efforts to explore diplomatic avenues forward,” the official says, adding that “fresh threats to attack critical civilian infrastructure risk impacting millions of people across the Middle East and beyond.”

Kallas last spoke to Araghchi on Wednesday, when she said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for the world’s oil supply, was a priority for Europe, according to an EU official.

Trump reposts video mocking UK’s Starmer on social media

US President Donald Trump shares a video on his Truth Social network of a TV comedy skit showing a terrified British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hoping to dodge a phone call with the American leader.

The skit, aired on the premiere of the new British version of Saturday Night Live — adapted from the long-running US show — shows Starmer, played by George Fouracres, panicking inside 10 Downing Street at the prospect of a call with Trump.

Starmer turns to a fake David Lammy, his deputy prime minister, and says, “What if Donald shouts at me?”

When Trump picks up the phone, Starmer immediately hangs up, asking why it is so difficult to talk to “that scary, scary, wonderful president.”

“Sir, just be honest and tell him we can’t send any more ships to the Strait of Hormuz,” Lammy says, a reference to the vital shipping lane effectively blocked by Iran since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.

Trump posts on UK PM Starmer pic.twitter.com/omrhPPxMX3

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 22, 2026

Trump did not post any comment alongside the video.

The US leader has repeatedly railed against Starmer since the start of the war, accusing him of not doing enough to support the United States.

“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said earlier this month, after Starmer initially declined to let US warplanes use UK bases to strike Iran.

“I’m disappointed with Keir,” Trump has also said, slamming Starmer’s “big mistake.”

IDF confirms bombing bridge over Lebanon’s Litani River that it calls ‘key’ for Hezbollah

The Israeli military confirms bombing the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River earlier today, saying in a statement that it was a “key” crossing used by Hezbollah to move operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon.

“The Hezbollah terror organization uses this crossing to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets, and rocket launchers that it uses to carry out terror attacks from the area south of the Litani against IDF troops and Israeli civilians,” the military says.

The IDF says it struck the bridge, located on Lebanon’s coastal highway just north of Tyre “to prevent harm to Israeli civilians as well as Lebanese civilians.”

In a separate wave of airstrikes in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon today, the IDF says it struck 15 Hezbollah command centers.

Knesset expected to hold final vote on contentious death penalty bill as early as next week

The Knesset National Security Committee is expected to wrap up deliberations on a controversial bill that would mandate the death penalty for terror convicts and send it to the full Knesset for its final two readings before becoming law, a spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

“There is still work being done in the committee,” the spokesperson says. That work includes revisions to the bill, but “the intention is to complete preparation of the bill in the committee this week and transfer it to the plenum.”

Haaretz reported earlier today that the committee is hoping to send the bill to the plenum as early as next week.

The legislation, sponsored by Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, a member of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, passed its first reading in November and has since been under discussion by the committee in preparation for its subsequent readings in the plenum.

The bill has been subjected to numerous objections and proposed amendments from opposition lawmakers and the committee’s legal adviser, who have argued that the bill is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Significant changes were made last week to “soften” the bill, following pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which argued that the draft was harsher than US capital punishment standards and could expose Israel to diplomatic and legal scrutiny abroad.

Those revisions removed a clause mandating the death penalty without judicial discretion, allowing judges the option to choose between capital punishment and life imprisonment. Another change removed the requirement for trials to take place in military courts, permitting trials in civilian courts. And a third dropped language defining terror victims as “Israeli citizens,” a clause that would have excluded Palestinian victims, in a bid to avoid accusations of discrimination.

Lebanon’s PM slams Hezbollah rocket attacks, says country won’t give up on disarmament

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says in an interview with the Saudi channel Al-Hadath that his government will not abandon efforts toward disarmament, an apparent reference to efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

In the interview, Salam criticizes the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group, saying its rocket fire toward Israel had led to heavy damage in Lebanon and undermined the government’s credibility.

He adds that, in his words, every rocket fired by Hezbollah had led to “10,000 displaced people” in Lebanon due to Israel’s retaliatory strikes and calls for wide swaths of the country to evacuate.

Salam also criticizes Israel over its destruction of bridges in southern Lebanon, adding that it has created a “disaster” for the country and links to its southern region.

He stresses that the current war with Israel was imposed on Lebanon and that the country has not chosen it.

Salam also referenced the ban imposed in Lebanon about two weeks ago on the activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying it is currently being implemented, and that members of the Revolutionary Guards are staying in Lebanon using forged passports.

More flight restrictions expected at Ben Gurion after recent Iranian missile impacts

Israel is reportedly expected to further restrict flight operations at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after Iranian ballistic missiles targeted central and southern Israel over the weekend, impacting multiple cities and injuring scores of people.

Starting tomorrow morning, the number of passengers permitted on a flight departing Ben Gurion Airport will drop to 50 from the current 120, Channel 12 reports. The restrictions will not apply to flights arriving at the airport.

In addition, the airport will reportedly see only one flight take off and one flight land per hour, instead of the two aircraft per hour that are currently allowed to arrive and depart, according to the report.

The Transportation Ministry is not available for comment. El Al and Arkia say that, as of Sunday evening, they have not received an official update on the reported changes.

Turkey’s spy chief hosts Hamas leader, disarmament not included in summary

Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin meets with Hamas politburo members in Istanbul, according to a senior Turkish official.

The Turkish official says the meeting covered the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, but does not mention discussion of Hamas disarmament, a key piece of the ceasefire plan, in a summary of the meeting.

The official says they discussed “the importance of unity against Israel’s occupation and destabilization policies — aimed at setting the entire region ablaze, with Jerusalem at the center — and made clear that no fait accompli would be tolerated.”

The Gaza-based terror group and its Turkish backers discussed stopping Israeli attacks and removing any impediments to humanitarian aid in Gaza, the official says.

According to the official, the Hamas leaders and Kalin discussed “possible measures” in response to violence by extremist West Bank settlers and the building of Israeli settlements in the territory.

Israeli diplomat slams UK anti-Israel art exhibit featuring swastika as antisemitic and ‘indefensible’

Israel’s charge d’affairs in the UK condemns an art exhibit that associates Israel with Nazi imagery, calling it antisemitic and indefensible.

The exhibit by artist David Collings, called “Drawings against Genocide” and showing in the town of Margate in southeast England, features drawings that harshly criticize Israel in graphic terms. One work features text reading “Stop apartheid demon,” and others show Israeli soldiers stepping over skulls in scenes doused with blood.

One work displays a drawing of US President Donald Trump with a swastika and an Israeli flag, along with the words “Death,” “Israel” and “Epstein,” a reference to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender. The caption of that drawing reads, “Trump thinks: ‘Hmm, Epstein… Better invade Iran & murder Muslims,'” a likely reference to the claim that Trump launched the ongoing Iran war to distract from his associations with Epstein.

Yesterday in Margate, UK, an exhibition titled “Drawings Against Genocide” by Matthew Collings displayed monstrous blood libel, portraying Jews as demons eating children and as a blood-thirsty “Jewish lobby.”

The images speak for themselves, worse than Nazi propaganda. pic.twitter.com/3yUHicysMl

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) March 22, 2026

The exhibit drew attention on social media after Zoe Strimpel, a British Jewish writer, posted on X that she visited the exhibit and confronted Collings, leading to jeers from onlookers.

In response, Israeli charge d’affairs Daniela Grudsky posted late yesterday, “This isn’t art. It isn’t free speech. It’s antisemitism — crude, aggressive, and completely indefensible. It should be treated with the full seriousness of the law.”

This isn’t art. It isn’t free speech.

It’s antisemitism — crude, aggressive, and completely indefensible. It should be treated with the full seriousness of the law. https://t.co/dd8BYw95Td

— Daniela Grudsky (@DanielaGrudsky) March 21, 2026

Israel’s fights against Iran, Hezbollah to continue for several weeks, IDF spokesman says

Israel faces more weeks of fighting against Iran and its proxy Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says.

“We are expected to face several more weeks of fighting against Iran and Hezbollah,” he says in a press conference.

“With each passing day, we are weakening the terror regime more and more. We will not allow the terror regime and its proxies to pose a threat to the State of Israel,” Defrin adds.

Hezbollah trying to hit strategic Israeli infrastructure — report

Israel believes that Hezbollah is trying to notch a key achievement in its conflict with Israel by hitting sensitive Israeli infrastructure in the near future, Channel 12 reports.

The report adds that Hezbollah will only be willing to engage in a diplomatic path to end the fighting in Lebanon if such an agreement comes as part of a broader regional deal that includes the end of the war in Iran.

Three strikes target Iraqi fighters south of Baghdad — local officials

Three strikes south of Iraq’s capital Baghdad target fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, local authorities say.

The alliance, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), is part of Iraq’s regular armed forces, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups.

“Units of the PMF were targeted by drone strikes and airstrikes, with three strikes in different locations,” says a statement from a local emergency crisis cell, adding that the positions were deserted and there were no casualties.

Transportation Ministry says no change in flights policy after further restrictions said considered

The Transportation Ministry says that, “contrary to reports,” there is no change in Israel’s policy regarding arriving and departing flights, after reports indicated that further restrictions were being weighed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

Those reports in the Hebrew press claim that the ministry is considering restricting or further reducing passenger numbers on outbound and inbound flights after Iranian ballistic missiles targeted central and southern Israel over the weekend, with multiple impacts and scores injured.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev says the ministry is conducting ongoing situation assessments to keep Israel’s skies open while maintaining passenger safety, in coordination with recommendations of the security officials and military.

Regev conducts a situation assessment daily and if there are any changes, an announcement will be issued, the ministry says.

US to Israel: Hormuz operation will take weeks; we won’t let Iran hold world hostage — report

White House officials have told their Israeli counterparts that a potential US operation to re-open the Strait of Hormuz will take several weeks, Channel 12 reports.

If Iran does not give in to US President Trump’s 48-hour deadline, issued yesterday, to open the key shipping lane, the war will be extended to make time for the US operation, according to the report.

US officials are telling the Israelis that a change in strategy is needed, and that Washington will not allow Iran to take the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows, hostage. “We will use this to make them collapse from within,” say US officials, according to the network.

Number of wounded in settler attack on West Bank village rises to 9 — medics

The Palestinian Red Crescent says the number of people wounded in a settler attack on the village of Deir Khatab in the northern West Bank has risen to nine.

According to the statement, one of those injured was shot by settlers.

Earlier reports said settlers set fire to several vehicles and structures in the village, following the death yesterday of an 18-year-old Israeli in a vehicle collision. The incident is being investigated as a possible terror attack.

IDF chief: Fight against Hezbollah ‘has only just begun’; terror group will be ‘isolated’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the fighting against Hezbollah “has only just begun,” and after the war with Iran, the Lebanese terror group will remain “isolated.”

“Iran is our primary effort, and the northern arena is another central arena. They are interconnected. The Hezbollah terror organization constitutes a central proxy of the Iranian terror regime, and it made a grave mistake when it chose to join the campaign against Israel. This choice harms it and the State of Lebanon as a whole,” Zamir said yesterday while approving battle plans at the Northern Command.

“The message is clear: There is no safe haven for the regime and its proxies, any threat to Israeli citizens will be met with a determined, precise, and powerful response,” he said, according to remarks published today by the military.

“In recent weeks, we have achieved significant accomplishments; we have struck more than 2,000 targets, dozens of weapons depots, and eliminated hundreds of terrorists,” Zamir said, adding that “the campaign against Hezbollah has only just begun.”

“At the end of the campaign in Iran, Hezbollah will be left alone and isolated. This is a prolonged campaign, and we are prepared for it,” he said.

Zamir said that the military is preparing to “deepen” its ground offensive in southern Lebanon and airstrikes against the terror group: “We will not stop until the threat is pushed away from the border and long-term security for the residents of the north is ensured.”

“We are prepared for a long campaign and will continue to act as required, in both offense and defense, to ensure the long-term security of the residents of the north,” he added.

Court extends detention of Arab citizen suspected in possible terror stabbing

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extends the remand of a young Arab Israeli suspected of stabbing and severely injuring a man earlier this month, in what police are probing as a terror attack.

Muhammad Watad, a 21-year-old pharmaceutical student from the Arab village of Jatt, was detained on suspicion of stabbing 47-year-old Gedalyahu Ben Shimon, the head of Ramat Gan’s religious council, several times in the city on March 12.

Ben Shimon was severely wounded in the attack and paramedics rushed him to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery. He emerged in stable condition.

Watad has been held in custody since the stabbing, but is reportedly insisting on his innocence before the court.

According to Ynet, the suspect denies being the black-clad man seen stabbing Ben Shimon on security camera footage from that day. Instead, he claims he was working in a nearby pharmacy, but ran out of the building once he heard alarms.

Police during the hearing confirm that officers did not find the knife used in the stabbing on Watad himself, and further add that they have not yet completed DNA and fingerprint tests that could link him to the weapon, Ynet reports.

Reports: Settlers set fire to vehicles, structures in north West Bank village; 2 injured

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers set fire to several vehicles and buildings in the village of Deir Khatab in the northern West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that two people were injured in the village as a result of the attack, though it is unclear exactly what caused the injuries. The reported attack comes after a string of settler attacks, including arson and beatings, last night.

Earlier, messages circulated in groups and pages identified with settlers calling to avenge the death of Yehuda Sherman at 5 p.m. today. Sherman, 18, was killed yesterday in a collision between a Palestinian and Israeli vehicle in the Jenin area in the northern West Bank. Several hours after the incident, police and the military said they were examining the possibility that it was a terror attack.

#فيديو | مستوطنون يشعلون النار في عدد من المركبات والمنازل في قرية دير الحطب شرق نابلس. pic.twitter.com/py32DfOkVa

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) March 22, 2026

In preparation for the settler attacks, the IDF reportedly locked down a number of Palestinian villages, in what locals say amounts to collective punishment of those being targeted.

BREAKING: The Israeli army has informed the Palestinian Military Liaison that all entrances and exits to multiple cities and towns across the West Bank will be closed today due to calls by settlers to attack Palestinian villages.

Punishing Palestinians, who are the victims of… pic.twitter.com/jEmALnv1Qc

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) March 22, 2026

AG asks police chief to freeze counter-incitement activities, after reports of illicit surveillance

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara urges the commissioner of police to immediately halt the activities of law enforcement’s counter-incitement department, following reports that the fledgling body was illicitly tracking ordinary citizens’ social media activity.

In a letter sent by her office to police chief Danny Levy, the attorney general says the body’s reported activities amount to “proactive surveillance of people on social media, without a sufficient evidentiary basis provided.”

This surveillance, her letter claims, raises real concern of “unjustified harm to human rights and free expression” by police.

The letter is sent in wake of a Kan public broadcaster report claiming the officer in charge of the department urged officers to send him names of people that “bother” them, with the goal of monitoring their social media and potentially launching investigations into their posts.

The report includes a screenshot WhatsApp message sent by Ch. Supt. Udi Ronen, who heads the department, in which he writes: “Send me targets and names that interest or bother or are known to you. We will see what and if we can do anything against them from the perspective of social media or more.”

“Just send every name that comes to mind, what do you care? Maybe we’ll find an interesting way to take him down and help,” the message continues.

Before National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took office, probes into incitement were typically conducted by the police’s investigations and intelligence division, led by Deputy Commissioner Boaz Blatt.

Ben Gvir has since created the incitement division, subordinate to the deputy police commissioner, to investigate incitement suspicions.

IDF says it killed terror operative in Gaza who planned attacks on Israel

The IDF says it killed a terror operative in the Gaza Strip earlier today who had planned to carry out attacks on Israel.

The operative “posed a real and immediate threat to Israeli citizens,” the military says, adding that “he was working to advance plans for terror attacks within the territory of the State of Israel.”

The military says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike.

צה"ל חיסל מחבל ברצועת עזה שפעל לקדם פיגועי טרור בשטח מדינת ישראל

מוקדם יותר היום, צה"ל חיסל ברצועת עזה מחבל אשר היווה איום ממשי ומיידי על אזרחי מדינת ישראל.

המחבל חוסל בתקיפה ממוקדת ומדויקת על בסיס מודיעין אשר הצביע כי פעל לקדם מתווים לפיגועי טרור בשטח מדינת ישראל.

טרם התקיפה… pic.twitter.com/Rpvc75RZWw

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 22, 2026

UK’s Starmer to hold emergency meeting on Iran war’s economic impact

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss the impact of the Iran war on the economy, a British government official says.

Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, is expected to attend the meeting, the official says.

Sirens warning of drone attack from Lebanon sound in north

Sirens warning of a drone attack from Lebanon sound in several communities in the Upper Galilee.

The alerts are activated in Yarka, Ma’alot-Tarshiha, and numerous surrounding towns.

Iranian strike on city of Dimona destroyed building housing program for underprivileged kids

A building housing an afterschool program serving underprivileged children was among those destroyed in a ballistic missile strike on the city of Dimona last night, leaving 33 people wounded.

“Thank God the children weren’t there,” program director Shilgit Kanias told The Times of Israel. “This is a miracle.”

Despite the damage, Kanias is already looking ahead. “I can already see volunteers cleaning up,” she says. “Everything will be back up and running… I just don’t know how long it will take.”

Wreckage spanned several residential blocks surrounding the impact site, with many homes’ windows shattered and rooftops broken.

Nearby resident Zev Goldberg, a lone soldier who came to Israel 6 months ago from Virginia, was in a shelter when the missile struck.

“I was safe,” he says. “The shelter shook.” Seeing the aftermath, he adds: “I’m shocked… It’s a lot of damage for one rocket.”

Goldberg refuses to let the shadow of war dampen his spirit, telling The Times of Israel that he is expecting to hear from the IDF as to what position he will be assigned later today.

“I want to serve in Givati,” the infantry brigade, he says with a smile.

Latest Iranian missile attack on southern Israel intercepted, no injuries reported

The ballistic missile launched by Iran at southern Israel a short while ago was intercepted, according to preliminary military assessments.

Footage posted to social media indicates an exoatmospheric interception of the missile by the long-range Arrow 3 air defense system.

No injuries are reported, in the eighth Iranian attack on Israel since this morning.

Sirens had sounded in Dimona and nearby towns in the Negev Desert.

פיצוץ מחוץ לאטמוספירה: הטיל האיראני ששוגר לדרום יורט באמצעות מערכת חץ | צפו בתיעוד@VeredPelman pic.twitter.com/9lrvhVptUF

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 22, 2026

Netanyahu praises Hungary’s Viktor Orbán ahead of elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu effectively endorses Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in next month’s elections in that country, saying the strongman leader “has been like a rock.”

“You need leaders who can protect against this rising tide [of Islamic terrorism], and can ensure safety and stability for their own countries,” Netanyahu says in a video message to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest. “This is what Viktor Orbán has in abundance.”

“Vitkor Orbán means safety, security, stability,” he says.

Netanyahu, who has long been friendly with Orbán, was slated to attend the conference himself, but decided to stay in Israel during the ongoing war against Iran. His son Yair attended and spoke at the event.

“Thank you for standing up for Western civilization, against this tide of radical, fanatical Muslims,” the Israeli premier tells the conference in his message.

US President Donald Trump gave his “complete and total endorsement” of Orbán in his own message to CPAC.

Sa’ar slams German envoy to Israel’s ‘obsession’ after post noting settler violence

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar blasts German Ambassador Steffen Seibert, saying he is looking forward to the diplomat’s replacement after the German envoy writes about settler violence in the same post in which he laments Israeli casualties across the country.

In a post on X, Seibert laments the death of an 18-year-old Israeli who was hit by a Palestinian car in the West Bank yesterday; the Israeli farmer killed in the north amid the conflict with Hezbollah this morning; hundreds hurt by Iranian missile strikes; and “the violent settler rampage in Palestinian villages.”

Sa’ar responds that Seibert “finds it very difficult to condemn attacks against Israelis without bringing up the Palestinians.”

“His obsession with Jews living in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] prevents him from even condemning the death of a Jew caused by a Palestinian,” Sa’ar says of 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman. “Good to know that a new ambassador will soon arrive – one who will strengthen Israel-Germany relations.”

“I have publicly condemned Iran’s random targeting of Israeli civilians and the criminal use of cluster bombs,” responds Seibert, who learned Hebrew during his tenure, which ends this year. “Germany is clear on that. We stand with Israel in this war. Settler violence also concerns us greatly, as it does the Israeli president and other leaders.”

Germany is one of Israel’s closest security and diplomatic allies.

IDF probing possibility that Ofer Moskovitz, Israeli killed in north, was hit by IDF fire

The IDF is investigating the possibility that 60-year-old Ofer Moskovitz, who was killed in the northern kibbutz of Misgav Am this morning, was hit by Israeli artillery fire, and not by a Hezbollah attack.

No sirens had sounded when the projectile struck a car that Moskovitz was in.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror group backed by Iran, swiftly took responsibility for the strike in Misgav Am, saying it targeted “a gathering of Israeli enemy army soldiers” with a barrage of rockets at 8 a.m.

The IDF, in an initial statement, said that rocket fire from Lebanon caused casualties and damage, adding that the “incident is under investigation.”

In a new statement, the military says it is “conducting a comprehensive investigation involving all relevant authorities” following the incident.

“The possibility that the incident involved fire originating from IDF soldiers is being examined,” the army says.

“The IDF extends its deep condolences to the family at this difficult time. The IDF is in ongoing contact with the kibbutz,” it adds.

New Iranian missile attack detected, sirens set to sound in southern Israel

After a lull of over 3 hours, the IDF has detected a new Iranian ballistic missile attack.

Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.

Lebanon’s Aoun: IDF bridge strikes mark ‘dangerous escalation,’ signal unwanted ground invasion

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemns Israel’s strikes targeting bridges over the Litani River in southern Lebanon as “a dangerous escalation,” saying they are a prelude to a “ground invasion” that Beirut has repeatedly cautioned against.

“These attacks constitute a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. They are considered a prelude to a ground invasion — something Lebanon has repeatedly warned against through diplomatic channels,” Aoun says, according to an Arabic-language post on his office’s X account.

The remarks come shortly after the IDF struck the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River, having warned it would do so to prevent the terror group Hezbollah from moving operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon. It was the fifth bridge hit in the area amid renewed fighting with the Iran-backed terror group during the ongoing war with Iran.

“The targeting of the bridges over the Litani River — a vital artery for civilian movement — constitutes an attempt to sever the geographic connection between the area south of the Litani and the rest of Lebanese territory, and obstructs the delivery of humanitarian aid,” Aoun continues, saying it represents the pursuit of “Israeli expansion into Lebanese territory.”

Beirut “calls on the international community — particularly the United Nations and members of the Security Council — to assume their responsibilities and take immediate measures to deter Israel from carrying out this attack,” the president adds.

Smotrich: We’re working to ‘collapse’ the ‘evil’ Palestinian Authority

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that the government is working to “collapse” the Palestinian Authority, during a speech at the funeral for Yehuda Sherman, 18, who was killed in the West Bank yesterday.

The police and IDF have said they are examining whether Sherman, a resident of an illegal settlement outpost, was killed deliberately. Smotrich and others have described the incident as “murder” and a terror attack.

“We are going in their path [of Sherman and his associates] to collapse the authority of evil and terror called the Palestinian Authority,” says Smotrich at the funeral, which took place in the northern West Bank settlement of Elon Moreh.

“We will wipe out the lines and the definitions, and the letters,” he says, referencing the division of territory and control in the West Bank between Israel and the PA into areas A, B, and C. “We will settle our land in all its parts.”

Gedalia, a 27-year old man from nearby Yitzhar, says in an interview that Sherman was fulfilling a “strategic mission” to expel Palestinians from the West Bank and increase Jewish settlement in the territory.

“He went with intense dedication, every day, he took his herd out [to pasture], to remove the enemy from all the territory there so that Jews will come back to this place,” says Gedalia.

“Today one of the most important actions in all of Judea and Samaria is to expel all the enemy from all the regions. You can count the number of Jews there [in the northern West Bank] on your fingers. Yehudah took this mission upon himself and that’s where he fell.”

Asked if he supports the calls for vengeance for Sherman’s death, and violence against local Palestinians, Gedalia says, “I’m very happy to hear such things. I’m happy to hear whenever the enemy has been harmed and feels less like the owner here, I’m very happy, yes… If only the state would do it, but if it doesn’t do it, these youths will.”

Sexual misconduct claims against ICC prosecutor still under review despite report he was cleared

Allegations of sexual misconduct against Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, are still under review by the court’s executive branch, an internal memo shared with staff says, after a media report that he had been exonerated.

In 2024, Khan requested arrest warrants that were later issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for allegations including crimes against humanity and war crimes during the war in Gaza. Israel has called for the case to be dismissed due to the sexual misconduct allegations against Khan.

Khan has stepped aside temporarily pending an investigation into the claims, which allege a non-consensual sexual relationship with a lawyer in his office. He rejects allegations of wrongdoing.

After a yearlong investigation, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services submitted its confidential fact-finding report in December to the ICC’s executive branch, known as the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties.

A news report in the Middle East Eye yesterday said Khan had been cleared of the allegations.

But in a memo to court staff, which Reuters reviewed, the Assembly’s President Paivi Kaukoranta says: “The disciplinary process before the Bureau is ongoing and remains confidential. No decisions have been taken, and no weight should be given to recent media speculation.”

The court, the office of the prosecutor, the Assembly and external lawyers representing Khan do not respond to emails seeking comment, which were sent today outside of normal working hours.

Syrian authorities’ new limits on alcohol sales in Damascus spark protest, backlash

Crowds of Syrians rally to protest authorities’ efforts to limit the sale and consumption of alcohol in Damascus, reflecting rising anxiety in the cosmopolitan capital that Syria’s new Islamist government may threaten long-held secular freedoms.

Hundreds of residents from a range of religious sects pour into a grassy square in Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, chanting “Syrians are united!” and brandishing signs that urge the government to safeguard personal liberties and religious minorities.

“This is not about whether we want to drink alcohol, this is about personal freedom,” says Isa Qazah, a 45-year-old sculptor from the area who joins the protest along the medieval stone lanes near Damascus’ Old City. “We have come here to defend an idea.”

Heavily armed security forces surround the protesters. The demonstration passes without incident.

The controversy erupted last week, when the governor of Damascus issued a decree banning “the provision of alcoholic beverages of all kinds in restaurants and nightclubs” across the capital. Within three months, it says, restaurants must toss out their wine lists and bar and club owners must trade their licenses for cafe permits.

The decision, which authorities said was made “at the request of the local community,” came as the interim government of former Islamist rebel, and now president, Ahmed al-Sharaa faces growing pressure from hardliners to impose more conservative religious values. Sharaa has not publicly weighed in on the alcohol debate.

Three Hamas police officers killed in Israeli strike in Gaza — reports

Palestinian media reports three dead and 10 wounded in an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas police vehicle in the central Gaza Strip.

The dead and some of the wounded are identified by the media reports as officers from Hamas’s Nuseirat police.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.

#عاجل | الاحتلال يقصف مركبة للشرطة في مخيم النصيرات وسط قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/OYXfoqRijS

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) March 22, 2026

US Treasury chief says there’s ‘plenty of money’ for Iran war, taxes won’t rise to fund fight

The US government has “plenty of money” to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from the US Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future, the country’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, says.

Bessent, speaking on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program, also rules out pushing for any tax increases to fund the war.

The US military’s request for $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war faces stiff opposition in Congress, with Democrats and even some Republicans questioning the need after large defense appropriations last year.

Bessent defends the request without confirming the amount. US President Donald Trump has not yet sent a request for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve the sum and his administration has made clear that the number could change.

“We have plenty of money to fund this war,” Bessent says. “This is supplemental. President Trump has built up the military, as he did in his first term, as he is now doing in his second term, and he wants to make sure that the military is well supplied going forward.”

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last week that the extra money was needed “to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future.”

Bessent dismisses a question about possible tax increases as “ridiculous” and says that was “not at all” under consideration.

Early indications suggest that the war will be the most expensive for the US since the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Administration officials told lawmakers that the first six days of the Iran war had cost more than $11 billion.

Israeli envoy to US: Strikes must go on until Iran’s regime has ‘no power,’ Iranians can rise up

Israel’s ambassador in the US, Yechiel Leiter, says the US-Israeli war with Iran must continue until the Islamic Republic’s regime is degraded to the extent that it has “no power” and the Iranian people can rise up and topple it.

The campaign will end, he says in an interview with CNN, when “there is not an entity in Tehran that’s going to threaten the region.”

He says that such an outcome could come about by “this regime having a change of heart,” though he says that is “hard to imagine.”

He says a popular uprising is more likely: “Probably, it’s going to take place because the Iranian people have had enough,” he says.

“I think that we need boots on the ground but they’ve got to be Iranian boots, and I think they’re coming,” he adds. Asked to elaborate, he compares the situation to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and of Romania’s communist government, in the late 1980s.

“There’s a point of combustion,” he says. “Look, nobody knew when the Soviet Union would collapse. Nobody knew when the Romanians would turn their guns against their… government. But it happened at some point. And if we degrade them enough, the people of Iran are going to say, we’ve had enough and we want a different regime.”

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both called for the Iranian people to rise up, following mass anti-regime protests there in January that were put down in a deadly crackdown.

Leiter adds, “What we have to focus on now is degrading to the point where they have no power left in this regime. Hopefully, that will trigger this combustion point where the people are able to take charge of their own lives. Our focus has to be on degrading this regime to the point where they no longer pose a threat to us, to the region, to the world.”

He says that such an outcome can be achieved through US-Israeli airstrikes. The campaign “is not something that goes on forever,” he says at another point.

The U.S. and Israel planned this operation together, we’re executing it together, and we will bring this terror regime to its knees – together. ????????????????

Watch my full interview with @DanaBashCNN ???????? pic.twitter.com/h2LcTjQxzU

— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) March 22, 2026

Public transit operating at reduced capacity due to war, tranportation companies say

Public transportation is functioning at reduced capacity during the war with Iran due to the necessities of the war, fewer drivers, and lower demand, representatives of transit companies tell the Knesset State Control Committee during a hearing.

Stating that maintaining public transit is vital during wartime, committee chairman MK Alon Schuster (Blue and White) asks “how a situation arose where parents had to drive their soldier children to bases under missile fire instead of full and regulated operation of the transportation system.”

Addressing the committee, the head of the IDF Logistics Division, Brig. Gen. Pini Ben Moyal, tells lawmakers that the military, together with the Transportation Ministry, mobilized some 1,400 buses and “as the volume of required buses increases, there is some impact on public transportation, but everything is done with coordination.”

The Transportation Ministry is currently operating at levels of 20%, 50% and 75% in various locales, and is not operating at all in some places, per defense establishment assessments, says the ministry’s Michal Kalla Ben-Hamou. A representative of the National Public Transportation Authority tells lawmakers that despite around 500 drivers being called up for reserve duty, “for the public, this means only a moderate decrease in frequency; a line that ran every 15 minutes during routine now runs on average every 20 minutes.”

Israel Railways states that it is operating at “60%–70% of routine levels, even though a third of the staff is mobilized for reserve duty,” while the Dan bus company states that in the greater Tel Aviv region its buses are operating at 60% frequency “against a demand of about 55%.”

“Service volume stands at about 75% of routine,” a representative of the Kavim bus company adds.

Tzachi Ravivo, VP of Resources and Administration at Netivei Israel, warns citizens against sheltering under highway overpasses during missile attacks.

“We route traffic according to operational and civilian needs. It is important to clarify that staying under bridges during a siren is not safe and could be life-threatening,” he says.

Hundreds gather as funeral of 18-year-old killed in West Bank yesterday gets underway

The funeral of 18-year old Yehuda Sherman, who was killed yesterday in an incident in the West Bank, has begun, with some 500 people in attendance.

“God, we send you a hero. Yehuda, plead with God for redemption now,” says his father Yehoshua in tears. “Tell God that a generation of redemption is growing here. We will continue to fight for the entire Land of Israel.”

“Yehuda was a communal sacrifice,” he says, using a term for a sacrifice that was offered on behalf of the nation at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in ancient times.

“I call on the government from here to wipe out the disgrace of the Oslo Accords,” he adds, referring to the 1990s-era Israeli-Palestinian agreement that created the Palestinian Authority and gave it a measure of control over parts of the West Bank.

Reports: West Bank settlers gather, arson reported, amid calls for revenge over suspected fatal attack on teen

Footage circulating on social media shows extremist settlers beginning to gather near the village of Umm Safa near Ramallah, one day after an 18-year-old Israeli was killed in the West Bank in what is being investigated as a terror attack.

In addition, reports said settlers set fire to several vehicles at a scrapyard in the village of Deir Sharaf. No injuries have been reported.

Earlier, messages circulated in groups and pages identified with extremist settlers calling to avenge the death of the teen, Yehuda Sherman, at 5 p.m. today. Sherman was killed yesterday in a collision between his vehicle and one driven by a Palestinian in the Jenin area. Police and the military said they were examining the possibility that it was a deliberate attack.

????عاجل | تجمعات للمستوطنين في قرية أم صفا، شمال غرب رام الله. pic.twitter.com/7fMUdHumla

— شبكة يافا الإخبارية (@yaffa_ps) March 22, 2026

Police charge seven, including minors, over three recent attacks on Jerusalem bus drivers

Police say that charges have been filed against seven defendants implicated in a spate of attacks against bus drivers in Jerusalem over the course of the past two months.

Assaults on bus drivers have become a regular occurrence in Israel, especially in Jerusalem. Much of the violence appears motivated by nationalist sentiment, with the perpetrators, often young Jewish men, shouting anti-Arab epithets while attacking drivers.

The assailants used sharp objects, rocks and pepper spray to injure drivers at work in three separate instances, police say. Among the defendants are adults and minors.

In clipped-together security camera footage shared by police from the string of attacks, young men are seen beating several drivers as they sit at the front of their respective buses.

In one instance, a man shatters the glass separating the driver from his passengers, while in another, a young man with a white kippah is seen taking a small, sharp object to a driver and attempting to stab him.

Responding to one of the attacks, a passenger is seen fending off two assailants. He swings his motorcycle helmet at the pair near the vehicle’s front door, shortly after they pepper-spray the bus driver.

Footage of three separate assaults on bus drivers in Jerusalem from February to March, shared by police after indictments were filed against seven suspects implicated in the violence on March 22, 2026. (Israel Police)

IDF spokesman: Arad strike demonstrates Iranian threat, Israel’s ‘air defenses aren’t hermetic’

Speaking to The Times of Israel on the scene in Arad where an Iranian ballistic missile injured 88 people last night, 10 of them seriously, IDF spokesman Roni Kaplan says the strike underscores the ongoing threat posed by Iran.

“We see here the manifestation of the Iranian threat,” Kaplan says. “We have a direct impact because our air defenses aren’t hermetic, although they are some of the best in the world.”

According to Kaplan, the blast’s shockwave and debris caused secondary damage to multiple buildings in the area, stretching for several blocks.

Among those at the scene is Arad resident Benjamin Lew, who says he rushed his family to safety when sirens sounded.

“We heard a really loud boom,” he recalls, after waking his children and taking them with his mother to the building’s bomb shelter.

The strike marks the first direct hit in Arad, but Lew says the city has been under frequent rocket alert sirens since the war began three weeks ago.

His mother, Maayan Taylor, describes the toll on families: “Our kids haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in a while.”

Lew adds that his ex-wife’s home in Beersheba had been damaged in the ongoing attacks, prompting him to believe Arad would be safer for his children — an assumption that is now shaken.

“It definitely doesn’t feel as safe,” he says.

Sirens in Kiryat Shmona and surrounding area warn of suspected drone attack from Lebanon

Fresh sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration from Lebanon sound in the Galilee Panhandle.

The alerts are activated in Kiryat Shmona and nearby towns.

IRGC threatens to completely close the Strait of Hormuz if US strikes power plants

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatens to completely shut the Strait of Hormuz if the US hits the country’s energy sites.

Iran has already largely choked off the strait, a key artery for the world’s oil supply, amid the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump said the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the regime didn’t open the strait within 48 hours.

IDF says it hit arms production sites, intel and military HQs in overnight Tehran strikes

During a wave of overnight airstrikes in Tehran, the IDF says, it struck several Iranian weapon production sites and various headquarters of the regime.

According to the military, the targets hit by Israeli Air Force fighter jets included: an Iranian army training base that included a storage site for anti-aircraft missiles; a weapons production and storage site of the Iranian defense ministry; a weapons production site of the IRGC air force; a headquarters of the Iranian intelligence ministry; and a headquarters of Khatam-al Anbiya, Iran’s military emergency command.

The IAF fighter jets dropped dozens of bombs on the sites, the military says, describing the strikes as part of a “phase of deepening the damage to the core systems of the Iranian terror regime and its foundations.”

4 Israelis indicted on smuggling charges after interception of drone carrying M-16s

Prosecutors indict four Bedouin Israelis on smuggling charges, after security forces last month intercepted a drone carrying automatic weapons into Israel from Egypt.

Shortly after the IDF identified and intercepted the drone and the three M-16 assault rifles it had been carrying, police say forces tracked down and detained two men from Bir Hadaj, in the Negev, on suspicion of involvement in the smuggling attempt.

They were transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning. During interrogation, investigators realized the suspects had been involved in dozens of arms trafficking operations, successfully smuggling around a hundred weapons, police say.

Two additional suspects, also Bedouin Israelis from the Negev, were arrested in light of evidence gleaned during interrogation, according to police. All four are indicted today in the Beersheba District Court.

Sirens sound in north due to Hezbollah rocket attack

Sirens sound in the Western Galilee amid a Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon.

Alerts are activated in Nahariya and surrounding towns.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Coalition reportedly seeking to pass bill expanding authority of rabbinical courts

The coalition will attempt to pass a controversial bill expanding the authority of the state’s rabbinic court system tomorrow, Channel 12 reports.

According to the network, the bill, which would give the courts power to arbitrate civil disputes including over child custody, will go before the Knesset plenum for its final two readings tomorrow, just over a month after lawmakers on the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee voted 5-3 to advance it to its final legislative hurdle.

Rabbinical courts were allowed to act as arbitrators in financial disputes until 2006, when a court determined that they had no standing to do so.

Rabbinical courts are part of Israel’s judiciary, handling legal matters such as divorce, wills and inheritances, and conversions. The system comprises 12 nationwide regional courts, with the Great Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem serving as the highest appellate authority. The president of the Great Rabbinical Court, a role held by one of Israel’s chief rabbis, oversees the rabbinical court system. Currently, the position is held by Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef.

While the legislation, sponsored by lawmakers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, stipulates that religious courts would only be allowed to rule on such issues with the consent of both parties, critics assert that the bill would create a power imbalance that’s harmful to weaker segments of society, with women’s rights likely to be harmed.

According to the bill’s explanatory notes, it would apply to state sharia courts as well.

“While Israeli citizens are running to safe rooms and shelters, the Israeli government is rushing to expand the powers of the rabbinical courts to include civil arbitration as well,” Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman posts on X, criticizing the bill’s reported advancement. “When the State of Israel is at war, instead of taking care of the citizens, you’re taking care of the political fixers?”

Last November, the Knesset passed a law temporarily expanding the authority of rabbinical courts to rule on matters relating to child support payments, which the High Court of Justice had previously ruled that they lacked the authority do.

Iranian minister says ‘heavy damage’ to water, energy infrastructure from US-Israeli strikes

Iran’s critical water and energy infrastructure have suffered extensive damage due to US and Israeli strikes on tens of thousands of civilian sites, regime officials say.

“The country’s vital water and electricity infrastructure has suffered heavy damage following terrorist and cyber attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime,” says energy minister Abbas Aliabadi, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency. “The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks,” he noted, adding that efforts were under way to repair the damage.

Iran’s Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Kolivand says the total number of damaged civilian sites “has reached 81,365 based on the latest field assessments.”

He says the figure includes residential and commercial units, schools, medical centers and vehicles.

AFP has not been able to access sites or verify the figures outside of the Iranian capital, but journalists in Tehran have reported damage to multiple residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed in US and Israeli strikes, according to the latest toll from Iran’s health ministry on March 8, which could not be independently verified.

Today, ISNA reports that strikes damaged a hospital in the southern city of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province.

Since the war began on February 28, 15 civilians and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel in Iranian missile attacks, along with four Palestinians in the West Bank. A civilian and two soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks.

Iranian missile attack causes damage in Bat Yam, Holon; no injuries reported

Damage was caused by apparent cluster munitions in the central cities of Bat Yam and Holon, rescue services say, following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.

No injuries are reported.

טיל מצרר שוגר מאיראן למרכז הארץ, נזק נגרם במספר זירות – ללא נפגעים@hadasgrinberg אורלי אלקלעי pic.twitter.com/ycqzh5hda9

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 22, 2026

Turkey says it’s working the phones to find way toward ending war

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed steps to end the war between Iran, the United States and Israel with counterparts from Iran and Egypt, as well as US officials and the European Union, a Turkish diplomatic source says.

The source says Fidan held separate calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and US officials, without elaborating further.

An EU official said earlier that Kallas spoke with Araghchi by phone.

Arab journalist accosted by right-wing activists while leaving hearing over harassment

Right-wing activists are seen hounding Arab Israeli journalist Lucy Aharish and her partner, actor Tzachi Halevi as they leave the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court today.

The mob follows the couple while chanting “shame” as they get into a taxi. Police are present but do little to prevent contact between the couple and those harassing them.

מרדכי דוד, תומך נתניהו, תוקף מילולית בצעקות ומתקרב בצורה מאיימת אל לוסי אהריש וצחי הלוי בצאתם מבית המשפט
לצידו של מרדכי קבוצת שוטרים שאפשרה מגע פיזי עם צחי הלוי

תל אביב 22/03/2026 (תיעוד עצמי של התוקף) pic.twitter.com/WpR33KdACx

— אלימות ישראל (@Alimut_Israel) March 22, 2026

The mob is led by Mordechai David, a far-right agitator who regularly films himself harassing liberal journalists and public figures.

Aharish, one of the most prominent Arab journalists in Israel, has been subject to incessant stalking and harassment over a statement she made last month in which she expressed her hope that Arab citizens would “flock to the voting booths” to bring about a change in government, adding the Arabic word “Inshallah,” meaning “God willing.”

Earlier this month, Aharish and Halevi filed a lawsuit against Likud activist Rami Ben-Yehuda, suing him for NIS 2.6 million ($840,000) for leading a racist and violent harassment campaign against them.

They are seeking compensation for defamation, invasion of privacy and trespassing, among other claims, due to several protests outside the couple’s home, one of which saw David try to enter their home.

Several impacts reported in missile attack

Rescue forces are responding to reports of several impacts in central Israel, possibly caused by cluster submunitions or other falling fragments, following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.

No injuries have yet been reported, Magen David Adom says.

The missile attack, the seventh since midnight, triggered sirens across central Israel.

Israel blows up coastal highway bridge in Lebanon

The Israeli Air Force struck the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River in southern Lebanon a short while ago, hours after warning it would bomb the crossing.

Footage shows the moment the bridge, located on the coastal highway, was struck.

WATCH: Israeli airstrike destroys Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon pic.twitter.com/qVP7l5mSfT

— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) March 22, 2026

The military said it would strike the bridge to prevent Hezbollah from moving operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that he had instructed the IDF to “immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terror activity, to prevent the passage of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons southward.”

Opposition MK asks police to clear Arad shelters being used as synagogues

Yesh Atid MK Naor Shiri is demanding that police tighten oversight of public bomb shelters and bar their use for non-emergency purposes following footage of Arad Mayor Yair Maayan earlier this month insisting that shelters in the city be used as synagogues even amid the war with Iran.

Arad was one of two cities hit by Iranian missiles Saturday night where scores were injured, many of whom were outside shelters.

Shiri writes in a letter to Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy that “it has been reported that in dual-use shelters used as synagogues, entry has not been permitted to residents who are not part of the congregation at non-prayer times.”

The opposition lawmaker notes that while “dual-use shelters” are often used for “community or religious purposes, including as a synagogue” during periods of calm, when an emergency situation is declared in the city, such as the ongoing war with Iran, the shelters must be “cleared immediately” and be “accessible and suitable for all residents.”

Shiri’s letter follows widely circulated footage of Maayan at a March 6 city council meeting — one week into the war with Iran — in which he insists that bomb shelters will be used as synagogues even during an emergency, in apparent violation of Home Front Command guidelines.

In the video, after a council member complains that shelters in the city were being used as synagogues, Maayan aggressively responds by asserting, “Every available shelter in Arad will be a synagogue and anyone who speaks against a synagogue is an antisemite!”

New Iranian missile launch detected

The IDF has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran, targeting central Israel.

Sirens are expected to sound shortly.

WHO chief sounds alarm over strikes targeting nuclear sites

The Middle East war has reached a “perilous stage” with strikes around nuclear sites in Iran and Israel, the World Health Organization warns chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

Missiles apparently targeting Israel’s nuclear research center at Dimona hit the nearby city of the same name and the city of Arad Saturday night.

Iran said the strike was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz, which hosts underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran’s disputed nuclear program and was damaged in the June 2025 war.

“Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety,” says the WHO chief.

“I urgently call on all parties to exercise maximum military restraint and avoid any actions that could trigger nuclear incidents. Leaders must prioritiזe de-escalation and protect civilians,” he says.

Tedros adds that the International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into the strikes, and “no indications of abnormal or increased off-site radiation levels have been reported.”

IDF launches wide airstrikes in Lebanon

The IDF says it has begun an “extensive” wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

No further details are given by the military.

The strikes come after repeated drone alarms in northern towns.

Earlier in the day, a rocket attack on a kibbutz near the border killed an avocado farmer.

Qatar helicopter crash toll up to 7, including Turkish crew

Seven people have been killed in a helicopter crash in Qatar’s territorial waters, Qatar and Turkey say.

The Qatari and Turkish defense ministries said the helicopter had crashed after suffering a technical malfunction, which the Qatari ministry says was during “routine duty.”

Four of those killed were Qatari armed forces personnel, one was from the Qatar-Turkey joint forces and two were technicians, the Turkish and Qatari defense ministries say.

“Military cooperation and coordination activities between the Republic of Turkey and the State of Qatar continue uninterrupted within the framework of existing agreements and plans,” the Turkish defense ministry says.

Lapid cheers on war, but slams government for spending on special interests

During a visit to the site of yesterday’s Iranian ballistic missile attack in the southern city of Arad, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid insists that Israel press the war until “all of Iran’s ballistic capabilities” are eliminated.

But Lapid also attacks the government, accusing it of funneling money to special interests instead of funding the reconstruction of a surgical ward at Beersheba’s Soroka hospital, where many of those wounded in the attack were sent for treatment.

“All the billions that the government is wasting on coalition funds should be sent to Soroka and the reconstruction of the south. This is a national priority,” Lapid says, referring to the government’s recent approval of over NIS 5 billion ($1.6 billion) in discretionary coalition funds for Haredi institutions, West Bank settlements and other party priorities in the 2026 state budget.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in November that Soroka will  receive public and private funds totaling over NIS 1 billion ($307,375,000) to help it rebuild.

Israeli strike in Gaza reportedly kills one

Gaza media outlets affiliated with Hamas report that one person was killed and several others were wounded in an Israeli strike targeting a group of Gazans in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in western Gaza City.

The Times of Israel cannot independently verify the report. There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Katz says Israel will send Iran back decades if it keeps hitting cities

Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will send Iran decades backwards in response to its attacks, accusing it of purposely targeting civilians.

“If this continues, we’ll be sure to hit Iran so hard it will be sent back decades,” Katz says while visiting the site where a missile impacted in the southern city of Arad last night, injuring scores.

Katz says Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is “intentionally firing at population centers,” which he says is designed to put domestic pressure on Israel’s government to halt the war.

“This won’t happen,” Katz says. “The home front is strong.”

Senior commander of elite Hezbollah force killed, IDF says

A senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon yesterday, the IDF announces.

The strike carried out by the Israeli Air Force in the town of Majdal Selm killed Abu Khalil Barji, the commander of Radwan’s special forces unit, along with two other operatives, according to the military.

The IDF says it also struck other Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon overnight.

Drone sirens sound in Galilee panhandle

Sirens are sounding in a number of communities in northern Israel warning of a suspected enemy drone, the Home Front Command says.

Communities affected include Kiryat Shmona, Metula, and others in the Galilee panhandle.

Opposition lawmakers condemn settler violence as ‘Kristallnacht’

Several opposition figures condemn widespread attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinians in some 20 locations across the West Bank on Saturday night, with Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party leader Ayman Odeh calling the events a “night of fire” and Hadash MK Ofer Cassif comparing the ongoing wave of violence to Kristallnacht.

“Kristallnacht has become the daily reality in the lives of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank under the auspices of the occupation army,” Cassif says, referring in a post on X to the 1938 Nazi pogrom against Jews in Germany and Austria, in which synagogues, Jewish homes and businesses were destroyed and thousands were assaulted and arrested.

Odeh writes in a post on X, “Settlers carried out an expansive pogrom lasting more than six hours, harming more than 14 villages, attacking dozens of Palestinians, and not one of them was arrested.”

“If the army wanted to stop settler terrorism, it would be able to do so within days,” he alleges. “What is happening across the West Bank is not an accident; it is a policy of terrorism and ethnic cleansing, with the backing of the government and the protection of the army.”

Left-wing Democrats party leader Yair Golan laments what he says is “Jewish terrorism” and “an abandonment of the security of Israel,” especially as the country is already fighting a war against Iran and Hezbollah.

“It is incumbent on the IDF chief of staff and Shin Bet head to show leadership, and act with an iron fist against the rioters,” he says in a post on X.

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv writes on X that “the destruction was preceded by explicit calls and advance planning that drew no response from the IDF, the Shin Bet, or the police.”

The violence was seemingly precipitated by the death of an 18-year-old Israeli settler killed when the ATV he was traveling in was hit by a Palestinian vehicle in the West Bank on Saturday.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police, pays tribute to Sherman, claiming that he was “murdered in the defense” of the land.

Leon Kraiem and Charlie Summers contributed to this report.

Democrats head Golan says Netanyahu dragging out war to avoid elections

During a visit to Arad in southern Israel, which suffered an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Saturday, The Democrats chairman Yair Golan accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging out conflicts for political gain.

Golan, an outspoken former general who is among the premier’s most vociferous critics, says Netanyahu is “squandering” the army’s military gains by failing to parlay them into increased security.

Instead, he charges, Netanyahu wants to keep Israel on war footing because ending the fighting would lead to elections.

“Netanyahu has turned national security into a tool for his political survival,” asserts Golan. “This is why we’ve been in an endless war for two and a half years. Instead of leading toward a decisive victory and using diplomacy to stabilize the situation, he is dragging the war out because its end would necessitate elections and a change in government.”

Israel is currently scheduled to hold an election by October, but it could come sooner if domestic pressures cause the coalition to collapse.

Opposition leaders were initially reluctant to criticize Netanyahu during the war, but they have become increasingly critical of both the government’s handling of the conflict and its decision to resume advancing controversial non-war related legislation in the Knesset.

Citing Iran’s long-range attack, and its fire on holy Jerusalem, Netanyahu urges Europe to join fight against the regime

Visiting the site of a missile strike in the southern city of Arad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges world leaders to commit their countries to the joint Israeli-US military campaign against Iran, citing Tehran’s recent missile launch targeting the UK-US Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia over the weekend.

The unsuccessful attack showed that Iran has missiles that can reach further than previously thought.

“If you want proof that Iran endangers the entire world, the last 48 hours have given it. In the last 48 hours, Iran targeted a civilian area,” Netanyahu notes, pointing to the rubble around him. “They’re doing that as a mass murder weapon. Luckily, no one was killed, but that’s due to luck, not their intention. Their intention is to murder civilians.

“Second, they fired on Jerusalem, right next to the holy sites of the three monotheistic faiths — the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. And by dint of a miracle again, none of them were hurt. But they were targeting the holy sites of the three major monotheistic religions.”

“Third, they fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia. That’s 4,000 kilometers. I’ve been warning all the time, they have now the capacity to reach deep into Europe,” he says. “They already have fired on European countries — Cyprus. They are putting everyone in their sights.

“And fourth, they’re stopping a maritime international route, energy route, and trying to blackmail the entire world,” he adds, referring to Iran’s blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil artery. “What more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world, has to be stopped?” he asks.

“It’s time to see the leaders of the rest of the countries join up.”

Netanyahu says some countries are beginning to move toward joining the campaign, without specifying whom or in what capacity, but adds that “more is needed.”

"If you want proof that Iran endangers the entire world, the last 48 hours have given it."

PM @netanyahu warns Iran is no longer just a regional threat, citing four escalations in last 48 hours:

– Targeting civilian populations

– Endangering Jerusalem’s holy sites

– Testing… pic.twitter.com/5HQnHyUHp9

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) March 22, 2026

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained about the lack of international support for the offensive.

Netanyahu also condemns Iran’s recent attacks near holy sites in Jerusalem.

“They fired on Jerusalem, right next to the holy sites of the three monotheistic faiths: the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. By dint of a miracle, none of them were hurt, but they were targeting the holy sites of the three major monotheistic religions,” he says.

Asked by a reporter what his response will be to Iran’s attacks on Israeli civilians, the premier responds: “We’re responding with great force, but not on civilians. We’re going after the regime. We’re going after the IRGC, this criminal gang, and we’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them very strongly.”

Iran threatens to ‘irreversibly destroy’ energy infrastructure across region if power plants attacked

The speaker of Iran’s parliament says the country will “irreversibly” take down energy infrastructure throughout the region should its power plants be attacked.

“Immediately after the power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed irreversibly,” Mohammed Ghalibaf says on X.

He adds that the result will be that energy prices will remain high for a long time.

The comment comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iranian power plants if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major chokepoint for oil. Iran’s closure of the waterway has pushed energy prices up, putting pressure on Trump.

Iran has already been attacking energy facilities around the region.

Israel says it killed Hamas financier in Lebanon strike

A senior Hamas moneyman was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon last week, the military and Shin Bet say.

The strike killed Walid Mohammad Dib, “a senior figure in the Hamas terror organization’s financial network,” a joint statement says.

The IDF and Shin Bet say that Dib was responsible for transferring funds to various Hamas departments in Lebanon, the West Bank, and other locations, as well as being tasked with “recruiting operatives and directing terror activity from Syria and Lebanon.”

No details are given on where or when the strike took place.

An Israeli strike last week killed another top Hamas moneyman in Lebanon, and the offices of the terror group’s “fundraising apparatus” in Sidon were targeted in a strike on March 6.

Nine Hezbollah fighters killed by troops in southern Lebanon, army says

Nine armed Hezbollah operatives were killed by troops and in drone strikes in an incident in southern Lebanon yesterday, the military says.

According to the IDF, the Hezbollah gunmen were detected approaching Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

Troops opened fire on the gunmen, and at the same time, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes, “eliminating the terrorists,” the IDF says.

No soldiers were hurt in the incident, according to the military.

The IDF publishes footage showing one of the strikes.

חיל האוויר ולוחמי אוגדה 91 חיסלו תשעה מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון

כוחות אוגדה 91 ממשיכים בפעילות הקרקעית הממוקדת להרחבת מרחב האבטחה בדרום לבנון.

אתמול, לוחמי יחידת האיסוף 869 זיהו מספר מחבלים חמושים שהתקרבו לעבר המרחב בו פועלים הכוחות.
בסגירת מעגל מהירה, הלוחמים… pic.twitter.com/L7fa8em3JB

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 22, 2026

Man injured in cluster blast downgraded to serious condition — MDA

The Magen David Adom rescue service says a man injured by an Iranian cluster munition it previously listed in moderate condition has been downgraded to serious condition.

MDA says it took the 53-year-old to a hospital in serious condition after he was hit by a blast in Tel Aviv.

Another 14 people were taken to hospitals in good condition, MDA adds.

Suspected drone triggers warnings in north

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration from Lebanon sound in several border communities in the Galilee.

No injuries reported in Eilat attack

No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, the sixth since this morning.

The missile, which triggered sirens in the southernmost city of Eilat, was likely intercepted, according to preliminary military assessments.

15 injured in Tel Aviv missile cluster bomb attack, most lightly hurt

Magen David Adom says it treated 15 people who were wounded in Iran’s missile attack on central Israel, most of whom are lightly injured.

The ballistic missile carried a cluster bomb warhead, spreading bomblets over a wide area.

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov hospital says four of seven people injured in the attack and brought to the hospital are in moderate condition.

MDA says the most serious injury it treated was to a 53-year-old man in moderate condition after being hit by a blast.

Man killed in Misgav Am rocket attack named as avocado farmer Ofer Moskovitz

The man killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on Misgav Am this morning is named by the community as Ofer Moskovitz, an avocado farmer who also served as a spokesman for the kibbutz.

In a statement, the kibbutz says Moskovitz, who was born in 1965, was “a prominent voice for us all over the years.”

Moskovitz was killed when a rocket fired from Lebanon hit the car he was riding in, setting it on fire. Hezbollah claimed the attack, saying it was targeting soldiers.

Speaking to The Times of Israel last week, Moskovitz said the northern community was largely staying put despite being well aware of the danger threatening from across the Lebanon border.

“It’s dangerous, and it’s stressful, but there’s nothing to do about it,” said Moskovitz. “The field is so close to Lebanon and the Hezbollah stronghold that they see us and we see them.”

According to Ynet, he told a Haifa radio station on Friday that “I could be hit by a rocket or drone at any moment. It’s Russian roulette.”

New Iranian attack detected

The IDF has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran, targeting the Eilat area in southern Israel.

Sirens are expected to sound in the coming minutes.

At least seven hurt in cluster bomb attack

Seven people are injured, one of them moderately, by a cluster munition impact in Tel Aviv, Magen David Adom says, following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.

MDA says it is responding to reports of several bomblet impact sites in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area. It’s not yet clear if there are injuries at other sites.

Damage was caused to several homes and roads by the impacts.

IDF warns it will bomb another bridge on Litani, citing Hezbollah terror activities

The IDF warns it will bomb another bridge on the Litani River, “due to Hezbollah’s activities and the transfer of terror operatives to southern Lebanon under the cover of the civilian population.”

To prevent Hezbollah from moving operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon, the military says it will strike the Qasmiya Bridge, located on the coastal highway in southern Lebanon.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, says he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF to “immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terror activity, to prevent the passage of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons southward.”

Katz also says he instructed the army to “accelerate the destruction of Lebanese homes in the line of contact villages, to thwart threats to Israeli communities, in accordance with the model of Beit Hanoun and Rafah,” referring to Israel’s razing of towns in the Gaza Strip amid the ground offensive against Hamas.

Reports indicate several cluster bomb impacts around Tel Aviv

The Iranian ballistic missile launched at central Israel a short while ago is assessed to have carried a cluster bomb warhead.

Rescue forces and medics are responding to reports of bomblet impacts at several sites in the Tel Aviv area.

תיעוד: אחת מזירות הנפילה במרכז הארץ

(אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/73MLq6pVmH

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 22, 2026

Prosecutors to charge four men from Arab town who trained to carry out criminal attacks

Prosecutors are preparing to file charges against four young men from the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, arrested on suspicion of training with illegal firearms to carry out criminal attacks.

According to a source in the State Attorney’s Office, Shin Bet and police investigators initially probed the suspects on terror-related suspicions, but later found that they did not harbor nationalist motives.

Police say they seized illegal firearms from the suspects’ possession, including two handguns, a Carlo submachine gun, an M-16, and ammunition.

The four, all men in their 20s, were arrested amid a surging violent crime wave in Arab society, fueled by rampant arms trafficking, which has claimed 73 victims in the community since the beginning of the year.

A prosecutor’s declaration has been filed against the four, and the State Attorney’s Office plans to indict them in the coming days.

Sirens sound in Tel Aviv, area amid Iranian missile attack

Sirens are sounding in central Israel amid an Iranian ballistic missile attack.

The alerts are largely centered around Tel Aviv and areas to the north and east of the city.

Most injured in southern missile attacks were not in shelters, IDF says

Most of those injured in the Iranian ballistic missile attacks on the southern cities of Dimona and Arad last night were not inside bomb shelters, according to a Home Front Command investigation.

In Dimona, the missile carrying a conventional warhead of hundreds of kilograms of explosives struck soft ground next to homes.

The shockwave caused extensive damage to surrounding buildings and injured some 30 people, including a young boy hospitalized in serious condition.

There are bomb shelters in the area, and those who were inside them were largely unharmed by the blast, according to the IDF’s Home Front Command.

Similarly, in Arad, the missile — also carrying a conventional warhead — struck between several apartment buildings with basement shelters.

The impact caused massive damage to the buildings and injured nearly 90 people, including 10 seriously. Nearly all of those wounded were not sheltering, according to the Home Front Command’s investigation.

IDF says deadly Hezbollah attack in north was rocket fire, not anti-tank missile

The IDF says the deadly Hezbollah attack on Misgav Am this morning was rocket fire, and not an anti-tank guided missile.

The rocket launched from Lebanon struck two cars, killing a man, according to rescue services.

Hezbollah took responsibility, claiming to have targeted Israeli troops.

IAF says failure to intercept two separate Iranian missiles last night in south is coincidental

The Israeli Air Force says the failure to intercept the two Iranian ballistic missiles that struck the southern cities of Dimona and Arad last night, injuring over 150 and causing extensive damage, had different and unrelated circumstances.

According to the IAF’s probes of the incidents, there is no relation between the errors that led to the missile impacts. The fact that the incidents occurred in the same area within two hours is entirely coincidental, the IAF says.

The missiles that hit Dimona and Arad carried conventional warheads — not cluster warheads — with hundreds of kilograms of explosives. Air defenses had engaged both projectiles, but the interceptors failed to knock them down.

The IAF says the Iranian missiles were likely from the Ghadr family of projectiles and are a known threat.

Two earlier missile attacks on the same area in southern Israel were successfully intercepted using the same air defense systems, according to the IAF, stressing that there is no “systemic failure” in Israel’s air defenses.

More than 400 ballistic missiles have been launched from Iran at Israel since the start of the war, with the IAF reporting an interception rate of 92 percent of attacks heading for populated areas and key infrastructure.

In all, five missiles carrying conventional warheads with hundreds of kilograms of explosives have struck populated areas in Israel, causing extensive damage in four cases. There have been more than two dozen incidents of missiles carrying cluster bomb warheads hitting populated areas, with over 100 separate impact sites.

Praising Arad strike, Hamas says it is watching Iranian attacks with pride

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, commented overnight on the Iranian missile fire that struck Dimona and Arad, saying the terror group was watching with pride as missiles hit deep inside the “criminal enemy entity.”

He described the attacks as a natural response not only to what he called “Zionist-American aggression,” but also to Israel’s campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The statement also said that Iran represents a “line of defense for the entire Islamic nation.” Hamas called on Muslims everywhere to stand united against the “real enemy” and to work toward the liberation of Palestine.

Six killed in helicopter crash in Qatari waters; rescue efforts underway to find missing person

CAIRO, Egypt — Six people were killed in a helicopter crash in Qatar’s territorial waters while operations continue to find the last missing person, the country’s interior ministry says.

The defense ministry earlier said the helicopter had crashed after suffering a technical malfunction during “routine duty.”

تعلن وزارة الدفاع القطرية عن تعرض طائرة مروحية قطرية إلى عطل فني أثناء تأدية واجب روتيني، مما أدى إلى سقوطها في المياه الإقليمية للدولة، وجاري البحث عن طاقمها والركاب.

The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that a Qatari helicopter had technical malfunction during a… pic.twitter.com/5yaYHa6KoW

— وزارة الدفاع – دولة قطر (@MOD_Qatar) March 22, 2026

Eight attacks said to target US base near Baghdad Airport overnight

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Eight overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics center at Baghdad’s International Airport, an Iraqi security official tells AFP.

“Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones, targeted the US center,” a senior security official tells AFP, adding that “some rockets landed near the base.”

A second security official says there had been six strikes, with a police source saying a rocket launcher was discovered in a Baghdad district near the airport.

Three reportedly injured in assault and stone-throwing by settlers in West Bank; graffiti sprayed on mosque in Jalud

Palestinian media outlets report that three Palestinians were injured in beatings and stone-throwing in recent hours while traveling between Salfit and the village of Bruqin in the northern West Bank.

According to the reports, extremist settlers attacked the Palestinians’ vehicle with stones and then beat them.

It was also reported that graffiti was sprayed on a mosque in the village of Jalud, in the Nablus area of the northern West Bank. The graffiti read “Revenge, Yehuda,” apparently referring to the death of Yehuda Sherman, who was killed yesterday in a collision between a Palestinian and an Israeli vehicle in the Jenin area. Police initially said the incident was a traffic accident, but several hours later the army and police announced they were examining the possibility that it was a deliberate attack.

Overnight, according to a security source who spoke with The Times of Israel, there were around 20 incidents of settler attacks in various villages and on roads across the northern West Bank, including arson, stone-throwing and assaults. According to the Red Crescent, nine people were injured in the attacks.

مستوطنون يخطون شعارات معادية على مسجد ومنزل في قرية جالود، جنوب شرق نابلس. pic.twitter.com/YrcF1O2frM

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 22, 2026

Hezbollah says it carried out deadly Misgav Am attack, claims it targeted soldiers

Hezbollah takes responsibility for this morning’s deadly attack on the northern border community of Misgav Am.

In a statement, the terror group claims to have targeted a “gathering of Israeli enemy army soldiers in the settlement of Misgav Am with a rocket barrage” at 8 a.m.

The IDF says it detected fire from Lebanon at that time, which struck two vehicles, killing a man.

The military is investigating whether the fire was an anti-tank missile.

No injuries or direct hits reported after fourth Iranian missile attack this morning

No injuries or direct impacts are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, the fourth since this morning.

The missile triggered sirens across central Israel.

Health Ministry: 303 people hospitalized in war with Iran and Hezbollah in past 24 hours

The Health Ministry reports that in the past 24 hours, 303 injured people were taken to hospitals as a result of the conflict with Iran and Hezbollah.

Eight were in serious condition, 29 were in moderate condition, and 256 were in good condition. Twenty people were treated for anxiety.

A total of 4,564 people have been taken to hospitals since the start of the conflict.

The ministry does not give a breakdown of the causes of injuries, some of which may have been sustained by people trying to reach shelters rather than as a direct result of missile fire.

Sirens sound in Misgav Am warning of fresh fire after deadly attack

Sirens have sounded in Misgav Am again, about an hour after an anti-tank missile attack on two cars in the kibbutz killed one person.

Alarms are triggered twice in the kibbutz within 10 minutes of each other, warning of two separate attacks.

The community sits near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

Iran launches another ballistic missile attack targeting central Israel

The IDF has identified another ballistic missile attack from Iran, targeting central Israel.

Sirens are expected to sound in the coming minutes.

Hezbollah drone hits open area in Western Galilee; no damage or injuries reported

A Hezbollah drone crashed in an open area in the Western Galilee, police say.

Police say that no damage or injuries were caused, and sappers are working to safely clear the scene.

Man killed in apparent Hezbollah anti-tank missile attack near northern border

One man was killed in a suspected anti-tank missile attack in the northern border community of Misgav Am, first responders say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says two vehicles caught fire, and a man’s body was pulled from one.

The IDF is investigating the apparent Hezbollah attack from Lebanon.

The military says it identified fire from Lebanon toward the border community. “There is damage, and there are casualties. The incident is under investigation,” a terse statement reads.

במשגב עם, פגיעה ישירה ברכב, נבדק האם מפגיעת נ"ט מלבנון. במקום שני פצועים. אחד קשה. @WallaNews pic.twitter.com/HURaBXHvtA

— יואב איתיאל מדווח כי (@yoavetiel) March 22, 2026

No injuries reported after third Iranian missile attack this morning

No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, the third since this morning.

The missile, which triggered sirens across southern Israel, was likely intercepted, according to preliminary military assessments.

Iran claims it’s ready to cooperate with UN agency for Gulf maritime safety

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran is ready to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization to improve maritime safety and protect seafarers in the Gulf, the Iranian representative to the UN maritime agency said, the semi-official Mehr news agency reports.

Ali Mousavi says the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies,” adding that passage through the narrow waterway was possible by coordinating security and safety arrangements with Tehran.

“Diplomacy remains Iran’s priority. However, a complete cessation of aggression as well as mutual trust and confidence are more important,” Mousavi says, adding that Israeli and US attacks against Iran were at the “root of the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Another ballistic missile launch from Iran detected

The IDF has identified another ballistic missile attack from Iran, targeting southern Israel.

Sirens are expected to sound in the coming minutes.

No injuries reported in second Iranian missile attack within hour

No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, the second within an hour.

The small number of missiles, which triggered sirens across the Jerusalem area and parts of southern Israel, were likely intercepted or struck open areas according to preliminary military assessments.

Medics responding to reports of anti-tank missile strike on car in north

Medics are responding to reports of an anti-tank missile attack in the northern border community of Misgav Am.

The missile launched from Lebanon reportedly struck a car.

IDF says troops killed Hezbollah operatives, seized arms in southern Lebanon

The IDF says troops killed Hezbollah operatives and captured weapons during ongoing ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Forces from the 36th Division recently raided several buildings that the military says were used by Hezbollah, where the troops located numerous weapons.

The IDF says the division’s 7th Armored Brigade killed more than 10 Hezbollah operatives who “posed an immediate threat” amid the raid.

Four IDF divisions, composed of thousands of troops, are currently operating in southern Lebanon.

The IDF has been preparing to deploy more forces in southern Lebanon and further expand its buffer zone to push away the threat of Hezbollah from the border.

Fresh ballistic missile launch from Iran detected

A ballistic missile attack from Iran has been identified by the IDF.

Sirens are expected to sound in southern and central Israel, as well as the Jerusalem area in the coming minutes.

38 people remain hospitalized after last night’s missile attack on Dimona and Arad

A total of 175 people were wounded in the Iranian ballistic missile strike in Dimona and Arad, Soroka Medical Center reports.

From the missile strike in Dimona, 60 wounded individuals were evacuated to the hospital, including a 12-year-old boy in serious condition who underwent surgery, and a man in his 20s in moderate condition. In total, five of the wounded are currently being hospitalized.

From the missile strike in Arad, 115 injured individuals were evacuated, nine of them in serious condition. A total of 31 wounded people have been hospitalized at Soroka, including 18 children.

The hospital says it continues to operate at full emergency readiness and remains prepared to respond in any situation.

Also, two of the people wounded in the strikes who were evacuated to Sheba Medical Center are lightly injured and are continuing their treatment there, the hospital reports.

Iranian media says drone attack targeted base used by US near Baghdad Airport

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s official IRNA news agency says that a drone attack targeted a military base near the Baghdad International Airport.

The “military base, located near Baghdad International Airport, has again been the target of drone strikes,” IRNA writes, referring to a compound that was used in the past by the US military.

Possible cluster munition impact reported in central Israel after Iranian missile attack

An impact, possibly a cluster munition, is reported in central Israel following an Iranian ballistic missile attack moments ago.

Magen David Adom says it has not received any reports of injuries.

Damage was caused to a street by the apparent bomblet impact, footage shows.

The missile attack, the first in some 8 hours, triggered sirens across central Israel.

Japanese national detained in Iran last year has been released, Japan’s foreign minister says

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released and will be returning to Japan.

Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show, says the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He says the person took a flight from Azerbaijan which was scheduled to arrive in Japan today.

Motegi says another Japanese national who was arrested earlier this year is still in custody.

Motegi says the release came after his repeated demands to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and that he is “working to win an early release” of the other detainee while communicating with his family and other concerned parties.

The release occurred amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. US President Donald Trump has called on Japan and other allies to do more to support the US during its fight against the Islamic Republic.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has named the person detained in Iran in January as a journalist at Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. The CPJ says the NHK journalist was arrested January 20 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was transferred February 23 to Evin Prison, quoting unidentified sources citing fear of persecution.

Motegi does not identify either of the people detained and says the released Japanese national was detained in 2025.

The Foreign Ministry said earlier this month the detainees were safe and in good health, but only acknowledged that one was detained last year and the other one in January.

The ministry gave no further details, such as whether the two cases were related.

UAE says it is responding to Iranian missile, drone attacks

The United Arab Emirates says it is responding to incoming aerial attacks from Iran.

“UAE air defenses are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” the Defense Ministry says in a statement explaining that “the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defense Systems intercepting missiles and drones.”

A ministry spokesperson says three drones had been intercepted and destroyed in the country’s eastern region.

IDF says forces respond to reported West Bank arson by extremist settlers

The Israel Defense Forces and Border Police have sent troops to respond to reports of arson attacks by extremist settlers in West Bank Palestinian villages, according to the IDF.

Earlier in the night, dozens of settler extremists reportedly raided multiple Palestinian villages in the territory, torching homes, vehicles and other property.

Footage from the villages of Jalud, Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr and Qaryut showed buildings on fire, with residents heard rushing to try and evacuate those inside. The incident comes amid a rise in settler violence in recent months.

The statement from the IDF spokesperson said reports were received of “Israeli citizens who burned buildings and property, and disturbed the peace in the area.”

The statement said troops were working to restore order, and added that Israel’s security forces “condemn violence of any kind and will continue working to protect residents’ security and order in the area.”

Saudi Arabia reports three ballistic missiles targeted Riyadh area

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense says three ballistic missiles have been detected around the capital.

“One missile was intercepted, while the other two fell in an uninhabited area,” a spokesperson for the ministry posts on social media.

Iran has repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia as well as other countries in the Gulf amid its war with the US and Israel.

Early this morning, the Saudi Civil Defense issued a warning before cancelling it seven minutes later after determining the danger had passed.

Qatar helicopter crashes after technical malfunction, Defense Ministry says

Qatar’s Defense Ministry says that a Qatari helicopter has crashed in its regional waters after suffering a technical malfunction during “routine duty.”

It says search operations are underway for crew members and passengers.

Iranian army says it will target energy, desalination infrastructure after US threats

Iran’s military renews its threats against the region’s infrastructure after US President Donald Trump vowed to “obliterate” power plants in the Islamic Republic if the Strait of Hormuz is not swiftly reopened.

“Following previous warnings, if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is violated by the enemy, all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted,” the Iranian military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya says in a statement carried by the semi-official Fars news agency.

The statement comes after Trump gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the vital oil route in the Gulf to shipping traffic after it was effectively closed in response to the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.

IDF says Air Force conducting wave of strikes in Tehran

The Air Force is conducting a wave of strikes in Tehran targeting infrastructure of the Islamic Republic’s regime, the IDF says.

The strikes come after Iranian missile attacks in southern Israel wounded more than 100 people.

Number of injured in Iranian missile strike on Arad rises to 84 — MDA

Magen David Adom reports that the number of injured in the Iranian missile strike in Arad has risen to 84.

The number includes 10 people who are seriously injured, 19 who are moderately injured and 55 who are lightly injured.

An additional four people are suffering from acute anxiety as a result of the attack.

Sirens warn of suspected drone infiltration in northern Israel

Sirens warning of a suspected drone infiltration sound in the western Galilee.

Northern Israel has been targeted by barrages of drones and rockets from the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon over the past three weeks, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Report: UK nuclear-powered submarine positioned in Arabian Sea amid regional tensions

A British nuclear-powered submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles has taken position in the Arabian Sea, giving Britain the capability to launch long-range strikes if regional conflict escalates, the Daily Mail reports.

Reuters cannot immediately verify the report. The British Ministry of Defense does not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

HMS Anson, armed with Tomahawk Block IV missiles and Spearfish torpedoes, left Perth earlier this month and travelled roughly 5,500 miles to the region, the Daily Mail says.

The submarine surfaces periodically to communicate with the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, where any launch order would be authorized by the prime minister and conveyed by the chief of joint operations, the report adds.

The deployment comes after Downing Street authorized the US to use British bases for strikes on Iranian sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz.

Dozens of extremist settlers said to raid West Bank Palestinian villages, torch property

Dozens of settler extremists have reportedly raided multiple Palestinian villages in the West Bank, torching homes, vehicles and other property.

Footage from the villages of Jalud, Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr and Qaryut shows buildings on fire, with residents heard rushing to try and evacuate those inside.

No casualties have been reported thus far from the arson attacks. The Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were injured after being beaten by settlers in the village of Jalud, and six others were injured from beatings in villages in the Jenin area.

There are no reports of arrests, which are highly rare in instances of settler violence. Attacks by extremist settlers have been taking place on a near-daily basis in recent weeks.

Yesterday, a settler was killed when the ATV he was traveling in was hit by a Palestinian vehicle. Police initially said it was an accident, but later both police and the army said the possibility that it was a deliberate terror attack was being investigated. The incident raised fears of retaliatory acts by settlers.

HORRIFIC night in the West Bank.

Israeli settlers are attacking more than nine Palestinian villages and cities now, including Bethlehem, setting cars and homes on fire and attempting to burn families alive. pic.twitter.com/blZwHOJaB5

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) March 21, 2026

هجوم للمستوطنين في الضفة الغربية في قرية قريوت يستهدف منازل الفلسطينيين
شاهدوا وضاعتهم pic.twitter.com/sT70XDw0aL

— Wolverine (@Wolveri07681751) March 21, 2026

مستوطنون يحرقون منازل ومركبات للفلسطينيين في هجوم على قرية #الفندقومية جنوب #جنين#إرم_نيوز pic.twitter.com/1qTj0kF5be

— Erem News – إرم نيوز (@EremNews) March 21, 2026

مستوطنون يحرقون منازل فلسطينيين خلال هجومهم على بلدة سيلة الظهر جنوب جنين في الضفة الغربية#عاجل_الان
pic.twitter.com/87YpaXV0Lq

— أخبار اليمن والخليج (@YemGulf) March 21, 2026

Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants if Strait of Hormuz not opened in 48 hours

US President Donald Trump threatens to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Trump writes on Truth Social.

The US has refrained from targeting Iran energy sites to date amid fears of such a step’s impact on the global economy. The Strait of Hormuz is a key artery for the world’s oil supply.

Home Front Command tightens restrictions across south after Iranian attacks on cities of Dimona, Arad

The Home Front Command has tightened its restrictions in several areas of southern Israel following the Iranian ballistic missile attacks on the cities of Dimona and Arad, which injured more than 100 people in total.

According to the new guidelines, which will be in place until Tuesday at 8 p.m., public gatherings are restricted to a maximum of 50 people, provided that a shelter is reachable in the event of an attack, and workplaces can open as long as there is access to a shelter.

Educational activities are canceled in the affected regions. Schools across the country were ordered closed on Sunday and Monday following the missile attacks.

Police chief: No one reported missing in Arad missile attack, searches through rubble are ongoing

Police Commissioner Danny Levy, speaking at the site of the Iranian missile impact in Arad, says police do not believe anyone is missing following the strike but that searches through the rubble are ongoing.

Dozens were wounded in the missile attack on the southern city, which came following an attack on the city of Dimona, also in southern Israel.

“We won’t leave here until we confirm that there is no one missing and no one we have forgotten in the rubble,” Levy says.

He says the searches are using technological means in addition to people physically searching the site of the impact.

“According to reports I received, there is no one trapped at the moment,” he says. “We are continuing to search so that we truly don’t forget anyone here.”

Health system operating in full emergency mode following Iranian missile impacts in south

Some of the dozens of people, adults and children, who were wounded in the Iranian ballistic missile strike in the cities of Dimona and Arad are now being evacuated from hospitals in the south to additional hospitals in the center of the country, the Health Ministry’s Director General, Moshe Bar Siman Tov announces.

The health system is now operating in full emergency mode, preparing for increased mental health care for the population in the south of the country and assisting those who were evacuated from their homes and transferred to hotels in the Dead Sea area.

The ministry reports that eight of the wounded are in serious condition and 16 are in moderate condition.

In addition, the National Resilience Center has contacted the mayors of Dimona and Arad to assist with whatever is needed.

“This is a complex and difficult sequence of events, and the regulated evacuation between hospitals allows us to manage maintain a high level of care for each casualty, even when there are several incidents at the same time,” Siman Tov says. “I would like to pay tribute to the medical teams and rescue and recovery teams who are working with dedication and professionalism, even under fire and in complex conditions, and continue to save lives.”

The ministry reminds the public they can contact the resilience centers and the emergency and emotional support centers of the health care networks to receive psychological assistance.

IDF chief approves strikes on ‘all fronts’ after Iranian missile attacks on cities of Dimona, Arad

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held an assessment with senior officers following the Iranian ballistic missile impacts in the southern cities of Dimona and Arad this evening, and approved upcoming strikes tonight “across all fronts.”

The assessment, according to the IDF, was attended by Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen, Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, and Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Shai Klapper.

The military says Zamir instructed the officers to “continue investigating the incidents and draw lessons from them.”

All 71 injured in Arad missile impact taken to hospitals; 10 in serious condition — medics

All victims from the Iranian ballistic missile impact in the southern city of Arad have been taken to hospitals, Magen David Adom says.

In all, 71 people were physically injured, including 10 in serious condition, 13 in moderate condition, and 48 others lightly hurt, according to the ambulance service.

Another four were treated for acute anxiety and also taken to hospitals.

IDF says Iran missiles that struck cities of Dimona, Arad are not new threat: ‘We will investigate’

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin stresses that the Iranian ballistic missiles that struck the southern cities of Dimona and Arad this evening are not a new threat, after air defenses failed to shoot them down.

“The air defense systems operated but did not intercept the missile. We will investigate the incident and learn from it. This is not a special or unfamiliar type of munition,” he says in a post on X.

Defrin says, “Our hearts are with the residents of Arad and Dimona tonight,” and he wishes the dozens of victims of the strikes a speedy recovery.

“It is important to remember, follow the Home Front Command guidelines. They save lives,” he adds.

Footage shows scene of Iranian missile impact in Arad

Drone footage from the United Hatzalah emergency medical service shows the scene of the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Arad.

The missile — carrying a conventional warhead with hundreds of kilograms of explosives — struck between several apartment buildings, wounding dozens of people and causing extensive damage.

Drone footage courtesy of United Hatzalah shows the scene of the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Arad.

The missile struck between several apartment buildings, wounding dozens of people and causing extensive damage. pic.twitter.com/rIKL2tpZPC

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 21, 2026