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The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
Knesset approves budget-related bill raising deficit ceiling, possible government expenditure
Knesset lawmakers vote 62-55 in favor of the final reading of the State Budget Frameworks Law, raising the deficit ceiling for 2026 to 4.9% of GDP and increasing the allowable government expenditure in 2026, in conjunction with the Deficit Reduction and Limitation Law, by 8.8% or around NIS 60 billion ($19 billion).
The bill also allows the government to increase its permitted expenditure by an additional NIS 5.8 billion ($1.8 billion) to be used as a “civilian emergency reserve,” intended for financing security or civilian expenses arising from the current conflict with Iran.
Turkish, Saudi, Egyptian foreign ministers depart Pakistan after talks in Islamabad
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have departed for their respective countries after attending a meeting convened by Pakistan to review progress in bringing the United States and Iran to the negotiating table to end war in the region, the Foreign Ministry says.
The statement gives no further details.
Ahead of final state budget votes, Smotrich hails economy’s ‘amazing performance’; Lapid slams ‘biggest theft in history’
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference ahead of final votes on the 2026 state budget at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Addressing lawmakers during a late-night debate ahead of final votes on the 2026 state budget, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defends the government’s handling of the country’s wartime economy, stating that “the shekel is stronger than ever.”
The stock market has risen, “high-tech investments are breaking records, unemployment is at an all-time low, and inflation is falling. Israel’s macro data is amazing the world and beating forecasts,” he says.
“The economy of the State of Israel, during a long and expensive war, is demonstrating such amazing performance. The core of this budget is an addition of tens of billions so that we can conclude the campaign and dramatically improve our geopolitical and diplomatic standing. We will be able to dismantle and reassemble the Middle East. This budget allows the country to win.”
Smotrich adds that he believes Israel can dismantle monopolies and lower the cost of living, adding that the government “will serve out its days and complete its missions in security, the economy, and the reform of the judicial system.”
In response, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tells lawmakers that the budget is “the biggest theft in the history of the country.”
“You are hoping that the public is stupid and doesn’t understand what you are putting forth here today. That they don’t understand that this isn’t a budget; it’s a robbery,” he says.
Lapid claims the coalition has allocated billions of shekels in coalition funds for “corruption and draft evasion,” adding that this money could have been used to build “over 150,000” bomb shelters.
“Ask the residents of Kiryat Shmona what they think about the priorities of a budget that prefers coalition funds for parties over funds for shelters. Ask the residents of Arad, Dimona, and Metula. Road accidents are at a peak, yet in this budget, you cut 46 percent of the road safety budget,” he says.
Other cuts include hundreds of millions for classroom construction, tens of millions for Holocaust survivors, and 17% of the budget for building public shelters.
“The Israeli public is not stupid. They understand that this budget is a bonanza for the corrupt and the draft dodgers who are celebrating at our expense. The next budget will be entirely directed toward the serving, working, tax-paying public: the Israeli middle class, all the people who are the primary victims of this broken and crooked budget.”
No reports of injuries at latest Iranian missile hits open area
The latest Iranian ballistic missile fired at Israel was allowed to hit an open area “according to protocol,” according to the IDF.
Sirens had sounded in southern Israel, including in Beersheba — where no early warning was given.
There are no reports of injuries.
‘Waste of time’: Northern mayors said to blast Netanyahu after meeting him following hours-long delay
Metula Mayor David Azoulay on May 7, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
The mayors of several northern communities severely criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a meeting with him this evening, during which he was presented with demands for increased physical protection for towns and tax benefits for residents of that embattled region.
According to the Israel Hayom daily, multiple council chiefs expressed anger at repeated delays in today’s meeting, saying they had been made to wait for hours and that the meeting did not produce any significant developments and was a “waste of time.”
Metula Regional Council chief David Azoulay, who skipped the meeting, tells the Walla news site that he has “heard enough from [Netanyahu], I no longer believe the talk and declarations.”
“We want the Israeli government and the cabinet to include the disarmament and total dissolution of Hezbollah, both militarily and politically, within the goals of the war in Lebanon. This is for the benefit of the entire country’s citizens, and specifically for the residents of Metula and the Galilee. Until that happens, I don’t want to hear from them, and they shouldn’t come to me. We want only one thing: security,” he says.
Council chiefs in the north have recently fiercely criticized the government over what they call an inadequate effort to protect the citizens, and have protested a recent decision to cut programs intended to strengthen frontline communities.
Northern residents have also expressed concern that the IDF will not be allowed to “finish the job” in Lebanon.
Fresh Iranian missile salvo targets southern Israel
The IDF has identified a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.
Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.
Iran’s Khondab heavy water production plant no longer operational, IAEA says
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran’s heavy water production plant at Khondab, which the country said was attacked on March 27, has suffered severe damage and is no longer operational.
The installation contains no declared nuclear material, the UN nuclear watchdog adds in a social media post on X.
Death penalty bill and Haredi Civil Service bill set for final votes in coming days, though challenges remain
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, sporting a noose pin, attends a Knesset National Security Committee meeting discussing his 'death penalty for terrorists' bill in Jerusalem, March 24, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
A bill extending the validity of the National-Civic Service Law, which allows members of the ultra-Orthodox community to enlist in alternative tracks of service, instead of military service, and a bill imposing a death penalty for terrorists are expected to be passed in their final readings on Monday or Tuesday, immediately prior to the end of the current Knesset legislative session, Channel 12 reports.
Tuesday is the final day before the beginning of the Knesset’s Passover recess and it is also the deadline for passing the 2026 state budget.
Lawmakers voted 42-34 in favor of the first reading of the National-Civic Service Bill earlier this month, which is aimed at ensuring “the possibility of continuous further referral of [Haredim] to the national-civic service track until the completion of formulation of [a] general draft arrangement” for the ultra-Orthodox community.
On Tuesday last week, the Knesset National Security Committee voted to advance the far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s death penalty bill to its final readings.
However, according to the Israel Hayom daily, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to pressure Otzma Yehudit party chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to withdraw the bill.
The right-wing Yisrael Beytenu opposition party, meanwhile, has said it will only vote in favor of the legislation if both Netanyahu and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri show up in person to vote in favor.
Additionally, several Arab MKs, as well as the Haredi Degel HaTorah party, are planning on opposing the bill. According to Haredi media reports, Degel HaTorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando has expressed concern that the legislation could endanger Diaspora Jewry.
IDF says its strikes in Tehran this morning targeted missile, weapons sites with over 120 bombs
During a wave of airstrikes in Tehran this morning, the Israeli Air Force bombed more Iranian weapon production sites, the military says.
The military says dozens of IAF fighter jets dropped over 120 bombs on the targets.
The IDF says the targets included a site where “essential” components for ballistic missiles were developed; a complex belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, used for research and development of ballistic missiles and satellite launchers; and a weapons research, development, and production site of the Iranian army.
Also, as part of the wave of strikes, the IAF struck ballistic missile storage and launch sites, and air defense systems, the military adds.
EU decries Israeli block on Latin Patriarch from reaching Holy Sepulchre as ‘violation of religious freedom’
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, sits in the Church of All Nations on the day of a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Ammar Awad/Pool Photo via AP)
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas denounces a “violation of religious freedom” after Israel stopped the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, citing the lack of protected spaces in the area, during a nationwide ban on gatherings thanks to Iran’s frequent missile attacks.
“The decision by Israeli police to bar Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday constitutes a violation of religious freedom and long-standing protections governing holy sites,” she claims.
“Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all faiths. Jerusalem’s multi-religious character must be protected,” she adds in a social media post, without commenting on Israel’s justification for the move.
Health Ministry says pulmonary tuberculosis patient was at Sheba hospital earlier this month
Aerial view of Sheba Medical Center, outside of Tel Aviv, on May 31, 2023. (Omer Fichman/FLASH90/File)
Thousands of people are suspected to have come in contact with a pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patient at an underground facility at Sheba Medical Center earlier this month, the hospital and the Health Ministry say in a joint statement.
The statement says the male patient was hospitalized March 17-22 at the surgery area located underneath the Gynecology and Maternity Center.
Following an epidemiological investigation, authorities found that some 750 patients — including some 300 newborns and babies, as well as immunocompromised patients — are suspected to have come in contact with the TB patient, in addition to around 1,900 employees and an unknown number of people accompanying patients who stayed there for at least eight hours.
The statement says the respiratory disease spreads mainly through continued contact — at least six-to-eight hours.
It calls on anyone who spent at least that amount of time in the relevant area on the relevant dates to contact a Health Ministry hotline at *5400 to receive further instructions.
Latest Iranian missile intercepted; no reports of injuries
The latest Iranian ballistic missile fired at Israel was intercepted, according to the IDF.
Sirens had sounded in the Jerusalem area.
There are no reports of injuries.
IDF says it’s striking Iranian regime targets in Tehran
A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran on March 29, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
The Israeli Air Force is carrying out a wave of strikes in Tehran, the IDF says.
The military says it is striking Iranian regime sites, without providing further details.
The IDF’s announcement comes shortly after Iranian media reported that some areas of Tehran are experiencing electricity blackouts following airstrikes in the area.
Germany, France, Italy and Britain express ‘deep concern’ over Israeli death penalty bill
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Britain urge Israeli lawmakers to abandon a bill that would significantly expand possibilities to impose the death penalty in the country, according to a statement shared by the German Foreign Office.
The ministers express their “deep concern” over the bill, which could be voted into law this week.
“We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles,” the statement adds.
Iranian missile salvo detected toward Jerusalem area — IDF
The IDF has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.
Sirens are sounding in the Jerusalem area.
Iranian minister confirms blackouts in parts of Tehran and in Karaj after strikes hit power grid
Electricity has been cut in parts of the Iranian capital Tehran and in Alborz province after attacks on the area’s infrastructure, Iran’s state media cites the country’s ministry of energy as saying.
Shrapnel hit a part of the electricity grid in Alborz province, causing power to be cut in several areas of Tehran and the city of Karaj. Authorities are working on reinstating it, state media adds.
WHO says another health worker killed in Lebanon; IDF has accused Hezbollah of using medical facilities as cover
The World Health Organization says another health worker has been killed in southern Lebanon due to Israel’s expanding military operations in the region.
A paramedic was killed in a strike on an ambulance in Bint Jbeil, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says in an X post, adding that a medical warehouse in the same city was destroyed in an attack.
Before the latest casualty, WHO had verified 51 Lebanese health workers killed since March 2, including nine paramedics on Saturday, Tedros says.
The IDF has repeatedly accused the Hezbollah terror group of using ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon for military purposes.
“We reiterate our warning that the military use of medical facilities and ambulances must cease immediately, and clarify that if it does not stop, Israel will act in accordance with international law against any military activity of the Hezbollah terror organization,” said army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee earlier today.
Iranian media reports blackouts in parts of Tehran after recent airstrikes
Iranian media reports that some areas of Tehran are experiencing electricity blackouts following airstrikes in the area.
“Following attacks on Tehran, some areas of Tehran are currently experiencing power outages,” the Fars news agency says.
There has been no immediate comment from the IDF or US military on the latest strikes in the Iranian capital.
Report: Iran seeking Russia, China involvement to ensure US ceasefire proposal isn’t a deception tactic
Iran is yet to provide an official response to US President Donald Trump’s 15-point ceasefire proposal, as it seeks international guarantees that the negotiations are not a deception tactic, Channel 12 reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Iran is seeking to broaden the framework to include not only Gulf states but also additional actors, namely Russia and China, which is among the reasons for Tehran’s delay in formally responding, according to the Hebrew network.
Channel 12 adds that Israeli and American officials are discussing coordinated military operations should Washington’s talks with Iran fail, with some disagreements emerging on how to operate while the talks are ongoing, citing senior Israeli officials.
Israel is attempting to persuade the US that, even as they wait for negotiations to play out, it is critical to continue striking national infrastructure, the report continues. The Americans, however, oppose this, reportedly fearing that such attacks could undermine the diplomatic process.
IDF probe finds ‘no negligence’ by troops in accidental killing of farmer in north last week
Ofer Moskovitz, the Kibbutz Misgav Am spokesperson, stands in the kibbutz's observation center destroyed by Hezbollah rockets during the early weeks of the Israel-Hezbollah war, on October 23, 2025. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)
An IDF investigation finds that there was “no negligence” by troops who fired artillery shells at an Israeli border community last week, accidentally killing Ofer Moskovitz.
During the incident on March 22, an artillery battery positioned in Israel fired five shells that struck Kibbutz Misgav Am, instead of a target in southern Lebanon, killing the 60-year-old farmer.
An investigation into the incident, headed by Artillery Corps chief Brig. Gen. Ehud Bibi, was recently completed and presented earlier today to Moskovitz’s family, the army says.
According to the probe, the artillery shelling “was carried out during an operational event in close support of our maneuvering forces,” and that the errant fire was the result of “a convergence of several operational variables and non-optimal firing conditions.”
“No negligence was found, and no ethical failure was identified on the part of those involved in the firing process in the battery,” the IDF says.
As part of lessons drawn from the incident, Ground Forces chief Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan has ordered the issuance of a new “operational directive addressing artillery fire over communities and civilian facilities.”
The IDF says this directive will be “stricter” than the one currently in place.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was also presented with the investigation, saying it is a “difficult and tragic incident” from which lessons “must be learned and implemented promptly.”
“This is a difficult and tragic incident in which an Israeli civilian, Ofer ‘Poshko’ Moskovitz, a man of the north and one of the pillars of the Misgav Am community, was killed as a result of IDF fire,” says Zamir in remarks published by the IDF.
“The battalion and the battery have been operating since the beginning of the campaign continuously and professionally to remove the threat [of Hezbollah] and strike enemy targets,” he says.
Zamir says that the deadly incident resulted from a “convergence of several factors, including aspects of the firing calculation system, terrain conditions, and an error in topographical calculations.”
“This is an incident that requires lessons to be learned. We must examine and sharpen all safety components, particularly the manner of deployment and use of fire near communities, to prevent risk to our civilians. We will draw the necessary lessons and continue to act responsibly to keep protecting the residents of the north,” he says, adding that “the IDF expresses deep sorrow to the family and the community.”
Israel said set to invite US to move some Middle East bases to country, and establish new ones
Israel is set to invite the United States to relocate some of its bases in the region to Israel — and to establish new bases in the country — after the current war is over, Channel 12 reports, citing unnamed security sources.
The security establishment sees an opportunity to “reshape the map” of US military positioning in the Middle East, the report says, given that US forces are already present here now and in light of evolving security challenges.
“We have proved our values of late as a central ally of the United States — one that provides not only stability, but also significant operational and intelligence capabilities,” the report quotes an Israeli source as saying. “American bases in Israel would create a strategic advantage for both sides.”
Pakistan says today’s Islamabad talks discussed ways to bring permanent end to Iran war
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt have discussed “possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war” in the Middle East, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says.
The four nations held joint talks in Islamabad today to seek a de-escalation in the US-Israeli war with Iran.
In a video-recorded statement, Dar says all sides have expressed confidence in Pakistan’s facilitation and that China “fully supports” the initiative to host the potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
CENTCOM head was in Israel today, met IDF chief and other generals on Iran – sources
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left) meets with US CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper at the Israeli military's headquarters in Tel Aviv, January 24, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper was in Israel today and met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other top Israeli generals, security sources tell The Times of Israel.
Cooper and Zamir discussed the ongoing joint campaign against Iran, which in recent days has largely focused on the Iranian weapons production industries.
Yesterday, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that “within a few days” the military will complete targeting all of the “critical” assets of Iran’s military production industries.
Ahead of final budget vote, opposition accuses government of ‘looting’ public funds to reward political allies
The Democrats party leader Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Opposition lawmakers harshly criticize the proposed 2026 budget ahead of the Knesset’s expected vote later tonight, accusing the government of prioritizing the needs of coalition partners and “looting” public funds to finance ultra-Orthodox yeshivas and West Bank settlements.
“We are at war, and, when cuts are necessary, the people of Israel know how to bear them. But the government is doing something entirely different: looting the public purse — NIS 7 billion ($2.2 billion) in political bribery just to preserve the coalition,” says former prime minister Naftali Bennett, widely seen as one of the leading challengers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this year’s elections, calling the budget the “most reckless and anti-Zionist” in the state’s history.
“While IDF Chief of Staff [Eyal] Zamir is crying out, ‘I don’t have enough soldiers to win,’ the government is transferring NIS 2 billion to yeshivas that educate people not to enlist,” he says, referring to reports last week that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned the security cabinet that the army could soon collapse due to mounting operational demands and a deepening manpower shortage.
The left-wing Democrats party leader Yair Golan likewise says the “worst government in Israel’s history” is passing a budget that amounts to a “working plan for dismantling the State of Israel,” citing millions in funding for ultra-Orthodox schools that “refuse to teach core curriculum subjects,” amid cuts to higher education, and allocations to West Bank settlements “in amounts exceeding those given to communities inside the Green Line.”
“While the serving and working public collapses under the burden of reserve duty and the cost of living, amid sirens and daily anxiety for loved ones at the front, this government is reaching deep into the public’s pocket,” he says, accusing the government of “waging a war of attrition” against its own citizens.
Netanyahu’s government approved the inclusion 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 earlier this month, while simultaneously instituting a three percent budget cut across other ministries to finance increased defense spending amid the ongoing war with Iran.
IDF says Hezbollah members killed as ground troops push deeper into Lebanon
The IDF says several Hezbollah operatives were killed amid recent ground operations in southern Lebanon, publishing footage of one of the incidents.
In the incident, several Hezbollah gunmen were identified by the 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit entering a building in southern Lebanon, and a short while later, an Israeli Air Force drone struck and killed them, the military says.
כוחות המילואים של צוות הקרב החטיבתי 769 בפיקוד אוגדה 91 מבצעים פעילות קרקעית ממוקדת להרחבת מרחב האבטחה בדרום לבנון.
במהלך פעילות במרחב, כוחות האיסוף של יחידה 869 זיהו מספר מחבלים חמושים נכנסים למבנה במרחב.
הכוחות הכווינו כלי טיס של חיל האוויר שתקף את המבנה אליו נכנסו המחבלים… pic.twitter.com/rtKTaiqL7D— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 29, 2026
In another incident, the IDF says troops of the Givati Brigade spotted several Hezbollah operatives who attempted to plant explosive devices and launch mortars at troops.
“The soldiers on the ground opened fire and eliminated the terrorists,” the military says, adding that no troops were injured.
The Givati soldiers also located a cache of weapons, including dozens of anti-tank missiles, grenades, and other explosives, the army adds.
תיעוד מפעילות כוחות חטיבת גבעתי בדרום לבנון: חוסלו מחבלי חיזבאללה שניסו להפעיל מטען ואותרו עשרות טילי נ״ט
הלילה, לוחמי גבעתי בפיקוד אוגדה 91 זיהו מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שניסו להניח מטענים ולשגר פצצות מרגמה לעבר הכוחות.
בסגירת מעגל מהירה, הלוחמים בשטח ירו לעברם וחיסלו את… pic.twitter.com/7bF0Ecgjp9— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 29, 2026
No injuries reported as Iran missile targeting southern Israel is intercepted
No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the eighth since midnight.
The missile, which triggered sirens in southern Israel, was intercepted, according to the IDF.
Today’s talks in Pakistan with regional powers focus on plans to reopen Hormuz – sources
This handout photograph taken and released by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 29, 2026 shows Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (center R) speaking with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty (center L) during their meeting at the foreign ministry office in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Handout / Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)
Today’s talks in Pakistan with Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia — part of its efforts to broker an end to the Iran war — have concluded for the day, with initial discussions focused on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, sources familiar with the matter say.
During the talks with foreign ministers from the three regional powers, proposals were floated to Washington tied to maritime traffic and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, five sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters, as part of wider efforts to stabilize shipping flows.
The Strait of Hormuz was previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, but Iran has effectively halted shipping flows through it in response to the US and Israeli airstrikes that began a month ago.
A source from Pakistan says proposals, including from Egypt, were forwarded to the White House by the countries before today’s meeting. The source adds that they include Suez Canal-style fee structures.
Two other Pakistani sources say Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia may form a consortium to manage oil flows through the waterway, and have asked Pakistan to participate. The first Pakistani source says Islamabad has not been formally asked to join and maintains that it will not.
The proposal for a management consortium had been discussed with the US and Iran, the sources say. The first Pakistani source says the country’s army chief Asim Munir has been in regular contact with US Vice President JD Vance.
Egypt’s and Pakistan’s foreign ministries do not respond to a request for comment. The Saudi government media office and the White House do not immediately reply to a comment request.
A Turkish diplomatic source says Ankara’s priority is securing a ceasefire.
“Ensuring the safe passage of ships could serve as an important confidence-building measure in this regard,” the person says, requesting anonymity.
Ministry says hazardous materials leak has been ruled out after missile fragment hit factory in south
Fire trucks enter a factory in the Neot Hovav industrial zone in the Negev after an Iranian missile impacted and caused a blaze there, March 29, 2026. (Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)
The Environmental Protection Ministry announces that there is no risk to the public after a missile fragment hit a chemical factory in southern Israel, sparking a fire and fears of a hazardous substances leak.
The damaged plant belongs to ADAMA, part of the Chinese-owned Syngenta Group. The factory manufactures agricultural materials such as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
“No concern was found for a hazardous materials incident or risk to the public,” Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman says.
Silman adds that ministry professionals have carried out on-site measurements and monitoring, and that “in accordance with the findings of the updated tests, it was decided to open the roads and restore activity to normal.”
Workers from the factory and adjacent plants who were hurried off to protected areas have been allowed to leave them.
Another Iranian missile attack targets southern Israel
The IDF has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.
Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.
Tally of wounded in Beersheba missile impact raised to 11
The site of an Iranian missile impact in an open area in Beersheba, March 29, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Magen David Adom says 11 people were injured in Beersheba after an Iranian ballistic missile struck an open area dozens of meters from homes.
They were hurt by “flying objects” caused by the missile’s shockwave, MDA says.
MDA says it also treated 20 others suffering acute anxiety, and all 31 were taken to Soroka Hospital.
Source: Iran’s ambassador will defy Lebanon’s expulsion order, won’t leave country today
Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani (left), shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on February 25, 2026. (Iranian embassy in Beirut)
Iran’s ambassador will not leave Lebanon despite being declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country by today, an Iranian diplomatic source tells AFP.
“The ambassador will not leave Lebanon, in accordance with the wishes of the speaker of parliament Nabih Berri and of Hezbollah,” the source says, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hezbollah has denounced the decision, while Berri’s Amal party joined Hezbollah ministers in boycotting a cabinet session this past week in protest at the order to expel Mohammad Reza Sheibani.
The foreign ministry on Tuesday gave Tehran’s envoy until today to leave, in the latest unprecedented step by Lebanese authorities since Hezbollah initiated a new war with Israel on March 2.
The ministry accused him of making statements “interfering in Lebanon’s internal politics.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the expulsion “a courageous decision.”
The Lebanese authorities have banned Hezbollah’s military and security activities. It is the only armed non-state group in the country and a close ally of Iran.
It has also banned the presence and operations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, whom Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has accused of directing Hezbollah operations against Israel.
Kuwait’s top diplomat blasts Iran’s destabilization of the region
Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Sabah says what the region is witnessing is a “systematic pattern of undermining regional stability led by Iran,” as the monthlong war continues to destabilize the region.
In a statement reported by the state-run Kuna news agency, Al Sabah says Iran is destabilizing the region through “exploiting chaos and terrorism as tools of influence.”
Kuwait’s Armed Forces said today that projectile attacks injured 10 members of its forces, and its Defense Ministry said that the warehouses of a private logistics company were hit, resulting in only material damage, as the country intercepted 26 other Iranian missiles and drones over the past 24 hours.
Also today, Qatar and Bahrain said that they intercepted missiles and drones launched toward them.
Egyptian diplomat Nabil Fahmy appointed as new Arab League chief
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy arrives at an EU-Arab league Foreign Ministers summit, in Athens, on June 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Arab foreign ministers appoint veteran Egyptian diplomat Nabil Fahmy as the head of the 22-member Arab League.
Fahmy, a former Egyptian foreign minister, wins the support of the Arab foreign ministers in a virtual meeting, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry.
Fahmy’s five-year term will start in July, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who has served as Arab League chief since 2016.
Fahmy was the only nominee for the post, as it is a long-held protocol that Egypt, as host of the Arab League, traditionally nominates the head of the body since its establishment in 1945. The only time a non-Egyptian — Tunisian diplomat al-Shazly al-Qalibi — was appointed to the post was in 1979, after Egypt’s membership was suspended following its peace treaty with Israel.
Egypt rejoined in 1989, with the headquarters of the Arab League returning to Cairo and a new Egyptian secretary-general appointed in 1990.
Fahmy, 75, served as Egypt’s top diplomat between July 2013 and June 2014, when Egypt was in turmoil following the military overthrow of an elected Islamist president whose one-year rule proved divisive. Fahmy was Egypt’s ambassador to the United States between 1999 and 2008.
He also founded the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at The American University in Cairo, and currently serves as the school’s dean emeritus.
He is the son of Ismail Fahmy, the Egyptian foreign minister from 1973 to 1977. The elder Fahmy had resigned in protest of President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem, which paved the way for Egypt becoming the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
Israel says it struck over 140 Iran missile sites in past day
The Israeli Air Force struck over 140 targets of Iran’s ballistic missile array in western and central Iran in the past day, the military says.
The IDF says the strikes hit sites where Iran stored and launched ballistic missiles, alongside air defense systems.
Netanyahu: Security zone in Lebanon to be expanded; there are ‘visible cracks’ in Iranian regime
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a visit to the IDF Northern Command headquarters in Safed, March 29, 2026. (Screenshot/GPO)
After a situation assessment at the IDF Northern Command headquarters in Safed with top IDF officers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli actions are creating “visible cracks in the terror regime in Tehran.”
“Iran is not the same Iran,” he says, “Hezbollah is not the same Hezbollah, and Hamas is not the same Hamas.”
The three, he insists, are “battered enemies fighting for their very existence.”
“Instead of them surprising us, we are surprising them,” he says. “We are the side that is acting, we are the side that is attacking, we are the side that is initiating, and we are deep in their territory.”
Netanyahu boasts that Israel has created “three security zones deep in enemy territory.”
He says that in Lebanon, he has given the order to “further expand the existing security zone to definitively thwart the [Hezbollah] invasion threat and to push anti-tank missile fire away from our border.”
Netanyahu acknowledges that Hezbollah “still has residual capability to launch rockets at us,” and that he and the IDF commanders discussed removing that threat as well.
“We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he says.
‘Crazy explosion’: 4 people lightly injured after Iran missile impact in Beersheba
Damage to nearby buildings caused by an Iranian ballistic missile that hit an open area in the southern city of Beersheba, March 29, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Magen David Adom says it treated four people who were lightly injured by the Iranian ballistic missile impact in Beersheba.
The four were hurt by “flying objects” caused by the shockwave from the missile that hit an open area, several dozen meters from homes.
“There was a crazy explosion,” one local resident tells the Times of Israel. “A few broken windows, but everything is okay.”
University in Iran’s Isfahan says it was hit today by US-Israeli strike
A university in Iran’s central city of Isfahan says it was hit today by US-Israeli airstrikes for the second time since the current war erupted a month ago.
“Around 2 p.m. (1030 GMT) today, Isfahan University of Technology was targeted for the second time [during the war] by a brutal airstrike of Zionist-American aggressors,” the university says in a statement carried by Fars news agency.
“According to initial reports, the attack on one of the university’s research institutes also caused damage to several other buildings and resulted in minor injuries to four university staff members,” it adds.
High Court orders freeze to new police anti-incitement body reportedly looking to implicate ordinary citizens
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrives for a hearing at the Jerusalem District Court, January 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The High Court of Justice issues a temporary order to freeze the “proactive monitoring” of individuals on social media by the police’s new incitement department, following reports that the fledgling body has been illicitly tracking the online activity of ordinary citizens.
In the ruling, Justice Yechiel Kasher says the practice is forbidden without approval from the State Attorney’s Office in the absence of suspicion that a criminal offense has been committed.
The ruling is handed down in response to a petition against the body’s activities filed by The Democrats MK Efrat Rayten, alongside the left-wing Zulat Institute.
Earlier this month, the Kan public broadcaster reported that the officer in charge of the incitement department had urged officers to send him names of people who “bother” them, with the goal of monitoring their social media and potentially launching investigations into their posts.
Ch. Supt. Udi Ronen, who heads the department, allegedly wrote to a WhatsApp group: “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, as seen in a screenshot included in the report.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, founded the department earlier this year in a bid to transfer responsibility for terror-linked incitement cases from the investigations and intelligence division, headed by Deputy Commissioner Boaz Blatt.
The department’s official status remains undefined, but it appears to be handling at least some incitement-related cases after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called on police to immediately halt the fledgling body’s operations.
In her letter to police chief Danny Levy two weeks ago, she claimed that the surveillance activities were conducted without a “sufficient evidentiary basis.”
Iranian missile hits open area in Beersheba, shattering windows in homes; no injuries reported
The site of an Iranian missile impact in an open area in Beersheba, March 29, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
An Iranian ballistic missile struck an open area in the southern city of Beersheba.
The blast shattered windows in nearby homes, though no injuries are reported.
US envoy: Israel’s decision to keep top Catholic clergy out of Holy Sepulchre ‘difficult to understand’
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem, August 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee says Israel’s decision to keep senior Catholic clergymen from worshiping at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday is “difficult to understand or justify.”
The decision by Israel’s police, says Huckabee on X, “to deny Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and three other priests from entering the Church to offer a blessing on Palm Sunday is an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.”
“Home Front Command Guidelines restrict any gatherings to 50 people or less,” he continues. “The four representatives of the Catholic Church were well below that restriction. Statements from the Gov’t of Israel indicate the action to prohibit Cardinal Pizzaballa entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was for safety reasons, but churches, synagogues and mosques throughout Jerusalem have met with the restrictions of 50 or less.”
“For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify. Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities.”
The Home Front Command guidelines only permit gatherings of up to 50 people if there is a bomb shelter nearby that can be reached in time. It is unclear whether such a space exists in the vicinity of the Holy Sepulchre.
Hundreds gather in central Istanbul for protest against US and Israel
Nearly a thousand people gather in central Istanbul despite heavy rains to protest the American-Israeli war against Iran, as well as Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Organized by several religious conservative nonprofits, the rally features slogans like “Resist, Gaza will prevail” and “Muslims don’t bow to oppression,” as well as signs saying, “Killer Israel, Killer United States” and criticizing the Israeli closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — even though other major Jewish and Christian holy sites have been closed as well due to the danger of falling Iranian missiles.
“We are here for all the oppressed in the world. Lebanon, Iran, Palestine, yesterday it was Venezuela, tomorrow it will probably be Cuba, we are here for all of them,” protester Mehmet Yilmaz tells The Associated Press.
“When Iran launches a missile, despite claiming no one can hurt them with their Iron Dome, they [Israelis] all scurry into their holes like mice the second the sirens blare,” Ekrem Saylan tells AP. “What do the Iranians do? They take to the streets. This is about belief, faith. If they [Israelis] had faith they wouldn’t be afraid of death.”
Ten Kuwaiti troops injured in Iranian missile attack on army camp, Kuwait says
Ten Kuwaiti military personnel have been injured in an Iranian missile attack on a military camp in the Gulf country, the Kuwaiti army says, without giving a location.
The camp has sustained material damage, the army says in a post on X, adding that Kuwait has dealt with 14 ballistic missiles and 12 drones over the past 24 hours.
ADAMA says its plant in southern Israel is the one that was hit in Iranian missile attack
A fire caused by an Iranian missile hit in the Neot Hovav industrial zone, near Beersheba, March 26, 2026. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
ADAMA, a maker of active ingredients and crop protection materials, says its Makhteshim plant in southern Israel is the one that was hit earlier in the Neot Hovav industrial zone.
The company says the factory was struck by either an Iranian missile or debris from a missile, adding that no injuries have been reported.
ADAMA, part of the Chinese-owned Syngenta Group, says the damage to the plant is not immediately known.
IDF advances deeper into south Lebanon, takes control of strategic positions
The IDF’s 146th Division has advanced deeper into the western sector of southern Lebanon as part of efforts to establish a new buffer zone aimed at pushing away the threat of Hezbollah from the border.
Senior Israeli officials have said the IDF aims to establish a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, which would be controlled with surveillance and firepower, as well as ground troops in areas deemed strategically necessary.
The division in recent days reached strategic positions from which the military says Hezbollah could launch attacks on Israel, including the Ras al-Bayada headland, south of Tyre, located around eight kilometers (5 miles) north of Israel’s border.
Impact reported in Beersheba after latest Iranian missile attack
Medics and rescue forces are responding to reports of an impact in Beersheba following Iran’s latest ballistic missile salvo.
Man shot dead in Rahat, in apparent revenge for homicide earlier today
A man has been shot and killed in Rahat, in an apparent revenge shooting over another homicide that occurred this morning in the southern Bedouin city.
The victim is identified as 44-year-old Ahmad Abu Ghanem, a resident of the city. He was found by paramedics without any sign of life and declared dead on the spot.
A pair of masked men appeared to shoot him from close range in his car while outside a shopping center, as seen in footage from the incident.
Police suspect that the assailants were taking revenge for a lethal shooting several hours earlier, which left 54-year-old Ibrahim Abu Zayid al-Turi dead, Ynet reports.
.הרצח השני ברהט בתוך שעות: אחמד אבו גאנם נהרג כתוצאה מירי, ומספר קורבנות הרצח בחברה הערבית עלה ל-78 מאז תחילת השנה pic.twitter.com/2wdlBBrCks
— כל החדשות בזמן אמת (@Saher_News_24_7) March 29, 2026
Herzog calls Latin Patriarch after police bar top Catholic figures from Holy Sepulchre amid missile threat
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, holds a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Ammar Awad/Pool Photo via AP)
President Isaac Herzog calls Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa to express his “great sorrow” over the decision by Israeli police officers to prevent the cardinal and Custos of the Holy Land Fr. Francesco Ielpo from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass.
“I clarified that the incident stemmed from security concerns due to the continuous threat of missile attacks from the Iranian terror regime against the civilian population in Israel, following previous incidents in which Iranian missiles fell in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem in recent days,” says Herzog.
“I reaffirmed the State of Israel’s unwavering commitment to freedom of religion for all faiths and to upholding the status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem.”
Iran fires another missile volley at southern Israel
The IDF has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.
Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel shortly.
Home Front Command says those in Neot Hovav industrial zone must stay indoors after missile fragment hit factory
The IDF Home Front Command has issued a warning to civilians near the Neot Hovav industrial zone, south of Beersheba, to remain indoors due to concerns of a hazardous materials leak, following Iran’s ballistic missile attack on the area.
The warning was only issued to those in the industrial zone, and not nearby towns, the IDF says.
According to the IDF, the Iranian ballistic missile did not directly hit the industrial zone, but rather a “fragment” likely struck a facility there, sparking a large fire.
Home Front Command search and rescue forces were dispatched to the scene and are operating alongside rescue services to extinguish the blaze, the army adds.
After criticism, Netanyahu’s office says plan being devised to let church leaders worship at Holy Sepulchre
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a plenum session for the Knesset's 77th birthday on February 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says a plan is being put together to allow Christian leaders to worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
“Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” says Netanyahu’s office on X.
“As a result, Israel has temporarily asked worshipers from all faiths not to worship at the holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City to protect them.”
This morning, Israeli police officers kept Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, from reaching the church in Jerusalem’s Old City to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass, leading to outrage from many of Israel’s allies.
“Today, out of special concern for his safety, Jerusalem police prevented the Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pizzaballa from holding mass this morning at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” says the PMO. “Again, there was no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety and that of his party.”
“However, given the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world’s Christians, Israel’s security arms are putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days.”
Herzog’s office sends Netanyahu pardon request back to Justice Ministry, seeking further clarification
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and President Isaac Herzog at an event for outstanding soldiers during Israel's 75th Independence Day celebrations, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on April 26, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)
President Isaac Herzog’s legal adviser, Michal Tzuk, has requested “additional supplementary materials” from the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department during the president’s examination of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in his corruption trial, according to a statement from Herzog’s office.
“The President’s Residence requested supplementary materials from the department regarding precedents in the exercise of the pardon authority prior to the conclusion of criminal proceedings, including in cases involving diplomatic gestures or hostage-release deals,” reads the statement.
“Despite the clear differences between the cases, the requested additions relate to the very exercise of the pardon authority during an ongoing legal process,” the statement continues, adding that “the request was made as part of completing the professional review prior to formulating a recommendation to President Isaac Herzog, and it should not be taken to indicate any position whatsoever regarding the request.”
“Following receipt of the requested responses, handling of the request will continue in accordance with established procedures,” Herzog’s office adds.
The Pardons Department completed a legal position paper on Netanyahu’s pardon request earlier this month, determining that it was highly problematic and unprecedented given the premier’s ongoing trial, lack of conviction, and absence of admission of guilt or remorse.
The department added that the request relies heavily on public interest arguments related to diplomacy and security that it said it was not equipped to assess, while warning that granting such a pardon could harm equality before the law.
Police to meet Latin Patriarch after stopping him from reaching Holy Sepulchre
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, leads prayers at the Sunday morning mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City on July 20, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
After Israeli police stopped the two most senior Catholic figures in the Holy Land from reaching Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday this morning, the Foreign Ministry says that the police will meet with Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa to find solutions while ensuring safety.
“All safety and precautionary instructions in the Old City are a direct result of Iranian missile fire,” says the Foreign Ministry in a statement. “As is known, the Iranian regime has fired on the Old City on multiple occasions, striking sites in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall.”
“In light of this, and in order to protect the lives of worshipers of all faiths, precautionary instructions have been issued for all holy sites of all religions, and mass gatherings are not possible,” it continues. “The concern over a mass-casualty event in the Old City is particularly acute given the area’s density and the difficulty of deploying first responders in such an incident.”
“The police will meet with Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and work to explore solutions that allow for as normal a routine as possible while ensuring public safety.”
France condemns Houthis for entering Mideast war by firing at Israel
France condemns two attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Israel, accusing them of escalating tension in the Middle East by entering the regional war.
A Houthi spokesman said yesterday that the Iran-backed group had fired missiles and drones towards “several vital and military sites” in Israel.
“The Houthis should abstain from all attacks,” French foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux says. He accuses them of being “irresponsible.”
He says everything should be done “to avoid an even greater escalation of the conflict,” which has killed thousands across the region and sent energy markets into a tailspin.
The war has disrupted global maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway in the Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude supplies pass, along with substantial shipments of gas and fertilizers.
The only alternative routes are to sail through the Red Sea on the other side of the Arabian peninsula or make the much longer journey around the tip of southern Africa.
From Yemen, the Houthis could potentially disrupt shipping through the Red Sea, as they did at the height of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Macron joins wave of condemnation of Israel’s decision to keep top Catholic figures from Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media as he arrives for the EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, March 19, 2026. (AP/Omar Havana)
French President Emmanuel Macron condemns Israel’s decision to stop the two senior Catholic figures in the Holy Land from reaching Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday this morning.
“I offer my full support to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and to the Christians of the Holy Land, who are prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulchre,” says Macron on X.
“I condemn this decision by the Israeli police, which adds to the alarming proliferation of violations of the status quo of Jerusalem’s Holy Sites,” he continues. “The free exercise of worship in Jerusalem must be guaranteed for all religions.”
Since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities have, for security reasons, barred access to the Old City for anyone other than residents or shop owners. The restrictions extend to all holy sites, including the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which have been closed since March 6. Gatherings in Jerusalem remain limited to 50 people, provided a shelter can be reached in time.
The police say that the Old City and the holy sites in Jerusalem “constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles, which significantly challenges response capabilities and poses a real risk to human life in the event of a mass casualty incident.”
The force has also said the Catholic officials were told ahead of time that they could not enter the church at this time for safety reasons.
Officials checking possibility of hazardous materials leak at factory hit by Iranian missile; public told to stay away
A fire caused by an Iranian missile hit in the Neot Hovav industrial zone, near Beersheba, March 26, 2026. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Fire and rescue teams are working to seal and contain damaged chemical storage units at a factory at the Neot Hovav industrial zone in southern Israel following an Iranian missile strike and reports of a hazardous materials leak, which the deputy head of the fire service’s Southern District, Itzik Levy, says is a pesticide.
No casualties have been reported and staff from the facility and nearby plants have been evacuated.
Members of the public are asked not to approach the area, and residents of nearby areas are told to stay indoors, close windows and heed the orders of security and rescue forces until officials can gauge the situation.
IDF says it killed 10 Hamas operatives in Gaza overnight, as well as terror operative who crossed Yellow Line
The IDF says it struck and killed some 10 armed Hamas operatives in the central Gaza Strip overnight.
“After detection, the IDF struck and eliminated the armed terrorists to remove the threat,” the military says.
In a separate incident yesterday, troops of the 188th Armored Brigade killed a Palestinian terror operative who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line, the IDF says.
The military says Ahmed Faiz Salem Abu Rida “systematically violated the terms of the agreement, including by crossing the Yellow Line multiple times, transferring funds to suspects for terrorist activity, and posing a threat to IDF troops.”
Abu Rida had been detained by Israel at the start of the war, but was released to the Strip under a ceasefire agreement in early 2025, according to the IDF.
ברצועת עזה: חוסלו כ-10 מחבלים חמושים ומחבל שהפר את ההסכם לאחר ששוחרר במסגרת מבצע 'כנפי דרור'
הלילה, כוחות צה"ל זיהו חולייה של כעשרה מחבלים חמושים מארגון הטרור חמאס, שפעלו במרכז רצועת עזה. מיד לאחר הזיהוי, צה"ל תקף וחיסל את המחבלים החמושים להסרת איום.
באירוע נוסף אמש, כוחות צוות… pic.twitter.com/77GlXY7RhZ
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 29, 2026
Palestinian media had reported yesterday that one person was killed in an Israeli “drone strike” in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. A military spokesperson tells The Times of Israel that the reported incident was the targeting of Abu Rida by the armored forces.
In another incident yesterday, the Associated Press cited hospital authorities in the Strip as saying an Israeli airstrike killed two brothers in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood. However, Palestinian media later reported that the pair were killed in a gunfight with other Palestinians.
The IDF tells The Times of Israel that it is unaware of the incident and did not conduct any strikes in the area.
Israel Police say top Catholic officials were told in advance they can’t enter Holy Sepulchre for safety reasons
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, greeting Christians gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem for a mass honoring Pope Francis on April 23, 2025. (Rossella Tercatin/Times of Israel)
After furor erupts over the Israel Police blocking the two most senior Catholic figures in the Holy Land from reaching Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday this morning, the police say they told the clergymen yesterday that their request to reach the church was not approved for safety reasons.
“Since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, and in accordance with directives issued by the Home Front Command, all holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem have been closed to worshipers, particularly locations that do not have standard protected spaces, in order to safeguard public safety and security,” say the police in a statement.
“The patriarch’s request was reviewed yesterday, and it was clarified that it could not be approved for the reasons outlined above.”
Since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities have, for security reasons, barred access to the Old City for anyone other than residents or shop owners. The restrictions extend to all holy sites, including the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which have been closed since March 6. Gatherings in Jerusalem remain limited to 50 people, provided a shelter can be reached in time.
The police say that the Old City and the holy sites in Jerusalem “constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles, which significantly challenges response capabilities and poses a real risk to human life in the event of a mass casualty incident.”
The statement emphasizes that “freedom of worship will continue to be upheld, subject to necessary restrictions.”
Fragments of an Iranian missile strike meters away from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/fxxYXG3vRC
— Lazar Berman (@Lazar_Berman) March 16, 2026
Earlier this month, missile fragments from intercepted Iranian missiles landed near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called today’s incident “an offense not only to believers, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antoni Tajani said on X that it is “unacceptable that they were prevented from entering.”
He says that he told the Italian ambassador in Israel to convey the government of Italy’s protest of the decision, and told Italy’s Foreign Ministry to summon Israeli envoy Jonathan Peled for “clarification.”
“This is painful to all Christians,” writes German Ambassador Steffen Seibert. “Our solidarity with the Patriarch and the Custos.”
Iran missile attack causes large fire in Beersheba-area industrial zone; no injuries reported
A large fire is burning at the Neot Hovav industrial zone, south of Beersheba, following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, rescue services say.
No injuries are reported as a result of the impact in the area.
שיגור שביעי מאיראן לדרום הארץ: דיווחים על נפילה במפעל@pozailov1 pic.twitter.com/JMctce1VPm
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 29, 2026
שריפה פרצה בזירת הנפילה במפעל ברמת חובב; דיווחים פלסטיניים על נפילה סמוך לרמאללה@hadasgrinberg @OmerShahar123 pic.twitter.com/9Jij36Iq69
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 29, 2026
PM’s supposed next spokesperson won’t get role after racist remarks unveiled — report
Tal Gilboa speaks during a committee meeting at the Knesset on February 19, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Tal Gilboa, a hardline animal rights activist said poised to become Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s next spokesperson, will not be appointed to the position, the Walla news site reports, stating that, rather than being offered the role, she was given the opportunity to join the premier’s “spokesperson team.”
The Prime Minister’s Office has not confirmed Gilboa’s appointment, which was announced over the weekend by her partner, and has not replied to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu’s previous spokesman, Ziv Agmon, has quit after remarks he made against Jews of Middle Eastern descent and against the premier himself surfaced.
Walla’s report comes a day after Gilboa’s supposed appointment was condemned by opposition leaders angered by what a Channel 12 report highlighted as a history of making bigoted and prejudiced remarks.
Gilboa, a former reality television star who founded the Israeli branch of the extremist Animal Liberation Front, was cited attacking Russians, members of the LGBTQ community and meat eaters, among others.
In a report on Saturday, the network quoted Gilboa as saying she would not donate blood to an elderly leukemia patient because he is not a vegan, nor to an 8-year-old cancer patient, stating that if a meat-eater dies, that means “less suffering.”
She also reportedly called a social media user a “gay piece of crap” and referred to Russians as “disgusting.”
Channel 12 also reported that Gilboa has a history of confrontations with opposition activists and referred to demonstrators who called for the release of hostages in Gaza as “whores.” Gilboa is related to freed hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
Hezbollah rocket attack triggers sirens in Tiberias area, as Iran salvo targets central Israel
Sirens sound in the northern city of Tiberias and nearby towns amid a Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon.
The Hezbollah rocket fire comes amid an Iranian ballistic missile attack that triggered sirens in central Israel and the West Bank.
Medics respond to reported impact in industrial zone near Beersheba
Medics and rescue forces are responding to reports of an impact at an industrial zone near Beersheba, following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Medics and rescue forces are responding to reports of an impact at an industrial zone near Beersheba, following Iran's latest ballistic missile attack. pic.twitter.com/3vrdpBrbSZ
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 29, 2026
Sirens sound in south; another Iranian missile expected to trigger alarms in central Israel
After sirens sound in southern Israel due to an Iranian ballistic missile attack, an early warning is issued in the center after the IDF identifies another launch from Iran.
Issta to operate limited flights from Aqaba amid Ben Gurion restrictions
Israeli travel company Issta says it has been given the green light to operate a limited batch of flights in the coming days to Paphos in Cyprus, and one flight to Athens in Greece via Jordan’s Aqaba Airport using aircraft belonging to Bulgarian carrier Electra Airways.
The announcement comes after Israeli carrier Arkia announced earlier today that its flight schedule to destinations in Europe and Bangkok from Aqaba operated by European aircraft had to be canceled due to a sudden change in policy by Jordanian authorities. It is unclear why Issta has permission.
Issta says the approval is for a daily flight starting Monday that will be leaving from Aqaba to Paphos through April 8. On Tuesday, the travel company will operate a one-way flight from Aqaba to Athens.
Issta says it offers flight packages for Israelis that includes facilitation of entry visas to Jordan and transfers from the land border crossing with Jordan to the Aqaba airport.
The use of the Aqaba airport as an alternative hub for Israelis seeking to travel overseas for the upcoming Jewish Passover holiday comes as Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport has been virtually closed for most regular commercial air traffic since the start of war with Iran on February 28.
Ballistic missile attack detected from Iran; sirens expected in south
A new ballistic missile attack from Iran has been detected by the IDF.
Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel shortly.
Italy slams Israeli police for blocking Latin patriarch from Holy Sepulchre Palm Sunday mass; envoy to Rome summoned
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addresses the Senate in Rome, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Israeli police actions preventing Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch from celebrating Palm Sunday mass was “an offense to the faithful” in a statement.
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, separately says on X he had summoned Israel’s ambassador over the incident.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem earlier said its head, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was prevented by Israeli police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to conduct the mass.
Iran threatens to target USS Abraham Lincoln carrier if it moves within firing range
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) prepares to pull alongside Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO-187) during a replenishment-at-sea in the US Central Command area of responsibility, March 10, 2026. (US Navy photo)
Iran’s navy chief Shahram Irani says that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will be targeted by the Islamic Republic if it comes within range.
“As soon as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group comes within firing range, we will avenge the blood of the martyrs of the Dena warship by launching various types of sea-to-sea missiles,” Irani is quoted as saying by state TV, referring to an Iranian frigate sunk by the US on March 4.
Senior UAE official: Any political solution for Iran attacks should include reparations for Gulf states
Diplomatic adviser to the United Arab Emirates president Anwar Gargash arrives at the opening ceremony of the summit on peace in Ukraine, at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, on June 15, 2024. (Denis Balibouse / POOL / AFP)
Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, says that any political solution addressing Iranian attacks on Gulf states should include Iranian reparations for targeting vital facilities as well as civilians.
The solutions should include clear guarantees to prevent a repetition of the attacks, he says in a post on X.
“Iran deceived its neighbors about its intentions before the war and revealed premeditated aggression despite their sincere efforts to avoid it,” he says.
Lion and 3 lionesses arrive at Haifa zoo from Czech Republic amid conservation efforts for endangered species
The lions rest arriving at the Louis Ariel Goldschmidt Haifa Educational Zoo on March 26, 2026 (Courtesy)
One lion and three lionesses arrived at the Louis Ariel Goldschmidt Haifa Educational Zoo on Thursday, the zoo reports.
The zoo took in the four lions, about a year and a half old, as part of its ongoing efforts to conserve an endangered species. The lions had been housed in various zoos in the Czech Republic.
The Haifa zoo currently houses two other endangered cat species — the white Bengal tiger and the Persian leopard.
The lions will enter an initial acclimatization period of several weeks, during which they will get used to their new environment and each other before being introduced to the general public.
“We must continue to preserve such species so that they do not disappear for future generations,” says Haifa Deputy Mayor Yossi Shalom.
Zoo staff members herd the lions, along with other animals, into indoor chambers or rooms made of solid concrete to take shelter from Iranian missiles or Hezbollah rockets.
Primed Hezbollah missile launcher destroyed in Beqaa Valley, IDF says
A primed Hezbollah missile launcher in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike overnight, the military says.
The IDF says the launcher was armed and prepared for an attack on Israel.
Also in the overnight strikes, the Israeli Air Force hit Hezbollah weapon depots and buildings where members of the terror group were operating, the military says.
The IDF says it also conducted strikes in Beirut against Hezbollah infrastructure.
Israeli Air Force bombed facility where critical components for missiles were developed, IDF says
A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran early on March 28, 2026 (ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
During a wave of airstrikes overnight, the Israeli Air Force bombed dozens of Iranian weapon production sites, including a facility where “critical components” for missiles were developed, the military says.
The IDF says the site in the Tehran area, belonging to Iran’s defense ministry, is “one of only two of its kind in Iran, where the regime developed critical components for assembling and operationalizing ballistic missiles intended for launch toward the State of Israel.”
The military says other targets hit as part of the wave of strikes in Tehran included a facility where Iran manufactured engines for ballistic missiles; a weapon production and storage site; a facility where engines for drones were manufactured; and a “central site” of the Iranian military used for the development of air defense systems and the manufacturing and storage of anti-aircraft missiles.
Arkia scraps all flights from Aqaba until further notice amid change in Jordanian policy
An Arkia flight over Tel Aviv, December 14, 2024. (Yossi Aloni FLASH90)
Israeli airline Arkia was forced to cancel all flight operations from Jordan’s Aqaba airport until further notice after local authorities announced a sudden change of policy leaving hundreds of Israelis rerouted or having to return home.
Arkia says Jordanian authorities unexpectedly decided not to approve flights from the airport, which the airline operates by chartering European aircraft. The abrupt decision left hundreds of Israelis scheduled to depart from Aqaba to Bangkok and destinations in Europe stranded at the airport today.
Arkia says passengers scheduled to depart to Bangkok are being rerouted and will depart from Aqaba on two separate flights chartered this afternoon by Jordan Aviation to Larnaca in Cyprus, where they will join connecting flights to Bangkok later today.
Passengers on the Arkia chartered flight that was scheduled to depart from Aqaba to Athens will be transferred to Egypt’s Taba airport. Arkia says its representatives are waiting for passengers at the exit of the Aqaba terminal to take them to buses that will get them to Taba airport, from where the flight to Athens is expected to take off at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, an Arkia flight scheduled to depart from Aqaba to Budapest has been canceled. Passengers who arrived at the Aqaba airport will be returned by shuttles to the land border crossing with Jordan, the airline says.
The Arkia flight from Aqaba to Rome, which was scheduled to depart at 21:20, is also canceled. Passengers are asked not to arrive at Israel’s land border crossing with Jordan.
With the decision to nix Arkia’s flight operations from Aqaba, which use European aircraft, Jordanian authorities appear to be prioritizing local carriers over other airlines.
In recent days, Arkia has been transferring some of its outgoing flights from Israel to depart from airports in Aqaba and Egypt’s Taba as an alternative to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport due to Israeli airspace restrictions amid the war with Iran.
Both airports are located near Israel’s land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, where thousands of Israelis were seen gathering in long queues in the days leading up to the Passover holiday, which starts Wednesday evening.
No injuries in latest ballistic missile salvo from Iran, the 5th since midnight
No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile salvo on Israel, the fifth since midnight.
A missile that triggered sirens in the Jerusalem area and central Israel was intercepted, while another missile fired at the north was allowed to hit an open area “according to protocol,” the military says.
Several rockets were also fired from Lebanon at the north concurrently, with the IDF reporting that some were intercepted and others hit open areas.
Opposition slams Netanyahu for tolerating racist comments by former and potential spokespeople
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Ronen Zvulun / POOL / AFP) /
Members of the opposition slam Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for tolerating racism following a television report that the incoming replacement for former spokesman Ziv Agmon has a history of making bigoted and prejudiced remarks.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu’s next spokesperson will be Likud and animal rights activist Tal Gilboa, whom the network quoted as publicly attacking Russians, members of the LGBTQ community and meat eaters, among others.
In a report yesterday, the network quoted Gilboa as saying she would not donate blood to an elderly leukemia patient because he is not a vegan nor to an 8-year old cancer patient, stating that if a meat-eater dies that means “less suffering.”
She also reportedly called a social media user a “gay piece of crap” and referred to Russians as “disgusting.”
Channel 12 also reported that Gilboa had a history of confrontations with opposition activists and has referred to demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza “whores.” Gilboa is reportedly related to freed hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not confirmed Gilboa’s appointment, which was announced by her partner, and has not replied to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.
Responding to the news of Gilboa’s apparent pending appointment, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tweets that Netanyahu “replaced a racist against Moroccans with a racist against Russians.”
“Such statements have no place in the State of Israel in 2026, and certainly not in the Prime Minister’s Office. This is a fundamentally flawed appointment,” Lapid writes.
Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party, which represents many Russian-speaking voters, writes on X that “it seems that racism is a condition of acceptance into Netanyahu’s office.”
Agmon quit last week after Channel 12 reported that he had both criticized the prime minister and referred to Likud lawmakers of Middle Eastern, or Sephardic, descent in racist terms.
He allegedly called MK Nissim Vaturi a “baboon” and MK Eli Revivo a “retarded Moroccan,” and said that “it’s unclear how these people get elected to the Knesset.”
Agmon was also said to have called MK Eli Dallal a “nobody,” adding: “What baboons. It’s a shame we can’t just appoint the entire list and do away with the primaries.”
Netanyahu has not publicly commented on Agmon’s statements.
Ballistic missile attack from Iran detected; sirens expected in north
After sirens sounded in the Jerusalem area and central Israel due to an Iranian ballistic missile attack, an early warning is issued in the north after the IDF identified another launch from Iran.
Sirens sound in various regions; no immediate reports of impacts
Sirens sound in various areas of central Israel as well as in Jerusalem, and the Shfela and Dead Sea regions, due to an incoming missile attack.
There are no immediate reports of impacts.
Meanwhile, an early warning is issued in the north after the IDF identifies another launch from Iran.
Ballistic missile attack from Iran detected
A new ballistic missile attack from Iran has been identified by the IDF.
Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel and the Jerusalem area in the coming minutes.
Defense Ministry fast-tracks shelter upgrades in northern communities
A public bomb shelter at the side of the road in northern Israel, March 14, 2026 (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
The Defense Ministry announces that it has begun renovating more than 100 public shelters in northern border communities, as residents continue to face daily rocket and drone attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The accelerated effort, carried out with the Home Front Command, aims to upgrade infrastructure and adapt shelters for prolonged stays, part of a broader push to bolster civilian protection amid the ongoing war with Iran and its regional proxies.
The shelter renovations are being carried out in parallel with the deployment of hundreds of portable bomb shelters to northern communities and the construction of approximately 3,000 reinforced safe rooms in private homes.
According to the Defense Ministry, around 80 percent of the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Police said to stop two top Catholic figures from reaching Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, gives an interview at the patriarchate headquarters in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 22, 2025. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Israeli police officers kept Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass, say the Patriarchate and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
According to the statement, the two top Catholic clergymen in the region were heading to the church privately, without a procession.
“This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” say the Catholic bodies.
The Patriarchate and the Custody say that they have “acted with full responsibility and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions: public gatherings were cancelled, attendance was prohibited, and arrangements were made to broadcast the celebrations to hundreds of millions of faithful worldwide, who, during these days of Easter, turn their eyes to Jerusalem and to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
They call the police decision “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.”
“This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo,” they say, expressing their “profound sorrow to the Christian faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world that prayer on one of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar has thus been prevented.”
Israel Police say they will release a statement on the incident shortly.
On Palm Sunday, pope says God rejects the prayers of leaders who wage wars
Pope Leo XIV leads a mass for Palm Sunday at St Peter's square in the Vatican on March 29, 2026. (Tiziana FABI / AFP)
Pope Leo says that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood,” in unusually forceful remarks as the Iran war entered its second month.
Addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday, the celebration that opens the holiest week of the year in the lead-up to Easter for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pontiff says that Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars.
“This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” Leo, the first US pope, tells crowds in brilliant sunshine.
“[Jesus] does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood,'” he says, citing a Bible passage.
Leo does not specifically name any world leaders, but he has been ramping up criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.
The pope, who is known for choosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and said on Monday that military airstrikes are indiscriminate and should be banned.
Some US officials have invoked Christian language to justify the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that initiated the expanding war.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has started leading Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, prayed at a service on Wednesday for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
Settlers torch Palestinian vehicle in southern West Bank village, spray graffiti – reports
Palestinian media outlets report that settlers set fire to a vehicle in the village of Surif, in the Hebron area of the southern West Bank, and sprayed graffiti on the wall of a nearby house.
The graffiti read, “130 million will not break us,” apparently referencing a new budget allocated to a Defense Ministry unit tasked with addressing the soaring rates of settler violence.
مليشيات المستـ ـوطنين تعـــــتدي على منزل الفلسطيني "علي الهور" وممتلكاته في منطقة وادي الوطاوط، في بلدة صوريف شمال الخليل pic.twitter.com/ZpYsZpBbmJ
— قناة القدس (@livequds) March 29, 2026
مليشيات المستوطنين تعتدي على منزل الفلسطيني علي أحمد محمود الهور في منطقة وادي الوطاوط، في بلدة صوريف شمال الخليل وتحرق مركبته. pic.twitter.com/I60m4MUU75
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 29, 2026
Iran’s Ghalibaf: US plotting ground operation despite diplomatic efforts; we’re waiting to set American troops on fire
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dressed in an IRGC uniform, chairs a session in Tehran, Iran, on February 1, 2026. (Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA)/AFP)
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that the United States is plotting a ground attack despite publicly engaging in diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war.
“The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack,” Ghalibaf says in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.
“Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all,” he adds.
Israel is said to have removed Ghalibaf from a list of potential Iranian targets. He is reportedly the “top man” with whom US President Donald Trump said last week he has been indirectly negotiating on terms for potentially ending the conflict.
Amid soaring speculation about the possible deployment of US ground troops in Iran, US Central Command said yesterday that the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli has arrived in the Middle East.
The ship arrived in the region on Friday, CENTCOM said in a post on X, noting that the vessel is the flagship for a contingent of “about 3,500” Marines and sailors.
The group also includes “transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets,” it said.
IDF again accuses Hezbollah of using Lebanese ambulances, medical facilities for military purposes
The IDF again accuses Hezbollah of using ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon for military purposes.
“We reiterate our warning that the military use of medical facilities and ambulances must cease immediately, and clarify that if it does not stop, Israel will act in accordance with international law against any military activity of the Hezbollah terror organization,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
Yesterday, Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said in a press conference that 46 rescuers and five medical staff had been killed by Israel since the start of the renewed conflict with Hezbollah, “including nine new paramedic martyrs today.”
Nassereddine said of the nine medics killed in south Lebanon yesterday, four were from Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee who were targeted by Israeli strikes while carrying out rescue missions, and five were from the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement’s Risala Scouts, who were also on duty.
Arkia cancels dozens of flights from Aqaba due to ‘immediate Jordanian policy change’; hundreds stranded
An Arkia plane takes off at the Ben Gurion Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, August 14, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
Israeli airline Arkia says it has had to cancel dozens of flights that were planned to be operated from Aqaba to Europe and Bangkok due to an “immediate change in the policy of the Jordanian authorities,” leaving hundreds of passengers stranded ahead of the Passover holiday.
Arkia says Jordanian authorities refused to approve some of the flights, which the airline operates by chartering European aircraft.
Arkia had announced on Friday that its long-haul flights, including to New York and Hanoi, would take off from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport instead of Jordan’s Aqaba Airport starting today.
“Jordanian authorities are not approving the operation of some flights to destinations in Europe and Bangkok,” says Arkia. “Following the immediate and unexpected change in policy, and in the absence of real-time regulatory approvals, a number of flights scheduled to depart from Aqaba airport are not approved for operation.”
“As a result, Arkia is forced to cancel some flights from this airport until further notice,” the airline says.
Arkia says some of the flights scheduled to depart from Aqaba will be rerouted to depart from the Taba airport in Egypt, depending on operational possibilities and the required approvals.
In recent days, the airline has been transferring some of its outgoing flights from Israel to airports in Aqaba and Egypt’s Taba as an alternative to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport due to current airspace restrictions amid the war.
Both airports are located near Israel’s land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan, where thousands of Israelis are seen gathering in long queues in the days leading up to the Passover holiday starting Wednesday evening.
“Arkia is working with the relevant authorities in an attempt to resume operations as soon as possible, and will update its passengers regularly regarding the status of flights,” the airline says.
הרשויות בעמאן הודיעו ל'ארקיע' לא להפעיל טיסות ליעדים ארוכי טווח עם מטוסים של חברות אירופאיות. מאות ישראלים תקועים בנמל התעופה בעקבה בעק' ביטול הטיסות המיידי של הירדנים. (פישר) pic.twitter.com/4Ej4r9R8ou
— זירת החדשות (@ZiratNews) March 29, 2026
Prominent South African Jew Steven Gruzd kidnapped and murdered; 5 arrested
Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Jewish South African intellectual Steven Gruzd, South African Police say.
There is no indication that the kidnapping was motivated by antisemitism, police say.
Gruzd, a prominent political analyst, was found dead on Friday after he was kidnapped for ransom. He was abducted after attending a meeting in Johannesburg the previous evening.
The abduction follows the pattern known as “express kidnappings,” in which a small ransom is demanded for payment immediately.
As the longtime head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), Gruzd was an internationally recognized expert on the African Peer Review Mechanism. Colleagues and peers described him as a brilliant scholar and a tireless advocate for democratic transparency across the continent.
The five suspects face charges of murder, kidnapping, and robbery with aggravating circumstances. They are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.
It is with great sorrow that we announce the untimely passing of Steven Gruzd, Head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at SAIIA.
An integral part of the Institute, Steve was known for his unwavering dedication to his work and his commitment to the policy… pic.twitter.com/QvEhvKSEbL
— South African Institute of International Affairs (@SAIIA_info) March 28, 2026
Man from Lod shot and killed in Rahat; no arrests reported
A man was shot and killed in the southern Bedouin city of Rahat, police say.
The victim, a 53-year-old from Lod, was found in serious condition by paramedics dispatched to the scene.
Medics rushed the victim to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, where hospital staff declared him dead.
Police say they have launched an investigation into the lethal shooting and are searching for suspects. There were no reports of arrests.
Thousands of letters said sent to ministry opposing move to retroactively legalize homes built on Galilee grazing land
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel reports that some 12,420 letters have been sent to the Agriculture Ministry opposing a draft order that aims to retroactively legalize dozens of residential buildings built illegally on grazing land in the Galilee in northern Israel.
Jewish-owned farms in the country’s north and south, which is home to large populations of Arabs, including Bedouin, are seen by many people on the right as desirable bulwarks against Arab residential and agricultural expansion.
The draft order aims to approve buildings on seven large farms in northern Israel, defining them as essential for flock protection. The total land area in question — more than 51,000 dunams (12,600 acres) — is equivalent to that covered by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality.
The SPNI says it includes nature reserves, national parks, and forests, as well as areas designated by planners as highly environmentally sensitive.
“This mass mobilization is the ultimate proof of the resilience of our people and their deep love for the country,” says an SPNI statement. “Even in these complex days, we are not willing to abandon nature – the place that gives us air to breathe, a connection to our roots, and a little sanity.”
The draft order, issued earlier this month, is based on the Law for Regulating Residences in Grazing Areas, passed last year at the initiative of the Settlement and National Missions Ministry, which is run by the far-right Religious Zionism lawmaker Orit Strock.
It was publicized at 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday night and initially gave the pubic just four days to comment on it — including two days over the weekend. Following a protest, the response time was increased to 21 days.
The law names the Agriculture Ministry as the body authorized to issue building permits.
Qatari news channel Al Araby says Tehran office damaged in Israeli strike
Qatari news channel Al Araby reports that an Israeli strike hit the building housing its office in Tehran, causing damage.
“An Israeli missile targets the Al Araby TV channel building in the capital, Tehran… extensive damage and the suspension of live broadcasting,” the channel says in a post on X.
Footage from inside the office showed broken windows, shattered glass and debris. Outside the building, images showed the streets covered in debris along with damage to surrounding buildings.
There is no comment from the Israel Defense Forces. It is unclear if any other organizations used the building.
Knesset set to hold final votes on passing 2026 state budget today
A plenum session at the Knesset, January 14, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Knesset is set to vote on the 2026 state budget today in second and third readings, with coalition lawmakers expected to secure its passage.
The coalition has until Tuesday to pass the budget to meet a legally mandated March 31 deadline.
The budget authorizes government spending of roughly NIS 850.6 billion ($271 billion) for the 2026 fiscal year, including more than NIS 30 billion ($9.5 billion) in additional wartime funding for defense, bringing the Defense Ministry’s allocation to NIS 143 billion ($45.8 billion).
This is an addition to NIS 22 billion ($7 billion) in income-dependent expenditure for defense, which are expected revenues, mainly from US defense grants, and can be spent only if they materialize, as well as NIS 82.2 billion ($26.3 billion) for long-term defense spending commitments, with payments to be made in future years.
Other major spending items also include nearly NIS 97 billion ($30.9 billion) for education, about NIS 64 billion ($20.3 billion) for the National Insurance Institute, and roughly NIS 63 billion ($20 billion) for health.
While the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties are expected to back the budget, allowing it to pass, according to Hebrew media reports, they are conditioning their support for today’s vote on the immediate return of the controversial draft exemption bill for yeshiva students after the budget’s passage, after the coalition shelved the legislation to advance the current budget.
Under the law, if the government fails to pass the budget by the end of March, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, triggering early elections three months later. Elections are currently scheduled for late October.
No injuries reported in Iranian ballistic missile attack on south Israel
No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the fourth since midnight.
The missile, which triggered sirens in southern Israel, struck an open area, according to the IDF.
New ballistic missile attack from Iran identified by the IDF; sirens expected in south
A new ballistic missile attack from Iran has been identified by the IDF.
Sirens are again expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.
No injuries reported in Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel
No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the third since midnight.
A small number of missiles, which triggered sirens in southern Israel, were intercepted, according to the IDF.
IDF says elite forces carried out rare cross-border raid from Syrian Hermon to southern Lebanon
Reservists of the Alpinist Unit operate on the Syrian-Lebanon border, in a handout photo published March 29, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The Israeli military says elite forces conducted a rare cross-border raid from Syria into Lebanon as part of efforts to prevent the entrenchment of terror organizations in the area.
Reservists of the Alpinist Unit, operating under the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade, “operated in complex mountainous terrain and crossed, by climbing through snow, from the Syrian Hermon to the Mount Dov area in southern Lebanon, to scan the area, collect intelligence, and locate enemy terror infrastructure in the area,” the IDF says.
The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries. Two posts are on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
Troops have been operating to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces,” including Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group.
The military has reported foiling several attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon via Mount Hermon in the past year.
Ballistic missile attack from Iran detected by IDF; sirens expected in south
Another ballistic missile attack from Iran has been detected by the IDF.
Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.
Key US early warning and control aircraft heavily damaged in Iranian attack on Saudi airbase
A US Air Force E-3 Sentry flies over the US Central Command area of responsibility, July 11, 2020 (US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Duncan C. Bevan)
An American early warning and control aircraft was heavily damaged in an Iranian attack on an airbase in Saudi Arabia, according to officials cited by The Wall Street Journal and footage posted online.
Prince Sultan Airbase was targeted in an Iranian missile and drone attack on Friday, wounding 12 US servicemembers and damaging several refueling planes, it was reported yesterday.
New footage posted online appears to show that the attack also heavily damaged a Boeing E-3 Sentry, an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane.
The WSJ cites US and Arab officials as saying that an E-3 Sentry was among the aircraft damaged in the attack.
AWACS planes, like the E-3 Sentry, use advanced radars to track aircraft and missiles from hundreds of kilometers away, providing commanders with a real-time picture of the battlefield from the air.
The US reportedly only had 16 operational E-3 Sentry planes before the attack on the airbase in Saudi Arabia, down from a fleet of around 30 decades ago.
The WSJ reports that the E-3 Sentry fleet has no easy replacements ready for service, and that the nearest replacement, the E-7 Wedgetail, is projected to cost $700 million.
New image reportedly showing the USAF E-3 Sentry destroyed in an Iranian attack at Prince Sultan Airbase on Friday.
Matches 81-0005, an E-3C seen deployed to the base in recent weeks. pic.twitter.com/zRVzzkEPeU
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 29, 2026
Israeli Air Force completes fresh wave of strikes targeting Iranian regime infrastructure
The Israeli Air Force completed another wave of strikes in Tehran and other areas of Iran a short while ago, the military says.
The IDF says the wave of strikes targeted Iranian regime infrastructure sites.
‘F*** Jews’: Women said to swerve stolen car toward group in Melbourne, no injuries reported
Four women in a stolen vehicle allegedly yelled antisemitic abuse at a group of Jewish men as they swerved the car toward them in Melbourne, The Australian reports.
According to the report, the group shouted “fuck Jews.”
There are no reports of injuries.
Footage posted by the Australian Jewish Association shows the aftermath of the alleged attack.
Video taken following yesterday evening's incident in Melbourne where a vehicle was reported to have swerved toward members of the Jewish community while occupants shouted antisemitic remarks.
The person filming can be heard saying, "they're coming back." pic.twitter.com/i8Kp0MSm39
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) March 28, 2026
Police tell The Australian they are investigating a number of incidents involving the same stolen car.
“Officers have been told the vehicle, carrying four female occupants, have shouted offensive remarks, thrown eggs and on at least one occasion swerved towards pedestrians,” police say.
“Whilst some of the offensive language has included antisemitic behavior, other incidents do not appear targeted to one community group,” the statement reads.
The Herald Sun reports that the incident occurred at the same intersection where a group of Jewish boys was targeted in a similar attack in January.
Blasts heard in Tehran, smoke seen in Iranian capital’s northeast
A series of loud explosions are heard across the Iranian capital.
The blasts are heard in northern Tehran and smoke is seen rising from impacted areas in the city’s northeast. It is not immediately clear what was hit.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt set to meet in Pakistan today for talks on Iran war
A Pakistani policeman stands guard as a motorcade of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty arrive at Pakistan's Foreign Ministry upon his arrival in Islamabad on March 29, 2026 (Aamir QURESHI / AFP)
Regional powers plan to meet today in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East as about 2,500 US Marines arrived in the region and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the monthlong Iran war.
Pakistan said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send top diplomats to Islamabad for talks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held “extensive discussions” on regional hostilities.
The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.
The United States and Israel continue to strike Iran, whose retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states.
The Houthis’ entry could further hurt global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade typically passes.
Iran moving command centers to mobile structures following earlier strikes, IDF says
The IDF says it has identified that Iran has been moving its security headquarters to mobile structures in recent days, following strikes on many of its command centers during the war.
During a wave of strikes in Tehran yesterday, the military says the Israeli Air Force bombed several of these temporary headquarters while Iranian commanders were operating at the sites.
Also, as part of the wave of strikes, the IAF struck dozens of ballistic missile production and storage sites, air defense systems, and surveillance posts, the military adds.
Father of fallen IDF soldier: ‘My heart is shattered and the wound is real’
Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz
The father of Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz, who was killed fighting in Lebanon overnight Friday-Saturday, says his son had a “zest for life and jokes.”
“My heart is shattered and the wound is real,” writes Mendy Katz on Facebook.
The slain 22-year-old was a so-called IDF lone soldier from New Haven, Connecticut, in the United States.
Sirens sound in northern towns amid suspected drone attack
Sirens in a number of northern communities warn of a suspected drone attack from Lebanon.
London police leave canceled for 2 weeks as force scrambles to protect Jewish community over Passover – report
Police stand outside the scene of an antisemitic arson attack in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London, on March 24, 2026 (Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
All leave has been canceled for two weeks as the Metropolitan Police launches an operation to keep the Jewish community safe over the upcoming Passover holiday, The Sunday Times reports.
According to the outlet, shifts have been extended from eight hours to 12, and staff who normally hold roles such as the issuing of traffic fines, have also been drafted onto patrols.
Over 260 additional officers, many armed with Tasers, will carry out separate patrols across areas with large Jewish communities, the report says.
In addition, drones will be deployed to be “first responders” in the case of any attacks, to provide officers with information on potentially escaping perpetrators, the report says.
“These are deployments not just to build reassurance, but to act as a deterrent to prevent further attacks,” James Conway, a commander for frontline policing who is overseeing the operation, tells the newspaper.
Conway notes that the drones will be used carefully to ensure that they do not “cause any undue anxiety” to any members of the community who may fear that the UAVs are the kamikaze drones used by Iran.
The operation comes amid soaring antisemitism in the UK, and in the wake of a deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur last year, and an arson attack on ambulances parked at a London synagogue last week.
2 wounded in Iranian strike on aluminum plant in Bahrain
Two of Aluminium Bahrain’s employees were wounded in an Iranian attack on its facilities over the weekend, Bahrain state media reports.
“The safety and security of [Aluminium Bahrain’s] people remain its top priority and the Company confirms that two of Alba’s employees sustained minor injuries,” the company says in a statement carried by the official Bahrain News Agency.
It does not give details on the nature of yesterday’s strike or the extent of the damage.
Alba, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, says it is assessing the impact on its operations and will issue further updates when available.
Bahraini authorities have not yet released additional information on the incident.
IDF soldier killed, three moderately wounded in Hezbollah rocket attack in south Lebanon
Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz
An IDF soldier was killed in a Hezbollah rocket attack on troops in southern Lebanon overnight between Friday and Saturday, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz, 22, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion, from New Haven, Connecticut, in the US. Katz was a so-called lone soldier.
The rocket fire wounded three other soldiers moderately, who were taken to hospitals for treatment, the military adds.
The incident is separate from another rocket attack on troops in Lebanon on Saturday, during which some 20 soldiers were hurt, including seven moderately. Among those moderately hurt in that attack was a lieutenant colonel from the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.
UAE says air defense system responding to Iranian missile, drone attacks
The UAE defense ministry says its air defense system is actively responding to missiles and drones, as Iran presses strikes in the Gulf a month into the regional war.
“UAE Air Defences system(s) are actively engaging with missiles and UAV threats,” the ministry posts on X, adding that the “sounds heard across the country are the result of ongoing engaging operations.”
Report: Pentagon preparing for weeks-long ground operation in Iran
The Washington Post reports that US officials said the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, possibly involving raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops.
Whether US President Donald Trump would approve plans for deploying ground troops remained uncertain, the Post reports.
No injuries reported in latest Iranian missile attack on southern Israel
No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the second since midnight.
The missile, which triggered sirens in southern Israel, was intercepted, according to the IDF.
Sirens expected in southern Israel due to Iranian missile attack
Another ballistic missile attack from Iran has been identified by the IDF.
Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.
Organizers say at least 8 million attended anti-Trump protests in US Saturday
People attend the "No Kings" protest, March 28, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)
An estimated 8 million people in the United States participated in “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump on Saturday, organizers say, as Americans vented their frustrations on his leadership.
“At least 8 million people gathered today at more than 3,300 events across all 50 states,” No Kings says in a press release. US authorities have not provided an official count on the number of participants in Saturday’s events.
According to the organizers, there were about one million more participants and 600 more events compared to the last No Kings demonstrations in October.
Aluminium Bahrain confirms facilities attacked by Iran, lightly injuring two
Aluminium Bahrain, also known as Alba, confirms that its facilities were targeted in an Iranian attack a day earlier, Bahrain’s state news agency reports.
Alba says two people were mildly injured in the attack, adding that it was assessing damage in the facilities.
The confirmation comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted Alba and Emirates Global Aluminium in response to attacks on two Iranian steel plants.
Iran threatens to hit US universities in the Middle East in retaliation for alleged strike on two universities
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threaten to target US universities in the Middle East after saying US and Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.
“If the US government wants its universities in the region to be free from retaliation… it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by 12 noon on Monday, March 30, Tehran time,” said the statement published by Iranian media.
The statement added: “We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” stay a kilometer away from campuses.
Several US universities have campuses scattered throughout the Gulf region, such as Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the United Arab Emirates.
Iranian media has reported that strikes hit the University of Science and technology in the northeast of the capital overnight Friday to Saturday, damaging buildings but not causing any casualties.
No injuries reported in latest Iranian attack; missile hits open area
No injuries are reported following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel.
The missile, which triggered sirens across southern Israel, hit an open area “according to protocol,” the military says.
Air defenses shoot down drone near home of Iraqi Kurdish leader, sources say
Air defenses shot down a drone near the residence of the leader of the Iraqi Kurdish ruling party, Masoud Barzani, in Erbil, security sources tell Reuters.
Security sources said on Saturday that a drone attack targeted the home of the president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region in an incident that came as tensions continue to rise across northern Iraq.
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