From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 9, 2026
IDF tells Knesset panel Iran’s new leadership more extreme than last one; Bismuth: Fighting could restart ‘in coming days’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
IDF representatives tell the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Iran’s new leadership is more extreme than its predecessor during a closed-door intelligence briefing, less than a day after US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter confirm Hebrew media reporting that lawmakers were told that much of the new leadership is drawn from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who are considered to be far more ideologically rigid than the previous political leadership.
However, another source denies that the remarks were made at all.
Committee chair Boaz Bismuth says in a post on X following the meeting that, “There is a possibility that the campaign will resume in the coming days,” and adds that “we are only at an interim stage.”
Following the discussion, the panel also announces that it approves the extension of the call-up of up to 400,000 reservists until May 14, approved by the government two weeks ago.
The previous cap was 280,000, approved in December. Since the outbreak of the war with Hamas in October 2023, the government has renewed emergency call-up authorizations every few months, enabling the IDF to mobilize reservists quickly and keep them in service longer than permitted in non-emergency times.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.