Israeli cities could be bombarded with 1,500 rockets a day, and the death toll could quickly reach into the hundreds should war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon break out, according to a military assessment shared Thursday.
For the first time, the Israeli Air Force will practice for a widescale strike in Iran later this month, during the military’s major Chariots of Fire exercise, The Times of Israel has learned.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday brought down a drone sent into Israeli air space from Lebanon by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror organization which is an enemy of Israel, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.
The IDF completed the first week of the “Chariots of Fire” exercise on Thursday, as soldiers dealt with a number of challenges and erupting events on a number of fronts at once.
The Israel Defense and Security Forum (ISDF) / HaBithonistim, an Israeli movement established in 2020 by retired senior members of the defense establishment (IDF, Shin Bet, Mossad, and Israel Police), on Monday released the results of a survey they conducted on the anniversary of the 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls, showing, among other things, that only 25% of Israeli Arabs believe that the Jewish people have a right to sovereignty in the Land of Israel, and a considerable majority – about 75% – believe that the Jewish people do not have such a right.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday the start of its largest war drill in decades, dubbed “Chariots of Fire.”
After a mournful day commemorating its fallen soldiers and victims of terror, Israel kicked off its 74th Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday evening, with a festive ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem attended by government leaders, military brass, and representatives of swaths of Israeli society.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against continuing its “aggression against the Iranian presence in the region,” saying Iran may “attack Israel directly” during a video address delivered at a ceremony in Beirut on Friday as Iran and its proxies marked Quds Day.
The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on Monday in the case of a Washington state high school football coach who was fired for praying after games.
The Israel Defense Forces said early Monday that its forces were attacking targets in Lebanon after a rocket was fired into Israel earlier in the night.
Gaza terror groups fired two rounds of rockets at southern Israel late Wednesday and early Thursday, with each drawing a separate IDF response in what amounted to the largest exchange of fire since last May’s 11-day war.
The IDF carried out extensive raids throughout Palestinian towns and cities in Judea and Samaria late Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning, arresting some 18 terror suspects and seizing weapons.
IDF forces surrounded a house in the village of Silwad, near Ramallah on Wednesday evening, after receiving credible information of an imminent terror attack that was going to launched before Passover.
Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Saturday that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in the Palestinian territories will increase in the coming days following a string of deadly terrorist attacks.
The Israeli Navy and US Fifth Fleet have conducted their biggest joint drill to date in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, i24 News reports. The US Fifth Fleet took part in the exercise as it oversees naval forces in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb.
Military chief Aviv Kohavi said Monday that the Israel Defense Forces had foiled nearly a dozen terror attacks in the past two weeks, amid heightened tensions following several deadly attacks, as well as gunbattles with terror group members in the West Bank.
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi has also told the army to prepare for another war with Gaza.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi held on Thursday a special meeting to discuss the ongoing heightened tensions in Judea and Samaria in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks, as Israeli forces arrested more than 30 Palestinians in various counterterrorism operations.
Iran has more than 3,000 ballistic missiles, many of which can reach the State of Israel, commander of the United States Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said on Tuesday.
Sirens were sounded in the Wadi Ara and Samaria areas overnight Tuesday, shortly after 1:00 a.m. Israel time.