The names of the fallen soldiers, four fighters from the Netzach Yehuda Battalion and one fighter from the Northern Brigade, were cleared for publication: Staff sergeant Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Sergeant Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sergeant Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff sergeant Moshe Shmuel Noll; and Sergeant First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin , 28, from Haifa. Fourteen additional fighters were wounded in the incident – two seriously, six moderately and six lightly. They were evacuated to hospitals and their families were notified.

Incident details

The fighters were struck when their unit was carrying out an offensive operation in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. The soldiers were ambushed by an array of improvised explosive devices while operating in the area, and Northern Brigade forces were rushed to evacuate the wounded from the field. During the evacuation attempt, fire was opened toward the forces, wounding some of the fighters. The IDF continues to investigate the details of the incident.

The Netzach Yehuda battalion, which is a special unit that is tailored for the needs of religious conscripts, stated, "With a broken and tearful heart, we join in the mourning of the families over the death of their sons, brave fighters who risked their lives and sanctified God's name for the People of Israel. The Netzach Yehuda Battalion entered the maneuver a few days ago for another round in a battalion combat team to fight in northern Gaza Strip."

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During his remarks at the scene, the defense minister added that "for decades, Khamenei has been a sole ruler. A dictator who has inscribed the destruction of the State of Israel on his flag. This is a terrible thing – such a person must not be allowed to exist. Alongside the operational objectives, preventing the existence of such a thing is also part of the goals. It's like a hornet's nest – when you approach it, you understand its significance."

In statements he published shortly before on social media, Katz wrote that "the cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the depths of his fortified bunker and fires targeted shots toward hospitals and residential buildings in Israel. These are among the most serious war crimes – and he will pay the price for them."

According to Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the defense minister instructed the Israel Defense Forces "to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran – to remove threats from the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs' regime."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded this morning to the Iranian barrage and said that "this morning, Iran's terror thugs fired missiles toward Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva and toward civilian population in central Israel. We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran."

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On the surface, the perfect deception operation unfolded through domestic political preoccupation with the conscription law, speculation about coalition dissolution leading to elections, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's struggle to preserve his government. While the operation order was signed on Monday, the political battle was at its peak, foreign reports announced additional nuclear talks on Sunday, and United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff himself announced he would land there for that purpose. This occurred while the US was updated before the attack by Israel and was privy to the secret.

Copies of the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri with a picture of US President Donald Trump and the sentence 'Why US insists to negotiation' are seen at a kiosk in Tehran, Iran, 28 April 2025. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on April 28, 2025 (EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH)

Central to the deception involved strategic personnel positioning. Rather than traveling to Washington for expected consultations, Mossad Director David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer remained conspicuously in Israel. Intelligence sources deliberately spread reports about planned meetings with Witkoff ahead of anticipated sixth-round diplomatic talks, reinforcing false narratives about Israel's diplomatic focus.

Recent days brought increasing signals that astute observers might have detected. White House evacuation advisories for American personnel in regional countries intensified, while speculation about potential Israeli military action gained momentum in international media. Israeli officials, however, maintained complete operational silence, offering no indication that military action was imminent. Trump's contradictory public statements about Israeli intentions, coupled with his administration's stated preference for negotiated solutions, further clouded external assessments.

The final deception layer involved Netanyahu's personal schedule. His planned northern vacation and his son's Tuesday wedding created a timeline that appeared incompatible with major military operations. News analysts concluded that such personal commitments indicated Israel was not preparing immediate military action. This reasoning proved entirely wrong. The nighttime strikes represented strategic surprise at what senior officials characterized as a "point of no return" moment – when Iran's advancing nuclear capabilities and delivery systems could no longer be tolerated. Unlike the devastating October 7 surprise that caught Israel unprepared, this initiative positions Israel advantageously for years ahead.

Operational security extended to Israel's senior leadership. Beyond a restricted circle of essential personnel and cabinet ministers bound by enhanced confidentiality agreements, even high-ranking officials remained uninformed about precise timing. No advance preparations that might have signaled Iranian intelligence were implemented. This represents an ongoing strategic confrontation rather than a concluded episode. Israel executed preemptive action behind masterful concealment, and while surprise elements will influence Iran's response capabilities, retaliation remains inevitable. The decision apparently achieved consensus support, based on recent statements from opposition leadership. The choice to proceed, despite incomplete American endorsement but with substantial backing, reflected existential imperatives for Israeli security.

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Let's start with the conclusion: Very little time remains to address Iran's nuclear program. The Islamic Republic is placing its underground nuclear infrastructure so deep that even the American bunker-busting bomb will eventually be unable to penetrate it. "It will be so deep that conventional weapons won't be able to do the job," in the diplomat's words.

Meanwhile, the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency determined that, "if Iran decides to produce weapons-grade uranium (90% enrichment) instead of 60% (currently), it could do so quickly... (and reach) enough stockpile to produce four to five nuclear weapons within about one month," as summarized by the Institute for Science and International Security based on the IAEA findings.

As is widely known, Iran's nuclear infrastructure is scattered throughout the vast country. This means "hit and run" scenarios involving a small number of aircraft, like those executed by the Israeli Air Force in Iraq in 1981 or Syria in 2007, are irrelevant. Against multiple sites, some of which are underground, many more aircraft would be needed, possibly in multiple waves of attacks.

How many? Zohar Palti, who has filled numerous key security positions, claimed in Nadav Perry's podcast that the United States is capable of neutralizing Iran's nuclear program in eight hours, but an American source I spoke with believes this estimate is too optimistic. According to the source, the question is how much damage one wants to inflict on the Iranian project. Secondly, there are likely softening and preparation operations needed before the eight hours of striking the system itself.

Therefore, according to this source, the Americans need two days to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. Either way, even if eight hours is sufficient for the Americans, the Israeli Air Force, lacking the bombs they possess, would need much more time.

Furthermore, a strike on Iran wouldn't begin and end with Israeli Air Force sorties, but would require such extensive regional preparations that they couldn't be concealed. This means Israel could send and return aircraft alone and by surprise, but both Israeli and American officials doubt the feasibility of such a scenario.

First, because if Israel wanted to surprise, the American detection and warning system would quickly discover Israeli activity. Indeed, if we don't update CENTCOM in advance, there could even be friction between our aircraft and their American counterparts. Second, even if the Americans don't participate in the actual strike, it would be very advantageous for Israel to receive real-time defensive assistance from President Donald Trump.

Reports in American media claimed that during Israel's operation in Iran last fall, American forces stood ready to rescue our pilots if, God forbid, any were shot down over Iranian skies. Additionally, Iran could respond in real time by firing missiles at Israel, at American bases in the region, or at US allies. And of course, Iran might respond later, and indeed has threatened to do so if the worst happens from its perspective – the destruction of its nuclear project.

Although Israel significantly damaged Iran's missile array, the ayatollahs still have quite a few left. They aren't resting on their laurels either, and according to international media reports, a Chinese ship carrying fuel used for cruise missiles recently docked in Iran. Additionally, the Houthis are fully engaged, as are militias in Iraq and Hezbollah. Yes, the organization has suffered a severe blow, but it still retains numerous capabilities.

Or take Azerbaijan, an Israeli ally and bitter enemy of the ayatollahs. Baku, which has already suffered terrorist attacks from Iran, is in its crosshairs if Israel acts. It's worth remembering that even between Iran and Pakistan, rounds of exchanges of fire and bombings occurred, indirectly related to the rivalry with Israel.

In other words, action in Iran could ignite areas much more extensive than a missile war between Tel Aviv and Tehran. To minimize the damage from such a development, a regional defensive deployment is needed, more extensive than the one in which the international coalition prepared to thwart previous Iranian attacks on Israel. On those two occasions, only Israel was bombed. The coalition's defense greatly minimized Iran's impact.

This time, even if Israel strikes alone, Iran promises to retaliate throughout the region. Therefore, a regional defensive setup is required, led by the US of course. Its preparation takes weeks, and that can't be hidden either. So in any case and scenario, advance coordination with the Americans seems necessary.

Israel would like to see American partnership in the attack, not just in defense. But the question is how interested President Trump is. Due to fears of a regional war, former presidents Obama and Biden didn't want Israel to bomb Iran. Trump is less risk-averse than those two, but he's also not eager for battle.

At the opening of his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House a month ago, I asked the president, "Now that Iran is at its weakest, isn't it time to take military action against its nuclear program?" Trump disputed the premise of the question. "You say Iran is weak, but it's very strong. Biden strengthened it by transferring billions to them. We'll impose sanctions on it," the president replied. Indeed, at this stage, Trump is again trying "maximum pressure" through economic sanctions on Iran and its officials. Military action isn't in his cards right now, apparently. At the same time, he's asking Russia to mediate between him and Iran to reach a new nuclear deal. So currently, his focus is diplomatic, not military.

The issue is that there's no chance sanctions or a renewed agreement will cause the ayatollahs to stop their nuclear program. If they refused Biden's concessions, they certainly won't bridge the gap with Trump's tougher demands. As for sanctions, history teaches that only rarely have they caused countries to retreat from what they saw as serving their national security. Iran itself has been under economic and other sanctions for 40 years. This hasn't really affected it. There's no reason to think that now, when they're on the threshold of a bomb, something will change.

It's possible that before turning to the military option – or authorizing Israel to do so – Trump wants to exhaust diplomatic tools. Stopping wars around the world was one of his campaign promises. In other words, he'll give sanctions and negotiations a few months. When these fail, he'll make decisions.

This is the assessment of Dan Shapiro, who held a senior position in the Pentagon during the Biden administration and was previously US Ambassador to Israel. According to Shapiro, the preparations themselves (for military action) will signal to Iran that we're serious. There must be a credible military threat on the table. The moment of truth (whether to act or not) will come this fall. Shapiro made those comments at an Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference.

He added that Iran is in its weakest position as a result of the severe damage to its air defense system last fall by Israel. In his assessment, the US has significantly better capabilities than Israel, but Israel can cause significant damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure. In any case, it will need US assistance, as happened in Israel's attack on Iran in October.

Among professionals, opinions are divided on whether Iranian skies are completely exposed or whether Iran retains significant defensive capabilities. Here, too, we must assume Iran isn't wasting time and is using every day to place new radars and anti-aircraft missile batteries.

What, then, will be the practical outcome of all these discussions? Very senior officials in Israel repeatedly say at every opportunity that they "aren't taking their eyes off the ball," meaning they're aware of the opportunities, risks, and urgency.

Senator Lindsey Graham said Tuesday, in response to reports that Russia would mediate a nuclear deal between Iran and the US, that "there is zero chance there will be a nuclear agreement. The Nazi ayatollahs want to destroy Israel. President Trump needs to give Israel the tools to destroy Iran's nuclear program." The day before, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared in the Knesset that "there are things better left unspoken, better done quietly." He is, of course, right, provided that this time they finally get done.

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The IDF announced Thursday the death of a soldier in a Hezbollah tank on a military post in the north.

He was named as Staff Sgt. Haim Sabach, 20, of the Border Defense Corps' 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, from Holon.

Another fighter sustained light injuries in the attack that occurred near Malkia.

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A Palestinian terrorist was fatally shot on Friday morning after attempting to stab IDF soldiers at a junction near Judea and Samaria, according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces.

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None of the Israelis at the checkpoint were reported wounded.

According to the IDF, the attack occurred at the Gitai Avishar Junction, located outside the Ariel settlement in northern Judea.

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The Italian government launched a probe into documents published two weeks ago that allege authorities turned a blind eye on Palestinian terror attacks against Jews, including the deadly 1982 attack on the Great Synagogue of Rome, Italian daily La Repubblica reported last week. 

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The documents revealed that the Italian government made an agreement with the Palestinian Liberation Organization as early as the 1970s to ignore attacks on Jewish targets as long as non-Jewish areas in Italy and Italian assets abroad were unharmed. 

Papers also showed that Italian intelligence had prior information about the PLO's planned attack on the Rome synagogue – in which a toddler was killed and 37 people were injured – but did not stop it. 

"Thirty-nine years later, the time has come for us to hear the truth," Enrico Borghi, a member of the Italian Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic told La Repubblica on Thursday

"A state must fully come to terms with its own history," he said. 

On Oct. 9, 1982, on the Simchat Torah holiday, several armed attackers threw hand grenades at the worshippers who began exiting the synagogue after services and sprayed the crowd with sub-machine gunfire. 

The documents revealed that Italian internal intelligence warned the government several times that Palestinians were planning to attack Jewish targets in Rome, with the synagogue at the top of the list of possible targets. 

Another warning sent to the Italian Interior Ministry cited a "usually reliable source" saying the PLO's Abu Nidal group was planning an attack during the High Holidays. 

However, despite the warnings, the security around the Jewish sites was not increased. In fact, documents revealed that on the day of the attack, the police vehicle that was usually stationed outside the synagogue during holidays was absent. 

The attack occurred several months after the beginning of the 1982 Lebanon War, and a few weeks after then-Chairman of PLO Yasser Arafat visited Italy. 

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As speculations grow about a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites by Israel, the Iranian regime has increased its air defenses around the Fordo uranium enrichment facility in the north of the country, according to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and Iranian media.

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On Thursday, Iran's air defense commander Alireza Sabahifard inaugurated a command and control facility of the Hazrat Masumeh Air Defense Group around the site, saying that Iran was expanding its air defense system and "the enemy should not even think of attacking Iran."

He also said Iran's air and cyber defense systems were exceptionally advanced.

Fordo is an underground facility for enriching uranium using IR2-M centrifuges. Tehran began enriching uranium at Fordo to 20% in January. At the same time, the Natanz enrichment facility in Isfah, central Iran, began enriching uranium to 60%.

A fire broke out in the Natanz facility in April 2021. In January 2013, an explosion occurred at a facility in Fordo and a nearby electrical facility.

Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Mahdi Farahi said that Tehran would soon launch a new and more advanced version of its Bavar-373 air defense system that could be as advanced, or even more, than Russia's S-400. Iran unveiled Bavar-373 in August 2019 after it independently developed a system in response to Russia's prohibition on exporting its defense system at the time, S-300, to Iran.

Farahi claimed the new system would be capable of identifying 300 targets simultaneously, tracking 60 of them, engaging six targets simultaneously, and even counter attempts to jam the system.

In June, Dmitry Shugaev, director of the Russian Military-Technical Cooperation Service, said that if the new Iranian system will indeed be better than Russia's S-400, then it will be capable of hitting targets within a 400-kilometer (250 miles) radius. He also said that during a visit to a military exhibition in Russia in 2020, the Iranian defense minister was interested in several Russian air defense systems, including the S-400.

Senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall said that due to past experience and sanctions imposed on Iran, the regime constantly strives to improve and upgrade the air defense of its nuclear sites and strategic infrastructure with systems of its own.

He stressed that Iran's acquisition of S-400 could lead to US sanctions on Russia, despite the fact that the United States has lifted the Iran embargo on arms exports and imports as part of the nuclear deal negotiations.

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One day after he was nearly brutally beaten in the woods, Israel Hayom returned to the Khurvat Se'adim nature reserve outside Jerusalem with Kohelet Policy Forum Executive Director Meir Rubin.

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On Friday, Rubin and his family had been camping out at the reserve. Around 7:30 p.m., they noticed a fire burning around 200 yards from where they had been sitting.

According to Rubin, he called the police and the fire department to report the blaze, which he suspected was the result of arson. Rubin quickly ran to the access road leading into the reserve to take pictures of vehicles leaving the area.

Rubin managed to photograph three different vehicles, the last of which abruptly braked next to him. The passengers asked why he was taking their picture. When he explained he was taking pictures of everyone leaving the site because of the fire, they cursed him in Arabic. They were about to exit the car but drove off when they noticed Rubin was armed.

Rubin then rejoined his family. After pitching the family's tent, however, Ruben felt something was off.

"I had a bad feeling. I didn't go to sleep. Around 10:30 at night, I suddenly heard noises. I turned my flashlight on and asked, 'Who's there?'" I heard steps growing farther away, and a few seconds leader, I suddenly saw a fire 10 meters (yards) wide 20 to 30 meters from me. The fire started at once. It was the middle of the night. No one was there. No one was barbequing, there was no lighting or thunder. Someone had started the fire."

Rubin got his family out of the tent and called the fire department to report the blaze. Just as they were getting into their car, a white GMC Savana stopped in front of their car, blocking it. There was another car behind the van.

"Two guys got out of the Savana and started heading in my direction, and someone else holding a long flashlight got out of the other car. They closed in on me, and I kept shouting at them, "The police are on their way. Get out of here!' But they didn't stop. I realized I only had a few seconds. My family was in the car, and I couldn't escape. I realized we were in a life-threatening situation," he said.

With the three men refusing to heed his calls, Rubin was forced to pull out his gun. Immediately, the men got into their cars and began to drive. They tried to block Rubin farther down the road but he succeeded in overtaking them and getting away.

"I drove to Jerusalem on the winding road, and they were following me in full force. I saw them trying to get close enough to me to ram me and take me off the road," he said. It was only when Rubin approached the entrance to the city that he noticed a police patrol car and told the officer what had just happened.

The officer responded by taking Rubin's car keys and gun and making sure he hadn't fired any shots by checking all the bullets were still inside. According to Rubin, it was only after one of the attackers approached him once more, raising his hand in a fist and threatening him in Arabic, that the officer gave him back his gun and keys and told him to leave.

"I got home. I put my children to bed, and I realized I had been saved from a brutal beating that could have killed me. It was only the next day that I realized from the police response these terrorists had gone to the police and filed a complaint saying that I had threatened them. The police are treating it as just different complaints. This was an attempted murder. Period. There is no reason for a normative person to walk to the forest, and by chance, after they walked around there, for there to be a wall of flames. Someone set the woods ablaze, and mere minutes later, someone blocked my car. If I hadn't taken out the weapons, I wouldn't be here and maybe my children wouldn't be here either."

Rubin said he planned to file a complaint with the police against the attackers on Monday.

In a statement, the Jerusalem District Police stood by their response.

"In contrast to what has been claimed, police forces were called to the scene by the youths. Upon the forces' arrival at the scene, the parties were questioned, and they were informed of the possibility of filing a complaint. Upon receiving the complaint, an investigation was opened, and naturally, we will not provide any details."

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A young ultra-Orthodox couple and their baby were attacked by a knife-wielding man in Manhattan, the New York Post reported Thursday.

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Security footage from a nearby building shows the suspect, carrying an umbrella, approach the couple from behind, and slashing the father on the head, the mother on the lip, and the baby on the chin. 

The attacker, Darryl Jones, was arrested and charged with three counts of assault. The victims were treated at the scene and told the police Jones said nothing anti-Semitic during the attack. 

According to the New York Post, Jones had been released from prison the month before. He spent several years in jail after pleading guilty to attempted murder tied to a violent August 2011 robbery on the Upper East Side.

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