Friday, March 27, 2026

What You Need to Know:

During these days, Israeli leaders need to be more steadfast than ever. To stay the course no matter what others may say—to achieve the goals they have set for the country.

On March 25, the prime minister held a videoconference with directors of government ministries and the heads of local authorities in northern Israel. Speaking specifically about the situation with Hezbollah, Netanyahu told his audience: “We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in Lebanon. Israel is stronger than ever, and Iran is weaker than ever. It is still trying various means, as you can see, but we have changed how we are perceived. I can tell you that countries in the region are saying this, not just me.”

President Isaac Herzog demonstrated that steadfast determination as he challenged the Iranian regime: “I want to say to say to our enemies out there in Iran: You are mistaken. You keep on carrying out crimes against humanity by sending missiles to kill human beings, not differentiating between anything...You are wrong…Not only shall we overcome, but you will fall flat on your face.”

FM Gideon Sa’ar demonstrated a different type of steadfastness as he spoke before the UN Security Council, asking them to “officially designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, to demand that the Lebanese state disarm the group and to recognize Iran as a ‘threat to international peace.’” All three requests have been brought before the United Nations repeatedly. Once again, Israel’s foreign minister laid out the facts, determined that the world should see.

Dig Deeper:

PM Netanyahu: We are Determined to Fundamentally Change the Situation  

President Herzog: Iranian Missiles don’t Differentiate between Religions   

FM Sa’ar Calls on UN to Designate Hezbollah Terror Group  

What You Need to Know:

Iran: This week has seen a number of apparently contradictory accounts as far as the war with Iran. President Trump says negotiations are happening; Iranian officials deny the US president’s statement. Unconfirmed reports claim that on Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered an intensification of strikes against Iranian targets in case there will be a ceasefire by the weekend. Israeli media basically has been silent. In the end, we put our trust in God alone.

Hezbollah/Lebanon: The IDF continues to act decisively against Hezbollah, this week destroying a bridge that was used by Hezbollah to transfer thousands of weapons southward. According to an IDF statement, those weapons “were used to carry out terror attacks from the southern Litani area against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, “We are prepared for a long campaign and will continue to act as required, both offensively and defensively, to ensure the long-term security of northern residents.”

Threats Abroad: The National Security Council (NSC) has issued a detailed warning to Israelis who are out of the country or plan to travel abroad during the Passover holiday: “The NSC reaffirms its assessment that the Iranian regime will increase efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets abroad.” For some time this has been an ongoing threat, both within Israel and without, requiring vigilance on the part of Israel’s security and intelligence agencies.

Dig Deeper:

IDF Destroys Litani Bridge Used to Move Hezbollah Weapons South  

Hezbollah Looking for Creative Ways to Abduct Israeli Soldiers   

Increased Threat of Terrorism against Israelis Abroad  

Revealed: Iran Came Close to Assassinating Senior Israeli Officials 

What You Need to Know:

Military service in Israel takes many different forms, and IDF soldiers don’t all perform the same tasks. Here are examples of different roles:

Frontlines: The soldiers of the Hasmonean Brigade are pioneers in their own right. Formed just two years ago, this brigade accommodates the Torah-observant lifestyle of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. In recent weeks, they have been “conducting targeted raids in several areas of Southern Lebanon,” after serving courageously in Syria, Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

Reservists: Major “A” serves in the reserves as a physician in a classified IAF unit. A pediatrician in Tel Aviv, she is also a single mother to 7-year-old twins. Since October 7, 2023, she has spent approximately 300 days in reserve service while balancing her other two roles. She told the Jerusalem Post: “I’ve been asked why I do reserve duty; that I’m a mother and I don’t have to. I feel I’m doing something important and meaningful. I’ve been serving in the reserves since before my children were born.”

Unsung Heroes: Members of the Matzpen Unit may not carry assault rifles, but the work they do every day saves lives of those who do. They are basically the operational digital arm of the IDF that synchronizes battleground information. Col. Bashi, head of the unit, put it this way: “We are building data repositories for operational processes to enable a comprehensive situational picture, and essentially provide tools that answer commanders’ questions in the field and give them the ability to make decisions in areas that are less clear.”

Dig Deeper:

IDF Haredi Brigade Operating in Southern Lebanon  

Doctor, IAF Major and a Single Mother—the Challenge  

Seconds that Save Lives; IDF’s Digital Brain Reshapes Battlefield

What You Need to Know:

As the current war with Iran nears the 30-day mark, support among the general populace remains high—with a little over 90% Israeli Jews supporting the military operation. At the time of writing, Israelis have endured over 71,000 sirens, 25 deaths, 4,829 injured civilians and approximately 5,000 evacuated from homes damaged by missiles from Iran and Hezbollah. Another impact is felt by the children (and their parents) who have not been able to attend school since late February. Despite everything, Israelis are standing firm in hopes that Operation Roaring Lion will bring down the existential threat from Iran, once and for all.

Food prices are expected to rise, adding another layer of stress to families already struggling. The United Arab Emirates, which has suffered damage from Iranian missiles, provides much of the potassium nitrate and phosphorus fertilizers needed by Israeli farmers. In an interview with Ynetnews, Golan Argaman, CEO of an Israeli agriculture cooperative, said: “Infrastructure in the Gulf region has been damaged and it will take time to rebuild. This is the first time since World War II that factories have been hit on this scale.” The situation is “more severe than the COVID-19 crisis or the war in Ukraine.” Please consider a donation to the Bridges for Peace Food program so we can continue to feed hungry Israelis. Click Here to Donate

Dig Deeper:

Support by Jewish Israelis for Iran Operation Holds above 90%  

Israeli Resilience and the War with Iran  

Conversations in Roadside Ditches, Fleeting Encounters under Fire  

Prices for Fresh Produce and Food Products will Rise 

What You Need to Know:

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese is back in the news this week. In her March 2026 report to the Human Rights Council, Albanese manipulates and distorts international law to claim that Israeli actions “meet the threshold for genocide” and show a “continuous territorially pervasive regime of psychological terror.” In the report, she further claimed that “torture is a structural feature of the ongoing Israeli genocide and broader settler-colonial apartheid.” There have been calls for her resignation from this position, but so far, she has not done so.

It isn’t one of the “nations of the world,” but Wikipedia “has long presented itself as humanity’s shared knowledge repository,” according to Yfat Barak-Cheney of the World Jewish Congress (WJC). In a report issued this week, the WJC found “extensive and systemic bias” in Israel-related articles posted on Wikipedia’s Arabic platform. Barak-Cheney said that “one of the world’s most trusted knowledge platforms is being systematically manipulated to promote extremist narratives…these distortions shape public understanding and views of Jews and Israelis across the Arabic-speaking world.”

Finally, on a positive note, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the nation of Hungary continue to buck international trends and stand with Israel. The Hungarian prime minister has stood boldly with PM Netanyahu when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest. Hungary withdrew from membership in the ICC last summer. The Jewish News Syndicate reported that “Orbán, who has been a close ally of Netanyahu, faces a serious challenge in the coming elections on April 12.”

Dig Deeper:

UN Watch Accuses Albanese of Distorting International Law  

Report Finds Extensive Systemic Bias on Arabic Wikimedia  

PM Netanyahu Praises Orban and CPAC Hungary  

What You Need to Know:

Living the world’s only Jewish state, Israelis do not have to worry about antisemitism—as long as they remain in the State of Israel. But roughly half the Jews alive today reside outside of Israel, and for them the story is different. In an opinion piece for Ynetnews, Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin writes, “…the only question left is where the next threat will emerge and which Jewish community will be targeted.” Nahmias-Verbin, an Israeli who chairs a Jewish Agency committee whose purpose is to “strengthen [Diaspora] communities’ preparedness and resilience in times of crisis,” sees the increasing global antisemitism as a threat to the existence of her people.

In northwest London, four ambulances parked outside a synagogue were set on fire in an incident that a local police commander said has caused “significant concern within the Jewish community.” The ambulances belonged to a Jewish rescue organization. Police are looking for three suspects and have increased patrols in the area.

After several violent antisemitic attacks against the Jewish community in Belgium, the government made the decision to deploy Belgian soldiers to Antwerp to guard synagogues, schools and other Jewish sites. This is not the first time such action has been necessary. In 2015, terror threats caused a similar government response.

Dig Deeper:

We are Reliving the 1930s—Antisemitism Spreads Worldwide  

Four Jewish Ambulances Set on Fire outside Synagogue in London  

Belgian Army Deployed to Guard Jewish Neighborhoods in Antwerp   

What You Need to Know:

A special flight arrived this week, bringing 50 new Israelis in an operation dubbed “Aliyah of Lions.” The new immigrants range in age, from a five-month-old baby to 92 years old.  The group included 20 young families, four infants and 11 individuals from France, the United Kingdom and the United States. This latest group of immigrants join more than 60,000 who have made aliyah since October 7, 2023. Israeli authorities report that another 1,000 are preparing to come.

In Israel’s business sector, government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, along with public companies in the defense industry, reported more than US $80 billion in backlog of orders. Defense weaponry produced by Israel is in high demand, with nearly 50% of filled orders last year going to Europe and North America. As far as the backlog, Globes reported that many customers are in arms races and expect short turnaround timeframes.

It has not been the rainiest winter on record, and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is still 4 meters (13 ft.) from full capacity. However, the water level is above the “Lower Red Line,” the point at which the lake’s ecological stability could be compromised. This week, we have seen a fair amount of rain as well as snow on Mt. Hermon, which will add to the water level when it melts this spring.

Dig Deeper:

50 New Immigrants Arrive in Israel, despite ongoing War   

Israel’s Defense Companies Report 80 Billion Dollar Backlog  

Heavy Rain and Snow on Mt Hermon