Friday, March 6, 2026

What You Need to Know:

During times of war, the weight of decisions falls heavily on leaders. Three specific leaders in Israel come to mind: Prime Minister Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. 

Working in tandem with US President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu stands firmly at the head of the nation, as the Iranian threat he has been warning the world about for decades is confronted. On its surface, the war appears to be one of survival against an enemy seeking to develop a nuclear weapon and who has vowed to see Israel completely destroyed. Yet the prime minister must also balance Israel’s security needs with his relationship with President Trump. The US president has a slightly different perspective, given the pushback against the war that he is receiving from some factions in the United States. The challenge for PM Netanyahu is to ensure that Israel’s security needs are not compromised in any way.

Along with the prime minister, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has the task of presenting Israel’s case on the world’s diplomatic stage. This week, he held a virtual briefing for ambassadors stationed in Israel. Sixty of them were in attendance when Sa’ar called upon the nations of the world to sever ties with the Iranian regime, which was behind the October 7 massacre and seeks to eliminate the Jewish people. The foreign minister also noted Iran’s attacks on Arab countries in the Middle East as evidence that Iran poses a threat to them as well.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has the formidable task of managing the military campaign on multiple fronts. While keeping his eye on the campaign against Iran, he addressed IDF division commanders on the northern border regarding the second front: the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. As reported in the Jerusalem Post, Zamir told the commanders: “The Lebanese government and Lebanese Armed Forces have been warned numerous times to disarm Hezbollah recently. They did not act, and so we know how to defend ourselves by our own means.”

Dig Deeper:

PM Netanyahu Statement at Site of Missile Strike in Beit Shemesh

FM Sa’ar Calls on Countries to Sever Ties with Iranian Regime   

IDF Chief of Staff Zamir Vows Hezbollah Will Be Removed 

What You Need to Know:

The IAF continues to hit military targets in Iran, such as a missile storage, production and launch facility in Isfahan. In addition, command centers and air defense systems in Tehran have been the focus of the joint US–Israel airstrikes. Although the Houthis in Yemen had not, as of Wednesday, launched missiles at Israel, the IDF is prepared for surprise attacks from that Iranian-terror proxy, who may be waiting for the best opportunity to send a major barrage of missiles and drones. More details can be found on our website under Operation Roaring Lion daily reports.

Hezbollah, Iran’s terror proxy in Lebanon, did not join Hamas on October 7, 2023. However, the day after the Hamas-led massacre, Hezbollah fired missiles at northern Israeli communities for the next year until they were effectively stopped by the “beeper affair,” (exploding pagers) in September 2024. This week, Hezbollah entered the war at the bidding of Iran, and, for the first time since the ceasefire of November 2024, has been firing missiles at Israeli targets. On Tuesday, Hezbollah “launched dozens of rockets and several unmanned aerial vehicles across the Jewish state’s northern border” as well as launching three missiles at Tel Aviv. In order to protect Israel’s northern communities, the IDF began a ground operation in southern Lebanon, beyond the five outposts that were taken in 2024.

The “other fronts”—Gaza and Judea and Samaria—in the ongoing conflict have not disappeared, but news about them have been almost nonexistent since the start of the operation on February 28. However, forces from the IDF Southern Command remain on the ground in Gaza, and the Central Command continues to guard against terror activities in Israel’s biblical heartland. Hamas terrorists continue to violate the ceasefire, as they emerge from tunnels to carry out attacks on the IDF forces there. The IDF said that “troops remain focused on neutralizing immediate threats in the area.”

Dig Deeper:

PM Netanyahu Address to Israel after Attack Launched

Hezbollah Targets Tel Aviv for the First Time since 2024 Ceasefire   

IDF Deploys Deeper into Southern Lebanon as Additional Layer of Security

What You Need to Know:

One thing nearly all Israelis have in common is their military service. The IDF is truly a “people’s army,” and service continues long after the mandatory period. When we consider prayer for the soldiers, it includes so much more than praying for the infantry.

The first group that comes to mind are Israeli pilots, who have borne the brunt of the first few days of war, at times flying missions lasting four to five hours only to land and have their planes refueled and rearmed for the next mission. In an interview with Ynetnews, one of the pilots spoke of their role since October 7: “You’re just waiting for them to call you. It doesn’t matter how much you slept at night, if you slept at all. You fly and you do the job.” Ground crews who keep the planes in top flying condition are equally important to the war effort. 

Another arm of aerial warfare and defense comes from the soldiers who man Israel’s missile defense systems, including the Iron Dome. In this critical role, they must quickly detect incoming missiles and intercept those that are headed for populated areas. It is a 24/7 job that requires constant alertness, even in the hours when nothing seems to be happening.

We have written many times about the burden that has fallen on Israel’s reservists since October 7. Notice was given early in this operation that 100,000 were being called back to active duty. Some are serving with the Home Front Command in search and rescue operations where there have been direct missile impacts, while others are in the ground operation in southern Lebanon. For deeper insight into just one of the IDF’s reserve units, see the article in “Dig Deeper” about the “Pereh” unit serving along Israel’s northern border.

Dig Deeper:

More than 30 Female IAF Crew Members Take Part in Strikes on Iran    

IDF Mobilizes 100,000 Reservists Amid War with Iran   

Reserve Unit ‘Pereh” Serves on Israel’s Northern Border

What You Need to Know:

Israel is perhaps the only nation where the words “The war has begun!” were spoken when it has already been in a multifront war of survival for over two years. It has been said, Israel is very good at “short wars,” such as the Six Day War of 1967, but prolonged warfare tends to wear the people down. The following quote from an article in the Jerusalem Post describes it well:
“We have been living under sustained threat for nearly two years—through Gaza, through the northern front, and now in direct confrontation with Iran itself. The cost is not measured only in casualties or physical damage; it is measured in anxiety levels, in marriages strained by repeated reserve duty, and in children who calculate the distance to a shelter before they calculate homework. It is measured in the quiet exhaustion of a society that has not fully exhaled in months.” 

We’ll look at how two specific groups of Israelis feel that impact.

This week, all Israeli citizens have been affected by Home Front Command directives that cancelled all educational activities, large gatherings and closed non-essential workplaces. Perhaps the elderly feel the most impact, as many live alone and look forward to activities outside their apartments. For example, there are nearly 200 men and women who are unable to come to Yad Lakashish, or “Lifeline to the Old,” an organization Bridges for Peace supports. In a recent email, the center’s executive director, Ariela (Relly) Schwartz Zur, wrote, “Many have shared how deeply they miss the rhythm of the workshops, the friendships, and the sense of purpose that Yad LaKashish brings to their days. While we cannot provide the full social framework…our staff remains in close contact with every participant.” 

Another specific group of Israelis who feel the impact of the war more profoundly than most are the doctors, nurses, medics and first responders. In the weeks leading up to the start of Operation Roaring Lion on February 28, some Israeli hospitals were preparing by relocating their operating rooms and other key facilities to underground parking lots. Lessons learned from last summer’s 12-day war with Iran are being put into practice and will hopefully benefit patients, who endured severe lack of privacy in conditions of extreme congestion, as well as the medical staff who faced burnout during long working hours in less than pristine conditions. And there are the ambulance drivers, first responders and members of search and rescue teams like Zaka who continue their tasks while rockets are falling.

Dig Deeper:

Strength and Strain: Israel’s Defense and Societal Resilience    

Yad Lakashish, a Lifeline for the Old   

Underground Hospitals Prepared for War Using Lessons from June 2025    

(March 3) 1,050 Evacuated to Hospitals since War Began  

What You Need to Know:

As you can imagine, many nations in the world are condemning Israel and the US for their preemptive strike against Iran. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was immediately called by Russia, China, Bahrain, France and Columbia to address the situation. In his remarks, UN Secretary General Guterres claimed the strikes “violated international law and the UN charter.” Russia’s ambassador to the UN demanded that the US and Israel immediately “cease their aggressive actions” while Britain, France and Germany were more balanced in their remarks, calling for a return to negotiations and condemning the Iranian airstrikes while remaining silent regarding the US/Israeli strikes.

In keeping with its determination to minimize civilian casualties, the IDF continues to issue evacuation warnings ahead of strikes to minimize civilian casualties. Regardless of these efforts, which even give the enemy time to prepare, there are still accusations such as the one by the United Nations Human Rights Office spokesperson that an Israeli airstrike hit a girls’ school in southern Iran and “reportedly killed and injured dozens of girls.” For more examples of the unsubstantiated accusations being hurled at Israel by the UN, we have included an article in the “Dig Deeper” section below.

Dig Deeper:

US, Israel Defend Strikes on Iran at UN Security Council Meeting    

Iran Crisis According to a Recent United Nations Report

What You Need to Know:

With ballistic missiles and suicide drones targeting Israel’s cities, it would be easy to dismiss as less dangerous the antisemitism that expresses itself in the words shouted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators or swastikas painted on synagogues around the world. But that would be a mistake, as this form of hatred insidiously takes root in the minds of unsuspecting people who think they are immune. 

A recent survey showed that Irish Jews were subjected to antisemitism in places where most people conduct their daily lives—offices, schools and healthcare settings. Many of these incidents began as “ordinary interactions” but escalated when outward Jewish symbols were observed. In an interview with the Jewish News Syndicate, Yoni Wider, the chief rabbi of Ireland, said, “For many, Jewish belonging in Ireland feels more fragile than it should.”

New York City saw a slight drop in the number of anti-Jewish hate crimes between this February, with 21 reported incidents, and February 2025, with 28 incidents. Even so, the city’s Jewish population was targeted in over 50% of the incidents. With the inauguration of the city’s first Muslim mayor in January, those figures were even more dramatic: 31 in January 2026, compared to 11 in January 2025—a 182% increase.

Dig Deeper:

Serious Concerns About Jew-Hatred in Ireland per New Survey    

Slight Drop in Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes Reported by NYPD

What You Need to Know:

As they have done for millennia, Jewish people read the Megillah (scroll) of Esther to usher in Purim. In Israel there was a slight difference this year, as synagogues were closed and smaller groups observed the beginning of Purim in bomb shelters or underground parking lots. When the reading was finished, this traditional blessing was recited in faith, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who pleads our cause, judges our claim, avenges our wrongs, repays all the enemies of our soul, and exacts retribution from our foes.”

Although their wedding had to be scaled down from the 500 guests they were expecting to a mere 50, Kayla and Evyatar stood under the chuppah on the second day of the war. Evyatar, who is a member of Kibbutz Shluchot, received permission for the wedding to be held on the lawn next to the kibbutz’s bomb shelter with dancing and the celebratory meal held inside the fortified room. When sirens sounded the day before their wedding, Kayla said, “I’m getting married tomorrow, no matter what.” And so they were married as planned.

Some tour groups have left and some cancelled their planned trips. But there are still tourists in Israel at this moment. One large group of 115 female leaders arrived on February 26, having changed the date of their trip from April to the time of Purim. Robert Stearns, founder of Eagles’ Wings ministry, which sponsored the trip, said, “These courageous women came here to stand with, support and strengthen the Jewish people.

Dig Deeper:

Across the Country, Israelis Read the Book of Esther amid Sirens   

Couple Marries as Iran Rockets Fly   

They Came Anyway—Christian, Jewish Groups Came to Support Israel