Monday, March 30, 2026

03/30 Links Pt1: Confronting Jihad's Forever War; The Big Ugandan Bear Hug; Trump considering operation to extract Iran's enriched uranium; Michigan synagogue attack was inspired by Hezbollah

From Ian:

Confronting Jihad's Forever War
The U.S. has confronted seemingly implacable ideological enemies before - and won. The lessons of Hiroshima, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Reagan's Cold War strategy point to a common principle: overwhelming force, credible will, and the imposition of unsustainable costs ultimately prevail.

Iran has not surrendered. Its proxies continue to launch missiles and drones. Its parliament invokes jihad. This is the behavior of a regime that does not process war through the same conceptual framework as does the West. The question policymakers must answer is not why Iran keeps fighting - but what kind of pressure will finally make continued fighting more costly than stopping.

One of the most consequential failures of Western strategic analysis has been treating the Islamic Republic's rhetoric as theater. It is not. Its leadership has articulated - with remarkable consistency across four decades - a vision of global, divinely ordained, open-ended struggle against Western civilization. Since 1979, Iran's Islamic Republic has called for "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

The Karbala Paradigm functions as the Islamic Republic's operational code for conflict. In 680 CE, Imam Hussein ibn Ali - grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shiite Imam - rode with 72 followers into the plains of Karbala. He was surrounded by a vastly superior Umayyad army. He was offered a choice: submit to the Caliph Yazid, or die. He chose death. His followers were massacred. For Shiite Islam, this was the foundational moral event of the faith - proof that righteous resistance is sacred even when it leads to annihilation.

Any signal that Washington will negotiate the terms of Iran's nuclear program or proxy network - rather than their elimination - will be read as confirmation that the forever war is working. Yet, America does not want a forever war. Neither do Israel, the Gulf states, or the broader community of nations. The theology of jihad is formidable. The martyrdom culture of Karbala is real. But it is not more formidable than American resolve has proven to be.

The Islamic Republic has built its resistance strategy on the assumption that the West lacks the strategic patience and political will to sustain pressure long enough to defeat the regime. Now there is a narrow window to prosecute a historic change. We need to make clear - through action, not rhetoric - that the forever war will end Iran's revolution before it ends ours. The Islamic Republic's leadership has told us explicitly what they intend. The only remaining question is whether the U.S., Israel, and the West have the moral and strategic will to confront this messianic jihadi phenomenon and to defeat it.
Amb. Michael Oren: The Outcome of the Iran War: A Victory or a Pause before the Next War?
On Tuesday night, as U.S. President Donald Trump declared victory over Iran during a press conference, my family and I took shelter in our safe room. Despite the close partnership between Washington and Jerusalem, and the historic cooperation between the U.S. military and the Israel Defense Forces, America and Israel are living in entirely different realities.

From an American perspective, the near destruction of Iran's military capabilities, damage to its nuclear infrastructure, and the elimination of senior leadership can be framed as a victory. For Israel, the standard is far stricter. Any outcome that allows Iran to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic programs, retain enough enriched uranium for multiple nuclear weapons, and continue supporting terrorist proxies is not a victory. It is a pause before Israel is forced to fight the same war again, possibly alone.

During negotiations, Iran may accept principles in theory, then stall, dilute and avoid implementation in practice. We have seen this pattern before. The 20-point Gaza plan stalled when Hamas refused to disarm. The risk now is that Iran follows the same path, agreeing in principle while preserving its core capabilities. Israel cannot afford that outcome.

Israel must press for clear, enforceable guarantees before any agreement takes shape. Not vague assurances, not frameworks, but concrete commitments that address the core threat. At the same time, Israel must act with urgency, both in Iran and in Lebanon, to shape the strategic environment before diplomacy locks in outcomes it cannot reverse.
In Allied Campaign, Mission to Kill Top Iranians Fell to Israel
As U.S. and Israeli military commanders met to map out war with Iran, they deliberated over how to divide responsibility for an array of targets.

It was clear from the outset that one grim mission would belong to Israel: hunting and killing Iran's leaders.

Israel has pursued this assignment with ruthless efficiency, killing Iran's supreme leader in the opening salvo of the war and more than 250 other "senior Iranian officials" since, according to the Israeli military.

The campaign relies on an apparatus that Israel spent decades building but transformed over the past several years to achieve new levels of lethal proficiency.

Senior Israeli military and intelligence officials cited a proliferation of sources and surveillance capabilities inside Iran - regime insiders recruited to spy for Israel as well as cyber-penetrations of thousands of targets including street cameras and payment platforms.

These and other streams of data are being scoured by a new, classified artificial intelligence platform programmed to extract clues to leaders' lives and movements.

Israel's targeted killing tactics - bombs planted months before being detonated, drones capable of slipping into apartment windows, and supersonic missiles fired from stealth fighter jets - have been honed by years of conflict in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Asked why the mission of targeting Iran's leaders was assigned to Israel, a senior Israeli security official cited its experience and expertise, saying: "There was a need to target them. And we could do it."


Alan Dershowitz: The current war in Iran may prevent much greater bloodshed
Prevention failed in the run-up to the second World War, and we know its horrible costs. Had Great Britain and France engaged in a preventive war and destroyed the Nazi regime before it was fully armed, the preventive war itself would likely have caused thousands of deaths, for which those who precipitated it would have been condemned. They would not have been praised for preventing the millions of deaths that ultimately followed, however, since we would never know about them.

A similar lack of predictive knowledge shrouds the controversial decision by President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch the preventive military action now underway. We know of the 13 Americans, dozens of Israelis and the thousands of Iranians who have been killed during these actions. There have been many injuries as well. Every such death and injury is a tragedy, but we don’t know how many deaths and injuries have been and may be prevented. If this military action succeeds, we may never know.

Trump has said if the U.S. had not bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities back in June, Iran would already have a nuclear bomb and would have used it. That may or may not be accurate. We can never know for certain. But do we have to take that risk, and does Israel? Or are these two nations entitled — or perhaps obligated — to eliminate or at least reduce that risk by preventive military action? Should they have to wait until it is imminent, which may mean too late or almost too late to prevent it?

Britain and France waited too long to prevent Nazi Germany from taking over Europe. Had they not waited until the threat was already upon them — indeed, until after it manifested itself in the invasion of Poland — they might well have prevented World War II.

There is now talk of a possible deal to end the current military action. If a negotiated resolution succeeds in preventing the major harms that the military action was designed to prevent, that could be even better than a purely military victory — at least as long as the resolution is not a Munich-like surrender that encourages further aggression.

Trump has said that Iran has now agreed to end its quest for a nuclear bomb. A paper agreement is not enough, of course — Iran had previously said it would never try to pass the nuclear red line, and that was not true. Iran would have to surrender all of its nuclear material and subject itself to intrusive inspections that would absolutely guarantee that it could never obtain a nuclear weapon.

If this goal is accomplished, though — if Iran is truly prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons for the foreseeable future — then this preventive military action will have been a crucially important success. This would be true even if other goals, such as regime change in Iran, are not accomplished.

Eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat would be success enough. And such a success, produced by a combination of military action and diplomacy, would vindicate the concept of a preventive war conducted with precise goals in mind — in this case the elimination of the Iranian nuclear threat.
Seth Mandel: The Big Ugandan Bear Hug
The growing ties between Israel and Uganda are a return to the norm rather than an Abraham Accords-era breakthrough. That’s a good thing, because it should serve as a reminder that anti-Israel animus doesn’t have to be the default stance.

Of course there are unusual aspects of the current Kampala-Jerusalem bear hug. It’s not often one reads a headline like this: “Uganda army chief says Jesus told him to build Yoni Netanyahu monument.”

That’s from YNet’s story on last month’s reports that Uganda plans to build a statue of Bibi Netanyahu’s brother, the slain hero of the greatest hostage-rescue operation of the 20th century. In 1976, Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France passenger plane and had it land at Uganda’s Entebbe airport. Yoni was the commander of the rescue force and the only Israeli soldier killed in the incredible raid.

So why would Uganda memorialize the rescue of hostages from its own soil, a permanent reminder of the country’s culpability in a shameful episode and its defeat by Israeli forces? That’s not as out-of-character as one might expect. Indeed, the country’s relationship with Israel is longstanding and far more positive than negative.

Uganda’s participation in the Entebbe episode was representative of the period of Idi Amin’s coup-born dictatorship, but was ultimately the exception and not the rule in its relations with Israel.

Technically, Zionism’s association with Uganda began half a century before Israel’s establishment—but only technically. The closest the Zionists ever came to seriously considering a Jewish safe haven outside of Palestine was known as the Uganda Program. It envisioned a kind of “night shelter” in British East Africa that wouldn’t preclude an eventual return to Israel and would at least start getting European Jews out of harm’s way. This became a live option among some Zionists after the 1903 Kishinev pogroms, though it threatened to fatally fracture Theodor Herzl’s coalition and was opposed by the British subjects already on the ground in East Africa. It was called the Uganda Program because of the prospective economic benefits it might bring to the Uganda Railway, though the territory itself was in modern-day Kenya.

After Israel’s establishment, Britain’s decolonization program in Africa birthed newly independent countries with which Israel sought to develop ties. The most storied of these was, of course, Ethiopia. But Uganda was another.
Did Israel just settle Lockerbie’s oldest score?
In the months which followed, there was little doubt as to the identity of the conspirators – highly placed members of Iran’s government and their agents, the PFLP-GC – but priorities moved on. The US government was under pressure to secure the release of American and other Western hostages held by Hezbollah in Lebanon. A scapegoat for Lockerbie had to be found, and these were the Libyans Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi and Lamin Fhima. American indictments were obtained against them in November 1991, and within days, the hostages were released.

The case against the Libyans, which culminated in their trial before a special Scottish judge-only tribunal in the Hague in 2001, was utterly ludicrous. It was contended that the suitcase containing the bomb travelled as unaccompanied luggage from Malta to Frankfurt, where it was transferred to a Pan Am feeder flight to Heathrow.

There, it was alleged, it was hurriedly transferred by innocent baggage handlers on the tarmac to the doomed aircraft, where it happened to end up quite by chance in the exact position necessary to avoid its going off like a damp squib.

The prosecution had to get around the awkward facts (a) that the bomb exploded after exactly the time from take-off at a normal climb rate, which a typical PFLP-GC barometric device would have detonated, and (b) that such a device would have anyway detonated on the first leg. So they alleged the perpetrators used an electronic timer. Yet with the vagaries of pre-Christmas scheduling, that might well have resulted in detonation between flights, a complete waste of effort.

Furthermore, the microchip fragment of a timer, which featured as a key plank in the prosecution’s case, has been decisively exposed as a fake, probably planted at a later date to prop up the Malta origin story. The British were only too delighted to go along with the charade because it got them off the hook for ignoring the Israeli tip-off and exonerated Heathrow.

The Iranian conspirators responsible for commissioning the PFLP-GC included a number of prominent officials, but overall executive responsibility for authorising the atrocity rested with the then president of Iran. It may be some consolation for the Lockerbie victims’ families that he was none other than Ali Khamenei, later Supreme Leader, who finally got his comeuppance courtesy of an Israeli air strike on 28 February.
FACT CHECK: Jewish Dems Push Fake Poll Claiming Jews Oppose Iran Strikes
The Jewish Democratic Council of America or Jewish Dems has two front groups, the Jewish Electorate Institute and the Jewish Voter Resource Center. Both falsely claim to be ‘non-partisan.’

JEI hilariously claims that it’s “the foremost Jewish voice in politics—trusted, independent, and non-partisan.” Much like the Holy Roman Empire, it’s not any of these things.

What is the Jewish Electorate Institute really? Its site only lists the board members, who include former Democrat congressman Martin Frost. The actual paperwork however reveals that the Jewish Electorate Institute’s executive director is Halie Soifer. Halie Soifer is the executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

But like clockwork, JEI puts out a poll that matches the JDCA’s talking points about how American Jews oppose Trump, Israel, etc… and then the JDCA promotes it as a ‘non-partisan poll’. The poll is usually conducted by Ken Mellman, a Democrat strategist, or GBAO Strategies, 2022’s Democratic Pollster of The Year. Then it’s laundered to Jacob Kornbluh, a hack to shame all hacks, then to the JTA and the usual media operatives who launder it as if were legitimate.

This time the JEI poll was conducted by Ken Mellman and claims that 55% of American Jews oppose taking out Iran’s weapons, only 32% support it, and that 74% of Jewish Democrats oppose the action.

Why is the JDCA even doing this? The JDCA does not represent Jewish Democrats, it’s a leftist pressure group and its fake polls try to shape the agenda by insisting that Jewish Dems actually support their anti-American and anti-Jewish positions.


Trump considering operation to extract Iran's enriched uranium - WSJ
US President Donald Trump is considering a military operation to remove nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials.

While the decision has not yet been made, Trump remains open to the idea, US officials told WSJ. However, he is taking into account the danger such an operation could pose to US troops.

According to WSJ, Trump and some of his allies have agreed privately that it would be possible to seize the uranium in a targeted operation and that such an operation would not significantly extend the timeline of the war.

However, multiple former US military officers and experts have warned that any operation to extract the uranium would have to be extremely complex and would carry significant risk.

In an interview with CBS earlier this month, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed doubt about the feasibility of such an operation.

Difficulties in moving uranium
The uranium is stored in gaseous form within cylinders, which are very difficult to handle and transport, according to Grossi.

Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University and a former nuclear negotiator with Iran, told WSJ that, to safely transport the cylinders, they would need to be placed in transport casks and could fill several trucks.

Additionally, decoy cylinders, booby traps, and mines could pose additional danger to engineers extracting the uranium.

Engineers would also need specialized equipment, all of which would need to be flown in, likely under fire, and then perimeters would need to be established around the nuclear site and a makeshift airfield set up, WSJ wrote.

Trump has told his advisers to urge Iran to agree to surrender the uranium freely, WSJ cited a person familiar with Trump’s position as saying. The US has been negotiating with Iran through mediators in the past week, and Trump has been clear that any resolution to the conflict must end without the possibility of Iran gaining a nuclear weapon.

The US has extracted enriched uranium from foreign countries before. In 1994, the US executed Project Sapphire, in which uranium was moved from Kazakhstan, and in 1998, the US and the UK cooperated in an operation to remove highly enriched uranium from a reactor near the Georgian capital and transport it to a nuclear complex in Scotland.

Both operations were conducted as peaceful transfers.
FBI: Temple Israel attack was ‘Hezbollah-inspired’
The FBI determined that the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., earlier this month was “a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan,” officials said on Monday.

Jennifer Runyan, head of the FBI in Detroit, said during a news conference that the assailant, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, made a video stating, “This is the largest gathering place for Israelis in the State of Michigan in the United States. I have booby-trapped the car. I will forcefully enter and start shooting them. God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can.”

On March 12, Ghazali rammed a truck full of explosives and weapons into Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country, which has an active early childcare center. Armed security stationed at the synagogue engaged with Ghazali inside the vehicle, who killed himself after his truck caught fire during the gunfight. No one else was killed.

Ghazali, 41, was born in Lebanon and entered the U.S. in 2011 on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Ghazali was the brother of a Hezbollah commander who was killed by the IDF in Lebanon the week before the attack.

In the days following the attack, US officials said Ghazali was flagged by federal government databases as having connections to “known or suspected terrorists” associated with Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, the FBI revealed on Monday.

If he survived, he would have been charged with providing material support to Hezbollah, Jerome Gorgon, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said.

“This man acted under Hezbollah’s direction and control,” Gorgon said. “He intended to kill others, not just himself.”


UN Security Council debating Bahraini call for international use of force in Strait of Hormuz
The U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors on March 27 to discuss a Bahraini draft resolution authorizing “all necessary means” to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. A follow-up meeting expected on Monday to advance discussions did not take place, according to a JNS source, though negotiations among council members are ongoing.

Iran has effectively shut down the strategic waterway amid its conflict with the United States and Israel, stepping up attacks on commercial vessels while allowing limited passage for ships from friendly countries. (JNS sought comment from the Israeli U.N. mission.)

The disruption has pushed global oil prices above $100 per barrel and rattled energy markets. Roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally transits the strait, making it one of the most critical chokepoints in global trade.

The draft resolution, seen by JNS, calls on member states “acting nationally or through voluntary multinational naval partnerships” to use “all necessary means, commensurate with the circumstances,” to secure transit and deter efforts to block or interfere with navigation in and around the strait.

The United Arab Emirates has told Washington and allied governments it would join such a multinational maritime force and is lobbying other countries to participate, according to the Financial Times. However, many U.S. allies have been reluctant to commit while the conflict continues.

The UAE has faced more Iranian attacks than any other Middle East country during the crisis, including Israel.

Diplomats say the Bahraini initiative is backed by the United States and several Gulf states. Russia and China—both permanent council members with veto power and close ties to Tehran—oppose the current draft.

Bahrain is set to assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council in April, a position that could give it greater influence over the timing of any vote.

The draft was introduced under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which allows the council to authorize binding measures, including sanctions and the use of force, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Tlaib, Ramirez legislation aims to block U.S. assistance to Israel’s operations against Hezbollah
A war powers resolution introduced by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Delia Ramirez (D-IL) and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) on Friday would block any U.S. participation in and assistance to Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Like the war powers resolutions on Iran that lawmakers have repeatedly called up for votes in the House and Senate, Tlaib or another lawmaker could force the House to vote on the legislation.

It aims to prevent any U.S. assistance to Israel in its operations in Lebanon, including intelligence sharing and targeting assistance for operations against Hezbollah.

“The United States is assisting this destruction through the weapons, intelligence, logistics, and diplomatic cover it provides the Israeli government, and Congress has the power and duty to put an end to this illegal invasion,” a press release by Tlaib’s office reads.

The legislation is sponsored by a slew of anti-Israel groups including American Muslims for Palestine, Code Pink, the Democratic Socialists of America, Justice Democrats, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Sunrise Movement.
Russia supplied Iran with satellite images of American base in Saudi Arabia in days before vital US AWACS spy plane was destroyed, says Zelensky
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia supplied Iran with satellite images of a US base in Saudi Arabia days before a vital spy plane was destroyed in a strike.

On Friday, Iran launched several drones and at least one ballistic missile at the Prince Sultan Air Base, 60 miles south of Riyadh.

The attack injured up to 12 US soldiers, with two currently in a serious condition, and destroyed an E-3 Sentry aircraft.

Dramatic images of the wrecked aircraft showed the plane's tail was completely severed from the rest of the body.

The plane's distinct dome, which is used to house a rotating radar, was completely destroyed.

Tracking data indicates the destroyed aircraft was tail number 81-0005, an E-3G Sentry assigned to the 552nd Air Control Wing out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

Zelensky said on Saturday, the day after the attack, that the Prince Sultan air base was one of several US military sites photographed by Russian satellites 'in the interests of Iran'.

He said: 'On March 25th, they took pictures of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The Shaybah oil and gas field in Saudi Arabia, İncirlik Air Base in Türkiye, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were all imaged on March 26th.'

The Ukrainian leader added that on March 24, '[Russia] imaged the U.S.–UK joint military facility on Diego Garcia located in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. They also captured pictures of Kuwait International Airport and parts of the infrastructure of the Greater Burgan oil field.'
Spain closes airspace to US planes involved in Iran war
Spain has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, a step beyond its previous denial of use of jointly-operated military bases, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Monday.

“We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” she told reporters in Madrid.

Spanish newspaper El Pais had first reported the news on Monday, citing military sources.

The closure of the airspace forces military planes to bypass NATO member Spain en route to their targets in the Middle East, but it does not include emergency situations, El Pais added.

“This decision is part of the decision already made by the Spanish government not to participate in or contribute to a war which was initiated unilaterally and against international law,” Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said during an interview with radio Cadena Ser when asked if the decision to close Spain’s airspace could worsen relations with the United States.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as reckless and illegal.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut trade with Madrid for denying the US use of Spain’s bases in the war.

US forces use the Rota naval base and Moron air base in Spain. During the 2003 Iraq invasion, Spain, then under conservative prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, staunchly backed the United States.
Iran missile hits Haifa refinery, causes ‘no fuel disruption’
Missile fire from Iran caused minor damage to Israel’s largest petrol refinery near Haifa on Monday, which will affect neither the production nor the supply of fuel, according to Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen.

“No one was hurt in the strike on Bazan, and the strike was not in production facilities and won’t disrupt fuel supply,” Cohen stated.

U.S. President Donald Trump told a reporter on Monday that “you’ll see shortly” a response to the strike, one of hundreds documented in the Jewish state and across the region since Israel and the United States launched a military operation in Iran on Feb. 28.

Iran continued on Sunday and Monday to fire missiles at Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, whose armies said they were intercepting Iranian projectiles, and, more unusually, also Turkey.

NATO air defenses shot down a ballistic munition fired from Iran as it entered Turkish airspace, Turkey’s Defense Ministry stated.

The interception was carried out by “air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” according to a statement from the ministry.

The incident was the fourth time this month that a missile launched from Iran was intercepted within Turkish airspace. Unlike Gulf States, Turkey has condemned the joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran.

Iran has fired at least 575 missiles at Israel, some carrying cluster munitions that break up into additional warheads before impact, and 765 unmanned aerial vehicles since Feb. 28, according to Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies. The missiles have killed 25 people in Israeli-controlled territory and wounded at least 6,412, according to the institute.


Strike kills Hezbollah commanders who liaised with Palestinian terror groups, IDF says
Top Hezbollah commanders responsible for the coordination between the Lebanese terror group and Palestinian terror organizations were killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut earlier today, the IDF announces.

The military says the strike in the Lebanese capital targeted and killed Hamza Ibrahim Rakhin, the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Unit 1800, along with the unit’s chief of operations and another operative.

“Unit 1800 is the unit responsible for coordination between the Hezbollah terror organization and Palestinian terror organizations in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, and Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” the IDF says in a statement.

The military says that as part of his role, the deputy chief of Unit 1800 also oversaw the deployment of Palestinian terror operatives in southern Lebanon to confront Israeli troops.

In other strikes in Beirut today, the IDF says, it bombed Hezbollah headquarters and command centers.
Indonesian peacekeeper killed in Lebanon explosion, 2nd critically injured
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said a peacekeeper was killed when a projectile exploded at one of its positions near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr on Sunday.

Another peacekeeper was critically injured, it said in a statement early on Monday.

Contacted by The Times of Israel regarding the incident, the military said it was looking into it.

Indonesia’s foreign ministry said the deceased peacekeeper was one of its citizens and that three others were injured by indirect artillery fire in the vicinity of the Indonesian UNIFIL contingent’s position near Adchit al-Qusayr.

“We do not know the origin of the projectile. We have launched an investigation to determine all of the circumstances,” UNIFIL said.

“Once again, we call on all actors to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times, including by refraining from actions that may put peacekeepers in danger,” UNIFIL said. “No one should ever lose their life serving the cause of peace.”


Hizbullah Uses Ambulances, Paramedic Uniforms, to Disguise Terrorist Activity, IDF Says
The IDF said Monday it struck a Hizbullah cell in southern Lebanon over the weekend that was operating an ambulance while posing as paramedics.

Hizbullah systematically uses ambulances to transfer weapons across the country, in order to attack Israel and IDF soldiers.

The IDF said the incident highlighted Hizbullah's "cynical and systematic use of medical infrastructure and civilians for military purposes."

"In several recent incidents, Hizbullah has transported and hidden weapons using ambulances in several locations, operated command and control infrastructures from medical facilities, and transported terrorists in the combat zone while violating the special protection afforded to them and deliberately endangering civilian populations."
Netanyahu mourns ‘heavy loss’ of IDF soldier killed in Lebanon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement on Monday extended his deepest condolences to the family of Israel Defense Forces Sgt. Liran Ben-Zion, who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon.

“Liran, of blessed memory, fought bravely on the front line to protect our communities and our citizens from the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the premier said.

“We embrace Liran’s family and share in their grief over this heavy loss,” he added. “May his memory be blessed and forever cherished.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Ben-Zion “fell in a heroic battle in Southern Lebanon.

“Liran, 19 at the time of his death, fought alongside his comrades with devotion for the security of the State of Israel and the defense of the residents of the north,” he said.

“I send wishes for a speedy recovery to the officer wounded in the incident, and to all wounded IDF soldiers, and I strengthen and support our heroic fighters who continue to operate with determination across all arenas,” said Katz.

Ben-Zion, from Holon, south of Tel Aviv, served in 9th Battalion of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade, the IDF said, adding that an Armored Corps officer was seriously wounded alongside him.
Moshe Yitzchak Katz, Israeli-US soldier killed in Lebanon, laid to rest in Jerusalem
Hundreds gathered on Sunday night at Israel’s military cemetery on Mount Herzl for the funeral of Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Katz, an American-born Israeli soldier who was killed by a rocket attack on Saturday in southern Lebanon.

Katz, 22, from New Haven, Connecticut, was the fifth Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon since Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy in Lebanon, resumed attacks on Israel following a 2024 ceasefire, after Israeli and US strikes on Iran last month. A sixth soldier was killed on Monday.

“With unspeakable tragedy I regret to inform you that my 22 year old son Moshe Yitzchak a*h a sergeant in the idf, fell in battle in Lebanon,” Katz’s father, Mendy, wrote in a post on Facebook on Saturday. “My oldest Son with a zest for life and jokes. Burial is tomorrow in israel. Maybe we only share good news. My heart is shattered and the wound is real.”

Mendy Katz had been in Israel when the war began and posted on March 7 about witnessing his son’s graduation from basic training with the Israel Defense Forces before returning to the United States via Egypt.

During the funeral on Sunday, Katz, who was posthumously promoted from corporal to sergeant and was affiliated with Chabad, was eulogized by a host of fellow soldiers who referred to him as a “true friend” who “always used to make sure that anyone around him was always taken care of.”

“Moshe was a brave soldier, we have proof of that, but more than that, he was a loyal friend, he was a hard-working son and a loving, caring brother,” Adina, Katz’s sister, said between tears during her eulogy. “Moshe’s body might be gone, but his legacy is not. He was a proud soldier and a proud Jew, and we are the proudest family.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences to Katz’s family in a post on X and wished a speedy recovery to three other soldiers moderately wounded in the attack.

“Moshe z”l immigrated to the land from the United States, enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought bravely for the defense of our homeland,” Netanyahu wrote. “On behalf of all Israeli citizens, we embrace Moshe z”l’s family in this difficult hour and wish a swift and complete recovery to our fighters who were wounded in that incident.”


Call me Back Podcast: Ground Assault or Diplomacy? - with Nadav Eyal and Fred Kagan
Is the war heading towards a ground assault or a push for a deal? To explore the possibilities, Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal and Fred Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute.

In this episode:
02:24 - Two Tracks, One War: Escalation vs. Diplomacy
03:33 - Inside the Air Campaign: What’s Been Degraded—and What Hasn’t
08:33 - Diplomacy During War: Contradiction or Strategy?
10:57 - Iran’s Mindset: Why Tehran Thinks It’s Winning
15:54 - The Strait of Hormuz: Leverage, Illusion, or Real Control?
17:15 - What a U.S. Ground Operation Could Look Like
20:06 - Energy, Escalation, and Regional Spillover Risks
24:24 - Endgames: Deal, Deterrence, or Something Bigger?




Commentary Podcast: Wild Kharg
Contributing editor Jonathan Schanzer joins us for another update on the Iran war and Trump's comments on the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian oil, what type of ground operations might be launched, and how can the president sell his plans to the public?
What the Hell is Going on: WTH Is Next in Iran? Israeli Ambassador Michael Leiter Explains.
Operation Roaring Lion, now in its fourth week, has been a striking display of military coordination between the United States and Israel. Building on the success of decapitating Iran’s senior leadership, crippling its navy, and degrading its ability to terrorize its neighbors, U.S. and Israeli leaders are now weighing Tehran’s rhetoric against the reality of its diminished capabilities. Rumors of a “split” in priorities between Washington and Jerusalem, particularly claims that President Trump is quickly seeking a “off-ramp”, misread the resolve of both nations and fail to see the bigger picture at hand. In the remaining weeks, what objectives remain? Where do U.S. and Israeli missions converge or diverge? And what will ultimately signal their success?

Ambassador Leiter officially assumed his role as Israel’s Ambassador to Washington on January 27, 2025. Among his prominent roles, he served as an advisor to the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Chief of Staff to then-Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Education, and Acting Chairman of the Israel Ports Company. Beyond government, Leiter was affiliated with think tanks such as the Kohelet Policy Forum and the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, where he focused on issues like Israeli sovereignty, security strategy, and critiques of the Oslo Accords.
Iran International English: A Massacre in Iran, Part Three: Mashhad, Najafabad and Isfahan
Iran's security forces killed thousands of protesters in Mashhad and Isfahan during the January 8–9 protests, among the deadliest days of the nationwide uprising.

The third episode of “A Massacre in Iran” examines the nights of killings in Mashhad, Najafabad, and Isfahan, including previously unseen footage.

Narrated by Iran International’s Farnoush Faraji, the documentary draws on eyewitness accounts and local sources.




Andrew Fox: Why is Sky News doing PR for Hezbollah?
To begin with, it is not in dispute that Shoeib worked for the Al-Manar media channel. Al-Manar is not a rough Lebanese equivalent of, say, the BBC. It is owned and controlled by Hezbollah – a fact that led to it being banned from Germany in 2024. The Hezbollah links are not hidden or based on some rumour passed around a Beirut taxi rank – they are part of the outlet’s institutional identity.

Organisations like Hezbollah need men with rifles. They also need men with cameras, studios, edit suites, local access and the correct press credentials. Propaganda, reconnaissance and information warfare are integral parts of the machinery of war. Western outlets are well aware of this, and they tend to make this clear when reporting on other conflicts. Yet, whenever Israel is involved, this well-understood facet of warfare is ignored.

Then there is the adolescent demand that Israel provide journalists with reams of evidence every time it decides to target someone. Intelligence of this kind isn’t gathered to satisfy television correspondents. It exists to provide timely and accurate information for decision-making in the heat of war. Information must remain protected when disclosure would harm national security or the effectiveness of the intelligence. Sources and methods must be safeguarded for their own protection and for the protection of future intelligence-gathering. Armies are not required to publish a user manual on how they identify targets.

None of that makes every Israeli strike lawful or justified. But it does mean the press has a duty to stop feigning ignorance about the institutions it is reporting on. It is a matter of longstanding record that Hezbollah supporters beat video journalist Hussein Bassal while he covered the 2022 elections. Other journalists who criticise or investigate the Party of God have faced threats and intimidation. Then there is the nature of Hezbollah itself: a proscribed terror group and enthusiastic ally of the Iranian regime. The idea that media and militias exist in separate moral spheres in Lebanon is hard to maintain unless one is very determined to do so.

That is what makes so much of the West’s Israel coverage so hopelessly biased. Israeli claims are dismissed out of hand, while Hezbollah-, Hamas- or Iran-linked institutions are given a favourable portrayal the moment a press vest appears on screen. So a correspondent can stand among Hezbollah flags, hear chants of ‘Death to America’, note that the dead man worked for Hezbollah’s own television station, and still strike a baffled pose when Israel suggests he may have been something more sinister than an ordinary journalist. Call this war reporting, if you like. It looks much more like a pantomime.




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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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