News Digest — 3/18/26
Couple Killed By Iranian Missile In Ramat Gan
A man and a woman both in their 70s, were killed early Wednesday morning(18th) in Ramat Gan, a result of a deadly missile barrage launched from Iran. The barrage included missiles with submunition warheads.
The two victims were found in an apartment on the fourth floor of a building in the city and likely did not have time to reach a protected space. Magen David Adom teams provided them with first aid and performed resuscitation efforts, but without success.
An initial investigation found that one of them had a disability that made it difficult for them to reach a protected space.
MDA paramedic Inbar Green and MDA medic Naftali Halberstadt, who arrived at the scene in Ramat Gan reported: “ We saw smoke rising from a building with extensive damage and shattered glass. Among the debris, we found two unconscious victims, without pulse and not breathing, with severe injuries to their bodies. We conducted a medical assessment, but they showed no signs of life, and we had no choice but to pronounce them dead at the scene. Along with additional MDA teams, we are continuing to search for other injured individuals and are prepared to provide further medical treatment if needed.
Four other people were lightly injured from the Iranian submunition missile strike. At the impact site in Benei Brak, an MDA team treated and evacuated a young man around 25 years old to Ichilov Hospital with shrapnel wounds in his arm. In Kafr Qassen, three people were treated for light injuries.
Israel railways reported that due to the impact of shrapnel near the Tel Aviv Savidor Central train station, damage was caused to some of the station’s platforms. Train service has been temporarily halted, and shuttle buses are operating between Herzliya, Tel Aviv Savidor Center, and Ben Gurion Airport. No injuries have been reported, and railway teams are working to restore service.
Later in the night, sirens were activated in southern Israel following missile launches from Iran. The missiles were successfully intercepted and no injuries or damage were reported.
About half an hour later, sirens were activated in central Israel following another launch from Iran. It is likely that this, too, was a submunition missile.
No injuries or damage were reported, but fire broke out at several impact sites.
In an earlier barrage on Tuesday evening (17th ), the Hezbollah terrorist organization launched at least 40 rockets toward northern Israel. A significant portion of the rockets were intercepted and there were no reports of injuries.
Residents reported hearing loud explosions in several impact sites in open areas, A building was struck in Karmel.
The launches targeted communities in the Upper Galilee to the region of Hadera. Launches also were recorded toward central Israel, though they appeared to have failed.
IDF’s 91st Division Chief Addresses Soldiers As Limited Ground Ops. Against Hezbollah Begin
Commander of the IDF’s 91st Division BG. Yuval Gez addressed soldiers on the expanded operations in southern Lebanon, and its success in finding terror weapons belonging to Hezbollah, in a Tuesday (17th) speech.
“We, the army that is ahead of the civilians, are moving forward to remove the threat and ensure security for the communities of northern Israel,” Gez said.
“We will act with determination and strike the enemy wherever necessary,” he continued.
The military also published photographs of weapons and terror paraphernalia belonging to Hezbollah terror operatives seized by the 91st Division across southern Lebanon.
Earlier on Tuesday (17th) the military confirmed that soldiers from the 35th Division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, aimed at enhancing tIsrael’s defensive area.
According to the military, the operation is also being conducted with the 91st Division with forces continuing efforts following their previous deployment to establish a forward defense.
The stated objective is to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel.
The IDF added that: “Prior to the troops entering the area, the IDF conducted strikes using both artillery and the Israeli Air Force against numerous Hezbollah terror targets in order to mitigate threats in the operational environment.
The statement concluded with the IDF’s commitment to operate against Hezbollah in order to protect Israeli civilians.
Later on Tuesday (17th), the IDF said that it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure on Tuesday afternoon, following the announcement that Hezbollah seemed to be gearing up for a large round of attacks later in the day.
Among the sites struck were several Hezbollah command centers in Beirut, three rocket launch sites in the Beqaa area and various launchers and weapons storage facilities.
Hezbollah launched rockets from Lebanon toward several areas within Israeli territory on Tuesday evening (17th). The IDF confirmed this several hours after an initial announcement, adding that the Israeli Air Force was simultaneously working to intercept launches and strike Hezbollah infrastructure throughout Lebanon.
Iran Missile Fragments Hit Jerusalem Holy Sites
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Jerusalem Tuesday (17th) that Iran is deliberately targeting civilians and holy sites after missile fragments damaged the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s roof in the Old City, where the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem is headquartered.
Sa’ar spoke with Patriarch Theophilos a day after an Iranian-launched missile exploded over Israel’s capital, with debris falling on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter, and the Temple Mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
Missile fragments from an Iranian attack on Jerusalem damaged the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and fell near other Old City holy sites, including the Armenian Patriarchate, the Jewish Quarter and the Temple Mount near Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Israeli Foreign MInistry, Source: @Israel/X.
Sa’ar expressed solidarity with church officials and accused Tehran of firing on “religious buildings of all faiths,” saying the attacks endanger Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites, while Israel acts to protect worshipers of all religions in its capital.
“The Iranian regime is deliberately firing at civilian populations and harming religious buildings of all faiths,” Sa’ar said.
Iran’s De Facto Leader, Ali Larijani, Eliminated
The IDF confirmed on Tuesday (17th) that the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, and through the integration of unique operational capabilities, conducted a precise strike on Monday (16th) that eliminated Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iranian Supreme National Security Council, who operated as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime. The strike was conducted while he was located near Tehran.
Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Following the elimination of Khamenei, Larijani consolidated his status as the de facto leader of the Iranian regime and led the combat efforts against the State of Israel and countries in the region.
As part of his role, Larijani led the regime’s national-security coordination and directed its international activities, including engagement with members of the axis.
During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani advanced violent enforcement measures and repression operations, and personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protesters.
The IDF noted that Larijani’s elimination adds to the elimination of dozens of senior commanders and leaders of the Iranian terror regime, who were eliminated by the IDFduring Operation Roaring Lion and constitutes a further blow to the Iranian regime’s abilities to manage and coordinate hostile activity against the State of Israel.
In his role, he served as a key figure in shapine national security policy, including direct involvement in strategic issues such as the nuclear program.
Following reports of his elimination, Larijani’s official Telegram account said that he would be releasing a statement shortly. A short time later the account published a handwritten note; written for the funeral of the Iranian Navy casualties. The account did not refer to the reports of his assassination and provided no proof that he is alive. Since then, Iranian officials have reported his death.
Elimination Of ‘Gangster Boss’ Larijani Could Open Opportunity For Toppling Regime, Says Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday (17th) that the elimination of top Iranian security official Ali Larijani could create an opportunity for the Iranian people to topple the Islamic regime.
“Larijani is the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, which is the gang of gangsters that effectively runs Iran,” the premier said after Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Larijani’s assassination.
“Alongside him, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij – these are the gangster’s helpers, who spread terror in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities against the population,” the prime minister added.
Larijani was killed alongside Gholamreza Soieimani, who for the past six years headed the Basij, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) paramilitary volunteer force, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Jerusalem is “undermining this regime in the hope of giving the people of Iran an opportunity to remove it. This will not happen all at once, and it will not be easy,” Netanyahu stated. “But, if we persist, we will give them an opportunity to take their fate into their own hands.”
Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the U.S. military in “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury,” saying the Jewish State has assisted the U.S. “both through indirect strikes that create tremendous pressure on the Iranian regime, and through direct actions.”
“There are many more surprises,” in store according to Netanyahu. He added: “War is conducted through stratagems. We will not reveal all the stratagems here. But I told you there are many.”
“We’re achieving historic accomplishments. With God’s help, we have reached a situation where, after Oct. 7, 2023 – when we were on the brink – we are now a powerful state, almost a global power,fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with our ally, the global superpower,” he said.
“Who has our strength–of alliances, of the IDF, of the Air Force, and of strong people?” concluded Netanyahu, urging Israel to remain strong.
IDF Chief of Staff LTG. Eyal Zamir stated on Tuesday (17th) that “significant achievements were recorded overnight in Iran” as part of the joint campaign against the Islamic regime, launched on Feb.28.
Cooperation between the IDF and U.S. Central Command continues to strengthen,” Zamir declared during a situational assessment. “We will continue to act decisively to remove threats to the residents of Israel.”
United States forces have carried out more than 6,000 combat flights since the start of “Operation Epic Fury” — Washington’s codename for the war—CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on Monday (16th).
The War That Turned The Muslim World Against Iran – Hamza Azhar
There is an extraordinary dynamic playing out across the Muslim world. Instead of rallying behind Iran, attacked two weeks ago by the US and Israel, it is turning against the Islamic State. Last Wednesday (11th), the UN Security Council adopted a Bahrain-sponsored resolution which explicitly condemned Iran’s missile and drone strikes on seven sovereign nations. Among the co-sponsors was Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed, Muslim majority nation in the world.
The next day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif flew to Jeddah to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, where he expressed Islamabad’s “full solidarity and support” for Saudi Arabia in these “challenging times.” In September 2025, Sharif and MBS signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in Riyadh which pledged that any external aggression on one country would be considered an act of aggression against both. With Riyadh under attack by Iranian missiles and drones, the pact was activated.
Islamabad’s realignment is part of a broader fracture across the Muslim world driven by Tehran’s own actions. The Gulf states had sought to avoid confrontation, with statements declaring the U.S. would not be able to use their territory to attack Iran – but to no avail. The war has permanently fractured any solidarity the Muslim world may have once felt toward Iran.
Tehran’s actions have turned neighbors into adversaries and mediators into enemies. Trust, once shattered across an entire civilization, cannot be rebuilt.
The writer is the founder and editor of The Pakistan Daily (Ha’aretz)
