News Digest — 3/13/26
At Least 33 Wounded After Iranian Missile Hits Homes In Northern Israel
About 33 people were wounded early Friday (13th) when a missile fired from Iran struck homes in the northern village of Zarzir near Nazareth, causing heavy damage to several buildings and setting vehicles on fire.
Magen David Adom said one woman was wounded in moderate condition after being hit by shrapnel in her back, while the others were lightly wounded by flying glass or suffering shock.
The woman was taken to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, while the other victims were evacuated to HaEmek Medical Center in Afula and the Italian Hospital in Nazareth.
Fire and Rescue services said seven fire fighting teams were dispatched to the scene after the missile struck a residential structure. The blast damaged nearby homes and sparked a localized fire that crews later extinguished. Officials said there were no concerns about people trapped in the buildings.
Zarzir council head Atef Grifat said heavy damage was recorded at the site and that one of the houses was “completely destroyed.”
The strike came during a night of repeated alerts in northern Israel after the IDF detected multiple launches from Iran toward the region. Sirens also sounded following rocket fire from Lebanon.
IDF Soldiers Foil Ramming, Shooting Attack In Judea And Samaria
Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed two terrorists, who tried to carry out a ramming and shooting attack at Tapuach Junction in Judea and Samaria, the Israeli army said on Thursday (12th).
Soldiers stationed in the area fired back, neutralizing the perpetrators – no other injuries were reported, the IDF said.
The Israel police said that it is investigating whether a stabbing attack in Ramat Gan earlier in the day had an ideological motive.
An assailant stabbed a 47-year-old man, who sustained serious injuries, on Balik Street in the central Israeli city, the police said. The victim was transported to the hospital.
Police and border police officers, who were dispatched to the area, found a 30-year-old suspect from Jatt, an Israel-Arab local council, southeast of Haifa. The suspect is being held for questioning.
The Hebrew-language publication Ynet reported that the victim is a lawyer and chairman of the municipal religious council.
Eyewitnesses said that they heard the assailant shouting “Allahu akbar” [“God is Great,” in Arabic] Makor Rishon reported.
Netanyahu: ‘No Guarantee Iranian Regime will Fall’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held his first press conference since the start of the war Thursday evening (12th) in a video conference.
During the press conference, Netanyahu addressed Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and stated that the Iranian proxy terror group would “pay a very heavy price.”
This is no longer the same Iran, this is no longer the same Middle East, and this is also not the same Israel. We initiate and attack with force. Trump and I talk almost every day, exchange ideas and advice, and decide together,” Netanyahu said.
“We are crushing Iran and Hezbollah,” Netanyahu declared, adding that we are becoming a regional power. Our roar is growing louder. We have attained enormous achievements that are changing the balance of power beyond the Middle East.
Regarding the campaign in the north, he said: “Hezbollah feels the comfort of our arm and will pay a very heavy price for its aggression.”
In response to a question about the threat from Lebanon and past statements that Hezbollah was defeated in the previous campaign against it, Netanyahu said: “We talked then about 50,000 rockets and missiles, about the destruction of the towers in Tel Aviv, about the eyes of ruins in the rest of the country and about 15,000 to 20,000 dead. All of this did not materialize because we dealt them a tremendous blow, but that does not mean that they did not have any residual fire left.”
“Threats come and go, but we are strengthening our power compared to what was here,” the prime minister added. “Tomorrow they will be even weaker – both Iran and Hezbollah. We are changing the Middle East. Both against enemies and with friends. Israel is stronger than ever, the whole world knows that.”
He referred to the appointment of Ali Khamenei’s son as Iran’s supreme leader after his father’s assassination. “We have eliminated the old dictator, and the new dictator, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, cannot show his face in public. I say to the people of Iran: The moment is approaching when you can embark on the path of freedom. It is in your hands.”
However, he added that he cannot guarantee “that the Iranian regime will collapse, if we join forces, we will repel the enemies time and time again.”
The Prime Minister promised that “many more surprises are expected in the campaign. We have the upper hand, much more than we expected.”
‘Control Hezbollah Or We Will Seize Land,’ Israel Defense Chief Warns
Israel’s defense chief on Thursday (12th) demanded that Lebanon take control of southern Lebanon and rein in the Hezbollah terror organization, warning that if Beirut fails to do so, Israel will seize more Lebanese territory.
Overnight, the Iran-backed shiite Islamic terrorist group launched some 200 rockets and missiles at northern Israel, the largest barrage since Hezbollah joined in Iranian attacks on Israel starting last week.
On Thursday morning (12th) Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz held a situational assessment with senior IDF officials at military headquarters in the Kirya in Tel Aviv.
In a video message recorded at the end of the meeting, Katz said that the Lebanese government is responsible for preventing Hezbollah from attacking northern Israel, adding that if the attacks continue, Israel will dramatically expand incursion into southern Lebanon.
“Hezbollah launched heavy barrages of fire yesterday toward the State of Israel,” Katz said. “The IDF responded forcefully in the Dahiya district, and against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon.”
Katz emphasized that if the threat to northern Israel towns is not removed, the IDF will”seize the territory” used by Hezbollah and remove the threat ourselves.”
“I warned the president of Lebanon that if the Lebanese government does not know how to control the territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening the northern communities and firing at Israel – we will seize the territory and do it ourselves.”
“The prime minister and I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare to expand IDF operations in Lebanon in order to restore quiet and security to the northern communities.”
“We promised quiet and security to the northern communities, and that is exactly what we shall deliver.”
Israeli Ambassador: Confrontation With Iran Is About Far More Than Israel – Felice Friedson
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.Yechiel Leiter warned that the confrontation with Iran is about far more than Israel. Leiter argued that the US-Israeli campaign is aimed at stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, exporting terrorism, and threatening the free flow of oil. “You can’t have nuclear bombs in the hands of a tyrannical apocalyptic regime that intends on using them and calls America the ‘great Satan’ and Israel the ‘little Satan’ and talks about eliminating Western civi;ization”
The Iranians “have been planning this day for many years when they can come into negotiations and say that they have 462 kg. of enriched uranium at 60%, which could within a week be brought up to 90% and provide them with 11 nuclear bombs. So this had to be eliminated.
We’re talking about regime collapse. We’re not talking about regime change. The people on the ground have to do the change. We have to collapse them so that we can protect our own future, our own citizens, our own people. .. I don’t think there’s any inclination for either Israel or the U.S. to put boots on the ground. I don’t think we need a ground operation.”
“This is an American operation, and we are a junior partner. We’re a model ally. We’re a loyal ally. We don’t ask for American boots on the ground. We fight side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, wing-to-wing.”
If a nuclear Iran were to take control of the Straits of Hormuz, well, who’s going to control the flow of oil throughout the world? The American people are good people. They understand that this is a battle for the future of Western civilization, and they are the leaders in making sure that we survive. “ (Media Line – Ynet News)
What The Critics Have Wrong About The Iran Conflict – Stuart Gottlieb
Nearly all critics of the joint US-Israeli decapitation strike against the Iranian regime on Feb. 28 claim support for the demise of the bloody handed Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while simultaneously expressing outrage that the operation itself has supposedly violated a litany of laws, norms and other requirements that were necessary to proceed.
The primary objectives of the operation are obvious and reasonable. For nearly 50 years, the Iranian regime has been at war against America and its interests in the region, and over the past decade it has been escalating dramatically. Not only was Tehran moving ahead full steam toward a nuclear weapons capability, it radically increased its support for terror proxies in the region, culminating with the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre in Israel.
Repeated criticism that the administration hasn’t yet offered a specific “endgame” for the operation misses the point entirely – the only requirement is an Iran no longer able to threaten the region, or beyond.
The notion that the action is “unconstitutional” or “unlawful” betrays a misunderstanding of both the Constitution and historic practice. Ever since Thomas Jefferson waged “undeclared“ war against North African pirates in the Mediterranean, all presidents have claimed such authority. And while the 1973 War Powers Act tried to curb its excesses, the Trump administration met the letter of that law by informing Congressional leaders prior to the strike, and now has 60 days to garner formal approvals.
America’s international allies were by no means neglected. If the initial military operation aimed at taking out Khamenei and his inner circle was to have any chance of success, extreme secrecy was required. Attempting to form an international coalition in advance – while the regime in Tehran prepared for war – would have been impractical and unwise.
The charge that the Trump administration ignored the possibility that diplomacy could achieve better outcomes than military action belies reality. White House envoys made several attempts at diplomacy, but the barriers between the two sides – mostly centered on eliminating Iran;s nuclear and ballistic threats – were all but unbreachable. Diplomacy with this regime had been a dead end for decades.
This was not a specific “regime change” operation requiring a direct U.S. long-term commitment. It was a rare opportunity to eliminate a decades-old security threat in the region and the world, and offer the possibility of a better future for the Iranian people. We can all join in wishing for its success.
The writer is Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
