News Digest — 3/2/26
Hezbollah Enters the Fray, Missiles Fired Toward Northern Israel, IDF Strikes In Northern Lebanon
The IDF began striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization across Lebanon early Monday morning (2nd) after the terrorist organization fired rockets towards Israeli territory.
“In response to Hezbollah’s projectile fire toward the State of Israel we are currently striking Hezbollah targets,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit in a statement.
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization is operating on behalf of the Iranian regime, opening fire against the Sate of Israel and its civilians. The IDF will operate against Hezbollah’s decision to join the campaign, and will not enable the organization to constitute a threat to the State of Israel and harm the civilians of northern Israel,” it added.
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization brings ruin to the State of Lebanon, and the IDF will forcefully respond to such actions. IDF troops have prepared for such a scenario as part of standard combat preparations as part of operation ‘Roaring Lion,’ and are prepared for an ‘all-fronts’ scenario in combating any threat against the State of Israel,” the statement concluded.
Later, the IDF said it struck senior Hezbollah terrorists in the Beirut area as well as at Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The Saudi network, Al-Hadath reported that the head of Hezbollah’s faction in the Lebanese parliament Mohammed Raad was eliminated in the Israeli strikes. He served as deputy leader of the murderous terrorist operation.
The IDF Arabic-language spokesperson, Ella Waweya, issued an evacuation warning for 53 villages in southern Lebanon.
“Hezbollah’s activity is forcing the IDF to act against it. The IDF does not want to harm you,” she said in a video posted to social media, adding, “For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away from the villages into open areas. Anyone located near Hezbollah operatives, its facilities, or its weapons endangers his life.”
IDF Chief of Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, following the projectile fire launched from Lebanon,conducted a situational assessment with the IDF General staff. The Chief of the General Staff approved future operational plans and instructed to carry out preparations for continuous offensive and defensive activity.
Zamir said during the situational assessment: “Hezbollah opened a campaign against Israel overnight and is fully responsible for any escalation. IDF troops have prepared for such a scenario as part of standard combat preparations for Operation ‘Roaring Lion.’ Any enemy that threatens our security, will pay a heavy price. We will not allow any harm to come to the people of Israel and our northern border.”
Reports from Lebanon indicated that the IDF struck targets in Beirut, with explosions being heard in the Dahieh suburb of the Lebanese capital.
Earlier at about 1: a.m, sirens sounded without prior warning in Haifa and its surroundings, as well as in communities located near the northern border.
Three rockets were fired toward Israel in this barrage, one of which was intercepted and two which fell in open areas.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching UAVs and rockets toward Israeli territory, following the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khanenei, and in response to Israeli strikes. The organization said it had targeted a military site in Israel south of Haifa.
This is the first time that Hezbollah has fired missiles toward Israel since the ceasefire in Lebanon took effect in November 2024.
Hezbollah was to have laid down its arms as part of the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel. However the terrorist group has condemned the Lebanese government’s plan to disarm it and has repeatedly vowed to keep its arms.
9 Killed, In Missile Strike In Beit Shemesh
Nine people were killed on Sunday (1st) in Beit Shemesh following a direct Iranian missile impact on a synagogue, including the public bomb shelter beneath, as well as homes nearby..
Medical teams treated two victims in serious condition, three in moderate condition, and another 40 who were lightly injured. Rescue and security crews continued to operate on the scene to search for and tend to additional victims. According to the police, as of early Sunday evening (1st) 11 individuals were still unaccounted for following the strike. The missile struck the roof of a shelter where people had gathered in response to the red alert sirens.
Police English-language spokesman Dean Elsdunne said at the scene, “The world knows that the Iranian regime doesn’t have a problem targeting its own civilians, and here you see that they don’t have a problem targeting our civilians as well.”
MDA EMT Yosef Laufer said “Upon receiving the report about a missile strike on several buildings with significant destruction, large numbers of ambulances and mobile intensive care units were dispatched to the scene. When we arrived we saw extensive damage and residents who had been rescued from the building. We provided medical care to many casualties, including a 10-year-old girl in serious condition. MDA teams remained at the scene to continue treating casualties as they were being rescued.
The IDF stated that Home Front command search and rescue teams along with numerous medical personnel, and a helicopter for evacuation, continued to operate at the impact site in Beit Shemesh Sunday evening (1st).
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit clarified that following a review, the early warning system functioned as planned and was activated in the Beit Shemesh area of impact. “The circumstances of the impact are under review, the IDF stated.
Iran Strikes Europe For First Time, Hits British Base In Cyprus
Iran struck a European country for the first time overnight Monday (2nd), with what British officials believe was an Iranian drone hitting a key Royal Air Force base in Cyprus, hours after Tehran had launched two missiles toward the island.
Powerful explosions were heard around midnight at RAF Akrotiri after a security threat was declared, according to British officials. The base, which houses about 2,000 personnel and their families, sustained “limited damage,” according to Cypriot authorities.
Earlier Sunday (1st), British Defense Secretary John Healey disclosed that two Iranian missiles had been fired toward Cyprus, where Britain maintains two sovereign base areas, Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The missiles fell into the sea. By midnight, however, Akrotiri was struck in what officials suspect was a drone attack, carried out by Iran or its proxies.
The explosions came shortly after Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized the United States to conduct what Britain described as defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites from British bases on the island.
Flight tracking data showed Royal Air Force jets taking off to help protect the base, and thousands of service members and their families were ordered to shelter. Personnel had been warned of a possible threat before the strike and instructed to remain indoors, stay away from windows and take cover behind or beneath solid furniture.
Britain has not taken part in US-Israeli strikes in Iran. However, British fighter jets shot down an Iranian drone headed toward Qatar a day earlier, according to officials.
Starmer has sought to distance Britain from direct involvement in attacks on Tehran, but the strike on Cyprus could increase pressure on London to respond more forcefully.
RAF Akrotiri provides support for British forces stationed in Cyprus and serves as a forward operating base for missions across the Middle East, as well as for fighter jet training. Its strategic location makes it central to Britain’s regional military posture.
Cyprus had already been on alert over the possibility of Iranian action. In the past, authorities foiled what they described as an Iranian attempt to carry out an attack against Britain personnel on the island.
Iranians Join British Jews To Celebrate Khamenei’s Death In Street Party
Iranians and Jews took to the streets of Golders Green on Saturday night (2/28) to celebrate Israel’s elimination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Videos from the massive street party showed hundreds of local Jews and Iranian expatriates dancing to “Am Yisrael Chai,” chanting Iranian protest songs and waving Israeli and Iranian flags.
Dina, who lives locally and was at the celebration, told the Jerusalem Post that it was “really incredible” to see Golders Green Road, which is one of the main Jewish roads in the north west London community come alive with the celebration and solidarity.
“It was packed, you couldn’t drive past at the start,” she said. Eventually, she drove past and said some Iranians were screaming “thank you,” through the windows.
”It was mainly Iranians holding Iranian flags, but they were also holding Israeli flags and chanting, ‘long live Israel.’”
One added that, since Oct.7, one wall in Golders Green has been used to display all the hostage posters, but then since the last hostages have returned and the war with Iran has started, Iranians have used the wall to put up posters of Iranians who have been killed and lighting candles.
“It was just really incredible, two communities coming together. They were all literally thanking us; you could see the gratitude.”
On Sunday (1st), the organization ,Stop the Hate organized a joint Iranian-Jewish rally in central London. The Iranian protesters chose to play the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikva.”
In recent years, especially since the 2022 protests in Iran, following the death of Mahsa Amini, Iranian dissidents and British Jews have frequently stood side by side at rallies in London calling out extremism and supporting human rights.
In neighborhoods like Golders Green, activists from both communities have organized joint demonstrations, educational panels and solidarity gatherings. After the Oct. 7 attacks, many Iranian protesters publicly expressed sympathy with Israeli victims and opposition to the Iranian regime’s backing of Hamas, while Jewish groups voiced support for the Iranian people’s struggle against repression.
Former Anti-Semitic Iranian President Reportedly KIlled In Targeted Tehran Strikes
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed Saturday (2/29) during a wave of strikes in Tehran the Iranian news agency ILNA (the Iranian Labour News Agency) reported. Ahmadinejad reportedly claimed the Holocaust didn’t happen and consistently said that Israel should disappear.
According to the report, the strike targeted the Narmak neighborhood (a middle-class district in east Tehran) where Ahmadinejad resided. He was reportedly killed alongside his security guards.
While Ahmadinejad held the presidency from 2005-2013, a period marked by intense confrontation with the West over Iran’s nuclear program, his influence had waned significantly in the decade since. In recent years, he found himself pushed to the political periphery, often clashing with the Supreme leader’s inner circle.
Iran officials in Tehran have not yet provided official confirmation of the former president’s death.
Israel To UN: We Are Stopping Extremism Before It Becomes Unstoppable – Danny Danon
Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the UN Security Council on Saturday (2/28):
For 47 years the Islamic regime in Iran has led crowds in chanting death to Israel and Death to America, Israeli and American flags were painted on roads so they could be trampled. This is state-sanctioned hatred. And while those chants echoed, uranium was enriched, centrifuges spun, missiles were built, facilities were buried deep underground. It was never just empty rhetoric. It was preparation for action.
But today, alongside our ally the United States, we acted to confront and stop an existential threat before it became irreversible. We acted out of necessity because the Iranian regime left no reasonable alternative. Diplomacy was exhausted.
Iran was required to stop enriching uranium, stop heavy water projects, stop developing nuclear capable missiles, and allow full inspections. Iran did none of it, instead, it fortified its nuclear facilities so we cannot get to them, accelerated missile production, and continued to fund terror.
This operation is guided by clear objectives, eliminate immediate threats, dismantle the nuclear program, destroy its ballistic missile production, neutralize naval threats, and break the proxy network that destabilizes the region. The operation was carried out in order to protect the people of Israel in line with the UN Charter and in accordance with international law. Some call this aggression. We call it necessity. We call it survival. We do not gamble with our survival. We act.
This week, Jewish families all around the world celebrate Purim. Many Israelis will do so now in a bomb shelter. The story of Purim happened more than 2,500 years ago in the same place. In ancient Persia when an evil minister by the name of Haman sought to wipe out the Jewish people. But Queen Esther refused to remain silent. She stepped forward. She spoke up and acted before it was too late. That is not only an ancient lesson, it is a modern one.
Winston Churchill understood what Queen Esther understood long before him. When destruction is declared and weapons are being prepared and assembled, leaders must act, now, not later. Today, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu understand that same lesson. We are stopping extremism before it becomes unstoppable.
