News Digest — 3/6/26
Dozens Of IRGC Officers Flee Beirut, Sources Tell Axios
Several dozen Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers have fled Beirut, Lebanon over the past 48-hours, fearing that they will be targeted in Israeli strikes, which have increased in frequency in the Lebanese capital, two senior Israel defense officials and a third source with knowledge of the situation told Axios on Friday (6th).
IRGC personnel in Lebanon will be arrested, Reuters cited the Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos as saying on Thursday (5th).
Military operations by the IRGC will also be banned and those arrested may be deported, according to Saudi-ownedAl-Arabiya, which added that the Lebanese Cabinet had reportedly decided that Iranians would no longer have visa-free entry to Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also slammed rumors of Lebanon’s committing a “sin” by “aligning with and implementing Israel’s goals” during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (4th).
Lebanon’s Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate towns within 3.11 miles of the border in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew early Friday (6th).
“Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out, will not go unchallenged,” Hezbollah said.
Houthi Leader Warns Group Has ‘Fingers On The Trigger’
The leader of the Yemen-based Houthi rebels warned on Thursday (5th) that the group was ready to strike at any moment amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which has retaliated by firing missiles at Israel as well as at other regional countries.
“Regarding military escalation and action, our fingers are on the trigger, ready to respond at any moment, should developments warrant it,” Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said in a television speech, as quoted by AFP.
The Iranian-backed Houthis began attacking Israel late 2023 as a show of support for Gaza. Israel several times launched retaliatory airstrikes, eliminating dozens of senior Houthi officials.
The rebels halted their attacks when the ceasefire in Gaza went into effect last October, but have since threatened Israel numerous times with renewed threats.
Chief Of Staff: ‘We Suppressed Iran’s Ballistic Missile Array, Moving To Next Phase
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir delivered his first statement on Thursday evening (5th) since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, declaring that Israel has additional surprise moves in its campaign against Iran.
“After completing the phase of the surprise opening blow, in which we established air superiority and suppressed the ballistic missile array, we are moving to the next stage of the campaign, in which we will intensify the strike against the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprise moves, which I do not intend to reveal. We will pursue our enemies, all of them, and reach them,” Zamir declared.
At the beginning of his remarks, he said: “Less than a week ago we launched Operation Roaring Lion. For six days now, we have been striking the Iranian terror regime without pause. The operation was planned in secrecy by thousands of soldiers from various branches across the Israel Defense Forces and in close coordination with our ally, the United States. The operation is proceeding at the pace we set in advance.”
Zamir noted that “In the surprise opening strike carried out on Saturday morning (2/28), dozens of munitions were dropped on three targets. In just 40 seconds, about 40 senior figures of the Iranian terror regime were eliminated, headed by the regime leader Ali Khamenei. His life’s goal was to destroy the State of Israel, and he even planned a detailed program to achieve that.”
He added that, “Israeli Air Force pilots have so far carried out 2,500 strikes and dropped more than 6,000 munitions. Within 24 hours our pilots paved the way to Tehran. We destroyed about 80% of the air defense systems and achieved near-complete air superiority over Iranian skies. Thanks to that, and to high quality intelligence, we are striking the ballistic missiles that pose a direct threat to Israeli civilians. We have neutralized and destroyed more than 60% of the ballistic missile launchers, a very significant achievement that reduces the damage to the home front and saves many lives. This is an ongoing effort, but I emphasize:the threat has not been removed – every missile is lethal and poses a danger.”
The Chief of Staff also addressed the fighting in the north. “Hezbollah made a strategic mistake and contrary to the interests of the citizens of Lebanon, chose to join the campaign – it is paying a heavy price for that. We are striking forcefully both on the front and deep inside Lebanon. I ordered IDF forces to move forward and deepen the line of control along the border while positioning themselves at key points in southern Lebanon. Tonight we eliminated the head of Hezbollah’s fire array. He was known by the nickname Fidaa. Fidaa was responsible for the deaths of many Israelis and personally commanded the anti-tank missile fire in which Yochai Kalangel and Dor Haim Ninj were killed.”
“There will be no more equations. We will continue to act to protect the security of the residents of the north. We will operate relentlessly to remove the threat, and we will not relent from the goal of disarming Hezbollah,” Zamir concluded.
Israelis More Optimistic Despite Escalating War With Iran, Survey Finds
Despite a widening war with Iran, Israelis have a growing sense of optimism about personal safety, national security, and their country’s future, a survey released on Wednesday (4th) found.
The findings point to a complex shift in national morale as Israelis weigh the risks of conflict against the belief that the confrontation could reshape the region. Dr. Gayil Talshir of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Agam Labs, which conducted the study, told The Press Service (TPS).
It shows the complexity of the Israeli mind. On the one hand, there is a sharp rise in concern for personal and national safety, while on the other hand, there is an understanding that toppling the Iranian regime could be a game changer, and hence the optimism for the future of Israel,” Talshir told TPS-IL.
Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran’s leadership, military, and nuclear facilities on Saturday (2/28). Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and across the Middle East.
The survey of 3,217 people was conducted from February 26, before the outbreak of the war, through March 3, after the conflict began, allowing researchers to compare attitudes before and after the start of the hostilities.
The data shows that the share of Israelis reporting high concern for their personal safety rose from 22 percent before the war to 45 percent afterward.
Fear regarding national security also increased, with nearly half of respondents reporting high concern compared with roughly one-third before the conflict began.
However, the survey found optimism climbed from 37 percent before the war to 50 percent after its outbreak.
Public support for the attack on Iran also remained strong, with 63% of respondents backing the strike while 24% opposed it.
Talshir said the findings reflect both resilience and the complexities of Israeli society during wartime.
“We have surveyed national morale since October 7, 2023, the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. And what we saw is that national unity is very present in the first weeks of the war, but then it disintegrates. Because we are in a polarized society, it will be interesting to see whether national unity sentiment lasts this time,” she said.
The New Israeli Rules Of Engagement – Amit Segal
On Oct. 6, 2023, the Israeli defense establishment realized something was stirring in Gaza but failed to act. Officials were paralyzed by the fear of a miscalculation. Decades of containment, restraint and forbearance had made Israel slow to stir and vulnerable in appearance. Two and a half years later, Israel stands at the pinnacle of its power in the Middle East – a transformation that occurred only after it shed rules it had adopted in recent decades.
There are new rules of the game. For years Israel shied away from targeted killings, granting terror leaders and Iranian officials the time and peace of mind to plot against the Jewish state. The IDF’s new mindset is the exact opposite. If terrorists are running for their lives, they can’t make plans to take ours.
Another rule is:when enemies announce their intention to destroy you, believe them. “Death to America” and Death to Israel” aren’t lip service or empty words. They are mission statements.
Ignoring small security problems invites larger ones. Israel fled Gaza to avoid improvised explosive devices and shooting attacks, only to be attacked by two commando divisions with the world’s largest tunnel network at their disposal. It withdrew from Lebanon because it couldn’t stomach 20 fallen soldiers a year; in exchange Hezbollah entrenched itself on the border with a missile arsenal rivaled by few global powers.
For years, the enemy fired rockets and Israel replied with “proportional” force. This normalized the firing at civilians, kidnapping and invasion. But this changed after Oct.7. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah thought he was still playing by the old rules, launching a few rockets daily. It ended with his elimination., the decapitation of his organization, and the destruction of 80% of their missile stockpile.
The new rules are in effect in the operation launched on Saturday (2/28). The Jewish state can’t accept the existence in Iran of production facilities and thousands of ballistic missiles, with every launch sending half of Israel into shelters and threatening mass casualties. It can;t tolerate a regime that continues to fund its greatest enemies with more than a billion dollars annually.
President Trump understood that Iran is a danger to regional and world peace. Iran’s attacks on peaceful Gulf states and Cyprus show what they would have done had they been allowed to develop nuclear weapons. This war will save us from the necessity of many others.
The writer is chief political commentator on Israel’s Channel 12 News. (Wall Street Journal)
(wsj.com)
Hamas’ Oct. 7 Attack Launched A Historic Reordering In The Middle East – Steve Hendrix
In 2023, from a tunnel beneath Gaza, Yahya Sinwar gave an order that sent thousands of Hamas fighters through the fence separating the territory from Israel. That green light has reordered the Middle East on a scale comparable to the Arab Spring or the carving up of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century – but not remotely in the ways Sinwar had in mind.
29 months later, the Middle East is almost unrecognizable. Israel stands indisputably as the military hegemon, its enemies demolished or decapitated. Sinwar is dead and the network he hoped would ride to his rescue is in ruins.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was blown up in a joint US-Israel airstrike on Saturday (2/28). The regime that bankrolled and armed the “axis of resistance” for four decades is on the edge of collapse – perhaps taking with it Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Tehran is making enemies of the entire region – firing drones and missiles haphazardly, and often including civilian targets.
On Oct. 6, 2023, it was all different. Iran’s proxy network was at the peak of its power. Hamas governed Gaza. Hezbollah held Lebanon hostage with 100,000 rockets. Assad sat in Damascus, reintegrating into the Arab League after years of isolation. The Houthis controlled the Yemeni coast and menaced shipping lanes with near-impunity.
Behind them all stood Iran, with a nuclear program viewed as an imminent threat in Jerusalem and the West, backed by a missile arsenal regarded as a strong deterrent against direct Israeli or American attack. Gulf nations were quietly reestablishing ties with the Islamic Republic.
“Two years later, none of those pillars are standing, and the Islamic republic is never going to be the same,” said Al Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group.
What Sinwar set off was an unraveling of everything he and his sponsors yearned for – a defeated Israel, Palestinian hopes for statehood, a Middle East rid of Western influence. “Talk about a colossal miscalculation leading to catastrophic consequences,” said Bilal Saab, a Chatham House fellow and former Pentagon official. “That cataclysmic event single-handedly changed the face of the Middle East.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has neutralized every major threat on its borders. A former senior Israel Defense Forces official said, “There is still war, but I can tell you that no one but the biggest dreamers ever thought we would be in the position we are in now. Israel is not untouchable, but we have made it very expensive to touch us.”
