News Digest — 6/13/25
The Chief Of Staff On Iran Strikes: ‘We Are Amidst A Historic Campaign Unlike Any Other’
Speaking less than two hours after Israel started its preemptive strike on Iran and its nuclear sites, IDF Chief of Staff LG Eyal Zamir on Friday morning (13th) said, “These are decisive days… We have launched an attack on Iran because we reached the moment – we arrived at the point of no return.”
“We could not wait for another moment to take action – we had no choice,” he said.
He stated, “Our distant and recent history has taught us to fight against the ambitions to destroy us, to bow our heads, and to fight for the preservation of our existence.”
“Freedom is given to those who are ready to fight for it. I warn anyone who tries to test us – they will pay a heavy price,” he cautioned.
Next, he said, “We started this campaign together with one goal before our eyes – to bring a better future for the State of Israel and its citizens. With faith, unity, and a joint effort, we will win.”
Speaking in a nationally televised address, Zamir declared the launch of Operation Rising Lion, a large-scale military initiative aimed at strategically targeting Iranian regime threats against the State of Israel.
The Chief of Staff emphasized that the operation was initiated because Israel had reached a “point of no return.” Referring to lessons learned from history, Zamir underscored that Israel must not ignore existential threats. “We could not afford to wait for another time to act,” he stated.
Nevertheless, the IDF is prepared to defend the home front and will continue to conduct its operations with precision and caution. Zamir urged civilians to adhere to official safety instructions and to support IDF troops and security forces.
According to Zamir, the operation has been in preparation for a long time, with extensive efforts undertaken across all branches of the military. Tens of thousands of soldiers are being called up and the IDF is fully deployed along Israel’s borders.
“I warn that anyone who tries to challenge us will pay a heavy price,” Zamir said. “We are entering this operation together with one goal – to ensure a safer future for the State of Israel and its civilians.”
Reflecting on Israel’s history, Zamir reminded viewers that 77 years after the state’s founding in the shadow of the Holocaust, the Jewish nation once again faces a battle for its survival – this time against a powerful regional adversary.
“Beyond the technology, operational means, and methods – we exhibit an additional unique element – the Zionist and Jewish spirit that beats within us,” he said. “With this spirit – and faith in our justified path – our actions will speak.”
Meanwhile, IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin on Friday morning (13th) confirmed that the Iranian response has begun, as Iran has launched over 100 drones toward Israel. “We are working to eliminate this threat ,” he stressed.
Around 3:00 a.m. Friday (13th) , Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran, targeting key government and military officials,as well as Iranian military and nuclear sites.
Parallel to this, the Israeli government raised the alert level nationwide, reducing activity on the home front to essential activity only, closing educational institutions, banning gatherings, and ordering key services to be prepared for emergencies.
IDF Spokesman: Senior Iranian Commanders Eliminated In Strike On Nuclear Sites
IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin on Friday morning (13th) provided an update on the IDF strike in Iran , in which several senior figures were eliminated and nuclear facilities were targeted.
Defrin confirmed that among those killed were top leaders in Iran’s military, including the Iranian Chief of Staff, the Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and the head of the military emergency command.
Iran has also confirmed the deaths of six nuclear scientists in the strikes.
Defrin also revealed that during the night, more than 200 fighter jets of the Israeli Air Force attacked over 100 targets across Iran with precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Directorate, including hideouts of senior officials in the Iranian military.
In the attacks, the three highest military commanders of the Iranian regime were eliminated: Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammed Bagheri; Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hussein Salami; and Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya (Emergency Headquarters),Gholam Ali Rashid.
“We launched the operation at the most appropriate time – we identified that the regime was racing toward a nuclear bomb,” said Defrin, revealing that Israeli intelligence recommended the strike after discovering Iran was advancing a secret nuclear weapons program.”
“Intelligence shows that the Iranian regime had established a covert nuclear project and was working to acquire nuclear arms in the near future. According to the IDF, senior officials from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas were coordinating precision strikes from across the axis – intending to pave the way for an invasion into Israeli territory,” Defrin stated.
IDF Arrests Hamas Terrorists In Syria In Overnight Raid
IDF forces carried out a targeted early morning raid Thursday (12th) in Beit Jinn, a town in the Damascus countryside, arresting Hamas terrorists based in Syria who were planning attacks against Israel, the IDF reported.
The operation was based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks. Weapons and ammunition were also seized. The detainees were transferred to Israel for interrogation.
According to Syrian reports, local resident Muhammad Hamadeh was killed in the operation, and seven others were arrested. Sources told Syrian TV it was the first time Israeli forces operated this deep in the Beit Jinn area since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. About 100 soldiers, 10 military vehicles and drones reportedly took part in the operation.
Local reports said the detainees’ names were broadcast during the operation, triggering riots in the town. The Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al-Mayadeen reported that a large demonstration was being planned to coincide with Hamadeh’s funeral later in the day (Thursday, 12th).
The raid is the latest in a series of Israeli strikes and operations across Syria in recent weeks. Last Wednesday, (4th) a major explosion was reported at a missile warehouse in the Hama countryside. Syrian radio station Sham FM said the cause of the blast was unknown and the extent of the damage was still unclear.
Qatar outlet Al Araby and the Iraqi militia-linked Sabreen News Agency claimed Israel was behind the blast, allegedly carried out by a drone. One report said a Syrian air defense battalion was also hit and another claimed eight people were killed.
A week earlier, Syria reported unusual Israeli strikes along the western coastline near the cities of Latakia and Tartus. The IDF confirmed it had carried out airstrikes targeting weapons caches, including shore-to-sea missiles, which it said posed a threat to both Israel and international maritime freedom. The military added that it also struck surface-to-air missile components in the Latakia area.
The troops continue to operate to eliminate all threats to the civilians of the State of Israel, in particular to the residents of the Golan Heights,” an IDF statement read.
Israeli Ambassador To The UN Chides Organization For Pushing One-Sided Ceasefire Resolution, While Failing To Condemn Hamas
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon criticized the U N for ignoring the murder of aid workers from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), by the Hamas terror organization, while the General Assembly instead convenes to vote on a resolution demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“Last night (Wednesday , 11th), Hamas murdered at least five Palestinian aid workers in Gaza. They ambushed a bus clearly marked and carrying over two dozen humanitarian staff from the GHF. Several others were injured, some may have been taken hostage,” Danon told reporters outside the General Assembly.
“These were civilians,” he emphasized. “These were aid workers, risking their lives to feed the people of Gaza. Hamas gunned them down in cold blood because they do not care about Palestinian lives. They do not care about life, period.”
“It was an attack on humanitarian workers – who the UN claims to care so deeply about. I’m asking you today, where is the condemnation from the Secretary-General? Where is the condemnation from the United Nations?” he wondered.
“Moreover, the General Assembly will not meet to condemn that crime,” he observed. “It will not gather to denounce Hamas. Instead, it will probably pass a resolution, a resolution which is a farce. It is a moral failure. It is a political stunt. If it passes, it will be remembered not as a step toward peace, but as a disgraceful act of appeasement. It is a resolution that rewards terrorists and abandons their victims.”
Holding up the resolution, Danon stated that the text does not include any condemnation of Hamas for the atrocities committed during the October 7 massacre or make the release of the 53 hostages in Gaza a condition for a ceasefire. “It does not hold Hamas accountable, the terrorists who started this war, prolong it, and torture our hostages.“
“This assembly has had over 20 months to say the words, ‘We condemn Hamas and we demand the immediate release of the hostages.’ But these words are nowhere to be found. Instead the GA will try to place all the pressure on us, on Israel, the only party that accepted the proposal that was offered by the US, Qatar and Egypt.” he said.
“I say today to every delegation that will vote on this resolution – and we know that it will pass – if you refuse to condemn Hamas, you commend them. If you fail to demand the release of the hostages, you abandon them. If you try to erase October 7, you are complicit in allowing it to happen again. No General Assembly resolution, no moral failure, no hypocrisy, will change the reality. Israel will do whatever it takes to bring all of them back home,” Danon said.
Syrian Girl Receives Life-Saving Treatment At Rambam Hospital In Haifa
The evacuation and treatment of Syrians at Israeli hospitals have been a part of ongoing humanitarian initiatives, with full approval from military censors to ensure safety and well-being.
A 12-year-old Syrian girl who was critically ill due to a heart problem received life-saving treatment at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa last week, following a joint humanitarian effort between the IDF and the “Yitro – Jews for Druze” association.
The young girl was evacuated from southern Syria last Thursday (5th) and brought to the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital at Rambam.
She was in a life-threatening condition, requiring urgent medical care. Accompanied by her mother, the girl underwent a medical procedure in the pediatric intensive care unit to treat her heart issue.
After four days of intensive care, her condition improved significantly, and she was released in stable condition.
Following her discharge from the hospital, the girl was transferred back to the IDF, which arranged for her safe return to a meeting point in southern Syria to reunite with her father.
Mr. Amnon Bartel, chairman of the Yitro Association, expressed his gratitude to the IDF for making the operation possible and praised Rambam Health Care Campus for its professional medical care. “This complex and moving humanitarian effort exemplifies our commitment to saving lives. Rambam and the Yitro Foundation will continue to work together to provide medical excellence and support to those in need,” said Bartel.
Argentina Will Move Embassy To Jerusalem, Milei Announces At Israel’s Knesset
Argentina will move its embassy to Jerusalem in 2026, Argentinian President Javier Milei announced in a ceremonial speech to the Knesset plenum on Wednesday evening (11th).
Milei began his speech by saying that the “cancer” of anti-Semitism is spreading once again despite the lessons of the Holocaust.
Milei criticized what he called a “corruption” of western values, arguing that the global left has lost its moral compass and was “siding with Hamas.”
“Argentina will not stand on the sidelines,” and will “raise its voice in defense of fellow human beings,” Milei said.
The Argentinian president commended Israel for being a bastion of democracy in a hostile region. He praised a number of “miracles” – the formation of the state, its victory in the War of Independence, its emergence as a global technological leader, and the economic reforms of the 1980s in which Israel overcame hyperinflation.
He also commended what he called Argentina’s “economic miracle,” calling his approach a “paradigm shift” which included opposing “unnecessary” government spending and carrying out a series of fiscal and monetary reforms.
Milei’s speech was preceded by warm speeches by Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Opposition Leader MK Yair Lapid.
Sirens Are My New Normal – Dr. Sharon Weiss-Greenberg
When we moved to Modi’in, I thought we were generally out of range – close enough to the center of the country for convenience, and far enough from the borders to feel insulated. I remember hearing and seeing how residents of Sderot lived near Gaza. I wondered how people could live like that – always expecting a siren, always calculating the distance to the nearest shelter. I couldn’t imagine it. Now, I don’t have to imagine.
Before the Houthi threat, sirens were rare. Now there’s no rhythm, they just happen. Sirens are my new normal. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve called my kids, my husband, and my parents to check if everyone’s okay.
There are moments I’ll never forget – crouching against a wall with my son because we couldn’t make it to a shelter, both my husband and I covering his body with ours to protect him, literally ready to take the hit for him. Or the night Iran attacked, and the sirens came one after another after another. It felt endless.
But mostly, the sirens have become routine. My heart rate doesn’t spike anymore. We’ve all learned to live with this new version of normal. We adapt.
The writer is Manager of Resource Development at ANU-MUSEUM of the Jewish People.
