News Digest — 6/20/25
Defense Minister Addresses Threats Made By Hezbollah’s General-Secretary Against Israel
Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “The Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem is not learning from his predecessor and is threatening to act against Israel.” Earlier this week, the leadership of the Lebanese organization’s Amal and Hezbollah met for a discussion about the situations in the Middle East amidst the war between Iran and Israel and developments in Lebanon.
The Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that both organizations condemned Israel’s attacks in Iran, which they described as “desperate attempts to attack the entire resistance axis and harm the will of free people.”
Regarding the internal situation in Lebanon, the two organizations emphasized the importance of rehabilitating areas damaged by “Israel aggression,” defined the goal as a national and humanitarian priority, and called for increased efforts by the Lebanese government and civil society to complete the recovery actions and provide the necessary support to strengthen the resilience of the citizens.
In a public message, Katz issued a threatening warning: “I suggest the Lebanese proxy be careful and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists threatening it. If there is terror, there will be no Hezbollah.”
The Defense Minister’s comments were made in response to Qassem’s statement, where he said, “Iran’s steadfast position does not exempt us from our responsibility to stand by Iran and provide it with all kinds of support to put an end to Israeli arrogance.”
Iranian Missile Crashes In Beersheba For The Second Day In A Row, Seven Wounded slightly
Seven people were wounded lightly on Friday morning (20th) while running to protected areas following an Iranian missile that fell in Beersheba, according to a Soroka Medical Center spokesperson.
All the wounded were evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, the spokesperson added. IDF search and rescue forces are operating in the city following the missile impact, the military said.
This followed the IDF’s Home Front Command issuing a Red Alert siren in the city, which also issued alerts in the southern West Bank and parts of the Negev Desert due to the missile’s detection.
“Two casualty treatment points were set up for medical checks of residents coming out of buildings,” Magen David Adom paramedic Dvir Ben Ze’ev, said, adding that he and other paramedics saw damage to buildings, thick smoke and vehicles on fire when they arrived at the scene.
Friday’s strike in Beersheba comes one day after another Iranian ballistic missile strike that hit Soroka Medical Center on Thursday (19th).
Rescue teams on Thursday (19th) operated at the scene to help people trapped in an elevator at the hospital, the Fire and rescue Authority reported, including an 80-year-old man in serious condition due to wounds from the blast and shrapnel.
Netanyahu At Damaged Hospital Says ‘All Options Open’ Regarding Eliminating Khamenei
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba Thursday (19th) following the morning Iranian missile strike that damaged the hospital, the largest in the south. During his visit, he addressed reporters and answered questions about Israel’s response to the attack, and Rising Lion’s operation to rid Iran of its nuclear capabilities.
“The Israeli people are paying a tremendous price and bearing it magnificently,” Netanyahu stated. There are personal costs involved, people have been injured, and sadly some have been killed. Families have lost their loved ones, and I deeply value their sacrifice. Each of us carries a personal burden – this hasn’t spared my own family, as this marks the second time my son Avner has had to cancel his wedding.” The prime minister also referenced his wife Sara Netanyahu, noting she has “carried a personal burden for years” as he spearheads Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu highlighted the contrast between Israeli and Iranian targeting methods, explaining “we can see the complete difference – we strike with precision against military objectives while they target hospitals where patients cannot even evacuate. This represents the fundamental distinction between a democracy operating under legal constraints to protect itself, and these killers. It speaks volumes.”
When questioned about whether Khamenei should be considered “a dead man,” Netanyahu declined to dismiss the possibility of elimination. “Nobody enjoys immunity,” the prime minister declared. “Every option remains open, though I would rather not discuss such matters publicly and allow our actions to communicate our intentions,” He emphasized that “during wartime, words must be selected with great care – and actions executed with absolute precision.” Netanyahu said Israel’s operation had only two direct goals. To rid the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear capabilities and to deny it the possibility of attacking Israel with ballistic missiles, thus appearing to exclude regime change. Defense Minister Israel Katz a while earlier said that Khamenei should not be allowed to exist – Netanyahu did not address Katz’s statement.
Katz’s comments on potentially targeting Khamenei were made when he visited the missile impact zone in Holon,where he issued the war’s first explicit elimination threat against Khamenei. “Any dictator like Khamenei, who leads Iran while proclaiming Israel’s destruction as his banner – simply cannot be permitted to continue existing,” he declared.
On potential American involvement in future operations, Netanyahu commented “that decision rests with President Donald Trump, who understands the dynamics at play.” He also addressed speculation about regime change in Iran, drawing historical parallels by noting “twenty-five centuries ago, Cyrus liberated the Jewish people – today the Jewish people are assisting the Persian people in achieving their freedom.”
He said Iran had the chance to dismantle its nuclear program through talks, but they squandered that opportunity by not reaching a deal with the US.
“He [President Trump] gave them the chance to do it through negotiations. They strung him along. You don’t string along Donald Trump, you know, he knows the game, and I think that we’re both committed to making sure that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon – and it won’t!”
Iran Fired Banned Cluster Munitions At Israel, Officials Suspect
Iran used banned cluster munitions in missiles fired at Israel in the Thursday morning (19th) attack, which caused massive damage – including to Soroka Hospital and injured more than 200 people. Following the determination, the IDF warned the public not to touch or move suspected explosives that may still be on the ground.
Preliminary findings from one of the impact sites indicate that some of the missiles carried additional explosive payloads, or cluster bombs, that detonated upon impact, according to Israeli defense officials. This assessment is based on evidence collected at the scene and ongoing analysis by security teams.
A message from the Home Front Command stated that: “This morning we experienced a missile strike capable of dispersing small munitions over a relatively wide area.”
The message added that it is possible that some of the munitions will remain on the ground and not explode, and urged the public not to touch or move such suspicious objects.
Meanwhile, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) acknowledged the strike on Soroka. While repeating previous Iranian claims that the target was a “military-security compound near the hospital,” the channel also provided details about the warheads reportedly used in the barrage.
According to the post: “The warheads used contained smaller submunitions, designed to strike multiple targets simultaneously. In such missiles, the primary warheads split upon reaching the target, releasing a large number of guided explosive submunitions, causing extensive and precise destruction. This is what happened in this operation.”
If confirmed, the use of such munitions – effectively cluster bombs – would represent a dangerous escalation in the nature of weaponry deployed by Iran in its direct confrontation with Israel.
Chief Of Staff: We Are Now Turning Their “Ring Of Fire” On Them
The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, visited the research Division of the Intelligence Directorate on Wednesday (18th), together with the Head of the Intelligence Directorate, MG Shlomi Binder, the Head of the Research Division, BG Ofir Mizrahi Rozen, and other commanders.
The Chief of the General Staff spoke with the commanders and soldiers of the Research Division, who presented him with the current situational assessment and the operational plans for the continuation of operations. Zamir expressed his appreciation for the important and precise work of the Intelligence Directorate during the war, and particularly for the operation in Iran.
Chief of Staff Zamir stated,”The Intelligence Directorate has demonstrated extraordinary and awe-inspiring capabilities. Every citizen of this country, and the whole world, is looking at you with admiration and respect. Everyone wants to know how this happened, and I’m telling you, there are miracles, and those that make them happen are people, and in this case, those people are you.”
“On my behalf, on behalf of the IDF, and on behalf of the State of Israel, I thank you all. What we are doing here is historic – we are changing the face of the Middle East. We are now turning the ‘ring of fire’ – the sword that they built for years to attack us – against them on their territory. Shlomi, under your courageous and professional leadership, and together with all the other commanders here and the thousands of soldiers, you are doing outstanding work with excellence and immense professionalism.”
“You are creating extraordinary capabilities, and that’s what is enabling us to operate 1,500 kilometers away with the highest level of precision,” Zamir said.
Why Israel Hit Iran: ‘We Believe The Threats From The Tyrants Of Tehran’ – Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon
When the tyrants in Tehran declare that the State of Israel is a “cancerous tumor” that must be eradicated, we believe them. When the regime displays a massive clock in Tehran counting down the time until Israel’s destruction, we believe them. When the Islamic Republic’s leaders chant proudly “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” we believe them.
While the world dismissed these threats, Israel did not. Can the world recognize the difference between an aggressor bent on destruction, and a nation fighting for its survival? Israel’s decision to launch Operation Rising Lion was born of necessity. At every stage, Israel waited for diplomacy to work, waited for the international community to act.
But Israel cannot afford the luxury of denial. Not after the horrors of Oct.7. That day laid bare the genocidal intent at the core of the ideology of Iran’s regime. The Iranian regime is the orchestrator of regional instability, the godfather of international terror, and the most immediate nuclear threat to global peace. Israel has done what the world should have done long ago. Never again is not a slogan. It is our policy. (New York Post)
(nypost.com)
Israel’s Clash With Iran Is Nothing Like The Iraq War – Brendan O’Neill
The debate about Israel/Iran is at risk of being derailed by disinformation. This is a crazed stab at “regime change,” cry Israel’s critics, and we all know what horrendous things spring from “regime change.” It is an “illegal war” and a “war of aggression,” others insist. And the trump card: “It’s Iraq all over again.”
The moral evasion on display here is off the charts. To compare Israel’s fight against its fanatical tormentors in Tehran with America and Britain’s war in Iraq is to be willfully blind to both historical truth and moral principle. Iran has attacked Israel ceaselessly and ferociously. Its neo-fascist proxies in Hamas sent a 6,000 strong army into Israel in October 2023 where they raped and murdered hundreds.
Its most important proxy – Hezbollah – followed up by firing 5,000 rockets into northern Israel, causing the evacuation of 60,000 people and the deaths of scores of civilians, including 12 Druze kids. Iran itself has directly fired ballistic missiles at Israel. 120 missiles in April 2024; 200 in October 2024. Anyone who laments Israeli strikes on Iran without mentioning what Iran has done to Israel has forfeited the right to be taken seriously on this topic.
Iran does pose a strategic threat. It deploys its proxies to the imperial end of extending its theocratic writ across the region. And it unquestionably menaces Israel. Its missiles and its proxies’ pogroms are testament to that.
Iran’s dream – openly – is to eradicate the Jewish state. Which other nation on Earth would be told to chill out in the face of such an extremist neighbor which in both word and deed had made plain its annihilationist aspirations?
Israel’s critics see themselves as being on the side of peace. Really? In railing against Israel for striking back against the regime that has visited extreme violence on its people, they are essentially instructing the Jewish state to live meekly alongside an existential hazard. They see the existential endangerment of the Jews of Israel as a small price to pay for their own peace of mind. That isn’t “peace.” (Spiked-UK)
