Air raid sirens blared across central Israel and the Shephelah region on Monday evening after rockets were fired from Lebanon without advance warning, sending residents rushing to protected areas. Security officials reported multiple sites where fragments from interceptions and shrapnel fell. The Israel Defense Forces later said that one missile hit in central Israel while several others landed in open areas.
Magen David Adom said four people sustained light injuries in the attack on central Israel. The wounded included a 32-year-old man who was struck by a flying object and a 38-year-old woman who suffered an injury to her leg. All four casualties were transported to Kaplan Medical Center and Shamir Medical Center, where they were treated for blast-related trauma and injuries from shattered glass.
The IDF reported that Israeli Air Force aircraft quickly responded to the attack, destroying the launcher in Lebanon from which the rockets had been fired.
In a statement, the Hezbollah terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the strike, saying: “We attacked the satellite communications station belonging to the communications and cyber defense corps of the Israeli enemy army, in the Elah Valley in central occupied Palestine.”
Earlier Monday, a separate Iranian missile strike hit a construction site in Yehud, killing one person and critically wounding another. The injured victim was transported by intensive care ambulance to Sheba Medical Center.
Another incident occurred in Or Yehuda, where a missile strike left one individual seriously injured. That victim was also taken to Sheba Medical Center for treatment. The municipality reported that another woman suffered anxiety and received care at the scene, while three additional locations were identified where cluster munitions had struck, causing damage to property.
Or Yehuda Mayor Liat Shohat addressed the attacks, stating, “These events remind us once again how life-saving it is to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and ask residents to remain vigilant and avoid approaching the impact sites so security forces can complete their work safely.”
Meanwhile, reports indicated that roughly 650,000 residents have fled the Dahiya district of Beirut, along with approximately half a million people who have left areas in southern Lebanon.
Defense Minister Yisroel Katz emphasized Israel’s determination to defend its communities, saying, “The decision to move forward immediately and defend the communities is morally and operationally correct, and it enables what comes next while giving residents the confidence that what happened will not return. There will be no evacuation, no abandonment-everyone remains on their land, in their home, wherever they are. The number one mission is to defend the communities and provide them security against raids and anti-tank fire.”
He continued, “From this point we should not only avoid retreating in the face of Hezbollah, but seize the opportunity to strike it. We are striking it and will continue to strike it. Prepare operational plans to hit it, impose costs, and neutralize its capabilities. The fact that a million Lebanese have evacuated their homes in southern Lebanon and in Dahiya demonstrates the strength of the IDF and its deterrence capability.”
{Matzav.com}American intelligence agencies have intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated from Iran that could potentially serve as a signal for sleeper cells operating outside the country, according to a federal alert circulated to law enforcement authorities.
The warning, which was reviewed by ABC News, cites “preliminary signals analysis” of a transmission described as “likely of Iranian origin.” The message was reportedly broadcast to several countries shortly after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed.
Khamenei died on Feb. 28 during a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military strike.
Officials say the intercepted message was encrypted and appeared to be intended for “clandestine recipients” who already possess the necessary encryption key to decode it.
Communications of this type are commonly used to deliver instructions to “covert operatives or sleeper assets” without using internet networks or cellular systems that could be more easily traced.
According to the alert, analysts believe the signals may have been designed to “be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country.”
“While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness,” the alert said.
Officials stressed that the warning does not point to any particular location or imminent attack. The alert notes there is “no operational threat tied to a specific location,” though it advises law enforcement agencies to closely watch for unusual radio-frequency activity.
If the communication is confirmed to be authentic, it could intensify concerns among Western security officials that sleeper cells positioned abroad might be activated in retaliation following the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.
{Matzav.com}
As Israel’s war with Iran continues, former Israeli National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror said the fighting could last six to eight weeks and may extend into the Pesach holiday, while suggesting that dramatic developments may already be unfolding inside Iran.
In an interview on Radio 103FM with hosts Amichai Etali and Gideon Oko, Amidror said Israelis may have to prepare for the possibility of celebrating Pesach under wartime conditions, including spending time in protected shelters.
“We’ll reach Pesach. I don’t understand what the problem is if we have to hold our Seders in shelters. If in order to destroy Iran we need to sit in shelters on Pesach, I think that is a worthy price,” Amidror said.
He explained that U.S. military assessments indicate that a successful campaign against Iran would likely require several weeks of sustained operations.
“I believe the Americans calculated targets for six to eight weeks so that the blow to Iran will be very severe,” he said.
According to Amidror, the central objective of the war is not necessarily the immediate collapse of Iran’s ruling regime in Tehran, even if such an outcome would be desirable.
“It would be better if the regime were replaced, but I’m not sure that can be achieved from the air,” he explained. “If we cannot replace the regime, we must ensure only one thing — that the regime will not pose a threat. We cannot change their worldview.”
He added that while the Iranian regime is currently weak, there is no organized opposition capable of stepping in and assuming power.
“The Iranian regime is weak, but there is no opposition that can take power. We want a regime weak enough that we can return and destroy whatever we want,” he said.
Amidror also addressed concerns surrounding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, saying that even the possibility of seizing the material cannot be ruled out, although such an operation would be complex.
“We can make sure there are no Iranians in the area and take it if we know where it is,” he explained. “You can create a bubble that you protect from the air, bring in a force with appropriate air support, and remove the material from there.”
He said the uranium itself does not currently pose an immediate danger in its present form.
“It is stored in containers that are not very large. From a rough calculation I made based on unofficial papers I read, it is something like between twenty and thirty containers.”
Amidror also commented on the possibility that Mojtaba Khamenei could emerge as Iran’s next supreme leader, warning that such a development could lead to further escalation.
“There is now a new ruler in Iran, and he will have to decide whether to sacrifice Iran for the sake of his rule or drink the cup of poison,” he said. “Based on his experience, I fear for the fate of the Iranians.”
At the same time, former figures in Israel’s intelligence community suggested that major covert operations may already be taking place inside Iran as part of the current campaign.
Shagiv Asoulin, a former senior Mossad official, said in a separate interview that some operations carried out inside Iran have not yet been revealed to the public.
“I can say that big things have happened in Iran, on the scale of the beepers and perhaps even more,” he said. “Maybe they don’t photograph as dramatically, but with time we will hear about them and they will be no less amazing.”
He added that additional significant moves may still be “up the sleeve” and could become known as the conflict continues.
{Matzav.com}Knesset member Zvi Succot, who chairs the Knesset Education Committee, traveled to Kiryat Shmona during the ongoing Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel and spent the night in a public shelter alongside local residents.
While in the city, Succot met with Kiryat Shmona’s mayor at the newly established municipal emergency operations center for a security briefing. During the meeting, he was updated on the situation facing the community and the difficulties confronting the local education system as the fighting continues.
Following the briefing, Succot visited several shelters throughout the city and spoke with residents about the challenges of living under constant rocket threats and frequent sirens. Later that evening, he decided to remain in the city and sleep in one of the public shelters together with residents.
Succot said, “I came here to experience firsthand what residents on the confrontation line are going through. The State of Israel must remain committed to the security and daily life of northern residents.”
He added, “We must not get used to a reality in which civilians live between sirens and shelters – our responsibility is to restore a full sense of security to the region’s residents.”
Addressing Israel’s security approach, Succot said, “The era of restraint is over; we have moved to initiating and striking our enemies until they are destroyed. Residents here are living in an unimaginable reality – there are people over the age of 60 who sat in shelters here as children.”
In closing, he declared: “All territory south of the Litani should be annexed. Woe to anyone who thinks about stopping before the threat from the north is completely eliminated.”
{Matzav.com}
Travelers arriving at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday hoping to depart after the airport reopened for outbound flights were stunned to learn that despite holding valid tickets, many were still unable to board their planes.
The unclear and shifting instructions triggered widespread frustration among passengers, with heated arguments, pushing, and confrontations breaking out in the terminal. Police were ultimately called in to restore order amid the turmoil.
כאוס בנתב"ג: באל על קיבלו אתמול אישור להעלות 200 נוסעים בחלק מהטיסות – אך היום המספר ירד חזרה ל-50 – נוסעים רבים נותרו זועמים בדלפקי הצ'אק אין לאחר שהגיעו לנתב"ג.
דיילי קרקע: "איבוד עשתונות – סגרו דלפקי צ'ק אין. יש אלימות בין המשטרה לנוסעים"@Dean_Fisher_ pic.twitter.com/VWNGoTxD3X
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) March 9, 2026
The confusion was traced to a sudden overnight reversal of wartime travel regulations. Just a day earlier, authorities had approved an increase in the number of passengers allowed on each flight, raising the cap from 100 to 200 people. Following that decision, airlines began offering additional seats to hundreds of customers who had previously been placed on waiting lists.
But during the night, the policy was abruptly rolled back without prior notice. The passenger limit was restored to 100 people per flight, leaving hundreds of travelers holding confirmed tickets for flights that no longer had space for them.
When those passengers arrived at the airport and approached the check-in counters, airline staff were forced to determine on the spot which travelers would be permitted to board and which would be denied seats.
Footage circulating from inside the airport showed tense and chaotic scenes as stranded travelers confronted airline representatives. “There are elderly people here. Why are you doing this? Take responsibility,” one passenger could be heard shouting at an airline employee.
{Matzav.com}