Israel Braces For Holiday Missile Fire As Security Tightens For Passover, Easter
Against the backdrop of heightened security tensions and Operation Roaring Lion, Israel police completed extensive preparation for the Passover and Easter holidays in Jerusalem and across the country. The measures include unusual restrictions on the rail line to Jerusalem, alongside scaled-down religious ceremonies and limits on access to the Old City and the Western Wall.
IDF Spokesman BG Effie Defrin said the assessment is that rocket fire and missile fire will continue during the holiday period. “We are prepared throughout the holiday and assume they will continue launching during this time,” he said.
In a statement, Israel Railways said that, under police directives and due to operational complexity and the need to ensure passenger safety and security on the Jerusalem line, the number of passengers on each train will be capped at 1,200 in both directions during the immediate days of Passover (Hol Hamoed, the semi-festive days of the holiday). The restrictions will remain in place throughout that period and will be implemented using a technological system requiring each passenger to obtain a travel voucher in addition to a valid ticket.
Railway officials said the Jerusalem line is considered one of the most complex to operate, in part because most of it runs underground and the Yitzhak Navon station in Jerusalem is located about 262 feet below ground. As a result, joint procedures have been prepared for various emergency scenarios
Police emphasized that, alongside holiday preparations, there is currently no concrete intelligence from security agencies indicating plans to escalate rocket fire at the start of the holiday, though the possibility is being taken into account.
Accordingly, police forces will remain widely deployed across the country, with an emphasis on crowd-centers, holy sites, and major traffic routes.
In recent days, Jerusalem District police have held a series of coordination meetings with Christian leaders as part of preparations for Easter ceremonies and Holy Saturday (known in some traditions as the “Holy Fire” ceremony). As part of this effort, the commander of the David precinct, Cmdr. Dvir Tamim, met with senior church figures, including Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos lll and other church leaders in the city.
According to police, in light of the security situation and restrictions on large gatherings, it was decided that this year’s ceremonies will be held in a limited and symbolic format only, with broad agreement among all religious authorities. Police also noted that, at the start of the operation, it was decided to close holy sites in the Old City to large gatherings for security reasons and to protect human life.
At the same time, special preparations have been completed for Passover at the Western Wall. In a joint statement by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Israel Police and the Jerusalem Municipality, it was announced that, this year, due to the security situation and Home Front Command guidelines, the general public will not be allowed to reach the site during the holiday.
The traditional Priestly Blessing ceremony, which in ordinary years draws tens of thousands of worshipers, will be held in a limited format with the participation of 50 preselected kohanim (members of the Jewish priestly class). The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, April 5 and will be broadcast live.
Police said that in recent weeks fragments of intercepted missiles have landed in the Old City area and the Jewish Quarter, “reinforcing the need for stringent precautionary measures.” They added that efforts will continue “to balance freedom of worship with security needs,” and urged the public to follow instructions and avoid restricted areas during the holiday period.
Netanyahu Says Israel Forming Regional Alliances With Arab States To Counter Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers at a cabinet meeting this week that Israel is building alliances with Arab countries to confront Iran, signaling expanded regional coordination as the conflict continues.
Netanyahu described the outreach as part of a broader regional shift, saying countries that once dismissed Israeli warnings about Iran are now reassessing the threat.
According to remarks cited by Maariv, Netanyahu said past discussions with Arab leaders did not resonate at the time.
“In the past, I had secret conversations with Arab leaders,” Netanyahu reportedly said. “I told them, ‘As soon as Iran can, it will conquer you and overthrow your kingdoms.’ Back then they didn’t really internalize things. Today they understand.”
He said Israel is now advancing ties with “important countries in the region,” without naming them, and indicated that additional agreements could soon be made public, “We are creating new alliances with important countries in the region,” he said. “Soon I will be able to tell you more about these important pacts.”
Separately, Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter described increased engagement with Gulf states. Speaking Monday (3/30) on a podcast, he said multiple countries have sought closer coordination with Israel.
“Some of our allies have become even greater allies over the past month,” Leiter said. “Whether it is UAE, Bahrain, I think we’ve become closer to the Saudis, closer to the Omanis. Closer to the Kuwaitis, for crying out loud. They’ve asked us for assistance.”
Netanyahu linked the diplomatic activity to recent military developments, saying Israeli operations have reduced Iran’s capabilities.
He said Israel had eliminated immediate threats tied to Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal and had also damaged its ability to produce such weapons. “We brought a complementary achievement by smashing the industrial capability of the regime to produce these tools of destruction,” he said.
He also pointed to changes in the regional balance, stating that Hezbollah no longer poses “a strategic threat” to Israel. Netanyahu added that pressure on Tehran could lead to broader change, saying, “Sooner or later the Iranian regime will fall.”
Iran, Hezbollah Launch Attacks As Israelis Host Passover Seders, Sending Millions To Shelters
Sirens sounded repeatedly in central Israel Wednesday evening (1st), surrounding the start of Passover, as Iran fired a major ballistic missile barrage and Hezbollah launched rockets from Lebanon, sending millions to bomb shelters and safe rooms, as families across the country hosted their Seder meals.
The IDF had previously warned that a missile attack was expected on Seder night, one of the most widely observed Jewish rituals.
According to initial IDF assessments, some 10 ballistic missiles were fired at central Israel, in the largest Iranian salvo on Israel since the early days of the war. Minutes later sirens again sounded in central and northern Israel, as the IDF detected another Iranian ballistic missile launch, the sixth such salvo of the day. Around the same time, sirens sounded in the Golan Heights and Galilee due to rocket fire by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
According to the military, most of the incoming missiles were intercepted. “Some missiles were allowed to hit open areas,” according to protocol.
One Iranian missile, apparently carrying a cluster bomb warhead, spread bomblets in central Israel. Rescue forces said damage was caused to homes and cars in the central cities of Rosh Hayin and Petah Tikva. Another bomblet struck a playground in Petah Tikva, causing damage, footage showed. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Iran’s missile fire on Israel had slowed to around 10-15 missiles a day in the past two weeks, down from about 90 on the first day of the war. Until Wednesday (1st), Iran had not carried out large missile barrages, with recent attacks composed of a small number of missiles each, usually between one and three.
A short while after Iran’s missile salvo, sirens were triggered once again in central Israel by incoming rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the IDF, two rockets were allowed to fall in open areas, as they were not intercepted, in accordance with military policies.
The sirens came hours after IDF Spokesman BG Effie Defrin warned the public of potential attacks by Iran and Hezbollah during the Passover ceremonial feast, saying that the military was on high-alert for such an event.
“It is possible that the Iranian terror regime and the Hezbollah terror organization will fire toward the country’s territory with the aim of harming Israeli civilians during the holiday,” Defrin said in a video statement.
“Our defense systems are deployed and ready to intercept threats across the country,” he said.
“Even on the holiday eve, it is important to remember that the defense is not hermetic,” Defrin said. “I call on you, adhere to the Home Front Command’s instructions.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz made a similar appeal to the public, saying: “I want to wish everyone a happy holiday and ask you to adhere to the Home Front Command’s instructions. They save lives and allow the IDF to continue to strike at the enemies. Thank you very much and have a happy holiday.”
Iran’s Regime Says: Lebanon Is Ours – Editorial
The deadline for the Iranian ambassador to leave Lebanon was Sunday (29th). Beirut declared Mohammad Reza Shibani persona non grata, but he’s still there, at this embassy. On Monday (30th) Iran’s Foreign Ministry said he won’t be leaving Lebanon, and the message is clear: Neither will Iran.
The Iranian regime is so used to ordering around the Lebanese in their own country, why should it begin respecting Lebanese sovereignty now? Iran’s regime came to Beirut in the 1980s to kill hundreds of Americans. Later it took over southern Lebanon and used it to drag the whole country into a needless conflict with Israel punctuated by two devastating wars. And now a third. Tehran accomplished these feats via Hezbollah, a Shiite militia devoted to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
This war, which Hezbollah began by firing at Israel on March 2, is waged for Iran’s regime. Lebanon has no interest in it. But the shots are called in Tehran, which needs Israel preoccupied with a second war front. Revolutionary Guard commanders are now conducting a war from Lebanese territory. (Wall Street Journal)
(wsj.com)
Lessons From The Iran War – Amb. James Jeffrey
The centers of gravity on both sides of the Iran war are holding up under military pressure: Iran’s command and control, its domination of a still-cowed population, ability to block shipments out of the Gulf, and its missile and drone stocks; the U.S., Israel, and Arab states’ internal cohesion, weapons stocks, and despite considerable oil and gas price increases.
Neither side is displaying a decisive collapse of will, with Gulf Arab states so far demonstrating both resilience and defiance of Iran. There will not be a collapse of will by the Israeli government and population. For Israel, this conflict correctly, is existential and the costs so far are easily bearable. Under such conditions, the conflict likely will shift to negotiations with or without a ceasefire.
Iran is a cause more than a state, although it presents as both. Its attacks on civilian targets in neighboring states, seeking to remain neutral, and targeting of international oil supplies, have revealed the regime’s nature. The region will never be fully at peace unless either the very nature of the regime changes into that of a normal state, or it is stripped of all capability, in perpetuity, to project power through nuclear weapons, drones and missiles, terrorists and proxies.
Iran is able to prioritize its ideological mission of regional domination and religious orthodoxy over its own population, economy and even military losses in a way most normal modern states cannot. It’s hard to break the iron will of ideological states at almost any pain level.
Israel’s extraordinary military success both offensive and defensive, the Israeli people’s resilience, and its intelligence capabilities in this conflict give it dramatic dominance in the region, building on its previous success with the help of others decimating the Iranian proxy network. But it does not have the strategically mobile ground forces to decisively defeat Iran or other distant foes.
Iran’s current strategy is simply to keep shooting with whatever is left of its not inexhaustible but very large weapons stocks until the pain on Gulf States and the American public, diminishes American and regional partners’ own weapons stocks, and events elsewhere force the U.S. and Israel to end operations, with or without a face-saving formal understanding with Iran.
The writer served as U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement, Deputy National Security Advisor , and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey.
