Missile From Yemen Intercepted By IDF, Fragments Hit Kindergarten Roof In Northern Israel
A missile was launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory, and aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat, the IDF confirmed on Friday morning (2nd).
Minutes after the statements from the IDF and Home Front Command, rocket alert sirens sounded in multiple areas across Israel, as warned by the military.
The IDF said that the missile was intercepted, and that sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
The Megiddo Regional Council reported that fragments of the intercepted missile penetrated the roof of a kindergarten in Mishmar Ha’emek. There were no casualties as the kindergarten was empty at the time of impact.
According to Magen David Adom,” no calls were received about casualties, except for one man’s injuries on his way to a protected area.”
The military added that the public is instructed to follow the guidelines issued by the Home Front Command.
“Due to detection of missile launches toward Israel, alerts may be activated in the Upper Galilee, lower Galilee, Menashe, Confrontation Line, Samaria, Wadi Ara, Central Galilee, HaMifratz, HaCarmel, Beit Sha’an Valley, and Hamakim areas in the coming minutes,” the Home Front Command alerted its users.
IDF Conducts Airstrike Near Damascus’ Presidential Palace
“The IDF conducted an airstrike in Damascus, adjacent to the area of the Palace of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa,” without specifying the target, the military confirmed early Friday morning (2nd).
Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz stated Israel would not allow any harm to come upon the Druze community in Syria, their offices announced in a joint statement.
“This is a clear message to the Syrian regime, We will not allow forces to be sent south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” they said.
It marks the second time Israel has struck Syria in as many days, following through on a promise to defend the Druze minority group,” Reuters reported.
According to Reuters, the strikes reflected Israel’s deep mistrust of the Sunni Islamists who toppled former president Bashar Al-Assad in December, posing a further challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to establish control over the fractured nation.
Earlier on Thursday (1st), Israel’s Druze community protested against anti-Druze violence in Syria.
The Druze adhere to a faith that is an offshoot of Islam and have followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
Since Assad was ousted in December, Israel blew up much of the Syrian army’s heavy weapons. It has since also seized ground in the southwest of the country, vowing to protect the Druze and lobbying Washington to keep the neighboring state weak.
Sharaa, who was an al-Qaeda commander before renouncing ties to the group in 2016, has repeatedly vowed to govern Syria in an inclusive way. But incidents of sectarian violence, including the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, have hardened fears among minority groups about the now dominant Islamists.
This week’s sectarian violence began on Tuesday (4/29) with clashes between Druze and Sunni gunmen in the predominately Druze area of Jaramana, sparked by a voice recording cursing the Prophet Mohammad which the Sunni militants suspected was made by a Druze.
More than a dozen people were reported killed on Tuesday (4/29), before the violence spread to the mainly Druze town of Sahnaya on Damascus’ outskirts on Wednesday (4/30).
On Thursday evening (1st), US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that “The recent violence and inflammatory rhetoric targeting members of the Druze community in Syria is reprehensible and unacceptable.”
“The interim authorities must stop the fighting, and hold perpetrators of violence and civilian harm accountable for their actions, and ensure the security of all Syrians,” Bruce added.
“Sectarianism will only sink Syria and the region into chaos and more violence. We have seen that Syrians can solve their disputes peacefully through negotiations. We call for a representative future government that protects and integrates all of Syria’s communities, including ethnic and religious minorities.”
Chief Of Staff Warns: IDF Ready And Prepared To Deal Hamas A Decisive Blow
The Chief Of Staff Eyal Zamir on Thursday (1st) spoke at Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s ceremony honoring outstanding soldiers, discussing the ongoing fighting against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
Sending a warning to Hamas, Zamir said, “The Hamas terrorists still hold fifty-nine of our brothers and sisters. But they too know, their safety is not forever! The IDF is ready and prepared to strike them a decisive blow. We will use all the strength at our disposal, increase the pace of operations, and intensify our power.”
He added, “If necessary, we will do it soon, with determination and confidence in the righteousness of our path.”
Regarding haredi enlistment, he added, “As it is written in the Book of Deuteronomy, ‘All of Israel are responsible for one another.’ This is a principle that was not born merely out of the need to survive, but out of the understanding that our purpose is shared. From the moment at Mount Sinai, where we stood as one, with one heart, to the battlefield of today – our unity is the secret of our strength.”
“Among the awardees standing before me are representatives from all across the people of Israel: Avigdor, an officer from a haredi family, a father of a child, who chose to enlist in the IDF despite the social challenges. Dorian, a soldier who made aliyah alone just two years ago, and despite the language barriers, excelled in his service in the Intelligence Directorate. Oria, an observer from the Re’im base, who survived the brutal attack on the base and continued to serve in the IDF, demonstrating extraordinary inner strength. Lea, a soldier whose grandfather was kidnapped to Gaza and murdered there, and from that great pain, she found the strength to persevere, rise, and excel. Daria, the sister of a civilian hostage, who enlisted in the IDF and, even during the fierce struggle for her sister’s return, managed to stand out and become a role model for strength and determination.”
“And here are heroic fighters, who were injured in the battlefield, recovered with great courage, and returned to fight shoulder to shoulder with their comrades, overcoming all physical and mental obstacles. Each and everyone of the 120 awardees is a link in the chain of generations, and together you all continue the story of the people of Israel.”
Zamir clarified that “excellence is not measured by who is the most talented or the most brilliant. It is granted to those who persevere. It is a quiet daily choice to act with responsibility, commitment, and integrity–even when no one is watching. An outstanding individual may be someone who carried out a singular, extraordinary act – but they also may be the one who, despite the repetitive, exhausting, and demanding nature of a task, manages to rise each morning and perform their duty with responsibility, professionalism, and without compromise, refusing to take shortcuts. Excellence is an act of service – not for awards or praise, but because the person believes that what they do matters, that they have an impact, that they bear responsibility not only for themselves but for their team, their unit, and their country. Its meaning is not ‘what do I get out of this,” but ‘what is the right thing to do?’
“Today on our holiday, we remember our comrades-in-arms, the fallen, who fought with strength, courage and sacrifice. We will tell their stories and tales of their heroism, and we will act in the light of their legacy. Also on this occasion, I would like to send my wishes for a full recovery and rehabilitation to all the wounded, both physically and mentally.”
Concluding his speech, Zamir said, “Our sovereignty and independence were not given to us as a gift. They were bought with blood and struggle, and they require us to defend them at all costs.”
IDF Strikes In Southern Lebanon Kills Two Hezbollah Operatives
The Israel Defense Forces killed two operatives of the Hezbollah terror group in drone strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday (1st), the military said in a statement.
The first strike in the village of Mays al-Jabal targeted a member of Hezbollah’s Radwan force, the IDF said.
The second strike, in the same village, targeted a member of the terror group who was carrying out surveillance operations along the border, it added.
Lebanon’s health Ministry confirmed the strikes, saying one strike killed a Lebanese national and wounded two Syrians, and that another person was killed in the other.
A November 24 ceasefire ended more than a year of fighting, including some two months of open war, between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group.
The fighting began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah started attacking Israel daily with missiles and drones, in support of fellow terror group Hamas, which had invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip a day earlier, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The ceasefire allows Israel to strike immediate threats, and near-daily strikes against Hezbollah operatives and their allies have continued.
President Joseph Aoun told Sky News Arabia on Wednesday (4/30) that the Lebanese Army now controls more than 85 percent of the country’s south, from which Hezbollah was obligated to withdraw under the ceasefire.
A Lebanese security source told AFP that Hezbollah had largely withdrawn from south of the Litani River, some 12 miles north of the border with Israel, and had dismantled most of its military infrastructure in that area.
Israel was also obligated to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. It has pulled out from all but five strategic posts.
Fall Of Assad Put An End To Iran’s Plan To Take Control Of Syria – Report
Iran’s plan to extend its influence in the Middle East by taking control of Syria was thwarted by Assad’s ouster, according to a Reuters report.
Program plans were discovered in Iran’s embassy in Damascus and were authored by an Iranian economic policy unit stationed in Syria.
Iran’s strategy, which was unveiled in hundreds of contacts, letters, and infrastructure plans, was intended to recoup expenses Iran had spent to support President Bashar al-Assad and satisfy Iran’s imperial ambitions.
One recovered document called the plan a “$400 billion opportunity.”
However, Iran’s ambitions were in disarray when rebels ousted Assad in a coup in December, causing the former President to flee to Russia for safety.
Iran sought to bypass sanctions by investing in Syrian religious sites, factories, and military installations.
It is estimated that the forty projects detailed in the plans recovered at the embassy are just a small representation of Iran’s overall strategy.
It was also discovered that Syria’s outstanding debt to Iranian companies totaled $178 million.
The report also showed that even before Assad’s ouster, Iran was facing challenges implementing its agenda due to roadblocks created by Syrian officials, competition from rivals such as Russia, and the challenge of getting around sanctions.
The Iranian terror group, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was heavily involved in efforts to illegally bypass sanctions by establishing unofficial lines of credit worth billions. However, these efforts also faced roadblocks due to Syrian bureaucratic hurdles and corruption.
The new regime has refused to honor many of Iran’s contracts drafted before the fall of Assad, and many projects relating to oil, phosphate mining, and mobile networks have been shelved.
The report demonstrates the fragility of Iran’s plans in the face of regime change and the extent of Iran’s losses due to the fall of Assad in Syria.
How Israeli Military Technology Continues To Improve The U.S. Military – Maj. (ret.) John Spencer and Col. (ret.) Liam Collins
After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the United States Department of Defense commissioned 37 separate evaluations of the conflict. American military personnel walked the battlefields alongside Israeli commanders who had fought there, analyzing the strategies and technologies that enabled Israel to prevail against overwhelming odds. The lessons drawn from Israel’s battlefield successes would profoundly shape U.S. military doctrine. New operational approaches emphasizing speed, firepower, and joint-force coordination would redefine modern warfare.
Since those studies, the U.S. military’s enduring engagement with Israeli defense innovations continues to influence U.S. combat strategies and systems. From tank protection systems to artificial intelligence-powered warfare solutions, Israeli defense firms and research institutions have consistently delivered cutting-edge innovations that have found their way into the American military. The U.S. military has adopted many of Israel’s systems and integrated them into combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and various counterterrorism operations worldwide.
The Emergency Bandage – a simple yet highly effective hemorrhage control dressing developed by an Israeli military medic – has saved countless American lives. First introduced in the 1990s, the bandage features a built-in pressure applicator that allows soldiers to treat severe wounds with one hand. It is now standard issue in the individual first aid kits of American soldiers, special operations forces, and first responders.
The Israeli military’s adaptation of the D9 bulldozer into a heavily armored combat bulldozer offered a battlefield-tested model that directly influenced American operations in Iraq. In 2003, the U.S. military procured 14 Israeli-armored D9s for use in combat zones.
The Trophy Active Protection System (APS) has dramatically increased the survivability of armored platforms in combat, providing a layered defense against incoming anti-tank guided missiles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), automatically detecting, tracking, and intercepting threats before they reach the vehicle. The United States Army integrated the Trophy APS onto M1 Abrams main battle tanks beginning in 2018.
During the Iraq War, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) produced a majority of U.S. casualties. Having faced IED threats for years, Israel’s counter-IED capability far exceeded that of the U.S. Israel shared these technologies, providing the U.S. with vehicle-mounted microwave devices. These devices helped jump-start U.S. counter-IED efforts.
Israel has pioneered cutting-edge counter-tunneling technologies, integrating ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors, AI-driven detection systems, and rapid tunnel-neutralization techniques. Anti-tunnel cooperation has directly influenced U.S. border security strategies along the U.S.-Mexico border, where drug cartels and human smugglers have constructed increasingly sophisticated underground passages.
John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Liam Collins was the founding director of the Modern War Institute. (Institute for National Security Studies – Tel Aviv University)
