Defense Minister Yisrael Katz excoriated the Iranian regime after it deliberately targeted Soroka Hospital and civilian areas in a missile strike on Thursday morning. B’Chasdei Hashem, the missile hit an old surgical department building that was evacuated only yesterday. In an incredible neis, the Health Ministry ordered the hospital to evacuate the area only hours before the attack, as it was deemed unsafe in case of an attack. Although the building and nearby buildings were heavily damaged, all patients and staff were in protected spaces, and only one person was lightly injured. However, several people were severely injured in Holon, and dozens were lightly injured both in Holon and Ramat Gan.

Overnight (Thursday), 40 IAF fighter jets, with the precise intelligence direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck dozens of military targets in Tehran and additional areas throughout Iran, using over 100 munitions. As part of the strikes, and as part of the broad effort to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran was targeted, including the structure of the reactor’s core seal, which is a key component in plutonium production. Construction of the reactor began in 1997 but was not completed due to international community intervention. The reactor was originally intended for the production of weapons-grade plutonium, capable of enabling the development of nuclear weapons.

Israel struck Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor on Thursday, according to Iranian state television. Two projectiles were fired at the facility around 6 a.m. local time, IRIB said. The report said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” and that the facility had already been evacuated before the attack. Israel’s military had warned earlier Thursday morning it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. In what appeared to be a retaliatory attack, Iran hit the largest hospital in southern Israel. The Arak heavy water reactor was a focus of the 2015 nuclear deal with the US and other powers, because heavy water (or deuterium oxide) can be used to produce plutonium – providing Iran with a second pathway to a potential nuclear bomb, beyond enriched uranium.

A barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles rained down on Israeli territory in the early hours of Thursday morning, resulting in multiple impacts and reports of injuries. According to initial assessments, between 20 to 30 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran toward central and southern Israel. While the Israeli air defense network successfully intercepted the majority of the incoming threats, officials confirmed that at least four missiles breached the defense perimeter. Three of the missile impacts were reported in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, causing fires in several residential buildings. Emergency services responded to the scenes, with thick plumes of smoke visible over parts of the city.

The White House is enveloped in a cloud of suspense and conflicting signals as President Donald Trump weighs a momentous decision: whether to deploy U.S. B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordo nuclear facility. The intrigue has sparked a frenzy of contradictory reports, leaving allies, adversaries, and observers on edge. According to CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC News, Trump has greenlit a military strike plan targeting the Fordo installation, buried deep within a mountain near Qom. Yet, sources say that the president has not issued a final order, keeping the world guessing about his next move. The plan, if executed, would see the U.S.

As we continue to daven for Acheinu Bnei Yisrael amid the ongoing war with Iran, we remain committed to help Americans trying to return to the U.S. and facing uncertainty. The sudden closure of Israeli airspace has disrupted travel for thousands of people including yeshiva and seminary students and those with urgent medical or personal needs. In this time of war, our sense of responsibility to Klal Yisrael demands coordinated action. Our organizations have been in touch with the White House, U.S. State Department, and Israeli Government as well as U.S. and Israeli Embassies and have utilized global partnerships developed through past crises. With Hashem’s help, we remain fully engaged with government officials to address every viable option.

As Israel increases its strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets, a new Fox News poll shows that most Americans see Iran as a significant threat to U.S. security, though opinions remain split on Israel’s military response. The poll, conducted from June 13 to 16, 2025, reveals that 73% of registered voters believe Iran poses a genuine national security risk. Support for this view crosses party lines, with 82% of Republicans, 69% of Democrats, and 62% of independents recognizing Iran’s threat—each group registering more concern than in previous years. While there’s broad agreement on Iran’s threat, public opinion is divided over Israel’s recent preemptive strikes.

A senior defense official confirmed to Fox News that Army Colonel Nathan McCormack, who advises the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Middle East and Israel affairs, has been re-assigned back to the Army following a review of his social media activity. The official stated that McCormack’s social media posts, which included calling Israel the “worst ally” and criticizing “Netanyahu and his Judeo‑supremacist cronies,” led to his removal from the joint staff. Many of these posts appeared on an anonymous X account, and several have since been deleted. “While the matter is under review, McCormack will no longer serve on the joint staff,” the Pentagon official said, adding that an investigation is ongoing to assess the content and its potential implications.

HaGaon HaRav Zilberstein delivered his regular shiur Monday night in his shul in the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak and expounded on several wartime shailos. At the end of the shiur, there was a warning from the Home Front Command to stay near bomb shelters as a siren would soon be sounded. HaRav Zilberstein immediately instructed all those present to move to the bomb shelter, where he continued the shiur. One of the participants asked the Rav whether to recite the bracha of Hamapil before going to sleep since there would likely be sirens in the middle of the night. HaRav Zilberstein responded, “Say Hamapil because the bracha can be their downfall (להפיל). You’re stronger than them, you said Hamapil.

On the first night of Iran’s launch of airstrikes against Iran, mere minutes after dozens of Israeli fighter jets crossed the Iranian border, an F-15 pilot spotted a lone Iranian fighter plane taking off from a base in the west of the country. Within minutes, the enemy aircraft reversed course and landed. “The pilot probably realized what was coming,” speculates Maj. N., a combat navigator in Squadron 133, who spotted the plane. “He certainly didn’t want anything to do with the event and ran to hide. For me, that moment, more than anything else, illustrates the air superiority we brought with us all the way to Iran,” he said in an interview with Ynet. N. said that he and his fellow pilots were shocked by the lack of resistance from the Iranian pilots.